Sunday, September 26, 2010

Linda Yalem 5K

Simple goal: 20:59

I feel as though I have made tons of strides, literally and figuratively, and today I was feeling pretty good. The weather cooperated as well; no wind, upper 40's at gun and sunny. Gloves were a must, as my hands are always getting cold, but shorts and sleeveless shirt otherwise. I figured I'd start out slowish, 6:50 and see how it went from there. The pace was a bit slow at the start, due to the log jam of anxious runners, some probably just like me, trying to best their previous record. It did open up about .75 miles into the race, and it was on! I finished the first mile in 6:48 and felt as though I was holding back. The second mile felt even better; 6:35. Wow! Definately ahead of pace, and body feeling great. I figured to just let it all out, give it what I could and see what happens. A 6:29 is what happened! That followed by a 5:25 pace for the last .1. Needless to say, I met my goal and what's even better, I felt super doing it! sub-20 here I come.

Mileage: 3.12
Time/Pace: 20:32/6:35
Avg HR/Max HR: 161/191
Elevation: 17ft
T/W: 48/sun, cool

Celebration meal?!? Wings, onion rings, fries and ice cream!! Back at it tomorrow!!!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

An Up and Down Kind of Run

Yesterday, I set out for my long run for the week (16 miles). The first handful of miles were almost to easy. I had to fight to slow down and it was quite a struggle. As the miles passed it got harder and harder. It was so weird, but I made it regardless.

Mileage: 16.00
Time/Pace: 2:36:38/9:47
Elevation: 310ft
Avg HR/Max HR: 135/149
Temp: 65/sun

Took the day off today, and have a 5K race tomorrow.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

F1 Brick Work

In a couple of weeks I am running an F1 duathlon, i.e. run, bike, run, bike, run. Should be fun, so why not get in a couple of training sessions.

Run 1
Mileage: 2.00
Time/Pace: 15:12/7:36
Avg HR/Max HR: 146/158
Elevation Gain: 13ft

Bike 1
Mileage: 9.98
Time/Avg Sp/Max Sp: 27:45/21.6/30.6
Avg HR/Max HR: 142/148
Elevation: 97ft

Run 2
Mileage: 2.00
Time/Pace: 15:10/7:35
Avg HR/Max HR: 148/153
Elevation: 22ft

Bike 2
Mileage: 10.14
Time/Avg Sp/Max Sp: 28:25/21.4/31.3
Avg HR/Max HR: 142/148
Elevation: 84

Run 3
Mileage: 2.00
Time/Pace: 15:08/7:34
Avg HR/Max HR: 146/154
Elevation: 15ft

Total w/Transitions: 1:45:42

Overall, I felt decent throughout. I did not fuel during, which I will definately do during the race. I also, felt as though I had some "left in the tank" at the end.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

3am?!? Yeah, I Don't Think So!

Sometimes the ideas you have during the day, don't sound nearly as good at 3am. Let me explain. I was planning on getting in a 16 mile run this morning. In order to do this and get to work on time I'd need to get up by 3am. No problem right? So, I go to bed early get all of my thing ready, but then couldn't fall asleep, as I was thinking about waking up at 3. The more I thought about it, the more pressure there was to fall asleep and thus, more tossing and turning. Finally, when the alarm went off as scheduled, I jump out of bed staggered to the bathroom, thinking the whole time how ridiculous this was. I began to bargin with myself, and convinced myself to sleep for 2 more hours, get in a 5 mile run then and do my long run on Friday morning when I should have more time.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 42:02/8:24
Splits: 8:28, 8:25, 8:23, 8:27, 8:18
Elevation Gain: 135ft
Avg HR/Max HR: 137/155
T/W: 60, cool, breezy

Last night, I did some hill training on my bike. In the area I work there is a course that was used in a past Empire State Games, so I tried it. In a word, Tough!

Mileage: 17.29
Time/Avg Sp/Max Sp: 1:03:37/16.3/36.3
Elevation Gain: 1451ft
Avg HR/Max HR: 134/159
T/W: 70, sun

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

BBBBBBRRRRRR!!

It's cold! I can vaguely remember those frigid February mornings, when I'd get all layered up for an early morning run in 20 degree weather. I remember wish it was just 40, then a balmy day. Crawling out of bed this morning for a bone-chilling 40 degree run gave me a totally different perspective. What I considered "warm" in February is down right frigid in September. Time to pull out more cold gear.

Mileage: 3.00
Time/Pace: 25:22/8:27
Splits: 8:28, 8:29, 8:24
Elevation Gain: 50ft
Avg HR/Max HR: 136/155
T/W: 40, cold, clear

Monday, September 20, 2010

Sausage is NOT the Secret To My Success


Sorry to disappoint you, but chowing down on sausage, fried dough, German "nachos", washing it down with a couple of mugs of beer, and throwing down some Coldstone like it's my job, isn't exactly the best runners diet. That being said, this weekend's Octoberfest in Cincinnati was still a "stuff your face until it hurts" delight for me. I paid for it with a food hangover and a few extra pounds on the scale. Still, I find I need to go on a binge every once in a while to remind myself why I've changed my diet (hopefully for good.)

Back at it today...tempo run, 3 miles @ 6:55. Want to get faster, so simple solution...practice running faster...

Splits: 6:56, 6:54, 6:54

Total Mileage (w/wu/cd): 5.00
Time/Pace: 39:45/7:57
Avg HR/Max HR: 149/166
Elevation Gain: 77ft
T/W: 65/cool

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Wang Law & Hold the Nuts

I really wish I had a tiny camera when I was running. I'm looking for something very small, like the size of a flash drive or something no bigger than a credit card. You see, I always find interesting things that I'd love to post a picture about. Take today for instance. I am spending the day in Cincinnati and decided to explore the neighborhood a bit with a run. I love being in new areas, change of scenery is good for the mind and the miles go by much faster. I approached an intersection where I saw a big sign WANG LAW. Of course, things like this make me giggle and then my mind wanders, what is WANG LAW? I'm sure it's just an attorney of asian heritage, but it's much more interesting to think about some special WANG LAW's, maybe write about book about WANG LAW's, etc. Ah, but I ramble. I wasn't too far into my list of WANG LAWs (such as if you shake it more than twice you are playing with it) when I passed another sign, HOLD THE NUTS. This is perhaps one of the most important WANG LAWs and I just knew that this close placement was not a coincidence. Ok, so maybe it was just an ice cream place, but can't I have some fun? So there you have it, I wish I had a camera, because writing about it, just isn't as funny as seeing it for yourself. Yes, I know, I'm a child...

Mileage: 5.50
Time/Pace:46:14/8:24
Splits: 8:28, 8:25, 8:30, 8:20, 8:24, 4:03 (8:10 pace)
Avg HR/MAx HR: 149/175
Elevation Gain: 184ft
T/W: 71/cool, sunny

Friday, September 17, 2010

A Creaky 5

Ugh..my body was all types of creaky and squeaky this morning. I woke up at 5:30 to get in 5 miles before work. It's these types of mornings where I think the most progress is made. I could have easily resent my alarm for 7 and stayyed warm in bed, but I forced my body out, one toe at a time, arguing with myself the entire way. It was 55 this morning, but windy, so it felt a lot colder. I think it is time to whip out some cold weather gear.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 42:19/8:27
Splits: 8:27, 8:26, 8:32, 8:25, 8:26
Elevation: 49ft
Avg HR/Max HR: 148/171
T/W: 55, windy

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Abreviated Brick Workout

Crappy weather = shortened Brick workout. I was going to practice my transitions and length for my upcoming duathlon, 2m run, 10m bike, 2m run, 10m bike, 2m run. However, I was forced inside, so I did 2m run, 30min stationary bike (boring!), 2m run.

Run 1
Mileage: 2.00
Time/Pace: 16:52/8:26
Avg HR/Max HR:136/144

Bike
Time: 30 min
HR: 140-150

Run 2
Mileage: 2.00
Time/Pace: 16:41/8:21
Avg HR: 147/160

Legs felt decent after the bike. Top of foot sore from the marathon.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

5 EZ Miles and The Next Step

You'd think that after running a marathon just two days ago, I'd be craving more of a rest. Quite the opposite actually. All day long I was thinking about getting on the road; not just thinking about it, but dwelling, nay (!), fantasizing about it. Wow, I have issues. True, my legs were still aching, but sometimes the heart what what the heart wants, so off I went. I got in 5 miles, targeting a 8:30 pace, with some general soreness.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 42:03/8:24
Splits: 8:24,8:29, 8:28, 8:25, 8:15
Avg HR/Max HR: 142/154
Elevation Gain: 125ft
T/W: 60, cool & clear

So, what's next? I have to big events left this year and a couple of little ones. The first event is a F1 duathlon, 2m Run, 10m Bike, 2m Run, 10m Bike, 2m Run. I've done a few duathlons this year, but never this type, so new experience. I also am running the Philadelphia Marathon in November.

I will be spending the next few months with a greater focus on speed work, both with intervals and tempo runs. I will also be practicing my bike to run transitions and building my base mileage hopefully to 50 miles/week.

I am truly addicted to running and biking. I guess it could be worse...

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Rochester Marathon


Race Day and a return to home to run my 3rd marathon this year. I am really quite addicted to this whole exercise thing, so needless to say I was quite excited to get this one going.
I struggled this week in coming up with a race strategy. In my first marathon in March, poor planning and unrealistic goals led to a less than stellar performance, though I did finish, which was the primary goal. In May, I was able to improve my time and had a much more sound and achievable set of goals.
This summer's training in prep for this marathon felt really solid. I was a bit worried that I peaked a couple of weeks too soon, but I felt really good going into this one. My previous best was 4:30, so I was initially shooting for a 4:15. However, my run times and shorter races, seemed to suggest that a sub-4 hr run would be reachable. All week long I hemmed and hawed about what to go after. Do I stick with the 4:15 goal or just go out and attack 4hrs? I finally settled on going after 4hrs. My plan was simple and similar to all of my training runs i.e. negative splits, Miles 1-7 @ 9:20, Miles 8-20 @ 9:00, Miles 21-26.2 8:50ish. So...how'd it go...read on!
First of all, a great day for running, 60 at the start overcast and a light drizzle. Almost perfect. The gun fired and we were off!
Mile 1-3: I had to pee! Yes, just like in Cleveland, within the 1st mile I get the intense sensation that I just have to go. In Cleveland I ducked into a McDonald's around mile 7. I knew there was a McDonalds right around the 3 mile marker, so I planned on that. It was perfect, no lines! Feeling "refreshed" I moved on. 9:16, 9:06, 9:00. Faster than I intended to start out, but felt good. East Ave is pretty much a downhill run, I wasn't breathing hard, so I just let it happen. I didn't lose anytime from my pee break either, so bonus!
Miles: 4-5: Still going downhill, and my feet kept turning over well, so I went with it. 8:43, 8:37. I attempted to slow myself down...
Miles: 6-10, I was able to slow down for a mile or so, but my legs kept moving strong and I was feeling great, so again I just went with it. No pain at all, and still down hill, except for one little rise onto the Erie Canal Bike Path. 9:02, 8:36, 8:45, 8:51, 8:46. During this section, I changed my plan, I was obviously ahead of pace and feeling great (at this point about 5 mins or so) so my target was to hit a pace of 8:45-9:00/mile.
Miles 11-20: On the bike path still. The path was mostly a dirt trail which I enjoyed. It was much easier on the legs and I was able to maintain my pacing well. I got a great surprise around 15.5. My wife was standing there cheering me on. I had anticipating just seeing her at the end, so this got my feet moving even faster and sure helped me keep focused. Around mile 19, my quad started feeling tight, but wasn't presenting a huge problem, so I pressed on. I also dipped below my new goal a few times, but again I just let it happen. 8:48, 8:32, 8:37, 8:49, 8:37, 8:31, 8:45, 8:44, 8:31, 8:36. During mile 20, I came up with a quick strategy for the last 10K. My thoughts were to to start at an 8:30 pace and drop :05 for each mile to the end.
Miles 21-26.2 or so: My quad was starting to burn pretty good now. I was also experiencing a tightening and tender right groin, but I pushed on. I found it harder to meet my pace. Mile 21: 8:27, :02 off my amended end game. No problem, keep going and hit 8:20. That was not to be, but I dropped Mile 22 to 8:26. Then the wheels, kinda came off. 23 @8:43, 24 @8:58 (saw my wife again here and trying to use that motivation) , 25 @9:12. I was clearly in survival mode now. Both quads burning, groin on fire and now cramping calves. It was painful, but throughout this I remained focused on the fact that I was sub 4hrs if I could just hold pace. Mile 26 finished at 8:54 and the last little bit at a 8:56/pace. The last .2 was quite painful, big calf cramps.
Totals:
Mileage: 26.45 (with McDonalds detour)
Time/Pace: 3:52:08/8:46 (8:51 at 26.2)
Elevation Gain: 3235 ft
Avg HR/Max HR: 146/162
204/716 overall, 22/51 Age Group
One of the training goals I had throughout the summer was for negative splitting. I did the first half in 1:56:50 and the second half in 1:55:18, mission accomplished (barely). I'm thrilled with this finish and time, and only a bit disappointed with the slowdown in the final 10K. Had the race been any longer I might have been toast.
Special thanks to my wife, for being there and supportive, even though she didn't get much sleep. Also to my dad for coming out and NG (nice run!)
A couple days rest, then duathlon training beings, and Philly isn't too far off....

Monday, September 6, 2010

Run into Buffalo 15K

Race Day! Goal today, 7:20 pace. 3@7:25 , 3 @ 7:20, 3.3 @ 7:15. Weather was decent.

Miles 1-3 (7:25): 7:21, 7:21, 7:24. Felt really good at the beginning. I held myself back quite a bit. I had a little incident at the water stop right before the end of mile 3. A girl sprinted past me and then decided to just stop and take water. I just about slammed into to her and then she sprinted past me again. I made sure to tell her that was not cool. I think she got it.

Miles 4-6 (7:20): 7:24, 7:13, 7:23. Little trouble holding an even pace due mostly to those pesky little bumps on Delaware Ave and Chapin Pkwy. Also, turned into the wind, that was annoying.

Mile 7-9.3 (7:15): 7:32, 7:11, 7:14, 2:14 (6:16 pace): Mile 7 was that little upgrade again and against the wind on Delaware. 8-9, mostly downhill and I used my little "pick off one at a time" strategy to keep my feet turning over and my mind occupied. I "sprinted" the last .3.

Totals
Mileage: 9.36
Time/Pace: 1:08:20/7:18
Elevation Gain: 155ft
Avg HR: 165
T/W: 65/cloudy, wind

6 days to Marathon, maybe will run a few miles mid-week to keep legs moving.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

6 Mile Run

My body was feeling brutal yesterday after my last bike race, so I took the day totally off. Today, feeling great, I went out and did 6 miles.

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 50:10/8:21
Splits: 8:31, 8:29, 8:31, 8:25, 8:27, 7:44
Avg HR: 145
Elevation Gain: 101
T/W: 65, partly cloudy, 25mph wind

Another rest day tomorrow, then 15K race on Monday.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Halsey Valley 40K Time Trial

Last time trial of the year. Apparently, they start the last one 1/2 hour earlier than all of the others. I pulled in at 6 thinking I had 30 minutes to get ready. Whoops....sprint to the line and go. Nice course, tough and lots of rolling hills.

Mileage: 25.04
Time/Avg Sp/Max Sp: 1:10:24/21.3/36.2
Avg HR: 145
Elevation Gain: 601ft
T/W: 85, sunny, humid

Not my best, but considering my start I'll take it.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

4 Mile Run

Slight change of plans today. I was going to run a 5K tonight, but it was pretty humid and I thought maybe I'd better just hold off. Feeling guilty, I did get in 4 miles later in the evening as the sun was setting. T-10 days until Rochester....

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 33:32/8:23
Splits: 8:32, 8:29, 8:29, 8:00
Elevation Gain: 76 ft
Avg HR: 138
T/W: 81/hazy, humid