Steve's Ramblings

Well, the race went fairly well. My 5K split time was 31:57, which should equate to a total of 1:03:54 (10:17 pace). I slowed a bit during the second 5K and ended at 1:05:37. That was still a 10:33 mile pace, not far behind my normal pace of 10:30. I was out of energy during the 5th mile, and the 6th was no picnic, either. So, I’ve decided to capture some lessons learned and things to try next time.

Lessons learned:
1. Eat more — I had a bowl of cereal at 6:30, and our wave started at 9:05. By 9:30, I had no energy in reserve.
2. Start slower — I should have paced myself in the first mile or two slower. I was feeling good, so let my legs get ahead of my head.
3. 6.2 miles is a long time to not have someone to help you keep an even pace or to keep your straight.

Things to try:
1. Eat a bagel with peanut butter — carbs and protein, a great combination. Maybe a whole wheat bagel to make it a bit healthier.
2. Watch the watch — keep at the correct pace starting at mile 2. Expect that the first mile will be slower than the expected / average pace, and that you will make it up slowly as the race progresses.
3. Find someone to run with. 6.2 miles is a long time to be running without a partner to slow you down, speed you up, keep you going.

Next, the Ashland Railroad Run 10K in just two weeks.

Saturday March 31st, 2007

Today is the Monument Avenue 10K. All the prep work is behind me, only the race ahead. Of course, this is not a big deal to anyone but me. The fact that I have 60 minutes of work over the next couple of hours is nothing I haven’t done already. My clothes are laid out, my number pinned to my shirt, and the schedule set. I have friends that are also running that will be here at 7:30, swapping their daughter and I. Their daughter will be walking with my wife and kids, along with others from our group. The best part for me is that I do not need to drive, park, etc.

It is supposed to be 50 degrees at 9am, but is only a few degrees cooler than that now. The only question now is how to stay warm prior to my 9:05 start. Once running, my body will be plenty warm enough. I will likely wear a jacket out today, but leave it in the car when we park.

So, more after the race.

Today was a bit warmer for our final Saturday team run. It was close to 60 this morning early, and has hovered at that until after our run. A bit of sun but mostly overcast. Still, it was a bit warmer than I’d like but close to what is expected for the 10K next week.

We had the same ‘ol 4 mile course to run today, and I was determined to make it faster than I had previously. I set the pace timer / alarm on my watch to 10:45 for each mile. I was much slower that that on my first mile, but apparently picked the pace back up. The mile markers weren’t in place today, but I thought I was ahead after 3 miles. For some reason, the final hill was a killer today. I was struggling with the hill, but finally conquered it. I must have been pushing during the second and third miles, slow during the first and last miles. Final time was 41:46 – about 1:14 better than the 10:45 pace I had marked. Today’s pace computes to a 1:04:41 pace. With no hills, it should be faster.

One exciting note is that the team coaches selected one person who showed more guts and effort than everyone else. That was Pat – my (new) next door neighbor. She always has a smile on her face even though this is very hard for her — and has two young children at home that keep her up nights and prevents her from working out as much as she would like. I didn’t see anyone else more deserving over the past 10 weeks!

Well, here it is on my first week of tapering… That’s what the head coach for the program calls it (and it’s probably some real technical running thing). We ran the long 6 miles on Saturday, and then only put in 11 total miles this week. We ran 3 on Monday, and was one of the first Mondays that I was able to join the team running. My friend Jeff ran with me, and the two of us led the pack. I did make one wrong turn on this new course, so actually turned it into a 3 1/4 mile trip. No biggie, other than the fact that the wrong turn put that extra 1/4 mile into a long hill. We finished strong, making it back up “the hill that never ends.” It’s a hill that is much more pleasant to run down than up. It’s not really steep, but long and constant. The first time I ran it, I walked most of the entire hill. The last few times, I ran it all — but it still isn’t pleasant!

Today, Wednesday, has a 4 mile distance listed. Since it is now daylight until after we run, we ran the same ‘ol 4 mile course we have run a number of times. We know the course, know the hills, and know where the miles tick off. The first mile is tough, but very doable. The second mile has three killer hills – only one long one. The third mile is everyone’s favorite since we get a slow downhill run and get to recoup our energy for the final mile. The last hill has been walked by many people, but not today. We all ran strong enough to get up the hill and onto the flat end of course run. It would have been very easy to walk today, but we kept chugging up the hill.

The time today was our best 4-mile course yet. 42:40. That is 10:40 miles with hills. We started slow (good strategy), ran miles 2 – 4 strong, and ended sprinting to the finish. That’s a 1:06 10K if we had the same hills. I am expecting to drop minutes off my time and fully expect a new personal best. Whatever I run, I am in better aerobic shape than I have been since I was in my early 20s – 1/2 my life ago… not bad for an old man. We have decided that we will continue to run Monday and Wednesday evenings, and on Saturday mornings for as often as we can. We think we will try to make at least 2x per week each, so will always have someone to run with. It’s a fun group that will keep me growing in my ability to run into the summer.

Saturday brings our last pre-10K 4 miler. I should better today’s time since it’s early. Finally, 3 miles on Monday and 2 miles on Wednesday. Then the 10K.

Monday was a quick 3 1/2 miles on the treadmill. Not bad — boring but not bad. My legs were still a bit sore from the long weekend run so I didn’t want to push it too much. Wednesday was 5 1/2 miler… run with the group, outside. All I can say is that it was long and hot – over 80 degrees. There was no water stop, and there were periods of walking. A few of the group took shortcuts or walked more than I, but some ran the entire way. I just couldn’t do it. I have definitely decided that I like morning runs much more than late afternoon / evening runs, especially after a hectic day.

Today was an ominous 6 miles. I don’t think I have ever run that far non-stop, until today. The weather cooperated – after a pouring rain all day yesterday, it cleared up overnight and was a cold 33 degrees when we started. Not as cold as some previous Saturdays, but cold enough that figuring out how to dress was challenging. Top consisted of two wicking layers plus a shell, and wicking pants on the bottom. I could have worn shorts but thought I would be colder to start. The advantage of the wicking pants is that they are very comfortable and don’t allow my legs to get cold at all. I also used ben-gay on my left shin — the one that has had shin splints for the past month or so. Today, my leg did not bother me at all for the first time. It was a bit sore last night, so I did the same prior to hitting the sack. That helped and will definitely be repeated!

Granted, today was not a record pace, but I clocked myself at 1:03:46. I started off a bit faster than I had planned on, so was feeling the strain by about mile 2 (not good) but was feeling much better at the water stop at mile 3. Mile 4 came and went without incident (I actually cannot believe I just wrote that). By mile 5, I slowed my pace a bit – allowing my new friend Jennifer to go ahead a little. We finished almost together, so apparently picked my pace back up towards the end since I have witnessed her pace to be very consistent. Another new friend Michelle and I ran the last hill together again as we did two weeks ago, but it was actually easier this week to not even think about walking this close to the end.

One other prep note — I planned today as if it was the actual 10K, as recommended by my coaches. I sat down and got off my feet last night, went to bed early, and did my best to hydrate myself all day yesterday and first thing this morning. I ate a small bowl of Mueslix cereal at 6:30, drank 1/2 a cup of coffee, took my allegra and drank a small glass of OJ. That worked well. I was not hungry at all – but suspect that I will be starving later!

So, the distances go down from here – something like 3 miles Monday, 4 on Wednesday, and 3 or so on Saturday. The distance prep is done – and the next time we run any distance is during the actual 10K. I know I can run that distance — today was 6 miles with hills. That is 6.2 flat miles, with water stops at miles 2, 3, 4 and 5. Even with heat, it will be easier than today — and I survived that easily!

As I said last week, I am physically ready to run this race. Mental prep will come in the days leading up to the race, but the stress of physical prep is done. This team prep thing works well, and will be part of my prep next year as well! I just have to see if my wife can put up with this another year. Maybe the intermediate team next year…. food for thought!

The run this morning was a five miler. Long, but I have done this before so knew I was up to the challenge. I ran with my friend and neighbor Debby for a few miles, until she decided to slow up while I pulled ahead. It was nice to catch up with her since we rarely see each other outside of the summer pool season. The run was very flat other than a few small hills – a slow downhill course. Of course, what goes down eventually comes back to haunt you as an uphill run. We ran on a path through an elementary school, then back through a series of other neighborhoods. It seemed strange since a good bit of today’s run was the reverse of the route that we have been running.

The final hill was a killer. On the two-mile Saturday run a month ago, I walked most of the hill. Today, although at a slow pace, I ran the entire thing. Before the hill, I was running about the same pace as a fellow runner, Jennifer, so we decided to run together for the last mile and a half or so. We kept each other running – just like with Melissa last week. I really wanted to walk up the last hill, but knew if I started to walk I would not be able to restart. So, I kept running.

I actually felt good about 30 seconds beyond the top of the hill, so picked the pace back up to sprint the last couple of hundred yards. Jennifer and I finished strong, keeping with each other pace for pace. I really like having someone to run with that matches my pace on a given day – it keeps me going at a steady pace which I believe is the key to a successful run. We finished in 52:30 – a 1:05 pace for the 10K. Without hills, perhaps sub 1-hour, my goal.

This week, we have 3 1/2 miles on Monday and 5 1/2 miles on Wednesday. Monday will be a treadmill run and Wednesday, I will meet up with the team for the longest run yet. We have just three long runs left. 5 1/2 on Wednesday, 6 on Saturday, then the 10K (6.2 miles) on the 31st.

At this point, I’m feeling ready for the 10K – feeling strong and capable for the first time in decades.