Category Archives: travel

Bogota, Colombia

03mi, 04mi, 05mi, altitude, travel, treadmill

Start time: 8/21/12, 5:30am
Distance: 3 miles
Average pace: 9:58min/mile

Start time: 8/22/12, 5:30am
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 10:24min/mile

Start time: 8/25/12, 7:30am
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 10:13min/mile

Start time: 8/27/12, 5:30am
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 10:00min/mile

Start time: 8/31/12, 5:30am
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 9:48min/mile

Location: JW Marriott gym, Bogota, Colombia
Total Miles For August: 21 miles
Total Miles For 2012: 330 miles
Current Shoes: 125 miles

So, one broken toe and several weeks off later… the next five runs were all on a treadmill in Bogota, Colombia. A combination of the VERY high altitude (over 8000 feet!), bad air quality, and not knowing the neighborhood meant that discretion was the better part of valor for my exercising. Missed one or two planned runs due to the work schedule not quite cooperating, but I did the best I could and I’m pleased with that. (Plus some crosstraining on other days as well.)

Climb Every Mountain

03mi, injury, travel

Start time: 7/28/12, 11:20am
Location: Lost River, West Virginia
Distance: 3 miles
Average pace: 10:16min/mile
Total Miles For July: 45 miles
Total Miles For 2012: 309 miles
Current Shoes: 104 miles

Went for a short run while out in the mountains (Lost River, West Virginia). Phew! Those hills (plus some bright sunlight and perhaps the attempted return of my breakfast) did me in.

Then, later in the day I whacked my little toe against a chaise lounge. Broken or just banged up? A good 24 hours later, still hurts like the dickens and slightly swollen. We shall see. *sigh*

Oh Treadmill My Treadmill

02mi, 06mi, 08mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 2/16/12, 6:30am
Location: LAX Mariott Treadmill
Distance: 6 miles
Average pace: 8:57min/mile
Total Miles For February: 64 miles
Total Miles For 2012: 148 miles
Current Shoes: 181 miles

Start time: 2/18/12, 7:30am
Location: LAX Mariott Treadmill
Distance: 6 miles & 2 miles
Average pace: 8:42min/mile & 7:38min/mile (8:26 overall)
Total Miles For February: 72 miles
Total Miles For 2012: 156 miles
Current Shoes: 189 miles

Oops, time to catch up… was in LA for a convention for the second half of last week, so ended up using the hotel treadmill twice. For Saturday’s run the plan was 8 miles, but I was getting bored with the treadmill and when I hit 6 miles (since the treadmill automatically shuts down at an hour) I figured, “Oh, good enough” and started the cooldown function. Then after about three minutes I thought, “Wait, I should really do the last two miles.” So I turned it off, ran two more, and called it a day. I never really trust a treadmill’s readings, but I was definitely working on my pace for that 8-miler.

Devilish Runs (or, Treadmill 666)

06mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 2/18/11, 2/18/11, 2/18/11, 7:30am
Location: LAX Marriott treadmill
Distance: 6 miles each
Average pace: 9:09, 8:50, and 8:55min/mile
Total Miles For February: 37 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 88 miles

The plan was, initially, to hit a long run out on Venice Beach up to Santa Monica on Friday, for 10-12 miles or so. I got to do that last year and it was a real pleasure from start to finish, with the change of scenery and all. Problem was, Los Angeles weather was threatening serious amounts of rain on Friday and Saturday. Hmph.

So, I went with a change of plans and knocked out three 6-milers on the hotel treadmill over the course of Friday through Sunday. Not quite the same, but at least I got the miles in. (And of course, the promised rain on Friday didn’t ever erupt as promised, although all Friday morning it looked like at any second it was going to drop. I like to think that had I actually gone out there, at my turn-around point it would’ve in fact poured.)

Despite my general hate for the treadmill, the runs were all right. Was feeling a little stiff for most of Saturday, but happily it was gone on Sunday, despite that last one being done on minimal sleep and with a bit of drinking the night before. (During Sunday’s mile 4 was also where I accidentally hit the “stop” button on the treadmill and had to hurriedly restart it, oops.) Not quite the runs I’d hoped for, but I consider three days of treadmill while on vacation to be a major victory.

Fri: 9:35, 9:30, 9:21, 9:13, 8:57, 8:17
Sat: 9:12, 9:05, 8:56, 8:48, 8:42, 8:15
Sun: 9:22, 9:22, 9:04, 9:00, 8:33, 8:08

Sag Slacker

12mi, travel

Start time: 8/14/10, 8:15am
Location: Sag Harbor, NY
Distance: 12 miles
Average pace: 9:58min/mile
Total Miles For August: 34 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 426 miles

Oops! Just realized I never posted my run from Saturday… anyway, while up in Sag Harbor on vacation, I did go for a 12-mile run. I was up a little too late that night, but I pulled myself up as best I could and headed out. Temperatures were a tiny bit cooler than at home, so that was nice. I tried to plot out a route where after running through town I would be up along the water, but I missed a turn and after several miles of highway admitted defeat and turned around and ran back another way. That worked out better; I ran over a bridge onto a penninsula and from there along the water. It wasn’t a speedy run, but it was an extremely pleasant one. Not thrilled about feeling the need for walk breaks but c’est la vie.

(9:11, 9:10, 9:40, 10:15, 10:22, 10:07, 9:57, 10:09, 10:06, 10:31, 10:14, 9:47)

Return to Virginia Beach

0, 13mi, half marathon, race, travel

Shamrock Half Marathon
Start time: 3/21/10, 7:00am
Location: Virginia Beach
Distance: 13.1 miles
Average pace: 9:18min/mile
Finishing time: 2:01:51
Total Miles For March: 60 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 179 miles

The last time I was in Virginia Beach for a race, it was 2003, the race was the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon, and I was much heavier than I am now. So if nothing else, I knew I would do better than a 3:14 finishing time.

That said, it was an odd feeling going into the race. With multiple blizzards this winter (and then my community center/gym being closed for weeks at a time because of said snow), I knew I was not as well-prepared as I could have been. I had a feeling that a PR was not happening, even as I kept hoping it would. After yet another pre-race night’s sleep being not very good (when will I learn to pack benadryl?) coupled with my body deciding to try and remove all moisture from itself beforehand, though, and I should’ve seen the writing on the wall.

I actually had an ok time for the first 8.5 miles, but after that I started dragging a bit, and just feeling out of energy and enormously thirsty. During mile 10 I ended up walking while drinking a cup of Gatorade, and while I rallied a bit for the next mile, miles 12-13.1 were the pits. A pity, too, because that’s when you finally get to the concrete boardwalk and it’s a pretty finish area. So, no PR, and not even under 2 hours (also disappointing) but at least the 2:01:51 was nowhere near my first race in Virginia Beach so no complaints. I’d told myself last month this would probably happen, so at least it wasn’t a surprise. You just move on and try and do better the next time.

(9:14, 17:45 (miles 2-3), 8:47, 8:49, 9:03, 9:05, 9:06, 9:24, 9:57, 9:38, 9:54, 10:03, 1:01 (.1))

Hotel treadmill redux

0, 05mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 2/28/10, 1:30pm
Location: LAX Marriott Treadmill
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:53min/mile
Total Miles For February: 51 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 119 miles

Hey, guess what happens when you actually start running regularly again? It gets slightly easier. Funny thing, that. About halfway through the run I realized it was feeling a little too easy and I started turning the pace up a bit. It was nice for everything to still be comfortable. Now if I can just keep my nose to the grindstone, maybe… just maybe…?

Beach!

0, 10mi, travel

Start time: 2/26/10, 7:30am
Location: Venice Beach, Santa Monica Beach
Distance: 10 miles
Average pace: 9:36min/mile
Total Miles For February: 46 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 114 miles

Well, after all of these trips out to the west coast, I finally go to do (to me) an iconic run: along the beach. I should clarify, though; I was running on a concrete strip that runs along the beach itself, not on top of shifting sands (which is bad). But I started at Venice Beach and ran north for a while before turning around and heading back. It was a pleasant run, especially since on the way back when I was on a sort of a Boardwalk-type of stretch that all the vendors had started to set up their merchandise and such.

I also had to recognize while I was out there that I am woefully underprepared for March’s half-marathon, and realistically I am going to give up any sort of PR goals. Which was a bad discovery to make, but also better to decide it now than the day of the race.

Hotel treadmill

0, 05mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 2/25/10, 7:00am
Location: LAX Marriott Treadmill
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 9:05min/mile
Total Miles For February: 36 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 104 miles

Just some running on the hotel treadmill. I’m not a big fan of the treadmill in general and I started off slow and then ramped it up a bit. Still not terribly fast, but after missing Tuesday’s run due to work and needing to pack, I won’t deny that I was feeling a little rusty.

NYC Marathon

0, 26mi, marathon, race, travel

New York City Marathon
Start time: 11/1/09, 10:00am
Location: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Manhattan
Distance: 26.2 miles
Average pace: 11:08min/mile
Total Miles For November: 26 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 732 miles

Still need to write this one up, but my log book has entries since then that which need to be entered, so… a placeholder.