Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Back in the saddle

My training for 2011 officially started yesterday after work.  An easy 5 mile farlek run, nothing big, but every program has to start somewhere.  With Christmas (and MULTIPLE Christmas dinners) behind me, it's about time to lose 10 pounds and get into racing shape. This week promises good weather, so I really hope to get into a rhythm.

I received a second hand weight bench for Christmas (because I am cheap, and have been putting off buying a nice, shiny new one for almost a year), and I made use of it for the first time last night.  It's rickety, small, and a little rusty - perfect for an old-school style garage weight room.  I plan to take it apart, sand it down, and repaint it, probably next weekend.  This adventure will be chronicled and photos posted as I go.

I took a pretty nasty fall while setting up the weight bench, from a random patch of ice on the garage steps.  I was carrying the bar out to the garage, thinking about other things (such as running and lifting, as usual), and did a cartoon-banana-peel move.  There's a bad bruise on my shin, which isn't as painful as I expected it to be today, and I crushed one of my fingers on the hand holding the bar.  I hope the finger doesn't hamper my lifting, it's the part of training that I'm good at and enjoy the most.


Re-reading this post, it is apparent that I should do my writing later in the day.  I feel tired, flat, and my brain just doesn't have the usual sharpness that could have turned this into an interesting post.  Instead, what you get is a meandering ramble that I got bored writing.  I can't imagine anyone enjoying reading this.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

And in unrelated news...

We just at at Buffalo Wild Wings (I know, not exactly high quality fuel for a running machine like me) for over an hour waiting for food.  We walked out and went to Wendy's, since we don't get paid lunches at my office.

And that means I'll be eating 2 fast food meals today, since I'll be traveling this evening after work.

Off to a great start...

My first day blogging about running, and I skip my run.  Admittedly, I needed to pack for a trip out of town for the holidays (where I also won't be running), and I do believe in the doctrine of flexible workout programs.  And the weather was nasty.  And Gremlins hid my running shoes.  And of course it was a little later than usual when I got home and nearly supper time.

Funny how the 30 minutes drive home turned yesterday's run from an easy 4 miles to a big steaming pile of excuses.

Merry Christmas

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Introductions

Hello to anyone who cares to read and follow along.  As my information says, this blog will be my personal running journal and general soap box for my future running (and possibly other related hobby) adventures.

So a bit about me, hopefully only the important stuff.  I am a young man in my mid-20s, married for a little over 2 years, living a relatively average life.  I am a structural engineer for a living (a Virginia Tech graduate, for you Hokie fans out there), but my passion is running.

I ran track and cross country throughout high school, but chose beer as my extracurricular activity in college.  Okay, so I technically tried out and didn't make the team my freshman year.  Then I joined the drinking team.

Now I'm out in the world, with spare time, desire to compete, and disposable income - three things which I did not have in college.  It's about time to have some success as a runner.  World class?  Probably never.  But big fish in a little pond?  I could live with that.  I am also a prolific reader of sports science research, as an engineer I cannot stand not knowing the "why" behind the different aspects of training and racing and nutrition and everything else involved in running, so I endeavor to teach myself about these things.

The most pertinent question then is, who cares?  Why should you read this blog?  Why am I blogging at all?  Well hopefully some runners somewhere out there care.  I keep a straight facts, short descriptions mileage log for the purpose of tracking progress, but that doesn't always provide enough of an outlet.  Sometimes, as a runner, you have things you want to say that don't really matter to your running log, they don't really matter to your wife (who is not a runner, by the way), opinions and thoughts that really only other runners will "get".  What better place than the internet to share these?

So to those of you who follow along, or just pop in to check this out, welcome.  I promise to try to be witty and sincere, informative and entertaining, heartfelt and from the heart.  And as mentioned in my profile, I'll do my best to avoid being snarky and juvenile, but I make no guarantees, as I often have the sense of humor of a 14 year old boy.

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