So far, I have not been at my best while running in the morning. I think I am still partly asleep. Yesterday morning, I got up for a run a little over 4 miles. The run went find, but when I finished, I wasn't very happy about my 8:15/mi pace. As I thought about it at work, I decided that I would run the same lap again in the evening to see if I could do it faster. My second try was a lot faster. I ran the same loop with a 7:20/mi pace.
This may change my current routine. I currently mix up my routes throughout the week, but I may start running the same route three times to see which day I can run it the fastest.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
End of Season
I think I am going to consider my 2009 running season wrapped up. I was hoping to run the Veterans Day 8k cross country race but it looks like it is canceled. 2009 was a pretty good year for me though. I set PRs in the half marathon and 10k. Both PRs were set in Fargo with starting temps below 35 degrees. I had a lot of fun in both races. Hopefully in 2010 I run well in other towns as well as I ran in Fargo. I think I can set a few more PRs next year if I keep training hard. I also want to lose about 10-15 pounds, which may make it easier to run fast.
2010 is going to bring a lot of changes. I am expecting my first child on January 17th, so I know that he/she will change the amount of time I can spend training. My wife likes working out in the evening so I will be busy being dad during that time. I am starting to train in the mornings so that I get into the habit so that I can continue to keep in racing condition. I am going to try to get about 4 runs in each week around 4 to 6 miles through the end of the year. Once January rolls around, I will start planning my racing season. I have a few races in mind that I would like to complete. Most of these races I haven't run before.
I am also putting together a City League basketball team. Last year, I would play pickup basketball and did pretty well because I was in better shape than everyone due to my running. I hope I can get a lot of fast break points in on those who didn't keep up with their conditioning.
2010 is going to bring a lot of changes. I am expecting my first child on January 17th, so I know that he/she will change the amount of time I can spend training. My wife likes working out in the evening so I will be busy being dad during that time. I am starting to train in the mornings so that I get into the habit so that I can continue to keep in racing condition. I am going to try to get about 4 runs in each week around 4 to 6 miles through the end of the year. Once January rolls around, I will start planning my racing season. I have a few races in mind that I would like to complete. Most of these races I haven't run before.
I am also putting together a City League basketball team. Last year, I would play pickup basketball and did pretty well because I was in better shape than everyone due to my running. I hope I can get a lot of fast break points in on those who didn't keep up with their conditioning.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Type of Runner I am
Based on the prior post, I am a salination machine. I used to be an NBA Pro also, but have learned better.
Funny Article Found on Active.com
The 10 Types of Runners
By Roman Mica
Recently I ran Florida's Oldest Marathon—The Space Coast Marathon.
Actually I ran the half marathon and in proper collegiate fashion my training consisted of only cramming for the race. I basically ran about six to eight miles everyday for a week before the race. I bet you didn't know that you can cram for a half marathon? Well you can't. The results were predictable and I finished in 2:04 (plus some change) which happens to be about 15 minutes over my PR half marathon time at altitude. And last time I checked, Florida's Space Coast (Think Cocoa Beach from the old TV show I Dream of Jeanne) is only about a half a foot above sea level.
So by cramming I somehow manged to turn my Boulder altitude advantage to a PW (Personal Worst). Needless to say I had plenty of time while running to contemplate the lovely Florida Space Coast, the trees, the homes, the weather, the road, the Banana River running next to the race course, and of course my fellow runners. So without further explanation here are the 10 types of runners.
Which one are you, and which one am I?
1) The Frightened Dog Swatter
For some unknown reason the frightened dog swatter usually happens to be a woman who runs as if she were under deadly attack by a hell bent pack of tiny snarling Paris Hilton purse dogs. She flails here legs up and out in a matter and technique designed to swat the little bastard before they can nip and/or sink their tiny teeth into her manicured toenails.
She thrust her heels up, out and around with such vicious ferocity that running anywhere within a five foot diameter of her can be deadly to small dogs, squirrels, alligators, vermin, small livestock and of course other petite runners.
I believe I've read that the Kenyans and Ethiopians teach their top international runners strategical avoidance classes specifically designed to avoid the frightened dog swatter.
2) The Human Cybertron
I can only assume that the Human Cybertron was once a living and breathing person (either male or female) that at some point in their life due to a horrible tragedy well beyond my comprehension must have had their crucial organs replaced by beeping, buzzing, tweaking, ring tone playing and occasionally clanging cybertronics.
To say this runner is a wired machine would do injustice to the amount of wires sporting forth from the typical networked PC.
Typically the Human Cybertron runs with every possible electronic aid known to man sprouting from every orifice in their sweaty body. I'm amazed that they can even ponder so much data, with so much entertainment plugged into their ears on such a short run. I mean how much distance, speed, altitude, pace, heart rate, calorie, trajectory, target zone, sweat rate, and MP3 data can a person process in a few short hours?
Obviously much more than the Kenyan runner who won the half marathon in 1:05 can process since he did it without any electronic aid outside of a stop watch.
3) The Loud Runner
Every-so-often I would jump out of my skin during the race and duck behind the nearest tree or bush in a futile attempt to avoid the elephant stampede I was sure was just a few feet behind me. The Loud Runner is normally a man somewhere between middle age and golden age who's decided that his run will shake the very ground he runs upon.
This man must be a titan of industry because his only goal on the run is to subjugate the very road to his enormous will, and he will do so by pounding it into submission with every step he takes.
In order to do this he must spring straight into the air like a started cat and pounce on the earth with every ounce of his weight leaving nothing behind but enormous running shoe prints in the crushed and subjected pavement.
4) The Desalination Machine
I am most amazed by the Desalination Machine who usually tends to be a woman somewhere between middle age and golden age who has in her lifetime somehow developed the "believe it or not" ability to not sweat. In fact not only does she not sweat, but she's so put together with full make-up and hair that often after the race she'll jump into a cocktail dress and waiting limo to attend this or that red carpet event.
To her 13.1 miles or even 26.2 miles of running in the 100 percent humidity of a typical Florida day is nothing to get sweaty about. She can carry on a conversation about her favorite charity or NGO while most of us would be hitting the wall and still have that mysterious clean summer lilac breeze scent waft from every pore of her skin.
5) The Salination Machine
Unlike the desalination machine, this slightly portly gentleman started sweating at the pre-race pasta dinner. By the time the race cannon sounds he's already lost 5 pounds of water weight and created enough salt for the Osmond family Thanksgiving dinner.
Runners beware! If he decides to shake it up a little, you'll know what's it is like to be next to a very salty, very big, and very wet shaggy dog.
The oddest thing about the desalination machine is that you'll rarely, if ever, see him drink anything during the race.
At aide stations he shuns both water and sports drinks like an alcoholic after a long, painful, and intense 10 step meeting. Yet somehow he manages to sweat like Britney Spears at a Baptist breakfast prayer meeting after an all night pantyless party...even well after he crosses the finish line.
6) The High Five Twister
For some unknown reason to me, the High Five Twister is usually a cute and youngish female runner who looks like she wants to high five every other runner that passes her. Typically her elbows are at about (let's call it ear level) and she twists her body 180 degrees with every step she takes.
Honestly, it hurts just to watch the High Five Twister run. But not her. Even though she contorts her spine into the begins of a DNA double helix strand, you'd never know it by the huge smile on her face.
So yes, while her twisting body rotation and her high elbows create little micro tornadoes along the course, her winning smile and happy attitude says, "I'd win this race if it were only measured by the distance traveled from side to side, instead of straight ahead."
7) The Stink Bomber
Sometimes the pre-race morning meal does not agree with the body in motion. I'm sure in the heat of battle we've all squeezed out a little "poot". But not the Stink Bomber. This guy started farting at the age of one has has since gone to graduate school in the fine art of flatulence.
He's a running toxic obstacle to be avoided at all cost. But the problem is that on the typical crowded marathon course you don't know who he is until it is way too late. By the time you are even aware of the danger, you have been skunked and often you can't even tell who "did it."
Even when you can tell who "did it", you are too focused on trying to just cross the finish line.
Beware: The Stink Bomber is well aware of this fact and he'll use it to spread even more stink bombs along the entire course.
8) The NBA Pro
Every-so-often a runner is born, and at a tragic and early age his brain gets frazzled, usually by a direct hit to head from a misguided basketball, into making him believe that he is in fact not a runner, but an NBA Pro.
Fortunately, these guys, and sometimes even gals, are easy to spot by their uniforms. They tend to favor wearing the full NBA gear over their running gear. Because of this early and tragic childhood accident, they always wear the long basketball shorts over their running shorts.
This is indeed very sad to observe as the basketball shorts hang way down. They hang so far down that they cover their knees, making running a marathon an especially daunting and painful endeavor.
However, on several occasions, like this recent race which was an out and back run along the same road, I have seen a miraculous confluence of events that can only bring pure joy to one's heart.
You see on that rare occasion that the NBA pro passes the High Five Twister, both are in their most natural of elements as one high fives the other in a spectacular show of lucky coincidence.
9) Doctor 90210
Doctor 90210 is almost always a women of that certain age (read well above 30) who has the slender hips of a 15-year-old (I suspect from all of that running) but the enhanced big boobs of a Hollywood Starlet wanna-be.
She is usually observed wearing only a sports bra/top with not much else hiding her helium filled boobs. I can only guess that she asked her plastic surgeon to fill them to the brim with 400 cc of helium as her boobs defy gravity, the up and down motion of running, and even time itself.
When one observes closely it can almost be imaged that her buoyant bosoms, and not her, are running the race. They, and not (let's say) her legs, are the pride and joy of her well worked over body and she wants the entire world to know.
After all, she paid almost $10,100 to run this race ($100 for the race entry fee and $5000 per boob).
10) The Gazelle and the Sloth
These two animals are almost never seen together in the wild, but you'll see them at every marathon, in every city of the world. Somehow they strangely compliment each other. They are the yin and yang of the running world.
The Gazelle boldly bounds straight up into the air with every springy step. Image Micheal Jordon on cocaine, steroids and with a bee in his shorts.
The Sloth shuffles along lifting his or her feet about an ant's toenail length above the ground.
BTW: Do ants even have toenails?
Anyway, the Sloth manages to use just enough energy to slide his or her leg forward to make forward progress.
And here's where the most incredible miracle of all marathons takes place. Some call it divine intervention and see God's wry sense of humor, while others point to the shadow of Darwin and millennium of evolution at play.
But this does not take away in the slightest from the Miracle of the
Marathon: as both the Gazelle and the Sloth cross the finish line in the exact same time.
--------
Roman Mica is a amateur Clydesdale triathlete who lives and races in Boulder, Colorado and has his own website; www.EverymanTri.com. He is also one of the founding members of www.raceAthlete.com. He has a book published, entitled My Training Begins Tomorrow: The Everyman's Guide to IRONFIT Swimming, Cycling & Running.
By Roman Mica
Recently I ran Florida's Oldest Marathon—The Space Coast Marathon.
Actually I ran the half marathon and in proper collegiate fashion my training consisted of only cramming for the race. I basically ran about six to eight miles everyday for a week before the race. I bet you didn't know that you can cram for a half marathon? Well you can't. The results were predictable and I finished in 2:04 (plus some change) which happens to be about 15 minutes over my PR half marathon time at altitude. And last time I checked, Florida's Space Coast (Think Cocoa Beach from the old TV show I Dream of Jeanne) is only about a half a foot above sea level.
So by cramming I somehow manged to turn my Boulder altitude advantage to a PW (Personal Worst). Needless to say I had plenty of time while running to contemplate the lovely Florida Space Coast, the trees, the homes, the weather, the road, the Banana River running next to the race course, and of course my fellow runners. So without further explanation here are the 10 types of runners.
Which one are you, and which one am I?
1) The Frightened Dog Swatter
For some unknown reason the frightened dog swatter usually happens to be a woman who runs as if she were under deadly attack by a hell bent pack of tiny snarling Paris Hilton purse dogs. She flails here legs up and out in a matter and technique designed to swat the little bastard before they can nip and/or sink their tiny teeth into her manicured toenails.
She thrust her heels up, out and around with such vicious ferocity that running anywhere within a five foot diameter of her can be deadly to small dogs, squirrels, alligators, vermin, small livestock and of course other petite runners.
I believe I've read that the Kenyans and Ethiopians teach their top international runners strategical avoidance classes specifically designed to avoid the frightened dog swatter.
2) The Human Cybertron
I can only assume that the Human Cybertron was once a living and breathing person (either male or female) that at some point in their life due to a horrible tragedy well beyond my comprehension must have had their crucial organs replaced by beeping, buzzing, tweaking, ring tone playing and occasionally clanging cybertronics.
To say this runner is a wired machine would do injustice to the amount of wires sporting forth from the typical networked PC.
Typically the Human Cybertron runs with every possible electronic aid known to man sprouting from every orifice in their sweaty body. I'm amazed that they can even ponder so much data, with so much entertainment plugged into their ears on such a short run. I mean how much distance, speed, altitude, pace, heart rate, calorie, trajectory, target zone, sweat rate, and MP3 data can a person process in a few short hours?
Obviously much more than the Kenyan runner who won the half marathon in 1:05 can process since he did it without any electronic aid outside of a stop watch.
3) The Loud Runner
Every-so-often I would jump out of my skin during the race and duck behind the nearest tree or bush in a futile attempt to avoid the elephant stampede I was sure was just a few feet behind me. The Loud Runner is normally a man somewhere between middle age and golden age who's decided that his run will shake the very ground he runs upon.
This man must be a titan of industry because his only goal on the run is to subjugate the very road to his enormous will, and he will do so by pounding it into submission with every step he takes.
In order to do this he must spring straight into the air like a started cat and pounce on the earth with every ounce of his weight leaving nothing behind but enormous running shoe prints in the crushed and subjected pavement.
4) The Desalination Machine
I am most amazed by the Desalination Machine who usually tends to be a woman somewhere between middle age and golden age who has in her lifetime somehow developed the "believe it or not" ability to not sweat. In fact not only does she not sweat, but she's so put together with full make-up and hair that often after the race she'll jump into a cocktail dress and waiting limo to attend this or that red carpet event.
To her 13.1 miles or even 26.2 miles of running in the 100 percent humidity of a typical Florida day is nothing to get sweaty about. She can carry on a conversation about her favorite charity or NGO while most of us would be hitting the wall and still have that mysterious clean summer lilac breeze scent waft from every pore of her skin.
5) The Salination Machine
Unlike the desalination machine, this slightly portly gentleman started sweating at the pre-race pasta dinner. By the time the race cannon sounds he's already lost 5 pounds of water weight and created enough salt for the Osmond family Thanksgiving dinner.
Runners beware! If he decides to shake it up a little, you'll know what's it is like to be next to a very salty, very big, and very wet shaggy dog.
The oddest thing about the desalination machine is that you'll rarely, if ever, see him drink anything during the race.
At aide stations he shuns both water and sports drinks like an alcoholic after a long, painful, and intense 10 step meeting. Yet somehow he manages to sweat like Britney Spears at a Baptist breakfast prayer meeting after an all night pantyless party...even well after he crosses the finish line.
6) The High Five Twister
For some unknown reason to me, the High Five Twister is usually a cute and youngish female runner who looks like she wants to high five every other runner that passes her. Typically her elbows are at about (let's call it ear level) and she twists her body 180 degrees with every step she takes.
Honestly, it hurts just to watch the High Five Twister run. But not her. Even though she contorts her spine into the begins of a DNA double helix strand, you'd never know it by the huge smile on her face.
So yes, while her twisting body rotation and her high elbows create little micro tornadoes along the course, her winning smile and happy attitude says, "I'd win this race if it were only measured by the distance traveled from side to side, instead of straight ahead."
7) The Stink Bomber
Sometimes the pre-race morning meal does not agree with the body in motion. I'm sure in the heat of battle we've all squeezed out a little "poot". But not the Stink Bomber. This guy started farting at the age of one has has since gone to graduate school in the fine art of flatulence.
He's a running toxic obstacle to be avoided at all cost. But the problem is that on the typical crowded marathon course you don't know who he is until it is way too late. By the time you are even aware of the danger, you have been skunked and often you can't even tell who "did it."
Even when you can tell who "did it", you are too focused on trying to just cross the finish line.
Beware: The Stink Bomber is well aware of this fact and he'll use it to spread even more stink bombs along the entire course.
8) The NBA Pro
Every-so-often a runner is born, and at a tragic and early age his brain gets frazzled, usually by a direct hit to head from a misguided basketball, into making him believe that he is in fact not a runner, but an NBA Pro.
Fortunately, these guys, and sometimes even gals, are easy to spot by their uniforms. They tend to favor wearing the full NBA gear over their running gear. Because of this early and tragic childhood accident, they always wear the long basketball shorts over their running shorts.
This is indeed very sad to observe as the basketball shorts hang way down. They hang so far down that they cover their knees, making running a marathon an especially daunting and painful endeavor.
However, on several occasions, like this recent race which was an out and back run along the same road, I have seen a miraculous confluence of events that can only bring pure joy to one's heart.
You see on that rare occasion that the NBA pro passes the High Five Twister, both are in their most natural of elements as one high fives the other in a spectacular show of lucky coincidence.
9) Doctor 90210
Doctor 90210 is almost always a women of that certain age (read well above 30) who has the slender hips of a 15-year-old (I suspect from all of that running) but the enhanced big boobs of a Hollywood Starlet wanna-be.
She is usually observed wearing only a sports bra/top with not much else hiding her helium filled boobs. I can only guess that she asked her plastic surgeon to fill them to the brim with 400 cc of helium as her boobs defy gravity, the up and down motion of running, and even time itself.
When one observes closely it can almost be imaged that her buoyant bosoms, and not her, are running the race. They, and not (let's say) her legs, are the pride and joy of her well worked over body and she wants the entire world to know.
After all, she paid almost $10,100 to run this race ($100 for the race entry fee and $5000 per boob).
10) The Gazelle and the Sloth
These two animals are almost never seen together in the wild, but you'll see them at every marathon, in every city of the world. Somehow they strangely compliment each other. They are the yin and yang of the running world.
The Gazelle boldly bounds straight up into the air with every springy step. Image Micheal Jordon on cocaine, steroids and with a bee in his shorts.
The Sloth shuffles along lifting his or her feet about an ant's toenail length above the ground.
BTW: Do ants even have toenails?
Anyway, the Sloth manages to use just enough energy to slide his or her leg forward to make forward progress.
And here's where the most incredible miracle of all marathons takes place. Some call it divine intervention and see God's wry sense of humor, while others point to the shadow of Darwin and millennium of evolution at play.
But this does not take away in the slightest from the Miracle of the
Marathon: as both the Gazelle and the Sloth cross the finish line in the exact same time.
--------
Roman Mica is a amateur Clydesdale triathlete who lives and races in Boulder, Colorado and has his own website; www.EverymanTri.com. He is also one of the founding members of www.raceAthlete.com. He has a book published, entitled My Training Begins Tomorrow: The Everyman's Guide to IRONFIT Swimming, Cycling & Running.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Race Recap: FM Valley 10k - 10/10/09
I was waiting to write this until race pictures were finally posted. On Thursday, I got an email saying that the race pictures were ready. Here is the picture they gave of me:
I am not any of the girls in the picture above, so I was a little disappointed. I searched through the unidentified pictures and found a few photos of the race I liked.
Race Report:
I got to the race about 7:00 (scheduled race start was 8:10). The first thing I did when I got to the Civic Center was go to the bathroom. As I walked in, there was not one person using the urinals. However, every single stall was taken. I thought that was kind of funny as I stood there waiting for a stall to open up.
I then did a little light stretching, then went outside to run a quarter mile warm up. I had my warm-up on and it didn't seem too bad. There were a lot of people in the Civic Center that were dressed way too warm. After the warm-up, I went back into the Civic Center to do a little more stretching. In the Civic, there were a couple of starting speeches by both Fargo and Moorhead Mayors. Then they sent us out to the starting line at 8:15.
I took my place on the starting line about in the 3rd row back. I was wearing shorts, a technical tank top, and a technical long sleeve shirt, however there were several people around me with jackets and pants that were complaining about the cold weather. I didn't think it was too bad out and realized I have a huge mental advantage because a lot of people had a negative mindset.
The Fargo Mayor was going to be the starter for our race. He had a megaphone and was less than 5 yards away from me, however I couldn't hear a word he was saying. (Which was probably good because I wasn't very impressed by his speech inside.) All of a sudden his megaphone starts making a siren noise. We look around at each other wondering what the hell is going on, then realized that means GO, so we all take off.
Mile One: I wanted to run about a 7:00 1st mile. It is always tricky finding the right place to line up at the beginning of the race. I found a pretty good spot at this race, although I could have been closer to the starting line. From the start, I weaved around a few people and quickly found my pace. About a half mile into the race, I passed 3 women. From this point on, I could tell there were about 5 to 8 people in front of me, but did not want to make a move too early in the race so just relaxed and kept them in my view. I crossed the 1 mile mark at about 6:30. This pace was a little faster than I wanted to be so slowed up a bit to have some energy at the end.
Mile Two: I kept the runners in front of my in my sight but my pace slowed a little. The closest person behind me was about 15 yards behind me. My split for mile two was about 6:50.
Mile Three: No change in position, lead runners extend lead on me a little, but I can still have a view on three people. Mile 3 split was about 7:00.
Mile Four: Again no change in position. Person behind me is still 15 yards away. Mile split was 7:00 again.
Mile Five: I lost a little steam this mile. I started to loose ground to the people in front of me. I can also hear the person behind be gaining ground. Mile split was around 7:20.
Final 1.2 Miles As the person behind me is starting to make her move right after the 5 mile marker, I know I have to respond. She gets what sound like about 5 yards behind me, but I quickly respond. The rest of the race, I really focused on lengthening my stride. This helps me move quite a bit faster. I really had a good final mile. After I start striding out, I really leave the lady behind me. With about a quarter mile left in the race, I turn around quickly and don't even see her. I made up some distance on the people in front of me, but don't really come close to catching them. I ran the final 1.2 miles in 8:10 (average pace of 6.48/mi)
My final time ended up being 42:59. I placed 7th overall and 2/20 in my 25-29 age group. In the Men's Division i was 6/101. I was very happy with my race and new PR.
Later that day, my wife and I attended the 2009 Special Olympics State Banquet where I was awarded 2009 Area Volunteer of the Year for our state. I consider running and Special Olympics two of my passions in my life. It was nice to be given an award in both areas on the same day. I don't think I could have had a better day.
I am not any of the girls in the picture above, so I was a little disappointed. I searched through the unidentified pictures and found a few photos of the race I liked.
Race Report:
I got to the race about 7:00 (scheduled race start was 8:10). The first thing I did when I got to the Civic Center was go to the bathroom. As I walked in, there was not one person using the urinals. However, every single stall was taken. I thought that was kind of funny as I stood there waiting for a stall to open up.
I then did a little light stretching, then went outside to run a quarter mile warm up. I had my warm-up on and it didn't seem too bad. There were a lot of people in the Civic Center that were dressed way too warm. After the warm-up, I went back into the Civic Center to do a little more stretching. In the Civic, there were a couple of starting speeches by both Fargo and Moorhead Mayors. Then they sent us out to the starting line at 8:15.
I took my place on the starting line about in the 3rd row back. I was wearing shorts, a technical tank top, and a technical long sleeve shirt, however there were several people around me with jackets and pants that were complaining about the cold weather. I didn't think it was too bad out and realized I have a huge mental advantage because a lot of people had a negative mindset.
The Fargo Mayor was going to be the starter for our race. He had a megaphone and was less than 5 yards away from me, however I couldn't hear a word he was saying. (Which was probably good because I wasn't very impressed by his speech inside.) All of a sudden his megaphone starts making a siren noise. We look around at each other wondering what the hell is going on, then realized that means GO, so we all take off.
Mile One: I wanted to run about a 7:00 1st mile. It is always tricky finding the right place to line up at the beginning of the race. I found a pretty good spot at this race, although I could have been closer to the starting line. From the start, I weaved around a few people and quickly found my pace. About a half mile into the race, I passed 3 women. From this point on, I could tell there were about 5 to 8 people in front of me, but did not want to make a move too early in the race so just relaxed and kept them in my view. I crossed the 1 mile mark at about 6:30. This pace was a little faster than I wanted to be so slowed up a bit to have some energy at the end.
Mile Two: I kept the runners in front of my in my sight but my pace slowed a little. The closest person behind me was about 15 yards behind me. My split for mile two was about 6:50.
Mile Three: No change in position, lead runners extend lead on me a little, but I can still have a view on three people. Mile 3 split was about 7:00.
Mile Four: Again no change in position. Person behind me is still 15 yards away. Mile split was 7:00 again.
Mile Five: I lost a little steam this mile. I started to loose ground to the people in front of me. I can also hear the person behind be gaining ground. Mile split was around 7:20.
Final 1.2 Miles As the person behind me is starting to make her move right after the 5 mile marker, I know I have to respond. She gets what sound like about 5 yards behind me, but I quickly respond. The rest of the race, I really focused on lengthening my stride. This helps me move quite a bit faster. I really had a good final mile. After I start striding out, I really leave the lady behind me. With about a quarter mile left in the race, I turn around quickly and don't even see her. I made up some distance on the people in front of me, but don't really come close to catching them. I ran the final 1.2 miles in 8:10 (average pace of 6.48/mi)
My final time ended up being 42:59. I placed 7th overall and 2/20 in my 25-29 age group. In the Men's Division i was 6/101. I was very happy with my race and new PR.
Later that day, my wife and I attended the 2009 Special Olympics State Banquet where I was awarded 2009 Area Volunteer of the Year for our state. I consider running and Special Olympics two of my passions in my life. It was nice to be given an award in both areas on the same day. I don't think I could have had a better day.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Taper Week
I am getting pretty excited to run this weekend 10k race. Races are usually so fun. This past weekend a few runners in my club did the Twin Cities Marathon and TC 10 Mile. At TNRG, we were discussing that both did well and I started thinking, "Man, I wished I would have raced last weekend." My patience will pay off this weekend though. I went for a 4.30 mile run on Monday and a 4.85 mile run on Tuesday. Both went well. On Monday, my pace was 7:22/mi. On TNRG, it was a little slower. I started out with running with Craig, Barb, Josh, and David. Barb broke up the group with about a mile left, which caused me to go into race mode and finish really fast. The first 3.5 miles were at a leisure pace though. My focus for the 10k is to not go out too fast. I am going to try to get one more run short run in either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Week of Running
I got a few runs in this week. On Tuesday night I got out with running club. Brian was there and gave me a lot of encouragement on my upcoming 10k. I ran most of the 6.25 run with Chris. We averaged about 7:38 per mile during the run. We had good conversation throughout the run. I got out for a 3.25 mile run on Wednesday. I ran it in 23:46. On Saturday morning I went running with Chris again. We went almost 9 miles. It was good to slow down a bit and run a long route. Next Saturday, I will shorten it and speed it up.
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