So, I got up early this morning (6:00 is very early for a Sunday), got my gear together which I’d neglected to do the night before, & headed down to Courthouse pier to get in what I wanted to be an eight to ten mile run. I’d picked up one of those water bottle belts a while back & thought maybe I could give it a try. This is the Nathan brand & holds one 20oz water bottle & also has a small pouch for iphone, keys, & what have you. I wanted to take my phone as I wasn’t entirely sure of my turnarounds & wanted to use the Map My Run app.

It was cloudy & still reasonably cool when I got to the pier parking lot. After I got Map My Run locked in on a satellite, I strapped on the belt so that it seemed snug but not too tight, got the tunes started, & headed out. It didn’t take me long to realize that this belt thing was not going to work. The water bottle was too heavy & bounced up & down in a rather sickening way that had the embarrassing side effect of pulling my shorts down. After stopping a few times to adjust it, I took it off & tried just carrying it in my hand for a while. That was just a cumbersome and annoying as it sounds. I eventually wore the belt & carried the water bottle in my hand. It was a very frustrating run, I only did about six & a half miles, & if I hadn’t spent so much on the belt I would have just tossed it into one of the trash bins.

We live & we learn. I looked some this afternoon for a hand held bottle that was insulated but didn’t see anything that I just had to have. For now, I’ll just continue freezing a 12 or 16 oz water bottle & tying a handkerchief around it for the run. As for carrying the phone, well maybe this is the excuse I needed to buy the new Timex Marathon GPS watch. 

morning bike ride down by the bayou

In the past, I’ve used the Hal Higdon Novice Training Plan to prepare for the half marathons I’ve run.  I like it because it’s pretty straightforward, it started where I was at that time, it works up the mileage gradually, & it’s geared to someone who just wants to be able to finish a half.  I was running roughly fifteen miles a week, mostly runs of three miles w/ a “long” run of four or five miles.  I’d follow the plan, run the half, & then go back to that routine.  Nothing wrong w/ that; I enjoyed my runs, which I did at 5:00 A.M. before going to work, & following the plan let me finish three half marathons.  I'm not fast, my best time is still over two hours, but I’ve enjoyed every one of them.  

For this last half, which was on Pensacola Beach, I did my training runs on our local beach in the afternoons.  I figured it would be good to get accustomed to the wind & sand & sun.  I found that I really like running on the beach (duh) & that the longer runs were much more pleasant.  So, after this last half, I’ve kept up the mileage.  I still have to work around family obligations, so I do runs of five miles on the beach on Tuesdays & Thursdays while my son is at Taekwondo, an early three mile run on Wednesdays (this is usually my only timed run), & a beach run of eight to ten miles on Sunday before Church.  Saturdays, I try to get in a bike ride.  

That’s where I’m at.  I don’t know what I’ll do different to get ready for the next half I run & I may not do much of anything different at all.  I don’t see a full marathon in the near future as I just don’t have the time to devote to the training.  Maybe after I retire.  Ha.

very nice out & back on the beach.  windy though, got eaten up w/ sand.  on the bright side, I'm exfoliated!  need to find out if the sand is going to hurt my running shoes & what I can do about it.  knocked them out when I got home.

took an old ipod w/out checking to see what was on it.  ended up listening to Dylan for most of the run & Elvis Costello at the end.  "what's so funny about peace, love, & understanding" to finish.  after 5 miles in the sun it seemed inspiring.

a lot of posts today on the runners forums about equipment.  garmins & heart monitors, hydration systems . . . . . I've got nothing against any of that stuff & I will probably get one of the new Timex Marathon watches at some point, but one of the things I find attractive about running is the lack of needed equipment.  a good pair of shoes & some shorts, I guess a sports bra & whatever you wear over it if you're a woman, if you care about your speed, a watch w/ a timer, that's about it.  there was a long thread about the different water bottles, I carry an old 12 oz water bottle that I keep in the freezer overnight & wrap in a handkerchief.

Very nice sunrise run this morning, 64 degrees, clear & dry, light breeze.  If I time my early runs just right, it's middle of the night quiet when I start & as I run the sky lightens & the birds wake so that by the finish, the sky's all pink & orange & the birds are in their morning uproar.  Sunrise is a major event in the life of a bird.  It's a very good way to start the day. 

so, its been a very nice day.  Baked bread & cooked a Shepherd's Pie, watched Godzilla movies w/ my son, who is home today w/ strep throat, & spread mulch in the vegetable garden.  Trying to figure out this blog stuff.  Still can't seem to make this thing do what I want it to.  Still not sure the direction this is going to take.  Life is to learn.

4.23.12

chilly this morning but still a nice sunrise run.