I think all of the people that know me are aware, but I did the marathon in 4 hours, 25 minutes, and 21 seconds. I am quite happy with my time. From last year, I was faster by 1 hour 24 minutes and 38 seconds. I had aspirations of going a bit lower, but I wanted under 4:30 and I got it. So here is my report....
I ate at Carrabbas for my pre-race meal. I had a fantastic meal of Chicken Marasala, spaghetti and a dinner salad. It was absolute perfection. I had the pleasure of eating with my sister, just the two of us, which is nice. We rarely just get to hang out.
After dinner we went back to her home in Windsor and basically hung out. I got all my clothes together and went to bed around 11:00. I knew I was not going to be able to sleep, so I decided not to fight it. I think I fell asleep a little after midnight.
When my alarm went off at 3:00, it was very difficult to get up...but the energy of the day soon got me up and moving. I took a shower and went downstairs and grabbed all my things and left for the bus pick-up. After getting all parked and to the buses, I walked on the first bus that had an opening, and heard a voice and saw it was David from the dailymile.com. We had met the day before and it was cool to have a whole bus ride to talk about all things running. It really channeled my energy....
Once the buses made it to the start, we debarked and kind of went out separate ways for a little bit. Like last year, I was underdressed for the wait, but it is better to be cold than warm I always say. You could feel the buzz in the air and people looking both excited and a little anxious. Race days have a tremendous aura and I always love feeling it.
I decided wisely to line up at the almost end of the line. I figured many people would go out too fast and if I stayed in the back I would have a better chance of not getting pushed by the throngs. I ran into an old student and we chatted for a bit. I knew he was going to be there and it was good to see him. He looked like he was in amazing shape and when the gun went off he quickly took off down the mountain.
I felt myself going a hair faster than I had wanted, it took my a few minutes to get the downhill and my desired pace to line up.I ended up a few seconds behind my pace band after the first mile, and I think that was a good thing.
Second mile in I pushed a bit more, but could not quite get to 6.3 mph, it didn't feel right quite yet, so I went with it. By the end of the 4th mile I finally felt like I was in a groove. The weather was perfect, the scenery was amazing, and I wasn't feeling great, but things were going well so I just enjoyed the run. I tried to pick up a little lost time when the mountain felt like it was shuffling me along.
I was using a strategy to not stop at water stations, it is always tough for me to get my rhythm back and since I was carrying water it seemed redundant. This enabled me to just keep doing what I was doing. The miles were starting to lock in:
Mile 1 - 11:05
Mile 2 - 9:51
Mile 3 - 9:47
Mile 4 - 9:13
Mile 5 - 9:15
Mile 6 - 9:35
I was really starting to feel good around mile 6. I had entered some fun music on the play list and was just really digging the run. "I'm on a boat" by Andy Samburg and his group is a hip-hop song that cracks me up. You should check out the youtube video....but I digress...think I listened to it 6 times in a row....
My only real complain about the marathon was around mile 6-7. There were a group of women...probably early twenties that were all running together. 6 people....in a row....foot and a half apart. The one on the far left was running on the gravel and they stretched all the way the the graded middle. I am all for working together....but damn....not cool. It took so much energy to get all the way around them and then back to where I was trying to run (the most level ground either on the road or the side) that it gassed me a little. After a couple of miles I slowed my pace down to take a gel and they passed me again and then I just stayed behind them until the got off to use the port-o-potties at mile 10. It was very frustrating....
On a side note...I think I may finally have the gels figured out. I swish it in my mouth with the water, until the consistency is very water-like. This helps them go down. It is not an easy trick to master while moving, but totally worth it.
Things stayed pretty good for the most part the rest of the way down the mountain to the half-way point. I was feeling very strong and pleased with my times:
Mile 7 - 9:17
Mile 8 - 9:25
Mile 9 - 9:46
Mile 10 - 9:47
Mile 11 - 9:33
Around mile 12 there is a decent sized hill that is the first kind of test to how the legs are feeling. It felt very smooth and I was really thinking I was going to be in for a solid day. I decided to take a chance and not use the toilets at the start of the half- marathon. I had a little bit of an urge in my stomach, but thought I would just try my luck. For future reference, if any of you are thinking about Colorado, this is the place to stop. There are a lot of them, so the wait would be limited, if there was one at all.
When I finally hit the half-way point I was a little annoyed that my watch said I had gone over a tenth of a mile farther than the 13.1, but that is the way it goes. I was still incredibly pleased with my times....
Mile 12 - 9:24
Mile 13 - 9:40
HALF - :59
At that point I was a little over 25 seconds off based on the pace band time of 2:06:16. I was still feeling very strong though and was not panicking at all...just taking what the course gave me.
I felt like things were going well the next few miles. I was anxious to see my parents and Beth at Ted's Place which I think was near mile 17. As I was approaching 16.5, I hear someone talking to me over my Ipod, and I turn to see who it is and I just see a really tall guy. He was asking about my hydration pac k. I have never had a conversation while running, and to have it happen in a marathon was a little odd. He was nice, but kind of got me out of my rhythm. I didn't really get to talk to my cheering section as I passed and I felt bad. I did hand off my arm warmers and gloves so it was good to get that out.
My plan had always been to get rid of the hydration pack after the hill on that goes to mile 19. This would become important...because after I turned the corner onto 287 to head towards Ft. Collins, I could tell the pace this guy was going was going to run me into the ground...I apologized and told him I had to slow back down and wished him luck. Maybe a minute or two after that, I hit the wall....HARD.
The last two marathons I could slowly feel my body going. I just started going a little slower and a little slower and then I just was at a zombie-like pace. This was very different....the legs started to ache and I was getting some serious stomach cramps. It was just a sudden and instant wham. I was not ready for it.... I just kept trying to tell myself to push on. Once I got to the top of the hill....it was downhill to the end. The legs were still working and that was all I could ask....
Getting up the hill was hard....I was really hoping to hit that 5.5 mph pace...but was ready when I was coming in at 5.3....I started passing a couple of people and was getting my wits back about me. About part way down the hill I met up with TEAM Sean and handed off my hydration....within a couple of minutes the cramps went away (I have to keep that thing pretty tight or it bounces. I will be so happy to not use it at all in New York City). In my haste to get rid of the pack...I must have done something to the Garmin...I looked down and it was completely off....BUMMER! As predicted by my wiser running friends...it was hard to get the speed back up....BUT....by the bottom of the hill I was at 6.1 and feeling alright again.....
Mile 14 - 8:34 (short mile because of halfway mark)
Mile 15 - 9:40
Mile 16 - 9:27
Mile 17 - 18:47 (miles got messed up) and after this the Garmin was not of much help accept to help me not lose my mind not knowing where I ended up distance-wise....
Once I got to mile 20 and on the bike path, I could really start to feel the downhill and uphill taking its toll. I finally stopped at mile 21 and walked for a second to try to shake them out....it didn't really help. I met a fellow Laramie runner that was having some bad quad issues and walked with her for a minute or two and then dropped off to try and stretch my legs....surprisingly it didn't help at all. I kept trying to trudge on...
After I caught up with Tina again, I wanted to try and help her get through...I don't really know runner etiquette, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I like the two running couples I have met in Laramie and want everyone to finish. I am not sure if it is bad or annoyed her....I think she understood. Unfortunately I could only stay with her about 6 or 7 minutes....I knew if I didn't try to make some hay that I was done....so I told her and she told me to go ahead and do what I needed to do....so I went on....
About 5 minutes after I went on my left calf felt like it exploded on me....it was the same one that seized up last weekend and I had a feeling it would come at some point....I made peace with the pain and pushed forward...the next time it shocked me there was also a lovely sensation in my inner thigh that I learned is the vastus medialis oblique as explained by my therapist. I had never EVER felt pain there before. It freaked me out to be honest. Every step I took felt like I was going to fall to my left...I knew at that point any chance I had to make up time was done...I could barely more forward....
So at the remaining aid stations I told myself I would walk as I got water....then for a few tenths of a mile afterward then try to jog to light run as much as possible....the biggest bummer for me....was that I still had quite a bit left in my tank...and that makes it hard to accept.
With the Garmin not on track I estimated that between my start at the beginning and the Garmin stopping I was probably off by 10 minutes...so I kept just pushing when I could....
By the time I was on the final stretch there was no more running, at all. It felt like I was moving in slow motion, which sucks when you see all the people around the finish line...I always get a rush....that left leg just wouldn't work....I had to focus just on not falling down...
When I saw the clock, I saw that I was around 4:27 in change...I knew I was ahead of 4:30...but also knew I could not have bit 10 minute miles...I really wasn't upset about it...only the fact that I had energy left...I am not sure I could have done more....honestly....I almost tipped over three times in the finishing corral with every left step I took...I think I did the best I could....
I still have that after marathon glow today. I am in a lot of pain and the massage was brutal...but I am just so amped it is hard to describe. I wish everyone could experience this in some form...the sensation...the feeling of self-actualization....of just knowing you achieved something physical that you thought you couldn't....
I have been toying with the idea of doing another marathon in the beginning of June....still not sure....Casper Marathon asks for no Ipod and Casper isn't attractive enough to run that long without one. I might -mail the race director...but I am not sure I don't just want to heal and start slowly adding some speed work to a solid base...we will see. I feel like I could get my 5K time under 24 minutes if I worked at it so I don't know...we will just see....
As far as New York City is concerned...I don't think I have sub 4 hour marathon in me for that one. It is a substantially more difficult course. I have read that many people think you should add 10 minutes to your regular marathon time for NYC...and to be honest...I would have to agree....that being said...I am thinking 4:10 would be a good next step for me. I want to get better and doing my runs for their intended purpose....Hills, Tempos, Intervals, and slower on the long runs....these things will help me improve...I am still not sure I feel like a real runner...but I also don't feel like someone pretending anymore and that feels wonderful....
Thank you once again to all the people that helped me get here....
Jon - Sage advice keeps me in the game mentally and always looking to improve. You truly inspire
me.
Ria - I have really enjoyed this new friendship, and thank you so much for the massage gift, it
made a HUGE difference.
David - Thanks for reaching out on dailymile....I look forward to learning from you and sharing the
runner "experience".
DMrs - It helps so much to have the support and to see the efforts you churn out...
Jenny PC - For keeping me honest with doing the blog and making sure I share what is going on. It
is also very inspiring to see someone so busy put in the time....
Diane - The massages help soooo much. Thank you!
Beth - Thanks you for coming out and helping my folks yesterday...but more importantly for all the
support you give me. You have no idea how much it helps...
All Friends and Family - Whenever you ask me how it is going it means a lot to me and helps push
me out the door or out of the bed on days that I might not want to get out there...
Everyone else - Not sure if there are others that read, but thank you whoever you are!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
THE PLAN
It is about time to hit the sack. Here are my goal paces for my miles. It feels a little ambitious...but I have worked incredibly hard to get here....so it is time to dance....
1. 10:52
2. 20:24 – 9:32
3. 29:56 – 9:32
4. 39:28 – 9:32
5. 49:00 – 9:32
6. 58:32 – 9:32
7. 1:08:04 – 9:32
8. 1:17:36 – 9:32
9. 1:27:08 – 9:32
10. 1:36:40 – 9:32
11. 1:46:12 – 9:32
12. 1:55:44 – 9:32
13. 2:05:16 – 9:32
Ha HALF– 2:06:16
14. 2:14:48 – 9:32
15. 2:24:20 – 9:32
16. 2:33:52 – 9:32
17. 2:43:24 – 9:32
18. 2:54:16 – 10:52
19. 3:04:16 – 10:00
20. 3:14:16 – 10:00
21. 3:24:16 – 10:00
22. 3:34:16 – 10:00
23. 3:44:16 – 10:00
24. 3:53:48 – 9:32
25. 4:03:20 – 9:32
26. 4:12:35 – 9:32
F FINISH – 4:14:25 - 1:50
the So that is the plan!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Horsetooth Half through Friday, May 7th
So I am finally done with the semester and school for the time being. I just finished an Associates in Computer Science. I was really looking for the Bachelors, but quite frankly, just wanted to get done and on with my life. I now have a job I like doing what I want to do. I am not going to do any more schooling for at least the rest of 2010. It will be nice to focus just on work and running....
So I ran the Horsetooth Half Marathon a few weeks ago. It was a really neat experience. The race happen in Fort Collins, and as you might have gathered from the name, goes a long the Horsetooth Reservoir for a stretch. It is a challenging due to the substantial uphills at the start through the first few miles. The view though is really out of this world. I have never run a half before and really was sad that I missed this one last year due to having the flu. I was really glad I decided to do it...
The start was a little befuddled. I could not really tell where the starting line was and in hindsight, should have started a little closer to the front. I ended up getting stuck behind a ton of people that started the half walking. I know it is unavoidable, because so many people are new and just don't understand where they should be lining up, but it is very hard to weave around people on such a steep incline to start a race. I was pretty flustered the first mile to be honest. That opening hill was even steeper than I would have thought.
After I started to get some room, the only real challenge was the steep grade ahead. I kept telling myself to stay slow and not to push. It was like I could hear my running guru Jon and my NYC Marathon buddy Ria telling me that this was not the end goal and getting injured worse in my legs was not worth it. So I really pulled back at times.
Once the road leveled out and you could look to the right and see Ft. Collins it was quite the view. It reminded me a bit of the movie Cars when Lightening McQueen and Sally are looking down at Radiator Springs, it brought a smile to my face.
The downhills were pretty funny. Lots of people would just go blowing by me...then when we would start the trek back up....my steady pace would take me ahead. It was a very satisfying feeling. To know that you are keeping your pace and that if necessary, you could output a bunch more is really good for the confidence. At around mile 7, I was taking a mental stock of how my body was feeling, and I really had a lot in the tank at the 6.2-6.3 pace I was keeping when not running up hill. But I held my pace and didn't give into temptation.
The best part of the end for me, is the fact that the last several miles are on the same bike path that were the leg crushers for the Colorado Marathon. I can't express how good it felt to go steaming past the chair I hat to stop and rub my feet on because the pain was excruciating. Almost like exorcising some demons.
Once I got to 10....it was just a 5K until the finish line, so I opened up and just went. The legs hurt, but no more so than on any of my long runs. The rush of passing people and keeping a good pace was a fantastic feeling.
The last like .2 or .3 they heard you into this long corral type finish...made it hard to keep the same pace...but I think I did pretty well. I finished 13.18 miles in 2:07:19 according to the Garmin. I was very pleased with the effort....
Short break then I will bring you all up to speed on the last few weeks....
And here is a summary of the last three weeks....
After the half, I will admit, that my calves felt pretty rough. My good friend (and running buddy Ria) was so very kind as to get me some massages for my birthday from a place in Laramie. I had one set up for the day after the half and I was badly in need of it. The massage therapist really worked me over. It most definitely hurt, but over the long term made all the difference.
My running that first week was quite a bit less. I walked a couple of miles after the therapy session and then took off completely on Tuesday. Wednesday was a fairly painful 6 miles, but it was very good to get out and put in the work. The calf pain was still there, but as one would hope, it was slowly going away. Friday I did another 6 miles and the legs weren't feeling too bad. Saturday was maybe the roughest run I have had since I started doing the long distance thing. We had quite the snowstorm on Friday and it continued until Saturday morning. The sidewalks were thick with very heavy wet snow, and there was very little plowing or shoveling going on. I ended up stopping twice to push/dig people out. I got really sunburned on the cutout of my mask on my face, and to be honest...I still look a little dorky with the way it tanned. Glad that I don't have too many runs like that.
The following week, I jumped right back into the schedule and hit all my miles that were planned: 4, 6, 4, then 3 on Friday and 8 on Saturday. There was some pain in the legs, but the runs themselves, besides too cold and slightly windy were all pretty good.
That Sunday, my right calf seized up something fierce. It took probably about two minutes before it would unclinch. The pain was very intense. I iced and stretched and just hoped it would work out for me. The runs this last week were ok, not great. After my final massage the body has felt better. Hopefully I will be able to get through tomorrow with as little discomfort as possible.
Next up....my marathon plan!
So I ran the Horsetooth Half Marathon a few weeks ago. It was a really neat experience. The race happen in Fort Collins, and as you might have gathered from the name, goes a long the Horsetooth Reservoir for a stretch. It is a challenging due to the substantial uphills at the start through the first few miles. The view though is really out of this world. I have never run a half before and really was sad that I missed this one last year due to having the flu. I was really glad I decided to do it...
The start was a little befuddled. I could not really tell where the starting line was and in hindsight, should have started a little closer to the front. I ended up getting stuck behind a ton of people that started the half walking. I know it is unavoidable, because so many people are new and just don't understand where they should be lining up, but it is very hard to weave around people on such a steep incline to start a race. I was pretty flustered the first mile to be honest. That opening hill was even steeper than I would have thought.
After I started to get some room, the only real challenge was the steep grade ahead. I kept telling myself to stay slow and not to push. It was like I could hear my running guru Jon and my NYC Marathon buddy Ria telling me that this was not the end goal and getting injured worse in my legs was not worth it. So I really pulled back at times.
Once the road leveled out and you could look to the right and see Ft. Collins it was quite the view. It reminded me a bit of the movie Cars when Lightening McQueen and Sally are looking down at Radiator Springs, it brought a smile to my face.
The downhills were pretty funny. Lots of people would just go blowing by me...then when we would start the trek back up....my steady pace would take me ahead. It was a very satisfying feeling. To know that you are keeping your pace and that if necessary, you could output a bunch more is really good for the confidence. At around mile 7, I was taking a mental stock of how my body was feeling, and I really had a lot in the tank at the 6.2-6.3 pace I was keeping when not running up hill. But I held my pace and didn't give into temptation.
The best part of the end for me, is the fact that the last several miles are on the same bike path that were the leg crushers for the Colorado Marathon. I can't express how good it felt to go steaming past the chair I hat to stop and rub my feet on because the pain was excruciating. Almost like exorcising some demons.
Once I got to 10....it was just a 5K until the finish line, so I opened up and just went. The legs hurt, but no more so than on any of my long runs. The rush of passing people and keeping a good pace was a fantastic feeling.
The last like .2 or .3 they heard you into this long corral type finish...made it hard to keep the same pace...but I think I did pretty well. I finished 13.18 miles in 2:07:19 according to the Garmin. I was very pleased with the effort....
Short break then I will bring you all up to speed on the last few weeks....
And here is a summary of the last three weeks....
After the half, I will admit, that my calves felt pretty rough. My good friend (and running buddy Ria) was so very kind as to get me some massages for my birthday from a place in Laramie. I had one set up for the day after the half and I was badly in need of it. The massage therapist really worked me over. It most definitely hurt, but over the long term made all the difference.
My running that first week was quite a bit less. I walked a couple of miles after the therapy session and then took off completely on Tuesday. Wednesday was a fairly painful 6 miles, but it was very good to get out and put in the work. The calf pain was still there, but as one would hope, it was slowly going away. Friday I did another 6 miles and the legs weren't feeling too bad. Saturday was maybe the roughest run I have had since I started doing the long distance thing. We had quite the snowstorm on Friday and it continued until Saturday morning. The sidewalks were thick with very heavy wet snow, and there was very little plowing or shoveling going on. I ended up stopping twice to push/dig people out. I got really sunburned on the cutout of my mask on my face, and to be honest...I still look a little dorky with the way it tanned. Glad that I don't have too many runs like that.
The following week, I jumped right back into the schedule and hit all my miles that were planned: 4, 6, 4, then 3 on Friday and 8 on Saturday. There was some pain in the legs, but the runs themselves, besides too cold and slightly windy were all pretty good.
That Sunday, my right calf seized up something fierce. It took probably about two minutes before it would unclinch. The pain was very intense. I iced and stretched and just hoped it would work out for me. The runs this last week were ok, not great. After my final massage the body has felt better. Hopefully I will be able to get through tomorrow with as little discomfort as possible.
Next up....my marathon plan!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Friday and Saturday
Life just seems to get more hectic whenever I think I am coming up for air...but I digress.... here are my latest efforts...
I decided to try and do 8 miles on Friday so try and keep my mileage up. It was supposed to be my 2nd peak weak in the cycle, but because I decided to do the half, my total for the long run was quite a bit shorter. Building on the effort from Wednesday, I was anxious to see how the ITB felt on Friday after more stretching and a day of rest.
The weather was quite chilly and windy. I was starting to think that maybe we would get some decent spring weather for a change, but this dragged me back to reality. I did get the chance to wear my vest and that was kind of cool.
The first mile there was quite a bit of tenderness in both IT bands, so I was getting pretty nervous. Then it felt like they were both fine. For the next roughly 1.5 miles I had no pain what-so-ever in either leg. That was a pretty amazing feeling. After that, the pain did come back and it was fairly intense, but for that short period...it was as if I had healed. Something that really made me happy.
I ended up running 8.2 miles in 1 hour, 17 minutes, and 32 seconds. Good solid Friday effort.
Saturday seemed really odd. I wanted to get out and run so I would be tired going into the half-marathon. I am so used to putting in long miles on Saturdays that it was very surreal to do so few. The marathon itself is on Sunday, so it is good to change things up a bit...but still. I pushed a little bit too hard probably, but it felt good to run at a faster pace. I ended up running 5.01 miles in 46 minutes and 28 seconds. Good run as well.
I decided to try and do 8 miles on Friday so try and keep my mileage up. It was supposed to be my 2nd peak weak in the cycle, but because I decided to do the half, my total for the long run was quite a bit shorter. Building on the effort from Wednesday, I was anxious to see how the ITB felt on Friday after more stretching and a day of rest.
The weather was quite chilly and windy. I was starting to think that maybe we would get some decent spring weather for a change, but this dragged me back to reality. I did get the chance to wear my vest and that was kind of cool.
The first mile there was quite a bit of tenderness in both IT bands, so I was getting pretty nervous. Then it felt like they were both fine. For the next roughly 1.5 miles I had no pain what-so-ever in either leg. That was a pretty amazing feeling. After that, the pain did come back and it was fairly intense, but for that short period...it was as if I had healed. Something that really made me happy.
I ended up running 8.2 miles in 1 hour, 17 minutes, and 32 seconds. Good solid Friday effort.
Saturday seemed really odd. I wanted to get out and run so I would be tired going into the half-marathon. I am so used to putting in long miles on Saturdays that it was very surreal to do so few. The marathon itself is on Sunday, so it is good to change things up a bit...but still. I pushed a little bit too hard probably, but it felt good to run at a faster pace. I ended up running 5.01 miles in 46 minutes and 28 seconds. Good run as well.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
8 Mile Wednesday
After my day off from running to let my legs heal after the massage therapist, I was hoping that my run today would be good. I woke up a little after 7 and hustled out the door. The weather was cold again, and I was really hoping that my days of cold weather gear might be over for awhile. But it was not to be....
The sun was already up and blasting, I have to say that I have slowly been changing how I feel about the sun. There is something nice about how it feels on your skin, especially when it is chilly. That worked out well considering the temps were around freezing and a bit colder with the wind-chill.
I did some stretching and slowly started up my hill. The first steps I was really anxious about how I would feel. The left ITB was sore immediately, but that was something that usually happens, so I wasn't all that concerned about it. The right ITB on the other hand was completely painless, and that excited me. The lack of pain lasted until around mile 1.5. It did come back...and was pretty sore by the end, but it really did feel like progress.
I focused not so much on pace, as just trying to work on keeping my upper body arm swing a little more consistent. I sometimes wonder if part of my issues have to do with poor form and while reading the new RunnersWorld I noticed that healthy arm swinging is not nearly as much across the body as I tend to make it. This might be something minor, but it is one of those easy things that I can fix, so I thought I would work on that as the goal of my run.
I was pretty tired by mile 5, but I was enjoying the run. I was edgy yesterday, and I think a lot of it was just not getting out when I really wanted to do so. I was trying to make up for it today.
The last two miles, I did push my effort a bit. When I got to 8.01 miles I walked the last couple of blocks home and stretched. My time was 1 hour 17 minutes and 15 seconds, or a 9 minute and 38 second pace. The legs were pretty sore, and I have stretched a few times today. I really want to get out for some miles tomorrow, but won't push it if they are really sore.
I have recently been able to get the Garmin software to work with my computer, and have started downloading my runs. I will go into greater detail about all the cool things it does after the half-marathon this weekend. Thanks for reading!
The sun was already up and blasting, I have to say that I have slowly been changing how I feel about the sun. There is something nice about how it feels on your skin, especially when it is chilly. That worked out well considering the temps were around freezing and a bit colder with the wind-chill.
I did some stretching and slowly started up my hill. The first steps I was really anxious about how I would feel. The left ITB was sore immediately, but that was something that usually happens, so I wasn't all that concerned about it. The right ITB on the other hand was completely painless, and that excited me. The lack of pain lasted until around mile 1.5. It did come back...and was pretty sore by the end, but it really did feel like progress.
I focused not so much on pace, as just trying to work on keeping my upper body arm swing a little more consistent. I sometimes wonder if part of my issues have to do with poor form and while reading the new RunnersWorld I noticed that healthy arm swinging is not nearly as much across the body as I tend to make it. This might be something minor, but it is one of those easy things that I can fix, so I thought I would work on that as the goal of my run.
I was pretty tired by mile 5, but I was enjoying the run. I was edgy yesterday, and I think a lot of it was just not getting out when I really wanted to do so. I was trying to make up for it today.
The last two miles, I did push my effort a bit. When I got to 8.01 miles I walked the last couple of blocks home and stretched. My time was 1 hour 17 minutes and 15 seconds, or a 9 minute and 38 second pace. The legs were pretty sore, and I have stretched a few times today. I really want to get out for some miles tomorrow, but won't push it if they are really sore.
I have recently been able to get the Garmin software to work with my computer, and have started downloading my runs. I will go into greater detail about all the cool things it does after the half-marathon this weekend. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Tuesday...
I think the massage therapy did some long term good for my legs...but I was in a lot of pain this morning so I decided to listen to my body....want to get in at least 5 tomorrow...but am hoping for 8.....
Monday, April 12, 2010
5 mile Monday
It seems to get harder to focus on class the closer I get to the end...luckily I don't have that issue with running. I watched some coverage of last year's NYC Marathon and it definitely got my juices flowing to get out there for a strong week.
I got up and got out the door. I decided to try shorts and a shirt with some sleeves warmers I bought. It worked really well for the temperature. It was a bit overcast, but really quite nice for a 5 mile run. I just wanted to get the miles in at first, the legs were bugging me a bit, but again after the first probably 2.5 miles the pain was a bit less and stayed that way for the rest of the run.
With 1.5 miles to go, I just decided to open up a little bit. By the time I finished the run my time was 46 minutes and 48 seconds. This works out to 9 minute and 21 second miles. If I can improve this marathon, I really want to start adding speed work for my next cycle. It just feels good to push on shorter distances from time to time. Anyway...thanks for reading!
I got up and got out the door. I decided to try shorts and a shirt with some sleeves warmers I bought. It worked really well for the temperature. It was a bit overcast, but really quite nice for a 5 mile run. I just wanted to get the miles in at first, the legs were bugging me a bit, but again after the first probably 2.5 miles the pain was a bit less and stayed that way for the rest of the run.
With 1.5 miles to go, I just decided to open up a little bit. By the time I finished the run my time was 46 minutes and 48 seconds. This works out to 9 minute and 21 second miles. If I can improve this marathon, I really want to start adding speed work for my next cycle. It just feels good to push on shorter distances from time to time. Anyway...thanks for reading!
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