DownTime

Well saw the Doc yesterday and I am scheduled for an MRI this weekend. He believes that I have a disc that is out of whack that is causing my sciatic nerve to flare up causing me pain when I run. He told me that I can still run depending on how much I can tolerate the pain. I am going to give it the weekend off and see how it feels on Monday. I don't go the Doc again to next Thursday to see what the treatment options are. Boston is about 6 weeks away and I plan on running as long as the pain is manageable. I will keep my fans updated. Enjoy the weekend.

GO NOVA

Boston Week 9

Well ended up with another decent week in mileage. 77 miles to be exact.

For the month I ran 288 miles. 288 was 2 more miles then my any month during my Boston Training last year. Last year March was 286.

As for March I would like to stay around 250-280 but we will see. I am taking a few days off. My left leg once again is beginning to flare up. I think it is my sciatica but I am not 100% sure. The pain was manageable but now it is getting to the point where I have to change my stride to compensate for the pain. I want to get this issue resolved since I only have 7 weeks til Boston. I am hoping a shot will get the inflammation to calm down and allow me to strength the muscles that are causing the issue while allowing me to still run. I have an appointment on Thursday so no running till then. Plus I am looking forward to a little break. My legs need a rest.

Enjoy the week. I will update on the leg later this week.

Boston Week # 8

Half way....that's a good way to put it. Half way through this snowy winter or half way through my training. Well I managed 83 miles for the week. I did a 23 miler on Monday and 17 miler on Thursday. Training is going well. My sciatica is acting up a bit but that is to be expected with the amount of miles that I am putting in each week. I am being proactive and doing my exercises. Well enjoy the week and pray for no more snow. I have updated all the training sheets.

Saucony Men's ProGrid Ride Running Shoe

Here are the shoes that I am currently training in. I have began to work these into my training. I used these leading up to NYC and Philly and I like the way they feel. They are a good shoe. They can be found deeply discounted online.

Yaktrax Product Review

I have been asked by the makers of Yaktrax to do an official review of their product. The product I am reviwing is Yaktrax Pro. Here is a link to the product. Check it out.





In my opinion Yaktrax are great. I have run in the snow in just sneakers and I had trouble getting traction but Yaktrax solved this. They grip the road as you run and give you traction. Yaktrax allowed me to run normally but I did still use caution due to the winter conditions. I was glad I was able to use them and look forward to using them again. I recommend these to anyone who want to run in the snow or even walk they give you a nice grip.

23

23 miles in one run? Are you crazy? Yes to both questions and that was my total running miles for yesterday. I had off and I decided to a long run on a Monday since I had the time and I needed to get a long run in. So people ask how and where do you run 23 miles in one shot. Well this winter has been crappy running weather and all the places where I normally do my long runs are mostly snow covered. In addition the two guys I train with are off their normal training schedules so I left to do my long runs by myself.

How to run 23 miles. Well if the weather was nice I would venture out my house with some cash and run a far out and back but because of the roads and the weather I modified my plan. It is actually quiet simple to get a large amount of miles in and test your mentality at the same time. On my run on Sunday I calculated a 5-6 mile loop. So come Monday I decided i do this loop 4 times and that would give me 20 miles. I started out did one loop come back grab some water (i keep in the snow along with Gatorade and cliff blocks) then head back out again. Repeat this four times and there is your 20 mile. How I got to 23 is that I added on some miles at the end of my last loop. So when people ask how I run 23 miles there is my answer. I think it tests your mind more then your body especially when you see the same people clearing a driveway of snow 8 times. Happy Running.

Boston Week 7

60 miles for the week. Not a bad total. My longest run of the week was 11 miles. I did not run long this past weekend so thats why the weekly total was not higher. This has been a tough winter for training. It will probably be an extremely hot summer for running we shall see. As for this time versus last year I am on pace with the same amount of miles for my training especially for Boston.

Enjoy the week.

Kevin Smith vs Southwest

So not sure who's aware of this but Kevin Smith the director of clerks was thrown off a Southwest Flight for being too fat. Southwest has had a policy in place for over 25 years that people who are too big for one seat need to purchase two seats. This is not only for comfort but also for safety. In this instance Kevin was flying stand by and the flight was full so he only got one seat and he was too large for the seat so they asked him to please get off the plane. He immediately threw a fit and made a huge deal. I understand where he was annoyed but safety comes first when flying.

Fast forward to last night. I was watching Nightline on ABC and they do a story about this. I am not going to tell the whole story but you can watch the video and read the story here. After you read or watch the video you will see where I draw my opinions from. I am someone who believes in fitness and leading a healthy life and for people who are overweight I understand your situation but they must realize that because of their situation they may be subjected to some restrictions because of safety issues. People who are overweight cannot complain about being thrown off a plane for safety reasons and then scream that they were harassed because of their weight. They do not get a separate set of standard because of their weight. These people need to realize that all choices have consequences. I just want people to realize that organizations like The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance take things to a whole new level when they makes statements "that fat people are hear to stay." Well shall see what happens next. I doubt this is last your will hear about the organization or this incident but in my opinion I think that overweight people may need to start living a healthier life.

Please feel free to express your opinions but those who know me know how I feel about fitness and how people need to exercise.

Enjoy your week.

Snow Days

Well once again the Yaktrax came through. I was able to run twice with them this week so far. I ran yesterday and today. The snow yesterday was much heavier then what we had on sat and it was definitely harder to run since the winds are stronger. The Yaktrax did the job. I did have some trouble on this once huge hill since it was not plowed and the snow was like 8 inches deep so it made it hard to run but once a truck drove by I ran in the tire tracks and I got traction. As for today I also used my Yaktrax but it was not as snowy in some areas so I had to run on road that were clear and this is hard to do with the Yaktrax since you have metal under your shoes and you are running on a hard surface it does make your legs a bit sore. My legs are sore from the two runs I did this week since I had to work harder in the snow. My pace was not the fastest but considering the conditions I was glad I was able to run. I have read stories about people in the New England states training for Boston with crazy amounts of snow. Well I think that I will be able to say that I trained in the snowiest winter of all times 70.3 inches and I am sure there will be more to come. Well if you got snow enjoy it and be safe shoveling. I somehow have to do a long run this weekend. I may end up doing a 5 mile loop a couple times we shall see.

Fresh Air Fund

Here is a link that someone sent me. People are always looking for a way to spread their message. I am helping people out by doing just such. Check out the link for the fresh air fund.

Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics. Check out this link. It has all the info you need for the coverage of the 2010 winter games. GO USA.

Boston Week #6

Another week down. Was able to get 66 miles in for the week. No real long run this week due to the snow. I was able to get a 13 and 11 mile run in. I have updated the training log. Enjoy the snow and be safe.

Miles	Time
66.52	7:54:33
		% change
Week 1	45.52
Week 2	51.54	4%
Week 3	65.11	1%
Week 4	70.62	-6%
Week 5	74.27	24%
Week 6	66.52	-17%

Yaktrax Rock

Yaktrax are great. Well we are in the middle of a blizzard and I was able to get 6 miles in. I could have run more but I did not feel like doing a long run. I have run in the snow but these things worked great. They grip the road as you run and give you traction. I actually saw someone else running and they were shuffling their feet but with these Yaktrax I was able to run normally but still use caution due to the winter conditions. I was glad I was able to use them and look forward to using them again. I recommend these to anyone who want to run in the snow or even walk they give you a nice grip.

I will have the weekly roundup later today.

GO NOVA!!!!!!!!!!

Active trainer

Thanks again active for fixing my issue. They did a great job and it was a quick response.