What a Difference a Day Makes

Today was the first of our longer individual runs and I was coming off of what I considered to be one of my worst runs in a while so I didn't know what to really expect. I decided to change things up a bit and woke up a bit early, knocked back some water as my body/mind awoke, and decided to knock my run out first thing this morning. As I was drinking my water and getting ready I realized I had left my iPod at work so no music and no nice lady telling me how much time I had left on my run. I guess I was going to have to find the "beat" that Ruthie said inside of me but I still had no idea as to how I was going time my run. After a few minutes of thinking I decided I would run with my phone. Typically I don't like to run with anything in my hands but when you are handed lemons I figured I better make lemonade.

 

Anyway I headed out and from the start I knew that this was going to be a run I felt good about. The first mile I took it a little easier than normal as I still wasn't quite awake but soon after that I began to push it a little harder and I was pleased to see that my legs actually responded. By the end of the run I was feeling great and felt I could have gone on for another hour at least, I knew then that I needed to push it harder next time but I told myself that part of the reason I settled in at the pace I did might have had something to do with the new time, me picking a new route as I ran, and me constantly checking my phone to see how much time was left before I had to stop. Come Saturday I will run this route again and I will be even closer to the house when the buzzer goes off but before I get there I have speed work on the U of R track tomorrow.

 

A special thanks to my friends and teammates for the kind words and encouragement yesterday when I was bummed about my run. I took all of that with me as I headed out the door this morning and I am sure that helped to make today's run what it was.

Bad Days, Everyone has Them

I should have known something was up when I stepped outside and the weather was so unbelievably perfect for a run and I couldn't go because I had to get to work. That said I looked forward to my run at lunch as I had been feeling good and starting to push myself a little more on these last couple of solo runs. I started out and probably 10 minutes into a 40 minute run I realized that something just didn't feel right. I wasn't tired or winded but I just didn't have that other gear today. Mentally I tried to push myself to do a bit more but the body just wasn't having it. I assume that part of the reason for this was that I hadn't hydrated myself properly throughout the morning and with the added humidity and my body sweating out the moisture it had my muscles were not finding that little something extra. Knowing that, I did take the opportunity to try to focus on my form and keeping my head still as I figured if I couldn't push it I better work on something else I needed to.

I realize that every run may not produce that incredible endorphin rush where you just know you beasted that workout but today's feeling was way different. I realized I had first felt that feeling before as a player back in little league and I remembered what one of my coaches told me back then. He basically told me that everyone is going to have bad day's but it is what you take from those bad day's that will not only cause you to grow but it will motivate you to reach higher. He also told me not to dwell on the bad days as doing that can affect future performances.

Today's run is a thing of the past and tomorrow's is right around the corner and I must say I can't wait to get back out there. 

Reality Bites

I was so happy the day you came into my life, you ignited a fire in me that had gone dormant. I enjoyed our runs together, trusted you, and even considered you a friend and today I found out you have been lying to me. I guess deep down inside I had my suspicions but didn't want to believe it as I was enjoying our time together and liked what you had to say but no more. I guess I share some of the blame. I mean if I took the necessary steps this wouldn't have happened  right but still it hurts. Now that my eyes have been opened to the truth you will have to earn my trust back though. I will make sure that we get you the help you need so this doesn't happen again (or at least anytime soon) and we can get back out there and start rebuilding that trust.

 

As I read this I guess I should clarify that this morning I learned my Nike iPod has been telling me I have been running longer distances than I thought and as you can see it has deeply affected me.

Understanding Less Can be More

Yesterday was the day I had scheduled for my VO2 Max testing and while I think (or perhaps wish) I could have done better Coach Bob Flanigan said I did excellent. According to him my VO2 Max for my age group was in the superior/excellent range which after his explanation of everything made me (and the competitive beast inside of me) feel better. 

I did somehow manage to tweak or aggravate my ankle towards the end of the testing as I came down a bit hard/awkward on my right foot. I have been dealing with minor issues with that ankle for 20 + years which the doctors say is probably due to a break that wasn't caught when I was stationed in Honduras during my military days so I am not worried about it. However as a result of that Bob decided that I should take today off and hit it again Friday. When I first saw Bob's message to take the day off I immediately thought I didn't want/ need to take the day off as I didn't want to affect my training in any way but my wife was able to talk me off the ledge and I acquiesced. 

This morning after yoga (something I must admit I am enjoying) I asked  Bob if I could run a little longer tomorrow since I was resting today and he told me no. I have to admit initially I was taken aback. See I was always the guy in high school and college that after practice was over would spend another hour or so taken ground/fly balls or hitting in the cage. Not sure if that was because I felt I needed to do it because I didn't feel I was as naturally talented as the other guy, if I thought that if this much practice made me good than a little more would make me even better, or if I was worried about the guy behind me taking my spot but I was always there doing it. I guess the competitive beast (or as Hannah referred to it, my ego) was alive and well even then. After hearing Bob explain to me that this training program was like a book and that missing a paragraph or a page is nothing to be worried about but missing an entire chapter was another story all together I kind of understood it better. Pushing myself to do more when banged up or even even skipping ahead to a place where I am not ready to be at yet could affect me reaching my ultimate goal. I signed up for this team as I had no idea what I needed to do to get better and achieve all I could and while at times the road may be difficult or hard to understand I am sure when I reach the end of this journey I will fully understand why I was on the path 

As for that competitive beast living inside me, for now his role is to push me to my fullest at whatever the coaches want me to do and nothing more. 

All I can say is wow

Once again the weather leading up to the group workout at the University of Richmond track looked iffy to say the least but once again as the time got closer the clouds parted and the sun came out. I knew going into tonight that we would be doing 12 400's with a 200 as a cool down in between each but what I didn't know was exactly what the coaches were looking for. Upon getting there we found out that we were supposed to complete each 400 in a predetermined time selected by the coaches for us and be consistent with our times., These times basically broke us down into several groups. After a 10 minute warm up we lined up as a complete group and took off for our first of 12 400's. Besides me my group consisted of Molly and Leigh and I must say that those girls rock. I don't think we ever finished more than a few seconds apart and Molly was clutch in letting us know that we were on target for meeting or goal. Though I think for most of our runs we were ahead of the pace selected but overall we were pretty consistent. While we basically ran as separate groups after the initial lap it made me feel awesome that we all were encouraging and cheering on our teammates as we jogged between laps. Tonight was not easy but it was made easier by my teammates and coaches encouraging words. We are all going to rock this half marathon.

CVE/lululemon Week 1 Recap

I have completed my first week of the training schedule provided to me by my coaches and figured I should take a little time and share the experience. I will start off by saying the schedule is different than what I have done in the past to get ready for any race I have run. That said it should be known that when it came to running my only knowledge of what I needed to do was to put one foot in front of the other for a predetermined distance as fast as I could. My lack of knowledge was just one of the reasons I wanted to be selected to this team, I knew I had much to learn. 

Looking at the schedule Sunday night I saw that our coaches had set up our schedule so that instead of running a specific distance we would be running for a set amount of time which for me I knew might be difficult. Not difficult because of the amount of time but more so for picking a route that would match that duration. You see, I am one of those runners that just goes out and plots their run as they go with the only criteria being that once I get back to the house or gym the run is done. Besides our runs the schedule also included yoga (something I had never done) and a 2 mile time trial on the schedule which I have to say worried me more than the yoga.

Monday called for an easy 40 minute run, which I decided to run downtown after work, as they wanted us to stay fresh for the time trial on Tuesday. I have to admit I did not sleep well Monday night as I thought about that time trial. Tuesday came and fittingly enough was gray and gloomy for most of the day. However as the time grew closer to me meeting the team and coaches at the University of Richmond track the clouds parted and the sun came out. The time trial wasn't as bad as I thought as I ran 15:35 though after I was done I knew I could have done better. Wednesday brought a day of rest which was good for me as it was my anniversary. Thursday morning came early though and I headed to Carytown Bicycle for yoga not knowing what I was in for. Let's just say that when the session was over I had found that which was going to kill me. Seriously though I have done many an exercise program in my life and never have I left one feeling as humbled as I did that day but I can definitely see the benefit of it and will now be adding it to my regular exercise regime. After yoga I immediately went out for what was supposed to be an easy 30 minute run that I turned into a 40 minute run. Friday and Saturday both called for a couple of 40 minutes runs though Fridays required me to push it a little harder than Saturday as Sunday was our first group run.

Sunday morning I got up and once again headed to Carytown Bicycle to meet the team and one of our coaches for the scheduled 1':10" minute run. Ruthie gave everyone some pointers and even talked about a route before setting us off to do the work, As we all took off I ended up in a group with Molly, Leigh, and Theresa and as we chatted and ran we ended up going past the discussed route and ended up making a new one on the fly. We stuck together for the first half of the run but eventually broke up into two groups, Molly & Leigh making up one with Theresa & I in the other. For me this is where things got interesting as I tried to keep pace with Theresa even though I knew she was a better runner than myself. I did well for most of it keeping her pretty close until we got back near the VCU campus and Monroe park where she pulled away. I know I thanked her once I got back and even later on Facebook but she really did push me to run/work harder than I thought I had me on a very humid day and as such I must thank her again.

I could go on (and maybe I will in another blog) about the people in this group and how they inspire and push me to do more than I thought I could but let's just say there are some pretty amazing people in this group. We may only be a week into this training schedule but if this week is anything like the first not only will I be a better runner but I will be a better person for the people I have had the opportunity to meet.

I can't believe that I almost forgot to mention that at the end of week one my legs are more tired (but strangely not sore) than I thought possible. I just hope they don't rebel.

What am I doing here?

That's a good question and one I figure I will use this first post to answer. While I have often thought of starting a blog I never really had anything pushing me to do it other than my own curiosity until just recently but before we get there I guess I should tell you a little about myself.

 

First my name is Richard Stacy, I recently turned 46 and just celebrated my 14th anniversary (though we have been together going on 20 years) with my wife who doubles as my best friend and biggest supporter. When she realized I was growing bored of being a therapist she encouraged me to go back to school and find something that would challenge me and while I now pay the bills by working as a computer programmer I can't seem to leave the athletics I enjoyed in high school and college behind me. As my wife can attest to whenever I do anything I like to challenge and push myself to reach new levels. Even when I was playing touch football in the River City Sports league. I had to play at the highest level of competition  against people 10, 15, 20 years younger than me even though I knew that this was just supposed to be for fun. During that final season about 18 months ago I developed some back issues (not related to football) that ultimately led me to having back surgery which led me to believe I wasn't as invincible as I had once thought.  Six months after my surgery I started jogging again and on a lark decided to run the Patrick Henry half marathon after going out for a 6 mile run 2 days before the race. I ended up running that race right at about 2 hours and at that point I knew new challenges awaited me, all of which leads me to where we are today.

 

I had recently started running more in an attempt to get ready to run this years Patrick Henry Half marathon when I came across a post on Facebook from one of the coaches at Central Virginia Endurance (Bob Flanigan) about a running team they were accepting applications for and while I didn't think I would be selected I put my application in. Little did I know that just a few weeks later I would get a call from Coach Flanigan while I was on vacation telling me I was one of 8 people chosen out of almost 80 applicants and wanted to know if I still wanted to be part of the CVE/lululemon team to which I instantly said yes not knowing what I would be signing up for but knowing it was a new challenge that I couldn't pass up.

 

A little over a week ago we got together as a team and it was at this time that we got a better sense of what this opportunity would consist of

•  Individual training programs
• Coaching from Coach Flanigan and Ruthie Burke
• Yoga classes by lululemon

These were just a few of the things they were offering us and in turn all they wanted from us was our dedication to the program and a blog which would detail our progress and experiences during this journey which I guess is the reason I find myself here....a week later than I should have been but I am finally here.

So as to not bore you anymore I will end this for now but will hop on sometime tomorrow to recap my experiences of the past week and then will attempt to keep this blog updated on a more regular basis. Who knows if I like this blogging thing you might not only hear about this experience but may get to read about other athletic challenges I may take up and maybe even a little of the geeky stuff I do on a daily basis though I will try not to bore you lol.