Yesterday I ran a recovery run of 5.5 really easy miles at 8:44 pace. Heart rate didn't really ever go above 130. (looking back a year ago I ran 3 miles at 8:39 pace and my heart rate averaged 160)…
Despite the recovery day I woke up this morning feeling like absolute shit. Just totally wonked out. I sat down with my coffee and very seriously considered taking the day off. I was really commending myself for making the smart decision but then I got to thinking, maybe I'll just run 4 miles cuz what else am I going to do at for the next 2 hours before work.
Then next thing, I was on the treadmill running and after warming up a bit I thought how bout I just run 5 miles with 3 miles at 7:30 pace. So then I got to mile 5 and figured 1 more mile at 7:30 pace to make it an even 1/2 hour... and then I slowed it down to 7:47 pace for a mile, and by then it was 7 miles and I'd been running for like 53+ minutes, so I figured I'd run an even hour. And once it hit 1 hour I was at like 7.75 miles so I figured I might as well just do 8 miles... and that's how I ran 8 more miles.
8 miles
1:01:51
7:44 pace
So right now, I feel pretty good. Not nearly as crappy. Might need to consider some rest soon, but not today.
Friday, February 28, 2020
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Wednesday Workout
I've really been feeling great lately and feel like I've taken a huge step forward all of a sudden. I've been consistently putting in mileage and am starting to reap the rewards.
Yesterday I ran 8 easy miles on the treadmill at 8:33 pace... 8 mile recovery run! A year ago I was running 3 miles at 9:00 pace and it was kicking my ass.
Today I pushed the pace a bit for a tempo workout.
Started with a 2 mile warmup progression: 6.8 MPH, 7.0, 7.2, 7.4, 7.6, 7.8, 8.0, 8.2 upping the pace every .25 miles. Ran miles 3, 4, & 5 at 8.6 MPH (6:59 pace)… this felt hard but comfortable. HR peaked at around 158 (85%). Ran mile 6 at 8.0 (7:30 pace). Mile 7 was .5 @ 7.9 (7:35) and .5@7.8 (7:41). Varied the incline between 0 and 1% with much of the run at .5%
Legs felt good. Didn't have to push to hard to hold pace. The only issue was my back was a bit sore during the 8.6 MPH stuff. I tweaked it a bit while moving a mini-fridge. Wasn't too bad as long as I held form and didn't hurt at all once I slowed down to 7:30 pace.
Workout Summary:
7 miles
51:50
7:24 avg. pace
Yesterday I ran 8 easy miles on the treadmill at 8:33 pace... 8 mile recovery run! A year ago I was running 3 miles at 9:00 pace and it was kicking my ass.
Today I pushed the pace a bit for a tempo workout.
Started with a 2 mile warmup progression: 6.8 MPH, 7.0, 7.2, 7.4, 7.6, 7.8, 8.0, 8.2 upping the pace every .25 miles. Ran miles 3, 4, & 5 at 8.6 MPH (6:59 pace)… this felt hard but comfortable. HR peaked at around 158 (85%). Ran mile 6 at 8.0 (7:30 pace). Mile 7 was .5 @ 7.9 (7:35) and .5@7.8 (7:41). Varied the incline between 0 and 1% with much of the run at .5%
Legs felt good. Didn't have to push to hard to hold pace. The only issue was my back was a bit sore during the 8.6 MPH stuff. I tweaked it a bit while moving a mini-fridge. Wasn't too bad as long as I held form and didn't hurt at all once I slowed down to 7:30 pace.
Workout Summary:
7 miles
51:50
7:24 avg. pace
Monday, February 24, 2020
Back with a Fury Week in Review (Week 8)
I took it really easy the previous week. To a run or two this week to get the cobwebs shaken off but once I hit my groove again it really stuck.
After a medium workout on Wednesday, I put in an easy 6 on Thursday. Then pushed it a bit on Friday with some .25 mile intervals at 7:30 pace and 5% grade on the treadmill and ultimately ran 6 miles at a 7:47 average pace.
Saturday was one of the first really nice days of the year so I got out in shorts and T-shirt and did 5 miles at 7:22 pace with the final mile at 6:52 pace (plus a 1 mile cooldown).
Finished up the week with 36.51 total miles.
Then Sunday was my 41st birthday and I celebrated with a 10 mile long run. Another beautiful day... a bit colder since I got out the door at 7am in the morning but less windy. After 7:22 pace on Saturday, sub 8 minute pace felt nice and easy.
Ran 10.05 miles
1:18:08
7:46 pace
Slowest mile was mile 3 at 7:59 pace. Fastest was mile 10 at 7:03 pace. Getting to the point where running that last mile at 7 minute pace feels fast but easy. 10 mile run barely phases me any more. It wasn't that I was completely fresh for the rest of the day but we still went hiking in the afternoon and enjoying the rest of my day was no big deal... it used to be that I'd get back from the long run and then have to lay down for an hour! Maybe time to boost the mileage.
Kind of feel like I made a big step in my fitness as of late and running faster is getting addictive. 4 of my last 5 runs have been sub 8 minute pace which was hard running a year ago. Need to remember to keep hard days hard and easy days easy. My legs just have been feeling so good and recovering much better. I can run a medium workout on Wednesday and feel fresh on Thursday. I need to keep reminding myself of long term goals of continued improvement and health.
Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1. 1560 miles run: 264.29 for the year (29.86 miles ahead of pace)
2. 5000 Pull ups: 798 (47 ahead of pace)
3. 5000 Pushups/Bench: 824 (73 ahead pace)
4. 50 hour stationary bike: 9:15 hours (over an hour ahead of pace)
5. Diet: Diet is dead for now. Birthday weekend blew it up. Need to regather and refocus. February has been lax after my goal race was complete so I'm not stressing. Would be good to lean up a bit more in March ahead of my next major endeavor in April.
6. 12500 Steps a day: 615 days and counting... 16,923 a day for the year.
1. 1560 miles run: 264.29 for the year (29.86 miles ahead of pace)
2. 5000 Pull ups: 798 (47 ahead of pace)
3. 5000 Pushups/Bench: 824 (73 ahead pace)
4. 50 hour stationary bike: 9:15 hours (over an hour ahead of pace)
5. Diet: Diet is dead for now. Birthday weekend blew it up. Need to regather and refocus. February has been lax after my goal race was complete so I'm not stressing. Would be good to lean up a bit more in March ahead of my next major endeavor in April.
6. 12500 Steps a day: 615 days and counting... 16,923 a day for the year.
7. 10 Races this year: Still on 9. Looking like River 2 River Relay will be my next race unless I track down an early April 5K.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
A slight workout
I've been taking it pretty easy for the last 10 days. I'm nursing a bit of a quad/hip thing. Not sure what's going on there. Running doesn't really seem to make it worse and resting doesn't seem to make it better.
Today I decided screw it. Rip the bandage off and attempt something at a harder effort. Went with my standard treadmill fair of progression/tempo run.
Started at 8:49 pace and worked up to 7:30 pace over the first 2.50 miles to warm up. Then kept bumping it up from there eventually getting down to 6:27 pace for my final .25 mile (5K pace?)… then dropped back to 7:54 for the final .5 mile (which felt really slow at that point).
Effort was hard but sustainable and my leg felt more or less fine. I put extra concentration on maintaining good form as I believe that sloppy running is what triggers the quad/hip more then anything. Overall I had a great time with this run... It was really fun to run faster and in some respect is mentally easier then putting in slow miles.
After my surprise half marathon PR I'm questioning if I really have been underestimating my fitness by quite a bit. Even 6:27 pace on the treadmill didn't seem unreasonable and I probably could have sustained it for quite a bit longer. Treadmill just seems deceiving to me a bit... really hope to be back on the road within a months time.
Final Stats on the day;
6.50 miles
48:46
7:30 pace
Today I decided screw it. Rip the bandage off and attempt something at a harder effort. Went with my standard treadmill fair of progression/tempo run.
Started at 8:49 pace and worked up to 7:30 pace over the first 2.50 miles to warm up. Then kept bumping it up from there eventually getting down to 6:27 pace for my final .25 mile (5K pace?)… then dropped back to 7:54 for the final .5 mile (which felt really slow at that point).
Effort was hard but sustainable and my leg felt more or less fine. I put extra concentration on maintaining good form as I believe that sloppy running is what triggers the quad/hip more then anything. Overall I had a great time with this run... It was really fun to run faster and in some respect is mentally easier then putting in slow miles.
After my surprise half marathon PR I'm questioning if I really have been underestimating my fitness by quite a bit. Even 6:27 pace on the treadmill didn't seem unreasonable and I probably could have sustained it for quite a bit longer. Treadmill just seems deceiving to me a bit... really hope to be back on the road within a months time.
Final Stats on the day;
6.50 miles
48:46
7:30 pace
Monday, February 17, 2020
Recovery Week in Review (Week 7)
Last week was a true recovery week. Ran twice 4 miles on Wednesday and 3.2 miles on Friday. Biked twice (Tuesday and Thursday), and took Sunday, Monday, and Saturday completely off. Spent way less time on my feet atop of that (~30,000 less steps then typical)… was way lax on my diet.
I feel more flat and lethargic then rested to be honest but in the long run I'm sure I'm better off.
I have a bit of a sore right quad from my half-marathon that I'm nursing but I don't think it's anything major. Probably would have trained through it if it was a couple weeks ago.
Ran 6 miles on the treadmill yesterday at 8:11 pace and another hard bike ride this morning. All my bike rides this year have been quality so that's a positive.
I really get a lot of satisfaction and self-confidence from pushing my workouts so recovery weeks are not good for my psyche. None the less, it was in the plan and I stuck to it so hopefully in a couple weeks I will look back and be proud of myself for training smart.
Plan for this week is to get the mileage back into the 20's with mostly easy miles. Then back into the low 30's next week with more easy miles. That should set me up for a good March of upped intensity training.
My next venture seems to be the River-to-River relay in Southern Illinois. It's an 80 mile, 8 person relay where each person runs 3 times (~10 miles average). Shouldn't be to bad but I want to be competitive. Probably will look to do a few 2 a days in March to condition my body for it.
Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1. 1560 miles run: 223.73 for the year (14.88 miles ahead of pace)
2. 5000 Pull ups: 696 (41 ahead of pace)
3. 5000 Pushups/Bench: 685 (30 ahead pace)
4. 50 hour stationary bike: 8:07 hour (a bit ahead after some extra biking during recovery week)
5. Diet: The diet is on life support. Haven't gained any weight but haven't lost any for a week or two either. Still snacking a bit less and a bit more conscious to not stuff my face and buy a bunch of junk food but have been eating sweets every day, snacking after work before dinner, and even bought a candy bar from the vending machine last week. Small goal for the week... No sweets until the weekend!
6. 12500 Steps a day: 608 days and counting... Had a few close calls last week with 3 days at 12,800 or below. 93,180 for the week (13,311 a day)... 16,814 per day for the year (down from 17,437). With minimal running there was a lot less stepping. Bike days are hard too since the bike tires me out (no pun intended) but doesn't get me many steps. Overall, another sign that I had a real recovery week.
7. 10 Races this year: Still on 9. Was planning on one for mid-March but looks like I'll be attending my daughters Tae Kwon Do tournament instead.
I feel more flat and lethargic then rested to be honest but in the long run I'm sure I'm better off.
I have a bit of a sore right quad from my half-marathon that I'm nursing but I don't think it's anything major. Probably would have trained through it if it was a couple weeks ago.
Ran 6 miles on the treadmill yesterday at 8:11 pace and another hard bike ride this morning. All my bike rides this year have been quality so that's a positive.
I really get a lot of satisfaction and self-confidence from pushing my workouts so recovery weeks are not good for my psyche. None the less, it was in the plan and I stuck to it so hopefully in a couple weeks I will look back and be proud of myself for training smart.
Plan for this week is to get the mileage back into the 20's with mostly easy miles. Then back into the low 30's next week with more easy miles. That should set me up for a good March of upped intensity training.
My next venture seems to be the River-to-River relay in Southern Illinois. It's an 80 mile, 8 person relay where each person runs 3 times (~10 miles average). Shouldn't be to bad but I want to be competitive. Probably will look to do a few 2 a days in March to condition my body for it.
Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1. 1560 miles run: 223.73 for the year (14.88 miles ahead of pace)
2. 5000 Pull ups: 696 (41 ahead of pace)
3. 5000 Pushups/Bench: 685 (30 ahead pace)
4. 50 hour stationary bike: 8:07 hour (a bit ahead after some extra biking during recovery week)
5. Diet: The diet is on life support. Haven't gained any weight but haven't lost any for a week or two either. Still snacking a bit less and a bit more conscious to not stuff my face and buy a bunch of junk food but have been eating sweets every day, snacking after work before dinner, and even bought a candy bar from the vending machine last week. Small goal for the week... No sweets until the weekend!
6. 12500 Steps a day: 608 days and counting... Had a few close calls last week with 3 days at 12,800 or below. 93,180 for the week (13,311 a day)... 16,814 per day for the year (down from 17,437). With minimal running there was a lot less stepping. Bike days are hard too since the bike tires me out (no pun intended) but doesn't get me many steps. Overall, another sign that I had a real recovery week.
7. 10 Races this year: Still on 9. Was planning on one for mid-March but looks like I'll be attending my daughters Tae Kwon Do tournament instead.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Recovery Running
I keep reminding myself that recovery is as important as training and racing so figured I'd post some quick updates.
Still sore after my half-marathon but recovering and feeling better every day.
Sunday and Monday, I just did some light walking.
Tuesday I got in an hour on the exercise bike at a medium-hard effort.
Today I did my first run. 4 miles on the treadmill at 8:48 pace. I planned to do 5 but my leg started hurting at 2.5... then I figured I'd just do 3 but then I pushed it to 30 minutes and eventually to 4... hard to stop once I start so shame on me. Just some tightness in my right quad. I don't think it's anything major but I rolled it out and will plan to bike again tomorrow instead of running.
Then maybe another easy run on Friday (hopefully I'll get that 5). Rest on Saturday, and then a longish run (8-10 miles) on Sunday. Just trying to lay out plan and stick to it so I can play it smart so I can build off my recent performances, instead of pushing too hard and getting hurt.
Still sore after my half-marathon but recovering and feeling better every day.
Sunday and Monday, I just did some light walking.
Tuesday I got in an hour on the exercise bike at a medium-hard effort.
Today I did my first run. 4 miles on the treadmill at 8:48 pace. I planned to do 5 but my leg started hurting at 2.5... then I figured I'd just do 3 but then I pushed it to 30 minutes and eventually to 4... hard to stop once I start so shame on me. Just some tightness in my right quad. I don't think it's anything major but I rolled it out and will plan to bike again tomorrow instead of running.
Then maybe another easy run on Friday (hopefully I'll get that 5). Rest on Saturday, and then a longish run (8-10 miles) on Sunday. Just trying to lay out plan and stick to it so I can play it smart so I can build off my recent performances, instead of pushing too hard and getting hurt.
Monday, February 10, 2020
Fly with the Eagles 2020 Half Marathon Race Report
I ran the Fly with the Eagles Half Marathon this weekend in Carterville, Illinois. The race takes place in the Crab Orchard Wildlife refuge (where some eagles have taken up roost). The course was relatively flat and mostly paved (with one section of gravel road). There were some slight hills but nothing steep... for some reason I noticed the downhills way more than the uphills.
The race was very well managed!!! Some features include chip timed, 5 aid stations with water and gator-aid, well marked course (although no mile markers), finisher medals, hoodies, awards, plenty of post race food and snacks in an indoor heated space... all for 40 buck entry fee!
I was hoping for a warmer day but temperatures were 30 degrees with a 9mph wind come race day. I dressed in running tights and under-armor cold gear top and wasn't bothered by the temp at all. Didn't even really notice the wind except for one small section.
The whole family drove down to Carbondale the night before. We stayed the night at my parents house and woke up at 5:30 (my regular time) and started preparing for the 9am start. Spent some time chatting with my parents and didn't get too much time to lock in and focus on the race like I typically would... I wound up having a great performance so maybe this was a good thing?!? I felt pretty calm and didn't get too deep into my own head!
My dad and I got to the race at 8:15 and there were already plenty of people there. Got our numbers and shirts and got setup with all that. Went back to the car. Took-off my warmup gear and swapped into my Vaporflys. Didn't really get too much of a warm up... jogged a bit but mostly just stayed inside to keep out of the cold before the race.
We left the building and headed to the line around 8:55. They were just finishing up the National Anthem. The timing clock had a countdown to race going (nice feature)! With 2 minutes to go I got into the "corral" and found some space. Not quite at the line but maybe 10 feet back. Probably 25 runners in front of me? Not too many people wearing Vaporflys for the race but probably 50% of the people up front were.
When the clock hit zero someone shouted go and we took off. My plan was to go out smooth for the first mile and just warm up and then settle into a groove. I was thinking maybe a 7:45 first mile? I took off at a comfortable pace, passed a few people right off the bat, and soon settled in at around 15th place. the pace felt fast but very smooth. I was pretty much running by myself with a couple packs up ahead of me. There was a lone woman running up ahead, also in Vaporflys. Before the 1 mile mark her shoe lace came undone and she had to stop and tie it... I had noticed that the laces were a bit short while double knotting mine and was extra careful so it seemed like something to keep in mind for the future. I passed her and kept going. Hit the first mile at 6:38 pace (according to my watch at least).
My previous race (a 5k) I had gone out way too fast and paid for it dearly so at this point I was a little worried I went out too fast again but I still felt really good and my HR was ~160 so I shook out my arms and just tried to relax and slow a bit and kept going. Hit the 2nd mile at 6:42. Still felt pretty darn good and by now I was catching up to the pack ahead of me which consisted of 4 guys. I caught them at about 2.5 miles and ran with them a bit. Third mile was 6:39 pace. Right about this point the woman who had stopped to tie her shoe blew by us. Nobody tried to keep with her so I stuck with my pack. Made a right turn and went from paved to gravel road and suddenly were running straight into the wind. 2 of the 4 guys broke off the pack and fell back and I stuck with the other 2. I drafted a bit but eventually it felt like we were slowing down. We got to a slight downhill section so I ran up aside the lead runner of the pack and let the hill take me. Seems like the Vaporfly's are really good on downhills, at least with my stride.
I pulled away and left the pack behind and didn't see them again. Hit the 4th mile at 6:55. There was a left turn and now I was running free. Shoelace woman was maybe 100 meters ahead so I locked onto her and kept gliding. I still felt great and wondered how long it would last. The road was straight gravel path through the woods. There was some muddy/wet rutted sections but they were easily avoidable... there were basically two flattened out sections where the car tires had worn the road flat with some slight grass growing through the gravel in the middle. The woman ahead kept switching sides of the road every once in a while and I felt compelled to switch sides with her (I think the people ahead of here were switching sides to avoid mud and everyone down stream were just switching to have someone straight ahead to lock onto). Hit this 5th mile at 6:35.
At the 5.50ish point there was a sharp switch back turn and 2 volunteers were stationed there cheering and making sure the runners went the right way. I gave them a fist pump and a head nod and heard them comment that I was the first "fun" runner as I zipped past. 6th mile was 6:49 pace.
At 6.5 there was a right turn and the 3rd aid station. As I approached I ditched the socks I was wearing for mittens, as my hands were getting warm and I opted to get my first Gatoraid. I took a quick swig and then sloshed some more around in my mouth and spit. Didn't want too much but figured a little wouldn't hurt. Then continued on for about 1.5 miles to a turn around point. There was a box of Krispy Creams stationed at the turnaround... tempting but I passed.
After the turnaround, the next 1.5 miles was ran opposite to all the runners coming the other way. At first there were just a few but eventually I wound up going past most of the people running 2 hours or under. This was a bit distracting because I felt the need to have some kind of minor interaction with everyone who went past and I was really just trying to stay focused. I saw some friends who were also running the race and eventually my dad. Finally around mile 9 I was past everyone. Mile 7, 8, and 9 were 6:43, 6:45, 6:40.
Near the end of the 9th mile I hit the 4th aid station. I grabbed another Gatoraid, swigged it, and tossed the cup into the trash without breaking stride, much to the chagrin of the aid station volunteers. I was on fire!
The 10th mile ended in the middle of a bridge over Crab Orchard Lake. I had scoped this out on google maps street-view before the race and knew once I got here there'd be 5K left (note: Google maps wasn't helping my confidence in the visualize the race department with all the snow!).
As I approached the bridge my watch dinged 10 miles. Based on the course map I knew the real 10 mile point was up ahead so at that point I knew my watch must be off. The watch was telling me that I was averaging 6:45 pace and I was really hoping to go under 1:30:00 but I wasn't sure if that was reality. There was a runner up in a yellow shirt about 100 meters ahead and I just kept my focus on him... I had been slowly gaining on him for a while.
As I got onto the bridge I really noticed the wind for the first time. I was a cross-wind but it was cold. All those training runs running dead into the cold wind here in Brimfield finally paid off as the cold cross wind barely phased me. However, overall I was finally starting to hurt. My race plan was that I'd push when I had 5K left but instead I decided instead of pushing I'd just fight to not slow down.
At about 10.5 miles I heard footsteps and a guy blew past me. I wasn't really slowing down and I hadn't seen anyone too close at the turn around point so he must of really picked up the pace. I'm guessing he ran conservatively and them pushed it after the turnaround.
I decided to latch onto him and go with him until at least the 11th mile point. At about Mile 11 we caught yellow shirt. I decided to let the faster guy go and stick with yellow. I wasn't feeling totally wiped out but my legs (quads and IT band) were starting to hurt as was my right foot. I was a little worried, in the back of my mind, that if I pushed it too hard I could wind up hurt.
I stuck with the yellow shirt the rest of the way. A couple times he seemed like he was going to slow and I pulled abreast but every time I did he'd speed up and I'd wind up tucking back behind. I knew there couldn't be too much left but I was really anxious for the race to be over as I was starting to feel pretty gassed.
Finally we came around a bend and had ~600 meters to the finish. With 400 meters left I made one final push to pick up the pace past yellow shirt and he responded and took off. He was very serious about not letting me beat him!... me, not so much. I could tell now that I wouldn't break 1:30 and I had exceed my initial expectations by such a large factor that I didn't have much urge to dig into the well and push it, just to shave a few more seconds off.
I turned the final corner and had 150 meters to go. I could see the finish line and clock and realized I better pick it up a bit to break 1:31:00. I picked it up but not a full sprint. Final clock time was 1:30:59.5 (chip time 1:30:55). Last 3 miles 6:59, 6:45, 6:58.
After finishing I felt pretty good. I got my medal and reflective blanket and jogged to the car to change shoes and put back on my warmups and sweatshirt. Then I got some coffee, hot chocolate, orange slices, and fig newtons and headed back to the finish line to cheer for my friends and my dad. My friends came by at around 1:53 and my dad finished 2:03:16 (he had hoped for under 2 but hadn't trained that hard so wasn't unhappy). I jogged in the last 600m with my dad which helped for a cooldown.
After the race we hung out inside, ate more food, and waited for the awards. My father and I both wound up winning our age divisions and I was 7th overall. My time was 6-7 minutes over my expectations and almost a 4 minute PR from my time from nearly 10 years ago... I'm sure the shoes had some impact on time but my competitors were mostly wearing them too so I didn't feel bad one bit.
Prolog: Writing this now I'm pretty sore. Nothing feels injured but just standard soreness from pushing the pace and racing hard. I took yesterday off with just some walking (and chasing the kids around). Woke up this morning to bike but decided to just walk on the treadmill instead. Mentally and physically I'm drained but on the other hand my legs still have some spring in them (that I noticed while chasing my kids yesterday and cooling down after the race) and I'm not nearly as sore as after my trail run in New Caledonia. I expect I will recover quickly.
I'm a little disappointed in myself for letting yellow shirt go. I think I could have beat him if I had really wanted to but I just didn't have the urge to dig for it... during the race I was just thinking about how I crushed my time goal and didn't want to get hurt and didn't see the point of digging for a few extra seconds and one overall place but maybe that's just excuses? Still need to work on the mental toughness maybe. Also, my last 3 miles were slower because I let him control the pace. Every time I tried to pass him he fought me off and then would slow back down.
Last thought is that it seems that for sure the Next% shoes really work at least for me. Hard to know how much to attribute to training, vs taper, vs shoes, but I ran fast, never slowed down really, and still have something left in the tank... not sure I can ever go back now?!?
Final stats:
13.1 miles
1:30:55
6:56 pace
The race was very well managed!!! Some features include chip timed, 5 aid stations with water and gator-aid, well marked course (although no mile markers), finisher medals, hoodies, awards, plenty of post race food and snacks in an indoor heated space... all for 40 buck entry fee!
I was hoping for a warmer day but temperatures were 30 degrees with a 9mph wind come race day. I dressed in running tights and under-armor cold gear top and wasn't bothered by the temp at all. Didn't even really notice the wind except for one small section.
The whole family drove down to Carbondale the night before. We stayed the night at my parents house and woke up at 5:30 (my regular time) and started preparing for the 9am start. Spent some time chatting with my parents and didn't get too much time to lock in and focus on the race like I typically would... I wound up having a great performance so maybe this was a good thing?!? I felt pretty calm and didn't get too deep into my own head!
My dad and I got to the race at 8:15 and there were already plenty of people there. Got our numbers and shirts and got setup with all that. Went back to the car. Took-off my warmup gear and swapped into my Vaporflys. Didn't really get too much of a warm up... jogged a bit but mostly just stayed inside to keep out of the cold before the race.
We left the building and headed to the line around 8:55. They were just finishing up the National Anthem. The timing clock had a countdown to race going (nice feature)! With 2 minutes to go I got into the "corral" and found some space. Not quite at the line but maybe 10 feet back. Probably 25 runners in front of me? Not too many people wearing Vaporflys for the race but probably 50% of the people up front were.
When the clock hit zero someone shouted go and we took off. My plan was to go out smooth for the first mile and just warm up and then settle into a groove. I was thinking maybe a 7:45 first mile? I took off at a comfortable pace, passed a few people right off the bat, and soon settled in at around 15th place. the pace felt fast but very smooth. I was pretty much running by myself with a couple packs up ahead of me. There was a lone woman running up ahead, also in Vaporflys. Before the 1 mile mark her shoe lace came undone and she had to stop and tie it... I had noticed that the laces were a bit short while double knotting mine and was extra careful so it seemed like something to keep in mind for the future. I passed her and kept going. Hit the first mile at 6:38 pace (according to my watch at least).
My previous race (a 5k) I had gone out way too fast and paid for it dearly so at this point I was a little worried I went out too fast again but I still felt really good and my HR was ~160 so I shook out my arms and just tried to relax and slow a bit and kept going. Hit the 2nd mile at 6:42. Still felt pretty darn good and by now I was catching up to the pack ahead of me which consisted of 4 guys. I caught them at about 2.5 miles and ran with them a bit. Third mile was 6:39 pace. Right about this point the woman who had stopped to tie her shoe blew by us. Nobody tried to keep with her so I stuck with my pack. Made a right turn and went from paved to gravel road and suddenly were running straight into the wind. 2 of the 4 guys broke off the pack and fell back and I stuck with the other 2. I drafted a bit but eventually it felt like we were slowing down. We got to a slight downhill section so I ran up aside the lead runner of the pack and let the hill take me. Seems like the Vaporfly's are really good on downhills, at least with my stride.
I pulled away and left the pack behind and didn't see them again. Hit the 4th mile at 6:55. There was a left turn and now I was running free. Shoelace woman was maybe 100 meters ahead so I locked onto her and kept gliding. I still felt great and wondered how long it would last. The road was straight gravel path through the woods. There was some muddy/wet rutted sections but they were easily avoidable... there were basically two flattened out sections where the car tires had worn the road flat with some slight grass growing through the gravel in the middle. The woman ahead kept switching sides of the road every once in a while and I felt compelled to switch sides with her (I think the people ahead of here were switching sides to avoid mud and everyone down stream were just switching to have someone straight ahead to lock onto). Hit this 5th mile at 6:35.
At the 5.50ish point there was a sharp switch back turn and 2 volunteers were stationed there cheering and making sure the runners went the right way. I gave them a fist pump and a head nod and heard them comment that I was the first "fun" runner as I zipped past. 6th mile was 6:49 pace.
At 6.5 there was a right turn and the 3rd aid station. As I approached I ditched the socks I was wearing for mittens, as my hands were getting warm and I opted to get my first Gatoraid. I took a quick swig and then sloshed some more around in my mouth and spit. Didn't want too much but figured a little wouldn't hurt. Then continued on for about 1.5 miles to a turn around point. There was a box of Krispy Creams stationed at the turnaround... tempting but I passed.
After the turnaround, the next 1.5 miles was ran opposite to all the runners coming the other way. At first there were just a few but eventually I wound up going past most of the people running 2 hours or under. This was a bit distracting because I felt the need to have some kind of minor interaction with everyone who went past and I was really just trying to stay focused. I saw some friends who were also running the race and eventually my dad. Finally around mile 9 I was past everyone. Mile 7, 8, and 9 were 6:43, 6:45, 6:40.
Near the end of the 9th mile I hit the 4th aid station. I grabbed another Gatoraid, swigged it, and tossed the cup into the trash without breaking stride, much to the chagrin of the aid station volunteers. I was on fire!
The 10th mile ended in the middle of a bridge over Crab Orchard Lake. I had scoped this out on google maps street-view before the race and knew once I got here there'd be 5K left (note: Google maps wasn't helping my confidence in the visualize the race department with all the snow!).
As I approached the bridge my watch dinged 10 miles. Based on the course map I knew the real 10 mile point was up ahead so at that point I knew my watch must be off. The watch was telling me that I was averaging 6:45 pace and I was really hoping to go under 1:30:00 but I wasn't sure if that was reality. There was a runner up in a yellow shirt about 100 meters ahead and I just kept my focus on him... I had been slowly gaining on him for a while.
As I got onto the bridge I really noticed the wind for the first time. I was a cross-wind but it was cold. All those training runs running dead into the cold wind here in Brimfield finally paid off as the cold cross wind barely phased me. However, overall I was finally starting to hurt. My race plan was that I'd push when I had 5K left but instead I decided instead of pushing I'd just fight to not slow down.
At about 10.5 miles I heard footsteps and a guy blew past me. I wasn't really slowing down and I hadn't seen anyone too close at the turn around point so he must of really picked up the pace. I'm guessing he ran conservatively and them pushed it after the turnaround.
I decided to latch onto him and go with him until at least the 11th mile point. At about Mile 11 we caught yellow shirt. I decided to let the faster guy go and stick with yellow. I wasn't feeling totally wiped out but my legs (quads and IT band) were starting to hurt as was my right foot. I was a little worried, in the back of my mind, that if I pushed it too hard I could wind up hurt.
I stuck with the yellow shirt the rest of the way. A couple times he seemed like he was going to slow and I pulled abreast but every time I did he'd speed up and I'd wind up tucking back behind. I knew there couldn't be too much left but I was really anxious for the race to be over as I was starting to feel pretty gassed.
Finally we came around a bend and had ~600 meters to the finish. With 400 meters left I made one final push to pick up the pace past yellow shirt and he responded and took off. He was very serious about not letting me beat him!... me, not so much. I could tell now that I wouldn't break 1:30 and I had exceed my initial expectations by such a large factor that I didn't have much urge to dig into the well and push it, just to shave a few more seconds off.
I turned the final corner and had 150 meters to go. I could see the finish line and clock and realized I better pick it up a bit to break 1:31:00. I picked it up but not a full sprint. Final clock time was 1:30:59.5 (chip time 1:30:55). Last 3 miles 6:59, 6:45, 6:58.
After finishing I felt pretty good. I got my medal and reflective blanket and jogged to the car to change shoes and put back on my warmups and sweatshirt. Then I got some coffee, hot chocolate, orange slices, and fig newtons and headed back to the finish line to cheer for my friends and my dad. My friends came by at around 1:53 and my dad finished 2:03:16 (he had hoped for under 2 but hadn't trained that hard so wasn't unhappy). I jogged in the last 600m with my dad which helped for a cooldown.
After the race we hung out inside, ate more food, and waited for the awards. My father and I both wound up winning our age divisions and I was 7th overall. My time was 6-7 minutes over my expectations and almost a 4 minute PR from my time from nearly 10 years ago... I'm sure the shoes had some impact on time but my competitors were mostly wearing them too so I didn't feel bad one bit.
Prolog: Writing this now I'm pretty sore. Nothing feels injured but just standard soreness from pushing the pace and racing hard. I took yesterday off with just some walking (and chasing the kids around). Woke up this morning to bike but decided to just walk on the treadmill instead. Mentally and physically I'm drained but on the other hand my legs still have some spring in them (that I noticed while chasing my kids yesterday and cooling down after the race) and I'm not nearly as sore as after my trail run in New Caledonia. I expect I will recover quickly.
I'm a little disappointed in myself for letting yellow shirt go. I think I could have beat him if I had really wanted to but I just didn't have the urge to dig for it... during the race I was just thinking about how I crushed my time goal and didn't want to get hurt and didn't see the point of digging for a few extra seconds and one overall place but maybe that's just excuses? Still need to work on the mental toughness maybe. Also, my last 3 miles were slower because I let him control the pace. Every time I tried to pass him he fought me off and then would slow back down.
Last thought is that it seems that for sure the Next% shoes really work at least for me. Hard to know how much to attribute to training, vs taper, vs shoes, but I ran fast, never slowed down really, and still have something left in the tank... not sure I can ever go back now?!?
Final stats:
13.1 miles
1:30:55
6:56 pace
Week 6 in Review
Breakthrough performance at my half-marathon this weekend!
Feeling accomplished but sore... need to stick with the plan and build off this training block without getting hurt. Just keep telling myself that.
Race report to follow... for now:
Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1. 1560 miles run: 210.53 for the year (35 miles ahead of pace)
2. 5000 Pull ups: 592 (32 ahead of pace)
3. 5000 Pushups/Bench: 637 (77 ahead pace)
4. 50 hour stationary bike: 5 hour (on paceish)
5. Diet: Diet has fallen off a bit with my taper for the half and the half weekend. Still haven't totally lost it either though and have been maintaining some semblance of control. I think I'm ready to refocus for the rest of February... I'll try to make it to my birthday weekend with minimal slip-ups.
6. 12500 Steps a day: 601 days and counting... 17,437 per day for the year
7. 10 Races this year: Had this goal set but didn't start officially tracking it til now since I just ran my first race over the weekend. Set a goal to run at least 10 races this year since races are fun but I have trouble pulling the trigger and actually doing any... 9 more to go.
Feeling accomplished but sore... need to stick with the plan and build off this training block without getting hurt. Just keep telling myself that.
Race report to follow... for now:
Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1. 1560 miles run: 210.53 for the year (35 miles ahead of pace)
2. 5000 Pull ups: 592 (32 ahead of pace)
3. 5000 Pushups/Bench: 637 (77 ahead pace)
4. 50 hour stationary bike: 5 hour (on paceish)
5. Diet: Diet has fallen off a bit with my taper for the half and the half weekend. Still haven't totally lost it either though and have been maintaining some semblance of control. I think I'm ready to refocus for the rest of February... I'll try to make it to my birthday weekend with minimal slip-ups.
6. 12500 Steps a day: 601 days and counting... 17,437 per day for the year
7. 10 Races this year: Had this goal set but didn't start officially tracking it til now since I just ran my first race over the weekend. Set a goal to run at least 10 races this year since races are fun but I have trouble pulling the trigger and actually doing any... 9 more to go.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Taper time
I'm still recovering a bit from Sunday's hard run but mostly I'm feeling pretty darn good.
I've reduced the miles the last 2 weeks (from 40+ down to 30-) and it's made a noticeable difference in my energy level. I've been cooking and cleaning up a storm after work.
I ran 6.5 miles yesterday at 8:49 pace and 4.5 miles today at 8:07 pace (1.5 miles between 8:00 and 7:30 pace).
Plan to rest tomorrow and then maybe 2 on Friday.
Reviewing my training log since November 1st, I feel like I had a decent build up.
I've reduced the miles the last 2 weeks (from 40+ down to 30-) and it's made a noticeable difference in my energy level. I've been cooking and cleaning up a storm after work.
I ran 6.5 miles yesterday at 8:49 pace and 4.5 miles today at 8:07 pace (1.5 miles between 8:00 and 7:30 pace).
Plan to rest tomorrow and then maybe 2 on Friday.
Reviewing my training log since November 1st, I feel like I had a decent build up.
- 470.39 miles r
- 4 40+ mile weeks
- 18 longer runs of 8 miles or more
- 10 long runs of 10 miles or more
- 6 long runs of 13.1 or more
- 65% of the running was done on the treadmill (44 out of the 68 runs)
- Mostly easy miles with only a handful of decent workouts (somewhat by design and somewhat treadmill driven)
Overall, the training cycle was successful as I reached my overall goals:
- Continued running through the winter
- Building up mileage (currently to 40+ and hopefully soon 50+ weeks)
- Extending my long runs and my bodies ability to adapt and recover from long runs
- Not getting injured
My plan is to take a few days off and/or cross-train after the 1/2 marathon to get refreshed. Then a few more weeks of easy paced mileage building with my eyes on spring so I can get outside and start doing some real training.
In March I'll start transitioning back to the road and introduce some hill repeats to build strength.
Slowly build intensity in April and then really start hitting the training in May with the intent to peak in August.. then dial back the intensity a bit and look at some half marathons for September and October...
A couple weeks of recover in October and then work the hills in anticipation of the Turkey Trot... from there it'll be time to reevaluate where I'm at with the longer term goal to competitively run a marathon in 2021.
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