Running on different surfaces

I've been taking this week a bit easier on mileage after feeling some tightness and lingering twinges on my right ITB following Sunday's run. I feel that the right leg is only about 80-85% healthy since the injury. On Monday I gave the legs a break from running. Since then I've kept my runs at about 50-60 minutes while running on different surfaces. Ran on the treadmill on Tuesday, beach on Wednesday, track on Thursday and mostly on grass today. Tuesday and today's run was lovely as I took in the beautiful scenery of Guam's water.

View of Tumon Bay from Two Lover's Point

Yesterday's run on the track was fun. Instead of just circling the track at an easy pace, I decided to add a little speed with some circuit training. After 20' of easy running I did 400s at 5k pace with some core exercises (pushups, situps, crunches, leg-raises, etc.) and plyometric drills between each 400. Did only 7 x 400s as I didn't want to aggravate the ITB. Splits (80, 80, 79, 78, 77, 78, & 80) were fairly consistent at about 5:20 pace

Missing the running trails.

It has been a successful last couple weeks of running. Following a week of recovery from Grandmas I'm slowly building my base mileage. One thing I realized is how lucky and spoiled I've been while stationed at Fort Bragg. The Army post has many running trails (grass, dirt, and sand) and roads to run on giving runners an option to run on soft or hard surface. I think most runners would choose to run on trails versus asphalt/concrete any day of the week. This hasn't been the case for me over the past two weeks as there aren't much running trails in Okinawa and Guam. All of the last 130+ miles has been on asphalt/concrete. There is no doubt that I could feel the extra stress and pounding on the legs and knees. I'm missing the trails.

30 Jun - 06 Jul
Mon: DNR;
Tues: 8M (56:58 - 7:07 pace)
Wed: 8.9M (1:03:23 - 7:07 pace)
Thur: 9.2M (1:04:24 - 7:00 pace)
Fri: 10.1M (1:10:08 - 6:57 pace)
Sat: 10.6M (1:12:35 - 6:51 pace)
Sun: 10.1M (1:10:38 - 7:00 pace)

Weekly Total: 56.9M in 6 runs

07 - 13 Jul
Mon: 7M (1:00:37 - 8:38 pace)
Tues: 10.1M (1:09:22 - 6:52 pace)
Wed: 12M (1:23:07) - 6:56 pace)
Thur: 10.6 (1:14:56 - 7:04 pace)
Fri: 10.2 (1:12:13 - 7:05 pace)
Sat: 11M (1:16:40 - 6:58 pace)
Sun: 14.6 (1:44:23 - 7:09 pace)

Weekly Total: 75.5M in 7 runs

Finally an update

After some convincing from friends, It's time to get back to updating my blog. I have no reason not to blog now, especially that I've recovered from my ITBS and back on the roads and trails. Here's an update of what has taken place since my last post a couple months ago.

Injury
I was sidelined with an IT Band Syndrome on 1 April . After 7-8 weeks of almost no running, plenty of core exercises and weights, nightly foam roller tortures, and lots of stretchings I managed to get healthy and put one foot in front of the other. All I can say is that it was a great feeling to run for 10 minutes, then 15, then 30 and so on.

Grandmas Marathon
After 4-5 weeks of pain-free running, I decided to continue with my planned trip to Duluth, MN for Grandmas Marathon with my friend Bobby. Bobby and I registered for Grandmas so that we can finally say we ran in the same marathon. I ended up running the marathon despite no training. My longest run was a 10-miler on Wednesday the week of the race. I know many people disagreed with my decision to run the marathon, but I truly didn't want it to be my first DNF in a marathon or in any race. I could have easily decided not to make the trip, but then it would mean I'd waste a few hundred dollars and abandon a friend. There were no regrets making the trip. I had lots of fun and still broke 3-hours. Finished in 2:54:08.

Okinawa
I spent a week in Okinawa visiting my brother and playing tourist. Okinawa is beautiful and reminds me of home. The only thing I'd hoped for was that it be a different time of the year. It was just too hot and insanely humid....but again what place isn't this time of the year. I was able to get in at least an hour long run each day, thanks to these drink machines. I was very impressed to see these drink machines (Coke, coffee, juice, tea, water, gatorade, etc.) about every 1/4 mile along the roads. I'd run into these drink machines in places that I'd never thought they'd put one. And they all worked too. 120 Yen was enough to get me through a hot, sweaty hour run.

Guam
Currently in Guam visiting family and friends before heading out to my next duty assignment in the Netherlands. The weather here is nice, around 70-80 degrees with some humidity. As far as running goes I'm trying to put in as much base running as I can while home. So far I've managed to get in 65-85 minutes of easy running each day. These next few weeks will serve as my base phase in preparation for a fall marathon (hopefully ING Amsterdam Marathon).

Don't forget to include those supplemental workouts

Eric brings up an excellent point on strengthening and weightlifting. I truly believe that my ITBS was caused from a lack of core/strength exercises, weightlifting and stretching. I'll admit that I've neglected to include these supplemental workouts with my running over the past 6 months. Not intentionally, but mainly due to limited amount of time to work out during the deployment. In most cases, I would have about 90 minutes to work out, so I chose to use it entirely for running.

Many folks may think that I raced too soon following my deployment. I personally don't think so because I've been able to put in some quality running (60-80 miles/week) from Nov - Mar. It was mostly base mileage, but I did include at least one fartlek workout and/or a 20 min. tempo run. Now what I didn't mention in my earlier post was that I ran an 11-miler at 6:30ish pace the day after the race (which was a total of 18 miles for the day). I definitely knew it was a mistake when I finished that run. In fact, I wrote on my runlog "What was I thinking!".

So, what was the cause of the injury? I'd say a lack of core/strength exercises, weights, and stretching, lack of recovery from a race, and stupidity. A lesson learned. Don't forget to include those supplemental workouts.

Good and Bad News!

(Good) I ran my first race (Inside-Out Sports Classic Half-Marathon) last Sunday, only 10 days following my arrival from Iraq. I'd say it was a 13.1M time trial vs. a race. I placed 2nd overall in 1:15:45 running just about the entire race alone from mile 2 to the finish. The course was very challenging as it was mostly rolling hills. I had a hard time getting out of my comfortable zone and pushing myself as I knew there was noone close behind me. My splits were 11:46 (2M), 5:39, 5:45, 5:53, 5:59, 5:49, 5:49, 5:39, 5:30, 5:47, 5:41, 5:55, & :33.

(Bad) I would write more about my race, but I'm not so much motivated to. The reason being is because I'm in a depressed mode due to an injury. Two miles into my run on Tuesday I felt some pain on the outside of my right knee. The outside of the knee would hurt each time I bend it or push off. It turns out that I encountered an Iliotibial Band Syndrome. For now, I'll take a few days off of running and hope to get healthy very soon.

(Good) In other brief news: I signed up for Grandma's Marathon (21 Jun). I also have about 3 more months (till end of June) remaining stateside before I head out to my new duty assignment (Brunssum, Netherlands). Can't wait!

15 months later....

My 15-month deployment to Iraq has finally come to an end. It is great to back stateside and breathing in some clean fresh air on my runs. Despite being very busy during the deployment, I was able to get out almost every day for a run. I put in some good base mileage from Nov - Mar which led to a good base fitness. I'll see how good the fitness is as I attempt to run my first race (1/2 marathon) since last October.

Why run?

Sometimes I wonder what it is with runners that compel us to get up each morning to put one foot in front of the other. My motivation for running has been at a record low over the past couple weeks. Snoozing the alarm 3 or 4 times and then finally turning it off has become a routine. But the body still somehow finds itself stumbling to the door into the dark and cold morning for a run. I know it's not because of upcoming races because there is none for me, at least for the next 4-5 months. It's not because a training partner is waiting because I don't have one right now. Is it guilt, is it the fear of gaining weight, is it the feeling of accomplishment, or is it because we love our sport? I’m sure every runner has their personal reason. For me, there are many reasons and so far the mind has done a good job of choosing one each morning. On Saturday, I will run and dedicate the first 5.5 miles of the run to Ryan (Shay). Feel free to comment on your reasons to run.

Not a whole lot to write about on training. This week consisted of mostly easy one hour runs. I did get in a fartlek on Tuesday and a 3 mile tempo this morning, so there's still a little motivation to run fast.

Mon: 9.3M easy (1:03:34 - 6:50 pace)

Tues: 10M (1:06:20 - 6:38) including 10 x :30 with 1' easy

Wed: 9M easy (1:04:36 - 7:11 pace)

Thur: 10M (1:06:03 - 6:36 pace) w/ 3M tempo in 17:39 (6:00, 5:52, 5:47);

Updated

Fri: 4.5M including APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test): Push-ups: 128, Situps: 103, 2-Mile Run: 11:23; 2 mile WU and .5 mile CD; hip flexors and quads were done after the situps.

Sat: 8M (53:20 - 6:40 pace) fairly easy; ran the last 1/2 mile in 2:45.

Sun: 15M (1:40:30 - 6:42 pace) long steady run; first 7 miles easy at 6:55 - 7:10 pace, then settled in at ~6:36 pace for the next 4 miles. cruised the last 4 miles in 6:25, 6:10, 6:05, & 5:49. still felt very good and comfortable in the end.

Weekly Total: 65.8M in 7 runs

Rain, rain stay away

It's been about two weeks since I've been back. Not a whole lot of excitement on the running side and I don't think there will be until I complete this deployment. The weather right now is wonderful for running, low-60s in the morning and dry. I mention dry because in about 3-4 weeks the rain will touch ground and it will be ugly. I will have no choice but to run on the dreaded mill. The dirt/sand will turn into mud and will not dry up till around March. Yes, you got that right.... it will be a few months of treadmill running. The plan is to run easy with maybe one key workout and the mileage somewhere around 50-55 miles/wk. Hopefully this will keep me in decent shape.

Thur: 9.1M (58:51 - 6:28 pace); ran a 4-mile tempo at slower than tempo pace. splits: 6:06, 5:52, 5:47, & 5:40; really didn't feel like running any faster so I just went with it.

Wed: 8M easy; (56:17 - 7:02 pace)

Tues: 10M (1:06:15 - 6:38 pace) Fartlek workout: 3 x 3-2-1 @ ~3k-5k pace; felt good to get in some fast pace running.

Mon: 8.5M easy; (1:00:04 - 7:04 pace)

Sun (28 Oct): 10M easy; (1:08:36 - 6:52 pace)

Sat (27 Oct): 10M easy; (1:07:39 - 6:46 pace)

American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler - 56:35 (1st Overall)

It's been an amazing two in a half weeks of rest and recuperation leave and now it's time to head back to Iraq for the remaining 5 months of this marathon deployment. My leave was wonderful as I was able to visit family & friends both in hometown Guam and in NC. To make things better I was also able to run 3 awesome races in 3 weekends: Army 10-Miler (DC), Guam Ko'ko' 20K, and the American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler (Apex, NC) this morning. Oh, I can also say that I've won two of the three races.

Of the three races I've ran, the American Tobacco Trail 10-Miler wins the prize for best race. Reasons include: trail race, nice flat course, excellent competition, perfect weather, and good race performance. I went into the race with the mindset to have fun and run a sub-59 since the race was on trails. The race started and I immediately found myself in 3rd place. The two runners up front took off and I had no intentions to follow. They were wearing their running club racing singlet so I knew they had to be pretty good. I came thru three miles in 17:23 (5:44, 5:49, 5:50). The first guy had about a 100 meter lead and the second guy only about 25 meters in front of me. At the 3-mile mark I was feeling too comfortable and I told myself that I'd better put a little more effort into the race. I caught the 2nd runner with a 5:29 4th mile and was still feeling very good. At that point I knew it was going to be a good day. The course is out and back so I knew I'd get a good look at how far I was from the lead runner at the turn around point. I came across mile 5 in 28:27 (5:36). I could now see the lead runner coming back to me and it was only a matter of time before I'd catch him. My 6th mile split was 5:32. A half mile later I caught the lead guy and ran with him for a few seconds. Still feeling good I took the lead and kept pushing never looking back. I came across the 9th mile marker in 50:48, at which I knew a sub-57 was well within reach. I slowed in the last mile (5:47) and finished with a 56:35. The 2nd place runner ended up almost a minute back. I did not know until I got home that my PR was sitting at 56:35. It was a kick in the butt knowing that I definitely could have broken my 10-mile PR. It was my best race this year as I ran negative splits of 28:27 & 28:08. Mile by mile splits were 5:44, 5:49, 5:50, 5:29, 5:36, 5:32, 5:39, 5:31, 5:38, & 5:47. I was awarded a gift certificate which was used to get some new shoes (Saucony Progrid Trigon 5 Ride). It was a good day to end R&R leave.

Ko'Ko 20K - 1:13:40 (1st Overall)

My race went fairly well despite the humid conditions early in the morning. I won the race in 1:13:40 with the 2nd place runner a little over 2 minutes back. Coming into the race I was not expecting to run a fast time because of the conditions. I had to remind myself that running in Guam year around is like running in the Southeast during the summer time.... hot and very humid. The race also had an Ekiden (4-person relay) race, which started 15 minutes after the soloist. Personally, I liked the idea because it prevented me from going out hard with guys who may only be running a 5k leg. The gun went off at 5am in the dark. After a couple hundred meters the course took us up a decent hill in which I found myself and two other runners already alone in the front. My plan was to go out at 6:00 pace for the first couple miles. Even with the hill the three of us came across mile 1 in 6:01. A half mile later one runner dropped off the pace and it was just me and a high school runner Chris (later found out he won All-Island Cross Country). After hitting the 2nd mile in 5:59 (12:00) I asked the kid if he wanted to take turns leading every quarter-mile; however, he passed up the offer. I think he was new to the distance and didn't know that exchanging leads would help him. For the next 4 miles (5:53, 57, 56, 54) we ran comfortably stride for stride. I knew that if I kept running at 5:50+ pace then I was only keeping him in the race for the win. Following the 6th mile, I decided to start picking up the pace. We came across miles 7 & 8 at 5:46 pace. After 8 miles I could hear Chris' breathing rate become faster so I increased the pace a bit more. A 9th mile split of 5:44 was enough to put him back about 10 meters. Another 5:46 split and I knew the race was in the bag. Here is an article on the race. My GPS watch registered the course at 12:52 miles.

It felt great to run a race back home again. It also reminded me how tough it is to race here in the beautiful island.

Back home in Guam

Wow! It's been a month since I last posted. Last Sunday I ran the Army Ten-Miler in DC. It was a bad day for racing. Ran 57:28, 54th overall and 20th in my division. It was hot and humid. I know I could have dealt with the heat since I was training in it in Iraq. But the humidity was the problem. It was 87% humidity. Splits were 5:30, 5:37, 5:34, 5:38, 5:43, 5:40, 5:52, 5:57, 6:03, & 5:54. As you can see, everything went downhill after the 6th mile. The good side was that Fort Bragg's men and women's team placed 2nd overall.

I'm currently in Guam spending my last week of R&R (rest & recuperation). What a wonderful feeling it is to be back home with family and friends after 4 years of absence. This morning I went for a short easy run at the War In The Pacific National Historic Park in Asan. I played tourist and took my camera along with me. Below are some pictures. Tomorrow, I will run the Guam 20K Ko'Ko' Road Race. It will be an early morning race as it starts at 5am.

Torpedo missile

A walk into the ocean

Kid drinking on the ride

Running path

Inspiration

This post is dedicated to Mike Mann, an Air Force running friend who recently lost his battle with cancer. I first met Mike at the Marine Corps Marathon in '03 when he ran for the Air Force marathon team. He was someone who really loved to run and compete. He was also a fast runner with a marathon PR of 2:28. More importantly, Mike was an inspiration to many people. He underwent chemo and battled back running the 2006 Shamrock Marathon in 2:54.

A few links about Mike.
Running Carries Airmen Through Chemo Treatments

Washington Running Report

Running community mourns Mann's death

What's one more mile...

The original plan was to get in 15-16 miles. It wasn't going to be an issue because my unit doesn't do a morning BUB (battle update brief) on Sundays. Well, that changed when one of my soldiers woke me up at 2am to tell me that there will be a BUB at 0800. Okay, I can still get in about 13-14 miles. I headed out at 0520 for a steady easy run, which turned out to be 14 miles in 1:34:18 (6:44 pace) with the last mile in 6:06. The shoes, socks, and shirt were off within minutes of finishing the run. As I walked out to the shower trailer with a towel and hygiene bag in hand my battle buddy stopped me and told me that our meeting had now been pushed back to 0900. Great! I immediately did a U-turn and put my shirt, socks, and Boston Classics back on. I intended to run only a couple more miles to reach the original plan of 16. I got to 16 and decided to get in one more; 17 miles and a running time of 1:54:00 later I thought to myself "what the hell, six more minutes and I'll be at 18 in 2 hours". I can honestly tell you that there were no thoughts of going any further. The legs felt fine as miles 16-18 were comfortable at 6:25 pace. The body just had no energy left. According to my Garmin (Forerunner 205), I burned 2422 calories for the run. Not sure how accurate the Garmin is with calories burned, but I do know it had to be a lot with the run leaving my body feeling depleted.

Weekly Summary
Mon: 10M (1:12:22 - 7:14 pace) nice and easy

Tues: 13M (1:25:05 - 6:33 pace) 20' tempo (3.45M @ 5:48 pace) followed by 3' easy + 3 x 400m (77, 79, & 71) w/ 400m rec. + 2 x 1-mile tempo (5:33 & 5:37) w/ 1' easy; Legs really didn't get going until about the 3rd mile of the tempo; the 1-mile tempo felt comfortably hard but I could feel fatigue creeping into the legs in the end. Overall, a good workout.

Wed: 11M (1:18:00 - 7:05 pace) easy run

Thur: 13.2M (1:25:47 - 6:30 pace); 4 x 1-mile cruise intervals (5:34, 5:32, 5:22, & 5:23) w/ 2' easy + 6 x 200m (36, 35, 38, 36, 36, & 37) w/ 200m rec. + 2-mile acceleration run (12:35) - started out easy at 7:00 pace and increased the pace every 1/4 mile; last quarter in 1:21. Going into the run I was expecting the legs to be a bit tired. Ended up feeling pretty good.

Fri: 11M (1:17:36 - 7:03 pace) easy run

Sat: 11M (1:14:10 - 6:45 pace) progression run; easy for the most part with the last 4 miles progressively faster (6:38, 6:16, 6:08, & 5:42); last 1/2 mile in 2:39.

Sun: 18M (2:00:25 - 6:41 pace) steady long run; miles 13 & 14 in 6:19, 6:06; miles 16-18 at 6:25 pace; body is done in the end; longest run since Nov '06.

Weekly Total: 87.2 miles in 7 runs

Tough lost

It was a tough week as I lost a good friend. Erick, a fellow commander and paratrooper, paid the ultimate price for freedom. He was an easy going guy who had a great sense of humor. Erick and I worked together as staff officers before we transferred to take command. He didn't go far though as our offices were only about 50 meters apart. I'm going to miss the mornings at Ft Bragg where we would come into work at the same time and yell "Another day in the double A". Erick, you will be missed!

It wasn't the best week of training, but also wasn't the worst. I missed two consecutive days of running due to operations. Taking a day off from running was probably a good idea as the legs were feeling fatigue on Monday's easy run. Well, not sure if I'd call it a day off since I spent majority of the time on my feet in body armor and in 115 degree heat. It's quite funny that I add on almost half of my weight (which is a whopping 120 lbs) with just my body armor , ammunition, and water. On Thursday I contemplated whether to run easy or put in a tempo workout. I hated the fact that I missed two days of running so it was an easy decision to run the tempo. The workout had me confident that my fitness is quickly improving (at least that's what I think). Ended the week at 60 miles on 5 runs so I'm pretty satisfied.

Weekly Summary
Mon: 10M (1:10:43 - 7:04 pace); fortunate to get in a run before heading out for a few days

Tues/Wed: unable to run

Thur: 13M (1:25:30 - 6:35 pace); 3 x 2-mile tempo w/ 2-min easy (11:24, 11:20, & 11:18) plus 4 x :30 fast w/ 1-min rec jogs; breathing was more controlled in last 2 tempo repeats; felt good on the legs when I added in the quick 30 sec. of fast running.

Fri: 10.5M (1:15:25 - 7:11 pace); last night was very tough and sad; good friend Erick passed away; ended up getting only a couple hours of sleep; really didn't feel like getting up to run, but it was necessary to clear the mind; God Bless Erick.

Sat: 11M (1:13:04 - 6:39 pace); progression run; averaged 6:56 pace for first 7 miles then 6:08 for the last 4 miles; ran last mile in 5:47

Sun: 15.5M (1:44:38 - 6:45 pace); mid-long run; pace slowly progressed during the run; average pace for 5 mile splits were 7:10, 6:46, & 6:25; finished strong with mile 15 in 6:01 and the last 1/2 mile in 2:48. Legs felt real sluggish early on, but better when I took in some Gatorade which I ended up carrying along for majority of the run.

Weekly Total: 60 miles i n 5 runs

Not my choice of running clothes

I was not looking forward to this morning's mid-long run when I stepped out the door to what felt like an outdoor sauna. The air was extremely warm with almost no breeze. Later found out that it was 90 degrees at the time of my run. It was another run that I finished in soaked PTs (physical training uniform). Shorts that are a few inches above your knees and have no breathing room, PT shirt that weighs a ton when drenched in sweat, white ankle socks with no logos, and a reflective belt around your waist to let the enemy know it's the same 'ol guy out running around the camp again and again. Gotta love the Army PTs. Maybe I should wear 'em in a marathon. I so can't wait to run in my choice of running clothes: splits or v-notch shorts, singlet, dry-fit or no shirt, long sleeve, running cap, beanie..... To bad I don't have the luxury of wearing my choice of running clothes. I've gotten over it so it's really not a big deal now.

About the run: I ran fairly easy for the first six miles which I averaged 7:05 pace. The legs were feeling okay, not fresh but also not too fatigued. I suddenly got into a good rhythm and found myself running steady consistently hitting the miles in 6:35 – 6:40. After a 6:28 13th mile I noticed that the leg-turnover slowly started to increase. I went along with it and the Forerunner alerted me that mile 14 was at 6:19 (.5M in 3:13 & 3:06). Wanting to finish strong I took the last mile 1/4-mile at a time hitting the splits in 1:29, 1:27 (2:56), 1:28 (4:24), & 1:21 (5:45). I got a little too excited in the last 1/4 mile. It was a good way to finish the week of running.

Weekly Summary:
Mon: 9.25M easy (1:06:00 - 7:08 pace)

Tues: 12M (1:22:35 - 6:53 pace); 5 x 1200m w/ 3' recovery jogs; (4:01, 4:05, 4:03, 3:59, 4:04); extremely warm at 91 degrees; struggled and never got into rhythm.

Wed: 10.1M easy (1:11:47 - 7:07 pace)

Thur: 13M (1:24:02 - 6:28 pace); WU, 3M tempo (5:47 pace) w/ 3' easy, 2M tempo (5:41 pace) w/ 2' easy, 1M tempo (5:31 pace) w/ 1' easy, CD; felt like the legs got going about 2.5 miles into the 3M tempo. happy with the workout. still very warm.

Fri: 10M easy (1:11:35 - 7:10 pace)

Sat: 11M progression run (1:13:04 - 6:39 pace); first 5 miles in 35:20 (7:04 pace) then last 6 miles in 37:44 (6:17 pace); last mile in 5:55.

Sun: 15M steady run (1:40:46 - 6:43); steady easy with the last couple miles progressively faster; last mile in 5:45; very warm.

Weekly Total: 80.35 miles in 7 runs

Run when you can

In response to Eric's comments: I wish I was running out of things to do, then it would mean I can put in more miles. In actuality I'm fortunate that I can even squeeze in an hour of running each day with my current deployed schedule. Here's a typical day for me: wake-up at 0515 (that's 5:15 am), out the door running by 0530 (body and legs still asleep for the first few miles), finish run and gym workout by 0700, finish personal hygiene (that's if we don't run out of water which happens every once in a while - thank goodness for baby wipes) and changed by 0730 in order to be at my command post by 0745; attend daily meeting at 0800; from 0800 to ~2200 (10:00pm) I'm doing my job as a commander which could mean numerous things from being very busy with support operations to the dreaded admin work; i'm usually in bed by 2300 which is normally interrupted by the sound of artillery throughout the night. Sunday's are much better because I don't have the 0800 meeting, which means I can put in an extra 1/2 - 1 hour of sleep and still run a little longer. I still try to finish my run by 0730 or else I'll be crawling in 95-100 degree heat.

Here's how the week went:

Mon: 9.1M (1:05:37 - 7:13 pace) easy; legs a little tight from 5k, but not sore.
Tues: AM - 11.5M (1:16:52 - 6:41 pace) 12 x 1-min w/ 1-min recovery jogs; PM - 4.5M (33:50 - 7:31 pace); very easy run at 9pm
Wed: 9.1M (1:05:41 - 7:13 pace) standard hour easy run. exact route and pace as Mon.
Thur: 11.5M (1:17:59 - 6:47 pace) 6 x 1-mile @ tempo pace w/ 1-min rests (5:50, 5:49, 5:39, 5:39, 5:37, & 5:37); felt fairly good
Fri: 10M (1:13:03 - 7:18 pace) easy run
Sat: 10M (1:08:31 - 6:51 pace) mostly easy w/ last couple miles in 6:14 & 5:55; body very tired with legs feeling like bricks; the last mile was a complete struggle.
Sun: 15M (1:41:18 - 6:45 pace) steady long run w/ last 2 miles in 12:12; a much better run compared to yesterday.

Weekly Total: 80.7 miles in 8 sessions

Army Ten-Miler

It looks like I'm going to make it to the start line of the Army Ten-Miler on Oct 7. I'll be on my R&R (rest & recuperation) so I'm treating myself to this race. It will be fun and exciting, especially that I'll be running with the Fort Bragg team in hopes of bringing back the Commander's Cup. I have a little less than 8 weeks to get ready so I need to get down to business.

This morning I did cruise intervals, 6 x mile at tempo pace with 1-min rests. The goal pace was 5:41 - 5:50 based off of my 16:51 5k on Sunday. I might have underestimated my fitness because the first couple mile cruise intervals felt like a walk in the park. After hitting the first couple intervals in 5:50 & 5:49, I let the body run what felt like comfortably hard. I hit the remaining cruise intervals in 5:39, 5:39, 5:37, & 5:37. The workout gave me a lot of confidence. If things work out well then I should be able to knock out a 55 on race day.

Today's Run: 11.5M with 6 x 1mile @ tempo pace w/ 1-min rests (5:50, 5:49, 5:39, 5:39, 5:37, & 5:37)

Feels good to finally run another 5k

Ran a 16:51. Time wasn't anything spectacular but I was satisfied with how things went considering it was 90 degrees at the start (0700) and noone to accompany me up front. The goal going in was to break 17 minutes. I knew this task would be a challenge because I didn't decrease the miles going into the race and also haven't been doing much speedwork. A perfect way to determine base fitness.

When the race started about 10 guys took off like it was a mile race. I knew that these were folks who either never ran a 5k or wanted some glory of leading a race. About a half mile into the run I found myself running alone. I hit the 1st mile in 5:24. I was hoping to see 5:18-5:20 for the first mile. I tried to pick up the pace on the 2nd mile but a right turn into a slight headwind got me struggling to maintain the effort. I came through mile 2 in 10:50 (5:26). On the third mile the legs were feeling okay, but the breathing started to get heavier. When I reached the 3rd mile mark in 16:18 (5:28) I gave it all I got knowing that it would be close to running sub-17. Looking back I ran a fairly even-pace race. It would have been nice to run negative splits, but how often does that happen in a 5k.

Overall, it was another good week of running. Two consecutive weeks at 70 miles has me confident that my fitness is coming along.

Here's how the week went:

Mon: 8.5M easy
Tues: 11M w/ 5 sets of (2 x 200m hard w/ 200m recovery + 400m hard w/ 400m recovery); avg'd 35-36 sec. for 200s and 74-75 sec. for 400s
Wed: 8.5M easy
Thur: 11.6M w/ 5 x 5min. @ ~10k pace w/ 2min. recovery jogs
Fri: 9.5M easy
Sat: 8.1M easy
Sun: 13M w/ 5K in 16:51

Weekly Total: 70.2 miles in 7 sessions

Not much to report

The week of running has gone fairly well. I managed to get in some decent mileage with a couple good workouts. There is a 5k next Sunday which I plan to run to see what my fitness is like.

Here's how the week went.

Mon: 1:00:17 (8.2M - 7:21 pace); easy run
Tues: 1:14:03 (11M - 6:44 pace); fartlek workout - 12 x 1 min. w/ 1 min. recovery jogs
Wed: 1:01:12 (8.25M - 7:25 pace); easy run with the last 1.25M at 6:05 pace
Thur: 1:15:58 (11.5M - 6:36 pace); 4 x 1M at tempo pace with .25M recovery jogs
Fri: 1:10:16 (9.5M - 7:24 pace); easy run with the last .5M at 6:10 pace
Sat: 1:03:55 (9.25M - 6:55 pace); easy run with last .25M at 5:28 pace
Sun: 1:34:44 (14M - 6:46 pace); steady run with miles 8-10 in 18:27 (6:09 pace)

Weekly Total: 71.7 miles in 7 sessions

90 degrees isn't that bad

I think my body is acclimated to the high temperatures. It was 90 degrees at run time (0515) this morning, but it felt more like in the mid-80s. The morning temps for the last 3 days were at 94 degrees, so it could be the four degrees difference. The high two days ago reached a blistering 125 degrees.

Since I'm not able to put in the long(er) runs (16-20M) like I normally would do back in the rear, I need to start incorporating some threshold running into my Sunday runs to make the best of it. After 3 miles of easy running I ran 2 x 12 minutes at tempo pace (which I’d say is ~5:48 pace with my current fitness) with a 2-minute rest in between followed with 45 min easy. My average pace for the 12-minutes was 5:40 & 5:50 respectively. I slowed in the last minute of the 2nd repeat when I encountered a side-stitch. These side-stitches are a mystery. They seem to show up when they want to…..in most cases, during our big races. The last one I had was around the halfway mark of Rocket City Marathon. The last 45 minutes of running felt good as I cruised along at 6:40 pace.

Here's how the week of running went:

Mon: Unable to run.
Tues: 1:13:32 including 4 x 5min @ 10k effort w/ 3min recovery (11M - 6:41 pace)
Wed: 1:00:41 (8.2M - 7:24 pace)
Thur: 1:05:24 (10M - 6:32 pace); middle 4 miles (4-7) in 24:20
Fri: 1:07:10 (9M - 7:28 pace)
Sat: 1:03:10 (9M - 7:01 pace)
Sun: 1:33:39 (14.1 - 6:39 pace); w/ 2 x 12 minutes @ tempo pace

Weekly Total: 61.3 miles in 6 sessions

Running On The Sun

The temperature has not dropped below 90 degrees the past three days. I don't think it will for the remainder of July and most of August. Here's what it was like yesterday: 5am - 92 deg; 10am - 104 deg.; 3pm - 119 deg.; 8pm - 107 deg. It's to the point where easy running is not so easy because of the heat. I think there will be benefits of just putting in some mileage of easy running to stay fit and sustain a good base.

Yesterday, I ran 11 miles which included 4 x 5 min. at 10k effort with 3 min. recovery jogs. I intended to run easy the entire run, but felt the need to elevate the heart rate. By feel I think the HR hovered around 85%. This morning I did an easy 8-miler.

I watched "RUNNING ON THE SUN" (Badwater 135) and could only imagine what those endurance runners went through. If you haven't watched it I suggest you do. It's grueling! The temperature reached a high of 122 degrees today and I thought about what it would feel like to be running in these conditions for 24 - 48 hours straight. No thanks!

Today's Run: 1:00:41 (8 miles - 7:24 pace)
Yesterday's Run: 1:13:32 (11 miles - 6:41 pace); w/ 4 x 5 min. @ 10k effort

Not a bad week

Today ended a good week of running coming off of minor issues with the Achilles. I was able to put in at least an hour of running each day this week. This morning's run was mostly easy running with the last four miles at 6:30ish pace. I got in 90 minutes of running which to tell you truth is the longest I've ran since being deployed in January. Hopefully the Sunday runs will increase in miles over the next few weeks. It will be tough though because the temperature is still rising. Today's high was 118 degrees. Temperature at run time this morning was 88 degrees; still very warm but better than Thursday when it was in the low-90s. I hit the gym immediately following the run to do some stretching, push-ups and an ab workout. I wanted to test my upper body strength so I did my so-called 100 push-ups test. I time myself how long it will take me to do 100 push-ups without getting up or dropping to my knees. This is no easy test. I started doing this test about two months ago, about once every 2 weeks. I did it in 64 seconds. I was smoked afterwards. 100 push-ups in 64 seconds was a PR for me. My previous best was 69 seconds.

Here's how the week of running went:

Mon: 8 miles in 1:00:40 (7:35 pace); easy run
Tues: 10 miles in 1:09:04 (6:54 pace); last 4 miles at 6:35 pace.
Wed: 8.1 miles in 1:00:08 (7:25 pace)
Thur: 11 miles in 1:14:55 (6:48 pace); ran miles 8-10 at 6:07 pace
Fri: 9 miles in 1:07:26 (7:30 pace);
Sat: 9.1 miles in 1:00:40 (6:40 pace); ran miles 5-7 at 5:54 pace
Sun: 13.3 miles in 1:30:35 (6:49 pace); last 4.3 miles at 6:35 pace

Weekly Total: 68.5 miles in 7 sessions

Easy running

I’ve been taking this week fairly easy making sure not to anger the Achilles. I can honestly say that running a bit slower than normal easy pace feels good. It got me thinking that I previously should have been running my recovery runs a few seconds slower. This morning I ran 7 miles with one of my soldiers averaging 7:44 pace before continuing on for a couple more miles. I was feeling really good and couldn’t resist the urge to finish the last mile strong. I finished with a 6:18 mile, which felt very comfortable. (9 miles in 1:07:26 – 7:30 pace)

Thursday: 11 miles steady with miles 8-10 in 18:22 (6:07 pace). Achilles held up pretty good with no problems. Temperature at 0530 was approximately 90 degrees. (11 miles in 1:14:55 - 6:48 pace)

Wednesday: ran an easy 8 miler starting at 8 min. pace and progressing to a last mile of about 6:35. The goal for the week is to put in at least one hour of running each day. (8.1 miles in 1:00:08 – 7:25 pace)

4 Kinds of People.....

While everyone’s (Mike, Eric, Greg, and everyone else) running and training is going very well, I’m on the other side of the world trying to stay healthy and injury-free. Don’t worry there’s no whining or crying on this end. I’m satisfied enough that the Brooks Axiom is laced up each morning and put to use.

Last night, before hitting the sack and while the booms went off, I watched “JACK DANIELS – The Art and Science of Running” presented by McMillan Running. This DVD is educational and worth purchasing, especially if you’re a fan of Dr. Daniels training philosophy. In one of his sections, he explains that there are 4 kinds of people (runners):

1. A/M: those who have ability and are motivated
- Champions

2. A/NM: those who have ability, but are not motivated (no desire)
- Coach Frustrators

3. NA/M: those who have no ability, but are motivated
- Self Frustrators; he/she will do everything the coach tells him/her to do and more to improve; easily over-trained

4. NA/NM: those who have no ability and are not motivated
- Forget about them; not interested; Losers (he didn’t say this in the DVD)

Which one are you? I think we all would like to be Champions, but were not fortunate to be born with all the ability (talent). I believe that as long as you make the most of your ability and are motivated to reach your goals, then you’re a Champion in my eyes.

Today’s run: 1:09:04 (10 miles – 6:54 pace)
Yesterday: 1:00:40 (8 miles – 7:35 pace)

Much better

This morning's run was much better than the last couple days. I managed to put in 10 pain-free miles at a fairly easy pace. After Friday's leg problems, I started to get back into the habit of stretching at night before hitting the sack. I think it helps keep the leg muscles loose. Eric brings up an excellent point in his comment about the legs needing to get enough blood flow. I think I get enough blood flow to the legs because I'm constantly on the move throughout the day. I'll just need to ensure to take in lots of fluids as it is very easy to become dehydrated in 110 degree temperatures.

This is how the week went:

Monday: 8.1 miles in 56:18 (6:57 pace); Last 4 miles were painful.
Tuesday: No running
Wednesday: No running; lots of stretching
Thursday: No running
Friday: 5 miles in 33:50 (6:46 pace)
Saturday: 8.1 miles in 55:45 (6:53 pace)
Sunday: 10.2 miles in 1:10 (6:52 pace); Miles 7-9 at 6:20 pace.

More problems...

On Monday, I went on my normal one hour easy run. Halfway through the run my Achilles began to act up. It was bothering me to the point where I had to change my stride to relieve some pounding on the right Achilles. I really wanted to stop and walk back but that would mean 4 miles of walking. The run was painful and it left me thinking that I should take the next few days off from running. Later that day, I had treatment #5 of iontophoresis and treatment #6 the following day. I took Tues - Thurs off from running hoping that the leg will get better.

This morning I ran 5 miles to see how the leg would hold up. The Achilles felt fine, but everything else on my right leg didn't. The calves, hamstring, and soleus muscles were very tight and giving me hell. It may have been lack of fluids and stretching. This was one of those runs where if it wasn't one thing it was another. I was just glad to get the run over with.

Today's Run: 33:50 (5 miles - 6:46 pace)

First week of July

Here's how the week of running went. I ended the week with 56 miles on 6 runs. I'm happy with whatever runs I can put in.

Monday: Easy one hour run. The legs really appreciated the easy effort. Yesterday’s run ended the week at 64 miles, my highest mileage in about 7 months. (8.6 miles in 1:00:04 – 6:58 pace).

Tuesday: 10 miles including 5 x ½ mi with ½ mi recovery. It felt good to put in some fast pace running. I started to feel a little irritation on my right Achilles during the cool-down. (10 miles in 1:06:19 – 6:36 pace).

Wednesday: 6 miles very easy with my NCO. The right Achilles still feels irritated. I had it checked by a physical therapist and underwent 15 minutes of some type of electromagnetic treatment. The PT put two pads on the achilles and attached some wires to it which felt like needles to the skin. Will undergo five more treatments. (6 miles in 45:45 – 7:37 pace)

Thursday: Thought of not running to give the Achilles a break, but my stubbornness led me out the door. Took it easy the entire run. Same exact route and pace as Monday. Underwent treatment #2. (8.6 miles in 1:00 – 6:58 pace)

Friday: 10 miles at aerobic pace. Ran the first 5 miles easy averaging 7:00 min/mile. Ran the second half in 30:58 (6:12 pace). The Achilles was feeling okay so I picked up the pace to get in some faster leg-turnover. I'm really asking for trouble. Treatment #3. PT asked if I ran and I told her yes only a few miles. (10 miles in 1:05:58 – 6:36 pace)

Saturday: Took a day off from running to give the Achilles a break. Rough and busy day. I missed my treatment.

Sunday: With a ¼ mile of visibility due to dusts and temperatures in the low-90s at 5:30 in the morning, I chose to run on the treadmill. Ran majority of the run very easy. In the middle of the run I did 4 x 1 mile at 6:00 pace w/ ½ mile easy in between. Overall, the entire run felt easy. Underwent treatment #4. (13 miles in 1:31:30 – 7:02 pace)

Weekly Total: 56 miles

Six Months Later...

Wow, my first post on running blog-land since leaving stateside six months ago to attend an unplanned vacation which was extended to 15 months. The workload has settled down so I hope to drop a post once or twice a week to let you know how the running is going. Yes, believe it or not, I’m able to put in some runs despite the unsafe environment. In fact, running has been consistent over the past few months after not running a single mile in January and February. Getting back into some type of running shape was a bit painful at first, but the fitness seems to be coming along fine. On Sunday I ended the week at 64 miles, my highest weekly mileage since last December when I ran Rocket City. The goal for now is to just run and sustain some type of base, hopefully around 50-60 miles/week. With no Running Circles to accompany me on my runs, I had no choice but to adopt a friend from the Garmin family. His name is Forerunner 205. Forerunner keeps me motivated, accompanies me in every run and even measures the run route for me. I never have to worry about him sleeping in too.

Well, enough about Forerunner, this is about me. Yesterday, I ran easy for an hour covering 8.6 miles (6:57 pace). This morning I put in 10 miles which included 5 x ½ mi with ½ mile recoveries. The splits were all over the place at 2:48, 2:39, 2:46, 2:41, & 2:42. It doesn’t really matter since there are no scheduled races on the calendar, at least for the next nine months. The thing that does matter is that I’m still able to put one foot in front of the other.

Duty Calls

Well, the talk or rumor of a possible deployment ends now. My unit got the official order to deploy. I'm heading for the sandbox for the 3rd time. I will be leaving very shortly. All I can say is that this day next week I will most likely be in a country you hear about each day in the media. I can assure you that the running shoes will be packed. I'm not sure how much running I'll be able to put in, but I hope it is some. If I'm lucky I may be able to run a few fun races while deployed like I did the last couple rotations.

For now, I say so long. Thanks to all who have visited this site. It's been a great pleasure being a part of the running blog-land. My blog will still be here, but I most likely will not update it till I get back (whenever that is). Good luck to everyone in 2007. Run hard, run smart.

It's not about the bike

Instead of a white Christmas yesterday, it was a wet Christmas. I opened the door ready to head out for my Christmas run at 6:30am and all I see and hear is the pouring rain. A strong downpour, a 10-15 mph wind and 42 degrees temperature ...... Should I run? I'm in my last week of recovery from the marathon, so I don't think it will hurt to skip out on a run. Not wanting to get soaked in the cold rain I got on my bike, which I've used more indoors than outdoors, and rode for an hour while watching my favorite running movie Chariots of Fire. It's always been a tradition for me to run on special days (b-day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc.), so I was feeling guilty during the day. Since it stopped raining in the early evening I ended up putting in an easy 30 minutes of running.

This morning I ran on the Cape Fear River Trail. Either everyone was back at work or they all had a long christmas and are sleeping in. During the 9 miles of running on this trail I only saw a couple walkers. It was surprising noone else was out running because the trail is normally busy with walkers, runners, and bikers. As I trotted along on my run I tried to focus on running easy with good form. I must have gotten in the zone around mile 3, because I was cruising along at 6:40 pace. Going out the breathing was easy, inhaling and exhaling every three steps. On the way back I increased the pace just a little to where I was breathing in and out every couple steps. As I approached the last mile I picked up the pace again just to break an hour for the run.

Today's run: 59:54 (9 miles - 6:39 pace)

Monday: 29:56 (4.2 - 7:08 pace)

Out and back

After having an awesome time running Duke Forest yesterday, I'm back running in the local area. I did an out-and-back course from home to post (Ft Bragg). This is one of my routine routes when I don't feel like driving on-post to hit the trails. The route is all grass/dirt so it's easy on the legs. As I got closer to the Reilly Road entrance gate to Ft Bragg, I came across the intersection where a tragic accident, which left 3 dead, occurred earlier in the week. The sides of the intersection were filled with flowers. It was a sad scene. As I ran past the intersection I remembered that as runners we must be cautious of our surroundings. Even though we run against traffic and off of roads there are still those foolish drivers who have no courtesy for runners.

I went out comfortably easy hitting the 6-mile turnaround point in 40:48. On my way back I could tell that the legs and breathing got into a steady rhythm. I ended up coming back faster in 39:06, an average pace of 6:31. The 12-mile run almost felt like a tease. I wanted to run more. This morning's run completes the second week of marathon recovery.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Today's run: 1:19:54 (12 miles - 6:40 pace)
Weekly mileage: 53.8 miles

Al Buehler Trail - Duke Forest

A rock displaying Buehler's accomplishments

Al Buehler Trail

Wanting to get away from the Fort Bragg/Fayetteville area and have a change of running scenery, I decided to drive to Durham to run in the Duke Forest. The Duke Forest comprises of 7900 acres of land and lies adjacent to the Duke University campus. There are many different trails in the forest that are not only good for running but also for hiking, horseback riding, and biking.

I chose to run the Al Buehler Trail. The trail is named after Al Buehler, former head coach of Duke University's men's track & field and cross country team for 45 years. The trail, used by Duke varisty runners and weekend warriors, consists of a 3-mile loop around the Washington Duke Golf Course and a 1-mile fitness trail added on. After completing the 4 miles just under 27 minutes (26:51), I was making my way around the trail for a 2nd time. That's until I saw another trail that went off course. I took this trail, called "Old Footpath Trail", and just kept running. I was feeling great running steady at 6:30 - 6:45 pace. At about 2.5 miles out, I decided to turn around and head back to the trail head. I'm not sure how much longer the trail went. When I got back to the trail head I asked this runner who looked competitive how far the trails go. He said that you can put in 15+ miles without overlapping. I'm sure I'll be back here some time to put in the miles.

I must say that I could not be happier with the way my recovery is going. I'm beginning to think that my fitness is carrying over perfectly to the next training cycle. This was the situation after last year's Marine Corps Marathon. Recovery after MCM went very well that I was back running key workouts 3 weeks after the marathon. I eventually doubled up my fall fitness into a great marathon training cycle, in which I ran a PR at Austin.

Today's run: 59:48 (9M - 6:39 pace)

Zonk

This morning was sort of strange because there was almost noone out running or doing PT (physical training). I'm not sure if it was the slight mist of rain that kept everyone indoors or if it was all the First Sergeants thinking the same. It's 0600 in the morning and my 1SG walks into my office and says..... "Hey sir, what do you think about zonking the guys? I don't think anyone will be doing PT this morning. You saw Monday, we were the only guidon running out there." I stop what I'm doing and begin to think to myself "that's even a better reason to do PT." Because it's the holiday season and we weren't able to take leave, I told my 1SG that it would be a morale booster for our Troopers. Minutes later my 1SG yells ZONK.. 5,4,3,2,1. I can assure that everyone had disappeared by the count of 3. They all probably went back to bed.

I saw zonk as an opportunity to get out the door for a nice peaceful run. Peaceful it was. The run was free of cadence. It almost seemed like everyone had decided to extend their Christmas 4-day weekend to 5 days. I'm not complaining. I prefer being out there running alone. Today's run made it 3 consecutive days of ~8 miles. I think the legs are getting used to running close to an hour. If all goes well the next couple days I'll end this week at about 50 miles and then begin building my base the following week.

Today's run: 55:21 (8.1M - 6:50 pace)

60-50-40

My recovery is falling into place perfectly. The legs feel like they are back to normal and ready to run more. This morning's run was 8 miles at a steady easy pace. Holding back and not running faster than easy pace is getting tougher each day. About 2 miles into the run I found myself running 6:40 - 6:45 pace. The effort felt easy, so I just went along with the pace. I decided to pick up the pace in the last mile. After my run I did some pushups, abs, and lots of stretching.

In one of my recent posts I was asked by a fellow Army Soldier, Cakmakli, to post my pushup and situp workout. Since I've entered the Army in 2001, I have not scored below a 366 in the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) extended scale. In fact, 366 is my lowest score and 402 is my personal best. I think the biggest mistake Army Soldiers do to prepare for a PT test is they do lots of pushups and situps everyday. If you do pushups and situps everyday then you don't give your muscles a chance to recover and build. Same concept applies in running, you don't run hard everyday because you're legs and body will not recover. I think once you've gotten into good muscular endurance shape, then all you'll need to do is maintain a certain amount of work. My unique pushup/situp workout I'm about to describe only takes about 10-15 minutes and is conducted every other day, sometimes once every three days. I normally do this workout following my easy runs.

I call this workout 60-50-40. When doing the pushups do not worry about how fast you can do it, work on proper form. When all is done you've completed 200 pushups and 200 abs.

60 regular pushups followed by 60 crunches
50 regular pushups followed by 50 obliques (each side)
40 regular pushups followed by 40 reverse crunches
30 daimond pushups followed by 30 unassisted situps
20 daimond pushups followed by 20 toe touches (back on the ground, feet straight up)

Today's run: 53:44 (8M - 6:43 pace)
Yesterday's run: 51:16 (7.5M - 6:50 pace)

Almost a day off from running

It's a record day for me. I got off from work at 1500 (3pm that is), the earliest since I've been in command. In reality, it was a late day because we're supposed to be off at noon as part of the holiday 1/2 day schedule. It was quite funny because I didn't know what to do with all the time I had after work.

Today was a scheduled day-off from running as part of my marathon recovery. I managed not to put in a run. Well, that's until the late afternoon/early evening. How can you not get out and run when it's 60 degrees and clear skies in mid-December. I tried to resist the urge to run, but could not do it. The legs continue to feel good and recovered. I only ran for an easy 30 minutes. Afterwards, I got in the usual pushups and abs workout. Oh, there was no challenge from my Soldiers during my company run yesterday.

Today's run: 30:04 (4.2M - 7:10 pace)

..... a body needs exercise.

I'm very pleased with how the first week of recovery went. The legs and body are feeling good. I went for an easy 7+ miles this morning. The first 3 miles were ran at about 7:15 pace and then I progressed to about 6:45 pace as the run went on. It's only been a week since the marathon, so I'm still forcing myself to go easy even though the legs are feeling better. I got a massage today to assist in the recovery. My massage therapist actually said the legs were in good shape. A little tightness in the calves and hamstrings, but nothing serious. There were a couple knots found on the upper back and shoulders, which was probably from all the pushups I did during the week. This coming week will consist of all easy runs to finish off the recovery.

I'm reading "The Olympian" by Brian Glanville. I came across this sentence and thought how true it is. My body and mind will definitely corrupt if I can't run or exercise.

"A plant needs water, and a body needs exercise. If you deprive a plant of water, it dies. If you do not exercise the body, it corrupts, and the mind corrupts with it." -Brian Glanville

Today's run: 50:44 (7.3M - 6:57 pace)

Taking it easy

Not a whole lot has been going on besides taking it easy and recovering from a disappointment. For some reason I keep looking back at the race trying to figure out what went wrong. I want to learn from it. Did I peak too soon? Did I get too excited early in the race? Did I misjudge my fitness? Was it the inconsistency of mileage? By no means am I whining. As athletes, we all become better by learning from our mistakes.

I am quite surprised how fast my legs are recovering. Following the marathon, I normally take 3 complete days off from running and then alternate day-on day-off. After taking Sunday off, I had no choice but to take my company on our weekly Monday company run. I had only planned to take them on a slow 4 mile run. However, when my Soldiers challenged me that I wouldn't go farther and faster because I was recovering from the marathon I decided to extend the run to about 5 1/4 miles. After the run it sure looked like they regret putting up the challenge. I think the run helped in loosening up all the tight muscles, even though the quads were still very sore. Tuesday and Thursday were complete days off from running. It was yesterday, during a very slow 4.5 mile run, that I noticed the soreness in the quads was gone. This morning I went for a nice easy 5 miler on trails. It felt great to stay off of pavement.

Today’s run: 5 miles in 36:23

Rocket City Marathon - Race Report

Pre-Race:
I attended the pre-race carbo dinner the night before the big day. The guest speaker Bob Schwartz, author of "I Run, Therefore I Am -- Nuts!” made the dinner worthwhile as he entertained us with his hilarious running quotes. After dinner I headed back to my hotel. I laid out the race clothes, but before doing so I tuned in to the weather channel. I knew it was supposed to be cold. Cold? More like freezing! Forecast was 20 degrees at the start (8am). When I ran Austin earlier in the year I froze just wearing shorts and a singlet. Remembering how painful it was, I decided to wear a long sleeve coolmax underneath my singlet along with some throw away gloves (which was never thrown away) and a beanie.

Race:
I like to run the first few miles of the marathon a little slower than goal pace to warm up then settle into goal pace. When the gun went off a pack of about 10 runners took off at what was probably 5:30-5:40 pace. There was the lead pack, a couple runners about 15 seconds behind them, and then me and 3 other runners about another 15 seconds behind. I ran along with the 3 runners and we came across mile 1 in 6:13. It was only mile 1 and my toes and fingers were already starting to feel numb. I didn't want to fall behind very much so I began increasing the pace a little to get into some type of rhythm. It didn't seem like the 3 runners were willing to set the pace, so I decided to do it. We ran the next five miles in 5:59, 5:58, 5:57, 5:57, & 6:01 with the 10k at 37:15. If I didn't set the pace we probably would have continued to run around 6:10 pace. I started to hear an increase of breathing in a couple of the runners.

Mile 7 was a slight down slope which was the cause of a 5:51 split. Right after the mile 7 marker we ran through a tunnel for about 50 meters. This caught me by surprise. It almost seemed like someone had turned off the lights and then turned it back on. Once you're out of the tunnel it is a gradual incline for about 3/4 of a mile. I tried to run with the same effort and not the same pace. A 6:03 8th mile on a gradual incline was a little too much for the guys running with me. Using my peripheral vision on a turn, I could see that the guys were slowly fading. I had to make a decision at that point. I either slow the pace and let the runners catch up to me so that we can work together or leave them and begin working my way up to the next group, a couple guys about 50 meters ahead. I knew the guys slightly behind me were not going to sustain a sub-6:00, so I began working my way up to the next group. Let me tell you, 50 meters sounds easy to make up, but it damn sure isn't when the guys you're trying to catch are running the same pace as you.

Miles 9-13 are fairly flat and on a long stretch of highway. Just when I thought the 2 runners were coming back to me, they would put in a little surge to maintain a lead (at least that's what I thought). Just before mile 12 I encountered a side-stitch on my right ribcage. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. I was fighting hard to get rid of it, breathing in and holding it and then contracting the abs. The thought of my race going down the drain crossed my mind. I regrouped, and tried to stay focus and positive while fighting the side-stitch, which finally went away midway through the 12th mile. I'm not sure what the cause of it was. I had been taking in fluids alternating water and gatorade every 2-3 miles. I also took in a gel at mile 10. My splits for miles 9-13 were 5:55, 5:58, 5:57, 5:59, and 5:59. During that stretch of 5 miles, I thought of just running a fast mile (probably 5:48 - 5:50) to catch up to the 2 runners. I decided not to because we still had lots of running left.

After reaching the half-way mark at 1:18:28, I put in a little surge to catch the guys. I asked them what kind of time they were shooting for. Both said that they wanted to break 2:40. I said "shit, you guys have been running 2:37 pace the last 13 miles and shouldn't have a problem meeting that goal". One of the guys decided to back off of the pace after we hit miles 14 and 15 in 5:54 and 5:55. George, who I ended up running most of the 2nd half with, and I worked together taking turns setting the pace. George is from the Huntsville area, so he knew the course by heart. He was very helpful in letting me know when a turn was coming up and also when there was a gradual incline.

Miles 16 & 17, which we hit in 6:04 & 6:05, was a gradual incline. I was still feeling good at this point and had no problems with the next 3 miles (5:57, 6:00, & 6:00). My 20-mile split was 1:59:44, still on 5:59 pace. About a half mile into mile 21, which was also a slight incline, the legs started to feel a little heavy. I knew at that point that I needed to begin digging deep. A 6:09 & 6:08 split for miles 21 & 22 put me at 2:12:01, exactly 6:00 pace. George was still feeling good and he ended up leaving me. I thought to myself, all I have to do is run 6:00 pace for the last 4.2 miles and I’ll end up with a low 2:37 and a PR. Of course, I knew that wasn’t going to happen after working very hard only to run 6:08 for the previous mile. As the last few miles slowly came along, the legs began to feel heavier and heavier. Checking my splits became as painful as how the legs were feeling.

Miles 23-25 were 6:23, 6:29, & 6:41. These 3 miles seemed to take forever. It felt like I had nothing left in me. I still had one gel (I took 1 at mile 10 & 17) left, so I decided to use it at mile 23. I tried to pull the gel out of my pocket around mile 22, but that became a difficult task and I said screw it. Well, when I got to mile 23 I realized that I really needed the gel. I think the gel may have kicked in around the last mile because I started to feel a little strength in the legs. After hitting 6:29 for the last mile, I knew I was going to come in under 2:40. A spectator at the 26th mile mark said I was 9th overall. This actually made me feel better because I was seeded number 11.

All in all, I was somewhat disappointed with my time, but satisfied with my performance. I know for a fact that I left everything on the course. Thoughts of whether I should have held back a little cross my mind, but I don’t regret a thing. This race will serve as a motivation to train harder and run faster.

2:39:21 - 9th Overall, 1st Division

No PR today. I was on track for a 2:37 at mile 20, but it slipped away in the last 10k. I gave myself a chance by going through the half in 1:18:28 and mile 20 in 1:59:44. Overall, I'm satisfied with my performance. That's all for now as I'm on my way to the awards ceremony. Race report to follow soon.

Rocket City Marathon: 2:39:21

On my way to rocket city

I'm going to make this quick because I have to get some rest. I got the approval from my commander and now I'm on my way to Huntsville, AL for the Rocket City Marathon. I'm very excited, but also nervous. The race results will most likely be posted and updated on the marathon website before I post my finishing time on my blog.

I'd like to thank my family, running friends (both in Guam and at Fort Bragg), and fellow bloggers for their support. Good luck to Bobby and Shane, who will be running Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon on the same day.

Today's run: 36:05 (5M - 7:10 pace)

Army Physical Fitness Test

Normally during the week of the marathon self-doubt begins to creep in. So far that hasn't been the case, mainly because I've been very busy with work. I'm sure fear, self-doubt, and questions about my race will start to hit me over the next few days.

This morning I did my APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test), which consists of 2 minutes of pushups, 2 minutes of situps, and a 2-mile run. I did a total of 120 pushups, 99 situps, and ran a 10:41 2-mile. As much as I wanted to run a faster 2-mile, I decided to hold back a little because of the tapering. I must say that the pushup and situp events went well despite focusing on training for the marathon over the past few months. I think the reason why I did well in those events is because I've stuck to my routine of doing a specific pushup/situp workout following my easy runs.

It's looking like I will make it Huntsville on Friday (I'm crossing my fingers).

Today's run: 25:33 (4M - 6:23 pace) 2 miles in 10:41
Yesterday's run: 39:14 (5.5M - 7:08 pace)

I'm begging you please.....

Everyone that has been reading my blog knows that I'll be running Rocket City Marathon this Saturday. Well, I'm hoping that will be the case. What I mean by this is that there is a possibility I may not make it to the race. The reason is because "duty" may call. I'm praying that the folks in Washington, who gets paid the big bucks to make wise decisions, can leave those deployment orders in the bottom of the inbox. I don't mind leaving for the 3rd time, just not this week.

Lately, I've been asking myself "what is marathon pace?" I personally think my marathon pace is between 5:56 & 5:59 pace, which would put me at a 2:35:30 to 2:36:50 marathon. If I average 6:00 pace for the marathon, I'd still be very happy because it is a PR. The one thing I'll ensure to do this weekend is to run a smart race. The goal is to run negative (or even) splits as I've done in my last 3 marathons.

This morning I took my Soldiers on our weekly company run. The legs appreciated the nice slow easy run.

Today's run: 45:22 (5.5M - 8:15 pace) slow and easy

Counting down days

It's tough to explain how good the legs and body is feeling right now. This morning I did my last marathon pace workout, 12 miles total - first 6 miles easy and then the last 6 miles at goal marathon pace. After running a tempo interval workout yesterday, I expected the legs to feel just a little tired. Instead, the legs felt light and springy, probably from the fast leg-turnover. After a nice easy slow 1st mile in 6:58, the legs fell into cruise control. I ran the first 6 miles easy in 39:57, an average of 6:40/mile. I planned my workout where I'd end up on the track for the last 6 miles at marathon pace. Everything seemed to fall into place. My splits for the last 6 miles were 5:51, 5:52, 5:54, 5:51, 5:53, and 5:45. It almost felt like I was feeling better as the miles clicked off. I got carried away in the last mile and ended up running it a little faster.

I bought my marathon shoe, Saucony Fastwitch 2 Endurance, and used it during my dress rehearsal this morning. The shoe not only felt good and light, but it also has enough cushioning needed for the marathon.

The hardest part now is waiting to get to the start line. I will continue to remind myself to sleep well, eat healthy, and hydrate throughout the week. I'd like to say "Good Luck" to Mike, who is currently running his marathon as I close out this post.

Today's Run: 1:15:08 (12M - 6:16 pace) 6M @ MP

1 week till race day

Sometimes I forget that tapering for a marathon does not only mean cutting back in training and mileage. Tapering also means getting in some well-needed rest, proper nutrition, and hydration. The cutting back in training is not the issue, it's everything else. Work has been extremely busy during the middle of the week and it has caused me to fall back on some of the essential areas of tapering. It's the weekend now, so I should be back on track with resting, eating, and hydrating.

This morning I did a tempo interval, 3 x 2K w/ 400 recovery, to get a little turnover in the legs. The decrease in mileage over the past few days has made the legs feel fresh and eager to run fast. The goal pace for the workout was 5:20 - 5:32 /mile. I hit the 2K's in 6:53 (5:32 pace), 6:47 (5:28 pace), & 6:44 (5:25 pace). The legs felt great and it didn't seem like the workout left took a lot out of me.

Tomorrow will be my last key workout before the marathon. I will run 12 miles, the first 6 miles easy and then the last 6 miles at marathon goal pace. This workout has been the routine for my last 2 marathons. It reminds the legs and body of what marathon pace feels like.

Today's run: 53:25 (8.2M - 6:24 pace); 3 x 2K w/ 400 recovery

Friday: 52:23 (8M - 6:33 pace)
Thursday: 1:01:30 (9M - 6:50 pace)
Wednesday: 40:02 (5.5M - 7:15 pace)
Tuesday: 1:06:12 (9.6M - 6:54 pace) fartlek workout - 10 x 1' w/ 1' recovery

Tapering

The tapering has begun. I ran for 40+ minutes very easy this morning. The quads were tight and a bit sore from yesterday's long run. A little soreness in the legs was expected as I spent almost 2 1/2 hours pounding on pavement. The good thing about yesterday's workout was that I know the legs can still run fast when fatigue. This will be very crucial when it comes down to the last few miles in the race.

Today's run: 45:55 (6.4M - 7:10 pace)

The hard work is done

I really didn't think the long run was going to happen with the way my body was feeling yesterday. My cold got worse and the body felt like crap. I spent my Saturday watching college football while taking drugs every 4-6 hours. The doses of pseudoephedrine and Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) throughout the day didn't seem to make me feel any better. I hit the sack around midnight, after watching the Fighting Irish take a painful beating by the Trojans. When the alarm sounded at 7am I was amazed that my congestion wasn't as bad and that I could actually breathe through both nostrils. Still had a runny nose, but that would just mean a hundred snot blowing throughout the run.

This morning's long run was my last 20+ miler. The run served as a confidence booster heading into the actual tapering phase. The legs felt light as I took off in my 2+ hour journey of Pope Air Force Base and Fort Bragg. After hitting the first couple miles in 6:53 and 6:43, the legs and body seemed to fall into a steady rhythm and pace. I cruised along my long run route at a 6:28 - 6:36 pace. The legs began to feel fatigue and heavy between the 19th and 20th mile mark. I wanted to finish the long run strong, so I picked up the pace and ended up running mile 21 in 5:54.

The hard work is done and now it's a matter of getting to the race healthy and eager. I will do a tune-up and marathon pace workout this coming week to lock in goal pace. This should wrap things up before I head to Huntsville.

Today's run: 2:20:30 (21.4M - 6:34 pace)
Weekly Mileage: 69 miles (6 sessions)

Running in the cold with a cold

I've spent the last couple days fighting a cold I caught on the night of turkey day. It's been awhile since I had a cold or some sort of sickness. The good thing is that I'd rather go through it now than the week of my marathon, which is only a couple weekends away.

I went for an easy run on trails yesterday. The legs felt fine. I didn't expect it to be sore after a mediocre performance. It was really nice to get out and just run easy to get things off the mind, especially the frustration of not running fast. The race is all behind me and now it's time to focus at the task ahead, running a good marathon - hopefully a fast time and a PR. This morning's workout was an easy run with a fast-finishing mile. After running the first couple miles fairly easy, I settled into a comfortable steady pace averaging 6:40 - 6:44 over the next 7 miles. I then ran the 10th mile in 5:40 before cooling down for a half mile. The body definitely felt like it wanted to run more. However, with only 2 weeks reaming, it's probably best to hold back a bit. There's not much improvement on fitness that can be done over the peaking/tapering phase.

Tomorrow will be my last 20(+) miler, #7 for this marathon training cycle.

Today's run: 1:09:50 (10.5M - 6:39 pace; easy run with a fast-finishing mile)
Yesterday's run: 1:03:13 (9M - 7:01 pace; easy run)

Turkey Trot

I spent a little time last night browsing running sites to find a Turkey Trot. Turkey Trots are just one of those annual races you must do, just like the Jingle Bell Jog. I managed to find a race (Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 8K) in the Raleigh area. After a 75 minute drive and registering late (as always), I was ready to get on with my warm-up. But not until my phone rings and reads "SFC xxxxxx. Work. $h!t, this cannot be good. Anytime I receive a phone call from work in the weekends or holidays, especially in the early mornings, it is almost always bad news.... either one of my Soldiers got into trouble or it is an emergency that I must come in to work. Yup, one of my Soldiers had an incident. I stayed on the phone, sitting in my jeep with the legs a little stiff from the drive, for almost an hour sorting out things. By the time I got off the phone I only had 5 minutes before the race would start. This was just enough time to put on my racing shoes and run to the start line.

Fast Forward. I had a bad race. Here are my excuses. No warm-up. The legs felt heavy. It was cold - 42 degrees. Never got into a rhythm. Side-stitch at mile 3 that got worse and never went away. One hill too many. Okay, I'm done whining. I came in 2nd overall with a snail time of 28:40 (5:46 pace). It was a bit frustrating because I could run this time as a training workout. The course had a few rolling hills, but I didn't think it was all that bad. I was happy when the awards ceremony finally happened. I received a gray Brooks Element Jacket priced at $100. After all, it will be a good Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Today's Run: 56:37 (8k in 28:40 w/ 4M cool-down)

Weekly Summary (14-19 NOV)

I haven't been able to post lately because of my busy work schedule and a trip to see the Irish give Army a butt kicking.

Tuesday: Easy run with 10 x 30 sec. very fast w/ 1 min. recoveries. (1:12:33)

Wednesday: Easy recovery run (45:11)

Thursday: 15' warm-up followed by 6 miles at goal marathon pace. 6M - 5:55, 5:56, 5:55, 5:55, 5:54, & 5:51. Was scheduled to do 8 miles at goal pace, but body and legs were tired from previous days at work. 15' cool-down. (1:04:50)

Friday: 20K Ruckmarch; 45lb ruck on my back. Definitely not one of the workouts I had planned on my running schedule. But it has to be done as part of our quarterly Army training events.

Saturday: Easy run with the last few miles close to marathon pace. Many parts of the body are sore and tight from yesterday's ruckmarch. (1:06:12)

Sunday: Long steady run with Bobby at Notre Dame and South Bend. Ran most of the long run close to marathon pace. (1:42:20 - 16M)

4 weeks out

Not a whole lot to write about. I went for an easy run, out in 28:47 and back in 27:12. I thought the legs would be a little fatigue or heavy with yesterday's long run, but everything was just fine. The big day is 4 weeks away and I think I'm peaking on the right time. Now it's a matter of keeping what I have and staying injury-free.

Today's Run: 55:59 (8.1 - 6:55 pace); easy run.

I'll save the 2.2 miles for race day

Mother Nature just has to make things tougher for us. As I stepped out the door, all I hear is the sound of trees and leaves blowing. This can't be good. I went back in to check the forecast. 50 degrees with 30% chance of rain and wind from NNW at 15 mph gusting to 25 mph. As I drove to post (Ft Bragg) I could feel my jeep swerve a bit from the gust of wind. This long run is going to take a lot of effort. When I got to my usual starting location and shut off my jeep, it begins to pour. $h*t, just freakin perfect! Rain, wind, and the cold mixed together just don’t motivate me. After about 10 minutes of being a wuss, I toughed it out and headed for the long run. It stopped raining about a mile into my run. I wasn't all that soaked until some jackass drove right beside me into a huge puddle of water and gave me a cold shower. He probably meant it because he had a free lane he could have switched to. I was so close to giving him the finger.

Besides running into wind half the time, my run went very well. I was consistently running between 6:30 and 6:40 pace. I hit the first 10 miles in 1:06:48 (6:41 pace), then reached 20 miles in 2:12 flat (11-20 miles in 1:05:12 - 6:31 pace). I was feeling good and the legs seemed to find its rhythm. The 20 mile mark in the marathon is a crucial point in the race. I was visualizing finishing strong in Rocket City, so I decided to pick up the pace for the remaining 4 miles. I hit the last 4 miles in 24:38 (6:22, 6:11, 6:10, & 5:55). The legs felt good afterwards. Thinking about it, I could have easily run the last 2.2 miles at 6:30 pace and finish the marathon as a long run in a sub-2:51.

Here is a comparison of the same 24 mile run I did in January for the Austin Marathon.
1/22/06: 24 miles in 2:42:30 (6:46 pace)
11/12/06: 24 miles in 2:36:38 (6:32 pace)

Today's Run: 24 miles (2:36:38 - 6:32 pace)
Weekly Mileage: 90 miles (9 sessions)

The decision has been made

It's official! I'll be running Rocket City Marathon on Dec 9. Registration, airline ticket, and hotel have been purchased and confirmed. All that remains is 4 weeks - a couple more 20+ milers, locking in race pace, and the final two weeks of peaking/tapering.

Easy run on trails this morning. Tomorrow will be a steady long run of 22-24 miles.

Today's Run: 59:35

What's your take on Yasso?

Today's workout was an 800 meter interval workout, also known as Yasso 800s. The workout is named after Bart Yasso from Runner's World. Many marathon runners use this workout as a marathon predictor workout. The time you run the 800s is the approximate time in hours and minutes that you're capable of running the marathon. In other words, if you run 800 meters in 2 minutes and 50 seconds, then you can run the marathon in 2 hours and 50 minutes. Yasso and Greg McMillan states that you should work your way up to 10 repeats with 400 meters of recovery. In his website, Greg says that the workout predicts about five minutes too fast for most marathoners. I think it all depends on how you approach the workout. I've done this workout for my last couple marathons and I personally think it predicts about 1-3 seconds too fast. I guess I'll find out after I cross the finish line.

After 29 minutes of warming up, I end up at the track where my running friends (Mike, Kerryn, and Melinda) have already started their workout. They are doing the same workout, but just a few less repeats than I'll be doing. I started helping the three of them by creating a training schedule for them to follow. I'm no certified coach (hopefully one of these days I will be), but I think I have enough experience and knowledge of running that they will improve in their race times. It's great seeing friends run faster. Don't we all want to run faster?

The goal is to break my marathon PR of 2:38 and with the way my training has gone the past couple months, I think it's a great possibility it will happen. Knowing this, I went into today's workout with the goal of averaging 2:35-2:36 for the 800s. That will be a 2:35 or 2:36 marathon according to Yasso. To get to the point, my workout went very well. The pace felt comfortably hard and I ended the workout knowing that I could have ran one or two more repeats. My 400m recoveries stayed between 2:10 - 2:15.

Here are my splits:
2:36, 2:36, 2:36, 2:35, 2:35, 2:35, 2:33, 2:33, 2:33, 2:33

Today's Run: AM - 1:34:23 (14.5 miles - 10 x 800s w/ 400m recoveries); PM - 30:11 (4M shakeout run)

Tuesday: (11.5M / 1:18:50) easy run
Wednesday: (6.7M / 49:14) easy recovery run
Thursday: (11.5M / 1:18:20) easy run

Help me decide

Why train so hard and have nothing to show for it? That’s what I asked myself about a hundred times yesterday. The marathon is only 5 weeks away and I have yet to register. I got online to register, but before doing so, my sixth sense told me to read about the course. I swear that I had looked at the course elevation when I decided to run Charlotte two months ago. Looking at the course elevation map, it seems like there are rolling hills the entire way. Course elevation maps can be deceiving, so I did my homework. I read the runner comments on marathonguide.com and looked up last year’s results. Almost every runner comment pointed out the rolling “hills”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind hills. In fact, I’m a fairly strong hill runner and prefer running a marathon that has a couple small rolling hills rather than one that is completely flat the entire way. But I don’t think I want to run a marathon that would be rolling for 26.2 miles, especially after putting in months of pure hard work.

My goal in my next marathon (whichever it ends up being) is to run another PR and average sub-6:00 pace. I really don’t want to chance it on a course like Charlotte. With that being said, my marathon options have opened up again and I’m now looking at Rocket City Marathon and Kiawah Island Marathon, with Charlotte still in the air. I’ve heard about Rocket City Marathon being one of the best small city marathons in the nation. The runner comments for Rocket City had nothing but good things to say. Well organized, excellent race, course relatively flat, and fast times. Deciding which marathon to run is becoming a task itself. Hopefully, I’ll decide over the next couple days.

Okay, now about training. My legs felt fine even with yesterday’s long run. I ran very easy in the morning and then again in the evening.

Today’s Run: AM – 41:33 (~5M) PM – 40:01 (5.5M)

Was it the tequila and chocolate cake?

Last night, my friends celebrated my birthday which was on Friday. Two shots of tequila, some delicious chocolate cake, karaoke, and in bed at 1:30 am. I don't recommend this plan the night before a key long hard run of 20+ miles.

I woke up five hours later feeling okay. The first thing I did was drink about 12 oz. of water knowing that I needed to be hydrated for my workout. Next thing I did was check the temperature. Brrrrr.... 30 degrees. That calls for some gloves, beanie, and a jacket. The planned workout was 20 miles with the last 6 to 8 miles at goal marathon pace. After last night, I expected the worst. As I ran the first few minutes of my 2+ hour run, I realized that my body and legs was feeling pretty good. I cruised along for the first 12 miles in 1:20:12 (avg. 6:41) before ending up at the track for the next 6-8 miles at goal pace. I told myself that I'll see how I felt after the 6 miles at goal pace, and then finish the last 2 miles or call it for the day depending on the legs. When I got to the track I did a lap to transition into the pace. I felt good for the entire run and ended up completing the 8 miles at goal pace. I wasn't too surprised to see that I was hitting my splits with ease and feeling comfortable. I did the 8 miles in 47:12 (5:54 pace).

Here are my splits:
1-12M - 1:20:12
13M - 5:58
14M - 5:58
15M - 5:57
16M - 5:56
17M - 5:57
18M - 5:53
19M - 5:51
20M - 5:42
2.1 miles cooldown - 14:10

I looked back at my training log from my last marathon (2:38 in Austin) and compared the same workout with today's.
1/15/06: 1st 12M in 1:23 (6:55 pace); 8M @ goal pace in 47:39
11/05/06: 1st 12M in 1:20 (6:41 pace); 8M @ goal pace in 47:12

I'm very happy with the way my training is coming along. Today's 22 miler was my 5th 20+ miler in the last 7 weeks. The way things are looking so far, I should be able to run another PR and hopefully sub-6:00 miles for 26.2 miles.

Today's Run: 22.1 miles (2:21:34 - 6:24 pace)
Weekly Mileage: 90.4 miles

Real runners

Today was a fun day with some running friends. We ran the Rotary 10k race, which was crowded with 16 runners. No, it's not a typo. 16 runners! Can you believe that? This was the smallest race I've ever entered. It was probably the 36 degree weather that kept everyone tucked in their sheets. At least we know who the real runners are. You know what's even better? They had Championship Timing chips.

I had no intentions of racing since today is supposed to be an easy day and a key long run scheduled tomorrow. So, instead of shooting out and hitting the 1st mile in 5:00 with Bobby (far right) and Shane (far left), I decided to hang back with Kerryn (white hat) and Mike. Kerryn asked if I could pace her and I said "no problem". She said she wanted to break 40 minutes. I thought, "Cool, this will give me a nice steady run." At this point the brain was struggling with calculating the pace/mile. Don't ask how long it took to calculate the pace. We came across the 1st mile in 5:55, which felt like a walk in the park. Okay, that wasn't supposed to happen. I was just hoping that I didn't screw up her race with that 1st mile. I managed to regroup and settle into a steady pace. To make a long story short, I accomplished my mission. Kerryn crossed the finish line in 38:45. She was very happy with her run and maybe a little surprised that she averaged 6:15/mile. In the end, everyone had a fun time.

Today's Run: 1:09:32 (2M - wu/cd + 10k in 38:45)

Good day of running on a special day

A good day of running on my 29th special day. I believe this is about the age in which most distance runners peak. Of course, that's if they've been running competitively since high school. I know for a fact that I have yet to peak. This is only my 7th year of running and I know I still have many years of fast running to come. Hopefully, fast running will mean low-2:3x marathons and possibly a sub-2:30. It's possible! However, it will take lots of hard work.

Today's workout was a stamina workout consisting of 7 x 1000 meters with 200 meter recovery, plus 3 x 200m fast with 200m recovery. Stamina workouts are meant to increase your lactate threshold, which allows you to run faster for a longer period of time. The run is more of a cruise interval workout than a speed workout because the pace is moderately hard. The goal is to get fatigue with the duration of the workout not the speed. After warming up for 33 minutes, I hit the track for the meat of the workout. The goal was 1k repeats in 3:18 - 3:21. 1st repeat - 3:19, 2nd repeat - 3:19. I'm thinking "wow, this doesn't feel too bad at all." That was the 2nd repeat and with only 200m recoveries, the legs will sure be feeling it shortly. I ended up running the last 5 repeats in 3:18, 3:17, 3:18, 3:15, & 3:15. The legs held up. The legs began to fatigue after the 7th and last repeat, and I still had the 200m repeats to do. I hit the 200s in 32, 34, 32. I was thinking of cutting my cool-down short because the legs felt beaten. As I went on my cool-down the legs got into a rhythm and ended up doing a 4-mile cool-down.

Tomorrow will be an easy day. Sunday will a key long run workout. The plan is to run 20 miles with the last 6 to 8 miles at goal marathon pace, which I'm thinking is about 5:55 - 5:59 pace.

Today's Runs: AM - 1:37:24 (14.8M); 7 x 1K w/ 200m recovery, plus 3 x 200m w/ 200m recovery; PM - 30:44; easy shakeout run mostly on grass. legs felt good.

Here's how the week went so far:
Monday: AM: 38:29 - easy run; PM: 42:28 steady easy run
Tuesday: 1:20:02 - steady run with 10 x 1 min. w/ 1 min. recovery in the middle of the run
Wednesday: 46:41 - easy run
Thursday: 1:13:25 - steady run with the last couple miles at 6:10 - 6:20 pace.