Think about your friends Thursday

I just called my Dad. He had his second chemo treatment yesterday, and he is doing very well. The treatments are done on an outpatient basis. He is able to drive himself to and from appointments. He stopped and had breakfast (lunch?) on the way home. For my running, I got four miles at a nice easy pace. I was a bit stiff from the tempo work yesterday.

I have a real good friend that I never met. He lives in Philadelphia, and I got to know him through the Masters Forum on Runners World Online. Anyway, life has thrown a plot twist into his story that he never imagined. He is bruised, but I don't think he is beaten. Its is a good time to think about, remember, and pray for our friends.

TnT athletes, today was a beautiful morning for your two mile runs. Rest up and hydrate tomorrow for the group run on Saturday. If you want to Cross Train tomorrow, do some lower stress stuff such as an easy bike ride, yoga or stretching exercises. You will probably want to save the weight lifting for earlier in the week. And, send me the links your fund raising sites. I'll put all the links up on this blog.

Wednesdays I will do a more intense workout than the base miles or long run miles of the rest of the week. My current need is race endurance, so I am working tempo workouts. Today I went 4 miles with the middle two at about 10K pace. I was a great morning for running and the recent cross training has really seemed to help the nagging ankle and hip problems. I'm just about healed up and ready to ramp up the training a bit.

Team in training athletes are supposed to run two miles today and two tomorrow. It may not seem like much right now, but please get into the habit of regular training. It will make the training later in the cycle much easier.

One week Tuesday

Today is one week that I have been coming over here and "talking" about training and Team in Training. I hope it is of some use to someone. If any of the TnT athletes are dropping in, go ahead and leave a comment so that I know you are out there. TnT is cross training today and running 2 miles tomorrow.

For my cross training, I went 4 miles on a bike in about 20 minutes. It was a nice change, and a beautiful morning out.

Time to go get some coffee.

Monday Monday

Sorry for another late post. I was in New Orleans all day for work and it looks like I'll be in Baton Rouge tomorrow. TnT has a cross training day tomorrow. I think I'll try to get out on the bike.

I thought I would highlight a blog post from Sillie Lillie. She ran her first Ultra-marathon over the weekend. This is a whole different class of running from the normal road race. She does a great job of describing the experience. If any of the TnT folks are curious about what happened to her feet, and what might happen to yours, just ask. I'll be glad to fill you in.

Rest Day Sunday

I hope the Team in Training athletes enjoyed their rest day as much as I did. I just had a quiet day around the house. We did a few chores and some yard work. Tomorrow the schedule picks back up with a 2 mile run.

Group Run Saturday

Sorry for the late post, I had chores to do. We got the start of a Wood Privacy Fence up and then we were forced to grill steaks for dinner. Dad came over. His second chemo treatment is next week and he looks great!

There were about 14 athletes at Cedar Lake and Popps Ferry for the group run. That is the best turn out I have ever seen. We did have a question about Shin Pain. Here is a link to a Runner's World Article. Shin Pain

I'll be sending a group email in the morning. Somebody asked for the training schedule, and I can't remember who it was. I just need to get to the office computer. Tomorrow, everyone needs to rest.

Friday

Today is a rest day for me and for Team in Training. Do not get out in the rain and lightning. I'll see you tomorrow at the group run. Let me know if you need directions and I can post a map if you need one.

Here is your quote:
"The marathon, you see, is my benchmark. It is the status symbol in my community, the running community." Dr. George Sheehan

Team in Training Thursday

I am supposed to get the Team in Training participant listing today. Hopefully, some of the TnT Athletes will stop in here for a visit. With that in mind, Those that are following the generic schedule should run 20 minutes today and rest or cross train tomorrow. If you already have a training routine, please do not reduce your current training volume to match our schedule. Let us know and we'll come up with a custom schedule for you. I hope everybody was able to get your workouts in before it started raining. It is OK to run in the rain, just stay in if there is lightning.

Quote of the Day from Runner's World - "The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit." - Ken Doherty

My run this morning went pretty well. I went 4 miles in the humid pre-dawn, and came home sopping wet. I remembered my pepper spray, but I did not have to use it. The two dogs from yesterday were nowhere to be seen.

Running Stuff For Wednesday

Except for being chased by dogs, I had a great run today. I went 4 miles with 2 at tempo. This was the first time I pushed it since my hip and ankle flared up last month. I'll have to remember to carry my pepper spray for the next few runs.

I'll be getting the contact information for the TnT Athletes tomorrow and I'll invite them to stop in here and visit. Those that are following the generic schedule should run 20 minutes today and 20 minutes tomorrow. We have at least a couple athletes that are more advanced than the average TnT athlete. We'll be gathering details and the other coach and I will customize a training schedule for them.

Team in Training Meeting

We had a really good information/kick off meeting for the Team in Training group. It looks like it will be a really good group. They have all been given generic training schedules. The other coaches and I will customize the schedules as required for each athlete. Those running the Maui Marathon have 18 weeks to get ready. The Nike Marathon participants have 23 weeks. I don't expect any of the Team athletes to be reading this blog because I have not told them about it yet .. :)

I am supposed to get a participant list with e-mail addresses by Thursday. After that, we can really get started with the training and coaching. Those that have schedules should get out and run for 20 minutes tomorrow.

A place to Start....

How does one start a blog? I know some of you have been wondering when I would post something because there have been several views on my profile since I created it to use when leaving messages on other blogs.

I guess I’ll start with the picture to the right. The picture was taken just before the start of the Houston Marathon. It seems that Cancer is a current sub-plot of my story. I ran the Houston Marathon to raise money for the American cancer Society and to honor two people. The first is my Father. He is currently fighting Colon Cancer. He started chemotherapy last week and his prognosis is good. The second is a precious little boy named Cody. I have never met Cody or his family, but I got to know him through his father Mickey and a community of friends at the Runners World Masters forum. You can learn more about Mickey and Cody by clicking the link to Deck Apes Blog on the right.

My current involvement with cancer is just stating up again and it is a repeat effort I have decided to help Athletes get ready to run a marathon with Team in Training. They will have a choice of running the Maui Marathon or the Nike Women’s marathon in San Francisco. Along the way they will raise a lot of Money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This group holds a special place in my heart because I ran my first Marathon for them in 2005. Right after I got back from the trip, I learned that a child that my son goes to school and church with had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. She received treatment and is in remission thanks to research that was funded by groups like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society.

So, I will use this space to let you know what is going on in my life, talk about my family, friends, and running. I will also encourage our new Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Marathon Team to stop by. I’ll post about training and use this as a space for them to stop by and ask questions.