The Long Run

Clearwater Halfathon

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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  (old lines that were a little out of date but couldn't quite bring myself to removing them completely:) Also, have one wonderful brown dog named Sammy and just added a grey tiger cat (Catty) whose life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
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
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
2413.11242.15139.3165.180.000.000.002859.75
Glycerin 7 Miles: 417.34Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 112.50Brooks Launch Miles: 283.69Asics Equation Miles: 504.05Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 595.83Glycerin 8 Miles: 609.69Brooks Launch Miles: 234.09Green Silence Miles: 33.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.000.000.000.008.00

Start of the new year.  Nice morning for a running, slept in just a little bit (6:30) and ran with Jenny for a very pleasant 8 miles.  Not too much to report, just did then run and enjoyed it.

Average pace: 8:43

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jan 02, 2010 at 22:46:11 from 24.8.167.243

I like how 6:30 is sleeping in.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.002.000.000.000.000.000.0014.00

Chilly morning in Starkey park.  It felt a lot colder than it really was (about 39°).  Started running about 6:20 initially with Mike and Eric.  They were just doing 8 miles so I ran 4 miles out with them, stopped for water and then the next group caught up with us.  Got going again with Raj, Tim, John, Derek, David and Keisha.  David and Keisha turned back after one more mile out.

The rest of us continued on, we were running at about an 8:00 average on the way out.  Tim, John and I turned around at the 7 mile point as Raj and Derek went further out so they could get a total of 18 miles.

Average pace: 7:42

Picked it up a bit for the return trip, mostly doing 7:30's with the last mile at 6:45.  Was feeling nice and warmed up by the end of the run, but quickly felt cold at the social hour.  It was good to catch up with Eric and hear about his fast marathon in Jacksonville and wish Mike and David good luck at Disney marathon in one week.

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 14.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 at 11:03:07 from 24.8.167.243

That chilly weather is unusual for you, isn't it?

You can really get warmed up running, even in weather like that, but then when you stop, such as at your social hour, you really get cold. That's been my experience many times.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.602.000.000.000.000.000.009.60

Monday morning showed up a little too quick.  I had the alarm set for 6:00, but woke up at 5:00.  Thought about just getting up but then hoped I'd fall back asleep, but didn't.  Fortunately things turned around and the run went pretty good.  This morning was the coldest morning so far this year, but that was ok since I was going to do half of the run inside on the treadmill.

Went to the Y and did my usual warm up routines and got onto a treadmill for 4.55 miles @ about 8:10 average pace before heading outside.

Two shirts, hat, and gloves did the trick to keep me warm enough.  Was able to get into a decent pace right away and then picked things up for the last two miles.  Total of 5.05 miles outside.

Average pace (outside): 7:22

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 9.60
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 at 22:14:08 from 76.125.0.229

Nice way to start the week and new year!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jan 05, 2010 at 10:49:35 from 24.8.167.243

It must have been chilly to put you in a hat and gloves.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.120.000.000.000.000.000.009.12

Cold snap continues here in Florida, but I know it could be worse.  Also, it was good to have someone to run with this morning to get motivated to get out there and run.  Ran with Jenny around the usual neighborhood routes. Wasn't too bad after the first two miles, feeling warmed up except when the wind hit.  Our pace was a bit faster than usual - wanting to get back inside as soon as possible.  We ran together just over 8 miles then I went a little bit farther to make it over 9 miles for me.

Average pace: 8:20

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.003.000.000.000.008.00

Met up with Raj, Tim, Derek, and Dougie at the Y this morning and headed over to the track next door at the high school.  Warmed up with 1.5 miles easy.  Goal at the track was 3 X 1600 @ 6:07 each.  I felt a bit stiff and cold even after the warm up so I wasn't sure if I'd make my goals time wise but I was determined to at least put the effort in.

It had been a while since I had any company for repeats.  It was really nice to have some others along.  First repeat wasn't too bad, there was hope.

On the next repeat I thought I was doing better but it ended up being exactly the same as the first.  On the third repeat I felt like I was losing some of my intensity and I tried my best to kick it up a bit and try and finish the third one just a little bit faster, but again it was exactly the same.  So overall it ended up better than what I thought it would be at the start.

6:07, 6:07, 6:07

Finished off with some easy miles come up with 8 miles total for the morning.

Brooks Launch Miles: 8.00
Comments
From Samantha Dean-Howard on Thu, Jan 07, 2010 at 07:22:02 from 78.32.130.9

6;07 so whats your number LOL great running and excellent mileage today, :)

From jtshad on Thu, Jan 07, 2010 at 11:15:05 from 204.134.132.225

Nice bit of running! Running repeats with others is more enjoyable and helpful if they can push you. Nice and consistent!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jan 07, 2010 at 13:52:42 from 24.8.167.243

I can't believe how consistent you were. Amazing.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.200.000.000.000.000.000.009.20

Ran with two Jenny's this morning.  Jenny and I left from our house and started around the neighborhood and ran with the other Jenny for a bit over two miles before she headed back, while Jenny and I continued on.  I wore two long sleeve shirts and finally almost felt overdressed (at least my top did).  Ran at a pretty good and even pace and passed the run quickly.  I ran with Jenny for a little over 8 miles, then did one more mile by myself.  Continued cold here, but I might be getting used to it.  I might not be able to handle the warm weather when it comes back.

Average pace: 8:37

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.20
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jan 08, 2010 at 13:56:28 from 24.8.167.243

Oh, I think you'll be able to handle the warm weather.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.250.000.000.000.000.000.008.25

Falling behind again! (said I wasn't going to do that).  At least it is just with the blog and not the actual running.  We had a one day break from the 30's, pleasantly surprised with low 40's , I'll take it.  Jenny and I ran together.  Just a standard route easy run through the nearby neighborhoods.

Average pace: 8:35

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 8.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.205.000.000.000.000.000.0016.20

Mental toughness day.  Showed up at Starkey just after 6:30.  Just missed Keith, Jorge, and Bob, but was there just as Eric showed up.  It was about 34° with a very light rain.  Eric and I got going and my core felt warmed up after 2 miles.  It was really pushing it today to wear shorts.  Eric turned back after two and I continued on.  Ran into Keith, Bob, and Jorge close to the 4 mile point.  Talked to them for a few seconds.  Keith asked if I had just had some dental work, no, my face was just numb, but I sure must have sounded and looked like I couldn't talk.

Took a gel at 4 miles.  The cooler was out of cups so I had to improvise.  Went on further and stopped briefly at the 5.5 mile stop and grabbed a paper cup and stuck it in my pocket so I'd have one. 

It was quite a peaceful morning, no one else out on the trail at all after seeing my friends.  I saw at least 5 deer, and they didn't just dart across the trail.  They ran on the trail in front of me and zigzagged for a while.  The rain never got bad enough to soak me, it didn't even penetrate my clothing.  A few times I would catch the rain with my tongue, and one time I caught a piece of ice!!  (that's not supposed to happen here - although I heard that less than 2 hours north of here there was some snow).

Picked it up the last 5 miles, with the final 3 miles faster than 7:00 pace.

Average pace: 7:32

I got back to the parking lot and it was completely empty.  First time I have ever seen this.  I missed out on the coffe and breakfast breads.  After a few minutes, Joe M. pulled into the parking lot.  He also had 16 miles to do but had seen no reason not to wait until 9:00 - not a bad idea.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 16.20
Comments
From mike mcclellan on Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 05:11:00 from 192.28.0.21

I thought it would be cold there.It is in single digits here at night and the mid 20's if you are lucky in the day.I decieded to take a week off after my 50k.I think I made a good decision.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 19:08:14 from 24.8.167.243

Shorts?! Way to stick it out in the cold.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.501.000.000.000.000.000.009.50

Monday morning inside/outside run.  I thought about possibly doing the whole run inside but it just seemed like too much treadmill on a day when it wasn't that bad outside.  Went to the Y, warmed up on the bike for 10 minutes, then did 4.22 miles on the treadmill at about 8:10 average pace.  I had brought long running pants and two long sleeve shirts.  Decided to just stick with shorts even though it was 28°.

The running outside actually felt pretty good.  I was warmed up from the treadmill and must have had on just the right amount of clothes.  

Outside average pace: 7:35

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 9.50
Comments
From jtshad on Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 10:10:49 from 204.134.132.225

Dang, now that is cold for your neck of the words...sounds like Idaho weather!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 10:54:18 from 24.8.167.243

I guess I'm a wimp. I would have put on the long pants.

You're right about long runs and the treadmill. I think the treadmill is more suited for short runs.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.100.000.000.000.000.000.009.10

Ran with Jenny this morning.  Bundled up with 3 shirts, and felt comfortable.  Still chilly, but overall it was a good run.  We did 7.5 miles together, then I finished off with one more loop around the neighborhood.

Average pace: 8:21

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 9.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.280.005.000.000.000.000.009.28

 

I think today is supposed to be the last cold morning for a while.  Set out from my house, wearing a thick sweatshirt which I planned on stashing after 1 mile, hoping that I'd be warmed up by then.  Headed over to Starkey Blvd for my tempo run, which is a two mile warm up to get there.

Goal today was 5 miles @ 6:36 pace, I didn't quite make that pace for all of the miles, but I came pretty close.  Calves and ankles felt stiff.  For the first mile I was feeling pretty good, 2nd mile was a bit tougher, then miles 3 and 4 felt challenging.  I thought I was picking up some speed in the 4th mile but it wasn't quite enough.  Finally for the last mile, I must have felt warmed up enough to get moving and ended up on a positive note.

Splits were: 6:35, 6:37, 6:45, 6:40, 6:27

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.28
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 11:02:19 from 24.8.167.243

Very impressive pace, even if you didn't quite hit your goal on a couple of those miles. You were very close.

So did you ditch the sweatshirt?

From JimF on Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 12:48:52 from 67.162.66.110

Nice tempo run and those are great splits for this time of year. Runs like this will help you achieve your goals later in the year.

From Mark on Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 13:03:41 from 173.168.88.68

I did ditch the sweatshirt after the first mile, picked it up on the way back and carried it.

Pretty happy overall with the run even though I just missed the pace on some of the splits, always next time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.500.001.500.000.000.000.008.00

Weather was back to how it normally is for this time of year.  Nice, in the 40's this morning.  Going to warm up a little more in the next few days.  I ran with Jenny this morning and she was going to do 6 X 400 with 400 jogs  as well as warm up and cool down.  Her goal was a 6:35 pace.  There was a time when Jenny's speed work was still a fairly comfortable pace for me, that time has past.  The 400's made the run go by pretty quickly.  I may not continue to do her speed work with her since I usually do mine on Wednesdays and usually don't want to do two hard runs in a row.  But, at least it worked out pretty well today.

We ended up running together for a total of 7 miles, then I went on to get 1 more mile in for the morning.

Average pace: 8:53

Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 14:34:08 from 24.8.167.243

Wow. Jenny is getting fast.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.122.000.000.000.000.000.008.12

Best weather in quite some time.  I think it was mid 40's.  Ran by myself, easy pace for a good part of it and a couple of fast miles towards the end.  The slower miles weren't too slow, it was nice not to have to slog through a slow warm up.

Average pace: 7:45

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 8.12
Comments
From Samantha Dean-Howard on Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 13:17:03 from 90.201.147.160

Nice MIles to Mark, and great running :)

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 16:01:02 from 24.8.167.243

So why were you able to avoid the slow warm up? Was it because the temperature was bearable, because you didn't have slow people with you, or were you just feeling good?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.126.000.000.000.000.000.0018.12

This morning was warm, almost too warm, but still nice.  Arrived in Starkey park at 6:15 and was going to set out with a small group but I was a little bit slow in getting started and ended up running alone for about 5 miles.  I had some trouble getting myself into a good pace.  Left ankle was feeling tight, not painful, just tight.  Stopped a couple of times to try and stretch it out (it felt like a tight piano wire running from my shin to my foot on the left side).

After about 4 miles was starting to feel better and finally got moving faster.  Just after 5 miles caught up with Raj.  Much more pleasant running with someone else.  Kept going at a good relaxed pace out to nine miles out before turning around.  Sometime near the turnaround I saw that I had averaged 8:26.  Stopped at the water stop just before getting back into Starkey Park.  Saw Eudair there and we talked her into running back with us.  I started to pick it up a little bit and Raj insisted that I go ahead.  Since I was finally running better I took him up on the offer.  Raj and Eudair stuck together.

For the last 6 miles I kept a good pace mainly between 6:50 and 7:00 with the last mile at 6:34.

Average pace: 7:51

Chatted with a bunch of the runners at the social hour for a bit and got to see everyone's various Disney marathon medals from last weekend.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 16.12
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 17:08:59 from 98.193.72.49

Great run and way to finish it off. When is your next race?

From Mark on Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 13:33:51 from 24.129.132.74

1/2 marathon coming up this Saturday. It is the one I did last year in Clearwater, over a couple of good size bridges. I was going to do the full marathon here but it got canceled. I'll see how far I have come in one year.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.070.000.000.000.000.000.009.07

9.07 @ 8:38 Easy miles
Ran with Raj and Jenny (not my wife) for part of the run.
Met at the Y and ran the horse farm route (we call it that
even though the horses are no longer there).
Nice morning for a run, no rain, no heat, no freezing cold,
just nice and cool.

Later in the morning I did the push-up challenge against
the Wii trainer.  I had just one more level to complete
and I thought it would be just 60 push-ups.  It kept
going and going and I finally quit at 89, not knowing
how much longer it was going to go on.  I'm guessing it
is 100 so I'll try again in a few days with that in mind.
They are kind of tough since they are slower and more
controlled with a slow cadence.

Went bowling in the afternoon with the family and one of Andy's
friends.  Bowled two games, pretty fun! Not quite running
but it is still moving.

Later that evening did an Inflict workout for the first time
in a while.

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 9.07
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.530.000.000.000.000.000.007.53

Ran with Jenny this morning, 7.53 @ 8:34 pace
Cooler this morning and foggy, the damp air made it seem colder
than it was.  Started out slowly and ran evenly for most of
the run, then picked it up for the last 1.5 miles to about 7:45 pace.

Catching up on blog today (Wednesday), tried to last night but there seemed to be some technical difficulties which are now fixed.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 7.53
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.000.000.000.007.00

Ran with Jenny this morning.  About the same temperature as yesterday, but without the bone-chilling fog, so much much nicer.  Overall easy run with a nice steady pace throughout the run, a little bit faster than yesterday.

 Average pace: 8:40

Only 7 miles today.  This is a cut back week although I'll be doing 1/2 marathon on Saturday with 2 mile warm up so it will still be a pretty good week for miles.

Finally caught up on the blog!

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 7.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 10:56:41 from 24.8.167.243

So is it a cutback week or a race week? I'm confused.

From Mark on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 09:01:41 from 173.168.88.68

Well, it was supposed to be a cutback week according to my marathon training, but there happened to be a race this weekend. So, I've been taking it easy during the week (for the most part), with some more easy runs and fewer miles. Not an ideal cutback week I suppose but not horrible either.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.350.002.000.000.000.000.007.35

Ran with Jenny this morning and did her 400 repeats which she had on her schedule.  This worked out well since I did not have any other speed work this week.  The run went pretty well.  Goal was to do 8 x 400 @ 6:35 pace.  I ran some of them a little bit faster and some right around the goal pace to get myself ready for the race on Saturday.

We did a 2 mile warm up first and then enough cool down to get us back home. 

It was fairly warm this morning, back to tank top weather.

Average pace: 8:37

Brooks Launch Miles: 7.35
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 11:26:40 from 24.8.167.243

Good luck on your race tomorrow!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.650.000.000.000.000.000.006.65

It was raining a bit this morning, so Jenny said she would do her run later and I headed off to the Y.  Warmed up on the bike and did some stretching and then got onto a treadmill.  Left shin felt tight for a while, not painful just tight, loosened up after a bit.  Did 3.25 miles on the treadmill at about an 8:15 pace.

Headed outside where it was pretty nice out, just a little bit of post rain mist which soon cleared up.  I didn't have my Garmin and was just going to run a 3 mile loop that I usually ran on.  However, when I arrived at a place where there was some construction, I was not able to run past it and instead had to backtrack and follow the marked detour, added just a little bit extra.  Ran for 27:51 and guessed at about an 8:10 pace so I'll count that as 3.4 miles.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 6.65
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 21:52:36 from 24.8.167.243

You are very consistent.

Race: Clearwater Halfathon (13.1 Miles) 01:29:48, Place overall: 29, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.1010.003.100.000.000.000.0015.20

Had a great time at the race, didn't get a PR but did put in a good effort and was able to hold things together.  Weather was very nice, except for a little bit of wind.  Race started just as it was starting to get light out.  We arrived early enough that I was able to get in a pretty good two mile warm up.  Before the race, Chris Lauber, the race director told everyone to enjoy the views while up on the bridges.  

 Race started right on time and we were off.  My plan was to make sure and get the first mile in under 7:00 (which would bring us to the top of the first bridge), then try and get to a 6:30 pace going down the bridge and hang on with 6:30's for the rest of the race.  First mile went well and it almost felt easy for a short time.  Made it to the top of the bridge with a 6:43 first mile (although the garmin mile was a little short of the marker, I'd catch it up next mile if it was still off).  Took in the view at the top before heading down.  Got onto a nice pace and made the second mile in 6:27, but still off with the mile marker, another 9 seconds to catch up.

Next mile was flat but I was having some difficulty getting to the pace I wanted.

The 4th mile included the first time over the Sand Key bridge, it was a little harder than I remembered, slowed down a lot more than I wanted to, and then tried to make it up on the way down but ended up with 7:01 pace.  Just after the bridge, at about 4.5 miles was the aid station manned by my running group, the Suncoast Striders, they were especially helpful and really lifted my spirits and helped me get back on track to get a 6:39 pace.  I felt hopeful now.

Next mile and a half was a meandering route through Sand Key park before going back on the main road.  Next few miles were pretty good.  Felt a slight morale boost at the turnaround (about 7.5 miles), but also felt some wind.

Mile 9 I seemed to slip a little bit off pace (6:58), then had another boost as I went past the Striders water stop before having to ascend up Sand Key bridge one more time.  Another tough run up the bridge, this time really getting hit by some wind, tried to make up some more time on the way down but managed only 7:12, made sure to enjoy the view again, it looked like it was going to be a nice day out, could see out into the Gulf and across the intra-coastal waterway.

Fortunately mile 11 went pretty well and I managed 6:44, so I wasn't done yet.  I looked at my total time and new I still had a chance at getting under 1:30.  I kept on looking for the Clearwater bridge because I thought I'd be able to see it from a distance.  Just as I saw the mile 12 sign I saw the bridge.  It looked taller now.  I was excited to get up to the top because then it was all down hill from there.  Going up it was tough, more wind, I tried not to let my pace go slower than 7:30.  Finally hit the top and now it was time to make back some time.  Picked up some speed and ran down the helix as best I could then onto the straight part.  At the bottom of the bridge I could hear some one coming up behind me.  I surged a bit and thought I might hold him off, but then he surged again and this time I didn't match it.   I got passed one last time.  Ran the last 0.1 under 6:00 pace.  As I approached the clock I could see I was going to make it, and I did, with 1:29:52 on the clock (1:29:48 chip time).

Splits: 6:43, 6:27 (+:09 adjust), 6:44, 7:01, 6:39 (+:08), 6:41 (+:09), 6:47,

6:44, 6:58, 7:12, 6:44, 6:58, 6:52, 0:54 (0.15 @ 5:56)

My son cut off my chip for me (both boys came out to cheer us on and ended up helping out at the finish line with chips and medals). 

Went back to the bottom of the bridge and cheered on Jenny as she came in with another big PR for her of 1:44:40 (4 minute PR!).

Chris introduced himself to me and we chatted a bit, nice to finally meet him.  Ended up with second place for my age group.

It was a lot of fun with the racing, seeing friends, Jenny's PR and seeing the kids do their first race volunteering.  Ended up with nice weather also.

Brooks Launch Miles: 15.20
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 10:14:58 from 98.193.72.49

Very good race! The wind is tough and I think has more impact then we realize. Sounds like the bridges made the course tough as well. Great job for a half in Jan.

From jtshad on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 11:01:01 from 204.134.132.225

Great job at a tough race, sounds like you had fun. Keep up the good running.

From Lyman on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 11:35:42 from 170.135.241.46

Nice race and good solid effort keeping the time under 1:30. Congratulations.

From Mark on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 21:41:45 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.570.000.000.000.000.000.008.57

Felt slow and clunky this morning, but at least I was able to still get my run in for the most part (was supposed to do 9 but bargained with myself to at least get 8 done).

Went to the Y, warmed up on the bike then got onto the treadmill.  Did 3.25 miles at about an 8:40 average pace then headed outside.

 It was nice and cool this morning.  The roads were wet from the rain but the sky was clearing.  Outside portion went a lot better and I was feeling a good bit looser by the time I was done.  Finished another 5.32 miles, average pace 7:58

Accidentally used Jenny's garmin this morning, but they are identical so I guess it doesn't really matter too much :)

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 8.57
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 22:14:51 from 24.8.167.243

You're a two Garmin household, eh?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.141.000.000.000.000.000.009.14

I felt much less sore this morning than yesterday, and therefore at least 75% less clunky.  It also helped that for some odd reason I woke up extra happy this morning (not sure why but I'll take it).  Ran with Jenny, nice cool, dry morning.  We ran 6 miles together at an easy pace (maybe about 8:45 average), then did two miles together about 7:45 pace.  I did one more mile at 7:09 pace with a short cool down at the end.

Average pace: 8:21

Went into the (unheated) pool afterward up to my waist for one or two minutes, nice and refreshing.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.14
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 11:47:15 from 24.8.167.243

Sounds like a wonderful morning.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.680.006.000.000.000.000.0010.68

I was determined to meet my goals on this morning's run, and with a lot of effort I ended up coming pretty close.  I kept telling myself I was going to do it but a small voice kept on saying I was missing something.  The net result was that I was slower by 2 seconds per mile than my goal for the 6 mile tempo, so from that perspective it's pretty much the same.

Mid 40's this morning, perfect weather for a fast run, no danger of overheating.  Warmed up with about 2 miles of easy running to get me over to the Starkey Blvd bike trail, then started the tempo portion. 

Goal: 6 @ 6:32 pace

 The pattern was similar to last time (2 weeks ago for 5 miles), first mile was good, I slowly got onto pace and ended up just one second off.  Second mile was better at 6:30.   Sometime around then my iPod battery died, so no more music, time to just run!  3rd mile saw my pace slipping a bit, I struggled and ended up with 6:39.  This brought me to the turn around, pace really started to slip.  I was over 7:00 for a bit, clawed my way into the 6:50's, and gave it my all to get to 6:45.  I was trying really hard just to let things start flowing.  5th mile was starting out poorly, but I was starting to improve.  Saw Keisha heading the other direction and said hi, then saw another runner, things improved and I made mile 5 in 6:35.

Here is where I start to feel that a lot of the problem was mental.  I thought back to how I have done this pace before and sometimes faster, but maybe I forgot how hard it was and thought I wouldn't have to work as hard this time, which is wrong, on a hard day you need to remember what hard is and deal with it.  I soon found myself on pace and then faster than goal pace, I could make up a little bit of the lost time, last mile in 6:21.

Splits: 6:33, 6:30, 6:39, 6:45, 6:35, 6:21

Recovered and ran home at an easy pace.

Overall average pace: 7:28

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.68
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 11:48:59 from 24.8.167.243

Awesome tempo run, Mark. You were very close to your goal pace.

A lot of running, particularly running fast for an extended period of time, is mental. I just started reading "Brain Training for Runners" by Matt Fitzgerald. I think that book has something to say about this whole issue.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.152.000.000.000.000.000.009.15

Another nice and cool morning.  Ran with Jenny for most of the run.  She was doing 400's this morning and I had decided last time that this is not such a good idea for me on the day after my speed work.  So, instead we played leap frog.  She'd take off, and then I'd catch up some time during her recovery, get ahead of her a little bit then she'd pass me again.  Run went by pretty quickly and she made her goals (6 x 400m @ 6:35 pace).

Then I ran with her on the cool down for another 2 miles (total at this point was a little bit over 7).  She headed back home and I did one more lap around the neighborhood where I picked it up a bit with about a 7:10 average for the last 2.

Average: 8:16

I jumped into the pool, it was very cold! (don't have the heater turned on).  This past Saturday, as I was dipping part of my legs in the pool, my youngest son jumped into the frigid water and swam a couple of laps, I said "you sure are one tough dude!", so I'm trying to see if I can keep up.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.15
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 12:53:13 from 198.241.174.15

Do you do the 400s on the track or on the road?

I'm impressed that you can dip yourself into the cold pool and even more impressed that your son can swim in it.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.741.000.000.000.000.000.007.74

7.74 miles, Average pace: 7:59

Ran by myself this morning on another nice cool and pleasant morning (thankful for each day that this streak continues).  About a mile and a half into the run my phone beeped.  I get very few text messages so I slowed down to look at the screen, nothing urgent, so I continued on.  Unfortunately it took me a little bit of time to get back into a rhythm, but not too long.  Had some twinges in my upper hamstring on my right side (ok, a little higher than the hamstring actually).  I don't often get pains there.  I'll just have to watch it a bit.

Overall, the run went well and I picked it up a bit for the final mile.


I was a little ahead of plan for miles this week, so I didn't have to do 9 miles today, still slightly ahead for the week with less than 9 today.

Big 20 mile run tomorrow, and also my last chance this weekend to get the early registration price and no online fee by registering at Sports Authority for the Gasparilla marathon, just one month away now!

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 7.74
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 13:13:27 from 24.8.167.243

Another marathon in a month, eh? You are quite the marathoner.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
17.002.001.000.000.000.000.0020.00

Great 20 mile run in Starkey Park with Raj and Eudair.  Weather was perfect, low 60's, cloudy (it rained later that morning, so lucky to miss it).  Met up about 6:15, warmed up a little bit and then got going.  Started out with Raj, Eudair, and Derek.  Derek was with us for about 4 miles.  I brought my Flip video camera with me and took about 9 minutes worth of video (but it was very shaky, I'll have to see if I can fix it up).

Went out to the end of the Starkey park bike trail, then headed north onto the Suncoast parkway trail, until we reached 10 miles.  Turned around and then felt the wind right away.  It seems you hardly ever notice the wind at your back, just when you turn around.  Wasn't too bad, and it was only directly at us until we turned back onto the Starkey park trail, then it was a bit calmer.

I went ahead by myself with about 5 miles left, then really picked it up for the last two miles with 6:45 and 6:34.  Hadn't done a 20 mile run in a while so it was good to finish this and feel good at the end.

Average pace: 8:06

Missed out on the social hour but grabbed some leftovers as David was packing up.

Later in the evening I took another shot at the Wii push-up challenge.  This time I was prepared and did all 100 push-ups.  It was pretty hard because you have to do them slowly according to the whistle, down, back up, pause, repeat.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 20.00
Comments
From Samantha Dean-Howard on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 at 05:11:06 from 78.32.130.9

Nice 20 miler there Mark, and great fast miles at the end really good! When is your next marathon ?

From JimF on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 at 10:41:57 from 98.193.72.32

Great 20 miler! The last couple of miles were awesome and really shows your endurance for this time of year.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 at 14:55:24 from 198.241.174.15

A 20 miler with a fast finish, and then 100 push-ups? Impressive.

Do you have to do the push-ups with your hands on the balance board? It seems like that would make it harder, at least more uncomfortable.

From Mark on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 at 22:09:12 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jim, Sam, and Carolyn.

Next marathon coming up is the Gasparilla Marathon here in Tampa, at the end of February, coming up fast now.

Yes, I had to do the push-ups on the balance bard which makes it harder because you can't spread your hands to wherever feels easiest.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.430.000.000.000.000.000.0011.43

Went to the Y this morning for my Monday morning routine.  Warmed on the bike for 10 minutes, did two sets of crunches on the ball and some light stretching.  Got onto a treadmill to start my running week.  Took me a little while to warm up then the running felt pretty comfortable.  Did 4.31 miles at about an 8:20 pace.

Headed outside where it was cloudy and slightly misty, put on my long sleeve shirt over the sleeveless one I was wearing which seemed to do the trick.  Ran across the street to the Trinity Oaks neighborhood where I usually run on Mondays after the treadmill.  Everything was going according to plan.  On the return trip I saw a woman that I often see out walking around carrying a bag and a stick with a claw on the end to pick up trash with.  Said hi to her and was thinking how nice it was that she is out so often picking up trash.   Shortly after that I realized I had missed the turn I meant to take and had added some distance onto my run ( I had meant to do just 11 miles, oh well).

Average pace: 7:49

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 11.43
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Feb 02, 2010 at 13:36:19 from 198.241.174.15

At least missing the turn didn't add on too much distance. I guess the extra distance is fine as long as you're not in a hurry.

It's nice of that woman to pick up trash.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.000.000.000.0010.10

Ran with Jenny this morning.  Back to warm weather for one morning, about 64 degrees at the start.  We ran together for 7.5 miles with most of them between 8:30 and 9:00 and the last one just under 8:00 pace.  Then I did 2.5 miles by myself to bring the total up just over 10 miles.  Felt ok but not quite super charged so was glad that this was just supposed to be a relaxed run.

Average pace: 8:26

PM - did a beginner Inflict workout.  Towards the end of the run this morning I had to pick something up I had dropped and had a really hard time bending down because I had tightened up so much.  I'm in need of some cross training so this was a good start.  Going to try for 2 times of Inflict and 2 times a week doing about 15 minutes of yoga.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 10.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.004.000.000.000.0010.00

Good track workout.  Nice to have Raj along for company.  Warmed up with 3 easy miles, also one of Raj's friends ran with us for this part.  We ran about a 9ish pace.  Nice cool weather (just above 50 degrees).

Headed over to the track and got started.  Goal was 4 x 1600 @ 6:00 each.  Somewhat daunting because last time was 3 x 1600 @ 6:07 and I just barely made each one.  On the other hand I have done this before (back in the fall before getting injured).

On the first repeat I forgot to start my watch and didn't notice until the first lap around the track.  Started the watch and figured I would average what I got for the final 3 laps.   My pace was not looking good at first and I had trouble going faster than 6:30 but I slowly seemed to get a little faster.  Time for last 3 laps was 4:35.  Raj was behind me and thought it looked like I finished at about 6:05, which was great considering how bad it was looking at first.

Next repeat went very well, finished in 5:57, last two also were good with 6:00, and 6:01.   Pushed really hard on the final one and thought I would make it.

Cooled down afterward with about 1.5 miles of easy running.  Average was very close to the hoped for 6:00 time.  Very happy to get one under 6:00 and to finish all 4 of them faster than the ones I did last month when I just did 3 repeats instead of 4.

 

Part of the credit for this morning's success goes to Jenny and the heating pad that she made for me.  I had never heard of making a heating pad, I had envisioned buying one that you plug in.  This is basically a small pillow filled with dry rice and buckwheat groats.  You microwave it for about 3 or 4 minutes and it's good for about 10 minutes worth of heat.  It weighs around 5 pounds so it is heavy enough to apply a nice even pressure.   

Last night, I used this on the upper hamstring area that had been bugging me and it helped out quite a bit!!

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Feb 03, 2010 at 23:54:03 from 24.8.167.243

Wow. What a speedy track workout. A while ago I ran just one mile on the track as fast as I could and only managed about 6:35. I don't know you do 4 of them at 6:00.

That's very interesting about the heating pad.

From JimF on Thu, Feb 04, 2010 at 11:13:55 from 67.162.67.145

Great job on the track workout. Awesome hitting 6:00 on these. I always think the first one is tough to get going. Something that helped me is I started doing about 4 x 100m strides before I start and that seems to wake the body up and makes the first one better.

From Mark on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 13:19:21 from 24.129.132.74

Carolyn, Jenny just started doing 400's at a 6:35 pace, so a full mile at that pace is really good - and I'm sure you've got more on tap.

Jim, good idea about the 100m strides, I think those could really help.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.120.000.000.000.000.000.0010.12

Ran with Jenny for part of my run this morning.  She had to do only about 6 this morning.   So, we ran together for about 5.5 miles, then I turned back to run where we had just come from rather than heading back to the house and looping around our neighborhood.  It was a quite pleasant morning out.  I had some shin tightness in my left leg for about the first 4 or 5 miles, it was being kind of stubborn this morning.  Felt better after a while and felt the best on the last two miles.

Average pace: 8:18

Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 10.12
Comments
From jtshad on Thu, Feb 04, 2010 at 11:03:46 from 204.134.132.225

Nice run for both you and Jenny, it is cool that you two run together!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Feb 04, 2010 at 12:32:52 from 198.241.174.15

You just continue to pound out the miles. Great consistency.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.102.001.000.000.000.000.009.10

Ran by myself this morning around the usual neighborhood and golf course routes.  It was pleasantly warm (actually felt a little hot towards the end), with a steady wind blowing.  Took me a little while to wake up.  I tried starting and stopping, speeding up, strides, but I just needed some time and miles.  Went from 9:30'ish first mile and gradually increased to 8:30's.

I recently got tired of trying to make playlists for my iPod shuffle, and instead told itunes to just fill it with random music.   So, with a little bit over 3 miles left to go, a track from Motion Traxx, which I had downloaded a while ago (it was fee) came up and I decided why not try it.  It was a music mix set to be at 182 bpm.  I didn't believe any of this would work and  I would get tired of it.  But it actually kind of worked.  Before I knew it I had sped up without thinking about it.  Last 3 miles were 7:03, 6:49, and 6:39.  Hadn't planned on going that fast, but it was only 3 miles so it didn't seem too far off plan.

Cooled down for just a little bit after that and was back at my front door.

Average pace: 7:59

Wore new shoes today, might have been part of the problem but I don't think that is likely.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.10
Comments
From JimF on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 17:29:47 from 67.162.67.145

I think you convinced me to try the iPod track!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 at 21:56:02 from 24.8.167.243

You iPod users are fancy. Everyone in my family has an iPod except for me. I'm content with my low-tech notPod, or at least I can't justify replacing it while it still works.

Way to pick up the pace.

From Mark on Mon, Feb 08, 2010 at 20:49:35 from 173.168.88.68

This track will work on the notPod just as well. Used to be a big notPod user myself but then it was always difficult since things we bought would not work on both the iPod and notPod. But the free stuff usually always works on all players!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.104.000.000.000.000.000.0016.10

Went to Starkey park and started out with Raj, Keith, and Jorge.  Keith and Jorge were just doing 10 or 11 miles so it was just Raj and I past 5.5 miles.  Weather was great, on the cool side but very comfortable for running.  Felt pretty good from the start.  I did not get the shin tightness I had been getting for the past few weeks, hopefully I'm over it now.

We took it pretty easy on the way out and had averaged about 8:25 pace for the first 8 miles.  Turned around and picked up the pace as we got closer.  I pulled ahead a bit for the last 3.5 miles, with the final 2 miles under 7 minute pace.  I had a few worrisome twinges in my hamstring but they were somewhat isolated and never got too bad.

Average pace: 7:51

Saw all my friends at the social hour, including Dan who I hadn't seen for quite some time now.  Didn't stick around too long since the nice cool weather great for running in was not as good for standing around in!

 

PM - did 14 minute Wii Fit yoga routine

Glycerin 7 Miles: 16.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.440.000.000.000.000.000.0011.44

I was supposed to just do 10 miles this morning, and I usually run alone on Monday mornings, splitting up the miles between treadmill and the road.  But Raj had texted me the night before asking if I wanted to run 11 miles with him.  I figured I might as well start the week off ahead and I usually try not to pass up a chance to run with someone else.

Arrived at the Y just after 6:00.  I went inside and warmed up for 5 minutes on the elliptical before heading outside.  We started pretty much on time around 6:15.  It was right at 40 degrees this morning and I was wishing I had brought a hat with me.  A little cold at first, but warmed up some while running.   The running felt pretty comfortable, except for a few isolated hamstring twinges here and there after mile 4.

We were not able to get around the construction area so we had to turn back and take the detour which meant we ran a little bit farther than the planned 11 miles.

Average pace: 8:02

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.081.000.000.000.000.000.0010.08

10.08 miles @ 8:11

I ran with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood and golf course.  She had a 3 mile tempo run on her scheduler at 7:35 pace.  We warmed up with 2 easy miles, then did the tempo portion.  Our garmins were off a bit so I thought I was right on pace but hers was showing a faster pace.  Either way she made her goal (or was slightly faster).  She was then supposed to do just 2 miles cool down but ran 3 more with me, meaning I only had 2 miles left to do by myself.

Weather was a perfect 50° with no wind, rain, or anything else bad.

 

PM - did beginner Inflict workout

Glycerin 7 Miles: 10.08
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Feb 09, 2010 at 19:39:03 from 24.8.167.243

Nothing bad. Very nice.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.072.006.000.000.000.000.0011.07

 

Goal for this morning was 7 miles @ 6:36 pace plus warm up and cool down. 

I was supposed to meet Raj at 6:00 by the neighborhood gate, but he sent me a text saying he couldn't make it, so I slept in until 6:00.  I could hear the wind blowing pretty hard outside.  Got myself ready, headed outside and immediately walked back in the door and put on a hat.  Stepped outside again and immediately turned around, went inside and put on some gloves.  Although it was 45 degrees outside which isn't so bad, the wind was just cutting right through me.

Well, have to start the run eventually, so finally got moving.  Warmed up with two easy miles, 9 something for the first mile then 8:45ish the next mile.  Thinking to myself now how can I expect to run 6:36 miles in this wind?  On top of that I wasn't feeling so well.  Shin was fine today and so was the hamstring, but I had a heaviness in my chest.

Started the tempo portion, heading north on Starkey Blvd. Wind was from the North-NorthWest at 14-20 mph.   It didn't feel good.  I stopped after .4 miles and thought about scrapping it.  But I still had to do the miles and there was no guarantee that tomorrow would be any better, so I put it out of my head and quickly started again.

First mile was nearly on pace, second I had slipped a few seconds.  The third mile was the slowest at 6:57.  At mile 3 I turned right onto a side street and my pace immediately picked up.  The wind had been a huge part of the problem.  Turned around after another 1/2 mile and was back in the wind again, but knew if I held on for another half mile, I'd make my turn, and be heading south down Starkey Blvd with the wind at my back.

And that is what happened! Last 3 miles were 6:33, 6:36, and 6:15.  I finally felt good, like a completely different person than the one that started the run.

Splits recap: 6:37, 6:42, 6:57, 6:43, 6:33, 6:36, 6:15

Average tempo run pace, just under 6:38 

Two mile return trip back home with the first one at 8:30ish and the last mile at 7:07

Average pace: 7:16

 

PM - did 14 minute yoga routine on Wii Fit, not much but better than nothing.

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.07
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 14:40:51 from 24.8.167.243

Awesome tempo run! You get extra points for running into the wind.

From Mike on Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 15:03:27 from 173.171.124.9

Dude... you are ready to kill this one...

Jose Gaspar doesn't have a chance against you in this race, your training has been going great.

Hope to see you soon. My achillies was worse than originally anticipated, but I'll be back.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.082.000.000.000.000.000.009.08

 

Colder but not as windy as yesterday, so a bit nicer overall. Ran with Jenny this morning and did most of her speed work alongside her.  She was doing 8 x 600m @ 7:00 pace, odd distance I know, but why not?  I did the first 6 repeats with her and then I detoured to a water fountain and took a gel.  Caught up to her eventually just as she was finishing her last repeat.  We headed back home together, then I did another 1/2 mile to make it over 9 for the day.

Average pace: 8:23

I felt good overall, no shin problems, no heaviness anywhere, but a few hamstring twinges which I thought had gone away because they were absent yesterday.

I'm a little bit ahead on miles for the week so even if I just do 9 tomorrow, I still be a little ahead.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.08
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 11:11:15 from 24.8.167.243

You really are getting in the miles this week. It's great that you and Jenny can run together. 8 X 600 at 7:00 pace sounds tough to me.

From jtshad on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 11:52:08 from 204.134.132.225

Great running once again!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.000.000.000.009.00

With threats of rain this morning I had been thinking about heading to the Y for the treadmill.  But, it looked like it would hold off.  I don't mind the rain especially if I can at least start out and get warmed up before getting rained on.  Jenny came along, also.  She had been thinking about doing her run after the kids went to school.  

It worked out pretty well.  Just a few drops fell on us early on then it held off for the rest of the rain.  It was a few degrees warmer than yesterday, nice.

We ran together about 5 and a half miles before she was heading home.  I turned around for a bit then headed back myself.

Average pace: 8:20

Feeling pretty good this week, which is my last big week for miles before the marathon at the end of this month.  Next two weeks will be cutbacks.  20 mile run tomorrow.

Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Feb 12, 2010 at 11:04:20 from 24.8.167.243

Wow. You're going to have a 70 miles week with a 20 mile run tomorrow. You're going to do great in your marathon at the end of the month.

From jtshad on Sat, Feb 13, 2010 at 15:19:13 from 69.20.183.178

Have fun on the 20 miler tomorrow...nanner-nanner I got mine done today! ;-)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
16.123.001.000.000.000.000.0020.12

Met up with Raj and Derek this morning at a spot about 2 miles from the start of the Pinellas trail.  We had decided this would be a good week for a change of scenery from Starkey Park.  Got going about 6:15.  It was mid 40's and a bit windy from the North.  I brought gloves with me but accidentally had picked up two left hands.

We went out nice and easy while running in the dark.  The first couple of miles seemed to fly by.  The trail headed north for a short bit then crossed under US 19 by way of an underpass that looked kind of like a tunnel.  We approached Tarpon Springs and ran through it past the various shops and restaurants that were closed.  The trail went behind the hospital and then ran through a more secluded wooded area.  We passed behind the Primate Sanctuary (but didn't see any of the chimps out, although we could smell them).

At around 7.75 miles we came to Wall Springs park where we stopped for a quick pit stop and I found a fountain to top off a water bottle.  Continuing on, we made it into Palm Harbor and were near the entrance of Pop Stansell park at the 10 mile mark.

We turned around and then had the wind to deal with.  We picked it up for a bit and were pushing a 7:30 pace when we got back to Wall Springs park.  Stopped there for a brief stretch break and to look at the old bathing springs.  We could see some fish swimming in the spring.

Got moving again.  Wind was a little bit lighter now.  At about 4.5 miles left to go we had spread out a bit.  Raj told me to go ahead, so I picked it up a bit and finished that mile under 8:00.  With 4 miles left to go, I had just gotten into a good groove and was now heading east, so no longer into the wind.  Ran past the things that were too dark to see when we started out like the house on the corner with big solar panels and lots of white geese and some chickens.  The final mile finished up on pretty good uphill, followed by a short down hill.  Finished the last 4 miles under 7:00 minute pace with the final mile at 6:34.

Average pace: 7:57

Glycerin 7 Miles: 20.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.000.000.000.005.00

I went to the Y this morning even though I was only doing 5 miles, it was a little bit cold outside and I wanted to get some good warm up and stretching before the run.  I felt a little bit tight but loosened up after a bit.

Average pace: 8:10

Cutting back a bit on miles this week and next, but one more kind of hard run on Wednesday (5 @ 6:29 plus warm up and cool down), the pace is going to be hard but 5 miles is more manageable than 7 or 8.

Asics Equation Miles: 5.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 10:00:08 from 24.8.167.243

Are you tapering for something or just doing a cut-back week?

From Mark on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 22:45:45 from 173.168.88.68

Tapering for the marathon in less than 2 weeks (2/28)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.000.000.000.005.00

I had to catch a flight this morning, so I woke up a bit earlier than usual (5:00).  Fortunately I was only running 5 miles, otherwise I would have needed to get up earlier.

I didn't feel much like running, cold and windy and I had a long day ahead of me.  However, as usual, and fortunately I was glad that I did the job and got the run done.

Average pace: 8:30

Asics Equation Miles: 5.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.230.005.000.000.000.000.009.23

For the first time in a few tries now, I made all my splits under my goal time for a tempo run.

Goal was 5 @ 6:29

Warmed up with 2 easy miles to get to Starkey Blvd.  A little bit of wind, but less than last time, temp somewhere in the low 40's.  Got going on the tempo portion, determined to give it my all and hoping to get the job done.

Splits were: 6:21, 6:24, 6:29, 6:26, 6:26

Hopefully this means I'm ready now.  I was a bit worried about this one.  Under 6:30 seems daunting.  Also, I had a full day of travel yesterday, up and back to Atlanta in the same day where I was able to see a few snow flakes falling.

P.M. - did the Inflict workout that I should have done on Tuesday.


Brooks Launch Miles: 9.23
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 23:27:48 from 139.55.189.97

Man you're fast!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.253.000.000.000.000.000.007.25

I ran with Jenny this morning.  She had to do 6 X 800 @ 7:00 pace.  I figured this would be good for me to practice the 7:00 pace along with her.  Run went well.  As usual she made all of her times (and slightly faster on each repeat).  I tried to practice running smooth and relaxed while doing  the pace.  Not sure how well I did with that but, not bad I suppose.

Temperatures continue to be below normal but maybe I'm getting used to it now.

 My right quad was a bit sore later in the morning but improved throughout the day.  Need to remind myself to be more careful on the day after a speed or tempo run.  I don't think I messed anything up this time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.100.000.000.000.000.000.005.10

Just 5 miles by myself this morning.  It was a similar run to Tuesday but felt much better.  I felt consistent and mostly relaxed throughout the run. 

Average pace: 7:55

I finished my run pretty early which was nice.  Needed to get home and wrap presents for Jenny's birthday today.  Happy Birthday Jenny!

Asics Equation Miles: 5.10
Comments
From jtshad on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 13:08:15 from 204.134.132.225

Good run, nice taper!

Happy Birthday to Jenny!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Feb 20, 2010 at 10:27:50 from 98.16.155.101

Nice quick run. Happy Birthday, Jenny!

From Mark on Sat, Feb 20, 2010 at 20:55:26 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks!

She had a great day. Had dinner with my brother and family before they had to go back up north, then we went bowling, then the boys and I baked her a cake.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.102.000.000.000.000.000.0010.10

Great morning run with perfect running temps (right at 50 degrees).  There was a surprise visit from my running buddy Dixie who I haven't seen in months now.  A nice sized group of us started out together and ran out to 5 miles.  We turned around and then ran into David, Keisha, and Dougie.  It was great running with a bunch of people who I don't always get to see.  Also ran with Raj.  We were all together up until two miles left, when I picked it up a bit.

Average pace: 7:50

It was nice to be done early enough that everyone wasn't packing up and leaving already when I was at the social hour.

I think I'm feeling ready now.  Probably as physically prepared as I am going to be, just need to prepare mentally some more!

Glycerin 7 Miles: 10.10
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 00:29:12 from 24.8.167.243

You sure have a lot of running buddies.

When's your race? Is it tomorrow?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.131.000.000.000.000.000.005.13

Almost forgot to blog this run.  It's taper week and I'm trying to follow the plan in Smartcoach.  I usually modify it and run a few more times than it calls for.  So, I didn't run on Monday.  There was only 4 on the schedule for Tuesday and no run on Wednesday. 

 I ran with Jenny for part of her tempo run.  We warmed up with 2 easy miles, then she started her tempo portion (3.5 @ 7:35).  I ran two miles with her and then headed back towards home.  I was going to just try and run between 7:00 and 7:10, but I got a little bit faster and did the last mile at about a 6:50 pace.

Average pace: 7:52

Weather was actually kind of warm compared to what we had been having.  It was back to sleeveless shirt weather (62 degrees), but it is supposed to cool down some more soon.

Asics Equation Miles: 5.13
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 10:57:13 from 24.8.167.243

That little bit of speed during the taper is probably fine.

You really are having warm weather. Congratulations.

From JimF on Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 13:22:06 from 67.162.67.145

Taper weeks are always interesting. Sounds like you have a good plan and I hope you are well rested and ready to go for the race.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.130.004.000.000.000.000.008.13

 

One last tempo run before the marathon, shorter distance.  Goal was 4 @ 6:33 plus warm up and cool down.  The temperature was similar to what is forecast for Sunday (mid 40's for the low), but hopefully it won't be as breezy.  Jenny and I warmed up together.  About a mile into the run I said out loud that I could run in this (referring to the wind).  Just then, a gust of wind came up to remind me that I should keep my mouth shut.

Felt pretty good on the warm up (about two miles), then got going on the tempo.  First mile went pretty well, except for the garbage truck pulling out in front of me.  Turned around just after the end of the first mile and was into the wind for the next mile and a half (about), so second mile was a little bit slower.  For the final mile I was running with the wind, and I was excited about finishing , so that mile was faster than the rest.

Splits were: 6:32, 6:34, 6:30, 6:19

Met back up with Jenny just as she was finishing her 800's, so we ran back home together for the cool down.

Average pace: 7:32

Brooks Launch Miles: 8.13
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 00:33:06 from 24.8.167.243

Good luck on your marathon. I'm sure you'll do great.

From JimF on Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 12:21:52 from 67.162.67.145

Great tempo and strong finish. Look forward to hearing about your marathon. Good luck!

From Mark on Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 20:13:30 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jim and Carolyn, hoping for the best, going to try my hardest!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.101.000.000.000.000.000.005.10

One more easy run for taper week.  Ran by myself around the neighborhood and felt pretty good.  Mostly ran pretty even and easy with a little bit of pickup at the end.  It was chilly again (back in the mid 30's).

Average pace: 7:42

Marathon weather is supposed to be a little bit warm with 40's to low 50's at the end (nice!), some wind from N or NNW (not as nice, since last 6 miles is north), but it shouldn't be a very strong wind (nice!).

Want to come in under 3:10 for this one.  If I'm feeling good I'd like it to be even more under 3:10 (maybe 3:03 ~ 3:05 if I'm feeling strong).

Glycerin 7 Miles: 5.10
Race: Gasparilla Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:06:34, Place overall: 43, Place in age division: 5
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.000.000.000.0026.20

 

I don't think this race could have gone any better.  Lots of things seemed to come together.  When I woke up at 4:00 I had a pretty good feeling about the day.  We left the house at 4:30 and were making pretty good time when we hit a lot of traffic at the downtown exit.  Fortunately, we were pretty close to the start so I got out of the car and went over to the starting area while Jenny found a place to park the car.   The weather was a nice 45ish degrees and clear.  I found my way to the starting area.   The quick brisk walk was a good warm up.  Once there, I jogged up and down a side street for just under a half mile and practiced accelerating up to race pace.   I was wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt with an old larger t-shirt on top for the warm up which I ditched right before the start.

I had lined up a little bit ahead of the 3:20 pace group, so didn't have too long to wait to cross the starting line.  This is the last year they are doing the full marathon here, so attendance was the highest it's been.  There were 2000 marathon finishers and over 3000 half marathon finishers all starting at the same spot and same time.

Miles 1-6 Davis Island: 7:21, 7:01 (+:14), 7:01, 6:56 (+:10), 7:02, 7:03

I was kind of stuck in the pack for a bit, but we were moving pretty good.  My plan was to take the first mile somewhat easy before settling into the pace I wanted.  Crossed over the bridge onto Davis Island for the first part of the race which was a 6 mile loop around the island.  Finished the first mile in 7:21 which would end up being the slowest mile of the race (one of my goals).  Then, I was on my pace, I feeling pretty good, the line was thinning into a more reasonable amount.  Still very early on in the race, but I felt like I had a good shot at a PR today.  Twice, my garmin mile was a little bit short of the mile markers, possibly due to the twisting.  I ran by a person juggling with flaming batons which looked pretty cool in the early morning darkness.  When I finished mile 4 in 6:56, I was a little worried I had started speeding up too early, but decided not to worry about it.  At one point a big group of people made a wrong turn before volunteers and police could block off that road.  Fortunately for those people, I think it just added a little bit of distance onto their route before joining back up with the real route.

As I neared the end of Davis Island it was starting to get light out and the downtown Tampa buildings were just ahead, it was a beautiful morning, I could hear the birds singing (I had my ipod but hadn't turned it on yet).  We crossed back over the bridge to the mainland.  Going up the bridge (about 25 feet high), I slowed down a little, but gained it back on the way down.  We were soon approaching the marathon/half marathon split point.

Miles 7-11, Downtown Tampa: 7:03, 7:00 (+:12), 6:51, 6:55 (+:15), 6:48 (+:17)

Shortly after crossing back to the mainland, I saw David and Karen (they raced the 15K yesterday and were here today for moral support), then a little bit later I saw Jenny and the boys, always a huge boost!  We were heading north now, there was some wind but nothing too bad.  Turn around point was at about 9 miles.  Not sure when exactly, but sometime before then, saw the lead pack heading south (maybe about 5 guys stuck together).  This section of the course had a good amount of turns, several bridge crossings over the Hillsborough River and running underneath some buildings, so the pace seemed to be off a bit, but at least one of those miles seemed to be legitimately under 7:00 pace. Sometime around mile 11 we joined back up with the half marathoners.  I saw Kathryn's husband Chuck, and then shortly after that saw Jenny and the boys cheering again!  Towards the end of this section, the marathon route joined back up with the half marathon route and it became crowded again.

Miles 12-14, back in the crowd: (7:02, 7:05, 7:07)

I had to do a lot of weaving here to get through the half marathoners.  I passed by the 2:20 half marathon pace group.  It was hard to not slow down because most of the people were not going at your pace.  There was another marathoner wearing a green shirt who I had been tag teaming, so I tried to keep my sites on him for a frame of reference which seemed to help.

Miles 15-20, Bayshore Blvd and a park: 7:05, 7:08, 7:05, 6:52, 7:06, 7:08

About mile 14, the half marathoners were at their turn around point, so the crowd was once again very thin.  I think about mile 16 the top of my left foot was hurting and I decided to retie my shoe.  I stopped, checked it and realized it wasn't too tight.  A few people passed me when I stopped but I think I caught back up to them.  We turned into a park which looped around a small lake circled by a jogging trail.  I had one more under 7:00 mile (another goal, one sub-7:00 in second half).  Just before mile 20 I came up behind Pat (who I often run into in races).  We stayed together for a bit under just after mile 20.  I was looking forward to the mile 20 sign, but knew there would be some wind, heading back north on Bayshore.

Miles 21-26.2, Bayshore home stretch: 7:10, 7:08, 7:16, 7:17, 7:18, 7:09, 1:36(.23@6:58)

Ok, just trying to hang on here.  Not exposed to the wind until about mile 22 or so.  Was determined to not let my pace drop too badly (like I did for the last 6 miles of Spacecoast marathon which were 7:38ish).  Took it mile by mile and was careful not to  follow anyone that I came up behind.   Feeling hopeful at the last mile and managed to pick it back up a little bit.  I was so relieved I hadn't fallen apart.  I wasn't sure about my actual finish time until I saw the clock because I had just been looking at the mile splits.  I don't think anyone passed me for this final stretch.  I heard someone cheer and some more people joined in (it was Jenny again but I had trouble seeing here).  Great feeling to cross over the finish line!

Met up with Jenny and the boys after the race, then stood in line for some food from the Columbia restaurant (a very popular landmark here in Tampa), they had salad, bread, black beans and rice and paella - I know, a little odd to be eating this at 9:15 in the morning, but why not?

We went back to the finish line and saw several of our friends cross the finish line, lots of people we knew had a good race today.

I was in 75th place at the halfway point and finished in 42nd place, so I'm pretty happy about that.


03:06:34

 


DistanceMAR
Clock Time03:06:50
Chip Time03:06:34
Overall Place43 / 2090
Gender Place40 / 1236
Division Place5 / 224
Age Grade70.3%
Pace7:07.0
Split10:50:04
Half1:32:40
Split21:38:00
Split32:36:22

































Brooks Launch Miles: 26.70
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Mar 01, 2010 at 11:45:25 from 24.8.167.243

Congratulations on an awesome race, Mark! That's a PR for you, right? It seems like dealing with the crowds and running into the half marathoners would be disconcerting.

Way to finish strong!

From jtshad on Mon, Mar 01, 2010 at 11:57:03 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats on the PR and great race! I have been waiting for you to post so I could hear the story. Nice job with the pacing and staying strong throughout the race. That is an awesome time, your running is so strong right now!

Congrats again on a superior effort!

From ChrisM on Mon, Mar 01, 2010 at 13:20:10 from 86.158.215.235

Well done on the improvement, glad the race went so well!

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Mar 01, 2010 at 16:16:50 from 192.168.1.1

You gave the 3:00 guy a good scare. He thought he was safe for a while. He laughed at you when you ran 3:52, and was still laughing when it took you several attempts to crack 3:20. Even your 3:11 PR did not bother him that much. But now with 3:06 he is scratching his head trying to figure out what he is going to do to hold you off.

From Mike on Mon, Mar 01, 2010 at 18:15:41 from 173.171.124.9

Congratulations Mark! ....your spirit and determination has brought you fantastic results.

You are certain to hit your quest....

From Snoqualmie on Tue, Mar 02, 2010 at 10:56:27 from 24.18.192.33

Well done, Mark! Thanks for the great report. Enjoy your well-deserved recovery!

From Burt on Tue, Mar 02, 2010 at 20:58:30 from 206.19.214.144

That is awesome Mark. 46th out of 2000??? Way to go! You've almost reached your quest.

My favorite part was the paella. I love paella.

From Mark on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 at 22:12:28 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone!

Sasha, I think I might be getting within striking range. I'm going to run Deseret News Marathon next since I'll be out that way this summer. I know it's not an easy course but it's not impossible either. Any pointers?

Jim, I read your race report the night before my marathon for inspiration, it must have worked because I almost got the same time!

From mike mcclellan on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 at 00:55:59 from 192.28.0.20

Very solid race Mark!! Congrats on your PR.

From Lyman on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 16:51:05 from 170.135.241.45

Just got around to reading your race report. CONGRATULATIONS on a new PR. Excellent time. You are on track of hitting a sub 3 soon. BTW - your splits look like put out a very even and consistent effort. Very smart.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.540.000.000.000.000.000.002.54

Ok, after 4 days of not waking up early and going for a run, decided that not running had worn out its welcome.  So, I needed to at least do a shorter run this morning.  Goal was to do at least 2 miles and not break anything.  It was mid 30's.  Warmed up inside first as best I could then headed outside.  I didn't feel sore or clunky.  Just went at a relaxed but not too slow pace.

Average pace: 8:11

Hopefully tomorrow's run goes well too (I'll try for a few more miles)

Asics Equation Miles: 2.54
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.000.000.000.006.00

As promised, a few more miles today than yesterday. Went to Starkey park this morning a little bit later than usual (there at 6:30). It was cold again today, maybe the last day for a while, 36 degrees with fog making it feel colder. Joe was at the trailhead waiting, so I ran with him. A new guy, Rick (who is very fast) started out with us also.  Rick stayed with us for 1.5 miles then took off.  We kept a steady pace, with the first mile close to 9:00, the later miles in the low 8:00's, and an 8:22 overall average.

On our way out we ran into a group that had gotten there earlier.

After the run talked to some of the other people there, although it was a pretty small group today as a lot of people are either running in or specatating at the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon tomorrow.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 6.00
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sat, Mar 06, 2010 at 16:55:22 from 98.202.182.29

Hey Mark, solid effort in the Gasparilla Marathon. I grew up in FL back in the 70s and 80s (Dunedin High '83). I enjoyed reading your race report - it brought back memories. I did the Gasparilla 15k as a 9th grader in 1980.

I hope your marathon recovery is going well.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Mar 06, 2010 at 22:18:49 from 24.8.167.243

It sounds like you're recovering nicely.

From jtshad on Sun, Mar 07, 2010 at 19:33:24 from 12.50.194.194

Glad you are recovering so well.

From Samantha Dean-Howard on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 at 03:14:40 from 90.195.99.128

glad you recovery is going so well, I am jealous of you living in Florida :)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.230.000.000.000.000.000.005.23

Back to usual routines, although not back up to full mileage just yet.  Went to the Y.  Did some warm up on the bike followed by light stretching and ab crunches on the ball.  Got onto the treadmill for just over 2 miles (2.06) @ about an 8:20 average pace.

Headed outside where it was chilly but very nice (ok for short sleeves).  Ran another 3.17 miles at 7:32 average pace.  A little bit faster than planned but it didn't feel like I was overdoing it and it was short so probably ok for now.

Asics Equation Miles: 5.23
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 at 16:05:46 from 24.8.167.243

You're fast even when you're recovering.

From JimF on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 at 19:27:38 from 67.162.67.145

Enjoy an easy recovery. You deserve it and will pay off in the long run.

From Samantha Dean-Howard on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 05:55:12 from 78.32.130.9

Nice recovery running and training well just enjoy it for now and it will pay you dividends in spades and buckets full for sure if you try train hard now you might break and that 2.59 will be yours if you train with your head :)

From Mark on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 23:39:10 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks!

Trying to keep it nice and easy this week, certainly don't want any setbacks now.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.770.000.000.000.000.000.006.77

I forgot to set the alarm last night - I think it has been years since I have done that.  Jenny poked me at 6:49, so I got moving, better late than never.  When I got outside it was sprinkling a few drops and for some reason reminded me of fall.

Run felt pretty good.  I kept the pace pretty even with the first mile at 8:45 and the last few at about 7:45 or so with an average pace of 8:04.

The rain held off and I felt a little bit warm in the long sleeves.

Feeling mostly recovered but still taking it pretty easy.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 6.77
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.501.000.000.000.000.000.007.50

Ran with Jenny this morning.  She had 3 tempo miles (7:35 pace) to do with warm up and cool down.  Nice, cool and pleasant this morning.  I wore short sleeves, so it felt a little bit chilly for just a few minutes, then felt perfect out once warmed up.  Ran 2 miles easy for warm up, then got going on the tempo portion.

The run felt good and Jenny kept a good steady rhythm, with the last mile a little bit faster, then we went back to the easy pace for the return trip home.

Average pace: 8:15

This weekend is the 5K that she has been training for.  The kids are going to run also (they've been training, too).  I'm going to start out with the boys and stay with whomever is the slower one.  Hopefully everyone will have fun, I'm sure Jenny is going to do great.

Asics Equation Miles: 7.50
Comments
From Bec on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 23:42:14 from 76.23.55.210

Are you going to Boston this year? Good luck if you are!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 00:12:35 from 24.8.167.243

Your Jenny is a fast runner. Good luck to her and your boys.

From jtshad on Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 08:55:10 from 69.20.183.178

Nice run with Jenny, wish her the best of luck this weekend!

From Mark on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 23:26:15 from 173.168.88.68

Bec, I'm not going to make it to Boston this year, I waited too long to sign up before they sold out, I plan on going next year with Jenny.

Jeff, Carolyn, I think your good wishes helped out, Jenny and both boys did really well.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.250.000.000.000.000.000.006.25

Ran with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood.  Was about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday, cloudy, windy, and humid, but strangely enough not bad for running.  Neither one of us had any special type of run today, just basic easy miles.

Jenny said she was feeling a little bit sluggish but it didn't have any affect on our pace.  I felt pretty even throughout the run.

Shortly after we finished and were back inside, it started to rain out, so we just barely missed it!

Average pace: 8:41

Asics Equation Miles: 6.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.350.000.000.000.000.000.005.35

Original plan was to run with Jenny this morning, about 6 miles at an easy pace.  It started raining sometime during the night and was pretty heave at times.  Still raining at 6:00 am with no signs of letting up.  So, I headed over to the Y and Jenny planned on doing her run later.  

Did some usual warm up stuff - bike, rower, stretching.

Got onto the treadmill, and for variety played around with the incline, going from 1 % up to 4%, and then down to -2% before going back to 1%.  Did that a few times and it seemed to make the run go by quicker.  Decided that getting in at least 5 miles would be ok for today.

Average pace: 7:53

Did a few sets of weights after the running then headed home.

I think I'm pretty much recovered and ready to start slowly ramping back up.

Asics Equation Miles: 5.35
Comments
From JimF on Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 20:20:01 from 67.162.67.145

Glad to hear the recovery has went well and sounds like you are ready for more.

Race: Armadillo Run 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:29:21, Place overall: 130, Place in age division: 7
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.500.000.000.000.000.000.003.50

Great day for a race.  This is a nice course put on by the local Rotary Club with a small-town race feeling, even though it is just around the corner from a row of restaurant and hotel chains.  This is our 4th year running it (although just my 3rdt time as I was out of town last year).

We all signed up for the 5K.  Before the race, I warmed up with the boys for about 0.4 miles while Jenny was doing a longer warm up.  It was right about 60° at the start with a little bit of wind but nothing too awful.  There were lots of people that we knew.  My friend Eric was there as he had paced his daughter in the 1 mile race and decided to just jog the 5k.

We were lined up at the starting line and I saw Eric next to us.  Since I was pretty sure that Andy was going to pull ahead and I would stay with Thomas, I asked Eric if he wouldn't mind running with Andy.  Andy often ends up running by himself when we race together, but it was nice to know there would be someone with him.  We all started out together and got off to a pretty good pace (8:30ish).  After about a mile Andy and started to pull away from us and I stayed with Thomas.  Thomas had been trying pretty hard to keep up with his older brother and I was afraid we had gone out too fast.  As we were getting near the turnaround we could see Andy and Eric coming the other way with a pretty good lead.

Thomas had started to slow down and bit and was complaining about not wanting to run, but it was actually not nearly as bad as in other races.  After we were a little more than half way, Thomas seemed to perk up a bit and was running a little bit stronger.   The sun came out and it actually felt hot for a short time.  As we approached the last turn, there was a man calling out the time.  I think he said about 27:45.  With about 0.2 miles left to go I knew we could make it under 30 minutes, which would beat his old PR of 30:35.

Finally with just 0.1 left to go I told Thomas to kick it in and he did.  He took off so fast I had trouble matching his acceleration.  The finish line crowd loved it and were cheering him on.

Caught back up with Jenny and Andy and found that they both had nice PRs -

Jenny - 21:49

Andy - 25:20  (a 3 minute PR!)

Thomas ended up with 1st place in his age division, Jenny 2nd place, and Andy 4th place (they give awards 4 deep at this race).  The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd boys in Andy's age division (10-14) were all at least a foot taller than Andy, pretty tough division for an 11 year old to be running in.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 3.50
Comments
From JimF on Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 21:55:34 from 67.162.67.145

Sounds like a great family day!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 10:57:01 from 24.8.167.243

What an awesome family race! Great job everyone.

From Burt on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 15:56:53 from 206.19.214.144

Great job Mark. Hope the family had fun.

From Mark on Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 22:59:52 from 173.168.88.68

Definitely a great day, nice that everyone had a good running experience and memorable family time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.501.000.000.000.000.000.008.50

Went to the Y this morning.  Time to get used to the time change.  Warmed up on the bike, did some stretching then got onto the treadmill for 3.5 miles at about 8:00 average pace.

Headed outside for another 5 miles.  Very pleasant morning for running.  The section of road that had been under construction was finally open so I didn't have to take the detour, which was nice. Started out and a pretty comfortable pace and slowly picked it up with one mile just under 7:10.

Average pace outside: 7:28

Asics Equation Miles: 8.50
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 23:44:27 from 24.8.167.243

It sounds like you're back to full speed.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.600.000.000.000.000.000.007.60

Nice, relaxed run with Jenny this morning at an easy pace.  Unlike some years, it was not a challenge this year to adjust to daylight saving time, felt like any other morning only darker than it had been.

At the end of the run I did a few accelerations just for fun.

Average pace: 8:50

Glycerin 7 Miles: 7.60
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 01:06:23 from 24.8.167.243

I think you're the only person I know who's not upset about Daylight Savings Time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.000.000.000.007.50

I think I spoke too soon when I said I had adjusted to daylight saving time, I think it was delayed a day.  I woke up feeling kind of out of it this morning.  Despite that, that run still went pretty well, fortunately it was just an easy no nonsense run.

 I ran with Jenny through the neighborhoods on the usual 7.5 mile route.  Easy throughout except for the dart across the main road so we could make the green light.  Just after we crossed, Jenny's garmin decided to freak out.  That's about all the excitement for the day.

Weather was perfect, cool but not cold, no rain or wind.

Average pace: 8:51

I'm going to try a couple of two mile repeats to help prepare for Sunday's half marathon.

Asics Equation Miles: 7.50
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 23:12:06 from 24.8.167.243

Another race? Didn't you just run a race?

From Mark on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 22:37:24 from 173.168.88.68

Yes, I know. I usually don't run them so close but wanted to do this one coming up since it was part of a series. It's on the same course as the one I did in October.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.570.004.000.000.000.000.008.57

Ran with Jenny this morning for part of the time.  Also, to get ready for this weekend's race, decided to run 2 X 2 at (goal) half marathon pace.  Nice, pleasant morning for running although there was some wind to deal with.

Warmed up with two easy miles, then got started.

First set went pretty well with miles splits of 6:31 and 6:27

Did a 0.5 mile recovery, then did the second set,

splits were: 6:38, 6:16

I was battling some wind on that first mile and was trying not to fight it too much while running into it since I would be turning soon.  Once I made the turn the wind seemed to some how follow my route, still seeming to come straight at me.  In the second mile I gradually sped up until I was done.

Met back up with Jenny and we ran back home together.

Average pace: 7:49


Brooks Launch Miles: 8.57
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.070.500.000.000.000.000.006.57

Nice run this morning, by myself, around the neighborhood.  Nothing too fancy.  I slept in a little bit later than usual, started running about 6:45.

Started off slow, but not too slow and gradually ended up picking up the pace.  Picked it up for the last half mile to just under 7:00 pace.

Average pace: 7:42

Did Wii yoga in the evening (about 15 minutes).  I need to get back to Inflict now that I'm getting back to regular training.

Asics Equation Miles: 6.57
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:17:35 from 74.40.148.80

It's funny what we morning runners call sleeping in.

I think the name of Inflict training is designed to intimidate you.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.000.000.000.006.00

The boys were having a sleepover at my parents house, and since I was going to be racing a half marathon on Sunday, Jenny did her run today in Starkey Park, and I came along to get in some easy miles.

We started out about 6:30.  I ran with Jenny and one of her friends for 3 miles before I turned around.  Picked it up a little bit on the way back but wasn't feeling overly speedy so kept it relatively easy.

Average pace: 8:39

It was chilly at the start, but was nice for running (about 42 degrees).  We stayed around for the social hour and the nice running weather felt cold but it was still nice to catch up with friends.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 6.00
Race: Florida Beach Halfathon (13.1 Miles) 01:28:43, Place overall: 22, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
1.908.005.100.000.000.000.0015.00

1:28:43

Ran the inaugural Florida Beach Halfathon this morning.  This was the 4th race in a series put on by Florida Road Races.  This was also the soonest after a marathon that I have ever raced a half marathon.  I decided to run this race not too long ago.  When I ran the Clearwater Halfathon in January, a friend of mine said I should run this race because they were doing awards based on running at least 3 races (if you ran 4 they would drop your slowest race).  I was also hoping to try and beat my old PR which I had run on this same course back in October when it was quite a bit warmer (about 74 degrees at the start).

Jenny's friend Kathryn and her family were nice enough to give me a ride to the race which was about an hour away.  It was very nice to be able to just relax during the car ride - or at least try to relax.  I was not feeling good most of Saturday, didn't sleep too well last night, and was only feeling a little bit better by the morning.  We arrived at 6:15, exactly was planned.  Picked up my bib and chip and then warmed up.  Did just under two miles including some strides.  There was a menacingly strong wind.  I felt tired and not ready on the warm up, but I was trying not to panic.  Was just going to line up, run, and see what happened.

Race started on time, just as it was getting a little bit light out.  I didn't line up too close to the front so I had to make my way through a pretty thick crowd.  We were running into the strong head wind for most of the first mile before turning towards a trail which wound through a wooded area.  First mile in 6:51, a little bit slower than I wanted but I was at least now feeling a lot better than during the warm up.

2nd mile was on the trail and I was starting to feel good, and started to feel hopeful for this race, although I knew there was a tough stretch ahead.  2nd mile was 6:27 and 3rd mile was 6:32.

The race then went through the parking lot where we started to finish the first 5k of the race.  Then we were headed along a trail running next to the water.  At the 4th mile I struggled to get under a 7:00 (6:56), only to find my garmin was way off from the 4 mile marker (:21 seconds).  5th mile was a struggle.  I was in a small pack for a bit and was hoping to draft off of someone but the small pack quickly fell apart.  Next couple of miles were also kind of a struggle.  I saw a clock at the half way point, passed by it almost exactly when it read 45:00.  I knew I needed to pick it up if I wanted to get under 1:30 .

Turnaround for the out and back portion was at mile 8, which was my last slower mile.  Just before the turnaround I saw my running friend Pat yell out to me to hang in there.  Great to finally turn around, and except for a short time, was soon running with the wind.

Miles 9-13 were much better.  I was following a guy and started closing in on him which helped, although he eventually pulled away and I was running by myself.  There was a little bit of rain, but fortunately there was no dumping, just some sprinkles.

Last mile was 6:27, tied for fastest with mile 2.  When I turned the last corner I could see the clock and was relieved to see that I could still make it in under 1:29.

Splits were:

6:51, 6:27, 6:32, 6:56 (+ :21), 7:00, 6:46, 6:48, 6:57, 6:51, 6:45, 6:38, 6:41, 6:27, 0.13 @ 6:19


As usual they had great food and drinks for the racers as well as live music.  Saw lots of people I knew and had a great time catching up with friends.   I was awarded 2nd place age group for today's race and 2nd place age group for the 3 race series.  Despite the wind and not feeling the best, I shaved some time off my last race even though I did not get a PR today.  Was pleased that I ended up with a negative split.  A good reminder to not give up hope too soon.

Many thanks again to Kathryn and her family for giving me a ride.  Kathryn's family also volunteered at the race, manning the finish line chip removal.

Brooks Launch Miles: 15.00
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 11:04:35 from 67.162.67.145

Great race especially considering how close this was to your marathon and the conditions. You have been consistently putting in some great races.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 11:11:55 from 24.8.167.243

You are really speedy. Great race and congratulations on the 2nd place AG. You are running really strong these days.

From Burt on Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 13:36:18 from 206.19.214.144

Nice job Mark. I must've missed your post about this on Facebook.

From jtshad on Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 20:02:53 from 67.152.242.197

Nice strong race, congrats on the negative split. Keep running strong.

From Mark on Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 22:27:40 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone!

From Rob Murphy on Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 21:59:25 from 98.202.182.29

Nice, solid effort Mark! I think it's just a matter of time before you nail that 1:25. Good Luck.

From Mark on Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 23:19:09 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Rob! (and thanks for the comment on the last race, too).

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.000.000.000.008.00

Ran around the neighborhood this morning with Jenny.  It was nice to be back to a normal routine after missing yesterday's run.  My left quad was a little sore still from Sunday, but felt better at the end of the run.  We ran a pretty even pace throughout the run and enjoyed the nice mid 50's temps this morning.

Average pace: 8:40

I had a dental appointment looming afterward.  But, now that too has past and I'm good for another six months.

Asics Equation Miles: 8.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 16:02:01 from 24.8.167.243

Oh the dentist. I should make an appointment.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.250.000.000.000.000.000.008.25

Nice, easy run this morning with Jenny.  Usual routes around the neighborhood.  Just easy running this week.

Average pace: 8:40

Very short entry today because I am behind on posting and seem to forget any significant details.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.400.000.000.000.000.000.008.40

This morning's run was a lot like yesterday's run, only it was warmer out, so back to short sleeves (mid 60's at the start).  Ran just a little bit farther than yesterday and just a little bit faster. 

Average pace: 8:29

Asics Equation Miles: 8.40
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 12:20:11 from 24.8.167.243

I'm hoping for mid-60s some day.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.310.000.000.000.000.000.007.31

Busy day yesterday, 10 hours in the car to drive to Miami and back to get a passport in one day - I hope I don't have to do that again.  But all in all, the passport agency did a great job.

Jenny went to do an adventure race with her friends this morning and I stayed back with the kids, did some grocery shopping then took them to Tae Kwon Do at the Y.  While they were in class I managed to get a run in.

Warmed up in the gym then did 2.1 miles on the treadmill at about 8:15 pace.

Headed outside where it was kind of warm but still runnable (mid 70's and sunny).  Did another 5.21 miles at 7:56 pace.   The first part of the run was interrupted by a dog that got loose from his owner.  The dog was a pretty big pit bull but fortunately very friendly.

Other than the dog incident it was a pleasant run through the Lansbrook neighborhood, over to a small park on Lake Tarpon and then back.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 7.31
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 10:10:43 from 24.8.167.243

Good job getting a run in on a busy day.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.260.000.000.000.000.000.008.26

It was supposed to be just a routine 8 or 9 miles around the neighborhood.  Jenny and I started out from the house.  There was a very light rain which seemed to be easing up.  Just over half way around the neighborhood loop, the rain picked up and got pretty heavy.  So, we headed back home.  Jenny would run later and I headed off to the Y.  I briefly thought about running in the rain but decided to take advantage of having access to a treadmill.

Average pace: about 8:35

Headed over to the Y and pretty much got onto the treadmill right away since I was already warmed up.  I realized that I had forgotten my music, but despite that the run went by pretty quickly.  I played around with the incline and speed to break things up.  Did another 6.57 miles.

Average pace: 7:42

Since I was at the Y, did about 20 minutes of weights.  It's been quite a while since I had lifted weights other than smaller dumbbells at home.  Nice to change things a bit.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.26
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.260.000.000.000.000.000.009.26

Run went as planned.  Weather was perfect.  Jenny and I ran from home and met up with her friend Kathryn who joined us for about four and a half miles.  Kept a pretty steady pace throughout the run.  Jenny and I ran together just over 8 miles.  Once we got back home I went on a little bit farther to get over 9 for the day.

Average pace: 8:30

Asics Equation Miles: 9.26
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.420.000.000.000.000.000.009.42

This morning's run was remarkably similar to yesterday's run.  Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood.  Met up with Kathryn when we passed near her house.  We all ran together for 4.5 miles, then Jenny and I continued on.  Jenny ran 8.25, then I went on a bit more by myself to get over 9 miles again.  It was a bit cooler than yesterday but still very nice out.

Average pace: 8:34

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.42
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 23:20:06 from 98.202.182.29

Hey Mark, don't know if you caught my comment to your comment, but I'd be thrilled to help you out with the fun, but very challenging, Deseret News Marathon.I plan to be there again this year.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 23:39:32 from 24.8.167.243

You know, when it comes down to it, most runs are not that different from most other runs, at least in my experience.

From Mark on Fri, Apr 02, 2010 at 13:54:46 from 174.47.44.19

You are right Carolyn, it's just about one foot in front of the other!

Rob, yes, I saw your comment, I liked the description of the course. I'm glad you will be running it this year. If I'm feeling good at the start I think I might try for 3:00, any help you could give me would be much appreciated.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.130.000.000.000.000.000.0010.13

Nice easy run this morning with Jenny.  Just the two of us today.  We ran together just over 9 miles then I did another mile by myself.  We both brought music with us but ended up talking most of the time.  We also ran down a couple of side roads that we usually don't run down which was a nice change.  Happy to get 10 miles in since the weekend will be pretty busy.

Average pace: 8:28

Asics Equation Miles: 10.13
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.540.000.000.000.000.000.008.54

Ran by myself this morning.  Perfect day for running.  A number of people asked where my running partner was today (she was at the hilly neighborhood with her friend).  Lots of stuff to do today so it was good to start it off with a run.

Average pace: 8:02

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.54
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 02, 2010 at 13:57:38 from 24.8.167.243

You're a very sociable runner.

From Samantha Dean-Howard on Fri, Apr 02, 2010 at 18:02:32 from 90.195.99.146

great running today, its nice to run on your own sometimes I run on my own too much :)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.480.000.000.000.000.000.005.48

Quick run to get adjusted to the traveling.  Arrived in Brussels just after 12:00, Jenny's sister met us at the airport and drove us back to their house.  After some hellos and pastries and tea and figured it was now or never, go out and do the run before I crash!  So, that's what I did.  My nephew biked alongside me to show me how to get to a nearby park which has a trail around a lake.  A bit cooler here than in Florida, but actually quite nice for running (right about 50 degrees).  Rained a little bit on the way home but just a few sprinkles.

Average pace: 8:46

The flights out here went pretty well overall, we had two connections, Philadelphia and Munich.  The kids had fun in the Munich airport - it's very modern looking and the restrooms were quite interesting!

Asics Equation Miles: 5.48
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Apr 03, 2010 at 16:20:46 from 24.8.167.243

Wow. Aren't you the world traveler. What are you doing in Brussels?

From Mark on Sun, Apr 04, 2010 at 12:12:48 from 81.243.194.41

One week family trip to visit my wife's sister and her family about 30 minutes outside of Brussels. Overnight trip to Paris during the week and lots of relaxing and fun family time, and of course chocolate, french fries and Belgian waffles!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.120.000.000.000.000.000.0011.12

Brisk morning but nice medium long easy run in Belgium.  Started out with Jenny and Amy and headed on a road going out of town.  Stuck together a bit over 3 miles and went out ahead.  It was nice rolling terrain, cool and sunny.  I felt like running forever but we had other things to do today so I kept it at 11 miles, a good start for the week.

Average pace: 8:56

 

 


Glycerin 7 Miles: 11.12
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Apr 05, 2010 at 13:39:32 from 198.241.174.15

What a beautiful tree-lined road. It looks like a great place to run. Is that a bike path marked along the side?

I'm amazed with all the travel that you do - all over the country for races and now this. Are you independently wealthy?

From JimF on Tue, Apr 06, 2010 at 15:27:10 from 67.162.67.145

Belgium! That sounds awesome! Enjoy your trip and good job running while traveling.

From Mark on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 at 11:49:28 from 217.136.51.68

It is a beautiful road to run on. I'm very fortunate that we have people to stay with while here, making things a lot more fun and much less expensive, too!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.030.000.000.000.000.000.0011.03

After missing two days of running (I'll have to go back and fill in my excuses for those two days!), it was great to be able to get out and run this morning.  When I woke up I got ready but saw that it was raining.  I thought about running later when the rain might stop but then decided to just go ahead and run.  I decided to run through town and out onto Brusselstraat which, if I had more time to run could have taken me all the way to Brussels.  It was cloudy and cool but the rain had stopped by the time I started to run.  The road was kind of busy to run on but had a decent bike lane and sometimes a sidewalk.  On the other side of town it had some nice hills to run on:

 

I went out about 5.5 miles and then turned around, until finally I was back at the Leuven train station, just a half mile from where I was staying :

Inside, there is a stand that sells warm waffles, which were tempting me.  This has been on my list for quite some time to go for a run and stop in the train station on the way back for a warm Belgian waffle:

I thought about not getting one but I had some money on me and realized maybe I would not get another chance, because life has a habit of getting in the way of your plans some time, so carpe diem!

 

Average pace: 8:32


Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 11.03
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 at 21:04:12 from 24.8.167.243

Nice hills, eh? Belgium looks pretty flat. But you did say they were on the other side of town.

A run and a belgian waffle when you're actually in Belgium. What could be better?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.550.000.000.000.000.000.008.55

This morning we all headed over to the "Finnish Track" or Finse Piste in Dutch.  It is a 1km loop through a park.  Set into the ground is about a 1 foot thick rubbery material, then covered with wood chips up to ground level.  I think the idea originally started to help train skiers in Finland, then runners started using it.  It is both hard (more work) to run on and easier (on the joints).  We ran to the track, a little over a mile away, then did 7 loops on the track, easy, fast, easy, fast, easy, fast, easy then ran back home.    The first "easy" lap felt hard and we had second thoughts about trying faster speeds.  The faster speeds were about 7:45 pace which felt pretty challenging.

Here is Jenny getting ready for the next loop:

The next picture was supposed to be me but is actually just Jenny's foot:

After the laps we headed back and then I did another out and back to get in over 8 miles for the day.

Average pace: 8:46

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.55
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Apr 09, 2010 at 11:32:57 from 24.8.167.243

Belgium looks like a pretty runner friendly place. Do you think it is?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.970.000.000.000.000.000.008.97

 

Back to routines!  Went to the Y this morning, usual warm up on the bike then got onto the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes, 3.78 miles @ 7:56 average pace.

Headed outside on a perfect morning.  Overall, I'd say I felt really good for a Monday morning, which don't always feel the best.  Goal was to get in enough miles for 8 total which I was able to do.

5.19 miles @ 7:39 average pace.

After the run did a few sets of weights - leg extensions, bench press, and two arm curls.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.97
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 11:10:47 from 24.8.167.243

Welcome home!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.310.000.000.000.000.000.008.31

Pretty standard run this morning.  Nice weather which I will cherish while it lasts.  Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood.  Stuck together for 7.5 miles, then I ran a little bit farther ahead to get over 8 for the day.

Average pace: 8:37

Asics Equation Miles: 8.31
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.510.000.000.000.000.000.008.51

Another run around the neighborhood, easy pace for the most part.  A little bit warmer than yesterday, just a hint of the warmer weather that is on its way.  A little bit farther than yesterday at a slightly faster pace.

Average pace: 8:33

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.51
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 11:29:25 from 24.8.167.243

Warmer, farther, faster. Good stuff.

From jorge on Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 12:37:42 from 208.228.181.184

I am sad the european posts are over!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.111.500.000.000.000.000.008.61

Jenny had a tempo run this morning, so I kept her company and carried the water belt so we wouldn't have to stop.  It was once again a little bit warmer out than the day before.  I did one mile easy pace then did 4 miles at 7:40 pace, but a little bit faster than that on the 4th mile.  There were lots of people out running this morning.  We ran together a little bit more then Jenny headed back.  I did about another 3 miles by myself with the last 1.5 at about a 7:00 pace.

Average pace: 7:44

Asics Equation Miles: 8.61
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.121.000.000.000.000.000.008.12

This morning's run went pretty smoothly.  I ran by myself, and made my goal of just over 8 miles.  It is cooler than yesterday and extremely nice running weather.  The only thing wrong is there is a big cloud of bugs next to a pond that I run past where I have to keep my mouth closed so the bugs don't fly in and turn my head slightly so they don't get in my eye.  It's a pretty short section though, so it could be a lot worse.

Average pace: 7:53

One week ago today, we went to visit an old castle not too far from Leuven.  Jenny and her sister went into town for lunch and shopping while the guys headed over to the castle, here's a few pictures from Horst Castle

They had self-guided audio tours that told the story of each room inside and features outside.

 

 You could go all the way up to the top floor.

 

Steep, dark stairs going back down

 

And a great place outside to enjoy a snack.

 

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.12
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 20:18:24 from 24.8.167.243

Cool pictures. Is there a moat around the castle and a draw-bridge and all that?

From Mark on Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 12:36:36 from 173.168.88.68

Originally, there was a moat around the castle when it was first built, later they were expanded into two small lakes. There is a drawbridge and portcullis at the entrance.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.005.600.000.000.000.000.0014.60

This morning was my first alligator spotting  while running in Starkey Park/Suncoast Pkwy trail.  Others have spotted them before but this was the first for me.  Much of the route looks fairly dry with pine trees and palmetto fields but there are a few sections with small ponds and swampy looking water.  Just past the water stop on the Suncoast trail, there is a wooden fence overlooking some water.  I saw something splash so I stopped and looked.  Near where I saw the splash I spotted something just barely sticking out of the water, might have been mistaken for a rock or a log but I looked closer and could see eyes.  Turned out to be a pretty big gator that others have seen at this spot.  I didn't have my phone or a camera so the picture above is actually one taken at nearby John Chestnut park.

Anyway, the run itself was pretty big.  I wasn't feeling too motivated so it was nice to run with a group, especially at the beginning when I just sort of hung on behind the other runners.  Started out with Joe M, Bob, Rick, and a few others.  Stopped briefly at the 4 mile stop where Victoria, Jorge, and Eudair had caught up to us.  I had stopped on my way to Starkey and picked up their stuff from where they had parked.  A bunch of people turned around at this point and I continued on with Victoria and Eudair out to the end of the Starkey park trail, then I headed north onto the Suncoast trail.  Rick was already on his way back (he had taken off from us at two miles, that guy is pretty fast!).

I went out to 7.3 miles, then turned around.  Stopped briefly to look at the gator, then topped off my water at the nearby water stop before picking it up for the return trip back. I ran the last 5.6 miles between 7:13 and 6:46 pace.

Average pace: 7:48

Stuck around for a bit for a smaller social hour as a number of people are in Boston this weekend.  Offered to give Jorge, Victoria, and Eudair a ride back to their cars.  I was cleaning out the back seat when I looked and saw the 3 of them had jumped into the truck bed and wanted to ride there.  Ok, why not? Felt a bit like high school, even though I didn't actually have a truck in high school, but if I had I might have done something like this. Fortunately no one fell out of the back and I tried to be careful going over the speed bumps while still in the park.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 14.60
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 12:51:15 from 24.8.167.243

I've never really been to Florida except for a very brief stop in Ft. Lauderdale to board a cruise ship. I've always imagined there being alligators and other creepy things all over the place.

You sure have a lot of people to run with.

From Burt on Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 17:29:30 from 206.19.214.144

Exciting!

I thought maybe everyone jumped in the back because the alligator came back. =)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.200.000.000.000.000.000.009.20

Monday morning felt kind of hard, at least the first part of the running did.  I went to the Y, warmed up on the bike, did a few stretches and then got onto a treadmill.  That is the part that felt hard this morning.  Usually I'm ok with the treadmill.  I did a few hills which actually made it feel a little bit better.  3.13 miles total on the treadmill.

Next, I headed outside.  It seemed to be taking a long time for the Garmin to lock in on the signal.  Seems to take a little longer on very cloudy days.  Once I started running outside, things got a little better.  I did  another 6.07 miles so that the numbers would add up.

 Average pace: 7:53

In the evening I did a short Wii yoga routine.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.20
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 12:54:21 from 24.8.167.243

The treadmill always feels harder to me for some reason.

Do you have a special yoga game for the Wii or are you using Wii Fitness?

From Mark on Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 23:05:41 from 173.168.88.68

It's just the yoga that comes with Wii Fit plus, put together a "my routine" which has 7 exercises for a total time of 14 minutes. Pretty quick and easy but better than nothing.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.250.000.000.000.000.000.008.25

Ran with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood.  Mostly cool and pleasant.  Had to run through the bug cloud again, I think it was a little bit worse than last time.  Rest of the run was good after that.  Except maybe for the drinking fountain that now smells like there is a dead mouse in the cooling motor area.  I think we'll skip that one for a while.

Average pace: 8:30

Asics Equation Miles: 8.25
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 11:17:03 from 24.8.167.243

What a waste of a drinking fountain. That stinks. Literally.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.810.004.000.000.000.000.008.81

Decided it was time for some speed work today.  I might be doing a 15K on Saturday if it exists (online sign up was closed).  I'll see if there is one on Saturday, it is supposed to start at 8:00.

Warmed up for 2 miles, running with Jenny, then got going on the hard stuff, goal was 2 X 2 @ 6:30 or better pace.  I did this same workout before the half marathon and this morning's run went a little bit better.

1st set: 6:24, 6:26

2nd set: 6:30, 6:18

For the first mile of the second set, I had lost my focus initially and my pace slipped to 6:38, but I was slowly able to bring that back to 6:30 towards the end of that mile.  Last mile I felt good about finishing so I went faster.

I met up with Jenny again to run back home.

Once again the weather was really nice.  Nothing to complain about at all today, and especially glad to get in a good effort.

Average pace: 7:38

Brooks Launch Miles: 8.81
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 09:22:49 from 24.8.167.243

Very solid effort.

I sometimes lose my focus when I'm supposed to be running fast, and then I have to make up for it.

From Samantha Dean-Howard on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 17:35:21 from 90.195.99.100

great workout Mark well done, 15k sounds like a good race, we only have one 15k round by us and its soon upon the date so Im not ready for it... It used to be one of my most loved events too :)

From JimF on Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 16:43:41 from 67.162.67.145

Those are some good times and looks like you are getting quicker all the time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.060.000.000.000.000.000.008.06

I ran with Jenny this morning.  She had a couple of 1600's @ 7:10 pace which went well.  The rest of the run was at an easy pace for the warm up and cool down, then as we approached our house I went the long way around our neighborhood to come up with 8 miles.

 

No bug cloud and no mouse water today :)

Average pace: 8:11

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.06
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.610.000.000.000.000.000.007.61

Ran by myself this morning.  Nothing out of the ordinary, just a nice pleasant run.  Made sure to appreciate the smell of jasmine while it is still in bloom.

Average pace: 7:52

Asics Equation Miles: 7.61
Race: Relay for Life 15K (9.42 Miles) 01:03:14, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.300.009.420.000.000.000.0011.72

 For the third time, I was able to call home, and when Jenny asked how I did I said,

[me] "I won!"

[Jenny] "The whole thing?"

 [me] "Yes, the whole thing!"

This was the race that I wasn't sure actually existed.  I heard back from the race director on Thursday to say that the race would be held.  There were three races, 1 mile, 5K, and 15K.  There ended up being a total of 67 runners.

I arrived at Starkey just before 7:00 so I could sign up for the race.  I waited around for a bit until the race people showed up.  I turned in my application and asked for my bib, you can see it below in the picture.  A plain piece of paper with a number written in marker on it. Since I was the first person to ask for my bib, I was given number 1.

Once I had my number pinned on, I went out for a warm up run of just under two miles, including some strides.  I knew that water along the course would be minimal so I though I would wear my fuel belt.  But during the warm up , I realized it would be a mistake, that I should not wear the belt and ditch the shirt also since it was quickly warming up.

The race started a little bit late while they sorted out the paperwork.  People lined up but were a little confused about where the start actually was.  The volunteers announced the start of the race but no one started because it wasn't very clear what they were saying, so they had to do the start all over again.

So, the race finally started and I quickly got onto my pace, I was hoping to hold a 6:30 pace, which I did pretty easily for the first mile.  Once the second mile started, I was at a 6:35 pace or so I thought.  It turned out I had my garmin on average pace, and the second mile was actually 6:42.  I had difficulty breaking 6:40 after that and started going into survival mode.  I was running all by myself.  I was carrying one water bottle with me which I dropped off at about 2 miles.

Found the turn around finally and started back.  Stopped briefly to grab a small cup of water and take a gel with 4 miles left, then continued on.  I started feeling a little bit better the closer I got back.  Just after the turn around I was able to see the second and third place guys and then other people and saw that I had a pretty big gap.  But I had trouble knowing exactly how big it was so this actually helped keep me from totally falling apart and hanging on.  I was determined to at least try and average under 6:52 pace.

Finally, the finish line was in sight, great to be done.  I headed over to the race table and they congratulated me and let me pick out from the prizes.  There were various things donated by a local salon, so I picked out the gift basked below.

This certainly wasn't a fancy race or well organized, it was just about running and helping out a great cause - American Cancer Society.

And since this was my first 15K ever, then it is a PR by default.  The times and splits are all from my garmin.  The race director told me that they had accidentally made the course too long and were going to adjust the times, so I'll have to see what they come up with, but I don't think they were too far off.

The only downside was that I was hoping to run about 2 minutes faster, since that would have been the time predicted by my last marathon, but I wasn't quite all on today, so I'll be happy with the good parts.

 

Splits: 6:30, 6:42, 6:46, 6:42, 6:52, 6:39, 6:43, 6:46, 6:44, 2:51 (.43@6:36)

While I was running the race, Jenny was at home with the boys harvesting some carrots from the garden:

And, she took a picture of a lizard eating a dragon fly:

Later in the afternoon, I went out on the boat with my Dad, he did some fishing and I just enjoyed being out on the water and the salty air.

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.72
Comments
From Burt on Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 00:18:13 from 98.177.220.145

What an awesome phone call to make. Way to go Mark! I loved the report. And the pictures. Sweet number. Sweet carrots. Sweet lizard eating a dragonfly. Sweet salty air.

From JimF on Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 11:23:40 from 67.162.67.145

Great to win a race even if it is not fancy! Congrats and good run!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 16:46:26 from 24.8.167.243

Congratulations on the win! Very impressive.

It sounds like you had quite an eventful day.

From Mark on Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 23:37:16 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.670.000.000.000.000.000.009.67

Went to the Y this morning for my usual Monday morning type workout.  Started out with 10 minutes on the bike followed by some stretches and crunches on the ball.

A little bit of trouble getting going at first but nothing too horrible.  Ended up feeling pretty comfortable on the treadmill.  Ran for 4.21 miles @ about 7:55 average pace.

Then headed outside on a damp but pleasant morning for running.

5.46 @ 7:38 pace

Followed up with a few sets of weights, leg extensions, bench press, and curls.

Hopefully the rest of the week will go nice and smooth, with maybe a few not insurmountable challenges thrown in to build some character and strength.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.67
Comments
From Alice on Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 00:20:12 from 174.23.101.185

Living out "West" makes me miss the term the Y! The world needs more YMCAs. Glad to hear you had a great workout! People like you inspire me!

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 16:12:47 from 205.127.70.66

Your training really seems to be going well mark. Nice going on the weights. That Deseret News course is fast, but it really beats you up. Added strength will help.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 16:52:18 from 24.8.167.243

If more of life were nice and smooth . . .

From Mark on Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 23:37:04 from 173.168.88.68

Alice, thanks for stopping by.

Rob, yes, I need to make sure I stay consistent with strength training, some stairs, and whatever hills I can find here. There's a pretty good bridge to run on going to Clearwater Beach, a friend of mine here used it to help train for Pike's Peak, said it helped a lot.

Carolyn, crossing my fingers for more smooth!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.340.000.000.000.000.000.008.34

 

Nice easy run with Jenny this morning.  Ran around the usual neighborhood routes.  The excitement of the morning was the crayfish.  We started out running and I saw something moving, which was a crayfish walking on the street.  We see these out of the water now and then.  I went to scoot him off the road so he wouldn't get run over.  We started running again, then saw another one and another one.  I guess I wouldn't be able to move them all off the road.  When we got near the bridge at the entrance of the neighborhood there were quite a lot of them, many of which had already been run over.  I couldn't believe how many there were.

Rest of the run was quite nice.  We ran about 7.5 miles together, then I went on ahead to get over 8 for the day.

Average pace: 8:39

Asics Equation Miles: 8.34
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.100.000.000.000.000.000.008.10

The temperature was back down a few degrees this morning, back into the cool setting.  Going to savor each one of these that come along.  Jenny had a tempo run which I went along on.  Goal was 5 miles @ 7:44 pace.  We did a one mile easy warm up (no crayfish to navigate around this morning), then got going.  My shins pretty much were tight for most of the run.  I had been avoiding this from happening but it was back this morning.  I just kept going and eventually towards the end of the run it was much better.  Jenny hit all of the splits at just under 7:44, a little more under on the last one.

Then we headed back and I did a little bit extra once we got home.

Average pace: 8:00

Next week I start hitting some speed work myself.

PM - did about 30 minute Inflict workout, so two strength trainings so far this week.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.10
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 22:49:55 from 24.8.167.243

I'd happily give you the cold air we have here.

From Mark on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 23:33:13 from 173.168.88.68

Ok, send some my way!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.520.000.000.000.000.000.008.52

One more nice and cool morning for the run.  Another good run with Jenny.  We ran together about 7.5 miles, then I did one more mile on my own.  We ran along with another runner for about a mile and a half that Jenny sort of knew from around the neighborhood.  She was running about our pace and certainly didn't look like a brand new runner.  Jenny asked what she was training for, the answer was "a swimsuit!".  I guess everyone has their own reasons for running.

Average pace: 8:48

PM - did my Wii fit yoga routine

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.52
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.840.000.000.000.000.000.007.84

I had a little bit of trouble getting out of bed and moving.  When I finally did get out the door, I was maybe about 10 minutes later than usual.  The first thing I noticed was the rain.  It was a just a little bit and I quickly realized it was good rain, the kind that you barely feel but is just enough to keep you cooled off.   I headed out from my house, and half way around the neighborhood I ran into Joe, who had just started out from his house.  I turned around and ran with him for about a total of 4 miles. 

After that I ran some more by myself including some strides (about 5 I think).  After the strides I felt faster and more comfortable.

 

Average pace: 8:36

Glycerin 7 Miles: 7.84
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
16.150.000.000.000.000.000.0016.15

Overall, a pretty good run.  For the mileage I had to do, and the temperatures, I probably should have started out a little bit earlier.  Headed over to Starkey, after picking up some runner's bags who had started out earlier, and arrived about 6:20.

It was a little bit after 6:30 when I started running.  I had forgotten my Garmin - possibly the first time I have done so since I started using one.  At first I thought I would just run  without one because I knew pretty well where the 8 mile mark was.  Fortunately, JoeM was there and he had his garmin.  He was just doing a total of 8 miles this morning, so we ran together for 4 miles, then he loaned me his garmin once he was ready to turn back.

The weather was pretty decent on the way out but the sun looked worrisome, I wanted to try and get to the turnaround before it got too hot.  Saw Eudair and Victoria heading back just as I had done about 7.5 miles.  Kept going, then turned around at 8 miles.  Still reasonably cool but starting to get warmer now.  I stopped at the water stop on the Suncoast pkwy trail, but it was empty.  Good thing I had my water belt, I'd be ok even if all the water stops were empty - but fortunately they were not.

The return trip went pretty well.  I went faster than on the way out but didn't have any really fast miles.

Average pace: 8:03

Enjoyed a little bit of time at the social hour, then headed over to the Y to drop off Joe's garmin before getting back home to enjoy some delicious sour dough waffles that Jenny had made for us this morning.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 16.15
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, May 03, 2010 at 13:57:11 from 24.8.167.243

Nice miles. I guess I should feel lucky that I'm not really having to worry about heat yet.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.850.000.000.000.000.000.008.85

 Went to the Y this morning for a typical Monday run.  Warmed up inside on the bike then did some crunches and stretching before getting onto the treadmill.

Treadmill 3.81 @ 8:00

 After the treadmill, headed outside where it took me what seemed like forever to get a signal with my garmin.  Finally gave up on the garmin and started running and was able to get a signal 2 minutes into the run, which made it seem like my first mile was 2 minutes slower than it really was.  Did a set of 25 second strides in the middle of the run as per my new training schedule from McMillan.  There's a pretty good variety of runs compared to smart coach which had easy runs, long runs, tempo runs and 1600's.

5.03 @ 8:03

Asics Equation Miles: 8.85
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.570.000.000.000.000.000.007.57

Met up with Dixie outside the lansbrook Y.  It's been quite a while since we had a weekday run together, so it was good to catch up.  Warm and humid this morning but bearable.  We took it pretty easy and mainly kept to an 8:30 pace with a few short pickups here and there.

Average pace: 8:27

After the run, saw a little alligator in the pond near the parking lot.  Surprised to see one there because the pond is pretty well cut off from any woodsy or swampy areas.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 7.57
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.072.003.000.000.000.000.009.07

This morning's goal was 30-40 minute steady state run (6:41-6:53 pace), plus warm up and cool down.  Jenny was doing a 6 mile tempo run.  We started out together.  It was extra warm and humid (78 degrees, 90% humidity).   I felt sluggish during the one mile warm up, then I ran the first mile with Jenny on her tempo at 7:48, after which I went ahead to start my run.  I had no idea how I was going to do it, but the first mile turned out to not be so bad.  2nd and 3rd miles were tough mentally to hang on as I had dropped a couple of times to slower than 7:00 pace, each time I was able to get back on pace by picking out and object up and ahead and picking it up as best I could.  Finally, the 4th and 5th miles went a little bit better, whew! glad to get that all over with.

Splits: 6:50, 6:48, 6:49, 6:37, 6:38

Headed back home for the cool down then got into the pool for a few minutes to cool off.  Fortunately the pool is still quite cold and refreshing.

Average pace: 9.07

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.07
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, May 05, 2010 at 22:51:20 from 72.254.90.215

I always thought a dip in a cold pool after a run sounded scary, but I suppose with temperatures and humidity like that, it would feel great.

From Mark on Thu, May 06, 2010 at 23:21:36 from 173.168.88.68

It feels great (with the temperature that it is at now). When it is colder I don't stay in very long but I think it helps, sort of a mini ice bath.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.530.000.000.000.000.000.008.53

It felt good to have a nice relaxed run after yesterday's tough run.  Jenny and I ran together and kept the pace pretty easy.  We did 7.5 miles together then I did a short out and back to get one more mile in.  It was maybe a little bit cooler than yesterday, but not really.

Average pace: 8:56

Asics Equation Miles: 8.53
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, May 07, 2010 at 10:53:07 from 72.254.60.78

I'm often very glad for a relaxed run where I don't have to try to hit any specific pace.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.000.000.000.009.00

Raj said he was up for a run with me, so we met up near my house about 7:00.  It was a good run, pretty casual and relaxed.  He had never run over on this route so it was a change of scenery for him and great to have some company along for me on a day when I usually run by myself.  It was getting a little bit warm towards the end but not unbearable.

Average pace: 8:28

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
15.093.000.000.000.000.000.0018.09

I was able to get an earlier start this weekend, knowing it would get warm by the end of the run.  Started out from Longleaf and ran up Starkey Blvd into Starkey Park.  I didn't have any solid arrangements to meet up with anyone but was pretty sure I would run into someone.  I ran a pretty even pace and started to enjoy the run as it got lighter.  There is a time of the morning, as it gets light, when it feels less humid but since the sun isn't up very high it does not feel hot yet.  It is the best time to run.

I ran into a number of people I know about 2 miles into the park, Dixie, Eudair, David, Andrea, Katie, and Diane, and a couple others, too.   David and Andrea turned around a short while later and the rest of us continued on to the end of the trail where it meets the Suncoast trail.  Turned around and stayed with the group until there was about 4 miles left.  I gradually picked up my pace and then got into a pretty good rhythm for the last 3 miles, with the last mile at 6:50.

Average pace: 7:49

Hung out at the social hour for a bit.  Dixie had gotten my text message to pick up a bag with my shirt and towel in it, so I was able to change into something dry.  Then he gave me a ride back to my truck.  It was  good that I didn't have to run back, because I think 18 miles was a good amount for today.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 18.09
Comments
From JimF on Mon, May 10, 2010 at 11:14:19 from 67.162.67.145

Nice run and great finish!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.250.001.000.000.000.000.009.25

This morning's run was very challenging.  I did some simulated hills on the treadmill.  Goal was to do at least 10, 12 if I was feeling up for it.  It was actually a very pleasant morning outside, high 60's for the first time in a while, but most of my run was going to be in doors.  I went to the Y and did the usual warm ups, bike, ball crunches, stretching.  Got onto a treadmill and ran at a mostly easy pace for 20 minutes (2.45 miles), grabbed some water real quick then got back onto the treadmill.

Put the incline to 7%, and the speed at 8.8 mph for the first one, did intervals just over a minute long each one, with a little over a minute rest.  I backed down the speed for the next couple and was feeling really beat after doing just 3.  It was going to be a tough morning.   Took them each one at a time.  Made it 8, and then took the last two a little bit faster.  It took everything to finish the last one.

Headed outside and did another 2.35 miles at about an 8:10 pace, still nice out for running.

Went back inside but decided not to do too many weights, just a few sets of leg extensions and some bicep curls.

P.M. - did my Wii yoga routine as well as a few other  other yoga exercises I don't do very often for some variety.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.25
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 11, 2010 at 21:58:14 from 24.8.167.243

Wow. That's a tough incline for that speed.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.570.000.000.000.000.000.006.57

Just an easy run this morning.  Weather was cooperating again which was nice.  Plan called for 50-60 minutes at recovery pace.  I'm hoping this plans works because it's been kind of nice so far, although there is some tough stop coming up.

Average pace: 9:01

Did various weight exercises in the evening (about 30 minutes) as well as playing about 15 minutes worth of Jenny's new Wii game "Just Dance", I'm a terrible dancer but the game is a lot of fun and kind of felt like cross training.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 6.57
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.001.000.000.000.008.50

Another pretty nice morning for running, I'm hoping this holds for a few more days (5 mile race on Saturday!).  Mostly an easy run, except for the 10-12 strides I had to do.  Strides can be pretty easy when doing just 2 or 3 of them, 12 of them is harder, although it wasn't nearly as hard as the treadmill hill repeats I did on Monday.  It was good to get the legs moving quicker and feeling the turnover.  

I ran with Jenny for the warm up part, we stopped quickly to grab some water, then I did the strides by myself, before catching back up with her.

Average pace: 8:31

Asics Equation Miles: 8.50
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 13, 2010 at 11:16:14 from 24.8.167.243

How long are your strides and what surface do you do them on? Inquiring minds want to know.

From Mark on Fri, May 14, 2010 at 20:21:42 from 173.168.88.68

Strides were 25 seconds with a one minute rest between. I ran them on concrete and asphalt, nothing crazy like barefoot over sand or glass or soft grass, just normal road and sidewalk, all of which was relatively flat. The "plan" says to run them on varied terrain, but that is in scarce supply here.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.300.000.000.000.000.000.008.30

Nice, pleasant run with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood.  This week is feeling pretty easy so far, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Average pace: 8:42

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.30
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.800.000.000.000.000.000.004.80

I slept in this morning, until 6:42!

Weather was still pleasant enough when I started running just after 7:00.  Plan called for 30-40 minutes "easy".  So, I ran out twenty minutes, then turned around.  Went a little faster on the way back (2:15 faster).

I don't really feel completely ready for tomorrow's race, but I don't feel not ready either.  We'll see what happens.  It's going to be a pretty big race, unlike the last race I was in.  It will also be my first 5 mile race.  I'm hoping for a pace of 6:16 or faster, 6:00 would be awesome, not sure if I'm there yet, though.

Average pace: 7:52

Asics Equation Miles: 4.80
Comments
From JimF on Fri, May 14, 2010 at 21:38:15 from 67.162.67.145

Sleeping in to 6:42???? Good luck tomorrow! Your training has been great so you might be able to hit those 6:00 miles.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, May 15, 2010 at 22:48:54 from 24.8.167.243

Oh, now I'm anxious to hear about your race.

Race: Miles For Moffitt (5 Miles) 00:32:03, Place overall: 20, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.000.004.001.000.000.000.007.00

My first ever 5 mile race.  Went pretty well.  The weather couldn't have been much better for May.  The whole family went with me to the race.  Race was held at the USF campus which is also near where the Moffitt Cancer Center is located.  I warmed up for almost 2 miles with a few strides thrown in.  I had been trying to get myself feeling motivated, although was having a slightly hard time doing so.

I lined up near the front.  The wheelchair race started, then five minutes later the rest of the race started.  There is a guy, Matt,  that started running with our running group recently who was also at the race today.  He was going to go out at a 6:00 pace.  I knew that a 6:00 pace was going to be a stretch for me but I wanted to see what would happen.   Matt was way up in front of me.

First mile felt pretty good actually, and came close to 6:00 (6:01) according to my garmin, although it was slightly short of where the sign was, but not too far.  They had water at each mile marker which was nice.

Second mile I was still feeling pretty good and was in the 6:0x's for most of it.  Slipped off pace just a little bit but was still happy with a 6:11.  However, now I was way off from the mile marker and hit the lap button when I actually did pass the sign ( 0:21 ). 

 Third mile was slightly hilly, and I usually have a hard time with the middle miles it seems (6:32).  Sometime during this mile I caught up to Matt but he wasn't too far behind me.

Fourth mile I was able to bounce back a bit to a 6:20 pace.  I was feeling better about the race at this point.

For the fifth mile my legs were starting to burn a bit but I really wasn't suffering.  But somehow I let my pace slip.  I'm a little disappointed that I didn't push a little harder for the final mile.  At the end of the 4th mile I had been trailing a girl who I finally passed.  Then, there was no one in front of me (except for some guy who was very far in front of me).  Jenny and the boys were cheering for me about a 1/4 mile from the end and I tried to pick it up as best I could.   When I was about 20 feet from the finish line some guy cruised right past me, I sure wasn't expecting that, he must have really hammered it because I don't remember seeing him at and point during the race.

So, while I might have been disappointed a little bit with the last mile, I did accomplish my goal of going out at 6:00 pace and seeing what happened, and I didn't totally fall apart.

Ended up with 2nd place for my age group.  They had these polished rocks with the race logo and date as well as age group award markings for the prizes.

Matt was about 40 seconds behind me and ended up with 1st place male in the cancer survivor category.

After the awards we went to Busch Gardens since it was just five minutes away and we have season passes.  We found some things there to cool us off.

As the ride Sheikra comes down, it skims through some water and throws off a good spray, here it is just beginning to spray:


 

The people on the ride don't get wet, but if you stand near it you do get wet, it's a pretty popular spot with kids who want to get drenched:

 

 

**Official results posted: I was 2 seconds faster and moved from 26 to 20th place!

 


Brooks Launch Miles: 7.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, May 16, 2010 at 23:59:35 from 24.8.167.243

Congratulations on a great race and a 2nd pace AG award! It sounds like you had a fun day with the family.

From Mark on Tue, May 18, 2010 at 22:55:53 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Carolyn! It was quite a fun day.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.240.000.000.800.000.000.009.04

Went to the Y this morning.  Did 10 minutes on the bike for warm up followed by stretching and ball crunches then got onto a treadmill, did 3.9 miles in 30:40.

I walked outside and saw that it was just starting to rain, so I put my ipod into the car.  The rain was very light and stopped altogether just a few minutes into the run.  I did 11 strides, 25 seconds each with 1 minute easy between them, followed up with an easy run back.  5.14 miles total.

Average pace: 7:45

Went back inside and did some weights: bench press, curls, leg extensions.

When I went outside again to leave the rain was coming down in buckets, looks like I lucked out.

Once I got home, Jenny had me do a few more exercises from one of the running books (but I'm not sure which one).

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.04
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 18, 2010 at 00:56:25 from 24.8.167.243

So you hadn't worked out enough already and Jenny "made" you do more?

Good job on missing the heavy rain.

From Mark on Tue, May 18, 2010 at 22:55:20 from 173.168.88.68

She likes to make sure I'm staying well balanced and injury free. Great to have someone giving me that extra push.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.090.000.000.000.000.000.009.09

Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood this morning.  It was easy day for both of us.  Weather was pretty good, hoping to squeeze out some more days of under 75 degrees.  Nothing of interest today.  

Average pace: 8:40

Tomorrow will be a new and different workout 6-8 "cruise interval" pace 1K repeats, plus warm up and cool down.  Should be interesting.

PM - did my Wii Fit yoga routine, almost didn't, glad I did.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.09
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, May 19, 2010 at 09:37:57 from 24.8.167.243

What is a cruise interval?

From Mark on Wed, May 19, 2010 at 21:31:59 from 173.168.88.68

They are repeats with shorter recovery periods, so in this case they are 1K repeats with 200 meter recovery. They are on the McMillan plan but were popularized by Jack Daniels.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.000.004.450.000.000.000.0010.45

Humid with a touch of coolness still left in the air.  Somewhat daunting workout this morning largely because I had never done this sort before.  Plan was to do about 2 mile warm up, then 6-8 1k repeats (6:16-6:24 pace) with 200m recovery between and then 3 X 200m, followed by about another 2 miles recovery (or whatever I needed to get myself back home).

Warmed up with Jenny before she took off on her 3 x 1 mile repeats on her schedule.  I was afraid I would be dragging, so I decided to try and and least do the first one a little bit faster, but hopefully not so fast it would wreck the rest of the workout.  That seemed to work out pretty well.  After the third one I kept on counting in my head, ok, 3 more "mandatory" ones then maybe one more if I could handle it.  The repeats I have done in the past have usually had longer recovery intervals between them, e.g. 800m recovery for 1600m repeats.  But, I guess that the shorter recovery periods is the key to this workout.

Here are the paces for each repeat:

6:13, 6:14, 6:16, 6:20, 6:07, 6:20, 6:17

and then the 3x200: 6:01, 6:01, 5:53

Average pace (overall): 7:43

Then, a little bit over two miles to get myself back home.  There are still more interesting workouts on this plan.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.45
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 20, 2010 at 19:05:08 from 24.8.167.243

Great job on the workout. What plan are you doing?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.140.000.000.000.000.000.009.14

Nice and easy recovery run with Jenny.  We ran together the whole way, no splitting off or pickups or anything special.  Just a nice morning run.

Average pace: 9:02

Asics Equation Miles: 9.14
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Thu, May 20, 2010 at 22:51:17 from 98.202.182.29

Hey Mark, good to hear from you today. Still planning on doing Deseret News in July?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, May 21, 2010 at 14:33:30 from 198.241.217.15

Nice couples run.

From Mark on Sat, May 22, 2010 at 16:41:23 from 173.168.88.68

It's great that my wife is also my running buddy.

Rob, yes, looking forward to Deseret News. My wife and I are both signed up and training for it. We have our plane tickets, race entry and hotel all set, see you there!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.280.000.000.000.000.000.008.28

This morning was my typical Friday morning easy run.  These almost always seem a little easier than the rest of the week.  Shortly after starting the loop around the neighborhood I happened to run into Joe who was also just starting his run, so we ran together.  It was good catching up with him.  Kept the pace pretty even and steady throughout the run

Average pace: 8:28

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.28
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
18.110.000.000.000.000.000.0018.11

I'm a little worried about not doing enough hills, so I decided it was time for a trip up to Brooksville to run on the section of Suncoast trail which has some rolling hills, nothing too big but definitely enough to feel.

I was a bit disorganized this morning so I didn't make my goal of getting on the road by 5:30, it was closer to 5:45, which got me there just before 6:30.  One I got out of the truck it kept making this beeping noise like I had left the key in the ignition but I could see the keys were not in so I was thinking the electrical system was just misbehaving.  It was doing this yesterday also when I got to work.  Eventually, I noticed that the lights were in the "On" position rather than the "Auto" position.  Must have happened during the oil change yesterday.  I'm not sure why my battery didn't drain yesterday.  Turned off the lights and got on my way.

I started out really slow but not on purpose, about a half mile in I started to finally wake up my legs and finished the first mile at 9:38, then gradually sped up to about an 8:00 pace as I reached the halfway point. 

Since this was the latest I have ever started at this location, I was able to see more details that I usually miss in the dark.  Nothing too interesting, just different.  A big dog ran out toward me but was fortunately behind a fence.  Saw the usual rabbits and squirrels doing their morning routines.  Ran past a house with a goat in their backyard.  I saw a yellow diamond shaped road sign that had a picture of a bear on it.  I was a bit worried that it was for a bear crossing.  Luckily it was not, although there are supposedly some black bears not too far from this area.

The first other person I saw on the trail was a woman running in the direction toward me by herself, then about ten minutes later saw a guy, maybe they were running together.  Sometimes I don't see anyone running.  Saw a decent number of cyclists.  Looked for alligators in the ponds along the trail but did not see any.  One section of the trail, which passed through a fieldy looking section, had a big flock of dragon flies that I had to run through.  I thought I was going to run into some of them there were so many, fortunately they are probably the nicest insects you would ever want to run through (if you have to run through insects).

For fuel, I had 4 8 oz bottles filled with Accelerade (orange flavor) and I took two PowerBar gels (one chocolate and one strawberry/banana).  I had my iPod with me which I listened to for about 10 minutes early on but it died on me, so mostly no music.  I did get a lot of thinking done but unfortunately have already forgotten most of it.

As I was approaching the 15 mile point, I some how that I had done 16 miles and was looking forward to having only two miles left.  A bit disappointed when I realized I was 3 miles from the end, but got over it quickly.

Finally, I was done and satisfied with a good solid run.   Not everything went perfect, but it was pretty good run overall.

Average pace: 7:57

(1:14 first 9 miles, 1:10 return trip)

I drank a whole bunch of water and a soy chocolate milk.  Chatted with some of the cyclists.  I saw a guy run by with two women.  I sort of recognized the guy, then he said hi to me.  It was Dan F. who I hadn't seen for a while.  Chatted for a couple of minutes before he continued on with his friends, then I headed back home where there was a plate of delicious sourdough blueberry pancakes waiting for me!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 18.11
Comments
From Snoqualmie on Sat, May 22, 2010 at 17:50:01 from 24.18.192.33

Great job on your long run. I hope those rollers got into your legs! :)

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, May 23, 2010 at 12:14:46 from 24.8.167.243

Very nice long run, and I'm glad that the battery in your truck didn't die. That would have been unpleasant.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.400.000.000.500.000.000.009.90

Headed over to the Y this morning.  Warmed up on the bike, did some crunches on the ball and some stretching then got onto the treadmill for 31 minutes (3.9 miles).

Went outside and did another 6 miles including 10 strides, 8 in the middle of the run and then 2 and the very end.  Other than the strides, kept the pace easy except for the last mile where I picked it up a little bit.

Average pace: 7:39

Back inside and did some weights - leg extensions, bench presses and curls.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.90
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 25, 2010 at 10:15:55 from 24.8.167.243

Very nice workout.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.080.000.000.000.000.000.009.08

Nice, pleasant easy run this morning with Jenny.  Weather was decent, nothing at all to complain about.  Ran the usual routes around the neighborhood and golf course.

Average pace: 8:44

Tomorrow's run will include 4-5 (hopefully all 5!) 2K repeats

 

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.08
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Wed, May 26, 2010 at 14:03:17 from 205.127.70.66

Mark, I'm being pretty impressed with your workouts and the thought you are putting into them. A quick suggestion... Around the Dade City/St. Leo area there are some pretty decent hills for Florida. It's not far from New Port Richey. Some long, fast downhill repeats would be excellent.

From Mark on Sat, May 29, 2010 at 15:54:05 from 173.168.88.68

Rob, Dade City/St Leo is definitely on my list of places to run soon.

I just did a good run with "hills" (bridges) at Clearwater and Sand Key. Not sure how recently you have been back here but they have torn down the old draw bridges and replaced them with taller fixed bridges which provide some fairly decent hills.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.040.006.400.000.000.000.0011.44

Plan: Tempo Intervals - 5 X 2km w/ 2.5 min jog between, 6:19-6:32 pace

A new workout for me, from the McMillan marathon plan.

This might have been the most pleasant morning this May, perfect since Jenny and I both had to do speed/tempo runs this morning.  We warmed up together for 1 mile easy, then she started her 7 mile tempo run.  I did the first mile with her (7:42 pace), then I started my first repeat.  They weren't so bad, not easy but not awful. 

Paces for each interval: 6:28, 6:22, 6:28, 6:26, 6:28

Followed up the 5 2k intervals with 3 X 200m w/ 200m jog between each one.

After that, joined back up with Jenny for the cool down to get back home. 

Average pace: 7:35

Wow, glad that is all over with!

We ran a little earlier than normal since I had to take one of our dogs to the vet for surgery - spleenectomy, which appears to have turned out to be successful.  We were all pretty worried about Barbie, even our youngest son who never seems to be worried about anything was worried about her.

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.44
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, May 27, 2010 at 10:28:21 from 24.8.167.243

That's an awesome workout, Mark. Are you following the McMillan plan now, or did you just get that workout from it?

I'm glad the dog is doing well.

From JimF on Fri, May 28, 2010 at 23:16:08 from 67.162.67.145

I used the McMillan plan for Boston but with travel, work, etc I didn't follow it as closely as I should have. It seems like a great plan and I will try it again for my next one. Great workout!

From Mark on Sat, May 29, 2010 at 15:51:23 from 173.168.88.68

Carolyn, yes, sticking with and following the McMillan plan. It has me doing various runs I haven't done before and it doesn't seem to be killing me so far. Hope it works.

Jim, pretty happy with it so far, I'd be interested to hear what you think about it and the results after doing for your next marathon training.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.330.000.000.000.000.000.008.33

Recovery run with Jenny.  Standard routes through the neighborhood, nice and easy with decent weather.

Behind on my blog, getting caught up, this is what happens when I don't keep up, the entries get kind of lame :)

Asics Equation Miles: 8.33
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.000.000.000.008.00

Run by myself through the neighborhood and golf course.  Stretched out the legs a little bit t the end of the run.

Average pace: 7:49

Wii yoga in the evening to get loosened up for tomorrow's long run.

Glycerin 7 Miles: 8.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
16.500.000.000.000.000.000.0016.50

Long run at Clearwater Beach area with Dixie and a few bridge hill repeats at the end for fun.  We met nearby at 5:25 and rode down together to Coachman Park.  We were running at 6:00 sharp and set out on an easy pace.  We went up the Clearwater causeway bridge and then after we went down it we were talking to a couple of other runners and asking them about tips on the route.  One of the guys said he was going to run on that route and asked to tag along.  It was a beautiful morning with spectacular views of the Gulf and intracoastal waterway.

We headed south onto Gulf Blvd. and then crossed over the Sand Key Bridge.  Each of these bridges rose up about 75 feet above the water with a pretty steep grade.  There were lots of runners out, some by themselves and several groups of runners.  The guy tagging along with us, Greg, knew all the places along the way that had water fountains - a big fancy hotel on the beach that didn't seem to mind runners stopping inside, some beach access areas with fountains, and a community park building with a drinking fountain attached.

We continued down Sand Key until we got to Belleair Bluffs Road and crossed another bridge back onto the mainland. At the bottom of the bridge was another hill, not quite as high as the bridge but pretty good.  We went through Belleair and headed towards the golf course at the Biltmore resort.  Dixie told me to go on ahead, so I picked it up a little bit and continued north back to the Clearwater Bridge.  Ran down and back up three times before running back the rest of the way over it to get back to the parking lot.

Average pace: 8:16

Finally caught up with my blog!

 

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 16.50
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, May 30, 2010 at 17:27:59 from 24.8.167.243

You did hill repeats at the end for fun. That's great.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.450.000.000.500.000.000.0010.95

10.95 miles, 7:54 average pace, mostly easy with 8 strides at the end.

My plan was to go to the Y for the usual split treadmill and outdoor run followed by weights.  I woke up at my usual time and was arrived there a little bit ahead of schedule.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize they would be on holiday hours today.  So, I turned around and went back home.  Decided to run out and back up Starkey Blvd since I haven't done that route for a while.  I was carrying one bottle of drink with me and figured I could stop near the Longleaf pool where there is a drinking fountain.

I started my run, felt kind of sluggish for the first few miles.  I stopped by the Longleaf pool but the drinking fountain was out of order so I changed my plan once again slightly to not go out so far and do a little bit more back inside my neighborhood.  It was sort of cool out and first but humid.  The cool quickly went away, but I was ok as long as I was near trees for shade.

So, after the first 3 miles I felt pretty good.  Went out until it was time to turn around.  Grabbed my drink bottle on the way back then headed back to my neighborhood where I grabbed some water from a fountain that used to not have cold water but today did (very good luck, bad luck, good luck kind of morning).

Finished up with 8 strides, 25 seconds each, which felt good.

It was nice to see how many people had flags out in observance of Memorial Day.

Asics Equation Miles: 10.95
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 01, 2010 at 10:18:48 from 24.8.167.243

Good job adjusting your plans on the fly.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.130.000.000.000.000.000.0010.13

10.13 miles @ 8:46 pace

Nice, easy run with Jenny this morning.  We are starting out a little bit earlier now due to higher mileage.  I can't think of anything too interesting on this morning's run.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.13
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.120.000.005.300.000.000.0012.42

Yasso repeats, 10 X 800m, goal pace 3:00/800m (3:00 jog between each one)

Started with Jenny this morning, doing one mile easy for the warm up.  She was doing an 8 mile @ 7:52 tempo run, her longest one for this plan.  We did the first mile of her run together before I started my repeats.  Weather didn't feel terrible at first, but it was certainly a little warmer than ideal.

I have never done this type of workout before and I've heard mixed things about the value of this workout both as a marathon predictor or a workout, but in any event it certainly was challenging and must have been doing something good for me.  Instead of heading to the track decided to just do them on the road.  Set my garmin up for 0.5 mile auto laps since that's pretty close to 800m.

First two repeats were slightly faster than goal pace, then the ones after that varied between a couple seconds faster and one or two seconds slower.  The plan called for 8-10 repeats, with the idea being that they should all be about the same pace.  So, I decided I would do the last two if I was holding my pace and not doing each one slower. 

Repeats: 2:59, 2:58, 3:02, 3:00, 2:57, 3:01, 3:01, 3:00, 2:58, 3:01

Since the 8th one was right at 3:00, I went ahead and did 9th and 10th ones.  I felt good that I was able to do all of these at about the same pace.  I have one more set of these on the schedule coming up in a few weeks, so I'll be interested to see how those compare.

After the 800's, did 3 X 200m with 1.5 minute rest between, followed by a jog back home.

Brooks Launch Miles: 12.42
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 03, 2010 at 10:35:49 from 24.8.167.243

You did a great job at hitting your pace on those 800s. Very consistent. If that works as a marathon predictor, you are on track to get that 2:59.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.150.000.000.000.000.000.0010.15

Recovery pace run with Jenny.  10.15 miles easy pace.  Legs felt tired from yesterday's hard run but I ended up feeling better by the end of the run.  Weather was a bit hotter than last few days.  When we stopped for water I thought I saw a brown recluse spider.  Jenny said it was not.  I thought I could see the violin shape on it, she didn't think it had a violin shape, more of a "cello" shape.  Jenny is probably right because it certainly wasn't being very reclusive.

Tomorrow I get to run a little bit shorter.

Asics Equation Miles: 10.15
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.000.000.000.009.00

Once again for my Friday "alone" run I ended up running with Joe.  As I was heading around the neighborhood loop I saw Joe starting out, so we ran together.  Always nice to have some company for a run.  Just before then, when I started out I had some weird pain in the middle of my back slightly off center.  I stopped after a few feet, walked a bit then got going again.  Was ok once I got going again but was a little bit worried that it might get worse.  Fortunately it got better. 

It was a good run which we kept at an easy pace.  It was also nice to have a small cutback and run less than 10 miles.  

Average pace: 8:46

Big run tomorrow! (ok, not that big but not that small either, 16 miles)

Glycerin 7 Miles: 9.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Jun 06, 2010 at 19:05:37 from 24.8.167.243

I hadn't really thought about it before, but you seem to always run with people. Do you ever run alone?

From Mark on Mon, Jun 07, 2010 at 12:08:05 from 24.129.132.74

Sometimes it seems I run alone a lot, but I guess that hasn't been happening as much recently, I have been very lucky. My "planned" alone days are Monday (which usually are alone) and Friday which seem to be about 50/50 these days.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.105.000.000.000.000.000.0016.10

Hot and humid, but wonderful morning in Starkey Park.  16.1 miles @ 7:45 average pace.  Arrived just after 6:00, started running just after 6:15.  Set out with a good sized crowd, Dixie, Eudair, David, Dianne, Keisha and many others.  A few people turned around at the 4 mile point and then several of us continued on to the end of the trail (about 6.5 miles out).  I was taking it easy and mainly hanging out in the back of the group on the run out.  The morning's weather started out at 77 degrees and some place in the high 90's for humidity.

At the end of the trail I said good bye to the others and continued on for another 1.5 miles to go out for a total of 8 and then turned around.  Stopped briefly just before entering back into Starkey, then at 6 miles decided I'd go ahead and give some (goal) marathon pace miles a try despite the warm weather.  It would be a good test but I knew I might have to back off the pace if it didn't feel right.  Surprisingly, I didn't have a problem getting on to pace (sometimes this is one of the biggest struggles).  I held up pretty well the first mile and even into the second mile.  But the heat was getting to me, so when I got near the water stop at 4 miles I decided to break up the run.  Stopped briefly, and then decided I'd go easy for at least a mile and then see how things went.  By easy,  I meant I would at least try to hold onto an 8:00 pace. 

I'm not sure if it was the faster miles I had just done or what, but I found myself at a faster pace than what I expected, and I felt a lot more relaxed.  It wasn't the 6:52's I was hoping for but it was a 7:17, followed by 7:06, and 7:07.  Then with one mile left I found whatever I had left over and finished that mile at 6:46.  And that was about all I had.

Average pace: 7:45

It was Keisha's last day running with us for a while as she is moving so they had one of they giant cookies and a photo album for her as well as the usual assortment of goodies, such as nice cold fresh watermelon from Dixie (who finally has his Fast Running Blog up and running now)  and Carol's delicious, cheerio, peanut butter and honey bars.

68 miles for the week!


Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 16.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.470.000.000.500.000.000.0010.97

Different from my usual Monday morning run, I drove to the nearby hilly neighborhood.  Parked 1.5 miles away, ran that for my warm up.  Then, looped and zigzagged up and down the hills.  They aren't real big but they are big enough to feel them.  It was pretty warm and humid again this morning.   I didn't look at the temperature.  I must not have wanted to look.  Headed back out of the hilly neighborhood after doing about 5 miles there.

Ran 5 repeats up and down the driveway of a church which is also on a hill.  I would have done more but was also planning on doing 8 strides at the end of the run so I didn't want to overdo it.  Arrived back at my truck and grabbed and quickly drank the water I had there then did the rest of my run, about two more miles.  With about a mile or so left to go I did 8 strides, 25 seconds each, which brought me back to where I was parked.

It sure was hot, but at least it was cloudy so there was no direct sun.

Average pace: 8:04

Asics Equation Miles: 9.97
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 08, 2010 at 18:01:42 from 198.241.217.15

Great heat training.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.080.000.000.000.000.000.009.08

Weather was much nicer this morning.  Still pretty warm and humid but just a few degrees cooler really makes you appreciate it, there was also a small breeze which helped.  Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood.  We woke up and were out the door ahead of our usual schedule.  A bit too early since one of the roads we usually runs down is a gated neighborhood, wasn't opened up yet, so we had to adjust a little bit.

Once we had 1 mile left Jenny started picking it up, so we did that mile just under 8:00 pace.

Average pace: 8:47

After the run I did a little over 30 minutes of strength exercises for chest, core, legs, and arms.  I had been missing strength work too often and need to not neglect it.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.08
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 at 14:52:59 from 198.241.217.15

I need to follow your example and do strength training.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.005.000.000.000.000.0010.00

One more day of cooler weather (low 70's).  I woke up feeling extremely exhausted at first.  My head was in a cloud at first.  Part of the way around the neighborhood I realized I forgot my phone, decided I should go back to get it just in case.

Got going again and headed out towards the road that runs along the golf course.  I was having trouble getting started, then finally decided I couldn't put it off any longer, not too much of a delay I suppose (2.5 mile warm up instead of 2 miles).  Started the tempo portion and it actually didn't feel to bad.  The schedule called for 3-5 mile tempo run at a 6:24-6:41 pace, so I had a range of distance and pace to choose from.  This is one of the things I like about this training plan.  At 2.5 miles into the tempo portion decided I'd go for at least 4 miles, then just past 3 decided I might as well do all 5.

Splits: 6:37, 6:25, 6:27, 6:30, 6:27

It was hard but felt good to get it done.  Ran mostly easy on the way back home.

Average pace: 7:26

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 at 23:35:35 from 24.8.167.243

I'm like you. I tend to do the maximum when given a range like that.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.370.000.000.000.000.000.009.37

Easy paced run this morning with Jenny.  Weather was nice again and my legs were in pretty good shape after yesterday's speed work so that was good also.  We ran into Jenny's friend Carin and ran with her for a short bit.

Average pace: 8:54

After the run I had enough time to get in about 30 minutes of strength training similar to what I did on Tuesday.  Circuit style with various things like squats, push-ups, pull-ups, dead lifts, curls, anything I could think of using what we have at home.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.37
Comments
From Burt on Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 02:14:24 from 68.225.214.248

Sounds like a great workout Mark.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.130.000.500.000.000.000.008.63

Jenny was doing a short run this morning, so we just did 3 miles together then I did the rest on my own.  Another nice morning for running.  Went by pretty quickly.  I was feeling good at the end so I picked it up for the last half mile.

Average pace: 8:04

Early run tomorrow to try and get in some miles before 7:15 and meet Jenny and the boys at the RAP River Run 5K, where Jenny will be racing and I'll be running along side the boys.  They usually have some pretty good food afterward.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.63
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 23:38:38 from 24.8.167.243

Good luck with the 5K to your whole family.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.000.000.000.0020.00

 

Woke up at 4:45, got ready, warmed up a little, and started running at 5:21.  I had a mission this morning.  Get in as many miles as possible by 7:30 at the latest and meet Jenny and the boys at Sims park for the RAP River Run 5K.  To get there, I would have to run on roads I had never run on before and didn't know how runner friendly they would be.  Fortunately, since it was early enough in the morning I knew that they wouldn't be busy.

I started out running on my usual morning route heading past the golf course.  I stopped briefly at the water fountain to try and top myself off with water.  The air was warm and humid but tolerable - the coolness of the past few days had slipped away.  I ran up Little Road, past 54 and continued north.  There was a stretch of that road which becomes lonely, no buildings of any kind, just trees.  Jenny called me on the phone about 6 miles into the run to see where I was and to ask if I had fed the dogs.

Made it to Massachusetts Ave and turned left there.  I was surprised to see I very wide sidewalk marked off for bicycles and pedestrians.  I was running on that for a bit but worried about having run on so much concrete so I ran on the road when there were no cars.  Another surprise was a hill (but only maybe 30 feet or so, big for around here).  As I neared the end of that road I could see a police car's lights flashing to mark the end of the race course.  I turned left onto Grand Ave which runs along the Cotee river.  I've always wanted to run along there and this morning was the perfect time with it closed.  There were already volunteers along the route setting up.

I made it to Sims park at 7:00, then turned around and ran back up Grand, then turned back again towards Sims park.  Jenny called to say that she had just arrived.  So, I hurried up, met her and the boys by where they parked and got my race bib.  Did a short warm up with the boys then we headed over to the starting area.  Besides my two boys, I ran with one of Jenny's friend's daughter.

Neither of the boys had really run since the 5K they did this past spring, other than the sprinting they do in Tae Kwon Do, so there were not expectations or goals, just run and finish the race.  So, I thought it would be pretty casual.  My youngest one, takes off at the start and gets on a pretty good pace, and he was holding it really well for the first mile and on into the second mile.  He was determined to not let his older brother pass him up.  I kept telling him to take it easy and relax, but that didn't seem to do any good.  So, about two miles into the race he started having some problems, slowing down and taking walk breaks.  But he didn't want to stop for long afraid that his older brother would get ahead of him.

The last half mile, there was much screaming.  I'm not sure if he had a cramp or was over heated but something was hurting but he didn't want to quit.  His last race was on a pretty nice morning, much cooler than this morning, but he was way ahead of pace despite the slowing down late in the race.  The crowd was great, cheering him on, saying things like, "That's one tough guy" and "look at that little kid go!".

At the 3 mile sign I thought that he actually might not finish it or just walk the rest of the way, but when I was able to point out the finish chute to him, he suddenly found his legs again and sprinted across the finish.  They even announced his name as he crossed. 28:30, new PR by one minute.

 Meanwhile, his older brother had gone ahead and finished almost under 27:00, although not a PR for him, it was an un-paced PR.

Jenny finished first in her age group which will earn her a free running outfit that has a deal going on where if you where they brand and win (age group or overall) a race, they will give you a free pair of shorts and top.

And then, before too much time past and I got caught up in the post race fun, I ran back up Grand on an out and back to get my last 2 miles in to make it 20 for the day.  It was fun to run back up and down the course now that it was mostly empty, except for a few walkers and the remaining volunteers still cheering them.

It was a pretty big race for a local 5K, about 1,000 people today, having grown from about 400 people 2 years ago.

Asics Equation Miles: 20.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 17:10:22 from 24.8.167.243

What an awesome running family! Congratulations to Jenny and the boys, and to you for your 20 miles.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.000.500.000.000.0010.75

Like last week I went to the hilly neighborhood this morning, but this week I had someone to run with.  Met Dixie at 6:00.  We headed up the trail along the road to the hilly neighborhood, dropped off our drinks, and then loop, zigged, and zagged through the neighborhood to get in a variety of hill combinations.  It was warm again this morning, right at 80 degrees for the start, but I must be adjusted to it now because it didn't seem to interfere.  We left the neighborhood at about 7 miles into the run and ran back towards the parking lot.   On the way back, ran up and down the church driveway 4 times for some faster, shorter hill sprints.  Returned back, having just done about 8 miles.  Said goodbye to Dixie then headed south, out and back for another 2.75 miles, with the final mile being mainly 9 strides and their recovery jogs between.  Felt like I had worked the legs pretty good when finished.

Average pace: 8:06

Nice, easy pace tomorrow.

 

P.M. - did the Wii yoga routine

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.75
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 23:56:30 from 24.8.167.243

It's nice that there's a hilly neighborhood available.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.000.000.000.0010.10

Easy pace run with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood and along the golf course.  Nice and on time start at 5:59.  The temp wasn't so bad, but the humidity was up higher and made the air hazy.  Overall the run went pretty well until sometime in the last two miles when I wished I was done.  Then after another 2 miles, I was done.

Average pace: 8:39

Today and yesterday I have been enjoying my new Asics running socks which are thinner than any other socks I own.  Yesterday I wore new Glycerin 8's which I bought this past weekend.  I must have been overdue for new shoes because after Saturday's run it became apparent that I am going to lose a toenail.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.10
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 23:18:58 from 68.185.76.156

That brings back memories. Every place has its' challenges, but Florida in the Summer is not for wimps. I remember literaly being able to wring sweat from my shoes after cross country practice.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.295.002.000.000.000.000.0011.29

11.29 total w/ 7 at 6:42 average pace.

This morning was slightly more bearable than yesterday, which was a good thing since I had a tougher run planned.  Plan was supposed to be 5-8 miles at goal marathon pace, which I'm hoping would be a 6:52.  Today was actually "choose your workout" day, with the choices being 3 X 2 tempo intervals, hill training, or 5-8 miles at marathon goal pace.

Warmed up 2 easy miles with Jenny.  She was doing 4 X 1 @ 7:01 pace, so we ran together for that first mile, then once she finished that mile I went ahead.  I wasn't sure what I would be up for but I bargained to do at least 5 miles, and then maybe more if I could.

It was hard but I was able to keep going as I approached 5 miles and told myself one more mile, two times.  I finally had to follow through with my promises and stop at 7 miles.  I wanted to end on a high note.

Splits: 6:58, 6:51, 6:36, 6:43, 6:43, 6:33, 6:27

I was pretty hot after the last mile and fortunately ended at the water fountain  on the golf course which has some very cold and refreshing water.

Then I ran back home at a relatively easy pace.

Glad that's all over with!

Overall I felt better today than I did yesterday.

Average pace: 7:21

PM - did Wii yoga routine again tonight

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.29
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 01:15:01 from 24.8.167.243

That's an awesome MP run.

From Run Dixie Run on Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 23:25:54 from 24.92.31.152

Mark, how did Jenny's 4x1's go? Where and at what pace did her mile repeats start in her program?

From Mark on Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 10:43:35 from 64.0.96.50

Thanks Carolyn - it turned into a faster run than planned, I sure hope that becomes my MP some day.

Dixie, Jenny's repeats did not go so well, she did the first two and then felt sick. Her other repeats so far had gone well, these were supposed to be 4 X 1 @ 7:01 pace. Smartcoach starts you out at 2 X 1 and builds from there.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.500.000.000.000.000.000.0010.50

 Easy paced run with Jenny this morning.  One touch more pleasant than yesterday, which was nicer than Tuesday.  Anyway, the run went pretty well.   By the time I was back at the house I was almost at 10.5 so I went just a little bit farther to get there.

Average pace: 8:52

After the run, I did some circuit style strength exercises, just under a half hour worth.  I had skipped it on Tuesday, so I was glad I didn't blow it off again.  Trying to keep myself injury free and strong.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.000.000.000.0010.10

Yesterday, Jenny had arranged for two of her friends to run with us this morning, where we would meet them at various points on our route.  But, later in the day she came down with something and was still feeling awful this morning, so it was just me.  Weather was about the same as it has been for the past two days, and as usual I felt kind of relaxed on the run, not sure what it is about Friday's that makes me feel that way.

I met friend #1, Jamie, on the initial loop around the neighborhood and then we picked up friend #2, Cherise, just after leaving the neighborhood.  I explained to them why Jenny wasn't there.  Saw several other people out walking and running who were probably wondering why I was running with two other women and not my wife.

Since Jenny wasn't there to keep the steady pace, I had to keep looking at my garmin to make sure I wasn't going too fast or too slow, but no one seemed to complain so it must have been just right.

 

I stopped at one point to check out a small snake on the sidewalk that looked ok, but looked like it might be dead, so I poked it a little bit to get it moving off of the sidewalk.  It was just a little guy and I was worried that someone might smash him.  The two ladies waited for me, then we continued on.

Stopped at the golf course water stop, then went a little past that before turning around.  Cherise was heading back to her car and then Jamie and I continued down through another neighborhood to get in a couple of more miles before heading back.  Ran by her street and then I continued on the rest of the loop back to our house

Run went by pretty quickly and it was good to get in the full 10 miles today (probably might have only done 8 or 9 if by myself.

Average pace: 8:28

Returned back home and then got into the pool to cool down a bit. Waiting for me in the pool was another ringneck snake!  I lifted this one out of the pool and sent him on his way.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.10
Comments
From KP on Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 10:49:49 from 65.208.22.26

that snake looks fake!

From Mark on Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 16:53:24 from 64.0.96.50

I didn't actually get a picture of the snake that I saw, but this picture looks pretty close and this one was also on the sidewalk like the one I saw. They aren't very big, the one I saw was maybe 6 or 7 inches.

I'm pretty sure this one is real, but I agree it does like sort of fake.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jun 19, 2010 at 14:35:58 from 24.8.167.243

There's sure a lot of talk of snakes on various blogs lately.

You're quite the ladies man.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.116.000.000.000.000.000.0018.11

18.11 miles, 7:58 average pace, last 6 miles at 6:47

Met Dixie at  Longleaf this morning and we got started just after 5:45.  I was relieved that it was not hot already and glad to be beating most of the heat.  It was about 74 degrees at the start.  We ran up Starkey Blvd to Starkey park.  Kept the pace pretty even and relaxed.  My legs felt tired a bit around mile 7 or 8 and was debating whether I'd be able to do fast finish today or not.

Kept going until we reached 10 mile point, then Dixie turned back so he could finish at the parking lot in the park and get 15 miles total.  I went out another 1.5 miles before turning around, and then when I had six miles left I decided to go for it.  I eased into the pace and about a half mile into it I was at a 7:00 pace, then went a little faster from there and finished the first mile at 6:50.  The next few miles were just slightly faster than that with the last miles being the fastest at 6:42.  I felt a lot better this time compared to the last time I tried 6 miles fast finish.  I think it was a little hotter the last time I tried this, but I hope some of it was due to improved fitness.  Also, last time was 16 miles total and today's was 18 miles total, so I was glad to be able to do that pace on more tired legs.

Enjoyed some cold water and fresh fruit at the social hour.  David had picked up our bags for us at Longleaf with towels and fresh shirts.  Saw Steve was heading back that way so asked him for a ride.  I don't think the morning could have gone any better!

Happy about 70 miles this week!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 18.11
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 22:21:20 from 24.8.167.243

Great run and congratulations on a 70 mile week!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.500.000.000.500.000.000.0011.00

Met Dixie this morning and we ran up to the hilly neighborhood, looped around there for a bit then headed back.  Did 4 repeats up the church driveway and then continued back to the parking lot.  I did another 2 miles after that with 8 strides at the end.  This morning was one of the nicest mornings weather wise in the last few weeks, about 73 degrees!

Average pace: 8:10

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 11.00
Comments
From jtshad on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 08:28:34 from 69.20.183.178

Sounds like a good run and nice to have great weather. Keep up the training. What is next on your racing agenda?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 11:16:02 from 24.8.167.243

I guess it's a matter of perspective. You're excited about how cool 73 degrees is. I'd be complaining about how hot 73 degrees is. Nice job.

From Rob Murphy on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 12:13:01 from 205.127.70.66

Nice job Mark. Remember, FOCUS ON THOSE QUADS!!! Also, during the first five miles of Deseret News, your legs will be turning over much faster than normal - even if you are consciously holding back. So do some fast 200s on the track.

The last half of the race will be quite warm and being used to Florida's heat and humidity will benefit you.

From Mark on Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 23:25:08 from 173.168.88.68

Jeff, I've got a very hot 10K coming up on July 4th midnight at the Dunedin causeway, which being on the Gulf should be cooler, but being at midnight means all the ocean breezes have died down. Should be fun.

Then, the main event will be the Deseret Morning News Marathon on 7/24

Carolyn, when it first warms up here, it is tough but then it gets a little easier if the temp drops just a few degrees.

Rob, I think the strides have been helping out with my leg turnover. Also, I think I'll hit the big bridges this Saturday for my long run, so that should help with some more practice.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.120.000.000.000.000.000.009.12

Pleasant run with Jenny this morning.  Another nice "cooler" morning.  Nothing much else to report.  Grateful for uneventful runs which go well.

Average pace: 8:40

After the run, did some circuit style strength training, chest, legs, arms, core

PM - did the little wii yoga routine

Asics Equation Miles: 9.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.680.000.005.000.000.000.0011.68

Three weeks ago I did a similar run.  Today was Yasso 800's day, with a goal of 10 X 800m @ 3:00 each, with 3:00 jog between each repeat.

Warmed up with 2 easy miles.   Jenny originally was supposed to do a tempo run this morning but decided to change to 800's because they sounded more fun!  So, we started out together on the first one.  I stopped immediately because the Garmin's database was full.  Cleared it out, then started again. 

I felt good on the first one.  I almost always feel good on the first one, was wondering what the second one would be like.  That one wasn't so bad either.  I seemed to be feeling a bit better than last time.  What happened to me last time, was usually about half way through one of the repeats, I would fall off pace and struggle to get back on and just barely make it at the end.

They were definitely hard, but I felt a little bit more in control.  Jenny and I criss-crossed, and finally after I had done 5 repeats, we were near the water fountain.  Split a powerbar gel (I also had a 10oz bottle filled with gatorade I was taking sips from between repeats), then I got going again.

For the last three, my legs were feeling a bit tired, which is good practice. 

Splits: 2:58, 2:55, 2:59, 2:59, 2:56, 2:59, 2:55, 2:57, 3:00, 2:53

Very happy with the last split!

I was happy to see a small amount of improvement from 3 weeks ago along with the fact that it was slightly warmer this morning than last time, although not by much.

Met back up with Jenny for the cool down jog back home.

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.68
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 00:08:44 from 24.8.167.243

Do you do these 800s on a track or somewhere else? If they really are a good predictor of marathon time, then you've got that 2:59 in the bag.

From jtshad on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 11:58:57 from 204.134.132.225

Great workout, nice splits and good job on nailing that last one!

From KP on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 11:59:08 from 65.208.22.25

gotta make the last one the fastest! nice job!

From Rob Murphy on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 12:23:17 from 76.27.120.29

That's a pretty impressive workout. Has to be great for your confidence.

From Mark on Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 21:54:20 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone!

I did the repeats on the street. I just set my Garmin to half mile intervals. Hopefully it was close enough to an actual 800.

I hope there is at least a grain of truth to the Yasso 800 theory. McMillan says that to be on the safe side, you really need to be able to do these 5 seconds faster than what Yasso says.

Anyway, it was a good feeling to see the improvement.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.120.000.000.000.000.000.009.12

Easy paced run this morning.  Started a little bit earlier than usual (5:30), because Jenny was going to take the boys to Blizzard Beach and needed to get an early start to get there before it got too crowded.  It was actually just a little bit nicer out, still kind of warm, but it's nice to see it go from dark to light while running.

One of the neighborhood streets that we run down is gated off, and the gate doesn't open til 7:00, but we happened to be there just after a car went through so we sprinted ahead and made it inside.  We were talking quite a bit during the run so our pace was a little bit slower, and also it was supposed to be a recovery day.

Average pace: 9:03

Followed up with about 30 minutes of strength exercises, as usual done circuit style.  Did front squats, single leg squats, one legged dead lifts, squat jumps and various upper body stuff.

Jenny made it to the park on time and they ended up having quite a great time, just wish I could have gone with them!!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.12
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 15:31:52 from 198.241.174.15

That's a really interesting name for a beach.

Way to sprint through the gate.

From Mark on Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 21:55:53 from 173.168.88.68

Actually, it's not really a beach, it's a water slide park that Disney owns. It was a big adventure for Jenny and the boys which sounded really fun. Hopefully I'll get to go next time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.351.000.000.000.000.000.009.35

Nice Friday morning run through the neighborhood.  By myself this morning.  Started a little bit later than usual but not too late (6:35).  My left ankle was a bit stiff yesterday, so I was worried about running on it.  Fortunately, it seemed easier to run on it than walk on it.  It doesn't really hurt, it's just a bit stiff.

On my way back, I ran into Joe, who I sometimes catch as he is leaving his street to start his run, but today our times did not line up correctly.

I started out fairly slow and easy but picked it up gradually and managed to still keep it feeling relaxed.

Average pace: 7:39

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.35
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
19.251.000.000.000.000.000.0020.25

20.25 miles @ 8:16 average pace.

Went down to Clearwater Beach area with Dixie.  Arrived nice and early just after 5:30.  Last time we went down there, starting time was 6:00 and it seemed kind of late.

The air was a bit warm and humid with no breeze until it started to get light out, then it felt much cooler until the sun was up higher. We started out at an easy warm up pace, did the first ascent up Clearwater Bridge, then onto the causeway then over to Sand Key, up and over another bridge (75 feet).  Spectacular views of the Gulf and intracoastal waterway especially in the very early morning light. 

Headed south for a bit before heading back to the mainland via  the Belleair Bluffs bridge, then headed north after stopping to refill water bottles at a park which had a cold water drinking fountain and a hose in case one managed to spill a lot of Gu by accident (but it wasn't me this time!).

At 13 miles, Dixie had finished up his run right by a Hess Express, so he graciously topped off my drink bottles with some very cold Gatorade.  I then continued on back to the Clearwater bridge, where I went back and forth on the causeway and ascended the bridge 4 more times.  Definitely was feeling the effects on the last mile as well as getting caught by the sun.  Finished strong with the last mile just under 7:00 pace.

On the drive back, we drove the course where the Dunedin July 4th midnight run will be, only it will be a lot darker during the actual race!  Should be interesting/challenging as I've never raced that late.

Great morning of running and glad to finish off another 20 mile run at the end of another 70 mile week.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 20.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.370.004.000.000.000.000.009.37

Not the usual Monday routine, but a tempo run instead.  4 miles @ 6:25 average plus warm up and cool down.

That's what was on the schedule, probably because I have a 10K this weekend.  This Saturday night at midnight on the usually sunny Dunedin causeway out to Honeymoon Island is the July 4th Midnight Run 10K (there's also a 5K and 1 mile but I'm just doing the one race).

Ok, back to the run.  Goal was 2-4 miles @ 6:24-6:41 pace.  I warmed up with almost 3 miles of easy running.  The warm up was a little bit longer so I could get to a water fountain, drink a little and splash some on me.

The tempo portion felt pretty good.  It was hard but I wasn't struggling and never hit that hopeless feeling I sometimes get mid way through a hard run.

Splits: 6:31, 6:26, 6:24, 6:19

Jogged back home for the cool down for a total of a bit over 9 miles.  If I can pull off this pace on Saturday night I could break 40 minutes again.  It will be a bit hotter on race night but I'll have to see what happens.

Average pace: 7:23

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.37
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 15:58:44 from 198.241.174.15

That sounds like a fun race. Good luck!

From Benn Griffin on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 08:46:56 from 96.240.221.231

How have you been?!

From JimF on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 20:41:26 from 12.50.85.194

Nice tempo run! Always nice when each mile is faster. The midnight run sounds fun. Good luck!

From Mark on Thu, Jul 01, 2010 at 23:13:18 from 173.168.88.68

Hi Benn, doing just fine, thanks for stopping by!

Keeping my fingers crossed for decent weather on Saturday. I hope I can do something like today's pace for the race.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.120.000.000.000.000.000.009.12

It was a pretty good run and I think it was uneventful but I seem to have forgotten what happened.  Good thing the garmin remembers some of it!

Fairly standard neighborhood run with Jenny.  

Ok, now I remember something (mainly because Jenny wrote it down).   There is a neighborhood street that we like to run down, but it is gated, and the gate doesn't open until about 10 minutes after we are usually there.  But, we saw a car leaving, so we picked it up, a mad dash for the gate and made it.  It was more exciting that the description, pretty fun and alwas good to come up with some entertainment.

Average pace: 8:49

Asics Equation Miles: 9.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.210.000.000.500.000.000.0010.71

It was extra humid this morning, wetness was everywhere.  Last night it rained a good amount, but not quite enough to cool things down.

We took it kind of easy and plugged along for the first half of the run.  At the water fountain, we saw Joe coming towards us.  So we waited and then we ran together after that.  Made the run go by faster.

When we got back towards my house I continued on with Joe a bit and he said he'd do the strides with me.  Did 9 25 seconds strides with 1 minute jogs between.  Felt pretty good.  I think these are doing me some good if for nothing else because they are new.

And somehow, for a run which I thought would be 9 miles turned into closer to 11.

Average pace: 8:42

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.71
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 23:30:50 from 76.27.120.29

Mark, I ran the Midnight Run for the first time in 1981. What a great race! My mom will be working at it this year.

I really do plan to be there next year for it.

Good luck!

From Mark on Thu, Jul 01, 2010 at 23:10:24 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks!

The weather forecast isn't looking too bad, might be less than 80 degrees, which would be nice.

Hope you can make it out next year.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.590.000.000.000.000.000.009.59

The weather was a bit more pleasant this morning.  A little less humid and a small breeze at times.  Jenny was doing a six mile tempo run plus warm up and cool down.  Goal for her was 7:39 pace.

About two and a half miles into the tempo portion we ran into Joe and he ran with us for 2.5 miles.  We also saw Jenny's friend Carin near the water fountain and she ran with us for a short time before heading back to her neighborhood.

Neither one of us had music for today's run and we've been noticing that we have been doing more and more runs without music, but it is still nice to have once in a while.

Average pace: 8:07

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.59
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Fri, Jul 02, 2010 at 12:37:53 from 76.27.120.29

Mark, are you still planning on doing Deseret News? If so, I'd like to volunteer my services as I won't be running due to injury. I'd be glad to take you over the course in advance, meet you at different points along the way with your drink of choice, pace you a little if I can run without pain by then. Let me know.

From Mark on Sun, Jul 04, 2010 at 15:35:35 from 173.168.88.68

Rob, I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to run the marathon. I saw that you were getting dinged up but was hoping it would clear up.

Definitely going to still run Deseret News marathon. My wife will be running it, also.

Thanks for the offer! I would be very grateful for any help you are willing to provide. We will be flying in and arriving early Thursday afternoon so we could arrange something as the time gets closer.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.300.000.000.000.000.000.005.30

Just a short run this morning in preparation for tomorrow's race.  It was raining very lightly when I started the run but it kept the temperature down nicely.  Last night it had been raining pretty heavily so there were several crayfish walking around the street trying to act tough by raising up their pincers if I got too close.

Probably do a short run tomorrow morning, and then the race is at night (12:00)

Average pace: 7:53

Asics Equation Miles: 5.30
Comments
From jtshad on Fri, Jul 02, 2010 at 23:12:10 from 69.20.183.178

Good luck at the race!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Jul 04, 2010 at 00:29:41 from 24.8.167.243

Then I'll have to check your blog tomorrow to see the race results. Actually, given the time difference, you're probably running that race right now. Cool.

Race: Kiwanis Midnight Run 10K (6.2 Miles) 00:40:33, Place overall: 17, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.640.006.220.000.000.000.0011.86

7:15am - Jenny went to do a 5K with one of her friends, so I slept in a little bit this morning, then went for a quick run, just a little over 3.5 miles @ 8:07 pace average.

Tried to take it easy the rest of the day but had trouble relaxing waiting for the evening's race.

10:15pm - drove down to Dunedin to the race start area.  I was on the verge of switching to the 5K which started at 11:25 instead of 12:15 for the 10K.  It had been raining off and on during the day with scattered thunderstorms.  This meant two possibilities for the 10K.  If there was lightning they might cancel the race or postpone it until the threat moved on.  Or, if no lightning but raining too hard they might shorten it to a five mile race because about 1 mile of the race runs through a park where the only lighting would be from luminaires lining the road.

But, things were looking pretty good when I got there so I signed up for the 10K.  The rain had stopped and besides I was mentally prepared more for the 10K than 5K.

Warmed up with 2.1 easy miles (about 9:00 pace), running along part of the course and joining in with some of the 5Kers on their way back.  I was able to check out one of the bridges, which has a steal grate deck for the drawbridge part of it.  Tried to do some strides but there wasn't much pep in my legs.

Although it was fairly cool for a July evening in Florida (76 degrees), the humidity was pretty high so I decided to ditch the singlet and run shirtless.  I also had a hat with me which I was going to clip on a light for the dark park section.  Decided against it and put the light in my pocket.  (I never did end up using the light during the run but it sure did come in handy when using the port-o-lets!

12:00am - Saw Dixie near the starting area said hi to him a bit and waited for the race to start.  Dixie had to run back to his car for something. I moved a little bit forward but not far enough as the crowd started to fill in.  By the time the race started I was probably about 10 deep back.

12:15am - Race starts right on time and I had hoped to get onto a good pace right away, but first I had to get through the crowd.  It was kind of fun but a little frustrating, too.  Didn't take too long, maybe about a quarter mile to get to a thinner spot.  By a half mile the crowd was pretty thin and definitely at 1 mile we were pretty spread out.  I had no idea how many people were farther up ahead. At one mile we had just crossed over the first bridge, which was the bigger of the two and had the steel grate to run over. Felt pretty good and tried to make up some time from the slow start but managed to get the split down to 6:38 instead of the hoped for sub-6:30 or maybe better.

I soon realized that running this late at night was a bit different, although I suppose not too much different from an early morning race except in this case you knew it wasn't going to get any lighter out.  I was not able to easily, periodically glance at my garmin.  And looking ahead and running to landmarks wasn't quite the same, but there were lots of people still to catch up to and that was the biggest benefit.

At 2.5 miles, we entered into the park (Honeymoon Island State Park), where as expected it was very dark.  Luminaires lined each side providing just enough light to know where the road was.  At the 3 mile mark a volunteer was calling out splits, mine was 19:44.  Happy to be under 20:00 with still some hopes of breaking 40:00 if I could negative split.  Getting close to the turnaround I could see the other runners heading toward me.  They had to get really close before you could see them.  I tried to stay as far to the right  as possible to make sure I didn't collide with anyone.  After the turnaround, it was still dark but I could now see lights off in the distance.  I saw some runners up ahead and concentrated on catching up.  The way the light was it was hard to tell if it was a runner or just a trick of a shadow.

I was thinking about how astronomers discover new planets.  They look at stars and detect faint disturbances in the light.  That is kind of what it was like to determine if someone was getting close. This section might have been the favorite part of the race for me.  Not for how easy it was to run but because it was new and challenging.  It went by pretty fast and I decided not to try and pull out my light.

Mile 3.5, back out into the light and on the causeway.  I could soon see the green traffic light at the drawbridge.  It's amazing how bright that thing looked.

About mile 5.5 a person was coming up behind me.   I tried to fight to hold my position and surged ahead for a while then ran out of steam and went back to me old pace.  The runner was very encouraging and told me to follow him and try and catch the guy ahead of me.  I didn't hang on very well, but at least  it distracted me and was my fastest mile.

Saw the parking lot up ahead where the finish chute was, turned in and saw 40:xx on the clock, gave it all I had and crossed at 40:33.  The  guy that passed me told me great race and said he was able to catch the guy in front of him and was able to get 40:05.  He must have been running pretty fast to pick up 28 seconds in a half mile.

Splits: 6:38, 6:27, 6:33, 6:31, 6:37, 6:26, 0.22@6:09

 

12:55 - 2:15am - grabbed some refreshments, chatted with some friends and waited for awards. The awards were 5 deep, so it took a while.  Dixie did much better than hoped with 44:39.  He had been having some not so great training runs recently but this really helped make up for any of that and should be great encouragement to continue on with 5 days/40 miles/ week.  At first, they posted Dixie's age group place as 1st.  I looked at the printout and noticed they had him with an "F" after his name, whoops!  He talked to the timing people and they corrected the error.  So, with the error fixed he was in 5th which still earned him a plaque.

2:57am - at home and in bed finally after driving home, and trying not to startle the dogs and wake up Jenny trying to sleep for her 20 mile run at 5:30

Here's the plaque they gave me:

 



Brooks Launch Miles: 8.32Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 3.54
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sun, Jul 04, 2010 at 16:47:00 from 76.27.120.29

That's a really good time - especially for almost one in the morning. The body is not tuned for great efforts and that time no matter how rested and prepared you think you are.

Congratulations. I think you would run in the high 38 to low 39 range under ideal conditions and with a better start.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jul 05, 2010 at 10:38:32 from 24.8.167.243

Congratulations on a great race. I imagine racing in the dark would be quite challenging. I've run in the dark by myself, but racing would be a different matter. You did a great job! I hope you slept in on Sunday.

From JimF on Mon, Jul 05, 2010 at 11:35:09 from 68.46.211.156

Great race! Must be weird running that late at night. Definitely something the body is not used to.

From Mark on Thu, Jul 08, 2010 at 22:52:36 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone! It was a fun and interesting experience.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.500.000.000.0010.50

I was supposed to meet Dixie this morning at 5:30ish to start running no later than 5:45 in the hilly neighborhood.  I set the time on my alarm clock but forgot to actually turn on the alarm.  The dog was on the bed this morning blocking my legs from stretching out, I went to move him and saw the time, 5:43! whoops.  Texted Dixie to say I couldn't make it since I had to get Jenny and the boys to the airport.  Fortunately since I had the day off I had plenty of time to do the run.  It's much nicer of course to finish the run first thing, but good to run at different times, also.

Got back home from the airport.  Headed over to the Y and did some warm up on the bike.  It was still raining a bit so I did some miles on the treadmill, 3.2 @ 8:00 pace.

Headed outside, rain had now stopped.  It was close to 12:00 now.  Normally that would be a horrible time of day to run in July but with all the rain it's been a bit cooler and the clouds kept the direct sun away.  Run felt pretty good, and soon was on a pretty nice pace.  Finished up with 9 strides at the end.

Average pace: 7:30

Did some weights afterward - leg extensions, curls, lat pull downs, bench press

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.50
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jul 06, 2010 at 20:57:01 from 24.8.167.243

I have that problem with the alarm from time to time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.410.000.000.000.000.000.008.41

Amazingly, this was one of the coolest mornings ever in July in Florida that I can remember.  It warmed up later in the day but not nearly as warm as in the northeast.

Ran by myself, first mile just under 9:00 and then all the rest slower than 8:00.  I felt like running a lot faster because of the cool weather but I have a pretty big run planned for tomorrow.  I still wasn't feeling that great when I woke up, but better than I did on Monday.  But the nice thing about recovery runs is you often feel much better at the end of the run (almost like a new person) than before it.  It worked that way today.

Average pace: 8:20

P.M. - I was going to do about 15 minutes of yoga, but I got sucked into the end of (last 15 minutes of so) "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", silly movie, but it sure helped relax me after what turned out to be a stressful day.  Did a few sun salutations, so I didn't completely blow it off.

Asics Equation Miles: 8.41
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Jul 07, 2010 at 21:19:26 from 24.8.167.243

Your recovery pace is my marathon pace.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.9110.000.000.000.000.000.0013.91

Today's run was choose your own adventure: 1) hill repeats, 2) fartlek, or 3) goal pace run 7-10 miles.  fartlek sounded fun and hill repeats would have been good if I had had a 6-10% grade hill nearby and didn't want to do the treadmill.

I chose goal pace run.  Weather was pretty good, just a tad warmer than yesterday, a little bit of cloud cover and a light breeze, but still humid.  Warmed up with 1.8 miles easy running over to almost at Starkey Blvd to run on the bike path there.  Plan was to do the first mile a little bit slower, then get onto pace.  I felt great for the first 8 miles, last 2 weren't bad but were harder than the first 8. 

It was mostly uneventful except when I was near my turnaround point there were three dogs out with their owner.  One of the dogs was running toward me and of course it was the largest dogs of the three.  The owner didn't seem too concerned and I've run by this house before with the dogs out and they usually just run to the edge of the property.  But for some reason, I figured I'd just turn around.  So, that was the big excitement.

I've never done a 10 mile goal pace run.  I was a little faster than I should have been but I'm happy with it.

Splits: 6:54, 6:42, 6:46, 6:37, 6:36, 6:37, 6:46, 6:44, 6:43, 6:46


Cooled down with a little over 2 miles to get back home.

Brooks Launch Miles: 13.91
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Thu, Jul 08, 2010 at 19:55:43 from 76.27.120.29

Just a little over two weeks Mark. That was an awesome run today. I'm pretty certain that if you handle the unique aspects of the course ok that you'll dip under 3 hours.

Do I remember you sayig a while back that you were combining this marathon with a family trip to Yellowstone or something? That would be great because it would give you time to acclimatize to the altitude. Deseret News starts around 7000 feet.

Remember, fast downhill running!

From Mark on Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 16:59:13 from 173.168.88.68

Unfortunately for acclimatizing, we are arriving on that Thursday afternoon, the vacation part starts after the marathon.

But at least I have more time to get used to it than last year in Colorado where I had less than 24 hours, hopefully this will go better. I learned there that the altitude (7500-8100 feet) wasn't that bad when going downhill, the uphills were kind of brutal.

Looks like there is about 2 miles of uphill at 6-8 miles which I am concerned about but I'll just have to do the best I can with it. I'm sure the overall amount of downhill will be the bigger issue to tackle.

From Rob Murphy on Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 17:25:20 from 76.27.120.29

The uphill from 6 to 8 is to the summit of what's called "Little Mountain" and it can be a beast.The key is not to worry about your pace on this uphill, just get into a nice steady rhythm. You will have built up a pretty nice cushion time wise up until then, so a couple 8 minute miles won't hurt you. If you drive the course with me Thursday night or Friday you'll get a feel for it. After the summit there's a steep downhill for about 2 miles followed by the long, gentle downhill of Emmigration Canyon.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.590.000.000.000.000.000.008.59

Ran at Longleaf with the striders this morning at 5:30.  Great catching up with a number of people I hadn't seen for a bit.  Ran with Dixie and others for parts of the run including David, Alex, Jamie, Rudy, and some others.  It was another cool morning, about 72 degrees, thankful for each non-hot morning we've been getting.

Average pace: 8:00

PM - took the dogs for a walk then did my Wii yoga routine

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.59
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Jul 09, 2010 at 08:51:13 from 24.8.167.243

You are popular.

From Mark on Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 16:52:56 from 173.168.88.68

LOL, thanks!

Lucky to have such an accepting group to run with.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.450.000.500.000.000.000.009.95

Slept in a little bit until 6:10, although the dogs were stirring a bit before that so I didn't fully sleep in.  I took it easy the first mile, but the second and third miles I sped up a little bit but felt a little sluggish.  Shortly after that I started feeling more warmed up.  Saw some of Jenny's friends and said hi briefly before continuing on.  Weather was a little warmer than yesterday, but still in the nice zone.

Toward the end I picked it up for the last half mile for a 6:30 pace.  I was looking at my time and not my distance when I finished.  I might have gone the extra 0.05 miles had I known I was that close to 10!

PM - similar to last night, took the dogs for a walk and did my wii yoga routine, then organized my stuff for tomorrow's long run.

Asics Equation Miles: 9.95
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.107.600.000.000.000.000.0017.70

17.7 miles @ 7:50 average pace including last 7.6 miles at 6:45 pace

I did not manage to fall asleep until 12:00 last night and was feeling a bit tired when I woke up at 5:00 this morning.  Met Dixie over at Longleaf about 5:40.  David came by and grabbed our bags of stuff for after the run so we'd have dry things after the run.

Started out nice and slow.  The cooler weather we were having earlier this week was mostly gone but at least it was still below 80 degrees.  Made it into the park and detoured off the trail to the restrooms.  Outside the restrooms is a water faucet, but the water is of questionable quality and warm, but I was debating whether or not to top off my water bottles based on Jenny's experience last week finding no water available on the trail.  Decided to take my chances.

Continued on the main trail.  Saw a turkey on the trail (I later found out was a female turkey) who did not want to get out of our way and refused to leave until we almost ran over her. 

I stopped to check out one of the water stops - mostly empty, continued on to the 4 mile point.  There were some other runners who saw us heading to the water cooler - they said no water today or at the 5 mile spot.  At this point I had about 9 oz of slightly warm accelerade on me but figured I could make due with that.  Dixie turned around and found some other people to run with so he could get in 14 miles.

I headed out a little bit further before starting to MP miles.  Decided I would do the last 7 and not the last 8 miles to adjust for the weather and water.  Got onto my pace and it didn't feel bad at all.  The heat, the lack of water and the sun wasn't bothering me.  It was a rare and cherished run where things just started to click.  I finished the 7 miles at MP but still had a little ways to go to get to the parking lot, stayed on pace instead of slowing down, so ended up with 7.6 miles instead of the adjusted plan of 7 miles.

Splits: 6:55, 6:40, 6:39, 6:40, 6:42, 6:45, 6:41, 0.6 @ 6:37

Hung out for a bit at the social hour.  Carol had brought a big tub filled with ice blocks, water, and hand towels - very refreshing!  The "blocks" of ice were actually more of a cylinder shape, so I asked Carol where she got the ice from, she made them using her grand kids beach buckets.

I talked to Dixie about his run, and for the first time in several long runs he did not fade out at the end but finished the last 4 miles well under 8:00 pace.

Got a ride back to my car from Paul, then headed home for stretching, some relaxing and a lot of cleaning before the family gets back this evening!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 17.70
Comments
From jtshad on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 15:36:53 from 204.134.132.225

Nice run in the conditions and with the limited water. Keep running strong.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 10:17:05 from 24.8.167.243

Really awesome run.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.111.000.000.000.000.000.008.11

8.11 miles @ 7:59 pace, rolling hills and hill repeats

I headed over to the hilly neighborhood to run.  When I pulled out of my driveway, the temperature read 82 degrees.  As I was driving there it started to rain and the temperature dropped to 76 degrees.  The drive seemed to be taking extra long then I realized I had missed my turn and was on my way to work instead.  Turned around and headed to where I needed to be.

The rain stopped and it felt nice out at first.  I felt sluggish in the warm up but held onto the hope of loosening up and feeling better.  Ran a bit over 4.5 miles in the hilly part then headed back down the street to where I was parked.  I did 4 repeats up and down the church driveway and by that time finally felt good and ended the last mile at a 6:58 pace which felt much better than the first warm up mile.


Asics Equation Miles: 8.11
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.550.000.000.000.000.000.006.55

6.55 miles @ 8:38 pace, recovery run day

Nice run with Jenny, good to have my running buddy back home.  We both had about the same thing on our schedules so it worked out great.  Although, the run was short enough that we didn't really need to stop and "picnic" on cold water and gel or shot blocks.

3 X 2K repeats tomorrow!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 6.55
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.004.000.000.000.000.009.00

9 miles @ 7:45 average pace, with 3 X 2KM repeats, and 3X200m

It was warm this morning, average humidity for this time of year (96%) and a hint of smoke in the air.  Warmed up for a little over 2 miles with Jenny, then started my repeats.

They went pretty well, it was easier mentally since there was only 3 of them on the schedule.  They weren't easy but I got the job done, paces for each repeat were:

6:16, 6:10, 6:14

Followed those up with 3 X 200m with 200m jog between each one.

The best part about the run was the cheering from Jenny each time we criss-crossed our paths, it was just like being at a race!

Cooled down in the pool when I got home and stretched a bit.

 Mostly just easy runs between here and the marathon one week from Saturday.  Now it's time to reduce stress and get more sleep.

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.00
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 11:12:11 from 24.8.167.243

Another marathon, eh? I think you'll get your 2:59 this time.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.740.000.000.000.000.000.007.74

 Nice, easy run with Jenny around the neighborhood.  Good to take it easy after yesterday's run.  Nothing to complain about.

Average pace: 8:36

I've fallen behind again on posting so this entry is pretty short.

Asics Equation Miles: 7.74
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.120.001.000.000.000.000.007.12

Ran by myself this morning.  Was able to sleep in until almost 6:30, which was good since yesterday evening, all of the sudden I felt wiped out and almost like I was coming down with something.

Felt good on the run and once I was closer to home thought I would pick it up a little bit, maybe to a 7:00 pace, but I kept on picking it up and did the last mile at 6:31 pace instead.

Average pace: 7:38

PM - took the dogs for a walk, played Wii Soccer Heading game on Wii Fit and came pretty close to getting a perfect game, then I did my yoga routine.

I can't believe a week from tonight will be the night before the race.  The date always seems to sneak up on me!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 7.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.096.000.000.000.000.000.0012.09

One last medium long run before next week's marathon.  I went to Starkey Park this morning arriving about 6:15.  Just in time to start out running with other people.  I started out slowly and gradually went a little faster.  Chatted a bit with Bob.  There was a sign "Smoke of Fog Ahead".  I thought I would take fog if there was a choice, but there wasn't.  Actually there was neither but some smokey smell left over from a controlled burn area.

At 4 miles I caught up with some more of the group and ran with several other people until I made it to my 6 mile point.

Turned around and was quickly able to get into what I thought was "marathon pace", but it was actually a little faster.  Return trip splits were: 6:40, 6:41, 6:37, 6:33, 6:39, 6:29.

Last mile felt like I was pushing the pace but the other miles did not feel like a struggle.  I hope I can get that same feeling next week.

Weather was about 76 degrees at the start and then close to 80 degrees at the end.  There was some light cloud cover so the sun wasn't too bad.

Average pace: 7:23

Spent some time at the social hour and then headed home followed by a quick splash in the pool.  I couldn't have asked for a better morning.

Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 17:27:30 from 198.241.174.15

Dang you're fast. I hope your marathon feels easy for you.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.350.000.000.000.000.000.006.35

 Taper week!

50 minutes of running.  Pretty uneventful run, mostly easy pace.  Small scare at the beginning of the run when I had a pretty sharp pain in the back, similar to what Jenny had last week but not as bad.  It loosened up a bit on the run and it didn't seem to bother me.  Hurt a bit after the run, but went away with some advil and stayed away and hasn't come back, yay! (for not coming back).

Average pace: 7:52

Glycerin 8 Miles: 6.35
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.920.000.003.000.000.000.007.92

4 X 1km repeats followed by 3 X 200m.

Warmed up about 15 minutes easy running with Jenny and also ran into her friend Carin out for her run.

Repeats went pretty well:

3:47 (6:06), 3:37 (5:50), 3:46 (6:04), 3:32 (5:41)

It was a bit warm out this morning but I didn't worry about it, hopefully this warm weather running will pay off during the later part of the marathon this weekend when it gets warm.

Average pace: 7:35

Well, that's it, just a few easy runs left for the week :)

Brooks Launch Miles: 7.92
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Jul 24, 2010 at 00:37:17 from 24.8.167.243

Good luck on the marathon. I'll be watching for your report.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.810.000.000.000.000.000.006.81

Ran with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood.  Jenny did a couple of faster miles but decided not to push it much past that.  Dixie also joined us, I loaned him my old garmin.

Average pace: 8:31

Last run before taking off for Utah and Yellowstone!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 6.81
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.660.000.000.000.000.000.003.66

One last run before the marathon.   Nice cool morning in Research Park, Salt Lake City.  My brother was starting his run also so we ran together for a bit.  Running up hill at first (which was hard) then back downhill.  Altitude about 5000' didn't feel too bad but I think I could notice it a little bit (but only when running up hill).  Feeling somewhat ready.

Race: Deseret News Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:10:57, Place overall: 28, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.000.000.000.0026.20

I knew this race would be an experience to remember but I had no idea exactly how it would unfold.  I knew that the long steep downhill and the few uphills would be challenging and maybe it might get hot during the last 6 miles.  I knew that I had a chance to do well but also had a chance to make mistakes and blow up. 

Jenny was running this race also so I would be thinking about her race while I ran mine and she would have a lot on her mind thinking about her dad who just had surgery (which went pretty well overall but took longer than hoped for) on Friday.

Start to 5 miles, STEEP!

6:36, 6:34, 6:17, 6:39, 6:50

Race started on time, lined up near the front after spending some of the morning camped out with Jenny on the ground inside the tent.  Went out at what seemed slowly at first but the crowd spread out quickly and soon picked up some speed.  It was pretty dark out but the moon was out and the city lights down below in the valley were beautiful (although I spent most of the time looking at the road).  Concentrated on not pounding too much and taking the tangents around the switchbacks.  During my third mile for some reason I thought I had slowed down to about a 7:10 pace but then the mile beeped and it was my fastest mile.  I had splits written on my arm for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 23 miles for a 3:00 time, I was about 1.5 minutes ahead but knew I had just scratched the surface.

6 - 10 miles, up and over "Little Mountain"

7:31, 8:14, 7:48, 6:53, 7:28

Course had finally hit the bottom of the downhill about 5.5 miles then started the climb up "Little Mountain".  I knew this stretch would be hard but also hoped that I would feel great the rest of the way after cresting it.  Rob Murphy from the blog drove me (and my whole family) on the course on Thursday to point out details and give some advice which was a huge help.  I'm not sure how different things might have been if I had gone in blind.  Advice for this stretch was to do your best and not worry too much about pace.  I felt like I was slogging up the mountain, but so was everyone else and I passed a few runners.  Finally hit the top of the hill and felt wonderful, it wasn't easy but wasn't such a monster (that would come later!).  Going downhill again I picked up some speed but couldn't quite get back my same speed on had on the first downhill.  Then, at the bottom of the downhill there is a short out and back slightly uphill, which felt a lot hard than it should have and slowed me down.  Fortunately I knew this was coming and knew how far the out and back was so that helped.

But, now I was about 2 minutes off the 3:00 time goal pace.  I thought there was a chance to come back but didn't know how likely it would be.  The splits were on my left forearm, written by Jenny with a pen (I had a pace Tat which I had forgotten at home along with the shorts I had planned to wear).  But on my right arm was three characters that Jenny also wrote - "I", (a heart), and a "U" - so I still had something meaningful to look at on my arm.

11-15 miles, through the canyon

7:04, 6:53, 6:58, 7:28, 7:17

The next few miles felt pretty good.  I don't remember what slowed me down on mile 14.  A few people passed me and then I soon would pass them or would maybe pass them later.  At this point I thought I could still get a PR and maybe beat my 3:06 time from February.  About 3 minutes off 3:00 goal time, so I think that was the last time I looked at my left arm.

16-20 miles, things change

7:07, 7:20, 7:48, 7:28, 7:36

Coming out of the canyon I was starting to feel pretty good.  From the course tour I knew there was a short steep uphill (which my wife and I were calling "Hogle Hill" because it sounded catchy).  I had this idea that I had conquered the tough stuff once I went over that hill.  Then, just after going past mile 17 and slowing down  a little bit to grab some water, I had trouble getting going again.  I had a sudden panic when I saw I was at just slower than an 8:30 pace and felt drained and finished.  I had never crashed this early. 

Then, a volunteer called out to me and another guy near me "You two guys are in the top 40!".  This helped me to get going again and I slowly clawed my way back to under 8:00 pace.  We hit a partial turnaround and were now on Foothill drive.  I was doing the best I could to hold together.  It was starting to get warm but it wasn't bothering me.  It was a combination of being from Florida and being blessed with cooler temps than in past years.

21-Finish 

8:15, 7:15, 7:43, 7:17, 7:27, 7:39, 1:34 (0.24 @ 6:25)

These splits were all over the place.  It was mostly downhill with a little bit of slight up hill and some flat.  I don't remember why mile 21 was slower, but mile 22 I had a view looking downhill which was inviting.  The shade on South Temple was wonderful.  Kept playing the passing game which really helped to pull me along.   At mile 24 my brother was waiting for me and tried to offer me a bottle of water which I turned down (I did not recognize him which I learned the next day that it was him and felt terrible about, I must have been really out of it!).  At about mile 25.7, Rob Murphy was there and ran along side me and helped pull me along.  He pointed out the police car down the street where 26 mile marker was and the second to last turn was.   With some encouragement I made it there and soon saw my family waiting for me near the corner shouting out to me.  Last turn and I could see the time clock, gave it all I had and snuck in just under 3:11!

My son handed me a Ho-Ho which I had been eyeing the day before the race but did not eat.  Rob pointed me over to where Sasha was and I said hi to him.  There were a few other bloggers there also who I would have liked to have met and talked to but I wanted to head back out to the course to look for Jenny.

I was waiting around the corner from 26 mile point and it was soon about 3:40 into the race which was one of Jenny's hoped for goals.  A minute later my brother texted me that Jenny was now at mile 24.  He ran her in and must have helped out a lot because she still made it under 4 hours - 3:58, her last 2.2 miles were a lot faster than miles 17-24.  Mile 17 had gotten to Jenny also, but she had a lot on her mind thinking about her dad.  But she didn't quit and did the best she could and managed to get her second best marathon time!!!

After we had recovered and showered, eaten and rested,  I took Sasha up on his offer to come visit at his home.  We set up a time to meet later.  Visited Temple Square and found a place downtown which sells authentic Belgian waffles which were exactly like the ones in Belgium which the yeasted dough and pearl sugar which carmelizes on the iron.

Drove down to Provo and had a wonderful visit with Sasha and his family.  Arrived as his friends were helping to install a backup camera on the fast running van.  My kids played with his kids and then my son Andy ran with Sasha and Benjamin for two miles while Thomas and I biked alongside.   Ate a baby carrot pulled right from the garden which one of Sasha's sons offered me and had dessert of fresh raspberries and real whipped cream that Sarah made.  Talked with Sasha about running, computers and church.   Jenny and I both talked about hitting a rough spot at mile 17ish.   "Ahhh yes", said Sasha, "there is a monster which lives there by the golf course".   It was an insidious monster indeed, but maybe I'll come back some day and be ready for it :) 

My kids were soon getting tired from a long day so we had to say good bye and head back up to Salt Lake.  But what a great day.

Brooks Launch Miles: 26.20
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 10:47:13 from 24.8.167.243

28th overall and 2nd in your AG! Congratulations! That's awesome. That really sounds like a tough race.

It sounds like you had a good time meeting other bloggers.

From allie on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 11:17:36 from 174.23.226.74

great job on saturday. your report was fun to read. there is definitely a monster by the golf course. it gets me every time!

you ran the course well and finished strong. way to go! enjoy the rest of your time here in utah and safe travels back home.

From JimF on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 20:06:40 from 68.46.211.156

Great job! You certainly finished well on a hilly course which is probably hard to train for in Florida. I am amazed at how well you handled the downhill section. Sounds like a fun trip also!

From Burt on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 20:43:48 from 206.19.214.144

Great job Mark. Sorry you didn't get the sub 3 you were looking for, but a great performance nonetheless. How sweet that Jenny gave you an I love you to look at on your arm to keep your mind occupied. I would have just been able to occupy my mind by looking at my massive guns.

From RivertonPaul on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 10:39:13 from 67.42.27.114

Way to go. Nice consistency.

From jtshad on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 10:46:24 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats to you and Jenny on the race. Sorry about not getting the sub-3:00, but the altitude and downhill can really take it's toll. Glad you had another good visit to the NW part of the country.

From Rob Murphy on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 18:14:47 from 24.10.248.6

Great race report Mark!

It was great to meet you and your family. I will definitely plan my next trip to Florida around a race and maybe we can get together again.

I hope you guys are enjoying Montana.

From Rossy on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 00:01:03 from 151.151.16.20

Great race and nice write up Mark! By the way, I think mile 21 is this toughest part of the course (i.e., a nice incline on the west-side of the golf course--there was a sharp spike in my miles per minute on this mile).

From slowrunning@msn.com on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 22:59:41 from 173.168.13.77

Finally, I get to read the race report. Very exciting ride. I'm still amazed and even inspired by your consistancy and your uncanny ability to rally after hitting a wall. I just don't know how you do it but I'm certainly going to try and learn. I hope you and the family had a great time and an easy trip home. Tell Jenny I'm praying for her Dad to have a speedy recovery and praising God for the encouraging path reports!!!

From Mark on Sun, Aug 01, 2010 at 11:20:14 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks everyone!

It was quite a race to remember full of challenges and good memories.

Being in "Fast Running Blog Territory" made it feel like being at home away from home.

More training and maybe a little less challenging course and I'll try again for that sub-3:00 time :)

From Sasha Pachev on Sun, Aug 01, 2010 at 14:55:23 from 192.168.1.1

Mark:

It was nice to see you in person finally. I have finally gotten around to reading your race report.

Mile 21 is uphill, that is why it is slow. The slowdown on the uphill in the monster territory will be exaggerated. It is one of the most demoralizing mile on that course. You must remember that and be prepared for it.

The mile 17 golf-course monster has to do with the cumulative effect of the downhill pounding. It is conceived in the first three miles, but does not hatch until 17. Because of its location this course becomes unusually slow for 3000+ feet of elevation drop. If you could even that drop out, it would be faster than St. George.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.940.000.000.000.000.000.002.94

Always a big accomplishment for me to get in that first run after a marathon.  It usually isn't necessarily pretty but it is a start.

This morning's run was extra special.  I ran with my two brothers.  I don't think we have ever been on a run together.  It has been years since we have all been together at the same time (probably not since my second oldest brother (Tim)'s wedding in 2001.   The other amazing thing is that about 2 months ago he had several stents put in around his heart, and now he is back running.

We ran in Yellowstone near the geyser field around Old Faithful.  Went from the Old Faithful Inn to the "morning glory" pool and then back.  On the way out saw a bison out near the geysers, then on the way back the same bison was less than 20 feet from the trail munching on some grass.

Brooks Launch Miles: 2.94
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.200.000.000.000.000.000.005.20

Trying to get back into routines today.  Had the day yesterday to "recover" from the vacation.  Everyone enjoyed the vacation but then you get to come back and appreciate all the things that were missing while you were away.

I went to the Y, warmed up on the bike then did some stretching and got onto the treadmill.  I did 3 miles at 8:26 average.   Then, headed outside and did just another 2.2 miles at 8:17 pace.  Warm and muggy, although 2 degrees cooler than yesterday morning, bringing the temp just under 80 degrees and soupy humidity.

 Lower part of my calves still just a little bit sore.  Left glute was bothering me during bowling last night but did not hurt at all while running.  I can feel it when stretching.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 5.20
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 at 11:38:18 from 24.8.167.243

All vacations require recovery, but especially one in which you run a tough marathon.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.000.000.000.006.00

I ran with Jenny this morning.  We started out from our house and met up with Cherise.  From the start of the run my back starting hurting - felt kind of like a side stitch but in my back, offset from the center a bit (almost rib cage).  Same place it was hurting on the Monday before the marathon (fortunately it held off during the marathon for the most part!).  I was hoping it would clear up but it did not.   So, I just hung back and followed the ladies a few feet back.

Calf was a lot better at least!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 6.00
Comments
From Jeff L on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 at 23:20:33 from 74.81.227.112

Good job on the marathon last week. I'm sure you got the sub 3 soon.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.530.000.000.000.000.000.007.53

This morning's run was much nicer.  Weather was slightly cooler and my back was much better (just a hint left - the little bit of yoga and stretching I did must have helped).  We met up with Carin this morning to help pace her for her 1600's.  It felt good to go a little bit faster than yesterday (8:09 pace) and it passed the time faster too.

Asics Equation Miles: 7.53
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 at 22:39:18 from 24.10.248.6

Glad you're back safe and sound Mark.It was nice meeting Jenny and your boys. I read her post about the race on her blog and have been thinking about her dad.

My dad died six months ago unexpectedly and my moms visit was her first without him. It really takes a while to adjust.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed your exploration of the West. Do you have a fall marathon on the agenda?

From Carolyn in Colorado on Fri, Aug 06, 2010 at 10:31:12 from 24.8.167.243

You're so fast and fit that you can tag along on someone else's speed work and it's easy for you.

I hope your back gets feeling better soon.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.120.000.000.000.000.000.007.12

Ran part of the way with Jenny, then headed out a little bit farther by myself before turning around.  Felt pretty good today and picked up the last mile to about 7:00 pace.  Can't remember too much more (back filling again!!).

Average pace: 8:08

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 7.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.530.000.000.000.000.000.006.53

Ran with Jenny and 5 of her friends - a pretty bit group for a Friday morning.  Nice easy paced run for the most part, except for the first mile where I had to run faster to try and catch up - I had spent too much time waiting for my Garmin to get its signal.

Average pace: 8:43

Glycerin 8 Miles: 6.53
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.153.000.000.000.000.000.0011.15

 

 Went to Starkey Park.  Arrived just before 6:30 and got running pretty soon after that.  Everyone else had gotten there earlier so I ran by myself until about 5.5 miles.  Just when I was turning around to head back I ran into David, Derek and Diane.  Ran with the three of them for a bit then David wanted to pick it up a bit so I volunteered to go along.  We ran one more mile together then I did the last two by myself.   Great ending for the week, big difference between how I felt on Monday's run and how I felt this morning.

Spent some time at the social hour then gave Dixie a ride back to his car.

Average pace: 7:53

Asics Equation Miles: 11.15
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Aug 09, 2010 at 14:29:46 from 198.241.174.15

You've really got an early group going if you got there at 6:30 and you were later than the others. I have a hard time getting an early start on Saturdays.

It sounds like you're recovering very well.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.820.000.500.000.000.000.008.32

Met Dixie at 6:00.  Ran to the hilly neighborhood and then did 4 hill sprints up the church driveway on the way back.  I was dragging a bit this morning and Dixie was leading the way and towing me along.  Finally was feeling stronger at the end of the run.  Good to end the run on a high note.

Average pace: 8:18

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.32
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.040.000.000.000.000.000.008.04

Slightly cooler morning with a breeze, felt nice running into it.  Ran with Jenny and we both had a nice run this morning, easy and consistent pace.

Average pace: 8:35

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.04
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.250.000.000.000.000.000.005.25

Ran on the treadmill at the hotel.  I had thought I was staying at a different hotel which adjoined an office park and quiet road with some hills, but not this time.  Treadmill wasn't so bad but I was running a little short on time.  Started out real slow, then was mainly at an 8:00 pace with a few short surges into low 7's to pass some time.

Average pace: 8:12

Asics Equation Miles: 5.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.160.000.000.000.000.000.008.16

Jenny and I were supposed to run together this morning, but it was dumping rain when we woke up.  So, Jenny headed to the Y for the treadmill and I waited a bit for the rain to slow down.  Finally started running about 7:30.  It was pretty nice out, a few sprinkles and an occasional medium sprinkle but mostly clear.  I had thoughts of cutting the run a little bit shorter but already felt behind after yesterday's shorter run.  Glad I was able to manage fitting in 8 this morning.

Average pace: 7:57

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.16
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.150.000.000.000.000.000.008.15

Slept in a little bit this morning, but not as late as yesterday.  Got started just before 7:00, already pretty warm and humid out.  I felt slow starting out and was wondering how few miles I could do today and still make 50 miles for the week.  Fortunately the run got a little bit better the farther I went and pretty soon I was on my way back home and soon had over 8 miles for the morning.

Never judge what the run will be like based on how it starts, just keep going.

Average pace: 7:54

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.15
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.412.000.000.000.000.000.0013.41

Went to Starkey park at 6:00, was there just a few minutes early.  Waited for Dixie then got going, we ran together to almost 5 miles out, then he turned around (he had started earlier and had already gotten in 5 miles).  I ran out to the water stop on the Suncoast trail before turning around.  Ran into a group at the 5.5 mile water stop and ran with them - David, Derek, Diane, Alex, and a new lady whose name I have already forgotten but I'm sure will remember next time.  We headed back and then I picked up the pace a bit.  I was glad this wasn't going to be a longer run because the heat/humidity were getting to me a little bit but I held onto the pace pretty well.

Average pace: 7:55

Spent some time at social hour then gave Jorge, Victoria and Steve a ride back to their car.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 13.41
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.421.000.000.000.000.000.008.42

Met Dixie to run the hilly neighborhood.  1.5 mile warm up then we zig zagged through the neighborhood.  I was dragging a little bit but not quite as bad as last week.  Finally, on our last circuit I woke up and we were running pretty quickly and we were gaining more speed on the downhills than losing on the up hills.

Did 4 repeats up the church driveway on the way back.  We ended up racing each other a bit which was good otherwise I might not have pushed nearly as hard.  Good to have a running buddy!

Average pace: 7:58

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.42
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.750.000.000.000.000.008.75

Ran with Jenny this morning.  I thought it was just a touch cooler this morning, but maybe I was just imagining it.  We kept the pace pretty easy for most of the run.  Shortly after we got back to the gate I picked up the pace and ran the last 0.75 @ 7:04 pace.

Average pace:8:48

Asics Equation Miles: 8.75
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.900.000.002.400.000.000.0010.30

Jenny's friend Jodi joined us this morning.  We ran together for 5 miles to help pace her tempo run.  After the 5 miles together I wanted to do 4 X 1km repeats since that was the last thing on my schedule before the marathon - the plan in reverse.  I had forgotten that pace so it was good to relearn it and I figured it would be a good test to see how I handled it.  Went pretty well, although a little slower than last time, but not that far off.

Splits: 3:49 (6:09 pace), 3:45 (6:03), 3:41 (5:56), 3:49 (6:09)

Average pace: 8:26

I'm going back to my hometown this weekend and I think there is a 5K that I can run up there.  I'd really love to get under 19:00, just breaking my PR would be nice too.  It's been a while since I've done a 5K.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.30
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.270.000.000.000.000.000.008.27

Ran with Jenny and also met up with her friend Carin after about 2 miles.  We ran with Carin a little over 4 miles and then Jenny and I headed back.  Pretty good run overall with ok weather for running, a little warm and humid but normal for this time of year.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.27
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
14.260.000.000.000.000.000.0014.26

Woke up early this morning (4:30) to go fishing on Lake Ontario.  My brother Jim, nephew Brian, my Dad and I headed over to the river to get on the charter boat.  It looked like it would be a pretty nice day for fishing but once we got off the river the lake was a bit rough so we decided it wouldn't be such a good idea to be out on it for 5 hours.

So, we headed back in the back to Jim's house.  A little while later we decided to head out for our run.  Pretty nice day for running, temp right about 70 degrees and some light cloud cover and a breeze.  We headed up to Lake Road, where there was some nice rolling terrain.  Ran along the lake for a bit then turned back and zig-zagged a slightly different route back.  Fun to be running back in my home town, although a lot of it was areas I had never been too.

At one point when heading back, there was a nice long downhill and I said something about how good it was we didn't have to run up it.  Shortly after that, the road leveled out and we headed back up the same amount we had just run down.  Ran by several yard and garage sales and a few fresh fruit and vegetable stands.

We stopped by Jim's house for some more gatorade at about 10.5 miles, then did a bit more to get over 14 miles for the day.

Brooks Launch Miles: 14.26
Race: 5K Run for Lupus (3.1 Miles) 00:19:19, Place overall: 9, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.220.000.003.100.000.000.005.32

New PR this morning, and chipped away a little closer to under 19 minutes.  Before coming to Rochester I looked for a local race.  I found one in Scottsville, NY, about 35 minutes away from my brother's house.  Jim decided to run the race also.

Nice morning out, starting out in the high 50's.  But, the race didn't start until 9:00, still not too warm by then.  Warmed up with 2.22 miles.  I probably could have used a little more warm up because I didn't feel completely loosened up.  Pretty good turnout for the race, I think about 200 people.  There was a mix of high school kids and a wide age range of adults.

I still had my garmin set for 1km laps instead of miles, so my splits are in 1km increments, except for the first mile where someone was calling out the times as we went by:

  • 1. 4:00
  • (1 mile) - 6:17
  • 2. 3:51
  • 3. 3:58
  • 4. 3:54
  • 5. 3:33

The course was a trapezoid shape which started out uphill for the first km, followed by downhill, then flat, and the last km a steady uphill.

Shortly after the race started the line spread out to pretty much the finishing order.  But, for a good part of the last mile someone was close behind.  With about a half mile left to go he passed me up and I was pretty sure he was in my age group but I either didn't have it in my or couldn't find it to kick up the pace to not get passed.  I did however run the last km much faster than the rest.  The guy beat me by 7 seconds.  They had age group awards (10 year increments), with a medal and bottle of wine (if over 21) for the age group winners.

Here is (the back of) my brother coming in to the finish line:


So, a good morning, a new 5K PR in a small town near Rochester on a somewhat cool August morning.  Although,  with some more 5K practice I should be able to get under 19 minutes soon.

Now, off to the 25 year H.S. reunion BBQ!

Oh, and here are the donuts I had after the race:

 


Brooks Launch Miles: 5.32
Comments
From Sasha Pachev on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 13:38:10 from 192.168.1.1

Congratulations on a PR! What I like best about your splits (assuming they were accurate) is the 3:33 last 1 K. This shows that you are capable of a low 18:00 5 K with some practice and maybe another year of good mileage. Which is very encouraging for the sub-3:00 marathon goal because all you have to do is run 21:00 per 5 K. If all out 5 K is in the low 18:00, 21:00 will be a jog, it will become just a matter of fuel to hold it for the marathon, which is fairly easy to fix.

What I would like to see is this. Go to the track, wear an HRM, start running 86 second laps until you cannot run the pace even if you try to sprint, or until you got to the 5 K. If the failure happens, once it does, run one lap as hard as you can even if it is slower than 86. What does your HR do when you reach the failure and what does it do during the last ditch effort? Does it go through the roof, or does it flatten out and drop after failure?

For this test it would be nice to find somebody who can run 86 seconds laps easily so he can set the pace for you, and all you have to do is follow him.

From Burt on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 15:51:54 from 68.225.214.248

Great job Mark! I don't know about the donuts and wine though. LOL!

From Mark on Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 16:29:34 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Burt and Sasha.

I have someone in mind for the track workout here, hopefully I can recruit him, that will probably help out a lot to follow someone.

From jtshad on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 14:52:21 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats on the PR...and the doughnuts too!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.100.000.000.500.000.000.009.60

9.6 miles @ 8:08 average pace.  Back home after a weekend away in my hometown for HS reunion.  Ran by myself this morning.  Had to stop a couple of times at first as my ankles felt tight, hate it when that happens.  Once I loosened up things were a lot better.  I ran mostly in my neighborhood and past the golf course and then a little bit into Thousand Oaks neighborhood.

I did 6 strides at the end of 25 seconds each with 1 minute jogs between.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.60
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 23:20:52 from 24.8.167.243

So dare I ask? How many years since you graduated from high school?

From Mark on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 11:41:42 from 64.0.96.50

I can hardly comprehend it myself, but it has been 25 years!!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.660.000.000.000.000.000.008.66

8.66 miles @ 8:03

Was supposed to run with Jenny, but it was raining, so she went for the treadmill and I decided to take my chances with the rain as soon as it slowed down a little.  I waited a bit for the rain to stop which it did, started my run, got rained on off and on but at least it was nice and cool. More evenly paced today than yesterday.  It would have been nice to listen to some music but that's just asking for trouble when it is raining out.  Also, not listening to music when you really want to makes me appreciate more the next time I can.

Yesterday afternoon my legs were a bit sore.  Not sure if it was left over from the 5K or if it was just from doing the strides at the end of yesterday's run.  Anyway, much better feeling today.

Asics Equation Miles: 8.66
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.100.600.000.000.000.000.009.70

Great run with Jenny, rain held off, we started out a little faster than usual and then ran an even pace, did an extra out and back past the house to get over 9 for the morning.

In the evening I did the first 30 minutes of the P90x yoga dvd.  I was watching it on a portable dvd player when the battery died and figured it was a good stopping point anyway as it was pretty tough compared to my usual easy 14 minute routine.  The whole thing would have been an hour and a half.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.70
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.940.000.001.500.000.000.0010.44

Ran with Jenny for about 7 miles, then did 6 X 400 with a goal of 1:26 each.

Actual: 1:26, 1:23, 1:22, 1:26, 1:24, 1:20

On the first one I thought I was going to die, but then felt better on the second one and the rest went by quicker.  Did equal time rest between the repeats.  I felt good on these afterward because I have usually only done this pace on strides, so it was a little step up in distance.

Average pace: 8:26

In the evening I did yoga from a TV show that Jenny recorded, about a half an hour, pretty good, not quite as intense as P90x but not lame either.

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.44
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.470.600.000.000.000.000.008.07

Ran by myself around the neighborhood.  The temperature actually felt kind of pleasant.  I needed to get back home by about 7:15 so I cut the run a little bit short.  Good idea also because I am going to do another 5K tomorrow morning. Did the last 0.6 miles just under 7:00 pace but I did not realize it until after I stopped, guess I was in a nice zone.

Average pace: 8:02

It will be interesting to see if I'll be slower (will be warmer than last weekend),  faster (maybe I'll do a better job warming up), or the same (fitness will be about the same as it was last weekend).

Asics Equation Miles: 8.07
Race: Red Mule Runners 5K (3.11 Miles) 00:19:13, Place overall: 36, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.160.000.003.100.000.000.0010.26

Red Mule Runners 5K in Brooksville, FL, 1st place masters, 19:13 time.  I was hoping to cash in on some lessons I learned last week.  Last week's race was cooler temperature wise but this week's race was flatter - although the course was quite slippery.

Woke up this morning at about 5:15 and was on the road by 5:46.  The race was at a place called Lake McKethan Park just north of Brooksville.  I couldn't find an address or any official information about the park (except for an article about how the police had been cracking down on "cruising" activity in the park, and that lots of races have been held there).

As I was driving there I felt hungry so I stopped at a convenience store for a PowerBar energy bar and a bottle of Gatorade, then continued on.  I found the park ok after just one wrong turn.  Got my bib and then got ready to warm up.  I talked briefly to a guy named Ernie that had just done the DesNews marathon.  He was on a quest to do a second round of a marathon in all 50 states.

Warm up felt pretty good, did a total of just over 3 miles with about 4 good strides thrown in.  But, by the end of the warm up I was pretty hot and sweaty so decided this would be a no shirt race for me.

The course was a single lane paved road around the lake.  We would do 2 full loops and then go off road for the last 0.2 miles.  There was also an off-road section, maybe 200 feet long near the end of each loop.   When I was on my warm up I noticed about half of the course was very slippery, especially a section where there was a wet and oily strip down the center.  As usual, I was not aggressive enough in shoving my way up to the front.  The race was loaded with high school kids.  This race is pretty well know locally as a tune up race before the start of HS cross country.  Also, the starting line was wider than the road, but everyone had to be on the road by about 150 feet.  I had a tough time getting on the road and getting in front of the people that went out to fast, something that is hard to practice for during training runs.

About 0.4 miles into the race I was still only at a 7:10 pace.  The line thinned out and I was able to start picking people off.  At one mile there was someone calling out times, 6:14 for me.  My Garmin was slightly off, but in a good way, it said I was going slower than I really was. 

I got about 1 second faster per mile on each mile.  At about 2 miles, I passed the last masters runner that I knew of.  I had no idea how far ahead the lead pack was.  As I was on the final off-road portion I managed to pass one more person.  I was pleased to see the time clock was still in the low 19:xx's as I approached it.  The coach of one of the HS kids that finished about the same time as me was there and said to him "19 minutes, we can work with that, I'll get you down to 18 minutes in one month" -  that sounded good to me so I said "what about me?" he smiled and said it might take longer than a month to get me down to 18 minutes.

After the race, I even managed to get in another 3.5 miles or so for a cool down.

 

 

Lead pack - I didn't actually see these guys but it was a good picture showing the course.


Brooks Launch Miles: 10.26
Comments
From Burt on Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 00:37:39 from 68.225.214.248

Nice job Mark! Looks like everyone was running shirtless.

From jtshad on Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 07:38:50 from 69.20.183.178

Congrats on the PR and getting that sub 20! Keep running strong!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.321.000.000.000.000.000.008.32

Went to the Y this morning, which I hadn't done for some time.  Old routine there, bike warm up, stretching and crunches, then onto the treadmill.  Did 4.1 miles right at 8:00 pace (slow start with progressively fast to about 7:20 pace at the end).

Then headed outside for another 4.22 miles at 7:27 average pace.

With 76°  weather outside now, it's not so bad at all especially with some cloud cover.

Had time for some leg extensions and curls before heading home.  Sammy and I walked Andy to his bus stop then we walked a loop around the park.

Finished up with a few more exercises at home, so maybe a total half hour of strength training altogether.

Asics Equation Miles: 8.32
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.100.000.000.000.000.000.009.10

I'm guessing it was about 70 degrees this morning, the coolest it has been in months, a hint of fall finally!

Nice run with Jenny along the usual routes.  The pace felt easy and comfortable with a little bit of pick up at the end.  I thought about doing some more once we got home but figured just over 9 was good enough since yesterday's run wasn't quite the recovery run that it should have been.

Average pace: 8:33

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.210.000.000.000.000.000.0010.21

Another nice and pleasant morning for running.  Out the door at 6:00 sharp with Jenny.  We first intercepted Kathryn, then picked up Jamie.  The 4 of us ran together for most of the run but split up on the way back as each went home.  Did one more mile by myself to get over 10 for the morning.

Average pace: 8:43

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.21
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.100.000.000.500.000.000.0010.60

I'm really enjoying this wonderful weather.  Nice 71 degrees this morning.

We ran together for almost 9 miles, then I did some strides, 12 by 25 seconds each with 50 seconds between each one.   I had been thinking about doing something more extensive as far as speed work goes, but I decided I'd better not push too hard today.  The strides at the end was a fun way to add on some more mileage.

Average pace: 8:16

Asics Equation Miles: 10.60
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.081.000.000.000.000.000.008.08

Ran by myself this morning.  Pretty decent weather and somewhat non-eventful run.  Quicker pace throughout with a faster last mile.  Pretty successful week of running so far this week.

Average pace: 7:40

Going for a longer run tomorrow!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.08
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
16.100.000.000.000.000.000.0016.10

Longest run I've had since the marathon.  It went pretty well.  I wasn't worried about it but at the same time I needed to take it seriously since it is not quite yet nice fall weather.  Dixie was up for doing 16 with me.  We decided on starting at Longleaf neighborhood and running up Starkey Blvd into the park and doing most of the miles there.  Usually we will have someone pick up our stuff and leave it in the park for us - like food, dry shirt, towel.  And then we'll get a ride back with someone.  But, we weren't able to arrange the stuff pick up and ride home so decided to just do the out and back from Longleaf.  It would save time on the drive and make it less of a production.  The weather was warm but not hot, but not quite cool enough to be nice, very in between.

The run overall went pretty smoothly.  We started out slow for the first mile, then gradually picked up to around an 8:00 pace and held that for most of the run, then went faster the last few miles with the final mile about 7:15 pace.  This run turned out to be Dixie's long run "PR".  Big difference to just a few months ago when he would be "done" at mile 11 out of a 13 mile run and average about 8:50 for the entire run.  The miles are starting to pay off for him.

Average pace: 8:04

Finally made it to over 60 this week!  I've been meaning to get here sooner, but at least I've made it now.

Took a dip in the pool after the run to cool down.  Water has been refreshing due to all of the rain we've been getting.

Then, unfortunately I had to spend a good part of the rest of the day at work.  Big stressful deadline looming!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 16.10
Comments
From jtshad on Sun, Sep 05, 2010 at 13:51:35 from 69.20.183.178

Great run, good luck with the stresses at work.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, Sep 06, 2010 at 20:04:36 from 24.8.167.243

Great job on the run. Big stressful work deadline is not fun. I've been there lately.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.240.000.500.000.000.000.008.74

Ran with Dixie at the hilly neighborhood this morning.  Started a little bit later than usual at 6:30 instead of 6:00 because it is a day off, but didn't start too late since I was going with my family to Busch Gardens.  Good run with decent weather, and plenty of conversation, except at the end when we did 6 pretty fast repeats up the church driveway on the way back.

Average pace: 7:49

Asics Equation Miles: 8.74
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.110.000.000.000.000.000.0010.11

Nice run with Jenny this morning.  We started a little bit earlier and were able to end earlier even though we put in more miles.  We ran the whole thing together.  Pretty steady pace throughout and a slight speed up at the end.

Average pace: 8:35

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.11
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.281.000.000.000.000.000.0010.28

Ran with Jenny and Jamie.  Jenny was up for a tempo run, her first one since the marathon.  We warmed up with 2 easy miles, then did 5 miles at just under an 8:00 pace.  Run went by quickly and we were soon back near our house.  I did a little bit on my own while Jenny ran a bit more with Jamie.  Picked up the last mile to just barely under 7:00 pace.

Average pace: 8:20

P.M. - did my wii fit yoga routine, I can't believe it had been 36 days since the last time I did it, although I have been doing some other yoga to try and stay loose and injury free.   Jenny on the other hand has probably had perfect attendance with yoga everyday!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.28
Comments
From Carolyn in Colorado on Thu, Sep 09, 2010 at 22:03:11 from 24.8.167.243

Great job with the yoga. I wish I had the time and energy to follow your example.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.300.000.003.100.000.000.0011.40

Started out at 5:45 with Jenny, looped around the neighborhood and picked up Jamie along the way.  We ran together for about 6 miles at a nice and comfortable pace.  It was a little bit warmer out than it was yesterday but still pretty tolerable.

After the 6 miles easy I did 5 X 1Km repeats with a goal of 6:07 pace or better for each one.

Paces were: 6:09, 6:04, 6:06, 6:00, 6:11

The first one was on pace until the end when I almost ran into Jenny, accident avoided and I still almost made it.  The next few felt pretty good.  Usually I do well on the last one of any set of repeats, but today the last one was extra hard.  A stressful week was catching up with me a little bit I think but, still I almost made it and the average for the repeats was a 6:05 pace.

Cooled down with an easy run back to the house.  I like the fact that I seem to get more miles when I'm doing some sort of speed work.

Average pace: 8:09

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.40
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.380.000.000.000.000.000.008.38

Ran by myself around the neighborhood.  Pretty good run and nothing too eventful.  I was feeling a little bit sluggish but managed to not start out too slow and end a little faster.  Weather was decent but not like some of the cool pre-fall teases we had been having.

Average pace: 7:56

Another 5K tomorrow, for a good cause - prostate cancer research.  I'll see what I can do, maybe shave off a few more seconds?

Asics Equation Miles: 8.38
Race: Morton Plant Mease Prostate Cancer Awareness 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:19:25, Place overall: 4, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.270.000.003.180.000.000.009.45

 

 Jenny had signed us up for this race.  She was the kid runner (stayed with the two boys and just ran easy) this morning and I was the racer.  On our drive down I saw the outside temperature climb a little from 77 degrees when we left to 80 degrees when we got there.  I warmed up with a little bit over 3 miles easy pace including a few strides at the end.  After Thursdays harder than expected 1K repeats I wasn't sure how well I would do today.

I had one big goal for today's race - get up to the front of the line and go out fast.  Right before the race I chatted briefly with a guy I see at a lot of races, named Joe, who is my age but a good bit faster (17 - 18 minute 5k times).  So I stood next to him at the beginning.  We were off and was right behind Joe for a short time and ahead of everyone else.  Joe then continued to gap me but that was ok, I was able to get the quick start that I wanted.   Just after about a quarter of a mile, one guy passed me, and then another guy.  The two guys that passed me spread out from each other and from me and it pretty much stayed the same spread for the rest of the race.

I was happy with my first mile and after the second mile I thought I had a slight chance at going under 19 today.  But, I also knew that my garmin was not accurate, I just wasn't sure by how much.  I felt myself slowing down in the third mile (mid 6:30's) but was able to regain some of that speed.

Turning the last corner it was hard to see the finish chute at first because I was running into the sun.  When I could finally see the time clock it was maybe 19:02 or something like that, so not today.

 Splits from Garmin: 5:58, 6:09, 6:15, 1:03 (0.18@5:44)

4 out of the top 5 guys were in my age group, the guy not in my age group was 50.  Joe ended up exactly 1 minute faster than me.  So, I was 2nd in my age group.

The race was pretty well put together for an inaugural 5k and well attended (about 500 people).  Course was very scenic, mostly flat with a small hill near the beginning and the same hill about halfway.  They had nice plaques for all of the age group recipients which was a nice touch.  Tom took first place in the under 10, and Andy 2nd place in the 10-14 group.

Garmin said I had a 6:06 average pace, so if the pace had been correct it would have been under 19:00.   However, before the race started they warned us that the race course was measured and certified but would probably measure long on gps devices.  There were quite a bit of turns which garmins don't handle as well as straighter courses.

I was happy with the first mile, a decent second mile and a pretty good kick  at the end.  Although the time was slower than my last two 5K's, something felt good about today's race.

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.45
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.430.000.000.500.000.000.008.93

Did the Monday morning Y routine.  When I got there I saw Raj and was able to give him his age group award plaque from Saturday's race.  It was a warm and humid morning outside and I motivation was low, at least at first.

After some warm up I got onto the treadmill, did 3.15 miles at 8:05 pace, then headed outside.  Since I was more warmed up, my spirits were better.  I was a little bit low on time so my mileage outside was 4.42 miles @ 7:43 pace.

Went back inside and decided to try out doing some strides on the treadmill.   They were kind of fun and on the last one I set the treadmill as fast as it could go, I wasn't sure how fast that was before I tried, but it turned out to be 12.4 miles per hour.

Back at home I did my "better than nothing" strength training routine which consists of 2 sets of 25 push-ups (using the as-seen-on-tv "perfect push-up") and 8 pull-ups, repeated twice, then a few sets of dumbbell exercises, whatever I happen to feel like.  It's not a lot but it seems to be helping as the pull-ups are less of a struggle now.

I had a big cloud over my head, big project due to be finished at work on Wednesday but I was not yet at the stage where I was sure I could finish it.  The cloud had a name and that is USB.

Asics Equation Miles: 8.93
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.370.000.000.000.000.000.009.37

Easy run with my favorite running buddy.  A touch cooler out this morning than yesterday morning.

Average pace: 8:40

This is another late post so I have few details that I can remember.  Work cloud still hanging over my head.  It will be a late night at work.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.37
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.270.000.000.000.000.000.009.27

Cooler weather once again, barely 70 degrees.  Might be time to start running with a shirt again.  Nice pleasant run with Jenny and Jamie.  It was a little rough going at first because of getting home late from work (just after 1:00 am), then getting up and running.  But, it's easier when you can mainly just follow behind.  I had been thinking about doing some speed work but was not up for it.  Jenny had also been thinking about speed work but also decided to scratch it and just enjoy an easy run in nice weather.

Average pace: 8:44

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.27
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.220.000.000.000.000.000.009.22

A beautiful morning for running.  Good run, mostly easy with a few pick-ups here and there.

Average pace: 8:35

 

Work cloud has lifted, finished enough for now at least.  It looked impossible at one point, but it somehow came together.  Miracles do happen sometime (even if they are just small ones).

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.22
Comments
From jtshad on Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 15:43:25 from 204.134.132.225

Glad work came together for you, ridding yourself of that stress makes life a lot better. Great job getting in a good run and enjoying the running weather.

From Mark on Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 21:52:32 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jeff!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.250.000.000.000.000.000.009.25

Another good run with Jenny and Jamie.  Good weather again, uneventful run that just sort of flowed along and went by quickly.

Average pace: 8:41

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.134.000.001.000.000.000.0017.13

I was greeted by a temperature reading of 71°  when I pulled into Starkey Park this morning at 6:10.  I ran into "tattoo Mike" who I hadn't seen much of recently.  He was doing 14 and I was planning on 16, so we ran 7 miles together.  It was very pleasant running and we kept the pace conversational.

I went on another 1.5 miles (changed my mind at the last minute to do 17 miles today). Turned around and headed back, slowly picking up the pace some more until I had done 4 miles between 6:51 and 7:05.

Backed it down for the second to last mile and then decided to see what I had left. Managed a 5:59 for the last mile, hard but felt great to finish so strong.

Hung out with the Striders for some catching up.  Haven't seen them as much due to heading off to 5K's.

Average pace: 7:35

Then, back home, there were from-scratch pancakes waiting for me with blueberry topping, thanks Jenny!!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 17.13
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 12:49:56 from 68.46.211.156

Very nice long run and great way to finish. Shows you must have had a lot left in the tank. Are you doing a fall marathon?

From Mark on Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at 22:05:25 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jim!

I'm skipping doing a fall marathon this year and will be doing some shorter races trying to improve my speed a bit. I think the next marathon will be Boston.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.412.000.000.000.000.000.008.41

Ran with Dixie in the hilly neighborhood.  Started out easy and later ended up doing some faster miles after we were warmed up.  We skipped the usual set of hill sprints at the end and just added on a little bit of extra cool down at the end since Dixie's calf was bothering him.

Average pace: 7:59

Asics Equation Miles: 8.41
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.090.000.000.000.000.000.0010.09

Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood.  Felt good and the weather was pretty good.  We picked it up the last mile.  Jenny has less than one month to her marathon.

Average pace: 8:39

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.09
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.160.000.000.000.000.000.0010.16

Easy run with Jenny this week.  Hooray for being halfway through the week and feeling good!  Nice weather, similar routes.  The only big change this morning is that Jenny and I switched garmins.  Almost every morning when we run together, mine always says that I went farther, and since we run the same amount of time, therefore faster.  Curious to see if they were different or if it was just how I run.

 So, different garmins, but same results per user.  Hers, which I wore, said I went farther.  We figured this is probably due to the fact that I run on the outside of her, and sometimes run ahead to grab a gate or something like that.

Average pace: 8:30

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.16
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.170.000.000.000.000.000.007.17

Just over 7 miles on the treadmill in Nahsua, NH.  Up a little bit too late the night before, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel but it wasn't bad at all.  Miles went by pretty quickly.  Could have done more but needed to catch my flight.

Average pace: 7:55

Brooks Launch Miles: 7.17
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.070.000.000.000.000.000.0010.07

End of a busy but pretty good week.   Ran with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood.  Good to be back outside after being after having to do yesterday's run on the hotel treadmill.   This is Jenny's last big week before she starts cutting back a little next week getting ready for the SF Women's Marathon.

Average pace: 8:48

After the run, did my "better than nothing" upper body workout to keep me from totally blowing off non-running exercise.   3 sets of 8 pull-ups with 25 "perfect push-ups" in between each set, and then some side arm raises and curls.  Maybe just under 15 minutes worth of training.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.07
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.006.300.000.000.000.000.0016.30

16.3 miles @ 7:43 pace average, first 10 easy, last 6.3 between 7:08 and 6:50

Drove up to Starkey park this morning, stopping along the way to pick up some runner's bags who were getting an early start on their runs.  It was warmer out this morning, about 77 degrees.  I saw Mike in the parking lot so we headed out together.  My ankles were tight for the first few miles and felt a lot better after stopping at the 4 mile water stop.  We ran together for 5 miles before he turned back, then I kept on going for about 3 more miles on my own.

As it got lighter out, a small breeze picked up, which made it much nicer.  It is sometimes better to start a little later as long as there is some cloud cover to hold back the sun, which there was this morning.

Started picking up the pace on the way back.  While on the way out, I did look at my pace a couple of times early on, and then decided not to look at it any more and see what happened.  Would I run the same, faster, or slower?

Turned out to be pretty much the same, although slightly slower than last week, but maybe the same when adjusted for conditions.  But, it felt good just to run.  I've got this on my list of things to try, run an entire marathon with no watch or garmin.

Hung out for a bit after the run, then gave a ride back to Jorge, Victoria, Keith, Eudaire, and Dixie, back to their cars.  Glad I had room for everyone!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 16.30
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 14:01:27 from 68.46.211.156

You are doing a great job on these long runs especially picking up the pace toward the end!

From Mark on Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 21:51:15 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jim!

It's a little odd with no marathon looming but good in a way since there is no pressure.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.000.000.000.008.00

Ran with Dixie in the hilly neighborhood, went a little slower and took it easy. I meant to do more but was caught in a time-warp and ran out of time.  It was warmish and humid, but otherwise a nice morning.

Average pace: 8:16

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

Asics Equation Miles: 8.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.750.001.250.000.000.000.009.00

 Ran with Jenny this morning around the neighborhood.  As we were nearing the end of the run, received a phone call from older son, who said younger son was not feeling well.  So, we put the plan in place, I picked it up and hurried straight home.  Nothing too urgent, but better safe than sorry. 

Average pace: 8:30

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.050.000.000.000.000.000.0010.05

Delightfully cool morning.  Running with Jenny.  Easy paced run.  We ran together for 9 miles, then I did a short out and back by myself to get in one more mile.

Average pace: 8:38

Glycerin 8 Miles: 10.05
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 07:43:45 from 24.10.248.6

Hey Mark, I haven't dropped in on your blog in a while. I know you must look forward to this time of year when the temps become more reasonable for serious training. Any big races coming up?

From Mark on Fri, Oct 01, 2010 at 20:23:10 from 173.168.88.68

Hey Rob, thanks for stopping by. Nothing too big as far as races go. I signed up for 4 half marathons between 10/31 and this coming March. Two of them will be at Fort Desoto, one will be at Clearwater Beach and the other one will go from Madeira Beach to Largo.

I've barely been keeping up with blogging and unfortunately have fallen behind on reading other peoples blogs. I saw you got to run in the same half as Jeff Shadley and you guys both did well, that was awesome!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.560.000.603.100.000.000.0010.26

This morning, Jenny and I had to take turns running.  One of the kids wasn't feeling well so we didn't want to both leave.  Jenny took the first shift, and I started once she got back.  I didn't do any speed work last week so after warming up I did 5 X 1K:

3:44 (6:02), 3:35 (5:46), 3:43 (6:00), 3:41 (5:56), 3:44 (6:01)

It was cooler out this time than the last time I did this workout and my times were a little bit faster.  Jogged back home for cool down.

 Except, when I was about a 0.25 mile from home, a lawn mower pulled out behind me (one of this big landscaper models).  I thought he was just going to drive into the next yard or so, but instead he pulled out on the street behind me and was going pretty fast.  I sped up to get away from him, but he kept right behind me.  I don't think I was being chased and if I had known he had a long way to go and was going to be going that fast I would have gotten out of the way!  Garmin said my peak pace was 4:39, which might be possible.

Jenny went out to the drug store and on the way back said she saw a guy on a lawnmower going really fast down the street!

Average pace: 7:32

Brooks Launch Miles: 10.26
Comments
From allie on Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 22:09:22 from 174.19.51.35

ha! funny lawnmower story. i was playing leapfrog with a garbage truck yesterday and it was seriously so annoying. i kept trying to run away from him but every street i ran on just happened to be on his route.

nice workout today.

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
From Carolyn in Colorado on Sat, Oct 02, 2010 at 17:33:08 from 24.8.167.243

You are fortunate to have such a great running partner.

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
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
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
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
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
From JimF on Sat, Oct 09, 2010 at 08:52:35 from 68.46.211.156

Hope the 5k goes great!

From jtshad on Sat, Oct 09, 2010 at 10:23:47 from 69.20.183.178

Good luck at the 5k today!

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
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
From JimF on Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 16:40:56 from 68.46.211.156

Congratulations on breaking 19! Awesome job!

From Mark on Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 12:03:43 from 24.129.132.74

Thanks Jim! Felt like it was never going to happen, didn't seem like it really was until I could see the time clock with 18:40 on it and I saw each second tick by as I got closer, thought I might just miss it!

From JimF on Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 18:07:30 from 68.46.211.156

It was not a surprise to me. You have been running great lately. Any more races coming up? I am going to try to run a fast 10k in Nov. That is my key race for the fall. Been a while since I have tried a 10k.

From Sasha Pachev on Tue, Dec 07, 2010 at 22:32:33 from 192.168.1.1

Congratulations on breaking the 19:00 barrier! 5 K speed breakthroughs are exciting because they show that your marathon potential might be higher than you thought.

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
From slowrunning@msn.com on Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 21:01:39 from 24.92.31.152

And what exactly is a "Monday Morning better than nothing upper body workout?"

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
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
From jtshad on Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 11:46:52 from 204.134.132.225

Have a safe trip to SF and tell Jenny good luck!

From Mark on Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 12:01:33 from 24.129.132.74

Thanks Jeff!

I'll pass on the good wishes to Jenny, but I'll be staying behind with the kids. She's on a girls weekend out with two of her running friends this time around.

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
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
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
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
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
From jtshad on Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 12:33:22 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats to Jenny on a fine race!

From Mark on Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 22:15:59 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jeff! I passed it along to Jenny

From Rob Murphy on Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 23:15:06 from 24.10.248.6

Yeah...that really is a great time. I can't imagine that a cours in San Francisco could possibly be fast.

You guys pick some tough races when you're on the road. Any plans for a fast, flat, sea level marathon?

From Mark on Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 22:05:10 from 173.168.88.68

Rob, someday Jenny may actually run a flat and fast course, but next up is Boston, which compared to San Francisco and Deseret News is "fast". Maybe something flatter and/or faster after that!

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
From JimF on Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 22:40:02 from 68.46.211.156

Hope you get some good weather for the weekend. Your running is looking good.

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
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
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
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
Comments
From rockness18 on Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 17:04:38 from 75.25.96.223

You just keep getting faster- great job!

From slowrunning@msn.com on Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 17:05:21 from 24.92.31.152

Super race, Mark! I wish I could have been there. Still, you did a great job of holding up those last 3 miles. Teach me how to hold on at the end like that.

From JimF on Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 21:45:56 from 68.46.211.156

Congrats on the PR and great race. You had some fast miles toward the end which shows your strength. You just keep getting faster and faster.

From Rob Murphy on Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 22:37:30 from 24.10.248.6

Nice job Mark. I know Ft.DeSoto is a great place for a race. Nice, consistent splits. I suppose you're gearing up for the prime training/racing season in Florida now? Good luck.

From Snoqualmie on Mon, Nov 01, 2010 at 11:00:28 from 24.18.192.33

Good job on the PR. I'm sure you will reach your goal soon. Congratulations!

From jtshad on Mon, Nov 01, 2010 at 18:27:49 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats on the PR, solid and improving time! You ran a very consistent pace and are looking good to keep heading towards that 1:25!

From Mark on Tue, Nov 02, 2010 at 11:24:00 from 24.129.132.74

Thanks everyone!

With the weather turning nice and no marathons looming until April, plenty of time to race and train 5Ks to halfs

From Tom on Tue, Nov 02, 2010 at 12:31:17 from 137.65.56.16

Great job! You're running very well right now, bodes well for 2011.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.120.000.000.000.000.000.009.12

I took yesterday morning off.  It was very tempting to run but I'm glad I took the day off.

Ran this morning and did 3 miles with Jenny, then the rest on my own.  My legs were a little bit sore from the race but overall the run felt pretty good.

Average pace: 8:24

After the run, I did my usual Monday morning upper body at home routine (aka better than nothing workout).

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.040.000.000.000.000.000.008.04

Ran 7 miles with Jenny then 1 more by myself.  Felt a lot better than yesterday, pretty much back to normal.

Average pace: 8:55

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.04
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.010.000.000.000.000.000.009.01

We just missed the rain, roads and sidewalks were wet but it felt pleasant for running.  Went a little bit farther than yesterday.  Ran 7.5 miles with Jenny then a little bit more on my own.

Average pace: 8:30

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.01
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.900.000.000.000.008.90

Ran by myself in the neighborhood, cool and pleasant run.  Ran the last 0.9 at 6:30 pace.

Average pace: 7:39

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.90
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
13.371.000.001.000.000.000.0015.37

Ran in Starkey Park this morning.  Arrived about 6:30 and waited in a long line of cars to get in as the park is now opening at 6:30 instead of 6:00.

Felt really cold at the start, it was in the low 40's, literally just got this cold over night, haven't eased into it yet.  But, after about 2 miles it felt a lot better.  My back was a little sore from hauling out a new pool cover the night before and my legs were a bit sore also.  I had started out running with 2 other guys but went so slow I quickly lost sight of them.

At the 4 mile point, I stopped for a drink and to stretch out a little bit.  A bunch of other runners showed up and I ran with them for the next two miles (David, Jamie, Diane and some others), but then they all turned back.  Went out to just after 7.5 mile point and turned around.  Finally, the miles started flowing more easily.  Picked up the pace until the second to last mile where I backed off a bit, then picked it up for the last mile to see how fast I could run after 14 miles, pretty pleased to come in under 6:00 (5:57).

Average pace: 7:46

I was pretty happy to get in 15 miles, because at the start of the run I was seriously considering cutting the run a lot shorter, glad that I didn't do that.

Spent some time chatting a bit at the social hour and then headed home for some delicious home made french toast (made with homemade bread!)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.770.000.000.000.000.000.008.77

Ran with Dixie in the hilly neighborhood.  It was cold again this morning but great for running once I was warmed up.  Took it easy and skipped the repeats on the hill.  I did do 4 strides at the end where it was flat.

Average pace: 8:13

Did my Monday morning better than nothing upper body workout at home after the run.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.77
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.110.000.000.000.000.000.008.11

I ran with Jenny this morning.  This was the first run in a while where we did the entire run together.  I thought about doing a little bit more to get over 9, but felt this was a good day to do a little bit less.  Weather was nice and cool, a little cold at first until getting warmed up.

Average pace: 8:31

Tomorrow, I'm going to run with Jenny at her half marathon pace, then Thursday I'm do some 5k oriented speed work for me, such as 400m repeats, haven't done those for a while.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.11
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.250.000.000.000.000.000.009.25

Ran with Jenny and Jamie this morning.  Jenny had her first successful speed work since before the Deseret News Marathon.   She did 2x2 miles at half-marathon pace.  I felt better this morning than I did on the previous morning.  

Average pace: 8:16

I wore my new Green Silence shoes from Brooks.  This is the next step down in weight from the Brooks Launch which I have had good luck with.  Going to do speed work tomorrow morning and wanted to break them in.   I noticed right away that these shoes don't really need to be broken in, they feel light and flexible.

Green Silence Miles: 9.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.700.000.002.500.000.000.0010.20

As promised from yesterday I did some speed work today.  Jenny took a very rare day off from running, so I did the warm up by myself, about 4.5 miles.  It was warmer out this morning and I felt pretty comfortable during the warm up but soon was a little too warm due to wearing a long sleeve shirt.

Goal today 10x400m between 1:20 and 1:25, with equal times rest between each one.  It was hard to convince my body to run that first and at the beginning I bargained with myself to just do 8 instead of 10.  But, when I did the 8th one I was eager to do the last 2, even though repeat #8 was slightly off target, 9 and 10 were better.

Splits: 1:25, 1:25, 1:18, 1:24, 1:19, 1:25, 1:19, 1:27, 1:23, 1:23

Cooled down with an easy run back home.

The new shoes felt better today especially during the speed portion.  My legs felt heavy during the warm up and for the first few repeats, but I felt great on the jog home, although a little bit sore later during the day.

Green Silence Miles: 10.20
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.340.000.000.000.000.000.009.34

Nice run by myself this morning.  Took it easy in the beginning and picked it up a little bit towards the end.  Legs felt ok from yesterday's speed work and felt even a bit better after the run.  Temperature was good and I'm enjoying running in the light again.

Average pace: 7:46

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.34
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.152.003.000.000.000.000.0016.15

Nice and sunny morning in Starkey Park, temps in the low 50's.  Met up with the whole group for the start of the run.  I was going slow than most everyone else for the first part of the run.  David J hung back with me and we ran together for 6.5 miles when he turned around.  I continued on to the 8 mile point and then turned around.  I picked it up for the last 5 miles, and gradually increased from a 7:02 pace to 6:30 pace for the last mile.

For about the last 1/3 of a mile I found myself in the middle of a cross country meet.  I was running along with a pretty good size group and even passed a few people but then turned off the path to head to the parking lot.

Average pace: 7:35

Enjoyed a bit of social hour then headed back home.

Delicious, home made sour dough waffles with strawberry topping waiting for me at home!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 16.15
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.150.000.000.000.000.000.008.15

(Late post, finally catching up for the week).

Met up with Dixie at our usual Monday morning spot.   He had taken a few days off due to a sore achilles and this was his first day back.   We decided to take our usual route, skip the hills and see how he felt.  Decided to turn back after 1.5 miles, so we just did 3 miles together.

I continued on, and headed south down the trail and into the Lansbrook neighborhood where I had not run for a while.  Rest of the run went well and it was a nice change of scenery.

Average pace: 8:22

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.15
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.210.000.000.000.000.000.009.21

Ran with Jenny this morning, easy pace.  Added on just a little bit at the end.

Average pace: 8:36

After the run, did my upper body better than nothing routine (with some squats thrown in this time).  I usually do this on Monday, but wanted to make Monday a little easier.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.21
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.203.100.000.000.000.000.009.30

Ran with Jenny on a cool but humid morning.  She was doing 5x1km repeats and I was along for moral support and company.  We warmed up for two miles, then did the repeats which went well, with Jenny hitting each one at a 7:00 pace or a little faster.  This was her second speed work in recent times and her second successful one since before the marathon back in July.

The last time she did this work out it was after several weeks of 5K specific training, and today's workout was after mostly just base miles.  No apparent loss off speed and she seemed stronger than last time (although she claims she was just pretending to appear stronger!!).  In any event, a good run.

Average pace: 8:19

(falling behind on my blog entries again!!)

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.30
Comments
From Burt on Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 12:54:19 from 206.19.214.144

You guys are fast!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.100.000.003.100.000.000.0010.20

When I woke up this morning, my first thought was that I was glad that I had already done my speed work yesterday.  Oh, wait I hadn't done it yet!

I did my warm up with Jenny for about 3 miles, then got going on 5x1km repeats at 5K goal pace.  Splits were pretty even, hard effort but it never felt hopeless.

(paces) 6:04, 5:58, 6:02, 5:48, 5:53

The shoes felt better this time than they did last Thursday when I wore them.

The weather started out nice, just slightly chilly, but instead of warming up got cooler with some fog rolling in.  Felt like I had been misted on by the time the run was over.

Average pace: 7:56

Green Silence Miles: 10.20
Comments
From Burt on Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 23:58:55 from 72.223.84.236

Dang Mark! You go on with your bad self.

From Mark on Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 11:55:09 from 24.129.132.74

Thanks Burt! (don't mind if I do)

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.070.000.000.000.000.000.009.07

Nice, easy run with Jenny, Jamie, and Kathryn.  Jenny and I started out at our house, picked up Kathryn on the corner near her house, then a half mile later picked up Jamie near her's.  We all ran together about 5 or so miles, then Jenny, Jamie and I ran the rest of the way.  Wore long sleeves this morning as it was low 50's.

My legs were feeling a bit tired this morning, so I was happy to mainly just follow along, listen and occasionally contribute to the conversation.

Average pace: 8:48

Still feeling a bit tired afterward, I thought about not doing my upper body better than nothing workout, but realized I cut just scale it back a little bit, as long as I was doing something it would be better than nothing.  So, I cut out the weights and just did the pull-ups and push ups.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.07
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.424.600.000.000.000.000.0015.02

Nice run in Starkey Park.  Started out with a few of the others.   Caught up to Raj and Derek about 5 miles out, ran with them until the 7 mile point.  I went another quarter mile and turned back and tried to catch back up to them.  Didn't quite make it but came pretty close.  Made the run kind of fun for the 3 of us.

Average pace: 7:38

Didn't stick around for social hour very long, needed to get back so that Jenny and her Mom and sister could head down to pick up their race stuff for Sunday's half marathon in St. Pete

Glycerin 8 Miles: 15.02
Comments
From JimF on Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 11:49:18 from 68.46.211.156

Nice pace for a long run!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.220.000.000.000.000.000.008.22

Easy Monday morning run by myself.  I felt a little bit sore and clunky at the beginning of the run.  Although I didn't run yesterday, I did do a ton of walking quickly trying to see my wife, her sister, her Mom, and Aunt and various other friends at the Women's Half Marathon.

I think I'm back to normal after this morning's run.

Average pace: 8:15

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.22
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.060.000.000.000.000.000.009.06

I think this was a pretty good run but I don't remember much  from it other than that I ran with Jenny and the weather was nice.

Average pace: 8:42

After the run I did my better-than-nothing upper body work out and did not skimp on it as much as I did the last time!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.06
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.150.000.000.300.000.000.009.45

Another pleasant run with Jenny on a beautiful morning.  We ran 9 miles together and then I did 3 quick strides at the end so I could remind myself how to run at 5K pace for tomorrow's race.

 

Average pace: 8:43

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.45
Race: St Pete Times Turkey Trot 5K (3.1 Miles) 00:19:08, Place overall: 99, Place in age division: 92
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.500.000.003.100.000.000.003.60

Almost a PR today - 19:08, (2nd fastest 5K), course PR at least.  Good effort, although I felt like I got a little lazy in the second mile (although not by much).

Splits : 6:00, 6:14, 6:10,  :44 (0.14)

Drove done with Jenny and the boys, Jenny's parents, and Jenny's sister Amy.  Arrived a little bit later than planned.  Was able to get in a half mile warm up, which worried me slightly since I usually like to get a better warm up.

Big crowds as usual and I made sure to get as close to the front as possible.  Race started and it was the usual mayhem with tons of people going out way too fast.  About a half mile into the race and my pace was some where in the 5:30's.  As people dropped off and the crowd thinned out it became a little less stressful.  Finished the first mile just under 6:00 pace.

Felt good going into the second mile and was still right about a 6:00 pace for a while but then noticed all of the sudden I was in the 6:20's.  I fought hard to get back on pace and managed a 6:14 for that mile.

At the start of the third mile I was back on a 6:00 pace but slowed down a little bit getting up the hill.  Recovered some pace at the top of the hill, and started counting down the distance, now about a half mile to go.  Finished the last mile about 6:10.

Got into the stadium and could see that the clock still was in the 18:xx's but not enough time to make it in under 19:00.    Took my finisher's card over to the prize tent to pick up my mug for being in the top 125 then headed back to look for Jenny.

She also came in with a near PR.  Although, she had it a little bit harder with a dead garmin and no watch, she had to run completely by feel.  Someone was calling out times at the end fo the first mile, she heard him say 7:10, which ended up being the pace she ran for the entire race.

Jenny and I then waited as her sister, and our two boys finished, and then Jenny's mom after them.

Headed back home but stopped at Perkins for breakfast on the way home.  Great way to start a wonderful Thanksgiving morning!

Green Silence Miles: 3.60
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sat, Nov 27, 2010 at 19:37:51 from 24.10.248.6

Nice job Mark. I have a 1979 Turkey Trot shirt in my closet. I'm going to do my best to make it for the Midnight Run this year.

Sounds like you guys are all doing well.Do you have a marathon coming up?

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.500.000.000.000.000.000.0010.50

Day after Thanksgiving recovery run.  Felt slow and clunky at first and made a few stops during the first half of the run to stretch.  Felt much better in the second half and started picking up the pace and felt pretty good when I finished.

Average pace: 7:48

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

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.50
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
13.002.000.000.000.000.000.0015.00

Running with Dixie at the Space Coast Marathon

I helped out running partner and fellow FRBer as well as fellow Suncoast Strider (my running group here) on his quest to run a Boston Qualifier race at the Space Coast Marathon.  Plan was to run approximately the last 14 miles with Dixie for pacing help and moral support and whatever else I could think of.

Woke up at 4:30 and left the hotel at 5:00 and arrived about 5:15 (Jorge rode with us to the start).  Met up with Victoria, warmed up, waited and did the usual stuff before a race.  I saw the racers at the start and wished them luck.  I chatted with a guy who asked why I wasn't racing today (I was dressed for a race, except for no bib).

Hung out in the car for a bit, double checked the race course map and for some reason needed to use the POPs about three times.  Finally, headed up to find the 12 mile mark.  I had started the Garmin when the race started to keep track of the total time.  I had actually forgotten my Garmin (some pacer I am!!), and was borrowing Dixie's old garmin (which is actually Keith's old Garmin Forerunner 101).  I could not get a satellite signal at all, but tried one more time by turning it off and back on just before Dixie was due at the 12 mile point.

I had told Dixie that he could not show up at the 12 mile point any sooner then 1:35 (8:00 pace * 12 - 1 minute early if feeling good).    Right at 1:35 on my garmin, he showed up running with a couple of other people.  He was actually more ahead of the planned pace because it was at 12.2 miles and I had lost 30 seconds from turning the garmin off and back on. 

At about the half way point we were going to pass pretty close to where the car was parked.  The temps had warmed up a bit and Dixie wanted to ditch his shirt but be able to get it back, so I said I'd take it back to the car and catch up.  The car wasn't too far off.  But it took me about 2 miles to catch back up where I had to run about a 7:15 pace.  It turns out that those were his two fastest miles, 7:31 and 7:40.  He slowed down a bit when I caught back up and we held the pace in the 7:50's for the next few miles.   One of the ladies we were with was running a little ahead of us.  I said we shouldn't try to keep up, so we let her go about mile 18 or so.

Things were going pretty good until just before mile 20.  Then the pace started to slow a little bit more each mile.  I was keeping an eye on the diminishing cushion of time each mile.  I tried whatever I could to keep the pace moving along close to 8:00, but it was a losing battle.  The time was slipping away.  At the rate we were losing time, if it continued he would miss his BQ time by just seconds.  I didn't want to see that happen, he had come so far and done so much work.   But, it was all up to Dixie.  I tried running ahead, running behind, running next to him.  I tried being mean and being nice.  Told him no matter what it was going to be a huge PR if he just kept running which is all he was able to do.

Last two miles were right about a 9:00 pace.

Finally, the 26 mile sign and the turn off to enter the park with the finish chute.  I let him go and hoped for the best.     I cut across to the finish line and saw him finish.  Saw the clock reading 3:31:xx.   Not sure if he made it in time.   Dixie showed me his garmin which showed 3:31:02, but he said it took him a few seconds to find the stop button and he couldn't remember if he had started it before crossing the start line or exactly when he crossed it.

So, we waited for the results.  Got some food and drink.   Dixie found some ice to put his feet in.

Finally the net times were posted - 3:30:56!!

I'm not sure how much I helped but I'm glad I was there to see it happen.

Saw a bunch of our friends there and traded stories about the course.  It was a beautiful morning to be sitting in a park near the coast, celebrating a marathon finish.


Glycerin 8 Miles: 15.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.260.000.000.000.000.000.009.26

Ran by myself this morning in the neighborhood.  I felt much better today than I did yesterday when I decided to take the day off. 

 Average pace: 7:47

Running those 15 miles at Spacecoast took more out of me than I would have guessed.  Good thing I didn't have to run the whole thing.  It helped though that last night I did a little bit of yoga.

After the run this morning, I did what used to be Monday's better than nothing upper body workout.

In the evening I once again did the Wii yoga routine, figured it couldn't hurt to do it again tonight.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.26
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.140.000.000.000.000.000.007.14

This was very nearly almost the run that wasn't.  It was raining out and chilly.  One of the dogs had thrown up and I was feeling very unmotivated.   Got back into bed for a few minutes, then pulled myself out before I fell back asleep.  So, finally got started 37 minutes later than planned.  Started out slowly, but turned into a pretty OK run.

Average pace: 8:15

Glycerin 8 Miles: 7.14
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.020.004.001.000.000.000.009.02

Chilly this morning, 2 mile warm up slowly, and then started the speed portion.  Uncertain of how I would do but didn't want to skip it.

2x2mi, goal pace of 6:30 or better

1st set - 6:32, 6:27

0.8 mile recovery, then

2nd set - 6:23, 6:24

then, after 0.5 mile recovery

1 mile at 5:55

On the last mile I was just hoping for something faster than the paces I did for the 2 mile repeats.  Felt good and kept picking it up.  If I had known I was going to go that fast I might have pushed just a little harder and try and break my unofficial mile PR.  Maybe next time.


Average pace: 7:23

Brooks Launch Miles: 9.02
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.590.000.000.000.000.000.008.59

 A few more degrees deeper into the 30's this morning.  Got going almost on time.  I had wanted to get 9 miles in but I was back at the house and my right hip was slightly bothering me so I figured I'd make it up on the next run and just take it easy.

Average pace: 8:07

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.59
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.110.000.000.000.000.000.0012.11

Another cold morning.  Started out very slowly, a little faster for the second mile then did the rest of the miles around an 8:00 pace or a little under.  Ran one more neighborhood farther than usual, and did the Kinsmere loop before heading back.   So, overall it was a pretty nice run.  Sunny and clear at the end of the run.

Average pace: 8:13

After the run, did my upper body better than nothing routine, just one day later than usual.  Then time to pick up the house a little before taking the boys to Tae Kwon Do then heading to the airport to pick up Jenny after her week in Dallas.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 12.11
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.210.000.000.000.000.000.008.21

Fortunately, I was able to start out on the treadmill this morning while I tried to get used to the cold.  Went to the Y, warmed up on the bike for 10 minutes, then got onto the treadmill, 3.75 miles at about an 8:00 pace, then headed outside.

Felt pretty good outside, ran another 3.7 miles, then headed back inside for some quick strides on the treadmill for another 0.76 miles.  Had just enough time to do a couple sets of leg extensions.

In non-running news, yesterday I bowled my best game ever by far.  I'm pretty sure I had never broken 200, and recently had been in kind of a slump.  I couldn't believe it when on my second game, I bowled strikes for the first 7 frames, and ended up with a 234!!

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.21
Comments
From jtshad on Thu, Dec 09, 2010 at 16:09:48 from 204.134.132.225

Smokin'...234 is awesome!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.810.000.000.000.000.000.008.81

Cold morning for a run.  Right leg was a little bit sore, but not too bad.  Ran in the neighborhood with Jenny and mostly took it easy.  Found ourselves a little short on time so we headed back just a little bit early and missed getting in 9 miles.

After the run, made sure to do my upper body better than nothing workout.

Average pace: 8:45

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.81
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.752.500.000.000.000.000.009.25

Ran with Jenny in the neighborhood.  Right leg was a little bit better than it was yesterday.  Decided to skip speed work for this week, but Jenny wanted to do some 800's.  We ended up doing 5x800m between 6:40 and 6:50 pace.  Felt pretty good doing these and helped make the run go by quicker.

Average pace: 8:49

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.200.000.000.000.000.000.009.20

Jenny and I had been considering running separately today, taking turns going to the Y to run on the treadmill, but decided against it due to a combination of slightly warmer temperatures and getting used to the cooler weather.  Nice and easy run.

Average pace: 8:43

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.20
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
10.120.000.000.000.000.000.0010.12

Started off with a pretty big group this morning instead of the usual Jenny and I.  Also with us were Carin, Cherise, and Jamie for parts of the run.  I ran together with the ladies for the first 4.5 miles then did the rest by myself.  Felt good on the run and glad to get one over ten mile run for the week.

Average pace: 8:33

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 10.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.200.000.000.000.000.000.006.20

Just a shorter run this morning, since I'll be running a half marathon tomorrow.  It was nicer outside than most other days this week, a little warmer (46) but still cool with some fog.  I also slept in a little bit later since I wasn't going very far, felt like a nice break.

Average pace: 8:16

After the run I finally got some decent stretching in followed by my second required better than nothing upper body workout for the week.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 6.20
Race: Gulf Beaches Holiday Halfathon (13.1 Miles) 01:28:28, Place overall: 19, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
1.449.004.100.000.000.000.0014.54

Had a good start, a rough patch from miles 4-8, then pulled myself back together and had a good, solid race, managing 1st place in my age group, with a 1:28:32 (gun time, chip time 1:28:28, garmin time is 1:28:30).

Splits: 6:32, 6:38 (+:07 adjust), 6:46, 6:48, 6:49, 6:55, 7:06, 6:51, 6:46, 6:39, 6:45, 6:34, 6:50, 0:26 (last 0.1)

Since this race is point to point, from Madeira Beach to Taylor park in Largo, we (Jenny, Jamie, and I) took two cars down so we could drop one car off at the finish line.  We arrived at Taylor park a little bit before they opened at 6:00, so we waited til opening and then got into one car and drove to Madeira Beach.  

When we got to the starting area, it was a little chilly and windy, and still dark.  But, I knew that the wind was actually from the south so there would be a slight tail wind for most of the run.  I warmed up as it was starting to get light out.  I had on two shirts, arm warmers, and a hat.  I quickly switch to just one shirt and no arm warmers, but kept on the hat.  After the warm up, I was feeling almost two warm.  So, I put the hat in my back pocket (lots of room in the Race Ready shorts).  It was fun to see all the usual faces, some I know well and others that I just see at races.

Started off and felt really good and was immediately on a much faster pace than planned, so I backed it down to just over a 6:30, I was hoping for a 6:38 pace to go just under 1:27, so I figured the 6:32 first mile was not too fast.  Next mile still felt good, 6:38 pace (but I was short of the 2 mile sign, so I hit the lap button again when I actually got there).

Third mile (6:46) was still feeling good, but my pace was slowing and I couldn't seem to go any faster.  The 4th mile was still a little bit slower at 6:48, but it was at the top of a bridge going from the beach to the mainland and I was thinking I'd feel better after the bridge.

I did not feel better after the bridge, but slowed down even a little bit more - 6:49, which included a surge towards the end of it so I would be under 6:50.

Sixth mile,  once again even slower at 6:55.  I was having a lot of tightness in my shins.  I was thinking of two reasons I wasn't doing as well as planned.  Company Christmas party was on Friday night, where, by company party standards I was somewhat restrained, but was probably still too much just two nights before a race where I wanted to do well.  I also think that last night's dinner might have had a bit too much salt.

On the 7th mile, I was getting more discouraged, 7:06 pace.  But, we were starting onto my favorite part of the course, the stretch that runs on the Pinellas Trail.  A nice straight shot, mostly shaded and flat, but with two pedestrian bridges to cross a couple of the major streets.

I started saying to myself, over and over again, calm and relaxed.  And finally, it started to pay off, and started to get a little bit faster.  Mile 8 was 6:51.  At the start of the race, I wouldn't have thought I'd be happy with a 6:51 at mile 8, but coming off of a 7:06 mile, it felt great.

Mile 9, a little faster at 6:46.  I was starting to come up behind people who started passing me at mile 4.   People who had seemed impossibly far away were getting closer, and then I was next to them and then past them.

Mile 10, 6:39.  My legs felt like there was a little bit of spring in them, mile 11 was 6:45, as little bit slower but I was feeling good still.

Mile 12, 6:34, almost my fastest mile of the morning.  Then, just past the 12 mile sign, we turned onto a packed dirt path which ran along Taylor Lake.  The wind was coming across it, and after I passed the last person who was in sight of me, I had trouble holding it.  Did my best to hang on and keep pushing.

 As I neared the end of mile 13, I decided I had to try and pick it up a bit as I didn't want to get passed by anyone.   Finished mile 13 in 6:50 and continued accelerating.  At some point I could hear determined, rhythmic breathing coming up behind me, but my kick was good enough to keep me from getting passed.  Clock was in the low 1:28's when I first saw it.  Garmin said I ran the last 0.1 at a 5:09 pace which is probably my best race kick.

Sometime at the beginning of the race someone asked me what time I was shooting for, and I said from 1:27 (PR) to 1:30, so I did exactly half way between it at about 1:28:30.

 I checked the results and saw that Bret, from the blog was here and come in about a minute faster than me.  Tried to find him at the awards but somehow missed him.

This race, put on by Chris Lauber, was extremely well down as usual.  Great organization and lots of personal touches (like Bib #18 for me for my birthday date), and some of the old Florida feel, between the beach community portion, the Pinellas Trail, and Taylor Park, it's one of my favorite courses.  I was happy with how the race started out, how I was able to come back from a mid-race slump, and how my finishing kick held off the person behind my by 6 seconds

Jenny and Jamie stuck together.  Jenny was not feeling well, but still managed a second fastest half marathon time for her and 3rd place age group award.  Jamie and Jenny crossed side by side, but the timing machine doesn't do ties, so Jenny ended up with the award, maybe they can cut it in half?

Brooks Launch Miles: 14.54
Comments
From Bret on Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 16:18:07 from 96.228.230.35

Hey Mark - nice job today. I just remembered hearing the birthday wishes at the starting line - so that announcement was for you? Very cool.

I had to scoot - so I did not stick around - but it sounds like we will run into each other in upcoming races.

From jtshad on Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 22:55:28 from 69.20.183.178

Congrats on a nice run!

From JimF on Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 12:23:01 from 68.46.211.156

Nice race! Great job of picking it back up after the rough patch in the middle.

From Tom on Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 12:42:07 from 137.65.56.16

Great job!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.300.000.000.500.000.000.008.80

I could deny the cold no longer.  At 28 degrees this morning, I broke down and wore long pants instead of shorts.  Maybe I can wear shorts tomorrow.

Run was pretty good, a little bit slow but not bad.  At the end, did 10x100m strides.

 

Average pace: 9:04

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

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.80
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Tue, Dec 14, 2010 at 22:47:37 from 24.10.248.6

Hey Mark. Hope you're keeping warm.

You know Bret and I were high school teammates in Dunedin back in the 80s. I believe you guys pretty much tied last Sunday.

Nice race by the way.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
11.070.000.000.000.000.000.0011.07

Another 28 degree morning.  Felt sloggy for the first half of the run, with a lot of over 9:00 miles.  Started picking it up with a few miles left.   Should be warming up soon, although it's starting to feel not so bad.  Happy to get all 11 miles in.

Average pace: 8:50

Jenny and I have decided to follow the Pfitzinger plan for Boston.  It looks like it is about the number of miles I would have run anyway and will incorporate some variety I might not have done if I was going plan-less.  So, this is the first week, and the first mid-week medium long run which will start to get longer.  Due to Sunday's half-marathon and Saturday's 10K, this first week will be somewhat modified from the plan.  I plan on making changes to the plan when necessary but it's good to have a road map.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 11.07
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.250.000.000.000.000.000.005.25

Ran inside today instead.  Treadmill at the Y after a warm up on the bike and some crunches and a little bit of stretching.  Did some strides towards the end of the run for variety.

Did a couple of leg extensions before heading home.

Average pace: 7:55

 

I tried out a fitness test for push ups and sit ups.  I just barely missed making it into the highest fitness category.  The number of each of the exercises was not a problem, I just underestimated the speed I needed to do them.  59 push ups in one minute and 47 sit ups also in one minute.

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 5.25
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.420.000.000.000.000.000.009.42

Ran with Jenny around the neighborhood and over by the golf course.  Kathryn and Cherise also joined us.  This morning we were finally back to more typical Florida in December, mid 50's, quite nice.  Took it easy and had a pretty enjoyable. run.

Average pace: 8:59

After the run got in my stretching and upper body better than nothing workout.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.42
Race: Say No to Drugs 10K (6.2 Miles) 00:40:14, Place overall: 22, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.840.006.270.000.000.000.0011.11

Good race today, challenging course.  40:14 was good enough for1st place age group.  Ever since we started running the Turkey Trot here, I've always wanted to do this race but was never able to for various reasons.  So, today I finally was able to run it.  I was hoping to break 40 minutes and maybe even PR.  The race was very well put together and organized.  Lots of volunteers, good food at the end and even a bit tent for the pancake breakfast.

Splits (garmin): 6:28, 6:19, 6:20, 6:30, 6:29, 6:34, 1:34 (0.27 @ 5:54)

Called out times : mile 2 - 12:50,mile 3 - 19:13,  mile 5 - 32:10, mile 6 - 38:55, mile 6.1 - 39:39

Warmed up with a little bit over 3 miles of easy running and a few strides.  About 30 minutes before the race, the rain started.  Not very hard, just a sprinkle.  I waited in my truck for a bit to stay warm.  Got out and re-warmed up a little bit before lining up.

The course starts in Coachman park and immediately goes up a short climb, turn right, go straight for a while and then up the Clearwater Memorial Bridge over the intracoastal waterway.  My friend Pat was there, so we were running together for the first couple of miles.  Pace was bouncing around 6:15 and 6:20 until we hit the bridge, then slowed down a little bit as we hit the peak.  Picked up speed on the way down the bridge.  Tried to stay smooth and not get carried away.  Was happy with the second mile but didn't want to get too used to the downhill.  Mile 3 was still feeling pretty good.  Shortly after 3 was the turn around.

I had been trailing several people and slowly caught up and passed them after the turnaround.  However, I had slowed down a little bit, but passing people made me feel like I had sped up.

Mile 4 was in 6:30, I think I lost some focus.  For mile 5 I kept telling myself to stay smooth and relaxed.  I was able to bring my pace closer to where I wanted it, recovering from mid 6:30's to just under 6:30.

The mile 5 marker was at the base of the bridge.  Time to go back up (about a 75 foot climb).  Pace slowed but I was passing some more people.  Hung on until the peak as best I could.  Back down the other side, but then the course turns off onto the helix.  It was pretty thick with 5K walkers, but they did a pretty good job of staying to one side.  However, going down the helix, fast runners had to stay to the left, which meant you had to cover a little more distance since you couldn't hug the railing.

At the bottom of the helix, you go back up again, maybe about a 30 or 40 foot climb.  Around this point a 17 year old male passed me going at a pretty good clip.  Got to the top of the street and went through an intersection where they had police directing traffic.  An older lady with white hair nearly strolled into me while crossing the street.  A police officer yelled at her to watch out, to which she replied "he can go around me".  That may be true, however I would have hated to find out what would have happened if I didn't successfully dodge her.

Finally, approaching the end of the 6th mile.  A volunteer called out the time - 38:55, ok, very slight chance of making sub 40:00, let's see what I can do.  The last 0.1 is back down the same hill we started up.  As I was running down as fast as I could, a lady (maybe mid 20's) jumped out of the crowd, and ran with a friend of hers doing the 5K, but instead of finishing, ran back to the outside and nearly ran into me, missing by inches.

So, it was at least a small improvement over my last 10K time of 40:33, although that one was done at midnight on July 4th, this course had its challenges too.

Had some pancakes, and stayed for the awards.  My running friend Eudair from the Striders, took the female masters award, and another one of the Striders, Marcia took 1st place age group (35-39).  Several other Striders were there also, but I don't remember all the times and awards.

So, the only complaint, at all, was they ran out of coffee before I was able to get any.  Everything else was perfect, and the coffee would have been a non-issue if it wasn't feeling chilly out (mid 50's with rain while wearing running clothes starts feeling cold once you stop running)

Brooks Launch Miles: 11.11
Comments
From Rob Murphy on Sat, Dec 18, 2010 at 13:48:02 from 24.10.248.6

Nice race report Mark. Sounds like a greaT race too. Your year is off to a great start - 2011 I mean.

From Mark on Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 15:44:15 from 24.129.132.74

Thanks Rob, hoping for a good injury-free year of running and racing.

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.000.000.000.008.00

Met up with Dixie at the hilly neighborhood.  Kept it nice and easy.  Not sure if we could have done anything faster if we wanted to, another chilly morning.  I'll start getting used to these right about the time it warms up again!

Average pace: 9:01

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 8.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
8.350.000.000.000.000.000.008.35

Ran with Jenny on another chilly, although slightly warmer day than yesterday.  Dressed appropriately and felt pretty good.  We took it pretty easy.  Towards the end, Jenny did 10 sets of strides while I just kept on at the same pace, trying to shake the soreness in my adductor.

Average pace: 8:50

Did my minimal upper body workout.  Had trouble finishing some of the sets because people kept on making me laugh, hard to do pull-ups and laugh at the same time!  Not a bad problem to have.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 8.35
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.100.000.000.000.000.000.0012.10

Mid week medium long run with Jenny.  Jamie also joined us for most of the run.  Wore too much, and took some off during the run (one of the shirts and the hat).  Run felt long, which it was kind of but wouldn't have felt so long if this was a Saturday "long run", then it would have been like "only 12 today".  Went pretty well overall.  Adductor still a little bit bothersome but gets better after warming up.

Since we are trying out the Pfitzinger plan, these Wed. runs will eventually creep up to 15 miles.

Average pace: 8:39

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 12.10
Comments
From JimF on Fri, Dec 24, 2010 at 10:21:38 from 68.46.211.156

I think those med long runs in the middle of the week really help. I used to do them and I need to get back to it. I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.000.000.000.009.00

 9 miles with Jenny in the neighborhood, pretty easy pace and decent weather.

Average pace: 8:49

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 9.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.000.000.000.005.00

Cold afternoon run on Christmas day.  Shins were tight from driving in the car.  Glad I was able to get the run in, it was tempting to blow it off!

Average pace: 9:01

Glycerin 8 Miles: 5.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
17.130.000.000.000.000.000.0017.13

 I think this was the hardest long run that I have ever done.  26 degrees at the start.  Had to borrow a fleece from my mother-in-law to go on top of the two shirts that I was wearing which weren't going to cut it by themselves.  My shins (mostly my left one) were tight and it was difficult to get moving for the first few miles.  Fortunately, I had Jenny for company the whole way.  Lots of rolling hills.  And through some strange twist on geography and laws of physics there was more uphill than downhill on an out and back course!

It sure was nice to finish!

Average pace: 8:54

Besides, letting me borrow some extra clothes, my mother-in-law also cooked some pretty awesome home made waffles for breakfast with some fresh blueberries on the side!

Glycerin 8 Miles: 17.13
Comments
From jtshad on Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 15:02:02 from 204.134.132.225

Nice job on the long run braving the cold weather!

Happy New Year!

From Mark on Sat, Jan 01, 2011 at 13:06:35 from 173.168.88.68

Thanks Jeff!

Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.310.000.000.000.000.000.005.31

I ran later in the day today to wait for the sun.  Pretty nice weather, fun with hills in Jenny's parents neighborhood.

Average pace: 8:22

In the morning, before the run, went to a 1 hour yoga class which helped loosen me up from yesterday's run.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 5.31
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.000.000.000.009.00

We were supposed to do a tempo run but we were both feeling not quite up to it, so we decided to mainly take it easy.  About half way through we did 10 fartlek runs where we each took turns picking out a spot to run to.  Some of them were on a soccer field.  More hills again today, can't seem to find any place flat.  It would be good if we had more time to adapt to constant hill training.  Good run overall.

Average pace: 8:55

Glycerin 8 Miles: 9.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.030.000.000.000.000.000.006.03

Slept terribly last night.  Coming down with a sore throat.  Supposed to run 13 miles.  Thought about canceling the run.  Jenny was still going to run hers so I decided I'd at least start out with her and if I didn't go too hard for too long it might actually help clear up some congestion.  Ran two miles with her before she continued on her longer route.  Ended up with 6 miles, so not a total loss.

Average pace: 8:30

After the run got on the road for the drive back to Tampa.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 6.03
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.100.000.000.000.000.000.003.10

Slept poorly again, cold has gotten worse.  Fortunately the hotel in Mobile had two working treadmills in the exercise room.  Decided to try again with an easy run.  Felt a little bit better after the run.

Average pace: 8:31

One more day of driving to get home.

Glycerin 8 Miles: 3.10
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.050.000.000.000.000.000.0012.05

Felt a little bit better this morning.  Jenny had 13 on her schedule (adjusted earlier in the week and did 11 on the 13 mile day).  Jenny's friend Carin and Cherise ran with us.  I decided I try to run the first loop and see how I felt.  Kept on going after the warm up and surprisingly felt ok to get in 12 miles.  I did stop a couple extra times than normal and went a little bit slower but got the miles in.

Average pace: 9:01

Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 12.05
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2413.11242.15139.3165.180.000.000.002859.75
Glycerin 7 Miles: 417.34Asics Nimbus 10 Miles: 112.50Brooks Launch Miles: 283.69Asics Equation Miles: 504.05Nimbus 11 Paris Miles: 595.83Glycerin 8 Miles: 609.69Brooks Launch Miles: 234.09Green Silence Miles: 33.25
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