A nice day for a long run, too bad I am on a low mileage week.
I ran to Better Image today with a digital file of a recent photograph. Since I am now working with a digital camera, I might as well see what these screen images look like on paper. Maybe they will be a mass of ugly pixels, or the contrast and colors will be too garish.
I had not been to Better Image since 2000, before digital photography was a dominating force. Then the store was a thriving place, clean, bright, and offering a variety of photographic printing services.
When I walked into the store today I found it to be dingy, small, dark, cluttered, shelves which used to hold film were empty and dusty. The store is now comprised of a few computers for its seeming only business - digital printing.
I talked with a photographer at the Market at Lincoln Square last Saturday, she sells her prints in a little stall. She told me she takes her digital files to Sam's Club because they do a good job for a cheaper price than Better Image.
If Sam's Club can make prints just as good as a professional printing service, I guess that tells me why Better Image probably won't be around much longer.
I will pick up my lone 8x10 print tomorrow.
After I left the shop I ran to Crystal Lake park and did 3 sets of strength exercises, then walked 35 minutes home.
Ran to the arboretum, did 5 sets of strength exercises, then ran .75 miles barefoot on the grass loop. The mud and puddles numbed my feet, and the ground felt harder than in the summer. It was good to run without shoes, though, as it strengthens my feet.
Each day of short running I can feel my body getting stronger, the energy expanding. By the end of the week I should be feeling really fresh.
My knee is feeling better, no stiffness, so I am happy about that.
I am thinking about participating in the Siberian Express 7.1 mile trail race this Saturday at Lake Mingo.
Last year I trained specifically for races between 5-15k, so this is a race that I normally would love to do. However, all of my recent training has been focused on distances beyond 30 miles. I have done no speed or hill work during the past 3 months. My endurance is great right now, but overall speed/strength is on the low level.
With that in mind I would have to approach the race without thinking about the clock or place. Just run it hard and don't concern myself with anything else.I used to run this way during my lone season of high school cross country, as the clock time made no sense to me in relation to distance. I just ran my heart out and did not care about anything else. If I don't think I am capable of this on Saturday, then I should not go.
It was mild this afternoon, the sun felt good. I ran to the arboretum and did 4 sets of strength exercises.
My legs are feeling very fresh from the low mileage this week, and my energy is way up. I felt like running fast today, and allowed myself to run hard for the final 600m.
My knee is feeling better, the post run stiffness is not appearing like it was last week, so that is good news.
If I can borrow my wife's wheels tomorrow I will head to Lake Mingo and run the Siberian. I have not run a short race since mid-September, so I am feeling excited about just getting out on the trails and mixing it up with other runners.
The weather is supposed to be in the low 40's, so it should make the race pleasant, although probably quite muddy.
Siberian Express Trail Race (7.1 Miles) 00:54:40, Place overall: 49
Easy Miles
Marathon Pace Miles
Threshold Miles
VO2 Max Miles
Total Distance
2.50
0.00
7.10
0.00
9.60
Weather – 35 degrees, cloudy, windy.
Driving to the race this morning I was in a good state of
mind, just wanted to run my heart out and forget about time and place.
When I was warming up I felt a bit cold, but I knew once the
race started I would feel better. Having no time goals, I felt relaxed and
easy, and did not bother doing any kind of fast sprinting during my warm up.
Just some easy jogging at 8:30-9:30 pace, followed by some walking, push-ups,
crunches, and stretching.
10 minutes to race start I stripped to my racing gear –
shorts and 4 shirts, head warmer, and gloves.
The race started at 11:00am, and the air was feeling warmer
as we lined up. I placed myself in the back, knowing I was going to be moving
pretty slow. The RD talked about a runner named Scott Hathaway who collapsed
and died after running 2 miles at the Howl at the Moon 8 hour race this past year, which is held
at Lake Mingo. On my warm up I was jogging down a lonely dirt road and came
across a plaque which memorializes Scott- “This path dedicated to Scott Hathaway – Ultra Runner”, or something
along those lines.
The race director sent us on our way and I was running easy
for the first 400m, then I started to go a little faster and started passing
groups of people. I saw Don F., a local ultra running legend, who has a similar
pace to me when I am running well. I decided I would tuck in behind him and
see how long I could last at his pace, which I was assuming would be a mile or
two. Don was bravely wearing only a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts, with a S.L.U.G. logo
printed on the back of his shirt (St. Louis Ultra Group).
After 2 miles I discovered that Don run’s a race like I do –
start moderately, then start picking up the pace and picking people off. We
passed quite a few runners through 3 miles, and were passed only once.
After passing a group of 3 or 4 runners I accidentally
pulled the ear bud cord out of my ipod. I like to listen to music when I train,
so I usually bring my ipod along with me when I race. This was the first time
this has happened to me, and I was disgusted that I had to break my nice
rhythm. I stepped off the course and spent 20-30 seconds readjusting my ipod, 4
or 5 runners passed me, and when I started up, I saw that Don was about
100-125m ahead of me.
I got into line behind the runners I had recently passed,
but I felt a wave of adrenaline and decided I did not want to lose Don, as I
was still feeling strong. I shifted into an anaerobic gear and quickly
re-passed the runners, and did not slow down until I was a few steps behind Don.
It felt good to resume a normal pace, and I thought of Frank Shorter writing
about how he liked to run anaerobic at strategic places in a race, and
challenge his competition to do the same. Not being Frank Shorter, I was
hoping I could recover from the 60-90 second bout of high intensity running.
After 800m I had recovered my normal breathing pattern, and
my legs still felt strong and fresh, so I knew that I had gotten lucky and did
not blow the race.
Soon after I noticed Don was slowing the pace, and I was
still feeling good, so I took a chance and passed Don and started out on my
own. I was surprised I had lasted this long, and knew I was running a much
faster pace than I have attempted in over 3 months. But I was holding on
nicely, and was feeling happy about this.
The final 3 miles I picked off numerous runners, and at mile
6 I realized I was going to make the entire distance without having to slow
down. I knew my legs were saving me, as they felt unstressed by the pace,
as if they were expecting to go another 10 miles. Even though I still have
bouts of asthma during the colder months, I was able to remain relaxed and
never felt threatened by lung constriction.
My favorite part of the race was the final 800m. There was a
string of 4 runners weaving through the woods and I passed them all quickly.
One guy said something to me but I could not hear him, he seemed pissed that I
did not respond, and I pointed to my ear buds, but he kept on talking. I felt
bad about seeming to be rude, but I was feeling the urge to make my move, so I
hit the final uphill as hard as I could, and found myself alone with 400m to
go. I felt the agony of what front runners must feel, knowing a pack of hungry
wolves are right behind and closing quick. I got re-passed by one runner with
200m left, I would have challenged him, but he was going twice as fast as me,
so I did not even bother speeding up. I turned my head to see if anyone else
was coming on, but all I saw was an empty field, so I cruised into the finish chute in
54:40, for a 7:41 pace. I was 49th overall, so I was able to sneak in to win a
top-50 t-shirt – nice!
I am feeling really good about this race. My last short race
was in September, a 7.5 mile trail run, in which I suffered a melt down at
mile 3. I have not run hard since then, my mind seemingly fearful of
experiencing something similar again.
All of my recent training runs have been at 8:30-10:00 pace, so to
just wake up one morning and run 7 miles at 7:40 pace seems kind of odd, but I
won’t complain about it. Running long distance must not diminish the ability to
run at a hard intensity, but combining it with speed and hill workis probably the smart way to achieve
the best results.
The course was in good condition, as the ground was too cold
to be muddy, so there was firm footing throughout. The wind was not bad in
the woods. The most difficult part was the numerous uphills and downhills. I
have done no recent hill training, so I was surprised the hills did not knock
me out.
A fun time, and the effort and result gives me confidence
for 2009.
