The Long Run

Tampa Police Memorial Run 5K

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Location:

FL,

Member Since:

Mar 20, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

PR's:

  • 1 mile : 5:43 (3/2017)
  • 5K : 18:34 (12/2011)
  • 5 mile : 32:03 (5/2010)
  • 10K : 39:29 (11/2013)
  • 11K: 46:47 (July 2008)
  • Half Marathon : 1:26:47 (11/2012)
  • Marathon : 3:06:34 (02/2010)
  • 50K Trail: 4:34 (01/2012)
  • 50 Mile: 8:34:48 (4/2012)
  • 100K: 11:06 (2/2012)
  • 100 Mile: 24:19:44 (1/2022)

Marathons:

  • Treasure Coast Marathon (FL) - 3:39:51, Mar 2021
  • Towpath Marathon (OH) - 3:35:26, Oct 2019
  • Jacksonville Marathon - 3:31:10, Dec 2018
  • NYC Marathon - 3:49:12, Nov 2017
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:27:00, Oct 2016
  • Utah Valley - Jun 2016
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:28:12, Oct 2015
  • Pocatello Marathon (ID) - 3:32:25, Sept 2015
  • Chasing The Unicorn (PA) - 3:31:20, Aug 2015
  • Run for The Red (Poconos) - 3:30:40, May 2015
  • Boston - 3:24:42, Apr 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:27:04, Jan 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:16:17, Jan 2014
  • Boston  - 3:27:00, Apr 2011
  • DesNews - 3:10:57, Jul 2010
  • Gasparilla  - 3:06:34, Feb 2010
  • Space Coast - 3:11:29, Nov 2009
  • Estes Park  (7500' and up) - 3:52:19, Jun 2009
  • Boston - 3:17:22, Apr 2009
  • Niagara Falls - 3:19:21, Oct 2008
  • San Diego RnR  - 3:24:18, Jun 2008
  • Jacksonville Marathon -3:21:24, Dec 2007
  • Chicago Marathon - 3:35:08, Oct 2007
  • Disney Marathon - 3:52:34, Jan 2007

 

 

 

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

 

  • Sub 40:00 10K
  • 2:59 Marathon
  • 1:25 Half Marathon
  • 18:30 5K

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Maintain my health and continuously seek to improve my fitness. Maybe someday get under 3:00 for marathon. More importantly, I'd like to figure out what my maximum ability is and reach that.

I'd also like to find the right balance in life and use running to enhance and improve myself.

 

Personal:

Dad of  three (welcome Charlotte Dani on 8/10/20) awesome kids and stepdad to three almost as awesome as my own kids.

I have a brown dog named Stella, and three cats - Catty, Tortie, and Esperanza.

  (old lines that were a little out of date but couldn't quite bring myself to removing them completely:) Also, have one wonderful brown dog named Sammy and just added a grey tiger cat (Catty) whose life started out rough but now has a better home.

I've recently started another blog so I can easily add lots of pictures and so other non-FRB users can leave comments:

Forward Progress!

 Also, for 2012 I started a blog to write down each day one thing that I am grateful for

Grateful Blog

 

Love living in Florida but love to travel and see the country and rest of the world.

 

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
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Miles:This week: 20.88 Month: 54.08 Year: 342.30
Brooks T7 Lifetime Miles: 202.78
Brooks ST5 Lifetime Miles: 403.91
GoMeb Speed3 Lifetime Miles: 483.77
Brooks Pure Flow Lifetime Miles: 160.60
Brooks Launch(lobster) Lifetime Miles: 782.98
GoMeb Razor Lifetime Miles: 468.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
229.9521.1018.005.100.000.000.00274.15
Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 76.23Glycerin 8 Miles: 105.28Asics Equation Miles: 28.44Brooks Launch Miles: 64.20
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.080.000.000.000.000.000.009.08

Ran with Jenny this morning for 8 miles, then did a little bit extra on my own after that.  Run went well.  After yesterday's repeats and then race with the lawn mower the top of my left foot was hurting a bit.  I could still feel it a little bit when I started out this morning but it seemed to get better after warming up and then felt pretty good for the rest of the day.  I'm thankful for that.  That, and the nice cool weather and having a running partner who also is my wife.

Average pace: 8:38

 

Did my upper body "better than nothing" workout after the run.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.08
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.207.000.000.000.000.000.0018.20

Coolest morning so far this year, 65 degrees.  Arrived in Starkey Park just before 6:15.  Stopped on the way up there to pick up bags from several runners who had started early.  I had just missed everyone else starting out, so I started out by myself.  I didn't particularly feel motivated at the start of my run but had faith that the run would not stay the same.  I would see things of interest, think about things, see some people along the way and listen to some music.  The sky would go from dark to light, a little foggy to clear and sunny.

Had originally planned on 16, but since it was such a nice morning decided to extend a little bit to 18.  I even briefly entertained the idea of doing 20 but thought that might be getting greedy.

Just before half way through the run I gradually started picking up the pace.

The last 7 miles I averaged about 7:00 pace, with the last mile at 6:40.

Average pace: 7:43

Hung out for a bit, then gave a couple of runners a ride back to their cars.  Felt refreshed and ready to run again.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 18.20
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.380.000.000.000.000.000.008.38

Ran with Dixie in the hilly neighborhood.  Good morning for running, easy pace most of the way with some pickups on the hills then 4 hill sprints up the church driveway on the way back home.

Average pace: 8:12

Did my upper body "better than nothing" workout after the run.

Asics Equation Miles: 8.38
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.630.000.000.000.000.000.009.63

Ran 6.75 miles with Jenny, then almost 3 more on my own.  Good run.

Average pace: 8:25

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.63
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.170.000.000.000.000.000.009.17

Ran with Jenny this morning.   Another cool and wonderful morning for running.  Picked up Jamie along the way, then did 4 miles at Jenny's planned marathon pace (8:15), then another 2 easy.  I finished up with one more mile on my own.

 

Average pace: 8:25

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.17
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.840.000.002.000.000.000.009.84

Chilly morning (for Florida at least, somewhere in the 50's).  Ran with Jenny for about 5 miles.  While we were running, we saw an Armadillo right next to the sidewalk, it turned one way and then the other and then ran right into Jenny and hit her.  She said it kind of hurt and that she felt "dirty" after it ran into her.  It's amazing how many armadillos there are around here, I used to think they were only in Texas.

After we ran together I did 8 x 400m with each one between 1:20 and 1:25.  The last couple were a bit of a struggle, so I stopped at 8. 

 Average pace: 8:18

Going to take another crack at a 5K this Saturday.  Weather should be great, the course is flat.  It's going to be a good size race (I heard 1700), so I'll have to make sure and line up at the front.

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.84
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.370.000.000.000.000.000.009.37

Ran with Jenny, Jamie and Kathryn for 4.5 miles, then did the rest on my own.  Good day for an easy run to take it easy after yesterday's speed and tomorrow's 5k.

Average pace: 8:28

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.37
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Race: Tampa Police Memorial Run 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:18:55, Place overall: 15, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.470.000.003.100.000.000.007.57

18:55 , 15th overall, 1st age group.

Finally made it under 19:00!

Arrived nice and early (about 6:40) as I needed to race day register.  Had a comp entry from David J. whose company was one of the race sponsors.  Also, I usually get lost driving around downtown and can never find a place to park, but I did well this morning and did not have a problem.

Warmed up with a little bit over 2.5 miles.  It was starting to feel warm and I had a hard time at first finding a good place to run without having to go through traffic lights, but finally found a park nearby and ran along the river back and forth on the walkway.

Headed back to the race start and lined up.  The race was in honor of the members of the Tampa police department who have lost their lives.  They had banners which each fallen officer's name and some of the police runners had armbands in remembrance.  The chief of police said a few words, and then the mayor also.  There was a police helicopter flyover and lots of other things, too.  Attendance this year was 3 times what it was last year.

The race started and I almost had some problems between people lined up too far ahead and people behind me who initially went out fast, pushed past me, but then I had to go around - the usual larger race stuff.  In a way it was good because for almost the entire race there was someone not too far ahead that I could catch up to.

Splits - 6:05, 6:11, 6:07, 0:32

(18:54.42 according to chip times printout)

I felt pretty even throughout the run, I slowed down on the second mile but didn't feel slower.  Pushed as hard as I could on the third mile.  My garmin and the mile markers matched up precisely, which I usually don't get for various reasons.

Cooled down after the race with about 2 more miles of easy running.   Food was good, various snacks as well as beans, rice and salad from the Columbia restaurant.  Stuck around for awards and door prizes (although I didn't win anything).  Police chief personally handed out all of the awards as well as finisher's ribbons for all of the kids.  Fun morning and good way to honor those who have given their lives to protect us.

 

   1    15  1839 Mark Palamar             43 Trinity FL           18:54.48  6:06 

 

18:55
Distance5K
Chip Time18:55
Overall Place15 / 1737
Division Place1 / 108
Gdrpl14
Gdrtot806
Divtot108
Pace6:06
LawNo

Brooks Launch Miles: 7.57
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.400.000.000.000.000.000.008.40

Ran in the "hilly" neighborhood with Dixie.  Took it a little bit easier today.  Good run. 

Average pace: 8:24

Did my Monday morning better than nothing upper body workout when I got home.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.40
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.570.000.000.000.000.000.009.57

Slept in until 6:00 instead of usual 5:30.  Ran 3 miles with Jenny before she turned around since she was only doing 4 miles.  I headed over to Trinity Oaks neighborhood and did a loop around Kinsmere before heading back.  It was nice and cool this morning so there was no problem with needing water.  Felt good throughout the run and picked up the pace a bit for the last half mile home.

Average pace: 8:05

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.57
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.130.000.000.000.000.000.0011.13

Ran with Jenny and Jamie, did about 5 miles with Jenny including two at her planned marathon pace.  We were doing pacing practice since she is going to run with the 3:40 group at Nike San Francisco marathon this weekend.   Ran the rest with Jamie except for about the last half mile by myself. 
Wonderful morning for running, good to get a little extra distance in this morning.

Average pace: 8:27

Glycerin 8 Miles: 11.13
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.340.005.000.000.000.000.0010.34

I ran with Jenny for 3 miles, then shortly after that I started on doing 2 x 2mi + 1mi with a goal pace of 6:25.  First set was hard to get to the pace I wanted, but I managed to get there at the end of the first mile, then did about the same on the second mile.

For the second set, the pace was easier to get to and I was able to hold a little bit faster.

I was running a little bit late, so the final mile came in handy to get me back home on time.

Splits: 6:24, 6:23,   6:18, 6:20,   6:19

When I had woken up this morning I wasn't feeling up for any kind of speed work, but with the half-marathon not too far away (10/31), I wanted to get in some longer repeats.  Glad I went ahead and did it.

Average pace: 7:37

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.34
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.200.000.000.000.000.000.0010.20

Woke up a bit earlier to see Jenny before she left for her flight to San Francisco, then got ready shortly after that and headed out on my run.  Met up with Jamie and ran with her the rest of the way except for the last half mile by myself.  Good run, a little bit faster at the end but conversational pace the whole way except for when I had to speed up to get through the gate before it closed.  Another great morning weather-wise also.

Average pace: 8:27

After the run, completed another better-than-nothing upper body workout.

Asics Equation Miles: 10.20
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.020.000.000.000.000.000.0011.02

It felt like a weekday run.  I ran my usual weekday route and did about the same mileage, the weather was cool and pleasant.  Easy pace overall with a gradual speed up to about 7:30 pace the last mile.

Average pace: 7:54

I took the boys to their Tae Kwon Do class in the afternoon.  Usually I'm just there to watch but some times I'm asked to do something.  They were doing some running drills outside and I had to run against my oldest son, a race to a bench and back, about 0.1 miles each way.  I think it was the hardest I have ever run for that distance.  He kept on passing me and then I'd catch up.  I didn't want to just let him win and it looked like he was going to win a few times but he finally faded at the end.  I have a feeling I might not be able to beat him next time!

There was a spectator in the pond next to where they were running, an alligator that the kids had name Pablo


Glycerin 8 Miles: 11.02
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.320.000.000.000.000.000.009.32

Run around the neighborhood, easy pace, great weather, nothing to complain about!

Average pace: 7:58

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.32
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.861.000.000.000.000.000.009.86

Another good run.  Everything was mostly like yesterday, except a little bit farther and slightly faster overall.  Picked it up a bit for the last mile.

A lady walking her dog who Jenny and I see a lot asked me what happened to my running partner.  I told her about Jenny's race in San Francisco.

 So, before I forget, here is a quick recap of Jenny's race at the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon

 Time: 3:42:59

Nearly 16 minutes faster than her last marathon, just 1 minute slower than her best time.  This course was pretty tough with two really big almost 300 foot hills and lots and lots of smaller ones.  There was pouring down rain for the last hour.  At mile 11 she lost the 3:40 pacer, slowed down a little bit but did not fall apart or fade. 

Way to go Jenny!

Asics Equation Miles: 9.86
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.440.000.000.000.000.000.008.44

 My legs were started to feel a little worn out so I decided I would run a little bit shorter than the last two days and try and go a little bit slower or at least not try to go faster.  The run went pretty well and it seemed to help because I felt better after the run than before and felt good for the rest of the day.

Average pace: 8:16

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.44
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.220.006.000.000.000.000.0011.22

Building on to what I did last week, I decided to do a similar workout but add a little bit more on to it.  I wasn't feeling overly energetic or enthusiastic for speed work but decided to just try and get the job done.  After all, it's not a race, you just have to put in the proper effort.

I warmed up with just over 2 miles of easy running, then got started.  Plan was to do 3 X 2mi at about 6:25 pace.  The first mile of the first repeat felt hard and was a little bit slower than planned but the rest of them went well.  They were hard also but were doable. Splits were:

1. 6:32, 6:23

2. 6:23,  6:22

3 6:16, 6:17

It felt similar to last week's 2 X 2 + 1, except the beginning of the second repeat felt harder mentally.  The last mile of the last repeat felt the best.

I'm hoping these 2 mile repeats are what I need for the half marathon on 10/31.

Average pace: 7:24

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.22
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.270.000.000.000.000.000.009.27

I was going to just run with Jamie, but even though Jenny had just gotten back from her marathon, she was ready.  The three of us ran together for about 3 miles, then Jamie ran together for the remainder.  Another beautiful morning for running.  Kept the pace pretty easy.

Average pace: 8:44

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.27
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
13.150.003.000.000.000.000.0016.15

Met up with Dixie in Starkey park a little bit after 6:00 this morning.  Also saw Mike who was starting out, so we ran together for about 5 miles.  Matt joined up with us along the way also.  Dixie and I turned around about 8 miles out then turned around.  We kept the pace easy for most of the running but started speeding up on the way back.  With 3 miles left, decided to try some faster miles, ran the last 3 just under 6:30 pace.  Just before I started the faster stuff I told myself that anything below 6:40 was fine and didn't think I'd be able to go much faster than that.  But, once I started , the pace felt good and I managed to hold it til the end.

Average pace: 7:48

Didn't spend too much time at the social hour but just enough to talk to a few people and congratulate David on his awesome run at Bay State Marathon.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 16.15
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.000.000.000.004.00

On Saturday night we were having dinner at a little pizza restaurant near our house, sitting outside.  My youngest son,  Tom,  noticed a "Games2U" truck driving by.  I said that reminded me that there was a 5K tomorrow at the community college (PHCC).  My oldest son, Andy, said he was interested.  I was a little bit surprised but said ok.  So, we got up early in the morning and I took the two boys to the race.  Originally my youngest was just going to watch.  I figured that would be ok as there would probably be people there we knew.  Jenny was doing her run but was going to try to get there by the start.   Just before the race start, I also signed up Tom because as he did not want to be left out.  But, I told Tom that he would have to run by himself as I promised to run with Andy (although I asked a couple of people I knew that would be running to look out for him).  He said ok.  But, I wasn't sure, these races can turn into a big drama between the two boys.

We did almost a one mile warm up on part of the course.

The race started.  It was a beautiful morning and was a really nice course.  The three of us started together, and about a 1/4 mile out Andy and I started to pull ahead of Tom.  No complaints or drama from Tom, just as promised.  At about 3/4 mile Andy had to stop and tie his shoe.  Tom cruised right by us.  We got going again and passed up Tom and kept on going.  The course was a double loop with some out and backs.  We saw Tom a few times and he was just running along without any problems at all.  Oftentimes there is some complaining, some screaming, and a few walk breaks.

Andy and I stuck to the plan and hit the splits pretty much where we wanted to be.  I tried to push Andy a bit but was careful not to overdo it.  Andy recently had run a 7:20 mile at school.  I had looked up the equivalent 5K time on Runner's World website, which said 24:20 for a 5K.  We came right in at 24:19, a new PR for Andy by 1 minute.

After crossing the line I went back to look for Tom.  He wasn't really that far behind us and came in with an impressive kick, which is always a crowd pleaser due to his smaller size but larger than life look of effort on his face.  Tom's time was 26:40, about a 2 minute PR for him and the very first time he ran a 5K by himself.   Although, it turned out not completely by himself.  There was a 19 year guy he happened to be running the same pace, so they stuck together just about the whole way, which was nice.

Then after the race, they had some pretty good snacks and of course the Games2U truck.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 4.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.200.000.000.000.000.000.008.20

Met up w/ Dixie in the hilly neighborhood.  My legs were feeling beat today so we decided to just take it easy.  Did not do hill strides at the end but added a little extra onto the normal route to make up for it.  It was a bit warmer than it had been but still pretty nice morning for running.

Average pace: 8:47

Did some upper body work after the run (and a little bit of legs,2 sets of squats).

In the evening did some assorted yoga along with the Wii

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.20
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.870.000.000.000.000.000.009.87

Warm enough this morning for no shirt, not a great sign for this weekend, hopefully it cools down a few degrees before then.  Run was good.  Ran about 5.5 miles with Jenny and then did the rest by myself.  Kept the pace nice and comfortable.

Average pace: 8:33

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.87
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.000.000.000.009.00

Ran with Jenny and Jamie.  Jenny ran about 5 miles, then I ran some more with Jamie before she headed home.  Temperature was still up but it is supposed to get cooler by this weekend, fingers crossed.

Average pace: 8:44

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.220.004.000.000.000.000.0010.22

Warmed up with Jenny this morning, ran about 5 miles together.  Still warm outside, but maybe a little cooler than yesterday.  Jenny headed back and was going to do some strides.  I did a short tempo run at my hoped for half marathon pace, trying for under 6:30.  The run was a little bit harder than I would have liked.

Splits were: 6:23, 6:27, 6:27, and 6:26

It was warmer than on Saturday when I ran 3 miles around that pace at the end of my long run, or maybe I wasn't quite rested enough.

Cool down, just under a mile to get back home.  Pretty happy with the total miles and getting in some faster miles.

Average pace: 7:45

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.22
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.570.000.000.000.000.000.005.57

Ran with Jenny in the neighborhood.  Wanted to do a little bit shorter today as I was feeling behind from recovery due to running this past Sunday which I normally take off.

Average pace: 8:46

Glycerin 8 Miles: 5.57
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.120.000.000.000.000.000.006.12

Went to Starkey for a short and easy run.  Started out while it was still dark and saw a shooting star.  Caught up to David J and Eudair and ran with them since they were only doing 6 also.  Waiting around after the run to see the people that we knew who were doing the half marathon that was there today.  Dixie ran 1:33, which was awesome since he was hoping for 1:35-1:40.  Victoria also did great with a 1:42 which I think is a PR for her.

Average pace: 8:40

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 6.12
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Race: Halloween Halfathon (13.1 Miles) 01:27:05, Place overall: 12, Place in age division: 3
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
1.9113.100.000.000.000.000.0015.01

This morning was the Halloween Halfathon held down in Fort Desoto Park.  It was a promising weekend for a half marathon with yesterday's morning temperature of 62 degrees.  However, since this race is a little farther south, it was a little bit warmer this morning than yesterday morning, about 73 degrees at the start.  But still, it was cooler than last year with just a slight breeze.

Woke up at 4:30, left at the house right at 5:00 and was at the park entrance just before 6:00, then a few more minutes driving inside the park.  Jenny and I already had our bibs, so we just picked up our chips and then had the rest of the time to warm up.  I did just under 2 miles of easy jogging with a few strides thrown in at the end.  I wasn't feeling very fast this morning or overly confident, but I was going to give it my best shot.

Jenny and I lined up in the starting area where we also saw her friend Kathryn and I talked to some people I knew, Pat, who is also doing crazy events like back to back marathons, Iron Mans, 100 mile races, etc, and Roger who looks just like Santa Claus - but Santa who puts in a lot of miles and eats right!

Mile 1 - 6:37

I got up near the front, doing a pretty good job of lining up, as I didn't have to go around too many people.  We were heading into some wind at first, but turned at the end of the parking lot and got out of it.  I was feeling pretty good but not completely warmed up, so I thought I would ease into it.   My hoped for pace was to get on a sub-6:30 pace and try to hold it as long as possible.

Miles 2 and 3 -  6:30, 6:22 (+:22)

The next two miles wind through a wooded area and then come back to the starting line.  I felt good on 2 and then felt faster on mile 3, but as usual, Garmin and the actual mile markers are off by mile 3

Miles 4, 5, and 6 - 6:40, 6:45, 6:40

This stretch is always tough for me, after completing the initial loop, then heading out on the path that runs next to the water.  There were 3 guys in a pack ahead of me, and ahead of them was a lone female who was the 3rd place woman.  I kept the 4 of them in my sights and tried to get into a rhythm.  I did a little bit better job on this stretch than I have before.

Miles 7, 8, and 9 - 6:33, 6:44, 6:39 (+:07)

Just before mile 8 is the turn around for the last stretch back.  I think around mile 6 or 7 was where I finally caught up to 3rd place female (who later turned out to be someone I know kind of and has often beaten me at races).  I think about mile 9, I caught and passed one of the three guys.

Miles 10 - finish - 6:39, 6:26, 6:41, 6:28, :55 (0.15 @ 5:57)

I made it to mile 10 and knew I had a good shot at a PR and could still go under 1:27:00, but I wasn't exactly sure.  Pacing math starts to get kind of fuzzy around this part in the race.  Shortly after the 10 mile sign, a guy cruises by me.  I later talked to him, he told me how he started out slowly, not feeling well, gradually picked it up and ended up having the best race of his life.  Soon, I was at the 11 mile sign and just had a good mile under 6:30.  Helped a little to try and not let the guy that passed me too far ahead even though it didn't look like I could catch him.   Usually, at the 11 mile point, I can pick up the pace and hold it until the finish.  But, I suddenly felt like I was getting run down and had to struggle to hold onto the pace.  Finally, see the 12 mile sign, legs were starting to burn.  Decided not to look at the pace anymore, just look ahead to the next guy.

The race finishes in a parking lot, my watch had just clicked over to 1:26:00.  I wasn't sure how long the last stretch was, but was going to try my best.  I turned the corner and could finally see the clock, it was 1:26:4x something, gave it all I had but could see the clock tick over to 1:27:00.   

A new PR! (after 2 half marathons which were slower), no sub-1:27:00 but I have 3 more of these races between now and March, to go under 1:27:00 and then start edging down towards 1:25.  There were a few miles where I knew I could have pushed a little harder but was afraid to blow up.  I'm very happy with the last mile and finishing kick.  Just need to work on the stuff in between!

Won 3rd place in the masters division (number 2 was about 5 minutes faster than me)

 

Note:  Hurray for chip time! 1:27:05 :)  (gun time was 1:27:07)


Brooks Launch Miles: 15.01
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
229.9521.1018.005.100.000.000.00274.15
Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 76.23Glycerin 8 Miles: 105.28Asics Equation Miles: 28.44Brooks Launch Miles: 64.20
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