New 10K Personal Record!

Though my training plan suggested I run six miles at marathon pace, I was feeling especially well, so I decided to run a 10-kilometer "race" using my forerunner. I ran about two minutes faster than my previous personal best. The individual mile times are as follows:

7:58	8:09	7:46	8:17	8:00	8:24	1:55
Average: 8:07 / mile			Total Time: 50:32

So, I got a little bit tired at the end, but I was able to maintain a fairly steady pace.

I'm looking forward to running a real race in two weeks to continue my marathon preparation. On September 3, I plan to participate in the Badgerland Striders 20K in Milwaukee's Estabrook Park.

Long Run Done

As my training for the Lakefront Marathon continues, I completed a run of 20.6 miles this morning. Here's a mile-by-mile breakdown:

Mile #1 - 10:15
After a fair amount of stretching and a bit of walking, I began the run just after 5:30 a.m. During the first few miles, I could feel my body slowly warming up.

Mile #2 - 10:11
My training plan suggested that I finish this run about 90 seconds SLOWER than my planned marathon pace (tentatively set at 9:00 / mile), which means I should be doing this run at 10:30 / mile. I was going a bit faster than that -- still feeling great.

Mile #3 - 10:11
At about the 2.8 mile mark, I took my first walking break. The drink of choice was some freshly-mixed orange Gatorade.

Mile #4 - 10:08
Mile #5 - 9:59
By the end of mile #5, I was in a groove. My split times were gradually dropping, but I did not feel that I was expending any additional effort. Whenever I felt myself trying to speed up, I tried to think about conserving energy so that I would last the entire run.

Mile #6 - 9:55
Another walking break -- and more Gatorade.

Mile #7 - 10:12
Mile #8 - 9:39
Looking back, I'm not sure why there was such a big difference in these two lap times. It's possible that I was benefitting from a wind or that the forerunner wasn't perfectly accurate. In any case, I was still feeling pretty good, doing my best to save my energy. However, every lap is below the suggested 10:30 mark. Was I going too fast?

Mile #9 - 10:25
A slightly longer walking break this time -- because this break featured some raspberry-flavored Hammer Gel. I'm still getting used to ingesting gels during a run, so it took me a bit longer to get the pack open, drink enough water afterwards, etc. I was still way ahead of my desired pace and still feeling great.

Mile #10 - 9:36
Mile #11 - 9:53
Mile #12 - 10:16
Another three miles down, and I barely felt sore at all. My fourth walking break consisted of the rest of the raspberry gel pack and water.

Mile #13 - 9:52
Mile #14 - 9:54
I reached the half marathon at about 2:11:30. This is much slower than my PR of 1:56:25, but much faster than the target pace for this run (2:17:33).

Mile #15 - 10:10
My next walking break consisted of more gel -- orange flavor this time. As I chased the gel down with the recommended 3-4 ounces of water, I decided that raspberry is my preferred flavor. :)

Mile #16 - 9:54
With a mere four miles to go, I was still feeling okay. I felt an occasional dull pain in my left shoulder, which serves as a reminder to run with the correct posture. As soon as I improved my form, the pain went away. My legs were obviously feeling the effects of a long run, but they were not nearly as sore as they were a week ago at this point (when I finished a 19-miler).

Mile #17 - 9:43
Mile #18 - 9:57
My final walking break consisted of more Gatorade. As I set out to complete the remaining miles, I looked at my Garmin forerunner and noticed that I was significantly close to averaging 10:00 / mile for the entire run. I was feeling MUCH better than I was at the 18-mile mark last week. Dare I push the pace a little bit at the end of the run?

Mile #19 - 9:29
I endeavored to conserve energy as best I could for most of the run. But with only two miles to go, I was convinced that I had the energy to push it a little bit. Last week, I could feel myself slowing down significantly at mile #19. I didn't feel that at all this time. Perhaps it was my concerted effort to stay hydrated and energized. With a mile to go, I knew that I would be able to complete my run without do anything remotely close to crashing. Onward!

Mile #20 - 9:23
When I've been out running for more than three hours, a part of me wants the run to be over -- somewhat like a long car trip. I could have finished this mile much slower than 9:23, but I had the energy for it, and I was a bit eager to be done, so I kept up the pace. Of course, I was still some distance from home when I finished 20 miles. Should I walk the rest of the way?

Mile #21 (well, only .6 miles) - 5:52
I stepped into what some refer to as "sacred ground", but only a little bit. As I stopped the forerunner at 20.6 miles, I was thrilled to have finished a 20-miler. I'm fatigued, but feeling better than I ever have after a "major" long run (12+ miles).

Average: 9:56 / mile

Seven weeks until the marathon!

New 1/2 Marathon PR

My training for the marathon continues to go pretty well. On July 3, I set a new personal best in the half marathon (1:56:25), thanks to my good friend Mike Brinkley, who drove up from Illinois to trek through town with me. Mike is quite the athlete and has completed several triathlons and marathons (including Boston).

This past Monday, I ran 17 miles on a treadmill. For whatever reason, my quads were quite sore afterward, so I've been taking it easy this week. I should be fully recovered by the weekend. My next super-long run will occur on Sunday, August 7, when I will run 19 miles at a steady pace, probably around 10:00 / mile.

SCJ Off! And Running

This morning, I participated in my first ever Lighthouse Run. I ran ten miles in 1:24:49.1 (a new personal best). The official results are right here. Yeah, you'll have to scroll down a bit to see my name, but it's there. 327th place. Oh yeah! Special thanks to Mom & Dad for taking pictures and video, Grandma Iz and Grandpa Nick for their enthusiastic cheers, and Aunt Sue for a much-appreciated bottle of water at the halfway point.

Five Lighthouse Run Photos

YES!

What a ride. I successfully set a new personal record for the half marathon this morning. Here's a mile-by-mile breakdown:

Getting Started
The weather was overcast, but plenty warm. As I finished stretching and prepared to set out, I noticed a few drops of rain. I headed back upstairs and got my rain jacket. I took a swig of raspberry lemonade-flavored Gatorade before setting my forerunner at 9:08 / mile -- at this pace, I'll finish in 01:59:39. Off I go!

Mile 1 - 8:35 (0:33 ahead of the pacer overall)
As the few drops of rain turned into a small drizzle, I felt okay out of the blocks. I'm sufficiently warmed up, and I don't feel too hot or too cold. So far, so good.

Mile 2 - 9:31 (0:10 ahead overall)
Right before reaching the two-mile mark, my forerunner skipped a beat. One moment, I was almost 400 feet ahead, and the next, I was only 50 feet ahead. The problem is that the excessive clouds and rain are keeping the forerunner from being as accurate as it usually is. I'm fairly certain that I ran this mile faster than 9:31. These kinds of tracking errors usually work themselves out over time, so I'm not worried. I'm still ahead, and I still feel great.

Mile 3 - 8:48 (0:30 ahead)
The rain is getting a bit heavier now, but nothing close to slowing me down. My head is getting a tiny bit wet, but my rain jacket keeps me plenty dry. It also helps that I'm wearing my Nike "dri-fit" running shorts. Onward!

Mile 4 - 8:39 (0:59 ahead)
The downpour arrived! As I started to feel the moisture seeping in to my shoes and my hair getting wet, I suddenly remembered that my rain jacket has a hood zipped inside the collar. My pace dropped just a tiny bit as I pulled the hood out of the collar, put it on, and adjusted it to keep it from falling off. I'm still feeling pretty good with almost one third of my run completed.

Mile 5 - 8:29 (1:38 ahead)
One minute it was pouring, the next it was just a drizzle, and the next it was pouring again. Now perfectly comfortable in my rain jacket AND hood, I didn't have any problems. I was thrilled that I was building a signifant lead over my virtual pacer without any fatigue. However, was I going too fast? Most of the run was still in front of me. I didn't feel like I'm going too fast. Hmmm.....

Mile 6 - 9:00 (1:46 ahead)
The rain eased up at this point -- yay. I wasn't feeling tired at all. Double yay.

Mile 7 - 8:57 (1:57 ahead)
The halfway point! My forerunner showed me reach 6.55 miles (half of 13.1) at about 58 minutes. I was doing great, and the weather continued to improve.

Mile 8 - 8:46 (2:19 ahead)
No signs of trouble at all. My lead was about a quarter of a mile. I started to wonder if I was going to burn myself out before the finish. The question I began asking myself was: Should I try and build more of a lead while I feel okay, or should I just keep the pace steady?

Mile 9 - 10:32 (0:55 ahead)
What happened here? The forerunner hiccuped again. One moment, I was ahead by 0.27 miles, and the next, I was only ahead by about 350 feet (about 0.06 miles). This mile did not feel significantly slower than any of the others. It's possible that some of the earlier miles were reported a little quicker than I actually ran them. Regardless of the reason for this setback, I was still ahead of the pacer, and nothing was going to slow me down!

Mile 10 - 8:51 (1:12 ahead)
Back on track. I started to feel a little bit tired at this point, but I was still able to keep the pace.

Mile 11 - 9:16 (1:04 ahead)
A little bit of slow-down, but nothing to worry about.

Mile 12 - 9:04 (1:08 ahead)
Mile 13 - 9:13 (1:04 ahead)
The fatigue slowly built up during these two miles. This is to be expected after running so long at a faster-than-usual pace. The good news -- no blisters or sharp pain in any of my joints. I'm guessing that a lot of family members might be worried about my knees, as most of my running is done on either concrete or asphalt. Let me all assure you that my knees feel great. Never been better.

The Finish - 1:00 (0:58 ahead)
The final tenth of a mile was a little bit slower than the pacer, but not by much. I finished the half marathon in one hour, 58 minutes, and 41 seconds.

What's Next?
I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the week. The following week is the first week of my 18-week program to train for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on October 2. Just to make sure I'm fit for such a task, I have a doctor's appointment set up for this week so that my physician can give me the green light.

18 and counting

I got up early on Sunday morning to set a new record for my longest run. 18 miles later, I was done. Here's the breakdown:

Laps 1-3	10:12	10:11	09:42
Laps 4-6	09:46	09:27	09:36
Laps 7-9	09:29	09:28	09:38
Laps 10-12	09:45	09:50	09:49
Laps 13-15	09:50	09:37	09:52
Laps 16-18	09:23	10:04	10:00

Average Pace: 9:45 / mile

I was thrilled that I was able to run about thirty seconds per mile faster than I did two weeks ago AND run 2.4 miles farther. I was fairly tired at the end, but I think I could have done a few more miles.

I'm not planning to do another long run for at least a month. My next goal is to complete a half marathon in under two hours -- and of course, the results of my attempt will be posted here.

New 15K PR

I recently achieved a new personal best for the 15K (about 9.33 miles). I trekked out on Sunday morning and finished in one hour, 21 minutes, 33 seconds. Here's the breakdown:

Mile 1 - 8:24
Mile 2 - 8:53
Mile 3 - 8:29
Mile 4 - 8:53
Mile 5 - 8:20
Mile 6 - 8:53
Mile 7 - 8:48
Mile 8 - 9:08
Mile 9 - 8:45
Finish - 2:56 (8:36 pace)

Average pace - about 8:44 / mile

There was a light but ever-present wind that was responsible for the 20-25 second fluctuations between lap times in the first six miles. Had there been no wind at all, my laps would have been much more consistent.

I'm probably going to run long this weekend -- perhaps even further than the 25K that I ran on April 24. The weather is supposed to be warm with a bit of rain, which doesn't scare me all that much. :)

I'm thrilled that I have almost five months to continue training for the marathon. I don't want to jinx it, but I think that eclipsing the four-hour mark on October 2 is an attainable goal.

Over the Hill

This morning, I ran further than I ever have before in a single workout. I trekked 15.6 miles (about 25K) with an average pace of about 10:21 / mile.

What did I learn? Giving yourself an extra 30 seconds per mile can make a HUGE difference in how you feel. Two weeks ago, I ran 13.1 miles, setting the pacer on my forerunner at 10:00/mile. I made it, but I was EXTREMELY tired when I was done. I didn't feel like I could go another step. Today, I set the pacer at 10:30/mile. After almost 16 miles, I felt like I could go a little farther if I had to. Since my "race" isn't until October, there's no point in pushing myself too hard right now.

For those who might be curious about my split times, here you go:

Mile #1: 10:41
Mile #2: 10:47
Mile #3: 10:04
Mile #4: 10:14
Mile #5: 10:02
Mile #6: 10:00
Mile #7: 10:06
Mile #8: 10:14
Mile #9: 10:28
Mile #10: 10:19
Mile #11: 10:26
Mile #12: 10:16
Mile #13: 10:57
Mile #14: 09:59
Mile #15: 10:26

I think I could have managed 20 miles at this pace -- during mile 14 (my fastest), I actually walked for about 15 seconds while Jenelle brought me some gatorade (thanks, sweetie!). The weather was a bit chilly this morning, but it was perfect for running. I didn't get dehyrdrated at all, and I wasn't drenched in sweat when I got home (yeah, pretty picture there).

Estimated calories burned: 2250. That's over half a pound.

Top Speed

I've been fighting a cold for the past few days, but I woke up this morning feeling fairly well. After resting both Thursday and Friday, I decided to make an attempt to set a new personal best for a 5K run. For those not in the know, a 5K run is five kilmeters, which is about 3.11 miles. Prior to today, my best outdoor 5K run was at the Roma 5K last July (27:20.6). My best treadmill 5K mark is 24:58.

I set the "Virtual Training Assistant" on my Garmin Forerunner at a pace of eight minutes per mile, which translates to a 5K time of 24:51. If I could keep up with the little runner on the screen, I would be successful.

Mile One
I was out of the gate in a hurry -- perhaps too much of a hurry. I didn't realize it at the time, but for the first quarter mile, I was running at almost 10 miles an hour, which is a six minute per mile pace. I slowly settled back down into a reasonable pace that I could hopefully keep for the rest of the run. I reached the one-mile marker in 7:13. A NEW RECORD! This is the fastest mile I have ever run.

Mile Two
I continued south on 90th street almost to highway 11, turning around when I had about a mile and a half to go. I felt a cramp in my side starting to develop, but it wasn't enough to slow me down. I finished the second mile in 7:52. At this point, I knew that I had a lead of about a minute on my personal best. So, as long as I didn't "crash" in the final mile, I would emerge victorious.

Uh, what's a "crash"?
I don't know, exactly. It's a term I've read about in articles about running, and some of the runners I've talked to at the SCJ fitness center have used it. Apparently, a "crash" is when your body basically gives up, and you can't go much faster than an easy walk. Thankfully, I haven't experienced one yet.

Mile Three
I've run outside for the past few weekends. One thing I've noticed is that a strong wind blows from west to east. As I turned to head west back home, I was concerned that a strong wind might cause my pace to slow signficantly. The wind, combined with a slight uphill grade, can sometimes make things rather difficult. Today, however, was not a problem at all. There wasn't much wind at all, and the energy and excitement of breaking a personal record kept me going. I finished mile three in 8:02.

The Finish
When my forerunner read "-28 feet to go", I stopped the timer. I didn't really have an idea of what my final time was, except that it was definitely faster than 25 minutes. I switched the display to show the total time, and I was thrilled to read:

Could I have gone even faster? Maybe, maybe not. I definitely started too fast, so I didn't have much energy left for a burst of speed at the end. One thing's for sure -- if I keep exercising regularly, I'll be in good shape to break 23:30 at this year's Roma 5K in July.

Tired and Energized...

That's how I felt on Monday night after spending over two hours on a treadmill. I successfully completed a half marathon! I ran about 12 miles at a pace of 9:22/mile. After that, I slowed down the treadmill to a steady walk for a couple of minutes to regain enough strength to complete the rest of the distance (13.1 miles total). I haven't run since then, but I'll probably do a few miles sometime tomorrow.

Things are looking good for me to continue training and run a marathon sometime in October. The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon is on Sunday, October 2, and the Chicago Marathon is on Sunday, October 9. There's also one in Portland around the same time.

MILWAUKEE
Pro: Not too many people.
Con: Not super-exciting.

CHICAGO
Pro: Lots of excitement and tons of people cheering you on.
Con: Tons of people running alongside you.

PORTLAND
Pro: Amazing scenery.
Con: Lots of hills.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the Milwaukee Marathon because it's the closest. We'll see if my opinion changes in the next few weeks.