robertnelson.com/running

Still in a rut, but I am at least getting the miles in. At this point I am starting to really wonder whether I am ready for this 50 miler next month. I am under trained as distance goes however I feel I have very good endurance. I think I can make it as long as I get enough food (calories) and drink in during the course. I can most likely make the milage as long as I go out and maintain a slow but steady pace. I am really just worried about my legs and feet holding out. 50 miles is a long distance.

Anyway here is my Feb 27th run.

Back running with my Nike+ Sport Kit, it seems to be working fine. Has not given me a hard time rebooting or stopping. While I am happy to have music again, I seem to be having a hard time getting miles in. I am a bit burnt out with my current running routes. They are pretty limited from my house. Unless I would get in the car and drive somewhere first I basically have 3 ways to go from home, after running these for almost a year they seem old. Running still is relaxing for me just in a rut.

Something that I really hate to do. The main reason is I have some OCD and like patterns and habits, they make me feel good, or at least sane in my own mind. With that I hate running shoe companies because I find a pair that I truly like and feel comfortable in and then when I go to buy the same pair again they are off the market. Which may be a good thing because it forces change on me. I try to always look at things from both sides.

I have been running (since last May) in Nike Free 4.0’s and feel lucky to have gone thru 2 pairs of them. I like them because they have no laces and feel like you are not wearing shoes. I also like them because typically I have only gotten new running shoes after the current pair either felt or looked to bad. By felt to bad I mean they loose shape and kind of feel flat. I am sure you know the feeling. With the Free 4.0’s they tend to feel flat from the beginning so I was on a schedule to get new shoes. Normally I am not so good about changing shoes for lack of money or lack of time to shop, I have in the past gone way to long with each pair.

So I logged onto Nike today and looked for my favorite Free 4.0’s and not to surprised they are not to be found. I am sure I could probably find a pair somewhere online however I decided to just go with another pair of Nike Free’s. They all have laces so that is one point I am not sure that I will like, but I will get used to it. Change is good and there is actually a few reasons for me to change my shoes now.

I have also since last May (when I moved) started running ultra distance races and also running more and more off road. The off road running is due to the lack of sidewalks. This was a forced change, although a good one and one that I feel has improved my running and endurance over time. I do understand the 4.0’s are not made for either of those styles but I was never one to follow the rules. However my feet really hurt from the lack of support after running a 50k Trail Run last October. I took that into consideration when I found the Nike Free 5.0 Trail shoes (due to the fact that I have that 50 miler next month) and decided that it would be best if I bought two pairs of shoes.

So with ultra distance in mind and also my daily normal running I decided to go with the Nike Free 7.0 and a pair of Nike Free 5.0 Trail shoes. The 7.0’s are nice because they are a bright yellow, the 5.0’s are just ok. I tend to feel better (in my mind) when I have either bright colored or ugly shoes. Strange I know.

So now you see a bit of my daily struggle with myself. One major reason I enjoy running. Its my time to be “Free”.

So a short quick run today. It is a very busy day around here with alot to do, so much I almost decided not to go for a run today. But then I decided a short run is better than no run. On a positive note I did seem to get the iPod and Nike+ working again. It’s nice to be running with music again. It helps me relax and enjoy the run more. I know some people hate to use any music or gadgets while running but for me it’s some much better.

So a few more times the Nike+ would not work properly. I am going to reset the iPod (or re-store) to an earlier version. Whatever it’s called in iTunes. This has been 3 runs now without the iPod and it is kind of nice. I am anxious to get it working again, although the change has been nice its still being missed.

Anyway both 2/21 & 2/22 I ran about 5 miles at a slow but steady pace. I would say about 9 minute miles. Much slower than my normal or quickest pace but I have been real drained lately.

I find that the longer I run the slower my pace is. I am sure most people are like that. I would like to learn to control my speed more and start slower, but with time maybe.

So today was a day, and a day is what I will call it. Not a good day, not a bad day, just a day.

I wanted to go running from the second I woke up today, literally woke up thinking about running. However the day had other plans for me, I ended up going at around 11:30. Not as I wanted but at least I was running. So I put my running clothes on and my running shoes on then grabbed my iPod nano and Nike+ gear and started off. I was happy and running, finally.

So I get about 2 minutes into the run and the iPod crashed, just stopped and rebooted. Annoyed but determined to run I stopped and restarted it and then began running. Happy again.

So I get about 2 more minutes into the run and the same thing happens. Crap. Determined to have a nice long run with my iPod I stop and reset it again. Annoyed but happy to be running again.

Man this is not my day, because it stopped again. This time however I just kept running and enjoyed the fact that I was running. My time to relax and not worry or think about anything. My free time.

So I ran today however I was not able to use the Nike+ to keep track, oh well. I went about 8 miles today and really did enjoy it. It’s amazing how things seem so different when not wearing headphones. I was really able to listen to what was going on around me.

As of late I have been pretty lazy with my running. Averaging about once every other day. This is not the way to train for a 50 mile run, and one that is coming up very quick I may add. I need to get back into doing some heavy miles. I may have ran more over this long weekend except for the cold. I do like to run in the cooler weather but I am not used to running when its in the low 50’s and windy. I am a Florida person and do not even have the proper running gear.

I run year round in shorts and a long sleeve running top. I like the long sleeves in the winter when its cooler and also I prefer it in the summer to keep the hot, strong sun off my arms so they will not get sunburned.

Anyway here were my 2 runs from over the weekend. Not to bad, just not good enough.