Goofy Week Four Begins

After a difficult 14 miles yesterday morning, I had no intention of another struggling run today. I did plan for a good healthy run.

My Goofy Plan calls for 10 miles today to kickoff week #4 of the plan. Yep, I'm showing up!

It's just as humid at 7 AM as yesterday, but the sky is hazy. The sun was trying to burn through, but not making much progress.

My Ascis were still wet this morning so I laced up my Nikes. I don't like them as much as the Ascis because I get a blister on my big left toe when I do long miles, but it's better than wearing wet shoes.

I'm carrying a liter of water with me. Same as yesterday, but 4-miles less to go today. My legs are in good shape this morning. I just have to mentally get into it. Showing up at the trail with my shoes on is 70% of the mental part.

Good run. I didn't struggle. Didn't get over heated. I took 30 second walk breaks at each mile after re-reading some Jeff Galloway stuff last night.

The humidity was strong. My 1 liter was gone by mile 8 so I refilled at the trusty "non-mirage" fountain I found yesterday. With 2-miles left I could hear thunder rumbling in the distrance. I was already completely soaked with sweat so I thought some rain would be ok. It didn't rain.

Finished 10-miles exactly according to my Garmin Forerunner 201. That makes a new month distance record of 125 miles!

Did an iRun podcast while I was out running too.

Hell Must be REALLY Hot

Even a 7 AM start didn't keep today's 14 miles from being incredibly hot and difficult. Hell must be REALLY hot!

Jumping into the middle of the story...I willed this water fountain to not be a mirage at mile 11. I was out of water and struggling from the heat. Almost naked, I was sweating so much my left shoe was squishy with sweat. Humidity must have been over 99% with a temperature of 120F! Ok, maybe it was only 80% with 85F, but I was really heated up.

I ran an out and back on a local bike trail this morning. Running south from one of my favorite starting spots. A nice 9 min/mi pace for the first 4 miles. Didn't need to drink any of my 32 oz of water I was carrying. A lot running in the shade though the humidity was high already. A lovely time up to this point.

As the miles added up, the sun got higher and I got hotter. Started drinking my water and getting sweat in my eyes. Still plenty of shade to find on the trail. At the turn around at 7 miles I was still feeling great. No problems.

My pace was getting slower as I ran in the sun with a 10:12 pace for mile 9 (or was that mile 10?) and my shirt came off. I was really getting hot. My legs were fine, but I couldn't get them to move very fast as it was hard to get a full breath. I was really sweating and out of water.

Water fountain wasn't a mirage! I refilled my bottle, rinsed by cap AND drank some water. The final few miles were a combo of running and walking and running and walking. I could run in the shade just fine, but the sun was over heating me.

In the end, I completed my scheduled 14 miles to finish successfully week #3 of my Goofy Plan.

I'm scheduled to kick off week #4 with a 10 miler tomorrow morning! Weather forecast is for hot weather. :)

6 in 5

Mid-week run this morning. Still in Northern Wisconsin running mostly on gravel roads early in the morning. It was humid, but only 70 degrees.

Goofy Plan called for 5 miles today, but I ran 6 because I wanted to see what was down this new drive/road. It was a dead end. Ha! Now I know.

GPS said I ran 5.8, but it was going in and out a little bit so I know I ran more. Legs felt great. I was fully recovered from my weekend runs.

Now I'm off from running until I do my 14 miles on Saturday.

Goofy Week Three

Today is the start of Week #3 of the Goofy Plan. If you check out the details of the plan, it has me running 14 miles on Saturday followed by an increasing amount of miles the very next day, Sunday. My hyposisis is that two days back to back of endurance running is better than one long run a week with lots of short runs. The plan is likely an intermediate plan since it has a 14 mile run RIGHT at the end of the first week.

Still in the north woods this morning. 7 AM run. Refilled my bottles from yesterday. No fuel belt in my luggage so I'll carry one of these bottles and leave the other one at the finish. The temp is about 70F.

The start of Week #3 has a 9 mile run on the schedule. After my 14+ yesterday, my legs feel a bit heavy going up the first hill which is at 1/10 of a mile into the run, but the beauty of this area doesn't allow me to think about my legs for too long. A doe with two little fawns scamper right in front of me as I complete the first mile.

The hills really slow me down, but it doesn't matter according to my Goofy Plan. I can run the weekend at any pace I feel like. I'm right about at 10 min/miles today. Some of these hill inclines are easily 15%.

I wasn't paying attention completely and ran out 4.8 miles. This is an out and back so I'll get to run 9.6 miles this morning.

A fantastic morning run! 93 minutes in the fresh northern air!

100% at 2-weeks. Goofy!

I'm way up in Northern Wisconsin this weekend, but I still gotta run.

According to the "Goofy Plan" I'm do for 14 miles today. It's easy to remember because the plan calls for 14-miles EVERY Saturday. Umm, yes I made up this Goofy Plan. Ha!

Woke up at 5:30 AM to do my 14-miler. Crows, squirrels, deer were awake, but saw no humans for the first hour of running. I guess it helped that I hadn't gotten to a paved road yet!

The route was extremely hilly. Snapped this picture of myself running downhill almost out of control...and yes, the glasses fell off right after the photo!

I don't mind a hilly course, but I don't typically get to run up and down and up and down hill after hill like this. Let alone for 14 miles! I just took it slowly. It was gorgeous as I ran along lakes and pines.

My GPS went in and out during the first hour of running. I lost some credit for mileage during this, but I don't know how much. When I finally got back to the cabin my GPS said I'd completed 14.3 miles, but I had run for 2 hours and 46 minutes. It was probably around 15 miles considering all the hills. The only stop I made was to pick up my sunglasses when they fell off coming down that hill.

Whatever the case, I'm 100% on track with the Goofy Plan after 2-weeks of training. Only 25 weeks to the Goofy Challenge!

A little side note to self: I strained the middle of my back flinging a suitcase on Friday. Great recovery to be able to run my 14 miles without hurting only a day later. :)

Fast Four

After 14 miles on Saturday and 8 miles on Sunday, I had two days off with no running.

Today's "Goofy Plan" called for a quick 4 miler. No farmland in this run. A quick loop even with traffic and a stop light!

Worked in another world famous iRun podcast as I was running in the humid heat. As I'm mid-week into #2 week of the Goofy Plan, I'm still at 100%.

Walt Disney World Marathon is less than 6-months away.

Goofy 8-Mile Hot Dog

With the forecast for 96F today, I did NOT get up early to run! No 5:30 AM start today. Instead I slept in, ate an egg sandwich breakfast with some coffee, read some of the Sunday paper and THEN decided to venture out at 9 AM into the humid 85F weather. Decided a white shirt was likely a good idea. I packed 16 oz of water. Set another 16 oz on my car in the garage for my return. Off I went!

A slow 9:30/mile pace for the first couple of miles. After completely 14 miles yesterday, I was satisfied that my legs weren't in too bad of shape. By 2.5 miles, I was sizzling like a fried egg on the hood of a junked pickup in the Louisiana sun. I started playing with this image. Decided it must become a country song some day.

Back to running --> my normal loop is 6.9 miles. Since I needed 8 miles today to fufill the days requirement for the GOOFY PLAN, I turned off for a 1/2 miles out and back into a subdivision I run past. That ended up being 7/10 of a mile out...which means it was a 1.4 mile detour. Onward I go.

I continued to tell myself to not get sloppy with my running form as my legs got heavy. I shorten my stride a bit which helped me feel cooler (temp wise). I was hot! I did an iRun podcast then got back to finishing.

It took me close to 90 minutes to complete 8.25 miles. It took me another 15 minutes to cool down.

Starting Week #2 of the GOOFY PLAN, I'm still 100% on track!

Following the Goofy Plan

Since today the forecast was for 90F+ temps, I wanted to get my run in early.

I met, Bill and Mike a bit after 5:30 AM. It was humid and the sun was already up and hot. Mike ran the first mile with us at a 9:00/mi and then disappeared ahead of us. Bill and I continued on our 7 mile out and 7 mile back route along a local bike trail. We ran east into the sun. As the miles added up and as the sun got higher, the pace slowed. This was fine. It's a long easy run day.

Even though Mike ran out 8 instead of our 7, he caught back up to us at 9 miles and was off again into the distance.

I felt that I finished the last mile strong. I felt good. All in all a good early morning run. Bill and I completed our 14 miles by 8 AM. Not bad!

I'm 100% in sync with the "Goofy Plan" as I wrap up Week #1. The Walt Disney World Marathon and Goofy Challenge are a week closer and many steps closer!

Best Damn Goofy Plan

With the Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge (1/2 marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday) only 6-months away, I decided to design my official Goofy Plan 2007! Go ahead, give me your feedback.

Art's Goofy Plan 2007!
										Weekly
Dates	Week	S	M	T	W	T	F	S		Total Miles
07/09/06	1	7 Miles	X	X	3 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		24
07/16/06	2	8 Miles	X	X	4 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		26
07/23/06	3	9 Miles	X	X	5 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		28
07/30/06	4	10 Miles	X	X	6 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		30
08/06/06	5	11 Miles	X	X	7 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		32
08/13/06	6	12 Miles	X	X	8 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		34
08/20/06	7	13 Miles	X	X	9 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		36
08/27/06	8	14 Miles	X	X	10 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		38
09/03/06	9	15 Miles	X	X	11 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		40
09/10/06	10	16 Miles	X	X	12 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		42
09/17/06	11	17 Miles	X	X	13 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		44
09/24/06	12	18 Miles	X	X	3 Miles	X	X	OFF		21
10/01/06	13	Marathon	X	X	3 Miles	X	X	3 Miles		32
10/08/06	14	3 Miles	X	X	7 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		24
10/15/06	15	18 Miles	X	X	8 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		40
10/22/06	16	18 Miles	X	X	9 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		41
10/29/06	17	18 Miles	X	X	10 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		42
11/05/06	18	20 Miles	X	X	11 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		45
11/12/06	19	20 Miles	X	X	12 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		46
11/19/06	20	20 Miles	X	X	13 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		47
11/26/06	21	21 miles	X	X	14 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		49
12/03/06	22	22 Miles	X	X	14 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		50
12/10/06	23	23 Miles	X	X	14 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		51
12/17/06	24	24 Miles	X	X	14 Miles	X	X	14 Miles		52
12/24/06	25	14 Miles	X	X	7 Miles	X	X	7 Miles		28
12/31/06	26	7 Miles	X	X	3 Miles	X	X	½ Marathon		23
01/07/07	27	Marathon	X	X	OFF	X	X	OFF		26.2

goofy challenge
walt disney world marathon

The Rabbit

Did a hot 8:11/mi pace 5k run after work today with Bill and Jeff - The Rabbit. Was planning an easy 9:00/mi pace, but Jeff took off and I attempted to stay with him.

As I'm designing my new "Goofy Running Plan", I'm now considering make Wednesday's a faster pace day. Stay tune for more info on the plan!

iRun

Today I ventured out in the mid-afternoon with the sun up and the temps about 90F. After running 14 miles yesterday, I went for 7 today. A good accomplishment since I was a bit sore this morning from the 2 1/2 hours yesterday. Workouts like this are the kind that truly make me better. Another motivation is that I have a workout concept brewing that I might write an ebook about. I'm testing out the concept on myself!

Logged my second iRun Podcast of the season!

Thx for the emails from all the foreign countries requesting new editions of iRun!

iRun is Back!

The iRun Podcast is back!

I ran 14 miles in the hot sun this afternoon. Here's a snap from lap two at mile 11!

5K Rockets

8 AM local 4th of July 5K was a success!

Finished in under 24 minutes (23:59.97 according to their official reported time). This is 1 minute faster than last year. 90 seconds faster than 2-years ago. I'm making some progress. :)

Though I've run significantly faster 5k's at other races, it's the 4th of July. It's not the coolest morning run. 30 or even 40 degrees cooler would results in a better time, but none the less I'm getting a bit faster with age. Not bad!

Next year I might crack 23 minutes at this race.

Did a miles warm up run prior to the race then the 5k race then a 2 miles cool down SO I got in 6 miles this morning.

Afterwards I tanked up my JEEP with some gas. Remember I'd not taken a Treo photo yet...so I did. (see gas pump in photo).

I showered, back to watch the parade (which was 90 minutes of fun) and then watched the shuttle Discovery lift off successful on the 4th of July! Ok, I watched that on CNN.

82%

I found out this afternoon that humidity of 82% makes 77 degrees seem HOT!

I did the first mile at a 7:30/mi pace. I was planning to see if I could keep this up for the first 3 miles then settle into an easier pace. I've got this local 5k race in a couple of days. I wanted to see what kind of pace I should be shooting for.

I hit the first 1/2 mile at 3:40. It seemed quite hard. First mile at 7:34. Next mile at 15:58. Well you get the idea. It was getting slower every step. The 5k mark was nearly 26 minutes.

As the miles racked up behind me, I got HOT and slower. I finished the last few miles, shirtless, sweaty and jogging. It was GREAT! Ha!

I ran my whole 7 miles in a time of 61:33.


Next run is a race! July 4th, 5k! Time to beat...last year's 25:01.

Marathon Train a Rollin'

July One! We've put the marathon train on the tracks. Fired up the engine. It went creeping out of the station at 8 AM this humid morning.

Bill and I set out on an 8 mile out and back, but trimmed it to 7.25 miles since Bill's two previous days were hard track workouts. He started his marathon training early.

We both have our next marathon is October. Two different races...since I was slow getting registered for Chicago. Oops!

We BOTH have an insane goal of doing the Walt Disney World Marathon and Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Jan 07. It's "Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge". The half marathon is the day before the full marathon.

The training has OFFICIALLY started!

Freak!

I missed some posts this week, but I was out there runnin'. Ran Mon, Tue, Wed for 5, 4 & 3 miles. All were evening runs which hasn't been what I normally do. It was good. I'll do some more of these.

This week I was building up to kick-off my marathon training on July 1st!