Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Going Under 5: Timed Mile Attempt # 6

Hello Runners!,
Today is the day, the day I make running history - that is, my personal running history. I am going for under 5 minutes in the mile, or I should say, I went for under 5 minutes in the mile as I already did the timed mile earlier today.

It was a good day for running.  Temperatures around 70 degrees, a light wind and partly cloudy.  I met Eddie out at the track around 6pm.  We did a 2 mile warm-up together around Memorial Park, discussing tactics for the race.  TACTICS: There are really 2 main strategies to run a timed mile.  Tactic #1: Run the first 2 laps a few seconds faster than goal time and then try to hang on for the last 2 laps, or Tactic #2: Start of slightly slower than goal pace and try to run negative splits.

I prefer tactic #1, as a mile is a short race and I feel it's difficult to run negative splits. The plan was to go out in 73 seconds for the first lap, and come through the half mile mark around 2:27.  This would give a 3 second "slow down" for the final two laps.  The idea would be to then try the third lap in 75 seconds, and give'r everything on the final lap, hopefully going under 75 seconds, resulting in the coveted 4:5x mile time.  Eddie agreed that this would be the best strategy go under 5.  He had just done a few difficult workouts in the days leading up to today and wasn't sure if he had a sub-5 mile in him today.  He told me he could give me 3 good laps but couldn't guarantee a solid fourth.  This was fine with me.  I asked him to try to  give me 3 laps + the first turn on the final lap and I could take over from there. All this talk of race strategy started to get me a little nervous, although I was also confident I could do it. 

Kennedy's Racing flats
Race Time: After the warm-up I switched shoes, breaking out the old Kennedy's track flats, the first time I'd worn them in years.  They were like feathers on my feet. To finish the warm-up, Eddie likes to run two 200m at race pace to allow him to get a feel for the pace.  I like to run 100m building up my pace, then 200m at pace, and jogging the final 100m to the start line.  We both did our pre-race ritual and went to the start.  We placed our toes on the line.  Eddie looked at me and asked if I was ready.  I gave him a nod.  1... 2... 3... go!  Eddie was off like a bat-out-of-hell.  Holy crap was this pace fast!  I felt like I was sprinting to keep up with him around the first turn.  I tried to relax on the backstretch and stay one step behind.  We came through the first lap in 73.4 seconds.  Right were we want to be.  I took a brief look at my watch and when I looked up it seemed Eddie had put a small gap on me.  I tried to pick up my pace, but I was still two strides behind.  I couldn't close it.  We hit the backstretch of lap two again and I once again mentally told myself to relax... feel the race.  There was a slight headwind on the homestretch and I could feel it in my face as I'd let a small gap form between Eddie and me.  Lap #2: 75.2.  It was a little slower that I wanted but it still brought us through the half mile in under 5 minute pace.  

As many milers may tell you, the third lap often makes or breaks your mile.  The breathing is heavy, the legs are getting tired, and it's not easy to keep up the pace.  As a matter of fact, you have to run harder to keep up the pace.  This is where many milers go wrong.  They feel like they are running the same pace, but have actually slowed down due to fatigue. I didn't want to let this happen to me.  I knew I had to dig deep and push.  I put in more effort.  I pushed hard.  I still couldn't close the gap with Eddie.  I was now three paces back.  My breathing was heavy, my legs were burning, but I kept pushing down the backstretch and around the turn.  My split for lap #3: 75.2.  I'm still about 1 second under pace.  One second.  That's it.  I followed Eddie around the turn.  He pulled off into lane two and waved me on.  I couldn't do it.  I tried to pick up my pace, but with a three step lead, I couldn't pass him.  I slowly caught him on the backstretch and came up beside him with just under 200 meters to go.  He was hurting, I could tell, but I think I was hurting even more.  He said three words to, three words that would help me get to the finish.  "You got this."  I drove with my arms and lifted my knees, getting into sprint mode.  I fired as hard as I could down the homestretch, the finish line in site.  My vision seemed to be getting blurry, my legs on fire, my lungs grasping for every bit of oxygen.  I hit the finish line and stopped my watch.  Final lap: 75 seconds, flat.  My time: 4:58.7

4:58.7

I did it!!  I couldn't believe it.  I threw my arms in the air.  I could hear Eddie yell behind me.  He came up to me, gave me a high five and a hug.  Wow!  I couldn't believe it.  What a huge personal accomplishment.  My summer goal to break 5 minutes in the mile, accomplished!  A running barrier I had never before previously broken, accomplished.  This feeling, was a runners high I enjoyed.  Of course, I have to give huge thanks to Eddie for pacing me, and to Jay, my best friend, for training with me all summer.  It would have been awesome if he could have been present to run with me. 

Eddie and I after the mile.
Post Race Meal: I decided to celebrate with some good ol' junk food.  I had a serious craving for a Culver's shake, so I stopped by and had a Butter Burger, french fries, and a chocolate shake to celebrate.  It was an AMAZING post mile run meal.  
My post race dinner:
A Bacon & Cheese Butter Burger, french fries,
and chocolate shake from Culvers.  






Final Thoughts: I guess this is my final entry for this blog post, that is, until I try again next year - if I try. I hope you've enjoyed reading some of my entries. I've enjoyed writing my first blog ever throughout the summer.  Perhaps you've even learned a thing or two about training for a mile.  I'm not saying my strategy was the best, or even most efficient  but it got me to my goal.  I'm always learning as a runner, always discovering new things about myself, about training, and about how to become a better runner.  I've always enjoyed running and I hope I can continue to do so for many years to come.  As always, good night, and good luck... running that is!

-Andy

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Timed Mile - Tomorrow

Hello Runners!,
I am back from my travels, having done a few runs out west, but no speed workouts.  Today was going to be my first time back on the track in nearly 2 weeks but unfortunately the high school football was having a scrimmage practice on the field so we were unable to use the track.  Eddie was out again today and I asked him if he could pace me on a mile attempt next week.  Unfortunately he will be out of town next week so he suggested the week after.  Unfortunately for me, I will be leaving in 2 weeks to take on a new job, requiring me to move out of town.  So that only left this week!  I wanted to try Friday or Saturday so I could get in a speed session on Wednesday, but Eddie is running in a relay race this weekend.  We looked at our schedules, and it turns out tomorrow is the only time we both can run.  Jay is out of town for work so he won't be able to participate.  Looks like it will just be Eddie and I out on the track.

Tomorrow I'm going for it.  It will be my first real attempt to do under 5 minutes.  Up until now it has just been trying to cut time off each attempt.  Tomorrow, I'm going for sub-5.  It feels a little weird to write it, but I'm excited.  I have to make sure to get some good rest tonight and stay off my feet as much as possible tomorrow until race time.  I hope all goes well... wish me luck!


Friday, August 3, 2012

Speed Sessions

Hello Runners!,
It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and I must admit, not a lot has happened.  I've hit the track four times in the past two weeks to do speed workouts.  My weekly mileage totals haven't been too high, only around 35mpw.  Instead of a long post, i will just give a quick summary of my speed sessions since the last timed mile.

Tuesday, July 24th (QUARTERS)
6x400m & 2x200m (90 second rest between each quarter, 3 minutes rest between sets)
Splits: 
Set 1: 81, 79, 77, 76; 
Set 2: 71, 70
2x200s: 34, 34

Thursday, July 26th (800s)
3x800m, 1x400m, 2x200m
Splits: 2:40, 2:32,2:39 (my second 800 was too quick as I was trying for 2:40 pace)
400m: 72 seconds
2x200s: 36, 34

Tuesday, July 31st (PYRAMIDS)
My pyramid was as follows: 400, 800. 1200, 800, 400.  I finished with 2x200m
Splits: 76, 2:38, 4:11, 2:39, 74.
2x200s: 35, 32

Thursday, August 2nd (1km & 3x400)
1km: 3:13
400 Splits: 72, 71, 74

Overall I'm pretty happy with how my speed workouts have been going.  I still get burning on the soles of my feet, especially towards the end of the workouts. I still haven't figured out if it's my shoes or the heat of summer, or both.  I am leaving for Seattle tomorrow for a cousins wedding and will be there for a week.  I'm hoping to get in a few runs but I am doubtful I'll get in a track workout while there.  I'm just hoping to keep my fitness up and then hit the track again when I return. My next timed mile will hopefully be the 13th or 14th.

Good night, and good luck... running that is!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Mile Attempt: #5

Hello Runners!,
A nice cold front moved in today, dropping temperatures by 15-20 degrees.  Jay and I showed up to the track around 5:30pm, ready to throw down another mile.  We were fortunate to recruit a friend and awesome runner, Eddie, to help pace us today.  Eddie is a sub-5 miler, has qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials in 1996, and has many other runner accomplishments.  Needless to say, I'm quite happy to have a guy of his ability to pace me.  The goal for today was to try to get down to the 5:10-5:15 mark, trying to split around 78 second laps.  Eddie would go out in 78 and try to hold pace for all 4 laps.  My goal was to stay a stride behind Eddie the entire way.

Around 5pm we started to get some ran and the wind was picking up to 10-15mph.  We would have a headwind on the homestretch, with the wind aiding us on the backstretch.  After a 2 mile warm-up and a few stride-outs it was go time.

I immediately fell in behind Eddie after the start, with Jay right behind me.  It felt like Eddie was sprinting the first 200m, but I made sure to stick right behind him.  We came through the first lap in 78 sec.  Perfect.  Lap 2, 77 seconds.  Once again, perfect.  I was starting to feel the pace a bit and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on but i was determined to stick with Eddie for at least a 3rd lap. I tried to stay relaxed on the backstretch, the wind aiding my pace.  When we hit the homestretch turn on the third lap I thought I was going to drop off the pace but I dug in and stayed just behind Eddie.  3rd lap, 78.  We were on pace to run under 5:15. At this point I was struggling but I was determined to stay with Eddie through the backstretch.  I was half expecting Jay to pass me on the backstretch but he never did.  I pushed hard the last 150m, finishing the last lap in 76 seconds for a final time of 5:09!!  Jay ended up around 5:20.  He let a small gap form on the first lap because he thought the pace as a little too quick and he was never able to make up the distance.  

I was stocked!  It was a great time, especially since it's still mid July, I hadn't done as much speed work as I'd have liked, and the conditions weren't great. I thanked Eddie for pacing me and he offered to pace the next time we were planning a time trial.

Final splits: 78, 77, 78, 76.  Total Time: 5:09

Another few weeks ahead of speed work and I'll do another time trial sometime in August.  Good night, and good luck... running that is!  

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Speed in July - Finally!

Hello Runners,
Well, today was a planned timed mile day, but it was canceled.  As the norm in Wisconsin this summer, today was in the mid-90's all day - less than ideal temps for running.  We had planned to have one of Jay's friends, Eddie - a sub 5 miler, help pace us.  We called him up and canceled and decided to do a short track workout instead.  Well as things would have it, a nice thunderstorm popped up around 4:30pm and moved through the region, bringing with it some nice cool temperatures.  By the time we arrived at the track, it was near ideal temperatures.  We had a light rain and the temps were in the low 70's.  Although it was humid, there was little wind.  Since we wouldn't see Eddie until Thursday (the new planned timed mile day) we just went ahead with a track workout.  We ran 6x400 and 2x200 to finish the workout.  Add a 2 mile warm-up & cool-down and it was around a 7 mile day.


I felt great out on the track.  Today was the first day where I was able to push myself to the same level I was doing before my knee injury.  I still wanted to ease into the workout so my first 2 quarters were a little slower than planned.  Here are the splits:
Set 1: 83, 80, 76, 76
Set 2: 77, 72
2x200: 36, 38


I felt great doing the quarters.  They were fast and comfortable, I wasn't pushing myself too hard.  It was probably the best I've felt doing quarters all summer.  As for the 200's, I felt terrible.  Perhaps we took a little bit longer of a rest than we should have, but I felt lethargic on the 200's, especially the last one.  I was actually planning on doing 4x200 but since I wasn't feeling well for the first two, and since it was my first really challenging workout since my injury, I decided to forgo the final two.  No need pushing myself for those extra 200's, especially since I have a timed mile coming up on Thursday.  


My plan is to do an easy 5 miles tomorrow and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for cool, calm weather for the timed mile on Thursday.  Overall today was a good day as I feel my training is back on track.  Good night and good luck... running that is!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Injury Recovery - A Mental Game

Hello Runners!,
For those of us who have gone through major/significant injuries - or at least injuries that have kept us sidelined for a week or more - it would be obvious for me to say that injury recovery is as much mental recovery as physical.  The biggest questions that loom for runners recovering from injury is "How soon is too soon?" and "How much is too much?"  These perplexing questions can wreak havoc with a runners injury recovery attempt.


In my personal opinion, injuries can often be compounded by a runner starting to run too soon, or doing too much running before a full recovery.  The decision on when to come back from an injury and how soon to get back into full training mode is one that that I, as well as many runners I'm sure, struggle with.  For any somewhat serious runner who is training for a goal race or goal time, the decision on when to start training again and in what capacity that training entails is a fine line.  I want to both maximize my recovery time and minimize my time off.  Of course, these are opposing thoughts - repelling magnets, a contradiction of ideas - if I say so myself.


What percentage of recovery should a runner be at in order to begin training again?  100%?  90%  If I feel my knee is 75% recovered, is that enough?  It's my goal to rest long enough as to not re-aggravate my injury, yet get back to running as soon as possible as to minimize the amount of training I miss.  Sure I could wait until I feel my knee is 100% better, but is that necessary?  Would it be worth an extra 2-3 weeks of not running when I could probably be running on it at 85-90% without much worry of re-aggravation?  Taking off too much time can significantly affect a runners fitness and hurt ones chances of accomplishing a seasons running goals.  On the flip side, if a runner starts running again with an injury at only 60-70%, with slight pain or discomfort - is the runner risking a significant injury again?  Would I be best to just take an extra week off to get the injury to 90% so they can do more significant training instead of short, easy runs only 2-4 days a week?  Making these decisions aren't easy, and no one wants to be constantly sidelined because they repeatedly get injured.  Finding that fine line between recovering from an injury and maximizing your training is a key to finding success in accomplishing your running goals.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  What are your thoughts on injury recovery?

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Back on the Track - Part 2

Hello Runners!,
Today was my first day back on the track after my knee ailment.  With my knee still a little tender, I wanted to just "ease" into some speed work.  I started off with my normal, 2 mile warm-up.  I stretched a bit and had no knee pain so I decided to give the track a go.  My plans was to start off with 2x800 with ~3min rest between.  I wanted to start off with 800's instead of 400's because I run my 800's at a slower pace, thus putting less pressure on my knee.  I ran both 800's at around 6:40 mile pace, or in 3:50.  My legs felt pretty good so I ran 2x400 at 90 sec pace.  This pace was significantly slower than previous 400's, where I was running 75-80 sec quarters.  Regardless, I finally got back into some up-tempo running and my knee hasn't been acting up.  I made sure to ice and rest my knee immediately after the run.  My plans is to do a short run tomorrow (Friday), rest on Saturday and hopefully get out for a 7-8 mile run on Sunday.  Assuming all goes well I plan on being back on the track on Tuesday (7/17) for a timed mile attempt.  Here's to resting and recovering well!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Knee Strengthening Exercises

Hello Runners!,
I'm back up and running!  On Monday I had planned to run 2 miles and instead ran 3 because I felt so good!  Ok, that's a bit of a lie as I didn't feel great but my knee felt better than I thought it would, therefore I upped the mileage a little but still wanted to make sure I'm not doing too much too soon.  Yesterday I did a nice, slow 4.5 mile run.  Today, REST!


On Monday and again today I did a few knee strengthening exercises.  I found this nie little video on knee strengthening exercises on the Runner's World web site. I've since incorporated some of these exercises into my workout, with plans to perform these 3 times a week.




Tomorrow I'm back on the track.  My knee is still a little weak but it feels miles better than it did last week.  Therefore, I'm going to see if I can do a moderate workout tomorrow.  I would like to get on the track and run a few 800's at around 6:30-7:00min pace to see how my knee responds.  Any sign of discomfort and I'm shutting it down.  In the meantime, I'm going to continue to do some strengthening exercises and hopefully will get back into some speed workouts next week.  Once again, keeping my fingers crossed.  

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Walk to Run

Hello Runners!,
I just finished a 2 mile walk.  It's my second day of testing my knee strength.  Yesterday I walked 1 mile.  I have to say, my knee is feeling somewhat better.  It's still weak and tender, but I was able to walk more or less pain free.  Tomorrow is Monday, and I'm going to try and start the week off by doing a 2 mile run.  SLOW.  I think I'll do a mile around the track and then take off my shoes and do a mile barefoot on the infield grass.  I'm hoping a little bit of barefoot running will help get me back to a more natural stride and help to strengthen my knee.  It's been a pretty demoralizing week and weekend just sitting around the house resting and icing my knee.  Therefore, I'm not really in the mood to write much about my training (or lack-there-of).  I'm pretty sure my injury is Runner's Knee.  The best way to recover - rest, reduce mileage, stretch, ice, and slowly incorporate knee strengthening exercises.  What are those knee strengthening exercises you may ask?  I don't know... because I haven't started doing them yet!  Ha!  As i figure out what kind of exercises to do, I'll make sure to post them in my blog.  Anyway, that's it for day, good night and good luck... running that is!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

4th of July - Heat - Injury - Ugh!

Hello Runners!,
Happy 4th of July!  This is a great time of year.  Food, fireworks, beer.  I love it all.  What I don't love, is getting injured.  And that's exactly what happened to me a couple of days ago.  I finished off a pretty tough month of training in June and I was looking forward to keeping the trend going in July.  I started the month off by doing a 9.5 mile run on July 1st.  I felt great.  On the 2nd, I rode my bike to Riverside park, did a 5.5 mile run, and then rode home.  It was wicked hot on the 2nd and I was quite fatigued afterwards, but hey, I've been there before.  Then I woke up the 3rd.  My right knee was pretty stiff and sore.  As I was walking around the house I felt a pop in my knee (like cracking knuckles), and then another, and then another.  Not long after, I could barely bend my knee let alone push off on it.  Oh man, this sucks.  I more or less laid on the couch the rest of the day to rest my knee.  I'm not quite sure what caused my knee to give but I think it must be overwork.  I had a pretty intense final 2 weeks of June.  I had been doing some biking along with my running (sometimes on the same day) and i went golfing in 3 or the 4 days leading up to the injury.  


Fireworks in Wauwatosa.
I like the trailing bursts and the full moon!
Unwisely, I didn't give my knee any rest on the 4th despite the pain.  I should have just stayed home and laid on the couch all day, icing my knee and resting it.  Instead I went golfing.  It really didn't bother me for the first 6 holes but the last 3 were not great.  Thankfully we were in carts and I didn't have to walk around much.  After golf I drove 1.5 hours to Milwaukee.  This was not good for my knee.  The knee is stationary for almost the entire drive and it swelled and tightened up.  I watched the fireworks in Wauwatosa with a few friends (check out one of my fireworks pictures).  I then had to drive home today (another 1.5 hours of a stationary knee).  As soon as I got home I started to rest.  30 minutes of ice followed by 30 minutes off.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  i also took some ibuprofen to reduce the pain and swelling in my knee.  I'm a little concerned now that this injury might be something serious, keeping me sidelined for a few weeks.  Ugh!!  Just when my training was really starting to go well and I've felt significant improvement in my speed.  Right now I'm hoping that I'll just have to rest through the weekend and that I can get back into working out sometime next week.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!  Good luck everyone!  I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July holiday :)

Saturday, June 30, 2012

June, the Month in Review

Hello Runners!,
The month of June is now over.  Overall, I would say it was a pretty successful month of training.  I had a few minor injuries/ailments that I worked around, but overall I'm very happy with the way my training went.  I finished the month with 138 miles, 16 miles fewer than I ran in May.  However, I also had 155 miles on the bike, including an 84 mile ride around Lake Winnebago in the Tour de Bago (if you don't know what that is, read my earlier post from June 17th.  I ran a 1500m race in 4:58, and my 4th timed mile came in at 5:19, a twelve second improvement from last months mile.    


I finished off the month of running with a 2.5 mile tempo run, 6 miles overall.  This was my first tempo run in a few weeks and it felt good to get out and do some speed work that wasn't on the track.  My first mile of the tempo was 6:27, I then picked up the pace and ran a 6:12, followed by a 3:10 final 0.5 mile.  Once again, it was ridiculously hot today (~90 degrees) but I'm starting to get use to the heat.  Yesterday (Friday) was a much needed day off from running.  On Wednesday my plan was to run 7 miles but I felt pretty good and added another loop to the middle of the run, making the run 9 miles.  In hindsight I should have only run 7 miles as I was pretty tanked by mile 7.  Thursday was another day on the track.  Considering I had a pretty hard week of training, I had planned for just a short but intense workout on the track.  The workout plan was an 800, 400, and 2x200.  I started with the normal 2 mile warm-up.  I ran my 800 in 2:31, ran a half mile slow to recover, and my 400 in 68 seconds.  I finished the workout with two of my fastest 200m sprints this season, in 32 sec and 33 sec, respectively.  A quick mile cool-down and that was all she wrote for Thursday's practice.  Despite Thursday being one of the hottest days of the week I felt good through the workout.


This upcoming week is the 4th of July week and I'm not really sure how that will affect my week of training.  I'm planning on getting in a long run on Sunday, something easy on Monday and then a hard workout (Slow Jimmy's) on Tuesday the 3rd.  I currently don't have plans for the 4th but I'm sure something will come up so I'm planning on Wednesday being a rest day.  I'll probably then hit the track again on either Thursday or Friday, followed by another moderate run on the weekend.  Hopefully that will be a great way to start off the month.  Goodbye June, let's have a rockin' month of training in July!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Mile Attempt - #4

Hello Runners!,
We're nearing the end of the month and I still haven't done a timed mile attempt for the month of June.  Sure I ran a 1500 on Sunday, but not quite a mile.  A combination of some hard weeks of training and some unfavorable weather caused me to keep pushing the mile attempt further in the month.  I ran a nice 10 miles on Monday so I can't really say that I took it easy or even rested leading up to this attempt.


Today was a good day for running.  The temperature was around 75 with around a 10mph wind into the home-stretch.  As usual, I arrived at the track about 15 minutes before everyone else shows up.  I did a nice and easy warm-up of 1 mile around the track.  As I was stretching out, a few people slowly showed up for practice.  Jay wasn't one of them, which I thought was a bit odd because he's usually one of the first to show.  When Jill arrived she told me Jay couldn't make practice today because he had to work late.  Damn, looks like I'd be doing this timed mile on my own.  I had been sitting around for a little while so I decided to do another mile to warm-up for a 2nd time.  When I arrived back at the track Jill said Jay had just called and that he would be here in around 10-15 minutes and if I wanted I should just do the timed mile on my own.  It was a bit of a dilemma for me.  I would much rather do the timed mile with a running partner than on my own, but if I waited for Jay that means I would probably have to do a 3rd warm-up before the attempt.  Since a few other people were going to run the timed mile immediately, I decided to run with them and not wait for Jay.


I lined up on the track and did a short sprint just to get my legs a little loose and to get the heart-rate up a bit.  I stepped to the line.  Scott (our official timer on Tuesday) gave the shout of "go" and we were off.  I knew the others doing the timed mile wouldn't be anywhere near my pace so it was on my own.  My plan coming into the race was to try and run even splits, right around 80 sec per lap.  I looked at my watch at the 200m mark and noticed I was at 40 sec, right on an 80 sec lap pace.  I came through the first 400m in 82 seconds.  My next two laps were even splits at 79 seconds.  By the time I finished my third lap, my feet were BURNING.  I was gasping for air and my legs were feeling drained.  I pushed on.  With about 150 meters to go my legs felt like giving out but I focused on getting my knees up, running on my toes and "sprinting" to the finish.  My final lap was 78 seconds, for a final mile time of 5:19.  I was SUPER happy with this time.  I was confident I could go under 5:20 and I did.  It was a 12 second improvement over my last timed mile.  Nonetheless, I still need to drop 5 seconds per lap to run under 5 minutes. 
Final Splits:
Lap 1: 82 sec
Lap 2: 79 sec
Lap 3: 79 sec
Lap 4: 78 sec
TOTAL: 5:19 


Jay showed up to the track right as I was running my final lap.  After the finish and a few minutes for me to recover, I asked Jay if he was still planning on running his timed mile today.  His answer was kind of non-committal so I offered to pace him for 2 laps.  After a short warm-up (for Jay), it was back to the track.  Still somewhat exhausted from my mile, I wasn't sure how well I would be able to pace him.  I took off like a bat-out-of-hell, with Jay right on my heels.  We flew through the first 200m in 36 seconds, the first 400m in 74 seconds.  We slowed down a little on the 2nd lap, running a 79 sec lap for a 2:34 half mile.  I dropped off after the half mile point, completely spent.  Jay gave it for the next two laps, running around 80 sec per lap.  He ended up finishing in 5:15, a season best for him.


What a huge day of running today.  Jay and I both dropped our previous mile times by 12-15 seconds.  I am confident that had we run the mile together we could have even run a couple of seconds quicker.  It's always a bit easier to run when you have someone to pace off of or someone right on your heels to push you.  


We finished the workout by running 2x400 with about 2 minutes of rest between the two.  I ran even splits, 73 seconds each.  Overall, I'm very happy with the workout.  I'm starting to feel stronger and I can tell that my stride is getting longer the more we do speed workouts.  The plan for the rest of the week is to run around 7 miles tomorrow and then hit up the track again on Thursday.  Thursday is supposed to be in the mid-90's, so it's going to be a short work-out.  I'll take Friday as a rest day, do something easy on Saturday and then try to get in a 9-10 miles on Sunday.  It was a great day of running and I'm really starting to see results from all the training I've been doing.  Good night and good luck... running that is!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Badger State Games - Results

Hello Runners!,
I am in a good mood today!  To start with, my uncle from Texas is visiting so I've been able to hang out with him.  Second of all, I ran the Badger State Games this morning and the results were good.  I made the drive from Neenah to Wausau early this morning, arriving at the D.C. Everest High School Stadium around 9am.  I drove through some beautiful morning rain on the way to the meet which immediately put me in a good mood.  


When I arrived there weren't too many people there, which surprised me a bit.  The running events started at 9:30am with the 3000m run.  Since the 1500m was scheduled about mid-way through the meet, I figured I had a lot of time before my race.  When the 3000 started I went out for a nice little warm-up run, 2 miles.  I finished the warm-up and camped right by the track to watch a few events and stretch.  Literally, as soon as sat down I heard "Second call 1500m run, second call 1500m run".  WHAT!?  They just finished the 3000m 5 minutes ago!  How is the 1500m run already?  I ran back to my car, put on my jersey and number and ran to the track.  I didn't even have time to put on my racing flats.  Yikes!  I checked into the start area and made my way to the start.  I didn't have any time to stretch or even grab a last second swallow of water.  I looked at the start line and noticed only 6 other participants.  Turns out it would be a small race.  I knew one of the other runners, a former Neenah High School runner who is about 6 years younger than me.  After talking to a few runners just before the start it sounded like two other guys wanted to run right around 5 minutes so I knew I would have competition, or at least people to help me pace.  I drew lane 1, but it didn't do me any good to grab the lead off the start.  No problem, I tucked into 4th place and ran my race.  I came through the first 300m in 60 sec, right on my 5 minute pace.  I then passed a guy on the back stretch of lap #2.  I stayed behind the leaders for the next lap.  They were running right at my goal pace - AWESOME.  With two laps to go I passed the 2nd place guy and tucked in behind the leader, but not for long.  After less than half a lap I decided to take the lead and go with about 600m left in the race.  I took the lead and never looked back.  My final lap was around 74 sec and I finished the race in 4:58.6.  I won the race and I accomplished my time goal of running under 5 minutes.  My time would be around a 5:17-5:18 mile.  


Next up was the 800m.  We only had about 20 minutes between races.  I stayed down on the infield of the track and jogged a few laps to loosen up.  I did make one run out to my car to grab my water bottle and race flats.  For the 800m i wore my Kennedy race flats - probably 5-6 years old.  They're still light and fast and great for short distance races.  I drew lane 5 for the race.  With such short rest I wasn't sure what kind of time I would run but i still had hopes to go under 2:30.  I also started thinking that I may be able to win this race too.  I lead the race around the first turn.  I came through the first lap in 71 sec, leading the race.  As soon as we hit the back stretch on the 2nd lap Kyle (the Neenah guy) passed me.  I tucked in behind and held pace.  My plan was to stay behind him until the home stretch and then see if I could out sprint him.  Well, he had too much left in the tank and I wasn't able to chase him down in the finish.  He ran 2:22 and I finished two seconds back in 2:24, six seconds faster than my goal time.  Man was I happy.  Two races, two great results.


Me with my Badger State Games hardware.
Immediately after the 800 and final race of the track meet was the 4x400 relay.  There were four of us who were really close in the 800 so I jokingly said "so who's ready to run a 4x400?"  One of the other athletes said "let me see if we can still register" and immediately ran to the scorer's booth.  When he came back with a big grin and two thumbs up we knew we were running.  Four guys who just finished the 800 and are still out of breath are now going to run the 4x400 relay.  Crap.  Fortunately I drew the 3rd leg so I had a little time to recover.  By the time I received the baton, our team was way ahead of the field. Nonetheless I gave it all I had and ended up running a 67 sec split.  Our team won the 4x400 relay and I walked home with three medals from the meet.  I really had a great time at the meet and I'd be more than happy to run it again next year.  
A rainbow from the early morning rain showers on the early morning drive to Wausau.

  
In case anyone gets too upset when the mustard is empty.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Back on the Track

Hello Runners!,
Well, after a few days off and an easy day yesterday, it was back to the track today.  The workout for today on the track were 800's.  Jay and I decided we wanted to run the 800's at flat or negative splits.  For those who don't know, negative splits means your second lap is faster than your first.  For example, if my first lap was 80 sec, and my second lap was 78 sec, that means I ran negative splits.  The plan was to do 3x800 with our first lap around 80 sec.  We would have about 3 min. rest between each 800.


The workout went well.  My pacing was a little off, but I managed to run negative splits for all three 800's.  The times were:
1st - 2:42 (5:24 mile pace)
2nd - 2:36 (5:12 mile pace)
3rd - 2:44 (5:28 mile pace)
I was a little disappointed with my third 800 time as I thought I could run a very similar time to my 2nd 800.  I don't think I was quite recovered (even after 3 min) for my final 800 which hurt my time a bit.  After we finished the 800's, we finished the workout with 3x200's.  I ran perfectly even splits for all three, 35 sec each.  I feel very confident that I'm starting to get the speed I'll need to run a sub-5 mile.  What I need to work on now is maintaining that speed over 4 laps.  


I would have liked today's workout to have been a bit longer and perhaps more difficult but I'm running in the Badger State Games on Sunday so I didn't want to push too hard.  Also, I'm just two days removed from a knee/IT ailment so I didn't want to push too hard too soon.  At the Badger State Games I'm registered to run the 1500m and the 800m run.  It's nearly a 2 hour drive from Neenah to Wausau (where the meet is located).  My plan is to get up early on Sunday, drive to the meet and put forth a good effort in the races.  I don't have any goals in regards to placing as I don't know how many people are running (or WHO is running for that matter).  Instead, I have some time goals.  I would like to run under 5 minutes for the 1500m and under 2:30 for the 800m.  My next blog will be the results of the Badger State Games.  Wish me luck everyone!



Wednesday, June 20, 2012

A Weekend without Running

Hello Runners!,
Well, this past weekend was by no means successful when it comes to training for a fast mile.  84 miles on the bike will do that to a person.  With the ride on Saturday, I had a planned rest day on Sunday; I then had an unplanned rest day Monday, as well as Tuesday.  


I woke up Sunday tired.  I could feel a deep fatigue in my legs.  The outsides of my knees were a little sore too.  I managed to make it though a day of family activities, it was after all, Father's Day.  I just felt that everything I did on Sunday was slow... walking, eating, talking, even thinking.  Ugh.  I knew I needed more rest.  An early night on Sunday and I woke up Monday morning with terrible pain on the outside of my right knee.  My left knee, fine.  My right knee, not so much.  I could barely bend my leg.  I knew right away that I would not be running.  I also had a pretty good idea of what was causing my leg pain... ITBS.  ITBS is Iliotibial Band Syndrome.  The IT band runs down along the outside of your leg, from hip to knee.  Often times a tight IT band can cause knee or hip pain.  Monday became a pretty useless day.  I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible and massaged the heck out of my IT band every couple of hours.  Tuesday was better.  I could still feel a bit of tightness but I had much more mobility.  I decided to take Tuesday off as well.  Hey - it's better safe than sorry.  I didn't want to severely injure myself.  I just had to remind myself that it's OK to sacrifice short-term/daily goals to keep the long-term goal in mind.  


Today I felt good when I awoke.  I quick little massage of the IT Band and I was confident I could get in a run.  It was ridiculously hot (no surprise there) but I managed to do a nice easy 4 mile run.  With a little post-run massage I'm quite confident that I managed to curb my IT band tightness.  That being said, I've had IT Band issues in the past (almost a year ago exactly) and I know this can be a re-occurring problem.  My plans is to "keep an eye on" my IT Band.  By that I'll be doing an easy warm-up, cool-down and massage after each run for the next few weeks.  I'm also going to incorporate some IT-Band strengthening exercises in the future.  Tomorrow I'm planning on hitting up the track again with a moderate speed workout.  Keeping my fingers crossed that all stays well.  That's all for tonight, good night and good luck... running that is!  

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Tour de Bago

Hello Runners!,
Today's blog entry is not about running.  I'm sorry to disappoint.  It is instead, about and awesome biking event that I was able to participate in.  After a week of hard training on the track, I decided to cap my week off by doing an 84 mile bike ride around Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake.  My friend Shawn has organized a ride, the Tour de Bago, for 3 years now.  This year, saw a record number of participants, as the field ballooned to more than 30 riders.

Pre Ride Participant Photo
An early start saw the riders line up for 5+ hours of what was sure to filled with fun, laughter, pain, pain, and sore butts.  We navigated through the streets of downtown Neenah and Menasha, taking up an entire lane in the road.  Cars passed us by, slowing down to get a good look at all the crazy's in lycra.  I volunteered to be DJ and photographer extraordinaire (self given title) for the ride.  With my iPod and small speaker, I blasted inspirational and awesome tunes for 2+ hours until the speaker battery died :(  

I rode the first 15+ miles with Jay, Andy Dobbins, and Zeke when all of a sudden a huge dump truck passed us and Jay tucked in behind.  A veteran distance biker, Jay used the truck as a draft, helping him close the gap to the leading riders.  Andy, Zeke and I... well, we took our time and we took pictures.  You'll see a few below!

Zeke leading the pack in his "Trekked" out gear.
 The ride south was difficult to say the least.  We rode into a 20+mph head wind.  Although we rode using drafting techniques, by this point in the ride most people were down to groups of 4-5 riders.  Our route on the east side of Lake Winnebago took us along part of the High Cliff Triathlon route.  Some of the racers didn't realize we weren't part of the race and yelled at us "no drafting" or "you're riding too close to each other".  At one point, race organizers even drove up beside us and tried to get our group to break apart.  We had to tell them that we weren't part of the race.  After some initial confusion, the race organizers finally seemed to believe we were being truthful and left us alone.  This slight altercation, er... miss-communication made me laugh a bit!  I loved it!
It's Wisconsin, of course we rode past cows!
Riding by the east-side Windmills.

One of my favorite parts of the ride (besides finishing) was riding by the windmills.  There is something majestic yet eerie about riding by these giant power producing machines.  Seeing them littered amongst the rolling farm fields of Wisconsin, touring above all other structures is near jaw-dropping.  

Zeke and Andy tearing up the road!

Jay, Zeke, Shawn, Andy, Andy (me!) at Lake Park in Fond du Lac
 After more than 50 miles on the road, we finally made it to the southern most part of the Lake, Fond du Lac.  We had a short rest stop at Lake Park to rendezvous with other riders, refill water bottles, take in some nutrients, and rest the ol' bottom.  By this point the early morning sun had vanished behind overcast skies.  A few rain showers rolled in, flirting with the notion that we may get drenched on the remainder of the ride.  Fortunately, other than a few sprinkles, we manages to stay rain free.  


Riding along Lake Winnebago along County A in Neenah.
The ride north along the west side of the lake was fast and furious.  Led by our fearless leader, Shawn, a blistering pace was set for the final 35 miles.  Aided by the wind at our backs, we cruised at an average of more than 20mph on the way back, having only averaged 14.1 heading south.  Shawn, Zeke, Jay and I decided to make a quick pit-stop at the Dairy Queen in Oshkosh for a small ice cream, you know, a little treat.  Well as it would happen, my hunger got the best of me and I also ordered a chili-cheese hot dog!  Although I managed to eat the hot dog while riding, I would NOT recommend doing it.  Ever.  Ok, that's not true.  I would recommend it.  It was DELICIOUS!  By this point we had clocked nearly 70 miles and I was needing more calories than just Clif Bars and Gu.


Me with my preferred post-race refreshment, Miller 64.
The final few miles were a breeze... but that's only because we had the wind at our backs.  Riding into the finish line gave me a sense of relief.  Although the ride was enjoyable overall, my legs were tired and my ass was sore.  I should also probably let you know that my longest training ride leading up to the tour was 25 miles.  Riding more than triple the distance was probably not the wisest choice, but a great experience nonetheless.  Of course, having a nice cold beer at the finish line makes it all worth it.  The overall course was about 83 miles and it took around 5 hrs 30 minutes to complete it.  Although my GPS watch battery died at mile 79 so I don't know the exacts.  If you'd like to see the ride route and splits, check out my Garmin Connect site!  Finally, I would like to thank my good friend Zeke for putting together some home-brew, the soon to be world famous Saddle Sore Stout from Ezekiel Brewery.  The ride on Saturday put me at 13 consecutive days of either running or biking, so I've decided that Sunday will be a much needed day of rest before I get back into mile training on Monday.  That's all for tonight, good night and good luck... running that is!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Track Practice, Success!

Hello Runners!,
What a week!  The temps cooled off a bit from last weekend and I had 4 great days of running!  On Monday I did a nice 11 mile run.  The plans was for it to be an easy run, but I felt pretty good from the get-go.  After 4 miles at ~8 min pace, I picked up the pace to 7:30's for the next 3 miles.  Mile 8 was around 7:20, mile 9 at 7:10, and mile 10 at 7:05.  I slowed the pace for the final mile just to recover and cool down a bit.  Monday was definitely a day where I feel I could have sustained my pace for 12-15 miles.  


Tuesday, Track Workout.  We had a great turnout for practice with 4-5 guys willing to do a quarters workout.  Being one of the more experienced runners, I had the guys run 3 quarters with 90-120 sec rest between each.  I did the same but added a 4th.  I was feeling good so I did an easy 800m and started another set.  Wham!  Bam!  8 quarters! 
Set 1: 80, 73, 73, 74
Set 2: 80, 75, 76, 71


My goal was to run each quarter at 5:00min/mile pace which is a 75 sec quarter.  As you can see, my first quarter for each set was slow, but I was either at pace or faster for 5 of the 6 other quarters.  I was super happy with the workout.  I was able to relax through 200 meters, extend my stride and try to hold form and pace the last 100 meters of each quarter.  Including warm-up and cool-down, my workout was 7 miles.


Moderate Wednesday:  Wednesday was a near perfect day for running.  70 degrees, a slight wind and party cloudy.  I was still feeling high from my workout on Tuesday and it carried over into my run on Wednesday.  The plan was to do an 8 mile run, but I ended up adding on another small loop, giving me 9.5 miles for the day.  Similar to Monday, I eased into my pace and progressively picked up the pace, running the final couple of miles around 7 minutes.  


Thursday, Track Workout: It was a windy day on Thursday, sustained winds of over 20mph, a head wind on the home stretch.  Jill had put together a track workout which she calls "ladders" although some people may know them better as "pyramids".  This is how a ladder workout goes:  Start with short distances and progressively build up to longer distances (up the ladder), then, we decrease the distances (down the ladder).  Our workout consisted of the following:
4x200m w/60 sec rest
2x400m w/90 sec rest
1x800 w/2 min rest
2x400 w/90 sec rest
4x200 w/60 sec rest


This workout is TOUGH.  Your legs will be jelly and you will be bent over, sucking wind when you are done.  The 200's should be run all out, the 400's at or slightly faster than goal mile pace, and the 800 should bet at or slightly slower than goal pace.  The heavy wind made the 400's and the 800 quite difficult.  With the wind at my back on the backstretch, I tried to relax, lengthen my stride and run smooth.  Once I made the turn for home, I really had to dig deep, drop my head and grind it out.  The final 150m of each lap was HELL!  My splits can be seen on my Garmin Connect page.  My 800 was a little slower than I wanted it to be (2:52) but overall I was very happy with the workout.


Tomorrow is going to be an easy 4-5 miles, just as a recovery run.  Saturday will cap the week off with the Tour de Bago, an 84 mile bike ride around Lake Winnebago.  My plan will be to take a rest on Sunday, as it will be 13 consecutive days of working out after the bike ride on Saturday.  I'm also planning on doing another timed mile some time next week, so look for a blog entry with the mile results coming soon.  That's all for tonight, get out and get running everybody!

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Week Ahead

Hello Runners!,
I have a pretty intense week of training planned.  Last weekend was REALLY hot, I ran the Bellin Run on Saturday, and then took a day off from running on Sunday, instead doing a nice easy 15 mile bike ride.  I'm planning on running around 35-37 miles this week, capping it off with an 84 mile bike ride in the Tour de Bago.


Monday:  Long Run 10-11 miles
Tuesday: Track Workout: 8 quarters (6-7 miles)
Wednesday: Moderate Run: 8 miles
Thursday: Track Workout: Ladders/Pyramid (200s, 400s, 800s) (~6 miles)
Friday: Easy 5 miles
Saturday: TOUR DE BAGO!!!


This is going to be one of the most intense weeks of running I've done in a few years.  I've done weeks with longer mileage but I haven't done a week with the mileage and intensity that I'm planning for this week.  I'm really optimistic about this week's running.  I'm hoping the workouts will really help me get into good middle-distance shape.  It's hard to believe that I'm nearly half-way through June already, and yet I don't feel as though I've done much work towards breaking my sub-5 minute mile goal.  It's time to REALLY start focusing.  It's time I take my own advice and "get out and get running!"

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Bellin Run Results

Hello Runners!,
Well, the Bellin Run sucked.  It was hot and windy and I just didn't run that well.  I guess that was no surprise to me - my hot weather running just doesn't go well, apparently.  I still finished ~130 out of more than 18,000 participants, but my time was much slower than I hoped for.  My primary goal was to PR (sub 38:45) with a secondary goal to at least break 40 min.  Unfortunately, neither of those happened.  I felt pretty good through 3 miles, and then my legs just didn't want to carry me any further.  My legs started to tighten, followed by my back and shoulders.  I was trying to relax, but it wasn't happening.  Instead I just tried to grind it out.  At some point after mile 3 we hit a nice stretch of black-top.  I could immediately feel a temperature difference between the concrete and the black-top.  Even though the Bellin Run organizers added more water stations (THANK YOU!), it didn't seem to help me much.  Oh well.  I finished the race in 40:37.
Splits:
Mile 1: 6:27
Mile 2: 6:37
Mile 3: 6:06
Mile 4: 6:31
Mile 5: 6:39
Mile 6: 6:55
.2 mile: 1:20


Two months back in the States, two races run, two REALLY hot days, and two poor race performances.  All I can do is brush it off and get back to mile training.  That's all for tonight, get out and get running!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Rough Weekend

Hello Runners!,
Well, after a nice 7 miler on Friday, I did a nice 25 mile bike ride with my father, helping me prepare for an upcoming cycling event, the Tour de Bago, an 84 mile bike around Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake.  The bike ride went well, but it was very windy and I took the lead every time we rode into the wind.  Hey - my dad's starting to get older now and having to pull into the wind just isn't as easy for him anymore.


I woke up Sunday with some major tightness in my left groin/hamstring.  Well, scratch that planned 10 mile Sunday long run.  So I took the day off to rest.  When I woke up Monday, my groin/hamstring was a bit better, but the outside of my left heel was giving me pain.  UGH!!!!  Having taken two consecutive days off from running, I didn't want to take a third, but I did.  No way I'm going to mess around and try to run through pain that may cause a more severe injury down the road.  It's better to take an additional day or two off and let the body recover than to just run through it.


Anyway, three days off from running and a few nagging aches and pains got me itching to run again on Tuesday.  My heel was feeling fine on Tuesday, but the groin/hamstring was still a little tight.  I decided to go to track practice and at least warm-up - just to see if my leg would loosen up a bit.  Sure enough, it did.  Jay and Wheelz were planning on doing some Slow Jimmy's, so I decided to join them.  My plan was to start off at about 80% and slowly stretch out my legs, increasing pace as long as I didn't feel any additional tightness in my leg.  It took 2 Slow Jimmy's before I started to feel confident that my leg wouldn't act up.  We ended up running 1 set of 4 Jimmy's, followed by 800m of slow jog, followed by another set of 2 Jimmy's.
Splits:
Set 1: 85, 82, 82, 81 (5:30 mile)
Set 2: 79, 76


Me using "The Stick" to massage my leg/groin.
After a nice long cool-down and some leg massaging with "The Stick" and I was feeling good again.  I'm really happy with the way I handled my minor ailment/injury.  I massaged/stretched/rested and didn't push myself significantly through the pain.  The result:  A few days off from running, a few toned-back workouts, and I got back into regular training. 


On Wednesday I ran an easy 6.5 miles and felt good throughout the run.  Thursday was another track workout.  I ran two quarters (not Slow Jimmy's), both at 74 sec.  I then ran 4x200m sprints, all at 36 sec.  I'm pretty happy with how my speed is starting to increase.  


Today (Friday) I'll do an easy run, and then on Saturday I'm doing the Bellin Run 10k.  Unfortunately, forecasts are for HOT and windy.  I'll let you know how it goes.  That's all for today, get out and go everyone!  

Friday, June 1, 2012

Timed Mile Attempt #3

Hello Runners!
Warming up with Wheelz for the 1 mile run
Yesterday was my third attempt at the 1 mile distance.  It was a pretty nice day for running, around 50 degrees.  It was, of course, windy again.  No worries - head wind one direction means tail wind in the other.  Unfortunately, you tend to feel the head wind more than the tail wind.  I decided to set my GPS watch to take splits every .25 miles in order to save myself a little bit of time of not having to "press the button" each lap.  Unfortunately, the GPS was off slightly and the splits came in about 10-15m too early.  Because of this, my splits were a bit inaccurate.  Thankfully, Jay was right behind me the entire mile so I was able to get his splits after the run.  Not knowing my splits during the race actually screwed up my pacing a bit.  I like to look at my watch at the 200m mark, and then again at the start/finish line.  Because of the GPS inaccuracy, I wasn't quite sure where I was at split-wise throughout the run.  I ended up running a 5:31, my best time this year (a 4 second improvement from April's timed mile) but I feel as though I could have run a little bit faster. I'm actually glad to know I had a little left in the tank.  Splits are as follows:
Lap 1: 81 sec
Lap 2: 84 sec
Lap 3: 83 sec
Lap 4: 83 sec
TOTAL: 5:31


It should also be noted that my friend Wheelz showed up to practice to run as well.  She ran a 5:58 mile on her very first mile attempt EVER!  What a run!  Congratulations to her.


My next goal in my mile training is to get all my splits to be under 80 sec.  Now it is June and time to start the speed workouts.  My basic weekly running schedule will be something near the following:
5 days of running each week.
Saturday/Sunday:  Long slow run (9-12 miles)
Tuesday: Tempo run/quarters/Slow Jimmy's
Wednesday:  Easy to moderate run
Thursday: Quarters/Slow Jimmy's, 200's, other speed workouts
Friday: short, easy run.


I'm going to keep the blogging coming - harder runs are on the horizon! 



Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mile Training has Begun

Hello Runners!
I have taken a short hiatus from blogging.  I didn't make a post all of last week after the half marathon.  To be honest, I really didn't have anything significant to write about.  Last week was a recovery week from the half marathon.  I ran 4 days last week, only about 22 miles total.  I just needed my legs to recover a bit so I didn't do any hard workouts.  This week however, is a different story.


It all started with a hot and sticky 9 mile run on Memorial Day.  It was an exact copy of the weather at the Green Bay Half Marathon the previous weekend (85+ and humid and windy).  I took it easy and grinded out the 9 miler.  I would like to think that at this point in my training I would have no problem running 9 miles, but on occasion it turns out to be difficult.


Yesterday I got back into doing tempo runs.  I'm shortening up my tempo distance, but trying to increase pace.  Yesterday I ran a 2 mile tempo at 6:25 pace.  I was quite pleased with the pace considering there were sustained 20+mph winds.  After doing about 1 mile easy cool-down, I decided to run a hard quarter.  I wasn't near the track so I had to use my GPS watch to monitor distance.  Because of this, it's hard to judge speed and distance remaining without constantly looking at my watch.  I ended up running a 75 sec quarter, but I think I could have gone a little faster if I was on the track  In total I ran 6.5 miles Tuesday. 


Today I did a 7.5 mile run at a moderate pace.  The weather was perfect for distance running.  Mid 50's, little wind, and overcast.  I felt good after about 3 miles so I picked up the pace for the remaining 4, averaging sub 7:30 for the last half of the run.  It didn't feel exhausting or difficult at all.  I love days like today!


Tomorrow I'm planning on running another timed mile, my first in more than a month.  I'm not quite sure if I'll see improvement from last month's time, but it's ok.  I'll be doing a few consecutive weeks of hard training, so tomorrow's mile is just more training to help me build my middle-distance speed and strength.  I'll be happy if all my quarters fall between 80-85 sec.  


Hopefully I'll have more in the coming weeks about setting up a good training plan.  Right now I'm just sort of flying by the seat of my pants.  I also realize that this blog needs more pictures, so I'm going to see if I can't post a few pics each week.  Here's to hoping tomorrow's run goes well!  Good night, and good luck... running that is!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

An Ugly Race

Hello Runners!
Well, the half marathon didn't go so well.  The temps were up, and so was the humidity.  I really thought that I was in good enough shape that I wouldn't have to back off my pace too much, despite the heat.  I was wrong.  The race started off good, the pace was comfortable and I felt fine.  However, by about mile 3 I was starting to feel sluggish.  Oh no.  Immediately after the mile 4 marker there was a bit of a hill.  My legs bit it hard, and I started struggling.  Not good.  4+ miles into the half and already my legs felt spent.  I backed off my pace and tried to relax.  It didn't work too well.  For whatever reason I was even feeling tightness in my upper back/shoulders.  Finally just after mile 7 I stopped and walked for about a minute to catch my breath and relax.  It's the first time I've ever walked in a half marathon.  Anyway, after the short walk I just cruised into the finish, walking another 2 times for about 1 minute each.  I finished the race about 8 minutes off my goal time, nearly 13 minutes slower than my PR.  As a matter of fact, it was my slowest half marathon ever.  My heart really went out to the full marathon runners, however, because they were out in the heat for a heck of a long time.  Then, about 2.5 hours into the race, the Green Bay race director and coordinators decided to cancel the race.  All marathoners were asked to vacate the course and the finish line was taken down.  It turns out the emergency services were pushed to their limits.  Too many people were dropping out and requiring medical attention.  It was an ugly, ugly day for a marathon.  It was a difficult decision to cancel a race, but I think it was the right one.  As a marathoner, it must have been incredibly difficult knowing that your months of training were for naught.


Now for the good news:  The Green Bay Marathon serves beer at the finish.  And brats.  Well, let me tell you, I DEFINITELY had to partake.  A couple of beers and a nice brat after a race feels oh-so-good!  In funny news:  Jay won the Clydesdale division (for male runners 200+ lbs).  Congrats for Jay.  He said that award is a constant reminder to get OUT of the Clydesdale division.  Alright, so the race didn't go so well.  Time to move on and concentrate on what is really important now: going sub-5.