Race Recap

The Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon on Saturday was a decent run for me. The overall result was more like a training run and twenty minutes off my PR. My official time was 2:05:20. The weather wasn't as bad as expected, particularly the wind, and the temperature was a little cool at the start but not horrible. I lined up in Corral 7 (instead of 4) with my running partners, and we stayed together the first six miles or so. At one point I unconsciously ran faster up a hill and lost them both. My Virtual Running Buddy's friend Laurie caught up to me but the last time I saw her was about mile 10, I think. The last half was better than the first as my pace continued to get faster as the race went along. I finished pretty strong, especially with the crappy training I've done. Before doing another early Spring race I need to put some thought into how better train during the cold months.

This was a pretty fun race with bands scattered all along the course. The recovery by far had the best drinks and snacks of any race I've ever done. I could have walked away with a lot more but didn't have a way to carry more. My only complaint is the same for any race that ends at Fair Park - the long walk to the parking lot after the race is killer. Shuttles, trolleys, whatever...it would sure be nice. The shuttle from Fair Park to the starting line downtown actually went off without a hitch. The expo was also well done and I got a little bit of swag.

I'd like to use this race as a springboard to get back into better training mode, which also means eating better. Tough to do with summer approaching, but getting older all by itself means I'm not going to do well without changing a few other habits. I'll be taking off this week and plan on running again on April 1st. No joke.

Final Speedwork

Another windy day, but at least it was another day to run outside. I did not sleep well last night and we all know what that means. Today's 5-mile run included 3 miles of tempo run. When I was gearing up to go outside I discovered someone had turned on my GPS and the battery was almost dead. Oh, well. I went with a faster run but have no idea how fast. I'd guess it was probably in the 8:15-8:30 range, with a few slowdowns when going uphill against the wind.

All that's left before Sunday's race is a 3-miler on Thursday. I certainly don't look to set a PR with this race, and a finish in under two hours would be a really good result for this training cycle. As I mentioned before I just haven't ever hit a good rhythm. I need to sign up for another race in a couple of months in order to build on this foundation and hopefully feel like I'm in better shape.

Mustang Run

This was the my last Monday run before the race. I probably ran it too fast, but I had plans for the evening. The big thing was finishing so I could go buy a Mustang to "replace" the truck Daughter #1 wrecked a few weeks ago. The next thing after that was getting home in order to grill so we could have dinner before 9 p.m. Mission accomplished on both accounts. And now I'm up too late after my 6 mile run because I figured out how to work the various gizmos on the new car and put the plates on it. Tomorrow might be a somewhat relaxed day at work, all things considered.

Final Long Run

This was the last long run before the race and I even got to run it outside. Today was gorgeous, like a Spring day should be. I went 8 miles and had no issues. I won't say everything's clicked yet and that the race is going to be fine, but at least it was a decent run. Now for a few shorter tune-up runs this week and it's off to Texas.

One of My Favorite Runs

The long-time reader of this blog will already know that one of my favorite runs is the 2x800, which I usually do toward the end of a training program. Seeing as how I haven't been in sync so far with the plan I had low expectations for today's version. I kept the pace down for the 2-mile warmup, and then lowered the hammer for the first 800m. It was uphill and against the wind, yet I kept it at about a 7:30 pace. Granted, that's what my tempo runs are supposed to be, but I still felt pretty good about that. Then I ran slower for 15 minutes, and turned around with the wind at my back for the next 800m. For this one I was under 7:00, staying fairly close to a 6:30 pace.

And that about killed me. I walked for several minutes up the hill by the golf course and then jogged back the rest of the way with no issues. It's weird, though, this feeling that not everything is right. Maybe it's the long layoff between races. Or maybe (gasp) it's that I've lost a step with the ever-descending curtain of age.

No, that can't be it. Not yet. I'm getting older, but it's not time to get slower. Finishing this half under two hours seems like a monumental task at this point, but I still think it's possible. We'll see in ten days.

Windy, in Tempo

Fortunately it was warm enough to run outside today. On the flip side it was windy as anything. The wind blew from the north, which made the return trip up Shoal Creek quite the challenge. Especially up the hills. I chose the run of least resistance and walked up the big hills. Really, there was no reason to press through them. When I got home I checked the weather and it said the wind was blowing at 17 mph. That's a lie. I've run in wind like that and this was far worse, and not just gusty either. My guess is that wherever they were measuring was partially blocked, while I was out in the wide open. The plan called for 6 miles with four of it at a 7:30 temp pace. I ended up at with 6 miles and 3.5 at an 8:00-8:15 tempo pace. When I finished my overall pace was 9:30, and that's with a good 4-5 minutes of walking. I guess my tempo wasn't too bad, but still I don't feel like I've hit a rhythm yet in my training. And it's only 12 days to the race.

Two-Thirds of a Six-Mile Run

Today I decided to mix things up a bit and run my normal route in reverse. While that worked fine for the most part, the blood donation yesterday and recent lack of running outdoors conspired to make me call it a day at 4 miles. I seriously considered going the full distance but determined two extra miles wouldn't make that much of a difference in the long run (pun intended) and might actually make tomorrow's run tougher. I really do think this time on the treadmill has made it more of a struggle for an outdoor run. Although it's kept me in shape it still doesn't translate to road running on a one-to-one basis. I hope I can keep running outdoors until the race. I feel like I've not been able to get into a good training rhythm during this training plan, mostly due to the back and forth between inside and out.

Collateral Damage

Cold day, wind from the north, but I had to get in my 10 miles since the race is only two weeks away. I struggled through it, ending with a pace of 9:48 or so. Which was just fine. After the first six I stopped by the house and had some gel and a few swallows of sport drink. Then I went back out and made it through the final four.

But let's talk about something runners don't address very often. Since the day was cold I wore a pair of what could be termed long underwear under my running pants. The bottom layer really isn't very thick, and the problem with it is that it has seams. I've had experience with this in the past where those seams rubbed high up on my inner thighs and left some sore spots from the chafing. Not a very pleasant feeling, I have to say. And I'm sure it's not pleasant to think about for the one or two other people in the world who might read this. But, continuing on, today I used a nice thick coat of the non-chafing stick stuff (whose name I can't remember but you can find it at all the sports stores) and those spots that used to end up sore were just fine. Yeah, victory for me. Except I missed a spot. There's a place down under, which I call the taint 'cause it taint in front and it taint in back, and a seam down there rubbed a little. I didn't discover this until after the run, and it's not horribly uncomfortable. But in the interest of full disclosure, which is definitely what this is, I should have covered that area, too. The human body is a wonderful thing, but there are times when you realize there are just some areas you don't think about. Unfortunately.

The Start

Maybe this is the start of something new - running outside again. I know that running outside is tougher than doing it on a treadmill, and that was apparent today. The weather was gorgeous, temperature in the 50s and the sun shining. I ran 6 miles and the plan called for a 7:30 pace for four of those miles. Not happening. I was able to maintain at an 8:00 pace and faster than that on the downhills, but going as fast as the plan just wasn't possible. The hills kicked my but a little bit, especially right before the 5-mile mark. I'm hopeful that I can run outside again on Saturday, but we'll see. My left knee is barking a little again, but nothing too serious.

Marathon Pace In Place

Snow on the sidewalks again today, remaining from the weekend. Which meant another treadmill session. I ran 4x1 mile marathon pace intervals, with a 1-minute cooldown between each, for a total of 6 miles overall. I am so ready to run outside again. The weather forecast looks like no further hard freezes in the single digits or below, and if the snow will just melt then I can resume my outdoor sessions before the race. I can only hope.

Monday Run

Got my 6 miler done today on the treadmill. Back to single digits today. Spent a lot of time this afternoon with the insurance adjuster who was looking at my truck after the daughter's crash on Saturday night. She's okay and yeah, it's totaled. I get to look for a new truck. Woo hoo. Gotta stay focused on getting in the miles, though, even if they're indoor miles.

Treadmill Torture

The race is only three weeks away, and missing this week's long run was not an option. I had to do 12 miles - inside. Definitely not my preference. But sometimes you just have to man up and do it. I waited until the Cardinals' Spring Training game came on at noon and started the run. Two hours later the game was in the 6th inning and I was one. I'm not sure I actually went 12 miles because the treadmill isn't calibrated, but I went the time I would've normally spent running that distance. That's what I figure this is about, putting in the time.

It's supposed to snow tonight. I might get only one or two more outdoor runs before the race if this continues. That would make for an...interesting...race.