OK, I had two runs - one yesterday and one today, but today's big news is Sam has returned home from the vet. I went into the Sam and Cheney Memorial wing of the vet's office and picked him up. He was pretty happy to see me and I was happy to see him. He is still "draining" according to the vet, but that is what is expected. There are still stitches in his chest, but the ones on his head and leg are all out.
Of course once I got him home he slipped off of the leash and went for a neighborhood romp, because he only has three good legs and has been lounging around the vets, I was able to chase him down. Goofball Cheney was happy to see him, now she has someone to bitch at and play with.
Also today, I jumped out of an airplane while in flight, we had an Airborne operation. Because my job is still considered a Special Forces job I have to maintain my Airborne status. It was a pretty standard jump, CASA 212 was the aircraft on St. Mere Drop Zone. Nice and soft landing, no bumps, bruises or broken bones on my part, so it was a good jump.
OK, now for the running . . . .
Yesterday was a tempo run, 10 miles total with an 8 mile tempo run. The run started off at the HQs building and went out to Chicken Road to McRidge, we (Gordon and I) hit the hills. My tempo time was 6:43, which was about 15 seconds faster than last week for a longer tempo distance. something must be working for me.
Today was just a 6 mile run, no particular pace. VERY COLD. I had to wear my hat and gloves.
I got a check in the mail from Don, that brings my donated total up to 490 bucks. Both my sisters kicked in, Leroy, Haywood and George from work have also donated. My older sisters company matched her donation which was pretty cool. Keep the donations coming, drop me a line at unl1988@yahoo.com if your interested. THANKS!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Ten Mile Monday
Ok, I really need to track my training schedule better. I thought I was scheduled for ten miles, so, I got up a little early and hit the road. I had an OK run, went out from Ritz Epps gym (the best one on post) hit the trails and then went to Longstreet. Of course because I was on Longstreet, I ran up the sisters and kept on going. Longstreet goes past one of FT Bragg's access control points and then crosses over McRidge Road.
Once you get across McRidge Road, there is no traffic, except a few folks going out to the ranges here on FT Bragg, or back from the ranges. Very quiet, unless of course someone is firing on the ranges, in that case, it is just plain cool. Nothing like a little live fire to brighten up your morning. Anyways, 5 miles out, 5 miles back, 8:20 pace, sisters on the way out, sisters on the way back, a little slow, but I will take it.
Everything went great until I actually looked at my schedule, I was only supposed to do 8 miles, oh well. A little extra running is a good thing.
Once you get across McRidge Road, there is no traffic, except a few folks going out to the ranges here on FT Bragg, or back from the ranges. Very quiet, unless of course someone is firing on the ranges, in that case, it is just plain cool. Nothing like a little live fire to brighten up your morning. Anyways, 5 miles out, 5 miles back, 8:20 pace, sisters on the way out, sisters on the way back, a little slow, but I will take it.
Everything went great until I actually looked at my schedule, I was only supposed to do 8 miles, oh well. A little extra running is a good thing.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
16 miler
Yesterday was a moderately long day, 16 miles. I talked Gordon L into running with me and we stayed together for the first 12 miles. We started off at Lee fieldhouse, went onto Pope, AFB, ran around the airfield, then hit Butner Road. We stopped at the little park for some water then went down around Pike field.
From Pike Field we followed Gruber Road, up to Grave, onto Ardennes then onto Normandy. We ended up back on Reilly Road and finished at Lee Field House. That is a pretty standard long run route and you can modify it to run longer or shorter. It is mostly flat, just a couple of hills, the most notable of the two was the one coming off of Pike Field up to Longstreet and a long slow hill up Gruber. Gordon hung close to me until we went around Pike Field then he slowed down and I sped up. My first 12 were about 8:20 and my last 4 were sub 7, I really wanted to put some intensity into those last 4. It felt pretty good.
I posted the picture of the CITGO sign, it is a Boston landmark. It is also marks mile 25 of the Boston Marathon. Pretty much once you see it, you know your done.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, thursday, thursday
I followed up the tempo run on wednesday with an easy 9 miler on thursday. I went out to the sisters on Longstreet and compared the hills there to the ones on McRidge. The ones on McRidge were a bit steeper, but they don't come in pairs, and they aren't followed by more hills. For fierceness, McRidge is the winner, for quantity, Longstreet. Either way, there are some good hills.
It was a little on the cold side, especially on the way back when I turned back into the wind, bit of a shocker and I had some Nebraska flashbacks. Pretty uneventful run, I averages around a 7:50 pace, faster on the way back because I wanted to get out of the cold. Of course, any run is a good run.
Sam is doing much better, they are going to keep him over the weekend.
The folks from my saturday morning running club all did well at the Myrtle Beach Marathon. John Y paced one of his friends to a 3:32, which qualified her for Boston. They aren't running this week, but will pick back up next weekend. I have a few folks from USASOC that swear they will show up tomorrow morning at 7am for a 16 miler, I will let yah know.
I hit $440.00 collected for SOF Warrior and Wounded Warrior, pretty cool. If your reading this and want to donate, leave me a comment and I will contact yah. Thanks.
It was a little on the cold side, especially on the way back when I turned back into the wind, bit of a shocker and I had some Nebraska flashbacks. Pretty uneventful run, I averages around a 7:50 pace, faster on the way back because I wanted to get out of the cold. Of course, any run is a good run.
Sam is doing much better, they are going to keep him over the weekend.
The folks from my saturday morning running club all did well at the Myrtle Beach Marathon. John Y paced one of his friends to a 3:32, which qualified her for Boston. They aren't running this week, but will pick back up next weekend. I have a few folks from USASOC that swear they will show up tomorrow morning at 7am for a 16 miler, I will let yah know.
I hit $440.00 collected for SOF Warrior and Wounded Warrior, pretty cool. If your reading this and want to donate, leave me a comment and I will contact yah. Thanks.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tempo Run Day
Today was a tempo run, I ran a slow mile to warm up, picked it up to my tempo pace (6:57/mile) and maintained that pace for 7 miles, then finished off with another slow mile.
MAJ L ran with me for a while, he is the one that is organizing the USASOC Boston Marathon team, pretty good guy, very energetic. We ran from the HQs building (met at the statue of Bronze Bruce, left). For those into trivia, Bronze Bruce's real name is SFC I SERVE, and his foot is standing on a rock with a snake underneath it. He has been the symbol of Special Forces since Vietnam, pretty cool statue.
After the run, I was pretty worn down, I like that feeling. It lets me know that I had a good run. We ran through the 3d SFG (A) area, hit Chicken Road where we picked up the tempo pace. Stayed on Chicken Road until McRidge road where we turned and ran down by the ranges. Some pretty fierce hills, which is good for Boston Training. The hill there almost rival the sisters on Longstreet.
Sam update: I visited Sam at lunch today, he was pretty well stoned, but looking much better. They gave him a bath, which I know he hates, but he looked good. Both of his ears were stitched back up, his leg was stitched back up, I didn't get to see his chest, which was where most of the damage was done. He didn't really recognize me, must have been the drugs. Dr. F says he is doing just fine, I will bring him home tomorrow.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Ten Mile Monday
OK, today was a ten mile day for training. I got off to a late start, one of my dogs had to go to the vet. Very bad day for Sam, a big mastiff jumped over the fence and got a hold of him. I heard something going on in the backyard and went outside, when I got there, Sam was on his back and the mastif was locked onto his chest. Sam weighs about 60 lbs, the mastif weighed about 100 lbs. Sam is part pit bull, I think that he kept fighting, instead of submitting to the mastiff. Once they seperated, the owner of the mastiff came by. Nice guy, but his dog jumped over my fence and attacked my dogs.
I took Sam to the vet and they took him straight to the back and started working on him. Sam hates going to the vet, so that was no easy chore for them. He went into surgery this afternoon and the vet called me up afterwords. He had some pretty good bites, but no broken bones, damage to his lung or damage to his front left paw. She said he would be sore, but fine. They kept him there tonight for observation. The owner of the mastiff said he would go by the vet tomorrow to check up on him and pay the bill. Goofball Cheney was ok, her and the 4th dog, a female mastiff just stood there and watched.
After I took Sam to the vet, I really needed to get settled down so I knocked out a ten miler on one of the roads behind the house. Not as nice as running on Bragg, but it was very flat. There was a lot of traffic, but there is also a nice shoulder area to run on. 5 miles out, 5 miles back. I couldn't go at an 8:10 pace, I felt very comfortable at 7:50.
I will call up the vet tomorrow and see how Sam is.
I took Sam to the vet and they took him straight to the back and started working on him. Sam hates going to the vet, so that was no easy chore for them. He went into surgery this afternoon and the vet called me up afterwords. He had some pretty good bites, but no broken bones, damage to his lung or damage to his front left paw. She said he would be sore, but fine. They kept him there tonight for observation. The owner of the mastiff said he would go by the vet tomorrow to check up on him and pay the bill. Goofball Cheney was ok, her and the 4th dog, a female mastiff just stood there and watched.
After I took Sam to the vet, I really needed to get settled down so I knocked out a ten miler on one of the roads behind the house. Not as nice as running on Bragg, but it was very flat. There was a lot of traffic, but there is also a nice shoulder area to run on. 5 miles out, 5 miles back. I couldn't go at an 8:10 pace, I felt very comfortable at 7:50.
I will call up the vet tomorrow and see how Sam is.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
20 Miler
All righty, the twenty miler went GREAT. It was a perfect day for running, just a little wind, but that worked for me and against me, so that was a wash. I ran from the house out to Plank Road, which is one of the back roads on FT Bragg. I stayed on Plank Road until it intersected with Chicken Road, and just kept going. There are some great hills, and not that much traffic, so I really liked it, one of my favorite routes.
On the way out there, Darcy H, a guy I work with, drove on by with his wife and dog. I suspect they were headed out to the lake to let the dog play around. He honked and waved, so I was happy. My water stop was right at 8 miles, I had half a liter of water and a vanilla Power Gel. I hit the same water spot on the way back, at mile 12, had the rest of the water and another Gel. After that, I was cranking.
I hit my 10 mile mark at 75 minutes, on the nose, which was quite a suprise. When I saw that I figured I could do a pretty good negative split, so I cranked it up on the way back. It felt great. If I can run that strong on race day, 3:15 will be too easy. My second 10 was 72 something or other, a full 3 minutes faster than the way out. Pretty good day on the road, I believe.
Monday is an easy ten, I am supposed to run at an 8:10 pace, I seriously doubt that I can run that slow, but I will give it a shot.
On the way out there, Darcy H, a guy I work with, drove on by with his wife and dog. I suspect they were headed out to the lake to let the dog play around. He honked and waved, so I was happy. My water stop was right at 8 miles, I had half a liter of water and a vanilla Power Gel. I hit the same water spot on the way back, at mile 12, had the rest of the water and another Gel. After that, I was cranking.
I hit my 10 mile mark at 75 minutes, on the nose, which was quite a suprise. When I saw that I figured I could do a pretty good negative split, so I cranked it up on the way back. It felt great. If I can run that strong on race day, 3:15 will be too easy. My second 10 was 72 something or other, a full 3 minutes faster than the way out. Pretty good day on the road, I believe.
Monday is an easy ten, I am supposed to run at an 8:10 pace, I seriously doubt that I can run that slow, but I will give it a shot.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Disaster Avoided
As I was putting out my water drop and Gu this afternoon for tomorrow's 20 miler I saw that I only had one of my favorite running gloves in the car. For you loyal readers (thanks mom), I had to wear my running gloves yesterday because it was so cold. Well, when I only saw one glove in the car, I got profoundly sad. Here is why: The gloves were a gift from my Aunt Faye, probably the single best gift she has ever given me. Here is a bit of G family history - - Aunt Faye was kind of famous for very, um, eccentric gifts. At Christmas or a Birthday, Aunt Faye's gifts always made you say, hmmmmmm. We would open them up, look at them, then look sort of confusedly at mom and she would say something like " . . . . well, it is from Aunt Faye you know." As I got older she got much better, one year she gave me some SCUBA stuff and all was forgiven.
Well, when I saw that I had lost one of the gloves, I remembered that it was from Aunt Faye, and was sad that I had lost half of one of her best gifts ever. I traced my route back to the Polo Ground track and drove around it, looking for the lost glove, no joy. I went back to the parking lot at work, still no glove. I drove home, trying to think of where it could be, the last place I could think of was in the laundry, I got home, tore up my pile of dirty laundry, and found the glove. I was very happy and realized I didn't have to fess up to Faye that I had lost the glove.
20 miler tomorrow, should be a hoot.
Well, when I saw that I had lost one of the gloves, I remembered that it was from Aunt Faye, and was sad that I had lost half of one of her best gifts ever. I traced my route back to the Polo Ground track and drove around it, looking for the lost glove, no joy. I went back to the parking lot at work, still no glove. I drove home, trying to think of where it could be, the last place I could think of was in the laundry, I got home, tore up my pile of dirty laundry, and found the glove. I was very happy and realized I didn't have to fess up to Faye that I had lost the glove.
20 miler tomorrow, should be a hoot.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday and Thursday
OK, I was travelling this week, which always throws me off my schedule, to top it off, we were delayed by the weather, so I was unable to run on wednesday morning. Instead I got a quick run in on Wednesday afternoon, after we got back. I was a little wound up from the trip, so it was a good run. I picked up the pace a lot, and went for about 5 1/4 miles. It actually felt good and settled me down for the rest of the day at work.
I did my first set of intervals this morning, 3 x 1 mile intervals. It was pretty cold, I actually had to wear a hat and gloves which I rarely do. The intervals went pretty good, the track at the Polo Field here on post is a kilometer track, so you can really get a good pace going and there weren't that many folks on the track to get in my way. I ended up with three pretty good miles: 6:17, 6:15 and 6:20. My schedule called for 3 at a 6:30 pace, so I was ahead of my schedule.
Tomorrow or saturday will be my long run, 20 miles . . . .hmmm. I will let you know how it goes.
I did my first set of intervals this morning, 3 x 1 mile intervals. It was pretty cold, I actually had to wear a hat and gloves which I rarely do. The intervals went pretty good, the track at the Polo Field here on post is a kilometer track, so you can really get a good pace going and there weren't that many folks on the track to get in my way. I ended up with three pretty good miles: 6:17, 6:15 and 6:20. My schedule called for 3 at a 6:30 pace, so I was ahead of my schedule.
Tomorrow or saturday will be my long run, 20 miles . . . .hmmm. I will let you know how it goes.
Monday, February 11, 2008
7 Miler, Monday Morning
Ok, this morning, a Monday morning, I was scheduled for a 7 miler. Because I was travelling for work, I got up early and just ran from work a quick out and back. I cut through the 3d SFG area, my old unit and stomping grounds, hit Chicken road and turned up on McRidge road.
McRidge was nice, the traffic was low, there were long stretches where there was no traffic either way and I was reminded of why I love running on FT Bragg - - nice and quiet, good hills, crisp morning and the sun was just coming up. VERY COOL.
7 miles, a nice 7:50 pace, good hills. Good run all together. Wednesday is a speed day, hopefully, someone will step up and run with me, if not, it will be me and the GPS. I heart my GPS.
McRidge was nice, the traffic was low, there were long stretches where there was no traffic either way and I was reminded of why I love running on FT Bragg - - nice and quiet, good hills, crisp morning and the sun was just coming up. VERY COOL.
7 miles, a nice 7:50 pace, good hills. Good run all together. Wednesday is a speed day, hopefully, someone will step up and run with me, if not, it will be me and the GPS. I heart my GPS.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Saturday Morning Run
I had the last of my "easy week" runs today, I just had 4 x 8 mile runs on the schedule, I was supposed to do them at an 8:10 pace, but, I had problems keeping it that slow, so, they mostly were around 7:45. Today I ran out on the country roads behind my neighborhood, nice and flat. I finished off with a 7:42 pace. Of course, Sam and Cheney were sleeping the whole time, no support there.
For anyone that is reading this while living in Nebraska or Kansas, it was 63 degrees with a nice breeze during my run. I started off with a long sleeve shirt on, but had to take it off about mile 5, it was just to warm and sunny to keep it on. It felt great. How is the snow?
Next week I start back up with the speed work and long distance run, should be fun.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Training Plan
I used Runner's World to figure out my training plan. They have a pretty cool tool on their website that lets you put in all of the statistics for a race, and it gives you a good training plan. That worked well for me for my first Boston qualifying race (Florida Gulf Coast Marathon 3:12 or so), the Boston and Marine Corps Marathons, so why change up. It is called Smart Coach (http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,7119,s6-238-0-0-0,00.html?cm_re=HP-_-Homepage%20Channel-_-Training) and is really easy to use.
I am on about week 6, this week is a taper down week for me, four 8 mile runs. Next week I get back onto the speed and long distance plan. Yesterday's run was a very pleasant run, except I misjudged my route a bit and ended up running an extra 1.5 miles. No big deal, I ran on my favorite stretch of Longstreet going up the a set of hills I call the sisters (I have two sisters, and when we were younger, it was a little difficult to get along with them. Things have improved since then, a lot.) As I was running, Tim, a friend from work saw me and honked and waved. I really like it when folks do that, kind of breaks up the run a bit.
I am on about week 6, this week is a taper down week for me, four 8 mile runs. Next week I get back onto the speed and long distance plan. Yesterday's run was a very pleasant run, except I misjudged my route a bit and ended up running an extra 1.5 miles. No big deal, I ran on my favorite stretch of Longstreet going up the a set of hills I call the sisters (I have two sisters, and when we were younger, it was a little difficult to get along with them. Things have improved since then, a lot.) As I was running, Tim, a friend from work saw me and honked and waved. I really like it when folks do that, kind of breaks up the run a bit.
Boston Thoughts from 2006
These were my thoughts right after the race in 2006:
Boston Thoughts:
Helping that kid from El Paso out at the T (A guy from El Paso, probably about 19 or so, FIRST TIME IN A BIG CITY, he was shooting for about a 2:30, but was a little overwhelmed by the city)
The nice guys helping everyone out at the Blue Line connection (They had two volunteers at the Metro station there, basically gave me directions on how to get to where I was going)
Getting lucky on the Green Line, picking the right Green Line car to get on
Nice Hotel (My mom works for Hyatt Hotels and squared me away with a nice room)
Seeing the CITGO sign for the first time (Mile 25) when I walked to the hotel from the green line (The CITGO sign is a landmark in Boston, it also marks mile 25, it was pretty cool seeing it when I was there)
There were a LOT of people at the Expo (TONS, and they all looked fast)
The nice lady talking me into buying the lube for my chafing, It worked (Sports Shield, www.2toms.com I am an economy sized runner, so, I get a lot of chafing on my chest during a race and in other areas . . . )
Hitting the busses just right (you take a bus from downtown Boston to Hopkinstown for the start, every school bus in the area is there because it is a state holiday: Patriots Day)
Getting to Athletes village TOO EARLY and FREEZING for 3 hours, talking to guys there (After the bus ride, you go to a local high school football field and just SIT THERE with all of the other people who are worked up because they are finally at THE BOSTON MARATHON)
Everyone was so friendly (I love hanging around with runners, really friendly people)
There were more porta potties as you get closer to the start line, right behind the grocery store, so no need to stand in the line at the village
All those people going nuts all along the start (THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, all along the course. Patriots Day is a state holiday, and the Boston Marathon is THE EVENT. Everyone comes out and watches the race. The race goes through a lot of smaller towns and suburbs, folks all come out and cheer you on. Totally cool)
The Harley Club having their BBQ, reminded me of the folks here in Fayetteville (The Brats smelled goooooood)
All the kids with oranges, need to take some of those next time (Every little kid on the course wanted to give you oranges)
All the kids that wanted a high five, I think more high fiving won’t cost me any time next time
WELLESLEY CHICKS ROCK AT MILE 13 – If I ever get married, it will be to Wellesley Chick, I can’t believe they had to have police ladies holding them back. I truly felt like a rock star (You could hear them about half a mile away, girls going nuts! They are all trying to get on the course and hug or kiss a runner. WILD. This year, I am wearing two shirts, I will toss the first one into the sea of females and see what happens)
Boston Thoughts:
Helping that kid from El Paso out at the T (A guy from El Paso, probably about 19 or so, FIRST TIME IN A BIG CITY, he was shooting for about a 2:30, but was a little overwhelmed by the city)
The nice guys helping everyone out at the Blue Line connection (They had two volunteers at the Metro station there, basically gave me directions on how to get to where I was going)
Getting lucky on the Green Line, picking the right Green Line car to get on
Nice Hotel (My mom works for Hyatt Hotels and squared me away with a nice room)
Seeing the CITGO sign for the first time (Mile 25) when I walked to the hotel from the green line (The CITGO sign is a landmark in Boston, it also marks mile 25, it was pretty cool seeing it when I was there)
There were a LOT of people at the Expo (TONS, and they all looked fast)
The nice lady talking me into buying the lube for my chafing, It worked (Sports Shield, www.2toms.com I am an economy sized runner, so, I get a lot of chafing on my chest during a race and in other areas . . . )
Hitting the busses just right (you take a bus from downtown Boston to Hopkinstown for the start, every school bus in the area is there because it is a state holiday: Patriots Day)
Getting to Athletes village TOO EARLY and FREEZING for 3 hours, talking to guys there (After the bus ride, you go to a local high school football field and just SIT THERE with all of the other people who are worked up because they are finally at THE BOSTON MARATHON)
Everyone was so friendly (I love hanging around with runners, really friendly people)
There were more porta potties as you get closer to the start line, right behind the grocery store, so no need to stand in the line at the village
All those people going nuts all along the start (THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, all along the course. Patriots Day is a state holiday, and the Boston Marathon is THE EVENT. Everyone comes out and watches the race. The race goes through a lot of smaller towns and suburbs, folks all come out and cheer you on. Totally cool)
The Harley Club having their BBQ, reminded me of the folks here in Fayetteville (The Brats smelled goooooood)
All the kids with oranges, need to take some of those next time (Every little kid on the course wanted to give you oranges)
All the kids that wanted a high five, I think more high fiving won’t cost me any time next time
WELLESLEY CHICKS ROCK AT MILE 13 – If I ever get married, it will be to Wellesley Chick, I can’t believe they had to have police ladies holding them back. I truly felt like a rock star (You could hear them about half a mile away, girls going nuts! They are all trying to get on the course and hug or kiss a runner. WILD. This year, I am wearing two shirts, I will toss the first one into the sea of females and see what happens)
First Post
Howdy, My name is Fritz, I am a very active runner and am training for the Boston Marathon. I have run 4 marathons, and have run the Boston Marathon once before (2006, 3:18:45). It is a pretty special race for me, I love the course and the incredible fans that support the race. My qualifying race this year (Boston is one of the two marathons in the world that you have to qualify for, the other is the Olympics, I am not in that league) was the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon, I ran a 3:13:25 there, which was pretty good for me.
After I had signed up for the marathon, a friend of mine from work (I am in the military and work at the US Army Special Operations Command at FT Bragg, NC) told me about a group that he was putting together to raise money for a charity. He had made some contacts through work with the police in Boston and they worked out a deal. The charity that we are supporting is the SOF Warrior Foundation (http://www.specialops.org/). SOF Warrior supports the families of US Special Operations soldiers that have been killed defending our nation. It is an awesome organization, some of the families of folks that I know have been supported by the charity.
As I train up for the race, and run the race, I will be updating the blog. Feel free to comment or send me an email or two. Also, please feel free to donate to SOF Warrior.
Thanks, Fritz
After I had signed up for the marathon, a friend of mine from work (I am in the military and work at the US Army Special Operations Command at FT Bragg, NC) told me about a group that he was putting together to raise money for a charity. He had made some contacts through work with the police in Boston and they worked out a deal. The charity that we are supporting is the SOF Warrior Foundation (http://www.specialops.org/). SOF Warrior supports the families of US Special Operations soldiers that have been killed defending our nation. It is an awesome organization, some of the families of folks that I know have been supported by the charity.
As I train up for the race, and run the race, I will be updating the blog. Feel free to comment or send me an email or two. Also, please feel free to donate to SOF Warrior.
Thanks, Fritz
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