51 Marathons, 50 States + DC ((71 Days til #4 NOLA)) -- Comments Welcome!

[gotrojansgo]

First off, I want to thank everyone for their never ending support, because it's your words of encouragement that keep me writing and keep me running. There are days when I often wonder if a) I'm crazy or b) if this is even worth it, but I'm so happy that I have such an awesome DIS support system to help me through the peaks and valleys of life and of this crazy journey.

Back to today, where I had a slight panic moment because I realized that in one week, I'll have marathon #3 under my belt! I never thought that I'd be turning 22 and have already run three marathons in three different states--the feeling is very surreal.

With that said, I'm really nervous about my preparation for Minneapolis. I was supposed to run 8 miles today but I was experiencing some major cramping, so I only eked out just short of 5. I felt really good when I was running the Disneyland half, but that was a half, not a full, and I wasn't traveling so far to do it. I'm also concerned because I was expecting a cooler start, but the start is at 8:00 AM, after the sun has already started to rise. The high is supposed to be 70 degrees...what do I wear?

I know I have a week to prepare, but being a producer, I like to plan ahead...then do everything at the last minute ::lol::.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Tomorrow: 6 mile run

 

[gotrojansgo]

Today was one of those days where you felt like something was wrong, so you knew you had to stop. There was a point when I was running (around a track, no less, which didn't help me concentrate on everything else but running) when my shins really started to hurt and my right calf was cramping, and it was a twinging pain. Now normally, I'm one to run through that pain, but something told me that this was a different kind of pain, so I walked to a stop.

I only made it roughly 2.5/6 miles today, but I'm still feeling good that I was able to fit in something today. You know when you make a lot of effort to plan ahead in the morning, but usually plans fall apart by later in the day? Well, I'm proud to say that I followed through on the plan at least, and even though I didn't make it the full distance, I did some upper body work, too, so I felt like it'd be worth it.

Not going to lie, I'm a little concerned about these pains and the race coming up on Sunday, but I'm hoping that as the week goes on, I'll be able to find a more comfortable stride as I wind down the miles.

Tomorrow: 5 mile run

 

[gotrojansgo]

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Quick entry because it's late and I should go to bed, even though I can't get to sleep, haha. Tomorrow's the big day!! I finished my 3 mile run today, I'm all carbed up and I'm ready to go. 4:20, here I come!

I'll let everyone know how I did tomorrow . Follow me on Twitter at @DavidMcAlpine and you can get musings/comments before/after Twin Cities.

Woooooooooooooo 26.2!

 

[gotrojansgo]

Another hiatus...another month, haha. Things have been absolutely crazy in my life, and I think it's safe to say that it's been quite a rough end to 2011. A recap:

-I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in early October, at the beginning of which I was feeling great. I was keeping up with the 4:15 pace group even after stopping at the bathroom before mile 1 (yes, I'm a nervous runner that way...always stopping to pee before the first 5K )! The race started at 8:30, which was a relatively late start, so I was glad I got to sleep in a little (though not so happy when the hotel restaurant that said they'd be open for marathon runners in the morning wasn't and I had to force the front desk to call up there and have them let me in), and it was a beautiful day for a race. My pace holder even had me hold the balloon stick because she had to dip off to the bathroom! All in all, I thought I was going to cruise to a 4:15 finish. However, at the water station at Mile 17, I got a shooting pain in my right leg, and 30 seconds later I was down on the ground, unable to get up. It was upsetting to see everyone passing me, but at the same time I just wanted to get up and finish--and apparently I wasn't the only one. The day had heated up to around 80 degrees and people were seizing up left and right. I finished in just over 4:40, which was disappointing, but I've since taken it as a setback and a reminder that I need to train harder with a more realistic goal in mind.

-My dating life has been all over the place and, to say the least, disheartening. After going on several blind dates and being set up a few times, I started to lose hope--and the need--of getting a boyfriend. I look back on it and I ask myself how I could have been so stupid, but one thing that I've learned to do this year is try to give myself a little bit of a break every once in a while. I'm young, I'm growing, and I'm learning more about myself and others--and if guys want to continue screwing me over, then so be it. :lol: I spent many days at the end of this year in my bed, upset over things that I can't control, rather than focusing on things that I can, and I really let it get me down. I didn't see my friends, I didn't focus on school as much as I should have, and I really took a hit in the self-esteem department. I know that LA is not the place for me, and as much as it sucks now, I'll be gone in 6-7 months and onto somewhere new, so I need to see the positive side of things. And as much as it's no fun to go to bed alone every night or not have someone to text when you're feeling lonely, the world is going to work its magic, and I need to sit back and see what happens.

-(CAUTION: Parents may want to close their ears on this one...I have a couple friends who are parents who got really upset with me for talking to them about this.) My parents' relationship with me has really gone downhill, to the point where I think I've determined that I don't want them to be a part of my life anymore. It was stretched to the brink when they came out to LA for parents' weekend and continued to argue over every little thing, because neither of them are willing to give in (they've been divorced for 10 years and this is only the third time they've been in the same room since). Once of those topics happened to be my graduation this May, which I know is going to be a mess logistically between those two. Well, such conversations led into in an explosive argument that ended in me telling them not to come to my graduation, because it's my day and I don't want them ruining it with their own plans. Oops.
Fast forward to this week, where I forced to split the week between my parents, 4 days with my dad in Aruba, and 4 days with my mom at WDW. According to my mom, I'm an awful son because I couldn't get two weeks off of work (sorry, that's not the way it works in the news business), and my dad managed to bring his 23 year old girlfriend with him on the trip without telling me. Again, arguments ensued that involved me being silent most of this trip, because I really have had it. I'm tired of my mom being so set in her ways and not willing to change to adapt to any kind of relationship that she wants to have with me. Everything is about her, everything is always her way, and everything that she does is always right. Meanwhile, my dad is just a pathetic ******* who really can't do anything but work and tell me how much he wished I had a real job. I almost (almost) dropped the bomb on them that I was gay and that I never wanted to see them again, including graduation, but then I realized I was just going to be as petty as they were, and I've since realized that graduation is (as much as I hate to admit it) their day just as much as it is mine. I have my whole life to be independent and not have to deal with them, so in the grand scheme of things, 6 months is not that much longer to go.

Sorry if that sounded muttled or disorganized, but I just needed to get some of that out. ANYWAY, what's better than reflecting on the past is looking ahead to the new year. So, some running goals that I have:

1. Keep a running log every time I run.
2. Run at least two marathons this year.
3. Run a marathon in under 4:10:00.
3.5. Keep this blog updated!! goodvibes)

I've learned a lot about manageable goals, and tangible ones, and I think that setting these three solid goals are enough to get me jump started for a great 2012. Including running this in March of course...

That's right, I'm back on the bandwagon and I'll be headed down to NOLA in just over two months to run the 4th out of 51 on my list. Just because I've hit a couple speed bumps on the way doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who has been reading my journal over the past year and a half, it's been a great journey--but we should all be looking ahead to what's to come. Because personally, I know I can't wait.

Merry Christmas everyone!! (and Happy Holidays to everyone else )

 

[gotrojansgo]

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

So far, so good with the week! I hit a little bump in the road on Monday, but so far I've been striving to make little goals throughout the day (like when I'm lost in Target amidst hundreds of day-after-Christmas shoppers at 1:45 and I make a goal to be home at 2:30) and meeting them (or almost). I'm finding that I've become much more flexible in my scheduling and as long as I'm constantly evaluating what I need to get done for the rest of the week and making sure that no day is too piled with things to do, I'm going to be on track for success.

Another minor bump in the road: I think I lost my Nike+ chip for my iPod in Florida (and by lost, I mean left it in the room in the rush to get out the door when we left), so I've been going at it based on what I remember the mileage to be and mapmyrun.com. The plus side is that I've been wanting to get a Garmin watch for a while and I've been teetering on it...well I think this is a sign that I need to get one . Anyone have any suggestions?

Other than that, today was a solid 5 mile run, around a 10:00/mi pace guessing by the time I left and came back. I have a sore throat and a cold (no thanks to the hours of flying I did over the holidays), but I'm not letting it stop me for my training. One, I'm dedicated to being the best-looking person in whatever workplace I get hired in when I graduate, because I'm tired of being looked at as the nice one and the friend. For once, I want my time, and I know I have the chance to do it. Two, I'm going to Miami in 2 days for NYE and I have to look good in the little bathing suit my friend forced me to pick out! This past week in Orlando was the first time I've been shirtless in public in probably 8-10 years, so it was a big step for me.

Tomorrow: speed workout

 

[gotrojansgo]

January 5, 2012

Distance: 8 mile pace run

So today wasn't quite a pace run, but it was a foundation run that made me feel really good about my training so far. First of all, I kind of opted to do it while I was out (just after I got a cavity filled), so half of my face was numb from novocaine. Second, I ran the whole thing without my Nike+ pod (I left the chip in Florida), and without any pacing device period, so I was going on what I thought was 8 miles (I knew it was a three mile loop) and what I thought was around a 10:00/mile. I think the independence of the run really helped me with my confidence, because I felt like I'd learned something over the course of my training.

I was so proud of myself when I finished because I've been holding strong for my 2012 goal of a flat stomach, and I've been hitting all of my goals.

I even pushed myself to go on a date that I didn't want to go on, and it went semi-ok. I think the conversation was a little forced, and I'm kind of disappointed that he hasn't texted me since, but I'm not letting it get me down. That's the goal: positive thoughts, no toxicity. My mantra is coming through loud and clear this year: no more toxicity. And even though we're only 5 days into the new year, I can feel it already.

 

[gotrojansgo]

Monday, January 9, 2012

Distance: 8 mile run

Alright, so today was a little shortened because I kept pushing my workout back and back and back, and I didn't want to keep my gym buddy waiting (yes, I'm doing two-a-days!!), so I had to shorten it to 6-ish miles. I was hitting some serious pace goals (around 8:45/mile if I was calculating correctly) and I'm feeling really light on my feet.

I think the best feeling is that I've been working out so often, so consecutively and I'm still able to meet my distances every single day. That's what's really uplifting, because I'm feeling myself growing. I can feel myself getting stronger every day, and it's that push, that drive that's really getting me through every single workout.

Things are ramping up...awards season starts on Wednesday eeeek! This week is going to be the ultimate factor. Slightly dreading it.

Tomorrow: Strength workout

 

[gotrojansgo]

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Distance: 3 miles of speed intervals

Today was no doubt a trying day, because it really started to test my limits. I came into the new year telling myself I was going to exercise twice a day, that I was going to do cardio and strength training, etc., and now that work has really ramped up and school has started and I want to have a social life again..well, let's just say it's getting ugh harder to fit all of that workout time in! It almost makes me want to go back to the part during the break when no one was around. *Almost*

Alas, I can't, so I'm learning to roll with the punches. Like today, I was supposed to do 6x800m intervals, and then I told my gym buddy I'd meet up with him and we'd go to the gym. However, because of all the (completely unnecessary) primary election coverage, I was running late. So, instead of hold up him, I was proud of the fact that I sucked it up and did only 4 intervals. I still felt like I got a good workout, I was able to stretch after, and I met him on time. Even better, I'm not doing what I said I would do with respect to running in the morning and lifting at night, but I'm adapting and going with the flow.

The best part about it is that I know the David 4 years ago wouldn't have been able to do that. I was so set in my ways and if I missed a workout window by 60 seconds I would have skipped it all together because I would have been too discouraged. That's because I saw working out as a punishment or an obligation--something that I had to do. Now, I feel so lucky that I'm able to see it as a reward for my body, that I'm doing something to feel better, to look better, etc. and that it's a privilege that I can still run and jump and lift weights and that I should enjoy it while I can. That's the kind of positive outlook I'm hoping I can hold onto throughout this year.

Tomorrow: yoga!

 

[gotrojansgo]

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Distance: 3 miles

So today was supposed to be 8 miles, but I went jogging with my friend who just went through 2 ACL surgeries, so we just did one loop around the Rose Bowl, which was 3 miles. It was easy, but it was fun! I really enjoy working out with someone, which kind of surprises me. I used to find strength in working out alone knowing that I was improving my body and making myself look better, but I underestimated the support that someone else can provide, you know?

My friend Kyle has been pushing me to go to the gym, too, because we have the same goals: we want to look good in a swimsuit, we want to feel confident in a weight room, and we're looking for a boost in self-esteem. I never thought how much drive I could get from someone who wants to go to the gym with me, but it's really been helping! I've already worked out more days in January than I did in November and December combined! Sad, I know, but it feels like a kick start to the year.

Tomorrow begins the madness that is the Golden Globes, so here's to hoping I can at least get in some miles!

Tomorrow: 16 mile run