Between Storms

Five miles after rain all morning and rain predicted later on. I included 4x800 intervals, which felt good. The first three were at an 8-minute/mile pace, and the fourth I kicked it up a notch and was going at about 7:30. I could have done one more, but don't want to burn myself out too quickly. The air was a little humid, but after all the months of winter and the spring weather that hasn't stuck so far, I'm not going to complain.

No More Excuses

Yes, this week I'm getting totally serious about this race. After eating horribly the past week, it's time to buckle down. I ran 5.5 miles this afternoon with an 18-minute tempo run. I was going to run yesterday when the boy and I returned from St. Louis, but the temperature was in the mid-40's with a nice wind and some rain. I'm done running in the cold for this year. So I waited until today, and that certainly paid off. I've modified the long runs in my training plan and should be able to still be ready by race day, June 13th. No more excuses!

Excuses

Wow, I totally went the excuse route today. I was going to go 12 and stopped at 6.25 because:
--it was hot
--I've had a rough week and I was tired
--I'm going out of town tomorrow and I don't want to be tired all weekend
--I should still take it easy and make up the distance later
--it was really, really windy, just like the race a few weeks ago
--I needed a nap
--I needed a drink
--I'll get serious about the race after this weekend
etc., etc.

I don't know. I probably should have kept going. I'm sure I'll regret this later. I totally wussed out.

Is Spring Here at Last?

Today was a good spring day - sunny, breezy, warm. Could the cycle of cold and warm and colder and warm and cold again finally be over? I ran 5.5 miles with a 16-minute tempo run. This was my first fast run since the race, and it felt good to run at a faster pace again. Now if only spring will stick around this time.

Postponed Run

Yesterday I was going to do my long run for the week, but circumstances and commitments conspired against me. So this morning I got out of bed at 7:00 and hit the road for 8 miles.

I'm planning on running in Maryville in June, eight weeks from today. The course there is a 13.1 mile loop that you run twice for the marathon. Now here's something I know about myself. If I'm running a loop and I pass by my starting (and finishing) point, my mind automatically starts thinking of reasons to stop. After all, that's the finish coming up! So in order to train my mind as well as my body, all of my long runs will be a route that takes me out and back by the house or by my starting point, and then I run the same route again. And as I discovered this morning, that pretty much sucks.

I ran up to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church (who, btw, featured Jimmy Carter as a guest speaker within the past couple of weeks - if I had ever thought about any association with that church, their having that anti-Semitic worst president of my lifetime - for now - as an honored guest cured me) and back to my starting point. Sure enough, the thoughts of stopping came up, but I ran the route again. Ugh. The sky was gray and cloudy, the weather was cool, and it had rained a few hours previously. This training won't be my favorite, I can already tell.

Adding to the Tally

Added another 5 miles to the tote board yesterday afternoon. This being spring in Missouri, it was somewhat breezy. As I ran I was thinking about how few perfect days there are for running around here. This year so far has been all about cold and wind, and then the race itself was windy as anything down in Texas. But then along will come a beautiful, sunny day with just a hint of a breeze. It's kind of like playing golf. You hit about 90 bad shots during a round, but it's that one great shot that keeps you coming back for another go at it. Now I'm just waiting for that perfect day.

First Run

Ran 4 miles today in my first run since the race. I was going to run yesterday, but the temperature was in the low 40's, cloudy, and drizzly. I decided that I'm done running in the cold this year. Today was supposed to be the boy's first baseball game. It was cancelled due to a wet field from the aforementioned rains. And today the weather was perfect. I'm glad I waited.

No lingering pains from the race, although my right knee felt a little stiff. Other than that I tried to take it easy and run slow, not always successfully. The Nike+iPod said my pace was 9:23 per mile. I think it lies to me sometimes, but considering that it said the distance last Sunday was 26.30 miles, I also think that sometimes it's remarkably accurate. Until I get a GPS, I think I'll just fall somewhere in between.

Race Follow-Up

The official results are in, and my chip time was 4:04.22. I think that might be about the time of my first marathon. I guess if you look at how the wind affected everyone, I put in the effort to run a 3:49 race and ended up with a time of 4:04. But it's the weather, and there's nothing I can do but try and run a good race.

The big surprise of the results are that I had a negative split. I'm simply amazed because I was just dying the second half, yet I ran it four minutes faster than the first half, when I felt good. The first half split was 2:05, while the second half of was 2:00 (those times are by gun time, not chip time). I felt like I was trudging the last 6 miles, and yet somehow I ran the second half faster. I guess that's the one positive I can take away from the race.

Today the right knee feels swollen and sore, but the biggest leftover from the race is an allergy attack. Long runs leave the respiratory system susceptible to attacks, and of course my history of allergies doesn't help me in this case. I have a way of coping, though. Since it's Opening Day I have no plans other than sitting around and doing nothing. Yeah me!

One Windy Day in Dallas

My suspicions were correct - it was windy. Darn windy. Windy as in 25 mph sustained with gusts up to 40. Windy as in a wind advisory was in effect today. But more on that later.

My goal was to break 4 hours today. The Big D Texas Marathon official results (http://www.texasmarathon.com) haven't been posted yet, but according to my timing I missed my goal by 2-3 minutes. The announcer at the finish line kept saying that the conditions added about 15 minutes to everyone's time, or about 30 to 45 seconds per mile. I would have to agree with that. The course was relatively flat, and I think if the winds had been normal I would have totally exceeded away my goal.

The first half went great, and I left Alan behind at mile 11. He had complained a few times that I was accelerating up the hills, which I normally do, so he dropped back at that point. He ended up coming in about 15 minutes after I did, so it was a good race for him, especially under these conditions.

The first half of the race went very well, but about mile 16 or so my calves started cramping. At several points I was afraid they'd seize up on me. At mile 20 I bonked. I didn't stop running, because I knew if I did it would all be over. Plus I didn't want Alan to pass me. But there was one incline where I slowed way down, which is abnormal for me. Most people were walking that hill, but I kept going. At mile 23 I picked it back up a little, but still couldn't muster the energy to go much faster. At that point I realized I was going to be close to breaking the four-hour mark, but with the constant swirling winds I just didn't have the energy to push it any harder.

When Alan and I were talking about the course yesterday in relation to the wind we figured we would have mostly tailwind on the west side of the lake since the wind was supposed to be NNW and we would be running south and east. We figured wrong. I don't know how it happened, but I didn't get a true tailwind until mile 24. And that lasted about half a mile. The finish was near the Cotton Bowl, and as I turned a corner for the last long stretch I was blasted by a fierce headwind. At that point I exclaimed out loud, "You have to be kidding me!" as if there was some unfairness at work.

I've never had calf cramps as bad as I did after crossing the finish line. I walked around until Alan finished, stretched, and generally tried to not let them tighten up. Daughter #1 took me to where the water bottles were and on the way back my left calf and foot stopped working. I had to hold on a railing and stretch for a couple of minutes. When I finally went to sit down on some steps several minutes later both calves totally cramped, and again I spent some time stretching. I feel fine otherwise, so I attribute this to the extra effort required by running into the wind for 25.7 miles (remember that half mile of tailwind).

The race had a lot of volunteers, and police were stationed all over the course to direct traffic. They did a great job. The one minus to the race was that all the post-race food and snacks were gone by the time we finished. Seems to me that if we're going to pay that much for a race the organizers should be able to put the food out in stages. All the half-marathoners and 5k racers took it all, which I can't really blame them for if it's put out in front of them. If you're an organizer you know that most of your marathoners are going to come in after three hours, so to me it would make sense to stage your food accordingly. Or to have enough to handle everyone.

Overall, this was a tough race because of the wind. I was hoping to blow away this scenic, flat course, but (ahem) I was the one who was blown away.

A Fitting End

Why not? My last 3-mile run before the race took place under cloudy skies, temperature in the mid-40's, and breezy. Not an ideal running day. And Sunday looks like it's going to be windy, so I guess I might as well practice running in the wind. On the morrow - off to Dallas!