Hey...

...how ya doin? I'm good. Quick update as my stoke is back on. I went running in the Wiss. at 5:30 am Sunday morning. The ambient light from the city was so strong from the low cloud cover that I was able to run without my lights. I ran in the dark for 2 hours, 10 miles! First 5 miles were pure trailrunning, easy fun. 7.5 -10 were harder and pushing it. After I recover, I should be good for the same next weekend, MAYBE an extra mile or two. My left achilles and back of left knee were hurting by the end of the run and killed me today a day later. I ran 2.75 miles barefoot today with 1 mile barefoot on the trails, my first barefoot trail run. Fun!
Two fun days of instinctive running. I'm going to stick with the easy running and let my body adapt to the increase demand for oxygen, again, letting the distance and the incline govern my pace, walking when necessary. Having fun, kicking ass. Gotta get this tendonitis under control however.

Once again....

I lost my focus and it played out in my running. I keep going on the Mark's Daily Apple sight and getting convinced that aerobic exercise and carbs are bad. I then go into a paleo eating stlye combined with some strenght activity. I truly love the weights and always look and feel better from lifting. I probably need to combine the two, but that contradicts the low hr training advocated by Van Aaken and Maffetone and Mittleman. After poking around on some trail race websites, I got my stoke back and went for a run. No hr monitor, no ipod, just a stopwatch and my body. I ran 9:30/mile for 5 miles. Better than my 10:00/mile run two days ago though. Felt better. I need to remember why I run-to simplify and not obsess about exercise, to be equipped to do the fun races I want to do, to commune with God through the creation, to catch relfections of his glory there, to stay fit, to have fun. My hobbies continue to occupy more of my interests and time as a primary passion instead of as a hobby. Lord, help me to love and serve you and not things, whehter they be activities or experiences, or identities.
I'm going to start ramping up my long runs so I can do the races I am wanting to do this year. The tendonitis I acquired is still there in my left foot but less so after a week off from longer running. I will have to up mileage slowly. I think I will stick with the slower running too, trying to keep a consistently slow pace. Drop the flab too due to the evening drinking. Drop the drinking for overall health and fast to drop the weight. Do the calisthenics and the guru's be damned.

EDIT: Today is the next day, I think. I don't remeber if I did this post yesterday or the day before. Anyway, yesterday I meant to go for an easy run and ended up hammering it on the hills in the Wissahickon. Ended up doing 4 miles in 45:00. Real nice. Felt high driving to CCEF following my run. I figure I'll just run, like the old runners used to do before hr training and such. I'll run easy, but I'm not going to walk anymore, just slow down when I have to. I'll listen to my body. Today, my right calf is tweaked/tight so I'm going to do my long run tomorrow morning or tonight, probably tomorrow as I'm supposed to go out tonight and see Andy and his friends with Julie.