Life on the Roads

Lake Run 12K Race Report

2010-05-04T13:21:00.002-05:00

For my first race of the year, I decided to drive to Lake Bloomington and run the Lake Run 12K (7.47 miles). I've ran one other race (Dog Days 5K) that is a Lake Run Club owned race. They put on an excellent event and that was one of the reasons I chose this race plus how often do you get to run a 12K.

The morning started with me hitting the road at 6:00 AM. I figured it would take me 1 hour 20 minutes to get there and packet pick-up was only open from 7:00 to 8:00. Parking is available in the area but they advised to arrive early or you may have a long walk to the start/finish. I picked up my packet and headed back to the car for some relaxing. The race shirt was a short sleeve t-shirt... nothing fancy but a cool design.

After a short warm-up and some stretching, I ran into some other SRRC members (David, Nyle, Karen, Steve). Because this is a points race, the race had plenty of SRRC support. After the National Anthem (which was sung by the ladies winner), a LOUD cannon shot off and we were on our way. This event was chip timed but only when you crossed the finish. The start time was based on when the cannon exploded.

I was weaving in and out of people through the half mile. I wanted to stay with Steve Wagner. He told me he was wanting to run somewhere around 52/53 minutes. He was off with Nyle and Karen Rodgers and it took me everything to keep him in my sights. I was feeling good and hit mile 1 in 6:52. I backed off a bit and found a group of about 5 (including Steve) that I started running with. It was windy so I tried to let them do all the work while I sat in the back. I ended up running with most of the group for the next several miles. Steve eventually dropped off but I never knew how far. I kept my focus forward but I knew he had to be lurking somewhere behind me.

The scenery was awesome. You run around Lake Bloomington in its entirety. Other than the first mile (which is downhill), there isn't much flatness to the course. Nothing like the Lincoln Memorial or Abe's Amble but you notice all the rollers. And the last mile is a gradual uphill but we had the wind at our back. We stayed 4 or 5 strong from mile 2 through about 5. Mile 5 is where I got dropped. My breathing was all out of whack so I needed to slow down a bit and concentrate on my breathing. I was running solo but I kept my focus on a guy in front of me. My goal was to catch him by mile 7. With my breathing finally under control, I hit the point where the 4.37 mile race & the 12K meet. This motivated me since I was no longer running solo. I encouraged all the runners/walkers I encountered along the way and they did the same. I hit mile 7 and had caught the guy I wanted to catch. I picked up my pace for a strong finish and never looked back. As I rounded the last turn and saw the finish line, I gave it all I had left. Just prior to the finish line, I backed off a bit and Steve came flying by me. Damn!!! If only I would have run to the line! I can't complain about this race. I ended up 35th OA and 4th AG with a time of 53:49 (7:13 pace). Third place in my age group ran 7:07 miles and I knew that's where I needed to be but I couldn't hang today. Here are what my splits looked like:

6:52, 6:59, 7:00, 7:15, 7:21, 7:19, 7:20, & 3:30.

I hung around post race for the Avanti subs, granola bars, bananas, soda, and FREE beer. Gotta love a race that gives out free beer. After the awards, I headed back to SPI satisfied with what I had accomplished. It feels great to be back racing again after an injury plagued 2009. I would definately recommend this race or any race put on by the Lake Run Club.

Build Up Going Smooth

2010-03-03T10:05:00.002-06:00

For the past several weeks, I have been trying to get into top form prior to hitting a new season of running. I've slowly built up my weekly tempo run to 6 miles running at 7:30 pace. My 10K pace 2 years ago was right at 7:00. My speed work is going well too. I'm trying to mix it up so I don't get bored doing the same workout over and over. Currently, I am doing my speed work at about 6:30 pace. It is feeling really good which means I'm not totally pushing it. When I finish these workouts, I feel like I could do either .5 more miles or 1 more interval.

My runs on the week-ends are going well. I'm running anywhere from 20-25 miles with one day being 12-16. All I'm trying to do with these runs are run as slow as I can stand and try to build up some endurance. It's easy to do that on a treadmill and as I found out this past week-end, it's not so easy do on the streets. I ended my 14 miler with an 8:50 average pace but I felt like I was running 9:15 pace. Guess that's a good sign.

I also run a little recovery run of 3-4 miles between my tempo and speed work days. With all that said, my weekly mileage is about right where I want it to be. I'm averaging anywhere from 32-40 miles per week.

I don't have any races coming up. Unfortunately, I won't be able to run the Lincoln Memorial since I'll be in Palm Springs and the Half in Champaign is out. I do plan on going to Bloomington to run the Lake Run in early May and will follow that up with the Passavat 10K in Jacksonville later in May.

My New Best Friend

2010-01-25T14:26:00.002-06:00

So, for the past several weeks, me and my treadmill have really gotten to be best friends. I think I've been outside twice. One time was a 12 mile run and the other was for the Octopus, an intense hill workout.

So far, I am sitting at 111.5 mile for the month of January and I still have 1 week left to go. I can feel my endurance getting better. Other than my speed work, my runs are REALLY slow. I'm running long at about a 9:15 pace.

Tuesday night tempos are working out well. Last week, I ran 4 miles at my tempo pace (7:30) and I've built up to 8 x 400 @ 9.0 mph (6:40 pace). 1 more week of these and I should be ready to build up.

I feel like I am back after being injured and I am looking forward to getting fast again. My plan is to run in more road races this year and get back to under 20:00 for the 5k. I am planning on running the Lincoln Memorial Half and/or Champaign Half. Whichever one I try to take serious, I want to run under 1:40.

So far... So good

2009-12-30T10:14:00.002-06:00

The past 4 and a half weeks have gone as planned. I in the process of building up my mileage... slowly. Week 1, 2, & 3 had long runs of 10, 12, & 14 miles with a 6-7 mile mid-week long run on Tuesdays, an easy 3-4 miles on Wednesdays, and some speed work on Thursdays. Sunday is typically the same distance as my mid-week long run.

After a cutback week of a 10 mile long run, which was accomplished on the treadmill, I am ready for 3 weeks of increased long runs starting at 16 and increasing by 2 miles each week. The mid-week long run will also increase respectively.

I'm not quite sure where I am heading for 2010 but one thing I am for sure of is that I will have a good running base established for whatever I decide to do. There is a trail run in late March that consists of a 14, 26.2, 37, and 50 mile runs that I am looking at. Depending on how the training goes between now and late February, I may try to tackle the 37 miler.

With the new year comes stairs. I'll replace my speedwork with the stairs in hopes that it will help strengthen my running.

Hopefully everyone has a safe New Year's and I'll see you on the roads in 2010.

Keeping Up

2009-12-08T10:16:00.002-06:00

I have a hard time keeping up with this blog. I'd like to get in here and try to update it more frequently than I have. Maybe that will be my New Year's resolution.

Training has been going awesome so far this winter. I'm running 5 days a week while taking Monday and Friday off for rest. I'd like to build my base back up after being on the shelf for quite a while. In order to do so, I'm following my first marathon training plan and going to stop after I run my 20 miler. So, the plan calls for a mid week long rung run on Tuesday, easy run on Wednesday, speed on Thursday, LSD on Saturday, and medium run on Sunday. I'm going to resort to running on the treadmill maybe 2-3 of those runs. My speed is going to consist of 200's, 400's, and 800's. My peak week will be approximately 50 miles.

My goals for next year are runner longer races... 10K & 1/2 marathons with possibly a marathon somewhere along the way.

I'm feeling better than ever now. Although I was bummed about losing my fitness, it was probably a blessing a disguise. I feel fresh and ready to tackle some training again.

Happy Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T15:24:00.003-06:00

Happy Veteran's Day to those past and present that have sacrificed so much in order to make our lives better in this world. I had the priviledge to serve in the Air Force. I even spent some time to Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield/Storm. What a crazy experience. I did my other duty today and donated blood. It's something easy I can do to help out plus you get drinks and treats when your done.

Tonight is an easy recovery night. After dinner, I plan on spinning easy on the recumbent bike. My legs need a break after my tempo workout yesterday in order to get ready for my speed work out on Thursday. My tempo run consisted of 2 miles at 7:30 pace with .5 warm up and cool down followed by some stretching.

Catching Up

2009-11-09T09:09:00.002-06:00

I'm back to full blown training mode and it feel GREAT! I'm doing a little something everyday except for Fridays that are my scheduled rest days. I have a mix of tempo work, speed workout, and long runs mixed in with cross training on the bike.

This is how last week looked starting with...

Last Saturday & Sunday- Beautful day outside. I rode 20 miles after running 5 on Saturday. Took both days pretty easy. Trail was packed with runners and bikers.

Monday- Easy spinning for 30 minutes on the recumbent bike followed by some weights. It was nice to work the legs out a bit after the week-end. I also put my name in the lottery for the NYC Marathon.

Tuesday- 2 mile tempo run (7:30 pace) with warm-up and cool down. 3 miles total. I need to get my stamina/endurance back after the long layoff and these tempo runs will sure help. I was suffering at the end so I must be doing it right. 1 more week at 2 miles and then I increase to 2.5 miles.

Wednesday- Recumbent bike again. 40 minutes I think. The nice thing about the bike is that it has different preprogrammed work-outs. I did the "Cross Train" at level 2. I think the resistance level tops out at 6. It's a pretty tough workout.

Thursday- Speed workout of 5 X 400 running each 400 @ 1:40 with a 1:20 recovery jog. I planned to only do 4 but I felt good so I decided to do an extra. I totaled 30:00 for this workout if you count the warm up and cool down. I can feel my endurance and speed coming back slowly.

Friday- Off

Saturday- Long run day. After talking to the "Goofy" group, I decided to join them and the Frost Toes for a 7 mile run. This was going to be my longest run in quite some time. I forgot how enjoyable running can be when you skow down and enjoy it. I had a ball on todays run. Nothing crazy until we hit the Carillon hill. I felt myself wanting to go faster and faster. Nick was hanging with me and we slowed it down a bit. With about a mile to go, I couldn't hold back anymore. I was so used to pushing the last mile that I took off (You miss that Scott?). I finished the last mile @ 7:14 pace for a total of 7.25 miles. I screwed everyone up because I didn't remeber the running route so some ended up doing more that the 7. Sorry guys!

Sunday- Headed out on the bike for a long ride. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go. I had originally said 25 but that turned into 32. It was beautiful day with a strong breeze. I saw tons of people using the trail which is always good.

Hopefully I can stay healthy and keep weeks like this going. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed.

Winter Training

2009-11-03T09:38:00.002-06:00

So far, so good for my first week of winter training. I think I have some what of a schedule figured out. I want to log some good quality training but I want to also take it easy at the same time. The newest issue of Runner's World has some good articles on how to train over the winter.

My main goal for next year is to stay healthy. One way is to properly train in the winter and get a good base established in order to start the spring on a good note. One of the articles stated that you only needed 3 runs in the winter but they needed to be quality. You needed a tempo run, speedwork, and a long run. I think I can manage that. The mileage should be half of what your normal schedule should be. On the non-running days, I am going to lift and ride the bike to give my legs a good base. I'll do an easy ride one day, some tempo/hill work on one day, and a longer ride (if I can stand the boredom) on one day. That should get me in pretty good shape for next year.

My goal/A race next year is REDMAN Half IM in Ok. City in late September. So, throughout the year I will be trying to run some 5K, 10K, and half marathon races to prepare my legs. Hopefully, I will be able to get some longer rides in with a group that is training for a IM late in the year too.

This past week-end, I managed a 5 mile run on Saturday and a 20 mile ride on Sunday. I'd like my long run to build to 10 miles and my bike to build to about 30 miles.

Running again...

2009-10-21T15:26:00.002-05:00

And loving every minute of it! The past 2 weeks I have been alternating running and riding the recumbent bike every other day. Last night, I even attempted some speed work although it is nowhere near where I was a few months back. I have to remember "baby steps".

My plan is to establish a good base over the winter by following Hal Higdon's Novice Marathon Plan. I also want to spend a couple days establishing my riding legs over the winter. But first I need a trainer. That's tops on my Christmas list. So in the mean time, the recumbent bike will have to work.

I am running only 3-4 miles at a time. I have absolutely no stamina but I know it will return quickly.

My first major running injury has knocked me down, but not out. I'm bbbaaaacccckkkkk!

Great 1st Ride

2009-08-19T15:23:00.002-05:00

It's been about 3 weeks since I have been out on the bike. I've been fighting something going on with my knee. I know I need to go to the doctor but...

I have had zero energy lately. I'm sure this is what they call "burn-out". I did muster up enough energy to go for a ride on Tuesday night. About a mile into the ride, I forgot how good it felt to be out on a ride. I left Chatham and hoped to be back home by dark. I need to start carrying a lite in case I do get stuck out at dusk.

After hitting Curran and taking Rt. 54 to New Berlin, I turned around and headed home. It WAS getting dark and I had about 7 miles to go. I had no intention of riding fast but the darkness fell faster than I thought.

I ended with 30 miles and averaged about 18.5 mph. Not bad for not riding in 3 weeks. And my knee feels ok. I'm going to attempt 2 miles tonight on the mill.

On the Shelf

2009-08-11T10:35:00.001-05:00

Well... My training for my 2nd marathon lasted a whole week. I ran 7 miles on Sunday and on Monday, I could barely walk. My knee that I have been having trouble with all summer has finally doomed me. I tried taking a week off at time but I better take at least 2 weeks off.

I'm bummed because I was getting into the running 4-5 days a week again. I guess that means I'll need to ride 4-5 days a week now. Boy... I'm in trouble.

Test

2009-08-07T14:46:00.001-05:00

Testing to twitterfeed

5.25 in the Glen

2009-08-07T09:24:00.002-05:00

This is my 3rd day running this week. I still have 1 long run day left. That is the most days in a week I have ran since early summer. My legs are paying for it. I'm also trying to include some hills so that's a double whammy.

I set out for a 5 mile run. I need to get some hills in on my run since the marathon is somewhat hilly. There aren't too many places to choose from in Chatham so I headed over to Piper Glen. Piper Glen has some rolling terrain when you get to the backside. It WAS noticeable to my legs though. After 3.25 miles of rollers, I headed back home and on some flat terrain. I've been fighting ITB issues and it is still a little discomforting but I was able to complete the 5.25 miles pretty much pain free. I'm going for 8-10 sometime this week-end so that will be the early teller.

My training officially started this past Monday but if the knee/ITB holds up after this week-end, the real training is set to begin.

Marathoning in Memphis

2009-08-06T10:10:00.002-05:00

I guess it only makes since if I started the year out with a marathon, that I end the year with a marathon. This week starts the training for the St. Jude Marathon taking plave in Memphis, TN on December 5, 2009. That will leave me the rest of the year to take it easy and recover befor I start my bike training at the beginning of the year.

Since we had good luck with our marathon training at the beginning of the year, we have decided to stick with what worked. Like the saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Week one is the hardest. I'm trying to get back in the routine of running 4 or 5 days religiously. I've been injured somewhat most of the summer with a nagging pain in my ITB. Since I have only been running the past week, the pain is starting to subside. Maybe too much biking???

I'm flying solo this week because Scott is out on vacation. Next week we should start seeing each other a couple days a week. My plan is to run 4-5 days a week. Monday will be rest/weights. Weights early in the program and rest later in the program. Tuesday's will be weekly long run. Wednesday will either be recovery run or cross-train (Perfect time for swimming). Thursday will be hills/interval training. Memphis is supposed to be somewhat of a hilly marathon so we better include some hills. Instead of 800's this training cycle, I may try mile repeats with 800 recovery. Friday is an off day... ALWAYS!. Saturday is long and Sunday will be the same distance as my mid-week long run.

The only thing that will definately change will be the pace of the runs. I'm going to train for a 3:35-3:40 2nd marathon but will be happy with a 3:45. That's a 10 minute improvement I can live with.

Please feel free to join us on any of our runs. If you're interested in joining us in Memphis, you can train with us too.

A Tri-ing experience

2009-07-08T12:27:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, July 5th, I participated in my first ever triathlon and 2nd ever multi sport event. I felt pretty confident going into the event because my training has been going so well. I knew the bike and run wouldn't be a problem and I thought that as long as I focused on what i did in the pool, the swim wouldn't be so bad.

I woke at about 4:30 AM and grabbed some toast, a banana, and a cup of coffee. The race didn't start until 8:00 AM but I wanted to make sure I arrived as early as possible to make sure I wasn't rushed and adding any more pressure. I had loaded the gear bag the night before so all that was left was to put the bike on the car and hit the road. When I went outside, it was already misting. Hey... I was going to get wet eventually. I arrived in Decatur about 6:20 with plenty of time to spare.

I found the packet pick-up and proceeded to get all the "goodies". The race shirt is pretty awesome. We also received a water bottle coutesy of Spin City Cycles, and some kind of holder courtesy of ADM along with some other products from Hammer.

After unloading the car, I headed to the transition area where it was set up by color. I was green and right behind the blue (elite/pros which meant we would enter the water 2nd. I set up my transition area, chit-chatted with Jason and was getting the bike in the correct gear for the first hill just after exiting the transition. No warm-up due to pre-race meeting.

The swim waves went off in 3:00 minute increments with the elite/pros going off first. I was getting more and more nervous as the time went down. 5....4....3....2....1, we were off. The water was a bit chilly at 74. I hit the water and immediately froze up. Between the cold water, waves, nerves, etc. I gasped for every breathe that I could get a hold of. I struggled for the whole .7 mile swim just hanging on for dear life. I was breast stroking, side stroking, back stoking, HLSS. I was doing anything and everything to just make it through the swim. One bouy at a time. I felt like I had never swam a day in my life and I think I am a descent swimmer. All I have to say is Practice, Practice, Practice open water swimming. I did manage maybe 5 descent freestyle strokes the whole swim. I exited the water in 33:06.8 and in 207th place. OUCH!!! At this point, it was all about finishing the last 2 events strong and having fun.

I've learned that you don't necessarily need to be a good swimmer if you are a good biker and runner. Running is my strength and I should do descent on the bike even though I only have a road bike. The other place to make up time is the transition area (T1 & T2).

As I approached T1, I went over what I needed to do. Take your swim cap and googles off, put your sunglasses on, helmet, and shoes (no socks). Grab bike and go. I was out in 1:05.8. I had the 69th best T1 and my position after T1 was now 192. Picked up 15 spots.

Exiting the transition on the bike went smoothe. There was a BIG hill once you hopped on the bike so you needed to make sure you were in the right gear. I was and made it up pretty easy. Jason passed me somewhere in the first couple miles of the bike and that would be the last I would see of him. The bike was 19 miles on rolling terrain. The first 4-5 miles were pretty hilly. We had a head/cross wind on the way out so I knew I couldn't push it too hard. It seemed like I was passing people left and right. We hit the turn around and it was time to get down to business. I dropped a couple of gears and rode the wind home passing even more people. We hit the same hills as when we went out so it was a tough finish. I hopped off the bike at the dismount line. My bike time was 59:15.5, 100th best, and my position after the bike was 152. Another 40 spots picked up.

T2 was pretty slow. The bike rack and shifted and I couldn't get my bike under the rack. I also didn't have any "good" laces so I had to tie my shoes and put on socks. (I need some Zoots). I also needed to grab a GU that was in my bag. So far, I need to work on my open water swim and T2. I'll get the hang of these darn things. I lost 3 positions while in T2 with the 199th slowest T2.

I WAS ready for the run. I stopped at water stop #1, took my GU and drank. I was off. My legs felt pretty good but were a bit heavy. The run was 4.5 miles and I think they finally started feeling descent about .75 miles in or about the time Tracy D. went flying by me. I thought about staying with her but I didn't want to kill myself. I wanted to run my race, finish strong, and wanting more. The first 2 miles of the run was for the most part up hill which meant the 2nd half would be fast. As with the bike, when I finally hit the turn around I picked it up a bit. I felt myself getting stringer and stronger until we hit the final downhill before th finish. I spotted one guy that I thought I could pass. I hit the speed button and started an all-out sprint. The crowd was roaring as I got closer and closer to passing the guy but he must of felt the pressure and kicked it up a notch also. I finished right behind him. My run time was 34:09.8. 75th fastest run and I picked up 26 positions from T2.

My first triathlon was a treat but when you swim like I did, it can only get better in the future and the rest of the race. I was pleased with the way I held things together and finished. I finished wanting more... but only after a practice a bit in the open water. I'm looking forward to the Sprint here in Springfield in a few weeks. That's only a 500 yard swim if I have the same experience in the water.

Icing on the Cake

2009-06-18T08:44:00.002-05:00

I've had a good 3 days of training that started on Monday. After the long bike miles on Sunday, I was in need of a little run to get the blood flowing. As I headed out the door, the rain started falling. Not hard so I decided to go for it. It felt incredible but a little humid. After 4.5 miles I was feeling a tad water logged. I had hoped for a slower run but it never happens. I averaged about a 7:30 pace.

Tuesday included a little time in the pool. I really have no idea what I'm doing in the pool but I think I'm getting stronger. I'm only trying to work on my endurance as of now. I started with 400 of drills/swim. The main set was a 500, 400, 300, 200, & 100. I concluded with 200 of different strokes for a cooldown. Tuesday evening was spent learning the new chip timing system that the SRRC purchased in the off season. I planned on a little spinning later in the evening but the margaritas got the best of me. Oh well!

The icing on the cake came at the Wednesday night track workout. It was hot and sticky and my times showed it. I compared my splits with my pace chart and I was basically running at 20:30-20:45 pace until my 400. The workout was a 1600, 1200, 800, 800, and 400 with a 200 recovery. I put the hammer down on the 400 running it in 82 seconds and grasping for air. The workout concluded with a 1 mile cooldown and some chatting about the Parade Run.

A Productive Week-end

2009-06-16T09:48:00.002-05:00

I think I am finally getting myself back to the endurance that I was at at the end of last season... Thanks KT!!!! The track workouts are definately paying off. Saturday was the Scholastic Challenge 5K. It wasn't all that hot but it was extremely humid. I arrived at about 6:45 and ran into Scott, my marathon partner. We ran a mile warmup and talked about a fall marathon. I'm also considering doing Longhorn Half ironman in Austin Texas and I picked his brain about doing both. If I can get 2 midweek longer runs in and a week-end long run in, I can probably do the fall marathon as long as i don't push too hard in the Half.

The race started at promptly 7:30. This is typically a very fast race because of all the HS kids that come to run. The race benefits the local high schools so I think the coaches must have their kids run the event. I was looking for a sub 20:00 (high 19's). As usual, when the race started I took off like a bat out of hell. I was hoping to stay right behing Nyle but as I would find out later, I was about 10-15 seconds ahead of him at mile 1. I only hoped I could hang on. I tried keeping up with Dan/Eric but I couldn't get any closer. At mile 2, some kid (who was maybe 4') screamed past me like I was standing still. I stayed with him until just before the 3 mile (oh, no you don't kid) where I finally passed him for good. Coming into the home stretch, the streets are lined with people. That's when I realized Nyle was right on me. I was hoping to hold him off but he eventually passed me as I was passing that younger kid. Oh well... maybe next time. One thing that's nice about not being the fastest is that there is always someone fast that you can set your sights on as a goal. Maybe next time Nyle :)

I finished strong with a time of 19:50 and some change for a new PR and finished 3rd in my age group. I had to leave right after the race so I had no idea about the 3rd place until I looked at the results.

I woke on Sunday feeling pretty good. I headed out the door at around 7:15 for a long ride. I was ready to tackle another 50 miler. My route had me leaving my house, riding through Spfld., Salisbury, Athens, and then home. I want to take those hills a little at a time. It was a great solo ride. No pressure to ride fast so I wouldn't slow down the experienced riders. I arrived home at about 10:30 with 55 miles and feeling great! The hills were tough but hey... no pain, no gain. My next ride will be from Springfield and will include the hills in Petersburg. Hopefully I do better this time than the last.

Scott Harry is competing in a Half Iron man this week-end. Good luck Scott! You will do awesome!

What's with all the Zeros

2009-06-04T13:49:00.002-05:00

I wish this could be a story about me winning $100,000,000 in the lottery (that's a lot of zeros) but unfortunately it is not. When I took a look at my training over the past few days, I thought "what's with all the zeros".

My "zero" fascination for the week started on Monday. I headed out at 3:00 for a bike ride. I'd planned on only riding an hour but 1:45 later I pulled up to the front door. The ride consisted of a look from home to Interurban/Wabash trail, Koke Mill, Washington, Bradfordton, Old Jack, Koke Mill to the trail and home. The wind was pretty strong at times but I had a cross wind most od the ride. I totaled 30 miles for the day.

Tuesday was swim day. I headed to the Y right after work. I hit the pool at 5:30 and started with a 400 of drills/swim as a warm up. The main set was 1000 trying to work on my endurance. I finished the workout wit 3 x 1oo. I felt drained after the swim so I guess something is working.

Wednesday... All I can say about Wednesday was that I hope we never do 1200's again. Wednesday was speed night at the track. This was first ladder of this type but from what I gathered, everyone hated this. Or should I say hated the 1200. This was a tough work out but managable if you pace yourself right. I didn't pace myself right and was fast from the get go. KT had a ladder all set for us. The work out was as follows: 1200, 800, 400, 400, 800, 12oo with a 2:00 recovery (supposed) between each. After the first 1200, I was already dreading the last. I hurt for most of this work out. KT... this is payback from accounting class huh???

Today at lunch, I hit the Y for another swim. I was trying to focus on more strength for this work out. I started with a 300 warm up, swam 8 x 100, and cooled down with 4 x 50. I am tired now. Hopefully I can get rejuvenated for an evening ride. I think I'm going to stick with a 20 miler focusing on some intervals.

Capital City Biathlon

2009-06-02T11:25:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, I participated in my first ever multi-sport event. I had no idea what to expect and I was extremely nervous. I glanced over last year's results to try to come up with some kind of goal. I set my sights on a time of 1:10.

I had no idea where I should line up for the run so I stuck with Dan B. because he is faster than I and that might motivate me a bit. The 1st group went off and we had 3 minutes before our group went. As the time counted down, I doubted myself more and more. Had I ridded enough? Had I ran my sppedwork on Wed. too hard? Should I have taken 2 days off instead of 1??? Before I knew it, we were off and all those thoughts were out the door. I stuck to Dan or at least kept him in my sights. He was strong from the get go! Because this was a multi-sport event, I held back a touch on the run to save some for the bike because I knew my bike was WEAK and the results will show that. I picked up the pace on the last mile and finished the run in 20:12.45.

Now for the transition. I had laid everything out like I have been taught so it went pretty smooth. Helmet on... Shoes off... Shoes on... grab bike and go. Transition time- 47.70 seconds. My goal was 1 minutes.

After hopping on the bike, I tried to gently get into the ride but I took off like a rabbit. I paid for it for the first few miles but eventually got into a nice rythmn. I realized about mile 5 that I still had my race number on. DARN!!! I forgot to take off my race belt in the transition. Oh well. I flipped it around and motored forward. I was passed by a dozen or so by the turn around and only by a couple after the turn around. I rounded the last turn and pedalled with everything I had. I crossed the finish line around 1:08:46.55. 2 minutes better than I wanted but wait... we started 3 minutes later so my time was 1:05:46.55. YES!!!

I was extremely happy with this race and it gives me a clue of what I need to work on. Here is a break down of my run, transition, and bike by overall and age.

OVERALL
Run- 20:12.45 15th
Transition- 47.70 50th
Bike- 44:46.40 41st

AGE
Run 3rd
Transition 3rd
Bike 7th

I guess I need to spend more time on the bike but not bad for someone whose been riding for only a few months. I definately need to get out to the New City Time Trials to work on my speed.

I'm hooked! These multi sport events are really awesome. I can't wait to add the swim portion.

Thursday afternoon swim

2009-05-28T14:51:00.002-05:00

After a great workout on Wednesday, I hit the pool at lunch for a swim. My triathlon is a little over a month away and I need to get a lot of endurance work in before then. I'm going to swim 2 days a week and both days will be spent swimming longer distance. Nancy says to always do a drill set as a warm-up so I proceeded with a 400 set of drills... 50 drill, 50 swim, 50 drill, 50 swim (you get the point).

The main set was a ladder. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing in the pool as far as sets but a plan never hurts (in theory). The ladder was a 50, 100, 150, 200, 150, 100, 50 with a 10-15 second rest interval. I followed up that set with a nice and easy 3 x 100 making sure I counted my strokes (SR) and keep them between 18-20.

I'm on my own now so I have to consciously remember everything Nancy taught me over the past 16 weeks so she doesn't get on my case when she sees me swimming.

My next workout is gooing to be a straight 750 swim preceeded by a drill set. I need to work my way up to about a 1150 swim (.7 mile) for my triathlon.

800 x 400= Great workout

2009-05-28T14:41:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was speed day... again. I went to the blog and saw we would be doing 800's and 400's. Cool! I hated those mile repeats. After a warm-up, Katie explained some track etiquette. Runner's get the inside, walkers get the outside and pass on the outside. I figured I would forget one eventually and I did. I started walking to the inside. You big dummy!!!

The plan was to run 4 x 800 and 4 x 400. OUCH!!!! I hopped in with Katie, Nyle, Rob, and a couple others and we were off. I counted off the 1/4 splits each time and we were consistently hitting 1:32/33 and finishing at around 3:06. The last 200 is always the toughest.

After a breif rest, we... I mean they started the 400's. I looked up and the group had left without me. I guess that's what I get for not paying attention. I jumped in for the 2nd and knew I would need to run by myself. The 400's are kind of a blurr but the first 2 (for me) were run about 1:27. I sluffed on the 3rd, running in 1:30. Since I was flying solo on the 4th, I wanted to push the pace. I finished in 1:23.

Following a mile cool down, I was off to the race director's meeting.

Another Brick in the Wall

2009-05-26T15:33:00.002-05:00

Multi-sport training has been going pretty well. It's tough trying to learn to balance all 3 disciplines. I figured that with this training, my running was bound to suffer a bit. I wanted to see where I was at with my running so I signed up for a 5k on Saturday. It was more of a fundraiser event so it didn't attract the bigger names in town. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but the morning was hot and humid.

I ended up finishing with a time of 20:51 which was 1 minute less than my PR. Disappointed? Kind of, but it is the first race in warm weather this year and the guys who finished 1 & 2 were also 1 minute off their PR so...

I now have a starting point for the year and hopefully my times will keep going down.

On Monday, I did my 2nd ever brick work-out. For those who don't know what a brivk is, it is when you go from say the bike to the run without any rest. After riding 21 miles, I slipped on my running shoes and ran 3 miles. My legs felt pretty good. I actually increased my pace by 30 seconds each mile. I'm on my way to my first triathlon.

This week-end, I get a taste of the multi-sport thing with a biathlon that starts with a 3.1 mile run and finishes with a 15 mile bike. I'm really looking forward to it.

Tonight is the last night of swim class so I'm on my own from here. I think I'll be able to manage.

Dog Days of Summer

2009-05-22T08:48:00.002-05:00

Tonight was ride night. I'm thinking of running a 5K this week-end and I wanted to try to take it easy. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't take it easy. Tonight was no different. The plan was to ride 20 miles or a little over 1 hour. I had intentions of riding the course that the Wheelfast ride takes but somewhere I missed a turn. I thought I had it under control but...

I kept riding, hoping that I would eventually see a street I recognized and then... GREAT BIG dog comes flying out at me... right in front of the bike. When I say big, I mean 130 lb. rotweiller that looked like he might even be able to eat my bike. I locked up my brakes and almost lost it. I kicked the speed up a few notches and grabbed my water bottle (just in case). The dog eventually retreated and thank god, because I didn't have anything left and he was keeping up with me. Whew! Disaster averted.

I did finally pass a street I recognized but knew that if I kept heading west, I would hit Route 4. After a few winding miles, I recognized a road that would indeed take me to Route 4. At this point, I only had a few miles to go so I got in the aerobars and quickened the pace. I looked down and was riding at 24 mph. That's fast for me. I hit the trail in Chatham and rode a cooldown home with a total of 25 miles and TIRED legs. Thanks Dog!!!

Speed 101

2009-05-21T08:40:00.003-05:00

The saying goes... "If you want to run fast, you have to train fast". That's a hard concept to grasp when you show up for your first outside speed workout session after having done most of the miles over the winter at a slower pace while training for a marathon.

I went into this workout, 2 x 1 mile & 2 x 400, thinking I could run the miles in 6:00. At least that is what McMillen was telling me. I ended up running both miles at 6:30 and finished with burning lungs. It is early in the season so I have something to look forward to I guess. The 400's were run for the most part uphill. 1 word... TOUGH!!!

I finished with a mile cooldown contemplating whether or not I could/would attempt to try a half ironman triathlon in October. I'm going to get 2 shorter triathlons in before I make my decision.

A Long Week-end

2009-05-18T13:53:00.002-05:00

Actually, the week-end flew by but I did get a lot of miles in. My training has gone to running specific to trying to balance swimming, running, and biking. For the past week, I was only able to run and swim since we were out in California for vacation. I ran long one day and sorta long 2 other days. I swam everyday either doing drills, swimming, or just laying out in the 100 degree weather. La Quinta, California... I could get used to that lifestyle.

We arrived back home on Wednesday evening and were greeted by storms on the drive up from St. Louis. Thursday was business as usual for both work and training. After a LONG day at work, I hit the treadmill for 8 x 400 @ 6:00 pace. It was a little difficult but manageable.

Due to the weather, I decided to run on saturday instead of biking. I managed 11.75 miles and a sore left knee. It felt pretty good until I stopped at a light within a mile from home. Then I couldn't start again. I'll be researching this injury. I had this injury when I started running a couple years ago. Maybe it is due to all the treadmill running and now that I'm hitting the roads, it's acting up.

Sunday was a much nicer day. After completing numerous honey-do's, I hopped on the bike. I planned on 35 but only managed 33.5. I'll take it. I rode from my house to Lake Sanchris and back. Most of the miles were on the same road. Kind of boring but at least I knew I would have the wind at my back on the way home. I finished in under 2 hours.

I have a 5K in site for next week-end to see how my early season endurnace is and then I will be doing my first biathlon on May 30... 3 nile run followed by a 15 mile bike.

A lot has been going on

2009-05-05T09:46:00.003-05:00

I've been pretty busy with trying to build somewhat of a base before I embark on my first triathlon training program. I really feel like my running is going to suffer but to try something new will be kind of cool.

Thursday evening I hopped on the treadmill for some speed work. I did 6 x 400 at 6:10 pace with a 200 recovery between repeats. I preceded with 1 mile warm-up and concluded with 1 mile cool down. I love my speed work!!!!

Friday was a day off and will continue to be my day off. Fridays are left as a date/dinner night.

Saturday marning/afternoon was spent helping Kristi and Cameron. Kristi had a show that I needed to help her get set up for. She makes and sells jewelry and is really AWESOME. I might be a little biased but she really is good. I then assisted Cameon in making a science fair project, Pencil Rocket. That was good time we spent together and it actually worked the first time we tried it. Around 4:00, I finally made it out for my long run. The longest I had run prior to this was 6 miles the week before. It felt good to go long but I also felt a twinge in my knee. I'd been doing a lot of treadmill running so I hope it is just a lack of road running that is causing this. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I averaged about 8:37 for the run with the last 2 miles being run at a faster pace.

Sunday morning was spent volunteering at the Try the Tri. It's a great event for kids and adults wanting to try their hand at triathlons. We (me and Cameron) were on the bike course. It was a very fun experience. After the race and cutting the grass, I headed out for a bike ride. The plan was to do 30 miles. I missed a turn along the way but it was ok. It ended up being an out and back on a beautiful day. I eventually logged 30.5 miles in 1:45.

Monday was spent lifting weights. I decided after the weight, that I would hop on the recumbent bike for some strength work. I did 30 minutes of interval training with 4 minutes hard/ 3 minutes easy. My quads were burning when I was done.

Training for next week may be slim as we are headed to California for a few days. First San Diego and then La Quinta which is near Palm Springs. I plan on running and swimming but not much bike unless I make it to gym.

Keeping Me Honest

2009-04-30T15:26:00.002-05:00

I guess I need to get back to posting. If anything, it will keep me honest. I have still been training just not as much as I'd really like. I've cut back on the running and replaced it with biking and swimming. I'm going to try my first Triathlon on July 5th. It is a .7 mile swim, 19 mile bike, and 4.5 mile run. My training is going to look something like this:

M- Swim (lunch) & bike (30-60 minutes hard/easy)(AM or PM)
T- Run (Tempo, intervals, or Fartlek)
W- Ride (30-60 minutes) followed by a short run (2-5 miles) (brick workout)
Th- Swim & Strength
F- Rest
Sa- Long bike (90-120 minutes) or run (10-14 miles)

I am currently doing all three but my training doesn't officially start until I return from vacation on May 11.

Last night I rode 25 miles. My legs felt tired. It must have been the 50 miles on the bike on Saturday.

Much needed rest

2009-04-12T18:53:00.002-05:00

I have been on a running break for about a week. After my crash at last week-ends Lincoln Memorial, I decided it was time to take a little break. I am feeling better but I still don't have any desire to go running. But I am going to start easy tomorrow (Monday). Instead of running, I have been riding my new bike, trying to get used to it. I purchased a Specialized Allez Elite. It is AWESOME. I rode about 13 miles on Wednesday and decided to ride a little longer on Saturday. I finished with about 22 miles. I did hit the weights last week a bit.

I have been swimming at the pool also. It is an excellent cross training exercise. I finished the beginner triathlon swimming class and on Tuesday, I start the intermediate class. The class is pretty fun and the instructor definately knows what she is doing and talking about.

Hopefully, I can find my passion for running again. I had trained hard for 1.5 years without any rest and my body finally shut down. I'm sure it will let me know when it's ok to start up again.

Almost Race Day

2009-04-01T13:50:00.002-05:00

In 4 days, I will be running my 2nd half marathon. It would have been 3rd, but the race in St. Charles, MO last year was cut short by 3.1 miles. I don't quite know what to expect. I've been telling everyone I'd like to shoot for a 1:38 but would be happy with anything better than 1:45. Scott's advice is take what the day give you. Pretty sound advice if you ask me.

So... what have I been doing. Well, last Thursday (March 26) I went and ran @ Lincoln Park and included 5 miles of hills in the cemetary. I paid for those hills at swimming class afterwards. I aveaged a 7:45 pace for the entire run. There are some wicked hills. Thank God I don't live in a naturally hilly area. I totalled 7 miles.

Friday was an off day. I was preparing mentally for the new bike purchase I was about to make on Saturday. I knew what I had to spend and I needed to make sure I stayed to that. I ended up with a Specialized Allez Compact Elite. It is a sweet bike and just what I wanted. I could have gotten more of a bike but I also needed all the accessories. Those things add up. I was stoked after the purchase. I hopped on the treadmill and ended with 3 at nice and easy pace.

My long run was supposed to be Sunday, but due to 6 inches of snow, Scott and I postponed until Monday morning. The snow was gone by Monday and it made for a great morning. We covered 7 miles at an average pace of 8:08. A little fast but it felt REALLY good. I followed that up with 4 easy miles on Tuesday and plan on running 3 easy miles tonight. I'm trying to make sure I feel 100% for the race on Saturday.

The Past Week

2009-03-26T13:42:00.002-05:00

Since I posted last, I have been keeping with the training. I'm starting to feel better about the Lincoln Memorial in a little over a week but i wish I was feeling better. I set a goal last year that I wanted to turn in a time around 1:38. I'd still like that but anything under 1:45 will satisfy me.

Last Thursday, March 19, I ran 5 and some change starting at Lincoln Park, running a lap through the cemetary, and then heading back to the park via the pond hills. It was an up-tempo work-out. I finished the evening with my Tri swim class. We finally got to swim a bit. YEAH!!!

Friday was a day off for a long run on Saturday. I dropped my son off at WHS at 5:30 and headed to Lincoln Park to run the LM course. I started at about the 5.5 mile point so all the hills were done first. I averaged an 8:30 pace with the last 3 miles being 8:00 or under.

Sunday was spent relaxing with some weights. Other than the weights, it was a pretty relaxing day.

Monday after work, I rode the recumbent bike for 30 minutes. I tried to keep a cadence of 90. I guess the number to shoot for while riding is between 85 and 95. It felt good over the 30 minutes. I covered 7 miles and felt very refreshed.

I decided to do some speedwork on Tuesday. I am going to start the speedwork pretty heavy when the LM is over in order to get ready for the spring/summer/fall races. I'd like to PR by 1 minute for the 5K. That would put aroung 18:57. The workout was 8 x 400 with equal recovery which was half a lap. The 400 were run at 9.3 mph (6:27 pace). I do all my speedwork on the treadmill. The last lap was actually a 600. I ended up running 5.25 miles if you count the 1 warm-up and cooldown in just under 39:00.

Wednesday was recovery day. 3 easy miles on the treadmill at about 9:00 pace. I followed the run up with dinner and then weight training.

Little of This... Little of That

2009-03-18T15:09:00.002-05:00

In three days, I've biked, ran, and swam. I guess I'm a triathlete??? No... Not really but I think I might be on my way. I'm a little gun shy about entering a triathlon but I will have to sometime.

On Monday, I spent 1 hour riding the cross-train program on the recumbent bike. Mondays ALWAYS used to be cross-training day and I think I'm going to get back in that routine. I set the bike on level 2 and I obviously forgot how hard it was. It topped out @ a resistance of 6. Each segment was about 1 minute 10 seconds long. I totalled 16 miles with tired legs.

I fremembered I was going to take it easy on Tuesday after the hard bike ride but not until after I completed 6 x 800 @ 8.7 mph (6:53/ mile pace). I definately felt the bike work-out from the first 800. I made it through fortunately and totalled 5.25 miles that included .5 mile warmup and cooldown.

Today (Wednesday), I headed to the pool at the Y to practice the drills I've been learning in my Triathlon swimming class. I didn't keep track of the distance I swam but I did swim for 1 hour and covered everything I supposed to.

A Few Good Day

2009-03-16T08:27:00.002-05:00

I've had a few good days but I don't think I am in any shape to run a good half in a couple of weeks. To be honest, I can't wait until this race is over so I can decrease my mileage a bit and get rejuvenated for the spring/summer/fall races.

I ran 5.25 on Thursday evening. The course consisted of about 8 hills. I ran through Lincoln Park and the cemetary in order to get some hills in since the course for the race is pretty hilly. I struggled at the beginning due to my sickness I'm trying to get over but finished strong... sub 7:00 over the last mile and a half.

Friday was a rest after running 13.25 from Tuesday- Thursday. Saturday was a long run. I ended up with 13.4 and sore legs. I was only going to do 10 but the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I set out about 11:00 AM. As I was running, I decided to do a negative split run. The idea is to run out a certain distance/time, turn around, and see if you can make it back to point A in less time it took you to do the intial distance/time. I ended up running out 1 hour (6.7 miles)and beat my time back by about 4 minutes. I ended up with a total time of 1:56 and some change.

Sunday was spent relaxing, taking a nap, and doing some strength/core training.

Back to Running

2009-03-11T16:03:00.001-05:00

As the title suggests, I'm back to running. It feels like I have been idle for 5 years. I rode the bike for 45 minutes on Monday and Tuesday I hopped on the treadmill for a 4 mile run. Although I was out of breath and my legs were like jello, It felt good to have completed a run. My chest hurt quite a bit and I'm sure it will for a few more days.

I'm going to hit the treadmill for a 3-4 mile recovery run tonight. Tomorrow night, I have my Beginner's Tri swim class. I might run after work and before class. I'm getting way ahead of myself though. :)

Walking That Fine Line

2009-03-10T09:05:00.002-05:00

Man!!! It's been so long since my last post, I almost forgot my sign in information. Just because I've been absent from posting doesn't mean I haven't been training. I was keeping pretty busy. Notice the word was???

I've been training for a Half Marathon in my home town on April 4th and I set a pretty lofty goal for myself. I picked out a pretty aggressive training plan & threw some stairs in the mix. I was running hard 3 days a week with 1 day recovery and a long run. I knew there was a fine line betweening training right AND smart and over-training. How would I know I had pushed my limits was a question I asked myself a lot over the past several weeks.

I knew I was getting tired from all the high intensity workouts and last week it finally hit me. I crossed that line into over-training. I hadn't been sick in I don't know how long but it hit me hard. I was WAY down and out for three to four days. As I write this, it is still sitting down deep in my chest.

As runners, we seem to always try to push our envelopes (at leats I do) without enough rest and our bodies give up on us... for only a short time. I'd been training the past year and a half pretty much non-stop and it finally caught up to me. On the bright side, my legs feel refreshed and rested up. I have 3.5 weeks before the race and my goal now is to just PR.

Ended Up OK!

2009-02-11T11:32:00.002-06:00

After 4 easy miles on the treadmill on Monday, Tuesday called for a much harder workout. It was my final week for mile repeats. After marathon pace, and 10K pace, this week was supposed to be at 5K pace which is 6:28. I haven't ran this fast since last September when I PR'ed in the 5K distance. For some reason, I just didn't think I had it in me to run that fast. After a .5 warm up, it was time to ramp up to 9.3 mph. The first mile came and went and I felt pretty good. The second was a little harder. I started feeling it with a lap to go. The third was really tough. After 2 laps, I was ready to give up but I stuck it out... tired legs and all. I totalled 5 miles @ around 36:00. I was already dreading the morning work out as stairs was in order.

I woke Wednesday and headed to the Y to meet Scott at 6:00. We set out for the Hilton. It is about a .6 mile warm up. The plan was to go to the top... all 31 floors with a couple of rest stops. After about 5 floors, my legs were burning. I'm guessing it was mostly due to the work out the night before. We made stops at floors 12 and 20. We should be good in a couple of weeks for no stops. We concluded the morning work out with a little over 3.5 miles for a total of 4.25 and 31 floors of steps. My legs are beat!!!

All my worrying was for not as everything ended up OK.

And Then It Was Back To Normal

2009-02-09T10:39:00.003-06:00

The week-end started at 5:30 on Saturday with a temp of about 46 degrees. Today's long run called for shorts... at the beginning of February??? I know it sounds crazy but we set a record high of 67 degrees on Saturday. 10 miles was the distance in this 3rd recovery week.

We met at 7:00 at Cafe Moxo, a local downtime eatery, where we were going to run the front part of the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon and add 3 miles in the middle. The pace started a little slow (8:40) but we picked it from there. We hovered around 8:15-8:10 pace for the next several miles. It was a quicker pace but felt pretty good. We ran into Tom and Mike Burk in the park so mile 7 or 8 was a little slower (8:40) since stopped and gabbed for a minute. The last 2 miles were pretty quick as we ran 8:04 and 8:03. I could definately feel the run later that day.

And then it was back to normal on Sunday. I believe the high was 36 degrees and I decided to stay in for a treadmill run. I set the speed for an 8:58 pace and completed 5 miles in 44:57. This was an active recovery run as I actually thought about taking the day off completely.

I totalled 28 miles for the week with a few stairs included.

Not quite there yet

2009-02-06T09:49:00.002-06:00

My speed work last night, 3 X 1 mile @ 10K pace, went pretty well but I can tell that I'm not quite there yet. I felt great 2 week after the marathon but I feel I may have pushed it too much lately because I don't feel like I have my legs back and I have been extremely tired. Maybe I'll take it easy next week... Right!

After a .5 mile warm up, I set the speed to 8.7 (6:53 pace) and set off on my 1st mile. I've come to the realization that the first interval doesn't feel so good and today was no exception. But after the first, I was in a groove. Between the mile intervals, I did .5 rest at 10:00 pace. The work out felt good. My breathing was fine, but my legs didn't have it. It's tough trying to go fast when for a majority of my 18 week marathon training I was running fairly slow. I completed the work out with a mile cool down at 8:30 pace.

Back to Work

2009-02-05T09:03:00.002-06:00

I was back to work last night after a day off recovering from my Monday stair workout. My calves were still pretty sore but I knew once I got started, the soreness would subside.

Week 2 of Hal Higdon's recovery plan called for 4 miles but I was going for 5-6. I set the incline to 1, the speed to 7.5 (8:00 pace) and I was off. The first few miles on the mill completely suck. There is nothing on TV except news, until Wheel of Fortune is on at 6:30. At mile 3, I thought I would only go 4, at 4 I thought maybe 5, at 5 I thought... I can do six no problem. Although my legs were tired, I felt pretty good. My breathing was good. I incresed my last lap to 7:40 pace to finish strong.

I finished with 6 miles and a total time of 47:56. Tonight calls for 3 X 1 mile at 10K pace (around 7:00 pace). I'm not sure if my legs will be able to handle the speed so I will need to prepare mentally all day. I just have to tell myself that it will pay off for the half and summer races.

Tough Couple of Days

2009-02-02T10:03:00.003-06:00

The past 2 days have been tougher work-outs since the fast long run. Next week, I hope to tone it down a bit for our long run because I want to go a little longer than the prescribed 7. Hopefully we can do somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-10.

My Sunday workout called for a 30 minute tempo run. I went 4 miles in right around 30 minutes. I definately worked up a sweat during this workout on the treadmill.

Today (Monday), I was flying solo. I arrived at the Y at 6:15 AM. The plan was to do short warm up (.5 miles) to the Hilton, do some stairs, and a 2-3 mile cool down. I was definately feeling the affects of yesterday's tempo run. The warm up was REALLY slow and I was already dreading the infamous stairs who were to blame for my pain most of last week. I did singles up to the 16th floor and I was breathing HEAVY. After heading down, I grabbed some water and tried talking myself out of the 8 doubles but I wasn't listening to myself. I hit the stairs for the doubles and as I approached the last couple of flights, I felt like I was walking. This is a work out. It took me most of the way down to catch my breath.

I concluded the work out with 1.5 mile cool down. I couldn't (or didn't want to) do anymore. I feel like this was quality work out even though the running was short.

I have a weird feeling that my mile repeats at 10K pace tomorrow are going to suffer.

Runnin' with the HalfWits

2009-01-31T12:50:00.003-06:00

We have this local running group called the HalfWits. They train for Half Marathons. I ran with them last year and they are a great group of people. Today was day #1 of the 9 week training plan. They also meet on Tuesday and Thursday for work outs.

I was feeling pretty good this morning. Scott had mentioned shooting for 8:20 pace today. After Thursday's 5 mile @ 8:00 pace, I thought that was doable. We started fast and I don't believe we ever let up.My Garmin confirmed that we ran sub 8:00 miles except for 1 and that was at 8:01. So much for 8:20. For post Marathon week 2, I felt totally awesome. Scott was hurting a bit from his double work outs all week. For me, it was nice to know that the speed is coming back.

Our miles were 7:57, 7:51, 8:01, 7:53, 7:45, & 7:44. The last .2 was at 7:53. After scooping the driveway, I hit the weights for a couple of sets. Now it is time to relax because Scott is going to kill me on Monday. We are meeting for stairs. I'm just now getting over the last stair work out.

8 down... 22 to go

2009-01-28T14:23:00.002-06:00

Today was the first day of stair running for me. The venue of choice is the Springfield Hilton. It has approximately 30 floors and I have been told that we will be there in a couple of weeks.

Today we covered 8 floors and I can't even imagine at this time what 30 is going to feel like. We do a set of singles (each step on the way up) followed by a slow pace down then a set of doubles (every other step) followed by a slow pace down. THIS WAS TOUGH but I can see a TON of benefit in the distance. With our .5 mile warm-up from the Y and 1-1.5 mile cooldown, this was a great workout. My legs were definately feeling it.

I'm looking forward to 16 next week????

Recovery Plan

2009-01-26T14:55:00.002-06:00

Here is my Post Marathon Training Schedule. Once complete, I'm preparing a Half on April 11.

Post Marathon Training: Intermediate

Week 1
M- Cross 30 min/ weights
T- 3 x mile (marathon pace)
W- Stairs/ weights
TH- 3-4 mile run
F- Off
Sat- 7-8 mile run
Sun-30 min Tempo

Week 2

Cross 30-40 min/ weights
3 x mile (10K pace)
Stairs/weights
4-5 m run
Rest
9-10 mile run
35 min Tempo

Week 3
Cross 30-50 min/ weights
3 x mile (5K pace)
Stairs/ weights
5-6 m run
Rest
10-12 mile run
40 min Tempo

Week 4
Cross 30-60 min/ weights
6-8 mile run
3-4 mile recovery run/weights
6 X 400 (5K pace)
Rest
12 mile run
45 min Tempo

One Week Later

2009-01-25T14:51:00.002-06:00

It's been one week since the marathon and so far so good. I'm following Hal Higdon's Post Marathon recovery program. This is the last day of Zero week so tomorrow starts the 4 week recovery plan.

I resumed running on Thursday with 3 miles on the treadmill at about a 9:30 pace. My legs felt a little heavy but the run went well. Friday was 30 minutes of cross training on the recumbent bike. Saturday was another 3 miler. I ran that run at 8:57 pace. No complaints with this workout and no minor aches and pains... as of yet. I need to continue to take it easy.

Today called for a 6-8 mile run. It was snowing and 11 degrees when I left the house. Boy... I miss AZ already. I decided to try the upper end and go for 8 miles. I had my legs but the run felt slow. That's good news because I didn't want to push the pace. I averaged 9:13 pace for the entire run but my last 2 miles were fast. The last being 8:24.

I have a Half Marathon scheduled for 11 weeks in Champaign, IL. My goal for that race is 1:37ish. I sure hope I can build some lost speed up before the race.

Stay tuned as I will post the recover plan tomorrow.

Rockin' & Rollin' and Runnin' in Arizona

2009-01-21T14:32:00.002-06:00

The Race

The plan was to run with the 4:00 pace group. At the halfway point, we would see how we felt and adjust accordingly. That would also ensure that we didn’t start too fast. I’d also practiced in training GU’s at every 5 miles. Race temp at the start was 50 degrees and it was suppose to top out at 78 degrees. I wished it could have been a little cooler but you take what is given to you and deal with it. First GU 15 minutes before the race.

Miles 1-5… 8:51, 8:50, 9:03, 8:57, & 8:49. The pacer was all over the place as you can tell. Her plan was to run 9:00 splits for the first 18 miles running through the stations then walk through the rest of the station. With approximately 8,000 marathoners, the start was pretty crowded. I stayed with sight of the pace leader and caught the group around mile 2. Mile 5 was when Scott and I decided that if she was going to run like this, we could do that on our own. I also started feeling a little twinge on the inside part of my ankle on the right foot. It stayed with me the entire race. Second GU at mile 5.

Miles 6-10… 8:55, 8:57, 9:03, 8:53, & 9:02. We left the pacer and decided to run on our own at mile 6. We crossed the 10K at 55:36. This was slightly ahead of where we should have been. We both felt good but knew not to push the pace because we still had a long way to go. The view was really nice after we turned onto Missouri. Up ahead of us was Camelback Mountain. Somewhere through these miles, a bank sign read 60 degrees. I also saw my girlfriend and her Uncle at mile 9. They were a sight for sore eyes or ankles. Third GU at mile 10.

Miles 11-15… 9:05, 8:51, 8:54, 9:42, & 8:27. My stomach started acting up around mile 11 but I kept moving forward. It was either going to go away or we would need to stop. We made it through the half way point at 1:57:41 both still feeling really good… other than my stomach. My stomach didn’t subside so we made a pit stop at mile 14. I was so worried about making up the difference that I didn’t realize we cruised through mile 15. Was this going to be a huge mistake??? Fourth GU at Mile 15.

Miles 16-20… 8:51, 8:50, 8:45, 8:46, and 8:50. The only thing I thought during these miles was that the race was just getting ready to start. From what I had heard and read, mile 20 was where it would become all mental. As you will read, I definitely understand that now. Nice and steady pace for these miles. A bit fast? Probably. But they felt alright. I saw Kristi and Howard again at mile 20. She handed me a banana, gave me some encouragement, and we were on our way. With the exception of the first aid station, I took water/Cytomax at each station and poured water in my hat. Fifth and final GU at mile 20. Our 20 mile split was 2:59:08.

Miles 21-26.2… 9:05, 8:47, 9:06, 9:12, 9:02, 9:24, and the last .35 was at 8:59. Only a 10 K to go. I don’t know who ever thought that was a good thing but 6.2 miles after already running 20 SUCKS. That last 10K goes by SO slow. I knew that if I could hold a nice easy pace, 4:00 would be possible. We turned the corner at mile 20.5 and headed into a stiff breeze. This lasted for 1-1.5 miles. The breeze was actually nice because it was so warm. Mile 22 was where it started to hurt. Every joint in my legs were screaming for me to stop. I ALMOST gave in but Scott wouldn’t let me. He kept me encouraged when I was ready to give up. We encountered a slight uphill over the Rio Salado that started at mile 23. My time shows mile 26 was my toughest by mentally, I think it was 24. On a normal run, 2.2 miles doesn’t seem long but when you have already run 24 miles, 2.2 is an eternity. I dug as deep as I could for the closing miles. One foot in front of the other… the marathon shuffle as I heard it called. I finally saw the 26 mile sign and I knew I was about to finish the hardest thing that I have encountered to date. I crossed the finish line with my hands raised in the air at roughly 3:58:45. I was so ready to collapse but I received my medal, grabbed some food, picked up my bag, and headed to the family reunion area.

My official time as of today was 3:55:58. We missed an even split by :36. Scott came up with the following stats that really put the icing on the cake for me. At the halfway point, we were roughly 2,555 people back. In the second half of the race, we picked up roughly 850 spots. Of those 850 spots, we picked up roughly 390 of them in the last 6.2 miles.

With the help of Scott throughout the race, I can now and for the rest of my life officially say “I am a MARATHONER”. What a great feeling knowing that I could conquer something like that.

And if anybody is wondering if another Marathon is in my future, the answer is yes. I am already scouting a 2nd half of the year marathon… maybe Chicago, maybe Memphis.

Arizona is such a beautiful place in the winter. The scenery was spectacular, the environment was electric, and the bands were encouraging. This was a very organized race. The total participants for the Rock-n-Roll Marathon/ Half Marathon made it the largest combined event in the world. If you are looking for a great destination for a marathon, this is it.

Last Week-end Before the Marathon

2009-01-12T08:40:00.002-06:00

I was up at 0530 on Saturday morning. We were supposed to have a wintery mix but it appeared to be doing nothing. I did notice that it had rained over night but wasn't too worried... yet. I noticed when I was dropping a letter in the mailbox that a thin sheet of ice was starting to form. This is when I started to worry.

I met Scott and Chris at 0700. Scott and I were running 8 (turned into 9) and Chris was running 20. He is running the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach on February 1. This would probably be Chris' last long run. By 0700, the road had gotten pretty slick. I just kept praying that I could keep my footing. Our plan was to run with Chris for 4 miles and then turn around. When we got to the turn around point, Scott and I (or maybe just me and Scott was along for the ride) decided to run the EPA hill one more time. I cursed this hill every time we ran it but I had to get one more. It's funny how that works.

We ran about 5 miles with Chris and said our good-byes and good lucks. I didn't stop my watch at the end but we were cruising. After an 8:55 opening mile, we put the hammer down. I was alittle worried because I was feeling labored the first few miles but it always takes me that long to warm up (Note to self). I quickly got into a groove and before we knew it, we were constantly running between 8:10 and 8:20 miles. I think we are golden for a 4:00 marathon.

As of now, our plan is to run the first half to 20 mile with the pace group and adjust from there. I don't want to get over confident but I think 4 hours is WAY doable based on our training.

With one week to go, it now time to look back on my training, training logs, and my blog to reassure myself that I will indeed do fine. As I always say "Trust your training". So now I need to take my own advice and "TRUST MY TRAINING".

I don't know that I will post much in this last week as I only have a 4 and 3 mile run on Tuesday and Wednesday and I depart for sunny AZ on Thursday. I will post a race report upon return.

Finally!!!

2009-01-09T08:06:00.002-06:00

I am finally starting to feel like I am getting my legs back. I was starting to get a little worried. I actually felt good on last night's work out. The work out was 4 X 800 and it is my last speed work out prior to the marathon. I am supposed to do 4 X 400 next Wednesday but I think I am going to do straight 3.

After a .5 warm up I set out to complete the 4 X 800. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel because of the way my legs have been feeling. My legs felt a little tired but my breathing was spot on. No struggling with this work out. The 800's were run at 3:20 pace. After a .5 mile cool down, I finished with 3.75 miles.

I am really watching what I eat these last couple of weeks. Carbs, carbs, and more carbs, and pretzels.

Taper Madness

2009-01-08T08:51:00.002-06:00

Now I understand the term "Taper Madness". Since my mileage has decreased, I have time to think about EVERYTHING. Am I eating right? Am I eating enough? Am I drinking right? What time am I going to get up on race morning? Can I actually do this? Is the madness ever going to stop???

For about 45 minutes yesterday, my mind was at ease. I was running!!!! I get into a very relaxed state when I run as if my body is telling me that all is going to be alright... even if it was only for 4 miles. :)

The treadmill was my medicine today as it has been for the previous 16 weeks on Wednesdays. I was hoping that today's recovery run would indeed help me recover. For whatever reason, I don't feel like I have any legs left. Is this psychological???

I felt great after 38 minutes of running and a lap cool down. 1.5 weeks left and I don't think it can get here soon enough. I have been gathering my things together all week so I can make sure not to rush the last minute and forget something. I ordered a new pair of shoes today. The smae model I am currently running in. I hpe to get about 15-20 miles on them, including an 8 miler, before the race.

6 on the 6th

2009-01-07T08:33:00.002-06:00

After work Tuesday, I suited up for a 6 mile run outside. It was a little cooler but extremely nice... and slippery. With the marathon a week and a half away, I had to really watch my steps.

The first mile came and went and I thought I was cruising, but when I checked the Garmin it read 9:16. I think it had a little malfunction. I guess that was my warm up mile because I really did cruise from there. I averaged an 8:47 pace for the entire run convering 6.01 miles. The run felt extremely good today.

I think I have finally started feeling the effects of the recovery but am still not sure yet. That training must have really taken a toll.

Nice and easy

2009-01-05T16:04:00.002-06:00

The last couple weeks are going to be nice and easy. My legs feel like they are starting to come around.

Sunday called for a 4 mile pace run. I set the treadmill on an 8:48 pace and I was done in no time. Those short runs sure are nice.

This morning I woke and hopped on the recumbent bike for 30 minutes. Nothing crazy. Put the resistance on 2 and kept a steady pace of 80-85 rpm's. Tonight, I am going to lift a LITTLE with my upper body and back.

Slacker

2009-01-04T10:15:00.002-06:00

As you may have noticed, I've been slacking a bit in keeping my "journal" updated. Things have been hectic with the holidays and all. Let's see if I can dig back a few days and at least give a little training info.

The last post was the 30th. On Tuesday night (30th), I set out for an 8 miler. I got a late start, about 7:40 in the evening, but I was out on the roads. I was a little worried as the wind was supposed to start blowing pretty hard around 8:00. I don't know what time it started blowing but it came with a vengeance. I bet I looked pretty drunk running down Route 4. It was a cross wind and I could see my shadow looking like it was at a 45 degree angle. So when the wind would stop, I would stagger a bit and then when it would pick up, I would stagger back the other way. It was miserable. I ended with 7.5 miles.

I hit the treadmill on New Year's Day for a Higdon style Tempo run. It was only supposed to be a 30 minute tempo run but I believe I turned it into about 46 minutes. I felt pretty good and finished with 5.5 miles.

Saturday was a 12 miler. I felt pretty good for the first 8 or 9 miles but then the hunger attacked me. I struggled through the last few miles but completed none-the-less. I did a set of weights and some core work before relaxing in front of the TV for some football. I really hope my body rejuvenates itself in the last couple of weeks so I don't struggle like I did today.

3021

2008-12-30T13:44:00.001-06:00

I went home for lunch today and to my suprise, the final race packet was in the mail.
My number is 3021.
The race is now starting to become a reality.

Playing Catch Up

2008-12-30T10:25:00.002-06:00

I believe it has almost been a week since I have posted, but that doesn't mean I have stopped running. The holidays are always a busy time for me and trying to fit in my runs has been a little challenging.

On Christmas Eve, I finished my last major 800 workout. I ran 10 X 800 at 3:20 pace. I totalled about 8.75 miles including the warm up and cool down. I rested (didn't run) on Christmas but I wouldn't call it relaxing. Friday was a GREAT day for running. We almost set a high with a temp of 65 degrees. The record was 66 degrees. I ran 10 in shorts and averaged about an 8:45 pace. We changed our LAST 20 miler to Sunday because of the rain and wind that was coming on Saturday. Sunday was cooler and still windy but managed to get our run in. Chris had ran his 20 miler on Saturday morning so it was just Scott and I.

I felt like I struggled this entire run. I was fighting some soreness in my left calf and knee. My legs were EXTREMELY sore after the run. They actually burned. After a couple laps around the Y, the pain and burning subsided.

I ended the final main week of training with 53.5 miles. The next 3 week are taper time. We cut our mileage 75% this next week. It's gravy from here until the race.

Magic Number is 10

2008-12-23T11:21:00.002-06:00

Yesterday's magic number was 10. That was how many miles I had to run and what the temperature was when I started. It was indeed COLD.

The plan was run the first few miles as a warm-up and slowly increase the rest of the miles. I'll post the exact splits later tonight but the ones I can remember are 9:00, 9:04, and 9:05 for the first 3. My last mile was at a 7:48 pace. I do know that I ran negative splits the last 7 miles. It turned out to be a very rewarding run. This is our last week of heavy training and I want this week's workouts to be just like week 1 in regards to intensity.

I finished the run in 1:28 for an average pace of 8:48. Not too shabby for the first day of week 15.

An extra day of rest

2008-12-22T11:59:00.002-06:00

This week marks the last official cutback week prior to the taper period. I was running solo on Saturday and planned out a 12 mile run through Chatham. It was pretty uneventful unless you count the 6 times I was almost hit. People need to pay attention more than they do while they are driving.

The Wabash trail was pretty slick. I prayed the entire time that I would keep my footing. At about mile 7.5, I ran into Aaron S. we chit chatted for about 10 minutes and said our good byes. I looked down at my watch and it was still running. It was showing an average pace of 10:20. I put the hammer down the last 4.5 miles and arrived at home after 12 miles averaging right about 9:10 pace.

With Sunday being as cold as it was, I took an extra day to sit, relax, and reflect on the training. I am going to alter my schedule a bit and move this week's work-outs up a day. So tonight, I am going to run 10, Tuesday- 5 miles, Wednesday- 10 X 800, and rest Thursday and Friday in preparation for our last 20 miler on Saturday.

Higdon's Traditional Tempo Run

2008-12-19T08:03:00.002-06:00

After 14.5 weeks of heavy training, it's hard to come up with the motivation sometimes to run. Last night was one of those nights. The plan called for a 6.5 mile tempo run. I was in NO mood for my typical tempo run. I had thoughts of substituting an 8 mile run outside but the freezing rain put a damper on that idea. Since I was doing Higdon's plan, I thought that maybe I could try one of his tempo runs. Higdon's style of tempo run is described as "A tempo run is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10-K race pace".

I hit the treadmill and the plan was to still try to get 6.5 miles in with a 10 minutes peak at 7:13 pace about 35 minutes into the run. I started out with a .5 mile warmup and increased my pace when I started to feel comfortable. Fortunately, I hit the 35 minute mark right where I wanted to be. I hit the speed to 8.3 and was off dor my 10 minutes at near 10K pace. I completed the workout by gradually slowing the next 10 minutes.

This workout felt good and refreshing. I'm glad I chose this workout as it broke up the tempo run monotony. This is the last of the major tempo runs. I have 1 minor (4 miles) tempo run left during the taper period.

Lunch Time Run

2008-12-17T12:55:00.002-06:00

I just got back from my Wednesday recovery run. I don't know if it was a recovery run or not but it was a run. It felt faster in some segments and not so fast in others. I forgot my watch at home so this run was without it and music. Just me, the roads, and a cold breeze.

I left from work and ran a loop to Rt. 29, back behind the airport over some rolling hills, and back to work. According to USATF, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.5 miles.

Off to Sebastian's tonight for dinner and then to walk around downtown for the Christmas walk.

Committed or Stupid is as Stupid does...

2008-12-17T08:48:00.005-06:00

You decide. When I initially heard that it would be snowing I wasn't too worried so I committed to an outside 6 mile run. Little did I know that the snow would be changing to a freezing rain.

After running 10 miles on the treadmill Sunday, I wanted to get outside and hit the roads, or snow, or ice. I thought to myself that I had run in the rain before, and it was only a 6 mile 6 so it shouldn't be that bad. Boy, was I ever wrong.

As I was walking the down thr driveway, I almost slipped on some ice. I should have taken the hint and walked back inside but I was committed. I dressed just perfect and the run started out fine. 1st mile was 8:50... am I ever going to get my speed back??? At the half way point something didn't feel right. I looked down and to my suprise, I had a layer of ice all down the front of me. I tried to break it off but it must have been attached pretty good to the fabric. The last 2 miles were with the wind. I took advantage and increased my pace a bit.

I finished the 6.5 mile route with an average pace around 8:30 and about 5 pounds heavier (if not more) from the ice. And it definately felt better than running on the treadmill

A Very LONG Week-end

2008-12-15T08:23:00.002-06:00

I was looking forward to this week-end knowing that once I finished, the miles were all downhill (not literally). I was looking at a week-end total of 33 miles...23 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. That would be a total of 55 miles for the week... WHEW!!!

Saturday started at about 0530. I had some toast with jelly and coffee before testing the weather. The temp was about 35 degrees but the winds (gusting up to 30) were going to make it feel cooler. I opted for tights, long sleeve shirt, and wind jacket with a stocking cap. Looking back, that was perfect. I met Scott and Chris at the Y at 0700. The plan called for 20. Dan and Jason with hardybreed.com told me that it would be a good idea if we got a 22-23 miler in prior to the race. Scott had previously convinced me that a 22-23 would be good and they pretty much confirmed it. I was just worried about injuries. We kept a nice easy pace stopping approximately every 2.5 miles for drinks.

I was Mr. Chatterbox on this run. I don't know what was going on. I was probably just trying to keep my mind off the fact that I would be running for a long time. I had SO much energy. I can only hope that I have that much on Marathon day. Our route took us all over Springfield. We went est all the way to Koke Mill, as far south as Woodside Road via the trail, through Jerome, over some rolling hills down Chatham Road, through Washington Park, and back to the Y. It really is a good route.

I believe our overall pace was about 9:19. That included our bathroom stop and drink/GU stops. I actually felt good the last few miles. I picked up the pace of mile 23 to about 8:40. After 3 hours and 40 minutes on my feet, I was ready to take a load off. I hit FedEx Kinko's to pick up an order for Kristi and headed home to relax.

Sunday was a different story. I woke and was extremely uncomfortable. I wasn't quite sore, I just think it was the tightness. I did some LIGHT stretching. After a breakfast of poached eggs and toast, Cameron (my youngest) and I stacked some firewood, put up our Christmas wreath on the garage, put up some decorations, and took the dog for a walk... all before noon.

After running a couple errands, I hit the treadmill for a 10 mile run. I had no desire to run outside in the winds that were supposedly gusting around 40 mph. The majority of the run would have been against the wind. I started out sluggish. But after 23 miles the day before, I guess that is to be expected. It was supposed to be a pace run but I thought "No way!". I finished the run in about 96:00 while watching some football. Cameron kept me company for a few miles. I felt pretty good after the run but I don't think I could have gone one step further.

After another successful week of training, I topped out at 55 miles for the week. Barring any injuries the next 5 weeks, I think I am well on my way. Hat's off to Scott, Chris, and Mike. They are awesome training partners. One time or another through this training, they have kept me moving. I appreciate all the positive reinforcements. They are the one's that are the "Animals".

Nice and Toasty

2008-12-12T10:58:00.003-06:00

I guess the one (and maybe only) good thing about running on the treadmill is that you don't have to go out in the cold. I was actually looking forward to last night's workout on the treadmill. With that said, I would have to say that my favorite workout is speed work... 400's, 800's, etc.

I only have 1 more MAJOR "track" workout after my 9 X 800's that I was scheduled to do last night. Scott wanted to top out at 10 X 800 the week before tper madness begins. After a .5 warm up, I started in on the first of 9 800's. After 12.5 weeks of training, my body has begun to feel affects. This workout was a little tough but I managed to make it through it. The last 2 were pretty tough. My legs felt heavy. After a .5 mile cooldown, I finished the workout with a .25 mile walk and some stretching. I totalled 7.5 miles and my total time not including the .25 mile walk was 1 hour 10 minutes.

I downed my Endurox R4 recovery drink in order to make sure I was healed enough for our Saturday long run. We are shooting for 22-23 miles. Hopefully, all goes smooth (as smooth as it can get while running 22-23 miles). Couple that with 10 on Sunday and I will have over 30 miles over the week-end. WOW!!!

Arm Swing

2008-12-11T11:12:00.003-06:00

Last night was a recovery run on the treadmill. I will spare you the details that I think I have described for every Wednesday work-out.

Today was no different. 5 miles on the treadmill at 9:13 pace.

I watched a little ESPN and caught the entire news. I have been trying to work on my arms while I'm running. I read a good article about having a nice, relaxed arm swing so I am going to give it a try. It is taking a ton of concentration. The idea is that your hands should pass the hips. Not sure if is going to do any good but it sure can't hurt.

Another Early, Rainy Tuesday

2008-12-09T15:38:00.002-06:00

Well... it was raining AGAIN when I rolled out of bed at 0400 this morning. It was off and on as far as heavy/light rain. It was not going to be pretty as the wind was blowing at about 17 mph. This is probably the worst day of running Scott and I have had since we started this training.

The plan was to run 10 miles. I switched up the route when I showed at the Y but Scott was ok. I thought that maybe we could include some hills on this run. Contrary to Saturday's run, I was feeling pretty good. I think Scott would have rather been anywhere but on the roads but he was a trooper this morning. Did I tell you that the weather was absolutely horrible???

We completed our 10 mile run right at 9:00 minute pace. I am starting to feel the affects of this long training plan. I'm not feeling as strong at this point as I was say 10 weeks ago but I am still hanging in there. The good thing is that our last mile was run at 8:15 pace.

The End of Week 12

2008-12-08T08:10:00.002-06:00

The week-end started at approximately 0500 on Saturday. The weather was absolutely horrible, my right foot was aching, and I hadn't necessarily been eating right all week. But it was only a 12 mile run. Piece of cake???

I met Scott at his house at 0700 and we set out on a 12 mile run. After running 20 the week before, I thought this would be a walk a in the park. Was I wrong!!! I struggled bad on this run. I overdressed and was pretty warm. The wind was blowing at 17 mph. It snowed. It was cold. I was miserable. :)

But I continued on. Trying not to complain too much. My right foot was hurting pretty bad around the 9-10 mile mark but it is a nagging ache so I pressed on. It is feeling much better this Monday morning. The route was pretty awesome. A little mix of flat and hills with some country scenery and the lake.

We finished Saturday's workout right on pace... 9:09/ mile. Not bad considering how miserable I was feeling.

Sunday's workout went much better. I slept in a bit and hit the road about 0900. I was thinking of all the runners racing the Frostbite and thought how nice of a day they were going to have. It was cold but no wind. I dressed just right. I was a little cold starting out but was just right around mile 1. My garmin died before the first mile so I have no idea on times. I will say, my breathing was labored so I feel like I increased the pace and had a quality workout.

I finished the cut back week with 36 miles and hopefully rejuvenated for another high mileage week.

A Different Approach

2008-12-05T08:02:00.002-06:00

To break up the monotomy of the same old tempo run, last night I split it into 2 segments of 3 miles. To be honest, I didn't really feel like I could go a straight 6 miles at 7:13 pace. With this being a cutback week, I didn't want to over do it. By the way... There was no jamming out tonight. :)

After some breif stretching, I hopped on the 'mill and started with a .5 mile warm-up before breaking into segment #1. Each segment was going to be run at 7:13 pace (8.3 mph). The first segment felt REALLY good. I thought about going on but decided to take a .25 mile break and catch up on the fluids. After a quarter mile, I started segment 2. I thought about increasing this segment to 8.5 but didn't. Maybe next time. The 2nd segment felt just as good as the first. After finishing up with a .5 mile cool down, it was time for some dinner (and was I ever hungry).

I finished the work out with 7.25 miles total with 6 at tempo pace. Overall it was an excellent work out. I only have 1 more high mile tempo work out before the taper begins.

Yes... the race is only a little over 6 weeks out.

It's a good thing no one could see me

2008-12-03T13:44:00.004-06:00

Today's workout was a 5 mile recovery run. I woke about 0500 and did some light stretching. I wasn't in any mood to run this morning. I was TIRED!!!! I know the importance of these slow recovery runs but they do not suit me any way, shape, or form... but I have to do them.

I set the incline to 1.0, the speed at 6.5 (9:13), and I started another boring treadmill workout. I had the IPOD on and instead of a podcast, I thought some music might be the answer. At mile 3, things got interesting. The song "Misery Business" by Paramore came on and I quickly turned it up. Not that I'm a big fan but this song is a great one to run to as you will soon find out.

It's a good thing the blinds were shut and no one could see me or they might have called the cops on me. I was jamming. Playing the air guitar, singing, banging on my imaginary drums, etc. You get the picture. I think I played the song 3 or 4 times in a row. The song actually made the run enjoyable.

I finished the last .5 mile wondering if anyone could have possibly seen me acting like an idiot. I think I found the song to pick me up when things aren't looking so hot during a run.

So after 5 miles (46:00 minutes), I cooled down with a .25 mile walk thanking God that he didn't let kristi walk in on me while I was rockin'.

An Unexpected Tuesday Run

2008-12-02T13:35:00.002-06:00

Because I didn't have to drop kids off at school, I was able to meet Scott for an early morning run. This is our 4th cutback week. The plan called for a 6 mile run and Hal says that if we wanted to make it a faster run, that would be ok. I think we ran the pace that we typically run for these Tuesday runs.

We started from the Y, ran 2 laps in washington Park, and finished at the Y. Our time was about 53:00 and we averaged an 8:18 pace over 6.12 miles.

These cutback weeks have always been welcomed and help out trmendously. I remember the last cutback week. By our 19 mile run, I was all ready to go. Hopefully that will play true right before our 20 miler next week-end.

Catching up on the week-end

2008-12-01T08:27:00.002-06:00

After a late (for me) night out on Friday, I wasn't feeling like Saturday was going to be a good run. The plan was to at least be home by 10:00 but we were both enjoying ourselves so we stayed out until around 11:30. With Saturday's 20 miler looming, I finally fell a sleep sometime after midnight.

I did the usual breakfast (toast & coffee) a couple hours before we were to meet. I was a great morning. Chris actually showed in shorts while Scott and I had on tights. We should have worn shorts as the weather was pretty close to average race day weather with the exception of the wind. I chose a pretty flat run that took us all over the central, west, and south part of Springfield. It took me a LONG time to get into a groove. We made our GU stops at the 5 mile increments. All-in-all, the run went relatively well. We ended up averaging 9:09 miles. Our last 8 miles or so were run at about an 8:50 average. I woke Sunday feeling a little sore but ready for a 10 mile run.

I wanted to get my legs back so I decided to run later in the afternoon. Cameron and I went to see Madagascar 2. We ran into Scott and his family. It was a good kid movie and I would recommend it. After the movie, I dropped Cameron off with his mother, and I headed home to get my run in. It was 4:30 before I hit the road and the weather was miserable. It was somewhere between a rain and snow but I think I hit them all. The plan was to run to Kristi's mom's house to hook-up her new 32" Sony Bravia T.V. It is about 5 miles from her house to mine so I did a little loop in Chatham and headed down Route 4. The wind was cross/ in my face all the way down Route 4 (approx 5 miles). I was glad when the run was over. I got 8.5 miles in and my pace was slow... 9:16.

I had a good week of running. I am still injury free with minor aches and pains. But that is to be expected. I finished the week with just over 50 miles (50.25) and am Welcoming a nice easy cut-back week.

Breakfast before Turkey... How bout 8 x 800?

2008-11-27T11:51:00.002-06:00

Turkey day is pretty hectic around here. It consists of cooking, cleaning, watching the parade, etc. The only time I was going to be able to fit in my speed session was in the AM. So, before I did anything else today, I hopped on the treadmill. The plan called for 8 Yasso 800's. My pace has always been running them at 3:20 and today was no exception.

After some stretching and a .5 mile warm-up, I I started in on my first of 8 800's. The first is always the hardest but I typically get into a nice groove after about the third (I'm sure I have mentioned that about 100 times).

I did a .5 mile cooldown followed by a .25 mile walk. I was tired but felt refreshed and ready to takle all the Thanksgiving festivities.

The plan for the next day and a half is rest in preparation for my first ever 20 miler on Saturday.

Scott... If you by chance read this prior to Saturday, I'm going to drop off some water at the end of the trail before I meet you all at the Y.

A treadmill run is... Still a treadmill run

2008-11-26T16:20:00.002-06:00

No matter what time of the day it is, a treadmill run is still the same old boring run. Today was no exception as I ran a 5 mile recovery run over lunch in our "gym" at work. Nothing crazy to report as I took it nice and easy in order to stay semi-fresh for tomorrow's 800's and Saturday and Sunday long run.

I ran a total of about 47:00 minutes. After the run, I did some core exercises and then headed back to my office to work.

To everyone... Have a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe over this long week-end!!!!

2008-11-25T11:34:00.004-06:00

The morning started at 0430. I rolled out of bed, made some coffee, toast, and read the paper for a bit. I tested the weather and today called for tights, long sleeve shirt, and pullover with gloves. I took my jacket along just in case and it was a good thing I did. I noticed a flag blowing in the wind so I decided I would wear my jacket. Start time temp was 29.

Todays run was going to e 10 miles. Neither Scott or I had a route picked out so we came up with a quick plan and headed out. For some reason my Garmin was completely dead. I charged it over night Sunday??? I recharged it again this morning after the run and all is well... THANK GOD!!! I thought the world would come to an end without my Garmin.

We kept a nice steady pace through the first 8 miles and picked up the pace by 10 seconds the last 2 miles. Our average on today's run was 9:00. The pace was absolutely perfect. With a 20 miler looming on Satuday, I didn't want to run this one too hard and crash on Saturday. We are both experiencing a little soreness so we may be slowing it down a bit on the upcoming runs.

Last night, I skipped the bike because my quads were toast from the 28 miles over the week-end. I did 2 sets of weights and worked on my core for a bit.

I received my new shoes yesterday, Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8, and I am planning on trying them out tomorrow on the treadmill... 5 mile recovery run. I think I will break them in on the recovery runs and tackle a couple 12 miles with them. That should give me about 50 miles on them for the race. I currently run in Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 and I absolutely think they are GREAT.

Week-end Update

2008-11-23T12:26:00.002-06:00

The week-end started for me at 0500 on Saturday morning. After a cutback week, I was looking forward to today's long 19 mile run. The plan was to meet at 0700 at the Y. I ate a bagel with some peanut butter prior to the run. It was a chilly 27 degrees when I got out of the car. I dressed light, tights, gloves, hat, long sleeve shirt, and wind jacket.

I felt pretty good the entire run. I started feeling the run in my legs around mile 13/14. I'm feeling pretty comfortable taking gels every 5 miles so I think I am going to do that for the race. Up until mile 15 then I am going to gel every 4 miles. We are incorporating a ton of hills in our long runs. I know hills make you stronger and that is what I keep telling myself. Next week is our first of 3 20 mile runs. I know we still have a lot ahead of us but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... barely. We finished the run in 2:27 with an average pace of 9:20. Good job Scott and Chris.

Today (Sunday), I slept in until about 0800. These sunday semi-long runs are getting harder and harder. After a Clif bar and a gel, I headed out. It was a gorgeous morning. I headed for the trail trying to figure out where I would run in order to get my 9 miles in today. I was laboring quite a bit on this run. My legs felt like cement and I was breathing semi heavy. About mile 4/5, I got into a groove and started feeling much better. I finished todays run in 1:19 averaging 8:47. I was definately glad this run was over.

I finished week 10 with a total of 48 miles even though I didn't run 4 miles on Wednesday. In the next few weeks, it will be even more crucial that I listen to my body for any signs of over training.

Tempo Thursday

2008-11-20T11:34:00.003-06:00

I rolled out of bed at 0450 this morning to do my tempo run. I hate trying to sustain a fast speed this early in the AM. Today's work-out called for 5.5 miles at a little slower than 10k pace.

After a .5 mile warm-up, I set the speed to 8.3 mph (7:13). As the run went along, I started to feel better and better. It takes me so long to wake up in the morning. Maybe that's why I have to be up extra early before a run. I can handle repeats in the AM but this steady pace was taking its toll. I completed the run with a .75 mile cool down.

I totalled 6.75 miles and hopefully I won't ever have to do a tempo run this early again.

I skipped my recovery run last night as I had a race director's meetings and didn't get home until 20:30. I could probably use the extra day off to prepare for the 19 miler on Saturday.

It's a Beautiful Morning

2008-11-18T11:08:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure who sings the song but it just fit this morning. Although a little chilly, it was indeed beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, moon was bright, stars a plenty, and minimal traffic.

I was up at 0400 to try to make it out the door by 0430. I gathered my IPOD, sports drink, stocking cap, and gloves and set out for a 9 mile run. I wasn't sure where I would run so I just let my feet direct me. Come on... it's Chatham. I can't too lost.

The first few miles were pretty slow. I want to try to work on starting slow and picking it up in the middle to ending miles. The beginning of mile 2 was spent messing with my IPOD and miles 3 and 6.5 were stops for drinking. I turned it on at mile 6 clocking an 8:00 and miles 7, 8, & 9 were even faster. I ran mile 9 at 7:30. My average pace was 8:45. I told you the beginning was slow.

Last night, I rode the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and did some weights.

The End of Another Week

2008-11-17T12:47:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I ended the 9th week with a 9 mile pace run. It was a little cool but nothing like Saturday morning. I learned from Saturday and I toned down the layers. I was feeling REALLY sore from Saturday's run. My shins were in some definate pain. I think I am going to chicken out of the Frostbite Festival 10 mile run. I want to make sure I am injury free on Marathon day. My shins feel much better today but I don't want to risk it.

I strapped on the IPOD to get caught up on all my podcasts and headed out. The flat run was a welcome site. It was windy but it didn't seem to play a factor until I was heading home. Isn't that typically how it works??? I ran from the house to the interurban trail via a loop through the condo subdivision.

I felt like I struggled the entire run. I averaged about an 8:45 pace for the run picking it up the last 2-3 miles.

This week marked the half way point but I can't quite say it's all downhill from here since we have a 19 and 3 20 mile runs left.

To end the morning/ early afternoon, Cameron and I headed to the Convention Center to take in the Ansar Shrine Circus. I've always liked going to the circus. I can remember my grandma taking me to the Ringling Bros. circus as a kid.

Cutback #3

2008-11-15T18:56:00.002-06:00

Today was the third cutback in 9 weeks and it called for a 12 miler. The weather was less than terrible for this run. We started from Fit Club West at 0700 with rain, a lot of wind, and temps in the mid 30s. The Frostbite Festival is just around the corner so we decided to run the cours (10 miles) and add 2 miles.

The first 6 miles was against the wind. Couple that with the hills and the rain in the face and things could only get better for the 2nd 6. We clocked the first 6 at about 54 or 55 minutes. Once we made the turn-around and with the wind at our back, the pace increased slightly. And then once we started catching up with some of the Frost Toes, the pace increased even more. We finished in 1:45 meaning our last 6 was run about 5-6 minutes faster.

This is a very tough course with major hills. Couple that with a strong wind and possible freezing temps, this race might be one that I have to skip. Although, this will be cutback #4 so I may run it as a long run.

I have a 9 mile pace run scheduled for tomorrow. This will be a flat 9 miles... but compared to the course we ran today, I think any course would be flat.

800 X 7= Good Workout

2008-11-14T08:03:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was speed day and the menu called for 7 x 800 at my usual pace. This is the first set of 800's I will have done in 3 weeks so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We had to run a couple errands after work so I got started about 6:30.

As with all my speed workouts, I did a half mile warmup at 10:00 pace and started in on my 800's. The plan was to run each 800 in 3:20. I don't know about everyone else, but the first one is always the hardest for me. From there, the workout seemed "easy". I know easy is relative but I felt pretty comfortable for the remaining 6. I never found myself out of breath or struggling at all during the workout. I had to keep looking down at the panel to make sure I hadn't screwed anything up, it was going that good. I thought about 1 more at the end but had to remind myself that this was a cut back week. I finished the workout with a half mile cooldown at 10:00 pace for a total of 6 miles.

I guess today's workout is a sign that I might be getting stronger as a runner.

Today (Friday) is an off day and tomorrow will be a 12 mile run followed by a 9 mile pace run.

Recovery Wednesday

2008-11-13T08:20:00.002-06:00

4 miles on the treadmill @ 9:13 pace for a good recovery work-out.
Nothing crazy to report except it is going to be REAL cold this week-end. High of 35 on Saturday. Better dress warm!

Straight outta the wind/cold and into...

2008-11-11T12:41:00.002-06:00

I wish I could say something like a hot tub or an 88 degree swimming pool. But instead it was a run in the wind, cold, AND rain. I guess this is just a sampling of the things to come over the next several weeks. I can put up with about anything except RAIN!!!! #1 thing on my Christmas list... Rain suit.

I met Scott at 0545 at the Y today. As the alarm went off at 0430 and I awoke to the sound of rain, I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to today's run. In the back of my mind, I was hoping to hear the phone ring and Scott to tell me that he decided to stay in but that was not to be the case. I showed about five minutes early and much to my dismay, there was Scott with an enthusiastic wave. I added a 3rd upper layer grabbed my water and headed to the start area. Our Tuesday runs this week and next increase to 9 miles (from 8).

We set out with the wind at our back. After about a half mile, I was burning up. I was ready to start shedding layers but did not... and thank God I didn't. We ran from the Y through Washington Park to Fit Club west to Washington Street and back. We were against the wind on the way back and was very thankful I put on the extra layer. I actually had to put my gloves back on.

Our run was fast today. I think Scott was paying me back for something I did. Every time I looked down at my watch, it would read somewhere between 8:00-8:15 pace. We ended with an average of 8:33 because we stop and walk a few times while drinking. I was very pleased with today's run considering all the miles we have put in so far.

And last but not least, I'd like to say a speacial THANKS and GOD BLESS to all the veterans out there. Today is your day. Thank you for you have done past and present!!!!

Brrrrr

2008-11-10T08:16:00.002-06:00

That pretty much sums up my run yesterday. It was a descent run but pretty cold. I had the wind with me for the first mile so I knew I would be suffering the last mile. The middle miles had a stiff cross wind. With all the leaves falling along the trail, there is nothing to block the wind.

I set out about 0930 for an 8 mile run. I went with a long sleeve wicking shirt, a pull over, tights, stocking hat, gloves, and a bottle of water. My goal was to run it at a relatively slower pace. I did accomplish that averaging about a 9:00 pace. It was pretty quiet running. I think I saw about 4 other runners on the trail and a group of 5 cyclist hitting the dirt trails. I completed the run in about 1:12 with my legs feeling a tad depleted but overall good.

I totalled 44 miles for the week. Next week is a cutback week so our long run will only be 12 miles. I think we are going to run the Frostbite course and add a couple miles. This run will determine if I run the race or not on December 7th.

Best Run Yet

2008-11-08T18:56:00.002-06:00

As the title might suggest, today's 18 miler was my best long run so far. In looking back at the day, I believe I might have found a winning formula.

It started at 0500 when the alarm went off. I got up, ate a bowl of oatmeal, and had a cup of coffee. After getting into my cold weather gear, I sat and relaxed while reading the newspaper. I sipped on some water prior to heading out the door. On my way to the Y, I ate a banana. I was hoping this breakfast would be what I needed.

I met Scott, Mike, and Chris at the Y at 0700. Chris came up with the route for today and it was a nice change. My goal for the run was to stay hydrated and make sure I fueled correctly. I took along 4 gels. I was planning on the gels at 5, 10, & 15 miles. Scott made sure I stuck with that and it paid off. I also took 2 endurolytes at each hour of running.

The run went AWESOME as far as I was concerned. I didn't ever feel I was needing to fuel or that I was going to crash at any time. My endurance felt good and although tired, my legs felt just as good. I actually felt like I could have ran all day (slight exaggeration).

Mike took a little detour but I believe he ended up with either 16 or 17. Good job Mike!!! Today must have been one of those days???

We finished the 18 miles in 2:56 about 9:17 pace. I'm going to chalk this up as a good run and try to remember all the things I felt like I did right for our 19 miler in 2 weeks. Next week is a much needed cut-back week for me.

Although at 1900 I am feeling kind of tired, I need to start mentally preparing for my 8 miler tomorrow. I'm hoping for a nice easy pace.

Scott... Great job!!! I definately couldn't be doing this without your knowledge of endurance training. Your advice is helping me every step of the way. And I am actually going to take some water on my 8 miler tomorrow. :)

Up "Tempo" work-out

2008-11-07T10:54:00.003-06:00

I was feeling ok when I got up but throughout the day I was feeling like I was coming down with something. Maybe it was the cold front moving in or my body telling me it didn't want to run fast tonight. I didn't give in to the latter thoughts so I changed, did some stretching, and headed for the treadmill.

The work-out for the evening was a 5 mile tempo run. I started with a .5 mile warm-up and closed with a .5 cool down. The 5 mile run was at a 7:13 pace. I wasn't feeling that great while I was running. After a quick half lap breather at mile 2.5, I was off again. I felt very refreshed after the run. I think it was the huge amount of stir fry at lunch.

I completed the run in about 48 minutes. That's a long time to be on a treadmill!!!

Today is an easy day in preparation for my 18 miler tomorrow morning and an 8 miler on Sunday. That's a marathon spread over 2 days...Almost! :)

Easy Wednesday

2008-11-06T08:10:00.002-06:00

Last night was recovery night so I hopped on the treadmill for my 4 mile run. I set the pace at 9:31 and completed in about 38 minutes.

I took some time and reflected on the last 7 weeks of my training. Overall I am pleased with the way things have progressed. I've had the little aches and pains but nothing too crazy. My left foot is still achy from when I rolled it a couple of weeks ago.

I'm going through the normal tiredness associated with the amount of training. Fortunately, I have been able to get ample sleep.

Although we still have about 10 weeks left, we only have 5 more long runs... an 18, 19, and 3 twenties (maybe).

Double "Duty"

2008-11-05T08:35:00.002-06:00

On November 4th, it was our "duty" and/or right to get to the polls and cast a vote for our favorite candidate. Congrats to Mr. Obama and Good Luck! You spoke...the people listened... and now it is time to act.

My plan was to map an 8 mile running route by the polling place so I could knock 2 birds out with 1 stone. The route I chose had me at the polling place after about 2.5 miles. This worked out pretty well as I was in and out in no time, resuming my run. After Monday's weight and core training, I felt relatively good on my run. So good that I decided this would be a more up tempo run. I finished the 8 miles averaging a whopping 8:00 pace. When I arrived home, I felt like I could have run a couple more.

Redemption

2008-11-02T12:44:00.002-06:00

The good thing about having a bad run is that it makes you look forward to getting out the next day and redeeming yourself. That is exactly what I did today.

I headed out about 0830 after a Clif bar and some coffee. After yesterday's 17 miler, it took me a couple miles to get into the mood. But after that, things were smooth sailing. I was going to run today by feel and I felt really good. I finished 8 miles in 1:06.58 and a pace of 8:21. My splits were as follows: 8:44, 8:49, 8:35, 8:32, 8:12, 8:10, 8:02, & 7:51. I wish all my runs could feel this good.

I finished the week with a total of 43 miles.

Not Real Hot

2008-11-01T11:44:00.002-05:00

That describes both the weather today and how my run went. I understand not every run can be perfect but when I am the cause of the bad run, it bothers me. I have been telling myself from the get go that I was going to gel at every 5 miles but I have yet to do that. Today it bit me in the butt.

The plan was to start a little later, 0700, so we could sleep in just a little bit. I showed up a bit before 0700 and Mike and Chris were already there waiting. Scott arrived shortly after and we were off. I was sluggish the first couple of miles probably due to eating something too close to the start of the run. That is something that I need to find a happy median with and stick to it. At mile 7 we stopped to take a GU and grab a quick drink and we were off again. At mile 10 is where I think things started falling apart. I was SO looking forward to our stop at mile 12 in Colony West for a restroom and drink break. Scott and Chris took a GU and I passed. That was my huge mistake. Mile 13 is when it all fell apart. I looked down at my watch and I was running a 9:45 pace and feeling lethargic. I took a GU and a couple Endurolytes. I just wanted to survive the next mile until the energy level picked back up. I felt good from mile 14 on.

We finished 17 miles in approximately 2:45. Not my best run but I survived. Sometimes that is all you can ask out of yourself on given days. From here on out, I am sticking to the GUs every 5 miles and the endurolytes on the hour. Running is a constant lesson and today I learned a big one the hard way.

Thanks to Scott and Chris for their support. If I was flying solo, I probably would have walked quite a bit today. The power of the group!!!!

Nooner

2008-10-29T15:07:00.003-05:00

Get your mind out of the gutter!!! I was too lazy to get up this morning and I have plans after work tonight so I went home at lunch and ran my 4 recovery miles on the treadmill. I ran at 6.5 mph or a 9:13 pace.

My ankle is feeling better and better but I can still tell I did something to it. I'm trying to save a little for the week-end as I have to cover 25 miles on Saturday and Sunday.

I'm not ready for this

2008-10-28T11:20:00.002-05:00

As I was getting ready for my run last night, I laid out my tights, gloves, short sleeve shirt, and a long sleeve shirt. I am definately ready for the cold weather. It seems like we went straight from Summer to Winter.

I met Scott at 0555 at the Y for our 8 mile long run. When I got out of my car the temp read 29 degrees. We set out on the usual 8 mile course. I was holding back just a bit because I wasn't sure how my ankle was going to hold up. After the initial shock of the pounding on the road, it started feeling really good. We were running at a pretty good pace. After we stopped for some water at the fountains, we headed down Wiggins for 3 miles of hills. It was tough getting started as my ankle/foot tightened up fast but quickly loosened again.

After a quick stop for water, we headed for the finish. As the sun was rising, both Scott and I could feel the temp dropping and the frost was starting to appear. As we were running down Scarrett, I asked if we had slowed the pace. Scott laughed and said that we had picked up the pace since we crossed MacArthur. That's my mistake. For some reason I get this burst of energy toward the end of the run. Where was that at the Allerton Trail Race???

We finished with 8 miles under our belts on a chilly morning. Our time was around 1:09. I bet if I look at the laps, we were pretty close to on pace or slightly negative splits.

Great run Scott!!! I think we are well on our way. The next 5 weeks are going to be crucial ( 17, 18, 12, 19, 20 milers) for me so I am going to be relying on your expertise. I'll have my gels ready and plenty of fluids.

Allerton Park 5.5 mile Trail Run

2008-10-27T08:23:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, I ran the Allerton Park 5.5 mile Trail run. It had rained quite heavily a few days prior to the race so I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into. I met my dad and one of his friends @ 0715 and we headed over to Monticello. We arrived at about 0815 with plenty of time to get our numbers, shirts, stretch, and a quick warm-up. The weather was a little chilly at start time (0900) but I knew I would be fine after a half mile. With my marathon training going so well, I was a little scared about the ground conditions. I didn't want to compromise my training by rolling an ankle or something like that.

The race starts by the visitor center (high ground). About .25 miles into the race, you head down a hill toward the river flats. The course was extremely muddy on the flats. I knew I was in for a long, wet, and muddy run when at about mile .5, there was a little creek that you had to go through with both feet. The rain the previous days had caused some minor flooding. It stayed pretty flat with some slight hills until the big one. I guess it was a .5 mile pretty steep up hill to the Sun god statue. After a brief round-about, we headed back down the hill with a quick left at the bottom. This next section is where we encountered most of the hills that was taking us back to the upper ground to the finish line and this is where I encountered my worst fear. Somewhere between mile 4 and 5 I rolled my ankle... BAD. I had rolled it earlier in the race but nothing too crazy. Initially, it hurt but that quickly went away and all felt ok until I got home. After 3 sets of stairs (about 8 each) and a little run through the Chinese Garden, we had about .5 miles left. You hit the meadow and in front of you are 2 steep uphills. I got passed by 3 people on this section of the course.

I crossed the finish line in 41.58.6 (7:38 pace). I finished 30th overall, 5th in my age group. No quite what I had expected time wise but I'll chalk this race up to experience. I will definately do this and other trail runs, just not while I'm in marathon training.

So I got home, unpacked my bags, cleaned my shoes and talked to Kristi about what the plan for the afternoon was. After much discussion, we decided to run some errands and head to the grocery store. While she was getting ready, I stretched for a bit. This is when I noticed my ankle beginning to throb. I thought, "Scott is going to kill me if I injured myself and would need to miss some running". I thought that maybe it was a little pain that would go away but it never did. I was having a harder and harder time walking on it. I took a shower, got ready, and out the door we went. After a while of not being able to walk on it at all, I had Kristi take me home. I immediately hopped into bed, grabbed the frozen veggie bag out of the freezer and started icing it. I was really bummed. I didn't want to miss any of my upcoming training runs.

So after ice, a wrap, and sleeping with it elevated, I woke feeling great. It was a little tender but I think I can manage my run for Tuesday. I wrapped it before I came to work for extra stability and when I get home, I may just hop in my chair and ice it again.

Tempo Training

2008-10-24T08:18:00.002-05:00

Up until about 6 month ago, I didn't include any temp training into my weekly mileage. I thought that if I just did 400's or 800's that it would be good enough. Boy was I wrong. When I started adding tempo training, my times really went down. It is definately a harder workout but if you want to run fast, you have to train fast. From what I have gathered, my tempo run should be a little slower than my 10K pace for marathon training. My last 10K was run at 7:00 pace so my tempo runs are going to be a 7:13 pace.

Tempo runs can be accomplished n a number of different way. I have chosen to do a steady state tempo run where I keep the same pace for a longer period of time.

Last night I was to run 4.5 miles at tempo pace. I listened to an episode of "This American Life" podcast while running. This seemed to make the time go by faster on the treadmill. I started with a nice slow .5 mile warm up and finished with the same cool down. I totaled 5.5 miles. I don't recall the time but I felt really good after the run.

Recovery Run

2008-10-23T08:06:00.002-05:00

Last night was recovery night. I headed for the treadmill for my 3 mile EASY run. I set the pace at 9:13 and was off. After the run, I hit the weights for a quick set and did 2 sets of my core work. Nothing crazy to report.

What was I thinking...

2008-10-21T09:28:00.002-05:00

That was the question I was asking myself at 0355 when my alarm went off. Kristi and I are taking her mom to dinner tonight for her birthday so I needed to get my run in this morning. Because I have my kids, I needed to be home around 0530.

I headed out the door at 0420 for an 8 mile run. It was real dark, real foggy, and real quiet. Kind of an erie feeling when Halloween is right around the corner. I ran through the streets of Chatham. I might of encountered a half dozen cars along my route. I hadn't researched an 8 mile route so I was winging it. I finished in 1:10 and hit my driveway right at 8 miles.

Last night I did my normal Monday after work routine. Weights, bike, and core.

What a week-end!

2008-10-20T08:53:00.002-05:00

The week-end started at 0500 on Saturday morning. I was to meet Scott, Chris, and Mike at the Y for our 16 miler. I was feeling a little nervous because this was going to be my longest run... EVER. I fueled up with some coffee and toast with Jelly, stretched a bit and was off to the Y. All week I tried to make sure I fueled correctly so I wouldn't crash.

Our plan to run the "Big Loop" (13 miles) and incorporate the "Art Run" (3 miles). It was a bit chilly when we started but I warmed up after the first couple miles. The run went real well for me. I felt pretty strong most of the run... Hungry but strong. I took 2 gels, 1 at around mile 7 or 8 and 1 at mile 12. Those helped with the hunger for a bit. I was feeling a little "weird" around mile 16 but we only had .5 miles to go. We finished in a time of roughly 2:30 averaging 9:08 pace. I was stoked at the conclusion of the run and am looking forward to that feeling after our 18 miler in 3 weeks.

On Sunday, I slept in a bit until 0830. I made some coffee, had some toast, and read the paper till 1000. I set out for a 7 miler. It was not scheduled to be a pace run. I ran the first 3.5 miles at around 9:30 pace but finished averaging 8:43 and feeling strong.

For the week-end, I totaled 23.5 miles and ended up with 39.5 miles for the week. This week is a cut-back week and I will be cutting back a lot. I have the Allerton Trail 5.5 mile race scheduled for Sunday so I am going to rest Friday and Saturday which means no real long run this week-end.

Speed Day

2008-10-17T08:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a speed day and the plan was do 5 x 800 woth a 400 recovery. I had zero motivation for some reason so it was chore just to hop on the treadmill.

I started with a 1 mile warm-up. After the 1st lap, I was feeling pretty good and was getting psyched for the 800's. The plan for the 800's was to run them at a 3:20 pace and if I needed to, lower the speed to how I felt. I ended up running all 5 at 3:20 and finished up with a .5 mile cool down for a total of 5 miles. Not bad considering how I initially felt.

Friday will be a rest day in preparation for my first ever 16 miler. Wish me luck!!!

An easy 3

2008-10-15T10:47:00.002-05:00

Nothing crazy this morning as I woke at 0530 to get 3 easy miles in. We have plans after work tonight so I thought I better get it in because who knows what is going to happen.

I hopped on the treadmill at 0540 and set the speed at 6 MPH (10:00 pace).

I'm glad I kicked myself out of bed this morning after hitting snooze twice. Although slow, the recovery runs I have found to be very beneficial.

A Hilly 8

2008-10-14T10:54:00.002-05:00

Today, we increased our mid week long run to 8 miles. I believe that is mileage for the next 3 weeks. As the distance gets longer, our start times will be earlier. The plan was to meet at the Y at 0555. I was early (0545) and I was walking up to do some stretching and wait for Scott, he appeared from out of the Y. Scott did some light stretching and we were off... early.

I came up with the run for today and it is one of my favorites. The middle 3 miles are hills, hills, and more hills. Nothing crazy but you do get kind of tired of them. We headed to the park from the Y. After a half loop, we caught Wiggins and ran the "Art Course" (hills). The Art Course is about a 3 mile loop from the picnic shelter at Washington Park. You head out Wiggins, cross Outer Park, run around the neighborhood, take Outer Park to Illini to Leland to Wiggins and back into the park. It is a GREAT run and will definately build strength.

We totalled 8 miles for the morning pushing about an 8:20 pace. After we finished, Scott ran off the splits and we were almost negative with the exception of 2 of the miles and those were only off by a couple seconds.

Last night was cross training where I completed 45 minutes on the recumbent bike, 2 sets of my weights routine, and some stomach work.

Koke Mill Trail

2008-10-13T08:04:00.002-05:00

I headed out about 1030 to the Koke Mill Trail for what I thought would be an easy 6 miles. Boy was I wrong. This was my first attempt at running a trail but it won't be my last. It was really cool. It's about a single file trail that winds and weaves with plenty of ups and downs. It was not an easy run for me after coming off of 14 miles the previous day.

I am planning on running Allerton Park Trail race so I wanted to get a feel for trail running. I think there are a few general rules you should know before attempting to run any trail for the first time.

1. You have to balance the looking up and looking down.
2. You have to be decisive when approaching 2 paths.
3. If you can, run 1 lap clockwise and the next counter clockwise
4. Wear a hat
5. Be extremely careful. This a lot of debris that can cause some major damage if you're not careful.

I was a little uneasy on the first lap because I wasn't sure what to expect, where the trail went, if my shoes had enough traction, etc. After lap one, I kind of got into a groove. I had a good idea of how the course ran so I sped up a bit. After lap two, I headed to the water fountain just up from the entrance to quench my thirst. I headed back in for 2 more laps and finished up with a sprint from the entrance to the far end parking lot.

I had plans of running 5 laps but it was extremely warm running under the cover of the trees so after 4 laps and a total distance of 5.75 miles, I called it quits. My legged were completely drained.

I will definately run this trail again.

Lincoln Memorial Half...and 1

2008-10-11T09:37:00.002-05:00

The alarm went off at 0415 and after 1 snooze, I rolled out of bed. I fixed a small breakfats consisting of oatmeal, a banana, and a cup of coffee. The plan for our 14 mile long run today was to meet at the Y and run the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon course with an extra mile.

We were joined on our run today by one of Scott's friends, Chris. He is typically much faster than us but Scott told him we were going to be running at around a 9:15 and he was ok with that.

It was a WONDERFUL morning for a run. The weather was perfect. Maybe that's why the run seemed to go as fast and as well as it did. This was my 2nd time running the Lincoln Memorial course. It is a challenging course but VERY nice.

We finished the run averaging a pace of 9:05...just about where we wanted to be at. We ran the last 4 miles somewhere between 8:45-9:00. It is always nice to finish a run strong like that.

Good Bye 7

2008-10-10T08:43:00.002-05:00

Last night after work I drove to Lincoln Park for my last 7 miler. Next week, the mid-week Tuesday run increases to 8 miles.

I arrived at Lincoln Park @ 1730 to a temp of 65 with a nice breeze. What a GREAT night for running. If the weather sounds good, my run was even better. I wanted to get some hills into my run so I decided to run Abe's Amble course and add a little extra for a total of 7. I started at Nelson Center and headed to the cemetary. The leaves are starting to change and the cementary was beautiful. I must have gotten lost in the moment because I looked at my Garmin at mile 2 and it said I was averaging 8:00 miles. I felt AWESOME!!! I did slow down a bit the next couple (8:15 -8:22 pace) before picking it back up the last 3. It was funny as I approached the fairgrounds. I'm so used to seeing it during fair season, that it felt kind of wierd running with nothing around. I finished the run up in Lincoln Park by going down the hill to the lagoon and back up the big hill. My last mile was 7:42. I felt like I could have ran forever but then quickly thought I should save it for our 14 miler this week-end.

I ended the run with 7 miles at a pace of 8:06 and 7 hills.

Decisions, Decisions

2008-10-08T08:22:00.002-05:00

I was scheduled for a 7 miler after work but as I walked out the door from work it was raining. Not hard...yet. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. Would I brave the elements and try to run outside or do I hop on the treadmill and do either a tempo, interval, or hill work-out. The rain was only supposed to last 1 day so I would get my 7 miler in on Thursday.

As I entered my subdivision, 2 women were dressed in there raini attire running outside (You go girls!!!). THIS was not going to make my decision any easier. If they were braving the elements, then I could too. After much thought, I didn't want to risk getting sick by running outside so now I was left to decide on which work-out I was going to do on the treadmill.

I resorted to a tempo run. I started with a .5 mile warm-up, 4 miles at tempo pace (7:13 pace), and a .5 mile cool down. My average over the 5 miles was 7:48/ mile.

I'm glad I decided to stay in and do some speed work. I have a race scheduled for October 26th that I need to get ready for.

Cross Train Mondays

2008-10-07T11:15:00.002-05:00

Mondays are becoming monotonous. After dinner, I did some stretching and headed to the recumbent bike for 45 minutes of cross training. While riding, I listened to an episode of This American Life podcast. This is a great podcast. They have a title and then the stories relate to the title. The title of the one I was listening to was "Something for Nothing" and it was probably the best I have listened to.

I hit the weights after biking. I did a couple of sets of 20 reps each, worked the core a bit, and hit the sack.

Tonight I have a 7 miler to do after work. I didn't sleep well last night so tonight might be a pretty easy run.

End of Week 3

2008-10-05T16:44:00.002-05:00

Today I concluded week 3 with a 6 mile run. I was feeling really good considering yesterday Scott and I ran 8 miles for our LSD for the week. It was our first cut-back week which means our long miles were dropped back a bit.

Scott met me for a run around Chatham. We totalled a little over 8 miles in 1:12. Our pace was probably a little faster than our typical long run pace but I think we were both feeling pretty good.

For my 6 miles today, I averaged an 8:36 pace in 51:41 running the last mile at a faster pace to work on my finishing. I know that probably sounds a bit faster than I should be running but I have decided to run the Allerton Park 5.5 mile trail run in 3 weeks. I know my competetive side will show up and I want this to be a quality race for me.

The next couple of week, our long runs will be 14 and 16 and this is where we need to watch our pace a little more closely.

As of today, I'm still feeling pretty good and am taking each day in stride (no pun intended) and trying not to look too far in advance.