Bill Knight, locally of MDRA-fame, asked if I'd post a story he wrote on my blog.
Happy Thanksgiving!
A scary running tradition
Even though Halloween is safely behind us for another
year, a small group of metro-based runners are
reluctant to let go of that fun-loving spirit. For
upwards of 20 years the Minnehaha Marathoners (MM'ers)
running club has participated in a 5k race in Anoka.
That suburb, over a long weekend, becomes the
self-proclaimed Halloween Capitol of the World. And
why is this of any importance? I mean there are some
1,100 other runners in various stages of Halloween
garb running down Main Street in Anoka for this race.
While that is true, there is only one 60-foot-long
centipede powered by 26 legs.
So what exactly is a running centipede? Well, if you
have never seen the "'pede" in action, imagine a green
and gold piece of cloth, 60 feet long, about 6 feet
wide, with 13 holes cut down the centerline. Then
picture 13 people lined up nose-to-tail, about five
feet apart. As each person slips under the cloth,
putting his or her head through a hole, something
magical happens at that moment ("TA-DA") as club
members and any running friends become the Minnehaha
Marathoner Centipede. The 'pede is "all show and slow
go" so be prepared to watch the runners flaunt it a
bit, while they throttle back to about 11 minutes a
mile.
MM'ers 'pede packs fun and speed
Typically, the MM'ers' centipede does just two runs a
year. One is the St. Paul Winter Carnival 5k race and
the other is the Anoka event. Shortly after crossing
the finish line last October, the 'pede gave a rare
interview talking about the event and the race.
"Yaaaah, that was a fun run and a fast one for all of
my legs," said the Minnehaha Marathoner centipede.
Led by the MM'ers veteran whistle blower, Tom Huberty,
the 'pede once again set eye balls a scannin' and
tongues a waggin' throughout most of southern Anoka
County ("pardon the grammar, ya all") for the running
of what was officially called the 21st Annual Anoka
Halloween Gray Ghost 5k Run and One Mile Fitness Walk.
(Whew!) The other "legs" giving life to the 'pede that
day were Lee Trelstad, Al Larson, Linda Sheppard,
Nancy Carlson, Bill Knight, and Cliff Janney, all
running club members. Special invited "legs" were
Leigh Bailey, David Janney and Nancy Johnson-Maloney.
The 'pede expressed gratitude to all those legs.
As soon as Huberty led the 'pede out the side door of
the Franklin Junior High School, a hushed rumbling
could be heard among the pedestrian spectators and
assembled runners craning their necks and elbowing up
to their tippy-toes to see this 60 foot long beauty.
"I really wasn't ready for that reaction since I've
been, well, kinda folded over and crunched into a blue
workout bag since last February," the pede said. "But
yah know, the crowd, well they began a smilin' and
then there was that geeeorgeous sun up on high. I
could hear jus a little hootin' and then, first thing
yah know, I was getting ready for SHOW TIME. Oh,
please excuse me for a shoutin'." the pede said.
Huberty and friends first warmed up some 50 feet in
front of the starting line with a slow, modest leechy
turn for the assembled eyeballs. It's a club tradition
for the 'pede leader to carry a whistle that is used
to alert all the legs of an upcoming maneuver. When
the leader turns and the legs follow, the 'pede forms
a large running circle. Turning in the opposite
direction the leader unwinds the' pede.
Warmed up and with a confident grace, the 'pede parted
the sea of runners, taking a position with other
"back-of-the-packers." There a late addition from the
crowd, Cliff Anderson, who said he was not related to
the Anoka politician with the same name (thanks
Cliff), jumped in to bring up the rear of the 'pede.
By most accounts the 'pede set off on a quick pace
down Main Street before the assembled crowds on the
curbs. Thousands of people come out each year just to
see the 'pede zigzag down the street and many of them
stay for a parade held right after the race.
"But I gotta hand it to that good ole boy," the pede
said, giving a verbal nod to Huberty. "When the crowds
were two and three and four deep up from behind the
curb, wha we jus throttled back. Give 'em what they
came to see-A SHOW. Oh, excuse me for a shoutin'. Give
'em the candy we had, jus for the kids, and the love
we had for them hobby cops, dumb enough to, er, ah, I
mean cooourageous enough to stand in the street."
The 'pede was referencing the crowd-pleasing leechy
turns performed around the "volunteers in blue" and
the tossing of wrapped candy to the scores of young
urchins holding down the curbs.
"Whall, almost all of my legs and arms got that gig
done right," the pede said. "But maybe Al is still jus
a kid at heart." The pede noticed that MM club
president Al Larson was not throwing all of his candy
to the kids.
"I'm concerned about the kids and of course their
teeth," Larson said. "Besides, those chocolate mints
were really good."
Lighter without the candy and not encumbered by the
crowds and those tempting slow-to-move public
servants, the pede encouraged Huberty to pick up the
pace, resulting in one of the better Anoka showings: a
fine time (for the 'pede) of 38 minutes and change was
recorded.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
CRAWLING ON ALL FOURS
I mentioned a week or two ago that I’m reading Dr. George Sheehan’s Running & Being as well as his son Andrew’s Chasing the Hawk. Andrew talks about how popular his dad’s book was when it was first published, despite a scathing review in Sunday Book Review. Andrew writes;
Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated was another cynic, writing;
However, these reviews didn’t stop some people from thinking Running & Being was “some kind of sacred text.” Runners carried it around, dog-eared pages, underlined passages, etc.
Maybe no one cares, but I thought it was kind of neat to read a review of a book I’m reading, in another book I’m reading.
As for my training, Monday consisted of two easy runs; 5 miles in the morning and 7 miles in the afternoon. I’m off of work this whole week, so I can do fun stuff like that. And stuff like meeting my friends Eric and Jim for an 11 mile run on Tuesday.
After the run I stopped by a local running store where this stud happened to be working. I’m happy to report that I was actually able to talk to him – unlike when I see Katie McGregor. I even congratulated him on his debut at NYC and talked a little about my race at Chicago. But I was still too chicken-shit to ask if he’d want to be interviewed for my other blog. I’m never sure where to stick that into a conversation, so it usually gets left off.
Quote of the day;
The reviewer quoted copiously from the book in the interest of ridiculing it: “‘When I run the roads I am a saint. I am Assisi wearing the least and meanest of clothes.’ Or, ‘ I am a descendant of…People of the mind. Men like Kierkegaard and Emerson and Bertrand Russell.’ Or, ‘But I am who I am and can be nothing but that.’ (I could go on). It must be all those long runs – they’ve scrambled the man’s mind.”
The reviewer did go on: “In case we question his relationship with Kierkegaard and Emerson and Bertrand Russell, he gathers together a large number of quotes from Great Minds such as Kant, Nietzsche, Plato, Socrates…(he’s nothing if not eclectic). Their works are ruthlessly excavated for material to buttress his thesis, to wit; or rather, witless: that Running is Being, that Running is the Total Experience; that Body Maketh Man and the Boston Celtics are saints.” The exasperated reviewer concluded: “If this is what running does to you, we’d better go back to crawling on all fours.”
Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated was another cynic, writing;
“I am sick of joggers, and I am sick of runners. I don’t care if all the people in the U.S. are running or planning to run or wishing they could run. All I ask is, don’t write articles about running and don’t ask me to read them.
I don’t ever want to read about the joy of running, the beauty, the ecstasy, the pain, the anguish, the agony, the rapture, the enchantment, the thrill, the majesty, the love, the coming-togetherness, the where-it’s-atness. I don’t want to hear running compared to religion, sex, or ultimate truth.”
However, these reviews didn’t stop some people from thinking Running & Being was “some kind of sacred text.” Runners carried it around, dog-eared pages, underlined passages, etc.
Maybe no one cares, but I thought it was kind of neat to read a review of a book I’m reading, in another book I’m reading.
As for my training, Monday consisted of two easy runs; 5 miles in the morning and 7 miles in the afternoon. I’m off of work this whole week, so I can do fun stuff like that. And stuff like meeting my friends Eric and Jim for an 11 mile run on Tuesday.
After the run I stopped by a local running store where this stud happened to be working. I’m happy to report that I was actually able to talk to him – unlike when I see Katie McGregor. I even congratulated him on his debut at NYC and talked a little about my race at Chicago. But I was still too chicken-shit to ask if he’d want to be interviewed for my other blog. I’m never sure where to stick that into a conversation, so it usually gets left off.
Quote of the day;
“The trouble with this country is that you can live your entire life and not know whether or not you are a coward.” – John Berryman, poet
Monday, November 20, 2006
LET'S GO
As I mentioned, my last post was stolen from Andrew. If you haven’t stopped by his blog, be sure to check out this post where he talks about his training and links some interesting sites.
Sure this could be viewed as aggressive, but as Andrew mentioned in our email exchange; “What's the worse that could happen? Injury? Been there. Disappointment? Had that. So let's go.”
I looked back at my training from last winter and while it was pretty good, it’s never as good as I remember. It seems like I was working my ass off and putting in a lot of miles. When I looked a little deeper, I only had 7 weeks where I was higher than 85 miles.
Yeah, it’s a step in the right direction, but I think there’s room for improvement. Considering that winter is like 6 months long around here, you’d think I’d have more than 7 weeks of decent mileage. I guess when you add in time to build your mileage up and cutback weeks, it cuts into “real” training.
Don’t get me wrong; I think those things are important. But I also think there’s room for improvement, like ramping up a little quicker and taking a few cutback days rather than a whole week – especially when my mileage is still rather low.
In college it took me 4 years, but I finally learned I didn’t need to start each summer at 30 mpw and ramp up by 10% per week. When I did this, I found out the summer was over by the time I reached any significant mileage.
While the 10% “rule” probably makes sense, I think it applies more when you are stepping into uncharted waters. If you’ve been running 50 mpw and start back up at 30 mpw after some downtime, you can be more aggressive in your mileage building.
I guess that explains why I’ve gone from 40 to 57 to 66 miles in the last 3 weeks. It’s not 70 to 100 like Andrew, but I’m trying. Last year I would have taken a cutback week this week, however I’m going to keep building and shoot for 75-80 miles.
Saturday I had a nice, controlled 10 mile run at 7:25 pace. The big toe that I strained on Friday didn’t bother me at all. I guess it was just one of those freaky strains. Sunday I met Jenna for a 90 minute (12 mile) run along the Mississippi River. I hadn’t talked with her since before Chicago, so it was good to catch up.
Quote of the day;
Sure this could be viewed as aggressive, but as Andrew mentioned in our email exchange; “What's the worse that could happen? Injury? Been there. Disappointment? Had that. So let's go.”
I looked back at my training from last winter and while it was pretty good, it’s never as good as I remember. It seems like I was working my ass off and putting in a lot of miles. When I looked a little deeper, I only had 7 weeks where I was higher than 85 miles.
Yeah, it’s a step in the right direction, but I think there’s room for improvement. Considering that winter is like 6 months long around here, you’d think I’d have more than 7 weeks of decent mileage. I guess when you add in time to build your mileage up and cutback weeks, it cuts into “real” training.
Don’t get me wrong; I think those things are important. But I also think there’s room for improvement, like ramping up a little quicker and taking a few cutback days rather than a whole week – especially when my mileage is still rather low.
In college it took me 4 years, but I finally learned I didn’t need to start each summer at 30 mpw and ramp up by 10% per week. When I did this, I found out the summer was over by the time I reached any significant mileage.
While the 10% “rule” probably makes sense, I think it applies more when you are stepping into uncharted waters. If you’ve been running 50 mpw and start back up at 30 mpw after some downtime, you can be more aggressive in your mileage building.
I guess that explains why I’ve gone from 40 to 57 to 66 miles in the last 3 weeks. It’s not 70 to 100 like Andrew, but I’m trying. Last year I would have taken a cutback week this week, however I’m going to keep building and shoot for 75-80 miles.
Saturday I had a nice, controlled 10 mile run at 7:25 pace. The big toe that I strained on Friday didn’t bother me at all. I guess it was just one of those freaky strains. Sunday I met Jenna for a 90 minute (12 mile) run along the Mississippi River. I hadn’t talked with her since before Chicago, so it was good to catch up.
Quote of the day;
“What marathon? Any marathon. Every marathon. It didn’t much matter. It still doesn’t matter. What counts is your desire – no, your need – to test yourself.” – Joel Homer, Marathons: The Ultimate Challenge
Friday, November 17, 2006
STEALING POSTS
I’ve been thinking about Ryan’s comment from the other day. He asked if I was shooting for 2:45 at Grandma’s. I basically said that I can't really see going from 2:59 to 2:45 in the span of 8 months. I hate to put limits on myself, but man, 14 minutes is a lot of time in a short timeframe. Maybe I could see it if I were new to the sport and dropping my times left and right or if I ran 2:59 on minimal training. But I’ve been around for awhile and 2:59 was run on decent training.
It turns out that Andrew is trying to do exactly what I’m too scared to attempt; going from 2:57 to 2:45. I had to ask about his doing workouts at goal MP rather than current MP. I like his response;
It should be fun to follow along.
Andrew also had an interesting post awhile ago about continuously evaluating your training and making adjustment accordingly. Now I don’t feel bad about re-examining my general outline two days after I wrote it.
This morning I was thinking about my statement from the other day, “I’m really more concerned about bumping my mileage (than dropping my pace).” I think I really need to focus on building my mileage right now. Once I get to a level I’d like to hold, then I can worry about pace a little more.
Last year I followed Ron Daws’s approach which is to spread out the week’s effort evenly from day-to-day while building miles. Don’t worry about running hard or adding long runs just yet because those are the things that wear you down and can lead to decreased mileage. Again, once you get your mileage where you’d like, then you can start running harder and increasing your long runs.
Today’s run was going to be a progression run. I got down to 7:30 pace but during the 4th mile I felt a sharp pain on the bottom of my right foot - between the ball of my foot and the big toe. It was okay once I slowed down, but anytime I tried to push off harder to pick up the pace, it hurt. So I backed off and ran 8 miles at 8:00 pace.
I’m just stealing this whole post from Andrew as today’s paraphrase of the day also comes from his site;
It turns out that Andrew is trying to do exactly what I’m too scared to attempt; going from 2:57 to 2:45. I had to ask about his doing workouts at goal MP rather than current MP. I like his response;
Actually, I consider myself to have 2:45 speed but not distance. This is based on other indicators. So I can turn and burn paces at the lower end of the distance spectrum but not at the high end. My 2:57 is a true indicator of my marathon ability all things considered - especially my fuel economy. But I chose 2:45 specifically because that's the time I should be able to run if properly trained given my current speed.
It should be fun to follow along.
Andrew also had an interesting post awhile ago about continuously evaluating your training and making adjustment accordingly. Now I don’t feel bad about re-examining my general outline two days after I wrote it.
This morning I was thinking about my statement from the other day, “I’m really more concerned about bumping my mileage (than dropping my pace).” I think I really need to focus on building my mileage right now. Once I get to a level I’d like to hold, then I can worry about pace a little more.
Last year I followed Ron Daws’s approach which is to spread out the week’s effort evenly from day-to-day while building miles. Don’t worry about running hard or adding long runs just yet because those are the things that wear you down and can lead to decreased mileage. Again, once you get your mileage where you’d like, then you can start running harder and increasing your long runs.
Today’s run was going to be a progression run. I got down to 7:30 pace but during the 4th mile I felt a sharp pain on the bottom of my right foot - between the ball of my foot and the big toe. It was okay once I slowed down, but anytime I tried to push off harder to pick up the pace, it hurt. So I backed off and ran 8 miles at 8:00 pace.
I’m just stealing this whole post from Andrew as today’s paraphrase of the day also comes from his site;
“If I write out a twenty week plan and complete week number one, I am not now starting week number two of twenty. Rather, I am now at week number one of nineteen.” – Renato Canova
Thursday, November 16, 2006
STILL NOT SURE
I’m still not sure about the whole "slow and easy" approach or the "medium-hard" approach to base building. I figure I tried "slow and easy" last year, so I’ll mix it up a little this year. Maybe once the snow flies and the paths get slippery I’ll change my approach. If nothing else, yesterday’s medium-hard led to some new mind games. When I got a little tired, instead of having negative thoughts I focused on the positive, “Hey, I’m recruiting new muscle fibers.”
Eric had some good comments about the schedule I posted yesterday. This may be more appropriate;
Sunday – ass-dragging slow
Monday – ass-dragging slow
Tuesday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Wednesday – MP + 40ish (7:30)
Thursday – ass-dragging slow
Friday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Saturday – 2+ hours
I found out during today’s 8 mile run that “ass-dragging slow” means about 8:45 pace for me right now. There’s definitely a whole different “flavor” between 7:10 paced runs and 8:45 paced runs. At 7:10s there’s not a whole lot of “sitting back and enjoying the run” going on. I’m guessing that blog entries will be a lot different on those days too.
I think today’s quote of the day applies to cross-country Nationals too, which are right around the corner;
Eric had some good comments about the schedule I posted yesterday. This may be more appropriate;
Sunday – ass-dragging slow
Monday – ass-dragging slow
Tuesday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Wednesday – MP + 40ish (7:30)
Thursday – ass-dragging slow
Friday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Saturday – 2+ hours
I found out during today’s 8 mile run that “ass-dragging slow” means about 8:45 pace for me right now. There’s definitely a whole different “flavor” between 7:10 paced runs and 8:45 paced runs. At 7:10s there’s not a whole lot of “sitting back and enjoying the run” going on. I’m guessing that blog entries will be a lot different on those days too.
I think today’s quote of the day applies to cross-country Nationals too, which are right around the corner;
“The start of a World Cross Country event is like riding a horse in the middle of a buffalo stampede. It’s a thrill if you keep up but one slip and you’re nothing but hoof prints.” – Ed Eyestone
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
EASY TO TALK ABOUT
Emails with friends regarding yesterday’s post led to a few “discoveries.” Some people run this medium-hard effort naturally during their every day runs. Maybe that’s why they’re good.
Also, a friend brought up the fact that, in college, I’d always get injured around 55 mpw. Thinking back, it probably wasn’t because I was running medium-hard/medium-hard efforts during base training. But rather because when I moved to the speed work phase, I ran hard/medium-hard, rather than hard/easy.
Anyway, I’m still not sure if “Mystery Coach” is the author of the article I mentioned. I emailed the author to find out his take on the two interpretations, but I haven’t heard back yet.
I followed through with another medium-hard effort today and felt pretty good during the run. I managed 11 miles, including 9 miles at 7:27 pace.
Right now here’s what I’m thinking my weeks will look like for awhile;
Sunday – 2+ hours
Monday – ass-dragging slow
Tuesday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Wednesday – MP + 40ish (7:30)
Thursday – ass-dragging slow
Friday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Saturday – MP + 40ish (7:30)
While that schedule focuses on pace, I’m really more concerned about bumping my mileage. If these paces leave me so tired that I can’t get in my miles, I’ll back off of the pace.
I’m not sure where my mileage will go. I’d like to try to get up to 100 again. However, I’d rather hold 85s for a longer period time, than just run a few 100s. Of course, this is all easy to talk about in mid-November when it’s “warm” and the paths are clear. 6-8 weeks from now it may be a different story.
Quote of the day;
Also, a friend brought up the fact that, in college, I’d always get injured around 55 mpw. Thinking back, it probably wasn’t because I was running medium-hard/medium-hard efforts during base training. But rather because when I moved to the speed work phase, I ran hard/medium-hard, rather than hard/easy.
Anyway, I’m still not sure if “Mystery Coach” is the author of the article I mentioned. I emailed the author to find out his take on the two interpretations, but I haven’t heard back yet.
I followed through with another medium-hard effort today and felt pretty good during the run. I managed 11 miles, including 9 miles at 7:27 pace.
Right now here’s what I’m thinking my weeks will look like for awhile;
Sunday – 2+ hours
Monday – ass-dragging slow
Tuesday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Wednesday – MP + 40ish (7:30)
Thursday – ass-dragging slow
Friday – MP + 20ish (7:10)
Saturday – MP + 40ish (7:30)
While that schedule focuses on pace, I’m really more concerned about bumping my mileage. If these paces leave me so tired that I can’t get in my miles, I’ll back off of the pace.
I’m not sure where my mileage will go. I’d like to try to get up to 100 again. However, I’d rather hold 85s for a longer period time, than just run a few 100s. Of course, this is all easy to talk about in mid-November when it’s “warm” and the paths are clear. 6-8 weeks from now it may be a different story.
Quote of the day;
“In the struggling faces of the runners is written a dimension of human experience that cost me dearly, but, at least on marathon day, seems worth the price.” – Jerome Groopman in the New York Times
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
MEDIUM-HARD EFFORT
The other day I mentioned making some changes to my base training this year. I didn’t lay out any specifics, mainly because I didn’t have anything in mind at the time. One thing that will definitely change from last year is the amount of hills I run. Last year I ran all my weekday runs on a pancake flat trail. In April my company moved locations and I’ve been running most of my weekday runs on much hillier routes.
In addition, I’ve been trying to run faster on some of my runs. Last year I was content to just focus on increasing my mileage – even if it meant running very slow every day. While I was able to run a lot more miles than “normal,” I may have sacrificed some speed along the way.
Mike had a recent post written by a “Mystery Coach” that was very insightful. The comments afterwards help clear things up even more. Here are the key things I took from the discussion;
What makes some of this stuff so confusing to me is the definition of things like steady state, medium-hard, moderate, ¾ effort, etc.
I believe I know who this “Mystery Coach” is and just last night I read an article by him in our local running magazine regarding the Lydiard Method. In the article he mentioned that the Marathon Conditioning phase (aka steady state conditioning) is “slow and easy” running. He mentions leisurely pace and not worrying about minute-per-mile pace.
Now I don’t know about anyone else, but MP + 20 seconds IS NOT “slow and easy” for me. Based on Chicago that’d be 7:10 pace for me. Even MP + 40 (7:30) takes some effort for me.
He does mention that “runners are shocked at how weak their steady states are.” Maybe that’s what I’m experiencing when I see “7:10” and “slow and easy” side-by-side.
Today’s run was definitely my quickest in a long time – much quicker than anything I ran last year during my base phase. I ran 9 miles, including a 7 mile stretch at 7:17 pace. I’m sure it helped that I felt awesome. My legs were springy and my lungs felt like they’d never run out of oxygen. Now let’s see what happens tomorrow with another medium-hard effort.
Today’s quote of the day would answer my “Chicken and the Egg” post from Friday;
In addition, I’ve been trying to run faster on some of my runs. Last year I was content to just focus on increasing my mileage – even if it meant running very slow every day. While I was able to run a lot more miles than “normal,” I may have sacrificed some speed along the way.
Mike had a recent post written by a “Mystery Coach” that was very insightful. The comments afterwards help clear things up even more. Here are the key things I took from the discussion;
Lydiard’s runners were training to be racers not trainers. Sometimes I feel like I’m training to train, rather than training to race.
Steady state conditioning is where you develop the capacity to run and run and not get tired (i.e. stamina) – and you can do it again the next day.
Hard/easy has its place during the speed work phase, not the base training phase. Hard/easy during base training undermines stamina development.
LSD training (like I was doing last year) builds endurance, but not stamina. Instead, we should focus on medium-hard/medium-hard/medium-hard, during the base phase to build both endurance AND stamina.
Why? Because muscle fibers are recruited progressively as you run faster and faster. Hard/easy allows some of your muscle fibers to recover in-between hard days. Therefore, you continue to work the same fibers over-and-over. Consistent medium-hard efforts force you to recruit new fibers.
They will protest at first.
Sample workout; a hard 10 mile run at MP + 20 seconds the day before a 20 miler at MP + 40 seconds.
It takes hard work.
What makes some of this stuff so confusing to me is the definition of things like steady state, medium-hard, moderate, ¾ effort, etc.
I believe I know who this “Mystery Coach” is and just last night I read an article by him in our local running magazine regarding the Lydiard Method. In the article he mentioned that the Marathon Conditioning phase (aka steady state conditioning) is “slow and easy” running. He mentions leisurely pace and not worrying about minute-per-mile pace.
Now I don’t know about anyone else, but MP + 20 seconds IS NOT “slow and easy” for me. Based on Chicago that’d be 7:10 pace for me. Even MP + 40 (7:30) takes some effort for me.
He does mention that “runners are shocked at how weak their steady states are.” Maybe that’s what I’m experiencing when I see “7:10” and “slow and easy” side-by-side.
Today’s run was definitely my quickest in a long time – much quicker than anything I ran last year during my base phase. I ran 9 miles, including a 7 mile stretch at 7:17 pace. I’m sure it helped that I felt awesome. My legs were springy and my lungs felt like they’d never run out of oxygen. Now let’s see what happens tomorrow with another medium-hard effort.
Today’s quote of the day would answer my “Chicken and the Egg” post from Friday;
“Workouts show what condition you are in, they don’t make you into that condition.” – Mystery Coach
Monday, November 13, 2006
G-L-O-R-I-A
Is it sad when Veterans don’t even realize it’s Veteran’s Day until 6 PM?
Saturday I went to the Midwest Regional meet, hosted by the Gophers. The Gopher women looked tough as they finished 2nd to Illinois. The Gopher men looked strong too, but so did the 5 teams that finished in front of them.
At the meet I met Gloria and Pat for the first time. These are 2 women that have given a tremendous amount of their time and energy into making the Minnesota running scene such a great place; Gloria through the Minnesota Distance Running Association and Pat through Team USA Minnesota.
I first learned of Gloria at the 1997 Grandma’s marathon. At the time I had only been in Minnesota a year. It was my second attempt at the distance and there was a stretch during the race where I kept hearing, “Nice job, Gloria.” I heard this over-and-over and I kept thinking, “Who the heck is this Gloria gal?”
I ended up running 3:17 that day and got my butt kicked by the 49 year old. Gloria thinks she ran 3:12 that day. She was able to put that “brutal” performance behind her and run 3:03 at the age of 50 the following year.
Needless to say, Gloria (and Pat) are definitely candidates to be interviewed on my other blog. Speaking of which, I posted another interview over the weekend.
As for training, Saturday’s 8 mile run gave me 57 for the week. Sunday I had a great 12 mile trail run at Willow River State Park in Hudson, WI. It’s near my mother-in-law’s house, so I went there while she hosted a baby shower. This morning was another 8 miles before work. I decided to get off my regular paved path and hit the dirt and woodchip sections. I was a little worried about being able to see ruts, roots and rocks in the dark, but it turned out alright.
Quote of the day;
Saturday I went to the Midwest Regional meet, hosted by the Gophers. The Gopher women looked tough as they finished 2nd to Illinois. The Gopher men looked strong too, but so did the 5 teams that finished in front of them.
At the meet I met Gloria and Pat for the first time. These are 2 women that have given a tremendous amount of their time and energy into making the Minnesota running scene such a great place; Gloria through the Minnesota Distance Running Association and Pat through Team USA Minnesota.
I first learned of Gloria at the 1997 Grandma’s marathon. At the time I had only been in Minnesota a year. It was my second attempt at the distance and there was a stretch during the race where I kept hearing, “Nice job, Gloria.” I heard this over-and-over and I kept thinking, “Who the heck is this Gloria gal?”
I ended up running 3:17 that day and got my butt kicked by the 49 year old. Gloria thinks she ran 3:12 that day. She was able to put that “brutal” performance behind her and run 3:03 at the age of 50 the following year.
Needless to say, Gloria (and Pat) are definitely candidates to be interviewed on my other blog. Speaking of which, I posted another interview over the weekend.
As for training, Saturday’s 8 mile run gave me 57 for the week. Sunday I had a great 12 mile trail run at Willow River State Park in Hudson, WI. It’s near my mother-in-law’s house, so I went there while she hosted a baby shower. This morning was another 8 miles before work. I decided to get off my regular paved path and hit the dirt and woodchip sections. I was a little worried about being able to see ruts, roots and rocks in the dark, but it turned out alright.
Quote of the day;
“Success is 90 percent physical and 10 percent mental. But never underestimate the power of that 10 percent.” – Tom Fleming in Joan Samuelson’s Running for Women
Friday, November 10, 2006
CHICKEN AND THE EGG
Hmm, I guess logbooks aren’t an interesting topic.
During this morning’s run I came up my version of the “chicken and the egg” dilemma. I was thinking about a guy I just interviewed. He likes to do 3 x 3 miles at just faster than marathon. That’s similar to this workout I did before Chicago, although I ran a little slower than goal marathon pace.
At the time I ran that workout, my goal was 6:40 pace. However, my average for the first 3 repeats was 6:51 pace. My pace at Chicago was 6:50 pace. The question then becomes did I race as I trained or did I train (and race) at the shape I was in? I don’t have an answer, but it made me think back to my Type-A post again.
I don’t know if it’s becoming more Type-A, changing my training, staying healthy or something else. But I don’t think there’s any denying that something has to change if I’m really serious about trying to run 2:55 or faster.
This morning I ran and easy 7 miles, backing off the pace to 8:25.
Quote of the day;
During this morning’s run I came up my version of the “chicken and the egg” dilemma. I was thinking about a guy I just interviewed. He likes to do 3 x 3 miles at just faster than marathon. That’s similar to this workout I did before Chicago, although I ran a little slower than goal marathon pace.
At the time I ran that workout, my goal was 6:40 pace. However, my average for the first 3 repeats was 6:51 pace. My pace at Chicago was 6:50 pace. The question then becomes did I race as I trained or did I train (and race) at the shape I was in? I don’t have an answer, but it made me think back to my Type-A post again.
I don’t know if it’s becoming more Type-A, changing my training, staying healthy or something else. But I don’t think there’s any denying that something has to change if I’m really serious about trying to run 2:55 or faster.
This morning I ran and easy 7 miles, backing off the pace to 8:25.
Quote of the day;
“The way we perform is the result of the way we see ourselves. To alter our performance we need to alter or change ourselves and it is that changing that’s difficult.” – Gary Elliot, Allison Roe’s coach and co-author of Every Runner’s Companion
Thursday, November 09, 2006
MORE SHEEHAN
I’ve been keeping a logbook for so long that it just seems natural that everyone keeps one. However, I’ve recently come across two very good runners who don’t/didn’t keep a logbook. Is your blog enough or do you keep a logbook too?
I’m curious if anyone out there has met Dr. George Sheehan? I'm curious to know what he was like in-person. I’m currently reading Running & Being as well as Chasing the Hawk, which was written by one of his sons.
I’ve never read a writer who quotes other writers so much. It seems like he’ll quote 2-3 people in every paragraph. I was wondering how he was able to do that until I read his son’s book. In it he talks about his dad’s writing taking over his life and that he had stacks and stacks of books and articles all over the house.
Running & Being has some interesting stuff in it, but it also has some stuff that I find boring. Here’s some more of the stuff I like;
Today’s run was the same 8 miles as on Monday and Tuesday – just a little faster, 7:40 pace. For some reason my legs feel better, ache and pain-wise, than before running the marathon. Since it seems like I’ve been banged up since April, I’m not complaining.
Quote of the day;
I’m curious if anyone out there has met Dr. George Sheehan? I'm curious to know what he was like in-person. I’m currently reading Running & Being as well as Chasing the Hawk, which was written by one of his sons.
I’ve never read a writer who quotes other writers so much. It seems like he’ll quote 2-3 people in every paragraph. I was wondering how he was able to do that until I read his son’s book. In it he talks about his dad’s writing taking over his life and that he had stacks and stacks of books and articles all over the house.
Running & Being has some interesting stuff in it, but it also has some stuff that I find boring. Here’s some more of the stuff I like;
The runner does not run because he is too slight for football or hasn’t the ability to put a ball through a hoop or can’t hit a curve ball. He runs because he has to. Because in being a runner, in moving through pain and fatigue and suffering, in imposing stress upon stress, in eliminating all but the necessities of life, he is fulfilling himself and becoming the person he is.
I have given up many things in the becoming process. None was a sacrifice. When something clearly became nonessential, there was no problem in doing without. And when something clearly became essential, there was no problem accepting it and whatever went with it.
From the outside, this runner’s world looks unnatural. The body punished, the appetites denied, the satisfactions delayed, the motivations that drive most men ignored. The truth is that the runner is not made for the things and people and institutions that surround him.
In this surrender, the runner does not deny his body. He accepts it. He does not subdue it, or subjugate it, or mortify it. He perfects it, maximizes it, magnifies it. He does not suppress his instincts; he heeds them.
Today’s run was the same 8 miles as on Monday and Tuesday – just a little faster, 7:40 pace. For some reason my legs feel better, ache and pain-wise, than before running the marathon. Since it seems like I’ve been banged up since April, I’m not complaining.
Quote of the day;
“There’s not a lot you can do about your normal ability, but there’s a hell of a lot you can do about the way you apply it.” – Dave Moorcroft
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
CONSCIOUS EFFORT
Questions that still remain from last year;
This year’s state meet results show that 75% of the boy’s field (319 runners in 2 races) broke 18 minutes. Both boys' races went out fast as the “worst” mile split was 5:34 in the AA race and 5:49 in the A race.
It’s nice to see that “we” final stole some talent from the soccer fields as the girls' AA champion played soccer up till this year.
I was up before my alarm this morning, so I just got up and added on a couple of miles to my run. Just so you don’t think it’s 18 degrees every day in November around here, it was a beautiful 54 degrees this morning.
I ended up with 10 miles at 7:55 pace. That’s probably 15-30 seconds/mile faster than last year. Plus my routes this year are hillier than last year. I think last year I was making a conscious effort to slow down. This year I’m just running however I feel.
Quote of the day;
Is there a worse vegetable than brussel sprouts?
Why don’t we see more Subaru Bajas?
Can someone tell me why the “word verification” for comments is 14 letters long, wavy and italicized? If we’re just trying to keep out automated spam messages, couldn’t it just be an easy-to-read, 3-letter field?
There were 300+ high school kids that ran sub-6:00 pace 5Ks at the state meet (not including the kids that didn't qualify). That kind of time will place you near the front of most local 5Ks. What happens to all these kids?
This year’s state meet results show that 75% of the boy’s field (319 runners in 2 races) broke 18 minutes. Both boys' races went out fast as the “worst” mile split was 5:34 in the AA race and 5:49 in the A race.
It’s nice to see that “we” final stole some talent from the soccer fields as the girls' AA champion played soccer up till this year.
I was up before my alarm this morning, so I just got up and added on a couple of miles to my run. Just so you don’t think it’s 18 degrees every day in November around here, it was a beautiful 54 degrees this morning.
I ended up with 10 miles at 7:55 pace. That’s probably 15-30 seconds/mile faster than last year. Plus my routes this year are hillier than last year. I think last year I was making a conscious effort to slow down. This year I’m just running however I feel.
Quote of the day;
“Five minutes of discipline – that’s all it takes. When you get up in the morning, hit the head, pull on your stuff and get out the door. Everything else just falls into place.” – Paul Fetscher, Warren Street Athletic Club
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
EARLY STAGES
The nice thing about keeping a blog is you can zip back to last year and see exactly what you were doing. Being in the early stages of base-building, I could just about copy and paste last year’s post and call it November 7, 2006.
The first 7 days of November last year, I ran 8, 7, 9, 6, 8, 8 and 9 for a total of 55 miles. This year I’ve run 7, 7, 10, 7, 8, 8 and 8 for a total of 55 miles. Today’s 8 miler was the same as yesterday, except it was 2 minutes faster – just under 8:00 pace.
Quote of the day;
Where am I at and/or where am I going?
This is my second week "back". Last week I ran 53 miles and this week I'm shooting for 56-60 miles. I'm trying to follow Daws' advice of keeping my daily efforts the same. To do that I keep my mileage in a narrow range, like 7-9 miles per day and keep the effort easy to moderate. Again, the idea is to get comfortable with the mileage before adding in hard/easy days and long runs.
Yesterday I ran 9 miles around 8:20 pace. I took my 2-mile splits during the last 8 miles just to see what was happening. It turns out I start out really slow, 8:40 pace for the first 2 miles. Then it looks like I drop to 8:20 pace, then 8:00 pace before finishing at 8:15 pace. What does it all mean? I don't know; it just takes up space in a blog entry. Actually it makes me think I need more "no watch" runs at this point in my training.
Today I ran 8 miles. As I mentioned last week, I decided to add some hills a couple times during the work-week. Today I added 4 "hills" at the end of my run. I'm almost ashamed to call them hills, but they're the best I've found for my current running situation.
The first 7 days of November last year, I ran 8, 7, 9, 6, 8, 8 and 9 for a total of 55 miles. This year I’ve run 7, 7, 10, 7, 8, 8 and 8 for a total of 55 miles. Today’s 8 miler was the same as yesterday, except it was 2 minutes faster – just under 8:00 pace.
Quote of the day;
“If you can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then willpower is no longer a problem. It’s raining? That doesn’t matter. I am tired? That’s besides the point. It’s simply that I have to.” – Emil Zatopek
Monday, November 06, 2006
TONE
This will probably come as a surprise but my wife always tells me, “It’s not your message, it’s your tone.” And she’s not talking about my blog.
I thought I’d address this whole “Elitist” title that keeps getting thrown around. Whether it’s on my blog, another blog or some message board, it always reminds me of people using the “Race Card.” Don’t agree with someone. Oh, they’re faster than you. They must be an elitist. From what I can gather on letsrun.com, they can’t even agree on what it means to be elite, let alone elitist.
It’s no secret that I aspire to get faster. Heck, I can’t think of a single runner I’ve met in the last 27 years who hasn’t felt the same way.
I’ve been slow before. I remember running a 99 minute 10 mile race and being happy that I broke 100 minutes. However, I’ve never been fast. None of my PRs are anything special. I’ve never won a race or been the best runner on a team.
What I lack in speed, I make up for in passion. Whether it’s my own running, seeing friends succeed, learning about the history of the sport, etc. I enjoy it all. It’s the most basic sport out there yet there’s so much to it.
As I was thinking back to all the runners I’ve met over the years, I couldn’t think of a single runner who has wished harm upon their competition. In fact, runners seem to encourage their competition to run their best. They even go so far as to share their running “secrets.”
Believe me; you don’t have to be an elite runner to share knowledge with one another. If that were the case I’d say it’s a good thing all the teachers and coaches in this country are elite. I’d hate to have someone who’s only in, say the top 5%, sharing their knowledge and passion as they teach our children.
It’s not like running knowledge is what’s keeping me from being elite. And it’s not like elites are elite because of their vast running knowledge.
I’ll try to work on my tone, but my message will still be the same; work hard, push yourself, run more than ever before, ask questions and share your experiences. You will improve. So if I have something to share that I think will help, I will. If you have something you think we help me, go ahead and comment. With that said, here’s an article I’ve read recently that I really like.
As for my current training, on Saturday the girls took turns riding in the jogger for 5 miles and then I added 2 miles by myself. That gave me 40 miles for the week. Sunday I ran 8 miles at around 7:30-7:45 pace, which is pretty quick for a solo run for me. I seem to be letting the pace flow more during this base-building period than in the past. If I feel good I just go with it. This morning I ran 8 miles at about 8:20 pace.
Quote of the day;
I thought I’d address this whole “Elitist” title that keeps getting thrown around. Whether it’s on my blog, another blog or some message board, it always reminds me of people using the “Race Card.” Don’t agree with someone. Oh, they’re faster than you. They must be an elitist. From what I can gather on letsrun.com, they can’t even agree on what it means to be elite, let alone elitist.
It’s no secret that I aspire to get faster. Heck, I can’t think of a single runner I’ve met in the last 27 years who hasn’t felt the same way.
I’ve been slow before. I remember running a 99 minute 10 mile race and being happy that I broke 100 minutes. However, I’ve never been fast. None of my PRs are anything special. I’ve never won a race or been the best runner on a team.
What I lack in speed, I make up for in passion. Whether it’s my own running, seeing friends succeed, learning about the history of the sport, etc. I enjoy it all. It’s the most basic sport out there yet there’s so much to it.
As I was thinking back to all the runners I’ve met over the years, I couldn’t think of a single runner who has wished harm upon their competition. In fact, runners seem to encourage their competition to run their best. They even go so far as to share their running “secrets.”
Believe me; you don’t have to be an elite runner to share knowledge with one another. If that were the case I’d say it’s a good thing all the teachers and coaches in this country are elite. I’d hate to have someone who’s only in, say the top 5%, sharing their knowledge and passion as they teach our children.
It’s not like running knowledge is what’s keeping me from being elite. And it’s not like elites are elite because of their vast running knowledge.
I’ll try to work on my tone, but my message will still be the same; work hard, push yourself, run more than ever before, ask questions and share your experiences. You will improve. So if I have something to share that I think will help, I will. If you have something you think we help me, go ahead and comment. With that said, here’s an article I’ve read recently that I really like.
As for my current training, on Saturday the girls took turns riding in the jogger for 5 miles and then I added 2 miles by myself. That gave me 40 miles for the week. Sunday I ran 8 miles at around 7:30-7:45 pace, which is pretty quick for a solo run for me. I seem to be letting the pace flow more during this base-building period than in the past. If I feel good I just go with it. This morning I ran 8 miles at about 8:20 pace.
Quote of the day;
“To run is to live. Everything else is just waiting.” – Mark Hanson in The Complete Book of Running
Friday, November 03, 2006
TODAY'S DEBATE
The only reason I ran 10 miles this morning was because I was wide awake at 4:15. By 4:45 I figured I might as well just get out of bed and get in a longer run. It seems that whenever I’m working on an article or post another interview it causes a loss of sleep.
Anyway, it was a crisp 18 degrees outside this morning, which leads me to today’s debate on winter running. A friend is looking for hardcore winter runners to be interviewed for an article on winter running. I said, “I’d guess that most, if not all, of the top local runners are hardcore.” She thought I was being optimistic.
Now I’m not talking about Joe and Jane jogger. All one needs to do is compare a run around Lake Calhoun in the summer to one in the winter to know that Joe and Jane are “hibernating.” In the summer, one lap around the ever-popular lake will nearly drive you crazy as you weave in-and-out of all the traffic on the paths. Come winter, you’d think you traveled back in time forty years to the pre-Running Boom days, as you have the paths to yourself. You almost forget you’re in a major metropolitan area.
My statement refers to the people finishing in the top 5-10% (maybe more) of their age group. These guys and gals are not taking 3-4 months off entirely from training and then placing high in their age-groups. Running doesn’t work that way, especially given the strength of the local running scene.
Heck, if you can handle 18 degrees on November 3rd, you can handle 90% of the weather we’ll have this winter. If you can’t, then I wish you luck. You can try to do all your winter running on the treadmill, but base training is hard enough without using that mind-numbing apparatus.
This next topic will probably piss people off, but oh well…I wasn’t going to post about it, but the more I thought about it this morning, the more I felt I needed to post about it. I know we’re all one big happy running blog community and we all want to make friends and have everyone like us. However, I think it is okay to pick at people’s training and ask questions – either to help them or to gain a better understanding yourself.
With that said, when someone mentions that the marathon plan they followed didn’t have any tempo runs, but it has her doing them 10-11 days after the race, I have to ask “WTF?” Not only do I not understand the training, I don’t understand all the comments like; “Great job with the training.”
Again, go ahead and support one-another, but don’t be afraid to challenge someone either. Hell, if you don’t like what I’m doing, go ahead and tell me. I’ll take your opinion into account and weigh it against my own ideas – and then go with my own ideas anyway. Just kidding. I’ll use your ideas and then call them my own – if they work.
Quote of the day;
Anyway, it was a crisp 18 degrees outside this morning, which leads me to today’s debate on winter running. A friend is looking for hardcore winter runners to be interviewed for an article on winter running. I said, “I’d guess that most, if not all, of the top local runners are hardcore.” She thought I was being optimistic.
Now I’m not talking about Joe and Jane jogger. All one needs to do is compare a run around Lake Calhoun in the summer to one in the winter to know that Joe and Jane are “hibernating.” In the summer, one lap around the ever-popular lake will nearly drive you crazy as you weave in-and-out of all the traffic on the paths. Come winter, you’d think you traveled back in time forty years to the pre-Running Boom days, as you have the paths to yourself. You almost forget you’re in a major metropolitan area.
My statement refers to the people finishing in the top 5-10% (maybe more) of their age group. These guys and gals are not taking 3-4 months off entirely from training and then placing high in their age-groups. Running doesn’t work that way, especially given the strength of the local running scene.
Heck, if you can handle 18 degrees on November 3rd, you can handle 90% of the weather we’ll have this winter. If you can’t, then I wish you luck. You can try to do all your winter running on the treadmill, but base training is hard enough without using that mind-numbing apparatus.
This next topic will probably piss people off, but oh well…I wasn’t going to post about it, but the more I thought about it this morning, the more I felt I needed to post about it. I know we’re all one big happy running blog community and we all want to make friends and have everyone like us. However, I think it is okay to pick at people’s training and ask questions – either to help them or to gain a better understanding yourself.
With that said, when someone mentions that the marathon plan they followed didn’t have any tempo runs, but it has her doing them 10-11 days after the race, I have to ask “WTF?” Not only do I not understand the training, I don’t understand all the comments like; “Great job with the training.”
Again, go ahead and support one-another, but don’t be afraid to challenge someone either. Hell, if you don’t like what I’m doing, go ahead and tell me. I’ll take your opinion into account and weigh it against my own ideas – and then go with my own ideas anyway. Just kidding. I’ll use your ideas and then call them my own – if they work.
Quote of the day;
“There is a marathon lifestyle. It is called sacrifice. I would like to exemplify it more than I do.” – Phil Curatilo in The Marathon: What It Takes To Go The Distance by Mark Bloom
Thursday, November 02, 2006
TODAY'S QUESTION
Today’s question; What do you do for the 3-4 weeks post-marathon? Do you do some type of reverse taper? I’m “struggling” with making sure I’m recovered and the desire to build my mileage back up. Mark had this quote on his blog recently;
I feel that the “excitement, anticipation and willingness to rededicate” is already there. And given that I’m usually conservative in my approach, this is a little weird for me. Maybe it’s that whole issue with wanting to change my approach and be a little more type-A. I may be burnt out by December 12th, but I’m willing to take that chance. With that said, I ran another easy 7 miles this morning.
We had our first parent-teacher conference ever, last night. It turns out we have the best kindergartener in the world. Apparently she’s adopted just the good traits from my wife and me. It must be our fantastic parenting skills.
Maybe it’s because I ran D3 in college, but I really like what this blog is doing.
As I’ve said before, politics don’t really interest me, but I think this photo is great.
Quote of the day;
“Resuming training is much like pulling an onion out of the garden and discovering that it is not yet fully grown. One cannot thrust it back in and expect more growth! Physiological and psychological fatigue must be fully resolved if the total approach to beginning another training cycle is to be one of excitement, anticipation, and willingness to rededicate one’s life to training.” Better Training for Distance Runners, 2nd Ed. Martin & Coe
I feel that the “excitement, anticipation and willingness to rededicate” is already there. And given that I’m usually conservative in my approach, this is a little weird for me. Maybe it’s that whole issue with wanting to change my approach and be a little more type-A. I may be burnt out by December 12th, but I’m willing to take that chance. With that said, I ran another easy 7 miles this morning.
We had our first parent-teacher conference ever, last night. It turns out we have the best kindergartener in the world. Apparently she’s adopted just the good traits from my wife and me. It must be our fantastic parenting skills.
Maybe it’s because I ran D3 in college, but I really like what this blog is doing.
As I’ve said before, politics don’t really interest me, but I think this photo is great.
Quote of the day;
“Don’t let the planning and analyzing get in the way of the doing and enjoying.” – Joe Henderson
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
AND SO IT BEGINS
In 2005 I ran my most yearly miles ever; 2,793. Looking back, it’s kind of pathetic because it included a 5-month stretch where I only averaged 36 mpw. 5 months!!!
If I look at my last 12 months, I’ve run 3,127 miles. That’s better, but it still includes two months of 26 mpw.
Yesterday I posted that I ran 177 miles for the previous MONTH. Later in the day I got an email from a guy saying he ran 147 miles for the previous WEEK. Another gal (who ran an earlier fall marathon) just posted on a forum that she ran 350 miles in October.
Obviously, I need to do my own training, but I do use things like these for motivation. Seriously, 300 miles in a month doesn’t really seem like a lot. It’s “only” 10 miles a day or 70 mpw. Yet I’ve only been above 300 miles on 7 or 8 occasions in 27 years, including four times last winter. It’s interesting that each of these occasions has occurred in the months of December – March. Maybe I should work on getting in more miles in during the summer months next year.
But first I have to get through the winter. And that’s exactly what it felt like during this morning’s 7 mile run, as it was 20 degrees out. The ski hill near where I run is already making snow. And so it begins…winter and base-building.
Looking ahead to Grandma’s Marathon, it’s kind of weird but Pfitz’s 24-week plan would start on January 1st. If I went with his 18-week plan, I’d be able to run the local winter half marathon and then recover for a week before starting “official” training.
I don’t know the answer here, but this thought popped into my head recently. I know Boston Qualifying times can help motivate us and make us faster, but I’m curious if they can also make us slower. Say I’m hoping to run sub-3, but things don’t go as planned and I run 3:05. Instead of being pissed at missing my goal, I’m happy that I BQ’d. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Instead of using my results to motivate me for future training, I’m actually content because of the Boston standards.
Quote of the day;
If I look at my last 12 months, I’ve run 3,127 miles. That’s better, but it still includes two months of 26 mpw.
Yesterday I posted that I ran 177 miles for the previous MONTH. Later in the day I got an email from a guy saying he ran 147 miles for the previous WEEK. Another gal (who ran an earlier fall marathon) just posted on a forum that she ran 350 miles in October.
Obviously, I need to do my own training, but I do use things like these for motivation. Seriously, 300 miles in a month doesn’t really seem like a lot. It’s “only” 10 miles a day or 70 mpw. Yet I’ve only been above 300 miles on 7 or 8 occasions in 27 years, including four times last winter. It’s interesting that each of these occasions has occurred in the months of December – March. Maybe I should work on getting in more miles in during the summer months next year.
But first I have to get through the winter. And that’s exactly what it felt like during this morning’s 7 mile run, as it was 20 degrees out. The ski hill near where I run is already making snow. And so it begins…winter and base-building.
Looking ahead to Grandma’s Marathon, it’s kind of weird but Pfitz’s 24-week plan would start on January 1st. If I went with his 18-week plan, I’d be able to run the local winter half marathon and then recover for a week before starting “official” training.
I don’t know the answer here, but this thought popped into my head recently. I know Boston Qualifying times can help motivate us and make us faster, but I’m curious if they can also make us slower. Say I’m hoping to run sub-3, but things don’t go as planned and I run 3:05. Instead of being pissed at missing my goal, I’m happy that I BQ’d. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Instead of using my results to motivate me for future training, I’m actually content because of the Boston standards.
Quote of the day;
“Our thoughts and beliefs are the blueprints from which we create our physical reality.” – Lorraine Moller
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
NUMBERS ASPECT
Not much going on today and I wasn’t even going to post. Then I went out at lunch and saw a gal running on the wrong side of a 4-lane road WITH headphones on. The only thing she had going for her was that it’s a bright sunny day. Come on lady, use some fucking common sense. You don’t run in the road with your back to traffic and you sure as hell don’t do it with headphones on. I guess if you’re going to get hit, you don’t want to hear it coming. Man, that pisses me off.
I’m really fired up to start increasing my miles again, but I’m not sure why. I think it’s because I enjoy base-training and the whole “numbers aspect” of trying to do more than I’ve done in the past. The race results I had last year in March and April have me fired up to see what’s in store for this winter.
It’s funny; a day or two ago I was thinking, “I’ll just take it easy for the next 3 weeks or so and just run however I feel.” Today I was thinking, “I wonder how quickly I can ramp up my mileage.” We’ll see…I am taking today off, so I'll be able to start November feeling fresh. That means I'll close out October with 177 miles.
Quote of the day;
I’m really fired up to start increasing my miles again, but I’m not sure why. I think it’s because I enjoy base-training and the whole “numbers aspect” of trying to do more than I’ve done in the past. The race results I had last year in March and April have me fired up to see what’s in store for this winter.
It’s funny; a day or two ago I was thinking, “I’ll just take it easy for the next 3 weeks or so and just run however I feel.” Today I was thinking, “I wonder how quickly I can ramp up my mileage.” We’ll see…I am taking today off, so I'll be able to start November feeling fresh. That means I'll close out October with 177 miles.
Quote of the day;
“This obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.” – George Sheehan
Monday, October 30, 2006
WHAT'S IN THE WATER
It just occurred to me that I still have all my toe nails. This is the first marathon I’ve run where I haven’t lost the toe nail next to my big toes.
I’m even a little surprised to be reporting this, but I’m back running already. On Saturday I just felt like going for a run. I was working on another article and I figured a run would help clear my head and bring pieces of the story together. I figure if that’s my reason for running, rather than because I’m worried about losing fitness for next year, then it’s okay to head out the door.
I managed 4 miles on Saturday and Sunday and 5 miles this morning. When I finished these runs I thought; “Man, wouldn’t it be great if you could get incredibly fast on less than 45 minutes a day?”
Since I don’t have anything else going on, I’ll post the article I wrote, after the quote of the day;
LAKE ELMO: WHAT’S IN THE WATER? – by Chad Austin
I admit it. I like to look through race results on a regular basis. And I’m not just talking about looking for my own name. I’m talking about seeing how well the top runners, people in my age group and other friends are running.
If you’re like me when it comes to race results, maybe you’re wondering what’s up in Lake Elmo too. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, go to raceberryjam.com and look at the results for any race in the MDRA series. Scroll down, further, further, a little further. What do you see? If you’re looking at the results of runners over 60 years old, the odds are very high that you see numerous runners from Lake Elmo placing very high in their age groups.
Jim Graupner, 62 and Norm Purrington, 63 are fixtures atop of the 60-64 year age group, while Don Wright, 65 is almost always first or second in the 65-69 age group. Besides sharing accolades such as Runner of the Year, Grand Prix series champion, state age record holder, etc. they also have something else in common. All three have called the tiny town of Lake Elmo ‘home’ for over 25 years.
Lest you think these guys are slow and are winning their age groups due to lack of competition, think again. At the Human Race 8K this year their times ranged from 29:55 to 35:13. And they’re not just limited to shorter races either. Norm and Jim have run 3:03 and 3:09 marathons in their 60s, respectively. Meanwhile, Don is no slouch either and he’s not slowing down. He’s run six marathons this year, including a PR of 3:36 at TCM.
I consider myself a decent runner and I’m competitive, by nature. However, given the strength of the local 40-44 year olds, I don’t mind being beaten by guys that are older than me. Heck, the 45-49 year olds are pretty strong too. But this year’s Holiday Inn Half Marathon in Rochester was a huge blow to my psyche. Why? Because I would have placed third in the 60-64 age group, as Jim and Norm both beat me. Third!!! I’m 37 years old. All I could think afterwards was, “If I can just maintain my speed for the next 23 years…maybe I can place in my age group.”
I decided I needed to get to the bottom of what’s going on in Lake Elmo. In October I sat down with these three men to find out what is really in the water (and beer) in Lake Elmo. While I didn’t come away with a clear-cut answer, I did come to realize that these guys are typical of all the top age groupers in our community; they’re fast, competitive, hard working and humble, while overcoming their share of obstacles.
Given their success on the roads, I was surprised to find that all three guys started running relatively late in life. Norm started running the earliest, at the age of 39, while Jim and Don have only been running for four or five years.
Let’s see, three guys, competitive runners, similar ages, all from the same small town. They must be bitter rivals, right? Wrong. Believe me, I tried to get them to admit how much they wanted to beat one another, but they never did. The best I could dig up was Don’s comment, “I look for gray hair during a race and try to beat that person.” Jim got a little more personal, “If Norm is not ahead of me I know he’s close, very close.”
While they definitely share an interest of where they stand in relationship with one another, their competitive natures also mean they’re concerned with where they stand in relationship to all runners, regardless of age and sex. But it’s not just about beating people and winning awards. During our visit there was lots of genuine concern and interest for the well being of all their competitors. Names of competitors like Mondry, Kleyman, Stauffacher and Tomczak kept coming up during our conversation. These guys truly understand that the Latin root for the verb “to compete” which means, “to seek together.”
And “seek together” they do, as each of them runs 30-50 races per year. Why so many races? As Norm said, “If I couldn’t race, I probably wouldn’t run. I really enjoy both the competition and the camaraderie. You see the same people at races and you get to know them. It’s a lot more fun if you do it most weekends as opposed to keying on 2 or 3 races.”
Hmm, that sounds eerily like a passage from Dr. George Sheehan, “Racing is the lovemaking of the runner. It’s hard to pass up. A runner has few friends and they are always other runners. The place to meet them is at the races.”
In addition to completing a large number of races, they are some of the most competitive runners around. Whether it’s Jim blowing by me during the last 10 meters of the Hennepin Lake Classic 10K, Norm going after sub-3 at the Twin Cities Marathon or Don never losing a sprint to the finish, these guys give it their all, week in and week out.
However, don’t think their triumphs have come without struggles. Each of these men has overcome adversity. Jim is just now able to run three miles after battling a seven-month bout with damaged muscles in his pelvis. Norm is dealing with osteoarthritis, which is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage of the joints. And three years ago, Don was diagnosed with myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood.
Even with their struggles, it’s clear these guys focus on the positives. As Jim states, “I fully understand that running success is a product of health and desire and that the symbols of that success are ephemeral by the very nature of competition. Running awakens me to myself and to the inspirational courage with which other people bring to their personal challenges every day.” Don’s motto is more succinct, yet no less relevant, “Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece!”
In The Complete Book of Running, Dr. George Sheehan asks the popular question, “Where have all the heroes gone?” Well, I’ve discovered that three of mine are alive and well, in Lake Elmo. To find out more about these and other local runners, go to Running Minnesota.
BIO
Chad Austin has been running for 27 years and blogging for 2 years. When he’s not doing either of those things, he’s busy looking for real estate in Lake Elmo.
I’m even a little surprised to be reporting this, but I’m back running already. On Saturday I just felt like going for a run. I was working on another article and I figured a run would help clear my head and bring pieces of the story together. I figure if that’s my reason for running, rather than because I’m worried about losing fitness for next year, then it’s okay to head out the door.
I managed 4 miles on Saturday and Sunday and 5 miles this morning. When I finished these runs I thought; “Man, wouldn’t it be great if you could get incredibly fast on less than 45 minutes a day?”
Since I don’t have anything else going on, I’ll post the article I wrote, after the quote of the day;
“Marathon runners mainly want to finish…Marathon racers want to improve.” – Joe Henderson, Make Your Own Time
LAKE ELMO: WHAT’S IN THE WATER? – by Chad Austin
I admit it. I like to look through race results on a regular basis. And I’m not just talking about looking for my own name. I’m talking about seeing how well the top runners, people in my age group and other friends are running.
If you’re like me when it comes to race results, maybe you’re wondering what’s up in Lake Elmo too. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, go to raceberryjam.com and look at the results for any race in the MDRA series. Scroll down, further, further, a little further. What do you see? If you’re looking at the results of runners over 60 years old, the odds are very high that you see numerous runners from Lake Elmo placing very high in their age groups.
Jim Graupner, 62 and Norm Purrington, 63 are fixtures atop of the 60-64 year age group, while Don Wright, 65 is almost always first or second in the 65-69 age group. Besides sharing accolades such as Runner of the Year, Grand Prix series champion, state age record holder, etc. they also have something else in common. All three have called the tiny town of Lake Elmo ‘home’ for over 25 years.
Lest you think these guys are slow and are winning their age groups due to lack of competition, think again. At the Human Race 8K this year their times ranged from 29:55 to 35:13. And they’re not just limited to shorter races either. Norm and Jim have run 3:03 and 3:09 marathons in their 60s, respectively. Meanwhile, Don is no slouch either and he’s not slowing down. He’s run six marathons this year, including a PR of 3:36 at TCM.
I consider myself a decent runner and I’m competitive, by nature. However, given the strength of the local 40-44 year olds, I don’t mind being beaten by guys that are older than me. Heck, the 45-49 year olds are pretty strong too. But this year’s Holiday Inn Half Marathon in Rochester was a huge blow to my psyche. Why? Because I would have placed third in the 60-64 age group, as Jim and Norm both beat me. Third!!! I’m 37 years old. All I could think afterwards was, “If I can just maintain my speed for the next 23 years…maybe I can place in my age group.”
I decided I needed to get to the bottom of what’s going on in Lake Elmo. In October I sat down with these three men to find out what is really in the water (and beer) in Lake Elmo. While I didn’t come away with a clear-cut answer, I did come to realize that these guys are typical of all the top age groupers in our community; they’re fast, competitive, hard working and humble, while overcoming their share of obstacles.
Given their success on the roads, I was surprised to find that all three guys started running relatively late in life. Norm started running the earliest, at the age of 39, while Jim and Don have only been running for four or five years.
Let’s see, three guys, competitive runners, similar ages, all from the same small town. They must be bitter rivals, right? Wrong. Believe me, I tried to get them to admit how much they wanted to beat one another, but they never did. The best I could dig up was Don’s comment, “I look for gray hair during a race and try to beat that person.” Jim got a little more personal, “If Norm is not ahead of me I know he’s close, very close.”
While they definitely share an interest of where they stand in relationship with one another, their competitive natures also mean they’re concerned with where they stand in relationship to all runners, regardless of age and sex. But it’s not just about beating people and winning awards. During our visit there was lots of genuine concern and interest for the well being of all their competitors. Names of competitors like Mondry, Kleyman, Stauffacher and Tomczak kept coming up during our conversation. These guys truly understand that the Latin root for the verb “to compete” which means, “to seek together.”
And “seek together” they do, as each of them runs 30-50 races per year. Why so many races? As Norm said, “If I couldn’t race, I probably wouldn’t run. I really enjoy both the competition and the camaraderie. You see the same people at races and you get to know them. It’s a lot more fun if you do it most weekends as opposed to keying on 2 or 3 races.”
Hmm, that sounds eerily like a passage from Dr. George Sheehan, “Racing is the lovemaking of the runner. It’s hard to pass up. A runner has few friends and they are always other runners. The place to meet them is at the races.”
In addition to completing a large number of races, they are some of the most competitive runners around. Whether it’s Jim blowing by me during the last 10 meters of the Hennepin Lake Classic 10K, Norm going after sub-3 at the Twin Cities Marathon or Don never losing a sprint to the finish, these guys give it their all, week in and week out.
However, don’t think their triumphs have come without struggles. Each of these men has overcome adversity. Jim is just now able to run three miles after battling a seven-month bout with damaged muscles in his pelvis. Norm is dealing with osteoarthritis, which is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage of the joints. And three years ago, Don was diagnosed with myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood.
Even with their struggles, it’s clear these guys focus on the positives. As Jim states, “I fully understand that running success is a product of health and desire and that the symbols of that success are ephemeral by the very nature of competition. Running awakens me to myself and to the inspirational courage with which other people bring to their personal challenges every day.” Don’s motto is more succinct, yet no less relevant, “Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece!”
In The Complete Book of Running, Dr. George Sheehan asks the popular question, “Where have all the heroes gone?” Well, I’ve discovered that three of mine are alive and well, in Lake Elmo. To find out more about these and other local runners, go to Running Minnesota.
BIO
Chad Austin has been running for 27 years and blogging for 2 years. When he’s not doing either of those things, he’s busy looking for real estate in Lake Elmo.
Friday, October 27, 2006
DOWNTIME
My legs started coming around yesterday. Maybe foam rolling them helped or maybe it was just the passage of time. I still haven’t run since the race and I’m not sure when I’ll start again. I actually have a stronger desire to get back out there than normal. However, I also know that this is my main break for the year – barring injury – so I want to make sure I’m ready before lacing them up again.
The downtime also gives me a chance to focus on my other projects a little. Last night Jim was kind enough to host a little gathering for Norm, Don, Eric and I. I’m writing an article on the first 3 guys, so I thought it’d be nice to sit around for 90 minutes and talk running. It turns out that wasn’t nearly enough time. I’ll see what I can come up with using the material I have. If I need more information, then we’ll have an excuse to get together to talk running and drink beer. There are worse things in life.
Downtime also usually means catching up on some reading. I’m curious if there are any Dr. George Sheehan fans out there? Before passing away, he wrote numerous books on running – mostly the philosophical side of the sport. Right now I’m reading Running & Being and I thought I’d share some of the stuff that I like and/or can relate to from the book – like I did with Running with the Buffalos awhile ago.
Quote of the day;
The downtime also gives me a chance to focus on my other projects a little. Last night Jim was kind enough to host a little gathering for Norm, Don, Eric and I. I’m writing an article on the first 3 guys, so I thought it’d be nice to sit around for 90 minutes and talk running. It turns out that wasn’t nearly enough time. I’ll see what I can come up with using the material I have. If I need more information, then we’ll have an excuse to get together to talk running and drink beer. There are worse things in life.
Downtime also usually means catching up on some reading. I’m curious if there are any Dr. George Sheehan fans out there? Before passing away, he wrote numerous books on running – mostly the philosophical side of the sport. Right now I’m reading Running & Being and I thought I’d share some of the stuff that I like and/or can relate to from the book – like I did with Running with the Buffalos awhile ago.
My design is thin and linear. I am a nervous, shy noncombatant who has no feeling for people. I do not hunger and thirst after justice. I find no happiness in carnival, no joy in community. I am one with the writers on The New Yorker whom Brendan Gill described. They touched each other only by accident, were secretive about everything, and never introduced anyone properly.
Racing is the lovemaking of the runner. It’s hard to pass up. A runner has few friends, and they are always other runners. The place to meet them is at the races.
Fitness is my life; it is indispensable. I have no alternative, no choice, but to act out this inner drive that seems entirely right for me.
As a writer, I’m Eddie Stanky, a .230 hitter…When I write, I tell who I am, what I’m like, what I’ve discovered running. I’m not embarrassed to expose myself. I don’t care what I write as long as it’s true.
But writing is never easy. And no matter how well done, never to one’s satisfaction. Writing, someone said, is turning blood into ink. Whatever, the idea of suffering is so natural to both writers and runners it seems to be a common bond.
Quote of the day;
“No athlete ever lived, or saint or poet for that matter, who was content with what he did yesterday, or would even bother thinking about it. Their pure concern is the present. Why should we common folk be any different?” – George Sheehan
Thursday, October 26, 2006
WHO I AM
In my Chicago race report I said I’d have more on this statement later; “I think my personality allows me to run (fairly) even splits, but it also keeps me from laying it on the line and going out in 1:27 and seeing what happens.” Well, it’s later.
Even before the marathon I was contemplating how much one’s personality plays in their development as a runner. It’s seems like a lot of the top local runners are also have successful careers. I wonder if these people have more of a Type-A personality where they seek perfection in everything they do, not just running.
My personality is conservative and I tend to be more of a “That’s pretty good” type of guy. Combining these traits tends to lead to a lot of compromises in training. If I’m shooting for 80 miles in a week and fall a little short, I can usually justify it with something like “My knees have been a little sore lately.” If I’m shooting for 6:10 mile repeats and I run 6:15, I’ll say something like “My legs are tired” or “I wore my heavy shoes.”
There’s always some rational explanation. It’s probably a rational explanation that these Type-A personalities wouldn’t make. They’d get in their 80 miles and run their 6:10s no matter what.
While the affects of these decisions on one week or one workout are probably fairly minor in the short-term, I’m sure they add up in the long-term. If you askd me to put a time difference over the course of a marathon, I’d have no idea. But I can’t help but think stuff like; “What if I ran my mile repeats a little faster in practice? What if I actually ran my goal marathon pace in workouts, instead of running 20 seconds too slow and “blaming” it on the fact that it was 5:30 AM or dark or windy?” Would these things have changed the outcome of the race?
Maybe my conservative approach is what makes me as fast as I am, maybe it’s what holds me back from being faster. As with everything else, there’s only one way to find out. Whatever racing I decide to do next spring, I think I’m going to have to throw caution to the wind and become a little more Type-A with my training. I know it’s incredibly hard to change one’s make-up, but I think I need to try.
Quote of the day;
Even before the marathon I was contemplating how much one’s personality plays in their development as a runner. It’s seems like a lot of the top local runners are also have successful careers. I wonder if these people have more of a Type-A personality where they seek perfection in everything they do, not just running.
My personality is conservative and I tend to be more of a “That’s pretty good” type of guy. Combining these traits tends to lead to a lot of compromises in training. If I’m shooting for 80 miles in a week and fall a little short, I can usually justify it with something like “My knees have been a little sore lately.” If I’m shooting for 6:10 mile repeats and I run 6:15, I’ll say something like “My legs are tired” or “I wore my heavy shoes.”
There’s always some rational explanation. It’s probably a rational explanation that these Type-A personalities wouldn’t make. They’d get in their 80 miles and run their 6:10s no matter what.
While the affects of these decisions on one week or one workout are probably fairly minor in the short-term, I’m sure they add up in the long-term. If you askd me to put a time difference over the course of a marathon, I’d have no idea. But I can’t help but think stuff like; “What if I ran my mile repeats a little faster in practice? What if I actually ran my goal marathon pace in workouts, instead of running 20 seconds too slow and “blaming” it on the fact that it was 5:30 AM or dark or windy?” Would these things have changed the outcome of the race?
Maybe my conservative approach is what makes me as fast as I am, maybe it’s what holds me back from being faster. As with everything else, there’s only one way to find out. Whatever racing I decide to do next spring, I think I’m going to have to throw caution to the wind and become a little more Type-A with my training. I know it’s incredibly hard to change one’s make-up, but I think I need to try.
Quote of the day;
“Who I am is no mystery. There is no need to tap my phone or open my mail. No necessity to submit me to psychoanalysis. No call to investigate my credit rating. Nothing to be gained by invading my privacy. There is, in fact, no privacy to invade. Because like all human beings I have no privacy. Who I am is visible for all to see.” – George Sheehan
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
FRUSTRATING
Anyone else hate going to back to work after running a marathon? I’m not talking about the work-part or the walking-around-on-sore-legs-part. I’m talking about the having-to-make-small-talk-about-the-race-over-and-over-with-people-who-aren’t-runners-part.
It didn’t help that a co-worker brought in cookies and then sent an email to about 30 people telling them to stop by and congratulate me.
Co-worker #4 was probably the worst. She asked how I found the time to train. But what she really wanted to do was give me the run-down of each of her 3 kids and their sleeping patterns and why she could never find time to do it.
Another co-worker is really sweet, but I swear she was more pumped up about the race, both last week and this week, than I was. She was rattling off my time, place and the number of people who ran.
They’re nice gestures, but I’d rather not have the attention.
Here’s what I really find frustrating. I keep referring back to the 20K I ran in April because it was my best race or two of the year. I ran 1:17:57 and the first place woman ran 1:17:26. That same gal ran 2:49:30 at Chicago. There’s no way I should lose nearly 10 minutes to her in a race that’s 22K longer. Even if I was injured for part of the year, that’s ridiculous.
I gave “qp” a hard time in a comment for already asking about what’s next, but that’s how we operate. We finish one race and start looking ahead to the next. I don’t know what I’ll do exactly, but as I mentioned yesterday, I need to run this distance more frequently. Therefore, I’ll probably focus on something like Grandma’s again.
My friend Scott emailed me earlier in the week and he’s really excited to train together this winter for a spring marathon. While we’ve trained together before, it always seems like we’re focusing on different races. It’d be cool to follow the same plan for the same race.
Right now I plan on taking at least a week off, maybe more. While Scott’s email has me fired up to train, I also remember how beat up I’ve been most of the year. Winter is long around here and I don’t want to go through it feeling sore on every run.
When I do get back into it, I’d really like to try and train like last winter and get up towards 100 mpw again. I think it’d be really interesting to average 80-100 mpw for about 4 months and then run a marathon. Even without any specific hard workouts, I think the strength gained through that kind of mileage would be enough to run sub-2:55.
Finally, I mentioned that I met Dick Beardsley at the expo. He was at the New Balance exhibit and although it was packed with runners, they were more concerned with purchasing high-tech gear than talking to one of the all-time legends in the sport – especially if you’re a Minnesotan. I told him how much his Grandma’s course record inspired me when I was 12. Afterwards, I remembered I had just purchased the Marathon & Beyond commemorative edition of Grandma’s Marathon, so I went back for this autograph.
Quote of the day;
It didn’t help that a co-worker brought in cookies and then sent an email to about 30 people telling them to stop by and congratulate me.
Co-worker #1: How’d it go?
Me: Blah, blah, blah, the last 2 miles were tough.
Co-worker #1: The first 2 miles would be tough for me. Ha. Ha.
Co-worker #2: How’d it go?
Me: Blah, blah, blah, 2:59.
Co-worker #2: 3 hours is a good standard right? It’d take me 10 hours. Ha. Ha.
Co-worker #3: What’d you do?
Me: What do you mean?
Co-worker #3: What was your time?
Me: 2:59
Co-worker #3: For how long?
Me: A marathon.
Co-worker #3: How long is that?
Me: They’re all the same. 26.2 miles.
Co-worker #3: Well I don’t know. Ha. Ha.
Co-worker #4 was probably the worst. She asked how I found the time to train. But what she really wanted to do was give me the run-down of each of her 3 kids and their sleeping patterns and why she could never find time to do it.
Another co-worker is really sweet, but I swear she was more pumped up about the race, both last week and this week, than I was. She was rattling off my time, place and the number of people who ran.
They’re nice gestures, but I’d rather not have the attention.
Here’s what I really find frustrating. I keep referring back to the 20K I ran in April because it was my best race or two of the year. I ran 1:17:57 and the first place woman ran 1:17:26. That same gal ran 2:49:30 at Chicago. There’s no way I should lose nearly 10 minutes to her in a race that’s 22K longer. Even if I was injured for part of the year, that’s ridiculous.
I gave “qp” a hard time in a comment for already asking about what’s next, but that’s how we operate. We finish one race and start looking ahead to the next. I don’t know what I’ll do exactly, but as I mentioned yesterday, I need to run this distance more frequently. Therefore, I’ll probably focus on something like Grandma’s again.
My friend Scott emailed me earlier in the week and he’s really excited to train together this winter for a spring marathon. While we’ve trained together before, it always seems like we’re focusing on different races. It’d be cool to follow the same plan for the same race.
Right now I plan on taking at least a week off, maybe more. While Scott’s email has me fired up to train, I also remember how beat up I’ve been most of the year. Winter is long around here and I don’t want to go through it feeling sore on every run.
When I do get back into it, I’d really like to try and train like last winter and get up towards 100 mpw again. I think it’d be really interesting to average 80-100 mpw for about 4 months and then run a marathon. Even without any specific hard workouts, I think the strength gained through that kind of mileage would be enough to run sub-2:55.
Finally, I mentioned that I met Dick Beardsley at the expo. He was at the New Balance exhibit and although it was packed with runners, they were more concerned with purchasing high-tech gear than talking to one of the all-time legends in the sport – especially if you’re a Minnesotan. I told him how much his Grandma’s course record inspired me when I was 12. Afterwards, I remembered I had just purchased the Marathon & Beyond commemorative edition of Grandma’s Marathon, so I went back for this autograph.
Quote of the day;
“Marathoning is like cutting yourself unexpectedly. You dip into the pain so gradually that the damage is done before you are aware of it. Unfortunately, when awareness comes, it is excruciating.” – John Farrington, Australian marathoner
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
4 YEARS
I’ve decided not to write about sightseeing in Chicago since I have a bunch of other odds and ends on my mind.
I want to go on the record and say that I think some people are over-hyping the weather in Chicago. The whole first half was either blocked by buildings or people. Sure the last 5k was tough, but it’s not like there weren’t any tailwinds on the course.
Here’s a photo of me (in black) at mile 13;
Here’s me with 300 meters to go;
The reason I’m so happy in the photo above (and something I forgot to mention yesterday) is because I knew I was going to break 3 hours again. It’s been 4 years since I broke 3 hours. 4 YEARS…that’s too long. At some point you start to wonder if you can call yourself a sub-3 marathoner any more. I mean, it’s not like you’re an Olympian or have some other title associated with your name that always sticks with you.
The last time I broke 3 hours I made the “mistake” of focusing on triathlons the following season. While finishing an Ironman was a lifelong goal, it didn’t help in my marathon development. It occurred to me yesterday that you’ve gotten keep working on these things and learning from them. If I want to see what I can do in the marathon I’m going to have to run at least 2 per year.
Another thing I was thinking about yesterday was that the worst possibly shape to be in for a marathon is one that leaves you just out of reach for some significant time goal. This thought came about after seeing a bunch of women going after 2:47 for the Oly Trials qualifier, even though they’re probably in, for example, 2:50 shape. Rather than running their own race, they’re “forced” to go after a quicker time. Thinking back to my own marathon history, this was probably the case during my first 3 marathons when I thought sub-3 was a realistic goal. I imagine it’s the same for guys trying to run 2:22, people trying to run a BQ and right on up to people hoping to run 6 hours.
This next story was pretty cool for me, so I thought I’d mention it. In Chicago there's a free shuttle from the Hilton to the expo and back. After going to the expo I cut through the lobby and standing there is my college coach Sean. When he’s not teaching Geography, Sean’s writing and taking photos for Track & Field News. He’s been known to bike all over various courses to take photos. Here are his photos from the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Anyway, one year the race director realizes that Sean's taking better photos on his bike than the guy on the back of the motorcycle. Guess who's on the back of a motorcycle the following year? Yep. It’s Sean.
Speaking of Sean, I’m going to share a little UW-EC cross-country secret he taught me when it comes to running in cold weather; olive oil. Use it to coat your legs (and anywhere else you’d like) to help keep them warm. I use it for anything below about 40-45 degrees. I used it Sunday and my legs felt (and looked) great!
Quote of the day;
I want to go on the record and say that I think some people are over-hyping the weather in Chicago. The whole first half was either blocked by buildings or people. Sure the last 5k was tough, but it’s not like there weren’t any tailwinds on the course.
Here’s a photo of me (in black) at mile 13;
Here’s me with 300 meters to go;
The reason I’m so happy in the photo above (and something I forgot to mention yesterday) is because I knew I was going to break 3 hours again. It’s been 4 years since I broke 3 hours. 4 YEARS…that’s too long. At some point you start to wonder if you can call yourself a sub-3 marathoner any more. I mean, it’s not like you’re an Olympian or have some other title associated with your name that always sticks with you.
The last time I broke 3 hours I made the “mistake” of focusing on triathlons the following season. While finishing an Ironman was a lifelong goal, it didn’t help in my marathon development. It occurred to me yesterday that you’ve gotten keep working on these things and learning from them. If I want to see what I can do in the marathon I’m going to have to run at least 2 per year.
Another thing I was thinking about yesterday was that the worst possibly shape to be in for a marathon is one that leaves you just out of reach for some significant time goal. This thought came about after seeing a bunch of women going after 2:47 for the Oly Trials qualifier, even though they’re probably in, for example, 2:50 shape. Rather than running their own race, they’re “forced” to go after a quicker time. Thinking back to my own marathon history, this was probably the case during my first 3 marathons when I thought sub-3 was a realistic goal. I imagine it’s the same for guys trying to run 2:22, people trying to run a BQ and right on up to people hoping to run 6 hours.
This next story was pretty cool for me, so I thought I’d mention it. In Chicago there's a free shuttle from the Hilton to the expo and back. After going to the expo I cut through the lobby and standing there is my college coach Sean. When he’s not teaching Geography, Sean’s writing and taking photos for Track & Field News. He’s been known to bike all over various courses to take photos. Here are his photos from the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Anyway, one year the race director realizes that Sean's taking better photos on his bike than the guy on the back of the motorcycle. Guess who's on the back of a motorcycle the following year? Yep. It’s Sean.
Speaking of Sean, I’m going to share a little UW-EC cross-country secret he taught me when it comes to running in cold weather; olive oil. Use it to coat your legs (and anywhere else you’d like) to help keep them warm. I use it for anything below about 40-45 degrees. I used it Sunday and my legs felt (and looked) great!
Quote of the day;
“We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.” – Emil Zatopek
Monday, October 23, 2006
CHICAGO MARATHON RACE REPORT
Instead of one super-long post about my entire trip to Chicago I think I’ll break this into 2 reports; 1) the race and 2) sightseeing and other odd and ends.
In mid-September I posted an entry about wanting to have "that feeling" on October 22nd - that feeling that surrounds running a good race. It’s when confidence abounds and, as they say, effort becomes effortless. It’s also that feeling of hype, excitement, wonder, hope, etc. all rolled together that surrounds a marathon. I don’t know about you but I can’t get that feeling from a 5K or 10K, it’s gotta be a marathon. Sure I had time-related goals, three to be exact; 1) sub-2:55 (6:40 pace), 2) PR (sub-2:58:10) and 3) sub-3. However, having gone 16 months without running a marathon I was looking forward to “that feeling.” While “effort” didn’t quite become “effortless” it was pretty close for a large majority of the race.
I admitted being nervous when I typed my blog entry from last Monday. But I can honestly say, that’s the only time I was nervous leading up to the race. Going to the expo, meeting Dick Beardsley, watching a video of the 2005 Chicago Marathon, etc. Nothing! It was like I was a passive observer, not someone about to toe the line with 30-some thousand other runners.
PRE-RACE
I left the hotel at 6:30 and walked about ¾ mile to the start area. It was probably about 35 degrees with a strong NNW wind. I couldn’t believe it when I saw other people walking in just their race gear with a trash bag on top. I had on enough cloths to make sure I wouldn’t be wasting energy trying to stay warm for the next 90 minutes.
I was kind of surprised at how easy it was to get around at the start. I was expecting a mad house. I found a spot near a “real” toilet and just sat outside out of the wind. At 7:20 I went to drop my bag off and got a little nervous because there was a huge line trying to get to the gear check and a huge line coming the other way. No one realized that there were openings in the fence every few feet which would allow us easier access to the gear check tent. Oh well, lesson learned. Crisis averted. I still had about 15-20 minutes until the start and I did a little jogging on my way towards my corral. While I was probably running about 10 minute pace I was happy with how my legs felt.
START
It took me about 30 seconds to cross the mat. I felt calm and relaxed and just kept the pace easy. I said all along that I’d rather be at 7:00 pace early in the race than 6:40 pace. It turns out our hotel was located about ¾ mile into the race, right where we make our first turn. I stayed wide to the right so I could wave to my family, as that’d be the only time I’d see them. A minute or two later I cross 1-mile in 7:01. Perfect!!! I settled in from there and rattled off 6:42, 6:46 and 6:43. I’m kind of on autopilot as I respond automatically when a gap opens up and I’m feeling the headwind. I’m able to gradually pick up the pace and get on someone’s shoulder.
I’m not sure what happened during mile 5 as I ran 6:36. I backed off a little (too much?) and ran 6 and 7 in 6:58 and 6:54. Those would be my two slowest splits during the first 23 miles. About this time I’m behind two guys that are chatting away. One guy sees Chuck Engle. Apparently he’s running 52 marathons this year and he just ran 2:48 at Indy yesterday.
At mile 8 I’m back in the mid-6:40s. This is also when the urge to pee appears. While I’d love to stop and take care of the urge, I know that’s not going to happen, so I run on. I believe mile 9 is where I hit the “stop” button on my watch instead of the “lap” button. It’s not a big deal. I figured it out at mile 10 and just restarted it. My overall time will be off the rest of the way, but I’ll still be able to track my splits.
There was actually a point around miles 8-10 where I was thinking “this is kind of boring.” It’s like I wanted to pick up the pace, but I knew it was way too early. I kept telling myself just relax until halfway and then I can open it up a little.
MID-RACE
After missing some splits due to “user error” I see 6:48 for mile 12 and 6:45 for mile 13. Just before the half I see Jenna and Matt. I have no idea how I heard them or picked them out in the crowd, but I did. Seeing them, combined with getting to the halfway point was a huge boost. I used thoughts of Matt’s training group and Jenna’s Olympic trials qualifying performance at Grandma’s to spur me on for miles 14 to 17; 6:32, 6:41, 6:38 and 6:40. The first two of those splits were into a cross/headwind. To make it worse, the packs were beginning to breakup and it was tough to find shelter.
Mile 16 is when I first thought; “This is getting tough.” These thoughts were probably due in part to my calves starting to tighten up. I could sense some negative thoughts starting to entry my mind.
LATE-RACE
It turns out mile 17.5 is the perfect place to hand out gels. Any sooner and I might not have grabbed one. Any later and I may have already been in shuffle mode. By mile 18 (in 6:51) the gel was kicking in and I was feeling pretty good – other than my calves. It’s at this point when I realized I could run 6:50 pace fairly well and that it made more sense than trying to push 6:40 pace. So I started to do the “2-mile-dance.” You know, just get me to mile 20 in 6:50s and I’ll be happy. Okay, just get me to mile 22 in 6:50s and I’ll be happy. It seemed to be working as I ran 19 and 20 in 6:50 and 6:45, followed by 6:50 and 6:51 to get me to mile 22.
FINISH
This is where it gets really tough. Things started to slip as I ran my last sub-7 mile (6:54) on my way to 23. This is where the course turns north, directly into the wind, and there’s little-to-no shelter. To make matters worse, at this point in the race you’re either passing people or being passed. There’s really not a lot of drafting opportunities to be had.
While the stoppage of my watch at mile 9 hasn’t been an issue, it does mean that I’m not positive what my overall time is. There are clocks at every mile mark, which is awesome, but I’m not positive how long it took me to cross the start line. At mile 23 I’m pretty sure I’ll break 3 hours. And I’m pretty sure that 7:01 for mile 24 means I can run two 8:00s and still break 3.
It’s during these last two miles when I think back to something I wrote on the 16th; “If I slow down and it feels like I’m running 9:00 pace, I’ll probably still be running 7:30 pace. Keep fighting. Everyone else is hurting too.” I still find it kind of amazing that I can run the last 2 miles into the wind on trashed calves in 7:18 and 7:29 – yet barely hold 8:30 for some of my training runs.
Another thing I like at Chicago, is the 800 meters to go sign, followed, I believe, by 600, 400, 300, 200 and 100 meters to go signs. Somehow I spot Matt and Jenna again at the 300 meter to go sign as I “sprint” it in for a 1:33 last .2.
I knew I broke 3, but didn’t know my exact time. And I didn’t have any time to celebrate as I had to jump on the “L” fairly quickly in order to make our 2:30 flight.
POST-RACE
I’ll end this portion of my report with a few observations;
* I need more shoe. Try a light-weight trainer next time instead of a heavier racing shoe.
* The stretch from 13-17 probably cost me a PR.
* Try taking 2-3 gels instead of 1 gel and gatorade.
* Other than that short stretch around mile 16-17, I was “there” mentally the whole race. Had my calves held up, I think I would have PR’d.
* 2:55 was probably too aggressive. All my MP workouts indicated something in the 2:57-2:59 range.
* I think my personality allows me to run (fairly) even splits, but it also keeps me from laying it on the line and going out in 1:27 and seeing what happens. More on this later.
Here are my 5K and half splits;
5K 21:09
10K 42:15 - 21:06
15K 1:03:17 - 21:02
20K 1:24:12 - 20:55
13.1 1:28:45
25K 1:44:47 - 20:35
30K 2:05:42 - 20:55
35K 2:26:58 - 21:16
40K 2:48:49 - 21:51
26.2 2:58:57 - 1:30:12
Alright, if you’re still reading, you need help. Again, I’ll post more about the weekend later.
Quote of the day;
In mid-September I posted an entry about wanting to have "that feeling" on October 22nd - that feeling that surrounds running a good race. It’s when confidence abounds and, as they say, effort becomes effortless. It’s also that feeling of hype, excitement, wonder, hope, etc. all rolled together that surrounds a marathon. I don’t know about you but I can’t get that feeling from a 5K or 10K, it’s gotta be a marathon. Sure I had time-related goals, three to be exact; 1) sub-2:55 (6:40 pace), 2) PR (sub-2:58:10) and 3) sub-3. However, having gone 16 months without running a marathon I was looking forward to “that feeling.” While “effort” didn’t quite become “effortless” it was pretty close for a large majority of the race.
I admitted being nervous when I typed my blog entry from last Monday. But I can honestly say, that’s the only time I was nervous leading up to the race. Going to the expo, meeting Dick Beardsley, watching a video of the 2005 Chicago Marathon, etc. Nothing! It was like I was a passive observer, not someone about to toe the line with 30-some thousand other runners.
PRE-RACE
I left the hotel at 6:30 and walked about ¾ mile to the start area. It was probably about 35 degrees with a strong NNW wind. I couldn’t believe it when I saw other people walking in just their race gear with a trash bag on top. I had on enough cloths to make sure I wouldn’t be wasting energy trying to stay warm for the next 90 minutes.
I was kind of surprised at how easy it was to get around at the start. I was expecting a mad house. I found a spot near a “real” toilet and just sat outside out of the wind. At 7:20 I went to drop my bag off and got a little nervous because there was a huge line trying to get to the gear check and a huge line coming the other way. No one realized that there were openings in the fence every few feet which would allow us easier access to the gear check tent. Oh well, lesson learned. Crisis averted. I still had about 15-20 minutes until the start and I did a little jogging on my way towards my corral. While I was probably running about 10 minute pace I was happy with how my legs felt.
START
It took me about 30 seconds to cross the mat. I felt calm and relaxed and just kept the pace easy. I said all along that I’d rather be at 7:00 pace early in the race than 6:40 pace. It turns out our hotel was located about ¾ mile into the race, right where we make our first turn. I stayed wide to the right so I could wave to my family, as that’d be the only time I’d see them. A minute or two later I cross 1-mile in 7:01. Perfect!!! I settled in from there and rattled off 6:42, 6:46 and 6:43. I’m kind of on autopilot as I respond automatically when a gap opens up and I’m feeling the headwind. I’m able to gradually pick up the pace and get on someone’s shoulder.
I’m not sure what happened during mile 5 as I ran 6:36. I backed off a little (too much?) and ran 6 and 7 in 6:58 and 6:54. Those would be my two slowest splits during the first 23 miles. About this time I’m behind two guys that are chatting away. One guy sees Chuck Engle. Apparently he’s running 52 marathons this year and he just ran 2:48 at Indy yesterday.
At mile 8 I’m back in the mid-6:40s. This is also when the urge to pee appears. While I’d love to stop and take care of the urge, I know that’s not going to happen, so I run on. I believe mile 9 is where I hit the “stop” button on my watch instead of the “lap” button. It’s not a big deal. I figured it out at mile 10 and just restarted it. My overall time will be off the rest of the way, but I’ll still be able to track my splits.
There was actually a point around miles 8-10 where I was thinking “this is kind of boring.” It’s like I wanted to pick up the pace, but I knew it was way too early. I kept telling myself just relax until halfway and then I can open it up a little.
MID-RACE
After missing some splits due to “user error” I see 6:48 for mile 12 and 6:45 for mile 13. Just before the half I see Jenna and Matt. I have no idea how I heard them or picked them out in the crowd, but I did. Seeing them, combined with getting to the halfway point was a huge boost. I used thoughts of Matt’s training group and Jenna’s Olympic trials qualifying performance at Grandma’s to spur me on for miles 14 to 17; 6:32, 6:41, 6:38 and 6:40. The first two of those splits were into a cross/headwind. To make it worse, the packs were beginning to breakup and it was tough to find shelter.
Mile 16 is when I first thought; “This is getting tough.” These thoughts were probably due in part to my calves starting to tighten up. I could sense some negative thoughts starting to entry my mind.
LATE-RACE
It turns out mile 17.5 is the perfect place to hand out gels. Any sooner and I might not have grabbed one. Any later and I may have already been in shuffle mode. By mile 18 (in 6:51) the gel was kicking in and I was feeling pretty good – other than my calves. It’s at this point when I realized I could run 6:50 pace fairly well and that it made more sense than trying to push 6:40 pace. So I started to do the “2-mile-dance.” You know, just get me to mile 20 in 6:50s and I’ll be happy. Okay, just get me to mile 22 in 6:50s and I’ll be happy. It seemed to be working as I ran 19 and 20 in 6:50 and 6:45, followed by 6:50 and 6:51 to get me to mile 22.
FINISH
This is where it gets really tough. Things started to slip as I ran my last sub-7 mile (6:54) on my way to 23. This is where the course turns north, directly into the wind, and there’s little-to-no shelter. To make matters worse, at this point in the race you’re either passing people or being passed. There’s really not a lot of drafting opportunities to be had.
While the stoppage of my watch at mile 9 hasn’t been an issue, it does mean that I’m not positive what my overall time is. There are clocks at every mile mark, which is awesome, but I’m not positive how long it took me to cross the start line. At mile 23 I’m pretty sure I’ll break 3 hours. And I’m pretty sure that 7:01 for mile 24 means I can run two 8:00s and still break 3.
It’s during these last two miles when I think back to something I wrote on the 16th; “If I slow down and it feels like I’m running 9:00 pace, I’ll probably still be running 7:30 pace. Keep fighting. Everyone else is hurting too.” I still find it kind of amazing that I can run the last 2 miles into the wind on trashed calves in 7:18 and 7:29 – yet barely hold 8:30 for some of my training runs.
Another thing I like at Chicago, is the 800 meters to go sign, followed, I believe, by 600, 400, 300, 200 and 100 meters to go signs. Somehow I spot Matt and Jenna again at the 300 meter to go sign as I “sprint” it in for a 1:33 last .2.
I knew I broke 3, but didn’t know my exact time. And I didn’t have any time to celebrate as I had to jump on the “L” fairly quickly in order to make our 2:30 flight.
POST-RACE
I’ll end this portion of my report with a few observations;
* I need more shoe. Try a light-weight trainer next time instead of a heavier racing shoe.
* The stretch from 13-17 probably cost me a PR.
* Try taking 2-3 gels instead of 1 gel and gatorade.
* Other than that short stretch around mile 16-17, I was “there” mentally the whole race. Had my calves held up, I think I would have PR’d.
* 2:55 was probably too aggressive. All my MP workouts indicated something in the 2:57-2:59 range.
* I think my personality allows me to run (fairly) even splits, but it also keeps me from laying it on the line and going out in 1:27 and seeing what happens. More on this later.
Here are my 5K and half splits;
5K 21:09
10K 42:15 - 21:06
15K 1:03:17 - 21:02
20K 1:24:12 - 20:55
13.1 1:28:45
25K 1:44:47 - 20:35
30K 2:05:42 - 20:55
35K 2:26:58 - 21:16
40K 2:48:49 - 21:51
26.2 2:58:57 - 1:30:12
Alright, if you’re still reading, you need help. Again, I’ll post more about the weekend later.
Quote of the day;
“Those are the things I want to experience again on October 22nd – maybe even more than a PR.” - Me, 9/14/2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
2:58:57
Thanks everyone. Just a quick update and I'll write up a report tomorrow. The race was awesome. I didn't run 2:55 and I didn't PR (missing by 48 seconds), however I'm happy with the race. The head wind heading north on Michigan during the last 5k (?) was brutal. Any hope of PRing went out the window with splits of 7:01, 7:18, 7:29 for miles 24 - 26.
5K 21:09
10K 42:15 - 21:06
15K 1:03:17 - 21:02
20K 1:24:12 - 20:55
13.1 1:28:45
25K 1:44:47 - 20:35
30K 2:05:42 - 20:55
35K 2:26:58 - 21:16
40K 2:48:49 - 21:51
26.2 2:58:57 - 1:30:12
5K 21:09
10K 42:15 - 21:06
15K 1:03:17 - 21:02
20K 1:24:12 - 20:55
13.1 1:28:45
25K 1:44:47 - 20:35
30K 2:05:42 - 20:55
35K 2:26:58 - 21:16
40K 2:48:49 - 21:51
26.2 2:58:57 - 1:30:12
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
SUCH A WIMP
Well I didn’t get nervous typing yesterday’s blog entry. The nervousness came later in the day. After work I had time to kill before meeting some folks from MDRA regarding writing for their fine publications. I decided to stop by the local running store on my way. I knew she worked there, occasionally, but I guess I didn’t expect to see her there. You’d think the President of her fan club would be able to put together a couple of sentences, wish her luck at NYC and possibly even ask her if she’d like to be interview after she gets back to town. But nooooo...I couldn’t do it. You’d think I was going to ask her to marry me. WTF? I’m such a wimp.
I will admit that I was a little distracted though. Sitting on a table in the store was a book on the history of the Minnesota state high school track and field meet from like 1925 through 1999. It had results and photos and it was simply amazing – and I’m not even a native Minnesotan. But when you see names like Nenow, Kempainen, Holman, Plascencia, Bjorklund and even “just” guys whose names you see in the results every week – it’s pretty freakin’ cool. Now I understand why the guys whose names appear in the results every week are kicking my ass – because they ran times like 4:19 and 9:27 in high school. Frank Shorter was right, everyone did run 4:30 in high school – except me.
Unfortunately, the book wasn’t for sale. So I jotted down the author’s name, did a quick Google search this morning and BAM…there was his email address right in front of me. I sent a quick email inquiring about the book and 90 minutes later I had my reply; send $25 to said author and I’ll get a copy. Again, pretty freakin’ cool.
Anyway, off to the MDRA meeting where I held my nerves in-check upon meeting this guy. Sorry Jason, but I didn’t find you as intimidating as Katie. I met some other cool people and we just sat around and bounced ideas for topics off on another and picked up some writing tips.
When I got home I stayed up way too late posting another interview. I’m thinking if I can’t get over my nervousness this site may end up just being interviews of men. Not!!!
Alright, it feels like I’m all over the map with this post. But I’m too wound up to worry about it and I have too much to do before we leave tomorrow. If you have nothing better to do on a nice fall day and want to see how I did at Chicago, my bib is #5603.
Quote of the day;
I will admit that I was a little distracted though. Sitting on a table in the store was a book on the history of the Minnesota state high school track and field meet from like 1925 through 1999. It had results and photos and it was simply amazing – and I’m not even a native Minnesotan. But when you see names like Nenow, Kempainen, Holman, Plascencia, Bjorklund and even “just” guys whose names you see in the results every week – it’s pretty freakin’ cool. Now I understand why the guys whose names appear in the results every week are kicking my ass – because they ran times like 4:19 and 9:27 in high school. Frank Shorter was right, everyone did run 4:30 in high school – except me.
Unfortunately, the book wasn’t for sale. So I jotted down the author’s name, did a quick Google search this morning and BAM…there was his email address right in front of me. I sent a quick email inquiring about the book and 90 minutes later I had my reply; send $25 to said author and I’ll get a copy. Again, pretty freakin’ cool.
Anyway, off to the MDRA meeting where I held my nerves in-check upon meeting this guy. Sorry Jason, but I didn’t find you as intimidating as Katie. I met some other cool people and we just sat around and bounced ideas for topics off on another and picked up some writing tips.
When I got home I stayed up way too late posting another interview. I’m thinking if I can’t get over my nervousness this site may end up just being interviews of men. Not!!!
Alright, it feels like I’m all over the map with this post. But I’m too wound up to worry about it and I have too much to do before we leave tomorrow. If you have nothing better to do on a nice fall day and want to see how I did at Chicago, my bib is #5603.
Quote of the day;
“Men, today we die a little.” – Emil Zatopek, on the starting line for the Olympic Marathon
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
UNRELENTING DISCIPLINE
I’m still feeling good as Chicago approaches quickly. What’s weird is that I got really nervous as I typed yesterday’s blog entry. The rest of the day I was fine.
I ran an easy 5 miles this morning and felt a ton better than yesterday.
Since I have some free time during the taper I decided to try and organize a bunch of running articles, race reports, race results, etc. that I’ve collected over the years. I tend to collect stuff in a big pile for awhile before finally getting around to organizing it – which includes throwing about one-third of it out.
Anyway, I came across some stuff I wrote that’s worth reviewing before Chicago. I posted all my marathon times a week or two ago. It includes a stretch of 4 marathons from June 2001 to October 2003 when I ran between 2:58 and 3:03. During that stretch I treated each marathon like a (mental) test. I would break the race down into sections (pre-race, 1st 10 miles, 2nd 10 miles and last 10K) and I’d write down notes for each of those sections. The notes would be reminders like the things I wrote yesterday, as well as affirmations, splits I wanted to hit, notes on the course, when to take gels, etc.
While I didn’t do that this time, I’ve been reviewing what I wrote in the past. Here are a few things;
I ran an easy 5 miles this morning and felt a ton better than yesterday.
Since I have some free time during the taper I decided to try and organize a bunch of running articles, race reports, race results, etc. that I’ve collected over the years. I tend to collect stuff in a big pile for awhile before finally getting around to organizing it – which includes throwing about one-third of it out.
Anyway, I came across some stuff I wrote that’s worth reviewing before Chicago. I posted all my marathon times a week or two ago. It includes a stretch of 4 marathons from June 2001 to October 2003 when I ran between 2:58 and 3:03. During that stretch I treated each marathon like a (mental) test. I would break the race down into sections (pre-race, 1st 10 miles, 2nd 10 miles and last 10K) and I’d write down notes for each of those sections. The notes would be reminders like the things I wrote yesterday, as well as affirmations, splits I wanted to hit, notes on the course, when to take gels, etc.
While I didn’t do that this time, I’ve been reviewing what I wrote in the past. Here are a few things;
Have confidence.Quote of the day;
Focus on relaxing and remaining calm.
My practice performance indicates a readiness to excel.
Focus just enough to maintain pace.
Be patient I’m a well-oiled machine.
Stay in the moment – focus on breathing, stride, arm carriage, etc.
Reel people in.
I’m in a position to strike and get what I like.
You should exercise unrelenting discipline over your thought patterns. Cultivate only productive attitudes. You are the product of everything you put into your body and mind.
“Then the gun goes off, the crowd moves out and I struggle along as best as I can with the expectation that my first mile will turn out far too slow. I never fully credit the effects of a two-week rest, a three-day carb binge, infusion of adrenaline and caffeine, the bracing jolt of chilly morning air, etc…and next thing I know, I've gone through the first mile half a minute faster than I meant to without even trying.” - Chelle, from her sub-3 race report
Monday, October 16, 2006
KIND OF SCARY
I met Chelle at Grandma’s in 2005. She proceeded to kick my ass with a sub-3:03 (compared to my 3:09). To rub salt into my wounds, she did it on less mileage. Being a “more is better” type of guy, I wondered what she was capable if she cranked up her mileage. How about 2:58 at Columbus over the weekend, for starters? So a huge congrats goes out to Chelle. Nice to see all her hard work pay off.
Saturday I ran my last “long” run – a nice 13 mile trail run through Lebanon Hills Park. With all the leaves on the ground, I paid close attention so I wouldn’t trip over a rock or root. This run gave me 48 miles for the week.
As I've mentioned before 142-144 pounds is pretty normal for me. After Saturday's run I jumped on the scale and saw 137, which is kind of scary. Not anorexic scary, but like senior year of high school scary. I think I was 132-134 as a senior. I feel fine and don’t feel like I’ve done any special dieting lately. We’ll see how that bodes for Chicago.
Sunday it was beautiful outside but I didn’t run. I thought about going for a run, which would’ve allowed me to take a day off during the week instead. However, I took last Sunday off so I thought I’d stay consistent. This meant instead of running during a beautiful fall day I had to run this morning when it was 48 and rainy. I managed an easy 6 miles but felt really sluggish. I hoped my legs would feel better after a day off, but they didn’t.
So here are some things I was thinking about for Chicago;
1) Adjust my goal for hot weather. This doesn’t look like it’ll be an issue this year. However, since I’m a terrible hot weather runner, this is always at the top of the list.
2) Let the pace come to me. It’s a long race and it’s okay to take 3-4 miles to warm-up and get into a rhythm.
3) Let legs do the work rather than my lungs. If I’m breathing hard at all it better be because I tripped at the start and 40,000 runners are bearing down on me.
4) Run my own race. In a race this size, there’s going to be lots of shifting of positions throughout the race. Don’t worry about being passed early in the race. “Everyone” goes out too fast.
5) It will hurt. Even when I ran my PR the last 3 miles hurt.
6) If I slow down and it feels like I’m running 9:00 pace, I’ll probably still be running 7:30 pace. Keep fighting. Everyone else is hurting too.
7) Even if I don’t feel like drinking – drink. I have a tendency to stop taking fluids/carbs during the last 10K.
I’m sure there will be more in the next few days, but that’s what I have so far.
Quote of the day;
Saturday I ran my last “long” run – a nice 13 mile trail run through Lebanon Hills Park. With all the leaves on the ground, I paid close attention so I wouldn’t trip over a rock or root. This run gave me 48 miles for the week.
As I've mentioned before 142-144 pounds is pretty normal for me. After Saturday's run I jumped on the scale and saw 137, which is kind of scary. Not anorexic scary, but like senior year of high school scary. I think I was 132-134 as a senior. I feel fine and don’t feel like I’ve done any special dieting lately. We’ll see how that bodes for Chicago.
Sunday it was beautiful outside but I didn’t run. I thought about going for a run, which would’ve allowed me to take a day off during the week instead. However, I took last Sunday off so I thought I’d stay consistent. This meant instead of running during a beautiful fall day I had to run this morning when it was 48 and rainy. I managed an easy 6 miles but felt really sluggish. I hoped my legs would feel better after a day off, but they didn’t.
So here are some things I was thinking about for Chicago;
1) Adjust my goal for hot weather. This doesn’t look like it’ll be an issue this year. However, since I’m a terrible hot weather runner, this is always at the top of the list.
2) Let the pace come to me. It’s a long race and it’s okay to take 3-4 miles to warm-up and get into a rhythm.
3) Let legs do the work rather than my lungs. If I’m breathing hard at all it better be because I tripped at the start and 40,000 runners are bearing down on me.
4) Run my own race. In a race this size, there’s going to be lots of shifting of positions throughout the race. Don’t worry about being passed early in the race. “Everyone” goes out too fast.
5) It will hurt. Even when I ran my PR the last 3 miles hurt.
6) If I slow down and it feels like I’m running 9:00 pace, I’ll probably still be running 7:30 pace. Keep fighting. Everyone else is hurting too.
7) Even if I don’t feel like drinking – drink. I have a tendency to stop taking fluids/carbs during the last 10K.
I’m sure there will be more in the next few days, but that’s what I have so far.
Quote of the day;
“At Marathon arrayed, to the battle shock we ran
And our mettle we displayed, foot to foot, man to man
And our name and fame shall not die.” - Aristophanes, “The Acharnians,” 425 B.C.
Friday, October 13, 2006
ON-PACE
I keep little post-it notes next to my computer and any time I think of an idea that I want to blog about, I make a little note. Well after yesterday’s post there weren’t any little yellow slips of paper left near my computer. I was out of ideas. But don’t worry. By the time I got to work this morning I had another list of ideas. They don’t really all go together, but it’s Friday so I’ll just throw it out there and see what happens.
The cold weather (37 degrees) didn’t chase me inside this morning – it was the 25 mph wind with gusts up to 40 mph. Really, I’m not this big of a wuss. But with Chicago only 10 days away I think I’ll put off as much misery until then. I ended up running an easy 5 miles on the treadmill.
Just in case you were wondering, this is a sample what my blog entries will start to look like if I’m “forced” to watch ESPN2 at 5:15 AM every day. Here’s what I learned and my comments on how they relate to running;
1) “Kurt Warner is contemplating retirement at the end of the season.” Hello! We are 5 weeks into the season and that is newsworthy? Hey, I might “retire” after Chicago. Or maybe I’ll wait till after next season. Who cares?
2) “Reggie Bush is ‘on-pace’ to catch more passes in a season than any other running back – ever.” Don’t you love the phrase ‘on-pace’? Again, we’re 5 weeks into the season. Update me when we’re about 10-12 weeks into the season. And I’d just like to apologize to everyone that ran TCM on October 1st for not congratulating you for being ‘on-pace’ for 812 miles in October.
3) I guess the Minnesota Wild are on pace for an 82-0 season. Sweet.
While I’m on the topic of other sports and since I’ve referred to Joe Mauer here before, I’ll throw this little nugget out there. Joe also played football in high school. During his senior year he threw 41 TDs with only 2 INTs – both interceptions were by Marion Barber who’s now a running back with the Cowboys. I just thought that way interesting.
Alright, back to running and a little self-marketing. I’m happy to announce that I’ve posted my first interview. Feel free to check it out and give any feedback – positive or negative, I can take it. Some people have mentioned that it’s kind of hard to read, so I may end up changing the colors.
Here were my initial thoughts;
I thought it might be too long and/or too impersonal? I just sent Don my entire list of questions and he answered nearly all of them so I just posted them all. I think Don did a great job answering the questions. Not sure if this style would work with someone that just gave one word answers. I just wonder if I should have done a little more give-and-take to focus on a few key topics and expanded on those. Partially I just wanted to get an interview up on the site since it seems like forever since I mentioned I was working on it.
I’m probably just being overly-critical. I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback. Let’s just hope I can keep the site rolling. Thank you again to Don for being my guinea pig. Dateline NBC will be calling you soon.
Quote of the day;
The cold weather (37 degrees) didn’t chase me inside this morning – it was the 25 mph wind with gusts up to 40 mph. Really, I’m not this big of a wuss. But with Chicago only 10 days away I think I’ll put off as much misery until then. I ended up running an easy 5 miles on the treadmill.
Just in case you were wondering, this is a sample what my blog entries will start to look like if I’m “forced” to watch ESPN2 at 5:15 AM every day. Here’s what I learned and my comments on how they relate to running;
1) “Kurt Warner is contemplating retirement at the end of the season.” Hello! We are 5 weeks into the season and that is newsworthy? Hey, I might “retire” after Chicago. Or maybe I’ll wait till after next season. Who cares?
2) “Reggie Bush is ‘on-pace’ to catch more passes in a season than any other running back – ever.” Don’t you love the phrase ‘on-pace’? Again, we’re 5 weeks into the season. Update me when we’re about 10-12 weeks into the season. And I’d just like to apologize to everyone that ran TCM on October 1st for not congratulating you for being ‘on-pace’ for 812 miles in October.
3) I guess the Minnesota Wild are on pace for an 82-0 season. Sweet.
While I’m on the topic of other sports and since I’ve referred to Joe Mauer here before, I’ll throw this little nugget out there. Joe also played football in high school. During his senior year he threw 41 TDs with only 2 INTs – both interceptions were by Marion Barber who’s now a running back with the Cowboys. I just thought that way interesting.
Alright, back to running and a little self-marketing. I’m happy to announce that I’ve posted my first interview. Feel free to check it out and give any feedback – positive or negative, I can take it. Some people have mentioned that it’s kind of hard to read, so I may end up changing the colors.
Here were my initial thoughts;
I thought it might be too long and/or too impersonal? I just sent Don my entire list of questions and he answered nearly all of them so I just posted them all. I think Don did a great job answering the questions. Not sure if this style would work with someone that just gave one word answers. I just wonder if I should have done a little more give-and-take to focus on a few key topics and expanded on those. Partially I just wanted to get an interview up on the site since it seems like forever since I mentioned I was working on it.
I’m probably just being overly-critical. I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback. Let’s just hope I can keep the site rolling. Thank you again to Don for being my guinea pig. Dateline NBC will be calling you soon.
Quote of the day;
“Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece.” - Don Wright
Thursday, October 12, 2006
WIND CHILL 13
Yesterday I was going to stop by a track on the way home and get in a little MP workout. But I couldn’t do it. I’m a wuss. It was 38 degrees with a wind chill of 26. Now I like winter running as much as the next person – probably more. However, it’s not winter. It was October 11th. I decided to jump on the treadmill for an easy 5 mile run instead. I’d push my workout back a day. The 5 miles on the treadmill felt great. I dropped the pace to 7:30 and it felt like I was jogging. Normally this pace feels a little harder.
After the run I checked my emails. There was a message from my coach asking how the taper was going. I replied;
After sending that message, I took the dog out before going to bed. There was snow on the ground. Granted, it was just a dusting, but still…it was October 11th.
I’m happy to say that I did get in my MP workout this morning. I ran 8 miles, including 4 x 1 mile (7:10, 7:00, 6:44 and 6:44) with a 2:00 jog in-between. Again, not quit down to MP. The way I see it I’ll have something to motivate me as I train for my next marathon. I’ll tell myself ‘Dang, if I run those workouts at 6:40 pace, I’ll run a lot better.’
When I got to work I checked the weather. I knew it was chilly, but I didn’t expect to see 24 degrees with a wind chill of 13.
Quote of the day;
After the run I checked my emails. There was a message from my coach asking how the taper was going. I replied;
It's kind of scary. During most of my marathon tapers I have some phantom injury flair up. This time around I've been feeling really good - maybe I got all the aches and pains out of my system during the training. Just walking around the office I keep thinking 'Damn, my legs feel good.'
I've been a little bummed that I haven't hit any solid training paces lately, but I've been doing them solo at 5:30 in the morning. I feel like the effort is there. Overall I'd say things are pointing in the right direction.
After sending that message, I took the dog out before going to bed. There was snow on the ground. Granted, it was just a dusting, but still…it was October 11th.
I’m happy to say that I did get in my MP workout this morning. I ran 8 miles, including 4 x 1 mile (7:10, 7:00, 6:44 and 6:44) with a 2:00 jog in-between. Again, not quit down to MP. The way I see it I’ll have something to motivate me as I train for my next marathon. I’ll tell myself ‘Dang, if I run those workouts at 6:40 pace, I’ll run a lot better.’
When I got to work I checked the weather. I knew it was chilly, but I didn’t expect to see 24 degrees with a wind chill of 13.
Quote of the day;
“I tell people to this day that what you do (in a marathon) is directly proportional to the amount and quality of your base training. And by quality, I don't mean speed.” - David Welch, who passed away last month
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
BLOGGING 101
In case anyone is interested, here's a sneak peek at my first article for the RunMinnesota magazine. Rather than just introduce my blog, I thought I'd write an article on blogging in general. It should appear in the November/December issue, so maybe there will be a bump in blog traffic.
It started innocently enough, like any other addiction. Umm, I mean habit. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had heard the word ‘blog’ before but I associated them with some off the wall organization or political movement. I never considered that there were blogs out there on topics I was interested it, like running. Then I came across an article in Runner’s World on blogging. At the end of the article it listed links to five or six running blogs. Later I followed the links and check out all the blogs.
Looking back, I think that Runner’s World article should have come with a warning label. “WARNING: Surf blogs at your own risk. You may get sucked in.” That’s exactly what happened. I found that I could really relate to one of the blogs listed in that article. I book marked it and started checking in daily. Then I started leaving comments regarding the stuff I read. Clicking on comments that others left led me to their blogs. Again I’d book mark the ones I liked and the number of blogs I read began to grow.
And then it happened, slowly at first and then more and more frequently. I kept seeing blog entries that sounded as if I had written them. The next thing I knew I was registering on a website and setting up my own blog. Re-reading my first entry I can see that I had no idea what lay in store; “The creation of this blog is spur of the moment. It could be fun and entertaining, it could suck. There’s only one way to find out.” That was nearly two years ago.
This article will list some of the reasons that runners blog, ways to get you started and tips on helping you get your blog read.
Whether you’re looking for a web log to track your training, looking to meet people with common interests or looking to hone your writing skills in an effort to get published in RunMinnesota, starting a blog may be the way to go.
Ever since I started running, I’ve kept a typical running log book that tracks mileage, time, pace, weather, races and so on. I even have a section for comments where I usually write such ‘in depth’ comments as “felt good” or “legs tired”. My blog actually complements my log book because I’m able to do a better job of expressing my thoughts and feelings (my wife will love to hear that). I can write more details about each run, why I missed a workout or switched workouts around, what’s going through my head as I taper for a key race, etc. Best of all, I can put my race goals in writing (for the whole world to see) and then write up a race report with all the gory details.
Maybe you want to “meet” runners that can relate to what you’re going through. Whether you’re just getting started with your running career, trying to break 2:30 for a marathon or are somewhere in between, there are other bloggers out there like you. Blogs offer a safe way to share experiences, offer and receive advice and even make friends in a (mostly) supportive environment.
If the social aspect is what you’re looking for there are many ways to find other running blogs. You can visit the Running Blog Family Directory at completerunning.com. It lists nearly 1,000 running blogs along with a short description of each. Once you find just one running blog the web extends from there. As I mentioned you can find more blogs in the comment section and people usually place links to their favorite blogs off to the side. Keep in mind that, like in life, bloggers tend to gravitate towards other bloggers that they can relate to. So if you find one blog that you like, the chances are that similar blogs are nearby.
Here are a few of my favorites;
Alright, now your interest is piqued and you want to become a blogger. But how do you get started? First, make sure you have ten minutes to spare. Seriously. Websites like Blogger, Livejournal and Xanga are free and offer step by step guidelines for setting up your blog. I use Blogger and it was a simple three step process; create an account, name your blog and choose a design. If you’re still not comfortable doing it on your own, you can contact Susan at Sumyblogs and she’ll help you set up your blog for a fee.
Finally, here are some tips and advice on blogging, especially if you’re looking for social connections. First, write often. You don’t have to post daily, but if you take weeks off at a time people will lose interest. Second, keep it interesting. Not every post has to keep readers on the edge of their seats, but you don’t want to bore them to tears either. Third, if you want people to read your blog you’re going to have to do a little marketing. The best way to do that is to leave comments on other people’s blogs. Most people get comments from the same people over and over. When they see a comment from someone new they will check out that person’s blog. Lastly, use common sense. You never know who’s reading, so if there’s something you don’t want others to know, don’t post it.
Since that Runner’s World article failed to mention it, I’d better do it here; “WARNING: Surf blogs at your own risk. You may get sucked in.” It could be fun and entertaining, it could suck. There’s only one way to find out.
BIO
Chad followed his dad out the door when he was 10 years old and has been running ever since. That was 27 years ago. He's been addicted to blogging for nearly 2 years. You can check out more of his writing at Simon Says Run.
It started innocently enough, like any other addiction. Umm, I mean habit. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had heard the word ‘blog’ before but I associated them with some off the wall organization or political movement. I never considered that there were blogs out there on topics I was interested it, like running. Then I came across an article in Runner’s World on blogging. At the end of the article it listed links to five or six running blogs. Later I followed the links and check out all the blogs.
Looking back, I think that Runner’s World article should have come with a warning label. “WARNING: Surf blogs at your own risk. You may get sucked in.” That’s exactly what happened. I found that I could really relate to one of the blogs listed in that article. I book marked it and started checking in daily. Then I started leaving comments regarding the stuff I read. Clicking on comments that others left led me to their blogs. Again I’d book mark the ones I liked and the number of blogs I read began to grow.
And then it happened, slowly at first and then more and more frequently. I kept seeing blog entries that sounded as if I had written them. The next thing I knew I was registering on a website and setting up my own blog. Re-reading my first entry I can see that I had no idea what lay in store; “The creation of this blog is spur of the moment. It could be fun and entertaining, it could suck. There’s only one way to find out.” That was nearly two years ago.
This article will list some of the reasons that runners blog, ways to get you started and tips on helping you get your blog read.
Whether you’re looking for a web log to track your training, looking to meet people with common interests or looking to hone your writing skills in an effort to get published in RunMinnesota, starting a blog may be the way to go.
Ever since I started running, I’ve kept a typical running log book that tracks mileage, time, pace, weather, races and so on. I even have a section for comments where I usually write such ‘in depth’ comments as “felt good” or “legs tired”. My blog actually complements my log book because I’m able to do a better job of expressing my thoughts and feelings (my wife will love to hear that). I can write more details about each run, why I missed a workout or switched workouts around, what’s going through my head as I taper for a key race, etc. Best of all, I can put my race goals in writing (for the whole world to see) and then write up a race report with all the gory details.
Maybe you want to “meet” runners that can relate to what you’re going through. Whether you’re just getting started with your running career, trying to break 2:30 for a marathon or are somewhere in between, there are other bloggers out there like you. Blogs offer a safe way to share experiences, offer and receive advice and even make friends in a (mostly) supportive environment.
If the social aspect is what you’re looking for there are many ways to find other running blogs. You can visit the Running Blog Family Directory at completerunning.com. It lists nearly 1,000 running blogs along with a short description of each. Once you find just one running blog the web extends from there. As I mentioned you can find more blogs in the comment section and people usually place links to their favorite blogs off to the side. Keep in mind that, like in life, bloggers tend to gravitate towards other bloggers that they can relate to. So if you find one blog that you like, the chances are that similar blogs are nearby.
Here are a few of my favorites;
Mike - A blog about trying to understand, interpret and perform Arthur Lydiard's fabled training while juggling a job and family.
Duncan - If you're looking for cynical and sarcastic, look no further.
Sara - A recent Ironman finisher whose posts are as inspirational as they are fun to read.
Susan - She's not afraid to blog about any bodily function and how it pertains to running. She's funny, clever, witty and extremely creative.
Alright, now your interest is piqued and you want to become a blogger. But how do you get started? First, make sure you have ten minutes to spare. Seriously. Websites like Blogger, Livejournal and Xanga are free and offer step by step guidelines for setting up your blog. I use Blogger and it was a simple three step process; create an account, name your blog and choose a design. If you’re still not comfortable doing it on your own, you can contact Susan at Sumyblogs and she’ll help you set up your blog for a fee.
Finally, here are some tips and advice on blogging, especially if you’re looking for social connections. First, write often. You don’t have to post daily, but if you take weeks off at a time people will lose interest. Second, keep it interesting. Not every post has to keep readers on the edge of their seats, but you don’t want to bore them to tears either. Third, if you want people to read your blog you’re going to have to do a little marketing. The best way to do that is to leave comments on other people’s blogs. Most people get comments from the same people over and over. When they see a comment from someone new they will check out that person’s blog. Lastly, use common sense. You never know who’s reading, so if there’s something you don’t want others to know, don’t post it.
Since that Runner’s World article failed to mention it, I’d better do it here; “WARNING: Surf blogs at your own risk. You may get sucked in.” It could be fun and entertaining, it could suck. There’s only one way to find out.
BIO
Chad followed his dad out the door when he was 10 years old and has been running ever since. That was 27 years ago. He's been addicted to blogging for nearly 2 years. You can check out more of his writing at Simon Says Run.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
STRANGE FEELING
While I’m on the topic of photos, check out Alison’s and Parker's awesome photos from Tufts. I particularly like this one with the skyline in the background. If you look close enough, that’s Adam Goucher running on the sidewalk. This one of Katie McGregor turned out just a “little” better than the one I posted below.
Yesterday I was looking at the 5K photos from TCM weekend and this one is my favorite. The guy is looking over his shoulder to make sure he still has 2nd place locked up. Right after that photo Ryan Kleimenhagen pulled away for the victory.
Just an easy 6 mile run this morning. Nothing fancy.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for today.
Quote of the day;
Yesterday I was looking at the 5K photos from TCM weekend and this one is my favorite. The guy is looking over his shoulder to make sure he still has 2nd place locked up. Right after that photo Ryan Kleimenhagen pulled away for the victory.
Just an easy 6 mile run this morning. Nothing fancy.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for today.
Quote of the day;
“It’s a strange feeling to break a world record and still lose.” – Glenn Cunningham, after losing to Princeton’s Bill Bonthron by one-tenth of a second in the 1500
Monday, October 09, 2006
TAPER TALK
I’ve mentioned that when I get near the end of things I tend to just sort of start looking for my next project. When it comes to marathons that usually means I “screw up” the taper. It’s worse than I remember. I checked my old logs and came up with the following data; Month, Year, 3 weeks out, 2 weeks out, 1 week out (peak mileage):
June 2001, 56, 29, 29 (66)
Oct 2001, 49, 42, 26 (65)
Apr 2002, 52, 44, 13 (84)
Oct 2002, 54, 36, 22 (77)
April 2004, 38, 40, 15 (84)
June 2005, 35, 9, 29 (82)
Oct 2006, 64, ?, ? (82)
It’s pretty obvious that I haven’t followed any taper plan very well. You don’t see a nice 80%, 60%, 40% cut in mileage. And as far as long runs go, I usually hear something like 20, 16, 13 for your last 3 weekends. I can honestly say I haven’t run more than 14 miles within 2 weeks of a marathon – at least until this year.
Saturday I ran 16 miles at Lebanon Hills. My legs actually had a little spring in them, which made me forget about the below average workouts I’ve had recently. I’d classify the pace as moderate – probably close to 7:40s. This run gave me 64 for the week.
Sunday I had 10-11 miles planned with 6-7 at marathon pace. Monday called for a day off. I ended up flip-flopping these workouts. Yesterday I lazed around not doing much – other than hanging out with the girls. While that was great yesterday, it meant I had to get up at 4:40 this morning in order go get in 11 miles. Just for my psyche, I’m going to stop calling these MP workouts. After a 2 mile warm-up, I ran 7 miles at 7:04 pace and finished with a 2 mile cool-down. I’ll take it.
Now that I’ve proven that my photo skills suck, I’ll get back to hyping the professional photos from TCM. Paul (the lead photographer for TCM) was even cool enough to offer some tips on my photo taking abilities (or lack thereof). Apparently he’s not afraid of the competition that I could provide. He also offered up some images for my blog. How cool is that? I think I’ll take him up on the offer of people I interview.
Alright, I better at least address the fact that the Twins got swept in the first round. What gets me is that “everyone” was so excited that winning the division also meant avoiding the Yankees. Given that the A’s were as hot as the Twins during the second half of the year, I think I would have taken my chances with the Yanks. The Tigers did okay against them. Oh well, it was still an incredible season. And it should be an interesting off-season. I’ll bet that they keep Torii Hunter and that Brad Ranke decides to play one more year.
Quote of the day;
June 2001, 56, 29, 29 (66)
Oct 2001, 49, 42, 26 (65)
Apr 2002, 52, 44, 13 (84)
Oct 2002, 54, 36, 22 (77)
April 2004, 38, 40, 15 (84)
June 2005, 35, 9, 29 (82)
Oct 2006, 64, ?, ? (82)
It’s pretty obvious that I haven’t followed any taper plan very well. You don’t see a nice 80%, 60%, 40% cut in mileage. And as far as long runs go, I usually hear something like 20, 16, 13 for your last 3 weekends. I can honestly say I haven’t run more than 14 miles within 2 weeks of a marathon – at least until this year.
Saturday I ran 16 miles at Lebanon Hills. My legs actually had a little spring in them, which made me forget about the below average workouts I’ve had recently. I’d classify the pace as moderate – probably close to 7:40s. This run gave me 64 for the week.
Sunday I had 10-11 miles planned with 6-7 at marathon pace. Monday called for a day off. I ended up flip-flopping these workouts. Yesterday I lazed around not doing much – other than hanging out with the girls. While that was great yesterday, it meant I had to get up at 4:40 this morning in order go get in 11 miles. Just for my psyche, I’m going to stop calling these MP workouts. After a 2 mile warm-up, I ran 7 miles at 7:04 pace and finished with a 2 mile cool-down. I’ll take it.
Now that I’ve proven that my photo skills suck, I’ll get back to hyping the professional photos from TCM. Paul (the lead photographer for TCM) was even cool enough to offer some tips on my photo taking abilities (or lack thereof). Apparently he’s not afraid of the competition that I could provide. He also offered up some images for my blog. How cool is that? I think I’ll take him up on the offer of people I interview.
Alright, I better at least address the fact that the Twins got swept in the first round. What gets me is that “everyone” was so excited that winning the division also meant avoiding the Yankees. Given that the A’s were as hot as the Twins during the second half of the year, I think I would have taken my chances with the Yanks. The Tigers did okay against them. Oh well, it was still an incredible season. And it should be an interesting off-season. I’ll bet that they keep Torii Hunter and that Brad Ranke decides to play one more year.
Quote of the day;
“The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can’t dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon.” – Fred Lebow
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