And now, for something completely different...

After completing ten 30 minute runs (actually eleven, including that extra one I did for the t-shirt challenge), today was time for something new: 29 minutes. Yes, 1 minute less than I had been doing for almost the last three weeks. Whatever, I'm just working the program. 2.99 miles at 9:43/mile.

In more exciting news, I took advantage of the last day of early registration for the 2010 P.F. Chang's Rock 'N Roll Arizona Half-Marathon. I am now officially registered and committed. I just have to increase my endurance more than four-fold.

What's another mile?

I did the last of the long stretch of 30 minute runs in the One Hour Runner program this morning, and then some. I set off on my run and had been cruising along for about a mile when I realized that I never heard the "5 minutes completed" notification from Nike+. I hit the button on my iPhone, which usually gives me time, distance and pace information, and got nothing. I finally pulled it out of my armband and found that I had been running for 8:36 without recording any distance. Rargh. So, I did the obvious thing, which was start the 30 minute run over again. 30 minutes later, I had run 3.11 miles, so today was probably a little over four miles.

A grim reminder to always carry ID

From this Tuesday's Arizona Republic:

Phoenix teen in critical condition after hit-run accident

by Erin Zlomek - Sept. 7, 2009 07:35 PM
The Arizona Republic

A teenager is in critical condition after he was struck by a hit-run-driver Labor Day morning.
The accident happened around 6:30 a.m. at 72nd Place just north of West McDowell Road in Phoenix. The teenager was on the east side of the street when a vehicle veered from the road and hit him.
The Phoenix Police Department is looking for tips that could lead to the driver's arrest. Officers also need help identifying the victim so that they can contact his family.
The victim is a Hispanic male in his late teens or early 20s. He is just under six feet tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He was wearing a white t-shirt, dark blue or black nylon shorts and Nike tennis shoes. He has a small scar on the left side of his chest, black hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information about the accident or know someone that fits the victim's description and is missing, call the police at 602-262-6151.

I usually stuff my driver's license into my armband with my iPod, but I know that in the effort to minimize their load, many runners and bikers don't carry any ID at all. Not a great idea.


I ran my regularly scheduled 30-minute run this morning, completing 3.18 miles at 9:27/mile. My knee was pretty sore afterword, so I applied RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) and it feels fine now. I started reading ChiRunning last night; I'm hoping it will help me work out some of the kinks in my form.

Running for T-Shirts

Nike decided to throw a T-Shirt Challenge, requiring all challengers to run at least one mile on three consecutive days. So, I decided to wedge a quick run in this morning between my regularly scheduled OHR runs. I felt pretty good when I left the house at about 5:40, so I set the iPod for a 5K run and set off. 28:23 later, I had set a new PB!

I have a new ritual. Every time I get back from a run and strip off my sweaty, stinky running clothes, I pull a fresh pair of shorts and shirt out of the drawer and lay them out on top of the dresser for the next run. My little way of telling myself that, yes, today's run is one little victory, but in a day or two I start all over again. I need more running clothes.

I got you, babe...

I ran W3D2 of One Hour Runner this morning. The 30 minute runs are getting easier, but kind of repetitive. I started this morning's run a little on the slow side but finished strong, cranking up the pace for the last couple of minutes. I'm starting to feel like I could run longer, but I want to stick to the program.

Wow, these shorts are snug!

It's been a few days since my last post, but I haven't forgotten about this blog, even though I'm fairly certain no one reads it.

I'm up to W3D1 of One Hour Runner, which is to say that I've done a bunch of 30 minute runs and still have a few to go before I start adding more distance. I backed off on the pace a bit, and that has seemed to help with achieving the daily goal. That and the fact that the weather has cooled slightly. I'd like to get my pace down under 9:30/mile, and I'm not far off from that now.

I went shopping at my favorite designer clothing store, Ross Dress for Less, and found two pairs of Champion running shorts for $6.99 and another pair of New Balance shorts for $8.99. This was really awesome because I had been running in long, unlined mesh basketball shorts from Target, and as my runs have gotten longer they've started to rub things in a bad way. I bought all three and didn't bother to try them on until I got home. The NB shorts seemed uncomfortably snug, but I figured I would lose a few pounds and fit into them later. It occurred to me this morning to look a bit more closely at the tag, and doing so confirmed my sudden suspicion that they were women's running shorts. So, Laurel gets a free pair of running shorts and I get a reminder that Ross isn't all that careful about which rack stuff ends up on in their stores.

Left Foot, Right Foot, Left Foot, Right Foot, Left Foot, Right Foot...

I went out and did a 30 minute run this morning, right on schedule. It was hot and humid and I just didn't feel like being out there, but I pushed on. Ended up setting a new PB for the 5K at 29:21. I know, that's not exactly world record pace, but it's an improvement for me.

This Nike commercial pretty much summed me up this morning: