I have a “rest” day with a 5K scheduled for tomorrow, so I wrote down my November Running Goals:
1) Run my plan (103m total)
2) Sub 1:10:00 10K
3) Sub 55:00 5mile
6) Yoga Class 6x
7) Swim Laps 11x
8) Start Weight Lifting
9) Stay Motivated
10) Drop 13 pounds
Let’s see how we do. I also have made a mental commitment to post short posts on my training runs so I have for future reference AND to keep myself motivated and on goal. I will post the plan for each week, the goals for each week, actual workouts, and a week summary. I write all of this down, and although I know no one really reads this, the fact that it is out in public makes me scared to miss a workout without blood or broken bones ;P
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Full Moon 5K
Just a quick post on run stats, full report to follow:
Race: 37:37
Warm-up: 2.15mile in 31:14
Off to bed and report tomorrow.
Race: 37:37
Warm-up: 2.15mile in 31:14
Off to bed and report tomorrow.
Half-Marathon Plan
I reviewed my half marathon plan, added yoga, swimming, and weight lifting days, and totaled up the miles. My plan is to toe the line on May 18th with 904 miles run and ready to break 2:11:00 in the half marathon.
I also wrote some personal calendar notes into the plan. I have some weeks where work commitments and/or work travel will cause me to be creative to make sure I get my miles in. I also have a couple of family and holiday items to work around. But that is simply planning for contingencies and making sure nothing gets in my way (or at least becomes an excuse for not running the plan
I also wrote some personal calendar notes into the plan. I have some weeks where work commitments and/or work travel will cause me to be creative to make sure I get my miles in. I also have a couple of family and holiday items to work around. But that is simply planning for contingencies and making sure nothing gets in my way (or at least becomes an excuse for not running the plan
Goals for week of 10/28/2012
Here are my weekly goals:
1) Run my plan -- 23miles
2) Have fun @ Full Moon 5K
3) Move to 6mins run / 1min Walk
4) Swim 2x
5) Sub 1:15:00 10K
6) Stay Motivated
1) Run my plan -- 23miles
2) Have fun @ Full Moon 5K
3) Move to 6mins run / 1min Walk
4) Swim 2x
5) Sub 1:15:00 10K
6) Stay Motivated
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Evening Run
I did not set the alarm and slept in this morning. Woke about close to nine and Paige wanted to be out the door for Grand Forks at 11am for my nephew Drew's Birthday party. So I did not have time to go for a run.
Woke up to snow on the ground and it is getting to be fall cool outside. We got back home about 8pm and I decided I still needed a run. So I pulled on the tights and new gloves and headed out. It was my first fall/winter run in the dark and cold. The snow was gone, but I was dodging water puddles that were starting to get icy.
Very quiet night, just me and my thoughts. Plan was 5, but I went 6.2miles.
Got home and my loving wife had a bit of a snack ready for me and then off to bed.
Oh, one more thing I figured out on the run. I use the Jeff Galloway run/walk method. Last couple of weeks I was using a 6 minute cycle (5 min run/1 min walk). Tonight I started a 7 minute cycle (6 run/ 1 walk). Neither work for a 5K because at 34 or 35 minutes, I am supposed to start a walk segment, yet I am very close to the finish line. Tonight I ran an 11 minute segment at the finish, and also decided that I will run 8 minute cycles (7 run/ 1 walk) for the 5K Tuesday night.
Woke up to snow on the ground and it is getting to be fall cool outside. We got back home about 8pm and I decided I still needed a run. So I pulled on the tights and new gloves and headed out. It was my first fall/winter run in the dark and cold. The snow was gone, but I was dodging water puddles that were starting to get icy.
Very quiet night, just me and my thoughts. Plan was 5, but I went 6.2miles.
Got home and my loving wife had a bit of a snack ready for me and then off to bed.
Oh, one more thing I figured out on the run. I use the Jeff Galloway run/walk method. Last couple of weeks I was using a 6 minute cycle (5 min run/1 min walk). Tonight I started a 7 minute cycle (6 run/ 1 walk). Neither work for a 5K because at 34 or 35 minutes, I am supposed to start a walk segment, yet I am very close to the finish line. Tonight I ran an 11 minute segment at the finish, and also decided that I will run 8 minute cycles (7 run/ 1 walk) for the 5K Tuesday night.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Trick or Trot 5k
I ran the Trick or Trot 5K this morning. It was a brisk 28* and I was thinking the sun was not helping until I went into the shade. . . The race was a small club race sponsored by the Lake Agassiz Pacers and there were normal prizes plus awards for best costumes. The race was well organized and fun to run.
I came into the race in a bit of a hole. I had a 21 hour day yesterday that included up at 3am, 9-10 hours in a car and poor nutrition including no fruit. I got about 6 hours of sleep last night after getting home near midnight and also did not have a good breakfast. Warm-up felt good, but I did feel like I didn't have my full energy reserves or was 100%.
I started out strong, turning the first mile at a good pace. I mentioned it was a costume encouraged event; I found myself behind two young ladies wearing brown sweats with signs on their backs stating "I have the runs!" It was pretty obvious that running right behind them was not a good idea and I sped up.
Second mile moved to recreation paths along the river in downtown Fargo. Due to the river banks and dikes, there were some "hills". They were not very long, but the downhill ones were steep and pounded my legs and feet.
Around two miles I crossed a bridge between Fargo and Moorhead. I flashed back to five years ago during the Fargo Marathon; the last time I ran across that bridge. That was the first point in the marathon that it really hit me and I was positive all the way across (and fortunately wrong) that I would never finish. This time it was better.
The route then turned onto the riverside recreation paths on the Moorhead side. I immediately remembered that the last time I had run this path was the Sunday in early September that I "boinked" badly on a training run and had one of the worst running days of my life.
I focused on the mantra "Run Strong, Finish strong" with each word on a foot strike, and matching my inhale exhale to each phrase. I was watching the Garmin and I did fade in the second and third mile, but overall, I am happy with how my body reacted to the effort despite the hole I started myself in. I passed multiple people by this time, and there was only one older gentleman dressed as a pumpkin that I had passed once that passed me; I could no longer see him on the twisting path.
There were two other young ladies that I had traded passes with as we both moved between running and walking intervals. In the first part of the third mile, I thought I had "buried them" and was looking for my next target to reel in.
About a half mile from the finish, we crossed a wood and metal pedestrian bridge back into Fargo. The planks were "springy" and my legs really started objecting. I kept moving forward, although I had lost the first mile pace and my chance of nearing or setting a PR. Now I was more focused on ignoring the legs (and much of the rest of my body discomforts) and finishing strong. It was 100% mental game at this point.
I neared the finish line and the young ladies I thought I had "buried" flew past me! It was too late and I did not have another gear so I simply threw my hands up in the air in frustration and followed them across the timing mats.
I ran 36:31. This was my third 5K since 9/8/2012 and I have improved each time, dropping 40 seconds at the Wild Hog and another 30 seconds today. Given the 10K PR last weekend, and my work schedule yesterday, my lack of good nutrition in the last 24 hours, and my lack of sleep, I still had to be pleased. First mile had me on a 33 to 34min pace, but I lost a minute in the second mile and another 1 1/2 minutes in the last 1.1mile.
Post race shower helped to warm me up, but was also a bit painful. I was wearing a 1/4 zip jacket over a LS tee and I use the zipper to regulate body heat. I was feeling warm, so I ran most of the race with the zipper all the way down/open. The zipper rubbed against the side of my neck and created a painful spot. I also aggravated my nipple abrasions that date back to last weeks 10K, and even had a bit of monkey butt. So the shower had some sting and I used the neosporin after.
The race entry included a nice fleece jacket with the Lake Agassiz Pacer's logo. LAP has their final event of the year in about a month and I am going to run that race and I guarantee I will set a PR. It is my first official race at the 5 mile length. :)
I have another PR in three days so I am testing my new Adidas ClimaCool compression sox for recovery, have an easy 5 mile training run planned for the morning to get the blood flowing in the legs, and then focus on that run.
I came into the race in a bit of a hole. I had a 21 hour day yesterday that included up at 3am, 9-10 hours in a car and poor nutrition including no fruit. I got about 6 hours of sleep last night after getting home near midnight and also did not have a good breakfast. Warm-up felt good, but I did feel like I didn't have my full energy reserves or was 100%.
I started out strong, turning the first mile at a good pace. I mentioned it was a costume encouraged event; I found myself behind two young ladies wearing brown sweats with signs on their backs stating "I have the runs!" It was pretty obvious that running right behind them was not a good idea and I sped up.
Second mile moved to recreation paths along the river in downtown Fargo. Due to the river banks and dikes, there were some "hills". They were not very long, but the downhill ones were steep and pounded my legs and feet.
Around two miles I crossed a bridge between Fargo and Moorhead. I flashed back to five years ago during the Fargo Marathon; the last time I ran across that bridge. That was the first point in the marathon that it really hit me and I was positive all the way across (and fortunately wrong) that I would never finish. This time it was better.
The route then turned onto the riverside recreation paths on the Moorhead side. I immediately remembered that the last time I had run this path was the Sunday in early September that I "boinked" badly on a training run and had one of the worst running days of my life.
I focused on the mantra "Run Strong, Finish strong" with each word on a foot strike, and matching my inhale exhale to each phrase. I was watching the Garmin and I did fade in the second and third mile, but overall, I am happy with how my body reacted to the effort despite the hole I started myself in. I passed multiple people by this time, and there was only one older gentleman dressed as a pumpkin that I had passed once that passed me; I could no longer see him on the twisting path.
There were two other young ladies that I had traded passes with as we both moved between running and walking intervals. In the first part of the third mile, I thought I had "buried them" and was looking for my next target to reel in.
About a half mile from the finish, we crossed a wood and metal pedestrian bridge back into Fargo. The planks were "springy" and my legs really started objecting. I kept moving forward, although I had lost the first mile pace and my chance of nearing or setting a PR. Now I was more focused on ignoring the legs (and much of the rest of my body discomforts) and finishing strong. It was 100% mental game at this point.
I neared the finish line and the young ladies I thought I had "buried" flew past me! It was too late and I did not have another gear so I simply threw my hands up in the air in frustration and followed them across the timing mats.
I ran 36:31. This was my third 5K since 9/8/2012 and I have improved each time, dropping 40 seconds at the Wild Hog and another 30 seconds today. Given the 10K PR last weekend, and my work schedule yesterday, my lack of good nutrition in the last 24 hours, and my lack of sleep, I still had to be pleased. First mile had me on a 33 to 34min pace, but I lost a minute in the second mile and another 1 1/2 minutes in the last 1.1mile.
Post race shower helped to warm me up, but was also a bit painful. I was wearing a 1/4 zip jacket over a LS tee and I use the zipper to regulate body heat. I was feeling warm, so I ran most of the race with the zipper all the way down/open. The zipper rubbed against the side of my neck and created a painful spot. I also aggravated my nipple abrasions that date back to last weeks 10K, and even had a bit of monkey butt. So the shower had some sting and I used the neosporin after.
The race entry included a nice fleece jacket with the Lake Agassiz Pacer's logo. LAP has their final event of the year in about a month and I am going to run that race and I guarantee I will set a PR. It is my first official race at the 5 mile length. :)
I have another PR in three days so I am testing my new Adidas ClimaCool compression sox for recovery, have an easy 5 mile training run planned for the morning to get the blood flowing in the legs, and then focus on that run.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Update on this blogging thing
Turns out I have actually been writing but not posting. Now, I know it probably does not matter because I am pretty sure no one is reading, but I have written quite a few “drafts” in the last week, but have not hit all the correct buttons for them to post to the site. AARRRRRGGGGGHH.
Oh well ;P
Oh well ;P
"Hanson Brothers" for some of us
In the last couple of weeks, I have been listening to old podcasts of Phedippidations. Steve “Runner” is talking about using the Hanson Brothers training plan for an attempt to set a PR in the marathon. Maybe it is just me growing up in a hockey town, but when I hear “Hanson Brothers”, I think of SlapShot and want to shout “They brought their f#@$cking toys with ‘em!”
Of course, that didn’t stop me from putting the book: Hansons Marathon Method on my Amazon wishlist.
Of course, that didn’t stop me from putting the book: Hansons Marathon Method on my Amazon wishlist.
First Yoga Class
I had my first yoga class last night. I was prompted by articles in running magazines to take a look at Sage Rountree’s book The Runners Guide to Yoga.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Runners-Guide-Yoga-Flexibility/dp/1934030848/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351012777&sr=8-2&keywords=yoga+for+runners
The main thing that brought me here was the concept of strengthening and balancing my core and other muscles to improve my running and lower the chances of common running related injuries including runner’s knee, IB Band, stc. I digested the books instructions, bought a yoga mat, and went to my first class last night at the Family Wellness Center.
My overall impression is that the class went much faster than I thought; the hour being up surprised me as I thought we had only be at it for about 30 minutes. Also, I worked (and sweat) more than I expected. I took Sage’s advice to not push farther than my body was telling me, and bailed out of some poses when it felt like it was too intense for my level.
Here are a few things I noticed:
I feel it a bit today, but I also am pleased that I did not push it and feel strong enough to get my five miles in tonight. I am now looking at how to build in home sessions of about 15 minutes a few times a week to go along with the classes to achieve the results I am looking for.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Runners-Guide-Yoga-Flexibility/dp/1934030848/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351012777&sr=8-2&keywords=yoga+for+runners
The main thing that brought me here was the concept of strengthening and balancing my core and other muscles to improve my running and lower the chances of common running related injuries including runner’s knee, IB Band, stc. I digested the books instructions, bought a yoga mat, and went to my first class last night at the Family Wellness Center.
My overall impression is that the class went much faster than I thought; the hour being up surprised me as I thought we had only be at it for about 30 minutes. Also, I worked (and sweat) more than I expected. I took Sage’s advice to not push farther than my body was telling me, and bailed out of some poses when it felt like it was too intense for my level.
Here are a few things I noticed:
- I can breathe, I can move from pose to pose, I cannot match my breathing to my moves.
- Warrior standing positions put too much stress on the outside of my shins where I have been having pain for the last couple of weeks.
- I am simply not as limber as I thought. Some of the toe reaches were difficult. I also still have a pretty good sized beer gut that gets in the way. Hopefully continued weight loss will help here.
- I also have too much weight and not enough upper body strength to support it correctly in some poses. Yoga really honestly and quickly shows you where you have let your body fall apart and how difficult certain things are that you used to take for granted as a child.
- My lunge position needs work, as does my transition in the combo moves she does from standing, to kneeling, to child, to one leg lunge, to child, to other leg lunge, back to child and then back to standing. I felt like I was always behind, not sure what came next, and not doing any of the poses correct.
- I could not kneel in the position with my rear on my heels and my knees and legs underneath me. It really hurt in both the knees and top of the feet and I could not hold the position.
- There is a lot of things to “know” in terms of accessories needed, size of towels to sit on, size of towel to put under your neck when lying on back, use of towels in the sitting on heels position I discussed above, etc. It differs for everyone and I either did not have enough towels, had them folded wrong, or not ready.
- One of the yama’s is aparigraha or not grasping. Rountree uses the term “envy” in explaining what to avoid. I felt it in poses I struggled with, but for other’s “looked” easy. The yama ahimsa or “not harming” is one runner’s frequently fail on (its called overtraining or overuse injuries for a reason!). I see my weakness in envy as something that both distracts me from my focus and subconsciously pushes me to exceed what I should be doing.
- I spoke with the instructor after class and explained I was a runner, I was dropping weight, I wanted yoga to enhance my running, but would not push or do anything in yoga that threatened my running. The instructor was very understanding and mentioned there are a few other runners in the class, although none were present last night.
I feel it a bit today, but I also am pleased that I did not push it and feel strong enough to get my five miles in tonight. I am now looking at how to build in home sessions of about 15 minutes a few times a week to go along with the classes to achieve the results I am looking for.
Running/Training plan by time or distance?
Local Paper has a weekly running blog by Bemidji, MN Reporter Steve Wagner. Today he writes:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/378013/group/Sports/
“Recently, I began reading books about triathlons, including one aimed at first-time Ironman competitors. Perhaps the most important concept transfers particularly well to running: training defined by time.
Runners are busy people with a lot of life to juggle: work, family and other commitments to start. Finding time to train can be difficult.
To aid in time management, the author concludes we should train by time – whereas most people focus on mileage.
When I began following a training plan devised by a coach a few years ago, most of the workouts were defined by time. Instead of focusing on mileage, it can be easier to just think about heading out to run for an hour. Once you accept the idea, how we spend that hour makes a difference in race performances.
Time-focused running forces us to concentrate on training principles – spending time within heart rate zones and performing specific workouts – rather than grinding out mileage.”
Interesting thought. I have always shied away from plans that use time rather than miles. My main reason is every race I have run has a finish based on miles and I am slow. An hour for the average runner is about 2 less miles for me. I felt that running for a time would leave me underprepared for a race.
I agree that we need to focus on training specifics and avoid junk miles, but I am wondering if this concept would work for everyone?
I do use the McMillian Running Calculators to make sure my pace for various runs is based on recent performance and my goals. I do watch my pace times the best I can. I also convert my miles plan to a time, so my family knows how long I will be gone and I can plan it into my schedule.
I also wonder if this is a false dilemma. Does planning by mileage prevent us from focusing on heart rate, pacing, etc.? Does planning by time insure we focus on those things without simply focusing on how much time is left (“25 mins done, 35 to go. . . 26 done. . .. ).
I really don’t know, but would love to have a dialogue on it and hear other views. My guess, like everything else, is everyone is different and this will help some and no help others. But I think discussing it can help us all learn something.
Your thoughts?
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/378013/group/Sports/
“Recently, I began reading books about triathlons, including one aimed at first-time Ironman competitors. Perhaps the most important concept transfers particularly well to running: training defined by time.
Runners are busy people with a lot of life to juggle: work, family and other commitments to start. Finding time to train can be difficult.
To aid in time management, the author concludes we should train by time – whereas most people focus on mileage.
When I began following a training plan devised by a coach a few years ago, most of the workouts were defined by time. Instead of focusing on mileage, it can be easier to just think about heading out to run for an hour. Once you accept the idea, how we spend that hour makes a difference in race performances.
Time-focused running forces us to concentrate on training principles – spending time within heart rate zones and performing specific workouts – rather than grinding out mileage.”
Interesting thought. I have always shied away from plans that use time rather than miles. My main reason is every race I have run has a finish based on miles and I am slow. An hour for the average runner is about 2 less miles for me. I felt that running for a time would leave me underprepared for a race.
I agree that we need to focus on training specifics and avoid junk miles, but I am wondering if this concept would work for everyone?
I do use the McMillian Running Calculators to make sure my pace for various runs is based on recent performance and my goals. I do watch my pace times the best I can. I also convert my miles plan to a time, so my family knows how long I will be gone and I can plan it into my schedule.
I also wonder if this is a false dilemma. Does planning by mileage prevent us from focusing on heart rate, pacing, etc.? Does planning by time insure we focus on those things without simply focusing on how much time is left (“25 mins done, 35 to go. . . 26 done. . .. ).
I really don’t know, but would love to have a dialogue on it and hear other views. My guess, like everything else, is everyone is different and this will help some and no help others. But I think discussing it can help us all learn something.
Your thoughts?
Fargo Mini Marathon Review
The Fargo Mini Marathon is the fall smaller sibling to the Spring Fargo Marathon. The main event has over 20,000 runners but the fall event is growing with 2,400 runners this year. The event was moved from downtown Fargo to the SW end of town at the Scheels Arena. This was done to provide the ability to support a larger field and provide routes through different and new parts of town from other races. The event included a half-marathon, 10K, 5K, and children’s races.
Personally, I ran the 10K in a new PR (1:11:32). I realized after that I have run twice as many half-marathons as 10K and have not run this distance very often. After my last short run on Thursday, I had tired legs. I decided on Friday to do a short swim (~15minutes) and sat in the steam room and sauna at the wellness center massaging my legs and getting them loose. I also changed my pre-race nutrition, with pasta for lunch on Friday, fruit and a bit of protein (half a chicken breast) for supper, and fruit and peanut butter toast for breakfast. Arrived at the race in about 40* weather but it was dry for the first time in 3 days and the winds were light. Warm-up felt great, and as I stripped down to shorts, LS shirt, and gloves for the start, I felt wonderful. I started in back and set my pace comfortably. Between miles one and two, there was a gusty headwind, and between miles three and four, I had some trouble holding my pace. It felt exactly the same, but the watch said I slowed about 35seconds per mile. I struggled a bit to regain form. It was in this area also that the course was challenging (more on that later). Got back out on the main road and the pace improved. At this point, I was pleasantly surprised that we were closer to the finish that I thought. I stayed with the plan and finished strong. I was a full five minutes under both plan and my previous PR. Finished with legs feeling great and a big smile on my face. I also finished with confidence that my new nutrition plan, weight loss, and running plan was ahead of schedule and has me well on my way to a new half-marathon PR next spring.
It was also great to see friends do well and have big smiles at their times. I talked to another friend on Sunday who did not run, but noted that many he had talked to found the race and course fast.
Now, let me switch to a review of the event. Overall, the expo was OK. I heard comments from quite a few runners about the layout being poor, and I agreed with them. I think the booths in the lobby area needed to move because they blocked where the runners gathered for the races. I think the layout that forced us to walk all the way around the arena to get to packet pick-up was confusing and unnecessary. And there was a lower quality of the booths, with not much that caused me to stop and learn. There also was a lack of items to buy, especially event related hats, jackets, shirts, etc. The official shirt was a nice LS tech shirt, but the design and logo was bit dull.
The start was a mess. The 5k started 10 minutes late, and the 10K was after that. There were also sound problems, so the announcements could not be heard inside the arena. I was frustrated that I warmed up for an on-time start and then struggled to stay warm and ready for the delayed time. My wife and son missed the start because they did not hear the announcement. I hope no runners missed it also.
The courses changed from what was posted on the website. So much for printing the maps and scouting the course. The website said that in 1-3 years this will be a great course; my take is they made the switch one to two years early. We ran past mostly houses under construction where trucks and the 2 days of rain meant there was mud on the streets instead of people cheering on their front lawns. We also ran through modern subdivisions in a winding, distance maximizing fashion. This meant that many areas were isolated from drive in traffic and no one could get to many of the areas of the course to watch and cheer. Some of the course was on recreation trails. The new standard for this part of the two was double width sidewalks, making these areas narrow and hard (concrete). My feet felt pounded. There were also a lot of sharp turns and a few u-turns. The only hill on the course was a bridge. It had two sharp u-turns, one that broke the momentum of the downhill, and another in the midst of the longest climb. Both broke a runner’s stride and made the hill much tougher. There were sections where I had no idea what direction I was heading.
There was also a section where I was worried we had missed a turn. It turns out that the signs were for the 5k and we ended up running the full 10K. But I spent a couple of miles looking at my watch, seeing a good time, and worried that I could not, in good conscience, accept a time as my PR if the actual route was shortened. It turns out this was the 5k course, but there were two elderly ladies that were pointed the wrong way, and ended up finishing a 10K when they were entered in the 5K. The race did a good job in recognizing the mistake, giving them a special announcement with loud cheers from the crowd and 10K medals.
There were two bands on the course, but they were at the same point, and when I hit, they were both between a song. Not sure how it worked, but I would have liked to at least hear one playing. The only rest stop on the 10K was fairly narrow. I did not have trouble getting through, but I was actually happy to not be faster and in the larger pack for that block. I do not need water in a 10K, but also worry about tripping over those that do.
The first and last mile were on a main road that led to the arena (32nd Ave S). This section of road is raised with ditches on both sides, and empty. There are no windbreaks, no places for crowds, and feel more rural than the opening and closing of a major race. It really forces a runner to rely on their own drive for pace rather than any outside help.
Finish was inside the arena. The ramp into the arena was very steep and would have been a mess in rain. A floor had been laid over the ice, but it was a floating floor that would shift some and also was of a material that was very slippery when wet. Fortunately, it was a dry morning outside and the fans dried the floor so there were not problems.
Finally, although the switch was made to a new venue for larger fields, there was a huge problem getting everyone in and they are already out of parking. I told my parents not to come because I expected a problem and after seeing the results, it now seems that lack of parking will be the limit on future growth. There were over a hundred vehicles parked on the street that was supposed to be closed because it was the finishing stretch of the race, and there were already cars trying to leave during my finish, meaning the fast half-marathoner’s probably had to dodge cars and exhaust clouds at the 13 mile marker. Not a good plan.
The race has a good management team that shows with the spring marathon they can put on great events. The race really just felt like it had some growing pains. In a couple of years, the houses will be finished, the mud, lack of spectators, and planning at the arena should have the kinks worked out, and it will be a better race. But this year was frustrating, but also fast and I was pleased with my time.
We tend to rate races on a curve. If we are running a race in a small town of 2 to 3,000, we expect less. But this is a big town race by a team that knows what makes a great event. I don’t think they hit expectations I and many fellow runners had. I give an A- for effort, but only a C- or D for execution. I have already put this race on my calendar for next year but there needs to be some things worked out.
Personally, I ran the 10K in a new PR (1:11:32). I realized after that I have run twice as many half-marathons as 10K and have not run this distance very often. After my last short run on Thursday, I had tired legs. I decided on Friday to do a short swim (~15minutes) and sat in the steam room and sauna at the wellness center massaging my legs and getting them loose. I also changed my pre-race nutrition, with pasta for lunch on Friday, fruit and a bit of protein (half a chicken breast) for supper, and fruit and peanut butter toast for breakfast. Arrived at the race in about 40* weather but it was dry for the first time in 3 days and the winds were light. Warm-up felt great, and as I stripped down to shorts, LS shirt, and gloves for the start, I felt wonderful. I started in back and set my pace comfortably. Between miles one and two, there was a gusty headwind, and between miles three and four, I had some trouble holding my pace. It felt exactly the same, but the watch said I slowed about 35seconds per mile. I struggled a bit to regain form. It was in this area also that the course was challenging (more on that later). Got back out on the main road and the pace improved. At this point, I was pleasantly surprised that we were closer to the finish that I thought. I stayed with the plan and finished strong. I was a full five minutes under both plan and my previous PR. Finished with legs feeling great and a big smile on my face. I also finished with confidence that my new nutrition plan, weight loss, and running plan was ahead of schedule and has me well on my way to a new half-marathon PR next spring.
It was also great to see friends do well and have big smiles at their times. I talked to another friend on Sunday who did not run, but noted that many he had talked to found the race and course fast.
Now, let me switch to a review of the event. Overall, the expo was OK. I heard comments from quite a few runners about the layout being poor, and I agreed with them. I think the booths in the lobby area needed to move because they blocked where the runners gathered for the races. I think the layout that forced us to walk all the way around the arena to get to packet pick-up was confusing and unnecessary. And there was a lower quality of the booths, with not much that caused me to stop and learn. There also was a lack of items to buy, especially event related hats, jackets, shirts, etc. The official shirt was a nice LS tech shirt, but the design and logo was bit dull.
The start was a mess. The 5k started 10 minutes late, and the 10K was after that. There were also sound problems, so the announcements could not be heard inside the arena. I was frustrated that I warmed up for an on-time start and then struggled to stay warm and ready for the delayed time. My wife and son missed the start because they did not hear the announcement. I hope no runners missed it also.
The courses changed from what was posted on the website. So much for printing the maps and scouting the course. The website said that in 1-3 years this will be a great course; my take is they made the switch one to two years early. We ran past mostly houses under construction where trucks and the 2 days of rain meant there was mud on the streets instead of people cheering on their front lawns. We also ran through modern subdivisions in a winding, distance maximizing fashion. This meant that many areas were isolated from drive in traffic and no one could get to many of the areas of the course to watch and cheer. Some of the course was on recreation trails. The new standard for this part of the two was double width sidewalks, making these areas narrow and hard (concrete). My feet felt pounded. There were also a lot of sharp turns and a few u-turns. The only hill on the course was a bridge. It had two sharp u-turns, one that broke the momentum of the downhill, and another in the midst of the longest climb. Both broke a runner’s stride and made the hill much tougher. There were sections where I had no idea what direction I was heading.
There was also a section where I was worried we had missed a turn. It turns out that the signs were for the 5k and we ended up running the full 10K. But I spent a couple of miles looking at my watch, seeing a good time, and worried that I could not, in good conscience, accept a time as my PR if the actual route was shortened. It turns out this was the 5k course, but there were two elderly ladies that were pointed the wrong way, and ended up finishing a 10K when they were entered in the 5K. The race did a good job in recognizing the mistake, giving them a special announcement with loud cheers from the crowd and 10K medals.
There were two bands on the course, but they were at the same point, and when I hit, they were both between a song. Not sure how it worked, but I would have liked to at least hear one playing. The only rest stop on the 10K was fairly narrow. I did not have trouble getting through, but I was actually happy to not be faster and in the larger pack for that block. I do not need water in a 10K, but also worry about tripping over those that do.
The first and last mile were on a main road that led to the arena (32nd Ave S). This section of road is raised with ditches on both sides, and empty. There are no windbreaks, no places for crowds, and feel more rural than the opening and closing of a major race. It really forces a runner to rely on their own drive for pace rather than any outside help.
Finish was inside the arena. The ramp into the arena was very steep and would have been a mess in rain. A floor had been laid over the ice, but it was a floating floor that would shift some and also was of a material that was very slippery when wet. Fortunately, it was a dry morning outside and the fans dried the floor so there were not problems.
Finally, although the switch was made to a new venue for larger fields, there was a huge problem getting everyone in and they are already out of parking. I told my parents not to come because I expected a problem and after seeing the results, it now seems that lack of parking will be the limit on future growth. There were over a hundred vehicles parked on the street that was supposed to be closed because it was the finishing stretch of the race, and there were already cars trying to leave during my finish, meaning the fast half-marathoner’s probably had to dodge cars and exhaust clouds at the 13 mile marker. Not a good plan.
The race has a good management team that shows with the spring marathon they can put on great events. The race really just felt like it had some growing pains. In a couple of years, the houses will be finished, the mud, lack of spectators, and planning at the arena should have the kinks worked out, and it will be a better race. But this year was frustrating, but also fast and I was pleased with my time.
We tend to rate races on a curve. If we are running a race in a small town of 2 to 3,000, we expect less. But this is a big town race by a team that knows what makes a great event. I don’t think they hit expectations I and many fellow runners had. I give an A- for effort, but only a C- or D for execution. I have already put this race on my calendar for next year but there needs to be some things worked out.
Half-Marathon Goal
am going to stick my neck out here with a big goal in a desperate plea for support, encouragement, and butt kicking (when needed). In 1997, I set my half personal record of 2:33:05. On race day, I was 42 years old and ~240#. On May 18, 2013, I will be 47 years old and as of today, I am 5# below my previous weight. I want to be at or below 200# by 1/15/2013, under 180# on raceday, and I want to run the half marathon in Fargo in 2:11:00, a 10 minute per mile pace.
I have found a 20 week plan that includes hill repeats, interval runs, tempo runs, and escalating runs where you start at recovery pace and finish at race pace by increasing your pace every other mile. It runs from 33 to 58 miles per week, with most weeks in the 40’s. I have laid out my plan by day for 140 days, starting the end of December.
In addition to ramping up my weekly miles from 23 to 33 in December to be ready for the plan, I am also working on adding weights, swimming, and yoga to my schedule. I have never had a regular lifting plan, so I am working through the book Weight Training for Runners and at least one personal trainer session at our gym.
Our gym has yoga classes twice a week and I plan on attending my first class next week. I am also reading Sage Rountree’s book Yoga for Runners. I do need to change my schedule a bit because Thursday’s run is usually not finished by the 6:30PM class time. So I need to think through how I am going to make that work.
I have ordered a pair of shoes designed for running in snow and cold. I will start on January 2nd running hill repeats in a parking garage. And I listened to some suggestions for using a treadmill for some of my interval and tempo work. I am also hoping for an early spring and no flooding so I have a chance to do most of the plan outdoors.
I have a conference during week 17, so I will be trying to figure out how to get my 53 miles in from the Anaheim Marriot. I am checking out routes with google maps, looking for running sites that have routes, and planning on taking my reflective vest. Knowing the normal schedule, I suspect I will have to either go early or late to get the workouts in.
I have learned a new shorthand: 2W6T2C@HMP is a tempo run with a 2 mile warm up, 6 miles at Half-Marathon pace, and 2 miles of cooldown. The interesting ones are the “track day” with distances in meters, kilometers, and miles and recovery breaks in minutes between each segment: 1W,2x1K@HMP,2R,2x1m@10K2R,,2x1K@5K,2R, 1x800,1C. This is 1 mile warm-up, 2 intervals of 1K each at half-marathon pace with 2 minutes recovery, 2 intervals of 1 mile at 10K pace with 2 minutes of recover, 2 intervals of 1K at 5K pace with two minutes of recovery, one interval of 800 meters, and a mile cool-down. Now I just need to remember how to read it in the midst of 50 mile training weeks.
Lastly, the program is 6 days of running each week and I estimate some weeks will be 11 to 12 hours actual running plus all the misc related time for getting out and getting home and showered. I need buy-in from my family for the impact on the schedule and the time I will be able to spend with them. It will impact what we are able to do as a family.
What do I want to accomplish with this? I would like to see if I can get to a sub-four hour marathon by my 50th birthday. This involves getting under a two hour half-marathon by the spring of 2014 and the spring of 2013 is a test on how fast the new me can actually run. I don’t worry about the miles, I worry about the ability to turn my feet over fast enough and the ability to stay injury free while I learn to do that. Can I get to below 1:45 in the half? What would that do for me? Stay tuned.
I have found a 20 week plan that includes hill repeats, interval runs, tempo runs, and escalating runs where you start at recovery pace and finish at race pace by increasing your pace every other mile. It runs from 33 to 58 miles per week, with most weeks in the 40’s. I have laid out my plan by day for 140 days, starting the end of December.
In addition to ramping up my weekly miles from 23 to 33 in December to be ready for the plan, I am also working on adding weights, swimming, and yoga to my schedule. I have never had a regular lifting plan, so I am working through the book Weight Training for Runners and at least one personal trainer session at our gym.
Our gym has yoga classes twice a week and I plan on attending my first class next week. I am also reading Sage Rountree’s book Yoga for Runners. I do need to change my schedule a bit because Thursday’s run is usually not finished by the 6:30PM class time. So I need to think through how I am going to make that work.
I have ordered a pair of shoes designed for running in snow and cold. I will start on January 2nd running hill repeats in a parking garage. And I listened to some suggestions for using a treadmill for some of my interval and tempo work. I am also hoping for an early spring and no flooding so I have a chance to do most of the plan outdoors.
I have a conference during week 17, so I will be trying to figure out how to get my 53 miles in from the Anaheim Marriot. I am checking out routes with google maps, looking for running sites that have routes, and planning on taking my reflective vest. Knowing the normal schedule, I suspect I will have to either go early or late to get the workouts in.
I have learned a new shorthand: 2W6T2C@HMP is a tempo run with a 2 mile warm up, 6 miles at Half-Marathon pace, and 2 miles of cooldown. The interesting ones are the “track day” with distances in meters, kilometers, and miles and recovery breaks in minutes between each segment: 1W,2x1K@HMP,2R,2x1m@10K2R,,2x1K@5K,2R, 1x800,1C. This is 1 mile warm-up, 2 intervals of 1K each at half-marathon pace with 2 minutes recovery, 2 intervals of 1 mile at 10K pace with 2 minutes of recover, 2 intervals of 1K at 5K pace with two minutes of recovery, one interval of 800 meters, and a mile cool-down. Now I just need to remember how to read it in the midst of 50 mile training weeks.
Lastly, the program is 6 days of running each week and I estimate some weeks will be 11 to 12 hours actual running plus all the misc related time for getting out and getting home and showered. I need buy-in from my family for the impact on the schedule and the time I will be able to spend with them. It will impact what we are able to do as a family.
What do I want to accomplish with this? I would like to see if I can get to a sub-four hour marathon by my 50th birthday. This involves getting under a two hour half-marathon by the spring of 2014 and the spring of 2013 is a test on how fast the new me can actually run. I don’t worry about the miles, I worry about the ability to turn my feet over fast enough and the ability to stay injury free while I learn to do that. Can I get to below 1:45 in the half? What would that do for me? Stay tuned.
Schedule Challenges
I have committed to races on consecutive Saturdays (10K and 5K). I had an out of town meeting scheduled for the Friday before the 10K and a second event the following Friday for the 5K. Well, a schedule conflict came up and this week’s meeting was moved to next week. Now I have a 9am meeting in Brooklyn Park, MN -- 227 miles southeast of home. The other event is scheduled for 5pm 75 miles north of home. So I will be up at 3am to get to first meeting ahead of traffic, drive a total of 650 miles, and not get home until midnight (21 hours). The 5K the next morning starts at 10am, and I will get a chance to test if sleep is actually important as part of run preparation. :)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Back at it
I have let my blogging and running lapse in the last couple of years. Now I am back running and enjoying it.
Where I am at:
206 miles since mid July
~50 hours of running
Down 37#; lowest weight in 20 years
Two 5k’s run
Two 10k’s, three 5k’s and a 5 miler on the calendar still this fall.
Better nutrition plan (not a diet!!!!!)
Where did I fail? (what caused the gap?)
Motivation Failure
Pretty simple: I hate to get out for a run, I love running. When I was sore, the first part remained and the second failed in an avalanche of aches and pains.
The root of failure was that my only real goal was finish a marathon and when I met that goal, I did not have any follow-up goals. Weight loss was a wish instead of a goal, I did not closely track my intake of food or change either portions and selections.
I define a goal as clearly stated with measurable break down points. A wish is something cool but no way to get there or track progress.
Motivation requires goals; without the goal, the final new habit I created was how to come up with excuses to skip a run.
Motivation also requires rewards; I never planned any. Motivation also requires re-enforcement . My old posts constantly refer to “No Mantra.” I did not have plans that included how to deal with contingencies; the potholes and troubles in my path.
I recently read an article that was on a study of hip replacement patients. It concluded that having a plan had a huge difference on recovery time. But the most interesting part was the best patient’s plans listed the possible problems and ways to overcome them.
My other realization is that no one is a natural runner. I experience “runner’s high,” but that will never get you out the door in January. Everyone has reluctance to get out the door and fears and demons during a run. Don’t go, you can’t finish, you need to stop now, it hurts to go faster, it hurts to go farther, etc. The key is not to wish for a magic way to banish them; that does not exist. Instead you need a plan to be equipped to deal with them.
Recap:
1. No real goal beyond marathon
2. No way to sustain running life
No plans
No Mantra or re-enforcement
No contingency plans
3. No rewards (or at least not clearly defined)
What started my recent change? My sister ran and finished her first marathon. I am constantly bombarded with messages from well meaning people that I should work out regularly to “improve my life/work/etc.” But it took the competitive me to dislike no longer being the only marathoner in the family.
The fact is, my younger sister inspired me to get back into running.
I have laid out my goals, including weekly and long term. I write the weekly goals in my running log and review them daily. I also have a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that I have only told my wife and my sister. It seems impossible; anyone else would laugh at me if I told them. It will take at least 3-4 years. But I have specific times and dates written down to get me towards that goal.
I have plans for my goals and am developing the contingency plans. I got a membership at Fargo Family Wellness because they have an indoor track so I cannot use weather as an excuse to skip a run. I have not come up with plans for every stumble point. I have a pot-luck at work in two weeks that scares me and my new nutrition plan. And speaking of that eating plan, I start ramping up miles around Thanksgiving to be ready for start of my 2013 Fargo Half-Marathon plan on December 30th. No snacks or treats during the holidays. By the way, that 2013 plan has every workout laid out for 20 weeks in a focused effort to set a new personal record.
I have also changed my reading on running. I do not read anything new on HOW to run. Instead, I am reading more on why we run and how we can drive ourselves to better performances.
I am still working on the rewards part, but the focus and thought I am putting into it means I will get better here also.
I did mention nutrition plan, but did not provide details.
Portion Control -- knowing how much I should eat.
I track with an online calorie tracker that can be updated from a browser or my android phone. I don’t do it 100% by I do it enough that I know fairly close where I am at. I need to do more measurements that just weight, because during the three weeks when my weight plateaued, I was still tightening my belt. Now, in a bit over 3 months, I am down around 6” in both coat and waist size.
I still struggle to get out the door somedays. My plan to get up to running 6 days a week with weight and swimming cross training seems to be constantly step(s) forward; step(s) back. I am making progress, but it is slow and inconsistent. I have every reason to believe my body will get accustomed to this. I continue to search for ways to make that progress more consistent.
I am a work in progress, but I have my goals and plans and I am running towards them.
Where I am at:
206 miles since mid July
~50 hours of running
Down 37#; lowest weight in 20 years
Two 5k’s run
Two 10k’s, three 5k’s and a 5 miler on the calendar still this fall.
Better nutrition plan (not a diet!!!!!)
Where did I fail? (what caused the gap?)
Motivation Failure
Pretty simple: I hate to get out for a run, I love running. When I was sore, the first part remained and the second failed in an avalanche of aches and pains.
The root of failure was that my only real goal was finish a marathon and when I met that goal, I did not have any follow-up goals. Weight loss was a wish instead of a goal, I did not closely track my intake of food or change either portions and selections.
I define a goal as clearly stated with measurable break down points. A wish is something cool but no way to get there or track progress.
Motivation requires goals; without the goal, the final new habit I created was how to come up with excuses to skip a run.
Motivation also requires rewards; I never planned any. Motivation also requires re-enforcement . My old posts constantly refer to “No Mantra.” I did not have plans that included how to deal with contingencies; the potholes and troubles in my path.
I recently read an article that was on a study of hip replacement patients. It concluded that having a plan had a huge difference on recovery time. But the most interesting part was the best patient’s plans listed the possible problems and ways to overcome them.
My other realization is that no one is a natural runner. I experience “runner’s high,” but that will never get you out the door in January. Everyone has reluctance to get out the door and fears and demons during a run. Don’t go, you can’t finish, you need to stop now, it hurts to go faster, it hurts to go farther, etc. The key is not to wish for a magic way to banish them; that does not exist. Instead you need a plan to be equipped to deal with them.
Recap:
1. No real goal beyond marathon
2. No way to sustain running life
No plans
No Mantra or re-enforcement
No contingency plans
3. No rewards (or at least not clearly defined)
What started my recent change? My sister ran and finished her first marathon. I am constantly bombarded with messages from well meaning people that I should work out regularly to “improve my life/work/etc.” But it took the competitive me to dislike no longer being the only marathoner in the family.
The fact is, my younger sister inspired me to get back into running.
I have laid out my goals, including weekly and long term. I write the weekly goals in my running log and review them daily. I also have a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that I have only told my wife and my sister. It seems impossible; anyone else would laugh at me if I told them. It will take at least 3-4 years. But I have specific times and dates written down to get me towards that goal.
I have plans for my goals and am developing the contingency plans. I got a membership at Fargo Family Wellness because they have an indoor track so I cannot use weather as an excuse to skip a run. I have not come up with plans for every stumble point. I have a pot-luck at work in two weeks that scares me and my new nutrition plan. And speaking of that eating plan, I start ramping up miles around Thanksgiving to be ready for start of my 2013 Fargo Half-Marathon plan on December 30th. No snacks or treats during the holidays. By the way, that 2013 plan has every workout laid out for 20 weeks in a focused effort to set a new personal record.
I have also changed my reading on running. I do not read anything new on HOW to run. Instead, I am reading more on why we run and how we can drive ourselves to better performances.
I am still working on the rewards part, but the focus and thought I am putting into it means I will get better here also.
I did mention nutrition plan, but did not provide details.
Selection -- What do I eat? Less processed foods, more whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables (especially spinich!).
Portion Control -- knowing how much I should eat.
I track with an online calorie tracker that can be updated from a browser or my android phone. I don’t do it 100% by I do it enough that I know fairly close where I am at. I need to do more measurements that just weight, because during the three weeks when my weight plateaued, I was still tightening my belt. Now, in a bit over 3 months, I am down around 6” in both coat and waist size.
I still struggle to get out the door somedays. My plan to get up to running 6 days a week with weight and swimming cross training seems to be constantly step(s) forward; step(s) back. I am making progress, but it is slow and inconsistent. I have every reason to believe my body will get accustomed to this. I continue to search for ways to make that progress more consistent.
I am a work in progress, but I have my goals and plans and I am running towards them.
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