one week stronger

I ran a little bit more this week than I have been running recently. I finished up with around 56 miles for the week, with a couple days of strides and no workouts. I am hoping next week will be my final week of just easy running. I need to check out the schedule, which will be pretty much the same as last year before I got injured.

Canal

The canal is always my secret weapon during base phase. I do a lot of runs on undulating terrain, and as a result my pace tends to be slower on the whole. Every so often I head out to the canal to get a flat run and give myself a better idea as to where I stand. I headed out there today and got in about 9.5 at sub 6:20 pace feeling pretty solid.

Hopefully I will get in 12-13 this weekend and finish up the week in the mid 50s. I still think I am about 2 weeks away from starting tempos.

getting into shape

I am currently somewhere between in and out of shape. You can tell when you are in shape, when you stop worrying about pace on easy days. When you are out of shape and not quite in shape, pace tends to fluctuate between way to fast and embarrassingly slow. 

Yesterdays run was a good example of having to worry about pace, fortunately it showed not in the out of shape way. I ran the first mile in around 6:45, which is actually a quick first mile for me. The second mile was around 6:15, way to fast for an easy run; but nowhere near as bad as the 5:45 for the third mile. I was pretty sure I slowed down after the second mile, but somehow I picked it back up. I had to look at the watch a couple of times because I was pretty certain I read it wrong and had run a 6:45. It is kind of like when you are getting gas and instead of paying $40 to fill up, now you are paying $20 and you have to check to make sure you are using the 93 instead of the 87 or that the pump didnt just stop temporarily. I ended up stopping for a second to slow myself down after the 5:45. 

I finished the run around 6:30 pace with 6x100 at AU.

no speed

I stopped by the AU track to do some strides which I had been hesitant to start because I had some mild groin pain for the past couple of weeks. I ended up doing 4 total and they were pretty pitiful. Granted the wind chill was probably around 10, its still sad to do strides around 5 minute pace.

Workout

I went into today hoping to get an idea where I was after countless 6 and 7 mile runs at just below 7 minute pace. The past couple of weeks have been in the high 40s and this week finished in the exact same range. I started this year in pain from an old injury, had surgery in may, spent the summer building up, got plantar fasciitis, took two weeks off, now am back just shy of 50 miles of easy running.
The goal was to run just under 34 minutes, and if that didnt happen, I would be happy as well as motivated. I started off with my first two miles in exactly 5:30 (good), but was slightly panicking because I was unsure if I would blow up or not, so I tried my best to relax and keep the pace where it was. The next mile was in 5:34 and I still felt really good, but started to give up on the idea of breaking 34 after the slightly slower split. Around 3 and a half, I was given a gift... I was passed by another runner. This event sort of shook me out of my comfort zone and I ended up picking it up and came through 5:29 for the next mile. I was still not expecting to break 34, but at least I stopped slowing down and felt a first wind. At some point in the 5th mile, I finally felt like a runner again and managed to relax and roll to a 5:22? At this point, I felt great all over except I started to feel something coming up from my stomach and had to slow to avoid getting sick. I picked it back up and this time, it made it up to my throat and I barely managed to hold it in*. This time when I settled down, my legs started burning like crazy and I thought my run was about to completely fall apart. I spent about 10 seconds completely falling apart and fortunately came back to life to finish with a 5:21 to complete a 33:53 10k (goal accomplished).
Overall I am really happy with how today went. I never really strained, minus the near throwing up, which is a good sign for the future. I can probably start doing weekly tempos probably two weeks for now, if all goes well.

*This is not the first time this has happened. This usually happens when I am really out of shape and learning my body again. There was one summer (2002) where every time I did a tempo run I would throw up late in the run or at the very end of the run. You can imagine I was quite nervous heading into the first workout of the year that I would get sick in front of all my teammates, but the mysterious vomiting ended when I returned back to school.

Last week

I ended up running 48 miles last week in 6 days, thanks in part to two long runs. You can get away with that kind of stuff early on, when there are no workout and just easy runs. I ran 11 on monday to rush into 13 on saturday as a part of a half marathon race. I am still a little beat up as I ran 6 minute pace on saturday, and I usually run much slower for much shorter distances.

Difficult to Lake Fairfax

Ran from Difficult to Lake Fairfax today and it turned out to be quite the experience. I guess it rained a lot recently and turned the trail into a muddled mess. To give you an idea of just how bad it was, I am going to give a recap of parallel splits(the run was an out and back)
Mile 1/Mile 11: 8:06/7:32
I hate to say it, but the 7:32 was probably the split I was the most proud of the entire run. This was probably the most the difficult mile of all, followed closely by the next mile.
Mile 2/Mile 10: 7:46/7:35
On the way out, I contemplated turning back considering I was just slopping around, and not really getting a run in; but I decided to press on since I was actually having a good time playing in the mud. For those familiar with running in the mud, I should point out that there was a variation of the sticky mud and impossible to gain traction (slippery) mud. Fortunately there wasnt too much of the slippery mud, or I probably would have went a different direction.
Mile 3/Mile 9: 6:40/6:43
This mile provided a false glimmer of hope for the run, as it switched to gravel from the single track that I was on earlier. Pretty much as soon as this mile ended, it switched back over to single track.
Mile 4/Mile 8: 7:04/7:08
This mile was a lot better in terms of traction, but unfortunately (usually fortunately) I ran into some hills which definitely got the best of me at least on the way out.
Mile 5/Mile 7: 7:28/7:06
This mile had a decent amount of gravel, but also a decent amount of elevation change. It turns out that Lake Fairfax is really just one big hill, and the 7:28 shows that. The 7:06 also shows the same thing as the two hills were so steep that I had to gently run down to make sure I didnt kill myself
Mile 6: 6:58
I hopped off the trail and did an out back on the soccer fields at the top of the park to get myself a much needed reprieve from the mud and hills.

Overall, it was a great experience. My legs may not agree in the morning, but its rare to get the chance to play in the mud as you age. I highly recommend it.

11 miles 1:20 (7:17 pace)
Garmin out

43

...again

fun

...will explain later

solid 8

ran a solid 8 tonight down and back up 16th st. pace was around 6:25 according to the map.

Inspiring Story

Part of an article from the Post about a guy who went from a near death accident to Ironman in a couple of years:

Last weekend, the bike went nowhere, the running shoes sat in the closet and Brian Boyle took a minute to reflect on the season just ended and the lifetime ahead.

Since the near-certainty of death four years ago -- few people who tangle with a moving dump truck survive -- he has competed in two Ironman world championships, the longest one a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike race and then a 26.2-mile marathon, all on a single day.

He did both races, and halfway through the 112-mile bike leg in Hawaii, he turned at the top of a huge hill and began to race down it.

"I just started yelling, screaming. I let it all out right there, all the agony and emotion. I wasn't Brian Boyle, the sick boy. I was Brian Boyle, the Ironman," he said.

Full Text Here.

Nike's Best of the Best

"Twenty-three years ago, Nike landed one of the greatest endorsements of all time: rookie basketball player Michael Jordan. The company designed a red and black sneaker for the star, but the shoe was banned by the NBA because it violated color rules. Jordan wore them anyway, racking up $5,000 in fines per game. The publicity that followed scored Nike a major hit: By May of 1985, the company had sold and received orders for $70 million worth of Jordans, and overall company revenues jumped 37%."

Full text here

Kara Goucher

here

43

...for the week. All easy days and a long run of 57 minutes.

7

I did an easy 7 from the house yesterday. I would say it was my best run since I took two weeks off for plantar fasciitis. I know 7 miles isnt much, but I am really excited about running and feeling better daily.

I need to update the links on this site

My internet viewing has definitely changed since I originally created the list.

Here is a good article about Bush...I agree that things have gotten a little ridiculous

google trends

I was reading an article about how to kill time now that election is over, and it led me to google trends. Check it out: http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends?sa=X


Not surprisingly Michelle Obama's dress is in the top 25, less surprising is multnomah county elections in at 37.


I guess I should point out running has been interesting recently. Last week was definitely a down week. I took a couple days off and my foot returned to its peak pain, which isnt that bad but it does affect my stride. Fortunately, today was better.

Blast from the past....6/17/08

A new series for the slow times where I post a random run or workout from when I was young.

6.2 miles 36:56(5:57 pace)

I felt great so I ran fast around town. The run was basically the reverse of what I usually do. Went out through southview

Highlights: Somebody finally saying something when I ran alone. My reaction time is really slow and as a result I could only manage to get a finger up. Hearing somebody bumping Mike Jones as if they actually enjoyed the song....was another highlight.

Marine Corps 2008

More Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/AllenGCarr/MarineCorps2008#slideshow/5261635747681027346

a few good posts

Here is a blog I found while I was bored. I am pretty sure he is Deena Kastor's training partner.

Excerpt: Normally I type really quickly, sometimes so fast that people think I’m fake typing because it sounds like I’m just banging the keys nonsensically. But today I’m pecking at the keys with only one finger and it’s taking forever. Why would someone who can type so fast only use one hand? I think the answer to that question is obvious…because my left arm doesn’t bend in the direction necessary to reach the keyboard ever since I broke my elbow four days ago.

http://www.nyrr.org/races/pro/usa_distance/mikemckeeman.asp

Cross Country!

A picture from where USA XC Nationals will be held. I ran an easy 6 out there yesterday and enjoyed the clear skies and the perfect fall weather. I cant say it will be quite as nice come February, but it will be a great event nonetheless.

RCP...the rest of the pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/AllenGCarr/Rcp#slideshow/5258679715640486978

untitled run

Halfway through my run tonight, I noticed the loudest sound was the ubquitous rock creek just off to my left, followed closely by the sound of a singular set of feet falling to the ground, which were occasionally amplified by impending leaves haphazardly placed by the midly chilling temperatures that have recently arrived in the mid-atlantic. It seemed as if darkness was all that existed, except for the minimal bit of moonlight that provided me with some sense of purposeless direction. Magically, with every step, I learned that there was a tangible reality that existed beyond the pure blackness; and only in my mind was there proof of humanity within the night just behind me. The surrealism endeded aburptly as the sounds of a siren and city buses pierced the temporary serenity that the run had provided. This ...was rock creek at night.

30 minutes + redskins

I have just been running 30 minutes for most runs, so I will probably try and find other random things to write about until the mileage picks up.

The redskins are now 4-2 after a disappointing loss to the rams yesterday. Fortunately they have a chance to get some momentum back(or completely implode) against the lions and the browns. I am in no way an expert on the sport of football, but I will give an amateur analysis as to why they lost to one of the worst teams in the league. It all starts with the game against the eagles. The eagles served as guinea pigs for future redskins opponents by skewing a well balanced offense towards the run. Unfortunately the eagles werent able to contain the run (200+ yards), but they did manage to keep moss completely out of the game. The rams went for the same thing on defense, and kept moss at bay. This works because it takes away that 20+ yard reception, which can really deflate a defense. Unfortunately moss is only 5'9 (i think) which only leaves short screens and deep play action routes. In addition to getting the redskins to focus on the run, they also forced a couple momentum killing turnovers, which was the second big key to the rams victory considering they only had 200 total yards (redskins 368).
There were some big positives from the loss at least. Portis has been consistent since the giants. Campbell has been looking better every game, staying patient and stepping up into the pocket like a vet and finding his 2nd and 3rd receivers consistently. Finally, the defense only giving up 2oo yards and no touchdowns was pretty impressive considering how many times they had to come back on the field after a momentum killing turnover or with a short field to defend.
The question is what will zorn do next? I think he should stick with what he has been doing all year. They need to stay patient and realize they wont have another game like the last one.

Back after two weeks

I took two weeks off to try and ward off some plantar fascitis. It was never so bad, that I couldnt run, but I thought it was better to deal with it now rather than in the spring. Unfortunately I cant tell if it is completely healed now, but I am going to just build up the miles and see what happens.

My first run back was actually somewhat eventful, even though it was only 3.6 miles. My first mile was around 7:30, followed by a mile where a group of kids in silver spring commented on how short my shorts were(of course i replied, albeit weakly) and where I was raced by a guy going unbelievably slow until the second I passed him and he picked it up attempting to stay with me, so I picked it up taking what was going to be about a 7 minute mile to a sub 6 minute in just a short hard(all-out) burst, and finishing with a mile just under 7 minutes.

There was an incident last year where I was passed on an easy run by I guy I passed and I have never really gotten past that, so that explains why I wasnt taking any chances today.

rest

I think most runners, no matter how intelligent, struggle with taking an unplanned day off. I had been fighting it for awhile now, but I have finally decided to let my body recover for a day or two before I get back into building up. I have been dealing with some minor plantar pain recently, so I am resting now to let that recover.
I did a tempo run yesterday as part of an 8k and timed my arrival to the race poorly. As a result, I did not get a chance to warmup, so the tempo was more of a waste than anything. I ended up running 28:30 for 8k feeling tight for pretty much the entire thing.
I am unsure if I will do a threshold workout this week to make up for it or not, but if I am feeling better as the week goes on, I will probably do a workout.

Long Run

I had the day off, so I decided to head out to Great Falls, more specifically Difficult Run. A few easy days and some nice weather led me to to push it a little bit. I ended up going farther and faster than i have in the current buildup. Before the run, I decided to go 80-85 minutes and hopefully get in 13. I decided during the run, as I approached the 5 mile mark, I would just go for 13. I hit 5 in 32 minutes and picked it up once i hit the flats and turned around in 41:15. I probably got a little too aggressive and am feeling the run all throughout my body as I am writing this.
Easy days to follow.

Flat

I finished the week with a little over 10 miles for my long run on a hot and humid morning. The past few days I have felt fairly flat and have just been getting the miles in rather than worrying about pace. Even feeling flat, I still felt like I have been getting more and more fit everyday. I ended up with just over 43 miles in 6 days for the week.

49 point

I managed to get in between 49 and 50 miles for the week. All the miles were controlled as no workouts were planned for the week. I will say that 50 was a noticeable jump from 45 and as a result took monday off from running. I remember last summer too clearly to back and forth and up and down with miles and intensity.
I will probably put off all workouts until next week and hopefully get in 45 easy miles for the week, with a goal of getting a workout in the following week and racing a 5k or 8k the following week.

Repeat

I did pretty much the same this week as I did the week before. 7 days and 45 miles. Next week 50...

4 mile tempo

I did a 4 mile tempo on the capital crescent last night in 22:20(5:35) pace. I am happy with the effort as I hit 11 minutes going downhill and 11:20 fighting back up to the start. Overall, I stayed in control but even 5:30s feel somewhat fast to me right now. I think I will skip out on the tempo for next week and just do an uptempo 8 mile run, while increasing the mileage to about 50(this week will probably be around 45 again).

7 days

I had a successful week last week after hitting my goal of 7 days with a workout thrown into the mix. I only hit 45 miles, but it was more than enough to work my body. I will probably stay at the mileage for the upcoming week and include a similar workout.

Workout 2

I set out on my second workout since the surgery last night(counting rockville twilighter as my first). I didnt have any written down and decided about an hour beforehand that today was going to be my workout day for the week. The plan was to start out easy and then find a quick, yet relaxed pace and then pick it up until gradually until it started to exceed a tempo effort. I did not use any mile markers or really have a set distance. It was to be a progression run in the most literal sense.

I headed down to the Georgetown and settled on a 6 mile loop that follow the Potomac. I hoped to finish the whole 6 miler before ending the workout, but I ended up about a half a mile short and jogged the rest of the way in. I ended up running the full 6 in 36:44, which is pretty slow for a workout, but I put in a good effort and it was actually really hot. When I was driving to Georgetown, my car read 91 degrees on the dashboard. The second plan for the rest of the week is to run everyday. And then to head into next week and do a workout similar to yesterdays(hopefully a little quicker).

Trance

I finally made a jump in training, or at least temporarily have stepped up to the next level. Last week I managed to hit 40 miles and the first run of this week was a 7 miler at 6:16 pace. I headed out towards Bethesda on the CCT from the store and felt really stiff through the first couple miles. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldng relax and get into a comfortable rhythm. I eventually got to the point of the trail where it swithces over from asphalt to gravel, and my body shifted into autopilot as I started cruising down near 6 minute pace. At one point I looked back to see if I was down a big hill, because I needed some explanation as to how I felt so good at the current pace, but it turned out if I was going down a hill, it was a very small hill. I was also kind of worried that I was going so quick before I had even turned around, but on the other hand I love the feeling of running some place you have never run, and not worrying about how far you have left or how fast you are going, but simply just going and slipping into a trance like state. I was unfortunately awaken from this trance after I turned around and made it back onto the asphalt. I still managed to keep pace on the asphalt, but it was not nearly as comfortable as on the gravel section.

40

I hit 40 for the week unexpectedly. After only running 4 days last week, I managed to run 6 and feel pretty good throughout the week. The runs were all pretty pedestrian, but that is fine for now.

4

I am so out of shape that I am keeping track of how many days I run a week rather than focusing on how many miles I run. Last week I ran 4 days, although I was hoping to run 5. I figured by taking yesterday off that I would be more prepared for this week. The reason I am not running 7 days is because its tough for me to follow a 6 or 7 mile run with a run that is less than 30 minutes. I have always found it kind of pointless to go for run that didnt last 30 minutes, even if it was a second run.

Stiff

I ran 7 miles yesterday from the store with the running group. I felt ok for the most part, but I also felt really stiff. I went out in around 7 minute pace and came back probably around 6:30 pace. The run was uneventful outside of hearing footsteps from behind about 3 miles in. I of course didnt look back and proceeded to run the next half in 3 minutes. I later found out that it was a guy from the group who started out slower and was trying to catch up to me, not just some random runner on the trail.

I have been running, just not enough to substantiate an actual blog posting. Today was really no different, a 5 mile run from the house, but it turned out to be a refreshing 5 miles, thanks in part to the sunsetting as I was going through Rock Creek Park. I made an attempt to head back and follow the route I ran in my car, so I could get some pictures, but the sun was was too far west to really get anything great. I did at least head back to the garden that I ran by about 2 miles in. The pictures werent great, but I at least know what time to head back next time. If I can time it right, I will definitely upload those pictures here or at my other blog of choice...limited existence.
















End.

Fitness

Apparently I am way more out of shape than I thought I would be. As a result, I am going to start doing runs shorter than 5 miles when I feel the need. I had decided that I wanted to try and keep the runs at or past 5 miles, and slowly build up from there. Unfortunately my legs arent having any of that 5 mile talk. I ran 6 miles today, but I know tomorrow will probably be a struggle. So if I even run tomorrow, I will ditch the 5 mile stigma that I created.

38 miles

..for the previous week. I might stay around there or actually go back down closer to 30 for this week.

Control

Earlier this week I went out on a run and started out a little too fast. Instead of slowing down, I ended up keeping the same pace throughout the run, and needless to say it wasnt one of my best runs.
Last winter, before I really messed my groin up, I was running a good bit slower than what I could have comfortably handled on almost all of my runs. I would occasionally pick it up near the end, but the runs would be very very relaxed.
I am starting to make a point to replicate what I did during the previous winter because it had a number of positive effects on my training. The most important thing was that it kept me relatively healthy. The other big thing was that it provided with a lot of fire for when I really needed to go after things. By the time for my first real workout, which was a 5 mile tempo in 26:30, I was ready to go after things. But then of course the race I ran in early January caught up to me, and recovering from harder runs would take me a week.
So the plan for now, is to stay in control during my runs until I feel as if I am ready to start working out. And who knows when that will be?

30 miles

I hit a little over 30 for the week last week and finished up with a 50 minute long run on Sunday. I am actually a little more tired than i expected, but I am not doing any workouts or races anytime soon, so its not a big deal. I might have to stay at the mileage to let my body catch up or just keep running more and more to see how my body responds.

Short shorts

Yesterday morning I finally worked up the courage to run in short shorts from my place. It wasnt as bad as I thought it could be but it was still a little more than I was ready for.
And then today due to lack of shorts available and being so hot, I had to run with short shorts sans shirt. As a result, I had to run a little faster starting out through Chevy Chase so I would look a little less ridiculous.
I think I might actually take tomorrow off, as I have run everyday since Monday and I am starting to feel a little tired. I even managed to lift some weights for the first time in two years today!

6 more...but faster

I got a little carried away yesterday on the run and now I am actually a little tight because of it. I ended up hitting 6 miles in under 37 minutes and nearly died in the process. I felt really good on the way out but when i turned around at 18:45 and started heading uphill, I started to overheat like crazy. My head and feet were on fire and I was just trying to run in a straight line. I was expecting to pass out at anytime, but somehow I managed to run the second half fast.
I think I might hit mid to high 20's for the week and build up to 50 and then go from there.

6 more

Last week I absolutely struggled through a 6 miler in 45 minutes and this week I felt as relaxed as I could have felt running 6 in around 40:30. I guess a week from now I may have to develop some sort of a plan if I can comfortably run 6 miles at 6 minute pace.

Hammer

I have had a couple pain free runs since the surgery. One being a 6 miler which I hammered(relatively speaking) in 45 minutes and one this morning that was 30 minutes. This mornings run was mostly through Rock Creek on Beach Dr, and unfortunately that place is packed on Sunday mornings. As a result I carried my momentum down the big hill into the park and proceed to run way to fast(probably just under 7 minute pace). At one point on the way back, I had to stop out of view of the bikers and other joggers so I could return to somewhat challenging effort vs. the all out war I was waging on my body. When I returned to the hill my goal was just not to walk, and I barely made it to the top without having to stop. I am not sure what my total time was, but I came back a little slower and that is usually a good indicator that I went out too fast.
Next run will be with the group from the store Tuesday.

Run/Jog

I drove over to Rock Creek today and ran(read: jogged) a couple of miles. I didnt wear a watch and I have no idea how fast(slow) I was running or the total distance. I drove over because I figured less people would see me running if i was in the park versus a busy street. Maybe its just me, but being really out of shape has made really weird about running in the public, as if the general public is going to point out that I am really slow.
I will probably run with the store group tomorrow, that way I can make sure I keep the race controlled and I will be able to go a little further than today.

Update 5/10

Today was my first day back at work after surgery. They said I should take a week off of work but I decided to go back a couple days after and it was actually not that bad. I ended up not having to taking any of the heavy painkillers, only two advil were needed to make it through the day. I definitely still had the heavy stuff in my system as I wanted to sleep for most of the day, but I made it through 8+ hours successfully.
Overall, I felt the best today by than I have felt since Wednesday. I wasnt sure what to expect as yesterday was the second most painful day after the day of the operation. I think work was good because I was in such a small area, but things changed whenever I would leave the store. I walked to get some food and realized I couldnt help but walk hunched over with my ass sticking out. I am sure it looks pretty ridiculous, but it feels pretty good.
I will say that I have an itch for running, but I am still not in any rush to get back out there. The main reason I am getting the burning desire to run is because I am feeling a lot better than I thought I would be feeling. Who knows, maybe months from now I will be complaining about still being in pain.

Post Op

Well its May 7th and I am still alive. The surgery is over and it will probably be some time before I see how well it really went. I have a follow up a week from now, so I can talk with the doctor a little bit more about it. I ended up having both sides worked on which is good because I have heard of some people getting one side worked on and then having the other side give them problems later on. In addition to the work on the pelvic floor, I also a received a shot of steroids in both left and right groin, which hopefully will help me get back out there quicker. I am not in a super rush after all the time I have taken off over the last two years, I am just going to take things as the come. Two years ago, I took off for periods of 5 week, 4 weeks, and then a couple months without even doing a couple miles, so however long now wont be an issue.
I am going to try and chronicle the recovery period, so that maybe people deal with this injury later on can get an idea of the recovery process.
As of now I am in pain! Not out of the world pain, but if I do anything to work my abs -- such as bend over or move in bed -- the pain jumps to about an 8 out of 10. I have a prescription for percocet(sp?), so hopefully that will make the recovery process a little bit more pleasurable.
There are a million things to write about, so I will try and post the occasional blog when something arises or returns to my brain. I will say I overheard my roommate say he saw Randy Moss when I was still in a daze. I am not sure why Randy Moss was in a hospital Philadelphia, but I am sure it was more about business than pleasure.

More updates to come....

Surgery

May 7th...more details to follow

Phone Call

I got the phone call I was waiting for from the doctor in philly. I wouldnt exactly call it the phone call, but more like a phone call. My insurance is going to cover an MRI, which is not going to show anything if the injury is what I think it is. So now the saga continues as I will be heading to get the MRI on April and then following up with Dr. Meyers, which will lead to checking to see if my insurance company will cover the operation. In the meantime I am going to start running easy again to rediscover the joy of running.

Injury Update 3/12

I had my doctors appointment in Philly and I would probably say that things arent looking so great. The doctor said the last thing when I saw him over a year ago, but when I mentioned I was on an HMO this time his outlook wasnt too promising. I am currently waiting by the phone to see if my company will cover the operation that I need. The doctor said they have to get a preauthorization from my company when I asked if they would cover it or not. That means probably not, because if they would cover it then he would just say "yeah, its not a problem, they always take care of this operation". It was like when I got a phone call from my mom saying she had to tell me something. If she had good news to tell me, she would have told that she had good news me in the message. I was correct in guessing the news was bad, just like im pretty sure ill be correct in assuming the insurance wont cover me. I will report back when I get the call about what happens next.

Injury Update

"I bought my mom a car, and spent the rest on PCP"
-Chapelle Show

I finally have an appointment setup with the specialty doctor in Philly to take a look at my groin issue. I saw him over a year ago, but my insurance would not cover the operation for a year and I ended up dropping my insurance once they raised the price and I could no longer afford it. So now I am back to the beginning with an HMO this time around, so it will be interesting to see how that goes.
The appointment is for March 11th, but I have to meet with my PCP first in the Reston/Herndon area. More updates to come following the visit.

New Blog Out Now

I have done a couple posts on the non-running blog. I guess there is no better time than now to make it public since I am not doing too much running these days. If you would like to be added to the list of contributors, send me and email at allengcarr@gmail.com

Without further ado... New Blog

Retiring

At least until I get my injury taken care of. I am not a fan of the taking it easy, doing a workout that knocks me out and then taking it easy again. I am a fan of running and enjoying it. This is something that has not been happening since the road mile on new years. I have been having pain in my lower abs in addition to the on and off groin pain I have dealt with for almost two years now. I think it would just be exhausted mentally if I tried to keep at running hard and racing on top of trying to keep an injury under control. I would much rather just be young and enjoy myself through different means. I am in no way retiring from racing for good. I know there are some people who try and take little breaks and end up never getting that competitive spirit back. I can say I am the type of person who is going to be in his 60s hammering out runs. It is something that I cant shake, but I can fortunately temporarily shut it down. I will still be running in more social situations(group runs) and if the weather is really nice. There are no real plans for the next couple months other than to take of my injury first and put competition in the back of my mind. If I have any good running stories, I will make sure to post them, but the blog will probably be fairly dead until I get back after it. In the mean time, I am working on a more random blog that will be launched shortly.

Thanks for reading,

Allen

New Blog

This blog was getting a big scattered lately, so I decided to create a non-running blog. I am also looking for contributors for the new blog. So if you like to write or have some good stories to tell... email me at allengcarr@gmail.com and I can add you to the list of contributors.

The Plot Thickens

..or maybe it thins out. I am meeting up tonight with a new friend and her friends in Chinatown tonight. It turns out she was more confusing on the phone than she was on Friday night. So I am sure I will have some form of a story from tonight.

I feel like I am a lot like that rogue trader in France. I kind of know whats going to happen but I keep going full steam ahead when I have a great opportunity to pull out.

Videos

I tend to stumble across youtube videos on a daily basis and some our funnier than others.

Bad Bartender

Street Valium

John Stewart + CNN + Spongebob

Slow Day

I was probably only outside of my apartment for 2 minutes total today. It was cold outside and I wasnt really feeling like going anywhere today. I attempted a run, but the wind tunnel outside the front door persuaded me to skip it. I have kind of shut down my competitive spirit until I start to feel decent again on a daily basis. With that spirit taking a break, it is easier for me to take days off from running.
Without running and not leaving the house, what is left to do? I guess I could have titled this one Bored pt. 2. I finished up watching Lawrence of Arabia(which was good but not a movie that will relieve one of a bored state) and I also decided to use the Netflix feature where you can watch movies instantly and watched Grindhouse: Planet Terror (which actually was entertaining enough to wake me up). And recently I found some CD's in my closet. Most of the CDs were junk, but one was labeled Jack Johnson, onelinedrawing, Rilo Kiley, John Mayer. The Rilo Kiley songs are all from the first album and they are pretty damn good.
I am hoping to get a run in tomorrow. I am definitely taking it easy until the race and then taking it easy for some time after the race.

Bored

I am very bored at the moment. One big indication of that is the fact that I am actually writing this blog. The other is what I like to call double paging. Double paging is when you are getting ready to type in a website and you remember that you were just on that page no more than 5 minutes ago. I am not ashamed to admit that it was my double paging of facebook that brought me here tonight.

Tomorrow will be a big day for me. I ran until my groin caught fire and kept going. About a week and a half ago I did a tempo and the next days run was one was painful from the start to the finish. The next couple days walking around a corner was painful, so I didnt even think about running. The reason I am even hopeful about tomorrow is because the aforementioned tempo was also followed by a second run and a pretty good core workout. This mornings run/workout was not followed by either of the possible previous culprits.

Then there was Friday night. I went out and met up with a good friend of mine at McFaddens as soon as I got off of work. Very early in the night I see this girl who I am pretty sure who was at the house I watched the Super Bowl at. She walks by a couple minutes later and it is her, so I do the whole introduction thing. She is on her way to another bar and so I get back to my group. Ten minutes later I get a call from the Super Bowl party host saying I need to call this number and that her friend is into me. Of course I call the number and end up heading to a bar in Dupont to meet up with this girl and her friends. So I am on the metro heading to Dupont and then I start thinking Dupont/Fuck/Maybe/Whatever. I arrive at the bar and finally find the girl. I would say that she was with a group of about 8 people and as the night went on I realized that they were all gay. I was intoxicated, it was loud, I was out of my element, and it was dark. As a result, I was unable to figure out who was the Friend or if there ever really was a Friend. Unfortunately(or maybe fortunately) there were no clear indications as to who was actually into me. There was a point in the night when she actually explained to me that "my friend, I, we" was the one who was into me; which was of course as confusing as everything else surrounding the situation. I would be happy to leave the night be as a good story, but I am actually somewhat interested in this girl. One thing I remember clearly is that she told me to call her so we could hang out. But that brings up the question of did she say that because she wanted to hang out or because she realized I wasnt gay and wanted to make the situation a little less weird. If there are any other updates on the situation, I will make sure to post about it. I would say next Sunday would be the time a post might appear.

Easy does it

I did an easy 8 this morning on a new route from the store. I ran down the Capital Crescent and hopped off just below the water treatment plant to make one of my first loop routes from the store. I guess in the last year I have done a lot of runs as out and back and not as many loops as I did back in college.
I felt okay on the run, but not great. As the day has gone I have some minor discomfort in my lower abs, but not nearly as bad as last week. I still am sure I would be struggling if I tried to get a workout in. As a result I might just run easy up until the first planned race of the season.

8

I ran an easy 8 today without a watch. I felt good for the first 3.5 miles and then my lower abs started to tighten up a little bit. The abs stayed under control for the rest of the run, but I could definitely tell it was liable to cause serious pain if I increased the intensity too much.

I would say that I am not at a point where I could go and put in a high intensity effort, but I will say that I am happy to just get outside and run easy. I will continue to run easy until the tightness is no longer a problem. I will let the 10k in a week and a half be an exception, as I will hop in that for the team and then take whatever recovery I need following that effort. After that, I am going to do whatever my body will let me do.

Minimal Pain!

I ran a little over 4 miles today with only a little discomfort. I have unfortunately not run since last Thursday due to a lot of pain with just everyday activities. Reading about running today and having the day off left me with no options but to give it a go.
I wouldnt say I felt 100%, but I felt a lot better than I did on Thursdays easy run. I am not sure what happens next, but I am going to be careful and take everything day to day.
I hope to hop into the 10k in a week and a half, but I am not sure if I will be able to workout before then. If not, then that race will serve as an indicator for whether or not I will be able to recover from high intensity efforts.

Striking

I have a somewhat funny store from this morning. It is probably one of those things that you would have to experience to really think that is was amusing.

It starts with me taking a tour of a gym nearby the store. I was being taken around by a woman whose name I cant remember, but I had met her a few times before in the store. At one point near the end of the tour I ended up talking to the manager who ended up hooking me up with a free membership. So the women who was giving the tour went to the front desk to go make the membership card while I was talking to the manager. I ended up going over to the front desk to get my card, and in addition to women who gave me the tour, there was now another woman who was at the front desk. In all honesty, I would have to say she was an 8 before I heard her talk. After I heard that she had a Russian accent, her rating shot up. This is important to the story.

So when I get up to the front desk, there is an older man there with a smile on his face. Both of the women are also smiling and the one who gave me the tour is repeating the word 'striking'. I have no idea what she is referring to, but I end up realizing that they are trying to figure out what the word means. I am getting ready to blurt out that its when you hit somebody, but she decides to look it up online.

Next comes my 'Ahh' moment... She reads the definition out loud and the guy looks at the Russian women and says "I mean it..."

Definition: attractive; impressive: a scene of striking beauty

"I mean it, you are striking" was his full sentence and he repeated the sentence again for good measure.

This leads me to question who is worse? The guy who said what was on my mind or me who just thought what the other guy said

Tempo 3

I got in a pretty good tempo today. The goal was to get 5 miles in 26:40 and I ended up running 26:29 for 5.
I would say that it wasn't the smoothest workout, but that will take care of itself over time. I ran 1.5 miles into the wind and then finished up the rest with the wind at my back. It was actually really windy today and I handled the wind well, but I think it threw me off a little bit when I turned and had it at my back. I felt really tight and not really in control. I relaxed a little bit as the workout went on, but I never really felt smooth like late in last year.
The splits went 5:23, 5:29, 5:12, 5:15, 5:08

The rest of the week is just going to be easy running and hopefully a 16 miler on Sunday

Top 15 of the 90s(not in order)

Magnolia
Forrest Gump
Dances With Wolves
Pulp Fiction
The Shawshank Redemption
The English Patient
American Beauty
Philadelphia
Natural Born Killers
The Usual Suspects
Titanic
Good Will Hunting
Schindlers List
The Silence of the Lambs
Seven

Around

...that was one of my favorite away messages back in the day. I think that is a good way to describe my running as of late.

I have just kind of been running a few miles here and there.

I am planning on getting back into it this week. I started with an easy 6 this morning before work, and will be building up this week with no real mileage goals. I am planning on getting a 5 mile tempo in on Wednesday. If I can average around 5:20, then I will consider the run a success.

Time Off + Tempo 2

I havent posted in some time as I have been enjoying myself and avoiding running for a couple days. I headed back to JMU this past weekend to relive my college days for a night and to put running out of my mind for a little bit. Running had become more of a chore than something I enjoyed and thats definitely not something I was going to keep dealing with. I am still not back into as my groin is not showing signs of improvement, but I still went out and did a tempo because I had the day off. I ended up doing 6 miles in just over 33 minutes with some patches of ice thrown into the mix.

1st Tempo(4 miles in 21:31)

I finally have moved into the next phase of training after a long time of just running easy miles. I am still building up the mileage for the next two weeks with a goal of 80 for next week.

Todays workout was interesting to say the least. My whole groin area was annoying... this includes the lower abs, which is a more recent thing. I still got in the 4 miles in a decent time for the first tempo. I averaged 5:22 on a route I will never use again for tempos. I ran two miles from the Georgetown store on the canal and then hopped over to the Capital Crescent for the tempo. The first two miles were all uphill in a little over 11 mintues, and the last two I came back down in a little under 10:3o. The next tempo will be on a flatter route and hopefully when I dont have to work later in the day.

Great Weekend

I took Sunday off because I was exhausted from traveling and staying up until 5 in the morning both nights. I still managed to get in my long run on Friday and a decent run on Saturday.

The weekend was great because I finally got the chance to party in NYC. Ive had some great times in D.C., but it is nothing compared to the nightlife in New York. I also used to think it was expensive here, but now I know what expensive is. We got a good deal on bottle service apparently...a good deal being four bottles only costing $1200! That is a good amount for only 8 people.

It was great to get a chance to catch up with old teammates and go crazy like back in college. I cant wait to go back up there... I just might have to get a piggy bank and start saving up for another trip.

Running Well + New Link

Running has been going well as of late. I got in 11.5 last night and felt a lot better than expected for an easy 7 this morning. Last night was mostly easy with the group run from the store and today was probably around the usual 6:15 pace.

I am pretty excited because I found out that there is a Freakonomics blog. If you havent read the book I would definitely read the introduction in your local bookstore because it gives a good summation of the book and from there and I ended up buying it. One of the most recent posts was about what real thugs thing about the tv show The Wire(my favorite tv show).

9 miles on the trails

I got to the store early enough this morning to get in 9 miles on the trails. I saw some Georgetown runners and a few dogs on an extremely nice morning. I ran in short sleeves and felt great. The run was a little rough on the second half because the way out is more down then up and I felt the up on the way back. Some days I can run strong and controlled on the way back, but today was not one of the those days. As usual, I had a pretty good pace going for most of the run.

A Little Over 59

I am a little over 59 miles for the week and I am pretty sure I am going to get in another run after work today. My morning run actually went really well, or at least I felt good for the first time since the race. I hope that this morning means my groin is back under control for now.

I started from the new store and headed towards Rock Creek Park. I ended up taking some rough trail that ended up taking me to Rock Creek, but by the time I got there it was already time to head back to the store. I ended up going back a different way so I would have to deal with first trail again. I worked some of the hills on the way back because I am now a fan of hills. I think next I need to start working the downhills, considering that is one place where I struggle.

I ended up running a little under 8 miles total. The pace was pretty good minus the trail sections of the run.

Long Run( 14 miles)

I headed out to Great Falls today to get in my long run for the week. I did the long run today instead of Sunday because I had the day off. The run went fairly well minus a few points when my groin was holding me back.
I ended up getting in just under 14 miles at a pretty solid pace. There were some times when I was running well under 6 minute pace for extended periods of time. Im not sure where it came from, but after flying on the flat part of Carriage Road, I managed to fly up the final hill. I was expecting to crash a little bit near the top, but the crash never happened.
I am a little behind on mileage this week because of my groin. I am not sure if I will try and catch up by doubling on Sunday or just sticking with singles for the rest of the week.

Its Cold

Im too cold to write at the moment. The heat isnt working so well in the apartment. It is currently under 50 degrees at the moment, not sure of the exact temperature because thats as low as it reads.
I will say my groin hurt to the point where I had to cut my run short. Thats not good but I am going to take it easy for a couple of days.