Chicked at Mile 13

At mile 13 of today's 15-mile run a pencil-thin lady passed me by. I thought I was running at a decent clip since I was trying to finish strong. When I checked my trusty Garmin I was at a pace of about 8:45/mile and I thought not bad, not bad, although she's probably closer to 8-minute miles. As the lady receded in the distance I worked at not feeling too bad because I was pretty sure she hadn't already run 13 miles.

This was the first time I had to wear a long-sleeve shirt and my mittens, even though I resisted for a few weeks. The temperature was around 40 degrees when I left the house at 7 a.m. and didn't warm up a whole lot while I was out, but it was absolutely gorgeous autumn weather for running. Also, I think I actually figured out the trick to Daylight Savings Time. I always get it backward when the time changes twice a year, and I'll be able to test my theory next weekend. I'm not a big fan of DST, but as I pondered the larger questions of life I think I was able to make sense of it all. Next week I'll move on to something else, like why do people have to suffer or why the sky is blue.

Some More Marathon Pace

Today was windy, although not as windy as in some other places, apparently. Today was also extremely busy and draining at work. I didn't feel in the best of shape when I took off, but I knew I needed a run more than I needed not to run. I looked at my plan, which said '1-mi. warmup, 5 mi. marathon pace (8:00/mi), 1 mi. coolodwn.' And I said, 'Who put this stupid plan together?' The Wife didn't have an answer for that one since we both knew who authored it.

All things considered, the run went pretty well. I ended up shortening the 5 mi. to 4 mi., mainly because I knew there was a lot going on tonight and I needed to get home. Sometimes the pressures of life override that extra mile, and tonight was one of those nights. Nevertheless I'm happy with the run and hope that it's not so bad come Thursday.

Windy

Ran with The Wife again tonight and enjoyed another 6-miler. This time it was pretty windy, but the gusts were coming from the south, meaning we were running against them when going downhill. She did very well, especially considering she ran a 10k on Saturday. She has tenacity, I'll give her that. Heck, she has to in order to stick with me this long.

Probably Should Have Waited

This morning the wife ran a 10k, quite well I might add, and when we got home I dithered about running my 18 miles for several hours. It was partly cloudy outside and the wind was blowing, which caused my indecision. My other option was to wait until Sunday morning and get up real early to get in the workout before church. Finally I decided to go for it, and sure enough I should've waited. Not only did I get wind on the run, but also a little bit of blowing rain at times. My 18 miles turned into 12 by the time I stopped.

Weird post-run, too. I felt blah the rest of the afternoon, and when the kids put in a movie they waned me to see I actually I dozed off for a few minutes. When I got home I drank a little sports drink but that was about it. I didn't start feeling better until I started snacking while I was prepping steaks for the grill. Guess I should have eaten something, too, when I arrived home. My training plan for the marathon in December continues to evolve, and not positively so far.

Running Before Flying

Today I had the rare chance to run on a weekday morning, and it was very...nippy. Yes, that's the word, nippy. The temperature was in the mid-40's and if I was a saner person i would have realized that and dressed appropriately. The first bit was in the shade since the sun was still coming up, but about a half mile in I reached the sunlight. After that it wasn't bad at all and I ran my Yasso 800s. For the most part they went well, although I felt like I was dragging on the last of the five intervals. I completed the 6 miles though without feeling too bad.

My reason for running this morning is a mid-day flight to D.C. for a meeting tomorrow morning. I usually like to run there but this is such a quick trip that I didn't want to pack my running gear and worry about trying to get out this evening when I have to go to dinner with my co-workers for a pre-meeting meeting. Oh well, it's not like I'm flying to India for a week or anything like that.

Great Pace Run

When I arrived home after work I'd already been passed by a couple of cars going 55-60 mph in a 45 mph zone. When I stretched out on the bedroom floor I almost, well actually I did, drift off to sleep for a couple of minutes. When I ran, I started off feeling sluggish and then had one of the best pace runs of my running life.

After yesterday's slow run I was ready to nail the accelerator, and I first started running my legs and hips and entire body just felt tired. But when I looked at the Garmin after a couple of minutes my pace was under 9:30/minute. This is supposed to be a warm-up, I thought. When I hit the main drag and looked again, the pace was under 9 minutes/mile, but I just attributed that to the blonde in the convertible who'd just passed me. For some reason that cause me to run faster. My plan called for 8-minute miles after a mile of easing into it, and initially my pace was about 8:30, but that was going uphill. After I made the turn and the slope was downward I got in the groove. I tried to stay loose and to stay in good form with both legs and arms. By the time I was just past two miles my pace was under 8 minutes/mile, and even though I kept trying to slow down it stayed there. I finished the entire run at under 50 minutes for 6 miles, meaning my overall pace was under 8:20/mile. Dang, that's almost race pace for a half marathon!

Let's just say the cool weather helped out and that I am motivated these days to have quality runs. For the first time this year I have a full marathon I'm working toward and even though I'm not looking to set a PR I want to do well and not end up in traction after I'm finished. And by the way, nobody passed me on this run. There was no speed limit.

The Wife Perseveres

Went on another 6-miler with the wife as she trains for next weekend's 10k race. She had a bad headache before we left and said she wasn't feeling 100%, but I have to hand it to her, she made it the whole distance and within her goal time. It wasn't always pretty and she said afterward it wasn't fun, but I told her she proved that she can run the distance even when she doesn't feel good.

She commented to me after dinner that I made it look like it was easy. A couple of comments about that: first of all, 6 miles is about the shortest distance I run during training, and as distance runners know, that's a very short run compared to a long run of 18 or 20 miles. Second, her pace is slower than mine, so that definitely makes it an easy run for me. But beyond all that, I know it's not easy for her and for a lot of people, and I remember struggling to break the 3-4 mile barrier myself. Running that distance is a big deal. There are plenty of people in this country who are in no shape to run that far, so I tip my hat to my little wife for persevering even when she didn't feel good.

Oops

Forgot to post yesterday after my long run since we were involved with so many other activities. I ran 15 miles and it went great. The weather was phenomenal. When I left the house the temperature was about 48 degrees, but I'm resisting the need to pull out the warmer clothes as long as I can. Once I started running the temp was not an issue and felt pretty darn good, actually. I ran one lap of the neighborhood and then stopped at the house to get the drink belt and iPod. Since last time I ran two laps and then actually stopped I decided I wasn't going to tempt fate this time, and my plan worked. I ran south across Highway 152, which I don't usually do, but to get in the mileage I thought it was time for some variety. I'll probably do so the next couple of weekends as well.

In the afternoon we took part in a 5k walk for a fundraiser inspired by some of our neighbors. Their kids have OI, or osteogenesis imperfecta, aka brittle bone disease. I walked most of it, probably getting in a little over 2 miles of walking in addition to my morning tally. I remember running a 4-mile race at the zoo several years ago and then spending the rest of the day walking around with the family. I could barely walk the next day. That seems a little bit funny now, especially in light of yesterday's distances.

In other news, today I pulled the trigger and registered for the White Rock Marathon in Dallas. December 5th is my target date. According to their web site they've changed location for this year to the State Fair site, which was also the start and end of the disastrously windy Big D Marathon early last year. I certainly hope for nicer weather this time. And talk about an expensive race - the entry fee is $125. For that much money they darn well better provide good weather!

At Last, Good Speedwork

Seems like forever since I've had a speedwork day where things went well. Today was that day. I ran Yasso 800s x 5, with a 1.5 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown for a total of 6 miles. My target during the 800s was 7 minutes/mile. In these intervals the goal is to take your marathon goal, in this case 3:30, and run the 800 meters at that speed in minutes and seconds. Since my Garmin doesn't like to mix standard and metric measurements I programmed it as a .5 mile interval at a 7-minute pace (3:30 x 2) and then a .25 mile recovery, as opposed to 800 and 400 meters, respectively.

The first two intervals were mostly at a 7:30 pace, and then the last three I hit my stride and hovered right around the 7:00 mark. It seems like the last few times I tried to do some speedwork the temperature was too high or I had some other excuse. Not today. It probably helped knowing that I have the day off tomorrow. I'll take it and hope for several more training days like this.

The Hills of Kansas City

Today's plan called for 7 miles of hills, so that's what I ran. I still think I should have something on my plan that says 7 miles of not hills - that would be more of a challenge. Anytime I go out for a run I can't avoid hills, although today I ran around the back end of the neighborhood before hitting the main roads. That initial detour added some good hills.

I started off feeling sluggish, but at just past the 2-mile mark I began feeling better. I made a point to download the new release from Old 97's and put it on the iPod before heading out, so maybe that had something to do with getting into a good mood and rhythm. The temperatures are still in the mild range and look to be so for the near future. I'm looking forward to as much of this as possible and hope it stays constant into November and maybe even beyond.

Columbus Day Run

This was a day for an easy run according to the schedule, and since The Wife needed to run 6 miles I figured this would be a good day to run with her again. She's running a 10k in less than two weeks and wanted to run a 6-miler well before then. Since I have the nominal function as her coach and advisor this was a good opportunity to hang with her and encourage her. She made it the whole way without walking and I am so proud of her. Tomorrow I will resume my regularly scheduled program.

Running in Austin and Points Farther North

Spent most of the week in Austin, TX, for business, and wanted to stay for the weather. Talk about perfect - the temperatures were in the 70's and I saw very few clouds. Ended the week with today's run back home in KC, but we'll get to that.

Monday I ran 6 miles easy, although easy ended up being closer to 9 minutes/mile due to the great weather and just generally being excited to be in one of my favorite running places again. I was in Austin with a co-worker, who doesn't run, and our hotel was downtown on 5th Street. For anyone who knows Austin that means it's a block south of all the restaurants and fun and just a few blocks north of the trails along Town Lake. I got out about 3:30 and the paths were pretty crowded with the usual runners, walkers, bikers, and dogs.

Tuesday I was supposed to meet up with an old friend for dinner, but I didn't hear anything from her so I went out for a run about 5:30. Come to find out Facebook was not delivering messages so we ended up not being able to get together, which was a total bummer. The run was okay although it seemed a little warmer than the previous day. I ran another 6 miles, with about 2.5 of that being at 8 minutes/mile. I was planning on going four miles at the faster pace but the heat got to me so I backed off and finished at a little slower pace. Since my dinner plans fell through and my co-worker had already eaten I walked all the way down Sixth Street by myself and ended up at Opal Divine's, one of my favorite places, for dinner. I was a little bit tired by the time I got back due to the run and the walk, but it was a good tired.

Our flight on Thursday left late morning, which meant I had time to run before leaving town. And I took advantage of the opportunity. I went another 6 miles on the trails, and discovered that the morning crowd is a mere fraction of all the people who are out in the afternoon. Guess everybody goes to work and then plays in Austin. I headed out at about 7:30 and once again the weather was outstanding. I'll be back in Austin in about a month, but only for a day, so doubt I'll have time to run while I'm there.

Today I ended up cutting my long run short, from 15 miles to 8.5. The Wife had a 5k she wanted to run this morning, and we all went and supported her. Unfortunately it started at 8 a.m. and I didn't have time to get in the run beforehand, meaning I had to start late morning by the time we got away and made it home. I was running in full sunlight (still no shade around here) and the temperature was about 80 degrees. I probably could have toughed it out but I'm a wuss, so there. And it was great to see The Wife do such a great job at her race. About 2-3 years ago this same event was her first 5k ever and she completed it but had a very slow pace. Today she improved on her time by over 10 minutes! I'm very proud of her and she's looking forward to her first 10k race in two weeks.

One other item of note from today: my virtual running partner called and registration for the Memphis Marathon has already been closed. No Memphis this year, darn it. We quickly decided to go for Plan B, which is the White Rock Marathon in Dallas the same weekend. I'll take the whole family and we'll stay with them and race in Texas. I thought we registered fairly late last year for Memphis, but guess not this late. Hopefully this will be a good consolation prize and the weather will cooperate. As long as the wind isn't as bad as the April 2009 Big D Texas Marathon I think we'll be fine.

Running with the Wife

The wife was heading out the door to run 5 miles the same time I was leaving for a 12-miler. Now normally we don't run together because she tends to run at a slower pace than I do. Not that I'm a speedster, but I'm usually 1-2 minutes/mile faster than her speed. But today we ran for the first 15 minutes, which was nice. She's come a long way for a woman who used to be upset at the kids for making her run to another room when someone would hurt themselves. Seriously, when I started this whole running thing about seven years ago she wished me luck and said she'd never do it. And now she's planning on running a 10k in three weeks. This must be one of those instances of 'never say never.'

After I peeled off onto my own route, I stopped by the house on my way out of the neighborhood to fuel up and then saw her running by the main road on the south side of the development. I caught up with her and we ran together again for another 10 minutes or so. I'm proud of her for continuing to increase her runs and for running on a regular basis. She did four triathlons in the space of six weeks this summer, which included running, of course. With the closing of the neighborhood pool and the weather turning cooler, she's planning on biking from time to time but keeping up with the running. She's not as hardcore as I am when it comes to running outside in bad weather, which means she'll be putting in some treadmill time. This was the second time she's run 5 miles and is looking to increase it next week so she can get in the distance before her race.

As for me, my run was fine. But that's not as noteworthy as my wife's run. Maybe she should start a blog, too!