Back on the Road?

Well for the first time in weeks I was able to put in 4 workouts in one week. They were far from quality workouts. They were much more like the very beginning of building a new base. My right knee which has been giving me grief for the last few weeks still hurts, but the good news is that the things which helped in the past (rest, ice and ibuprofen) work if I bother to use them.

My new discovery is a flexible elastic knee brace which is uncomfortable when I'm still but works wonders on the run.

More to follow.
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Back from illness, one more time

This last cold was a pretty severe one. Kept me off the roads for a week. But I'm back for more.

Always a glutton for punishment.

LYRICS FOR RUNNING

Really felt pumped listening to these lyrics on Friday:

Yes, no, maybe
I don't know
Can you repeat the question?

You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big

Life is unfair, so I just stare at the stain on the wall where
The TV'd been, but ever since we've moved in it's been empty

Why I, why I'm in this room
There is no point explaining

You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big

Life is a test, but I confess
I like this mess I've made so far
Grade on a curve and you'll observe
I'm right below the horizon

Yes, no, maybe, I don't know
Can you repeat the question?

You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big

You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now, and you're not so big

Life is unfair

Across America: Still in Nevada

Wow! It sure seems like it is taking a long time to get through Nevada. As I enter this post my total mileage is at 413.58 (this will increase as more mileage is added). Today's run was one of my fastest. I like the fact that I am pushing back my lactate threshold and the point where I become exhausted.

My fear is that I will overdo things and injure myself again, but I have been getting stronger so that is probably why I haven't gotten hurt to date.

I am also loving my heart rate monitor. It is great to get an idea of my intensity based on something other than just pace.

I got a new attitude, and a plan

Preparing for a marathon is certainly a rollercoaster. From extreme highs to extreme lows. I am happy that I have stuck with my training program although I have not been as committed as I might have wanted.

I have been reading the second edition of Daniels Running Formula and I have been happy with the preliminary chapters. Hopefully I will be able to work this into a plan that will see me through the rest of my training.

I have also been happy with the bargain basement heart rate monitor I bought from the Sports authority. I will probably pick up a Forerunner 301 which combines GPS with HRM so I don't look like a total geek wearing two separate watches when I run.

Back from the Blog Graveyard

Well it has been three weeks since my last blog entry. For a while there, I thought that my wonderful blog was going to enter the ever expanding "blog graveyard". If you surf the blogosphere as much as I do, you'll see what I mean. Lots of well intentioned blogs with grandiose statements of purpose start off with lengthy entries and occasionally multiple entries per day (Hmm, sounds like me a few weeks ago) only to slow down or just abruptly stop.

Sometimes there is a reason for the discontinuation of the blog (for example a successful fund raising blog detailing preparations for a marathon)

Other candidates to the blog graveyard are more puzzling or even scary. A running blog I saw a few weeks ago had this guy talking about how he was depressed because his girlfriend left him and that the blog would help him recover... But then there were no more entries? Did he get over it? Did he sink into depression?

Who knows. Anyway. I'm back ready to run and ready to write!
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Wow! No I Get It

The Peachtree Roadrace is over. This was truly a life-altering experience. The race was everything I had hoped for. Enjoyable, challenging, and intense. It was difficult to maintain a very fast pace due to the number of people.

I ran fast enough to get a good time without overdoing it and felt as though I could have done more.

All in all a fantastic day.

This makes all the hard work worthwhile.

Peachtree Roadrace

This blog entry is being written on the morning of the Peachtree Roadrace. It is now 6:23 AM and I just got on the Marta train on my way to the Lenox mall area where the race is starting. I feel great.

Despite the fact that the last 2 weeks featured more missed workouts than my first two months of training, the workouts I have done were quality ones and I am definitely not overtrained. My muscles feel strong. Did some good stretching last night and should have ample time to stretch before the race.

I've got a mild ache in my left ankle but it's not bad. I anticipate a great run, but do not intend to kill myself. I'll just go out and have some fun and enjoy the sights and sounds.

Let the fun begin!
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Back On The Road!

After a frustrating and difficult week, it appears that I am back on track.

More to follow later...

A Quote for the day

"I will prepare and some day my chance will come."
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tired but not Sore

As stated in my previous post this mornings run was satisfying not only because it was a PR but because I did not feel as though I was straining to achieve what I accomplished.

This evening I'm experiencing another welcome sensation. I'm exhausted, but my muscles are not nearly as sore as they usually are after a hard workout. Not to mention the fact that I have put together 4 good work-out days back to back.

Will stretch and get a full night's sleep. It'll be interesting to see what tomorrow's workout will be like.
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Finally A Runners High

Today's morning run was planned as my usual 4.5 mile loop. I was expecting the usual lackluster, painful and frustrating kind of run that I have become used to. In fact, although some days are better than others most days have felt like drudgery over the last 2 weeks.

I woke up at midnight (after 2 hours of sleep) drenched in sweat. Kinda strange but I have been concentrating on getting enough fluids in the evenings.

I then woke up at 3:45 AM (when my youngest son, Chidi, came over to our room for a drink of water)... (why did we take him out of a crib and put him into a real bed at the age of two anyway?).

The 4:30 AM alarm went off and I promptly turned it off. At this point I was certain that I would not go out for a run this morning... maybe stationery bike, or maybe nothing at all.

Somehow at 5:00 AM I managed to roll out of bed and decided to proceed with the 4.5 mile loop as planned the night before.

The keys to this mornings run being a good one appear to be the following:

1. Proper hydration the night before. Lots of water the night before a morning run seems to improve my runs in the morning. I have also noticed that if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (as I did last night) it usually indicates that I am properly hydrated.
2. Stretching the night before my run. I have noticed that when I take time to do my Pilates-type stretches the night before a run that I have fewer aches and pains during the run itself.
3. AM Gel packet AND water before my run.
4. Few negative thoughts during my run.

Ran a PR for this particular route this morning and shave 2 minutes off my previous time. Did not feel as though I was straining and actually felt that I could have gone faster.

Right now I am at about 3 hours post-run and feel pretty good. It will be interesting to see if I have soreness later in the day. My focus for tomorrow is an hour of SLOW running at an easy pace.

Observations from Today's "Long" Run

After a forced 4 day layoff due to my cold that I developed after last weeks long run of 10 miles I decided to go on a 7 mile long run this morning. My goal was just to maintain a pace that was faster than my last long runs and to see if I hit the wall at 4 miles like in previous long runs.

Here are my observations:

1. The weather was very humid and rainy. The rain was constant and varied from a light drizzle to an outright downpour.
2. My beginning pace was very quick. I think I was over anxious to get back on the road, and as a result I actually had to purposely slow myself down during my first half mile.
3. Did my usual walk up the last part of the steep hill at 0.75 miles. This was a harbinger of things to come.
4. Had very slight left ankle pain which was improved due to stretching prior to the run. No knee pain at all.
5. My pace for miles 2 and 3 was excellent and perhaps faster than I needed to go. My form was fluid and virtually effortless. Incidentally, on this particular run miles 2 and 3 are mostly downhill.
6. Once again, hit a wall on the fourth mile. Luckily, my attitude during this slow-down was much better than previous runs and so I just ran/walked at a pace to regain my energy.
7. My speed, form, and endurance on hills is TERRIBLE. I hate hills and I think that my dislike (even fear) for hills makes them even harder. I clearly need to work on hills. Perhaps by timing my first 2-3 miles of a run to coincide with some challenging hills.
8. The rain really weighs down my long running tights. Big mistake (I think) to run in the rain with tights.

I am trying to make sure I stay well hydrated today and see if I can circumvent the sore throat I experienced 24 hours my last two long runs.

Plans for tomorrow: 45 minutes of stationery bike or a slow 4 miles on the roads. Will decide based on how I feel in the morning.

Gotta try and ice my ankle today.

Am I Physically or Psychologically Exhausted?

Today felt like rock bottom. The scratchy throat from yesterday became a full fledged cold overnight. I bravely went out to attempt my planned 5 to 6 miles. What a mistake. Within one mile, I had to stop. I couldn't breath due to my stuffy nose. I was also just plain exhausted and could not move quickly or efficiently.

More importantly, I did not WANT to run. My mind was filled with thoughts of why I was doing this in the first place and I seriously considered just stopping the whole running thing. Thank goodness this was a limited thought process.

I made the spot decision to stop all running during my vacation and to rest myself and recover from the fatigue I was feeling. I have decided to slow things down a bit and work on quality workouts rather than quantity.

Hope this is a good idea.

Greetings from Hilton Head S.C.

Today's post is being written from Hilton Head South Carolina where we are enjoying a week of vacation. I am here for the Georgia State Medical Association convention where I will be giving a speech on recent trends in perinataology on Friday.

Sunday's run was planned for 12 miles but changed to 10 miles. My overall pace for this run was slower than the long run a week earlier, however:

1. The route was more difficult with more hills.
2. I was carrying a water bottle for the first time during a long run and
3. It was considerably hotter than during previous long runs.

Not sure if those are explanations or excuses... They sound like the latter to me!

Monday (yesterday) was the first day of my vacation and filled with my usual post-long run soreness. Today (Tuesday) my throat is sore as can be, likely due to the fact that I did not consume enough water yesterday. This is becoming a common theme:

• Long run Sunday
• Insufficient hydration Sunday and Monday
• Sore throat on Tuesday.

I am not sore today. I did an easy 30 minutes on the stationary bike this morning and didn't do anything yesterday. Looking forward to 5 or 6 miles on the beach tomorrow morning.

My Running Library

Posted by Hello

Okay... So perhaps I should stop buying new books. This is a picture of the books that I have utilized in my preparations for the marathon. My reading style is to hop around from book to book (see my previous post on multitasking ).

The books are as follows:

• The Lore of Running by Tim Noakes, M.D. - This is the mother of all running books. It contains very detailed information about training and issues. The level of complexity in some of the physiological topics is similar to some of my medical text books. It is NOT light reading.
• The Runners Handbook by Bob Glover - A classic book on running. Haven't had a chance to really look into this too much. I was attracted by the fact that it starts at ground zero in terms of training from essentially no base to marathon running.
• How to Train For and Run Your Best Marathon by Gordon Bloch - I bought this book several years ago. It is written by a woman who began as a recreational runner and eventually ran in the Olympic trials. Very inspirational.
• The Runner's High by Garth Battista - Picked this up at Barnes and Noble to read during times when I felt like giving up on my marathon training. Haven't read any of it yet, which I guess is good news.
• The Body Sculpting Bible For Abs - Mens Edition - I hate abdominal exercises but I realize that working on your core musculature is important for any endurance exercise or activity. I actually bought this book during my weight training period last year. I intend to use some of the exercises to build my abdominal muscles.
• The Abs Diet - Another throwback to my weight training days. As with the Body Sculpting Bible I plan to use the exercises but will pass on the high protein diet suggestions.
• First Marathons by Gail Waesche Kislevitz - very inspirational book about people who ran marathons and how they did it.
• Train Hard, Win Easy The Kenyon Way - This book details the training techniques of elite East African runners. These guys are nuts. Reading this book makes me know that I CANNOT do what those guys do. Amazing.
• New York Road Runners Club Complete Book of Running - This is one of the oldest books in my library. Very good information.

Recent Weight Trend

Weight Trend March to June

Progress to Date

Here is where I am at this point. As of June 1, 2005 I have been in training for 12 weeks (including 2 weeks with no running due to injury) and I have logged in just over 260 miles.




Many more miles to go....

Pushing the Envelope

MY thoughts today have been about what it means to really push the envelope and to move from your comfort zone into new territory. It goes without saying that anything worthwhile requires effort, concentration and hard work to achieve. This is true with regard to personal affairs, marriage, parenthood, professional pursuits and (of course) training for a marathon.

I am reading (or browsing through) a number of books on the marathon. My most recent purchase is Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas. It appears to be an excellent book with a strong foundation in exercise physiology. From what I have read, it is similar to a slimmer version of The Lore of Running.

Today's run was hard but still enjoyable. Did 5.8 miles with the last 1.5 miles on the (very hilly) golf course here in the subdivision. Wow, I certainly have neglected working on hills and it showed today, as I had to walk on many of the more steep hills at the end of my workout.

I still need an organized program to follow before the marathon. I have time, but time is running out. I will probably invest in a coach sometime after vacation next week, also.

Why is my throat scratchy?

I've almost been afraid to myself, but the back of my throat has been itching all day. Almost as if I were about to come down with a cold.

Not surprising since I really pushed myself on my last run and then did a relatively hard 45 minutes on the stationery bike the next day. We'll have to wait and see.

My main concernis trying to do my run this evening. Not sure if I should risk it with a cold coming on. I will see how I feel when I get home.

Wow, I'm on Google!

This blog was originally started as a documentation and motivation tool. I realized that it would be available worldwide but figured it would not be seen beyond a number of family members that I told about the site or fellow marathon Bloggers.

So imagine my surprise when I googled the terms "Atlanta marathon blog" in the hopes of finding a kindred spirit and two hits lead to my site! I then googled "onyeije's". And got the same links. In fact, my humble blog is now the leading entry when the name Onyeije is googled.

Wow. Fascinating and a little scary at the same time.

Audio Ramblings #2

Addendum to Audio Ramblings #1

Audio Ramblings #1

My thoughts on my Sunday long run, pain and overall assessment recorded 26 hours after my 11 mile run.

More Info About Dogs and Running

Just saw this on the Cool Running website. I think it is appropriate given my recent "encounter": This was taken from this article

Dogs>

Every runner has a dog story. You're running innocently along
your course, when you suddenly find yourself nose to snout with a pooch
that's all teeth. Scary stuff. Dogs are very territorial, and while most are
perfectly mild-mannered, others seem to have a bloodlust when it comes to
guarding their turf.

Obviously the best way to avoid dog trouble is to respect the borders of the dog's territory. Cross the street when you see a dog, and you'll probably get only a few harmless barks. Try not to act afraid, though. Look and act confident.

If this doesn't work and the dog is hellbent on coming after you, don't run. Stand your ground and shout "NO!" as loudly and with as much authority as you can muster. The idea here is to intimidate the dog and make clear that you are not an easy lunch. With a truly unpleasant dog, the nice-doggy routine will not work and you have to act tough. Or even crazy. If "NO!" doesn't work, try waving your arms,
looking mean, and screaming at the dog. Like any other thinking, breathing creature, even a mad dog doesn't want to get involved with a crazy nut. This often works.

If it doesn't, try squirting your water bottle at the dog. If this is a dog that frequently causes you trouble, you might even consider bringing along a bottle of diluted ammonia and giving that a go. A squirt of ammonia on the eyes and nose should stop the dog in its tracks. Likewise, some pepper spray (not a bad idea to have around if
you run in a potentially dangerous urban area) should also give the dog pause.
It should go without saying that you should only use these defensively and as a
very last resort. You might also avoid using these in front of the dog's
owner...

I could not agree more

Not Just a Run, but an Adventure

Wow. Sunday's long run was supposed to be 7 miles at an easy pace. Just enough to get me back on track. My previous longest run (before my injury) was 7 miles and I thought that it would be good enough to be back at that point with only 2 solid weeks back on the road.

So much for planning.

I ended up doing 11 miles. And although my legs are very sore this morning, I am encouraged by the following factors:

1. I took off at a reasonable pace and did not experience the drudgery that I usually experience in the first mile of a run.
2. As usual, I got my best splits on miles 2 and 3. Not sure why this is... probably the fact that I am warmed up and not yet fatigued gives me the best times for these two particular miles. Hopefully, with more training I will be able to extend the speed for these two miles into more miles early on.
3. I DID NOT hit the wall at the fourth mile like last week. While my pace slowed down a bit, it was still consistent and did not feel like the end of the world. I think the big difference is the fact that I got a good night's sleep last night (in contrast to last week when I barely got 4 hours of sleep before dragging myself out to do the infamous 5 miles noted in my previous post.

The adventurous part of this run was based on the fact that:

THE CONFEDERATE SHACK

At one point in my run I came across a house (shack really) with 6 or 7 confederate flags and a small building in the backyard that looked like an outhouse. Don't get my wrong, but I assume that these people and I do not share the same political philosophy.

THE MAD PIT BULLS:

I was still trying to get over the "Confederate Shack" when the pleasant tunes from my ipod were disturbed by the loud barking of two HUGE pit bulls running right at me. By the time I was cognizant, they were about 6 feet away. My instincts only allowed me to face the two of them, and basically "roar" at them. They stopped in their tracks. Now keep in mind that they had already crossed the street from their own property and this little drama was taking place in the middle of the street. The white pit bull immediately retreated, but the black pit bull stood in the middle of the street barking at me as I jogged off. Stupid dogs. My guess is that I will not run in this area again, however, I also think it would be a good idea to purchase a little spritzer of Mace. Just in case.

mace
Posted by Hello

LOST IN SPACE:

At about 8 miles into my run I was hopelessly lost. I wanted to do a large loop which runs north and west of our house (into Forsyth County) but at one point realized that I was going North when I thought I was going South. Essentially, at 8 miles, when I was yearning to get back home I was running in the wrong direction. Thank goodness for my Garmin GPS watch. I was actually able to pull up a GPS map which showed me I was running in the wrong direction. I mad a Uturn, and I was back on my way.


Garmin 201
Posted by Hello

The Garmin Forerunner is a tool no runner should be without!

More to follow.

Three Brothers

The Boys
Originally uploaded by onyeije.

The boys relax in the backyard.

Missed AM workout on 5/2505

I wasn't able to do my scheduled time on the stationery bike this morning. In a way that is probably a good thing because I was somewhat tired yesterday. Right now I feel fresh. Only minimal ankle pain, and no knee pain
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The King of Multi-Tasking

I must be the king of multitasking. Every day I seem to be doing more things at once. Forget about listening to the radio and scanning a magazine, that's an old trick for me. I also drive and do my dictations while in the car and go back and forth between two computer screens (with different information) at the same time regularly. Many times I will be answering a phone call and typing on the computer.

It just seems that there are so many things to do at once...

The pressures of long hours and so many things to do make it nearly impossible to get all of the things done that I want to do. In fact, one of the most frustrating things for me is to find out how much I still have to do at the END of a hectic day.

I fear that keeping an accurate blog of my preparation for the Atlanta Marathon is just one more task in a list that is full.

I also saw an article in the New York Times that outlines some of the dangers of Multi-tasking.

Those concerns aside. I find that I am pretty good at organizing my time between multiple tasks and actually enjoy the stress that comes from trying to do many things at the same time.

BRING IT ON!

Running Quote

I heard this quote while listening the the Audio CD for The World is Flat .

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Five miles the hard way

Yesterday's run was supposed to be a long run. It turns out that it was only 5 miles. Which is 0.6 miles longer than my longest weekday run the week before and two miles shorter than my longest long run before my ankle injury.

This run (yesterday's) encomassed all of the reasons why I consider quitting this dream of running a Marathon in 2005. But it also had enough inspiration to make me want to push on.

Mile 1: I started off slow with the now everpresent pain in right knee and left ankle.

Miles 2&3: picked up the pace effortlessly. Yea, the splits were only 10:40 and 10:39 per mile buit it really felt good. Felt as though I could do this forever.

Mile 4: hit the wall. Quite inexplicably, actually. Legs felt like lead and every step took effort.

Mile 5: Angry at myself for having a bad run. Not at all focussed. Forgot completely about miles 2&3.

It will be intersting to see what Tuesday's run will bring! I can't wait.

Next Stop: Phidippides - Atlanta

This is definitely my next stop. Phidippides - Atlanta

Phidippides is a specialty running store in Atlanta. I think I need to change to a new pair of running shoes that will be easy on my aching ankle and perhaps try a knee brace.

Wow. This sounds like running for senior citizens, but I am determined to do this marathon.

A Blog entry from my blackberry.

Well, at least in theory this seems to be a good idea. I always have my blackberry with me and apparently this will allow me to quickly shoot an entry to my Blog.

I have my doubts though. Usually things with the Blackberry seem easy initially, but are actually more difficult in practice.

Let's see.
Sent from Onyeije's Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Why is my ankle hurting today?

I've felt slightly anxious all morning. Did 45 minutes on the stationery bike to complete my first "full" week of training after my April 20th accident. But while my ankle has felt stiff in the mornings of previous days and then gets limber by mid-day in the past. The same is not true today?

How come? Was the 4.4 miles yesterday too much? Didn't feel like it?

I haven't taken any ibuprofen today and I hope that is the reason.

Let's see. More to follow.

New Speed PR for 4+ Miles

Went out for a morning run at 5:00 AM. Rather warm compared to previous days. Started slow and stiff (should have stretched) but picked up the pace at the end. Pushed it probably a little more than I should have at the end but still finished strong.

10 min 55 sec per mile for 4.42 miles.

Not quite ready for the olympics, but a major improvement.

My Journey to date

Here is a post from fitnessjournal.org which shows my mileage to date:

Back on the road again.

How can I begin?

Well clearly April 20th, 2005 was a day that changed my life. I had started running about 3/16/05. I was impressed with the improvement I was making. I had some (right) nagging knee pain for which I saw Dr. John Hyman on April 14th, 2005. The doc said it was overdoing it and told me to take it easy for a period of time and load up on the ibuprofen.

So I took a week off after several weeks of progressively increasing mileage and felt better. I got back on track on 4/20/05. Decided to run a new 5 mile loop. I ran hard and fast and felt great. Then I twisted my ankle on the last 1/2 mile. Here is how I described the event in an email to Uzoma and Iheoma a few days after the event...



Your Dumb Brother Broke is Ankle
Date:
Apr 22, 2005 11:27 AM
Just another sign that I'm getting older.
I hadn't told you guys yet but I set a personal goal to run a marathon before I
turned 40 next year. I was (and still am) training for the the Atlanta Marathon
which will take place on Thanksgiving Day.
I was really impressed with my progress. Two months ago I could barely go a mile,
but I had worked my way up to 4 miles in the mornings 4 days a week and 7-8 miles
on Sunday. Then came my Knee injury. I saw an orthopedic surgeon last week who
said it was just overuse and to take it easy for a few days. I took a 6 day lay
off and went back to run on Wednesday.
I FELT GREAT. Did 5 miles and felt like a new man! I was in the last 100 yards
before the house with "I believe I can fly" by R. Kelly blasting in my
iPod when tragedy struck. I landed hard on the outside edge of my foot and twisted
my ankle. I heard a pop sound and hit the ground hard.... iPod went flying. I
was able to limp home and go about my business as usual with some pain on Wednesday,
but by Wednesday night, my ankle was the size of a grapefruit.
Xrays at my orthopedic surgeon this morning showed a broken fibula and a tear in
one of my ligaments. OUCH.
They have me in a ridiculous looking foot brace and I have to go to physical therapy.
NO running for 3-8 weeks.
But believe it or not I still feel inspired to do this marathon. I see this as
only a temporary set back.
Hope everyone is doing well. Talk to you soon.
Chuks.

Well, that was a month ago. Lets just say that the last month has been filled with quiet self doubt and palpable pain. However, over the last week, I have been slowly coming back. Very satisfied with my evening physical therapy exercises and Pilates.

I have decided to start this blog to accompany my training log at. http://www.fitnessjournal.org/

Away we go!!