This past Wednesday (June 13th), Mary and I celebrated our third anniversary. The marriage itself has been great but unfortunately, our anniversaries are always terrible and end up getting worse every year. We even brought this up the day before and dreaded how the day would unfold.
Unfortunately, we had professional development that day, so we were stuck in meetings until close to 4:00. I then had to go home and mow the lawn and go for a short run. Our plan was to eat at PF Changs and then stay at the Hyatt Hotel by the airport since my flight was leaving early in the morning.
By the time we were ready to head to PF Changs, we realized we forgot to find Roxy a place to stay overnight. We then headed to Joelton to drop off Roxy with Mary's grandparents, which added over an hour, but we were glad they could watch her. After leaving their house, the car started acting really funny, so we stopped at a gas station to check the oil. The oil cap was impossible to get off and after a lot of frustration and some sore hands, we found someone who had a wrench. I added a quart of oil and then we were on our way.
After getting into Nashville, my car would start to sputter out and stoplights and shut off. It would start back right away but would die when it idled. We ended up making it to the restaurant and after some Google diagnosing, I figured it was a vacuum leak. Luckily, that would be an easy and cheap fix.
We left the restaurant after 9:00 pm and headed home to swap out cars. I even gave Mary a high-five because we were only a few miles away from the house. The day wasn't over yet and within a minute, the car started getting really loud, followed by a metal-on-metal sound. I immediately pulled over and the car died. I called several tow places, all of which said it would be a minimum of a 1.5 hour wait. I remembered the parents of some girls at my school had a tow truck place, so Harry's Towing was on the way! He somehow even perfectly parked the car in my driveway when I can't even back up without leaving tire marks in the grass.
We were finally on our way to the Hyatt and arrived shortly before midnight. After checking-in, we realized that we were given two small beds, instead of the king that we reserved and were charged for. They were completely out of king's, so luckily we both fit on one of the full's. We finally got to bed to bed just before midnight to end our third anniversary.
And for post-anniversary aftershocks, Mary and I both received a lot of chigger bites on our legs while calling the tow truck and it looks like my Civic had an oil leak and now a dead engine to go along with it. Now we have to decide whether to pay to get new tires and a new engine, get a new car or just pay cash for a used one.
As of now, we are planning to rent a white, padded room for our fourth anniversary.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Doughboy Challenge 5k
With a week to go until the USA Half-Marathon Championships, I entered my fourth race in five weeks, the Doughboy Challenge 5k. I know it wasn't ideal for my training, but I like to have fun and be a little less structured if I'm not training for a marathon, so I decided to give it a go.
The race takes place in Murfreesboro, which is the home of The Middle Half, my first ever half-marathon and a well-run event. While checking out the course description, it seemed really similar to The Middle Half: flat and fast. Micah Tirop won the last race last year, so I knew I wouldn't be able to take it too easy. Ideally, I was hoping to run my usual 10k effort but also toyed around with the idea of running two miles a little more controlled before finishing hard.
For my warm-up, I ran the course and there really wasn't a single hill, with big signs at every turn. My Garmin read 3.12 miles, which is dead on for a certified course. The water stops were even already being set-up, which at a race or two I've run in Nashville can't even have their water stations ready DURING the race. I was feeling ok on the warm-up and while the weather was a bit humid, it was only about 70 degrees.
I talked with Micah briefly at the line and a few minutes later, we were ready to go. A bunch of small kids lined up at the front, so I had to dance around them when the race started and a minute later, Micah pulled up on my shoulder. We started hammering pretty early but after about 1k, he backed off the pace a good bit and I only relaxed slightly. It felt like I was running sub 4:40 mile pace, so I was surprised when I went through in 4:46. I tried to stay in that same rhythm and went through the next mile in another 4:46 and closed in a 4:45 to finish in 14:47 on my watch, but with a 14:49 as my official time. The effort was controlled but the pace felt harder than I wanted, considering I am hoping to run close to 4:50 per mile at the half-marathon next week. Micah finished about a minute behind but he's been more low-key this season and while he was tearing up the scene last year, he's been a bit more busy with other things lately. But he's definitely a tough runner and an even nicer guy.
I watched my friend Chris Hanson finish up and we did a cool-down together before heading to the awards. The awards started quickly and had some decent post-race food with fruit, bagels, yogurt and smoothies from one of the smoothie places in town. All finishers received a Doughboy medal and in my race packet, I got two really good Progresso dinners that were gone less than 48 hours later. I don't care about getting stuff like Chap-Stick or sports creme samples, but I always enjoy the food!
The Doughboy Challenge is definitely a race to head to if you are looking to run a PR or are just looking for a run race experience. Since I plan on running the USA Half-Marathon Championships again next year, I probably shouldn't run this race in 2013, but I'll probably listen to the voice of non-reason and go for it again.
The race takes place in Murfreesboro, which is the home of The Middle Half, my first ever half-marathon and a well-run event. While checking out the course description, it seemed really similar to The Middle Half: flat and fast. Micah Tirop won the last race last year, so I knew I wouldn't be able to take it too easy. Ideally, I was hoping to run my usual 10k effort but also toyed around with the idea of running two miles a little more controlled before finishing hard.
For my warm-up, I ran the course and there really wasn't a single hill, with big signs at every turn. My Garmin read 3.12 miles, which is dead on for a certified course. The water stops were even already being set-up, which at a race or two I've run in Nashville can't even have their water stations ready DURING the race. I was feeling ok on the warm-up and while the weather was a bit humid, it was only about 70 degrees.
I talked with Micah briefly at the line and a few minutes later, we were ready to go. A bunch of small kids lined up at the front, so I had to dance around them when the race started and a minute later, Micah pulled up on my shoulder. We started hammering pretty early but after about 1k, he backed off the pace a good bit and I only relaxed slightly. It felt like I was running sub 4:40 mile pace, so I was surprised when I went through in 4:46. I tried to stay in that same rhythm and went through the next mile in another 4:46 and closed in a 4:45 to finish in 14:47 on my watch, but with a 14:49 as my official time. The effort was controlled but the pace felt harder than I wanted, considering I am hoping to run close to 4:50 per mile at the half-marathon next week. Micah finished about a minute behind but he's been more low-key this season and while he was tearing up the scene last year, he's been a bit more busy with other things lately. But he's definitely a tough runner and an even nicer guy.
I watched my friend Chris Hanson finish up and we did a cool-down together before heading to the awards. The awards started quickly and had some decent post-race food with fruit, bagels, yogurt and smoothies from one of the smoothie places in town. All finishers received a Doughboy medal and in my race packet, I got two really good Progresso dinners that were gone less than 48 hours later. I don't care about getting stuff like Chap-Stick or sports creme samples, but I always enjoy the food!
The Doughboy Challenge is definitely a race to head to if you are looking to run a PR or are just looking for a run race experience. Since I plan on running the USA Half-Marathon Championships again next year, I probably shouldn't run this race in 2013, but I'll probably listen to the voice of non-reason and go for it again.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
June 4th- 10th Training
Monday: 8 miles (7:26); 5.6 miles (7:15ish)
Tuesday: 13.4 miles medium/fast progression. My goal was three miles each at 5:30, 5:15 and 5:00 and I ended up averaging 5:28, 5:14 and 4:56. I felt really good which was encouraging coming off a bad race and the fact that I struggle in progression runs; 3.4 miles (7:36)
Wednesday: 8 miles (7:31); 4.5 miles (7:31)
Thursday: 12 miles with 10 miles medium (5:40). I was really happy with how relaxed this felt. I was smooth the whole way and could have run this pace all day long. Not bad in 80 degree weather; 3.8 miles (7:22)
Friday: 5.4 miles (7:30ish); 5.3 miles (7:29)
Saturday: 8.9 miles with 5k race in 14:49. I ran the Doughboy 5k in Murfreesboro. I was going to run this at around 10k effort with a goal time of 14:45-14:50. Micah Tirop showed up and we rolled pretty quickly for the first 1k or so. I then led the rest of the way and won by about a minute. The course was nice and flat and my watch gave me splits of 4:46, 4:46, 4:45. My watch also said 14:47 but my official was 14:47. I felt a little drained and wasn't as relaxed as I wanted but it's been a tough training week.; 5.4 miles with pick-ups (6:51). I felt guilty just doing 5k worth of quality work this morning, so during the run, I ran 8x .1 miles fast with .4 miles easy jog. I felt pretty quick on these and was running them between mile and 5k pace.
Sunday: 6.2 miles (7:05); 3.4 miles (7:24)
Week Total= 93.2 miles. The volume was a little bit higher than my usual "two weeks to go" plan but I was playing a bit of make-up for the week prior. Next week, I'll back off big time as I get ready for the national half-marathon championships. I'm a little bit worried about running all of these 5ks lately when I would have been better off doing longer workouts. But when I'm not training for a marathon, I like to have fun and not to mention, I was able to pull in some good awards.
Tuesday: 13.4 miles medium/fast progression. My goal was three miles each at 5:30, 5:15 and 5:00 and I ended up averaging 5:28, 5:14 and 4:56. I felt really good which was encouraging coming off a bad race and the fact that I struggle in progression runs; 3.4 miles (7:36)
Wednesday: 8 miles (7:31); 4.5 miles (7:31)
Thursday: 12 miles with 10 miles medium (5:40). I was really happy with how relaxed this felt. I was smooth the whole way and could have run this pace all day long. Not bad in 80 degree weather; 3.8 miles (7:22)
Friday: 5.4 miles (7:30ish); 5.3 miles (7:29)
Saturday: 8.9 miles with 5k race in 14:49. I ran the Doughboy 5k in Murfreesboro. I was going to run this at around 10k effort with a goal time of 14:45-14:50. Micah Tirop showed up and we rolled pretty quickly for the first 1k or so. I then led the rest of the way and won by about a minute. The course was nice and flat and my watch gave me splits of 4:46, 4:46, 4:45. My watch also said 14:47 but my official was 14:47. I felt a little drained and wasn't as relaxed as I wanted but it's been a tough training week.; 5.4 miles with pick-ups (6:51). I felt guilty just doing 5k worth of quality work this morning, so during the run, I ran 8x .1 miles fast with .4 miles easy jog. I felt pretty quick on these and was running them between mile and 5k pace.
Sunday: 6.2 miles (7:05); 3.4 miles (7:24)
Week Total= 93.2 miles. The volume was a little bit higher than my usual "two weeks to go" plan but I was playing a bit of make-up for the week prior. Next week, I'll back off big time as I get ready for the national half-marathon championships. I'm a little bit worried about running all of these 5ks lately when I would have been better off doing longer workouts. But when I'm not training for a marathon, I like to have fun and not to mention, I was able to pull in some good awards.
Music City Distance Carnival
The Music City Distance Carnival takes place in Nashville and even though it doesn't have a huge budget, it brings in a lot of talented high school, college and post collegiate runners. Only events from the 800m and up are contested and many sub 4:00 miles have taken place at this race.
For the past two years, I've attended this meet as a spectator, so I was excited for a chance to compete. Several weeks prior, I ran 14:26 at the Vanderbilt Invitational, leading the whole way. I've greatly improved my fitness since then and even though I am training for the half marathon, I felt like I had the wheels to make a run at breaking 14:00. Not only did I feel like I would make a run at it, I felt like I would break it. When it comes to my running goals and life in general, I'm very much a realist. I see things for how they are and I only speak of things that I am confident in. Before the race, I was telling people I was shooting for sub 14 and honestly believed it would happen.
I spent the week leading up to this race obsessively checking the weather forecast. The past two years, this race was insanely hot but Accuweather was suggesting race time temperatures in the mid 60s, while not perfect for a 5k, but as good as you can get for a race in June. I spent the days leading up to the race planning my strategy and unfolding the race in my mind over and over again. I would tuck into the back of the pack and come through the first 1600m in the mid/upper 4:20s, come through 3200m in under 8:55 and then kick in the last 1k as hard as I could to finish under 14 minutes. With how my workouts were going and how the projected forecast looked, I was expecting it.
I got to the race a couple of hours early so I could watch my friends Jeff Edmonds, Travis Crouch, Jeff Bandy, Hunter Hall, John Ramsey and Jacob Carrigan compete in the 5k. Even though the weather was warm at this part of the day, Jeff Bandy and Travis went on to set new personal bests. Swiftwick was also sponsoring the race and gave a every competing runner a free pair of their new socks.
About 40 minutes before the race, Connor Kamm and I went for an easy 15-20 minute warm-up. I then knocked out a couple of dynamic drills and jumped onto the track for a few strides. I felt loose and ready to roll. I then started getting really nervous/anxious because I felt like my sub 14 destiny was getting closer.
I was seeded 5th with my time of 14:26. Deus Rwaheru was the top seed but I felt like Patrick Cheptoek, who is a machine on the roads, or Tim Ritchie, who ran 3:58 for the mile indoors and 28:44 for the 10k would be the favorite. When the gun went off, I got a little bit boxed in, but Connor scooted aside so I could squeeze through. I settled into 10th place or so and it felt like we were flying. With the effort I was putting out, I expected to cross the first lap in 65-66 but I was shocked when I saw a 68. Rather than play it cool, I freaked out, swung out wide and surged over the next 150 meters and moved into fourth place. That second lap was around 65 seconds, which was way too fast but I felt all right. Shortly before the first 1600m ended, some of the guys upfront started pushing the pace a bit. I didn't feel smooth at all but came through the first 1600m in 4:26, which was right on my expected pace. I was at the back of the pack and after the 2k, I started to fall back a bit. I should have known better because once you give up a few meters to someone, it quickly turns into a lot more.
I started falling further behind with each additional lap. Rather than attacking the second mile and preparing for an assault on the third, I was just going through the motions. When reality settles in and you realize you aren't going to achieve your goal, it's hard to keep fighting and stay strong.
I don't remember much of the last mile. I lost focus and just wanted to finish. I do remember stepping on the inside railing and almost completely wiping out. I remember seeing Patrick not too far ahead but instead of attempting to chase him down, I didn't respond. I think a large part of that is that he is such a strong runner and I feel he's on a different level than myself. I felt that if I would have caught up, he would have blasted me, so my motivation to go after him wasn't too strong.
I ended up finishing in 14:13. Tim pulled out a killer final sprint to beat Deus with a time of 13:56. I didn't know what my time was at first and I really didn't care because I was bummed with how it turned out. 14:13 is a new personal best but I was not happy with how I ran mentally. If I would have run that first mile well, gritted my teeth during the second and dug as deeply as I could and run a 13:59, I don't believe that would have shown a lot of mental toughness. I would have been in a lot of pain but would have gotten the positive reinforcement after each lap, knowing I was a lap closer to my goal. To me, mental toughness is gritting your teeth and digging deeply when things are going badly and your goal is out the window. Rather than doing that, I mentally shut my mind off so I didn't have to presently accept reality. Even with a perfect race, maybe sub 14 wasn't in the cards that day. I do feel that if I would have woken up mentally during the last mile, I could have run 14:05.
But the biggest mistake was freaking out after the first lap. In all of my hard workouts, I struggle a bit at first, then find my rhythm and close very well. Most people race how they train and if I would have played it cool, I could have potentially moved my way up throughout the race and be in striking distance with a few laps to go. I'm upset that I didn't show a lot of confidence or maturity in that aspect but that's a mistake I'll have to learn from.
I guess the main positive I can take out of this race is that when I went into cruise control mode, I was still clicking off 4:40s. I think it shows my aerobic system is strong, which will help me in the half-marathon championships. I don't know when I will race another track 5k, but I'm looking forward to getting back on the roads again. However, I'm not doing chasing sub 14 yet.
For the past two years, I've attended this meet as a spectator, so I was excited for a chance to compete. Several weeks prior, I ran 14:26 at the Vanderbilt Invitational, leading the whole way. I've greatly improved my fitness since then and even though I am training for the half marathon, I felt like I had the wheels to make a run at breaking 14:00. Not only did I feel like I would make a run at it, I felt like I would break it. When it comes to my running goals and life in general, I'm very much a realist. I see things for how they are and I only speak of things that I am confident in. Before the race, I was telling people I was shooting for sub 14 and honestly believed it would happen.
I spent the week leading up to this race obsessively checking the weather forecast. The past two years, this race was insanely hot but Accuweather was suggesting race time temperatures in the mid 60s, while not perfect for a 5k, but as good as you can get for a race in June. I spent the days leading up to the race planning my strategy and unfolding the race in my mind over and over again. I would tuck into the back of the pack and come through the first 1600m in the mid/upper 4:20s, come through 3200m in under 8:55 and then kick in the last 1k as hard as I could to finish under 14 minutes. With how my workouts were going and how the projected forecast looked, I was expecting it.
I got to the race a couple of hours early so I could watch my friends Jeff Edmonds, Travis Crouch, Jeff Bandy, Hunter Hall, John Ramsey and Jacob Carrigan compete in the 5k. Even though the weather was warm at this part of the day, Jeff Bandy and Travis went on to set new personal bests. Swiftwick was also sponsoring the race and gave a every competing runner a free pair of their new socks.
About 40 minutes before the race, Connor Kamm and I went for an easy 15-20 minute warm-up. I then knocked out a couple of dynamic drills and jumped onto the track for a few strides. I felt loose and ready to roll. I then started getting really nervous/anxious because I felt like my sub 14 destiny was getting closer.
I was seeded 5th with my time of 14:26. Deus Rwaheru was the top seed but I felt like Patrick Cheptoek, who is a machine on the roads, or Tim Ritchie, who ran 3:58 for the mile indoors and 28:44 for the 10k would be the favorite. When the gun went off, I got a little bit boxed in, but Connor scooted aside so I could squeeze through. I settled into 10th place or so and it felt like we were flying. With the effort I was putting out, I expected to cross the first lap in 65-66 but I was shocked when I saw a 68. Rather than play it cool, I freaked out, swung out wide and surged over the next 150 meters and moved into fourth place. That second lap was around 65 seconds, which was way too fast but I felt all right. Shortly before the first 1600m ended, some of the guys upfront started pushing the pace a bit. I didn't feel smooth at all but came through the first 1600m in 4:26, which was right on my expected pace. I was at the back of the pack and after the 2k, I started to fall back a bit. I should have known better because once you give up a few meters to someone, it quickly turns into a lot more.
I started falling further behind with each additional lap. Rather than attacking the second mile and preparing for an assault on the third, I was just going through the motions. When reality settles in and you realize you aren't going to achieve your goal, it's hard to keep fighting and stay strong.
I don't remember much of the last mile. I lost focus and just wanted to finish. I do remember stepping on the inside railing and almost completely wiping out. I remember seeing Patrick not too far ahead but instead of attempting to chase him down, I didn't respond. I think a large part of that is that he is such a strong runner and I feel he's on a different level than myself. I felt that if I would have caught up, he would have blasted me, so my motivation to go after him wasn't too strong.
I ended up finishing in 14:13. Tim pulled out a killer final sprint to beat Deus with a time of 13:56. I didn't know what my time was at first and I really didn't care because I was bummed with how it turned out. 14:13 is a new personal best but I was not happy with how I ran mentally. If I would have run that first mile well, gritted my teeth during the second and dug as deeply as I could and run a 13:59, I don't believe that would have shown a lot of mental toughness. I would have been in a lot of pain but would have gotten the positive reinforcement after each lap, knowing I was a lap closer to my goal. To me, mental toughness is gritting your teeth and digging deeply when things are going badly and your goal is out the window. Rather than doing that, I mentally shut my mind off so I didn't have to presently accept reality. Even with a perfect race, maybe sub 14 wasn't in the cards that day. I do feel that if I would have woken up mentally during the last mile, I could have run 14:05.
But the biggest mistake was freaking out after the first lap. In all of my hard workouts, I struggle a bit at first, then find my rhythm and close very well. Most people race how they train and if I would have played it cool, I could have potentially moved my way up throughout the race and be in striking distance with a few laps to go. I'm upset that I didn't show a lot of confidence or maturity in that aspect but that's a mistake I'll have to learn from.
I guess the main positive I can take out of this race is that when I went into cruise control mode, I was still clicking off 4:40s. I think it shows my aerobic system is strong, which will help me in the half-marathon championships. I don't know when I will race another track 5k, but I'm looking forward to getting back on the roads again. However, I'm not doing chasing sub 14 yet.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Jail Break 5k
One of my high school best friends, Travis, was getting married back home in South Carolina, so Mary, Kate and I hit the road to spend several days seeing my family and high school friends. Even better, there was a road race near my house that gave out a little bit of money, so I decided to give it a go.
My last road race in South Carolina was in 2005 at the Cold Winter's Day 5k, which I ended up winning in 15:14. The goal for this race was similar to the Run for the Homeless a couple of weeks prior; run around 10k effort, but harder if I had to.
The race took place in Lexington, SC and was put on by the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and my old summer place of employment, Strictly Running. Two of my old high school teammates, Reed Fisher and Ryan Plexico were also running. Reed was a high school state cross country champion and a college cross country All-American but was running his first road race in years and had about a month of training. Despite running over 24 minutes for the 5k his freshman year of high school, Ryan went on to become a 16:30 5k and sub 10:00 3200m his senior year of high school and is still racing most weekends.
When Reed and I got to the race, we sought out my old boss and the manager of Strictly Running, Selwyn Blake. When he was over 40 years old and Reed and I were in college, he would toy with us on long runs and laugh as we would die. He mainly just runs for now as he's busy with road races most weekends. We also got to meet the director of the race.
As Reed and I went to warm-up, we ran into Ryan and one of our old rivals, OJ Striggles. We all warmed-up together and we also saw Eric Ashton, who is one of the top master's runners in the United States and has been one of the best runners in the state since before I was in high school. Warming up, I realized that I forgot how much more humid it is in South Carolina, which didn't help things as the temperature was already near 80 degrees.
When the gun went off, I hung back for a minute or two before taking the lead. We were rolling pretty quickly and I hit the mile in 4:40, with Eric about five seconds behind. I tried to stay around that effort but the heat started getting to me and I slowed down to a 4:48. Since I wanted to stay under 15 minutes, I tried to keep going and ran the last mile in 4:49 to finish in 14:47. The effort was probably a little harder than I anticipated but I felt like I had another 15 seconds or more in the tank. With the heat and humidity, I felt like this was worth close to a 14:30 on an ideal day. Eric finished second in 15:47 and Reed ran really well and somehow busted out a 17:27.
After the race, Reed, Ryan, the third place finisher, Judson Brooker and I ran the course again to get in some extra mileage. The awards started shortly after and I got a really cool plaque with a handcuff on it. Better yet, the race director told me hundreds of felons have worn that handcuff at one point.I then suggested that next year they let the prisoners run, with the small-time criminals in the front and the hardcore guys in the back, with the winner earning parole, but he didn't seem too keen to that idea.
I really enjoyed this race and hope to run it again sometime in the future. Strictly Running puts on a strong race presence and always does a great job with the timing and results. The race director also puts a lot of work into it to make sure it's a fun and enjoyable race. To cap off a good morning, I got an additional $50 from the race director and another extra $100 from Strictly Running for breaking the course record. Guess that covers gas money!
My last road race in South Carolina was in 2005 at the Cold Winter's Day 5k, which I ended up winning in 15:14. The goal for this race was similar to the Run for the Homeless a couple of weeks prior; run around 10k effort, but harder if I had to.
The race took place in Lexington, SC and was put on by the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and my old summer place of employment, Strictly Running. Two of my old high school teammates, Reed Fisher and Ryan Plexico were also running. Reed was a high school state cross country champion and a college cross country All-American but was running his first road race in years and had about a month of training. Despite running over 24 minutes for the 5k his freshman year of high school, Ryan went on to become a 16:30 5k and sub 10:00 3200m his senior year of high school and is still racing most weekends.
When Reed and I got to the race, we sought out my old boss and the manager of Strictly Running, Selwyn Blake. When he was over 40 years old and Reed and I were in college, he would toy with us on long runs and laugh as we would die. He mainly just runs for now as he's busy with road races most weekends. We also got to meet the director of the race.
As Reed and I went to warm-up, we ran into Ryan and one of our old rivals, OJ Striggles. We all warmed-up together and we also saw Eric Ashton, who is one of the top master's runners in the United States and has been one of the best runners in the state since before I was in high school. Warming up, I realized that I forgot how much more humid it is in South Carolina, which didn't help things as the temperature was already near 80 degrees.
When the gun went off, I hung back for a minute or two before taking the lead. We were rolling pretty quickly and I hit the mile in 4:40, with Eric about five seconds behind. I tried to stay around that effort but the heat started getting to me and I slowed down to a 4:48. Since I wanted to stay under 15 minutes, I tried to keep going and ran the last mile in 4:49 to finish in 14:47. The effort was probably a little harder than I anticipated but I felt like I had another 15 seconds or more in the tank. With the heat and humidity, I felt like this was worth close to a 14:30 on an ideal day. Eric finished second in 15:47 and Reed ran really well and somehow busted out a 17:27.
After the race, Reed, Ryan, the third place finisher, Judson Brooker and I ran the course again to get in some extra mileage. The awards started shortly after and I got a really cool plaque with a handcuff on it. Better yet, the race director told me hundreds of felons have worn that handcuff at one point.I then suggested that next year they let the prisoners run, with the small-time criminals in the front and the hardcore guys in the back, with the winner earning parole, but he didn't seem too keen to that idea.
I really enjoyed this race and hope to run it again sometime in the future. Strictly Running puts on a strong race presence and always does a great job with the timing and results. The race director also puts a lot of work into it to make sure it's a fun and enjoyable race. To cap off a good morning, I got an additional $50 from the race director and another extra $100 from Strictly Running for breaking the course record. Guess that covers gas money!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
May 28th- June 3rd Training
Monday: 12 miles (5:58) with 10 miles medium (5:40). Rolling course and humid but felt good; .4 miles. Rained out
Tuesday: No running. Stayed out late and had to wake up early.
Wednesday: 14 miles. Ran a loop around the forest with Reed, did another lap fast, then a mile cooldown. I had a lot of trouble running quickly in the forest because of all the rhythm changes. Maybe I'll try a trail marathon or longer, but I could never run a short trail race; 3.4 miles (7:41)
Thursday: 9 miles (6:53); 5.4 miles (7:17)
Friday: 6.7 miles (6:54); 5.4 miles with strides (7:08)
Saturday: 1.5 miles (7:37); 7.8 miles with 5k race in 14:13. Not happy with the race at all because I was expecting to break 14. First lap was a 68, I freaked out and dropped a 65 next lap and came through the mile in 4:26. I wasn't comfortable at all and lost the pack after 2k. I don't remember any splits after the 1600m and completely lost focus.
Sunday: 10.6 miles (6:51); 3.4 miles (7:32)
Week Total= 79.5 miles. Was hoping for 95ish miles but the day off wrecked that. The race also had me bummed for a couple of days. It was a new personal best but I'm not happy with my mindset during the race. The trip to South Carolina threw my training off a bit, so next week I'll get a little more volume to make up for it. Two weeks until my last race and then I can chill for a bit.
Tuesday: No running. Stayed out late and had to wake up early.
Wednesday: 14 miles. Ran a loop around the forest with Reed, did another lap fast, then a mile cooldown. I had a lot of trouble running quickly in the forest because of all the rhythm changes. Maybe I'll try a trail marathon or longer, but I could never run a short trail race; 3.4 miles (7:41)
Thursday: 9 miles (6:53); 5.4 miles (7:17)
Friday: 6.7 miles (6:54); 5.4 miles with strides (7:08)
Saturday: 1.5 miles (7:37); 7.8 miles with 5k race in 14:13. Not happy with the race at all because I was expecting to break 14. First lap was a 68, I freaked out and dropped a 65 next lap and came through the mile in 4:26. I wasn't comfortable at all and lost the pack after 2k. I don't remember any splits after the 1600m and completely lost focus.
Sunday: 10.6 miles (6:51); 3.4 miles (7:32)
Week Total= 79.5 miles. Was hoping for 95ish miles but the day off wrecked that. The race also had me bummed for a couple of days. It was a new personal best but I'm not happy with my mindset during the race. The trip to South Carolina threw my training off a bit, so next week I'll get a little more volume to make up for it. Two weeks until my last race and then I can chill for a bit.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Fat Power
Here is a link to an old, but good article on the importance of "fat power" when it comes to long, sustained activity. The ability to quickly burn fats for fuel is very important not only for the cyclist, but for the marathon runner as well. Time and time again, I hear of people running consistent speed workouts and good 5k and half-marathon times but they fall apart in the later stages of the marathon. To be good in the marathon, you need to be STRONG and that comes from mileage with a lot of steady and medium paced running.
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