Graduation Weekend…back to Lynchvegas!

This past weekend my wife and I traveled back to Lynchburg, VA to participate in our graduation ceremony to confer our master’s degrees. My wife received her Masters in Professional Counseling and I will be getting mine in Teaching as soon as I finish my last classes this summer. The ceremony was awesome and over 10,000 students graduated. My parents and my sister flew in from MN for the occasion and as always time with them was too short but tons of fun. Aside from the obvious fun of hanging out with them, I was equally stoked to run on the trails surrounding Liberty Mountain. Upon arriving, I was disheartened to learn that the forecast for the weekend was rainy with a chance of rain. Luckily,  the rain held off for the graduation as well as both of my morning trail runs. I did however manage to find myself some large mud holes in which to dirty myself. Below are some pictures taken from my phone while on the run. As you can see, my phone doesn't take the greatest of pictures but it does the trick.

I'm grouping 2 weeks of training together because I'm still playing catch-up and have been very busy. I am currently researching some races near Phoenix to run this fall. You can see the very, very tentative race schedule posted on the right. These are all up in the air as of right now because money and time off work are going to play a part in them since most are 4-5 hours away, save a few. But either way, I'm training to be ready to run an Ultra this fall. Most of my weekly mileage is done on the flat bike path near my place and I try to get my weekend runs done in the "mountains" in the city. My run mileage has been quite low due to increased bike mileage and simply lack of hours in the day. I've also sufficiently bruised the mess out of my feet.

Monday, 5/2/2011
AM-Ride to Work-11.66 miles (45:35)

PM-Ride part way home from work-7.25 miles (27:38)
      -Flat Tire Run-4.13 (34:06)
Ended up blowing a tire on my way during this run so had to run whilst pushing my bike the rest of the way. Ended up making pretty good pace considering I was pushing a deflated bike. Looked pretty retarded too.

Wednesday, 5/4/2011
Arizona Canal-3.13 miles (22:52)

Thursday, 5/5/2011
Arizona Canal-4.76 miles (34:58)

Sunday, 5/8/2011
Hedgepeth Hills-5.45 miles (53:14)

Monday 5/9/2011
Bike from Work-11.88 miles (49:51)

Tuesday 5/10/2011
AM-Arizona Canal-3.01 miles (23:13)

PM-Bike from Work-11:11 miles (44:34)

Wednesday 5/11/2011
Shaw Butte Trail-5.19 miles (53:06)
Tried out the North Mountain Preserve area next to work. Good trails. Really rocky but some decent elevation change. Will try to use this trail more often. Most likely will have to be in the morning as the afternoons are getting too hot for my liking. Ran a mile barefoot on the infield of the track by work while waiting for Patsy to come pick me up.

Thursday 5/12/2011
Ride home from Work-12.85 miles (57:50)

Sunday 5/15/2011
LMTS-Lake Trail/Great Escape/Split Decision-7.5 miles (1:18:20)
Great run on the trails. Started the run very early and in the dark and the rain so it was very slow going to start with and the slow pace seemed to continue throughout the whole run. I didn't mind because it was good to be back out in the woods again.

Was nice to run under a canopy and in the mud and green! 

 

 

It was also nice to get some decent hill climbing in as well. The run up the Split Decision road/trail is all uhill and by the top I was above the low cloud/fog and the sunrise was beautiful. Monday I ran basically the same route with a short detour onto the lawn mower trail, picture featured here.

High quality images from my high-res phone!

Fog or clouds?

As always friends...

My contribution to the graffiti in the gazebo on the mountain

Bi-Weekly Jog Log: Mar. 7-Mar. 20

Due to crazy busy happenings this blog may become neglected and possibly a bit stagnant in the coming months. I am hoping to keep up with and I will definitely have some good stories as there are lots of new developments in the Carlson family. I will be sure to keep everyone updated as to those as they happen. 

Wednesday 3/9/2011
Blackwater- 7 miles (1:00)
First day back running in a couple days due to busy but successful weekend of traveling. My wife surprised me yet again with a pair of New Balance Trail Minimus. Love them! I didn't take much heed to the warning listed on the shoes that calf strain is likely and I ran until I got sore...most likely a mistake but was very enjoyable. These shoes are awesome. Closest thing to the ground without sacrificing comfort or safety.

Thursday 3/10/2011
Poplar forest-7 miles (61:00) + Barefoot
Real Rainy, sluggish run this morning. nothing special.

Friday 3/11/2011
Beechwood -2.7 miles (21:00)
Nice shakeout run this morning in the Vibrams. Took it easy because my calves were still a little sore.

Sunday 3/13/2011
Apple Orchard Falls Hike
It was a gorgeous day today so me and the family decided to take a hike to Apple Orchard Falls. I was also using this to scout part of the trails used for the Promised Land 50k as I intend on running that (depending on AZ move). Beautiful hike! The trail was a little washed out and even underwater in some places due to the recent rain.

Stash and I in the middle of the falls.

Monday 3/14/2011
Run home from Work-5 miles (41:00)
Had a lot of time off my feet in the past two weeks and this was meant to be just a quick jaunt home and ended up going really well. I was able to really test my speed and how long I can hold a quick pace.

Wednesday 3/16/2011
Hortons Dam Playground-4.5 miles (46:00)
Overslept this morning so I wasn't able to go near as long as I wanted to. I was planning on doing 10-12 miles but only did 4. Lots of up and down on the Liberty Trail System on some trails I haven't hit up yet. I also registered for the Terrapin Mountain Half Marathon. I was hoping to be fit enough to have a go at my first 50k but I haven't been able to get even one "long" run in, let alone multiple long runs.


Thursday 3/17/2011
Poplar Forest - 7 miles + barefoot (58:00) 
Finally was able to conquer daylight's savings time. Ever since we've had to change the clocks I have had the hardest time getting up at my normal 5 am. Finally was able to get out of bed this morning and wow was it dark. Rather uneventful run, minus the old man who looked like he was cross-country skiing and wearing a HAZMAT suit.

Saturday 3/19/2011
Farm Road/Towles Mill-7.5 miles (1:08)
This was originally going to be a long run but due to the weekend's travel plans I needed to cut the run short. I did the full run in the Vibrams and my legs were really quite sore so it was good to only go so far.

My training has been quite casual as of late due to busy schedule getting ready for April's big adventure. I'm going to be racing on Saturday in the Terrapin Mountain Half and I'm excited to put my legs to the test although a bit nervous about my current level of fitness. I guess we'll see. My calves have been a constant area of soreness so I'm going to take it pretty easy this week.  


 

Weekly Jog Log: Feb. 28-Mar. 6

Tuesday 3/1/2011
Poplar Forest - 7 miles + barefoot (56:00)
Had a good run this morning. Was a bit chilly because the air was very damp from all the rain we had yesterday. Most mornings I do this run with my head lamp so I don't face plant on the back roads by poplar forest. There seems to be a high frequency of large, misplaced boulders that more often than is desirable decide to jump out at my feet. Well this morning I forgot my limitation a almost paid for it. Due to recent gale force winds, there just so happens to be a large number of giant sticks all over. These sticks are also completely invisible to the human eye at 5:30 in the morning. Thankfully, the particular stick that decided to make acquaintances with my shin, was kind enough to break before bringing me to the ground. The other issue with forgetting your headlamp is this, in the rare occasion that you happen to meet other morning joggers who were fortunate to remember their illumination, they can't see you. Doesn't matter if you are wearing a bright obnoxious reflective vest and breathing like a stuck pig at christmas. This chick just about ran me over but right before the impending collision, she saw me an most likely pooped herself from fear. Quite hilarious until I see the same joggers three miles later. I'm very sorry for whoever you are!

Wednesday 3/2/2011
LMTS-10 miles + barefoot
Ran up Candlers mountain and the back thru the trails via the camp hydeaway trail head. This was only meant to be a six mile jaunt but ended up being around ten. I got really hungry during this run. Actually, the last two days I've gotten real hungry mid run. I think my fat stores might officially gone and now I will really need to concentrate on fueling. Finished the run with a fast barefoot loop around campus.

Thursday 3/3/2011
Poplar forest-7 miles (55:00)
Ran in the Vibrams today. My intention was to just go real easy but my feet tend to get a little carried away in the Vibrams. Ended up turning into a training run of sorts. Felt good to sustain a strong effort for a couple miles. I also got cussed at by some older lady in 70s jogging suit because her dog would have rather joined me than trudged along with her. Rude!

Friday 3/4/2011
Subway run-3.5 miles (35:00)
Ran to subway and back with Patsy to get some lunch. We went at the worst possible time because school was letting out and there was lots of traffic and Patsy is not very skilled when it comes to navigating traffic as a pedestrian. Sorry love! Was real easy jog just to get to my legs moving.

The running week was cut short due to some scheduling mix-ups at work and weekend travel plans. It was still a good week of running and outdoor enjoyment. Due to a successful(more about this later) weekend trip, let's just say my scenery will be changing soon. Please check back for some exciting updates on that subject!

Total Miles Jogged: 27 miles
Total Time Jogging: 4 hours

Weekly Jog Log: Feb. 21-27

Monday 2/21/2011
Wyndhurst 3.5 miles barefoot (35:00)
Legs were real tight this morning from yesterday's unintentional "Patsy-mile-repeats." Went barefoot the whole run. Decided to try my hand at geocaching along the way. Found one, more still pending.

Tuesday 2/22/2011
Day off
Calves were still so sore. Took the day off. Brought ice packs to work with some tall socks and stuffed the ice packs in the back in hopes to speed recovery. Should've done this yesterday because by the end of the day my legs already feeling better.

Wednesday 2/23/2011
Still hurting
Right leg is a go, left is still a bit iffy. Should be back in action by tomorrow. I sure hope so anyway, I'm getting stir crazy.

Thursday 2/24/2011
Wyndhurst-3 miles (26:30)
Wore the Vibrams because my legs felt much better....at least I thought they did. About a mile in I could tell that everything was still way too tight. After brief mile-long argument with myself I turned back. Listening to my body on this one. So frustrating.

Friday 2/25/2011
Frustration...the end

Saturday 2/26/2011
Poplar Forest-7 miles + barefoot (55:00)
Finally was able to run without pain...sort of. Calves got pretty sore about three miles in. Finished with a mile barefoot and an ice bath. Hopefully that will help keep the soreness away.

Sunday 2/27/2011
Blackwater Creek Bike Trails-8.5 miles + barefoot (1:20ish)

Today was Patsy's long run day and I wanted to make sure to not have a repeat of last week so we set up a better plan on how to meet up when parting ways. Thankfully it worked flawlessly. It was really warm out and the run did not start well as we had some issues with Patsy's asthma acting up. But the little fart has some determination and powered thru it and it ended up being a good run after all. Patsy is the best at negative splits. Every long run we have been on together she gets faster as the run goes on. I know there are many who are envious of this skill/habit. I started the run barefoot and after about 2 and half miles we split up. I wore the Vibrams on the dirt bike trails and we met back up to head back to the car. Patsy was in much better spirits about the run when we met back up. I was very proud of her determined effort today. We are definitely going to be racing together shortly.   

Tough week for me running-wise. Thankfully I was able to get some solid runs in at the end of the week. In other news,tomorrow I have a phone interview for a job in AZ. If it goes well, the month of March could prove to be very busy. But for now, keep praying for wisdom and openness to the Lord's will to be evident.

Total Miles Jogged: 22.5 miles
Total Time Jogging:3:23
How High?:1476 Feet

Jog on mates!

Weekly Jog Log: Feb. 14-Feb 20....Has anyone seen the girl in Pink??

Monday 2/14/2011
Poplar Forest-7 miles (55:00)
Valentines Day! Was able to get a good run in before heading off to work. Made sure to order some flowers for my wife before leaving.

Today brought with it some very big news for our household. Patsy was offered an internship position at Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, AZ. This is an offer that we've been praying about and hoping for for a while now so it is almost 100% that we will be moving to Arizona. So, now I am on the job hunt and we are hopeful. Thankfully, Remuda has told us that the position will be waiting for her until we can make the necessary arrangements. This is truly an answer to prayer as Patsy has been dreaming of working at an establishment such as this. Now we just need to find a job for me and then finalize the technicalities. I'm excited for a new set of trails and running routes. I am not such a fan of the warm weather year-round but I hear that it is beautiful there. Plus, it will be fun to start a new adventure!

Tuesday 2/15/2011
Rainbow Forest- 5.3 miles (48:00)
Lots on the mind this morning. Lots of prayer about future decisions and what moving to AZ might entail. Actually ended up taking the day off work I got myself so worked up. Good news...I feel much more at peace about everything now. God is so good and knows what He is doing and just wants us to trust Him.

Wednesday 2/16/2011
Candlers Mtn.-8.7 miles + Barefoot (1:22)
Great run up Candlers Mountain and then back through on the Lake Trail to Snowflex. Finished with a barefoot loop around campus. Always fun to see the looks you get when you run around public places without shoes on. If only they knew the freedom of running unshod.

Thursday 2/17/2011
Richland Hills- 6 miles + Barefoot (56:30)
Just a casual run around the Richland Hills area. Didn't have a plan for this run just wanted to get out and run around. While running and enjoying the view of the moon, this random thought came to mind. Everyone enjoys seeing a sunrise and sunset and also enjoy the moonrise but how many people get to enjoy the moonset? That number I would imagine is much smaller. Oh the joys of getting up at the crack of dawn!

Saturday 2/19/2011
Run to Snowflex - 5 miles (42:00)
Liberty Mountain 5K -22nd out of 193 (25:08)

Snowflex to Home - 6 miles + Barefoot (55:00)
Because Saturdays are typically my long run day I had a bit of a dilemma since the Liberty Mountain 5K was on the same day. So....to remedy this problem, I just ran to the race, ran the race, and then ran home. This was the first time I was going to be racing since the Marathon and I have not done any speed training so I didn't have too high of hopes for a 5K. I have been running these trails a lot lately so I felt I would do well coping with the technical aspects of the trail as well as the hills. Thankfully my hill training paid off and I felt very strong on the uphill parts of the race, which was pretty much the whole second half of the race. It felt great to get out and run fast and I was very please with my performance and how well my legs and feet felt after already having run 8 miles on the morning. After the races was over I ate some fruit and then headed home.

The afternoon proved to be rather eventful as my wife had big plans for my birthday weekend. I had no clue what the plan for the day was. After watching Manchester United move on to the next round of the FA Cup, Patsy and I got in the car and headed north. I had no clue where we were going because she wouldn't tell me where we were going. The ride up was quite eventful as our area of Virginia has been hit with forest fires. About 15 minutes south of Charlottesville the road was covered in thick smoke from a fire somewhere to the West. The smell of smoke reminded me of the times my dad, my brother, and I would burn the swamps back in Minnesota. Miss those times!

Once we got to Charlottesville, Patsy surprised me by taking me to Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Store to get fitted for some Vibrams. Patsy isn't too fond of my recent infatuation with running barefoot so she decided to help my poor little feet by getting me some Vibrams. After the shoes, we ventured to the Downtown Grille, where we had a rather...um...interesting dinner. Lets just say, they make good steak, as for sides...we'll just say lacking.

New Running Shoes

Sunday 2/20/2011
Blackwater Creek Bike Trail- 9.3 miles (1:30)
Today is my birthday! Patsy made me breakfast in bed this morning! I housed 4 cinnamon rolls in about 5 minutes accompanied with a big cup of Dunkin Donuts. Doesn't get much better than that. After church, Patsy and I went to the bike trail for her weekly long run. Rather than doing this run barefoot, I wore the Vibrams. This run is the reason for the title of this weeks entry. I desperately wanted to try the Vibrams on some trails because I have been dying to go completely barefoot on some single track but the frequency of rocks, sticks, stumps, shards of glass, razor blades, heroine needles, and whatever else may be lurking beneath those leaves has kept my shoes on when on the unbeaten path. So after about 2 miles of pavement I convinced Pats to let me venture off on some of the dirt trails that Blackwater Creek area has to offer. I had planned on joining back up with after a short test run. Problem #1: Neither of us had our phone. Problem #2: I underestimated the speediness of my blonde beauty.

After my short jaunt on the dirt trails, I ventured back up to the paved bike path. Thanks to Patsy's bright pink shirt and blonde hair she is usually easily to spot. However, I did not see her. "Did you guys pass a girl in bright pink?" I inquired of two gentleman as they jogged by. They told me they had so I started up the trail the way we had been going when we parted ways. So I took off at pretty decent clip thinking I would catch up with her in short notice. But I began to second guess her whereabouts as I met another runner in pink. So after about a mile I decided I would turn around, thinking that I must still be ahead of her. After returning to the trail with still no blonde in tow, I once again turned around again. After passing the same people for the 3rd time I finally decided to just run the length of the trail. Sure enough, two in a half miles later I find her waiting for me. So what was supposed to be a 7-8 mile easy run turned into a 9+ mile run with about 2-3 miles of speed and anxiety in the middle. I guess from now on when I want to do some speed work I'll just tell my wife to go out and get lost and I'll sprint around to find her. We'll call them "Patsy Mile Repeats".

This is me running thru the woods in my new shoes

Total Miles Jogged: 51 miles
Total Time Jogging: 7:36 hours
Total Elevation: 4,578 feet

Jog on Mates!

Weekly Jog Log Feb. 7th-Feb. 13th

Monday 2/7/2011
Beechwood 2.6 miles (23:00)
Went real easy on this one. Gearing down this week as I've recently ramped up my mileage. This used to be my daily run. Was nice to return to some old routes. 

Tuesday 2/8/2011
Poplar Forest-8 miles (1:06)
AM-Ran my normal route backwards and added an extra mile. Great run. Legs felt great from taking the previous day real easy. Still gonna cut back a little this week. Planning for higher mileage next week. 

Story time... After work, I went out to eat with Patsy and her mother. At dinner, Patsy surprised me with this watch!....Let me just say that this thing has since changed my life. No longer do I have to hit a button to start and stop the time or wonder about how far I've ran. It does everything for me. Pretty cool. I'm a sucker for information and this thing provides copious amounts of data for each run.

PM-Barefoot run to the trash and back to test out the watch. Learned that it is exactly .57 miles round trip to the dumpster with a total elevation gain of 62 feet. Useless....maybe....Awesome...most definitely.


Wednesday 2/9/2011
Candlers Mtn.- 8 miles (1:20)
This was another run mainly to explore some trails I have yet to run on Candlers Mtn. There was pretty steep portions of this run that forced my to power hike up them rather than run. I also got lost a couple of times on roads that led to nowhere and chose to not trespass this time. So this made the run a bit more interesting.

Thursday 2/10/2011
Poplar Forest- 7 miles (59:00)
Another stock run to just get moving for the day. This run is proving to be my go to run when I don't know where to go. 

Saturday 2/12/2011
Appalachian Trail- 3.6 miles (1:05)    
Got Valentine's Weekend started early this year by spending the evening with my bride at the Craddock Terry Hotel in downtown Lynchburg. We then celebrated with a fine dinner of Lobster and Crab and Shoemakers Grill.  

We then made a stop at Riverside Runners to purchase my wife a pair of shoes. This was a long overdue trip as hers were pretty old. After trying on a few pair she settled on Brooks Ghost 3 because it felt like she was "walking on clouds". I had tried this shoe a year ago and had accidentally purchased a size too small and wasn't able to find my size upon returning them. 

Patsy's New Shoe!

After this pit stop we grabbed some lunch and then drove out to the Appalachian Trail to hike/run around for a bit. The trail was right along the James River and the wind was quite cold but once we made it into the woods it was beautiful. This was my ploy to getting Patsy to start trail running with me. I think it may have worked as we ended up running half of the time and then hiking the rest. I think that this will become a more regular occurence.

Sunday 2/13/2011
Percival Island-6 miles barefoot (1:09)
Ran barefoot with Patsy on her long run again. We have some discrepancy with the actual distance of the run because the Garmin said 6.1 miles but Patsy's iPod Nike+ said closer to 7. So we'll just go with 6-7 miles. Either way, running with my hot wife can never be a bad time. Was good to go this far completely barefoot and my feet have definitely adapted to longer periods of running unshod. 


Overall, good week of mileage and fun new technology. Was real relaxed about mileage this week. I am actually going to run my first race of the year and first race since the Marathon.  I'm pretty excited about this because I have been able to a lot more trail running whereas last year trails were foreign language.


Liberty Mountain 5k Trail Race

Total Miles Jogged: 25
Total Time Jogging: 4:43
*New Feature* Total Elevation: 2, 439 ft.


Big News in future Posts!! 

Jog on Mates!  

Weekly Jog Log: Jan. 31-Feb. 6

Monday 1/31/2011
Poplar Forest 7 (1:07)-5 min barefoot
Real tired this morning. Just getting over the last remnants of my cold. Took it very slow and then slipped in a little barefoot at the end to help shake out the legwebs.

Tuesday 2/1/2011
Poplar Forest 7 (1:00)-5 min barefoot
Much faster than yesterday. Scared a whole bunch of deer out of someone's yard. Amazing how there can be so many deer in such residential areas. Makes me miss Minnesota.

Wednesday 2/2/2011
Candlers Mtn to Top of Snowflex-6.5 mi (59:00)
GROUND HOG DAY! Praying for more winter and some snow that lasts! Today's run ended up turning into an exploration/discover run to find some new trails up on the LMTS. Ended up taking a trail that turned into a very high incline. My run slowly turned into a power hike. The clouds were real low this morning so it was cool emerging from the woods to find myself at the top of Snowflex. Not too sure how much I'll use this route until I become much better at scaling steep inclines.    

View from Top of Snowflex looking down.

Thursday 2/3/2011
18 mi bike ride
Took today off of running since I had to work early and didn't feel very lively in the morning. Was able to ride the bike with my wife. Ended up riding about 18 miles while reading McDougall's Born to Run book. I've been reading this book slowly over the past couple of months. Great read. Good stories on some great runners and also support for the barefoot running community that seems to be growing larger.


Saturday 2/5/2011
AM-Exploration on the Trails-9.5 miles (1:19)
Again, I decided to modify the routes that I already knew of so I could learn more about the trails on LMTS. Patsy went to breakfast with a friend so I only had a set time to squeeze in my run so I didn't want to get to far out in the woods. Ended up going about 9 miles between the trails and then did some hill repeats up Candler's Mountain while waiting for Patsy to come pick me up. Wasn't quite as long as I would've liked to go but got some good technical running in. I also know some new trails that I can link into my long runs to add some length.


PM-17.5 miles bike
Weekends are wife time and so I went with her to the gym to get in some cross training on the bike. Tomorrow, Patsy will be going for her first long run. Spent most of the afternoon psyching her up! The rest of the day was spent watching the first unfortunate lost of my beloved Manchester United and following twitter updates of the Rocky Raccoon 100.


Sunday 2/6/2011
Blackwater Creek Bike Trail-6 mi barefoot (1:02)
Wife and I went to Percival's Island for her first long run outside. Due to her bad asthma, Patsy does most of her running indoors but she is slowly working toward more outdoor running. She killed it on this run. Was tons of fun to encourage her. She was able to run and breath seamlessly the entire time and we got to enjoy some beautiful weather. I think we will be making this a regular weekend occurrence. This was also the longest I've ran barefoot. Was fun to see how far I could go. My feet did take a bit of a beating, but that was primarily because I spent too much time running on the asphalt rather than on the grassy shoulder.  I will do well to spend more time on the grass on these runs.

Running Ray of Sunshine!

My Smoking hot wife lacing up!

Total Jogged: 36 mi
Time Jogged: 5:28


Jog on Mates!
 

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!

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! 

An Introduction

Jog on Mate! What does that phrase mean? Well you won’t want to search for your answer on the internet because you will find some very off-color answers to your query. You also will not want to ask anyone from England, or a close follower of futbol, or anyone familiar with British vernacular humor. However, since we are American and I’m sure the majority of you reading this will not be offended by the usage of the phrase I will continue to use it.

Now what does any of the above have to do with anything? Well…nothing. I just wanted to let everyone know that that phrase will probably appear often on this page and I will use it many different forms; Encouragement, discouragement, bewilderment, and simply as a filler.

Now I enter this venture very skeptical. I do not consider myself a writer or even a well-spoken individual. I do however enjoy reading and consider myself to be a somewhat entertaining individual (I’ll keep an eye on the amount of followers I accrue in order to determine the validity of the last statement). The purpose of this page is going to be to share my stories. I feel I have been blessed with a life that has provided many opportunities and events that are worthy to be shared.

I will most likely spend the vast majority of my time talking about my running experiences with healthy mix of humor, love, and of course my opinion on whatever I feel like talking about…but mostly running. Now, since I am behind the times on this whole thing I will spend a good deal of time writing about some of my past experience, especially because I am currently training for a race that is 2 months away and no one really wants to hear about my 7 mile slog through the snow…that is unless something eventful happens to cross my path, in which case I will surely share.

Jog On!