Training 8/6 - 8/12

Mon-Evening: Weights, upper bulk #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 56 min

Tues- Hugh’s Hulen Hills, 7 mi, 55:22, 7:55/mi
New Tu/Th group course that Hugh designed. I took it pretty easy since still sore from Sunday. The last major hill was some sort of cruel joke. The grade of the hill was very steep.

Wed- 3.25, 21:42, 6:41/mi
Track workout, 1 mi warmup, 7:22, 4-100s, 23, 27, 25, 24; 2-300s - 54, 55; 6-200s, 36, 37, 39, 38, 36, 37; 1-400, 1:13; 1200 m cool down, 5:49
Good workout in the heat. Felt strong on the last 400 staying with Ted.

Thurs- MKT Bridge - 1/2 mi Intervals, 7.8 mi, 0:56:29, 7:14/mi
Completed 5 intervals after warming up for 2 miles. Ran with Scott and his recoveries were faster than I usually run them but I seemed to be pushing him pretty hard on the intervals.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 57 min

Fri- Rest

Sat-Long Run Lunatics, Tayside 22, 2:58:30, 8:07/mi
We started at 5:30 am in the dark. Felt very relaxed on this run. Temp and humidity were not awful. Picked up the pace the last 5 miles or so ran 7-somethings with Phil. Felt really good after this run.

Sun- HOA Course/Rockbridge State Park, 24 mi, 4:09:49, 10:25/mi
Woke up feeling good and ready to run. I started at 5:30 am and ran an 8-something pace for the first 2 miles and then encountered 3 other runners on the course so I stayed with them running their pace. Stayed well hydrated thanks to James planting water on the HOA course. Also, was starving at 16 mi and Lisa had food for us so ate a banana which is exactly what I had been craving. She joined in running for the first time in several weeks due to a motorcycle injury. I ran the entire 17 mile loop and then went 7 more miles on the trails of the park.

Running: 64 mi (highest mileage week this year)

Weights: 113 min

YTD Running: 1716.1

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

Training 7/30 - 8/4 and Sandbagger 10K

Mon- Rest

Tues- Jaira's Jaunt, 7.1 mi, 52:32, 7:24/mi

Evening: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 61 min

Wed- 3.75 mi, 24:56, 6:39/mi
Track Workout 1 mi, 7:56 warmup, 4-100 m strides, 2:01- 5:36/mi pace; 2:05 -5:23/mi pace; 1:36-5:20/mi pace; 1:32-5:30/mi pace; 3-300s-1:03, 1:09, 1:10, 800 m cool down, 3:55

Thurs- Rock Quarry, 7.8 mi, 1:04:26, 8:16/mi

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 56 min

Fri- Rest (extremely tired due to lack of sleep)

Sat-The Great Sandbagger 10K
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 21 runners that participated. The course is an out and back and quite hilly. I always try to predict my time accurately since I don’t want to win the trophy. This year I predicted to run it in 42:15 since legs were feeling fatigued, it was already 80F and humid, and I wasn't feeling that great. It's always a guess and figured on a good day I could run 41:30, but wasn't feeling it on Saturday. Phil also predicted 42:15 so we could push each other and we usually finish races within a few seconds of each other. We started last since we predicted the fastest time. We had to wait about 30 minutes from when the first person started.

We can't wear watches so I really don't have a good sense of pace, but the first half didn't feel good. I ran right next to Phil for probably the first 2 miles and then pulled a little ahead and started to pass people before the turn around point. Then I started feeling better. Last year I only passed 2 runners on the course starting last so didn't really expect to pass many people. I guess I was sandbagging a little (although unexpected) when I predicted my time since ended up passing 15 runners, placing 5th out of 20 and actual time was 40:54, 1:21 faster than my predicted time. I was the fastest finisher too and my fastest time on this course by 36 seconds when I ran 41:30 in 2004. This was also the second fastest 10K I have run. Results are posted here

Post Race: 10 miles, 1:28:11, 8:49/mi

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 19.5 mi, 3:34:40, 11:01/mi
Alarm went off and really wanted to go back to bed. Arrived at the park at 6 am and Jeff arrived a few seconds later. We ran about an 8 mile loop on the Devil's Ice Box side and then ran a 7.5 loop on the Gans Creek side and then another 4 mile loop on the Devil's Ice Box side. Legs felt tired the entire run. Even though I sprayed myself twice with bug spray, my feet were attacked by tiny ticks and a few bites on the buttocks as well. These were the 2 areas that I didn't spray bug spray on the skin. My feet are pretty chewed up right now.

On the loop on the Gans Creek side I tripped on something, went forward and next thing I know, I'm almost hugging a tree. I had put my hands out and caught myself with both hands on a big tree. It was with such force, I was glad it wasn't my head. I was fine and nothing hurt.

Running: 54.3 mi

Weights: 117 min

YTD Running: 1652

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

Training 7/23 - 7/29/Show-Me Games 5K

Mon- Rest

Tues- Diva Run, 8.1 mi, 1:04:08, 7:55/mi

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

Wed- 4.1mi, 26:12, 6:23/mi
Track workout, 1 mi warmup, 8:13, 4-100s, 1- 1200, 4:29; 5-400s, 1:20, 1:26, 1:22, 1:22, 1:18; 1200 m cool down, 5:41
1200 was supposed to be 5K pace and 400s at about mile pace.

Thurs- Trail, spur, Providence, trail, 7.5 mi, 0:53:58, 7:12/mi
Started slow and gradually picked up the pace.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 55 min

Fri- Rest (other than helped unload a moving truck in the sweltering heat)

Sat-Long Run Lunatics, Phil’s 14 mi, 2:02:27, 8:45/mi
Nice course and good hills, but humidity really wiped me out for this run.

Sun- Show-Me State Games 5K
We arrived with barely enough time to run the course, but decided to only run 2 miles so I would have time to use the bathroom. I knew it was going to be another soaker since I was dripping in sweat after my 16:10, 2 mi warm-up. I didn’t feel great during the warm-up but a little better by the time I finished.

Race started on a slight downhill so I lined up behind Tom and Munashe, both faster runners. I decided to see if I could stay with Tom again this week, but he took off faster than I needed to be running. My GPS was showing a weak signal so didn’t have a pace. I decided to stay behind Bill and keep him in site. At this point early in the race, I was in 5th place.

I’m not sure of my first mile split, but think it was around 6 min. I don’t think the markers were correct. My GPS started working again which helped with the pace, but I think it was off for the distance. Not really much to report for this race. I just kept up the pace and looked behind a couple times in the last mile to see Phil.

Once I hit about 2.5 I tried to pick up the pace and then we finished on a paved “track” in the Stadium. Finished in 19:19. Four people with Garmins clocked the distance at 3.2 and one had 3.3 so I suspect the course was a little long based on our times. Although, Hugh finished in 22:19, only 4 seconds slower than last week so he actually ran a faster pace than last week if it was 3.2 miles. This course also was hillier than the one we ran last week. I placed 5th overall and 2nd in my age group (35-39). Hugh placed first in his age group (45-49).

Post-Race: MKT, 12 mi, 1:24:42, 7:03/mi
After the race, we went to the MKT to run more miles. Hugh ran 10 while I ran 12. I was hoping to go under 7 min/mi. This is my fastest 12 mile training run. I’m happy with the time considering the heat.

Running: 50.9 mi

Weights: 112 min

YTD Running: 1597.7

August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K
October 13th-Baltimore Marathon

Training 7/16 - 7/22 - Smokin' Chicks 5K - Show-Me State Games Duathlon

Mon- Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 60 min

Tues- Dave's Devil, 6.6 mi, 49:51, 7:33/mi
Took the pace easy to start out and then picked it up near the end.

Wed- 3.8 mi, 24:28, 6:26/mi
Track workout, 1 mi warm-up, 8:03, 4-100s, 2- 800s, 2:45, 2:46; 2-400s, 1:15, 1:17; 3-200s, 0:33, 0:39, 0:40; 1x100 +1x200, 800 m cool down
It was really hot so we did a slightly lighter workout than normal. I felt really good and really pushed the pace. The 800s were supposed to be run at 5K pace and the 400s at mile pace. Had very consistent splits on each and was able to run the 800s at the pace (5:30/mi) I wish I could run a 5K and ran the 400s at about 5 min/mi pace. The 200s we ran half way around the track and then had to cut across before our buddy finished their 200. This didn’t allow much time for recovery and I had to jog to get to the other side in time. I was breathing really hard and right side hurt by the time I finished. I ran a 100 and 200 for our mile relay.

Thurs- MKT Bridge, 7.9 mi, 1:01:44, 7:55/mi
Ran a pretty steady pace with a few random intervals and then really pushed the last quarter mile.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 56 min

Fri- Doe Brook with Dogs, 4 mi, 36:15, 9:04/mi
Temp was nice and cool.

Sat-Smokin’ Chicks 5K
We arrived about 30 minutes early and decided to only do a 1 mile warm-up. Legs were just a little sore, but not bad. The temp was nice and cool and ran my mile warm-up in 8:02 which is faster than normal and felt easy. Last year this race was held in the evening and there were 90 finishers. Attendance was way up this year at 148. I lined up near the front and seemed like a really fast start. I guess it was the cool temps. Tom, a faster runner than me that normally passes me later started out fast too. I decided to stay behind him and hold his pace. There were a couple other runners that run just a little faster than me just ahead of him. My first mile split according to my GPS was 5:48.

There were a few slight hills. We had to turn around at about the halfway point and run against the other runners for a little while. At this point, it was up hill and I passed Tom running up the hill. I should say that he had run 10 miles before the race. I passed another runner a little while later that was slowing down. Second mile split was 6:08. He caught back up and passed me during the 3rd mile and I just tried to stay behind him thinking if I can come in right behind him that’s fine since he isn’t in my age group and I should have a decent time too. 3 mile split was 6:09. About 0.1 from the finish I feel like I have something left so pass him and push hard to the finish, finishing in 18:38 and he was only 6 seconds behind me. This is a 12 second PR for me breaking my previous 5K PR of 18:50 in 2003. Overall pace was 6:01/mi.

There was a drawing while we were waiting and I won a hat. The age group awards were 30 – 39 so I wasn’t sure if I would place, but ended up placing 2nd in my age group. The first 3 guys in my age group were all older than 35 so didn’t really matter that it was a 10 year group. I placed 9th overall. Hugh would have placed first if they had done 5 year for him. He ran in 22:15.

After the awards Hugh and I ran 10 miles on a nice scenic hilly course that he had planned earlier, 1:41:39, 10:11/mi

Sun- Show-Me State Games Duathlon
I didn’t preregister for this one since I wanted to see how I felt this week before committing to run this one. I had pretty much made up my mind earlier this week that I was going to run this one and see what happened. I had only ridden my bike 3 times this year and with the 5K yesterday, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I arrived about 6:50 am and registered and then parked my bike and waited for the race to start at 8 am. The duathlon occurs concurrently with the triathlon with the duathlon starting with the first wave of swimmers. This duathlon is different than most in that it is only a bike and a run, not run/bike/run. I had done this one last year and the bike course is pretty challenging with steep hills, rolling hills, some nice flat in the middle for a few miles, and then more hills. The bike course is 20.9 miles and the run is a flat 5K.

I had to run to the bathroom one last time so didn’t get positioned as close to the front as I would have preferred. This was probably just as well since shortly after we started we had our first hill. My legs were already in pain so I wondered if this was such a good idea. I passed quite a few bikes, and eventually settled into a pack of about 8 and I remembered at least one person that I was near last year so figured I was in the right position. After the first 3 miles, legs began to feel better.

Then we all seemed to play a game of passing each other back and forth. I would pass people on the down hills and flats and then get passed on the uphill. At about 10 miles, the pack had been reduced to 4 and we continued to pass back and forth and then the other 2 go ahead and I’m passing back and forth with the same woman as last year. In the last couple miles, I pass her and she doesn’t pass me back. There’s a nice downhill near the end of the course which gives the legs a bit of a break before the flat half mile to the transition area. I’m really looking forward to getting off the bike and running.

There was a biker just ahead of me and everyone is cheering and I hear my name. No time to really see what is going on and I just park my bike, pull off my shoes and helmet, feel my calf almost spasm, but it stops, put on my running shoes, and manage to tie them without fumbling and I take off running. I think I was out of there in about 53 seconds. I drank very little on the bike course and didn’t take the gel I was planning. I felt good so figured I didn’t need it and would just save time and get water from the volunteers as I ran onto the running course.

Looking at my GPS I couldn't really believe my pace was 6-something per mile considering how my legs felt after being on the bike. I passed numerous runners on the run course. My first mile split was 6:43. I continued to pass runners, but did get passed by the leader for the triathlon before the turn around for the run. My second mile split was 6:40. Legs felt strong but still a little klunky. I continued to push and 3rd mile was 6:25. Final 0.1 ran in 38 seconds for a total run time of 20:26, 1:22 faster than last year. Overall pace, 6:35/mi.

Completed the bike portion in 1:06:10 (avg speed 19.0 mph) and 2 minutes faster than last year.

Overall time was 1:27:29, 4 min faster than last year. I placed 2nd in my age group of 35-39. The guy that beat me was about a minute faster. Placed 7th of 44 overall. I was really happy with the result for this race considering I didn’t prepare for it. I need to work on the hills if I am going to get much faster on the bike.

I noticed when I got home, my front tire was very low. The valve stem was leaking a little. I'm lucky I didn't have a flat today.

Robin, Andy

Left to Right: Brad?, Munashe, Mike, Beth, Nikki, Andy, Brad

Beth, Ted, Andy

Columbia Multisport Club Group Picture

Afternoon: MKT, 16 mi, 2:06:21, 7:54/mi
I went to eat lunch and then headed back out for a 16 mile on the flat MKT. I really needed the mileage and felt pretty good. The temp wasn’t too hot and some of the trail was in the shade. I decided to not carry water since I had drunk a lot after the race and at lunch. I was feeling really bloated. After the first 2 miles, I hit the restroom, and feel much better. I get a drink at the fountain and take off.

I found another water fountain 5 miles later and felt like I needed it sooner. I ran out until 8 miles, took a gel, and stopped again at the fountain. My pace felt really strong and splits were amazingly consistent today. I felt like I was on autopilot and didn’t seem too hard. I ran a negative split for the second half.

M1- 8:20
M2- 7:51
M3-8:15
M4- 7:58
M5-8:05
M6-8:05
M7-7:56
M8-7:48
(8 miles 1:04:19)
M9-7:51
M10-7:48
M11- 7:48
M12- 7:48
M13- 7:37
M14- 7:49
M15-7:40
M16- 7:40
(Last 8 miles - 1:02:02)


Running: 55.4 mi

Weight-116 min

Bike: 20.9 mi

YTD Running: 1546.8

July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K
October 13th-Baltimore Marathon

Training 7/9 - 7/15

Mon- Weights, upper bulk #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 58 min
Tough workout after taking a week off from weight lifting.

Tues- Dreier Dirty Dozen, 9.2 mi, 1:05:52, 7:10/mi
GPS battery died after 20 minutes so I just tried to stay with the small group I was running with. Ended up falling behind them on the last hill on Stadium, but still finished strong.

Wed- 4.2 mi, 26:52, 6:24/mi
Track workout, 1 mi warmup, 8:07, 4-100s, 2- 800s, 2:59, 2:57; 2-600s, 2:10, 2:09; 2-400s, 1:18, 1:28; 1x300, 1:06, 800 m cool down
I wasn’t sure my legs felt up to the track workout, but as usual I seem to be able to do these workouts even with tired legs. The 800s and 600s were supposed to be done at 5K pace and each set about the same pace. The 400s were supposed to be mile pace, but my second one was too slow. The 300 was done as part of our 800 m relays.

Thurs- Mulch Pile, 7.8 mi, 58:22, 7:29/mi
We ran the first 3.9 mi in 32 minutes. I was thinking this is going to be a nice easy run. Then the pace really got out of control during the last half as we kept getting faster. The second half averaged 6:46/mi.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs, PT, & Wobble, 60 min
I was so tired but managed to get the weights done.

Fri- I had planned to run 4 miles with the dogs, but very tired so decided to rest. Hugh accidentally let both dogs out at the same time and they were gone for 4 hours. I couldn’t go to bed early since I was worried about them. They came back muddy at 10:30 and he took them both into the shower. I was so awake; I couldn’t get to sleep until after midnight.

Sat-Long Run Lunatics, 2 Loop Twenty, 20 mi, 2:51:04, 8:31/mi
In spite of getting only 4 ½ hours sleep, I felt pretty good. Ran the second 10 miles about 1 minute faster. Enjoyable run and didn’t really seem like 20 miles.

Sun- Bear Creek Trail/Cosmo Park, 7.5 mi, 1:07:15, 8:58/mi
I decided to sleep in a little today. Since I slept in until 7:15, I really didn’t feel up to running out at Rock Bridge and felt like running some easy miles so ran on the Bear Creek Trail. I was planning to do 14 miles and it was quite humid and already above 70 F. I went out on the first section and first mile felt awful and I ran about a 10 minute pace. As I went on felt a little better and then ran through the park. On the way back about 1 mile from my car, I hear a distressing meow several times which sounds like kitten off in the trees. I decide to go into the woods and check it out looking around on the ground and trying to figure out where it is coming from. Then I see a kitten, probably 6 – 8 weeks up in a tree. This tree has no lower branches, but did have a vine hanging off the side so I managed to pull myself up to the small branch where it was sitting. By the time I got to that height, it decided to climb higher. I didn’t feel like pulling myself any higher so I get back on the ground and try to coax it down. That didn’t work so decide to run back to car, go home, and get the extension ladder. I also grabbed a cat carrier, gloves and a leather jacket. Hugh goes with me and we go into the woods to make sure the kitten is still there. It was no where to be seen or heard so I guess in the 40 minutes I was gone it either climbed down or fell out of the tree.

Afternoon: Prathersville Loop, 12.4 mi, 1:39:14, 8:00/mi
I decided that if I felt up to it, I would try to run more in the afternoon. I was feeling good so decided to do this loop course near where I live. It was 85 F so I took all the water I could carry. Started off and first mile was 8-something pace. This is a hilly course and I continued to feel strong and even picked up the pace a bit the last few miles. I’m really pleased with the pace considering the heat and the disappointing run this morning

Running: 61.2 mi

Weight-118 min

YTD Running: 1491.4

July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training 7/2 - 7/8

Mon- Rest

Tues- Tripp 10K, 6.2 mi, 50:10, 8:05/mi
Took it easy to taper for Wed.

Wed- Parley Pratt, 4 mi, 24:29, 6:07/mi

Thurs- MKT, 8.6 mi, 1:09:00, 8:01/mi
Legs a little tired so took it easy.

Fri- Doe Brook with Dogs, 4 mi, 36:32, 9:08/mi

Sat- Joker’s Wild Half Marathon (2:00 pacer), 13.2 mi, 1:58:34, 9:03/mi
We got up at 3:15 am to drive to St. Louis. Went to bed at 7:30 so felt pretty rested. We picked up another runner that needed a ride on the way. We had to park a few miles from the race site and arrived at 5:45 am in time for the first shuttle. We checked in and were informed we would be wearing purple hair instead of hats. Tried on the hair and there was no way we were going to be able to see with it in the eyes so we gave each other a hair cut. The shirt was a really nice wicking Brooks tank. We also received a deck of cards used at the nearby casino.

Hugh introduced us to the runners in the 2 hour area. We did know a few of them. The race then started at 7:10 am. The course was on a running/biking trail that was mostly paved and some gravel. The course was congested at first, but ran the first mile in 8:53. I used my GPS to gauge our pace. Every mile, we kept getting comments about being right on pace. I tried to stay on pace but still have a slight cushion. The course was 2 loops with one uphill. Part of one loop was an out and back so we got to see the other runners. I slowed down or walked through the water stations to give people a chance to catch up.

We seemed to have a pretty good sized group running with us most of the way. At about 9 miles I notice it thinned out a bit with many runners going ahead and a few falling behind. At 10 miles, I noticed the ones with me breathing hard and not much talking going on at this point. Hugh hung back a bit but was still on pace. At the downhill before the end he caught up to me and we finished together in 1:58:34. I had 3 or 4 runners mention they had run a PR and thanked me. Amazing that anyone could run a PR considering the heat. It was at least 85 F by the time we finished and we were running in the full sun much of the time.

We ate some post race food and later they brought out some subs. We stayed for the awards ceremony. They went up to 5 deep in the age categories. We left about 10:45 am. Even though it was hot and not really the most ideal course, I think it was a well-organized event. As for pacing, it took a lot of concentration for me to hold myself to a consistent 9 minute pace.




Sun- HOA Course (road) and Rockbridge State Park (trail), 22.3 mi, 3:14:14
16 mi road, 2:10:16. 8:09/mi
6.3 mi trail, 1:02:58, 10:00/mi
Started at 6:00 am and with temps at 70 F. I actually started near the 19 mile marker and completed the loop from the 4 mi to the 18 mile and then went into the park to run 6.3 miles. First mile was up hill and ran at 9:13 pace. The next mile ran at 8:01 and had several sub-8 min miles. The Easley Hill mile I ran in 8:41 and the following mile in 7:52. As the sun came out it started to heat up. I carried enough water to drink every 4 miles until I ran out at mile 16.

At this point, I got on the grassy part of the park and shoes were immediately wet. The trail was in really good shape this week and felt strong. I think my GPS may have been off in the trees of the park, but I estimated that I ran at least 6.3 miles. I felt really good after finishing.

Running: 58.2

Weight-lifting: took the week off

YTD Running: 1430.2

July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Parley P. Pratt Memorial Freedom Run 7/4/07

This morning I ran the Parley P. Pratt Memorial Freedom Run. This is the annual run that celebrates a jail break. The entry fee this year was reduced from $1 to FREE and also free post-race pancakes which looked like may have doubled attendance over last year. Temps were in the upper 70s with humidity but a lot of the course was shaded by the trees since this race is 2 miles out and back on the MKT trail, Also, a very flat course.

We arrived about 45 minutes early and I thought about warming up, but didn't do so. My goal today was to run a sub 25 which would be a new 4 mile PR for me. The race started about 8 am and we lined up on the grass and then would quickly merge onto the trail. Immediately, I found myself going a little fast so slowed it down just a bit and let the super fast sub 23 and sub 24 guys go ahead. I was thinking maybe I could do a 6:10 average pace. My first mile split was 6:11. I passed one guy that apparently started a little fast and at this point was in 5th place overall.

The second mile was the turn around point. I really wanted some water to pour on me, but didn't take the time. Second mile split was 5:53. I was a little concerned this was too fast, but feeling good other than the heat and humidity. At this point, I could see everyone else and received lots of encouragement.

Third mile split was 6:08 and it was getting more difficult to maintain the pace. I was losing it a little mentally since I was thinking if I can run this last mile in 7 min, I will still have a decent time. I pushed on and saw Matt D. ahead of me. I'm thinking, I could probably catch him if I pushed. I pushed a little, but didn't catch him.

Fourth mile split was 6:17 and I placed 5th overall out of over 100 people. Final time was 24:29 which is a 43 second PR over my 4 miler in April. My time was also a course PR, 47 second faster than 2 years ago. My 6:07 pace was only 2 seconds slower than my 5K PR. Hugh ran a sub 30 at 29-something and a PR for him too.

Considering the heat, I am extremely pleased by this performance. If it had been a cool day, I'm sure I would have run even faster. I never dreamed I could run it sub:24:30 today.

After the race, had some pancakes, collected my special bead for running the race, talked with some people, and then headed home.

Andy's Training 6/25 - 7/1

Mon- Rest

Tues- President's Hill, 7.6 mi, 54:31, 7:10/mi
Feeling really strong up the hill.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 60 min

Wed- Track Workout 1 mi warmup, 3-100 mstrides, 3:01- 5:20/mi; 3:20-5:41/mi; 2:01-5:30/mi; 2:05-5:30/mi; 1:05-5:23/mi; 1:05-5:23/mi; 400 m cooldown
Overall: 3.7 mi, 24:17, 6:34/mi
We were supposed to run 3 min, 5K pace, rest 1 min, and then run back. Hopefully end back where you started by 3 min. The 1 min was supposed to be at mile pace. It poured rain before we could do our 800 m relays. We got thoroughly soaked, but at least it was cool. I wore my HR monitor and it got up to 161.

Thurs- Rain Run -Forum, 7.5 mi, 53:24, 7:07/mi
It really rained on our namesake course. I ran with a new guy that wanted to run fast and didn’t know the way. We ended up going down Forum which added a little extra mileage. I think the pace was so fast since it was raining and cool.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 63 min

Fri- Doe Brook with Dogs, 3.5 mi, 37:18, 10:39/mi
Legs felt pretty dead. Dogs splashed in a mud puddle in the ditch that we passed several times, plus Bruno jumped in the pond. Then they bothered the neighbors walking 2 little dogs so I cut the run a little short.

Sat- HOA Course, 22 mi, 3:15, 8:52/mi
Nice cool morning. 4 runners started and we had another join us later on the course. It started to rain early in the run and rained lightly the entire time which kept the temps cool. I ran ahead with another runner, Bryan. I ran his pace and when we finished the 17 mile loop, he was going to do 5 more miles. The others weren’t back so I joined him. I found out this made 90 miles for him this week. He said he had lost 30 lbs since last year and quit smoking. He mentioned at 13 miles, he had run his fastest half marathon. Normally, he runs by himself and I guess I helped him push the pace a little.

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 17 mi, 3:18:00, 11:41/mi
My first couple miles were very slow. In fact, this entire run averaged pretty slow. I know my GPS was off today and added some, but wonder if it was off more. I had to go around several fallen trees on the trail plus a lot of mud due to the recent heavy rains. I started at 5:30 am and no one else was at the trail. I must have stepped into some stinging nettles stepping around the fallen trees since my legs felt like they were on fire. Eventually, it subsided some and then I stepped into some again. I ran faster hoping to find some water. The pain subsided again so I waited until I reached the bathrooms where there was a fountain outside that I could rinse was my legs under. I also had to deal with a lot of spider webs and washed those off as well. I was very tempted to quit when I got back to my car, but at 7:30 am when I passed through the parking lot, Jeff was waiting. He had been there at 6:15 and read the paper to see if anyone else would show up. We waited until 8 am and Mike D. arrived and we all ran 7.5 together but a different course than I ran earlier. Jeff led the way so I didn’t have to deal with any spider webs. Jeff went out again to finish his 20 miles.

Running: 61.3

Weight-lifting: 123 min

YTD Running: 1372

July 4th-Parley P. Pratt Memorial 4mile Freedom Run
July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training 6/18 - 6/24

Tues- Jaira’s Jaunt, 7.2 mi, 54:43, 7:36/mi
Took it just a little easier than usual to recover from last week.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble, 58 min

Wed- Track workout, 1.1 mi warmup, 4-100s, 2- 800s, 2:51, 2:55; 4 400s, 1:19, 1:20, 1:19, 1:19; 1x100, 20, 800 m cool down
Overall: 4.2 mi, 27:11, 6:28/mi
The 800s were supposed to be run at 5K pace. The 400s were supposed to be run at mile pace. I think I was close on the 5K pace and a little slow for the mile pace. The last part of the workout we attempted a 4 min mile. My 100 m was slow after all those repeats.

Thurs- MKT Bridge - increasing tempo, 7.8 mi, 57:07, 7:19/mi
I started pretty slow and caught up to one faster group and then decided to catch another faster group ahead of them. We were supposed to keep increasing the pace until the end of the run. I felt like I really got sucked into the pace and was able to hang with them at an incredible pace, low 6’s.

Evening: Weights, upper bulk #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT & Wobble, 60 min

Fri- Doe Brook with Dogs, 4 mi, 33:26, 8:21/mi
Legs felt really good for this recovery run. My recovery pace was about where it needs to be. Dogs jumped into the pond twice.

Sat- Long Run Lunatics, 15 mi, 1:58:22, 7:53/mi
M1-3- 27:36
M4-6:40
M5-6:20
M6-6:22
M7-9-26:30
M10- 6:33
M11-6:31
M12-6:21,
M13-15-25:26

Second 3 miles were to be run at tempo pace which I estimated to be about 6:35. I felt really strong on these and seemed difficult to keep the pace from getting away from me. The next 3 were recovery miles and miles 10 – 12 were tempo and definitely had to push on these and kept up with Tom and Darrin.

Sun- Bear Creek Trail, 12 mi, 1:51:48, 9:19/mi
The plan was to run 10 miles, but had enough time so did 12 miles. I ran to the hilly part starting at about 2 miles and repeatedly ran the hilly part until I had run 10 miles and then back to the car. I ran the first 4 hills attempting to get a maximum heart rate, but could only get up to 160 and I’m pretty sure it is higher. I did get a resting heart rate of 37 before getting out of bed. However, I had to throw the dog out of the bed at first which got my heart rate up. Eventually it went down to as low as 30, but seemed to stabilize at 37. I’m going to take a couple more readings for both min and max and see how high it gets at the track workout on Wed. I think I need a less steep and slightly longer hill. I pushed as hard as I could up the first 4 hills but I don’t think my legs were rested enough to get a max reading.

Legs felt good this week with all of the speed work. Also, lots of humid workouts too.

Running: 50.2

Weight-lifting: 118 min

YTD Running: 1310.7


July 4th-Parley P. Pratt Memorial 4mile Freedom Run
July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training 6/11 - 6/17

Mon- Doe Brook with Dogs, 4 mi, 36:00, 9:00/mi

Tues- Dave's Devil Run, 6.6 mi, 44:51, 6:48/mi
This was our record attendance day with 169 runners. The warm-up was shorter than usual and everyone seemed to be pushing the pace.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #2 (back, biceps, abs), PT, & Wobble, 58 min

Wed- Track workout, 1.1 mi warmup, 4-100s, 4- 600s, 2:04, 2:06, 2:04, 2:02; 2-300s, 1:15, 1:05; 1x200, 800 m cool down;
Overall: 4 mi, 24:54, 6:15/mi
Hugh joined me for our first track workout. The 600s were supposed to be run at 5K pace, but I ran them a little fast at 5:25 pace. The 300s were supposed to be run at mile pace. I’m not sure my mile pace, but ran about the same as the 600s. The last part of the workout we divided into 2 teams of 10 and attempted a 4 min mile. I ran 200 m. Both teams were approximately 4:15. I think we would have done it but our baton handoffs weren’t great.

Thurs- MKT, spur to mulch pile, 7.8 mi, 1:08:03, 7:42/mi
Hamstrings were sore from track workout so planned to take it easy. Ran with 3 other guys, but still a pretty good pace on the all flat course.

Evening: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), 40 min
Completed stretches but skipped the PT exercises and wobble board.

Fri- Off
Abductors and hammies were sore. Upper body, mostly chest and triceps, really sore from new weight routine this week.

Sat- Long Run Lunatics, 20 mi, 2:51:36, 8:35/mi
We started about 5:30 am to attempt to beat the heat. My legs felt pretty good, but my hamstrings were a little sore. We started off pretty slow to warm-up. The first 10 miles seemed to go quickly and completed in 1:30. Hugh stayed behind on the second loop and did an extra 3 mile walk plus 3 mile run on his own. One other runner also left us since she only wanted to run 10 miles and we picked up 3 other runners for our second 10 miles. Each loop was different and had some hills. The second 10 miles went faster and the eight of us split into groups of 3 and 5 near the end, with the 3 of us picking up the pace. We completed the second 10 miles in about 1:22. It really warmed up quite a bit before we were done. I felt pretty good though and hadn’t lost too much weight when I weighed myself at home.

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 16 mi, 2:56:02, 11:00/mi
I arrived at Rock Bridge State Park at about 6:15 am. I had planned to run 16 miles. Deanna was there and we ran together. We did a short loop first and came back to the parking lot to see if anyone else showed up. Then we took off again across the road in the Gans Creek area. The trail over there was grown over quite a bit so we headed back after about 1.5 mi and ran on the Devil’s ice box side. My legs were pretty sore, but the soft trail was just what I needed to get the 16 done. Deanna ran with me for the first 11.5 miles and then I ran another loop to get the 16 miles. A very enjoyable run that seemed to go quickly. The temps heated up and I was glad to be done.

I think I’m going to take it a little easier for the next 2 days. Legs have not been this sore in a long time, but it’s a good soreness.

Running: 58.8

Weight-lifting: 98 min

YTD Running: 1260.5

July 4th-Parley P. Pratt Memorial 4mile Freedom Run
July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Columbia sets record at Tu/Th morning run

The Tu/Th morning run group set a new attendance record today with 169 participants. This breaks the previous record of 137 set on July 18, 2006.

Local media that included at least one TV station and one newspaper. There was a door prize for $100 towards a pair of shoes. Many of us parked across the road from where we meet since there isn't enough parking for this many people.

We always take attendance and today was extra organized. They had signs. If you had run with the group since Jan 1, 2007, one line, and then if you hadn't run, it was based on your last name for the line to check in.

They took a group picture and then we were off running by 5:38.

Training 6/4 - 6/10

Mon- Doe Brook with Dogs, 4 mi, 38:55, 9:44/mi

Tues- Dreier (hilly), 9.2 mi, 1:06:06, 7:12/mi
Good pace considering the hills and the course didn’t feel as difficult as I remember from the last time.

Evening: Weights, upper, PT, & wobble, 54 min

Wed- Rest

Thurs- MKT - Bridge, 5 half mile intervals, 7.8 mi, 59:54, 7:41/mi
After warm-up we did 5 half mile intervals with half mile recoveries. I didn’t time them, but was leading my group for the first 2 and the last 3 right behind Munashe.

Evening: Weights, upper, PT, & wobble, 51 min

Fri- Doe Brook with Dogs, 4 mi, 40:31, 10:08/mi
Hamstrings were sore.

Sat- Long Run Lunatics, Half Marathon Challenge course, 13 mi, 1:52:44, 8:40/mi
We started our run with another group and had 15 runners. Some ended up running a faster pace. This was a good pace for sore hammies and I needed to save something for Sunday.

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 5.2 mi, 1:07:11, 12:41/mi
The sky was glowing when I started the run and it was dark in the woods. I ran on the Gans Creek side and noticed a lot of horse poop. Thunder and lightening increasing so I decided to head back to the parking lot and decide if I would finish the planned 16 miles. I ran about half mile out and decided to turn back since I wasn’t enjoying this run. It was difficult to run fast since it was getting so dark and I didn’t want to get stuck in a thunderstorm in the woods.

Prathersville, 10.5 mi, 1:36:06, 9:09/mi
When I got home, it was raining. Hugh was out running so I decided to head out and run at least 10 more miles, 40 minutes after I stopped running at Rock Bridge. It rained hard off and on during the run with lightening and thunder, but still was a pretty enjoyable run.

Running: 53.8

Weight-lifting: 105 min

YTD Running: 1202.1


July 4th-Parley P. Pratt Memorial 4mile Freedom Run
July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training 5/28 - 6/3 and Jeff Shikles 8K

Mon- Lee Pfefer Memorial 5K , 3.1 mi, 19:04, 6:09/mi + 1.5 miles warmup

Tues- Tripp 10K, 6.2 mi, 42:32, 6:52/mi
Pushed the pace pretty hard.

Evening: Weights, upper, PT, & wobble, 48 min

Wed- Rest

Thurs- 3 Diner Run, 7.9 mi, 1:02:35, 7:55/mi
Ran with Lisa for the 1st half and then picked up the pace since she took a shorter route.

Evening: Weights, upper, PT, & wobble, 52 min

Fri- Rest

Sat-Long Run Lunatics, Sweet 16, 16 mi, 2:21:46, 8:52/mi
Hugh and I ran for the first time with the Long Run Lunatics group. I didn’t stop the clock for the 2 water breaks. Hugh and part of the group took a shorter route to run 10.5 miles and then Hugh walked and ran another 2 miles on the trail. I think we’ll be running with this group again. It was a lot of fun.

When we arrived back at the trail, Parks and Recreation was getting ready for the National Trails Day Free 5K. This is a non-competitive run or walk on the MKT trail. We weren’t planning to run it, but another runner, Munashe from my Tu/Th group showed up and there weren’t many people so we decided to do it. What’s another 3 miles when I’ve already run 16, plus they were giving away free wicking shirts. Munashe had already run 12 and Hugh had run 15.5. We all ran together and just took it really easy. Finishing time was 31:14, 10:05/mi pace. When we finished we were able to pick from an assortment of free stuff like bug spray, first aid kits, etc. All 3 of us must have been nuts for running these extra miles since we planned to do the Jeff Shikles 8K on Sunday. A couple of the Long Run Lunatics were planning to run on Sunday as well. We made sure we had a really good lunch at KFC buffet.

Sun- Jeff Shikles 8K
I slept pretty good and woke up feeling not too bad considering I had run 19 miles on Saturday. My legs were just a little sore. We had our pre-race shake and headed off to the race. We arrived about 20 minutes early so I decided to warm up for 12 minutes and have a little time to rest before the start. The temps were in the low 60s, but felt pretty warm to me so I ditched my shirt. I really didn’t expect any spectacular performance considering my legs were not well-rested.

Everyone was already lining up for the start 5 minutes early and we started on time. I took off and just put out of my mind that I had run 19 miles on Saturday. It didn’t take long to get into racing mode but was glad I had warmed up a little. I took off and first decided I would try to stay with Munashe for awhile since he runs just a little faster than me. I decided he was going too fast for me so let him go and stayed behind a couple other guys that are just a little faster than me. My first mile split was 6:10.

I kept the pace steady and didn’t really push it too much since I figured I was going to have to slow the pace at some point. There were some hills and just tried to keep the effort the same. Mile 2 split was 6:22 which I thought, not too bad. Someone was calling out times awhile after mile 2 at the first water stop. Since it wasn’t a mile marker I’m not sure the purpose of calling out our times. I went by my GPS for all of my splits since I didn’t see any mile markers.

Somewhere between mile 2 and 3 Tom passes and he always runs faster than me. I wondered how he would run today since he ran a 1:24 half marathon yesterday. I thought maybe it would slow him down, but he was doing just as well as me. Mile 3 split was 6:34.

At this point, I could see Tom and another guy ahead of me not too far. Tom eventually passes the other guy. This mile has the worst hill and my split is 6:54 for mile 4. I’m thinking at this point if I can just run the last mile in 7 minutes, I’ll be doing great.

The end of mile 4 was up a hill, but then we go down hill and I was feeling pretty good so picked up the pace. I was gaining a little on the guy in front of me, but never caught him. I’m seeing the clock is less than 31:30 so pick up the pace and for the last few yards. The last mile split was 5:33. I’m guessing my GPS was off on some of the other miles, but I think it was pretty close. Overall my time was 31:34 which is a 14 second PR for me on this course and a PR for an 8K.

Hugh comes through at 37:41, which is a 21 second PR for him on this course. He placed 1st in 45-49 age group. I placed 3rd in 35-39 and 8th overall. I’m not sure how many runners yet since results have not been posted.

Running: 44.2

Weight-lifting: 100 min

YTD Running: 1148.3

July 4th-Parley P. Pratt Memorial 4mile Freedom Run
July 21st-Smokin’ Chicks BBQ 5K
July 29th-Smokin’ Show-Me State Games 5K
August 4th-Great Sandbagger 10K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Lee Pfefer Memorial 5K

This race took place at Stephen’s Lake Park on the paved walking trail. I ran a race at this park a couple months ago, but it was a slightly different course. Hugh and I warmed up for 1.5 miles which was enough to figure out the course. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I’ve had a cold since Wednesday and ran the Berryman Trail marathon last weekend, but was feeling better today but still not 100% due to the cold. The temps were in the 70s and quite humid. I was dripping in sweat after the warm-up, but had a few minutes to cool down.

The race started in the parking lot and I lined up near the front. A lot of fast runners in the area were there including a guy that had just run a 3:49, 1500 m this weekend. I predicted he would win. The race started on a downhill, but at the end of the race we had to run up the hill. I started off with a couple runners in my age group running with me. My first mile split was 5:45.

I continued to try to stay with these guys and managed to do so until the second mile. Second mile split was 6:15. At this point, they picked up the pace and I just tried to hang on hoping for a 3rd mile at least as fast as my second. I passed a 15 yr old guy in the 3rd mile and he passed me back. Then another runner that normally beats me passed me, but seemed like the closest I’ve been to him in a 5K.

The 3rd mile split was up the hill we came down at the start and my split was 6:20. I could hear someone coming up behind me and it was Phil. He hadn’t done this in awhile, but we do run nearly the same pace. He passed me and I let him go since I didn’t have much left up the hill. Last 0.1 mi was 44 seconds with a finish of 19:04, only 5 seconds behind Phil.

I walked to the car to get my camera and take a few pictures of some finishers. I placed 4th in my age group 35-39 which seemed to be a fast age group today and Hugh placed 2nd in his age group 45-49. Overall I placed 13th of 157 finishers. I was happy with my time considering the conditions. This was good speed work for the 8K I’ll be running on Saturday.

Training 5/21 - 5/27

Mon- Doe Brook with dogs, 1 mi, 10:29, 10:29/mi
About 3 min faster than Sunday’s pace.

Tues- Dave’s Devil, 6.6 mi, 55:28, 8:24/mi
Quads still sore.

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Mulch pile, 7.8 mi, 1:06:23, 8:31/mi
Ran with Lisa. Quads still a little sore. Woke up with a sore throat on Wed and Thursday too.

Fri- Boatman Hill/Oakland with dogs for last 2 mi, 1:00:11, 10:02/mi
Legs felt tired and not much energy.

Sat- Rained all day in Iowa so didn’t run. Sinuses plugged and could breathe very well. Couldn’t find any of the real Sudafed so bought the over the counter. The stuff is very weak.

Sun- Boatman Hill/Oakland, 4 mi, 33:50, 8:28/mi
Took a 12 hr Sudafed when arrived at home and felt much better (finally breathing!) so decided to run. Sinus headache during run disappeared after the run.

Running: 25.4

Weight-lifting: 0

YTD Running: 1104.1

May 28th-Well Aware 5K
June 3rd-Jeff Shikles 8K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training 5/14 - 5/20 and Berryman Trail Marathon

Mon- Boatman Hill/Oakland with Hugh and Dogs, 4 mi, 36:15, 9:04/mi

Tues- President’s Hill, 7.5 mi, 58:05, 7:45/mi

Wed- Rest

Thurs- MKT, 5.6 mi, 43:57, 7:51/mi

Tues/Thurs Group

Fri- Doe Brook with dogs, 2 mi, 20:19, 10:09/mi

Sat- Berryman Trail Marathon
We left Columbia, Friday afternoon and arrived at the Berryman campground in the Mark Twain National Forest at 6 pm. I picked up my race packet and then we looked around the campground for a place to set up our tent. About 6:10, Jeff from Columbia also arrived and Deanna from Columbia arrived about 5 min later. All of the camping spots where you could park a car were filled up. Jeff needed a place to park his truck and camp so Deanna asked a guy if we could set up camp with them since his spot had plenty of space between the trees for 3 extra vehicles.

Hugh and I ate our Roly Poly’s, while Deanna cooked her pasta and Jeff cooked his steak. Jerry and Matt our camp-mates had lasagna in a bag. Jerry was planning to run the 50 miler, but run the first half with his son, running his first marathon. We talked about mostly running for a few hours and Jeff built a fire as the temperature was getting quite cold (40s). Most of us headed to our beds around 9 pm and were planning to get up around 5 am. The race started at 7 am other than the few early starters at 6 am.

I woke up at 4 pm to water a tree and then went back to bed, but didn’t sleep. Up to that point I slept pretty well even though it was a little cold (45?). I got up at 5 and sat in the car and had my shake, yogurt, banana, and water. Then I went over to the start line to use the restroom. At this point, there weren’t many people at the start but a lot more tents in the area than the night before. I went back to our camp site and had another banana and some more water. Then back to the restroom once again and was able to see the 20 or so early starters take off at 6 am. Then back to the camp site to get dressed and we packed everything into the car.

About 6:45 we all headed to the start line. I handed Hugh my long sleeve shirt and before I knew it, we were off. Both the marathoners and the 50 milers had to run a short out and back down a gravel road. The 50 milers went out 0.2 mi and the marathons went out 0.7 miles which helped to spread everyone out. The trail is 24.8 miles so this short out and back made up the difference for each race. I started out pretty fast with first mile at 7:38. We passed the start line again to head off into the unknown woods. I had no idea what to expect and didn’t seem too bad a first with a lot of downhill. Trail was somewhat comparable to what I had trained on so far.

I started to pass many of the 50 milers that were running their slower pace. Some were walking and most would move out of the way or I would slow down and carefully pass. I had my first E-Gel at 4 miles and aid station #1 was at 4.45 mi. I stopped and drank one cup of water, but they had Gatorade and coke as well, plus fruit, candy, and more. I’m off again and about mile 5, I roll my left ankle pretty good. I slow down a little and run it off and am able to resume speed. Splits for first 5 miles were between 7:21 and 7:54. My goal for the race was 3:40 overall or 8:24/mi so I am ahead of goal pace. I figured I would have to run between 7:30 – 8:30 depending on the terrain.

Mile 6, I roll my ankle again and hobble/run a little but recover and resume pace. Shortly, after this point, I hear a runner, David, behind me and ask if he wants to pass, but he said he would stay behind. He had run the race before and thought the frontrunners started out a little fast. The next aid station #2 was at 8.33 mi and I had 2 cups of water and then consumed my 2nd E-Gel. David stayed behind me, but said he could pace us after the next aid station at about mile 11. I half roll my right ankle with him behind me but didn’t hurt it at all. We ran between 8:32 – 9:59 for miles 6 – 11 since there were more hills, rocks, mud, creeks, and sharp turns.

I had one cup of coke and 2 cups of water at the aid station #3, waited for him to fill his water and he took the lead. He kept a good pace, but not too fast, and then about mile 12, I roll my left ankle for the 3rd time and have to slow up a bit. At this point, he pulls away from me and I decide to let him go and run at a more relaxed pace and hopefully not roll my ankle again. It’s kind of nice to settle back into my own pace and I’m very careful on any rocky parts since I don’t want to roll the ankle again. The trail is marked with yellow signs with an arrow and any trails that we shouldn’t take have a yellow sign with an X. At this point I am running alone but occasionally passing other runners doing the 50 mile. Some points I wondered if I was lost, but managed to stay on course. The first half split was around 1:47, 8:10 pace so I know I’m 6 min ahead of my goal of 3:40. I’m still feeling really good in spite of the ankle rolls. I have another E-gel at the half way point. These went down really well without water.

The next aid station #4 is at 15.55 miles. For miles 12 – 15 my pace was between 7:53 - ?. I’m not sure since my GPS went out at mile 14.6 and I was never able to get a signal again. I had one coke and a cup of water at the aid station and was then on my way. Everyone at the aid stations always cheered the runners as they took off. Each aid station also had an assortment of gels, but I chose to use my own stuff and not spend much time. I stopped to drink and then was on my way. After this aid station, I was surprised to see the course took a paved road, but only for less than half mile and then back on the trail and up more hills. Another obstacle along this course is a lot of horse poop, but didn’t encounter any horses while I was on the course. The danger of falling and landing in the poop was not a pleasant thought. Since my GPS wasn’t working, I estimated mileage and took a split every 8 min, but sometimes longer depending on whether it was safe to do so. Most of the time it wasn’t safe to look at the watch. I passed a couple more runners doing the 50 miler and I think one that was running the marathon. We had different color numbers so we could tell which distance they were running. I had another E-Gel at approx mile 18.

The next aid station #5 was at 19.5 mi. I’m guessing pace was between 7-something per mile to 9-something per mile, but I think most miles were 8-something. I drank 2 cups of water and was on my way. I rolled my left ankle one more time and right ankle slightly, but managed to recover. Then I caught up to a marathoner that I had my sights on earlier but couldn’t seem to catch. I was gaining on him and am about 30 ft behind him when he goes down but gets right back up and runs. I ask if he is okay and he is and he lets me around him soon and I pull away. There were a few trees across the trail that were challenging to climb over. I had to boost myself over using my upper body. At about mile 20 or so, I felt like I had a second wind and took off, but was brought back to reality after at the next climb up. I took my last E-Gel.

The next aid station #6 came at mile 22.91 and I asked how far to go since at this point, I didn’t remember since they all occurred at odd distances wherever they could get to the trail. They did have the mileage at each one but I didn’t notice. I was told about 3 miles to go and I was guessing 4 miles so this was good news and I was still feeling really good and didn’t see anyone close behind.

I’m off on the last leg and then hear someone behind me but it is a bike and it is Steve T., who used to live in Columbia. He says he will stay behind and talks to me for awhile. For a brief moment while going up a hill, I feel some twitching in my right hamstring, but it goes away and it once I get to the next descent. Steve is out there following a friend doing the 50 miler who is ahead of me. He finally goes around me and I push the pace as hard as I can for the rest of the way, but being conservative on the tricky parts. I made it this far and didn’t want to fall or turn my ankle. This last part seems to go uphill a lot. Finally, I see some pavement, and a sign pointing to run through some trees instead of on the road. I hear some cowbells and realize this is the finish. I kick in hard to the finish and felt like I could have kept running, but at a slower pace.

My overall time was 3:37:29, 2:31 less than my goal and I placed 4th overall. There were 84 finishers for the marathon. The guy I was running with earlier, David, placed second and probably ran a negative split. I think his time was 3:20-something and the 3rd place guy was around 3:30. The winning marathon time was 3:11, a new course record. My second half was about 1:50 so only 3 min slower than the first.

I actually felt like eating fairly soon so I had some M&Ms, cookies, lots of Gatorade, and finally had a brat, macaroni salad, potato salad, many servings of pound cake, more cookies, and more M&Ms. The SLUGS do a great job of feeding the runners during the race and after. Jeff came in at 4:23 which he said was a lot faster than last year for him. I was expecting to see him after 4:30 so wasn’t ready with the camera. Deanna completed her first lap not far after him. He paced her from mile 12 after he caught up to her to near the end where he pulled ahead about 5 minutes. The first 50 miler came in at 6:33 or 7:52/mi pace, a new course record. Kurt, another friend from Columbia finished the marathon in 6:28 running and walking since he has had some calf problems. We sat around eating and talking until leaving about 3 pm and driving home. I iced the ankle when I got home even though I was still walking okay after being in the car for 3 hrs. We then went to eat at Ruby Tuesdays for dinner and I was in bed by 9 pm.

I woke up about 6 am this morning and was ready to get up and walking really well. Left ankle is only a little sore and would have to say this is the best I’ve ever felt the day after running a marathon other than the Heart of America last September. The HOA was a hilly course so I think hills and hills/trails are easier on the body. Ankle is good, quads are a little tender, and overall feel really good so I’m planning to do a very short recovery run and bike ride.

Jeff preparing to cook his steak

Deanna draining her pasta

Jerry and Mitch (our camp-mates) and Deanna

Hugh keeping warm

Jeff cooking steak

Andy, Deanna, Jeff, Mitch, Jerry on the morning of race

Runners at the start (me in blue/black shirts and shorts)

Deanna at 0.4 miles

Andy at 1.4 miles

Jeff at 1.4 miles

Kurt at 1.4 miles

Andy Emerson (4th) with Brian Beckort (1st), David Lawhorn (2nd), and Andrew Karandjeff (3rd)

Mitch finishing with Jerry behind

Runner with Boomer (1st dog); noticed several runners with dogs

Kurt finishing

Food headquarters

Medal and Shirt

Sun- Doe Brook with dogs, 2 mi, 26:32, 13:16/mi
Felt good to “run”, but I could really feel the quads!

Bike: 12 mi, 53:04
Biking much easier than running!

Running: 47.3

Weight-lifting: 0

YTD Running: 1078.7


May 28-Well Aware 5K
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training 5/7 - 5/13 and Joe Marks Human Race

Mon- Boatman Hill/Oakland with Hugh and Dogs, 6 mi, 58:24, 9:44/mi
Nice easy run with first mile faster than last mile due to tiring dogs.

Tues- Jaira’s Jaunt, 7.2 mi, 58:30, 8:07/mi
Tapering so wanting to keep pace around 8 min.

Wed- Rest

Thurs- MKT, 7.9 mi, 1:05:40, 8:19/mi
Everyone else ran a shorter tempo run, but I decided to go longer and slower.

Fri- Rest

Sat- Joe Marks Human Race
We arrived at the race about 7:10 am and picked up our stuff. Got a nice cooler bag and pair of sun glasses instead of shirt. Then I went out for a slow warm-up for 3.2 mi at an 8:40 pace. Arrived at the start line about 10 min before race and before I knew it we were starting. This was my first 5 miler race other than an 8K so the plan was to attempt to run a little faster than my 8K PR pace of 6:24/mi. I didn’t want to start out too fast though on a 5 miler. There were lots of familiar runners so I was able to gauge my position and not go out too fast.

I felt a little slow starting and passed several runners in the first half mile but eventually caught up to Phil who runs about my speed and decided to try to stay with him. On the first downhill, I decided to speed ahead of him and then he caught me again. We played this game a couple times and I wasn’t sure who was setting the pace which is usually the case when we run together. During the end of mile 2 , I started to really get in my groove and picked up a little. There were some hills on this course and I think the worst was mile 3, but didn’t feel too bad even though it slowed me down a little. One other runner passed both of us at about mile 3.5. We stayed about the same position until a little before the last mile when I really picked up the pace and sped on ahead. I knew if I didn’t pick it up, he would catch me. At the very end of the race, we run once around a track and I seemed to have a lot left so picked up the pace. My GPS was indicating 5:30 – 40-something pace around the track. My total time was 31:22, pace 6:16 mi. My 8K mi PR was 31:48 in 2005. I guess a new PR if I count the 8K as 5 miles. It seems I’m having good luck breaking PRs this year for anything longer than 5K. Only beat Phil by 6 seconds so he was close behind.

Splits:
M1 - 6:22
M2 - 6:16
M3 - 6:36
M4 - 6:23
M5 – 5:45

GPS came out to 5 miles, but wonder if some of the markers were off slightly. I think mile 3 was a little long even though there was a hill that slowed me down and even though I sped up on mile 5, I think may have been a little short.

I placed 7th overall and 3rd in my age group. Hugh placed 2nd in his age group and 21st overall. 67 finishers total. Prizes for all age group placings was a pair of Joe Marks Human Race socks.

Results posted at Joe Marks 5 mile Human Race

When we got home, we ran 3.2 miles with the dogs.

Sun- Rocky Fork Conservation Area, 4 mi, 34:11, 8:33/mi

Running: 36.5

Weight-lifting: 0

YTD Running: 1031.4

I felt this was a good taper week. I was feeling really sluggish Tues and Wed this week, but I think I must have had some sort of bug. Felt tired, achy, slightly feverish, stomach was having issues, and most food sounded unappealing even though I was hungry. On Thursday I felt normal again and had a really good run today. Also, crossed 1000 miles for the year this week. I’m planning to run about 19 miles mostly easy this week and then the trail marathon on Saturday. I’m feeling well-prepared for this one.

May 19th-Berryman Trail Marathon
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon
September 22nd-Hocking Hills Indian Run – 60K

Training April 30 - May 9

Mon- Rest

Tues- Mike Acock's Run, 8.0 mi, 59:41, 7:28/mi
A new course with hills at the beginning.

Wed- Rest

Thurs- Rain Run Course, 7.1 mi, 57:57, 8:10/mi
Ran the middle part of the course faster than beginning and end.

Evening: Weights, upper body, 50 min

Fri- Rest

Sat- Columbia Half Marathon Challenge Course, 13.1 mi, 9:18/mi
Ran mostly with Lisa and James followed with water on his bike. Wore my GPS so we could check the distance which turned out to be accurate.

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park – Gans Creek Area, 18.2 mi, 3:15:19, 10:44/mi
The plan was to run 16 miles today. I was going to run until 8 am and then get back to the parking lot and run with anyone else that showed up. I decided to try a different trail and ended up feeling lost. About 10 minutes before I needed to be back to the parking lot, I found the main trail I started on and made it back by 8:05 with 7.3 miles. There were 3 others just getting ready to go out. Two of them, Jeff and Dina are running the Berryman, and Lee is trying to get in. Dina and Lee had just run a 40 mile ultra last weekend so was amazed they were out there with us. Jeff led the way and I became more familiar with the Gans Creek area. There’s an outer loop that connects to all of the inner trails. So if you get lost, you’ll eventually end up on the outer loop which is what happened to me earlier. He took us on a 10.9 mile course and then we went back to our cars so they could get more water and I could leave.

The 18 miles didn’t feel easy so I definitely have some more tapering ahead of me and cut back to 35 miles this week.

Running: 46.4 mi

Weight-lifting: 50 min

YTD Running: 994.9


May 12th-Joe Marks 5 mile Human Race
May 19th-Berryman Trail Marathon
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon

Training 4/23 - 4/29

Mon - Boatman Hill Rd/Oakland Rd, 8 mi, 1:10:48, 8:51/mi

Tues - Tripp 10K, 6.2 mi, 44:20, 7:09/mi

Wed- Rest

Thurs- 3 Diner Run (new course) – 7.9 mi, 58:41, 7:26/mi

Fri- Intended to run 4 miles, but mowed the yard. After mowing starting raining and too tired to run.

Sat- MKT - 10 mi, 1:22:53, 8:17/mi

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 24.1 mi, 4:02:28, 10:04/mi

I was up until 1 am Sat night so didn't get up early to do my run. We got up around 11 am and Hugh decided to go with me and run at the park too. We started around 1 pm and the temp was 80 F. The loop that I planned to do 3 times is 8 miles. I always stop by the car and get a drink after each loop. I ran the first loop at about 1:15 including stopping for a drink.

The second loop went pretty well, but I noticed that I was slowing down and really thirsty. It had been only 2 miles since I had drank 20 oz. There's no water on this course until about 1 mi before I get back to the car. I stopped and got a drink even though it was only 1 mile and I really needed it. The second 8 miles I ran in about 1:20 with the 2 water stops.

I was feeling pretty fatigued starting the 3rd loop and again, very thirsty before I had even run 2 miles. My mouth felt very dry and my pace slowed and felt like I had no energy. I did manage to run up the hills rather than walk. I got a drink again about 1 mile before the car and finished the final loop in 1:27. It was 86F when I finished and I felt extremely tired like I wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep. Hugh ran for about 2 hours and walked for 1 hour. I weighed myself when I got home and was down 6 lbs so I guess that explains why I felt so bad. I drank and drank and then felt like eating and felt a little more coherent.

Considering the temps and lack of water, I think the run went as well as can be expected. I'm looking forward to starting the taper this week.

Running: 56.2 mi

Weight-lifting: none

YTD Running: 948.5

May 12th-Joe Marks 5 mile Human Race
May 19th-Berryman Trail Marathon
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon

Training 4/16 - 4/22

Mon- Doe Brook with Dogs, 3.1 mi, 31:58, 10:19/mi

Tues- Dreier Dirty Dozen (hilly), 9.2 mi, 1:07:32, 7:20/mi
Very happy with this pace with tired legs. Phil and Tom helped with the pace.

Wed- Rest

Thurs- MU Rec Trail to Mulch Pile – 7.8 mi, 55:42, 7:08/mi
Pace includes warm-up; running sub 7s on the way back chasing James.

Fri- Boatman Hill, Clay's Fork, 10 mi, 1:29:31; 8:57/mi
I decided to go ahead and run 10 mi Fri evening after dinner since I wasn’t sure if I would have time on Sat. The run started out at sub 8:30 pace, but went downhill after the first half. I was feeling nauseous and my lower lip had a strange sensation and I had the feeling it was swollen. Got home and it was swollen and stayed that way the rest of the evening. It was fine on Sat morning.

Sat- 3.1 mi
After volunteering to work the duathlon in the morning, we marked the 5K course for the Show Me Stampede in the evening. This was really mostly walked and I didn’t mange to find time for a run.

Sun- Rock Bridge State Park, 18 mi, 2:48:46, 9:23/mi
Since I didn’t run on Sat, I decided to run 18 instead of 16 miles today. I woke up about 5:45 AM and felt awake so I decided to go ahead and run. I arrived at the trail and started at 6:30 am. There was no one else in the park. Legs felt tired so thought I would just take it easy and not push it. I ran the first 10 miles in about 1:32 and then ran into 2 other runners that I know, Andy and Tony. I was a bit surprised to see Andy since I had just attended his wedding the night before in the same park. They decided to run the last 8 with me. I led the way and with them behind me, I naturally picked up the pace. I had to slow it down again later since I don't think Andy felt like running that fast today. Overall, my pace was 9 seconds faster than last week and I didn’t feel like I was pushing as hard this week.

Afternoon: Upper body weights, 38 min

Evening: Biked the Brown Station and Duathlon Course, 21.9 mi, 3:56/mi, 15.1 mph
I was still feeling good and inspired from watching the 100s of bikes pass me when I worked one of the intersections as the duathlon. I decided to finally get on the bike for the first time this year. The first half of the ride was right into the wind and my pace suffered, but didn’t really didn’t have high expectations. The second half I was able to gain with the wind behind me more.

I had a near miss with a car in the second half. A Domino’s Pizza driver in a silver car turned left in front of me from N. Oakland onto 63 S before the fairgrounds. I reacted quickly and hit the rear brake and somehow skidded my front wheel to the left so I was at an angle and parallel to the car as the driver was turning, missing the car by inches. I managed to stay on the bike and upright. I called the NE store and the manager confirmed there was a driver in that area at that time that fit the description. He said he would check it out. I was wearing a red shirt and there is no way he could have not seen me. A witness in a yellow jeep was sitting on the ramp when it happened and said “really fancy maneuvering” when he drove past me. I felt very lucky.

Running: 51.2 mi

Cycling: 21.9 mi

Weight-lifting: 38 min

YTD Running: 892.3

May 19th-Berryman Trail Marathon
September 3rd-Heart of America Marathon