From Chicago to Kansas City

Two runs this week so far, with the first in Chicago on Tuesday morning. There's a park about a block off of Lake Shore Drive, and strangely enough I believe it's called Lake Shore Park. This park has a track, so I decided to run there instead of in the cold wind off the lake. It's funny, because the last few times I've been there the track was really crowded. This time I was the only one on the track, other than the bum on one of the benches, that is. I ran 5 miles, including a 24=minute tempo run. I wore my ear-warmer and gloves, but took off the gloves after a bit. It didn't seem too terribly cold, but when I returned to the hotel and turned on the news it was a balmy 30 degrees outside.

Today the weather was nice but I left work late and didn't start running until almost 6 p.m. I did 6x800 intervals for a total of 7.5 miles. I was going to run on the new street to the west of our neighborhood but the city workers laid down a thick bed of hay along the dirt and sidewalk. To prevent erosion, I suppose. One time running through there and I determined it wouldn't be a good idea to continue and give the hay a chance to kick start my allergies. I headed east and ended up running my old intervals route. Not a bad week so far, and I wore my new shoes on both of these runs. I plan on using them from here on out.

Running Up That Hill

Left the house at about 6:10 this morning for the final long run of the training program. Three weeks until the Route 66 Marathon! Ran 20 miles and I would say even though it wasn't the best run I've ever had it also wasn't the worst. Started out very cool, and I began with double layers. When I stopped by the house at about mile 13 to pick up my drink belt I stripped down to one layer since the sun was up by then. The last few miles I felt like I was going agonizingly slow but when I checked my pace it was in the 9:40 range. Guess after last week's half at a good speed anything less would seem slow, wouldn't it?

I think these shoes are also about done. I've used them pretty much all year, and trained for the half in April with them as well as all the way through this training until now. Don't know if I'll run Monday since that's a travel day to Chicago, but I plan on using my new pair of shoes for the duration as well as for the race.

P.S. About Thursday - I didn't run because I was feeling a little under the weather. Received a flu shot on Tuesday, and that contributed to the malaise, I think. I considered going out for a run, but it was damp and cool and I figured if I did run I might make it so I couldn't run two days later. In hindsight I think it was a good decision. If I'd run and pushed it too far on Thursday I don't think I would have made it through today's.

Missed the Rain

Storms were popping up around the area, but for the most part they tracked north of our area during today's run. The sky spit at me a few times and I saw some lightning to the north. I ran 6.5 miles, including a 20-minute tempo run. I thought of doing just a regular run today and decided I'd rather stretch it out and push it a little before the taper begins next week. Maybe I'm stupid. If my body tells me I need to take off Thursday to get the legs fresh again I will.

A Touch of Autumn

A definite touch of fall was in the cool evening air before dinner tonight. I thought about taking the day off - not because of the coolness but because I just ran a fast (for me) race on Saturday - but given that the other two workouts this week are both of the faster variety I wanted a nice, easy run to break it up and ease back into the week. So I ran 6 miles at a leisurely pace.

Rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. Still trying the marathon playlist out and it's coming together, but boy, putting together four hours of outstanding music is harder than you'd think. Plus I picked up my new glasses this afternoon and not sure if that's going to work out or not. It's going to be a busy week.

Smokin!

I totally smoked the half-marathon this morning! The weather was very cool, probably in the low 40's, and I was feeling good, so I went for it. When I crossed the finish line the clock read 1:49:30ish, so given the couple of minutes it took to cross the start line I figure my chip time was about 1:48. Yes, I felt extra awesome after that. That calculates to about 8:20 or so per mile. I know I didn't win anything or beat a hated rival or anything else that sports movies are made of, but I guess this means I'm no longer the slowest person in the world.

I carried my iPod with me to at least keep track of time without the headphones, but it slipped out of its case in my pocket and did the "I need to be rebooted thing." I didn't mess with it during the race and the run wasn't recorded, which is a bummer because I'd like to see my split times.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: hill training pays off. Early in the race a couple of big hills slow the crowd, and I was passing them like crazy. I kept checking myself to make sure I was running within my limits, and never reached a point where I felt like I was running too fast. Could I keep up that pace for twice the distance? It seems more a possibility after this than ever before. Maybe someday I can actually qualify to run Boston. It was a great running day, but after this it's back to the training for November's marathon.

More Intervals

Ran 7x800 intervals - and didn't hate it! Gee, do you think running at a slower (approx. 8:30) pace actually helps me make it through? I ran 7 miles total and never strayed more than a half mile from the entrance to our development. I've found a relatively flat stretch of sidewalk that works for this kind of running. We'll see how I feel Saturday morning for the KC Half, but at this point I'm inclined toward running a little faster pace and seeing how I hold up.

Also started setting up a playlist for the Route 66 Marathon. They advertise that iPods are allowed since the course is closed to traffic. Not sure I like what I have so far since some of the transitions seem kind of sudden. Once I get it all in order I'll list the songs. Right now it includes Springsteen, Zep, Del Shannon, Petty, Smithereens, Stevie Ray, Lyle, Buffett, Sammy, Bear McCreary, and of course the Old 97's. It's coming in at less than two hours so far, so I have a long way to go.

Cool Evening

It was very cool this evening, overcast and 60 degrees with a hint of possible mist or sprinkling. Not that I minded too much since I ran a 24-minute tempo run during the 6-mile outing. I'm enjoying the new route down Shoal Creek since it's not as busy with traffic as Flintlock, and the hills aren't as bad either. There was a slight breeze, but again, no complaints here. Looks like the half-marathon on Saturday morning should be nice and cool as well.

My tempo was about 8:30 per mile at spots, and for most of the time I was running faster it seemed possible to run that way for quite a while. But by the time I finished I could tell that if I want to run that fast in a half-marathon my body still needs some conditioning. And hey, isn't that what I'm doing?

Twenty Miles, Man!

Alan ran 16 this morning and I ran 20, both of us following our respective training plans. I started out a little earlier and ran 4 miles before swinging by the house and joining up with him. We did three circuits around the neighborhood and then headed out of the neighborhood for about 8 miles.

Once again the weather was great, and I love getting out while it's dark and viewing what are normally the winter constellations. I feel pretty good so far, but I'm leery of the day after. Since the OU-Texas clash is on in less than an hour, it seems like a good time to veg in front of the TV and maybe fall asleep during halftime. Alan and family leave tomorrow and Monday is a holiday. Plenty of time to recuperate!

Felt Good, Ran Fast

Another absolutely gorgeous day, so whether I felt bad or not it was bound to be a running day. Went 5.5 miles and included a 20-minute tempo run in there. I was going to head west through the new construction, but a cop was out pulling over people who disregarded the "Road Closed" signs. So even though he probably wouldn't have hassled me, I figured I would refrain from giving him the chance.

My time in the tempo run was about 2.25 miles in 20 minutes, which I think figures out to a tad over 8:30 minute miles. Not bad, but I certainly don't feel I could keep it up for 26.2 miles.

I also keep forgetting that a little over a week from now is the KC Half Marathon. I'm trying to decide how to run it. Should I treat it as a regular training run and go about 10 minutes/mile, or should I try and up the pace? Did I post about this before? I might have. And if I did, I'm still undecided.

On today's run I listened to Living Colour, one of my faves. With the election less than a month away and people treating Obama like some untouchable deity, Living Colour's song "Cult of Personality" seems more relevant now than when it was written almost twenty years ago. Simply amazing. I keep praying that God will give us the president we need, not the one we deserve. Is this the election where we get "The One" we deserve?

Easy Run After Some Time Off

It's always the day after that gets you. What felt okay and pretty decent after Sunday's run quickly deteriorated on Monday. My right hip was hurting so bad that I had a noticeable limp that lasted into Tuesday. I took some ibuprofen and determined that my Monday and Tuesday runs could wait a few days. Especially with a 20-miler coming up this weekend.

Today's run went fine. The remnants of hip pain were still there, but we'll see how it feels tomorrow. I ran 5.5 miles in absolutely gorgeous fall sunshine. The past few days were a bit rainy and dark, but today was one of those autumn days we all live for. If everything is okay tomorrow I'll be doing some speed work. If not, see you on Saturday.

Brilliant Sunday Morning

What nice weather! Even though we went camping this weekend and returned yesterday evening, I still managed to roll out of bed at 5:30 and hit the road by 6. The days are getting shorter, and I enjoyed the darkness and quiet of a Sunday morning. A light breeze was blowing from somewhere south of here to keep it nice and cool. Went 18 miles in all, including almost four times around the neighborhood before heading south of Highway 152 for the final 8 miles.

When I ran through a new housing and retail area a helicopter was lifting workers by cable up to the top of some power poles, where they were apparently getting a nice head start on the week before the sun warmed things up too much. I thought about asking for a ride but decided their insurance probably wouldn't cover somebody like me.

Felt pretty good after the run and looking forward to a 20-miler next weekend.

Intervals? No Problem!

My dislike of intervals is no secret, but today was actually a very successful run including intervals. I ran 6 miles, including 6x800 intervals. I believe this is the first time in a loooong while that I've made it through the recommended intervals on my plan. Just for that, I think I'll sleep late tomorrow!

I think it helped that I kept the pace down on the first few. Usually I run them too fast and become burnt out and want to stop after the first two or three. This time I really tried to keep the runs at the 70-80% level of effort, and it seems clear that it worked.

Now if I can just remember that for the next time.