Running in Tampa

Weekly Summary 11/7/2010

2010-11-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

I’ve neglected my updates over that last month or since my Chicago debacle. Over the past few weeks I’ve focused more on my speed then trying to run as many miles as possible. I wanted to get in more long runs but have only managed 2 since Chicago. I did top 15 miles on Sunday though and felt pretty good after the run.

Overall my body has held up pretty good. Outside of a few aches and pains (left heel and right knee) my legs feel fresh and ready to run.

I have topped 50 miles over each of the last 3 weeks. I may hit 50 again this week but my target is closer to the low 40’s. I would like to get in 2 medium runs, 1 long run and short and easy the rest of the week.

As of right now I feel like I’m ready for a good race in Philly if the weather holds out that is. The lows have been in the 30’s so hopefully it stays that way. Either way I’m looking forward to my last marathon of the year.

2 weeks until Philadelphia

Weekly Summary 9/26/2010

2010-09-27T09:20:00.000-04:00

I had a pretty good taper week last week. I got in some solid medium runs and ran a good 15k on Saturday (considering the very humid conditions).

My goal this week is to keep the mileage in the 40-50 range with maybe a couple of mediums and nothing over 8. I just need to keep the fitness up without wearing myself out too much. Getting very excited about Chicago now. Its way to early to predict the weather but the temps are starting to get cooler.

2 weeks until Chicago

Weekly Summary 9/19/2010

2010-09-20T07:13:00.000-04:00

Overall it was a pretty good training week in that I kept the mileage down (54 miles) and managed to get in a couple of medium runs. The body feels good outside of some soreness in the left heel and right upper leg but nothing that is affecting my running.

This week’s plan is to run Mon-Wed with 2-3 medium runs as I get ready for Saturdays 15k. I’ll take Thus-Fri off to give myself a little recovery time. Sundays run will be based on how I feel.
It’s been too long since my last race. I can’t wait until Saturday and I’m starting to get really excited about Chicago.

3 weeks until Chicago

Weekly Summary 9/12/2010

2010-09-13T07:43:00.000-04:00

In my last big week before Chicago, I managed to top 70 miles. That 3 out of 4 weeks now. I think the fatigue is starting to get the best of me now. I have been experiencing a strange occurrence with my right leg during some runs over the last 2 weeks. I get these brief moments where everything mid calf and below seems to lose all strength. I almost expect the leg to give out as it strikes the ground but that hasn’t happened. With four weeks to go I am ready to start tapering.

Other than the fatigue, everything else seems to be fine. My left heel is a little tender which is similar to what I experienced last year but my knees and hamstrings seem to be holding up pretty well.

I registered for the 15k in Orlando on 9/25. I don’t expect to run for a PR but it should be a good training run if nothing else and I’m really antsy to race again.

My plan this week is to keep the mileage under 60 (low 50s would be ideal) a couple of easy days (3-4) with a 1-2 long runs and 1 medium.

4 weeks until Chicago

Weekly Summary 8/29/2010

2010-08-31T08:11:00.000-04:00

3 straight 70+ weeks and I’m on pace for my first 300+ month.

Overall I’m holding up ok but definitely feel like I’m starting to breakdown. No major aches or pains but more of a nagging fatigue. After I put in the miles to pass 300 I’ll probably back off a little this week and give my body a chance to rest (although I’m really not sure what backing off is at this point).

I’m still fighting the battle of the runs. Some days are ok but others I have trouble making it 3-4 miles without stopping. Imodium helps for a day or two but after that I back to having trouble again. I’m just hoping it’s my body trying to deal with the higher mileage and eventually it will go away. If not then it will be an interesting marathon next month.

This week’s plan is to get in the miles on mon-tues to top 300 and then keep the rest of my runs at 1 hour.
At this point I’m still planning on running the Orlando 15k on 9/25.

6 weeks until Chicago

Weekly summary 8/22/2010

2010-08-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

That’s 2 straight 70+ mile weeks. So much for an easier week.

I still tend to feel a little sluggish for the first 2 miles of a run but after that I only seem to get stronger. I’ve hit a crossroads on how I want to approach the rest of my training. I can try to get in as many 10-12 mile runs a week or run 7-8 everyday with a 15-20 once a week. Yesterday (Sunday) I felt that I could have passed 15 pretty easy but wasn’t sure if it would be worth it if I had to go light for 2-3 days just to recover. I don’t think I have to make that decision now or even or even have to pick one way over the other.

Overall my body feels great. I’m still battling the “runs” but it’s not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. My right ankle also gets weak (unstable) later in the long runs. I may need to work making it stronger but I haven’t found a whole lot on line.

For this week my plan is to get in at least 4 long runs and see if I can top 11 for 3 of them. If I do that I should be around 70 for the week again. That will put me around 290 for the month which would easily top my current month high of 272.

7 weeks until Chicago

Weekly summary 8/15/2010

2010-08-16T11:05:00.001-04:00

It's so nice to be running injury free. With all of the problems I had in the first 6 months it makes me really appreciate where I am now.

I accomplished all of my goals last week. My miles ended up in the mid 70s for my 3rd highest weekly total and I had 3 long runs including a 13+ on Saturday.

I’m due for an easy day so Monday is as good as any. As for the rest of the week, I would like to get in another 3 long runs and get the mileage in the mid 60s.

8 weeks until Chicago

Weekly Summary 8/8/2010

2010-08-09T07:14:00.000-04:00

The vacation shortened weeks are over and now it’s time to get back to some serious training. Although I did manage to get my miles into the mid 50s this week, I need to get back into the 60-70 range for the next 6 weeks.

I’ve done a good job at avoiding the aches and pains but overcoming the overall fatigue has been a real struggle this week. Right now, I’m going with the assumption that I need more sleep. I have been getting around 7 hours but it should probably be closer to 8.5. I have cut back on eating and in the process lost 5lbs so I the extra sleep doesn’t give me more energy I may need to start eating a little more. Currently my morning weight is at 161. I would still like to lose a few more pounds but that’s only if it doesn’t come with negative consequences.

For this week I really need to get some long runs in (none last week). If I can get the week miles to 65 with at least 3 long runs, I’ll call it a success.

9 weeks until Chicago

Weekly Summary 7/25/2010

2010-07-26T07:38:00.000-04:00

Another productive training week of 60+ miles. Once again I managed to run every day and also topped 10 miles on 3 of the runs. Outside of being a little run down my legs feel great. I even managed to lose a few pounds by increasing the mileage and cutting back on the unnecessary calories. I’m consistently staying under 164 now (dipping under 160 after long runs). Ideally I would like to get down to 160 but I’m not going to do anything drastic to get there.

I’m heading out of town for a long weekend this week so my streaks of 50+ days of running and six 50+ mpw will come to an end. This is probably a good time for a little rest anyways. When I get back I need to get in a couple of solid training months before Chicago.

Weekly Summary 7/18/2010

2010-07-19T08:58:00.001-04:00

My last 2 weeks have been very production training weeks. I topped 65 miles each week and managed at leaset 2 long runs. Saturday I ran 13 miles and was still in good enough shape to get in 2 runs on Sunday. I’m a little tired for overall my body is handling the extra miles just fine. Hitting the weights seemed to fix that IT Band injury. I just have to make sure that I don’t slack on the lifting as I start increasing the mileage.

I want to keep up the daily runs (streak now stands at 43 straight days) until my NYC trip at the end of the month. My schedule is pretty clear so I shouldn’t have to resort to doubles to get the miles in. I would like to get in 3-4 long runs this week with another 2 next week (on 4 training days). This would give my around 260 miles this month making it my 2nd highest monthly total.

As August starts I will have 10 weeks of marathon training until Chicago. During those first 7-8 weeks I would like to get in at least 60 mpw and get into the 75-80 range every other week. I would also like to get in a 15+ mile run every week.

Weekly Summary 7/4/2010

2010-07-05T16:57:00.000-04:00

Weekly total: 55

After battling a string of injuries and one disaster of a marathon, I have finally put together 3 solid weeks of training. Not to jinx myself but I think that I’m ready to start pushing a little harder as I move into my marathon training.

My focus for the next 3 months is on increasing the mileage. I would like my weekly average to be in the mid 60s and peak around 80. I need to slow the pace down though. 1 or 2 sub 7:30 runs is ok but most of the rest need to be in the 8-8:30 range.

My last 3 weeks have been in the mid 50s. This week I would like to at least top 60.

Boston Marathon

2010-04-25T11:50:00.003-04:00

Time: 4:21:43
Overall: 18685 out of 23126 starters (22629 finishers)
I’ve put this off long enough. Here is my miserable recap of the Boston Marathon.

If I was really honest with myself, I knew this wasn’t going to be a good race for me. Since Disney my training has been spotty at best and the IT band issues in my right leg have only gotten worse. Still I thought (or hoped) that my endurance wouldn’t have dropped too much and I would be able to run through any discomfort from the leg. Well, so much for hoping.

Everything went pretty smoothly prior to the race. It was a little chilly but I brought enough clothes this time. I also did a pretty good job of avoiding long toilet lines. I felt pretty good in the start corrals. My legs were loose and my knee and hip felt fine. This year it took a little over 10 minutes to reach the start line. After that it was pretty slow moving. I did the same as last year and tried to move around the slow runners so I could try to work into a steady pace. I knew that I was going out a little too fast but I did that last year too and everything worked out.

The pack started thinning out a little by the 3 mile marker. When we hit the 5k marker my time was 23. I had to check my watch again because I couldn’t believe that I went out that fast. I tried to back off to a 8-8:10 pace but every time I looked at my watch I was still around 7:40. I hit the 10k mark in 47 minutes, still way too fast. At this point I knew that I was in for a long day. My leg was fine but I was already getting tired. I tried to back off some more but still hit the 15k marker in 1:12:21. By the half way point I was still near 3:30 pace but was nearly out of gas. I knew at this point I would be walking the hills.

Somewhere around 15 my hip starting acting up. I did a little walking prior to the fire station but there was no way I was going to run up the hills. After the first (of 3 Newton Hills) I started running again but the hip was really starting to hurt. Whenever I pushed off I felt a sharp pain. It wasn’t a problem going downhill so I was able to run those parts ok. I ended up running downhills, walk/run flats and walking hills until mile 21 (top of heartbreak). At the point I was totally exhausted and the pain was really getting bad. From there on out I walked everything that wasn’t downhill. I did manage to run the last stretch on Boylston St to the finish line.

This was really a worst case scenario. It was a painful experience to walk through the crowds and be passed by people that started a half hour after I did. I am glad that I stuck it out and finished though. I’ll be back to Boston next year in what will most certainly be a better experience.

Boston Weather

2010-04-16T06:57:00.004-04:00

I had an hour long leg message yesterday. Hopefully that is all I needed to relieve that pull I was feeling on my knee. My leg feels much better this morning. I just need to keep stretching every day. A little cardio today and lots of walking when I get to Boston should be enough to keeps my legs loose.

On the weather front, the forecast for race day keeps getting cooler. But now the chance of rain has jumped to 30%. There is probably always a chance of rain so I’m not going to worry about 30% too much. But the latest forecast is starting to look a lot like it was last year which was as close to ideal as you can get.

1 more day until I head to Boston and 3 more days before the race. I really getting excited now too bad I still need to get through a day of work.

Weekly Summary 4/11/2010

2010-04-12T07:28:00.000-04:00

Weekly total: 21.3
Tuesday: 5.2
Wednesday: 4.37
Thursday: 5.28
Saturday: 6.41
Average pace: 8:06

Limping into another marathon. I finally hit a point this week where I felt that any more running before the race would be counterproductive. My knee feels ok while running but it’s so sore afterwards that I find myself limping for hours after the run. I just need to stop running and let whatever is wrong a chance to heal. This knee pain seems to be different than my past runners knee pains though. I’ve looked at a few articles that might suggest this is the result of a tight IT band and I’m just feeling it just below my knee.

My plan this week is to stretch every day and either walk or ride the stationary bike to keep things loose and at least maintain a little fitness.

1 week until Boston

Weekly Summary 4/4/2010

2010-04-12T07:11:00.000-04:00

Weekly total: 50.3
Monday: 5.31
Tuesday: 7.86
Wednesday: 8.02
Thursday: 7.28
Friday: 6.05
Saturday: 7.62
Sunday: 8.19
Average pace: 8:10

2 weeks until Boston

Weekly summary 3/28/2010

2010-03-28T20:14:00.000-04:00

Weekly total: 60.8
Monday: 4.5
Tuesday: 8.12
Wednesday: 9.21
Thursday: 7.39
Friday: 8.03
Saturday: 8.34
Sunday: 15.25
Average pace: 8:09

Overall a pretty good week not only topping 60 but has a solid 15+ mile run on Sunday. My little injuries are healing but I need to be careful to not push it too much.

My plan this week is to keep running every day and try to get a couple of 10 mile runs in. Another 55-60 mile week would be ideal because next week I need to start tapering.

3 weeks until Boston

Weekly summary 3/21/2010

2010-03-22T18:30:00.002-04:00

Weekly total: 55.3
Monday: 5.49
Tuesday: 7.67
Wednesday: 8.5
Thursday: 7.27
Friday: 7.73
Saturday: 8.35
Sunday: 10.3
Average pace: 8:15

My first 50+ mile week in a while. It seems like my little nagging injuries are starting to heal. I have a feeling that my worn out running shoes might have had a little to do with it. That and not running with inserts.

My goals this week is to run every day, keep the pace around 8 and top 50 miles. I have 3 more training weeks until Boston. If I can put in 2 strong weeks before tapering I should be in position for a PR if the weather cooperates.

4 weeks until Boston

Boston Marathon #12291

2010-03-18T21:26:00.001-04:00

Boston Marathon numbers were just posted. This year I’m #12291, a little better than last year’s 12354 but still in the same corral. 4 weeks from Monday, I can’t wait to get back to Boston.

Weekly Summary 3/14/2010

2010-03-15T08:09:00.001-04:00

Weekly total: 24.0
Tuesday: 7.53
Thursday: 6.23
Sunday: 10.2
Average pace: 7:52

Those nagging injuries finally built up to a point where I needed to take some time off. I had a pretty good run on Tuesday but my next run on Thursday was a real struggle and my legs were to tight a sore after that I decided that taking a couple of days off was better than trying to run through it. By Friday I also accepted the fact that racing on Sunday was not a good idea.

My plan on Sundays run was to just go slow and see how long I could keep it going. I was actually shocked that I made it 10 miles. I was pushing it a little at the end but I felt fine after the run (after icing down the knee) and on Monday morning my legs feel pretty good. I may have been running a little too hard so my plan for the next few weeks is to just work on slow long runs. I have 4 training weeks until Boston if I can keep myself from pushing the pace too hard I should be able to manage 50-60 mile weeks.

5 weeks until Boston

Weekly summary 3/7/2010

2010-03-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Weekly total: 31.9
Thursday: 8.57
Friday: 8.24
Saturday: 8.54
Sunday: 6.56
Average pace: 7:47

My schedule kept me from running Mon-Wed but that was probably a good thing since my knee was pretty sore after Sunday’s race. My knee wasn’t too bad once I started running but my right hamstring is really tight. It’s been like this before so I think that it’s something that I can run through. My plan this week is to run every day. There is a 5k that I want to run on Sunday but I’ll wait and see how I feel on Friday before I decide to do it or not.

Gasparilla Half Marathon

2010-03-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

Time: 1:35:36
Overall: 165 out of 3901
Age Group: 16 out of 219

After Disney my training never really got back on track so although I’m disappointed in the results they aren’t surprising.

It was really nice to walk to a race start. Unlike last year, I left myself with plenty of time to hit the toilets before getting to the start. It was a chilly morning but with a long sleeve tech shirt and a sweatshirt I wasn’t too cold. I was able to get close to the start line which meant less bobbing and weaving at the start. The roads were a little congested but I still kept a steady pace over the Davis Island Bridge which was a first. Even with all of that I still started with a quite slow 7:19.

My goal going in was to run 7 minute miles. If I had a slower mile I wouldn’t try to make that up on the next. With that in mind I ran my next 2 miles a 7:00 pace. Although I felt good I had the feeling that I was pressing it too much. Listening to this ‘Marathon Voice’ resulted in my pace slowing which I never recovered from but more on that later.

An interesting thing happened just before mile 4. A police car was driving down a side street, drove onto the course and blocked a street that everyone was turning on. A lady quickly got out of the car and told the runners that they were turning on the wrong street. I was 7th in the group that was directed toward the correct route. We joked that we were now the race leaders. It was shorted lived though because after our turn we saw the front running were back on course by the time we reached them we fell in right behind so nothing gained or lost.

There were nice crowds through miles 6 and 7 but the bridges and tight turns forced my pace to slow even more I was able to pick the pace up a little for mile 8 but I struggled with miles 9-12 with each over 7:20. Mile 13 I gave a conservative “all I had left” and managed to get it under 7:10. There was a really nice crowd at the finish and I ran hard but nothing close to an all out.

Overall I was a little disappointed with my performance. It wasn’t unexpected but I know that I could have and should have done better.

Weekly Summary 2/28/2010

2010-03-01T07:41:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 45.7
Tuesday: 8.63
Wednesday: 8.35
Thursday: 8.58
Saturday: 3.5
Sunday: 13.1, 3.5
Average pace: 7:57

A pretty good training week for being a race week. I finally started to get into a rhythm with my Tues-Thurs runs. If only this could have happened a couple weeks ago my race on Sunday might have been better. I have a few races on my calendar between now and Boston but my focus now needs to be getting ready for Boston. If these races are going to have a negative impact on my training then I need to skip them. There is a 5k race on Saturday which I don’t expect to be ready for so I’ll probably pass on that.

I don’t have any training plan this week. Mon-Wed are going to tough to get in a run so that leaves Thurs-Sun which is probably a good thing since my knee is bothering me a little. My focus for the next 6 weeks is trying to run every day with the exception of a day off before a race.

Weekly Summary 2/21/2010

2010-02-22T07:22:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 43.0
Wednesday: 8.17
Thursday: 8.6
Friday: 6.31
Saturday: 8.14, 3.68
Sunday: 8.1
Average pace: 7:59

This was really a difficult training week. My hamstrings were tight my knee was sore and I had no energy. Ron got out of the hospital on Tuesday so I wasn’t able to run until Wednesday. Everyday seemed to be a struggle. It would take me a mile to loosen up my hamstrings and another 2 miles before I could comfortably run a decent pace. I’m not sure what’s going on with me but getting more sleep would be a good start in trying to fix it.

Needless to say, I don’t feel ready for Sunday’s half marathon. I was hoping to beat my PR by 2+ minutes but now I’m thinking that anything under 1:40 might be an accomplishment. My plan this week is to try and get in three 8 mile runs on Tues-Thurs and take Fri-Sat off.

Weekly Summary 2/14/2010

2010-02-16T12:54:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 43.8
Tuesday: 8.05
Wednesday: 8.29
Thursday: 10.21
Saturday: 10.06
Sunday: 7.16
Average pace: 7:48

Ron being in the hospital cut into my training a little but overall it was a productive training week. I would like to have run a few more miles but I kept a good pace on each run and even managed 2 long runs.

My plan this week is more of the same except I would like to top 50 miles.

Weekly Summary 2/7/2010

2010-02-09T06:52:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 21.5
Tuesday: 6.43
Thursday: 8.06
Sunday: 7.06
Average pace: 7:43

Another pathetic training week. It’s a little difficult to run when something is going on almost every day. On a positive note, my knee feels much better now. This week is pretty open so maybe I can get into a regular training routine.

Chicago Marathon registration opens

2010-02-01T13:53:00.001-05:00

The Chicago Marathon registration opened today. I decided to register right away since marathons have been filling up in record time lately. So with my registration and B corral placement secure, I just need to wait another 8.5 months for the race.

Weekly Summary 1/31/2010

2010-02-01T13:48:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 25.5
Monday: 5.47
Tuesday: 6.43
Thursday: 7.1
Friday: 6.21
Average pace: 7:47

Seasonal allergies suck. That along with my knee still being a little sore led to only 4 days of running and a measly 25.5 miles.

Weekly Summary 1/24/2010

2010-01-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

Weekly total: 33.2
Tuesday: 6.16
Wednesday: 7.61
Thursday: 5.66
Saturday: 8.29
Sunday: 5.52
Average pace: 7:57

Weekly Summary 1/17/2010

2010-01-18T13:37:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 28.0
Tuesday: 4.04
Wednesday: 4.64
Thursday: 6.53
Saturday: 5.5
Sunday: 7.31
Average pace: 9:04

I never pushed the pace too hard at WPB which allowed me to follow that up with a pretty normal training week. It takes a little longer to recover after running a hard marathon. My knee was too sore to walk let alone run on Monday. Tuesday it improved enough for me to bike and walk a little. By Wednesday I was ready to start some easy runs. By Sunday I felt pretty good (still nowhere near normal) but 1 hour was long enough.

I decided not to run the Miami Half marathon at the end of the month so I have plenty of time to slowly get back into my routine without pushing it too much. My next race now isn’t until the end of February.

My only goal this week is to run every day. I would like to get in 1 hour runs but I’ll cut the run short if I feel that I’m pushing it too much. Hopefully by next week I’ll be able to get back into a normal training routine.

Disney World Marathon

2010-01-12T13:18:00.002-05:00

Time: 3:29:55
Overall: 547 out of 16883
Age group: 59 out of 1183

On a day that few things seemed to go right I managed a PR and got my 2011 BQ.

More than a week out I knew that race day was going to be cold. It hit the lowest forecast numbers with a race start temp of 28. Throw in the wind and the temps felt like the high teens. Ideal race temps for me would be around 40. 28 was a little cold but I’ll take that over the 60+ that I have been racing in.

I didn’t get a good night sleep. I dozed off in the late afternoon and woke up around 8pm (which was when I wanted to go to sleep). I laid in bed until 10:30 when I fell asleep again. I woke up again a few times before I decided to get up at 3am. Breakfast, shower, stretching, bathroom and I was out the door a little after 4. I had over 1.5 hours until my 5:40 race start which from past experience was more than enough time to get to Epcot, park, hit the toilets and get to the start. This year was different. Less than 1 mile from the hotel I ran into heavy traffic and we were barely moving (of course my lane was the slowest). That 3 mile drive seemed to take forever and I was coming to the realization that I may not make it to the start on time. I ended up parking around 5:20 (20 minutes before start). I got to the start corrals as the national anthem was playing. There was a row of port-a-johns by the corrals that were empty (because everyone was ready to start). I jumped in for a quickie and got in to the corral about 1 minute before the start. The actual start ended up being 3-4 minutes late (so maybe not all was bad).

It took me a little over 1 minute to reach the start line after the clock started. I ended up being at the back of the A corral but I could still see the 3:30 pace group up ahead of me. I caught up with the group by the first mile but the number of runners still made it difficult to stay with the group. I decided to just keep in the general area until things thinned out a little. I warmed up pretty quick after I started running and tossed the sweatshirt around mile 3. By mile 5 things started to thin out and I was keeping a good steady pace. I felt like I was pressing a little but it wasn’t a struggle to stay with the 3:30 group. It definitely helped having them there though.

Around mile 8 the pace group was a nice cluster of maybe 25 runners and not too many runners in front or behind. Disney had a nice setup for the pacers. We had the main pace leader (Bill Sanders) plus roving pacers that would join the group for a while and then pull out (I assume to join other groups behind us). They did a lot of talking about their race experience or asking about ours or just stories to lighten things up a little.

The approach to and running through the magic kingdom was as good as always (by far my favorite part of the race). The sun was just breaking through as we ran down main street so it was a really nice experience.

As we approached the water stop around mile 15 the pace leader suggested that if you needed to use the toilets this was a good time since we were a little ahead of pace and he was going to slow a little. I didn’t have to go bad but I wasn’t sure if I would make it until the end so I ran up ahead and found an open port-a-john. My only comment here is that it’s tough taking a shit when your hands are frozen. Overall I lost 1:30 on the pit stop. I didn’t want to push too hard to get back to the pace group but I did want to catch up by mile 19 when the tough stretch started. I figured that if it could run 7:40-45 miles I would get to them by mile 19. I proceeded to pick up the pace a little and was surprised at the lack of extra effort that it required. I was 16+ plus miles in and running harder than my goal pace and I felt great. That feeling would not last long.

I finally caught up with the pace group around mile 19 as we were getting into a 3+ mile stretch of running up and down overpasses and a boring out and back stretch between the animal park and Hollywood studios. Somewhere around mile 20 my right knee starting bothering me. It wasn’t anything that I couldn’t deal with but I still had 6 miles to go. 21-23 is usually the toughest stretch for me. This is the point where running with a pace group has the biggest impact and the pace group leaders were the best. Whenever some of us were lagging behind the lead pacer, the other pacer would pull back a little and push the runners to catch up. At mile 22 I felt the group slipping away and if it wasn’t for that extra push I would have never stayed with them. As we were closing in on the mile 24 marker I got my second wind (or third..) and picked up the pace a little and tried to pull away. That lasted until around 24.5 when the pace leader and another runner seemed to pick up the pace and break away from the group. They weren’t really running faster but everyone else (including me) was slowing down and it was too close to the end for the pace leader to pull back and push us on. I did a pretty good job of keeping them within eyeshot. As we ran through the boardwalk there wasn’t a lot of room. The boards were a little slick (still icy) the path was narrow and trees were scattered along the path. I was struggling but was still keeping a steady pace.

As I turned into Epcot just before mile 25 I rounded a corner and caught my left toe on something. I fell forward and almost caught my balance (almost) but ended up plunging into the concrete. It was a good thing that I had gloves on because my hands would have been pretty messed up. I got to my feet in disbelief that I wiped out so late in the race. My first thought was that I blew my PR and BQ but I still started to run. At first it was a really slow jog but then I realized the fall really wasn’t that bad (more like I was too numb to feel it). Well I managed to put in a decent final mile and ended up breaking 3:30.

When I crossed the finish line all of the fatigue and cold hit me. My right knee was so sore I could hardly walk and my hands were so numb I couldn’t feel anything. On top of that I was in such a rush when I parked in the morning that I forgot where my car was. I had a pretty good idea of the section but I had to walk (of hobble) up and down a couple of rows before I found my car. Getting the key out of my pocket and starting the car was an adventure in itself but I managed and then sat in the car for a good 15 minutes before I thawed enough to drive.

Overall though it was a great race, I usually just miss the great running weather by a day or two and end up running in temps that are too warm. This race was the opposite but I’ll take that any day. I love running at Disney and I’m so happy that I was able to run so well here. This was my 7th marathon here (9th race overall) and I plan to be back many more times.

Weekly Summary 1/3/2010

2010-01-04T07:11:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 44.9
Monday: 7.08
Tuesday: 8.32
Wednesday: 8.2
Thursday: 7.04
Saturday: 9.12
Sunday: 5.17
Average pace: 7:49

Last week of training before the Disney Marathon. My right knee was starting to bother me a little more so I decided to take Friday off. After staying up after 2am I didn’t feel much like running anyway. Saturday’s early morning run in the cold felt great but it left my right hamstring really tight. It never loosened up on Sunday so I decided to cut that run short.

It does seem like my list of minor injuries seems to be building but nothing is really that bad and I should be fine with a couple of days rest.

My plan this week is to get in easy 1 hour runs on Monday & Tuesday and a short run on Thursday. Resting on Wed, Fri-Sat should give me enough time to recover and be rested for Sunday.

The forecast for Sunday’s lows range from 33-41 so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it being too warm.

1 week until Disney

A year in review 2009

2009-12-30T09:19:00.002-05:00

Here I sit with one day left in the year (1 day left in the decade for that matter). As I look over the last year I have had many accomplishments and a few disappointments.
A random list of accomplishments
• Survived a few minor injuries with no major injuries
• Ran 5 marathons
• Ran the Boston Marathon (2nd best time to date)
• 2 half marathon PRs
• Almost 2500 miles logged (training & races)

A few disappointments
• No Marathon or 5k PRs
• 3 of 5 marathons were poor efforts

My left heel was probably my biggest health issue. It had really bothered me for most of the first half of the year. Ironically it took two other injuries and moving, which greatly reduced my training, to allow whatever was bothering my heel to heal. Overall I’ve been amazed on how well I’ve held up. I’m not sure why that is because I’ve been pretty injury prone throughout my life.

I’ve had some really good races this year. Tops on that list had to be Boston.
Boston was easily my toughest marathon course but I was in great shape going in and the energy from the spectators carried me to a time that was just shy of a PR.
There was a tie for second best race between both of my half marathons. I had entered the Disney half early in 2008. Later in the year I decided to run RnR Arizona which was the following week. I still wanted to run Disney since I had already paid the (very expensive) fee but I decided to just run an easy pace so that it didn’t hurt my marathon the following week. Well that easy pace still beat my previous PR by 1 minute. Based on what I did at Disney I had high expectations for Gasparilla. My goal was 7 minute miles (1:31:42) which I felt very confident in doing. Unfortunately a front was coming through that morning and by the half way point the wind was a steady 15-20 mph with gusts of 35+. With all that I still managed to beat my Disney time by 1.5 minutes.

I was equally disappointed in 3 marathon efforts (Phoenix, San Diego, Hartford). At this point there is no reason why I should be running 3:40+ marathons and in all 3 I hit the wall prior to 20 miles. Of the 3 I am most disappointed with my effort in Hartford. It was the slowest of the 3 and the only one with no easy excuses (race the weekend before, visiting family or friends). I knew this wasn’t a PR attempt but I still pushed it and failed miserably. WPB was an example of how I should run a marathon in less than ideal conditions.

Although my friends and family would disagree, keeping my weight under control and reaching an ideal race weight has been a struggle. This year I managed to take off around 10 lbs and now average in the low to mid 160’s. I’ve kept that pretty steady since August. My low point has been 158 but I have also hit 170 after a day off and eating a little too much. I’m not sure if maintaining a weight in the high 150’s is realistic but I do want to keep myself under 165 which means maintaining an average weight of around 160.

My goals are many for the coming year. I have 4 marathons and 2 half marathons on my schedule. In addition I have plans to run 6-8 shorter races. My race results really leveled off this year after a big improvement in 2008. I really think that I’m on the verge of another big improvement in 2010 if I can keep motivated, race smart and stay healthy.
Goals for 2010 in no specific order are:
• 2500+ miles for the year
• At least 1 month of 300+ miles
• A marathon PR (and thus another BQ)
• No marathon crash & burns
• A 5k PR
• A sub 1:31:42 (7 min pace) half marathon
• Keep the weight down
• No injuries

Weekly Summary 12/27/2009

2009-12-28T07:32:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 50.2
Monday: 6.15
Tuesday: 8.33
Wednesday: 8.47
Thursday: 7.54
Saturday: 10.33
Sunday: 9.39
Average pace: 7:42

Before the week started I was entertaining the thought of reaching 2500 miles for the year. That would be 100 miles in 11 days. Certainly doable but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to push myself that much and since Christmas fell in that time period I would have to get a decent run in that day or really make the task difficult. Mondays run of 6.15 sealed the deal. I was feeling run down and my right knee was a little sore so I decided not to push it. I will most likely end the year with just over 2480 miles certainly nothing to be ashamed of and well over my 2200 from last year.

Most of the week I was feeling pretty rundown even a day off didn’t seem to help much. My right knee wasn’t as sore as it was stiff and fatigued. My hamstrings were also much tighter than usual. After 2-3 miles into a run I would start feeling better but my knee is still an ongoing issue and it forced me to end a couple of runs early because I didn’t want to end up hurting it more.

Two weeks before my next marathon I feel pretty good (or at least confident). I don’t have a specific training plan for the week. I do want to run every day and get in as many miles as I can without pushing too much. I would like to keep the pace under 8 (if possible) and any longer runs no more than 9. The big thing this week is to not over do it.

2 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 12/20/2009

2009-12-22T07:14:00.002-05:00

Weekly total: 65.4
Monday: 7.56
Tuesday: 9.21
Wednesday: 10.4
Thursday: 8.72
Friday: 10.09
Saturday: 11.08
Sunday: 8.38
Average pace: 7:47

Overall it was a pretty productive week. I had 3 long runs and kept the pace well under 8. Little or no aches and pains but I was feeling a little tired by Sunday.

I’m still on pace (as of Sunday) for 2500 this year but I have to average 9 miles a day. At this point I’m not sure if I want to push it that hard so I’ll just keep running and see where I’m at during the last few days of the month. It’s only a number and in the grand scheme of things there isn’t much of a difference between 2485 and 2500.

I don’t have a specific plan for this week as far as total miles. I’ve already put in a shorter than average run on Monday and I’m not sure if I’ll find the time to run on Christmas day. I do want to get in at least 3 long runs and keep the pace under 8. If I manage to do that and stay healthy then the week will be considered a success.

3 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 12/13/2009

2009-12-14T07:21:00.002-05:00

Weekly total: 50.5
Tuesday: 5.05
Wednesday: 8.58
Thursday: 8.25
Friday: 9.17
Saturday: 10.59
Sunday: 8.85
Average pace: 7:59

I was surprised at how fast I bounced back after last Sunday’s marathon. I was still a little stiff and sore on Monday so I took that day off. Tuesday I felt better but I didn’t want to push it and the rest of the week was like a normal training week.

Since I have 3 training weeks left before Disney, I would like to get in a couple of 60+ over the next 2 weeks, taper down to 50 on the third week and rest most of the week before the marathon. I really feel that I’m in the best running shape right now and there is a probably a fine line between going too easy and losing some of that or going to hard and hurting myself.

4 weeks until Disney

Palm Beaches Marathon

2009-12-07T08:34:00.006-05:00

Time: 3:37:33
Overall: 92 out of 585
Age Group: 9 out of 62

Prior to the race it was very hard to predict what the temps would be like. Weather.com forecast seemed to change daily with temps ranging from the mid 50’s to mid 70’s predicting rain then no rain. All I really knew is that it would probably be too warm for me to attempt a PR. I’ve fallen into the trap before, thinking that I could set a PR when the temps were on the warm side only to end up struggling at the end.

The race started at 6:30 but since I didn’t know what the parking situation would be like I left early and ended up parking before 5:30. I headed down to the start area. The temps were in the high 50’s but a 10-15 mph wind made that feel pretty cold. There were plenty of port-a-johns with no lines but I didn’t need to go and that really concerned me because I didn’t go at the hotel either. I hate giving up valuable race minutes by sitting on a toilet mid race.

The race started on time (organization was top notch all the way). Between the full and half there were around 3000 runners at the start. I was near the front and was about 15 sec from the start line after the gun went off. The street was wide so there was plenty of room to run without people getting in your way (side note: a 1/4 into the race a car was driving against the runners). The fastest pace group in the race was the 3:30. I had no intention on running a 3:30 and just wanted to stick to a pace that I felt comfortable with. That comfortable pace kept me right behind the 3:30 group. I was definitely running faster than intended but I felt comfortable and wasn’t pushing it. My concern was that when my body started telling me to slow down, my mind would let the pace group pull me along.

By mile four, I was starting to feel like I was ready for that inevitable pit stop. The full and half didn’t split until mile 6 so I decided to wait until after the split. At the split point it seemed that 75% of the runners around me were in the half. They made the right turn and I followed the 3:30 pace group to the left. At 7.5 miles (or 1 hour into the race) I came to the toilets. Although I didn’t want to lose time in the port-a-john it was probably a good thing in that it would break me away from the pace group. I ended up losing just under 2 minutes. I then settled into an 8-8:10 pace and kept that going until mile 13.

Around mile 13 the 2 races joined back together. The difference was that the half marathon participants were the back of the pack group who were on mile 7. When we merged, they did a pretty good job of staying to the right (as instructed) but slowly started spreading out which made running a straight line difficult. I think running beside such slow movers had a mental effect in that my pace slowed another 10 seconds even though I still felt fine.

I don’t like racing with an IPod but I brought it with me thinking that I may want it later in the race. That turned out to be a good decision because the fatigue was starting to set in around mile 16 and I needed some motivation. At mile 17 I finally turned it on. The next couple miles passed by which made what was remaining a much more manageable number. By mile 20 I passed the finish line (where the half-ers finish). It really is a downer when you have to pass what you are striving to achieve. To make things worse, the sun was out and it was getting pretty warm. The wind had really picked up too it was a cross wind which meant that I would always feel like I was running into it.

The last 6 miles were a real struggle. We ran 2 miles north of the finish and then did a series of loops on our way back. Approaching my first loop I saw the 3:30 pace leader (approx .75 miles ahead of me) and there was nobody running with him. When I broke from the group there were 15-20 runners with him. I did remember passing quite a few but apparently I passed most of them. By mile 23 I was really hurting but was still keeping a sub 9 pace (8:30-55 range). I knew that by just keeping that pace I would easily achieve my sub 3:40 goal. There weren’t a lot of runners around me but there were a few that I was gaining on. This made it a little easier to push myself toward the finish.

I saw the finish clock with about .2 to go. If I picked up the pace I could get in under 3:38 (clock time). I was running with the last of the guys that I had been gaining on. I could tell that he was giving it all he had too, either to beat me or to get in under 3:38. We ended up crossing at the same time (I had him by 7 seconds net).

All in all I was happy with the results. I sacrificed a PR (which I had very little chance of getting) but I ran a sub 3:40 (which I should do every marathon) and ended up with my 3rd best time. I'm really glad I raced here. I still prefer the larger races but the organization was great and it was a very nice course.

I need to give my body another day or 2 of rest and then it back to training. Disney is less than 5 weeks away.

Results
Race website

Weekly Summary 11/29/2009

2009-11-30T07:58:00.000-05:00

Weekly total: 55.4
Monday: 6.28
Tuesday: 10.33
Wednesday: 10.14
Friday: 10.11
Saturday: 8.45
Sunday: 10.14
Average pace: 7:48

I decided not to run on Thanksgiving and my 35 day streak came to an end. It was going to end the following week anyway and I just couldn’t bring myself to run in the cold rain at 5am.

Besides losing the streak I had a pretty productive training week. I had four 10+ mile runs and every run was sub 8:00 and health wise I feel really good. This month’s miles have already surpassed my previous month high so today’s run will only add to that. November should end up around 274 which should stay unchallenged until March.

I’m still approaching Sunday’s marathon as a training run although the weather looks like it may be pretty good. I’d like to get 3-4 training runs in this week with nothing after Thursday and all at a slower pace than I have been running. If the coming cold front hits a day or two later and Sundays temps are in the 40’s I may attempt a PR otherwise I’ll back off and hope that Disney has good marathon weather this time.

1 week until WPB
6 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 11/22/2009

2009-11-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

Weekly total: 71.7
Monday: 7.6
Tuesday: 12.4
Wednesday: 8.54
Thursday: 10.1
Friday: 8.17
Saturday: 8.44, 6.35
Sunday: 10.1
Average pace: 7:53

Overall another productive week. This was my 3rd highest weekly mileage and is keeping me on pace for a record month. Even though I’ve really picked up the training lately, my body has held up surprisingly well. I’m a little stiff after sitting around for a while but once I get moving I feel pretty good.

I have a lot of things getting in the way of a good training week this week. Ron and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year so if I want to run on Thursday then I’ll have to do it early in the morning which means no long run on Wednesday night. We are also spending the weekend in Ft Lauderdale (leaving Friday morning) so that means another early run on Friday morning. Saturday and Sunday will probably be treadmill runs at the hotel (which is never good) so I’ll probably be lucky to get in 50-55 miles this week.

2 weeks until WBP
7 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 11/15/2009

2009-11-16T07:12:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 63.1
Monday: 8.06
Tuesday: 8.63
Wednesday: 9.1
Thursday: 10.14
Friday: 8.35
Saturday: 8.51
Sunday: 10.29
Average pace: 7:51

Overall it was a pretty good training week. I was never able to fit in a double and missed my 70 mile goal but I still had a week’s worth of solid runs all with a pace at or under 8:00. My ankles and lower calves are a little sore (more stiff than sore) but other than that I’m pain free.

My plan this week is more of the same, run every day with each run at least 8 miles. I would like to get in a longer run of at least 12 miles. It’s been a while since I’ve had a run of over 11 miles.

Currently, I’m on pace for a 270+ month which would easily beat my current highest (258). My current 25 day streak should continue to 53 before I take a couple of days off before my next race.

3 weeks until WPB
8 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 11/8/2009

2009-11-09T12:25:00.000-05:00

Weekly total: 64.6
Monday: 8.6
Tuesday: 10.59
Wednesday: 8.03
Thursday: 8.32
Friday: 8.5
Saturday: 9.02, 5.39
Sunday: 6.1
Average pace: 7:52

I fell a little short of the 70 miles that I wanted to run but overall it was a productive week. I managed to get a couple of solid medium runs in but only one of 10+ miles. My legs were feeling pretty stiff and tired this week but part of the reason for that was breaking in new shoes. The inserts were making the shoes stiff and that was causing some strain on my calves. After putting the original inserts back in the shoes were much better but it took a few runs to work the stiffness out.

My plan for this week is to shoot for 70 again and if I feel good maybe stretch it to 80 but really anything 65+ will be a good week. I don’t want to push myself into an injury.

4 weeks until WPB
9 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 11/1/2009

2009-11-02T07:53:00.001-05:00

Weekly total: 82.7
Monday: 5.48, 5.49
Tuesday: 8.73
Wednesday: 5.63, 8.52
Thursday: 10.74
Friday: 8.69
Saturday: 10.08, 8.25
Sunday: 5.77, 5.34
Average pace: 8:09

It took 11 runs but I managed to set a new weekly high with 82.7 miles. My previous weekly high (81) took me just 9 runs and at a faster pace (7:49). I’m a little tired but overall I held up pretty good.

I have 4 more weeks until I need to taper so I want to see if I can keep the mileage around 70. I don’t see a problem with using doubles to get to this high mileage. The point is to run when feeling fatigue and I did plenty of that this week so a 6 and 8 mile run in the same day is just as good as a single run of 12-13. I just need to run a little faster on that second run.

My plan this week, outside of getting 70 miles, is to pick up the pace a little. Last week I only had 3 runs under an 8:00 pace and 3 over an 8:15 pace. If I can get 70 miles at an 8:00 pace I will be pretty happy with the week.

5 weeks until WPB
10 weeks until Disney

Weekly Summary 10/25/2009

2009-10-26T07:13:00.000-04:00

Weekly total: 56.0
Monday 7.07
Tuesday 8.77
Thursday 5.34, 10.12
Friday 6.37
Saturday 10.2
Sunday 8.18
Average pace: 8:11

A fairly uneventful training week. I felt a little sluggish during most of the runs but no aches or pains that I can’t deal with. I was able to get in 2 morning runs outside. The weather seems to be cooperating so hopefully I can get some more outside training in. It’ll be nice when the time changes next week.

I registered for Boston yesterday so I’m all set. I have a hotel, plane ride and now a race to run in. It’s a long time until April but I’m already excited. Right now I just need to focus on training hard so I can get my 2011 BQ out of the way.

My goal this week is to run every day and get over 70 miles.

6 weeks until WPB
11 weeks until Disney (I should track this instead since this is really my A race)

Weekly Summary 10/18/2009

2009-10-19T07:35:00.002-04:00

Weekly total: 32.9
Tuesday: 1.06
Wednesday: 7.33
Thursday: 8.2
Saturday: 10.23
Sunday: 6.05
Average pace: 8:30

The upside to running a shitty marathon is that you can have some pretty productive training the following week.

I didn’t plan on running much last week but knees or hamstrings weren’t bothering me much by Wednesday so I decided to start running again and see what I could handle. I did take the pace a little slow but overall I felt pretty good.

Summer is finally over so there will be a lot more opportunities to run outside now. On Saturday’s run the temps were in the low 60’s with very low humidity.

My plan this week is to start building up the mileage again. I’d like to get a couple of short runs in the morning with my longer runs after work. A couple of doubles will allow me to get back up around 70 miles which is where I would like to be for the next few weeks. Palm Beach is in 7 weeks and even though that isn’t an A race I don’t have a lot of training time between that a Disney.

7 weeks until West Palm Beach

Hartford Marathon

2009-10-13T10:59:00.003-04:00

Time: 3:51:48
Overall: 672 out of 2287
Age Group: 78 out of 210

Running a lot more marathons has forced me to change my mindset of what I consider a successful race. I have finally accepted that fact that I’m not going to set a PR in every marathon and by not setting a PR I shouldn’t be disappointed in the results.

Going into Saturdays Hartford Marathon I knew that the temperature was going to be too high for me to run a 3:30. As the race started I had 2 choices. The first was to run conservatively and settle for a time no better than a 3:40. The second option was to run at a 3:30 pace as long as I could and maybe be able to keep that up for the entire race.

Being a stubborn person I decided to go for it. As you can see from my time that choice didn’t work out too well.

The temperature at race start was overcast 60 and humid. My first few miles went well but by mile 5 I knew that I wasn’t going to keep that pace for the whole race. I was running with the pace group so I decided to just stick it out as long as I could. By 9.5 miles I was struggling to keep the pace and decided to pull back a little. I still kept the pace group in sight for the next few miles and even managed to pass the half way point under a 3:30 pace (pace group must have been running too fast).

Somewhere around 14 or 15 I started to really slow down the pace in an attempt to avoid a total crash and burn. My goal now was to just run the rest of the way. The hills seemed nonstop after the 20 mile mark or right about the time that I had nothing left. I still managed to keep running (at a very slow pace) until mile 23 when I started walking up the hills.

The crowds picked up near the park (and finish line) and I managed something closer to running at the end.

Even though I consider 3:51 a bad time, I’m not disappointed in my effort. I took a chance and it didn’t work out. If I ran slower early on then I may have finished in 3:40 but who knows.

Every race is different. Hartford had a lot more hills than most and you never know what the weather will be when you register. Speaking or weather I have the worst luck. Not only do I usually run in unseasonably warm temps but a day or two after the race is usually perfect running weather. Saturday was an unseasonably warm 60 at 8am, this is bad luck. Sunday morning it was 32, this is something way beyond bad luck. I don't expect ideal weather in WPB so I'll have to hope for cooler temps (i.e 40's) at Disney.

Hartford weather

2009-10-08T20:56:00.001-04:00

I have very little luck when it comes to running marathons in ideal weather. My race performance goes downhill fast when the temps are above the mid 50’s. My ideal race temps are in the 40’s. I’ve known this for a while which is why I look for races up north for my PR attempts.

As of last week it looked like Hartford might come through. The forecast was for 40’s Saturday morning. Forecast below. The 43 low is on Saturday night not morning. At start time the temps should be in the high 50’s to low 60’s with a 70% chance of rain. Oh well, I guess there will be no PR this weekend.

In Chicago, which I raced last year, the forecast is for clear and low 40’s as race start. Last year the race temps were mid 70’s to mid 80’s and humid.

This will be my first attempt at a 2011 BQ. I’m already in for 2010 so there isn’t a lot of pressure to qualify in Hartford yet but I would rather get it over with and not have worry about it for a while.

weekly summary 9/27/2009

2009-09-28T07:38:00.001-04:00

Total Miles 27.6
Tuesday 8.23
Wednesday 5.77
Saturday 9.3
Sunday 4.33
Average pace 7:46

I didn’t get in nearly as many miles as I had hoped to but I wanted to give myself an opportunity to have a good race on Saturday.

I had a really good run on Tuesday but my knees were a little sore on Wednesday so I held back on the mileage. Thursday they were still sore so I decided to take the day off. Sore probably isn’t the best description weak might be a better term. They felt good for Saturday’s race but by Sunday I had little energy so I decided to settle for an easy run.

I’m in Vegas this weekend so I would like to get a run in Monday – Friday. I don’t want to run anything longer than 1 hour and I should keep the pace on the slower side. My goal at this point is to just maintain my fitness and not hurt myself. Outside of a Monday or Tuesday run I plan to take next week off so this will be my last week of training.

I’ve already forgot about Saturdays race (trying to convince myself anyway) so I’m really excited about running a marathon again. It’s still a little too far out to predict what the weather will be like but Hartford has already had lows in the high 30’s. Right now the forecast for Wed 10/7 is partly cloudy 48-65.

2 weeks until Hartford

Miracle Miles 15k

2009-09-28T07:18:00.001-04:00

Time: 1:11:09
Overall: 91 out of 1260
AG: 13 out of 90

I entered Saturday’s race with a few objectives. First was just a desire to race since I haven’t since San Diego at the end of May. Second, because it would be a good tune-up for my marathon in two weeks and third because I don’t get too many chances to run a 15k and I thought I had a good chance of setting a PR.

Well the temperature was a typical late September 80s and humid so that pretty much ended any chance at a PR. Prior to the race I did think that I could hold a 7:15-20 pace. The first 2-3 mile I was doing pretty good, pace wise. The heat was starting to get to me so I backed off a little and then a little more until I was pushing it to just hold a marathon pace (8:00). Overall this race was a real struggle. Not something that you want 2 weeks before a marathon. I know that I have a tough time in the heat but this was only a 15k.

I’ve decided that the best thing to do it to forget about this race because all it’s going to do is make me question how prepared I am for Hartford. I need to run with the 3:30 pace group and have the confidence that I can stay with them.

Forgetting about my poor performance and the heat, I really enjoyed the run. The race is organized and the course if scenic. I need to get this on my list of regular races as long as I can keep poor performances from affecting my next race.

Race Info

Race Results

weekly summary 9/20/2009

2009-09-21T08:01:00.000-04:00

Total miles 41
Tuesday 13.57
Thursday 11.23
Saturday 8.6
Sunday 7.58
Average pace 7:59

After the week started I changed my plan of trying to get in another 60 mile week. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s long runs took so much out of me that I needed to take the following day off. I felt pretty good on Saturdays run and I was able to keep a sub 7 minute pace for the run. Actually since the first mile was a warm-up the pace for the remainder was closer to 6:50. But by Sunday I had nothing left. If it wasn’t for me wanting to get to 40 miles for the week I probably would have stopped the run at 4 miles.

I feel comfortable with the training that I’ve put in the last 2 months. If the weather cooperates I think a have a real shot at a PR in Hartford. I’m running in a 15k on Saturday so I don’t want to push it too much this week. I’m looking at hour runs at 7-7:30 pace for Tuesday and Wednesday and a recovery run on Thursday. Hopefully an easy day and a day off will be enough for me to have a good race on Saturday.

3 weeks until Hartford

weekly summary 9/13/2009

2009-09-14T07:22:00.001-04:00

Total miles 51.2
Monday 4.16
Tuesday 9.04
Wednesday 7.35
Thursday 8.1
Saturday 7.49, 8.1
Sunday 8.78
Average pace 7:57

After 3 hard weeks I finally gave in to my body’s request for an easier week. I knew on Mondays run that I needed a break. I decided then to keep my runs and give my body a chance to recover. By running a less I was able to pick up my pace. It really felt good to get in some sub 7:20 miles again.

Based on my runs this weekend, I feel pretty good and I’m ready for 1 more hard week before taper time. My heel still feels pretty good but my knees are a little sore. I probably need to go back to icing them down after a hard or long run. Overall I feel pretty good and definitely have some energy back.

I decided to run the Orlando 15k on 9/26. I sent in the registration so I’ve committed myself now. It will be nice to get a race in again and this will force me to not to get in another hard week with only 3 weeks left before Hartford.

My plan this week is to push myself and try to get in at least 3 long runs. I would also like to keep the pace under 8 for the week.

Hartford is still more than 4 weeks away but I’m starting to get excited about it now. It’s been a long time since my last race.

4 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 9/6/2009

2009-09-07T16:53:00.001-04:00

Weekly total 61.9
Monday 5.55
Tuesday 10.4
Wednesday 5.57
Thursday 11.23
Friday 8.6
Saturday 11.8
Sunday 8.8
Average pace 7:59

Another week another 60 miles. For the 3rd week in a row I surpassed 60 miles. I ran all 7 days this week making it a little easier but it still took 3 long runs. I pick up my pace a little this week and felt strong throughout the week even during Sundays run. I’ve already completed my Monday (next week) run and I really feeling it today.

My goal this week is more of the same; 60+ miles and 3+ long runs. By the end of the week I’ll decide if I’m going to run the 15k in Orlando.

5 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 8/30/2009

2009-08-31T07:46:00.001-04:00

Weekly total: 60.4
Tuesday 11.37
Wednesday 11.34
Thursday 10.19
Friday 4.66
Saturday 10.21
Sunday 12.62
Average pace: 8:23

What a though week. On only 6 days I still managed to top 60 miles but it took 5 10+ mile days to do it. After Thursdays run I was feeling a dull pain in my left hip. It was really hurting during my Friday run forcing me to stop running half way through. I iced it down and took it easy the rest of the night which seemed to do the trick because it didn’t bother me the rest of the weekend. I really need to be cautious these next couple of weeks. If something doesn’t feel right then I need to cut that training run short.

Over all I been running pain free. I’m a little stiff in the morning but the heel feels fine and it’s been a long time since I’ve had any soreness in my knee. It’s even been a couple of months since I iced my knee down. I’m still convinced that this is from running at a slower pace. I’m not sure if I want to test this theory by picking up the pace too much though.

I’ve come to the conclusion that being in a high mileage phase will either boost your confidence or tear you down. I felt the boost side when I was training for Boston. I was running 60 mile weeks and even topped 80 all while running a strong pace. Right now it’s an effort to get past 7 miles and I usually need to do it at a much slower pace. After running I have little energy left. I know when I start to taper I’ll feel better but right now I don’t have a lot of confidence that I can run sub 3:30 marathon.

I know that part of the reason that I’m lacking energy is because I’ve lost weight and I’m trying to lose a little more. I’m not starving myself but I was definitely eating more when training for Boston. Right now I’m a good 10 pounds lighter than when I ran in Boston. I’ve been holding steady at 162 on mornings when I ran the previous day. I guess I’ll find out soon enough if less weight helps.

At this point I’m still not sure if I will run the 15k on 9/26. Right now I’m leaning toward no but that could change as it gets closer. If I run it then I have 2 more weeks before I need to start to taper if I don’t run then I have 3 more weeks.

My goal this week is to get in the 55-65 range. My schedule is a little crazy because bowling has started, I need to pick Ron up at work on Tuesday, and there is a channel district meeting on Wednesday. I want to get in 3-4 long runs plus whatever else I can fit in.

6 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 8/23/2009

2009-08-24T14:37:00.001-04:00

Total: 65.9
Monday: 6.0
Tuesday: 10.7
Wednesday: 8.13
Thursday: 10.65
Friday: 5.68
Saturday: 16.28
Sunday: 8.5
Average pace: 8.12

This was my most productive week since March (pre Boston anyway). I never really felt like I was pressing it even on Saturday or Sunday. I could have made it to 20 on Saturday but I wasn’t sure that I would have benefited much from another 4 miles and I also wanted to run the next day. I spent a good 45 minutes running with fatigue on Saturday and most of my Sunday run was with some fatigue. But overall I felt surprisingly good and had very little stiffness the following morning.

My plan this week is to run another 65 miles. I will have to do it on 6 days though (can’t run on Monday). This will force me to get in at least 4 long runs. I probably have 3 more high mile weeks before I need to taper. If I decide not to run the 15k in Orlando, I might be able to get in another big week before taper time.

As long as the weather holds up I feel really confident that I can PR in Hartford.

7 weeks until Hartford

Weekly summary 8/16/2009

2009-08-17T08:11:00.001-04:00

Weekly total: 53.3
Monday: 5.33
Tuesday: 10.8
Wednesday: 7.88
Thursday: 13.35
Saturday: 5.7
Sunday: 10.22
Average pace: 8:13

With all of the house(s) maintenance interruptions, I never found an opportunity to get in the extra long run that I wanted to. I did manage a 13+ which was my post San Diego longest run.

My knee was a little sore after Thursdays run so I did a ½ hour on the stationary bike on Friday instead of running. My heel is holding up fine except for days after faster paced runs. I really need to focus on an easier pace if my goal is to get the mileage up.

With half the month down I’m on pace for 220 miles this month which would be my highest since March. If I can get in a couple of 60 mile weeks I would push that total closer to 240.

My goal this week is miles and more miles. I have 8 weeks until Hartford and these next few weeks are when I need to be peaking my mileage. I would like to get in at least 3 long runs with one being 15+. I would also like to keep the pace over 8. The last thing I want is to be having heel issues again.

8 weeks until Hartford

Surviving burnout

2009-08-12T10:19:00.003-04:00

After hurting myself on a fall during a morning run, hurting my back on the first day of moving and the long drawn out process of moving itself I had very little time for running and had actually reached the point where I dreaded the thought of getting in a run. On top of that when I did run it was a major effort to just get 5 miles in.

I really think that if I hadn’t already registered for Hartford (and paid for plane ticket and hotel) I may have continued to run less and less until I stopped all together. Over the last 3 weeks I have really forced myself to get in the miles and after a good 11 mile run last night I feel that I’m back.

When I got back into running, 4+ years ago, I knew that the only way I would stay with it was to always have the next race scheduled. This was probably the biggest reason why I stopped in 2000, because I had nothing planned and a few days off turned into weeks and months.

I think it’s important to understand your motivation to run. There are some people who just love to run but for the rest of us there needs to be something else. For me it is without a doubt racing. Not that I don’t enjoy running but not enough to spend 6+ hours a week doing it.

I need to get my registration forms sent in for Palm Beach and Disney or before I know it, Hartford will be over and I won’t have a next race.

Weekly summary 8/9/2009

2009-08-10T07:06:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 55.5
Monday 7.22
Tuesday 11.31
Thursday 10.28
Friday 7.32
Saturday 6.31, 5.84
Sunday 7.18
Average pace 8.14

A combination of moving and hurting myself several times has really put a crimp in my training over the last 2 months. This was my first solid training week since the end of May. Besides being a little worn out at the end of the week I felt pretty good. My heel which was giving me a lot of trouble hasn’t bothered me much at all so maybe taking it easy was a good thing.

I have also lost a much needed 10 lbs. I suspect that more of it was muscle than fat since I’ve backed off on the lifting but I’ve also changed my eating routine a little (1 bagel instead of 2 and a little less at dinner time). My weight right now is in the 161-164 range and after runs I’m getting down around 158. At this point I’m not trying to lose any more weight but I still lost 1-2 lbs last week. I suspect that I’ll settle into the 155-160 range. At any rate it’s amazing how ripped I am now. I wished I would have known the secret 15-20 years ago.

As of last Saturday I have 9 weeks until Hartford. I would like to keep my miles in the 50-60 range but I need to get a long one in every week. This Saturday or Sunday might be a good time for a 20 miler. I also need to fight the desire to run faster. I think this might have been the reason for my heel problems before. My plan is to keep most of my runs in the 8-8:30 range with 1 run a week around 7:30-7:40.

9 weeks until Hartford

Rock n Roll Marathon

2009-06-02T19:49:00.003-04:00

Time 3:46:35
Overall 1568 out of 13328
AG 128/677

The good race/bad race trend continues.

The temps were in the low 60’s with a light mist early on. The sun never came out and I don’t think it ever got higher than 65. The humidity was pretty high and that’s probably what affected me the most.

My plan for the race was to just run at a pace that felt good. Most of the first 7 miles were down hill and that led to a fast first half (1:41:58) but it wasn’t that much faster than at Boston. I took it slow for the 3 miles up 163 but they were all under 8:30 pace. I felt pretty good when I got to Friars Rd but pulled back a little because I had started so fast.

By mile 15 I was starting to wear down so I slowed the pace but was still running sub 9:00. By mile 18 the small but constant hills started. I decided the best strategy was to walk up the hills to conserve energy and try to run everything else (at a slow pace). This strategy worked for a while but by mile 22 I had little left. From 22-24 I was walking 1 minute and running 2. When I made it to mile 24 I managed to run the rest of the way.

Outside of avoiding any race with temps over 50 I’m not sure what else I can do. Maybe slowing down early on would have helped a little but my time might have still been about the same anyway with the only difference being that I didn’t have to walk.
Hopefully October in Connecticut will be cooler.

Overall the race was very good. Very organized, well staffed and plenty of water stops. I’m not sure if I would run it again but would recommend it.

Results
Race site

New Shoes - New Balance 850

2009-05-26T09:34:00.002-04:00

It’s new shoe time again (already?). My knees were starting to bother me and the tread on my shoes was getting pretty worn down. The Brooks that I had been running in were decent shoes but at $130 they weren’t any better than the $90-100 shoes I had been getting.

After looking at different shoes at Fit2Run (I had 20 minutes to kill since the staff had better things to do than to help customers) I decided to get New Balance 850. The club price was $103. They felt great in the store and were very comfortable on my run yesterday.

I was a little concerned about getting new shoes the same week of a marathon but these look like they will do just fine.

Weekly summary 5/24/2009

2009-05-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 52.0
Monday 5.51
Tuesday 7.37
Wednesday 7.33
Thursday 7.67
Friday 7.46
Saturday 8.27
Sunday 8.36
Average pace 8:07

I pretty much kept to my plan this week. I wanted to get in at least 1 long run but I didn’t want to push it too much so I limited each run to an hour. I still felt run down most of the week but I should have plenty of opportunity to rest up this week.

For this week I want to get in two 1 hour runs on Monday and Tuesday and then take the rest of the week off (until Sunday of course).

1 week until San Diego

Weekly summary 5/17/2009

2009-05-18T09:23:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 49.9
Monday 7.6
Tuesday 4.19
Wednesday 10.34
Thursday 7.22
Saturday 12.23
Sunday 8.35
Average pace 7:57

I decided not to race this weekend and instead try and build up a little mileage before I start tapering later this week. I’ve really been stuck in a rut the last few weeks. Find it really hard to get myself going. I’ve been able to get some long runs in but it has been a struggle. Every pace seems to be too much effort to maintain. I’m only guessing here but this might be the result of over training. My weekly miles haven’t been that high but I haven’t given myself much of a chance to rest either.

My plan this week is to limit myself to one long run (tues or wed) but try and get a run in everyday and into the 50-55 mile range. If I’m still struggling like last week then I’ll take a day off. I want to have one last week of higher mileage because I plan to take most of next week off. Four days off before the marathon should give my body a chance to rest and heal a little.

2 weeks until San Diego

Weekly summary 5/10/2009

2009-05-11T07:35:00.001-04:00

Weekly total 40.5
Tuesday 10.3
Wednesday 8.67
Thursday 4.15
Saturday 3.12, 3.13
Sunday 11.19
Average pace 7:37

The miles were down a little this week because I was busy on Monday and I took Friday off (prior to race day). Tues and Wed were pretty good training days. It took a little while to loosen up (especially Tues) but I was mostly pain free. On Thurs I felt really tired from Wednesdays medium run so I decided to just settle for a few easy miles. Sundays run was my first long run outside in almost 4 weeks. I was tired and never really got going. I was content to run an easy pace and only managed to get 2 miles under a 8:00 pace.

Since I have another 5k this week my training plan is pretty much the same except my only day off will be Friday. Since my next marathon is quickly closing in I would like to at least get 50 miles in this week with 2 long runs (Tuesday 10+, Sunday 15 miles).

3 weeks until San Diego

Miles for Moffitt

2009-05-11T07:19:00.002-04:00

Time 20:19
Splits 6:13, 6:39, 6:47
Overall 34 out of 1359
Age group 3rd place

Another disappointing 5k although this time it wasn’t unexpected. I felt a little run down for the last 2 weeks. I was hoping that an easy run and a day off would give me fresh legs for the race but my legs didn’t feel any fresher than they did in the beginning of the week.

Race morning was pretty warm and humid. I did an easy jog for a few minutes to try and loosen up but my primary goal was to keep hydrated and stay in the shade. I started out pretty good but I knew right away it was going to be a struggle to keep that pace. I was running with a small group of people and decided to run at the same pace for mile 2. I was hoping to at least keep under 6:30 but ended up going a little slower. Somewhere around 1.5 miles we starting catching up with the 5 mile participants who started 30 minutes earlier. With a mile left to go I tried to motivate myself to pick up the pace a little but it was really difficult with the larger groups of 5 milers walking around me and the heat. I managed a sprint over the last 0.1 but that wasn’t enough to salvage a decent time.

I plan on running the USSS 5k next Saturday. I expect that race to be a little better. Starting at 7:30 (instead of 8) and being by the water should make it a little cooler. And I won’t have to worry about running though all of those walkers. Based on past races there are quite a few runners that finish in the 19:30-20:00 range. This will definitely help with the motivation.

Results

Weekly summary 5/3/2009

2009-05-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 48.6
Monday 8.21
Tuesday 7.58
Wednesday 8.22
Thursday 6.38
Saturday 3.1
Sunday 15.14
Average pace 7:49

This week was kind of a crazy week. I wasn’t sure if Ken was going to run on Saturday until midweek. If he didn’t run then I would race (otherwise an easy run with Ken). Knowing that he was going to run meant that I could put in a lot of miles but by Thursday my allergies/cold was really coming on strong. I had the full blown sneezing fits, achy body and dry eyes. I had little energy on Thursday and could barely get though work let alone run on Friday. On Saturday, I felt a little better but was glad that I only had an easy run (instead of a race) to worry about. Sunday I just decided to push myself and see how far I could go. I still felt sluggish but managed a good 15 mile run.

My goal this week is to try and get some longer runs early in the week and then make sure I rested for Saturdays race (a real race this time). Saturday afternoon and Sunday I’ll try and get some long runs in an hopefully get my mileage back into the mid to high 50’s

4 weeks until San Diego

May Classic 5k

2009-05-03T13:22:00.000-04:00

Time 28:04 (27:40 chip)
Overall: 397 out of 828

Officially I ran (not raced) this 5k. This was the race that Kathy was supposed to run with me but when she backed out a few weeks ago, Ken decided to run it instead. My goal was to keep Ken running the entire time. He did a great job and ran the entire 5k. He was really struggling the last mile but had enough left to sprint the last 100-150 feet. I think he had a good time (after he caught his breath). Ken is probably my last chance to get someone in this family interested in running.

It was a very different experience to jog a race. No regrets though because I really enjoyed sharing the experience with Ken. I’ll get to race a 5k each of the next 2 weekends. The second is downtown which I’m hoping to talk Ken into running (solo this time).

results

Weekly summary 4/26/2009

2009-04-28T07:38:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 46.4
Monday 26.2
Thursday 4.15
Saturday 7.73
Sunday 8.3
Average pace 8:00

I felt pretty sore for a few days after Monday’s marathon. I decided to take a few days off instead of trying to get back into training mode too fast. By the weekend runs I felt pretty good (well good for having run a marathon a few days before). My legs felt tired and my heel was a little sore but once I got a mile into the run I felt ok.

My plan this week is to get the miles back into the 50-60 range and keep the pace at sub 7:45. I’m running a 5k on Saturday with Ken so I’m not preparing for it like I would a race. I have 2 racing 5k’s in the next few weeks before running my next marathon at the end of May. I’ll need to balance the speed work and miles while trying to keep fresh legs for the races.

5 weeks until San Diego

Boston, What an awesome race!

2009-04-21T17:09:00.007-04:00

Time: 3:31:45
Overall: 7778 out of 22849

What an awesome race!

Running in Boston has been my goal for the last 2 years. I’ve read so much about this race through race reports and comments that I felt I knew virtually every part of the course. My expectations were so high that I could only have been setting myself up for a letdown. But somehow the Boston Marathon managed to exceed my expectations.

The day started out with a 40 minute bus ride to Hopkinton. I got to the athletes village outside the high school around 7am. It was foggy and cold (high 30’s) and I had 3 hours to kill until race start. I sat around until 8:30 then waited in line at the port-a-johns. Around 9:15 I headed down to the corrals, stretched and hit the toilets again.

Being in the 12th corral or 12000+ runners behind the start line, I had no Idea when the race actually started. I just saw the thousands of bobbing heads slowly move forward. When I finally reached the start line the clock was at 7:45.

I studied the course so much that I thought I had a good idea of what to expect. It took a good ½ mile to get into a good running pace. After that it started moving pretty good. From the start it seemed that I was always passing people but no matter where I was in the race I was always running in a mass of runners. My pace was much faster than I intended but I felt good so I decided to keep with it if I felt comfortable.

The spectators were just amazing. I have read so much about this before but you really have to experience it. I don’t remember any place on the course where there wasn’t someone out watching. It was either people out in front of their house or everyone else in town in the town’s center. And unlike other races where the spectators just watch, these people were active participants. I started a good 10 minutes behind the leaders and these people were cheering like their football team scored a touchdown. The kids were great too. They always had their hand out for a high-5. After giving numerous high-5’s I realized that this gave me a good boost of energy.

Two of the highlights were running past Wellesley College and Boston College. Wellesley is the one part that people talk about the most. Nearly a ½ mile out I started to hear the screaming. The only thing to compare it to is a stadium full of teenage girls screaming at a boy band concert. It was nearly deafening when I finally reached the girls. They were 2-3 deep reaching over the barricades with hands out for a high-5 or signs asking for a kiss. I didn’t give a kiss but gave at least 100 high-5’s and 2 of the girls got a good grab of my ass. The BC guys started at the bottom of heartbreak hill. There seemed to be competitions on each side as who could shout the loudest. It was definitely great motivation to make it up the hill.

After heartbreak I had a huge sigh of relief. I knew there were a few small hills but the hardest part was behind me. At this point I felt pretty confident that I could run a sub 3:30. On the flats and declines I was keeping a sub 8:00 pace but the remaining small hills really took their toll. As much as I studied the course I really underestimated how difficult these last few small hills would be. After a small hill around mile 25 I knew I had little chance to get that sub 3:30 so I stopped looking at my watch and just ran with what I had left. The crowds over the last mile were incredible. Individually they weren’t as vocal as some earlier parts but the large numbers made plenty of noise. People were 3-4 deep on each side of the street. Those numbers made it louder than any other part of the course. On the final turn on Boylston St there was about 1/2 mile left the view was just incredible. I just can’t think of any words that would do justice in describing it.

The entire race was an experience that I want to live though again. It will never be the same as the first time but will still be better than any other race out there. Before running Boston I wasn’t sure if I would do this more than the 2 races that I qualified for. Looking back now I think I want to run it every year. If anything it’s great motivation to keep in qualifying shape.

Weekly summary 4/19/2009

2009-04-19T20:14:00.000-04:00

Weekly total 17.3
Tuesday 7.78
Wednesday 6.42
Friday 3.11
Average pace 7.42

I decided to take it easy this week. I had a few aches and pains that I wanted to heal and I didn’t want dead legs for Monday’s race. I did a lot of walking in Boston this weekend so it wasn’t like I was just sitting around. My heel is still bothering me a little, so I’m not sure that if I took a week off it would have been any better.

The weather forecast is clear and low 40’s at the start and upper 40’s at the finish. The only negative is that the head winds will be 10-20 mph.

My race plan right now is to go with the crowd pace for the first 2-3 miles. After the elevation levels out they try to settle into a 8:00 pace. I don’t want to push it so if I’m having trouble keeping that pace then I’ll pull back a little. From past experience I think I’ll have to make sure that I’m not going out any faster than 8:00. Once I hit the hills at mile 17, I’ll just go by feel. I want a good time but my overall goal is to just enjoy the race.

Weekly summary 4/12/2009

2009-04-12T09:43:00.001-04:00

Weekly total 50.3
Monday 6.36
Tuesday 8.08
Wednesday 9.0
Thursday 7.93
Saturday 10.38
Sunday 8.51
Average pace 7.40

This was my last full training week before Boston. Overall I felt pretty good for the week. I decided not to race (5k) on Saturday. As much as I wanted to get another race in, I didn’t want to push it and end up with an injury.

My training plan this week is to keep the miles down and give my body a chance to heal a little. I won’t be running Saturday or Sunday but I would like to get runs in at least 4 of the 5 other days. Right now the plan is an easy 5 miles on Monday, 1 hour run at medium on Tuesday and 3-5 easy on Wed-Fri. If I take another day off it would probably be Thursday. 3 out of 4 days off before Monday should ensure that I have fresh legs.

The current forecast for race day is 43-53 and 60% chance of rain. It’s still too far out to get worried but I really hope it doesn’t rain.

1 week until Boston

Weekly summary 4/5/2009

2009-04-06T07:21:00.001-04:00

Week total 56.7
Tuesday 12.27
Wednesday 10.44
Thursday 10.18
Friday 6.06
Saturday 11.37
Sunday 6.33
Average pace 7:53

I was still feeling the effects from last week’s 81 miles. I took Monday off because I had to work late so Tues-Wed weren’t that bad. Thursday was a struggle and by Sunday’s run I had nothing left. My heel was a little sore all week but after Saturdays run it was stiff and tender the rest of the weekend.

My plan this week is to pull back on the miles and work a couple medium runs in. The Seminole Stampede 5k is on Saturday. I didn’t plan on running it this year but if I feel good after Thursday’s run, I’ll take Friday off and race. This may not be a bad plan because it will force me to keep my mileage down this week.

Boston weather report: The Rays open the season in Boston today. Forecast is cold and rainy.

2 weeks until Boston

Weekly summary 3/29/2009

2009-03-30T09:23:00.002-04:00

Weekly Total 81.0
Monday 7.05
Tuesday 10.38
Wednesday 5.87, 7.75
Thursday 11.68
Friday 5.68
Saturday 8.76, 7.62
Sunday 16.16
Average pace 7:49

I topped 80 miles for the first time. By Saturday I was starting to get a little tired but overall I felt great. On Sunday's long run I even managed a sub 8:00 pace.

My heel and hamstrings are a little sore this morning (Monday) but I should be ready to go for another big week this week. My plan is to keep the mileage somewhere in the 60-65 mile range and not run any doubles. This means that 4-5 runs will have to be over 10 miles. I need to start tapering next week so this will be my last big week.

3 weeks until Boston

Weekly summary 3/22/09

2009-03-22T20:23:00.002-04:00

Weekly Total 48.4
Monday 6.2
Tuesday 8.08
Wednesday 10.77
Saturday 3.1, 5.55
Sunday 8.39, 6.34
Average pace 7:32

Mileage wise this week was a little better than last week. I think it really helped my race on Saturday by taking 2 days off. Those will probably be my last days off before I head to Boston. Overall I felt pretty good and my heel only bothered me on my second Sunday run.

Next week I would like to get in 65-70 miles with a few long runs including a 15+ mile run on Sunday. I would like to keep my pace in the 7:45-8 range. I have 2 high mileage weeks before I need to start tapering.

4 weeks until Boston

Armadillo Run 5k

2009-03-21T12:56:00.004-04:00

Time: 19:49
Overall: 8 out of 360
Age Group: 2nd Place

I had a much better race today. I’m not sure if it was just getting the first 5k out of the way last week or taking 2 days off before the race.

The race had the 5k and 10k start at the same time. At about the 1.5 mile mark the 5k runners turn back and head to the finish. Up until that point you don’t know who is running which race.

My race plan today was to start a little easier than last week. My first split ended up being a 6:15 which was a little slower than last week. But unlike last week I felt pretty good. There were about 13 runners ahead of me but I didn’t know which race they were running so I stayed in the group that I was with. As I approached the turnaround nearly everyone that was near me was running the 5k. At that point I knew that I was in 10th place.

I had no shot of catching the 4-5 lead runners but I felt that if I hung with the other runners I could out kick them at the finish. My second split was 6:23. I was a little surprised because I felt like I pulled back a little more than that. As I made the final turn with around ½ mile left I was able to pass 2 more runners to put myself in 8th place. Besides the guy who was right in front of me it looked like all of the lead runners were under 40 (which turned out not to be the case) so if I could overtake him I would get the top masters award. As I hit the 3 mile mark at 19:08 (6:30 split) I gave everything I had left and was able to pass him but at the same time a young kid that I had just recently passed came flying by the both of us and beat me out for 7th place.

When the overall results were posted 5 of the 7 runners ahead of me were in their 40’s.

Overall I was satisfied with my race. I beat last week’s time by 30 sec and just missed tying my PR by 2 sec. It will be a while before I run a competitive 5k again (July 4th weekend maybe) so I may have to settle for this as my top 5k of the year. I have 2 marathons in the next 10 weeks to focus on now.

Results

Armadillo Run

Boston Marathon #12354

2009-03-19T08:07:00.001-04:00

The Boston Marathon has finally announced race number assignments. My number is 12354 which means that I had the 12,354th best qualifying time (and missed a very cool number by 9 places) putting me just inside the top half. All numbers under 14000 will start in wave 1.

I can’t believe that the race is only 1 month from tomorrow. I still have a lot of training to get in so I know that 1 month will fly by and before I know it I’ll be boarding the plane heading to Boston.

Weekly summary 3/15/09

2009-03-16T07:24:00.002-04:00

Weekly Total 37.4
Tuesday 8.71
Wednesday 7.76
Thursday 5.2
Friday 5.63
Sunday 1, 3.1, 6.03
Average pace 7:19

Last week was my lowest weekly total in a long time. Easing up on the miles didn’t help my 5k time though. For the week I focused more on increasing the speed of my runs. My weekly average pace was 7.09, not counting my easy runs on Sunday, and 7.19 overall. Overall I was pain free this week. My heel was a little sore on my Sunday afternoon run but after a race that should be expected.

Since I have another 5k this week I going to keep the training schedule about the same. Easy runs on Mon & Thurs and medium runs on Tues & Wed. I’ll take Friday off before the race and try to get in an easy run after the race and a long run on Sunday. I should be around 45 miles this week and then it’s back to the big miles as I get ready for Boston.

5 weeks until Boston

Brandon 5k

2009-03-15T11:53:00.013-04:00

Time: 20:19
Overall : 7 out of 248
Age Group: 1st Place

Overall it was a pretty disappointing first 5k of the year. I really thought I had got myself under that 20 minute barrier and was ready to take a shot at 19 minutes. Not today.

Starting out I knew that the race was going to have a stronger field than last year. My hope was that there would be people running around me this year. At the start the first 4 immediately separated themselves from the group. I was just behind with a couple of other guys. I reached the mile 1 marker at 6:10 which was where I wanted to be but that took more out of me than I expected. At that point the 2 guys that were right in front of me starting pulling away and I was running by myself. My second split was a very disappointing 6:48. By that time I was a good 30+ seconds behind the guy in front and about 20-30 seconds ahead of the guy right behind me. I tried to pick it up a little but I didn’t have much left. I hit the 3 mile mark with a 6:30 split.

I’m not sure if I could have done anything different the week before. Maybe if I would have taken Friday off that might have helped a little. I don’t want to change things too much so I plan to train the same this week as last week. My plan for Saturdays 5k is to go out a little slower 6:15-20 and see if I can hold that for the race. That will at least put me in a position to PR.

that's me in the red shirt

Results

Brandon Running Association

RunningAhead now supports Garmin!

2009-03-09T10:20:00.001-04:00

RunningAhead has added new functionality that allows me to upload runs from my Garmin. It took me a week to get the plugin to install but I was finally able to use it this weekend and it’s very cool.

I hated the MyTraining application that Garmin uses. The map was always off and I had to backup my runs before closing (and import the backup when opening) if I wanted to see my training history.

The RunningAhead maps are great the upload is very quick and best of all its accessible online.

Plugin problem solved: I kept getting a warning message to close down all browser windows even though they were all closed. I did a reboot and reran the saved exe file and everything installed fine.

Weekly summary 3/8/09

2009-03-08T15:13:00.003-04:00

Week total 65.8
Monday 6.06
Tuesday 8.63
Wednesday 7.7
Thursday 10.27
Friday 8.65
Saturday 9.45, 3.61
Sunday 8.34, 3.05

Because I ran a half marathon on Sunday, my only plan this week was to run every day. I didn’t want to push it but if I felt good that day then I would run more. Overall I held up pretty good. My heel wasn’t bothering me too much until the end of the week. It was fine on my morning runs but was a little sore on my afternoon runs.

I’ve finally got my weight back under 170 lbs. In the morning I’m between 168-170 and after runs I’ve been as low as 166. I have to be careful about not losing too much too fast though. I’ve been really tired lately which I think has to do more with not getting enough sleep than anything else. But running more miles and not eating anymore may also have something to do with it. I need to make an effort to get 8 hours a night but that means being in bed by 9pm which isn't always easy.

My plan next week is to get ready for Sundays 5k. I’ll take Saturday off and probably won’t be able to run on Monday because I have to work late. Tues-Thurs I would like to get some sprints in and just an easy run on Friday. Even if I can get a run in after the race it will be hard to get much more than 40 miles.

6 weeks until Boston

Gasparilla Half Marathon

2009-03-01T12:50:00.007-05:00

Time: 1:34:44
Overall: 105 out of 3436

I made the decision to take 2 days off before the race and that turned out to be a good decision. My heel didn’t bother me at all and everywhere else was pretty much pain free. I wasn’t able to overcome the less than ideal conditions and fell short of my sub 1:32 goal but I still managed a PR by over 1 ½ minutes.

The race started out at 62° and humid. The wind really started picking up around 45 minutes into the race as the front started coming through. Heading south on Bayshore was really rough as the wind gusts at that point were over 30 mph. It was a relief to hit the turnaround point (just after 10 mile mark) and have the wind at my back. The rain held off long enough for me to finish and get back to my car.

It was great that Mom was able to come out and watch. I guess it helps that she lives on Bayshore now. It helped running that last mile against the wind knowing that she was at the turnaround watching.

I don’t run a lot of HM but this is by far my favorite course. I would like to run the Gasparilla marathon sometime again but probably won’t just because I would miss out on the half.

http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=75406

Race website

First 70 mile week

2009-02-16T08:57:00.003-05:00

This week I surpassed 70 miles in a week for the first time. Even though I was feeling pretty tired on Saturday and Sunday it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. If I didn’t have any races coming up I could have even topped 80 this week.

Weekly total: 70.2
Monday 5.75
Tuesday 8.7
Wednesday 5.94, 7.2
Thursday 8.15
Friday 6.06
Saturday 9.1, 6.25
Sunday 13.02
Ave Pace 8:00

The doubles are great for increasing my mileage but I need to include some more long runs. Only one 10+ mile run is not going to cut it. Both of my weekend morning runs should top 10 and I’d like to get my Sunday run up to 15.

Since I have some races coming up I will pull back on the miles for a few weeks. My plan is to run 55-60 this week and 30 the following week before the half marathon on Sunday (3/1). After San Diego I’d like to see how much I’m able to increase the mileage. I don’t know if I could ever make it to a 100 in a week but I would like to get a couple of 300+ mile months this summer.

Long overdue shoe purchase

2009-02-08T20:38:00.003-05:00

After 4 ½ months and around 900+ miles I’m ready for a new pair or running shoes. I was going a buy some in mid December but never got around to it. I really need to get a new pair every 3 months. I’m putting in way too many miles now to hang on to shoes this long.

I went non-Nike for the first time in a few years and bought the Trance 8 from Brooks. I tried 4 different shoes at Fit2Run and they felt better than any of the others.

I guess I find out tomorrow on my next run if there is any difference. As for me heel problem, my old running shoes may have been part of the problem but I know that my dress work shoes are also. I really need to replace them next.

I inspired my sister!

2009-01-26T15:18:00.000-05:00

I inspired my sister! Shortly after returning from Phoenix, Kathy sent me an email that started out…

I had to e-mail you and tell you that you inspired me. Seeing you and the other runners cross that finish line was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I was so proud of you!

Those 2 little lines made me feel better than even qualifying for Boston did.

Well she went on to say that she is going to start running and wants me to run a 5k with her. I have since registered both of us for the May Classic 5k in Hyde Park. I have run the race twice and I think she will really enjoy the atmosphere.

I really hope this turns out to be a good experience for her. It would be pretty cool to have her competing in some of the races that I run (since I know that I’ll never get Ron out there).

two-a-day training

2009-01-26T12:49:00.000-05:00

This weekend was my first attempt with two-a-days and I seemed to handle it pretty well. On Saturday I ran 8+ outside at 6am and followed that up with 5 miles on the treadmill at 3pm. On Sunday I ran 9.5 miles outside at 6am and followed that up with 5 miles on the treadmill at 3pm.

I was a little stiff before my run on Sunday morning (no worse than usual though) and I felt fine before my afternoon runs. This morning (Monday) I actually felt better than I usually do. I don’t want run twice every day but I would like to do it 3 times a week. Right now I think that Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday would work best. This should bring be closer to 60-65 miles per week without having to do too many long runs (which were really starting to take their toll).

RocknRoll AZ Marathon

2009-01-19T08:19:00.006-05:00

Time: 3:49:27
Overall: 1392 out of 6411

I think that my race at Disney last week made me a little over confident in Phoenix. I started the race feeling that 3:30 was a given and went out way too hard for the conditions. The temp was great in the morning (50) but an hour into the race it was heating up fast. If I had set out at a 3:40 pace I might have been ok but at a sub 3:30 pace I was starting to hurt by mile 14 and shortly after that I decided to pull back and just finish. That turned out to be harder than expected as by mile 20 I had nothing left and ended up walk/run the rest of the way. Unless temps are in the 40’s (or below) for the entire race I should just plan on 3:40 every time because more than anything else I hate having to walk in a race.

Overall I really enjoyed the experience. I was great having Mom, Kathy, Joellen, Rachel & Stephanie at the finish. The race was well organized and I’m really looking forward to their (Elite's) San Diego race in May.

My plan for Boston should be to run at a 3:40-45 pace (depending on the weather). The last thing I want to do is have to walk any of the Boston Marathon.

Side note: If I plan on running with my Garmin then I should leave it charging all night. This is the second marathon since I bought it that I have done something stupid and not been able to use it.

Disney Half Marathon

2009-01-11T15:50:00.002-05:00

Time: 1:36:25
Overall: 224 out of 12434

My plan was to keep my pace around 7:30 ( 1:38:15) but most of all I didn’t want to push too hard since I have a marathon next week. It was dark until mile 8 so I could only go by the clocks at the mile markers to determine my pace. For the first 7 miles I was running between 7 and 7:15 (one mile might have been a little under 7). From mile 7-12 I stayed on my 7:30 pace (almost to the second). When I realized that I had a chance to break 1:37 I ran a little harder at the end but still didn’t go all out.

This is a good indication on how far I have come in the last 11 months (since my last half). I ran a relaxed pace and still beat my PR by almost 1 minute. If the weather is like this for the Gasparilla half I think I have a good shot at keeping a 7 minute pace.

Overall the race was great. The start temp was 50 with calm winds. The 5:50 am start wasn’t too bad although they could have probably kept it at 6am for the half. I’m glad I decided to run the race and it shouldn’t have a negative effect on next week (although I will have to wait until Sunday to really know). Even if I’m still feeling the effects next week it was a good decision. I love running at Disney and will most likely run the half or full every year.

http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventLinkageID=17218

4 days until Disney Half

2009-01-06T08:24:00.001-05:00

Well I’ve committed myself to racing back to back weekends (half and full). There are 4 days until the Disney Half and overall I feel pretty good. It looks like the weather will cooperate this year with the temps staying it the 50’s during the race. I just need to make sure I don’t push it too hard this weekend.

My plan is to keep a 7:30 pace until mile 7 or 8 and if I’m feeling good then pick it up a little. I think I can set a PR (1:37) without going all out but I will be satisfied with anything under 1:40. My primary goal is still to break 3:30 in Phoenix so if that means to ease up on the half then that’s what I’ll do.

I’m really excited about this challenge. If I can make it through these 2 races in good shape I will definitely entertain the idea of running marathons on back to back weekends (although no PR attempts).

Marathon Maniac

2008-12-04T15:49:00.002-05:00

Am I a marathon maniac? Maybe not yet but I’m working on it.
http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/areyouamarathonmaniac.html

I feel I have an addiction to racing. I hate the thought of having to wait 1-2 months for the next race. I have my race calendar set for the next 2 years and I keep looking at MarathonGuide.com to see if I can fit in another race somewhere.

I’m a little concerned that I might be overdoing it a little but then I see people like the maniacs and I feel like a wimp (I only raced in 3 marathons this year). I don’t have the desire (or the money) to race every weekend like some of these people but since I’ve achieved my BQ goal I need new challenges. I’m in the middle of 3 marathons in 14 weeks but unfortunately that just misses qualifying me to be a maniac. I have to run 3 in 90 days. My 2009 schedule will get me closer 3 in 91 days. So I might have to put that off for another year to 2.

For 2009 I want to run at least 5 marathons and try bunching races closer together to see how I can handle it. I want to error on the cautious side (well maniac cautious) and not do too much too fast. My first test might come in January. I entered the Disney half early this year. Later this summer I decided to run the Rock’nRoll Arizona marathon instead which is a week later. I’m now entertaining the thought of running both. The temps on Disney weekend have ranged from 30 to 80 so I’ll let the weather decide my fate. If it’s below 45 I’ll run Disney. We have had a pretty cold fall this year so there is a pretty good chance it will be cold on Jan 10. If I end up running both and do well then ’ll feel better about running marathons 4 or even 3 weeks apart instead of 6-8 weeks now.

Philadelphia Marathon

2008-11-25T13:04:00.003-05:00

Time: 3:30:20
Overall 1233 out of 7261

I FINALLY GOT MY BQ!!!!!

I wanted cooler temperatures and I finally got it. The starting temperature was 26 with the finish somewhere around 32. I was a little concerned that the sub freezing temps may be a little too cold but once the race started it felt pretty good.

For the number of runners (16000 for both half and full) the start was very smooth. There were a few crowded sections especially at the water stations but nothing that slowed me down. Overall the course had a great layout. It had a nice combination of urban and parks. There were a few more hills than I thought there would be but I didn’t struggle with any of them.

My plan was to hang with the 3:30 pace group and then, depending on what I had left, move ahead in the last few miles. An early pit stop and crowded water stops put me behind about 2 minutes but by mile 10 I was running with the group. In the second half I found myself falling behind a little but I did a good job of pulling within 30 seconds every time I fell back.

I felt good up until the 21-22 mile mark when I started to doubt myself. If it wasn’t for the BQ goal I probably would have let up a little but I kept focusing on the balloons (held by the pacer) and thinking Boston, Boston, Boston. Once I passed the 24 mile mark I knew that I had it. I just wanted to stay within 30 seconds of the pacer then give all that I had the last 1.2 to pass him. At 25.5 I had nothing left but knew that I was only 5-6 minutes away. There were some tight curves at the end and I lost sight of the balloons, which was all that I was looking at for the last mile, but I just focused straight ahead and kept repeating Boston, Boston, Boston.

My hands were so frozen it took me three times to stop my watch. Even with that delay, I had my time at 3:30:19 so I figured it was something like 3:30:14. It really didn’t matter much though, it was below 3:30:59 and I was a Boston Qualifier.

http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=73341

Chicago Marathon

2008-10-14T19:55:00.004-04:00

Time: 3:53:25
Overall: 5097 out of 31000+

Another HOT marathon. I don't have any luck. Chicago had near record heat for a second straight year. Two days before or after would have been great weather to run in. Oh well, I still had a great time. This was my first "Big City" marathon that I should have done a long time ago but it was well worth the wait.

The course layout was great and the crowds were incredible. It was like taking the top spectator areas at Disney and stretching them over 60% of the course. There wasn't a spot on the course where there wasn't someone cheering you on.

Even though it was going to be a warm one, I still kept to my plan to run hard. I had a great pace for the first 15k (1:11:34) but the heat started catching up with me shortly after that. When the 3:30 pace group finally passed me by at mile 16 I knew it was over. I backed off my pace and even added in a little walking but by mile 22 I had nothing left.

Two days later I feel fine and ready to get back to training for Philadelphia.

16 weeks until Chicago

2008-06-23T08:32:00.001-04:00

16 weeks until the Chicago Marathon. According to my running log, today I officially start my marathon training. In reality I’ve been doing it since my last one in January. Over the last few months my weekly average has been in the high 40’s with five weeks over 50 and two of those over 60. In contrast, my weekly average prior to my last marathon was in the mid to high 30’s and only two weeks were over 40. My upcoming schedule has weekly average in the high 50’s with my high weeks topping out in the mid 60’s. I know that I will run more miles than I’m scheduled to run but I’m not sure how much higher I will (or should) go. For now I’ll try to make an effort to keep it under 65 and see how things go.

Spring into Summer 5k

2008-06-07T20:39:00.003-04:00

Time: 19:53
Overall: 21 out of 297
Age Group: 1 out of 9
race results

Another hot and humid Spring into Summer race. I’m not sure what the temp was this morning but it was very muggy. I learned my lesson from previous races and drank lots of water before the start. I also let up a little on my training runs this week which helped a lot also.

This is a well run race on a great course. I love running in Al Lopez Park and it was nice to run a race with a strong field. They didn’t have a clock at the finish line but did a really good job of reading the clock time as runners were approaching the finish line.

My goal this year (5k season) was to break 20 minutes. I have now done that is 3 of my last 4 races. Too bad this will be my last for a while but now it’s time to focus on of number one goal of qualifying for Boston.

Seminole Stampede 5k

2008-05-18T19:23:00.005-04:00

Time: 19:47
Overall: 6 out of 100
Age Group: 1 out of 9
race results

I finally (officially) broke the 20 minute barrier. This is one of my favorite courses so I couldn’t have happened at a better place. My first mile was 5:58 which was my fastest first split. I knew I was running fast (for me) but I didn’t feel that I was pressing too hard. For the 2nd mile I tried to back off a little and was aiming for a 6:30 mile which I missed by 2 seconds. My second split was 12:30. I tried keep the 3rd mile at the same pace and ended up with a 3rd split of 19:05.
I replaced some of my longer runs this week with intervals and I think that really helped. I have two more 5ks in the next few weeks and I plan on using the same training strategy. If the weather cooperates I think I could finish under 19:30.

As for the race, it seemed a little disorganized this year. Apparently the person entering the runner info into the computer missed a lot of data because there were about 15-20 runners (including me) that were missing from the preliminary results. During the awards, the person reading the results didn’t have a clue. He was probably given the results pages out of order but he should have known that you hand out the overall awards first and then work up each age group. This guy starts at men 30-34 and then fits in the overall before the 50-54 age group. I didn’t want to watch the train wreck so after the overall got his award I took off.

Since this is my favorite 5k course I’ll be back next year.

Training 5/6/08

2008-05-07T08:18:00.001-04:00

My Achilles tendons are feeling better. I’ve run 7+ miles the last 2 days with little pain. I think that taking the weekend off was a really good idea.

I have noticed that my joints get pretty stiff after sitting around a while. They will loosen up after I walk around for a couple of minutes. I’m not going to be too concerned about this though unless I start feeling some pain with the stiffness.

My plan is to keep it between 7-10 miles the rest of the week. But that might change depending on how the run is going.

Achilles tendon injury

2008-05-01T08:13:00.002-04:00

Outside of tight hamstrings I have been running injury free for the last 3 years. I think my luck has finally run out. My achilles tendons have been tight in the morning for the last month but a simple stretch and they were fine the rest of the day. Toward the end of last week, my right tendon was feeling tender during and after runs. My 16 mile run on Sunday really did it in though. I tried to run through it on Tuesday but there was a lot of pain so I cut the run short and walked for a while. I’m a little concerned that if I push it then it will turn into something big.

This week was going to be a low mileage week anyway so I’m just going to play it safe and stick to walking of the stationary bike until early next week. Based on an article in Running Times I think my injury is in the paratenon which is a sheath around the tendon and not the tendon itself. Their suggestion was to stretch, ice down and rest it for a little while.
I hate not being able to run for a week but that sounds a lot better than not being able to run for a few months.

Harvey's 5k St Petersburg

2008-04-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

Time: 20:21
Overall: 14 out of 292
Age Group: 3 out of 24

I was a little disappointed in my time for this race. I have increased my training the last few weeks and I think it is starting to catch up to me a little. My legs were so tired when I was warming up that I had no idea how I would do. By the time 8:30 came around it was getting warm and a little humid. There was a light breeze which helped a little though.

The course was great. The start was by Straub Park and stayed pretty close to the water the whole time. If they could eliminate the run through a parking lot early in the race, I would say this was the best 5k course I have run.

My only criticism is their choice of age group awards. A coffee mug? It was a mug with the same picture that was on the shirt. I feel sorry for the runner that was receiving their first age group award and they only get a coffee mug. If you are going to have age group awards then give an award.

My first 50 mile week

2008-04-06T17:12:00.002-04:00

I’ve been increasing my mileage over the last couple months and have finally top 50 miles for a week.

It wasn’t a goal because I could have topped 50 miles long before this but I reached it this week without much effort. I’ve increased my frequency to 6 runs a week which made this easier to achieve.

The difference now is my ability to run 10+ miles on back to back days. I ran 15 miles this morning after running 10 miles yesterday and after the first mile or two I felt great. I was a little tired at 15 but I could have gone 20 and not been any worse off.

I’m not sure that I want my miles to get much higher right now but I would like to keep it in the 40-50 range until I start getting ready for my next marathon in October.

Brandon Shamrock Classic 5k

2008-03-16T13:19:00.004-04:00

The weather was 75 and humid and a little windy but that didn't stop me from crushing my PR and finishing 2nd overall. I was in 2nd from the start. After the first 1/4 mile the lead runner started to pull away. I didn't look behind me until the half way point and I had a good 30-45 second lead on a pack of 3-4 runners behind me.

My first 2 splits were both 6:15 my 3rd was 6:05 which leads me to believe that the course was a little short. I thought my 3rd mile was more like 6:45.

The race winner finished in 18:18. I didn't see the time of the 3rd place runner but he looked to be about 1 minute behind.

This was my third race in four weeks. My next scheduled race is in four weeks.

Armadillo 5k

2008-03-08T16:11:00.001-05:00

There wasn’t any rain and the temperature was in the mid 60’s which would have been perfect if it wasn’t for the 25-30 mph gusts of wind. I still managed to beat my PR by 1 second and finish 3rd overall in a very weak field.

I felt great throughout the race and really thought that I had a good chance to beat 20 minutes if it wasn’t for those head winds but I’ll get another chance next week in Brandon.

I was very impressed with how well the race was run. Especially when compared with the Bolt Run 5k that I ran 2 weeks ago. My only complaint was the trophies. There were more than enough to go around but my 3rd place overall trophy was one of the smaller ones given out. The forth place finisher won the Masters award which was 3x as big and even the 1st place age group trophies were twice as big. I guess it really doesn’t matter but if you are going to give out more than one overall award then make it seem like a good thing.

This will definitely be on my race calendar again next year.

If I knew then what I know now

2008-02-29T09:07:00.002-05:00

I saw this question asked on another blog and it got me thinking. Approximately 25 years ago was the first that I started to take running seriously. By serious I mean racing. I have stopped and started back up so many times since then that I lost count. The first step is to look at why I’m a better runner now then I was 25 years ago.
 Healthy eating
 Stretch every day
 Schedule training and track previous runs
 Keep motivated by always having the next race scheduled

The following is a short list of some of the things I would do differently 25 years ago if I knew then what I know now.
1. Always have a scheduled race on the calendar
 When you only run for fitness it’s easy to skip a workout or two. It doesn’t take long to fall out of your routine and before you know it you have gone weeks without running.
 Since getting back into running 3 years ago, I’ve always had the next race (or races) that I was training for. I usually look forward to running but on those days that I would like to just skip the run I just think about how that will effect my performance in the next race and will usually end up running.
2. Don’t wait to run a marathon
 I thought about running a marathon for a long time but was intimidated by the distance. It took a few marathons before I knew how to prepare. It would have been nice to not have to learn those lessons the hard way.
3. Eat better
 Compared with the average person I’m a fairly healthy eater but I still could have eaten much better. Way too much fast food and beer in my earlier days. It’s amazing how much more energy you have when you eat right.
4. Stretch, stretch, stretch
 I never did much stretching early on and this lead to many injuries. Now, I never run without stretching before and after and I will even stretch on days that I don’t run.
5. Treadmill running
 It wasn’t always easy to find a good place to run or a good time to run. This made for an all too easy excuse to skip a run. Until 2 years ago I never considered running on a treadmill and now that’s where I do most of my running.
6. Pre-plan my training runs
 I’ve done a much better job of sticking to my training and mixing up the workouts when I plan them at least 1-2 weeks out.

Bolt Run 5k

2008-02-23T14:52:00.001-05:00

Tampa Bay Lightning Bolt Run 5k

After training for a marathon and half marathons for the last 6 months I finally ran another 5k. My goal this year is to break 20 minutes so my 20:38 was a little bit of a disappointment but not totally unexpected. It’s a little hard to change the mindset from long and steady to hard sprint. It didn’t help that the course didn’t have mile markers so I could monitor my splits.

Overall though it was a good first race to build on. I placed 14th overall and 3rd in my age group. It looked like there were around 400 at the start (about the same as last year).

Words of Motivation

2008-02-17T19:54:00.004-05:00

Occasionally I find something in an article or advertisement that really motivates me. When I’m training hard and question why I’m doing this, I look back at these words and remember why.

This first one I can think of was from a magazine ad for Adidas (I think). I hung it up on my refrigerator when I was training for my first marathon some 15 years ago. I wish I had kept the ad but it went something like this:

I used to think that guys who ran in the rain were nuts.
When I started doing that
I decided that guys who ran at dawn were nuts.
When I started doing that
I decided that guys who ran marathons were nuts.
So here I am getting up at 5am to train for a marathon and it’s snowing.

Another was from a Running Times article:

Boston Marathon qualifiers don’t sign sneaker deals. Coaches don’t push them through their workouts, and fans don’t line up for their autographs. They will never break a world record, or mug for the cameras, or take a victory lap.

Boston Marathon qualifiers aren’t great runners.

But they are very, very good.

The Olympic Trials and Boston are the only two races in the country that require a qualifying time. The top few runners aim for the Trials. Everyone else shoots for Boston. The runners who make it achieve a status somewhere between the Olympian and the weekend warrior. Somewhere between Superman and the everyman.

GPS

2008-02-16T22:30:00.008-05:00

I was looking for a good heart rate monitor that I could run with. I was one made by Garmin that has a GPS device. I have now convinced myself that I need that. The thing I hate the most about running outside is I can't monitor my speed and can only guess how far I've run. Running with a GPS device will tell me not only my current pace but also how far I've run.

The only model that I can find in the stores is the forerunner 305 which is pretty bulky on to wear on your wrist. The new 405 model is out but I can't find it anywhere.

I know if I get the 305 now I won’t be happy with it so I will probably wait.