Race re-cap - finally :)

30

It's been almost a month, and I'm finally getting around to updating the blog on the big event.
There's so much to say about the day and what happened, so I'll just give an hour-by-hour recap.
We left the Twin Cities on Friday morning to beat the traffic as much as possible. We stopped in Hinckley a little after noon for lunch at Subway. It was really packed, I'd imagine because it's a popular stop for people on their way up north on the weekends.
We arrived in Duluth and went straight to packet pick-up. The expo was fun, we walked through the whole thing and ran into some people we knew.
Anne was doing the 5K at 6pm and was planning to have dinner afterward. That'd be too late for me, so I met a friend at the pasta feed at the expo. We met at 5pm so I could finish and watch Anne do her race. She did great, a PR!
After the race we stopped by Green Mill so the girls could eat. I had a few large glasses of water. Their pizza and beer looked TERRIFIC!
We went back to the house where we were staying and I started getting things ready for the morning.
Like a running nerd I literally laid things out in the order I'd put them on. I packed up the backpack which Anne would bring along the course to support me. I made sure I had plenty of gels, water, electrolyte pills, and anything else I'd need.
I went to bed at about 9:15pm with the earplugs in since there were other people in the house. The alarm was set for 4:45am so I could eat and make the bus at about 6am. I woke up ready to go, had a good breakfast and jumped on the bus with a bunch of other nervous people. On the ride up I sent about 10 texts to other runners and friends. This was probably a good stress reliever to keep my mind off the race for a little while.
OK, finally time for the race. The strategy Bill and I established was as follows:
Miles 0-5: 9 minute miles, relaxed
Miles 5-20: 8:15-8:45/mile, relaxed but a little more focused, walk through water stops
Miles 20-26.2: Whatever I have left
I lined up at the starting area just ahead of the 4 hour pace group. I wasn't using a watch since I trained myself to identify my pacing, kind of a "tool box" where I can grab whatever tool I need throughout the race.
When the gun went off, I did the first 5 miles and felt very relaxed. My support crew met me at mile 5 and I had my first gel. The weather was good, not great, for a marathon. It was about 60 and cloudy with a wind out of the south of about 10-15. So it was in our faces. It didn't feel like it provided much resistance, it was more of a refreshing breeze.
I was running with a girl who I chatted with at the starting line. We were at exactly the same pace, so it was fun to chat it up for the first 5 miles.
After the 5 mile mark, I sped up a bit to trim about 30 seconds a mile off my pace. I passed quite a few people at this point. The sun came out and the temperature rose about 5 degrees which was noticeable.
I held the pace pretty well, and at the end of Mile 9 I took a walking break and met the crew for a gel and water. It added about a minute to that mile, which was fine. I was getting tired, as you can see in this picture.
The next 5-6 miles were fairly inconsistent. I was getting pretty tired, and kind of nervous about how I was going to finish. I mixed in some walking breaks, and the weather was getting warmer.
At about mile 18, I saw the crew and was feeling ok but not great. I noticed I was slowing down.
After I crossed the Mile 19 mark, my back completely flared up. Just like 2008! It wasn't really a sharp pain, it was more like a major discomfort. I walked for a while, hoping it'd go away, but it didn't.
My body did NOT want to run anymore. I decided since I had over six miles remaining, I'd take a long slow walk for a while and let things cool down. I found myself zig-zagging in the street. A medical volunteer asked me several times if I was ok, and she told her colleagues "Watch this guy, he might go down any time." There was a time there where I questioned whether I could finish this thing.
So I swallowed my pride and kept walking for almost two full miles. As you can see from the splits, Mile 20 took me about half an hour. The medical volunteer followed me for a while, and eventually I found a medical station and got a chewable Tylenol. That seemed to help after a few minutes.
After walking for what seemed like an eternity, I tried a slow jog. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Actually I should say it didn't hurt any worse than walking :) So for the next few miles I tried to run at least half the time. When I approached Lemon Drop Hill, I decided I was going to run up the whole thing. Turns out my friends Kris and Mark were spectating in the area, and they took this photo. Note how the spring in my step is pretty much gone - but I was still moving!
Once I made it to the top of the hill, I was in the town of Duluth. There were a lot of spectators cheering the runners on, which was great. I kept running as far as I could and took some walking breaks, but not as many as I took around miles 20-22. It was tough, but I knew the end was near. Mile 24 seemed to take forever, as I was waiting for the left turn to come up which led to the canal park.
I'm very proud to say that I ran the full lengths of miles 24-26.2. I could not WAIT for this race to be over. My back was on fire, my legs wanted to quit, and I wasn't feeling very good about myself since I was missing my time goal.
As I approached the finish line, I saw Anne and Melissa on the last turn (mile 26). I mustered up a smile and a wave. Their enthusiasm and smiles really cheered me up as I approached the finish line.
When I crossed the line, I wasn't feeling too well. My legs were cramping, my feet felt like they were sliced up by a cheese grater, and of course my back was flared. I got my medal and t-shirt, and saw Anne and Melissa on the sidewalk.
I told them I'd meet them later outside of the finishing area, and I went and sat down on the sidewalk for a while. I leaned back and laid down for about 15-20 minutes. It took every ounce of energy to stand up, plus I felt a little nauseous. I gingerly walked around a bit and grabbed some ice cream. I met the ladies at our designated spot and rested for another 10-20 minutes. It felt great to lie down and get off my feet.
Then I limped over to the edge of the lake to cool down my legs. The beach was really rocky and the water was freezing. It was almost impossible to walk over this given the state of my legs and feet. It wasn't comfortable but it probably helped my recovery. It was also great to run into my friends Stef and Kristal :) You can see how pained and uncomfortable I am in the picture on the left. But of course it went away after a while.


Time for a review of the splits. It's certainly a tale of two races:
Mile 1 - 9:17
2 - 8:58
3 - 9:04
4 - 8:54
5 - 8:52
6 - 8:39
7 - 8:33
8 - 8:46
9 - 9:29 (walking break #1)
10 - 8:11
11 - 8:30
12 - 8:35
13 - 8:24
14 - 8:33
15 - 9:00 (starting to tire and feel some pain here)
16 - 8:56
17 - 9:50 (walking break)
18 - 9:21
19 - 8:55 (gritted my teeth and got back on pace....for now)
20-20.17 - 33:04 (28:16 pace, I didn't hit the watch right on mile 20)
21 - 23:13 pace (still walking)
22 - 15:29, started jogging
23 - 12:22
24 - 13:16
25 - 11:18
26 - 11:07 - speeding up!
26-26.2 - 10:16 pace
Chip time: 4:48:57
10K mark: 55:44
13.1 mark: 1:55:39
20 mile mark: 3:18:54
25 mile mark: 4:35:08
Overall, I'd say I was on pace for about 20 miles, then basically sustained an in-race injury, and managed to recover to run most of the rest of the way. I went in with a sub 4-hour goal, but obviously missed that.
However, I am just as proud of the fact that I recovered from a major setback to finish this race. When I started walking at mile 19 and could barely walk in a straight line, I was thinking it was 50/50 whether I'd finish this thing. I ended up running the last 2-3 miles of the race, and I'm very proud of that fact.
Doing another marathon isn't exactly on the top of my list right now. I'm thinking of maybe doing it again in two years, and address the back issues between now and then. So we'll see what happens!
I'd like to conclude this portion of the blog with a couple of thank-you's. Thanks to my beautiful girlfriend Anne for all of her wonderful support throughout my training and the race itself. And of course thanks for Bill Wenmark for his great and challenging training program. I achieved some amazing things in this training program, things I wouldn't have imagined I could do at the beginning. Thanks again to you both!

Race weekend is here!

I just woke up from what experts call the most important night of sleep before the marathon- two nights out. Now today I'm being very careful of what I put into my stomach and what time I do so, to make everything go as smoothly as possible tomorrow.
Bill and I wrapped up our race-day strategy this week, here we go:
No watch! This might bother me a bit since my training involved timed intervals and maintaining a specific pace. But as we talked about, over these months I've developed a "toolbox" of different effort levels that I can call upon at any time.

Miles 0-5 - At the top of this toolbox is my relaxed long run pace, about 9 minutes/mile. This is what I'll do for the first five miles of Grandma's. Minimal focus will be needed to maintain this pace, I'm sure I'll have to focus more on slowing down than speeding up. At the 5 mile mark, I'm sure I'll feel good, have a decent sweat going, and have plenty left in the tank.

Miles 5-20 - For this 15 mile stretch, the pace will be 8:15/8:45 per mile. This is a bit slower than what I did for an hour last weekend. This will require consistent focus, but not completely locked in 100% of the time (it'll take about 2.5 hours!). I'll walk through all water stops and take walking breaks as needed.
I've developed a pretty good gauge of when my body needs a break and also when it's ready to get rolling again. So during this stretch, I'll be more focused on how I'm doing and if I need any adjustments (breaks, water, etc).

Miles 20-26.2 - Anyone who reads this who has done a marathon will appreciate that I included the last 0.2 miles! For this last stretch, we don't have a specific target pace. I will take an inventory at mile 20 and see what I have left. I'm sure I'll need some walking breaks and my upper quads will be screaming at me. Hopefully some ibuprofin will help out with that.
Ideally, I'll hit mile 20 before the 3 hour mark and have an hour to do the last 10K. I hope to have enough gas in the tank to cruise to the finish at a 9:30 pace (including walking) over the last 6.2 miles and cross the line in under four hours.

There are a few things we talked about doing along the entire 26.2. One is continually sucking on a cinnamon candy. So I bought a bag at Target and will bring a handful to the start and keep the rest in my backpack - which, by the way, will be carried by my support-gal-extraordinaire girlfriend :)
I need to make sure to take a couple Electrolyte tablets about half an hour before the start, and one at least every hour throughout the race. In 2008, I was an absolute salty mess at the finish, head to toe. My sister still talks about this. During this year's training, the tablets really helped.
I have a TON of gels in the backpack. I'll probably use 5-6 max for the race, so Anne can give out extras to anyone in need. I don't imagine I'll be doing a long run for a while after this :)
I only trained with water as an in-run drink, so I'll be good there. On the drive up today, I'll take a look at the map to get familiar when water stops will come up on the course.
I'm a little torn on music during the race. There's no better sound than hearing 7000 sets of feet running around you on race day. Plus you can take in the energy of all the other runners, and maybe strike up a conversation with someone running a similar pace.
On the other hand, I did all my long training runs alone with my iPod. I have a familiar set of about 100 songs that carry me through the tough miles.
I think I'll start the race without the iPod and have it available in the backpack in case I want it later. I'll give it back to Anne at our last in-race meeting so I cross the finish line with just me. the headphones are big and goofy, and I want a beautiful picture of me crossing the line :) I can be such a girl sometimes....
OK, time to start the day. I need to finish packing, do some stretching, and refill my glass of water. We'll leave the Twin Cities at about 11am, and have lunch on the way up. The plan is to eat dinner early (around 5pm), watch Anne and others do the 5K, and get to bed by 10.
Please keep me in your thoughts at 7:30am tomorrow! If anyone reads this before then, feel free to follow my progress via text messages. Check out the Grandma's website for details.
Here we go!!!!

Wednesday 6/17 Core

Actually I'll briefly cover two Core sessions today since there isn't a whole lot to report. I totally took it easy at the Monday and Wednesday sessions leading up to Saturday's marathon.
The primary focus was stretching. I really want to stay loose this week, and I find it tough to find the motivation to stretch on my own.
I did about 60% of the exercises to stay "warm" and have some fun with the group. I avoided running on the bleachers again for fear of injury.
Coach Bill stopped by and we chatted about a new race strategy. I'll have an entry devoted to that later today.

Saturday 6/12 one hour run, last "long" one!

Bill said to do an hour run this weekend at a 7:45-8:00 pace, with a 10 minute warmup and cooldown before and after.
The forecast called for rain at about 10am today (Saturday) and sunny skies tomorrow. I took it easy last night and got up early today to get it done with. I figured an extra day removed from my last long run will help me a little on marathon day.
I drove down to the Lakes around 8am. I took a look to see if there were any 5K's or other events going on, as these really disrupt the trails. It looked like there were running/walking events being set up on both Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet, but very few people were hanging around the tents. So I figured the events probably wouldn't start until 9am at the earliest. I was in the clear :)
I took off on the 10 minute warmup feeling a little tired but ready to go. Turns out the 10 minute warmup was almost exactly a mile, going 1.01 in that span.
It was a little difficult to settle into the 7:45-8:00 pace in the first "real" mile because I decided to run up to Lake Harriet. Right away I had to cross a street and go up several steep hills to get over there. But once I hit the flat path along the lake I did just fine.
Here are the splits of the "real" miles:
1 - 8:15/mile
2 - 7:56
3 - 7:53
4 - 7:53
5 - 7:53
6 - 7:51
7 - I forgot to hit my watch here, as I finished up the hour of running. I'm pretty sure I was in the 7:50's.
When I got to the one hour point, I slowed to a slow jog. I've always hated the cooldown jog, it seems more difficult to me than the faster pace. But it helps recovery I guess, so I did it. I didn't quite reach 10 minutes because I ran into my ALARC friend Alberto and we walked and talked for a while. See you in Duluth, Alberto!
I thought through my various perceived paces during this run. There's the mile-for-time pace which now 6:10, there's the 10K pace which is about 7:20, the half marathon pace (racing) which is about 8:15, and my comfortable-run-forever pace which is 9:00.
So today's 7:50 pace was kind of in no-man's land. It took some focus, especially early on. When I'd realize I was slowing down a bit, it wasn't tough to adjust. It didn't feel like a lot more effort, it just kind of took a quick breath in and thinking "OK, gotta get back on track here."
I think with all this work, the 9:00 comfort pace that Bill and I discussed is moving more toward about 8:20. Woo hoo! This might be a good pace to target in the marathon, along with some walking, but Bill and I will discuss that during the week.

Wednesday 6/9 Core

Wednesday is speed day on the track. I couldn't find my notes on what I was scheduled to do today, so I just kind of winged it. I wasn't in the mood to run around the track (this is rare), so I joined the Core group to do some last-minute strengthening before Grandma's in 10 days.
I did all the exercises, but skipped most of the running between circuits. The group ran up and down the bleacher stairs, and I was too chicken to do this, fearing an injury. I tend to get like this in the days leading up to a big race.
After the workout, we went to the Spur - my last junk food and alcohol before the race. Time to cleanse!

Monday 6/7 ALARC Core

Thought I'd take a little break from running tonight and do some circuits. I had to go pretty much straight from work to the workout. I usually like some time to unwind and get some food in my stomach, but tonight was pretty rushed.
We did the circuits on the football field. It felt great to do some push-ups, wall-sits, ab work, and hand weight exercises. Not a whole lot out of the ordinary to report this evening. Probably a 6 out of 10 on the difficulty level.

ALARC Legends 10K

Today was the annual ALARC Legends 10K and 5K. I have volunteered for this race the past 3-4 years, and haven't run in it in about 4-5 years.
This is weekend #1 of the taper before Grandma's. I wanted to go all-out in this race and see where I am speed-wise at this distance. My 10K PR is around 46:40, and I was hoping to finish under 46 minutes.
My friend Tom and I were talking at the starting line, and discovered we had similar goals in this one. Tom is historically much faster than I am, so it was going to be a good test.
It was a cloudy day and a little muggy at the start. By the end, the temperature rose quickly as did the humidity. I went out fast, hoping to do around a 7:10 mile and try to hold it as long as I could. Things felt "heavy" right away and I could tell I wasn't at my all-time best this morning. Hills were more a struggle than my best days, and there were some rolling hills in the first mile. I tried to get it out of my head, remembering that my best miles are typically 4-8 on my long runs.
But it never went away. The humidity got to me, and even the smallest hills felt like mountains.
At about mile 4, I accepted that it wasn't my day and just wanted to stay strong and do the best I could. Here are the splits:
1 - 7:05, probably too fast, likely affected the rest of the race
2 - 7:19, settled in a bit
3 - 7:36, included the turn-around and a water stop. started feeling tired here, slowed down
4 - 7:41, rolling hills, was having a hard time with them
5 - 7:40, close to the finish, focused on staying strong
6 - 7:54, legs were screaming at me to take a walking break. took about a 20 step walking break through a water stop
6.2 - The last quarter mile sucked. Up a hill and to the finish. But it felt great to finish and join many of my friends for pancakes and awards.
Overall result: 46:52, 9th overall, 2nd in men 35-40. Award certificate is up on the fridge already :)

Mile for time, Wednesday track

I've started tapering for Grandma's so I was a little unsure as to what workout to do today. Last week I did 14 quarter miles on the track, so I thought I'd dial it back a bit.
What better time to check where my speed is at, after a couple months of training?
I suggested the group do a mile for time, and about ten of us lined up at the starting line (actually 9 meters behind it). My previous best was 6:35. I've been doing 90 second quarter-miles, so I wondered how close I could get to 6 minutes. Who knows, maybe even under six!
I ended up doing a 6:09, and was very happy with it. I was completely exhausted after it, but I think I left a few seconds out there on the track. So maybe my post-marathon goal can be a sub-six mile. We'll see, after Grandma's.
After the mile, I took a long time to catch my breath and rest. Then I joined the circuit group for some pushups and ab work.

Memorial Day hills

Monday is hill day, and we didn't have Core class due to the holiday. So I was on my own tonight, but that's OK.
I'm still a little tired from Saturday's 18+ miles, so I really didn't feel like the 45 second "sprints" up Yugo hill. So I went over to the park along Ford Road to do about 4 miles of hills. Right away I could tell that my legs were still sore from Saturday, but they felt better after a couple miles.
My stomach was reminding/punishing me from my Jimmy John's dinner a couple hours earlier (and a cookie). I kind of felt gross at the halfway point but gutted (pun intended) it out for a couple more miles.
I didn't feel like I had a lot of speed in my legs tonight, so I just tried to maintain a steady pace of about 8:30 miles. The usual workout calls for a 7:30/mile pace up the hill on Ford Road. Maybe next week.
I decided during the run today that I need some pictures of these regular running spots for the blog. Maybe sometime I'll bike around with my camera and take some shots. This blog looks a little boring without photographic documentation and pizazz.

Last long run of 2010! Well, until the marathon

Today's run was originally scheduled for four hours, but I managed to convince Bill to lower it to three. That last hour just killed me the two times before. But those runs were valuable so I can experience the pain and anguish that I'll certainly feel in Duluth once I have about 20 miles behind me.
So today was 3 hours, 5 minutes running @ 7:30/mile pace with a 3 mile walk/jog recovery.
It's a hot one in the Twin Cities today, so I made sure I got out there early. I arrived at the usual spot in Deephaven at 7am feeling ready and raring to go. After doing the half marathon at 9 minute miles and a bunch of quarter mile repeats at 6 minute miles, I had a little laugh when I realized that I literally had to split the difference in this workout (7:30/mile).
Once I got that in my head, it was pretty easy to maintain. As I've said many times before in this blog, the main point of this style of training is to run based on perceived pace and make adjustments. So my mindset this morning was a pace somewhere between half marathon and quarter mile run paces.
The first hour went very well. I'd guess it was in the high 60's and very sunny. There was a slight wind out of the south. I made sure I took the Endurolyte tablet (electrolyte replenishment) tablet before I got started, in addition to every hour of running. It really helps cut down on the salt and sweat that pours out of me on long runs (sorry for the visual).
At the end of the first hour, I felt warmed up and a little tired but not too bad. I took a short break at my car for water, a gel, and two more Endurolytes tablets. At the end of the second hour, I felt pretty tired but anxious to kick some butt in the third hour and be done!
It turned out I got back to my car at about the 2 hour 10 minute mark, so I was a little late for my usual water break. I was really thirsty, and the sun was getting higher and the temperature rising.
By the end of the workout, I was even more thirsty and it was a struggle to maintain the 7:30 pace. As usual, at about the 2:20 mark, it became very uncomfortable to start running after a walk. The upper leg/groin area really resisted the running process, but it felt ok after about a dozen steps. When I finished up, I was ready to be done. My legs were tight, I needed water, and I wanted to find some shade. As I sit here over three hours after finishing, my legs are still sore but getting better. Really looking forward to a nap.
Here are the splits (much more consistent than previous runs, woo hoo!):
1 - 7:28 minutes/mile
2 - 7:25
3 - 7:34 (I swear there's a hill here on the path)
4 - 7:29
5 - 7:24 (going down said hill)
6 - 7:36
7 - 7:25
8 - 7:28
9 - 7:28
10 - 7:28 (consistent!)
11 - 7:22
12 - 7:36
13 - 7:26
14 - 7:27
15 - 7:30
16 - 7:05 This was just a 2 minute run as I got back to my car. I was maybe going to meet Paul at the car and didn't want to blow by the area in case he was waiting in the shade off the parking lot. So while I stopped, I grabbed a gel, water, and electrolytes.
17 - 7:28
18 - 7:28
19 - 7:43 (that darn hill, I kicked myself when seeing this split. see next split)
20 - 7:19 (that's better)
21 - 7:38
22 - 7:30
Totals: 18.40 miles, 2:57:37, avg pace 9:39/mile, 2634 calories burned

I have to say as I look at these splits in total for the first time, I'm most proud of the final three. It would have been easy to say, "I'm almost done, slowing down a bit won't hurt anything. Besides, I'm tired." But I quickly got that out of my head, thinking "This is my last friggin' run before the marathon. I got this shortened by an hour, so I'd better EARN it and get my butt in gear. I feel much better at this point than in previous weeks, so go get 'em!"

Wednesday track, quarter mile repeats

Today had me down for 14 x 400 @ 90 seconds. I went to Lindbergh to (hopefully) hit the track on a beautiful Wednesday evening. It was sunny and about 78 with a wind out of the north at about 10 mph.
There was a lacrosse game on the field at 7:30pm, and the teams were there early to warm up. The Lindbergh staff said we shouldn't be on the track, but I really wanted to get out there, so I adopted the old "easier to apologize than ask for permission" attitude.
While doing a lap in 90 seconds is difficult, I couldn't help thinking how much easier it was this night versus a month ago doing the same workout. In last month's set of eight repeats, I could barely catch my breath between sets and needed a full lap to recover. Tonight's fourteen repeats just needed a 200 yard recovery and I felt tired but ready for the next one.
Here are the splits:
1 - 1:30.50
2 - 1:29.14
3 - 1:29.12
4 - 1:29.99
5 - 1:28.56
6 - 1:28.20
7 - 1:29.06
8 - 1:29.20
9 - 1:31.44 (think I lost focus a bit here)
10 - 1:28.14
11 - 1:28.03
12 - 1:27.44
13 - 1:28.57
14 - 1:25.09 (didn't leave anything on the track on the last one!)
Then went to the Spur and had a wonderful turkey burger with fries :)

Tuesday 5/25 swim

Waking up at 4:30am, I was close to just rolling over and sleeping for another two hours before work. But I remained steadfast in my goal to do every scheduled workout until Grandma's on June 19th.
We did a few short, medium-paced repeats of 100 and 200 yards. Then we did long swims, mine in lane #1 was either 1200 or 1400 yards (can't remember). Then a couple of 100's and 200's and we were done. As usual, felt wonderful as I walked out of there.

Monday 5/24 hills in the heat

Sunny and about 90 degrees tonight in beautiful Minnetonka MN. The workout tonight called for 16 repeats of Yugo Hill, at a fast pace I could maintain for the 16 reps.
I have a starting point of a manhole cover at the bottom of the hill, and a finishing point of a medium-sized rock at the top. I turn around and walk about 1/4 the way down the hill, jog the middle half, and walk the remaining quarter.
It's about a 150 yard trip, and I average about 46 seconds. It's interesting - if I really turn on the jets, the fastest I can make it has been about 44 seconds. If I lose a little focus and feel tired, the slowest I make it is about 48 seconds. So no matter what the case, I find myself being pretty consistent in my times.
Tonight was no different. Most of the splits were 46 or 47 seconds. After only 2-3 reps, I was a sweaty mess. I really wanted to make it the full 16 reps, which I did! After a couple workouts last week that fell short, there was no way I was going to not complete the goal today.
It felt good to finish in the heat, because if history repeats itself Grandma's Marathon will be a hot and humid event. Gotta get some warm weather practice in!
Now off to bed. I need to get up at 4:30 to go swimming. Whew!

2010 Maple Grove Half Marathon

The big day! For anyone who reads this who does not know me, I am one of the founders of the Maple Grove Half Marathon and 5K. We had full races again this year, with over 1000 runners.
I had a blast leading the 2 hour pace group last year, and signed on to do it again this year.
The day before wasn't the typical day-before-race routine. I was on my feet for most of the day to help set up the course and running various errands for the race. I didn't sleep too well on Friday night with a million details going through my head. But I did have a good night's sleep on Thursday which I've heard is very important.
The forecast all week called for temps in the 80's, but luckily is wasn't quite that hot. It was humid with mostly cloudy skies. I had an excellent race, it actually felt like a medium-paced jog. We walked through all water stops because of the heat, I wanted all the runners to stay hydrated.
Here are the splits, actually the pace per mile because some mile markers were short/long:
Mile 1 - 8:48
2 - 8:55
3 - 9:03
4 - 8:59 (water stop)
5 - 8:59
6 - 9:02 (water stop)
7 - 9:04
8 - 8:51 (water stop)
9 - 8:57
10 - 9:14 (water stop)
11 - 9:16
12 - 9:29 (water stop, slowed to help last people in pace group finish)
13 - forgot to stop watch :)
Summary: Chip time 2:00:09, 10K split 1:04:25

Glad to see Coach Bill out there, it was an honor to have him in our field!

Wednesday 4/19 track, core

The plan for today called for 12 x 400 @ 1:30. So I got to the track around 6pm, and found out that there was a lacrosse game at 6:30pm, and the coach wanted the track clear by 6:30. No other teams have had a problem with us being out there, but I guess the teams/schools paid to be out there, so I don't have issues with this.
So I only had half an hour to get warmed up and get as many quarter miles in as possible in 30 minutes. I managed to get six or seven reps in before the time expired (there was literally a countdown on the scoreboard). I trimmed down the usual recovery from a full lap to half a lap.
With a maintainable effort (one that I could hold for about 10-12 reps) I was able to achieve an average of about 1:27 per repeat. There was a definite difference between today and about a month ago when I started these quarter mile repeats. With the same level of effort, maybe a little less, I'm trimming 3-4 seconds off my splits. Good confidence builder!
I finished the workout by joining the Core group for the final two circuits, without the running. I was still pretty winded. Then we went off to the Spur for a great dinner of wings :)

Tuesday 5/18 swim

Just got back from the pool after a week hiatus. As usual, it felt great. I recently graduated to lane #2 and had to work extremely hard to keep up. This morning I went back to lane 1 since I missed the previous week and I'm still getting over the last stages of a cold.
We did a couple of 100's, 200's, 300's, and 400's at a moderate pace. I hit all the splits and felt good. Glad to be back on track!

Monday 5/17 hills

I had a dinner party on Monday night, so I cut out of work a little early to head to Yugo hill for some repeats. It was sunny and hot, and I was feeling much better than the previous few days.
Nothing special to report, I hit the splits around the usual 46-47 seconds and did a jog/walk on the way down.

1 hour, 5/2/1, 6:30 pace

Just got back from Deephaven where the scheduled workout was one hour with 5 minute runs at 6:30/mile pace, 2 minute walk, 1 minute jog. Note that my PR for the mile is 6:35.
So I went into the workout with that mentality - try to hit the pace of a mile for time. It would be eight reps of this.
I went down to the usual Deephaven location this morning around 10am. It was already sunny and about 60, a beautiful day.
I hate making excuses, I really do. But on Thursday morning I woke up with a sore throat and it progressed into a pretty brutal cold on Friday and Saturday. My nose was continually running, my voice was extremely hoarse, and when I stood up I had some dizzy spells. So I skipped the Thursday swim and Friday easy 2-3 miles.
When I started my first run this morning, I felt ok at first, but the last minute was a struggle. Breathing was difficult as my throat is still sore from being sick. I nailed the split at 6:28, and thought there was a chance I could still keep it up, just seven more reps to go. Maybe I was just getting warmed up. The second rep was labored the entire way. I did a 6:18 pace, but felt similar to the end of the two-hour workout a few weeks ago where my body abruptly stopped the workout on its own.
I turned around to do the third split, thinking that it'd be ok to slow down a bit so I could complete the workout. I went down to a 7:18 and felt even worse at the end of this. I checked my pulse and felt 28 beats in 10 seconds, translating to 168 bpm.
While I knew this was an intense workout, that didn't feel healthy to me. This training regimen is all about getting to know myself and making adjustments, so I thought hard about what to do at this point. I wasn't even halfway through the workout, and my body was clearly telling me that it needed a break. I noticed my walking was zig-zagging a little and my throat was very dry.
I decided to take an extra-long recovery walk, do one more rep where I'd have a couple gears left, and call it a day and live for a good week of workouts. The last running rep was 5 minutes at 7:47/mile. The pulse rate was still way up there and I felt slightly nauseous, so I felt good about my decision to call it a day.
Time to rest up and nail every scheduled workout this week. I have a half marathon next weekend where I am pacing the 2 hour group. I'm really looking forward to it - it should be a nice relaxed pace and I can see where I am distance-wise.

Monday Core, recovery

It's been 48 hours since the 4 hour run, and I'm feeling much better. The first few hours were brutal, with very stiff/sore quads. But the more I walk around the better I feel.
Last night I led an indoor session of Core due to the rain. There was a good sized group and we divided into two groups. I led the exercises but skipped all of the stairs and most of the laps in between.
I didn't get the hill workout in that was on the schedule, there was no way I could do Ford's yesterday. Maybe I'll try to get some in tonight since I don't have any plans this evening.
I skipped swimming this morning as well, but I'll get in my weekly swim on Thursday morning.

Sunday 5/9 four hour run

Today's scheduled run was for four hours, 5 minutes running, 2 walking, and 1 slow jogging. It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear with little to no wind. I went back to Deephaven to the regular spot.
Before I get to the splits, I'll describe today's approach. I really wanted to avoid looking at my pace during the running portions. Back to what Bill and I talked about, it's more a perceived effort than a particular pace - although we have target pace levels. For a four hour run, I wanted to find a pace that I could maintain that long and feel ok at the end.
After a few hours of that, my legs started to get extremely tired and tight. It became difficult to start running after a couple minutes of walking. Actually, the most difficult/painful moments of the run were the first couple of seconds after running, and the first couple of steps while beginning the running portions.
Turns out I slowed down fairly dramatically after about 3 hours. The fatigue was almost completely in my leg muscles. I did not have labored breathing at any point today. Mentally I felt fine too. My legs just didn't want to maintain the pace for 4 hours.
I was happy to complete the four hour workout after cutting the last two runs a bit short for various reasons.
I never felt like I hit "the wall" today. Yes, I slowed down considerably but never felt like I completely crashed. I'm thinking I may need to slow things down on the front end so I can maintain consistency on the back end of these long runs. The 1 minute of jogging also added a lot of running time to the workout. Perhaps that contributed to the fatigue as well. Looking forward to talking to Bill about this.
My mindset in the last hour was not to nail the pace, but keep my best effort going despite my extremely tight quads. I think my feet were swelling up pretty good too because my shoes felt tighter at the run went on. I adjusted the laces and things felt much better :)
Here are the splits:
1 - 7:22 / mile
2 - 7:27
3 - 7:28
4 - 7:23
5 - 7:28
6 - 7:27
7 - 7:24
8 - 7:33
*extended break at car* (3:56)
Hour 2-
9 - 7:34
10 - 7:27
11 - 7:36
12 - 7:44
13 - 7:22
14 - 7:21
15 - 7:34
16 - 7:41
*extended break at car* (4:53)
Hour 3-
17 - 7:50
18 - 7:58
19 - 7:57
20 - 7:57
21 - 8:20
22 - 8:26
23 - 8:47
24 - 9:04
*extended break at car* (6:30) - legs were killing me, actually started "hour 4" at about 3 hr 19 min mark
25 - 9:46
26 - 9:47
27 - 10:25
28 - 11:39
29 - 11:37
30 - 10:42

Total: 23.67 miles, 4:06:32 (includes all breaks), average pace 10:25/mile, calories 3377

Tuesday-Saturday summary

It was a very busy week with work and evening meetings, therefore I didn't get to do all the scheduled workouts for the week. Hopefully this'll be the last time this happens before the marathon.
I usually have a swimming workout on Tuesday mornings, but didn't make it this week because Monday got late. I went straight from work to a meeting on Wednesday, so didn't get to work out that day - and the exact same thing happened on Thursday. However, I did get in a great swimming workout on Thursday morning before work.
Friday was very busy as well for the entire day so I didn't get a workout. But I did go to ALARC Core to do two circuits in the Lindbergh Center. I haven't done circuits in a couple weeks, rather I have been doing the running portions of our regular workouts. I only did a partial workout that day because I was getting ready for a four-hour run on Sunday morning.

Monday 5/3 hills

I had to squeeze a hill workout in today because I worked until 3:30 and was going to the Twins' game at around 6. So I jumped over to Yugo hill to do 16 repeats like I did a few weeks ago.
Sixteen repeats, running up the hill at a perceived 1 mile pace.
Splits:
1 - 48
2 - 48
3 - 46
4 - 46
5 - 46
6 - 45
7 - 46
8 - 47
9 - 46
10 - 46
11 - 46
12 - 45
13 - 44
14 - 47
15 - 46
16 - 45

Saturday, windy Saturday

One hour today, 5 run 3 walk, run @ 6:55. I went to the Lakes for this one, my first straying from the comforts of Deephaven.
I quickly discovered that there was a huge 5K walk at Lake Calhoun precisely at the time I wanted to start running. So I worked my way over to Lake of the Isles, which typically offers peaceful tranquility. Turns out there was another walk over there involving those afflicted with blindness. So I found myself having to dodge some people and dogs throughout the run - but that's ok, Grandma's will be full of people too.
Wind was another factor. There were gusts out of the south at about 30 mph.
I ended up doing only about 53 minutes of the hour-long workout. I tried to complete the run by going back to Lake Calhoun and finishing up. But again I ran straight into the 5K walkers who occupied 110% of the trails and were completely oblivious to others using the paths. I was about 2 minutes into a run and just threw up my hands.
Here are the splits:
1 - 6:38/mile
2 - 6:46
3 - 6:50
4 - 6:44
5 - 7:00
6 - 6:59
7 - 7:19 (dodging people, running directly into wind, gave up after 2 min)
The fast pace certainly wasn't comfortable, it took a lot of work to get under 6:50/mile. After doing the 3 or 4 hour runs, I thought this'd be a walk in the park. But the speedwork definitely got my attention!

Thursday off, Friday easy 3

Tonight I did an easy 3 miler. I didn't have the best diet day (this is alarmingly becoming a trend on Friday's). My new co-workers invited me to lunch which ended up being at Chipotle. I ordered a chicken bowl. No tortilla wrap and minimal rice, no sour cream or cheese. My stomach was going crazy all afternoon....then after work I went over to a friend's to see his wife and kids and had a light beer. Then I went on the run, which was very nice.
Nothing much to report, it was an easy run:
3.18 miles, 28:51, 9:05/mile, 472 calories.
Going to get a good night's sleep tonight for the 1 hour fast workout tomorrow.

Wednesday 4/28 track

Today was 10 x 400 at 90 seconds. Essentially a quarter mile at a 6:00/mile pace. My best mile is around 6:35, so this was a challenge. The biggest issue was the wind. On one side of the track, there was virtually no wind. On the other, as you make the turn, you run smack into a 25 mph wind. It stunk because we didn't get it as a tailwind on the other half! The school building was placed just right/wrong :(
Splits for the 10 x 400's:
1 - 1:28
2 - 1:30
3 - 1:27
4 - 1:27
5 - 1:28
6 - 1:27
7 - 1:27
8 - 1:28
9 - 1:27
10 - 1:25

I was really sucking wind at the end of these. But I was very happy to nail the goal in each of the splits!

Tuesday 4/27 swim

Today I graduated to lane 2! Since I "nailed" the swim workout the previous week, I thought I'd slide into the more difficult routine pretty smoothly. I soon learned I was in for a rude awakening.
I made it though the distances and paces, but left myself hardly any time for rest. When the workout calls for 100 yards @ 1:50, that means you start the next distance in 1:50 from the time you start the 100 yards, not finishing in 1:50. So I'd finish around 1:45, and would only have 5 seconds to catch my breath before the next exercise! But I made it. I was sucking a lot of wind and was completely exhausted. Great workout!

Monday 4/26 Hills

We didn't have Core tonight because the center was closed, but a few of us met for hills anyway.
The calendar called for Ford Road hills, 5 miles with a 7:00/mile pace going up the hills. Some of the hills on Ford are nasty, probably around 50 yards long.
It was a nice evening and I felt pretty good. I am in the early weeks of a new job, so I didn't have time to lift weights. So I was raring to go on the run!
I decided early to do a light jog while not going up hills, but when I started an incline I'd turn on the jets. The first few hills weren't too bad, but of course as time went on the 7 minute pace was difficult to hold onto. I tried to keep up the pace for about 10 steps once I got to the top of the hill.
Looking at my Garmin data, it's tough to see if I held this pace for all the hills, but I'd say I was close. Overall I felt very good.
Stats: 5.16 miles, 44:24, pace 8:36/mile, 765 calories burnt

Sunday 4/25 long run, 2 hrs 5/3 7:10 miles

Tough one today, with a first. I didn't make it the whole two hours. At about 1:45 into the run, I suddenly stopped running. I didn't think about it, didn't really make a conscious decision to stop. I was having some difficulty in the previous 2-3 running reps, but I thought I could make it through. Right after I stopped, I felt for my pulse rate. I didn't have a heart monitor, but I'm guessing it was around 200 beats per minute. So my body was telling me something.
There were a couple of factors that probably led to this. First, I was up at 5:15am the day before to volunteer for the Get In Gear race. I was on my feet the entire time up until about 1:30pm. It was cold and rainy, and I was very tired afterward.
Also, I attended an event last night. We were out until about midnight. I got a decent night of sleep, but perhaps I needed an extra day of rest.
Here are my splits for today's long run/walk - 5 minute run/3 minute walk, running at 7:10 pace:
1 - 7:44
2 - 6:30 (I think I over-compensated for the slow first split)
3 - 6:51
4 - 7:02
5 - 7:06
6 - 6:56
7 - 7:04
8 - 7:08
9 - 7:00
10 - 6:58
11 - 7:11
12 - 7:17
13 - 7:10
14 - 7:10 until I stopped at 1:51 into the 5 minute run.

Thursday 3-4 easy miles

I got up a little early to get 3-4 miles in before work. I ran a loop in my neighborhood. It was a beautiful morning, actually a little warm for April. Turned out to be exactly 3.0 miles, at a relaxed pace of 9:39/mile. I had to wait for traffic a couple times, so this is probably a little slow.

Wednesday speedwork, quarter mile repeats

I hoped to do this on the track, but there was a kids' track meet. So I went on a straight stretch of road near my house. The calendar called for 8 repeats with a target time of 1:30.
I must have accidentally deleted my splits on my watch. But I do recall that none of the splits were less than 1:30, with the slowest at 1:29. This was a comfortable but challenging pace. I think I could hit 1:25 at this number of reps next time. But for two more reps for a total of ten, I'm pretty sure it'd be around 1:28'ish.

Tuesday 4/20 swim

Had a good swim on Tuesday morning. Nailed all the splits, and got promoted to lane #2!

Monday hill workout

Tonight called for 16 hill repeats on "Yugo" Hill near the Lindbergh Center. The distance up the hill is 0.11 miles. I wanted to run up to the top at a tough pace, and have my first rep be as strong/fast as my last.
Here are the splits:
1 - 47.7 seconds
2 - 48.1
3 - 47.1
4 - 47.1
5 - 47.1
6 - 50.0
7 - 46.3
8 - 46.0
9 - 44.9
10 - 44.9
11 - 45.2
12 - 44.7
13 - 44.0
14 - 43.7
15 - 43.8
16 - 41.1
Felt great at the end, but winded. Felt like I gave it my all, and I was pretty surprised I could keep that effort/speed up the whole time.

Saturday long run, 4 hours

I went over the details of this run with Coach Bill on Sunday, so I'll list my splits and be brief:
5 minute run / 3 minute walk
1 -7:54/mile pace - just 'feeling out' the slower pace
2 - 7:36
3 - 7:25
4 - 7:31
5 - 7:17
6 - 7:20
7 - 7:24
8 - 7:20
9 - 7:29
10 - 7:32
11 - 7:41
12 - 7:35
13 - 7:41
14 - 7:50
15 - 7:59
16 - 7:24
17 - 7:57
18 - 8:00
19 - 7:32
20 - 7:20
21 - 7:33
22 - 7:34
- long break -
23 - 7:46
24 - 7:53
25 - 8:06
26 - 8:06
27 - 8:11
28 - 8:25
29 - 8:28
30 - 8:35
Totals: 4 hours 4 minutes 19 seconds, 24.10 miles, 6am-10am, usual course
This run went really well. The first 2.5 hours were very smooth and felt easy. For the last hour and a half, my quads were burning and my times slowed down. As I mentioned to Bill, I didn't become locked in to specific split times/paces, I focused on giving a good effort on every rep.
This run certainly went better than the three hour run. I believe this is due to several factors including starting earlier, eating better the previous day, not focusing on splits, and adding electrolyte tablets to the routine.

No running Thursday or Friday 4/15-16

Had a couple busy days, was not able to get a run in. However on Friday, I made sure to eat healthy and have plenty of water throughout the day.

Wednesday 4/14 - Birthday!

Core was out on the track, and we did 5 minute repeats with about a 2.5 minute walking recovery. Here are my splits:
1 - 6:52/mile pace
2 - 7:04
3 - 6:52

I wanted to get some circuit work in, so I only did three 5 minute repeats. I'm confident I could have done 2-3 more at the sub 7 minute pace.

Thru Tues morning

Core last night was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect and I coached the circuits on the football field. I lifted weights beforehand, but did not do the straightaway repeats. Before the workout, I biked the Maple Grove Half Marathon course, so about 15 miles. I was a little tired from the ride and the heat.
This morning (Tuesday) I had a great swim, about 2300 yards. It's raining outside now. Hopefully I'll get out there today and run 3-4 easy miles in the afternoon.

Sunday easy run

Went out on Sunday morning early to get some easy miles in after the tough run the day before. I went to the usual spot and headed west with a friend. We did 6.4 total miles with two walking breaks. Running was at about a 10 minute/mile pace. It was a beautiful day, and warmed up quickly, even as we were finishing up at around 9am.
Today (Monday) will have a bike ride in the early afternoon then Core at 6pm with weights beforehand.

Saturday long run - 2 hours 5/3

Today I went back to the usual starting point in Deephaven. I had a bit of a later start than I had hoped, around 10:20am. It was sunny and about 52 when I started, and it warmed up pretty quickly.
The run called for 5 minutes running and 3 minutes walking for two hours. Here are the splits:
1 - 7:14/mile
2 - 7:07
3 - 7:10
4 - 7:06
5 - 7:06
6 - 7:04
7 - 7:09
8 - 7:15
9 - 7:30
10 - 7:20
11 - 7:24
12 - 7:24
13 - 7:14
14 - 7:30
15 - 7:50
Total mileage including walking: 12.59 miles, 2:02:37, avg pace 9:44, calories burned: 1795
As the times indicate, I started off strong and slowed down about halfway through. I took a water and gel break between the 8th and 9th running reps. It was warming up and I took off my long-sleeved shirt to go with short sleeves. Seemed like I had to work extremely hard and focus intensely to get into the 7:20 range. On the very last rep, I was completely exhausted and really feeling the heat.
I think I said this last week as well, but I need to get out there earlier to have more favorable weather. I'm not blaming the temperatures, but it is getting warmer and I'm not used to the heat this early in the year.

Wednesday and Thursday

Core went well on Wednesday. We did a ladder, where we did 4x200, 3x400, 2x800, and a 1600. Mostly with 100 or 200 walking recovery. Then I joined the Core group for the final circuit. Then of course went to the Spur :)
Yesterday (Thursday), I did 30 second runs with 30 second walking recoveries. I did 12 repeats of this, it went very quickly. Total distance was 2.07 miles. Running pace was around 6:45/mile.
Today was a rest day. Tomorrow I'm doing 2 hours, 5/3 running at 7:10-7:15. Going to bed early to get up early and get a good breakfast and let it settle.

Week catch-up

Quick notes on this week since I'm falling a little behind on entries:
Monday - Did 10 straightaways before Core. Did weights, warm-up, 2 miles of hills, and one quick circuit.
Tuesday - Had a terrific swim early in the morning, then did 20 laps (3.3 miles) at Lindbergh. Felt really good, the miles flew by.
Wednesday -Heading to Core tonight.
Thoughts are with my friend Bill this week as he lost his beloved mother. Love ya Bill.

Easter (goose) egg

Rough day today. The calendar had a 90 minute run with 5 minutes at about 7:15 and walking for three minutes. I went down to the usual spot in Deephaven to begin the workout.
Back up about 14 hours. I went to a basketball game at about 6:30pm without eating beforehand. There was no quality, affordable food available at the game, and I wasn't that hungry. Then we went out afterward and I had two small beers and water before going home. When I got home around 10:30, I had a small bowl of oatmeal. Not an ideal "night before" diet.
I was dragging from the start today. A far cry from the previous two weeks' runs. I was sucking wind after the first 35-40 minutes. It might have been due to diet, maybe from the warmer temperature, and maybe just dumb luck. Probably a combination of all of them.
Here are the splits:
1 - 7:11/mile pace
2 - 7:06
3 - 7:18
4 - 7:00
5 - 7:13
6 - 7:14
Between these runs, I took an additional 3 minute break for water and a gel at my car.
7 - 7:23
8 - 7:18
9 - 7:17
10 - 8:00
11 - 7:28
Actually, I didn't look at these splits until after I had finished writing the first couple of paragraphs above. I'm very surprised I achieved those times. It took a lot more effort to get to those times than in the past few weeks.
I somewhat panicked after the first few repeats because I was feeling a little sluggish. How was I going to do this for an hour and a half? But I now realize that some days require harder work than others, and that I can achieve fairly lofty goals.
I do not believe that the shorter walking break (3 minutes vs 5 minutes) caused this struggle. A couple weeks ago I did 5 minutes/2 minutes, and didn't feel as uncomfortable as I did today.
Totals: 9.88 miles, 1 hour 38 minutes. Overall pace (including walking): 9:59/mile. Included extra walking at the very end, getting back to my car.

Wednesday Core, Thursday swim

Finally starting to feel better! I think I have my legs back after Sunday's long run.
Last night (Wednesday) we had Core outside on the track, my favorite workout! We did some warmup laps, then did a mile for time. I went out a little too fast, but ended up at 6:35. I think with a little more practice, I can shave about 10-15 seconds off of that.
After the mile I did a circuit with the group and then had some wings at the Lone Spur.
This morning I made it to the pool, which is a little unusual because I typically go on Tuesday mornings. I went on Thursday because I was still recovering on Tuesday from the long run and the class was at a different pool due to spring break. The swim felt good this morning, we did mostly short reps, longest was 100 yards. We kind of alternated fast/slow, which reminds me of the run/walk workouts I've been doing on the weekends.
Swimming on Thursdays after a long (3 hours+) weekend run seems like a good idea since my body needs 2-3 days to fully recover.

Recovery Tuesday

Tuesday's run was an easy 3-4 miles. I felt better with another day removed from the Sunday run/walk adventure. But I wasn't quite 100% back yet.
The first half mile or so was very sluggish. My legs just didn't have the bounce that they usually do for these short runs. I was thinking that even though the run was short, it would seem like it'd take forever.
But after that first half mile, things loosened up and I felt somewhat back to normal. There were a few hills and those were challenging, even at a slow pace. By the end of the 4 mile run, I felt like I was at about 85% of "normal," whereas at the beginning of the run I was at about 70%.
I am doubtful that I could have as successful of a weekend run this weekend as I did on Sunday given the state of my legs right now. I'm hoping it goes back down to two hours, but we'll see what Bill says. I surprised myself last time, so anything's possible!

Now I know how how Nick Nolte feels

Remember Nick Nolte movies? The ones where he's always down-and-out, feeling beat down? That's how I felt yesterday after Sunday's 3 hour adventure. I'm 34, but felt 84.
I still managed to do 10 straightaways at Lindbergh. Then I went down to the weight room where I discovered I forgot my workout guide sheet. You'd think since there are only three workouts in there I should have memorized it by now.
I only made it halfway through before I realized I had little left in the tank. Plus I still had to coach ALARC Core in half an hour. So I cut it short and went upstairs to chat with the group and relax.
The weather's getting nice, so we went outside to the football field for our workout. The boys' lacrosse team was practicing, so we had to dodge a couple of balls - but that's ok, it was great to be back outside! It was a little chilly and I was wearing just shorts and a t-shirt, so I'll have to adjust that next time.
I had a bad workout. My legs were beat, my back was sore, and I found myself mentally fatigued as well. But I trudged through it and finished it up. Then went home and collapsed on the couch.
I skipped swimming this morning, and plan to do the scheduled 3-4 easy miles much later today.

A 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour

Just got cleaned up after a 3 hour run. It's a beautiful Sunday here in the Twin Cities, about 55 degrees and sunny with a wind out of the north of about 10 mph.
I slept in a bit and had a good breakfast of oatmeal, a banana, and a bagel with peanut butter. I guess due to the timing (10:30am), it was more of a brunch. But I knew I needed the calories for the run I was about to start.
I drove down to the Deephaven paddleball court again since it worked well in my two hour run last weekend. I planed to do 30 minute out-and-backs where I run/walk in one direction for 30 minutes and turn around and go back the same way. This gets me to my car for water and gels every hour.
Per Coach Bill, the goal today was 3 hours, 5 minute run/5 minute walk, running at a pace of 7:10-7:15/mile. This was a big challenge since last week was "only" two hours and the runs were at a ~7:35 pace.
Here are my splits/pace for today's run:
1 - 7:05/mile
2 - 7:12
3 - 7:12
4 - 6:55 (whoops!)
5 - 7:03
6 - 7:03
7 - 7:09
8 - 7:07
9- 7:08
10 - 7:10
11 - 7:26
12 - 7:08
13 - 7:10
14 - 7:22
15 - 7:12
16 - 7:30
17 - 7:26
The most challenging were splits 13-17 above. My legs felt a little heavier, and it took a huge effort to keep up the speed. It really took a lot of focus. The last two were especially tough. I truly gave 100% on these, but just didn't have much gas left. In the last 3-4 run sets today, I was breathing very hard, and noticed my breathing became audible for a few seconds after I started walking. Kind of a pant or grunt :)
Overall, I am very happy with how today went. Looking at the numbers, my confidence is boosted. I was a little worried about the length and speed of today's workout, but I did it!
To catch up on the last few days:
Life got in the way a bit on Thursday. I hosted a small dinner and got behind schedule. I was supposed to do some straightaways but didn't make it to the gym. Friday, the scheduled day off, was also very busy and there was no running.
Yesterday (Saturday) I went on a very relaxed three mile run in my neighborhood. I knew I had a tough one today, so I didn't care about pace and just enjoyed the run. Barely broke a sweat.

Wednesday Core

Core yesterday was good, a few of us did the first half of the workout outside on the track. It was a little cold, but it sure felt good outside.
I did the warmup inside, then went out to the track. I did 4 x 800's with a 3:30 walk in between. My 800 splits were from 3:27 to 3:31. This gave me a confidence boost as I go into Saturday's three hour run with 5 minute repeats @ 7:15/mile pace with a 5 minute walking rest.
I finished the workout by going back inside and joining the group for their third circuit. Then we all went to the Lone Spur for our weekly celebration.

Core, swimming, pizza, and 4 miles

Need to catch up on a couple days here.
Monday was Core, and I had 10 straightaways to do at Lindbergh beforehand. Then I had time to go downstairs to the weight room before 6pm when Core started. I coached a small group inside because about 1/4 of the group went outside to run hills. It's that time of year, the big transition outside!
I got up early on Tuesday to go swimming at Hopkins Masters. Our drills were a little longer than usual, mixing in an 800 yard swim. I didn't get a nap in yesterday, then had a meeting in Minneapolis at 6pm which included some really delicious pizza. I hadn't run my scheduled 3-4 easy miles, so I went over to Lindbergh with a full stomach. These were probably my slowest miles in a while, but that's ok - I was a little sluggish with all that yummy pizza.

Sunday easy four

It was a beautiful day in the Twin Cities today. Sunny and in the 50's, a perfect day for a run. The scheduled called for an easy 3-5 miles, so I ran my newly-discovered four mile loop in my neighborhood.
I was feeling good. It was a little cool and windy at the beginning, but I didn't notice after a half mile or so. Nothing special to write about, just a normal four miles at an easy pace.

Friday straightaways and Saturday long run

I was planning to go out of town this weekend on a ski trip, but conditions are not good so I decided to stay home. This changed training plans mid-stream because I was planning on taking Thursday off and doing my long run on Friday.
But on Friday, it was decided I'll stay in town. So yesterday (Friday), I did the straightaways originally scheduled for Thursday. I did them outside on the street by my house. I was a little tough to gauge how long a Lindbergh straightaway was. I ended up doing 14 repeats totaling a tick over two miles. It went quickly and I felt fine.
This morning (Saturday) I went to Deephaven to run along the Three Rivers path. This is the same path that we use for the ALARC Legend's 10K and 5K. I parked right by the paddle court where four people were playing. Kind of like tennis but with wooden paddles.
Today's workout called for 5 minutes @ 5K pace and 5 minutes walking. The whole run felt great, the longer walking periods really helped. Here are the laps and pace/mile:
1 - 7:40/mile
2 - 7:24
3 - 7:29
4 - 7:24
5 - 7:31
6 - 7:44
7 - 7:39
8 - 7:41
9 - 7:46
10 - 7:36
11 - 7:44
12 - 7:33
From the paddle court, I started going west for half an hour. That way, I could turn around and see how close I could get to my car at the one hour mark. Turned out to be pretty accurate. I stopped at the car briefly for some water and a gel, so the break was a bit more than 5 minutes (I was walking as I arrived in the parking lot).
I was a little surprised to see the # 4 split above, being on the faster side. I felt like I was dragging a bit on that particular leg, so I pushed it. Plus I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable as I think I drank a little too much water in the morning. But I took care of that near the paddle court :)
For the second hour, I ran east first. Same deal, turning around after half an hour. For the last 5 minute run, I wanted to see how much I had left so I pushed it a bit. I had a good bit left in the tank, but didn't set the world on fire.
At the end of this run, I felt MUCH better than I did the week previously. The extra rest helped a lot. I think I could achieve similar numbers with a 4 minute rest, maybe even a 3:30 walk. I found myself getting anxious to start running again after 3 and a half minutes or so.
Totals: 11.33 miles, 2:00:33, avg pace (including walking) 10:39
Weather: 34 degrees, sunny, no noticeable wind, very little trail traffic.

Tuesday/Wednesday

After Tuesday morning's swim, it was a little difficult to find motivation to get out and run later in the day. But the weather here in Minnesota has been beautiful lately, so that helped. I ran from home through the neighborhood on a familiar route. Turned out to be just over four miles, as I was scheduled for 3-4 easy miles. I just looked at my Garmin and I averaged 8:33/mile. A little faster than my long runs, but it was pretty flat and I felt good.
Tonight we had Core, and I got there early for the straightaway workout. I walked two laps because I felt a little sluggish. I did two jogging warm-up laps after that and felt better going into the workout. I did 12 straightaway runs at a 5K perceived pace (6 total laps, about a mile). It was kind of hot in the gym, so I was sweating like crazy.
Then I went down to the weight room for the normal routine, already nice and warmed up.
At 6pm it was time for ALARC Core. I was a student today, which is always great (vs coaching). Harley led us through a good workout followed by stretching. Then we went to the Spur to celebrate St. Patrick's Day :)
I'm thinking of maybe swimming tomorrow, not running, and doing the long weekend run on Friday because I'm out of town this weekend.

Sunday through Tuesday early AM

Had a great run on Sunday in downtown Minneapolis. It was the most beautiful day of the year with temperatures in the 60's! There were many people out and about, which was great to see.
I did 4.7 easy miles, not caring about how fast/slow I was going. I could still feel the race in my legs from the day before, but that faded after the first mile or two.
On Monday I coached ALARC Core but missed the weights beforehand. We had a good workout with the "standard" effort - nothing too crazy, but a good effort nonetheless.
This morning I swam and felt great. I was hitting all the times for the drills, usually finishing a little quickly. I'll run a few miles today per Boss Bill's schedule. The high today is 50 and it's overcast, perfect running weather.

Irish For A Day 10 Mile race

It was great weather for my first official race of 2010. Today was the Irish For a Day 10 miler, and it was overcast and about 45 degrees. There was a decent wind out of the north, making things pretty cold as you run on the south sides of the lakes.
The course was a lap around Lake Harriet, up to and around Lake Calhoun, then another lap of Lake Harriet. There were a few hills, lots of potholes, and a crowded first mile. Overall a terrific race with great volunteers and management. I'm very happy I signed up early and picked up my packet the day before, the registration/t-shirt tent was pretty crowded.
Here are the splits:
1 - 7:48 - Had to dodge many runners, was anxious to get going, maybe a little quick
2 - 7:52 - Felt good, started getting into groove as field spread out
3 - 7:53 - Finished up Lake Harriet
4 - 8:03 - Slowed a bit on hill between lakes and walked through water stop
5 - 7:40 - Easy mile, feeling great, warming up, wind wasn't as cold on N side of Lake Calhoun
6 - 7:45 - Wind at my back, still feeling great
7 - 7:54 - Water stop and hill between lakes, back to Lake Harriet for the last lap
8 - 7:59 - Started slightly labored breathing, legs started to get tired.
9 - 7:56 - Almost done! Got passed by some people, but that's ok.
10 - 7:47 - Kicked it down a little. Slight hill at the end, was very happy to finish.
Chip time: 1:18:40, pace 7:52, 177/760 overall (23rd percentile), 138/363 men (38th percentile), 39/78 age group (50th percentile).
Perceived effort - 8/10. Not going for a PR, wanted to finish with a good effort and a decent time, but didn't coast.

Wednesday-Thursday

Feeling guilty about missing my run on Tuesday, I got to Lindbergh a little early on Wednesday to get in a few miles before Core.
I did 20 laps, which is about 3.3 miles. Felt great, piece of cake. I didn't have time to do weights before Core, but that's ok. I didn't coach, so as usual I got a better Core workout when that's the case. I skipped a few sets of stairs since I was a little tired from the run before the session. Overall a good workout. Then, of course, we went to the Lone Spur afterward for a reward. Two small beers and six wings. Oh, and about 20 chips with salsa.
Tonight (Thursday) I went to Lindbergh for the "straightaway" workout. Two laps walking, two laps, jogging, then it was time to go to work. Lindbergh has a rectangular track, with about 80 yard straightaways and 40 yard ends. I did a 5K pace down the straightaways and a slow jog on the short ends. I did 10 total straightaways, after I clarified with Coach Bill that the it wasn't laps, it was straightaway lengths, which obviously cuts the workout in half.
I was done with the warmup, workout, and cooldown in about 15 minutes, so with the extra time I got in the weight workout I missed yesterday. I usually start with weights, so doing it after running was different. I needed an extra deep breath or two in between sets.
Looking forward to a full day off tomorrow! Resting up for the Irish For A Day 10 miler on Saturday morning.

Tuesday swimming and hiccup

I don't think I'll ever get used to setting my alarm for 4:40am. But this is what I do on Monday nights for Tuesday's 5:15am swim.
My body felt a little beat up after Saturday's tough run, Sunday's easy run, and Monday's Core session. I was hoping a good night's sleep would make me feel better.
Hearing the alarm at 4:40am was rough, but I felt good. I made it to the pool after a quick breakfast of peanut butter on a bread roll (whole wheat) and a strong cup of coffee. It turned out to be a very strong swim. I was "beating" all the posted times for the 100 and 150 yard drills. This felt great because I fell short on them last week. Everything was clicking yesterday.
So the plan was to go home, do some work, go to a 1pm meeting, and get a run in afterward. Everything was going according to plan until I got home from the meeting. It was about 3pm, I did some stuff around the house and sat down on the couch. Big mistake! I ended up taking an accidental 2 hour nap, probably because I was up so early. I woke up as the sun was going down, as was the rain. Lindbergh was closed due to a basketball game, so I couldn't do a run inside. I didn't feel completely safe doing an outdoor run in the rain and darkness. Plus I was still sleepy from the nap.
So my first hiccup in my marathon schedule. But at least I got a workout done in the morning. So today I'll do 3-4 easy miles before ALARC Core.
Notes to self - be wary of the Tuesday-after-swimming-nap, and keep updated on the Lindbergh schedule.

The plan for today called for 4-6 easy miles. I was busy most of the day with a project, so I went to Lindbergh to do the run inside at about 7pm. Kind of a shame because it was one of the nicest/warmest days of the year.
It was slow going for the first few laps, I could feel yesterday's run in my legs still tonight. But I felt much better as the run went on. I took it nice and easy - after all, the run called for "easy" miles.
The track at Lindbergh is about 1/6 of a mile per lap, so I planned to do 30 laps. For you math majors out there, that makes 5 miles. I took a water break every 10 laps, so I stopped twice for about 90 seconds each. Throughout the 5 miles, it felt like I was coasting the whole way, letting my mind wander. Definitely a different experience than yesterday's intense repeats.
Quick note - as I was walking up the ramp to the gym, I felt a slight twinge in my inner left hip. Nothing too painful, but noticeable. It went away quickly into the run, but it came back as I completed the 5 miles. Then it went away again as quickly as it arrived. Time to stretch.

5/1 repeats, 2 hours

I just got back from one of the most difficult workouts I've done in years. Bill and I discussed a plan where the long weekend runs would be a combo platter of running and walking. Distance isn't necessarily the primary goal (big change for me!), it's more gauging how I'm feeling and how much energy I'm exerting. For example, there's a 5K feeling, and a half marathon feeling as you're running.
Today's run called for a 5K or 10K mindset for 5 minutes, then walking for 2 minutes. I did this for two hours in the St. Anthony Main/Stone Arch Bridge area in Minneapolis. I have only run in this area once or twice, so it was nice to get to know the streets and paths.
I'll list my splits here for the 5 minute runs and describe in more detail afterward:
Split Avg mile pace Distance covered
1 7:44 .65 miles
2 7:20 .69
3 7:23 .68
4 7:43 .65
5 7:31 .67
6 7:49 .64
7 7:55 .63
8 8:44 .58
9 8:09 .62
10 8:06 .62
11 7:58 .63
12 7:52 .64
13 8:02 .62
14 7:55 .63
15 8:09 .62
16 7:59 .63
17 8:10 .61
Total distance including walking: 12.3 miles in 1:57:43

During the walking portions of one of the repeats in the middle, I stopped at my car for water and a gel. I kept with the 2 minute time for this break.
I went up and down and across the Mississippi River, so my routes were pretty varied. There were some big hills in there, and some very icy patches. I think for split #8 above, there was a stretch through a park that was solid ice/snow for about 200 yards which slowed me down considerably.
It took me a little while to get used to the distance and all the stopping and starting. Once I got into a bit of a groove, it looked like I locked into a 7:50 / 8:10 pace. It became a big struggle in the last 4-5 reps, I'm not going to lie.
For the first few, I'd hit five minutes and felt some relief, but it wasn't like I NEEDED to slow down. But by the last 2-3, I needed to rest my hands on my knees and stop for a few seconds. I could feel the beginnings of a flare-up in my lower back for the last half hour or so.
I also felt some flare-up on the bottoms of my feet. I've felt this before in running. But usually after distance training for a few weeks this goes away. I saw a pretty salty face in the mirror when I got back into my car! It felt great to sit down. I can tell my legs will be stiff later today.
For recovery, I made a chocolate smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, and vanilla yogurt. Plus I've been trying to drink more water throughout the day. I downed two bottles already.
So two hours in the books today, with a 3 hour run similar to this later in the month. I might have to drop into the 8:30's to make it an additional hour. We'll see.
Now off to the shower and most definitely a nap!

Week of March 1

The past few days have been very busy with a project I'm wrapping up with a tight timeline. Not an excuse, but I literally had to work on it all day yesterday. Core was canceled due to a basketball game at the gym, so I didn't get my usual Wednesday workout in.
However, I did add a swimming workout to the schedule on Tuesday morning! It's at 5:15am (yikes!) at the junior high about 3 blocks away from my house. I'd like to incorporate 1-2 days of swimming in my training per week leading up to Grandma's. We'll see what Boss Bill advises me at lunch today as we go over my plan.
Monday at Core was a good workout. I coached and lifted weights beforehand. I'm feeling strong and it felt good. Because we weren't having Core on Wednesday (yesterday), we went to the Lone Spur afterward :)
Hopefully I'll get an afternoon run in and possibly tomorrow as well. It's beautiful outside.

Lazy weekend, kind of

This past weekend was a very busy one. I should say it was an easy one to make excuses not to find time for a long run :(

Friday night was dinner with friends and an early night (bed @10pm). I went to ALARC Core at Lindbergh about 30 minutes early to get in a couple miles because I had brunch plans at 10am. I had a VERY sore lower back when I woke up because I shoveled a friend's walkway the day before. Luckily it loosened up after about 5 minutes of running.

Then I joined the Core group for two sets of circuits. It was a good workout, and felt slightly different since I was not used to running that much immediately prior to the circuits.

I made it to brunch, then had a meeting, then hosted a dinner party on Saturday evening. A good time was had by all, although I ate far too much. I went to a family event on Sunday late in the morning, and did not run before it because I slept in. After a big brunch (again), I wanted to watch the US-Canada hockey game, which I did. Then I went home and the sun was getting low and I was tired. I did not get a long run in this weekend. There's my one mulligan! This will not happen again.

Thursday 2/25 at Lindbergh

Not much going on last night so I went over to the Lindbergh gym to get in a couple of miles. It's a large indoor track, with six laps to a mile. There were volleyball games in the courts below, which provided some entertainment.
I didn't have a whole lot to eat throughout the day, so I wasn't going to try to break any speed or distance records. I ended up doing 25 laps, or just over four miles. I found myself going faster as the laps went by.
Note to self - try a few runs with light (but healthy) eating throughout the day. Maybe it's how my body does best.
Today's a rest day. Planning to do ALARC Core tomorrow (Saturday) morning and a long run on Sunday of about 10.

Tuesday-Wednesday, Rest-ALARC Core

Tuesday was a good resting day after three straight days of running and circuits. I slept well and felt great going into Wednesday's ALARC Core session.
I was running a bit late to the gym on Wednesday but still wanted to get the lifting in before circuits. I typically do a little more in the weight room on Wednesdays because I don't have to coach on those days.
So on this day I did the Men's Health workout with two 25 pound dumbbells. The first exercise was 10 curls followed by 12 reps of holding the dumbbells in front of my knees and bending over at the waist, lowering the weights about halfway down my shins. I repeated this routine twice more.
The second set was standing overhead presses (again with the 25 pounders), one at a time, left/right 12 reps each. This was followed by 25 swinging exercises where you hold one dumbbell at arm's length with both hands directly in front of you, bend your knees and swing it between your thighs. The trick is to pause at the top, not just swing back and forth. I'm completely tuckered after these 25 reps. The program has me only repeating this set one more time, so I'm happy when it's over!
Then I went upstairs for ALARC Core. I did not coach, so I was happy to just be a "student." We had a pretty good workout, it went a little long so we didn't have time to do our third set of push-ups. But we had plenty of ab and weight work.
Then we went to the Lone Spur for wings and beers. We earned it!
I'm thinking of doing 3-4 miles today (Thursday) and around 10 this weekend with a friend. Let's hope the weather warms up, it's freezing out there!

Core - Monday 2/22/10

The usual Monday routine - head over to the Lindbergh Center a little after 5pm to lift weights before coaching ALARC Core.
I have a weight lifting program that I pulled from Men's Health Magazine. It's a quick 15-minute dumbbell program that has four exercises using the same dumbbells throughout. There are three workouts I choose from, and they recommend doing each every week. I typically just do them twice a week before Core.
For this workout, I used 25 pound dumbbells. The first exercise had me holding the weights at my side and stepping up on the bench one side at a time, 8 reps each. The foot that is not on the bench does not touch the bench, requiring stability throughout. There is a slight pause at the top, finishing with a controlled return to the floor with both feet.
Immediately upon finishing 8 reps on both sides, I move over to a bench set at a 45 degree angle. I lie face-first on the bench and let the dumbbells hang near the floor. I pull them up together, squeezing my shoulder blades together for 12 reps.
I repeat these two exercises twice more (3 total), resting about 90 seconds in between.
To complete the program, I do 10 curls, then lie down on the flat bench to do tricep exercises. I lift the dumbbells directly over me, and slowly lower my forearms toward my ears, and back up for 12 reps. There are only two sets of this with 90 seconds of rest in between. I'm done!
Then it's time for a couple of laps of the track, and on to coaching ALARC Core.
I had a pretty good workout, not the most intense but still pretty good. I must have been having a good day because several of my students couldn't complete all the reps of the exercises. Or maybe they were having a bad day, or something in between.
I finished off the night with some egg noodles with a sauce containing leftover chicken, onions, and mushrooms. Yum!

Sunday 2/21 - Three lakes, 10 miles

My first official long run leading up to Grandma's 2010!
I'm not starting completely from scratch, I attend and/or coach 2-3 circuit training classes per week. These classes include core strengthening, push-ups, wall sits, hand weights, running, and stairs.

Lately I have been sprinkling in one weekday run of about 3-4 miles. The streets here in the Twin Cities are covered with snow and ice, making it difficult to run outside. So I typically use the treadmill or track at the gym. I much prefer running outdoors, so I can't wait until spring!

On Sunday a friend and I met at 3pm at the Calhoun Executive Center parking lot to run around the lakes. It was about 30 degrees with a slight breeze out of the north. We quickly found that there were many people walking on the trails since it was such a nice day. It was very crowded, and we found ourselves zig-zagging through people and dogs throughout the run.

I was shooting for 10 miles, and my friend wanted to stop at about 7. We ran south along the east side of Lake Calhoun, up to Lake Harriet where we ran a counter-clockwise circle. We walked for about 100 yards as we completed the Lake Harriet loop. We ran back to Lake Calhoun and ran along the west side. I said goodbye to my friend near the dock and restaurant and kept going north to Lake of the Isles. I did a clock-wise loop of Lake of the Isles and felt very good. After the loop I went back to Calhoun and completed the loop.

It turned out to be just under 10 miles, so I ran an extra 50 yards or so to make it an even 10 - according to my Garmin.
Splits and notes:
Mile Time
1 9:25
2 9:35
3 9:13
4 9:26
5 9:25
6 9:27
7 8:56
8 8:55
9 9:02
10 9:10
Notes:
Sleep - didn't sleep well the night before. Approximately 6 hours sleep.
Diet - french toast and coffee for breakfast. fruit smoothie, bread w/PB for lunch.
Run - felt good the whole way. Legs were a little fatigued around 8 miles. Otherwise no issues.
Music - started listening to music for last 4 miles when friend left.