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!

11 Miles

We started our run around 6:35 AM. Nice sunny morning. Not too hot or cold. We ran 11 miles on the local bike trail. I ran with "someone" but as is typical of my Treo 650 photos, you might not know whom it was.

Took us about 1:41 to run the 11. Nice pace.


....and I'm now home. Almost forgot that little fact.

Antalya (sounds almost like Italy)

I've been in Antalya (Turkey) for the past couple of days. I've been out for a few runs.

Today's run was along the beach (and stones) of the Mediterranean. I was wearing my old marathon Ascis instead of attempting to run barefoot. I ran up the beach for 2.75 miles then back. It was a 63 minutes run with 90+ F temps. I carried a bottle of water so that I wouldn't die. (see camels in photo not needing a bottle of water)

Running in sand and some stones is much different than running on pavement. After an hour I had only covered 5.5 miles. I'm sure my muscles are going to hurt from this run. It's impossible to have normal form when running in sand. I found some spots that were solid footing, but other areas were darn soft.

Turkey borders Iraq and Syria to the south. Some of the scenery reminds me of photos I've seen of Iraq. I read an article in Runner's World about an ad hoc marathon in Iraq. I can't imagine running for multiple hours in the sand and heat.

I'm in Antalya which is gorgeous. With my Treo phone cam, I wasn't able to capture the big mountains off in the distance and the sea. It's spectacular! Besides the Turks, there are Russians and Germans here. I've not met another American.

I leave here at 3 am. My next run will be at HOME!

Istanbul

Earlier this week I ran for 45 minutes in Istanbul. Great weather! Good run!

...I did this a couple times while in Istanbul.

14 and Counting

I did a fast hour walk on Saturday to be ready for my 14 mile run on Sunday. I left my Treo 650 on my desk so I didn't get an "action" picture. There is a sweaty picture somewhere that I'll have to locate on another camera. I was pretty sweaty after all those miles.

I planned to run the past two mornings, but didn't work up the motivation. Always plenty of excuses. Good news is that the 14 went smoothly.

Yesterday I decided to set a goal of running back to back, a half marathon and a full marathon in January 2007. Back to back meaning that I'll run the 1/2 one day and full the very next day! It's a little hard to comprehend yet, but it will be an amazing accomplishment.

Dead is Too Restful

Running can be tiring, but being dead is a little too restful for me right now.

I got in an early morning 7-miles today. While I was out running, I was thinking:

I’ve been running for 5-years. I don’t get tired too quickly. An hour run isn’t something that my brain tells me is all that hard or even all that long. My body doesn’t hurt after running for an hour. It feels good! Unless I’m really pushing hard, I’m not even out of breath.

I’ve had loads of people tell they can’t run because their knees are shot. I used to believe this. My knees WERE always sore. Even walking around a mall made my knees hurt. A doctor said I had arthritis in my knees. Suggested I start taking some prescription. (I didn’t.)

After the arthritis diagnosis, I spent a few years of getting more out of shape. My cholesterol got higher, my stomach acid/aches got worse, my heart fluttered more often, my body hurt, I was flabby and I got headaches.

I finally got serious about living healthier and getting in shape, I tired to run. It was painful. Everything about it. I ran ½ mile and gave up. My knees hurt so badly. My side hurt. My stomach didn’t feel good. I got a headache. It was kind of like I felt when I wasn’t running, but worse. I wasn’t a runner anyways. I never liked running anything longer than 50-100 yards as a kid. Running further made my side hurt so much I wanted to puke!

I had to walk instead of run…not because my knees were actually shot, but because I was completely out of shape. I walked for 5 months with 2 lbs weights that I pumped with my arms as I walked. I moved up to 3 then 4lbs still only walking. I then started walking for 5 minutes and running for 1 minute. Over time I was running 2 miles then 2.2 miles without walking. I matched the exercise up with eating much healthier foods and reading about running to improve my form.

I’m a bit competitive so races fit my personality well. I ran my first 5k fun run not knowing if I could run that far without walking. I completed it, but was beat on the final stretch by a guy 30 years older than me. (He wasn’t even out of breath.)

It was a year before I ran a 10k race. It was hilly and hard, but I ran it in under an hour. Even though a dog on a leash beat me by many minutes, I realized I was becoming a runner.

I’ve completed two ½ marathons and 1 full marathon now. I’ll run more of these. Each is a short term goal that keeps me motivate, but the long-term objective is staying healthy.

My knees never felt better!

7 Miles

I ran 7 miles early this morning. It was warm, but more humid than hot. Got a little red and sweaty. Felt great to get in a good workout before work.

Excellent way to end the month and start the day!

Recovery Run

I was awake, dressed and outside by 6 AM for my first run in a week because I picked up a strain of E Coli that didn't agree with me somewhere between Kathmandu & Timbuktu. I'm recovered and back at it!

Today is Memorial Day. VERY few people out at 6 AM. Gorgeous day in the mid-70's. Saw a swan with some chicks. A couple of dogs wrestling. Birds chirping. Geese flying. Horses grazing. A giant Snapping Turtle crossing a country road. Note: I was faster and I didn't see her at the finish.

It got a bit warmer as the sun rose. I felt great running about a 9:05 min/mi pace. After my 7 miles I was hot, but not dying. Dripping sweat as I walked back down my driveway to get the newspaper. Good to be running at home.

I'm glad I got out when it was cooler. It's gonna be a cooker today!

Just for Crazy Fun

Not Too Spicy

I ran on the streets of Hyderabad this morning before it got too hot, too busy and too spicy in my tummy with Indian food.

I was out just before 7 AM which is 9 1/2 hours ahead of Chicago time. My Garmin forerunner 201 GPS running watch sync'd up nicely which it had a hard time doing in the other cities I've recently visited with tall buildings. Hyderabad doesn't have giant skyscrapers.

Instead of playing it boring and safe on a treadmill in A/C at the hotel, I was out on the streets of "Cyberabad" to seeing what things look like in the morning. Always an interesting way to see a city.

Lots of little mini-Taxis the locals call auto-rickshaws. They're 3-wheeler mini-bike taxis. Saw only two cows. A couple of cats with longer legs than I would see in the US. Lots of yellow buses, cars, bikes. NO one else out for a run! Lots of people looked at me like I was a bit crazy...or maybe just dressed funny. Maybe I had my shorts on backwards...I did that once in a race by mistake.

It was hot! I ran 3 1/2 miles in about 30 minutes in the early morning 90F weather. Temp is headed to 100+ today!

My final stretch back to my hotel was up this long hill off the main road. What a great way to start the day. Worked up a good sweat...well that happened when I first walked outside ;)

To the Equator!

What a difference a 1/2 day makes.

I flew to Singapore from Shanghai today on China Eastern Airlines. It was about a 5-hour flight to get down here. S'pore is situated only 1 degree north of the equator so this is the tropics.

Arrived to my hotel and out I went on a run down Orchard Road. It's 90 degrees out with tropical humidity. Feels like early August in the midwest, but more palm trees. ha!

I ran for 44 1/2 minutes. Lots of people out since it was 5-6PM. After about 30 minutes of running, I took an escalator down under the road to get to the other side. It was loaded with people. One of the hotter moments of my life!

Now that I'm thinking about it, Singapore is where I first started running without walking. 5-years ago this month!

Five Me's

I was out in Shanghai early this morning for a 30 minute run. Saw lots of older folks dancing and working out in the park and streets. Didn't think about taking a picture.

I snapped a sweaty picture as went back up the elevator to my room. This afternoon I took a picture of a reflection of me in mirror wall on a curved building.

FIVE me's! It was like Sweden for a moment!

Shanghai Surprise

I arrived in Shanghai this afternoon. Once to my hotel, I slapped on a part of shorts and my running shoes, shirt, hat, socks and shades...and out I went into the unknown!

Since the temp was only in the lower 70's it was pretty nice for running. I ran down to The Bund and then along the river. After 50 minutes I was back to my hotel. I snapped this picture in one of the least crowded area. Holy cow was it crowded at times.

I was only offered about 10 watches, 2 shoe shines, 1 massage and a bunch of other things I didn't understand. All this and I was sweaty & running!

Back to the hotel I showered then walked down the street to Startbucks. It was 28 chinese dollars which is the same as the US, but a smaller cup. Mmmm, it hit the spot! I was offered 2 shoe shines as I sat outside drinking my coffee, but no massage or watches.

Dom Arigato Dai-Ichi

It's Sunday morning here in Tokyo. Ran around the Imperial Palace...the most expensive square kilometer in the world.

It's be drizzling and raining the past few days, but it felt pretty good and kept me cool for my 50 minutes run. Saw a number of other people running early this morning. The palace area is popular for running around both by local people and foreign folks.

As usual, I had my trusty Treo 650 with me for a photo. Yes I was running as I took it!

Good Smile Coffee

The sun is up in Kobe this morning. Once it's peeked up, I put my 800 mile Asics on and headed out...oh yes, some clothes too.

I ran east this morning toward the sun. It helped to have the run up to know which way was east.

Left my cardboard hotel key at the front desk because yeterday it was soggy...and didn't work in my door after I ran. I should have taken a picture of it. It made me laugh in my head.

So what's the "good smile coffee?" Well there's lots of coffee shop including Starbucks, but sometimes the English words are combined in funny

combinations. The good smile coffee sign is right outside my hotel room window. Time for me to go put on a good smile with some coffee :)

Kobe

I was awake by 4 AM. The fitness center at the hotel didn't open until 7 AM so I waited around until 5:45 AM and finally went out for a run. As you can see from the photo there was much going on outside. Now this is Japan. There's a lot of people that live here. They weren't out this morning. I'm not sure where everyone was.

It was dizzling, but I ran for about 50 minutes. I was pretty hot.

Akasaka

I'm in the Akasaka region of Tokyo right now. Looks like I misspelled Alaska! Got on the treadmill this morning for a run. Had to use another fitness machine for 10 minutes while I waited for a treadmill to open up.

Nippon

I'm in Tokyo this morning. I ran for 5k on the treadmill this morning. The workout room is not on the ground floor.

More running to come!

Run & Shoot

YES I'm actually running as I take these pictures!

You can see that running and shooting a picture at the same time takes a bit of skill...that was missing today. Almost completely missed myself.
I'm usually trying to include the road behind me to show a bit of depth to the running. It's just how my brain works. Instead of taking a picture of the long LONG road ahead, I put a positive spin on it in my mind. "Look at how far I've come!"

I've taken the majority of the pictures on this same stretch. It's about 4 miles from my house so I know I'm more than halfway home when I get to this spot. I like to see the season change in the pictures during the year...though I didn't run when this spot was covered in snow. By July we'll be seeing some corn or something growing in these fields.

On another note, I actually SAW and said "hi"to another runner on this stretch today! That's only happen 3x in that past couple of years.

I completed the 7 miles in less than 64 minutes, but I don't remember exactly. The wind was blowing hard during a couple mile stretch so that slowed me down. I also ate breakfast prior to running. That slowed me down too. Mostly I was slowed down from not running more often. The day zip by and if I miss a week, I certainly can feel it.

Well THIS was a good run! Next one I'll try to get in the photo.

Simple Seven

Got out yesterday for a 7 mile run. Just getting around to posting it now. It's raining out today and cool and it's Easter.

It was gorgeous out for my run with a good breeze for a few of the miles. Don't remember my exact time, but it seems to have been 61 minutes and 44 seconds. Ok, I guess I do remember the exact time...ha! It was my first "hot" run in months. Hey, it's spring! Not taking water with me yet, but those runs will be before me soon.

Yellow Cap

Gotta yellow hat at the race last weekend. Used it as I ran 7 miles this afternoon. Fashionable, eh?

A bit breeze, but around 50 degrees. No gloves this time!

This is my shortest run outside in a month. I didn't have time to run 14 miles today. I've been working on a pop songs submission for a major female's CD. Wish me luck!

Oh btw, I'm thinking about running the Chicago marathon in the fall.

Half As Easy - Fool

April arrived slightly faster than I was expecting. The 1/2 marathon was here before I knew it. I'd actually forgotten about it the day prior to the race until someone mentioned it to me. "Oh yea, I'm running that tomorrow. Almost forgot!"

Weather was about 45 F and overcast. I had BEATING a 2 hour 8 minute time locked in my mind. Oatmeal in me. Wearing just shorts...well shorts, shoes & sox, shirt (long sleeve and short sleeve under), gloves, ski cap, my shades, my Garmin watch AND my trusty Treo phone to take pictures in the back pocket of my shorts. A lot folks were wearing long sweat pants or tights.

I needed a 9 minute 45 per mile pace to beat my 2:08 Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 marathon from last year.

I ran with some friends at the start, they set an 8 min/mi pace and then sped up. At the 3 mile mark (10.1 miles remaining) only 24 mins had passed. Still an 8 min/mi pace. I knew this was a bit too fast...or a lot to fast if 9:45 was really the goal. I decided to listen to my breathing and run whatever pace my breathing needed.

The race was an out and back so FAST runners started flying by heading back about 5 miles into the race. The turn around was at 7 miles. People were STILL passing me, but finally I could see I wasn't in last place. ha! There were lots of people still running to the turn around. My watch said I'd run the first 7 miles in about 1 hour. I did the calculations in my head. "Hmmm...I could break 2 hours!" I felt great.

As the miles went by I knew I was running a good race at a good pace for me. With 3 miles to go I told myself to pick up the pace a little. I started passing people. Finally with the finish insight, I turned it up one more notch to finish in 1 hour 52 minutes and 41 seconds! A 8:26 min/mi. I beat my old PR for the 1/2 marathon by 15 minutes. Guess I'm in a little better shape than last year!

It was MUCH easier than the last 1/2 marathon! ...and even though it's April Fools, THIS whole story is true!

Back to Where I Started

Got my Treo 650 camera lens a little sweaty today. Took this picture at 13 miles into my long run today...and I was sweaty!

I'm ready for the 1/2 marathon next Saturday. I'm confident that I can beat my old PR (personal record) for the half.

Man, my legs are tired tonight! ha!

Thirteen Achy Breakies

With my 1/2 marathon coming up in 2-weeks (April 1st) I know I need to get in a good long run this weekend. The weather is 30 F and sunny this morning so I'm venturing out.

My last "long run" was the marathon back in early January. A few months of not doing long runs means I'm a bit out of condition. My longest runs have been 7 miles. I'm stashing a bottle of water at 7 miles (home) and layering up for 13 miles today.

GOOD news! I made it! I did my two 6.9-mile loops in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Passed the 1/2 marathon point at 2:05:30. Wow, I was getting tired and my legs were not moving too fast at the end.

No blisters! No injuries!

Spandex

Second day in a row that I ran my 7 mile loop!

Today it is colder so I'm wearing a winter hat, gloves and running pants. The running pants could substitute for '80s rock 'n' roll spandex, but these slacks have a zip pocket in the back for my mobile phone/camera. The Treo fits perfectly back there. No need for my typical shades for my eyes. I'm running eyewear nude today.

My legs feel like I'd been running. I feel a bit slower today. Finished in exactly 1:02.

April Fool

I've decided to run a 1/2 marathon on April 1st so I'm to training!

My upcoming 1/2 marathon goal is to break my official PR of 2:08:30 which I set at the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 in Jan 05.

Temps reached 50 F which motivated me to get outside for a 7 miles loop run. I set my Garmin Forerunner watch to beep at every mile so that I could take a 25 second walk break. I've decided to use this "Galloway" training method again. I had gotten away from it as my milage increased for the marathon. It's actually hard for me to take a walk break when my mind doesn't think I need one.

As I completed my first mile, walk break for 25 second. Second miles completed, walk break for 25 seconds. 3rd mile completed, 25 second walk break. It started to sprinkle on me at 3.5 miles into my run, but at mile four I still took my 25 second walk break. By mile 5, I was in the middle of a downpour. I still took the 25 seond walk break. At mile 6, lightning and pouring rain convinced me to just run! My shoes were soaked, but I was making good time.

The sun peeked out for my final 1/4 mile. I finished at home in just under an hour. 59:48 for 7 miles. Not bad for my first longer run in 2 months.

Rearview Marathon

With my 1st marathon a month behind in the rearview mirror, I've haven't run much...or at least relative to my ramp-up to the marathon. Now that I'm thinking about this lack of running, my running has actually dropped off starting in November. Hmmm, is that's part of the reason I've gained 5 lbs? I know the dip in miles is fairly normal after completing the first big one. I'll be back at it soon. As soon as I line up the next marathon.

As we are now into a chunk of 2006, I thought I'd upload some pix taken so far in oh six. From running in topical heat (looks like a rainbow in Fiji?) to snowmobiling in what looks like Alaska, you may wonder if a marathon, tropics and arctic leaves much else to do this year. I guess you'll see...

Sellin' myself

Come visit my store on CafePress!

Gumby & Pokey Live!

Gumby & Pokey are back hittin' the treadmill after fattening up over the holidays. Gumby's bum leg is feeling a little better. Pokey is a bit wide around the middle.

Gumby was heard saying, "Pokey this will bring a new meaning to where the rubber meets the road!"

A Thousand Words!

Completing my FIRST marathon!

2006 is going to be a GREAT year.

marathon

Finale 2005

New Year's Eve morning, I met Bill & Jeff at Pettit for a our final long run of just 8 miles prior to the Walt Disney World Marathon. Ran for 77 minutes. We ran indoors. It was a good final long run workout.

Felt a bit odd to run for only a little over an hour. I've got accustom to those multi-hour runs. Sunday we'll be back at the "multi-hour" running...here comes the marathon!


One more note: to wrap up 2005 someone tried to steal my Jeep while I was running. Damaged it, but did get it!