Give me Fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire!

Been awhile since an update, lots going on at home and at work and I've been inherently lazy since returning from the beach. But, I'm back on the wagon so to speak and I've logged 7.2 miles in the last 3 days...a 3.1 mile run and a 4.1 mile run. And I've been tracking my daily activity with the Nike+ Fuel Band to help get an idea of my overall activity level from day to day. Of course, working night shift I feel I'm a little off my game, but I've met my goal of 3,000 Fuel Points for 3 of the last 6 days, only missing it by 39 points yesterday. I find the Nike+ Fuel Band to be very motivational...I keep up with it throughout the day and it reminds me to take the long route and actually move about a bit more as I go about my daily business. I have some time off coming up over the next few weeks and I hope to log a lot of miles both on foot and on the bike...plus I have the Moonlight Bootlegger 5k coming up on July 19th...very excited about my physical fitness prospects for July!

The Dog Days of Summer

The heat arrived a little too early for my tastes. Since I got back from the beach I've been inherently lazy, although I'm not sure that's the right word since I've worked every day...I just haven't done any formal workouts. I have however run several times at work, and in my opinion a short 10 minute run with all that gear on counts for at least triple that amount in running shoes. So I don't feel awful about my inactivity. I plan on running Friday, biking on Saturday and then running on Sunday if all goes well...and the weather cooperates. 

Beach Time!

Enjoying a nice beach vacation! I ran yesterday and found that my gps powered run tracker did not like the highrise hotels along the beach...so back to Nike+ for some of my tracking needs. 

Today I skipped the run and played a round of golf with my dad instead, and did lots of waking on the beach and various shopping areas. 

Tomorrow, I plan to run again!

Fun in Forest Oaks

Last night I went for a run around the Forest Oaks neighborhood. It was relatively warm out at 79 degrees, and I had little sleep yesterday...I wasn't expecting much, but I knew I needed to keep plugging away since my week had been rather light on physical activity. I was surprised when I finished to find I logged my fastest 5k ever, averaging just under 12 minutes per mile and finishing the first 3.1 miles of my run in 36 minutes exactly. I was very happy with myself. I also weighed in yesterday at 162 lbs, which is my lightest weight in over a year...still a long way to go, but I'm pleased.

This morning I put the feet to the pedals and rode a nice long ride, finishing 16.05 miles in touch over an hour. I averaged 15.2 mph throughout the very hilly course I chose, and that's pretty good for me...especially considered I ran a 5k less than 24 hrs earlier.

This coming week I'll be exploring some new running locations while I'm on vacation, sadly the bike isn't going to make the trip...but that's one less excuse to run, so it'll be good for me.

Mud Run!

Well, not really a Mud Run, more like a trail run through nothing but mud. I ran the Chatfield Trail at Hagan Stone Park today...it's been raining a lot lately and the course was just one long mud pit. I still managed good time, with an average pace under 13 mins per mile over the 3.76 mile course. I've felt guilty for not running or biking so far this week, and for logging so few miles last week...I plan on running or biking again later today and then trying to run on Friday and Saturday. With my switch back to night shift, running on working days is going to be harder to achieve.

National Running Day 2013

In honor of National Running Day, I hit the pavement in the neighborhood after work for a nice run. It was hot, it was muggy, and the darkest clouds I've ever seen threatened to unleash their nightmares upon me. But I pushed onward and accomplished a first for me...I ran 3.54 miles. Without any walking breaks. This is the furthest I've been without using the Galloway run-walk-run method. I kept a decent pace, despite some massive hills along my route, and I'm very pleased with myself. If I can, I hope to ride tomorrow evening after work and then run again on Friday...pushing myself even further.

Wild Turkey Trail

Got out and rode today before the storms moved in. Hit the mountain bike trails at Lake Brandt with some friends from work and had an excellent time. We rode the Wild Turkey Trail off the Greenway, it's a 4.5 mile long intense mountain bike trail with some serious curves and hills. After reaching the end, we turned around and rode it again in reverse. All told with the cruise to and from the trail head along the Greenway, I logged a little over 17 miles on the saddle today. Not too shabby. This upcoming week is going to be hectic, I have a lot going on at work, so I'm not sure how much mileage I'll be able to get in...but I intend to do something everyday this week if all goes according to plan.

Vineyard Stomp 5k

I ran the Vineyard Stomp 5k at Stony Knoll Vineyard in Dobson, NC today. This was my first ever trail run, and boy was it harder than I thought it would be. A good portion of the course was through fields of grass that was about 4" tall, and at least half a mile was along a slope which angled left to right, not up and down. I placed 40th overall out of 80 runners. I was pleased I maintained an average ace of 13:22 per mile, completing the 5k in 41:28. 

Another National Bicycle Month Comes to an End.

Rode the mountain bike trails at Hagan Stone Park in Guilford County today to close out National Bicycle Month with a bang. And by bang I mean many bangs to my legs, arms and head. Nothing major, but those trails are cut very narrow and there are lots of low hanging branches. But I had fun, rose 5.33 miles of strenuous mountain bike trails at an average pace of 7.9 mph.

Tomorrow I'm considering running a 5k trail run in Dobson, NC....we'll see how it goes.

Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics

I missed out running the Alamance County leg of the Torch Run yesterday because I got stuck handling calls for service...so today after work I donned my Special Olympics Torch Run shirt and hit the pavement for a solo run. I did 2.69 miles at an average pace of 12:55 per mile. I ran for 12+ minutes solid followed by a short 1 minute walk, then repeated that until I was done. It was pretty nice out, despite the high temperatures. I'm thinking I may have to start running more indoors for a while if the weather keeps getting worse. In any case, if you don't support Special Olympics yet you should definitely start...such a worthy cause, I'm proud to be a supporter.

Memorial Day!

I hit the pavement (and dirt) around Guilford Courthouse National Military Park today on my Trek 4300 Alpha. I figured it would be nice to spend some time with nature while pondering the sacrifices of so many American soldiers who have given their lives in service to their country.

I rode a few miles on the greenway then ventured off road onto The Owl's Roost trail. This is one of the most challenging and intense mountain bike trails in NC. I had a blast! I then returned to the greenway for a few more miles, finishing up with a total of 17.9 miles in just under 2 hours. 

Sunday Cruise

Did a nice 6.3 Mile bike ride after work today...average pace was 14 mph. Not too shabby. I had to cut it short because one of my dogs escaped his fence and was found wandering the neighborhood. Silly dog. But I did get to wear my awesome new National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial jersey...so that was a plus. I'm planning a nice long ride on the mountain bike tomorrow in Greensboro....hopefully the weather will cooperate.

After work run

Did a nice long 11.5 hr shift today, so I took it easy and did a short 1.75 mile trek around the ol' neighborhood this afternoon. I kept a decent pace under 13 mins per mile, so I'm pleased with that. Looking forward to biking tomorrow and wearing my new National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial bike jersey from National Police Week. A huge amount of thanks to Alex at the NLEOMF for helping acquire it for me despite my being unable to attend the festivities during Police Week this year.

In other news, I've decided to register for a Duathlon in September. It is a 40k bike race/5k run in Ramseur, NC. Anyone interested in checking it out can hit their website at http://triviumracing.com/events/tri/2013/ramseur.html I'm also looking into getting some time off so I can run in the Moonlight Bootlegger 5k that's being held in Pleasant Garden, NC in July...it looks like a lot of fun, what could be better than whiskey and running? http://triviumracing.com/events/run/2013/moonlight-bootlegger-5k.htm

Greenway Run

Hit one of the Greenways in Greensboro for a run today between thunderstorms. I managed a new distance record for myself since I started back running, doing 4.42 miles at an average pace of 13:06 per mile. In all fairness I took a 10 minute walking break around the 3.65 mile mark, but I that was at a point on the trail where the pavement was very wet and slick and very steep. Rather than break my neck I did it at a leisurely and safe stroll. But I'm pleased with my overall results. Mile 1 was done at 11:29 per mile; mile 2 was done at 12:29 per mile; mile 3 was done at 13:19, mile 4 was done at 14:47 per mile; and the last .42 mile was done at 12:53. Had it not been so slick I think if have been well under the 13 minute per mile mark rather than right on top of it.

Tomorrow is a rest day while I go protect and serve...then a planned run for Saturday and a ride for Sunday.

Hump Day!

Took to the saddle today and did a leisurely 13.68 mile around my neighborhood. It was a little warm out, so made sure to hydrate frequently...this resulted in a slower than normal pace, but not by much.

Tomorrow is a running day, provided the weather holds out. 

In related news, I got my first donation for the 2013 Ride & Run to Remember the other day. I'm now at 1% of my goal....if you want to donate, make sure to click the donation page link to the right! Thank for the support!

Today's run was brought to you by the letter...

P.

P is for Pain. Lots of knee pain after today's 3.02 mile run. Not sure what happened, my pace was a little slow at 13:12 min per mile, and my knee was really aching with each step. Maybe it was the fact I worked all day and tried to run afterwards for the first time...who knows. I plan on doing a short run tomorrow evening, then biking some on Thursday if the weather is nice. Hopefully I can get my pace back up a little next time...I really felt like I was keeping good time today, I guess I'll have to be more mindful in the future.

Rainy Sunday Ride

I'm a sucker. I so wanted to ride today, but the weather just didn't want to cooperate. Rain, thunder, and lightning abounded throughout the day. But I'm a sucker, remember? So what do I do? I got out on my bike anyway. In the rain. And the thunder. And the lightning.

Despite the horrible weather and many near misses with death, I managed to do a little over 14 miles in just over an hour. That was a nice average pace of 14 miles an hour over some pretty intense hills and awful weather conditions. As usual, my rear end gave out long before my legs and brain. I've concluded that distance biking is more about butt conditioning than anything else.

I plan to keep doing Sunday bike rides while focusing on running during the week. 

And the rain came down...

The weather here in NC has been so bizarre this year. Yesterday it hit 90 degrees so I stayed inside and worked on re-finishing an unused bedroom into my music/relaxation room. Today the temp only reached 72 degrees, but there has been a series of nasty thunderstorms rolling through the area. I managed to squeeze in a 3.3 mile run between storms, so I don't feel too bad about myself right now. I kept my pace under 13 minutes per mile, averaging 12:36 per mile. I maintained as close to a 5:1:5 run:walk:run ratio as possible, running for 5 straight minutes then doing an even paced walk for 1 minute before returning to a run for 5 minutes. There were a few times I went over on the running phase by a few seconds, but I stayed tight on the walking phases and really made sure I didn't go over the 1 minute mark. I think this ratio is pretty good overall, and I think I'm improving. I don't feel nearly as winded today as I did Thursday, but then the temperature was quite a bit lower today too. I plan on doing a nice long bike ride tomorrow if the weather cooperates to keep my cycling up to snuff while I continue to improve my running skills.

Keep on running, just keep running...

Ran 3.03 miles today after dinner. It was a little warm outside at 80 degrees, but not so bad in the shady areas of my neighborhood. I kept up an average pace under 13 minutes per mile with my run/walk method...I'm pleased with this and hope to be able to maintain it as I continue to increase my mileage. I plan on trying a 5 miler this weekend...here's hoping for nice weather.

On a different note, I've been mixing it up between logging bike rides with MapMyRide and runs with Nike+. My last two runs I've had to log with MapMyRide because my Nike+ sensor has been acting up since I bought my new shoes...either New Balance shoes have an anti-Nike+ feature or my battery has finally died in my sensor. I plan on getting a new one tonight if all goes well, let's hope that works for a while. I really like logging my runs with Nike+ because their webpage really keeps up with my progress over time a lot better than other options. My only complaint is that they don't seem to have a feature to allow me to manually input runs from where my sensor was messed up.

Meanwhile, here's a horrible photo from my first ever 5k run several years ago in Burlington, NC.

National Police Week

It's that time of year again, National Police Week. Each year, thousands of Law Enforcement Officers from around the US gather this week in Washington, DC to honor their peers that have died in the line of duty. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial bears the names of every Law Enforcement Officer killed in the line of duty since the founding of our great nation, and each year it continues to grow...it is the only permanent monument in our nation's capitol which has new names added to it yearly.

In an effort to help fund the addition of new names yearly, I will be heading to DC in October for the Ride & Run to Remember, a bike ride and 5k to help raise awareness and funding for the memorial. This will be my 3rd year participating in this fantastic event. Please help me by clicking the link below and making a small contribution...every dollar counts. Help honor those that Protect & Serve our communities each and every day, and those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

http://support.nleomf.org/goto/RHenderson