Wednesday, March 30, 2011

More Hills

I ran to Cedar Lane today and tackled the hills with ease! It felt great and now I have to crack down on finishing a paper, making my bed, putting away clean clothes, lunch, and many other various tasks all before 3:30 when I have to head to work! It is 12:28pm now so wish me luck!

I ran a total of 72 minutes!!!!!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Mon and Tues Run Combined

I have been busy this week again and I getting ready to tackle work on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Monday's run took me all over Norman from Porter Ave to Westheimer Airport to Main Street back to Campus Lodge.  I ran a total of 76 minutes and it felt great.


Tuesday's run took me out on the hills and I ran out on Robinson out towards 72nd street. It has been cold here but my training is coming along really well!  I ran a total of 81 minutes.

I was able to tack on 12-13 on Mon and 13-14 on Tues!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Damp---Foggy...Cold---In March?

On Saturday I ran out on 36th street SE and the run felt great considering I was tired from the past week.  The cloud looked a deep gray as the day shown signs of overcast and cold.  Very weird weather in Oklahoma for the end of March.  But the run felt great and I noticed someone yelling "Run Faster" at me right before I turned around. Later at work, I found out it was no other than Grant Offenburger, my so-called boss or manager and it was quite funny to find out it was him driving out on the farm-roads.

I ran 81 minutes and 13 miles

Sunday's run was a simple loop out to Eagle Cliff houses and I ran around the new homes being built and the little golf course that circles the homes.  It was a somber morning and very peaceful and quiet.  Those runs when you feel like it is just you and nature are something special and I really enjoyed that tranquility.
I ran 70 minutes and 11.4 miles.

This week I was able to run 85 miles for the week finally a great increase from 69 and 76 the two weeks before.  I am getting myself back into a routine and I should be ready to rock and roll come May through the summer!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Run to Tecumseh!

Yesterday was the most hectic day of my life.  But with all things aside, the run was great.  I headed out from Ashlee's place on Rowena Lane and went out on Lindsey across I-35 right onto 36th street. I took that road past the Sooner Mall, past OK Runner into territory I have never been to before.  When it comes to a sidewalk run, running on the other-side of Norman is great.  There is so much potential out there that it gets me excited and pumped.  The weather was lovely in the morning in the low 50's and my pace felt smooth and strong.  I passed a tall guy all decked out in running gear by OK Runner and he just nodded at me and kept going.  I would say he was in decent shape based on his 7:30 minute pace for a man well into his 30's.  If I had to live anywhere in Norman besides at Lake Thunderbird, I would live on the West-side.  The neighborhoods looked so nice and the homes seemed magnificent.  I am hopefully looking to run one more 5k possibly before I race the OKC marathon relay on May 1st.  I feel like my training is coming around and I finally have my legs and lungs hitting on all cylinders.

Sadly, I will not be able to race the Dallas Half Marathon because I need to pick up my car tomorrow from Roland, Oklahoma. For those of you who do not know where this is...it is located all the way near Fort Smith, Arkansas about 200-300 miles away. Hopefully, I can get another race under my belt!

Anyway I ran 76 minutes and tracked about 13 miles which was a nice showing for the day.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Run Run Run Away-To A Place Far Away

I ran out on 24th all the way to Franklin Road and ran out past a white picket fence.  Then I turned around and headed back.

The great news is today's run felt effortless and I ran FAST! How Fast?  Under 6 mins for almost every mile with the hills.  Pretty darn impressive I would say so myself.  Finally a run I can be proud of!!!

I was able to run about 82 minutes and tack on about 15-16 miles depending on what my pace constitutes.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Another tough Day

Today's run took me out to Noble and I crossed on Cedar Lane and went the back route and blitzed by Pecan street in Noble. The weather started out cool at around 57 then by the middle of the run, I felt like the temperature had jumped to 70 but it only reached 65.  The wind was howling today and the majority of my run I faced the strong gusts.  My legs feel really tight as I try to get my sea legs under me for racing.

I went out for a 40 minute/80 minute stretch but came back in 82:30 so the wind slowed me up big time on the way back.  This week has already been a super busy week as I have to check over my finances, my tons of school work, my training, and my eating and laundry of course.  I wake up each day feeling like I do not have enough time to devote to doing half of the work that needs to be done.  I do accomplish something each day but it does not feel like I am getting anything done because of the amount of tasks I need to accomplish


Things still needing to Do:

1. Order Cap and Gown for Graduation
2. Buy some milk and frozen Pizza
3. Put away all my folded clothes in my room
4. Agriculture reading due sat
5. Place Assignment and reading due Sat
6. Agriculture Paper due next wed
7. Finish Study guide for exam on American Theatre Tomorrow
8. Study for Exam in Am Music Theatre
9. Eat food
10. Pick up car this weekend--Save money for gas

As you can see, this is a lot of work and it is already Wednesday!  I just hope I can get everything done on time!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Long Grind

I felt like the run today was a struggle. I have been so tired from traveling on my trip to Branson and with all the effort I have put forth this year.  I think I need more sleep!  Maybe the lack of energy came from the 86 degree temps and a strong wind.  Either way, today's run was a grind. I felt like I was tired the whole run and really struggled to push through the uphills.  I think I am in great shape but I have lost a slight edge I need to gain back if I am going to run some fast times.

And on top of the sour run, I have bad news about the Dallas Half Marathon. I was supposed to run the race but  I do not think I can afford a drive to Dallas because my broken-down car will be fixed this weekend and I will have to spend the gas picking it up.  My running right now has really been crappy to date. My training seems sporadic, my races have horrible conditions or I cannot make them, and I just feel too tired with my regular day let alone once I put in the hard miles.

I just hope I will be in great enough shape to really do something incredible at the Race Up Mount Washington!!!!  I have been trying to run as many miles as I can and today getting a little heat exhaustion was the case I have not been resting my body up enough for hard training.

Tomorrow I hope will be a better run and I hope once I save up some money since my car is going to cost me 1,100 dollars to fix that I can save some money for some local 5ks and prepare for  a track 10k and the OKC marathon relay!

My Run totaled 71:34 and I ran about 11.7 miles out to 36th and then left at the four-way stop up to the Norman Horse Corral Association and back

Monday, March 21, 2011

Spring Break---Branson And Springfield!!!! Show me the MONEY!

Branson is one hilly place!  It was like living in a village nestled in the hills of the Ozarks and reminded me of little Vegas, without all the sin of course!  The moment we arrived in Branson, Ashlee and myself were so tired from waking up at 5am to make the 6 hour drive up through the Arkansas hill ranges that we napped. I did not run on Saturday but I made up for it on Sunday and Monday.

We spent our time seeing the Acrobats of Shanghai, the Tanger Outlet Mall, and the Branson Landing and local downtown shops.  It was such a fun trip in Branson.  Then the trip left Branson and switched gears to my Grandmother's house in Springfield, Mo.  I was able to run here and tack on about 83 minutes and around 14 miles of solid running up the hilly farm roads out across the James River Parkway.

The third part of the trip consisted of heading a little of course and a ton of driving.  We made it back to Norman around 9pm and I went running out along 48th street NW I think out on the other side of I-35.  The run was dark but nice to get some running under me. My grand total for the run was about 63 minutes and close to 10 miles of running.

Overall,  this was a great weekend and I wish it could have lasted longer.  Now it is time to take a deep sigh and time to work so I have money again that  I can save up and time to study for tests, work on papers, finish weekly assignments, and run like a mad-man.  It is going to be a long week!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Run With Scotty!

I ran with Scott around OU and out along the neighborhoods of Norman!  It was a nice run and I was able to tack on about 1 hour and 30-35 minutes of running or so which I would say translates into some decent mileage.  I have to work today and after yesterday's worst day at work award, I am optimistic today will be a lot better! Lets just hope anyway!  If you want to know  I made 16 dollars in tips and that splits 2 ways so I left yesterday with 8 dollars in my pocket! That sucks. The lowest I have ever ended up with was 18 dollars and have made upwards of 60 dollars easy.  Anyway,  the run was fun and I hope work will have an overall better outcome!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Thursday- Saint Patrick's Day Run! WINDY ANd Wild

The weather projections today speak of mid to upper 80's!  I was thinking....HOT!  So...I ran out the door as soon as I could around 10am. (I was sleepy!)  With clouds overhead, the temperature was in the 60's and I felt this was my chance to run.

The route I picked was to take Porter Ave north up to Tecumseh and take Tecumseh out to I-35.  The run felt great as I ran at a decent clip though my legs felt a little heavy from yesterday's hill run.  There was a lot of wind too.  You know it is a windy day when you have the wind from the East or West and it feels just as strong as a regular head wind!  So, the whole run was obnoxiously windy.  When the wind was in my face, it would gust so hard it would throw me back. I felt like the majority of the run I was running in a hurricane trying to push through the wind. ANd to top the run off, the temperature began to climb and climb as the clouds that were stationary to begin my run, passed through heading bright blue skies.

I was able to trek it out to I-35 and then I hauled it back, reminding myself this wind running is great training for the altitude up at Mount Washington.  I am a little tired so it is time to fuel up and to get ready for a big day at work.  Warm temps means people will want to be out golfing drinking some beers so time to prep for my after workout!

1 hour and 28 minutes of solid running!----15-16 miles

The Run at Cedar Lane!

Yesterday I challenged the big hills of Cedar Lane. The run begins with me heading from Campus Lodge out towards the neighborhoods across Highway 9.  I cut through those neighborhoods across a farm path and out onto Cedar Lane.  I pass the Links apartments and tackle the hills.

I have just found out that I will be competing at the Race Up Mount Washington on June 18th 2011 as an elite athlete and I am pumped!  The competition is supposed to be fierce this year as this race will be my first real test at mountain racing and the athletes that make the USA Mountain Team year in and year out. My run took me out on 36th towards Noble and the illustrious tower that is perched way on top of a huge ridge.

The tempo and pace felt great considering the strong gusts of wind.  We are currently experiencing April-like weather with temperatures in the mid 60's up to almost 80.

I ran for a total of 72 minutes and the whole run I pictured myself running up Mount Washington performing well.  I cannot wait!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

71 mins and 7 seconds

I ran for 71 minutes today and I am running out of time before   I have to go to work!

Monday, March 14, 2011

I NEEEEEED A VACATION!

Don't you just love when you work really hard, make some good money and then it just all disappears? Yeah, this could be the outcome of my week!

I am so nervous that I will not go anywhere for Spring Break! I have never been anywhere CRAZY FUN that I can remember. I always had track in high school or I worked or  I did not feel like spending the money going somewhere fun or pressuring my family to do so. I am a simple guy. I am perfectly contempt with hanging out with friends and family. Maybe I am different or maybe I am just normal.

This semester has been absolutely stress central.  Finding jobs, trying to graduate, worried about the girlfriend's monetary situation as well as her well-being, my finances, my future, finding places to live, getting exceptional grades, trying to feed myself enough food, trying to develop a race schedule, train upwards of 80,90,100 miles a week, trying to find time to relax, trying to create an OU arboretum project on campus, trying to find time to do something for myself and so many other little things.

In other words, I need for once in my life to do something for myself. For the most part, I think I am a very selfless guy.  I give money to people in need even when it will provide consequences for me later down the road, I do favors for people that are not easy, I do things for people before I do anything for myself...It is a lot of work!  I guessed I was raised pretty well. But this spring break, I want to do something FOR ME!

I want to have some time to relax and not worry about the crazy world we live in. I want to just have fun doing things that reflect my own personal interests.  I hope Branson will be that place and I desperately want to see my grandmother as she is getting up there in the age bracket.

Let Today's run serve as the beginning of my Spring Break Vacation Volume 2 because this weekend was not spring break for me but rather spring WORK, WORK, and STRESS, STRESS, STRESS!

I ran a total of 1 hour and 32 minutes and I went out along 36th street towards Noble and ran the hilly back-roads. The run felt calm and collected! Time to build up for some fast times!

No Run Today---The Day From Hell

Sunday began the time change and I had to be at work today by 1pm.  Gans is about 2 and a half hours away from Oklahoma City so it can be quite a haul.  We woke up at 7am and ate a quick breakfast and shot out the door by 9am. It was great to see her family.  We only managed about 50 miles on the trip and my car gave a sudden "HUM" "CLUNK" CLANKY" CLANK".  The rpms revved from 2 thousand to between 3 and 4 thousand. Something was wrong. We pulled over off of a exit ramp and then suddenly my car died. The accelerator was doing nothing.  Pushing the car in neutral was virtually impossible.  The thoughts crossing through my mind was oh crap...my transmission is gone. And I do not want to pay up to 3 thousand dollars to have my car fixed.  I have work at 1pm and I am thinking well, that is not going to happen and I realize I will need those hours of work just to sustain myself after this car episode has completed itself.

The minutes felt like hours as we were stranded in Warner, Oklahoma.  Warner was a super small town right off of I-40.  Luckily, we were able to reach Ashlee's parents to help us push the car into a safe place, to lend me one of their trucks and to help get my car looked at.  After the long debacle, we left Ashlee's parents at 12pm.  I manage to make it to work by 2:50pm and then work my ass off trying to not only make tips but sort out how to tow my car.  It was a whirlwind of stress.

And throughout all of this I knew I was not going to run at all.  Monday will hopefully be a day where I will be able to get a nice long run in to relieve me of all this stress.  And I thank Ashlee and her kind parents for helping me out.

They say my car might have a broken front axle which is way better than a destroyed transmission. Anyway, throughout all this compounded stress I pray I will get to see my grandmother for spring break! I hope and pray and if I have no vehicle to do so...Im Biking there and you are invited!

Saturday quick Run Spontaneous Trip

Saturday I was so tired. Ashlee went to work at 8 and I decided to nap for a few hours. I was able to nap two hours before Ashlee asked me if we could leave to see her parents in Gans, Oklahoma. I knew that this meant a ton to her so I said yes. She was getting out of work at noon and I had maybe 45-50 minutes to run before she would be expecting me to take her to see her family. The moment I woke up I was so rushed and these past two days have been the longest days of my life.

The run was quick and boring. I just ran a loop out on the busy roads by my apartment and into the sections of houses nearby. It was nothing special.  Then it was time to pack and hit the open road.  It was a nice warm day around 70 and as we drove out to the Oklahoma/Arkansas border, we noticed multiple plumes of smoke.  They were remnants or continuing grass-fires that broke out on Friday.

We made it to Ashlee's parents around 5 ate dinner and then relaxed.

Friday, March 11, 2011

GrassFires are in the air

Today I ran with Scott as he ran loops around Sutton Wilderness. The wind is insane as the gusts literally could blow you away.  As I was heading down Boyd to meet up with Scott, I noticed a dark smoggy hue in the sky. That hue is smoke from a local grass fire in Goldsby right near Riverwind Casino and less than 10 miles to Norman!  The run felt tough as the wind and bad air quality made the run laboring but it was nice to have a buddy out on the trails.  After a few loops, we decided to head into some neighborhoods and then part ways. Once I broke away from Scott, I looked at a few houses up for rent in a nice neighborhood and leisurely jogged around.

My watch clicked at around 80 minutes and I think I ran about 11-12 miles today.  Not bad for a day where the elements are just not kind to us runner's out there. We even had a rude guy yelling at us to get out of the road when we clearly had no shoulder to run and hide to. So screw you guy in a red pick-up. Learn to share the roads as the signs on most Oklahoma roads say!!!!! YOu my red pick-up friend broke the law and I have seen people get tickets for running me off the roads in Norman before. I often times tell cops when I am running to be on the look-out and a few time they have staked out and patrolled with me on my run just to make sure people are courteous. YOu see, Norman PD are not so bad after all.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Epic Run To Lake Thunderbird

Today, I tested out the new Nike Triax 13's I ordered for 50 dollars and my new Green Nike Miler shorts as I headed out towards Lake Thunderbird on Alameda.

The run felt so smooth that  I was able to rattle 6 minute miles as if they were nothing today.  I crossed each section of the road from 24th street, 36th street, 48th street, 60th street, 72nd street, 84th street then the big uphill and downhill right into the Lake!  The weather was amazing hovering in the mid to low 60's, not too much wind and a hunger to run fast.  The hills on Alameda were not too bad as  I handled them with ease. Then I saw it after 40 minutes of running....Lake Thunderbird.  It was beautiful and  I really felt like I did something special today! The run felt so amazing and after I hit 42 minutes and spent my few minutes gazing at the lake, I turned back and trucked it uphill!  The way out to Lake Thunderbird produced 6 minute miles, the way back produced 6:15 minute miles due to the increased upgrades and the wind and a slight increase in traffic. Overall,  a Run to Remember!  What a day!

1 hour and 30 mins for a total of 16 miles!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

In Like a Lion and Stays Like a Lion!

This March has been so windy and unpredictable.  It seems like to me that the weather fluctuates from warm and windy to cold and windy and everything in-between.  Today's run was on the hills of East Lindsey and I ran out on the route that I like to call OUT OF AFRICA because there is a house that is nestled in the woods and is surrounded by a moat or a big watering hole similar to what you would see in the African Serengeti.  The run felt good besides all the wind and my calf is healing up.  I am looking forward to putting in some great training so that I am ready for my next series of races coming up in April and May.

I ran 74 minutes and totaled about 11.8-12 miles

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Sore calf!

I went for a nice easy progression run down at the OU xc course. The first portion of the run was done head into the wind and it reminded me of Saturday's race which is something I would like to forget about.  As I cut across Highway 9, I felt a little sluggish and was in need of getting the legs moving.  I have had a little calf tightness since the race on Saturday and I felt it during this run. But once I made it onto the packed red dirt, I knew the run was going to be fun. It is so nice to know that there are nice little trails right here nestled at Norman and the course has good uphill and downhill sections and the footing is not to shabby either.  I ran 4 loops where each loop is about 2k so I ran an 8k in the xc course.  I was able to get some nice leg turnover and I felt pretty smooth considering the near-storming conditions.  It looks like there could be some heavy rain with the wind and the gray rain clouds overhead.  Once I finished my fourth loop, it was time to head back.

Total time :71 minutes 12 seconds

Total Mileage: about 11.4 miles

Monday, March 7, 2011

Overcast makes the Thunder Roll

Time out and About: 82:52

Total Mileage: Around 13-14

After I finished with work, I shot back home fueled up and hit the roads at around 4:20pm. I was in the mood for some hills so I headed to Summit Lakes and then went on 36th street out towards some Norman Vineyards.  My calves are still really sore from Saturday's barnbuster of a run.  The good news is this is the last week before spring break which means soon I get to donate my time towards running and working at Belmar Golf which will allow for me to save up some money for Branson, MO.  Anyway, it looks like it could rain any second and I have a ton of homework for this week. Time to get started!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sore, tough day at work: 30 minutes

So today is Sunday and I decided to give my body the time to recover so I ran a bunch at work picking the driving range that was full of thousands of golf balls.  And then I followed up my day with a nice 30 minutes jog at Summit Lakes just to get the blood flowing.  It was a great day!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Friday easy Run Followed by Cold Windy 10k!

What a two days!

I ran with Scott And Jenny on Friday and that went nicely as I amased about 65 minutes of running and 10-11 miles nice and easy.

The Sooner 10k the following morning was tough!  The wind was at my face for the majority of the race like 4 miles or so.  The start had the wind at my back as I shot through the first mile in 4:47 and the second mile in 4:53.  The moment I made a turn-around out by Highway 9, the wind chopped my fast pace down into the 5:10's-5:30's.  I went through the 5k in 15:40 and then the 8k in 26:03. And by the time the race was over, I came across the line in 32:53. Not a fast time but great considering the conditions.


The Conditions:  30 degrees Wind Chill makes it 20 degrees

Wind: gusting upwards of 35-40 mph

The race was extremely painful and I gutted it out as best as I could muster.  The pictures tell all as you can really see how much effort I put forth.  I do think I was around 2:30 off of what I could run the distance on a perfect day, I would grade my race a B+ for strong effort in tough tough conditions!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Final Prep for the Sooner 10k

Today was my last long run in preparation for the big race this Saturday.  The weather was nice and I decided to run nice and far.

I was able to track in 1 hour and 28 minutes of solid mileage out on Tecumseh and 36th street.  The combination of the rolling hills and the wind made everything difficult in terms of pushing but the run felt really smooth besides the last 5 minutes where I just decided to trot in.  One of the true beautiful aspects of running is the fact that you can zen out and just let your mind wander.  I envisioned myself as a USA mountain runner running up the steep slopes of the French Alps with each and every uphill.  Then I had  time to think about how work is going to be this summer. Then I thought about ice cream. Yes, Ice Cream! Once the 70's are out and about, then I get this feeling for ice cream. And not just ice cream but a banana split.  If you ever want a nice post-run snack, a banana split is ideal.  As I am writing this I have been chowing away on my ice cream split and boy is it fantastic.

The training wheels come off on Saturday and I am looking forward to feeling the hurt again and running fast times.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Wednesday! Running in Moore

Today was a cool run! Finally I ran from work at  the Belmar golf course. The roads that surround Belmar are awesome for mountain running.  There are great long hills that are the best I have ever been on in Oklahoma.  I took Indian Hill Road and ran by the prettiest cemetery ever! There was a lake and flowers at every hedge stone.  I headed on that road go up and down for 14 and a half minutes then turned around because I was in the mood for exploring and was hoping to see what else I could run to.  I sprinted across Sooner Road back to the entrance of Belmar and continued onward towards Moore.  I ran by Oil riggers working on a main and ran right by a huge lumber yard.  It was amazing to see everything that was going on.  The run started out brisk around 50 but soon warmed up into the upper 60's as the sun came out. I eventually ended up into downtown Moore and then turned back. The sun was glaring and I knew I was going to end up with some sun on my face.  The verdict: Yeah I got some sun on my face.

The run was sooo much fun I wish I had all day to go run.  I totaled 78 minutes and trekked around 13-14 miles after everything was all done. I think I am going to run more from work here on out.  The hills were great and the roads are soooo quiet it is incredible.  If you do not mind running on pavement, Norman has potential for some great training. Happy Running!

Terrible Tuesday!

Tuesday was a long and hectic day! I ran in the morning for about 50 minutes literally running some errands and then hustled back to my apartment to work on homework. The 50 minutes run was out on Mainstreet and it was slow! I would say 7:20 pace. I was planning on running more later but of course my busy day filled up even more.  It happens but I am still going to prepare and gauge myself for the big race this weekend!