Runner's World is promoting the idea of streaking through the holidays. No, this is not an invite to run naked. Rather it is the challenge to run every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I think I'm in. My previous streak is a whopping 13 days. I came down with a sore throat and it seemed wise to take a couple of days off this week.
On deck this week: Run for Food 5K in Chico, CA. No better way to start Thanksgiving.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Back In The Saddle Again
So I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth after the SF Marathon. I spent a few weeks taking it easy, but then life got very busy, and I really had a hard time finding time to run.
In late August, I was doing some non-voluntary running (a work thing--chasing a student who was running away) and ended up getting a stress fracture in my upper femur. Ouch. Could barely walk for a few days and definitely needed to take time off from running.
Late October came and I finally got to start running again. I was pleased and a little surprised at how quickly the fitness is coming back. I am presently building up to 40 miles per week. This time around I am going to emphasize running nearly every day and building a much better weekly mileage base. My goal is to get up around 45-50 miles/week before my next marathon.
Speaking of marathons, I am considering the Death Valley Borax Marathon in February as my next biggie, and I have a 5k on thanksgiving and a 10K in mid-December as short-term goals.
In late August, I was doing some non-voluntary running (a work thing--chasing a student who was running away) and ended up getting a stress fracture in my upper femur. Ouch. Could barely walk for a few days and definitely needed to take time off from running.
Late October came and I finally got to start running again. I was pleased and a little surprised at how quickly the fitness is coming back. I am presently building up to 40 miles per week. This time around I am going to emphasize running nearly every day and building a much better weekly mileage base. My goal is to get up around 45-50 miles/week before my next marathon.
Speaking of marathons, I am considering the Death Valley Borax Marathon in February as my next biggie, and I have a 5k on thanksgiving and a 10K in mid-December as short-term goals.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
San Francisco Marathon Race Report
I was a little worried about getting to the start line on Sunday morning as my hotel was across town, so I called for an early cab when I woke up. Stood outside my hotel for a couple of minutes when a cab pulled up, so I made it to the start without any hassle and plenty early. Sat around waiting for time to start. Bart Yasso was announcing the race start and he did the countdown for each wave.
Mile five begins the climb up the steep hill that takes you from sea level up to the Golden Gate Bride. Here is where the hill training really pays off. I felt pretty good going for an even effort up the hill. We made it up onto the bridge and it was so nice getting to run on the actual roadway of the Golden Gate Bridge Lincoln
Next we headed toward Golden Gate Park
My wife and kids were waiting at the 18 mile mark. What an encouraging thing to have people cheering for you. I also got a big boost by cheering for the 2nd Half Pace groups as they went by. This portion of the race takes your out of Golden Gate Park
Here Haight starts it’s huge descent which was steep enough to make it hard to actually run fast. This was also new territory for me as my longest run prior to the race was 20.5 miles. I started to fade here. Getting passed by lots of 2nd half Marathoners here. This is by far some of the ugliest portions of the race as once you turn off Haight, the race winds through industrial portions of the City. The funny thing was that the ugliness seemed to fit perfectly with how I was feeling. I think I was one solid grimace through section. I switched over to some better music here, but even the “Imperial March” aka Darth Vader’s theme, didn’t help much. Miles 21 through 25—9:38, 9:36, 9:46, 10:24, 11:17.
At Mile 25 we run up to AT&T park (SF Giants’ Stadium) and we had planned to have my son run the race mile with me. My wife and kids were waiting next to the stadium and my son joined me. It was cool to have him along side me for that last mile. 11:23 and then 3:17 to the finish line. Official finish time: 4:09:12!
Bart Yasso commented on my son helping me finish. We headed through to get snacks, the awesome 3.5” coaster medal, finish line photos, and then began to wander around trying to connect back up with my wife and daughter. About that time I began to feel faint, so we made a beeline for the medical tent to lie down for a while. Reconnected with my family there and took in the finish line festivities. First marathon done.
What was I happy with? I felt really good on the hills. I was also able to run the whole thing only stopping for a couple of pictures and porta-potty visits. I was also so glad that I wore my hydration belt. That helped me fuel and hydrate on my terms. What could have been better? I did get a little fast on some of those early miles—which contributed to my fade at the end. It just seemed a little hard with all the early hills to gauge the effort for an even race. I was pretty close to my planned time at the half, but I could have run a slightly smarter race in the second half.
All in all a great first marathon experience. Really captured the SF Marathon motto: WORTH THE HURT!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Spy Planes, Wiretaps, and other Conspiracies
6.4 miles with 3 at tempo pace today. It was a good run, but the highlight was my conversation the last mile. I caught up with a guy in full backpacking gear and figured that he must have just came down from the backcountry.
As we made our way down the trail, he told me his tale of woe. As the tale of hardship went on, it began to include a deep-seated paranoia. The Government was sending U2 spy planes to track him. They were wire-tapping his pre-paid cell phones. They had even fried his car's heater core by the strength of the satelites beaming his car's computer.
That's the kind of run that makes you glad for your marbles. Praying for this guy. He needs a touch from Jesus' own hand.
As we made our way down the trail, he told me his tale of woe. As the tale of hardship went on, it began to include a deep-seated paranoia. The Government was sending U2 spy planes to track him. They were wire-tapping his pre-paid cell phones. They had even fried his car's heater core by the strength of the satelites beaming his car's computer.
That's the kind of run that makes you glad for your marbles. Praying for this guy. He needs a touch from Jesus' own hand.
Run for the Hills
Two back-to-back camping trips have given me an opportunity to get in some running at altitude. The first one was a family camping trip. Three days up at 5,600 feet. Got in an 8 miler and then a 13 miler. The hills i was running on gave me my first experience with oxygen debt since my reentry into running almost a year ago.
As I ran the hills, I kept picturing myself on the hills in San Francisco. Up from Crissy Field to the top of the Golden Gate, and down from the Haight to the Mission district.
The second trip was a scout camp with my son. A little lower at 4,200 feet, but still high enough to get some added benefit.
When I got home, my SF Marathon confirmation, bib number, and starting wave info was waiting in my inbox. Woohoo!
As I ran the hills, I kept picturing myself on the hills in San Francisco. Up from Crissy Field to the top of the Golden Gate, and down from the Haight to the Mission district.
The second trip was a scout camp with my son. A little lower at 4,200 feet, but still high enough to get some added benefit.
When I got home, my SF Marathon confirmation, bib number, and starting wave info was waiting in my inbox. Woohoo!
Tapertown!
OK folks, I am officially in Tapertown!
This is the last few weeks before the marathon. My final long run was a 20 miler from the top of Paradise down 1,600 feet to Bidwell Park in Chico. It was hot and awesome! I ended at the pool at One Mile and jumped in with my kids. (they drove down, I didn't make them run).
I was hoping that the pool would still be nice and cold, but it was already warming up so that it didn't serve any longer as an ice bath.
The next three weeks will feature dramatically lowered volume, but hopefully keep the intensity up.
This is the last few weeks before the marathon. My final long run was a 20 miler from the top of Paradise down 1,600 feet to Bidwell Park in Chico. It was hot and awesome! I ended at the pool at One Mile and jumped in with my kids. (they drove down, I didn't make them run).
I was hoping that the pool would still be nice and cold, but it was already warming up so that it didn't serve any longer as an ice bath.
The next three weeks will feature dramatically lowered volume, but hopefully keep the intensity up.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Taking the Minimalist Shoe Plunge
Had a visit from one of my favorite guys today--that's right the man in brown himself, the UPS guy.
He was delivering my new pair of Vibram Five Fingers. I am officially going to start introducing a little minimalist shoe into my training.
He was delivering my new pair of Vibram Five Fingers. I am officially going to start introducing a little minimalist shoe into my training.
After my regular intervals at the track today, I put them on (by the way, nobody tells you that it takes an hour and a half to get them on) and ran an inaugural 1/4 mile. Felt good.
They are a little snug, but I'm told that they break in and will feel better after a week or so. To help with that transition, I'm wearing them around the rest of the day.
Already had my first "five fingers" interaction. As I'm putting them on a guy walking by does a double take, and asks where I got them and if they were Nike's. Uh, I ordered them online and no they're not Nike's.
My wife thinks I look like a robot with them on.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Last Day of May 10K
Well, today was the last day in May. It seemed appropriate to do a 10K. --That's right, the "Last Day of May 10K." It wasn't an organized race or anything official, just me and my Garmin.
I had some errands to run in Chico, and figured as long as I was heading down there, I might as well get a run in the fantastic flat land, a welcome break from the the hills. It was also a cold rainy day and somehow a run seemed more appetizing down where it's a few degrees warmer.
I had a tempo run scheduled, but it just seemed right to go for a fast little jaunt. Since I haven't run an organized 10K since high school, I thought it might be fun to do a time trial. I managed to come in just over 50 minutes, 50:06 to be exact.
I had some errands to run in Chico, and figured as long as I was heading down there, I might as well get a run in the fantastic flat land, a welcome break from the the hills. It was also a cold rainy day and somehow a run seemed more appetizing down where it's a few degrees warmer.
I had a tempo run scheduled, but it just seemed right to go for a fast little jaunt. Since I haven't run an organized 10K since high school, I thought it might be fun to do a time trial. I managed to come in just over 50 minutes, 50:06 to be exact.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
500!
It happened on Sunday afternoon. Somewhere out on the old railroad bed near Paradise Lake. It might have been right after I passed the horse and rider. It was about the same time that I took my GU gel. I still had 5 more miles to go in my run that day.
Somewhere along the line, I passed an invisible line of great importance and also of no importance. The line was the 500th mile that I've run this year.
Now I know there are many of you that say "big woop, I passed 500 two months ago." I fully understand and that is why for for just about everyone else on the planet, Sunday's landmark was a non-event.
However, there is one guy on the planet that thought it was a pretty big deal--me! It's a big deal because I don't think I've ever ran 500 in a year (well, maybe in high school when I was on the long distance team). And I certainly have never hit 500 in under 5 months' time. So I'm pretty excited.
I think I'll ice my knee to celebrate!
Somewhere along the line, I passed an invisible line of great importance and also of no importance. The line was the 500th mile that I've run this year.
Now I know there are many of you that say "big woop, I passed 500 two months ago." I fully understand and that is why for for just about everyone else on the planet, Sunday's landmark was a non-event.
However, there is one guy on the planet that thought it was a pretty big deal--me! It's a big deal because I don't think I've ever ran 500 in a year (well, maybe in high school when I was on the long distance team). And I certainly have never hit 500 in under 5 months' time. So I'm pretty excited.
I think I'll ice my knee to celebrate!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Tempo run today. The "Dreaded Eight Mile Tempo" or DEMT to be exact. This is the nickname for this workout given by the followers of the F.I.R.S.T. training plan. The DEMT is meant to be run at a pace that is slightly slower than your 10K pace. For me, the goal tempo was about 8:30 min/mile.
Normally, you want to run a warm up mile before hitting your tempo pace, but today was an exception for me. Even though the calendar says mid-May, we are having a little reoccurence of winter. It was pouring rain and cold! So I thought I might warm up faster by running faster. I had chosen the dirt trail around part of Paradise Lake as my route today. For the first couple of miles I managed to dodge the worst of the puddles, but by the time I hit mid-way it was a lost cause. My shoes and socks were soaked, and I was spraying myself with mud with every step.
By the time I was done, I looked like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Normally, you want to run a warm up mile before hitting your tempo pace, but today was an exception for me. Even though the calendar says mid-May, we are having a little reoccurence of winter. It was pouring rain and cold! So I thought I might warm up faster by running faster. I had chosen the dirt trail around part of Paradise Lake as my route today. For the first couple of miles I managed to dodge the worst of the puddles, but by the time I hit mid-way it was a lost cause. My shoes and socks were soaked, and I was spraying myself with mud with every step.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Ridge Run 5K Race Report
Yesterday was the second annual Ridge Run 5K, benefiting Pine Ridge School in Magalia, CA.
I got there at 8:30AM to register for the 9:00AM race. I hadn't preregistered because I wasn't sure if my schedule would allow me to run the race. There was also a hike to a local waterfall that some folks from church were planning.
After registering, I said hi to to some acquaintances and then decided to go for a warm-up jog. At this point, I realize that I have no clue what the race course is going to look like. It was not published with the race info. I had assumed that it would just follow the local roads for some sort of out and back. As I began my warm-up I pass one of the school's P.E. teachers who offered to show me some of the course. It turns out that there is a whole network of trails behind the school--touring through some really pretty pine forest. I did about a mile of warm up and decided I had better get to the starting line.
The other thing I found out from the P.E. guy was that there was no water provided on the course. No biggie, it's just a 5K. I'm a water kind of guy on runs, so I decided to bring water along, even though I would only take a few drinks.
At 9:00AM, they walk us down to the start line, briefly explained the course (I sort of quit listening here, because I wasn't familiar with the street names anyway and I figured only the first place runner really needed to know). They did a quick head count and there were 64 runners toed up. Away we went.
I usually check out the runners near me and look for someone that I might aim to pick off during the run. There was an gentleman about 20 years my senior who looked really ready to go. He was wearing a bright red shirt and I thought he'd be easy to keep track of. The course started with a loop around the parking lot and then a left turn on the road. Red shirt guy took off like a rocket up the steep incline--I guess I'll pace off of someone else.
The course followed the road for roughly the first mile and then turned onto the forest trail. While the turn was marked with chalk and a cone, a runner two guys ahead missed it and went about 50 feet out of his way. I hollered after him as I made the turn. He caught up and passed me pretty quick. The trail portion of the run was a pretty, but technical. Lots of hills and some pretty sharp turns. I almost rolled my ankle, but saved it just in time.
The trail portion lasted for a little more than the next mile. I think my poor GPS was getting poor signal in the dense forest, because the distance seemed to be off. The course turned back out on the road and somehow meandered back to the same parking lot we started in. It went through the parking lot and into a back school field and then briefly onto some more trails. Since my GPS distance wasn't correct, I had no idea we were as close to the end as we were. A final sprint to the finish!
My official time: 22:42, a new PR by 17 seconds. I managed to come in 6th out of 64 and grabbed 2nd in my age group. The guy in fifth place had been at the CareNet race two weeks ago and had been determined to beat me. He ran a great race.
After the 5K, they put on a 1/4 mile kids' race. My son Ben lined up with about 20 kids under 10 years old. He was about midway through the pack at the start. When he came into view at the finish, he was in second. So we ended the day with matching 2nd place medals. Nice!
I got there at 8:30AM to register for the 9:00AM race. I hadn't preregistered because I wasn't sure if my schedule would allow me to run the race. There was also a hike to a local waterfall that some folks from church were planning.
After registering, I said hi to to some acquaintances and then decided to go for a warm-up jog. At this point, I realize that I have no clue what the race course is going to look like. It was not published with the race info. I had assumed that it would just follow the local roads for some sort of out and back. As I began my warm-up I pass one of the school's P.E. teachers who offered to show me some of the course. It turns out that there is a whole network of trails behind the school--touring through some really pretty pine forest. I did about a mile of warm up and decided I had better get to the starting line.
The other thing I found out from the P.E. guy was that there was no water provided on the course. No biggie, it's just a 5K. I'm a water kind of guy on runs, so I decided to bring water along, even though I would only take a few drinks.
At 9:00AM, they walk us down to the start line, briefly explained the course (I sort of quit listening here, because I wasn't familiar with the street names anyway and I figured only the first place runner really needed to know). They did a quick head count and there were 64 runners toed up. Away we went.
I usually check out the runners near me and look for someone that I might aim to pick off during the run. There was an gentleman about 20 years my senior who looked really ready to go. He was wearing a bright red shirt and I thought he'd be easy to keep track of. The course started with a loop around the parking lot and then a left turn on the road. Red shirt guy took off like a rocket up the steep incline--I guess I'll pace off of someone else.
The course followed the road for roughly the first mile and then turned onto the forest trail. While the turn was marked with chalk and a cone, a runner two guys ahead missed it and went about 50 feet out of his way. I hollered after him as I made the turn. He caught up and passed me pretty quick. The trail portion of the run was a pretty, but technical. Lots of hills and some pretty sharp turns. I almost rolled my ankle, but saved it just in time.
The trail portion lasted for a little more than the next mile. I think my poor GPS was getting poor signal in the dense forest, because the distance seemed to be off. The course turned back out on the road and somehow meandered back to the same parking lot we started in. It went through the parking lot and into a back school field and then briefly onto some more trails. Since my GPS distance wasn't correct, I had no idea we were as close to the end as we were. A final sprint to the finish!
My official time: 22:42, a new PR by 17 seconds. I managed to come in 6th out of 64 and grabbed 2nd in my age group. The guy in fifth place had been at the CareNet race two weeks ago and had been determined to beat me. He ran a great race.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Rotate Your Shoes!
Apparently you're supposed to rotate your running shoes. Who knew?
Problem #1 here is that running shoes are spendy. Back in January, I went and got fitted for a pair of running shoes that would handle my unique feet. I have a pronounced over-pronating stride, which means I roll from the outside of my heel to the inside on toes. But to make matters worse, I have my robo-ankle. I broke my right ankle in three places back in 2004 and had surgery. I am now sporting a titanium plate and nine screws. (So if I run screwy, that's why!)
After a thorough fitting I went with the Mizuno Wave Alchemy plus the Superfeet inserts. After about 350 miles, that pair of shoes has started to feel a little flat. So, I ordered two more pairs. Yup, two pairs of identical shoes (well one has a red logo and the other and orange logo).
The plan here is to rotate the shoes. It is supposed to give the shoes greater life by giving them a chance to fluff back up in between runs. Sounds good to me.
I track my running on RunningAhead.com by uplaoding my GPS data, but the site also allows me to track mileage on my shoes. Ok--I know that's a little geeky, but I've long ago come to grips with that.
Problem #1 here is that running shoes are spendy. Back in January, I went and got fitted for a pair of running shoes that would handle my unique feet. I have a pronounced over-pronating stride, which means I roll from the outside of my heel to the inside on toes. But to make matters worse, I have my robo-ankle. I broke my right ankle in three places back in 2004 and had surgery. I am now sporting a titanium plate and nine screws. (So if I run screwy, that's why!)
After a thorough fitting I went with the Mizuno Wave Alchemy plus the Superfeet inserts. After about 350 miles, that pair of shoes has started to feel a little flat. So, I ordered two more pairs. Yup, two pairs of identical shoes (well one has a red logo and the other and orange logo).
The plan here is to rotate the shoes. It is supposed to give the shoes greater life by giving them a chance to fluff back up in between runs. Sounds good to me.
I track my running on RunningAhead.com by uplaoding my GPS data, but the site also allows me to track mileage on my shoes. Ok--I know that's a little geeky, but I've long ago come to grips with that.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Pfitz Who?!
Pfitz, who's Pfitz?
Oh yeah, he's the guy with the marathon training plans right out of Dachau. I really tried to do Pfitz (I was looking at his 18/55 plan), but it was just too much too soon for me.
While I've been floundering the last 6 or seven weeks, I realized that I have two problems: I have pretty much been just running slow runs since my Half Marathon and I have been a slave to the "long run must occur on the weekend" theory.
Well this week I was able to tackle both issues. I ran my long run on Tuesday. As a Pastor, the weekends tend to be a little busy. Working up to the Half Marathon, I could get away with squeezing in the long runs on weekends, but it's just not an option right now.
I also really missed speed and tempo work. Thursday, I went out to the High School track and after warming up, I knocked out 6 X 800's--they felt great. I think I really needed to step on the gas and blow the gunk out.
What does all this mean for a training plan? It means I'm going to follow the F.I.R.S.T. plan for a first marathon. That would be the Furman Institute For Scientific Training. Here's what I love about FIRST: Just three: "Key Runs" a week--an interval, a tempo, and a long run. In between these you are supposed to do two XT days--this week I worked in a 7 mile mountain bike ride and the other was a easy two-mile run.
You can also do these key runs in whatever order works for you. So this week, I did 3, 1, 2.
7 miles tomorrow with 5 at tempo pace.
Oh yeah, he's the guy with the marathon training plans right out of Dachau. I really tried to do Pfitz (I was looking at his 18/55 plan), but it was just too much too soon for me.
While I've been floundering the last 6 or seven weeks, I realized that I have two problems: I have pretty much been just running slow runs since my Half Marathon and I have been a slave to the "long run must occur on the weekend" theory.
Well this week I was able to tackle both issues. I ran my long run on Tuesday. As a Pastor, the weekends tend to be a little busy. Working up to the Half Marathon, I could get away with squeezing in the long runs on weekends, but it's just not an option right now.
I also really missed speed and tempo work. Thursday, I went out to the High School track and after warming up, I knocked out 6 X 800's--they felt great. I think I really needed to step on the gas and blow the gunk out.
What does all this mean for a training plan? It means I'm going to follow the F.I.R.S.T. plan for a first marathon. That would be the Furman Institute For Scientific Training. Here's what I love about FIRST: Just three: "Key Runs" a week--an interval, a tempo, and a long run. In between these you are supposed to do two XT days--this week I worked in a 7 mile mountain bike ride and the other was a easy two-mile run.
You can also do these key runs in whatever order works for you. So this week, I did 3, 1, 2.
7 miles tomorrow with 5 at tempo pace.
Monday, April 25, 2011
CareNet Human Race 5K Race Report
Saturday was the Human Race 5K. It was a really great event.
Can I just start by saying how great it is to run a race in your own town. I left at 8:25 and showed up at 8:30 for sign-in. They had a very well-staffed sign-in table to handle race sign-in and t-shirt pickup.
The t-shirts were very well done and they had plenty in every size.
After signing in, I said hi to Linda Kalanquin, the Director of CareNet and looked for my friend Tom, who is a fellow pastor in our community. Tom is a three-time marathoner and I hoped to see him at the event.
The race was scheduled to start at 9:00, so I went for a little warm-up jog just before then. I'm not much a warm-up guy, preferring usually to just warm-up as I go, but I figured that 5K was short enough to warrant a little warming up. I got back from the warm-up and they had a few preliminary remarks--thanking the supporters, a quick story from a CareNet client, and then Tom shared a little--then off to start line.
A crowd of 40 or so participants lined up and away we went. The course was 1.55 miles up the Paradise Memorial Trail and back. They had volunteers doing traffic control at the three road crossings and a manned drink station at the turn-around point.
I quickly took the lead position and most likely started out way too fast. The trail goes uphill with a 254 foot elevation gain over the first 2.5K. I was going too fast, but it felt ok. The hardest part was actually being in the lead. I am used to being able to cue my pace off of runners in front of me and it felt a little loose without that. As I made the turn I passed my nearest competitor, a young lady who was about forty feet back. I told her "you're gonna beat me." She caught me a little ways down the road. We ran together for a while, but it was clear that she had more speed and more gas in the tank, so I told her not to let the old man slow her down.
She eventually took off and grabbed her first place finish. I came in second overall and first place among the men. It was a also a PR for me at 22:59. I'm going to cherish the race, because it will probably be my only opportunity to lead the pack.
After crossing the finish line I congratulated the winner and went to grab some water at the snack tent. I decided that I would just take a case of water over to the finish line and encourage the finishers with some water.
What a fun day! Can't wait until next year's event.
Can I just start by saying how great it is to run a race in your own town. I left at 8:25 and showed up at 8:30 for sign-in. They had a very well-staffed sign-in table to handle race sign-in and t-shirt pickup.
The t-shirts were very well done and they had plenty in every size.
After signing in, I said hi to Linda Kalanquin, the Director of CareNet and looked for my friend Tom, who is a fellow pastor in our community. Tom is a three-time marathoner and I hoped to see him at the event.
The race was scheduled to start at 9:00, so I went for a little warm-up jog just before then. I'm not much a warm-up guy, preferring usually to just warm-up as I go, but I figured that 5K was short enough to warrant a little warming up. I got back from the warm-up and they had a few preliminary remarks--thanking the supporters, a quick story from a CareNet client, and then Tom shared a little--then off to start line.
A crowd of 40 or so participants lined up and away we went. The course was 1.55 miles up the Paradise Memorial Trail and back. They had volunteers doing traffic control at the three road crossings and a manned drink station at the turn-around point.
I quickly took the lead position and most likely started out way too fast. The trail goes uphill with a 254 foot elevation gain over the first 2.5K. I was going too fast, but it felt ok. The hardest part was actually being in the lead. I am used to being able to cue my pace off of runners in front of me and it felt a little loose without that. As I made the turn I passed my nearest competitor, a young lady who was about forty feet back. I told her "you're gonna beat me." She caught me a little ways down the road. We ran together for a while, but it was clear that she had more speed and more gas in the tank, so I told her not to let the old man slow her down.
She eventually took off and grabbed her first place finish. I came in second overall and first place among the men. It was a also a PR for me at 22:59. I'm going to cherish the race, because it will probably be my only opportunity to lead the pack.
After crossing the finish line I congratulated the winner and went to grab some water at the snack tent. I decided that I would just take a case of water over to the finish line and encourage the finishers with some water.
What a fun day! Can't wait until next year's event.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Three Week Vacation
Well, it appears that I took a three-week vacation from the blog.
That roughly correlates with my running lately. Let me explain what I've been up to.
The first full week of April I was out of town. Had the opportunity to spend a week with my Dad in southern Nevada. We had a great time but unfortunately, I only got in one two-mile run that week. I had hoped that we'd get in a bunch of mountain biking, but our days were very full and tiring and we only managed one short ride. So there is this henious 5-day gap in my training log.
I tried to get back in the saddle the next week. I was out of town on business but managed to get in a quality run on Monday and Wednesday last week. Unfortunately, then I ended up taking two days off followed by a lame two-mile run, and then another two days off.
Yikes, my training log is starting to have all the charm of a West Virginia smile.
That roughly correlates with my running lately. Let me explain what I've been up to.
The first full week of April I was out of town. Had the opportunity to spend a week with my Dad in southern Nevada. We had a great time but unfortunately, I only got in one two-mile run that week. I had hoped that we'd get in a bunch of mountain biking, but our days were very full and tiring and we only managed one short ride. So there is this henious 5-day gap in my training log.
I tried to get back in the saddle the next week. I was out of town on business but managed to get in a quality run on Monday and Wednesday last week. Unfortunately, then I ended up taking two days off followed by a lame two-mile run, and then another two days off.
Yikes, my training log is starting to have all the charm of a West Virginia smile.
So this week I am endeavoring to get back into a regular training schedule. I managed to sneak in a 12 miler on Tuesday and a six-miler yesterday. I found a great (new to me) trail to run on. It is the old train tracks base that was used to bring lumber down from the forest. Train tracks are gone leaving a nice smooth, steady climb and no cars to worry about.
This weekend, I'm entered in the HUMAN RACE 5K. It is a benefit fun run for CareNet, a local pro-life crisis pregnancy center. I think it is their inaugural 5K, so I'm not sure how well organized it will be or even if there will be a timer. But, I really believe in the work this group is doing and I can time my own race on my Garmin. Can't wait! I am hoping for a new PR.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cravings and Foam Roller Terrorism
Today is a rest or XT day. That means, I am doing some light flexibility work, some core strengthening stuff, spending some time on the foam roller and dusting off the unicycle.
I got through the flexibility and core work and my body sent a strong request: "we would appreciate it very much if you would be so kind as to feed us a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich, if it's not too much trouble, thank you ever so much."
Into the kitchen I go.
Ok, all the PB and Honey craving cells in my body gave out a collective "that's just what I wanted." How do they know what they want? I have no idea. Most days I just try to eat a nice variety of things and let them get what they need that way. Today, it was definitely PB & Honey on the menu.
Back to the foam roller. These are the latest craze in the fitness world. But it turns out that the technology for foam rollers isn't new at all. It turns out that these have been around for some time. Vikings used to foam roller their victims as they plundered and pillaged, giving rise to the haunting battle cry, "plundra plundring och använda skumgummirulle." Later, they were used as a medieval torture device (ofergietan þæs hengen, broc þæm fám wealoa). Lately, our high tech military satelites have captured images from remote al-quaida training facilities where jihadists practice foam roller terrorism (نهب نهب واستخدام الأسطوانة رغوة). Seriously, these are great everyone should have one.
Now, where did I put that unicycle?
I got through the flexibility and core work and my body sent a strong request: "we would appreciate it very much if you would be so kind as to feed us a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich, if it's not too much trouble, thank you ever so much."
Into the kitchen I go.
Ok, all the PB and Honey craving cells in my body gave out a collective "that's just what I wanted." How do they know what they want? I have no idea. Most days I just try to eat a nice variety of things and let them get what they need that way. Today, it was definitely PB & Honey on the menu.
Back to the foam roller. These are the latest craze in the fitness world. But it turns out that the technology for foam rollers isn't new at all. It turns out that these have been around for some time. Vikings used to foam roller their victims as they plundered and pillaged, giving rise to the haunting battle cry, "plundra plundring och använda skumgummirulle." Later, they were used as a medieval torture device (ofergietan þæs hengen, broc þæm fám wealoa). Lately, our high tech military satelites have captured images from remote al-quaida training facilities where jihadists practice foam roller terrorism (نهب نهب واستخدام الأسطوانة رغوة). Seriously, these are great everyone should have one.
Now, where did I put that unicycle?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Shorts Weather Has Come To Northern California
Get out your sunglasses folks, I'm wearing shorts!
Yes, after a really long patch of wintery weather, spring weather has arrived in Northern California. Today called for 9 miles of General Aerobic (I know what you're thinking, the it was Colonel Aerobic last time you checked--well he's been promoted.
General Aerobic is Pfitzinger's term for pretty much easy running 15-20% slower that goal marathon pace.
Out to Paradise Lake I go just daring the sun to darken my mighty white legs.
Yes, after a really long patch of wintery weather, spring weather has arrived in Northern California. Today called for 9 miles of General Aerobic (I know what you're thinking, the it was Colonel Aerobic last time you checked--well he's been promoted.
General Aerobic is Pfitzinger's term for pretty much easy running 15-20% slower that goal marathon pace.
Out to Paradise Lake I go just daring the sun to darken my mighty white legs.
Had a nice run around the lake. The trail is an out and back on the right (east) side of the lake. It works out to a 9.35 mile run--perfect.
I enjoyed the trail today, even managed to keep my feet mostly dry. No snow on the trail anymore, but there are still some very ambitious puddles (think 30-40 feet long and covereing the width of the trail).
I did pick up a little friend on the run. When I got in the car to head home, I looked down to find a tick taking a bite out of crime on my leg. Fortunately, it hadn't had a chance to get embedded yeet, so I was able to pull it off with relative ease. (Note to self--add tick repellant to the running gear). I think it saw my bright white legs and thought it was the promised land.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Welcome to the Freak Show
Climb Aboard Explorers!
To be fair, the plan is also authored by Scott Douglas, but everyone just refers to it as a Pfitzinger plan, or Pfitz for short. Sorry Scott.
Today's workout--an 8 mile run with 4 miles at Lactate Threshold pace. For me that works out to a pace between 8:53 and 9:10 (Heart rate 148 - 165). So, I set the alarm for 5:30 and away we go with a zoom!
I couldn't sneak out the door without waking the dogs, so they got to come for the first mile and a half. Then I dropped them off and went out for more. I pushed up near LT pace, but because it was uphill, my HR was already there so two miles of LT. After that, I realized that I needed to add a little to my route, so I explored some new ground. I found a trail that went along the Magalia Reservoir--this turned out to be a Mr. Toad's Wild Ride of a trail, so I had to go a little slower for the two miles of trail. Finished up with two more at LT pace.
Viola! First day of training in the books. To bolster my legendary fame and running prowess, I am counting the half marathon training as part of my total training bragging rights for the marathon. That puts me at 318 miles down, approximately 800 to go.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow
We have had a solid three weeks of rain here in sunny, northern California. The official stats for my town record us at 20 days of rain in March with 16.27 inches! That's enough to discourage even the most resilient of souls.
Don't get me wrong, I like the rain. I even like running in the rain in the winter, as long as I am prepared for it:
Saturday, I had just about had it. A growing sense of cabin fever began to really get to me. So, I geared up and went out for a medium-long run. When I left it was cloudy but not raining. The rain came about 3 miles into the run. A sprinkle, then a downpour. No problem for me, I'm dressed and ready. The downpour lets up and to more of a sprinkle followed by another downpour.
I was running an out & back course and about a half mile before my turn-around point, the rain starts to turn to hail. To misquote the country song: "If you're going through hail, keep on moving!" I enjoy the crunchy feel of hail under my feet. I decide to make this run a half-marathon distance so I tack on a little more before making my turn.
As I'm running in the rain, hail, wind, and fog I begin thinking that this run is perfect for preparing for the San Francisco Marathon. It's always windy going across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's usually foggy. This is the exact type of training I need. Add to it this route is a pretty fair facsimile of the course elevation profile, and I am having a great training run--building mental toughness.
Two more miles of rain and then it suddenly cleared up. The clouds even turned from dark grey to light grey with some hints of yellow. I finished the run after sunset, with my headlamp on, but felt pretty good.
The sun is out today, I guess Annie was right.
Don't get me wrong, I like the rain. I even like running in the rain in the winter, as long as I am prepared for it:
- hat with a bill to keep the rain out of my eyes
- wool socks (I love my green smartwools)
- a decent outer layer up top
Saturday, I had just about had it. A growing sense of cabin fever began to really get to me. So, I geared up and went out for a medium-long run. When I left it was cloudy but not raining. The rain came about 3 miles into the run. A sprinkle, then a downpour. No problem for me, I'm dressed and ready. The downpour lets up and to more of a sprinkle followed by another downpour.
I was running an out & back course and about a half mile before my turn-around point, the rain starts to turn to hail. To misquote the country song: "If you're going through hail, keep on moving!" I enjoy the crunchy feel of hail under my feet. I decide to make this run a half-marathon distance so I tack on a little more before making my turn.
Two more miles of rain and then it suddenly cleared up. The clouds even turned from dark grey to light grey with some hints of yellow. I finished the run after sunset, with my headlamp on, but felt pretty good.
The sun is out today, I guess Annie was right.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spring, Snow and Mountain Lions
Today was my first run of Spring!
Unfortunately, "Spring" in Northern California this year looks a lot like torrential rain turning to snow at higher elevations. I was looking forward to a nice trail run this morning, so I headed out to Paradise Lake. The trail there is a nice rolling trail that follows the shoreline of our beautiful lake. It is a 9.3 mile out and back trail.
Today, it was about 90% covered in snow and the rest was puddles. I dressed for rain and off I went. Nothing fast or fancy through the snow and mud, but just a nice natural pace, mostly 10-11min/miles.
On the far part of the trail, I started to see some traccks in the snow. Mountain Lion tracks to be exact. At first it was one solitary cat with BIG feet...3-4" across. I lost his track, but later picked up a smaller adult cat's print with a cub along side. Momma and cub, I'm guessing.
What do you think the lions think of me running by in the rain? FAST FOOD.
Actually, I'm not that fast.
Unfortunately, "Spring" in Northern California this year looks a lot like torrential rain turning to snow at higher elevations. I was looking forward to a nice trail run this morning, so I headed out to Paradise Lake. The trail there is a nice rolling trail that follows the shoreline of our beautiful lake. It is a 9.3 mile out and back trail.
Today, it was about 90% covered in snow and the rest was puddles. I dressed for rain and off I went. Nothing fast or fancy through the snow and mud, but just a nice natural pace, mostly 10-11min/miles.
On the far part of the trail, I started to see some traccks in the snow. Mountain Lion tracks to be exact. At first it was one solitary cat with BIG feet...3-4" across. I lost his track, but later picked up a smaller adult cat's print with a cub along side. Momma and cub, I'm guessing.
What do you think the lions think of me running by in the rain? FAST FOOD.
Actually, I'm not that fast.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Unicycle Cross-Training
My brother Jeff called yesterday. Jeff has been one of those inspirational big brothers. He has run the St. Loius Marathon, done the Sears Tower Climb a couple of times (he's training to do it again). Way back in my first semester of college, he taught me how to juggle as a helpful procrastination method.
About 6 years ago he gave me one of his old unicycles (a classic Schwinn 24") and told me I had to learn. After about 5 years of mostly letting it collect dust, last spring I finally took to learning it in earnest. I spent a lot of time at the local tennis courts. Tennis courts are great for unicycle practice because they are nice and flat and have chain-link fence surrounding them, which is ideal beacuse you have something to hang on to. After a good bit of work, I managed to graduate to being an official level 1 unicycler who can:
Back to yesterday's call. Usually he calls to rub in how my neice or nephew are doing laps around my unicycle ability--my nephew is working on level 2. Even my brother's six year-old neighbor is learning. My brother's latest stunt is riding 2+ miles on his unicycle.
So, the conversation progresses and he challenges me to get after progressing to the next level. I give what I think is the ultimate excuse: "I'm training for a marathon." He responds, "Then unicycle as cross-training."
Ok, he got me there. So, once a week on one of my "rest of XT" days, I'm gonna work on the uni!
- mount unicycle unassisted
- ride 50 meters
- dismount gracefully with unicycle in front
Back to yesterday's call. Usually he calls to rub in how my neice or nephew are doing laps around my unicycle ability--my nephew is working on level 2. Even my brother's six year-old neighbor is learning. My brother's latest stunt is riding 2+ miles on his unicycle.
So, the conversation progresses and he challenges me to get after progressing to the next level. I give what I think is the ultimate excuse: "I'm training for a marathon." He responds, "Then unicycle as cross-training."
Ok, he got me there. So, once a week on one of my "rest of XT" days, I'm gonna work on the uni!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Elitist Prigs
One of the things I like most best about running is the general sense of camaraderie that runners have with each other. This is best found when you end up near another runner and there is an immediate connection.
These vary from light:
"Nice day for a run."
"Good job."
to the the more involved:
"What are you training for?"
"How long have you been running?"
In fact, there is nothing that helps a workout go by than a nice conversation along the way.
In our online world, there is also a great source of encouragement to be found in the various running forums. These are all over, with some of the more popular being offered by running magazines such as Runner's World and Running Times or on the multitude of online tracking programs such as Running Ahead and Map My Run. Since a lot of my running is solitary, I have received a lot of encouragement from folks on forums. In fact, one forum in particular had a great community of people all training for half marathons--what an encouraging group of people!
However, I have found that not all is well online. The big difference is that in person, most people tend to try to be nice. Online, on the other hand, people seem pretty free to be total jerks.
This was highlighted recently as I started to make the transition from half marathon training to full marathon training. Unlike the really friendly folks in the HM realm, there is a high incidence of what I like to call Elitist Prigs on the full marathon side. These are the guys that think if you aren't running a 2:30 marathon that you might as well call the mortuary. Also, apparently these guys were born with at least 5 marathons under their belt. They are just brutal when it comes to responding to first time marathoners.
My solution--find the turtle rooms (it must be the Terrapin in me). This is the place where people are running 4-5+ hour marathons. These awesome folks are humble and helpful. Plus, they probably work harder at their marathons than the speedy experts do.
What is it about going online that requires some to load up their flame-throwers and unleash all their fiery vengeance?
"Nice day for a run."
"Good job."
to the the more involved:
"What are you training for?"
"How long have you been running?"
In fact, there is nothing that helps a workout go by than a nice conversation along the way.
In our online world, there is also a great source of encouragement to be found in the various running forums. These are all over, with some of the more popular being offered by running magazines such as Runner's World and Running Times or on the multitude of online tracking programs such as Running Ahead and Map My Run. Since a lot of my running is solitary, I have received a lot of encouragement from folks on forums. In fact, one forum in particular had a great community of people all training for half marathons--what an encouraging group of people!
However, I have found that not all is well online. The big difference is that in person, most people tend to try to be nice. Online, on the other hand, people seem pretty free to be total jerks.
This was highlighted recently as I started to make the transition from half marathon training to full marathon training. Unlike the really friendly folks in the HM realm, there is a high incidence of what I like to call Elitist Prigs on the full marathon side. These are the guys that think if you aren't running a 2:30 marathon that you might as well call the mortuary. Also, apparently these guys were born with at least 5 marathons under their belt. They are just brutal when it comes to responding to first time marathoners.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Running and Reading
Whew! It's been a few days since my last post. I have been trying to catch up from the Half Marathon last week. I am also trying not to become that guy who obsesses completely over running.
But I am also at a bit of a decision point. I am in between two training cycles. I successfully completed my Half Marathon (yeah, I know it doesn't need to be capitalized, but to me it's capital letter worthy)--no major injuries, met my goal, yada, yada, yada. I am now getting ready to transition into training for the San Francisco Marathon. The only problem is that I have yet to pick a training plan.
Enter the reading. Right now I am pretty much reading anything I can find on the topic of marathon training plans. What I am finding is that while there are are lot of free half marathon plans online, full marathon plans tend to require an investment. First stop--the local library--to my dismay, they only have one book on running, The Idiots Guide to Running by Bill Rodgers. Nothing wrong with Bill Rodgers, but this book is written more for the entry level runner and not real specific to marathon training.
Next stop, my favorite local used book store, Books of Paradise. These guys are getting ready to close their brick and mortar store and transition to just online sales, so on my first visit, they are selling everything for 60% off. They only two books on running: Galloway's Book on Running, by Jeff Galloway and The Complete Book of Running, by James Fixx. I read Jim Fixx way back in the day, so I opt for Galloway. A few days later, I find out via Facebook that the bookstore is having a "every book is $1 sale," so I figure I might as well pick up Fixx for a buck.
While I'd like to give a little respect to the dead, the Fixx book is not really turning out to be helpful on the specifics of marathon training. Galloway, on the other hand, has a thorough plan for training for marathons and differentiates between goals of finishing and various time goals--now we are getting somewhere.
I realize that I am a novice, not an advanced marathoner, but I also realize that I am venturing into a world that I know nothing about, so I thought I'd like to get some race-specific info as I launch into this.
The best part, I get to build on my previous training cycle and count the miles toward my marathon goal: 241 miles down, approximately 700 to go!
But I am also at a bit of a decision point. I am in between two training cycles. I successfully completed my Half Marathon (yeah, I know it doesn't need to be capitalized, but to me it's capital letter worthy)--no major injuries, met my goal, yada, yada, yada. I am now getting ready to transition into training for the San Francisco Marathon. The only problem is that I have yet to pick a training plan.
Enter the reading. Right now I am pretty much reading anything I can find on the topic of marathon training plans. What I am finding is that while there are are lot of free half marathon plans online, full marathon plans tend to require an investment. First stop--the local library--to my dismay, they only have one book on running, The Idiots Guide to Running by Bill Rodgers. Nothing wrong with Bill Rodgers, but this book is written more for the entry level runner and not real specific to marathon training.
While I'd like to give a little respect to the dead, the Fixx book is not really turning out to be helpful on the specifics of marathon training. Galloway, on the other hand, has a thorough plan for training for marathons and differentiates between goals of finishing and various time goals--now we are getting somewhere.
In my internet browsing on the topic, I keep reading about Pfitzinger's marathon training plans (and some insane workouts on the way), so I decide that to be thorough, I ought to pick up a copy of Advanced Marathoning. The local Barnes and Noble didn't have it, but Amazon.com to the rescue--the book will be delivered by my friends at UPS any minute now (What can Brown do for me? Bring my book!).
I used a hybrid Galloway/F.I.R.S.T. plan for my half marathon trianing--mainly because I only had 10 weeks to move from 5K fitness to the half marathon. But there are some very appealing things to me in Galloway's plan. I especially like that he has you do long runs of at least your race length, if not longer. For the HM, this meant I worked up to 16 miles--compared to some plans that have you peak out at 10-11 miles.
However, for the marathon, I am wanting to put in a larger base of weekly miles and the Galloway marathon plan for a 4 hour marathon only builds weekly mileage into the mid-40's. Enter Pfitzinger. I am strongly considering what is commonly called the Pfitz 18/55. It is an 18 week program that builds up to 55-mile weeks.
I realize that I am a novice, not an advanced marathoner, but I also realize that I am venturing into a world that I know nothing about, so I thought I'd like to get some race-specific info as I launch into this.
The best part, I get to build on my previous training cycle and count the miles toward my marathon goal: 241 miles down, approximately 700 to go!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Race Report--Bidwell Classic Half Marathon
Saturday was the big day, my first Half Marathon!
I was a little excited because I kept waking up the night before about every hour or so. Finally, I just got up at 6:00AM. I figured since I was up so early, I could handle having a normal breakfast--Cheerios with banana and blueberries. I get the family loaded in the car and we head to the race, arriving about an hour ahead of time. We parked, walked to the start area and then hit the porta-potty lines for the pre-race restroom visit. I warmed up jogging maybe a third of a mile, doing some strides in the baseball field, and then jogging back.
As I milled toward the start line, I met up with my friend Lou Diaz. We chat to kill the time until the gun (which was a while, because we had to wait for the 5K runners to clear the course) and he decides that my planned first mile pace of 9:15 would be good for him. The gun finally starts us and off we went. Lou clearly wanted to go faster and I kept trying to pull back till we hit the one mile mark. Mile 1=9:12.84. At this point Lou took off.
I was a little excited because I kept waking up the night before about every hour or so. Finally, I just got up at 6:00AM. I figured since I was up so early, I could handle having a normal breakfast--Cheerios with banana and blueberries. I get the family loaded in the car and we head to the race, arriving about an hour ahead of time. We parked, walked to the start area and then hit the porta-potty lines for the pre-race restroom visit. I warmed up jogging maybe a third of a mile, doing some strides in the baseball field, and then jogging back.
As I milled toward the start line, I met up with my friend Lou Diaz. We chat to kill the time until the gun (which was a while, because we had to wait for the 5K runners to clear the course) and he decides that my planned first mile pace of 9:15 would be good for him. The gun finally starts us and off we went. Lou clearly wanted to go faster and I kept trying to pull back till we hit the one mile mark. Mile 1=9:12.84. At this point Lou took off.
I stayed put with a group that was running around me. A couple of runners nearby were calling out pace time and they were going for 9:10 minute mile—my goal pace. I figured I would hang out near them for a while. The first drink station—finally! The drink station volunteers were having a hard time keeping up with the flow of runners so I managed to get over to the table and grabbed a cup of sports drink and away I went. Mile 2=9:10.66.
Mile 3, just some cruising with the pack. Mile 3=9:13.48.
Mile 4, the course turns ever so slightly downhill. The people I had been running with started to fade. I pushed up a little and started to pace with a couple of guys that had been in front of me since mile 2. Second drink station. This one is staffed by the local fire department, which elicited better running out of the ladies in the vicinity. The down-side was they were a little understaffed, just three of them. I downed a GU as I left the drink station and chased it with the water. Mile 4=8:59.03.
Mile 5, my wife and kids were cheering for me along the way. Smile for the camera. Mile 5=9:04.38.
Mile 6, drink station…this time I’m taking two cups. Mile 6=9:08.91.
Mile 7, this marks the bottom of the loop (the course is a double loop), so we start to turn from slightly downhill back to slightly uphill. I figure this is halfway and I can push it up a bit. Leave the guys I had been pacing with and venture on ahead. Mile 7=8:55.88.
Mile 8, feeling like I pushed a little too much in mile 7, backed off the pace just a tad. My family is on the side cheering and taking pictures again. It’s also getting warm. Drink station again—this time I take three cups. Mile 8=9:01.82.
Mile 9, now I’m feeling pretty warm. However the good pacing is starting to pay off because as I make the turn at the top of the loop, I am starting to pass more runners—big psychological boost to pass some exhausted runners. Mile 9=9:06.95.
Mile 10, drink station where are you. Was really wishing I was carrying a water bottle in the race at this point. Back around at the Fire Dept.’s drink station, this time they have more staff. I down my second GU and grab four cups—one over my head and three down the throat. I walked through the station because I didn’t want to spill the water. Mile 10=9:19.48.
Mile 11, Feeling good here. Mile 11=8:46.46.
Mile 12, last water station, I grab four this time. I pour two over the head, and two in me. Eeewww, that grape flavored sport drink is a little nasty. My wonderful family is on the side cheering for me. My son runs along side for a while. Mile 12=8:38.71.
Mile 13, make the bottom turn of the course again. This part of the course is a skinny sidewalk, so it seemed a little slower as we approach other runners. Hey, who moved the finish line? Some guy cheering on the side yells out at a group of us, “Looking Strong!” Wow, that really helped, it made me feel stronger. In sight of the 13 mile marker, it’s time kick. I begin to pick it up. Mile 13=8:53.73.
Right at the 13 mile marker, the course turns left and into the finish gate. At this point, there’s nothing to lose so, I begin to pour on the gas. Some great folks from my church had come to see me finish. How cool is that? At this point I find out what max heart rate looks like. This is me pushing up to 180bpm. The clock just ticks past 1:59:01 as I cross over the line.
Here’s the results: Gun time:1:59:02, Garmin time: 158:46.67, Chip time: 1:58:42.7.
Overall, the race felt great!
I would definitely carry my own water next time. Other, than that I wouldn’t change a thing. I really appreciate my family for being such great supporters. (They must have logged several miles criss-crossing the park to cheer for me.)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Leave Your Ipod in the Car
"NO ipods, dogs, strollers or pacers/pace bikes are allowed on the course."
Now, don't get me wrong, I prefer to do most of my running without music--I enjoy the peace and quite and the opportunity to listen to what my body is telling me. The exception has been my long runs--I bring the Ipod along specifically so that I can't hear what my body is telling me ("Hey big dummy, would you stop running, for crying out loud!") and sometimes just to keep me company on those two plus hour early runs in dark. On my first over 13 miles long run, my music really saved my bacon those last couple of miles.
So, for the last few weeks I've been pimping out my running playlist. It seems like everyone and their brother listens to Eminem and death metal when they run, but I find all the hopeless negativism to be counterproductive. So, my playlist has quite the ecclectic mix. The first category is any song that even mentions the idea of running:
- You Can Run to the End of the Highway by Keith Green
- Running by Christ for the Nations
- I Will Run to You by Hillsongs
- Running Out of Pain by 12 Stones
- Jogging by Ray Stevens
- The Distance by Cake
- Boom by POD
- Jump Around by House of Pain
- Dare You to Move by Switchfoot
- Power of Love by Huey Lewis
- Souljahz Don't Stop by Souljahz
- Rawkfist by Thousand Foot Krutch
- They're Coming to Take Me Away by Napoleon XIV
- The Official Hamster Dance Song by (some singing hamsters, apparently)
- DC-10 by Audio Adrenaline
- My Addidas by Run DMC
- The Unicorn by The Irish Rovers
- Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
- The Imperial March (aka Darth Vader's Theme Song) by John Williams
But, race rules are race rules. And if it says "NO ipods, dogs, strollers or pacers/pace bikes are allowed on the course.", then I'm gonna leave my dog wearing an ipod in a stroller at home!
Actually, it turns out that this is a now standard rule for any official USATF sanctioned course. Most race organizers don't really enforce it much. I expect tomorrow to see plenty of earbuds. Still, the rule is there for two compelling reasons:
- Runner safety: If you are "That Guy" that has to run with your music so loud that I can hear when I run next to you, chances are you can't really hear your surroundings, such as a runner coming up from behind. This is the biggie for race organizers.
- My own enjoyment of the race experience. I want to fully take in the sounds of the race--my breathing, feet hitting the path, other runners, the cheers of the crowd.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
2.4 easy miles this morning. I was running with my friend Ryan. His training plan has him alternating between running and walking (run 5 minutes, walk 3, run 8, walk 3, run 5). There were two great things about this workout this morning.
First of all, on the running portions we pretty much ran what I hope my starting pace will be in the race on Saturday. Nothing fancy, slow and steady wins the race. I'm going to purposefully start slow and reserve some energy for later in the race.
The other great thing was that my slow and steady starting pace felt comfortably easy. A nice little confidence booster two days before the race.
212.1 miles down--13.1 to go!
First of all, on the running portions we pretty much ran what I hope my starting pace will be in the race on Saturday. Nothing fancy, slow and steady wins the race. I'm going to purposefully start slow and reserve some energy for later in the race.
212.1 miles down--13.1 to go!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Four Days 'til Liftoff
The Bidwell Classic Half Marathon is in four days. This will the 35th running of this 13.1 mile race, but for me it's a first. My first half marathon, my first race over 10K, and my first race of 2011.
Right now I am tapering--that's runner lingo for giving my legs a rest by running shorter distances the two weeks before the race. For the next four days, my focus is primarily resting my legs and fueling up my muscles. I figure it's a lot like topping off the fuel tanks on the space shuttle before lift-off.
Of course, I'll not being reaching space worthy speeds. While my official goal has always been to just finish the race, I have trained around a goal time of 2 hours. That works out to running each mile in 9 minutes and 9 seconds.
My next goal is to complete the race with negative splits. In short, I want to run the second half of the race faster than the first. For me that means I really need to chill out at the starting line. I hope to use the first mile to gradually build up to my goal pace. The next four miles, I'd like to hover right around 9:15 minute miles. The next five miles, I might see if I can speed up to a 9:05 minute mile, and then I'd like to do the last 3.1 miles right around a 9 minute mile.
They've studied this in marathons and found that only 10% of runners actually do a negative split. Hopefully, I can pull back enough at the start to be in the minority of runners who conserve enegy for the end.
Right now I am tapering--that's runner lingo for giving my legs a rest by running shorter distances the two weeks before the race. For the next four days, my focus is primarily resting my legs and fueling up my muscles. I figure it's a lot like topping off the fuel tanks on the space shuttle before lift-off.
Of course, I'll not being reaching space worthy speeds. While my official goal has always been to just finish the race, I have trained around a goal time of 2 hours. That works out to running each mile in 9 minutes and 9 seconds.
My next goal is to complete the race with negative splits. In short, I want to run the second half of the race faster than the first. For me that means I really need to chill out at the starting line. I hope to use the first mile to gradually build up to my goal pace. The next four miles, I'd like to hover right around 9:15 minute miles. The next five miles, I might see if I can speed up to a 9:05 minute mile, and then I'd like to do the last 3.1 miles right around a 9 minute mile.
They've studied this in marathons and found that only 10% of runners actually do a negative split. Hopefully, I can pull back enough at the start to be in the minority of runners who conserve enegy for the end.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Training for the Half Marathon, Week 10/10
Well, I am officially tapering. One week ago I did my last long run (16 miles) in preparation for my first half marathon. Instead of my usual weekend long run, I did a 6 mile tempo run on Saturday. Today, just an easy four miles with the dogs (two miles for Molly, two miles for Snicker). They are both napping to show their appreciation.
Tomorrow, I'll do about 4 miles with intervals. Half mile easy warm-up, 4x800's with 400meter rests in between, and then a half mile cooldown. I'm going to try to push the intensity.
Looking at my running log over the this ten week training plan, I have put in 204.2 miles. Probably the most I have ever ran in a two-month period. Saturday's forecast for Chico, CA: cloudy with a chance of rain, racetime temp: mid-40's.
Tomorrow, I'll do about 4 miles with intervals. Half mile easy warm-up, 4x800's with 400meter rests in between, and then a half mile cooldown. I'm going to try to push the intensity.
Looking at my running log over the this ten week training plan, I have put in 204.2 miles. Probably the most I have ever ran in a two-month period. Saturday's forecast for Chico, CA: cloudy with a chance of rain, racetime temp: mid-40's.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Training When the Weather Outside is Frightful
It's been a couple of days since posting last. Mostly because we actually got our predicted snow storm. About 10 inches total.
Friday morning I got to dust off the cross country skis. These poor sticks haven't seen any action for 5 or six years. I went for a 2.7 mile distance which took about a full hour. It seemed easy--heart rate comfortably in the 130's. I can't figure out quite how to classify the exercise. I know I should just call it cross training and be done, but I somehow thinks it ought to count as more in my training plan. They say that cross country skiing uses 80% of your muscle (compared to running which uses about 60%). I spent the rest of the day doing snow removal.
This was my last bug hurrah before my race on the March 5th. This week i'm tapering: I'll plan on doing 4 miles easy on Monday, 4 miles with some intervals on Tuesday, then an easy 2 on Thursday, half marathon on Saturday.
Friday morning I got to dust off the cross country skis. These poor sticks haven't seen any action for 5 or six years. I went for a 2.7 mile distance which took about a full hour. It seemed easy--heart rate comfortably in the 130's. I can't figure out quite how to classify the exercise. I know I should just call it cross training and be done, but I somehow thinks it ought to count as more in my training plan. They say that cross country skiing uses 80% of your muscle (compared to running which uses about 60%). I spent the rest of the day doing snow removal.
On Saturday, a little more snow removal and then I was needing a run. Local trails were still pretty icy so I went out to the high school track and got in 6 miles with four at tempo pace (8:16, 8:13, 8:33, 8:29) and I threw in some bleachers while I was at it.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Bring on the Snow!
Batten down the hatches! They are predicting a big storm for the west coast. Here in Paradise we are expecting 10-14 inches. Last week we got 7 inches, but I was so busy with snow removal that I didn't really get to play in it.
This time, I am hoping to get in a little play time. Here's the plan: if the weather guys are wrong and it's only a couple of inches, I'm going for a nice tempo run in the fresh snow. If they are right and we get burried, then I'm either going to break out the cross-country skis or snowshoes. I don't have access to a treadmill, so this will have to suffice for my Friday workout tomorrow.
Now I know that compared to the rest of the country this winter, 10-14 inches in nothing. But here in Northern California we're more easily impressed. So, the firewood stack is replenished, the snow blade is on the John Deere and the kid in me says YIPPEE!
This time, I am hoping to get in a little play time. Here's the plan: if the weather guys are wrong and it's only a couple of inches, I'm going for a nice tempo run in the fresh snow. If they are right and we get burried, then I'm either going to break out the cross-country skis or snowshoes. I don't have access to a treadmill, so this will have to suffice for my Friday workout tomorrow.
Now I know that compared to the rest of the country this winter, 10-14 inches in nothing. But here in Northern California we're more easily impressed. So, the firewood stack is replenished, the snow blade is on the John Deere and the kid in me says YIPPEE!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
My Knees Lie To Me
Anyone else have conversations with their knees?
Mine talk to me all the time.
After my 16 miler on Monday, I was ready for a break. I hobbled around the house yesterday like a spry 120 year old. (That's why they call it a recovery day, right?) But this morning I was laying in bed contemplating getting up for my workout. I took a quick survey:
I know we're supposed to listen to what our body is telling us, but sometimes my body lies.
So, today's workout consisted of a 1.1 mile warm-up, 4x800 intervals with 400m rest periods in between, and finishing with a nice 1.9 mile tempo-ish run.
I got try out the new Garmin 305 today. For my warm-up and cool-down, I just did the "start" and "stop" method. But when I was at the track I programmed in my intervals and rests and the wonderful little watch (yeah, I know, most people think the Forerunner 305 is HUGE, but it is much smaller than the handheld (eTrex Legend) that I used to run with) told me when to run and when to rest and displayed a great little distance to go for each segment. Yippee!
Oh yeah, I also met another runner training for the Bidwell Classic. Now I know two people in the race.
Mine talk to me all the time.
After my 16 miler on Monday, I was ready for a break. I hobbled around the house yesterday like a spry 120 year old. (That's why they call it a recovery day, right?) But this morning I was laying in bed contemplating getting up for my workout. I took a quick survey:
- quads? check.
- hams? check
- calves? check
- feet? check
- knees? Mutinous uproar! There is no way, we're still sore from what you did to us the other day.
I know we're supposed to listen to what our body is telling us, but sometimes my body lies.
So, today's workout consisted of a 1.1 mile warm-up, 4x800 intervals with 400m rest periods in between, and finishing with a nice 1.9 mile tempo-ish run.
I got try out the new Garmin 305 today. For my warm-up and cool-down, I just did the "start" and "stop" method. But when I was at the track I programmed in my intervals and rests and the wonderful little watch (yeah, I know, most people think the Forerunner 305 is HUGE, but it is much smaller than the handheld (eTrex Legend) that I used to run with) told me when to run and when to rest and displayed a great little distance to go for each segment. Yippee!
Oh yeah, I also met another runner training for the Bidwell Classic. Now I know two people in the race.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I Feel The Need, The Need For Speed
This past weekend I was supposed to do my last long run before the Half Marathon. I had scheduled a 17 mile run (thanks to Jeff Galloway's Half Marathon Training Plan). I have been doing my long runs on Sunday mornings. Howver, we were digging out of a snowstorm at the end of the week, which meant that all of the local running routes were iced over. On top of that, our church was having it's annual business meeting after the Sunday morning service, which meant that my list of things to prepare was quite long. Needless to say, there was no running in store fo me over the weekend.
Not getting in my long run on Sunday was an interesting experiment in my endorphin addiction. I felt worse not having run than I would have had I logged a long run. Grumpy, frustrated runner.
Thankfully, Monday was the President's Day holiday which meant a day day off. The kids wanted to go see their cousins in Chico and I knew this was my golden opportunity to sneak in a long run. "Honey, would you mind if I go for a run while you and the kids are at your sister's house?"
My wife's sister lives very close to the beginning of Upper Bidwell Park. I mapped out a 16 mile out and back route (basically run until the dirt road ends). What a great run!
I had my handheld GPS ready to go and I was going to track my splits and aim for a 10:30 min/mile. Ooops, forgot to change the batteries in the GPS and it died a mile and half in. I guess I will just run by feel. The whole run took 2:32:45. That works out to a 9:34 pace. And it felt good too!
Here's a few shots of the route. This is the little dirt trail that runs along the paved portion of the road--why run on asphalt when you can run on dirt?
This is the dirt/gravel portion of the road. The road less traveled (except for a few friendly mountain bikers).
Regarding the unpowered GPS--I feel a little like Darth Vader..."You've failed me for the last time!"
While I was out on my run, those nice folks at UPS delivered my new Garmin Forerunner 305. So, now I can record my splits and other workout data without having to write it down with a pen and paper. Woohoo! This thing has a lot of features, I can't wait to try it out.
Not today though. Today I get to let my legs rest after their hard work yesterday.
Into the taper I go--the race is a week and a half away!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)