Not Running

Well I have not been running since the end of April. I pulled my Achilles tendon. I had trouble walking for a few days.

I am hoping that the tendon will be all healed by mid Sept. so that I can go on a 5 day hike in the adirondacks in New York with Brad and Tommy.. Brad had said that he wanted to climb Mt. Marcy.

The strange thing is I can ride my bicycle with out bothering the tendon. So to stay in shape I have been riding my bike to work. That's about 11 miles a day. Since I had gotten a GPS for running it just seems right that I get one for the bike. So I picked up a Garmin Edge 305.

So far the gps has worked better then I thought it would.

Texas Vacation

Just got back from vacation in Texas for a week with my daughter and her family.
My wife an I had a great time as we always do when we go down.
The weather a perfect no rain or SNOW..
I got to run in my first 5k rice of the year and what a great start I did a personal best of 24:56 and came in 3rd in my age class and 17th over all. Parker and Kate ran a 1k race and Parker came in 2nd over all. I think Kate a 5th of 6th.
We went to the Dallas zoo and had a lot of fun. The monkeys in the zoo were just laying around doing nothing. But the three monkeys we had with were pretty active :-).
Saturday was in the low 80's and I helped them put in a large flower garden. My arms were sore from running the rototiller and I got a little sun burned. But it was great doing something outside.

Update

The weather here has been getting better, so I have been getting some outdoor running.
Vacation time almost here. My wife and I will be going to McKinney Texas for the first week of April to:

1 Visit and stay with out daughter Karie and her family.
2 On the 4 th of April I am going to run in a 5k race. Called the Bunny Hop that is put on by the "Stonebridge Racers". Last year I would have come in 2 nd place in my age class if it wasn't for a mix up in the listings.
3. A lot of nice weather to do things outside.

I just went to the Run Vermont bulletin board to see if I could get on a 5 person relay that was short a person or two.
For those of you that are not familiar with Run Vermont. It is the 21st Annual Key Bank Vermont City Marathon and Relay that will be held in Burlington Vermont on May 24 2009. I believe that they have a goal of 8000 participants.

Back in mid February my wife and I were visiting our daughter Kim and her husband Derek. I went for what I thought was going to be a 2-3 mile run. But the weather wasn't bad and the route was flat. I finally stopped running at the 6 mile mark which it the longest run that I a have done in some time.. Here is a link of the run on "map my run" and on "Motion Based"

End Of Vacation

Well it's back to work on Monday and I am kind of looking forward to getting back. I did get more running in the normal being home when it is light out. I also spent a lot of time on the computer.
I have set up an account at MotionBased TrailNetwork it gets my running info off the Garmin Forerunner 405 and loads on a web site so if you want to see my running and biking info click on this link. This site doesn't show my treadmill runs that I do at work on the week days.
I went for a 5k run today and it was not too bad, the temp. was about 20 deg. clear and sunny and a 15 mph NW wind. I did it in about 29 min. a nice easy pace. The only problem was when I got home my son Brad and his friend Tommy had stopped by to get some FREE food, Brad lock the door on his way out and I did not have a key with me So I was locked out. We had just had a new lock put on the door so NO back up key was hidden any where. Brad had to call my wife to come let me in, she was about 10-15 minutes away. It was good thing he realised that he had locked the door or I would have had to stay out in the cold with just my running cloths on for about 1.5 hours.
Oh here is a link to see my 5k winter route.

Winter Vacation

It's been some what of a boring vacation. Almost all the snow is gone so I have not gotten to try out my new toy the Mad River Rocket. Which means I have not kidnapped one of my grandsons. Yet....
I have gotten in some running.
I ran
3.3 miles on the 25th
3.2 on the 28th
4.2 on the 30th
So I have run a total of 256.7 miles this year.
Last year I ran 73.9 miles
I am thinking about of running a 5k run on 1/1/2009 in downtown Burlington called the "First Run" the only problem with it is the weather, the forecast is "Sunny. Highs around 12. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the morning." They have a windchill warning out for the area calling for wind chill readings between -15 and -25
degrees below zero Fahrenheit. That way too cold for me to run, Except from the car into the house.

Good Start Of A Vacation

I got to run outside today. First time in a while. I was icy and snow covered, but I still liked it better then running on the treadmill.
In my last post I had said that there was rumor at work in that we would have some time off from work with PAY. Well it is true I do not have to go back to work until 1/05/2009. I intend to do more running outside and maybe some snowshoeing. Oh I am also hoping to go sliding. I went to the Skirack to get so new boots and left with new boots and a Mad River Rocket. So I am hoping to steal the grandson for a while and take him to The Catamount Outdoor Family Center for a little shedding on the hill in back of the main building.

Latest Update 12/18/2008

Well the weather has not been the best here in Vermont. We have been getting rain,ice,and snow. So running in the dark after work has not been happening. What I have been doing is running on the treadmill at work first thing in the morning for about 30 minutes. Man is it ever boring but it is a lot easier then running on the ice/snow that the covered roads and bike path.
I find that on the treadmill I can adjust my speed better then I can running on the road with the GPS. Another so call advantage about using the treadmill is if I get sick of running I can just stop. Where if I was out on the road running I still have to get back home, So I would have to run longer.
I did not do any running on this last weekend because I became a grandfather again. My son Brad and his wife Courtney became proud parents of a 7 lb 1 oz. 21 inch baby boy named Alexander James. For pictures click here.If you ask his older brother, Ethan what he thinks of his baby brother all he says is "He Cries". Ethan is 2 years old.
It looks like I might be getting a lot of time to run and spending it with the 2 boys on the last 2 weeks of the year. Rumor has it that work will give us the time off with full pay. Man what a great company "Dynapower" I have been here for 15+ years.

Getting Help

Well it seems that just as I get in to a groove with my running I end up with some kind of injury.
So I contacted a "Running Coach". The bad news is that he taking a break from coaching but the good news that he is happy to answer a few questions that I have.
What I like about Dave is that he gets right to the point and as the old saying is he doesn't beat around the bush. From the info that I gave him and the info on this blog.
This is what he came up with:
1. "Unless you're a somewhat gifted runner, your 8:00 to 8:30 pace sounds a little too fast."
2. "You need to be training at 55-60% of your max - i.e. the 10:00 pace I suggested for you.
And as we all know that I am gifted but not at running.

So I have to slow down. Well it will be hard to do but I will try. I mean doing things slow is not my nature.
I did a little over a 5k run on Thursday and today:
Average pace about 9:00 pace.
Heart rate in the low to mid 70%
Hay Dave I can't wait until you are back at coachng again.

Back At It

Well I am back at running. OK I did not really stop running I just cut back on it.
But with the time chance I am doing my running in the dark and that sucks. It is hard enough trying to see where I am going with a head lamp,but it is even worst with the car head light shining in the eyes.
But at least they can see me with the head lamp and the bright green vest..
If you notice on the right side if this page there is a application of a little goofy guy. It is a add on from the Nike+ web site. It keeps track of my running. The more I run the more the little guy runs around. I thought Parker and Kate would get a kick out of it.
I am glad that AC/DC came out with their new album "Black Ice" it is real good music to run by.

Good day today

We had a wellness clinic at work today. So I had my cholesterol checked and it went down.
In 1998 it was 275 First time having it checked. What a shock..
In 1999 it was 255 after I stopped drinking milk
In 2006 it was 247 after ridding a bike over 6000 in 4 years
But today with the running /biking and a little change in my diet it was
195
I guess I'll be running more and eating more Salmon.

Running Again

Well it looks like I am back running again. I did a 5k run in Red Rocks on Sunday and I didn't do too bad. It took about 27-28 minutes. I am planning on running 1-2 miles tonight.
I haven't been rock climbing at all. I am looking for a partner to go with me.
We are suppose to get some snow today and tomorrow about 2-4 inches total. I don't think we will get much. The ground had not froze and the temps have been in the 40-50's. The lows for the next to days is suppose to be in the 30's.
It seems a little strange here at work, with out Brad working here any more. I have been seeing a lot more of Jeff the (plant manager) I am not sure if that is a good thing or not :-).

I Did It.

I just got back from the rock climbing lesson and...
It went great. The lesson started out with
1. Showing how to use the harness.
2. Explaining how to hook up the belay device and how to belay or repelling
3. Then he climbed to the top and had me belay him down, No he did NOT fall.
4. He then had me climb to the top and had me come down. It was apiece of cake. We did that about half a dozen times.
5. We spent the rest of the lesson with me climbing different walls and repelling down. Each wall got straighter and harder until I did one with a over hang. NO I did NOT fall.
6. After about an hour and a half my forearms had lost all their strength.
7. The rest of the lesson was me asking questions.

So Parker are you ready to give it a try with me?

I did not get any pictures of me up on the wall.
I think I will go back this weekend.

Hay I could use a climbing partner here in Vermont, how about it Brad?

Big Day Coming

Well tomorrow is the big day. I take my first lesson in rock climbing.
I picked up a pair of Five,Ten climbing shoes a chalk bag and some chalk on Saturday at EMS. I was not too happy with the service I got there. First I had a young girl wait on me and she was being very helpful, but she had to go to lunch, so another girl helped and brought me a couple pair of shoes to try on. Well another costumer ask for help so she had some guy to give me a hand. What a jerk, you could tell that he did NOT want to help me. I wanted to try some other shoes but he acted like it was a big deal. So I said the heck with it and bought the pair I had. I don't think I'll be going back their again.
I thought I would wait until I had taken my lesson before I bought a harness. I will not begetting it at EMS.

Small update

Hay I just talked to someone at Petra Cliffs Climbing Center and my first lesson introductory Lessons is on Oct. 7th at 5:30pm

Not Happy

Well it looks like I will not be running for a while. I kind of over did it and have what they call runners knee. It was bothering me before the hike but I thought that it would go away. It doesn't hurt to walk but if I try to run or walk down hill it hurts the bottom and side of my right knee.
So since I have got my Cardiovascular in shape and don't want to lose it. So I will be bike riding more and I think Parker is going to like this,starting in two weeks I will be taking lessons at Petra Cliffs Climbing Center , yes I'm going to try rock climbing, it is only a 10 minute walk from home. I am going to try to get a private lesson set for 10/09/2008.
So stay tuned to find out what happens......

P.S I think this means more new toys...

Vacation

I have not been running for the past week because I have been on a hiking trip on the long trail in Vermont with my son and one of his friends. I hope to be back running on Monday Sept. 22.

I had a great time on the hike and I learned a few things.

1. A 50+ pound pack is TOO heavy

2. It does rain almost everyday in Vermont

3. An old man (50's) CAN out pace the younger ones (late 20s)

4. Wearing the wrong boots SUCKS.

5. A 3 hour ride to the trail head is long.

6. Most important I did not miss work.

Here is a link to some photos that I took on the hike.

09/07/2008

I went for a run to try out my new Brooks Adrenaline™ ASR™ 5 that I got last week. I did the run in Red Rocks which was about 3.25 mile run with a few hills and on dirt paths. I didn't see as many people or dogs today as I usually do on this run.
The weather was great 63* cloudy and about 10 mph north west wind.
I tried to take some pictures of the run but they didn't come out too good. Next time I will have to stop running when I take them.

09/04/2008

Hi there.

I did a quick 5k run today. I was planing on doing about 1.5 miles but was felling so good that I did 3.1 miles or 5k instead.

The weather seems a little hot and more humid then whats normal for this time of the year. It was 79* and 80% humidity at 6:00 pm.

But is spite of the weather all in all the run went pretty good I thought. On the Garmin forerunner (new toy) I had it showing the virtual runner set at my fastest 5k race pace and at about the 2.5k it showed that I was 25 seconds ahead, great I'm doing good I thought. After that I kind of zoned out and did my run. Then I looked at it at about 3.5k and I was 14 seconds BEHIND then it got worst by the end I was 60 seconds behind. It was the heat I tell you, has to be the heat. OK maybe I am just getting OLD. But I like blaming the heat better.

So I ended up running 5k or 3.1 miles in 26:20 of a 8:22 minute mile.

But a Slow Hot run is still better then a good day at WORK.

The big run

Well I ran the Nike+ Human Race 10k and survived if that's what you want to call it. I learned a couple of things today.
1. Never ever eat before you run. I had a small bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice and waited about an hour before I ran. I should have waited 2 hours because after the 2.5-3 mile mark I started to get sharp pains in my side so I had to walk it off, then I'd run a little and walk a little and that is how the rest of the run went.
2. Never wear a new pair of shoes on a long run. I should have worn my Brooks for this. Because after about 4 miles my calves started to tighten up.
But I did do it. I'll have to try a 10k again.
Maybe next weekend.
So the final results is 6.6 miles/10.61k in 01:06:32
Or 6.2 miles/10k in 01:02:37 which is a 6:16/km-10:06/mile pace.
If you want to see my placement go to this link and go to "Results" and "Nike+ Runners" and put "alwagner" in for screen name and click on "see my run" I will be at the bottom of the list.

I'm Back

Man what a busy summer. Between family,friend and work it seemed like something was going on all the time. I am not complaining it was a great summer and enjoyed all of it except WORK. We got a lot done. But I am hoping thing are getting back to normal now.
I did manage to get more running in this year then last. Over 180 miles so far. With a average pace of 8:36 mile
Last year for the whole year I got in only 74 miles with a average pace of 8:53 mile.

Well I went to Fleet Feet yesterday and got 2 new pairs of running shoes. One to replace my Brooks Glycerin 5 with Mizono Waver Rider 11 and a pair of Brooks Adrenaline™ ASR™ 5 for trail running and running this winter.
I am hoping to do more running now that I am not going to be riding the bike to work so much.
During the summer I have done a few improvements in my running.
THEN
1. In the past it was all I could do to run 1.5 miles with out taking a walking break.
2. Most of my runs were about 1.5 miles.
3. I could not go much more the 5k at any one time.
NOW
1. I can run more 1.5 miles with out stopping with a about an 8:15/mile
2. Most of my runs are 5k or more.
3. my longest run none stop was 5.6 miles.

I also pick up a new running toy it is a Garmin Forerunner 405 with the heart monitor and the foot pod. It is great it automatic loads all the info into the computer with out plugging it in and bring up a map of my run with all kinds of info.

Tomorrow 8/31/2008 is the big Nike+ Human Race which is a 10k run.
Which I plan on running.
Because there in not a event near by I will be using my Nike+ Sport Band .

It will be the longest I have ever run 6.2 miles.
If I survive I will have my results posted some time tomorrow.