31 December 2009

Daily Run: Year's End

Well, I thought I'd reference Pirates and title this "Runner's of the Marathon: At Year's End" but that seemed a little long. I had a nice casual end to my year of running. First, a nice 2 miler with my fiance which was amazing :) Then I drove back to my house for an easy 3 miles. I ran in the GT's again. They felt ok today. I think I'm making the right decision by leaving them in Washington to run in when I am home. So at Portland(grad school) I will be rotating my Wave Riders and Lunar Glides.

This month I managed to crank out 132.32 miles. Not quite mileage junkie status(not by a long shot) but it was my second longest month of the year. It felt really good. In all, I ran 875 miles this year :)

I thought it might be fun/interesting to see how my pace was for my "best" training runs. So I went through my log to find the best times I had in a training run at distances I ran most often. Here is the list.

3mi-20:36-6:52mp-June 22nd
4mi-29:13-7:18mp-March 11th
5mi-35:35-7:07mp-December 29th
6mi-46:40-7:46mp-December 28th
8mi-59:16-7:25mp-June 20th
10mi-1:17:42-7:45mp-December 26th

I think its interesting that most of these times came from my second and third longest months. Also that 3 of them were in the same week. The only thing that doesn't seem to fit is the pace for my 4 and 6 mile runs. Other than that, its a nice little progression :) Hopefully, 2010 will be an even better year!

29 December 2009

Daily Run: The Need for Speed

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 35:35
Pace: 7:07

Well, its official. I am in better shape than I thought. I was hoping my legs would let me go farther than 5 miles today. When I looked at my watch to get my half split (out and back run), I decided I was going a bit too fast to go longer. Still, I had a stellar run. I even ran negative splits! I can't wait for my half marathon in March. I'm definitely going to go for a PR (sub 1:36).

For the rest of the year: tomorrow is an SRD and Thursday is another 5-6miles. I'm also going to officially revise my goals for 2010.

1. Run 2080 miles (or 40mpw)
2. Sub 3:45 Marathon (PR 3:54)
3. Sub 1:36 Half-Marathon (PR 1:36)
4. Sub 20 5k (PR 18:58)

All of these are personal bests for me except my 5k goal. I haven't trained for a 5k in a long time. Also, the race I'll shoot for the sub 20 is during my marathon training cycle. So I'll be focusing more on endurance then speed. But, if I'm feeling good, I might shoot for a PR. The racer in me might come out that day :)

28 December 2009

Daily Run: Decisions...

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 46:40
Pace: 7:46

Well, I'm starting to think marathonmaiden is right. I'm getting faster/am in better shape than I think I am. Hopefully I can keep up this speed as I build my mileage up. I average 20mpw in November and am at about 30 mpw this month. I'm thinking I need to rework my half training program that peaked at 35 mpw. I may not actually follow a plan. I could just keep building my mileage and throw in some speed work/longer (12-15mi) runs.

Another decision I need to make is when to retire my GT 2140's. I ran in them again today and they felt ok. They are at 370 miles and the treads look fine. Maybe they'll go into semi-retirement and I'll leave them home in Washington to use when I come visit.

I'm also rethinking my mileage goal for next year. In my 2010 goals post, I said I was going to shoot for 1600 miles, which is about 35 mpw. I'm thinking I may change that to 2080 (40 mpw).

27 December 2009

Daily Run: Too Fast

Distance: 4
Time: 29:22
Avg Pace: 7:20

Well, there are two ways of looking at this. One, my adrenaline is high from getting new shoes and I go out faster than I should. Two, I'm in better shape than I think I am. I'd like to think its the second of these but its probably a mix of the two. As per yesterday's post, I went out sub 7:30 for a 10 mile run. That was day one of starting too fast. Then today I did a 4 mile run. My first two splits were 7:14 and 7:07. Again....oops.

26 December 2009

Daily Run/Weekly Total

First, the daily run part. I was going to run in my GT 2140's until the years end and save my new shoes, Nike Lunarglides, until the new year. But the GT's were starting to bug my legs a little more and I was really itching to try out the glides, so I did. Oh, I also wore a new cold weather top I got. Not that its super cold out but mid/upper 20's isn't warm for the pacific northwest. The shoes felt great! Really comfortable and lightweight. So comfortable and lightweight that I went through the first mile in 7:29....oops. Even trying to slow down, my half split was 5 miles @7:39. I had to take a couple small walk breaks during the second half because my legs were dying. I finished in 1:17 42 (7:45 pace). It was easily one of the best 10 mile runs I've had in a long while. This leads to the weekly totals.

Miles: 37.43
Time: 5:00:29
Avg Pace: 8:01
MTD: 112.32
YTD: 855.2

This week was my longest week since the marathon. This month is also my longest since the marathon. Actually, it will be my second longest month this year :)

23 December 2009

Daily Run

Distance: 7.1
Time: 1:02:03
Pace: 8:43

I wanted to get in 8 today but my legs weren't feeling it after yesterday's run. I got my little bro (20) to come out and run the first mile with me. After that, I wandered the streets to find a new 6 mile route. I'm happy with the pace though. I usually run my easy days too fast.

I'm thinking it might be time to retire a pair of my shoes soon. They only have ~360 miles on them. However, they are starting to bug my shins and right knee. The last shoe I had in this series (Asics GT 2110) gave me horrible shin splints and knee problems at the end of there life. Since my GT 2140's are starting to do the same, I'm thinking they'll be retired to lawnmowing shoes at 400 miles.

22 December 2009

Next Year's Goals and other recent running stuff

Well, its been a while since I posted. Last week I was in Pullman with my fiance. Since I was spending time with her, I didn't get much running in. I think the weekly total was around 20miles.

Today's run was awesome. As usual when its below 40* (not really cold but for the PNW its close) I over dressed the top. Still, I managed to hold 8:03 pace for 10.23 miles! I was stoked! That puts me at a little over 830 for the year and 90 for the month(so far).

As 2009 is coming to a close, I have been thinking more and more about next year's goals. I feel comfortable enough with them (i.e. don't think they'll change drastically) that I can now post them.

1. Sub 3:50 Marathon (current PR 3:54:08)
2. Sub 1:35 Half Marathon (current PR 1:36:48)
3. 1600 miles (about 30mpw)

Any thoughts or other possible goals?

12 December 2009

6.12-12.12 Weekly Total

Miles: 29.32
MTD: 57.19
YTD: 800.07

No average time this week. I didn't time all of my runs. Those that I did were sub-8 pace. Its been nice being home again. I can run my old routes and find some new ones. Plus, I have my forerunner again (accidentally left it home over Turkey Day).

This was a crazy week. First I had finals. Then had to pack my things to head home for break. Today I watched my alma mater (University of Montana) win their semi-final game for Division I football. They will play Villanova on Friday for the National Title! After that, I went for my second run of the day. Afterwards, I realized that I cracked my mileage goal for the year! Now I have to pack my things for a trip to visit my fiance in Pullman!

As this year draws to a close, I've been rethinking some of my running goals for next year. I've come a long way since this year started. I'll try and get my goals posted sometime this week. Though, it may take longer than that to finalize them.

07 December 2009

Finals Week Day 1

Only time for a quick post today. T-minus 7 hours until my first final. Time for some cramming!

The run went well. I went to the gym and ran 4mi on the dm with 3@7:13 pace. Big shout out to my friends Bailey and Abby. Abby PR'd @ the vegas half yesterday and Bailey finished her first half in 1:33:09!

05 December 2009

Getting It Done

Well, one day on studying down. Another 44 hours until my first final, which I have to get a B on or retake the class. For the unaware, in grad school, you have to get a B to pass. So I'll be studying that all day tomorrow and most of Monday. Then its out to have a few beers. I'll study for my second final, which is Tuesday afternoon, on Tuesday morning.

Today's run was another awesome one. I went for 10.25 miles @8:13 pace. Didn't think I was moving that fast at all. That's been happening a lot lately. I'm not one to complain but I'm gonna try and slow it down a little while I build my mileage up.

Seeing as I haven't ran further than 7 miles in Portland, I found a new trail for part of my 10 miler today. Its really nice. It runs along the east bank of the Willamette River. The 'trail' is paved and shared by walkers and cyclists. Its not so bad though as its pretty wide. The route still finishes the same as most of my runs, uphill for 0.6 miles to my apartment building. So, today I did my longest run since the marathon in June and completed my longest week since training for the marathon. Since I started my 'comeback' on Nov. 1, this was my fastest week too. The totals are below. For now its back to the books!

Miles: 32.97
Time: 4:17:44
Average Pace: 7:49
MTD: 27.87
YTD: 770.75

04 December 2009

Colder = Faster?

Well, its been a while since I last posted. First, the school front. I'm officially done with classes for the quarter. Now, I have 72 hours to cram for 2 finals. Then I get a 3.5 week break. Well, it should be a break. Two of my profs decided we need homework to do over break. Ah the extra work of grad school.

I guess I'm going to the same starbucks a lot. One of the barista's asked me what I wanted, by my name, when I was several people back in line. Kinda made me feel like I'm where I'm suppose to be. The coffee shop I frequented in Montana didn't even have to ask my order. They'd see me in line and start making it, lol.

I didn't run much the week of thanksgiving. My wonderful fiance came to Portland to visit plus being home for a few days meant I didn't get much running in. I think it was 14 miles or so. Still, the quality time I got with my baby made it all worth it. This week I've been running a lot and faster than I think. Right now I'm sitting around 23 miles under 7:40 pace. Today was especially surprising. After yesterday's run, 6.5@7:40 clip, and the cold weather, 37* @ 1pm, I felt like I was barely moving. Then I finished, went back to my room and calculated my avg pace, 7:30 for a little more than 7 miles. If I can keep this up, or close to it, while I build my mileage, I'd say a PR at my next half marathon is a lock.(current pr 1:36:58, next half 3.21.10)

And on a side note, I'm thinking of running the Missoula Marathon instead of the Portland Marathon. Any thoughts?

20 November 2009

11.15-11.21 Weekly Total

Since tomorrow is a rest day, I can post my totals today.

Miles: 23.62
Time: 3:12:53
Average Pace: 8:10

My overall pace was slower than last week but I'm glad it is. I still ran hard on the hard days, but ran slow and comfortable on easy days. Last week, I didn't really have any easy days. So far I'm at 723.48 for the year. Easily within reach of 800 miles. We'll see how far over I get. Now its off to get some dinner and then get ready to pick my fiance up from the airport :)

17 November 2009

Entering the Final Weeks

The nice thing about being on a quarter system, instead of semesters, is that they are shorter. That being said, I have about 3 weeks of class/finals left in my first quarter of grad school. That means I'm super swamped with homework, journals and (believe it or not being this close to finals) a few midterms.

The up side is my running has been getting better. Sunday went from a rest day to a sub 40 5-miler! Took a RD yesterday and got in a solid 4-miler this morning. It's looking like I'll be able to hit my goal of 800mi for the year. I'm thinking I might change it to 850 or 875. We'll see how the rest of the month goes. A

I'm also at the point where I'm looking for new kicks. My GT's are on there last leg and the WaveRider's are bugging my shins/knees. I'll keep the WaveRider's in rotation till they're done but need two replacements. I've been thinking of the Saucony Hurricane's and/or NB 905's. When I first started running  it was in NB 715 then 764. Since then, its been mostly Nike and Asics. Any thoughts?

14 November 2009

11.8-11.14 Weekly Total

Miles: 21.9
Time: 2:57:14
Average Pace: 8:05

For my second week back, I am very happy with this weeks stats. I do need to learn how to run slower on my easy days though. Today's workout consisted of a 3 miler, core work and some lifting.

Now that I'm done with that, its time for some serious studying. I've got a diff eq assignment, analysis assignment and a midterm to study for. Hopefully I can finish one of the assignments today and one tomorrow. As for the midterm, I'll study when I have time. Hopefully that will be sooner than later. I need to do well on this one so I definitely need to study. Thankfully, I only have to take one quarter of that class (analysis). Off to the library!

13 November 2009

A Good Week

So far this week has been good. Well, its been good running wise. Classes are loading work on me again and dad is back in the hospital.

Monday's run was awesome(see previous post). Tuesday was an easy 3.5 miler. Took off Wednesday. Managed to drag my ass out of be on Thursday morning for a solid 5.4 miles. Today I didn't get out of bed early so I had to wait for class to be over. I hit the road at 1:00 and man was I movin'! I didn't think I was going as quick as I was. When I flew passed some other runners I glanced at my Garmin...6:35! A little quick for my second week back! Needless to say, I backed off what I thought was quite a bit. Ended up with 3.5 miles @7:19 pace. I'll definitely take it! Tomorrow I'm gonna hit the gym for an easy 3 or 4 on the dreadmill. Maybe I'll go longer, anything to avoid homework :) Actually I should do my homework. I've got two fairly lengthy assignments and a midterm to study for. As for now, its off to the grocery store (my fridge is basically empty).

09 November 2009

I Love the Rain

Being as I've lived in the pacific northwest my whole life, I am use to all this rain. Actually, I feel like I run my best in the rain. Over the weekend I had a few good runs back home in Washington. I went back because my dad was in the hospital. He's home now but not 100% better. Still, home is better than the hospital.

Yesterday as a rest day. This meant I got to do homework. I managed to finish my analysis homework. Still need to do my algebra for tomorrow and my differential equations for Friday. As stressful and busy as grad school is, I think things are going well.

Today I was planning on an easy 4 mile run. Well, it was raining a little bit. Not much but it was raining. I took my usual route to the river. When I got to what would have been my turn around point, I just kept going. My legs felt good, the pace was comfortable, I figured why not? I decided to turn around about 25 minutes in. As I did so, I saw another runner going a bit faster than me up ahead. I tried to keep pace with him as long as I could. Eventually I passed him around mile 5. When all was said and done, I had ran 6.5 miles at 8:13 pace. Not exactly the easy run I was going for but it felt amazing! I hope this good running continues!

04 November 2009

4 Days

So, its four days into November and I've got three runs in. I'm really glad I got back into this after two months of not running. The rest of my life, i.e. grad school, is still extremely busy. But with my running, I feel like I'm less stressed out than I was before. Hopefully this continues. As far as runs go I managed 4.3 miles yesterday and 3.56 today. Today was going to be a rest day but the weather was warm and sunny, so I had to get out and run!

01 November 2009

Thoughts from November

Well, its been some time since I posted. After the RnR marathon, I paced my mom and little brother through their first 5K. After that, I jumped in too quickly and got injured. Then I got caught up with work and school and family medical issues. Things have finally calmed down and I realized that I haven't ran in almost 2 months! That needs to change. Today I went to the gym for an easy 3 on the treadmill. It felt great!

I have already made more running plans. First, this years goals. I wanted to run 800 miles, finish 2 half marathons and run a marathon under 4 hours. I accomplished the last goal and know that I will not be able to accomplish the second. The first is still insight. Counting today's run, I only need another 137 miles. I also added a 5K in December. Nothing serious, just a fun run I'm going to do with my mom.

As for next year...I plan on becoming a member of the Half Fanatics. Its a group similar to the Marathon Maniacs but with, you guessed it, half marathons. I see it as a stepping stone to some day becoming a Maniac. To qualify, I will run the Mercer Island, Whidbey Island and Tacoma City Half marathons starting on March 21 and finishing on May 2. The last half is going to be my mom's first. I plan on pacing her through it. Then if all goes well, I should be able to PR at the Portland Marathon in October.

28 June 2009

Life Goals: Run a Marathon....Check!

When I ran my first track meet in 8th grade, nine years ago, I never would have imagined that I would one day run a marathon. Even after my first half-marathon, I wasn't sure I could run the full 26.2 mile race. Yesterday I ran in the inaugural Seattle Rock-n-Roll Marathon. The course as a whole was good. Some portions could have been better but it wasn't too bad. Running along Lake Washington and I-90 was amazing. The views were great!

I woke up at 4am to have a small breakfast and some fluids. I left for the start line village between 5 and 5:30. My wonderful fiance and my mom were nice enough to wake up early and drop me off there. I got a bottle of water and a banana from the volunteers. The corrals opened at 6:00 and I was in my corral around 6:10. Now, I was in corral 6 (bib 6390) with a 'predicted' time of 3:49:15. Based on my fitness level and some time trials I did during my training, I used several prediction calculators/tables. They all said I should be running 3:3x. So I figured shooting for 3:45-3:49 would be conservative. Sadly, I don't have accurate splits past mile 12 because my Forerunner lost signal in two of the tunnels.

About 2 minutes after the gun went off, my corral was at the start line. It was like no other race I've ever ran. Hitting that line with a hundred other people next to me and thousands behind me was something else. The first few miles were very crowded. I still managed to run a pace that would set me up to run 3:4x fairly easily. I leap-frogged with the 3:45 pace group a few times before dropping them around mile 8. I made sure to hydrate at every aid station. A little before mile 8, I had my first round of shot blocks. They served me well on my last 20-mile training run so I decided to bring them along for the race too.

Just before the halfway point, the 3:45 group passed me and would stay ahead of me for the rest of the race. Things continued to go well until mile marker 18. I started to feel more tired and felt my pace begin to slow. Just before (or after?) mile 19, I stopped to use a port-a-potty. When I started running again, I knew I was flirting with the Wall. I never hit it during my two 20-mile runs so I was a little worried. I backed off a little bit, walking through the aid stations and slowing my pace a little. That worked well until I got to mile 24. The heat started to get me around mile 21 so I lost my singlet and ran in shorts for the rest of the race. I walked a bit more on some of the hills. Still, when I was running I kept my pace sub-9:00. The final bit of the course came down a hill off of the viaduct and around a corner to the finish near Qwest Field. As soon as I rounded the corner and started down the hill, I picked my pace up a lot. I was actually surprised I had that much left. I was probably running close to sub-8:00 when I hit the 26 mile marker. Rounding the final corner to the finish, I picked my pace up even more, close to 6:30 pace. After I crossed the line, I took a few strides and stopped my watch, 3:54:14(my chip time was 3:54:11). I heard my fiance, mom and little brother cheering near the end! That helped a lot! I made my way through the finish area, grabbing some water, bagel, orange and Cytomax(their Gatorade of the race). Of course, I got my race medal and one of the mylar blankets.

Before I left there to find my family, I ran into the father of a guy who was on my high school cross country team when I was captain. He's also a Marathon Maniac. We chatted about the race for a few minutes before he ran over to take some pictures with other Maniacs. After leaving the finish area, I met up with my family. They took some pictures and hugs were passed around. Then my mom bought me a 'Finisher' t-shirt :)

In all, I am happy with my first marathon experience. My time wasn't exactly what I had hopped for but it was only my first race. Taking that into consideration, I am very happy with my time. I think next year, I'll run the half-marathon at this event and find a different race to go after a sub-3:50 finish!

My Splits (before the Forerunner lost signal):
1-8:37
2-8:14
3-8:37
4-8:17
5-8:43
6-7:55 (no idea where that came from. must have been a downhill mile)
7-8:24
8-8:25
9-8:27
10-8:25
11-8:40
12-8:44

Official Splits:
5K- 26:30
10K- 52:52
9mi- 1:16:29
13.1mi- 1:52:51
30K- 2:41:28
24mi- 3:32:05

14 June 2009

The countdown begins...

I am one week closer to race day. This past week was week one of my taper. It went fairly well. It started a little off from my plan but was a good week.

Tuesday was suppose to be an easy 5 miler. Well, I was a little stressed about some things and just pushed it the whole way. I averaged 7:07 for the first 3 and 7:19 for the whole run, finishing in 36 and change.

The next few days I took it easy. Saturday's long run was only 12 miles. I ran the first 3 with Belinda :) and ran the last 9 @ 8:11 pace. The weeks total of 32 miles takes me over the 500 miles mark for the year!

The next two weeks of the taper will probably be tough. I've been averaging between 35 and 43 miles for the last month. The next two weeks only total 33 miles. I think I might go crazy running that little.

06 June 2009

And now, for the taper

The hard part is over...well...the long running is over. Tomorrow I begin my three week taper before the race.

Running went well this week. Around Tuesday it got really hot. So I ran early then and cut Wednesday's run short. On my rest day, Thursday, I got a surprise from my parents. They gave me my graduation present....a garmin Forerunner 305! I was very excited. I tested it out on a 5 miler on Friday and I love it.

Today, I had my last long run of 20 miles. It went much better than the last one. The course I ran on was a lot flatter, so that helped. I ran on a trail in the valley. I started at the McMillan (sp?) trailhead and ran the first leg to Orting by myself. There, my fiance joined me on her bike :) We rode/ran together for the next 14 miles. We stopped for some ShotBlocks and water/Powerade at miles 7, 11 and 14. On my previous long runs, I had used gummy bears. The ShotBlocks worked much better, I'll probably use them for the race.

I was hoping to run around 9:00 pace or 3 hours total. As you can see below, the first 5 miles made that seem unlikely. I'm not sure why or when, but I began to pick up my pace quite a bit. On the latter portion of the run, I was 'caught' by runners competing in the Rainier-to-Ruston race. A 50mile relay from Mt. Rainier to the Tacoma waterfront. It was fun watching them compete. As a bonus, all the people supporting them cheered for me too, thinking I was in the race! In all, I averaged 8:56 per mile (according to my Forerunner :) ). Three weeks until race day!

20-miler stats:
Total: 2:58:35/8:56 pace

Splits:
9:03, 9:12, 9:24, 9:20, 9:03, 8:50, 8:36, 9:01, 9:04, 8:47, 8:42, 8:39, 8:43, 9:10, 8:55, 8:46, 8:54, 8:45, 8:50, 8:44

30 May 2009

Another week in the books

The end of this week did not go quite as well as the beginning but was still good. I've been looking at pace calculators and equivalent performance lists and am thinking about changing my goal again. Nothing too dramatic. Most calculators/lists tell me I'm capable of 3:3x:xx. Then I figure shooting for 3:40:00ish should be ok.

My 8 @ pace went good yesterday. I finished 8.36 around 8:27 pace. The run was good except for the temperature and my hydration. Usually I'm ok for 8 miles without hydrating on the run. Yesterday, and today, I did not get out early enough. It was in the mid 70's by the end of the run and I needed more water. Still, the pace felt great.

Today's 12.5 miler was a similar story. I ended up stopping at a local library to get some water from a fountain. That helped but wasn't quite enough. I took a few walk breaks that probably totaled .5 miles. At the finish, I had 12 miles of running at 8:30 pace. In the last half mile, I was greeted by a bee flying into my mouth. He stung me and I swallowed him. Thankfully, I'm not allergic.

This month I reached another milestone in my running. I somehow pushed by body for a little more than 165 miles! Four weeks until race day!

26 May 2009

Running Faster

Saturday's 20 miler went well. I averaged 9:12 per mile or 3:04 total. I planned on running 10 miles to a lake and then finishing with some laps at the lake. That didn't happen. I woke up later than I wanted to because I didn't hear my alarm. I decided to just run the whole thing at the lake. That meant 25 laps. I wasn't worried about it. I've run 10 miles standing in one place (treadmill) so I can do tedious. What I forgot about was the little hill on the backside of the lake. The run went fine. I was hoping to be around 9:00 but I'll take 9:12. My knees, however, didn't like running that hill 25 times and were very sore for the rest of the day.

Yesterday I did a 5 miler at a decent pace. Today, I ran a very fast 5.5 miles. It was mostly flat with one sizable hill in the middle. I went out a little too fast, covering the first half @7:05 pace. In the end, I had a time of 40:15 or 7:19 pace! I was very happy about that. In Missoula I had to run hard to get 7:30 for 4 miles. I'm starting to see an improvement in my everyday runs, which is nice. I finally feel like I'm getting back into the shape I was in during my first half-marathon. Tomorrow is an easy 5, then 8@pace on Friday and 12 on Saturday.

20 May 2009

Gotta Love that Elevation Change

I've run 3days in Washington, a few thousand feet below Missoula's elevation, and those 3 runs have been the best in a while. Yesterday, I ran 8 miles in the glorious rain and wind...well...I could have done without the wind. I finished 8.36 in 1:05 and change which comes out to 7:47 per mile! Back in Montana, I had a tough time running 6 under 8 minute pace. Yesterday's run felt really good.

Today I clocked 5.1 miles. I ventured out to a local track for some speed work. I did a half mile warm up, 5X1000m with 400m recovery, half mile cool down. I brought my old track spikes with me. The first was a little quick, 3:45.1. The next few were harder but still sub-4. Overall, I averaged 3:52.8 for each repeat. It felt amazing to run fast on a track again! Tomorrow I get a rest day. Then I'll finish out the week with an easy 5 on Friday and my first 20miler on Saturday.

18 May 2009

What a week!

Well, its been a week since I last posted and a lot has happened.

Last week was finals week and I graduated on Saturday. During the week, I had to pack all of my belongings on top of studying. Then I drove home from Montana yesterday.

Last Tuesday I ran a good five miler. Wednesday was suppose to be five but ended up being 3.2 from shin splints. I went rock climbing on Tuesday before my run and I think that may have added to the stress my shins have been taking. Since graduation was Saturday, I did my long run on Friday. Well, I was suppose to. It was a short long run, 13miles. Three miles in, my shins were killing me. Not wanting to do nothing but not wanting to make my injuries worse, I rode an exercise bike for 18 miles and then went on a 3 mile hike later that day.

I skipped my run yesterday since I was driving. Today I went on a 5 mile run at a local park. It was one of the best runs I've had. Missoula is not that high in elevation but it is a few thousand feet higher than my home town in Washington. I guess running at that altitude has improved my lung power. I finished the run in 37:48 which is roughly 7:32 pace! I was very happy about that. Tomorrow is a easy 8.

11 May 2009

One part first-speed-workout plus three parts frustration equal 3/4 success

Today, I decided to do a little speed work for my 5 miles. The plan was a half mile warm up, then 3 x 1 mile with half mile jog in between and finish with a half mile cool down. It almost worked too.

I headed to the gym to run on the indoor track. Now, our indoor track is far from standard. Its about 160m a lap or 10 laps for a mile. I was excited and nervous to run fast again. I haven't done a speed workout in a year or so, maybe even longer than that. One of the reasons for my decision to do a speed workout was to blow off some steam that had built up from working on my take home final. I've probably spent around 10 hours on it and only finished one problem. Anyway, the first mile I didn't look at my watch until I was done. I just ran as fast as my legs would let me. In the end, my watch read 6:04! I was really surprised. I thought maybe I'd run 6:30, but 6:04? I was happy with it.

After the first mile, I thought I was exhausted. I figured there was no way I'd run another that fast. I started slow the first lap of mile 2 and built up to speed by the end of lap two. That mile went by in 6:13 with the second half in 3:01. This is when things went wrong. You see, I had almost forgot to have lunch since I was working on that final. Needless to say, I grabbed a little pizza later than I usually eat. So, after the half mile jog was done, my pizza thought about coming back up to visit. That's when I thought it would be better to just finish the last 1.5 miles on the treadmill instead of running another hard mile and tasting pepperoni again.'

In all, it was a good workout. I think next week I'll go to a regular track with my spikes for some 1000m repeats :)

09 May 2009

Faster and Longer

So, today was another milestone for my longest run: 18 miles. In all, it was a very good run. Though, it was faster than I planned. Last weekend, I logged 17 @ 9:16 pace. My goal was to shoot for that pace.

My course was another lap-type course. The first two "laps" were on my 6.1 mile loop. The a 4 mile loop finishing with a 1.8 mile lap around campus. I borrowed my friends fuel belt again, loading up with 20oz of Powerade and some gummy bears.

I held myself back well the first few miles. The first mile marker came by in 9:28. Towards the end of the first lap, I picked the pace a little bit, finishing it in 56:18 or 9:14 pace. This was a good start pace wise. I took a minute long break to drink some Powerade and eat a few gummy bears.

The second lap started out well, just like the first. Towards the middle of it, I came across a group participating in a benefit walk of some sort. This wasn't the bad part. They were just starting so I passed them quickly. By the time I came up to them on the return (this was an out-and-back section) they had spread out over 3/4 of a mile. So, I ended up running on the grass next to the trail. And, being me, my pace picked up a lot here. My split at the end of this lap was 1:50:00 or 9:01 pace overall. The pace for the lap was 8:48! That was probably too quick for a long run since my MP is 8:40. Sometime between encountering the group, I noticed that two of the toes on my right foot felt odd, as if they were in some kind of liquid. More on that later. Anyway, I took another drink/food break. This is also when my wonderful fiance came out with another 12oz of Powerade for me.

The 4 mile loop went well...almost. During my final mini break, I noticed that part of my shoe was red. At first, I thought nothing of it. My shoes are the white/red GT 2140's. Then I realized that it was a part that use to be white. Then I remembered I had a little blood blister on one of the toes. Needless to say, I finished the run carefully, minding how my foot felt. My total time was 2:42:34 or 9:02 pace.

When I came back to my room, I took my shoe off to find a large red/brown spot. The blister had popped during the run. The sock looked bad and I was a little worried. I took the sock of and was relieved to see minimal dried blood on my toe. I still say this is because I grabbed the wrong pair of socks before I headed out the door! So goes the life of a long distance runner! Tomorrow, zero miles :)

08 May 2009

Pace Day

Today's run wasn't bad but it wasn't good. Before we get to that. On Wednesday I ran an easy 5 miles. Didn't bring my watch, just ran slow to get miles in and recover.

Today was suppose to be 8 miles at marathon pace. Well, it was 8 miles at marathon pace +10 seconds. It was a weird run. The first mile felt really slow. It was actually 30 seconds too fast at 8:10. With that, I managed to get through the halfway point 11 seconds too slow. The rest of the run I just ran at a comfortable pace that seemed right.

I passed the 10k marker in 54:45 or 8:49 pace. I finished the run in 1:10:40 or 8:50 pace. While this wasn't the 8:40 pace I wanted, I'll take it. That pace would still get me to the finish line in under 4 hours. Plus, my legs will be a little bit (not much) fresher for tomorrow's 18miler.

05 May 2009

Slowing Down

Well, today was suppose to be an 8 mile run. My shins, however, had other plans. I was able to sneak in most of the run this morning. I got through 4 miles before my shins got the best of me. I decided to stop before I got hurt too much. I went back to my dorm and iced my legs before going to class.

Later, in between class, I thought I could finish the run. But, I couldn't. My shins hurt too much. I managed a total of 6.1 miles for the day with an average pace of 8:10. I'm going to keep icing my shins and resting whenever I can. Tomorrow is another 5 miler. I'm going to take it easy, i.e. not timing just running/jogging.

04 May 2009

Trotting Along

Today's run was good. I did a 3.2 mile loop along the river plus a lap around campus for a total of 5 miles.

This morning my legs were still a bit sore from Saturday's run. I iced my shins Saturday and Sunday, that seemed to help. My quads were the most sore. I did some resting/stretching in yoga and that really loosened them up. I went out around 7:30, probably a little fast. In the end I averaged 7:38 pace for a finishing time of 38:11.

I am starting to become more confident with running faster on these shorter runs. Hopefully it pays off. New 'racing' plans for the year. About a week after the marathon, I'm going to run my mom and my brother through their first 5k's! That should be a lot of fun. Tomorrow is a nice 8 mile run. I think I might throw in some hills or Mt. Sentinel since the race has plenty of hills in the second half.

02 May 2009

New Territory

This morning I completed my longest run to date. I logged 17 miles in 2:37:34, about 9:16 pace. Max heart rate: 188 Average HR:166 Low HR:111

I started out doing my 7 mile loop twice and then threw in a 3 mile lap. About an hour before the run, I had some hot oatmeal and a half a liter of water. Then fifteen minutes before I had a Cliff Shot. On the run I had a fuel belt with 20oz of Powerade and some gummi bears.

I know I always start out too quick so I held myself back. Well, I tried to. Went out at 9:00 even. I guess thats better than going out in 7:00. The first few miles went well. I made sure I didn't speed up and tried to conserve energy. The first 7.1 miles came to and end in 1:07:21 (9:29 pace). I had about 10 oz of the Powerade at this point.

The next four miles felt great. I actually ran 9:00 for those four. Then I pulled back a little bit. Around mile 12 I had some more Powerade and a handful of gummi bears. The rest of that 7 mile loop felt really good. I finished 14.1 in 2:11:19 (9:19 pace). I took a mini break around 15 miles to finish off the powerade and gummi bears. After I began to run again, I felt a little sluggish. Seeing as I was running a little faster than I wanted to, I slowed it down for a mile. The last mile I picked the pace back up, probably somewhere around 8:50. I felt really good coming down the homestretch so I picked it up to around 5k pace.

Overall, I am very happy with my longest run. I felt great most of the time and finished with an average pace faster than I was hoping for. The weather was much nicer than the snow earlier this week. The sky was clear and it was around 35 when I started. At the end, still a clear sky but mid to upper 40's. Hopefully the weather will stay this way for a bit. Tomorrow is a rest day :)

30 April 2009

The Shins Attack!

So, today was an easy 4miler with Belinda. I was doing okay for the first two miles and then my shins started to hurt. I've been fighting off shin splints, with some success, for a little more than a week now. I'm icing them when I can and trying to stay off my feet. Other than that, it was a good run. We finished just under 40 minutes.

This puts an end to the month of April. I didn't quite crack the 100mile marker this month. Came in at 98.4 miles. Though, I would have been over if I hadn't cut my 7-miler short last week (stupid shin splints!). Just looking ahead at the training plan...I should be well over the 100mile mark next month. No post tomorrow because its a rest day. Saturday should provide a long post. I'll be running the farthest I ever have, 17 miles. Wish me luck!

29 April 2009

Tempo Day

Today I ran an 8 mile tempo. It went much better than I thought it would have. My goal was to finish somewhere between 8:00 and 8:20 pace (since I did 10 miles at 8:27 last Saturday).

As usual when I run outside, I went out a little quick. I passed the first mile marker in 7:31. After that I settled into an 8:10's pace for the next 5 miles. I managed to cross the 10k marker in 51:16. Then I picked it up the last 1.8 miles to finish in 64:44 which is 8:05.5 mile pace. Oh, did I mention the temperature was in the upper 30's?

I've been feeling really good about my running lately. Hopefully, that is something that continues. Tomorrow is an easy 4 with my first 17-miler on Saturday. On a side note, we did tripod headstands in yoga this morning!

28 April 2009

The Difference Time Makes

Today's run went well. The weather was not good. Its almost May and it was snowing. That's what I get for going to school in Montana. Since it was snowing, I decided to run at the gym on the trusty old treadmill. I managed to complete a 4 mile build up. The first mile was somewhere in the 7:40's and the last mile was about 7:05. Overall, my time was 29:41, about 7:25 mile pace.

This made me think of my first half marathon back in 2005. I ran it in 7:26 pace. I had to really push today to make 4 miles at that pace. Granted, I was running a build up not a smooth 7:25 pace, but still. It makes me realize how much that year off from running hurt my overall fitness. I still feel like I am in the best shape I've been in since that race. I think I'm going to shoot for 3:49 for the race in June.

27 April 2009

A New Beginning....Sort of

So, today marks the beginning of my tenth week of training for the Seattle Rock-n-Roll Marathon. Up to this point, I had been using Higdon's novice training plan. Lately, I felt I haven't been running enough. After some discussion on the Runner's World forums, I decided to step it up and use Higdon's intermediate plan for the remainder of my training. Then today marks the beginning of my new training plan.

Last week was a good running week. Tuesday I managed 4 miles at 7:30 pace. Wednesday I was going to run 7 miles but had to cut it short at 4.3 due to shin splints. Thursday was the Kim Williams 5K here in Missoula. I wanted to run between 7:00 and 7:20 pace. I went out a little quick, probably around 6:50, and ended up finishing in 22:13, which is about 7:09 pace. I was happy with my time. I never thought I'd say that about running 22:13. In high school I ran 19's and even dipped in the 18's during my freshman year of college. But, I didn't run for nearly a year for medical reasons so I'll take it. Tomorrow is another 4 miler.