Half marathon results and more
Well I was waiting to get the pictures of my feet before posting this, but since it looks like they aren’t coming anytime soon I have decided to post without them.
I ran the Madison Half Marathon on Sunday, May 25th. Normally this would have been no big deal. I can talk about why this was a big deal now: That night was also the surprise birthday party that I was planning for Jessica. I had been planning and scheming for over 2 months to put the party together. I set the date of the party before I knew about the half marathon. Long story short, I got my second-shift-working butt out of bed and to the starting line by 7:20, just in time for the 7:25 start. I ran and met my brother, parents, and Jessica at the finish line. I was feeling pretty good, much better than after the 5k the week before. I took off my shoes to see what I believed to be blisters…and I was shocked. I had a 1.5″x3.5″ blister on the ball of my right foot, and a 1.5″x1.5″ blister just like it on my left foot as well. These weren’t normal blisters. These were disgustingly painful looking blood blisters. My family was aghast, as was I as we piled into the car on our way to breakfast.
There was no time to change, as I wanted to get to the restaurant before the other racers. We hurried to a Madison favorite, Monty’s. I sat in the booth, elated, and seemingly oblivious to my too-short shorts. Everyone else in the diner seemed amused/confused by my clothing choice, but I didn’t care at that point. I was donning full running regalia but I was so hungry that I didn’t mind the stares.
After breakfast, we went back to the car and drove to Milwaukee. I had to make some excuses to Jessica as to why I couldn’t take an afternoon nap with her, and then I was out. I went downtown and set up the last minute details of the party. I raced home and got my clothes together before getting Jessica. We went to the party and she was shocked. As luck would have it, Juan MacLean was playing that night and the dancefloor was packed. I hobbled around until they kicked everyone out at 2am. It was a long day. (I will probably
So back to the race. The whole reason that I was running this half marathon was so that I could get the qualifying time I needed to be in the same starting corral as Jessica when we run the Chicago Marathon together. I needed a finishing time of at worst 1:45:59 to get in the “C” corral with her. For some reason, I didn’t have that number seared in my brain. I was thinking that I needed to run about 8:00 splits, but that was as much as I remembered. My first few miles I was right around the 8:00 mark. By mile 10 I was hitting a wall. I felt like I was slowing down too much. By the time I got to the last mile, I started to pick up the pace a bit, but I was thinking that I was about 2:00 off from my goal time and even if I ran my fastest race mile ever, it wasn’t going to be enough. At the last 100m I sprinted and passed a few people. I was feeling good, and I wished that I had seen the finish line sooner and sprinted from further out. It was an incredible feeling to have so many cheering people at the finish line. I looked at my official time a few minutes later. It was 1:46:14. I missed my time by 15 seconds.
I probably would have posted this sooner if I would have hit my time. I have been trying to figure out where I went wrong. There were slow people at the start crammed in front of me that ran in packs unaware that there were many faster people behind them trying to pass…I didn’t adjust to the early start time becuase of my schedule…I didn’t eat breakfast that morning…I didn’t grab the power gel packet they were handing out towards the end…my feet hurt…I only ran 6 miles in the 2 weeks prior to the race…this was my first race over 10k…the list goes on. But these aren’t viable reasons for my finish time.
Here is what happened: I didn’t run fast enough. It is easy to blame my result on other outside forces. I had more to give at the end, though, and I could have pushed harder the last mile or two. If I had kept better track of my time and I would have had a better plan I could have hit my goal. Jessica was a little annoyed that I came so close and didn’t make it. She was incredibly supportive of the whole endeavor, but she knew that I should have easily finished in under 1:45:00.
In one respect I agree that it was almost like a wasted effort going through the motions of everything without actually hitting my goal. I started thinking about it more and I see a benefit to not hitting my goal. First it was a good experience to do the run. It was the longest race I’d ever run and just being in it gave me a good knowledge of what something like this would be like so I will know what to expect next time. Second, it really made me realize that I still need to train a lot harder to hit my goal. Every time I go out for a training run I will know that I need to push a little more. The time I got is burned into my brain and I know that I need to work hard so that I don’t miss the goal again.
Filed under: race!
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I’m back…
A combination of sore knees from over-training and helping Jessica study for med school finals were my excuse for not training last week. I had a fun 5k to run Saturday night and made sure I did it. I had the goal of breaking 21:00 for the race and it seemed doable, despite taking a week off. Jessica and I got a nice plate of Fettuccine Alfredo about 3 hours before the race, to do some carbo/cream sauce loading before the race. As the starting time approached, the pasta slowly turned to a brick in my stomach and I had to focus on not puking for the first mile. I ran a 6:30 split for the first mile and kept pace with the runners around me at that point. I didn’t know the course at that point and by the time I realized where the finish was, I was in full-sprint mode. I wish I would have realized it sooner, as I would have shaved a few seconds off of my time. I finished around 21:30, which is OK, but not my goal. I am still waiting for my official results from the timing chip. Next Sunday is the half marathon. I am completely off of Hal’s schedule now, so I think I am going to do a 10 mile run and maybe a few 3 mile runs and then rest until Sunday. I need to keep my knees healthy so I can average 8:00 splits and qualify for the same starting corral as Jessica in Chicago. After Sunday, I am going to tone down my training and use the 10% rule from now on: Don’t increase any workout by more than 10% of any previous workout and don’t run more than 10% more from one week to the next. If I can discipline myself to do that, I think I should stay healthy all summer and be in good shape for Chicago in October.
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Strength and more
Today was supposed to be stretch and strength. I went to the UWM workout center with a specific plan: get strong legs.
I started with squats, making sure to get my legs below the 90 degree mark and using the best form I could. I did a fast (i.e. rest of 60 seconds between sets) 3×10 with 105lbs and my legs were exhausted. If you haven’t tried low, deep, fast squats where you explode up off your heels, I would try it. Now that I am becoming a “runner” I don’t care about putting up lots of weight. The challenge of lifting more, lighter weight has recently become appealing to me.
After squats, I switched weights and did dead lifts. Lots of people shun dead lifts, power cleans, standing presses, etc. for whatever reason. I love them. I’ve noticed that the constant pounding on the pavement is more bareable with a strong core. Situps are one small piece to creating a strong core, dead lifts are a more complete excercise. Don’t be intimidated, try them! I did 3×10 again with 135lbs and 60 seconds rest between sets.
After the lifting I stretched for a while and started preparing myself for what I was going to do next: Rowing.
I decided to row 10k. My plan was to finish in under 42:00. I haven’t rowed in 3 months and it was tough. The computer went out on the C2 at 6650m so I rowed while I waited for the reset and I punched in 2000m and continued as fast as I could.
I finished the 2000m in 8:41 which I would be to embarrassed to post normally, but after doing 6650m first, I am OK with it. My goal is to break 42:00 this summer and break 40:00 by December. I don’t have specific dates yet, and I don’t have a solid plan for success either. I will post one when I do.
If you have access to a C2 rowing machine, I encourage you to get on it! If your knees are hurting it is an especially great workout that is high intensity and low impact. Its also a great way to keep some strength in your upper body in those often neglected pull muscles!
Filed under: Flexibility, Rowing, Strength Training
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So close…and a revised goal
I don’t know what happened this morning. Maybe it was sleeping apart from Jessica while we were in the same city for the first time that I can remember, maybe it was my run from last night…I’m not sure. This morning I wanted to run hard.
I was supposed to do a 5k run today, and I ran my usual course. It starts with 2 hills and finishes on one. My goal for the summer was to break 21:00 in a race. Today I finished in 21:09. I was pushing hard again, and it was hurting…but I know I had more in me.
My new goal is to break 20:00 in a race by this fall. That is a huge mental barrier for me and I really want to accomplish it.
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My kness have started hurting. Its the front and side of my right knee and the back of my left knee. The right knee started hurting first, and I almost feel like the left knee is hurting because I am running differently to compensate for the pain of the right knee.
I have 2 questions:
1) Are there any specific excercises I can do to strengthen my knees so I don’t have to worry about injury or permanent damage?
2) How can I work on rehabbing while still training? I am going to go to the gym and get on the rowing machine to cross train and ride my bike as well, just to mix it up a bit. Any other tips?
Filed under: Run, mental training
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Track workout #2
I just finished a 9×400 track workout…and I still don’t know if I am doing it right. I shoot for a 5k pace (maybe a little faster) for the 400m run and then I walk 100m to rest and hit the 400m hard again. This time I started out with a 1:42 lap and my right knee started hurting. It was the same pain I had all day today from running 6.7 miles with Jessica last night.
I decided to pick up the pace and I told myself that after 3 laps if I could break the 1:30 mark I would be done for the night. Well I finished the next lap in 1:29.73. It felt good. I kept going. I finished all 9 laps and started finishing faster. My best lap time was 1:21. My last lap was 1:24. Nothing after the first 1:29 was slower than my last lap. It hurt. I was almost crying. Then a cocky euphoria came over me. I am still trying to understand the range of emotions that I keep feeling when I run. Maybe I’ll explain more about it all another time, when I figure it all out for myself.
One note, the softball game on the field next to the track I was running on ended before I was done. As I was walking to my car, the lights in the stadium shut off. It was a great feeling to know that I finished just in time.
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running and resolution
I have been slacking. I think most people would say that I am working hard and shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Most people don’t accomplish things because they don’t push themselves. Those miles aren’t going to run themselves.
Tonight I went running. By 10:30 Jessica were out the door. Mike was exhausted from his basketball league since his team had no subs and declined the run. Its OK, he got engaged instead. (Congrats, Mike and Megan!) Jessica is in the middle of a stressful time in med school and the running is a good way to get her mind where it needs to be. She wanted to do at least 6, so that was the goal. From her house to my house is just under a mile, so doing my normal 5k course gives us about 5 miles. We took some detours from the regular route and each made a pit stop along the way. It was a great run, and it was a perfect way to spend time together. I am looking forward to running together this summer in preparation for the Marathon. The workouts I am doing now are really for the half on May 25th, so Jessica is only coming on some of the runs with me for now.
Today is/was supposed to be a track workout: I am either going to do a 5k pace 9×400 or a 10k pace 4×1600. I aim to have the energy left in me to do a nice late night run at 10:30. I can jog to the track from my house and then do the 9×400 and jog home and that should be a decent workout.
Now all I need to do is get my bike(s) ready to ride. I don’t remember why I am not riding every day at this point. When I lived in Taos, NM I biked 358 days that year…
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I don’t know if this has ever happened to any of you, but Jessica got into an argument while running. It was the last 5 blocks of the run and by the last 2 blocks I had had enough. She wasn’t letting me talk and I sprinted off to her house. I was pretty angry at this point, and felt that running hard was better than yelling loudly, especially at her. When we finally met up in her house, she was pretty furious. She saw my running away as “running away from my problems” and took it as a passive-aggressive slap in the face. In my opinion, I was just trying to blow off some steam in the last 2 blocks by running as fast as I could. I wanted to talk to her as soon as she got to her house, but she took a detour and came back a different way.
So here is my question for those of you who run with a significant other: What is the best way to deal with conflict while running? How terrible of me was it to start sprinting at the end, no matter my reasoning?
(We did talk and make up that night.)
Filed under: Run
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I ran 22 miles this weekend!
That is a terrible lie.
I started the weekend with getting up at 5am after getting to bed after 1am. I wish I could have said that I was out at some killer party…instead I was with Jessica and she was studying for exams. I drove to Devil’s Lake where I was greeted by drizzle and cold winds. The 3 students that showed up were treated to me giving a makeshift demonstration on climbing anchor construction under a shelter using a picnic table to tie gear to. After an hour of them listening and shivering, we called off class as there was no hope of getting on the rocks that day. We decided to meet at 1pm with the hopes that the weather would improve during the next 4 hours.
During that time, the other guide, Danny, and I went to the West Bluffs so I could show him some places for him to bring students in the future. After that fast hike, we shot down to the South bluffs to find some bouldering. We hiked through wet forest and up and down hills. We made it back to the car and drove to meet the class where the students made the decision to call off class until the next day.
Danny and I jumped in the car for some more exploration. We decided to go see the best climbing in Wisconsin…and its off limits. There has been work to reopen the area, but Columbia County is being stubborn. There is too much info to get into here. Lets just say that if you want to climb here, make sure you are also a great sprinter in case the Rangers come.
We hiked all over the area and Danny knocked off a few boulder problems and found some more lines that caught his eye for future covert climbing…then we checked out the “secret” cliff diving area and proceeded to find some dinner.
Dinner was as high-calorie as I could find: Cheese stuffed crust pepperoni pizza. We met up with another group at the local watering hole and downed a few drinks. Then it was off to bed by 10pm.
Sunday came fast and I met my class at 8am. We divvied the gear and quickly ascended to the base of the routes. We were placing gear and setting routes. Danny came up with his group only to tell me that a client had a sprained ankle. An hour later, he came up to tell me that she was safe in her car as he had CARRIED HER TO THE PARKING LOT ON HIS BACK. Also he is a buck fifty soaking wet. Nice work, Danny!
We set more routes and climbed some too. It was nothing too crazy. I gather the gear at the end of the day, strapped 3 ropes to my pack that was already full of two full racks and raced down to my car.
The day ended uneventfully and I drove home. I was exhausted. I didn’t run. I don’t know what to blame it on. I didn’t push myself to run in the rain, so that was most of it. I was pretty tired already from hiking, so that was another reason. I NEED to get on this!
I am running 6 miles tonight at about 11pm. I will keep you posted.
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Rest, reflection and more
I decided to ramp up my training from the Hal Higdon “Intermediate” schedule to the “Advanced.” This means more distance, more speed workouts and the introduction of the 3/1 workout. Today was a rest day, so I rested. Well physically I rested, but I had lots on my mind. Keeping myself sane and keeping things with Jessica going smoothly can start to tax my psyche pretty quickly. She’s busy with school and also training for the Chicago Marathon herself as well as getting into rock climbing. We don’t see each other nearly enough as I work 2nd shift and she studies during a mix of 1st, 2nd and 3rd shifts. It not easy but all this temporary strife will pay off in the end.
While chatting with a friend in Chicago, he expressed interest in running the Milwaukee Brewer’s Sausage Race 5k. We talked about running the Chicago Marathon and after going over the benefits of a summer of running he decided to do it. I sent him some training schedules: first one for the 5k and the next for the Marathon. Oh yeah…he’s not a runner–yet.I am really excited that he is motivated to take on such a big commitment.
Tomorrow I am teaching a rock climbing class at Devil’s Lake. I will be ferrying loads of gear up steep trails so that people can learn to set up top-ropes. After class, I hope to do some climbing of my own and go for a run. I am supposed to rest on Saturday, and run a 15k race on Sunday, but I will split the difference and carry heavy climbing gear both days, climb a bit then take a nice evening run through the hills of Devil’s Lake State Park. My goal is 9 miles and the terrain is very hilly. I don’t have my ipod with me. We’ll see what happens.
Filed under: rest
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Running with friends is better
Today was a 3 mile run+strength day. After being asked a few times, my friend Mike finally agreed to run with me. We took off on my (what is now) standard 5k run. It starts flat then goes up 2 big hills. I am pretty sure Mike wasn’t expecting the hills, but he pushed hard, especially considering that he hasn’t been running every day. Instead he has been busy finishing his 3rd year of med school. We continued through the parkway at a comfortable talking pace. He mostly listened to me complain about the usual things. Running with someone has a good way of making you a good listener.
Just before we got to the turnaround, Mike decided that he would take a different way home and stop by the library (he consumers more media than anyone I know). We parted ways and I picked up the pace the best I could. My 5k goal for this summer is to break 21:00 and I was really moving to get that time.
The run finishes on a 200m long hill that climbs about 40 feet. Usually I can get on my toes and rock out a good sprint. Today was no different: I finished in 24:37. Not my best time, but definitely one of my most enjoyable runs. I finished with a half block of lunges. I did a full block last time and hurt the next 2 days. Jessica asked me after, “That’s not really necessary, is it?” She was right. I will stick with the half block lunges for a while then switch to full blocks of I need to.
I hope that I can regain my full enthusiasm and energy and they become contagious and Mike keeps running. I’d love to see him at some 5ks this summer
Filed under: Run
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Getting back on track
Tuesday I was supposed to run 5 miles. I slacked and didn’t run on Monday, so I really wanted to run. I didn’t run Tuesday morning. Things were not looking good for me.
Then I got a message from Jessica. “Run tonight?” she asked. It was still in the 30’s outside so we elected to run on the treadmill at the gym in the basement the med school she goes to. I started running just after 11:30. Jessica was talking to some friends there, and I admit that I was a but unsocial because I didn’t do much talking to them, but I came with the mindset that I was going to suffer tonight and if I started talking that I would lose the intensity and drive I would need to sustain a workout at the level I needed.
First as a disclamer/general bit of information: I hate running on treadmills. The machine that I ran on didn’t give me the option for split times, just speed. I have no idea what speed I run in miles per hour so I guessed at started running at some speed that gave me 7:50 mile splits. I soon pushed to 7:30 splits and kept it there. By mile 3 I worked up to 7 minute miles.
I was pushing as hard as I could while slowly upping my speed. By mile 4.5 I was running 6 minute splits, just trying to get the run over with. My goal was to finish at 35:00 or less for the run. Unfortunately, the treadmill had a top speed of 10mph/6:00 miles. I pushed, wanting to go faster but I had to settle for the machine’s physical limitation.
I ended up finishing with a time of 35:22. I am happy with the time but know that I could have done better. I would like to run 5 miles in sub 34:00, but that won’t be for a while. Now I am focusing on getting back on track with my training and looking ahead to the half marathon in Madison.
Today’s workout was supposed to be a 9×400 track workout. Instead I bottled a batch of beer I made with a friend. Not too intense of a workout. I did get in about 20 minutes of cardio before work, but I have no idea how I would classify the excercise.
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