January 2004
Running: 69.5 miles
Workouts: 4
Two weeks to go. This was my highest mileage month yet, at almost 70. It had some good runs, some bad runs. And I've started my taper. My ITB is still playing up though...
Running Towards Fitness
Personal AwarenessThe ancient Greeks used to believe that a healthy mind and a healthy body not only went together, but were both critical for happiness and a successful life. They were also intertwined, meaning that a weakness in either area would affect the other. When I started this transformation I was overweight and full of excuses. And by overweight I don't mean just a few pounds - I weighed over 70 pounds more than I do now. I finally took my life into my own hands and started exercising. At the time, I had no idea where it would lead - to a stronger body, a happier, more nimble mind, and a chest full of race medals. Healthy mind, healthy body, indeed! It hasn't been easy, or without issues, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.
Two weeks to go
Well, there are just two more weeks until Motorola. And a day. Got up early enough to get to the seminar, and almost wished that I'd slept in some more. Debra spent a long time talking to us about preparation, much of which I'd already heard from ...
Two more hours
Started on the treadmill, did a mile and a half. That's the first running I've done all week - its just been crazy. Still, only eight miles tomorrow, and I'll try hard to do better next week.
After that, did bench presses - 35x8, 40x6 and 45x2. Yeah, ...
Time for a little leg
Jason and I got together for a quick leg workout before lunch. Warmed up with 15 minutes on the elliptical, then headed for the stations - crowded today. Because of that, we did 3 sets on the ... I don't know what they're called. The lateral leg ...
I’m a runner again!
That felt really good to say. In case you missed the title, I'm a runner again. At least, that's how I feel. I did 21.3 miles in 4:37 - hardly a world's record, but that's only 15 minutes more than it took me to do the 18.6 ...
Good arm workout
Started out with about 15 minutes on the elliptical, then did 10 rep declines at 25, 30 and 35. Moved to back, and did 3 sets each at 15 reps of row (80, 80, 90) and pulldown (80, 80, 90). Back to the chest area, and did 10 ...
Running again
Well, this is good. Took off this afternoon, and did 4.75 miles. How do I know? Because I measured it on my brand shiny new Garmin Forerunner :-) A very fun toy that I'll be doing a full writeup on in a day or two. ...
Followup visit
So I went to go and see Dr. McCarty again. My blood pressure is doing just fine (last time it was 126/90, now its back to 120/58). And my ITB is on the mend. I'm planning on doing a short 4 mile run today around the trail, ...
First Massage
Well, I took some time today to get a massage from Kimberly Corrie, as recommended by my friend Emma. It was ... interesting. Since it was my first massage, I'm not entirely sure how to judge it. Unfortunately, I've had to spend the remainder of the day ...
No real change
Hmm. Well, in the two months since I was last measured, I haven't signficantly changed at all. I'm 3 pounds lighter, but my body fat percentage is almost identical. My legs are smaller, thanks to the running, but there's no real muscle growth anywhere. I decided ...
About
I'm Richard Stanford, a fit, happy runner. Of course, that wasn't always the case. Dip into the archives to follow my progress from couch potato to sub-four hour marathoner.
I also like to cook, write, code, and play with power tools...
Personal Records
| Distance | Race | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 2006 Freescale | 3:54:07 | 8:56 |
| 20 Miles | 2006 RunTex | 3:00:08 | 9:00 |
| 30K | 2005 RunTex | 2:42:44 | 8:45 |
| Half M | 2006 3M | 1:42:57 | 7:51 |
| 20K | 2005 Decker | 1:40:42 | 8:06 |
| 10 Miles | 2005 Pervasive | 1:20:13 | 8:01 |
| 10K | 2005 Dublin Dr Pepper | 48:43 | 7:51 |
| 5 Miles | 2005 Turkey Trot | 37:01 | 7:24 |
| 5K | 2005 Margarita Run | 22:32 | 7:15 |
| 4K | 2006 Fila Relays | 17:24 | 7:15 |
| 1 Mile | 2006 Congress Ave | 6:23 | 6:23 |
2007 North Trail Half Marathon
I'll start out by saying that this wasn't a PR. Not even close. It was, however, a really fun race, taking place in the middle of a fun weekend, surrounded by fun friends.
Fun!
Going into it I knew that I wasn't going to PR. To be honest, I was more than ...
Update
Well, so much for keeping the blog current, eh?
I've been doing pretty well, most of the time. I'm currently in Dallas just a few hours away from running in a small half marathon (400 people, give or take) - and I've only managed to get up to 10.5 miles ...
Lunchtime Ladera
This was my third time to run Ladera Norte, and its actually getting easier. I walked once, about 3 minutes into the hill, for a minute (timed), then ran the rest of the way. Not that I was fast - the remainder took me a solid 5 minutes - but I ...
2007 BagelFest 5K
I'm very glad that I did this race. I almost didn't - the idea of doing something where I know that I wasn't going to come close to a PR was not terribly enticing - but I've done it every year since I started running, and its been a whole ...
Unplanned 3 Miler
Well... I know that I said that I wasn't goint to run today... but I did anyway. You see, at lunch today Thon offered to run his 3 mile hill loop with me this evening. Naturally I stuck to the gameplan and told him that I wasn't running until Saturday. ...
Rollingwood Revisited
I went to Rollingwood for the second time - or at least the second time since my recovery - and while ended up running a slightly different course due to inattention, it was a fantastic run. Last time I averaged a 9:41 pace (9:54, 9:30, 9:46) around the hills, and it felt ...
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Famous Marathon Times
| Runner | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| George W. Bush | 3:44:52 | 8:35 |
| John Edwards | 3:30:18 | 8:01 |
| Carrie Sapp | 3:29:06 | 7:59 |
| Boston Qualifier | 3:10:59 | 7:17 |
| Lance Armstrong | 2:59:36 | 6:51 |
| Gilbert Tuhabonye | 2:23:07 | 5:28 |
| Paula Radcliffe | 2:15:25 | 5:10 |
| Paul Tegat | 2:04:55 | 4:46 |