Well, I’ve been away a bit but not necessarily lazy.  So I figured I’d get everybody caught up as to how my fall as has been going.

First off, the monthly races has been a flop now.  I was going to sign up for one zombie run in September.  It was insanely unorganized.  So I opted out, but I ran around the lakes the same morning, 4 miles even instead of the 5K.  The race did look very unorganized.  So I ended up doing 4 miles myself, with other morning runners, in about 43 minutes which gave me about a 11 min/mile pace.

Then for the next weekend, I signed up for another Zombie Run but ended up missing that because of poor info concerning parking.  Every lot I had planned to try was either charging $5 or was blocked off and of course I was carrying no cash at the time.  There was no info online or on any notes about parking.  So after driving by lots and garages multiple times, I finally got agitated and gave up.  I decided to drive down to LSU and run the levee path back up to downtown where I met up with the race and then I turned around and paced the race group back down the river (they were on the river road while I was on the levee path).  It ended up being about 4 miles for me again and I did it in roughly another 11 min/mile pace.

So I’ve been doing horrible in races, but I’ve been running plenty.  I’ve been around the lakes multiple times and up and down the levee path.  I’m starting to like the levee path since it’s not summer anymore because during summer the sun is pounding on you with no shade.  But in the late evening, the sun does hide behind some trees between the levee and river.  But if it’s too cool out, it can actually make it a little chilly.  At least it’s not burning hot anymore.  I’ve always increased my distance now up to 9 miles which I did a weekend ago around the lakes and LSU.  So there’s hope yet that I can do 13.  😉

I’m learning many things.  So far, I’m still ok at 9 miles.  No real chaffing issues but getting borderline.  I do have gear to hopefully to counter that for the half and I intend to try it out as I push past 10 miles next.  I’ve also learned that I do much better by starting off slow rather than fast.  The faster I start, the worse I feel toward the finish and the longer my 10K time becomes.  But if I start off walking to warm up and then start running, I find that I run harder and longer and actually have my faster 10K times.  It seems rather adequate for the half marathon in Philly since I sort of expect to be fighting crowds the first mile anyway, so perhaps that’s perfect.  We shall find out.  I also thought for a while that I was running better without music but it seems I actually run better with it since I pace myself to certain songs on my playlist.  I intend to relish in the atmosphere of the half marathon in Philly, but I’ll have my iPod for dead areas to help motivate me.  Overall, i think my times are slightly faster with the iPod playing than without, especially for longer distances.  I can also go quite a ways without water, easily 6 miles.  So does that mean I skip out on water stops until at least Mile 6 in the half?  I don’t know.  I do seem to do slightly worse if I drink sooner whether I carry a bottle with me or stop at the various fountains along the levee or lake trail.  So perhaps it’s better if I go as far as I can without it at all until I feel like I need it which I know shouldn’t be before Mile 6.

So I’m learning a little more with each outing, and I’m using that knowledge to improve how I manage the next run.  I’ve also been losing beaucoup weight from it, a little more than I originally thought I would just from running alone.  I’ve now lost some 33 pounds since the first of the year and since I started running last November.  I didn’t get real serious about the caloric intake until after February of this year, but so far it’s working.  The goal really is to lose about 10 more pounds and then I’ll be back to where I was at the end of college which works for me.  I certainly didn’t think I’d lose 30-40 pounds so quickly but I’m excited by it which motivates me to continue.

So to wrap things up for now: I’ve been running and I’ve actually ran alongside two races but not officially in either.  I’m basically beginning to wrap up training for my first half marathon.   So I guess we’ll see what comes next.  Less than three weeks from now and I’ll be finished in Philadelphia and hopefully planning for Jackson, MS in January.  I’m waiting on this one before I sign up for Jackson.  Though now with a new car, I feel more confident about driving to destinations around the south east without having to worry about renting a car.  That should make for a fun 2014.  But first, there’s Philadelphia, which I’m certainly excited about.

Cheers,