Badgerland Striders 20K Report

Here are my mile splits from the Badgerland Striders 20K (just less than 12.5 miles), held in Estabrook Park in Milwaukee:

Miles 1-6	8:38	8:11	8:15	8:11	8:28	8:22
Miles 7-12	8:15	8:20	8:01	8:37	8:40*	8:43
Final .38 mile:	3:06	(about 8:10 pace)
	*Note: Mile 11 covered 1.03 miles

My final recorded time is 1:43:48, which corresponds to a pace of about 8:22 / mile. My official time will likely be a little bit slower than this, because I started my forerunner when I crossed the starting line (shortly after the race's actual start). Update: The official results are in. My official time is 1:43:59, corresponding to an average of 8:23 / mile.

Since I enjoyed making the graph of my 20-milers, here's a graph of today's run:

You'll notice that my split times in the last four miles are somewhat erratic. I think this is more the forerunner's fault than anything else. Some of the area had a lot of trees, so it was sometimes tough to get a clear signal. Lap 11 was actually 1.03 miles long. Averaging everything out, I had about an even split (first half about same pace as second half).

I finished within my goal pace, which was 8:30 / mile. I also checked my time at the 15K and the 10-mile marks, and I determined that I have set new personal records for each. This is a MAJOR confidence boost for me, and I think I will be setting my goal finishing time for the marathon at four hours!

30 Mile Weekend

Yesterday morning, I ran 10 miles, averaging 8:40 per mile. This is about fifteen seconds per mile slower than my personal record (about 8:25 / mile). However, I wasn't trying to set a new PR, and I had to conserve energy for my big 20-miler, which I completed this morning.

Here's the mile breakdown:

Individual Miles						Averages
Miles 1-5	9:40	9:32	9:31	9:34	9:19	9:31	9:26	9:19
Miles 6-10	9:21	9:15	9:33	9:22	9:12	9:21
Miles 11-15	9:20	9:11	9:10	9:05	9:15	9:12	9:11
Miles 16-20	8:52	9:21	9:24	8:54	9:18	9:10

As you might have noticed, I did much better this time out than I did two weeks ago. Here's a graph which compares the two runs. The orange line represents my run from two weeks ago, and the blue line represents today's run:

My confidence is building for two reasons. First of all, today's run was more than 30 seconds per mile FASTER than my 20-miler from two weeks ago. Secondly, both runs show evidence that I am pacing myself well. They feature what is known as a "negative split", meaning that the second half of the run is faster than the first half. No matter what distance I run, I'm hoping to have either a negative split or an even split (both halves about the same time).

I am tracking fairly well to attempt a four-hour marathon on October 2nd. We'll see how things go at the 20K race next weekend!

Stuff I bought yesterday

I stopped at local bicycle shop for some supplies yesterday. As you might have guessed, they have a lot of stuff for runners as well. Here's what I purchased:

Three individual packets of raspberry Hammer Gel
One gel flask
They were out of my first choice, which was one of the 26-serving jugs. The flask will come in handy during my longer runs.
One reflective sash band
I often run in the mornings before heading to work, and there's not as much daylight as there used to be. Though I feel a little bit like a contestant in a beauty pageant, I feel much safer knowing that oncoming traffic can see me.
One container of BodyGlide
For those who might not know what this is -- it's a non-greasy, non-oily lotion that prevents chafing. Another item that will be very helpful in keeping me comfortable during long runs.

I've got 30 miles to run this weekend (10 on Saturday, 20 on Sunday). I'm glad I'm resting tomorrow.

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.