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.