Marathon or bust.

Tempo Tuesday

2010-03-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Managed to get to the treadmill at Y for tempo run today. Cold rain with strong wind outside.

6 total. 3 fast @ 7:12 then 7:01 then 6:40. Very happy with that.

Later this week I have to do a long run and keep the focus on May 2nd - Broad Street 10 miler. I heard that the registration has closed with the 30,000 runner cap already met!

Haddon Adrenaline 5k

2010-03-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

yeah - first blog post of the new year . . . been busy (doing whatever?)

Ran two 5k's recently. February's plan of getting really speedy workouts was mostly a bust due to the extreme snow situations; however, my racing was still decent. First ran the Logan House 5k. A few hills but nothing too bad. Ran something like 21:10 and was okay with that.

This past Saturday ran the Haddonfield 5k and did better than expected. Hoped to break 21:00 and ended up with 20:34. Very happy. Will probably be my fastest 5k of the year since I had planned to focus on speed & short runs for the first months. Now I have to look toward Broad Street 10 miler and so must get back into long runs. The longest I've gone in the last 10 weeks is like a 7 or an 8 miler. So I've got about 5 weeks to build back some endurance. I might do some other races during these weeks - done as my speed work while i focus on long runs.

Looking forward to getting back onto trails too - most of the past few months have been treadmill at Y.

PDR pic

2009-12-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

here's a pic from either PDR in September, or Rothman in November. which one? Looks like I'm working very hard, eh? I hate these pics, who pays huge money for these prints???

Ramblin' Wreck

2009-12-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

Yo, haven't written anything in a while.
*EDIT*

Been rockin' some long runs lately. 22 in freezing rain last Sunday. mostly roads, still hurting from that effor.t
2 weeks before that I did a 20 on the trails at Fair Hill, MD. Felt crappy almost right from the start. Got lost like friggin' 5 times. Hate that feeling of being off trail. Makes the day stretch out soooo f'ing long. They got some hills out there. Estimate course is 3,100 climbing over 31 miles. doesn't sound so bad when you say it that way. Felt so good toward the end after ditching hydration pack and tacking on a few extra miles. 16, 17, 18 were fun. Then fell down at 19. no damanage.
2 weeks b/f that did a 20 at BCSP. seemed to take forever. This was also a very cold rainy day. I seem tob e slowing down big time. My dream of 5.half 50k is way out. 6 or even 6.half is more like it. okay, watever. this ain't a race so much as a "can you finish it" sort of thing.

*EDIT*
I know that Positive Mental Attidude is important for these longer races, but i just cant seem to turn the corner. Seriously thinking of dropping from the 50k down to the shorter race. that will give me a mental advantage. I am completely unable to concentrate on my work, my home, or my running. Everything has gone fuzzy, don't know why.
i should delete this post, but will read it in the morning and re-evaluate.

21 miles SLOWLY

2009-11-17T10:02:00.001-08:00

I had my heart set on a long slow run for the end of last week. Friday I farted around all day and never got out for any run. The crapped weather played a part in that, altho I don't mind running in the rain too much. Then Saturday turned out to be a effed-up schedule because of all the rain storms over the past few days. Soooo, Sunday early a.m. I was ready to hit the trails for a maximum distance effort.

Decided to wear my new hydration pack for the first half. Ended up being 11 miles with pack, felt much better than before. Even stopped to stuff in an old bottle along the trail (yes, new hobby is bottle collecting. Sounds so olde fuddy duddy I know, but I like old crap, history, etc., and I've found a few spots in the woods with what I will call farm dumps (ok, so they're trash piles... but they're old trash piles so the stuff is like practically antiques!). Anyway, I'm getting comfortable with the hydration pack. And I came home with a circa 1940's ASCO brand vinegar bottle for me new collection.

21 miles never goes down too easy. Felt tired almost right away. Stopped back at the car every 3 to 6 miles for water, gatorade, Gu & cereal bars. Avoided most of the hills, total climbing over 21 miles was approx. 1200 feet. Time: 3:32 which is about exactly 10 minute pace. That includes a good 10 or 15 minutes of stoppage time for the car refueling pit stops. Quite muddy out there, but I purposely avoided the worst of it. Warm for mid-November; start 50 & end 60 degrees. Did a good bit walking - top of every steep hill plus a few short breaks in the last couple of miles.

My legs & feet feel remarkably good. The slower pace must really work for saving the body! Also I love these trail shoes - Asics Trail Sensor 3. Never dreamed I'd go back to Asics, but being forced into these shoes has worked out great. I am def buying another pair soon before they friggen change (i.e. screw up) them.

Overall impression: i don't know how the heck I'm going to do this 50k race that is now 6 weeks away. I hear the hills ain't too bad over at Fair Hill NRMA, but just the 31 miles itself is daunting. I didn't eat well the night before this 21 mile training run, so maybe I can get some energy there. Also, this is my longest effort since May, so maybe I can add to my endurance some more before taper begins. This run was 3:30 . . . I figure the race may take 5:30 so I really need to increase my 'time on the feet' over the next 30 days.

Anyone want to join me for a four & a half hour trail run next weekend? yeah, didn't think so! and I've got the last race of the year (Rothman 8k) so I guess that 4:30 LSD will have to wait 2 weeks.

Snake Pit Wednesday

2009-11-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

I did a small easy trail run today. Kind of an unfocused week for my training, so I decided I'd explore every new trail I saw that I haven't been on yet. Plus I did my usual yellow trail loop & red trail loop both backwards. Woo - hoooo, living dangerously! Total mileage 6, 4 running & 2 hiking.

Funny, when going the opposite direction you really do see things differently. Some side trails that typically look so minor were like open invitations to run down. And I did. Kind of warm day, and I saw deer, squirel & chipmunks all busy and scampering wildly when interupted by random human running down their trails. Most interesting sighting: one new trail led past an old house foundation. I stopped for a few mins and explored around. Stone bldg, with 'newer' front & back patios of yellow brick. Those looked to be 1950's -ish add ons to an older (1920's ish??) house. Basically I suck at knowing how to date these things so I could be way off. House collapsed both into the basement and along the sides. Piles of stones, just a few bricks. Up & just a few feet away was an old hand dug, stone lined well (more in a sec on that). Down the path about 50 feet was another stone foundation that appears to me as a work house of some sort. More crudely built and it's right over a spring that runs out an arch at the one end. Still standing, some wood & hinges intact. But back to the well. I peered down for a moment - hard to guess the depth but maybe 20 feet. Lots of sticks down there, no water visible in the bottom. The 'drum' which used to hold the rope & bucket have been dropped down into the well. Cool stuff, i like to explore old sites like this. Anyway I thought I saw something like maybe made from leather stuck in the wall most of the way down. Maybe some kind of climbing gear that was left behind by someone? Would I dare to climb down there and trust that I could get out? I moved to the other side to get a better view - and damn if the thing didn't move!! It was a big black snake. Very thick and strong looking. Then my eyes focused on several more down there. 2 big ones and 2 smaller. Three appeared black, at least one of those with a white underside. The forth guy was maybe a garter with short stripe pattern (not lengthwise), or maybe even some other type of snake. Freaky snake pit ! I wonder if they were getting ready to hibernate of if they've fallen in there and can't climb out?

Anyway, it was way cool as I like to explore & discover stuff like that. When I got home I quick grabbed my boys and we went back with flashlights so I could show them. We were all Indiana Jones snake-pit exploring style. I try to instill them with a sense of adventure with stuff like that. In fact, we were having so much fun that I lost track of time and my son was late to soccer practice. Oops.
I did alot of exploring around when i was a kid. The best line of the day: my younger son said, "I wish I could invent a time machine so that Joey & I could go back in time to when you were a boy. Then we could do nature hikes & explore with you when you were a boy."

Awesome.

All Choked Up

2009-11-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Whoa - something super scary happened last night. I almost choked to death on a dried out "hockey puck" hamburger. No shit, the wife was already on the phone with 911 operator when the chunk of meat popped out.
Like 10 times since then I've repeated silently to myself "must take smaller bites & chew completely". I'm sort of not looking forward to lunch today (not normal for me). Haha, trying to keep the mood light. Here's how it went down... (or not!)

I got home very late, was very hungry & had to turn around to go pick up my son from religious ed. So I had called the wife and she had a burger cooking on the stove when I got home. I remember seeing her smashing it down in the pan with the spatula and thinking that's not good 'cause it always dries it out. But she was trying to speed up the cooking since I was in a big rush. I was wolfing it down, about halfway done when the fateful bite got totally wedged in my throat. My younger son & wife had already gone into the other room to watch Jeopardy & do homework.

I knew immediately something was very wrong. I was trying to cough but nothing was happening. After a few coughs I realized not a bit of air was getting in or out. My wife called in "are you okay?" and I couldn't talk or get any air in. Not breathing totally sucks! I started banging the table with my hand loudly. I remember getting up and spitting out a bite of burger back onto the plate, but that wasn't the bite blocking my throat. I could see a panic stricken look on my wife's face as she came into the kitchen. As I tried to cough it up, there was absolutely nothing happening. Thinking about it now I don't remember any sound. I was gagging and each time I just tried to get a breath in, but total blockage. I could feel a sort of vacuum pressure in my chest. I think I was trying to expand my chest to get even just a little bit of air to come in. In retrospect that was probably just wedging the chunk deeper into my airpipe by creating a suction from within the ribcage.

My wife asked if she should do the Heimlich - and I motioned for her to go around behind me. Unfortunately she was sort of on the verge of tears already and drew a blank on how to actually do the maneuver. The first thrust was with her arms around my rib cage. I pushed her hands down to my belly, but she moved right back up with her hands over the bottom end of the sternum for the second pull. I moved her clasped hands down again and tried to hold them there and indicate a motion to thrust from the lower position by pushing her hands in at that level. At this point I was getting a bit panicked myself. Why was she not doing this right?? She released her grip and said "can't you do it yourself onto the table or over a chair?" I thought yes, but wanted to scream "help me".... but of course couldn't say anything.

I pointed over to the phone and tried to motion for her to call 911. I was just thinking if she couldn't get this thing out of my throat then an ambulance had better get rolling because I wasn't going to be conscious for too much longer. Of course in hindsight the whole incident at this point had to be less than a minute. Maybe like 45 seconds, although I'm not actually sure. Thinking about it now, if the first responders on the scene would take 5 or 6 minutes, then another minute to take charge of the situation and Heimlich out the obstruction. Plus the minute I was already choking. That's like 8 mins. That's scary to think about 8 minutes without any breaths of air. I can't imagine how freaked out my wife & son would've been waiting for the ambulance with me unconscious on the floor.

I could see her talking to the 911 operator. I tried to calmly and softly get an inhaled breath to get past the blockage. Nothing. I tried again. Relax, slowly and softly just suck in a gentle breath. Nothing - but a building pressure in my chest. (I'm actually getting a bit jittery while typing this now). I threw myself down hard onto the back of the chair and immediately felt a change. I coughed, gagged, and got a breath of air. I remember that I swallowed, I coughed, and I took another breath and then started coughing. But now it was real coughing. I said "I got it." and I could see she was already saying "wait." It's okay, it's out. She told the 911 operator, "yes, I'll hold on." And she asked me if I was okay and I said yes. I could talk & breath in. I noticed she was crying. I saw my son for the first time. He wasn't crying, but he was standing against the wall and was looking really scared. I told him I was okay. I became aware of a instant splitting headache in my right temple. I remember looking around for the burger chunk... and then realizing that I must have swallowed it after it came up. I felt like I might puke, and my head was pounding. I burped a few loud belches. My wife asked if she should just hang up. I have no idea how fast or slow time was moving. I told her to just stay on hold to confirm that I was fine. I didn't want to sit down, I was gulping in big inhalations and then coughing on each exhalation. I was a little dizzy, but so relieved to be breathing in & out.

the 911 came back on and I spoke to them to say all was fine, crisis averted. It was over.

This morning my abs are a little bit sore, and my neck too. I have a scratch on my collarbone right at the throat - I don't remember how that got there. I still have that headache just on one side (weird) and my eyes are really really bloodshot.

A close call. Within 5 minutes we were all over it; our house returned to it's typical calm quiet harmony. We had a review of how to do the Heimlich once my older son was home. My younger son knows how to dial 911. I kind of wished I had motioned to him to place that call rather than my wife. But I know next time he'll be ready. Hopefully there's never a next time. "must take smaller bites & chew completely."

Please review with those around you how to perform the Heimlich.

LSD for fun

2009-11-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

I've decided to begin my long runs for January's 50k. I don't remember if I've even mention yet that I'm going to attempt a 50k trail run - this will be my longest run ever!

I've been racing quite a bit, and got some new PR's. The last race I've signed up for this fall is the Rothman 8k (same day as Philly marathon). After that I plan a phase of longer trail runs at easy pace. I just feel a bit burned out from the same old 5k / 10k race circuit so next year I want to focus on fewer races overall, with more trail races, and longer distances. Then maybe next fall I'll be ready for my marathon redemption.

The best of my recent racing was my PDR half marathon 1:31:13 in late Sept. This is a new PR by several minutes. That race was followed by an awesome 10 mile trail race, very challenging course. Next was the 15k which was a PR by about 30 seconds. Then Sunday - i haven't written the race report yet - I nailed another PR. This time it was 10k distance and only 9 seconds over the old PR. I ran some other races in the last few months, but those 4 are the highlites.

I like that the PR's came in order from longest distance to shortest. And the longest race was a PR by alot of time, and the short distance was a PR by only a few ticks. The race in the middle was PR'd by an amount in the middle. That's nice. It's not symmetry, what's the word for it? Fung shwei? NOT. Balance or harmony or something. Jeez, I wish I was better with the written word.

Anyway, I usually don't do long slow runs unless they're aimed at a speific target. Last Wednesday I headed out to the trusty woods for a scheduled 5 or 10 depending on how I felt. It was a crappy rainy morning, and I was very close to not running at all due to the weather. I didn't want to do the treadmill . . . but I wasn't really looking forward to the mud bath. I had actually mentioned to a few people in the morning that I was schedule to run long in the woods and was going to cancel. But I forced myself to get out there. I'm glad I did.

The rain was mostly over by lunchhour when I started. Light drizzle with huge puddles. Right away I felt good to be out there when nobody else was around. I planned to do a 5 mile loop back to the car and decide how I felt. I wore my new Coleman hydration backpack. After a few miles I was feeling much better about running in the weather. I purposely took the creekside trail. Wow, it was totally flooded. Some of the puddles were 8 or 10 inches deep, but i kept going. When I got to the creek crossing I had to turn back. The river had backed up so far that the creek was like 4 or 5 feet deep. No way was I going to try it. I was having fun but that was just too much to attempt. Not worth it. I could see the fallen tree that acts as a bridge. First of all it's grounded on the other side. Secondly, it just disappeared down into the murky water. So the prospect of jumping into there and hopefully landing on the log and then climbing up & out the other side was just too much. So I back tracked to get back up onto the ranger road.

Most of the rest of the run was uneventful. As the hours passed the sun did come out a few times. The warmth felt good. I ditched the back pack after just 5 miles. Pretty uncomfortable, will take some time to get used to running with that thing on. After 2 of the 5 mile loops and wanted to keep going. Luckily nothing scheduled for the afternoon that couldn't get done any other time. So I ate my 'after run' snack at 10 mile mark, and finished the last of my water ( I hadn't planned to go so far). And I headed back out. I saw a solitary deer. I felt the same as our paths crossed and we headed separate ways inthe woods. I found a light from a mountain bike. It was flashing on the side of the trail. Weird, but I couldn't get it to turn off. Later at home I took it apart, dried it out, and then it switched off.

In all it turned out to be 16 miles. Done in 2:41 - just about perfect 10 minute pace. About 2x3=6 minutes of that was refuel at the car. So actually running pace is closer to 9:30.

Followed up this LSD with a rest day on Thursday. Body feels good except for toes which took a pretty good beating. Then Friday 5 miles easy on flat trail in woods. Legs wiped out tired.

Tues'blues

2009-10-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Why is this cold hanging on for so long? It's really just a cough that won't go away, all other symptoms have cleared. Sometimes I have a little coughing fit that's followed by a moment of dizziness - which I don't like.

Monday was a day off to rest. But today I was supposed to run and I've blown it off. Tomorrow I may bail on the tempo hard effort in favor of something like LSD at an easy to mod effort. Just don't want to push too much effort until this cold is totally gone.

RaceReport: Radnor 5 miler

2009-10-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

My running was in the crapper last week due to being sick. I skipped Wed-Thurs-Fri-Saturday and had already signed up for the Radnor 5 mile race. So Sunday morning, feeling less than 100% I headed up there to run.

The carpool was the most interesting part. I was driving up with Carole - and another club member, a new guy named Epi. A mutual friend put us together for the carpool, so it's a chance to meet another club member and runner. I was really hoping the Epi spoke english (which he did) and was glad that he was going to race because I've seen his name in the race results and he's fast. Our club needs more fast runners if we've gonna hang onto 2nd place inthe club challenge.

The race itself: I tried to go out easy. This course has several big hills. I was really hoping that I wouldn't go into one of my wheezing/coughing fits like the ones plagueing me the past few days. The first hill is from like .5 to 1.0 and my one mile split was 7:18. So mission accomplished on slow first mile.
Mile 2 is downhill; done in 6:32. Total 13:50 at 2mm, so avg 6:55 which I was happy with. Mile 3 has the nastiest hill. Steep near the bottom and then a long steady grind. 7:55 for that one. I wasn't feeling too good at this point. Note on course: this is right where you are passing some serious kick ass mansions. They've got some real wealthy types in Radnor, PA. I swear a few of the homes look like castles with huge acreage and personal tennis courts, Bentley's in the driveway, etc.
Anyway, mile 4 is flatish, with some small ups & downs. 7:18. Total time 29:03 which i realize is about 7:15 pace and the effects of my cold are obvious. Most of miles 4 & 5 I run along side a woman who is looking very strong. In the end she pulls away to beat me by about 5 or 10 seconds. She gets 1st a.g. 35-39. I struggle to finish. Basically I don't try to kick at all. It's more of a maintain pace while coasting on in. Mile 5- 6:48 so the final clock is 35:50 @ 7:10 pace. I don't care, given the situation.

Next weekend is the Bridge 10k - hopefully I can get a fast tempo effort mid week and then be in good health for Sunday's race.

Sick Day

2009-10-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

I felt this coming on, but couldn't do anything to avoid it. I'm home sick today. Fever, nasty cough. I'm signed up for a race on Sunday so I guess we'll just call this lack of running my taper.

Who takes a one week taper for a 5 miler?

Beat L.A.

Manny sux.

He's right up there with this cast of characters:

exhibit a:

Del Distance Classic 15k RaceReport

2009-10-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

A bit overdue, but here we go:

Weather was ideal. Cold fall morning, not a cloud in the sky. I think the start temp was around 45. Some runners had gloves or arm panties. I like to run in the cold so I was as bare as possible.

Since I know the course and this race is very close to my house I had volunteered to help with set up. I put up a few banners for our club (race sponsor) and the RRCA. But there really wasn't much else to do. Being a local race, plus the good club turnout, I saw lots of folks that I know. I pretty much said I would go out at a PR pace and just hope to hold it. This was based on PDR Half marathon 3 weeks earlier, and I felt rested/hadn't pushed too much in the week leading up to this race.

I did very minimal warm up - which for me is typical of 'longer' races. My outlook is "the first mile is the warm up for anything over 10k." Actually I farted around long enuf that I barely got my Gu on time & then changed into my race shoes before it was time to line up. I tried to be about 5 or 6 rows deep figuring that 50 or 60 guys in front of me is about right for the finishing order with a race of this size (300 entries). As it turned out I crossed the line 45th so that's just about right.

It's cool how during the first mile some of the runners along side will end up being far ahead, and others will be way behind. Only a few match my pace all the way. I enjoy noticing stuff like that. A few young kids were on the front line. I passed them within the first half mile. I fell in behind Greg Vitale (who I was introduced to after the race, but I already recognized from the circuit) who was obviously running together with a woman (maybe they are in the same club?). Anyway, as we approached the 1 mm he accelerated away never to be seen again, and I was left running alongside his partner. As things worked out, she & I spent the entire race trading the pacing efforts, spoke just a bit over the course, and met after the finish. Matching up with somebody about the same speed as myself is a huge advantage during a race. Keeping up with Mary, and trading the pace making with her, definitely helped me PR this race. The early splits:
1 - 6:45 PERFECT PACE FOR NEW PR!
2 - 6:58 small uphill
3 - 6:41 the downhill
4 - 6:41

It was during that forth mile that I really decided I would try to stay with Mary's pace. The water station at ~3.25 slowed me a bit (hydration is key for me when going longer than about 5 miles). I fought hard to catch back up with her along the Riverwalk boards section. I remember seeing my 4 mile time, 27:05, and thinking 1 minute under a 7:00 min mile pace ... 7x4=28 ... math is so difficult when giving 100% effort . . . wait for it . . . ah ha, 6:45 pace thru 4 miles. I knew this was right on track for a PR. But could i hold this pace? The middle splits:
5 - 6:48
6 - 6:59
7 - 6:56

There's a water stop just after the 5 mm - I really wanted to slow down and drink a full glass. It wasn't the water so much as I just wanted to slow down. Do you ever get that feeling during a race? It used to happen to me alot, but not often the past few years. Anyway, I knew I'd lose 5 or more seconds to Mary and so I just got a small splash to gulp down. She moved ahead on the small hill at 5.5 and I tried to make it back on the downhill side. I was pushing hard here and after the turnaround point we approached the same hill again. I forced myself to catch up with her before the hill. I felt like I was working very hard. I was actually weezing a bit at the top of the little hill, and then on the way down, past the 7 mm, I saw several runners going up from the opposite direction (they were at 5.5) and I got a boost of energy from exchanging greetings. Later at the finish line when Mary & I introduced ourselves she said "well I know your name's Dean from so many people calling out to you on the course." Mental math game #2: at 7mm my time was 47:48 which I figured was close to 48 mins. 7x7=49 so now I was still about one minute faster than 7 min.pace. Not good since i was slipping away from PR pace. I told myself I still had a shot if I could accelerate ever so slightly over the last miles. We were side by side thru the water station at 7.25 ... I didn't even think about any more water breaks. This race was oN!

Through the 8th mile Mary & I traded position several times and I tried to push the pace. The split was 6:52 Ugh, not fast enough to guarantee a PR. This was going to be very close. Starting at about 7.75 mm I decided to play the game where you try to pick off a runner (or 2) in front. We had been gaining on the solo runner in front of us, and so I put in a push to close the gap. We caught & passed at around 8.25. Turns out he was a runner I know thru some other folks (Chuck from Y). He didn't seem to be working too hard because he was able to give me a few words of encouragement to which I could only reply "garble gurgle". I tried to say something (what?) but I swear it came out all mish-moshed and I'm sure it was completely un-intelligent. Whatever. I'm working hard over here. He's striking up a conversation like this is an easy effort or something!

At this point I was no longer aware of Mary's location. She was behind me but I don't know how far. I focused onthe guy in front of me. But he began his own finishing burst and really took off away from me. As I approached the 9 mm there was no one in front of me within striking distance. That other dude had moved up to a small group and was passing all of them, but they were too far ahead for me to even think about it. I really focused on my own thing at this point. Strong finish, don't let anyone catch & pass me, run for the PR now. Mile 9 split was 6:44. Yes. I'm doing it. Total time now 1:01:24 with a third of a mile to go. Mental math #3: if the final stretch takes 2:30 I'll still get a PR by a few seconds. And if it's more like 2 mins flat then I'm totally rockin' this PR!

I cover the last .3 in a 2:09 and PR with 1:03:33 which is about 30 seconds better than last year's race. Chuck was only a few seconds behind me, and Mary another 5 seconds back. Wow, good thing I didn't let up because they both would've passed me.

I worked so hard during this race. This was an evenly measured out effort with the pain spread across the entire distance. I've certainly had races where I felt more pain, but those were all bad situations when I had gone out too fast and couldn't hold pace. I really worked my ass off for this race. This has got to be one of the best executed races I've ever done. Honestly, I don't know how i could ever get another 15k PR without somehow getting my fitness level lifted up one whole step to a new plateau. Because for the level of fitness I have now, this race was run to the max for the full 15k's. Very satisfying. But I'm not sure where to go from here and how on earth to get there? One observation of this race: I was focused 100% on the race effort for the entire distance. Usually that happens for me during a 5k or 5 mile, but longer races are always marked with a 'zone-out' during the middle somewhere. Usually I catch myself checking out the scenery, or spectators, or architecture, etc. This is the first time I remember almost nothing except the race effort itself.

Hiatus

2009-10-18T10:59:00.001-07:00

Ugh,
I haven't run in days.
Just got back today from a Cub Scout camping trip. Don't tell me boys I said this . . . but these trips are BRUTAL. Sleeping on the hard, albeit rain soaked, ground on the top of a bluff overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. Sounds like it would have potential, but then factor in the cold rain for the last 24 hours, gusty winds. Then there's the crappy food - which was only lukewarm (WTF?). Standing around waiting 'our' turn for archery, BB guns, etc. Paying $65 for the privilege of all this fun...

Crap, lack of sleep has got me just complaining. I know my scout had fun so that's the point of it. Warning to younger readers: once you have kids then you have to do all kinds of shit that is not fun and you never saw it coming. Don't say I didn't warn you! Oh, and they cost tons of $$ also.

Maybe tomorrow I will get out for a run. Wednesday was the last day I ran. Thursday was a scheduled day off.
Skipped F-S-S.
Ugh.

thursday turd's day

2009-10-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am officially in a funk as of today. I don't know why, but this seems to happen for a week or two after a good race. Perhaps the body is really tired and trying to recover? Usually the first few days I'm up on a buzz from good race, and then BAM! No motivation. I feel just 'blah'. Today the weather isn't helping as the mid day temp is 45 and there's been a steady rain all day.

I planned to have today off and then a scheduled 10 or 15 miler tomorrow. But my knee has been huring me for the last few days. It's a new pain... not one of the aches that I know so well that they are like an old friend when they re-appear. I don't need any new pains at this point. But I'll give it a few days and then hopefully it's adios to my new pain.

Supposed to have a Cub Scout camping trip this weekend but rain forecast to keep going for several days. I'm already secretly hoping that trip is cancelled. Lame, i know. But I'm a fair weather camper for the most part.

Here's two photo's from last weekend's DDC 15k. I'm psyched these 'freebees' look so good. In the first I'm running side by side with Mary B (fast woman!). We ran most of the race together which really helped me to hold the pace when I was beginning to fatigue. In the end I kicked to the finish and was about 10 seconds in front of her.

15k PR . . . and having fun!

2009-10-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Of course, by now you have figured out that life has become very busy for me, and blogging is taking a back seat to my other stuff. But the good news is that I've been insisting that running should not slip off my priority list.

Since my PDR half marathon PR i raced an amazing trail race, the Conestoga 10 Miler. http://www.lrrclub.org/Conestoga.html the course is approximately 3,000 feet of climbing in just ten miles. Think "steep ass hills" and then don't forget the downhills which were really kind-of dangerous in places. I had fun. My legs were completely shredded for a full week. Photo above is about half a mile till finish line.

But I managed to recover in time for this past weekend's Delaware Distance Classic 15k race. It's like the only 15k in Delaware and the whole Phila,PA region that I'm aware of so I try to do it every year. Result: a new PR @ 1:03:33 (6:50 pace). Also very interesting that in these last 3 races I've run side by side with fast women. And that seemed to motivate me greatly. All 3 cases I met these competitors during the race; the situation makes me think that maybe I should spend time with fast women more often! {PDR was Urszula, Conestoga = Marsha, and DDC I paced together with Mary. That's one amazing trio of hot chicks}

More later, I'm running late again...

Summer Trail Running+Pre-race Pasta@Mrs. Robino's=PR!

2009-09-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

race report to follow, just a quick post:
I wasn'ty sure what would happen, but when out fast. Absolutely perfect weather for a run: cool & sunny September day. Had some issues mid race. After they cleared I was able to finish strong with a new PR! 1:31:10 on my own watch. Will wait to see what the PDR chip time is. Heard that Ryan Hall beat all the Kenyans to win with a 1:01:xx

Upcoming Race Schedule

2009-09-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

Did a 4 mile treadmill run today (easy pace_8:30) with good stretch and then hit the weights for a bit of upper body. I had actually planned 5 or 6 but my calves felt tight and I had absolutely no energy. Even after warming up, when the running then gets easier, I never really felt like I was in the groove. So i cut it a little short and figured this is supposed to be an easy week anyway. A bit of taper for the PDR half on Sunday.

I saw a few runners at the Y today that I know. Chris, Scott, Carole *and their crew*. It's nice to say a quick hi to fellow runners. Chris is running Philly this weekend...not sure of others. Carole, you are looking great - very fit & fast. What's your secret to staying so lean?? awesome! Also today found out that Ray (in run club ) is running Philly. He & I have done a few runs together this year. Ray's much faster than me at long distance races. I can match him in 5k's. I'd be tempted to run along with him on Sunday, but the end result might be too fast and then leave me busted/bonked/walking. It's tempting....hrmmmm....

Today I signed up for the DDC-15k on Oct.11th and the Conestoga 10 Mile Trail race on Sept.27th. I've mentioned the Conestoga in blog before (maybe? where is that post??). DDC could be an obvious PR attempt if the weather is cool. Conestoga, I've heard about this one for years. Although it's short for a true classic trail race, it's considered very difficult for the distance. Very steep climbs & descents, some just too dangerous for running...more like hand over hand climbing. I've hiked most of the course, never run it, and it really is a tough section of trail. My 10 mile PR is 1:07:30 but this race will be more about finishing without getting hurt. Estimated run time is double the PR time! Even the course record seems incredibly slow, something like 1:35?? but it's because there's some parts that you just can't run, too dangerous!

Man vs. Mt Bike

2009-09-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday I did get out into the woods for my planned 8 miles. Tried to take it easy on the pace. Had fun out there, lots of mud & downed branches. Several very large trees down including one huge oak that fell across trail (near the upper boulder area of Eden ridge). I like these obstacles to climb over, but i'm pretty sure they will clear them out quickly like always.

I did have a near miss head-on collision with a dingbat on a mtb bike. Crazy bee-otch! At the end I happened to see her & bf/hubby in parking lot. So I very nicely go over, strike up a conversation and steered topic to rules of trail/priorities. They were like immediately, "yeah, we know, but hadn't been out in a while and sort of forgot the courtesy of always letting hikers & runners take their line first. The dude was nice enough about it, but the girl never actually apologized. This is a perfect example why bikers should be banned from most single-track trails around here...too many users already...no manners (on & off the trails!)...and everyone knows the bikes do the most damage to the trails. It's losers like this lady that give mtb riders a bad name!

week end miles

2009-09-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Like a first run after a long layoff, I have to ease back into this blogger thing. Start slowly and hope to feel good after an easy warm up.

Today I ran 5 around the neighborhood. Was to be easy pace but got running a bit faster than planned. Typical.
Lots of folks out cleaning up after thunderstorm Friday night. A house in the back of the neighborhood burned down about 2 weeks ago, this is only the second time I'm going by it. It's still the same looking as the other day. They need to knock down what's left (not much, family got out safely, grill too close to siding and unattended).

Other news items: Cub Scout popcorn sale began today. woo-hoooo. We had fun standing outside grocery store for 2 hours today selling. big fun. Also... my older son scored a goal in his soccer game today! This is his first goal since joining the travel team last year. He was usually about 2 goals per season in the recreational level, but has been mostly on D or midfield since moving up to travel.

Tomorrow I plan on 8 miles in the woods...we'll see how muddy I am when I come home!
Philly Distance Run is exactly one week away. I have come around full circle since signing up for this race back in June. First I was going to nail a PR 'fur-sur'. Then I was going to focus my fall racing on trails instead, and so PDR was just for fun/nothing serious. But after some encouraging workouts I'm back to taking this race serious. A true PR attempt is still a dicey proposition - I don't want to blow up late in the race and finish in misery. When it's this close between maybe PR or not the weather & other race day situations will be key factors. So I'll probably wait till last minute to decide on pace. The pace needed for a PR is 7:05 (my current PR is 1:33:57).

Great Expectations

2009-09-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

I really wish I was going out for a run in the woods today; however, with a busy schedule, a plan for 10 miles tomorrow, and my hip pain still nagging at me... there's no running today on my scheduled day off.
God, what an awesome early fall day! I'd love to be free to do as I wish. There is literally not a cloud inthe sky. Totally clear bright blue. It's so beautiful that it's almost making me sad that I don't get to enjoy it. Why do I react that way?? Some of my younger fb friends occasionally post "fml" (Fuck My Life). It's not all that bad, but I'd really like to ditch it all today and just run free 'n easy in the woods.

Recently I've:
not posted in a along time,
ran a fast 10k race,
had a red tailed fox cross my path,
got my mtb tuned up,
dreamed of a falcon soaring overhead,
caught a praying mantis & a bullfrog (younger son wouldn't touch first & dropped second after getting pee'd on by his first frog),
jumped in the surf of the Atlantic,
passed a test,
carved a piece of oak with my pocket knife,
got caught in a total cloud-burst downpour,
had dirty no-holds-barred 'secret' sex,
saw a big black racer snake,
been listening to The Gaslight Anthem,
found a small box turtle,
drove my car real fast,
got off trail & had to scramble over an unexpected boulder field,
got drunk all by myself & almost cried,
fell asleep on the couch & left the front light on,
been touched by a friend,
bought a new pair of trail shoes,

had some higher highs & lower lows.

Slip & Fall

2009-08-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Not only have I fallen behind on the blogging yet again, but today I had a nasty fall while on a long hike along the Conestoga Trail. Took the wrong line thru a creek crossing and was on some slippery mossy boulders when I lost it. Actually went over a small (very small) water fall and down to the next level. Landed hard, bounced over a few other rocks and finally stopped in a sitting position - right in a mud puddle. Got up & climbed out of there to quickly get moving again. Then started assessing the damage. Could've been worse.

7 mile progression

2009-08-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what type of run to do today until I had started into it and was completely warmed up. The schedule said 5 easy or mod on treadmill. But workouts have been going good so I ramped it up some more.

After 2 miles at 8:30 I increased speed to 8:10 pace. Mile 4 was 8 flat. Then next @ 7:45 and mile 6 was 7:30. The last was 7:00 even. I don't usually end fast without a cool down mile or two, but just walked it out for about 5 mins and then did my stretching. Ended up being total of 7, and faster than scheduled. I'm calling this a progression rather than one of my cookers because the last mile didn't really feel all that tough. I didn't want to push any further and just ended it with something held back in reserve for tomorrow/whenever. Feel really good about this workout. That's 4 days in a row - good for me. And miles are up: 10 easy, 5 moderate, 6 mod. on trails, 7 progession. Forgot to bandaid up the nips, some lite chaffing... ouch, I don't want that to become an issue again. Later, I felt some aches in knees. Price to pay for trying to get my speed back.

Fri-Sat-Sunday notes

2009-08-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Moving backwards to record my recent workouts:
Sunday - 6 miles trail run. Worked hard on the uphills. Started to feel really good after the half way point but resisted the urge to add on extra miles. Went out there to get 5 or 6 at medium hard effort and got it done. Weather 70 degrees & 95% humidity.

I'm just taking these workouts one or two days at a time. Not 'planning' or scheduling anything to far in advance. Enjoying it, and damn well hope it leads somewhere!

Saturday - 5 miles easy around neighborhood. Got out there early, weather pretty good after yesterday's massive thunderstorms. Surprised to see some of the splits were quick (in the 8:00 to 8:15 range) but the effort was easy.

Friday - 10 mile hike at medium pace with 3x 5 mins. breaks. This is my first official training hike in prep for the SSH challenge. Since I have a knack for getting lost in the woods, I hooked up with a few other hikers. I feel like I now know this half of the course pretty well and next time on these trails I'll be running (where possible - tough trails here). My legs were feeling a bit of a pump at the conclusion of this 10 mile hike.

The following is a detailed report of these trails. I do this as much for any others who plan to cover this ground as just for myself so that I can remember the tougher sections. We hiked S2N, so I'm reconstructing these notes because the race is the opposite direction.

Beginning from Otter Creek Campground: first of all, we skipped the the first mile loop up to Osprey Overlook thinking that any one of us could come back on our own to do that piece anytime. Sooo...
the trail literally goes right thru the campground. Blaze marks are blue. Uphill from 'lil store thru a few sites and goes into the woods toward Sawmill Run behind campsite 92 (or there about). Immediately you get some thorns & stinging nettles for a short patch, then woods along creek to wooden bridge. Nice view before steep short climb to logging road. This is State Game Lands(SGL) 83. Road is muddy, deep potholes/puddles to be avioded. About half mile run up to left turn where Furnace Run joins Sawmill. Now along different old road...more grassy/overgrown. This is about a mile long gradually climbing & changes from grassy to wooded alongside creek. Parts have slippery rocks.
In general, long stretches of this trail are rocky. And these rocks are often in speckled sunlight making them tough to see. And sometimes wet and/or mossy (i.e. tricky footing). Generally most the running is in the first half of the course (from stories I hear about 2nd half)...and on the first half I can see that most running is early - i.e. first quarter of this race will be faster whether you go out too fast or not!
Now the trail climbs very steep, then short flat ridge before coming out to an utility road. Turn left, this is easy running segment, third of mile, then thru gate, right onto paved road for 150 yards, crossing road into woods. Look for blue blaze mark, and big poison ivy patch. Short rocky/choppy section in woods, left turn to a total bitch of a section along the side of a corn field. Really overgrown with p. i. and some thorns. I sent a message to the local trail club that this section really needs to be cleaned up before race day; otherwise, maybe corn crop will be done and we can run where the first row used to be. You pop out at a "T" intersection and go str8 across onto Newcut Road (slight uphill). The next mile is roads: gravel (Newcut) then paved (Posey) then gravel (past Blaine jct). A right takes you into SGL 181. This is a wide grass/gravel road. Shade, uphill, nice.
This is mile marker 6, and first water stop here. Then thru gate & start downhill. Longgg steady downhill... old road now has become thick, high grass. Still very wide. This is like a beautiful old country road to nowhere. There's a bend in the road, and when you go around it then the grassy road looks like it just goes down down down forever. This should be the fastest running mile of the entire 25 mile course. No kidding this is almost a mile of steady downhill grassy old farm road with the last half mile straight as an arrow down into dark heavy woods and with woods lining both sides all the way down. Awesome! Wouldn't it be great to run downhill all the time? When you enter the woods at the bottom the trail goes left alongside a creek- this is Oakland's Run. It's like at least 15 degrees cooler in here compared to out in the sun. There's a huge rock I call the "Steamship Rock" which is practically all by itself on the forest floor and jutting out from a hillside toward the creek. (btw, there's a geocache find exactly here if u r so inclined). Anyway, you follow the creek down hill at least one mile toward the mighty river. At one point you cross creek and then climb several steep up & down sections. You're moving from a Hemlock stand, or grove, into what i can only describe as a Rhododendrum Forest. I've never seen so many rhodo's all together. Must be awesome in springtime. Rocky stretches & unsafe footing for running as you get to the bottom of the run and then turn right as the trail goes alongside the Susquehanna for about 1 mile. When you start to pass a few little cottages, the trail begins to change into another grassy old road. When there's a fork, stay left along the river. This didn't seem well blazed/signed...stay left. The road becomes more of a gravel road. You will pass the hydroelectic dam and a few DANGER signs - no swimming, duh. Just after the damn, look for a right turn off road up into the woods. This is well marked. Climbing uphill steady, then more steeply. Cross under 2 electric power lines - this area is steep with unsure footing and somewhat overgrown with p.i. and thorny patches. Finally levels out for a short piece, but then very steep downhill on some newly cut-in switchbacks. Loose footing - dangerous. At the bottom is Mill Creek. You hug the side of the creek for a few minutes. Rocky and slippery. At the bottom where the trail joins a gravel road is a great waterfall but you'll have to stop & turn around to look back up at it... just when the road offers the chance to run once again.
Big sections of this trail are not 'runable' because it's just too steep up (or down) or because of slippery rocks. You have to pick your spots. And be ready to slow down as soon as you see terrain changing. Be ready to walk/hike. If this was a shorter race you could attack every hill, but this is 25 miles amigo!
Take a right when the Mill Creek hits the gravel road. Almost immediately look for left down a short embankment. There's a very old looking stone foundation here, and a guardrail along this side of road. Short descent gets you onto trail alongside the big river. Slippery rocks for a half mile until the Historic Lock 12 area. Should be able to run along here, pay attention to trail...not views. Arrive at playground/restrooms/parking lot and this is water stop #2. Course is a bit of mystery after here, but assume you go uphill thru both parking lots, left on gravel road, left onto highway and then across Rt 372 big bridge. I don't see any other trail leading up onto bridge approach. Plus that would round up the mileage to make this side of the river 12 miles ( and other side will be 13). Other side is supposedly more challenging climbs & descents. Look forward to that next week. I may need to invest in a machette for the overgrown parts of this course!!

4 Irish Cream

2009-08-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't figure out how to add a photo into my comment on your blog, so here's a link 4U:

USDA Prime Cut of Beef. The marbled fat in this aged steak will practically melt in your mouth. Cook rare over open grill flame. Congrats 'lil Irish, and Best Wishes.

Damn . . . a little drip of saliva is just right on the tip of my tongue!

Tempo Tuesday

2009-07-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

Did my planned tempo run today. Even tacked on something extra, was feeling pretty good.

Running short on time, here's the quick version:
One mile warm-up. 3 x 7:00 which the first mile I had some trouble getting into the groove. Then began to feel relaxed and just cruised along. Started the cool-down 5th mile, but after a few minutes decided to do a quick 800m interval to take advantage of feeling some speed. Was about 4 mins of recovery and then half mile in 3:10 or 3:15... I actually lost track of time but I know it was 3:15 at the slowest. May have been closer to 3:05_ish. Then cool-down mile. Total 6 in 46:40.

Hit some weights today. Had big salad for lunch!

Weekend Recap

2009-07-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Fell behind on updates (again)...here's a quick post covering the weekend:

Sat- 5 mile trail run. EZ effort. It was very humid in the woods from rain the night before. My shoes got quite muddy (and stinky). The regular muddy spots are becoming swamp mud sections! Bunches of people out today, mostly hikers/walkers. Several dogs running loose; owners with the same old "he's harmless" excuses.

Sun- 5 miles on the roads through my neighborhood. This was also supposed to be an easy effort but it ended up averaging around 8:00 pace. The wife rode along with her bike, which is becoming more of a regular thing. It's nice but I've noticed the pace is a bit faster when she's biking.

Last week's total hit 36 miles. Very happy with that number. Now if I can just my average weekly up to that number then I'll be in good shape. This coming week is planned to be easier intentionally/rest week. Then pile on the miles beginning in August.

Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

2009-07-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

(Stones song title4 today) Ever feel like just running away from it all? I have the day off today, but tons a little things to get done before heading to the Phillies game tonite - WOOO Hoooo!!

But the break in routine made me skip my run this morning. Now there's just not enough hours left in the afternoon to finish what i have to do and squeeze in my workout. UGH, don't u just hate that?

If I can get 5 miles run tomorrow morning then I'll salvage 36 for the week. I'm fine with that total. But I'll have to take it easy at the game so that nothing interferes with running in the a.m. And I had actually woken up at like 4:00 this morning, couldn't get back to sleep. I got up and looked outside and momentarily thought about do a very early morning run. But laziness held me back and now I'm imagining how nice that would've been. bummer. On a bright note I've already hit 100 miles for this month and so my mileage is up. Certainly will be my biggest miles month of the year! Then even more in August will set me up for a fine fall race season.

A friend had a bad wipe out on her bike. Broke her collarbone... no running for 4 weeks. Now that's a bummer! I've got to be extra careful out there on the streets. Yesterday I did about 17 miles on bike (which I count as 5 miles for running log). It was just spritzing a bit off & on during the last 30 minutes. I'm not sure if the timing is the same, but this may have been when T hit a slippery patch and went down hard. I've never had a bad bike fall on roads. Had plenty of wipe outs on trails (which is why I rarely ride on the trails anymore!).

When I Come Around. . . later & later

2009-07-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here's something I've noticed recently, don't think I've mentioned it yet: It's been taking me longer & longer to warm up. Over the last few years I've incorporated "my plan" to begin each workout with some easy running. Usually one mile; sometimes two. Prior to that I would always just launch right into whatever pace I felt like.

Well lately I've been feeling tired & sluggish at the beginning of a lot of runs. But then I feel more comfy after one or two miles. . . then really feel ready to crank it up after the third or forth mile is complete. I hope this doesn't get stretched any further because then I'll be doing like a 5 or 6 miles warm up! WTF?!?!

I'm not sure if this could be a bit of over-training in the immediate cause, or maybe just plain getting older in a broader view. Maybe combo. What other reasons come to mind? Maybe all the months of marathon LSd (with hardly any speedwork) has somehow reset my internal engine to need the long warm up/?

Today's plan was 5 easy to moderate on the treadmill at the Y. The first 3 were at 8:30 pace, tread set to 0.5 incline. Was feeling blah & achey just until I came around to the end of 3rd mile, then started feeling much better. Increased speed so that mile 4= 7:50 and then #5= 7:25. At this point I was feeling so good I wanted to rip into a really fast final mile, and planned to tack on something for a cooldown. Mile 6= 6:50 with the final 1/4 being an ever increasing pace. Very easy last mile, total today 7. That's 26 so far this week. Shooting for 2x5 to finish week with 36.

Next week will have to be a drop-back week in mileage. My knees & feet are feeling some general discomfort. But I'm having a great mileage month!

Legs are beat up

2009-07-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is a recap of Sunday, Mon., Tues since I've been busy and not blogging.

Tues: whew, my legs are sore. Some aches & pains in feet & knees, but nothing too bad. Main problem is quads very beat up from Sunday's long trail run. Glad I did it, but paying the price of DOMS today. Rest day, no workout.

Mon: Legs tired & sore from yesterday's really long hard effort. But I really forced myself to get out there and put in a few miles. Alot of times Runner's World and/or other sources say to clear out the legs by running a few miles the day after a tough effort. We'll see if there's any truth to that. I've always taken the approach that easy 'junk' miles are counter productive and so instead will usually just take rest days totally off to recover. I can see the mileage benefits of a more active recovery... just hope the body holds up okay with this new approach. 5 miles ez.

Sunday: Great long trail run - done solo - with plenty of hills. 14 miles total, about evenly split with flat sections and hills. Some hills very steep. Really took my time, 10 minute pace. Also took 2 five minute breaks back at the car to refuel/hydrate. So that would make it more like 11 min.pace but I stopped my watch during these breaks. Total climbing approximately 700 - 1,000 feet. I just looked at the Topo maps and seems to be closer to 1,000 ft. Also add the same for downhills, some of which were very steep/not traditional trails.

I am toying with the idea of a very long trail race/hiking challenge in Sept. The Susquehanna Super Hike is a running and/or hiking event. It is 25 miles and features 4,200 of elevation gain (8,400 total up and down). Link is here. I came to find out about this by chance, but it's interesting. Problem is that the PDR 13.1 is 8 days later. However, I am increasingly doubtful that I can take a real shot at a new personal best because my workouts just don't seem to be showing me that I've got it right now. So the trail race is appealing in leiu of a PR attempt.

So I'm thinking about it. And the long long trail runs with tons of steep hills can't hurt no matter which way I decide ... right?

run-bike-run

2009-07-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

this post is from 2 weeks ago, while reviewing July's totals (stellar) I noticed these workouts were never mentioned.

Wed.15th - planned to ride my bike today but just wasn't feeling it. Decided to mix it up by running a few, transition onto bike, then finish with a few more run miles. Went ahead and laid out the gear needed and then hit 2 miles at just under 7:30 pace. Very quick shoe change, helmet, and onto mtn bike. Did 14 miles (out Shipley & then around neighborhood twice) in under an hour. Got back to garage and changed back into my Brooks. As I started to run my legs felt soooo weird! I was like all pumped up in the quads and the legs just were not doing the usual thing. Felt stiff legged. Must've looked funny to my neighbors, if anyone was looking. However, the feeling/not feeling it didn't seem to impact the speed because the first split was 7:26. Began running 'normal' and the second split was a comfortable 7:21 only pushing the final 200 yards.
Very pleased with this workout!

Fri. 17th - i skipped yesterday but still having a decent mileage week. 4 easy on treadmill today. Hit the weights a bit after, and a good stretching. Plan to take a rest day tomorrow and hit it hard for a trail run on Sunday.

Philly Distance Run - the preview

2009-07-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

I am excited to go up to Phila PA and run a workout on the PDR course. I volunteered to lead a road trip from here (Del.) so that we can get familiar with course... and generally for something new & different to do. Here's the club announcement.

This is open to anyone - so feel free to join us if you're in the area. Here's a link to the course map. I love that the elevation profile shows range from low of 24' and high of 55'. Did I mention that i don't run hills very well?

Although my enthusiasm is being cut by the fact that I'm not sure how I'm going to pull together a PR attempt. Based on my recent hard effort work outs I have lost all my speed. I traded in my speed for marathon long runs... and now I can't seem to get the speed back. Here's a summary of last Sunday's long run, second week in a row that I did this workout. This was intended as a Cooker (but ended up more of a steady simmer?)?

July 12 - first 6 miles averaged 8:30 over varied home neighborhood loop. 75 degress & 75% humidity.
mile 7 - 8:05 includes one hill
mile 8 - 7:59 big hill
mile 9 - 7:46 why am I not going faster, and when will this end?
mile 10 -7:40 is this measured correctly? Feel like I'm working much harder than 7:40.

tacked on one extra as a cool down. I got noticably slower compared to last week. Maybe the trail run the day before took something out of me? Maybe a bit more heat & humidity too. This workout felt good, but the times are just not what i was hoping for.

I'm going online to search for some half marathon training schedule/plan. At least the preview is no Hills at PDR - hoping for no Heat or Humidity.

Blogger World

2009-07-14T05:04:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing some of my eFriends have much nicer blogs than me. :( How do you guys find all those gadgets, and get them onto the sides of yer page? I must work a bit more on that.

Especially since about 2 weeks ago a reporter was at a local 5k and he's since contacted me back about a featured article. Yes, I've already told him that I'm interesting enough for an article. But he says he wants to run a series on {normal} everyday runners. Here's another thing to figure out= how do u's get font changes like 'strike-through' that I see in other blogs? That adds a humorous element but blogger seems so limited. I just tried to type it in MSword, and copy & paste over here, but doesn't work. Assume not supported font type in blogger. FRUSTRATION.
Alert:
Check out Marlene's blog here. I've read this a few times, but for some/whatever reason hadn't put on as a fav. Done today. She has reached #500 blog entry and is having a gift give away to celebrate! She recently set a 5k PR, and was 1st overall woman for the first time ever. I never realized her entire story - has lost enough weight to be basically (assuming here) half the person she once was! Inspirational runner.

True Confessions

2009-07-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, this day has finally arrived. I've been holding out a secret piece of info from you, my readers. This may be a bit embarrassing but here goes: I'm a huge SpongeBob fan.

They say the first step toward recovery is saying it out loud. So I've made it that far.

This comes up because I was reading Lindsay's post about her blister. (in addition to 18 miles on treadmill - that would be a PR for me as well ... but another confession here is that I routinely go 10 or 12 miles on the wheel. Sports Ctr and other mindless channel surfing (and people watching) at the Y help pass the time).

Anyway, back to the blister: I'm thinking how can I describe this situation in a comment back to L for her blog. Personification of an inanimate object gives human qualities to stuff around us. "The sea was angry that day" or "the couch was so comfy...it wrapped its arms around me and I found i couldn't get anything done all day". Etc. I like coming up with a good juicy personification every now & again. So I'm trying to come up with something clever to say. I'm thinking: blister. sister blister. blister baby. blister buddy... BINGO. That reminds me of my friend SB. Episode 23B - February 3, 2001: "Bubble Buddy" in which SB creates his own friend...everyone else doesn't like him & deny that he really exists. Of course then silly antics ensue.

A bubble & a blister are practically the same thing, so let me suggest you name it Bubble Buddy! BTW, watch the episode. They come at Bubble Buddy with all manner of needles, pins, and other sharp objects. But Bubble Buddy is a very slippery fellow!

As I'm looking thru my SB show titles I'm seeing some other good running related topics:
Squeaky Boots - patterned after Poe's Tell Tale Heart. Is there anything worse than a pair of running shoes making an unusual noise? Haunting.
Something Smells - apparently a sea-onion sundae smells worse than Lindberger cheese. And so does that guy at last weekend's 5k race who obviously hadn't washed his shirt in a month!
Pre-Hibernation Week - Sandy gets a little nutty before hibernating. Also describes that last good week of mileage before 'insert excuse here' happened.
Krusty Love - unsuccessful snot rocket which unbeknownst to you has dried onto your face/shirt.
No Weenies Allowed - Nike's Women's Marathon.
Survival of the Idiots - this was me in the last miles of my marathon.
The Great Snail Race - some of these are just too easy.

These really are the titles from SB episodes! How much fun? Mostly I'm procrastinating from getting out there for my run today. Why? Don't know. I farted away the morning, then got busy but told myself I'd make time this afternoon. Now been sitting here for like 2 hours reading blogs and trying to come up with a funny entry for today. I must end this and finally get out there for my run! Ugh, very much like my hero SpongeBob I am an expert at killing lots of time with very little to show for it. That fact has never bothered me near as much as it does my wife, my boss, etc.,etc.

EZ Day, really very easy

2009-07-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, I've missed a whole week of blog posts. I had a somewhat busy week, but thinking back on it now it doesn't seem that busy. Anyway, I'll try to go back and make some notes. Meanwhile I had a nice easy run this a.m. that deserves an immediate write up. Sometimes writing blog entries feels too much like homework - and I don't like that feeling!

In an effort to build some club spirit/unity/visibility we (the board) decided a few months back to host a series of group runs. Open to members and the public, anyone/any ability. Today was my second time hosting. The first one was a flop due to late notice posted and the weather. Last month was so rainy but now it seems like 2 weeks since we've had a drop.
We had great turn out for this morning's trail run, 12 runners. The weather was perfect for July (cool, dry, clear blue sky). Ultra Margie made it a point to talk up that fact that she'd be there. That helped alot. She's modest when talking about her running, but anyone that goes 50k, 50 miles, 100k and 100 miles is a rock star in my mind! We were also joined by another ultra runner - Fast Fred - who did his ultras from the left coast during the 90's. {Note that I am making up these nicknames myself, I've got to learn everybody's nicknames still}

At the other end of the spectrum we had a few folks that were either new to trails or needed to run slower paces. And I was somewhere in the middle. I tried to keep tabs on everyone but feel I didn't do a real great job as host. Luckily we all came back together at the end. Only one person fell, in the first 5 mins, and I know he's tough enough from plenty of other falls to be fine. On the whole it was very sucessful group run.

Personally the effort was too easy for my liking. I'm calling it 5 miles, but it very well may have been less. At times the pace was slow. . . then other times it was waaay too slow. There was some other runners in the woods, a group from DRClub, and I felt the urge to speed up and fall in with them. But I resisted and tried to be the good host. This 5 today makes 20 for the week. Okay, that's about what i expected after last week's big #. And the plus is that I should run tomorrow morning to get the new week off to a good start.

I'm not used to doing easy miles like today. It's much more of my style to do all quality miles. I've gotten by for years on low mileage because of the fact that all miles are 'fast'. Or at least all miles have a specific purpose for the workout. Today felt more like a social thing and not a workout at all. It was really nice meeting some new runners (Bob B, Fred, Dan, Laura, her friend (Jenny??, sorry-not good w/names) and also running with folks I don't see often (Margie, John, Rachel). And a shout out to my good old crew Tuckin, McC, el Presidente.

RaceReport- Rooney's 5k

2009-07-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Realized I never did race write up for my last 5k. So i'm back-dating this posting.

I am not an evening runner, but in the summer time there seems to be a trend of 5k's during the week. This race is a Thursday 7 p.m. affair. This was the 3rd in my effort to get back some of my speed. Since I'm writing this 2 weeks later, I know now that it was the last 5k because I skipped the other weekend ones. And now I'm in the mindset of longer workouts. 5k speed is no longer the focus since we're getting closer to the fall race season (PDR in Sept. then 15k in Oct. and probable 26.2 in November).

First time I've ever done this race and/or run this course. Lots of races in our town are run over the same few courses, but this one is not oft used. Downhill first mile, then flat #2, uphill at end but the finish line is 25 to 50 feet lower than the start (i.e. net downhill). Mile 1 = 6:24 and most of the regular crowd went out faster than me so that I passed them between .5 & .75 or so. Guess I should've gone out faster. Mile 2 = 6:59 (13:23) I felt under control, holding something back for uphill finish. Mile 3, fatigue setting in; saw someone ahead of me who has been beating me lately, but I used to get the better of our races last year. Slowly closed gap and passed before 3mm. Time 6:56 (20:19). Uphill .1 = 41 seconds. Had plenty left to sprint final 100 yards. Wasn't going to kick it in until I saw another guy that usually beats me this year. I got in front of him just before the line! I know he's a lot older than me, he always gets a.g. award, but I still try to beat him when I can. 21:00 even (but online race results shows 21:01).

Tried to be social and hang out at bar afterward, but I knew I wasn't getting any a.g. medal with a 21:00 because there's always tough competition for M40-49. Had 2 beers, ate food . . . they ran out which isn't cool. If ur gonna have an evening race then you gotta expect runners to be HUNGRY. Anyway, that's my fastest of the year. One minute slower than last yr's best, and about 40 seconds slower than last yr's typical. Where has my speed gone?

Mixed Bag of Firecrackers

2009-07-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

The weather was absolutely great on Sat. morning for my 10 miler. Got started a bit late, but otherwise prep was good. Wore my new pair of Brooks Glycerin 7. Doing a 10 spot for their first time out was a mistake...major blister on Achilles/heal area of left foot. Felt it during the last few miles but what can you do?

Temp 70 with 50% humidity. Bright sunshine! Really glorious July 4th day. The first few miles the wife rode her bike alongside me. That's the first time ever - it worked well - it's good to have crew handing me a water bottle on the fly. She quit at end of 5 miles. Those 5 plus #6 were averaged at 8:00 pace. Initially it felt quick and I had trouble settling into a rhythm. But the further into this workout I got, the better I was feeling.

Decided to make the second half into a 'cooker' workout. I've heard most folks call this a Progression run...basically cut the pace on each successive mile. I prefer Cooker because that's the way it feels to me. The temp inside the pot gets hotter & hotter with each passing mile. By the end it's pretty damn uncomfortable.
Mile 7 = 7:41
Mile 8 = 7:28
Mile 9 = 7:10
Mile 10 = 6:55
I ran one last untimed mile for the cool down. I'm really pleased with this run. My knees didn't hurt much at all (during or after). Those last few splits aren't far off from some recent splits during 5k races! Very encouraged by this effort.

I've been battling a minor cold for a few days. Last weekend I was doing alot of yard work and several times noticed myself huffing & puffing while surrounded by a cloud of dust/dirt/fine particulate matter. Within a few days I started coughing up bits of mucus. Kind of reminds me of morning smoker's cough (yes, I'm a reformed ex-smoker). I hope this clears soon, although it didn't seem to impact the running today.

Eleven today makes this my first week over 30 since April (except marathon week). Next week I have to re-focus back tothe speed. I'd like to do 2 or 3 more 5k's before leaving speed for LSD marathon training.

Easy Day Before Long Run

2009-07-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today's workout called for just an easy 4 miles in advance of tomorrow's 10 miler, which will be my first long run post-marathon. I went to the Y seeing as the 10 will be on the roads.

My knees have been a bit achey all week. The bike ride Wednesday didn't do anything to help the situation. I was feeling a few twinges of pain during the early part of today's run. Then after totally warmed up the knees were fine. I was watching the TV's and went right past the 4mm. Pace varied between 8:20 & 8:45. I decided to keep going and make it a 5 miler. I really like to write down my mileage in whole numbers!

Finished with a good stretch session and an upper body circuit on the machines-light effort on the lifting. Later, after dinner, iced my knees because they don't feel great. This is the same type of mild, non-specific pain I've experienced in the past. Always connected with too much hard workouts especially speed work. The pain is along the top edge of the kneecap. Kind of concerned about tomorrow's long run . . . but might do it as a real easy effort.

Ham for Paparazzi

2009-07-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Managed to track down a pic of me just after last Saturday's 5k race. Still would like to see a photo while running, but this will have to do. Feeling like 21:11 not too bad in that outfit.

Today: rest day.

Yesterday: first bike ride of the year! Felt good to be on wheels. Nothing noteworthy during ride. 17.5 miles @ 14 mph. I'm writing this down on my mileage log as equivalent of 5 miles running. I'm on track for a decent week as long as I do that long run on Saturday.

Peace. Here's a couple of shout-out's to fellow bloggers:

1. Very funny post from Joy, RN in NJ
http://runjoy.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-need-life.html
I went back to read after she reported this week on a successful snot rocket !

2. Congrats to Lindsay... a comfortable 200 mile month...oh, and btw, engagement. http://www.chasingthekenyans.com/2009/07/june-2009.html

3. Denise could use your help fundraising for BackOnMyFeet. She's doing her first Ultra, only been running for like about two years. http://run-denise-run.blogspot.com/2009/07/246-for-june.html

June '09 review

2009-07-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

The year is half done; I've logged 482 miles which is well ahead of last year, but still short of breaking 1,000 for the year; however, the biggest mileage months still lay ahead of me so I'm still confident on hitting 1k miles in 2009.
June 2009:
This was forecast to be a transitional month starting with marathon recovery and ending in the midst of summer speed work. Things went surprisingly to plan... weird.

Total miles: 87 Happy with this #, wasn't sure what would happen/didn't have a set goal.
Avg. = 22 per week (4 weeks). Ran on the majority of days (first time that's happened all year!)
Races (3): an 8k then two 5k's. Times were all unimpressive, but this year has been focused on distance, not speed, so didn't have great expectations. The trend of the paces is good: approx. 7:10, then 7:flat, then 6:50. It would be nice to continue that pace trend!
Long runs= 1x 8 miles on a trail run.

Highlites/Lowlites: I wanted to lose wt - didn't happen. I wanted to begin a lifting program at the gym - didn't happen. I wanted to recover from marathon without injury - Achieved, with footnote that lower abdominal strain is still occasionally bugging me. I wanted to have decent monthly mileage with speedwork - Achieved.

July Goals: I want to have my highest mileage month of the year. Got to get over 100 miles this month! Going to begin some bike rides and get weekly workouts up to average 4.5 or even 5 per week. The first 2 or 3 weeks I'll continue to work on speed and/or 5k races. By the end of the month I'll be focused on long runs for buildup into marathon training.
Fall goal races for new PR's are Philly Distance Run Half Marathon Sunday Sept.20th, then DDC_15k three weeks later (Oct.11th), then Philly Marathon six weeks later (Nov.22nd).

Race4Time @ Joe's Crab Shack

2009-06-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

The family decided to join me for the 5k race this morning, although sans son #1 because he's now officially got the teenager attitude and it just isn't cool to wake up early and be seen with the P's at a race. That makes all my years of effort being a 'good' parent seem so satisfying!

Since we were expecting about 20 of my Pike Creek run club members to be here, we had all decided on a Mardi Gras Beach Party theme. It was either that or everyone go in drag... which I just hate wearing a wig & makeup when I'm trying to run fast. (insert drum rimshot: bum-bum-crash)(insert laugh track: hardy har har). For this reason I ran the race in a Hawaiian shirt with a couple of lei's around my neck & a large silly balloon hat. Might have slowed me down a bit, but not more than a few seconds. I've never run with any type of costume, it was fun! Not sure if or when I'll do it again, but sometimes you just have to go for it.

As to the race, started well back from the front. Good thing too becuase there's a lot of fast people at this race. The age group 1st place is a nice gift certificate to the local running shoe store. 2nd & 3rd get small GC too. Took it out sensibly & under control. I could see a few runners ahead of me that I hoped to be finishing with. But I didn't push the pace early and figured I would catch them later. This course is totally flat. Temp was around 72-75 or so and half sun/half clouds. First mile in 6:41 which seemed great because I was feeling good. The RD was at the 1mm taking photo's but he seemed to be having an camera issue so didn't get me. I really wanted a pic of me running in my zany costume but it didn't happen. other race pics here. As the second mile came back around to the riverwalk path I could tell that I was losing ground to everyone (Theresa, Jack, Ivan plus unk's) in front of me except Ray. This is where the typical 5k discomfort began to set in. That fact tells me that I should've/could've gone out faster in the first mile. Reach 2mm in 6:50 (13:31) which seemed fine; Ray was about 10-15 seconds in front of me.

The 3rd mile I felt like I was running my race, slowing pulling up towards Ray. I could see Jack was battling someone from his own a.g. and they were pulling farther away from me (he would finish 36 secs ahead). Was I didn't figure is that Ray was actually slowing because my split was 7:01 (20:32). When I saw that I was over 7 mins I knew that i wasn't working hard enough. The 3mm was just where I was catching up with Ray. i called over to him "c'mon - finishing kick" and then he proceeded to out sprint me to the line. Final .1 in :39 - which is good kick... again indicating that I should've worked harder earlier. 21:11 is not bad. 20 sec improvement from last weekend, but still not this year's best time. And about one full minute slower than last year's times.

This coming week I plan to take it a bit easy, cycle down then build a big week the one after. June has been a nice transition from post-marathon recovery into summer speed. A few more weeks of speed and then fall marathon training begins! Tomorrow will be a gentle trail run done solo & early morning. Looking forward to that.

Rest Day for the busy

2009-06-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

Not finding the time to run today. Sort-of having a crappy week. But I'm thinking of this as a bit of extra rest leading to my 5k race in the morning. Shooting for 6:45 first mile & maybe 21:10 finishing time. That might be a stretch but we'll see what happens.

More Than This

2009-06-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's workout: Tempo Run. Thought about neighborhood loop but decided to head for the treadmill at Y because my feet have been achey since Monday's run (why?).

I wanted to do 3x sub-7 minute pace this week. Incline set to .5 uphill grade. This definitely felt easier than last week. That's a good sign! 6:55 - 6:58 - 6:48 were the splits. During the cool down I did 4x 30 secs. at approx 6:30 pace. Full recovery between each of these (2 or 3 minutes). The last accelleration was close to a full minute but then I reminded myself that this workout isn't a race. Good stretch, light upper body weight circuit, went home to eat lunch but suddenly realized I was running late for appointment. Burger King lunch. Ugh. BTW, i've gone way off my diet this week and haven't stepped onto the scale outta fear of what it will say.

Last night we went to a minor league baseball game. I always bring my glove, but hve never in my life caught a foul ball. So in the 8th inning, after paying pretty close attention all game, I was momentary distracted while a batter was at the plate. Sure enough a screaming liner came right into our section! It hit the aluminum bench so hard that their was a major dent (2 rows behind & 4 seats over). The family next to us almost had a hospital visit, but they didn't get the ball either because it bounced around and the next family further over ended up with it. I had my glove on, so if I had only been paying attn there's a good chance I would've made a nice play on the ball. What had distracted me? A clown was working the stadium making balloon animals for the kiddies. I gotta get my head check. Maybe it's adult onset ADD??

Thurs: supposed to run 4 easy but I ran out of time. Hopefully find room to squeeze that into Friday somewhere...
So anyway... I feel some 'minor tightness' on outer knee area (right leg) which is probably an IT band issue. I need a few easy days before Saturday's 5k race + plenty of stretching to make sure this doesn't develop into anything more than this.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

2009-06-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

I had such a good Father's Day weekend that I think it fitting to write blog posting #99 about just that.

Friday night dinner out just the wife & I. That rarely happens but now that the older son is officially certified to babysit for his younger brother we might enjoy more dinners out. Saturday a.m. was a 5k race. Some good quality "me time" that I enjoy. That evening we had family movie night - Mall Cop. Silly film that the kids enjoyed. Well, we all got some good laughs to be honest. Sunday afternoon was the neighborhood father & son baseball game. This is a very informal 'pick-up' game. There was 7 boys & only 3 dads, but we had a good time out there. I knew it was going to end up hurting me the next day. Remember that lower abdominal strain that I hadn't mentioned recently? Sure enough I strained it again. Not too bad. Also have some issue going on with right ankle & calf. I'm not used to so much pivot, sprint, jump, stretch type of movements.

Great weekend. I'm looking forward to blog posting #100 and then another 100 after that!

p.s. thanks to Ray's beer bottle collection for these photo's. I've been to Ray's house for a pre-race pasta dinner ... it's quite a scene with the decor mostly devoted to running & beer.

Strong Energy

2009-06-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today I felt like a million bucks out there on the pavement. Planned to run 5 or 6 easy miles around neighborhood. Instead turned into a hard effort as I felt alot of strong energy.

First two miles more or less level @ 8:28 then 7:40. The 3rd & 4th miles each have a significant hill climb. 7:50 then 7:45. I was really looking forward to miles 5 & 6 which were downhill and then flat. Done in 7:31 then 7:41. If you drop the first 'warm up' mile then this is a pretty fast workout for me. Hopefully I feel this good again on Wednesday when it's Tempo run day.

Plan to run 5k on Sat. Course should be flat, weather might cooperate... or might be hot & muggy. I'd like to take 20 or 30 seconds off from the last race but we'll just have to see...

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

2009-06-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

But if you try sometimes
you just might find
you miss by a second or two?

The summer of "Stones blog titles" continues with today's installment. The other day my younger son was getting ready to leave from camp and I overheard him talking to another boy. Andy was collecting his things/toys/crafts and the other boy wanted him to leave something so that he could play with it. "You can't always get what you want" was my son's reply! When I asked him about it in the car he said - you know, Dad, like that song you were singing the other day. 8 years old. Cool.

I had sort-of predicted that I'd finish in the range of 21:15 thru 21:30 but my time was 21:31 so I just missed. It started raining 15 mins before gun time; it started pouring cats & dogs 5 mins before! They delayed the start about 10 mins but there was no end in sight. So we ran in a downpour. Course: downhill .2 miles, then up over 9th street bridge, then mostly flat until a large hill at 1.5 miles. Then exactly back the same way.

I purposely went slow, controlled at start. In retrospect I could've gone faster like I typically do. My plan was to crest the bridge then settle into a steady working pace. That went fine. Mile 1 in 6:55 and feeling fine. I let up a bit as we eased into the hill...then slowed it down on the steep part. At no point did I feel that I was pushing into the 'red' zone. Then downhill to the 2 mm @ 7:09 / 14:04. I was expecting that. My conservative plan was to yield a mediocre reslut...but you can't have it both ways.

I thought I was working real hard during the 3rd mile. Set my sights on a guy with blue & white stripe shirt...caught & passed rather quickly (he must've gone out too fast?). Then there was a kid in red shirt about 10 yards in front of me. Slowly made up that ground...passed him with less than half mile left. I could hear his footsteps behind me as we turned onto 9th street for the bridge. As we crested same I saw that the next person in front of me was just rounding the next corner - a full block in front of me! I went down the hill fast, turned onto the finishing str8 (uphill couple of blocks). At this point I was just coasting with no one in front & no one right behind me. 3 mile split 6:48 / 20:52.

I felt like I had worked pretty hard, but it was that 2nd mile where I should've pushed a bit more. It's tough to measure it out evenly on the first 5k back. This is alot different than marathon running! I found some way to push the final tenth - done in 39 seconds - and the race director got a photo of me finishing. Blurry pic, but that's the way it was because I'd forgotten my hat and was taking full rain the face/glasses. Blurry race.

21:31 gives me plenty of room for improvement. Overall I finished 22 out of 295. But I'm only happy in the perspective that this is the first in a series of 5k's this summer. So the bar was set semi-low and I did what I did. Now I've got to step up the training and the race mentality. I was 6th in my 10-year age group. 6 of the top 22 finishers were men 40-49.

Up Tempo 3 @ 7

2009-06-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today's planned workout: 6 miles; middle 3 Tempo run @ 7 minute pace... assuming that I could hold that effort. Last week had planned the same run, but fell short on speed. Decided to modify (reduce) the total distance due to my feet being achey and I'd rather rest, even a little bit, before racing on Saturday. Total was 5 miles.

This is a treadmill tempo run. Warm up 1 mile ez. Mile 2 felt controlled & comfortable at 6:58. Began to feel it during second mile but at 7:03 I was still very happy. At beginning of last mile I was trying to talk myself into hanging on to be able to finish it. But then fell into a zone and the time passed quickly. Began to dial up the speed at the end, but it was too late to really make any diff. 6:54 and I definitely had more energy left in the tank - hopefully that will still be there for me on Sat morn. Good stretch and lite weight circuit for upper body.

This workout makes me think my 5k will be between 21:15 - 21:30. Factoring in unknown intangibles (weather, hills, me) maybe a wider range like 21:00 - 21:45 because I'm really not sure what might happen!

Good news: I've lost another half pound. This is a huge relief just to see that the scale does move back down. Still scratching my head about gaining weight during marathon training phase. This makes one full pound in 3 weeks. Basically just trying to eat less. My problem is that I just plain eat too much. Less food = less calories.

There isn't always a tomorrow.

2009-06-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Another day that I somehow was too busy in the morning to get out for my run. Lunchtime came & went and no running. Bummer. But I vowed to do it in the afternoon. I feel very motivated to run lately. This is another example where in previous cycles I would easily fall back onto any old rationalization to skip a day. Hey, there's always tomorrow. But my new approach is "today is already tomorrow" i.e. there's no more waiting. I don't have endless time to run fast races...no one gets unlimited time. There isn't always another tomorrow.

City Runnin'. 4 miles downtown. Parked along Union St. Stopped in at the local running shoe store to drop off my entry for Sat's 5k! Woo- hooo. this is the first local 5k I've done in almost a year. So psyched! But i'm also knowing that this isn't going to be much of a show, even by my standards. I'm thinking of this as more of a first race to establish a baseline. Something to build from...and let me know exactly where my fitness is at right now.

Eased into the pace. 1=8:30 or 8:45, then 2=8:30 or a bit faster. 3=opened it up here, about 7:30. 4= 7:15 with the last stretch really moving fast. I'd like to run 7 min pace on Sat for approx. 21:45 but that really doesn't sound very fast *(at all)! I've only done one 5k in like the past 6 or 8 mos. Haddonfield in March - looked up my time - 21:08. Have I really gotten signif slower since then?? Lack of speed work/tempo runs has really impacted me.

Whew - legs dead tired.

2009-06-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get to the Y until late afternoon yesterday - not the time of day that I typically run. Plan called for 4 easy miles on tread, with stretching & weights. Those easy miles were tough! My legs just felt dead tired. I think Sunday's trail run took more out of me than I'd thought.

Went slow, took the dreaded walk breaks (even on treadmill now?!?) and I got it done. Wiped out tired. Didn't do any weights. I fell asleep on the couch at about 9 p.m. Had a tough time getting up this morn too. Today is a scheduled rest day - thankfully. Back at it tomorrow.

Damn Walk Breaks Again

2009-06-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning I headed out for the planned 6 mile trail run. Was met by friend Ray who informed me that he needed to go 10. I wasn't sure that I could stomach it but figured that he would just tack a few onto the end...and I could go a few extra to help out.

It had rained very heavy late yesterday so the trails were really muddy immediately. The big puddles & slippery goey mess type of muddy. During the whole run neither of us fell, but there was some slidin going on! We had the trails almost totally to ourselves until we got to the park ranger road down along the river.

Uneventful run. Barely saw any wildlife - a lone chipmonk; then a turkey vulture getting breakfast from a way-past-expiration-date deer on the side of the road by Thompsons Dam Bridge. Water in river was very high. Nobody out in canoes/kayaks - thank God. (Last storm 2 idiots went out for a thrill and the authorities are still looking for the one guy's body.)

I felt like we were working a good 9:00 min pace but Ray wanted to go a bit faster. I need to run with faster folks more often. Around mile 5 we picked up the pace as we came back from the other side of the river. Almost immediately I started to have bad stomach issues. Probably the food from last night (baseball game fare - hot dogs/pretzels/ice cream). I felt stomach cramps & uncomfortably bloated. Just before this I had realized I hadn't drank any water for miles and maybe I chugged too much too quickly. Anyway, it worked out as we were on a straight section and Ray went ahead without me and then doubled back so that he got 2 or so while I got 1 or less with a good walk break. There's those damn walk breaks again. Since the mega-walk marathon I can't seem to shrug off these pesky walk breaks. Sad, very sad indeed.

I feel like I was working pretty hard, but only have 8 miles to show for 90 mins. Very humid, sweated out a ton. Took in extra salt dose with post run food. As this is my longest run post-marathon I'm considering this a 'long run'. Next weekend I should probably plan on a 10 or 12 miler so that my legs don't forget long runs. Made prelim plan to go up to Philly in August to run on the PDR course - I know that will help me have a good race day.

Gotta Start Somewhere

2009-06-13T10:15:00.001-07:00

Got out the door early this a.m. for another 4 easy run. Glad I did because now it's raining steady. Forgot to wear watch and didn't go back inside for it. Just made the decision to go easy. A few times in the first half I had to tell myself to go easier, slow down. Overall this wasn't as slow & easy like I planned. But maybe around 8:15 pace or so. But hey- it's only 4 miles so no biggie.

At the end I was feeling really good and decided to try out some 'strides'. This is basically hard 30 seconds, easy 60 seconds, then repeat. Not full 100% sprint, but quick leg turn over, watch form, faster than 5k pace. My new summer time goal of shooting for a fast 5k (before my ramp-up towards Sept's PDR half) means that I need strategies for increasing my speed. I've never done striders before, always sounded a bit too much like speed work to me. I did 3 times with each accelleration being on flat or somewhat uphill block & jogging on slightly downhill grade. these went very well & felt great! i will try for 5 x 30 seconds at the end of my tempo run this Thurs... that should feel alot tougher coming at the end of a hard workout.

Woo-Hooo, I lost .5 pounds this week! Gotta start somewhere...

Street Fightin' Man

2009-06-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Josh Cox posted "wake up & fight for your dreams."

I thought about that several times. This morning I decided to take it to heart. I never roll out of bed and run. I'm more of a shower, and caffeine, then take my time (unless it's a race day) before I head out to run. Not today. I just put on my running shoes & out the door I went.

Mind you this was just a 4 ez miles day; but I got it done. Felt real stiff & tired at first, warmed up into it. 8:30-8:15-8:00-8:15. Felt really good to push myself to get out there. I'm resolved that i just plain need to run more. Who BQ's on an average of 25 miles per week? I'm not a gifted athlete. Some people just genetically have it. And then there's the rest of us. I need to run more miles, and more days per week to acheive those miles. Currently I average 3.5 days/wk. I need to get that to 5.5 by the end of the summer. Even a 4 mile recovery (yesterday was my tough tempo effort) day is better for my legs & my cardio fitness than just plain rest.

My body needs alot of recovery time - I know that. And that's been proven plenty over the last few years. I think a genetic component is involved there too. Dudes that run 120 mile weeks have biomechanics that don't make their limbs/joints/body fall apart at that level. But I think I've lulled myself into mediocrity. I need to average 35/wk and pop a 40 or 45 mile week every once in a while. I've gotten away with low mileage -but intense mileage- for too long. That works for me from 5k all the way up to the half marathon, but the full 26.2 is a totally different animal. I'm going to add one day bike ride per week with conversion to run miles (equivalent 3.5bike = 1run ratio?).

Starting off today feeling good positive vibes!!! Make it a great day people!

p.s. 2nd Stones inspired blog title this month - where's that coming from?

Recent Recap

2009-06-10T13:40:00.001-07:00

Recent Recap:
Sat.- 8k race.
Mon. - 6 miles trails w/hills.
today - 6 miles total w/middle 3 as a tempo segment.

I see that I've gotten behind on blogging, again. Todays' workout didn't go all that well. But I like to think of rough workouts as progress reports or fitness tests. So I've got some work to do!

wanted to do a 3 mile tempo at 7:00 pace with 1.5 warm-up & cool-down. I could tell during the first mile that my legs were 'dead' from Monday's trail run/hill workout. (oops, never blogged on that. Recap: very hot & humid late afternoon run. I am supposed to lead a group trail run this weekend and haven't been on all sections of the planned route in some time, so I ventured into the woods. Good thing, took a wrong turn early. Don't want to do that on Sunday. Felt good and added an extra hill loop, but then by the end I was real exhausted and had to walk on the final hill. Checked weather channel when I got home, 80-82 degrees with 70-75% humidity. 6 miles total).

So back to today...I decided to start the tempo portion at speed & then slow down as needed on the fly. Mile 1 - uncomfortable but done in 7:03. Mile 2 - slowed it down immediately as the humidity was making me sweat like a pig! Very uncomfortable, even after backing off the pace some more. 7:22 still not soo bad. But then Mile 3 - I just couldn't keep going. Took a one minute walk break then slowly cranked it back up. Practically racing to try to break 8 on that last one, but couldn't. 8:10, first 100 yards was walking and next 200 was getting up to speed.

Disappointing . . . a little. But it tells me where I'm at.
1. Need to aclimate now that summer weather is full force.
2. I'm giving myself a break since I haven't done any tempo runs for like 2 mos.
3. This is basically 2 tough workouts in a row. I should've gone ez today and tempo friday.

Next week try again to hit the 3 x 7:00 tempo target. I've decided to try to put on some speed for some hot 5k racing in July. Then I'll go back to the long stuff for half marathon race (PDR) at the end of Sept. So training sets up like this: Fri - a few easy miles. Sun - trails, moderate. Tues - ez 5 or 6. Thurs - Tempo.

Lower ab muscle pull still annoying me, but it's getting better.

Gotta run... soccer dad shuttle to tryouts for travel team. have a good one!

RaceReport: M 8k

2009-06-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Not too much exciting to report from this race. As I expected, my performance was "okay" but nothing special. This is my first fast running since marathon day. I'm happy with the way the this one turned out, although my time is a minute slower than last year.

Saturday morning was not as warm & humid as last year's running...would've been a good chance to run this course for a PR. Bigger crowd this year - they ran out of t-shirts. Nice shirt, tech fabric, says 25th anniversary. I found some guys iPhone & turned it into the DJ for an announcement over the PA speakers. I didn't run any warm-up at all since I don't think my legs are ready for any extra miles yet.

One fun aspect of this race is that there's a simultaneous relay event for youngsters that features 5x1 mile (last mile is a bit short). So there's lots of speedy kids up front. I purposely stayed well back from the front lines. My Splits:
6:53
6:54 - 13:47
7:26 - 21:13
7:33 - 28:46
7:00 - 35:46

First mile, felt good. Kids zipping past me as we near the relay hand-off location. Fun, but I move to the other side of the street. Second mile, ran the whole way with 2 young ladies that were local h.s. track buddies and now go to different colleges. They're home for summer and doing the race together. One of them (Jessica or Allison?) has a really cute way of running on her tippie toes. I asked if maybe she was a sprinter . . . but no, she's always been a long distance runner up on her toes like that. Obviously I'm not the first to comment on her form. As we approach the 2 mile mark I pull ahead of them and don't see them for a while. Someplace during the third mile I notice that the sun's come out and I'm feeling hot. Is this section uphill? {I've looked up my splits from last year and this is the same stretch where I wilted then too. } By the time I see the 3 mm I'm not feeling good. From about 2.75 thru 4.0 I am trying to slow down so that I feel better but I'm not enjoying this. The girls catch me at about 3.5 and they glide by smooth & strong. They're still chatting away. They aren't taking this race seriously. Soon after the 4 mm I feel recovered. Those girls are about 15 or 20 seconds in front of me and I resolve that I will try to reel them in. A woman named Sylvia has a pacer join her right at 4 and they power away from me. But as I try to stick with them I am making up ground on the girls. There's a long straight away here and I see my buddy Dirk way up ahead. I'm focused on making up ground and I do it. I finish 2 seconds behind the girls & chat with them post race. The one girl's dad is fast (he's over 50 and ran 31:30). Sylvia beats me by 17 seconds - she really flew that last mile!

One of our club members DNF's due to injury from trail run wipe out. This is the day that half our runners are doing the trail event Wissahickon. My WAVA is only 65% so I can't help the team. But I wasn't expecting much here anyway. My time is exactly within the range that I predicted. Funny how that happens with such regularity.

Top Ten List

2009-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

I've thought about this one a lot in the last few weeks 'post marathon' so without further procrastination, here's my Top Ten "Ways to Screw-up Your 1st Marathon"

10. Set an unrealistic goal. If you do your 20 milers at 8:40 pace, then what illogical thought process made me think I could do 8:20 for the marathon. . . and hold it an additional 6.2 miles?
9. Start out waaaayyy too fast. And on a humid morning, and a hilly course. Hello? What was I thinking?
8. When the facts are clearly right in front of you, fail to adjust to the situation early enough to make a difference. Actually, failed to adjust at all really. At mile 7= 4 minutes ahead of pace; then at mile 10= 5 mins ahead. Huh? How come it didn't occur to me that I must slow down until my legs already were beginning their revolt/cramps?
7. Drive your car 10 hours the day before the race. Duh. Arrive at the hotel at a quarter till midnight. Doh!
6. Recruit a support person who is not a runner. In all fairness to the Mrs., this ended up being a minor issue given all the other major screw ups. But the water, cereal bar, and dry towel would've been nice at 16. And the missed Gu handoff was a real factor. The refusal to wake up & get out of bed at 5:30...plus the double back to the hotel after packet pick-up for the wife pick-up, that added a bit of stress.
5. Fail to interpret the course description profile correctly. "This course has LOTS of HILLS? Why didn't they just come out and say that?"
4. Other translation miscues: When they said this marathon is good for first timers, they didn't mean that the course is not challenging; they meant 1,000's of locals will come out to watch you suffer. When they said the race has a high BQ ratio, they forgot to mention that they invite a lot of fast people to come up to Vermont to race. Kind of like Carlsbad 5000 is 'America's fastest 5k' because of the runners that it attracts (it's not the course there either people).
3. Start out way too fast. This one cannot be understated as the primary reason for failure.
2. Drink a few beers & eat crappy food for the pre-race meal. It tasted good, but greasy cheese puffs, mini spinach quiche and fried mushrooms is not proper carbo-loading fare.
1. And from the home office, the number one way to screw-up your first marathon is... "Logical thinking . . . who needs that?"

Goat's Head Soup? Goat's Head Soap!

2009-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but at the marathon we rec'd a full sized bar of Goat's Head Soap with the packet pick-up. This stuff says they make it in France, Canada, and Vermont. Yikes, who wants to bathe with Goat's Head Soap?

I've wanted to post this pic & comment for like 2 weeks. I never seem to get totally caught up around here. Anyways, I'm also working on my autobiographical 'top ten ways to choke on your first marathon' which I will add to this posting sometime very soon (hopefully tonite while I'm watching the Phils play L.A. from West Coast).

Already Too Late

2009-06-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ran 4 miles yesterday for Nat'l Run Day. Instead of typical (boring) loop around neighborhood at lunchtime, I went out to the main road and ran to the Y because I know it's just slightly over 2 miles to get there. Tons of cars/trucks, an old guy on a bike, but no other runners. So I feel like I was representing us runners out there. Forgot to wear club colors, had a Phillies shirt on. Noticed several places where the bushes/weeds/vines are totally overgrown blocking the sidewalk... don't notice that when driving past. I see walkers along here regular, and it is a full sidewalk, just covered in places by jungle. Maybe I'll contact these folks back to point out that their sidewalks are almost un-passable do to the overgrowth (maybe).

Easy pace, variable. One measured mile was 8:15, but I know that i started much slower than that. Picked up my new stainless steel water bottle at the Y. They give away something about every-other month. I guess that's where my $75/month goes. Frankly I could do without the give aways, but i always pick them up since it's my money anyway. They probably end up thinking the friggin give aways are soooo popular! I'd rather have some of my money bacK!

M8k race is saturday. I'm not expecting much. In all the times I've done this race i've never had a really good one here. It's flat so I always think... i'll run fast. But several times it was warm & humid. Other years I was injured or just coming back from injury so didn't max the opportunity. Forcast this year is pretty good, but I haven't done a lick of speed work in over a month. Plus still not 100% since post marathon. Speaking of which, that little nagging pain in lower left abdominal area is really buggin me. I made the mistake of playing tennis for a long session the other night and the reaching, pivoting, etc really aggrivated the problem. This tennis was a prefect parallel to my marathon experience. I know what to do, but i don't always do it. Tennis hurts my body- I should stay away from it or at least take it in small doses. It's like when I start having fun (yes, I can still whup my 13 y.o.'s butt, and his friends, even though they were on the tennis team at school this year & I only picked up a racket 2x in the last 2 yrs)... then my brain shuts down and I just don't think until it's too late. When my 10 mile split at the marathon was 5 minutes ahead of pace AND there was more hills than I anticipated... it was already too late. Gotta remember my brain more often when I am out having fun.

M 8k times over past few years:
2004 33:40 6:46pace
2005 injured; didn't run
2006 busy w/work; was on break from running
2007 36:38 rehab'g quad tear
2008 34:54 humid/went out too fast
2009 ? not expecting much, maybe 35:30 - 36:30 range. One of these years I'm going to get it right at this race but it ain't gonna be this year.

National Running Day

2009-06-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

Isn't there also a Run To Work Day? Not sure if that's the same or diff...

Anyway, my schedule isn't good for evening run (soccer game) so I'm going to hit the streets solo this a.m. But the club folks will be out together. Here's a re-post from last week's info:

Here's a link about NATIONAL RUNNING Day which is next TODAY: http://www.nyrrmail.org/eventcal/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=127Our club will be out running - but we have a standing group run on Wed. evenings (get it, standing group run?). {Duh, bad, i know.}

New Group Runs at Brandywine Creek S.P.

2009-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is from an email I sent out today:

New Group Runs for Pike Creek:
Because club members asked for more group runs, we are announcing the following dates for group trail runs at Brandywine Creek State Park (link). These groups runs are open to runners of all abilities, club members or not, so please invite friends & guests to come out and run with us!

Sunday June 14th - This run will be led by Dean. 6 mile trail run starts at 9 a.m. We will meet in the parking lot behind the TGIFridays on 202 Concord Pike (map) at 8:45. Water & light snacks will be provided. The trailhead is behind the hotel next door (Rocky Run Parkway). This run can be shortened to 4 miles, or you can add more trails to bring it up to 10 miles or longer. The restaurant mgr has agreed to open the TGIF front patio an hour early (10 a.m.) for our after run drink & food needs!

Sunday July 12th - 5 mile trail run starts at 8 a.m. Meet in parking lot behind the JCC off 202 on Garden of Eden Road (map). Trailhead is at back of lot. Similar mixed terrain, some flat wide sections along river, some single track with hills. Distance can be more or less. If anyone has a GPS pls bring because I've always wanted to get an accurate distance on this route. This trail features the mtn bike 'bridge' that some kids built last year. I've run up & over this contraption - something different. After running we'll meet at Janssen's Market Cafe (here) by taking Mt. Lebanon Road to Rockland Rd to Rt.52 in Greenville.

Sunday August 16th - location/time/distance TBD. Save the date & look for details to follow and/or I'm open to suggestions. If we meet in the park you have to have pay $3 per car or have the annual parking sticker.

Please RSVP so we can have an estimated headcount. Feel free to invite all runners to join us on these group runs. Arrive 15 minutes early to review trail maps; the run begins at scheduled time. If you need to start early (to run longer) contact me & I will meet you there early. For general info about Pike Creek Valley Running Club, and our group runs, follow this link.

Fall Season Coming into focus

2009-06-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I did 3 easy miles around the neighborhood. I told myself at the beginning that if my legs still feel 'dead' then I'd take a walk break in the middle. I walked. Gee, these walk breaks are addictive. You'd think that maybe I got enough walking during the last few miles of the marathon melt-down. But I walked for a minute (and didn't time the run at all anyway).

Didn't have time to hit the weights. Will try for the gym tomorrow. I've been eating slightly healthier post-marathon. That feels good. I look downright fat in some of the online pics compared to other runners around me. Oh, btw, online pics are up! Here's a photo montage in crappy low-resolution. I guess I should fork over the $55 to get the high-res images. Right click and open in 'new tab/new window' to see best. insertPingimagehere

I have a lingering muscle pain in the lower left abdominal region. This was hurting with the leg spasms during the race. Now it's the last remaining ache. Hard to exactly put my finger on it - literally. It's like a pulling/pinching pain when stretching, coughing, bending. I'm thinking hernia type issue, which I really hope it's not that. I had that surgery about 12 years ago and the area has always bothered me. Pretty sure the doc did a sub-par job and there's like scar tissue or just plain not done correctly. Will watch this for a week & hope it resolves on it's own.

I have signed up for the Philly Distance Run Half in Sept. This is a PR target as it will be my first flat 13.1 in many years. This is the focus of my early fall season. And another shot at the 26.2 distance will be the focus of the late fall season. Really torn between Philly Marathon (here) or the Rehobeth Beach marathon but Philly seems the logical choice. About a dozen runners from club are doing Rehobeth That would be fun...

2 EZ yesterday; taking today off

2009-05-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday - 2 miles @ 8:30 pace. nice day weather wise. Lots of standing around & chatting with people in teh park at our water/snack table. I was a bit surprised at how many people wear headphones listening to music while running. Tons of folks went by and couldn't hear us saying "free water stop" Soft pretzels & bagels too.
Generally this seemed to me that it ended up more of a social for us, but we were doing a community service too. One small step for raising public awareness of our running club. Maybe we might get a few new members... we'll have to wait & see.

My legs feel dead - I'm pretty sure that's normal at this point after a marathon. Feet ache, but that could be equal amounts of standing around for a few hours. I'm taking today off (Sunday) and hope to start back into running this week.

next Wednesday - Standing Group Run

2009-05-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

Did 2 miles easy yestday on tread. Legs really not that feeling so bad, but took it very easy just in case. Nice stretch (which felt good) and then i hit the upper body weight machines for the first time in 3 mos! Took it very easy since this might be a shock to the muscles.

Here's a link about NATIONAL RUNNING Day which is next Wed: http://www.nyrrmail.org/eventcal/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=127
Our club will be out running - but we have a standing group run on Wed. evenings (get it, standing group run?). {Duh, bad, i know.}
Tomorrow we have a community service day at the same park (DelCastle). Pike Creek will be giving out water and talking to 'whoever' about running and our club. I'm scheduled to be there in the a.m...stop by if you can!

Trying to begin diet. For real this time.

Fall marathons, which one to choose?

ReCap

2009-05-28T06:16:00.001-07:00

oh wow, what a crappy performance by me. And a really bad feeling knowing that I wasted the chance to do something better.

I know I can do much better than friggin 4:21 marathon. Now I have to regroup and recover and then plan for a fall marathon. Round Two will be different (better).

I finished. I got the medal. DNF was definitely a possibility as wiped out as I was feeling. All the muscles of my legs were in cramps/spasms.

I have some email & FB messages that I will copy & paste into the blog. For now here's a few photos:

Traffic jam on Cross Bronx Expressway. That pre-race smile wouldn't last...

Quips from post-race

2009-05-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

These are some FaceBook & email messages from the hours right after the race:

Sunday night: I finished...that's about all I can say. Just about everything that could go wrong did. But I got the finisher medal.

It was one of my worst running experiences ever...humity, too much early speed, & lots of hills.

marathon: total meltdown. Changed mantra mid-race to "When will this end; I will not DNF." Leg cramps=bad. Walked the final 2.5 miles.

Monday morning: This morning's paper has some info on Wardian's race... he's happy that it's a new PR for him 2:21 - but it's the 5th year in a row that he's come up here and the 5th time he's finished 2nd. Seems to be different guys each year show up to take the win...
I don't know how there was so many guys under 2:30. This course has alot of HILLS! Women's winner also set her PR at 2:35 - she's a 3 time winner here. The sun came out when I was around mile 19 or so. It started to get hot & steam was coming up from the streets and roofs of houses. I guess the speedy runners were already done (or close to done) at that point.
There was a 9 y.o. boy that ran the full marathon. He passed me while I was walking in the final miles. That's the kind of day it was for me.

Happiness Always

2009-05-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, did I mention that Saturday night my buddy is getting married in Boston? I tend to stay away from personal stuff like that. This blog is to focus on things running. But that's a major wrench in the schedule and I won't be getting to the hotel in Burlington, VT until about 12 midnight after the reception in Natick, Mass.

Anyway, i found the bestest wedding card ever. Very simple, not too sickly sweet. That's the way I like it. I should take a picture of it, but my camera isn't handy. The cover says
Family
Friends
Hugs
Laughter
Celebration
and then the inside says
LOVE
Happiness Always.

It's just right. And I sincerely wish Robby & AM the best of luck!!

T- 48 hours & counting...

2009-05-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

I put a few things out this morning to be packed up tonite. We leave early Saturday a.m.

This is a link to some funny short videos from Brooks shoe ads.
http://www.runningsuperfans.com/#/videos/ice-cream
I'm psyched that I found my Glycerin 7's when I did. These shoes have helped me get this far, now they'll go the 26.2 with me on Sunday. I thought about wearing something lighter but I don't want to wreck my feet/legs totally for this first marathon. I'll just go with the same that's gotten me this far - full weight trainers. Brooks makes great shoes, why did I wait so long to try them?

Plan this week was to get a few naps, but they never happened. Duh, why do I even think up this stuff? Tonite's sleep is important! Gotta start packing in some carbs !!

Let's play quarters!

2009-05-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

Quarters. Remember that old drinking game? This is something different.

I just read an article about not going out too fast during a race. I have very often been plagued with this problem. Even to the point of rationalizing that it's 'my style' and that 'it works for me' because I can 'bank seconds or minutes to be spent during latter miles' etc., etc. ( article here: http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/05/time-trial-pacing.html )
Basically,
divide the race in 4 quarters and then work it like this:
1. Perceived effort should feel easy while not being too far beyond anticipated pace.
2. Run your own race at goal - but no faster.
3. Maintain pace although perceived effort pushes into the fatigue & pain zone.
4. Push yourself to max effort. If you've measured it out right then you can maintain pace thru the finish line.

The article is written for cycling with power meter & HR technology utilized. That doesn't work for me. But the principle is the same - and it's nothing new.

I'd like to start out at 8:45 like I did on my LSD easy runs, but that's too far from BQ goal pace and I'll never make up that much time. Something like 8:10 - 8:20 for the first 6 miles might work. Then goal pace - 8:00 - thru to mile 20. Then finish the 6 remaining @ 7:45. It looks good in print. And if I feel beat at 18 or 20 (or whenever) then I can still finish in a 3:35 or whatever.

This is not so much different than what I've been going over in my head for days now. I think I may be obsessing about this pacing thing a bit. Reality is that there's tons of variables and the final decision will have to be on the starting line.

Weather report stills looks beautiful for Sunday in Vermont - awesome. And my small cold is def breaking up and passing - TG.

Making a big list of stuff to bring including:
Fuel belt, hat, 'best' socks, shorts, singlet.
Create pace band, bring with scotch tape.
Bring my own pillow for hotel bed (as if I'm sleeping much the nite before).
Vasoline (toes), sun screen (nose), band aids (nips).
Headlamp & flashlite -

that last one is because I want to climb Mt. Mansfield (highest peak of VT) and depending on my recovery/fatigue level it may be late Sunday or early Monday. This might sound a bit harsh, but if I run the marathon & make the summit of Mansfield then I'll never have to return to VT. Everyone is telling me that it's my kind of state - lots of outdoors stuff - and that I'm going to luv it up there. But the reality is that there's so many places I've never been that I no longer am traveling with the plan of making multiple trips. One state, one trip, do what you got to do and cross it off the list. (i really got to get my head examined?). So far my only other high peaks are Del, NJ, and NY. But VT is a good compliment since I saw Lake Champlain from the top of Mt. Marcy two years ago. The only other stuff up there is sking (no), ice cream (supermarket), and fishing (lousy at catching fish).

So marathon first, then Mt. Mansfield. I am not leaving without reaching these goals.

...in the event that I'm feeling good...

2009-05-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

woah down thar boy - blog post 3 days in a row!

My schedule has slowed down totally. Thankful timing for MARATHON WEEKEND Coming up in just T-4 days!!!

Today was a super easy 2 miles followed by a good stretch. Trying to stay loose while not spending any energy. At the end i opened it up for a few mins at speed, but nothing too over-the-top. Tried to imagine an increasing pace during the marathon...maybe start at 8:15 pace for first 10, then 8 flat for next 10, then I'd only be 1 & 1/2 mins from BQ with 6 left to run. Then I'd have to run 7:45 pace for the last 6.2 miles. If everything comes together perfectly then that's doable. And at least with that early pacing I'd be putting myself in position to go for it in the event that I'm feeling good.

I'm feeling rested & energized. My small cold is still hanging on but I don't detect that it's blossoming into a full fledged thing,,, just a nagging hanging on thing. I've got to begin getting extra sleep. Then this headcold will be kicked to the curb just in time.

Weather forecast . . .

2009-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

for the weekend in Vermont is near perfection. 50 or 55 at the start and 65 or 70 at the finish. Clear sunny skies, winds to be lite. Ideal conditions.

Unfortunately I have a minor cold that has been bugging me for the last few days. I shouldn't have ignored it when I first felt a sore throat on Saturday. Now it's more of a sinus infection feeling with the headache & stuffy nose. I ought to be able to kick this just in time as long as it doesn't get any worse.

Taking today off. Tomorrow maybe 3 or 4 easy miles depending on sickness level. Making a list of everything I need to bring with me - I'm not used to traveling so far for a race and having to pack it all up for a hotel stay. Got to remember the Red Bull, Gu, Gatorade, Fuel Belt . . . all my personal stuff for race day. I'm bringing all my own water, diet coke, cereal bars, pretzels for the car drive so I have what I want/need. It's a 10 drive on a tight schedule so there's no foolin' around.

4 & 1/2 days and counting . . .

BTW & p.s.

2009-05-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Cheers to you Scottie -

btw, Congrats to my buddy Shagster for completing the 100 mile Ultra MMT. Your exploits are amazing and inspirational.

p.s. both my toe nails on the 2nd (longest) toe fell off over the weekend. Can't fathom how they've lasted this long...

If I wasn't a runner I'm sure I'd be fat!

2009-05-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in soda alone I must've consumed 600 calories.

Had a good weekend, Friday was the "Author's Tea" at kid's school, Saturday hangin out at the little league field, and Sunday my son's First Communion. I basically pigged out all weekend long. But that's one of the perks of being a runner!

Well, if you add up my mileage recently you will be able to tell that my taper has esentually turned into a total absence of running. After that last 20 miler I've been so unfocused that I've had no urge for running. A friend told me that can happen after alot of miles (hey-it's all relative here) and not to be worried. I hope to get a few easy runs in this week and today was the first. And it was a good one.

3 miles on the wheel at the Y doesn't sound like the makings of a good one. But it was. Here's how it went down. After the first mile at 8:20 pace I felt a strong surge of energy coming on. I increased the speed to 8 min pace, but was determined not to go any faster. I succeeded in mentally relaxing by thinking about my running form/posture. I do this sometimes as a way to distract myself from something else. I also closed my eyes almost all the way and just tried to 'sleep-run' comfortably. I only had one eye very slightly open - it was nice. Tom Petty's Free Falling was on the radio overhead. My pace was right on beat at 8:00 and I noticed the light relected on the tread's screen was bouncing up & down to my footsteps & in time with the music. Really lulled me into relaxed zone. Felt great. Bout 10 mins of this and the energy surge was gone. Don't remember ever running to free falling before, but it really was an instant hit to relaxation. I have to remember this trick for the big race. Been reminding myself in a tape loop in my head "do not go out too fast". I'm convinced that i should do 8:30 pace and forget BQ so that I can enjoy the experience. Been thinking about this alot.

T - 10 days & counting,,,

2009-05-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day that I've truely felt excited about the marathon. There's no turning back now! I can't imagine how much energy I'm going to have on race morning . . . psyched; totally. I'll really have to control myself to not go out way too fast!

I did skip my run again today (getting to be a habit), but I'm very unfocused now. Since there's nothing more I can do to improve for the marathon I feel like I have no purpose running!?!? I've got to get out there tomorrow for a few easy miles.

I must be one of very few runners that actually gains weight during the marathon prep cycle of training. Disappointing that I couldn't lose the 5 or 10 pounds that i had set as my goal. At this point it's too late to diet; i don't want to be weak or un-nurished going into this thing so my only diet goal now is please, please, just don't let me gain any more pounds in the next ten days. Doh!

Sluggish

2009-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sluggish - is that a real word?
Sluggish - related to a slug. movement at a slug-like pace.

Four miles today felt very slow & never ending. 8:15 pace. warm, about 70 degrees, bright sunshine. managed to get my stretching done afterward but I've really become unfocused about my running.

I'm wondering if my funk could be the taper period. It feels a bit anti-climatic compared to the race ahead & the final long runs behind. I've got to begin getting everything laid out for the big day & the whole weekend.

The peak of the final 20 miler, and the recovery since then, has left me stagnant. I'm just waiting for the big day now . . . 11 days & counting.

From my feet down to my hair,

2009-05-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Bodies flying thru the air,
crawling up the f***ing walls,
Get off yer ass & show some balls!

Remember that song? Yes, my musical tastes have not moved forward much since the early 80's. Most of it's classic, but with a bit of punk in there too.

I am still hurting from last Sunday, and so decided to cancel today's workout. I may be just getting lazy at this point. My feet & toes are still aching, my knees feel something(tight?) and my back has been more & more painful the last 48 hrs.

Doesn't help that I've been home the last 2 days with a sick kid. Plus it's now been raining for 9 days straight. It actually stopped now, but scheduled to start up again tonight. Maybe I'll still make it for a lil run later - really what I need is a few slow miles to warm up and then a good stretch.

Thanks For Asking,,,

2009-05-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did the final 20 miler of my marathon training plan whilst at the Broad Street 10 mile race. It was actually about 19.5 or so - I parked down at the stadiums, and instead of taking the subway up to North Philly (like everyone else) I ran up there. Then raced back down tothe Navy Yard. Of course my race time was alot slower than last year, but that wasn't the main goal.

Marathon is in 20 days.
Now I just rest (and recover from yesterday. My legs r sore & my toes have been taking some severe beatings lately). My marathon question in the past was always "could I finish the distance?" Now I'm confident that I can. The race pace is the only remaining item to be determined. If I go at 8:30 miles then I'm sure I'll finish reasonably strong; if I go at 8:00 then I'll qualify for Boston but I might hit the wall, bonk, blow-up and/or melt-down in the final miles. If I go at 8:15 pace then I definitely don't BQ and I might not finish feeling strong & Happy anyway. So what to do, what to do?

Broad Street 10m raceReport: The 10 Mile Warm Up Club

2009-05-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is long overdue, still trying to catch up on blogging...

Overall the weather report: cool, rainy, no wind. This is the first run in my new shoes (glycerin7) where they got soaked, dirty. So they looked new for a long time, but ya knew it wasn't gonna last forever.

Cue dramatic NFL music: the day broke cold & grey & wet on the streets of Philadelphia. The runners -, 25,000 strong - huddled in masses, trampling front yards, peeing in parks, moving as if one to the intersection of Broad & Olney in North Philly. OK, enuf with that. But really the entire setting is epic, inspirational, and awesome.

The course description has been written about so many times, suffice it to say it's a net downhill point to point straight line 10 miles long with a slight curve around City Hall and a few slight rises in the first half. In a word: Fast.

I got up extra early, couldn't get back to sleep once awake, and did all the prep ritual correctly because I was out the door right on time @ 6a.m. There was already a huge traffic situation at the stadium off ramp. I don't ever go to the front and cut in, but this morning I did go about half way up and then got in...only because I knew that I was running 10 miles before the start and all the rest of these people were going to be on the subway up to the starting line. My goal was to start running before 7 a.m. to give a bit of a cushion in time. Race starts at 8:30.

The line of cars was moving soooo slowly. I needed to prep in the car. Ever strip from the waist up while in traffic to apply Superman band aids to nips and then get into your singlet? Done it. Went thru some motivational tunes: Chili Peppers, Offspring, Green Day. Got the sweat pants off whilst driving, loaded pockets with Gu and filled Fuel Belt bottles. Finally got parked in front of Spectrum and needed to go pee very badly from drinking water, Gatorade & diet Coke for the past hour. Time check, 6:59. That sux. In a flurry of activity I got my hat on (rain still lightly coming down) then belt on, tightened & tied laces, watch, pinned number (duh, almost forgot) and put chip on shoe, popped can of Red Bull and finally headed to the port-o-johns in south corner of parking lot - the opposite direction that I need to be running.

Business done, start running. Time check, 7:04. Crap, I've got to run quickly up to the start to make sure I make it there before the gun. I'm drinking a can of Red Bull as I pass small groups of runners moving toward the subway station. Mostly they give me looks like "why is he wearing on singlet with bib on it already?" and "why is he running...there's still over an hour to the start plus the subway ride?" At the far side of Pattison there's only a few runners standing around trying to stay dry by hugging the subway station building. They all look like they're waitign for a friend. They look at me with those same curious questioning eyes. I want to stop and explain to them, but I'm already late. I want to tell them that the main subway entry is one full block south, that it's mobbed with 100's (maybe 1,000 now?) of runners, and that their friends/co-workers/etc are all probably standing down there wondering where the hell are they? but I run on.

Dodging cars on Broad is my next fun activity. There's like inner lanes & outer lanes & merging going on here. I need to get to the other side to follow street northbound. Once over there I use sidewalk & street all the way up. For now I'm up & down trying to decide which is better/safer. I prefer blacktop over cement but there's too much traffic. I'm already soaked. And the streets are filled with alot of dirty trash. Bummer. Mile 1 fairly slow, I dropped the can into a community trash pile and begin the search for any definitive mile markers. This quest will not be satisfied for quite a long time. I pick up the pace with 9 miles left to go before the start.

The next few miles go by at a comfortable 8:15 pace (est). I say Hi to everyone I see. Yo South Philly. Some look at me like "WTF" but most don't seem to realize today is even race day. @ or 3 people call out "You doing the race today?" to which I answer "yeah, with a 10 mile warm up!" They seem to appreciate that by shaking their heads in a disbelief fashion. Ha, luv that. At the first few water stations there's no activity but the tables & boxes & water are all there waiting. That's kind of cool to see the progression of readiness as you run backwards up to the start. I'm thinking this could be an annual 20 miler for a group of runners. The 10 Mile Warm Up Club. With about 15 or 20 runners sporting matching t-shirts that would be cool.

I can find absolutely no pavement markings for the mile splits. I don't know where I am/how the time's doing. At the next several water stations I ask for the mile marker but no one has any clue what I'm talking about. Some of the vol's are nice and friendly (and cute), but others are grumpy & appear to be working off c.s. hrs by court order because they obviously don't want to be there. How am i doing on time? Don't know, pick up the pace.

As I approach downtown - which I know City Hall is the unofficial half way point - I realize I need to pee (again). Of course now there's many more people milling around on every block. At every subway stop there's small groups or individuals hurrying down the steps. Or waiting outside. Where's my training partner/friend/lover/co-worker? they are sipping coffee, some are talking on cell phones. I want to ask where's the nearest toilets but none seems to want to engage me in conversation. They see my bib, realize I'm running...not taking the subway, then they turn away! Interesting psychology experiment at work here. The rain is still litely falling. I'm soaked but notice that the cooling effect is wonderful. I really got to pee and the rain doesn't help that sensation. No body knows the mile markers. I begin to see cops during this section. One about every-other corner. Some say hi back to me, others give me a hard tough-guy look. Some are smoking cigs and texting on their cel's. There's supposed to be port-a-potties at certain mile markers...this I should've put to memory for the duel purpose.

Finally at City Hall. This is at least 5 miles done. I decide to short cut (bladder near bursting. gonna have to find a side street and do the public urination thing very soon) up sidewalk, across courtyard to the other side (saves about 100-150 yards). As I round the corner I see them . . . their bright blue glistening majestic line up is like a holy grail - a row of port-o-johns! Things are looking up! I'm in, pee like a race horse, then out in a flash. Hardly even broke stride. A few blocks later, more good news: mile marker 4. So I've gone 6. Time check, 46:00, which is sub-8 min pace. Yikes, too fast. Yet good news in that I'm definitely going to make the starting gun. The next water stop is nearly fully set up. Now i'm getting closer. Still seeing runners at every subway entrance rushing to get onto trains. I invite a pair of guys "C'mon with me, only 3 miles to the start" Response: "the subway stops right here, come back...you can take the train."

The road begins to have some uphill blocks. Mile split 8:25. That feels better, and only 3 more to go. There seems to be less traffic now, but roads still look open. Cop on every corner now. I pass a guy drinking coffee in front of Starbucks (Temple campus?). About 5 mins later he catches up to me but instead of falling into stride together he moves steadily past me. Huh. No love for The 10 Mile Warm Up Club? I pick it up to stick with him, but on each uphill he puts more distance between us. We get to an intersection with the El tracks (?) above and police and directing traffic. No cars allowed to go north from here. Mile split 8:18. One more.

Now there are other runners walking & jogging toward start area. It's weird to see the transition from cars and very few peds to lots of walk/run and total absence of cars. No one notices me now. I'm blending into the scean. I pass other runners jogging...they don't know I've already done 9 miles. Some of the up hill blocks are now noticeably steep. Funny, never noticed that when running the opposite way! Irealize that I'm beginning to feel fatigue. I slow it way down, I'm going to make the start so I'll conserve energy. I can still see coffee guy up ahead, but he's almost a full block ahead. Then I lose him altogether. I move to the middle of the street. I actually feel pretty damn good.

i can see the starting line. The wheelchairs haven't begun yet. This final ascent seems steep. Yes, I am tired and burned a lot getting up here. Last mile split, 8:51. The elites are coming off the front to heat up their legs. Kenyans, real ones. I recognize the local speedsters. I see DavidJ - wave & hello. My friend TJ - "do we need to go around timing mats" i ask, but he says no. Asks if I ran the 10 warm up. "Yep" is about all i can manage. As I go past the start line into the throng I see that my bib doesn't match. I'm in the second corral. I move straight thru the middle and get to my own bib-color mates. I am out of water and can't fight thru entire 25,000 to find more. Start is less than 5 mins now. I move to the side where brick park is to be and see assorted water bottles on the ground in various stages of near empty/near full. I really really don't want to pick up a bottle off the ground and re-fill my Fuel Belt bottles, but they probably are safe, right? i see a dude with a almost full bottle stretching on the sidewalk. Dude - can I refill? No problem. I use about half what he has to fill both tanks half full (will carry 6 oz total on race,,,had 12 oz on the way up to start). He makes a good grab as a throw the the bottle back. Thnks, have a great race!

I wonder how sweaty tired I look? I see Theresa. She's about 10 rows behind hubby & I'm inbetween. She asks if I did the warm-up & I feel better calling back "Yep, just got here, made about 8:30 pace for the 10 mile warm up". It's go time. When I click the next split it says that my standing around was only 6:12 - man I barely made it on time.

Here's the splits for 11 thru 20 (the BSR 10 mile race):
1. 7:26
2. 7:17
3. 7:27
4. 7:40
5. 7:37
6. 8:24
7. 7:44
8. 7:56
9. 7:36
10.7:35

They had my chip time as 1:16:16 and I had my total running time as 2:42:50.
This post is long enough without a total report, I'll give you highlites: I wanted to go 8 pace. The first mile I was pulled along faster adn then figured why not hold pace as long as possible. Between mile 3 & 4 must be where the downhill becomes flat because that was the first slowdown.

Mile 6 includes a 45 second pee break becuse I had to go yet again. I must've hydrated exceptionally well this day! My buddy G passed me here - he was with his BOMF participants. Mile 7 & 8 were the slowest again this year. Somehow I always lose focus and feel so tired here. I remember looking up at windows of hotels/ apartments/ houses and each person I saw I would wave to. They all responded but several took a while to see me in the crowd. there wasn't enuf cowbells ringing! There was a guy giving high fives somewhere near mile 7 so I moved over to his side of street. I miscalc'd and slapped his hand really hard! I heard his friend/wife laughing as he was saying "that one hurt." Near the end I was really very tired. I heard my name being called out but I couldn't find the voice in the crowd. At the last second I saw Dr. Dan with a megaphone but I was already gone past and was sooo darn tired I couldn't respond or acknowledge at all.

The last mile: some people began passing me- they had gone out too slow. One was a beautiful redhead wearing red shorts & top. I think maybe the back said Hawks. I tried to stay with her but she was really moving. Several teen/20-something dudes with a lot left in the tank sprinting it in. I felt i could give it something more, and I tried. There was a girl just in front of me wearing green socks, 2-tone green layers top and she had a shamrock tat on shoulder blade. I'd been following her for a few mins. As I surged I paused at her side and said "c'mon Irish, let's kick in in together" but when i looked at her face I knew she was already max'd out. She didn't smile or say anything,,, and I never saw her again. Looking at the split it doesn't show it, but i was working hard that last mile.
Exhausted, soaked. I more or less went straight to my car and drove home. I was so completely exhausted that I almost felt like crying. Very strange. It happened a few times on the drive home. I drank gatorade thinking maybe something was very out of balance. Was I hallucinating? I almost cried but i don't know why. It felt like something about being tired(of course) and being alone in a crowd of 25,000 runners. Hopefully that doesn't happen at end of marathon. weird!?! It was a very lonely feeling...but not sure if it was real or maybe was induced by some type of physical chemical inbalance.

My son had a soccer game at noon which I was challenged to make it there on time. I did. But they lost the match. I know i was a bit grumpy standing in the rain watching us get beat. I tried to make the best of it and then went home for a nap.
My toes took a brutal beating on this 20 miler. But it was a good longRun. Basically 8:30 pace uphill 10 followed by 7:40 downhill again.

5:30a.m. for 10+10 (1st @ 8:45; 2nd @ 8)

2009-05-02T07:56:00.001-07:00

Ever notice how much number's work is involved with running & racing? And we have computers to do most of the math for us. Think about those oldsters ... they must've been using slide rules & such.

Anyway, I'm figuring the timeline for tomorrow... damn it's got to be an early one. Feeling some minor issues, but have to follow thru with this last 20 miler. Trying to find a car pool so that I have someone to bring a few supplies up to the start (via subway) so that I can re-supply at my half way point. The bag check at this race is very well organized - 20,000 runners and I've never had any issues.
Weather is forecast to be 50-55 degrees and off & on rain / mist / high humidity. Should be sloshy wet blistering fun . . .

Broad Street Run - packet pick-up todaY!

2009-05-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

I love that feeling of getting lost in a big crowd. Nothing gets the thirst for race day going like the huge Expo & packet pick-up. I'm excited for Sunday, but the 20 mile training run, not the 10 mile race, is my goal.

I'm hoping to do 8:45 from finish to start. Time things such that I only stand around like 30 mins, and then race back down to the stadiums/ship yard at 8:00 pace. If I can do it, I will consider a BQ attempt at the marathon(need 8:03 pacing); otherwise, I'll settle on the 8:30 or 8:20 pace for the marathon and so be 8 -12 mins. outside the Boston qualifying standard. I really hate to be that close and not make it...but i keep reminding myself that it's just my first marathon attempt.

Last year I finished about 600 out of 19,000 finishers (1:07:30 at 6:45 pace; one of my best all time race performances. 55 women were in front of me...63 men in my own age bracket were in front of me! ouch, tough age group). Not that I'm actually fast, but when they announced that this year will be the first time using start corral system then i went ahead and requested 'up front' so that I wouldn't have to fight thru the crowds so much. Plus being a USATF competitor we are judged (WAVA) based on gun time, not chip.

So they have assigned me bib #1239 - and we'll just have to see if that is somewhere near the front or what. Now as it turns out, I'll just be running really slow compared to last year due to the 20 miles rather than 10. So further proof I don't need early corral position.... oh well.

Also hopeful that I can find a deal on new shoes at the Expo. Really diggin these Brooks Glycerin 7's that I've been wearing. Cushy, comfy, and not too heavy except in the price tag. Hip is still hurting from tennis last weekend, but it's getting better. Interesting to see how it holds up Sunday.

Hip pain cancels workout

2009-04-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

I skipped my run today because I've been bothered for a few days with some pain in my left hip area. Pretty sure this is related to playing tennis with my sons on Sunday evening. We had fun hitting the ball around, but I'm not used to the sprint-pivot-reach type of movements compared to running. The pain is right in the ball 'n socket joint area...probably some inflammation. I've felt this pain (rarely) before but not since a long time.

I'm hopeful that this will be resolved in another day or two so that my scheduled 20 miler (Sunday) will be a go. This is actually the Broad Street Run 10 mile race, but I'm going to park at the finish, run up to the start, and then race back down again. My plan is 8:45 pace first 10, and then 8:00 pace for the second 10. This will be much much slower than last year, but it's all about the longer goal now.

Ten Miles - Hot Trails

2009-04-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

My legs are pretty sore from yesterday's 10 miles on the trails in B.C.S.P. Very hot temps for this time of year. I'm thinking that will help get me ready for any race day weather up in Vermont. I carried some water & CarbBoom, plus stopped back at the car when ran dry. The woods themself were rather uneventful. No wildlife of note. Heard the friendly calls of Blue Jays & Piliated Woodpeckers, but never actually saw any. The Bluebirds weren't in the small meadow - and I was looking for them. The park service needs to add some nesting boxes at this location to attract these colorful little guys. No snakes, turtles, frogs. Plenty of fishermen in the small stream by the road - this was stocked a few weeks back. Wonder if any trout still swim there now? Doubtful. On first sight of the Brandywine I remembered the last visit here (has it been 6 wks?) when the river was frozen almost entirely with just the center channel still moving. Then it was frigid and distant. Now it looks refreshingly cool & inviting. A few men in waders in out in the current...but trout aren't stocked here so the fishing poles per water area ratio is dramatically different than the small stream.

This was the last trail run prior to the marathon. I almost bought the farm on the fast downhill section along Rocky's Run. It's fun counting down the last this, the last that. It's exactly 4 weeks to marathon day! One more 20 miler, a few weeks of taper. One very long day of car drives & seeing old friends. And then BAM - waking up at 5:30 in strange hotel room (it better be nice)...finding the best parking lot (no time to scout around the night before)...picking up my race packet on marathon morning (7 a.m. cut off with race starting at 8:05). I can sense that it's going to be a hectic & stressful 24 hours leading up to the gun. I'll just have to rest as best I can. Hydrate, carbo load, etc.

Yes, I've been totally out of blog postings for about 3 weeks. I'm committed to some catch up and definitely staying current from here on out!

March '09 review

2009-04-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

If you had asked me mid-month how was the marathon training going in March, chances are you'd have gotten a negative response. As late as the 25th I was making plans to abandon the spring marathon, find a fall target instead, and try to do something different with the remainder of the spring season. But it all turned around by the end of the month. Now I have finally found confidence that I can & will finish a marathon this spring season.

March 2009:
I had set the bar pretty damn high for March's goals: 100 miles total, with a long run of 15 and 16. Lose 5 pounds of fat. Make decision to register for VCM or postpone to the fall.

Total miles: 88 (that's 4 & half weeks)Avg. = 19.5 per week. 3rd month of weekly avg. increase and 88 is my highest month in several years.
Races: Haddonfield 5k - reasonably sucessful. Caesar Roday 1/2 marathon - very painful, difficult effort. Discovered that my fitness level isn't where I thought it might be. The time was within my goal range, but I just plain went out too fast and suffered mightily during the last few miles.
Long runs= 1x 15 miles & 1x 24 miles. 24 is my longest run ever by far. Convinced me that i can do a marathon with correct pacing.
Highlites: a couple of trail runs; a couple of USATF races; and that 24 miler will stick in my mind as one of my best runs ever of all time. Injuries are gone although i still feel nagging pains once in a while. Note: I didn't lose any weight, might have gained one pound.

April goals: I need to do 2 more 20 milers to be 100% ready for the marathon. Be smart about recovery, racing, diet. Must lose at least a few pounds. 100 miles total goal.

Junk Miles

2009-04-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

I really don't subscribe to the concept of just running miles for their own sake. I've always favored intensity over total mileage. But today's workout felt like "fluff". Just some miles to write down on the training log to say "I ran something today." Legs still achy from long run. Toes still sore, gonna lose that one toenail for sure.

This is really more of a running journal entry than a blog posting: 5 miles easy on the treadmill at 8:30 pace. Nothing much happening. Buddy Chris at the Y may run the Lewes 1/2 - I want to do that race too, but it really doesn't fit into the marathon game plan.

Must drop about 5 pounds before the race. Got to get serious about diet.

VCM Here I Come!

2009-03-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well I finally paid the entry fee for my marathon. Almost too late, the race is like 89% sold out. I scanned through the registration list, there's not many folks from Del.

The only issue I see on the trip is that packet pick-up ends at 7 p.m. Saturday night, and I'll almost certainly be arriving later than that. The race day pick-up is until 7 a.m., with the start time 8 a.m. The pick-up looks to be about a half mile from the start area... sooooo, that will take some running around to make it work, but it's doable.

There's no way out now, I have a strong track record of running once I've paid the fee. I'm feeling pretty good about that!

2 Miles to shake out the legs

2009-03-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tried to run a few today, but really feeling sluggish. Wrote it down in the training log as 2 on the treadmill, had hoped for 4. Did a good stretch afterwards, stayed away from the weights but had the urge to go over there - which hasn't hit me in a while.

Pigged out on way too much for lunch & dinner. Not good. Tomorrow I start that diet for real. I've got to lose weight before the marathon. 55 days to race day!

Legs = not bad

2009-03-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

I was expecting my legs to be in rough shape today, but they're really not too bad. I was worse off than this 2 weeks ago after the Caesar Rodney half marathon. I'll head into the gym Tuesday for a few easy treadmill miles & stretch.

Here's the run-down on yesterday's effort, overall it's 24 miles @ 8:45 pace:
Ate good carbs Sat. nite, and got a good nite's sleep. Woke up to some caffeine, a dump, a shower, a Gu packet, and drinking half a bottle of water. Decided to def wear the new Brooks Glycerin's - hell it's the first time ever spending over $100 on shoes so I'd better put them to the test. They passed with flying colors! Greased up the toes pretty well, small concern about new shoes, have only run in them once, and wore them around the house a half day once also. I set out a whole smorgasbord on the bench on the front porch. If I hadn't already fallen behind schedule I would've taken a picture to post here. Several waters, Gatorades, Gu's, cereal bars and new pouch of trail mix. I was supposed to meet my neighbor in front of his house at 8... was about 10 mins. after when I got there (about a block & a half).
It was awesome to have somebody to to run with - thanks again to Ray for pacing me to a conversational pace for the first 6 miles. One of my big faults is going out too fast, and this long run seriously emphasized this error. These early miles went down smooth & easy:
1. 9:30
2. 9:07 - 18:37
3. 8:55 - 27:32
4. 8:43 - 36:15
5. 9:43 - 45:58
6. 8:53 - 54:51

That mile #5 included a 45 second walk/break for a Gu packet & water. I left Ray after #6 and tried to pick up the pace right away, although then the next mile has a significant uphill. The rain had started up again (beginning was wet but only foggy, not actually raining in early miles). All these middle miles were enjoyable; my confidence was building as each mile passed:
7. 8:35 - 1:03:26
8. 8:45 - 1:12:11
9. 8:05 - 1:20:16
10. 9:15 - 1:29:31
11. 8:42 - 1:38:13
12. 8:10 - 1:46:23
13. 8:36 - 1:54:59
14. 8:01 - 2:03:00
15. 8:45 - 2:11:45
16. 9:15 - 2:21:00
17. 8:01 - 2:29:01
18. 8:00 - 2:37:01

Miles # 10 & 16 each included about 45 seconds for water & Gu & about 1/3 of of cereal bar. I'm wondering how much credit to give these walk breaks which were timed to each loop around back to pass my house. Of course I've heard of the run/walk philosophy, which I've always thought that it's just not for me, so how might help could those breaks provide? I will have to experiment with this further in the next weeks/months prior to the marathon day. I also popped inside to grab a towel to dry my glasses, which at this point I could barely see thru the rain. The weather varied between mist/ light rain/ fog and the temp was either slowly climbing or my own exertion was beginning to send me thru cycles of too warm (take gloves off) then too cold (retrieve gloves, put back on). I only carried one Gu at a time, since I had the supply on the porch, so I had plenty of pocket room for gloves.

This next section I began to feel fatigue setting in, but was able to mostly hold pace and push thru. Every small uphill felt like it was taking something measurable out of me. My calves felt very heavy & tight on these uphill stretches. But after a few minutes on the flat or downhill I recovered. Also my right plantar/arch area was feeling pain off & on. My index toes on both feet were obviously taking a pounding...and they hadn't fully recovered from the C.R. half yet. Someplace around 17 or 18 I had to stop and loosen the laces on my right shoe because my feet were swelling and the right was becoming uncomfortable. Here's the final splits:
19. 8:31 - 2:45:32
20. 8:21 - 2:53:53
21. 9:25 - 3:03:18
22. 9:02 - 3:12:20
23. 8:25 - 3:20:45
24. 8:24 - 3:29:09

Mile #21 had the walk/Gu/drink break. Actually, this was a funny one. As I come to the porch a squirrel runs away and I didn't think much of it. But I knew there was no more Gu's out, so I was planning on the remainder of cereal bar and a handful of dried fruits from the trail mix (planned to pick out the nuts because i don't think they would sit well). So I reach for the cereal bar, and it's not there! And the trail mix is all torn open and spilled out... Apparently that squirrel had one hell of an awesome Sunday brunch on my front porch! I did see the cereal bar wrapper in the mulch down by the steps. I headed right inside to grab another Gu. So I never did test the dried fruit, will attempt that on a future workout. My kids already know that dad has a running battle with the squirrels, so this only adds fuel to the situation. Lately it's not been so bad, but about 2 years ago we were totally overrun with the critters. We had trapped and released about a dozen - moved over to the state park about a mile away.

Anyway, all during these last miles I was trying to do the mental math to figure 'What's my pace' and 'How far should I try for' and etc. I debated stopping at 21, and then again at 22. I considered going for the full 26 too. But in the end I settled on 24 because I had calculated that the total time would equal the BQ standard for my age= M45 is 3:30:59. So I was 2.2 miles short, and if I subtract out the walk breaks 3 mins + under time of about 1:45... bottom line is that I need to run 30 secs. per mile faster to BQ. That seems like a tall order especially given that the most important lesson learned here is to go out easy for the first miles. Unless some future training sessions indicate I can go faster, I'm giving up the BQ dream for this first marathon and will set the goal at 3:40 - 3:45 range instead.

Damn, that's a long list of mile splits! I've been eating anything & everything since finishing yestserday's long run. We'll see the bottom line about that tomorrow on the scale at the Y.

First Ever 20 Miler...and 21, 22, 23, & 24 !!!

2009-03-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a feeling to have a great day running. I was scheduled to run 16 - 18 for my long run this weekend. This was the absolute last chance to get my marathon schedule back on track. I was sort of dreading the whole thing. The last week or more I've been making plans on pushing the marathon back to the fall and focusing my spring season on a few PR attempts. But then there's days like today!

Big SHOUT OUT to my buddy Ray for pacing me on the first 6 miles. That sensible steady pace was a big part of feeling good for so many miles. As the miles went down I just felt fine and kept going & going. Amazing. I know I'll be paying for the effort over the next few days...thinking that the recovery may take 7-10 days or more. I can work with that. At the moment the worst of it seems to be general swelling/soreness in the R knee and the big toes on both feet took a brutal beating (both were already blackened from the half marathon). I was feeling a lot of tightness/strain the calves & arch/plantar areas, so we'll keep on eye on that.

The total time was 3:29 and change. Just happens to be under the BQ standard for me. Now I just have to figure a way to run an extra 2.2 miles inthe same time and I'll be all set. More details later, right now I've got to take a nap so I can get up in time to see the Tar Heels later this afternoon.

Later today: log into Vermont City Marathon website and register for the racE!

Power Surge

2009-03-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today's schedule called for easy 4 miles, decided to do it on the treadmill so that I'd be sure to get a good stretch afterward. And stop for a big salad on the way back home.

About 10 or 12 minutes into the run I was feeling a ton of energy coming on. Weird - no tiredness left from C.R. now. And the tempo run on Wednesday somehow re-energized me. tried to contain my enthusiasm, but decided I could afford to do one fast one. Mile 3 = 6:30 and I was really wanting to do more but managed to slow it down and then also just do one more (total of 4). Stretch & no wts.

Feeling very good. But the real test is this Sunday. Got to do a 16 miler, better if I go the full 18 (or more?).

Tempo Wednesday

2009-03-25T12:20:00.001-07:00

Mid week works good for me to do my tempo runs. This was my key workout last year when gearing up for PR's.

The last chance for the spring marathon is this weekend's long run. It will have to go really very well for me to sign up for the marathon. VCMarathon is 60 days from today. Not a lot of time. I'm figuring that the dream is to be postponed to the fall season. Therefore I'm thinking about a half marathon PR attempt on April 26th, and a 5k PR attempt in May before the heat & humidity hits.

Thus the weekly tempo run has got to be implemented. Today was total 5 miles, 1 warm-up & 1 cool-down. The 3 in the middle were at 7:00 and felt not so bad. Next week I'll either add a forth, or cut the pace to 6:50 - or both if I'm feeling it. The first 10 mins definitely felt tougher than the last 10, so maybe I should do a longer w-up...may try that next week. I felt light on my feet when I stepped off the wheel - only a bit high, but a notable floating sensation. So I've got that at least, which is nice.

Generally, I'm feeling much better. The beating i took from the half marathon is finally healed... very long recovery this time. Nip is still tender, but much better. Weird how it's just the one side, I wonder if I run leaning to one side?? Diet news: the past 2 days have been good. The first back to back days since last fall. So far today I'm good too, just have to get thru dinner somehow!

Bluebird Run

2009-03-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to run trails today so that I could re-visit the "treasure hunt" location that my son & I found yesterday. More on that in a minute. Great weather, clear blue 'Carolina' sky, 12 noon, 45 degrees. Started from the trail head at Garden of Eden Rd. Took the first left so I could go up & over the mtn bike ramp - i dig cheap thrills!

I hit the correct turn off today for the R down tot he river. I've missed this several times over the winter ending up on the new gravel bike path which I don't like at all; however, the steeper downhill of this trail was interesting with lots of leaves covering it. At river road started towards Adam's dam first, then back upstream to Thompson's bridge. At the open meadow area near Adam's I saw what at first looked like a blue jay. But upon closer look it was a bluebird. Two in fact, flying together zig-zigging across my path in the bright sunshine. Very nice. Beautiful bright feathers, I suppose they're looking for a nesting sight along in there someplace...would be nice if somebody put a few boxes in there - I know they have numerous boxes on the other side of the river in the open fields.

The rest of the run: hawk flying above ridge over pine grove, same place i've seen before. A dead snake with head missing in Rocky Run meadow north. I moved it upside down into middle of trail...maybe a vulture will see it. But then further up the trail a dog off it's leash momentarily slowed me. I felt like spitting on the owner when he said "don't worry, he won't bite." F*ck these selfish bastards that let their dogs crap all over our park and interfere with other people's trail use.

Near the end of the run I detoured to the treasure area. I spent about 10 minutes re-inspecting the box & searching the nearby area for the addt'l boxes. Woods very quite. I hid the box a bit better so that it's still visible but you'll have to look more. I've found out that this is not actually a Geocache but rather it's a Letterbox. Who would know that? Only the folks that play these games. A nice Geocache lady, Michelle, told me to check the other website when there was no record of our box. Another nice lady, Suzanne, confirmed that the box is hers. It's one of four, plus the clues to bonus boxes - you have to get all 4 clues to figure location. Fun stuff, but a little pointless. I may take the boys back this weekend to search for the other boxes. Weekends have gotten soooo busy lately with little league practice, soccer, cub scouts, tennis, and I had races the last 2 weeks. You can read all about our "Into the Woods box #2" here.

Haddon 5k

2009-03-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

No carpool up to this race, got there on time & without stress. Saw a few folks pre-race & did a warm up of about 1 mile. Did a Red Bull & Gu packet about 15 mins prior to start. Got back to start area a bit late, and Norm Green was nice enough to agreed to hold my hat during race...didn't want to just throw it away on the ground. Wore gloves, but temp wasn't feeling too cold by start time.

Started about 10 rows deep, which turned out to be about right. Went out fast, but under control and fell into my pace after initial 2 minute effort. A steady stream of runners passed me until about the 1 mile marker(passed @ 6:43) , from there on the field seemed to hold mostly steady. I eased up further on the uphill at the 1.75 - 2.0 mile marker (passed @ 6:56 / 13:39). A small group moved past me on this climb.

The "s-turn" by the school gave me a bit of renewed energy and I focused on staying with the folks just ahead of me. Back onto the long straight away toward the finish... I was feeling the tiredness set in and couldn't respond when a few more folks passed me. 3rd mile (6:49 / 20:28) just seems to last so long here since you can see for blocks ahead of you. Made a last ditch effort to pass a guy in the final 10 yards - he seemed surprised by the late surge! Haha.

Overall it's just about exactly what I predicted, 6:48 and 21:08 gun time. About 45 seconds slower than last year. 67.1 Wava score. Hung out, stayed late thru awards (club runners did really great). Here's a cut & paste from my club recap:
Our team had good participation at the Haddonfield, NJ Adrenaline 5k yesterday. The weather was perfect for racing - Temp 40 and clear blue sky. We had 11 runners compete in what I consider to be the fastest 5k in the Mid-Atlantic region. The race didn't disapoint - several club members took home age group awards, new PR's and/or cash winnings!

There was a buzz in the crowd that several national & world class athletes were running, including participants from last year's Olympic Marathon Trials and Beijing Olympics. The women's overall winner was Erin Donohue (http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/7/220547.shtml) who is a local athlete who represented the USA at the Beijing Olympics (Race: 1500 m) last year. Her time yesterday - 16:09 - is amazing. Plus no other women were near her so I'd assume she might go faster if she had wanted to.

The men's overall winner was a Thomas Slowsky - somebody must've dared him to run under that name or else it's a classicly ironic runner's name! Time 14:47, and there was a total of 8 runner's under 15 minutes. Yikes, how do they do that?

Still Hurting All Over

2009-03-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Plan for today's workout was 4 or 5 miles with 1 or 2 at 5k race speed. Body issues all over still remaining from last weekend. But clearly feeling better than yesterday, it was good to just get moving yesterday.
Did the minimum run today because feeling pain in right plantar -which hasn't been there since about 6 weeks ago. Not the sharp fasciitis pain back near the heal, but actually in the arch of the foot, the meat of the plantar muscle. Not bad, but more like a small spasm of pain. Enough for me to take it a bit easy today.

I am giving myself an absolute deadline of 10 more days to decide about the marathon. Frankly, I've just about talked myself out of it. Postponement to the fall season is very easily rationalized given my string of minor set backs this winter.

4 miles today. 3 slow and one in the middle at 6:45 pace. Felt tired quickly at that pace. Saturday's 5k will most likely be 7:00 pace or just slightly faster. Maybe a 21:30 which is a minute slower than last year and est. 65% WAVA. Key is to not go out so damn fast. Control, with a little restraint too.

Shortest work-out ever

2009-03-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I'm way behind on postings and have not even explained all the gory details of Sunday's 13.1 race; however, I'm a busy busy beaver over here.

Tried to go for a short easy run today at the Y, but my legs & entire body are sore all over. Worst of the pain is from my right nipple which pretty much got worn down to the nub. All those times I've heard/ read about nipple protection and yet I've never had any issues. I mean this is like my 8th half marathon, yet the first time experiencing this problem.

Wrote today down in the training log as one mile. One really is the loneliest number! Got a good stretch. Had a big salad for lunch. Feeling pretty good about life in general.

Caesar Rodney Mug Shots

2009-03-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a few shots of me on the morning of C.R. 1/2 marathon. Two are during the race, the other is while warming up before (although I'm pretty sure those other 3 runners were finishing the 5k event). The middle shot is at about 6 mile marker - I look focused. The last shot is at about mile 12.5 - you can see I'm looking tired. What you don't see is me contemplating just how in the hell am i going to get up that last big hill without walking? I didn't. Lost about a minute & 25 places on that final hill. UGH.

Caesar Rodney raceReport

2009-03-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

This race is an example of what not to do on race morning. I'm sort-of disappointed with this race, but it's not too bad.

I know I'm smarter than this, but here's the list:
Woke up too early, could've used the rest/sleep.
Ate sugary snacks & caffeine too early, peaked before start, crashed during race. That's not good.
Went out too fast & didn't ease off the pace until too late into the race.

On the positive side, here's a few things that went well:
Finish time was within acceptable range (1:38:52 - I had expected to be in between 1:35 & 1:40; however, I wanted to be at 1:35, not 1:40-ish). This is my slowest ever on this course, and my slowest 1/2 since 1999.
I met a few new runners, and got to hang out & 'party' with a nice group of folks. Some I knew & some not. So that's always nice to be social.
I did 2 extra miles at the end and so completed my scheduled 15 miler as per plan.

I saw lots of people I knew before the race including Cheryl who was limping badly from a sprained ankle. She ran & finished -wow; gutsy! Maggie did the 5k - course has the same big hill at the end. Rudy, DeDave, Bruce, Norm, and the regular crew. I started right next to K.K. and had a chance to talk with her,,, nice to put a smile with the emails! Sara must've passed me in the final mile or two, but I didn't see her (she got a PR).

I did the first mile in 6:45 - way too fast even if it's downhill. I was still next to Kris (finished 1:31 and took herself an a.g. award). From there on it's a long list of the folks that said hello as they passed by me. David J (1:32), Christina Mc (1:33), Theresa (1:34:00 - my time from last year). This is in the order that they passed me on the course . . . DeDave (1:34), CJ Smarty (sub 1:30?) this was at the 3 mile marker. KelDrive @ 4 mm (1:33), Gene D (1:34). Then much later RayChris (1:36) at the 11 mm, then Sara b/w12 & 13 mm's (1:36:30PR).

My legs felt like meat & I was very exhausted the last few miles. I knew Rich & Rebel crew would be out at 12.5 mm - was sort of dreading having them see me this way. They gave me the business with "looking good" and "finish strong" but I'm sure they saw the pain on my face. Mags was at the next intersection and then Tom J at the base of the hill - I could hardly manage a smile for them as I chugged past. I wanted to walk on the flat leading to the final hill, but I kept moving. But then the hill itself had me beat before I got there. Mentally I was just so done. I went around the "S" turn before walking. Walked about 30-60 seconds. Seems like at least 25 (maybe 2x that #) passed me during this time. Reminded me of the first C.R. I did back in 2004. So many people passed me on the final hill that year...even though I was still 'running' albiet at my granny gear pace. I was in bad pain, my legs were rubbery lead boulders & wouldn't respond to any mental commands, but I forced myself to run again and finished totally in agony. Finish line picture shows my tongue hanging out! UGH.

Didn't realize it at the time but both #2 toes took a brutal beating and will probably be black & then fall off in the next month. Also my nips got absolutely raw, especially on the right side. Could be the new singlet (first time wearing). Also the weather is 35-40 degress with fog & lite rain/100% humidity. Recovered for a few mins, then jogged/walked the extra 2 to make it 15. Then over to after party at Jack & Kel's.

Splits:
1. 6:45 - downhill
2. 7:15 - 14:00 small uphill
3. 7:02 - 21:02 small down
4. 7:11 - 28:13
5. 7:18 - 35:31 small uphill
6. 7:13 - 42:44 small down
7. 7:47 - 50:31 uphill
8. 7:59 - 58:30 uphill
9. 7:35 - 1:06:05 up, then flat
10. 7:37 - 1:13:42
11. 7:42 - 1:21:24 downhill
12. 8:04 - 1:29:28 down, then flat
13. 8:32 - 1:37:00 flat, then big final hill, walking
.1 :55 - 1:38:55

Like I said, the final time isn't so bad. But it's more the way I got there. Lots of pain from going out way too fast. Miles 6, 7, & 8 look about right, but all the other miles were too fast until you get to 11. Look at that: downhill & 7:42. That's where I lost it. Ray passed me at the bottom of that downhill, and then went on to finish 2 mins. faster than me. I was crashing & he was finishing strong. Then looking at split for mile 12 - I had popped.

Now I have to focus on marathon goal & recovery from this wipe-out!

Nearly time to shit or get off the pot

2009-03-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Very busy boy here, got to keep this short & quick: Treadmill at Y today, 5 miles total. Tempo run, middle 3 run at 7:02 - 7:09 - 7:15 and then a good stretch but no weights or other exercises afterward. Effort felt easier than a few weeks ago - pretty much the same time.

The half marathon this weekend is quite the talk of the town. Mostly everyone from club is running, and apparently plenty of other folks too. Several guys at the Y were talking about it today. Good luck to all - I know this won't be one of my faster races, but I'm really looking forward to it since my leg is done hurting. may never know what that was all about. Marathon is now 75 days away - nearly time for me to shit or get off the pot.

Pasta party the nite before: http://www.rebelrunners.com/06cr.php

Course elevation: this isn't great/accurate. the finish is actually about 20-25 feet higher than the start. But this gives a sense of the climbing between miles 6.5 thru 8.5 - steady uphill: http://www.races2run.com/CRcourse-elevation/CR2009.htm

There's already over 1,000 runners signed up and the forecaste is good weather (40-45 degrees at start, cloudy w/no rain). I see runners from far away across America coming to Wilmington for this one: https://www.lin-mark.us/page.asp?prmName=viewentrants&prmEventID=89

Seeing Trails

2009-03-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Monday trail run felt like a good choice today, great weather for a run, not too wet, 45 & sunny breezy.

Started at JCC trailhead, decided on the fly to go down the right turn-blue/Friday- trail instead leaving it for uphill ending. That first downhill is steep, creek cross no problem, downhill through meadow = nice. End to end on the flat river section then started back up on the other side of the creek. Stopped & went back to take a side trail I've never been on before, it's a good day for exploring, wind is not a factor in the woods. Nice trail, used by bikes, saw hunting stand, there's a few logs to jump. This must parallel the blue/Friday but it's on the bottom of the ridge and more alongside the creek...sure enough, it bring me to the bottom of the blue/Friday hill so I do get to go up this one today afterall. This hill is a beast.

Made it back out to the car, I'm calling this 6 - intended to run 5 - but it might actually be a bit short. I need that Garmin 305! 55 mins. Went over to the Y for a stretch.

Over Hill, Over Dale

2009-03-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

Ugh, time to put the up's & down's into print:
February 2009:
The goal at the outset of this month was base building increase of mileage with low intensity. Transition to end weight lifting program & begin the dieting. Had hoped for 90 total miles with at least one long run of 13.

Total miles: 68 (less than prior month, but only 28 days)
Avg. = 17 per week.
No races, although I signed up for Ugly Mudder day of race and then couldn't run (injury).
Long runs= 1x 11 miles & 1x 14 miles.

Highlites/Low: Two good long runs, one trails & one roads. PF totally gone now. Added a bit of speed play into the workouts.
weight - gained 2 #; new injury, tendonitis?; generally a very up & down month in weekly mileage, mental state of mind, and physically. Springtime marathon goal is in jeopardy if I encounter any more set backs.

March goals: I have to try for 100 miles - seems like a stretch! Keep intensity low except for half marathon race mid month. Long runs need to hit a 15 & a 16. DIET - need to lose winter fat...goal to drop 5 pounds by the 31st. Need to register for Vermont City, or delay marathon race to the fall season.

Sadly, new 'Reverse' diet going very well

2009-03-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the last 3 weeks I was supposed to lose 3 pounds; instead I gained 3. Obviously I have no advantage from being my own worst enemy.

A friend has pointed out my lack of blog postings, the reasons have been busy schedule & feeling blue because of my crappy running.

First, and worst, I am injured. Sort-of...maybe. About 10 days ago I did a 14 miler (yea!) and felt a new 'minor' pain in my lower left leg. Then the next day I went out to run a few easy miles and the pain was very sharp and I had to cut it short & just walk it in. Second issue: been very busy and something had to give so it was the blog. bummer.

I've had a cold (second one) which is now a sinus infection with the harsh headache. This is the first winter with 2 colds in many years (since kids were toddlers). Both colds came on after long runs in frigid temps... so obviously I need to do a better job bolstering my immunity & I think lack of sleep (stress) and nutrition (poor) have played a role too.

Today has been my first really good running day in a while.
1. ran 4 miles - pain free for the first time in a week & a half.
2. catching up on all sorts of stuff...blog reading & writing coming soon. We had kids home 2 days from school due to snow, about 6 inches but the roads were still very icy the second morning. Fun sledding, etc. but absolutely killing my 'easy' week where I'm supoosed to get stuff done.

How have you been? Running, work, life? I read your post on M&M's recently. Believe me, your eating habits are fine compared to my total pig out the last few weeks. I've been kind of stressed, and on top then add depressed about marathon goal slipping away because of new injury. I tend to consume mass quantities when under pressure and/or feeling sorry for myself, so therefore i've been totally gluttonous recently!

Maybe I can get back onto the training plan, it's not too late yet, but time is slipping away. It's a week & a half to my half marathon race. I already paid that entry fee. I have not registered for the VCmarathon yet, they are approximately 60% sold out. I have no idea where my fitness level is right now. I want to race the half, but it's a dicey proposition with the new leg pain. I'm feeling like I should coast into this first race of the season, then if I come out of it healthy I will ramp up the training again. If I encounter any more obstacles then the May marathon just isn't going to happen (and I'll look to the fall season instead).

Long Run ---> 14 miles

2009-02-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today was a biggie for the training plan: first 13 miler scheduled. By the end of the run I felt so good that I tacked on 1 extra. Taa-daa: it's my longest run in years, 14 miles.

Summary of workout: Planned to due 13 miles of loops around neighborhood. First mile 8:10 then forced myself to slow down. In hindsight I'm thinking the slower pace is unnaturally changing my gait and leading to the new pain. Pain set in around mile 5 as I settled into a 8:45 pace. By mile 7 the pain was really bothering me and I decided to cut the workout short, down to 10 miles. Decided to speed up to get it over with sooner...also had a busy day ahead so less time running would be more time with family. Mile 8=8:16 and then mile 9=8:02 and by that time the pain had subsided almost completely. Changed plan back to 13 provided the pain doesn't return. Mile 10=8:22, mile 11=8:16 and feeling fine. Had gatorade & Gu on front porch, could only pick those up at mile 6, 7, 12. Felt good, had fully hydrated before, and took a Gu before too. Mile 12=8:38 which included at least 30 seconds of walking on driveway to down a final Gu. Felt so good - and pain totally gone in an endorphin bath of huge proportions - so that I decided to blast the final mile. Mile 13=7:30. On cloud nine, trying not to sprint but feeling an enormous surge of energy... decided to tack on just one more. Mile 14=7:32 and I could've done much faster than that. Or, certain that I could've done 5 miles if I hadn't blasted the final 2 miles.

Total: 14 miles in 1:56.
All did not go smoothly. I planned to run slow, as everything I read says do the LSD runs one minute slower than your goal marathon race pace. Goal is 3:30 @ 8 min. pace, so long efforts should be 9 min.pace. I did the first 5 at easy pace and I just couldn't go any slower, not nearly 9 min.pace. As i've said before, I find it difficult and ackward to run slower. It just doesn't feel natural. So at around 5 mile mark I began to get a pain in my lower left leg. I've had most of the common runner's aches & pains before, but nothing like this.

Description: on the outside (lateral) left leg, about an inch & a half below the knee is a bump, which after looking up in my anatomy book I know it's the lateral tuberosity of the fibula (or superior terminal?). Anyway, the pain originates there, and shoots downward several inches. Pain fires on each foot strike, and is somewhat sharp. Pain gone when walking, standing, resting. Again, from my anatomy book: there are two tendons which anchor onto this spot of the fibula. Above is the biceps of hamstring. Below is the perioneal, which is a small muscle on the front/lateral lower leg... looks like it works in dorsaflexion of the foot. I'm assuming the lower muscule is the problem with the pain radiating downward. Could it be tendonitis? Or a fasciitis of the covering sheath?

Today was also the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, which meant that i was on my feet helping to work the track & event for like 4 hours immediately after the run. I should've been home with ice & elevated rest, etc. What's that RICE stand for again? LOL. More on new pain/injury as things progress.

Muzak while running

2009-02-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

I saw another running blogger iwth a post about song choices during runs. I have a unique approach to this and thought I'd re-post my comment from her blog here for my reader(s).??

""... I stick to the classics, I just hum them in my head because I'm tech challenged and my Sony Walkman 8 trac player broke years ago. For LSD I listen to any Sly & Robbie trax before heading out - that base line will stick with you for at least an hour! Try the apt titled Endurance, it's simple yet addictive. My all time fav for running faster pace is Love Stinks. Just hum it over & over on a loop in yer mind while you tap out that steady pace.""

Basically, I'm the only runner i know of that has a fixed set of songs in my mind that I just always replay the same tunes for every run. I know that sounds terribly boring, but these songs work for my pacing and they are very comfy, familiar, and feel good while running. They end up being like background muzak that i can notice when I want and then pay attention to anything else for a minute or two, and then pick up the song again without any break. (and no need to pause, replay, rewind,e tc). I have changed the list very little over the ten years that I've been running. Recently I've added some reggae, and dropped out a few classic rock standards...but overall I've been humming along to the same songs for 10 years and it's what works for me.

Sick, Sicko, Sickest

2009-02-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sick. Have been for a few days. The wife had it last week, got into strep and she had to get a Rx from the Dr. They my son caught it, but not quite as bad, although he missed a few days from school and he had a long streak of perfect attendance going too. About 4 1/2 years without missing a single day. Now's he reset to one day. Nothing lasts forever...

Now I've got it. Started Wednesday. I've skipped 2 workouts already, but I'm feeling better today so maybe I'll try to do a modest cross training effort at the Y this afternoon. I'm def gonna miss my long run this weekend. Will have to try to do it mid week or push out until next weekend. bummer.

Decided on the Sheraton for the race hotel. It requires a shuttle ride instead of just a 2 block walk, but the VCM website looks very organized about the shuttle schedule and the price is better, plus the Sheraton is the official host hotel so they should be all 'in-tune' with us runners (one would hope).