| Location: Springtown,TX,USA Member Since: Feb 02, 2009 Gender: Male Goal Type: Age Division Winner Running Accomplishments: Firsts:
- First marathon - White Rock, Dallas, December 2005 (4:01)
- First BQ - St George, 2007 (3:20)
- First Boston - 2008 (3:30)
- 1st Place Clydesdale - Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon - 4/2007
- 1st Place Ultracentric 6-Hour Champ 2007 - 38.75 miles
- 1st Time Leading Pace Group, Cowtown '09 (3:39:41)
- 1st Place Overall, Porcupine Promenade 5K (20:10) - 4/2011
- 1st Trail Race. Grasslands Half Marathon. 1st Overall Masters (1:53) - 3/2013
- Leadville LT100 MTB '16 - on a mountain bike, but the toughest challenge, so far!
Marathons Run (27):
- Dallas White Rock ('05, '07,'09,'14)
- Chicago ('06, '08)
- OK City Memorial ('07)
- St George ('07,'09,'11)
- Waco Miracle Match ('07)
- Ft Worth, Cowtown ('08, '09,'10,'11,'12,'13,'15**)
- Boston ('08 '09*, '10, '13)
- Park City ('08)
- San Antonio Rock 'n Roll ('08)
- Steamboat ('09)
- Utah Valley ('10)
- Houston ('12)
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* - PR
Ultras (3):
- Ultracentric 6-Hours ('07 - 38.75 mi)
- El Scorcho 50K, Ft Worth (('08, '09)
PRs:
- 5K - 19:27 (6/2008)
- 10K - 41:49 (5/2008)
- 15K - 1:04:14 (9/2011)
- Half Marathon - 1:33:12 (1/2011)
- Marathon - 3:19:47 (Boston 4/2009)
- 50K - 4:35:53 (7/2008)
Short-Term Running Goals: Keep injury-free.
2016 Races
Ft Worth Cowtown Half Marathon Long-Term Running Goals: Be age-group competitive for many years!
Have fun running!
Make some great friends along the way! Personal: Married to the same wonderful woman since March 1988. 3 adorable kids.
Look for me at www.facebook.com (I'll be your friend) Favorite Blogs: |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 690.20 | 311.57 | 1001.77 |
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| Asic Speedstar -ES09 Miles: 32.00 | Addidas Supernova Miles: 281.07 | Asic Speedstar SGM09 Miles: 21.10 | Asic Speedstar 3 Miles: 32.10 | Asic Nimbus 8 Miles: 10.50 | VFF Trek Miles: 79.10 | Speedstar 4 Miles: 264.60 | Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 91.00 | Saucony Miles: 46.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 21.00 | 0.00 | 21.00 |
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21 solo miles. Weatherford to Garner and back on the Rail Trail. Perfect day for a run. 45, 5MPH wind, Sunny.
My longest run of the year!
It's back to work on Monday after 2 weeks of relaxing and taking it easy.
It's now officially Boston Marathon Training time! :)
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| Asic Speedstar -ES09 Miles: 21.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 6 miles at lunch w/ Darin. 44F, 15-20 MPH S wind. Cloudy. AP: 7:27 Felt a little sluggish after 3 days off...and eating badly.
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 4.55 | 6.55 |
| Got up early and hit the gym treadmill before work. Was going to run 5, but decided to do half a half marathon (6.55 miles). Wore the HR monitor -- started slowly worked up to the last 1.5 miles at 7:00/mi. It wasn't too bad. The plan is to run 16 tomorrow. 72F, 0 wind (indoors)
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.55 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.00 | 0.00 | 16.00 |
| Ran w/ Corey (a friend who just recently ran his first half marathon, and is planning on his first marathon at Cowtown at the end of Feb -- he is ramping up quickly. He plans to do the run 5 minutes / walk 1 minute routine.) We ran 5 minutes and walked 1 minute.. We averaged about 11:20/mi. Definitely not my usual pace, but it was a nice change. I barely broke a sweat and felt great on Sunday. I got in the miles and time on my feet -- which counts for something. 30F, 5 MPH S Wind Temps are going back above freezing this week, so I may be back to running at lunchtime, instead of the treadmill! woohoo!
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 16.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
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A lunchtime tempo run w/ Darin. Today we flip-flopped from last week. He ran a 14-miler yesterday, and I had rested. So, I took advantage of his sore legs and ran 7:18/mile while he came in w/ 7:30/mi.
It was a little chilly, but not bad. No hat needed, but wore gloves for comfort, shorts, and 2 shirts. Took the gloves off for the last mile.
45F, 10-15MPH W wind, sunny
7:38, 7:10, 6:58, 7:18, 7:24, 7:12
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 4.00 | 6.00 |
| After working a marathon work-day yesterday..getting to bed at 2:00AM and back to work by 9:00AM, I just had to run. Ran w/ Darin at lunch. Started out feeling great, but quickly faded. We started at about 6:55/mi for the first 2 miles...then I faded fast. Darin kept going and had AP of 7:10, I was 7:24. Will try again tomorrow. More sleep! Better food/hydration. 50, drizzle, light wind.
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 4.00 | 6.00 |
| Ran w/ Darin again today. Got a later start (12:30P). Today Darin wasn't feeling too hot (I think it's because I had him waiting on me..so he ate his lunch). We started slower then picked up the pace. Overall, we ran slower than yesterday, but felt so much better. AP: 7:28 55F, overcast, NE wind 5-10MPH Hope to get in a 20 miler on Saturday.
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| Asic Speedstar -ES09 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 22.00 | 0.00 | 22.00 |
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Slept in a little. Got to the trailhead around 9:15. It was cloudy, 48 degrees and not much wind. Perfect! Wore shorts, started with gloves, long-sleeved flourescent green shirt, and a camel-back with about 30 oz of water. I saw my buddy Corey's car in the parking lot (I ran his longest run last Saturday with him -- 18 miles. I knew he had planned to cutback this week, so I fully expected to see him on his way back within the first couple miles.
I chugged along for about 8.5 miles, and then I saw Corey, with two other buddies, Rick and Don. They somehow talked him into running 11 out (meaning he's doing 22 for the day, one way or the other!!! His furthest was 18 -- EVER, and that was week ago. I was doing 22 miles, so I did some quick math -- basically I was mile 8.5, and they were at mile 13.5 on a 22 mile run. I thought, if they ran about 13:00/mi, I might be able to catch them if I ran 8:00/s. Now that I'm home, I see that I needed to run 13.5 miles in the time it took them to go 8.5 --well it turns out that I didn't catch them..but they were sitting at the trailhead when I finished. Corey said he had to walk most of the last 3 miles, but he made it -- I'm proud of him. He's going for his first marathon on Feb 28 (Cowtown) -- Only about 8 months after starting to run. (I'm not sure if this is wise, but we'll soon find out)
AP: 8:31
48-54 F, 5MPH wind S, some drizzle, mostly cloudy
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 22.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Had the day off, so took my older boy to the local State Park. Tried fishing -- no luck (not for us, lots of luck for the fish), then used my Garmin 305 to find some geocaches on some of the trails in the park. By the time we hiked the 4 miles, my soon-to-be 7 year-old was worn out. It was a fun day, and a nice recovery, cross-training trip. |
| Asic Speedstar SGM09 Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| Ran w/ Darin at lunch. Today I was feeling a little better than Darin. AP: 7:17 65 F, S wind 15 MPH, overcast
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.10 | 1.00 | 4.10 |
| Ran w/ Darin at lunch. We decided to take it easy today, and only ran 4 miles and slower than normal.
AP: 7:45 65 F, S wind 15 MPH, overcast, a little humid.
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 4.10 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
| Took a vacation day today. (If I don't use a few days by the end of January, I lose them). Helped take my youngest son to the doctor (been having asthma issues -- lots of coughing). He has an ear infection, asthma, and possibly a sinus infection -- poor little guy. Had chest X-ray -- no pneumonia. Glad for that. Changed the oil in my car to get ready for my roadtrip to Austin this weekend for the 3M Half Marathon. (about 230 miles each way).
Beautiful day outside. 71F, Windy (20-25 S), partly cloudy Ran at about 3PM. AP: 7:48, HR: 152 8:06, 8:11, 8:08,8:06,7:17,6:59 (you can tell I had the wind behind me on the way back) Good luck to all my friends running races this weekend!
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Race: |
Austin 3M Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:34:26, Place overall: 310, Place in age division: 45 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 13.10 | 13.10 |
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Rode to Austin on Saturday with friends, Jon and Cindy, and Doug. Dinner Saturday night at Macaroni Grill, with a group of 16. As this was "only a half", I'm not so stringent with my prerace routine -- but if this was a full, I probalby would have skipped the 2 hour dinner and opted for something quick and simple.
Back to the room, got my bib pinned to my singlet, D-tag(disposable chip) on my shoe, and was in bed by 10:00pm.
Up at 5:45 for a 6:45 am start time. The hotel was stayed at was about a 1/4 mile from the starting line..it was great. Except, the morning proved to be pretty windy..a little too windy for some of the barricades they had lining the course, so the they had to delay the start by nearly 1 hour. I regret not bringing my sunglasses -- with the original 6:45 start time, I didn't think I'd need them (sunrise is at 7:30).
I lined up with Jon -- a friend of mine in my age group, who I ran with a few times at some other events, and know through training at a local running store. We were planning to go out at about a 7:40 pace and see how it felt from there. This didn't last too long. I was feeling pretty good, so I ran a nice comfortable pace throughout --unfortunately, Jon's comfortable pace was a little slower than mine.
It was a windy morning, but luck would have it that in the point to point race that mainly goes northwest to southeast, the wind was from the NW. :) There were a few places where we turned into the wind, but not very many. The couse had some nice downhill sections, and a few uphills.
The race finished through the UT campus and the last mile was a nice gradual downhill.
I finished in 1:34:26, a 1:06 PR!!!!! (My previous PR was in April 2007). Yes, maybe this was a little wind/hill aided, but I'm a little older, and it's still a PR!
Besides the delay in the start, I think this event was very good -- and I'll probably be back next year!
Splits (taken at the mile markers on the course):
| Mile |
Split |
Garmin Distance |
Accumulated |
| 1 |
7:11 |
0.95 |
7:11 |
| 2 |
7:48 |
1.05 |
15:00 |
| 3 |
7:01 |
1.02 |
22:01 |
| 4 |
7:03 |
1.01 |
29:05 |
| 5 |
6:32 |
0.96 |
35:37 |
| 6 |
7:29 |
1.06 |
43:07 |
| 7 |
7:15 |
1.00 |
50:23 |
| 8 |
7:21 |
1.00 |
57:44 |
| 9 |
7:24 |
1.00 |
1:05:09 |
| 10 |
7:19 |
1.00 |
1:12:28 |
| 11 |
7:10 |
1.00 |
1:19:38 |
| 12 |
7:12 |
1.00 |
1:26:50 |
| 13 |
6:57 |
1.00 |
1:33:48 |
| 13.1 |
0:39 (6:00/mi) |
0.11 |
1:34:29 |
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| Asic Speedstar 3 Miles: 13.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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6 recovery miles with Darin at lunch. Both calves are still tight from Sunday's race. I hope to be back to 100% for this weekend's Texas "Goofy" challenge. I'm tentatively running Lake Benbrook Half Marathon on Satuday, and Waco Miracle Match Marathon on Sunday...we'll see if that works out.
AP: 7:55
60F, 10-15MPH N |
| Asic Speedstar 3 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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!!HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY, ETHAN!!
It's true, they do grow up so fast. I'm taking a vacation day today (using up my "use of lose" days from 2009). Got a few odd jobs around the house, and am going to Ethan's school for cupcakes at lunchtime.
Probably going to be a rest (no run) day.. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| 2 easy miles on the treadmill...got off to use the bathroom, wasn't motivated to get back on. Decided to eat lunch instead. :) | |
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| | Race: |
Lake Benbrook Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:39:20, Place in age division: 4 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 13.10 | 13.10 |
| 25 degrees and a brisk 15-20 MPH wind welcomed runners this year. This is c-c-c-cold for me. I would have skipped this race if I hadn't already signed up. I picked up my friend Keith (who lives on the way to the race) at 6:45. Drove the 45 mintues to the race -- got our chips and went back to the car and waited for the 8:30 start.
Got to starting line just in time for the horn to blow, and we were off.
I didn't look at my watch once during the race. I was feeling OK, but just coming off a PR last weekend, I wasn't very motivated. I ran by feel. This is a small race -- maybe 300 or so. Got to the turnaround point and picked up the pace a little on the way in .. until I hit the headwind. With 2 miles to go a local ultra-speedster out for an easy jog came up to me and we started chatting. (Todd Reynolds -- he won the Cowtown 50K race last year -- just behind my 3:40 marathon pace group). Anyways, we ran together and he suggested we pick off a few runners up ahead. We passed 3 runners in the last few miles. When I was content on just coasting in -- Todd encourage me to pick up the pace. That was nice.
I finished in 1:39:20 (about 5 minutes slower than last Saturday's race) happy to finish -- and happy to get into my car and crank up the heat! 
Positives - Got to hang out with some of my new running buddies (4 of them ran their 2nd half marathons today -- on their way to their first marathons at the end of Feb in Ft Worth). Pancakes, eggs, and bacon at Cracker Barrel after the race. |
| Asic Speedstar 3 Miles: 13.10 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.40 | 0.00 | 8.40 |
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It was supposed to be mid-40's today -- but the temperature never got above 33. Reluctantly, I went for a recovery run with Ty. I ate too much at lunch time -- I think the salad with the vinegarette dressing didn't sit well with me (or maybe it was the pizza?). Anyways, from the start I really didn't feel like running today. At the 4-mile mark I told Ty (who was feeling great) to run to the 5 mile mark -- and I would walk for a little while. I walked a little toward the 5 mile mark, then started getting chilled, so I started walking back toward the car. Ty caught up with me 3 miles from the cars. I ran the remaining 3 miles in -- the walk did me some good (and gave my stomach a little more time to digest lunch). I was glad when this run was over! I know I complain about the heat -- but, I really think I prefer it over cold, dreary weather any day!
Calves are both a little sore from yesterday's half marathon. I'm glad I didn't go through with the "Goofy" challenge today. I probalby would have finished -- but it would not have been fun. And if it's not fun, why do it?
34F. 5 MPH wind. Cloudy. |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 8.40 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| What a difference a day of rest and 12 degrees makes! Ran in shorts today - it was 44 degrees. So much nicer than the 20s and 30s of this past weekend. Ran w/ Darin our 6 mile course. Felt strong. Calves are all better. AP: 7:24 44F, 5 MPH N 7:40, 7:40, 7:33, 7:25, 7:19, 6:50
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
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Lunchtime run w/ Darin. We were both feeling pretty good, but I really shouldn't have eaten both a burrito and chocolate eclair for breakfast. Felt good.
22 days til Cowtown!
AP: 7:13
47F, 5-10 N wind |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 26.20 | 0.00 | 26.20 |
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Today's plan was dress rehearsal for the 8:23/mi pace that I'll need at Cowtown as a pace for th 3:40 marathon group. I had planned to do 22 miles and see how long I could hold the pace.
When I got to the turnaround on the trail at 11 miles, I felt pretty good -- the sun was shining, it was mid 40s, and I figured "why not just go for the full 26.2?". So I continued on until the 13.1 mark, then headed back. I maintained the 8:23 pace for about 17 miles until I started up the gradual incline which lasts for about 4 miles. By the top my AP was 8:29 with 4 miles to go. The last 4 miles are a gradual downhill, so I just picked it up a little. With 2 miles left, I needed to run 7:30s. With 1 mile left I needed a 7:15. Ran the last mile in 7:17 finished in 3:40:02. This was a fun experiment.
I also cut myself some slack. I stopped a few times along the route to refuel and hydrate (I was wearing a camelback which when I started had about 4 large glasses of water in it). While stopped I stopped my watch -- so I cheated a little.
I've been reading the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall -- and it's got me thinking a lot about running in general. Everything from nutrition, shoes (I'm really thinking of trying barefoot -- but only when the temperature and terrain are right), distance (are marathons long enough??, and running more trails. I'm sure the book swayed me a little to push to 26.2 on Saturday, instead of just 22.
I should be ready for Cowtown in 3 weeks -- now I just need to stay healthy and injury-free! |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 26.20 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| What was I thinking? Having just finished reading Born to Run -- a great book that talks about what damage has been done to runners over the past 30 years since the advent of running shoes, and because I had to run inside today on the treadmill, I decided to run in just my socks (it's a public treadmill, didn't want to oog people out). The run felt great for the first mile or so -- I felt so liberated, free of shoes...I ramped the speed from 6 to 7.5 mph....feeling good. Around mile 2, I could feel a little blistering in the center of the pad of my foot. By mile 3, I called it quits. I stepped of the treadmill, and my feet were burning up -- I didn't realize how much friction I must have been generating.. Anyways, I probably should have started slower or less distance and worked my way up. 3 hours later, my feet still feel a little sore. BTW - I was going to run 6, but only managed .5 more miles with my shoes on -- they felt like lead weights on my feet! I'll probably give it another try in a few days, once the blisters have subsided. Seriously thinking about trying the Vibram 5-fingers..
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| Asic Nimbus 8 Miles: 0.50 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
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Lunch run w/ Darin. Felt pretty good -- feet felt OK (the blister in the middle of the ball of my right foot doesn't hurt much with shoes on!)
39 F, 5MPH E
AP: 7:15
Does anyone know anyone going to the Boston Marathon this year who would like a roommate? I have a room reserved, but it is a lot of $$$ for me to pay for the whole room alone -- I'd be willing to share my room, or give up my room and share someone else's. My wife would prefer that my roommate be a nice man...but I'm flexible. |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.20 | 0.00 | 6.20 |
| Drove 4 hours to Stillwater, OK to spend the weekend with my in-laws. When I left the house it was about 32 degrees -- got to Stillwater it was 55! Just had to go for a run. Ran 6.2 -- 2 laps around Boomer Lake. I'm finally getting the Bronchitis that my family has had for the past few weeks. Went to doctor and got a Z-pak anti-biotic -- I need to kick this thing quickly -- I have a marathon to pace in less than 2 weeks!!! AP: 7:23/mi
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.20 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 2.00 | 5.00 |
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Was going to take it easy today..as I still have my cold/bronchitis. Ran w/ Darin. Ran the first 2 miles at about 7:40/mi. Then sped up a little. This cough is strange...while I'm running, I don't have it...but as soon as I stopped, whammo...cough..cough..hack...cough..
AP: 7:27/mi
44F, 5 MPH NW, sunny |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
| Lunch run w/ Darin. Cough is almost gone. Felt OK, but decided to go out easy. Was a little windy,but felt pretty good. Managed a sub 7 for the last mile. AP: 7:30 50F, 10-15 S, Sunny
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 2.00 | 10.00 |
| Due to the boys' soccer tournament on Saturday, I had to get my last longish run in before Cowtown on Sunday. Met up with Ty after church. We decided to run on a country road near his house. Lots of long hills. Wind was strong on the way out, but felt good to have it behind us on the way back in. Ty said his calf was bothering him, so we planned to go out slow (9:00s)-- like so many times, what we planned and what we end up doing differed a bit. The rain that we had in the morning stopped and the sun came out just in time for us to run. It was about 65F. Nice! AP: 8:11, 8:21, 8:11, 7:51, 8:14, 8:21, 8:29, 8:07, 7:38, 7:10 I'm still thinking about Boston -- once I get past Cowtown, I'll seriously consider all my options. (my wife has a friend who lives in Boston -- would be a little weird to stay with her by myself. I'm still open to finding another roommate -- I'm pretty sure I have enough frequent flyer points to pay for the trip...there's so many other races I'd like to go to....Honestly, I really like Boston, but the 3 marathons I've run in Utah have been so much fun! I'm so wishy-washy...)
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| Asic Nimbus 8 Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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6 miles on da' mill @ 7.2 MPH (8:20/mi). Getting a feel for the marathon pace for Saturday. (I kicked it up to 9 MPH for the last lap).
Weather for Saturday's marathon in Ft Worth as of today: high 30's for start, getting up to about 50 by finish. 10% chance of rain. Not too bad. No mention of wind, yet. |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Tried to run 5 miles at 8:22/mi without looking at watch. Not very close. I ranged from 8:08 to 9:00...I'll definitely make sure the Garmin is charged before Saturday's pacing gig.
40F, 5MPH wind, sunny
AP: 8:30 |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Race: |
Ft Worth Cowtown Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:40:33 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 26.20 | 0.00 | 26.20 |
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I was invited back again this year as a pace group leader for the 3:40 Marathon group at the Cowtown Marathon in Ft Worth. Last year, in blustery conditions (30's, 25+ MPH winds) I managed a 3:39:43 (17 seconds too fast). This year, I felt better trained, with more miles run and in overall better condition than last year -- that is until 2 weeks ago, when I finally got the bronchitis that was going around my family. Went to the dr and got antibiotics and was almost free of the nasty cough...but not quite (I was a little concerned about the gurling sounds I would hear when I would take a very deep breath). I was stressing about it all week. Not knowing if I would be able to finish a marathon..let alone an evenly paced one, but I was commited. So, I prepared as normally -- carbo loading, hydrating, and getting good sleep in the days leading up to the race...
Saturday morning's weather was nearly perfect. In the upper 30s to start -- I decided to go with a long-sleeved shirt, my optic green windbreaker vest, shorts, ear warmer, and knit gloves. The pacers were also given bright orange safety vests to wear over their clothes.
My corral crossed the starting line at about 7:40 AM...we were off. I believe there were well over 3000 runners in the 1/2, full, and 50K ultra...all starting at the same location (spacing corral starts by about 5 minutes..I think this was to give the aid station workers in the early miles a little needed restock time between waves. It was a very good change for this year to have the corrals_. From the beginning, I never quite felt comfortable. I kept wondering if I was healthy enough to be running...would I finish, how would I quit? Could I handoff my pacing duties to one of the group? I really need to work on the mental part of my running...am I the only one who thinks about the tragedies of past marathons? (i.e. Ryan Shay at 5.5 miles into the 2008 Olympic Qualifier, etc..)
It was like being strapped into a roller coaster ride...no getting out of it once the gun went off. :)
Ran the first 8 miles with the 1:50 Half Marathon group, until they split off and headed back to the finish. We were a little behind schedule around mile 8, so we picked it up a little on the downhills. I really felt bad pushing the pace to close to about an 8:00 pace for a mile or so. I know that people who are running with pace groups are usually pushing the boundaries of their abilities, and I didn't want to be responsible for anyone's BQ chances going down the drain.
I believe we hit the 13.1 right on schedule -- about 1:49:00. This would allow us to run 1:51:00 on the second half and still make our goal. (Last year I had us about :30 seconds quicker at the half, due to the stronger headwinds we had heading back to the finish). The wind this year was mayb 10 MPH at most -- and actually felt good as things warmed up through the 40's and 50's.
There was a group of about 8 or 10 of us at the 13.1 mile mark. Mentally, I was doing a little better at this point. My toes were hurting (I decided to run in my Addidas Supernova's -- as they seem to have helped with my calf issues, BUT they are notorious for smashing my second toes on both feet. Today it was more of the same). Blisters and pain during a marathon seem to come with the territory for me. My breathing was fine, and I never felt like my muscles were ever starving for oxygen.
The next 12 miles were fairly uneventful. Meandering through the neighborhoods around the Colonial Golf Course and TCU. As we hit the 20 mile mark, I was relieved that we only had 10K to go (I always think of a marathon as 10 miles + 10 Miles + 10K, where the last 10K is about 1/3 of the effort. With 3 miles to go, we were right on track to finish at 3:40 -- I think my Garmin showed AVG PACE of 8:21 (we needed 8:23). I did the math and figured we could run about 8:40s for the last 3 miles and still make it.
The last 2 miles at Cowtown start with about a 1.4 mile gradual, fairly steep incline into downtown..then level off for the last 1/2 mile. With 2 miles to go, I told the remaining two guys still in the group to "Finish strong. Kick it in if you got it." So they gradually picked up the pace, as I started to fade a little I was relieved that they still had something left in the tank...but my tank was on fumes.
I crossed the line in 3:40:33. Only 33 seconds off the target (less than 2 seconds per mile). I was very relieved to be done, and only a little disappointed that I didn't have enough gas to hit it right on the nose!
I collected my finisher's medal -- the 2nd point of a 5 point series (you can put 5 medals together in the 1/2, full, or ultra to make a complete star). I have to admit that whoever thought of this was a genius. I have a friend who collected the first medal last year, but due to a conflict he would not be in town for this year's race, so he got his wife (who would never even think of entering any race) to walk the half marathon--mainly to get the 2nd in the series. They are even planning to sell points of the star for charity donations of $100 to fill in any gaps that you may have missed. This year's race had record-setting attendance, and I'm sure it was partly due to the medal series (I know of at least 3 friends who ran it again this year, just to get the medal). Pure genius!
Anyways, 1 day later, I'm feeling fine physically -- besides the sore toes. My cough is much better (no more gurgling sounds when I take a deep breath). I'm satisfied to have finished, and glad that I was able to help a few people meet their time goals. (a couple guys found me afterward to thank me...that gave me a warm fuzzy)
I was also happy to see 4 friends of mine finish their first marathon -- with an abbreviated training schedule. They all ran their first 1/2 marathons at White Rock in December, and ramped up their miles quickly. Keith, who had a long run of 16 miles, finished first of the 4 in 5:03 -- I can only imagine how he would have done had he trained a little harder. Congrats to Keith, Corey, Rick, and Don on their first marathons!
Will I be back for more pacing duties next year if they ask me back? Probably. I've got some time to think about it... for now though, I think I'll take a little break from the long distances and maybe run a few fun 5 and 10Ks. |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 26.20 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Picked up a pair of Vibram Five Fingers using a 20% off coupon I got from the expo on Friday. They're still expensive...but the 20% off eases the pain. Now I have to wait until my toes are healed a little (as I lost a toenail from Saturday's race -- it was coming off anyways, so I just sped up the process a little.. Need to find some cheap "toe socks" now online somewhere. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
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My first run since last Saturday's marathon. Had to let my toes heal.
Tried out the Vibram 5-fingers for the first time. I think I'm going to like them. I was told that I normally run on my toes, so this is not a major change to my stride. One thing I do notice, is that I pay a lot more attention to the rocks and pebbles on the ground. Our road is "chip sealed", meaning they coated a once dirt road with tar, and then spread gravel over the top and rolled it. It is quite bumpy, and in the VFFs you feel these bumps quite a bit more than in my regular shoes. Going to start increasing the miles in these things gradually. Can't wait to try them on a soft trail sometime.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.50 | 0.00 | 1.50 |
| My second run. Early evening after a rain around the neighborhood. Felt good...road is too bumpy. Maybe I'll get used to it. :) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 2.00 | 4.00 |
| Ran w/ Darin at lunch. The plan was to run 4 easy at 8:00, as this was only my 3rd run in the Vibram Five Fingers. Hit the first mile at about 8:00, then it sped up from there. Finished with a 7:00. Very slight blister on right big toe--but it will probably just be a callous in no time. Enjoyed running on the smooth concrete...much better than the bumpy road by my house. Also, took a few strides in the wet grass...not bad. 72F, 15MPH wind. AP: 7:31 HR: 150
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Ran at lunch w/ Darin. A storm had passed through, so it was a little humid, but not bad. 70F. Calves are very tight. Going to take a rest day on Thursday. AP: 7:50
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 |
| After 3 days of rest, I went for a 6 miler on the rail trail. This is the first run in the VFFs on the trail. It felt really good. The weather was beautiful -- 70F, light breeze. Most of the miles were between 7:40 and 8:00, but decided to try to go sub 7:00 on the last mile. Ended with a 6:36 (I've decided that I have no concept of speed anymore). Signing up for UVM. Will be bringing my family out west for a little summer vacation -- with one of our stops being the UVM in June. Can't wait to see a bunch of my Utahn running buddies, again.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 4.00 | 6.00 |
| Started my run alone at lunchtime (didn't know where Darin was -- he had a meeting). Calves were still a little tight -- it's like I feel every step when running in the VFFs. I ran in the grass beside the road/sidewalks whenever possible. Felt good. Met Darin at about 3.75 miles, coming the other direction. We ran together for the last 2.25 miles. 55F, N 15 7:29, (169 bpm -- not a good connection) 7:51, 143 bpm 7:40, 152 bpm 7:33, 154 bpm 7:24, 157 bpm 6:42, 156 bpm
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.20 | 6.20 |
| Lunchtime run w/ Darin. 55F, Sunny...perfect! Ran in the VFFs again -- had no real plan for the run. Just took it out at a comfortable pace, and kept it about the same. Really liking the VFFs! I don't think they're slowing me down at all...just takes a little getting used to them. Feet feel great. Calves are still a little tight..but improving. Going to have to try a long run in them. Today was the longest run in them, so far (6.2 miles)
7:26,7:22,7:26,7:34,7:11,7:11
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 2.00 | 10.00 |
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Enjoyed my 22nd wedding anniversary on Friday. Went to an interesting German restaurant (complete with accordian players and the manager wearing liederhosen (sp? -- leather shorts with suspenders!!!). Then we went to see Avatar at the Omnimax theater. Good movie--but I think it would have been better on a flat screen (we got there too late to get seats in the middle, so we sat on the side -- too much distortion in the pictures (the arrows were curved). Megan was at a state math meet, and the boys stayed at their friends' house...I can't remember the last time we had the house to ourselves. Nice.
Winter is refusing to die. Friday it was in the 70s. Yesterday it dropped into the 30s and we got a dusting of snow on the ground...with 30 MPH winds! I was too wimpy to run yesterday. Today was much better. Still windy, but sunny, and mid 40s.
Ran 10 miles on the rail trail. This is my longest run in the VFFs. The first 5 miles were straight into 20+ MPH wind. But, the last 5 were awesome! Gotta love a nice tail wind. I decided to push the pace a little on the last mile to see what I had left. 6:26. Not bad, I'll take it.
4 weeks 'til Boston. Bought my plane tickets yesterday. I'm not sure why I was pulled back to Boston. I had resigned myself to skipping it this year, but I started rereading Hal Higdon's "Marathon:The Ultimate Training Guide", and he talked about Boston, and its history...and I started thinking of all my friends heading there this year, and threw caution to the wind and decided I'm going...I still have to iron out the details on lodging, but I WILL be there on April 19th! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 3.90 | 3.90 |
| Ran w/ Darin. Was a nice day (55, sunny, low wind). Because I ran kinda long yesterday, we decided to go shorter. Because we went shorter, we decided to go faster (sounds logical). We decided to run our old 3.85 mile route.
6:34,6:44,6:46, 6:53/mi for the last .85...yep, I faded a bit. This was the fastest I've run in a long, long time. I really need to race a 5K sometime. I also set a PR (26:09) on our course by 3 seconds (I set the old PR on 12/12/06). Darin still has the course record (25:38 - 12/1/09)
AP: 6:44 HR: 160 avg
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 3.00 | 5.00 |
| Another gorgeous day! 60F, S wind at about 20 MPH, sunny. Ran w/ Darin. Only had time for 5 miles, as I needed to hurry back for a Stress Management class. Took it fairly easy today...a tempo-ish run. Just noticing my yearly miles total is pretty low. I'm barely over 300 miles. That's not a whole lot of miles considering I've logged 2 runs of 26.2 miles in Jan and Feb. I see Smooth is over 700!!!! Way to go, Smooth! I'll never catch you :) AP: 7:28 7:34, x BPM 7:18, 140 bpm 7:33, 144 bpm 7:49, 152 bpm (uphill into the 20 mph wind) 7:12, 155
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 3.00 | 6.00 |
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Worked from home today, so I ran solo at lunch time. This is my hill workout. Ran 3 miles out, 3 miles back. 20 MPH wind, 71 F, 59% humidity.
My VFFs were starting to get a little...ripe. So I added some foot powder last night and let them dry out. After today's run, my feet feel a little beat up -- not quite blistered, but a little more wear than usual (might have been the 7:08 mile 3 downhill on the highway). All of my miles in the past 3 weeks have been in the VFFs..and I really do like them. Ordered some Asic Speedstar 4's from Holabird yesterday. I'll give them a try when they come in...if they feel great, I'll start using them a little, and will probably run Boston in them...otherwise, it will be the VFFs at Boston.
8:07, 138
8:09, 148
7:08, 144 (down the hill)
8:19, 148 (up the hill)
7:28, 150
7:19, 154
AP: 7:45 , 146 bpm
Checked BP immediately after run. 151/75, 1 minute later 144/78. (normal resting is about 125/70 for me)
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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Ran 1 miles laps around my place of buisiness. Darin was going to meet me out there, but his meeting ran late, so I was solo.
I wanted to run nice and easy MP miles (MP = 8:00 for my new BQ level)
7:58, x bpm
8:00, 133 bpm
7:58, 132 bpm
7:52, 135 bpm
7:59, 136 bpm
8:03, 137 bpm
55F, sunny, E5 MPH | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.50 | 0.00 | 2.50 |
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Uggg...I guess the little rock I stepped on yesterday left a mark. My heal was a bit sore today, so I had to bag the long run. I'm not too worried, it is already feeling better tonight. I need to get in at least one 20 miler in the next week before I taper. As my training hasn't been very intense this year, I'm not putting any big hopes in PRing at Boston this year. I'm going to enjoy it as a really expensive long run with benefits :-). But, I reserve the right to go fast if all the stars align.
Ronnie (Hillbilly Runner) offered to share his room at the Hyatt-Cambridge with him and his son. Awesome. He's getting in on Sunday -- but I'm getting in on Saturday. So, most of my accomodations are working out. I'll find a room for Saturday night somewhere...even if I have to stay a little out of town. Plans are coming together.
Ronnie is going for a 3:20 this year at Boston-- I'll probably move back to his corral and run the first few miles with him -- if it's a good day, maybe I'll stick with him the whole way. He plans to run even splits (1:40 half). Ronnie ran a 3:10 (I think) at SGM..so I'm thinking 3:20 at Boston should be very doable for him this year. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 3.00 | 17.00 |
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I gave the new Asic Speedstars a try today. Not bad. After only running in the VFFs for the past 3 weeks, I was surprised at how good regular shoes felt.
Ran 6 miles at lunch w/ Darin. 60F, sunny, 10 MPH wind. AP: 7:35
Ran 11 miles after work in Ft Worth. I ran the El Scorcho 5K loop a few times -- it's a different perspective running it during daylight hours instead of after midnight (I signed up for the El Scorcho 50K, again -- my offer still stands, if anyone wants to run this, you're welcome to stay at my house, and I'll even provide transportation.)
Ran the 11 miles a bit slower than the lunctime 6.
Overall 17 mile AP: 7:59
My right heel is a little tender, but not too bad. I'll be resting it every other day from here until Boston. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 3.00 | 10.00 |
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am
6 at lunchtime w/ Darin. Sunny, 75F, S17-26MPH (windy) AP: 7:34 Right heel is feeling much better. Ran in the Speedstars again. Looks like these are good to go for Boston. pm Decided to go to my first spin class in about a year (there was a "farewell" celebration for the instructor. Did 1 hour spin -- I'm giving myself credit for 4 miles...I hope that's fair. This might have been a violation of the "don't do anyting stupid this close to Boston" rule. I won't be doing spin again any time soon. Good workout, though. Tough ont he quads. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 2.00 | 5.00 |
| Lunch run w/ Darin. I wasn't feeling quite so spunky today..due in part to my spin class last night, and part due to the 20 MPH steady south wind. Not a bad run overall. Wore the Supernovas (they feel like boat anchors compared to the VFFs or Speedstars). AP: 7:41 75F, 20-26MPH S, Sunny
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 19.00 | 0.00 | 19.00 |
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Met Corey and Lana at the Lake Weatherford Marina at 7:30. Ran one lap around the lake w/ them at about 9:35 / mi (8.5) miles. Ran the next lap alone, at about 8:30/mi -- added another few miles running through the neighborhoods around the lake. It was a great morning for a run (cool and low wind). Finished with 51 miles for the week...probably my longest week all year! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 |
| Lunchtime run w/ Darin. I was a little worried that my left ankle might slow us down (I rolled it a little on Saturday's run...and it's been a little tender since then). But, once we started moving, it loosened up and all was good. Brutal wind again, but a little warm today. Taking 2 days off after Saturday's long run was probably a good idea. Today's run felt really good.
80F, S 20-30MPH, Sunny AP: 7:28 (7:44,7:14,7:20,7:24,7:57,7:10)
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 4.32 | 5.32 |
| Decided to try something different for today's lunchtime run. Ran w/ Darin to the local HS track. I ran 5 x 800, with 1/2 lap jog in between. (didn't have time for full Yasso set of 10..) Felt very relaxed. Good workout!
800m: 3:16, 142 bpm 3:13, 151 bpm 3:23, 150 bpm 3:17, 152 bpm
3:01, 156 bpm (was aiming for sub 3:00, but the wind got to me a little too much :) AP: 7:29 AHR: 149 bpm 60F, 22% humidity, sunny, 12-20 MPH N wind
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.32 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 7.00 | 13.00 |
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Today was my last longish run until Boston. My boys stayed at a friends hourse last night..a friend that lives exact 13 miles from my house. I ran to their house, while my wife started a bit later and picked us all up to go to soccer practice. It worked out great. The morning was nearly perfect for running. Conditions I could only hope for at Boston. 50F, slight wind, overcast. The route consisted of a lot of up and down variety. Which is just what I needed.
The plan was to run at MP...only I'm still deciding what MP is (my new MP (BQ) pace is 8:00/mi, while last year I ran 7:38s. So, I just went with what felt good today. It ended up being 7:37 AP, and felt really good.
8:10, 144 bpm
7:52, 144 bpm
7:20, 138 bpm
7:29, 144 bpm
7:24, 142 bpm
7:39, 144 bpm
7:36, 146 bpm
7:31, 145 bpm
7:35, 148 bpm
7:43, 148 bpm
7:23, 146 bpm
1 Honey Stinger (Gold), and about 6 oz water.
Time to start looking at Boston weather and figuring out what to pack. I'm still not sure what to wear this year. I better figure it out...soon. The shoes (Asic Speedstar 4s) will be OK..had a little pain in front of right middle toe.
Getting excited about Boston! This time next week, I'll be in Beantown. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| 1 week from now I'll be somewhere between Hopkinton and Boston! Today was my last workout with any speed until Boston. Ran w/ Darin. Felt really good today. I seem to feel really good with the every-other-day workouts. I just hope I have the endurance to finish a marathon strong (without too much fade). AP: 7:18 75F, SSE 14-20MPH, partly cloudy, 48% humidity
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 |
| Was planning to be a 6 miles at MP -- just to get a feel for 7:40ish pace. Started out with the wind at our backs...and went a little faster than expected. Felt very good..I wish my feet felt as good in the last 6 miles of a marathon, as they do on these short runs.
7:23, 7:16, 7:19, 7:21, 7:33, 7:50(slowed on last mile to wait for Darin) 75F, sunny, E 5-10 AP: 7:27, AHR: 140 bpm |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Ok..my lunchtime run was supposed to be slow. I didn't wear a watch. It was hot/humid...but Darin and I still ran 7:28/mi pace. I just can't slow down! What is wrong with me???? :) This was the last training run until Sunday's Boston 5K.(which will be run at a leisurely (pedestrian) pace...I hope (with Marcie, she'll hold be back -- will be running with a camera for that one if it isn't raining too hard) A little packing left to do, a full-body massage, and a 4AM trip to the airport...then I'll be in Boston! 70F, 66% humidity, SSE 12 MPH AP: 7:28
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.10 | 0.00 | 3.10 |
| Ran the BAA 5K as a warmup for Monday's marathon. Ran it with Marcie at about 8:05/mi -- a little faster than we planned, but not too bad. Got a finisher's medal!!!! My first-ever medal for finishing a 5K! The tech shirt is really nice too -- I'd recommend the jog around Boston for anyone going to run the marathon. It's a great way to start the weekend and end the taper madness. (Just don't run it fast) | |
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| | Race: |
114th Boston Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:24:03, Place overall: 5463 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.20 | 11.00 | 26.20 |
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Monday, April 19, 2010.
My buddy, Ronnie, who was planning to run around the same pace as me(3:20 / 7:38pace), had this great idea. Because we were both in the middle to rear of the first wave – and Ronnie wanted to run faster than his qualifying time (which determines corral placement), he thought that if we got to the front of the second wave, we would have clear sailing. That’s exactly what we did. We managed to line up on the very front row of the 1st corral in the 2nd Wave (we didn't realize that Lark and Gumpchump were probably a few yards to our right). That was awesome!!! To actually toe the line at Boston – the actual line (well it was actually a timing mat a few yards back from the actual line..but was cool nonetheless.) The gun went off and we were up there in the lead!!! But, not for long…
Ronnie and I did such a great job hydrating. Even though we managed to “go” several times in the hour leading up to the start, as soon as the gun went off we started talking about making a quick pitstop. At about the ½ mile mark we veered off the road to the right .. a few yards into the woods for what seemed like an eternity (maybe 30 seconds). We were probably passed by a few hundred people in that short time. We quickly got up to speed and still managed a 7:38 first mile.
I happened to notice our dear friend TeenaMarie running right down the center of the 2 yellow stripes. She was tearing up the road!!! It took about 2 miles to catch up to her. I’m sure she was running about 7:00/mi splits. She had her headphones on and was kind of zoned out. Was this the same Teena that was contemplating not even coming to Boston due to Compartment Syndrome?? I tapped her on the shoulder, and asked her what she was doing? She asked what time I planned to run…I said “maybe 3:20”. I knew she knew she was going too fast, but it wasn’t my job to try to slow her down. I wished her luck and Ronnie and I moved on. I never saw Teena again until we were walking to dinner later that night…
Ronnie was pretty intent on running 3:20 from the start. I knew that my training was lacking, but the conditions were excellent, so I figured I’d give it a shot for a while. My ecstatic goal would have been to PR (sub 3:19:47), but realistically I was going for the happy goal – BQ (in 2011 my NEW BQ is 3:30:59, as I turn 45 on April 30th). Ronnie and kept talking about slowing down to 7:35ish miles (3:20 is a 7:38 pace). Eventually, we got there. By the time we hit the flats around mile 11, I felt as though I was holding Ronnie back. So, I lingered a little at one of the aid stations, and motioned to Ronnie to move on. I was sure he would knock out a 3:15 or better. He looked that strong.
Through the wall of screams at Wellesley College I stuck to the left side of the road…like I did last year. I was about the only one I saw on that side of the road. It’s amazing how excited college girls will get for a bunch of sweaty men and women running by – it’s a tradition, and quite a nice one…but my ears thanked me for staying to the left.
I ran very conservatively in the middle miles – miles 13-21. I knew I needed to save myself for the Newton Hills. If I stayed fueled and hydrated, I knew I could reach my happy goal. The weather was nearly ideal for the first 16 miles or so. With temps in the low 40s and a breeze from behind my left shoulder. If I had only put in the training miles I needed, it really would have been a PR day. At around 16 miles (I think), it got cloudier and the wind seemed to shift more toward the east (head wind). No matter, it actually felt a little refreshing.
Once I topped Heartbreak Hill at mile 21, I still had some gas in the tank, and clocked a three respectable miles in the mid 7s. I knew that my chances of breaking 3:20 were long gone, but I knew the BQ was well within my grasps…unless I had some weird cramping issues. With about 2 miles to go I walked through the aid station, and took two cups of Gatorade. I was already thinking about recovery more than just finishing.
When I passed the Citgo sign with about 1 mile to go, I felt really good. My feet actually better than they have in any marathon that I can remember. No leg cramps. I really couldn’t complain about anything.
Round the corner onto Bolyston St is simply amazing. The finish at Boston is the best finishing line that I've ever crossed. The view of the last quarter mile -- the sea of runners, flanked by screaming fans, and the giant Boston Marathon finishing line -- it's hard to describe without actually being there. The crowd carried me to the finish line at 3:24:03. My 3rd Boston in the books. My 18th marathon. Not the fastest, but definitely stronger than any marathons in the past year. I am happy with how the entire weekend turned out. :D :D :D
Splits:
Mile 1 7:38 1.04
Mile 2 7:05 1.00
Mile 3 7:05 1.01
Mile 4 7:32 1.01
Mile 5 7:27 1.01
Mile 6 7:24 1.00
Mile 7 7:40 1.00
Mile 8 7:49 1.04
Mile 9 7:17 0.97
Mile 10 7:42 1.01
Mile 11 7:34 1.00
Mile 12 7:29 1.00
Mile 13 7:54 1.01
Mile 14 7:47 1.00
Mile 15 7:49 1.00
Mile 16 7:43 1.01
Mile 17 8:07 1.01
Mile 18 8:25 1.01
Mile 19 8:15 1.00
Mile 20 8:13 1.01
Mile 21 8:47 1.03 (Heartbreak Hill)
Mile 22 7:34 1.02
Mile 23 7:36 1.02
Mile 24 7:34 1.01
Mile 25 8:36 1.02 (Last aid station walk/stretch)
Mile 26 8:00 1.00
Mile 26.2 1:44 0.2
After the race, I worked my way through the crowd of zombies. Picked up a little goodie bag of food and drinks, got my medal and made my way a few blocks to the shuttle back to the hotel. When I got back to the room Ronnie had already finished showering. He told me his time. I was amazed that he finished in 3:23:42 – only 21 seconds (and 92 positions) ahead of me. If I had known he wasn't going to blister 3:20, I should have stuck with him!! :)
Overal place: 5463 Chicked by: 750
Post-Race
Went to dinner with the Utah crowd at Legal Seafood, caught up on everyone’s race stories, and then headed to the post-party. Got a (free) blurry group photo, printed the race stats – said goodbye to all my friends and headed back to the hotel.
On Tuesday, I ended up driving out to Hopkinton and driving the race route back to Boston. Taking pictures and getting lost a few times along the way. It’s amazing how different the route looks when it’s not lined with people, and full of cars. It was also amazing how clear it was – all the cups, orange slices, and other stuff was all cleaned up – the BAA does an amazing job of putting on a community friendly event! I’ll probably be back next year....as long as enough of my friends are coming back!
Lessons learned:
• When flying coach, always check for available exit row or bulkhead seats – the leg room is quite comfortable.
• If you’re on a budget, get a few roommates – Boston hotels are not cheap! Sleeping in a car is not a viable option.
• Always bring an airmattress and a huge trashbag to Athlete’s Village – to be comfortable for the 3 hours or so you’ll be waiting before the race. If it’s raining, you might want to bring a pup tent – or get there on one of the first buses and get inside one of the big tents.
• Only “side-five” the little kids – they won’t try to take your arm off like the inebriated college students!
• Do not eat at the pre-race pasta dinner. For the second year in a row, even though we arrived early, we were forced to eat outside – in the cold/wind (at least we stayed dry).
• Running the Boston Marathon is a good experience. What makes it great is to share it with some awesome friends! It is quite the party! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| Easy recovery run w/ Tom after work. Wore the VFFs for the first time in a few weeks. Felt fine.
AP: 10:00 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Ran w/ Darin at lunch. Legs felt fine only 4 days after Monday's BQ long-run in Boston. AP: 7:29 76F, 5 NW, 41% humid, sunny |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
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Quick six at lunch w/ Darin. After 2 days off it felt good to get out and stretch the legs again. I'll call this a tempo run. Time to start building up the miles for UVM.
7:34 (143 bpm)
7:19 (140 bpm)
7:05 (145 bpm)
7:00 (150 bpm)
7:00 (156 bpm)
6:56 (159 bpm)
AP: 7:09
73F, 12 NE, 40% Hum | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
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Another quck six at lunch w/ Darin. This is the first back-to-back run days I've had in a while. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. So, like usual Darin and I decided to run it nice and easy. And like usual, that didn't happen. :-) (the weather was too nice!)
7:17 (140 bpm)
7:20 (139 bpm)
7:20 (139 bpm)
7:07 (144 bpm)
6:49 (153 bpm)
6:35 (159 bpm)
AP: 7:04
65F, Sunny, 10 NNE, low humidity (nice!) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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Happy Birthday to me!
It's number 45..yes a new (and hopefully easier) age group. (much easier to get into Boston now..with a 10 minute advantage over the last AG).
I'll be spending the night at a Relay for Life (never done one before..not sure what I'm in for). Anyways the plan is to try to run farther than I've ever run before (at least 39 miles)... Plans are always subject to change.
If you feel like donating to the American Cancer Society -- you can make a pledge in my name HERE. No pressure -- I haven't donated, yet myself.... :) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 5.00 | 20.00 |
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Got in 20 miles in about 3.5 hours of running at the Relay for Life in Weatherford, TX.
I was about the only one running on the track...which was full of people celebrating life with or after cancer. All the time I was running, weaving in and out of all the people dancing, walking, sitting,...I kept thinking that I'm very fortunate to have the ability to run. I also kept thinking that I was crashing someone else's party. It was a different experience...one I probably won't repeat next year.
I managed to clock a few sub 7:30 miles. The event was from 6PM to 6AM -- after my entire team left before midnight, there wasn't much motivation for me. I quit after 20 miles, packed up my tent and stuff, and drove home. It's always fun to try new things..I tried it. :) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 4.00 | 5.00 |
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Five with Darin at lunch. Was a recovery run for me...at least that was what we intended.
7:38, 7:31,7:28,7:26,7:27,7:08
82F, 10-15 S, Sunny, 24% humidity
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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6 easy miles w/ Darin. Feeling a little bit of a chest cold or something. It doesn't seem to be impacting my running. Went slow mainly because it is HOT outside at lunchtime now.
85F, Sunny, S10
AP: 7:57 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.10 | 1.00 | 3.10 |
| An easy 3.1 miles at lunch w/ Darin. Took it easy, to save myself for Saturday's 5K (report to follow soon) 80F, N 10, 20% humidity, sunny - felt nice. AP: 7:27
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 3.10 |
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| | Race: |
Buffalo Boogie 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:19:46, Place overall: 10, Place in age division: 2 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 3.10 | 3.10 |
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Ran the Buffalo Boogie 5K in Lake Worth, Tx. I've run this race a few times in the past. It is not an easy course. The first 1/2 mile is a nice downhill, then it levels out until the 2 mile mark, then it's a stair-step up to the finish.
Weather was as good as it could get this time of year in Tx. 60 degrees, low humidity, a little wind,
I haven't run a 5K race (not counting the 5K fun-run on Sunday before the Boston Marathon this year) in over a year.
Mile 1 -5:57 - First mile was a little into about a 10 MPH wind, but it was mostly downhill.
Mile 2 - 6:20 - feeling good, hanging with a pack of 4. Saving energy for the last 1.1 miles, which is mostly uphill.
Mile 3 - 6:41 -
3.1 - 19:46 - Finished 10th overall (out of 400+), 2nd in AG (missed 1st by 6 seconds). I'm very happy with how I did. I might have to do another 5K soon, and maybe push it a little harder. (This is a course PR for me)
The Buffalo Boogie is held at a Nature Center which is known for its heard of Buffalo. There were lots of "green" vendors. The best part of the day was sharing it with my 2 boys and wife. They walked the 5K, had fun at all the vendor booths (including live snakes, balloon animals, lots of dog adoptions, Sierra Club, ..) (There was supposed to be a 1 mile fun-run for the kids, but it got lumped into the 5K fun-run -- I'm not ready for the boys to run 5K. 1 mile, but not 5K. They were a little disappointed that they didn't get finisher medals...
Enjoyed the day!
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| A slow run today. After a weekend of replacing screens on the house my quads were very sore (lots of squatting). Today was miserable conditions -- 85 F, 25 MPH sustained winds, 80% humidity...arrrg. Still go in 4 miles w/ Darin at lunch. AP: 8:30 Got my room confirmation from Marathon Tours for Boston 2011. Raddison Boston. Woohoo!
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| Hot, humid, slow 6 miles. I miss winter! :) |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Recovering from cold. Took it easy. Only 4 miles. Hot/humid..blah.
AP: 9:00 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Another easy 4 miler.
AP: 8:05 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Another slow 5 miler. The hot weather has sapped my GoJo. I need a few longer runs before I taper for UVM. 82F, sunny, 65% humidity AP: 8:05
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| Asic Speedstar -ES09 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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Decided to run AFTER work, alone. Did 10 laps around my workplace. It was about 84 when I started at 6:30. But, felt pretty good as the sun was starting to set. Not as bad as 84 at noon. Took it easy, and got in some quality miles. This is my longest run since my 20 miler on my b-day 2 weeks ago. Time to get creative with getting in my workouts. UVM will be here soon!
AP: 8:29
84 F, 50% humidity, partly cloudy | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Busy, busy, busy. Didn't have time to run during lunch or after work, so ran a quick 2.5 miles as the sun was setting (only 75 degrees!!). Attended my daughter's highschool awards ceremony. I'm so proud of Megan! - her class valedictorian (I dont' even know if I spelled it correctly :) I'm not sure where she got the brains from. :) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| 4 miles at lunch w/ Darin. Hot, humid, uggg... 85F, 80% humidity, 15 MPH. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Started to run, but then decided I really had a lot of yard work to finish before all the company comes this week for my daughter's graduation -- I'll call it 6 hours of cross-training. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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Decided to meet Darin before work. Even though it was only 75 degrees, it was still humid. Managed a good 6 miles. Starting to rethink UVM -- I haven't run long in several weeks. Not sure running a marathon will be wise...I'm sure the weather will be much better. I'll give it a lot of thought. It might be just a long, easy training run. (either way we're planning to be in Utah for that weekend)
So much to do this week. My youngest is graduating Kindergarten, and my oldest is graduating high school! Family coming to down this weekend. It'll be fun! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Ran before work with Jo, Darin, and Dave. Was fun to run in a group of 4 again. 73F, 50% humidity, no wind. Not too bad. Locked my keys in my car. Had to work the morning in my running clothes -- until my wife could bring my keys at lunchtime. A little embarassing. :)
AP: 8:15
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 4.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
| Went to the trail early. Needed to get in a long run. Ran 10 miles (I decided to do 1 mile out and 1 mile back loops so I wouldn't need to carry water...worked nicely, but kept seeing the same people walking over and over). Decided to try my VFFs for the first time since before Boston. They always feel good on this trail. 75-80F, 50% humidity, no wind. UVM is definitely going to be a long training run for me. I have not made the time to get in the training miles!
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| Addidas Supernova Miles: 10.00 | VFF Trek Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Graduation day for Megan!! I'm so proud of my daughter. She did a great job with her valedictorian speech. Lots of family in town, and lots of work to do -- not much time for running. Going to try to get in a long run early Monday morning.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 5 easy on the treadmill at lunchtime. Too hot outside! :) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
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Ran w/ Darin and Jo before work.
78F, 67% humidity, SE 8mph | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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On vacation. Got up an ran 4 miles at Alamagordo, NM. Not the most scenic of runs, but felt pretty good. We'll see how I feel on Saturday at UVM. This will be a long, slow run for me. (too much vacationing and not enough training)
AP: 7:55
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| | Race: |
Utah Valley Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:37:53, Place overall: 286, Place in age division: 21 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 26.20 | 0.00 | 26.20 |
| When I signed up for UVM earlier this year, I decided to squeeze it into the middle of a 2-week family vacation. Left home on Tuesday morning -- spent some time at some incredible National Parks -- Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, and the Grand Canyon. Got to Provo Friday afternoon. Went to the mall to pick up my packet -- while I was digging for my ID, one of the volunteers, said to "Get two forms of ID from this guy". It was Aleeeesa! It was so cool seeing someone I know this far from home. She introduced me to PG Gary -- who gave my 2 boys and wife their volunteer work assignments for the marathon. They we going to help out at the finish line at 6:00AM. We got a room at the Colony Inn right next to the mall. I knew Dale was staying across the street at the La Quinta (definitely a nicer hotel) -- gave him a call, and planned to walk to the buses at 3:20. Met up with Dale, as planned and walked to the first bus. Met Tom Slick, Huans32, Maynard, BeMo, then rode to the top. We were the first group to the "holding area" -- had no POP lines, and were able to circle around one of the fire pits. At about 5:00 we started herding up the hill toward the bright lights of the starting lines -- where there were a few POPs. I headed back to the original holding area, where I ran into Gumpchump, who was waiting for Smooth. (I never saw Smooth until the afterparty at Cougar's). The race started about 10-15 minutes late. I started out running with Canyon, who carried the conversation for the first few miles. At mile 5, I had to make a little pitstop where I shared a private moment with Huans off the side of the road behind the POP.  I totally missed seeing Aleeesa and her hubby, Rex at the mile 5 aid station...but I looked for them. I soon caught up the Canyon, who was running with Gumpchump. At this point, it was a steep downhill section, so I just ran my own pace..I knew they would probably both pass me later on. I had absolutely no expectations for this race. It was to be my first run over 20 miles since Boston in April. My training has been pathetic...and if I had any real excuse for NOT running, I probably would have sat this one out. The last 6 miles along University Ave were brutal for me. I kept yo-yoing. At first I decided to walk through each aid station (which were 2 miles apart), then I decided once every mile, then that plan changed to walking whenever I felt like it. It was in this section that Teena cruised past me, followed shortly by Tom Slick. I would have like to run in with them, but it just wasn't happening. I fully expected a few more flyers to go by in the last few miles. I finished in a 3:37 -- as I crossed the finish line I saw my 2 boys and wife, Beth handing out finishing medals. My youngest boy, Christian, put my finisher's medal around my neck. That was cool. I saw Kristi (Mrs Fit) handing out medals, too! Overall, this was a very well-run marathon, and what would have been a fast course, had I prepared properly. The weather was idea -- with a steady drizzle for most of the race, and a tail wind for much of it. By the time my family finished with their volunteer work, and we packed the car, we arrived at Cougar's afterparty a bit late. Just in time to see Smooth and Mr. Smooth for a second or two before they left. I finally got to meet Cougar, Apax, MeterMaid, BDZ, McFrosty, and their lovely families. Thanks, Cougar for opening your home to us...it was fun to meet so many of the forumites. Marathons are not easy. Sometimes it's hard to remember this fact when you're on a blog with so many multi-marathon runners, who seem to run a marathon on a whim, at any moment. This was my 19th full marathon in just over 4 years...but, for whatever reasons I did not train much at all for this one, and it definitely diminished the enjoyment. I'll definitely train harder for the next one! I'm happy to have run this beautiful marathon and to have seen so many of my Utah friends. I'm so proud of my wife and boys for spending half a day to help at the finish line, and experience they won't soon forget! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.50 | 0.00 | 5.50 |
| Spent Thursday night with some friends near Denver. Got up early and ran in the great weather. 55 degrees and NOT humid! Felt awesome. Wish I had Denver weather. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Home at last. Back from a wonderful vacation. Things we did and saw: Carlsbad Caversn White Sands National Monument White Sands Missile Range Museum Saguaro National Forest (near Tucson) Drove through scenic Sedona, AZ South rim of the Grand Canyon Utah Valley Marathon Hill Airforce Museum (Ogden, UT) Yellowstone National Park Grand Tetons National Park (drove through in the snow, could barely see the Tetons, need to go back another time Glad to be home! Time to start thinking about training for SGM (even though it is 100 degrees out and 70% humidity! Arrg)
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
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Ran alone at lunch. Managed 2 miles outside (97F, 18 mph S, 38% hum), then 1 mile on treadmill. Darin is on vacation this week, so I don't have anyone pushing me to run.It's time to get up early and run before work.
(I also managed to gain about 9 pounds in 2 weeks of vacation -- but I ran a marathon in the middle of it!!!! :)
AP: 8:20 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| 4 easy miles on the mill. (too hot outside) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
| Saturday morning would have been a great time to run..as the temps were in the 70's compared to the 80s we've been experiencing lately. But, I decided to camp out in the tent with the boys on Friday night. Didn't sleep much, and lingered a little too long, and didn't run. Did yard work ALL DAY! Got caught up from 2 weeks away. Saturday night, at around 10PM, I decided to go for a run. It was still 85 degrees and muggy when I got to the HS track. The moon was full..and it was a nice, but a little lonely,run. I'm starting to build my mileage back up (my next scheduled race is El Scorcho - Quatro 50K, July 26th). I've decided that if I'm going to run long races, that I need to train for them. UVM, though I finished respectably, was tough on me--especially mentally. As silly as it sounds, I felt that I didn't deserve to be racing a marathon -- without putting in the training. I psyched myself out of the race, and was just happy to finish. I want to feel confident going into my races -- confident, not only to finish, but to finish strong -- like I've done many times before. I ran 6 miles. I ran the first 2 miles in under 15:00 -- I had no concept of speed in the dark. My HR was in the low 150s for the entire time. Walked a little after 2 and 4 miles, but still averaged a little over 8:00s overall. Night running wasn't too bad -- at least I didn't have to worry about sunburn! :)
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
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Ran 7 miles on the treadmill after work. The first 3 miles were rough, then as I loosened up it got easier.
Lifted a few weights, mostly inclined bench dumbells. Worked my way up from 20 - 50 pounds each, with reps of 5 each. I managed one rep of the 50s. (I hope to look back at this in a few months and see some massive improvement). Going to make weights a regular part of my workouts going forward (I hope).
AP; 8:15 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 1.00 | 8.00 |
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4.5 warmup miles in the VFFs (first run in them in a while). Started to feel a little pain on the top of my right foot, so I switched to my Speedstars, and the pain went away.
Progressively increased the speed on the treadmill. Finished the last 2 laps at 9.0 mph, and 10mph.
HR 150 when finished. Was back to 100 within 2 minutes.
Then lifted some weights for chest (managed to do 4 sets of 110lbs x 5 reps(I used to bench 200 without any problems) and biceps (I have pool party on Saturday..I hope I'm buff by then! :) |
| VFF Trek Miles: 4.50 | Speedstar 4 Miles: 3.50 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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5 miles on the treadmill after work. |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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4-3-2-1
Was out a little late last night, so slept in. Didn't get to the trail until 10AM, when it was already 85 and sunny. Humidity was only about 50%, so it wasn't too bad.
Decided not to carry fluids. So I ran out 2 miles and back (4 miles) then drank. Then ran out 1.5 miles and back(3 miles), then drank Then out 1 mile and back (2 miles) then drank, then ran 1/2 mile out and back (1 mile)...I can't say it was pleasant, but it is my longest run since UVM. I'm gradually building my mileage -- while fighting the heat!
Had a great 3-day Independence Day weekend...it's back to work tomorrow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 6:30AM run w/ Darin. AP 7:52. More than usual pain in left achilles. Can't wait for Fall! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.00 | 0.00 | 16.00 |
| Misery loves company...and I'm so glad that my buddy Ty was there to motivate me this morning! Met at the trailhead at 6:30. Wore my camelback. We decided to run out 5 and back 5, then see how we felt from there. After the first 10, we took a quick break, swigged some Powerade, then went for another 6. I took a few walk breaks at miles 13, 14, and 15, but still managed an overall AP of 8:40. That's my longest run since UVM. El Scorcho is in 2 weeks. It might be a looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggg night! I'll try to get to 40 miles this week. The achilles tendon was a little tender today, but not bad enough for me to quit. I'll keep an eye on it and see how this week goes. After my run, went to church, then took the boys to the lake -- and sat on the beach (under a shade canopy. The boys loved it, and it was quite relaxing. The water felt cool on a 95 degree day! Back to work tomorrow.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Recovery run w/ Darin before work.
I was really dragging. Glad Darin was there to keep me from walking too much. It was hot and humid, but a nice breeze.
80F, humid, 15 MPH S
AP: 8:15 |
| Asic Speedstar SGM09 Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 2.00 | 5.00 |
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Met Darin and Jo at 7AM. Felt much better than Monday's run.
The last 2 miles were under 7:30 (7:26 and 7:09). It was 81F, not as humid as it's been, and there was a nice breeze. It actually wasn't too bad. After we finished, I realized I forgot my change of clothes, so I drove back home (37 miles), luckily I am able to telecommute some times.
AP: 7:45
81F, 12 MPH S |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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We had a great turnout this morning before work. Ran with Darin, Jo, Mike, and Dave. It's a lot easier to take the heat and humidity when you have friends to share them with!
(left achilles tendon still a bit sore. Going to RICE it today)
AP: 7:59 |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
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Cross-trained today. 24 miles on my comfort bike (cushy seat, fat tires, 21 speeds) on the trail. It was 95 degrees when I started and 90 when I finished. Filled my 72 oz camel back with ice and water. It was actually not bad at all. Riding a bike in 95 degrees is much, much, much easier and enjoyable than running in 95 degrees.
Achilles is feeling much better after 3 days of no running. Going to give it the rest of the week off. Will cross train a bit this week, and see how El Scorcho goes on Saturday night.
It took about 1:55 to do 24 miles. I'm going to call that the equivalent of running about 7 miles. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
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Cross-training continues. Though the left achilles is feeling better, I thought I'd give it a few more days of "rest", but riding my bike again. Went to the rail trail at about 7PM. Decided to ride to the end (about 18 miles away) and back. Got to the end in about 1:15 (got some dinner at McDs), then headed back. I'm greatful for the moon light, as I didn't have a light on my bike. Now I know why the trail is closed at sunset. It's not only because it is dangerous, but there are spider webs everywhere (they spin their webs across the trail--I guess they start at sunset). I finished the return trip in 1:40 for a total of 36.0 miles (I'm calling it 12 miles of running) in 2:55 (not bad on a trail bike in the dark). I won't do that ride after dark again until I get a nice headlight for my bike.
2 days until El Scorcho. Packet pickup starts today -- I'm definitely dropping from the 50K to the 25K (La Scorchita). I feel a little bad about "wimping out", but I want to be healthy for this fall's race season (including SGM). | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| | Race: |
El Scorcho Cuatro 25K (15.5 Miles) 02:12:14, Place overall: 31, Place in age division: 23 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
| Ah, El Scorcho... Though I believe the temperature was a little cooler than the past few years, it was still hot and humid (about 85F and 50% humidity at midnight start). Set up before the race with Corey, Ty, Rick, and Don. It was Ty's 4th El Scorcho, and Corey, Ty, and Rick's first. It was my 3rd consecutive -- running the 50K in 2008 and 2009. The plan was going to be to start slowly, and gradually speed up to finish at about an 8:00/mi pace, while running negative 5K splits -- this was going to be a confidence builder for Ty, as he hopes to BQ this fall with a 3:30 (8:00/mi). Within 10 seconds after the start, that plan was out the window! I'm sorry, Ty...really I am...I don't know why our first mile was 7:28, getting our heart rates up way too quickly. We were doomed from there! I'm not going to be completely negative...I really do enjoy this run. It's actually nice that it is in a 5K loop. You get to see so many people you would normally not see (most races you see the few people that hang around your pace for the whole thing -- at El Scorcho people are spread out so much, that you lap people and get lapped constantly. It breaks up the monotony a bit! My wheels came off at around mile 12 -- I seriously considered walking from the 13.1 mile on, but still managed to jog in there some of the time. My achilles tendon pain was constant throughout the run, making me run with a little limp to my gait. Today, as I write this, for some reason my achilles feels pretty good. I guess I didn't damage it too much.
5K 24:11 10K 25:31 15K 25:42 20K 26:58 25K 29:50 Total: 2:12:14 8:31/mi
I ended up finishing about a minute before Ty, with Rick (2:53), Corey (3:13), and Don(3:32) rounding out our group. I placed 31 out of 329 finishers.
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 15.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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Started at 2PM as the afternoon was just heating up. Rode w/ Ty to Lake Mineral Wells (15.5 miles) on the trail. Jumped in and cooled off a little. Then rode back. Brutal...very brutal. :)
Total: 31 miles on trail. Calling it 10 miles of running.
95 - 100 F, 5 MPH breeze | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| 40 minutes elliptical...blah. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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Met Ty at the trailhead at 5PM. The car said 100 degrees on the nose. Rode to the lake, cooled off, then rode back. This week was much easier than last week. I think that with the sun lower in the sky, the distance between shade spots (my friends) was a little less. Didn't seem quite so brutal this week. And there were a few clouds that helped.
Finished reading Dean Karnaze's book. Some pretty cool stuff in there. He's just a little too gung-ho for me and my lifestyle. I probably won't be running a marathon to the south pole, or running a 200 mile Relay by myself anytime soon. :)
I haven't run in over 2 weeks. I think I'll try easing into it again sometime this week.
100F at 5PM
95F at 7:45 when we finished.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
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Couldn't sleep, so decided to give running a try. Temps are much more agreeable at 4AM. 80F, not much wind. I drove into work, so I could run the mile loop -- which is mostly lighted. Managed 7 miles..with a little walking in there.
After the run, I slept in my car for about an hour, then went in and showered. Ankle was a little tender -- it might just be from sleeping in the car!
AP: 9:00 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Ran 3 easy miles with Jo and Darin. Jo's knee was bothering her, so I volunteered to walk the last mile with her. (My achille's is still bothering me, but I think it always will). While we were running our AP was about 8:00. After walking the last mile, it dropped to 10:00.
85F |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| My daughter, Megan has officially moved into an apartment at the University of North Texas. This is her first time away from home, and it's a little scary, but, we're excited for her. She's only about 45 miles away, so it's not so bad. She's already texted my wife 20 time today - asking advice on everything from cooking to cleaning. She'll do fine. Maybe it's time to move my office from "The Shed" to her old bedroom??? Soccer practices start on Thursday. I'll be coaching 6 and 7 yearold boys (mine are on the team). I'll be attending a coaches clinic on Saturday. I really want these boys to get the most out of their experience -- and I want to be the coolest coach ever (now, if I only knew something about soccer..and coaching soccer...hmm) Ty wasn't able to ride today, so I skipped my weekly ride to the lake. That's OK, I got a lot of much-needed yard work, maintenance, and cleanup done around the old farm.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.20 | 0.00 | 6.20 |
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Ran w/ Darin and Mike before work. Ran 5.5, then walked for another .7 (there's only one shower at work, and the slowest guy goes last...so I walked for a while)
Achilles felt OK. Not great, but OK.
82F, N10 |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 6.20 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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7AM run w/ Darin and Dave.
Ran 4, then walked 1 as a cool down.
82F, AP: 8:15 (running), overall: about 10:00 |
| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Ran at lunch w/ Darin, Dave, and Mike. It was a rare cool summer day (only 75). I brought up the rear with a 7:24/mi pace. Not bad, but I can definitely tell I haven't been putting in the miles. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Met Ty at the trailhead at 7AM. Ran 2.5 out and 2.5 back. I remember when 5 miles was a warm up. Folks it doesn't take long to lose some fitness...but on the good side, it was great to get a shot of endorphines in the morning. Ankle is feeling a little better. Signed up for a 5K race on Labor Day (the boys will be running the Kid's K). It'll be nice to enjoy a nice short race!
7:58 AP, 75F | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.50 | 0.00 | 4.50 |
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Been putting in some long hours at work this week. Got home around 8:00. Family was still at church, so I went for a run at the local HS track. No watch, just me and the dark countryside. It was about 75F, but very humid, as it just rained. Can't wait for cooler temps.
The ankle is status quo. Not getting better, not getting worse. I've decided i'm not willing to quit cold-turkey, completely for the months it would take to completely heal itself. So, it's time to start building up the miles...as the temps go down, the miles will go up! |
| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 4.50 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Decided to run at lunch...alone. It was overcast and about 80F and humid. Probably one of the better running days in the past few months.
AP: 7:45
Got an email from the guy organizing Pace Group leaders for the 2011 Cowtown Marathon. I thought about it, and decided to "go for it". I told him to put me down for the 3:40 pace group, for the third straight year. This will give me the incentive I need to get my rear in gear. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 3.10 | 3.10 |
| Happy Labor Day! Woke my boys up at 5:20AM. This was no easy task in itself, as we spent yesterday at a pool/BBQ party, and the boys (including this big one), were still tired out. I haven't run a 5K since May. I've barely run much in the past few months, battling a sore achilles and lack of motivation (I'm not sure which one was worse). Anyways, the Kids' K was fun for the boys. I ran with my youngest (Christian), while his older brother (Ethan) ran off ahead. Christian tried so hard to run the whole thing, but we ended up walking a little. But, when he saw the finish line, he took off and finished with a big 'ole smile! Priceless. I love this race, as all Kids' K finishers receive a trophy (recycled Ft Worth Runners' Club member trophies). The boys love their trophies (Christian hasn't noticed that his says "3rd Place 5K Female", yet...but we won't say anything) Considering my lack of training lately, I ran a strong 5K -- not much jockying or heroics to mention. Ended up with 21:30, and I took home an event mug for getting 3rd in my AG. (All the fast runners were running the 15K race, which I felt a little guilty about NOT running. It was a fun family run. We'll be back next year!
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Decided to run in the rain w/ Darin at lunch. We found a window in the tropical storm that blew through here to get in 4 easy miles. Very humid.
AP: 7:50 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Ran 4 miles w/ Mike, Dave, and Darin at lunch. 93 F, 60% humidity. Not much fun...ready for some cooler temps...any day now.. any day. :)
Walked 1 mile cool down.
AP: 7:45 (4 mile run)
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.30 | 0.00 | 5.30 |
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Ran alone at lunch. Another hot/sticky day. Was nice to have cloud cover on the way out, but then it was cloud-less on the way back.
Achilles is still about the same. Something I'm just going to live with -- unless I want to seriously give up running for 4-6 months?? Or surgery (no way).
89F, 65% humidity, partly cloudy, S 10MPH
AP: 7:43
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 3.80 | 3.80 |
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Ran the Jailbreak 3.8 mile "adventure" race on Sunday morning with about 8 of my running buddies. It was a blast!
Got to Darin's house at 8AM. Rode with him and a few others to Texas Motorspeedway, where we caught the shuttle to the paintball park that was hosting the event. It was a great morning. About 75 degrees and sunny.
Got there about 2 hours early. Picked up packet, affixed bib, then walked over to see some of the other "heats" starting and finishing. This event is interesting, as they have waves of about 50-70 people starting every 30 minutes. Our scheduled time was 10:30AM. We could only see the start and a few hundred yards prior to the finish line -- the rest of the course was out in the wilderness.
Around 10:20 we started loading the starting corale. Darin (my competitive running buddy) and I worked our way to near the front. At 10:30 the gate was dropped, the sirens went off and we were off! Down a hill, up a hill, through some mud, around a few baracades..through some more mud, up another hill (and that was just the first 100 yards). I was already breathing hard and my quads and hammies were feeling it. I was wondering what I got myself into.
I let Darin go from the beginning, but kept him in sight. There was lots of mud, and streams. The first major obstacle was a 75 yard chest-deep stream crossing. I tried swimming some of it, but shoes made it difficult, so I just trudged through. I had caught Darin by the other side, but quickly let him get away as I had trouble navigating through the extremely slippery mud immediately after. We meandered through a paintball course consisting of a few sheds, wooded areas, and trails, over piles of haybales, tractor tires, mud holes, and streams. Darin was a little ahead of me when I hit the 40 ft waterslide into the creek. Then I caught him again. We climbed the tire out of the creek nearly together, then we ran together. With about a mile to go we caught Darin's son (Zacahary). I tried to get him to come along and try to beat his day, but he was out of gas. I ended up finishing about 5 seconds behind Darin. I'll get him next time! Darin was 3rd, I placed 4th in our heat. (not bad..I have a feeling a lot of people running this race have never run 3.8 miles before.
It wasn't the usual road-race crowd. Some people wore costumes..it was lots of fun! I'm definitely looking forward to doing it again next year -- but, I don't think I'll make a habit of it.
Here's some pictures if you're interested! |
| Addidas Supernova Miles: 3.80 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Ran w/ Darin at lunch. 7:45 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Biked 10 miles at lunch time. (to boat and back) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| 4 miles w/ Dave Chase. AP 7:19 in VFFs.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| 5 miles at lunch w/ Darin, Mike, Dave, and Jo. Jo had knee issues. I was planning to do 5 miles at 8:00. Ended up AP: 7:45. Weather is getting better. 82F, low humidity. Ran in VFFs. Right heel still painful (stress fracture???)
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.50 | 5.50 |
| 5.5 at lunch. 70F, nice! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
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5 miles at lunch w/ Darin and Mike. 75F, nice! sunny.
AP: 7:09 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
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4 miles at lunch w/ Dave, Darin, and Mike. Jo still has a knee injury.
a little slower today.
AP: 7:22
80F, S 4MPH, low humidity, sunny | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 10 miles on the rail trail before Soccer game. AP: 7:54, 45F
(killed a Copperhead snake coiled on the edge of the trail -- it blended into the leaves quite well. It was a cool morning, I think he was trying to absorb heat from the trail...I didn't want to chance him biting anyone...I feel a little bad)
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| 5 threshold miles with Darin, Dave, and Mike in the rain. AP: 7:12 50F, rainy, S10
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| My last run at the old Motorola plant -- did the 3 out, 3 back route w/ Darin and Dave. As of Monday, we'll all be located at the new plant...so it's time to scope out some new running routes.
59F, S15 AP: 7:24
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Solo run down Eagle Pkwy. Not going to like the new plant -- too many fast cars and no sidewalk. Going to have to find someplace to drive to at lunch or afterwork.
AP: approx 8:00 (watch was dead)
75F | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 1.50 | 4.50 |
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A few 800m intervals w/ Dave and Darin after work. We found a dead-end road about 1.5 miles from our place of work -- we'll drive there next time. Way to dangerous to run the "no shoulder" road to get there.
Ran a couple 800m at 2:50ish. About 7:20ish pace on the way back.
70F, not much wind. |
| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 4.50 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 2.00 | 4.00 |
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Ran at lunchtime today. Ran out 2 miles into about 15-20mph wind. (8:00/mi) Felt good coming back (6:45/mi).
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 4.00 | 5.00 |
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Met Dave and Darin at Darin's house at 7AM. Going to try the pre-work workout. The sun was up, 44 degrees -- perfect morning for a run.
I hadn't run in 5 days so my legs were pretty fresh. Started with a 7:50 first mile then picked up the pace from there. Finished with a 6:35 last mile (and the last 1/4 mile were up hill). It was quite refreshing to see I could still run a sub 7:00. Woohoo!
AP: 7:15
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 7.00 | 9.00 |
| Lunchtime run from home. I needed a longish run -- I haven't run more than 6 miles at a time in several weeks. This one felt pretty good after the first 2 miles. AP: 7:26 65F, 15-20MPH W, Sunny 7:45, 7:29, 7:20,7:50, 7:26, 6:51 (downhill w/ the wind), 7:41, 7:18, 7:18
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 9.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.20 | 5.20 |
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Set the alarm for 5:15 AM so I could get to Darin's by 6:45. I managed to wake up at 3:30, 3:50, 4:30, and 5:10 -- sheesh! (it was almost like the sleep before a marathon)
Met Dave and Darin at 6:45 at Darin's house. We decided to run about 5 miles. Darin and Dave charged the hills, while I kept a steady pace. I felt strong at the finish (even though this was my 3rd straight day of running). The weather was a bit cool, but great for running.
AP: 7:09 (first mile was 7:30, last mile was 6:46)
40F, 5MPH S, clear | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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Ran some slow miles on vacation - visiting family. 30 degrees and windy. Finished with a stop in at Dunkin Donuts -- picked up a dozen assorted for the family and a cup of hot coffee! Enjoying the week off and seeing some family.
AP: 8:45
30F, 10-15MPH S |
| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 2.00 | 4.00 |
| Back from the family roadtrip to Chicago. 8 pounds heavier, and a little bit slower...but all the Chicago food indulgences were worth it! Great time with family and friends. Ran at lunch alone. 2 miles out and 2 miles back. 72F, 15 W, sunny AP: 7:45
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| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
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5 fast miles before work with Darin and Dave. Brisk - 20 MPH N wind, 38 F.
Darin led, then Dave, then me. Still feeling a little sluggish from all my eating last week, but managed 7:04/mi for the 5 miles.
White Rock Half Marathon on Sunday (12/5). I have no expectations (anything under 1:40 would be great)
AP: 7:04
38F, 20 N. |
| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
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Ran before work w/ Darin and Dave. Decided to run a fast run (call it tempo, or threshold, or 5Kish pace). Ran out into the wind and uphill, coming back was faster but felt good to have the wind at our backs.
Darin and Dave want to run about 7:00 pace at White Rock Half Marathon on Sunday, and have this crazy idea that I might try to hang w/ them. I might be able to carry 7:00s for a 10K..not real confident about 13.1 miles.
AP: 6:50
7:13, 7:12, 6:13, 6:42
42F, S15 MPH |
| Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Race: |
Dallas White Rock Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:33:35, Place overall: 206, Place in age division: 24 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 12.10 | 13.10 |
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I haven't race a 1/2 marathon since January, so I was kind of looking forward to today's 1/2 marathon in Dallas. I'd been training a little bit in the past few months, but my longest run since July has been 10 miles (the day before Thanksgiving). So, I had no real expectations on time. I was going to run by feel.
I stayed with a friend of mine in Dallas last night. We stayed at a fancy-schmancy Fairmont (why is it that cheap hotels have free internet, but fancy hotels charge $15 -- what's up with that :) I fell asleep watchin Nebraska and OU football, but was awakend at about midnight by the guys next door -- loud music, call to front desk, knock on door, music stopped, guys must have gone out to a different bar). I think I managed a few more hours of resless sleep.
Up at 5:15 -- over to Fair Park by 6:30 for the 8AM start.
This is a new venue for the event this year - it used to be in the American Airlines Center, this year it was moved to Fair Park (where the Texas State Fair is held) Lots of people complained about parking and traffic, but I got there early, so I didn't see it.
I looked for my buddies Darin and Dave who were planning to run about the same pace as me, but never found them before the gun went off.
The weather was almost ideal. 38F, 10MPH N wind, clear skies. I wore hat, gloves, long-sleeve tech, and my optic vest, and shorts. Maybe a little over-dressed. I was wearing my Speedstars that I bought at the Boston 2008 expo (I really like those shoes for some reason).
As is usually the case when I run by feel, I ran the first mile a little fast for me, and slowed up a little bit -- I wanted to be able to finish all 13.1 miles. The whole race felt good, though I made a quick pitstop at around mile 8 that cost me about 45 seconds.
Darin and Dave passed me while I was drinking some water at about mile 11. I caught up to Darin and ran with him for a little while. Dave was about 50 yards ahead of us, so I caught up to Dave and tried to hang on his shoulder, but he spead up a little. We ended up finished within 5 seconds of each other (gun time). We all PRed! It's great to be running with 2 guys that are at my pace--and we're all getting faster, by pushing eachother.
After today's race, sub 1:30 doesn't seem too far out of the realm of possibilites---especially if I can put in more quality/quantity training.
I'll post my splits later (I'm too lazy watching football right now to get up and get my Garmin ::)
6:44, 6:54, 6:48,7:00,6:57,7:10,7:20,8:13 (pit stop),7:36,6:49,6:59,7:06,6:48, (last .1 mile 6:36) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
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Solo run on the Mineral Wells Trailway after church. Was going to do 15, but decided to make it a fast 10 (had some fence work to finish at home).
44F, 15W, sunny
AP: 7:24 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 5.50 | 5.50 |
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Got to Darin's house around 7AM. Dave was running late, so Darin and I went for a quick 2 miles. Then the 3 of us ran another 3.5 miles. The morning was brisk, but not too bad. The neighborhood around Darin's house has lots of rolling hills...good training. Wasn't feeling super energetic, but finished strong.
AP: 7:27
38F, S10MPH, sunny | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 3.50 | 3.50 |
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Just Darin and I this morning. Kept it to a quick 3.5 miler. (no tights, legs got a little numb :)
Signed up for a FREE half marathon to be held on Saturday. As I'm ramping up for a marathon at the end of Feb, this is the kind of motivation I need to run long. Maybe I'll run a warmup and cooldown mile to get to 15 on Saturday.
39F, N20, clear | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.50 | 6.60 | 13.10 |
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I'm not going to make this race entry -- because I don't want to draw attention to this disappointing outing.
I think my big mistake was not preparing the night before for a race. Beth served tacos (I usually eat pasta pre-race) and I ate lots.
Got to the 8:00AM race at about 6:45 and picked up my FREE bib, then went back to my my, put the seat back, and enjoyed the heater. It was about 33F.
Saw Darin, Dave, and Dariin's son Zachary before the start. We all talked about pace -- thinking this was going to be a long training run, we were all thinking 7:20-7:30 pace.
When the gun went off, I quickly found myself cruising at about 7:00/mi -- so much for the plan. It felt good for about the first 5 miles, then I started the negative thinking -- wondering when I would walk first. 13.1 miles is a long ways. The weather was perfect, 35F, no wind and the course was flat. I was thinking it was a good day for a PR when I first started. But, at around 5 miles, I could tell it wasn't in the cards.
Dave passed me at about mile 8 -- I just wished him luck. Darin came up to me with a couple miles to go -- I did my best to stick with him. He ended up finsihing about 15 seconds before me.
All-in-all, though I was disappointed, I enjoyed the training run. I need to fight the negative thoughts and prepare better for the next race. (Jan 8th 15K)
Enyoing 2 weeks of Christmas vacation! |
| Asic Speedstar SGM09 Miles: 13.10 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.50 | 0.00 | 5.50 |
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Darin paged me at about 10PM Monday night to let me know that he and Dave were running Tuesday morning. I drove the 1 hour to Darin's house and ran a tough 5.5 miles.
59F, 5-10S
AP: 7:40 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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Merry Christmas!
Took a break from all the festivities and ran 10 miles on the Mineral Wells Trail.
35F, W 10-15 | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| A slow lack of energy run. Not sure why 4 miles seems so long. Maybe it had to do with all that I've been eating lately. 35F, S15 AP: 8:00
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| Needed to get in some miles today. We're redoing the kitchen, and I've already cleared out all the cabinets and tiled the floor. Tonight we paint and grout -- I need to go back to work so I can get some rest!!! :) Two weeks of the "Honey-do" list is wearing me out! 55F (gorgeous weather), 5-10S, cloudy AP: 7:52
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
| It's the last run of 2010, and just enough miles to put me over 1000 for the year. (not stellar amongst the likes of my other fast running bloggers, but not bad for a year with nagging Achilles tendon issues). It's time I start thinking of some goals for 2011. Happy New Year to all my running buddies!
AP: 8:56 54F, W 20-25, sunny | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 690.20 | 311.57 | 1001.77 |
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| Asic Speedstar -ES09 Miles: 32.00 | Addidas Supernova Miles: 281.07 | Asic Speedstar SGM09 Miles: 21.10 | Asic Speedstar 3 Miles: 32.10 | Asic Nimbus 8 Miles: 10.50 | VFF Trek Miles: 79.10 | Speedstar 4 Miles: 264.60 | Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 91.00 | Saucony Miles: 46.00 |
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