Watt's Running

Running log week of 2010-01-31

2010-02-02T07:50:00.002-06:00

01/31 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes (core and rollers, no tightness, sloth run after yesterday's hard run)
02/01 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes (core and rollers, no tightness, ok run)
02/02 - Tuesday - Class - 7.2 miles - 80 minutes (core and rollers in morning, thermolyte before class)
02/03 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 3 miles - 30 minutes (core and rollers in morning)
02/04 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes (no core and no rollers in morning; jury duty)
02/05 - Friday - off
02/06 - Saturday - tbd
Weekly mileage: tbd miles
Shoe mileage: tbd+165.0 miles

Last Long Run Before the Marathon

2010-01-30T19:05:00.006-06:00

Today was the last long run before the marathon on February 14, 2010. We were to run the final 20 miles of the marathon. We've already run this path a few times. The pacers were to run with us too. I arrived before 6 AM (an especially early start) and we were to run between 3.0-3.5 hours but no more. I met my 4:00 pacer. Several of my running class buddies were also there with the pacer including Alvin, Angie, Chase, and Diego. We were to warm-up from Rogue to the Mopac bridge (the Rock) before starting MPG. We started and it seemed that our pacer was running faster than 9:10 during the warm-up. I cranked up my iPod and had it talking in my ears throughout. At the Rock Angie showed me her Garmin saying that the pace had been 8:36 - what! So our pacer was not doing his job at least during the warm-up - ugh. So we started out down Lake Austin Blvd and I stayed with the pacer and group. Things were OK, and I think we were running on pace, but without any mile markers or my own Garmin I couldn't be sure. Right on to Entfield where the rolling hills begin, and then left on Exposition. At the first water stop the pacer stopped too long IMHO so I did my typical thing and took off early. It was the last time I saw the pacer for the rest of the run. I knew the route and when we got to Great Northern I stopped for water and two cookies at the ball park. I took my time there, and Angie and Chase arrived just as I was leaving. Oh, Oh. They are typically faster than me. Later some of the runners got confused on how to get to Red River and I accidentally followed them on 47th, but quickly got to 48th and Red River. However when returning back to Duval on 41st street I saw that some runners had taken a shortcut and skipped Red River altogether by heading directly down Duval. Somehow I caught up to Angie and Diego on Duval at the water stop (weren't they behind me?!) and I assumed they had taken the shortcut. Instead of stopping I ran past them and kept going through campus. Am I competitive or what? I was getting pretty fatigued around the capitol but kept hoofing it down Congress to 8th. I thought about calling it quits at the "finish" then but I kept going all the way back to Rogue. I thought it would best simulate the real marathon. When I got back to Rogue my watch read 3:21. Phillip was there smiling like a Cheshire-cat. Angie and Diego arrived a few minutes later. At home I plotted my path and got 22.5 miles. Given that information I calculated my pace was 8:53 minutes/mile and this included a long stop at the Rock, and on Great Northern. Am I happy with the result? Well yes. Since I still have about 4 more miles to complete to get to 26.2 do I have it in me? I think so. Do I trust the pacer? Hmmm, that's to be seen.

3M Half Marathon

2010-01-24T21:04:00.008-06:00

I got up early to avoid the traffic, and arrived at 5:40 AM. I sat in the car with the heat on until 6:15 and then did a 1.5 mile warm-up. It was windy out. While waiting for the start I kept worrying that I had on too much clothing, but the temperature and wind felt especially chilly to me. When it was all over the two layers, gloves and cap were fine. I listened to my iPod the entire time to help distract me. The organizers had to delay the 6:45 start for 30-45 minutes, because some barriers blew over along the course. We finally started and I tried, really tried, to maintain MGP for the first 8 miles. After that we were allowed to speed up if we wanted to - if we had it in us. The miles were: 8:24, 9:24 (slowed down too much, so sped up again), 8:35*, 8:35*, 8:03 (downhill), 9:14 (water), 8:26, 8:34*, 8:35*, 8:23, 7:48, 7:48, 7:31, 0:46 [* forgot to press timer, so halved split]. I know, I know, I went out too fast and just couldn't slow down - sheesh. Near the end, when going down Duval I cranked it up. The wind was at my back too. I was happy that I had the energy at the end and did not break my form. Also no cramps or pains. At the end I was trying to break 1:50, but completed in 1:50:11. What's strange is that I should be ecstatic with my time and my energy level, but I'm slightly bummed because I didn't break 1:50 and I wasn't even racing especially early on when I was trying to run at MGP. Final pace was 8:25 minute/mile. Overall it was a good race.
Update: Oh two more things, I ended 8th in my age 60-64 group, and today my name was in the paper because I was a top 10 finisher for my age group. Very nice!

Running log week of 2010-01-24

2010-01-24T12:40:00.005-06:00

01/24 - Sunday - 3M Half Marathon - 13.1 miles - 1:50:11
01/25 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes (no core and no rollers, no tightness, good run)
01/26 - Tuesday - Class Amacattack - 10 miles - 120 minutes (core and rollers in morning, thermolyte before class)
01/27 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes (core and rollers, no tightness, easy and good run)
01/28 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes (core and rollers, no tightness, good run)
01/29 - Friday - off (no core and no rollers)
01/30 - Saturday - End of Marathon Course 1/ Pacers - 22.5 miles - 3:21:11 (no core and no rollers, good run, but I didn't have much left at the end)
Weekly mileage: 66.6 miles
Shoe mileage: 165.0 miles

Running log week of 2010-01-17

2010-01-19T07:14:00.009-06:00

01/17 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes (core and roller, no right leg tightness, light tightness back of left knee)
01/18 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes (core and roller, no right leg tightness, light tightness back of left knee)
01/19 - Tuesday - Class (Ruth's ladder) - 6.5 miles - 90 minutes (core and roller, medium to severe tightness left leg hamstring)
01/20 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes (core and roller, no tightness)
01/21 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 120 minutes (no core and no roller, no tightness, burning sensation at back of right ankle, took aleve, iced it, still burning afterwards, glad I'm off tomorrow)
01/22 - Friday - off (core and roller, right ankle burning has lessened)
01/23 - Saturday - Long Run (Town Lake from Rogue to MoPac and back, no Longhorn Dam, had two salt tabs before & breakfast, no tightness or burning - yeah!, tried hard to slow down, ran faster than MGP, ugh, pace 8:53 overall with stops) - 9 miles - 1:20
Weekly mileage: 44.5 miles
Shoe mileage: 98.4 miles

4x2000m Class Workout

2010-01-13T21:02:00.004-06:00

Ran 2000m or 5 laps of the track at 15K pace [8:30/M or 2:07 per lap] with a 1 lap recovery times 4 for the advanced runners - that's me. Here's what happened. The first set: 2:02, 2:07, 2:06, 2:09, 2:10 for 10:34. The second set: 2:10, 2:05, 2:07, 2:05, short?. The third set: 2:05, 2:08, 2:07, 2:07, short?. The fourth set: 2:06, 2:05, 2:08, 2:05, 2:06 for 10:30. I am amazed that I wasn't able to count right for the middle two sets. I was brain dead for no good reason, and I was keeping track on my fingers, but not very well indeed. Regardless of this flub I felt good for the laps that I did run and the pace that I was able to maintain.

Running log week of 2010-01-10

2010-01-11T19:08:00.010-06:00

01/10 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes (core and roller, no tightness)
01/11 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes (core and roller, no tightness)
01/12 - Tuesday - Class (1 mile warm-up, 4 x 2000m @ 15K w/ 400m recovery, 1 mile cool-down) - 8.4 miles - 85 minutes (core and roller, light to medium tightness)
01/13 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes (core and roller, no tightness)
01/14 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes (core and roller, no tightness, but light muscle pull on back of left knee up to hamstring - argh! I'm glad I have tomorrow off.)
01/15 - Friday - off (core and roller)
01/16 - Saturday - South Austin Ramble - 16.5 miles - 154 minutes (no core or roller, immediately felt muscle on back of left thigh, but no tightness - maybe because I was worrying about this newly developed ache, however, I ran with it trying to keep it loose, overall pace 9:20/mile - dunno if I did MGP for the last three miles but I tried throughout to be consistent.)
Weekly mileage: 53.9 miles
Shoe mileage: 53.9 miles

New Shoes

2010-01-11T06:40:00.000-06:00

A week or so ago there was a shoe sale at Rogue and I bought a new pair of running shoes. I started using them this week on Monday 01/11 for my 4-mile run. I had started using the previous pair the week of 11/15. Since then I've kept a shoe mileage record on my weekly log and I accumulated 410.0 miles on that pair.

Running log week of 2010-01-03

2010-01-03T21:21:00.013-06:00

01/03 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 90 minutes (core and roller, unknown tightness)
01/04 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes (core and roller, no tightness)
01/05 - Tuesday - Class - 8 miles - 80 minutes (no core or roller, light tightness)
01/06 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes (no core or roller, no tightness)
01/07 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes (core and roller, light tightness, breathing deeply at start, very cold and windy, fighting wind on outbound - ugh!, running w/ wind on inbound - nice!)
01/08 - Friday - off
01/09 - Saturday - Long Run (2x8@MGP) - 18.76 miles - 2:53 (no core or roller, light tightness, breathing deeply at start, screwed up and cut off about 1.24 miles on return leg - ugh, [mgp outbound miles: 1 missed, 2 17:54, 3 9:00, 4 8:31, 5 8:34, 6 8:49, 7 9:03, 8 8:37; mgp inbound miles: 1 8:34, 2 8:44, 3 skipped ugh!, 4 short! 5:21, 5 9:10, 6 8:43, 7 8:51, 8 8:25] overall total pace 9:13 min/mile)
Weekly mileage: 57 miles
Shoe mileage: 410.0 miles

Last 19ish Miles of Marathon

2010-01-02T19:22:00.002-06:00

It was colder this morning than expected at 28 degrees F so I put on long-johns and tights at home. The group took off at about 6:30 AM. During the first 2-3 miles my ankle was tight again. Ugh! People would pass me especially some of my running classmates. I just couldn't run any faster. I was struggling. This tightness really messes with my mind. I was thinking about quiting the class and skipping the marathon, but I kept going. At the first water stop I was just beginning to feel a bit better. My ankle was loosening up. I didn't stop, because I wanted to pass my running mates. However, shortly they came blasting by me and still I couldn't keep up with them and they went ahead. However, I kept them in sight this time. Finally around Northcross Mall one stopped for a bio-break, and I passed the other two. I kept going now with my ankle not bothering me. Taking the turn to head south I stopped for water at Arroyo Seco, and the two of them caught up to me, but I started out early and it was the last time I saw them. I won't say it was an easy run, but I just kept digging deeper and getting it done. I ran and ran and ran. Down Duval, through Campus, up MLK, around the Capital, and down Congress. I thought about walking after where the marathon finish line would be, but I kept going. I kept running. I completed 19.6736 miles (based on Gmaps Pedometer) in 3:10.13 or 9:08/mile. What especially surprised me was my final pace is the speed I need to run the entire marathon in 6 weeks. Now if I can only figure out this tightness.

3x2000m Class Workout

2009-12-30T08:27:00.001-06:00

It was lightly raining, cold, and silent. No one else was at the high school - none of my classmates. I arrived a bit late about 6:30 PM. Beforehand I had plotted out a 2 mile warmup loop and headed out on it. I ran slowly to get my ankle loosened up. It was moderately tight as I finished the loop, in other words, I knew it was there when arrived back at the school's track. On the track I was to do 3 x 2000m or three times 5 loops of the track at 15K pace which for me is 8:30/mile or 2:07/loop. After each I was to run a 1 loop recovery making it a total of 6 loops of the track. I ran with a small flashlight so I could see my watch, and listened to podcasts on my iPod to make the time pass more quickly. The first set: 2:07, 2:08, 2:07, 2:08, 2:08 for 10:38 which is right on the mark. The second set: 2:09, 2:02, 2:01, 2:04, 2:04 for 10:20 which is a bit fast, but when I saw the initial 2:09 I sped up worried that I was slowing down. Then I had trouble reading the watch with rain on the bezel. The third set: 2:06, 2:03, 2:04, 2:03, 2:03 for 10:19 which was again a bit faster, because my ankle felt normal and I was wanted to get the class work done and over with. After the track I again ran the same 2 mile cool down. Overall I was happy to have gotten the work done on a wet, cold, dark and ugly night.

Running log week of 2009-12-27

2009-12-28T11:21:00.037-06:00

12/27 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes

Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
Run: right ankle slightly tight
Breakfast: 1c Raisin Bran, 1c Fat Free Milk
Lunch: Whole Food Chicken Teriyaki bowl (3/4c Chicken, 1c Rice), 2c Fresh Fruit
Snack: 1 box Jr Mints, 2 Ales
Dinner: 6oz Pork, 1c Mashed Potatoes, 3oz Cake w/ Frosting

12/28 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes

Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
Run: right ankle tight, grrrr
Breakfast: 1c Post Great Grains, 1c Fat Free Milk, 6 pecans
Lunch: 1 Orange, 3 Clementines, 1 Pear, 1 Apple, 1/2 oz Cheddar Cheese
Dinner: 6oz Homemade Lasagna, 1/2 glass wine, 2 slices Bread, 3oz Cake w/ Frosting

12/29 - Tuesday - Class - 8.5 miles - 85 minutes

Breakfast: 1c Raisin Bran, 1c Whole Milk, 6 pecans
Lunch: Turkey Sandwich, 3oz Chips, Hot Chocolate w/ Cream, 8 small Christmas Cookies
Afternoon: Core & Roller lower legs
Run: right ankle slightly tight, completed all required class work 3x2000m
Dinner: 4oz Homemade Lasagna, 2c Homemade Lemonade, 1 clove of Califlower, Handful of Sugar Snap Peas, 12 small Christmas Cookies

12/30 - Wednesday - 6 miles - 60 minutes

Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
Run: right ankle ok, not tight
Breakfast: 1c Raisin Bran, 1c Whole Milk, 6 pecans
Lunch: 2 Clementines, 2 Oranges
Dinner: 2 Shiner Bock beers, 1/2 rack baby back ribs - yummy, 1c beans, 1c potato salad, 1/2 piece of pecan pie

12/31 - Thursday - 11 miles - 110 minutes

Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
Run: right ankle ok, not tight, 1 Clif Shot Mocha w/ Caffeine
Breakfast: 1c Raisin Bran, 1 1/2c Whole Milk, 12 pecans
Lunch: Steak Fajita Burrito, Corn Chips
Dinner: Steak and Cheese Fondue w/ Bread and Vegtables

01/01 - Friday - off

Breakfast: 12 Christmas Cookies, 1 Pancake w/ Syrup
Lunch at Bastrop Roadhouse: 1 Grilled Chicken Salad, 1 Snickers Milkshake, 2 Cokes
Dinner: 2 pieces of Cheesecake, 1c Milk

01/02 - Saturday - Last 19ish Miles of Marathon - 19.7 miles - 3:10

Breakfast: 1c Raisin Bran, 1c FF Milk, 6 pecans
Run: right ankle tight, 1 Clif Shot Chocolate, 1 Clif Shot Mocha w/ Caffeine
Lunch: 1qt Choco Milk for Recovery, 2c Orange Juice, 2 12oz Cokes
Dinner: 1/2 Steak Burrito, 2 Port BBQ Ribs, 2c Port Fried Rice, 6oz Cake w/ Frosting, 2c FF Milk

Weekly mileage: 57.2 miles
Shoe mileage: 353.0 miles

First 20 Miles of Marathon

2009-12-27T18:21:00.019-06:00

I ran the first 20 of the marathon course. A few weeks back I accidentally ran the last 20 miles instead of the first, so this time I decided to do what I was supposed to do. Overall it wasn't fun. I ran, I slogged, I walked, I fussed, but I got it done. Right away my ankle got tight up the South Congress hill. So that wasn't the best way for me to start. I carried water and my hands ached from the cold. I did make it to Ben White and headed back down South First. I took the Carbo-pro along the way, but I didn't feel it. Then along the trail and down Lake Austin went by pretty quickly listening to my iPod, but I was just running slowly. I did the Entfield and Exposition hills with a few walk breaks. Although I had debated earlier that I might cut the route short, I decided to head up Bull Creek to Hancock and do the full 20 mile route. On Bull Creek I had a Choco Clif Shot. I switched the route when I came down Shoal Creek to head over 38th to Duval to follow the official finish route. Then it was back to Rogue. It took me 3:37 which is over 10 minutes a mile - not very satisfying. When I got done my lower stomach was aching. And I stretched it out leaning backwards on my car. On the way home my legs were throbbing, so I stopped for a chocolate milk which helped. After I got home I reviewed by route and found I actually did 21.3 miles at 10:18/mile. So although afterwards I'm walking around, that is, I'm not crippled, I'm deeply worried in my ability to complete the marathon in 4 hours. I think my body, my mind, the weather, the sun, the moon, the stars will all have to align perfectly for me to do it. Here's hoping!

Running log week of 2009-12-20

2009-12-23T18:26:00.032-06:00

12/20 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes
12/21 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes
12/22 - Tuesday - Tempo Run - 7 miles - 70 minutes
- Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
- Run at class: right ankle tight, left ankle less tight
- Breakfast: 1c Special K Cinn Pecan, 1c Fat Free Milk, 2c Orange Juice
- Snack: 2 20oz water
- Lunch: 4oz Steak, 1oz Veggie Chips, 1 Apple, 1 Banana, 1 Orange, 1c Grapes, 1 clove Califlower, 1 handful Sugar Snap Peas, 2 4" stick Celery, 4 Grape Tomatoes, 1/2oz Cheddar Cheese
- Dinner: 6 oz Chicken Teriyaki, 2c Rice, 2oz Cake w/ Frosting
12/23 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes
- Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
- Run: Felt good, no tightness!
- Breakfast: 1c Special K Cinn Pecan, 1c Fat Free Milk, 3c Orange Juice
- Snack: 2 20oz Coke Zero
- Lunch: 3oz Steak, 1oz Veggie Chips, 1 Apple, 1 Banana, 1 Orange, 1c Grapes, 1 clove Califlower, 1 handful Sugar Snap Peas, 2 4" stick Celery, 2 Grape Tomatoes, 1/2oz Cheddar Cheese
- Dinner: 3 oz Chicken Teriyaki, 1c Rice, 4oz Cake w/ Frosting
12/24 - Thursday - Neightborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes
- Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
- Run: Felt good, sailing along, no tightness! midway: 2 scoops Carbo-Pro w/ water
- Breakfast: 1c Raisin Barn w/ 6 Pecan halves, 1c Fat Free Milk, 2c Orange Juice
- Snack: 2 20oz Coke Zero
- Lunch: 1oz Steak, 1 Apple, 4 Clementines, 1/2c Grapes, 1 clove Califlower, 1 handful Sugar Snap Peas, 1/2oz Cheddar Cheese
- Dinner: 6oz Chicken, 2c Stuffing, 1/2 Twice Baked Potato, 4oz Cake w/ Frosting, 2 Shiner Beers, 6 Christmas Cookies, 6 Pecan halves
12/25 - Friday - off
- Morning: No Core or Roller
- Run: off
- Breakfast: 1c Special K Cinn Pecan, 1c Fat Free Milk, 4 oz Sausage-egg casserole
- Lunch: Too much munching to even record
- Dinner: 3 Homemade Crap cakes, 2c Cold Slaw, 1 Shiner Beer, 2 2oz Scottish Shortbread, 1 Pecan Crescent
12/26 - Saturday - First 20 Miles of Marathon - 21.3 miles - 3:37
- Morning: Core & Roller lower legs
- Breakfast: 1c Special K Cinn Pecan, 1c Fat Free Milk
- Run: Tight, slow, sluggish, walked as needed. 2 scoops Carbo-Pro, 1 Clif Shot Choco, Choco Milk on way home
- Lunch: 3 Clementines, Mighty Fine Chopped Chili Dog, French Fries, and 16 oz Lemonade
- Dinner: 4oz Chicken, 40 Saltine Crackers, 2c FF Milk, 3oz Cake w/ Frosting

Weekly mileage: 57.3 miles
Shoe mileage: 295.8 miles

Working on Tightness

2009-12-23T17:27:00.003-06:00

Talked with Coach tonight about the recent bout of ankle muscle tightness focused primarily on my right ankle. This started on November 14, 2009 in the post "Hurtin' and Mt Bonnell long run" and continue on and off up to now. That's too long. He has three suggestions: Nutrition, Stretching, Warm-up. For nutrition he wants me to keep records of what I eat and make an appointment with Meredith Terranova. For Stretching I'm to continue to use my TriggerPoint Therapy roller. For Warm-up I need to figure out how to warm-up without exhausting myself especially before the marathon.

Big Fire 16 miles w/ 8 at MPG

2009-12-19T11:37:00.009-06:00

Argh! Ugh! $#*@^&%$! That's how I felt about today's run. I'm depressed. Here's how it started. I got up at 5 AM without a problem. I even used my rollers on my lower legs. At Rogue I met a few groupmates before the run. We chatted about our individual MPG (marathon goal pace) and they were about the same as mine. I felt good that I would have a few people to run with. That's good. We were in the back of the room, and by the time we exited and started up the hill we were at the back of the pack. Soon my groupmates were sailing along. And me. What about me? Well my right ankle was getting tighter and tighter. I was falling back. Then I had to walk. I lost sight of them. I tried to run again, but again had to walk. Both ankles were cramping. Everybody passed me. This crappy warm-up was the most depressing run I've had in ages. Why is this happening to me? Why can't I be like the others who just bound along happy in their ability to move. Four miles of warm-up hell took 50 minutes, which should have been easy. I arrived exhausted at the water-stop and MPG start-point. Geezer and Ed B were there and I told them I was cramping. I need help understanding what's causing this condition. HELP! HELP! HELP! I rested a minute. Nevertheless I headed out on my MPG run. Since I really wasn't warmed-up I had to push myself to get started. It wasn't an easy pace which it should have been. Luckily the miles went by, and my ankle had finally loosened up. Four miles up, and four miles back: 9:00, 9:10, 8:49, 8:48, 8:49, 9:03, 9:03, and 8:44. Unfortunately I was faster than my 9:10 MGP, and I while I was doing it I was worried that I couldn't keep up this pace for 26.2. The way back took me 42 minutes which was better. So although I did what was requested I was shaken by the awful warm-up. Is this what's going to happen to me on Marathon day going up South Congress. I'm terribly worried.

Running log week of 2009-12-13

2009-12-13T15:09:00.005-06:00

12/13 - Sunday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes
12/14 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes
12/15 - Tuesday - Tempo Run - 10 miles - 100 minutes
12/16 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes
12/17 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes
12/18 - Friday - off
12/19 - Saturday - Big Fire (8@MGP) - 16.6 miles - 163 minutes
Weekly mileage: 55.6 miles
Shoe mileage: 238.5 miles

Hills 2 Heaven

2009-12-13T12:10:00.005-06:00

The long run yesterday was tough. I woke up 30 minutes late having thought I set my alarm clock, but hadn't. I rushed and I got there on time though because it was nearby at NorthCross Mall - whew. I did remember to bring my iPod, but forgot to synch before I left so I didn't have much to listen to - ugh. My right ankle was OK throughout which was good. I've run this route in the past with Celeste D, and I remember that Glenn K charged up the first few hills only to get burned out later. So I took it slow and easy. Although I forgot to start my watch I felt later this was a good thing. I really didn't want to run against the clock or know how slow I was. Also I was to do 22 miles, the longest distance, where most were doing 18 or 20. It included the monster hill Ladera Norte. I met Diego just before it and we ran down Far West together chatting, but soon I was walking and he and Philip were way ahead of me. I never saw them again. As I slogged through it I tried to keep my spirits up. Last week's Decker race was tough, but it was an overall positive experience knowing how comfortably I ran the first 10 miles. Yeah, I know, the last few miles were awful, but I put those behind me blaming them on the weather and the lack of water and fuel. However, this week all the miles were awful, and I just kept pushing to get them done. I'd get lost at various points, but just took each as a short break to orient myself. I feel I took a lot of breaks. My highpoint was coming down Greystone after most of the big hills and as my iPod played a buoyant up-tempo song which sent chills down my spine I passed some of my running groupmates happy to know that I get to do this - I get to run. Soon however I was back in the death-march. At the end a group of three women were running near me and one broke off from the rest and moved ahead. I tried to keep up, but she had more legs than I did. Yet as soon as she got 50 feet ahead she would pull over and stop and wait for her friends. I would pass her, but soon she would blow by me again. Somewhat frustrating, but I keep running, and I got back to the mall before her last burst. Afterwards I was so very glad it was over. Now when I think back on this run I wonder why it was helpful to me and my preparation for the marathon. It sure burned me up, stressed every muscle in me, and made me feel really down.

Running log week of 2009-12-06

2009-12-11T22:28:00.004-06:00

12/06 - Sunday - Decker - 13.1 + 4 mile warmup - 1:50:59
12/07 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes
12/08 - Tuesday - Hill Repeats - 10.5 miles - 90 minutes
12/09 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes
12/10 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes
12/11 - Friday - off
12/12 - Saturday - Hills 2 Heaven - 22 miles - 240 minutes
Weekly mileage: 70.6 miles
Shoe mileage: 182.9 miles

Decker Half Marathon

2009-12-06T20:23:00.011-06:00

Woke at 5 AM. Cold and misting. Did my 40 minute warm-up by myself at 7 AM. Race started at 8 AM. Planned to run 8:42/mile. This is what McMillan said I needed to do to complete a marathon in 4 hours. I felt comfortable, that is, I ran easy. Ankle muscle didn't tighten up. Whew! What a relief. Early on accidentally lost my Carbo-pro. It fell out. Mile after mile at about 8:30/mile pace. Breathing well, not gasping. Only had Mocha Cliff Shot at mile 6. Up and down the hills. Started breathing hard up the last hills. However the last two miles became a death march. Did not feel good. Shaded the overall experience. Ended in 1:50:59 with a 8:28/mile pace, which beat my plan of 1:53:58. Neat. Confidence building with regards to my marathon goal, but nagging worry why I had such a hard time during the last two miles especially the crappy run inside the expo grounds. Why do I alway hate that expo grounds section. Afterwards I stripped off my wet clothes and changed into dry ones. The wet ones must have weighed pounds. Maybe that helped make it so tough. Or did I go out too fast? Or was it the lack of fuel? Or maybe I just don't have it in me? Argh!
Update: After the race I looked for my Carbo-pro bottle. I walked the entire outer boundary of the expo center looking. It was still cold and miserable. I was shivering. All I had on was shorts, a shirt, and a fleece. The two mile loop took me a hour to gimp along looking it. I got back to my car and left the center driving slowly while looking at the side of the road. About a mile up the road I found the bottom and top about a foot apart.


01 8:01.17
02 8:36.44
03 8:24.87
04 8:27.88
05 9:31.63 (why is this so long?!)
06 8:22.37
07 8:35.00
08 8:08.00
09 8:17.21
10 8:39.18
11 8:51.61
12 8:28.00
13 7:57.12 (this seems too short)
13.1 1:44.60

Time trial

2009-12-03T08:13:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday it was dark, cold and pouring rain, but we still had to run our time trial. I arrived and stood listening to the coach in the storm, but finally I took off to warm-up before he was done. I was shivering, wet, and uncomfortable. I hope I didn't miss much. After 2 miles I arrived at the track and started the time trial. Eight laps around the track. Last week due to circumstances beyond my control and Thanksgiving I didn't run much. Now this week with the time trial I needed to push it. I did my best and finished in 14:59:25 which is 7:30/mile. I wish I could have run faster. Working with the McMillan online calculator it says I should be able to complete the marathon in 3:57 or 9:04/mile. This is a positive sign. The day after the time trial I did my morning exercises (I've started doing some core strength training and some trigger point massages each morning). I noticed that I was quite sore especially in my hamstrings. I think that having to do a time trial without any track speed work was a mistake - our bodies aren't ready for this intensity. Then to position it after a holiday was another mistake. Rogue what were you thinking? Right now I'm taking Aleve to help with the soreness, and I'm worried about running Decker this weekend. Why you ask? Well because Decker is my nemesis. It seems to happen just when I'm hurt.

Running log week of 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T17:24:00.006-06:00

11/29 - Sunday - Lady Bird Lake (w/ Ed B & Kevin K) - 10 miles - 1:54
11/30 - Monday - Neighborhood - 4 miles - 40 minutes
12/01 - Tuesday - 2 mile time trial w/ warm-up & cool-down- 6 miles - 60 minutes
12/02 - Wednesday - Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes
12/03 - Thursday - Neighborhood - 11 miles - 110 minutes
12/04 - Friday - off
12/05 - Saturday - Neighborhood - 8 miles - 80 minutes
Weekly mileage: 45 miles
Shoe mileage: 112.3 miles

Hard time

2009-11-29T17:23:00.002-06:00

I buried my father this week. I traveled to Buffalo, New York with my entire family for the funeral. He had lived a very long and productive life. Nevertheless it was a tough thing to do. It was also very tough to do any running. I tried, but just didn't have it in me. I walked a bit, I ran a bit, I thought a lot, and I remembered a lot. I returned yesterday, and ran Lady Bird Lake trail slowly this morning. Weather was good. The ankle was again tight for the first 3-4 miles - had to run and walk several times. Then it loosened up at Longhorn Dam and then I met Ed B and Kevin K at mile 5 at IH35. We ran and chatted to the end at mile marker 0, which helped make the time fly by. Thanks guys you helped me more than you know.

Running log week of 2009-11-22

2009-11-29T17:22:00.003-06:00

11/22 - Sunday - Traveling to Buffalo - off
11/23 - Monday - Buffalo Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes
11/24 - Tuesday - Buffalo Walk - 2 miles - 30 minutes
11/25 - Wednesday - Buffalo Walk - 2 miles - 30 minutes
11/26 - Thursday - Buffalo Neighborhood - 6 miles - 60 minutes
11/27 - Friday - Buffalo Walk - 2 miles - 30 minutes
11/28 - Saturday - Traveling from Buffalo - off
Weekly mileage: 12 miles
Shoe mileage: 67.3 miles

Austin Marathon 20-miler

2009-11-21T14:27:00.004-06:00

Well for some unknown reason I was totally messed up this morning. I woke at the right time, but for some strange reason I got stuck in my head that the run began at 7 AM and I had plenty of time. What I forgot about was that the run really started at 6:30 AM and I only realized it as I pulled into the parking lot at about 6:40 AM. Sheesh. Well just then as I was getting out of my car a large gaggle of runners passed the parking lot so I quickly start running with them (never having gone to the start to get the route map). However at Congress they turn left whereas I had planned to continue straight until Rio Grande and then head north. In addition I was having tight ankle problems so alone I continued on northward. However as time went on I finally realized that those runners were indeed my group and they were running the first 20 miles of the marathon whereas the night before I checked the maps and was running the last 20 miles of the marathon. Double Sheesh. At that time I realized that I was going to be all alone and with no water stops. It really ticks me off that this running group doesn't publish their plans ahead of time with clear maps weeks before the actual runs. We pay big bucks to take this class and I'm very disappointed in their lack of planning WRT maps. As the miles clicked by I got to the campus and like a brainless drone I forgot to turn at Dean Keeton and dropped about a mile off my route. Triple Sheesh. Oh, and I also forgot to start my timer until I got to Rio Grande and started heading north so my final time was way off. However when I finished I was so brain-dead to have forgotten that and felt that I had done a good time. Quadruple Sheesh. Afterwards I mapped what I actually ran and it totaled 19.1 miles. Was it a good run? Well other than the tight ankle that finally loosened up at about mile 5-7 my answer is yes it was (except for Rogue's and my sheeshes - is that a word?).