On race day (October 2), most of the posts to this blog will be done via e-mail from a cell phone. The subject of each entry will show the number of miles completed. The text of each entry will have either:
a) The time of the most recently completed mile,
b) The total time so far, or
c) BOTH
To get an idea of how well I'm doing versus the "virtual pacer", use this Pace Chart. If I can run each mile in nine minutes and nine seconds, I'll finish in just under four hours.
For examples of posts made via cell phone e-mail, you can check out the posts below this one, which I made during a three-mile training run on Tuesday. I finished mile #1 in 9:23, mile #2 in 9:04, and mile #3 in 9:13, for a total of 27:40. It's tough to get the cell phone to write colons, so they probably won't be there on Sunday. Also, there's no way to send the e-mail without the Cingular advertisement at the bottom. Sorry. :)
Depending on my energy level during the race, I might make an audio post or two as well. At this point, it's hard to tell how I will be feeling. I may be super-energized and finish well below four hours. I might be a bit tired and finish many minutes above four hours. My primary goal is to enjoy myself out there, and to finish successfully, whatever the time may be.
Finally, feel free to comment by clicking where it says "0 comments" (or whatever number of comments there are) at the bottom of each post. While I won't be able to read them during the race, I'll definitely check them out afterwards to see who has been cheering me on. You can also use them to see who else is following along.
The race starts at 8 a.m. on Sunday, so look for posts as early as one mile into the race! Thanks for reading, and thanks for your cheers!
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Saturday, September 17, 2005
More PRs!
According to my training schedule, I was supposed to run 4 miles at marathon pace. Instead, I headed to Wauwatosa for Joe's Run, Walk, and Roll, benefitting United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Wisconsin.
I obviously did the RUN part of it, and I set two personal bests -- 6:53 for the mile, and 21:47 for the 5K (averaging about 7 minutes a mile). My forerunner reported times faster than this, but I think it was being overly generous with me this morning.
There are two kinds of tired that you can feel after a run. Most of the time, I feel neither. After today's run, I felt winded. My legs were not tired at all, but I could tell that my lungs were feeling it. I could barely take in enough oxygen to keep such a fast pace. After a 20-mile run, my lungs will feel fine, but my legs will feel a little bit jelly-ish.
I'm taking it easy for the rest of today, and tomorrow's easy 12-miler should be a piece of cake!
I obviously did the RUN part of it, and I set two personal bests -- 6:53 for the mile, and 21:47 for the 5K (averaging about 7 minutes a mile). My forerunner reported times faster than this, but I think it was being overly generous with me this morning.
There are two kinds of tired that you can feel after a run. Most of the time, I feel neither. After today's run, I felt winded. My legs were not tired at all, but I could tell that my lungs were feeling it. I could barely take in enough oxygen to keep such a fast pace. After a 20-mile run, my lungs will feel fine, but my legs will feel a little bit jelly-ish.
I'm taking it easy for the rest of today, and tomorrow's easy 12-miler should be a piece of cake!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Three to get ready
Here's the breakdown for my last 20-miler before the marathon, which occurred on Sunday, September 11:
According to my forerunner, I ran these 20 miles faster than my targeted marathon pace. This is obviously a good sign. However, I'm guessing that the many trees and hills of Beaverton, Oregon caused some GPS tracking difficulties, and perhaps the time is reported a little quicker than it actually was. One specific occurrence is mile # 12 -- I highly doubt that I ran this mile in just over eight minutes. So, take it for what it's worth.
Another element that worked in my favor was the weather. It was a wonderfully cool morning. I ran the first 3.5 miles with a light jacket, and then my standard running outfit (dri-fit shirt & shorts) for the rest of the run.
Did the hills slow me down at all? Apparently not. But to be completely honest, the hills I ran were gentle slopes compared to some of the roads in Oregon.
Here's a graph of my results:
Let the three-week tapering period begin!
| Individual Miles | Averages | |||||||
| Miles 1-5 | 9:25 | 9:22 | 9:23 | 9:07 | 9:23 | 9:20 | 9:12 | 9:03 |
| Miles 6-10 | 8:54 | 9:04 | 9:24 | 8:47 | 9:14 | 9:05 | ||
| Miles 11-15 | 9:37 | 8:08 | 8:40 | 8:35 | 8:44 | 8:45 | 8:52 | |
| Miles 16-20 | 8:49 | 8:23 | 9:19 | 9:11 | 9:19 | 9:00 | ||
According to my forerunner, I ran these 20 miles faster than my targeted marathon pace. This is obviously a good sign. However, I'm guessing that the many trees and hills of Beaverton, Oregon caused some GPS tracking difficulties, and perhaps the time is reported a little quicker than it actually was. One specific occurrence is mile # 12 -- I highly doubt that I ran this mile in just over eight minutes. So, take it for what it's worth.
Another element that worked in my favor was the weather. It was a wonderfully cool morning. I ran the first 3.5 miles with a light jacket, and then my standard running outfit (dri-fit shirt & shorts) for the rest of the run.
Did the hills slow me down at all? Apparently not. But to be completely honest, the hills I ran were gentle slopes compared to some of the roads in Oregon.
Here's a graph of my results:
Let the three-week tapering period begin!
Saturday, September 03, 2005
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:
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!
| 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!
Sunday, August 28, 2005
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:
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!
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!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
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.
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.
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