The Rowe Family Blog

Today I did a long run on a treadmill at my workplace. There is a large TV there with a DVD player so I brought Gladiator to watch. I ran slowly but I did a nice long run. My distance was 17 miles and it took me about 3:05 to do it.

I brought candy, a banana, and water with me. I didn’t bring enough water. Luckily a coworker (lucky for me, unlucky for him that he was in on a Sunday) stopped by and was able to refill my water bottle for me. I know that I need to bring more water and I think I should bring both water and a sports drink. I also learned that training for distance is more important to me than training for time. While I was running I ran at 5.5 miles which is about an 11 minute pace. That’s much slower than I’ve been running but I HAD to run that slowly to make the distance. That’s OK. I don’t need to run fast. If I ran a super fast marathon on my first try it’d be that much harder to top it.

I also think that my newest sneakers are behind my shin splint problem. I ran using my older sneakers (that still have a lot of miles left in them) and my shins were fine after the run. It might not be the sneaker exactly but the way the new ones are laced. My new sneakers kind of slide around at the front of my shoe. I think the front end is laced too loosely. I’ll try it out this week on my shorter runs.

It was pretty neat while I was running because my sister Donna was running the Marine Corp. Marathon while I was running on the treadmill. Also, I had signed up for text-message alerts to be sent to my phone when she crossed certain markers. She ran a lot faster and a lot farther than I ran today. She also had to deal with harsh winds.
Congrats Donna!

I ran twice this week. The first time I ran for just under 5.1 miles and it took me just over 45 minutes. The second run was 3.2 miles and I did that in 30 minutes. The first run of the week felt good but the second did not. On the second my shins hurt me. I’m starting to wonder if it is my “new” sneakers. I never had a problem with my older sneakers. Actually my knee bothered me with my old sneakers. Anyhow, my old sneakers have many miles left in them so I am going to wear them for my next long run and see how my shins fare.

Donna is running the Marine Corp. Marathon tomorrow and I’ll be watching…via text messages sent by their time tracking system to my cell phone! Good luck Donna…not that you need it.

I made it to the gym this afternoon for a 5 mile run. I didn’t have a ton of time before the gym closed so I couldn’t have done a long run even if I had wanted to, and I didn’t want to! It went pretty well. My legs didn’t get as tired as the previous run and I went a little bit farther. I completed 5 miles in almost exactly 45 minutes. I’m starting to think that it might be possible for me to do a long run on a treadmill but I’m not looking forward to it. At least for my long runs I’ll have the benefit of a large TV with satellite television and a DVD player!

This past Wednesday I went for a run on the treadmill after more than a 1 week break from running. It actually felt pretty good. I didn’t do any weight training prior to the run (which I normally do for short runs). The boringness of running on the treadmill wasn’t as bad as usual even though my gym still hasn’t figured out how to setup their new FM transmitters for their TVs (grrrrrr). I ran for 4.5 miles and I was a little surprised in that my legs started to feel tired after such a short distance. I did the 4.5 miles in about 40 minutes.

I’ve been worried about the Disney Marathon in January. 26.2 miles is a LONG distance to run and I’m worried that I won’t be ready. I’ve even had dreams about it! Donna told me to check out some running program and that should make me feel better. She was right. According to most running programs I am ahead by a few weeks. I looked at a training program from Runners World and I was pleased and surprised to see that they have you running only 3 times per week. Also I was surprised that the first run of the week is typically quite short. It’s usually only a couple of miles. I like that and I think my shins will like that. Another program I looked at had you running 4 times per week at 5-8 miles for the short runs. With a job and weight training I just don’t want to run that much. I can’t stop weight training or I’ll look like a crack addict.

On Monday the weather was good for running and I was due for a long run so I set out for a 16 miler. My shins hurt for most of the first 6.5 miles. It took me more than 1 hour to run 6.5 miles. I refueled at 6.5 with some candy and water and then continued although I thought about stopping. It wasn’t cold out but I felt cold. My legs hurt. I had no energy. I stopped the run after 13 miles and it took me 2:06! That’s nearly a 10 minute mile and I’ve been doing far better than that lately.

I’m trying not to let it bother me and I think I’m doing OK with that. I have decided to take about 1 week off to let my shins fully heal. I’ve still have enough time before the race to take some time off. If I injure myself much farther out I’ll be in trouble!

This week I ran a long run on Monday. I ran the Rowe Half and then continued for another 3 miles around the 3 mile loop for a total of 16 miles. It was about 60 degrees when I started and about 55 when I finished. I ate some candy at the 6.5 mile mark (thanks Dad) and had some water there too. It was a great run. I didn’t feel like walking until the 14th mile! I didn’t walk however and finished the run in 2:26:09 which is alittle over a 9 minute pace.

On Wednesday I ran on the treadmill at the gym because it was too cold and dark to run outside. I was going to run for 6 miles but it was so hot and not-fun that I ran for only 4 miles. I ran that in something like 37 or 37:30. I can’t remember.

On Friday I ran at the gym again. This time it wasn’t as bad. It still isn’t as nice as being outside though. I ran for 6.3 or so miles. I’m not really sure because the stupid treadmill is programmed to shutoff after 30 minutes. Grrrr… Anyhow, I ran for about 54 minutes and I’m pretty sure I ran for 6.3 or more miles. My pace was almost always under a 9 minute mile. I had a few bursts where I ran much faster and very few where I ran slower.

Today, if it warms up more, I’ll do another long run outside.

January 7th is going to arrive far faster than I’d like it to. I’ll be running the Walt Disney World marathon and I really hope that I’ll be prepared for it. Right now I am not ready to run 26.2 miles.

This week I ran 3 times. I ran the Rowe Quarter last Sunday. I completed the 6.5 miles in 58:15. That’s a pace of 8:58. It was a seriously windy day and I was just happy that I finished in under an hour! I’ve made it a goal of mine not to look at my watch until I finish.

On Tuesday I ran the 3 mile loop twice. I ran in the evening. By the time I returned home it was 55 degrees out! I could see my breath but I was still warm enough even running with no shirt. I finished the 6.2 mile run in 52:09 which is an 8:25 pace. I really felt like I was moving fast that night. According to the numbers I have run faster than this but this is still very good for me.

On Friday night I ran the Rowe Quarter again. It was about 50 when I started at 6:30pm. This was the first time I ran with a shirt since my very first outdoor runs this spring. I was cold until I had run about 3 miles. I felt like I was moving slowly but I completed the run in 55:19 (8:31 pace). This is really a good pace for me.

I’m worried that I’m not getting enough miles in each week and yet I’m worried that I’m running too much because my shins have been bothering me. I have enough time to prepare for Disney but not an infinite amount. I’ll be booking my flight soon…