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!

Still taking it easy

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been keeping things relaxed for the past several months. I'm running about 5 miles every other day, which works out to no more than 20 miles a week. In September, I may ramp up my training a bit in preparation for San Jose (Half Marathon - Oct. 5) and San Antonio (Marathon - Nov. 16).

I added Al's Run to my race list. I've never done an 8K before, so this is a guaranteed personal best. :)

New 4K Personal Best

I finished the Alex DeVinny Memorial 4K in about 17:50 on Saturday morning at the UW-Parkside cross-country course. Runners had to deal with some muddy spots in addition to the usual hills. You might recall that I ran this race last year after running from home to the race site, and then I ran home afterwards. This year, I drove, and my time improved by over a minute in a half. I finished 44th overall, and fourth in the 30-39 age group. There are usually tons of lightning-fast people at the event, so I'm thrilled with my finish time and position.

Age Group Awards in St. Germain

I was on vacation in northern Wisconsin this past weekend. Jenelle and I stayed with our friends, Mark & Heather, at a cottage owned by my dad and his siblings. On a cool and rainy Sunday morning, Mark and I made the 15-minute drive from the cottage to St. Germain for the Freedom 5K. We had both run five miles the day before, not knowing about the race, so we weren't sure exactly how we'd fare.

As it turns out, we both did well. Mark, who zoomed ahead of me at the start, finished with a solid 20:48, better than 7-minute pace. I came in just over a minute later at 21:58, only 19 seconds off my PR.

Mark managed to WIN his age group. The only male 20-29 year-old faster than him was the overall winner, so he wasn't eligible for the age group awards. Turning 30 three days before the race, this was my entry in the 30-39 age group, and I finished third. I'll take it!

The course was mostly on hiking trails, starting and finishing near the community center in the middle of town. A map is below.

Lighthouse Run 2008 -- PR again!

For the second straight year, I set a new 10-mile personal best at the Lighthouse Run. Once again, I ran most of the race with my friend, Mark. Once again, Mark had a little bit more energy left at the finish, so he came in 20-30 seconds ahead of me. In any case, it was a great race for both of us.

The weather was overcast and in the mid-60s at the start -- the most comfortable conditions for the Lighthouse Run since I first ran it in 2005. Even though I haven't gone more than five miles at a time since April 26, I felt pretty confident that I could run a good race. I planned to break 80 minutes.

I ran a solid first half. I kept my pace just under eight minutes a mile. There were lots of friends and family on the course to keep me energized. I saw Jenelle, Heather (Mark's wife), and Caleb (Mark's son) shortly after the start. A few blocks further down the road, I saw my parents and grandparents. At mile 4, I saw Aunt Lisa and cousin Rachel. At mile 5, I saw Aunt Sue, who once again gave me a bottle of water. It would last me the entire race.

After mile 7, Mark and I took a walk break to gather up our strength for the final three miles. I started to tire, but only a little bit. Mark eased ahead, and I encouraged him to push for the finish. I managed to keep the splits just over eight minutes.

As I neared the finish, I knew that I would easily break 80 minutes. I picked up speed a little bit in the final 100 meters, but it definitely wasn't an all-out sprint. I crossed the line in about 1:19:20.1. Mark finished in an impressive 1:18:34.2. Nice work, buddy.

The mile splits, according to my Garmin, are as follows:
7:51, 7:55, 7:57, 7:56, 7:49, 7:57, 7:58, 8:01, 8:03, 7:53

Less is more

I ran a total of sixty miles in the month of May, the lowest since November, 2004. However, this is nothing to worry about. I am enjoying my "less is more" training so far. I've been able to lift weights 2-3 times a week, and I've had a bit more time for other activities. I'm sure I'll ramp up the miles at some point, but I'm not sure when.

In other news, I will be running the 10-mile Lighthouse Run on Saturday, June 21. If the weather is favorable, I might attempt to break 80 minutes.

Finally, I completed a movie from the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN. Enjoy!

Taking it easy

Since Nashville, I've reduced my weekly mileage significantly. I'm only running 3-4 times a week, and not usually more than 5 miles at a time. It's given me some extra time to do some weightlifting and other activities.

There are now movies up from both the Lake Geneva 5K and the Block Melanoma 5K, so feel free to check 'em out!