High-Octane

First...I didn't do any good at the roping. I actually only entered one event, where I usually enter in three catagories, so my odds were a little lower this time. I couldn't stay for the second day of competition because we have some big event stuff at church that I had to attend (priorities!!! :-).

Todays run was just to see how my hip strain was feeling after two days of rest. I started out really slow. I really didn't hurt when I started but got worse as I ran. At mile 3-4 I told myself that everything was off (races, training, etc.) but I had to get home so I kept running. By mile 6 I started to feel better and by mile 7 I decided to go ahead with my initial plan and run two loops. After 10 mile the hip strain was nothing more than an irritation and I finally felt like I could stretch out and run a little (normal). Mile 14 is a lot of uphill and mile 15 I decided to kick out a little so my HR rose on these two miles a little more. Now, 2 hours after the run, my hip strain is a little sore but not enough to make me limp....I am hopeful again!

4/2/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	9:36:00	123	61%
2	9:29:00	133	68%
3	8:36:00	132	67%
4	9:36:00	132	67%
5	9:21:00	134	68%
6	8:46:00	134	68%
7	9:07:00	135	69%
8	8:51:00	138	71%
9	8:27:00	143	74%
10	7:46:00	149	78%
11	8:06:00	155	82%
12	7:58:00	153	81%
13	7:49:00	154	82%
14	8:01:00	157	84%
15	7:14:00	161	87%
1/4	Mile Cool-Down
Total	128:43:00	142	74%
Pace	8:34:52
Small Loop 2X
66Âş - 90% Humidity

I just couldn't make myself go to the gym yesterday so I just took the day off. Today I felt pretty good so I decided to  try a simi-long run again. The weather was great for running: 52 degrees @ 50% humidity, no wind.

My hip was just a little sore. I started out really slow but at mile 3 I felt a sharp pain and then it got hot, then it started to feel better throughout the run. Now, three hours later, it feels pretty good. That's a good sign since before it's gotten more sore throughout the morning, after a run.

I know my speed is not where it should be but it seems I'm improving quickly!

4/4/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	8:57:00	128	64%
2	8:42:00	140	72%
3	8:00:00	140	72%
4	8:32:00	144	75%
5	8:37:00	144	75%
6	8:23:00	142	74%
7	8:09:00	144	75%
8	7:56:00	146	76%
9	8:14:00	147	77%
10	8:05:00	147	77%
11	7:59:00	150	79%
12	7:46:00	151	80%
13	8:02:00	156	83%
14	7:44:00	157	84%
15	7:33:00	158	85%
16	7:21:00	165	89%
1/2	Mile Cool-Down
Total	130:00:00	137	77%
Pace	8:07:30
Small Loop 2X + Smallville Once
52Âş - 50% Humidity
Target: No goal except to see how my hip was feeling.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Cor. 6:19-20

11 mile to work on my Road Bike...Anoter 25+ this evening to Martindale (to take care of my horses) and then back home.

My hip feels much better but I hate to say, one of my toes feels like it's sprained and my foot is a little swolen below at the base of that toe....it's always something :-( I'm hoping this is nothing.

 Added another 25 miles on my road bike this afternoon.

36 Miles (Road Bike) @ 18.5 MPH 

Short entry...busy weekend:

19.5 Miles @ 8:20 Pace - HR Avg.151 

Just couldn't get my legs moving this morning. Only one mile under 8:00 pace. This seemed much harder than it should have. 

Well, I caught myself feeling sorry for myself this morning. I didn't really want to run because I feel I'm in a place where I can't achieve my goal. I remember back when I started running a couple of year ago I was always excited about what I realized I could do. Now I continually catch myself thinking about what I can't do. This is not a good spot to be in! I don't know if I'm going to run OKC in three weeks, the last thing I want to do is waste a lot of time and money to have another failed attempt at qualifying for Boston!

4/9/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	8:37:00	129	65%
2	8:21:00	145	76%
3	7:44:00	145	76%
4	7:59:00	151	80%
5	7:46:00	151	80%
6	8:03:00	151	80%
7	8:02:00	154	82%
8	7:48:00	155	82%
9	7:37:00	157	84%
10	7:25:00	157	84%
11	7:35:00	159	85%
Total	86:57:00	150	79%
Pace	7:54:16

Morning: Road Bike - 11 Miles @ 18.5 MPH - HR 129

Evening: Road Bike - 25 Miles @ 18.3 MPH

Total Miles = 36

 2 Kings 6:17-18

Ran my small loop 2X today (7 miles per lap) @ AP of 7:49.

4/13/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:53:00	131	66%
2	8:06:00	145	76%
3	7:56:00	145	76%
4	8:12:00	145	76%
5	8:37:00	147	77%
6	8:10:00	144	77%
7	8:21:00	146	75%
8	8:12:00	144	76%
9	8:16:00	150	75%
10	8:08:00	147	79%
11	8:21:00	148	77%
12	8:34:00	152	78%
13	7:59:00	151	80%
14	7:59:00	152	80%
15	7:58:00	154	80%
16	8:10:00	158	82%
17	8:17:00	156	85%
18	8:18:00	158	83%
19	9:03:00	156	85%
20	7:52:00	158	83%
Total	164:22:00	149	78%
Pace	8:13:06
Small Loop 3X
66Âş - Foggy, 80% Humidity

Final "trial" run before the big decision. Even though it wasn't as good as I wanted I did break the 8:00 pace and after 20 miles I didn't feel like I was dying. Today I walked after every mile for about 15 seconds and made sure I caught my breath and got a good drink. On most of my long runs (15-20 miles) I lose about 5 lbs. Today I didn't lose any weight at all. I drank four bottles (I think 8oz) on every 7 mile loop. I'm making my hotel reservation for OKC today. You can sure tell where the biggest hills are on my run.

4/16/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:57:00	133	68%
2	8:00:00	148	78%
3	7:49:00	147	77%
4	7:48:00	148	78%
5	8:22:00	150	79%	Hill
6	7:51:00	147	79%
7	8:00:00	148	77%
8	7:42:00	146	78%
9	7:56:00	152	76%
10	7:38:00	149	80%
11	7:54:00	150	78%
12	8:34:00	152	79%	Hill
13	7:52:00	149	80%
14	7:59:00	151	78%
15	7:48:00	152	80%
16	8:21:00	153	80%
17	7:47:00	152	81%
18	8:03:00	154	80%
19	8:31:00	155	82%	Hill
20	7:48:00	157	82%
21	7:33:00	161	84%
0.1	0:43:00
Total	167:56:00	150	79%
Pace	7:57:32
Small Loop 3X
60Âş - Rain
Target: Below 8:00 for 20.

No running today since I'm officially in taper mode now. I went back and compared a few of my best 20+ mile runs to try and figure out what condition I'm in. I have actually run 20 miles or further 12 times in my life which includes the two marathons. Below is five of those runs.

	Avg.
21 Mile Runs	Pace	HR	HR %	Temp
Best 21 in 2011	7:45	154	84	65Âş
First 21 at OKC 2011	8:00	165	91	45Âş
Last 21 Before Ft Worth 2012	7:49	153	81	55Âş
First 21 at Ft Worth 2012	7:39	162	87	45Âş
Last 21 Before OKC 2012	7:55	150	79	60Âş

Any comments or analogies are welcome :-)

This is my last major run before OKC. The weather was perfect at 55 degrees and 80% humidity :-) I wore my Kinvara 2 shoes and stashed my water along the route so I wouldn't have to wear my belt with all of the weight. I also took two endurolyte tablets before I ran and two Hammer Gels (one at mile 3 and one at mile 7). I thought it would be good to try things just as they will be at the race. I'm sure the temperature will be a perfect 55 degrees!!!

I picked up the pace on the last two miles but obviously couldn't have kept that up for very long. Now it's time to rest for ten days.

4/19/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:46:00	133	68%
2	7:56:00	150	79%	Hill
3	7:35:00	140	72%
4	8:21:00	153	81%	Hill
5	7:32:00	148	78%
6	7:39:00	151	78%
7	7:39:00	155	80%
8	7:51:00	155	82%	Hill
9	7:09:00	161	82%
10	6:56:00	168	87%
Total	76:24:00	151	78%
Pace	7:38:24
Big Loop
55Âş - 80% Humidity
Target: Below 7:45 for 10.

Luke 10:19

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

DerHammer inspired me to go and do a some Interval Training (It is also on the RLRF program for the last week before a marathon). I rand the same training run as I did before my last marathon. My Avg. time came out to be exactly the same and my HR Avg. was 5 BPM less... I am a little lost regarding what to do this last week regarding cross-training. I think I'll just bike about 35 miles (easy) tomorrow, then run 6-7 on Wednesday, then 3-5 mile run on Friday and a last 1-2 mile easy on Saturday. Hopefully this will set me up for OKC as best as I can be ready!

4/23/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %	Max HR
2	Warm-Up @ 8:09 Pace		144
400m	1:20:00	148	78%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:17:00	148	78%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:16:00	148	78%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:14:00	151	80%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:14:00	151	80%
400m	Recovery
400m	1:14:00	150	79%	166
400m	Recovery
2	Cool-Down @ 8:08 Pace		149
	1:15:50	149	78%
			Total Miles	7
High School Track
60Âş - 55% Humidity, 5 MPH Wind
Target: Repeats - 10-20 Min. Warm-up, 6 x 400m @ 1:27 (5:48 Pace),  400m Recovery between each, 10 Min. Cool-Down. Notes: As I ran more It seemed to get easier. Compared to an identical run on 2/22/12 my time was exactly the same but my HR was 5 BPM Avg. less.

Cross-Training Day:

23 Miles on Road Bike @ 18 MPH, 132 Avg. HR

Since the first of the year (17 weeks) I've only rode my bike 8 times so my legs are not really use to this exercise. The first 2/3 of the ride seemed very easy but at the end my legs started feeling a little tired. This morning my legs feel fine. I plan to start riding quite a bit more after OKC this weekend.

Now the weather says it's going to be 48 degrees and a chance of rain at the beginning of the race. Last year it was 48 dgrees, 30 mph wind, lighting and driving rain at the beginning of the race....I just about froze to death! I hope it's not like that this year!!!

I decided to bail on my 6-8 mile run today. I didn't get home until after midnight and figured I really didn't have anything to gain (except maybe a little confidence). But I really think I'm as good as I'm going to be (thanks JG for the good advice).

The weather report now says it will be 62 degrees at the start of the race (yesterday it said 48 degrees). I'm thinking if the temperature doesn't rise very quickly everything will be good.

My race bib number is 284 but I don't know how to tell you to track me in the race. I can't find out if it's possible in this race. I believe it was last year.

My plan is to run 2-3 mile tomorrow, just to stretch my legs and that will be all until Sunday.

1 Corinthians 13:4   "Love is never tired of waiting."

3 miles @ 4:45 pace before I was off to OKC. It was 68 degrees...hot and sweaty after only three miles :-( Now I'm concerned about the heat during the race. It is supposed to be 64 degrees at the start.

As I sit to write this Race Report I'm having a little trouble, not because I'm disappointed but because I feel the whole race was so predictable. Since the Cowtown Marathon about eight weeks ago I just haven’t seemed to be able to get in the groove…where I felt comfortable. For about four of those weeks I had a slight strain in my hip that kept me from really working on a consistent training schedule so during that time I just ran what I could and it wasn’t very fast or very long. I really thought, even with the inconsistent training, I would be able to bust the 3:30 mark. Oh well…It’s all for fun and this just gives me another reason runs some more and on top of that it’s really not that important in the scheme of “Important Things”!

This memorial race reminded me of some of those  important things. As I walked by the Empty Chair Memorial (http://host.newspin360.net/okcnationalmemorial2/) I noticed hanging on a chain link fence pictures, trinkets, photos and notes left in memory of those who died. It was a little eerie looking across the Memorial early in the morning, while it was still dark. Most people were laughing, having a good time and preparing for the race. I know this race means a whole lot more to those who lost loved ones than those selfish ones, like me, just there to run and worry about a BQ.

Throughout the race I was reminded of the real intent of the race. I saw several people holding up signs in memory of those lost and encouraging those who were running for them. Some runners had signs on their backs that said “I’m running in memory of ….”. I passed one old guy who was in great labor and pain with one of these signs on his back and the reality really set in. I ran by many, many fire fighters, wearing their full gear, who were walking the marathon in remembrance. I ran past a military guy carrying 168 pounds and in full military gear in remembrance of the 168 people killed in the bombing. He was walking the entire 26.2 mile marathon. What’s important..?

Oh…back to the race report… My plan was to start out at about an 8:00 pace for the first five miles and then drop 5 additional seconds at 10,15,20,25.

Oklahoma City Marathon
4/29/2012
Mile	Time	HR	HR %
1	7:46:00	143	74%
2	7:53:00	156	83%
3	7:59:00	154	82%
4	7:54:00	153	81%
5	8:01:00	153	81%	7:54:36
6	8:01:00	152	80%
7	8:00:00	156	83%
8	7:45:00	156	83%
9	7:54:00	158	85%
10	7:50:00	160	86%	7:54:00
11	7:49:00	162	87%
12	7:47:00	161	87%
13	7:52:00	161	87%
14	7:54:00	161	87%
15	7:50:00	162	87%	7:50:24
16	7:54:00	162	87%
17	7:46:00	164	89%
18	7:44:00	166	90%
19	7:56:00	166	90%
20	8:01:00	162	87%	7:52:12
21	8:09:00	165	89%
22	8:36:00	165	89%
23	8:23:00	167	91%
24	8:18:00	171	93%
25	8:22:00	170	93%	8:21:36
26	8:34:00	174	95%
26.2	2:55:00	175	96%
Total	210:53:00	161	86%
Pace	8:02:56

I felt really slow running at the 8:00 pace at the start. Everyone was blowing past me like I was standing still (I did pass most of them after about 10 miles though). I was already sweating before I even started to run and by the 2^nd mile I had sweat just pouring off of me. Looking at it now I guess I’m not really surprised my HR jumped up so quickly. I should have been able to run the first 10 with every mile being less than 150 HR at this pace.

I tried to avoid the official “pacers” in this race so I started out just slightly ahead of the 3:30 Pacer and his group. I was feeling pretty good where I was until about mile 5 where the 3:30’s caught up and passed me. I said “how much ahead of pace are you guys”, they said “were right on pace”. My Garmin said I was 25 seconds ahead so I just kept on running an let them move out ahead of me. They seemed to slow down a mile or so ahead and I caught back up and ran with them until mile 10. At this point I just couldn’t take all of the jabbering and I felt I needed to drop down about 5 seconds so I slowly started to move out. I remember thinking…”I just need to stay in front of these guys and I’ll break the 3:30 goal”. I ran on from 11 to 15 feeling fair (not great) but was still convinced I could achieve my goal. Mile 16-20 I began thinking that I wouldn’t drop any more and just keep at the same pace, since, I was in front of the 3:30 pace group and, I wasn’t feeling that strong. At mile 21 I felt myself fading and by mile 22 I though “what happened to my legs, they feel really heavy”. I slowed for a while hoping they would come back but they just got worse. At mile 24, here came the 3:30 pacers again! I then thought, “if I can just stick with them and give a big kick at the end, I’ll have my BQ”. Well, I stuck with them for about ¾ of a mile and then I just couldn’t hold the pace any more and had to slow down again. I kinda wanted to just stop right about then. Mile 26 was painful but I went ahead and kicked as hard as I could after the 26 lap time beeped on my watch. My watch registered 26.4 miles so I actually kicked the last .4 miles (according to my watch) for the time of 2:55.

All I can do now is chalk this race up to experience and  go back to the drawing board regarding race training and goals. It’s a good thing I do this just for fun as it could get me very aggravated if I took it too seriously J

7 easy miles on my bike.