4 Miles and Tired Legs

Woke up this morning and my legs felt pretty tired from yesterday's workout. Still did the run at pace, so no worries.

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 35:22/8:50
Splits:8:52, 8:54, 8:53, 8:47
Avg HR:149
T/W: 70/sunny

Look Mom! No Socks!!

That's right! No socks. Why? Well, yesterday I purchased a pair of triathlon shoes (pictured) and I guess the deal is you don't wear socks because of the swim and a quicker transition. Also, the don't have any ties, just a pull string to tighten up, if neccessary. I'm not quite ready for a tri yet, but I am doing a duathlon this weekend, so I felt as though I should give these a shot.

The plan today was to run 2, bike 20, run 2 to simulate a duathlon. The transition setup wasn't the best, I had to walk through the hotel lobby to the back where I put my bike and then back out. Didn't do too bad though.

Here's the stats:

Run 1
Mileage: 2.02
Time/Pace: 17:26/8:38
Avg HR: 140

T1: 1:02

Bike
Mileage: 20.03
Time/Av Sp/Top Sp: 59:44/20.1/34.4
Avg HR: 146

T2: :58

Run 2
Mileage: 2.00
Time/Pace: 15:50/7:55
Avg HR: 155

Whew! Pretty pleased with this overall. Running and biking without socks wasn't too bad. The shoes are pretty comfortable, I wonder how they will hold up over a longer run.

4 Mile Run

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 35:35/8:53
Splits: 8:53, 9:00, 8:51, 8:50
Avg HR: 139
T/W: 61, sunny

Ever been asked by someone on the street if you have a smoke while your running? As of today, I have.

Shwachman Diamond Dash 5K

My wife and I headed out to Long Island this weekend to visit her sister and because she had tickets to see New Kids on the Block (very embarrassing for her, I know, and NO, I didn't go.) I found a nice little 5K race to run Saturday morning. Here's how I did...

Mileage: 3.09
Time/Pace: 21:53/7:05
Avg HR: 162
T/W: 65/sunny

Splits: 7:12, 7:13, 6:57 (!)

I was very pleased with this, a new PR. I was shooting for taking :02 off per mile from my previous best and was able to get well below that. The course was very flat and fast and the weather cooperated nicely.

My First Bike Race!

As you probably know, I spend my weeks in Binghamton for work (about 3.5hrs away from home). It's tough being away from home, but I have been filling the free time with exercise. I found a nice little bike club (Tioga Velo Club) that has a weekly time trial race series. Tonight, I did my first time trial race. I had no idea what to expect, but it was pretty cool. I got passed by almost everyone in the group, but no worries, it was my first time. I finished 13 out of 15 (ugh!)

Mileage: 10.05
Time/Avg Sp/Top Sp: 27:09/22.2/28.5
Avg HR: 156
T/W: 67/sunny, windy

Just for perspective, the winner did the course in about 21:00. The course was pretty much flat. We had a pretty decent head wind for the first half (about 10-15mph).

3 Mile Run

Mileage: 3.00
Time/Pace: 26:15/8:45
Avg HR: 134
T/W: 61/cloudy, some wind

And...P90X

Ok. I REALLY wasn't planning on doing anything this else today, but about an hour after my bike ride, I got bored and so, I figured, what the hell? So, I did Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and Ab Ripper X.

What I've decided to do as for as my P90X routine is a 4 day rotation. I really don't need to do the cardio discs, I think I get plenty of this. Instead, every week, I will be doing Core Synergistics, one of the Upper Body Discs with Ab Ripper X, Yoga and Legs and Back with Ab Ripper X. That should do the trick, don't you think?!?

I think I'm almost spent. Time for some zzzzzzzzz......

And...Bike

I really wasn't going to go for a ride today, but my bike looked so lonely in the corner, I had to play with it for a little while.

I also learned about presta valves today. My bike doesn't have the traditional screw on/off caps, but this "fancy" style. I didn't know what the heck I was doing when I was trying to fill the tire to the recommended 110PSI, so over course I broke the valve...SSSSSSSSSSSSSS....bye bye air.

Luckily, the bike shop DID show me how to replace the tube, it only took me 1/2 hour. All filled up I was on my way...

Mileage: 22.11
Time/Avg Sp/Max Sp: 1:12:21/18.3/41.9
Avg HR: 134

On a positive note...I didn't fall.

12 Mile Long Run

Goal: 3 @ 10:23, 6 @ 10:13, 3 @10:03

Miles 1-3 (10:23): 10:06, 10:22, 10:21
Miles 4-9 (10:13): 10:13, 10:12, 10:12, 10:11, 10:08, 10:11
Miles 10-12 (10:03): 10:05, 10:00, 9:41

Totals
Mileage: 12.00
Time/Pace: 2:01:47/10:09
Avg HR: 134
T/W: 61, overcast, brief period of rain

TIMBER!!!

That's right. Like a big ol' tree I fell. No big deal, more about that later. This morning I did my first brick workout. For those of you unfamiliar with this, basically it's one workout immediately followed by another workout, i.e. bike then run, swim then run, etc. Today I was going for a 60min bike followed by a 3 mile run. This was also a good opportunity to practice my transition for the upcoming duathlon and to try out some new gear (i.e. my recently purchased triathlon clothing). The triathlon clothing is a bit different than bike apparel. It still has pouches in the shirt, but the shorts have a much thinner pad that better facilitates running. I also got to use the multi-sport function on my Garmin watch for the first time, very cool. Can you say NERD ALERT!

So, the bike went well. I really didn't notice the minimal padding in the shorts. Close to the end, I came to an intersection with a stop light. I clipped out my right foot and left my left clipped. As I was standing there, I shifted my weight a bit and in slow motion fell over to the left. With my foot clipped in, I had nothing to stop my fall and I was on my side. Very Embarrassing! With no damage done (except to my ego) I stood up, dusted myself off and was back on my way. The motorists were sure to let me know that they had witnessed it all with a few toots of the horn and even a whoop!

Bike Totals
Mileage: 18.95
Time/Avg Sp/Top Sp: 59:55/19.0/38.9
Avg HR: 138

Transition: 1:27, a bit slower than I would have like, but not the ideal set up. I had to put my bike on top of my car and lock it.

The start of the run felt weird, but not horrible. My legs were definitely heavy, but I noticed my turn over seemed much faster. In fact, with a goal of 8:56/mile, I looked down after the 1st .25 and saw that I was at a much faster pace (8:20). As much as I tried I couldn't go much slower.

Run Totals:
Mileage: 3.00
Time/Pace: 25:26/8:28
Avg HR: 146
T/W: 55/sunny

All in all, a very fun workout!

Speed Work and a Ride

Today's Run: 5 x800 @ 3:55 pace

Splits: 3:53, 3:55, 3:52, 3:53, 3:51

Totals
Mileage: 6.14
Time/Pace: 58:48/9:34
Avg HR: 145

Today's Bike:

Mileage: 14.33
Time/Avg Sp/Top Sp: 44:34/19.3/30.3
Avg HR: 139

Susan G Komen 5K

Nice race today. Well organized. It was a bit warm, but tolerable. My goal for this race was to set a PR. Things have been going very well for the past couple of weeks and I was looking to break into the 22's. My target was 7:25 for mile 1 and then 7:20 for miles 2 & 3, with a sprint to the finish. Here's how it went....


Mile 1: Goal 7:25/ Actual 7:24 (-:01), bit of uphill, not too difficult
Mile 2: 7:20/7:18 (-:02), this hurt a bit, but got my wind back at the end of this mile
Mile 3: 7:20/7:08, (-:012), downhill helped tons, killed it
Last .1: :34 (6:01 pace)

Woo hoo! PR! Nice run, felt pretty good at the end...

Totals:
Mileage: 3.10
Time/Pace: 22:26/7:14
Avg HR: 162
Temp: 75/sunny, humid

Congratulations to my beautiful bride on finishing her first 5K. Running a race with her is much more exciting, perhaps that's where my 40 sec drop came from!

Hello Beautiful

Oh yes! It's finally arrived. My beautiful new Cervelo P2. After almost a year of researching, shopping, debating, waiting, debating, etc, I finally pulled the trigger and bought it. Isn't it just beautiful. So, first thing this morning I decided I just had to take a ride. This was a bit scary at first. I was a bit tentative not wanting to damage it or fall and make myself look like a fool. However, 30 or so minutes later, I felt as though we were fast friends. The stat nerd that I am, this will give me yet more data to capture and track with my Garmin. Here's what I did...

Mileage: 10.38
Time/Avg Speed/Top Speed: 36:02/17.3/22.9

Let me tell you, riding at almost 23mph is awesome! Even if it was for only a few moments, it was spectacular. I see another ride in the very near future.....

Corporate Challenge

I ran the Chase Corporate Challenge last night. This "fun" run is getting way too overcrowded. It is nice to see so many people attempting this, but what bothers me is the walkers that have no regard for what is happening, that is a RACE (see attached picture of someone who lined up in front of me, courtesy of my wife). There is a clearly marked walkers area, but there seems to be no regard for this. I know for most folks, this is probably a once a year event, so they don't know the etiquette, but I still wonder if something can be done to alleviate this problem. Perhaps a tiered starting time? All, I know is that a was running past groups of walkers (not runners who stopped running to catch their breath) almost up to mile 3. As a result my pace was way off. I was expecting this to some point, but certainly not to this extent. I am only slightly annoyed though, as I now have a new bike (more on that later).

Mileage: 3.53
Time/Pace: 28:27/8:04

3 Mile Run

Mileage: 3.00
Time/Pace: 26:50/8:57
Avg HR: 146
T/W: 48, sunny

Brrrr....cold....no issues

4x800 (3:55)

Total Mileage: 5.45
Time/Pace: 51:01/9:22
Avg HR: 148
T/W: 58/sunny, cool

Splits (goal 3:55): 3:53, 3:54, 3:54, 3:49

A Crazy Heartbeat and A Sticky Sweaty Tempo Run

Thursday was a bit scary. I set out to do what was to be a simple 3-mile run. A few steps into the second mile my heart started racing. It was a bit unnerving as my heart rate climbed to over 200BPM. What was even worse was that I was only doing a 9-minute pace and I just couldn't get it down. Weird, though this has happened once before (Turkey Trot 2009).

Mileage: 3.00
Time/Pace: 26:55/8:58
Avg HR: 176 (creepy!)

Today was hot and sweaty! No better time for a tempo run eh ? It's been awhile since I've done any type of speed work, so this was a bit tough. It was about 78, sunny and 90% humidity or so. 5 miles total with wu and cd. I was shooting for 3 miles at a 7:45 pace. I made it!

Mileage: 5.00 (with wu and cd)
Time/Pace: 44:32/8:54
Avg HR: 162 (Ah, much better)
Tempo Mile Splits (3): 7:43, 7:44, 7:46

A Sore 10

Perhaps I am too aggressive with my training at times. I can't help it. I love the progress I've made and want to get faster and fitter, so I push, push, push. Today, I woke up at 4am to get in a 10 mile run before work. It may sound crazy, but I love running at this time of day. The air is calm and cool, no traffic and I get to watch the sun come up. I was looking to run around at 10:20 pace, using my negative split training. I didn't have too much of an issue with this, but around mile 8 my knees both stiffened up pretty good. I spent much of the day tenderly moving around, and "rewarded" myself later this evening with a nice P90X session of Core Synergistics.

Mileage: 10.00
Time/Pace: 1:42:51/10:17
Avg HR: 142
T/W: 55/dark, fog

On the Road Again...

After my 16 day, post-marathon lay off, I'm finally back at it. What a great feeling to be running again. I went out for an easy 4 miles, but it definitely was a bit harder than I was hoping for. Decent humidity and a warm afternoon added a bit of stress, but not too much. All in all, glad to be back at it.

I also did P90X Yoga, which is an 1:30 bear of a balance/stretching/core workout. It's pretty tough.

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 36:06/9:01
Avg HR: 159
T/W: 79/sun, breezy, humid

What's New?

A Lot! I finally (finally!) purchased a bike. However, I still don't have this bike in my possession. The bike shop had to order it, so I still wait...more about the bike when I get it...

I've spent the weekend shoving as much food down my throat as humanly possible. I'm certain I gained at least 10lbs, awesome! No worries though, because starting tomorrow I am back on the road. I haven't run since Cleveland, my body feels good, and I'm ready to go. I'm planning on Rochester for my next marathon. Until then I will be training hard, hopefully on my bike as well as my feet, running various races and hopefully duathlons as well, P90X and tweaking my nutrition even further.

So...yeah....

Feeling Good = P90X

My plan was to take the entire week off, but today I was feeling super so I did Shoulders/Arms and Ab Ribber X from the P90X series.

I'm enjoying X so far. If any of you are thinking about getting it, I highly recommend it. The cardio workouts aren't too intense, especially if you have been doing any type of serious running. The core work, however is tough! Also, the back work (done with chin ups and pull ups is quite humbling). The yoga DVD is pretty intense too.

If you get the DVD's you'll also need a pull up bar, dumbbells or bands (I bought bands from Dick's, a three pack 10, 15, 20lbs for about $35), and maybe a yoga mat. You can find the workout guides online, so just google them. I bought the DVD's on Ebay for $55.

Cleveland Marathon Recap

I couldn't have asked for a better day. The temperature was about 50 at the start, sunny with just a bit of wind. My focus for this race was to improve on my time. In March, I ran my first marathon at a 10:39 pace. My strategy in that race was not very good; I started out way too fast and totally crashed at the end. For the past month, I have been practicing starting out slower and then picking up the pace towards the end (AKA negative splits). My goals for this race were: Miles 1-7 @ 10:20, Miles 8-20 @ 10:15, and Miles 21-26.2 @ 10:10.

Mile 1: 10:20, nice pace, felt really ready to go. We ran by the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Browns Stadium and then began to wander through the downtown area.

Mile 2: 10:16, feeling great, pace still very comfortable, ran by a giant Lebron James poster (sorry Cavs) and then headed across the river.

Mile 3: 10:16, a few seconds faster than planned, but figured it was close enough, this part of the course was a bit boring, kind of a rundown area of town, not unlike South Buffalo/Lackawanna. Also, noticed at this point that my GPS mileage was about .3 ahead of the course mileage markers.

Mile 4: 10:14, entered Tremont, it reminded me of the Elmwood area of Buffalo, a kind of artsy neighborhood.

Mile 5: 10:20, I noticed my pace quickening a bit, so I intentionally slowed down here. I also, felt the sudden and intense urge to pee. I was able to hold it the entire time in March, but I was doubting whether or not I'd be able to today. There was a decent amount of port-a-potties on the route, but the lines were long and I wasn't desperate enough to stop and wait.

Mile 6: 10:15, Running through what is called Ohio City, still a decent neighborhood (I think), but now I was totally distracted, realizing that I would have to pee. I briefly contemplated just going as I ran, but dismissed this thought and began to look for a nice secluded place, i.e. a hedgerow, dark alley, etc.

Mile 7: 10:18, Okay, I HAVE GOT TO GO!!! Must find a bathroom or bush. I spent most of this mile bargaining with myself; stop and go, lose some time, but feel comfortable vs. keep going and risk peeing all over myself.

Mile 8: 11:28, Ahhhh! Relief!!!! Here's how it went down...about halfway through this mile I saw a McDonalds. I saw a few people ducking in, but it didn't look like a line, so I ran in. No lines outside of the door! I went into the men's room and was immediately confused. Two women were in there waiting for the stall. Now I did a quick double take, just to make sure in my haste I hadn't picked the wrong door. Apparently the women's room was full and they didn't want to wait as long. I can't remember encountering a woman in the men's room since college. Three minutes later, I was back on the road.

Mile 9: 8:26, I picked the pace up here to make up for my bathroom time.

Mile 10: 9:39, still ahead of pace, I wanted to make sure I made up all of the time. My math skills aren't the best, so erred on the side of being too aggressive.

Mile 11: 10:17, actually a couple seconds slower here, but a decent climb up onto route 2, very similar to the skyway. It was weird running on the highway in the wrong direction.

Mile 12: 10:12, still on the highway, but descending now back into the downtown area. The half marathon runners, who were with us up to this point, split off for their finish into downtown. The roads suddenly got much more wide open.

Mile 13: 10:03, mostly downhill and my pace took advantage of this. I was still feeling great at this point endurance-wise. My knee was aching a bit, but very tolerable.

Mile 14-17: 10:13, 10:12, 10:12, 10:05, I found this section of the course to be the most mentally challenging. This was pretty much a straight shot along the waterfront heading generally east, but into a pretty decent wind. Even though it was along the shore, there wasn't much to look at. Also, hardly any spectators here.

Mile 18-20: 10:36, 10:08, 10:01. These three miles were ran through a pretty nice park with gardens representing several countries. I tried guessing the country by the flag before I could read the plaque. I wasn't very good at this. Not sure where that 10:36 came from, I just lost focus. I was definitely feeling the fatigue by mile 20, but felt as though I could definitely hold a 10:10 pace for the remainder of the race.

Mile 21: 10:04, really pleased with this split as we made the turn away from the park and headed back to the city. It was a bit of a mental game to see 98th Street, when I knew that the race ended at 6th Street. I readjusted my plan to run 10:05's for the last 5 miles, since I was feeling good.

Mile 22: 10:11, OH NO! WALL! It came much later than in the last race. I could feel the pace just slipping away from me and the harder I pushed the slower I seemed to move. I re-adjusted back to my original goal of 10:10.

Mile 23: 10:14, Crap...pace still slipping away from me. I was now in survival mode, trying to hold a 10:15.

Mile 24: 10:24, the 4:30 pace group passed me here. Double Crap!! I was on pace to be under 4:30 until now, so this was a bit demoralizing. I tried to stay about 100 ft behind them and keep up.

Mile 25: 10:27....grinding hard, VERY HARD! I began to do some interval running, run as fast as I can for .05 and then recover for .10, anything to keep my mind off of my failing body.

Mile 26: 10:19, with one mile to go, I gave it all I could. I caught back up with the 4:30 pace group and then passed them. Maybe I'd have a chance to break 4:30 after all. No mile marker at this mile which was annoying since every other mile was marked. I sprinted (well it felt like sprinting) the home stretch, crossed the line and kissed my patiently waiting wife. I just missed a sub 4:30, which is weird because I beat the 4:30 pacer, oh well.

Totals:
Mileage: 26.2 (though my Garmin said 26.59)
Time/Pace:4:30:52/10:20
Avg HR: 152

Other fun tid bits...

Most Disturbing Sign: "I get to watch my daughter's first time. (Is that weird?) Go Kristen" At first it was funny, but after you think about it for a minute it is kind of creepy.

Vertigo Bridge: early in the race we ran over a bridge and I thought I was lightheaded until I heard someone else say the same thing. We realized that the bridge we were running over was actually bouncing up and down.

Road Kill: More like hairpiece, that's right! A saw a trampled hairpiece on the road. Of course I stepped on it, I just had to. Now I can say I stepped on a head rug. Nice!

Cleveland's Obsession with Lebron: It is surely a once in a lifetime event when a city gets a superstar like James. It was obvious how horrible the Clevelanders felt about their premature exit in the playoffs. There were lots of signs about this, but my favorite said GO CAVS, but the CAVS was crossed out and replaced with Runners.

Useless Yet Inspirational Fact: Another sign that was creative simply stated "Chuck Norris never ran a Marathon." I never have (nor ever will) aspire to be like Chuck Norris, but it was an interesting perspective.

Runner I Know (Kind of): A colleague's son also ran this marathon. He was a bit faster (like 2 hrs and change). Oh, he came in 4th and won some cash. Nice!

On to my body...my biggest issue remains my knee. It is pretty sore on the outside (probably IT Band issue, according to my PT.) My quads are also pretty shredded, but I feel much more recovered the day after than I did in March.

I shaved 8 minutes off of my last marathon time. At this rate, in about 14 marathons (or so) I will qualify for Boston. ( I can dream can't I?)

So, all in all a good experience. 2 down 998 to go....

Cleveland Marathon

I made it...very sore...recap soon...shaved 8 minutes of my best...4:30:55/10:20....check back for the full recap...

P90X, 20 Miler, Etc

Hey...it's been awhile...but I've been busy. My recovery from the half marathon was good. I actually ran a bit with my wife the next day. I ordered and got P90X last week, so I started it on Monday. Since I'm tapering on my runs in anticipation of next week's marathon, I thought this just might be a good filler.

In a word....intense. I love it though. There are three different programs one can follow, Classic, Double or Lean. I'm going to follow the lean, lots of core work, yoga, etc. I'll keep you posted as to my progress.

Also, took on a 20 miler, my only run this week and last long run. I wanted to make sure I got this in, if nothing else, to test my run strategy and legs. Here's how I did...

Miles 1-5 (10:35): 10:34, 10:33, 10:32, 10:31, 10:32
Miles 6-15 (10:20): 10:21, 10:19, 10:11, 10:21, 10:19, 10:17, 10:11, 10:20, 10:17, 10:18
Miles 16-20 (9:50): 9:48, 9:51, 9:54, 9:56, 9:46

All in all, decent run, the last couple were a bit challenging, complicated by a decent hill and those crazy winds.

Totals:
Mileage: 20.00
Time/Pace: 3:25:02/10:15
Avg HR: 153
T/W: 58, 20 mph winds, sun

Grand Island Half Marathon

I signed up for this as a final test before the Cleveland marathon. I was also trying for a PR, as I figured I am probably in better shape than last September (I certainly weigh less.) Thirdly, I was trying to pace this like my long runs as of late, with a focus on negative splits. The day, sadly, had other things in mind for me.

The course itself is very flat. It is a pretty straightforward out and back. However, today brought race time temperatures around 75, perhaps a bit warmer than desired. Winds were out of the SSW at 20mph. The first half of the course is more or less in a northerly direction, which means that the last half was directly into the wind, with some crosswinds at times. As a relatively new runner, especially at these longer distances, my race strategy isn't always solid. I was planning on the following: miles 1-3 @ 8:45, 4-10 @ 8:30, 11-13.1 >8:20. However, I didn't take into this planning the temperature or wind patterns and I think this was my downfall.

Here's how I did...

Miles 1-3 (8:45): 8:44, 8:43, 8:43-feeling generally good here, knee and hip causing no discomfort

Miles 4-7 (8:30): 8:28, 8:32, 8:30, 8:39-turned into the wind here. I hadn't really noticed how much wind there was with it at my back, but running right into it was an experience, I adjusted my goals for this to 8:40 and the under 8:30 for the last 3.

Miles 8-10 (8:40): 8:39, 8:40, 8:55 -began to fall apart here. I was trying to find any relief from the wind including trying to use other runners to shield me from the wind (now mostly a cross wind.) I was also feeling a bit gassed in the lungs, though legs surprisingly still strong, no significant pain.

Miles 11-13.1 (>8:30): 9:04, 10:16, 9:58, and .15 @1.17- just trying to survive at this point. I had clearly spent all of my energy and was just coasting and begging for this to be done.

So what went wrong? Mostly, I think I was just unprepared for conditions and didn't adjust my strategy accordingly. Also, I tend to set pretty tough goals for myself, perhaps too tough at some point. Regardless, I am pleased the way my legs responded. As I sit here, my knee is a bit sore, but nothing overwhelming. I finished, which is always good.

Totals:

Mileage: 13.15
Time/Pace: 1:57:16/8:54
Avg HR: 171

Final note, Mark from Sub 5 Miler after Fifty wrote a nice comment, but I think I accidently deleted it...sorry, it was good advice as always, thanks!

Not So Long Anymore

About a year ago, I was practically terrified to see a 7 mile run on my schedule. A year later, looking at an 18 miler, I got out with excitement and vigor. Weird huh? I must be going nuts. I mean, really, who gets excited about running 3 hours non-stop? I do! (insert comments here).

My focus today was to continue my negative split experiment. Goals for today was mile 1-5 @ 10:40, 6-13 @ 10:25, 14-18 @ 9:55. My ultimate goal is to run a 10:00 pace for a marathon, so it is important that I keep pushing my times lower, but at a very controlled pace. So this is what I did....

The weather was brisk, about 38 at the start, but a strong wind from the northwest. Decent running weather, except when heading directly into the wind.

Miles 1-5 (10:40): 10:33, 10:37, 10:38, 10:36, 10:37
Miles 6-13 (10:25): 10:22, 10:24, 10:18, 10:18, 10:24, 10:21, 10:21, 10:20
Miles 14-18 (9:55): 9:47, 9:56, 9:51, 9:50, 9:46

Totals:
Mileage: 18.00
Time/Pace: 3:05:07/10:17
Avg HR: 153

I felt pretty good throughout the entire run, and was even able to turn my best mile on the 18th. I wore a knee support, which seemed to be huge in helping with that issue. It is sore, but nothing worse and actually feels better than it did after the 16 miler last week.

A bit about my nutrition pre-run and during the run. I ate a bowl of cereal and ate a GU prior to the run. During my run I eat 1 serving (1/2 of a package) of Clif Shots every 30 minutes. This strategy seems to be working well for me.

I'm about 50/50 about running the Grand Island 1/2 marathon, so stay tuned...

Happy Anniversary

Today is officially the beginning of my second year of serious running. What better way than to celebrate with a 16-miler.

Sticking with the negative split theme my goals were: mile 1-4 @ 10:45, 5-12 @ 10:30, and 13-16 @ 10:00.

Here's how I did:

1-4 (10:45): 10:44, 10:45, 10:44, 10:41
5-12 (10:30): 10:29, 10:28, 10:32, 10:23, 10:28, 10:26, 10:24, 10:24
13-16 (10:00): 9:58, 9:57, 9:57, 9:53

Totals
Mileage: 16.00
Time/Pace: 2:46:19/10:23
Avg HR: 142

Focusing on this type of pacing is certainly giving me enough reserve energy to finish strong.

Thinking Negative

About Splits! I have been emphasizing negative splits in my past few runs. This makes sense to me, I definitely want to finish stronger that I start. I actually, started doing this last year, but got away from it. Here's my results of the past three outings.

Saturday-4 miles, 36:32/9:08 pace, splits: 9:14, 9:10, 9:10, 8:57
Sunday-3 miles, 27:13/9:04, 9:09, 9:08, 8:55
Monday-3 miles, 27:15/9:04, 9:11, 9:08, 8:54

Saturday and Sunday were done on a treadmill, where pacing is much easier. This morning's run was outside, brrrr....34 degrees, and forgot the gloves.

I like this style of running, and am disappointed that I got away from it. This is a lower mileage week, but I have a 16-miler scheduled. In my last long run, I tried to mimic Yasso's instruction of 1st 25% of run +1:15/mile, middle 50% +1:00 and last 25% at pace. I am going to tweak this slightly, as I have been doing more research that suggests the pace needs to be a bit faster at the beginning. I will still use the 25/50/25 model but instead do 1:00, :45 then at pace.

This will layout as follows: Mile 1-4 @ 11:00, 5-12 @ 10:45, 13-16 @ 10:00.

I also have a 5K race scheduled on Saturday and a bunch of cross training. Generally, I'm feeling good, but still being cautious with my aches to make sure they don't progress.

Slow and Steady

With a long run scheduled today and uncertainty about how my body may perform, I turned to the running experts for guidance. I have been listening to Pure Fit Radio, a weekly podcast hosted by Bart Yasso. Last week he talked about the "proper" way to do a long run, with an emphasis on negative splits.

The basic strategy is to do the first 25% of the run 1:15 slower than your marathon pace, the next 50% at 1:00 slower than marathon pace and the last 25% at marathon pace. I figured what the heck and gave it a go.

My marathon pace in March was 10:39, but my first goal to achieve is a 10:00 pace. I used this number as a base.

Miles 1-4: Goal 11:15. 11:15 is REALLY SLOW...I had a very hard time getting close to this, even with some hills. 11:00, 10:55, 10:56, 11:08

Miles 5-10: Goal 11:00. Got in some trail work with a bit of extra hills and also incorporated a few laps on a synthetic track at the local college. 11:10, 10:45, 10:55, 10:53, 10:54, 10:55.

Miles 11-14: Goal 10:00. Quicker turn over with my feet. Definitely tired here, but the slower pace for the first 10 allowed me to complete this section with success. 9:52, 9:52, 10:11, 9:57.

My legs started aching in all of the usual places somewhere around mile 10, but I was able to work through it and finish. I had a nice ice bath (my new favorite treatment) when I was done.

Totals:
Mileage: 14.00
Time/Pace: 2:29:30/10:40
Avg HR: 148

800x5

Speed work today. Sticking with my plan for the Yasso workouts and my target of 4:00, my splits were 3:51, 3:56, 3:56, 3:57, 3:59. I'm pleased with this.

What I'm not pleased with if my nagging soreness. Hip soreness is dull, left knee responds well for the majority of the workout and gets sore toward the end. I cut one interval off of my workout to err on the side of caution. When I got back, I sat in an ice bath for 15 minutes. This is a new sensation and is both painful and soothing at the same time, if that makes sense.

Mind vs. Body

My mind has never been so tuned into exercise and running. I think about all of the different things I want to do. I very rarely have to force myself mentally to get out for a run or to hit the gym.

The body, on the other hand, is not cooperating. I've struggled for the past two months with a hip issue. I started physical therapy this week and I've noticed it felt better. Then yesterday, I put in a 12 mile run and immediately after I experienced knee pain on the opposite leg. It has been pretty intense in the past 24 hours. I am now gimping around with a knee brace.

I guess I'm probably pushing a bit too hard and my body is having difficulty. It's tough mentally. Exercise has made me feel so much better (in general) and it makes me want to do even more. It is frustrating to force rest, especially when I have so many goals.

It's a 1!!

I now have a 1 as the first number of my weight! I couldn't even tell you the last time this was. Very excited about this.

I rewarded myself with a nice 12-mile run this morning. It hurt! Not sure why, 12 miles is definitely well within my means, but I struggled during the second half and finished with some wicked left knee pain. Ironically enough, my hip feels fine. Ugh.

I am currently reading a book (this in itself is quite an accomplishment, as I'm not much of a reader) Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnazes. In one part of the book he was talking about a coach he had in middle school who's mantra was "If it felt good you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." Apparently, this coach's philosophy was to go out and run as fast and hard as you can every time. Quite interesting, and I love the simple, boot-camp like mentality. My body doesn't like it at all and right now it is screaming. I will be enjoying several ice treatments tonight.

Mileage: 12.00
Time/Pace: 1:56:59/9:45

Well of the pace I wanted (9:15), but the elements are partially to blame. the first 6 were with a nice tail wind, but at the turn around I was blasted by wind and rain and by this point in the run I was soaked to the bone. I didn't give up, and it HURT LIKE HELL.

PT, My Heart, Marathons, Etc

Over the past couple of weeks, I have talked with many people about completing my first marathon. Some people knew I was running it and asked me about it, for others it just came up in conversation. What I found most interesting about these conversations was how many people have no idea about how long a marathon actually is. Even before I ever dreamed of running one, I knew what the distance was. Let me give you an example, I was getting my hair cut, and after the typical "How's your day?", "Where do you work?", etc, the hair dresser/cutter (or whatever) and I began talking about fitness and the topic of running and my marathon came up. "Where did you run it?", etc, and then "Oh, do you do any around here, like the Turkey Trot." For those of you in the area the Turkey Trot is an 8K race on Thanksgiving. I guess I should be impressed that she could name any race, but I wasn't. I think I learned about marathon lengths in middle school, maybe even in phys. ed. Am I becoming a running snob? Anyway...she wasn't the only one, I think I had to explain the distance at least 4 times. Maybe I just shouldn't talk about it with anyone.

The week after the marathon, I had my physical. I have a family history of heart issues, so I got a EKG, which, of course, came out abnormal. Next a stress test and echo cardiogram. Apparently, I have a enlarged ventricle something or other, so I have to go back for a follow up. The doctor says its probably just a result of my increased exercise, but better safe than sorry.

I also started PT for my nagging hip injury. The therapist that worked with me was great! Basically, he thinks it a hip strength issue and gave me some strengthening exercises. Hopefully, that's all it is.

Oh, yeah...this week's workouts...

Monday
Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:00/9:15
Avg HR: 148
Strength, Core

Tuesday:
30min Bike, 30min Aqua Jog
Core

Today:
Mileage: 3.00 (treadmill)
Time/Pace: 27:40/9:13

East Aurora Bunny Hop 5K

ASS KICKER!

My wife tried to warn me. It's hilly. Oh come on, how bad could it be?!? BAD! I suck, I'm slow, I'm out of shape...I felt like I was going to die. I finished over 4 minutes slower than my best 5K time. Ugh...here are the ugly stats.

Mileage: 3.11
Time/Pace: 27:42/8:54 (Blah!)
Avg HR: 211 (YIKES!!!)

What to draw from this? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I'm not in anything close to good shape, yet, but I am working on it. Running, though I love it, sometimes just sucks!

Ah....Spring....

Awesome day! What a change from Tuesday's sleet and wind. Of course, the first nice day brings everyone out of hiding, including the "crazies". My hotel in Binghamton (where I work during the week) is downtown. I had the streets to myself all winter long, but today was an entirely different experience. There are some nicer section of the city, but those seem to be the exception. There was the guy I passed somewhere around my second mile, cheering as I ran by yelling "You can do it! Only 80 miles to go!" Next the fleet of seniors seemingly racing their HoverRound's down the street. The obligatory mother with small child in tow, baby daddy yelling at her as she walked away. Very entertaining!

On to the run. A bit warm, but I certainly won't complain. My body felt a bit sluggish, a bit because of the sudden temperature increase but also just because of general tiredness. I've been chasing sleep all week, and I will sleep until at least 7am tomorrow! Yes, I know, what a luxury!

Mileage: 8.00
Time/Pace:1:13:05/9:08
Avg HR: 159
T/W: 77/sunny, wind

Get Out The Swimmies!

Water + Me = Fat Guy Flailing

Yeah...try as I do to swim, I'm just horrible at it. I go in to it every time, thinking, "just try to mimic any of the other decent swimmers in the pool." You know, the ones that can actually put their face in the water between breaths and don't look like each stroke might be their last. I really don't know what the problem is, but I definitely don't have any stroke/breath rhythm. After, barely making it 25 yds, I try again and give up. Oh well, I can do a decent breast stroke (go figure), so I stick with that, trying to look as though it is MY stroke and all other are inferior.

I need a swimming coach.

Badly!

Oh, I also biked for 30 minutes today.

Yasso 800's

I've read a bit about this speed workout developed by Bart Yasso, called Yasso 800's. The basic premise is that if you can do 10 repeats of 800m at a certain time, your marathon time should match that, in hours and minutes.

For example, if you want to run a 3hr marathon, throw in a weekly Yasso workout. If you can do 10 repeats at 3 minutes per 800 with 3 minutes of recovery jogging in between each interval, you should be able to run a marathon in 3 hrs.

Seems simple, so I'll give it a shot. After my marathon time of 4:38, I figure a decent goal to shoot for this year is around 4hrs. Therefore, I ran my 800's in 4 minutes. I started with 4 repeats and each week I will add one more repeat.

800 split times: 3:58, 4:03, 4:00, 3:59

Not too bad overall, I had to run on the indoor track at the Y today, nasty sleet and wind where I am working.

Overall

Mileage: 5.21
Time/Pace: 49:12/9:26
Avg HR: 160

Read more about Yasso 800's here.

Ahhhhhh! Running Again!

After a long week of rest and recovery I got back out today. The week's rest was much needed for the body even though by Friday I was yearning for a run or some kind of activity. I spent the week really focusing on managing what I was putting in my mouth.

Weight loss logic is really pretty simple if you are dedicated to it. Studies show that a caloric deficiency of 3500/week would net you a 1 lb. per week weight loss. Using that as a model, use a combination of diet and exercise to cut 500 calories a day out of your diet to lose 1 lb a week. Because I've been frustrated with my weight plateau over the past couple of months, I decided to be a bit more aggressive, 2lbs/week or cutting/burning 7000 calories a week. Based on my current weight, I need 2500-2800 calories per day to sustain my current weight with no exercise. Therefore, I am trying to eliminate about 1000 calories/day from this and targeting 1800 calories/day.

Food consumption has always been an issue for me. I love to eat. I have a nice little app on my I-Phone called Lose It! which helps me to track my caloric intake. I can also enter my exercise, which in effect, gives me more calories to consume. Take today for instance...my base calories are 1800, but I've "earned" and extra 878 calories from my run and strength training that I've done today.

Over the past week, this strategy has been doing well for me. I started off last week at 206 and ended the week at 201. Nice loss and a bit of a break through. 199 here I come!

Today's Run:

Mileage: 3.00
Time/Pace: 26:59/8:59
Avg HR: 154
T/W: 41/cloudy

I was shooting for a 9:15 pace today, but my body felt so good and it was like trying to hold back a 150lb dog on a leash, chasing a rabbit. I just went with it. Tomorrow...Yasso 800's!

Recovery: Day 4

Ah, my body is feeling better. The intense soreness is gone, just some lingering muscle soreness in my quads, calves and hips, but I can move about freely. I am starting to get anxious to get back at it, but am forcing myself to continue to rest until next week.

I'm down to 202.5! I've been plateaued at 205-208 for months now, so this feels like a major breakthrough.

I also signed up for the Cleveland Marathon on May 15th. Can't wait to try it again and take what I've learned and put it into practice.

The Aches

Marathons hurt...

Here's a head to toe review of all my aches and pains...I feel old...

Head: soreness at base of skull
Shoulders: general muscle soreness in trapezius and deltoids
Arms: good
Abs: upper abs a bit sore, obliques a bit sore
Hips: very sore all around
Groin: a bit sore
Glutes: a bit sore
Quads: OUCH! Especially on the outside edges, by far the worst of it
Hamstrings: a bit sore
Calves: sore at top near back of knee
Feet: Balls of feet tender, top of feet sore (weird!)

Sunday afternoon and Monday was hard to sit down, climb stairs, anything else that required bending knees, due to quad pain.

Today, good improvement, quads still the worst.

Virginia Beach Shamrock Marathon

Wow! Where to begin...I finished!



Going into the race day, my mind was very uncertain as to what to expect. You've read about my hip issues for the past month. I bailed on my final 20 mile training run, and drastically reduced my mileage in an effort to keep my hip healthy. I took up aqua jogging and strength training.



This weekend, I gave myself a tiered goal approach, Gold (finish in under 4hrs) , Silver (finish in under 4:20), Bronze(just finish on my feet).



The race started out well, I was determined not to go out too fast, even though I was very excited.



Mile 1: 9:23-nice and easy, almost too easy...congested start spread out quickly

2: 9:16-trying to keep it slow

3: 9:12-still trying to slow down and yet speeding up

4: 9:11-okay, held this pace well

5: 9:04-a bit faster, the leaders passed me on their turn around, they were on mile 7ish (yikes!), ate package of Clif Shot Blocks

6: 9:08-first turn around, feeling as though this was a good pace

7: 9:07-held pace well, ran through Camp Pendleton, cool greeting by National Guard

8: 9:08-held pace well, back onto the main road

9: 9:08-pace still good, feeling good, heading back towards the beach

10: 9:09-good pace, turn onto the boardwalk, good number of people here cheering, including one of my supporters (!), ate package of Clif Shot Blocks

11: 8:59-a bit faster, lots of supporters out, got me moving faster

12: 9:06-back into pace, still decent amount of supporters, run still feeling good

13: 9:09-pace good, half way point (2:00:20), right on schedule for a 4hr time, more of my supporters (hi wifey and father-in-law!)

14: 9:11-a tad slower, but still okay, running away from the boardwalk and away from the crowds

15: 9:20- feeling myself slow down

16: 9:26- slower still, tried to push a little bit, but legs not responding

17: 10:23-YIKES!! Wheels coming off now!

18: 10:59- feels like I'm running through sand, also the most boring part of the course, isolated from the crowds

19: 11:07- survival mode, lots of self talk hear, lots of runners dropping off and walking, I'm determined (at this point) to not walk

20: 11:43- can I do it? really questioning myself and wondering what the hell I was doing...still not much to look at, nothing really around to take my mind off the pain. Left quad screaming, balls of feet hurting.

21: 12:01-more pain, more suffering, starting thinking about what I wanted to eat after the race. Trying not to think about distance left.

22: 13:04-heading back towards civilization, but hurting more and more.

23: 12:49-got a bit of a boost here from a friendly runner. We joked about how slow we were and shared stories about how we got started with running. He pressed on after awhile, but it was nice while it lasted.

24: 13:11-back to the grind and suffering, a took in so Gatorade from the water stations trying anything to pick me up, also had a mini-Snickers from a supporter.

25: my Garmin crapped out here...but I walked for 1/2 mile starting at a water stop, the .92 miles that was captured was at 16:09.

Finish: 4:38:50 (10:38 pace)

So, didn't hit any of my time goals, but did finish on my feet, including a final kick with some great supporters.


Highlights of the Race:

1) Team Hoyt: This father/son combo has run marathons, triathlons, etc. (father pushes his son in a wheelchair throughout the race). I don't think the actual Hoyts were there, but there was a father/son duo representing this incredible group. Check it out, very inspirational.

2) Blind Runner: Seeing a blind runner tethered to another runner is incredible. More inspiration for me.

3) Inspirational T-Shirt: "You think this is hard (i.e. running this marathon) try chemotherapy"

4) Supporters: Very supportive community. The race bibs had the names of the runners on it, which was awesome, because the spectators shouted out my name as I ran by. It helped a lot! A special thanks to my supporters: my wife, father-in-law and Karen! Thanks!!!

5) The Leaders: As I was passing my 15 mile marker, the leaser was passing his 23rd. His time 2:20 and change suggested that he could have lapped me!


Other Observations:

Weirdest Place for Pain: Top of my feet

Food Craving During Race: steak, pizza, tacos, milkshakes

Post Race Meal: Burger, Fries, Milkshake

Most Annoying Part of Race: Water Stations (stop and go people traffic)

Best Part of Race: Names on bib for spectators to encourage members

Proudest Moment: Last kick on the boardwalk into the finish line when minutes before i could barely lift my feet off the ground.

Lowest Point: .5 mile of walking around mile 24-25



What next? RECOVERY!! I figure I'll take a week off of everything and let my body recover. Then it's back to training. This certainly won't be my last marathon, I still have many goals to reach. I'm eyeing the BPAC 6hr run in April and Cleveland Marathon in May.

Thanks to everyone for their support!

I'm Alive

I just wanted to give a quick update about today's marathon. I'm alive, but I hurt.

Over the next day or two I'll write a full report.

Things Aren't THAT Bad

Looking back at my most recent posts, I must apologize for sounding like such a downer. Things really aren't that bad.

Two legs? Check.

Two arms? Check.

Ability to exercise? Check.

What is so bad then?

I'm getting pretty amped up about the marathon. I had been feeling bad about not doing all of my training, due to injury, but I've come a long way since last April.

I will be embracing this week's experience and doing my best. Can't wait to tell all of you how it goes. Thanks for the support!

What's Up With My Body?!?

The past month has been extremely frustrating. It started with my hip issue and yesterday continued with a mysterious full body ailment. I woke up and was just fine, but about an hour after breakfast, I started aching all over, had the, ahem, "runs", and felt generally lightheaded. Very weird. Anyway, I spent most of the day in bed. I woke this morning feeling generally fine, but WTF, kinda blew my half marathon planned for today.

So what next? I am tempted to rest the entire week and run my marathon to the best of my ability on Sunday. My body sucks!

It's Getting Closer....

My first marathon that is! 10 days away...yikes!

I've been putting in some quality work this week.

Monday: 4 mile run, 36:53/9:13, 147 HR

Tuesday: 30 min Bike, Strength and Core work

Wednesday: 60 min bike, 45 min aqua jog

Today I did a 3 mile tempo run...I must say, this was tough. My body was sore and a bit tired from pushing really hard.

Tempo Mile Splits: 7:46, 7:49, 7:45
Totals w/wu & cd
Mileage: 5.27
Time/Pace: 45:14/8:35
Avg HR: 158

Hips is still tender, but tolerable. This evening a did 30 minutes on the bike and core work.

Shamrock Run 8K

I ran it. It felt good. Things are good...whew....

I was feeling a bit skeptical on whether or not to run this race today. I hadn't run since Sunday and I've been worried about my hip. I woke up this morning and it felt pretty good, so I headed out.

I was thinking about trying to run a 7:45 pace, nothing too intense, just trying to get my legs under me. The start was a bit interesting. I was standing there, just like always, except I was only two rows or so from the start line. Without warning the gun went off, and we were off. Mile 1 rolled off almost too easy, 7:31. Mile 2, the same 7:33. I tried to slow down, but it felt really good, so I just went with it. Then the turn onto Seneca St, Mile 3. There was a fairly strong headwind that did nothing for my pace, 7:46. Mile 4 started to hurt and still mostly heading into the wind or sometimes a cross wind, 7:56. I started too fast!!! I was able to pick it up at the end for a 7:27.

I'm disappointed about going against my plan, starting out too fast and not being able to hold it throughout. However, I am very pleased with how I finished and even happier that my hip issues were more than manageable. As far as pain, it never was above a 3 out of 10. I am hoping that the next 24 hours will not reveal any new pain and I'm staying optimistic.

Mileage: 4.97
Time: 38:00/7:39
Avg HR: 168

Age Group: 46 out of 221
Overall: 427 out of 3541

As far as the Shamrock Run all together, it is a pretty cool event. It reminded me of a Bills tailgate party, minus the Bills. With an estimated 5,000 runners, it is truly an event. Next year, we will be tailgating!

Aqua Jogging!

In an effort to give my hip some relief, I bought an Aqua Jogger, and today I hopped in for a 40-minute "run". At first, a bit awkward, but overall pretty interesting. I found it harder to get my heartrate up and could only get it to about 120BPM.

I also, did some strength work, core work and 30 minutes on the bike. Pretty good workout...more tomorrow....

Week Summary

I've been struggling with a sore right hip and knee and so not much running at all this week.

Thursday: I did 30 minutes on the bike at level 10 setting, keeping RPM's above 100. I also began a strength training program, as I have been lacking this.

Friday: 60 min on bike, core work.

Saturday: 60 min on bike, core work.

Sunday: 3 mile run on treadmill 9:26 pace. This was a test to see how my body is healing. Hip still sore about 5 out of 10 as far as pain goes. I will wait another 3 days and run again.

In the meantime, I bought a aqua jogger. I plan on adding this to my workouts, hopefully I will be able to maintain my cardio-fitness throughout all of this. I bailed on the race I was looking at today, but I hope to get back out there this weekend for to Shamrock Run 8K.

A New Strategy

I keep reading about the importance of recovering and resting from an injury. I know this is the right thing to do, but it doesn't make it any easier. I've done a bunch of reading and have come up with a couple of new approaches. First of all, I need to add strength training to my weekly schedule, what better time than now? Also, in regards to running, I am going to take 3 days off, run a easy 3 miles, and then wait another 3 days and do another 3. I grabbed this from Runner's World as a way to easy back into running from an injury. Hopefully, this will help things heal up and I won't lose too much of my fitness. I will be putting in a bunch of time on the bike.

Today I started this new plan. Strength workout=low weights, high reps. I'm not much of a gym rat, and I can imagine how silly I look, 6'2 guy, with 10lb weights in his hand doing bicep curls, but I don't want to bulk up. I also, spent 30 minutes on the bike. Tomorrow, 1 hour on the bike with some core work.

Trying to stay positive....

???????? (%&*#!@)

I'm feeling uncertain as to what to do right now. Today, I ran another 7, and felt the aches in my right leg the entire time. I'd put this pain at about a 6 out of 10, tolerable, but I'm sure it impacts my running form to some degree. The first logical response would be STOP, until better, cross train until then. This is okay, but I have my last 20 miler scheduled this week, and I'm wondering how this will impact my prep for the marathon. I guess it is more important to get well or I may not be running at all.

The March issue of Runner's World had a good article about dealing with injury issues, so I guess I should just suck it up and rest, get better, pass on some of my runs and races, and hope for the best....

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:04:04/9:09
Avg HR: 147
T/W: 31 (23 wc)

Back at It

After dealing with a mostly painful and runless week, I'm back at it. The pain in my right leg has greatly diminished since last week. I took it easy today, I concentrated on making smaller strides and didn't even use my I-pod, so I could "listen" to my body. I still have some general soreness, but it feels better. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:04:55/9:16
Avg HR: 152
T/W: 32( WC 23)

Testing it Out

My hip continues to annoy me along with my knee, but I thought I'd try it out today on the treadmill. I haven't run since Monday, so I was craving a bit of a run. I just did 5 to try it out. Pain did not worsen, actually felt better as I ran. I feel okay now, took some Aleve as a pre caution and will probably rest again tomorrow.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 46:30/9:18

An Annoying Injury

I have a sore hip. Yeah, I know it sounds silly, but it is very annoying and makes even walking painful. It started Sunday, and still continues. I am laying off running for the next few days to see if it subsides. Ugh!

5 Weeks to Go

5 weeks to go to my first marathon. Body was unusually sore today, probably from pushing it a bit in Saturday's race. This week is a shorter distance week, with no speed or long run workouts.

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:04:41/9:14
Avg HR: 145
T/W: 25 (17wc)

Lockport Y-10

I was looking at this race as a tempo run as part of my marathon training. My previous tempo run lengths had been in the 4-6 mile range at a pace of 8:05 or so. Not really knowing how I'd hold up under the temperature, length, and hills, I set a rather conservative target of 8:35/mile.

Looking down at my 1st mile I was shocked to see 7:57. I thought that I'd better reign it in quick or I wasn't going to survive the final hill. This time was made very easy due to the mostly downhill running. I really tried to back off the next few miles, but still logged 8:16, 8:08, 7:46 (!). Again, mostly because of the ease of running downhill. Mile 5 leveled off quite a bit and a clocked a 8:24.

I was really feeling good still, half way through, so I thought, why not pick up the pace a bit. My new target was 8:20. I also invented a fun little game in my head I call "Reel 'Em In!". Basically, I set my sights on the person immediately in front of me and try to pass them. I get a +1 for each person I pass and a -1 for each that passes me. After, the 6th mile (8:25) I was even, passed one, but was passed by 1. Mile 7, still feeling good I picked up the pace some more (8:12) and now was +2. Mile 8 and 9 got me to +7, with splits of 8:03 and 8:13. Despite the nasty little hill at the end of mile 10 I was able to finish a +16, with a final split of 8:13. According to my GPS watch the course was actually 10.05 miles, and I ran that last .05 at a 5:56 pace.

I felt really strong throughout the race, even with the hills. I felt as though I still had something left in the tank, which makes me feel optimistic about my marathon, which is now only about 5 weeks away.

Mileage: 10.05
Time/Pace: 1:21:57/8:09
Avg HR: 160
T/W: 17 (WC 12), light snow, wind

For some reason the results are missing for 85-145th place, right where I'd be. Looking forward to seeing where I placed.

**UPDATE**

They added the rest of the names, here's what I did...

6 of 13 in my age group
100 of 278 overall

Long Run Part 2 (Outdoor Version)

The weather cleared nicely this afternoon, even a bit of sun. Still very windy, but I had to get out. The miles felt pretty good, and I feel even better now that I've finished!

Mileage: 9.00
Time/Pace: 1:23:56/9:18
Avg HR: 149
T/W: 25 (WC 17), windy/sun

Does 2=1?

Woke up to my alarm at 4am, hoped out of bed, put on my gear and took one step outside. I really don't have too many issues with running in the elements, but this morning was a bit too much to attempt for me. With the blowing and howling snow, I knew that 16 miles would be a bit too risky. So, I crawled back into bed (nice!) and reset the alarm for 5:30 to hit the gym's indoor track. My plan was to split up my long run into two sessions. I'm not sure if this defeats the purpose or not, but it is the best I can do. I also decided to add two miles to the total.

Morning Session Stats:

Mileage: 9.00
Time/Pace: 1:24:25/9:23
Avg HR: 144

Hopefully, my day will cooperate with me and I can get 9 more in this evening.

Still Gliding

Another 6 miles and still feeling great! At times, I may have been pushing a bit, but it felt good!

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 54:14/9:02
Avg HR: 152
T/W: 29, light snow

Day off tomorrow, then a 16-miler.

Just Like Gliding

Not sure why, but today's run was a breeze. I felt like I was gliding through the entire run. I like this feeling!

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 55:13/9:12
Avg HR: 148
T/W: 25 (17 WC), cloudy

On Sunday, I did my 4x1600 workout on a treadmill at the gym. Not really a treadmill fan, but got it done. Pretty consistent splits too!

Splits: 7:25, 7:25, 7:27, 7:25

Totals:
Mileage: 7.50
Time/Pace: 1:04:51/8:39
Avg HR: 154
Incline: 1.0

Friday & Saturday

Body has recovered nicely from the 20 mile run on Saturday. Only slight soreness yesterday and nothing really today. Feeling good, running strong.

Friday:
Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 46:00/9:12

Saturday:
Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:37/9:24

20!

93 seconds is all it takes. In that first 93 second of being awake, I struggle mightily on whether to jump out of bed or reset the alarm and get a couple more hours of sleep. Sure, 2-3 hours of extra rest, huddled under a warm blanket would be sheer bliss, but the rest of the day I would be mentally scolding myself for being lazy and a procrastinator. I had my gear laid out, went to bed early, carbed up the night before, so I was ready as I could be. By 4:15am I was off!

We had had a few inches of snow overnight and the plowing crew hadn't quite caught up yet. At first this wasn't an issue, but as I traveled further from the center of town, it became more difficult. I love my gear and think I am well prepared for most situations, but not today. I've battled wind, sun, heat, humidity, sub-zero temps, but haven't really dealt with too much snow. It finally caught up with me today. There was just enough snow on the roads and sidewalks to be annoying. Each stride was more like a half-stride and my body moved almost as much side to side as ahead. I really could have used those winter studs they make just for this purpose. Needless to say, the going was slower than I would have liked.

On to the run...

It is remarkable how "easy" the first 10-12 miles have become. They certainly aren't fast by any means, but my body seems to handle this distance in stride. However, anything after 16 is a totally different run. My body began to scream, first the left knee, then the right, right hamstring, oh (!) there's a cramp...etc, etc. The only thing keeping me going was I was 4 miles from the hotel, so I had two choices, run back or walk back. Might as well run. I hit mile 18 and experienced calf muscle cramps like something I never felt before. It was really high in the calf almost behind the knee. That lasted about 3/4 of a mile, before subsiding.

The last 4 miles was a demonstration in sheer will power. I wanted nothing more than to stop, but willed myself on, thinking of anything I could other than stopping. Looking back a day later, I can say that I will do it again. Why? Being able to get my body through that 8 months ago would have been impossible. This is representative of how far I've come and yet the pain and suffering shows me how much further I need to go. I still think back to my first 3 mile run. I experienced similar things during that run and now I've run 20. This marathon thing might actually happen!

Mileage: 20.00
Time/Pace: 3:24:42/10:14
Avg HR: 158
T/W: 22, light snow
Best/Worst Splits: 9:38 (mile 9), 11:21 (mile 19)

Penguin Run 5K

Brrrr...it's cold out! Mixed results today. I was thrilled to get out today for some race action. My goal was to break 23:00, and I just missed it with a 23:06. I'm sure I could have done this if I didn't have to wear 3 layers. But then I looked back at my last race, Lindsey's Legacy in November, the race actually measured 3.09 and today's was 3.11. My pace today was 7:25, November 7:26. Is this a PR? I think I'll count it as one as the pace is lower and for me this is ultimately what I look at. What do you think?

Mileage: 3.11
Time/Pace: 23:06/7:25
Avg HR: 168
T/W: 14 (WC 5), light snow
Splits: 7:31, 7:22, 7:32, :40

4th out of 28 in my age group
90 out of 596 overall

Excited About Racing

Tomorrow I am running in the Penguin Run, my first race since the Turkey Trot. I'm pretty excited to get back out there with other runners. I'm hoping to get under 23:00, but am feeling a bit unsure about this. Weight loss isn't happening as fast as I'd like. For the most part, my eating habits have been more focused. I guess, I'll just need to work harder, run faster, and stay focused. Today was an easy 4 mile run on the treadmill. It is nice to say that, "easy", as I can remember beginning in April and barely sustaining a 3 mile run.

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:10/9:18
Avg HR: 143
Incline: 1.0

16 Miles at 4am?!?

That's right! 4am! With renewed dedication, I set out this morning, determined to complete my long run for the week prior to sunrise. Success! I usually save my long run for the weekend, but I am running a 5K this weekend, so I didn't want to put a race and long run back-to-back. It went fairly well. Here's the low down.

Mileage: 16.00
Time/Pace: 2:35:59/9:41
Avg HR: 160
T/W:25 (15 WC), dusting of snow
Best Split (mile)/Worst Split (mile): 9:23 (5)/10:08 (15)

Still missing my goal of a 9:23 pace, but only 2 miles over the 10 minute mark.

Hey Slacker

Yeah, so I bailed on my Tuesday speed work. Ever justify why you miss a workout? Yeah, it sounds good at the time, but then for the rest of the day I kick myself and have an itch to drop what I'm doing and run. This is good right? Anyway, tomorrow I will get up and I will run 16 miles or so. Gulp...

January Thaw and Intense Flooding

I woke up this morning at 5am to get in a run before work. Today's work schedule looked to be a fun one. The plan was to walk a creek bed, doing some visual recon for a project at work. What I experienced was a bit different than what I had in mind, monsoon-like rains, flash flooding, washed out roads,etc. The picture shown here, is of a truck driving through a flooded road, my Toyota would never had made it. Schools closed early, roads closed, what a fun day!

Other than that, a great day to run. I've written about how much I enjoy a bit of rain for my run and this morning didn't disappoint. I was able to get rid of one of my 3 winter layer and probably could have gone with just one layer. No hood, no hat, just some good running!

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 55:40/9:16
Avg HR: 158
T/W: 42, rain

Finishing Up My "Rest Week"

Last day of my "rest week" although I still logged 27 miles. No long runs or speed work, a bit of time for the body to heal a little. With my marathon training at the half way point, I am looking ahead at some of my upcoming workouts. I am going to tweak my schedule a bit this week and try to get my long run in on Thursday. This is mostly because I have a 5K race scheduled and don't want to run 16 miles the day before this race. 6 more miles today, on the treadmill.

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 56:30/9:25
Avg HR: 142
Incline: 1.00

Couple of Days Off

After my last run on Wednesday, I took a couple days off. I've been feeling a bit worn out, long work hours, not much sleep. After a decent night's sleep last night, I was back at it today. I ran on a treadmill today, I should have ran outside, it was a nice day. Right around mile 6, my left knee stiffened up, don't know why. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:05:52/9:24
Avg HR: 143

Remembering Why I Run

Boy, it was tough dragging myself out to run today. My body fought it every step of the way. My legs were tired from last night's bike workout, but I was determined to get out anyway. Every step was more difficult than usual, it wasn't terribly cold, but still a struggle. To take my mind off of this I made a mental note of why I'm doing this:

1) I feel good when I'm done. There's nothing like saying to yourself, hey, I ran 7 miles today!
2) I want to look better. I've dropped over 30lbs since April and want to continue the loss, washboard abs here I come!
3) I want to feel better. All this running is forcing me to make better eating choices. I still struggle mightily with this but it is getting better. Most I feel better, I don't have such a weight in my stomach from all the crappy eating.
4) I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. I have run a half-marathon, and am working towards a full. I will be part of a small community of people that have done this.

These thoughts got me through today's run, even though I wanted to quit and curl back up in bed.

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:05:54/9:25
Avg HR: 150
T/W: 33 (27 WC), sunny

Recovery Week

The marathon prep program I'm using throws in a "recovery week" every 4 weeks. This consists of 4 easy run, no speed work or long runs and reduced mileage. This week will consist of 3-7 milers and a 6 miler.

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:05:36/9:22
Avg HR: 150
T/W: 29 (19WC), cloudy, wind

20 Miles = DNF

Yep, DNF as in DID NOT FINISH. Why? Poor planning. Weather was looking good today, except for the 20+MPH winds. I knew this BEFORE running, and yet ignored it. DUH! UGH!! STUPID!!! The winds were out of the west, so logic would suggest to run more of a north/south route, but SILLY ME, I ran 10 miles east and then tried, TRIED to run back 10 miles directly into the wind, again, DUH!!

The first 10 rolled off very well, Splits: 9:28, 9:28, 9:34, 9:22, 9:27, 9:33, 9:33, 9:31, 9:36, 9:36.
The turn into the wind, DUH(!!). I was able to hold it together somewhat for the first mile: 10:06, but then, UGH (!!!) 10:30, 10:46, 11:01, 12:01, 11:58....and then FORGET IT!!

Mileage: 16.52
Time/Pace: 2:47:46/10:09
AVG HR: 157
W/T: 33 (22 WC), windy (!!)

Quite disappointed with myself today, because of my poor planning. I should have been able to complete this distance. Next time...

Week Update

I've been off the grid, busy with work, but I still have put in all of my mileage scheduled so far. I tweaked my schedule a bit to do my long runs on Saturday instead of Sunday.

This week, Monday's 4 miler, no issues as well as today's. The most interesting run of the week was my tempo run. I ran inside at the Y. They have an indoor track above a basketball court. It wasn't like anything I had run on before, it was almost like a roller derby rink or a NASCAR track with banked corners. Oh yeah, and 17.5 laps per mile, so for my 4 mile tempo run, with a warm up and cool down, I did something like 105 laps.

Anyway....20 miler tomorrow...can't wait....should be decent weather

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Big 18 miler today. I debated back and forth about indoors or outdoors and finally decided on out. Not a bad day weather-wise, decently sunny, cold, but bearable.

The run started off well, and the first 8 flew by at my goal pace (9:27, 9:27, 9:30, 9:28, 9:30, 9:31, 9:33, 9:32) . 9-11 a little slower (9:45, 10:21, 10:22), but still reasonable, hit some bad road maintenance here and was annoyed. 12-14, whew, tougher and slower (10:41, 10:44, 10:36), 15-17 ugh (!), just finish (11:08, 11:15, 11:14) and 18 pulled it together a little bit to finish with a 10:36.

Totals
Mileage: 18.00
Time/Pace: 3:02:49/10:09
AVG HR: 155
T/W: 13 (WC3)/sun

Now on to the Good, Bad and Ugly

GOOD: Town of Tonawanda road maintenance. Bravo, boys! Clear roads very little snow and ice, even shoulders clear. Excellent!

BAD: Buffalo road maintenance. WTF. Horrible. As though they didn't even plow. My original intention was to run to Delaware Park via Buffalo side streets, but bailed on that shortly after entering city limits. I feel bad for the residents of Buffalo who can't get decent road work done. I understand it is a tough job, but if Tonawanda can do it, Buffalo can certainly do it too.

UGLY: MY splits! I am a very competitive person, which is weird, because I not really that good at anything. However, when I set a goal and miss it, I'm hard on myself. Like today, I was well of my goal pace of 9:29. However, I really need to focus on the fact that I finished this workout of 18 miles, something I've never done before. I've only run a handful of times over 10 miles, so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I keep trying to tell myself, I'm still new at this, but regardless I find myself pushing hard to get to my goals.

I also ran 3.04 miles yesterday and I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow!

3x1600

For today's speed workout, I debated whether our not to do it outside. The temperature was a bit milder (relative to the rest of the week.) So I, hit the track, but with mixed feelings. It was nice to be outside after the past couple of indoor runs, but the track was slick. They do plow it (asphalt track), but still had a bit of snow (with some ice). My traction wasn't the best and I could feel my legs adjusting to this. I know I lost some of my power from the little bit of slipping I was doing, but that was to be expected I guess.

I was shooting for 7:32/pace and fell a bit short, again because of the track condition, I wasn't to concerned about this. Splits: 7:33, 7:41, 7:53. I started out feeling strong, but the slippery traction took its toll on me at the end. Still, a satisfying run.

Totals (w/wu&cd):

Mileage: 6.25
Time/Pace: 56:21/9:01
Avg HR: 155
T/W: 27 (WC19)

Yesterday I did my bike cross training workout.

Watching Myself Run

Have you ever had the fortunate (or unfortunate) opportunity to watch yourself run? During the week I get to use the Y where I work, and the treadmills are against the window. At night, all you can see is your own reflection, how exciting. I noticed that my right foot flares out a little bit as it lifts off the ground. I don't know if this is a problem, but just something I noticed. Also, I tend to weave quite a bit. Hmmm....

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:48/9:27
Avg HR: 143
Elevation: 1.0

New Long: 16 Miles

Hmmm....16 miles on the schedule today....yikes!! In the back of my mind I still have the memories of my struggles at 14 miles in December. Yesterday, I spent most of the day on my knees putting in a hardwood floor. Pretty tough on my knees and back, even my butt was sore! When I woke this morning, all my joints were creaking and legs were moaning. Add today's weather and it was setting up to be a perfect day to bail. However, I sucked it up, filled my water bottles with Accelerade, grabbed a couple packs of Clif Shot Blocks and headed out to the gym.

Treadmill running is not my favorite, it is quite dull, but necessary today. The one thing I do like is that it sets a pace nicely. The miles rolled off with relative ease. At the 10.5 mark, I knew I'd be able to complete the run. I felt pretty good throughout the run, with the exception of some stiffness in my left knee and ankle.

Mileage: 16.00
Time/Pace: 2:31:04/9:26
Avg HR: 144

Splits: 9:20, 9:29, 9:30, 9:28, 9:22, 9:26, 9:28, 9:27, 9:27, 9:26, 9:27, 9:23, 9:27, 9:24, 9:27, 9:26

Looking Back, Looking Ahead...

With every new year we look back at what we've done and look ahead to what we want to accomplish. I made a huge change and commitment in my life in 2009, running. I had always enjoyed it, I ran a bit in grade school and on and off in my adult life, but never anything like this, until April.

I remember how difficult it was at the beginning to put in 3 miles and now I am routinely peeling off 6 mile runs with relative ease. My body craves getting out for it's daily run. I take great pride in what I've done so far and yet have so many more goals in mind. Before I get to those, let recap my top five runs of the year.

5) 14 Mile Run (12/20/09): After struggling with a 12 mile and 14 mile run in consecutive weeks I had a minor breakthrough by running this 14 mile training run in a 9:31 pace.

4) Chestnut Ridge Challenge (10/31/09): Definitely a tough test of my training to this point. It was a pretty miserable day, but I felt as though I had a great run and really tested my endurance.

3) Muddy Trail Run at Chestnut Ridge (10/23/09): This 6 mile run was anything but ordinary. I bought a pair of trail shoes and immediately tested them at Chestnut Ridge. Ankle deep mud, some rain and hills, a truly enjoyable run, and maybe a future inspiration for some trail races?!?

2) Lindsey's Legacy 5K (11/14/09): This was a year of PR's, mostly because I haven't run much prior to 2009. Each race was a new goal and I was most pleased with this one, 23:00. I'm looking ahead to next year to set this even lower!

1) Rochester Half Marathon (9/13/09): A year ago I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that I'd run in a half marathon. This was definitely the highlight of my running year; racing in my hometown and seeing family members at the finish as excited as me.

Onto 2010 goals:

1) Run a marathon. I have my first in my sights on 3/21 in Virginia Beach. Hopefully this will only be the first of many.

2) Run an ultra. If the marathon goes well, I intend on running at the ultra distance. A logical start to this would be the BPAC 6-Hour Ultra in April. 3.5 mile loop may get boring, but I am very familiar with the area and won't get in too much trouble physically.

3) Get a bike! I'm looking to get a bike this spring and add it to my cross training regiment. If all goes well I may be able to.....

4) Compete in a duathlon (maybe even a tri?!?)

5) Run 1500 miles. Shouldn't be a problem if I stay healthy.

6) Get weight down to 180. Diet will probably be the most helpful here.

7) Run a sub 7 minute mile in 5K. That's a 21:42 5K.

Whew...seems like a lot, but I get more committed and motivated everyday.

Today's run.

Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 37:44/9:26
Avg HR: 151
T/W: 26 (13WC)/ Cloudy

Thanks to all of you out there that read my ramblings and I look forward to chatting with you more and following your successes.

4 Mile Tempo

Hit the gym today for a 4 mile tempo run. Feeling a bit sluggish, could it be the pizza and wings I ate an hour before? Probably...I don't learn very quickly I guess...

Splits: 8:07, 8:03, 8:02, 8:00

Total
Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 53:09/8:51
Avg HR: 154

Back at It

After a few days off, I'm back at it. I wasn't entirely inactive, but my eating habits were less than desirable. I guess vacation will do that to you. We spent a couple of days in NYC. The first day was 4.4 miles of walking and the second day was 6.9! Of course with all that walking I needed some "fuel". Nothing will get you from point to point like Crumbs Homemade cupcakes, Long Island bagels, street hot dogs and pretzels, a Katz pastrami sandwich, and believe me, I had it all and more!

But, now it's back to work....

Yesterday's Run

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 46:58/9:23
Avg HR: 153
T/W: 24 (17WC)/ Cloudy, wind

Ah, Lovely Rain in December

I think Mother Nature must be feeling bad about the horrible summer we had, so to make up for it, she decided today would be a good day for rain. I certainly don't mind it, I just find it ironic that the one time most people actually want snow it rains instead. The miles peeled off easy this morning and it was difficult to keep myself going at a 9:35 pace.

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace:56:50/9:28
Avg HR:147
T/W: 44, rain

X-Mas Day Run

No snow today...not good for all you "White Christmas" lovers, but great for a runner. Legs were feeling a bit sluggish, but I made it.

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 57:19/9:33
Avg HR: 154
Temp: 37 (WC 29)

Whoops

I ran at the gym on the treadmill today, but then accidentally deleted my stats from the Garmin, whoops! Oh well....

Bubblegum Factory?!?

I set out for my run this morning and I noticed a strong smell of bubble gum in the air. Is there a bubblegum factory in Binghamton? It was very strong and if I had to guess, I would say that it was Bazooka, original flavor. This took me back to the days of buying .05 pieces at the corner store, Now & Laters (we always pronouced them NounLaders) , Snap on Wrist Bracelets (yeah, I know) and Pop Rocks. Before I knew it, my run was done!

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 57:09/9:31
Avg HR: 151
Temp: 19 (WC 10)

Splits: 9:30, 9:30, 9:33, 9:32, 9:35, 9:27

A Minor Victory!

With another 14 miler scheduled and my recent failure at this distance, I was pretty anxious to get back out there and prove to myself that I can do it. Not only did I complete the distance, I was able to keep the pace that I was targeting.

Splits (9:35 goal): 9:22, 9:33, 9:34, 9:35, 9:34, 9:32, 9:29, 9:34, 9:34, 9:34, 9:32, 9:32, 9:29, 9:22

Now, I'm not saying it didn't hurt, because it did, but I was able to push through and stay strong throughout. I'll take it!

Mileage: 14.00
Time/Pace: 2:13:24/9:31
Avg HR: 155
Temp: 32 (WC 24), Sunny

More Footpodding

I really don't enjoy running on a treadmill as much as being outside, but it was just too damn cold yesterday. I did an easy 5 miles at the gym yesterday morning. Today, I did another bike workout. Tomorrow, I will attempt 14 miles again.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 47:43/9:32
Avg HR: 142

FootPod and The Treadmill for a Tempo Run

I received my footpod for my Garmin GPS watch today and it was also very cold out. Perfect for some treadmill work. Pretty mild workout today, it felt much easier than running outdoors. Part of this could be due to the fact that I have been wearing 3 layers lately when running outside. Today's run on the treadmill was nothing more than a pair of running shorts and t-shirt. Either way, this was a much easier tempo run than I have experienced previously. The footpod is great so far.

The goal for today's run was 3 miles at an 8:04 pace, with a warm up and cool down mile. My splits were 8:02, 8:05, 8:04. It was a bit difficult to get the pace exactly right as I couldn't get the treadmill set at 8:04/mile. I had to adjust it up and down a bit, but I think I was close enough.

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace: 43:28/8:42
HR: 147

On the Bike

I am really enjoying this bike cross training routine I've begun. I did another workout with it today and found myself completing it much easier than last week. I am still two levels below the actual suggested level, so next week I plan on moving up. Speaking of bikes....I'm still contemplating a bike purchase. I think I've settled on the S-series that Cervelo offers, now its just a question of which one I can convince my wife to agree with (the S1 is about $2200 as opposed to the S3 which is $7100). In a word (or two) these bikes are DEAD SEXY!! See below....

A guy can dream.........

Sometimes It Just Goes So Easy

This running thing is weird. Two days after falling apart, I got out for a 5 miler and had a hard time going SLOW enough. Bizarre...

Mileage: 5.00
Time/Pace:47:33/9:30
Avg HR: 145
Temp: 34, Wintry Mix

Splits: 9:29, 9:28, 9:30, 9:34, 9:30

Ugh Part 2

These long runs are kicking my ass. I had a 14-miler on tap today. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical due to my poor performance at 12 last week, but I gave it a shot anyway. I did eat today too, so I felt a bit more confident.

The First 9 miles peeled off without any issues: 9:35, 9:35, 9:36, 9:34, 9:37, 9:35, 9:39, 9:36, 9:30, and then I felt it come again, slowly, my muscles began to surrender...9:58, 11:06, 11:19, 10:54...

The wheels just came off again and I didn't quite get the 14th mile done.

Mileage: 13.33
Time/Pace: 2:14:02/10:03
Avg HR: 163
Temp: 36 (29 WC) Drizzle

I am pleased with running this distance, my longest at one time. I showed more endurance by not falling apart until later in the run. However, I'm disappointed to get so close to the end and not being able to finish. This is the first time I could not will myself to the end.

Bailing on Today's Run

I woke up with every intention of getting out for a run today. I was half dressed and then mistakenly checked the temperature, 19F, -1F Wind Chill. I was already cold getting ready, so I chickened out. I just got done reading Anton Krupicka's blog about running in the cold and now I just feel like a wimp. Oh well....there's always tomorrow.

I ordered a foot pod today, that will sync to my Garmin GPS watch and allow me to track my mileage while on a treadmill. I even paid the extra $20 for next day delivery. Have I become a slave to my gadgets?!?

1600x2

More speed work this morning...

I was a bit skeptical about running outside today because of the high winds. I wasn't sure how my gear was going to hold up. I was pleasantly surprised, I was warm the entire time and even though half of the time I was running into a strong head wind (gusts of 25 mph) I still successfully completed today's run.

Mile 1: 7:35
Mile 2: 7:34

Totals:

Mileage: 5.49
Time/Pace: 51:24/9:21
Avg HR: 154
Temp: 27 (19 wind chill)

More Cross Training

Today was my scheduled bike training (The Wall). Last week, I backed off the resistance based on my first experience with this training. It was a bit too easy so today I bumped it up to repeats of 6/12 resistance (eventually I should be doing 8/16). This was much more challenging, and my legs got a nice workout.

Tomorrow...some more speed work, can't wait...(ugh)...

Ah, That's Better!

Week Two of marathon training...much better today. No problems with keeping the 9:35 pace for 7 miles, perhaps a bit more erratic than I'd like, but altogether good. Splits: 9:24, 9:42, 9:20, 9:33, 9:31, 9:32, 9:34.

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:06:39/9:31
Avg HR: 160
Temp: 29

Ugh

As Sunday's long run approached I was feeling good. I had skipped a race I wanted to do, but made up for it with a run that I got through without any concerns. It was a bit colder do to the wind, but with my gear I was confident I'd be okay. So off I went....

Things started out fine. For this run I was going to maintain a 9:35 pace throughout. First four miles....no problem 9:35, 9:34, 9:36, 9:36, right on target. Then something happened...I slammed head first into the biggest wall I've ever experienced. Marathon runners talk about hitting this physical and mentalwall around mile 20. I haven't ran a marathon yet, but I bet this is exactly how it feels. My legs just quit on me, my body got tense and sore, my arms wouldn't swing. Still I pushed on. I thought about what was going on and couldn't figure it out at first. I put in a decent amount of miles so far this week, but had felt no extreme tiredness or soreness. Then I figured it out. It was about 2pm and I hadn't eaten a thing today. WHAT (?!?!)...you say, me not eat. I've talked at length about how food is center in my life, so for me to forget to eat is bizarre. Hey, it happens, I guess.

Equipped with only my Accelerade (which accounts for about 400 calories or so), I pressed on, each step harder then the next. For the next few miles, I struggle to keep my pace close to my target, but I was fading fast...9:41, 9:39, 9:44,10:26. I passed a shortcut back home and seriously considered throwing the towel in, but I didn't. I fought on, telling myself that if I can get through this, it will make me stronger (cue comments on how bad this is!) I did finally finish in what I call survival mode; just finish! The final 4 miles split out at 11:10, 11:47, 11:42, 11:43.

What lesson was learned? Fuel before a run!

Mileage: 12.00
Time/Pace: 2:04:19/10:21
Avg HR: 164
Temp: 34

My Garmin watch estimated that I burned 2215 calories, so I hopped on the scale just to see where I was. I couldn't believe my eyes 208.8! This is probably some negative reinforcement to not eat before I run and get the weight down, but how I felt I won't soon forget. It's now Tuesday, and my body is still achy, but I will press on...

Change of Plans

I decided to change my plans yesterday from running a 5K to doing an easy pace 6 miler. The biggest reason was that my schedule was thrown off a bit on Thursday pushing my tempo run back a day. I have a 12-miler scheduled for today and I didn't want to put 3 tougher workouts in a row.

Mileage: 6.00
Time/Pace: 57:27/9:34
Avg HR: 148
Temp: 34
Elevation Gain: 166

Running at home is very different than running during the week when I'm away. The lack of hills at home alone, makes for a totally different run. I actually found my self having to slow down to keep at the target pace. On tap today is a 12-miler at the same pace (9:35).

4 Mile Tempo Run

"In the 30 years I've been a runner, I've run more than 150,000 miles. Still, some of the hardest steps are those first few getting out of the door for daily runs."-Bill Rodgers

I had to DRRAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG....my butt out of bed this morning for a run. I skipped it yesterday, so sleepy.....

I don't have much experience with this type of running, other than trying to maintain a fast pace in an actual race. The schedule called for about 6 miles total with 4 miles at an 8:08 pace. I decided to do this on a track nearby as this area is very hilly, and I know the focus is speed not elevation. Overall I feel pretty good about what I did. The last 1.5 miles were a bit of a struggle, but I made it.

Tempo Run:
Mileage: 4.00
Time/Pace: 32:31/8:08
Avg HR: 166
Temp: 31

Grand Total:
Mileage:6.30 (with warm up/cool down)
Time/Pace: 56:18/8:56

What's the Deal with Chinese Buffets?

I just can't understand the fascination with Chinese buffets or why I can't get enough of them. I walk in the door, practically salivating. Do I hit the appetizers first? Maybe some won ton soup and an egg roll or maybe skip that and get right to the General Tso's chicken, lo mien, fried rice, etc. The thing is I know that I'll feel like crap after I eat it, but I just can't help it. That first bite is practically heaven. Each bite after than gets less and less satisfying. First plate done, already feeling that churning in my stomach, I justify a second plate. I forgot the pepper chicken, dumplings and beef and broccoli, and besides, this IS a buffet and I need to get my money's worth. Sometimes, I even try for a third, real punishment! So obviously, I hit the buffet today and experienced all of this.

On the schedule today was my bike cross training, or what I have dubbed The Wall. If you recall the first time I tried this I failed, the resistance was intense. Tonight, I scaled back the resistance a bit to be able to make it through the 30 minute session. I made it through no problem might have been a bit too easy, next time I will bump it up a notch.

On The Prowl

You all know about my obsession with running gear and winter seems to be the perfect time to try out some new fun items. Today, was my first run with my Under Armour hood I bought, and let me tell you, very impressed! As you can see, I could hardly contain my excitement. I did crop this photo, by the way, due to the less than flattering, form fitting compression shirt. (I am a fat guy running, remember?)

Day One of my marathon training finished. A bit more challenging than I hoped for, but my energy was a bit down, due to less than a full night of rest. I did complete the 7 miles within the suggested time. Also, I fit in some core work. Tomorrow...The Wall (gulp).

Mileage: 7.00
Time/Pace: 1:07:02/9:34
Avg HR: 158
Elevation Gain: 620
Temp: 36

Off to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation....it's on all week at 8pm on AMC!