Earth Day Challenge Marathon

The Earth Day Challenge Marathon is as small as the town of Gambier, OH in which it is held. The first four miles goes around and through the town, and is quite hilly. Maybe that is why I couldn't find any comfortable pace or rhythm. The first hill is about a half mile into the race and is MASSIVE. As big a hill as I've done in any marathon (or even any race) that I've run. All the way through the start of this marathon I was getting passed and passed and passed some more. Even two first-timer coeds left me in the dust. I knew they'd all come back though. Well, of course not all of them, but a lot. Anyway, all these people going too fast made me go a little faster than I wanted too. D'oh. The first 5 miles went by at a 8:06 pace. I didn't even know I was running that fast, just couldn't find the pacing.

After that we started on the Kokosing Gap Trail; a converted railroad bed that is now a paved bike trail. Utter bliss to run on. Really, it was fantastic, at least for this small marathon. Oh, did I mention there were only 200 marathoners and 500 half runners? It did get a little crowded on the first out and back when there were people coming and going and passing and running together. I fell in with a few other runners and we started talking marathons. They had done 86, 75, 50+ and 3. The guy who had done 3 was hoping to break 4 hours but was up running with us at a 3:35-3:40 pace. His big idea was to bank minutes so when he tired at the end, he'd have some extra time for walking. Riiiiiiiiight, that always works. Not. So we told him that but he didn't listen and stuck with us anyway. Second 5 miles were still a bit too fast but not bad. Second 5 miles in 8:17.

I'd been having to pee a little bit and thought that it was a good idea to stop just before half so as to increase my chances of running negative splits. Unofficially my half time was 1:47:58; 3:36 for negative splits. Doable, but I'd have to just see how I was feeling. The second half of the race is another out and back along the trail but in the other direction after we dropped the half marathoners. Unfortunately that direction did not have nearly as much tree canopy to run under and the sun came out in full force. It was pretty warm and humid. I'm kind of using that as my excuse anyway because I started to slow down. Third 5 miles was at 8:20 pace. Somewhere in there I passed the coeds who started out so much faster than me. They said their goal was 3:39. First timers, aren't they just great?

Around about 15 miles I went into the mental doldrums. I hadn't experienced these in the last few races but know they are always there. I just kept running; what else could I do? They always pass anyway. Even though I was not into it at all I decided to count the number of people in front of me that were now on the back portion of this out and back. I think I got to around 25 but can't remember for sure. Even though I was slowing down, I was passing some people. In fact, I only remember 1 guy passing me the whole second half of the race (doesn't mean more didn't though). Fourth 5 miles were at 8:31.

Pacing started to get in the 9:00 range and I took a couple walking breaks. I kept telling myself (and still am) that it was because of the heat and humidity because I refuse to believe that going out at 8:15 pace for the first half is that much too fast. Maybe it is though and my ego just won't let me admit it. At one point I had to stop and turn to go back to my daughter for a high five because we missed our first one. I'm sure that added several many minutes (or just a few seconds). I told myself to just keep plugging along at whatever pace and as long as I did that I'd still have a finish right in line with my other marathons this year. The miles rolled on by interrupted by a few short chats with other runners. Fifth 5 miles was at 9:21 pace (ugh, I'm cringing just to write that).

Suddenly the finish was there, right where it started, on the track of Kenyon College. I was given a choice of a medal or a mug; of course I chose the medal. All about the bling right? My unofficial finish time was 3:44:37.

Turns out we had a nice day to run. No rain (at least until about an hour after I was done. I suppose some people got wet). Wind was there but minimal. Actually running into it in the latter stages of the race was quite cooling. I'd definitely recommend this race if you don't need large crowds and constant cheering to keep yourself going. After four miles the trail was a pancake flat affair lined with trees (well, at least the first half). Quite casual but with enthusiastic volunteers and fans (my family). No expo to speak of but a nice spread after with food and massages. I didn't partake though, I'm never in a mood to after running. The ice bath that my kids love to make was torturous but did help.

Right now I'm sitting in a Columbus, OH hotel room writing this because we were shut out of the flights we were trying to catch. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I never did meet up with Psyche even though she ran it too. Be sure to check out her account of the race though because undoubtedly it will be more entertaining than mine.

April 22 15.84 at 7:57
April 25 26.2 at 8:33

April Marathon Coming Up

Congrats to all you Boston finishers. It is such a fun marathon to partake in.

It seems like it's been such a long time since my last marathon (5 weeks!). I'm kind of looking forward to another one this weekend. Only problem? Supposed to be windy with thunderstorms. That = not so good. Well, I've done sub-freezing and moderately nice, I suppose this is just another bout of weather to deal with. Hmmm (<--indicates thought bubble), I expect I'll have hot and humid to look forward to sometime. At least I can be thankful that it isn't a triathlon, swimming in those conditions can be bad.

Running has been moderately better lately. Still haven't gotten a long run in but I am doing kind of middling distance runs of about 14-16 miles at about 8 minutes per mile. I might not be able to run the speed I'd like to yet but I can pick it up a bit from what I was doing. I think I slowed my long runs down to 8:30-9:00 minute pace and somehow that creeped into my other runs too. I'll have to be wary about that in the future.

After getting my bike out and all ready to go on Sunday, I took it out for the first ride of the season on Monday. Nothing real big or real fast, just about 20 miles in a little over an hour. Didn't want to push it or anything. Don't want to take too much away from my running legs, not just yet anyway. Felt good to ride though. Kind of funny, my long run route is a short, easy ride route on the bike. It's such a slog when I'm running but goes by so quickly on the bike.

Also got another swim in today. 800 meters in just under 20 minutes. Nothing to brag about but a start. I did 1x400 meters and then 4x100 meters. The second I swam faster but took about a 15 second rest between reps so the total time for each 400 was about the same. I think I like the shorter reps better because that lets me swim a little faster but a real quick rest lets me keep the speed up. Hmmm (thinking again), maybe I should apply that to my running a little more (read interval training). Somehow it seems easier in swimming.

April 16 14 at 8:02
April 18 15.73 at 8:05
April 19 19.6 miles biking at 16.9 mph
April 20 15.82 at 8:01
April 21 800 meters at 2:27 per 100 (I know, I know. I'm not much of a swimmer)

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. -Joseph Campbell

March was supposed to be lower mileage/faster pace than February. Fail. It turns out that I was not only slower but ran more. Not really much more though, only 13 miles but I had 5 more workouts so my average run was way lower. So now, since I've been unable to hit the pace that I'd like, I thought I'd go back to the higher mileage. I should be able to do that right? Well, maybe not. After getting in a good week last week, 66 miles on 4 runs including 20 on Monday and 16 on Tuesday (got to be my two day PB) I set out for my 20 miler today. Uh, not happening. Legs felt terrible after a mile. Stopped at 4 to reassess. Turned around at 5. Don't know what that was all about. Better luck next time.

FEBRUARY
Total Miles: 203.26
Total Runs: 13
Average: 15.64
Pace: 8:25

MARCH
Total Miles: 213.09
Total Runs: 18
Average: 11.84
Pace: 8:26

Hmm, can't run faster, can't run further, maybe I'll be able to run less. Since January I've been pointing to the Green Bay marathon for a PB attempt. I'm abandoning that. Actually not that bad a thing, it'll take the pressure off and there are still 7 more marathons left in the year. Now I just need to maintain what I do have. Maybe I'll cut back on a run or so and pick up on the bike riding and swimming every week. I'm thinking one 18-20 miler and two 10-12 milers (plus the cross training) would allow me to complete a marathon every month.

Well, that's the plan anyway. Things tend to not go as planned so I'll tell you about my new plans in a few weeks.

April 8 16 at 8:27
April 10 14.07 at 7:58
April 12 9.03 at 8:29

Run With The Wolves 5k

I took my son to a Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game (they are a professional team, honest) a few weeks ago. Well, when they advertised a "Run With The Wolves 5k" with a free game ticket on the big screen, he latched on to that right away. So last Saturday we ran another 5k together and he was going for his PB of 28:26.

I paced him to a 9:07 first mile, right on target. The second mile started with a couple hills that took a little out of him. A little later he asked to slow down, so we did. I gradually worked our pace back up but then he asked to slow down a bit again. We went through the second mile in 9:18. We'd have to pick up the pace to make the PB. Then he told me he wanted to walk. I wouldn't let him. I just encouraged him to keep running as much as he could. Towards the end there was a slight uphill and then a couple tenths of a mile downhill to the finish. Mile 3 was 9:07 and he was sprinting hard towards the finish. I thought we were going to make it but we finished in 28:31. He was so funny; he immediately laid down on the ground. He stayed there awhile and got up only to drink some water but then plopped back down again. He worked really hard, I really enjoyed running with him.

Nice, small race. No official timing but lots of food, t-shirt, Timberwolves hats for the kids, massages, lots of coupons for $$'s off massages and spa treatments. Even full size deoderant in the goody bags. And I can't forget the game tickets.

All in:
March 28, 2010 7.37 @ 8:19 (4x1/2 mile hill repeats)
March 30, 2010 10 @ 8:18
March 31, 2010 5.68 @ 7:46
April 1, 2010 12.7 @ 8:25
April 3, 2010 6.48 @ 8:30
April 5, 2010 20.15 @ 8:42
April 6, 2010 16.01 @ 8:50

No Go For Mojo

The running mojo hasn't returned yet and it doesn't seem like it will anytime soon. Just feel like I'm not able to keep my fast paced runs fast paced and if I try, I can't keep the pace very long. Last Monday I had a decent run, the workout part of it was 9 miles at 7:07 but I was working waaaaaay to hard for that. Had a very slow run the next day and then on Thursday I couldn't only get 4 mile at that pace.

My slower runs have been okay, just can't seem to increase the pace. Like today I ran with friends for 18 at about 8:18 pace and then went home for a bit more with Hiroo (the dog). I guess my plan will be to slow my fast pace down, maybe 7:25-7:30, in order to get the distance I want. After all I am marathon training and miles are at a premium.

This week seems like it will be lower miles. Heading to Florida on a Spring break vacation with the family. Should be a great time, just not conducive to running maybe. I'll have to see how much I can get in.

All in: Monday 11 at 7:22
Tuesday 6.54 at 9:01
Thursday 10 at 8:00
Saturday 19.68 at 8:22

Shout outs

Thanks for all your responses to my last "scaredy cat" post. You've inspired me. I'm all ready (maybe not?) to sign up for an Ironman triathlon. I liked your comments so much I'm going to respond to each one of them in this post.

Julie: Thanks for having faith in me. You are right, it's all in the training.

Bill: The Florida course is real flat but can be windy. Most concerned about the swim in the ocean. I've done two open water swims in the ocean and puked after both, one in a triathlon in Japan. Too many waves.

Karen and Jean: Thanks for all the confidence in me!

Jill: Thanks for the vote of confidence. The mojo might be coming around, have to see what today's run brings. Hope yours comes around too.

SDRunner: Baby steps, good idea. I think I'm ready for the big step now. You'll get there, I just have more...life experience (read as older) than you.

San: IM Florida is in November so I'll have the Minnesota summer to train in. Usually not too bad. Hey, you'll get that marathon, keep moving forward!

Beth: Mike did a great job and had a great race report. I'm sure he put a lot of time into it. I've heard good things about IM Florida.

Meg: Tough love! Perfect. Inspiring.

Lindsay: I think I've wrote in in your comments before, we're runners cut from the same mold. If I haven't I've thought it.

Glenn: The swim is the hardest part! If I get through that I'll be doing the rest on my own.

All in: Thursday 14.06 at 7:51
Saturday 20.02 at 8:27

Somebody can title this one for me.

My last few runs have so pathetic that I'm not even going to blog about them. That'll teach'em. Give me a bad run will you; I won't even tell everybody about you then.

So a running blog without running. Could be pretty boring but then a lot of people would think a running blog with running would be boring. Those people aren't going to be checking out this place though so I could call them names without them even knowing. I could.

Maybe I'll write about something diametrically opposed to running, like triathloning. Okay, so they aren't diametrically opposed. In fact, they are a somewhat complementary but they are opposed in that if you want to do well (maybe we should say "your best" here as "well" is somewhat relative) in either you really have to sacrifice the other.

I have a friend who really wants me to do Ironman Florida in 2011 so we can go visit her and her future husband (who will likely do the race also). Interesting story, (at least to me, you might find it less so) she was one of my best girl friends in high school. So good in fact that she stood up for me in my wedding (my wife has 3 brothers and wanted them in our wedding so we each had 3 couples that stood up with us). We kept in touch some but then sort of lost touch (when I say sort of I mean didn't communicate for several years in a row) which I firmly take the blame for. I've never been good at keeping in touch and unless you live with me (or read this blog) you might not know I've died for several years.

So anyway, she got back in touch with me a few months ago to tell me that she is engaged and getting married. Yay for her. Not only that but it turns out she ran the Myrtle Beach marathon that I did last year. I was blown away! Too bad we didn't see each other that weekend. She is a runner now and does half marathons and marathons and I'm so jazzed about that. Of course I think it is great. I wouldn't have expected it from her.

So back to the triathlon. Her soon-to-be husband is big into Ironmans (Ironmen?) and since it is my goal to do one in 2011 it all fits perfectly. I'm right there with her until it comes down to actually signing up for this thing. I don't mind saying I'm as scared as hell and intimidated beyond belief by this thing. I've done several marathons and two half iron tris but this scares me. And you know, the worst part about it isn't really that I'm scared of failure or of not finishing but that I'm scared of not doing as well as I want to. It's an Ironman for heaven's sake, why can't I be happy with just finishing it? No, I must have some deep-seated insecurities that causes me to compare myself to other competitors with a need to be faster. What's up with that? I mean, just do your races and be happy with it. The only comparisons I should be making is against myself.

Okay, I'm done publicly psycho-analyzing myself now. Sorry you had to witness this.

All in: Saturday 11 at 8:44
Monday 14 at 7:42
Tues 5 at 7:47

Recovery

Recovery seems to be going pretty well. In fact, really well. On Tuesday, two days after the marathon, I ran a slow 10 miles. I have to admit it was pretty slow and I was feeling pretty sluggish but I still got it done. Today I got in 11 miles but at a decidedly faster pace. In fact I did a MP run with 9 of the 11 miles at 7:06 per mile. My HR was really pretty low but towards the end my legs were feeling tired so I stopped. I guess my legs haven't recovered quite as quickly. I also did a little weight lifting and a little swimming on Monday. Just enough to get loose.

My more astute readers will notice that I have changed my April marathon. On the right you'll notice it says that I'm now training for the Earth Day Challenge marathon. I was originally planning on the Oklahoma City Memorial marathon but I read too many horror stories about the hot and windy Spring weather that Oklahoma is known for. I got scared. So now I'm all signed up for this small one in Ohio. It has a limit of 200 for the full, 300 for the half. Should be interesting. The only hill is in the first mile and then it is flat the rest of the way. Negative split potential? I think so.

Finally I have to say that the photo from my last post was taken by my wife. Trust me, none of the "official" ones were worth keeping, much less buying. Why is that always the case? Maybe because I knew where my wife was and was able to smile at her but I didn't notice any of the other photographers so I was just running. I'd much rather bring my own personal photographer and fan club anyway.

All in: Tuesday 10 at 8:45
Thursday 11 at 7:24

Little Rock Marathon

First a little note to Beth. I've tried to comment on your last two posts but for some reason it won't take my comment. Maybe others have had that problem.

Okay, on to the race report.

A little bit of travel excitement getting down to Little Rock on Saturday. Our (my family was able to go with me) flight out of Minneapolis was delayed 2+ hours so we missed our connection in Memphis. As we ran to the gate, the plane was just pulling out. Missed it by that much. Oh well, we just rented a car and drove to Little Rock arriving at the expo at 5:30, it closed at 6. A slightly close call. Also forgot to pack gels so I had to load up at the expo. At least I was able to make it to the starting line okay.

At the starting line it dawned on me that my balky left ankle wasn't bothering me at all (and still isn't); a good sign. Mr. Garmin had trouble picking up a satellite so when I looked for my pace, I got nothin'. I didn't really have a pace until about mile 2. Early on I saw a few signs, the obligatory "Run like you stole something" and my favorite "1. You are running. 2. There is no 2.". My pace seemed to be okay, in the 8:20's. 8:30's would have been better but you know how that goes. At around mile 4 I passed the 3:40 pacer but I was in the 8:30's at that point so he was a little slow there. A couple bridges early but not too hilly.

First time I was able to see my family was around the 7 mile mark. I saw them 4-5 times; always get a boost out of them. Before the race I put a couple notes in my pocket from my kids. One was "I love you so much" and the other was "Go Daddy Go. I'll run with you.".

Around mile 8 I was passed by the 3:40 pacer and I heard him saying he "might" be a little behind. He was definitely a little behind. I ran with the 3:45 group a little bit but then let them go. I saw a woman aiming with her camera but she had her lens cap on. I yelled that out to her and she and her friend had a good laugh. I went on to see them 3-4 more times on the course. At first they said "Go Az" because you could customize your bib. I told her it was A Z and she got it right after that.

Stopped for a potty break at mile 10, only one this race so I didn't mind even though I lost 30 seconds. Coming up to the halfway point I slowed down quite a bit (12th mile was 8:40) thinking that the slower my first half the better chance I had for negative splits. I went through half way at 1:52:24 so I'd have to go sub 3:45 for negative splits and I thought I'd take the second half easier than that so I let that thought go.

Miles 13-17 are very hilly. Long steep uphills and one big downhill that was so steep it didn't really help. Everybody was braking on the way down. Somewhere in there I was passed by the 3:40 and 3:45 pacers without their signs. Maybe they had a potty break and somebody carried on for them? Also saw a boy throwing the football around with his family. I stretched out my hands and he threw it to me. I had to reach back and catch it one-handed. As I backpedalled and returned it to him my throw was way wobbly and way off target. Oh well, I was running a marathon.

Those middle miles seemed to go by pretty quickly and mile 19 came and went. Just after that I checked my watch when I thought there was about 7 miles (one hour) left. My watch said 2:44. So one more hour at about 8:30 and I could go negative. If you remember my 2010 Goals include 1 negative split marathon. It looked like I could make this one so I tried to push the pace a little bit. Miles 21 and 22 were good in 8:07 and 8:16 but then I got a little tired. The next two were 8:34 and 8:37. Still, I was on pace to just eke out negative splits. Then mile 25 hit.

Mile 25 featured two and a half big hills and went by in 9 minutes. I'd lost what I had gained. By mile 26 I was working hard and I could feel it. I kept thinking to myself that I should just slow down and enjoy it but then I would think "when will I ever have a chance at negative splits again?", so I kept pushing it. I ran it in 8:14. After the last mile marker I was pushing pretty hard but my stomach threatened to explosively expel it's contents. Pretty sure that that would slow me down so I let up on the pace. The thought of doing that in front of several hundred people wasn't so appealing either. I still ran as hard as I could. I was so focused that I didn't even wave at my family even though I heard them cheer. I forgot to raise my hands to the crowd to hear them erupt. I sprinted across the line, but missed negative splits by 9 seconds.

All in all it was a good day, upper 40's at the start and low 60's at the finish. This is definitely a hilly course and has a long out and back from 18-24 that the breeze was in our face both ways (or so it seemed). Nice if you have friends in the race that you could see. Free hot dogs and bananas and oranges at the end but I went straight for the ice cold chocolate milk. Especially good. I have to say the goodie bag was sorely lacking. Really doesn't matter to me because I usually don't keep much from it anyway but they really didn't give anything but the race bib and chip. Shirt is kind of bland.

The medal though; the medal is a thing to behold. Ridiculously big. Obnoxiously big. But I earned it.

The final numbers: 204 of 1,544 marathoners; 26 of 147 in my age group and 166 of 970 men. First half 1:52:24; second half 1:52:35; total 3:44:59.

All in: 26.2 at 8:36

Go Slow Down

FIrst of all, let me thank Glenn and San for sending me the Sunshine Award. Never thought of myself as sunny. Now, on to the post.

How does that title sound juxtaposed with the "Need For Speed" title from last week? I'm planning on slowing it down this weekend in Little Rock. Of course I've said that before. This time I really mean it. Really I do. I'd like to go closer to 3:50 for this marathon, thinking that my recovery will be much better. So if I go faster than 3:45 please feel free to chastise me.

I know what the problem is, it's my oversized sense of pride, is what it is. I'm mean there's all these people in the half and full and I'm looking around thinking I should be way ahead of these guys. How sad is that? I should be bigger than that.

It isn't going to help that the race director put me in the A corral (sub 3:20) because I ran that last year even though I only requested the B corral (sub 3:45). I think I'll just slip back one corral and to the way back of that one too. Think they'll mind?

Today was a good run, seven miles with 5 at 7:08. A little more than I probably should have with a marathon in a couple days but it's just a long training run, right? I guess I'll find out Sunday if I overdid it.

Supposed to be great weather and there are still a few slots open. Anybody care to join me?

All in: Friday 7 at 7:35

Nice Weather

It's been beautiful here lately so I've been able to get outside on a few runs. Of course for Minnesota beautiful = sunny +35 degrees + snow/ice/slush/water covering only 30% of the trail or so. Took the long run outside on Monday. My never fail plan (it's failed before, in fact I can't remember it ever working) was to get 15-16 on my own and then swing by the house and pick up the dog for a little company as I get the last few hard miles in. Problem is once I get home, I don't want to go out again. Poor dog. Yeah, I knew that was going to happen again since I was feeling pretty tired at mile 15. Maybe I should have taken that gel that I carried around the whole time. I was too lazy for that though and didn't have any water anyway. Maybe it was this type of run that teaches my body to burn fat. Anyway, at 15 I took my own little detour and finished the thing by myself.

Yesterday I got in a weight session and some swimming which was good. I wrote about the things that I don't like about swimming but there is stuff that I like too. I like the feeling of gliding through the water (although that doesn't happen often). I think I like being able to swim more than I like the actual act of swimming. Less than 3 years ago I couldn't swim for the life of me and never thought I'd do a triathlon. Maybe I should be grateful for that Achilles injury that put me into the pool.

Today I did another MP run and since I didn't want to be slowed by bad footing I did it on the treadmill. Thirteen miles in with 11 at 7:08 pace. I should have just done that last .1 to get a half marathon in under 1:37. Not bad at all for a training run. I'm pretty jazzed at how these are going so far. Next week I'll do another one and then the following week I'll start doing two per week. After these hard efforts I like to walk/drive/move real slow. I don't know why. Maybe it lets me relish the good feeling more. Unfortunately the guy driving behind me isn't relishing as much as I am.

Little something about a marathon this weekend?

All in: Monday 18 at 8:38 pace
Tuesday 700 meters swimming
Wednesday 13 at 7:23 pace

Need For Speed

Seems like that would be an overused running blog title. I'm going to use it anyway. Why the need for speed? Because I always say that if you want to run fast you have to run fast. Seems to make sense. Of course everything isn't for everybody but I find that this is for me. Not interval speedwork per se although I'm sure that helps me too. No, I'm talking about running long at a pace faster than normal. For me, those are MP (marathon pace, although I've never really run a full marathon at this pace) runs.

I usually run these around 7:10-7:15 per mile. All my best marathons have been after a month or two of getting in two of these runs in a week. So I'm now embarking on that portion of my marathon build up (have I mentioned Green Bay in May is my "A" race? At least for this Spring it is). Building up for Myrtle Beach last year I only got to 50 miles per week 1 time. I qualified for Boston at Myrtle Beach. So now I'll cut back on the mileage and pick up on the intensity.

I did one of these runs this week, on Thursday. Of course that was after I totally bagged on another run but was able to get a weight session and some swimming done on Wednesday. Anyway, it was 12 miles with 10 at 7:13 pace. My HR compared favorably to my Myrtle Beach build up and I'm still 2+ months out. Right now, things are good although my legs are feeling a little sore. Maybe I'll rest up a little this week (ie low mileage) before the marathon and next week after the marathon and then hit these hard.

February ended up with 203 miles on 13 runs for a whopping 15.6 miles per run. That's my highest average ever, ever, ever. Of course I would have liked to have had more miles and more runs but it seems those numbers are never enough for me. I'm feeling that same way for this week as I only ran 3 times and got in 44 miles. After Monday's workout though I decided to take an extra day of rest.

Happy running to everybody!

All in: Thursday 12 at 7:28
Saturday 14.04 at 8:20.

Ugh, what was that?

I was inspired by Jill to run a treadmill PB of my own but sorry to say, I failed woefully. I set out to do a little over 20 but never made it there. I was feeling okay, a little tired but my HR was way higher than it should have been over the course of the entire run. Took a gel and potty break at about 11.5 miles when the treadmill automatically resets at 99 minutes. Took another little water break 5 miles later. I was definitely getting tired but thought I could gut it out. Then at a little over 17.5 everything went downhill. Energy was gone, HR jumped, effort went way up. I pushed to get to 18 but was almost out of it at that point.

So what was up with that? Could be that I wasn't fueled up very well. Thinking back I didn't eat so much yesterday. My weight was down to 150 this morning which is about 2 pounds lower than it has been in the morning recently. Could be that I'm still not recovered from the marathon last week and 64 miles for the whole week. It was the first time I ever used a vanilla gingerbread Gu but I can't imagine that was the problem. Could be just one of those days. I'm still counting it as a long run though. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

"Make the most of yourself, because that's all the you there is." Ralph Waldo Emerson I believe.

All in: 18 at 8:42

Recovery

Usually race pictures don't turn out so well. This one seems acceptable.

It's hard to have a bad week of running when you start it off with a 3:40 marathon, So I guess mine has gone pretty well. The weather has been much nicer but that hasn't made running outside any easier. I went outside Tuesday and today but the snow/ice/slush/water almost made it unenjoyable. Maybe I just need to use the smaller back roads and run down the middle of them. At least it makes me run slower for my recovery. Well, maybe I'm just running slower because it is my recovery. I definitely have had dead legs all week. Still I've been able to get in some decent mileage, 64 miles overall with 10 on Tuesday, 13.82 on Thursday and then 14.06 today. Thursday seemed to be particularly hard. Seemed like I just wanted to be done and around miles 9-10 I almost stopped. Somewhere after that though it just became running and the effort seemed to mostly go away. Although tired, my body was moving on it's own so I was able to get about 14 in.

My other workouts, weights on Wed and Fri, were a little lighter too. Hopefully it will come back better this week. I did manage to swim a bit last week on Wednesday, 500 meters. Okay so that is pretty short and only took about 12 minutes but since I haven't swum since last June that was okay. It did remind me that I don't like 1) jumping into a cold pool, 2) the chlorine smell all over me, 3) water in my ears and 4) the headache that I get from swimming. I think it has to do with my uneven breathing. It usually gets better as I do it more though. I'll probably start swimming once a week, I mean triathlon season is coming in the summer (whenever that is).

I enjoy reading all your blogs and seeing your progress. Thanks for the diversion.

All in: Tuesday 10 at 8:54
Thursday 13.82 at 8:47
Saturday 14.06 at 8:43

Mercedes Marathon - Birmingham, AL

Unfortunately all the snow in the South did a number on flights getting in and out of Atlanta so I had to make the trip by myself. Luckily my wonderful wife secured a ticket for me to get there on Saturday afternoon.

To get the abbreviated version, click the movie below, otherwise, keep reading:



First of all, by the numbers:

3:40:22, 8:25 per mile. I finished 19th of 92 in my age group, 159 of 850-900 overall and 129 of ??? for men only. Interestingly enough I was 31st in my age group at 10k, 28th at 15k, 27th at 25k, 21st at 30k and ultimately 19th. Seems some people out there slowed down more than I did.

It was cold to start, just below 30 degrees I think. Luckily there was no rain or snow though. Mostly cloudy for the whole thing but the sun did manage to peek out occasionally.

Yet again, I started out faster than I wanted too. It wasn't my fault, really! I mean it was soooo easy. The first time I looked at my watch it was in the 7:50's and I thought something must be wrong with my Garmin. I had to force myself to slow down and then slow down some more and then some more. The first few miles weren't hilly but they weren't flat either. First 5 miles 8:18 pace.

I thought I'd like the double loop course but I found myself just wanting to get the first half over with so we could get rid of the half marathoners and I could just get down to finishing the race. A half marathon is a long time to go "just wanting to get it over with." We hit the biggest hills on the course from miles 7-10. Crowds were good, especially at the relay exchange zones where they crowded the streets and only 2-3 runners could pass at a time. It was kind of fun actually. Second 5 miles 8:21 pace.

The course flattened out quite a bit and they separated the half people from the full people just after 10 miles although they were just on the other side of the street. Since they separated us it seemed like the halfway point should just be around the corner but it was still 3 miles away! Seemed like forever. Finally, they finished and we kept going; no official halfway timing mat but I think I came in around 1:49:07, 8:19 pace. Too fast because this was just a training run after all and I want to be able to keep training this week. Third five miles 8:23 pace.

I felt pretty strong the whole race, runners came and went but I seemed to be passing more than passed me. The second loop wasn't nearly as supported by fans. I guess they were all there for the half marathoners. Does anybody else out there hate taking gels as much as I do? I don't mind the flavor but I just don't like having to take them. I don't like drinking either. Just something I gotta do. Fourth 5 miles 8:31 pace.

Finally we were over the hills and things started flattening out again. Some lady took a horrible fall up ahead of me. I don't know if it was because she tripped on a pothole or another reason but she went down hard. Luckily there were spectators and officers immediately on hand to take care of her. Around mile 23 I felt the exhaustion set in. I always repeat my mantra "Just keep running, just keep running." I also tell myself that the miles are long but the marathons are short and it will be over with before I know it. And it always is. Fifth 5 miles at 8:40 pace.

Down the homestretch I passed the man with the Ironman hat that I thought was long gone when he passed me in mile 11-12. Somebody passed me and I said "good start" and he said "thank you, thank you" but I wonder if he knew what I meant. Entering the final chute I like to raise my hands to the crowd because they always respond with a big cheer and I know it is for me. It worked again for this marathon, twice. They announced my name and home town as I crossed the line. Last 1.2 miles 7:47 pace. Second half about 1:51:15, pretty even pacing.

Officially I had 26.07 on the Garmin. But the course is certified and that is 99.5% accuracy so I guess it is acceptable. All the mile markers seemed about a quarter mile off though. Whatever. One thing I would have liked to see would have been the water on one side of the street and the powerade on the other. It was kind of hard to get exactly what you wanted. Also they could have draped the medal over your head at the end instead of just handing it to you. Just the little things I guess.

I seems if you run a marathon on Valentine's Day, as I have the last two years, you get a bright red technical shirt for your trouble. Also got a hat. The medal is okay but I would have liked to see the little triangle areas be hollow so it would look more like a Mercedes hood ornament.

After an ice bath and shower I was back at the airport by noon. It was kind of a planes, trains and automobiles adventure getting home. I caught the first flight out of Birmingham, sat in Atlanta missing some full fights before changing concourses, flying to Chicago and getting into Minneapolis at about 9:30. Wait for the train to the other terminal, walk through two parking garages and finally get home at 10:30 PM. Yes, at that time I shovelled the driveway.

All in: 26.2 miles at 8:25.

More Tapering

This week has turned into more of a taper than I thought or wanted it to be. I bagged my weight session on Tuesday but my 15 miles on Wednesday was still a little sluggish. It was kind of odd because my legs were sluggish but the pace seemed real easy so it kind of turned into a modest progression run. I kept getting fast from 8:34 to 8:06 by the end. I was planning on doing another 15 miles today; and I'd really like to do it, but I'm feeling a little bit of pain in my Achilles tendons. This is an area that has plagued me before so I'm being very cautious with it. I'd say right now the pain is 1.5 on a scale of 1 to 10, so no big deal. But I don't want it to become a big deal so I'm not running today or the next two days before the marathon.

For the marathon I'll do it just like the MS blues marathon, go out at 8:30 or so per mile and just see how it goes. I'll walk when I take water to get a good drink. I'm definitely hoping to cut the potty breaks though. I mean really, two is one too many and two more than I'd like to do. I'm thinking 3:45-3:50 range but would only get upset if it is over 4:00. Also, I really don't want to be doing the marathon shuffle at the end.

So, today is my weight workout that I blew off on Tuesday. I'll give myself a sad face for only getting in 35 miles this week. That's disappointing especially when mentally and physically I really want to run. :(

See you next week with a race report.

All in: 15 at 8:18

Marathon Week

We are getting socked in by a bunch of snow once again but I'm not going to let it get me down. No, even though I'll be heading out to shovel the driveway for the third time in about 18 hours I'm excited that it's marathon week. What is there to be excited about? Well, that I get to taper this week. For this marathon, tapering means only 3 runs and about 50 miles this week and I'll probably skip my Friday weight session. Also, I'm excited that my family will accompany me to Birmingham this weekend to cheer me on. Hmm, what activities will Birmingham have to offer? I'm also excited that my long run for next week will be filled with gels, water stops and fans instead of the treadmill, staring at a bank of TV's and trying to find something to listen to.

All of those things I had to do today on my 20 mile run. I did my 15 miler last Saturday on the treadmill too but since my son had a basketball tournament I had to start at shortly after 5 AM. Also, since I haven't used the arm warmers that I got for Christmas I had to use them in case I need them in Birmingham. So, in summary I was on a treadmill at 5 AM with arm warmers for 15 miles. Bleah!

Okay, just when I thought it was safe to stretch I read this article. Now what do I think?

Finally I have a friend who I have done 3 marathons with who, after a couple year layoff, is getting back into our sport. Hopefully we'll be able to do a Fall marathon together. Please give him some love here.

All in: Saturday 15 at 8:21
Monday (today) 20 at 8:27

Marathon Line Up

These are the marathons that I have currently decided upon:

Mercedes Marathon, Birmingham, AL; February 14th
Little Rock Marathon, Little Rock, AR; March 7th
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Oklahoma City, OK; April 25
Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, Green Bay, WI; May 15

Then in the summer I'll head west a little and maybe do something in Wyoming, Montana or Idaho. I'd really like to do one of the marathons in Alaska over the summer too. In the fall the only things I have on the radar screens are St. George Marathon on October 2nd and Las Vegas Marathon on December 6th (7th?).

Been a good week so far, I had a really nice run yesterday. Usually I'd do my 10 miles with 6x1 mile intervals but I decided to do a MP run instead. This is a good test as to my fitness compared to my other marathon. I started out at 7:13 and couldn't believe how smooth and easy the pace felt. I kicked it down to 7:08 and still felt good. I ended up with 8 miles at 7:10. Based on my HR I could have easily done a few more miles at that pace but I have a couple of 15 milers still this week and didn't want to mess with those. So, as far as MP runs go, I seem to be way ahead of schedule. I'll start those for real in March.

Today was an easy 15 miles. Nice and easy, nothing special.

All in: Wednesday 10 at 7:28
Thursday 15 at 8:34

January

January was kind of a good and bad month. I was surprised to see that I ran less than half the days, only 14. Clearly the cold I had through the holidays and getting sick after the marathon held me back. I promise I'll try to do better in February. On the good side was I did get in 194 miles and while that isn't a lot it is an average of almost 14 miles per run. I haven't had an average that high since June of 2005 but then I only ran 3 times that month and one of them was a marathon. (Okay, so I didn't really "run" that marathon. It was pretty slow and walking/jogging by the end.) Here's to a more consistent February!

Yesterday's 20 miler was way better than last week. Could be because I used a gel instead of sport beans. I also tried endurolytes for the first time. Jury is still out on those. I only tried them because I had a pack that was stuck in a goody bag from some event that I did. I really can't say if they helped. I'll probably try them again but likely only if I get them in a goody bag again. After I was done I felt good enough to take the dog out for rollerblading (cold but the road was (mostly) dry) and shovel the driveway. Anyway, another 20 miler on the treadmill and we're getting more snow this week so I'll probably be there for the rest of my runs too. At least today I'll just be doing some weightlifting and core/stretching work. Shorter than my run workouts.

All in: 20 miles at 8:34

The Standard

This week set the standard of how I want my training to go for the next month or so. Sixty miles on four runs. I did a 20, a 15, a 10 of speedwork and another 15. Hopefully I can do that for the next month or so to build a base and then I'll begin a couple months where I cut back on the mileage but speed up the pace and build back up to that mileage again at the faster pace. That's the plan anyway.

So the nitty gritty for the week went like this: I already blogged about the 20 miler on Monday and then I did 15 on Wednesday. I tell you what, that one really beat me up and I don't know why. I'm suspecting it was my shoes which have about 450 miles on them. I ran in the evening and then all night long my legs were sore and it even woke me up during the night a few times. The next day I was wiped out and had to nap even. Then on Thursday evening I planned to do 10 with 6 one mile repeats. I honestly didn't know how I'd do them and didn't really think I would but I guess I just kept plugging away. My active recovery (walking/jogging) between miles was closer to 3:30-3:40 than the usual 3:00 but I don't mind that. So 6x1 mile at around 6:18 (going to try to speed that up some). Finally today, Saturday, I did 15 easy miles at 8:27 and was feeling much better.

Weight update: Okay, since you've been along for the ride this far I'll give you the full update. Marathon morning, Jan. 9th I can only assume I weighed 157. I was at a hotel so didn't actually weigh myself but that is about where I was for the week. So, marathon that day, nothing the next day, 12.4 the next and sick the 4th day. Next morning I was 150.8. That was about 2.5 weeks ago and now I'm still only back up to 153 as of this morning. Maybe that's the new baseline.

All in: Wednesday 15 at 8:14
Thursday 10 at 8:36 with 6x1 at 6:17
Saturday 15 at 8:27