Sunday, October 28, 2007

10/22 - 10/28 and the Amazing 5K Run

Mon- Rest

Tues- Dave’s Devil Run, 6.6 mi, 47:48, 7:15/mi
This run felt great after last week’s rest.

Afternoon: Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs, 8 mi, 1:08:44, 8:35/mi
Ran first 4 mi with dogs.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT, & Wobble, 57 min

Wed- Rest

Thurs- MKT – Bridge, 7.8 mi, 1:01:11, 7:51/mi

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 43 min

Fri- Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs, 4 mi, 35:23, 8:51/mi

Sat- The Amazing 5K Run, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
This one turned out to be not too amazing for me, but very amazing for Hugh. Actually, there were some amazing outcomes for both of us in this race that I will mention later.

We arrived about 7:30 to pick up our packets. They had us both registered as Hugh in our different age groups. The temperature was 43 F, but no wind so felt pretty nice. I opted to just wear a long sleeve wicking shirt. Race started sharply at 8 am and director mentioned we had a record turnout. Everyone looked really young.

I lined up right behind the guys in the front row. No one showed up to shoot the cannon this year so it was ready, set, and go. It seemed like several runners took off way too fast so I settled into my own pace trying to keep it at about 6 min. I did pass a few guys that took off too fast. I had the impression that some of these students hadn’t raced a 5K before. Split for the first mile was 6:13.

The last 2 miles have some hills and this always proves to be a challenging course for me. I tried to keep up the 6 minute pace but didn’t have it in me and it just hurt. I could hear people right behind me but managed to make it through the second mile without being passed.

I kept thinking this is going to start feeling better, but it didn’t. I can understand feeling pain and expect it in a race, but not at the pace I was running. Second mile split was 6:43. Next time I will remember to warm up for this course.

The last mile I continued to hold off the runners behind me and then at the last 0.1 mile three of them that had been using me to set their pace decided to pass me. I really didn’t care since I figured they weren’t in my age group anyway, but decided I wasn’t going to let anyone else pass me so pushed as hard as I could. No one else passed me and I finished in 20:10 which is a PW for this year. Lat mile was 6:47 and last 0.1, 27 seconds. There was a guy 1 second behind me. He did thank me for pulling him along after we finished.

Not long after I finish, Hugh crosses in 21:39 which is one of the fastest 5Ks he has ever run and a great time for this moderately difficult course. My time was 40 seconds slower than I ran it 2 years ago. Overall though I finished 9th of 132 and 1st of 7 in my age group (35-44). I did feel pretty good that the first 8 were all 24 and younger. The closest person in my age group was 2 minutes behind me.

Hugh finished 17th overall and first in his age group (45 – 54). “Amazingly”, the first 16 people were all 34 and younger except for me. The closest person in his age group was 20 minutes behind him.

My average HR was 165 so I think I gave it a decent effort and it just wasn’t a day to break any records for me.

Results are posted here

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park (Rock Bridge Revenge Course), 12.4 mi, 1:56:13, 9:22/mi
1st loop – 58:47
2nd loop – 57:26

Running: 41.9 mi

Weights: 100 min

YTD Running: 2164.5 mi

November 3 – …

November 10-Cranberry Crawl 5 or 10K

November 17-XC Extreme 4 mile

November 22-Thanksgiving 10 Pie Run 5 or 10K

December 1-Jingle Bell Run 5K

December 8-Cheese & Sauerkraut 10 mile

December 31-First Night 5K

Sunday, October 21, 2007

10/15 - 10/21 - Rock Bridge Revenge 20K

Mon- Rest

Tues- Rest

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Rain Run (Forum) – 7.6 mi, 59:15, 7:48/mi

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 40 min

Fri- Rest

Sat- Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs for first half, 8 mi, 1:14:05, 9:16/mi

Sun- Rock Bridge Revenge
Temps started off in the mid-60s, low-humidity, very windy, and sun. On the way there I realized I didn’t bring any gels so stopped by Wal-Mart and picked up some Sports Beans to use. I ran the 20K (2 loops) which started at 9:00 and the 10K started at 9:20.

Started off going down hill and at a fast pace positioned in 5th place. The trail was in really good shape today so no mud to deal with. At about 2.5 miles I decide to pass a guy ahead of me and as soon as I pass him, he stops running. At about 3 miles is the first water stop and then the grasslands area where it is sunny and a little more wind.

At about 4 miles back into the woods and I can hear someone coming up behind me. I’m really wishing he would pass me. I cross the creek and get one shoe wet. Finally, the guy passes me but I’m not sure if he was the same guy I passed earlier. I’m feeling good but running my own pace so let him run ahead. Some guy out in the woods tells me to stay with him. The last mile is the toughest part of the course with several hills and is my slowest mile of the first loop.

I hit 6 miles at exactly 47 minutes so was around 48-something at the half. I stopped at the water station to make sure I drank a full cup of water. I continued at a faster pace with the downhill at the beginning of the loop. There is no one that I can see behind or ahead of me so it is like I am out there running on my own. The next few miles were decent and felt good but pace had slowed a little. Then the last tough mile which I still felt good. I could finally see the clock and under 1:40 so finished with a nice kick in 1:39:44. Really felt like I could have done another loop.

Splits:

M1-6:50
M2-7:47
M3-7:19
M4-8:02
M5-8:02
M6-8:59 (47:00)
M7-7:33
M8-8:20
M9-7:55
M10-7:51
M11-8:30
M12-9:24 (1:36:34)
M12.4-3:12

Placed 5th overall of 27 runners in the 20K and 1st in my age group of 30 – 39, but was the only runner in that age group. Hugh ran the 10K finishing in 53:17, 18 of 63 and 2nd in age group. I cut over 3 minutes off my time from 2 years ago and he cut almost 2 minutes. The run felt great and very enjoyable. I didn’t feel wiped out like I did in 2005 after the 20K.

I took more rest days than I intended this week since I didn’t manage to run in DC but did a lot of walking. I’m looking forward to increasing mileage again next month so that I can drop the 5 pounds that I seem to have gained while in DC. I have run fewer miles per week since Sept 3 even though I’ve run 3 marathons. My weekly average has been about 40 miles since Sept 3 and was previously averaging 50+.

Running: 28 mi

Weights: 40 min

YTD Running: 2122.6 mi

October 27-The Amazing 5K Race 22nd Annual Bulldog 5K Run (Kirksville)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Training 10/8 - 10/14 and Baltimore Marathon

Monday - Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs, 4 mi, 36:56, 9:14/mi

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

Tuesday - Tripp 10K, 6.1 mi, 45:51, 7:31/mi

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - MKT, 6.6 mi, 53:55, 8:10/mi

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Baltimore Marathon

I arrived at my hotel in Baltimore about 4 pm on Friday afternoon and headed over to the Expo. It was a little confusing picking up the race packet, chip, and shirt since we had to go to 3 separate places that were really far apart. I guess the idea was to get everyone to pass all of the booths. I bought some plain flavored GU for the marathon. I ended up buying 6 since it was the same price as 5. Also, purchased a shirt for Hugh. There were also lots of Under Armour wear since that is the marathon's sponsor but too expensive for me to buy anything. By the time I finished I was ready to eat dinner.

I was planning to eat at Roly Poly but they were closed and every other place I tried nearby so kept walking until finally I found a place called Milton's Grill that looked good. I was starving by now and even though it was a little late I had the Salmon, baked sweet potato, and fries. I was still hungry so had a brownie sundae for dessert. The food, atmosphere and service was really good but more time and money than I intended to spend on dinner.

I headed back to the hotel and decided to go a different way and missed my street in the dark so was walking around trying to get back hoping that I wasn't walking into any bad neighborhoods. Eventually made it but did more walking than I intended to do. I got back to the room and got everything ready to go and went to bed.

I got up at 5:30 after not sleeping well and planned to leave by 6:30 with the marathon starting at 8. I had my pre-race shake and 2 bananas I had purchased on my long walk the night before. I felt wiped out so had some coffee and that seemed to wake me up. It also seemed to get everything moving so several trips to the bathroom before I decided I was ready. I had to be checked out of my room by noon so rather than risk rushing back I had them hold my large bag and checked a smaller bag at the marathon start headquarters. I was just a little worried leaving my bag at the hotel since the desk attendant couldn't open the room they normally lock the bags into.

I ended up arriving at the race headquarters to check my bag at about 6:40 and no waiting at all. I used the bathroom again and then headed over to the start. Still not many people around so I sat down and waited. Then went back to use the bathroom in the stadium. I was impressed no waiting at the bathrooms. No one was lining up in the street to start until about 7:45. I kept on my extra long sleeve shirt. It was about 52F and I was a little chilly. I lined up with the 3:00 pacers which were right behind the few elites running in circles with the special pink numbers.

After a short speech from the mayor and star spangled banner the wheel chair racers started. Then a few minutes later I was running. I didn't feel great but decided to try to stay with the 3 hr pacers. It felt like they were running too fast, but we hit the first mile in 6:59 so not too fast. I tried to keep the pace comfortable but felt like I was pushing it. Legs just didn't feel great yet. I did seem to fly through the water stations compared to other runners and would get ahead of them. I passed a couple of the 3 hr pacers so figured I must be doing okay. The first couple miles was slightly up hill and after mile 4 mostly downhill, and then the course flattened out but still varied some.

Mile 5 was all down and fast at 6:16 and by mile 7, I was feeling good and all miles to this point were under 7 min. Miles 8 - 14 were fairly flat and all under 7 min and still passing a few runners and more 3 hours pacers. I'm thinking these might have been people trying to run in 3 hours but not sure since I never did see them again. I passed the guy dressed as the Dunkin Donut at about mile 10.

I hit 13.1 in 1:28:12, but knew the latter part of the course had some hills but didn't know how much it would slow me down. I had a slight cushion but still was not confident that I could run under 3 hours.

At mile 15 - 20 the course goes mostly up, down a little at 20 -21, and then up again to 22. Most of these miles were over 7 minutes. These hills slowed me down but I was passing other runners so felt good. I thought maybe if the last 4 miles were mostly downhill I might be able to make up a little time.

I didn't feel like I was getting enough water even though I was drinking at every station which was every 2 - 3 miles. At mile 17 a woman that was not part of the water stops offered bottled water so I took one from her. I drank about 3/4 and then dumped the rest down my back. The crowd support along the course was pretty good most of the way with a lot of people at the half. We were also running with relay runners. Half marathoners started at at the 13 mile point so they were not a factor which made the marathon feel smaller.

After conquering the hilly stretch, I had 4 miles to go and some downhill so I was feeling better but took a couple miles to get my speed back. Once I got it back, another slight hill to slow me down again and then a mile to the finish. I sprinted hard to the finish and ran the last mile in 6:57.

Finished in 3:02:07 placing 61st of 2542 and 11th of 312 in male ages 35 - 39. Even though a sub-3 would have been nice, I couldn't be disappointed in this strong finish. I didn't feel like I slowed down more than other runners since I was still passing people in the last mile. The latter hills were definitely a factor since I had speed on downhills and flat.

I felt good at the end, had a bar, water and banana. Picked up my bag and then tried to get more info on my results but their system was down for some reason. I decided to look for a place to eat on the way back to my hotel and the only place I can find open is McDonalds which really didn't appeal to me but I felt like I needed some protein.

I went back to my hotel, gathered my bag and then headed off to DC. My left ankle was a little sore this morning (Sunday), but once I walked around, everything felt much better. Muscle soreness didn't hit until this afternoon after walking around all day.

Splits:

1-6:59, 2-6:52, 3-6:46, 4-6:38, 5-6:16, 6-6:40, 7-6:32, 8-6:25, 9-6:40, 10-6:33, 11-6:51, 12-6:40, 13-6:30, 13.1 - overall time 1:28:12, 14-6:55, 15-7:41, 16-7:11, 17-6:57, 18-6:47, 19-7:12, 20-7:49, 21-7:00, 22-7:37, 23-7:33, 24-6:43, 25-7:56, 26-6:57, 26.2-1:19, 6:57 overall pace

Sunday - Rest (actually walked quite a few miles around DC)

Running: 42.9

Weights: 36 min

YTD Running: 2094.6

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

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Training 10/1 - 10/7

Mon- Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs, 4 mi, 32:50, 8:13/mi
Fast puppies!

Tues- President's Hill, 7.6 mi, 52:14, 6:52/mi
Ran a tempo run after warm-up.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT & Wobble, 48 min

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Rock Quarry - 1st half 31:00 (7:57/mi), 2nd half 27:55 (7:09/mi), overall 7.8 mi, 58:55, 7:33/mi

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

Fri- Rest

Sat- Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs, 4 mi, 38:26, 9:36/mi
Took a 45 minute break after run before running the Prathersville Loop.

Prathersville Loop, 12.4 mi, 1:44:34, 8:26/mi
This was a really hot run with a temp around 85F. Tried to run at a comfortable pace and felt strong although pace would have been better if it was cooler. Even with the water I drank every 3 miles I lost 5 lbs.

Sun- Rest – Volunteered for the Columbia Half Marathon Challenge and didn’t get done until after noon. Went home and napped, woke up at 4:30, 87 F outside and finished mowing the yard. I think I needed the rest today worse than a run.

Some fast runs this taper week. Three runs planned this coming week before Baltimore on Saturday. Currently only a 30% chance of rain on Sat. with a low of 53F Friday night and a high of 68F on Saturday. Sounds perfect and more like October.

Running: 35.8 mi

Weights: 93 min

YTD Running: 2051.7 mi

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