OBJECTIVE
stretch legs & clear muscle soreness; test left knee
ACHIEVED
3.53 mi. @ 8:04/mi.
6:33 AM 72° 89% 7 mph
With mixed emotions, I hit the pavement this morning. Jonathan ran Sunday morning in Utah but my knee wasn't ready for that. I took my running clothes to work yesterday thinking I'd run downtown before going home. Ultimately I didn't feel ready. Finally, this morning after dropping Cameron off, I made my way over to the gully trail for a run. I wasn't concerned about time or distance; just wanted to see how I felt. There was muscle soreness in my quads and calfs but not as much as I thought there would be. My knee was achy but okay once it warmed up.
I've got a lot of things to sort out with my running. I'm going to take it slow. I requested a physician referral from a doctor who works with Power in Motion. I need to get the knee figured out before I go long again.
PRE RUN
GrapeNuts w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Not-so-Pleasant Reality
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.@8:15/mi.
3 mi.@8:15/mi.
ACHIEVED
3.01 mi./8:07/mi.
5:07 AM 66° 94% 4 mph
This run was supposed to be an easy confidence-builder. It wasn't. My knee was a problem the entire run and didn't really loosen up. I struggled to hold the easy pace. I did notice that breathing in a 4 exhales then 4 inhales sequence causes me to run faster than a 6 x 6 sequence. I remember reading that a long, easy run should be around 3 x 3.
The pre-race psychosis seems to have me in a downward spiral. Some facts: 26.2 is a huge challenge for me on my best day. The odds of having even a good day seem to be diminishing. My training cycle has not been as consistent as I would like. I have at least one undefined injury. I run with fast people. I read blogs of fast people. I think I've tricked myself into thinking I'm faster than I really am. I'm still very new to this sport.
PRE RUN
water
POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin, calcium, vitamins A&D & glucosamine
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Pitiful
OBJECTIVE
3 mi. Tempo run @ 6:53/mi.
3 mi. Tempo run @ 6:53/mi.
ACHIEVED
WU 0.97 mi.
3.01 mi. @ 7:11/mi. [6:55, 7:26, 7:12]
CD 1.03 mi.
7:12 AM 75° 89% 1 mph
The good news is that my legs felt fine. The bad news is that I was slow and laboring. At this point, I'd like to feel strong and powerful. The marathon is 3 days away and I've been tapering. I hoped that I would feel fresh but it wasn't the case. Maybe it was the humidity ... ?
It rained last night and the morning air was heavy. I drove to Faulkey Gully after dropping Cameron off late. Rather than park in the mud just off Louetta, I drove to a neighborhood swimming pool and crossed the bridge over to the trail.
1 mile warmup took me to the end of the trail where I started the tempo. Slightly slower than target over the first mile. Working hard. Wasn't able to hold pace over Mile 2. Made the turn back and continued to slow over last mile. Walked about 1/2 mile then cooled down over 1 mile. Thorough stretch back at the car.
PRE RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, oatmeal w/skim milk, multivitamin & water
Monday, May 12, 2008
Stretching It Out
OBJECTIVE
3 mi. @ 8:15/mi.
3 mi. @ 8:15/mi.
ACHIEVED
3.01 mi. @ 7:46/mi.
57F 72% 4 mph
I felt okay this morning other than a balky left knee. It wasn't painful; just "tired". I haven't felt that before. The weather was good. The pace felt comfortable as I picked it up over the short effort.
I've got a tempo run on Wednesday then another short, easy run Thursday. I've got a massage scheduled for Thursday afternoon. I'm hoping to get that calm feeling that I found the week leading up to St. George. Oh that reminds me, I was selected in the St. George lottery Friday so that will be my fall marathon this year. I'm looking forward to going back.
PRE RUN
2 FRS chews & water
POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & water
Later, GrapeNuts w/skim milk
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Race Attire
Some of the fun of a big race is deciding what I'm going to be wearing.
Here are my options for the upcoming Ogden Marathon:
Power in Motion is the running group I started with in March 2007. I met several runners who have since become great friends. Jonathan Bennett started running with "PIM" the same day I did. He is a very good runner who continues to improve. Recently he ran an 18:32 5K! He'll be running with me in Ogden. One of our PIM coaches was Stephanie Burlet who leads Saturday long runs. She and her group were patient with me as I learned how to "cover the distance."
The Continental Airlines running team is known as the CAL Runners. I'm very loosely affiliated with the group. Occasionally I run races where the team has a designated number of entries. Last year I tentatively planned to go to Sydney, Australia with the team but the scheduling didn't work out. This fall they're going to Toronto. Maybe that one will work better for me ... ???
Fastrunningblog.com is an excellent runners' resource. There is a discussion board there and a place to log your own training runs and races. Blog members include a few Olympic Trials marathon qualifiers and other highly accomplished runners. The great thing about the community is that they all willingly share training tips and information. Don't be surprised to see several of the top finishers in Ogden wearing the colors of the fastrunningblog.com racing team.
Okay, this one's my latest running sponsor Big Foot Farms. There will be about 30 "members of the team" around on Saturday. A few of us are even running! So far as I can tell the runners include:
Wendy (sister)
Michael (brother-in-law)
Brandon (brother-in-law)
Paige (wife)
Cameron (son)
I think some of my nieces and nephews and perhaps others will be running in the 5K and Kids K events. (The bright red shirts should help us find each other!) Don't forget the Big Foot Farms slogan everyone ... "Run 'til you're Done!"
I also think my cousins: Amy, Julie, Stephanie, and Matt will be running too.
Okay so what am I wearing?
Big Foot Farms warm up shirt (red)
CAL Runners singlet (white)
Adidas running shorts (navy) [picked up pair of RaceReady shorts on Saturday which are great; since they haven't "gone long" with me yet, I won't wear them in Ogden.]
Mizuno Wave Rider 10 shoes (red, white & blue)
Champion gloves (optional)
Here are my options for the upcoming Ogden Marathon:
Power in Motion is the running group I started with in March 2007. I met several runners who have since become great friends. Jonathan Bennett started running with "PIM" the same day I did. He is a very good runner who continues to improve. Recently he ran an 18:32 5K! He'll be running with me in Ogden. One of our PIM coaches was Stephanie Burlet who leads Saturday long runs. She and her group were patient with me as I learned how to "cover the distance."
The Continental Airlines running team is known as the CAL Runners. I'm very loosely affiliated with the group. Occasionally I run races where the team has a designated number of entries. Last year I tentatively planned to go to Sydney, Australia with the team but the scheduling didn't work out. This fall they're going to Toronto. Maybe that one will work better for me ... ???
Fastrunningblog.com is an excellent runners' resource. There is a discussion board there and a place to log your own training runs and races. Blog members include a few Olympic Trials marathon qualifiers and other highly accomplished runners. The great thing about the community is that they all willingly share training tips and information. Don't be surprised to see several of the top finishers in Ogden wearing the colors of the fastrunningblog.com racing team.
Okay, this one's my latest running sponsor Big Foot Farms. There will be about 30 "members of the team" around on Saturday. A few of us are even running! So far as I can tell the runners include:
Wendy (sister)
Michael (brother-in-law)
Brandon (brother-in-law)
Paige (wife)
Cameron (son)
I think some of my nieces and nephews and perhaps others will be running in the 5K and Kids K events. (The bright red shirts should help us find each other!) Don't forget the Big Foot Farms slogan everyone ... "Run 'til you're Done!"
I also think my cousins: Amy, Julie, Stephanie, and Matt will be running too.
Okay so what am I wearing?
Big Foot Farms warm up shirt (red)
CAL Runners singlet (white)
Adidas running shorts (navy) [picked up pair of RaceReady shorts on Saturday which are great; since they haven't "gone long" with me yet, I won't wear them in Ogden.]
Mizuno Wave Rider 10 shoes (red, white & blue)
Champion gloves (optional)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Final Saturday before Ogden
OBJECTIVE
8 mi. @ 8:15/mi.
ACHIEVED
10.14 mi. @ 8:22/mi.
6:37 AM 76° 87% 6 mph
It was a good run today. This was the last long run before the marathon. Jonathan and I joined Stephanie's group which included Miranda, Stacey Almond, Randy, Josh, William, and Stewart.
My legs felt good today. The pace generally felt slow. The humidity made the air heavy so it seemed the group was slowed by it somewhat. The group was scheduled for 13 miles which was more than I wanted to go today. Jonathan and I broke it off early at just less the 8 miles. We picked up the pace over a couple hills as we worked the 2+ miles back to his house. We got water then Julie drove us back to Memorial Park.
Overall this was a positive run in preparation for next Saturday.
PRE RUN
oatmeal w/skim milk, multivitamin & powdered FRS w/water
POST RUN
water
Later, SlimFast & Clif bar
8 mi. @ 8:15/mi.
ACHIEVED
10.14 mi. @ 8:22/mi.
6:37 AM 76° 87% 6 mph
It was a good run today. This was the last long run before the marathon. Jonathan and I joined Stephanie's group which included Miranda, Stacey Almond, Randy, Josh, William, and Stewart.
My legs felt good today. The pace generally felt slow. The humidity made the air heavy so it seemed the group was slowed by it somewhat. The group was scheduled for 13 miles which was more than I wanted to go today. Jonathan and I broke it off early at just less the 8 miles. We picked up the pace over a couple hills as we worked the 2+ miles back to his house. We got water then Julie drove us back to Memorial Park.
Overall this was a positive run in preparation for next Saturday.
PRE RUN
oatmeal w/skim milk, multivitamin & powdered FRS w/water
POST RUN
water
Later, SlimFast & Clif bar
Thursday, May 8, 2008
3 Mile Tempo Run on Faulkey Gully
OBJECTIVE
3 mi. tempo @ 6:53/mi. 5 mi. total w/WU & CD
ACHIEVED
WU 1.07 @ 9:20/mi.
3.02 @ 6:50/mi. (6:51/6:49/6:52/0:08)
CD 1.48 @ 9:27
6:34 AM 71° 86% 5 mph
This run was on the schedule for yesterday but it didn't happen which I believe may have worked out for the best.
I finally went for a massage yesterday. I had the RMT work deep tissue on my legs and feet focusing on the IT band area. I must say that there were times when it hurt so bad that I wanted to scream but instead just grit my teeth telling myself that it was for the best and that I'd feel better later. I was right. I did feel much better the rest of the day. In fact, my legs felt better than they have in a long time. I scheduled another session for next Thursday (the day before leaving for Ogden) and may get another one early in the week. Who knows why I waited so long to do this!
Today's run started late due to a later-than-planned evening last night. Long story; short - I ended up playing basketball until about 9:30 then came home to watch the Jazz-Lakers game. I only stayed awake for the first quarter. After dropping Cameron off for his early morning, before-school activities, I usually just head to work. Today I dressed to run, dropped him off then drove a couple miles to the trail along Faulkey Gully. The gully trail isn't new. Whenever I run from the YMCA, I catch it two miles in to my run. I figured since I was running later commuter traffic would be bad and I didn't want to be on a road. The gully trail is a two-mile pavement trail with a few bends along the way.
I took an easy mile warm up. I didn't feel particularly good or bad. I did introduce a figure 4 stretch to my pre run routine that a woman at the RMT office showed me for ITB. It really hits the glutes. I did notice a general looseness in my legs during the warm up.
I took a very short break at the top of the trail. The tempo run called for 6:53 miles. I wondered if I could maintain it. A guy walked by with his dog and off I went. As usual, I started way too fast. After a quarter mile, I was easing slightly to get back to 6:51 for the first mile. I figured the fast start may have doomed Miles 2 and 3 for me.
My legs generally felt good. Early in Mile 2 the trail dips under a bridge for Louetta Road. I remembered Jonathan's encouragement to keep my knees down a couple weeks ago when we were running League Line Road. The downhill was too short to be a true test of downhill technique but I tried to keep the momentum on the corresponding uphill side. I passed a few walkers and runners along the way. It was a very nice morning. At the end of the trail, I made the turn. I was a bit slow for Mile 2 so I picked it up. After hitting 6:49 for Mile 2, I started Mile 3.
I was getting a bit tired but focused on breathing and form over much of Mile 3. I tried to "lean forward from my ankles" and to put slightly more energy "into the ground". I felt good. My legs were fine. I thought I should feel worse than I did. ... I don't know .... It was strange. My mind was telling me that I wouldn't be able to sustain the pace due to my overzealous start. Mile 3 came in at 6:52.
This was a good run for me. I took an easy cool down then stretched really good including the newly introduced figure 4 on the hood of my car. I drove home, got ready for work, and arrived in the office much later than I should have.
PRE RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk, water & 2 FRS chews
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, 5-grain oatmeal w/skim milk, water & multivitamin
Future blog topic reminders
No more negative thoughts for marathon.
Time goal & course strategy/study
Which running team?
3 mi. tempo @ 6:53/mi. 5 mi. total w/WU & CD
ACHIEVED
WU 1.07 @ 9:20/mi.
3.02 @ 6:50/mi. (6:51/6:49/6:52/0:08)
CD 1.48 @ 9:27
6:34 AM 71° 86% 5 mph
This run was on the schedule for yesterday but it didn't happen which I believe may have worked out for the best.
I finally went for a massage yesterday. I had the RMT work deep tissue on my legs and feet focusing on the IT band area. I must say that there were times when it hurt so bad that I wanted to scream but instead just grit my teeth telling myself that it was for the best and that I'd feel better later. I was right. I did feel much better the rest of the day. In fact, my legs felt better than they have in a long time. I scheduled another session for next Thursday (the day before leaving for Ogden) and may get another one early in the week. Who knows why I waited so long to do this!
Today's run started late due to a later-than-planned evening last night. Long story; short - I ended up playing basketball until about 9:30 then came home to watch the Jazz-Lakers game. I only stayed awake for the first quarter. After dropping Cameron off for his early morning, before-school activities, I usually just head to work. Today I dressed to run, dropped him off then drove a couple miles to the trail along Faulkey Gully. The gully trail isn't new. Whenever I run from the YMCA, I catch it two miles in to my run. I figured since I was running later commuter traffic would be bad and I didn't want to be on a road. The gully trail is a two-mile pavement trail with a few bends along the way.
I took an easy mile warm up. I didn't feel particularly good or bad. I did introduce a figure 4 stretch to my pre run routine that a woman at the RMT office showed me for ITB. It really hits the glutes. I did notice a general looseness in my legs during the warm up.
I took a very short break at the top of the trail. The tempo run called for 6:53 miles. I wondered if I could maintain it. A guy walked by with his dog and off I went. As usual, I started way too fast. After a quarter mile, I was easing slightly to get back to 6:51 for the first mile. I figured the fast start may have doomed Miles 2 and 3 for me.
My legs generally felt good. Early in Mile 2 the trail dips under a bridge for Louetta Road. I remembered Jonathan's encouragement to keep my knees down a couple weeks ago when we were running League Line Road. The downhill was too short to be a true test of downhill technique but I tried to keep the momentum on the corresponding uphill side. I passed a few walkers and runners along the way. It was a very nice morning. At the end of the trail, I made the turn. I was a bit slow for Mile 2 so I picked it up. After hitting 6:49 for Mile 2, I started Mile 3.
I was getting a bit tired but focused on breathing and form over much of Mile 3. I tried to "lean forward from my ankles" and to put slightly more energy "into the ground". I felt good. My legs were fine. I thought I should feel worse than I did. ... I don't know .... It was strange. My mind was telling me that I wouldn't be able to sustain the pace due to my overzealous start. Mile 3 came in at 6:52.
This was a good run for me. I took an easy cool down then stretched really good including the newly introduced figure 4 on the hood of my car. I drove home, got ready for work, and arrived in the office much later than I should have.
PRE RUN
Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk, water & 2 FRS chews
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, 5-grain oatmeal w/skim milk, water & multivitamin
Future blog topic reminders
No more negative thoughts for marathon.
Time goal & course strategy/study
Which running team?
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sluggish
OBJECTIVE
5 mi. @ 8:15
ACHIEVED
5.85 mi. @ 8:17
7:32 PM 70° 78% 6 mph
This was a strange run. I was real sluggish at the start and stayed that way for about 2 1/2 miles. From that point, I loosened up and found some rhythm. My legs seemed sore but the knee wasn't uncomfortable. I could tell it wasn't 100% but it wasn't a factor.
My weekend nutrition and sleep weren't that great so I attribute my sluggishness to Cinco de Mayo (i.e., too much Mexican food!).
PRE RUN
2 doughnuts
POST RUN
water, 2 hamburgers, & 2 chocolate milk
5 mi. @ 8:15
ACHIEVED
5.85 mi. @ 8:17
7:32 PM 70° 78% 6 mph
This was a strange run. I was real sluggish at the start and stayed that way for about 2 1/2 miles. From that point, I loosened up and found some rhythm. My legs seemed sore but the knee wasn't uncomfortable. I could tell it wasn't 100% but it wasn't a factor.
My weekend nutrition and sleep weren't that great so I attribute my sluggishness to Cinco de Mayo (i.e., too much Mexican food!).
PRE RUN
2 doughnuts
POST RUN
water, 2 hamburgers, & 2 chocolate milk
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Tough 12
OBJECTIVE
12 mi. @ 8:15
ACHIEVED
11.64 mi. @ 8:29
7:08 AM 76° 79% 5 mph
Ran with Stephanie's group this morning. It was good to be back with them. Today's group included Randy, Josh, Laurie, and Steph. It's been a long time since I've joined them for a Saturday long run.
The pace started slow which I was thankful for. Steph ran the Boston Marathon but had a challenging experience. The other three finished the Arizona Ironman under difficult conditions recently and may not have fully recovered yet. Around 6 miles, my left knee started bothering me. The whole sensation is rather ominous for me now because I have experience with how it progresses. From that point until we finished, I wasn't sure if I would be able to complete the run. There were times when in really bothered me and other times when it wasn't too bad. It was worst when starting after a couple water stops.
I'm not sure what this means for Ogden but feel like the goal is changing. I've stubbornly held to the plan but with a couple weeks left and no sign of improvement with the knee, a revision seems to be the prudent thing. I'm still hoping for a miracle but have nothing tangible to support that expectation. Stay tuned for more on developments ....
PRE RUN
oatmeal w/skim milk & water
POST RUN
SlimFast, Clif bar, & water
12 mi. @ 8:15
ACHIEVED
11.64 mi. @ 8:29
7:08 AM 76° 79% 5 mph
Ran with Stephanie's group this morning. It was good to be back with them. Today's group included Randy, Josh, Laurie, and Steph. It's been a long time since I've joined them for a Saturday long run.
The pace started slow which I was thankful for. Steph ran the Boston Marathon but had a challenging experience. The other three finished the Arizona Ironman under difficult conditions recently and may not have fully recovered yet. Around 6 miles, my left knee started bothering me. The whole sensation is rather ominous for me now because I have experience with how it progresses. From that point until we finished, I wasn't sure if I would be able to complete the run. There were times when in really bothered me and other times when it wasn't too bad. It was worst when starting after a couple water stops.
I'm not sure what this means for Ogden but feel like the goal is changing. I've stubbornly held to the plan but with a couple weeks left and no sign of improvement with the knee, a revision seems to be the prudent thing. I'm still hoping for a miracle but have nothing tangible to support that expectation. Stay tuned for more on developments ....
PRE RUN
oatmeal w/skim milk & water
POST RUN
SlimFast, Clif bar, & water
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Unmitigated Disaster
OBJECTIVE
Training schedule – 20 mi. @ 8:15/mi.
Revised for race – 30K; get to know Ogden marathon course Mile 5 – 13; push pace based on feel
ACHIEVED
30K
Official gun time – 2:58:15
Garmin self-timed – 2:58:07
(forgot to reset auto-lap from last hill workout; this REALLY screwed up my pacing since I had no clue until the end of the race)
8:13/7:47/7:33/7:44/7:54/7:51/7:57/8:16/8:13/8:15/7:55/8:03/8:22/8:31/8:45/12:14/16:28/16:14
The words of William Shakespeare came to my mind. “Discretion is the better part of valor.” At the time, I didn’t realize the phrase was from King Henry the Fourth, Part One. But I had plenty of time for many random thoughts to flash across my mind.
Today was the Striders Winter Racing Circuit 30K. I had no plan to run this event until yesterday. My training schedule called for a 20-miler. None of my occasional long-run partners were going anywhere near that distance. I figured I’d either go 10 miles with Stephanie’s group or the renegade Spring Running Club then add the rest of the mileage on my own. This idea didn’t seem all that appealing. My dad called with tickets available for the Houston Rockets – Utah Jazz playoff game. The idea quickly gelled: I’d leave work for Cameron’s last baseball game of the school season. From the game, I’d hustle home and pack while Cam cleaned up. Then we’d fly to Utah.
After the flight and drive to my parents’ house, it was around 1 AM. I was tired and fell asleep quickly. The race was at 7:30 AM and I had not registered so I would need to be there early to sign up. The drive up the canyon was about 40 minutes. Luckily, I got behind someone with a “26.2” sticker on their car. I figured there’s only one place he was going on a Saturday morning.
The mountain air was cold (another blogger had it at 28°). This is much colder than I’ve been training in. In fact, I think the last time I ran in this cold of temperature was also in Utah at Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I had brought my tights, long sleeves, gloves, and pullover.
I stretched and warmed up … a little. Then it was time to run. Following last years’ Ogden Half Marathon tactic, I tucked myself in at the back of the pack. I hoped this would slow me down and eliminate my usual “irrational exuberance” at the beginning of long races. It didn’t but may have helped a little.
I got a little eager in passing people over the first two miles. But I felt good. I didn’t notice any impact from the altitude and could tell early on that I has going to end up being overdressed.
After about a mile, the course jumped on to the Ogden marathon course which we ran in reverse. The overall course was a modified out-and-back (out 6 miles followed by a 6 mile loop then back the over the first 6). Part of the motivation of running this race was to see part of the top of the marathon course.
The course was good and the setting was beautiful. There were still small patches of snow in the shaded areas along the route. The mountains all around were snowed covered. At one point there were dozens of horses in a huge pasture running alongside the course. The runners had stirred them up, I suppose.
I had no expectation of time. That wasn’t for a lack of “running some numbers”. I had a full sheet of hand written times and paces that I had been considering. Ultimately, I threw it all out the window and just ran. I decided the time would be whatever my body felt like.
A little over 6 miles in, I was overtaken by a couple of guys who started talking. They actually weren’t in the race and had already gone around the “lake” on their Saturday morning long run. They stayed with me for a bit less than 2 miles as we tracked up a long incline. Finally, they turned back and I was on my own again. I say “on my own” but there were other runners all around. Someone said they expected 200 – 400 for the day’s event.
Around 9.5 miles, the turn back was made. I felt a bit slower but wasn’t sure if it was just the incline or the fact a couple people passed me. I was a bit surprised by the pass at this point. I didn’t feel like I was falling off pace that much. I was feeling okay. Cardio and breathing were fine and my legs generally felt good except for my left knee that has having the faintest degree of discomfort. I had stripped off my pullover and gloves. (“Thank you” to the guys in the Dodge pickup who took them back to the start/finish area for me!) My nutrition and hydration seemed good. I was happy to be turning back.
Some quick math revealed that I was on pace for 2:24. My absolute best case scenario was 2:20 so I really just wanted to hold the pace and press on. I realized that I was falling off a bit but somewhere along the way had mentally divided the run into 3 segments: 7 miles, 7 miles, and 4+ miles. My hope was to pick it up over the last segment.
I didn’t really feel like my form was breaking down or that I was slowing dramatically but around the 14 mile mark a couple runners passed me. They had been talking behind me for some time. They said they had been referring to me as “the 8-minute guy” because I was so consistent with my splits. I pointed out that I clearly wasn’t holding at 8-minute miles now. I also acknowledged that my IT band was giving me a problem. I had not really noticed it getting worse but between 9.5 and 14 miles, it had become a problem and it was slowing me. I made a turn and came to the 15 mile mark and water stop. I had not stopped to this point but did here. I grabbed a GU, a Gatorade, and water. I stood at the garbage box and consumed all three. I turned to go and my knee REALLY let me know there was a problem.
Over the next half mile, I had a huge debate with myself. I have NEVER stopped during a race. I finally decided this was the right thing to do. The marathon is three weeks away. Maybe I could grind out the next 3 miles but for what purpose. Just to prove to myself that I could? And at what cost? Was I willing to risk getting to the starting line of the marathon?
So with slightly more than 3 miles to go, I started the walk.
My knee was fine walking but my pride wasn’t! People passed me. Most of them didn’t say anything. A few offered encouragement. One guy thoughtfully asked if I needed help. It was during this walk that the Shakespeare quote crossed my mind.
“Discretion is the better part of valor.”
The next big decision I faced was whether to actually allow my time to be recorded … “for the record”. Some people I know will go around the timing mats at the finish if they haven’t had a good run. That way their time is not recorded, posted to the Internet, etc. Hey, even the elite runners will record a “DNF” (did not finish) when it’s just not their day. My pride and ego suggested to me that I probably should do the same. Just walk to the car and drive back to my parents' place.
I was leaning toward this approach when I remembered watching the last Hawaii Ironman on television. One of the top male contenders had a problem during the race (I don’t recall what it was.) that didn’t allow him to run but he could still walk. When faced with this situation, the top competitors almost always just get in a support van and rest for another day. Instead of taking this approach, the guy walked and finished the Ironman back in the middle of the pack. A position I doubt he’s ever been in. An interviewer later asked him why he walked to the finish. His reply was something to the effect that it’s disrespectful to the other competitors if you drop out when you can finish under your own power.
Now I’m not suggesting that I’m a top competitor. Rather I’m a middle of the pack guy. Walking put me at the back of the pack. I decided this wasn’t a problem. I wanted this race to be “on the record”. It will serve as a reminder that there’s a lot that can go wrong over the course of a race. It will also remind me not to take the opportunity to run for granted.
Glass half-full perspective –
• Fastest 25K ever – 2:06:29
• Half marathon – 1:44:54 (faster than current PR [1:46:09])
PRE RUN
Oatmeal with milk; water
DURING
3 GU’s; 3 Gatorades; 2 or 3 waters
POST RUN
Gatorade, whole wheat bread & couple doughnut holes
Training schedule – 20 mi. @ 8:15/mi.
Revised for race – 30K; get to know Ogden marathon course Mile 5 – 13; push pace based on feel
ACHIEVED
30K
Official gun time – 2:58:15
Garmin self-timed – 2:58:07
(forgot to reset auto-lap from last hill workout; this REALLY screwed up my pacing since I had no clue until the end of the race)
8:13/7:47/7:33/7:44/7:54/7:51/7:57/8:16/8:13/8:15/7:55/8:03/8:22/8:31/8:45/12:14/16:28/16:14
The words of William Shakespeare came to my mind. “Discretion is the better part of valor.” At the time, I didn’t realize the phrase was from King Henry the Fourth, Part One. But I had plenty of time for many random thoughts to flash across my mind.
Today was the Striders Winter Racing Circuit 30K. I had no plan to run this event until yesterday. My training schedule called for a 20-miler. None of my occasional long-run partners were going anywhere near that distance. I figured I’d either go 10 miles with Stephanie’s group or the renegade Spring Running Club then add the rest of the mileage on my own. This idea didn’t seem all that appealing. My dad called with tickets available for the Houston Rockets – Utah Jazz playoff game. The idea quickly gelled: I’d leave work for Cameron’s last baseball game of the school season. From the game, I’d hustle home and pack while Cam cleaned up. Then we’d fly to Utah.
After the flight and drive to my parents’ house, it was around 1 AM. I was tired and fell asleep quickly. The race was at 7:30 AM and I had not registered so I would need to be there early to sign up. The drive up the canyon was about 40 minutes. Luckily, I got behind someone with a “26.2” sticker on their car. I figured there’s only one place he was going on a Saturday morning.
The mountain air was cold (another blogger had it at 28°). This is much colder than I’ve been training in. In fact, I think the last time I ran in this cold of temperature was also in Utah at Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I had brought my tights, long sleeves, gloves, and pullover.
I stretched and warmed up … a little. Then it was time to run. Following last years’ Ogden Half Marathon tactic, I tucked myself in at the back of the pack. I hoped this would slow me down and eliminate my usual “irrational exuberance” at the beginning of long races. It didn’t but may have helped a little.
I got a little eager in passing people over the first two miles. But I felt good. I didn’t notice any impact from the altitude and could tell early on that I has going to end up being overdressed.
After about a mile, the course jumped on to the Ogden marathon course which we ran in reverse. The overall course was a modified out-and-back (out 6 miles followed by a 6 mile loop then back the over the first 6). Part of the motivation of running this race was to see part of the top of the marathon course.
The course was good and the setting was beautiful. There were still small patches of snow in the shaded areas along the route. The mountains all around were snowed covered. At one point there were dozens of horses in a huge pasture running alongside the course. The runners had stirred them up, I suppose.
I had no expectation of time. That wasn’t for a lack of “running some numbers”. I had a full sheet of hand written times and paces that I had been considering. Ultimately, I threw it all out the window and just ran. I decided the time would be whatever my body felt like.
A little over 6 miles in, I was overtaken by a couple of guys who started talking. They actually weren’t in the race and had already gone around the “lake” on their Saturday morning long run. They stayed with me for a bit less than 2 miles as we tracked up a long incline. Finally, they turned back and I was on my own again. I say “on my own” but there were other runners all around. Someone said they expected 200 – 400 for the day’s event.
Around 9.5 miles, the turn back was made. I felt a bit slower but wasn’t sure if it was just the incline or the fact a couple people passed me. I was a bit surprised by the pass at this point. I didn’t feel like I was falling off pace that much. I was feeling okay. Cardio and breathing were fine and my legs generally felt good except for my left knee that has having the faintest degree of discomfort. I had stripped off my pullover and gloves. (“Thank you” to the guys in the Dodge pickup who took them back to the start/finish area for me!) My nutrition and hydration seemed good. I was happy to be turning back.
Some quick math revealed that I was on pace for 2:24. My absolute best case scenario was 2:20 so I really just wanted to hold the pace and press on. I realized that I was falling off a bit but somewhere along the way had mentally divided the run into 3 segments: 7 miles, 7 miles, and 4+ miles. My hope was to pick it up over the last segment.
I didn’t really feel like my form was breaking down or that I was slowing dramatically but around the 14 mile mark a couple runners passed me. They had been talking behind me for some time. They said they had been referring to me as “the 8-minute guy” because I was so consistent with my splits. I pointed out that I clearly wasn’t holding at 8-minute miles now. I also acknowledged that my IT band was giving me a problem. I had not really noticed it getting worse but between 9.5 and 14 miles, it had become a problem and it was slowing me. I made a turn and came to the 15 mile mark and water stop. I had not stopped to this point but did here. I grabbed a GU, a Gatorade, and water. I stood at the garbage box and consumed all three. I turned to go and my knee REALLY let me know there was a problem.
Over the next half mile, I had a huge debate with myself. I have NEVER stopped during a race. I finally decided this was the right thing to do. The marathon is three weeks away. Maybe I could grind out the next 3 miles but for what purpose. Just to prove to myself that I could? And at what cost? Was I willing to risk getting to the starting line of the marathon?
So with slightly more than 3 miles to go, I started the walk.
My knee was fine walking but my pride wasn’t! People passed me. Most of them didn’t say anything. A few offered encouragement. One guy thoughtfully asked if I needed help. It was during this walk that the Shakespeare quote crossed my mind.
“Discretion is the better part of valor.”
The next big decision I faced was whether to actually allow my time to be recorded … “for the record”. Some people I know will go around the timing mats at the finish if they haven’t had a good run. That way their time is not recorded, posted to the Internet, etc. Hey, even the elite runners will record a “DNF” (did not finish) when it’s just not their day. My pride and ego suggested to me that I probably should do the same. Just walk to the car and drive back to my parents' place.
I was leaning toward this approach when I remembered watching the last Hawaii Ironman on television. One of the top male contenders had a problem during the race (I don’t recall what it was.) that didn’t allow him to run but he could still walk. When faced with this situation, the top competitors almost always just get in a support van and rest for another day. Instead of taking this approach, the guy walked and finished the Ironman back in the middle of the pack. A position I doubt he’s ever been in. An interviewer later asked him why he walked to the finish. His reply was something to the effect that it’s disrespectful to the other competitors if you drop out when you can finish under your own power.
Now I’m not suggesting that I’m a top competitor. Rather I’m a middle of the pack guy. Walking put me at the back of the pack. I decided this wasn’t a problem. I wanted this race to be “on the record”. It will serve as a reminder that there’s a lot that can go wrong over the course of a race. It will also remind me not to take the opportunity to run for granted.
Glass half-full perspective –
• Fastest 25K ever – 2:06:29
• Half marathon – 1:44:54 (faster than current PR [1:46:09])
PRE RUN
Oatmeal with milk; water
DURING
3 GU’s; 3 Gatorades; 2 or 3 waters
POST RUN
Gatorade, whole wheat bread & couple doughnut holes
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Will's Hills: 12 cones @ Spotts Park
OBJECTIVE
Scheduled for 3 mile tempo run + plus 4 easy miles
Opted for Will's Hills which is always a mystery until you there
Scheduled for 3 mile tempo run + plus 4 easy miles
Opted for Will's Hills which is always a mystery until you there
ACHIEVED
WU
2 x 12 min. hills w/2 min. rest
CD
stretch
5:34 AM 73F 88% 4 mph
These hill workouts are tough! This morning the course was set up around Spotts Park, a smallish city park that sits in a "bowl". Twelve cones with flashing lights are set up around the perimeter. The course was roughly half a mile and alternately dipped toward the center park then climbed out to the very fringe. It was a challenging hill exercise. Our workout was to run the circuit for 12 minutes then take a 2 minute break followed by another 12 minutes in the opposite direction. There were about 12 or 15 runners this morning. I may have started a bit fast because my lap times really dropped from during the second 12 minutes. My splits:
4:32/4:30/2:56 (.33)
4:45/4:54/3:35 (.39)
I've said it before, I enjoy running with this group. There's no "wasted motion" or idle time. They get their workout in then move on. The runs always seem well thought out and challenging.
The three times I've done Will's Hills, Jonathan and I have stayed for the post run stretching which is good for me since it's usually given short shrift on my solo runs.
Went to Jonathan's to clean up and eat before going to work. JB's smoothie was particularly good this morning!
PRE RUN
don't remember ???!?!?!?!
POST RUN
water & SlimFast
Later, Jonathan's special smoothie, Cheerios w/granola & milk
Monday, April 21, 2008
On Heavy Legs, In Heavy Air
OBJECTIVE
8 mi. @ 8:15
8 mi. @ 8:15
ACHIEVED
8.03 mi.@8:30/mi
4:18 AM 71F 85% 3mph
The air was very heavy this morning. There were low clouds covering an almost full moon. I figured the clouds were impeding air flow and raising the humidity. This appears true with humidity at 85%. After the run, I was surprised to see the temperature at 71!
Anyway, the only things heavier than the air were my legs! I dont't know if this was from the hills and pace of Saturday's run, the cumulative effect of recent runs (shouldn't be), or less than optimal sleep and nutrition over the weekend. Oh, wait, there's some job related stress at the moment too. Whatever the cause(s), I wasn't feeling it this morning.
After a warm up mile, I pressed the second mile to an unimpressive 8:11 then just faded up from there over the remaining 6 miles.
I thought a lot about the marathon and also about work. I came up with some answers for work issues but seem to be chasing my tail about the marathon strategy/reality....
PRE RUN
Clif bar & water
POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Later, Grape Nuts w/skim milk
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Hills of League Line Road
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
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
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
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