The Long Run

Nice Monday morning run.  To start out the week, as usual, I did split run inside and outside.  Went to the Y and ran 4.62 miles on the treadmill at about 8:10 pace average.  Did some time on the bike as well as stretching and core work and then headed outside.

Ran another 5.24 miles at 7:38 average pace.  It was cool, sunny and slightly breezy, not too shabby.

I think any tightness and minor aches that were starting on Saturday feel like they are all gone.

Clear, cool, crisp, and sunny at the end.  High 30's start temperature.  Started running just before 7:00.   Took a couple of miles to feel warmed up.   Wanted to take it nice and easy at least at first then run whatever felt right.  I ran on an out and back course up Starkey Blvd along the bike path.   Felt pretty good right before the turnaround.   Sun was up and felt kind of nice while passing the frost covered grass.   Wore my fuel belt and sipped on accelerade once or twice each mile.

Average pace: 7:47

Before starting my Tuesday run it seems like there is too much to still do, but afterwards it all seems manageable.  No speed or tempo tomorrow, just another regular run.

I had a deadline of 8:00 to be back home so I had to get up a little bit earlier.  Didn't feel like starting out in the cold so I went to the Y so I could split up my run between inside and outside.   Warmed up on the bike, then did a little bit of stretching and core work.  4.1 miles on the treadmill at just under 8:00 pace.   On the way into the Y I ran into David and was chatting with him for a bit.   So, by the time I was all done with the treadmill and ready to start my outside portion I saw the time was 7:10.   I had wanted a total of 10 miles for the morning but now I wasn't sure if I would make it.

I decided I'd go out as far as I could get in 20 minutes and then turn around, if the return trip was faster I'd circle around the parking lot until 7:50 and then go home.  Just ran and didn't look at the pace and tried not to go into "tempo mode".  First mile ended up at 7:31, then the next 4 right about 7:00.   Felt good.  Just missed getting in 10 miles but I'll make that up tomorrow.

Made it home in time.   Jenny went for her run and I took the boys to school.  Busy day today with Jenny's Mom and sister coming into town for the Disney Princess race this weekend, which they are all going to run together.  If all goes well, maybe Jenny will help her mom knock 30 minutes off her half marathon time (without being too pushy :)  ).

Ran one loop around the neighborhood then headed out to Trinity Oaks neighborhood, and then back home.  Shins felt a little bit tight for the first few miles but gradually loosened up.  Weather was great.  Able to think about things and really enjoy the run.

It was one of those runs which started out so-so but then got better until I felt great at the end.  Hope for more runs like this.

Average pace: 7:38

Also, I should have blogged this earlier as I'm pretty sure I had more to write about it.

Easy 10 miles this morning with Joe. Met up in Starkey park just after 6:30. Started out slow, got a little bit faster but kept it at an easy pace. Very nice morning, not cold at all, sunny and clear.  On the way back we saw Nelson at a water stop so he ran with us for the last 2 miles. 

Average pace: 8:20

Big week of running next week.

After the run, abbreviated social hour, then headed home to get ready to go to Orlando.

Disney Princess Half Marathon -

I went out to Orlando with my family and Jenny's Mom (Cindy) and sister Amy on Saturday.  We woke up bright and early and were heading into Epcot just after 5:00 am.   The weather was very reasonable, just slightly cool but was going to be warming up.  Jenny, Amy and their mom were going to run this race together.  Jenny's mom ran the Disney half marathon last year.  It was her first half marathon and a year prior to that had not ever really run much before.  Last year she ran into some fueling problems and came pretty close to having to drop out, but managed to finish just under the three and a half hour time limit.

This year went much better.  Goal was to come in under 3 hours, but any significant improvement would be a success.  I saw them at the four mile point and had seen that as of the 5k point, they were a little bit a head of schedule.   The 10K update showed them losing some time.  The boys and I saw them again at about 8 miles and Jenny's mom was looking a little more tired.  Then, I received the 15K pace alert and it showed them making some time back up and were on track for 2:57!  

The next four miles were a bit tougher for them.  Jenny and Amy did a great job keeping their mom motivated and would not let her slow down (well, at least not that much!).   They were able to stop and take pictures and really enjoy the race.   The race was not officially closed to men but there were less than 200 men running, about 5900 women.  Jenny's mom said that was kind of nice to not have to deal with men doing things that guys often do on race courses.

The boys and I staked out a spot at the 13 mile marker and waited.  I was watching the clock but I didn't know exactly when there start time was.  At about 3 hours I saw them coming around the corner, we gave a big cheer and watched them go by.  Cindy was able to pick it up and run to the finish - a big difference from last year.

Official time was 3:01:22, just missed 3 but it was a 26 minute PR, and she ended up with 8th in her age group.  Great job Cindy! and to your pacing team of Jenny and Amy!

Since we were going out to dinner late that night at the California grill and then spending the day at Hollywood Studios the next day, I was a bit worried about getting in a 12 mile run on Monday morning.  So, I did 6.1 on the treadmill and would do the rest on the next day.

Ran on the treadmill at the hotel.  Second half of the 12 mile run.  Hot and sweaty since the room did not have great ventilation, but it was good to get it done.

Average pace about 8:20

Back home today, back into routines.  First outdoor run since start of daylight savings time.  It was actually nice to run a good part of it in the dark.  Running from darkness, to dawn, to the sun up (but not too high).  Left from home and did the out and back route up Starkey Blvd and part of the way into Alico pass.  For some reason I thought I was supposed to be doing 12.  I started out thinking I would just do 10 (to trick myself into getting out the door).   When I got to the 5 mile point I thought why not go out another half mile?  I might have gone a little bit farther but I had to get back in time to be on time for my dentist appointment.

Run felt comfortable and easy.  Averaged 7:47 pace.

Busy day today - 11 mile run, dental appointment, and then massage! and lots of work to try and catch up between that stuff.

Made it through the day ok taking one thing at a time.  Of course, having the massage to look forward to made things a lot easier!

 My sister-in-law Amy posted a great race report about the Disney Princess half marathon, with pictures and everything!

Finally catching up with my blog.  Joe and I headed to the track to do 1600 repeats along with warm up and cool down for a total of 10 miles.   I hadn't been to the track in quite some time (probably not since September).

It was dark and foggy at the start.  Breathing was harder than normal.  I ran into this at the 5K that I did in December.   First repeat was a few seconds slower  than I wanted but the other ones got better - 6:18, 6:14, 6:12, 6:11

I think on a better day I might have been able to go faster and not felt so labored but it's good to try this every so often just to see where I am at.  Great confidence booster.  Today, I got the job done.

It was great to have Joe along for the company.  This was his first time ever going to a track and he did very well, finishing each repeat either next to me or not too far behind.

A good thing happened to me this morning (I need to watch the use of the word "good" my ten year old son has been on my case about it telling me that it is not a very descriptive word).   This "good" thing was that I wanted to run.  I didn't have to push away any thoughts of "here we go again (in an Eeyore voice), another 11 miles"  

I went to the Y, warmed up on the bike then did some crunches and stretches on the ball before getting onto the treadmill.  4.25 miles at about 8:05 pace average then headed outside.

Earlier this week, Eric sent an email to Joe and I recommending a section of trail with some hills on it.   It's on the Suncoast trail, but about 30 miles north from where we usually run.  So, Joe and I decided to try it out for our 20 mile run.  Joe picked me up about 5:30, and a little bit after 6:00 we arrived at the trail entrance.   It was still pretty dark but there was some light from the moon.

We got moving and the first thing you run over is a pedestrian bridge going over the road, short and steep going up and down.  Continuing on the trail we could tell it was rolling terrain, not too bad, but more than what we usually run on.   Started out kind of slow, and gradually got faster, by mile 5 we were just at a 9:00 pace.  I was wearing a blinking red led light on my arm in case there were bikes out for an early ride, but we didn't see a single one for quite some time - not until it was light out.

There was a good size hill at about 7 miles then it seemed to flatten out slightly, but still with some more hills , just spaced out farther.   Finally, made it to 10 miles.  I went just a little bit farther to see what was over the next hill.  I saw a  Hill sign, which was odd since this hill didn't seem any different than any of the others.  On the highway, I could see a sign for the last exit.  I was tempted to keep going, thinking there might be a place to refill the water bottles, but that would have extended the run to 23 or 24 miles.  Turned around, wondering how my legs would continue to hold up.   Still feeling good at 11 miles.  Maybe about 14 miles I could feel some fatigue setting in.  It didn't seem to slow me down, but I could feel it.

A little bit before 14 miles we saw the first runner we had seen, it was Eric, out for a 12 mile run.   He turned around and continued back with us.   It was light out and we could see all the scenery that we missed when it was dark.  I wished I had my phone so I could take some pictures, it was different from what I am used to around here with the rolling landscape.

With about 5 miles left to go I was a little worried I might start having a hard time.   There was no water along the trail, just what you could carry.  I had two 10 oz bottles with accelerade so I was trying to stretch that out to make it last.   If it had been any warmer out I would have needed more.

At mile 18 I started to feel good.  I didn't even notice the hills anymore.  Hit 19 miles, still good, then made it to 20 just before the pedestrian bridge that we started out crossing.  Finished up with 20.3 miles because I had gone a little farther.  It was great to run with Eric and Joe.   I knew that at any minute Eric could have easily taken off and picked up the pace a lot but instead decided to stick with us. 

Average pace: 8:11

Hung out for a bit in the parking lot, trying to loosen up before getting back into the car. This trail head was pretty nice, with lots of parking and a real bathroom with chilled water fountains and sheltered picnic tables.  Definitely would come back here again.

Cool but very humid this morning - in fact a pretty thick fog.  Started out slow until I felt more warmed up.   Headed out of our neighborhood to Thousand Oaks and then over to the Y where I had a quick pit stop and topped off my water.  Headed back across the street to Kinsmere, did a big loop in there before heading over towards Thousand Oaks East, and then home.  I picked up the pace but never felt super good.  Seems harder to breathe with the higher humidity.  I did pick up the last mile to marathon pace.

Average pace: 8:01

Out of town today in Nashua, NH on business.   Woke up just after 5:00 am so I'd have time to put in at least 7 miles.  Stayed at the Crowne Plaza there which has an excellent fitness center.   Ran on the treadmill and took it easy.  Each piece of cardio equipt. has its own TV with controls built onto the treadmill.   Plugged in my headphones and flipped through the channels while I ran.  

I think this was the longest I have ever run on a treadmill on one shot.  As part of taking it easy, I did not put the incline up to 1.0 like I usually did although I did bump it up to 2.0 for 3 times at a half mile each for some variety.   Felt good afterwards and glad I didn't blow off  my run due to travel.

Another pretty good tempo run this morning.  A little bit anxious about this one due to traveling the day before with a very early morning and not the best diet during the day (it is hard for me to pass up a slice of peanut butter pie!).  Woke up just after six, quick warm up on the bike then started my run.  Warmed up with two easy miles to get to Starkey Blvd. then started the tempo run.  Felt pretty good (not the best ever, but not the worst), also felt in control in that if I saw my pace slow down a bit I could speed it back up without overtaxing myself.  Weather was great, with only a little wind for part of the run.

Splits were: 6:44, 6:43, 6:38, 6:46, 6:47, 6:39, 6:35

Then cooled down with 3 more miles at an easy pace, except for the last mile which was closer to marathon pace.

Sill one day behind on writing my blog!  Not sure if I'll get a run in today, maybe a short one once I get to Moab if it is not too late.

Didn't get a run in yesterday, so I made sure to get one in this morning.  Ran out 2.5 miles with Lester from the hotel to the river.  Lester headed back and then I continued on.  Not sure which way to go, I eventually found my way to a nice new bike path running along the river.  Ended up going a little bit farther than planned (was aiming for 8 miles), but it was a really nice morning and I was taking the pace pretty easy. 

Average pace: 8:21

Fortunately, I don't think I have noticed at all being at 4000 feet vs. my usual 50 feet of elevation at home!

I'll try and take it easy for the rest of the day.

Today was quite an adventure, actually the week has been pretty busy as well.  After yesterday's run we spent some time sightseeing and hiking.  Didn't seem too strenuous at the time but may have affected me a little bit.   Arrived at the buses about 7:45, everything was very well organized.  Hung out for a bit at the drop off point before heading over to the starting area.  It was a little bit chilly but it was time to drop off the sweats onto the trailer, so it was a good time for a warm up.  I saw a woman wearing an FRB singlet so I introduced myself and said hi.  She was Carolyn from Colarado, we chatted for just a bit before splitting off for our warm ups.  I wished I had an FRB shirt also.  I knew there were probably other bloggers there as well and I've been enjoying reading their race reports.

While doing my warm up, I didn't feel quite as good as I did before my last half marathon.  I pushed that thought aside and tried to stay positive.  As the time got closer, I lined up near the 7:00 pace sign.   There were a lot of unknowns today so I wasn't sure what was going to happen, not sure if the altitude would affect me, or the later start, or perhaps the traveling or maybe the hiking yesterday, but I was hoping to do my best and see what happened.  Earlier that morning, Jenny had called me to let me know she had done really well at her 5K, a huge new PR!  So I was also hoping to do well since she had done so well.

So, the race starts and we slowly (at first) move to the start line.  People were lined up pretty well, but there are always a few people to go around.  I was hoping for a nice fast start for the first mile going downhill.  My legs were not moving quite as fast as what the effort felt but it was still right on pace at 6:47, then 6:47 for the next mile.  First 4 miles were good, but it felt a little bit tougher.  5th mile started feeling harder, and about halfway through I found myself starting to slow down and starting to feel like giving up.   Now, giving up 5 miles into a half marathon on a point to point course is pretty much ridiculous because you still have to get back.  Then something good happened, a small group of people passed me.  This was good because I was able to pick things back up and fall in behind them.  So I kept on going, not yet ready to give up.

Mile 6 was pretty good also, still hanging on , finishing with a 6:49.  Now, it was bargaining time, just make it to the halfway point on pace and see what happens.  So, I did, halfway point and I was still ok.  But then my pace started to slip and before I knew it I was way off pace.  I managed to stop the slide and as I got close to the end of mile 7, I gave it all I had to get back under 7 minutes, which I did barely at 6:57.  I was hoping that momentum would carry me on, but that did not work out so well.   Mile 8 was 7:14.

Not sure how I did it, but mile 9 came in at 6:57.  So, I wasn't done yet, there was still hope.  Part of me was wondering if I was affected by the altitude and I would be smart to slow down the pace so as to not totally blow it or if I was just being a baby and should keep pushing.

The next mile started out pretty good, but I really slowed down going up the hill at about 9.4 miles, picked up some speed on the way back down, but still ended up with a 7:13.

The next few miles were about survival, until very near the end when I picked it up for the final tenth of a mile.

When I saw the finish clock, I was surprised that it was still a pretty good time.  A little disappointed that it was 1:50 slower than my last half marathon but still glad that I ran a decent race considering I wanted to give up at mile 5!

I took a gel just before the start of the race and I did take gatorade at each aid station but I probably should have taken another gel about mile 8 or 9.

Splits recap: 6:47, 6:47, 6:48, 6:45, 6:57, 6:49, 6:57, 7:14, 6:57, 7:13, 7:12, 7:11, 7:09, 0.11@6:41

It was quite an exciting race overall.  The scenery was spectacular and I loved the drummers at about 10 miles.  This was also very different from anything I have ever run before.

After the race, I ran a 1 mile cool down, which I think helped.  I also got one of the free 10 minute massages they were giving out.

It felt like forever since I last ran - until I actually started running.  Legs a little bit sore in the quads from Saturday's race but not too far off from normal.  I felt pretty good this morning when I woke up despite having taken the red eye back on Sunday night and going straight to work.  It was also a lot of fun (NOT!) driving through the unexpected snow (storm?) on US 6 someplace between Price and Spanish Fork.  It was coming down heavy for a while and depending on the altitude switched between snow mixed with rain and snow.  Fortunately it was warm enough where it wasn't sticking and so it was just hard to see through coming down, not hard to drive through as far as traction goes.

Anyway back to the run, I went to the Y (on Thursday I finally saw the "Y" that Sasha once told me about, up on the side of a hill near Provo, I could see the trail going up to it from the road, looked pretty tough, if only I had more time!) this morning warmed on the treadmill with 4.18 miles at about 8:13 pace, then headed outside for another 7.03 miles at 7:41 pace.  It felt surprising cool outside.

One big push through this week and then I'll start easing back a little bit in preparation for Boston, although next week should be still fairly high mileage.

I ran with Joe this morning.  Originally, this was supposed to be more of a threshold run, but due to Saturday's race I thought about just a straight easy run.   However, it worked out pretty well, because usually Joe and I split up after the warm up and we do our own paces, but instead today we ran together.  

After a couple easy warm up miles, we got on pace, and averaged 7:13 over 6 miles.  The run felt good.  I think almost all of my race soreness is gone now.

The weather was perfect this morning, just cool enough so as to not overheat.

I woke up a little bit early and headed down to the Lansbrook YMCA so I could run up the bike trail along East Lake Rd. and then into a neighborhood to do some hills.  Since I was there, I warmed up on the stationary bike, then did two sets of ball crunches, followed by 2.12 miles on the treadmill at about an 8:30 pace average.  (slow start followed by some speed variations until settling into a 7:50 pace for much of the second mile).

Next, I headed outside and over to the bike trail.  The sun was just up and it was a little breezy, very nice running weather.  Went up the trail to the end, about 3.5 miles, then into the neighborhood with hills in it for (about) another 3.5 miles.  The hill portion went by pretty quickly.  They aren't giant hills but enough to get your heart rate up by the time you get to the top.  I picked up some speed, exited the hilly area and finished up that mile in 6:58, then I slowed it down for the return trip.   Total distance outside was 10.42 miles, average pace 7:34.

Returned back home and did a pretty decent stretching routine and a couple sets of push ups.

One more pretty big weekday run.  Tomorrow off, then 20 on Sunday, then I start cutting back slowly.

I did things a little bit differently.  I started running from my house and headed to the YMCA, just over 4 miles.  I then did 5.2 miles on the treadmill inside at about a 7:40 pace average.  Got off the treadmill and then ran back home.  Round trip on the outside portion was 8.28 miles.  Run went by pretty quickly this way which was good and when I was finished, I didn't have to drive home.

Feel pretty good about this week's miles considering that I started out the week a little bit jet lagged and slightly sore from the half marathon, but now I don't feel at all run down.

Weather continues to hold on to its niceness, going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Jenny is doing one more  half marathon, tomorrow.  It's being held in Starkey park which should be interesting since we both run there quite a bit (although usually not together) - it's definitely a very flat course.  She is going to run with at least one of her friends.  I was tempted to run it also, but that is not very easy to arrange so I'm happy to spectate.

Rode up with Joe to Brooksville to run on the Suncoast parkway trail there to get in a run on some rolling terrain.  It had been raining that morning earlier but seemed to be letting up.  When we got to the start of the trail the rain had pretty much stopped.  Run started right at 6:01.  At about 6:02 it started to rain again.  Not bad at first, but then it kept on getting heavier and heavier.  After about 10 minutes, it was really coming down pretty hard.   The rain kept on getting worse.  It was probably the worst rain I had been in.  Probably a solid hour of rain before it started to let up.

Once the rain stopped and it got light out it turned into a pretty decent run.

At about 16 miles my legs were feeling kind of tired.  Able to keep on going and even picked up the pace a bit.  Last 8 miles were under 8:00.

Shoes were very soaked and it turned out I didn't really need to worry about carrying extra water!  I was pretty wiped out after the run, but it was great to get the last 20 miler in before the marathon.

Average pace: 8:18

Woke up right at 6:00 and did a pretty good job of not dawdling.  Went to the Y and did a warm up on the bike.  I went to turn on my music but it did not go on.  No music today, just like Sunday.  Got onto the treadmill for 4.20 miles at about 8:00 pace, then headed outside.   Very nice weather with a bit of cloud cover.  Felt good for most of the run although right hip became a little achey on the last mile so I backed it down a bit.  Second to last mile was the fastest mile.  Outside average pace: 7:36

 I just realized I accidentally put Sunday's run onto last Sunday, I should go fix that up.