Weekly Jog Log: Jan. 24-30

I have recently taken pride in my ability to avoid the sickness that tends to teem in the nostrils of those of us confined to the cubicle 9-5. I think that my hours logged outdoors is reason why my immune system has been able to thwart off even the most pesky of cold bugs. Not so this time. Sunday evening I felt the tickle in the bottom of my throat that signaled the impending onset of a cold/sore throat. I did my best to load up on Vitamin C and rest but to no avail. However, after a week of ever changing weather conditions, I was able to catch up on some rest and I believe I avoided the worst of the cold. Due to the poor weather, my runs this week were rather muddy in nature.

Monday 1/24/2011
7 miles through Poplar Forest / Wyndhurst-1 mile barefoot-(59:00)
Felt pretty tired on this run. Sore throat and slight head cold made for slow going. Was really nice to get the legs moving and the weather was warm so I was able to forgo the tights this morning.

Tuesday 1/25/2011
Run home from work-5 miles-1 Mile barefoot-(38:00)
Had a great run after work. Legs felt great and I was very energized after sitting all day. Turned this into a tempo run and was very happy to sustain a fast pace over the course of about 3 miles. Did that last mile barefoot. Weather was once again very nice so I didn't need many layers.


Wednesday 1/26/2011
Candlers Mtn Rd-Camp Hydaway-Lake Trail-7 miles-(58:00)
Another great run! Ran up Candlers Mtn. to get a good hill workout in. The road then plains out for the most part of the remaining 2 miles or so to the Camp Hydaway Trail Head. I then slogged it back to my car on the Lake Trail. The trail was in decent condition but it had been drizzling most of the morning so some parts were to become very muddy. It was a good thing that I started this run early because the weather deteriorated rapidly as the day went on. Had it been 10 degrees cooler and we would have been hit with a decent snowstorm. Unfortunately what we received instead was Virginia's infamous "Wintry Mix". I have a different name for the stuff but I'll keep this post PG-rated.

Saturday 1/29/2011
Run Around Liberty Mountain-12 mi-.5 mi barefoot-(2:08)
This was a repeat of last week's long run. Not too sure of the accuracy of the distance as the trail is filled with switchbacks but this is my best guess given the time it takes and my try at mapping the run, with the help of Google of course. I had taken 2 days off due to school compounded with a sore knee and utter laziness. The rest, however, led to a strong climb up Candler's Mountain. The weather was very warm and I ended up shedding some layers by the time I reached Camp Hydaway Trail Head. The route is trails from this point forward. Due to the increasing temperatures, the trails were very soft. My hips and knees took quite a beating due to the muddy conditions. At one point, in my laziness of mid-run fatigue, I found myself wiping out in some greasy, orange, Virginia clay. Thanks to this run, my socks will be forever orange after running. Sorry Patsy. All in all, this was a great run to test my technical abilities on trails. Soon, I hope to make this a regular midweek run and double the loop on the weekends. 

Shot of the trail from my ever-so-awesome camera phone.

Not too much foot traffic yet.

Total Jogged=32 miles
Time Jogging=4:45
Time Falling on my Butt= .7 seconds

JOG ON MATES!  

Weekly Jog Log-Jan. 16-22

As a runner, I am a sucker for statistics. I try to stay as gadget free in my running as possible but I still carry my watch and occasionally take my music magic box on days I know the run might be a bit drab. So here is a recap of the previous week on my feet.

Monday 01/17/11
7 miles (57:00) through Poplar Forest/ Wyndhurst--1 mile barefoot
Great workout after fertilizing nature at mile three. Weather was warmer so I was able to run in less clothing which is always liberating. I also encountered a couple of sleeping deer who were not too happy to see me at the bright hour of the morning.

Tuesday 01/18/11
AM-3 mile hill workout (33:00)
Made three trips up Candler's Mountain and slow jog down. Great hill workout. Knee was very sore on the downhill portions of the run but felt very strong going up.
PM-9 mile bike workout (30:00)
Stationary bike workout in the gym with my wife. Felt great to get off my feet and work some muscles that have been neglected recently. This is something that needs to become more commonplace in my workouts.

Thursday 01/20/11
5 mile-Run home from work. 1 mile barefoot. (42:00)
This run is growing in popularity due to my wife needing the car for her internship. I like this because it makes me get some miles in and I usually try to go pretty quick since the route is pretty flat.

Saturday 01/22/11
12 miles on LMTS half mile barefoot (2:09:47)
This was a great run. Just went out in the woods and got lost for a couple hours. About one hour in I actually jumped one of these little guys.

Vulpes vulpes (not the same fox I saw)

He was out for a morning jog as well. I figured he would just take off once he saw me but instead he just stayed on the trail in front of me for about a mile. Was great to experience God's beautiful creation in so many ways. All in all, was a good week for me, I'm hoping that I will be able to be more disciplined and consistent over this next week.


Distance Trekked=26 miles
Time trekked=4 hours
Animal's Mornings Disturbed= 3


Jog on Mates!

Today and twitter...yes I said it...twitter.

So I did it, the unthinkable. I have a twitter account. Now in my defense, I did it for the sole purpose of following Rio Ferdinand, center back for Manchester United. He tweets all day and has proved to be a valuable source of entertainment and time wasting during my lunch break. I took the day off from running today,minus a barefoot run to the trash and back. I am having a hard time being patient with my training. I tend to over train which usually results in injuries so I am trying to build my mileage very slowly. I am hitting the trails in the morning since the weather looks like it's going to cooperate. If anyone is on twitter, go ahead and follow me @unshodjogger. Not sure how much I'll tweet( I think that's proper lingo) too much primarily because I don't know what I'm doing. We'll see! Jog on friends!

What to do When Nature Calls?

First, let me start by apologizing for my lack of writing over the past two weeks. I have been busy prepping myself for another semester of graduate school and prepping my wife for her internship. I will do better to share my stories/adventures more frequently, regardless of their possible meaningless nature....take this next little number for example.

So, as the title may suggest, I was faced a troubling question this very morning. While enjoying my morning run through the summer dwelling place of our 3rd president (Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest), I was struck with question of "where is the nearest port-a-potty?" Typically when this sort of question arises, I am able to shrug it off and make it until I arrive home. However, this morning was a much different story. Not sure if  it was the French toast or the prime rib pasta that I had for dinner, but something was not agreeing with my  unstable bowels. Thankfully, I was at the most remote part of my run, I was wearing socks, and I was even able to find a large hollow stump to accommodate my needs. Yes, that is right, this morning, I was forced to defecate where Thomas Jefferson used to spend his summers. I sure hope that was not illegal. 

Now why did I share this somewhat disturbing story? NOt really sure, maybe because it is the most eventful thing to happen on my runs lately. However, I have been hitting the trails near the Snowflex on Candlers Mountain lately. and when I say "Lately" I mean late at night or early in the morning. Two out of my three runs on the trails in the past week have been in the dark. There is something truly exhilarating about running through the woods in the dark. I need to spend some more time up there in the daylight because I am not too familiar with the trails and tend to make wrong turns. Been lost twice so far.

I have recently ramped up my training in hopes to be fit enough for Holiday Lake 50k++. THe registration deadline for this race is this weekend so I need to make up my mind if I am going truly run this or not. I am lacking confidence right now because I do not feel my training is where it should be in order to run an ultra, let alone my first ultra. But, at the same time, I think that I may need to just register for the race and go for it. We'll see. I am looking forward to the unknown adventures of pushing myself farther than I've ever been. I have been researching a lot of races and am really hoping to have the discipline to run in most of the LUS and Beast Series races this year. I also plan on doing my fair share of the usual street races that are part of the Lynchburg Race Series. 

If you have made this far, I applaud you for not giving up on me after that first paragraph. Sorry about that. Don't worry, I won't make a habit about sharing such personal stories. However, look forward to more stories as I try to make every run unique in one way or another. Until next time, Jogon Mates! 

2010 Year in Review and the Dawn of 2011

Good Morning from the New Year! 2010 has been over for almost 8 hours now and 2011 is live and well. How am I awake at this hour after last night's festivities?? I have no idea. Blame this on Manchester United and watching the first EPL game of the new year. Go United! So what have I been up to in the last week since I last wrote?? Being as Christmas and New Years have just been concluded my waist line and pants are going to appreciate a return to my normal exercise routine. This Christmas season wasn't as hard on me as the past. I think I was able to maintain my weight rather than gaining 5-10 pounds, an activity that has been more commonplace in the past. My training has definitely taken a back seat due to late nights, poor weather, and simple lack of discipline. That is definitely one of the first things I am going to change in the New Year.

With the close of a year, many persons reflect on the year past. I am going to attempt to be as brief as possible about the past year but I think there are many things worth noting about the year. For me, 2010 was a year of firsts. I celebrated my first year of marriage to my beautiful wife. I also finished my first marathon (Suntrust Richmond Marathon). I was also privileged enough to get to see Manchester United play on their US tour. I went to the match in Philadelphia and getting to see them made me all the more anxious about the day I get to go to Old Trafford to see them play. My running for 2010 was not as joyous as I would've hoped. I had to deal and run through plantar fascists for much of the latter part of the year and that severely hindered my mileage. However, I was able to complete some of my favorite races. My times (to follow) were a bit slower than I would've hoped but I can only hope to improve on those times for 2011. Here are some pictures and times from my races over the past years.

My racing year in Review:

4.3.2010: Point of Honor 5k. Lynchburg, VA

                 Time: 24:39

                 Place: 72nd out of 302

My Sister and I before the Race

 
4.17.2010: God Parent Home 5K. Lynchburg VA

                    Time: 21:50

                    Place: 28th out of 467

                                 3rd in my age group

9.25.2010: Virginia Ten Miler. Lynchburg, VA

                    Time: 1:17:36

                    Place: 155th out of 1080

                                 35th out of 83 in my age group (20-24)

10.9.2010: Deep Hollow Half Marathon. Lynchburg, VA

                   Time: 2:15:13

                   Place: 27th out of 113

                               11th out of 32 in age group

Coming up to AS 1. See Feet below

Left foot after race.

Right foot.

10.23.2010: Run for their lives 10k. Lynchburg, VA

                     Time: 49:13

                      Place: 39th out of 264

11.13.2010: Suntrust Richmond Marathon. Richmond, VA

                      Time: 4:09:13

                      Place: 1607th out of 3755

                      75th out of 132

Start of the race. Bart Yasso's head.

Coming in at half-way point. Happy to see my yellow-shirted crew.

Taking off for the last 7 miles. Was not feeling well at this point.

Crossing the Finish Line. Not too happy about the time, much better than a DNF though.

My Faithful Crew and Sponsors! Couldn't have done it without them!

So, with the year 2010 concluded and 2011 moving forward in full force, I am sure that many of us have made New Years resolutions for 2011. I honestly haven't given resolutions much thought until now. I like to think of goals rather than resolutions, maybe they are the same thing. So without further delay, here are the current list of goals/resolutions I have set for myself for 2011 (my philosophy is to shoot for very lofty goals so do not be alarmed if these seem a bit out there):

1. Disqualify Pop from my menu completely (Pop=Soda for those of you in the south who may be confused by my vocabulary)

2. Finish my Master's Degree (I am about 12 credits from completing my Masters in Teaching)

3. Find a new place to call home (not complaining about my current residence, but my wife and I agree that it is about time to move away from our college stomping grounds)

4. Run an UltraMarathon (currently training for Holiday Lake 50k++)

5. Complete the LUS/Beast Series....read here to find out more what that is.

6. PR on my previous races.

7. Get out of Debt, Dave Ramsey Style

So I know that this has been a rather lengthy read but I figured that I would do my best to sum up 2010 as best as I could. I am sure that there will be many more references to the past in the future but for now this will have to do. I am also sure I will be editing my resolutions/goals adding to them as the year progresses. Going to finish watching United beat (hopefully) WBA and then going to try to get some miles on my feet today. 

Jog on Mates!