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Today was scheduled to be my final long run at close to Half Marathon race pace as there are only 3 weeks left until the Shamrock Half Marathon. I helped Elizabeth with her "Brick Run" training this morning (bike, run, bike) and then prepared for my run.
The weather conditions (sunny, windy) and temperature (45F, 7C) today were right in the zone where I debate between running in tights or shorts. After feeling the gusty winds during Elizabeth's training session, I elected for tights and a long sleeved tech shirt... which turned out to be the right decision.
I had planned to run for 1 hour 50 minute or Half Marathon distance, which ever came first. I had run at 8.20/mile pace last weekend and set my watch for the same again today. If I am going to break 1:45 for the Half Marathon, I need to be at 8.00/mile, so 8.20 is close enough for a training run.
My typical greenway trail run is 12 miles in length, and unless I repeat any of the parts of the run, there isn't a way to make it any longer. With this in mind, I decided to add a loop of Shelley Lake at the front of my run (2 miles, 16.40) before heading down the Ironwood Trail to the Alleghany Trail and the Crabtree Trails. I started out holding my 8.20/mile pace and at halfway increased to 8:10/mile and ran the last 3 miles at 8:00/mile for a total time of 1 hour 47 minutes and 10 seconds for a full 13.1 miles.
It feels great to have covered the full Half Marathon distance 3 minutes faster than my official PR without any major pain. My legs are tired and my calves are a little tight, but that is about it. I can gain a lot of confidence from this run as the greenway is a much tougher run that the Shamrock course and I only need to find 10 seconds a mile on race day to meet my target!
My plan for this coming week is a couple of easy runs (Tuesday/Thursday) and then the Cary Distance Festival 10K on Saturday.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
New Goal - Run a Marathon
This last week has been a strange one. I set a new PR in the Law Enforcement Torch Run 5K for Special Olympics and then had a excellent long run the next day (12 miles at 8.20/mile). I have been feeling stronger during my runs this year and I am looking forward to attempting to achieve my goal of a sub 1:45 Half Marathon in Virginia on 3/21.
Running a Marathon has been in the back of my mind since the great weekend that I had at the Kiawah Half Marathon, but I have been unwilling to put in the extra training hours (and miles) that I'd need to be able to do myself justice over 26.2 miles.
Yesterday I got the motivation to take on the extra work and train for a Marathon. On Thursday morning is got the news that a friend and colleague (who was in his mid-40's) had died suddenly of a heart attack. There aren't many things in my life that I put off 'till tomorrow when I can do them today, but a Marathon has always been in that category. What I was reminded of on Thursday is that tomorrow might never come. While this is a cliche, and I of course expect to be around tomorrow and for many more tomorrows to come, I feel that I should take this opportunity while I can.
I am going to target the Marine Corps. Marathon in Washington DC in late October.
I'll post my training program in late March. I am not going to modify my training program until after the Shamrock Half Marathon, when I will have 30 weeks left until the Marathon.
Running a Marathon has been in the back of my mind since the great weekend that I had at the Kiawah Half Marathon, but I have been unwilling to put in the extra training hours (and miles) that I'd need to be able to do myself justice over 26.2 miles.
Yesterday I got the motivation to take on the extra work and train for a Marathon. On Thursday morning is got the news that a friend and colleague (who was in his mid-40's) had died suddenly of a heart attack. There aren't many things in my life that I put off 'till tomorrow when I can do them today, but a Marathon has always been in that category. What I was reminded of on Thursday is that tomorrow might never come. While this is a cliche, and I of course expect to be around tomorrow and for many more tomorrows to come, I feel that I should take this opportunity while I can.
I am going to target the Marine Corps. Marathon in Washington DC in late October.
I'll post my training program in late March. I am not going to modify my training program until after the Shamrock Half Marathon, when I will have 30 weeks left until the Marathon.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
New Running Shoes
I noticed that my running shoes had started to look a little old and worn this last weekend, so I changed to a new pair today. I looked back at my records and it seems that I had been using this last pair of Asics Gel Kayano 15's since July 2009.
My first run (5 mile tempo) in my new shoes went well. I noticed a little more support and spring in my step... hopefully next time I will remember to switch before this pair are past their best.
My first run (5 mile tempo) in my new shoes went well. I noticed a little more support and spring in my step... hopefully next time I will remember to switch before this pair are past their best.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Law Enforcement Torch Run 5K for Special Olympics
This third race of the Second Empire Grand Prix of races was held at the NC State Centennial campus in west Raleigh to benefit the NC Special Olympics. I had looked at the course map and elevation chart before the race and knew that there were a couple of long hills, but given my new PR in the Run for the Roses I felt confident that I was strong enough to run a good race.
The weather was again cold (40F, 3C), but the sun was out and it didn't feel quite that cold. I decided to run without my hat and gloves, but with the rest of my cold weather gear on. Given the success of using a GU before the Run for the Roses, I decided to do it again this time and took it about 15 minutes before the start of the race.
I started out fast with the pack and passed through the slightly down hill first mile in an amazing 6:35. I was shocked when I looked down at my watch as I didn't feel like I was going at that speed.
The second mile included a long climb which I really struggled to make it to the top of. My pace slowed to 7:27 for the second mile, but I had a steady downhill portion to come, so I wasn't too worried. I tried to relax on the downhill, but found it hard to make up the time I had lost on the incline. I struggled through mile 3 in 7:21 and managed to kick to the finish for a final time of 22:12 - another PR!
Elizabeth and a few of the ladies from her Boot Camp also participated in the race. Well done to Elizabeth for completing such a difficult course!
I still don't know how I went through the first mile in 6:35. I didn't feel like I was pushing overly hard, but given my struggles in miles 2 and 3, I can only assume I was. I have the first mile to thank for another PR and an improvement of 16 seconds over my time from only 2 weeks ago.
Srini Iyer (20) won the race with a new course record 16:07 which gives me 724 points for the Second Empire Grand Prix. I finished 64th of 645.
The weather was again cold (40F, 3C), but the sun was out and it didn't feel quite that cold. I decided to run without my hat and gloves, but with the rest of my cold weather gear on. Given the success of using a GU before the Run for the Roses, I decided to do it again this time and took it about 15 minutes before the start of the race.
I started out fast with the pack and passed through the slightly down hill first mile in an amazing 6:35. I was shocked when I looked down at my watch as I didn't feel like I was going at that speed.
The second mile included a long climb which I really struggled to make it to the top of. My pace slowed to 7:27 for the second mile, but I had a steady downhill portion to come, so I wasn't too worried. I tried to relax on the downhill, but found it hard to make up the time I had lost on the incline. I struggled through mile 3 in 7:21 and managed to kick to the finish for a final time of 22:12 - another PR!
Elizabeth and a few of the ladies from her Boot Camp also participated in the race. Well done to Elizabeth for completing such a difficult course!
I still don't know how I went through the first mile in 6:35. I didn't feel like I was pushing overly hard, but given my struggles in miles 2 and 3, I can only assume I was. I have the first mile to thank for another PR and an improvement of 16 seconds over my time from only 2 weeks ago.
Srini Iyer (20) won the race with a new course record 16:07 which gives me 724 points for the Second Empire Grand Prix. I finished 64th of 645.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Run for the Roses 5K
I had participated in the Run for the Roses in 2009 and finished the tough course that runs through the northern part of downtown Raleigh in 23:29. The course is very hilly and has a couple of nasty up hill portions in the final mile that I struggled with in 2009.
This year the race was the second race in the Second Empire Grand Prix Series of races and I felt confident that I was in better shape than last year and could beat my previous time.
The weather was again cold (40F, 3C), but the race was in the afternoon with the sun shining. I decided to run without my hat and gloves. Elizabeth volunteered to help with Chip distribution, so I got plenty of time to stretch and prepare for the race start. I decided to take a Strawberry Banana GU 15 minutes before the start of the race to see if it had any major effects.
Kristin and I ran the race together and set out to run hard and see what happened. The course starts out with a downhill first mile, which we went through in 6:59. The second mile is relatively flat in comparison and we slowed to 7:12 conserving our energy for the nasty up hill final mile. We paced ourselves perfectly, and pushed through the hills of the final mile in 7:45. The final 0.1 of the race was completed in 30 seconds for a final time of 22:28 and a new PR for me!
The race was won by professional tri-athlete Tim Surface in 15:57. This gives me 709 points for the Second Empire Grand Prix Series. I placed 70th out of 430 and 9th in my age group.
I am really pleased to finally break 23:00 on a certified course and amazed that I did it on what I believe is the toughest 5K course I have ever run on.
This year the race was the second race in the Second Empire Grand Prix Series of races and I felt confident that I was in better shape than last year and could beat my previous time.
The weather was again cold (40F, 3C), but the race was in the afternoon with the sun shining. I decided to run without my hat and gloves. Elizabeth volunteered to help with Chip distribution, so I got plenty of time to stretch and prepare for the race start. I decided to take a Strawberry Banana GU 15 minutes before the start of the race to see if it had any major effects.
Kristin and I ran the race together and set out to run hard and see what happened. The course starts out with a downhill first mile, which we went through in 6:59. The second mile is relatively flat in comparison and we slowed to 7:12 conserving our energy for the nasty up hill final mile. We paced ourselves perfectly, and pushed through the hills of the final mile in 7:45. The final 0.1 of the race was completed in 30 seconds for a final time of 22:28 and a new PR for me!
The race was won by professional tri-athlete Tim Surface in 15:57. This gives me 709 points for the Second Empire Grand Prix Series. I placed 70th out of 430 and 9th in my age group.
I am really pleased to finally break 23:00 on a certified course and amazed that I did it on what I believe is the toughest 5K course I have ever run on.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Krispy Kreme Challenge
Today was my first attempt at the Krispy Kreme Challenge. The Krispy Kreme Challenge consists of:
1. Run 2 miles from NC State University to the Raleigh Krispy Kreme store
2. Eat 12 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts
3. Run 2 miles from the Raleigh Krispy Kreme store to NC State University
- all in less than 60 minutes.
Kristin came to town this weekend to participate. Scout was excited to see her.
It was another cold day in Raleigh, and although rain was forecast, it didn't actually rain during the race.
The run to the Krispy Kreme store was fine, although it turned out to be more like 2.3 miles. It took about 18 and a half minutes to get to the store, where was given a box of 12 donuts and directed around the other side of the store to find somewhere to eat. I had been told that the best way to eat the donuts is to squash 2 or 3 down as they contain a fair amount of air. The problem with this plan is that the donuts are glazed on both sides, so I ended up with a large amount of sticky sugar all over my hands before I had even take a bite!
I tried various techniques; donuts with water, donuts without water, little bites, big bites, chewing, no chewing etc. but once I looked at my watch and realized it had taken me 20 minutes to eat 6 donuts, I knew I wasn't going to make it. Kristin and I tried for another 15 minutes, but neither of us was anywhere near finishing, so we called it quits, and left our remaining donuts, bypassed the "completed" chute and began our run back to NC State University.
On our run back, Elizabeth called me to check on our progress. She had managed to eat all 12 donuts and was ahead of us near to the finish!
Although I didn't successfully complete the challenge, I am glad that I at least tried it as it was a unique experience to participate along with 5999 other people who wanted to try to run 2 miles, eat 12 donuts and run 2 more miles.
Final thought: I know now that I am simply not built for competitive eating competitions!
1. Run 2 miles from NC State University to the Raleigh Krispy Kreme store
2. Eat 12 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts
3. Run 2 miles from the Raleigh Krispy Kreme store to NC State University
- all in less than 60 minutes.
Kristin came to town this weekend to participate. Scout was excited to see her.
It was another cold day in Raleigh, and although rain was forecast, it didn't actually rain during the race.
The run to the Krispy Kreme store was fine, although it turned out to be more like 2.3 miles. It took about 18 and a half minutes to get to the store, where was given a box of 12 donuts and directed around the other side of the store to find somewhere to eat. I had been told that the best way to eat the donuts is to squash 2 or 3 down as they contain a fair amount of air. The problem with this plan is that the donuts are glazed on both sides, so I ended up with a large amount of sticky sugar all over my hands before I had even take a bite!
I tried various techniques; donuts with water, donuts without water, little bites, big bites, chewing, no chewing etc. but once I looked at my watch and realized it had taken me 20 minutes to eat 6 donuts, I knew I wasn't going to make it. Kristin and I tried for another 15 minutes, but neither of us was anywhere near finishing, so we called it quits, and left our remaining donuts, bypassed the "completed" chute and began our run back to NC State University.
On our run back, Elizabeth called me to check on our progress. She had managed to eat all 12 donuts and was ahead of us near to the finish!
Although I didn't successfully complete the challenge, I am glad that I at least tried it as it was a unique experience to participate along with 5999 other people who wanted to try to run 2 miles, eat 12 donuts and run 2 more miles.
Final thought: I know now that I am simply not built for competitive eating competitions!
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