I am between races yet again. 2 races down in June, 2 to go.
Last weekend was the Ragnar Relay from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL. I will for sure put up a lengthy race report in the next few days but here is a super quick recap. HOT! VERY HOT! VERY VERY HOT! I did get in all 37.5 miles I was scheduled to run but I can certainly say I did not run all of them. It was 90+ and sunny both Friday and Saturday so speed was not on the docket for anyone out there. But I survived with lots to tell you about.
This coming Saturday is the Great Milwaukee Race. This one is a race where you are given 10 clues your team needs to figure out, run to the locations, and then do a challenge at each one. Tons of fun.
The following weekend I will be a pacer for the 2:20 group at the Summerfest Rock n' Sole Half Marathon in Milwaukee. Should be a ton of fun and I even have a couple friends that may be joining the 2:20 group. Can't wait to help them and everyone else to a fast time and maybe even a PR.
Keep on Running!!!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Race Report - Deckers Creek Trail Half Marathon
Don't let the name fool you, this is not a trail half marathon, at least not in the sense of trail running. It is a half marathon run entirely on a bike trail, and I mean a recreational bike trail, not off road biking. With that said, I really enjoyed this half marathon, one of my favorites.
I don't really know how many half marathons I have run before, I don't keep track. I would suspect somewhere around 25 maybe?? I prefer the full where I have 39 under my belt. I was on a trip with the family to Washington D.C. and was looking for a full marathon somewhere in the area between DC and Wisconsin on the way home. I did find one in West Virginia (a state I do not have) and called them up only to find out that after 19 years, they decided not to have it this year. So I looked and found this gem, also in West Virginia, at the right time.
The price was right too. I paid ONLY $45 to enter, very cheap for a half marathon. But I did know in advance that there would be no medal at the finish line. No big deal for me, I actually think medals should be for the fulls anyways.
The race takes place in Morgantown, WV, in the northern part of the state and I enjoyed a very scenic ride in through the mountains. Very beautiful country, I only wish it wasn't pouring rain on the way in. The hotel I stayed in was only 2 blocks from the finish line and where the buses took you to the start.
I woke up on Saturday morning to find the weather beautiful. About 50 and sunny. I walked to the start area and was able to pick up my packet on race morning (Very nice feature), use a nice restroom (not a portolet) and board a bus for the 13 or so mile drive to the start line up the mountain somewhere. I was able to get to the start about a half hour before the gun, plenty of time. There was a long line near the start at the portolets so good thing I didn't need them. A little low on the numbers of these needed here, but didn't seem like a huge issue to me.
It was sunny and cool and the race started right on the Deckers Creek Bike Trail just a little down the way in a beautiful tree covered area. The path was not very wide so it was very crowded at the start line with 550 or so runners. They do have 2 waves though to help with the congestion. One at 8:30 with the other at 8:45. I was in the first wave due to the 1:45 time I submitted.
This race advertised itself as a downhill half marathon with hardly any uphill which surprised me being in the mountain area. How could they possibly find 13.1 miles of downhill with no uphill? And the course would drop over 800 feet too! Solution: use a trail that follows a river and hopefully the river won't go uphill! (joke!)
The race started on time and it was still cool and sunny but no need to worry about the sun and the trail was mostly tree covered for the first 10 miles. And since I knew it was a downhill race and I did see an elevation chart, I knew it was also a fast course. The first 10.4 miles are on crushed granite or limestone which made it soft with the final 2.7 paved. I took off a little faster that I wanted to and passed mile 1 at 7:38 but feeling great. I wanted to go 8:00 but the downhill had already begun. The nice thing about this downhill is that is is very gradual. It is hard to actually see to elevation change but your legs feel so much better and easier to run on. I used this to my advantage.
My best case scenario goal was to break 1:40, something I only did one time 20 years ago in the first half of my first full marathon. This meant an average pace of 7:36 so I tried to keep it near there to give myself a chance near the end to break it. The miles clipped off each one feeling easy for the first 10 miles. I took my short walk breaks through the water stations and still managed to do all miles sub 8:00. I would talk to a few of the other runners as we went along in the first 6 miles and then as some started slowing down some, I picked it up just a touch and began passing many runners. In all, I think I passed about 25 runner after mile 6 with only 3 passing me (including a guy who started 15 minutes after me, he ran a 1:20 though).
There was no crowd support along the trail but that was to be expected. Some closer to the finish line but the scenery was beautiful so no need for cheering on. The volunteers were good at the aid stations with both water and Gatorade and most stops which were just under 2 miles apart.
At 10.4 miles in, you leave the soft trail for a paved trail which initially made me feel faster but the downhill was over and now it was flat the rest of the way. But after going 10 miles downhill, it felt like an uphill. The trail was less tree covered so the sun beat on us more too. I was beginning to feel my pace suffer a bit so I had to concentrate more in the last 2 miles. My average pace was down to 7:34 so I knew I was under 1:40 at that time but knew I had to work it all the way to the finish. I kept finding someone ahead of me a just pushed until I caught them and then looked for the next. This helped.
With 1 mile to go, I knew I had it barring a major collapse but I maintained and finally saw the finish line crossing in 1:39:08, a new half marathon PR for me. Like I said earlier, no medal at the finish line but that was OK with me. I ended up in 85th place overall out of 563 finishers.
The post race party was pretty good. Lots of food for runner including the usual water, Gatorade, bananas, cookies, etc, but also pizza too. And in the amphitheater area, a bluegrass band playing tunes to keep festivities going. An above average post race area for sure.
The next day I learned that the race was truly more downhill that I thought or it felt like. My quad took a beating and I was a bit for 2 days where I usually feel just fine the next day. Like I said, it was an 800 foot elevation drop for 10 miles so the beating did happen. But it was worth it.
In the end, I really liked this race. Great price, nice cotton short sleeve shirt (I have too many technicals so cotton is great for me), great course, good competition, nice post race spread, and close lodging. This all out ways the crowded start and no medal. I would definitely come back to the race if I am ever in the area though it is unlikely living over 600 miles away. If you are in the area looking for a nice half marathon, I give it my thumbs up.
Keep on Running!!!
I don't really know how many half marathons I have run before, I don't keep track. I would suspect somewhere around 25 maybe?? I prefer the full where I have 39 under my belt. I was on a trip with the family to Washington D.C. and was looking for a full marathon somewhere in the area between DC and Wisconsin on the way home. I did find one in West Virginia (a state I do not have) and called them up only to find out that after 19 years, they decided not to have it this year. So I looked and found this gem, also in West Virginia, at the right time.
The price was right too. I paid ONLY $45 to enter, very cheap for a half marathon. But I did know in advance that there would be no medal at the finish line. No big deal for me, I actually think medals should be for the fulls anyways.
The race takes place in Morgantown, WV, in the northern part of the state and I enjoyed a very scenic ride in through the mountains. Very beautiful country, I only wish it wasn't pouring rain on the way in. The hotel I stayed in was only 2 blocks from the finish line and where the buses took you to the start.
I woke up on Saturday morning to find the weather beautiful. About 50 and sunny. I walked to the start area and was able to pick up my packet on race morning (Very nice feature), use a nice restroom (not a portolet) and board a bus for the 13 or so mile drive to the start line up the mountain somewhere. I was able to get to the start about a half hour before the gun, plenty of time. There was a long line near the start at the portolets so good thing I didn't need them. A little low on the numbers of these needed here, but didn't seem like a huge issue to me.
It was sunny and cool and the race started right on the Deckers Creek Bike Trail just a little down the way in a beautiful tree covered area. The path was not very wide so it was very crowded at the start line with 550 or so runners. They do have 2 waves though to help with the congestion. One at 8:30 with the other at 8:45. I was in the first wave due to the 1:45 time I submitted.
This race advertised itself as a downhill half marathon with hardly any uphill which surprised me being in the mountain area. How could they possibly find 13.1 miles of downhill with no uphill? And the course would drop over 800 feet too! Solution: use a trail that follows a river and hopefully the river won't go uphill! (joke!)
The race started on time and it was still cool and sunny but no need to worry about the sun and the trail was mostly tree covered for the first 10 miles. And since I knew it was a downhill race and I did see an elevation chart, I knew it was also a fast course. The first 10.4 miles are on crushed granite or limestone which made it soft with the final 2.7 paved. I took off a little faster that I wanted to and passed mile 1 at 7:38 but feeling great. I wanted to go 8:00 but the downhill had already begun. The nice thing about this downhill is that is is very gradual. It is hard to actually see to elevation change but your legs feel so much better and easier to run on. I used this to my advantage.
My best case scenario goal was to break 1:40, something I only did one time 20 years ago in the first half of my first full marathon. This meant an average pace of 7:36 so I tried to keep it near there to give myself a chance near the end to break it. The miles clipped off each one feeling easy for the first 10 miles. I took my short walk breaks through the water stations and still managed to do all miles sub 8:00. I would talk to a few of the other runners as we went along in the first 6 miles and then as some started slowing down some, I picked it up just a touch and began passing many runners. In all, I think I passed about 25 runner after mile 6 with only 3 passing me (including a guy who started 15 minutes after me, he ran a 1:20 though).
There was no crowd support along the trail but that was to be expected. Some closer to the finish line but the scenery was beautiful so no need for cheering on. The volunteers were good at the aid stations with both water and Gatorade and most stops which were just under 2 miles apart.
At 10.4 miles in, you leave the soft trail for a paved trail which initially made me feel faster but the downhill was over and now it was flat the rest of the way. But after going 10 miles downhill, it felt like an uphill. The trail was less tree covered so the sun beat on us more too. I was beginning to feel my pace suffer a bit so I had to concentrate more in the last 2 miles. My average pace was down to 7:34 so I knew I was under 1:40 at that time but knew I had to work it all the way to the finish. I kept finding someone ahead of me a just pushed until I caught them and then looked for the next. This helped.
With 1 mile to go, I knew I had it barring a major collapse but I maintained and finally saw the finish line crossing in 1:39:08, a new half marathon PR for me. Like I said earlier, no medal at the finish line but that was OK with me. I ended up in 85th place overall out of 563 finishers.
The post race party was pretty good. Lots of food for runner including the usual water, Gatorade, bananas, cookies, etc, but also pizza too. And in the amphitheater area, a bluegrass band playing tunes to keep festivities going. An above average post race area for sure.
The next day I learned that the race was truly more downhill that I thought or it felt like. My quad took a beating and I was a bit for 2 days where I usually feel just fine the next day. Like I said, it was an 800 foot elevation drop for 10 miles so the beating did happen. But it was worth it.
In the end, I really liked this race. Great price, nice cotton short sleeve shirt (I have too many technicals so cotton is great for me), great course, good competition, nice post race spread, and close lodging. This all out ways the crowded start and no medal. I would definitely come back to the race if I am ever in the area though it is unlikely living over 600 miles away. If you are in the area looking for a nice half marathon, I give it my thumbs up.
Keep on Running!!!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
2012 Wisco Mile
Tonight was the Wisco Mile is the Milwaukee area. I did not run this year due to the fact that I just ran a half marathon 4 days ago and will be starting the Ragnar Relay in 2 days. But I had promised my daughter, Melissa, that she could run.
Keep on Running!!!
When I signed her up, I was hoping to get her in the the girls grade school mile which was for girls in grades 6 to 8, but since she just got out of only 4th grade, she wasn't allowed in Instead, she was in the Coed Community Mile which is open for anyone who wanted to run. Her goal was to run sub 7:00.
Melissa at the Start Line #3
The weather was almost perfect when it was her time to run just before 8:00PM and she was excited. She took off a little fast for the first lap but settled in for the second. On the third lap she was ahead of pace but slowing some. With 1 lap to go, she was looking like she was ready to just be done but kept going as I tried to cheer her on. In the last 100 meters, just as a lady was trying to pass her, she finally found some extra energy and kicked it in finishing in 6:54, a new PR for her.
She is so young to track and will earn over time how to pace herself better and how to keep running hard even when she is tired. She did great though and we went for ice cream afterwards.
There was a special guest at the event handing out awards. Her name is Molly Seidel, and she is a local high school senior. She is also a 12 time High School State Champion in Track and Cross Country and also the the Girls National High School Cross Country Champion from last fall. Melissa and I were able to talk to her and her family for a bit and she was so sweet to Melissa giving her some great encouragement and advise.
Melissa and Molly
After the race, Melissa couldn't wait to tell Molly about her PR. You can see Molly has some crutches. After winning 2 more State Titles this past weekend, her foot was sore so she had it checked out. I hope it isn't serious and it seems like it.
2 days until Ragnar. And most likely no sleep.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Has it been busy!
Just a quick note on a few things as I don't have the time to devote to a full race report at this time.
On Saturday, I ran the Deckers Creek Half Marathon in Morgantown, West Virginia. I will certainly write a race report about it soon as I have quite a few nice things to say about this race. In the end, I ran a time of 1:39:08, which is a PR for the half marathon for me. (Back 19 years ago in my first marathon, I went through the half in 1:35, but it wasn't a half race). I certainly got help in this race in the form of a mostly downhill course, I think 800 feet down in the first 10 1/2 miles. I will share more soon.
Just got back from a family vacation to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio and Washington D.C. to see some sights and see an old friend of mine. I will share some of that as well soon too.
I am getting ready to run race #2 (of 4 total) in June this weekend. I am running the Ragnar Relay from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL on an ultra team (only 6 of us). I get the most miles, something like 37.5 over 3 different runs. I am looking forward to it since I have wanted to run this race for years.
The next weekend is the Great Milwaukee Race which is always a blast and the following weekend I am a pace leader for the Summerfest Rock & Sole Half Marathon in Milwaukee. Not Rock & Roll, Rock & Sole! Yeah, I think they weren't took original but it is a catchy name. I will be pacing the 2:20 group so it should be no problem for me. Let's hope it is not too hot this year like last when they ran out of water and had a lot of problems. The race in under new management and they seem to know what they are doing.
My daughter is also running in the Wisco Mile on Wednesday evening. I ran this last year but with Ragnar so close, I decided to skip it and just cheer her on. Her goal is to break 7:00.
Check back soon for updates.
Keep on Running!!!
On Saturday, I ran the Deckers Creek Half Marathon in Morgantown, West Virginia. I will certainly write a race report about it soon as I have quite a few nice things to say about this race. In the end, I ran a time of 1:39:08, which is a PR for the half marathon for me. (Back 19 years ago in my first marathon, I went through the half in 1:35, but it wasn't a half race). I certainly got help in this race in the form of a mostly downhill course, I think 800 feet down in the first 10 1/2 miles. I will share more soon.
Just got back from a family vacation to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio and Washington D.C. to see some sights and see an old friend of mine. I will share some of that as well soon too.
I am getting ready to run race #2 (of 4 total) in June this weekend. I am running the Ragnar Relay from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL on an ultra team (only 6 of us). I get the most miles, something like 37.5 over 3 different runs. I am looking forward to it since I have wanted to run this race for years.
The next weekend is the Great Milwaukee Race which is always a blast and the following weekend I am a pace leader for the Summerfest Rock & Sole Half Marathon in Milwaukee. Not Rock & Roll, Rock & Sole! Yeah, I think they weren't took original but it is a catchy name. I will be pacing the 2:20 group so it should be no problem for me. Let's hope it is not too hot this year like last when they ran out of water and had a lot of problems. The race in under new management and they seem to know what they are doing.
My daughter is also running in the Wisco Mile on Wednesday evening. I ran this last year but with Ragnar so close, I decided to skip it and just cheer her on. Her goal is to break 7:00.
Check back soon for updates.
Keep on Running!!!
Monday, May 21, 2012
A Little About A Lot
OK, lots of stuff going on and no time to really blog well, so here is a little about a lot of different things.
The I Run Kids Marathon registration is going on right now. Kids can sign up until the end of the school year (and I let quite a few in afterwards too). There are quite a few new schools that are participating this year including the school where one of my running friends works at. I have no idea if we will have more or less kids that last year but fingers are crossed for more. A couple new public school also joined which is encouraging. Word of mouth is out there and people want in.
My daughter had her second track meet this past weekend. She ran the 800 (4 meters shy of a half mile) on Friday evening. She ran so well, I am again proud. She finished in a time of 3:00.94. Not too shabby for 10 years old. Saturday she ran a 1600 that was more like a cross country race than a track race. 2 hills on the course and 70% on grass. It was in the 80's and sunny but she gutted out a 7:18. She was so happy with her times.
My friend Paul just got done running The Great Wall Marathon in China. I haven't talked to him yet but can't wait to hear all about it.
Sunday was pretty warm in Wisconsin and that was the day of the Green Bay Marathon. Lots of people were not prepared enough for the race and many had to be treated so about 2 1/2 hours into the race, they cancelled it and closed the course. My friend Amy ran the half marathon and said it was really hot. She was fortunate enough to have finished before they closed it but her time way way off what she can normally do. I wonder what I would have done if they cancelled it when I was out there. Back in 2007 when I ran the Chicago Marathon in the Melt Down year, I was told the race was cancelled when I got to mile 24. I was hot and miserable but I kept going and finished anyways.
I had a bad weekend for running myself. I set out to do 10 miles on Saturday morning and only got 5 in as I just felt bad. Poor excuse, I know. After that run and 7 hours at the track meet under the sun, I was beat, dead tired and crashed pretty hard that night. I still have 2 weeks before the next race so time to get back at it.
So 2 weeks from now is the Decker's Creek Half Marathon in Morgantown, West Virginia. My first race in a long time so I am excited to see how I can do. The course looks like a pretty fast one (on paper) but it could be hot.Either way, it will be fun to be mixing it up again, even if it is only a half marathon.
The next weekend is the Ragnar Relay from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL. My team isn't fast but we will have fun. I think my total miles has increased to 37.5 miles for Ragnar. Pretty close to the Goof distance.
Then a week after that is the Great Milwaukee Race which is a clue solving, challenge race. That one is always fun as to where they take you and what crazy things they have you do. Looking forward to that one again.
I am planning an early August full marathon but not sure yet. Another crazy yet fun one.
Time sure does fly these days. So much going on and hard to get in all the running I feel I need to do.
Keep on Running!!!
The I Run Kids Marathon registration is going on right now. Kids can sign up until the end of the school year (and I let quite a few in afterwards too). There are quite a few new schools that are participating this year including the school where one of my running friends works at. I have no idea if we will have more or less kids that last year but fingers are crossed for more. A couple new public school also joined which is encouraging. Word of mouth is out there and people want in.
My daughter had her second track meet this past weekend. She ran the 800 (4 meters shy of a half mile) on Friday evening. She ran so well, I am again proud. She finished in a time of 3:00.94. Not too shabby for 10 years old. Saturday she ran a 1600 that was more like a cross country race than a track race. 2 hills on the course and 70% on grass. It was in the 80's and sunny but she gutted out a 7:18. She was so happy with her times.
My friend Paul just got done running The Great Wall Marathon in China. I haven't talked to him yet but can't wait to hear all about it.
Sunday was pretty warm in Wisconsin and that was the day of the Green Bay Marathon. Lots of people were not prepared enough for the race and many had to be treated so about 2 1/2 hours into the race, they cancelled it and closed the course. My friend Amy ran the half marathon and said it was really hot. She was fortunate enough to have finished before they closed it but her time way way off what she can normally do. I wonder what I would have done if they cancelled it when I was out there. Back in 2007 when I ran the Chicago Marathon in the Melt Down year, I was told the race was cancelled when I got to mile 24. I was hot and miserable but I kept going and finished anyways.
I had a bad weekend for running myself. I set out to do 10 miles on Saturday morning and only got 5 in as I just felt bad. Poor excuse, I know. After that run and 7 hours at the track meet under the sun, I was beat, dead tired and crashed pretty hard that night. I still have 2 weeks before the next race so time to get back at it.
So 2 weeks from now is the Decker's Creek Half Marathon in Morgantown, West Virginia. My first race in a long time so I am excited to see how I can do. The course looks like a pretty fast one (on paper) but it could be hot.Either way, it will be fun to be mixing it up again, even if it is only a half marathon.
The next weekend is the Ragnar Relay from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL. My team isn't fast but we will have fun. I think my total miles has increased to 37.5 miles for Ragnar. Pretty close to the Goof distance.
Then a week after that is the Great Milwaukee Race which is a clue solving, challenge race. That one is always fun as to where they take you and what crazy things they have you do. Looking forward to that one again.
I am planning an early August full marathon but not sure yet. Another crazy yet fun one.
Time sure does fly these days. So much going on and hard to get in all the running I feel I need to do.
Keep on Running!!!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Proud Dad
I changed things up a little this past week. I ran a lot less. My reason? My knee had a little something going on. It is not he same pain and I wouldn't really call it pain, but it is something I am a little concerned about. So that is why I decided not to run on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. At least it is one of the reason.
It is now Sunday evening and I can still feel 'something' in my knee. Not enough for me to take any more time off, I do plan on running on Monday, but enough that I am glad I didn't officially run this last weekend.
"Officially Run"? What does that mean? I did get some running in but not a constant distance. It was track meet weekend for my kids I coach. They had a meet on Thursday which I could not attend due to work (if was a meet beginning at 9:00AM) but I did attend the meets on Friday and Saturday. The running I did was back and forth, over and over, in the infield of the track cheering on my runners and relaying splits, letting them know to either speed up, slow down or just plain relax. Since there were 4 different 1600 meter races and 4 different 800 meter races I had kids in, I was back and forth quite a lot. The kids did well and had fun.
OK, now for the Dad Coach in me to come out. My oldest daughter, Melissa, was able to run in her first ever track meet on Friday. She is in 4th grade (10 years old) and not officially on the team since the school only has 5th through 8th grade on the team, but since I on of the coaches, she is allowed to run at all the practices and I was able to get her into a race this year. She ran on Friday in the 1600 and was really excited.
We planned on her trying to run a 7:30. I knew she would be able to, but would she be able to get through the pain associated with the last lap and a half of a 'mile' race. Our goal was to run 1:50 per lap which would translate to a 7:20 in the end. Easy numbers to remember. Her first 200 meters and also her first lap were really fast. Excitement! She settled in on lap 2 and 3 and then on the final lap, she didn't fade, she kept going strong and finished with a time of 7:05! I was so proud of her! She was so proud of herself! Of the 3 meets this year, her time is the second fastest on the team. OK, not too many girls have run this year in the 3 meets, but she did excellent. This Dad is smiling :)
I will continue to run this coming week. I have a little less than 3 weeks until my first race after the injury, a half marathon in West Virginia. I am excited and a little nervous. I want to run well (as always) but don't want to go through the pain of the IT thing again. I will keep rolling though and even bring the foam roller on the trip. I will...
Keep on Running!!!
It is now Sunday evening and I can still feel 'something' in my knee. Not enough for me to take any more time off, I do plan on running on Monday, but enough that I am glad I didn't officially run this last weekend.
"Officially Run"? What does that mean? I did get some running in but not a constant distance. It was track meet weekend for my kids I coach. They had a meet on Thursday which I could not attend due to work (if was a meet beginning at 9:00AM) but I did attend the meets on Friday and Saturday. The running I did was back and forth, over and over, in the infield of the track cheering on my runners and relaying splits, letting them know to either speed up, slow down or just plain relax. Since there were 4 different 1600 meter races and 4 different 800 meter races I had kids in, I was back and forth quite a lot. The kids did well and had fun.
OK, now for the Dad Coach in me to come out. My oldest daughter, Melissa, was able to run in her first ever track meet on Friday. She is in 4th grade (10 years old) and not officially on the team since the school only has 5th through 8th grade on the team, but since I on of the coaches, she is allowed to run at all the practices and I was able to get her into a race this year. She ran on Friday in the 1600 and was really excited.
We planned on her trying to run a 7:30. I knew she would be able to, but would she be able to get through the pain associated with the last lap and a half of a 'mile' race. Our goal was to run 1:50 per lap which would translate to a 7:20 in the end. Easy numbers to remember. Her first 200 meters and also her first lap were really fast. Excitement! She settled in on lap 2 and 3 and then on the final lap, she didn't fade, she kept going strong and finished with a time of 7:05! I was so proud of her! She was so proud of herself! Of the 3 meets this year, her time is the second fastest on the team. OK, not too many girls have run this year in the 3 meets, but she did excellent. This Dad is smiling :)
I will continue to run this coming week. I have a little less than 3 weeks until my first race after the injury, a half marathon in West Virginia. I am excited and a little nervous. I want to run well (as always) but don't want to go through the pain of the IT thing again. I will keep rolling though and even bring the foam roller on the trip. I will...
Keep on Running!!!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Another Long One
I had a pretty good week of running. A ran 4 days including a long one on Saturday.
Twice in so many weeks, I was able to meet up with Amy for a long run. This time the rain was done before we started, not during it. I picked up Amy around 6:30 and this time we headed down to the lakefront to go on our long run. We were going to run the same route and path that the South Shore Half Marathon but keep going past the turn around and then a small loop before heading back.
I have a lot of friends that I run with but most of the time, I am the slower of the group or the faster runner so running with Amy is really nice. She and I are very close in our pace. We run side by side and don't have to wait or feel like we have to speed up to keep with each other. We get in some good talking along the way, that is until toward the end when the talk lessens as we tire.
This time we ended up going 20 miles on the path on a cool, slightly breezy morning. Since we were planning on going 20, I was nervous that I may have bitten of more than I could chew since 125 miles was the longest I had gone since my comeback. Amy had already did a 20 in preparation for the Madison Marathon in 3 weeks and this would be her last long run before it. Through 14, we both were feeling great and then my legs started to feel tired. I had planned to take a Gu at 15 so I kept the pace hoping for the best but ready to let Amy go ahead. Our pace was about 8:57 at this time and after my 15 mile Gu, we kept it up and I felt a little better.
Unlike last week, this week our Garmins were not in sync. As we ran, my Garmin was ahead of hers by almost 0.01 per mile. As I reached 20 miles, her Garmin had 0.15 to go so we kept going until hers hit 20. We made it and both of us pretty tired but glad to be finished. We finished at a pace of 8:55 per mile.
It was a good run and on the way back, we treated ourselves to some chocolate milk and then a 20 minute or so ride home. It was good to be home and relax for awhile. There will most likely not be a long run for me next weekend as I am coaching at 2 track meets on Friday and Saturday. I am excited to see how my kids do in there meets coming up. They have worked hard over the last few weeks of such a short track season. And there are a couple kids who really put their hearts into the workouts and really tried to learn what they could. I hope they all do well in their races.
Only 4 weeks until my first race after my injury. A Half Marathon. I am looking forward to it.
Keep on Running!!!
Twice in so many weeks, I was able to meet up with Amy for a long run. This time the rain was done before we started, not during it. I picked up Amy around 6:30 and this time we headed down to the lakefront to go on our long run. We were going to run the same route and path that the South Shore Half Marathon but keep going past the turn around and then a small loop before heading back.
I have a lot of friends that I run with but most of the time, I am the slower of the group or the faster runner so running with Amy is really nice. She and I are very close in our pace. We run side by side and don't have to wait or feel like we have to speed up to keep with each other. We get in some good talking along the way, that is until toward the end when the talk lessens as we tire.
This time we ended up going 20 miles on the path on a cool, slightly breezy morning. Since we were planning on going 20, I was nervous that I may have bitten of more than I could chew since 125 miles was the longest I had gone since my comeback. Amy had already did a 20 in preparation for the Madison Marathon in 3 weeks and this would be her last long run before it. Through 14, we both were feeling great and then my legs started to feel tired. I had planned to take a Gu at 15 so I kept the pace hoping for the best but ready to let Amy go ahead. Our pace was about 8:57 at this time and after my 15 mile Gu, we kept it up and I felt a little better.
Unlike last week, this week our Garmins were not in sync. As we ran, my Garmin was ahead of hers by almost 0.01 per mile. As I reached 20 miles, her Garmin had 0.15 to go so we kept going until hers hit 20. We made it and both of us pretty tired but glad to be finished. We finished at a pace of 8:55 per mile.
It was a good run and on the way back, we treated ourselves to some chocolate milk and then a 20 minute or so ride home. It was good to be home and relax for awhile. There will most likely not be a long run for me next weekend as I am coaching at 2 track meets on Friday and Saturday. I am excited to see how my kids do in there meets coming up. They have worked hard over the last few weeks of such a short track season. And there are a couple kids who really put their hearts into the workouts and really tried to learn what they could. I hope they all do well in their races.
Only 4 weeks until my first race after my injury. A Half Marathon. I am looking forward to it.
Keep on Running!!!
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