Sunday, September 30, 2007

Training 9/24 - 9/30

Mon- Rest

Tues- Hugh's Hulen Hills - B, 6.3 mi, 53:12, 8:27/mi
Felt good to run except the downhills.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT & Wobble, 52 min

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Don's Diner Run, 7.9 mi, 1:04:57, 8:13/mi
Forgot to wear GPS receiver. Ran first 3 slower and picked up the pace. Legs felt almost recovered from Hocking Hills.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 45 min

Fri- Rest

Sat- Rock Bridge State Park, 7 mi, 1:08:50, 9:50/mi
Ran with Hugh, Lisa, and James. Felt good to run on trail.

Sun- Columbia Half Course – modified, 11.5 mi, 1:40:38, 8:45/mi
Ran with Ken and Sarah. We ran first 10 faster, but slowed down at the end since Sarah was having some abdominal muscle issues.

This week was a recovery week from Hocking Hills and I felt better than I expected to feel. I ended up running a few more miles than planned. I will run about the same mileage next week and pick up the pace to sharpen my pace for Baltimore. I have 7 more runs until Baltimore and I’m looking forward to it which is a good sign. I was afraid I might suffer marathon burnout at this point.

Running: 32.7 mi

Weights: 97 min

YTD Running: 2015.9 mi

October 13th-Baltimore Marathon
October 21-Rock Bridge Revenge
October 27-The Amazing 5K Race 22nd Annual Bulldog 5K Run (Kirksville)

Monday, September 24, 2007

Hocking Hills Indian Run 60K (37.28 miles)

About a week before running the Berryman Trail marathon in May, in the pre-race week excitement, I signed up for my first ultra trail distance. My ankle problems were over from previous years and training was going well for the Berryman so I thought I could be ready for an ultra by September. There are a lot of 50Ks, but I wanted to start with something a little longer and the 60K distance was perfect so it seemed like I was destined to run the Hocking Hills Indian Run as my first ultra.

I left at 6 am Friday morning to head to our cabin where I would meet my fellow cabin mates, Kelley, Letty, Sid, and Adam. This would turn out to really be a good chance to get to know Kelley, Letty, and Sid better. I hadn’t met Adam before, but he seemed to fit in fine with the group. After a very long 9.5 hour drive, I arrive at the cabin, not sure if I am in the right place and then Letty, Nick, and Nicholas arrive. A short while later, Kelley, Adam, and Sid arrived.

We walked into the cabin and it felt like home, much better than any hotel, and lots of nice amenities. We prepared (mostly Sid and Kelley) a yummy spaghetti and salad dinner. After dinner, we got our stuff together for the race, and were off to bed by 10 pm. I set my watch alarm for 5 am since we needed to be at the race headquarters at 6:30. The bed was really comfortable, but too much adrenaline kept me from falling asleep quickly. Finally, I fell asleep but awakened about every hour until I decided to get up at 4:15 am. Considering it was 3:15 am Missouri time, I actually felt rested with little sleep.

I had my pre-race shake, banana, yogurt and water. I was still hungry so had another banana. Tried to go to the bathroom about 3 times but it wasn’t happening for me, but the 4th time worked, and then ended up going 2 more times before we left. I decided to drive my own car just in case I wanted to come back after I finished.

We arrived at race headquarters, picked up our chips and race shirts. At this point it was about 20 minutes to the start with a temp in the low 60s. I strapped on my fuel belt with 4 bottles of water since the water stations wouldn’t be ready until the second loop. I had 6 E-gels with me and planned to pick up more on the final loop. I also had some bananas and Fig Newtons in the car just in case. I wasn’t sure what I might feel like eating between loops. I went in to go to the bathroom one last time. After a briefing on the course, we started about 7:10 am and it was plenty light enough to see the course at this point.

I started off a little conservatively and worked my way up to about 5th place position. The front 2 runners pulled ahead of everyone quickly and were out of site. The start was rolling and my first mile split was a reasonable 8:21. 2nd mile was rolling and down and then started to go downhill a lot. 2nd mile split was 7:01. Then we kept going down a LONG downhill.

The 3rd mile was really difficult for me to not pound my feet down this hill. At one point, I looked at my GPS and it said 5:10 pace! I’ve never run down a hill so long and steep in my life. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it. I probably shouldn’t have fought it so much, but it was kind of scary running that fast down a hill on pavement. I tended to lean back and should have leaned forward more and just let myself go even faster. My split on the 3rd mile was 6:25. My quads and feet really took a serious beating on this downhill.

I get to the bottom and make a turn to a trail and there is Steel Hill, the one I’ve wondered about since I signed up for this race. It seems like this hill is about a mile long, but it is actually only about a half mile. I decide to keep “running” up this hill and my legs really having to work to run. Pace on my GPS is 13-something. It feels like my calves and quads are working hard and starting to burn. I pass the runner ahead of me who is walking up the hill. 4th mile split which included the uphill was 9:13.

Shortly after reaching the top and turning onto some pavement, the guy I passed going up the hill, passes me. We are on the pavement for a short while before turning back onto a trail. We talk a bit and he tells me he has run the course before. I told him walking up the hill was probably smarter since he caught me. He says his goal is low 5 hours and I tell him mine is under 5:30. I stay with him for a couple miles and then let him go since it felt like I was running a little too fast, but there was still some down hills and felt okay to run faster pace than the plan at this point. My splits for miles 5- 7 were 7:05, 7:30, and 7:33.

Mile 8 split was 7:33 and then I get to the Rose Lake where they warned us at the start not to make a wrong turn. The entire course was very well marked with orange paint and huge arrows on the ground and some orange signs as well. This part of the course gets a little more technical with a narrower trail in parts and trees brushing, lots of turning and maneuvering around things. It is rolling and at one point it goes down and makes a sharp turn beside the lake. Too much momentum and one could end up in the lake. Mile 9 split was 10:03.

Mile 10 was more up hill with a water stop near the top and this one was ready to go so I took water. I had been drinking from my bottles every 2 – 3 miles and an E-gel every 4 miles up to this point. There’s a campground with pavement to run through. There are people supporting the runners through the camp ground, but some seem to be oblivious that there is a run going on. After the campground we go back into the woods onto a trail down hill, and eventually over a springy wooden bridge. Mile 10 and 11 splits were 8:34 and 9:13.

About half mile further we wind around some sort of building and then have to climb about 30 stairs. At the top, we turn onto the pavement with a nice up hill back to the parking lot where we started. Mile 12 split was 7:55. Total time for first 12.43 mi loop is 1:39:55, 8:02 per mile pace. I stop at the car, remove the fuel belt, drink some water and then start my second loop. I think a 60K guy might have passed me at this point.

I begin the second loop. At this point, I’m really starting to feel great. I do manage to keep the down hills at the beginning slower this time running miles 13, 14, 15 in 8:16, 7:37, and 7:19. There were no mile markers on the course. The course was 12.43 miles so it would have been difficult to mark each mile so I was counting on my GPS to let me know my progress.

Mile 16 included Steel Hill and again I pass the same guy as on the first loop. He walks and I run up the hill. Again, he catches me at the top, but this time I had stopped for water. My split for mile 16 was 10:07. We run together and he asks if we are about on pace for 5 hrs. I tell him we are close. We get back out to the pavement and I stay with him, but this time it seems like he is slowing. I’m feeling really good so once we get back on the trail I just go with whatever pace feels good and pull further ahead of him.

Splits for Miles 17 – 19 were 8:52, 7:40, and 7:33. I decided after the first loop there was no way to run consistent miles on this course so wasn’t too concerned about the really fast miles. Split for Mile 20 is 8:55 and then I think I see Kelley and Sid completing their first loop of the 40K which started an hour after the 60K. I yell to Kelley before I get there and they give encouragement and then I move on. There are 5 and 10K runners out on the course too. Some passing me and I’m passing some of them as well as 40K runners.

I notice that my GPS has stopped accumulating miles and I have no signal. I wore my heart rate monitor as well and it is still working fine so I have an idea of my effort. Heart rate had been in the low 150s on the up hills and would drop to the 130s on the down hills. GPS didn’t get a signal so now I was going by watch time to decide when to take my E-gels. I stopped at all of the water stops on the second loop and would usually drink 3 cups. There were 4 water stops with the starting area.

Back to the car after the second loop and I eat a banana even though I didn’t feel like it. I drink some water, grabbed the other 2 E-gels since I only had one left on me. 2nd loop split was 1:41:28, average 8:10/mi. Overall time is 3:21:23 at 24.86 miles and average overall pace is 8:06/mi.

I start the 3rd loop feeling pretty good and knowing that I’ve almost completed a marathon distance. Soon I would be surpassing that point. This time the downhill on the pavement felt brutal with legs and feet taking their 3rd beating. I even noticed my knees were slightly hurting and my knees never hurt. I attempt to run on the tiny bit of gravel on the shoulder whenever there is room to lessen the impact. It’s probably good my GPS quit at this point since I know my pace had slowed. I still figure even if I can do this loop in 10 min miles, I still should be able to meet my overall goal since I’m so far ahead of schedule.

I start running up Steel Hill again. All of my muscles in my legs are burning so bad I decide it would be good to start walking. I end up alternating back and forth between running and walking until I make it to the top. I stop for water. Normally, I don’t like to stop at water stops, but these few second breaks where I drank 3 cups of water actually gave my legs enough time to recover a little and get going again. My leg muscles are feeling really sore, but not dead. All of the muscles hurt, my knees hurt a little, and I wonder if I’m going to feel like this the rest of the way.

At about 3:50 I take an E-gel and 10 minutes later, my pace picks up and my legs start to feel good again with less pain. This was totally unexpected and I just went with it. At 4:20, I’m cruising along in the zone, pass a guy and woman, and Letty yells at me. I had passed her and not even realized it was her. She tells me she decided to run 40K instead of 60. It had really heated up in my last loop with the sun coming out so I’m thinking that is a good idea if she had any doubts about a 3rd loop.

I noticed the bottoms of my big toes burning and wondered if I had blisters. I felt one pop at one point and actually felt better. I was probably about 6 miles from the finish. Right before the lake with about 4.5 miles to go, I trip over a branch, and yell since my right calf is cramping. I grab it in time to stop it and continue on and then my right hamstring starts to cramp. I would have expected it to be my quads, but they are fine. I run while trying to massage the right hamstring. I have to walk down any steep areas or I’m afraid something is going to cramp.

I’m able to continue running and just willing these areas not to cramp, carefully running at a pace that they will cooperate, and walking up hills when needed, and walking down, to keep from cramping. Finally, they seem to settle down. I make it to the water stop, take a short break and continue on with about 2 miles to go. Back up the stairs and onto the pavement again.

I’m feeling fairly strong so decide to push it just a little since I think I’m going to be close to 5:20, my original goal. I’m going along up the hill near the end and again the hamstring and calf feels like they are on the verge of cramping so I slow down just a little. I pass a guy that has a 60K marking near the end but not sure what loop he is on.

I come into the finish and it was sort of strange since the workers had their backs turned away. I cross the chip line and they give me my medal, a ceramic arrow head made by the Logan High School craft classes. As I’m walking out of the finish I see Adam who has already finished his 40K about 10 minutes earlier. I go to my car and drink a large powerade, protein drink, and eat a banana. Attempt to call Hugh but no cell phone signal.

My 3rd loop time was 1:59:28, 9:37/mi. Overall time was 5:21:02, 8:37/mi pace. I placed 3rd overall out of 35 finishers. I think we started with 40-something and several dropped back to the 40K. Since the top 3 were all 35 – 39, the results say I am second in my age group. Overall HR was lower than usual for a marathon at 147, but really noticed it slowed in the final loop since I had to walk some.

For all of the various distances there were over 500 people which the organizers said was a record. The winner of the 60K, marathon junkie, Chuck Engle, is the same guy that won the Heart of America Marathon, won in 4:38:51. He had run another marathon the day before HOA and won it as well. I definitely didn’t expect that he would run the Hocking Hills 60K.

I had a post race massage on my legs which lasted about 20 minutes. Legs felt pretty good at this point and no post race cramping. About an hour after I finished, Letty came across the finish line looking in pretty good shape. I decided to take a shower in the lodge locker room and there was no hot water, but felt good anyway since I was covered in salt crystals.

We all waited for Sid and Kelley and kept getting reports of how many runners were out on the course and where they were located. We see Kelley coming around the corner and Sid not far behind. We got to cheer for them as they finished. Sid didn’t look well, but bounced back quickly once we got back to the cabin.

Some of us sat in the hot tub. Hugh called and we attempted to have a conversation with the really bad signal. I snacked on a lot of food. I thought I was full and then later we enjoyed our dinner of steaks (Sid wonderfully prepared), baked potatoes, and green beans. While Sid, Adam, and Kelley were getting their massages, Nick built a fire outside while Letty, Nicholas, and Nick talked until the rest could join us. Then I was off too bed and slept really well. I woke up at 3 am wide awake so got up to see off Nick, Letty, and Nicholas, and back to bed for a few more hours.

Then we all were up, sat around drinking coffee, talking and then got our stuff together. We went back to the lodge for breakfast before heading home. It was a really pleasant weekend other than the long drive back to Columbia. I arrived home about 7:30 pm.

Today, legs are feeling pretty good other than right calf is a little tight, both calves are a little sore, quads really sore, and hamstrings and knees feel good.

Race Results here



Training 9/17 - 9/23

Mon- Boatman/Oakland, dogs, 4 mi, 40:54, 10:13/mi

Tues- Diva Run – B, 6 mi, 48:30, 8:05/mi

Evening: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 36 min

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Rock Quarry Mulch Pile, 7.8 mi, 1:05:29, 8:24/mi
Skipped the intervals and just ran a steady pace pushing a little more in the second half.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 20 min

Fri- Rest

Sat - Hocking Hills Indian Run 37.28 mi

Sun- Rest

Running: 55 mi

Weights: 56 min

YTD Running: 1983.2 mi

October 13th-Baltimore Marathon
October 21-Rock Bridge Revenge
October 27-The Amazing 5K Race 22nd Annual Bulldog 5K Run (Kirksville)

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Training 9/10 -9/16 and Heart for Africa 5K

Mon- Boatman/Oakland, dogs, 4 mi, 38:23, 9:36/mi

Tues- Jaira's Jaunt, 7.1 mi, 52:02, 7:20/mi
Felt strong up the hills.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT, & Wobble, 50 min

Wed- Track workout, 3.75 mi, 24:20, 6:29/mi overall; 1 mi warmup, 7:40, 4-100s, 23, 30, 28, 25; 1-800 - 2:52; 3-400s, 1:18, 1:21, 1:21; 2-300s, 57, 1:00, 2-200s, 38, 42, 1-100, 20; 800 m cool down, 4:23
Felt good and push a little harder on the 200s.

Thurs- MKT to Bridge, 7.8 mi, 1:02:25, 8:00/mi
Skipped the intervals and just ran a steady pace pushing a little more in the second half.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 42 min

Fri- Rest

Sat- Heart for Africa 5K
We arrived about 15 min before the race so had a chance to just run a short warm up. Temperature was 44F (felt great) so wore a long sleeve shirt and gloves. We started near Flat Branch Park. I wasn’t sure how much I felt like pushing on this race, but started off pretty fast in 4th place well behind the first 3 runners. The first part of the course goes through a series of tunnels that are clearance of 6’7” so we were warned to be careful if we bounced too much when we run.

Once through the tunnels we ran for awhile on the Flat Branch Trail. Passed a guy as soon as I started on the trail that was slowing down. The first mile marker was on the trail and split was 6:02. Shortly after this we turned and road went up a longish incline and then a pretty steep hill which really slowed me down. A different guy than I passed earlier passed me near the top of the hill. The final mile is mostly downhill and I kept him in sight but didn’t push too hard to stay with him. Third split was 6:25 and final .1 was 35 seconds with total time of 19:30. Placed 4th of 70 runners and 2nd in age group. Hugh placed 10th of 70 and 1st in age group.

Column’s Run, 10 mi, 1:39:12, 9:55/mi
After the awards we decided to run a 10 mile course together.

Sun- Rest – Volunteering at the USAT Triathlon National Championship

Running: 35.8 mi

Weights: 92 min

YTD Running: 1915.9 mi

September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K
October 13th-Baltimore Marathon
October 21-Rock Bridge Revenge
October 27-The Amazing 5K Race 22nd Annual Bulldog 5K Run (Kirksville)

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Training 9/3 - 9/9

Mon- Heart of America Marathon, 3:04:08, 7:02/mi

Tues- MKT with dogs, 2.5 mi, 55:00, 22:00/mi
Walked and resisted the urge to run.

Afternoon: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT & Wobble, 41 min
I’ve never done a weight workout the day after a marathon, but it felt good and stretched out muscles.

Evening: Bike – Brown Station Rd, 15 mi, 1:09:28

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Tripp 10K, 6.1 mi, 47:21, 7:46/mi
Quads felt a little sore and legs a little dead especially up hills. On the flat and down hill felt great and was able to run a fast pace. Overall, felt like a sensible recovery run.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 44 min

Fri- Rest

Sat- Long Run Lunatics – Country Dozen, 12 mi, 1:39:05, 8:15/mi
Felt good and was tempted to run faster, but didn’t.

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 14 mi, 2:07:09, 9:05/mi
I slept too late to run in the morning so ran at 2:15 pm in the afternoon. Temps heated up to about 90 F, but didn’t feel too bad. Legs felt strong on the hills.

Running: 60.8 mi

Weights: 85 min

YTD Running: 1892.4 mi

September 15 – Heart for Africa 5K
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K
October 13th-Baltimore Marathon
October 21-Rock Bridge Revenge
October 27-The Amazing 5K Race 22nd Annual Bulldog 5K Run (Kirksville)

Monday, September 03, 2007

2007 Heart of America Marathon

Today was the 48th annual Heart of America Marathon in Columbia, MO which I ran for the 4th year in a row and my 10th marathon since 2004. This is one of the oldest and most difficult marathons in the country and attracts around 100+ people each year. I set the alarm for 4:15 (woke up at 4:10) and slept pretty well waking up only a few times. We had a pre-race meal (protein shake with banana and yogurt, and peanut butter), hydrated myself until about 4:45 am. At 5:00, we left home to head to the race which starts at 6 am.

The start is near the Hearnes building, an old basketball arena near MU. This year since Hugh was also running the race, we parked downtown at the finish and were going to take the shuttle bus to the start. As we were getting out of our car, Kurt, a running friend, offered us a ride to the start plus we stopped at his workplace to use the bathroom. We found out at the start that the shuttle bus driver didn’t show up so it was a good thing Kurt picked us up.

Temperature at the start was about 61 F, and it actually felt a little chilly to me. My goal was to try to run 3:05 to beat my PR last year on this course of 3:07:42. Hugh wanted to run sub-4 hours which would beat his Chicago PR of 4:03:41.

We used the bushes outside the Hearnes to relieve ourselves one final time. Hugh had his picture taken for the newsletter wearing his #50 for his 50th birthday. This month he will be the featured runner in the CTC newsletter. We were photographed by a reporter that was taking a lot of pictures before and during the race so maybe we'll be in the paper tomorrow.

We headed to the start line. There were at least 150+ runners that signed up but not sure how many actually started. Several runners had plans to only run X miles as a training run. At two minutes to the start, the race director announced it was time to sing “Happy Birthday” to Hugh. Hugh directed the singing with the President of the Columbia Track Club playing the accordion as accompaniment. I was able to line up in the front with plenty of room since very few seemed to want to be in the front. At 6:00 am, Ready, Set, and then silence and then we took off with the gun going off a few seconds late. Next thing I know I'm off running a marathon and seemed a little surreal for some reason this time.

I remember last year being difficult to see my watch but this year no fog and seemed lighter outside, but I checked it under the street lights for the first few miles. At the very beginning I secured a 6th place position with 5 other runners far enough ahead of me that they disappeared out of sight. I probably started out a little fast, but just went with what felt good and at the same time trying to reign in the pace just a little.

First mile was 7:02 and second was 7:13, but I’m still getting warmed up so not sure what to expect. There were a few spectators throughout the course and it was nice to see some signs of life in the dark along the course. Miles were going by sub-7 so I’m thinking keeping a 7:00 average feels reasonable. Not a lot to report about other runners since I was running alone. I took my first E-gel at mile 5 and water was available about every 2 miles. I drank a little every time but was finding it difficult. I ended up dumping more on me than I drank most of the time. I was told at about mile 8 that I was in 6th place and I noticed the sun coming up about mile 9. Mile 8 – 9 was the first hill which wasn’t that steep but seemed to go up forever. My pace dropped to 7:20 for that mile.

At about mile 11.5, Hugh’s parents were waiting at the river in Cooper’s Landing to cheer me on. A little after mile 12 I get a water stop before going up the big bad Easley Hill which climbs from about 600 – 800 feet over about 0.7 miles. A lot of people will walk up this hill, but I kept running although a slower pace. At the top of the hill another water station and at 13.1 someone gave me the half time which was 1:31:33, 6:59/mi overall pace. I’m thinking this is pretty good since my mile up the hill was 7:55 which was just a little slower than last year, but my half time is 2:07 faster than last year. At this rate, I think maybe a 3:03 if I don’t slow down. Of course, I figured I would slow down a little since the second half is worse and I’ve never run negative split on this course.

As usual for me, the mile after Easley hill was really fast at 6:50. I’m still feeling pretty good but the pace is feeling just a little more difficult. Every so often I though I could hear someone behind me talking so expected to be passed at some point. I keep running the sub-7s. I even ran a sub-7 on the hill from mile 17- 18 which normally slows me down a little. I tried to concentrate on form today running upright and looking ahead. I think this helped my upper body stay more relaxed and I was really able to push up the hills pumping my arms to help maintain the pace.

At mile 18 in Pierpont, Hugh’s parents were stationed again with a “Go Andy” sign. Also, right before Pierpont, I hear footsteps behind me and expecting it to be Tom M., but it is Stephen T. I didn’t know he was running, but he is always faster than me so I let him go ahead, but wasn’t too far behind for awhile. It was nice to have someone to pace for awhile.

I felt pretty strong on the mile 20 hill which always seems to come at the worst point and slow me down, but ran up it in 7:17 and actually gaining a little ground between me and Steve. At the top of the hill though he seems to pick up the pace and I just try to maintain about 7 minute miles. At mile 22, Tom M. passes me which I expected since he is faster than me. He was having a really good second half and would easily run negative splits. He pushed ahead and I continued to maintain the pace. Mile 22 was my last sub-7 at 6:59. Up to this point, I had run 9 sub-7 miles in the first half. (ran 5 last year) and 7 sub-7 miles in the second half (ran 2 last year).

The final hill comes at mile 23 but felt strong running it in 7:01. Mile 24 slowed down just a little and mile 25, I was ready for it to be over running my slowest mile in 7:26, but still faster at this mile than previous years. Somewhere in mile 26 I felt really strong again and that quickly faded and I felt like I needed to push to keep pace. I ran mile 26 in 7:08. Approximately the final half mile goes slightly downhill.

This year I finished in 3:04:08, 3 min 34 sec faster than last year. The clock was right on exactly with my watch. I placed 8th overall of 137 finishers and 2nd place award in the 35-39 age group (first guy in my age group was overall winner so I was actually 3rd), and a course PR. There were about 4 runners that were sub 3 hours. The winner was Chuck Engle, a marathon junkie from Utah. I was less than 37 seconds behind the 2 guys in front of me. We had a good turnout this year with 24 extra finishers over last year.

No issues at all during this race with pain or cramping. As I was walking to my car, I felt just a little short of breath, but that passed quickly. I came prepared for post race recovery drinks and drank a quart of Gatorade and had a protein powder drink. Then had a packet of dark chocolate peanut M&Ms, but they were really hard to eat since I was feeling nauseous.

Hugh’s parents were at the finish so we are waiting for him. At 3:59 we see him and he is near the finish. He pushed to the end and finished in 3:59:28 which is a marathon PR for him and he met his sub-4 goal. He said he ran the first half pretty fast and I’m guessing maybe 1:42 from what he remembered. The second half he ran in 2:17 and if you ask him about it, he will just say that this is the way he runs marathons : )

We stayed awhile and soaked in the ice pool one time. I couldn’t stay in more than a half minute since it was painfully cold. I ate some more fruit, drank some more water and then we went to Sonic. Hugh had a shake, and I had a chicken wrap and shake.

There was at least one newspaper and TV station at the beginning of the race and I noticed a different TV station at the end. The reporter that took my picture at the beginning asked my name so will have to see I get my picture printed. There were several people we know taking pictures so should have some pictures later. I posted a couple pictures below of Hugh that we were already sent.

I have 2 more days of vacation, but am planning to join my running group tomorrow and will most likely be walking. I will probably also get on the bike to help with muscle recovery. The plan is to run easy on Thursday. I’m sure I’m going to have some muscle soreness for a few days.

Here are my splits below. I have improved every year that I have run this marathon but really wonder how much more is possible. Last year I improved 2:30 and this year 3:34 so I think a sub-3 on this course might be possible. It’s hard to say though. If I can keep running more sub-7s, it might happen. 2005 I had 2 sub-7s, 2006 – 7, and this year I had 16 so it might be worth trying again next year.

1-7:02
2-7:13
3-6:52
4-6:52
5-6:59
6-6:48
7-6:55
8-7:20
9-6:42
10-6:55
11-6:48
12-6:51
13-7:55 (Hill)

13.1-1:31:33, 6:59/mi

14-6:50
15-6:52
16-6:58
17-6:58
18-6:55 (Hill)
19-6:46
20-7:17 (Hill)
21-7:06
22-6:59
23-7:01
24-7:12 (Hill)
25-7:26
26-7:08
26.2-1:25

Second 13.1-1:32:35, 7:04/mi

Overall, 3:04:08, 7:02/mi

Avg Heart Rate - 152

Link to last 3 year’s splits Split Spreadsheet

News Coverage so far:

Heart of America Marathoners all set for today’s race

Heart of America Marathoner draws small but dedicated crowd

Heart of America Marathoner part of marathon double

Rick Roebel runs another barefoot marathon

Another day, another marathon. My picture appears in this article.

KMIZ Interview with Barefoot Rick Roebel


Other 2007 HOA Blog reports:

Barefoot Rick's Heart of America Marathon Report

Giving Back

William Kone

Adam Monaghan

Hugh

Hugh finishing

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Training 8/27 - 9/2

Mon- Rest

Tues- Dreier Dirty Dozen (B), 6.3 mi, 49:15, 7:49/mi

Evening: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 30 min

Wed- 4, 33:33, 8:23/mi

Thurs- Rain Run/Trail Back, 7.1 mi, 54:14, 7:38/mi

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 30 min

Fri- Rest

Sat-Boatman/Oakland, first 2 mi w/dogs, 6 mi, 53:18, 8:53/mi

Sun- Rest

Running: 23.4

Weights: 60 min

YTD Running: 1831.6

September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K
October 13th-Baltimore Marathon