Turkey Trot and Long Run

First I have to talk about Thursday's run. The whole family ran the Parkville 5k Turkey Trail Trot this year, the first time we've all been able to run it. My youngest, who is 8 years old, was particularly excited. I told her I would run with her and the older two girls could run with their cousin. The Wife and The Boy brought up the rear since they tend to run a little slower, and they did, coming in about three minutes after we did. The young one had never run more than 2.5 miles before, so I told her she could run or walk or whatever she wanted to do and I would stay with her. I soon found out how competitive she is.

We were a little behind her older sisters the first loop of the park, and then we kept passing and being passed by them on the second loop. When we made the final turn and had a straight shot at the finish line, I told her she could run fast if she wanted, and she took off like a shot. At the turn we were about ten yards ahead of her competitors (aka sisters), and they briefly tried to catch up but she wasn't about to be beaten by them. After my initial shock wore off I caught up to her and said, "Don't let them beat you!" I can only imagine the feelings of the people she passed, most of them over thirty years old and being beaten by an 8-year old. She won the family crown this year with a finishing time of 34:30. Let's just say she was proud of herself, and so was I. Maybe this is the beginning of something, huh?

Today's run was a little warmer than the below-freezing temperature of Thursday. It was almost 50 degrees when I finished, the sun was shining, and there was hardly a breeze. This was my final "long run," a 10-miler as I head into the final week before the race. I felt good all the way through. Just past nine miles the running podcast I was listening to played a short song to close out the podcast and said if you're running, you can do a quick pickup. So I did, and had no problems doing so. I think with a few days of keeping loose on the running and then three days off before the race I'll be fine. The goal is to get my virtual running partner at the finish line in under four hours. I'm hoping with my Garmin and a pace group we can measure by that we'll be able to make it.

It Gets Cold When the Sun Goes Down

Yesterday and today were very similar in temperature and the time I went for a run. On Monday the wife and I ran together, and strangely enough it got really cold after the sun went down. She was having some pain in her right leg so we actually stopped running at right about the 5-mile mark. I still counted 6 miles for the total, though, since it was so bitterly cold and we walked fast for the last mile.

This afternoon was another 6-mile run, except this time I threw in 4 miles at a tempo pace. My left knee and calf were barking at me before setting out. It took about half a mile to loosen them up a bit and they behaved the rest of the way. The tempo went pretty well, and I tried to keep it about 8 minutes/mile or less. I guess the layering, the ear warmer, and the mittens are here to stay.

At the Turkey Trot on Thursday the weather is supposed to be around freezing with a 14-mile/hour wind driving the wind chill down to about 11 degrees. I told that to the kids tonight and they were really excited, haha. I guess if you want the t-shirt you have to suffer a little first.

Falling Again!

This marked my second time falling on a run, an indignity which fortunately was witnessed by few, if any, people around me. I was running up the sidewalk toward Pleasant Valley Baptist Church when my left foot caught in the loop of my right shoelace. Down I went, rolled, and came back up running. Apparently I'm getting good at this. I'm not sure that's a good thing. A car came up the street behind me a few seconds later, and I don't know if they were in viewing range or not. I was wearing thin cloth gloves, saving the palms of my hands from a quality rash. As of this evening I don't feel any ill effects from the fall. I almost fell a few more times in the next couple of miles before realizing how badly my right shoe was tied. I stopped and knotted it three more times and was fine the rest of the run. It looks like I need to be sure my shoes are properly configured before heading out.

Today was the last really long run of this training cycle. I ran the 15 miles in temperatures below 40 degrees, with a nice strong breeze from the SSE. I've run in worse. For some reason it was a tough run, but I made it through without walking or wanting to quit. Well, I wanted to quit, but knew that really wasn't an option two weeks before the race. And the taper continues.

Could Have Been Better

Cold night, dead legs. As my imaginary readers know, one of my favorite speed workouts that I do before a race is a 2x800, with the two intervals being all-out sprints. It's usually fun to stretch it out and run like the wind, or as far as I'm concerned, at least a gentle breeze. This has been a draining week at work, as usual, and when I went out and warmed up for two miles, I could tell my legs were on the tired side. The interval went pretty well, in the sub-7:00 area, but I felt like I could have had a better quality workout. The temperature was around 40 degrees and the wind chill close to freezing. I have another of these workouts scheduled for next week, so I hope to feel better about it at that point.

My knees have been a tad bit sore the past few days, a combination of higher mileage and not doing my strength workouts consistently. Tomorrow is Friday and I need to make sure I get in those workouts. I know this in my heart but too many times my brain tells me I'm tired and need to rest and take it easy. Stupid brain!

Again, Chilly

Same conditions as last night, but a slightly faster tempo. I finished 7 miles in exactly one hour. That distance included 5 miles at tempo pace, which I endeavored to keep at an 8-minute pace. I ran part of the route I ran on Saturday before I lost my drink top, hoping in vain to find it. Alas, it is gone forever. I guess I'll have to find another way to replace it, which is what the Inter World Wide Nets is for, I hope.

Chilly

The Wife and I went for a 6-miler (easy run for me, long run for her), and took a route where I could look for my lost water bottle cap. Didn't find it, but had an enjoyable run anyway. Other than the fact that the temperature was in the forties and my hands were quite cold. I should have worn mittens and another shirt. I also wore shorts, which in hindsight seems a bit irresponsible. In my defense, however, the sun was out and the afternoon was nice when we left the house. I think tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, weather-wise, and I will dress appropriately.

20 Miles and More

I'll be honest, I didn't expect today's 20-miler to go very well. First off, I knew the weather was going to be less than desirable. The forecast called for a temperature near freezing along with winds from the NNW at about 17 mph. Not my favorite kind of weather to spend 3 1/2 hours outside. Second, I didn't get a good night's sleep, which isn't really new before a long run, but is still a wee bit discouraging. Finally, in the first 4 miles I just didn't feel that great. I didn't feel bad, but I didn't feel like I was bursting with strength, either. With the wind howling against me on the latter part of my first lap around the neighborhood I tried to relax and not take it too fast. That strategy worked since after that I felt okay. The second lap I felt even more relaxed, and then when I headed out of the neighborhood for the final 11 miles I knew I could make it. Whew. Glad that's over.

This weather made me pull out the full complement of cold-weather gear. I had the ear-warmer going, the gloves (which I switched for mittens after the first lap), and three layers of shirts. I thought about shedding the warmup jacket after the first lap, but running into the wind nixed that idea. I'm glad I kept it.

I also had a bummer moment during the run. I was wearing my drink belt and had stopped to turn it around so the pocket with my cell phone in it was in the front just in case one of the kids needed me. About three miles later I grabbed a bottle and found that the top was missing. I was understandably upset but found the top rolled up in the bottom of my warmup jacket. Dodged a bullet there. Then I checked the other three bottles and found another one missing. Dang it! And this one was nowhere around, either in my clothing or on the ground. I have no idea where it landed. I'll be keeping my eyes open for it on upcoming runs, but I'm not real hopeful.

Also, I forgot to log Thursday's run. I went 7 miles, which included a 5-mile tempo run at about 8 minutes/mile. I ran in the morning since I had the day off. In addition, I was trying to get in the run before weather turned bad later in the day. Mission accomplished.

One more note: The Wife and my oldest daughter ran a 10k this morning, and I am very proud of them. I know firsthand how bad the weather was with the wind and cold temps, and they persevered and ran it anyway. Awesome! Guess we're officially a family of distance runners now. Woo hoo!

Like a Child

I experienced one of those rare moments during tonight's run where I felt for just a few seconds like a kid - running without boundaries, running for fun, running without a care, and running just...because. I was just over three miles into the run when it happened. I was on my third Yasso 800, on an uphill no less, and when I accelerated it just hit me. It was a few moments of abandon and of feeling like I was ten years old again. What a great feeling.

Alas, it didn't last near long enough. I finished my 6-miler feeling pretty good about the whole thing, and glad that for a brief moment I had a rare glimpse into the past. It's a feeling I wish I had more often.

Back to Pleasantville

The temperature today was back up in the 60's, but it sure gets dark early after the end of daylight savings time this weekend. When the wife and I went out for our Monday evening 6-miler the evening was very pleasant, albeit breezy. I enjoy these slower runs with her, especially after the pavement-chewing miles of the past weekend. Less than two miles into the run she remarked the sky would be dark by the time we got home, and I replied the sun would be down by the time we reached mile 3. I was pretty close to correct on that one.

I should note that my virtual running partner completed his 20-miler this past weekend since he's on his way to India this week. It would be difficult to get in a run like that in a very unfamiliar place. As long as he can still do some speed work on the treadmill he'll be fine for the race.

Catching Up

Took a quick trip to Austin again this week, which put a hitch in my logging online. So let's recap this week's runs, shall we?

My Monday evening run with the wife was sabotaged by having to work past 7 p.m., so we ran Tuesday night instead. She wasn't feeling the best and managed 5 miles while I did a couple of strides to end up at 5.4 miles. Guess we should get used to running in the dark. The Wife is running a 10k next weekend and I enjoy encouraging her by running together once a week. The Monday (or Tuesday in this case) is perfect since it's supposed to be an easy recovery run for me and a long run for her.

Wednesday I flew to Austin with co-workers. I'd checked the forecast on Tuesday and it proclaimed sunny and in the mid-60's for Wednesday. I was a little surprised when we landed since light rain was falling, the wind was pretty breezy, and the sun was nowhere to be found. It wasn't horrible, though, and since I'd packed my running gear I headed out. Normally at mid-afternoon there are thousands of people out on the trails, but this time maybe a hundred or so was all I saw. I ran 6 miles, with a 4-mile tempo run at 7:30/pace sandwiched between a mile warmup and mile cooldown. The weather in Kansas City was actually better than in Texas that day. Weird, but I still got in my run. And I still like running in Austin.

Today's run was the longest in ages, at least to my memory. Seems like I keep getting up to 15 miles and then dropping back, so today's 18-miler was key. I finished strong, even though I did feel a little bit of a letdown between 15 and 16. I think that was part of 'the wall' I needed to break through to make sure I'm ready for the race next month. The only barrier I have left is next week's 20-miler. All in all today's run went well. I thought I'd messed up since I didn't have any gel or other energy packs, but I found a package in the pantry of energy shot blocks. Guess they were either bought by The Wife or came from one of her races since I haven't bought anything like them before. They were okay but dang, they seem like they're big enough for a horse. I'm guessing other people probably take them in bites.

Today was also the first day I had to wear the cold weather running gear. The temperature when I left was exactly 32 degrees, so I wore long pants, mittens, a long technical shirt with a cotton race t-shirt over it, and my headband. The first mile I thought I probably should have worn my tights but after that it was okay, so probably just as well I hadn't thrown them on under my pants. Thankfully the breeze was non-existent today. In fact, the weather seemed to be much like the Memphis race last year, both temperature and breeze-wise. If these were the conditions for next month's race I'd be happy with that. Once again I strapped on the drink belt, this time at mile 9, along with the iPod. My calves are a little sore and tightened up some during the second half of the run, but nothing like the Columbia and Memphis races last year. I've read some articles stating that this could be one of the coldest winters we've had in a while due to La Nina (El Nino's colder sister), but if possible I'd like to request that plunging temperatures hold off until after the race. I know that's selfish, but sometime that's just how it is when you're a runner and the weather is involved.