September 2008 in review

After a five-miler yesterday and a four-miler today, I finished the month with only 57 miles, which is the lowest monthly total in almost four years. However, with a half marathon coming up this Sunday and a full marathon to prepare for in November, the miles will probably be going up. It might not be as crazy as March, when my odometer reached 214, but I wouldn't be surprised if I broke 100 next month. You've got to enjoy the crisp fall weather while you can.

2nd Place

Yesterday, I finished in second place at Joe's Run, Walk, and Roll, which benefits United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Wisconsin. There were not many of what I would call "serious" runners.

I made my usual jackrabbit start and actually held the lead for the first quarter mile. I soon realized that I could not keep a sub-6:30 pace, so I eased up and the eventual winner passed me. He gradually extended his lead, and he finished a minute or so ahead of me. Nobody ever challenged me for second, so I cruised in for a time of about 21:30. This would be a personal best, but the course measured about .08 miles short of 5K. In any case, I had lots of fun on a beautiful day for running.

Al's Run Recap

A lot of runners might want to know what the best way is to guarantee a personal best at an upcoming race. My advice? Run a distance you've never raced before. :)

I made it to the start area with plenty of time and went through the usual warm-up routine (jog, stretch, stride, jog, bathroom). The race started at 10:30 a.m., and it was unseasonably warm. Not uncomfortable like Twin Cities last year, but definitely warmer than ideal.

The first mile had a couple of downhill stretches. That and start-line adrenaline resulted in a much faster split (about 7:20) than was necessary. By the middle of mile two, my heart rate was already in the low 180s, so I did my best to ease up while still keeping the pace under eight minutes a mile.

Miles three and four were okay. Thanks to the heat, I was really feeling it during mile five. I didn't have much of a finishing kick, but I managed to finish with a respectable chip time of 38:51. My mom was waiting for me at the finish -- I greatly appreciated her cheers.

I could tell from my forerunner that was course measured a tiny bit long -- I had it at 5.10 miles. This was supposed to be an 8K (4.97 miles). But, it's the same course for everyone, so it's no big deal.

Approximate mile splits: 7:25, 8:02, 7:47, 8:00, 7:37

Ready for Al's Run!

I ran a personal best at the Lighthouse Run with minimal training. We'll see how it goes for me at Al's Run tomorrow. It's going to be a personal best because I've never ran this distance before, but we'll see if it is relatively fast compared to my other PRs. Good luck to everyone!