I finally took the plunge and signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd. I've been using a training program for the last two and a half months and have been feeling pretty good so far. This weekend was the first 20 miler on the schedule (and my first one since training for NYC in 2006) and I was ready to give it a try. The Grete's Half Marathon was this weekend, so I decided to add another 7 miles (approx.) to it for a total of 20 miles. I originally planned to run a 9:00-9:10 pace for the entire run, but as I thought more about it, I realized that this would be a good opportunity for me to try running at a "marathon" pace. The more runs I do at my goal pace, the easier it will be to do during the marathon. Therefore, I had a goal pace of 8:45-8:50 for the half marathon portion, and a little slower for the 6.7 miles prior to the race. No reason to tire myself out. If this went well, then I felt that this could be a good race strategy for the marathon.
Today showed me what could happen when there is a combination of great weather and a consistent, controlled pace (finally). The weather was in the low-mid 50's which is what I like and there was a slight drizzle, but nothing heavy. As for the entire 20 mile run, I felt as good as I could have hoped for. My pace for the half marathon was very consistent and I was able to hit the same mile pace (within 10-15 seconds) for nearly the entire race. Other than my hips and ankles, which got sore by the end of the run, I felt really good and made sure to make a mental note of what this felt like. So if I start to struggle a bit in the coming weeks as the mileage increases, I want to be able to think back and remember that it is possible to feel strong on a 20 mile run.
My run before the half consisted of starting at the 72nd street transverse, running north to Engineer's Gate, then running 3 loops of the reservoir, and then running back to the start of the race on 70th street. I was able to go out at a 8:55-9:00 pace and it felt good and I stayed calm and relaxed throughout. It allowed me to loosen up well and remain only a little bit above my overall goal pace. I timed it perfectly so that I could just continue into the start of the race without any stopping. As for the half marathon, I started out at a 9:03 pace for the first mile and it turned out to be a good idea, forcing me not to go out fast. After weaving around some people traffic for the next mile, I tried to settle into my goal pace which I was able to do around mile 4. I made sure to stay relaxed and try and keep up the 8:50 as long as possible. I was in a good groove for the rest of the race and kind of had the "autopilot" feeling that I had at the Queens Half last year. While I was starting to get sore by the last few miles, I was able to pick up the pace a bit for miles 12 and 13. Although I was happy for the race to be over, I did not feel "spent" or exhausted.
I will continue to practice my race pace on upcoming runs, and try and hone the strategy that I used today since it seemed to work well. I also need to remember to ease into a race (which happened today) and gradually pick up the pace. It will come. Next up on the schedule is the Staten Island Half Marathon. Not sure yet if I will race it or not.
Below are the splits from today:
Prior to Half Marathon:
-About 6.7 miles: 58:16 total time
Grete's Half Marathon:
Mile 1 - 9:03
Mile 2 - 8:49
Mile 3 - 8:39
Mile 4 - 8:51
Mile 5 - 8:46
Mile 6 - 8:49
Mile 7 - 8:41
Mile 8 - 8:54
Mile 9 - 8:57
Mile 10 - 9:08
Mile 11 - 8:35
Mile 12 - 8:36
Last 1.1 miles - 9:10 (mile pace of 8:20)
Overall time for the half: 1:55:02; pace of 8:46
Approximate pace for 19.8 mile run - 8:45-8:46 (total time of 2:53:18)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Newport Liberty Half Marathon - 9/28/08
This morning was the Newport Half Marathon in Jersey City. I was looking forward to running a half marathon again since the last one I did was way back in January (the Manhattan Half in Central Park). Since I was looking for a local race to run that was outside of Central Park and relatively easy to get to, this race seemed like a good choice. It was mainly flat (some minor hills) and had nice views of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan (the parts of it that I could see through the fog). It was also nice to see a number of Flyers at the race. I traveled in with LL (the Laminator) and BH (trakmaniak), and then saw TD, CM, and JAM in the pre-race area.
I had pretty good expectations for the race due to the lack of hills, but I wanted to be reasonable given the fact that this was my first half marathon in about 8 months. I was originally hoping for a time that was under 1:45 (due to the flatness of the course), however, I adjusted my time 4 or 5 miles into the race. This was a tougher race than I expected and I realized that I probably wasn't going to get my original goal for the day, but I still had the chance to run a good/smart race.
My total time for the day was a gun time of 1:46:45. This race did not have a "net" time, although we did wear a chip (since there was no starting line, everyone's first mile time was a bit off since you didn't know when to start your watch). All they needed was a banner that said "Start".
While there were very few hills, there were other factors that made the race a bit tougher than I expected. It was about 68 degrees at the start of the race and it was very muggy (about 90-100% humidity). I am not a great hot weather/humidity runner. While the overcast sky helped to keep the sun out, it was still very humid outside. It started to lightly rain during the second half of the race (which I was happy about), but this did not relieve the humidity that much at all. Probably the toughest part of the race was the frequent change in surfaces. The race started on a smooth asphalt road, but quickly changed to a very rough and uneven road surface (like when they dig up a street to re-pave it). You had to slow down a bit to prevent twisting your ankle, knee, etc. Then there were several miles on a concrete road surface resembling downtown Manhattan on the west side trail. The concrete surface was slick when it got wet, so you had to be careful about slipping. Besides being apprehensive running on the different surfaces, I was a little worried about what these hard surfaces would do to my legs. I guess we'll see in a couple of days.
I was happy to see that even in a race with less than ideal conditions, I was able to run a good/solid time. I realized that even though I have been running well the past several months, those times were mainly in shorter races and that I shouldn't expect my first half marathon in a long time to be a PR or close to it. When I saw that my mile times in the beginning were not getting down around 8 minutes or below, I knew that my goal time would be tough to achieve. My pacing was not what I would have liked. I went out too fast for the first two miles - I need to take a more conservartive approach in the beginning, even if I am feeling good. My mile times tended to go up and down throughout the day, and my beginning miles went up for five miles in a row before taking a dip. The Queens Half from last year was my best pacing effort so far, and I need to work on getting back to that. I was glad that I was able to adjust my expectations mid race and did not go out and try to make up time. Let's leave that for another day, with more favorable conditions. In the past, it would have been tough for me to say that.
Today was about getting a half marathon under my belt, and seeing what needs work. I was satisfied with the results. While it was a tough race, I felt relatively good and was not hurting at all or out of breath. While I will be running Grete's Great Gallop next week, I will be doing it as part of a 20 mile run, so I will have another half marathon chance at Staten Island in a few weeks.
Mile Splits:
Mile 1 - about 7:35 (there was no start line marked so I didn't know when to start my watch)
Mile 2 - 7:34
Mile 3 - 7:56
Mile 4 - 8:07
Mile 5 - 8:09
Mile 6 - 8:18
Mile 7 - 8:25
Mile 8 - 8:08
Mile 9 - 8:06
Mile 10 - 8:29
Mile 11 - 8:20
Mile 12 - 8:33
Last 1.1 miles - 8:52 (8:04 mile pace)
Total Gun Time (there was no net time) - 1:46:45; Overall pace - 8:08
I had pretty good expectations for the race due to the lack of hills, but I wanted to be reasonable given the fact that this was my first half marathon in about 8 months. I was originally hoping for a time that was under 1:45 (due to the flatness of the course), however, I adjusted my time 4 or 5 miles into the race. This was a tougher race than I expected and I realized that I probably wasn't going to get my original goal for the day, but I still had the chance to run a good/smart race.
My total time for the day was a gun time of 1:46:45. This race did not have a "net" time, although we did wear a chip (since there was no starting line, everyone's first mile time was a bit off since you didn't know when to start your watch). All they needed was a banner that said "Start".
While there were very few hills, there were other factors that made the race a bit tougher than I expected. It was about 68 degrees at the start of the race and it was very muggy (about 90-100% humidity). I am not a great hot weather/humidity runner. While the overcast sky helped to keep the sun out, it was still very humid outside. It started to lightly rain during the second half of the race (which I was happy about), but this did not relieve the humidity that much at all. Probably the toughest part of the race was the frequent change in surfaces. The race started on a smooth asphalt road, but quickly changed to a very rough and uneven road surface (like when they dig up a street to re-pave it). You had to slow down a bit to prevent twisting your ankle, knee, etc. Then there were several miles on a concrete road surface resembling downtown Manhattan on the west side trail. The concrete surface was slick when it got wet, so you had to be careful about slipping. Besides being apprehensive running on the different surfaces, I was a little worried about what these hard surfaces would do to my legs. I guess we'll see in a couple of days.
I was happy to see that even in a race with less than ideal conditions, I was able to run a good/solid time. I realized that even though I have been running well the past several months, those times were mainly in shorter races and that I shouldn't expect my first half marathon in a long time to be a PR or close to it. When I saw that my mile times in the beginning were not getting down around 8 minutes or below, I knew that my goal time would be tough to achieve. My pacing was not what I would have liked. I went out too fast for the first two miles - I need to take a more conservartive approach in the beginning, even if I am feeling good. My mile times tended to go up and down throughout the day, and my beginning miles went up for five miles in a row before taking a dip. The Queens Half from last year was my best pacing effort so far, and I need to work on getting back to that. I was glad that I was able to adjust my expectations mid race and did not go out and try to make up time. Let's leave that for another day, with more favorable conditions. In the past, it would have been tough for me to say that.
Today was about getting a half marathon under my belt, and seeing what needs work. I was satisfied with the results. While it was a tough race, I felt relatively good and was not hurting at all or out of breath. While I will be running Grete's Great Gallop next week, I will be doing it as part of a 20 mile run, so I will have another half marathon chance at Staten Island in a few weeks.
Mile Splits:
Mile 1 - about 7:35 (there was no start line marked so I didn't know when to start my watch)
Mile 2 - 7:34
Mile 3 - 7:56
Mile 4 - 8:07
Mile 5 - 8:09
Mile 6 - 8:18
Mile 7 - 8:25
Mile 8 - 8:08
Mile 9 - 8:06
Mile 10 - 8:29
Mile 11 - 8:20
Mile 12 - 8:33
Last 1.1 miles - 8:52 (8:04 mile pace)
Total Gun Time (there was no net time) - 1:46:45; Overall pace - 8:08
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
17 Mile Run - 9/20/08
This past weekend I upped the ante and got in a 17 mile run - my longest run in about 2 years. I ran it with my friend and fellow Flyer, SR. We ran the first 15 miles together (6 mile loop, lower 5 mile loop and inner 4 mile loop) and it felt great. It is amazing how much easier a long run is when you have someone running next to you - pushing you, keeping your mind distracted, keeping you company, etc. The first 11 miles just flew by. I couldn't believe how comfortable it felt. We were able to keep up about a 9:05 pace for the first 15 miles. I never would have been able to do this all by myself, as proven by the last two miles.
Like magic, once SR left I started to feel all of the aches and pains in my hip, feet and ankles. I only did a loop of the reservoir and then a half mile on the bridle path, but they felt very tough. I didn't feel drained after the run, just sore. However, I was proud to get a 17 miler under my belt. The training seems to be going well.
I still haven't signed up for Philadelphia but I think I am getting closer. We'll see in the next few weeks. I have the Newport Half Marathon this weekend in Jersey City and I'll use this as a gauge to see how I am doing.
Like magic, once SR left I started to feel all of the aches and pains in my hip, feet and ankles. I only did a loop of the reservoir and then a half mile on the bridle path, but they felt very tough. I didn't feel drained after the run, just sore. However, I was proud to get a 17 miler under my belt. The training seems to be going well.
I still haven't signed up for Philadelphia but I think I am getting closer. We'll see in the next few weeks. I have the Newport Half Marathon this weekend in Jersey City and I'll use this as a gauge to see how I am doing.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Reach the Beach 2008 - 9/11-9/14
While many of my fellow teammates were doing either the Long Training Run or the Queens Half marathon this past weekend, I was in New Hampshire with 10 other Flyers competing in and enjoying the Reach the Beach relay - over 350 teams competing to run about 210 miles the fastest way they knew how. Although I've run Need for Speed twice, this was my first time doing an overnight, continuous relay. It is a much different experience.I signed up for Reach the Beach in the beginning of July and was looking forward to running it. I heard only good things about it from everyone I knew who ran it before. Over the past month and a half, our 12 person team began to lose members. It seemed like every other day, someone needed to drop out and we called up the next person on our alternate list. By the time we drove up on Thursday morning, we were down to 10 runners. Therefore, instead of everyone on the team doing 3 legs apiece, 6 of the runners had to run four legs. I was not scheduled to run four legs, but could empathize with the people who had to. It is extremely taxing on your legs, body and mind to run 4 legs in less than a 24 hour period.
Unlike the hot and humid weather that struck NYC, the weather for most of the race was very good for running - overcast and cool with temperatures in the high 50's and low 60's, although there was rain on and off for a few hours during the first night's legs.
Overall, I had a great time but by the end of the race I realized that this event is pretty exhausting - running 3 legs on very little/no sleep sleep in a van with 5 other people in which there is little room to stretch out. My training over the past several months prepared me well, but nothing can really get you ready for this kind of race until you actually do it.
Being one of the faster teams, we didn't start until 2:25PM on Thursday afternoon (I believe the first team started at 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning). Our captain ES started us off on leg 1 which started at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, NH. It was definitely very exciting. It was at this point that it finally hit me that we were really doing this. Our 210 mile journey had begun.
Since we were in the "second" van, we were not going to have a runner for at least 5 or 6 hours. We drove to watch ES hand off at the first transition area and then took a rest at transition area three which was a hiking/ski lodge. It allowed us to take a small rest and get some lunch at the same time.
I was the last runner in our rotation of 10 and I had three legs that were considered "moderate to hard" overall - based on length of leg and the change in elevation on the course. This was a good description. My first leg was 4.9 miles, second leg was 9.1 miles and the last one was a relatively quick one at 3.1 miles. My first two legs were at night/early morning. It took some getting used to running in the pitch black on streets that are completely foreign to you. All of the night runners had to wear a reflective vest, light flashers, and a headlamp or flashlight (I got a Princeton Tec headlamp at Paragon).
Although the legs were very well marked with reflective arrows, all it took was one wrong turn and you could be completely lost in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, I was a little bit nervous going into the first leg, not knowing what to expect. Unfortunately, during my first leg, there were no other runners around me for the first four miles, so I didn't have anyone to focus on or "latch" onto for some company. I spent most of the run trying not to fall on the side of the road and hugging the white line to see where I was going. The only way to know that I was still going in the right direction was the other team vans passing me by. They reassured me that I was still on course and they helped to illuminate the road to see what I had ahead of me - turns, hills, etc. The leg was full of some rolling hills in the beginning, and the last 0.9 miles was almost straight uphill. I was excited to finally see some vests reflecting back at me at about mile four, signifying that I finally reached other humans on the course. Seeing people ahead of me gave me an extra boost of energy and I surged over the last mile. I passed the two people in front of me about half mile from the end of the leg and handed off to ES at the transition station. This being the first leg, I felt good and strong throughout and I was able to get the nervousness and uncertainty out of my system about running the course at night. The leg started at about 9:40PM and ended at around 10:20PM.
The second leg started at around 6:00AM and it was still dark outside so I needed to run in all of my "night" gear. At least I knew that halfway through my 9.1 mile leg, it would begin to get light outside. Believe it or not, I was happy to have a long leg since I wasn't going to be able to do my scheduled 12 mile run, so I figured that this distance would suffice.
)
My third and final leg was my first one in complete daylight. It was only 3.1 miles but I was pretty tired at this point. I wasn't sure how my legs were going to react. The leg started at about 2PM. I was hoping to have a strong leg and was hoping to do under 8:00 pace. When I got the hand off from AH, I started quick and felt the strain in my legs. The weather was finally starting to heat up and I wasn't sure if my legs would hold up. As I was beginning to tire, I told myself to stay strong and keep up as fast a pace as I could. Whatever stress or discomfort I was feeling, I knew it would all be over in 25-30 minutes so I tried as hard as I could to keep it up and I did. I passed three people along the way - feeling more and more energized after each one. It was a great feeling to see most of the team cheering for me at the transition area - especially since I knew that my race was over once I handed off the bracelet to ES.
The race finally ended for us at Hampton Beach at around 6 o'clock in the afternoon. We all gathered right before the finish line waiting for RB to appear and then all of us ran across the finish line together. We did it!
This event definitely made me stronger mentally and a better runner. For the past seven or eight years, I've been so used to feeling that the only way I could run a fast pace was if I was among throngs of people in a race atmosphere or with a group of people running to the songs on my iPod. However, this race began to make me realize that this doesn't necessarily need to be the case. On my legs during Reach the Beach, I was all by myself for most of the time, with no music, and no people to focus on or pass yet I was able to persevere using only the voice in my head and my own internal motivation. I learned alot more how to motivate myself when there is no one around. For two of these legs, I was running in the dark on unfamiliar streets with no idea about how long I had to go yet I was able to push myself through times when I felt tired, sore, etc. It was a good feeling. The spinning and strength training look like they are still working, since after the race was over, I had relatively little soreness in my legs. My ankles and achilles tendons were the only parts of me that were particularly sore. After all the miles that I have been putting in, it is time for my next pair of running sneakers.
Team Results -
- Overall: 65th place out of 355 teams;
- Mixed Open Division - 19th place out of 166 teams;
- Average team pace - approximately 7:53 pace (although the first few runners had a pace that was considerably less)
My results:
- Leg #1 (4.9 miles with significant elevation) - 7:59 pace;
- Leg #2 (9.1 miles with huges hills one after the other in the beginning and then flattening out in the middle) - 8:40 pace;
- Leg #3 (3.1 miles - relatively flat) - 7:32 pace.
- Overall pace over the total 17.1 miles - 8:16
Kudos to everyone on our team for a great race and thanks to our captains ES and BH for all of their hard work.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
15 Mile Run - 9/7/08
Well, today was the longest run (15 miles) I have done in nearly the past two years - the last time being when I ran the NYC marathon in 2006. It was an extension of my now usual West Side run. Instead of starting at Engineer's Gate and running north to 96th street, I ran south to 72nd street and took it along the transverse and out of the park all the way to the West Side Highway, then making a left and running along the water to the World Financial Center (and then retracing my steps back to Engineer's Gate).
Although I have not signed up for a marathon, I am following one of the training schedules (just in case) to increase my mileage and pass various "checkpoints" to track my progress. While I am probably physically able to run a marathon at this point, I am in the process of getting back in the game mentally. So far, so good. I did a 13 mile run two weeks ago and a 15 mile run today - both with good results. For now, the times aren't as important to me as getting the mileage in and increasing my confidence. I began this morning's run with a fellow Flyer. I was happy to have a partner since it is very tough to do a run this long alone. It is great to have someone there next to you to push you along, help pace you, keep you company, etc. Unfortunately, a couple miles into the run her knee was hurting her and she had to stop and head home (hopefully she will be fine). We figured it was best for her to not force the issue and make things worse. With her going home, I was on my own for the remainder of the run. That was tough enough with the heat increasing, but in addition I didn't have my iPod with me since I was doing the run with someone else. Heat and no music - what am I going to do. I was pleasantly suprised to see that I was able to get along just fine without my music. I am used to having my musice on every run that I go on, but I have been easing myself off of my musice dependence over the last few weeks and it has been eerily nice.
I was trying to keep up a consistent pace throughout the run. It was slower than I usually run but the miles were the most important thing. On the run back, I made sure to take a lot of Gatorade and water breaks. My breathing felt good throughout the entire run and my legs held up very nicely with minimal pain or soreness. The part that has been given me the most discomfort lately has been my ankles/feet. It is probably time to move on to my next pair of sneakers.
The run was a success and I can now "check" off a 15 mile run on my road back to running. This week I cracked the 30 mile barrier for the first time in 2 years as well. With the increased mileage, I have to make sure and keep up my stretching religiously and to give my body the rest it needs, no matter how good I am feeling. All it takes is one stupid move or overly aggressive week to derail my training up until now.
Looking forward to Reach the Beach at the end of this week!
Although I have not signed up for a marathon, I am following one of the training schedules (just in case) to increase my mileage and pass various "checkpoints" to track my progress. While I am probably physically able to run a marathon at this point, I am in the process of getting back in the game mentally. So far, so good. I did a 13 mile run two weeks ago and a 15 mile run today - both with good results. For now, the times aren't as important to me as getting the mileage in and increasing my confidence. I began this morning's run with a fellow Flyer. I was happy to have a partner since it is very tough to do a run this long alone. It is great to have someone there next to you to push you along, help pace you, keep you company, etc. Unfortunately, a couple miles into the run her knee was hurting her and she had to stop and head home (hopefully she will be fine). We figured it was best for her to not force the issue and make things worse. With her going home, I was on my own for the remainder of the run. That was tough enough with the heat increasing, but in addition I didn't have my iPod with me since I was doing the run with someone else. Heat and no music - what am I going to do. I was pleasantly suprised to see that I was able to get along just fine without my music. I am used to having my musice on every run that I go on, but I have been easing myself off of my musice dependence over the last few weeks and it has been eerily nice.
I was trying to keep up a consistent pace throughout the run. It was slower than I usually run but the miles were the most important thing. On the run back, I made sure to take a lot of Gatorade and water breaks. My breathing felt good throughout the entire run and my legs held up very nicely with minimal pain or soreness. The part that has been given me the most discomfort lately has been my ankles/feet. It is probably time to move on to my next pair of sneakers.
The run was a success and I can now "check" off a 15 mile run on my road back to running. This week I cracked the 30 mile barrier for the first time in 2 years as well. With the increased mileage, I have to make sure and keep up my stretching religiously and to give my body the rest it needs, no matter how good I am feeling. All it takes is one stupid move or overly aggressive week to derail my training up until now.
Looking forward to Reach the Beach at the end of this week!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Team Championships - 8/16/08
I haven't been blogging lately since I was just concerned on building back up my miles slowly after my treatments, scans, etc. So far, so good. I've been able to run 20-25 miles per week with relatively little problems for almost a month and a half now and I see that my speed is starting to come back too. I'm back to my usual times on the weekly group runs, although I've been slightly slower than before on the long runs, but that is probably more attributable to the heat and humidity that we've had over the past month rather than sluggishness or fatigue. The only race that I ran recently was the Park to Park run in July which got me "back in the game" and I was looking to do another one.
The Team Championships were this morning and I was looking to use this race to see how I have been progressing. I wasn't planning on going all out, but once I was on the road it was another story. I would have been happy with a 7:40 pace (plus or minus), but I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that I PR'd today (my previous best 5 mile time was back in 2004). This is the third distance in which I PR'd this year (the others being at 4 miles and the 10K). I started the race in the fourth corral today, which is farther back than I usually start, but that is due to the fact that today's race was only club teams and the pace times are alot faster than other races. I was actually happy to start further back. At this race, people tend to be aggressive at the start and go out very fast. I didn't want to get sucked into that and tire myself out right away. The weather was pleasant and rather comfortable as the race began. I went out pretty hard during the first mile and glanced at my watch and saw that I ran 7:30. I wasn't looking to PR at this point, but I was glad to see that my speed didn't leave me after these past few months. The next two miles were both at 7:19 - I didn't feel that I was going this fast but I was working hard to keep my pace consistent. The weather at this point was starting to get hotter and I knew that Cat Hill was still coming up. I didn't lessen my effort during the next mile, but I knew that this was probably going to be the slowest mile of the race for me due to the combination of the 2 Hs (hills and heat). I ended up running mile 4 at 7:40 - slower than the other miles but better than I thought I'd run. With only one mile to go, I started to calculate if a PR was possible and I realized that I was running at or near my exact PR pace of 7:27. After pressing on through the northern part of the park (8o's and 90's), I picked my pace up a lot and was glad to see a bunch of Flyers cheering us on right before the finish line - it was a big boost for me. I think I emptied the tank just a little bit too early and I struggled a bit with about 50 meters to go. I even feel slightly nauseous for a few seconds after I crossed the finish line but that just proves that I ran a very hard race and I had nothing left to give. I ran the last mile in 6:52 (only the third time I've run a sub 7:00 mile in a race).
Below are the split times (I erased my times after the race by mistake so these are from memory):
Mile 1 - 7:30
Mile 2 - 7:19
Mile 3 - 7:19
Mile 4 - 7:40
Mile 5 - 6:52
Total time - 36:41 ; pace - 7:20
The Team Championships were this morning and I was looking to use this race to see how I have been progressing. I wasn't planning on going all out, but once I was on the road it was another story. I would have been happy with a 7:40 pace (plus or minus), but I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that I PR'd today (my previous best 5 mile time was back in 2004). This is the third distance in which I PR'd this year (the others being at 4 miles and the 10K). I started the race in the fourth corral today, which is farther back than I usually start, but that is due to the fact that today's race was only club teams and the pace times are alot faster than other races. I was actually happy to start further back. At this race, people tend to be aggressive at the start and go out very fast. I didn't want to get sucked into that and tire myself out right away. The weather was pleasant and rather comfortable as the race began. I went out pretty hard during the first mile and glanced at my watch and saw that I ran 7:30. I wasn't looking to PR at this point, but I was glad to see that my speed didn't leave me after these past few months. The next two miles were both at 7:19 - I didn't feel that I was going this fast but I was working hard to keep my pace consistent. The weather at this point was starting to get hotter and I knew that Cat Hill was still coming up. I didn't lessen my effort during the next mile, but I knew that this was probably going to be the slowest mile of the race for me due to the combination of the 2 Hs (hills and heat). I ended up running mile 4 at 7:40 - slower than the other miles but better than I thought I'd run. With only one mile to go, I started to calculate if a PR was possible and I realized that I was running at or near my exact PR pace of 7:27. After pressing on through the northern part of the park (8o's and 90's), I picked my pace up a lot and was glad to see a bunch of Flyers cheering us on right before the finish line - it was a big boost for me. I think I emptied the tank just a little bit too early and I struggled a bit with about 50 meters to go. I even feel slightly nauseous for a few seconds after I crossed the finish line but that just proves that I ran a very hard race and I had nothing left to give. I ran the last mile in 6:52 (only the third time I've run a sub 7:00 mile in a race).
Below are the split times (I erased my times after the race by mistake so these are from memory):
Mile 1 - 7:30
Mile 2 - 7:19
Mile 3 - 7:19
Mile 4 - 7:40
Mile 5 - 6:52
Total time - 36:41 ; pace - 7:20
Monday, July 21, 2008
No End to the Heat - Week of July 14th
Unfortunately, there wasn't a respite to the heat this week and getting in the mileage was going to take a little more planning than usual. This is the problem with summer running. There is always a stretch of a few weeks in which the heat doesn't relent. You want to get in your miles but you don't want to bake in the heat at the same time. While running early in the morning or late at night does provide some relief, it is still very tough.
I wanted to keep my momentum going and get in another good 20 mile week which I was happy to say I accomplished. I used the beginning of the week to get in my weights and spinning, while taking a day off on Monday. The Thursday group run was a scorcher and I think scared off the regulars since there was only three of us there. However, it allowed me to get in a "tempo" type of run and me, JG, and LL were able to run at about an 8:41 clip. I was busy on Friday night, and I am usually not able to get up early in the morning by myself, so I was forced to run during the peak "heat" part of the day starting at 3PM right after work. I ran about 6.6 miles but made sure to get in a bunch of water breaks and run at a slower pace than usual - the miles were more important than the time (approx a 9:07 pace). I relaxed a bit at the beach on Saturday and then was forced to get in my long run on Sunday. The weather report was not looking good. Accuweather had the temperature in the 90's all day long and a "real feel" of over 100 degrees. Therefore, I decided to wait as long as possible and waited until 7:30PM to start my run. I ran a combination of the bridle path (6.6 path used during GW and NH marathon training run a few weeks ago) and reservoir and was able to get in 8.2 miles.
Other than feeling hot and sweaty during the runs, my body actually felt pretty good. No real feeling of fatigue and my breathing was relatively calm and consistent - no huffing and puffing. It looks like my recovery mileage build up is coming along as I had hoped and I am hoping it will continue.
For the week: Mon - off, Tues - weights, Wed - spinning, Thurs - 6 miles, Fri - 6.6 miles, Sat - off, Sun - 8.2 miles
I wanted to keep my momentum going and get in another good 20 mile week which I was happy to say I accomplished. I used the beginning of the week to get in my weights and spinning, while taking a day off on Monday. The Thursday group run was a scorcher and I think scared off the regulars since there was only three of us there. However, it allowed me to get in a "tempo" type of run and me, JG, and LL were able to run at about an 8:41 clip. I was busy on Friday night, and I am usually not able to get up early in the morning by myself, so I was forced to run during the peak "heat" part of the day starting at 3PM right after work. I ran about 6.6 miles but made sure to get in a bunch of water breaks and run at a slower pace than usual - the miles were more important than the time (approx a 9:07 pace). I relaxed a bit at the beach on Saturday and then was forced to get in my long run on Sunday. The weather report was not looking good. Accuweather had the temperature in the 90's all day long and a "real feel" of over 100 degrees. Therefore, I decided to wait as long as possible and waited until 7:30PM to start my run. I ran a combination of the bridle path (6.6 path used during GW and NH marathon training run a few weeks ago) and reservoir and was able to get in 8.2 miles.
Other than feeling hot and sweaty during the runs, my body actually felt pretty good. No real feeling of fatigue and my breathing was relatively calm and consistent - no huffing and puffing. It looks like my recovery mileage build up is coming along as I had hoped and I am hoping it will continue.
For the week: Mon - off, Tues - weights, Wed - spinning, Thurs - 6 miles, Fri - 6.6 miles, Sat - off, Sun - 8.2 miles
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thyroid Blog Link
Since I use this blog strictly for running, I did not write about my thyroid issues except when they affected my training. However, as I was going through the treatment process over the last several months, I found it practical and somewhat therapuetic to write down what was happening. I wanted to have a personal account of my diagnosis and treatment, but didn't feel the need to make it public. I didn't want people to worry unnecessarily. Now that the process is over for the time being (with good news - scans came back looking good, no spread and now just need to go for follow ups and be monitored), I transfered the information from a Word document to a blog form to make it easier for me to navigate down the road.
http://bulgingneck.blogspot.com/
It is rather long, so I don't expect most people to read through it. However, I know how much easier it is to go through an ordeal with some knowledge of what to expect, so I am hoping that this blog will help out someone else going through the same thing. Therefore, if any one you know of going through a similar situation, please feel free to pass on the link.
http://bulgingneck.blogspot.com/
It is rather long, so I don't expect most people to read through it. However, I know how much easier it is to go through an ordeal with some knowledge of what to expect, so I am hoping that this blog will help out someone else going through the same thing. Therefore, if any one you know of going through a similar situation, please feel free to pass on the link.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Naples Park to Park 10K - 7/13/08
This was my first race in over a month since the Japan Day 4M on June 1st. I was happy to get back on the road and get my legs moving again. I wanted to use this race as an unofficial status check to see how I was doing after on again/off again running activity for the past several weeks. I didn't want to go all out per se, but I was planning on running this harder than a training or tempo run.
I wanted to be smart about this and not come back too hard too soon for absolutely no reason. This was about getting acclimated to racing again and running a quicker pace. Even though I had a red bib and could have started in the second corral, I decided to line up at the back of the yellow corral so I didn't feel compelled to go out too fast right out of the gate. I purposely took the first mile a little slower than usual and allowed myself to ease into the race, which was a smart move since the first mile included the Harlem Hill and it was already pretty hot outside. Although I don't enjoy running in the heat (the start of the race was in the low-mid seventies with very high humidity), I believe it forced me to control my pace and stay hydrated throughout the race. Usually, I would only take one cup of water during a normal 10K, but I made sure to stop at a few water stations along the way to drink a little and dump the rest on my head and face. I noticed that my mouth was pretty dry throughout the race (still some minor side effects from my treatment). My first race back in the middle of the summer was not the time to go all out.
All in all, I was happy with my performance. I had a goal of running at or about 8:00 min/mile pace and I ended up running an 8:02 pace, with mile splits that were relatively consistent. I was happy to see that my breathing was not really a problem at all, but I had a feeling of body fatigue midway through the race, which was expected. This race wasn't easy but I felt that it was a good sign that I am still in relatively good shape after a few week layoff. My goal now is to slowly build back up to 20-25 miles a week, including a long run which I have been able to do so far. I still have a few weeks if I decide to do marathon training this year. The summer is tough to run in and goals/expactations should be adjusted accordingly.
The splits for the race were:
Mile 1 - 8:35
Mile 2 - 8:05
Mile 3 - 7:49
Mile 4 - 8:00
Mile 5 - 8:04
Last 1.2 miles - total of 9:14 for a pace of 7:42
Overall time - 49:51 ; pace - 8:02
Totals for the week - Monday - 4.8 miles, Tuesday - off, Wednesday - spinning, Thursday - 9.3 miles, Friday - off, Saturday - off, Sunday - 6.2
I wanted to be smart about this and not come back too hard too soon for absolutely no reason. This was about getting acclimated to racing again and running a quicker pace. Even though I had a red bib and could have started in the second corral, I decided to line up at the back of the yellow corral so I didn't feel compelled to go out too fast right out of the gate. I purposely took the first mile a little slower than usual and allowed myself to ease into the race, which was a smart move since the first mile included the Harlem Hill and it was already pretty hot outside. Although I don't enjoy running in the heat (the start of the race was in the low-mid seventies with very high humidity), I believe it forced me to control my pace and stay hydrated throughout the race. Usually, I would only take one cup of water during a normal 10K, but I made sure to stop at a few water stations along the way to drink a little and dump the rest on my head and face. I noticed that my mouth was pretty dry throughout the race (still some minor side effects from my treatment). My first race back in the middle of the summer was not the time to go all out.
All in all, I was happy with my performance. I had a goal of running at or about 8:00 min/mile pace and I ended up running an 8:02 pace, with mile splits that were relatively consistent. I was happy to see that my breathing was not really a problem at all, but I had a feeling of body fatigue midway through the race, which was expected. This race wasn't easy but I felt that it was a good sign that I am still in relatively good shape after a few week layoff. My goal now is to slowly build back up to 20-25 miles a week, including a long run which I have been able to do so far. I still have a few weeks if I decide to do marathon training this year. The summer is tough to run in and goals/expactations should be adjusted accordingly.
The splits for the race were:
Mile 1 - 8:35
Mile 2 - 8:05
Mile 3 - 7:49
Mile 4 - 8:00
Mile 5 - 8:04
Last 1.2 miles - total of 9:14 for a pace of 7:42
Overall time - 49:51 ; pace - 8:02
Totals for the week - Monday - 4.8 miles, Tuesday - off, Wednesday - spinning, Thursday - 9.3 miles, Friday - off, Saturday - off, Sunday - 6.2
Monday, July 7, 2008
On the Road Again
Starting on June 26th, I was finally able to go off of my low iodine diet and go back on my thyroid medication. It was a long four weeks, but I am now hopeful that my life will begin to get back to normal. I was keeping up a modest running schedule for the first couple of weeks before my scans (17-20 miles per week until June 8th, with no run longer than 5 miles), but I haven't had a "normal" running schedule for approximately 3 weeks.
Although I was able to eat normally again and was back on Synthroid, I knew that I couldn't thrust my body back into a 20 mile per week schedule right away, along with cross training, and I made sure to ease back into a routine. The last thing I wanted was to get injured and have to take off even more time. I ran 4 miles on June 26th and 6 miles on June 29th - my first 6 mile loop in almost a month. I was able to get in a time of 52:38, not including two water stops. I was definitely happy with this time. The week of June 30th was my first "complete" week back. I was anxious to see how my body would react. I was getting used to not running and spinning for several weeks, so I knew that the first week back would be hard. However, the longer I waited, the harder it would become. Therefore, last week I ran with the downtown group for about 6.8 miles (ran a slower pace than usual of about 9:10-9:25) , went to spinning on Tuesday, took a day off on Wednesday, ran 6 miles with the Thursday group (time of 51:34 with the help of GW), took off on Friday, did weights on Saturday, and ran about 8.2 miles with GW and NH's marathon training group (very hot and humid, but happy with time of approximately 9:05 pace). While it will take several weeks to get back to "normal" I was satisfied with my first week back.
I am happy that I did not sign up for the NYC marathon. Doing so would have put too much pressure on myself to rush back and get right into marathon training with no grace period. I will "allow" myself a month or so to ease back into base mileage and evaluate how I am doing at the end of July. If I am feeling good and strong and have the urge to do a marathon, then I will still be able to register for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd and not lose any significant time of the full 4 month training regimen.
I am looking forward to getting back on the roads and running with everyone again.
Although I was able to eat normally again and was back on Synthroid, I knew that I couldn't thrust my body back into a 20 mile per week schedule right away, along with cross training, and I made sure to ease back into a routine. The last thing I wanted was to get injured and have to take off even more time. I ran 4 miles on June 26th and 6 miles on June 29th - my first 6 mile loop in almost a month. I was able to get in a time of 52:38, not including two water stops. I was definitely happy with this time. The week of June 30th was my first "complete" week back. I was anxious to see how my body would react. I was getting used to not running and spinning for several weeks, so I knew that the first week back would be hard. However, the longer I waited, the harder it would become. Therefore, last week I ran with the downtown group for about 6.8 miles (ran a slower pace than usual of about 9:10-9:25) , went to spinning on Tuesday, took a day off on Wednesday, ran 6 miles with the Thursday group (time of 51:34 with the help of GW), took off on Friday, did weights on Saturday, and ran about 8.2 miles with GW and NH's marathon training group (very hot and humid, but happy with time of approximately 9:05 pace). While it will take several weeks to get back to "normal" I was satisfied with my first week back.
I am happy that I did not sign up for the NYC marathon. Doing so would have put too much pressure on myself to rush back and get right into marathon training with no grace period. I will "allow" myself a month or so to ease back into base mileage and evaluate how I am doing at the end of July. If I am feeling good and strong and have the urge to do a marathon, then I will still be able to register for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd and not lose any significant time of the full 4 month training regimen.
I am looking forward to getting back on the roads and running with everyone again.
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