Well, giving up on my marathon last weekend did give me one thing, I got to run my son's first 10k with him. In the end, I see that as a far bigger event than my marathons. I mean, I have the rest of my life to do those things. He only has one "first" 10k. Also I got to share my daughter's first 5k, seeing her run out as we were running in from our race and then cheering her on at the finish.
My son wanted to beat me and I told him I'd let him sprint ahead of me at the end if he didn't walk at all. We went out slow, around 9:40's per mile but I had to keep telling him to slow down even more. Good thing I did too. All the volunteers and spectators were great and really cheering him on. It made the day really special for him. Around miles 3-4 he really wanted to walk. I slowed it down a bit for him but kept him going. In the end I let him sprint ahead and beat me by 10 seconds. He finished in 1:02:02. Probably my slowest but most rewarding 10k ever. Did I mention that he is 10 years old? If there was an under 14 category he would have won but as it was he had to compete against boys in the under 19 category so he didn't really have a chance.
My daughter was suppose to run with my wife in the 5k but right away she decided that was too slow and went off on her own. I was able to see them about a half mile into their race when we were on our way back. She looked so good and was smiling ear to ear. I was really nervous/interested in how it would go for her. With her personality it could have been really bad or really good. Fortunately it was really good. She, like her brother, ended up running the entire way. She beat my wife by about a minute. She is only 7 years old. Did I mention how proud I am????
As for me, a little running here and there. Throwing in some swimming when I can but still need to get on the bike. Wanted to see if I had absolutely anything so I did a fast little 3 miles the other day. One warm up and a couple at 7:00-7:10. Not bad but the HR was too high. Oh well, still working my way back.
6/26 6.2 miles at 10:01
6/29 3.31 at 7:41
Jun 30, 2010
Jun 25, 2010
And the verdict is...
I decided to run a 10k and 5k last weekend as a sort of test of my fitness. Also it was put on by my brother-in-law as a charity fundraiser so it was a good cause. My wife did the 5k and the kids did the half mile so it was a fun family event, but I digress. I expected just to run it real slow, since my training runs didn't seem to indicate that I'd be able to run much faster than 8:30 miles or so. I ran into a friend though and we decided to run the 10k together and he went out a bit faster than that. The pace was very comfortable and I chatted with him the whole way, sensing that he was pushing it a bit and I wanted to try to bring him along. We finished a bit under 50 minutes at about a 7:57 pace. The 5k was about 20 minutes later and I did that one at 8:06, just over 25 minutes. After I finished I backtracked to find my wife and did another mile at over 11 minutes but it was a good warm down.
So I was glad that I was able to hold that pace for a good distance but really disappointed that I had to be happy with a 10k and 5k that were really several minutes slower than they should have been. Still thought it was a positive indicator that I could finish another marathon comfortably.
Going through the week though I just decided it wasn't there. I want to do it, I hate giving up on a goal I've set especially since I know I could continue it but I'm skeptical if I'd be able to keep the streak alive for the rest of the year so I might as well cut it off here. Streak is dead.
So this frees me up to do some triathlons this summer (if I can get myself to the pool) and to do a race this weekend. My son, 10, is going to do his first 10k and I get to run it with him. My daughter, 7, is going for her first 5k and she'll run with my wife. I think my son will be fine but my daughter will be the interesting one. I'm kind of glad that I'm not the one running with her.
8/19 6.2 at 7:57, 3.1 at 8:06 and 1.06 at 11:21
So I was glad that I was able to hold that pace for a good distance but really disappointed that I had to be happy with a 10k and 5k that were really several minutes slower than they should have been. Still thought it was a positive indicator that I could finish another marathon comfortably.
Going through the week though I just decided it wasn't there. I want to do it, I hate giving up on a goal I've set especially since I know I could continue it but I'm skeptical if I'd be able to keep the streak alive for the rest of the year so I might as well cut it off here. Streak is dead.
So this frees me up to do some triathlons this summer (if I can get myself to the pool) and to do a race this weekend. My son, 10, is going to do his first 10k and I get to run it with him. My daughter, 7, is going for her first 5k and she'll run with my wife. I think my son will be fine but my daughter will be the interesting one. I'm kind of glad that I'm not the one running with her.
8/19 6.2 at 7:57, 3.1 at 8:06 and 1.06 at 11:21
Jun 16, 2010
Status Update
Thanks to everybody for your support and sticking with me even though I haven't been blogging/commenting AT ALL. Sort of reflects my running. Anyway, just an update here to let you know what's been going on and what I'm planning.
Last week I had a stress test, lung test and more blood work. Got all of the results back and they were negative. Negative in terms of medical issues but I think the stress test results were positive as far as how well I performed. Make sense? As clear as mud? I had to lay down and pedal, not unlike a recumbent bike. My target HR for my age was 150. My starting HR was 47. Most people are done in 6-10 minutes. After about 6 minutes in she said I was in the 90's. I might be here awhile. The nurse and technician said one a week or so somebody might go for 15 minutes before their HR gets high enough. I was at about 135 at that point. They also said they remember somebody going for 21 minutes once. Well, I didn't quite have to go that long, by 18 minutes the pedalling had become quite difficult and my legs were burning much more that the effort my heart was putting forward. Finally at 19 minute I reached my goal. THAT was a workout.
The next day I put in a solid 5 miles that felt good and I was optimistic and thinking that I turned a corner. Of course my next 4 miler was incredibly difficult and slow and I was back at square one again. Ugh.
So now I might abandon my streak of marathons. My wife thinks I might regret it if I do and thinks I should struggle through another one in a week and a half. By struggle through I'm thinking 4:30 or more. I'd love to hear all your thoughts. Do I keep it up, try to get through a couple marathons in hopes that things turn around or do I just rest up and get back on track when I feel ready for it?
5/8 5 miles at 8:21
5/9 4 miles at 8:59
Last week I had a stress test, lung test and more blood work. Got all of the results back and they were negative. Negative in terms of medical issues but I think the stress test results were positive as far as how well I performed. Make sense? As clear as mud? I had to lay down and pedal, not unlike a recumbent bike. My target HR for my age was 150. My starting HR was 47. Most people are done in 6-10 minutes. After about 6 minutes in she said I was in the 90's. I might be here awhile. The nurse and technician said one a week or so somebody might go for 15 minutes before their HR gets high enough. I was at about 135 at that point. They also said they remember somebody going for 21 minutes once. Well, I didn't quite have to go that long, by 18 minutes the pedalling had become quite difficult and my legs were burning much more that the effort my heart was putting forward. Finally at 19 minute I reached my goal. THAT was a workout.
The next day I put in a solid 5 miles that felt good and I was optimistic and thinking that I turned a corner. Of course my next 4 miler was incredibly difficult and slow and I was back at square one again. Ugh.
So now I might abandon my streak of marathons. My wife thinks I might regret it if I do and thinks I should struggle through another one in a week and a half. By struggle through I'm thinking 4:30 or more. I'd love to hear all your thoughts. Do I keep it up, try to get through a couple marathons in hopes that things turn around or do I just rest up and get back on track when I feel ready for it?
5/8 5 miles at 8:21
5/9 4 miles at 8:59
Jun 3, 2010
Medical Attention
Dypsnea, COPD and hyperextended lung; all terms thrown about by my doctor. More tests next week including a stress test and ekcocardiogram (sp) and something else. Hmm, wonder if they'll find anything.
I've done a little running, a little biking and played some basketball. Not sure if I'll get the 12 marathons in. Not sure if I'll get the 6th one in.
5/23 10 at 9:30 (or so)
5/31 3.29 at 8:45 (I think)
I've done a little running, a little biking and played some basketball. Not sure if I'll get the 12 marathons in. Not sure if I'll get the 6th one in.
5/23 10 at 9:30 (or so)
5/31 3.29 at 8:45 (I think)
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