| Location: Orem,UT,USA Member Since: Apr 03, 2006 Gender: Male Goal Type: Age Division Winner Running Accomplishments: HS/COLLEGE:
mile: 4:56, 2 mile: 10:21 (1978)
marathon: 2:52 (St. George 1982)
OLD MAN (20+ years later):
5K: 19:53 (Nestle/Art City Days 5K 2007)
10K: 39:55 (Spectrum 10K 2008)
half marathon: 1:26 (Hobble Creek 2008)
marathon: 3:07 (St. George 2007) Short-Term Running Goals: Get back to a BQ marathon time (currently 3:40). Long-Term Running Goals: Have fun running, keep fit, and fight middle age spread. Run consistently and injury free. Maintain a healthy balance between running and other life priorities. Encourage my ever-aging running buddies to keep running so we can continue to share runs on the trail instead of rocking chairs. Personal: Blessed to be married to Karen for 30 years. We have six children (4 daughters/2 sons) ages 16 to 30, and one wonderful granddaughter. Favorite Blogs: |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 26.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 31.20 |
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| Saucony Guide 3 Miles: 4.00 | Mizuno Wave Rider 14 Miles: 27.20 |
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| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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4 easy miles @ 10:39/mi. I ran over to THS and ran most of it on the track. I was musing about running the Utah Valley Marathon this Saturday. Most of my pondering was around possible paces and the feasibility of finishing. Examples: I started running UVM when it began 5 years ago with the intention of running it every year. I found this week I'm one of 13 who have run the first 4 and are registered for the 5th. They are giving us and a guest free dinner at California Pizza Kitchen this Friday with a free hat and water bottle. That's cool. I've already wrestled with my physical preparation, or lack thereof, and I've made the decision to go ahead and try to stick with my goal to run UVM every year. Now I just need to work out a plan. Goals: 1. Don't injure myself. I can stop at any time. 2. Finish before they take the finish line down, preferably as far under 6 hours as possible. Is that feasible for me right now? Let's see. I averaged 9:27/mi for 12 miles a couple of weeks ago and felt strong at the end. Given tapering, carbo loading, and race day magic, maybe I could stretch that into 16 miles at that pace. Hmmm. That would leave me completely spent with 10.2 miles to do. If I ran slower to conserve energy, maybe I could get more miles at a slower pace. How slow? If I run too slowly my form falls apart. I run inefficiently and it beats me up. There's a lot of good downhill coming down the canyon. Once I hit University Ave and it flattens out for those last 6-ish miles, it's going to be slow going. Let's assume I can still walk by mile 20. If I walked at 3mph the last 6 miles it would take 2 hours. If I want to finish under 6 hours, that leaves me 4 hours for first 20 miles, that's 12:00/mi. Let's see. I ran very easy pace this morning and averaged 10:39/mi. That was flat. I've run 12 miles at 9:27/mi, with half of that being uphill, half downhill. Is it within the realm of possibility for me to average 12:00/mi for 20 miles? It is mostly downhill, but I know from experience that here are some big uphills mixed in there. If I can manage 10-11:00/mi on the downhill, and speed walk the uphills, a 12:00/mi average might be possible. I think that's as good of a plan as I'm going to get. I'll plan to run at an easy pace, similar to this morning, on the downhills, and speed walk the uphills. I'll walk through all the aid stations and make sure I keep myself hydrated and nourished. I'll run as long as I can, taking short walking breaks if needed. That will likely transition to walking with short stretches of jogging. At some point before I reach empty I hope to reach the finish line. It's clear that my training is not where I'd like it to be for a marathon. Still, I'm feeling better physically than I have for a long, long time. I am also prepared in many other ways. This is my 18th marathon. I know what to expect. I have a healthy respect for 26.2 miles, but I am not afraid. I think I am well prepared mentally. I know my body pretty well. It will tell me whether to stop or continue on. I think most of all it's my spirit that's telling me to go for it. I'm excited for the adventure. Life's too short to wait and wonder too long.
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| Saucony Guide 3 Miles: 4.00 |
| | Comments(1) |
| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| I intended to run a few easy miles with Wayne and Larry. We started running, but Larry wasn't up to it. It ended up just being a nice walk with good friends. Larry hasn't been out for a while and I've missed his company. I enjoyed being with my buddies again. |
| Mizuno Wave Rider 14 Miles: 1.00 |
| | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| I decided to just go for a nice walk this morning. It was very pleasant. I ran a briefly a couple of times to remind my body of the desired behavior on Saturday, but barely enough to break a sweat. When I think about running the marathon on Saturday my feelings bounce between excitement and "Am I nuts?!!" I suspect I'll have both those feelings during the marathon as well. No risk, no adventure. (Why did the phrase "Discretion is the better part of valor" just cross my mind?) | | Add Comment |
| | Race: |
Utah Valley Marathon (26.2 Miles) 04:57:39, Place overall: 1529, Place in age division: 80 | | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 26.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 26.20 |
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My race report was delayed. After finishing the marathon I came home and soaked in a very cold tub then Karen and I headed to Wendy's for a post-marathon burger and some fresh lemonade (tasted awesome) then to Deseret Industries, WalMart, and Home Depot to run errands. After returning home I came home and helped my daughter with her talk for church tomorrow. I now have time to log my race report. I'd rather take a nap, but it's evening now and dinner will be ready soon. At work yesterday, between code compiles and running unit tests, I threw together these race goals: | Goals | Strategy | Results | | Finish uninjured in under 6 hours. | Run easy pace, even early. Speed walk up hills, through aid stations, when winded, or when beginning to feel pain that may indicate a potential injury. | I followed this strategy very closely, and I think it paid off.
I finished in 4:57.
I have some expected aches and pains, but no long-term injuries (knock on wood). | | Stay nourished and hydrated. | 2 Clif Bloks with 4 oz water per aid station.
Power Bar before and halfway through.
Eat bananas and oranges when available.
Take race-provided GU gels if “it feels right”. | I did take 2 Clif Bloks with water at every aid station (except 24 and 25). I think I’ll stick with Clif Bloks. I think they worked well for me.
I ate the Power Bars as planned, sort of. The 2nd one was later than planned.
I ate and enjoyed the bananas and oranges, and especially the otter pop.
I did not take any GU gels. |
More details: | Miles | Plan | Actual Splits/Comments | | 1-7 | Good downhill (10:00-11:00/mi) | 9:26, 9:20, 9:19, 10:03, 9:45, 10:52, 10:07
There was a tree-lined bathroom stop during mile 5. I ran a bit off course to get to it. I ended up with 26.6 miles on my watch, but only some of that was this brief detour.
I ran the first several miles with Verdon Walker III until he took a quick turn to make a bathroom stop at a church with the doors propped open. I didn’t see him again.
I managed this section somewhat faster than planned, while sticking to my plan to run at an easy pace. | | 8-9 | Uphill (16:00-18:00/mi) | 12:14, 11:52
I did speed walk up the hills, but I managed a considerably faster pace than planned.
I think it was somewhere along here I moved my knee brace from my left knee (which was feeling fine) to my right knee. My IT band was beginning to ache a little. The knee brace worked great and it felt strong the rest of the race. | | 10-12 | Downhill/flat (10:30-11:30/mi) | 11:09, 11:05, 12:11
These miles were pretty close to the planned pace. During mile 12 I stopped to wrap my left ankle. It’s the sprained one I’ve been struggling to get healed. It wasn’t bad but was beginning to hurt a little so I wrapped it as a precaution. It held up well the rest of the run. | | 13 | Uphill/steep downhill (11:00-12:00/mi) | 13:31
This includes a somewhat extended portapotty stop. | | 14-16 | Mild downhill (10:30-11:30/mi) | 10:06, 9:33, 11:19
I was still feeling pretty good, but I could tell that I was approaching the end of my training. My long run had only been 12 miles since my surgery in December. | | 17-18 | Uphill/steep downhill (14:00-16:00/mi) | 12:40, 11:10
I was definitely tiring, but I was surprised that I was still moving along pretty well, all things considered.
My buddies Larry and Wayne were waiting here for me, Wayne on foot, Larry on a bike. Wayne ran with me to the mouth of the canyon (past 20). Larry stuck by me to the end. My other buddy Kevin caught up to us on his bike later on and also rode with me to the end. I appreciated their company. Now we all just need to get back running together regularly. | | 19-26.2 | Mild downhill (16:00-18:00/mi) | 10:44, 11:19, 11:51, 12:16, 11:11, 13:38, 12:50, 12:00, 10:18/mi (last .6 on my watch)
I kind of expected to walk most of these miles, and I wasn’t far wrong, but I did manage to run more than I expected.
It was during these miles I executed my strategy to speed walk “when winded, or when beginning to feel pain that may indicate a potential injury”. My quads started to tighten up and it got increasingly hard to catch my breath, even when walking. I also felt some chills in the later miles. I started drinking a little more water and dumping some on me to cool down. | | Total | 5:25 (12:25/mi)/6:03 (13:50/mi) | 4:57 (11:11/mi)
Almost 30 minutes ahead of my faster goal, and 60 minutes ahead of my slower “just finish in 6 hours” goal. |
At the "5 Year Club" dinner the race provided us the night before, I was talking to one of the runner's daughters. She said she heard running a marathon is mostly mental. I told her I would find out what role fitness played. This was my 18th marathon, so I have plenty of experience preparing logistically and mentally, listening to my body during the marathon, and executing a feasible race plan. I feel like I did everything right today, except being properly trained. The result was pretty good, considering, but my finish time was about 5 hours instead of 3:30-ish or faster like I was doing not so long ago. My plan is to get the training in for St. George and get back closer to that 3:30 time. I was looking for a running adventure today. I wanted to enjoy the weather, the scenery, the spirit of the marathon, and to pull out the best that was in me today. I was not disappointed. Update:
Men 50-54: 80 of 102
Overall: 1529 of 2059
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| Mizuno Wave Rider 14 Miles: 26.20 |
| | Comments(7) |
| | Easy Miles | Threshold Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Track speed mileage | Hill mileage | Total | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 26.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 31.20 |
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| Saucony Guide 3 Miles: 4.00 | Mizuno Wave Rider 14 Miles: 27.20 |
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