Sunday, October 31, 2010

Track Me in Richmond

You can sign up to receive texts or emails of my splits in the Richmond Marathon on the CapTech Runner Alert for the 2010 Suntrust Richmond Marathon.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Today's Run - 10/30

Last long run of my training program today. With all my reading about the "Wall" lately, I wanted to make sure that I was well carbo loaded. I picked up some Gatorade Pro Series Prime Carbo Drink and had one on Friday and one with breakfast. I also packed a few extra GUs just in case I got hungry or needed a pickup late in run.

I decided to run the C'Ville 10 Miler Course and use the UVA Track to get my 22Miles in. I started out slow working to do negative splits. This worked out well for the first loop through the 10 Miler course, but the second loop was a bit slower. The hills on the second half of course really took their toll on me.

I worked on my GU use trying to use it every 50mins or so. I drank lots of water and a little bit of powerade.

Running the C'Ville course was a lot of fun because it takes you through campus and around town. The football fans were out tailgating by 7:30 and I saw people drinking beer by 8am. I was able to circle the Stadium 3 Times and as I finished my run I passed streams of fans heading to the stadium for kick off.

It is hard to believe that the training is over, I am 2 Weeks out from the Marathon. I feel like I am a stronger runner now than starting and look forward to the race. I hope that I am able to remain healthy as I work through my taper.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Today's Run - 10/28

I headed back outside today for a 4Mile run. It was still a bit warm for a fall day in CT but it was a nice morning for running. Not a very fast run this morning, but worked on negative splits even though it was a downhill out and uphill back.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Today's Run - 10/27

I would have normally run outside even in the rain but since I was still recovering from last week I decided to run on the treadmill in the hotel. I figured it was just 5Miles, how bad will it be? The treadmills are located in a small room next to the pool. The limited air circulation and humid air made this a very difficult run. I was completely dripping when I finished and happy to get out there. I was happy to see that my Garmin and footpod were registered close to the same distance the treadmill did.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Today's Run - 10/26

I am traveling again to CT which always makes brings an interesting twist to my training. Since I rearranged my schedule last week because I was a bit under the weather, I had 9Miles with track work today. It was dark and cool when I headed out out on my normal path when running in CT. With the help of Google Maps, I scout a high school track along my route. With a good 1.5Mile warm up I arrived at the track to do my speed workout. I did Mile pickups at 10K Pace with jogs in between. I forgot it was supposed to be 2Mile pickups, but this was still a great workout.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Are you insured incase you hit the wall?

The Boston Marathon sellout in 8hrs and the fact we are in Marathon season seems to have created a huge marathon buzz in the news. A couple articles about the science of hitting the wall with information from Benjamin Rapoport,a medical student and doctoral student at Harvard and the Massachusetts of Technology. One from NPR and one from UPI. Both talk about the need to hydrate and carbo load. that reminds me, I still need to work on my nutrition plan for my upcoming race.

On another note, my friend passed along an article that discusses the paradox of medical insurance for long distance runners and high percentage of injuries while doing something that is supposed to be healthy. You can find the NY Times article here

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Today's Run - 10/24

I continue to feel better and I feel the couple days off last week really helped to start me on the road to recovery. I decided to run 5Miles this morning to see how I felt after the mid-distance run yesterday. My right hamstring was a little tight at the start but loosened up after a mile or so. I worked on negative splits and gauging my perception of effort on the hill climbs. My new shoes felt good, I could tell the difference in the cushioning and fit. This pair of shoes should be broken in by race time.

New Kicks!



I Headed down to Ragged Mountain Running Shop to pickup a new pair of Asics GT-2150s. I have been rotating between 2 pairs of 2150s in sizes 9 Wide and 9 Regular. My left foot and right foot are about a 1/2 size different. My right foot is a little tight in the size 9, but it fits my left foot perfect. In rotating between the 9 Wide and the 9 Regular, I have grown to like the snug feel of the regular. I decided to get a 9.5 Regular to see if I can get the tight feel of the regular shoe, but a bit more length for my right foot.

I also got the Run Shoe Tracker for my iPhone to help me keep track of the number of miles I put on shoes.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Today's Run - 10/23

I am on the mend with my cold and I felt better this morning than days before. I got a pretty good night sleep and was up early to meet the running group out at one of my favorite locations, The Green Springs Historic District. A true fall morning as we headed out, dark and low 30's with still crisp air.

I had switched up my running schedule, so this morning I ran 9 miles. I worked to keep it at Marathon Pace. I felt pretty good, but could tell that I was still a little drained from my cold.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Today's Run - 10/20 & 10/21

I came down with a cold this week and decided to rest rather than do my Weds / Thursday runs. I spoke with Coach Mark L today to adjust my workout plan. We decided to move my long run from this weekend to next weekend and extend my track workout on Tuesday to 9miles with 2Mile Pace Pickups. I will do a moderate run on Saturday, maybe 10Miles.

I am traveling next week which will add another wrinkle to my schedule. I am already feeling better, but am curious as to why I seem to get sick whenever I get a break in training. I am hopeful that shortening my taper from 3 to 2 weeks will let me stay healthy.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Today's Run - 10/19

Dark and cool as I headed out this morning for my run. The track workout called for 1 mile Repeats at 10K Pace with 400Meter breaks. I think this would have been much easier on a flatter route, but I did the best I could considering. My 9mile route had tackled 3 of the biggest hills in the neighborhood. I felt pretty good during this run, but the last few miles were difficult.

A Family Tradition - Boar's Head Turkey Trot

I registered Emily and I for the Boar's Head Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I am always excited to run this race. Last year I set a 5K PR and hope to do improve on that this year. This is a pretty hilly course so it will take some effort not to go out to fast. Emily will walk / run and I will come back to find her once I finish. The question will be if the kids ride along with her.

Here is the race course:


Monday, October 18, 2010

New shoes before the race?

I have been alternating between 2 pairs of Asics 2150s since June and racked up about 300Miles on each pair. I am coming to the end with these shoes and I can feel the classic traits of needing new shoes. The shoes have lost that perfect balance of new shoe but broken in feeling, they are starting to smell from the long hot runs of the summer, and the bottoms are starting wear out in the classic overpronater spots. I expect that I can go another 150Miles on these 2 pairs, but that will put me right in the middle of Nov and the Richmond Marathon. I think I should get a 3rd pair to bring into the rotation before the race. If I am going to do that I better act on it in the next week and get the new pair broken in while I taper.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Today's Run - 10/17

The perfect fall weather continues to be great for running. I decided to do a simple out and back route to get a 4miles recovery run this morning. I was feeling rested and not to sore from the 15miles on Sat. I did have a weird twitch on my Achilles when I started walking in the morning. It continue until I started running and then it stopped... a bit unnerving but it did not hurt, let's hope for the best. Once I got going, my legs loosened up pretty well and I was able to get into a pretty good pace. The out and back was downhill for mile 2 and up hill for mile 3. Considering this, I am happy with the split times and overall pace.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Today's Run - 10/16

This weeks long run was at White Hall Vineyards. It was cold and crisp this morning when we headed out just before sunrise. It took me a bit to get going this morning and my heart rate shot up once I started running but calmed down after the first mile and half. This course seems to be flat, but in fact you are always running up or down hill. With the up hills being typically long and shallow slope. I started out slow and had negative splits for my first 7 miles. Mile 8 had a significant up hill slope and miles 9 through 12 were a slow up hill grade, but my times were still in the low to mid 9min pace. I finished up pretty well with miles 12-15 considering the up hill finish. Overall my pace was 9:09, which is just a bit slower than my marathon pace. Coach would say I went out too fast...

I was surprised that how fast the first 5 Miles went, I stopped for water and had a GU. I had another GU Chomps at mile 10.5. It was such a cool day that I did not drink to much Gatorade or water, but felt well hydrated.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Today's Run - 10/14

Dark and drizzling when I headed out this morning. I had my headlamp and a rain coat on. After the first mile I questioned by I wore the coat, but by Mile 2 it was absolutely pouring down rain and I was drenched. Once my shoes soaked through and felt like cement I figured I should have some fun. I ran through every puddle and rain runoff I came across. I felt like a kid playing in the ran. At Mile 4 there was lighting in the area so I decided to head home to be safe. I had to cut my run short and miss my hill pickups, but overall it was a good run.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Today's Run - 10/13

An easy recovery run this morning. My legs are still a little store from the long run this past weekend and Monday workout.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Hitting the Wall

I have been thinking about my long distance runs and the concept of hitting the "Wall" at the later miles. The more I learn the more it reinforces the need for good hydration and nutrition before and during the race to ensure the body has enough fuel to make the entire race.

Asics blog had a interesting post on the Wall and how to avoid it here.

An interesting article on MarathonAndBeyond.com on science behind hitting the wall, here.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Today's Run - 10/10

A good recovery run this morning that I was feeling surprisingly good after the long run.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Today's Run - 10/9

The CTC Marathon Training Team headed to Free Union for our run this morning. It was cool and very dark this morning as we headed out. The group got split up a bit because the Buck Mountain Half Marathon was also using the route for the race. I headed out a lone and ran the first 10miles by myself. I worked at starting out slow and gaining speed. The first few miles of the route are all down hill, the second half of the course is all up hill. After 10miles I linked up with another runner for the next 11miles. It was much easier running this hilly track with someone to pass the time. We worked at a pretty good pace considering the changes in elevation.

My legs felt pretty good up to the last mile or so. I was able to mentally stay with the run and my legs did not cramp. I drank lots of water last night and during my run which I think really helped. I found that I was very hungry at about mile 17 even though I ate a good breakfast and had sport beans / chomps during the run. I will need to continue to work on my nutrition to ensure that I have enough energy to complete the runs without cramping.

This was a strong run and one that I have been worried about completing.