Running logs, a great tool for keeping track of your miles, the weather, how you felt, etc. I wanted to have something that I could use that would keep my accountable to myself, give me a way to track mileage, shoe usage, and above all be FREE!
You are probably all sitting going [duh], just use a notebook, you know, old school with paper and pen and all that crap. Well, the problem is that I know I am rather lazy about keeping up the old entries in the log book. The solution was to find something that I could use online, that would allow me to download right from the Garmin to the log. Did I mention I wanted it to be FREE?
I found one site, not sure where I got the ink from, but nevertheless it made its way into my list of bookmarks. Originally called, http://www.runsaturday.com it soon was renamed http://www.runningfreeonline.com
The site is in Europe somewhere, but has a lot of athletes from around the world. The feature I like best is the automatic download of the data from the Garmin to the site. In addition, you can crank in your training plan and each week, you will receive a report via e-mail on what you did, and how it compares to the plan you entered.
After loading your data, you have the option of sharing it to your various social media outlets, I always post to Facebook, and of course get some funny responses from my FB Friends.
For a sample of one of my recent workouts, go check out the link below.
http://www.runningfreeonline.com/act/448530/UserName/scarleton/Title/HillIntervals
Run Happy!
1/09/2011
9/12/2010
Finally got off my ass and ran
So, after a little bit of hemming and hawing, I decided to get off my lazy butt and put down some miles.
I love running with the little Mac Dog, he is a pretty good pacer and keeps me running a bit slower, which is better for training.
Normally, Sunday is the long run day, but due to my work schedule this week, I decided to shift the 18 miler I had scheduled today for Tuesday.
The weather today was damp, misty and overcast, the good news is that it kept the temperature down, the bad news is well you get damp. I asked R.J. if he would take some photos of Mac and I running together, hopefully they came out and will post. Mac wasn't too sure about having someone standing on the side of the road with a camera, so he barked and didn't seem too happy about the whole thing. Ahh the courage of a small dog!
We completed our 5 mile run in 52:24, averaging a 10:28 pace, this is where I need to be for easy runs on the training plan.
Until next time, Run Happy!
I love running with the little Mac Dog, he is a pretty good pacer and keeps me running a bit slower, which is better for training.
Normally, Sunday is the long run day, but due to my work schedule this week, I decided to shift the 18 miler I had scheduled today for Tuesday.
The weather today was damp, misty and overcast, the good news is that it kept the temperature down, the bad news is well you get damp. I asked R.J. if he would take some photos of Mac and I running together, hopefully they came out and will post. Mac wasn't too sure about having someone standing on the side of the road with a camera, so he barked and didn't seem too happy about the whole thing. Ahh the courage of a small dog!
We completed our 5 mile run in 52:24, averaging a 10:28 pace, this is where I need to be for easy runs on the training plan.
Until next time, Run Happy!
Long Run Sunday
There are some days when the thought of running 15-20 miles seems so forbidding. I mean really, the idea of sleep is really very powerful, along with a lazy day of laying in bed and catching up on my reading.
The other major part of this conundrum is that I worked a long shift yesterday and was very tired when I went to bed in the first place. This week will present challenges in that I will have a couple of night shifts at work, which really screw up the sleep schedule.
I think the only solution is to shift my Tuesday and Sunday runs this week. This provides an added benefit by making me tired enough to get a good solid nap before I have to pull my all-nighter on Tuesday.
Besides, I think the Lil Mac Dog needs to get some exercise today, he has been keeping me honest with the runs.
10/20/2009
Off to the Marine Corps Martahon this week
Greetings Running friendss,
This week I am off to the 34th Marine Corps Marathon. This is my deferment from last year due to my stress fracture. I have been quietly running and training and getting ready, following my training plan, and putiing in good quality mileage.
I did have some weeks where I missed 3 long runs. Since I have been training smarter, I feel that I ma now as ready as I can be.
So, this Saturday I drive up to D.C., get my number and off I go. I was extremally fortunate to get a hotel less than a mile from the finish line -- very convenient though I did have to make reservations back in March.
With taper in progress, I will update everyone on the final results next week.
Until then,
Run Happy!
This week I am off to the 34th Marine Corps Marathon. This is my deferment from last year due to my stress fracture. I have been quietly running and training and getting ready, following my training plan, and putiing in good quality mileage.
I did have some weeks where I missed 3 long runs. Since I have been training smarter, I feel that I ma now as ready as I can be.
So, this Saturday I drive up to D.C., get my number and off I go. I was extremally fortunate to get a hotel less than a mile from the finish line -- very convenient though I did have to make reservations back in March.
With taper in progress, I will update everyone on the final results next week.
Until then,
Run Happy!
10/16/2008
Greetings running friends,
It has been awhile since I have posted and done any serious running. As many of you remember, I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon (my 3rd marathon) and working on getting faster.
I was running about 30-40 miles/week, had just completed a couple of half marathons in March and April, nothing too fast, but well within my usual times. I experienced some aching in my right shin, and calf area. This ache was nothing that I hadn't experienced before and I simply ignored it. It felt like a shin splint on the front of the lower leg.
Then it hit, the dreaded stress fracture -- I was running a nice easy 8 miles one day, when I realized that my gait was all messed up, every right foot strike sent an ache up my leg and then I felt the sharp pain shoot up my leg.
I gave my self a week off, followed the RICE principle, without the compression, and decided to test it out easy on the treadmill. I still had problems and gave myself a another couple of weeks off. Another failed treadmill test and I knew I had to see the Doc.
I went to the military clinic (WARNING TANGENT APPROACHING) -- Military Medicine is about as oxymoronic as Military Intelligence, and I absolutely hate going to the clinic, even for routine procedures. -- (TANGENT OVER)
The young petty officer who initially saw me, didn't really know what I was talking about when I started to give him my background, training log and request for an xray to rule out stress fracture. I didn't have an obvious broken bone and he didn't quite know what to do next. I convinced him to humor me and shoot the xray. Finally the MD comes in, went through the whole spiel again, showed him my training logs, etc., he went to check on the status of the xray, then returned with the this, "I see a thickening of the bone, which is indicative of a healed or healing stress fracture, take a week off until we send the xray off for further review."
About one week later, the MD sends me an e-mail with this diagnosis, "The x-rays taken on your right leg were read as suggestive of a healed stress fracture. Please avoid any high impact exercise (running/jogging, jumping, etc) for the next 6 weeks."
I set up a follow up apointment to discuss further options, bone density scan, MRI, referrel to an othopeadist that would confirm this diagnosis. I did not get the referrel or follow on testing, resigned myself to working through my healing by doing other aerobic activity and hitting the weights.
After the 6 weeks, I started going easy on the treadmill, for 30 minute segments and a slower than normal pace with no aches and pains.
Over the past couple of weeks, I started going back on the streets, leaving the watch behind, and running my usual 5 mile lunch time loop a couple of times per week.
Regretfully I paid the deferment fee for the Marine Corps Marathon and will run it next year. I am forcing myself to not "race" for the remainder of the calendar year, no 5Ks, no Fun Runs, basically anything that I have to pin a number to my shirt, I am not doing; I am way too competitive and don't want to hurt myself again. I am planning to start training easy in mid to late November for a half marathon in March.
Throughout all of this, I have learned several lessons:
1. Don't go "hammer down" on every run, slow and easy means just that
2. Cross Training makes you a better well rounded athlete
3. Listen to your body
4. Running is not always about competition, times, PRs, etc.
5. Recovering from an injury sucks
6. Run because you love it.
It has been awhile since I have posted and done any serious running. As many of you remember, I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon (my 3rd marathon) and working on getting faster.
I was running about 30-40 miles/week, had just completed a couple of half marathons in March and April, nothing too fast, but well within my usual times. I experienced some aching in my right shin, and calf area. This ache was nothing that I hadn't experienced before and I simply ignored it. It felt like a shin splint on the front of the lower leg.
Then it hit, the dreaded stress fracture -- I was running a nice easy 8 miles one day, when I realized that my gait was all messed up, every right foot strike sent an ache up my leg and then I felt the sharp pain shoot up my leg.
I gave my self a week off, followed the RICE principle, without the compression, and decided to test it out easy on the treadmill. I still had problems and gave myself a another couple of weeks off. Another failed treadmill test and I knew I had to see the Doc.
I went to the military clinic (WARNING TANGENT APPROACHING) -- Military Medicine is about as oxymoronic as Military Intelligence, and I absolutely hate going to the clinic, even for routine procedures. -- (TANGENT OVER)
The young petty officer who initially saw me, didn't really know what I was talking about when I started to give him my background, training log and request for an xray to rule out stress fracture. I didn't have an obvious broken bone and he didn't quite know what to do next. I convinced him to humor me and shoot the xray. Finally the MD comes in, went through the whole spiel again, showed him my training logs, etc., he went to check on the status of the xray, then returned with the this, "I see a thickening of the bone, which is indicative of a healed or healing stress fracture, take a week off until we send the xray off for further review."
About one week later, the MD sends me an e-mail with this diagnosis, "The x-rays taken on your right leg were read as suggestive of a healed stress fracture. Please avoid any high impact exercise (running/jogging, jumping, etc) for the next 6 weeks."
I set up a follow up apointment to discuss further options, bone density scan, MRI, referrel to an othopeadist that would confirm this diagnosis. I did not get the referrel or follow on testing, resigned myself to working through my healing by doing other aerobic activity and hitting the weights.
After the 6 weeks, I started going easy on the treadmill, for 30 minute segments and a slower than normal pace with no aches and pains.
Over the past couple of weeks, I started going back on the streets, leaving the watch behind, and running my usual 5 mile lunch time loop a couple of times per week.
Regretfully I paid the deferment fee for the Marine Corps Marathon and will run it next year. I am forcing myself to not "race" for the remainder of the calendar year, no 5Ks, no Fun Runs, basically anything that I have to pin a number to my shirt, I am not doing; I am way too competitive and don't want to hurt myself again. I am planning to start training easy in mid to late November for a half marathon in March.
Throughout all of this, I have learned several lessons:
1. Don't go "hammer down" on every run, slow and easy means just that
2. Cross Training makes you a better well rounded athlete
3. Listen to your body
4. Running is not always about competition, times, PRs, etc.
5. Recovering from an injury sucks
6. Run because you love it.
6/23/2007
Many Steps
Somewhere there is the old saying about a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The saying is absolutely true, however, I am not really starting out on a journey to complete a marathon, I've already done that. So instead I'll call this many steps.
I started a couple of weeks early on my training plan, which truthfully, I am still ironing out this past week. I ran my usual 5 miles Monday through Friday with some respectable times. The one thing I always forget about when training for a fall marathon is that have to run in the intense summer heat and humidity. This week was no exception and I was actually required to cut my run short by a mile and a half due to heat (a real bummer). No, not because I couldn't handle it, but because of the rules at a local military installation where I do my runs. It is often easier to just nod your head and say "okay" and run elsewhere. There is really no point in trying to convince someone that; yes, you are properly hydrated; yes, you have been training and are acclimated to the heat. But on the plus side, I found out that I could check out the heat status and restrictions online.
When I started to complain to someone about this afterwards, they said, "gee, did you really think it wasn't hot?"
Tomorrow I am going to run an 8 miler for my long run and do it early in the day when I shouldn't have too many problems with heat.
I started a couple of weeks early on my training plan, which truthfully, I am still ironing out this past week. I ran my usual 5 miles Monday through Friday with some respectable times. The one thing I always forget about when training for a fall marathon is that have to run in the intense summer heat and humidity. This week was no exception and I was actually required to cut my run short by a mile and a half due to heat (a real bummer). No, not because I couldn't handle it, but because of the rules at a local military installation where I do my runs. It is often easier to just nod your head and say "okay" and run elsewhere. There is really no point in trying to convince someone that; yes, you are properly hydrated; yes, you have been training and are acclimated to the heat. But on the plus side, I found out that I could check out the heat status and restrictions online.
When I started to complain to someone about this afterwards, they said, "gee, did you really think it wasn't hot?"
Tomorrow I am going to run an 8 miler for my long run and do it early in the day when I shouldn't have too many problems with heat.
6/20/2007
Start
Some online running friends of mine at the about.com running forum put their words, thoughts and training highs and lows out in blogosphere for the world to see. I too thought this was a good idea. What better way to hold yourself accountable than to post for the world to see.
I am registered to run in the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, this will be my second full marathon. AS time progresses, I will be posting my training schedule, successes and failures.
Today I ran 4.87 miles turning a 41:45 time.
I am registered to run in the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, this will be my second full marathon. AS time progresses, I will be posting my training schedule, successes and failures.
Today I ran 4.87 miles turning a 41:45 time.
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