I’m Melting…

Summer in the south is more than here.  I won’t bother complaining, as it won’t change a thing.  The downside of the horrible summer running is that the wintertime is rather mild.  When many runners trudge daily through snow and ice, shoveling snow – I will be running in near perfect 35-45F weather.  It seems so far away right now.

With the high temps comes very little racing by me.  My mileage has been consistently in the 40-50 mpw range, with last week being the highest since last November (59 mpw).  I just haven’t felt compelled to race.  A poor race effort usually does more psychological damage to me, so if I’m not in race shape – I don’t race.  Therapy is helping as well!

I missed one of my favorite 5ks in June (Harbor Town 5k).  It is a flat fast course, but as I recall it was near 95F that day!  Even at 7:00 p.m., it was still quite humid and “thick.”  With the “thick” air, I have taken to the treadmill a bit more.  I was always that diehard runner, who wouldn’t step foot onto a treadmill under any circumstance.  As a survivial measure, I now take to it when I want to do some faster running.  Recently, I did a series of 1/2 mile repeats at 5:50 pace, which would have been impossible outside, at any time of the day.  Hopefully, the dreadmill will keep my fitness level up, in addition to the increased mileage.

I am in the early stages of marathon training (St. Jude Marathon, again).  I usually don’t follow a strict plan, but this time I will.  Currently, I’m trying to find a schedule that fits me.  If anyone has any plans to recommend, please comment.  There is a plan in Brad Hudson’s Run Faster that I like, but I’d like to look at others as well.

I’ve signed up for the aforementioned marathon and have every intention of fulfilling my Sub 3 title at this years race.  In the past, my mileage only reached at 12-16 week average of ~45mpw.  This time, I will push the limits and go upwards of 70-80mpw.  If a sub 3 doesn’t happen from this, it probably won’t.

Need direction

Not sure of my next race?

2011 started off with a bang!  Two races, two PRs!  Since mid-February, my mileage has stayed very consistent (50 mpw range).  What has been lacking has been my direction.  I haven’t been following a specific plan.  I’ve been haphazardly running work outs whenever I felt.  There was no structure, which is the norm for me.  I tend to be too OCD about following a “plan” every step of the way.  Years ago, I started with this “fly by the seat of my pants” training.  I know what workouts I like to do for certain distances, etc. 

Following my 10k PR in February, I thought for sure that I was ready to attack sub 1:24 for the HM, and maybe 1:23:30.  One of my favorite races, Germantown HM, was the place that he assault would take place.  The month or so that followed the 10k race, my mileage was good, but workouts were hit or miss.  After my dismal HM (1:25:16), I looked back at my log.  Again, my mileage, for me, was decent.  There just weren’t many race specific work outs.  In the end, I believe this hurt me, as 6:22 pace didn’t feel as comfortable as it should have.  I won’t rehash the race details, but after the first mile (6:19), everything else was in the low 6:30 range.  I never fell apart, but just didn’t have that other gear.  I didn’t beat myself up too much following the race.  It was quite warm that morning and I don’t run well in warm weather.

What I need is direction.  Do I make a spring assault on a 5k race?  Do I train like a miler and attempt to go under 5:00?  As I’ve said before, “I feel fit, just not fast.”  Do I prepare for another big 10k race?  I dunno, at this point.  I need direction!

More Rust Off

For the second straight week, I have raced.  For the second straight week, I have PRed.  The 4 mile PR two weeks ago was a bit soft from several years ago; however, the most recent 10k PR was from last year’s race.  This year, I bettered that PR by :27.  Coming into the race, I thought I might be able to handle 38:10-38:30.

As I mentioned last week, following the 4 miler, I felt really strong (btw in 2010, I ran more miles than I ever had), just not that sharp/fast.  Prior to the 10k, I made up my mind that I would go out at my most recent 4 mile race pace and see what happens.  Again, this most recent 4 miler was the previous week.  Was I setting myself up for some big blowup?

This 10k race is somewhat special to me in that it was my first race back following an 18 year hiatus from running.  As I recall, I ran 43 something that year in 2003.  I have raced this 10k every year since.  I also like the race because they have a sweetheart division.  My wife is usually not competitive; however, for this race she always wants to run fast to help our cause ($50 gift card for Outback).  Last year, we won it and she had her sights setting on repeating.  She’s now training for triathlons, so her running has decreased, but she is doing much more cross training.  Prior to the race, I heard every running excuse there was for her “possibly” not running well today.

This race is well organized, etc., but the mile markers are always a bit off.  According to the markers, I had a fast mile of 5:49 (1st mile) and a slow mile of 6:33 (4th mile).  A teammate of mine on the Pilgrimage Track Club commented that I consistently maintained low 6′s throughout.  Nearing the 5 mile mark, the top 3 places had been decided, but I was still in a tussle for 4th.  At 2.5 miles, I was passed by a younger man and always kept him within 15-20 meters of me.  I had decided not to go with him, as I was fearing that blowup that I previously wrote about.  By 5.5 miles, I had closed the gap, as he seemed to swing wide on turns and obviously never did well in geometry.  Me, I ran the tangents on every turn.  I was hurting by 6 miles and made every effort to catch him, but to no avail.  He crossed the line :04 ticks a head of me.  I PRed by :27 in the course of one year and I was quite happy with the time of 37:48.

I immediately went back to cheer for my wife.  I was just beaten by :04 seconds and he was in our sweetheart division.  I spoke to him afterwards and he estimated that his teammate would come in around 45 minutes.  As I ran back to the 6 mile marker, I saw my wife, but also saw a female 10 meters in front of her.  It was her!  The guy that just beat me had his sweetheart of a teammate running steps ahead of my wife.  I “encouraged” my wife loudly and she pushed and pushed.  In the end, the two finishers that came in just before me and my wife beat us.  We lost our evening out at Outback by a mere :09 seconds!  In the process though, my wife, who gave every excuse out there about a possible dismal performance, ran a 1 minute PR from last year’s race.  I’m quite proud of us both!

Hopeful to continue this PR binge!

Rust buster

That is what I will call this – a rust buster.  My last real race was in November of 2010.  I paced the St. Jude Marathon this year, so December was a race free month. 

This past Saturday, I “raced” the Mike Cody 4 mile classic.  My last race of a similar distance to this was in early October, so I’m not callused to running at these speeds.  Over the past few months, I’ve struggled with motivation and have only recently started doing some faster 1k repeats nearing 10k pace.  Going into this race, I thought that I would run 24:00-24:30.  I ended up comfortably running 24:23.  To write “comfortably” when describing a race isn’t the first word that would come to mind, but I did feel at ease running this.  I feel very strong at the moment, just not fast.  I seemed to struggle with any faster than 6:00/mile pace.  I never had that, “I don’t want to run anymore” feeling or “when is this pain going to end.”  I guess you can say that I really didn’t race it.  I was okay with the result and it gave me a gauge of current fitness level.

Josh McAdams won the race.  Yes, he represented the USA in the 2008 3000m steeplechase.  He is currently attending the optometry school here and races from time to time.  He ran with our team, Pilgrimage Track Club, at last years 24 hour run.  I spoke with him briefly before the race and he felt that sub 19:00 could happen.  A few weeks ago, he ran a 4:01 mile in Arkansas.  It was rather cold and windy on race day and he could only muster a 19:24.  To his credit, it was quite windy and he basically ran a solo time trial, as no one is even in his class around here.

I am racing a 10k this weekend.  I’ve always enjoyed this race, especially since they have a sweetheart division.  My wife and I run it as a team and they avg. the times and ages.  Last year, we won it.  I typically don’t race much, but really want to do well at the Germantown half-marathon in mid-March.  My motivation has grown, seeing all of the fast masters runners at the race on Saturday.  I may even run another 10k at the end of this month and race my way into shape!

Post Marathon Blues

I will try to update the blog more often.  I really didn’t realize that it had been over 2 months.  Since my Chicago meltdown, I paced the St. Jude Marathon, and have been just trying to maintain fitness.  It has been difficult with the colder weather and no real goal in sight.

Following Chicago (10/10/10), I recovered well and went on to run a new PR approximately one month later at the Mid-South Marathon in Wynne, AR.  This, somewhat, erased my failed effort at Chicago.  I knew going into both races that I was fit and ready.  My previous PR at this distance was 1:25:16, set earlier in the year.  Last year on this same course, I ran 1:25:28.  This year, I ran 1:23:59.  The course was described as “gently rolling”, which it did.

I knew that I was pacing the 3:15 group at St. Jude and was more than confident in my ability.  The month between the half-marathon PR and the marathon was uneventful.  My motivation was lagging.  My mileage was okay during this time, but there were no real workouts, just miles.

I was teamed with another pacer, Christian Minor.  Christian was a young guy who had run XC and Track at FSU.  He had never run a marathon, but had run a 1:07 half-marathon.  He was a last minute pacer addition.  Pacing duties were new to me.  I had never been a part of a group, nor had I led anyone during a race.  I didn’t know how much to motivate, etc.  The morning started with some amount of stress, as we were riding with several of my wife’s friends.  I had gotten the pacing director to allow me to bring my pacing “stick” home, so that I could modify it with my pacing band.  She stressed that I be sure to bring it on Saturday morning, as there was only one stick for each group.  I never forget things, I thought.  I forgot the stick and stressed about it for a bit, but our group of 15-18 runners didn’t mind.  The flourescent color shirts with “pacer” on the back gave me a way. 

A friend of mine was actually in my group and boasted a PR of 3:17 and change.  I floated back and forth, speaking to a number of runners along the way and felt rather comfortable.  As our group dwindled until only a pack of 4 remained at the 20 mile mark.  We were still on pace for 3:15.  At that moment, I motioned for Christian to take the two stronger runners with him, while I stayed back with the other two, one of which was my friend.  The wall was met at this moment and despite encouraging, their pace dwindled mile by mile.  I finally went on ahead and finished in 3:19:30.  My pacing partner eventually dropped his two runners and finished in 3:15, along the way drinking beer.  The things we do when we’re young.  He was only a few years removed from college.

Again, my recovery went well after St. Jude, but I struggled to find motivation to run in the cold.  I toyed with the idea of running the Mardi Gras Marathon in late February.  I also gave thought to running the Andrew Jackson Marathon in mid April.  In a nutshell, I was done with marathon training for the time being.

I’m just now finding my motivation again, and have started doing track workouts.  I feel my fitness coming around and the pounds that I put on during December are now slowly coming off. 

I have a 10k in February, which my wife and I have won the last two years as a couple.  They combine your times and avg. the age.  A $50 gift card to Outback has served us well.  This year the race falls on her birthday.

In March, I will run and hope to better my PR at the Germantown half-marathon.

Quick Update

Post Chicago training has resumed and is going quite well.  After two down weeks, one of which was really down – I hit my highest mileage week, ever (70mpw).  I am reinvigorated since Chicago, but must be cautious with my mileage.  I’ve learned lessons the hard way in this regard.  I have a scheduled down week this week, but it will include a half-marathon race (is that really a down week).  I typically race this half as a sort of predictor for the St. Jude marathon, which is approximately one month away.  This year, I feel more fit and hope to PR.  In years past, this race would be my last test to determine what pace to run St. Jude at.  This year, my pace has been set (7:28/mile).  This was derived from my 3:15 pacing duties.

I feel recovered from the marathon, but, at times, feel sluggish.  This is normal, especially with my highest mileage week.  In the back of my mind, I don’t really know if my training methods are foolish and my hope for a half PR this Saturday is just that, a hope!  I go back to my higher mileage and workouts.  I know this course well and if the weather is forecasted right, it should be perfect temperatures for me.  The wind, on this course, is usually an issue.  Previous years have had constant winds at 15-20 mph.  On an out and back course, that’s not so good.  Winds are predicted to be only 5 mph.

The post I didn’t want to write…

Split	time of day	time	diff	min/mile	miles/h
05K	07:52:04AM	00:21:15	21:15	06:51	8.78
10K	08:13:22AM	00:42:33	21:18	06:52	8.76
15K	08:34:49AM	01:04:00	21:27	06:55	8.69
20K	08:56:29AM	01:25:40	21:40	06:59	8.60
HALF	09:01:27AM	01:30:38	04:58	07:17	8.25
25K	09:21:57AM	01:51:08	20:30	08:27	7.10
30K	09:50:47AM	02:19:58	28:50	09:17	6.47
35K	10:24:51AM	02:54:02	34:04	10:58	5.47
40K	11:03:16AM	03:32:27	38:25	12:22	4.85
Finish	11:18:33AM	03:47:44	15:17	11:13	5.35

That about sums it up.  The numbers don’t lie.   What went wrong – not really sure?  My debut marathon in 2003 was a 3:41:00.  I ran over 30 minutes faster in this race four years ago.  I ran 44 minutes faster in another race two years ago.  I am disappointed, but more confused.  As I have posted about previously, I do not like running in the heat and do not perform well in the heat.  I watched the local forecast for Chicago in the days preceding the race.  I knew that it was going to be ~62F at start time and get warm, all the way up to 84F.  I had been training for this single race, basically all year.  During many of my training run in miserable heat, I imagined this race and what it would feel like in those closing miles.  I imagined running fast down Michigan Ave., with all of the crowd cheering as I closed in on my sub 3.

I did not come to Chicago to run 3:15, 3:10, or even 3:05.  I came to run a sub 3.  I kept telling myself that most of the course is shaded and that the temperatures would not be that bad.  In some aspects, I was wrong.  I was comfortable at the beginning of the race, but as we started those first few miles, I got really warm.  I recall running through the underpass/tunnel and I was really sweating.  By 10k, I was on pace, but the effort seemed harder than it should be at this point.  I was already drenched with sweat and recall looking around at other runners to see what their sweat rates were.  I was the only one drenched – no surprise.  Again, I was stubborn and had a goal.  To offset the rising temperatures and my extreme sweat rate, I took in more fluids than normal, taking in both water and Gatorade Endurance.  I recall around 5 miles, my stomach started revolting.  I don’t know if it was the mixture of the Gatorade or what.  This was unchartered territory for me.  Simply put, I normally have an “iron stomach.”  This continued the next few miles, but would go away.  I did vomit once and went to the porta potties as a precaution at some point.  At nine miles, I took in my first gel, which may have been a mistake.  Again, these usually don’t upset my stomach and have electrolytes, which I thought would benefit me.  These coming miles got longer and longer, as I struggled to keep fluids in me (nice visual).  I slowed to make sure that I drank, but the cramps soon followed in places that I have never cramped before (upper back).

As the pace groups went by, first the 3:10 group, then the 3:15 group, I grew frustrated, evening kicking drinking cups that got in my way.  I was a BIG baby.  This only last a short period of time, before the disappointment set in.  I was still over 10k away from finishing, but my race was over.  My goal was not and will not be met on 10/10/10.  I saw the runner drop out areas and thought about, but continued on with my walk of shame down the crowded streets.  This was not what I had imagined during my training runs.  Michigan Ave. looked alot different at 11:00/mile pace.  I was embarrased, but could only muster periods of running for 100-200m, before the cramps started back.  I finished in 3:47:44!  I got dizzy as I finished and, again, began throwing up.  I was taken to the medical tent and attended to by the nice people there.  The ice towels felt great, but my entire lower body cramped.  I would get to know the massage therapist, Mike, very well over the next 1 hour.  Each time, he observed my calf twinge, he came right over.

So what went wrong?  The temperature was my biggest foe.  Sure, it wasn’t brutally hot, but, for me, it was far from ideal.  My two fastest marathon times were running 35F and 41F, respectively.  I have always loved doing training runs in temperature right around 45F.  I did not adjust for this, because I am stubborn.  Had I gone out with a more conservative approach, I may have been able to run 3:05 to 3:10.  Who really knows.

There will be future sub 3 attempts.  I foolishly tried to trade in my pacing efforts at St. Jude Marathon for another open bib – I was denied.  The Huntsville Marathon is full and I was denied yet another opportunity to make an attempt.  It looks like February 13th may be the day as I tentatively plan to run there.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessed with chasing that elusive number.  More than anything, I want to erase the memory of my last marathon.