I finally did go on a run yesterday. mike and I headed out for a nice 7 miler though after 2.5, he thought we were turning around. Nope! It was very cool, about as cold as I can still wear a short sleeve shirt, maybe 55. But it was VERY windy and slightly sprinkling. This was suppose to be an easy run and that is what it was. We ended up averaging about 8:32 pace for the 7 miles including 1.5 into the wind at the end. It also started raining a bit more at the end. Mike kept commenting how it was snowing, not quite. It was a very good recovery run though I was not recovering from anything except for yard work. I guess I was recovering from sore hamstrings. They loosened up on the run and now on Tuesday, I can still feel that they are tight, but they are getting better. Nothing a good stretch can't help.
I got some bad news on Monday. Maybe it is not bad news but really good news. It is all how you look at it. Paul told me that he will not be going with me to the Whistle Stop Marathon. He will be getting back very late on Friday from a business trip to Singapore and can't make it. I ragged on him some but all in good fun. So now it looks like I will be going up all by myself. That could totally suck. It is about 6 hours drive each way to close to as north in Wisconsin as you can get. I did talk to Chaz who is running the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee this Sunday and he may be interested in coming along and running the half marathon but that is a small possibility.
While I was being all bummed out about going up solo, I remembered what happened all the other times I went to marathons alone. In 2006, I was suppose to go with Jeff to Chicago for the Chicago Marathon and he bailed on me a week or so before. I ended up running a 3:55. In 2007, Paul was suppose to go with me to Grand Rapids and he could not make it. I ended up running a 3:43. Hmmmmm. Maybe with no one coming, I will run . . . is it possible . . . could it be . . . better!?!? Well, at least that is what happened the last 2 times so let's hope the trend continues. Both of those days were very cool, just how I like it.
Now Ashland, WI is way up north and they do not have all the hotels (especially big ones) like in most parts of the country. They are usually booked a lot in the summer with tourists and outdoorsmen and in November, they are booked with Deer hunters but I would assume not much at others times, except for the Whistle Stop Marathon. So I got a reservation in Ashland at a Best Western for $170 a night. Holy Crap! That is way too much for a little town like Ashland. But then when I called back to see if they had smaller rooms, they then informed me that there is 2 night minimum. No Way! So I checked on the net and I can get a room in Ironwood, MI, about a 45 minute drive away for about $100 a night without a 2 night minimum. So I think tonight I will call up there and reserve a room there. I really don't feel like spending $350 for a hotel.
So I am not sure if I am going solo or with a friend up there yet or not. We will see next week.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What a Bum!!!
I am only 2 weeks out from my next marathon and I have started my taper. So what do i do for a great run over the weekend? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing!
I woke up early Saturday morning to go on a 13 mile easy run but I was tired from the night before and still trying to get over this cold I got so I ended up laying back down and going back to sleep. I did do some form of exercise later that morning and afternoon though. I loaded 44 rolls of sod into my van (2 trips) and unloaded them at home. Then tool them in a wheelbarrow to the back yard and unrolled them in the dirt patch I have had since I moved in. I now have some nice looking grass there. I also now have soar hamstrings? Why the hamstrings? I have no idea but the are tight and sore. I will run and try to loosen them up on Monday.
I didn't even run today (Sunday) either. What a Bum!
For those of you heading to the upper Midwest for marathons this coming few weeks (Chicago? Lakefront? Twin Cities?), the weather is going to cool down starting tomorrow. Instead of highs in the 70's like we have had for a few weeks now, it will be a high of the mid 50's the next few days. I hope this will stay, at least though all the marathons. I know some of you are wishing and praying for cool temps and that will definitely help us all out.
I did get to go to a nice game on Friday evening. I was given some tickets to go see the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park. They were the best seats I have even had. 4th Row in the Diamond Box section which means I was in the 4th row from the field just behind the Phillies On Deck Circle. That was really cool being that close and seeing he players up close. Good News, The Brewers won the game. Bad News, still no foul balls.
I woke up early Saturday morning to go on a 13 mile easy run but I was tired from the night before and still trying to get over this cold I got so I ended up laying back down and going back to sleep. I did do some form of exercise later that morning and afternoon though. I loaded 44 rolls of sod into my van (2 trips) and unloaded them at home. Then tool them in a wheelbarrow to the back yard and unrolled them in the dirt patch I have had since I moved in. I now have some nice looking grass there. I also now have soar hamstrings? Why the hamstrings? I have no idea but the are tight and sore. I will run and try to loosen them up on Monday.
I didn't even run today (Sunday) either. What a Bum!
For those of you heading to the upper Midwest for marathons this coming few weeks (Chicago? Lakefront? Twin Cities?), the weather is going to cool down starting tomorrow. Instead of highs in the 70's like we have had for a few weeks now, it will be a high of the mid 50's the next few days. I hope this will stay, at least though all the marathons. I know some of you are wishing and praying for cool temps and that will definitely help us all out.
I did get to go to a nice game on Friday evening. I was given some tickets to go see the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park. They were the best seats I have even had. 4th Row in the Diamond Box section which means I was in the 4th row from the field just behind the Phillies On Deck Circle. That was really cool being that close and seeing he players up close. Good News, The Brewers won the game. Bad News, still no foul balls.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Marathon World Record ! ! !
There was a world record set this weekend for the marathon. No, I am not talking about Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin. He ran a few minutes slower than his world record. And, no, there was not a woman who broke Paula Radcliffe's world record either. It took place at the Fox Cities Marathon in Appleton, WI. Most siblings to complete a marathon in under 8 hours. And the record is now 16 siblings. An Oshkosh, WI family broke the record this weekend beating out a family from Ireland who held the record at 15 siblings. Interestingly enough, the Irish family beat the record held by a different family from Oshkosh, WI as well. They had 13 siblings. One of the family members from the first family in Oshkosh actually gave the idea to the second family since some of them went to High School together. If you want to read more, see here. To make it more impressive, each sibling ran the marathon in under 5:30 with 2 running near 3:10.
There are many odd marathon world records out there. When I ran the Grand Rapids Marathon 2 years ago, someone was trying to break the world record for fastest marathon ran on stilts. Every month of so, you can see a new one listed or linked on Runner's World.
I will not be breaking any world records in the marathon anytime soon. I only have 3 siblings and I am not sure I could even walk on stilts plus I don't do any other crazy tings that could even be thought of for a marathon world record. But I did have a good tempo run today.
Since it is taper time, i decided to only go 4 miles by myself. Mile 1 was fast to start out with at 7:36, then I was able to push out a 7:08, 7:06, and a final mile of 7:02. Mike was not there to push me the final mile to go under 7:00 but it was still good. Temps were a bit higher today as well. 77 F out and slightly overcast. This may be the last hard run I do before the marathon. I will still do some speed work to keep the legs fresh but nothing too much to tire them out. The plan is for a 13 miler this weekend.
It doesn't seem to be cooling off as quickly as I would like it to be here in the upper Midwest. I know some of you are planning on running up here in a marathon soon. Chicago comes to mind for about 45,000 of you. Well, it is over 2 weeks out and the weather can change on a dime here so no need to worry . . .yet. Hopefully my race will be cool, at least that is what I am hoping for.
There are many odd marathon world records out there. When I ran the Grand Rapids Marathon 2 years ago, someone was trying to break the world record for fastest marathon ran on stilts. Every month of so, you can see a new one listed or linked on Runner's World.
I will not be breaking any world records in the marathon anytime soon. I only have 3 siblings and I am not sure I could even walk on stilts plus I don't do any other crazy tings that could even be thought of for a marathon world record. But I did have a good tempo run today.
Since it is taper time, i decided to only go 4 miles by myself. Mile 1 was fast to start out with at 7:36, then I was able to push out a 7:08, 7:06, and a final mile of 7:02. Mike was not there to push me the final mile to go under 7:00 but it was still good. Temps were a bit higher today as well. 77 F out and slightly overcast. This may be the last hard run I do before the marathon. I will still do some speed work to keep the legs fresh but nothing too much to tire them out. The plan is for a 13 miler this weekend.
It doesn't seem to be cooling off as quickly as I would like it to be here in the upper Midwest. I know some of you are planning on running up here in a marathon soon. Chicago comes to mind for about 45,000 of you. Well, it is over 2 weeks out and the weather can change on a dime here so no need to worry . . .yet. Hopefully my race will be cool, at least that is what I am hoping for.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A Recovery Run, A Wet Recovery Run
I went on a 5 mile recovery run today after work. I went at a pace that was whet ever my legs felt like going. Ends up they felt like going 8:41 pace. The nice thing about today's run is that 1 mile into it, it started to drizzle. By 2 miles it was raining and by the time I turned around, it was close to a hard rain. By mile 4, it was over but I was already soaked. The temperature of the rain wasn't cold and it wasn't hot. I was soaking wet yet I did not feel cold. I really like to run in the rain and I often wonder what people must think when they see me running while in their cars (more so when it is snowing though).
I am feeling pretty good so far. I took 2 days off after the 26 mile training run and now will take it somewhat easy this week. I think I will do a 13 or so miler this weekend and maybe a tempo run later this week.
My biggest concern right now is something that I think a lot of you are either dealing with or fear having. I am coming down with something. Right now it feels like a cold. Sore throat and phlegm, some coughing but not too bad. No sniffles yet but they may come. Ever since I have had children, my illnesses have gone from all the time and intense to not often at all and not intense at all. The immunity is getting stronger and stronger. That is what I am hoping for, a nice short cold that will be gone soon with little side effect. We shall see. I remember 2 weeks before my first marathon coming down with a big cold. I am pretty sure it affected me during the race but you play the cards you are dealt.
Being healthy or not so healthy on race day is very much like the weather on race day. They is not much you can do about it and you will have to deal with whatever comes along. Hopefully you all are feeling good and I hope it stays that way all the way to race day.
I am feeling pretty good so far. I took 2 days off after the 26 mile training run and now will take it somewhat easy this week. I think I will do a 13 or so miler this weekend and maybe a tempo run later this week.
My biggest concern right now is something that I think a lot of you are either dealing with or fear having. I am coming down with something. Right now it feels like a cold. Sore throat and phlegm, some coughing but not too bad. No sniffles yet but they may come. Ever since I have had children, my illnesses have gone from all the time and intense to not often at all and not intense at all. The immunity is getting stronger and stronger. That is what I am hoping for, a nice short cold that will be gone soon with little side effect. We shall see. I remember 2 weeks before my first marathon coming down with a big cold. I am pretty sure it affected me during the race but you play the cards you are dealt.
Being healthy or not so healthy on race day is very much like the weather on race day. They is not much you can do about it and you will have to deal with whatever comes along. Hopefully you all are feeling good and I hope it stays that way all the way to race day.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A Marathon for a Long Run?
I tried something new today for my long run. I am not sure if I like the results or not but here is what happened:
I woke up very early this morning. 4:15AM It was very dark still outside, duh! After a quick breakfast or 2 packs of Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal, I got on my shoes and off I went. The shoes I wore are brand new. Just picked them up Thursday afternoon. Once again, I bought Nike Skylons. I like a light weight trainer shoe that will work well in a marathon as well. These shoes have a nice bright yellow streak along the bottom where the shoe heal connect to the rest of the shoe. Maybe it will help me be seen in the dark.
My plan was to run out as far as 2 hours at an easy pace and then go back home. It was beautiful out at 4:45AM in the dark. The stars were shining very brightly and at mile 3, I even saw a shooting star. Cool. I was running down a highway so there was little traffic which was good. By mile 5, I hit the trail of crushed limestone. This is what the Whistle Stop Marathon is like for 20 miles, at least so I read. By mile 7 I was at an average pace of 9:15, nice and easy though I have lots of miles still to go. It was starting to get light out but no sun yet and I kept going a little faster.
I finally reach the 2 hour point and the Garmin said 13.1 miles, a complete half marathon. Average pace was 9:08. So far so good but there is a major problem now. If I am to run all the way back home, I will run a full marathon in distance. I had aspirations of doing this run in under 4 hours but after a few miles, I reminded myself that this is only a training run and I need to be out here for a long time. Just after 13.2 miles, the sun finally peeked out and not long after that, I saw my first people as they were walking their dogs.
By 17 miles, my thoughts fully changed as my legs go tired and I still have 9 miles to go. I ended up doing a long walk, maybe 1 to 1 1/2 minutes then started running slowly. This helped for awhile.
I hit 20 miles at about 3:05 or so and kept a nice easy pace as my legs were pretty tired and all I wanted to do now was get home in one piece. My miles didn't get much slower anymore but I did take walks ever 2 miles until the last 3 and then it was every mile. I hit my driveway right at 4:13:15, 13 minutes slower on the way back than out. The total distance according to the Garmin, 26.29 miles, just over a full marathon. Awesome!
I don't recommend everyone do a full marathon in distance before a real marathon race. I have read some plans that call for even longer runs but I think it depends on who you are and how you can react to it. How do I react to it? We will find out in a few weeks.
Let the Taper Begin.
The Whistle Stop Marathon is in only 3 weeks. I amt not yet signed up for it, maybe I should think about doing that. I also do not have gotten a reservation for a hotel. Another thing I should do. So far Paul plans on going up with me. He is climbing Mt. Rainier right now. Chaz and Mike are thinking of coming up and running the half marathon. Chaz will be running the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee 6 days before so he will be tired if he comes. Mike is still recovering from his knee problems but could maybe race a good half. He is not ready for a full yet. I tried to convince Greg to come up, but no luck.
I woke up very early this morning. 4:15AM It was very dark still outside, duh! After a quick breakfast or 2 packs of Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal, I got on my shoes and off I went. The shoes I wore are brand new. Just picked them up Thursday afternoon. Once again, I bought Nike Skylons. I like a light weight trainer shoe that will work well in a marathon as well. These shoes have a nice bright yellow streak along the bottom where the shoe heal connect to the rest of the shoe. Maybe it will help me be seen in the dark.
My plan was to run out as far as 2 hours at an easy pace and then go back home. It was beautiful out at 4:45AM in the dark. The stars were shining very brightly and at mile 3, I even saw a shooting star. Cool. I was running down a highway so there was little traffic which was good. By mile 5, I hit the trail of crushed limestone. This is what the Whistle Stop Marathon is like for 20 miles, at least so I read. By mile 7 I was at an average pace of 9:15, nice and easy though I have lots of miles still to go. It was starting to get light out but no sun yet and I kept going a little faster.
I finally reach the 2 hour point and the Garmin said 13.1 miles, a complete half marathon. Average pace was 9:08. So far so good but there is a major problem now. If I am to run all the way back home, I will run a full marathon in distance. I had aspirations of doing this run in under 4 hours but after a few miles, I reminded myself that this is only a training run and I need to be out here for a long time. Just after 13.2 miles, the sun finally peeked out and not long after that, I saw my first people as they were walking their dogs.
By 17 miles, my thoughts fully changed as my legs go tired and I still have 9 miles to go. I ended up doing a long walk, maybe 1 to 1 1/2 minutes then started running slowly. This helped for awhile.
I hit 20 miles at about 3:05 or so and kept a nice easy pace as my legs were pretty tired and all I wanted to do now was get home in one piece. My miles didn't get much slower anymore but I did take walks ever 2 miles until the last 3 and then it was every mile. I hit my driveway right at 4:13:15, 13 minutes slower on the way back than out. The total distance according to the Garmin, 26.29 miles, just over a full marathon. Awesome!
I don't recommend everyone do a full marathon in distance before a real marathon race. I have read some plans that call for even longer runs but I think it depends on who you are and how you can react to it. How do I react to it? We will find out in a few weeks.
Let the Taper Begin.
The Whistle Stop Marathon is in only 3 weeks. I amt not yet signed up for it, maybe I should think about doing that. I also do not have gotten a reservation for a hotel. Another thing I should do. So far Paul plans on going up with me. He is climbing Mt. Rainier right now. Chaz and Mike are thinking of coming up and running the half marathon. Chaz will be running the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee 6 days before so he will be tired if he comes. Mike is still recovering from his knee problems but could maybe race a good half. He is not ready for a full yet. I tried to convince Greg to come up, but no luck.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A Great Tempo Run
Some days you have it and others you don't. Today was a day I had it!
After work, Mike and I decided to do a nice 5 miler. Mike was a bit stressed and wanted to get some of that out on the run so he started it up a bit faster than I thought we would. While it was a n easy pace for him, it was quick for me, not easy pace at least. Mile 1 was 8:13. In the middle of mile 2, I could tell we were picking it up some but it felt good so I thought no problem. Then he said lets do 6 instead of 5. I rearranged my thoughts and expectations and redialed myself into a 6 mile run. And since we were doing a nice clip, I already decided that this would be a tempo run as well.
I always like to make my tempo runs faster and faster each mile I go. The good news is that mile 1 was the slowest mile of the 6. The great news was that indeed, every mile was faster than the previous mile. Mile 2 was at 7:57. Mile 3 was a slight up hill on the crushed limestone trail until we turned around. 7:49. Now the slight wind was at our backs and down the slight hill for mile 4 in 7:21. I was worried a bit now as that was quite fast for me. Just make it through mile 5 I thought and then I can muster up the energy for mile 6.
It is nice running with faster runners at times. In today's case, Mike kept me moving and when I would pass him, it gave me confidence to keep going. I know it was a walk in the park for him as his marathon pace is just under 7:00, but mile is more like (hopefully) 8:30 to 9:00. We cruised through mile 5 in 7:07 and now I wanted a sub 7. I kept passing Mike and he kept passing me and we hit the parking lot at work right at mile 6 in a final mile time of 6:47. I wasn't even fully drained which is awesome.
The temps had a lot do do with the good run. There was little humidity and it was 70 at most. the sun was out but the cooler temps sure did help. That is the great thing about training for a fall marathon (or 2). You train in the heat and humidity of the summer and then when the fall comes with cooler temps, it feels so much easier to run. You hope and pray that race day is the same as well. I have had the extremes in fall marathons. Chicago in '07 when it reached the lower 90's and then Chicago a mere 1 year earlier when it was 37, drizzling and windy. You just don't know what you will get. I guess that is one of the reasons I usually plan 2 marathons in the fall, in case 1 does not cooperate.
Anyways, it was a great run today. I hope you had a great run as well. One long run planned for this weekend and then the taper begins. How far am I running this weekend? I am not sure yet. I am toying with the idea of running a nice slow easy pace out for an hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours and then back in however I feel. This should get me over 22 to near 24 possibly. We will see.
After work, Mike and I decided to do a nice 5 miler. Mike was a bit stressed and wanted to get some of that out on the run so he started it up a bit faster than I thought we would. While it was a n easy pace for him, it was quick for me, not easy pace at least. Mile 1 was 8:13. In the middle of mile 2, I could tell we were picking it up some but it felt good so I thought no problem. Then he said lets do 6 instead of 5. I rearranged my thoughts and expectations and redialed myself into a 6 mile run. And since we were doing a nice clip, I already decided that this would be a tempo run as well.
I always like to make my tempo runs faster and faster each mile I go. The good news is that mile 1 was the slowest mile of the 6. The great news was that indeed, every mile was faster than the previous mile. Mile 2 was at 7:57. Mile 3 was a slight up hill on the crushed limestone trail until we turned around. 7:49. Now the slight wind was at our backs and down the slight hill for mile 4 in 7:21. I was worried a bit now as that was quite fast for me. Just make it through mile 5 I thought and then I can muster up the energy for mile 6.
It is nice running with faster runners at times. In today's case, Mike kept me moving and when I would pass him, it gave me confidence to keep going. I know it was a walk in the park for him as his marathon pace is just under 7:00, but mile is more like (hopefully) 8:30 to 9:00. We cruised through mile 5 in 7:07 and now I wanted a sub 7. I kept passing Mike and he kept passing me and we hit the parking lot at work right at mile 6 in a final mile time of 6:47. I wasn't even fully drained which is awesome.
The temps had a lot do do with the good run. There was little humidity and it was 70 at most. the sun was out but the cooler temps sure did help. That is the great thing about training for a fall marathon (or 2). You train in the heat and humidity of the summer and then when the fall comes with cooler temps, it feels so much easier to run. You hope and pray that race day is the same as well. I have had the extremes in fall marathons. Chicago in '07 when it reached the lower 90's and then Chicago a mere 1 year earlier when it was 37, drizzling and windy. You just don't know what you will get. I guess that is one of the reasons I usually plan 2 marathons in the fall, in case 1 does not cooperate.
Anyways, it was a great run today. I hope you had a great run as well. One long run planned for this weekend and then the taper begins. How far am I running this weekend? I am not sure yet. I am toying with the idea of running a nice slow easy pace out for an hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours and then back in however I feel. This should get me over 22 to near 24 possibly. We will see.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
WELS Kid's Marathon
Yesterday was the WELS Kid's Marathon final mile. What an awesome event to watch and put on.
I was up late Friday night stuffing the goody bags each participant would receive. Besides some coupons, each kid received a water bottle, jump rope, some quench gun, and a glow in the dark super ball. After stuffing almost 200 bags, I decided which songs to play during the event and had to burn them on CDs. Ends up I had only 1 remaining blank CD and I needed 2. I ended up burning the pre-race CD with songs thought kids would like and a few the adults would like. I had on some Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana, High School Musical and then I added some Beatles and 'Weird Al'. I did hear some compliments on the music so I guess it was good.
I woke up early and quick went to Walgreen's for new blank CDs and some Ice and was at the facility by 6:40. Too bad the gates were not opened until just after 7:00. I got the second CD burned during this time. Once inside, we started setting up tables, registration, the finishing chute, etc. We were good to go when the first participants started arriving around 8:45.
The first CD started right on time at 9:00 and I just made sure everything was in place, went over the announcements with the announcer and chatted with a lot of the people there. Bango, the Milwaukee Bucks mascot, showed up and the kids had a lot of fun with him. He even did the warm up stretching with the kids and even ran the first 1/4 mile! The first CD ended right on schedule at 9:53 and the National Anthem went off at 9:55. At 10:00 the race started and off they went.
197 kids were signed up but only about 130 to 140 were here this day. A lot had football games or recitals. They still will get their awards. Some of the kids were racing this. And a short little girl, maybe 5th grade, was leading the whole race until about 200 meters to go. I was pulling for her to win but she ended up in about 4th or 5th. I placed myself just after the finish line and gave high 5's to every kid as the finished. Right after me was the medals that went around each of their necks. The medal turned out to be petty cool, I will have to take a picture and show you.
After all the participants finished, we gave away a lot of prizes that were donated from a lot of the local athletic stores and some of the professional teams. I didn't get much of a chance to see this as I was beginning to clean up.
Lots of compliments from people which was good. I didn't hear any complaints the day of the final mile so another plus. All the volunteers did an awesome job helping the kids stay safe and have a good time. Lots of water, bananas, apples, granola bars, and cookies were donated for the kids to drink and eat so no one left with out something.
While cleaning up, Gwen, one of the committee members came up to me wit 2 water cups and asked if I was thirsty. I said no (I just had a bottle of water). She asked me again which i found odd and I knew she heard me and then I realized what was going on. I was doused with about 6 or so cups of cold water. I wasn't drenched and it did feel good as it was in the lower 80's by this time and sunny.
I really think it most had a good time, not only during this final event, but also all summer longs doing all the reading and running/walking. I was told this by a few parents and I really think this will become an annual event. I have even been given the use of the facility again for next year already. BONUS! I am really looking forward to the feedback from the parents and kids soon.
Oh, we also had a photographer at the event and I can't wait to see what he shot. I will definitely share so of those.
There was one school that had 10 kids who all could not show up on Saturday, so today, Melissa and I went down there and they had their own final mile complete with extra food and water. Melissa put the medals over there head after they finished and she had a good time.
I would have to say this Kid's Marathon was a major success. Next year should be even bigger and I expect twice as many to sign up. We will see. I will keep you all up to date on it.
I was up late Friday night stuffing the goody bags each participant would receive. Besides some coupons, each kid received a water bottle, jump rope, some quench gun, and a glow in the dark super ball. After stuffing almost 200 bags, I decided which songs to play during the event and had to burn them on CDs. Ends up I had only 1 remaining blank CD and I needed 2. I ended up burning the pre-race CD with songs thought kids would like and a few the adults would like. I had on some Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana, High School Musical and then I added some Beatles and 'Weird Al'. I did hear some compliments on the music so I guess it was good.
I woke up early and quick went to Walgreen's for new blank CDs and some Ice and was at the facility by 6:40. Too bad the gates were not opened until just after 7:00. I got the second CD burned during this time. Once inside, we started setting up tables, registration, the finishing chute, etc. We were good to go when the first participants started arriving around 8:45.
The first CD started right on time at 9:00 and I just made sure everything was in place, went over the announcements with the announcer and chatted with a lot of the people there. Bango, the Milwaukee Bucks mascot, showed up and the kids had a lot of fun with him. He even did the warm up stretching with the kids and even ran the first 1/4 mile! The first CD ended right on schedule at 9:53 and the National Anthem went off at 9:55. At 10:00 the race started and off they went.
197 kids were signed up but only about 130 to 140 were here this day. A lot had football games or recitals. They still will get their awards. Some of the kids were racing this. And a short little girl, maybe 5th grade, was leading the whole race until about 200 meters to go. I was pulling for her to win but she ended up in about 4th or 5th. I placed myself just after the finish line and gave high 5's to every kid as the finished. Right after me was the medals that went around each of their necks. The medal turned out to be petty cool, I will have to take a picture and show you.
After all the participants finished, we gave away a lot of prizes that were donated from a lot of the local athletic stores and some of the professional teams. I didn't get much of a chance to see this as I was beginning to clean up.
Lots of compliments from people which was good. I didn't hear any complaints the day of the final mile so another plus. All the volunteers did an awesome job helping the kids stay safe and have a good time. Lots of water, bananas, apples, granola bars, and cookies were donated for the kids to drink and eat so no one left with out something.
While cleaning up, Gwen, one of the committee members came up to me wit 2 water cups and asked if I was thirsty. I said no (I just had a bottle of water). She asked me again which i found odd and I knew she heard me and then I realized what was going on. I was doused with about 6 or so cups of cold water. I wasn't drenched and it did feel good as it was in the lower 80's by this time and sunny.
I really think it most had a good time, not only during this final event, but also all summer longs doing all the reading and running/walking. I was told this by a few parents and I really think this will become an annual event. I have even been given the use of the facility again for next year already. BONUS! I am really looking forward to the feedback from the parents and kids soon.
Oh, we also had a photographer at the event and I can't wait to see what he shot. I will definitely share so of those.
There was one school that had 10 kids who all could not show up on Saturday, so today, Melissa and I went down there and they had their own final mile complete with extra food and water. Melissa put the medals over there head after they finished and she had a good time.
I would have to say this Kid's Marathon was a major success. Next year should be even bigger and I expect twice as many to sign up. We will see. I will keep you all up to date on it.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tomorrow is the Kid's Marathon
Busy Busy Busy
Than has been my week so far. The Kid's Marathon is tomorrow and I have been replying to emails, coordinating volunteers, picking up the medals, water bottles, safety pins, water cups, etc etc etc. list goes on and one. I am glad I have this week off because if I didn't, I don't think I would be able to pull it off. I do have other committee members helping me get ready as well, so it is not all up to me.
I still have to make the CD for all the music I plan on playing during the event. I will do that tonight as well as stuff almost 200 goody bags will all the fun things the kids will all receive. They will all get a jump rope, a glow ball, an inspirational book, water bottle, sponsor sheet, Quench Gum, and other small things. I think most will enjoy what they receive.
I will be up at 6AM loading the van with all the stuff and be at the facility at 7AM to start setting up with the other committee members. Good thing I got my sort of long run in this morning.
Speaking of running, after last weeks killer miles, I took it very easy this week. So easy that I didn't even run until yesterday when I did 5 miles at 8:39 pace. The legs still need to recover from the monster week and the stress of the Kid's Marathon doesn't help either I suppose.
Today I went for a run at 9:15AM. It was sunny, humid and didn't seem too hot, that is until I was 5 or so miles into it. I decided to run a course near my house and I wasn't sure how long it was until I was done. I decided to run very easy. It was a somewhat hilly course and I knew that so that is another reason I took it easy. By mile 3 I was soaked with sweat as the sun was beating down and when running past the farm fields, there was not much relief from it. After 8 miles, my legs felt a little better and I finished good. The course ended up being 11 1/2 miles and I an it in an average of 9:25. I did not feel all that good throughout it, but oh well, that goes with marathon training.
I will try to get some miles in on Sunday otherwise my week will only be 16 1/2 miles, much less than the 59 from last week.
Well, I hope I didn't screw up too much in this post. I wrote it very quickly as it feels like I have a million more things to do today and tonight.
Than has been my week so far. The Kid's Marathon is tomorrow and I have been replying to emails, coordinating volunteers, picking up the medals, water bottles, safety pins, water cups, etc etc etc. list goes on and one. I am glad I have this week off because if I didn't, I don't think I would be able to pull it off. I do have other committee members helping me get ready as well, so it is not all up to me.
I still have to make the CD for all the music I plan on playing during the event. I will do that tonight as well as stuff almost 200 goody bags will all the fun things the kids will all receive. They will all get a jump rope, a glow ball, an inspirational book, water bottle, sponsor sheet, Quench Gum, and other small things. I think most will enjoy what they receive.
I will be up at 6AM loading the van with all the stuff and be at the facility at 7AM to start setting up with the other committee members. Good thing I got my sort of long run in this morning.
Speaking of running, after last weeks killer miles, I took it very easy this week. So easy that I didn't even run until yesterday when I did 5 miles at 8:39 pace. The legs still need to recover from the monster week and the stress of the Kid's Marathon doesn't help either I suppose.
Today I went for a run at 9:15AM. It was sunny, humid and didn't seem too hot, that is until I was 5 or so miles into it. I decided to run a course near my house and I wasn't sure how long it was until I was done. I decided to run very easy. It was a somewhat hilly course and I knew that so that is another reason I took it easy. By mile 3 I was soaked with sweat as the sun was beating down and when running past the farm fields, there was not much relief from it. After 8 miles, my legs felt a little better and I finished good. The course ended up being 11 1/2 miles and I an it in an average of 9:25. I did not feel all that good throughout it, but oh well, that goes with marathon training.
I will try to get some miles in on Sunday otherwise my week will only be 16 1/2 miles, much less than the 59 from last week.
Well, I hope I didn't screw up too much in this post. I wrote it very quickly as it feels like I have a million more things to do today and tonight.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Lake Country Half Marathon
I woke up very early on Saturday morning. Chris picked me up at 4:45AM to drive out to the Lake Country Half Marathon. We drove through the dark and fog and started out 5 mile warm up, yes 5 mile warm up, at 5:47AM. It was still dark so we took a less traveled road to avoid all the cars coming to the race. Nothing destroys a race like getting hit by a car before it.
We ran the 5 miles really slow. I met up with Greg before the race began at 7:00AM. He was psyched for his first half marathon. The temps were cool at the start and the sun was coming up, no clouds and maybe upper 50's. The horn goes off and so do the rest of the 800+ half marathoners.
I was there to pace Greg but also get a good workout in with tired legs as I ran lots of miles this week including 14 the day before. The first mile was right on track at 9:02 and mile 2 was good as well at 9:06. Greg wanted to start this pace and then pick it up. There was no problem with Greg but there certainly was with me. 2 miles into the race and my legs were D E A D. I just couldn't keep up any good pace and I knew this wasn't going to be a help to Greg so i told him to go ahead and have a great race and I would try to catch up with him later. This was going to be a real problem since I could hardly keep any pace. I took a nice walk break and then another friend of mine, Wendy, passed me. We spoke for a bit and then she left ahead of me. I continued to walk a bit and then jog slowly as I was passed by lots of people. At this point in time, I was really contemplating jogging back to the start line and calling it a day. I convinced myself to keep going as this was a training run, not a race and my goal all week was to tire the legs out beforehand. I just didn't realize they would be THIS tired and dead.
Mile 3 was a whopping 10:15 but felt much slower. After mile 3, my legs suddenly felt a little better and I could get back to running. I wasn't going to let mile 3 keep me from finishing. I was amazed and completely surprised and how I was able to turn it around. I think it must have been the extra walk during mile 3 but as the miles went on, the legs felt better, yet still tired. Miles 4-12 were all sub 9:00 and I was passing people left and right. I kept looking ahead for Greg but didn't see him. This was good news as it means he was having a good race.
I got the mile 12 and took my last walk break and water and wondered if I could maybe break 8:00 for the final mile. I kept pushing it and faster I got. Mile 13 was was 7:58! I kept flying toward the finish and finished in 1:55:54. I still didn't see Greg but found him at the finish. He had run a 1:52 for his first half marathon. He was happy. Chris finished good as well. He took 16th overall in 1:23, a major PR for him. I am quite happy with how I ran considering the week. If I can react this way when I have tired legs in a race, all will be great. We will see in the coming months.
The race course here ranks #2 on my list for most beautiful courses I have run. We ran through nice neighborhoods and past many views of Lac La Belle. Crowds were sparse along the way but those who were out were cheering. In case you want to know what #1 is, it is the Twin Cities Marathon. This is a nice course with a few hills but nothing big. A nice mix of flat with hills mixed. I would definitely recommend this race to others.
We ran the 5 miles really slow. I met up with Greg before the race began at 7:00AM. He was psyched for his first half marathon. The temps were cool at the start and the sun was coming up, no clouds and maybe upper 50's. The horn goes off and so do the rest of the 800+ half marathoners.
I was there to pace Greg but also get a good workout in with tired legs as I ran lots of miles this week including 14 the day before. The first mile was right on track at 9:02 and mile 2 was good as well at 9:06. Greg wanted to start this pace and then pick it up. There was no problem with Greg but there certainly was with me. 2 miles into the race and my legs were D E A D. I just couldn't keep up any good pace and I knew this wasn't going to be a help to Greg so i told him to go ahead and have a great race and I would try to catch up with him later. This was going to be a real problem since I could hardly keep any pace. I took a nice walk break and then another friend of mine, Wendy, passed me. We spoke for a bit and then she left ahead of me. I continued to walk a bit and then jog slowly as I was passed by lots of people. At this point in time, I was really contemplating jogging back to the start line and calling it a day. I convinced myself to keep going as this was a training run, not a race and my goal all week was to tire the legs out beforehand. I just didn't realize they would be THIS tired and dead.
Mile 3 was a whopping 10:15 but felt much slower. After mile 3, my legs suddenly felt a little better and I could get back to running. I wasn't going to let mile 3 keep me from finishing. I was amazed and completely surprised and how I was able to turn it around. I think it must have been the extra walk during mile 3 but as the miles went on, the legs felt better, yet still tired. Miles 4-12 were all sub 9:00 and I was passing people left and right. I kept looking ahead for Greg but didn't see him. This was good news as it means he was having a good race.
I got the mile 12 and took my last walk break and water and wondered if I could maybe break 8:00 for the final mile. I kept pushing it and faster I got. Mile 13 was was 7:58! I kept flying toward the finish and finished in 1:55:54. I still didn't see Greg but found him at the finish. He had run a 1:52 for his first half marathon. He was happy. Chris finished good as well. He took 16th overall in 1:23, a major PR for him. I am quite happy with how I ran considering the week. If I can react this way when I have tired legs in a race, all will be great. We will see in the coming months.
The race course here ranks #2 on my list for most beautiful courses I have run. We ran through nice neighborhoods and past many views of Lac La Belle. Crowds were sparse along the way but those who were out were cheering. In case you want to know what #1 is, it is the Twin Cities Marathon. This is a nice course with a few hills but nothing big. A nice mix of flat with hills mixed. I would definitely recommend this race to others.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Tired Legs, This is Good!!!
My legs are now sufficiently tired for tomorrows half marathon and 5 mile warm up. I wanted them tired so I could get them used to running fatigued and they are now fatigued. I ran 14 1/2 miles at mid morning today. It was not cold but not warm (lower 70's) but it was sunny and that added to the heat. I ran a route out 7 1/4 and back. Out was in 1 hour 3 minutes 30 seconds. Back was 1 hour 3 minutes 21 seconds. Pretty consistent, huh. That comes out to an 8:49 pace. But the important thing is that I had to work it some and that tired me out.
Tomorrow morning, Chris is picking me up at 4:45 AM. Nothing but stars will be shining and maybe the full moon. We are going to run 5 miles before the Lake Country Half Marathon in Oconomowoc, WI. Nice name for a city, isn't it. Lots of Indian names for cities out here. (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Menomonee Falls, Cheniqua, Meguon, it keeps going on and on). I will then meet up with Greg who will be running his first ever half marathon starting at 7:00 AM. The plan is to pace him through the half marathon at 8:45 to 9:00 pace. We plan on starting at 9 for the first 2 miles and then picking it up. I certainly hope by mile 8, 9 & 10, I can keep up. Ordinarily this would be no problem, but I will be up to the mid 50's in miles at that time. That is a lot for me. Under 2 should be no problem for Greg but the longest race he has run before was 10 miles so you never know. Laura from my work will also be running the half. She is on the verge of breaking 2 hours herself. Maybe tomorrow is the day!
Have a nice Labor Day Weekend everyone.
Tomorrow morning, Chris is picking me up at 4:45 AM. Nothing but stars will be shining and maybe the full moon. We are going to run 5 miles before the Lake Country Half Marathon in Oconomowoc, WI. Nice name for a city, isn't it. Lots of Indian names for cities out here. (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Menomonee Falls, Cheniqua, Meguon, it keeps going on and on). I will then meet up with Greg who will be running his first ever half marathon starting at 7:00 AM. The plan is to pace him through the half marathon at 8:45 to 9:00 pace. We plan on starting at 9 for the first 2 miles and then picking it up. I certainly hope by mile 8, 9 & 10, I can keep up. Ordinarily this would be no problem, but I will be up to the mid 50's in miles at that time. That is a lot for me. Under 2 should be no problem for Greg but the longest race he has run before was 10 miles so you never know. Laura from my work will also be running the half. She is on the verge of breaking 2 hours herself. Maybe tomorrow is the day!
Have a nice Labor Day Weekend everyone.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
7 + 2 = 9
So I am trying to tire my legs out for the 2 long runs this weekend. Why would I do this? I want to have the legs get the feeling of running long distances when tired, simulating the feeling I always get past mile 20 of a marathon. This week should produce the highest mileage of my training before the fall marathons and that certainly should make them good and tired. If all goes according to plan, I should be in the mid to upper 50's for the week, very high for me.
Yesterday was a nice 7 miler. It ran it a but faster than easy pace and it felt good. I didn't know how the legs would feel after the great run on Monday but they responded good. i think it has a lot to do the with cooler temperatures we are having here in Wisconsin. It was lower 70's with low humidity. I ended up doing the 7 at 8:19 pace. As I was walking in the parking lot at work after the run, Mike came outside and was about to start his run (later than usual). He was going for a quick 4 miler on a 2 mile loop near work. He jokingly asked if I was going to join him and I said, what the hey and joined him for the first loop. So with the 7 mile run and the 2 mile run, that makes 9 for the day.
It was good to talk to Mike during the run. We don't usually get time to talk at work (he works in a different department) and we usually crack jokes or shoot the sh--. I hate it when he says something so funny that it makes me crack up while we are running. I can't laugh hard and run at the same time. this makes him try harder to do just that, what a friend!
Today was another encouraging run. I went on another 7 miler and I ran it at an easy pace. the legs still felt good and it ends up that the easy pace was 8:30. Yes, another cooler day here. So I have 22 miles in this week so far with another 32 coming on Friday and Saturday. I may join Mike on an easy 4 miler tomorrow, we will see. But the week is going well so far despite the minor back and ankle set backs. It is only 5 1/2 weeks until the marathon so I must keep up the hard work.
The rest of this week and most of next week I will be concentrating on the Kid's Marathon. That is only 1 1/2 weeks away and I am feeling the pressure to make sure everything goes well. I will have to write more about the event later.
Yesterday was a nice 7 miler. It ran it a but faster than easy pace and it felt good. I didn't know how the legs would feel after the great run on Monday but they responded good. i think it has a lot to do the with cooler temperatures we are having here in Wisconsin. It was lower 70's with low humidity. I ended up doing the 7 at 8:19 pace. As I was walking in the parking lot at work after the run, Mike came outside and was about to start his run (later than usual). He was going for a quick 4 miler on a 2 mile loop near work. He jokingly asked if I was going to join him and I said, what the hey and joined him for the first loop. So with the 7 mile run and the 2 mile run, that makes 9 for the day.
It was good to talk to Mike during the run. We don't usually get time to talk at work (he works in a different department) and we usually crack jokes or shoot the sh--. I hate it when he says something so funny that it makes me crack up while we are running. I can't laugh hard and run at the same time. this makes him try harder to do just that, what a friend!
Today was another encouraging run. I went on another 7 miler and I ran it at an easy pace. the legs still felt good and it ends up that the easy pace was 8:30. Yes, another cooler day here. So I have 22 miles in this week so far with another 32 coming on Friday and Saturday. I may join Mike on an easy 4 miler tomorrow, we will see. But the week is going well so far despite the minor back and ankle set backs. It is only 5 1/2 weeks until the marathon so I must keep up the hard work.
The rest of this week and most of next week I will be concentrating on the Kid's Marathon. That is only 1 1/2 weeks away and I am feeling the pressure to make sure everything goes well. I will have to write more about the event later.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
How to Keep A Chiropractor In Business
I did not run all weekend. Took the entire thing off. So what do I get for that? My body rebels.
I was playing outside with my youngest princess. We were playing “Catch Ball” as she calls it. I take a ‘bouncy ball’, the kind you can get at your local Target or grocery store of $1.99 and we are playing catch with it. On one particular throw, which consists of me very softly underhand throwing the ball to her, I suddenly feel my lower back start to tighten up. COME ON NOW! It was ball that weighed ¼ pound at best and all of a sudden my back problems are here again. I quickly go inside to stretch it out but the damage was done and my back was sore once again. Not as bad as previous times but sore none-the-less.
I make an appointment with the Chiro for Monday after work and he gives it a good stretching and cracking. It feels better as of today but not yet to 100%. I guess you just never know what will trigger it to go that way but I deal with it anyways.
While at the Chiro, I tell him that my ankle is feeling a lot better and that I had no issues walking on it during the day. PSYCH! I should have kept my mouth shut.
After the appointment, I went on a run. I was going to go 5 miles and after the first half mile of the back feeling tender, the tenderness goes away and I run free and easy. I am cruising at a pace of close to 7:50 and it feels easy. I decide to go a bit further than 5 and turn around a little past 3 miles. At about 3 ½ miles, all of a sudden I get sharp pains in my foot just below the ankle area, same foot. I know this is the same thing but I have never felt it like this before. I have to walk a little and try to start up but the pain is still there. I finally get to a jog and keep increasing the pace until I am back to that fast sub 8:00 pace. Again I feel great, except for the foot which I am monitoring closely.
I finish the run, about 6.22 miles averaging 7:55 pace. This was great but now I am walking tenderly. I am cursed, at least I was on Monday. I am going to run tonight. I am going to try 7 miles at an easy pace. My plan is mega miles this week. I hope the foot feels OK, but I will definitely be discussing this with the Chiro tomorrow as I have another appointment.
I said I have a big week planned and I am hoping I can do it all without the injury bug hitting me more. 6 yesterday, 7 today. 6 or 7 tomorrow. I have off on Friday so I plan on doing a nice easy 14 miles. Then on Saturday, I am planning on helping pace a friend in his first half marathon. I will run 5 miles before hand with another friend and then try to help pace Greg at 9:00 pace. I hope I can keep up with that toward the end. He is excited about his first half and I try to convince him to go the next step after the half and go for a full. He is a work in process as he says no way now, the challenge is now set!
I was playing outside with my youngest princess. We were playing “Catch Ball” as she calls it. I take a ‘bouncy ball’, the kind you can get at your local Target or grocery store of $1.99 and we are playing catch with it. On one particular throw, which consists of me very softly underhand throwing the ball to her, I suddenly feel my lower back start to tighten up. COME ON NOW! It was ball that weighed ¼ pound at best and all of a sudden my back problems are here again. I quickly go inside to stretch it out but the damage was done and my back was sore once again. Not as bad as previous times but sore none-the-less.
I make an appointment with the Chiro for Monday after work and he gives it a good stretching and cracking. It feels better as of today but not yet to 100%. I guess you just never know what will trigger it to go that way but I deal with it anyways.
While at the Chiro, I tell him that my ankle is feeling a lot better and that I had no issues walking on it during the day. PSYCH! I should have kept my mouth shut.
After the appointment, I went on a run. I was going to go 5 miles and after the first half mile of the back feeling tender, the tenderness goes away and I run free and easy. I am cruising at a pace of close to 7:50 and it feels easy. I decide to go a bit further than 5 and turn around a little past 3 miles. At about 3 ½ miles, all of a sudden I get sharp pains in my foot just below the ankle area, same foot. I know this is the same thing but I have never felt it like this before. I have to walk a little and try to start up but the pain is still there. I finally get to a jog and keep increasing the pace until I am back to that fast sub 8:00 pace. Again I feel great, except for the foot which I am monitoring closely.
I finish the run, about 6.22 miles averaging 7:55 pace. This was great but now I am walking tenderly. I am cursed, at least I was on Monday. I am going to run tonight. I am going to try 7 miles at an easy pace. My plan is mega miles this week. I hope the foot feels OK, but I will definitely be discussing this with the Chiro tomorrow as I have another appointment.
I said I have a big week planned and I am hoping I can do it all without the injury bug hitting me more. 6 yesterday, 7 today. 6 or 7 tomorrow. I have off on Friday so I plan on doing a nice easy 14 miles. Then on Saturday, I am planning on helping pace a friend in his first half marathon. I will run 5 miles before hand with another friend and then try to help pace Greg at 9:00 pace. I hope I can keep up with that toward the end. He is excited about his first half and I try to convince him to go the next step after the half and go for a full. He is a work in process as he says no way now, the challenge is now set!
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