Lighthouse Run 2017

I was hoping to challenge the 70-minute mark at the Lighthouse Run this year, but a fall in training on Monday, June 5th limited my ability to put in extensive speedwork leading up to race day.

The first half was pretty good, but I could tell that it was a bit quick for my fitness level. Perhaps conditions were a bit more difficult than I thought -- it didn't feel overly hot or humid to me, but several other runners thought it was tough.

Anyway, I kept it together and finished well in 74:18, good enough to lead the SCJ team to third place. Here's the full 10 mile corporate division results.

Mile splits:
6:57, 7:24, 7:03, 7:10, 7:23, 7:41, 7:51, 7:49, 7:45, 7:15

Until next year!

Eighteen Thousand!

First, here's running miles from February to now:

Feb. 1-7: 3, rest, 4 x hill (4 total), rest, rest, 6, 5
Feb. 8-14: Rest, 5 x halfmile (5 total), 11, 6, rest, 5, 5
Feb. 15-21: 8, 5 x hill (3 total), 8 fast, rest, 10, 5, 8
Feb. 22-28: 4, rest, rest, 8, 15, 6, 9
February total miles: 134

Mar. 1-7: 4, 6 x halfmile (5 total), rest, 7, 15, 5, 9
Mar. 8-14: 4, 6 x hill (5 total), rest, 9 fast, 19, 5, 7
Mar. 15-21: 5, 48-minute tempo run (6 total), rest, 10, 4, 4, 19
Mar. 23-24: 4, 7 x halfmile (6 total)
March total (so far): 152

March is already the busiest month on record (in terms of distance) since the birth of the twins.

Now, for the big news. Halfway through today's run, I surpassed 18,000 miles on my lifetime odometer. I can log a thousand miles in roughly eight months, so this means I could eclipse the 20,000 mark in the summer of 2018. This also means I could complete a 'run around the world' (roughly 25,000 miles) by the end of 2021.

However, it's tough to tell what the future holds. My hope is that I can continue to run a couple of marathons a year with a few other races sprinkled in, but there are plenty of things in my life that are more important that running. It's exciting to consider the possibility of another 50-mile (or even longer) run like the one I did in 2010, but that's a huge training commitment.

The odds are that most of you aren't impressed by me running a marathon anymore, but if I can't go farther, I'll try and go faster. I'll try to break 3:30 when I run in Kenosha on May 6. Another possibility is to train specifically for a 5K to try and break 20 minutes.

Let's see how many personal records I can set before I turn 40 next year.

Most miles in a month?

I was feeling nostalgic and looked up the busiest month of running in the 12+ years I've been logging it. August 2010 is the winner with 250 miles logged. It was my peak training month for the Fall 50 that I ran in October of the same year. There were eight rest days, but there were also seven days on which I ran 18 miles or more.

The busiest month since the twins were born was June 2016, when I somehow managed 151 miles.

Will I ever get close to that 250 mark again? My guess is not for a while, but maybe much further down the road...

2016 - Another Year of Running Done

Here is my running log from early September through the end of the year (plus a little more). It has been relatively quiet (from a running standpoint) since I ran the Lakefront Marathon on October 2, but I am ramping things up for the Kenosha Marathon on May 6.

Some noteworthy items that appear on the log below:

1) I did not run while at Disneyworld from October 19-23. I got plenty of walking in, though.

2) I was sidelined by chicken pox in early November. I'm glad to be done with that.

3) The running total (far right column) shows that I am approaching 18,000 lifetime miles. If training goes well, I'll reach that milestone in a few months.

Wrapping up last year:

• I ran 1,472 miles. I have been logging miles since 2005. This past year was just barely above average (1,455 miles), ranking sixth out of twelve. For comparison purposes, the "busiest" year was 2007 (1,740 miles), and 2015 was the "laziest" at 1,221 miles.
• I ran three marathons. The first was an indoor event at the Pettit Center on 31-Jan, and the next two were visits to a course previously run. I completed my third Trailbreaker Marathon on April 2 and my second Lakefront Marathon on October 2. My best of the year was Lakefront (3:57:08), nowhere near my personal best (3:32:12, Fox Valley, 21-Sep-2014).
• I have now run 35 marathons, two 50-kilometer races, and one 50-miler in my lifetime.

This year, I plan to run my 39th race of marathon distance or greater in Kenosha on May 6, which will occur a month prior to my 39th birthday. I think completing more marathons than years I've been alive is a decent accomplishment.

Thanks to all who support me in this crazy habit, especially my wife and the rest of the family. You're all wonderful.

Fwd: Runmeter Run Oct 2, 2016, 7:31:52 AM

Forgot to post this earlier -- sorry!

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Runmeter" <noreply@abvio.co>
Date: October 2, 2016 at 11:32:06 AM CDT
To: ibenjamin@ameritech.net
Subject: Runmeter Run Oct 2, 2016, 7:31:52 AM

Under 4 yes!!!!!!!! Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon 2016

Finished Run: Oct 2, 2016, 11:31:15 AM
Route: New Route
Explorer Link: http://runmeter.com/19bfd39732fac2da/Run-20161002-0731
Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/19bfd39732fac2da/Runmeter-Run-20161002-0731.kml
Run Time: 3:59:10
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 26.63 miles
Average: 8:59 /mile
Fastest Pace: 6:55 /mile
Ascent: 252
Descent: 483
Calories: 3119

http://www.runmeter.com

Logging it: September 1-18, 2016

So far this month:
September 1: 8 miles.
September 2: 5 miles.
September 3: 7.5 miles.
September 4: 6 miles.
September 5: 5.5 miles.
September 6: 5 half-mile intervals (total five miles with warm up / walk breaks / etc)
September 7: 7 miles.
September 8: Rest.
September 9: Rest.
September 10: 8 miles at 8:20 pace -- two days rest really helps :)
September 11: Rest.
September 12: 10 miles.
September 13: 6 hill repeats (total five miles)
September 14: 6 miles.
September 15: 50-minute tempo run (total six miles)
September 16: 11 late night miles on the treadmill while watching God's Not Dead 2.
September 17: Rest.
September 18: 8 miles on a comfortably cool night.

YTD: 1146 miles.
Lifetime: 17,254 miles.

Logging it: May through August, 2016

A somewhat busy summer. Only a couple of races, though.

Lighthouse Run 2016

I was about five minutes off my PR, but I clocked a decent performance (77:02) at the 2016 Lighthouse Run. Last year (2015), I started out too fast and felt pretty lousy most of the latter half of the race. I felt much better this year, even though I was only 40 seconds faster.

Mile splits:
7:34, 7:56, 7:49, 7:45, 7:51, 8:07, 7:51, 7:30, 7:31, 7:08

Maybe I'll throw in more speedwork the next time I train for a 10-miler, and I can log a mile or two under seven minutes.

Logging It: Rest of March and April, 2016

March 23-31: 5.5 miles, 5.5 miles, 3 miles, 7 miles, Rest, 4 miles, 3 miles, Rest, 4 miles.
April 1-10: Rest, Trailbreaker Marathon (4:30:59), Rest, Rest, 4 miles, 3 miles, 6-mile tempo run, Rest, 5 miles at 8:00 pace, 7 miles.
April 11-20: Rest, 3 miles, 4 half-mile intervals at 7:30 pace, 5-mile tempo run, 3.5 easy miles, 5.5 miles at 7:45 pace, 5 miles, 4 miles, 6 miles, 7 miles.
April 21-30: 6-mile tempo run, rest, rest, 13 miles, 4 fast miles, 6 half-mile intervals at 7:30 pace, four miles, 7-mile tempo run, 5 miles, 4 miles.

As of April 20:
Year to date: 447 miles
Lifetime odometer: 16,555 miles.

Runmeter Run Apr 2, 2016, 8:02:41 AM

Finished Run: Apr 2, 2016, 12:57:41 PM
Route: New Route
Explorer Link: http://runmeter.com/19bfd39732fac2da/Run-20160402-0802
Import Link: http://share.abvio.com/19bfd39732fac2da/Runmeter-Run-20160402-0802.kml
Run Time: 4:31:18
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 26.32 miles
Average: 10:18 /mile
Fastest Pace: 7:52 /mile
Ascent: 507
Descent: 518
Calories: 3051

http://www.runmeter.com