The Long Run

"Mile Week" Round Two—5:04.2

2009-07-11T21:25:00.005-04:00

It poured most of the way up to Columbus, and it rained much of the way home. For the three hours or so that I was at the race site, though, the skies held off. So while we had to deal with wet roads, a few puddles, and a slight headwind for the race, it could have been much, much worse.

I arrived in Columbus about 3:15 p.m. so that I'd have a chance to use the certificate for a free pair of Mizuno shoes that I won at the Columbus 10K a month ago (more on that experience tomorrow).

After shopping and killing a little (too much) time, I headed out for a mile warm-up before changing into my race shoes and running the course backwards to the start. (The finish line was near the store; the start was a mile away.) Taken start to finish, the course had a right turn at a 1/4 mile, a short s-curve, and then another right turn onto Perimeter Drive at about 3/8 mile. From there, the road was pretty straight, with only a slight curve to the left.

Until the turn onto Perimeter Drive, the race was on a narrow road, especially at the start, where it was barely two cars wide and where there was barely enough room for everyone to fit behind the finish line on the dead-end street. It made for a very crowded and frustrating start, especially in a race where every second most definitely counts. I was crammed in about 3 bodies back from the starting line.

Despite the slow start, I managed to run very even splits—1:16.4, 1:15.3, 1:16.8, 1:15.7—and finished strong in a self-timed 5:04.2. After the race, I ran the race course backwards and forwards and looped around the parking lot, logging about 2.5 miles total, to cool down.

I won't decide until Monday whether to go ahead with Round Three on Monday night. I was still a bit tight 48 hours after Monday night's Round One, so I may not be in a position to match today's effort on the track Monday night. But I'll take it easy tomorrow and see how I feel Monday evening. I probably won't decide until I warm up.

Hilly, easy run

2009-07-08T10:14:00.002-04:00

Last night, I ran with a friend, Mike, from high school. We ran very comfortably over a very hilly course from Grandin Road in O'Bryonville, through Hyde Park (an upscale inner suburban neighborhood), and into Ault Park (an actual park) and back. The company made the hour pass much more quickly than usual. My legs were just a bit tired from Monday's race, but they felt pretty good overall.

Tuesday evening's run: 8.06 miles, 1:08:36, 8:31/mile, No HR Data, 83°F

I'm planning an easy six miles or so today, an easy five miles tomorrow, probably with a few 100m strides, and a day off on Friday. The CRC Mile Dash is at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

"Mile Week" Round One—5:09.8

2009-07-07T07:12:00.004-04:00

The first round of "Mile Week" went pretty well last night. My legs were a little tired from running a bit too hard on Sunday—I ran into an Earth Drummers teammate in the middle of my seven-mile run, and the last four miles came in at 7:20, 7:10, 7:10, and 7:30—but I felt pretty good overall.

After getting to the track, I ran an initial two-mile warm-up (8:02, 7:33) and changed into my race shoes. After some legs swings, I ran another two laps (3:37) with two strides thrown in to loosen up the legs.

At the start, I got boxed in farther back than I wanted, with probably 10 runners ahead of me. Rather than sprint around wasting energy in the first lap, I decided to be patient and pass the group as they started to slow. As a result, it was 600m into the race before I settled into 4th place behind my Earth Drummers teammate Dan Bird. From there, I held onto Dan. I never had the energy to pass him or even pull up alongside him in the final 100m, but I kept him from gapping me. He ended up half a second ahead of me at the line. The winner ran 4:54, with second place also sub-5:00.

My splits were almost dead even—perfect for the condition of my legs—and I was completely satisfied with the effort:

Lap 1 — 1:19.4 (409.344m at 5:12.2/mile)
Lap 2 — 1:16.7 (5:08.6/mile)
Lap 3 — 1:16.8 (5:09.0/mile)
Lap 4 — 1:16.9 (5:09.4/mile)
Total — 5:09.8

It was an 11.8-second PR from the last track meet of the summer 51 weeks earlier, and I'm confident that I can take at least a few more seconds off. By Saturday, my legs should be fully rested, and it may be a bit easier on the road. Getting boxed in at the start certainly shouldn't be a problem. And I'll probably take another crack next Monday at the final track meet. I'll be happy with sub-5:05, but I don't think sub-5:00 is completely out of the question. (Though I wouldn't put money on it.)

After the race, I cooled down with an easy 4.5 miles in 36:09 (8:02/mile), giving me 8.0 miles for the evening.

"Mile Week" is here

2009-07-06T13:32:00.006-04:00

You might have been able to tell from Friday's fairly light track workout that we were starting to ease back on the speedwork in preparation for this week. After six weeks with two quality days per week—seven track workouts and five races (counting the 800m/2M double as one race)—it's finally goal race time.

Next Saturday is the team's primary goal race, the Columbus Running Company Mile Dash, but my week starts off with a mile track race tonight. (Some of the team will be racing 5000m tonight.) And if I have any unfinished business after this week's races, there is one last track meet next Monday evening in which I can race the mile again. So that's three potential mile races in eight days, three chances to get the pacing right and to have a good day.

The dream goal is sub-5:00. The realistic predictors put me somewhere closer to 5:05-5:07. My PR is 5:21.6 from almost exactly a year ago (in the last track meet).

I'm not 100% rested for tonight's race, but the legs feel pretty good. I definitely want to be sub-5:10, and I want to get as close to 5:00 as I can. By Saturday my legs should be closer to 100%, and I should be able to take a few seconds off of tonight's time (assuming the road course doesn't throw me any hurdles).

I've also added the Fairborn 5K to my race calendar for Saturday, July 18. I'm anxious to test out my speed before I dive in marathon training on July 19 or 20. Once I get into marathon training, I don't really have any room in my short 12-week build-up to squeeze in a 5K without giving up one of my three other tune-up races.

Week of June 29—Recap (two track workouts)

2009-07-06T13:20:00.002-04:00

Monday's evening run: 6.0 miles, 47:45, 7:58/mile, No HR Data, 82°F, sunny

Tuesday's track workout: 9.0 miles, 1:08:45, 7:38/mile, Avg HR 148 (71% HRR), 73°F, cloudy

Warm-up: Warm-up 2.1 miles, 2 x 100m strides, 2 x drills @ 30 yds, 2 x 100m strides, 2 x 100m accelerations, 10 x 200m @ 800m-mile pace / 200m jog (35.45, 35.05, 36.21, 36.33, 35.62, 36.50, 36.32, 36.55, 37.42, 36.40), cool-down 2.6 miles — Fastest 200's I've ever run by a second or two

Wednesday's evening run: 8.0 miles, 1:06:21, 8:18/mile, Avg HR 133 (61% HRR), 67°F, cloudy

Thurday's run: 7.0 miles, 57:00, 8:09/mile, Avg HR 128 (58% HRR)

Friday's track workout: 7.0 miles, 52:31, 7:30/mile, No HR Data

Warm-up 2.0 miles (8:21, 7:22), 2 x 100 strides (17.54, 17.85), 2 x drills x 40 yds, 2 x 100 strides (17.92, 18.73), 2 x 100 accelerations (16.98, 16.95), 8 x 200 @ 5K pace / 200 jog (42.85, 43.18, 41.68, 41.82, 41.50, 41.07, 40.70, 41.65), 4 x 100 @ mile / 100 jog (18.85, 19.18, 19.21, 18.97), cool-down 1.25 miles

Saturday's ECHO run: 6.0 miles, 47:24, 7:54/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 62°F, cloudy

Sunday's afternoon run: 7.0 miles, 52:51, 7:33/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 72°F, cloudy

Total for week: 50 miles

Week of June 22—Recap (one track meet, one 4M race)

2009-07-06T12:56:00.010-04:00

Monday's track meet: 8.50 miles, 1:05:25, 7:42/mile, 85°F, muggy

2-mile warm-up (14.24), including strides and drills, 800m race in 2:26.1 (1.10.8, 1.15.3), about 10 minutes recovery, 2M race in 11:59.4 (5:44.7, 6:14.7), 4-mile cool-down @ 9:09 — My legs were pretty tired, but the 800m race didn't go too badly. The 2M, though, was miserable. I cracked after about three laps and just couldn't get the legs to turn over.

Tuesday's afternoon run: 8.0 miles, 1:06:13, 8:16/mile, Avg HR 135 (63% HRR), 86°F, sunny, muggy

Wednesday's evening run: 8.3 Miles, 1:05:48, 7:55 per mile, Avg HR 145 (69% HRR), 87°F-83°F, sunny, muggy

I ran two loops of the hilly four-mile Hyde Park Blast course, the first one easy [33:11 (8:18)] and the second one moderate [30:13 (7:33)], with the last two miles at 7:20, 7:16

Thursday's mid-morning run: 6.17 Miles, 48:31, 7:51 per mile, Avg HR 144 (69% HRR), 80°F-85°F, sunny, muggy

Friday's rest day: No run

Saturday's race morning: 8.28 miles, 59:54, 7:14/mile, 73°F, muggy

Warm-up 2.0 miles @ 8:07/mile, Hyde Park Blast 4M in 24:05 (6:01/mile), 17th Overall, 5th of 134 in M35-39, cool-down 2.28 @ 8:35/mile — This was a tough race on probably the toughest shorter race course I have ever run. The second mile is a long, steady uphill, and the fourth mile includes a monstrous 1/3-mile climb. I didn't hit the time I wanted, but the effort was there, and I placed well relative to my peers.

Saturday evening's shake-out run: 3.0 miles, 24:27, 8:09/mile, Avg HR 134 (62% HRR), 86°F, muggy

Sunday's medium run: 11.41 miles, 1:30:07, 7:54/mile, Avg HR 148 (71% HRR), 75°F-79°F

A hilly Sunday morning group run with the Earth Drummers followed by a wonderful breakfast. Good times.

Total for week: 53.66 miles

Week of June 15—Recap (one track workout, one 5K race)

2009-07-06T12:28:00.006-04:00

Monday's late morning run: 6.0 miles, 48:00, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 65°F-69°F
Monday's evening run: 4.0 miles, 34:40, 8:40/mile, Avg HR 130 (58% HRR), 78°F-76°F

Tuesday evening's track workout: 10.5 miles, 1:15:58, Avg HR 152 (74% HRR), 78°F

Warm-up 2.1 miles @ 7:55, 2 x 100m strides (17.5, 19.7), 2 x drills @ 40 yards, 2 x 100m strides (18.3, 18.8), 2 x 100m accelerations (16.9, 16.9), 2.0 miles @ AT (6:35, 6:40), 2 x (4 x 400 / 200 jog) / 8:00 recovery [(78.5, 77.4, 78.7, 79.9), (79.0, 77.9, 79.9, 80.9)], cool-down 1.1 miles

Wednesday's evening run: 9.0 miles, 1:15:47, 8:25/mile, Avg HR 138 (65% HRR), 86°F, sunny

Thursday's rest day: No run

Friday race night: 6.11 miles, 43:31, 7:07/mile, 90°F, 70°F dewpoint

1.0 mile warm-up (8:14), Run for Kids 5K in 18:19 (5:54), 4th overall, 2.0 mile cool-down @ 8:29/mile — This was a very strong race effort on a hilly course on a brutal evening only 72 hours after a hard track workout

Saturday's late morning run: 10.0 miles, 1:20:56, 8:06/mile, Avg HR 139 (65% HRR), 81°F, muggy

Sunday's late morning run: 8.16 miles, 1:06:42, 8:10/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 85°F, muggy

Total for week: 53.77 miles

Easy double day—track meet volunteer

2009-06-16T08:38:00.003-04:00

I wasn't entirely decided whether I would run twice yesterday, but I felt good enough on my late morning run, that I decided there was no reason not to get in a few more miles after the track meet last night.

By the time I ran late yesterday morning, it had warmed up a lot. The sun had come out and burned off the unusually heavy morning fog, but the humidity was still in the air. My legs felt better than I really expected. My hip flexors felt fine, and my quads were only very slightly fatigued, better than on Sunday, despite the 13-mile run. (Medium runs at a comfortable pace really don't seem to take much out of me, even if my legs feel tired at the time.) It was just after noon by the time I finished.

Monday's late morning run: 6.0 miles, 48:00, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 65°F-69°F

Monday evening, I volunteered at the second all-comers track & field meet of the summer. This one was conveniently located at Withrow High School, only a few miles from home. Either because it was the second week or because the location was better for a lot of other people too, a lot more people participated this week. I worked as a timer for races on the track, so I got to see all the running action this time. The fastest 100m runner finished in an impressive 10.9-something. The winner of the faster heat in the mile ran 4:51.

After the meet, I jogged an easy four miles on the track, most of it with my teammate Omar. We were chatting, and the time flew by, even at a slow jog. The legs felt great.

Monday's evening run: 4.0 miles, 34:40, 8:40/mile, Avg HR 130 (58% HRR), 78°F-76°F

Daily Run Reports

2009-06-15T09:14:00.004-04:00

I'm going to make a strong effort to get back to daily run reports. Weekly recaps are just too long, both to read and to write. It was much easier when I sat at a computer all day at work to take five minutes to post the details of that day's run.

I'm probably going to run an easy double today. My legs feel pretty good right now as I'm sitting here. As soon as grandma gets here to watch the kids, I plan to head out for an easy six miles. Assuming I feel OK running, I'll probably add another four after the second track meet tonight. (I'm volunteering again.)

A quality week

2009-06-15T08:27:00.005-04:00

I'm barely used to running one quality session every week, and this week marked my third straight week with two quality efforts: a 5K race and a workout, a workout and a 10K race, and, this week, two workouts.

On Monday night, I volunteered at the first all-comers track & field meet. I helped out with the discus and shot put, helping to mark and measure the throws. After the meet, I jogged an easy six miles on the track with another runner. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have any particular aches or pains in any of my usual weak areas.

Monday's easy run: 6.0 miles, 48:07, 8:01/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 80°F, sunny

Because of the race, Coach moved our group track workout from Tuesday night to Wednesday night. Instead, I ran a comfortable 10 miles on the bike trail.

Tuesday's easy run: 10.0 miles, 1:19:59, 8:00/mile, Avg HR 139 (65% HRR), 83°F, sunny, muggy

The workout Wednesday night was tough, focused on short intervals at roughly mile race pace; but I got through it better than I thought I might on slightly tired legs. It helped that I had someone slightly faster than me to chase the whole evening.

Warm-up:

2.30 miles @ 7:40

2 x 100 strides/100 jog

2 x drills (A Skips, B Skips, Side Shuffle, Backwards Run, Fast Feet)

2 x 100 strides/100 jog

2 x 100 accelerations/300 jog

Set	Reps	Distance/Time	Goal	Actual	Rep rest	Set rest
1	4	400 Meters	77-78	77.9, 79.6, 77.3, 79.1	400m jog
2	4	300 Meters	56-57	55.5, 58.0, 56.5, 57.1	300m jog
3	2	200 Meters	36-37	36.9, 36.3	200m jog

Cool-down: 1.9 miles @ 8:52

I was again pleasantly surprised on Thursday that I did not have any pain or soreness in my left hip or left hamstring. In fact, the only things that really seemed sore were my quads, and they felt more heavy than sore. So I managed two very easy runs on Thursday, just over four miles in the morning at the track and six miles in the evening at Lunken.

Thursday's morning run: 4.25 miles, 35:54, 8:27/mile, No HR Data, 71°F, cloudy
Thursday's evening run: 6.0 miles, 50:06, 8:21/mile, Avg HR 136 (63% HRR), 78°F, partly cloudy

By Friday morning, I had very slight DOMS in my hamstrings, and my quads were still a bit heavy. My right quad, in particular, was a bit achy. So instead of another double, I stuck to a single easy run of just over six miles.

Friday's morning run: 6.13 miles, 50:03, 8:10/mile, Avg HR 132 (61% HRR), 66°F, cloudy

On Saturday, I let my wife go run with her friend (and the ECHO group), so I wasn't able to get to the track until 10:30 a.m. By then it was sunny and in the 70's. My legs felt better, but my quads were still ever-so-slightly heavy, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get through the planned workout: 5 x 1000m @ 5K pace / 400 jog. But I managed, mostly.

I ran a two-mile warm-up at 7:36 pace, and repeated the same strides (17.3 and 17.5 secs), drills, strides (17.3, 18.2), and accelerations (17.4 and 16.5) from Wednesday.

My 5K PR's (17:39 and 17:51) translate to 3:32 and 3:34 per kilometer, so I was shooting for 1,000's at 3:33. The first two came in at 3:31 and 3:32, but I was definitely working too hard to hit those paces. I wanted to quit at that point, and chalk it up to tired legs, but the fact that I had to report the results of my workout kept me going. Instead, I opted to slow down and run them at what seemed like 5K effort. The result was three 1,000's at closer to 10K pace: 3:42, 3:41, 3:41. After the workout, I jogged an easy two-mile cool-down to round out a 10-mile day.

Late yesterday morning, I ran a comfortable 13 miles on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. I was less sore than I feared after running Saturday's workout on tired legs. Both quads were a bit heavy, but my right quad actually felt less achy than on Saturday morning. The big difference from the previous three days was that my hip flexors were tired and a bit sore. But I made it through without any problems.

Sunday's medium run: 13.0 miles, 1:43:39, 7:58/mile, Avg HR 144 (69% HRR), 72°F-80°F

For the week (Monday to Sunday), those runs totaled 65.13 miles. But they were a tough 65 miles, and they left my legs every bit as tired as my hardest 80-mile weeks.

Belated Race Report: Columbus 10K—The slimmest of PR's

2009-06-15T07:37:00.000-04:00

It should never take a week to write a simple race report for a simple 10K, but it was a busy week. So here's the summary:

Pre-race
I carpooled up with the Earth Drummers coach, with two other team members following us in another car. (I'm not sure why.) Three others met us up there. It was cool early on, but it was a muggy 69°F for the race. I ran 1.7 miles to warm up. I felt OK, but my legs were a bit heavy. My goal was sub-37. The strap on my Garmin 305 broke just before the race, and I had to carry it in my hand the whole way.

Race
I started off aggressively, but not insanely fast. I wanted to make sure I could take advantage of the more competitive field to have others to run with. And it worked out well. Around a mile and a half into the race, I surged passed a group of about six, and two guys went with me. The three of us ended up running together the rest of the way. Most of the way, I felt like I was hanging on, but I found myself surging past them on the downhills and dragging a bit on the uphills. Around mile five and a half, another runner briefly passed us, but we chased him down. We also swallowed up a fifth runner and then dropped him. Going up a hill with about a third of a mile to go, I slipped about 10 or 15 feet back from my rivals. After topping the hill, though, I passed Coach, who yelled at me to get them. So heading down the hill, I broke into a sprint and passed all four of them. One of them, though, was able to pass me back as we climbed again to the finish. I held the others off. As I approached the finish line, I thought I had a shot at sub-37, so I ran hard through the line. But the clock ticked over with roughly 30m to go.

Summary
The race did not have chip timing, and I started three rows back from the line, so my official time (and new PR by one second) was 37:07. My watch showed 37:05. I was 26th overall, but in another stroke of good luck, I was first in my age group, M35-39. The age group victory earned me a nice drinking glass and a gift certificate for a free pair of Mizuno shoes from the Columbus Running Company.

The six other Earth Drummer runners did well too. Chris finished fourth overall in sub-31. Carrie ran a huge PR (37:47) and also finished fourth overall. They each won $75. Two others won their age groups, and two others finished second in their age groups.

Though the time wasn't what I wanted, I was very pleased with the effort. Given the fatigue still in my legs and the rolling hills on the course, I ran a good race. It may have been the hardest I've ever worked in a 10K race.

I ran a one-mile cool-down after the race. Later in the evening, I ran a three-mile shakeout jog at the track. My wife ran around the track too, while the kids played. Garrett spent most of the time playing soccer with some other kids, but Cedar spent much of her time running. Afterwards, she proudly announced that she had run five laps!

Pre-race warm-up: 1.70 miles, 13:47, 8:06/mile, Avg HR 140 (66% HRR), 68°F
Columbus 10K: 10.0 kilometers, 37:07, 5:58/mile, Avg HR 176 (90% HRR), 69°F
Cool-down: 1.0 mile, 8:53, Avg HR 140 (66% HRR), 70°F

Sunday evening shakeout: 3.0 miles, 25:08, 8:23/mile, No HR Data, 77°F, cloudy

Race week

2009-06-08T07:14:00.003-04:00

I had another good week in advance of yesterday's Columbus 10K. We had a warm and muggy beginning of the week, but it cooled down nicely midweek. Then it warmed up again for the weekend.

On Monday evening, I ran a very easy five-mile loop down to the track, around a few (six) times, and home. I was still a bit fatigued from Friday's 400m Repetitions.

Monday's recovery run: 5.13 miles, 40:51, 7:58/mile, Avg HR 139 (65% HRR), 85°F

Tuesday night, it was Earth Drummer night. It was sunny, sticky, and not a single member of the team kept his or her shirt on longer than it took to warm up. After a warm-up (2.3 miles), we did our drills, strides, and accelerations before tackling either 800m or 1000m repeats at 10K pace (a race-preparation drill). Those of us coming of the marathon four weeks prior were assigned 800's. The rest of the team ran 1000's. The workout was for six to eight repeats with 400m recovery jogs. I planned from the beginning to stick to six, with a target of 2:58, hoping to keep them all under 3:00.

Because no one else running my pace was running 800's, I ended up running the workout alone. Others were running on the track with me, which still helps, but I had to pace myself. The result was that I went out way too fast for the first 200m. Beyond that, my repeats were good, all within two seconds: 2:53.3, 2:56.8, 2:56.1, 2:58.2, 2:57.7, 2:56.2. And I was happy with my average HR for the 800's. After the first, it was 174 or 175 for the next four and 172 for the last one. (On the last one, I actually got to pace behind a teammate running a 1000.)

Counting a cool-down, the evening totaled about 10 miles.

Tuesday's track workout: 10.0 miles, 1:13:01, 7:18/mile, Avg HR 153 (75% HRR), 82°F-78°F

Wednesday was National Run Day, and I joined the Runners' Club of Greater Cincinnati and the U.C. Running Club for an evening trail run at Mt. Airy Forest. I ended up running with six guys from the U.C. Running Club at a pretty good effort, harder than I planned with a race four days away. But it was fun. We ran a roughly five-mile trail loop. It was hilly, rooty, and, in spots, a bit slick and/or sticky from recent rain. It was also a delightfully cool even, with occasional light rain.

Wednesday's trail run: 5.26 miles, 45:27, 8:38/mile, Avg HR 148 (71% HRR), 60°F, cloudy, cool

On Thursday and Friday, I ran as easily as I could force myself to in order to rest my legs up for Sunday. It was still sub-70° on Thursday, and I barely broke a sweat running eight miles. My HR both days was really low.

Thursday's recovery run: 8.0 miles, 1:07:10, 8:24/mile, Avg HR 127 (57% HRR), 68°F

Friday's recovery run: 5.12 miles, 42:37, 8:19/mile, Avg HR 127 (57% HRR), 75°F, sunny

On Saturday, I took it easy and rested.

Flying Pig age group awards

2009-06-01T07:38:00.005-04:00

I received my Flying Pig age group trophies on Friday. They came bubble-wrapped in two separate boxes that were taped together and mailed as one package. Both were partial silhouettes of black and pink flying pigs with small printed plastic metal plates glued on them. The slightly larger one was for "Age Group 35-39 Second Place Full Marathon." The second one was for "Age Group 35-39 First Place High Endurance Mile to the Finish." (When they finally posted the final mile splits, I had a 6:31, and the second place runner had a 6:32.)

The trophies themselves are nice: cute, heavy, and well-made. But I am a bit disappointed in the quality of the plates stuck on them. The full marathon plate is a bit warped. And they don't match: one is silver, the other gold. And they're not personalized. My friend Steve received an age group trophy from the ORRRC Marathon a month before the Pig, and his trophy had his name and time engraved on it. As much effort as the Pig puts into its posters, bags, and finisher medals, I expected something with a touch more attention to detail.

A solid week

2009-05-31T18:21:00.002-04:00

This week was my first week back to real training since the Flying Pig Marathon. I was relieved after the race on Monday that I wasn't that sore. My hamstrings were a tiny bit sore by Tuesday evening, and my quads were ever so slightly sore on Wednesday morning, but nothing interfered with running. And I was particularly happy that neither my left knee nor my calves gave me any trouble.

Tuesday, I played it conservatively and ran six very easy miles at the track. On Wednesday, I ran 10 miles on the bike trail at Lunken Airport, one loop in each direction. Both days were extremely muggy and humid, with dew points in the mid-to-upper 60's.

Tuesday's recovery run: 6.0 miles, 47:59, 8:00/mile, Avg HR 144 (69% HRR), 82°F

Wednesday's general run: 10.0 miles, 1:18:02, 7:48/mile, Avg HR 152 (74% HRR), 82°F

On Thursday, I was unable to run at lunch because Cedar had an end-of-preschool show for parents at 1:00 p.m. Instead, I decided to check out the Thursday evening group run at Bob Roncker's Running Spot. It wasn't a big crowd, but there were a couple ladies who were fast enough for me to run with. The one I ran with on the way back just had a good Flying Pig Marathon herself, qualifying for Boston for the first time. I ran 5.4 miles with them at about 8:32 pace, and then finished off with a slightly faster pace and 4 x 20-second strides. Thursday evening was much cooler, and I even had a nice light rain for my finishing stretch.

Thursday's easy run: 8.0 miles, 1:05:57, Avg HR 136 (63% HRR), 75°F-72°F, light rain

On Friday afternoon, I joined Lon, one of my Earth Drummer teammates, at the U.C. track for some 400's. We ran a warm-up (2.30 miles) and 2 x 100m strides with 100m jog recovery, did our usual drills, ran 2 more 100m strides, and finished up with 2 x 100m accelerations with 300m recovery.

Lon's assigned workout was 8 x 400m with 400m recovery. The first half of the 400's were supposed to be at mile pace plus 2-3 seconds (per lap). The second half were supposed to be at mile pace. (For anyone playing along at home, these are pretty standard Repetitions under Daniels' terminology.)

I, along with the other team members who ran the Flying Pig Marathon, were assigned 10 to 12 x 200m with 200m recovery at essentially the same paces. The rest of the team had done 200's and 300's the last two weeks, while we recovered, so Coach was sensibly trying to ease us into the faster work. But I would have had to run the 200's alone, so I opted for seeing how many 400's I could handle.

The answer was five or six, depending on how you count.

We decided to shoot for 80 at the beginning and 75 by the end. We both managed to hit 80 for the first four (78.8, 79.9, 80.3, 80.1), but I struggled mightily when we tried to pick it up after that (79.9, 83.8). After dying on the sixth lap, I called it a workout, and jogged (1.12 miles) while cheering Lon on through his last two. Lon did better than I did (hitting 76 or so on his fifth and eighth reps).

After the workout, we ran an easy cool-down (2.04 miles).

My total for the evening was roughly 9.5 miles.

Friday's Rep workout: 9.5 miles, w/u, strides, drills, 6 x 400 @ R, 76°F, sunny

On Saturday morning, I sat out my usual run with the ECHO group while my wife ran with them and a friend. Instead, I took the kids to meet the group for bagels after their run. Then I stopped at Lunken on the way home for an easy loop around. I was very stiff the first quarter-mile, but I felt fine once I got going.

Saturday's recovery workout: 5.5 miles, 45:22, 8:15/mile, Avg HR 135 (63% HRR), 70°F, sunny

This morning, I hit the Little Miami Scenic Trail at Miamiville for 14 comfortable miles. After getting up to speed the first mile, I settled into a steady groove at 7:45 pace. After the turn-around, I picked up the pace slightly and finished with three strong miles (7:33, 7:28, 7:15). There was a bit of fatigue in the legs, but none of the stiffness from the day before. The temperature was fairly pleasant, but it was incredibly muggy and sticky on the trail with a visible haze in the air. I was dripping within a few minutes.

Sunday's medium run: 14.0 miles, 1:47:32, 7:41/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 69°F-73°F

For the week, I logged 61.11 miles, my first week over 60 miles since the second week of April.

Memorial Day Weekend, Part 2

2009-05-26T09:44:00.004-04:00

The highlight of the day was definitely the 1K Kids Run after the 5K. Just like last year, I ran with Garrett and Trish ran with Cedar. And both Garrett and Cedar were spectacular.

Garrett, who is six and a half years old, started off by himself, and I caught up with him once the field spread out, and I ran near him the rest of the way. He paced himself brilliantly, never stopped running, put on bursts of speed when he passed people, and sprinted to the line side-by-side with Jim's eight-year-old daughter (if only I could have done as well racing Jim). Garrett covered the 1K (0.63 miles according to my Garmin) in 5:34 (8:50 pace). (Last year, he took walk breaks and finished in 7:58.) Mike Burns, who I know from the Runners World Forums, was at the race and was kind enough to snap two pictures of Garrett and me running.

I forgot to leave my watch running, but Cedar, who will be five in a month, came in two or three minutes later after running almost the entire way. She only took a few very short walk breaks. Trish said that Cedar kept repeating "Don't stop. Don't give up." over and over while she ran. Afterwards, Cedar told us that it was from Yo Gabba Gabba, a Nick Jr show that I've never watched. It was so cute! Last year, Cedar had to be carried part of the way by Trish.

Both Garrett and Cedar were very excited by the race. Garrett, in particular, is anxious to run more races with daddy. So we're probably going to take them to some of the summer track meets that start in two weeks. They run separate heats for kids (and grown-ups of various speeds) in everything from 100m to the mile. (The exact schedule of events varies week by week.) Both Garrett and Cedar would enjoy the 400m and 800m races, and Garrett would probably enjoy the mile, although four laps of a track might be more tedious than running the same distance on the road.

Memorial Day Weekend, Part 1

2009-05-26T08:41:00.004-04:00

This weekend saw strong performances by three of the four Fentons. Oh, and I ran a 5K race too.

Early Sunday afternoon, we headed up to Loveland's Nisbet Park with the kids' bicycles in the van so that Trish could get in a run. I neglected to take my bike, figuring that the kids would want to play rather than ride several miles with mommy. But the kids ended up covering almost three miles with Trish before letting her finish up without them. (I couldn't keep up without breaking into a jog myself, so I let them go and just walked.) Trish ended up running 5.09 miles according to the Garmin, her longest run in at least 8 years. She wasn't thrilled with her pace, but it's the time out there that matters at this point. She's been running three miles or so a few days a week at lunch, but this was the first time she'd gone past 3.5 miles, about the limit of what she can squeeze into lunch at this point. A friend has asked Trish to run the Columbus Marathon with her on October 18. From Sunday, that was 21 weeks away.

Yesterday morning, I headed up to Sharonville about 7:40 a.m. for the Bashful Ostrich 5K. That was too early for the kids to be ready, so Trish brought them up separately just before the 5K race started at 9:00 a.m.

I ran a warm-up of just over two miles and felt reasonably good. But I should have known from experience that it was a superficial feeling of goodness. But I let it mislead me into thinking I could go for a PR, maybe even 17:30 (5:38 pace).

So in the first mile, I fell in behind a group of high school boys with a few older guys strung out ahead of them. Once we settled into a groove about a half mile into the race, I actually pulled ahead of the kids and started to chase down the next runner. Two of the boys went with me, and at the first mile marker, I was in a group of four runners running third through sixth.

Mile 1 - 5:34 (!) (a bit too fast in retrospect)

Early in the second mile, I still felt OK, and one of the high school kids, Daniel, and I caught the second place runner, Jim. Jim and I traded places a few times over the next mile and eventually dropped Daniel. By the middle of mile two, though, I was starting to struggle. Jim said he was too, but he still started to pull away by the end of the mile.

Mile 2 - 6:02 (fading fast)

The racing was pretty much over by the third mile. Jim was pulling away slowly and Daniel was comfortably behind for most of the mile. As I rounded corners, I could see another runner, Chad, in third behind me, with Daniel somewhere behind him. As I turned the final corner, there was still a pretty good margin. Apparently, though, Daniel put on a late charge, passed Chad, and was closing fast when I crossed the finish line. My wife actually yelled a warning to me with 50 yards to go, and I put on the last burst I had or Daniel might have caught me. Daniel ended up only two seconds behind me with Chad another three seconds behind him.

Mile 3.1 - 6:52 (6:09/mile) (legs toast)

Total - 18:29 (5:57/mile) (3rd overall)(2nd in M35-39)

And, yes, Jim was 38, so I missed out on a pretty plastic "crystal" trophy. Instead, I got a "Top 15" medal and a nice little bag as an age-group award.

After the awards were passed out, I ran a cool-down to stretch the legs out. Completely by accident, my 2.18-mile warm-up (7:25 pace), my 0.63 miles with Garrett (8:50 pace), and my 2.19-mile cool-down (8:15 pace) totaled exactly 5.00 miles.

After I got home, I massaged the legs and took a precautionary ice bath. It's impossible to know if it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt anything, because nothing is really sore this morning. My hamstrings are the closest thing to slightly sore, but nothing else feels like I ran a race yesterday.

And that's a good thing. This is supposed to be my first real week of training for the mile race on July 11. The 5K was a good first workout, and I should be ready for another later in the week. I was worried that something (like my knee) would be sore after the 5K and require some rest that I didn't want to take. After running 45 miles last week, I'm hoping to be around 60 miles this week.

Better and better

2009-05-23T14:13:00.007-04:00

I'm happy to report that my knee hasn't bothered me running this week. While I continued to run, it continued to improve slightly each day. By Thursday morning, it felt just about normal.

On Tuesday evening, I joined the Earth Drummers at the University of Cincinnati for the regular team practice. I wasn't ready for any sort of workout yet, but there were four of us still in post-marathon recovery mode, so we teamed up for an easy run. After a two-mile warm-up, I participated in the regular drills, but I skipped the strides. Then we headed out for an easy, but hilly, run around Clifton. My quads were tired by the end, but I didn't have any particular aches or pains.

Tuesday's Drummers run: 7.5 miles, 58:40, 7:49/mile, No HR Data, 73°F-69°F, sunny

On Wednesday, I ran six very relaxed miles under a blazing sun. Officially, the temperature was 80°F at Lunken Airport, but it felt hotter than that with the direct sun beating down on me. The only thing that made it bearable was the very low humidity (with a dew point in the 30's). I would have shed my shirt early on, but I hadn't bothered to put sunscreen on under my shirt.

Wednesday's sunny run: 6.10 miles, 48:32, 7:57/mile, Avg HR 145 (69% HRR), 80°F, sunny

On Thursday afternoon, it was not only a few degrees warmer, the dew point was in the mid-50's (not terrible, but definitely noticeable). As a result, I planned ahead and slathered sunscreen all over before leaving the house, and I shed the shirt before I even started out. All in all, I had a great run. My HR was high, as you might expect in the heat, but my legs felt pretty close to normal for the first time since the marathon. I was going to stop at eight miles, but on a sudden impulse, I kept going for another minute so that I could hit one hour on the dot.

Thursday's scorcher: 8.15 miles, 1:00:00, 7:22/mile, Avg HR 159 (79% HRR), 84°F, sunny, more humid

After two straight days in the sun, I was ready for some shade and some variety. So I headed up to French Park for some trail action. It was even warmer and more humid than on Thursday—so I ran shirtless again—but in the woods, on often shady trails, it didn't feel nearly as hot. You can't tell from the pace or the heart rate, but I ran harder than I did the day before. I ran two loops around the park, following most of the course for the French Park Creek Crossings trail race but bypassing the shelter and following the trail on the eastern edge of the park all the way south and around back to my starting point at the lower parking lot.

Friday's trail run: 7.03 miles, 1:02:33, Avg HR 154 (76% HRR), 86°F, sunny, humid

This morning, I woke up early and headed over to Parkside Christian Church to get some extra miles in before meeting the ECHO group at 7:00 a.m. I was very stiff starting out—as a result of my trail exertions on Thursday—and though I loosened up quickly, my legs felt dead for several miles. By the end of the morning, though, my legs felt, if not fresh, then at least not stiff or achy. It was one of those runs where the legs feel better afterwards than they did beforehand. It was also nice not to be running in the scorching afternoon sun.

Saturday's group run: 11.50 miles, 1:37:43, 8:30/mile, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 59°F-62°F, sunny

I'm taking tomorrow off to give the legs a break before the Bashful Ostrich 5K on Monday. I have no strong expectations for the race on Monday. I have things I'd like to accomplish. I'd like to run 17:30. I'd like to run sub-17:39 or sub-17:51. I'd like to keep it sub-18:00. I'd like to place high in the race results. But I don't expect to feel good racing only 22 days after a goal marathon.

Sore knee—weekend catchup

2009-05-19T14:30:00.002-04:00

Last week, from Wednesday on, didn't go exactly according to plan. On Wednesday, I was supposed to get out and run an easy five miles. But all afternoon and early evening thunderstorms were moving through in a steady wave. And while I'll run in the rain, I don't do lightning. I finally headed down to the track at 7:45 p.m. hoping to take advantage of what looked like at least an hour between bands of heavier rain. When I got there, I found the track locked up tight; and I gave up in frustration.

I had better luck the next day, getting in a damp eight miles on the bike path around Lunken Airport. The run itself was OK, but it would have been even better if it hadn't been horribly muggy. The temperature was close to 70°F, with a dewpoint in the mid-60's. Once or twice, it misted lightly, but as soon as it started to feel refreshing, the sun would peak out and make it feel like I was running in a rainforest. In miles five and six of the run, I threw in four 20-second strides, starting at 5K pace for and finishing at roughly mile race pace for the last two. Everything felt good.

Thursday's run: 8.0 miles, 1:03:03, 7:53/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 70°F, muggy

The problem came on gradually after Thursday's run. My left knee, or just below it, started feeling stiff and painful. Just as it did after my fall in the half marathon six weeks before, my patellar tendon became angry. It wasn't as angry as it was after that race, but it held the grudge a bit longer. As a result, I took Friday through Sunday off. It got a bit better each day, and I considered running Sunday. But I decided there was nothing to be gained and waited until yesterday.

Yesterday, the knee was still not 100%, but it was continuing to improve. So in the early afternoon, I hit the track for a test run. Running, there was no pain at all. Overall, I felt a bit stiff and awkward, but it was no more than I would expect after not running for three days and barely running for two weeks. Afterwards, the knee felt better than before the run.

Monday's test run: 5.0 miles, 38:46, 7:45/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 66°F, sunny

My knee has continued to improve through last night and this morning. It still doesn't quite feel 100%, but I should be able to run easy this week without aggravating it further. I'm also working on stretching and strengthening the different muscles that affect the tracking of the knee cap. I've never had knee issues before, so something is probably still not 100% from six weeks ago. I need to make sure everything else around the tendon is strong enough to let it completely heal.

Better and better

2009-05-13T09:20:00.004-04:00

The legs aren't exactly bouncy yet, but I did feel better still on my run yesterday. It was a beautiful afternoon, warm and sunny with low humidity, the kind of day you can never have enough of. I ran very comfortably, never pushing the pace; and, with the relaxed effort, there was no tightness, soreness, or obvious fatigue in the legs.

Tuesday's recovery run: 6.18 miles, 49:51, 8:04/mile, Avg HR 134 (62% HRR), 70°F, sunny

I have five easy miles on the schedule for today, part of a planned 35-mile week. Tomorrow will be a bit of a test run, with 8 miles and a few relaxed strides on the schedule.

Phedippidations Blog of the Week

2009-05-11T20:42:00.011-04:00

As Tavia helpfully pointed out in the comments to this morning's post, Steve Runner of the Phedippidations podcast was kind enough to name this blog his "Blog of the Week" in Episode 186: A Life of Present Defense, released May 8, 2009. Thank you, Steve.

Phedippidations was one of the first podcasts I discovered when my parents bought me an iPod for Christmas in 2005. I was still a relatively new runner, with only a year and a half of running and a new 4:04:44 PR marathon from Chicago that fall under my belt. My only real running goal at that point was the same as Steve's: to run a sub-four hour marathon. I quickly caught up on several months of episodes and listened religiously for the next few years. (I've since become addicted to audio fiction and have trouble keeping up with everything.)

I listened to Steve's latest episode this evening—enjoyable as always—expecting that someone had told him about my 2:57:07 at the Flying Pig last week. I figured that he might talk about the 80 pounds that I've lost or how I've gone from a five-hour marathoner to a sub-three hour marathoner. Instead, he focused on my biography and my 2nd Amendment activism. That is certainly cool; the right to keep and bear arms is a big deal to me. But it's not what the blog is primarily about. It's mostly about the guy on the left becoming the guy on the right:

If anyone is interested, my biography entry has a series of photos and links to a three-part recap of my first three, transformative years running:

Three Years Running, Part One
Three Years Running, Part Two, Marshall University Marathon
Three Years Running, Part Three, The 111th Boston Marathon

Thanks again, Steve. And thanks also to whomever pointed Steve my way.

Superficiality

2009-05-11T08:41:00.005-04:00

I've used the word "superficial(ly)" a couple of times in the last week to describe my normal-feeling legs. Since Thursday evening, all of the overt soreness and tightness has been gone. And other than my calves, my legs felt normal on my short, slow runs on Friday and Saturday. The pace was slower than I've been running lately on my easy days, but that was the only real sign that the legs were still tired.

Well last night, after day-long Mother's Day festivities, I hit the track for another easy run. My calves continue to improve, so I quickly fell into a faster rhythm than I had run the previous two days. The first mile was sub-8:00, and I settled into a 7:40ish groove the rest of the way. My legs felt OK at that pace, but after a few miles the difference in effort between 7:40 and the 8:08 and 8:14 of the previous two days became apparent. By the end, there was definite fatigue evident in my legs, mostly in my quads and a bit in my calves; and I stopped the run at five miles instead of six. My HR was also a touch higher than it had been lately for 7:40 pace.

Sunday's "easy" run: 5.0 miles, 38:21, 7:40/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 68°F, cloudy, pleasant

Other than as a test, the reason that I allowed myself to push the pace a bit is that today is a rest day. The plan for the week is for five runs and 35 miles: Rest, 6, 5, 8, Rest, 6, 10. I might try a few strides toward the end of the week, but everything else will be easy this week. The priority is still recovery. Next week, I have to worry about balancing recovery and, if possible, some sharpening for my 5K race on Memorial Day.

Back in the saddle

2009-05-10T08:41:00.002-04:00

On Friday evening, I headed out in a light rain for an easy three miles at the track. By the time I actually started running, though, the rain had largely stopped. So my run involved a few puddles, but it was largely a dry affair.

My lower abs or hip flexors or something were tight for the first 100 yards or so that I ran, but that went away quickly and was never an issue. By the end of three miles, my calves were a bit fatigued, but otherwise I felt very good.

Friday's test run: 3.0 miles, 24:23, 8:08/mile, Avg HR 130 (59% HRR), 65°F, cloudy, breezy, wet

On Saturday morning, I met the ECHO group for our usual run. I cut off the last mile of the usual six-mile loop, but I planned that in advance. It wasn't because I felt any problems. In fact, my calves felt almost completely normal, much better than on Friday night, which was very reassuring. There was a tiny bit of fatigue in the legs otherwise, but they are recovering well.

Saturday's group run: 5.0 miles, 41:08, 8:14/mile, Avg HR 133 (61% HRR), 64°F, cloudy

After two easy runs, I am very happy with my progress. I am particularly pleased that I seem to have escaped from a PR marathon effort with no real aches or pains. Other than the DOMS in my calves, I've felt nothing remarkable since the race. I haven't even had any pains in any of my typical problem areas (i.e, left foot, left hip, left piriformis).

I'm planning six easy miles today, after we get through a lot of family activities this morning and early afternoon.

Normality achieved

2009-05-08T06:25:00.002-04:00

At least superficially, my legs were back to normal by last night, and they feel great this morning. I know if I go for a run, they won't feel very springy; but walking around, all the soreness and tightness is gone. I don't even have any aches or pains in the "normal" places.

I may try a short run at the track tonight just as a test. If I do, it won't be over three miles, and it will be very slow.

Flying Pig photos are now online

2009-05-07T19:45:00.006-04:00

The photos from the Flying Pig Marathon are now online at RunPhotos.com. Mine appear in two batches: one set, from the course, listed under my bib number (2390), and the other, from the finish line, listed under my replacement chip number (20027). (The finish line photos are only there because the finish line photos are automated. I wasn't wearing bib 20027 anywhere.)

I really wish one of the competing photographers (like Brightroom Event Photography, which does the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in Indy, or MarathonFoto, which does Boston and Chicago) photographed the Pig. Brightroom has a buy-everything digital package for $53.99 at Indy. And MarathonFoto has the same thing for $74.99 for Boston. RunPhotos.com charges $79.99 for a "Digital 3 Pak," a complete rip-off.

RunPhotos.com also doesn't seem to have a "Lost and Found" section. I always like to flip through those on big races.

Almost normal—walking in the rain

2009-05-07T08:59:00.003-04:00

I'm feeling almost normal this morning. I know it's superficial, but it's a nice feeling. My calves are still slightly tight and sore, but they've made good progress since yesterday. Everything else feels normal.

I did make it out yesterday for a five-mile walk around Lunken Airport...in the rain...carrying an umbrella and listening to my iPod. I enjoyed the first three miles or so of it, but after that I was ready for the walk to be over. Five miles is much farther at 18:00/mile.

If I go for a walk today it will be a shorter one, but I'll probably just rest. I think I'm on track for a return to easy running on Saturday morning.

Feeling better—results analysis

2009-05-06T06:06:00.006-04:00

By yesterday afternoon, I noticed that, for the first time, I was walking around and up and down stairs without particularly thinking about my calves. It was definite progress.

If I rub them, my quads are still slightly sore this morning. My calves are still moderately sore, but they don't feel as tight as they did the last two days. If the weather cooperates this afternoon, I may go for a walk. (But I won't go for a walk in the rain.)

I was looking at the race results last night, the final mile times in particular. They haven't posted any results yet for the Old Spice High Endurance Mile to the Finish, but, rounding to the nearest second, it looks like I tied for the fastest final mile in my age group (one award per age group). I found five men in my age group with final mile times under 6:40. The age group winner ran 6:38. There was a 6:39. There was a 6:33. And a gentleman named Eric and I each ran 6:31.

Eric ran a 3:12:21 overall, 16th among M35-39, with a huge negative split—1:38:09 first half, 1:34:12 second half—and he finished with a smoking last mile. I assume they'll take it out to 10ths or 100ths of a second to determine the winner.

Another thing of note is that I was 51st at the halfway point. I passed 18 runners in the second half of the race, including three in the last mile.

Also, it appears that I was quite fortunate to be in the M35-39 age group. I would not have placed in the top three in any other male age group from 20-49. It was just a fluke of who showed up. (And this is assuming that they now have the age groups right. A lot of them were wrong initially.)

Race Report: 11th Flying Pig Marathon (2:57:07)

2009-05-05T14:42:00.005-04:00

11th Flying Pig Marathon
May 3, 2009, 6:30 a.m.

Race Target
I didn’t set specific letter goals for the race, but, believing that I was in shape to run 2:54-something (roughly 6:40/mile pace) on a flat course, I set a target for myself of 2:56:59. I could get there by running 6:50 effort for the first nine miles, giving up an additional 25 seconds through the hills in miles 7 and 8, and then averaging 6:40 pace the rest of the way.

Race Week and Weekend
I pretty much stuck to my usual routine over the last several days prior to the race. I even went to a movie (State of Play) on Saturday afternoon. And, of course, I ate some Twizzlers. On Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m., I had dinner at Buca di Beppo with nearly 50 people from the Runner’s World forum.

My only real departure from my routine in prior races was that I continued my recent foray into counting calories during my final week. On Friday and Saturday, I ate roughly 2,600 calories and 2,700 calories, of which 75% and 71%, respectively, came from carbs. (It was a few hundred more calories than I would normally eat on non-running days to maintain my weight, but I wanted to err on the side of more fuel in the final days.) Over the course of the week, my weight swelled from 149# on the prior Sunday morning to 152# on race morning.

Race Morning
I was in bed and asleep by 9:00 p.m. Saturday night. I had two alarms set for 3:30 a.m., but I woke up on my own at 3:15 a.m. After lying there for 10 minutes, I got up and got dressed. I ate my usual 1,000 calorie pre-race breakfast, including an energy drink, two packs of instant grits, an English muffin with strawberry jam, a banana, a leftover crunchy carnitas taco from Chipotle, and some Gatorade.

I had time to watch television before heading down to Newport. I took too much time as it turned out, and I actually left about 10 minutes later than I should have. This turned into a problem, as I arrived in Newport right at 5:30 a.m., worried that I would miss the ECHO running group photo. Once I found a parking spot on the street, I grabbed my gear bag in a hurry and headed over to meet the group.

After the photo, I piled into Don and Jenni’s car with Mike Rioux to head across the river to the start. Once in the car, I took off my warm-up clothes and changed into my racing shoes. Once Don dropped us off, I remembered that I needed to get my chip onto my shoe. I couldn’t find it in my gear bag, though, even after I dumped everything out in a pile under a street light.

In a panic, I asked a volunteer for help and was directed to the administration tent. I wandered around for several minutes before finally finding it. A nice gentleman gave me a replacement chip and a half marathon bib (20027), but said that I didn’t have to wear the half marathon bib. He said that the chip would work fine for the marathon and that they’d know which race I was running. I was finally able to catch my breath and relax, hoping that my racing heart hadn’t used up all my energy reserves.

The weather turned out a bit warmer than forecast, with a temperature around 55°F at the start, but there was no wind and only a light drizzle. And even the drizzle faded as the morning went on. The temperature at the finish was still only 58°F.

Race

Mile – Time (Split) [Average] (Avg HR / % HRR)
Mile 1 – 6:51 (6:51) [6:50.8] (Avg HR 143 / 68% HRR)
I start off the race with Mike Rioux and somebody he knows named Mark. I look for my Earth Drummers teammate Ashley at the start, but I never can find her. I am only a few seconds from the starting line at the gun, and the course opens up immediately. I never feel crowded. The first mile heads east on Mehring Way, heads up a slight incline away from the river, and takes us to the base of the Taylor Southgate Bridge into Newport. I feel very relaxed, and Mike and I are delighted with our well-paced first mile.

Mile 2 – 6:36 (13:27) [6:43.6] (Avg HR 161 / 80% HRR)
The second mile includes the climb up the Taylor Southgate Bridge and the drop back down into Newport. I let Mike and Mark get away from me on the bridge as I limit how high I let my HR climb on the uphill, but I catch them on the downhill. (My HR peaks at 168 bpm on the climb up the Taylor Southgate Bridge but drops all the way to 150 bpm on the back side.) I am surprised at the fast mile, but the effort is very relaxed.

Mile 3 – 6:50 (20:18) [6:45.9] (Avg HR 162 / 81% HRR)
The third mile includes the Licking River Bridge from Newport into Covington, the flat stretch through Covington, and the start of the steep Clay Wade Bailey Bridge back into Cincinnati. My HR hits 169 on the Licking River Bridge, drops into the mid-150’s on the back side, hangs around 160 on the flat, and then hits 166 again by the end of the mile. Mike and Mark get away from me heading over the Licking River Bridge and maintain a small gap throughout the third mile.

Mile 4 – 6:48 (27:05) [6:46.4] (Avg HR 158 / 78% HRR)
My HR peaks at 167 bpm at the start of the mile as I climb up the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge and then drops to 153 bpm as I fly down the back side. I catch Mike and Mark toward the end of mile 4 or early in mile 5 and run with them for a couple of miles.

Mile 5 – 6:38 (33:43) [6:44.6] (Avg HR 162 / 81% HRR)
The fifth mile is a flat stretch through downtown Cincinnati on streets lined by cheering crowds. It is a nice stretch, and I finally feel like I’m settling into the race. During this stretch I run near Mike and Mark as well as Mindy Leisure from Dayton—running her first serious marathon—and Tanya Thatcher. At this point, they are the third and fourth women. Tanya is well known and draws a lot of cheers by name.

Mile 6 – 6:48 (40:31) [6:45.1] (Avg HR 160 / 80% HRR)
The sixth mile includes the start of the gradual climb up Gilbert Ave toward Eden Park. I’m running with Mike and Mark at this point, and we comment on the escort vehicle that we can see for the lead woman climbing up Gilbert Avenue ahead of us.

Mile 7 – 7:17 (47:47) [6:49.6] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR)
As we finish the climb up Gilbert Avenue and turn onto Eden Park Drive, I let Mike and Mark get away from me again. As it is, my HR hits 169 on the first part of the climb and then hits 171 on the second part of the climb. As we hit the flat stretch in the middle of the mile, my HR drops back down to 155 before spiking back to 170 on the last stretch of the climb past Krohn Conservatory. (My HR doesn’t hit 170 again until mile 24.)

Mile 8 – 7:00 (54:47) [6:50.9] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR)
The eighth mile includes the Eden Park overlook and, psychologically at least, the end of the Eden Park hills. My HR drops as low as 155 as I catch my breath and gear up for the modest incline up Victory Parkway.

Mile 9 – 6:49 (1:01:36) [6:50.7] (Avg HR 161 / 80% HRR)
Mile 10 – 6:53 (1:08:29) [6:50.9] (Avg HR 158 / 78% HRR) (long)
Mile 11 – 6:14 (1:14:42) [6:47.5] (Avg HR 157 / 78% HRR) (short)
Mile 12 – 6:46 (1:21:28) [6:47.3] (Avg HR 158 / 78% HRR)
Early in the ninth mile, we climb to the highest point on the course and start back down. During this stretch, I run stride for stride with Tanya Thatcher as we head down Woodburn Avenue and turn right on Madison Road. We chat briefly and talk about which women are ahead of her, and I joke about her fans. Not only does Tanya draw cheers, she has a support team handing her small bottles of water along the course. She gets one on Woodburn in mile 9 and again on Wasson Road at the start of mile 13. Mindy Leisure is nearby too, and the three of us seem to bounce back and forth in a steady, rotation.

During this stretch, I feel mostly OK, but I’m still recovering from the climb up through Eden Park. My calves already feel a bit tight, and I don’t feel ready to take advantage of the better terrain yet. My HR averages in the high 150’s, lower than I expect for marathon effort, but it does spike to 167 on the short, steep climb up Marburg Avenue toward Erie Avenue in the first half of mile 13.

There are definite issues with the mile markers in this section of the course. My Garmin measured “mile” 10 at 1.03 miles and “mile 11” at 0.97 miles. I know that I didn’t run mile 11 in 6:14.

Mile 13 – 6:54 (1:28:22) [6:47.8] (Avg HR 159 / 79% HRR) (long)
First 1/2 – (1:29:04) [6:47.6]
After the climb up Marburg, we turn onto Erie and start down the longest sustained stretch in the race. The grade is perfectly suited for running: steep enough to pull you along, but not too steep to pound the legs. And for the first time in a while, I feel a competitive urge and find my mind turning toward the sight of Mike Rioux ahead of me. 100 yards or so after the turn, I look at my watch as Mike passes a traffic cone in the middle of the road ahead. 20 seconds later, I pass the same cone. As I picked up the pace down Erie, I pass Mark and lose touch with Tanya and Mindy behind me. When we hit the half marathon mark halfway down the hill, my margin to Mike is down to 16 seconds.

Mile 13 also measured 1.03 miles on my Garmin, and I would think my average pace was faster than 6:54, even with the short hill up Marburg early in the mile. But I’m not sure where the difference was made up.

Mile 14 – 6:45 (1:35:07) [6:47.7] (Avg HR 159 / 79% HRR)
Mile 14 includes the rest of the downhill stretch on Erie followed by a gradual climb back up toward the turn on Bramble Avenue that comes right at the mile 14 marker. As I finish the downhill and come through the uphill, I start to pass more runners.

Mile 15 – 6:37 (1:41:44) [6:46.9] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR)
The fifteenth mile begins right at the turn onto Bramble. One of the Flying Pig traditions on Bramble is a private aid station offering various snacks…and beer. I smile and set my sights on Mike just ahead of me and pick up the pace. As I come up alongside him, I say, “Hi Butter Boy.” (I cringe a little bit after I say it, hoping he wasn’t offended. But his given ECHO nickname is Mikey Butter, because he’s so smooth when he runs, and it’s just what popped into my head.) Mike graciously says that he knew he’d see me again. I gradually pull away from Mike as we head toward the slight rise and the turn onto Settle.

Mile 16 – 6:37 (1:48:21) [6:46.3] (Avg HR 165 / 83% HRR)
At this point, I’m feeling really good, and I’m reeling in one runner after another as we turn left onto Murray Road for an out-and-back and loop that provides one of the few opportunities on the course to see the runners ahead of and behind you. About halfway down Murray, I see the second female runner ahead of me come to a stop and sway a bit, holding her stomach. I pass her by, thinking that she doesn’t look good at all, and that Tanya and Mindy behind me will probably soon be in second and third. At about the same time, I see Coach Cox of the Earth Drummers. He gives me a cheer and a big thumbs up.

As we turn off Murray for a short loop, I pass the last in a series of runners and find myself running through the turns in the residential section of Mariemont with no one to follow. It is a bit disconcerting because it’s a section of the course that we always skip on our course runs. I’ve never run on these streets before. Potential wrong turns are all blocked off with traffic cones, but a few times I do yell out to volunteers and spectators to confirm that I’m taking the correct turns. As we head through the cheering crowds in Mariemont square, I feel like I’m leading the race, and I have to fight down a bit of emotion and remind myself that I still have 10 miles to go.

Mile 17 – 6:35 (1:54:56) [6:45.7] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR)
Mile 17 finds me back on Murray Road with outbound runners on the other side of the grass strip down the middle. At this point I finally see a runner ahead of me and have someone to chase. The mile finishes with a short stretch on the Murray Bike Trail.

Mile 18 – 6:55 (2:01:51) [6:46.2] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR)
The 18th mile includes a short, but very steep hill that is far and away the toughest on the course outside of the climb into Eden Park. This hill gets me in the calves every time I run the race course in training, and I take it so easy up the hill that my HR doesn’t even spike. The 18th mile concludes with the turn past the Frisch’s Mainliner onto Columbia Parkway. Mentally, this marks the beginning of the end of the course.

Mile 19 – 6:36 (2:08:27) [6:45.7] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR)
The 19th mile is the Columbia Parkway mile, and I am in a groove. I am pumped. My calves are hurting a little, but my energy is good, and I’m certainly not slowing down. I have three runners in my sights ahead of me, and I’m gaining on them. Anyone I can see at this point is going down. As I head down the ramp from Columbia Parkway onto Eastern Avenue, I see Coach Cox waving and cheering from his car as he heads downtown to the finish.

Mile 20 – 6:39 (2:15:07) [6:45.3] (Avg HR 165 / 83% HRR)
Mile 21 – 6:46 (2:21:53) [6:45.4] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR)
During mile 20, I pass the runners that I could see on Columbia Parkway, and I pass the final relay checkpoint. Just past the relay point, a runner passes me and quickly apologizes and exclaims that he’s just a relay runner, not to worry. (There are very few sub-3:00 relay teams, and it is the only time all day that I specifically recall a relay runner passing me.) When I hit mile 20 feeling good, I experience another moment of emotional elation, but I calm myself down and spend the next mile waiting to see my wife and kids who–if the kids cooperate–are supposed to be waiting for me at the end of mile 21 at the top of Airport Road. But when I arrive, I’m disappointed to not see them. (I find out later that they missed me by about 10 minutes.)

Mile 22 – 6:44 (2:28:37) [6:45.3] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR)
As I get closer to the end of the race, I lose track of how many runners I pass. There are a few, but there simply aren’t too many on the course ahead of me, and they’re all spread out. I know I pass a runner just before the zig-zag onto Stanley Avenue and then Riverside Drive. The end of mile 22 brings me to the true home stretch of the course.

Mile 23 – 6:38 (2:35:15) [6:45.0] (Avg HR 165 / 83% HRR) (short)
Mile 24 – 7:04 (2:42:19) [6:45.8] (Avg HR 166 / 84% HRR) (long)
By the 23rd mile, I am finally starting to hurt a bit more, but as long as nothing cramps up it’s late enough that I can gut it out. I suspect that the strong opening miles and all those sub-6:40 miles through Mariemont have me within striking distance of my sub-2:57 goal, but for the life of me I can’t do the math. Those darn 385 yards make it tough. But I know at this point that–barring an absolute collapse–I have a solid sub-3:00 in the bag.

Mile 25 – 6:58 (2:49:17) [6:46.3] (Avg HR 167 / 84% HRR)
This mile was tough, and the pace slips more than I realize. My HR doesn’t drop, so I’m giving a solid effort, but there is no one right in front of me to chase, and I mentally start to give up caring about a few seconds here or there.

Mile 26 – 6:36 (2:55:53) [6:45.9] (Avg HR 173 / 88% HRR)
When I hit the High Endurance Mile-to-go mat and clock at 25.22 miles, I finally have some easy math to do, and I decide that I need to run a final mile 6:26 to get 2:56:59. So I summon up energy for a final mile “sprint.” I watch my Garmin as I push through the final mile, and the best that I can do according to my Garmin is 6:30 pace. But Garmins can be off a few seconds, so I keep pushing. My HR hits (and passes) 170 bpm for the first time since leaving Eden Park. But mile 26–as any Pig veteran knows–includes one last short, moderately steep hill that costs me a few seconds, and when I hit the lap button at the 26-mile mark, my Garmin tells me that I ran the mile in 6:35 (point something).

Mile 26.21875 – 1:14 (2:57:07) [6:45.4] (Avg HR 177 / 91% HRR)
Second 1/2 – (1:28:03) [6:43.0]
Nothing has cramped up so far, so I keep my push going through the finish line. Distances are deceptive, and as I watch the finish line clock tick up past 2:56:35, I think I might still get my sub-2:57. But roughly 30 yards from the “Finish Swine,” I watch the clock tick over to 2:57. But I could hardly care less as I cross the finish line.

Finish – 2:57:07 (6:45.1) (Avg HR 162 / 81% HRR)
Just past the finish line, I run across my friend Chris and his wife, who both congratulate me on my time. A few minutes later, still in the finish area, I run into, first, Mike and then Mindy. They are both quite satisfied with their times, 2:59:24 and 2:59:42 respectively. Mindy told me that she finished third, with Tanya in second just ahead of her (2:59:31).

Posted results – 2:57:07 (6:45 pace) (33rd overall of 4,028) (2nd of 373 in M35-39)

Another day of resting sore calves

2009-05-05T09:11:00.003-04:00

By last night, 36 hours post race, my quads had progressed from barely sorely to moderately sore. They hadn't quite caught up with my calves, but I could feel them a little walking, and when I tried to use The Stick to massage them, I had to go easy on the pressure. But my calves were still far more annoying getting around. By contrast, my hamstrings were hardly sore at all. I could use full pressure on them with The Stick with only a vague soreness. And I had no hip or glute soreness at all, both positives.

Not much has changed this morning. My calves are still pretty darn sore and tight. My quads are still moderately sore. Everything else feels good. I'm taking the day off from running as planned, and I'll wait at least one more day before heading out for a long walk or easy bike ride. My calves are still just too sore for it to be a good idea, even if I'm antsy to get outside.

Race Splits

2009-05-04T11:24:00.008-04:00

Mile – Time (Split) [Average] (Avg HR / % HRR)
Mile 1 – 6:51 (6:51) [6:50.8] (Avg HR 143 / 68% HRR)
Mile 2 – 6:36 (13:27) [6:43.6] (Avg HR 161 / 80% HRR)
Mile 3 – 6:50 (20:18) [6:45.9] (Avg HR 162 / 81% HRR)
Mile 4 – 6:48 (27:05) [6:46.4] (Avg HR 158 / 78% HRR)
Mile 5 – 6:38 (33:43) [6:44.6] (Avg HR 162 / 81% HRR)
Mile 6 – 6:48 (40:31) [6:45.1] (Avg HR 160 / 80% HRR)
Mile 7 – 7:17 (47:47) [6:49.6] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR) (big hill)
Mile 8 – 7:00 (54:47) [6:50.9] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR) (hill)
Mile 9 – 6:49 (1:01:36) [6:50.7] (Avg HR 161 / 80% HRR)
Mile 10 – 6:53 (1:08:29) [6:50.9] (Avg HR 158 / 78% HRR) (long)
Mile 11 – 6:14 (1:14:42) [6:47.5] (Avg HR 157 / 78% HRR) (short)
Mile 12 – 6:46 (1:21:28) [6:47.3] (Avg HR 158 / 78% HRR)
Mile 13 – 6:54 (1:28:22) [6:47.8] (Avg HR 159 / 79% HRR) (long)
First 1/2 – (1:29:04) [6:47.6]

Mile 14 – 6:45 (1:35:07) [6:47.7] (Avg HR 159 / 79% HRR)
Mile 15 – 6:37 (1:41:44) [6:46.9] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR)
Mile 16 – 6:37 (1:48:21) [6:46.3] (Avg HR 165 / 83% HRR)
Mile 17 – 6:35 (1:54:56) [6:45.7] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR)
Mile 18 – 6:55 (2:01:51) [6:46.2] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR) (hill)
Mile 19 – 6:36 (2:08:27) [6:45.7] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR)
Mile 20 – 6:39 (2:15:07) [6:45.3] (Avg HR 165 / 83% HRR)
Mile 21 – 6:46 (2:21:53) [6:45.4] (Avg HR 164 / 82% HRR) (incline)
Mile 22 – 6:44 (2:28:37) [6:45.3] (Avg HR 163 / 82% HRR)
Mile 23 – 6:38 (2:35:15) [6:45.0] (Avg HR 165 / 83% HRR) (short)
Mile 24 – 7:04 (2:42:19) [6:45.8] (Avg HR 166 / 84% HRR) (long)
Mile 25 – 6:58 (2:49:17) [6:46.3] (Avg HR 167 / 84% HRR)
Mile 26 – 6:36 (2:55:53) [6:45.9] (Avg HR 173 / 88% HRR)
Mile 26.21875 – 1:16 (2:57:09) [6:45.4] (Avg HR 177 / 91% HRR)
Second 1/2 – (1:28:05) [6:43.1]

Finish – 2:57:09 (6:45.4) (Avg HR 162 / 81% HRR)

Garmin data on Motionbased.com

2009-05-04T10:08:00.004-04:00

I've uploaded my Garmin data to Motionbased.com to help me work on my race report. (Plus, I like the maps and charts.) If anyone is interested, here is a link to the raw data and charts.

One thing, I should note...by default, Motionbased recalculates the distance run when you upload data. For this race Motionbased took the 26.37 miles that the Garmin reported and increased that to 26.47.

It's all about the calves

2009-05-04T09:25:00.003-04:00

Doing my physical self-assessment last night before bed, it was all about the second toe on my right foot and my left calf. The toe was badly bruised and didn't like rubbing against anything or having weight put on it. And even though my right calf was tighter during the race, it was my left calf that really tightened up during the afternoon.

As of this morning, the toe is much better, and my right calf has completely caught up with the left. So now both calves are quite tight and moderately sore. I think the rest of my legs are vaguely sore, but it's hard for the brain to register minor discomfort when there's a competing source of moderate discomfort on the same extremity.

Coach sent over a three week post-marathon recovery schedule last night, and it's very much in line with what I already had planned, including five days completely off from running. I may get in some walking or light biking as the week progresses, but I won't be pounding the pavement until Saturday morning.

2:57:07 in the (half marathon) results

2009-05-04T09:18:00.004-04:00

As of 9:15 a.m. this morning, I am listed in the results under my replacement bib number 20027 with a finish time of 2:57:11. The problem is that the replacement chip and bib they gave me were for the half marathon, so I am currently showing up in the half marathon results. They're probably still working on it, but I submitted another question using their feedback form reminding them that I actually ran the full marathon.

I'm also not convinced that 2:57:11 isn't my gun time. At the moment, my 6.8-mile split (the only intermediate timing mat the half marathoners crossed) isn't showing up either. So they may not have pulled the start line or intermediate mat times yet.

But they're still working on things. The age groups assignments are messed up across both races and are being fixed. I'm listed as M25-29. My friend Mike was initially M50-54, but his result has now been corrected to M40-44. An 87-year-old Flying Pig streaker was listed as M30-34.

Update: As of 11:30 a.m., they have changed my time to 2:57:07, probably my chip time, but I'm still in the half marathon results.

Update: I received an email at 3:31 p.m. from a "Mike" stating that "I have updated your results and will post soon." As of 6:10 p.m., they have still not posted any new results, so the email has just made me more anxious. The total number of marathon finisher results stands at 4,014.

2:57:09 (with a chip change)

2009-05-03T11:07:00.005-04:00

I'm anxious to dive into some ice cream and a bath, but I wanted to report that I had a great race today once I overcame my stupidity. I somehow misplaced my chip envelope between my bedroom and downtown, and, after getting downtown, when I pulled my stuff out of my bag to get it, it wasn't there. In a panic, I asked a volunteer and eventually found a tent where they gave me a replacement chip with a different bib number (20027). I ran the race with that chip (but with the new bib, which was a half marathon bib) folded up in my pocket.

So I'm not in the online race results as of this moment, not under 2390 or 20027. But I heard my chip register on all the chip mats, and they'll get it straightened out later. The chip change guy recorded my old bib number and new bib number on a sheet of paper on a clipboard. Who knows when they'll get around to making the swaps.

Based on my own watch, I ran a 2:57:09, with half splits of 1:29:04 and 1:28:05. It was probably the most painful marathon I've ever run. I'll try to get a more detailed report up tomorrow with splits and HR data, but my average HR was much lower overall than at Boston a year ago (162 vs 167).

Race morning

2009-05-03T04:45:00.003-04:00

Race morning is here, cool at 57°F, but not quite as cool as forecast, with light rain falling, but with no appreciable wind.

So it look likes we're going to be dealing with race temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50's, with off-and-on light rain, and no significant wind. It's not perfect, but it's shouldn't hamper anything except the post-race parties.

I've downed my traditional pre-race breakfast, and I'm now calming sipping Gatorade before I head out the door. I'm feeling good, and I'm nervously, cautiously optimistic.

Expo day, carbo-loading (two days to go)

2009-05-01T07:48:00.004-04:00

The Flying Pig is just two days away, which means that today is the first day of the Flying Pig Marathon Expo at the Convention Center. It runs from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. today, and I hope to head downtown at lunchtime and get it out of the way. I should have plenty of time to get back to pick Garrett up from school at 3:10 p.m.

Yesterday afternoon, I completed my last real run before the Pig. I ran just over four miles in Norwood, with four relaxed 10-second strides thrown into the third mile. The strides weren't all-out; they were probably at 5K race pace instead of the usual mile race pace. Yesterday morning was cloudy, and it rained steadily for a while around noon, but by the time I headed out, the sun was peaking out, just like it did on Wednesday. It made for a very steamy run.

Thursday's recovery run: 4.13 miles, 32:03, 7:46/mile, Avg HR 136 (63% HRR), 71°F, cloudy-sunny

I'm planning a very short shake-out run on Saturday morning, no more than two miles.

I went a little heavier than usual on the carbs yesterday, but I'm really concentrating on them today. The goal for the day is ~2,500 calories, with as many carbs as I can manage, at least 70%.

Breakfast was easy. I had two packets of instant grits when I first got up (200 calories). Then I made two servings of pancakes using the Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk pancake mix (300 calories). Add in 1/4-cup of lite syrup (100 calories), and I've eaten 600 calories, with 134g of carbs, 12g of protein, and 3g of fat. So far, that's 87% carbs.

A cool morning, possibly rainy

2009-04-30T09:17:00.002-04:00

The weather forecasts still disagree on whether or not Sunday morning will be rainy, but the temperature has settled into a nice range.

From AccuWeather.com:

Sunday morning low of 47°F
Sunday high of 63°F, mostly cloudy

From Weather.com:

Sunday morning low of 52°F
Sunday high of 72°F, showers (40%)

From Local TV Channel 9, WCPO.com:

Sunday morning low of 48°F
Sunday high of 65°F, showers (40%)

And, finally, from the National Weather Service hourly forecast:

Sunday, 6:00 a.m. - 48°F, 52% chance rain, wind 8 mph NNE
Sunday, 7:00 a.m. - 48°F, 50% chance rain, wind 8 mph NNE
Sunday, 8:00 a.m. - 50°F, 50% chance rain, wind 8 mph NNE
Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - 52°F, 49% chance rain, wind 8 mph NNE
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 55°F, 48% chance rain, wind 8 mph NNE

All this means is that the weather shouldn't be a factor in the race. A little light rain is not going to do anything except put a damper on the post-race festivities.

Running down the home stretch

2009-04-30T08:52:00.004-04:00

We are definitely in the home stretch. Three days from this very moment, I hope to be running down Eastern Avenue toward the finish line of the Flying Pig Marathon. All the meaningful training is done. All that's left is a couple of shake-out runs—four miles today and two on Saturday morning—three days of carbo-loading, and a bit of laundry.

I took Monday off this week as planned, but on Tuesday evening, I headed down to the University of Cincinnati for one last workout with the Earth Drummers. It was a very light, get-the-legs-moving workout. We ran our usual campus loop warm-up, did some dynamic stretching, ran two relaxed 100m strides, did our drills, and ran two more relaxed 100m strides before starting the short workout. The prescribed workout was 4 x 3:00 @ LT / 1:30 jog, but for the sake of convenience, we turned it into 800's. Normally, my LT pace is 6:00-6:10 or so, and maybe a bit faster for cruise intervals, but on this day, I erred on the cautious side and settled in with a group running 800's in 3:10. After running the first lap too quick, we settled into a groove and hit our targets pretty well the rest of the way. The battery in my HR monitor picked Tuesday to die, so I don't have any HR data, but the effort at 6:20 pace was very comfortable. After the workout, we ran a cool-down backwards on the track.

Tuesday's track workout: 7.25 miles, 52:47, 7:17/mile, No HR Data, 71°F, cloudy

During the workout I talked to one of the young ladies who is running the Pig on Sunday. She has a 2:54 lifetime PR and, just like me, hopes to run something in the 2:54-2:58 range. We both plan to start conservatively, so if it feels comfortable, we may stick together for a while. But while our time goals are similar, she wants to win the race. The same time might place me in the top forty or fifty men.

Yesterday afternoon, I hit the track for a relaxed run. It had been cloudy all morning, and it was supposed to rain more. But just before I hit the track, the sun came out, and the temperature jumped dramatically, hitting 76°F, compared to the forecast high of 69°F. The run was very comfortable and almost effortless, even with the higher humidity.

Wednesday's recovery run: 6.0 miles, 46:41, 7:47/mile, Avg HR 134 (62% HRR), 76°F, sunny

Flying Pig Weather Obsession (Day One)

2009-04-27T09:06:00.004-04:00

The forecasts, as of this morning, are pretty good:

From AccuWeather.com:

Sunday morning low of 42°F
Sunday high of 65°, cloudy

From Weather.com:

Sunday morning low of 45°F
Sunday high of 74°F, thunder showers (60%)

From Local TV Channel 9, WCPO.com:

Sunday morning low of 42°F
Sunday high of 63°F, partly sunny

Those predictions are much better than a couple of days ago, when the forecast was for much warmer conditions. The race starts at 6:30 a.m., so we'll be close to the morning lows at the start. Assuming I'm finished before 9:30 a.m., it won't have time to warm up too much.

On track with six days to go

2009-04-27T07:33:00.003-04:00

I've made it to another Monday rest day with my legs feeling a world better than they did a week ago. With a light schedule for the rest of the week, I can now turn my attention to obsessing over the weather.

On Friday, I waited until after the kids got home from school and headed down to the track to test out the legs and run in the heat. It was sunny and 83°F, but with a 20 mph wind, it didn't feel as bad as it could have. My legs felt good the entire way, especially once I got the rust off of them. (I had only run 10 miles in the previous five days.) The only area of concern after the run was my right calf. It was a little tight. And after my experience in December, the last thing I want during my marathon taper is a calf issue. My HR was a bit elevated due to the heat, but I expected that.

Friday's easy run: 6.0 miles, 45:52, 7:39/mile, Avg HR 140 (66% HRR), 83°F, sunny, windy

Saturday morning was the usual six-mile run with the ECHO group. I started off very conservatively and comfortably, but it turned into a nice progression run with each mile faster than the previous: 8:23, 8:15, 8:07, 7:58, 7:46, 7:22. It was a warm and muggy morning, and, although my HR was really low for the first couple of miles, it was a bit higher (relative to pace) by the end. My right calf wasn't any worse than on Friday, but it was still a bit tight.

Saturday's ECHO run: 6.0 miles, 47:51, 7:58/mile, Avg HR 135 (63% HRR), 69°F

Saturday night, I wore my Straussberg Sock to bed to see if stretching out my calf at night would help. In addition, I spent Saturday evening and Sunday morning massaging and foam rolling my right calf. By Sunday afternoon, when I headed out for my run in the heat of the day (2:30 p.m.), it's fair to say that I was obsessed with my calf. To the point that I couldn't tell you whether it was still sore or not. It was certainly tingling and was perhaps throbbing a little bit, but I could make my right forearm tingle and throb if I massaged it non-stop for two days. So while I debated taking the day off, I decided to give it a test and to stop if it still bothered me on the run.

I'm happy to report that the calf felt perfectly fine the whole way. There was no tightness or soreness at all while running.

The run itself was interesting. My legs felt fresh, and I felt good, and my first mile out of the chute came in at 7:27. My HR was pace appropriate the first mile, but it quickly rose to ridiculous levels compared to my perceived exertion. My pace was in the 7:20's, and my perceived effort level was reasonable for the pace. But over my five miles outbound on the bike trail, my HR climbed through the 140's and 150's and hit the 160's. I ran 36:56 (7:23/mile) for the five miles outbound. To make sure that I was able to finish the run safely, I took a moment at the turn-around to guzzle water, fill my bottle, and rest in the shade for two minutes.

The five miles heading back actually felt better than the first five miles, because I was running into a light wind instead of with it. The result was that while my HR was still high, it stayed in the high 150's most of the way. I ran 36:18 (7:16/mile) for the five miles southbound.

Sunday's medium run: 10.0 miles, 1:13:14 (7:19/mile), Avg HR 159 (79% HRR), 88°F, sunny

That HR just looks ridiculous, but it was entirely a product of the heat. Aerobically, it was a fairly easy run. But the heat was remarkable for April. (According to weather.com, the highest reading ever recorded for any day in April is 90°F, also on April 26, 1986.)

Post-massage rest day (10 days to go)

2009-04-23T10:53:00.003-04:00

It is amazing what a difference a skilled massage therapist can make. I spent a grueling hour yesterday having countless knots wrung out of my legs. According to the therapist, my left hamstring was "a mess." And there were a lot of "granules" in my left IT band. And in general, she said that she never remembered having to deal with so many trigger points. (But she's used to seeing me every five weeks.) There wasn't a single area of my legs in which she didn't find knots that she had to work out, and my legs took her the entire hour. She suggested icing so many places after I got home that I just took an ice bath instead. It was a teeth-chattering 15 minutes, but it made sure that I covered everything.

The result is that my legs feel great today. There is a little vague soreness if I massage the spot in my left hamstring that was the worst yesterday. And there is some vague soreness in one spot in my right calf where she found a troublesome knot. But everything feels much better. Both sets of hamstrings feel much looser, and I'm no longer worried about recovering adequately for the Pig. I'm not going to overdo it, but I feel good and I still have 10 days to go.

I'm sticking with my plan to take today off to allow the massage-induced trauma to heal. After today, I'm planning roughly the following schedule:

Fri - 6 miles easy
Sat - 6 miles with 3 miles at GMP
Sun - 10 miles easy
Mon - Rest
Tue - 8 (or less) with [(4 x 100 relaxed strides / 100 jog) + (4 x 3:00 @ LT / 400 jog)]
Wed - 6 easy
Thu - 4 with 4 x 10-second relaxed strides in middle / full recovery
Fri - Rest
Sat - 0 to 3 miles easy
Sun - 26.21875 miles at GMP

Feeling better

2009-04-22T12:04:00.003-04:00

Overall, my legs felt much better this morning, both on first impression when I woke up and on my mid-morning run at the track. This afternoon is supposed to be rainy again, but this morning it was sunny and breezy, with the temperature rising quickly from the high 30's at sunrise to the low 50's by the time I started running.

From the first mile, my pace was comfortably under 8:00, as I felt much less stiff than yesterday. Most of the soreness in my left hamstring was gone this morning, and I didn't feel anything at all from it on the run. In fact, I felt pretty good.

Wednesday's recovery run: 6.0 miles, 46:48, 7:48/mile, Avg HR 136 (63% HRR), 52°F, sunny, breezy

After the run, I took a hot bath and massaged my legs with The Stick. I have a sports massage scheduled for this afternoon. I'm going to stick with my plan and take tomorrow off to consolidate the benefits of the massage. I plan to run both Friday and Saturday, but the distances and paces are up in the air. I'll decide when I get there.

Rat Race results change

2009-04-22T09:09:00.006-04:00

Although I was the fourth man who ran 10 kilometers to cross the finish line and was fourth in the initial results, it appears that I was the third registered runner to actually run the 10K and cross the finish line. David, who actually ran the 10K and passed me in the last mile, was not registered. And "Tom Yu," who was initially listed as the third place finisher did not run the 10K. I assume he ran the 5K.

On Monday evening, the race timer sent out an email with a link to the results and race photos and asked for corrections. It was clear that there were problems. The woman listed as the female winner, seventh overall in a fast time, was clearly not. The man listed as third was not David; and, looking at the photos, I knew that he ("Tom Yu") had not run the 10K. (It was an out and back; and I know who was in the top seven or so.) And David, clearly shown finishing just ahead of me in the photos, was not in the results.

So I emailed the race timer and pointed this out, that David finished third, not Tom Yu. He confirmed my observations, but said that David had no bib on and was not registered for the race. I got an email yesterday that I was now the third place finisher and could pick up my award (whatever that is).

I still find it odd that David would bandit the race. David is an accomplished masters runner. It's even stranger that he wouldn't tell me afterwards when we talked. He knew that he had passed me for third. I wish I had an email address for him to confirm that he really wasn't in the race.

Earth Drummers

2009-04-21T19:57:00.003-04:00

After dropping by the Earth Drummers team meeting last night, I exchanged a few emails with the coach today, and I committed to joining the team starting May 1. I haven't yet run a qualifying time for the "Emerging Elite" class yet, so I'll just be a "Club" runner initially. But it should just be a matter of time.

I just need the right race to meet the 15K (58:00) or half marathon times (1:23:30). And I think the 5K (17:30) and marathon (2:54:xx) times would be reachable on a perfect day. The 10K time (36:00) is currently out of reach, but it seems much faster than any of the others.

I'm also not far from hitting the "Elite" times for Men 40-44. They're only slightly tougher than the open "Emerging Elite" times:

17:10 for 5K
35:40 for 10K
56:10 for 15K
1:20:45 for a half, and
2:48:xx for a marathon.

The 2010 Heart Mini 15K is on my 40th birthday, so my first goal as a master is to beat that standard.

I've also rearranged my always tentative race calendar to reflect some of the races that the team is targeting this year: the Columbus 10K on June 7; the Hyde Park Blast 4M on June 26; the Columbus Running Company Mile Dash on July 11; the Thanksgiving Day Race 10K; and the USATF National Club Cross Country Championship in Lexington, KY on December 12.

Since I added the Chicago Marathon to the calendar, I went ahead and took the Houston Marathon off. I originally had it on the schedule as my post JFK 50 marathon. With the JFK off the table, there's no good reason to squeeze it in.

Hail, hail, hail, hail

2009-04-21T19:38:00.002-04:00

I tried after lunch to get out for an easy run, but it was storming, so I waited. It cleared for a bit, and the sun started to come out. So I headed down to the track. Literally, as I reached to start my watch, it started raining. With dark clouds again obscuring the sun, I headed back to the car to wait. Within a few minutes, it was pouring rain and then hailing. 20 minutes later, the sun was out again. Another five minutes later it was sprinkling and then pouring and then hailing again. By this time, it was too late for me to run before I had to get Cedar from preschool, so I just sat in the car reading and watching a third cycle of rain and hail pour through.

After my wife got home from work, I headed down to the track again. I was a bit stiff the first mile (8:22), but I felt better as I loosened up. After the second mile (8:03), I shed my pants and windbreaker because the sun had started to come out and I was overheating. The third mile (7:47) felt good, and I turned around to start the fourth. After two laps, it started raining, getting harder every step I took. By the last lap of the fourth mile (7:34), it was hailing again. I took the hail as a sign and called it a day. There was no purpose to be served by sitting in my car and waiting to see if I could squeeze in a few more miles.

Overall, my legs feel mostly normal today. My right hamstring and left calf have just the vaguest feeling of tightness. I'm not worried about them. My left hamstring, though, still has some soreness. It's less than yesterday, but there's still a spot halfway up that is pretty sore if I massage it. I think it's in the middle of the long head of the biceps femoris. I'm going to be extra careful the next two weeks and hope it heals well. It's not a spot where I've had any trouble before.

Tuesday's recovery run: 4.0 miles, 31:46, 7:57/mile, Avg HR 132 (61% HRR), 50°F, windy, rain, hail

Boston Marathon Monday

2009-04-20T08:24:00.002-04:00

Today is Boston Marathon Monday, and it's another rest day for me. It's now around 38 hours post race, so I'm probably at peak post-race muscle soreness. At this point, the left hamstring is a 3.5 on my 0 to 10 scale; the right hamstring is around a 1.5; and the left calf is probably a 1.0. The way the brain works, the latter two are barely noticeable compared to the left hamstring. I have to consciously think about them or massage them to tell that they're a bit sore.

The good news on the left hamstring is that the soreness is in the middle of the hamstring, halfway up the leg. It's not up at the top, where I had issues two years ago.

I may go for a walk this afternoon if the rain's not too bad.

In the meantime, I'm waiting anxiously for the start of the Boston Marathon. I have my fingers crossed, hoping for good performances from Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher and all my local running buddies.

Two rest days

2009-04-19T20:16:00.002-04:00

I'll try to post a longer race report tomorrow, but I can say that I decided after the race last night to take today and tomorrow off. During the last half of the race, my left calf felt very tight. In fact, it hurt a bit. And, yes, it spooked me slightly after my experience in December.

But the good news is that it's not very sore today at all, only ever so slightly. Both hamstrings are also a tiny bit sore, the left possibly a bit more than the right.

I think the left leg still had some residual fatigue/muscle damage from two weeks ago. I took one day off each of the last two weeks, but otherwise I just barreled right through and ran pretty hard. So, in an abundance of caution, I'm going to take two days to rest. I'd rather take it now than have to take several days off next week because my calf is still bothering me.

That was the mistake I made after the Thanksgiving Day Race. I tried to run the day after the race and gave up after two minutes. I made it through the six-mile group run on Saturday, but then gave up after four minutes on Sunday. I ran six days the next week, all six miles or less because my calves still didn't feel quite right. And they continued to feel not quite right until my marathon. I suspect that if I had taken a couple of days off after the Thanksgiving Day Race, I might have had a better experience at Rocket City.

And my left calf today feels nothing like my calves did then. If the Pig weren't 14 days away, I wouldn't have hesitated to run today.

Chicago Marathon

2009-04-19T19:35:00.004-04:00

OK. Spur of the moment change of plans. My wife and I were talking this evening about our racing plans for the fall. It took lots of unexpected twists and turns, and by the end of the conversation, I decided to register for the Chicago Marathon. And since it could very well fill up this week (even tomorrow), I registered tonight.

Pluses for Chicago:

1. There's lots of company around 2:50.
2. I can start in Corral A (based on my 3:03 at Boston 2008).
3. There are at least four other ECHO runners headed up.
4. There are 14 weeks between Chicago and Houston.
5. I can register for Marshall (three weeks later) at the last minute if Chicago has hot weather yet again.
6. Other than the $125 registration fee, it's not an expensive trip.

Now I just need to figure out the rest of my schedule. Is there a summer half marathon I want to run? Do I still want to run the Mill Race Race 15K? It would be my last tune-up race, 15 days out. (I ran a 10M race 15 days before Boston 2007.)

Race good—report short

2009-04-18T20:44:00.005-04:00

Hour late. Me tired. Kids tired. Bed time.

Race good. Me happy. Fourth place. PR. 37:08. Sunny, hot, humid next to river.

More tomorrow.

Race day

2009-04-18T07:00:00.005-04:00

This would be an absolutely perfect morning for a race. At 7:00 a.m., it is 40°F with a 2 mph wind. The forecast is for 44°F and no wind at 8 a.m. and 49°F with 1 mph wind at 9 a.m. Mais hélas, the race is at 5:30 p.m., at which time the forecast is for 75°F and 6 mph.

But on the plus side... It is not humid, with an afternoon dew point in the 40's. After a sunny morning, it is supposed to be "mostly cloudy" by race time. The last five miles of the 10K are on a shaded bike trail. And, though it surprised me looking at my log, my last three Tuesday-night workouts with the Earth Drummers were at 75°F, 70°-64°F, and 72°F (March 10, 17, and 24).

So, all in all, not terrible conditions for a race.

Some benchmarks and goals, in order:

1. Don't injure anything.
2. Finish strong.
3. Run 37:35 (6:03 pace) (a PR).
4. Run 37:16 (5:59.8 pace).
5. Run 37:05 (5:58 pace) (the McMillan equivalent of my 17:51 5K).
6. Run 36:59 (5:57 pace).
7. Run 36:40 (5:54 pace) (the McMillan equivalent of my 17:39 5K).

For what it's worth, despite not running yesterday and despite eating well (about 2,200 calories), the scale said 149.5# this morning. That's a full 80# lower than my first recorded weight of 229.5# in March 2004 (and only slightly less than both of my kids weigh put together). (If I go all the way back to 1995, right after law school and the bar exam, the highest that I can recall was 236#. In between, I got under 200#, but then I gained most of it back during my stint in politics.)

Encore une fois

2009-04-17T13:49:00.005-04:00

The last two days I ran 7.31 and 8.0 miles. Both runs felt good, but last night's run at Lunken was another exceptionally low HR run. Factor in a couple of short, steep hills; the 15-degree warmer temps; and the bright sunshine; and it was practically a HR repeat of Tuesday's run.

Wednesday's recovery run: 7.31 miles, 57:24, 7:51/mile, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 47°F, breezy, cloudy

Thursday's easy run: 8.0 miles, 1:01:07, 7:38/mile, Avg HR 136 (64% HRR), 66°F, sunny

Friday: Scheduled rest day

I don't talk about weight much on here, because it's not something I focus on any more, but I hit 150.0# this morning for the first time ever. Five years ago this week, I was at 225.0# (down from 229.5#), exactly 50% more than I weighed this morning.

For what it's worth, I've lost weight slowly, nothing like you see on The Biggest Loser. I lost 28# in 2004, 19# in 2005, and 17# in 2006. That was the bulk of it, 64#, with my weight hitting 165.5# for my first BQ in November. No one makes a TV show about someone losing 1.5 pounds per month.

Since then, I've lost a few pounds each training cycle. I hit 160# before Boston in 2007, 157# in fall 2007, 155# before Boston last year, 153# last fall, and now 150# before the Pig. At 5'11", even with a small frame, I don't think I can lose too much more. At some point, I will hit bottom.

(I used to justify some of my excess weight by saying that I had broad shoulders and big bones. But when I started having to buy 28"x34" pants, I had to admit that I have a thin frame. And, yes, the pants are hard to find.)

Fading stiffness, fast "jogging"

2009-04-15T09:37:00.007-04:00

In my post on Sunday, I mentioned that I was heading out to do some leisurely trail running. And that was certainly my intention. I donned my trail shoes and printed out a trail map for the northern half of Mt. Airy Forest.

But as I trotted out to my car, I realized that I was very stiff. I knew I had a bit of soreness in my calves, but I didn't realize that my knees and hips and everything was creaky until I broke into a jog. Other than my calves, I wasn't really sore. I was just stiff. So I quickly changed my mind and headed down to the track for a really easy jog. My energy level was good, the weather was nice, my HR was ridiculously low for the run, and I barely broke a sweat; but after a quick four miles to get loosened up, I called it a day.

Sunday's recovery jog: 4.0 miles, 33:06, 8:16/mile, Avg HR 126 (57% HRR), 51°F, sunny

I felt much better running on Monday. If anything, I had a bit of muscle soreness that wasn't there on Sunday, but the stiffness was gone. I ran seven miles clockwise out-and-back on the Lunken airport bike trail, starting at the old terminal building.

Monday's easy run: 7.0 miles, 55:06, 7:52/mile, Avg HR 138 (65% HRR), 57°F, cloudy

Last night, I headed over to Miamiville to run my now-traditional stretch of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. I wore a thin long-sleeved shirt and shorts, but the clouds had thickened, the breeze had picked up, and the temperature had dropped from the 60°F it hit earlier in the afternoon. So I initially regretted not wearing gloves or a heavier shirt. But once I got to running, I was pretty comfortable. My only concern was that I would freeze if it started raining. But the rain held off, starting to sprinkle only as I drove home.

I was determined to run very easy last night, and I set a HR target around 138 (65% HRR). I wanted to rest my legs up as much as I could for the Rat Race 10K on Saturday. (I planned to register for the race after the run, as long as it went well.) What I didn't expect was that my HR would stay freakishly low the whole run, especially at the beginning, when I started out at close to 8:00/mile and saw my HR settle in the 120's. Even for the second mile, run in 7:45, it averaged 129 bpm. I found that I had to run mile three in 7:30 to average 135 bpm for the mile. So I ran the rest of the way in the 7:30's, with my HR hovering in the 135-138 range. It really did feel effortless. I felt like I was jogging, pitty-patting my feet in a fast cadence and short stride length.

Tuesday's medium run: 12.25 miles, 1:32:48, 7:35/mile, Avg HR 134 (62% HRR), 54°F-51°F, cloudy, breezy

I don't know what to make of Tuesday's run. If I graphed the HR-to-pace ratio for all my recent runs, it would definitely be an outlier. If I had to guess, I'd say that it's a combination of three things: (1) increased fitness, (2) cool temperatures and light clothing, and (3) Saturday's long run. I've noticed in the past that I sometimes have a depressed HR for a few days after a hard aerobic effort, whether it's a long run or one of the heat-acclimation runs I've tried a few times.

Regardless, I did register for the Rat Race 10K after I got home. I plan to run easy today and tomorrow and take Friday off. The race is Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m.

There were some relatively fast times last year, with the winner at 34:38 and two guys at 35:19, but they weren't very deep. Only nine guys broke 40:00. But the race has gotten more competitive over its first three years, and I hope that trend continues. I don't want to get stuck in no-man's land between a 36:00 runner and a 38:00 runner. 10 seconds per mile is too much to compromise either way.

Ideally, I'd like to run sub-37, but I'll be happy with any PR (sub-37:36 / 6:03 pace). I hope to find someone running 5:50-6:00 pace at the start and stick with him.

Update: Based on the course description on the Rat Race website, it appears that they are using this USATF certified 10K course (OH04062PR). It was originally certified for the 2004 Loveland River Run. It uses a one-mile loop on city streets to stretch everyone out before heading onto the bike trail for an out and back.

Marathon shoes again

2009-04-12T10:13:00.002-04:00

I discovered this morning that I ran in the wrong shoes yesterday. I was cleaning up a corner of my bedroom cluttered with running stuff and found a bag I brought back from the half last Sunday. Inside the bag were my current pair of ASICS Gel-Hyper Speed 2 flats. The ones that I ran the half in.

But then what did I run the 20 miles in yesterday...? So I checked my closet. Sure enough, they were the pair of flats that I retired last August with well over 300 miles on them. And since last August I've been wearing them around as sneakers.

So if I can make it through a fast 20 miles in worn-out flats, surely I can make it through in a brand spankin' new pair with only 25 miles on them.

On the other hand, my calves are a little bit sore this morning. They're not bad, and I'm about to head out for a trail run, but there is a bit of DOMS. (Probably from running in worn out flats.) Otherwise, though, my legs and feet feel good. If anything, my quads feel better than they did on Thursday and Friday. The soreness in the top of my quads is gone.

Marathon shoes

2009-04-11T20:32:00.005-04:00

I also conducted a shoe test today, running the 20 miles in my ASICS Gel-Hyper Speed 2 (6.6 oz) racing flats. I've run as far as 15 to 17 miles in them on several occasions, including several half marathons and the two Heart 5K + 15K doubles, but I don't think I've ever just run a long run in them until today.

But they held up quite well. My feet, calves, and legs felt just fine in them. And I'm now leaning toward running the Pig in a new pair of ASICS Gel-Hyper Speed 3 ($75, 6.9 oz) racing flats that I just ordered this week. I should have time to get one medium run in them next weekend to make sure they fit right, but they're supposed to be essentially the same shoe.

My other choice is to stick with the 8.1 oz Adidas Adizero CS. I have 513.2 miles on one pair that I'm still running in, but I have another pair that I ran Rocket City in in December, and they have only 55.9 miles on them. I haven't run in them since Rocket City. (In fact, they still have the timing D-Tag on them.)

I've done a lot of long runs in the CS, and it is a great shoe. Unfortunately, it has also been discontinued, with the Adidas Adizero Adios ($110, 7.4 oz) and Adidas Adizero Ace ($80, 7.7 oz) being the closest replacements. I'll probably try the Ace when I need to replace my last pair of CS.

Before Rocket City, I had run my marathons going back to 2006 in the ASICS Gel-Speedstar (9.0 oz) or ASICS Gel-Speedstar 2 (8.9 oz). My last pair of the Speedstar 2 have 325.8 miles on them, and it won't be too long before I need to buy a pair of the ASICS Gel-Speedstar 3 ($85, 8.8 oz) to replace them. But I've retired them from racing marathons in favor of lighter shoes.

Last long run in the books

2009-04-11T20:03:00.006-04:00

After two recovery days, I felt better this morning, just in time for the traditional ECHO Last Long Run on the Course. The Flying Pig course, to be more specific. We met downtown at Sawyer Point at 7:00 a.m. for a group photo and then ran the Pig course, minus the early bridges, minus the western downtown loop, and minus one tiny section at the eastern end out in Mariemont.

I didn't intend to run fast today at all, but I ended up pairing up with Mike Rioux, my best competition in the ECHO group, and I think we pushed each other faster than we would have gone on our own. But it felt good, and, if you go by HR, it wasn't ridiculous. Overall, the pace matched my fastest 20+-mile long run ever (7:18/mile), and my average HR was only 151 (74% HRR), much better than the average HR of 158 (78% HRR) for the 7:18/mile 21-miler I ran on the Pig Course last September. (It was 57°-63°F that morning compared to 41°-43°F today, but that would only make a slight difference.)

Sunday's long run: 20.0 miles, 2:26:03, 7:18/mile, Avg HR 151 (74% HRR), 41°-43°F, sunny

As Mike and I came down Eastern at the end, we picked it up for the last four miles. It was Mike's doing, but I went along. In fact, I had gapped Mike a bit over the previous couple miles, and I thought Mike was tiring. But then, with four miles to go, I heard Mike coming up behind me fast. Just like that my pace went from 7:20 the previous mile to...

Mile 16: 7:20 (Avg 153 / 75% HRR)
Mile 17: 6:50 (Avg 161 / 80% HRR)
Mile 18: 6:48 (Avg 162 / 81% HRR)
Mile 19: 6:38 (Avg 165 / 83% HRR)
Mile 20: 6:27 (Avg 169 / 86% HRR)

The most encouraging part is that my HR was right where I would want it to be for those paces in a marathon. Over the course of a marathon, I expect my HR to range from the low 160's at the beginning to the high 160's in the final stretch. (I averaged 167 bpm at Boston a year ago, but I would expect it to be closer to 165 on a more traditional course.)

Mike are I are both looking for something sub-3 at the Pig. We're both looking to start off conservatively through the hills and then see what we have. So I expect we may start off together.

Running in the rain

2009-04-11T19:52:00.003-04:00

On Thursday and Friday, I managed two easy recovery runs. I had planned eight miles on Thursday and nine miles on Friday, but I got started late on Thursday and barely had time to get seven miles in before picking up Cedar from preschool. But it was just as well, because my legs were tired.

Thursday's recovery run: 7.0 miles, 54:50, 7:50/mile, Avg HR 139 (66% HRR), 62°F, sunny

On Friday, the top part of my quads were still a bit sore, so I kept it super easy. And the result was a run that lasted so long that it was cloudy when I started, then sunny in the middle, then raining heavy toward the end, and then merely cloudy when I finished. OK, it was only 56 minutes long, but the weather did run the whole gamut. It was one of those days when it was supposed to rain all day, with occasional thunderstorms, but a gap in the early afternoon gave me an opportunity to get out there. I ran at the track so that I could hop in the car at the first sign of lightning, but I stuck it out in the rain when all the kids playing on the football field sought shelter.

Friday's recovery run: 7.0 miles, 56:44, 8:03/mile, Avg HR 133 (61% HRR), 55°F-63°F, varied

Another brisk run

2009-04-09T11:30:00.003-04:00

There's not much to say about my knee, except that it's completely fine. By Tuesday morning, my knee felt almost completely normal. The only time I could feel any unusual tightness was doing full-range single-legged squats. Once I got about 90% of the way down, the knee would protest slightly. But it felt fine on stairs and had no visible swelling.

So Tuesday morning, despite temperatures in the 30's, a 20 mph wind, and light snow, I went to the track for a test run. The knee felt perfectly normal, but my left leg was a bit tight. It was nothing unusual, but it felt like it might two days after a race or a hard workout. By comparison, the right leg felt perfectly well rested. It was a bit odd, but it didn't really bother me at an easy pace.

Tuesday's test run: 3.0 miles, 24:18, 8:06/mile, Avg HR 134 (62% HRR), 38°F, windy, light snow

Since the knee felt even better after the test run, I decided to give it another go. But that evening, I found Norwood's Shea Stadium locked, with 100/110m hurdles set up in the three outer lanes of the track. So I just had to make do. It was supposedly a bit warmer than in the morning, and it wasn't snowing, but, if anything, it felt colder. But I was again over-dressed, and after easy five miles I was actually sweating quite a bit. The knee felt fine again, and the left leg felt better.

Tuesday evening's run: 5.2 miles, 41:56, 8:04/mile, Avg HR 138 (65% HRR), 43°F, windy

Yesterday evening, I headed over to my favorite spot in Miamiville to run on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. From there, it's 5.8 miles north to Loveland, making it ideal for runs of 12 miles or more. I gave myself a target of 70% of HRR (146 bpm) for the run, and I kept it at 145 bpm for the first several miles, knowing it would tick up a beat or two as the run went on. I expected 70% effort to yield 7:30 to 7:40 pace. By the second mile, however, I found myself at 7:20 pace with a HR under 145. And the pace and HR stayed in that ballpark the whole run.

Wednesday's medium run: 14.0 miles, 1:42:45, 7:20/mile, Avg HR 146 (70% HRR), 55°F, breezy, cloudy

It was the exact same course and distance that I ran last Tuesday in 1:41:47, 58 seconds faster. On that day, though, I averaged 151 bpm (74% HRR), and my perceived effort level was higher. Last week, I had the foot on the gas just a touch. Last night, I was relaxed the whole way. I never felt like I was pushing.

And, yes, the knee is fine this morning. Everything else, too.

I'm planning an easy hour at lunch today, probably eight miles. I'll probably run nine tomorrow, 20 on Saturday on the Pig course with the ECHO group, and another eight on Sunday. That would be 67 for the week; but with eight on Monday, I'd have my 75 over a Tuesday-Monday week. Then it's taper time, with the 10K Rat Race next Saturday evening (April 18). It appears that my buddy Ray is going to come up from central KY and run it too. :)

Less swelling

2009-04-06T06:45:00.004-04:00

I noticed last night when I was getting dressed for bed that my left kneecap was missing. Or rather, it was completely hidden by the swelling around it. Sitting on the couch icing it, I hadn't bothered to compare it to my right knee, with its comparatively narrow, pointy kneecap.

I also noticed when I got into bed that my right side was more sore than I thought. It feels bruised, though, more than anything. It doesn't hurt to move or stretch my right side; I just made sure to sleep on my back and left side last night.

This morning, the swelling and pain in my left knee are 50% reduced. I can get up and down from a seated position and walk around without too much discomfort, but going up and down stairs using the left leg is still a challenge. (Though I can do it. Last night I couldn't.)

So, definitely no running for me today. I don't think there's anything structural wrong with the knee, so I think once the pain and swelling are gone, I'll be able to run. But that's not today. In fact, I'm going to try to spend as much time off my feet as I can today.

Update: As of late morning, my left knee continues to improve. It's still a little tight if I bend it when it is weight-bearing, but it's improving. Not surprisingly, in retrospect, my left calf and hamstring are also a little sore now. It's just DOMS, but it's there. They were probably a bit overworked too. Everything else is fine (except for the slightly bruised right hip). The knee is the only thing keeping me from running.

Update #2: As of the middle of the afternoon, my left knee is 95% improved. I was a few minutes late picking up my son from school, and I accidentally jogged 50 yards down the street before I realized what I was doing. There was absolutely no pain or tightness at all a jogging pace. I'm not going to run today, but I can't imagine I won't go for a short test run tomorrow. There's still a tiny bit of swelling, and a little tightness going up and down stairs or doing single-legged squats, but that will probably be gone by morning.

Falls well that ends... (or, the dangers of pea gravel)

2009-04-05T19:28:00.004-04:00

I've had a really bad streak in half marathons and marathons going back to last September. One was a literal act of nature that cut the marathon short at 10 miles. One of them, although understandable, was my fault for running off course with most of the runners. One was the result of an error in training judgment that resulted in a minor injury and a sub-par performance. One was the result of bad luck that I caught a stomach bug right before my marathon. And in December, in the middle of the streak, I lost my job.

But despite a few bad races, two of which were only training runs to begin with, running has kept me going. Training has gone well, both in the fall and over the winter; and I've had good luck in shorter races, running two sub-18 5Ks, a 37:36 10K, and a 58:41 15K.

So I really, really wanted to do well in today's race. I had a lot invested in doing well today. It was supposed to validate all the work I've being doing the last 10 months. It was supposed to provide some redemption.

And I had every reason to be optimistic. I felt fantastic. The temperature was perfect. The wind was a minor irritant, but was really only a problem for one mile of the half course.

So after I settled into a pack of four and made it through the only two really hilly miles on the course (miles three and four) with my heart rate right where I wanted it and my pace at the fast end of my expectations, I was on cloud nine. I missed the mile three split, but I hit four miles in 24:54 (6:13.5 pace) just as we turned left from Hoop Road onto Jasper Road. I could taste a 1:21.

At that point, you could look diagonally across Jasper to our turn 200 yards away onto the bike trail. It was a sharp right turn, at least 100°, and as I approached the turn, I noticed a lot of pea gravel at the point of the turn. I knew it was a dangerous spot, so I consciously chose to plant my right foot on the point of grass at the turn. Whether the grass was wet or, as I suspect, there was too much gravel even in the grass, I immediately went down hard on the asphalt and gravel on my right hip and left palm. I had knit gloves on and slick shorts, so I didn't lose any skin, but it was a very jarring fall, and it took me a few seconds to get up. There was one guy immediately behind me, but he got around me safely. My friend Mike Rioux was close enough behind me to see me go down, but he didn't catch me until later. There was a water stop at the turn, so I grabbed a cup of Gatorade and resumed running, now at least 50 yards behind the pack of my pack.

I was able to keep going for a while, but my right hip and butt were aching. And even after I got over the initial shock and adrenaline rush from the fall, I wasn't running quite as fast or as smoothly. But I managed to stay in the mid-6:20's through mile-7.2, where we turned left for an out-and-back on another bike trail. I hit the turn-around at 8 miles in 17th place, still on 6:20 pace overall and 30 seconds or so ahead of my friend Mike. But I was hurting pretty bad at that point, and the next mile straight into a strong wind didn't help. I immediately found myself running 6:40 pace into the wind, and even after I turned back onto the trail at mile 8.7, I couldn't get it back under 6:30. And by mile 10, I was really suffering. At that point, my left hip and left knee were starting to hurt, and I could tell that I was running "crooked." It was also around that point, when Mike passed me.

I missed the mile 11 marker, but my pace and HR continued to slip as my left hip and knee got worse. By mile 11.5, when I stopped running, my average pace for the last 1.5 had slipped to 7:00. I was still at 6:28 average pace overall, but I couldn't run anymore. I was afraid I was going to seriously hurt myself. At that point, I stopped my watch and walked the rest of the way (1.6 miles in 28 minutes). I didn't run another step, as I slipped from around 20th place to 99th. My final posted time was 1:42-something.

By an hour after the race, it became clear that the real damage I did was to my left knee. As I sit here at 8:30 p.m., my left patella tendon (I think) is very angry with me and screams every time I bend my knee, especially if I let it stay in one position for a while. I iced it several times over the first few hours after I got home, but I can't tell that it really helped.

I assume the left knee injury is a result of over-compensating for the damage I did to my right side, but at this point, my right side is only mildly sore on the point of my hip and a bit deeper in the glute. It's actually rather odd, considering how it was hurting during the race.

I don't think the left knee injury is very serious, and I hope it will pass in a day or too. But I doubt I'll be running tomorrow. And other than my knee and right hip, I don't feel like I ran a race today. Nothing else is remotely sore or stiff. After all, I was really only able to run 4 miles at full steam. I'll post an update after I get up tomorrow morning and see how my knee and hip feel.

Spring break week

2009-04-03T09:49:00.002-04:00

I was originally planning to take Wednesday off, but after taking the kids to a McDonald's indoor Playland for lunch and then spending the warmer afternoon with them at the park, I was tired. I hadn't really eaten enough all day to support a run. So I decided to take Monday off instead, breaking a streak of 24 straight days running, a personal best.

Monday's rest day: No running

On Tuesday afternoon, with grandma watching the kids, I headed over to Miamiville and the Little Miami Scenic Trail. From there I headed north seven miles and back. I had toyed with the idea of running 2 x 2 miles at half marathon pace (6:20ish) in the second half of the run, but by the second mile, I already found myself running pretty fast already, and I ultimately decided not to add any additional stress to the run during a race week. I ended up running 8:12, 7:11, 7:10, 7:11, 7:14, 7:06, 7:07, 7:08, 7:10, 7:15, 7:11, 7:06, 7:18, 7:28. I intentionally eased up for the last mile, but it ended up not being too much slower. I was very happy with the run. It was a strong aerobic effort, but it didn't seem to take too much out of me.

Tuesday's medium run: 14.0 miles, 1:41:47, 7:16/mile, Avg HR 151 (74% HRR), 63°F-66°F, breezy early, windy late

On Wednesday evening, I ran a loop around Norwood and finished up at my son's soccer practice. There were a few hills, and I was a bit stiff from Tuesday's run, but it was very minor. I decided during the run that I would probably not take another day off this week, but would instead just run very short on Friday and Saturday.

Wednesday's recovery run: 6.22 miles, 49:17, 7:55/mile, Avg HR 138 (65% HRR), 62°F, sunny

Last night, I headed to the track for a distinctly non-hilly run. I was a tiny bit stiff the first mile, but after a few laps, I felt very loose and relaxed. My HR was quite low the entire run, even though it was a very warm evening. With just a few laps to go, I noticed that the soccer teams practicing on the field were quitting early. A couple laps later, I was facing the right direction to see lightning in the distance myself. I finished off my last lap, happy to make it to the shelter of my car.

Thursday's recovery run: 7.0 miles, 54:33, 7:48, Avg HR 134 (62% HRR), 75°F, cloudy

I am planning a very relaxed four miles today, probably at the track again. Assuming I feel 100%, I plan to run three miles tomorrow morning. If I feel anything stiff or tight today, I may go ahead and take tomorrow off entirely.

Belated weekend recap

2009-04-03T08:57:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday morning, I arrived early enough at Parkside Christian Church to get in just over a mile before the group run at 7:00 a.m. After running with the group, I looped around the park next door to finish off eight miles. It was a chilly morning, but there was no real wind, so it wasn't a bad morning.

Saturday's ECHO run: 8.0 miles, 1:04:42, 8:05/mile, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 38°F

On Sunday morning, I headed downtown to run a modified (and even hillier) Flying Pig course. I intended to start out earlier, but I didn't actually hit the road until a couple minutes after 6:00 a.m. I parked on the eastern end of 3rd Street and ran the bridge loop first. With temperatures in the 30's and a storm coming, I was expecting more wind, so I was over-dressed starting out. Fortunately, I was able to run past the car on the way through downtown and ditch a layer. After that, I was comfortable until the last few miles, when the wind picked up and a light rain started to fall.

After the bridge loop, I cut off the western downtown loop and headed up the Pig course to Eden Park. From there, I followed the Pig course to Marburg and Erie. Before the run, I had dropped off a bottle of Gatorade in the park there. From there, I left the Pig course and cut through Ault Park. The hill up toward the park from Erie Avenue and the hill inside the park were probably the toughest of the day, steeper even than the hills on the Pig course itself.

After leaving Ault Park, I made a brief wrong turn and ended up on Linwood Avenue and had to cut over to Delta. From Delta, I headed down the long hill to Columbia Parkway. Columbia Parkway had been closed starting at 5:30 a.m. for the Heart Mini Marathon, so I cut over Columbia Parkway toward downtown. Unlike the mostly flat Eastern Avenue that the Pig course follows downtown, Columbia Parkway features a series of hills that make the Heart Mini a tough race.

I enjoyed all of the run except the final stretch on Columbia Parkway. Almost as soon as I turned on Columbia Parkway, the wind picked up and the rain started falling. By the time I got downtown, my fingers were really hurting. I also ran very slowly the whole way. Part of it was because I started in the dark. I always run slower in the dark. And part of it was just because I wasn't in the mood to push it. In the back of my mind, I knew I had a half marathon in a week.

Slow Sunday long run: 20.0 miles, 2:50:38, 8:32, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 37°F-35°F, breezy early, wind and rain late

For the week, I finished with 80.19 miles in 10:38:32 (7:58 average). It was my third week in a row at 80 miles, but only my fifth all time.

Two warmer loops

2009-03-27T17:58:00.003-04:00

I ran exactly the same two loops at Miami Whitewater Forest as last Friday, running clockwise first and counterclockwise second. It was close to 15°F warmer today, but cloudier on the first loop, though it did clear up the second loop. In fact, I was a bit toasty for the second loop in my mid-weight long-sleeve 112th Boston Marathon shirt. I would have gone short-sleeved for the second loop, but I didn't bring another shirt to change into.

I ran entirely by feel, but I ended up 52 seconds faster than last week, 22 seconds on the first loop and 30 seconds on the second loop. And that was despite actually starting out slower for the first couple miles. I was actually a bit lethargic starting out. Whether because of the warmer temperatures or faster pace or more fatigue, my heart rate was also a few beats higher than last week. The difference was mostly on the second loop, when I was feeling a bit hot, so I think the temperature had a definite influence. Regardless, I was very happy with the run, especially coming where it is in my training.

Friday's medium run: 15.0 miles, 1:56:21, 7:45/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 52°F to 58°F, cloudy to sunny, breezy

I am going to run a couple miles early tomorrow morning and then join the ECHO group for the usual six. I'm also trying to figure out what to do for my long run Sunday morning. I'd like to be downtown to cheer on the Earth Drummers and ECHO runners racing at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. I'd also like to take advantage of the fact that Columbia Parkway will be shut down from downtown to Delta starting at 5:30 a.m. So if I can start out early enough, I may run this 20-mile Pig-like course. It's most of the Pig course, minus the unsafe (traffic-wise) western downtown loop and minus the far eastern loop. It does add a hilly detour through Ault Park to get the course up to 20 miles. It would be even better if I could get anyone else to join me.

So far, so good

2009-03-27T06:58:00.004-04:00

My third straight week at 80 miles has started off well, with wonderful temperatures (and a bit of drizzle).

On Monday, I was a bit stiff, and I had a tiny bit of the intermittent tendinitis in my left foot. I don't remember the last time it bothered me, but it's been a while. I'm guessing that it took a bit of a pounding from the very hilly course on Sunday. But other than the foot, I had no real complaints. I definitely felt better than I did a week earlier, after my first 80-mile week.

I didn't make it out at lunch, so I headed out after my wife got home from work. I kept the effort very low and ran the flattest course I could find in Norwood, circling northwest Norwood a few times without venturing up or down. The only real hills were the blocks immediately adjacent to my house. My foot got better as the day went on, and after a mile or so, I didn't feel it any more. And it never returned after the run.

Monday's recovery jog: 6.19 miles, 50:07, 8:06/mile, Avg HR 135 (63% HRR), 65°F, sunny

Tuesday night was another Earth Drummers night. Almost all of the Earth Drummers are racing either the Heart Mini 15K or Heart 5K this Sunday, so the workout wasn't too strenuous or high in volume. So in order to avoid having to run another double, I arrive early enough to run a bit extra. I hoped to get in three miles, but I managed only two and a half. Afterwards, I ran another two plus with the group, did the strides and drills, and started the workout.

The planned workout was 2 x 2 @ LT with 2:00 jog recovery plus 4 x 100 strides @ 5K effort with 100 jog recovery. With the race on Sunday, people decided to take it easy, so I set out with several others targeting 6:20 pace.

Our first mile came in right on pace at 6:18, but we got carried away in the second mile, running 3:03 and 3:00 for the two half miles. After a quick jog up and down the straight-away, we got back on pace, running 6:20 and 3:07 for the next 2,400m. Mr. B decided to take off for the last 800m, and I followed as best I could, clocking 1:25.1 and 1:23.9 quarters (2:49 half). (Mr. B was probably three or four seconds faster per lap.) After catching our breath, we did the relaxed strides (normal strides are at mile-3K race effort) and a mile or so cool-down. All-told, I logged 11.5 miles with an average pace of 6:09 for the four LT miles.

Tuesday's Drummers run: 11.5 miles, 1:23:36, 7:16/mile, Mixed HR Data, 72°F, cloudy

On Wednesday, I felt surprisingly strong as I hit the Little Miami Scenic Trail starting from the Bass Island trail head. From there it is 4.25 miles north to the Milford trail head. It was a classic spring day, low 60's, with a steady misting rain so light that you could barely see it. I again watched my heart rate and kept the effort very relaxed. My legs felt very loose, with no noticeable tightness or soreness anywhere.

Wednesday's bike trail run: 8.5 miles, 1:07:16, Avg HR 136 (64% HRR), 62°F, breezy, light rain

Yesterday was another double day, and I hit the track for both runs. At lunch time, I felt great. I ran six easy miles in 46:06 (7:41/mile) at an average HR of just 136 (64% HRR) and finished up with a mile of strides, drills, and jogging. I've been adding in just under a mile for the strides and drills on Tuesday night, and I was curious what distance, "pace," and HR my Garmin would record for the drills. Stringing the strides and drills together and jogging back after each one, the Garmin measured 0.83 miles at an average HR of 159! Stringing them together like that is definitely strenuous. (We take a bit more recovery time between drills on Tuesday night.) The Garmin showed a "pace" of 8:32 for the strides and drills, but that included exercises like "fast feet" in which you don't really move at all. Afterwards, I jogged a couple lengths of the field to get the Garmin up to a mile.

I don't want to separately track the time and "pace" of the drills, so I'm going to continue just adding a mile for them at the same pace as the rest of the run. It makes record-keeping easier and doesn't distort the pace I'm actually running that day.

My second run yesterday wasn't quite as effortless. It was about five hours later, and I was a bit tight from the drills. But the stiffness was very mild and only lasted until I warmed up. By the end, I felt better. As usual, my HR was higher (or in this case my pace was slower) for the second run.

Thursday's lunch run: 7.0 miles, 53:47, 7:41/mile, Avg HR 136 (64% HRR), 50°F, cloudy, some light rain

Thursday's evening run: 4.0 miles, 32:05, 8:01/mile, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 57°F, partly cloudy

I have 15, eight, and 20 miles planned for the next three days. That would leave me at 80 and change for the week. Next week, I'm planning only 50 miles, with rest days on Wednesday and Saturday. The ORRRC Half Marathon is on Sunday morning, and I'm getting very excited about the chance to race.

Weekend recap

2009-03-25T09:36:00.004-04:00

I'm a couple of days late posting my weekend recap, but it's not because I had a bad weekend. On the contrary, I had a great weekend of running.

On Saturday morning, I got to the meeting place a few minutes early and ran two extra miles. My timing was lucky, and I even had company for my extra two miles. After the warm-up, I ran the usual six miles with the group, or, to be more accurate, with Char. We ended up by ourselves after the first half mile.

It wasn't a terrible morning weather-wise; there was almost no wind. But it was cloudy and cold, especially in comparison to the warmer afternoons I've been running in lately. So of course, I overreacted and over-dressed a bit. My bottom layer was pretty sweaty by the time I finished.

Saturday's easy run: 8.0 miles, 1:05:27, 8:11/mile, Avg HR 142 (68% HRR), 29°F

On Sunday, I met Steve up in Lebanon at the start of the Lebanon Countryside Trail. It was another cold morning early, but by the time I started at 9:50 a.m. it was already 49°F and sunny. By the time we finished just before 1:00 p.m., it was 57°F. It was perfect running weather, with no wind to speak of.

I had 22 miles on my schedule, and Steve wanted 18 to 20, so I got there a few minutes early and ran an early mile. Once Steve arrived, we ran the 7.7-mile long Lebanon Countryside Trail southeast to the point where it connects with the Little Miami Scenic Trail. From that point, we ran north past the trailhead in South Lebanon, and turned around at our halfway point. We stopped briefly at the trailhead in South Lebanon on the way back to grab the bottles of Gatorade that I had stashed before continuing on. After we made it back to Lebanon, I had to add on an extra mile to wrap up my week.

Sunday's long run: 22.0 miles, 2:52:05, 7:49, Avg HR 147 (71% HRR), 49°F to 57°F

Unlike the Little Miami Scenic Trail—which is built almost entirely in old railroad rights-of-way with very modest grades—the Lebanon Countryside Trail is quite hilly. There are two very large hills in particular with a lot of medium hills and small rollers in between. I don't know the exact elevation change, but it is probably a net downhill headed southeast and a net uphill headed back. That's why I prefer to run it starting in Lebanon.

The toughest single hill is about 0.3 miles long at probably an 8-10% grade. You run down it going southeast and up it heading back toward Lebanon. The other memorable hill is about a mile long as you head toward a large YMCA on the way southeast. But it is not nearly as steep as the other one, and it has some plateaus to let you catch your breath.

For the week, I finished up with 80.0 miles in 10:23:56, an average pace of 7:48 per mile. I have another 80 miles planned this week, with a cutback to 50 miles next week for my half marathon.

Two cool loops

2009-03-20T17:34:00.002-04:00

Today turned out to be a nice day for running. It was 30-35 degrees cooler than the beginning of the week, but it was sunny, with only a modest breeze. As I said I might, I drove over to Miami Whitewater Forest to run. Instead of parking by the main park building, I parked at the junction of the "Q-shaped" trail. If you run the tail out and back and the loop, it works out right at 7.8 miles. But as it turns out, the main outer loop itself is roughly 7.43 miles long. So I had to add on 0.15 miles after running two loops.

I wasn't quite as fresh and bouncy as I was yesterday, but I still felt very relaxed and smooth. The only fatigued feeling I had at all was in my quads. My first mile (largely downhill) came in at a modest 8:12, but the second was 7:51 and that turned into the pattern for the first loop. I finished the first loop (measured at 7.42 miles) in 58:38, 7:54 average pace. The second loop started out at 7:41 (7.43 miles) and ended in a time of 57:35, 7:45 average pace. My 0.15 add-on took 1:11, 7:53 pace. My HR was in the mid-to-upper 130's for most of the first loop and in the low 140's for most of the second loop (not counting spikes and dips on uphills and downhills).

Friday's medium run: 15.0 miles, 1:57:24, 7:49.6/mile, Avg HR 140 (66% HRR), 38°F to 43°F, sunny, light breeze

Since I got in a full 15 miles today, I'm planning 8 miles for tomorrow morning and 22 for Sunday morning. I'm meeting my friend Steve in Lebanon on Sunday morning to run the hilly Lebanon Countryside Trail (and a bit of the Little Miami Scenic Trail to which it connects).

Glorious spring running

2009-03-20T08:04:00.002-04:00

After dropping Cedar off at preschool yesterday, I headed over to the bike trail at Lunken for my run. It was glorious running weather, sunny and in the high 50's, with a wind that picked up as I ran. And the run itself turned out to be equally glorious. What I expected to be an easy, eight-mile jog turned into a remarkably comfortable progression run. It was one of those rare effortless, joyful runs that are all too rare in the middle of marathon training.

The main part of the Lunken bike trail is a five-mile loop surrounding the airport. One mile of is on the lower level along the road. Most of a second mile cuts across between a golf course and the airport. Finally, just over three miles are on a levee between the river and the airport. Other than a few tiny rollers by the golf course and the hills heading up to and down from the levee, the route is perfectly flat. That makes it perfect for tempo runs and pace runs. It gets boring though, for longer runs.

I started yesterday's run heading clockwise, taking the road mile first. 8:05. Not bad. At about a mile and a quarter, I stopped briefly at a fence to do my front-to-back and side-to-side leg swings. I finished up the second mile (with the short, steep hill up to the levee near the end) in 7:50. After that, it was a gradual acceleration, three miles steady, and a final push: 7:42, 7:28, 7:19, 7:21, 7:19, 7:08. The last mile was the only one in which my HR cracked 150. I wasn't really conscious of what the run was turning into until the beginning of the fourth mile, when I realized my pace was edging close to 7:30. At that point, I decided to embrace the moment.

Thursday's joyful run: 8.0 miles, 1:00:12, 7:32/mile, Avg HR 144 (69% HRR), 58°F, sunny

Before the early run, I wasn't planning on doubling. But halfway through the run, I changed my mind. The fatigue and random achiness that I felt on Monday and Wednesday was completely gone, and my legs felt pretty fresh. So I decided that I would wear running clothes to Cedar's soccer practice and run home afterwards. By the time the kids played for a few minutes after practice, and Trish drove through Wendy's to pick up dinner, I could run a few miles home.

But that plan didn't last long either. When I picked Cedar up from preschool, she wasn't feeling well. And when I got her home, I found that she had a fever of 101°F. So no soccer practice. Instead, Trish took her to the Take Care Clinic at the Walgreen's down the street to have them look at her ears. Sure enough, she had a double ear infection, presumably a result of the cold she had Saturday through Monday. By the time Trish got back with Cedar and her antibiotic, it was after 8:00 p.m., and I had to run in the dark.

So I did get out for another run, but it was a very slow jog with a headlamp and a few streetlights allowing me to avoid tripping over the uneven sidewalks while I ran up and down the hilly streets near my house. My quads were a bit fatigued, but otherwise I felt fine, with no stiffness or soreness at all.

Thursday's night run: 3.0 miles, 26:00, 8:40/mile, Avg HR 132 (61% HRR), 49°F, clear

The plan for the rest of the week is the same: 14 today, nine tomorrow, 22 on Sunday. But I'm thinking about going over to Miami Whitewater again today. If I do, I may just run two loops. That would be 15.6 miles. If I run that far, I'll cut the miles from tomorrow.

A taste of summer

2009-03-19T09:45:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my first taste of real warm-weather running. When I hit the paved trail at Winton Woods park, it was 75°F with mostly sunny skies. And while it was fine running weather, it had definitely crossed that line from perfect to slightly too warm.

My quads were definitely fatigued from last week's volume and Tuesday night's workout, but nothing hurt or pulled. And any stiffness I felt at the beginning faded after a mile or so. And just as with my run on Monday, I unconsciously picked up the pace for the last three miles compared to the first three. The last three were all sub-8:00 pace.

Wednesday's recovery run: 6.0 miles, 48:32, 8:05/mile, No HR Data, 75°F

It's still a bit up in the air, but I'm not going to make any special effort to hit 80 miles this week. If I end up at 75 or 77, that will be just fine. A double today might get me to 80, but I can tell a real difference in recovery between running a six and four double versus running a single eight. So I'll probably run eight or nine today, a medium run tomorrow, nine Saturday morning, and long on Sunday.

So far, so good

2009-03-19T09:07:00.004-04:00

Tuesday night was the longest Earth Drummers workout so far, and my legs were definitely the most tired. A week ago, on fresh legs, I ran 6:08 pace for 20 minutes and wasn't pressing. This week, I couldn't have come close to that. But I still had a good workout, enjoyed the company and motivation of two other runners, and didn't injure anything. The fact that the paces weren't what we wanted was secondary.

After the usual two-mile warm-up, strides, drills, and more strides, the marathoners and half marathoners paired up for six to eight In/Out miles. The "out" miles are supposed to be at "aerobic threshold" (AT) pace, defined by Coach as 50 - 60 seconds slower than current 5K pace. "AT" is not a physiologically meaningful term, but the pace works out to roughly marathon pace. (Based on my 17:51 5K, 5:45 pace, McMillan predicts a marathon pace of 6:39. Coach's AT pace is 6:35 - 6:45.) The "in" miles are supposed to be at current 5K pace plus 15 seconds (or roughly 10K pace). This pace (6:00 based on my 17:51 5K) is within the range McMillan prescribes for "tempo intervals" (5:57 - 6:10) or mile-long "cruise intervals" (5:55 - 6:02). So it's basically a long, combo cruise interval and marathon pace workout.

So in theory, I should have run 6:40, 6:00, 6:40, 6:00...for eight miles. And in theory, the three of us running together wanted to 6:45 and 6:05. The reality was 6:39, 6:16 (the first two miles on the track), 6:55, 6:16, 7:03, 6:20, 6:56, and...7:09. Yes, I cracked halfway through the last "in" mile coming up the final steep hill. I was at better than 6:20 pace halfway through the last mile, but I completely cracked on the hill. One runner had already gotten away from me, and the third, who I had put a short distance on in the first half of the mile, passed me quickly once I cracked.

But I didn't lose any sleep over cracking at the end or running the whole thing slower than the targets. Given the amount of fatigue in my legs, it was still a good workout. The effort was there for all except the last hill, and I can forgive myself for that lapse. I had actually started to struggle during the third "in" mile. Plus, once we left the track, every mile was full of hills. There are almost no flat stretches around the University of Cincinnati campus.

After the last "in" mile, we ran about a half mile back to the track and finished up a cool-down mile with two laps around. For the evening, I logged 12 miles at 7:04 pace. (For the purposes of data recording, I'm arbitrarily assuming the drills average the same pace as the miles I actually record on my Garmin. In this case, warm-up, workout, and cool-down measured 11.06 miles.)

Tuesday's workout: 12.0 miles, 1:24:43, 7:04/mile, No HR Data, 70°-64°F

My HR monitor hasn't been working right again. It worked the first couple days with the gel, but it has now stopped working right again. Looking at it last night, I think the gel may be leaving a film on there that doesn't towel off. I'm probably going to have to clean it every day after my runs with an old toothbrush to keep the film from building up.

Goose poop

2009-03-16T15:24:00.004-04:00

I failed to mention last week that the track and football stadium have new residents: three Canada Geese. I noticed them two weeks ago swimming in the city pool adjacent to the stadium. The pool was drained for the winter, but it has accumulated rain water and melted snow sufficient to entice the geese. Last Wednesday, I noticed on my run that the geese had moved onto the field, track, and adjoining grass. And they are not selective about where they leave their droppings. After at least five days of this, the track is a bit messy. It is fortunate, however, that most of the droppings are in the outer four lanes on the far side of the track, leaving a mostly clear path around the track. But they're going to need to do something if the geese decide to stay.

My run today was surprisingly comfortable. I wasn't particularly stiff, and I kept the effort level very easy. I ran 8:35, 8:21, and 8:23 counter-clockwise, and then unintentionally picked it up to 8:07, 8:10, and 8:08 running clockwise. I didn't intend to or even realize that I had picked up the pace. It just happened after I turned around.

Monday's recovery run: 6.0 miles, 49:44, 8:18/mile, No HR Data, 62°F

I left the gel for the HR monitor at home, so my HR monitor strap wasn't working right again. My Garmin said my HR was in the 160's early falling into the 50's by the end. Perhaps that's why my pace picked up.

Warm Sunday

2009-03-15T19:31:00.003-04:00

I knew today would be nicer than the last few, but I didn't expect this morning that I would be over-dressed in shorts and a thin long-sleeve shirt. I even waited until after lunch to head out so that it would be in the promised low-50's. But by the time I was done it was 62°F, and my shirt was covered in salty sweat stains.

I went out to the Miami Whitewater Forest park to run the 7.8-mile outer loop. It is a paved trail so that I can safely zone out and listen to my iPod, but it also has two large hills and continuous rollers, a necessity for Flying Pig training. My quads were tired the entire run, but otherwise I felt good. Nothing else was tight or sore. I ran the first 14 miles or so at a steady pace, but as I started toward the mile-long hill back up to the start, another runner passed me. Shamed into greater effort, I caught up with him, passed him back, and ran a sub-7:00 mile up the long steady hill and all the way back to the parking lot. After quickly refilling my water bottle in the gift shop—all the outside water fountains were still in plastic-covered winter mode—I headed back out for my final 4.4. At that point, I greatly regretted my burst of ego. The last 4.4 miles were a total slog at closer to 8:30 pace, and it took great resolve not to stop at 17 or 18 miles.

Sunday's long run: 20.0 miles, 2:44:00, 8:12/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 57°F-62°F, sunny

For the week, I ended up logging 80.12 miles in a total time of 10:29:42, an average pace of 7:46 per mile. It's only the third time I've cracked 80 miles (twice last fall). I hope to repeat the feat the next two weeks, but we'll see how the legs hold up.

Medium Friday and Catch Me Saturday

2009-03-15T09:27:00.003-04:00

Friday was a warmer day than Thursday, and while I would have liked to get out earlier in the day, I was forced to wait until after I picked Garrett up from school and drop him off at home. At that point, I was finally able to run an errand and knock out my run.

The errand was stopping by the city hall for the Village of Indian Hill to pay for our new family membership in the Indian Hill Shooting Club. I've been on the non-resident waiting list for at least two years, and our turn finally came up. It's not terribly expensive, so we decided not to pass up the opportunity. It's so convenient to have a friendly range so close. (You can hear the range very clearly from the Little Miami Scenic Trail north or Milford. If you peak through the trees on the east side of the trail and across the street, you can see signs on the fences across the street warning about the shooting range. The range itself is down in an old gravel quarry.)

After taking care of the errand, I ran my 12 miles on the bike trail from Milford. My legs felt fresher than the day before, both because my Tuesday night tempo run was now three days behind me and because I only ran eight miles the day before. I stuck to a very relaxed pace and with no hills, my heart rate stayed pretty low.

Friday's medium run: 12.0 miles, 1:37:23, 8:07, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 48°F

On Saturday morning, I headed over to the Lunken Airport bike trail. I ran 2.75 miles, checked in, then finished up my four-mile warm-up just a few minutes before my assigned starting time. I had turned in a goal pace of 6:40, roughly goal marathon pace (a 2:54:48 marathon). At least four runners had turned in a goal pace of 6:40, so our illustrious race director had arbitrarily assigned us starting times based on goals of 6:41 to 6:38, meaning that we would each start 5 seconds apart. I was third in the string at 6:39, and I caught up with the runner ahead of me within the first half mile. I hit the first mile at 6:30 and backed off slightly, not wanting to accumulate too many "sandbag" points. My second mile came in at 6:37. The third mile included the 180° turn-around and an opportunity to earn bonus points by throwing a whiffle ball into a basket. I came to a complete stop for a split second, made the shot, and took off. Even with the stop and turn-around, my third mile came in at 6:33. The fourth mile included another stop, this one to pick up a lost wristband that I had seen on the ground on the way out. I missed it on my first grab and had to double back for it. Still, the mile came in at 6:33. In the final mile, even bigger sandbaggers started to pass me, and I picked up the pace even more at the start, but I ultimately let most of them pass. I relaxed in the middle of the mile, but I was forced to hold off our illustrious race director in the final quarter mile. My final mile came in at 6:25. After the post-race photo, I ran 1.12 miles to cool-down.

Saturday's warm-up: 4.0 miles, 32:09, 8:02/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 36°F

Saturday's Catch Me run: 5.0 miles, 32:38, 6:32/mile, Avg HR 168 (85% HRR), 36°F

Saturday's Cool-down: 1.12 miles, 9:35, 8:33/mile, Avg HR 141 (67% HRR), 36°F

I was pretty happy with the run overall. Take out the stops and I ran 6:30 pace on tired legs with a heart rate only a few beats higher than I could maintain in a marathon. And it wasn't exactly evenly paced; there were race-like surges throughout as I caught people, passed people, or tried to avoided being passed by people.

And my legs feel good today, the best they've felt on a Sunday morning in a few weeks. I'm heading out shortly for a 20-miler.

Training and races

2009-03-13T09:44:00.003-04:00

Because of last week's cold and because I'm now running Tuesday nights with the Earth Drummers, I've taken a look at my training and racing schedule for the next seven and a half weeks.

The most obvious changes are to the race calendar. First, I'm not going to treat the Catch Me 5M run this Saturday as a race. I originally planned for this to be a cutback week and for the race to be a nice tuneup. Instead, I'll probably be close to 80 miles this week, and I don't want to sacrifice that for a five-mile race. So I've changed my goal pace for the run to 6:40 (roughly goal marathon pace). I'll probably run four miles beforehand to warm up and a mile afterwards to cool down. 12 miles today and 20 on Sunday would give me 80 for the week. (I'll just pretend I'm using a Hal Higdon training program for one weekend.)

The other change is the tentative addition of the Rat Race 10K on Saturday, April 18. Assuming I continue to be healthy, and, in particular, assuming that I feel 100% after the ORRRC Half Marathon on April 5, a 10K tune-up race 15 days out is ideal. I'm doing a lot more quality work than in the past, so I should be better prepared. I won't hesitate to drop the race, though, if I'm not feeling 100%.

Easy Thursday

2009-03-13T09:33:00.002-04:00

I planned to run yesterday afternoon while Cedar was in preschool, but I wasn't able to make it out. Instead, I headed out after the parent-teacher conference with my wife and Cedar's teacher. Nothing was particularly sore for the run, but I was definitely a bit stiff starting out. By the time I got to a mile, though, and stopped to do leg swings to stretch everything out, my legs felt good. Not fresh, but good. It was colder than I really expected and even with two pair of knit gloves on each hand, my fingertips were quite painful by the midway point of the run. The last few miles, I was really wishing I had worn my mittens.

Thursday evening's run: 8.0 miles, 1:04:50, 8:06/mile, Avg HR 145 (70% HRR), 38°F

Another double Wednesday

2009-03-13T09:28:00.003-04:00

Another day, another double on Wednesday. This time it was six easy miles and four easy miles, both at a more typical pace. I had absolutely no soreness from the workout the night before, but there was a bit of accumulated fatigue, something that wasn't really there when I ran on Monday.

Wednesday's lunch run: 6.0 miles, 47:44, 7:57/mile, Avg HR 142 (68% HRR), 45°F, 15 mph wind

Wednesday's evening run: 4.0 miles, 32:11, 8:03/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 43°F, breezy

In between the runs, I did my core routine: side planks (2:15 each side), 40 side leg lifts each side, 10 x 10 sec bridges, and 40 crunches. I also did 45 push-ups.

Tempo run Tuesday

2009-03-12T14:20:00.003-04:00

If it's Tuesday night—and I'm not sick—it means that it's Earth Drummers night. It was a warm evening—the first really warm-feeling day of the year—around 75°F.

As usual we started out with a roughly two-mile warm-up followed by leg swings, strides, and drills. Unlike my first two Earth Drummers' workouts—where almost everyone ran the same basic workout—there were a variety of different workouts scheduled for runners with different goal races and distances. In my case, I opted for a traditional 20-minute tempo run on the track. I started out with one of the top-ranked 50-54 men in the city—who beat me by 3 seconds in the Thanksgiving Day 10K in November—but my 6:10 pace target for the evening was faster than his—he ran a hard 20 on Sunday—so I ended up running alone. But even though I was running alone, it was highly motivating having other runners on the track running repeats or tempo runs and having a coach looking on. I ended up running 3.26 miles in 20 minutes (6:08 average pace) with splits of 6:08, 6:11, 6:07, 1:35 (Garmin-measured). It was by far my fastest three consecutive training miles ever. After the run, we ran a roughly three-mile cool-down. For purposes of my leg, I recorded nine miles.

The time change (and the arrival of March) really drew the crowds out to the track. Some at least semi-serious group was doing football drills on the practice field. A group of young guys was training on the track. There were at least four walkers occupying various lanes (some of whom did not respond to calls of "Track!"). And the Drummers running repeats were running faster than me. So to make things easier, I ran my entire tempo run in lanes two through four. According to my Garmin, my just over 12.75 laps measured 3.26 miles. (According to the NARF track calculator, 12.75 laps on the inside of lane three is 3.270 miles [3.217 for lane two]. So the Garmin was remarkably accurate.)

Tuesday's group run: 9.0 miles, 1:05:14, 7:15/mile, Mixed HR Data, 75°F

Back on track Monday

2009-03-12T14:14:00.002-04:00

On Monday, I finally felt close to 100%. But with my now-weekly track workout Tuesday evening, I didn't want to go out for another long or medium run. So I settled for a relatively easy double run: seven miles at lunch and four miles before bed. It was a nearly perfect day for running, with afternoon temps in the low-to-mid 50's and evening temps in the upper 50's. My legs felt really fresh for the first run, so I ran faster than usual. But it really didn't feel like I was pushing harder than recovery pace. My evening run was a bit slower and really felt like a jog.

Monday's mid-day run: 7.0 miles, 52:23, 7:29/mile, No HR Data

Monday's evening run: 4.0 miles, 31:35, 7:54/mile, No HR Data

A lost week (due to illness)

2009-03-11T11:45:00.003-04:00

Last week was a tough one. I started off feeling pretty good, but by Monday night I had the first vague inkling that I was going to get my wife's "fever cold." By Tuesday morning, there was no doubt about it. I debated all day on Tuesday whether to try to get through the track workout Tuesday night, but by the middle of the afternoon, I decided that wouldn't be a good idea. And by Tuesday night I had a low-grade fever (<100°F), which proved that I made the right decision. Wednesday was my one truly miserable day, mostly due to a splitting headache, but also due to aches and a congested head. By Thursday morning, I felt much better. The congestion and aches were 75% better. The head was 95% better. I debated running Thursday evening, but I kept putting it off, and I never made it out.

Monday's evening run: 4.0 miles, 32:38, 8:09/mile, No HR Data, 25°F

I did get runs in on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but they were all shorter and faster than usual. After my wife got off work on Friday, I went to the track to see how the legs felt. I was actually toying with the idea of jumping into the Strides of March 10K at Lunken on Saturday morning. After all, my legs were now well-rested. So I gave it a try, warming up, running a mile at around marathon pace, and then trying a couple 100m bursts at 10K pace (6:00/mile). The legs were a strange combination of fresh and achy, so I decided against racing.

Friday's test run: 4.0 miles, 29:06, 7:16/mile, Avg HR 145 (70% HRR), 65°F, windy

On Saturday morning, I ran the usual six miles with the ECHO group. My buddy Steve was there, and I ran the whole way with him. The result was a bit faster run than usual. Again, the legs felt fresh, but not quite right. I was glad I didn't try to race instead.

Saturday's group run: 6.0 miles, 46:09, 7:41/mile, No HR Data, 54°F

On Sunday, I hit the bike trail not knowing how far or how fast I was going to run. I didn't quite feel up to 20 miles, but I started out running from Miamiville to Loveland, so I was committing to at least 12 miles. As it turned out, I stuck with 12, but ran it fairly fast. In between a warm-up mile at 8:06 and a cool-down mile at 8:01, I ran 10 miles at 7:10 pace. Unfortunately, my HR monitor continued not working right despite the fact that it was warm and rainy (more on that later), so I have no idea how hard I was working to run that pace. It didn't feel too bad.

Sunday's medium run: 12.0 miles, 1:27:48, 7:19/mile, No HR Data, 68°F, windy, light rain

For the week, I managed only 26 miles, nowhere near the 75-80 I originally planned. As a result, I've switched last week and this week around. This week was originally supposed to be a cutback week (to 60), but instead I'll shoot for 75-80 this week. That also means rethinking my goal for the ECHO Catch Me 5M run. At this point, I'm leaning toward running it as the last part of a 20-miler. There are several guys planning to run three loops (15 miles) as a warm-up and finish with the "race." It would make for a nice fast-finish long run.

70 miles in the books

2009-03-02T09:00:00.003-05:00

I finished off the week with a record weekend and my first 70-mile week of the year. My legs were pretty darn tired by Sunday, but nothing hurt. If it had, I was just looking for a rationalization to cut my run short yesterday, but heavy legs and fatigued quads weren't enough.

This past Thursday, running from my daughter's school worked well. I found that it was 4.15 miles from her school to the corner of the five-mile loop around Lunken Airport. With a loop around the airport, the route back to the school, and an extra half block, I ended up with 13.5 miles. The weather wasn't bad. It was a warm day, but it wasn't as "glorious" as on Wednesday, with a light rain falling for almost the entire run.

Compared to the previous Thursday, my legs felt much better, with just a bit of residual fatigue and calf tightness from Tuesday night's workout. I will definitely repeat this route. The Lunken loop is flat, but the route there and (especially) back covers some long and impressive hills.

Thursday's medium run: 13.5 miles, 1:50:06, 8:09/mile, Avg HR 139 (66% HRR), 55°F, light rain

On Friday, I found that someone had locked up the gates at the track, so I had to run my seven miles around the neighborhood. (I've never known the field gates at the track to be locked up before when there is no event in progress. It's not supposed to be.) Compared to the previous two days, the weather was lousy, with the temperature dropping throughout the day. By early afternoon, it was in the low 40's, with strong winds. My legs were pretty tired for this one, so I really took it easy.

Friday's recovery run: 7.0 miles, 59:21, 8:29/mile, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 44°F, windy

On Saturday, the ECHO group had its annual Meat of the Pig course run. The 13-mile route starts in the middle of the course at the Roncker's Running Spot store, cuts off the outermost sections of the course, cuts down to Eastern Avenue, runs west toward the finish, picks up the hilly stretch of the course into Eden Park, and follows the course back to Roncker's. My friend Steve came down from Dayton to take advantage of the supported course run, and we stuck together the whole way. (Thanks for the company, Steve.)

Saturday's medium run: 13.0 miles, 1:45:01, 8:05/mile, Avg HR 142 (68% HRR), 30°F, breezy

I spent most of the run on Sunday trying to rationalize my way to cutting the run short. I started out on the Little Miami Scenic Trail at Miamiville and ran six miles north to the park at Loveland. Normally, I would have continued another four miles north to the Morrow trailhead (closed in the winter), and then headed back. This time, though, I talked myself into turning around after eight miles, telling myself that if I wanted to preserve the option of cutting the run off at 16, this was my last chance. And for most of the run south, I thought I was going to stop when I got back to my car at 16 miles. As I got closer and closer to my car, though, I realized that my legs weren't falling apart. I really didn't feel any worse at 14 miles than I did at 8 miles. I may have even felt better. So when I got back to my car, I stopped for 30 seconds, chugged a Slimfast—I have some of the original full-sugar ones with the 4-to-1 carbs-to-protein ratio to use as recovery drinks—and headed south for another two miles out and back. (The downside to adding the four miles on at the end was that the last two miles back to the car were into the wind.)

Sunday's long run: 20.0 miles, 2:45:16, 8:16/mile, Avg HR 142 (68% HRR), 31°F to 35°F, 15-20 mph wind

For the week, I ended up with 70.5 miles, my first 70-mile week of the year. And since I took last Monday off, it was all done in six days of singles. So I'm pleased with the way my legs are holding up. (The 33 miles on the weekend were also the most I've ever run in two days. I've run 10 and 20 several times. I've run 9 and 22 once.)

With an easy seven miles today, I will be at 77.5 miles for the week. My schedule calls for 80 miles this calendar week, but I'll be happy with anything over 75. Next week is a cutback week with a 60-mile maximum.

6th Annual ECHO "Catch Me If You Can" Race/Training Run

2009-02-26T11:22:00.002-05:00

My friend Steve asked in yesterday's comments about the Catch Me If You Can 5M because he can't find it on any of the race calendars. The reason is that it is a low-key event put together primarily by Doug Maxwell for the ECHO Running Group.

Doug has a flyer on the race here, but, in summary, it is a self-handicapped five-mile training run or race on a perfectly flat stretch (out and back) of the bike trail at the Lunken Airport. It doesn't quite work out right, but if everyone ran exactly his or her predicted time, we'd all finish simultaneously. There will probably be at least 50 people running, and everyone is welcome. I usually try to race it all out, but as you can see to the responses to Doug's evite, a lot of people use it as a tempo or pace run.

The only cost is a $5 donation that will go entirely to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.

And for Steve's second question, I plan several long runs on the course over the next two months, starting this Saturday with the annual ECHO Meat of the Pig Run. Here are the details as posted two weeks ago by Brian Nash:

Just a reminder that the “Meat of the Pig” Run is coming up on Feb 28. This year the run will include runners from the Flying Pig Streakers Club and the ECHO Running Club. I would expect that we will have a nice size group with paces ranging from the low 7s to the high 10s for the 13 mile route.

We will plan to assemble at Bob Roncker’s Running Spot in O’Bryonville at 7:30 am on Saturday morning Feb. 28. The marathon walker training program people will be starting ahead of us at 7 am. The rest of the training groups from the store will be in other locations that day. On the map you will see Parking listed at the Springer School parking lot that has plenty of free parking on Saturday morning and is only a few blocks from the store.

We will have four aid stations with water and Gatorade at about 3 miles intervals. A few bathrooms will be available at the start at Ronckers and plenty at the top of Eden Park at the overlook. There is an emergency bathroom at the UDF in Mt. Lookout. On Eastern there may be a construction porto along the way, but Sites is now closed.

The course follows the Flying Pig course starting from Roncker’s to Hyde Park. Then cuts the eastern portion of the course at Paxton to continue up Erie and down Delta to meet up with the course on Eastern Ave. Then run all the way to the end on Pete Rose Way, turn right on Broadway and run to 8th street, turn right on the ramp to Gilbert and join back up with the course back to Roncker’s.

I think that this link will take you to the course map with the Aid Stations marked. Click on the aid station and it should give you the details of the location.

I'm actually planning to start early with another runner to run the first part of the course and increase the run to 18 (for him) or 20 (for me) miles.

On Saturday, April 11, ECHO likewise has its traditional "last long run on the course." I have my own long runs planned every weekend except April 4 and 5, and I'd be happy to run on the course with anyone who is interested (7:30-8:30 pace).

A glorious day for running

2009-02-25T18:45:00.003-05:00

Early this afternoon, I ran seven very easy miles under sunny skies with the temperature crossing the glorious and magical 60°F threshold. Even with a steady 10 - 15 mph wind, it was more than pleasant.

I was a bit stiff starting out, but after a warm-up mile and some leg swings, I felt better. By the end, I felt very relaxed. Only time constraints kept me from running more than the seven miles I had planned.

Wednesday's recovery run: 7.0 miles, 58:21, 8:20/mile, Avg HR 132 (61% HRR), 61°F

I'm hoping to get in a medium-long run tomorrow. To maximize my time, I may leave my car parked near my daughter's preschool and run from there. I don't like running for two hours around the city, but driving anywhere really eats into my two-and-a-half-hour window while she's in preschool. If I run from there, I have plenty of time.

Another night with the Earth Drummers

2009-02-25T10:09:00.003-05:00

I ran with the Earth Drummers again last night, and I think the commenter (TJ) who expressed scepticism about last week's workout would have been happier with last night's. And having now seen the marathon and half marathon plans for March, I think they make sense.

The warm-up, drills, and cool-down were the same as last week. We ran an easy two-mile loop from the indoor track to the outdoor track. Then we did leg swings to stretch our hamstrings and hips. Then we did 2 x 100m strides, jogging back afterwards, before hitting the drills: 2 x A skips, 2 x B skips, side shuffle each way, and 2 x backwards run, all for 30 yards. Then, we did 2 x 5 sec fast feet, before doing 2 x 100m strides again.

Then it was time for the workout. On this night, for the marathon and half marathoners, it was 2 - 3 x 2-mile cruise intervals at LT pace, which Coach described as 20 - 30 seconds slower than 5K pace. If I go by my certified 5K PR pace of 5:45, that would put me at 6:05 - 6:15 pace. By comparison, Daniels suggests 6:10, and McMillan prescribes 6:02 - 6:18. So it's a typical description of LT pace. Since most of the group hasn't raced hard since the fall, he suggested being conservative. He suggested two repeats for those under 50 or 60 miles with a third possible for those over 60. (In the end, no one did a third.)

I started out with a group of five targeting 6:15 pace or just under. The first two miles, the same two runners led the whole way, and we ran very even laps, turning in miles of 6:15.2 and 6:13.9. After a short jog the length of the football field and back up the straight away, we ran the second set. We started out taking turns leading for the second set, but after everyone had had a turn, I ended up in front and lost track of where everyone else was. I caught up with a runner that had started out in front of us and ended up running with him. With a lap to go, he asked me what lap we were on, and I told him that we had one more to go. But looking at my watch after that, I decided that I had miscounted. Figuring the whole thing should take 12:30 x 2 plus the recovery interval, I decided that we still had a lap to go. So we ran one more. Only afterwards, looking at the splits, did I realize that we had run one lap too many. My second set of miles came in at 6:12.6 and 6:12.1. My extra lap came in at 1:32.8. My HR was very consistent during the LT-paced laps. My average HR for the LT laps (excluding the first lap of each set) ranged from 167 to 169 (84% to 86% of HRR).

After the cruise intervals, the plan called for a five-minute jog before doing some short hill repeats, but when I jogged an extra lap, I ended up missing the first hill repeat. I joined in for the last three 30-second hill repeats. I debated doing the fourth by myself, but I had had enough. We finished with a roughly two-mile cool-down loop finishing up at the indoor track.

Counting the drills, the whole workout came in at roughly 10 miles. Not counting the drills, but counting the warm-up, cool-down, and all the recovery intervals, the average pace was 7:29/mile. So that's going in the log too.

Tuesday's workout: 10.0 miles, 1:14:48, 7:29/mile, Avg HR 151 (74% HRR), 37°F to 31°F, calm

I'm happy to report that nothing is particularly sore this morning. My legs feel like they ran a hard workout yesterday, but there are no "hot spots," just a vague overall fatigue and soreness. So I'm assuming at this point that the hamstring soreness on Sunday was primarily DOMS from the drills and strides on Friday.

Weekend catch-up

2009-02-25T09:24:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted any run details since last Wednesday, so it's time to catch up.

As I mentioned on Thursday, I planned to head to the bike trail for 12 easy, windy miles. As it turned out, I only managed 10 due to time constraints, and the wind was not that troublesome. By 1:00 p.m., the wind had dropped to 15 mph instead of 25 mph, and the bike trail provided some shelter even from that. Only for the first couple miles of the run was it annoying.

Thursday's medium run: 10.0 miles, 1:02:16, 8:02/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 25°F, breezy

On Friday, I hit the track in the early afternoon to get in another 6 to 8 miles, with a second short run planned for the evening. After a mile warm-up, I did the strides and drills from the Earth Drummers workout, and continued running. After four miles, however, the call of nature forced me to return home prematurely. There are no restroom facilities open at the track in the winter. I did manage six easy miles later in the evening, the first of it with a friend from high school.

Friday's early run: 4.0 miles, 33:17, 8:29/mile, No HR Data, 33°F, breezy

Friday's late run: 6.13 miles, 51:16, 8:22/mile, No HR Data, 35°F, breezy

Saturday was a bit of a challenge. My wife had an all-day scrapbooking event from sunrise to late in the evening. The only saving grace was that I had my wife's grandmother, who is still staying at our house, as a baby-sitter. But between Garrett's morning basketball game and a couple hours at a Burger King with an indoor playland, I didn't get a chance to get out until the middle of the afternoon. By that time, the promised rain/sleet/snow had blown in. So after a miserable four miles, I called it a run. The sleet was really stinging. My legs, my quads in particular, were also pretty tired, and I rationalized cutting my planned weekly mileage down to 66 from 70. It would still be a 10% increase from last week.

Saturday's sleety run: 4.0 miles, 34:31, 8:38/mile, No HR Data, 40°F, 20 mph wind

On Sunday, the weather was unpleasant and my hamstrings were tight, especially the left. But I was fortunate enough to have arranged to run with my friend Steve near his home in Bethel (near East Fork State Park). He has two ten-mile loops, the first on rolling country roads, the second an out-and back into East Fork State Park and down and up two steep hills. The temperature for the run was in the mid-20's, with a fairly steady 15 to 20 mph wind blowing snow into our faces. But the roads had been salted and stayed 99% clear. By the start of the second loop, my left hamstring was really bothering me, and if I'd been by myself, I might have bailed. But a quick stop to stretch and massage both legs helped, and I let Steve pull me along for the rest of the run.

Sunday's long run: 20.0 miles, 2:37:54, 7:54/mile, Avg HR 146 (70% HRR), 25-28°F, windy

After the run on Sunday, my left hamstring was achy. It didn't feel particularly injured, and I couldn't find any sore spots, but it was just achy. I tried the Stick, the foam roller, and a tennis ball, but in the end I just settled onto the couch with a large icepack under it.

For the week, I logged 66.13 miles.

By Monday morning, I was happy to notice that my left hamstring felt almost 100% better. It wasn't achy at all, and I could feel only slight tightness when I stretched. And the rest of my legs felt good. But I was still spooked enough by the achy feeling on Sunday that I decided to take Monday off. The knowledge that I had a group track workout coming on Tuesday was a bit of added motivation. The last thing I wanted was to have to skip the workout.

Monday: Unscheduled Rest Day

Not another penny

2009-02-24T14:15:00.007-05:00

I'll post details on my running later, but I'm pissed off right now at a large glossy postcard I received today thanking my newly-elected left-wing Congressman Steve Driehaus. According to the postcard, "Thanks to Congressman Steve Driehaus, 11 Million Children Now Have Health Insurance."

The postcard is referring, of course, to the dramatic expansion of the SCHIP program to include many working and middle-class families. Without getting into specifics, let's just say that I strongly opposed the expansion, both on its own merits and as another step down the slippery slope. It is correctly seen by its proponents as one more step toward nationalized health care.

But that's not why I'm angry today. I'm angry because when I looked to see who paid for the mailing I found, in addition to the usual suspects--FamiliesUSA and the Service Employees International Union--it was paid for by America's Pharmaceutical Research Companies and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Boy, was that an eye opener. My mother died of cancer almost three years ago, and I've supported the American Cancer Society, not realizing that the organization has a political agenda that goes beyond finding cures and treatments for cancer. I was already unhappy with the obsession of the ACS and the American Lung Association with tobacco control, but tacitly endorsing specific Democrat politicians and nationalized health care for middle-class Americans is beyond inappropriate. And the ACS and ACSCAN websites show that the postcard is not an aberration.

So not another penny, ACS. There are plenty of charities that know how to stick to a core mission.

And before any ACS apologists ask me to distinguish between the ACS and its sister PAC, let me say forget it. How many gun-control advocates would be willing to contribute to the gun safety programs of the 501(c)(3) NRA Foundation while ignoring the political efforts of the NRA-ILA PAC or the main 501(c)(4) NRA?

Another windy one today

2009-02-19T11:47:00.004-05:00

According to weather.com, it is currently 27°F with winds from the west at 24 to 31 mph. After I drop Cedar off at preschool in a few minutes, I'm going to head to Miamiville and run on the bike trail. I have 12 miles planned, and it's 5.8 miles from Miamiville to the trailhead at Loveland. The tree-lined trail usually provides a bit of shelter from the wind, though not as much during the winter.

I'm hoping it will also keep me from running directly into the wind very much. From Miamiville, the trail heads west for a mile before turning north and eventually northeast toward Loveland. If the wind's really from the west, it'll be worse coming back, but the wind would still be hitting me at an angle, not head on. Unless I can figure out a way to run due east for 12 miles and have someone pick me up, it's probably the best I can do.

But we'll see. Regardless, I'm dressing warmly and taking it slow. The legs feel pretty good. At this point, my quads and hamstrings are just a bit stiff and sore if I massage them, and they're improving at the rate they should.

Wind-blown recovery run

2009-02-19T07:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon was a mental struggle due to the wind. The temperature was 62°F and breezy earlier in the afternoon when I got dressed, so I put on a thin long-sleeve shirt and shorts. I had to pick up the kids from school, so I put my running pants on over the shorts, and, since it was spitting rain, I grabbed my Boston jacket from the closet.

By the time I got to the track for my recovery run, it was still 58°F, but the cold front had come in and the wind had picked up to a steady 25 mph with gusts at 40 mph. After a mile warm-up, I stopped to do my leg swings and drills. (I've been doing them since the running symposium a few weeks ago.) And while I was stopped, I decided that I was freezing my butt off. So I trotted over to the car and put my running pants back on and donned my Boston jacket. I don't consider it a running jacket, but it was all I had in my car. I ran the rest of my run in the jacket, very glad for its protection from the wind. I have no doubt I would have averaged better than 8:20 pace if not for the wind. Running into the wind was a chore, especially during the middle miles when the wind was at its strongest. The middle two miles took me 8:40. But overall, I felt pretty good. My quads were the only thing that felt at all sore running at that easy pace, and that was more of a heaviness than real soreness.

Wednesday's windy jog: 7.0 miles, 59:40, 8:31, No HR Data, 58°F-53°F, windy

Running with the Earth Drummers

2009-02-18T11:00:00.003-05:00

Last night was the first group track workout of my life, and I had a blast. The large group of Earth Drummers I met were very welcoming; and, because it was a planned light evening, I made it through the entire workout in one piece.

The group met at the Armory Fieldhouse on the University of Cincinnati campus. The Fieldhouse includes an indoor track, but they/we only used it as a pre- and post-workout gathering place. The actual workout included a not-quite two-mile warm-up loop around the campus, finishing up at the outdoor track. After doing leg swings (front-to-back and side-to-side with each leg), we did drills and strides as a group on the football field. We did two sets of 100 yard strides, jogging back after each one. Then we did two sets of A Skips and B Skips over 20 or 30 yards. Then we did a side shuffle (each direction) and two backwards runs over the same distance. Finally, we closed with two more 100 yard strides, a bit harder than the first two.

After the drills, we were told to run two miles at AT pace (using Coach Cox's terminology) or roughly 50 to 60 seconds slower than 5K pace. I stuck with a group planning to run 6:30 pace. In the net-downhill first mile, however, we ran 6:13. I ran a 6:40 second mile uphill but still fell a few yards off the back of the group (there were other groups and runners behind me) as they ran closer to 6:30 for the uphill mile.

Once we got to the track, our assignment was 8 x 400m at 10K pace with 100m jog recoveries. For me, that was roughly 90 seconds, and lucky for me, a group of several runners had about the same target. I was feeling a bit of residual soreness from my 5K, though, so I wanted to be conservative, so I partnered up initially with a woman targeting 94 and stuck with her for the first five repeats. We kept getting sucked into the group just ahead of us, so we ran 89, 93, 91, 93, and 91. For the last few, I stuck closer to the group ahead and ran 89, 88, and 81. Coach Cox said we could push it closer to 5K pace for the last two repeats. That would have been closer to 85 than 81, but I was pulled along by the group ahead of me as they ran even faster.

After the track workout was over, we ran another not-quite-two-mile cool-down around the campus and back to the Fieldhouse. Total mileage for the evening was around nine miles including the drills and strides. (I recorded 8.3 miles at a total average pace of 7:28 for the warm-up, AT loop, cruise intervals, and cool-down.)

I was a bit worried after the workout that I would be quite sore today (running even a light track workout 55 hours after a first-of-the-season 5K), but I'm only mildly sore all over, most noticeably in my hamstrings. I'm also happy that the entirety of the hamstrings are sore, not just one spot. My experience is that spot soreness is more likely to be persistent.

I don't think the soreness will interfere with any easy running this week, but I will decide on Friday whether to drop the four-mile tempo run (6:15 pace) that I have on the schedule. If the soreness is gone by tomorrow evening, I'll run it anyway. If I'm still sore, I may drop or downgrade the workout.

Not as sore as I expected

2009-02-17T09:59:00.003-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday that I was only minimally stiff and sore from Sunday's race. Walking around yesterday morning, I just felt a bit stiff, and the stiffness went away as the day went on. By last night, my calves, quads, and hamstrings were slightly sore if I massaged them, but I didn't feel any soreness at all when I ran.

The run was my standard six-mile recovery jog at a relaxed pace. With the kids off school for Presidents' Day, I didn't make it out until 5:45 p.m., so the sun was setting as I ran.

Monday's recovery run: 6.0 miles, 49:54, 8:19/mile, Avg HR 137 (64% HRR), 37°F to 34°F

I have another easy day planned for today, but Dan and Deb Bird invited me to meet the Earth Drummers tonight. So if I can make it, I may meet up with them tonight at the track.

Race-day details

2009-02-17T08:48:00.006-05:00

This lovely graph is my heartrate profile from Sunday's Sweetheart Shuffle 5K. I find it interesting to compare it to the heartrate profile from my 17:51 PR effort in October. In that race, my average HR was 176, and I peaked at 185. In this weekend's race, my average HR was 172, and I peaked at 180. The weather was very similar for both races, 40°F and breezy in October, 38°F and breezy on Sunday. Both courses are pretty flat, with a few more rollers and bridges in the October race. The only hill in the Sweetheart Shuffle is a short, early drop from the start on the levee down to the trail along the river that you retrace back uphill before the finish. That uphill resulted in the first HR spike to 180 bpm at 16:00. After I caught my breath, the second spike to 180 bpm came a minute later with my finishing kick.

I don't know why my HR was uniformly four or five beats per minute lower in this race than in October (and in most of my 5K's). I'll have to see in future races whether it means I was fitter but less sharp. That's the optimistic interpretation. Regardless of the reason, though, I am pleased with the shape of the HR graph. It shows a consistent effort with no let-up.

The race organizers have now posted results (PDF) from the race on their website. They've also posted a couple of pictures, one of which is at left. This is in the opening moments of the race, and you can see me running fourth in the white hat, orange singlet, and black shorts. The early leader in the long-sleeve orange shirt had already opened a bit of a gap. Dan Bird was immediately in front of me, in the long-sleeve white shirt.

As for the nitty-gritty details, I ran 2.0 miles (7:31 pace) on the indoor track at the YMCA to warm-up before changing to my racing flats and heading outside. After some limbering up, I ran to the start and out a bit on the course, totaling 1.04 miles (7:27 pace). Then I bounced around at the start, trotting back and forth a bit until the race started.

After the race, I ran 1.02 miles (8:21 pace) back to the YMCA and changed shoes before heading out for 1.70 miles (8:31 pace) with Dan, Ronnie (third place), and one other gentleman. After the brief awards ceremony, I ran 7.65 miles (8:01 pace) to round out my day at 16.52 miles.

A "silver medal" and a PR (maybe, sorta)

2009-02-15T16:38:00.008-05:00

I knew I was "in trouble" when I saw Dan Bird standing in line at the registration table in his Earth Drummers jacket. Dan was the third-ranked M45-49 runner in the last Running Spot rankings, and he just turned 50 years old. (These are the rankings, finally online, in which I was 12th among M35-39.) And I'm always looking at his back in races. Most recently, he ran 36:22 to my 37:36 in the 10K Thanksgiving Day Race. He's one of my running role models. (He told me after the race that he started running at 37.)

But I was there to compete, so I went out with the initial pack of five runners, including one guy who quickly opened a gap. At that point, I thought he was going to run away with it, but he had just gone out too fast, and by the half-mile mark Dan was on his heels and I was on Dan's heels. After Dan and I passed the fast-opener, I pulled alongside Dan. It was a bit windy, but it was coming from an angle, and drafting behind other runners didn't seem to help. So by the mile mark, I had pulled ahead. I lead for the entire second mile, and at the turn-around I had a roughly 20-yard lead on Dan.

But Dan had been running conservatively into the wind, and he caught me by the two-mile mark and pulled away. I did my best to hold on, but he put 15 seconds on me in the last mile, finishing in 17:24 to my 17:39.

17:39 would be a 12-second PR, except for the fact that it's an uncertified course that I suspect is 10 to 15 seconds short. It's not blatantly short, but the three Garmin-wearers I consulted reported around 3.05 miles. But who knows. Garmin's aren't 100% accurate and can easily mis-measure a 180-degree turn-around. So, I'll probably add it to my PR list with an "uncertified" asterisk.

After not having anyone break 18 minutes the last few years, four runners broke 18 minutes today, including last year's winner, with a fifth just behind. I'll add a link to the results once they post them on the website.

Sweetheart Shuffle 5K tomorrow

2009-02-14T20:00:00.005-05:00

I am running the Sweetheart Shuffle 5K tomorrow in Middletown, Ohio. The forecast is for 37°F, clouds, and no real wind. I've run this race three times (2005 through 2007), and that would be the best weather I've had at this race. I've had 40°F and rain, 30°F and cloudy (that one wasn't bad), and 19°F and very windy.

But despite the questionable winter weather I've had there in the past, I've always run huge PR's in this race. In 2005, I ran 22:44, compared to my 24:02 PR from December 2004. In 2006, I ran 20:32, compared to my 21:37 PR from December 2005. And in 2007, I ran 19:00, compared to my 19:44 PR from December 2006. (In 2007, I actually questioned whether the flood-adjusted course was short. It was so windy that day, that I couldn't believe I ran a 44-second PR. But I ran 19:14 at less than 100% effort on a super hilly course a month later as part of a 5K-15K double race and then ran 18:49 on a warm Memorial Day three months later.)

This year, I'm not expecting any huge PR's. Or any PR, really. I ran my 17:51 in October when I was (prematurely) peaking last fall. At this point, I'm just starting marathon training, and I haven't run anything longer than 200m Reps at faster than 6:30 pace since Rocket City in December. My main goal for the race tomorrow is to compete well. I finished a distant second in 2007 running 19:00. (The winner was a high school student who coasted to an 18:05.) And last year's top three ran 18:09, 18:40, and 18:55. (I had an 18:34 PR, so I would probably have been racing for second again.)

So, my goals for tomorrow in order of importance:

1. Don't injure anything.
2. Compete well.
3. Run sub-6:00 pace.
4. Run sub-18.
5. Run a PR (sub-17:51).

A mostly solo group run

2009-02-14T19:47:00.002-05:00

I sort of ran with the ECHO group this morning, but for one of the few times that I ever remember, I ended up running most of it by myself. We have two standard six-mile routes: the "Flat Six" and "Eversole." Eversole is known for one very steep hill and a few extra rollers. The Flat Six has only some modest rollers, nothing worthy of really being called a hill by Cincinnati standards.

Well, the two courses initially follow the same route, but the time comes when we must turn left to run Eversole or continue another block to run the Flat Six. Most of the time, we run the Flat Six. This morning, though, someone yelled for Eversole and a group turned off. I objected that I had a race tomorrow and continued straight. But most of the group turned off, leaving only the lead group and myself running the Flat Six. I probably would have stuck with the lead group even though it would have meant running 10 seconds per mile faster than I was, but when they came to the first cul de sac, they skipped it. (The distinctive feature of the Flat Six is a few cul de sacs, short out and backs on dead end streets to pad the route.) I followed the normal route, so I quickly fell behind by 100 yards and was on my own the rest of the way.

It was just as well, though, because I had to cut part of the route off to hit a restroom at the park near the beginning of the route. That left me with only five miles, so I ran two loops around the park to pad my run.

As usual, we did regroup for our traditional post-run bagel breakfast afterwards. That's when I get to talk to most of the group anyway. I usually end up running with the same handful of people.

Saturday's "group" run: 6.37 miles, 52:00, 8:10/mile, No HR Data, 39°F

As planned, I took Friday as a rest day.

Reminiscing and running in the dark

2009-02-13T09:45:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my mother's birthday—the third since she passed away—so my father, Cedar, and I visited the cemetery and then reminisced over lunch. Cedar turned two the month she died, and Garrett was three and a half, so we do our best to keep Nana's memory alive for them with pictures and stories.

And even for me, it's still sometimes hard to wrap my head around it. It was such a surreal experience: only three weeks from home to hospital to hospice. And who has ever heard of pilomatrix carcinoma (hair follicle cancer) anyway? I'll never forget running long hilly loops around the hospital. It's the only time I've ever cried while running. In fact, I spent a lot of time running that summer and ultimately qualified for Boston in November. And after the race, I wanted more than anything to call and tell my mother.

So with family time taking up my afternoon, I pushed my run back to the evening. (There's usually nothing better than running to lift my mood.) The Running Spot in Loveland has added Thursday evening group runs to the calendar, so I decided that I'd hit the bike trail for some early mile and then run with the group. As it turned out, I only had time for 3.32 miles before stopping at the store. And, as it turned out, the "group" for the evening was Brett—a store employee—and myself. But we had a good run, running a hilly 4.77-mile loop around Loveland, including one long stretch on grass in the dark. After dropping Brett off, I finished off with another three miles on the bike trail. It was completely in the dark at this point, with very little light, so the pace for the last three miles was really slow, 8:50-9:00 pace. Overall, I covered just over 11 miles.

Thursday evening's run: 11.07 miles, 1:32:32, 8:22/mile, Avg HR 135 (63% HRR), 51°F to 43°F

My calves felt fine yesterday, so I ran most of what I had planned. I'm sticking with my original plan and taking today off. I'll run the usual easy six with the ECHO group tomorrow morning, and then get as many miles in as I can stand after my 5K race on Sunday.

Earlier in the afternoon, I did a very light core session, 2 x 1:00 planks on each side instead of 2:00 each, 30 side leg lifts on each side instead of 40, and no bridges. I also did some traditional crunches.

The sun'll come out tomorrow...

2009-02-11T17:57:00.004-05:00

The good news is that the thunder storms mostly fizzled out this afternoon. We had some rain early this morning and then a dry mid-morning through early afternoon when temperatures hit 67°F. It was during this stretch that I hit the track for a very easy, hour-long jog, much like yesterday's first run. It was windy, but not extraordinarily so. The strong winds are supposed to come tonight.

Wednesday's recovery run: 7.25 miles, 1:00:53, 8:23/mile, Avg HR 128 (58% HRR), 67°F, 20 mph wind

After my run and shower, the rain started up again, but, as I mentioned earlier, the strong storms fizzled out. A couple hours later, we had one more narrow line pass through, but it lasted less than five minutes. It did drop pea sized hail and feature a bit of lightning, but it's most remarkable feature was the strong horizon-to-horizon double rainbow that followed in its wake.

I haven't mentioned it, but my lower calves have been the tiniest bit sore since Monday. It's very minor, and it hasn't bothered me running, as you can tell by my HR the last two days. And for those who would worry, it's not the high outside calf tightness that bothered me in December, it's the typical lower calf soreness that I often get when I up the speed or intensity. At times, it gets stubborn and won't go away until I take a day off. If there's any left tomorrow, I may take tomorrow off instead of Friday and Saturday. My preference is to get a medium run in tomorrow, take Friday off, and then run easy with the group Saturday morning. But I can really take my rest day any day, and I can do the medium run tomorrow or Friday.

Light rain today, "tropical storm" tomorrow

2009-02-10T20:18:00.004-05:00

Today went mostly according to plan. I got in just over 12 very easy, recovery effort miles. I was, however, forced to split the run in two, finishing up eight miles at 2:50 p.m., and then running the balance just after 5:00 p.m. In both cases, I kept the effort to a jog, with my HR hovering around 130 bpm. At the track, in the early afternoon, that yielded 8:22 pace. Two hours later, on sidewalks and roads with rolling hills, that yielded 8:40 pace.

Tuesday's first run: 8.0 miles, 1:06:53, 8:22/mile, Avg HR 129 (59% HRR), 57°F, light rain, windy

Tuesday's second run: 4.32 miles, 37:25, 8:40/mile, Avg HR 130 (59% HRR), 55°F, light rain, less wind

With a full week of running under my belt—Wednesday through Tuesday—my trailing seven-day mileage total is 64.71. It's the first time this calendar year that I've been over 60 miles in a week. And with another medium run—12 miles—this Thursday replacing a short run last Thursday, I should be over 74 miles for seven days—Friday through Thursday. Fortunately, 64 miles feels like a very modest workload at this point. But I did think it was important to keep the intensity low today and for the next couple days (except perhaps for some strides on Thursday) as my body readjusts to the workload, especially after three straight days at sub-8:00 pace.

After light rain today, the forecast tomorrow calls for some strong storms with damaging winds. According to the National Weather Service's "High Wind Warning" "BEHIND THE FRONT... A VERY STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RESULT IN WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH WEDNESDAY NIGHT... WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 65 MPH POSSIBLE." It will be interesting to see when I can squeeze my run in tomorrow and whether I'll be running with 50 mph winds. Eek!

Steady run

2009-02-09T18:38:00.002-05:00

After lunch this afternoon, I headed back out to run in the neighborhood around my daughter's (pre)school. I was hoping to get seven miles in before she got out of school, but I was running a few minutes later than I wanted, and I ran out of time with 6.62 miles under my belt. But that was my only complaint. It was a warm day, with a temperature that ranged from 55°F to 58°F during my run. Perfect weather for running. (It was a bit breezy, so I stuck with a thin long-sleeve shirt.) Overall, my legs felt good, and my energy level was excellent. And I think I subconsciously ran a hair faster than I normally would on a recovery day because I knew I was going to run out of time.

Monday's recovery run: 6.62 miles, 52:39, 7:57/mile, Avg HR 140 (68% HRR), 55°F to 58°F

After picking up both kids from school, I did my short core routine—left plank (2:00), right side leg lifts (40), right plank (2:00), left side leg lifts, bridges (10 x 10-second). Monday is my scheduled rest day for push-ups, so I skipped those. I've finally added a page to my log to record my core routine. I'm hoping that it will make me stick to it better if it is standardized and recorded. I'd like to get into a routine of doing it three times per week.

A wonderful weekend of running

2009-02-09T06:49:00.005-05:00

You could almost see the snow melting this weekend. After two weeks of ever-present snow and cold, a weekend-long burst of warmth put a dramatic end to the slippery white running obstacle. It hit 48°F on Friday, 57°F on Saturday, and 56°F on Sunday. And it's supposed to hit 60°F the next three days.

So both mornings, it was much less of a struggle to get out the door bright and early to run. On Saturday morning, I joined the ECHO group for the usual six miles at 7:00 a.m. My schedule called for strides, so a mile into the run, I was delighted to see Doug and Karen bursting ahead doing the same thing. So I joined them for their last nine strides and added a 10th of my own going up the last long hill. The strides were all 20 to 30 seconds long. Other than the strides, though, we ran very comfortably. (Scattering strides throughout, though, does keep the HR elevated compared to a steady easy run.)

Saturday's ECHO run: 6.04 miles, 46:56, 7:46/mile, Avg HR 150 (73% HRR), 45°F

On Sunday morning, I awoke to find my Garmin 305 on, not quite in the cradle, and almost dead. I gave it about 10 minutes to charge before rushing out the door, and after catching every red light on the way, I ended up missing the group starting out at 5:30 a.m. I knew they were planning on circling back to pick up stragglers at 6:00 a.m., so I got in two quick miles by myself using the waning charge in my Garmin. After that, I stuck with Brian and the group for two loops (six and a half miles and six miles) and finished it out with Patty on a pre-measured five-mile loop (in sub-39). At that point, I called it a morning rather than head out for another half-mile by myself. It's probably the first time I've ever run 19.x miles, but I'm not feeling quite as obsessive about round numbers right now. (I did wear my reliable Timex watch to time the whole run.)

Sunday's long run: 19.5 miles, 2:34:55, 7:57/mile, No HR Data, 55°F to 49°F

For the week, I ended up with 45.77 miles in five days. By the time I run today and tomorrow, I should be pushing 65 miles for seven days (Wednesday to Tuesday). With a longer run this Thursday compared to last week, I could be over 70 miles for seven days (Friday to Thursday). That's a pretty aggressive kick-start to my 12-weeks of training for the Pig, so I plan to play it by ear a bit. I also have a rest day planned for Friday. Going on a calendar-week basis, I have 60, 70, and 75 miles planned for the next three weeks.

Beautiful day, beautiful run

2009-02-06T15:37:00.003-05:00

By normal standards, my run today was just average. My legs were still a tiny bit tired from Wednesday's trail run and leg exercises, and I didn't set any personal records for pace. But the combination of a warm, sunny day; a happy stomach; and a 99% clean running surface made for a heavenly run. I started out with two shirts on, but within a mile and a half I shed one. And it just got warmer from there, rising from around 41°F at the start to 46°F at the end.

I heard at the beginning of the week that they had been plowing and salting the five-mile loop around Lunken Airport, so I headed over there after lunch to check it out. I was delighted to see that the trail was indeed clear, with only one or two small snowy patches and a few low-lying wet patches on the mile stretch along the road.

After a mile to warm up, I unintentionally maintained a very steady pace for six miles, before gradually picking it up for the last three: 8:22, 8:09, 8:11, 8:10, 8:09, 8:11, 8:06, 7:53, 7:51, 7:40. My HR was higher than it would be when I'm at peak fitness and sharpness, but it was fine, and stayed in the 140's even during the last three miles. (My HR monitor worked perfectly with the warmer temps.)

Friday's medium run: 10.0 miles, 1:20:42, 8:04/mile, Avg HR 143 (68% HRR), 41°F to 46°F

I have an easy group run planned tomorrow morning and a long run planned for Sunday.

Giving meaning to a bumper sticker

2009-02-06T09:08:00.005-05:00

I was pleased to read in yesterday's online Enquirer that my former Representative Steve Chabot has filed for a rematch against my new "Representative," Steve Driehaus. I took my McCain*Palin sticker off the car on election night, but I left my NRA-sponsored "Sportsmen for Chabot" sticker on my car in the hopes that it would be relevant again.

I've always had a great deal of respect for Steve Chabot. He's not the slickest politician on the planet, but he's one of the best. On one occasion several years ago, I called his office to comment on a piece of legislation that had been assigned to a committee of which he was a member. (I think the bill included a ban on mail-order sales of ammunition.) He called me back personally to ask questions about the significance of the legislation. (Many types of ammunition, including some of the best self-defense ammunition, are simply not stocked at your local Walmart.) And while he's not a die-hard libertarian, he's a genuine, old-fashioned small-government conservative who's not afraid to buck the GOP House leadership when they are on the wrong side of an issue—as they have been so many times during the last 10 years.

Ohio's 1st District has become increasingly competitive and is now essentially a 50-50 district, with a highly Democrat city center and just enough conservative suburbs to make it competitive. Steve Chabot had pulled out tough victories in the previous couple elections, but the anti-Republican tide in 2008 was too much, and Steve Driehaus rode the Obamamentum to a 52.5%-47.5% victory. Who knows what the landscape will look like in 2010? Obama certainly won't be on the ticket.

Snowy trails

2009-02-06T08:42:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, I put off my run until the evening, when the Runner's Club of Greater Cincinnati was supposed to meet up with the University of Cincinnati Track Club at U.C.'s old indoor track. I don't usually have access to an indoor track, so I was really looking forward to the opportunity. Unfortunately, a freak and unexpected snow storm dumped several more inches of snow on the ground and brought traffic to a standstill. My wife was stuck at work until late, and it would probably have taken me an hour to make the 15-minute drive down to U.C. So I ended up with another rest day. (They've rescheduled the get-together for next Tuesday.)

On Wednesday, I made up for it with a strong effort. It was 20°F and breezy, and the sidewalks and sides of the road were (and are) still snow-covered. So I donned my road-wearable trail shoes and headed north on Montgomery Road toward French Park. After a very hilly 2.62 miles at just over 8:00 pace, I ran a tough 1.63-mile loop around French Park. It was not only hilly; it was almost virgin snow and ice. It was challenging, beautiful, and a lot of fun. The first, largely-uphill mile took 10:26, but the second, flat-to-downhill mile took only 9:12. After that, I ran home the way I came, tackling the hills in reverse.

Wednesday's mixed run: 6.91 miles, 59:31, 8:37/mile, No HR Data, 20°F

Before the run, I did a single set of 45 push-ups (my daily goal for February). After the run, I did left and right planks for 2:00 each (a personal best), 40 side leg lifts (left and right), and 10 x 10-second bridges. I ran out of time at that point, so I didn't do any Supermans or anything else.

Yesterday, I did another 45 push-ups and a short run. My legs were tired from the efforts of the day before, and I was, to be frank, sick to death of the snow and cold. I managed a few hilly loops around the neighborhood, totaling 3.32 miles.

Thursday's easy run: 3.32 miles, 29:08, 8:47/mile, No HR Data, 24°F

The cold is finally supposed to break today and hit 40°F. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50°s. I'm hoping for a medium run today and a long run on Sunday, but I haven't decided where I'm going to run. My normal long run route on the bike trail will not be runnable yet on Sunday.

(I need to get some water-based lubricant or ultrasound gel for my HR monitor strap. No matter how much I wet my chest or wet the strap, I can't seem to get reliable readings on cold, dry days. But it worked perfectly in New Orleans.)

"Disaster" in New Orleans

2009-02-03T13:00:00.004-05:00

The race in New Orleans offered a fitting end to the week. Between the persistent stomach virus and the snow/ice/snow storm, it was one of the most frustrating running weeks I've ever had.

Brian and I flew from Dayton to Atlanta to New Orleans on Saturday, and as the day went on, my stomach felt worse and worse. By Saturday evening, it was so bad that I couldn't eat a bite at dinner, and I was unable to fully enjoy the company of 16 other runners at a nice Italian restaurant in the middle of the French Quarter.

Being a good friend, Brian took pity on me, and suggested we leave a bit early. And it was probably a good thing. After we got back to our hotel, brushing my teeth triggered several rounds in which I threw up just about everything I had eaten in (at least) the previous 24 hours. (Some of it appeared to be from lunch the prior day.) I was a bit amazed that I hadn't felt worse with all of that in my stomach. I didn't know my stomach could hold that much.

I had already dealt with the stomach bug earlier in the week, and I hadn't quite felt 100% all week, so I wasn't starting with anything in the way of reserves. So, needless to say, I was not on top of my game Sunday morning. I was terribly dehydrated and completely out of fuel. But since I had traveled all the way to NOLA for the race, I gave it a go anyway. I didn't have much to lose. I also felt a bit better Sunday morning, and I was able to eat a bagel, drink a Sprite, and down a few Twizzlers in the two hours before the race. I also toned down my expectations for the race to "finish." I was prepared to be out there for five hours, Gallowalking as necessary to get through it.

I started out with Brian, trying to follow the 3:40 pace group (8:23/mile). Under normal circumstances, that's a relaxed jog for me, with a HR in the 130's. But on this day, I was already struggling by the third mile, with my heart rate spiking to 150 bpm. (The 3:40 pacer was terrible. After a crowded 8:30-something first mile, he ran miles two and three at sub-8:00.) I tried taking short walk breaks at three and four miles, but by mile five, I was already start to cramp up in my right calf. That shattered any illusions I had of gutting it out. I wasn't in any shape to walk another 21 miles, even if I were willing to test the course's seven-hour time limit. So after walking mindlessly for another half mile, I realized that I needed to turn around. After that, I had a bit more than four miles to walk back to the finish.

The good news is that I was able to eat a bit after the race, and after Brian finished, I was able to eat a modest lunch. I ended up skipping dinner, but we did manage a couple of hours touring the French Quarter. By Monday morning, I felt close to 100%, and I was able to eat normally yesterday.

The image at the top of the entry is a hangar at the Lakefront Airport. On Sunday after lunch, we drove around the northeastern section of the city. The area was hit pretty hard in the post-Katrina flooding and still has a lot of homes and businesses that have not been rebuilt. When I have time, I'll post some general thoughts on the Mardi Gras Marathon and on the city of New Orleans, along with a few pictures.

Heading out after an exhausting week

2009-01-31T07:18:00.003-05:00

I'm heading up to the Dayton Airport with my friend Brian at 8:00 a.m. We're both heading to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras Marathon tomorrow morning. I already didn't care what my time was for this race, but after this week, I really don't care. I'm guessing I'll run something around 3:30, even 8:00 pace, but I don't want it to interfere with my training the next week or two, so I plan to stick to an easy long run effort. I'm hoping my stomach is up to the effort.

As for this week, wow. I had a great week last week through Saturday, but Sunday morning I woke up with a queasy stomach and a splitting headache. Both got worse throughout the day, and I was in bed for the night by 6:30 p.m. I felt much better the next morning, but my stomach has been a bit unsettled all week. It didn't really feel normal until Friday.

So Sunday and Monday, I didn't run because I was sick. Then, on Tuesday morning, we got several inches of snow. I've run in snow before, so I headed out and tried to run, but I made it 100 yards before giving up. It was really slick. Even with trail shoes, I couldn't do more than slowly shuffle. Tuesday evening, the snow turned into freezing rain, before turning back into snow Wednesday morning. By the end of the storm, we had roughly seven inches of snow with 3/4" of ice in the middle. Side roads are still bad, and the kids were off school for three days.

I did manage to get two short runs in on Thursday and Friday, but only by signing up for a two-week guest pass at Urban Active. I had to listen to a sales pitch, and I was impressed with their pricing and facilities, but at this point, I just wanted some place to run for two weeks until the snow melts. But after I find a job, we may ditch the YMCA membership in favor of Urban Active. (The only downside to switching is that the YMCA has large swimming pools, kids' swimming lessons, a local indoor water park. Urban Active has small lap pools.)