Random Inspirational Quote

OFF - still reverse tapering / recovering

PM: shake out run - 4x400m at about HMP and 4x100m bursts.  5.25mi. -  40:36.

Half marathon in Seymour, IN - great weather and flat course.  This is a smaller race, and coincides with the big one in Indy, so I'm usually running near the front.  Its a nice course with lots of turns through the town of Seymour and a brief out and back past the local vineyard. 

Similar story this year - from the start of the race, I could tell I'd be solo in third all race.  I ran close to what my PR was from last fall, but started to struggle after 10 miles.  The course was short by about 0.1 by my GPS:

6:02, 17, 06, 08, 11, 08, 12, 18, 20, 12, 15, 24, 05

Had a solid finishing mile but really lost time from mile 8 through 12.  Cummulative fatigue probably the culprit - 2 marathons and 2 half marathons in last 30 days. 

12.97 miles - 1:20:31

PM: Brown County State Park trail run of some of the scary parts of the upcoming 50 miler.  Trails are riddled with bushwacking, briars, and treacherously steep climbs for probably 40-50% of the course.  Tentative goal for next Saturday - 8 hours... if today was any indication, my first objective will be to not get lost, second is to got out at a very relxed effort for the first part of the epic journey.  today was 7.2 miles in 1:20 :)   

easy 6 mi - 51min.

PM1: 2 easy

PM2: Tuesday track workout with Quaff guys and lots of other folks.  These things have become fun with a lot of people showing up every week.  We did the short workout today - 4x200, 2x400, 800, 2x400, 4x200 at target 5k pace - so we were 80sec / 400m range for all. The big DWD Gnaw Bone races are this weekend.  I'm running the 50 miler, and the other guys are doing the 100k relay.  The course looks fun... :)

http://dwd.runningfitsites.com/images/GnawBone/all-profiles.pdf

Off - taper and cummulative soreness from spring races is still lingering a bit.

easy 2.44 miles - 20:15.  Tapering and getting scared for this Saturday.  Carb loading

Carb loading.  preparing for pain

6:15a start in Brown County at Mike's Dance Barn (really an open field next to Brown County State Park).  Fueling plan: Carried a fuel belt with 10 gels and dropped my 3 prepared SAG station care packages for myself - a bottle of light gatorade mixed with water with 2 gels taped to them.  Lessons learned on this to come when I update this with full entry with GPS data.

50.03 mi. GPSed - 9:33:43 for a 5th (or 6th) place finish.  I was delirious from about mile 42 through 50, so I think I got passed in the last 0.25 mi. by the first place female... more to come.

DWD 50 Miler

The course goes out about 5miles from the start line to a loop that's about 20 miles around Brown County State Park.  A lot of mud, water and up and down, though its mostly covered beautiful forest, so not much exposure.  There was a steady downpour during the first half of the race that felt amazing!!  I wouldn't say it got hot, but it was enough to need to stay on top of hydration.

I had to  switch watches with one of the Quaff guys since my 410 does not have enough battery life.  See link above - there's a lot of data! :)  I did not dip under 11 minute pace after mile 28.  After mile 38, I was walking about 0.5 of every mile.

6666 feet of climbing.  Looks like I dipped into the 14 minute range after 38 miles.  I remember this point of the day - I was in desperate need of fluids with the next aid station 2 more miles away.  Once I had downed a bunch of fluids and calories there, I felt like I could continue.  So, with the amount of calories that you HAVE TO take in throughout the day, it also becomes a struggle to not get the side stitches.  This became the story of the rest of the day - make it to the next aid station and work through the side/gut stitches that come with eating solid food while trying to run.  It was like a car running on fumes in to the next gas station.  Refuel, run okay for a couple of miles and then back down to low point or deep breathing trying to get rid of side stitches.

At this point, I am def. going to say this is my first and last "effort" of this distance!  Very hard.  My hat is off to the people that do these things (and longer) on a regular basis - it is a different level of toughness!!

I'm not really sure how long this will take to completely recover from... 

Off - barely making it around  today.  Stairs are very difficult and painful.

easy bike - feels good to get my legs moving and blood flowing.  11.5 miles in 50:30.  Still tough to walk up and down stairs.  Did some light core stuff - abs only.

easy 8 miles on the bike - 30 minutes.  Sloooooowly recovering.

Wow - painful shuffle - 10 minute pace feels pretty excrutiating.

a little easier today - not quite as excrutiating.  1 mi. in about 10 minutes.

moderate PM run - went out and legs actually felt wonderful (compared to how they have felt recently).  Decided to push it a little bit.  4mi. mod. - 28:40.  Weight is a bit high, but that's to be expected with little running and eating (alot). Good to be back out running, though!

AM easy run: beautiful morning and my legs are finally back (enough) from saturday to be able to run.

5mi. - 43:40. 

PM1: intervals on the bike trainer - 10x0.5mi. hard efforts.  Started at around 27mph, and finished at about 32 mph.  9 mi. total - 23:00

PM2: The wife and had the parents come up and watch the kid, so my wife could get a long and well deserved night out.  We used the free night's stay at a local fancy hotel from a race prize from last year.  Since we were literally staying in a hotel about 5 minutes away from our house, the wife went home briefly to put the kid to bed.  Don't think he would've cooperated with her parents for this task... anyway, I got in an easy 4 loops around MillRace Park while she did that.  No watch, nice weather, legs feeling a little tired from actually doing stuff this morning and cummulative from previous month.  Slow jog, about 4.5 miles.

Fun evening out turned in to sour stomach and general tiredness near the end of the run today.  PM - easy longish run. 65 degrees and sunny.  Very nice day.  12mi. - 1:31:55.  Back to work this week.  

PM: wow - really tired today.  3.2 miles - pretty slow.  Nice day out - 75 and sunny.

Tues Track w/ group: 8 x [400 @ 5k /  200 @ 1 mi. w/ 200m jog recoveries]

My garmin's autopause makes these workouts impossible - forgot to turn it off.  We kept the 400s at about 80 (most were under), and the 200s @ less than 37.  I went hard on the last one and came up with a 28.  Hot days are here - it was about 80 deg., humid and sunny.  Great to do some non-marathon training for fisrt time in a while.  Jogged a couple more while waiting on pizza after leaving.

7.51 mi. total - 54:42

early PM: off half a day for Tiff's minor surgery.  easy 6 mi. - 51:15.  Its hot!!  Almost 90

Went out for a light bit of mile pace work today during what I have deemed to be another recovery week.  6x200m at mile pace and I am feeling why this should've been a recovery week all along.  They hurt... every one except the last two reps.  Average at about 4:55/mile pace, and my legs did not feel well.

5.27 miles total - 40:48 

PM easy miles chatting with Jeff and trying to find the trails surrounding Grandview Lake (unsucessfully).

5.31 miles - 52:08

Triple header today in CR Series.  3 races, 3 cities, one day.  AM weather was about 55 degrees and nice and cool in the woods.  by noon, it got a little warm and definitely sunny.

First race at 8am in Brown County - 4 mile trail race.  Pretty technical and lots of steep up and down.  some of the climbs were walking hills, and then some of downs were a controlled falling.  2 water crossings and lots of roots and loose stuff.  Fun and a solid effort for an 8th place finish.  3.98 mi. GPSed in 30:51

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506098108

Race number 2 at noon in Seymour, IN on flat concrete course.  sun is out, with no cover anywhere- it got hot for this one.  An out and back course with a few turns.  I struggled with my normal pace after 1 mile.  Pretty indicative of some still fatigued legs requiring more recovery.  The trail race earlier in the day didn't help either.  5:41 first mile, and then fell apart.  Really hurt at 6:05 and then 6:15 pace for nect 2 miles.  Think I was about 8th place again in 18:45.  A fellow Quaff runner did however run a huge PR - 16:43 for Mr. Tim Proctor.  This guy is in his mid 40's and I used to be competitive with this guy!  :)  Stuck around to wait for the $100 door prizes they were giving away and got a massive sunburn.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506098152   

Race number 3 was a 1 miler around a city park in Columbus at 5pm - shaded with several hairpin turns, some slowing gravel and twists in the path and, well, only a mile.  I did the only real smart thing I had done all day after the 5k, and put some ice on my legs for about 20 minutes.  Stuck it out through the pain that is mile pace and finished strong (at least).  about 8th place in 5:18.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/506245681

Solid day, and very fun, on some still recovering legs. 

Spent the day doing some long overdue work around the house - pathcing holes, digging the weeds, etc... nursing this sunburn from yesterday too.

Today, my legs felt like I had run 3 faster races yesterday, 2 weeks after a 50 miler preceded by a hard racing month.  6.16 miles shuffling at 8:30 pace.  Core and leg strength stuff for anbout 10 minutes.  Been eating alot.  I have 10 pounds to lose over the summer.

Happy Memorial Day.  Special thanks to all who have sacrificed and continue to do so. 

Off work today - AM long run.  One of my favorites - the Grandview course.  House to Grandview Lake, 7 mile loop around the lake, and back home.  kept it nice and controlled on a sore left groin/hip/quad.  Felt decent and even the whole way except for a little bit of pain on the downhills.  Made sure to not make the same mistake as last couple runs of this route - took a gel and a water bottle with me.  Started off at about 60 degrees and was probably 70 and sunny when I got done.  20 miles - 2:37:17. 
 

Feeling a little under the weather since yesterday's long run when I thought I might have had some allergy problems.  The usually itchy eyes and runny nose, but maybe acold to boot?  I don't know - either way, I could barely keep up with today's workout.  Called it quits after 2 reps of 400m @ 5k, 800m at MP.  Pretty hot, and a lot of people out there today.  I even sounded a lilttle congested when talking.

Jogged around the track the rest of the workout. 

5.22 miles - 39:25 total

run home from work - Seymour to Columbus.  Took half a day off to burn some accrued personal time that will turn into dreaded sick time PTO.  pretty warm - about 80 degrees.  I was feeling pretty good at the begininng of the run and throughout the day after feeling pretty crappy yesterday.  Kept it around 8min./mile most of the way. struggled at the end when I ran out of water (carrying a water bottle) and my watch died on me.  Nice enjoyable run until that point. 

Now, I think I started over on recovering from this stupid cold/allergy stuff... 

19.3 mi. - 2:38

AM - long run back in to work from the house - left the house shortly before 5 am hoping to get to work at 7:30a.  Enjoyable run, since it was about 20 degrees cooler than yesterdays run home.  First 1.5 hours in the dark and it was little foggy.  Had the headlamp (uncomfortably) on over my manky old hat.  It was a relief totake that off.  Carried a water bottle and a couple of gels, which I was extremely thankful for near the end of the run.  I was rewarded this morning with a beautiful morning, weather wise and very little traffic for most of the run.  I did have to make a #2 pit stop (under a local steel grated bridge) :).  No attacking dogs or mean vehicles today, surprisingly.

Again, kept it around 8 min / mile.  Feeling pretty decent compared to yesterday and considering that my volume is getting up there in a hurry with these runs.

AM: easy 3 miles before work - about 8:45/mile.

pm easy 30 mi utes- hot and sunny at 4pm

Quaff is doing a 24 hour relay to try and raise money for cancer.  Each group of 5-6 people is to run 3 x 2 hour sessions spread out over 24 hours. Our goal for the 24 hours is to run 240 miles total.  At 6min./mile average, we all keep a close watch on the capabilities of each of our groups and run intervals accordingly.

Our first session: 6AM-8AM: wonderful weather - the sunrising to start our session was awesome.  About 55 degrees and nice and low humidity.

This first one essentially a track session with full recoveries.  Our group of 5 people wound up doing 3x1mi. and 2x800m each within our first 2 hour window.  We have 2 more 2 hour sessions of somehting like this today - one at 2pm and one at 10pm.  We turned in to pretty solid efforts.  Its hard to resist going a little faster with alot of people around watching, too :)

3x1mi. - 5:30, 5:21, 5:17 with full recoveries (we're talking like 20 minute recoveries, while 4 other people run 1 mile), and then we decided to finish up the 2 hours with 800s:

2x800m - 2:25, 2:26

A little harder effort to maintain pace on the 800s than I would've liked, but, hey there were alot of people out there watching...

8.91 mi. total (between mini WUs and cooldowns) - 57:55

more to come at 2pm

Second Set: 2pm-4pm.  85 degrees and sunny - much more difficult in the heat and on somewhat tired legs.  Group decided on 800s this time.  Started off hitting the first couple hard - somebody offered some racing flats that were super light and my size for free, so had to try to run fast wearing them.  First 2 x 800s were 2:26, 2:28... paid the price - the rest hurt - 6x800s: 2:54, 47, 45, 45, 47, 47.  And then somebody got the bright idea of finishing up with a 400m.  Little kids walking around the track (a bunch of people there for other Relay for Life events- walking and kids' stuff)  liked to try and race us (for about 100m)  They actually helped along - 64 for last 400m.  That hurt. 

7.59 miles total - about 53 min.

1 more 2 hour session tonight from 10pm to midnight to finish out the 24 hours.  Wow - I pulled out all the tricks to try and convince my legs that they could move fast enough for some 1mi./800 intervals again.  Could barely hobble around the track once during a WU jog.  We called in some alternates and I enjoyed the conclusion of the 24 hours of running with pizza, coffee, and snacks.  Hats off to my group and about 10 other guys who filled in randomly on top of their group assignments.  268.5 miles total for the 24 hours!! 

The real story was that of all the cancer survivors and families of cancer victims.  One of the girls in my group recently lost her mom to cancer - the relay happened to fall on the day of her mother's birthday also.  On her last lap of her last rep, the DJ (guy running the loud speaker) sent out the dedication song to her mother... and, as she was coming down the home stretch and passed off the baton to the next runner, she broke down in tears.  As her husband consoled her and they held each other by the fence outside of lane 8, the emotion of the moment and the event really hit home with me.