Lucky, I finally finished the blog!!!
I am finally ready to write about my experiences at the 2009 "Spirit of Columbus" marathon last Sunday. Like I mentioned on my Face Book page, my time was 17 minutes over what my goal. While the majority of this falls on me and my lack of running my "long runs" during training, part of the problem falls on race logistics as well.
"Pre-Race Gitters" I woke up at 5:15am, got dressed and sat down on the toilet int he bathroom to eat my English muffin with peanut butter. I only ended up eating 1/2 of the muffin before I left to head to the shuttle area. I was a little shaky, but I attributed it to nerves and lack of sleep. I walked about 2 blocks to the shuttle pick up and caught the first shuttle to the starting line. The race was scheduled to start at 7:30am. Once we arrived at the starting point, I found a piece of grass and laid down to stretch out my back. Last year, back pain at mile 7 led to a horrific last 4 miles for both time and pain. I found the 2:30 pace group and hung out with them. I was hoping to finish a little faster than that, but it would be nice to actually pace with someone.
"Ready Set Go, wait how far have we run?" The race started on time and we headed out. There was a decent sized group running together. Our pace leader "Coy" was great, he told jokes and led us in a cadence every mile. He also kept us loose and relaxed. We were plugging along and noticed there were no signs for mile markers. A lady in the group was wearing her Garmin GPS so we had an idea of how far we had run.
"Water water everywhere - but none for you." We reached the first aid station and there was no one there. There were coolers and sleeves of cups, but nobody handing water out. My thought was, "OK, its early enough in the race I'll be OK missing a station." At the next station there were volunteers, but no water. The aid station at mile 4 actually hag "Heed" (an energy drink) but no water. Now we are getting to mile 5 with no water and again no water or volunteers. At mile 6 they were handing out power gels. I grabbed one and opened it, knowing that there would be water to wash it down. Nope, still no water. Finally at mile 7 we found real, plain, water. We walked through the station then picked the pace back up again. I was beginning to feel the effects of my scant breakfast and lack of water.
"Grinding to a Walk." I continued to keep with the pace group until about mile 8. I felt a tinge in my ankle as we changed surfaces. That is when my pace started to fall. At mile 9 I walked for about a 1/4 mile as the pace group ran off into the sun. I finished out he last part of nine at a gingerly jog. I walked through the water station at 10 and pushed about another 1/2 mile and then my body stopped. I was out of breath and a little light headed. My feet were only moving because of the momentum of my body and my sinuses were clogged up. From this point at alternated walking and running for the next 3 miles.
"Round 13 and headed for Home." As I came around the bend at mile 13 I saw Laurel and the kids. Like last year, the kids met me on the road and we finished the race together. I mustered up the strength to run the finish.
"I did this for What?!?" I crossed the finish line with the kids and headed to the reception area. I was not the last person on the course by any stretch, but I got 1 of the last medals. They also ran out of the race shirts and technical hats. So, on top of no water, bathrooms, etc. along the race course. They ran out of finisher's medals, shirts, hats, etc.
I am not sure whether to give this race another year - you know they say,"Three times a charm." But, I finished it and it is yet another step towards Wright Patterson in September.
I took the week after t he race off to recover. I ran last Saturday with Michaela (my oldest daughter). She is training for her first 5K at Wright Patterson in September. We did 2.6 miles and averaged a 10:05 pace. I ran my speed work today and averaged a 4:44 for 1/2 mile on my splits.
Talk at everyone soon!
In Him,
Romans 8:31
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
A Great Race Followed by the Wheels Falling Off...
Good morning all.
Run #31 - 5K Race (should have done a total of 12 miles): I have not blogged since the New Richmond Scott McDowell Memorial 5K Run. This was to be another "training run" to work on pace and a little bit of tempo running. We got down to New Richmond about an hour before. While wondering around waiting for the start I did something that I have not done before any races to date, I took a quick 1/4 mile warm up jog. At the start of the race, I had decided that I was going to shoot for a 10:00 mile pace. The gun went off and I was off and running. I was really surprised when my first mile was a 9:13. I slowed my pace a little, but my second mile was still at a 9:34 pace. I ended up finishing the race with a 29:20 time, which is the best I have run in over a year. I felt great!!! I crossed the finish line before Laurel had expected to see me so she did not get a good picture.
The balance of the day was hot and muggy, so I opted not to run the rest of the miles I needed, plus, though I felt great, I was spent from the race. Sunday was a crazy/busy day with church (our new pastor started and was very good), then a soccer coaches meeting, then Laurel went to a Pampered Chef party - so no running on Sunday.
This week, the wheels feel like they have fallen off. Laurel had been sick Sunday evening so Monday morning I did not run. Monday night was soccer practices and I ran a couple of 1/2 mile laps with some of the players as well as the drills and other games - so I did get some running in.
Run #32 - Speed Work: Tuesday morning I ran my speed work program 1200's, 400's and 200's. The run went great. My times were below the target times and I felt great. Work was crazy and when I walked through the door at home after work, Michaela met me at the door in her running shoes, ready to go run. She is training for her first 5K run at Wright Patterson in September. We went and ran 2 miles and she did a 16:25 for 1.6 miles (half of a 5K). We came home and ate dinner, then I finished cutting and raking the grass.
Run #33 - Mile Logged, 4 miles: Wednesday morning I decided to run in Bethel on the walking track. This is when I noticed the wheels falling off. My run was horrid. I averaged around a 13 minutes mile and just felt sluggish and my legs heavy. Soccer practice that night was a little better, I ran the drills wit the kids and felt pretty good. I took Thursday off. We had another 6 ton of gravel delivered and I spread that on the driveway.
Run #34 - Tempo/Pace Work 6 miles: This morning was supposed to be a Pace run for 6 miles. I am shooting for an 11:00 mile pace. You would not have known that watching me run this morning. Each lap on the walking track was a bit slower than previous. Again I averaged about a 13:00 mile - with the same feelings and only ended up running 5.5 miles.
I am not exactly sure what is going on. I have had a cough since the fair (about 2 weeks now) that I just cannot shake. I do not have any other symptoms so I have not worried about it - and it has been better over the past week. Still, I feel like I do not have the energy/motivation that I have had in the past months. I am looking forward to the Spirit of Columbus a week from Sunday. Although I have not trained for it as well as I should have, I still feel like I am ready. I am using it as my long training run for Wright Patterson, so I should get a feel for where I am at time wise.
Talk at you all soon.
Peace,
Romans 8:31
Run #31 - 5K Race (should have done a total of 12 miles): I have not blogged since the New Richmond Scott McDowell Memorial 5K Run. This was to be another "training run" to work on pace and a little bit of tempo running. We got down to New Richmond about an hour before. While wondering around waiting for the start I did something that I have not done before any races to date, I took a quick 1/4 mile warm up jog. At the start of the race, I had decided that I was going to shoot for a 10:00 mile pace. The gun went off and I was off and running. I was really surprised when my first mile was a 9:13. I slowed my pace a little, but my second mile was still at a 9:34 pace. I ended up finishing the race with a 29:20 time, which is the best I have run in over a year. I felt great!!! I crossed the finish line before Laurel had expected to see me so she did not get a good picture.
The balance of the day was hot and muggy, so I opted not to run the rest of the miles I needed, plus, though I felt great, I was spent from the race. Sunday was a crazy/busy day with church (our new pastor started and was very good), then a soccer coaches meeting, then Laurel went to a Pampered Chef party - so no running on Sunday.
This week, the wheels feel like they have fallen off. Laurel had been sick Sunday evening so Monday morning I did not run. Monday night was soccer practices and I ran a couple of 1/2 mile laps with some of the players as well as the drills and other games - so I did get some running in.
Run #32 - Speed Work: Tuesday morning I ran my speed work program 1200's, 400's and 200's. The run went great. My times were below the target times and I felt great. Work was crazy and when I walked through the door at home after work, Michaela met me at the door in her running shoes, ready to go run. She is training for her first 5K run at Wright Patterson in September. We went and ran 2 miles and she did a 16:25 for 1.6 miles (half of a 5K). We came home and ate dinner, then I finished cutting and raking the grass.
Run #33 - Mile Logged, 4 miles: Wednesday morning I decided to run in Bethel on the walking track. This is when I noticed the wheels falling off. My run was horrid. I averaged around a 13 minutes mile and just felt sluggish and my legs heavy. Soccer practice that night was a little better, I ran the drills wit the kids and felt pretty good. I took Thursday off. We had another 6 ton of gravel delivered and I spread that on the driveway.
Run #34 - Tempo/Pace Work 6 miles: This morning was supposed to be a Pace run for 6 miles. I am shooting for an 11:00 mile pace. You would not have known that watching me run this morning. Each lap on the walking track was a bit slower than previous. Again I averaged about a 13:00 mile - with the same feelings and only ended up running 5.5 miles.
I am not exactly sure what is going on. I have had a cough since the fair (about 2 weeks now) that I just cannot shake. I do not have any other symptoms so I have not worried about it - and it has been better over the past week. Still, I feel like I do not have the energy/motivation that I have had in the past months. I am looking forward to the Spirit of Columbus a week from Sunday. Although I have not trained for it as well as I should have, I still feel like I am ready. I am using it as my long training run for Wright Patterson, so I should get a feel for where I am at time wise.
Talk at you all soon.
Peace,
Romans 8:31
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Trainig Runs #20 - #30 Finally Caught Up
Good evening all.
I found a really cool way to post running routes on my blog. So I started with the infamous "Dam Run" I talked about when training for the Flying Pig. The route I posted is in a little different from the original in that I am running the long down instead of up like I did for the Pig in order to get ready for the Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon which is a point to point downhill race.
About my blogging, the county fair not only screwed up my training runs, but also my blogging on my runs. So, I am going to only update on my dates and distances for the past 2 weeks and more details on my most recent runs.
Run #20 - Logged Miles Run: YMCA indoor track 5 miles at an 11:12 average pace.
Fair Week - Lots of work and little free time to run. Missed 2 runs during week
Run #21 - Pace Run: Home 4.5 miles and evening soccer conditioning run 1 mile
Run #22 - Logged Miles/Stride Work: YMCA Indoor track 4 miles at an 11:35 pace + strides
Vacation Week - Recovery from the fair (lots of other stuff going on too):
Run #23 - Logged Miles: Dam Run 7 miles at a 12:17 average pace
Run #24 - Pace Work: Bethel Walking Track 4 miles at a 10:48 average pace and evening soccer conditioning run 1 mile
Run #25 - Speed Work: YMCA indoor track: 2x1200, 4x400, and 4x200 splits
Run #26 - Logged Miles: Springfield neighborhood run 4 miles 11:10 average pace
Run #27 - Bethel 10K Race: Here you go Lucky, I am finally getting this written up. The town we live in (at least close enough to to consider living in) had its first ever 10K race on 8/Aug/09. I signed up the run it as a training run and to get another race in. Aaron also signed up to run. The course review on the website was pretty straight forward, a flat out and back run.
I am not sure why my brain shut off, but the day before we had 20 ton of gravel delivered to the house to put in a parking pad and redo the driveway. We (Laurel, the kids and I) moved about 6-7 ton of the gravel by hand that day. Mistake #1: Moving gravel should not be done the day before a race. I did not think that moving gravel would impact my running.
Saturday morning, I got up and did my typically pre-run routine, showered, ate my typical breakfast of a peanut butter, honey and toast sandwich and headed to town to meet Aaron. At Aaron's I ate a banana and we walked over to the race. We got over there about 45 minutes early and wandered around talking to people and stretching out.
The race started on time. Since we were there early, we were in the from of the pack at the start. Mistake #2: As the "old fat guy" don't start out in front. When the gun went off and we started, I knew I was going to be in trouble, I was running way faster than I should have been, trying to keep with the front of the pack. When we hit the first mile marker, my fear was confirmed, I was running a 9:24 pace. Now that does not sound great, but I was shooting for something around 10:30-10:45 pace. The next mile was too slow. I slowed to an 11:34 pace. Mistake #3: Do not try to regain time too fast. I tried to pick up the pace too much in miles 3 and 4 and was not successful, although I was running faster. I spent a portion of t he time talking to a guy who is headed to Wight Patterson for the Half Marathon as well. By mile 5 I had settled down and was running pretty steady. I was talking to a couple of ladies who were running and one was a soccer coach in Bethel. Mile 6 was strong. Coming into the finish the fellow soccer coach I had been talking to was about 6 steps ahead of me. I was content with letting her finish ahead of me until the announcer at the finish line said, "We have a race going on here to the finish line." I picked up my pace a little. The icing on the cake was when Barb, a friend from the YMCA started cheering us on saying, "He's right behind you pick it up, he's going to catch you!" So, right before the line I stretched out my strides and stepped ahead of her 1 step before we crossed the line.
My final time was 1:10:03 with an average pace of 11:17. I was not impressed with my time although it was better than my last 10K run. From my training runs I know I could have finished faster, but chalk it up to experience. The run was good. It was not flat, but rather a series of rolling hills.
Run #28 - Speed Work: This morning I discovered a flaw in my training plan. I started a week earlier than I should have. So, my plan for this week was to repeat the training regime from last week since I missed my long (12 mile run). This was the same as run #25. The speed work went well. I ran an average 7:58 for my 1200's, 2:20 for my 400's, and 1:03 for my 200's. The run felt good, although I felt pretty lethargic afterward and for the biggest part of the day.
Run #29 - Logged Miles: Wednesday morning (12/Aug/09) I went to the YMCA indoor track. I did not have any run/time requirements, just get the miles in. I ran 4.5 miles and averaged an 11:20 pace. Again, the run felt pretty good, but lethargy set in afterward. Wednesday night was the first soccer practice for the girls teams. We did a lot of running and I think I actually outlasted all of them.
Run #30 - Pace Work: Today was a pace workout day. I went to the YMCA and again ran inside (it was too dark to run the road this morning). My runs were actually pretty good, although I shortened the length of the workout a little. My 4 mile run was at a 10:58 average pace, my 400 was a 2:31, and my last pace mile was an 11:05. I actually did not have the "run down" feeling after my run this morning. I have felt pretty good the whole day.
The balance of the week will be interesting. I am taking a day off from running tomorrow since I have run 3 days back to back. I am signed up for a 5K race in New Richmond Saturday morning and still need to figure out how to get my 12 miles in since I am playing guitar/banjo at church on Sunday and our church picnic with the new pastor is immediately after service.
Anyhow, that is what has been going on in the wild and crazy running world of Tim. I will try to be better about getting my blog done in a timely fashion from now on. I will blog at everyone either Saturday evening or Sunday night.
In Him,
Romans 8:31
I found a really cool way to post running routes on my blog. So I started with the infamous "Dam Run" I talked about when training for the Flying Pig. The route I posted is in a little different from the original in that I am running the long down instead of up like I did for the Pig in order to get ready for the Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon which is a point to point downhill race.
About my blogging, the county fair not only screwed up my training runs, but also my blogging on my runs. So, I am going to only update on my dates and distances for the past 2 weeks and more details on my most recent runs.
Run #20 - Logged Miles Run: YMCA indoor track 5 miles at an 11:12 average pace.
Fair Week - Lots of work and little free time to run. Missed 2 runs during week
Run #21 - Pace Run: Home 4.5 miles and evening soccer conditioning run 1 mile
Run #22 - Logged Miles/Stride Work: YMCA Indoor track 4 miles at an 11:35 pace + strides
Vacation Week - Recovery from the fair (lots of other stuff going on too):
Run #23 - Logged Miles: Dam Run 7 miles at a 12:17 average pace
Run #24 - Pace Work: Bethel Walking Track 4 miles at a 10:48 average pace and evening soccer conditioning run 1 mile
Run #25 - Speed Work: YMCA indoor track: 2x1200, 4x400, and 4x200 splits
Run #26 - Logged Miles: Springfield neighborhood run 4 miles 11:10 average pace
Run #27 - Bethel 10K Race: Here you go Lucky, I am finally getting this written up. The town we live in (at least close enough to to consider living in) had its first ever 10K race on 8/Aug/09. I signed up the run it as a training run and to get another race in. Aaron also signed up to run. The course review on the website was pretty straight forward, a flat out and back run.
I am not sure why my brain shut off, but the day before we had 20 ton of gravel delivered to the house to put in a parking pad and redo the driveway. We (Laurel, the kids and I) moved about 6-7 ton of the gravel by hand that day. Mistake #1: Moving gravel should not be done the day before a race. I did not think that moving gravel would impact my running.
Saturday morning, I got up and did my typically pre-run routine, showered, ate my typical breakfast of a peanut butter, honey and toast sandwich and headed to town to meet Aaron. At Aaron's I ate a banana and we walked over to the race. We got over there about 45 minutes early and wandered around talking to people and stretching out.
The race started on time. Since we were there early, we were in the from of the pack at the start. Mistake #2: As the "old fat guy" don't start out in front. When the gun went off and we started, I knew I was going to be in trouble, I was running way faster than I should have been, trying to keep with the front of the pack. When we hit the first mile marker, my fear was confirmed, I was running a 9:24 pace. Now that does not sound great, but I was shooting for something around 10:30-10:45 pace. The next mile was too slow. I slowed to an 11:34 pace. Mistake #3: Do not try to regain time too fast. I tried to pick up the pace too much in miles 3 and 4 and was not successful, although I was running faster. I spent a portion of t he time talking to a guy who is headed to Wight Patterson for the Half Marathon as well. By mile 5 I had settled down and was running pretty steady. I was talking to a couple of ladies who were running and one was a soccer coach in Bethel. Mile 6 was strong. Coming into the finish the fellow soccer coach I had been talking to was about 6 steps ahead of me. I was content with letting her finish ahead of me until the announcer at the finish line said, "We have a race going on here to the finish line." I picked up my pace a little. The icing on the cake was when Barb, a friend from the YMCA started cheering us on saying, "He's right behind you pick it up, he's going to catch you!" So, right before the line I stretched out my strides and stepped ahead of her 1 step before we crossed the line.
My final time was 1:10:03 with an average pace of 11:17. I was not impressed with my time although it was better than my last 10K run. From my training runs I know I could have finished faster, but chalk it up to experience. The run was good. It was not flat, but rather a series of rolling hills.
Run #28 - Speed Work: This morning I discovered a flaw in my training plan. I started a week earlier than I should have. So, my plan for this week was to repeat the training regime from last week since I missed my long (12 mile run). This was the same as run #25. The speed work went well. I ran an average 7:58 for my 1200's, 2:20 for my 400's, and 1:03 for my 200's. The run felt good, although I felt pretty lethargic afterward and for the biggest part of the day.
Run #29 - Logged Miles: Wednesday morning (12/Aug/09) I went to the YMCA indoor track. I did not have any run/time requirements, just get the miles in. I ran 4.5 miles and averaged an 11:20 pace. Again, the run felt pretty good, but lethargy set in afterward. Wednesday night was the first soccer practice for the girls teams. We did a lot of running and I think I actually outlasted all of them.
Run #30 - Pace Work: Today was a pace workout day. I went to the YMCA and again ran inside (it was too dark to run the road this morning). My runs were actually pretty good, although I shortened the length of the workout a little. My 4 mile run was at a 10:58 average pace, my 400 was a 2:31, and my last pace mile was an 11:05. I actually did not have the "run down" feeling after my run this morning. I have felt pretty good the whole day.
The balance of the week will be interesting. I am taking a day off from running tomorrow since I have run 3 days back to back. I am signed up for a 5K race in New Richmond Saturday morning and still need to figure out how to get my 12 miles in since I am playing guitar/banjo at church on Sunday and our church picnic with the new pastor is immediately after service.
Anyhow, that is what has been going on in the wild and crazy running world of Tim. I will try to be better about getting my blog done in a timely fashion from now on. I will blog at everyone either Saturday evening or Sunday night.
In Him,
Romans 8:31
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Runs #16 trhough #19
Hello all,
Well my hope was to blog about each run as they occurred, but life has gotten in the way of that plan at this time. For the grief I have received, I am still running, just not writing fast enough. Here are my latest ventures.
Run #16 - 5 mile run: Per the training program I am following, this was one of those "free" runs where time is not as important as getting the miles in. It was raining Friday morning so I ran on the inside track at the YMCA instead of on the road out front. If you just joined in, the track at the Y is elevated above the gym and you need to run 20 laps to get 1 mile - yup 100 laps. Talk about feeling like a mouse on a wheel. The run went well, turned on the tunes and tuned out the monotony. After 3.5 miles my right ankle began hurting (same ankle I injured before the Flying Pig). I switched directions at mile 4 and that seemed to stop the pain. I was really pleased when I looked at my time and I had averaged an 11:20 mile for the entire run. That may not sound impressive, but I was not really trying and was not winded at the end. Anyhow, I hit the showers and headed off to work.
The cousin reunion weekend: Well we headed to southern Indiana for the weekend to see some of my cousins and hang out with them. I planned on running my "long run" (10 miles) while I was there, but it did not happen. We did do quite a bit of fishing and running around though.
Run #17 - Long Run 10 miles: Well since I did not torture myself over the weekend with a long run, I decided that Monday morning sounded like a good time to do it. I did not have to work so I went to East Fork Lake and did the "Dam Run". I must have been affected by my lack of sleep from the weekend because I did not plan the course well. I ended up only running a VERY SLOW (13:10 mile) 9.5 miles. The biggest reason for the slow average mile time was that I ended up running the last 1.65 miles uphill (at a pretty steep grade - from the bottom of the dam to the parking lot). But I did get my miles logged.
Run #18 - Speed Work: Tuesday morning I got up and headed to the YMCA to do my speed work out. I had to run 2 - 1 mile splits at my 10K pace (10:30 mile) and 6 - 200 splits at my 5K pace (9:30 mile). Mile 1 mile splits I ran outside on the road in front of the YMCA. i have never run well on that route and today was not exception. My 1 mile splits averaged a 11:15 mile. I think one of the problems with this run is that I do not have good markers to pace by and another is that the run is boring (flat, nothing to see, and out and back). However, I made up for the poor performance on my 200's. I ran an average split of 1:04, which equals an 8:32 mile. Also, each split was faster than the previous.
Run #19 - Pace Work: Today was not only the day I had to run what I have deemed my "WSR" ( Weekly Survival Run), but also the third straight day of running. It was raining when I got to the YMCA so I ran inside. The training plan called for a 4 mile run at my 1/2 marathon pace (11:00 mile), 1 mile at my 10K pace, and 6 stride splits (100m build to a 90% of full speed run for 1o seconds). I started out well. My first 2 miles were at a 10:50 mile pace then my friend Barb joined me. Running with someone who runs shorter distances and has fresh legs is always a challenge, but she is great to run with so I have someone to talk to. The next 2 miles were a 10:34 and a 10:17!!! Barb was as surprised as me when I told her what the splits were since we basically talked the entire time we ran. I ended up skipping the 1 mile at my 10K pace since I basically ran the 4 miles at that pace. I finished up with my stride work and it went well as well. I feel like I broke the curse of the WSR, if only for this week. I also came tot he realization that running back to back for 3 days is pretty taxing on the body.
Tomorrow is a "rest" day, but I may go swim if I wake up early enough (that silly cross training thing). I am definitely NOT running tomorrow, even if chased.
My next 2 runs are Friday and Saturday and I am going to try and stay on my schedule from now on. Even though I did run the Flying Pig this spring, over 21 miles of training runs in 3 days is rough.
Blog at you again soon.
In Him,
Romans 8:31
Well my hope was to blog about each run as they occurred, but life has gotten in the way of that plan at this time. For the grief I have received, I am still running, just not writing fast enough. Here are my latest ventures.
Run #16 - 5 mile run: Per the training program I am following, this was one of those "free" runs where time is not as important as getting the miles in. It was raining Friday morning so I ran on the inside track at the YMCA instead of on the road out front. If you just joined in, the track at the Y is elevated above the gym and you need to run 20 laps to get 1 mile - yup 100 laps. Talk about feeling like a mouse on a wheel. The run went well, turned on the tunes and tuned out the monotony. After 3.5 miles my right ankle began hurting (same ankle I injured before the Flying Pig). I switched directions at mile 4 and that seemed to stop the pain. I was really pleased when I looked at my time and I had averaged an 11:20 mile for the entire run. That may not sound impressive, but I was not really trying and was not winded at the end. Anyhow, I hit the showers and headed off to work.
The cousin reunion weekend: Well we headed to southern Indiana for the weekend to see some of my cousins and hang out with them. I planned on running my "long run" (10 miles) while I was there, but it did not happen. We did do quite a bit of fishing and running around though.
Run #17 - Long Run 10 miles: Well since I did not torture myself over the weekend with a long run, I decided that Monday morning sounded like a good time to do it. I did not have to work so I went to East Fork Lake and did the "Dam Run". I must have been affected by my lack of sleep from the weekend because I did not plan the course well. I ended up only running a VERY SLOW (13:10 mile) 9.5 miles. The biggest reason for the slow average mile time was that I ended up running the last 1.65 miles uphill (at a pretty steep grade - from the bottom of the dam to the parking lot). But I did get my miles logged.
Run #18 - Speed Work: Tuesday morning I got up and headed to the YMCA to do my speed work out. I had to run 2 - 1 mile splits at my 10K pace (10:30 mile) and 6 - 200 splits at my 5K pace (9:30 mile). Mile 1 mile splits I ran outside on the road in front of the YMCA. i have never run well on that route and today was not exception. My 1 mile splits averaged a 11:15 mile. I think one of the problems with this run is that I do not have good markers to pace by and another is that the run is boring (flat, nothing to see, and out and back). However, I made up for the poor performance on my 200's. I ran an average split of 1:04, which equals an 8:32 mile. Also, each split was faster than the previous.
Run #19 - Pace Work: Today was not only the day I had to run what I have deemed my "WSR" ( Weekly Survival Run), but also the third straight day of running. It was raining when I got to the YMCA so I ran inside. The training plan called for a 4 mile run at my 1/2 marathon pace (11:00 mile), 1 mile at my 10K pace, and 6 stride splits (100m build to a 90% of full speed run for 1o seconds). I started out well. My first 2 miles were at a 10:50 mile pace then my friend Barb joined me. Running with someone who runs shorter distances and has fresh legs is always a challenge, but she is great to run with so I have someone to talk to. The next 2 miles were a 10:34 and a 10:17!!! Barb was as surprised as me when I told her what the splits were since we basically talked the entire time we ran. I ended up skipping the 1 mile at my 10K pace since I basically ran the 4 miles at that pace. I finished up with my stride work and it went well as well. I feel like I broke the curse of the WSR, if only for this week. I also came tot he realization that running back to back for 3 days is pretty taxing on the body.
Tomorrow is a "rest" day, but I may go swim if I wake up early enough (that silly cross training thing). I am definitely NOT running tomorrow, even if chased.
My next 2 runs are Friday and Saturday and I am going to try and stay on my schedule from now on. Even though I did run the Flying Pig this spring, over 21 miles of training runs in 3 days is rough.
Blog at you again soon.
In Him,
Romans 8:31
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Runs #13, #14, and #15
Good evening all,
Though I try to do good, I continue to fall short of my mark. Seeing how this past weekend was my 12th anniversary, I was not very focused on running. I missed a couple of runs this week as a result. Alas, I am having to blog on multiple runs. So, here we go:
Run #13 - 6.25 miles: I got up Saturday morning ate breakfast and Laurel and I headed to the track in Bethel. Laurel was going to walk while I ran . Since it was a 6 mile run and that would be 4.5 laps, I changed my course and ran 1.5 laps then to and through the cemetery in Bethel and then another 1.5 laps. My pace for the first half of my run was great. I was running a 10:45 mile. When I got to the cemetery it was later morning and there was no shade. That is one of the factors for my time crash. The other was that I did not take any water with me for the run. On my longer runs I take water and get a drink every mile or so to stay hydrated. My final average pace was a 12:20 mile, which was not bad, but considering my starting pace...
Run #14 - speed work: Monday morning I went to the YMCA and did my speed workout. I did my 1 mile splits outside on the road and my 200's (1/8 mile) splits on the indoor track. My average for the 1 mile splits was dead on my target of a 10:30/mile. My 200's were also right on track, averaging a 1:04/split (which was actually faster than what I needed).
Soccer Conditioning Run: We did our Monday conditioning run with the soccer players and families who showed up at the Dairy Barn. We had a good showing and everyone improved on their time expect for my oldest who slipped to a 9:30/mile. Granted, she had been swimming for about 90 minutes prior to running AND then went back and swam some more after running.
Run #15 - Tempo run 4 miles (Wednesday Survival Run - WSR): Today was my "WSR". At least this is one run that is consistent - consistently bad!!! My pace for the 4 miles was a 12:20. It should have been an 11:00. The 1 mile at my CI (Cruising Interval) was an 11:30 and should have been a 10:30. The only good things about the run today, was the company, my Speed Work, and the fact that I got 6 miles total in. I survived yet another WSR!!!
This evening the girls and I rode bike for about 90 minutes and then I attempted to tackle a couple of the "quad trails" behind my house. Bad idea on a mountain bike, especially as steep as these are. Anyhow, I got a little cross training in.
Well, I am going to go finish laundry and head to bed shortly. Talk to everyone again soon.
Peace,
Romans 8:31
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Runs #10, #11, and #12
Good evening all,
It is good to be back on the "Grid" again. I have a lot of catching up to do on my run blog. First though, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. It was nice spending time with the family without the hustle and bustle of work and everyday life. OK, now to my runs
Run #10 - 9 miles: We were in Springfield over the fourth of July weekend so I decided to run through town. My goal was to get 8 miles in running around town. Like my post on Face Book said, it was a great run, but equally depressing. The run itself was good. I averaged an 11:00 mile for the first 5 miles and my overall average was a 12:40 mile (the last 3 miles was up/down hills getting back home since pedestrians are not allowed on the overpasses in town). I felt great after wards. No pain, stiffness or anything.
The depressing part was how much my home town has changed. I ran past Community Hospital, where I was born. It will be closing when the new hospital opens downtown. The next major landmark was the site of the old International Harvester Plant, where my dad worked for many years. The plant is gone and all that is left is fencing and overgrown grass. Then, as I ran through downtown I passed the State and Regent theaters, both closed. I cannot count the number of movies I saw there growing up. The empty store fronts did not help either. As I rounded out my run, I ran past several of my old haunts (AKA bars we went to that are closed and boarded up). The Vining Broom company off of Kenton St. and the other industrial buildings that are now vacant, overgrown, and just a shell of what they once were. Then past "Finch's" party store, where I would ride to buy a soda and candy bars and play video games (when they were cool - Space Invaders, Centipede, etc.) and pinball., now under new ownership and not the same. Finally, I ended my run coming up my street and dead ending into the vacant lot where my elementary school once stood. All that is left are the trees and my memories.
Sorry to drone on about the past, and date myself in the process, but I guess that the only constant in life is change. While the bricks and mortar may be gone, the places live on in my memories like it was just yesterday. Reuniting with an old friend on Face Book over the weekend reminded me how blessed I am to have such fond memories of my childhood and the wonderful people I have known. Thanks Teresa.
Run #11 - Speed Work: Since I had Monday off, I did my speed work on the walking track in Bethel. I typically do this running on the indoor track at the YMCA so that I have an accurate way of measuring distances, but the track is marked with quarter miles so it worked well. The runs went well. I met or beat all of my target times and felt great afterwards. The second part of this day was the unofficial soccer conditioning run that I have been doing with some of the kids from the girl's soccer teams (7-9 year old girls and any siblings/parents who want to run). We meet and run a 1 mile course. I discovered that I am in BIG TROUBLE!!! Aaron, a friend of mine who is an X-marine, led the group so that I could keep the middle of the pack together. My oldest daughter (who is 9) ran an 8:32 mile!!! I don't even train at that pace!!! Aaron said she set the pace and he just kept up with her. She was also not really winded when she finished, just wanted her water. Man, this is not a good thing.
Run #12 - Tempo work: This run has been the thorn in my side since I started training. I cannot get the pace, I routinely miss my target time by 1 minute plus, and it is generally a depressing outing. So, I have renamed this run my "survival run". I will continue to run what I need and attempt to make my times, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to suck. And this one was no exception. I ran a 12:40 mile average for the 2, 2mile Pace splits. This was even more depressing when you consider it was over 4 minutes slower than my 9 year old daughter's time for a mile. But, I put in the miles and the work.
I am taking a run off this weekend to enjoy my anniversary, but will be running my distance run this weekend at some point. I will blog again soon.
Thanks for keeping tabs on me and holding me accountable for my runs. You rock!!!
In Him,
Romans 8:31
It is good to be back on the "Grid" again. I have a lot of catching up to do on my run blog. First though, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. It was nice spending time with the family without the hustle and bustle of work and everyday life. OK, now to my runs
Run #10 - 9 miles: We were in Springfield over the fourth of July weekend so I decided to run through town. My goal was to get 8 miles in running around town. Like my post on Face Book said, it was a great run, but equally depressing. The run itself was good. I averaged an 11:00 mile for the first 5 miles and my overall average was a 12:40 mile (the last 3 miles was up/down hills getting back home since pedestrians are not allowed on the overpasses in town). I felt great after wards. No pain, stiffness or anything.
The depressing part was how much my home town has changed. I ran past Community Hospital, where I was born. It will be closing when the new hospital opens downtown. The next major landmark was the site of the old International Harvester Plant, where my dad worked for many years. The plant is gone and all that is left is fencing and overgrown grass. Then, as I ran through downtown I passed the State and Regent theaters, both closed. I cannot count the number of movies I saw there growing up. The empty store fronts did not help either. As I rounded out my run, I ran past several of my old haunts (AKA bars we went to that are closed and boarded up). The Vining Broom company off of Kenton St. and the other industrial buildings that are now vacant, overgrown, and just a shell of what they once were. Then past "Finch's" party store, where I would ride to buy a soda and candy bars and play video games (when they were cool - Space Invaders, Centipede, etc.) and pinball., now under new ownership and not the same. Finally, I ended my run coming up my street and dead ending into the vacant lot where my elementary school once stood. All that is left are the trees and my memories.
Sorry to drone on about the past, and date myself in the process, but I guess that the only constant in life is change. While the bricks and mortar may be gone, the places live on in my memories like it was just yesterday. Reuniting with an old friend on Face Book over the weekend reminded me how blessed I am to have such fond memories of my childhood and the wonderful people I have known. Thanks Teresa.
Run #11 - Speed Work: Since I had Monday off, I did my speed work on the walking track in Bethel. I typically do this running on the indoor track at the YMCA so that I have an accurate way of measuring distances, but the track is marked with quarter miles so it worked well. The runs went well. I met or beat all of my target times and felt great afterwards. The second part of this day was the unofficial soccer conditioning run that I have been doing with some of the kids from the girl's soccer teams (7-9 year old girls and any siblings/parents who want to run). We meet and run a 1 mile course. I discovered that I am in BIG TROUBLE!!! Aaron, a friend of mine who is an X-marine, led the group so that I could keep the middle of the pack together. My oldest daughter (who is 9) ran an 8:32 mile!!! I don't even train at that pace!!! Aaron said she set the pace and he just kept up with her. She was also not really winded when she finished, just wanted her water. Man, this is not a good thing.
Run #12 - Tempo work: This run has been the thorn in my side since I started training. I cannot get the pace, I routinely miss my target time by 1 minute plus, and it is generally a depressing outing. So, I have renamed this run my "survival run". I will continue to run what I need and attempt to make my times, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to suck. And this one was no exception. I ran a 12:40 mile average for the 2, 2mile Pace splits. This was even more depressing when you consider it was over 4 minutes slower than my 9 year old daughter's time for a mile. But, I put in the miles and the work.
I am taking a run off this weekend to enjoy my anniversary, but will be running my distance run this weekend at some point. I will blog again soon.
Thanks for keeping tabs on me and holding me accountable for my runs. You rock!!!
In Him,
Romans 8:31
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