Time about 4:50
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
All Systems Go! 50K!
My final week of training is complete. I ran 10 miles on Saturday, 6 on Sunday, 4 on Monday, and 3 on Tuesday. After two rest days, I went out today and ran a gentle 2 miles to make sure everything's in good shape for tomorrow. It is, and I'm ready!
Jenelle will probably post updates during the race, but I'm not exactly sure how frequently. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. CDT, so I will hopefully be done by 1:30 p.m.
Before a big golf match, my dad always said to my brother, "fairways and greens". I've thought about what the equivalent running advice would be. For an ultramarathon, I think "slow and steady" sums it up pretty well.
Jenelle will probably post updates during the race, but I'm not exactly sure how frequently. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. CDT, so I will hopefully be done by 1:30 p.m.
Before a big golf match, my dad always said to my brother, "fairways and greens". I've thought about what the equivalent running advice would be. For an ultramarathon, I think "slow and steady" sums it up pretty well.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Catching Up
Sunday the 16th: I was busy at work most of the day (big project), but I managed to get 4.2 hamster miles at the company fitness center. I rested on Monday, and I mean RESTED. I slept a lot.
Tuesday the 18th: 5 easy hamster miles plus some lifting.
Wednesday the 19th: I got up early and got nine miles in, averaging 9:18/mile. I guess that's my easy pace now, even though my goal 50K pace is about 9:39/mile.
Thursday the 20th: A solid 4.4-mile tempo run on the treadmill. I don't recall the exact pacing, but I recall feeling great.
Friday the 21st: More rest.
Saturday the 22nd: After Jenelle and I dug out the driveway after the plow went by, I ran a 0.8-mile loop of plowed road several times, and then tacking on a little extra for 6 miles total. I felt great again, because I averaged 8:41/mile.
Sunday the 23rd: I was in Oregon visiting in-laws for Easter. The weather was a bit rainy, but it was plenty warm, so I had no trouble getting in 18 miles at 9:18 pace, with an average heart rate of 142 bpm. Solid.
Monday the 24th: On an even nicer day, I completed 4 miles in just under 36 minutes.
Tuesday the 25th: It was beautiful in the early evening hours after we returned from Oregon, so I ran 7 miles in about 64 minutes.
Wednesday the 26th: No running, but some lifting.
Thursday the 27th: I did some interval training. I ran six half-mile repeats, each of them under 7:00 pace.
Tomorrow, I'll probably just do some lifting. After all, I should be tapering for the 50K, right? It is less than nine days away. :)
Tuesday the 18th: 5 easy hamster miles plus some lifting.
Wednesday the 19th: I got up early and got nine miles in, averaging 9:18/mile. I guess that's my easy pace now, even though my goal 50K pace is about 9:39/mile.
Thursday the 20th: A solid 4.4-mile tempo run on the treadmill. I don't recall the exact pacing, but I recall feeling great.
Friday the 21st: More rest.
Saturday the 22nd: After Jenelle and I dug out the driveway after the plow went by, I ran a 0.8-mile loop of plowed road several times, and then tacking on a little extra for 6 miles total. I felt great again, because I averaged 8:41/mile.
Sunday the 23rd: I was in Oregon visiting in-laws for Easter. The weather was a bit rainy, but it was plenty warm, so I had no trouble getting in 18 miles at 9:18 pace, with an average heart rate of 142 bpm. Solid.
Monday the 24th: On an even nicer day, I completed 4 miles in just under 36 minutes.
Tuesday the 25th: It was beautiful in the early evening hours after we returned from Oregon, so I ran 7 miles in about 64 minutes.
Wednesday the 26th: No running, but some lifting.
Thursday the 27th: I did some interval training. I ran six half-mile repeats, each of them under 7:00 pace.
Tomorrow, I'll probably just do some lifting. After all, I should be tapering for the 50K, right? It is less than nine days away. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Longest Training Run Ever
Summing up the previous week:
Monday: An easy 4 miles and some strength training. I could tell my body was still feeling it a bit from the 20-miler on Sunday.
Tuesday: About 9.3 miles outside. It wasn't too cold, and I found some well-plowed roads.
Wednesday: 5.7 hamster miles.
Thursday: It warmed up considerably, so I ran outside at lunchtime. I felt great, so I managed 5.4 miles at 7:40 pace. My heart rate was near 170, but I wasn't overly fatigued afterward. I also did some strength training in the evening.
Friday: Rest. Glorious rest. Though I did walk about a mile with Jenelle because it was so nice out.
Today:
I got up around 5:30 and ventured north on the Kenosha County Bike Trail, which looked like it was passable when I drove by it yesterday evening. I soon realized that several parts of it still had snow/ice on them, so the going was slow. There was one part where I was literally walking on thin ice, with a pool of water a few inches deep below the surface. Thankfully, I kept my shoes from getting wet.
Shortly after 7:00 a.m., I met up with several people from the Racine Running Group, who get together every Saturday morning around 7. Many of them are in training for a marathon in early May. After completing their route (which today was the "cemetery route"), I thanked them for the company and ventured back south. I was smart and took roads instead of the bike trail on the way home, so I had no trouble cruising back home.
Overall, I managed 24 miles in under 3:48, averaging 9:28 pace and an average heart rate of 147 bpm. Considering the lousy footing in the early miles, I am very pleased with this run. This is the longest training run I have ever done.
Now, the tapering period begins. I'll ease back slightly on the mileage in the coming week, and make a more pronounced reduction in the two following weeks to get myself ready for a strong showing at the Chicago 50K. Onward!
Miles this month: 132
Miles this year: 487
Lifetime miles: 5382
Monday: An easy 4 miles and some strength training. I could tell my body was still feeling it a bit from the 20-miler on Sunday.
Tuesday: About 9.3 miles outside. It wasn't too cold, and I found some well-plowed roads.
Wednesday: 5.7 hamster miles.
Thursday: It warmed up considerably, so I ran outside at lunchtime. I felt great, so I managed 5.4 miles at 7:40 pace. My heart rate was near 170, but I wasn't overly fatigued afterward. I also did some strength training in the evening.
Friday: Rest. Glorious rest. Though I did walk about a mile with Jenelle because it was so nice out.
Today:
I got up around 5:30 and ventured north on the Kenosha County Bike Trail, which looked like it was passable when I drove by it yesterday evening. I soon realized that several parts of it still had snow/ice on them, so the going was slow. There was one part where I was literally walking on thin ice, with a pool of water a few inches deep below the surface. Thankfully, I kept my shoes from getting wet.
Shortly after 7:00 a.m., I met up with several people from the Racine Running Group, who get together every Saturday morning around 7. Many of them are in training for a marathon in early May. After completing their route (which today was the "cemetery route"), I thanked them for the company and ventured back south. I was smart and took roads instead of the bike trail on the way home, so I had no trouble cruising back home.
Overall, I managed 24 miles in under 3:48, averaging 9:28 pace and an average heart rate of 147 bpm. Considering the lousy footing in the early miles, I am very pleased with this run. This is the longest training run I have ever done.
Now, the tapering period begins. I'll ease back slightly on the mileage in the coming week, and make a more pronounced reduction in the two following weeks to get myself ready for a strong showing at the Chicago 50K. Onward!
Miles this month: 132
Miles this year: 487
Lifetime miles: 5382
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Spring Ahead Semi-Bright and Early
I'm not a big fan of Daylight Saving Time. My preferred time to run is in the morning, and switching from CST to CDT causes the sun to suddenly come up an hour later than the previous day. Obviously, the lighter it is, the better it is for running.
Nevertheless, I woke up at 5:45 a.m. this morning (that's DAYLIGHT time), and managed to get out early enough to complete a 20-miler and still get to church for a 10:30 a.m. service. The temperatures were in the low 20s, but with calm winds, it was okay for running. I could tell that I was slow to warm up, but once I got comfortable, it was a very solid run.
Total distance: 20.16 miles
Total time: 3:11:08
Average pace: 9:28/mi
Calories burned: 2537
Average heart rate: 139 bpm
Fuel consumption: One Clif Bar just before the run, 16 oz. water, 20 oz. blue Accelerade, one pack berry blue sport beans, two GU energy gels (one tri-berry, one espresso).
I've run 83.5 miles this month, 438.5 this year, and 5334 lifetime.
Less than four weeks until the 50K!
Nevertheless, I woke up at 5:45 a.m. this morning (that's DAYLIGHT time), and managed to get out early enough to complete a 20-miler and still get to church for a 10:30 a.m. service. The temperatures were in the low 20s, but with calm winds, it was okay for running. I could tell that I was slow to warm up, but once I got comfortable, it was a very solid run.
Total distance: 20.16 miles
Total time: 3:11:08
Average pace: 9:28/mi
Calories burned: 2537
Average heart rate: 139 bpm
Fuel consumption: One Clif Bar just before the run, 16 oz. water, 20 oz. blue Accelerade, one pack berry blue sport beans, two GU energy gels (one tri-berry, one espresso).
I've run 83.5 miles this month, 438.5 this year, and 5334 lifetime.
Less than four weeks until the 50K!
Monday, March 03, 2008
Return to Cold
I decided to go back outside this weekend. I managed 10 miles on Saturday and 18 miles on Sunday. I circled around a fair amount because there's still a lot of ice on the roads, but conditions are improving. Spring is definitely coming soon.
Closing out last month: I ran 191 miles in February, which is the farthest I've ever run in a single calendar month. I got four miles in on Friday the 29th to beat my previous record, which was 190 in August, 2005. March will feature both a mileage build-up and a tapering period for the Chicago 50K, so it's tough to tell if that record will stand. In any case, I think my fitness level is continuing to improve.
Closing out last month: I ran 191 miles in February, which is the farthest I've ever run in a single calendar month. I got four miles in on Friday the 29th to beat my previous record, which was 190 in August, 2005. March will feature both a mileage build-up and a tapering period for the Chicago 50K, so it's tough to tell if that record will stand. In any case, I think my fitness level is continuing to improve.
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