Downward direction

Today I did my last 'Mile Repeats' workout.  It was only a 3x1, but I suffered through it.  Due to a late flight on Sunday, I didn't go to bed until 2am on Monday, so that caused me to skip my Monday am workout (I figured I needed more than 2.5 hours of sleep that day).  The Monday workout would have worked out the rest of my lactic acid from Saturday's long run, as well as warmed up my legs for today's workout.  However, I used the 2 mile warmup to do that (to a limited effect).  My mile repeats were: 8:26, 8:45, and 8:35).  This is a far cry from my 8:20's that I did the last time I did this workout (this was a while ago though...).

I ran in 50 degree weather, a little misty outside, and in O'Fallon, IL.  The weather was quite good for running, but it gets light a little later out here, so I ran in total darkness.  I also began my run at 4:30 am CDT (which is 5:30 am EDT, so that wasn't that bad).

Peaked!

Longest week of the training ended yesterday with a 22-miler.  I'm glad that's over :)  Overall, it was a good week, topping out at 50 miles (and making #14 on the buckeyeoutdoors leaderboard!)  Up until around mile 44 or so (of the entire week), I was pain free.  The last four miles though... that's another story.  The good thing is that I made it to mile 18 of my long run before any serious stuff happened -- the serious stuff being totally bonked, left ankle hurting, having to take walk breaks, and doing the death shuffle when running (you know, normal stuff like that).  My pace until then was pretty good, after that, not so much.  Anyway, it's over, and now my taper begins.  Next Saturday's run is only (only?) 15 miles.

Pretty soon I need to become philosophical, but not today :)

Wow, 4 runs this week! (so far)

Can't believe it.  For the first time in awhile, I've actually kept up with my training this week (this is 'famous last words'!).  I didn't have too much trouble getting up this morning, and took a new route (and not one I'm recommending either).  It was too crowded with cars (running along a busy road would do that). However, I did see two other runners (running as a pair), who didn't say 'hello' back to me (this'll be a blog post one day, I think).  Kept pace easy, but a little sad that my 'easy' pace isn't faster.  It's too early to predict my marathon time, but I definitely don't see a PR in my future.

How much longer?

Whew, ran another 6 today.  Got up at 4:30am 4:45am, was glad that it was 51 degrees outside, and went running before my brain figured out what was going on.  I used to think that once I was dressed, I was good to go, but after a bad day, then thought that getting out the door was the point of no return, but then, after another bad day, after running a quarter-mile, I was definitely in good shape to continue running, but then, after *another* bad day (not all of these bad days were in a row...), after running a half-mile, I'd be good to go (you can see a pattern here).

Today, never thought about it, which was good, because if I did, I would have gone back to bed.  I went 6, felt okay with the pace (9:17), also felt my left knee (which wasn't so good), got the kids up, and went to work.  Tomorrow should be a duplicate of today (although I gotta find new places to run).  Saturday will be the last (yay!) long run in my training. 

Found a new Gear!

Wow, I found a new gear today -- well, actually found a gear that I had put away a couple of years ago.  I was dreading the Yasso 800 workout today, and by the 3rd rep, was really feeling it.  However, on the 4th rep, I changed my running form and found my effort decrease while my speed increased (or, at least stayed the same).  I clocked in anywhere from a 7:43 to a 8:03 for each 1/2 mile rep, for all 8 reps, with the last one about a 7:58.  So I'm happy with that!

I'm not sure I mentioned this the last time I talked about Yasso-800's, but one of the things I read about them was that it's more of a negative test on the marathon, rather than a positive test. That is, if you can do them in your time-goal, that doesn't mean you can do the marathon in your time-goal. However, if you cannot do them in your time-goal, there's a good chance that you cannot do the marathon in your time-goal.  However, there's a lot of controversy around the whole thing.  Simply put, it's a good interval workout where you get extended time on your lengths at speed, plus with enough reps so that you are running at speed with depleted energy.  That's fine by me. 

I shouldn't have looked at the old post though -- I just read that I can the previous set *much* faster than today's set.  Should I be worried?

Okay, I heard this in a podcast

...and need to work it into a shirt of some sort. Basically, the guy was saying that the finish time doesn't matter, but the time you spend training to get to the finish -- that's what matters. I understood this to be that the finish time is just a time, but the true measure of you, as a runner (or any athlete) is the time you dedicate beforehand to make to the finish, or even to the start.

Quite a long shirt logo though....

Oh Yeah, I ran today

Brrr, it was cold today. 39 degrees -- at least it wasn't raining. I ran an easy 6, in a 9:11 pace. It was a slower pace than my perceived pace -- basically, I thought I was running faster than what I was actually running. Oh well :) I'm only training for a marathon.

It was cold though. I used my 'throwaway' gloves, the ones I get from racing expos. The problem in, when they get wet (from sweat), they get pretty cold. I have some others that I bought (more than the $2/pair I get at the expo for the throwaways) that seem to not lose heat as much. Maybe I'll try them again. If they work well, I'll purchase more of them in Richmond (but I can't lose them!)

Tomorrow is what I *think* is my last Yasso 800 workout. Oy. I don't look forward to it.

TeamSweat

I heard about this on Phedippidations podcast, fdip 204: TeamSweat, and was very intrigued, so I hopped over to www.teamsweat.org and watched a very disturbing video -- basically, a guy who was a soccer coach at St. John's University was researching labor practices that Nike promotes in their factory in Indonesia. He learned that those factory workers make the equivalent of $1.25 / day, just enough for two small meals a day, a glass of iced tea, and small amount of detergent. No money for anything else. God forbid if you get sick, or can't work. He fought against St. Johns' endorsement deal with Nike as was let go because of it. This guy, Jim Keady, as part of his research, lived on those wages in Indonesia for a month. One day, he purchased a razor just so that he could shave, and then couldn't eat for a whole day -- there just wasn't enough money.

Basically, Nike is treating these workers like slaves. Jim Keady is working to raise awareness of this, and I, for one, support him. Based on what I read and heard, I'm no longer purchasing Nike products. Now, I like Nike clothes (the shoes, not so much). I own their clothes. They work great. I also like their commercials. They also sponsor some great runners. However, I'm not going to support them by purchasing any more of their products. I'm going to continue to use the clothes that I have, as it will waste resources to replace them with something else.

Anyway, click on the links and learn more about it.

I also ran today (I only ran 2 times this week, due to colds, busy-ness, etc.). I ran 10 miles at a 9:35 pace. It was cold and rainy, but while I was running, I felt fine (my knee hurt afterward though). When I stopped at mid-way to eat a GU energy gel, I immediately got cold (by this time, I was as wet as could be). Today was also the first day this season I wore long pants (Nike's, actually). So, 17 miles for the week. Oh well.

7 easy

Today I did 7 miles 'easy'... Easy is supposed to mean not to push it out. I ran a 9:25 pace but it felt faster, as my legs were still beat from Saturday's long run. Hopefully, the workout pushed the last of the lactic acid out of my legs so that I can do my mile repeats tomorrow. It's starting to get cool again. Today I had to pull my gloves out for the first few miles as it was 49 degrees. Still wearing shorts though.

My knee starting bothering me again. It sorta started last week, but today I felt it when I was going up or down a steep hill, or when I straightened out my leg. Hopefully, it's something I can work through, as there's only 5 weeks left before the marathon!

World Wide Festival of Race Half Marathon and 20 Miler! Hoo-Yah!

Today was the World Wide Festival of Races 1/2 Marathon. This was a virtual race across 45 countries, with over 1000 entrants. It was a lot of fun listening to cheers (via podcast) of various runners and fans who submitted their input before the race, and compiled by the Phedippidations podcast. I ran 13.1 miles, as part of my 20 miler long run, on the W&OD trail. The 13.1 felt really good. I ran from Reston eastbound into Falls Church. Note to self, this is a downhill run, so running back is uphill (ugh). Anyway, the run felt very good (I said that already). I ran in the dark for about an hour, and then into a sunrise. I actually saw people on the trail (well, couldn't actually see them too well) before it got light, including a couple of cyclists. The cyclists had lights (as did I), but the runners didn't. I guess that they felt (again, as did I) that running on the trail meant that less safety equipment was needed (only cars seen at intersections, didn't need to run along side them).

After the World Wide Festival of Races 1/2 marathon, I immediately began rounding out my 20 miler by running 7 miles. For the first 3 miles, I felt great. The fourth mile I actually got a little competitive with runners on the trail, and for that, I paid for it in the last two miles. Also, the last two miles were uphill (the entire way! I swear!). It took everything out of me and I did the 'death shuffle' for the last couple miles.

For this 20 miler, although I bonked at the last couple miles, I felt loads better than last week. Last week, I was done at 15 (although there were still 5 miles to go). This week, I was trying to race someone at mile 17, and didn't really bonk until I hit the hills at mile 18. So overall, I'm happy with my run.

Another 10

Today I ran 10 miles... 1 mile warmup, 8 miles at marathon pace (actually, faster than marathon pace), and 1 mile cooldown. My GPS ran out of battery at 1.82 miles, so I was guessing at my pace for most of it, but I did have my regular watch on, and it was a regular route, so I knew where most of the mile markers were. I don't have an exact count for mile 2, but at the time, I was running an 8:50. For miles 3-9, I ran on average an 8:35 pace (wow!), and mile 10 was a little faster than the cooldown, as when I entered my neighborhood, I saw the trash truck, remembered that I didn't put the trash out, so booked it home to beat the truck (time was on my side, as it went down a couple of side streets on its route, whereas I didn't).

Tomorrow, an easy 4, and Saturday (groan), another 20.

So, when I was wrapped up in my head about the dead battery in my GPS, and not knowing exactly what my pace was, blah blah blah, I was shaken back to reality when I saw a homeless person sleepy along the Fairfax County Parkway on the bike trail. It put things WAAAAYYY back into perspective. In the end, I have it very lucky. I have a job, a house, a family, I get to enjoy time to myself (such as running). I have friends, a car (well, 2 cars), and I'm fairly well adjusted. Then I see someone who doesn't have many of these things right there in front of me. Now, I don't live in the city, and I don't see this very often. The sight of this was very jarring to me. I should carry a couple bucks with me when I run, but in this case, I'd be afraid to a) wake this person up; or b) place the money in their shopping cart, as I would not want to upset him/her. But carrying some money would be good anyway, just in case.

Welcome to

Well, I ran in Collinsville, IL today. Never been here, never run here. Didn't see much, as I was running in the dark. I found my way over to a road called Horseshoe Lake Road, which, oddly enough, will find its way to Horseshoe Lake, an Illinois State Park. I didn't make it that far, as I turned around at 4.2 miles (I would have had to run another 1-2 miles to make it to the park). I mapped my run here.

Weather, 59-60 degrees, VERY windy. There is/was a storm coming, but it never hit. However, due to the storm, I did run much faster on the way back than intended (nearly 2 minutes faster).

Overall, nice run, but didn't do it 'easy'. Tomorrow's a rest and we'll pick it up again on Thursday, with a Marathon-pace run

My Quads Hate Me

Okay, this morning, woke up at 4:15 am (quite early!) to knock out an easy four before my morning flight. Ouch, my quads are still sore from Saturday. They revolted for about 3 of those miles. The last mile was pretty good, but now, 6 hours afterwards, I definitely know my quads exist.

The run? pretty good. Went down Misty Creek road for a flat 4.4 miler. Was cool out this morning (49 degrees), but don't need the gloves yet. My legs hurt going down hills, but overall, no pain in knees or feet (yay!). Tomorrow I'm running 7 or something, at some sort of pace, and running in a new town (I'm back in St. Louis, but could not find a hotel in trusty ol' O'Fallon, so staying in nearby Collinsville). It's promising out here, as although I'm not staying in Collinsville proper (where most of the MapMyRun running routes are), but in the 'hotel district' -- probably the industrial park :) there's a state park within 6-7 miles. I'm not running 6-7 miles just to run in a state park, but I'm hoping the road going there will be somewhat scenic. Scenic at 5:00 am?, well, hopefully not a main road full of traffic.

long SLOW distance

Well, I went 20 today. Took me a long time, but I did it :) I couldn't run it last night due to the fact that there was a school event (at one point, I *did* remember that there was one, but somewhere along the way, I had forgotten). Cub scout training this morning, but My Lovely Wife allowed me the afternoon (3 hours 52 minutes of it) to do my long run. Since I had skipped last week's run (and I felt that today), there was no way I could skip another.

20. Oddly enough, I wasn't afraid of the distance. For the first 5 miles, I was thinking that I could do it well. At mile 10, I was slowing down, but I still felt good. At 15, my wheels fell off. My pace slowed WAY down and I slogged it in. I had to walk a few times the last 5 miles, but I ultimately finished. 20.06 at a 10:49. Eh... hopefully, next week I'll not break down. Hopefully, my running 20 today, I'll be able to do 18 well next time. I am a little afraid to see what my distance is next week though.

Regardless of the distance, I want 13.1 miles of it to be the World Wife Half, one of the race of the World Wide Festival of Races. This is a really cool event run my 'new media', a whole bunch of podcasters who have (oddly enough) running podcasts. Nike has admitted to 'borrowing' this idea of having a virtual world-wide race for their 'human race' event, but this is really cool. There's 5k, 10k, and a 1/2 marathon. Everyone should do it. Just sign up at http://www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com/cgi-bin/home.

10 miles

Whew, wasn't sure if I would be able to get up at 4:30 this morning, but I did, so I ran... 10 miles. Not bad actually. I actually enjoy the mid-week middle distance lengths. One my way out, encountered very little traffic, but on the way back, needed to announce myself to pedestrians walking to the bus stops along the way (to not scare the bejezzus out of them), plus I had to wait for some cars at intersections. Oh, I ran a different route than what I would normally run -- this one has pedestrians and car traffic, oh, and hills....

I was supposed to run a mile warmup, then 8 miles at marathon pace, and then a mile cooldown. Well, I messed up my Garmin (didn't reset from last run), so I spent a while trying to figure out what lap (mile) I was on, versus what was displaying on the GPS, as well as what distance I was at. At a desk, with proper lighting, I could probably do this, but while running, and not thinking clearly anyway, this was apparently a very hard task. Anyway, I figured out that I was running 10 miles, and that I was doing the proper pace. At the end, I figured that I ran an 8:59 for the run, which wasn't too shabby.

Did I mention that was a brisk this morning? 44 degrees. I was cold at the start, and it took over a mile for my hands to get warm.

Tomorrow night (Yes, another sleepy night-time run), 20 miles. yikes.