OBJECTIVE
9 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.48 @ 7:51/mi.
7:31 AM 44° 97% 0 mph
It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Jonathan and I had arranged to meet in Conroe to run League Line Road. We heard about this location about a year ago and have wanted to get out there for sometime. For flatlanders at sea level like us, we'll drive 45 minutes to find some hills to run on.
Have I said the morning was beautiful? It was. We saw cardinals, a deer, Texas wild flowers, and much more in an impressive display of nature's beauty. This along with Jonathan's excellent conversation and superb pacing resulted in a very good run. The miles just seemed to roll by without much effort until the very end.
The infamous hills of League Line Road were okay but weren't as impressive as I had built them up to be in my mind. Over the out-and-back route, we had about 9 good climbs ranging from 50' to 100' ... some decent rollers I suppose. I envision this being somewhat like the first half of the Ogden marathon course. The maximum elevation was 325' and the minimum was 200'. I suppose that's about the best we're going to get for a long hill route near Houston.
Jonathan is great. I really enjoy his company. I'm not sure this workout required that much of an effort from him. He's been running high mileage weeks with speed workouts over the last several weeks. He just won a local 5K last Saturday. His times and conditioning really seem to be improving at a rapid pace but he's been paying the price to achieve those gains. I look forward to running with him in Ogden.
I worked on my downhill technique today. Jonathan suggested keeping my knees lower and not over-striding. This seemed to help a lot. Now if I can just hold that form near the spillway in Ogden Canyon!
The goal this week was to get back to 100% healthy. I think I'm close. I didn't have any problems while running today. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. Based on how I'm feeling now, I think my left knee and ankle will be a bit achy. But as long as that is post-run rather than while running - it's all good.
The coming week steps up the pace and mileage culminating in a 20-miler next Saturday. This will be my last 20 below the marathon. I really need a good one!
PRE RUN
oatmeal & skim milk
POST RUN
2 SlimFast
Later, Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Taking the "S" out of LSD ....
OBJECTIVE
9 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.02 mi. @ 8:16/mi.
4:30 AM 64° 78% 6 mph
In runner parlance LSD is long, slow distance run and, as I understand it, there's a purpose in going slow over a long distance. I think I took the "S" out of my LSD this morning. Okay, so you look at my time and wonder, what am I talking about? An 8:16/mi. pace isn't that fast. Let me explain.
I had planned on running from work last night but I didn't get away from the office early enough. So I knew that I'd be going out this morning. ... I wasn't looking forward to it for some reason. I drove to the Y and started my run at 4:30. I figured that I would just run based on how I felt. That's what I had done on Monday on the same course over the same distance and I ended up quite happy with the result in the end.
Today's opening mile was around 9:00. My ankle was being cranky and I just wasn't feeling it. I thought the next 8 miles where going to be long if I felt this way the whole time! So I decided that I'd try to run negative 10 second splits for each mile. That way I could ease into a faster pace and still finish around my goal of 8:20/mi.
With this challenge laid down, my mind had something to focus on and I "went to work". Of course, this isn't anything heroic but I was able to do it. Here are my mile splits:
8:59/8:51/8:33/8:26/8:16/8:08/7:52/7:47/7:34
I didn't get exactly 10 second negatives but I was close and I did get negative splits over the whole distance.
I was pleased when this run was over.
Interestingly, this run was about 1 minute slower than Monday's run but the runs felt completely different. Monday's run was close to flat splits while today's was negative. It's interesting how each run takes on a personality of its own.
Okay, so back to my original comment that I took the "S" out of my LSD. I fairly certain the the last 3 miles were technically too fast for a textbook long, slow run.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk; water & multivitamin
9 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.02 mi. @ 8:16/mi.
4:30 AM 64° 78% 6 mph
In runner parlance LSD is long, slow distance run and, as I understand it, there's a purpose in going slow over a long distance. I think I took the "S" out of my LSD this morning. Okay, so you look at my time and wonder, what am I talking about? An 8:16/mi. pace isn't that fast. Let me explain.
I had planned on running from work last night but I didn't get away from the office early enough. So I knew that I'd be going out this morning. ... I wasn't looking forward to it for some reason. I drove to the Y and started my run at 4:30. I figured that I would just run based on how I felt. That's what I had done on Monday on the same course over the same distance and I ended up quite happy with the result in the end.
Today's opening mile was around 9:00. My ankle was being cranky and I just wasn't feeling it. I thought the next 8 miles where going to be long if I felt this way the whole time! So I decided that I'd try to run negative 10 second splits for each mile. That way I could ease into a faster pace and still finish around my goal of 8:20/mi.
With this challenge laid down, my mind had something to focus on and I "went to work". Of course, this isn't anything heroic but I was able to do it. Here are my mile splits:
8:59/8:51/8:33/8:26/8:16/8:08/7:52/7:47/7:34
I didn't get exactly 10 second negatives but I was close and I did get negative splits over the whole distance.
I was pleased when this run was over.
Interestingly, this run was about 1 minute slower than Monday's run but the runs felt completely different. Monday's run was close to flat splits while today's was negative. It's interesting how each run takes on a personality of its own.
Okay, so back to my original comment that I took the "S" out of my LSD. I fairly certain the the last 3 miles were technically too fast for a textbook long, slow run.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk; water & multivitamin
Monday, April 14, 2008
Early 9-miler
OBJECTIVE
9 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.03 mi. @ 8:08/mi.
4:27 AM 42° 81% 0 mph
This is "recovery" week. I'm doing three 9-mile runs this week at an easy pace. This is the last recovery period prior to the marathon so I'm hopeful that by next Sunday, I'm feeling very good physically.
At this point, I'm happy to report the only thing that bothered me this morning was my left ankle. It's still achy and doesn't seem to be improving but it does seem to loosen up after a couple miles.
I didn't really feel like going when the alarm sounded at 4 AM but drug myself out the door. To illustrate how simple my mind is, I've always been very eager to run when I'm going out in new shoes. Well, today was the maiden voyage of my new Mizuno Wave Rider 10's. These are the same model as my last two pairs and are getting harder to find now that Mizuno is selling newer models. This pair is red, blue, and silver and look pretty good. But not even the lure of new shoes was motivating this morning.
On days I start out like this the runs usually aren't that great but this one turned out okay. I drove to the Y and ran the bayou trail out and back for 9 miles. The morning air was surprisingly cool and for the first couple miles I wished I had worn long sleeves and gloves. My hands were very cold at the finish.
There was low lying fog which turned the bayou into something like the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Maybe the thought of zombies at 4:30 in the morning darkness prompted me to pick up the pace! Actually it was pleasant. I sat on my desired pace (8:20) during the trip out and cranked it up a bit on the way back in. I noticed again this morning if I sync my breathing with my strides that I ran faster.
Interestingly, I can clearly remember this "recovery" week in preparation for the St. George marathon last fall. I'm not sure why it's such a vivid memory ... maybe because it was a new route that I hadn't run before or since ... ??? I pulled my training log to see what pace I ran these 9-milers. I ran one on Monday and another on Thursday. The planned pace was 8:51. I ran 8:49 and 9:41. This made today's 8:08 feel even better!
May 17 and the marathon will be here before you know it. I checked our flights yesterday and they still look very good (we're flying standby). Paige's training for the half seems to be going well. She got new shoes last week too. Cameron has now decided he wants to run the half but I checked yesterday and it's sold out. I'll add him to the wait list today. I've been tinkering with elevation-based pace charts. I've still got some work to do there but a plan seems to be formulating.
I'll post again after Wednesday's run. At the moment, I'm not sure if it's going to be AM or PM. I would like PM but think I have a scheduling conflict so it may have to be another early morning extravaganza.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water & oatmeal w/skim milk
9 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.03 mi. @ 8:08/mi.
4:27 AM 42° 81% 0 mph
This is "recovery" week. I'm doing three 9-mile runs this week at an easy pace. This is the last recovery period prior to the marathon so I'm hopeful that by next Sunday, I'm feeling very good physically.
At this point, I'm happy to report the only thing that bothered me this morning was my left ankle. It's still achy and doesn't seem to be improving but it does seem to loosen up after a couple miles.
I didn't really feel like going when the alarm sounded at 4 AM but drug myself out the door. To illustrate how simple my mind is, I've always been very eager to run when I'm going out in new shoes. Well, today was the maiden voyage of my new Mizuno Wave Rider 10's. These are the same model as my last two pairs and are getting harder to find now that Mizuno is selling newer models. This pair is red, blue, and silver and look pretty good. But not even the lure of new shoes was motivating this morning.
On days I start out like this the runs usually aren't that great but this one turned out okay. I drove to the Y and ran the bayou trail out and back for 9 miles. The morning air was surprisingly cool and for the first couple miles I wished I had worn long sleeves and gloves. My hands were very cold at the finish.
There was low lying fog which turned the bayou into something like the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Maybe the thought of zombies at 4:30 in the morning darkness prompted me to pick up the pace! Actually it was pleasant. I sat on my desired pace (8:20) during the trip out and cranked it up a bit on the way back in. I noticed again this morning if I sync my breathing with my strides that I ran faster.
Interestingly, I can clearly remember this "recovery" week in preparation for the St. George marathon last fall. I'm not sure why it's such a vivid memory ... maybe because it was a new route that I hadn't run before or since ... ??? I pulled my training log to see what pace I ran these 9-milers. I ran one on Monday and another on Thursday. The planned pace was 8:51. I ran 8:49 and 9:41. This made today's 8:08 feel even better!
May 17 and the marathon will be here before you know it. I checked our flights yesterday and they still look very good (we're flying standby). Paige's training for the half seems to be going well. She got new shoes last week too. Cameron has now decided he wants to run the half but I checked yesterday and it's sold out. I'll add him to the wait list today. I've been tinkering with elevation-based pace charts. I've still got some work to do there but a plan seems to be formulating.
I'll post again after Wednesday's run. At the moment, I'm not sure if it's going to be AM or PM. I would like PM but think I have a scheduling conflict so it may have to be another early morning extravaganza.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water & oatmeal w/skim milk
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A Good Long Run from Home to Meet Others
OBJECTIVE
16 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
16.98 mi. @ 8:06/mi.
5:53 pm 54° 61% 2 mph
This turned out to be a surprisingly good run. I ran from home to the Y to meet up with the renegade Spring Running Club. I underestimated the distance and overestimated my pace so I arrived late but saw them ahead and was able to catch them. There were 4 or 5 guys together. I only recognized Gordon. He said Bob was up ahead and that I should catch him. I saw Bob and someone else and reeled them in. I was now at about 5.5 miles and holding around an 8 minute pace which I figured would be catching up to me on the back half of the run.
Bob introduced me to Michelle. She and her husband are triathletes. It was great to run with Bob and Michelle today. The miles passed by easily and I felt good with the small exception of my left ankle. I thought they would be turning at the 4-mile point but they were going for 10 miles. I figured I'd try staying with them for as long as I could. I stayed with them all the way back to the Y where we stopped. I talked to the other guys who had gone 9 miles, said my good-byes, and took off for the run home. It was tougher alone but I maintained the pace for about a mile or a bit more. At that point the traffic on Cypresswood and later on Louetta was bad and with little or no shoulder in places, I felt like I was in a real-life version of the 80's arcade game Frogger. My pace dropped off over the last mile but I was very happy with the overall result.
PRE RUN
GrapeNuts & skim milk; water
POST RUN
2 SlimFast & water
Later, Wheaties & skim milk
16 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
16.98 mi. @ 8:06/mi.
5:53 pm 54° 61% 2 mph
This turned out to be a surprisingly good run. I ran from home to the Y to meet up with the renegade Spring Running Club. I underestimated the distance and overestimated my pace so I arrived late but saw them ahead and was able to catch them. There were 4 or 5 guys together. I only recognized Gordon. He said Bob was up ahead and that I should catch him. I saw Bob and someone else and reeled them in. I was now at about 5.5 miles and holding around an 8 minute pace which I figured would be catching up to me on the back half of the run.
Bob introduced me to Michelle. She and her husband are triathletes. It was great to run with Bob and Michelle today. The miles passed by easily and I felt good with the small exception of my left ankle. I thought they would be turning at the 4-mile point but they were going for 10 miles. I figured I'd try staying with them for as long as I could. I stayed with them all the way back to the Y where we stopped. I talked to the other guys who had gone 9 miles, said my good-byes, and took off for the run home. It was tougher alone but I maintained the pace for about a mile or a bit more. At that point the traffic on Cypresswood and later on Louetta was bad and with little or no shoulder in places, I felt like I was in a real-life version of the 80's arcade game Frogger. My pace dropped off over the last mile but I was very happy with the overall result.
PRE RUN
GrapeNuts & skim milk; water
POST RUN
2 SlimFast & water
Later, Wheaties & skim milk
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Daily Injury Report
OBJECTIVE
5 mi. @ 8:20
ACHIEVED
5.14 mi. @ 8:11 (42:04)
4:51 AM 73° 78% 13 mph
It seems like my blog has turned into a regular injury report lately! I wasn't scheduled to run today but figured I better see what I could do about getting some miles since I missed Monday and last Saturday's run was a bit short.
It was a steamy, windy morning. I wore my IT band strap and my knee held up great. Each ankle had problems of varying degrees. I think the right ankle that I twisted lightly running hills yesterday is going to be fine. It's just a little tender. I'm not sure what to think about the left ankle. It doesn't seem to be improving and can get rather cranky. I plan on giving my legs a 48 hour break then going out for 16 miles Saturday morning. Hopefully the rest allows them to get feeling closer to normal.
This morning's run was uneventful. I held a decent pace that was fairly consistent. During Mile 2, I noticed I was going faster than I should have been so a pulled it back and pretty much held it there throughout. My cardio felt good and (other than my ankles) my legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday's hills.
I'm having concerns about my mileage and the inconsistency of my training but am hopeful that I'm on track (I know, you've heard me say that before!). Time is growing short with only 37 days until the marathon. I'm hopeful that every run between now and then can be focused and with purpose that will allow for my best effort on May 17. I also hope my body gets feeling better than it has for the past several weeks. I really believe my training inconsistency is the cause of my nagging injuries.
I believe next week is a "pull back" week in my training schedule. I need to check but I think I've only got 3 runs of 9 miles each. After that, I've got a 3-week buildup cycle with good intensity and distance followed by a week taper. I can't believe it's so close!
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, multivitamin & water; 5 grain hot cereal w/milk
5 mi. @ 8:20
ACHIEVED
5.14 mi. @ 8:11 (42:04)
4:51 AM 73° 78% 13 mph
It seems like my blog has turned into a regular injury report lately! I wasn't scheduled to run today but figured I better see what I could do about getting some miles since I missed Monday and last Saturday's run was a bit short.
It was a steamy, windy morning. I wore my IT band strap and my knee held up great. Each ankle had problems of varying degrees. I think the right ankle that I twisted lightly running hills yesterday is going to be fine. It's just a little tender. I'm not sure what to think about the left ankle. It doesn't seem to be improving and can get rather cranky. I plan on giving my legs a 48 hour break then going out for 16 miles Saturday morning. Hopefully the rest allows them to get feeling closer to normal.
This morning's run was uneventful. I held a decent pace that was fairly consistent. During Mile 2, I noticed I was going faster than I should have been so a pulled it back and pretty much held it there throughout. My cardio felt good and (other than my ankles) my legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday's hills.
I'm having concerns about my mileage and the inconsistency of my training but am hopeful that I'm on track (I know, you've heard me say that before!). Time is growing short with only 37 days until the marathon. I'm hopeful that every run between now and then can be focused and with purpose that will allow for my best effort on May 17. I also hope my body gets feeling better than it has for the past several weeks. I really believe my training inconsistency is the cause of my nagging injuries.
I believe next week is a "pull back" week in my training schedule. I need to check but I think I've only got 3 runs of 9 miles each. After that, I've got a 3-week buildup cycle with good intensity and distance followed by a week taper. I can't believe it's so close!
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, multivitamin & water; 5 grain hot cereal w/milk
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Hills without Will
OBJECTIVE
8 miles w/ 5 mi. tempo @ 7:05
ACHIEVED
WU
4 x hills 6:22/6:32/6:53/6:35
CD
core exercises
5:30 AM
On Monday morning, I started out early from home but only made it about .25 miles. My knee was having none of it so I shut it down and turned back for the house. My knee and ankle haven't been "right" over the past couple of days.
Tuesday evening was Part II of the Tour de Bayou which I probably could have run but decided it wasn't the best thing to prepare for Ogden so I gave my knee and ankle another day of rest. I'm very disappointed that I won't be completing the series and that I let my 20th overall position in the standings slip by the wayside but everything I do now needs to be focused on the marathon.
This morning was Will's Hills. Will is on sabbatical so Lee managed the workout. It was straight forward enough:
Easy run from the YWCA to warm up
25 minutes of hills over a course he laid out (5 ups and downs over xx miles)
4 x slightly downhill strides approx. 35 yards; run backwards uphill then repeat
Easy run back to YWCA to cool down
Core exercises
I wore my IT strap and am happy to report my knee did not bother me this morning even though it was achy before we started. The ankle had a dull ache throughout. I did step on uneven ground during the third hill and tweaked my right ankle (a danger of running hills in the dark, I suppose). It gave me something else to contend with.
I enjoy this group. It's low-key but the workouts are good and seem to be well designed. This morning and last Wednesday, the runs with been short in duration but high in intensity. It's not the most convenient for me to drive downtown at 5 AM but Jonathan is gracious enough to let me clean up and eat at his place afterwards. It's very convenient since it's not too far from where the runs are based and it's close to the office. I've been at my desk before 8 AM each day.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
water & SlimFast
Later, oatmeal w/milk & brown sugar; smoothie (Jonathan's special recipe)
8 miles w/ 5 mi. tempo @ 7:05
ACHIEVED
WU
4 x hills 6:22/6:32/6:53/6:35
CD
core exercises
5:30 AM
On Monday morning, I started out early from home but only made it about .25 miles. My knee was having none of it so I shut it down and turned back for the house. My knee and ankle haven't been "right" over the past couple of days.
Tuesday evening was Part II of the Tour de Bayou which I probably could have run but decided it wasn't the best thing to prepare for Ogden so I gave my knee and ankle another day of rest. I'm very disappointed that I won't be completing the series and that I let my 20th overall position in the standings slip by the wayside but everything I do now needs to be focused on the marathon.
This morning was Will's Hills. Will is on sabbatical so Lee managed the workout. It was straight forward enough:
Easy run from the YWCA to warm up
25 minutes of hills over a course he laid out (5 ups and downs over xx miles)
4 x slightly downhill strides approx. 35 yards; run backwards uphill then repeat
Easy run back to YWCA to cool down
Core exercises
I wore my IT strap and am happy to report my knee did not bother me this morning even though it was achy before we started. The ankle had a dull ache throughout. I did step on uneven ground during the third hill and tweaked my right ankle (a danger of running hills in the dark, I suppose). It gave me something else to contend with.
I enjoy this group. It's low-key but the workouts are good and seem to be well designed. This morning and last Wednesday, the runs with been short in duration but high in intensity. It's not the most convenient for me to drive downtown at 5 AM but Jonathan is gracious enough to let me clean up and eat at his place afterwards. It's very convenient since it's not too far from where the runs are based and it's close to the office. I've been at my desk before 8 AM each day.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
water & SlimFast
Later, oatmeal w/milk & brown sugar; smoothie (Jonathan's special recipe)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Ill-advised Racing
OBJECTIVE
3.1 mi. : finish
ACHIEVED
3.13 mi. @ 7:13/mi. (22:35)
8:00 AM 61° 86% 4 mph
I probably shouldn't have run this race today. However, my employer is corporate sponsor and our running group received 35 paid entries. Late Friday afternoon, I checked the registration listings and found only 4 or 5 coworkers had registered so I signed up. Thinking that if Saturday's long run didn't go well that I'd just not race today.
This run is a HUGE local fundraising event for cancer research. On the course - all at the same time - are timed runners, untimed runners, family run/walkers, and walkers. Walking from my car to the packet pickup table was difficult for me. I was still feeling yesterday's run ... BIG TIME. I walked back to the car and stretched. I heard the call for runners and tried slowly running to the start. Wasn't happening .... Luckily they didn't start right away. I found a place in the pack, the gun sounded and off we went. I was behind slow people but that wasn't a problem today! My left ITB was throbbing and I had no get-up-and-go. Early in the race, I considered dropping out. I figured I might be hurting myself but honestly couldn't see I "good" place to drop out ... anonymously. So I slowed down even more and pressed on. I decided to "enjoy" the run as much as possible. When I saw the race leaders doubling back toward Reliant Stadium, it somehow lifted me. I cheered a few of them one then started cheering some of the other runners around me especially the young ones. I noticed that I was starting to pass people. My knee was still giving me a problem but not as bad as before.
I started focusing on the turnaround. I decided that I would work on my technique. Most runners started crowding to the extreme inside. This gave me the opportunity on the outside. So I swung wide while passing people then cut the turn and accelerated off the orange cone. I passed several others and got a lift. My knee was feeling better. I decided that my goal was to not let anyone pass me the rest of the way.
With .5 mile to go, I feeling felt good (relatively speaking). I picked up my pace. There was a long hill that I powered up smoothly; passing many others as I did. I turned hard for the finish and felt fine pushing to the end.
After the run, my knee was really screaming as I walked around trying the food samples available from the sponsors.
Normally this race result would have been a huge disappointment. But in context, I'm happy with the result:
* just ran 19 miles yesterday
* managed negative splits 7:41/7:30/6:39/ .14 @ 0:45 (5:21) [I think this is the first time I've gone negative splits in a 5K.]
* last year's time for this race 24:42
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
water, pumpkin bread, spring roll, smoothie, granola bar, nutella crepe
3.1 mi. : finish
ACHIEVED
3.13 mi. @ 7:13/mi. (22:35)
8:00 AM 61° 86% 4 mph
I probably shouldn't have run this race today. However, my employer is corporate sponsor and our running group received 35 paid entries. Late Friday afternoon, I checked the registration listings and found only 4 or 5 coworkers had registered so I signed up. Thinking that if Saturday's long run didn't go well that I'd just not race today.
This run is a HUGE local fundraising event for cancer research. On the course - all at the same time - are timed runners, untimed runners, family run/walkers, and walkers. Walking from my car to the packet pickup table was difficult for me. I was still feeling yesterday's run ... BIG TIME. I walked back to the car and stretched. I heard the call for runners and tried slowly running to the start. Wasn't happening .... Luckily they didn't start right away. I found a place in the pack, the gun sounded and off we went. I was behind slow people but that wasn't a problem today! My left ITB was throbbing and I had no get-up-and-go. Early in the race, I considered dropping out. I figured I might be hurting myself but honestly couldn't see I "good" place to drop out ... anonymously. So I slowed down even more and pressed on. I decided to "enjoy" the run as much as possible. When I saw the race leaders doubling back toward Reliant Stadium, it somehow lifted me. I cheered a few of them one then started cheering some of the other runners around me especially the young ones. I noticed that I was starting to pass people. My knee was still giving me a problem but not as bad as before.
I started focusing on the turnaround. I decided that I would work on my technique. Most runners started crowding to the extreme inside. This gave me the opportunity on the outside. So I swung wide while passing people then cut the turn and accelerated off the orange cone. I passed several others and got a lift. My knee was feeling better. I decided that my goal was to not let anyone pass me the rest of the way.
With .5 mile to go, I feeling felt good (relatively speaking). I picked up my pace. There was a long hill that I powered up smoothly; passing many others as I did. I turned hard for the finish and felt fine pushing to the end.
After the run, my knee was really screaming as I walked around trying the food samples available from the sponsors.
Normally this race result would have been a huge disappointment. But in context, I'm happy with the result:
* just ran 19 miles yesterday
* managed negative splits 7:41/7:30/6:39/ .14 @ 0:45 (5:21) [I think this is the first time I've gone negative splits in a 5K.]
* last year's time for this race 24:42
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
water, pumpkin bread, spring roll, smoothie, granola bar, nutella crepe
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Blew Up!
OBJECTIVE
20 mi. @ 8:20
ACHIEVED
18.95 mi. @ 8:53
9:48 AM 60° 80% 8 mph
Ran a new route from Memorial Park along the Bayou into Downtown then looped the Bayou a couple times on the way back to the Park.
I started slowly because I really wanted to get the miles. Everything went well through 15 miles then the wheels fell off. I covered Mile 15 in 7:56 which was my fastest mile then stopped at the fountain at the Sabine Bridge. When I started again, it just wasn't happening! My left ITB hadn't bothered me until this point and my left ankle was becoming a problem too. I gutted out another 3 miles back along the Bayou and was committed to finishing this run. But it wasn't to be. With only a couple miles to go, I started alternating running and walking then finally decided that I might be hurting myself too much to keep running. I walked it back and wasn't happy about it. This run had started so well and ended so poorly.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
DURING
2 GU packets and 20 oz. Accelerade
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
20 mi. @ 8:20
ACHIEVED
18.95 mi. @ 8:53
9:48 AM 60° 80% 8 mph
Ran a new route from Memorial Park along the Bayou into Downtown then looped the Bayou a couple times on the way back to the Park.
I started slowly because I really wanted to get the miles. Everything went well through 15 miles then the wheels fell off. I covered Mile 15 in 7:56 which was my fastest mile then stopped at the fountain at the Sabine Bridge. When I started again, it just wasn't happening! My left ITB hadn't bothered me until this point and my left ankle was becoming a problem too. I gutted out another 3 miles back along the Bayou and was committed to finishing this run. But it wasn't to be. With only a couple miles to go, I started alternating running and walking then finally decided that I might be hurting myself too much to keep running. I walked it back and wasn't happy about it. This run had started so well and ended so poorly.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
DURING
2 GU packets and 20 oz. Accelerade
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Will's Hills
OBJECTIVE
8 mi. total including 4x1600@6:34 w/800 recovery
ACHIEVED
WU .64 mi.
.95 mi.(6:11) [.60 mi.(5:32)] .96 mi.(6:37)
5 "W"'s : 1.43 mi@9:19 (HILLS!)
CD .80 mi.
5:35 AM 71° 86% 4 mph
Jonathan introduced me to the Will's Hills group and routine this morning. This ended up being a really good workout for me but I wasn't very optimistic to start out. After a warm up jog, we ran 2 one-mile intervals. It was still quite dark in some areas along the trail which caused me to be a bit tentative. I also found myself holding back since I was uncertain about the energy requirements of the 5 "W"'s. In the simplest terms, a "W" consisted of starting at the top of the hill at Shepherd and Memorial. From the top, it was down then back up 3 times while moving diagonally across the face of the hill. It was a tough workout! I found myself somewhere in the middle of the pack of about 14 runners with the group with morning. The hills brought out a little "burn" in my legs.
After finishing the "W"'s, we cooled down over the 3/4 mile back to the parking lot. Some of the group hung around for conditioning and stretching exercises. Jonathan and I joined the group. This was really good for me even though my form on some of the movements was pitiful!
From there, we followed Jonathan by car to his new house. After cleaning up for work, he grabbed a quick breakfast and he shared a very good smoothie concoction with me.
This was a really good workout for me and I felt great about it throughout the morning. I think the guy running Will's Hills is running the Boston Marathon and won't be with the group for a while but informal sessions will continue so I think I'll make Wednesday mornings my day with them (they meet M, W, and F). I really appreciate Jonathan putting me on to this group and making his facilities available.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & Accelerade
Later, oatmeal w/brn. sugar & milk; smoothie
8 mi. total including 4x1600@6:34 w/800 recovery
ACHIEVED
WU .64 mi.
.95 mi.(6:11) [.60 mi.(5:32)] .96 mi.(6:37)
5 "W"'s : 1.43 mi@9:19 (HILLS!)
CD .80 mi.
5:35 AM 71° 86% 4 mph
Jonathan introduced me to the Will's Hills group and routine this morning. This ended up being a really good workout for me but I wasn't very optimistic to start out. After a warm up jog, we ran 2 one-mile intervals. It was still quite dark in some areas along the trail which caused me to be a bit tentative. I also found myself holding back since I was uncertain about the energy requirements of the 5 "W"'s. In the simplest terms, a "W" consisted of starting at the top of the hill at Shepherd and Memorial. From the top, it was down then back up 3 times while moving diagonally across the face of the hill. It was a tough workout! I found myself somewhere in the middle of the pack of about 14 runners with the group with morning. The hills brought out a little "burn" in my legs.
After finishing the "W"'s, we cooled down over the 3/4 mile back to the parking lot. Some of the group hung around for conditioning and stretching exercises. Jonathan and I joined the group. This was really good for me even though my form on some of the movements was pitiful!
From there, we followed Jonathan by car to his new house. After cleaning up for work, he grabbed a quick breakfast and he shared a very good smoothie concoction with me.
This was a really good workout for me and I felt great about it throughout the morning. I think the guy running Will's Hills is running the Boston Marathon and won't be with the group for a while but informal sessions will continue so I think I'll make Wednesday mornings my day with them (they meet M, W, and F). I really appreciate Jonathan putting me on to this group and making his facilities available.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & Accelerade
Later, oatmeal w/brn. sugar & milk; smoothie
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Tour de Bayou, Part I
I didn't know what to expect going into the first leg of today's Tour de Bayou. Throughout the day, I really didn't feel like running it tonight. But finally decided to at least go check it out.
The Tour de Bayou is a 5-leg series of cross country races with distances ranging from 5K to 8K. The races are held Tuesdays at 6 pm at various locations around Houston.
Tonight's leg ended up being 2.77 miles at Spotts Park. The course was an "out-and-back out-and-back", went up and down 5 hills, and was all on grass. The recent rains created a heavy bog in one area and I noticed people losing their shoes in it on my first pass.
Not knowing exactly what to expect and "not feeling it", I started slow. I decided to just run this one on "feel". I didn't have my Garmin and I wasn't up to "racing" so it was just going to be a cruise around the course.
I ended up with 22:43 (self-timed) and 20th place. Jonathan Bennett, who I met up with before the race, ran well and finished in 10th.
I suppose the plan is to catch the next 4 legs of this event. Cumulative standings are kept so maybe I can move up before it's all over.
The Tour de Bayou is a 5-leg series of cross country races with distances ranging from 5K to 8K. The races are held Tuesdays at 6 pm at various locations around Houston.
Tonight's leg ended up being 2.77 miles at Spotts Park. The course was an "out-and-back out-and-back", went up and down 5 hills, and was all on grass. The recent rains created a heavy bog in one area and I noticed people losing their shoes in it on my first pass.
Not knowing exactly what to expect and "not feeling it", I started slow. I decided to just run this one on "feel". I didn't have my Garmin and I wasn't up to "racing" so it was just going to be a cruise around the course.
I ended up with 22:43 (self-timed) and 20th place. Jonathan Bennett, who I met up with before the race, ran well and finished in 10th.
I suppose the plan is to catch the next 4 legs of this event. Cumulative standings are kept so maybe I can move up before it's all over.
Monday, March 31, 2008
4 Easy Miles
OBJECTIVE
4 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
4 mi. @ 8:18/mi.
Garmin was out of commission again this morning. My legs were a little tight this morning and I wasn't sure my left IT band was going to cooperate. The IT band was painful for the first mile but evolved to a dull ache. It was misty/lightly raining this morning. My cardio feels okay. It's just the "muscle fitness" (certainly an unscientific term!) that seems to be a problem.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
Slim Fast, multivitamin, Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
4 mi. @ 8:20/mi.
ACHIEVED
4 mi. @ 8:18/mi.
Garmin was out of commission again this morning. My legs were a little tight this morning and I wasn't sure my left IT band was going to cooperate. The IT band was painful for the first mile but evolved to a dull ache. It was misty/lightly raining this morning. My cardio feels okay. It's just the "muscle fitness" (certainly an unscientific term!) that seems to be a problem.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
Slim Fast, multivitamin, Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Easy (theoretically!) 6 Miles
OBJECTIVE
6 mi. : no pace
ACHIEVED
6.48 mi. @ 9:19/mi.
This was a tough run. I kept pulling the pace back so as not to aggravate my left IT band. I was happy to get this one in. Mileage-wise, it looks like I'm heading for a problem with my marathon preparations.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
6 mi. : no pace
ACHIEVED
6.48 mi. @ 9:19/mi.
This was a tough run. I kept pulling the pace back so as not to aggravate my left IT band. I was happy to get this one in. Mileage-wise, it looks like I'm heading for a problem with my marathon preparations.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Failure
OBJECTIVE
16 mi. @ 8:25/mi.
ACHIEVED
8.68 mi. @ 9:07/mi.
6:05 AM
Started from the Y with Bob Bond and Gordon this morning. Bob's been having a problem with his back so they were going for 8 miles. I figured I'd run the first 4 miles with them and see how I was feeling. Specifically my toe - which I'm fairly certain I broke last Sunday. It's black and blue and very swollen. I haven't run since Sunday because of it.
It was good to run with Bob again. Conversation has a way of passing the miles away much more efficiently than thinking! We covered the first 4 miles around 8:37/mi. pace. Bob and Gordon turned back. I was feeling pretty good so I picked up the pace and headed for Spring-Cypress Road. My thought at this point was to push for 10 miles then see how I was feeling. Unfortunately by the time I hit 8 miles, my left IT band was absolutely screaming. I had failed to wear my IT band strap today even though I've been wearing for virtually every run for the past month. My IT band has not given me any trouble lately. Evenso, it was a complete oversight on my part in failing to put it on.
There are always "crossroads" while running. These are the times you have to make a decision. For me, they always come up during races and also occur during training runs. I was at today's crossroad. In the past when the IT band issue has manifest itself, I've always "pushed on through". The result has been that I've ended up having to take some time off to recover. Today, I just shut it down and walked in the last 2 miles. It nearly killed me as several ChampionsFit runners passed me while I was walking. I kept telling myself that this was the right thing to do and that this approach would allow me to keep running rather than having to take time off. ... time will tell.
PRE RUN
Oatmeal w/skim milk, water & multivitamin
IN RUN
Accelerade & GU (Mint chocolate)
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, GrapeNuts cereal w/skim milk
16 mi. @ 8:25/mi.
ACHIEVED
8.68 mi. @ 9:07/mi.
6:05 AM
Started from the Y with Bob Bond and Gordon this morning. Bob's been having a problem with his back so they were going for 8 miles. I figured I'd run the first 4 miles with them and see how I was feeling. Specifically my toe - which I'm fairly certain I broke last Sunday. It's black and blue and very swollen. I haven't run since Sunday because of it.
It was good to run with Bob again. Conversation has a way of passing the miles away much more efficiently than thinking! We covered the first 4 miles around 8:37/mi. pace. Bob and Gordon turned back. I was feeling pretty good so I picked up the pace and headed for Spring-Cypress Road. My thought at this point was to push for 10 miles then see how I was feeling. Unfortunately by the time I hit 8 miles, my left IT band was absolutely screaming. I had failed to wear my IT band strap today even though I've been wearing for virtually every run for the past month. My IT band has not given me any trouble lately. Evenso, it was a complete oversight on my part in failing to put it on.
There are always "crossroads" while running. These are the times you have to make a decision. For me, they always come up during races and also occur during training runs. I was at today's crossroad. In the past when the IT band issue has manifest itself, I've always "pushed on through". The result has been that I've ended up having to take some time off to recover. Today, I just shut it down and walked in the last 2 miles. It nearly killed me as several ChampionsFit runners passed me while I was walking. I kept telling myself that this was the right thing to do and that this approach would allow me to keep running rather than having to take time off. ... time will tell.
PRE RUN
Oatmeal w/skim milk, water & multivitamin
IN RUN
Accelerade & GU (Mint chocolate)
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, GrapeNuts cereal w/skim milk
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easy 4 Miles
OBJECTIVE
4 miles @ 8:25
ACHIEVED
4.00 miles @ 8:28 (33:53)
Went for an easy 4 miler this morning. My legs felt good. The upcoming week should be interesting. I'm back into my training schedule after last week's "pull back". I'm scheduled for 7 miles Monday, a tough tempo run on Wednesday, and a 16-miler on Saturday. I suspect I'll get the weekday runs in the morning before work and I'm planning on trying Will's Hills with Jonathan Wednesday morning.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
4 miles @ 8:25
ACHIEVED
4.00 miles @ 8:28 (33:53)
Went for an easy 4 miler this morning. My legs felt good. The upcoming week should be interesting. I'm back into my training schedule after last week's "pull back". I'm scheduled for 7 miles Monday, a tough tempo run on Wednesday, and a 16-miler on Saturday. I suspect I'll get the weekday runs in the morning before work and I'm planning on trying Will's Hills with Jonathan Wednesday morning.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Run The Woodlands 5K #197
OBJECTIVE
5K : challenge January's 20:37 PR
ACHIEVED
5K : 20:12 (unofficial)
8:00 AM 52° 97% 0 mph
I wasn't planning on racing today but my 15-year old son mentioned last night that he wanted to run The Woodlands 5K this morning. He's been running the two-mile event this track season (when it doesn't conflict with baseball) so I fully expected him to beat me today. But I wasn't going to go down without a fight! I didn't sleep well last night and didn't feel too good this morning before the race.
Amazingly, I felt great for the first half of the race. I forgot to bring my Garmin so I didn't know my pace. I was just running with my Timex Ironman. I think Cameron must have misjudged the distance because I passed him between 1 and 1.5 miles into the race. It felt like I was pushing the pace just about right. An amazingly efficient female runner passed me around 2 miles. Her stride was short but her turnover was very fast. She rolled past me. I tried to hang with her for a while but she methodically stretched the gap as I started breaking down. I think she was the same person who passed around the same point when I ran this race back in January.
I checked my watch and figured that I was going to have a chance of breaking 20:00 if I pushed it. So I did. But, in the end it wasn't enough. I didn't hear my time called out at the finish but had 20:12 on my watch. They usually post the results so I'll watch for the official time later.
My finish was good enough for 6th place overall. Cameron was about 20 - 25 seconds behind me in 9th place.
I was supposed to run 7 miles today so I'll either get 4 more miles later today or first thing in the morning.
PRE RUN
water & GrapeNuts w/skim milk
POST RUN
water & SlimFast
5K : challenge January's 20:37 PR
ACHIEVED
5K : 20:12 (unofficial)
8:00 AM 52° 97% 0 mph
I wasn't planning on racing today but my 15-year old son mentioned last night that he wanted to run The Woodlands 5K this morning. He's been running the two-mile event this track season (when it doesn't conflict with baseball) so I fully expected him to beat me today. But I wasn't going to go down without a fight! I didn't sleep well last night and didn't feel too good this morning before the race.
Amazingly, I felt great for the first half of the race. I forgot to bring my Garmin so I didn't know my pace. I was just running with my Timex Ironman. I think Cameron must have misjudged the distance because I passed him between 1 and 1.5 miles into the race. It felt like I was pushing the pace just about right. An amazingly efficient female runner passed me around 2 miles. Her stride was short but her turnover was very fast. She rolled past me. I tried to hang with her for a while but she methodically stretched the gap as I started breaking down. I think she was the same person who passed around the same point when I ran this race back in January.
I checked my watch and figured that I was going to have a chance of breaking 20:00 if I pushed it. So I did. But, in the end it wasn't enough. I didn't hear my time called out at the finish but had 20:12 on my watch. They usually post the results so I'll watch for the official time later.
My finish was good enough for 6th place overall. Cameron was about 20 - 25 seconds behind me in 9th place.
I was supposed to run 7 miles today so I'll either get 4 more miles later today or first thing in the morning.
PRE RUN
water & GrapeNuts w/skim milk
POST RUN
water & SlimFast
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Run Home from the Office
OBJECTIVE
8 mi. @ 8:25/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.77 mi. @ 8:28/mi.
6:45 PM 66° 31% 14 mph
Okay, I've been wanting to try this run for a long time. Ironically, I live a little over 26 miles from the office where I work. There happens to be a Park and Ride for bus commuters a little over half way from my house. For a little less than a year now, I've thought I'd like to park my car at the bus stop, ride the bus to work in the morning then run back to the bus stop after work. I've plotted several different routes to accomplish this. Now that daylight savings time is here and my fitness allows for it, I figured I'd give it a try today.
I was a bit eager at the outset as I wound my way out of downtown. I decided to just let my watch run continuously rather than mess around with stopping and starting it at every traffic light along the way (there ended up being many!). It was a very nice evening and I felt pretty good. A few people that I had talked to about attempting this run in the past didn't think it was a good idea since I'd be running alone and if anything happened there wouldn't be an easy or obvious contingency plan. This is a big part of the reason I hadn't tried this run before now.
The first 5 miles went well. The route was new so I was wide-eyed. The evening was beautiful as the sun was setting. The last 3 miles were tough. It was one long stretch along a "feeder road" (something I didn't know about until moving to Houston 8 1/2 years ago). The shoulder was 4" to nonexistent in some places. The traffic - while only one-way - was moving close to freeway speed. While I didn't ever feel in imminent danger, there were times that the sidewalk did seem the safest of places - especially as a began to get darker.
The smells from ethnic restaurants along the way were great! I also saw and heard a woman playing her guitar and singing on her porch. It was fun.
The shortcomings of the run were the traffic and running on sidewalks. I think I'll try this again but will probably look for alternate routing to keep me on some quieter streets along some sections of the run.
Although the last three miles were particularly tough, I felt great after stretching and driving the rest of the way home. Chalk one up for reducing my carbon footprint today (he said, tongue-somewhat-in-cheek).
PRE RUN
granola bar & water
During the run, I ate 1/2 Clif bar and drank about 16 oz. H2O
POST RUN
SlimFast
8 mi. @ 8:25/mi.
ACHIEVED
9.77 mi. @ 8:28/mi.
6:45 PM 66° 31% 14 mph
Okay, I've been wanting to try this run for a long time. Ironically, I live a little over 26 miles from the office where I work. There happens to be a Park and Ride for bus commuters a little over half way from my house. For a little less than a year now, I've thought I'd like to park my car at the bus stop, ride the bus to work in the morning then run back to the bus stop after work. I've plotted several different routes to accomplish this. Now that daylight savings time is here and my fitness allows for it, I figured I'd give it a try today.
I was a bit eager at the outset as I wound my way out of downtown. I decided to just let my watch run continuously rather than mess around with stopping and starting it at every traffic light along the way (there ended up being many!). It was a very nice evening and I felt pretty good. A few people that I had talked to about attempting this run in the past didn't think it was a good idea since I'd be running alone and if anything happened there wouldn't be an easy or obvious contingency plan. This is a big part of the reason I hadn't tried this run before now.
The first 5 miles went well. The route was new so I was wide-eyed. The evening was beautiful as the sun was setting. The last 3 miles were tough. It was one long stretch along a "feeder road" (something I didn't know about until moving to Houston 8 1/2 years ago). The shoulder was 4" to nonexistent in some places. The traffic - while only one-way - was moving close to freeway speed. While I didn't ever feel in imminent danger, there were times that the sidewalk did seem the safest of places - especially as a began to get darker.
The smells from ethnic restaurants along the way were great! I also saw and heard a woman playing her guitar and singing on her porch. It was fun.
The shortcomings of the run were the traffic and running on sidewalks. I think I'll try this again but will probably look for alternate routing to keep me on some quieter streets along some sections of the run.
Although the last three miles were particularly tough, I felt great after stretching and driving the rest of the way home. Chalk one up for reducing my carbon footprint today (he said, tongue-somewhat-in-cheek).
PRE RUN
granola bar & water
During the run, I ate 1/2 Clif bar and drank about 16 oz. H2O
POST RUN
SlimFast
Monday, March 17, 2008
On Tired Legs
OBJECTIVE
8 mi. @ 8:25/mi.
ACHIEVED
8.00 mi. @ 8:17/mi. (1:06:26)
7:06 AM 70° 81% 15 mph
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, oatmeal 2/skm mlk & brn. sugar; multivitamin; water
8 mi. @ 8:25/mi.
ACHIEVED
8.00 mi. @ 8:17/mi. (1:06:26)
7:06 AM 70° 81% 15 mph
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, oatmeal 2/skm mlk & brn. sugar; multivitamin; water
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Easy Miles
OBJECTIVE
6 mi. : easy pace
ACHIEVED
5.53 mi. @ 9:09/mi. (50:40)
6:05 AM 55° 72% 6 mph
Just looking to stretch it out and get a few easy miles this morning. I was experiencing some soreness from yesterday's effort. I also must have been sleepwalking (sleeprunning?) because I turned too early on my six-mile route and inadvertently cut it 1/2 too short.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
6 mi. : easy pace
ACHIEVED
5.53 mi. @ 9:09/mi. (50:40)
6:05 AM 55° 72% 6 mph
Just looking to stretch it out and get a few easy miles this morning. I was experiencing some soreness from yesterday's effort. I also must have been sleepwalking (sleeprunning?) because I turned too early on my six-mile route and inadvertently cut it 1/2 too short.
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Late Entry
OBJECTIVE
10K race : 45 - 46 min.
ACHIEVED
10K @ 7:15/mi. (44:58)
At the last minute I decided to enter the Houston Eye Associates Lookin' Good 10K this morning. I found myself more apprehensive about this race than most others I've been in (except maiden voyages at new distances). I think it's because I was using this race as a "fitness check". Would my knee hold up? Where does my conditioning stand at the moment? ... just a bunch of questions like these were churning through my head.
I targeted 46:09 as my goal time. Why such a specific time? Well, the "equivalent" calculators equate a 3:30:00 marathon (my goal for Ogden) as a 46:09 10K. (Side note: these calculators haven't always been very reliable in my case.)
Of course, I ran the equivalent 10K time for a 3:20:00 marathon (my Boston qualifying time)... 43:36.
So, I set 45:00 - 46:00 as a solid range to work toward. I thought I should be able to "cruise" to a 46. I also figured I'd run negative splits in an effort to put less stress on my body.
Okay ... so with that background off I went.
As usual, I went out too fast. It didn't help that the 10K course was a double-loop of the 5K course and the 5K and 10K started together. I tried to reign it in but really couldn't. I knew this would cause a problem later.
I wasn't feeling particularly good or bad. Just running. I decided that I like this course. I ran it last year as a 5K. It was the second race after I started running last year. I ran it with my son, Cameron. I remember discovering the benefit of even splits in that race. I was ultimately thrilled to clock a 24:32 last year. Interestingly, today's first 5K was 22:34; the second 5K was 22:35.
I tried to settle in was I made the return trip of the second loop. I gave myself a thorough session of self-talk about how I couldn't get sucked into kicking with those who were running the final stretch of the 5K. Fortunately, I didn't end up around any crazy, strong kickers. After making the turn, the field really thinned out. There were a couple of guys ahead of me who had picked up water. I passed both of them but the second guy wasn't going to let me leave him. We passed a couple others going out the 4.5 mile (approx.) turn around. Shortly thereafter, he came up to pass me. We ran side by side for 300-400 meters. There always comes a decision time in every race. This was it for me. I was questioning whether I had much left. I was feeling somewhat fatigued. So the easy choice was to let this guy go. The more difficult option was to stay with him. I thought I was clever in taking a hedge. I've never done this before but have read about the elites and some of the "super" bloggers at www.fastrunningblog.com who run at the front and finish in the money will oftentimes "work together". I decided to propose it to the guy I was running with. I said, "I'm going to fall in behind you if you don't mind." He said, "Not a problem. You've been helping me." I said, "If it's becomes a problem just let me know." He said, "No problem." I said, "Maybe if we work together we can go pick off a couple others ahead of us."
So I fell in just off his shoulder. This was a tremendous help. I don't know the degree of the physical benefit but the psychological advantage was huge. My new friend was running strong and picked up the pace. I doubt I would have had the resolve to the this on my own but since I was "in the trailer he was pulling", I just went for the ride. It was great. I looked at my watch. We had covered a about a mile together and increased the pace. We were reeling in a couple of runners in front of us. I decided to kick with 1/2 mile left. I figured if I could pass the closest runner, he might make the mistake of trying to go with me. I thought I might have a huge drop off but maybe I could hold him off and soften him up for my partner. I told my new friend that I was going early but I was sure that I wouldn't have enough to sustain it. He said, "Go for it!" So with about .45 left, I broke. I reeled in the guy ahead quickly. He didn't try to stay with me. My partner didn't let the gap between us get too wide. There was now one more runner ahead that we had a chance to beat. I'd spent too much with my burst and just before the 6 mile marker, my buddy passed me and said, "Come on. We have to pass her!" He was strong, went hard and made the pass. She picked it up and tried to hold him off. If decided I could recover later and that there was no use saving anything. With one last burst, I went hard. I passed the female runner that we'd reeled in together. I think he softened her up by kicking past her and she tried to stay with him. Now the thought crossed my mind that I could catch and pass my buddy. I went for it but he was strong and held me off as I run out of room to get him. I consoled myself that this wasn't bad for not doing any speed work for several weeks ... maybe it's been months now!
My splits:
7:08/7:15/7:27/7:22/7:23/6:55 (1:36 for .25 mile)
My knee was fine. No problems. My fitness was a little lacking but I now feel like I'm on track for 3:30 in Ogden. I've got 2 months ... if I work hard and get quality workouts, I could have the chance for something faster.
PRE RUN
Earlier, GrapeNuts w/skim milk; water
Clif bar and water
POST RUN
ham & cheese kolache & water; SlimFast
10K race : 45 - 46 min.
ACHIEVED
10K @ 7:15/mi. (44:58)
At the last minute I decided to enter the Houston Eye Associates Lookin' Good 10K this morning. I found myself more apprehensive about this race than most others I've been in (except maiden voyages at new distances). I think it's because I was using this race as a "fitness check". Would my knee hold up? Where does my conditioning stand at the moment? ... just a bunch of questions like these were churning through my head.
I targeted 46:09 as my goal time. Why such a specific time? Well, the "equivalent" calculators equate a 3:30:00 marathon (my goal for Ogden) as a 46:09 10K. (Side note: these calculators haven't always been very reliable in my case.)
Of course, I ran the equivalent 10K time for a 3:20:00 marathon (my Boston qualifying time)... 43:36.
So, I set 45:00 - 46:00 as a solid range to work toward. I thought I should be able to "cruise" to a 46. I also figured I'd run negative splits in an effort to put less stress on my body.
Okay ... so with that background off I went.
As usual, I went out too fast. It didn't help that the 10K course was a double-loop of the 5K course and the 5K and 10K started together. I tried to reign it in but really couldn't. I knew this would cause a problem later.
I wasn't feeling particularly good or bad. Just running. I decided that I like this course. I ran it last year as a 5K. It was the second race after I started running last year. I ran it with my son, Cameron. I remember discovering the benefit of even splits in that race. I was ultimately thrilled to clock a 24:32 last year. Interestingly, today's first 5K was 22:34; the second 5K was 22:35.
I tried to settle in was I made the return trip of the second loop. I gave myself a thorough session of self-talk about how I couldn't get sucked into kicking with those who were running the final stretch of the 5K. Fortunately, I didn't end up around any crazy, strong kickers. After making the turn, the field really thinned out. There were a couple of guys ahead of me who had picked up water. I passed both of them but the second guy wasn't going to let me leave him. We passed a couple others going out the 4.5 mile (approx.) turn around. Shortly thereafter, he came up to pass me. We ran side by side for 300-400 meters. There always comes a decision time in every race. This was it for me. I was questioning whether I had much left. I was feeling somewhat fatigued. So the easy choice was to let this guy go. The more difficult option was to stay with him. I thought I was clever in taking a hedge. I've never done this before but have read about the elites and some of the "super" bloggers at www.fastrunningblog.com who run at the front and finish in the money will oftentimes "work together". I decided to propose it to the guy I was running with. I said, "I'm going to fall in behind you if you don't mind." He said, "Not a problem. You've been helping me." I said, "If it's becomes a problem just let me know." He said, "No problem." I said, "Maybe if we work together we can go pick off a couple others ahead of us."
So I fell in just off his shoulder. This was a tremendous help. I don't know the degree of the physical benefit but the psychological advantage was huge. My new friend was running strong and picked up the pace. I doubt I would have had the resolve to the this on my own but since I was "in the trailer he was pulling", I just went for the ride. It was great. I looked at my watch. We had covered a about a mile together and increased the pace. We were reeling in a couple of runners in front of us. I decided to kick with 1/2 mile left. I figured if I could pass the closest runner, he might make the mistake of trying to go with me. I thought I might have a huge drop off but maybe I could hold him off and soften him up for my partner. I told my new friend that I was going early but I was sure that I wouldn't have enough to sustain it. He said, "Go for it!" So with about .45 left, I broke. I reeled in the guy ahead quickly. He didn't try to stay with me. My partner didn't let the gap between us get too wide. There was now one more runner ahead that we had a chance to beat. I'd spent too much with my burst and just before the 6 mile marker, my buddy passed me and said, "Come on. We have to pass her!" He was strong, went hard and made the pass. She picked it up and tried to hold him off. If decided I could recover later and that there was no use saving anything. With one last burst, I went hard. I passed the female runner that we'd reeled in together. I think he softened her up by kicking past her and she tried to stay with him. Now the thought crossed my mind that I could catch and pass my buddy. I went for it but he was strong and held me off as I run out of room to get him. I consoled myself that this wasn't bad for not doing any speed work for several weeks ... maybe it's been months now!
My splits:
7:08/7:15/7:27/7:22/7:23/6:55 (1:36 for .25 mile)
My knee was fine. No problems. My fitness was a little lacking but I now feel like I'm on track for 3:30 in Ogden. I've got 2 months ... if I work hard and get quality workouts, I could have the chance for something faster.
PRE RUN
Earlier, GrapeNuts w/skim milk; water
Clif bar and water
POST RUN
ham & cheese kolache & water; SlimFast
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