As with most runners, I dread having to get a new pair of running sneakers. I have a very hard time finding a pair that fits me correctly, and then when I finally find one, New Balance usually comes out with a new model very quickly and then the whole process starts all over again. Last year, I bought three pairs of the New Balance 767s so I wouldn't have to worry about searching for sneakers during my marathon training. My third pair of 767s has finally reached the end of its line. So much time has passed since I bought my last pair of sneakers that I skipped over the 768 model entirely, and now the 769s are available. I was getting nervous since I heard from several of the stores that this model was narrower than in the past. Since Urban Athletics was having a sale last week, I ordered a pair of the 769s in my size, without the luxury of trying them on since they didn't have them in the store. They just came today (they hand delivered them to my apartment) and luckily they fit pretty well. I went for a 5 mile run in them today and felt good. Now I will just wait until they go down in price, and buy several pairs of them on the internet.
After talking with the Laminator, I decided to sign up tomorrow for the Long Branch Half Marathon on May 3rd. I wanted to put a half marathon on the calendar to get me focused a bit. It fits my criteria of a local race that is outside of Central Park, and relatively easy to get to. My running has been going well so far during the first quarter of the year, and I felt I was ready to gear up for a half marathon.
The weather was great on Friday and Saturday and I took full advantage of it. Yesterday was in the mid 50s and sunny, so I decided to do my usual 10 mile on the Westside Highway and back. I felt in a good groove and was able to do the run in about 1hr 25min, which averages out to about 8:30 per mile. Today, instead of a 6 mile run, I cut it down to 5. I had my new shoes on and they felt lighter than my last pair and more cushioned (that could just be because my last pair was worn down pretty extensively). I felt good right from the start and keep up a steady pace throughout. I thought my pace felt a bit on the quicker side and saw afterwards that I was going at an 8:00 pace. I didn't feel strained or tired, so this turned out to be a very good run for me.
Looking back on the first quarter of the year, I started out rather sluggish and then picked things up considerably during the last month and a half. I was still in recovery mode during January and the first part of February, and wasn't too concerned with my running. I felt lethargic and somewhat uninterested, and kept up my running purely as maintenance. Once I signed up for and ran the Cherry Tree 10 miler, I started to get more focused on my running and began to enjoy it again. My race times definitely reflected this, as evidenced by my PRs in the 10 miler and 15K last weekend. This is the second year in a row that I have done my "build up" (3 days per week running, and one day per week of spinning and strength) during the winter months and it seems to be working very well for me. This regimen allows my body and mind to stay fresh and strong during the beginning part of the year and lessens the time I need to get back into form.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Colon Cancer 15K Challenge - 3/22/09
I can't believe it, but I scored another PR, this time in the Colon Cancer 15K Challenge this past weekend. In addition, this is the second time ever that I achieved an Age Graded Performance of over 60%. It was a good day all around :) This continues to be a very good running streak for me and I just want to enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Usually, it takes me until later in the year to get "back up to speed", but I've had two great races so far this year in both the 10 mile and 15K distance. I've made sure not to overdo it at the beginning of the year, especially after running the Philadelphia Marathon in November, and it seems to be working for me. I continue to run 3 days per week (including a 10 mile run), spinning one day, and strength training one day.
The 15K is not one that is run too often, so it is hard to have an opportunity to get accustomed to it, let alone try for a PR. Therefore, I get excited when there is a 15K race, since there are only two or three of them per year in Central Park. My previous PR at this distance was in 2006, and I knew that it would be very tough to better my time from that day. I ran a 7:31 pace that day and just felt "on" - never really felt tired and was strong throughout. It would take perfect conditions to try and beat that time.
On Sunday, I ended up running a PR of 2:24, for an overall time of 1:07:37 and pace of 7:16. This was the second fastest race (based on mile pace) that I have ever run, regardless of the distance (fastest being the Run As One 4M race last year at 7:03 pace). The weather was perfect for me. It was very cool and the start of the race had temperatures that were in the low 40s. I was looking to have a strong race, but was in no way looking to go out and beat my previous best time. The first few miles I went out strong, trying not to go out too fast, and was able to keep up a pace of around 7:30. At that point, I felt good and thought I should give it a go to keep up this pace for the rest of the race. If I was able to do so, I knew that a PR was in the realm of possibility.
The strong miles kept on coming one after the other, even on the hills where I made sure to conserve my energy a bit. If I could continue this pace through six miles, I knew that I would have enough left to go faster in the remaining three miles, since I was able to accomplish that in the Cherry Tree 10 miler the month before. The sun was coming out more towards the end of the race and warmed me up a bit, and gave me some renewed energy. I picked it up towards the end and was able to run the last three miles in 7:04, 7:14, and 6:54 (for the last 1.3 miles). I couldn't believe how strong I felt at the end and that I bettered my best time in this distance by a considerable margin.
Mile Splits:
Some of the mile times look a little too fast to me, so there was probably a couple mile markers that were in the wrong place
Mile 1 - 7:40
Mile 2 - 6:50 (mile was probably too short)
Mile 3 - 7:54 (mile was probably too long)
Mile 4 - 7:19
Mile 5 - 7:21
Mile 6 - 7:17
Mile 7 - 7:04
Mile 8 - 7:14
Last 1.3 miles - 8:58 (6:54 pace)
Total time - 1:07:37 ; Overall pace - 7:16
This race, along with the 10 miler from last month, has started to give me the confidence that I have the ability to go out strong in a longer race, and be able to sustain it throughout. In the longer races, I usually feel the need to start out slower and build up throughout the race for fear that I would fall apart at the end. The fact that I was able to run a pace of 7:30 and 7:16 for my past two 10 mile and 15K races, on tough, hilly courses, let's me know that I have the ability to handle a fast pace in a longer race - maybe I should experiment with a slightly more agressive strategy when running a half marathon and see if I can handle it.
The 15K is not one that is run too often, so it is hard to have an opportunity to get accustomed to it, let alone try for a PR. Therefore, I get excited when there is a 15K race, since there are only two or three of them per year in Central Park. My previous PR at this distance was in 2006, and I knew that it would be very tough to better my time from that day. I ran a 7:31 pace that day and just felt "on" - never really felt tired and was strong throughout. It would take perfect conditions to try and beat that time.
On Sunday, I ended up running a PR of 2:24, for an overall time of 1:07:37 and pace of 7:16. This was the second fastest race (based on mile pace) that I have ever run, regardless of the distance (fastest being the Run As One 4M race last year at 7:03 pace). The weather was perfect for me. It was very cool and the start of the race had temperatures that were in the low 40s. I was looking to have a strong race, but was in no way looking to go out and beat my previous best time. The first few miles I went out strong, trying not to go out too fast, and was able to keep up a pace of around 7:30. At that point, I felt good and thought I should give it a go to keep up this pace for the rest of the race. If I was able to do so, I knew that a PR was in the realm of possibility.
The strong miles kept on coming one after the other, even on the hills where I made sure to conserve my energy a bit. If I could continue this pace through six miles, I knew that I would have enough left to go faster in the remaining three miles, since I was able to accomplish that in the Cherry Tree 10 miler the month before. The sun was coming out more towards the end of the race and warmed me up a bit, and gave me some renewed energy. I picked it up towards the end and was able to run the last three miles in 7:04, 7:14, and 6:54 (for the last 1.3 miles). I couldn't believe how strong I felt at the end and that I bettered my best time in this distance by a considerable margin.
Mile Splits:
Some of the mile times look a little too fast to me, so there was probably a couple mile markers that were in the wrong place
Mile 1 - 7:40
Mile 2 - 6:50 (mile was probably too short)
Mile 3 - 7:54 (mile was probably too long)
Mile 4 - 7:19
Mile 5 - 7:21
Mile 6 - 7:17
Mile 7 - 7:04
Mile 8 - 7:14
Last 1.3 miles - 8:58 (6:54 pace)
Total time - 1:07:37 ; Overall pace - 7:16
This race, along with the 10 miler from last month, has started to give me the confidence that I have the ability to go out strong in a longer race, and be able to sustain it throughout. In the longer races, I usually feel the need to start out slower and build up throughout the race for fear that I would fall apart at the end. The fact that I was able to run a pace of 7:30 and 7:16 for my past two 10 mile and 15K races, on tough, hilly courses, let's me know that I have the ability to handle a fast pace in a longer race - maybe I should experiment with a slightly more agressive strategy when running a half marathon and see if I can handle it.
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