Saturday, December 13, 2008

2008 Cheese and Sauerkraut 10 Miler

2008 Cranberry Cheese and Sauerkraut Results

This is a prediction race where the closest predictor wins cheese and the worst wins sauerkraut. Also, the race is run without wearing watches. The temperature was about 45F but it was terribly windy today.

This year I decided to predict closer to what I actually thought I could run in ideal conditions even though it was a bit windy. Dan and I ran 3.6 miles as a warm up and the wind wasn't too bad for where we had to run on the course. Last year I ran this race in 1:06:46 so decided to predict 1:04:30 since based on my last race which was a 10k, the running calculator was saying about 1:04. I didn't taper for this so gave myself an extra 30 seconds.

I took off at what seemed like a very fast pace and had a pretty big lead. With no watch to pace myself who knows what ridiculous pace I ran. At the road where we run out and turn around to run back before we get on the trail, I calculated the first guy behind me was about 42 sec. By the time I finished the first loop, he looked closer. They did not get our 5 mile splits this year so I had no idea how I was doing.

I tried to keep the pace steady. On the second loop after the turn around he passed me. I let him go ahead since we had about 2 miles to go and he was obviously running faster than me to catch me. He had removed his shirt and it was feeling warm. I had considered removing my windbreaker after the first loop, but the wind on the last part convinced me to leave it on. I could see a few others after the second turn around. Tony Rigdon had also removed his shirt. With the wind behind us at some points, I guess it was pretty hot.

I could the guy that passed me him all the way to the end. I finished in 1:04:50, 48 seconds behind Sam, age 16, the winner. I knew he was young, but wouldn't have guessed that young. He had predicted he would run it in 1:13:21 and ended up being the second worst predictor. My prediction was 20 seconds off which was the 3rd closest. One guy predicted exactly. My time was a 1:56 faster than last year's ten miler on the same course. Pace was 6:29 per mile and I think I could run it just a little faster if I could have paced better at the beginning. I am really surprised that I broke another PR by so much. I normally expect if I am going to have a PR it is only going to be a few seconds, not 2 minutes. I'll take it though. We had 33 runners that completed the course which is a pretty good turnout for this race.

Hugh finished the race about a minute faster than last year, but didn't break his Minneapolis 10 mile PR, but I'd think we both ran a good race without having a taper.

Last year we brought sauerkraut brownies. This year someone else brought a sauerkraut cake and we brought Velveeta Fudge which was actually quite good. Dan and I ran another 3.6 mi loop after we finished. It had warmed up a little, but didn't feel like it since it was windier.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

2008 Thanksgiving Day Pie Run

Hugh, Dan, and I ran the course as a warm up which had changed this year. It was almost all on the road since $2 million in liability insurance was required to run on the trail. The 10K had to run the course twice and the 5K would run it once. We got back and waited for the race to start. It ended up starting about 15 min late due to the people still signing up.

Hugh ran the 5K and Dan and I ran the 10K. Dan had a really fast and impressive start. I wondered if I could catch him, but eventually he slowed it down to a reasonable 10K pace. Dana and Paul, who also run about my pace in this race in past years, were both ahead of me. Eventually caught Paul and stayed with him for a few miles. The pace felt fast, but thought I could stay with him and then pulled ahead after a mile or so. I didn't feel like I was working too hard, but just tried to keep the pace steady fearing everything was surely going to fall apart at some point. I found it hard to believe at points I was running the pace I was running but the splits confirmed.

First loop clock said 19:18 so I figured I would start to slow at some point. I continued to feel strong and passed Dana in the second loop and then another guy before mile 4. I maintained same pace and position until the end finishing in 38:42, a 10K PR for me by 1:15. Every 10K PR, I have set has been in this race. I probably could have run harder, but was not sure whether I could keep it up. The pace I ran is often a good 5K pace for me so running a 10K at this pace was new for me. I finished strong and felt good. I guess a couple days rest, and being unmotivated is good for my running. I don't think that Dan felt sorry for me any longer since I ran well. He had a 10K PR as well.

Hugh placed first in the 50 - 59 age group and I placed first in the 40 - 49 age group. This was the first time I ever got a medal in this race. Hugh got his first last year. There is a lot of good competition at this race and the 10 year age groups makes it very difficult. It is a good course though to shoot for a 5 or 10K PR being so flat. Hopefully, this race has given me the motivation to try to shoot for 3,000 miles by the end of the year.

m1 - 6:07.....m4 - 6:09
m2 - 6:13.....m5 - 6:15
m3 - 6:12.....m6 - 6:09
0.27 - 1:36 (5:59 pace)

Sunday, November 09, 2008

2008 Cranberry Crawl 5K

Hugh and I arrived at the food bank about 7:15 to run the course as a warm up. Warm up did not feel good until about 2.5 miles. Ran the warm up miles at about 9 min pace. It was good thing I signed up for the race ahead of time since based on the warm up I am not sure I would have run the race. I felt achy.

I decided to do my best and start out with the intention of trying to run a good race for my first 5k in my new age group. I started out fast and passed Chris C. and John H. before we got to Vandiver. I knew John was running the 5K and in my age group. I assumed Chris was running the 5K but found later he ran the 10K. He passed me around 2 miles and Bill S. passed me as well running the 10K. I am glad I am now not in their age group for a few years.

This was not a flat course and not a fast course in my opinion. I pushed pretty hard up the hills and even harder on flat and downhills. I was a bit tired of the hills but managed to have decent mile splits for the 3 miles. Finished in 18:49 which surpassed my goal. I figured running a 19:30 would be possible on this course, but really no clue where my fitness is on 5Ks right now. I ended up enjoying this run more than I expected. Felt much better than the warm up miles.

I was first of 5 in my age group 40 - 44 and 4th of 104 overall. We got to pick a prize from the table and I chose a reflective yellow New Balance running vest. Hugh ran the 5K as well and placed 3rd in his age group, 13th overall and also got a prize from the table.

Splits:

m1 - 5:58
m2 - 6:17
m3 - 6:13
0.07 - 0:21

2008 Cranberry Crawl Results

Sunday, October 26, 2008

2008 Rock Creek Trail 50K

On Friday, Jeff and I headed to Perry, KS to Lake Perry State Park for the Rock Creek Trail 50K. It rained off and on all the way there and then stopped raining once we got to the campground. We were the only people camping. Jeff started a fire, we cooked our dinners, and sat around the fire until about 9 pm. We got in the camper and went to sleep. It was a little cold at first, but when I woke up in the night I was nice and warm. Alarm went off at 6 pm and we ate breakfast inside the camper since it was dark and cold outside. We then drove about half mile to the start.

Temperature was 35 F (warmed up to 60s before I was done). We stood in line to pick up our packets, use the porta-potty and then I got dressed for the race. I had about 10 min to spare and headed to the lot where everyone was waiting. I missed any instructions, but knew to just follow the pink flags. We walked about 0.1 mi down a hill and started from there. This allowed everyone to spread out before heading into the woods on the single track trail. I had hoped to average a 9:15 pace. In order to decide a pace for this run, I felt that I should have been able to beat Deanna's time from last year by maybe 10 minutes.

Everyone from the 5K, 25K, and 50K started the race together. I lined up near the front so I wouldn’t be behind too many people, but wasn’t sure what to do since there were 3 distances. I ran the down hills and flats faster and uphills took easier. I had no problems finding the pink flags. I didn’t feel like I was running too hard and GPS didn’t seem to be getting a great signal. It said I was going slower than I felt so it was difficult to pace with it. I almost think I shouldn’t have worn it for this race.

The 5Kers veered off on another trail early in the race. I removed my cotton shirt at the first aid station and had some water. I ran alone most of the time, but I passed several people doing the half later in my first loop. It was difficult to get around people at times and I would try to wait until there was more room for them to move over before announcing I wanted to pass. I drank water at all the aid stations and had some pretzels and a piece of banana at one. I really wish I could eat more of the food they offer but it doesn’t look good to me while I am running. I took 3 Accel Gels each loop.

At the end of the first loop, I stop at my drop bag, remove my long sleeve wicking, grab my water bottle which I was planning to carry only the second loop, change my spi-belt. I had a new one ready with 3 more Accel Gels. I decide to use the bathroom since I am really needing to go and figure it will save me time in the end.

I start the second loop feeling okay. At about mile 18 I start feeling really good so pick up the pace. I pass a couple 50Kers. One that I passed was walking since his ankle was hurting otherwise, he would have easily beat me. He ended up dropping out at 20 miles. I pass a couple more guys. This makes me feel a bit more motivated than I had been feeling. A guy at one of the aid stations tells me I am looking strong and if I keep a steady pace, I will likely catch some of the 5 guys ahead of me. I had no idea there were that many ahead of me but it does give me a goal.

At the 24 mile aid station I am told that I am looking pale and they think I should take some electrolytes so I drank some of the nasty tasting Heed. They fill up my bottle with water and I am on my way and I do feel better. I hit this aid station again (it crossed 2 trails) and drank 2 more Heeds. I ended up passing another 50K guy that was walking. I press on to the end but am just not motivated to press too hard. I do walk a little on the hills, but mostly ran.

I didn’t fall once during the first loop, but fell 2 times in the second and almost a 3rd time. Each time got mud on my hands but was not hurt at all. The course was quite rocky and the leaves covered the rocks so difficult to see.

The finish seemed to come quickly. I had no idea how I was doing on time since I had locked the bezel on the Garmin and was just looking at splits which were not accurate on this trail. I see the clock says 4:59 something and I kick to the end. Time was 4:59:07 (9:38 pace). I was happy to be under 5 hrs, but felt like I could have run this race harder.

Since I never felt really good mentally (brain was in a fog much of the time) I think I was low on electrolytes and need to make sure I am more careful in the future. I felt I had a lot left in me at the end which I don’t think I should after running 31 miles. The second loop was much slower for me than the first, but I did manage to pass 4 people. I was not passed at all during this race. It did warm up to the 60s during my second loop, but the temperature was comfortable. Mentally, I just wasn’t in this race as much as I should have been most of the time.

I was 5th overall out of 39 (46 starters) and they gave me first place in Masters which I didn't quite understand since I am 6 days short of 40. For their race, I was close enough to be turning 40 this month. The course record for Masters was 4:55 which I think I should have been able to run at least a 4:50 on this course. It was more difficult than Hocking Hills 60K last year, but easier than the Syllamo courses. This may be a race I will have to try again next year. I really do think I could run this course better and I think having run it this year will be a help.

Today, the day after the race, I ran 9.6 miles at Rock Bridge with Dan. I think this proves that I really didn’t race too hard yesterday. Overall though it was a fun race with nice people and I placed about where I would have expected.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

2008 Rock Bridge Revenge 20K

Several people are finding this blog searching for the 2008 Rock Bridge Revenge Results so I am posting the link.

I went to bed too late, slept poorly, and was not ready to get out of bed this morning. I had gained about 3 lbs from everything I ate yesterday. I tried to get my body in the mood to run a race and felt better by the time we left.

The temp at the start was about 50 so perfect for running. I ran the 20K (2 loops) which started at 9:00 and the 10K started at 9:20.

We started off going down hill and at a fast pace positioned in 6th place. I quickly realized that those 5 guys in front of me were faster runners and I just settled into my own pace and let them go. The trail was in really good shape just like last year so not much mud to deal with. I took a little water at every station but didn’t really feel like I needed that much. My feet ached and I didn’t start to feel better until about 4 miles.

The water was up in the creek after 4 miles and I splashed right through it and then ran with wet shoes. The water looked so clear and the bottom looked pretty smooth. I didn’t see the big rocks that we used to step on in this creek. I guess that might have washed away with all the rain this year.

I was alone and couldn’t see anyone in front or behind me until near the end of the first loop. There was a guy gaining on me. The last 1.5 miles of this course are the hardest and I took all the hills in the first loop really easy. At the start of the second loop I really felt like I hadn’t done much and was looking forward to the second loop. I ran the first loop in 49:42 which was slower than last year. At this point, I figured I might be able to at least run the course about as fast as last year.

At the second loop I take off just as fast as the first loop and push the pace just a little. I ran fast where I can and still take it easier on the hills. I am pulling ahead of the guy behind me and eventually, I am not seeing him. I wondered if I would ever catch anyone ahead of me since I knew I had picked up the pace quite a bit.. I do pass quite a few 10Kers. With 3 miles to go, I push a bit more. All the time, I feel like I am being very conservative with the pace.

With about a half mile to go, I see a guy ahead of me running too fast to be the 10K so I assume he ran the 20K. I was gaining on him and caught up and passed him He told me to keep pushing. I pushed to the end and ran 1:36:36 (7:47 pace). I wasn’t aware of my total time during the run so I was very pleased to see this on the clock. I just keep each split on my Garmin and not the total time.

Splits:

M1 - 7:24 M7 – 7:21
M2 - 8:28 M8 – 8:05
M3 - 7:32 M9 – 7:29
M4 - 7:32 M10 – 6:56
M5 - 8:40 M11 – 7:33
M6 - 8:46 M12 – 8:09

First 10K Loop – 49:42 (8:00 pace)
2nd 10K Loop – 46:54 – (7:33 pace)

Placed 5th overall of 22 runners in the 20K and 2nd of 6th in my age group of 30 – 39. It turned out the nice guy I passed in the last half mile was in my age group. I was so glad that he still got a plaque. Hugh ran the 10K finishing in 55:25, 17 of 54 and 3rd in age group. We both got plaques in our age group.

I feel like I am really cutting some time off of my trail runs. I cut off 3 min and 8 sec from last year. From the first year I ran the 20K in 2005, I cut off 6 min 16 sec minutes off I ran the 10K on this course in 2004 and today my 2nd 10K was 1 min 40 sec faster. I felt like I had something left at the end too. This is completely different than how I felt the first year I ran the 20K and I was wiped out for weeks. Last year I felt the same as today where I had something left. A few years of trail running and running more trail miles seems to making a big difference.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

2008 MU Dog Jog 5K

Today I ran the MU Dog Jog. The plan was for me to run with Bruno and Hugh run with Rusty. We didn't have a chance of winning this one since I knew there were a couple faster guys with dogs than me. Dan was planning to run with Copper and Tanner and didn't get there to about 7:55 and thought he would just watch and then decided to enter. I filled out his form while Hugh held onto Bruno and we all made it to the start line on time.

I decided to just let Bruno run but was also hoping he would pace a little better, but he did run really well. He started out at a 5-something pace just like Paws in the Park. I noticed that when I tried to talk to the guy next to me without a dog I was out of breath. After the first mile I noticed my watch wasn't running so started it. I thought I had started but it was just showing the pace and shut off. We could see Mike D. and Riley, and Jacquie and Finlay ahead of us. They were staying about the same distance so thought just maybe we could catch up to them. Eventually, Riley decided she was done and we passed Mike. Less than half mile from the finish Bruno plops into the grass. I let him rest a few seconds since no one is close behind and then convince him to get back up. I never did catch up to Jacquie and Finlay.

Bruno finished in 19:40 based on what they told me I was able to determine my first mile split which made sense. He ran this race pretty much the same mile paces as Paws in the Park. I was second male with a dog and Matt Laye finished first male with dog way ahead of me. As far as I know there was no prize for second since had to leave early, but did get a bag of dog related goodies before the race. It was a fun race and the course was well-marked. I think Dan was 4th male with dog and Hugh was 5th.

m1 - 5:40
m2 - 6:30
m3 - 6:53
0.09 - 0:38 (6:48 pace)

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Running Men article

Mizzou Wire is running a story called Running Men that mentions Hugh and me and has a video slide show.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

2008 Twin Cities Marathon

Hugh, Dan, and I headed up to Minneapolis on Friday morning leaving at about 8:30 am. I drove the entire way while Hugh navigated with Ms. Garmin and Dan and I talked a lot about running. We stopped at Pizza Ranch in Pella, Iowa which is known for its Dutch population and Tulip festival. We chowed down on pizza, dessert pizza, ice cream, salad, and chicken and then continued on our way.

We arrived in Minneapolis at our hotel, The Best Western, Normandy at about 6:30 pm. After we all checked our e-mail, we went out for a walk in search of food and ate at Chipolte, and headed back to the room. At 10 pm we went down to the lobby for our fresh cookies and milk although the milk was gone. The cookies were quite yummy. Then off to bed and I slept quite well.

On Sat. morning we woke up and went out for an easy 2 mile run. Then back to the hotel and off to the Expo. Arrived at the expo about 10:30 am. It was a decent expo and I actually purchased a few items. It seemed like this expo had some of the best deals I have seen. I purchased a nice Best of Times Running Jacket from the National Running Center. The sleeves zip off, a section of the back is removable and has a detachable hood. I was easily impressed but couldn't decide between bright yellow, blue, or red. I finally went with the blue.

I didn't pack very carefully and forgot to bring a few items. I really needed my SpiBelt to hold my gels and since I failed to pack, I purchased a new one, but a different color so I guess I can now coordinate with shorts. Also, purchased yellow, white, and black Mizuno tank for a good price. I probably should have purchased another pair of shorts, but resisted. Dan found a great deal on his Mizuno shoes and purchased 3 pairs. They did not have my model so no shoes for me. We were at the expo to about 1 pm and picked up a lot of free stuff.

We headed back to the hotel and went out for lunch at Quiznos and on the way back browsed Barnes & Noble for awhile. Among the 3 of us, only one book was purchased. I was tempted by the Masters Running by Hal Higdon. Not sure I needed another book on Running though.

We lounged around our room for awhile and Dan went to mass, and Hugh and I headed to Vescio's Italian for dinner with the Joy of Running group. We had a good time there talking with Kurt, Bill, and Danielle and excellent food too! Then back to the room for more lounging around until cookie time at 10 pm. Dan referred to the lady serving the cookies as cookie nazi since she was strictly limiting people to 2 cookies. The night before the cookies were set out and there were plenty to go around without cookie nazi rationing us.

We got up at 5:30 am since Hugh's 10 miler started at 7:13 am. Hugh and I had our pre-race shake and banana. Dan and I decided to wait as long as possible to leave which was a good thing since we kept the bathroom pretty busy up until the time we left. I think he set a new record and I tied my previous record. It was a short walk to the start line. We lined up between the 3 and 3:15 area. We ditched our shirts shortly before the start and they moved everyone up. After the National Anthem, we were off running.

I had been obsessing on the weather for the past 2 weeks. We started off fairly dry, but it had been raining earlier. The temp was about 50F which was not too bad but some wind to deal with which made it feel cooler. Dan seemed to feel really good when we started as I found my legs not quite feeling that good, but wanting to keep that pace. We ran together for about 4 miles and then legs started to feel better and picked up my pace.

I don't remember a lot of detail for the rest of the race due to the deterioration in weather conditions my brain was somewhat in a fog. I know at some point, maybe mile 5 or 6 I hear a clap of thunder. Shortly after it starts to rain. I think okay this isn't too bad, I can handle a little light rain. I enjoy running in the rain during training runs. Then it starts to pour and continues. Then when I think it can't pour rain any harder, it pours harder. Someone in the crowd mentions something about the rain and I yell at least it isn't hailing.

I'm drinking at every station but not really feeling like I need it that much. I took my Accel gels at each 5 miles. During the rain, I noticed my legs tightening, especially the left quad and right hamstring which really makes me feel uncoordinated. Someone mentions that they bet a lot of runners don't finish because of hypothermia. At this point, I noticed my arms are numb from the cold. Legs weren't numb, but they were cold. I keep running as fast as I can thinking I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible. This felt like the longest marathon I have ever run. By mile 10, I just couldn't believe that I had 16 miles to go. I had a good half split at 1:29:34, but knew there was no way I could keep up the same pace.

I'm still clipping around pretty fast running sub 7s up until mile 15 and by mile 16 my pace starts to drop off. I don't feel that tired as far as breathing but am losing motivation and can't move the legs any faster. I felt that if I try to push that I would send my tight leg muscles into spasm and it was too early for that. Once I have a muscle spasm in a race, it usually goes down hill from there. I decide ease up on the pace. From here to the end my pace just steadily gets slower and more people are passing me than I am passing. I do see a lot of people slowing and some are walking. I wanted to walk but kept moving. I am getting passed by people I remembered running with earlier. I am also passing some that are going slower than me.

Finally, I get to mile 20 and I think I can make it. Then I focus on getting to mile 23, and then 24, 25, and 26. I'm running 8s by mile 23. Earlier I had been thinking I might finish in 3:05, but figure I will be lucky to finish in 3:10.

Finally, I am in the half mile. I am happy to see the finish. I keep thinking the 3:10 pace group is going to pass me any second and that I may see Dan. I cross the finish. I decide to hang out until Dan crosses and I figure that will be soon so look back, hear his name and he is crossing. He had as much "fun" as me. Although he slowed down, not as drastically as me so nearly caught me by the end. He was over 4 minutes behind me at 20 miles, but finished only 1:24 behind me.

As we are walking out we see Hugh over to the side and then Dan's dad and wife come up. Hugh had gone back to the hotel on the bus to get jackets after his race. He had run a PR 10 miler at 1:14:43 and finished before it poured. We went through the post race tent, filled up our goody bags with more free stuff, picked up some Caribou coffee and headed back to the hotel since I was freezing. My hands were ice.

Back at the hotel, Dan and I got in the hot tub, and then later we went for our post marathon recovery walk at Mall of America. Then off to dinner with Dan's family. It was his dad's birthday and we ate at Houlihan's where his dad bought us all dinner.

Back to the hotel and stayed up for our final night of cookies and milk. Cookie nazi was no where to be seen so we had our fill of cookies and it looked like there were plenty to go around. We all slept really well. We had thought about running, but due to the time and the traffic outside decided to wait.

Made it home around 6 pm. Picked up Rusty and Bruno and met Dan at the dog park for a 2 mile run with Copper and Tanner. Hugh ran 4 miles with Rusty.

Overall, it was a good marathon experience although the actual running would have been better if it were a little warmer and less rain. I didn't feel like I really noticed the hills that much in this marathon. I was more concerned with being cold. I feel like I made the best of it and know others had the same problems with the cold. If I would have known, I would have dressed warmer. With only a 40% chance of rain and temp predicted to be in the 50s I took my chances. We had a good time and all finished our races which is always the ultimate goal. The crowds were great standing out there in the rain all the way, volunteers were always there with plenty of water. It looked like a well-run marathon and wish I could have enjoyed it more in dryer weather.

I'm now motivated to get back on track with running, workouts, and maybe get a little more focused with a plan. I had been running without a plan since the Berryman. I do better with a plan even if I can't follow it 100%. It is time to get back on track, clean up the nutrition, regular weight workouts including legs, and running workouts. First, I think I need a little recovery, since I am fighting off a sore throat and Hugh already has a full-blown cold. Otherwise, I feel like muscles are recovering nicely but I do plan to take it easy, at least for a few days.

Here's the stats for marathon:

Duration: 3:09:12
Pace: 7:14 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 5/10, Effort: 7/10
Field Placement: 330 / 7969 (4.1%)
Age group: 35 – 39
Group Placement: 36 / 745 (4.8%)
Gender Placement: 284 / 4803 (5.9%)
Weather: 50° F, Rain

5K 21:41
10K 42:35
Half 1:29:34
30K 2:09:22
20 mi 2:19:35

1 6:46
2 6:46
3 6:45
4 6:37
5 6:35
6 6:43
7 6:39
8 6:39
9 6:52
10 6:51
11 6:44
12 6:51
13 6:49
14 6:58
15 6:52
16 7:09
17 7:09
18 7:19
19 7:21
20 7:32
21 7:32
22 7:55
23 8:10
24 8:04
25 8:06
26 8:06
27 3:08 0.42 mi

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2008 Paws in Park

Ran the Paws in the Park today. Hugh ran with Rusty and I ran with Bruno. We got there less than 10 min before it was to start since Rusty gets impatient waiting to run and won't stop barking. Dan was already there with Copper and Tanner. The race started at 9:10 instead of 9 so we had to wait a few minutes. I lined up in front since I figured Bruno would start pretty fast. Today was the first time I had run a race with Bruno. In the past I ran with Rusty and each mile the pace fades just a little.

I started off in 3rd place with Jackie and her dog. There were 2 runners without dogs ahead of us. Once we pulled ahead of her my position did not change the rest of the race. Bruno ran an incredible first mile at 5:55, 2nd mile slower, and then the last 0.76 (course was short) pace was a little slower and I think he was ready to be done. Probably good it wasn't quite a 5K.

Hugh had a rough start since he tripped over someone's leash and apparently about 8 people or so went down. Dan went down in the grass. Hugh hit the sidewalk and was scraped in 4 places on his right side. He got right back up and ran. Dan got up and said there were so many walkers with dogs on the side walk he decided he could either walk it or go to the dog park and run. He went to the dog park. Fortunately, I didn't know about this incident until after the race or would have worried about it and may not have even run.

Bruno came in first male with dog and Jackie was behind us not too far. The prize was a $10 gift certificate to Olive Garden. The trophy for Bruno was a tennis ball, with a rawhide and dog mounted to a board covered with material. It had a blue bone dog tag that said first place male with dog. I hope next year they start the race in a more open area so people don't get tangled up at the beginning and get hurt.

m1 - 5:55
m2 - 6:24
0,76 - 5:12 (6:50 pace)

Total time was 17:29 at 6:21 pace

Overall placed 3rd of 136 and 2 guys ahead of me ran without dogs.

Andy & Bruno's Leash
Bruno and Andy (at this point he is dragging a little)
Rusty & Hugh
Rusty & Hugh
Andy, Bruno, Hugh, and Rusty after race

Bruno inspecting his trophy

Saturday, September 13, 2008

2008 Heart for Africa 5K

Easy warm-up on the course before the race with Hugh. We ran it backwards from what we were doing during the race since we didn't know we were running in reverse this year. I felt achy and legs didn't feel fresh. When we got done we had 10 minutes to start.

I drank an Amp and hoped that I would feel better. I was happy to hear we were running the course in reverse from last year so we didn't have the steep hill after the first mile. Instead we had a gradual hill in the first mile. I lined up behind 2 guys since I didn't want to start too fast. We started down a hill and it seemed like a fast start but I held back the pace to keep it over 6 min. In the first mile I passed ten or so people. It started to rain a little and stopped. Amazingly I was feeling 100% better than during the warm-up. The temperature (74F) was warm for a 5K and humid but I didn't feel like it bothered me.

In the second mile, I could see a woman in front of me but didn't seem to be getting much closer. I flew down the hill right before the trail. Once I got to the trail in the third mile I was gaining on her and passed her. Then I had my sights on a guy I remembered from last year. He isn't in my age group, but I remember him passing and beating me last year. This year he was slowing and I passed him.

I was hoping I could keep the pace just a little longer. Then I see Dan jump into the race to pace me running ahead of me so I am trying to keep up. He runs with me and Mike D. (not in costume) is just outside one of the tunnels near the end and goes crazy cheering. After 0.3 mi he jumps out of the race and says I am on my own. He had already run 15 miles! I am almost near the end so sprint about as fast as I can to the finish.

I felt good at the end. I placed 5th overall out of 113 and 1st in age group. Hugh placed 2nd in his age group and 16th overall. What I thought was going to be a really crappy race turned out great.

m1 - 6:10
m2 - 5:53
m3 - 6:02
0.12 - 0:37 (5:32 pace)

Total Time: 18:43

Monday, September 01, 2008

2008 Heart of America Marathon

Today was the 49th annual Heart of America Marathon in Columbia, MO which I ran for the 5th year in a row and my 15th marathon since 2004. This the 4th oldest continuously certified and one of the most difficult marathons in the country and attracts around 100+ people each year. I set the alarm for 4:15, but woke up a few minutes early. I slept fairly well but took a shower to wake myself up.

At 4:30 am, we expected a photographer at our house from the University of Missouri that is doing a story on the Heart of America for the www.missouri.edu website. He needed to cover some MU employees so we Hugh and I had a pre-race interview on Friday. He came over to watch our morning pre-race routine and take some photos. He also planned to follow us on the course taking photos and then asking a few post race questions and more photos after we finished. The story will likely run later this week on the web site. Hopefully, I didn’t say anything too stupid.

We had already set out of clothes and gear last night and picked up our race numbers and shirts in the afternoon. Last night Hugh cooked dinner and we had Dan over to eat and talk about the race. We were worried about the weather since every time we checked for the past week, it was warmer and the humidity was higher. It was predicted to be 69 at 6 am with 90-something % humidity and it was already 72 F when we woke up this morning which turned out to be a few degrees warmer than the forecast. I stepped outside and it felt too humid for running a marathon. We can’t always have perfect conditions so I didn’t worry about it.

We had a pre-race meal (protein shake with bananas and peanut butter). I had one large bottle of water at about 5 am and we left home for the race which starts at 6 am. Shane, the photographer followed us to Hearnes so he could take more photos before the race.

We arrived at the Hearnes at 5:30 am. Unfortunately, I wasn’t having much luck going to the bathroom at home, but once we got to Hearnes parking lot they had the bathrooms inside open this year and I used them twice.

The start this year was moved back to Monk Drive when the course was recertified so we had to walk a little further to the start line. We got to the start line about 5 min before and didn’t seem like much time to mentally prepare. There were 152 runners registered, but not sure how many actually started. At 6 am sharp, Joe Duncan (race director since 1970) had us off running in the dark. He is very strict about starting on time. I would estimate the temp was still at least 72 F at the start and it still felt humid. I’ve been lucky until this year that temps were in the 60s at the start and actually felt a little chilled, but it was not the case today. In fact, we had trained on the course this summer with cooler temps than today.

My A goal was to try to run a sub-3 on this course although I wasn’t sure I was ready. With the expected temps, I figured it was very unlikely too. B goal would be to beat last year’s time of 3:04:08. C-Goal is always to try to have a good time and at least finish. With the temp at the start, I figured I would be lucky to run a sub 3:10. I still started with these goals in mind and figured I would adjust along the way. The race is only $25 so not really much to lose other than maybe not finishing for some reason.

It quickly became apparent the first water station at 3 something miles wasn’t coming soon enough for me. I usually keep running and drinking through water stations, but decided to stop and drink 2 cups at the first station. This became my strategy to get the water I needed. Then I would speed back up a little faster than my pace and caught up to anyone that passed me when I stopped. I kept up the routine of drinking 2 cups for most of the race. I took my first Accel Gels at 5 and then 10 miles.

I had been running off and on with 3 other guys and at one of the water stations before we hit the trail at Easley, I didn’t catch back up to them. Up Easley Hill I ran and didn’t walk and passed one of the guys. It seemed like the hill went quickly this year and wasn’t too painful, but probably took more out of me than I realized at the time. At mile 13.1 they told me my time was 1:31:28 so I was already 1:23 off my overall A goal pace. Most miles other than a few hills had been sub-7 up to this point and run about the same time for the first half as I did last year. I’ve always run the second half a 1:42 or less slower (never quite negative) so decided there was no way I could keep up the pace with the temps warming and humidity and more hills to come. I decided to take the pace down a little and run low 7s if I was going to survive 13.1 more miles.

Shortly after the monster Easley Hill, Darrin and Melanie were stopped and Darrin gave me my other 2 Accels that I had given him at the start. The guy that I passed on Easley was back running with his friend and they both passed me and said they were running until mile 18. We usually get quite a few runners that plan to run part of the course. Darrin and Melanie came buy again and offered to take my shirt I had been carrying since about mile 10 so I took them up on the generous offer.

Someone told me I was in 10th place at one of the water stations. When I got to Piermont at about mile 18, the 2 guys were there and wished me a good race so I lucked out and moved up 2 places. Then at mile 20, the other guy I was running with earlier was walking up the hill and said he was cooked and to have a good run. I told him he would probably pass me later but he didn’t’ think so. He ended up being the only person I passed and stayed ahead.

The new Garmin 405 worked pretty well other than sometimes drips of sweat or water that I spilled would change the screens. I need to remember to make it less sensitive or lock the bezel at the start of a race in the future. There were people lightly scattered on the course and at various points or riding bikes that offered encouragement. The traffic seemed worse than usual this year and I heard there was a guy out driving erratically since he was pissed the race was going on. Shane kept showing up to take my photo and somehow managed to be everywhere and photograph Hugh as well.

I make it to Providence Rd and at about mile 21 I look back for the guy I passed and see no one. I was hoping once he got up the hill he would feel better and I would at least see him. It turns out he did not finish the race so he really was cooked. Mile 23 pace started to fall off just a little at 7:18. The next 3 miles my legs were feeling tired, I could see no one at all behind me and a guy ahead of me that I didn’t think I could catch so I ran comfortably and slowed down another 30 seconds. I would have had to dig a little deeper to run harder and there was the final hill up Providence. In a race this small with no one around to pace with it is a struggle for me to maintain pace. With the heat and knowing I wasn’t going to run faster than last year, motivation was low. I just wanted to try to enjoy the rest of the race as much as possible.

The last few water stations came a little more frequently so I had cut back to one cup and ran through them until I got to the one before the hill on Providence. I stopped and drank the cup and then was ready to tackle the final hill. I’m wishing I was done at this point and see no one behind me so figure if I can just keep running, I won’t get passed. It does seem like I am getting closer to the runner in front of me which looks like Chris Cook and turned out to be him, but there wasn’t enough time to catch up before the end. He is also in my age group so maybe I should have tried harder.

I did feel pretty good in the final mile, but not great.. I just kept the pace steady and finished in 3:07:30 which is my second fastest run for this course.. Considering the heat, humidity, and the course is now a little longer, I am happy with this time. Someone handed me the plaque for 3rd place in the 35 – 39 and I had finished 7th overall out of 113 that finished Times were noticeably slower this year due to the heat..

Shane had a few questions for me and then a Missourian reporter than I had also talked to yesterday at packet pickup. I’m not sure if he will use anything I said in the article or not. He may have gotten pictures as well, but don’t remember seeing him on the course.

I wait for other runners to come in and Matt N., a 24 yr old that we run with finishes in 3:20 in 8th place so there was a big gap between me and him. He does a decent cartwheel at the end of his first marathon and placed first in the 0 – 24. I was very impressed with how he ran his first marathon and in the heat. I see Phil come in next and then see Dan after he finished behind in 10th overall. These 3 are all guys I run with.

Dan and I were looking at the standings and notice that Chuck Engle who had won the race last year came in second at 2:57 and is in our age group. He must not have signed up until yesterday or this morning since he was not on the list of runners Saturday. A local guy beat him by 10 minutes. I was surprised he had come back and run it again. Unfortunate for Dan, since he was 4th in our age group, but ran the course faster than he did last year and placing in the top 10 where he placed 19th last year. Also, was amazed that 5 guys went sub 3 this year. I’ll be in a new age group next year and it is just as tough as the one I am in now.

First overall female was Destiny another runner I run with and I had told her before I thought she could win and she did it and ran a really good race. I was guessing we would see Hugh between 3:45 and 3:50 and he came in at 3:47:36 and placed 2nd in the 50 – 54 age group. He was 21st overall moving up from 55th last year and taking over 12 minutes off his 2007 time in the heat today.

No major issues during this race other than a little slight left knee pain at times, and thankfully no cramping. I had a banana after and eventually got into the pool of water which wasn’t as cold as previous years so I could actually stay in there for a few minutes rather than seconds. .

Since the start and finish are a couple miles apart Hugh rode back with Dan and his parents and Shane took me back to our car. We made plans to meet Dan and his parents at Golden Corral at 11:30 for our post race meal. I was hungry but ended up eating a little lighter than I normally do there since I filled up quickly.

While we were waiting for Dan to arrive a guy walks up to us and asks if we ran HOA today since Hugh was wearing his medal. He says the guy standing next to him started the race. It turned out to be Bill Clark. There is some interesting reading on the history of the race in the foreward by Bill Clark on the race web site Articles

So far feeling good and can’t believe I finished another marathon. Hopefully, we get cooler temps next year for the 50th running and maybe I will have a better chance of running a sub 3 on this course.

Splits:
m1 - 6:58..........m14 - 7:02
m2 - 6:52..........m15 - 7:00
m3 - 6:45..........m16 - 7:01
m4 - 6:44..........m17 - 7:11
m5 - 6:44..........m18 - 7:08
m6 - 6:30..........m19 - 6:58
m7 - 6:39..........m20 - 7:27
m8 -7:17..........m21 - 7:14
m9 - 6:39..........m22 - 7:09
m10 - 7:02..........m23 - 7:18
m11 - 6:44..........m24 - 7:48
m12 - 6:54..........m25 - 7:54
m13 - 8:07..........m26 - 7:50
0.38 - 2:35 (6:53 pace)

I was 1:31:28 at 13.1 so ran the second half in 1:36:02

Overall, 3:07:30, 7:10/mi for 26.2 mile certified course

I had 26.38 on the GPS which was expected on the newly certified course. I think it was difficult to cut the tangents on parts of this course.

Overall Results

Link to last 4 year’s (didn't have GPS first year)
Splits

Race Articles and blogs:
Heart of America Marathon Draws Diverse Field

Local Minister Runs 13th Marathon

Heart and Feet of America

Labor Day Triple

Another Hill Climbed

Hills are Alive...Heart of America

Heart of America Marathon - Doug

Barefoot Rick Report

Nicole Tanner Second Place Female Report

John Palmer, Tom May, Andy Emerson before start of marathon

Start of Heart of America

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Addicted to Running?

Runner's World online mentioned something about running addiction today in one of their forums. I found this kind of interesting and found a test to take to check to see if you are addicted to running. Believe it or not, I only scored 62 points "Fitness with a mellow bent". I thought maybe I made a mistake so took the test again and scored 75 points which is still "Fitness with a mellow bent." Maybe I am in denial? Should there be an intervention? Maybe I should attend an RA meeting? "Hello, my name is Andy and I'm a Runaholic."

An addiction self-test

Where addiction to running stands in your life

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, weight each of the following statements as they apply to you and your running. Then total your numbers and check the interpretations at the end of the test. Fill out the test in pencil, or make photocopies so you can retake it periodically.

  • ___Running is extremely important to me. I'm positive I'll be running for the rest of my life.
  • ___A day without a run is a day without sunshine.
  • ___If it becomes
    downright impossible to get my workout in today, I can always double up tomorrow.
  • ___Until I get my workout in, I'm a real bear Ä as in unbearable.
  • ___A little pain indicates there's serious progress being made.
  • ___If two aspirin/ibuprofen are good, four are twice as good.
  • ___Warm-up and cool-down are important, but it's what comes in the middle of a workout that counts.
  • ___As far as running goes, more is always better.
  • ___A string of running days must remain unbroken.
  • ___Quality without quantity is impossible.
  • ___Of course I know how many miles I ran last month_
  • ___Unless you've run a marathon, you're not a real runner.
  • ___The more marathons you've run, the more serious a runner you are.
  • ___Rest is for the weary, not for the strong.
  • ___Discomfort exists to run through, not to be an insurmountable barrier.
  • ___All my friends are runners, and I wouldn't consider befriending a nonrunner.
  • ___Many running-related pains can be gotten rid of by running through them.
  • ___If a shirt doesn't boast a race logo, it isn't one I want to wear.
  • ___It exhibits their inbred weakness if people don't want to hear my step-by-step re-creations of races I've run.
  • ___If I have a piddling injury and a sports medicine expert says I shouldn't run, it's obviously time for a second (or third) opinion.

Where does your total fall?

  • 161-200: Running addiction personified. Get help quickly.
  • 121-160: Leaning toward running addiction; beware.
  • 81-120: Neutral.
  • 41-80: Fitness with a mellow bent.
  • 20-40: Approaching terminal mellow; better sign up for a race.

Richard Benyo is editor of a new running publication, Marathon & Beyond, which debuts in January as a bimonthly published by Human Kinetics . Benyo has written 15 books on fitness, health, and sports, including Masters of the Marathon (Atheneum, 1983) and Making the Marathon Your Event (Random House, 1992). He has served as executive editor of Runner's World (1977-84) and is the veteran of 37 marathons. In 1989, he and running partner Tom Crawford became the first athletes ever to run in midsummer from Badwater in California's Death Valley to the peak of Mt. Whitney and back, a distance of 300 miles. He claims to be a recovering exercise addict.


Permission granted to redistribute, as long as you acknowledge the author, FootNotes and the Road Runners Club of America.

Complete Article-Running Addiction

Saturday, August 02, 2008

The Great Sandbagger 10K - 2008

This is a race where you predict your time. You can “win” this race by grossly overestimating how long it will take to run the 10K. Since we stagger the start times from the slowest predicted time to the fastest, usually the person with the largest positive difference between the predicted time and the actual time (lying) wins the race. Theoretically, if everyone told the absolute truth about how fast they planned to run the race, everyone would cross the finish line together, but that never happens.

There were 28 runners that participated. The course is an out and back and a bit hilly. I always try to predict my time accurately since I don’t want to win the atrocious trophy. It's some sort of tall clock thing and the winners have to add something to it. This year I predicted to run it in 41:15 but really had no idea if I could run it that time. Temp was 77F and humid and I was feeling decent, but after last week's disappointing 5K time I wasn't sure how I would run. Dan S., Phil, and MaryAnne predicted 43:00. I sort of liked the idea of being behind them and trying to pace myself by seeing them ahead and they actually started right ahead of me based on the staggered start. There were 3 people that started behind me. Dan L. started 45 seconds behind me, but I guessed he would pass me since I thought he would run a little faster than he predicted (40:30).

We can't wear watches during this race so I have no idea of pace, but I felt like I was starting out pretty fast. I could see Dan, Phil, and Maryanne cresting the first hill ahead shortly after I started. I was slowly gaining on them and Dan L. was gaining on me. At the turn around which is approximately 3 miles, I caught the 3, and Dan L. passed all of us. I kept my pace and then Phil sped up and we were passing back and forth with Dan L. Dan S. and MaryAnne stayed together behind us. At one point I had a surge and sped ahead and up the next hill Phil caught up to me. The rest of the way I stayed right behind Phil and Dan L. In about the last half mile Dan L. increased his lead on us and Phil a little on me. At the last 0.2 mi we had to run 2 times around the long driveway around the school. On the second loop I passed a bunch of people.

My sandbagging placement was 9th of 28 runners and my actual placement based on my time of 40:45 (a 9 second course record for me) was 4th of 28. I guess I was sandbagging just a little when I predicted my time since ended up passing 16 runners and was 30 seconds faster than my predicted.

This was a good "race" and I don't feel I quite went all out other than I probably started a little fast. It would have been nice to know my split at the half, but not wearing a watch kept it more interesting.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

2008 Show-Me State Games 5K

I woke up feeling sore, limping, and in no shape to run a race. Also, my weight was up this morning about 6 lbs due to what I ate and drank yesterday. I was hoping the warm-up would help and it did but not enough and I wasn't feeling very motivated to race. The race starts out down hill and a lot of people started off fast and I passed them before we went under the tunnel at Stadium. My GPS was acting screwy saying I was going a 3:12 pace at the beginnng. Someone yelled before the first mile that I better pick it up since a little girl was close behind me. I manually pressed the split at the first mile. It was way off since my GPS was off.

We had to turn onto Conley and run up 4th St instead of staying on 5th due to road construction, but it was the same distance. On Locust the course goes slightly up hill and I was gaining on the guy in front of me that was in the 50 - 54 group. By the time we turned onto Hitt I was right beind him and then passed him. Before the end of Hitt, I passed a guy in the 20 - 24 group. There was another in front of me but too far to catch. Before the 2 mi I also noticed the distance had not increased on my watch. I had accidentally shut it off when I hit the manual split. I could still see my instantaneous pace though. I figure I would finish in close to 20 min at this pace.

Near the end we run down a hill and make a sharp right into the Stadium where I almost over shot my turn. Then around the track which I kind of enjoy this type of finish. I see the clock is over 20 minutes and I finish in 20:35, but the course turned out to be 0.1 long just like last year.

My pace though was much slower than my usual 5K pace. This was not a good race for me. I really didn't start feeling good until I hit the track and it was almost over. Hugh finished in 22:30 which was a really good time and was 2nd in his age group adn 14th overall. I was also 2nd in my age group and 7th overall.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

update

I'm no longer going to post weekly workouts and will just post race reports and maybe an occasional update. If anyone wants to check out my training see my Running Ahead Log.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

7/7/08 - 7/13/08 and Smokin' Chicks 5K

I felt like I was running tired for many of the runs this week. I had planned to cut back and did cut back 20 miles. On Thursday, I was feeling good and had an excellent tempo. This probably wasn't smart to do considering I had a 5K on Saturday. I took Friday off, but still didn't feel like running the 5K on Saturday. It turned out to be a hot 5K and I was glad it was over. I didn't push myself too hard for the race. That morning I left for Bismarck. On the way there I met Danielle for about an hour in Minneapolis. We had an enjoyable chat and then it was time for me to catch my plane. I had hoped to possibly get a run on Saturday when I got there, but had to wait until Sunday morning and had a second run in the evening.

Date: 7/7/2008 5:25 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Interval Training - Back/Biceps/Abs
Duration: 35:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Notes: Reverse Grip Barbell Row-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (155 - 6/6/5)
Dumbbell Row-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (55 - 12/11)
Deadlifts-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (130 - 20)
Standing Barbell Curls-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (72.5 - 6/6/6)
Incline Dumbbell Curls-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (37.5 - 12/12)
Stability Ball Crunch (25lb - 50/50 alt/60)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 7/8/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Dreier Dirty Dozen - A Route
Distance: 9.3 miles
Duration: 1:12:05
Pace: 7:46 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 77° F, Overcast, Humid
Notes: I wasn't sure I was ready to run the hilly Dreier course today. No other reason than I just didn't think I felt like pushing it hard today. I ran with Dan the entire way although I passed a few people on Chapel Hill and they all passed me when it became flat. Makes no sense but I just like picking up the pace on hills if I am feeling up to it.

We took it pretty easy keeping a conversation pace (and we were conversing) the entire run. It was an enjoyable run and I was pretty soaked by the end from the humidity. Somehow we missed getting any rain while running but I think it would have been welcome. I think we ran the perfect pace today and I enjoyed it.

m1 - 8:44
m2 - 7:58
m3 - 7:44
m4 - 7:44
m5 - 7:44
m6 - 7:55
m7 - 7:48
m8 - 7:33
m9 - 7:23
0.3 - 1:33

Date: 7/8/2008 5:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Grindstone
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 34:41
Pace: 8:41 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: 77° F, Rain, Humid
Notes: Easy run with Dan and Hugh at Grindstone. It sprinkled a bit but we missed any major rain.

m1 - 9:01
m2 - 8:52
m3 - 8:52
m4 - 7:56

Date: 7/9/2008 5:25 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Training - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Duration: 40:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 8/10
Notes: Decline Bench Press-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (122.5- 12/10)
Flat Barbell Bench Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (112.5 - 6/6/6)
Incline Dumbbell Press-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (50 - 17)
Barbell Overhead Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (65 - 6/6/6)
Dumbbell Side Raises-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (27.5 - 12/12)
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (60 - 20)
Pull-ups - 4 types (8/7/7/6)
Dips (14/12/11)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 7/9/2008 5:10 PM
Type: Hill
Course: West Loop
Distance: 8.3 miles
Duration: 1:04:13
Pace: 7:45 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: Humid
Notes: Ran with Dan and Hugh from the Newman Center. We all ran together until Fairview Rd when Hugh stopped for water. Picked up the pace a little each mile. Overall run felt good and I felt a little more energetic than yesterday's afternoon run.

m1 - 8:45
m2 -7:58
m3 - 7:33
m4 - 7:44
m5 - 8:01
m6 -7:34
m7 - 7:15
m8 - 7:10
0.3: 2:11 (7:17 pace)

Date: 7/10/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Rock Quarry - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 56:01
Pace: 7:01 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8 (Blue/Silver)
Weight: 156 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 9/10
Weather: 70° F, Sunny, Humid
Notes: Started the run today with Dan and we were further back in the pack so had to pass a lot of runners. Once we got around, Phil comes up behind me on the right. I stay behind him and Tony since I know if I speed up, he will too. At the mulch pile, I decide to go around the opposite direction so I can set my own pace. Tony made it around just before I did and the rest were behind me. I'm not sure what got into me today, but I just kept pushing the pace. I heard someone behind me several times. Before a mile to the end Matt Dreier catches up to me and somehow I get sucked into running with him until the end. I almost couldn't talk by the time I stopped. I ran the last 0.25 mi with Dan to round off to 8 miles. I think I will rest tomorrow so maybe I can be ready for the 5K on Sat.

m1 - 8:17
m2 - 7:36
m3 - 7:22
m4 - 7:01
m5 - 6:22
m6 - 6:36
m7 - 6:25
m8 - 6:23

Date: 7/12/2008 7:50 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Smokin' Chicks
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 28:30
Pace: 9:12 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8 (Blue/Silver)
Weight: 156 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 1/10
Weather: 80° F, Overcast, Humid
Notes: Warmed up with Hugh before the race. It was quite warm and when I got done I drank nearly a 20 oz bottle of water right before the race.

m1 - 9:27
m2 - 9:16
m3 - 8:45
0.1 - 1:02

Date: 7/12/2008 8:30 AM
Type: Race
Course: Smokin' Chicks
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 19:17
Pace: 6:14 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8 (Blue/Silver)
Weight: 156 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 7/10
Field Placement: 11 / 126 (8.7%)
Age group: 30 – 39
Group Placement: 4
Weather: Humid
Notes: I wasn't real motivated about this race Fri night after a draining day at work, but woke up feeling better about it. I knew though I would be lucky to finish under 20 minutes with the heat. I didn't feel like I started out too fast. Caught up to Darrin early in the race and passed him. He passed me back at the turn around at about 1.3 miles. He really picked up the pace and was running an excellent race. I just didn't feel motivated and legs didn't feel fresh so I didn't push it. I did see 2 young teenage guys just after the 2 mile mark that I was catching and passed easily. I managed to get pretty far ahead of them but no one really in my sights to catch. Once I crossed the finish line I didn't feel like I had run too hard. I like running in the heat but just didn't feel like racing in it today.

Managed to place 11 overall and 4th in AG. Hugh placed first in his age group and took home a trophy.

m1 - 6:08
m2 - 6:18
m3 - 6:25
0.1 - 0:26

Date: 7/12/2008 9:10 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Smokin' Chicks
Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 15:35
Pace: 7:48 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8 (Blue/Silver)
Weight: 156 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: Humid
Notes: Ran a 2 mile cool down. Would have liked to do more but no time.

Date: 7/13/2008 7:00 AM
Type: Long
Course: Bismarck River Run
Distance: 14.3 miles
Duration: 1:50:08
Pace: 7:43 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 156 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 53° F, Sunny
Notes: Last night I planned out my route to run today in Bismarck. I modified a route that someone had created on mapmyrun. I generally ran this route http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/nd/bismarck/319011524506 except deviated a few places to check out the different directions of the trails. I didn't realize the River Road portion had a paved trail along the side. The course ended up following this trail system at about 6.5 miles and almost all the way back to the hotel. Some of the trail was next to the Missouri River. I also didn't realize I can get on this trail system about a half mile from the hotel so I have a lot more options. I learned quickly that the street portion was very easy to navigate and I don't think I could get lost here. It is all laid out very neatly. The trails are all paved and very nice just like Madison. I guess a state with a billion $ budget surplus from their oil profits can have nice trails.

The temps were perfect, sunny, and not nearly as windy as yesterday when I arrived. It would have been a perfect day to run a marathon. It stays light until 10 pm here so maybe I will get out again later. I didn't see anyone out running for a few miles and then encountered several runners on the trail. I took it pretty easy. The run didn't seemed very easy since I felt cool nearly the entire run. This will be nice running for a few days, but will appreciate the humid warm temps in Missouri more. I didn't carry any water on this run and was fine. I did notice quite a few vending machines with drinks along the course and thought would be nice if Columbia's parks and trails had vending machines. It seems strange that we don't. Also, paved trails are great to run on.

m1 - 8:14.......m8 - 7:44
m2 - 8:02.......m9 - 7:51
m3 - 7:55.....m10 - 7:58
m4 - 7:37.....m11 - 7:37
m5 - 7:37.....m12 - 7:30
m6 - 7:44.....m13 - 7:30
m7 - 7:35.....m14 - 7:12
0.3 - 2:02 (6:47 pace)

Date: 7/13/2008 8:20 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Bismarck River Run
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 1:07:44
Pace: 8:28 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 156 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 82° F, Sunny
Notes: I ran after we got back from dinner since it looked like a really nice evening and there were a lot of people out biking, roller blading, a few runners, and baseball games in the park. The people here are much more active at night than early in the morning when I ran and didn't see hardly anyone out. I ran on the Bismarck trail down to the river which was the one I ran earlier today. I went out a little over 4 miles and up a hill on a part I didn't run earlier which was on a bluff way above the river. That ended at a parking lot so I turned around and then noticed a dirt trail going off several places. I wasn't feeling well from dinner and everything else I have eaten today but still was too tempted so I took this trail. It went up even higher on the bluff and then dropped down. This was enough to really stir up my dinner so I got onto the road at the bottom and then crossed back over to the trail. I probably wasn't on this dirt part for even a half mile. This actually cut off some distance from the turn around. I found a bathroom quickly on the trail and had about 1.5 miles to go. The run ended perfectly at 8 miles so I stopped and walked just a few steps into the hotel. Legs feel tired and this run didn't feel as easy as the morning run today.

m1 - 8:33
m2 - 8:34
m3 - 8:23
m4 - 8:45
m5 - 8:55
m6 - 8:02
m7 - 8:13
m8 - 8:17

Running: 60.1 - 7:48:14

Weights: 1 hr 15 min (2 workouts)

MTD Running: 141 mi

YTD Running: 1703.3 mi

July 27-Show-me State Games 5K
August 2-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Sunday, July 06, 2008

6/30/08 - 7/6/08

Started the week off with a rest day since I felt very tired on Monday. I didn't get up to lift weights since my body was saying to rest. I felt better on Tuesday morning and had a good run but Wednesday failed to get up for a weight workout. I had spent the night before cleaning the house so was tired. I had a higher than usual mileage week but ran most of the runs at an easier pace. I felt great after the long run on Sat and did a weight workout later in the morning. Next week I will cut back my mileage and try to get back on schedule with the weights.

Date: 7/1/2008 5:45 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Tripp 10K - A Route
Distance: 6.2 miles
Duration: 43:30
Pace: 7:01 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 59° F, Sunny
Notes: Today was world record day and we surpassed the goal of 200 runners with about 217. After the picture was taken, we didn't get started until 5:45. Ran with Dan and Sam at the start and Dan most of the run. The speedsters passed us on Nifong and Phil and Tom caught up to us.

I picked it up just a little on Forum and ran ahead with Phil staying right with me. I ran pretty hard down the hill in the last mile but overall average effort.

m1 - 8:10
m2 - 7:05
m3 - 7:15
m4 - 7:01
m5 - 6:58
m6 - 5:43
.2 - 1:18

Date: 7/1/2008 5:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Grindstone
Distance: 9 miles
Duration: 1:12:34
Pace: 8:04 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 88° F, Sunny
Notes: Hugh and I met Dan for a run at Grindstone. Dan was running late so we went ahead and ran a few miles. I ran 3 before he arrived. It was a good run and we talked about our stressful day at work. I was in a bad mood but felt much better by the end of the run. The run felt pretty easy and the pace was steady.

After eating dinner and going to the store, I was feeling very wiped out. I made Hugh drive home while I dozed and as soon as everything was put away I went to bed and didn't record any of my runs. Woke up feeling a little better but no energy to do a morning workout. I remember feeling really thirsty when we got into the car so I don't think I drank soon enough or enough after the run plus the crappy day at work just wore me out mentally and physically. I need a vacation from work, but too much to do.


M1- 8:17
m2- 8:05
m3- 8:02
m4- 8:23
m5- 8:05
m6- 8:12
m7 - 8:02
m8 - 7:51
m9 - 7:34

Date: 7/2/2008 5:00 PM
Type: Hill
Course: West Loop
Distance: 9.25 miles
Duration: 1:17:18
Pace: 8:22 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: 73° F, Rain
Notes: Ran with Dan and Hugh from the Newman Center. We did the same loop as last week except ran back on Stadium to West Blvd to Stewart rather than take the trail all the way back. We all ran together except Dan stopped once to relieve himself at the Sinclair and then caught back up to us on Fairview. Hugh took the trail all the way back. We kept the pace pretty easy especially up the hills. The rain had stopped by the time we finished. I really enjoyed running this course. The run seemed to go fast even though we ran longer.

m1 - 9:21 (GPS went out for awhile so this mile is long)
m2 - 8:16
m3 - 8:09
m4 - 8:30
m5 - 9:31
m6 - 8:09
m7 - 8:16
m8 - 7:55
m9 - 8:00
0.25 - 1:10

Date: 7/3/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Miscellaneous Route
Distance: 7 miles
Duration: 54:28
Pace: 7:47 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 70° F, Overcast
Notes: We set out to run to the mulch pile at Grindstone today, but due to way too much rain last night the low crossing on the MU Rec Trail was under water and moving fast. No one was brave enough to try crossing it. I was running with Dan, Phil, John, and Sam at this point. Dan, Sam, John and me went up the road towards Gerbes and turned on Forum. John wanted to run farther so he went to Scott Blvd. The run was about 6.5 miles so we ran another 0.5 miles when we got back to the trail. My GPS didn't work for the first 1.6 miles so I got the splits from Dan. This was a reasonably paced run before tomorrow's 4 mile race.

m1- 8:49
m2-7:51
m3-7:44
m4-7:57
m5-7:30
m6-7:31
m7-7:02

Date: 7/4/2008 7:00 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Parley Pratt 4 miler
Distance: 3 miles
Duration: 25:08
Pace: 8:23 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 65° F, Sunny
Notes: Warmed up with Dan S & H before the race on the trail. Hugh warmed up but took a different course than the race. Legs were feeling a little tight so this run helped loosen things up.

m1 - 8:58
m2 - 8:20
m3 - 7:51

Date: 7/4/2008 7:50 AM
Type: Race
Course: Parley Pratt 4 miler
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 24:35
Pace: 6:09 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement: 3 / 115 (2.6%)
Weather: Sunny
Notes: July 12-Parley Pratt Report

Date: 7/4/2008 9:20 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Parley Pratt 4 miler
Distance: 3 miles
Duration: 25:06
Pace: 8:22 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: Sunny
Notes: Ran the recovery run with Hugh, Dan S and Dan H. I hung back with Dan H. until we got to Forum and noticed Dan S. had turned up Forum and then Katy so I followed and caught up on the hill which took some effort. We turned on Martinshire and back to Chapel Hill to the park which turned out about perfect and hit 3 miles.

m1 - 9:04
m2 - 7:44
m3 - 8:18

Date: 7/5/2008 5:15 AM
Type: Long
Course: Heart of America Course Training
Distance: 20 miles
Duration: 2:40:52
Pace: 8:03 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8 (Blue/Silver)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 59° F, Sunny, Humid
Notes: I arrived 15 minutes early so I decided to run 2 miles rather than wait. Dan, Phil, Allan, and Matt showed up to run. Matt runs with the Tu/Th group and found about the run on the Tryathletics calendar. We all stayed together for the entire run except the last 2 miles spread out a little. The entire run felt very easy other than running up Easley Hill and running with Dan trying to catch Allan and Phil near the end. We ran back a quarter mile to run in with Matt and then I stopped at 20 miles. A very good run today with beautiful course, very little traffic for most of the run, and perfect weather. The gravel part of the course was a little rough to run and the rest was about what we expected. No flooding this time so we didn't have to run an extra hilll.

m1 - 8:52...........m11 - 8:01
m2 - 8:30...........m12 - 8:09
m3 - 8:40...........m13 - 7:36
m4 - 7:58...........m14 - 7:51
m5 - 7:55...........m15 - 7:51
m6 - 8:09...........m16 - 7:55
m7 - 7:44...........m17 - 7:59
m8 - 8:16...........m18 - 8:20
m9 - 8:02...........m19 - 7:09
m10 - 8:05.........m20 - 7:37

Date: 7/5/2008 10:15 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Training - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Duration: 36:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Notes: It was strange, but it actually felt good to finally pick up some weights today after the long run. I guess I got enough sleep since I didn't feel like napping. I grazed the side of my foot when I dropped a 35 lb weight but fortunately the floor took most of thei impact.

Decline Bench Press-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (122.5- 12/10)
Flat Barbell Bench Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (111.25 - 6/6/6)
Incline Dumbbell Press-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (50 - 19)
Barbell Overhead Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (65 - 6/6/5)
Dumbbell Side Raises-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (27.5 - 12/12)
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (57.5 - 20)
Pull-ups - 4 types (8/8/5/5)
Dips (13/11/10)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 7/5/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Bear Creek Trail
Distance: 3 miles
Duration: 26:43
Pace: 8:55 / mile
Shoe: adidas Supernova
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 81° F, Sunny
Notes: Met Dan, Copper and Tanner to run at Bear Creek Trail. I ran with Bruno while Hugh took Rusty for a walk since his leg was a little unstable today. After running, the dogs played in the pond. Rusty enthusiasticallly fetched the Frisbee from the water and didn't want to stop even though his leg had to be hurting. Some other dogs had a great time playing with Copper and Tanner's toy. Very entertaining to watch as they chased each other around the park.

Date: 7/6/2008 8:55 AM
Type: Hill
Course: Clay's Fork
Distance: 6.8 miles
Duration: 52:19
Pace: 7:42 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 78° F, Humid, Partly Cloudy
Notes: Great morning for a beautiful run. I was happy to see the temps had already warmed up and felt pretty humid too. It felt good to push the easy pace just a little on the hills. Everything felt pretty good today and didn't feel too tired.

m1 - 8:10
m2 - 7:44
m3 - 7:55
m4 - 7:30
m5 - 7:12
m6 - 7:37
0.8 - 6:11 (7:44 pace)

Date: 7/6/2008 2:05 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 9.64 miles
Duration: 1:28:09
Pace: 9:09 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 91° F, Sunny, Humid

Ran with Dan at Rock Bridge for a hot and humid run. We both carried water and he planted water at 5.5 miles. We ran the Deer Run loop except avoided the grasslands and ran on the new trail. Dan set a good pace and this run felt okay. I was feeling a little tired but legs felt okay. I was thoroughly soaked by the end but I think I stayed well hydrated. I had drank almost all my Nunn at the 5.5 miles when I refilled with water.

After we finished we waited for about 25 min for Hugh since he was running from home to the park. As soon as I left to look for him, he arrived. We all then went to Andy's for frozen custard. This was especially well-deserved after a good week of running and today's hot run.

m1 - 9:10
m2 - 9:20
m3 - 9:10
m4 - 8:42
m5 - 9:01
m6 - 9:13
m7 - 9:17
m8 - 9:07
m9 - 9:42
.64 - 5:50 (9:10 pace)

Running: 80.9 - 10:50:42

Weights: 36 min (1 workouts)

MTD Running: 80.9 mi

YTD Running: 1643.1 mi

July 12-Smokin' Chicks 5K
July 27-Show-me State Games 5K
August 2-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Friday, July 04, 2008

2008 Parley P. Pratt Memorial 4 Miler Freedom Run

The weather was great for the 4th of July with nice cool temps. After running a 3 mile warm-up, we had the usual pre-race ceremonies and explanation that we are running to celebrate the jail break of Parley P. Pratt. I wasn't sure what to expect for pace. I had ran the course at 6:07 pace last year but didn't think I quite had that in me today. Temps were cooler this year probably in the lower 70s and the course is also shaded by the trees since this race is 2 miles out and back on the MKT trail.

Based on how I felt I thought my goal would be to run around 25 minutes. We lined up in the grass to start. I felt like I was going a little fast and GPS said 4-something pace so slowed a little and waited for it to smooth out. I was right around a 6 min pace. I was in 5th place at this point in the beginning. Before the first half mile Dan Lopez passed me and I noticed the 2 guys ahead of us slowing. We both passed them and at this point I was in 3rd place. The guy ahead of us was looking strong. I thought I could stay with the young Mr. Lopez. I stayed just behind him and almost thought about passing him once but he seemed to be picking up the pace. My first mile split was 6:14.

Before the turn around, Lopez had begun to pull ahead and I didn't try to keep up. At the turn-around I see the first person behind me is Dan S. but he wasn't close enough yet to give me a push. I keep about the same pace as first mile and the second is 6:11. The 3rd mile I feel like slowing down. Normally at this point seeing the other runners come at me helps me speed up but not today. I'm just hoping I can maintain my pace enough so that Dan doesn't blaze past me right at the end.

As I turn the corner to go back around the lake I look behind and don't see anyone. I looked again on the next corner and still no one. I push on to the end with a final mile split of 5:45 and I think it was about 0.08 short. So I finish only 5 seconds slower than my official time last year which is decent considering I didn't feel like I pushed the effort too hard today. If Phil or Dan had caught up to me, I am sure I would have run harder. I placed 3rd of 115 people.

Phil placed 4th, Dan S. 5th, Dan H. 12th, and Hugh 15th. Hugh was the second over 50 male. Awards were watermelons for 18 and under, 18 - 49, and 50 and over male and female. The Lopez family took 2 melons. They are a fast family.

After the race, I ate some bananas and collected my special Tu/Th group bead for running the race. We stayed for the awards ceremony and then ran 3 more miles.

m1 - 6:14
m2 - 6:11
m3 - 6:25
m4 - 5:45 (0.92 on GPS - 6:15 pace)

Monday, June 30, 2008

6/23/08 - 6/29/08

I had some really fast runs this week, but was not feeling motivated on most days other than Sunday. I've been feeling low energy and feel like sleeping, but am having trouble doing that too.

Date: 6/23/2008 5:20 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Interval Training - Back/Biceps/Abs
Duration: 38:00
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Notes: Reverse Grip Barbell Row-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (152.5 - 6/6/6)
Dumbbell Row-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (52.5 - 12/12)
Deadlifts-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (127.5 - 20)
Standing Barbell Curls-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (72.5 - 6/6/4)
Incline Dumbbell Curls-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (36.25 - 12/12)
Stability Ball Crunch (25lb - 60/40 alt/50)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 6/24/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Hugh's Hulen Hills - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 54:06
Pace: 6:46 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Weather: 65° F, Sunny
Notes: Woke up feeling tired today and not wanting to get up. The first warm-up mile went faster than usual and I think that woke me up. There were a lot more people at the run today with some of the really fast elite guys that I can't keep up with. I ran with Dan until the top of Chapel Hill and then I could hear their footsteps. Steve McIntire was already ahead of us. I sped up and tried to hold them off as long as I could but they passed me. I could have tried harder to keep up but I know my limits. So I continue to run and can see Pat Hanson behind me. He had stopped to use the bathroom and had to catch up. He caught up to me right before the big hill and at the top sped ahead. By the time I got onto Mills Dr. I could see him over on Forum. Once I got onto Forum I decided to speed up and see how close I could get to him. I caught up to and passed him. After the run he said he wasn't feeling well today so even not feeling well I he ran pretty fast. Hilly course today but I took advantage of any downhill parts.

Once Dan finished with Steve Fisher, he kept going down the trail so I attempted to catch up to him and eventually he noticed and we completed one more mile together.

m1 - 7:46
m2 - 7:08 (this included Chapel Hill)
m3 - 6:40
m4 - 6:29
m5 - 6:04
m6 - 7:12 (included the BIG hill)
m7 - 5:53 (not a typo - thanks to Pat H.)
m8 - 6:53

Date: 6/24/2008 5:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Grindstone Trail/Road Loop
Distance: 5.5 miles
Duration: 43:10
Pace: 7:51 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 82° F, Sunny, Humid
Notes: Met Dan at Grindstone for an easy run. Dan gave me the choice of making the run easy or more interesting so he took off up the Jaira Jaunt hill on Campusview, onto Grindstone, and down Old 63 which made it more interesting. This was a nice loop with a fast downhill in the last mile.

m1 - 8:30
m2 - 8:13
m3 - 8:02
m4 - 7:49
m5 - 7:20
.5 - 3:22 (6:40 pace)

Date: 6/25/2008 5:15 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Training - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Duration: 0:37
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Notes: Decline Bench Press-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (121.25- 12/12)
Flat Barbell Bench Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (111.25 - 6/6/5)
Incline Dumbbell Press-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (50 - 18)
Barbell Overhead Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (62.5 - 6/6/6)
Dumbbell Side Raises-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (27.5 - 12/10)
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (56.25 - 20)
Pull-ups - 4 types (8/6/6/6)
Dips (13/12/11)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 6/25/2008 5:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: West Loop
Distance: 8.25 miles
Duration: 1:03:30
Pace: 7:42 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 91° F, Sunny, Humid
Notes: Met Dan at Newman Center parking lot to run a course I mapped today. Took Stewart to West Blvd., to Rollins/Sunset/Rollins, Fairview, Chapel Hill, Forum, and MKT back to the start. When plotting the course I didn't think about all of the hills (Dan reminded me of the ones I forgot). I tend to remember the downhills since I have better memories of going fast.

This was a good course, pace was easy but not too easy, and good heat training. I'm glad we didn't attempt intervals tonight with being tired and the heat. My shorts were thoroughly soaked by the time we finished.

m1 - 8:08
m2 - 7:48
m3 - 7:30
m4 - 7:37
m5 - 7:47
m6 - 7:30
m7 - 7:37
m8 - 7:35
0.25 - 1:56 (7:44 pace)

Date: 6/26/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Rain Run - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 58:32
Pace: 7:19 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 66° F, Rain
Notes: It rained last night and when we arrived at Forum it was starting to rain harder with lightening. Due to the rain, we ran the route called Rain run today. I ran with Dan, but we didn't break away from the group until after we got off the trail. Several people ended up passing us today and we let them. I'm amazed how fast some of these people run, but I guess they don't run almost every day like some of us. This was a good run in the rain. By the time we finished, it had almost stopped for awhile. Seems crazy calling this kind of pace an easy run but I guess we are getting faster.

m1 - 8:42
m2 - 8:23
m3 - 7:22
m4 - 6:50
m5 - 6:43
m6 - 6:50
m7 - 6:50
m8 - 6:48

Date: 6/27/2008 5:15 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Interval Training - Back/Biceps/Abs
Duration: 34:00
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 9/10
Notes: I really didn't plan to get up to do a weight workout, but Bruno the 85 lb alarm clock managed to fully awake me. Once I fed him, I felt like I could do the workout. I was really dehydrated for some reason this morning so probably why I didn't feel great. I rehydrated before the workout and feel better now that it is done.

Reverse Grip Barbell Row-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (156 - 6/6/4)
Dumbbell Row-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (55 - 12/10)
Deadlifts-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (130 - 20)
Standing Barbell Curls-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (72.5 - 6/6/5)
Incline Dumbbell Curls-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (37.5 - 12/12)
Stability Ball Crunch (25lb - 60/50 alt/50)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 6/28/2008 5:35 AM
Type: Long
Course: West End
Distance: 14 miles
Duration: 1:43:39
Pace: 7:25 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 71° F, Overcast
Notes: Ran with Dan, Darrin, Destiny, Sam, and Phil until about 7 miles when we started to break apart. Ran with Phil behind Darrin and Destiny until Twin Lakes. I didn't feel great and skipped the gel I was carrying at mile 7. I decided I would try using the bathroom at Twin Lakes and by the time I got there I didn't have any choice. When I was getting a drink and consuming my gel Sam ran by me. I could see Destiny, Darrin and Phil way ahead of me when they were almost done running around the lake. I picked up the pace and caught up to Sam. Then I passed Darrin walking since he didn't feel well. I finally caught up to Destiny and Phil and kept the pace going since I was in a groove. I was actually feeling good and had about 3 miles to go. I ran through the fountain at Flat Branch Park, Broadway, and back to 9th St. The last 4 miles were all sub-7 and felt easier than the first 10. I felt like I had salvaged a crappy run after the first 10 miles.

m1 - 8:32
m2 - 8:05
m3 - 7:51
m4 - 7:47
m5 - 7:40
m6 - 7:44
m7 - 7;47
m8 - 7:12
m9 - 7:30
m10 - 7:07
m11 - 6:36
m12 - 6:25
m13 - 6:42
m14 - 6:36

Date: 6/28/2008 7:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Bear Creek Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 35:10
Pace: 8:48 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Notes: Run with Hugh, Dan, Rusty, Bruno, Copper, and Tanner. Hugh started a little ahead with Bruno. Rusty was very ready to run today but didn't pull for a change. After he fetched the Frisbee in the water many times. I don't think he would have ever stopped. After we took all dogs and humans to Jason's for custard.

m1 - 8:47
m2 - 8:37
m3 - 8:43
m4 - 9:01

Date: 6/29/2008 8:10 AM
Type: Hill
Course: Prathersville Loop
Distance: 12.5 miles
Duration: 1:45:18
Pace: 8:26 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 66° F, Overcast, Rain
Notes: Ran the hilly Prathersville Loop which I don't think I have done since I started this log. Much of this course is gravel and there was no track to run on due to fresh gravel. It rained a little in the last 2 miles and I caught up to Hugh finishing his run in the last half mile. This was a pretty easy run and I just ran it at a really comfortable pace.

m1 - 8:51
m2 - 8:05
m3 - 8:48
m4 - 7:55
m5 - 8:37
m6 - 8:41
m7 - 8:37
m8 - 8:09
m9 - 8:09
m10 - 8:16
m11 - 8:09
m12 - 8:30
0.5 - 4:29

Date: 6/29/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 11 miles
Duration: 1:43:11
Pace: 9:23 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 83° F, Partly Cloudy
Notes: Ran with Dan and Hugh at Rockbridge for a trail run. I was a little shaky getting started but we took it easy. Hugh ran 7 miles and Dan and I ran 11 using a new trail at the end for the additional miles. Very enjoyable run and am very glad we took it easy.

m1 - 9:27
m2 - 10:06 m7 - 8:40
m3 - 10:12 m8 - 8:45
m4 - 9:39 m9 - 8:58
m5 - 9:54 m10 - 9:01
m6 - 9:54 m11 - 8:39

Running: 71.2 - 9:26:36

Weights: 1 hr 46 min (3 workouts)

MTD Running: 284.7 mi

YTD Running: 1562.3 mi

July 4-Parley Pratt 4 mi Freedom Run
July 12-Smokin' Chicks 5K
August 2-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Thursday, June 26, 2008

6/16/08 - 6/22/08

Good week with lots of hills and a great long run. Wish I could have run a little more but this seems manageable right now.

Date: 6/16/2008 6:20 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Interval Training - Back/Biceps/Abs
Duration: 36:00
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Notes: Reverse Grip Barbell Row-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (151.25 - 6/6/6)
Dumbbell Row-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (51.25 - 12/12)
Deadlifts-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (127.5 - 20)
Standing Barbell Curls-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (71.25 - 6/6/6)
Incline Dumbbell Curls-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (35 - 12/12)
Stability Ball Crunch (25lb - 60/60 alt/50)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 6/17/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Hill
Course: Jaira's Jaunt - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 57:40
Pace: 7:13 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 57° F, Sunny
Notes: After the first mile today I picked up the pace since I was ready to run. The temp was cool and I had a good night's sleep. Dan caught up to me after mile 2 and we ran together the rest of the way. We kept checking to see how close the group behind us. In the last half mile, Matt Dreier and Mark Keyes catch up to us and Mark passes us. Then he slows down. We extended the run to 8 miles up Forum. I felt really good today with no tiredness or body part issues. This was a hilly course and we ran it well.

m1 - 8:40
m2 - 7:47
m3 - 7:23
m4 - 7:12
m5 - 6:54
m6 -6:50
m7 - 6:15
m8 - 6:36

Date: 6/17/2008 5:05 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Grindstone
Distance: 5 miles
Duration: 41:45
Pace: 8:21 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 82° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Dan after work for an easy recovery run. The weather was nice and it was good to get some extra miles today. We took it easy since we ran hard this morning and Dan also has been having some pain in his left foot. Good conversation and company as usual. Hugh ran home from work and got some extra miles.

m1 - 8:49
m2 - 8:16
m3 - 8:23
m4 - 8:17
m5 - 7:58

Date: 6/18/2008 5:00 AM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Brad Wadlow's High Intensity Training - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Duration: 43:00
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Notes: I'm impressed my weights are continuing to go up again. I seem to be making a little progress every week.

Decline Bench Press-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (120 - 12/12)
Flat Barbell Bench Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (111.25 - 6/6/6)
Incline Dumbbell Press-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (50 - 18)
Barbell Overhead Press-4-2 rep tempo 3 sets of 6 reps (61.25 - 6/6/6)
Dumbbell Side Raises-3-2 rep tempo 2 sets of 12 reps (26.25 - 12/12)
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises-2-2 rep tempo 1 sets of 20 reps (55 - 20)
Pull-ups - 4 types (7/7/7/7)
Dips (12/10/10)
PT Exercises/Stretches

Date: 6/18/2008 5:10 PM
Type: Interval
Course: Newman Intervals
Distance: 8.24 miles
Duration: 59:50
Pace: 7:16 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 8/10
Weather: 82° F, Sunny
Notes: Met with Dan to run intervals. First one felt pretty easy. The rest felt increasingly difficult but probably could have pushed just a little harder. My goal for next time will be 6 minutes.
Statistics: Calories: 960
VO2 Max: 46.1

Intervals (Mile Interval)
Type Distance Time Total Pace Notes
Recovery 1.35 Mi 11:00 11:00 8:09 warm up
Interval 1 Mi 6:05 17:05 6:05 Goal 6:15
Recovery 0.5 Mi 4:05 21:10 8:10
Interval 1 Mi 6:12 27:22 6:12 Goal 6:15
Recovery 0.5 Mi 4:24 31:46 8:48
Interval 1 Mi 6:07 37:53 6:07 Goal 6:15
Recovery 0.5 Mi 4:20 42:13 8:40
Interval 1 Mi 6:04 48:17 6:04 Goal 6:15
Recovery 1.39 Mi 11:33 59:50 8:19

Date: 6/19/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Hill
Course: Miscellaneous Route
Distance: 9.3 miles
Duration: 1:13:58
Pace: 7:58 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 62° F, Sunny
Notes: Today we ran to the golf course and ran on the perimeter which is a very hilly course. This run was in honor of Munashe who was required to carry some sort of stick as a weapon against predators. I hung back at the beginning. and eventually sped up and passed everyone except stayed behind James. The pack I was with ran around 2 times and then headed to the trail. Brad Miller was sticking to me like glue until the 2.0 marker and then Munashe passed and I stuck with him until the end.

Then that was only 4.8 miles so I extended the hilly route going on Katy Ln, Martinshire, Chapel Hill, and Grant. I was hoping to run a loop but was running out of time so turned around and went Chapel Hill, Forum, and back to trail.

This was kind of a crazy run today but a good hill workout.

m 1 & 2 - 16:59 (My GPS didn't work at beginning and then started working. Dan H. told me I was 1 mile off)
m 3 - 7:19
m4 - 7:37
m5 - 6:32 (catching Munashe)
m6 - 8:27
m7 - 8:27
m8 - 8:12
m9 - 8:12
0.3 - 2:10

Date: 6/21/2008 5:35 AM
Type: Long
Course: Two Loop Twenty
Distance: 21 miles
Duration: 2:36:30
Pace: 7:28 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 65° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran the two loop twenty today, but we did the second loop which is more hilly first. I immediately kept pace with Destiny and we got off to a pretty fast warm-up mile. We had to take a little detour to avoid the construction on part of Stewart Rd. We took a detour that wasn't out of our way and she stopped at Starbucks briefly to use the restroom and I waited and we got right back on pace. I was feeling like I could use a restroom, but couldn't go in without a shirt. Then we got to Hospital Dr and more construction. Destiny spotted a port-a-potty and thought she better stop again, but it was behind a fence. We found another area under construction with one and just went under the yellow tape. We actually were supposed to run down this road but it was fenced off so we had to figure out how to get back on course. This likely added a half mile. About 1 mi from the end she thought she needed a restroom and I was getting to that point too. She had me go ahead and walked a bit. About a half mile before the next restroom and our cars I had to stop and walk a few seconds and then ran again and just barely made it. I even forgot to stop my watch in the restroom which I guess was 2:54.

I had drank almost all of my Nunn on the first loop. I rehydrated and had an Accel and we were ready for the second loop. Hugh was coming in from the first loop just as we were leaving. Still a few hills, but not quite as bad. At about mile 16.5 Destiny tells me to go ahead since she is in need of a bathroom so I finish on my own. I picked up the pace in the last mile and was at 20.5 mi at my car so added another half mile to make it 21 miles. Destiny finished not far behind me but she had turned around and came back a different way. Brett and Dale came in while I was waiting for Hugh. Hugh ended up taking the trail spur back to the start which he thought was shorter and ended up being longer so he ran 21.5 miles.

This was a good run. Missed having Dan run with us today but he was going to run a 5K in Fulton if his foot felt okay. I found myself picking up the pace early in the second loop and tried to hold back to about 7:30. For this hilly course, 7:28 just seems fast for a training run. This has been a good week for hills.

m1 - 8:10
m2 - 7:19
m3 - 7:30
m4 - 7:22
m5 - 7:37
m6 - 7:22
m7 - 7:16
m8 - 7:05
m8.63 - 4:30 (I hit something wrong here and miles started splitting at 0.65)
m9.65 - 7:22
m10.65 - 7:18
m11.65 - 7:44
m12.65 - 7:26
m13.65 - 7:40
m14.65 - 7:37
m15.65 - 7:22
m16.65 - 7:40
m17.65 - 7:26
m18.65 - 7:37
m19.65 - 7:26
m20.65 - 6:50
m21.0 - 2:45

Date: 6/21/2008 7:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Bear Creek Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 34:07
Pace: 8:32 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 1/10
Weather: 78° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Hugh, Dan, Copper, Tanner, Bruno and Rusty. This week even Hugh and Rusty ran with us. Rusty's leg is better and he was aching to run when we got there. Very impatient and barking at us to get going. I started out with Rusty and we started just a little too fast to get me moving after a 21 miler today. After the initial start, it turned out to be an enjoyable run, but Bruno was pulling Hugh so I took both dogs for awhile.

We stopped at their creek for drinks and for Bruno to cool off. After finishing Rusty is very ready to go to the pond. We are seeing a lot of the same dogs here every Sat. night. Tanner and Copper shared their squeaky toy with Rusty and Bruno so all dogs got to fetch in the water. We will keep a Frisbee in the car from now on so I don't forget to bring it.

After the pond, we all went to Jason's and this week we just ordered 1 pup cup for each 2 dogs with an extra cup. This was a fun outing as usual. Hopefully, the dogs will sleep well tonight.

m1 - 8:26
m2 - 8:44
m3 - 8:39
m4 - 8:16

Date: 6/22/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 9.5 miles
Duration: 1:24:24
Pace: 8:54 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 85° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Dan at Rock Bridge. We ran 5 on the Deer run side and 4.5 on the Gans creek side. The trails were in pretty good shape and not too muddy today. The Gans creek didn't seem as bad as last week, but we did avoid some of the areas we ran last week. Still had to run through the tall grass.


m1 - 8:48 m6 - 9:19
m2 - 9:22 m7 - 9:33
m3 - 9:17 m8 - 9:53
m4 - 8:20 m9 - 8:02
m5 - 8:00 .5 - 3:48 (7:34 pace)

Running: 65.0 - 8:28:14

Weights: 1 hr 19 min (2 workouts)

MTD Running: 213.4 mi

YTD Running: 1491.0 mi

July 4-Parley Pratt 4 mi Freedom Run
July 12-Smokin' Chicks 5K
August 2-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon