Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Old equipment

Warning! This is a non running themed post. Headed home from NYC on the 6:33. Its a good train since it makes limited stops back home to Massapequa.

The bad news is that it is an old M1 train. In railroad terms it's called "old equipment" and I hate them. They have been around since I was a kid back in the 70's and 80's and I guess that back then they were state of the art but not so anymore!

The seats are smaller and the cars all smell like the blue toilet fluid in the lavatories. The three seaters are not even a full three seats. They are more like two and a half seaters. Tough to get comfortable. At least it's a shorter trip!

Enough for now. Back to my book "Legend" by Marie Lu!

Garmin Forerunner 405 and today run!

I love my Garmin Forerunner 405! As I have previously blogged my wonderful wife Kathy got me the GF405 this Christmas to replace the Nike + system that I gave used since 2008. I also received the optional "foot pod" sensor from my parents as a gift.

I was happy with Nike + for a long time but I grew very frustrated when it came to logging into their web site to synch the runs and review the data. That's why I went GPS.

This morning I synced the foot pod sensor to the treadmill that I usually run on. It only took a half mile to synch and once it was done the watch and treadmill were nearly spot on!

I ran 5 miles on the treadmill in about 46 minutes set a 6.5 mile pace. The synching process could not have been easier!

I love the Garmin Connect web site too! It us super easy to log on and the data and maps are awesome!

Thanks Garmin for making such a great product!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Monday

Well Monday is done. Got a nice treadmill run in today. Somewhere between 4.5 and 5 miles. My Garmin had me over the 5 mile mark in 45 minutes using the foot pod although I gave not calibrated it yet. The treadmill had me at 4.6 miles set at 6.5 mph for the whole 45 minutes. Either way it was a good Monday run.

Kathy and I took the dog on a nice 1.6 mile walk tonight. Of course the Gain came along on the walk. It was chilly but the fresh air felt great! Nice way to wind up a day.

3:50 out of Massapequa

My day begins early. 3:00 AM wake up. Out if door by 3:40. Quick half mile walk to the station and board the 3:50 LIRR train from Massapequa Park to Penn Station NY.

The train ride is always interesting. It is a fine collection of passengers including many union workers, some early rising professionals, a few drunks and me. Sometimes I sleep however never on Mondays for done reason.

Well now with the Blogger Mobile app I can blog before I read.

I can't wait for the treadmill run this morning. My tight able was a little stiff and sore this morning. Strange but I don't remember hurting it this weekend.

At least my mouth stopped hurting from the oral surgeon work on Thursday.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

A New Week

A new week begins! I plan to get in four 5 mile treadmill runs this week with a 7 miler outdoor run on Saturday.

I hate this time of the year in the gym. January brings the "resolution people" in the gym who eat up precious treadmill time! At least by February they will be gone. I hope to transition to outdoor runs during the week by March. Until then I have to strategically plan my running times for optimum treadmill availability.

Good night!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Winter That Wasn't (or hasn't been)

Ok. The oral surgeon told me to take a "couple days off from running" after she ripped my mouth apart on Thursday and cost me my Friday run.

Well yesterday it was almost 60 degrees here on Long Island! Ain't no way I missing out in running weather like that! So since the bleeding stopped I laced up my New Balances, strapped my Garmin on my wrist charged up the nano and headed out on a 6.5 mile run in 54:37. I burned off over 1100 calories and my average pace was 8:24 min/mi.

The run took me on the streets of Massapequa as well as the Massapequa Preserve.

I could not believe it was January! I am hoping the rest of the winter stays the sand way!

Dental Implant = No Running Friday!

So I am having a dental implant put in my mouth. On Thursday afternoon I had an appointment with my oral surgeon for "the uncovering" which is the last step before the crown. It is supposed to take about 10 minutes in the chair under a local anesthetic.

Well nothing goes easy for me. When she opened my gum she discovered that my jawbone had grown over the implant! She then proceeded to chisel and drill away my jawbone! Ouch! 10 minutes became 1 and 1/2 hours in the chair and 4 stitches with "no running for a couple of days" warning on my way out the door.

Do therefore Friday meant missing work ANC resting! Boo! I god go to the movies within my wife and her mom while the kids were in school. We saw "Young Adult". Decent movie but a sad story! It just didn't take my mind off missing my Friday run!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

A Running I Will Go!

Welcome 2012.

My name is Mike and I am 41 years old currently living here on Long Island, NY

With a new year comes this resurrected blog which I have started and stopped so many times. I really want to keep it going this time and I vow to do it!

I sat down yesterday and began planning my 2012 running calendar. My running aspirations for 2012 is two half marathons and my first full marathon along with 5K's sprinkled in here and there.

I have already run three half marathons. I took time off last year from running to recuperate from a torn glute muscle that occurred while training for what would have been my first full marathon.

I will be running the Long Island Half Marathon on May 6th 2012. The other half marathon is "up in the air". I would love to run the "Marine Corps Historic Half" in Fredricksburg, VA but it is during soccer season (which I am a coach) and I will already be missing a game for the LI Half. Therefore I will be looking for one in June/July.

On my calendar is the Long Beach "Snowball" 4 Miler on February 11th. I was perusing www.runningintheusa.com which is a fantastic site that lists races all over America.

On March 7th I plan to register for the 2012 Marine Crops Marathon which will be my first. Being a New Yorker I would love to run New York and I will. However I really want the Marine Corps Marathon to be my first!

Good run today on the treadmill. 5.06 miles in 44:09 according to my Garmin Forerunner 405 with foot pod.

I love my Garmin. I had been using Nike+ along with my Ipod since I began running in 2008. For the last year I had been using my Ipod Touch along with the Nike+ to record my runs after my original Nano broke.

Then for Christmas this year my wonderful wife Kathy got me the Forerunner and a new 6th Generation Ipod Nano which weighs next to nothing!! I've put them to very good use and am so excited for the rest of the years runs!

Hope you check back and check in on me here.

Mike