Week 3

Week 3 was my most solid week of training yet. I really feel like I'm back into the groove of running everyday, and my legs are starting to adjust well to the miles. The main problem I've had the past 2 weeks is just sore shins and also having to deal with the Iona athletic department. It seems that getting released can be more of a pain in the ass than training ever could be. But thats how it goes I guess, anyway this is how the week broke down in terms of running:

Sunday: Went 7miles in 49 minutes. Felt good, was probably going faster than 7min pace but I just added on until I got to 49minutes. Won't hurt me in the long run.


Monday: Today the weather got a little warmer, I went 8 miles in 55minutes. Felt good and wasn't pushing it at all.


Tuesday: Ran with Fennell at night, felt pretty good. Did 7miles in about 49minutes. Didn't have a watch so I just estimated how long it takes to get from his house to mine then added on.

Wednesday:  Ran 7miles in 48minutes. My shins were pretty sore today. My shins usually get sore whenever my training starts to get serious in terms of mileage and pace.

Thursday: Ran 9 miles in 61minutes. Today I felt really good. My breathing was fine, my legs were a little sore again but nothing serious. Really good day

Friday: Ran 7miles in 47minutes. Felt great again, shins were still sore. I've been icing and taking ibuprofin so I don't think it's really anything serious. Just gotta get through these next few weeks and it will go away.

Saturday: I just went 5 miles really easy in 35minutes. Figured I should start to get in the habit of taking one easy day a week.

Week Total: 50miles

Week 2

This week was another good stepping stone towards getting back to where I was fitness wise. I upped the mileage slightly from last week, and got out for runs on my own almost everyday which is good. The weather is a huge factor in training at this time of the year and I'm really starting to hate everything about winter. But I know that once summer comes I'll be complaining about the heat so whatever just gotta suck it up and stop complaining. Between running, classes, going to the gym, and work most of my time is accounted for during the week which is good because it keeps me in a routine. Anyway heres how my week of training ended up:

Sunday: I went 6.5 miles in 44:30 this day, The roads were pretty icy and I actually slipped and fell on some ice at one point. Got a couple scrapes but not a big deal. Also did 9miles on the bike and some core

Monday: Went 5.5 miles today in 37 minutes. Did a town loop plus I added on a bit, was trying to get to 6 but ended up being less. I'm happy with the effort today though. Ran on the elliptical later on for 30minutes

Tuesday: Today was one of those days that brings your confidence way up only to let you down. I felt extremely good and smooth the whole run. Ran the same loop as yesterday a minute faster. Did the bike again later on for 9miles plus core

Wednesday: Today I paid for feeling good yesterday. Felt really crappy so I only lasted 5miles in 35min.

Thursday: Today was another good day. Ran 6.5miles in 45minutes. Had to hold myself back from really pounding the run out and having another day like yesterday tomorrow.

Friday: Ran 6miles in 41minutes. Did the run before class so I was a little tired but ended up being fine after a few miles.

Saturday: Today I finally got a reprieve from running on my own and ran with the high school team. They were only doing 4 so I added on with matt borowski. Ended up doing 6 in 41minutes

Week Total: 41miles

I'm very happy with this week, besides Tuesday I didn't get ahead of myself. I just have to be content with gradually increasing my mileage and pace and eventually I'll be back into good form. Plus once the weather gets better and I have people to run with I'll benefit from all these cold runs on my own.

kenny powers

"I fucking suck too right now. I am in the darkest, third world hole that I've ever been in in my entire life, about a thousand, hundred, million miles from where I should be. And, the only way for me to get back there, is for us to join forces. If we can make enough noise down here, then just maybe, everyone in America will hear us. Everyone will. And they will all know, that Kenny Powers is, in fact, the Christ figure that they perceive me to be."

week 1

So I finally completed a full week of training. I've been feeling pretty good on most of my runs even with the weather being pretty crappy for most of the week. The biggest difference I noticed in myself is that I am enjoying the runs a lot more. So even though the run itself is physically much harder than its ever been because I am so out of shape, I still just enjoy to go out and get the run in which to me is a very good sign that I can continue to get out the door and onto the roads. Also over the past week I've been checkin out all of the results from people I know and have competed against. Seeing those people do well is also providing a bit of a spark to get out there and get fit because I know that if they are running these amazing times then there is no reason why I couldn't.

Anyway this is what my week looked like training wise:
Sunday: I ran 4 miles with fennell just going around a short loop so we would be off of the major roads. We took it real easy and averaged 7:30
Monday: Again I just went easy 4 miles this time with Brad Mciff. The point of these first runs were just to get myself back into the groove of getting out the door everyday. Averaged 7:30 again
Tuesday: I ran on my own while it was snowing. The snow was pretty bad and I fell a couple times going down some steep hills, but it felt good, I went 6 miles. I did not bring a watch but since I felt good I threw in a couple surges. Overall felt good. Also joined a gym so I started a plan where for every minute I run, I'm doing the same amount of time on either the bike or the elliptical. Went on the elliptical today for 40 minutes. Did some light core as well
Wednesday: Ran 4 miles on the treadmill today. The roads were just way to icy to run on so I jumped on the treadmill, as much as I hated it, I felt good and ended up averaging 6:55. Also biked for 30min and did light core again.
Thursday: Went 4 miles with Mcniff, he's had more time away from running than me so he's been hurting worse during the runs. Today though we ended up averaging 7min pace which is good. Went and did 30min on the bike again plus core and some bench work.
Friday: Since I woke up late and had class and watched the county meet, I just went and ran on the treadmill at the gym today. Sucked but my body felt good and did 6 miles averaging 6:40 pace. Afterwards I did 35minutes on the bike then light core.
Saturday: Went 6 miles with fennell in the rain/ice. I felt really good, and we averaged 7min pace.

Week Total: 34 miles

Solid first week back, looking forward to the week in front of me and finding consistency with my runs.

mike vs. treadmill

So after managing to run through the snow storm the other day, yesterday the roads were crazy icy so I just decided to strap on my purse and run on the treadmill. Before going into this blog I'd like to let everyone know just how much I hate the treadmill. I hate it more than anything, its like the modern day runners version of medieval torture. Headphones don't fit well into my ears so running with an ipod becomes more trouble than its worth, also my treamill is in my basement without a tv so I stare at a wall for a couple miles.

Even though I hate to do it, I still managed four miles on the treadmill cutting down from 7:30 to 6:30pace. Yesterday I also signed up and joined the New York Sports Club with a few of my friends. This I think will really help me because it gives me a place to do core and cross training plus do some light lifting and other things that will help me with my running. I have never done a lifting routine so I'm looking forward to seeing how that helps me on the track. This morning I did another four miles plus I plan on doing more work at the gym tonight.

This winter got old real fast

So it's snowing again. On the upside my classes were cancelled today, but on the way downside I've got to actually grow a pair of balls and run outside in the snow. These are the days that I get that thought in the back of my head that tells me I should just take the day off, and then that day turns into a month. Well since I'm up I guess I might as well get out there for few miles.

Good Luck to everyone with their training in this weather, stay safe.

Don't call it a comeback

Well it happened again, I sidetracked myself once again. I doubt that many people will see this blog since its been so long. Its not how many times your thrown off the horse its getting back on to ride again...or something like that. Basically my life the past few weeks has consisted of working two jobs, and getting my school situation figured out. After some thought I ended up going to the community college near me for this semester in order to get some credits, raise my gpa and hopefully build a springboard with which I can get into another school that provides me with some good opportunities. As for running, well I've had a lot of day 1's lately but not many day 2's and definitely no day 3's. That is until today. I started back with a real plan and hope that this carries me towards my goals of getting back to the top of the NCAA. There is a saying that you don't appreciate what you have until it is gone. Well for me that is abundantly true. I did not appreciate the gift that I was given to be able to run well until I had lost the team I ran for, and was able to step away from the sport and realize what I truly love about it. What I love about running is the competition against myself. There aren't many other sports where at the end of the competition the only person you can criticize or blame is yourself, and that's what I love about running. I'm not calling this a comeback, I'm just making a commitment to run this week, and when I get to the end of this week hopefully I can say that I'll run next week. Overall I just want this to lead to me getting as fit as possible and trying to bring myself back into competitive racing shape and hopefully run for another school at the top of the NCAA.

So after that long rant about life and running, I guess I'll let you know how the actual running went. I ran on Saturday and Sunday with Brendan Fennell, a former American University and Pearl River High School runner who I've trained with the past few years off and on. We went 6miles the first day only averaging 7:15 a mile but the last few miles were under 7. Today went 4miles in 30minutes easy on the roads. This snow isn't the best for starting back running but I've got to play the hand I'm dealt. Anyways, thanks for reading if your reading, and hopefully I'll be back next week.