Running During a Layover

Here's the short story:

6 miles @ 8:36 (51:40)


The longer version goes like this:

I got back home from the baseball trip Saturday but my dad and brother weren't able to get on flights from Houston to Salt Lake City throughout the day. In addition, Cameron and his friend needed to be in Provo to start BYU's cross country camp Monday morning. Dad and Larry finally made it out on a late flight Saturday night. Fortunately, I didn't have to fly with them to get them home. Cam and Rory weren't gong to make it unless I flew with them. So this morning we made a 7 am flight to SLC.

My dad picked them up and I stayed at the airport planning to get the next flight back to Houston. Unfortunately that flight was full so I now had a 4 hour wait for the next flight - which looked full too. I made a few calls to a hotel and gyms in the area. I had my shoes and running gear. I figured if I could find a place to get a shower I'd try to get some miles in somewhere close to the airport.

None of my ideas seemed to be a good logistical fit so I was about to give up on the idea when Paige called to get an update on my status. She suggested renting a car and driving to South Weber and running there. I know the area and I could shower at my parent's place. It was a great idea and that's what I did.

I was able to get 6 miles running from my parents place down South Weber Drive to the Motor Vu Drive in. I felt good and my pace was solid and constant. The temperature was warm at 87 but the humidity was a comfortable 23%. I did notice the altitude.

I had just enough time to shower, drive back to the airport, clear security, and take the last available seat back to Houston. I slept virtually the whole flight home.

The trip really screwed up my training for the week. I missed Wednesday's tempo run and Saturday's scheduled 16-miler. I'll have exert some extra discipline this week and be careful to focus on how I'm feeling as I get my training back on track.

Off Topic

Okay I know this is my running blog but I couldn't resist dropping a couple pictures from last week's baseball trip to Florida and Atlanta on the site. Call it my editorial prerogative!

Everyone knows Barry Bonds is on the verge of breaking the all-time home run record held by Hank Aaron. While at the Atlanta Braves game last Friday, I had my picture taken along with my dad and my son. Of course, Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium no longer exists. But they kept the section of fence the Aaron's 715th home run went over on April 8, 1974. That home run broke the long time record held by Babe Ruth.

I couple of items of easy baseball trivia.

Who caught Aaron's home run ball?

Who was the play-by-play announcer who called Aaron's 715th blast?

Too easy, right?

Braves pitcher, Tom House, caught Aaron's home run in the bull pen.

Hall of Fame broadcaster, Milo Hamilton, made the famous call.

Now for an abbreviated seven degrees of separation to tag on to the trivia.

House later became the workout training partner of former Astro and all-time great Nolan Ryan. Ryan attributes aspects of his remarkable longevity to techniques that House introduced him to. Of course, Ryan is from Alvin, Texas just south of Houston. In a truly ironic twist, House is one of the few former Major Leaguers to acknowledge that he used steroids during his playing days in the 70's.

Milo Hamilton is currently the Houston Astros radio play-by-play announcer. I don't think Milo has ever used steroids but occasionally wonder if he's on something! There are times when I can hear the fans going berserk over the radio but Milo isn't saying anything. Occasionally when he does say something, it's unclear what exactly he'd describing. I'm sure I was absolutely spoiled during my four year in Los Angeles listening to the absolute perfection of Vin Scully's radio broadcasts of Dodger games.

I'm not necessarily an Astros fan. I'm a die-hard Pirates supporter. And, yes, it's been a long, slow death! But mentioning the Pirates would circle my comments back to Bonds, who was once a Pirate. I loved skinny Bonds as a Pirate from 1986 - 1992. This period coincides with the last time the Pirates were a good team so I hold them as fond memories. However, my feelings for Bonds changed during Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS and the subsequent off season.

During the off season, he left Pittsburgh for San Francisco via free agency. (Not the first all-star to leave Pittsburgh!) But with a trip to the World Series on the line and within the grasp of the Pirates. Former Pirate Sid Bream is on second base for the Braves. Important fact - Sid Bream was wearing a knee brace at the time and he was a slow-footed first baseman without the brace. Braves no-name, pinch hitter Francisco Cabrera steps to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Bonds is in his usual left field position. Cabrera hits a hard line drive through the hole between short and third. Bream, the potential winning run, starts from second. Unbelievably, he doesn't even slow down at third base. Bonds, the all-everything superstar, is coming in on the ball in left. I'm thinking to myself, "If there's a play at the plate, it's not even going to be close." I was absolutely right. Bream was safe by a mile! Bonds throw was short and about 15 feet up the first baseline. From that very moment, Bonds dropped several notches in my mind. I also mentally placed the tag "overrated" on him.

In a few days, Bonds will break Aaron's record under a performance-enhancing drug cloud of suspicion. Should the commissioner be at the game? I don't know. The commissioner wasn't at the game when Aaron broke the record. Should Aaron be at the game? My personal opinion is no. My reasoning is simple. I remember watching Rickey Henderson break Lou Brock's all-time stolen base record on May 1, 1991. It was a great moment. Brock was in the stands. The game stopped. I'll never forget part of Henderson's speech. In part he said, "Lou Brock was the symbol of great base stealing. But today, I'm the greatest of all time." What an absolute jerk! Today's greats stand on the shoulders of those who went before them. However, it seems in today's egocentric, SportsCenter-driver environment, it has become very difficult to see this fact and acknowledge the past. Hank Aaron doesn't need to be sitting in the stands to watch Bond's relegate him to #2 on the all-time list of homerun hitters. He certainly doesn't need to be there to honor Bonds and I suspect receive little mention or respect himself.

Okay that's about enough baseball ranting. That's not what you're here for, right?

A Few More Pictures from the Trip

Dolphin Stadium, July 17, 2007




Former Cy-Falls High School phenom, Scott Kazmir




Former Jefferson Davis High School star, Carl Crawford




Cameron at St. Pete Beach




Tropicana Field, July 18, 2007



Larry got his name on the big scoreboard (shown above in right field) for winning a "game within the game".




Turner Field, July 20, 2007

Anything Gained in Gainesville?

Well, the vacation is underway. Cam and I got out of Houston for
Atlanta Sunday night. After missing 4 flights on standby Sunday, Dad
and Larry made it out of Salt Lake City early Monday morning.
Surprisingly, they made it on the Atlanta. Cam and I waited for their
2 pm arrival. Once they made it in we picked up the 12-person van and
started the drive to Miami. We stopped for dinner along the 5-hour
drive then got a room in Gainesville. That's about half way to Miami.

I woke up early and couldn't sleep so went out for a run. I planned
on 4 miles at an 8:57 pace. Of course, I had no idea where I was but
I did have my GPS and I asked a desk clerk if people run anywhere
around the area. He didn't hesitate to offer directions to a park
where "people run all the time". Not to generalize but it's probably
best to take running sugestions from people how at least look like
they run!

I followed what I thought were his directions - following a narrow but
quiet two lane road. At the end of the road was a trail. Could this
be the place the clerk mentioned? I took the trail. After a short
distance, it became clear this was not a public running area. My
curiousity and pace spurred me along. I was now in pretty heavy woods
running on a mostly overgrown, sandy path. I passed a swamp??? The
path finally came to a deadend at a small rundown house. Apparently I
was on a private driveway. I turned and retraced. Checked my Garmin
when I got back to the road and was surprised that I was around 8:30
pace ... maybe attributable to the fact I was expecting to see an
alligator or the creature from the Black Lagoon at any minute. I had
no concept of my pace. I was really expecting something between 9 and
10.

I worked in side streets on my way back to the hotel. Ended up with

5.2 miles @ 8:38

I really felt good this morning. There were too many things out of
the ordinary to know why I felt so good. Was it being in a car 5
hours yesteray? Was it last week's tapered training schedule? Was it
because I didn't

TRAINING SCHEDULE: July 16 - 22

Mon - Easy 4M @8:57
Wed - 6M including Tempo 4M @7:33
Sat - 16M @8:57


This week is going to be difficult since I'll be on vacation. It's the sometimes-annual "baseball trip" that I've been making with about 12 friends over the past seven years. This year we're stopping in Miami, Tampa, and Atlanta. The sole focus of the trips is baseball. If we're not at a field watching a game or batting practice (3 hours before the game starts), we're either on the road or sleeping. Occasionally we'll weave in a little side trip if there's a cultural or historical hot spot someone knows about but no side excursion ever gets in the way of the baseball activities. Anyway, it will be a little difficult to run but I'm packing my shoes and plan to at least get a few miles in somewhere along the way.

I'm scheduled to fly home on Saturday so the long run is in jeopardy but I hope to either run with Stephanie or some ChampionsFit stragglers on Sunday morning next week.

3 Miles Makeup + 2 Miles in advance = 5 Miles

Went out for 5 miles this morning. Yesterday's schedule called for 6 miles (at 9:02 pace) but I only got 3.1 (at 6:58 pace) at the race so I was short 3 miles. Tomorrow's schedule is for 4 miles (at 8:57 pace) and I'm not sure what the coming week is going to bring since I'll be vacationing in Florida and Georgia. So I figured I better makeup the 3 miles from yesterday and get at least a couple of tomorrow's miles today.

It rained a lot yesterday in the afternoon and overnight so I chose a road route to try to stay dry as best I could. I ran over to the high school baseball field than looped down through Meyer Park. My objective was to take the first and last mile slower as a warmup and cooldown but have my overall pace come in at 8:57.

Mile Splits

9:08
8:10
8:40
8:40
9:19

5 miles @ 8:47 (43:57)

Run the Woodlands 5K ... PR Redux ... ??!?!?!???!

Paige joined Cameron and me to Run The Woodlands 5K this morning. It was a fun morning since we went together. It was raining lightly but in the end that didn't bother any of us.

Official times have not been posted yet but the time called out as I crossed the line was 21:35 which matches my PR from July 4. I'll be watching for the official time to be posted later today or tomorrow.

Ironically between 1.5 and 2 miles, I essentially threw in the towel of trying to make a bid for pushing my best time. I just wasn't feeling it and the rain and the turns seemed to all be conspiring against me. I refocused my efforts on racing. That approach really didn't yield much since no one was pressing me and I really wasn't in reach of reeling anyone in. I think there was a guy tracking me and may have been looking for a battle to the finish. But I wasn't playing that game.

Entirely by accident, I experimented with a two-stage kick at the July 4 race. With the Garmin, I knew when there was exactly 1/2 mile remaining and just took off with everything I had ... for as long as I could (which wasn't all that long). But it allowed me to pass several people. When my speed dropped back down, I focused on holding my regular pace and recovering enough to kick it in with 200 - 300 meters remaining. This approach helped on July 4 so I applied it today. With half a mile left, I dropped the guy who was tracking me and didn't see him again. I got to a point where I saw 2 other runners ahead of me but that was when I was running out of gas at the end of my first burst. I wound it down to recover for the finish and tried to kick it back up to edge the guy in front of me at the end but had waited a little too long and didn't have enough gas in the tank to overtake him. I think he probably beat me by about 4 seconds. I ended up 9th overall which was nice to make it into the Top Ten. Of course, I realize this is a very small local race on a raining morning but it was nice to break into the that top tier.

I had intended to make a second loop to get some miles (scheduled for 6 today) but wasn't up to it. So I'll either go out tonight or sometime tomorrow to roll up a few miles to hit scheduled mileage.

ADDENDUM: What are the odds ...? The official times have been posted and I came in at 21:35. The exact same time as the July 4 Run Wild 5K. I go back to an earlier post about "finding another second out on the course" and having some courage to take a chance and go for it .... Frustrating that I was so close to putting up another PR and just missed it. I suppose it's promising that I didn't feel like I was running a very good race and still came in with the time that I did.

1/2 mile splits:

3:23
3:30 (6:53)
3:41
3:33 (7:14)
3:44
3:20 (7:04)
0:23

Another Easy 7 ... with Jonathan

Got out of the office around 7:15. I was happy to get a call from Jonathan as I was leaving. He ended up joining me at Memorial for a couple loops. It was very good to have someone to talk with while running tonight. He had already done a Kenyan Way workout this morning so it was quite impressive that he was rolling up miles with me tonight.

7 miles @ 9:04 (1:03:25)

7 Along Buffalo Bayou

Tried a new route tonight. I changed at the office and took the Buffalo Bayou trail up to Shepherd and back. I didn't realize there was as much change in terrain along the bayou. The trail was enjoyable. It was around sunset. There is a paved trail most of the way but wide grassy areas to run along the trail (which I did as much as I could). The recent rains had washed the trail in few places.

On my way out, I noticed people congregating at the Waugh Street bridge. The trail took me under the bridge. From the smell and the signs, I noted there was a bat colony under the bridge. They weren't too active yet. On my way back, more people had gathered ... "bat watchers" I suppose ... and the bats were much more active. Having not run along this route before, I wasn't sure of the protocol. The trail went right under the bridge. So I turned along an overpass and circled back to survey the situation. Decided with the bat activity, I was not running under the bridge. I know they most likely wouldn't bother me. I came back to the path, jumped off the trail, went over the bridge, and picked up the trail on the other side of the bridge. I was surprised at how many people had spread their blankets to watch. I wonder if that many people gather each night. Obviously the bats come out around that time every evening ....

I had some trouble with my new GPS watch. It didn't like the fact that I was running under bridges and around tall buildings downtown.

My pace was slower than I wanted but it's really tough to get it going on Monday's after Marsha (my personal trainer) just torches my legs at my morning session.

7.31 miles @ 9:18 (1:07:59)

It was a not-so-easy "easy run" as all of this week's runs are. I'm pulling the plug on the 10K in Lampasas this weekend. Bottom line is that it's a 3:45 drive and I've got to get ready for next week's vacation. I'm still trying to find an alternate race and my end up at the Woodlands 5K and just tack on additional 3 miles after the race.

TRAINING SCHEDULE: JULY 9 - 15

Mon - Easy 7 miles @ 9:02
Wed - Easy 7 miles @ 9:02
Sat - Easy 6 miles @ 9:02

This is a recovery week before ramping up the mileage.

Longest Run to Date

Rolled up 14 miles early this morning. Started with Bob, Anthony, and Gordon. Finished alone. Stayed with Bob until about 3 miles remaining when he pulled up his anchor (me) and finished strong. I, on the other hand, finished ... laboring. But the other two guys didn't catch me so somehow that feels good. We started at 5:30 am. The temperature was 75 and the humidity was 91% (I know I said earlier there wouldn't be any other weather reports. It's just so hard to neglect this important factual information.)

I think I'm getting stronger as we stretch out the runs. I need to analyze the times but at least that's the sensation I have. I was very happy to be done but was really struggling in the end. In an effort to avoid the last couple miles deteriorating into "garbage miles", I tried running 1/4 mile fast followed by 1/4 slow. Don't know how much it really helped time-wise but at least it was a little mental game to get me through to the end.

Here are my mile splits:

9:48
9:12
8:55
8:53
8:52
8:55
8:46
8:44
8:41
9:00
8:52
9:25
10:06
10:02

14 miles @ 9:09 (Total time = 2:08:11)


After the run ChampionsFit was holding it's formal registration and kickoff. Since I missed my wake up call and dashed out of the house to make our 5:30 start, I forgot my checkbook. I suppose I'll register online. Registration continues through next Saturday.

Tried new running fuel today. I have been drinking about 20 oz. water on the long runs and eating GU (either plain or chocolate). Last week, the GU seemed to just sit on my stomach. Today I tried mixing GU's powdered product with my water and ate Clif's blocks instead of GU. Frankly, I didn't notice anything good or bad today. Maybe that's a good sign. I plan to keep experimenting with fueling products until I figure out what's best for me.

Run Wild 5K Produces PR

Clocked a 21:35 at this morning's Run Wild 5K in Uptown Park. This shaves 24 seconds off my previous best. (Thanks to my new Garmin for giving me a clue as to where I was with pace and distance for the entire race. And special thanks to Stephanie who serendipitously happened to appear just before the 1 mile mark. She offered encouragement, support, and these wise words "Pace yourself, Cory." Having run with me at the Cinco de Mayo 5K, she knows my "fast start weakness" all too well! Thanks for the timely reminder, Stephanie!)

1/2 Mile Splits

3:19
3:22
3:27
3:35
3:34
3:25
0:52


... I'll have more on the race later ....

Jonathan also clocked a PR today.

Alternate Route for Easy 5

It has been raining a lot lately - including this morning. I decided not to go to Memorial Park. I figured part of it would be under water. I met Cameron at the Y on the way home and we started on my usual Saturday run route. The plan was out 2.5 miles and back. Cam has been sick and probably shouldn't have been trying to run today. He had no fuel in the tank so dropped off at 1.5 miles. I went out another mile and came back but he wasn't there. I thought he must have gone back to the car but was worried since he's not familiar with the neighborhoods in that area. He wasn't at the car. I drove the route in reverse and he was waiting at the point he originally dropped off. It was getting dark so I was glad he went back to that spot. He said after he stopped and I went on that he walked down the street. I'm still not sure how I missed him on the way back. I told him I'd be back in 20 minutes and later figured that I was probably back to where I left him in 18. Anyway everything turned out fine.

EASY 5 MILES

44:51 for 8:58 pace

mile splits
9:10
8:59
8:44
8:54
9:04


I'm considering running a July 4 5K on Wednesday in place of my scheduled tempo run.

Training Schedule: July 2 - 8

Mon. - Easy 5 miles @ 9:02
Wed. - Tempo 5 miles w/3 miles @ 7:34
Sat. - Long 14 miles @ 9:02

Tough 12

Put in 12 miles with Bob Bond this morning. We started at 6AM with ChampionsFit. I wouldn't have minded starting at 5:30.

Mile splits:

9:10
8:40
8:23
9:00
8:45
8:21
8:18
9:19
8:37
9:17
9:31
9:12

12 miles @ 8:53 (1:46:33)

Observations of note:

1st 5 miles - 43:58
2nd 5 miles - 43:52
I'm surprised by the consistency but happy to note it. Especially since it felt like I was really slowing. Of course, over the final 2 miles - I really did!

The overall time of 1:46:33 is very close to my Ogden half time of 1:46:09. Of course the distance today was 12 versus 13.1 in Ogden. But the conditions in Ogden were close to ideal - temperature, humidity, downhill, race situation. Compared to today's training run in more challenging weather. Maybe there's nothing to draw from this but somehow it seems to be a good thing ....

I'm not sure what my problem was but my stomach didn't feel good the last third. Yesterday I had a messed up eating routine (business lunch at Carrabba's - really overdid it!; evening church social - ultimately not sure what some of the stuff I ate there was but I'm sure it was more processed than usual; and this morning's breakfast was a lot more oatmeal than usual). I had about a third of a PowerBar before running and had GU three times along the run. I think I'm off the PowerBar's and I'm not convinced GU is the best choice for me either. I'll keep experimenting on long runs. After the run I felt worse and worse throughout the day. It may have just been dehydration.

I used moleskin on my blisters. That doesn't seem to be helping much. In fact, it almost seems like it promotes blisters. I stopped at FleetFeet this afternoon. I really wish I could remember my second choice for shoes back in March when I got the Mizuno Wave Rider 10's. It was very close between which ones I liked best and I even thought that I'd try the "second place" shoes when I got new ones. But I now have no idea what the "second place" shoes were. I tried three pairs today but it was hard to tell since my feet were sore from this morning's run and the blisters were large and screaming. I'll probably go back later this week when they calm down a bit. I've got my eye on Asics Cumulus 9's.

Speedwork @ KHS

Cameron and I ran over to the Klein High to get some speed work tonight.

1600 7:12
800 jog
1600 7:14

I'm not convinced my times are correct. I was using a new watch tonight and didn't exactly know how to use it properly. Still got my work in.

Visited with a podiatrist on Tuesday. No big revelations there. I've got mild bone spurs and "twisted" (my term rather than a medical term) toes that seem to be creating the blisters. I'll just try a bunch of different remedies to deal with it until I find something that works.

The Idiosyncrasies of Athletic Performance

Uncharacteristically, I was able to let my mind wander for a short time while running tonight. Usually I can't get away from "running numbers" and "doing math" while running. But for a stretch tonight I pondered what makes for that "feel good" day. Everyone who's ever competed or played a sport knows about this phenomenon. There are days when you just "feel good". Those are the days you hit two home runs in a game (Strawberry Days tournament, Pleasant Grove, Utah circa 1992) or just go off for 20+ points in a big game (Mt. Ogden Regional Explorer Olympics Championship, circa 1984). Oftentimes they're days never to a recaptured but only continue to live in the memory. In my running experience these "feel good" days occur but, different from other experiences, it seems they can be repeated. I don't know how to describe it or predict it. It's kind of like the Supreme Court ... I just know it when I see it .... Or feel it in this case. I've had a couple of these days over the past four months of running. Ironically the Feelin' Good 5K on St. Patrick's Day. I did feel good! Oddly, I didn't run some incredible time that day but I felt great. I felt strong and smooth (although photos from the event make it look like I'm a middle-aged, middle-of-the-pack guy who may die soon!).

The other event was the Ogden Half Marathon. I didn't realize this one right off but after two miles, I knew it was a good day. After four miles, I was still feeling good. Somehow that feeling breeds confidence. As the miles ticked by and I found I was holding an 8 minute per mile pace, I was thrilled. Of course, at mile 9 the realities of the situation hit me and it became much more difficult. I didn't finish as strong as I would have liked but it was good. After the race, I felt much better than I anticipated and I was pleased with the accomplishment and effort.

Okay so what's the point? I don't know. My thought is that there is a secret and very delicate formula to achieving those "feel good" days. I'm sure it has to do with nutrition, rest, and training. There are most likely several other contributors. When each of these elements are mixed in the near-perfect ratio, the result is a "feel good" day.

So did I have one of these days today? No. But it seems I've had some near-misses along the way. There've been days of training and racing where I've felt "pretty good". But maybe there was too much salt or not enough sugar in the recipe leading up to the effort.

It seems like the secret recipe is what a vast majority of the running magazines, websites, blogs, etc. are attempting to solve and pass along. "How to Run Your Fastest 5K"; "Effective Training on Limited Time"; "Crosstraining for Success"; .... The headlines scream out. But just like the recipe book with sections of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, you've got to know what you want in order to end up with what you want.

Anyway, I hope to have more "feel good" days along the way. If everything goes perfectly, October 6 will be one of those days for me!


Memorial Park
Easy Run
6.2 miles @ 9:02 (55:55) [How's that for hitting the training target?)


I'm visiting a podiatrist tomorrow to get my blisters checked out. My guess is he's going to tell me to get new shoes.

TRAINING SCHEDULE: June 25 - July 1

MONDAY - Easy Run 6M @ 9:02

WEDNESDAY - Speedwork 5M including 2x1600 @ 7:08

SATURDAY - Long Run 12M @ 9:02

10M Saturday Long

17 runners started with ChampionsFit this morning. The group was generally running 8. Bob and I went for 10. A new guy, Tony, went 10 too but took a different route so we didn't see him until the end. He came in ahead of us. I guy named Jamie cut his run short because he's just coming back. He's supposedly a sub 3:00 marathoner.

10.1 miles @ 9:07 (1:32.11)

THE Program

Most everyone knows there are dozens of marathon training programs. The different programs are generally founded on the same concepts but are surprisingly wide ranging in their approaches. I've been overwhelmed as I've sorted through the options trying to choose what's best for me and will help me achieve my goals. Of course that has meant defining my goals. Although I don't feel my marathon goals are definitive and I'm not convinced I've selected the best program (I don't think you can ever really know ... even after running several marathons ....), I'm using the SmartCoach Personal Training Program on the Runners World website. I used the same program (loosely) for the half marathon and it worked. The program is manageable for me from a scheduling standpoint. It also has 3 20-mile long runs in the schedule whereas most of the other schedules I saw only had 2.

The difficulty with this is that I have so many great running options. Doug Storey's Tuesday track workout group that Stephanie introduced me to is great. I like having the weekly speed work laid out for me and the synergy of doing speedwork with others.

There's Stephanie's newly formed hill and interval group on Thursday nights in the Bayou. Heaven knows I need the hills and intervals! I haven't run with them yet but I'm sure it's great since Stephanie is at the helm.

Jonathan has suggested dropping in for weekly early morning speed sessions with Kenyan Way. I'd love to give this a try. Jonathan has had great results and it seems very focused and disciplined. I also like the idea of getting my workout in early.

Stephanie (in conjunction with Houston Racing ???) has a Saturday morning long run group. They run around Memorial Park and the Bayou on some soft surfaces rather than entirely on asphalt or pavement.

I always enjoy running with Jonathan on the occasions we've met after work. Recently I like the fact that he's made sure I get my core exercises after running (when I'm alone, I've found justifications easy to come by!).

There's ChampionsFit. Their formal program starts in July. The convenience of being very close to home and starting the Saturday long runs very early is great. I met Bob through the group and enjoy running with him. The group is always on hard surfaces and their focus will be the Houston marathon in January rather than a fall marathon. The group is viable but I'm getting the sense it's not robust. I'm not 100% sure my running goals and objectives correlate exactly with their program.

On top of all this, I've found that I'm driven my the competition of racing. Since laying off the race circuit since Memorial Day, I've really missed it. I'm not a great racer but I truly get a motivation and sensation from it that I want on a frequent basis.

So what am I saying? Essentially that my training program really doesn't sync up with much of this. But, on the other hand, I don't want to go it alone so I guess I'll be stuck mixing and matching and hopefully accomplishing my objectives.

OBJECTIVES / GOALS:

Make it to October 6 healthy and ready to run the St. George marathon.

Come away from the marathon feeling I haven't cheated myself of the opportunity through poor preparation.

Enjoy the marathon.

Be pleasantly surprised with by my performance .... Target time = ?:??:?? (TBD)


McMillan suggests 3:34
Runners World suggests 3:35
Bayou VDOT suggests 3:32
AttackPoint suggests 3:30

Let's just say I would be thrilled with any of those times. I don't think they're possible now even though I'm using equivalent calculators. As input, I'm using my 5K PR (21:59) from April 28, 2007. However, I've found the calculators aren't reliable for me when they're extended to longer races (my 10K and half marathon). Both of my longer races have come in slower than the calculators suggested I should run. My conclusion is that my overall fitness and endurance conditioning isn't where it needs to be to run the projected times at longer distances. Hopefully the next 15 weeks with SmartCoach puts me on top of my game. I'd love a 3:35 my first time out at 26.2!

Got Lactate?

I really focused on staying "in the zone" for my 3-mile tempo run tonight. McMillan has my target zone for tempo runs at 7:26 - 7:46 / mile. Here's where I ended up on my quarter mile splits:

1:56
1:54
1:53
1:51 (7:34)
1:52
1:51
1:56
1:53 (7:32)
1:55
1:58
1:56
1:50 (7:39)

3M @ 7:35/M 22:45


I'm happy that I generally hit my splits and stayed "in the zone". Jack Daniels says a threshold run (tempo run) should be "comfortably hard" and should be run at about 88% of V02max. I don't know about my V02max but the run was comfortably hard.

AttackPoint has my threshold run target at 7:31. RunBayou VDOT has me at 7:33.

I added a mile warm up and a mile cool down at very s-l-o-w pace.

Total miles 5.1

6.3 Miles

Late evening ... two loops at Memorial + tacked on an extra half mile at the end.

Total miles = 6.3
Total time = 59:54
Pace = 9:30 M/m


This morning's weight workout was really good. It's the first time I've felt "strong" in while. However, the past couple weeks I've noticed that if I lift in the morning, the afternoon/evening run is much more difficult. My pace was slower than what planned.

June 18 - 24 Training Schedule

Monday - Easy 6M @ 9:02
Wednesday - 5M including 3M Tempo @ 7:34
Saturday - Long 10M @ 9:02

Today's Long Run = 12 miles

Turned

12 miles @ 9:00 (1:48:00)

this morning with Bob Bonds. I'm sure I slowed him down but I stayed with him to the end (more correctly stated - he stayed with me to the end!)

We started at 5:45 and the weather was cooler (thankfully) with a rain storm expected later today.

It always feels great to have completed a good long run. I ate a small bowl of oatmeal and slice of toast an hour before the run. I also drank water and ate/slurped GU along the way. I'm experimenting with my eating on the long runs so I hopefully know what works best for me and can implement it for races. I also drank Slim Fast afterwards (per MacMillan Racing); not for dieting purposes but it's supposedly the perfect balance of carbohydrates and protein for replenishing. I also read that it contains a particular amino acid helpful in nutrient absorption.

I used Cam's Nike+ Ipod sport kit too. I got a Lace Lid in the mail earlier this week and used it to strap the transmitter to my shoe. Since I don't listen to music while running (I know most people do but for some reason it seems like cheating to me ... I don't know ....), I attached the receiver to his Ipod Nano, put the Nano in a zip lock bag, and put the Nano in the pocket on my fuel belt. The results ... it worked great! Bob's GPS had our distance at 12.0 miles @ 9:00 pace. The Nike+ had us at 12.05 miles @ 9:00 pace. The technology fascinates me. I don't understand how it works. It's an accelerometer ??? ... supposedly measures the time between each foot strike and calculates distance from that .... How does it do that?

Finally in my last bit of running psychosis, I relaced my shoes last night using a special lacing technique I found on the New Balance website. Ever since getting my Mizuno Wave Rider 10's in March, I get a nickle-sized blister on the side of my right toe while running. The blister doesn't hurt but it sure looks nasty. The NB lacing technique was supposed to "raise the toe box" and take pressure off the toes. Didn't work. I've got the same big blister on my right big toe as usual.

I'm now propped up with ice bags on my knees. I'm considering popping some bootlegged, prescription-strength Ibuprofen but I think I'll hold off. I want to see how I feel tomorrow morning after a good icing.

Track Workout / Punishment

Work conspired against my speed workout last night. On top of that we received a call from Cameron's High Adventure camp that he was in the emergency room. He hadn't left home more than 16 hours earlier! To make a very long story short ... he's going to be fine as far as we can tell. Information is difficult to get but it sounds like he has a scratched cornea and bruised pride.

So I ran the speed workout tonight at Klein High.

PLAN

warmup
4 x 800 (3:26) - 400 (1:43) with 2 minute active recovery between
cool down

ACTUAL

warmup 1 mile
3:21 1:30
3:24 1:35
3:15 1:33
3:10 1:29
cool down 1 mile


My interval times were all over the place but I was happy to keep everything under my target times and run negative splits for the most part. I was stuck pretty close to only 2 minute recoveries ... after a very brief walk or water break, I jogged the rest of the time. It was a good workout. Now that it's over I'm questioning the target times. I used the VDOT times calculated off my April 28 5K PR of 21:59. It seems like running the VDOT times should push the limits more than I'm feeling ... now that it's over. Of course while I was on the track, it felt like I was giving it all I had!

Easy Run ... it felt easy too

Made the loop at Memorial Park for an easy run. Of course it was hot. Since the heat goes without saying and my commenting about it doesn't make it any different, I resolve not to take any more space on the blog discussing the temperature and humidity. Just know that for the next 4 months all of my runs are being completed in less than optimum weather conditions!

2.9 miles @ 9:02 (26:13)


(Put 25 extra pounds on my leg press this morning and was still able to go longer than I ever have before .... It's the running. I'm not noticing similar improvements in upper body strength..)

June 11 - 17 Training Schedule

Monday - 3 miles easy
Tuesday - speed: 4 sets of 800-400 all with 2 minutes rest
Wednesday - 3 miles easy
Thursday - 5 miles tempo
Friday - rest
Saturday - 12 miles long

Long, Hot One with Bob

Although I really wanted to run the Woodlands 5K this morning. I scratched it for a 10 mile long run with ChampionsFit. I wanted to try cracking my 5K PR in the Woodlands this morning and was feeling pretty good about it but more than that I need to continue building my endurance. So, it was off and running at 6 this morning.

I was happy to see Bob Bond in the group. There were a couple others who I hadn't met before. We started out with 7 in our group and the plan was for 10 miles.

I had decided I wanted to be around a 9:20 but figured Bob would be moving much faster since we ran something like 8:10 a couple weeks ago. We started with the group then there were four of us then, at about 2 miles, it was Bob and me. We were on a pace around 8:50. It was warm and humid this morning but I enjoyed covering the distance with Bob. After 8 miles and a 9:00 pace, I slowed and Bob continued. Those last couple miles were tough but I made it.

10.35 miles @ 9:04 pace (1:33.48)


Bob is a strong runner and good conversationalist. I looked up some running information about him after we ran together last time. In 2006, he finished the Boston Marathon in 3:49. He also completed the Houston Marathon 3 times and also ran the Top of Utah Marathon in 2006. His best marathon time (that I could find) is 3:37. Oh, another important fact, Bob is 60 years old!

I do enjoy running with him and as long as he's around ChampionsFit, I suppose I'll run with the group. I've been questioning how I fit with the group lately. The official "season" begins in early July and the focus is the Houston marathon in January. Of course, my focus is the St. George marathon in October. I'm concerned about how the training schedule is going to sync up with what I need to properly prepare for my first marathon experience.

As an alternative, Stephanie's triathalon group does Saturday morning long runs in the Memorial Park/Buffalo Bayou area (soft surfaces!). She's invited Jonathan and me to join them when we like. The only drawback for me is the drive to and from downtown where the runs start. After making the commute 5 days a week for work, I'm not excited about doing it to run Saturday. This is going to be my backup to ChampionsFit though. If I'm not getting what I need there, I'll make the drive to run with Stephanie's Houston Racing crew.

87° and 73%

You know when the title of the blog is the weather conditions that it must have been a bad workout! Of course, these are just excuses for what's to follow ... justification.

On today's schedule was a tempo run. When planning today's workout, I cut the distance and ramped up the intensity. So I ended up with 5.8 miles (two loops at Memorial Park) with a pace in the 7:25 - 7:45 range.

Reality wasn't anywhere close to the plan!

I did get to see Jonathan tonight and he let me use his Garmin Forerunner 305 for the run. Our schedules synced up for us to run together tonight. It was good to see him again. He's coming off a 5K PR last Saturday. He's been working hard in the Kenyan Way training program. I think I'll end up with Kenyan Way as soon as I get this marathon "nonsense" out of the way!

We started out fast ... too fast for the conditions. Both for us knew that it wouldn't last long. After gutting out a very challenging workout last night, Jonathan dropped back. (Of course, I had taken an easy run last night anticipating tonight's tough one.... That theory didn't sustain me for long!) With the Garmin pacing me, I was determined to keep the pace under 7:45 for as long as possible. The backside of Memorial was shady so that helped keep the sun off me. I stayed in the targeted zone for the second mile but felt it slipping during the third. I tried prodding myself along faster but there wasn't much there. The question of whether I could complete a second loop was already formulating before I had finished the first. I decided to pull it back and try quarter mile intervals (fast-slow-fast-slow). That helped until about the second rep to go fast. There was nothing there so I just slowed it down. I checked the Garmin and figured I'd go out until the return would make 5 total miles rather than the planned two loops for 5.8. I came back to the start ... slowing all the while ....

Here are the mile splits:

• 7:35
• 7:37
• 8:12
• 8:53
• 9:46

5 miles @ 8:25 pace

After I finished, I really felt like I was overheating. I went to the car for water. The run seemed like it had really overstressed my body. Fortunately, Jonathan was there. We had planned to do core exercises after the run. I had pretty much convinced myself that I wasn't up for that routine. However, I knew I wanted to go through them again so I can get the routine down better. Jonathan took me through the cycle. My core strength is absolutely pathetic. There's just about nothing there. I really need to work on this. It's so bad it's embarrassing. Anyway, Jonathan was patient and we finished them off.

Should note that I saw Stephanie on the trail. She did at least 3 loops while I was there. I think she may have been with some of the Tornados running club since I saw some of their members too.

Too Fast...Easy Run...Yes, I've done this before!

Took the tour at Memorial Park in 25:45. Yes, this was supposed to be a recovery run from last night's track workout. And, yes, the fastest I should have finished was 27:24. Probably doesn't bode well for tomorrow's tempo run!

2.9 M @ 8:53

Yasso 800's

Okay, the plan was to join Doug Storey's group at the Lamar High track for a speed workout tonight. That was scheduled for 6:30. I planned to get there between 6 and 6:30. So much for the plan. My car got new tires today. After spending the day in the shop that was supposed to be completed at 4:30 .... didn't happen. I picked the car up at 7. Of course, I missed the workout with the group. I drove home and, not surprisingly, the longer I was at the house, the less I felt like going back out to run. The Astros game had started .... Cameron was home .... There were things to do .... Finally, refusing to be pulled in by that tractor beam, I pulled away around 9:30. I figured this was a good opportunity to try Yasso 800's. I've been wanting to do this workout for over a month but it hasn't ever fit nicely into my schedule so I figured now was as good a time as any. On top of that, instead of driving to the Klein High track, I decided I'd run over there for a warm-up.

Here's how the workout broke down:

Total miles - 6.75

Warm up - 2.25 miles @ 9:01 (20:18)

4 x 800 (target time 3:40 w/3:40 recovery jog between)

• 3:28
• 3:19
• 3:17
• 3:15

Cool down - 2:25 miles @ 9:39 (21:42)

This was a tough workout but I liked it lot. I think I'll work it into my regular schedule. The theory is that Yasso 800's are a good predictor of your marathon time ... if you do 10 x 800 and keep the in-between recovery period the same as the running times. Since my next comment is buried so deep in this entry and no one reads my blog anyway ... I'm going to say it now ... for the record. Before the St. George marathon, I want to be able to run 10 Yasso 800's at 3:20 (my Boston qualifying time).

Easy ... My Own Style ...

Okay I put in an easy 2.9 miles at Memorial Park tonight. No big deal. After a couple weeks off my weight training (half recovery and Memorial Day holiday), I started lifting again this morning. It felt like I'd taken too much time off especially on the upper body! I just felt pathetically weak. However, my leg press was very good. I'm sure it's the running.

Anyway back to my easy run, to date my workouts have always been based on something I've read or something a "coach" has suggested. Today I just "made up my own thing". It's an easy run so I'm sure it's no big deal but I decided to force myself to run negative splits. I have no idea if this does any good or not but it seems one of my problems is that I great into a rhythm at one pace and it's extremely difficult for me to pick it up. The odd thing is that the pace is never the same. I can bounce around between 8:00 and 9:30 per mile and "feel" comfortable". Maybe this is hurting me in races ...??? So here's what I ended up with for mile splits:

10:27
08:58
07:23 (this was .9 mile for an equivalent of 8:12)

So my overall pace for the 2.9M was 9:14 per mile. (Remember this was an easy run which was scheduled for a 9:27 pace) Who knows if there's any benefit in approaching the easy run this way ... ? At a minimum, it gave me a mental game to play while running.

June 4 - 10

Here's the general schedule I'm planning on following this week:

Mon - Easy 3M
Tue - Speed @ LHS
Wed - Easy 3M
Thu - Tempo (mileage TBD...5-8M...)
Fri - Rest
Sat - Long 10M
Sun - Yasso 800's or Rest

Hard 8

I put in an 8 mile long run this morning. There were only 3 ChampionsFit members who met this morning at 6:30. I ran with Len for the first half. We averaged 9:19 for the first four miles. I closed the second 4 miles with an 8:52 pace. It was getting very warm by the time we finished. My legs were heavy today.

8 miles 1:12 for 9:00/M pace

Easy Run ... After the Rain

Things sure were quiet at Memorial Park this evening. A strong, late-afternoon storm rolled through today. I had planned an easy loop but talked myself out of it due to the rain. I figured the trail would be under water and I didn't have my "mudders". But as I went to the parking garage to drive home around 7 pm, the storm had broken. After a brief session of waffling, I quickly changed clothes in the car and decided to at least drive over to Memorial to see what it looked like. Very few people were there and there was water on the trail but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.

I took the tour and added a little extra since I was feeling good.

3.4 miles in 32:03 for a 9:26 pace (the Jack Daniels table I'm currently using suggests I should be at 9:27).

Speed with Doug at Lamar High

Thanks to Stephanie, I met Doug Storey tonight at Lamar High School's track for a speed workout. Doug is a coach who works with dozens of Houston-area triathletes and runners. I'm planning to follow his program for 4-5 weeks and possibly incorporate it in with the ChampionsFit workouts once marathon training begins in earnest.

Tonight's workout for "short distance" (I will conquer my 5K PR!) was 4-6 sets of 2 x 400 with 100 jog between and 300 jog between sets.

I arrived a few minutes late and put in a mile warm up then stretched. Everyone was pretty much on their own but some informal groups were working together. Since I started late I run alone (several other runners were on the track though).

My targeted time for the 400 intervals was 1:44. This is based on the Jack Daniels VDOT values (link). Here are my times:

1:28 1:44
1:38 1:37
1:36 1:36
x:xx 1:40
1:37 1:36
1:35 1:34

I will confess that I may have defeated the benefits of the workout somewhat by walking instead of jogging between 400's. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to maintain the times if I had jogged ... since walking (and talking to Stephanie and Doug) allowed for a longer recovery. There seems to be wisdom in this approach and I'm looking forward to continuing with it. I appreciate Stephanie for introducing me to Doug.

Frustratingly Close!

Cam and I are in Utah for tonight's Jazz-Spurs playoff game.

We found a 5K to run this morning in Syracuse. Cam clocked a PR and said he felt really good. I didn't feel very and came in at 22:00. One second off my PR. Very frustrating! Of course while running I felt like I gave it my all. But after the fact, I'm absolutely convinced I could have found 2 seconds on the course somewhere if I would have known the end result. I'm sure there's a lesson in all of this. The next time I'm in the situation will determine if I learned it.

Earlier in the week I read that a runner has to have courage to 'go for it'. 'It' can be a PR or anything that will push the limits of your current conditioning. I had not thought about it like this before but believe it's absolutely true. Today I didn't show the courage to go for it. Instead I settled for something less than my best.

Mile splits:

6:31
7:25
7:23
0:41

10 Mile Tempo Run !?!!!?!!!?!?!

Met with members of ChampionsFit this morning at 5:45 am. The group was scheduled for 12 miles but broke into different groups for shorter distances and varied paces.

I ended up with Bob Bond, an experienced runner and marathon veteran. He was running 10 miles which sounded good to me.

I felt good the first couple miles and we were on a pace around 8:10. The conversation was good and Bob was a smooth and efficient machine. It was great to be with someone who was such good runner.

I was really feeling beat with a couple miles to go. I suggested he drop me if he needed to but he stayed with me for awhile longer offering encouragement. With something around a mile left he slowing pulled away from me.

I finished the 10 miles in 1:22:44 for an 8:16 pace! This was only 10 seconds off last Saturday's race pace for the half ... minus the hills plus high humidity. I am happy with the effort ... now it's over!

I look forward to running with Bob again. I need to put together next week's training schedule.

Fort Bend Fit Trail Run

Clocked a 36:06 run through the trails with Jonathan and Audrey's Fort Bend Fit group. It was a challenging run. They said the route we took was 4 miles.

After the run, Jonathan shared with Kenyan Way post-workout core exercises with me. Nothing like a little ab work to make me feel pathetically weak and generally uncoordinated!

It sounds like Cameron is going to run the Astros 5K on Saturday and I'll go on an early morning long run with ChampionsFit. There's a 5K on Utah early Monday morning that we may do if our travel plans come together to go to the Jazz-Spurs Game 4 on Monday.

Belated Weekly Training Schedule

Okay, I know I'm late with this. I'm also late getting my full race report posted too.

I'm calling this week my "reverse taper". I haven't seen the term used anywhere else (although it seems rather obvious). Hal Higdon does call it "Zero Week". He suggests following the same routine as the week leading into the event - only in reverse. Seems like sound advice so I'm going with it ... with some modification and the name change from Zero Week to Reverse Taper.

Sunday - rest

Monday - rest

Tuesday - easy recovery run; 2-3 miles @ 9:48

Wednesday - rest

Thursday - 4 mile trail run
(Jonathan & I will hook up with Audrey from PIM and Fort Bend Fit on the Ho Chi Mihn Trail. Hopefully I don't sprain an ankle!)

Friday - rest

Saturday - long run with Champions Fit
(the group is going 12M ... not sure I'll stay with them for the full run but I'll get at least 8M.)


I figure this approach will get my feet back under me.

With the half marathon behind me, I've got to refocus myself and put a few goals on the horizon. The St. George marathon in October is obviously the next big event that I'll be training for. However, I want to mix in a couple short-term goals along the way. I'm toying with an intense, 4-week speed focus before undertaking the full marathon program. The speed group Stephanie Burlet runs with meets on Tuesdays. I think I'll try that for awhile. I'd love to knock out 5K and 10K PR's (I know the weather isn't conducive but I don't necessarily have to race in Houston, do I?) before fully dedicating to myself to marathon training. I also still have to figure out which marathon program I'm going to commit to. I don't want to be changing up along the way. The Runners World plan I used for the half worked but I'm wondering if there's something better. I also expect to formally join ChampionsFit for the July session. Although it may not be the perfect fit, it is clearly the most convenient.

Back on my Feet

I still have some soreness throughout my legs but felt significantly better when I woke up this morning compared to the past couple of days!

Put in an easy loop at Memorial. I took it very slow (like a good recovery run should be!).

2.9 miles
28:29

It's a (Half) Marathon, Not a Sprint!

The course was FAST! The conditions were very close to ideal. The race was hard.

Official Time - 1:46:09

I'm thrilled with my time.


... more later ....


MILE SPLITS

8:48
8:59 Missed the 2 mile marker; Mile 2 was slighly faster and Mile 3 was slower.
7:42
8:09
7:36 Downhill fun begins!
7:54
7:42
7:40
7:54 Girl I was running with (Emily Fenwick) dropped me ... first mile on my own.
7:46
8:12 Body and mind pointing out I haven't gone this far before ....
8:42
9:05

Thursday Morning

I fell asleep with an ice bag on each knee last night. This seemed much more effective than the ice bath I took after last Saturday's long run.

This morning I am feeling very good. Hopefully this holds for 48 hours! I am actually surprised by how good I'm feeling. I need to remember to run on the track before big races since my body seems to like it much better than pounding the pavement!

At the moment my mental approach seems good. I'm viewing the race as two 5-milers followed by a 5K. The final 5K begins upon emerging from the mouth of Ogden Canyon. It sounds like there's going to be a bunch of hoopla going on in the streets (e.g., bands, street performers, spectators, etc.). I think I'll be looking for a lift at that point and I'm hoping the environment provides it for me. My current plan is to run the first 5 miles slower than the second 5 miles since the second 5 has the most elevation drop and is in the shade of the canyon.

Of course, all plans are subject to change as I tap the nether-reaches of my left-brain!

Good Tempo Run ... Am I Ready???

After a mile warm up on the track at Klein High School, I clocked a solid three-mile tempo run. Here are my quarter mile splits:

1:55
1:56
1:45
1:59 (7:35)
1:54
1:55
1:54
1:55 (7:38) (15:13)
1:54
1:57
1:57
1:53 (7:41) (22:54)


I felt pretty good and enjoyed the pace. My legs felt good and my knee did not bother me while running. Of course, it's really "screaming" now.

I'm experiencing a TON of nervous anticipation for this race. I'm caught wondering if I've trained properly for this experience and if I've put in enough miles.

I'm going to ice my knees on my way to bed!

Quick Notes

Just a couple of quick notes this morning.

• Found an article on running at altitude suggesting, among other things, that my race pace will be 6 - 10 seconds per mile slower. It also suggests racing conservatively and starting out slow. Just a few ideas to mull over leading up to Saturday.

• On a whim, I picked up the iPod+ Sport Kit on my way home last night. I hooked the receiver up to Cameron's Nano and put the "bug" under the laces of my Mizunos and circled the block. I can't figure out how it works since it is not GPS capable but at any point in the run I hit the Nano a voice came through the headphones giving me elapsed time, distance, and pace. Based on this very limited test (half mile), the technology was very accurate. I still question the overall accuracy since there was no calibration required. Ultimately, I doubt I'll use it much because the Nano and headphones drive me crazy while running. Cameron seemed excited about it so it looks like it ends up being his and I'll borrow it occasionally.

I've got 3 mile tempo run tonight at a pretty fast pace. I like the idea of my last workout being faster than Saturday's race pace. I'm considering running on the high school track rather than at Memorial. I don't like the 12 loops required on the track but my body probably prefers the rubberized surface of the track. My right knee has been bothering my a bit ever since last Saturday's long run so the track may be best tonight. ... weather may be a factor. I think there's a good chance of rain this afternoon.

Nice Easy Run

It was a beautiful night at Memorial Park. I made the 2.9 mile loop
in 25:54 for an 8:56 pace. Now I'm looking forward to good rest and
Wednesday's tempo run.

Training Schedule: May 13-19

This week is all about tapering for Saturday's half.

S-Rest
M-Weights (am) / Easy Run-3M @ 9:00 (pm)
T-Rest
W-5M including 1 warm; 3 tempo @ 7:40; 1 cool
T-Rest (fly to Utah)
F-Rest (runners' pre-race expo)
S-7 am start: Ogden half marathon
S-Recover (fly to Houston)

8-Miler

Well, this morning was the last long run before next Saturday's half marathon.

I met eight people from ChampionsFit this morning at 6 for an 8-miler. They're in "maintenance" mode until July. The only person I knew was Susan, who I ran with for the first time last Sunday.

I stayed with the group for about a mile then Susan told Len to take me with him if he was ready to go. So, Len and I broke from the group. Len had an "old style" Garmin. I told him I wanted to be around 9:15 pace. We ended up running negative splits for almost the entire 8 miles and ended with an average pace per mile of 9:02. I felt really good this morning which was nice since I haven't had that for a while.

After finishing and while waiting for the rest of the group to come in, I did butt kicks and high knees. I read something earlier in the week suggesting this would improve form. I definitely need form improvement! I also tried to imagine tacking another 5 miles on today's run. That was next to impossible so I abandoned the thought before I became discouraged. I'll be in uncharted territory for about 4-5 miles next week. I'm hoping the "race environment" can lift me but that seems like a long distance to ride on emotion.

I'll rest tomorrow and chart out this final week's workouts. I've got weight training on Monday then I'll probably just go out a couple times during the week.

Lackluster 5K

Ran my first evening 5K tonight. Although I clocked one of my slower times, I feel like I learned some things about myself.I clocked in at 22:54 on the out-and-back course on Allen Parkway. Jonathan graciously let me use his Garmin so I should be getting all kinds of feedback on my run. Having so much information available on-demand seems like a double-edged sword. I found that having the constant ability to see how I was doing both deflating and encouraging ... at different times.After last night's workout, I didn't expect to pop off a PR. I felt tight pretty much throughout the day. I was also concerned about the evening heat and humidity. The weather wasn't a problem. The start time was actually delayed for lightning as light, intermittent rain passed through. There was a surprising amount of heat radiating from the road along the course. I noticed it through the first half but not so much during the return leg.Hoping to save energy for later in the race, I was really trying to reign in my typical fast start. That was really my sole focus. I was hopeful of running the race like a fast tempo run ... negative splits would even be nice if I was feeling good. Well, that effort led to a 6:52 first mile. I think I was around 14:08 at the second mile. If I've got it right (the Garmin data dump will confirm later) that yields splits of:1.0M 6:522.0M 7:163.1M 8:47So much for negative splits!From this, it seems to me that without realizing it I have already been doing what the Runners World article suggested. Going out fast in order to get better 5K times.Even with a slower start tonight, the falloff in my splits is consistent with the falloff I usually have with a faster start. So I think for me, going out fast then gutting it out is probably the approach to achieve better times. (This also seems consistent with my 10K result [i.e., my 10K was slower than the time "equivalent" charts suggest I should be able to run given my 5K times].) Of course, tonight's effort could be tainted by last night's workout. But I think this is my tentative conclusion until my overall conditioning improves markedly.I'll summarize the Garmin details when I have them later.

Okay, here are the 1/4 mile splits from the race:
0.25 1:39
0.50 1:42
0.75 1:42
1.00 1:44
1.25 1:45
1.50 1:55
1.75 1:51
2.00 1:47
2.25 1:54
2.50 1:54
2.75 1:56
3.00 1:50
3.10 1:10

So even though I started at a moderate pace ... I really slowed down from the 2 mile mark to 2 3/4. I don't know what it means ... should I slow down more at the beginning to save strength and energy for the end or will that just result in a slower time overall? I'm still searching for the key ....

Goodbye to PIM

Tonight was the last run for Power in Motion. It's hard to believe ten weeks have already passed! Joining PIM was a great decision as it is an excellent organization and just what I needed to get running.

There was a "treasure hunt" tonight but the instructions were lengthy and convoluted so Joe led us on a loop at Memorial. We covered the 2.9 miles in 25:52 for an 8:55 pace. Stephanie was assigned a different group tonight. There were only three of us who stayed with Joe.

After the loop, Jonathan and Julie joined us (after their Kenyan Way workout) and we gave small tokens of appreciation to Stephanie and Joe. I'm very impressed by the time and commitment they made to help us. Clearly they could easily have spent their time on their own training or other personal pursuits but they gave their time and experience to us each Wednesday night for the past 10 weeks.

After the goodbye's, I took a loop on my own. I optimistically programmed my watch for 1/4 mile splits that would put me on a 7:40 pace. That was aggressive on my part after already running then cooling down but I wanted to see how long I could "gut it out". Here are the 1/4 mile splits I ended up with:

0.25 1:55
0.50 1:51
0.75 1:51
1.00 2:00
1.25 1:58
1.50 2:00
1.75 2:01
2.00 2:01
2.25 2:00
2.50 2:03
2.65 1:18 (note only .15 mile rather than .25 due to quirky 2.9 total distance)
2.90 2:00

I was happy with my consistency. At least for me this was a very consistent run which is the point of a good tempo run. My average pace for the 2.9 miles was 7:55 - only slightly outside of the optimal "McMillan training zone" of 7:30 - 7:50.

Of course while making the loop, I realized that I'm running a 5K race tomorrow night. I'm sure that by pushing my tempo run that I hurt my chances at a strong performance tomorrow. Hopefully weather is comfortable for the evening race.

We Have a Winner!!!!

The results of the St. George marathon lottery were announced today. Of the 8,850 applicants, I found my name among the 6,900 chosen!

This is exciting and overwhelming at the same time.

I entered in a group along with Alex Thurman and some of his friends. I'm not sure if they've cracked the lottery winning code but diversity seems to be a common theme. This will be Alex's third run at St. George (2003 and 2006). Each time he's applied as part of a group. They've always included a first-timer and a woman in their group and they've always been selected. Our group had my Texas address as the first-timer and one of the guy's sister-in-law from Utah. The other three are from California.

This should be good!

Memorial Park for an Easy Run

Clocked an easy loop at Memorial tonight on the way home from work.

2.9 miles @ 9:10 pace

... much better at keeping the pace in the proper training zone. I was feeling the impact of Sunday morning's long run and this morning's weight lifting.

Tomorrow is a much deserved rest day!

May 7 - 13 Training

Monday - 2M easy @ 9m/M
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - PIM mystery run ??? - (need 5M @ 7:45 +2M warm & cool)
Thursday - HYLF 5K
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 9M long @ 9:15/M
Sunday - Rest

9.3 Long Run

I went out for an early morning long run with some of the people at Champions Fit. Generally, it ended up being pretty good. They meet and run very close to where I live. It also seems that they're organized and focused on their running. This morning I met Susan, Jay, Pauline, and Kelly. We covered 9+ miles. The pace was varied as Jay and I took a diversion early on and went faster and longer. We were on something around an 8:30 pace through 5 miles but slowed when we met up with the rest of the group. Jay and Susan kept going for 12+ and Kelly, Pauline, and I turned for the cars at around the 7 mile mark. I think my overall pace ended somewhere just under 10:00. That's outside my training zone. However on the upside, I'm feeling pretty good (at the moment) considering this was my longest run to date and that I raced yesterday. This also built some more confidence for the upcoming half ... in less than two weeks!

Happy ??? Cinco ...

22:15

With the heavy race schedule, you'd think I would be getting better at having a clue of what I'm doing in this game. Well, today I proved that I'm a slow learner!

Of course before the race I saw and talked to Joe and Stephanie and Shane. There was talk about pace and times. None of this was good for me .... Shane, Stephanie, and I went out together. Of course, I'm feeling good ... thinking I've got something to prove (who knows why???!>!?) ... I'm enjoying passing people ... and what do know ... there's the first mile in 6:33 ... STUPID !!!

At about 1.5 miles, Stephanie pulls up along side as my pace is slipping at what seems like an exponential rate. (Thank you for the lift, Steph!) I thought I was slowing her down and told her to go ahead but she said she was slowing and that I should go. Which I did ... for a little ways .... At about that point, there was a very large water hazard on the course. It was about 2-3 inches deep for about 15-20 yards with no way around it. Everyone's feet were (subject-verb agreement ???) soaked from that point. At least, it gave me something else to think about! A couple guys passed me in the last 2/3 mile. I had planned my kick but when the time came there was nothing there. This has never happened to me! I attribute it to the fast start and the hot, humid conditions (surely it couldn't be my lack of conditioning!). I've always been able to kick but just didn't have it today. As the guy I had "marked" to pass at the end stretched it for the finish, it was unbelievably frustrating to have to let him go and not do anything about it. But that was my reality on this day.

The post race food and festivities were very good. Joe did not PR. Stephanie took third in her age group behind two other PIM coaches. It was a good event.

The philosophical question of the day is - If I had gone out slower would I have been able to hold pace better and had a kick? I honestly don't know. It seems the answer is most likely "yes" but it's hard for me to imagine the race any differently than it happened. A slower early pace would have probably led to some panic on my part about "being just on or behind schedule".

Easy Run

With travel back from Chicago, a long work day (after getting back to the office), and heavy rains, I skipped last night's running. I hate doing that because I'm fearful that it effectively wastes prior training sessions. I doubt that is actually true but that's how I view it mentally.

So this morning I was up at 5 and out for an e-a-s-y 1.7 miles around the neighborhood. It felt good to stretch out. My pace was at an 8:47 mile. I didn't want to get crazy and push a long tempo run or intervals this morning since the Cinco de Mayo 5K is tomorrow and I'd really like to PR. Joe has assured me the course is flat and fast with no rhythm-breaking turns so I'm looking for a very strong effort tomorrow.

I'll be focusing on carbohydrate and water intake today and I'll do a "half-mile" blast tonight to get ready. I can already feel this one's going to be more difficult than usual to control the adrenaline. I'm already getting too amped and it's still 24 hours away!


adrenaline [(uh-dren-l-in)]
A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that helps the body meet physical or emotional stress.

Project Your Marathon Time

Found this training test to project marathon times - article. I'm wondering if it works in reverse using the McMillan or Daniels tables. I may experiment to see what I come up with ....

Evening Tour of Rice & Hermann Park with Jonathan

Working with today's scheduling challenge - Cameron's band concert at Rice University - Jonathan Bennett was kind enough to meet me at 8pm and escort me around the Rice campus and Hermann Park for an 8.2 mile run. We covered it in 1:17 for a 9:25/mile average. This was slightly slower than I had hoped for but well within the McMillan prescribed training range.

Jonathan was great as he lives nearby and was familiar with the area. He had also plotted the course using his Garmin GPS. It was nice to have someone to talk to and provide encouragement. Our fastest mile was 9:07 and our slowest was 9:48. This was a much tighter range than I had last week running on my own so I was happy with the effort.

Tomorrow will be a well-deserved rest day as I travel to Chicago for work.

Too Hard of an "Easy Run"

Well, I worked in an easy run tonight. I was going to leave the office between 6 and 6:30 to do the loop at Memorial Park but, wouldn't you know it, that's when the heavy rain started to fly. I stayed in the office until about 7:45 and the rain had passed then went to Memorial. The path was wet but not under water so a made the loop.

My half mile splits were:

• 0.5 mile - 4:51
• 1.0 mile - 4:16
• 1.5 mile - 4:10
• 2.0 mile - 4:01
• 2.5 mile - 4:14
• 2.9 mile - 3:30

Of course that works out to be 25:02 over 2.9 miles for an 8:38 per mile pace. My target was 9:00. I walked away feeling good but as I drove home decided that this was really bad. My understanding is that "easy runs" are for recovery that's why they're slower. By not slowing to the proper pace, I suspect I was pushing my body too hard and not allowing for the proper recovery. Maybe this is why I've had a little trouble recently running fast enough during the speed workouts and tempo runs. Essentially I've convinced myself that I'm running the slow workouts too fast and the fast workouts too slow. I'm going to focus more on hitting the proper pace for all my workouts.

I also found a training article that I liked today. I don't plan to work this into my regimen immediately but believe it holds some valuabule ideas that I'll try to implement when PIM is over.

Finally, Alex called today and tomorrow is the last day to register for the St. George marathon. We've registered for the lottery as a group of five. We're hopeful that by including a woman and a first-timer (me!!!) that our odds of being selected are increased. The lottery results will be posted Tuesday, May 8.

Training Schedule a/k/a Scheduling Mess

This week is a mess. I've got to get my miles!

Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish:

• 2M Easy @ 9:00
• 6M w/4M Tempo @ 7:40
• 2M Easy @ 9:00
• 8M Long Run @ 9:15

Okay, that's 4 days of running and 3 days off.

Here's the conflicts:

• Monday - open (beware of lifting Monday morning!)
• Tuesday - son's band concert at Rice University
• Wednesday - business trip to Chicago (missing PIM for the first time...maddening!)
• Thursday - possible trip to Utah for Rockets-Jazz Game 6
• Friday - open (beware of Cinco de Mayo 5K on Saturday)
• Saturday - Cinco de Mayo 5K w/PIM
• Sunday - open

So ... there are plenty of excuses not to run .... This is frustrating! I've got to get the miles or else I won't be able to cover the half marathon in Ogden. It's less than 3 weeks now!

Irrational Exuberance

Rise & Shine 5K
21:59 (new PR)

This was a strange race.

The temperature was about 68° with 85% humidity under mostly cloudy skies and a slight breeze. I was very focused to start the race. I had arrived about 90 minutes ahead of the 8:30 start time. There was a small problem with my preregistration but that was easily taken care of (thanks for sponsoring me this weekend - Brookfield Properties).

I was probably over-hyped for a big run. I was going to run MY race; others weren't going to dictate my pace or strategy. That probably would have been fine if I really had a strategy. Earlier in the week Jonathan reminded me of a recent article in Runner's World suggesting that by going out fast a better 5K time could be achieved. I had mulled this most of the week and decided it was worth a try. Well, that is until the night before the race. At that point, I convinced myself that the first mile is never really a problem for me ... it's mile 2. During the first mile, my competitive juices are flowing and it's relatively easy to flow with and pass others. So the night before, I decided to focus on the second mile.

Arriving early allowed me to warm up and stretch better than I have to date. It looked like it was going to be a fast race with a good sized field. The course wasn't published online so I was left to study a map at the convention center. I really just wanted to know where the mile markers should be. Fortunately either Luke's Locker or Run Far had placed mile markers with large clocks on course. I hadn't seen this before and I really appreciated it.

A side note, I'm not fast. I'm a solid middle-of-the-pack guy. But why do young kids and people with dogs (yes, there was one in front of me) feel the need to crowd the front of the start line? Come on people ... show some common courtesy!

The start horn went off and so did I. I was going to run MY race. I felt smooth and strong ... everything was clicking ... for about 2/3 mile. Then I started to wonder if I had gone out too fast. Finally, the one mile mark appeared. I crossed at 6:50. This was about where I wanted to be time-wise. However, after about another half mile, I wasn't feeling good and actually began questioning why I was even there. The conversation with myself went on for awhile. Long enough for me to suggest that I really don't like this and that I'm not going to do it any more. Then mile marker 2 popped up and I crossed at 14:00. (So much for that strong second mile!)

The last section of the race circled Minute Maid Park. Oddly, I was alone. There wasn't anyone ahead of me close enough to reel in and there really wasn't anyone close behind me. Usually at this stage, I'm looking for some strong runner to pass me and to "hitch a ride" with them. Finally, an older guy passed me but I just didn't have anything to hold it together so I had to let him go. I heard footsteps and soon another guy pulled up along side. I was determined to stay with him! We ran side-by-side until finally he edged ahead. After the last turn on the course about 75 meters remained. Summoning everything I had (which didn't seem to be much), I found some reserved strength and fired up a kick. From a spectator's perspective I'm sure it didn't look like much but I passed both of the guys who had passed me earlier. (Thanks to Joe's speed workouts!) I thought I was under 22:00 and was sure that I was faster than my previous best. At that point, all of the negative thoughts from the middle of the race evaporated in my own personal euphoria.

I got water and a bagel. The unofficial results were posted. I was VERY pleased with my hard earned 21:59. Surprisingly, I was also listed as 5th in the 40-44 age group.

Later Saturday evening, I was back in Utah watching the Jazz beat the Rockets in Game 4 of their NBA playoff series.

Grinder's Special ... and I don't mean the Sandwich!

Tonight's workout was tough. It didn't really have so much to do with what we were doing as how I was feeling. It didn't seem that I could ever "get going". I think I must have tweaked my right Achilles playing basketball the night before. It started out sore and tight for our 2-mile warmup. By the time we finished, the problem had extended up through my calf.

Another observation/excuse ... I don't think I'm fit enough yet to do a speed workout 48 hours after a long run. I'm theorizing (hoping) that I just really hadn't given my body the rest to recover properly.

Anyway ... here are my approximate times. Jonathan Bennett provided his times to me from his Garmin. I failed to pack my watch this morning so wasn't able to keep my own times. What is it with me and timekeeping lately...???

400 - 1:44
800 - 3:27
1200 - 5:21
800 - 3:35
400 - 1:23

Ultimately the workout wasn't terrible but I was slower than I wanted to be all night long.

Fortunately I've got two days rest before Saturday's 5K. I need it!

April 23 Training Report

Well, the objective was noble; the execution poor. Today's training objective was 8 miles at 9:14 per mile. Today's reality: 8.7 miles at 10:00 per mile.

NOTE TO SELF: Don't schedule long runs on the same day as weight lifting! Of course I already knew this but this week's travel for the NBA playoffs required the long run to be today. My legs were getting heavy after only a couple miles. I had a choice of pushing ahead in an effort to make the time ... with the possibility of not making the distance. Or slowing down to make the distance. At this stage I think the miles are more important than the time.

Here are my mile splits:

9:08/9:16/9:36/9:29/9:50/10:25/10:45/10:43/8:00 (last leg was .7 mile)

Total time: 1:27:12

April 23 - 29 Training Schedule

Monday - Long Run 8 miles @ 9:16M; Memorial Park
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 1 x 400 (1:38); 1 x 800 (3:23); 1 x 1200 (5:16); 1 x 800 (3:23); 3 x 400 (1:38)
Thursday - Rest (Travel to Salt Lake City for Rockets-Jazz Game 3!)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Rise & Shine 5K (Goal 21:55) - (Back to Utah for Game 4)
Sunday - Rest

Earth Day

April 21, 2007

I ran the Mothers for Clean Air 5K in Bellaire this morning. I ended up around 22:11.

Race temperature was 66° with 96% humidity. My goal was to break the 7 minute/mile barrier at 21:42. I was slightly ahead of schedule at 1 mile but may have used up too much to weave through early race traffic. At 2 miles, I was right on my overall pace but was slowing. For the last mile, I ran side-by-side with another runner who came up from behind me. He helped pull me in. At 3 miles, I took a couple big breaths and tried to kick it in and passed a couple of runners down the stretch. In my flailing, I didn't get a good read on the overhead finish clock provided by Run Wild Sports.

The race was chip timed (without a start mat). I estimate I was 5-8 seconds after the gun to get across the starting line. I had my watch but had agreed to forgo keeping my time to keep time for my fourteen year old son who forgot his watch. (It's a whole other story that he rolled out of bed only 20 minutes before we had to leave for the race.) But the race was chip timed so everything would be alright, right? Wrong! After getting back to the house, I checked the race results online at Inside Texas Running . My time was not listed! I called Run Wild Sports and spoke to someone who was apparently at the race. He said the race organizers weren't very organized and that he has 26 finish times that weren't associated with any particular runner due to bad or no information from the race organizers. He asked that I email my information and he'd try to determine if one of the 26 unassociated times was mine. Hopefully he has something for me. My left brain really needs a concrete time to attach to this race.

As a result of not having a time associated with my finish, my team - Klein Runners - were not recorded in the team results. Teams could enter with as many runners as they wanted but only the top three runners "scored" for the team. Teams were then to be ranked based on cumulative time. The Klein Runners consisted of only three runners: Rory Jones (who PR'd at 18:56 and took second in 19U [he's 14!]); Cameron Birt (who, notwithstanding the late wakeup call, also PR'd at 24:40); and myself (estimated at 22:11). Assuming my time is correct, our team time is 1:05:47. The winning team - TCEQ - was 1:05:35 anchored by Joe Oviedo's 16:59.

Joe happens to be my coach with Power in Motion . Joe is a very good coach and an effortless runner. I, of course, would have loved to edge out his team but will have to settle for coming close at 12 seconds off the pace. It will still make for good conversation when we're running ladders on Wednesday.