10K - 42:59
certified course
8:03 AM 73° 85% 13 mph
My Six-Word Race Report
No rhythm; tough, rural; Masters' winner
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Suddenly Things Seem Better!
Okay, first the bad news ... My official time was 42:59 which means I was 19 seconds behind my goal.
The good news is that I won the Masters Division. This was a surprise. I actually took 4th place overall but the guys ahead of me were all under 40. The other guy in front of me who I'm sure is over 40 turned at the 5K turnaround. I had just figured he was so far ahead of me in the 10K that I couldn't see him.
This was a fun race in a beautiful setting. The organizers had a down-home feel ... nothing like the seemingly professionally produced city races.
I am the Masters Champ (yes, I realize my time doesn't warrant champ status and that I'm probably not in shape to hit my goal in Ogden ... But for now, don't mess with me because I'm a champion!)
Tough Run
Unofficially I missed my overall goal ... by 6 seconds. 42:46 vs. 42:40
I was a tough run on a beautiful course. I was hoping I would have felt better. I'm probably not where I should be right now.
I think I took 5th place overall. The bad news is that I think there were 3 guys in my age group ahead of me.
I'm in Orchard, Texas this morning for Pamela's Race/Walk. The drive out was an adventure ... I only got lost twice. But the drive through the country was nice. The event is on Dr. Denton Cooley's ranch.
I'm running the 10K and have the objective of running nice, even splits at 6:52, half marathon pace. This should give me a good idea of my fitness 3 weeks prior to the Ogden half marathon.
I'll be running in my new Nike Lunar Trainers.
Hope the check back in after the race with a good result.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Non-running Thoughts
I've been thinking about the current technology age we live in. Does it lead to attention deficit disorder? Is multitasking really a myth? How is it possible to focus on two things at once? Grammar, capitalization, and other "rules" have lost meaning in this age of texting, Twittering, and other immediate, short communication forms.
With this background, consider the legend that says Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Obviously there's a reason Hemingway was Hemingway!
I must be thinking about this a lot because I woke up with the following six-word story in my head: "Gardening and life = weeding and feeding." Not quite Hemingway-esque, I know. I have also taken liberty by using the equal sign.
I think I'll try a six-word race report after tomorrow's effort.
With this background, consider the legend that says Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Obviously there's a reason Hemingway was Hemingway!
I must be thinking about this a lot because I woke up with the following six-word story in my head: "Gardening and life = weeding and feeding." Not quite Hemingway-esque, I know. I have also taken liberty by using the equal sign.
I think I'll try a six-word race report after tomorrow's effort.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Takin' a Test Drive
OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 8:09
ACHIEVED
6:14 mi.@ 8:14
5:16 AM 56° 77% 6 mph
Some of you know I'm not a "Nike guy". This happened a long time ago when I was in an anti-consumerism phase. Yes, it was me who would black out the ubiquitous Nike swoosh on my baseball and softball cleats. I also resentfully wore Nikes for basketball. Later, I just evolved from wearing Nike altogether. The problem has always been that Nike makes good products that usually somehow feel and fit better than others and last longer. Why do they have to pay their celebrity-athlete endorsers so much? Okay, I'm not going down that path .... Neither you nor I have time for it right now.
I'll have to admit that I'm most likely a victim of slick advertising and promotion. Yes, I bought a pair of Nike Lunar Trainers. They look good and they're light. They seem fast. My new pair was delivered yesterday so this morning was their maiden voyage.
They were okay but I'm a bit underwhelmed. Perhaps it was my expectation that Pegasus' wings would sprout from the shoes and I would literally be flying in them. No such luck. They have a different feel to them. It seems my foot is at a different angle wearing them. This in turn tilts my knees inward. All of this is very subtle and I'm sure I'm not describing it very well.
Anyway the jury is still out .... I plan to race in them on Saturday.
My legs are still sluggish and I'm generally feeling flat. Today's run was ho-hum.
Did you see who won the Boston Marathon yesterday? It was Deriba Merga of Ethiopia. Yes, if you read my entry yesterday, you know I correctly picked the winner. I first became aware of Merga watching the Olympics last summer. He ran a courageous race in tough conditions. Entering the Bird's Nest with a little over 400 meters to go, he was comfortably in third position; a bronze medal within his grasp. A crazy thing happened on the backstretch of the track. It was as if he literally seized up. He was still moving but barely; it seemed. Suddenly his countryman appeared on the track and just reeled him in like he was standing still. It wasn't like his teammate had some daunting kick. It was more like Merga's gas tank was empty within sight of the finish line. It was almost surreal to watch the drama play out. He finished an agonizing fourth.
I was happy to see Merga come to Houston for January's marathon, which he won. He had also run very strong in a few intervening races at shorter distances. I was happy to see that he won in Boston yesterday.
Ryan Hall blistered the first 10K of the marathon but may have used too much too early. He finished third.
On the women's side, American hopeful, Kara Goucher, finished third. (Yes, I picked her to win.)
I really believe the expectations heaped upon Kara and Ryan were very unrealistic and probably unfair. Both the women's and men's field were world class with a dozen legitimate contenders in each race. But it all comes back to marketing, doesn't it? I started this entry on a consumerism rant. Let me conclude there as well.
Ryan wears Asics ... prominently. Kara runs in Nike. They're everywhere ... the covers of running magazines, websites, etc. etc. The expectations were pushed disproportionately as the purveyors of goods vie for our attention and dollars. It's enough to make me sick.
Oh, I forgot to mention I picked up 4 pair of Asics socks on a whim while trying on shoes last week. How is it that I walked in the store with my only intention to try on shoes and walked out after dropping $26 on socks? ... damn you, Ryan Hall!
PRE RUN
corn Chex w/1% milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk
6 mi.@ 8:09
ACHIEVED
6:14 mi.@ 8:14
5:16 AM 56° 77% 6 mph
Some of you know I'm not a "Nike guy". This happened a long time ago when I was in an anti-consumerism phase. Yes, it was me who would black out the ubiquitous Nike swoosh on my baseball and softball cleats. I also resentfully wore Nikes for basketball. Later, I just evolved from wearing Nike altogether. The problem has always been that Nike makes good products that usually somehow feel and fit better than others and last longer. Why do they have to pay their celebrity-athlete endorsers so much? Okay, I'm not going down that path .... Neither you nor I have time for it right now.
I'll have to admit that I'm most likely a victim of slick advertising and promotion. Yes, I bought a pair of Nike Lunar Trainers. They look good and they're light. They seem fast. My new pair was delivered yesterday so this morning was their maiden voyage.
They were okay but I'm a bit underwhelmed. Perhaps it was my expectation that Pegasus' wings would sprout from the shoes and I would literally be flying in them. No such luck. They have a different feel to them. It seems my foot is at a different angle wearing them. This in turn tilts my knees inward. All of this is very subtle and I'm sure I'm not describing it very well.
Anyway the jury is still out .... I plan to race in them on Saturday.
My legs are still sluggish and I'm generally feeling flat. Today's run was ho-hum.
Did you see who won the Boston Marathon yesterday? It was Deriba Merga of Ethiopia. Yes, if you read my entry yesterday, you know I correctly picked the winner. I first became aware of Merga watching the Olympics last summer. He ran a courageous race in tough conditions. Entering the Bird's Nest with a little over 400 meters to go, he was comfortably in third position; a bronze medal within his grasp. A crazy thing happened on the backstretch of the track. It was as if he literally seized up. He was still moving but barely; it seemed. Suddenly his countryman appeared on the track and just reeled him in like he was standing still. It wasn't like his teammate had some daunting kick. It was more like Merga's gas tank was empty within sight of the finish line. It was almost surreal to watch the drama play out. He finished an agonizing fourth.
I was happy to see Merga come to Houston for January's marathon, which he won. He had also run very strong in a few intervening races at shorter distances. I was happy to see that he won in Boston yesterday.
Ryan Hall blistered the first 10K of the marathon but may have used too much too early. He finished third.
On the women's side, American hopeful, Kara Goucher, finished third. (Yes, I picked her to win.)
I really believe the expectations heaped upon Kara and Ryan were very unrealistic and probably unfair. Both the women's and men's field were world class with a dozen legitimate contenders in each race. But it all comes back to marketing, doesn't it? I started this entry on a consumerism rant. Let me conclude there as well.
Ryan wears Asics ... prominently. Kara runs in Nike. They're everywhere ... the covers of running magazines, websites, etc. etc. The expectations were pushed disproportionately as the purveyors of goods vie for our attention and dollars. It's enough to make me sick.
Oh, I forgot to mention I picked up 4 pair of Asics socks on a whim while trying on shoes last week. How is it that I walked in the store with my only intention to try on shoes and walked out after dropping $26 on socks? ... damn you, Ryan Hall!
PRE RUN
corn Chex w/1% milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk
Look What Arrived by Delivery!
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A pair of these were waiting for me at the house when I got home last night. Yes, this is a case of if-you-can't-run-fast-at-least-"look"-fast. I'm taking them out for 6 miles right now. Are they really on? They only weigh 8.8 ounces!
Monday, April 20, 2009
No Pep in My Step
OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 8:09/
6 mi.@ 8:09/
ACHIEVED
6.19 mi.@ 8:21/
5:40 AM 56F 75% 5 mph
I really had a tough time getting it going this morning. Not so much
getting out and actually starting the run but moving my body forward
once I was on the road. I didn't think yesterday's run took that much
out of me but I felt pretty beat this morning. It may be that after
running yesterday I immediately went to church and sat for three hours
straight; probably not the best post run activity ... physically.
I've made a modification to this week's schedule. This is a pull-back
week which comes at a really good time. Both mileage and intensity are
reduced. However, instead of an easy 6-miler on Saturday, I'm
tentatively planning to run a 10K in Orchard, Texas. My objective will
be to run it as an even tempo run at my goal half marathon pace. This
should give me a good idea of where I stand fitness-wise with three
weeks to go before the half.
The Boston Marathon goes off this morning. It's not being televised on
my satellite provider so I'll be tuning in online to see how Ryan Hall
and Kara Goucher run. For the record, I think they'll both run well. I
don't think Hall will win. I think it will be Deriba (sp???). Kara's
got a shot but the women's field is loaded too. I'll go out on a limb
and predict victory for her.
PRE RUN
weight 160.5
nothing
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Long Run Delayed
OBJECTIVE
11 mi.@ 8:09
11 mi.@ 8:09
ACHIEVED
11.51 mi.@ 8:05
7:56 AM 67° 90% 9 mph
Long, solo run from the Y after getting rained out yesterday.
PRE RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin, 4-grain cereal w/1% milk & 2 slices whole wheat bread (1 honey & 1 cinnamon sugar)
Apr 19 – 25 Training Schedule
Sun: Rest
Mon: Easy 6 mi.@ 8:09
Tue: Easy 6 mi.@ 8:09
Wed: Easy 5 mi.@ 8:09
Thu: Easy 5 mi.@ 8:09
Fri: Rest
Sat: Easy 5 mi.@ 8:09
Mon: Easy 6 mi.@ 8:09
Tue: Easy 6 mi.@ 8:09
Wed: Easy 5 mi.@ 8:09
Thu: Easy 5 mi.@ 8:09
Fri: Rest
Sat: Easy 5 mi.@ 8:09
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