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Rocket City Marathon

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Location:

New Palestine,IN,USA

Member Since:

Oct 23, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

5k - 18:59 (3/09)
4M - 25:06 (9/09)
10k - 41:01 (11/07)

Half - 1:25:58 (11/09)

Marathon - 3:06:33 (12/09)

Short-Term Running Goals:

1:25 for the half marathon
Sub 39:00 for the 10k.
3:07 marathon
18:30 5k

Upcoming Races



Long-Term Running Goals:

Break 3:00 for the marathon.

Personal:

Married, two daughters (18 and 15).  Masters runner trying to get competitive in my age group.

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Ride 5 (Red) Lifetime Miles: 372.70
ASICS Excel 33 Lifetime Miles: 152.00
Saucony Ride 7 Lifetime Miles: 249.00
ASICS DS Trainer Lifetime Miles: 212.20
Asics Cumulus 16 Lifetime Miles: 241.30
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
120.1841.204.002.00167.38
Acis DS Trainer Miles: 14.18Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 17.00Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 38.00Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 30.00Brooks Axiom Miles: 24.00Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 34.20Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 10.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.004.000.008.00

Honolulu, HI:  It was warm (74) and humid this morning.  I don't get to say that too often in Dec.  I had a hard time getting going this morning.  I'm not sure if it was from all of the travel yesterday or what.  I got out about 3:30 this morning but there was a beautiful full moon that helped light the way.  I wanted to do some tempo miles today so I decided on 4 miles at around 6:30 pace.  I went on my usual route around Diamond Head.  I started off with a 3 mile warmup and then did the 4 miles at tempo.  Here are the splits:

1st - 6:31

2nd - 6:43 (up the hill at Diamond Head)

3rd - 6:21 (down the hill at Diamond Head)

4th - 6:29

Start out on the tempo I felt rough and a couple of times I felt like shutting it down but I am glad I kept going.  It wasn't the best run but at least I hit my target and finished it.  Hopefully I will feel back to normal tomorrow.

58:53 ( 7:22 avg)

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Honolulu, HI: I was up late last night at a customer dinner and had early morning meetings so I didn't run until the evening.  It was high 70's and windy a beautiful day.  I felt good and ran easy most to the way.  I did the loop up around Diamond Head to get in some hill work. As I was coming back around Diamond Head the sun was setting over the ocean which was beautiful.  I have another customer dinner tonight so will probably be another late night.  With the time change I am struggling to stay awake during these dinners.  Last night I didn't get finished eatting dinner until around 3 am EST.  The body is definitely not used to that. 

1:09:22 (7:45 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 10.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.180.000.000.006.18

Honolulu, HI:  I was out late again last night and early meetings today so ran in the afternoon.  I didn't have much time before a dinner meeting but was able to get in an easy 6 miles.  I had wanted to do something faster but my legs just felt flat.  I am not sure if it is from being messed up this week on travel or just effects of tapering.  Today I ran along the canel and then up backside of Diamond Head.  It was around 78 degrees and felt very humid.

 

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 6.18
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.002.007.00

Honolulu, HI:  I was able to get out early this morning.  It was nice (low 70's) with not much wind.  I ran up around Diamond Head again today.  I started off with a couple of easy miles and then I did 4 x 3:00 at around 6:00 pace.  Two of these were done up the hill at Diamond Head.  I wanted to do some hills at a fast pace.  After that I added 4 x strides toward the end.  I didn't feel great today but better than yesterday.  I fly back tonight and I'm really looking forward to it.  It has been a long week on the road.

53:38 (7:40 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 7.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

I traveled back from Hawaii last night on the red eye.  I got maybe an hour or two of sleep then when I got home I went straight to a family Christmas get together.  After that I was beat and decided to run tomorrow so I could get some sleep.  Good to be back home.

Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.005.000.000.0012.00

It was cool (35) and windy.  A big change from HI.  Today I wanted to do my last longer run before really tapering down next week.  Also, I wanted to add in some MP miles toward the end.  I felt pretty good today and ran easy for the first 7 miles.  After that I picked it up to around MP of 7:00.  Here are the splits: 7:00, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:57.  Probably a little fast but it felt good and relaxed.  I will probably do some faster running on Tues but the rest of the week will be short and easy.  Now just hoping for some good weather next Sat.  I have a quick trip to Philly this week then a couple of days at home before heading out for the marathon.

 1:28:40 (7:22 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 12.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

It snowed overnight and the roads didn't look very good for running in the dark with traffic so I ran inside on the TM.  Just an easy day today.  I took it real easy and felt good the whole way.  I had to leave for Philly today and will be coming back home tomorrow.  I will continue to taper down this week for the marathon on Sat. Right now the weather is saying rain and low 40's.  That doesn't sound too good to me so hopefully the rain will hold off.

40:28 (8:05 avg)

Brooks Axiom Miles: 5.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.003.000.000.006.00

Philadelphia, it was cool 35 with light wind. Today was my last shake out run before the marathon. I did 3 miles easy and then 3 miles at MP. I felt pretty good this morning and the MP miles were relaxed. It was hard to track pace because me Garmin kept bouncing around because I was running downtown with a lot of tall buildings. I am going back home tonight and hopefully rest up the next couple of days before heading to Huntsville.

45:42 (7:37 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 6.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

A big front was moving through Indy this morning so we had 20 mph winds gusting to 40 mph.  I didn't think it would do much good going out and battling the wind so I ran easy on the TM. I felt good and continue to cut the miles back during the taper.  My plan is to rest tomorrow then do a short run on Friday before driving down to Huntsville.  The weather for Huntsville on Sat is still calling for rain and temps in the 40's.  The temp looks good but I hope the rain holds off.

39:40 (7:56 avg)

Brooks Axiom Miles: 5.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

The wind chill was 5 this morning so I didn't feel like bundling up to go run an easy 4 miles plus didn't want to risk falling on ice the day before my marathon so stayed inside on the TM.  I felt good and ran easy.  I added some strides in at the end to loosen up the legs.  I think it is hard to tell how you are going to feel for a marathon based on an easy 4 mile run the day before.  I guess it is just wait and see.  The forecast for Huntsville looks better.  The rain might hold off until after the race but the wind will be picking up so that's not good but better than cold rain.

As far as my goals for the race.  I worst case I would like to run a PR but I think I am capable of running under 3:10.  Part of me says that is very close to sub 3 but I think if I go out on sub 3 pace I will end up crashing.  I think at this point it would be best to go out and run a solid race to improve my PR then hopefully build on that for a sub 3 attempt next year.  I just didn't get the training to the level I needed this year to make a serious attempt at sub 3.  A lot of this will depend on the weather and how I feel tomorrow. I just hope I can run smart and enjoy the results of the training.

32:08 (8:02 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 4.00
Comments(1)
Race: Rocket City Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:06:33, Place overall: 65, Place in age division: 11
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.0026.20

First off it was a PR by over 11 minutes so I am very happy with the result.  The weather was pretty good.  It was around 38 at the start but the wind was picking up.  The wind turned out to be a factor as a lot of areas were exposed especially going out.  I ended up running a very even race.  It was the best finish that I have ever had in a marathon. I passed a lot of people coming in and I didn't get passed by anyone after the half way mark.  I felt like I started off with a good pace and just tried to stay patient on the first half and especially in the wind.  At around 18 miles I was feeling good and thought I might actually be able to increase my pace but those miles ended up being about the same as my earlier miles.  Around mile 24 I got a bad cramp in my left calf and I was worried that it might be a big problem.  I slowed down some and tired to relax it and it got better.  I was able to slowly increase the pace again and got back on pace for miles 25 and 26.  This is not a big marathon so it was spaced out very quickly and that made the wind tougher since it was hard to get into a group that could work together.  I found one guy that I worked with for a couple of miles but then he dropped back.  Deep down I thought that I might be able to go under 3:05 today but with the wind it just wasn't going to happen.  I am very happy that I ran under 3:10 because that is the open qualifing standard for Boston so now I don't have to use my age handicap to get in and that is a good feeling.  This got me one step closer to the sub 3 goal but I still have some work to do.  At least now it is in sight.  Here are my splits for the race:

 

1 - 7:13

2 - 7:04

3 -7:02

4 -7:05

5 - 7:01

6 - 7:06

7, 8 - 14:14

9 - 7:08

10 - 7:07

11 - 6:56

12, 13 - 14:08

14 - 7:14 (very windy)

15 - 7:10 (very windy)

16 - 7:09 (uphill)

17 - 7:08 (uphill)

18 - 6:54 (downhill)

19 - 7:03

20 - 7:10

21 - 7:11

22 - 7:07

23 - 7:12

24 - 7:21 (cramp in calf, thought I was in big trouble but it worked out)

25 - 7:11

26 - 7:07

 

Now I have to get in the car and drive back to Indy.  I'm guessing I will be very stiff by the time I get there.

 

Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 26.20
Comments(10)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

I got out and walked a couple of miles with my wife to loosen the legs up some.  I didn't feel too bad.  The legs were a little sore but better then my other marathons.  I am still going to take a few days off and recover before getting back into it.  

 I did take some time to reflect on the race yesterday and some things that I learned.  First, I did a much better job of staying fueled for this race.  In the past I have gotten a little sick taking Gels but this time I didn't take any Gatorade during the race and took three gels and it didn't bother my stomach at all.  Must be the combination of Gatorade and Gels that caused the problems in the past.  Secondly, I think running several shorter races leading up to the marathon really helped me.  The last half marathon that I ran gave me a good indication of my fitness and really helped me establish realistic goals for this race.  In the past I have not raced as much and I think it hurt me on getting the right pace established that I could maintain all the way to the finish.  It was my 4th marathon so I guess I am still learning and sometimes it takes me awhile to figure these things out.  

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

After 4 days off after the marathon I thought I would get back out again today and see how I felt.  I have been feeling good and came out of the marathon in pretty good shape.  It was cold today with a wind chill of around 18.  Today was the first day I had to wear tights.  That is good for Indiana.  I started off easy and felt good.  The legs seemed to be in good shape but I did have some pain in my right hamstring.  It was nothing that effected my running but was just noticeable.  I am planning on running again tomorrow then take a couple of more days off while we visit the family over the weekend for Christmas.  Next week I plan on going back to running everyday.

39:20 (7:52 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

It was a nice day today around 33 but very little wind.  I just did another easy 5 miles as I continue to recover from the marathon.  I felt really good today and the right hamstring was much better.  It was one of those days where I felt like I could have pushed it but thought I should stay smart and keep it easy for awhile.  Now I am heading to Kentucky for the weekend to have Christmas with my family so planning on taking the next couple of days off then sort of back to normal next week.

38:15 (7:37 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Back home from a weekend visiting the family.  This morning my wife went out early to finish up some Christmas shopping so I ran on the TM so I could be home with the girls.  I just ran easy but felt good after the weekend off.  I feel like I have recovered nicely from the marathon and I'm ready to get back into the training mode.  This week will be tough because of Christmas but I will try to get in a normal week of running.  Next week I hope to be back to more normal mileage.

47:10 (7:52 avg)

Brooks Axiom Miles: 6.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Today we went to Cincinnati to see the Nutcraker and do some Christmas shopping so I didn't have much time to run.  I was glad to get a few miles in today.  I felt good and ran easy.  I wanted to try to get a full week this week to get back in the swing of things after the marathon.  I should be able to get the next couple of days in but will not run on Christmas so it should be close to a full week of running.  Had a great time today with the family and glad to be able to have some time off to enjoy the Christmas break with the girls.

38:30 (7:42 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

It was warmer today (35) but windy so it felt quite a bit colder.  I ran out and back on 300S.  It was into the wind going out so was cold but had the wind to my back coming back and felt much better.  I felt good today and again just took it easy.  I ran faster coming back with the wind but nothing hard.  Since the marathon I have gained almost 5 lbs.  Not running very much and way to much food and sweets.  Hopefully, I can make it through New Year's without picking up any more then get back to normal after the first of the year.  

53:55 (7:42 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 7.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

It was mild this morning (36) but still windy.  I ran out and back again on 300S so into the wind out and with the wind back.  I felt good again today and picked up the pace as I went along.  I don't plan on running tomorrow but hope to go a little longer on Sat.  Starting to feel like I am getting back into the routine.

60:25 (7:33 avg)

Brooks Axiom Miles: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Enjoyed a great Christmas yesterday with the family.  I fell truly blessed.  

It was 32 and very windy today.  I thought the wind would make it feel pretty cold so I dressed warm and think I ended up overdressing.  I ran easy and felt good.  The day off yesterday probably helped that.  I think I am now ready to get back into the training mode so next week I will try to get back to a normal schedule.  I have some time off next week so I will probably have some family activities to work around and hopefully the weather will cooperate.  I feel really lucky compared to many around the country that have a lot of snow to deal with.

1:15:55 (7:36 avg)

Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 10.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.003.000.000.008.00

We got about 4 inches of snow last night and the roads were in rough shape so I stayed in on the TM today.  Just to break up the boredom I added 3 MP miles at the end of the run.  I felt kind of sluggish today.  It might be from my horrible diet the last week. I love Christmas time but I need to do a better job of watching what I eat during this time.  I hope to be able to get outside tomorrow when they get the roads cleared.

59:15 (7:25 avg)

Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 8.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

It warmed up some today (28) but the sun was out so that melted a lot of the snow.  I just ran easy today down 300S and back.  It was into the wind going out so felt a little cold but felt good coming back.  I had some pain in my right calf which came out of nowhere and hurt for about a mile then got better.  Not sure what that was about but since it got better the last half hopefully it is not a problem.  I hope the snow stays away the rest of the week. I really want to be able to go outside instead of the treadmill.

68:48 (7:39 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 9.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

It was 32 today with some wind.  I am already tired of the wind this winter and we have a long way to go.  I just ran easy today.  I felt good.  No problems today so the pain I had yesterday must have been a random cramp or something.  I ran after eating a big lunch so felt kind of bloated the whole way.  Too much Sushi.

54:33 (7:48 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 7.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.004.000.000.008.00

It was a little warmer today (34) and not as windy but there was a misty rain/snow.  I have been trying to run some faster stuff since I feel like I have finally built a base to train off of so I ran the last 4 miles today at MP.  I felt good and it didn't feel like I was pushing.  The last 4 miles was around 7:00 pace and it was into the wind.  Starting to feel like I am back in the swing of training.  Hope to go a little longer tomorrow.

 Looking back on the year of running.  Here are the highlights:

- New marathon PR of 3:06:33.  Knocked over 11 minutes off last year's time.

- New half marathon PR of 1:25:58.  About 2 1/2 minutes faster than last year.

- 5k PR of 18:59.  Only ran the one 5k and it was early in the spring.

- 2643 miles this year. About 100 more than last year.

- The biggest blessing was that I stayed injury free all year.

I would like to thank everyone on the blog that has helped me this year will there comments and advice.  The biggest benefit is just seeing the dedication that you all put in and gives me a great example to follow.  I hope everyone has a great and blessed New Year!

58:46 (7:20 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
120.1841.204.002.00167.38
Acis DS Trainer Miles: 14.18Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 17.00Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 38.00Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 30.00Brooks Axiom Miles: 24.00Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 34.20Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 10.00
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