It's been a while

Yes, I've been running but no I haven't bee posting. Really I'm not sure why, I guess I didn't realize I wasn't updating my running posts.

I got to run in GA last week. We were down there for a conference and I had sometime one of the mornings. I like running new places. It's like getting to see the best of the area but on foot. I know it sounds cheese but it's like getting to "know" the area a little better. I've been to this particular house a couple dozen times, spent night there, I knew the place. But by running the area I discovered how hilly it was, how lush GA is compared to where I live and what trees look like that aren't pine.

I only managed 15 miles last week because of my travels. It's just not smart for me to run if I'm going to be in the car or sitting all day, which is what last week was. I get cramped up and find that I have new aches and pains if I do that.

Speaking of new aches and pains. I ran on Sunday. I was tired but was itching to get out for a run. I guess I was excited because my first mile was a 7:45 or something like that. It's not big deal that I ran a 7:45 mile the problem is I didn't give my chance to warm up. So I'm not sure if it was that or something else but after my run both my hip flexor (left) and my knee (right) was hurting. New type of pain.

So crap it! I didn't run monday but decided tuesday I could do it. I took it easy and kept my mile average at 8:40 or so for 6 miles. Then yesterday I did some easy miles on the treadmill at the gym and increased my speed each mile ending out the miles pretty fast. The stiffness in both my hip and my knee is pretty much gone. I'm happy about that!

Monthly and YTD stats

So here they are September stats and Year to Date stats.

September: 131.8 miles in 18:58:28
Year to date: 805.2 miles in 125:14:23- that's 5 days and 5 hours

Going, going... but I'm back

I had planned on doing my long run this morning when I woke up. It was supposed to be 65 but with 97% humidity. I woke up and six and was tired but was ready to run. By the time I made it down stairs I realized it would be more wise to put off my run till thursday and get lots of office work done this morning. So I started working and enjoyed the quietness of the house before everyone gets up. Then Nathan got up so I put on his shows and let Heather sleep. It worked out good for all of us.

I got so much done at 10 I decided to go ahead and get my long run in. I packed 4 fig newtons and my phone on my water belt and I was off. My training plan called for 12 @ 9:05 m/mile so I wanted to do 4 warm up, snack, and then 5 miles at half marathon pace (or as close as I could get 8:00 m/mile) and the the remaining 3 at 9:05 (or limping home). I would have drinks of gatorade at even miles and 2 fig newtons at 4 and 8.

At mile 4 it was newton time and I imagined how funny I would look pulling a ziploc bag full of cookies and shoving them whole in my mouth while running. "Look at this big guy out here running Rose. He can't even run without needing a snack."

Splits:
1-8:56
2-9:01
3-8:56
4-8:54
5-8:07
6-8:17
7-8:01
8-9:12 (Bathroom break)
9-8:09
10-8:43
11-8:53
12-8:38

I forgot to turn the auto pause back on after my race on Saturday so I lost some time doing that.

1:44:46, 8:44 m/mile

Neptune 8k

Race report time. Race reports like this are fun to right because I hit my goal time of 38 minutes. I didn't quite hit it with the splits I was planning (8,8,7:30, 7:30,7) but I did hit my goal time and in the end that's what matters. I also hit my goal time in a day of very bad weather and rain.

I arrived at the race at 7am for an 8am start. Before I got out of the car I noticed it was raining so I grabbed my jacket. I knew it wasn't waterproof but it would keep me from getting chilled and wet all the way down to my skin. I went and grabbed my timing chip and starting walking the boardwalk that's right on the beach. The rain was steady but not really hard. No big deal.

I realized I needed to go to the bathroom and I spotted a mcdonald's that wouldn't mind if I used their facility. It was in doors that I realized how wet I was and I realized that regardless if it was raining at the start of the race I was going to be wet for the race. I got back outside and started my warm up, I felt fresh and the air wasn't stifling, it was going to be a good race.

Warmed up and the rain just kept coming. It seemed like the rain was getting harder. It was. I ducked under and awning with 50 of my closest runner friends and tried to just relax for a few minutes. Then it was time to get to the start line. No sooner did we get to the start line did the rain just start coming. Hard, steady rain. I started to hear people complain to their friends that their time was going to be bad today because of the rain and the wind. I was grinning hear to ear. I love running in the rain. It's one of my favorite times to run and because I've love it it's something I do on a regular basis. I've always read practice what you'll be racing in and it just so happens I've run in rain.

The gun went off and I swear the rain started coming harder. Several things amazed me at this point. The first was the incredibly slow people that were in front of me. It's pretty common sense to line up according to your speed. If you are a slow runner then line up towards the back, fast line up towards the front. Me, I'm a medium speed runner so I line up in the middle. My only excuse I can think of for people is that they think they are faster than they are. They must think a 9:00 m/mile is fast so they line up towards the front. Really I just don't know.

The other thing that amazed me was the ipods and mp3 players that people were listening to in the pouring rain. Water and electronics don't go to well together. The next thing I noticed was the rain coming down still harder and the wind blowing in my face. I didn't care, I was grinning and just loving the fact that we were all running in the rain.

At about mile one there was a water stop which I thought was hilarious because it was raining so hard all one had to do was look up and open you mouth. So that's what I did, the volunteers laughed.

At mile one I started to find someone that was doing miles at about 8:00. I decided to keep my first two miles at 8 to avoid going out too fast. There was a lady that was just ahead of me and at a good clip. Turns out she was doing the pace I wanted and so I just decided to stick with her till mile 2. This let my mind rest a little about pacing and kept me from getting too excited.

Mile two hit and it was time to increase my pace. It hurt a little. My shoes were wet and really heavy and I was more than soaked through. I started thinking about my favorite scene from Remember the titans. The two linebackers are huddle up with their team and one asks the other "how strong are you?" and the reply is "I'm too strong". I also thought about a scene from facing the giants. The scene where Brock has to do the death crawl and the coach as him to do his best. So blindfolded and with a 160lb guy on his back Brock starts death crawling. During the drill the coach demands Brock give his best. He demands more power, he tells Brock to negotiate with his body for more strength. So with those thoughts I finished mile 3.

Two to go. I tried to relax and I started setting small goals for myself. Mile 4 down and at the turn around with about .9 miles to go I started to increase my pace yet again. People were tired and were slow. I was having no problem picking off people and the more I picked off the more mental fuel my body got. I started counting down the blocks and knew I was almost at the finish. With .2 miles to go I started kicking, full speed as much as I could muster. My stomach hurt, my legs were heavy and I was sucking wind. But I wanted to leave it all out there and that's what I did.

37:52
7:38 m/mile average
Splits:
1- 7:52
2-7:29
3-7:26
4-7:40
.97-7:22

6 miles

Due to a noreaster blowing into the area I thought it would be more fun to do my 6 miles at the gym today. The treadmills have tv's so I can channel surf while plugging away at my miles. I also find the treadmill is a mental battle to keep myself focused and slightly distracted to make it tolerable. I know that sounds confusing but essentially it makes running on the road much easier both physically and mentally.

Running on the treadmill is no big deal... that is unless I have to run on a treadmill beside "Slappy the lead foot wonder." There is a guy at the gym that runs. He runs so hard that his feet hit the treadmill at considerable velocity. I can hear his footfalls over the tv and turning the tv up doesn't help much. Just the rhythmic stomping of his lead feet. I refuse to run beside the guy. If he's on a treadmill I never get on the one beside him. Today I get on and start running and sure enough of all the free treadmills he wants the one beside me. Something distracted him for about 10 minutes so I had ten minutes in peace. He then returned and me and Slappy ran a few miles together. Like hamsters only one of the hamsters was vibrating the ground.

So 6 miles in 55:30- 9:15 m/mile

Yesterday I did 6 miles in 50:02, 8:21 m/mile. I'm not supposed to be running them so fast but I couldn't hold back, so I didn't.

I smell

rain. I got out for my run today, 6 miles at easy pace. I was tired from Sunday, like I normally am but was looking forward to the time. I decided not to have a mental agenda. I normally leave the house with things I want to think about, ideas I want to process or "work" I need to get done. Today was not one of those days. I put on some worship songs and just enjoyed the run. My new favorite running song has been I will wait by Jason Upton. Our fill in worship leader introduced it to me a few weeks back and I realized I actually owned the cd and had it in my itunes. It's now on my ipod and getting lots of plays.

I wasn't far from home when I noticed something fresh in the air. I'm used to humid heavy air. I realized it was the smell of rain and I realized how incredible that smell is. I just filled my lungs with that moist fresh air and I ran.

6 miles in 53:20, 8:54 m/mile

Running an Errand

Yesterday I ran an errand. Literally. Heather asked me to go rent a movie from redbox so I decided to run up to the store. I had to run on our busiest road to get there but I just stuck to the shoulder and it really wasn't the bad. It was hilarious as I came up to the box where a few people were waiting in line and one of the ladies just turned and looked at me like I was crazy. I had to add a few loops to make my run the 5 miles I was looking for but it was a lot of fun.

average pace: 8:15 m/mile, total run time 41:12

I've got my cut back week this week, so 4 or so runs at 5 miles and then a race on Saturday (8k).

Go long.

It was about 65 degrees today and while the humidity was pretty high, as it will always be here by the ocean it was still a real nice morning for a run. I decided to pack some food today for my run. I have a water belt that holds a 20 oz bottle on the small of my back and also has a little pouch for my phone and... some fig newtons. They make gels that are essentially carbs in a little pouch but I don't want to fork over $1.50 per pouch nor do I want to have to make my own gel. So fig newtons it is. I packed two and ate them at about mile 7 when I stopped for a bathroom break and a longer drink of gatorade.

I wanted to see how my stomach handled it and I'm happy to say I didn't have any problems with digestion. I did feel like I didn't quite die out like I do at the end of my runs. Before when I run 9-11 miles the last two miles are really just a haze of me keeping upright and getting one foot in front of the other. The cookies seemed to help with this. I felt pretty good when I finished. I also beat my old 11 mile time by four and a half minutes so the fig newtons must be magical.

11 miles in 1:34:30, 8:36 m/mile.

I think my garmin was messing up because my splits were all over the place this morning.

1-8:24
2-8:34
3-9:02
4-8:50
5-9:44
6-8:04
7-8:33
8-7:57
9-8:09
10-8:54
11-8:14

Mile 5 is where it really doesn't make sense. I'm normally good at keeping my pace steady or at least know when I'm dropping off. I felt fresh for mile 5 and I was picking up the pace pretty good by that point. I think the trees were blocking the signal or something. Oh well. I still improved my time and had a great 5 miles (6-9 and 11) where I was able to push the pace into my goal half marathon pace.



Wednesday: 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym.
9:13
8:57
8:27
9:13

Tempo, shall we?

I checked the weather, 70 degrees chance of light rain. I noticed it was raining but figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I grabbed the garmin but left the ipod at home and started out. The rain was light for about 2 minutes of my run, the first two. Then the downpour started. I felt like a little kid outside playing in the rain. The people driving past me thought I looked like a moron. The only problem with rain running is I kept inhaling rain in my nose and that doesn't feel good. The added water weight in my shoes really bogged me down and made hitting my pace a little extra work. The 11 mph wind didn't help much either.

Splits:
1-8:47
2-7:53
3-7:42
4-7:37
5-7:22
6-9:04

Yesterday: an easy 5 on the treadmill, 9:13 m/mile

Long

Went long this morning. I got in my new shoes yesterday, 2 pair to be exact and today pair "A" got a proper break in. The temp was only 75 degrees but the humidity was 97% and I could tell. It's not a shocker for my shirt to be soaked through by about mile 3 and by the time I'm done running I'm pretty much soaked in sweat from head to toe; no matter the time of year. But today by about mile 5 I was soaked from head to toe. By mile eight my shorts were so wet they were getting heavy and I was having to cinch the drawstring as tight as I could just to keep them up.

The humidity was draining on me but I hit my splits and properly broke in a pair of new running shoes. It's amazing how new shoes just make those little aches go away and amazing how bad shoes can make my knees hurt just a few miles into a run. Perfect timing on the shoes and with 2 pair of the exact shoe I should be able to make them last 6 or so months.

Splits:
1-9:24
2-8:54
3-8:58
4-9:10
5-8:37
6-9:11
7-8:28
8-8:38
9-8:31
10-8:47
11-8:43

Easy...sort of

I get the idea behind the easy run but I'm not sure the name easy is real accurate. Sometimes easy runs aren't so easy especially when they follow a tempo run. My hip hurts, my leg hurts, my chest hurts, my ankle hurts, my hip hurts again, is today the day I don't make it. Maybe I should cut the run short to just 3 miles. And so the conversation continues in my mind until I finally I decide to stop being a cream puff and just finish the run.

Splits:
1-9:11 (ironic)
2-8:39
3-8:45
4-8:32
5-8:22
.5-4:01

Due to being tired and other time constraints my long run still hasn't happened for the week. I'm thinking probably Saturday.

Somethings weak

But I'm not sure if it's my mind or my body. On monday I woke up just exhausted. My entire body was just tired from the busy weekend. So instead of going out for my long run of 11 miles I decided to just do a lap to the park and settled for 5.5 miles. Tuesday came and my right knee was bothering me. I'm pretty sure it's from my oldest pair of shoes and decided that they need to be retired. I've ordered two new pair but they haven't gotten here yet. If they don't hurry up I'm going to have some problems.

So I didn't run on Tuesday and figured today would be a good day for speedwork. So I did intervals. 7 miles in 57:31.

Splits:
1- 9:40
1- 7:13
.5- 4:37
1- 7:13
.5- 4:37
1- 7:13
.5- 4:37
.5- 4:00
.25- 2:18
.75- 6:00

Very enjoyable run on the treadmill at the gym.

I've got a race on September 27. The Neptune festival 8k, that's not quite 5 miles for my non canadian friends. My goal will be somewhere between 36-38 minutes.

Tempo

Speed work day I have to psych myself up for. I can go out for a few miles and push the pace, even hit my tempo pace but speed work days I have to get mentally prepared to get there. Today on the schedule was 6 miles, 4 @ 7:49 between a warm up and a cool down.

I decided to run at the gym, out of the rain and on the treadmill I can control my pace a little bit better. I knew from the start it was going to be a good run. I felt comfortable after my warm up mile and even comfortable after the first mile at 7:49, my heart rate confirmed that I wasn't really working that hard. I decided that after the second mile at 7:49 I would increase the pace. Finished the run at 7:30 for the next mile and then 7:00ish for the final mile.

I WORKED hard and that's probably why I like tempo runs so much. I love seeing the progress, the burn in the legs but the knowledge that this pace is faster than I've ever run before.

Runner's Paradise

I had a meeting in Frederick, MD yesterday. I lived there before moving here to Suffolk so I figured downtown in the park would be a nice place to run. It was a great place to run and even better than I remembered. The new Carroll Creek Park the riverside walk is beautiful. There are just a few street crossings that are well marked. I've never run somewhere like that. I'm not sure what I liked so much about it. Perhaps the change of scenery, being beside the water, running on a place meant for runners and walkers. Probably all of the above.

4.16 miles in 35:53

Splits:
1-8:56
2-8:22
3-8:16
4-8:51
.16-1:26

Lonely Road

I was thinking yesterday on my run that it can get quite lonely while out running. For some reason the normally busy roads of Suburbia where I run were quiet yesterday. I guess everyone was sleeping in or already out for Labor Day. I saw houses, I saw cars, I saw signs of life often on my run but I didn't see any people. I was thinking about how lonely that could be but I wasn't lonely at all. Then today on my long run I felt it again. I run down one particular road that pretty much goes to nowhere and ends at the water, a little creek that is a off shoot of the James River. By the time it meets the pier I run to it's little more than a trickle and more swamp than creek. I enjoy long run days for the loneliness, because being alone isn't a bad thing.

Monday 5.1 miles in 42:32, 8:33 m/mile
1-8:48
2-8:42
3-8:30
4-8:32
5-8:03
.1- .55

Tuesday 10 miles in 1:26:00, 8:36 m/mile
1-9:07
2-8:58
3-8:50
4-8:35
5-9:01
6-8:13
7-7:49
8-8:12
9-8:40
10-8:22

Mileage

Ran at noon today, 85 degrees and about 85% humidity. I wanted to get in a few more miles for the week and for the month keeping up a good base for the half training.

3.5 miles in 29:44, 8:30 m/mile

Splits:
1- 8:47
2- 8:37
3- 8:05
.5- 4:14

I won't be running tomorrow so my months totals are as follows.

August: 103.9 Mi in 15:25:33
2008 YTD: 673.4 Mi in 106:15:55 (4 days, 10 hours)

Easy 5.1 today 44:55 8:49 m/mile. It was humid today, perhaps as humid as it's been in a month or so. I'll be glad when fall gets here to cut me a little slack on the heat and humidity.

Neglect

I didn't realize I had been neglecting this blog. I guess if you're fascinated by my daily runs you can check them out in my running log that is linked over in the right column. This week is cut back week. Cut back week is nice because it cuts out the long run and it cuts out the speed work and limits the runs to 5-6 miles. I love them because I also use them as a gauge to see how my easy pace has gotten faster.

Both of my easy runs this week have been at paces better than 9:00 m/mile, which is a first for me.


Monday: 5.3 miles at 8:29 m/mile
Tuesday: 6.18 miles at 8:27 m/mile
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: Hills 5 miles at 9:19 m/mile with 2 miles of hills total. Kicked my butt!

I've been getting runner's world magazine. I like the magazine and it's fun and sometimes informative. I also hear about Running Times and when I saw a subscription for $10 I jumped at it. I got my second issue in the mail a few day ago and I have to say that magazine is amazing. The articles are good and the information about running and training programs is excellent. Just one more tool to keep me from wandering around in the dark!

The Long Run

The Long Run is now my favorite run. It's tough getting myself out the door for this run sometimes, I don't know why and I can't explain it. But when I do get out the door for it, which so far is every time, I love it. Today I was set to do 10 miles, I decided to keep my long run training going with doing most of the miles at my LR pace but doing a few in the middle at half-marathon pace, or close to it.

I did the first 5 miles right at 9:19 a mile (maybe slightly better). I then did the next 3 miles at HM pace and then wrapped up the run with 2 back around 9:19 m/mile.

Overall I did 10 miles in 1:29:10 for a 8:55 m/mile pace.

Splits:
1-9:25
2-9:10
3-9:09
4-9:12
5-9:17
6-8:20
7-8:09
8-8:15
9-9:17
10-8:53

The weather has been great for these runs the last few weeks since I started doing long runs again. I'm sure this is due in part because I did the hot miles in July. Those miles were tough but they in turn made me tougher. They also made me a stronger runner and a faster runner. That's one thing I've noticed about my running. I'm strong. I get stronger the longer I run. My better miles start at mile 3 and get even better at mile 5. I look forward to increasing my distances to see how my body handles it. I love the fact that I'm getting faster as well...who wouldn't?

Hill

We don't have any hills around here but they are a great part of a workout. So I did hills today on the treadmill. 4 miles in 47:20 with 3 .5 mile hills with .25 mile recoveries. I really like running hills. On the way up I feel strong, and just solid. On the decline or when it levels off I feel horrible.

I also confirmed an article I read recently. It said that no matter how cool the room your treadmill is in you body creates a heat/humidity bubble around it. I felt that today- it sucked.

1 mile warm at 10:00 m/mile
.5 hill (3) 9:13
.25 recovery
.5 hill (3-5)
.25 recovery
.7 hill (5-9)
Finished to 4 miles.

Speed day

Today's speedwork didn't seem that challenging- at least on paper.

Mile @ 7:23 x2 w/ 800 recoveries.

During my warm up mile I just didn't feel fresh. At about .5 miles I remembered that I always run better on my second day back. It's almost as if my legs are fresher if I don't take a complete day off but rather just run a few easy miles.

I hit mile 2 at exactly 7:23 then after my 800 meter recovery started on my second mile at 7:23. My garmin was telling me I was doing 8:30 miles but I knew I was doing faster. After getting home I learned I was going about 7:10 which is a relief because it didn't feel as hard as my first mile. Then for my 800 recovery I kept the pace at or under 8:00 m/mile the finished the final 1.3 mile at a moderately easy pace.

Overall 5.3 miles in 44:47 8:27 m/mile

Splits:
1- 9:24
2- 7:23
3- 8:19
4- 8:08
5- 8:45
.3- 2:46

Monday/Tuesday

Monday- 5.5 miles in 48:34. I set out just running how I felt. The weather was great, nice and cool for the duration of my run and anytime it's cool I run very well.

1- 9:11
2- 9:06
3- 8:51
4- 8:34
5- 8:10
.5- 4:41

8:50 m/mile


Tuesday- so my running a little bit harder yesterday when I should have been taking it easy took a slight toll on me for the first mile or so of my long run this morning. After a slow first mile or two though I settled in and decided to push the pace. I want to start incorporating some half marathon pace miles into my long run. For instance if I'm doing 10 miles I'll do 6 at easy pace and 4 at half pace. I tried that today and really enjoyed it. On the long run it's so easy for my legs to sort of get stuck in a pattern and I just get stuck at the same pace, so doing this really helps.


1- 10:12
2- 9:25
3- 9:10
4- 9:19
5- 9:21
6- 8:50
7- 9:11
8- 8:39
9- 9:04
.5- 4:47

1:28:00- 9:16 m/mile

I found a nice little dirt road that I want to check out. I wasn't sure where it was going and I wanted to make sure I could keep my speed up but next week I'll go and check it out.


A shot from part of my run.

Half Marathon

Well it's time to update you all on the new training plan. It's half marathon training plan. I've yet to find a plan I'm excited about so right now I'm doing my own thing. Of course like any running plan there will be the usual suspects; long runs, recovery days, speed work, and rest days.

I want to run the Richmond Half Marathon in 1:45. Let the training begin.

Monday- 9.3 miles in 1:26:32, at a 9:19 m/mile pace. I forgot how much I love the long run. There's something incredible about being out on the road running that long, I can't explain it but I love it. I'm not sure if it's healthy but there's this euphoric feeling I get when I run for more than an hour.

Tuesday- 4.5 miles in 41:20, 9:12 m/mile pace. I ran with someone for the first time. There's a running group at the Y and while the group didn't come out on Tuesday at 6 AM me and the leader were there so we ran.

Thursday- 6.1 miles in 51:30, 8:24 m/mile pace. Again I ran at the Y. Jon, the guy I ran with, is a much faster runner than me. I told him my goal for the day. 6 miles total, some speed work at about 8 m/miles and the Churchland Bridge- a .67 mile bridge a mile from the Y. Well he ran my arse into the ground and it was great. He challenged me we kept a recovery pace between 8:30-9:00 and did anywhere from .25 mile to .5 mile fartleks. Hard runs from one point to another. We then took on the Bridge so I can get used to hills for Richmond. On the way back we did a few more fartleks and finished strong. It was a great run that I know I'll benefit from running with someone faster than me.

So that's the running so far for this week. I know I'll do a recovery run tomorrow and then maybe Saturday.

Journey

My friend BJ rode a tandem bike from the pacific ocean to the atlantic ocean a few summer's back. He rode solo on that bike for two for his friend Stephen who died of Cystic Fibrosis. I love to read about a good long distance trek so I thought I'd link to this one. While it's most certainly much less noble than my friends journey it's still interesting.

This guy is trying to cover the AT in less time than anyone else.

http://www.whereskarl.com

Last week recap

Monday I did 3 miles to get the legs turning over and ready for my race on Tuesday night. I always run better on the 2nd day after a day off so I knew this run was important but wanted to save all that I had for the race on Tuesday.


Tuesday the race was set for 6:30. I don't know what the temperature was but it was supposed to be high 80's with about 90% humidity at start time. Fortunately the race was in a garden so the trees provided nice shade but also stifled the breeze that felt so good. On top of the hot humid weather it rained about an hour before so there were huge puddles on the path and that hot steamy feeling coming up from the asphalt.

I lined up well mostly towards the front. I checked local area times and I knew I would be in about the 3rd wave of finishers, behind the front runners who finish in 15:xx and the next group that is sub 20:xx. We started out fast, very very fast. People had no idea how fast they were going and it showed about 2 miles into the race. We did the first half mile at 6:16 pace so I pulled it back a little and hit the mile marker at 7:20.

The course was pretty tough as far as hills go. I'm a sea level runner so I was surprised to find hills we had to conquer. No matter, I just pressed on. I hit two miles at 14:50 so a 7:30 mile. I knew I needed to finish with a 7:25 third mile and a strong kick to the finish. No problem, I was tired but had it in the tank.

Then it happened. I was in a group of about 15 runners, we were set to finish sub 23, this was the group I was going to hang with. We came to a fork in the race. No cones, no person waving us a certain way, so we guessed. About .2 of a mile later we realized we guess wrong. We ran into the group that was trailing us that would finish in 25 minutes or so. So we just jumped in with them to loop around again.

I was so mad and deflated. About 30 seconds went by like this and then I realized it wasn't going to do me any good to be mad or deflated so I should just finish as strong as possible. So I picked up my pace and started passing runners, runners I had already passed once.

It got tough because my body was prepared to go 3.1 miles at race pace not 3.35 miles at race pace. But I keep moving forward and finished in 24:30 (my clock time) 24:33 (chip finish).

I'm racing again on August 23rd and there I'll make my next sub 23:00 attempt.

To wrap up the week I did a 4 mile easy run on Wednesday and then a 6 mile run on Friday. I then took Saturday and Sunday off to get rested for the start of my 15 week half marathon training.

Saturday- long

While not a true long run for the summer this was a long run.

6.25 miles in 54:04. That's about 30 seconds slower than the 10k race I did two months ago and I did a warm up half mile. So I could have beaten my previous 10k time fairly easily which is great encouragement to me that I've made progress in my running. I know that I have but it's nice to see it on the clock.

Splits:
1-9:21
2- 8:22
3- 8:51
4- 8:20
5- 8:30
6- 8:14
.25-2:25

Easy Friday

5.3 miles in 49:48, 9:24 minute per mile.

Splits:
1- 9:48
2- 9:30
3- 9:26
4- 9:26
5- 9:00
.3- 2:3

Intervals 5x800's

I saw the weather was going to be another scorcher again today so I opted to hit the treadmill at the gym. Can you beat it, controlled speed, heart rate available in just a few seconds, water on the spot and most importantly climate control. The treadmill has it's place, and for me that's on hot and humid days.

Warm up: .5 mile- 5:00
Interval: .5 mile- 3:29
Recovery: .25 mi- 2:22
Interval: .5 mi- 3:29
Recovery: .25 mi- 2:22
Interval: .5 mi- 3:20
Recovery: .25 mi- 2:22
Interval: .5 mi- 3:20
Recovery: .25 mi- 2:22
Interval: .55 mi- 3:30
Recovery: 1 mi- 9:19


5.05 miles in 40:55 for a 8:07 m/mile pace.

I'm ready for Tuesday.

Monday, Tuesday Humid as all

You never hear "but it's a wet heat".

Monday- 6 miles in 56:48, 9:28 m/mile
1-9:44
2-9:29
3-9:44
4-9:20
5-9:04
6-9:25

75 degrees and 85% humidity all before the sun comes up. My upper back was tight for some reason, I guess from setting up church on Sunday.

Tuesday- 5.25 in 50:44, 9:40 m/mile
Today was supposed to be speed work day but when I saw that it was 80 degrees and 85% humidity at 5:30 am I figured it wasn't going to happen. Hopefully thursday will be slightly cooler so I can get some good intervals in. I want to have one more strong speed day before the race next tuesday. The check and registration is in the mail for both Heather and I, I think some of our friends from church are going to run it also. I'm really looking forward to it- I know I've made progress, but how much?
1- 10:06
2- 9:42
3- 9:34
4- 9:34
5- 9:23
.25- 2:21

Week in Review...

I had another great week or running. Aside from today the weather has been pretty nice this week, especially in the morning when I'm running. But before I put down my splits let me tell you that Heather has started running. She's going to race her first 5k on the 29th. She did a practice run the other day and did it in 32 minutes with her fastest mile at 9:13 m/mile. I'm so proud of her I wanted to make sure I got her in my blog.

Today we did a church event at the park. I was out in the sun from 11 AM to about 2:30 and then got home unloaded the car and then had my running clothes and out the door to run by 3:45. I had my water bottle with me with gatorade, I knew I would need it.

1- 9:27
2- 9:07
3- 9:04
4- 9:21
5- 9:20

I took a gator break after 3 miles for about 30 seconds. I didn't want to pass out or suffer from heat stroke. After that I knew I was going to make it home. Total run time 46:30, 9:18 m/mile


Friday was probably my favorite run. It was really foggy outside and even though my legs started off a little bit tight I was very much enjoying the fog. I'm not sure why. I literally felt like running the clouds, which I guess makes sense. I had mist on my arms and in my hair.

1- 9:49
2- 9:30
3- 9:02
4- 8:52
5- 8:53
6- 8:28

Total run time 54:34, 9:06 m/mile

And my fastest easy run ever on Wednesday. I was simply cruising. I think it was because the weather was cool at 64% degrees.
5.5 miles in 46:54, 8:32 m/mile.

Tempo

Tempo run today

Mile splits:
1- 9:31
2- 7:20
3- 7:24
4- 7:54
5- 10:04
.25- 2:09

Total: 5.25 in 44:24

Drop the first and last mile and I've got 3 miles at 22:38 which would put me just over my 5k goal time. I really bonked on the lat mile of my tempo run. I was just out of gas. I'm partially blaming my intense chest workout on Sunday and my intense back workout yesterday so I have high hopes. The temp was about 75 this morning which is my favorite to run in but the humidity was 85% percent. I literally walked outside at 6 AM and just said "wow". I could feel the air.

But overall I'm motivated to hit one more solid interval run next tuesday and then get ready for the 5k the following tuesday.

5.3 miles in 48:81

I found this great link at a race website. Race Etiquette


Ok so since last week. Lots of good runs. I've been improving my mile times on my easy runs which is one of my goals for my summer running. My mile averaged 8:48 on Saturday and 9:08 today. The major speed difference in today's run was my warm up mile was quite slow. It just took a while to get the rust off the legs.

I keep thinking I'm spoiling myself by only running for 5 or so miles. One of these days I need to rip off a long run if only to prove to myself I can still do it.

Confidence

I am more confident today that I'll be hitting my 5k goal at the end of the month. Due to circumstance beyond my control, a thunderstorm, I had to run at the Y on the treadmill today. I psyched myself up for it on the ride to the Y and was ready to hit it when I got there. I did 800 meter intervals with 400 meter recoveries x5.

My intervals were:
.5 mile warm up
.5 mile at 6:58 m/mile
.25 recovery
.5 mile at 6:58 m/mile
.25 recovery
.5 mile at 6:58-6:50 m/mile
.25 recovery
.5 mile at 6:58-6:40 m/mile
.25 recovery
.5 mile at 6:40 m/mile
1.1 to finish up.

5.2 miles total in about 43 minutes.

My breathing was good, the lactic acid in my legs was not. However you can run through that pain and I did.

I ran monday also, 5 miles in 47:45 9:33 m/mile, I had dust on my legs from Sunday...

5.25 miles in 46:52

It was 75 degrees this morning and overcast, excellent running condition. Too bad it was 85% humidity, not so excellent running condition. However I ran well. I don't have my splits but when my first warm up mile was 9:24 I knew I would be able to run easy today and still be fast. I hope that makes sense, I'm trying to make my easy run pace faster without making it a tempo run.

8:56 m/mile. This is my first easy run under 9:00 m/mile.

This afternoon I started thinking about my goals again for races. I feel this sense of urgency to race well. I'm only 28 and for some reason I feel hurried to get my race times down. But I continue to progress in my running at a good pace and I'm not doing anything stupid.

I've reduced it down to two major goals. I want to hit my 5k goal time of 22:-- which means I have to run faster than 7:24 m/mile. I'll quote Kara Goucher after her winning the 5k at the olympic trials-

I was really nervous before this race, more than for the 10 (10k trial) because I knew it was going to hurt a lot.

So yeah, hitting that goal is going to hurt.

Then on to the half marathon. I think I want to try to hit 1:30:00 that means 13.1 miles at 8:00 m/mile.


Yesterday I did 6.25 miles at an average of 9:08 m/mile pace. 57:04, it was cool and low humidity. I love running in cool weather.

Week Review

This turned out to be a week in review.

Monday- an easy 5.3 miles just to get the legs moving again after the weekend. My legs certainly didn't feel fresh, that 102 degree run really wore me out for the rest of Saturday and then even some into Sunday. Even today (thursday) I haven't had a solid day of rest and taking it easy, I'm also not getting enough sleep at night.

Tuesday- 5.4 miles in 45:23- I needed the sleep so I didn't get up early and just decided to take it as my day off this week instead of Thursday. Then Heather came home from work and I had time for a run. I knew it was interval run day and I was ready to GO. After .5 mile warm up I hit my interval pace (5k goal pace) which is better than 7:45 m/mile. I've been running 800 meter intervals with 400 meter rests but for this run I decided to do 1600 meter (mile) intervals with 800 meter rests. I was sucking some serious wind but I was so elated to see myself hitting my miles at the exact pace I was shooting for. Today is 3 weeks away from my next 5k that's the 5k that I'm hoping to finish in 22:xx, I don't care what the xx is I just want to break 23 minutes. I'm ready to run it even if its hot and humid.

Wednesday- was that day off I was promising myself. My legs were shot from my interval run and hiking the hills at busch gardens pushing a stroller.

Thursday- 5.3 miles in 52:14, Got the blood flowing to my legs and the longer I ran the better they felt. I got a hydration pack last night, it's an Ultimate Direction Access. Holds a 20 oz bottle with a kicker valve and rides on the small of your back. I ran with it today and I've heard about them sloshing around. As soon as I started running I noticed the problem and almost headed home to take it off before it got all sweaty so I could return it but I cinched up the belt a little bit more and it seemed tolerable. The more I ran with it the better it felt so it's a keeper. I didn't really need it this morning considering it was only 70 degrees but it will come in handy for those longer runs and the runs where it's so hot.

102 Degrees

Two runs to report.

Today it's 98 with a heat index of 102. If I'm honest I just wanted to see if I could run in the heat and make it. Actually I knew I could make it I just felt the need to prove it to myself. I stashed my bottle so I'd pass it at mile 2 and mile 4. That's such a good plan. When I got to the bottle I took the time to walk a few feet to make sure I got some good sips in and got enough on my head to cool me off. This is the first time I've walked during a run and it was weird getting back started. It would have been worse to not get enough liquids in.

In short: my run today was hot. Mind blowing incredibly hot.

I kept thinking about 1 Cor 13- the passage I'm preaching from tomorrow. If I speak in the languages of men, or of angels. If I speak a heavenly language but don't have love, I'm but a resounding gong that is loud at first but flitters away to nothing eventually or a clanging sharp cymbal that gets attention at first but in a few seconds is gone...


I also ran yesterday (friday) morning. Nice easy 5.5 miles.

5.3 Miles in 49:45 minutes

Nothing extraordinary today. 5.3 miles at an easy pace. I worked legs yesterday in the weight room and my legs are usually concrete the day after. Today they felt a little heavy but nothing like they normally are. I just ran how I felt and that seemed to be about 9:25 m/mile pace.

There were a bunch of runners/walkers out this morning which is nice to break up the run. I passed this one guy a few times. He was in incredible shape and we exchanged hellos upon first passing. Then towards the end of my run I passed him again this time the guy said "looking good". Really that would mean nothing to most people but the fact that the guy was in such good shape and took the opportunity to say something nice to me was pretty cool.

Intervals 5x800m at 7:30 m/mile

Today was interval day. Since I'm wanting to break 23 minutes in my next 5k I need to be prepared to run 7:30 m/miles so those were my interval goals for the day. The first interval is always the toughest because my legs are just tight and my body not quite used to moving at that speed. My garmin had a hard time keeping up and I knew I was moving faster than my watch was indicating so I just kept pushing myself trusting that I was coming close to 7:30 pace. When I got home I discovered that I was pretty much right on my goal pace.

5.3 miles today 5x800m intervals w/ 400m rests. 45:49 total run time.

I saw a deer today. You have to understand that I live in surburbia. We have some wooded areas near where I live but our area has been developed for quite a few years now. So I'm running on our main road heading into my last interval and up ahead I see a great dane crossing the street. I then realize it's a deer and not a great dane and it's crossing the street to get a drink from the drainage pond. The deer is a few hundred feet ahead of me and standing on the sidewalk trying to figure out what I'm doing. It realizes I'm harmless (sucker) and crosses the rest of the way and then to the pond. As I get closer it realizes I'm not as harmless as it once thought and the deer darts in front of me, in front of a car on the road and then toward a fence. I figured the deer knew that was a 12 foot fence and it wasn't going to be able to clear it but evidently deer "got no sense". That stupid deer tried to jump the fence. It made it about half way up the fence and sure enough it's body just hurled into the fence and crumpled to the ground. The deer then got up, looked around to see who was looking and ran around the fence back into the sparse woods where it must live.

The driver of the car just watched in disbelief, looked and me and we just laughed.

5.3 miles in 52:30

I think this is my slowest run in a long time. I was very tired this morning from not getting enough sleep the last week or so and I'm sort of dragging today. Hopefully I'll get to bed earlier tonight for some much needed rest. I took it easy on the run and actually just sat back and little and enjoyed the slow pace. I did notice on thing today. I was doing most of my miles at about 9:55 m/mile pace. I felt fine and besides a little stiffness in my hips all was well. Then for the final mile I wanted to see what I had in me and so I stepped it up to about 9:20 m/mile pace. I wanted to see the difference in how I felt. I felt better. I was breathing a little heavier than at the slower pace but overall it seemed more natural.

Go figure.

Easy 5.5

One lap tonight, 5.5 miles in 51:45, 9:25 m/mile.

5.3 miles in 49 minutes

I did my first twofer today. Two runs today or as I affectionately refer to my runs in the neighborhood now, two laps. A lap happens to be 5.3 miles. So two laps today one at 6 AM and the other at 7 PM. Slightly surprising to me my second run was faster than my second by a full minute. I also got to say hi to a bunch more neighbors and I found that fewer people tried to run me off the road. I guess people are friendlier in the evening than in the morning. The funny thing is that I have this weird thing that I remember where people live by their car. So if a blue pt cruiser almost hits me I know exactly where they live, it's just one of those things about me. I wonder what people think when they don't give me room on the road to run, is it a pride issue (I have no business being on the road) or just ignorance that runner's need a little bit of space and don't enjoy being buzzed by cars.

9:15 m/mile pace.

Saturday is speed work.

5.3 miles in 50 minutes

The usual today 9:30 m/mile pace.

I might do it again tonight...

6 miles in 54:45

Today was a run like I feel day. Turned out to be 6 miles at an easy pace. Weird thing was that easy was at a 9:08 m/mile pace, which used to be my tempo run pace. It stormed here last night and really cleaned up the air. The temperature was about 70 when I was running and the smoke from the wildfires made the sunrise pretty today. Nothing amazing but nothing to shake a stick at either. How arrogant am I that I rate sunrises?

No fox sightings today which I was disappointed about but I did see a ton of baby rabbits. I guess the rabbits are happy I didn't see a fox or they might have been breakfast. I also saw a lady walking her dog talking to herself, I guy walking a dog while wearing a parka and a guy walking in sandals. He was really nice and waved each time I passed him but I wanted to ask him why he didn't pick slightly more comfortable shoes. He had the headphones, the athletic apparel but was wearing sandals.

Intervals 4x800 w/ 400 rests

5.3 miles in 47:30 which averages out to be a 8:58 m/mile. I was hoping my intervals would be at a 7:30 pace and to tell you the truth I'm not sure I hit that except for my first interval. I must have been running faster than my garmin could keep up (haha) because for some reason it wasn't keeping up with my interval speed. Seemed to be doing just fine on the recoveries though.

I hit the road at 5:50 this morning to beat the heat and by doing that I not only beat the heat but also beat the smoke. Wildfires south of here combined with the heat have really made the air quality very poor. Fortunately when I was running this morning the air was perfect.

I had two "first" today. The second (I'll save the better for last) I was running in a neighborhood and I run in the street to avoid having to go up and down every driveway down slope, it's just better on the knees. So I was running in the street and for the most part people are cool with just giving me a few feet so as not to run me off the road. This morning a woman was leaving for work and wasn't paying attention- almost wiped me out. I wasn't real worried about it, I was close to the curb and could have jumped out of the way if needed but she had no idea she was about to run me down. I think tomorrow morning she might be a little more attentive.

The first first was I was running toward the park and just rounded the corner to head down to the water and I saw what appeared to be a long dog bounding across the field. It was on a casual run, I then realized it wasn't a dog at all, or a cat, it was a fox. I'm assuming it was a red fox. I had no idea we had fox near my house.

5.3 miles in 49:47

So yesterday I pushed myself and while I wasn't running an all out tempo run my desire was to run hard. So today after spending the day at the beach, and with it being 97 degrees my goal was to just get in 5 miles without dying. So I hit the road with a 16.9 oz bottle of water and I finished a whole 5 seconds slower than yesterdays run.

The water bottle got stashed beside a bush at the start of my run. I pass this spot at mile 2 and at mile 4 so it turned out to be a great spot to water myself. From the first step I felt good so I kept my warm up pace a little faster than normal. For the entire run I was able to keep my pace better than 9:30 (9:24 m/mile pace over the entire run). Drinking while running was a new thing for me. I took a sip, dumped some on my head and then took another sip. That was really all I needed. The dump on the head was incredible and very refreshing. The little I drank was more to keep my mouth moist than for anything.

I've been tossing around the idea of getting a water belt so I can have water with me on runs. Until today I figured water was a luxury I could do with out not a necessity to run. But with the temp as high as it was it was really a necessity. Maybe I'll get one for father's day (tomorrow) or our anniversary (monday)?

I did one other thing new today. I wore sunscreen. I tan really easily and the way I've been in the sun, about 1 hour at a time I've gotten a great base coat and I'm tanning really well. I keep reading about how skin cancer in runners is a real problem and while I'm not running 100 miles a week like many of the elites are I don't want to take any chances. Especially since I read mexicans get skin cancer at a higher rate than other nationalities and I'm half mexican. So all day at the beach and during my run I wore sunscreen. I even had to reapply.

5.3 miles in 49:42

Taking the day off today and Heather is back home with the boys so I was just fitting in a run when I could. It seemed like the best time was when Nathan went down for a nap and after Seth had just eaten. That happened to be at 1pm and the hottest part of the day. The temp was 91 and the humidity 46% which for around here is pretty low. I drank my fluids and decided to go for it.

I could tell from the start that I felt like pushing my normal easy pace. So I'm not really call this run I guess easy/tempo. I was definitely pushing it but not pushing it so fast as to coming close to my threshold.

I tried to make each mile faster than the last and for the most part I achieved that goal.

Lots and lots of fluids are on the menu for the rest of the day.

9:23 m/mile pace.

This blog needs some pics...

5.25 in 51:27

This run was actually on Wednesday and I hope to get out and run today but there must be some wildfires in North Carolina so the smoke is coming north and I don't think it'd be safe for me to get out this morning.

Recovery run in 51:27

Intervals 5x800m at 8:00m/mile w/ 2 min jogs

Today was speed work day. Speed work is by far the most challenging running I do and also the most rewarding. Today it was mostly challenging. I've been running in 90 degree heat with pretty much no problem. As long as I keep hydrated it's not a big deal for me. But for some reason this morning at 7:45 it was only 86 degree but for some reason the heat was killing me today.

I managed to hit my intervals. I need to figure out how fast I can push my intervals and keep way from injuries. I'm sure some of it is trial and error but there has to be a formula.

5.25 miles total
1 mile warm up
5x800m (half mile) w/ 2 min jogs
.9 mile cool down

49:05 total

5.26 miles in 50:10

I didn't have much going on tonight with Heather and the boys out of town so I figured I might has well peel off a few miles. I also think I wanted to try out my new running shirts to see how much faster it made me. I'll end the suspense now; I was like lightning.

Ok maybe not. But my new shirt was comfortable so they were a great buy. I took my watch with me but I decided to just run how I felt. The temp was 90 degrees but the sun wasn't really a factor so it was a nice run. When I got back I saw the heat index was 96, I think I'm acclimating to the heat which is good because it's only going to get worse. As long as I can stay out of the direct sun I can stay pretty comfortable.

9:33 m/mile pace.

My week total was 26.3 miles which is a new weekly mileage record for me.

The week of the 5 mile run is over- what will this week be?

5.5 miles in 54:55

I had aspirations of getting up early and running dow at the beach this morning. I noticed the temp today is supposed to be almost 100 and feel like well over 100. I'm still trying to acclimate myself to the heat and don't want to get into any dangerous situations. Since I don't know the trails down at the beach and I don't like carrying water with me on runs I decided to run Mariner's Museum Noland Trail again today.

I really really enjoy running trails. I can't keep my pace up for all the slopes and steps but I really enjoy challenging myself. It keeps my mind occupied while I run.

On another note I think 5 mile runs are my secret weapon or something. I'm losing weight like crazy this week and really can't explain it except the 5 mile runs that and running the heat generally means I have no appetite for the rest of the day.

On the way home I stopped by Dick's to see what they had on their clearance rack and I found two sleeveless Nike drifit shirts for $8 each. Whoo hooo. I'm trying to vary up my tanlines.

Trail Run- 5 miles 50 minutes

Today I was up in Newport News dropping the family off at the airport so I planned to stop by the Noland Trail at the Mariner's Museum for a run. The weather is hot here, today was our first day of a heat advisory and I have a feeling it won't be the last. I wasn't real hopeful for a great run because of the heat but I made sure I had some UGAde in the car. I set out on the 5 mile loop which to my surprise was around a lake and at one point overlooking the James River. Almost the entire trail was shaded and it was the best run I've had in a while.

The shade made it cool enough to enjoy and the trail kept my mind engaged so while I didn't have the active thinking time I normally do on runs the time passed by quickly. I also enjoyed passing other runners, which I don't get to do often.

The map says the trail is 5 miles, my garmin couldn't get a signal so I wasn't really able to gauge my pace the way I normally do but I kept it at about 10 m/mile.

I'm going to go run that trail again, maybe Sunday night or if I don't get there then I'll run it on Wednesday. I'm also going to run First Landing State Park down on the Ocean sometimes this week, maybe Monday real early so I can catch part of the sunrise.

Heat, Humidity, 5.25 miles in 50:19

I checked the weather before my run, only 70 degrees. Awesome I thought. Then I saw the "feels like"- 80, crap. The humidity is what does it. So the first mile felt like I was running in water but after that I sort of settled into my pace and focused on hitting my markers.

I noticed I was putting out more effort to maintain my easy pace and that is either due to the weather or to my tempo run on Monday. The best way to combat the heat is to run in it and I'll get used to it. I'm going to be smart about running when it's hot when the temps really heat up and it looks like I'll get practice starting tomorrow since the temps will be in the 90's.

Early morning runs here I come.


5.25 miles in 50:19- 9:36 m/mile pace

June, here I come. 5 miles in 46:09

Today was tempo run. I'm working towards the 5k for the end of July and I want to smoke that race like a cheap cigar. Except I don't smoke cigars so maybe I just like that saying. My run was planned to be 5 miles with the middle 3 miles at 5k pace which I currently have at 8:00 m/mile. I had a goal for myself to keep those middle miles at under 8:00 m/mile.

After a easy warm up at 10 m/mile I hit my tempo hard.

Mile 1: 7:55
Mile 2: 7:57
Mile 3: 7:58

Then a cool down mile at about 9:46.

I was hurting at this pace but when I was finished I felt good and felt like my 5k goal is achievable.

May in review

May total: 67.1 miles in 10:31:47

That's a little better than 9:30 m/mile for the month.

YTD: 347.7 in 56:55:23

Back in action

I wanted to take it easy this week mostly to just have a cut back week following my race on Saturday. 10-k's aren't a big deal as far as taking a toll on the body but with my ankle being sore I didn't want to push too hard and not recover. Well my ankle gets a little tight when I'm finished running but overall it feels great and I believe I can officially say I'm back in action.

Thursday I did 5.56 miles in 51:00 for a 9:11 m/mile and Today I did 5 miles in 48 minutes for a 9:36 m/mile pace.

So now my plan for the next few months. Since I run to race I've got a few races on the horizon. On July 29 I'll be running a 5k at Norfolk Botanical Gardens. My goal for this race will be 23 minutes. This will be Heather's debut 5k! The next race will be an 8k on September 27 at the Neptune Festival, VA. Beach. I haven't decided on a goal for this race but if all goes according to plan I'm shooting for 40 minutes. Then to wrap up the year I'll go for my longest race yet, a half-marathon. 13.1 miles of pure running pleasure. This race is in Richmond on November 15. The goal for this race will be 1:45.

Gaps

All right time to fill in some gaps.

On my 12 mile run on May 13 I seemed to have aggravated my ankle. For a few days I couldn't figure out what the problem was and actually thought it was my foot hurting. I've come to determine that it's my ankle and it seems to be getting better. It doesn't hurt when I run but does bother me sometimes when I'm not running.

So aside from the race on Saturday I haven't run more than 3 miles on any given run. Today I did run 3 miles and while a little sore I can tell it's getting better.

So I've dropped off some miles a little bit but am hoping to be back in full swing starting June 1, Sunday.

3 miles today in 26:54-8:55 m/mile

Elizabeth River Run 10-k

The weather turned out to be incredible for this race. It was slightly overcast at the start and cool enough to be nice but not too cool to be cold.

I decided to run my race. I wouldn't run faster than 8:35 for the first mile. With all the weaving that I do in that first mile I figured I'd be better off saving the energy for later in the race. For mile two I was planning on about 8:30. Then mile three and four I was shooting for 8:15 per mile. The last two miles I wanted at least 8:00 per mile if not better.

That was my game plan and I pretty much stuck to it...mostly. My pace the first mile was right on 8:30-8:35. It was crowded but not frustrating. I think my idea to not try to weave was a good one. That wastes so much energy probably more mental than physical but energy is energy. It's still frustrating getting caught behind a walker in the first quarter mile and at the same time it's frustrating getting cut off by some moron you're going to pass later in the race but I held back and just let it thin out some.

Mile two was down the most historic street in Old Towne Portsmouth. It was nice passing the old buildings. It was this mile that I realized this was the first race that I was actually enjoying the scenery. I decided to run without my ipod today and I think that really helped me enjoy the scenery. We turned off of the historic district and ran along the boardwalk overlooking the Elizabeth River and downtown Norfolk. It's a nice skyline to look at and anything over water is nice.

Mile three turned us onto the Navy Hospital and then on the outside loop around the hospital campus. Again this loop was on the water overlooking Norfolk and the Portsmouth Shipyard. It was at the 5k point that I realized my garmin was tell me I had run 3.3 miles and the markers were saying I had only gone 3.1 miles. I know it's a minor detail but it was a bit of a deflator knowing I was going to need to run an "extra" .2 miles but even more was knowing my pace timings were wrong.

Mile four continued around the hospital campus. It was at this point that I began to pass the people that had blown past me in the beginning. It might be mean of me but I take delight in passing people like that. This one guy was acting like a goofball at the start of the race. I heard his friend ask him "why are you so happy?" and the guy responded something about how 10k was no big deal, yadda, yadda. Well at about 4.5 miles he was walking. I started passing people at this point. I had planned my race to run negative splits. That's just the strategy that I like to run and it gives me the boost of passing people and the motivation I need to keep up the pace even when it's hard.

Mile 5 we hit the entrance to the hospital campus and turned toward the finish line. I knew the area well and I knew how far the mile would be and not so much what it would feel like. For some reason this really helped me get into a groove and just step it up as much as I could.

I started my final kick with about .4 miles left and then tried my best to fully kick out the last .25 miles.

53:12 was my watch time. I'll post chip time when they post it. Pics later.

Race Day

Today is race day. My legs are fresh and I'm well rested. I'm ready and about to leave the house in a few minutes. A few goal times before I run.


Dream Goal: 48:00 I'll need to pull off something I haven't trained for. Completely possible but I'm not placing any bets on it.
Realistic Goal: 53:00 This will have me doing 8:31 miles with no kick at the end. This is attainable and what I trained for. But I want better than this.

The weather is overcast and dreary with a good chance of rain this morning. I like running in the rain so no problem there but it will slow my time down some.

12 miles in 1:58:50

Yesterday, Monday, was long run day. I knew I’d be going for 11 or 12 miles. As soon as I hit the stairs to go down for breakfast I realized the ball of my right foot was hurting. I planned on walking it off. I knew it was because I had a busy weekend and was on my feet a lot. Correction I was either on my feet or I was sitting down cramped up in an auditorium. I also wore my dress shoes all weekend, they are comfortable shoes but aren’t very good recovery shoes from my hard run on Friday. So long story short the time came to go for a fun and my foot was hurting. I think I could have run on it and been ok but with the race less than 2 weeks away I wasn’t taking chances. It didn’t help that the wind was more than 20 mph outside and it was cold and rainy. Just didn’t seem like a good day for a run.

So I went to the gym for 6 miles on the stationary bike and chest and biceps in the weight room. It was a good workout. All day I kept worrying about running though. My mind kept asking weird questions -what if you don’t run tomorrow? What if you just stop running? What if you gain weight from not running?- it was this weird obsessive thing. I felt like I had fallen off the wagon but in reality I was listening to my body and that was a good thing.

So this morning I was ready for my run. I had planned to do 8 miles, mostly because I just didn’t feel like doing more. As soon as I clipped off my first mile I started adding miles to my daily goal and before mile 3 I knew I was going to do 12 miles today. I took the first 6 miles to just enjoy my thoughts; when things came to mind I would pray for them, or thank God for them. It was one of the better times I’ve had with myself and God in a while. I kept getting this overwhelming sense of love from no one other than God himself. I know that won’t make sense to some people; so often in life I get busy “trying” and I forget why I’m trying or what I’m trying for. I love that I can run, I love that I’m healthy enough and I love that it’s something I enjoy. I think it’s the healthiest thing I’ve done; it’s my healthiest habit. I enjoy the time to sort out my thoughts.

The weather was great- 50 degrees with a 17 mph wind. The wind wasn’t a big deal. Most of the run it was blowing from either my left or my right. Occasionally I would get it in my face but I just used it as a reminder to keep my shoulders up and relaxed. The funniest part about running in the wind is that the sweat on your face and clothes dries much faster so you’re literally drying out as you run. When salt stains start showing up on my face and clothes I know I’ve been running in the wind.

I started struggling at mile 10; I wonder how much of that is physical and how much of that is mental? I knew I was only 2 miles from my goal and I knew I had it in me to finish the 12 well.

7 miles in 1:00:25

I left the house with one goal in mind, to run 6 miles at 10-k pace (8:30 m/mile). During my warm up mile I wasn't feeling the freshest. Perhaps it was the 10 mile bike on the stationary bike yesterday or the ab work the day before. I wasn't .3 miles into my run when I got a freakin side stitch. Which I don't get often. Fortunately I've just decided to run through them since I know that as you run they tend to go away.

But I just relaxed and got the vision for the run. It was a practice in visualization; in making the run happen in my mind. I don't have to do this on my long runs. On long run day I can just get into the groove of my run and it normally happens quickly and naturally. But on tempo run days it's a lesson in mental and physical discipline and endurance.

But as I hit the mile point I was ready to run. I did 6 miles in 50:25 which is 8:25 m/mile, 5 seconds under my goal per mile. I noticed today that holding the pace was easier this week than my tempo run two weeks ago. I've got one more tempo run and then the race on the 24th.

Buzzard

I forgot to mention that on my long run on Monday I saw a buzzard. I was running on the road like I normally do and there in the middle of suburbia stands a buzzard. I first thought to myself- that's a weird bird to see around here. Then I thought to myself- am I running that slow?

Today I was forced to run on the treadmill which has quickly become one of the things I loathe. 3 miles in 27 minutes. An easy warm up, a 7:30 mile and an easy final mile.

Today I also passed 300 miles for the year. Never in my life did I ever think I would run 300 miles much less in a little more than 4 months. I've come so far and I'm proud of that. I'm starting to get hyped for the Elizabeth River Run (10-K) on May 24th. I sent my registration in this week and will do a race sim tempo run on Friday.

I'm also starting to set an a goal an under 23 minute 5k. I think eventually I can do a sub 20 min 5k.

I read this on Sara Hall's blog and thought I'd post it here:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us… And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.

- Marianne Williamson

Long Run 11.42 miles in 1:53:30

First long run in May turned out to be an excellent one. I think I have now found my favorite weather to run it. Low 60's with slight breeze. The day was absolutely incredible. The grass is so green, the flowers are brilliant and it was a great day for a run. I left the house with a goal of 10-12 miles. I figured I must finish 10 and if I was feeling really good I would do 12. Somewhere at mile 7 I settled on going for 11.

Today while running I was laughing about a mental picture I had in my head. I was thinking that it was funny that I run because no one wakes me up to do it. Heather likes it that I run and she knows that I enjoy it but she doesn't make me run. I wouldn't enjoy it if she did. I say that because I was thinking about other things in life that we do that might be challenging but they aren't something someone can make us do, honestly I was thinking about following Jesus and how it's hard work and challenging but no one can make us do it. There's a lot to be gleaned from that as a pastor. I can preach and disciple all I want but in the end I can't make anyone surrender more and more to Christ- that has to come from the Holy Spirit and ,for fear of being labeled a heretic, from within them.

But back to my mental image. I imagined Heather over me laying in bed with a bull horn yelling at me "Nick, get up and go run." She would never do that but I just started laughing. There I am running down the street, sweating and laughing at Heather with a bull horn.

11.42 miles in 1:53:30 for a 9:57 m/mile pace.

April Recap

I also missed my April and 2008 recap last week.

My April recap is as follows:
75 miles in 11:45:51
If my math is right (and it's probably not) that's a 9:25 m/mile pace

2008:
280.7 miles in 46:09:36
9:50 m/mile pace

Week Review

Wow I just realized I hadn't put up a running post all week. This week was a cut back week which means 3 even runs of 5 miles each rather than a long day, easy day and speed day. Of course I hate standing still with my running so I modify the plan a little to incorporate some progress in the runs even though my mileage is taper just a tad.

Monday was 5.21 miles in 49:21 for 9:33 m/mile pace. Just pushing the tempo just a little as to what is comfortable.

Wednesday was 5 miles in 42:17 for 8:28 m/mile. I felt fresh the weather was nice so I just ran as hard as I could knowing I had to finish 5 miles. I was pretty spent at the end, I think I could have gone another mile but I was dragging.

Friday 5.27 miles in 51:00 for 9:41 m/mile pace. My legs were sore from working legs in the weight room on Wednesday but they loosed up about half way through and it was a nice run in my new shoes.

I love getting new shoes.

The countdown to the 10k has begun. My 48 minute goal is ambitious and slightly out of reach but those are the best goals so I'm going for it. I might be smoking crack because I will have to run 7:40 m/miles at the race and I don't think I've ever run an under 8 mile... in my life.

Tempo 6 miles in 53m36s

The gritty details are 1 mile warm up at 10 m/mile pace 4 miles at 10k race pace 8:15 m/mile and then a cool down mile.

Oh but what the mind will do to you. I felt great on my warm up mile and I knew I was going to rip off the 4 miles at tempo pace with no problem. Mile 2, first mile at tempo pace went well. I was feeling fresh and just cruising. Then as soon as mile 2 hit my stomach started cramping and I had that mixed feeling like I was going to throw up and go to bathroom in my pants. This happens to me on both my long and tempo runs but normally it's not too severe and I know if I can get past it I will feel fine and finish the run well. Today it hit like a ton of brick and didn't subside very quickly. As I complete mile 3 I thought about just quitting. For the first time I asked myself why I was doing this to myself. I hurt, I mean, I hurt bad. Nothing was wrong except I was just running out of gas and feeling like crap.

Then I remembered why I run. I run because I like racing and I run because I love the sense of accomplishment when I'm finished. So I finished at tempo pace and actually after that conversation in my head I felt much better. It's weird how that wall work, many times its physical but sometimes, like today, it's mental.

Long Run 10 miles in 1h36m30s

The debate raged. Do I do my long run today with the chance of rain on on Wednesday when it should be better weather. I like to do my long run on Monday. It clears my head and just seems to give my week a better start. I also enjoy the time praying- seems like a great way to start the week.

So I opted for the run today and wouldn't you know it I wasn't a block from home and it started raining. Running in the rain can be fun, sure you get a little wet but I'm usually drenched in sweat anyway so it really doesn't matter to me. About a half mile from home the rain really starts coming down. There is a point where you worry about getting wet and then again realize it really doesn't matter. So I ran on. It was REALLY raining and I enjoyed the looks I got from drivers passing me. Most of which are kind enough to try to not splash me with puddles.

It was during this run today that I realized that this whole running thing I'm into is not normal. In fact as my vision was impaired because of the rain I realized that I might be a little crazy. A few miles later I had confirmed it in my head, I was crazy.

I was shooting for negative splits, that is to run my 2nd half of the 10 miler faster than the first half. I achieved that and also ran my fastest time for 10 miles.

My garmin couldn't get a connection at one point so I actually ran further than 10 miles but oh well. I would guess it was more like 10.21 miles so a 9:29 m/mile pace.

5 miles in 45m28s

Today was intervals and I my quads are pretty sore from riding the bike yesterday. I decided to go for it anyway. 5 miles total.

One mile warm up with .5 mile intervals and .25 mile recoveries. Ended with a .5 cool down.


Wednesday: 2 miles run in 20:17, 2 miles bike, 2 mile run in 18:15 and 2 miles biked

7 miles in 69 minutes

I actually did this run yesterday but didn't get to log it on the blog.

Nothing exceptional. It was cold, 45 degrees and overcast. I was TIGHT from my pace run on Saturday and seriously wanted to quit about 2 miles in. I tried to rationalize it in my mind that I would use this run as an easy run rather than a long run. Then I decided I was being a baby and needed to finish the run. At 3.5 I finally got comfortable and picked up my pace a little.

5 miles 45 minutes

I've been busy the last few days getting the house cleaned up and ready to put on the market to sell. It's time to find a cheaper house I can buy more running shoes. It looked like it was about to rain and I knew I didn't have much time so I laced up and went running. My goal was 5 miles in 45 minutes, 9 minute pace isn't crazy fast but it would be a new pr for me.

About a mile into my run the bottom dropped out of the sky. I'm not talking sprinkling I'm talking RAIN. I decided I'd just run in the rain and unless it started lightning I would just get wet. I was literally at the furthest point from home and the lightning started and so I picked up my pace to head home. I was assuming it'd be a 5k run and not a 5 mile run. I started to get worried about the lightning. I counted the time from the lightning to the thunder and it was getting closer together quickly.

Then the rain let up a little and the thunder stopped. So I ran on. I knew I would be close to my goal but wasn't quite sure I would make it. I even had to stop and tie my shoe twice.

Soaked and receiving several "is that man insane" glances I made it.

I'll be looking at the results of the london marathon tomorrow when I get up to see how Ryan Hall did. I'm actually hoping to catch the finish online; if I did my math right it should work out.

7 miles in 67 minutes

9:35 m/mile pace. 45 degrees with a 10 mph wind and a light drizzle. I'm sure people think I'm crazy when people run in weather like that, I used to. But the truth of the fact is that running in less than ideal weather is better than running on a climate controlled treadmill any day.

I'm starting to ramp up for the ERR on May 24. I haven't landed on a goal time yet we'll see how my training goes but so far so good. I think I might try for 48 minutes. I won't be breaking any speed records but it will be a time I'm proud of.

Saturday
2 miles in 21 minutes
10:30 m/mile pace

6 miles 54m09s

Maybe I'm just stupid but it seems like every run I do outside is with wind of strong than 10 mph. I guess I just like training for the just in case race with a strong wind... who knows.

Today was my tempo run.

1 mile warm up @ 10:00 m/mile
4 miles @ 8:30 m/mile
1 mile cool down @ 10:00 m/mile

10.21 miles in 1:37:48

After my cut back week I decided to reevaluate my training to make sure it was fitting my goals. My goals are to run respectable times in both the 5k and 10k races. I want to eventually break 22 minutes in the 5k and 50 minutes in the 10k. Maybe, Maybe one day I'd like to complete a half marathon. So with those goals I have little need to extend my long run day to more than 10-11 miles. However it would be helpful to my goals to increase my pace on all runs I do.

So yesterday I figured I should cut my distance back to 7 miles and I could increase my pace to 9:45 m/mile. This would give me enough time to increase my mileage by the end of May- my first 10k.

Yesterday was a great running day. Temps in the mid-50's and overcast, little to no wind.

At one point in the first mile my garmin must have had some problems with the satellites because it kept telling me I was running a 10 m/mile pace and I knew I was going slightly faster. But I didn't realize it was messing up so I picked up the pace. I didn't look at my garmin for about half mile and when I did I saw I was running a 8:30 m/mile pace which I know I can't hold for 7 miles. But the good thing about pushing too hard sometimes is that when I backed off to 9:30 m/mile I felt good. So after 5 miles I started on my second loop (5 miles) and I was feeling great and really moving well. I planned to cut the loop short so I could end between 7-8 miles. At 6.5 miles I figured I had already run this far I might as well do all 10 at this pace.

So I did. My hams have been tight ever since but I keep stretching and they keep feeling better.

My new ipod inspiration is The Dave Ramsey Show podcast.

March mileage: 82.3
YTD mileage: 205.6
Time: 34:24:45

5.4 miles 51:22

The weather said it would be 66 degrees during my run getting warmer as I ran. I threw on the sleeveless shirt grabbed the ipod and headed out for my 5 mile run. The headwind was pretty stiff at times but the run felt great. My legs felt great, my body felt great I was cruising. For most of the run I just forgot my garmin and I just ran. I continued to feel great as I pushed the pace. I ran the first 5 miles in 47:22 so 18 seconds slower than on Monday but if I start the clock at .4 miles and count the last 5 my pace would have broken my previous pr of 47:04.

Regardless off all that hype I learned something about taking a week to cut back on the mileage a little. First of all my body felt good when I ran, no nagging pain. The other is that my comfortable pace increased by about a minute. When I finished my 5.4 today I could have ran a few more at the same pace.

9:31 m/mile

5 miles 51m

Ran on the treadmill today 10:15 m/mile; easy pace. Friday I think I'll race simulate an 8k- going for a goal of 44 minutes.

5 miles 47m04s

This week is my cut back week. It's something I'm supposed to do every 4 weeks but end up doing it about every 8 weeks. This time I'm being obedient to the schedule and tapering. I'll do three 5 mile runs this week.

50 degrees and windy. 50 degrees should feel great but man the winds SUCKS! I know I should whine but runs with wind can have points of misery but mostly running is pleasant. I noticed that I didn't have that nagging pain(s) that I get while on the treadmill. I guess I don't get bored out on the road like I do trapped in the gym. Sounds like I need to get outside a little more.

I wanted to run the 5 in a pace better than 10 m/mile. 10 is my default pace and it's easy to let my legs get locked into that pace. I figured if I'm tapering and can't get the mileage I was getting before I can at least be smart about my runs. I made sure to vary my pace getting faster with each mile. 9m25s m/mile.

Good run today looking forward to Wednesday.

Tempo 7 miles in 64m20s

Yesterday was tempo run. I normally do this run on Friday but sort of felt the need to prove to myself I could do it on thursday. I rarely run on back to back days and I had run an easy two on Wednesday. But all day the tempo run kept coming to my mind and I wondered if I could pull it off.

After a warm up mile I started tempo run 5 miles. The first 2.5 miles of the tempo was at 9:30 m/mile and then the second half was faster (about 8:30-8:45 m/mile) with my fastest mile being my last then a cool down mile.

One thing that continues to amaze me about running is that its almost guaranteed that some part of your body is going to hurt. It's not a piercing pain but just a small nagging pain that you notice and notice and notice. Yesterday it was my abs. I had worked them pretty hard on wednesday and from my first stride I noticed they were sore. Then as the run went on they nagged and nagged and nagged. It might be sore muscles, a slightly nagging discomfort in a leg, a tight calf. It's always something.

I'm 95% sure it's mental. In fact when I can get into the run, get into a podcast, get into my music or just escape in my own thoughts it all goes away. Perhaps it's just a treadmill thing because it doesn't happen as often when I'm out on the road...

10.25 miles

First double digit run of my life today. 10.25 miles in 1:49 for a 10:40 m/mile pace.

My legs are feeling it right now but while I was out there it was a great run. Miles 6-8 were pretty tough but I finished strong and even could have run a few more if someone with a gun was chasing me. The weather was about 40 degrees with a fairly strong wind (10 mph) with gust that were stronger at times. That just served to dry the sweat to my face and leave cool little white streaks. They're only cool because when people see me they know I'm just that hardcore!

Oh yeah.

Seth was born on Friday!

8 lbs and 6 oz

6 miles 56m20s

My legs felt like concrete and my hamstrings were tight to the point of screaming- the run was destined for greatness from the start.

warm up:
.5 mile @ 10:30 m/mile
.5 mile @ 10:00 m/mile
intervals:
.5 mile @ 8:27 m/mile
.25 mile @ 10:20 m/mile
.5 mile @ 8:27 m/mile
.25 mile @ 10:20 m/mile
.5 mile @ 8:27 m/mile
.25 mile @ 10:10 m/mile
.5 mile @ 8:27 m/mile
.25 mile @ 10:00 m/mile
.5 mile @ 8:27 m/mile
.5 mile @ 10:00 m/mile
.5 mile @ 8:27 m/mile
cool down:
.5 mile @ 10:00 m/mile

9.17 miles 99m39s

Drug myself out of bed at 6 AM wondering why it felt like 5 AM, wondering why I couldn't do my long run tomorrow so I could get more sleep today. I laced up the shoes wondering why I hated myself and was destroying my body by running so early in the morning. I step out the door wondering if I was mentally ill and if I was sane what sanity runs at sunrise in 38 degree weather. Left the porch wondering where I was running and how far I'd go.

From the first step of my run all of my wondering silenced and I just ran. It's the best feeling run I've had in a few weeks. I spent the first 3 miles just praying to God. Thanking him for putting my family where we're at in life and surrendering to him as to what he wants to do with us. I prayed for the birth of Seth which is scheduled to happen on Saturday. I prayed for my boys that God would capture their hearts at a young age and that they would learn that their hearts are safest in his hands. I prayed that my sons would be spears in the heart of the evil one. I prayed they will be powerful agents in God's kingdom. I prayed this for my friend's children as well. Then I prayed for my church, people in my church and that God would cause growth in us; in our hearts and as a corporate body.

Then I ran 6 more miles. My mind stayed clear my thoughts were focused and most of all my body was cruising.

Great run today!

10:48 m/mile pace

7 miles 66 minutes

Pace run
1 mile warm up .5@ 5.5 m/m .5@5 m/m
3 mile @ 9.5 m/m
1 mile @ 9 m/m
.5 mile @ 8.5 m/m
.5 mile @ 8 m/m
1 mile cool down

Total 7 miles 66 minutes

The wall came at 5.5 miles. Until then I was doing great, felling great and in my groove. Then suddenly as great as I was feeling the opposite came. I was slightly considering listening to my body. I had a 12 hour virus on Wednesday and took Thursday off. I haven't been eating much the last two days so I was really wondering if my body was really being honest. But I checked my reserve and figured I had something left so I finished the run off strong and it felt great.

2 miles 22 minutes

Running up hill with concrete shoes and ropes tied to your legs. Yep that's what this run was like.

After the run I was working out in the weight room and started feeling bad. Throughout the morning I thought it was just sinuses, in the weight room I figured it was something with my stomach. My strength was gone and I was starting to feel like I was going to yack. So I cut my lifting short showered off and headed home. Where I slept for the rest of the day, slept when I wasn't throwing up that is.

9.3- 102 minutes

Checking the weather last night said today would be a beauty. I set out at 6:30 AM with the goal of hitting my longest run yet. Down to the the park (1.8 mile) and then up Shoulder's Hill road to my new favorite spot down by the water. I kept my pace at 10:59 m/mile which was 17 seconds faster than my smart coach goal but right on target for my personal goal.

I think it was about 38 degrees when I started and by the time I finished it was about 45. I hit my long run goal of 9 miles. 9.3 to be exact.

First Post

While I was out running today I decided that I wanted to go ahead and take the step of starting a "running blog". I'm a pretty consistent blogger over on my other blog so hopefully that will carry over to this blog. The running blog might be a diary of my runs; observations I make while hitting the pavement or running like a hamster on the treadmill.

First of all the name. I read a little "successories" book yesterday called 212 Degrees- the extra degree. You thought it was my weight didn't you. Nope I'm not 212 yet. Maybe if I keep running I will be? At 211 degrees water is hot. At 212 it boils. Boiled water makes steam and steam can power a locomotive. Few people live life at 212 degrees; the one's that do are great or do great things.

While running today I decided I live my life at about 180-200 degrees. Sometimes when I'm really jamming and getting it done I might get up to about 205. Nice and hot but not transformational. But when I get behind something, when I get passionate about something I get it up to 212. That's what drives me nuts sometimes. I've been there, I've tasted it. I know how effective I can be when I go the extra mile (I guess that's punny).

That's what running is for me. No one wakes me up to go running. I just do it. Even when it's craptastic cold outside I get out of bed and do it. I know the first mile is going to suck. It's funny how the first mile every part of your legs hurt. It's actually not funny at all, it's awful. But it's your body's way of telling you to be mediocre. But once you get running, the pain goes away. You get in the groove, you lose track of time. It's the best feeling in the world because you are causing your body to submit to your will. It's a 212 degree action. I don't have to do it but I know it makes me better and after I do it I feel great.

That's 212 and that's what this blog is about.