Mike's First Post

Getting adjusted to my new schedule with class and what not so a routine has yet to start, but I am working myself back into running shape before embarking on "official" training that I will look for online.  My first running week I totaled 8 miles. over 4 runs. Zelda not digging the YMCA shortened a couple of them, but I am feeling good.  Herb is in town and a distraction, but Saturday I ran a quick 2 miles.  Not running as consistently as I would like yet with a few too many days off, but feeling good to be back in the swing of things.  My schedule should normalize after Tuesday of this week so I look to set up a nice routine around my schedule, Henry's, Megan's and Zelda's.
-Newhouse

EZ Run Setback

I knew to expect some setbacks along the way, but ALREADY?

Today was my easy run day. I showed up at the gym later than usual b/c last week we had to wait a while to get into the kids club. That day, the gym had cleared out when I was about 15 min. into my run. So, I went at the "cleared out" time today. The Kids Club was full and there was a 45 min. wait!

Okay, no gym today, so I thought I'd go use my new jogging stroller & run in the neighborhood. Alysse is letting me borrow it because it hasn't gotten much use at her house. I made a few minor repairs, and Paige & I were off. About 3 minutes into the run, I realize I've got two low tires and a pretty-much FLAT one on the back right. So, I jogged a mile with the flat-tire jog stoller. ;)

We decided to walk to the park. I was going to do some sprinting there by the playground while Paige played, but, it started raining on us! Just not my day for training today.

TOTAL MILES - about 1.1 - 12 min. jogging, about 15 min. walking

Maybe we'll have to try again tomorrow!

Jen

Our Long Runs This Week (Jen & Lewis)

Lewis & I did our long runs on the treadmill at the gym Fri. night. We needed to get them over-with since we were getting ready for Paige's party today.

Lewis ran 5 miles and said that's the furthest he's ever run. He ran at a 5.5 most of the time & said he felt good when he was done.

I ran 3.5 miles in 45:36. My plan is to do my long runs SLOWLY (which was kind of hard at some times). I also walked for 5 minutes at the end for a total of 3.75. This is the furthest I've ever gone. I felt great, but my left foot is hurting in my shoe. It's the top of my foot that's killing me. The tongue of the shoe feels weird. My toes feel like they're bunching up. My foot was hurting just after mile one & I just kept thinking I wish it would go numb so I couldn't feel it. The first thing I did when I got in the car was take my darn shoe & sock off....just on the left foot, though!

Lewis & I both got new socks & they seem to be working okay. They're just moisture-wicking socks, kind of thick. They seem to be doing okay for us.

TOTAL MILES THIS WEEK - 9 1/2

6 Mile Run

Ran 6 miles this morning in 55:43 (9:17/mile). I also ran 3 miles Thursday in 27:25 (9:08/mile). I was pushing it hard both runs because my knees were hurting, but more like fluid build-up or something. So, I took the advice of running hard to release the lactid acid in my legs to make them fresher the next day. Well, I ran hard Tuesday, and was sore Wednesday, but after running hard Thursday, my legs felt good the next day. 6 miles today wasn't so bad, except for my sock problem. I found good socks but they bunched a little in my toes and the seam kept hitting my ring toe on my right foot (is that what it's called?) No blister, but I need to watch that. Maybe i can mess with the seams or something or I may have to go after a third pair of socks to try. Anyway, the long run went well. It gets less grueling each time you run. Off to Paige's birthday party at the gymnastics place. I will try not to go nuts and injure myself. But, it's so fun. We'll see.

-Steven-

Socks and shoes

Cool calculator link. I have been using my watch for the long runs on Saturday, but not on my short runs during the week. Yesterday I ran 3 miles in my brand new Asics 2150s. And, ran in Thorlo Experia socks. Well, the shoes were great, but not sure about the socks. They have pads on the balls of the toes and heel, but thin on the arch. Felt weird and when I stopped running, they seemed to slide in my shoe. The big difference I saw in my shoe was the bounce or rebound from my stride. It is a stability shoe and I did notice a difference of more hugging of my arches. But, I was not convinced that these socks would be OK for more runs. So, I returned the other pairs to Sun and Ski Sports (they have a Buy one pair get one pair half off deal until Labor Day) and got Thorlo Thin Cushion Coolmax socks. They cover the arch and I walked the dog around the parking lot with them today and I think I may have a winner. I will be testing them out tomorrow on my 3 mile run. I am staying on my workout schedule. Just need to lock down all my running gear, because it's kind of driving me crazy. Here is my current schedule.

Tues = 3 mile run, 1.6 mile walk
Thur = 3 mile run, 1.6 mile walk
Sat = 6 mile run, 2 mile walk
Sun = Swimming Laps

-Steven-

A Schedule!

I think I've figured out a running schedule. I've been doing lots of searching online for the right program to meet my needs. I think I've got it down. 3 runs a week with at least one day of cross training.
Mon. - Easy Run
Wed. - "Tempo" Run
Thurs. - Walk or cross train
Sat. - Long Run

Since I have no idea what I'm doing, I've had to look up all of this running jargon. I think I finally, sort of get it (emphasis on "sort of"!).

I found this calculator http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm that lets you input your best time from a 5K, 10K, etc. and it will calculate the pace you should be running each type of run during the week. I ran my easy run on Monday MUCH slower than I have in the past & I felt great when I was done, but I still had a sense of accomplishment. We'll see if this works. Today is my "tempo" run, which doesn't sound as fun as that easy run, but hopefully this method will help in the overall scheme of things.

My overall plan is a tweaked version of Jeff Galloway's plan. I'll let you know how it's going!

Jen

3 Down, 10.1 To Go

Did my first "long" run on Saturday - 3 miles in 37:16. Not bad, but the heat is really killing me. It's going to take some time to adjust. I think I read somewhere that it takes 7-14 days for your body to acclimate to the heat. I also read on Jeff Galloway's website that you should run your long runs 30 sec. slower than your race pace for every 5 degrees over 60 degrees. That is some SLOW running in this heat!

Lewis' training has been on the treadmill during his work day. He's getting in the groove, too!

Good luck, teammates!!

Jen

Let's get it started!!

Thanks Steven for setting this up for us.  I think this is going to be a lot of fun for all of us.  I started running again about four years ago when a group of us at work signed up to run in a local Arts festival 5k fun run. At my best I was clocking 18-20 miles (total) for the week, but that has been many moons ago. I've been on a bit of a hiatus this last year (OK maybe a little longer), but I'm excited to get going again.  Having a team to run with is exactly what I need.  Anyways, I've started CrossFit last week and boy that's intense!! But my longest run has been to the mailbox.  So I see some need for improvement there....hahaha!  I've got the ipod loaded up and ready to go and my training schedule posted on the frig. I guess it's time to lace up, huh! BTW great shoes Steven, I'll be sporting ASICS Gel-Nimbus.

Gyn

How I Got Started in this Craziness! by Jen

Thanks, Steven for setting up this blog for us. I think it'll be cool to post our progress over the course of our training. I'm really excited about getting chosen for the half. A little over a year ago, when Steven asked Lewis & I to run a 5K with him I told him I wasn't a runner! He found us a 5K in Friendswood & I thought, "why not"? Lewis was a cross country runner in high school so I figured he'd be 'in', too. We started training September '09 & our first 5K was October '09.

I LOVED it! I loved the adrenaline I got on race day. I loved the crowd cheering us on along the way. I loved that I had no idea where I was headed next on the course, so I had to just keep running! My goal that day was to run better than a 45 min. 5K! I came in at 33:51. I was THRILLED! I had caught the bug & I was ready for my next race!

I ran 2 other 5Ks last year. Our 2nd was a BRUTAL Holiday Hustle in December. It had gotten postponed the week before due to temps. below 20 degrees! We Texans are just NOT used to those low temps! It wasn't much better the weekend we ran - nasty sloshy course, very damp day in just above freezing weather. Although, Steven did earn his first award - 1st place in his age group!! Yay, Steven. He worked HARD for that award!

A week after that December 5K, I ended up with what ended up being 6 weeks of walking pneumonia. Talk about a setback! It took a lot of mental blockage for me to get back into the swing of things again.

In April, I ran my 3rd 5K along with Taite who ran her first Kids-K. It was really an awesome day. I was proud of her to getting into this running 'buzz'. She did great. I wasn't thrilled with the amount of training I'd done for the race, but I ended up winning 3rd place in my age division! Yay. Ego booster that made me think I CAN do this! That's when I thought, "I'm doing the half marathon next year!"

And here we are, a year after we started this craziness. I'm excited & nervous all at the same time. Lewis has been doing great at the gym during the work week. We're just starting back up after a HOT summer off. We can do this! Go McMagsicles, go!

Greetings from the sweltering heat of Houston's summer.

Hello visitors. After officially being selected in the lottery, Jen had the idea to blog our progress as a group for our 01/30/2011 Houston Marathon training. Our group is called McMagsicles and it consists of
Full Marathon - Steven, Mike, and Billy
Half Marathon - Jen, Lewis, and Gyn

We are all excited and terrified about what we've gotten ourselves into. But, as for being excited, we want to make sure that we stay in touch with each other and make sure we are on track with our training. Accountability will be added motivation to our goals. I ran my first Half Marathon in April of this year and it was extremely fun and exhausting. It was so great seeing my wife, parents, Jen, Lewis, Taite, and Paige waiting for me and cheering for me at the finish line. Crossing that finish line makes all the hard work worth it. So, we have set our sights on January, and we are starting our training already. CUE ROCKY MUSIC. I bought new running shoes today (Asics 2150s for you running nerds), and joined a gym to swim laps and cycle for cross training. Hopefully, we can look back at this first post and see it as the start of our long journey, and not just wishful thinking. We appreciate everyone's support and look forward to sharing finisher photos with you in January. Til next time. -Steven-

Me, Jen, and Lewis after our first 5K run together 10/17/2009