My 2008 Baltimore Marathon

2008-10-13T12:18:00.001-07:00

Well, here goes nothing. The training for my first marathon was a bit hap-hazard. From mid-July to early-September things were going great. Somewhere in September, right after my 2nd ankle sprain of training, things fell apart though. I was having the hardest time making my way out the door, and maybe ran 3-4 times over a course of 3 weeks. Two weeks before the marathon I started running again, just enough to try to regain some fitness and get my legs used to the feeling again.

Lets fast forward a bit now, on Thursday I made Chicken Parmesan, with lots and lots of pasta. The day before race day I went down town to pick up my race packet. The expo was at M&T Bank Stadium, on the club level. There were plenty of vendors to fill up the area, including the equivalent of a small Under Armour store. I guess being the title sponsor has its perks? The pick up went smooth, I got my bib, which had the D-Tag chip attached, I got my race shirt and signed up for a pace group all in about 30 minutes. I made my way to one of the booths and grabbed 5 GU's, 3 Vanilla, 2 Chocolate. I made my way to bed around 10:30 that night, and surprisingly enough, was asleep by mid-night.

Race morning came at 5:03am, when my first alarm went off. I promptly shut that off, then alarm number two went off at 5:05am. At the point it was time to stand up. I enjoyed my normal breakfast of (chunky) peanut butter toast with apples and cinnamon oatmeal. I then hit the bathroom and made my way out to door to downtown Baltimore. I made it downtown and parked at 6:30am, with a scheduled race start of 8:00am. I took about a half hour at my car prepping, changing my shirt, getting out of my long pants, taping my foot, all those little things. I made my way over to the start at Oriole Park at Camden Yards from M&T Bank Stadium. On my way over I had to cross where the finish line was. I paid special attention to walk around, instead of over the line, I didn't want to cross it until I earned it. I found a nice bench and zoned out for about a half-hour, I watched the volunteers making the final preps to the last .2 miles. I envisioned each leg of the race mentally I made my way up to Druid Hill, down to Ft. McHenry, around the inner harbour, through Patterson Park, to Clifton Park, a lap around lake Montebello, then the final straight back to Camden Yards.

I made my way to the start area and met up with the 4:45 pace group. I knew this goal was optimistic considering my training. But I decided that if I was going to go out too fast I'd like to know exactly how too fast I was going to be. The national anthem played as 4 helicopters circled over head, 3 state police and one news chopper. The gun went off and the nerves all went away. It took about three minutes to get to the start line. When I crossed the confetti was still blowing and the fans were still cheering, it was a great feeling.

~~Miles 1-6~~
Mile one happened so fast, we ran it only a few seconds ahead of pace, but it felt like it was a 4 minute mile. Mile two came in right on pace as did mile three. I was feeling amazing, even as the first set of hills started. Miles four five and six were also right on pace, the 4:45 pace group was amazing. I don't remember much of this part of the race, it was all a blur.

~~Miles 7-13~~
We started to make our way back down to the harbor at mile seven. I was having fun chatting with all the other runners. I missed all the mile markers from mile 4-9, but my Garmin was keeping track for me. All of these miles came in within 5 seconds of pace. At mile seven we had our picture taken as a pace group. At this point we were running past the harbor and crows support was growing. After making it past the harbor we made our way to Ft. McHenry. After a loop there we were at mile ten. Still feeling great and on pace. Coming up to mile twelve I saw my spinning teacher who just finished up her relay leg. It was nice to see a familiar face. I also knew that my family was going to be at mile thirteen with two more GUs for me, I had three in my pockets at the start. My dad held them out as I came up, and one of the women who was running with the 4:45 group tried to grab them from him. I ended up getting them from him and I gave her one, she apologized not knowing they were meant for me, which I totally understood. I crossed the mat at the half

~~Miles 14-18~~
This is where things started to get hairy. I was beginning to feel it. I was still staying with the pace group, but it was getting harder and harder. My breathing was great, but my legs just weren't carrying me as quickly anymore, the lack of training was starting to kick in. I fought to stick with them until mile 17. They slowly started to fade out into the distance. By mile 18 they were out of sight. My hamstrings were cramping up very bad. I kept pushing but ahhh! It was probably the long stretch of hills from 16-20 that took everything out of my legs.

~~Mile 19-21~~
Mile 19 was the crest of the hills, which was a very welcomed sight. Mile 20 was a lap around the very flat lake Montebello. My legs were hurting so bad, as I ran by the mile 21 marker y left hamstring and right calf started spasming very bad. My walk breaks that started at 18 were getting longer and longer. Coming out of lake we had a mile or two of rolling hills.

~~Miles 22-23~~
The pain wasn't getting any worse, but it certainly wasn't getting any better. I kept pushing forward. There were to women running together that I started to stick with. They were very friendly and it was great to have someone to talk to. It helped take my mind away from the pain. At the end of mile 23 we made the final left turn and began making our way back downtown.

~~Miles 24-25~~
Coming down Howard St. back into the city I was starting to go numb, the pain didn't matter anymore. I stopped paying attention to my watch and just wanted to get to the end. Mile 24's marker came and went, then 25 came and went. This was it. We made a quick S turn onto Eutaw St. and it was at this point that I saw the clock tower across from Camden Yards. That was it, to the tower, down the warehouse and across the line. I made it to the tower, I made it to the warehouse.

~~Mile 26-Finish~~
We ran through Oriole Park at Camden Yards along the warehouse, then all that was left was the walk way to M&T Stadium, where the finish line was. People were walking at this point and I couldn't understand why, as I ran by I tried to get them to run with me, some did, others couldn't. I was amazed how many people were still mingling around after I passed the 26.1 (mile 13 sign for the half) point. It felt like I was sprinting at this point, even though I know I was probably barely moving. I made the last little curve and the finish line was right there. I hit the mat and my hands went straight to my head, I was finally done. I crossed the line with 5:46:23 showing on the clock. The announcer called my name and all sorts of feelings were going through my head.

~~Post Race~~
I made my way to the finishers area to pick up my medal. I saw a friend of mine there who was there cheering on the runners. She gave me a hug, and took a picture with me. I grabed a bottle of water and chugged it. Picked up and orange, took a giant bite of the skin so I could get in there and peel it. Once I got it peeled it was gone in no more then 3 bites. I walked around for a little trying to make sure I my body was ready to walk back to the car. On my way out of the celebration village I found my parents and girlfriend. They wanted to stand there and talk, I wanted to find somewhere to sit down. We chatted for a few minutes, which felt like hours before making our way back to my car. I don't think I said anything on the walk back to the car, besides obscenities directed towards the bridge we had to cross. When we got to the car I got my shoes off and my feet into my crocs. I pushed my seat all the way back, reclined it a bit, let my girlfriend take me home. Somehow I never fell asleep that day. My legs were hurting, and I was walking very funny.

~~The day after~~
I woke up and to my surprise I could walk! There was still some soreness, but that was more then expected.

All in all, I can't wait to do another. The only thing I'll do different the next time will be a shorted training schedule, probably a 10 week schedule rather then an 18 week schedule. I think burning out of training really hurt my finish time Saturday.

~~Official Splits (chip times)~~
Mile 6: 1:05:17
Mile 10: 1:48:42
20K: 2:19:17
Half 2:22:37
30K: 3:49:51
Mile 21: 4:26:34
Finish: 5:43:52

Some Photos
Right before the halfway point
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2934547846_08a5cb158b.jpg?v=0

The clock tower
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2938486318_c3395a740a.jpg?v=0

.05 Miles to go
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2934554106_46d2215867.jpg?v=0

Final steps
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2933692677_0538e61b3a.jpg?v=0

Crossing the line
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2934546006_0cd3167ae5.jpg?v=0

The hardware
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2938395554_ab427017bc.jpg?v=0

Going Stir-Crazy

2008-06-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's only been 4 days of no running, but I am going insane! I don't know how I am going to last through Friday with no running. My ankle still hurts a bit, especially walking down steps, but I just really want to get back on the road. Half-way through my rest period.

Down for the Count

2008-06-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out for a 3 mile run. I was trying to run it fast, instead of just a leisurely stroll. Mile 1 came along in 7:17, feeling good. At 1.58 miles I took a bad step. My right foot landed half on the sidewalk, half on the grass. When the grass gave and the sidewalk didn't my ankle buckled, I pushed off for my next step and then immediately dropped to the ground screaming in pain. After laying on some random persons lawn for a few minutes I made my way to my feet. My ankle was hurting bad, but I had to get home. I started to walk home, .6 miles later I arrived home. I was hurting bad. I took some tylonal, gave it some ice and then wrapped it. I went to bed and it was still in pain, I woke up in the middle of the night and refreshed my ice. Today I woke up and was still unable to put any weight on that foot at all, even the weight on the foot while sitting was enough to cause pain. I worked a half day before making my way to the ER. After a few hours and three x-rays I got my diagnosis. Severe sprain. I am hanging up my Brooks for the next 7-10 days, and replacing them with some crutches. I am going to miss out on some runs. Three 6 milers, one 8miler, one 4miler, one 3 miler, one 13 miler. Maybe more, hopefully less. Being sidelined is going to SUCK.

Inagural Baltimore 10-Miler Race Report

2008-06-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

The day started very early (for me at least) when my alarm sounded at 5:25am. I begrudgingly got out of bed and started cooking my breakfast. A cup of water in the microwave and two pieces of bread in the toaster. I went back up stairs while everything was cooking I got changed into my race clothes. I came back and added the water to my bowl of instant oatmeal and chunky peanut butter to my toast. I ate breakfast and was on my way.

The course was about a 20 minute ride away, my GPS tried taking me in through the back side of the park, which was closed off because of the race. After a few laps around the park a few other cars and myself came upon a race volunteer who pointed us in the right direction. When I parked I grabbed my stuff and changed my shoes, got out of my pants (I wear pants over my racing shorts, habit.) While I was making my final preparations I was talking to my parking lot neighbor, Grace. We walked over to the packet pick-up together and chatted a bit before parting ways.

I had an hour or so to kill so I found a chair and relaxed as best I could. About 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time I made my way to the sign that read "10:00 Pace." My goal time was 1:40:00, so I figured thats where I wanted to be. While waiting for the gun a friend of mine, Scott, came up and said hi. We chatted for a bit, he said that 10 minutes was probably a bit quicker then he was going to be able to run with his knee, but he'd start there with me and see how it goes. 7:34am the gun goes and we are off.

The course opened up with a 2 mile consistent downhill of about a total of 200ft. Which was very bad, considering the course was an out and back, so we finished with a 200ft, 2 mile climb. Miles 1 and 2 went by fast, like they do in most races. Mile 1 was done in 8:51, it was quicker then it was supposed to be but it was still ok. mile 2 went by in 9:32, right about where I wanted to be for the 1st half.

After the 2 mile down hill there were 2.5 miles of rolling hills. Still feeling surprisingly well mile 3 and 4 were 9:18 and 9:27. As we approached mile 5 we looped around Lake Montebello. A 1.3 mile loop around a man-made lake with a running/biking lane around it. It is was the only flat part of the course and it gave my leg muscles a great rest. Mile 5 cruised through in 9:53. The clock time at the 5 mile marker said 49:45, which means that according to gun time I was just ahead of my goal pace. During the first half I was having a blast, chatting with Scott, and all the other runners. As we approached the lake one woman was saying that she needed something to cure her boredom, so I asked what she wanted to hear and started to sing for her.

After the loop around the lake we had to re-run the course in reverse to get the total mileage. Back to the 2.5 miles of rolling hills. Miles 6 and 7 came and went in 9:42 and 9:47. After the set of rolling hills came the final 2 mile climb. The 8 mile marker came at the bottom of the last hill, and passed at 10:01. The fatigue was beginning to set in, right as we got to the final 2 miles. Coming up on mile 6 Scott and I came up on Grace, she was walking when we reached her but she ran with us for a little. She said that the heat was getting to her, so after a few minutes she went back to her walk. Around mile 7 I could feel that I could push a bit, and knew that I would need to push if I would make pace with those hills to close out the race. I told Scott I'd catch him later and I was now running 'alone.'

As I said earlier the last 2 miles were a 200ft climb. Miles 9 and 10 were slower then all the others. I had to walk a bit in mile 9, the climb killed me. Mile 9 went in 11:05. Mile 10 was only slightly faster, but I kept in a running stride the whole way, it finished in 11:03. My Garmin read the course as a total of 10.18 miles, so that means I still had another .2 miles to the finish, which I did in 1:19, a 7:29 pace.

When I stepped on the mat I stopped my watch, I looked at it and saw it read "1:39:59.93." I did it! My time said I did it! I hung around for a bit snacking on the watermelon they supplied, YUM! While hanging around I ran into Scott again, who was surprised with his finish time and that his knees held up as well as they did. As the results were coming out they posted them, I couldn't find my name which worried me, what if my chip malfunctioned? I tried not to think about it and returned to my car, where Grace was on the phone with a loved one. She came in with a time of 1:48:xx, slower then she was hoping for, but she was having problems with the heat so she was happy with it.

I got home and checked to see if the results were online yet, they were. I searched for mine and found a listed chip time of 1:40:00. Right on my goal. I took a shower and then a nap, it was wonderful. Today I am feeling almost no pain, which is that much better.

3 Fer 1 Post

2008-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 6/10
Hot and sticky, 5 miles scheduled, what to do? I decided that I didn't want to wake up an hour earlier then normal to go for a run so I pushed the run to the evening. Knowing it was going to be hot I planned to use a treadmill at the gym. Let me just say, treadmills are so boring! I completed 5.17 miles in 49:00, an average pace of 6.33MPH, 9:28min/mi.

Wednesday 6/11
The weather was finally breaking, with a 3 mile run on the training calendar. I set my alarm for 5:55am and was out the door by 6:05am. Mile one went very smooth at 9:38. Mid-way between miles one and two I stepped on unlevel sidewalk wrong and down I went. While I was down I stopped my timer. A driver coming up from behind me must have seen me go down because she stopped to see if I was ok. After a minute or two of walking gingerly talking to the nice woman she went on her way as did I. At this point the pain in my ankle subsided and I was back off again. Mile two splitted at 9:13, should have been closer to 12:00 since I stopped my watch when I was nursing my ankle. Mile three my ankle was begging to bother me but I pushed on knowing that I was only four minutes away from home. Mile three finished at 9:34. I then slowed to a walk for the last 386ft to my door.

~~Mile Splits~~
Mile 1 - 9:38
Mile 2 - 9:13
Mile 3 - 9:34
3-3.07 - 0:50 (11:30/mi pace)
Total - 3.07mi - 29:16 - 9:31/mi

Thursday 6/12
The day after the injury. My ankle was hurting pretty bad last night, standing on it for a couple hours at a concert probably wasn't the best medicine for it. When I got home I iced it as I fell asleep. It was feeling good until recently, it is beggining to hurt again. So I see more ice in my future, when i get home. Today is a scheduled rest day, which I hope is all that I need to get my ankle good enough to run again. Tomorrow I have 5 miles on the schedule and a group 10 mile run planned for Saturday morning. Until next time, happy running.

Welcome to Marathon Training!

2008-06-09T06:58:00.001-07:00

I start my official marathon training this week. I have a mixed feelings of hope, fear, nervousness and anticipation for the next 18 weeks. The program is based off of Hal Hidgons' intermediate training plan. It features three low weeks of twenty-six miles and two high weeks of fifty miles. It builds in atleast two rest days a week. Week one is a nice way ease into the program slowly ramping up the mileage. The program offers three twenty mile runs, two of which fall the day the following a ten mile run.

Week 1 Plans
Sunday - Cross Train
Monday - 3 Miles
Tuesday - 5 Miles
Wednesday - 3 Miles
Thursday - 4 Miles
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 10 Miles

Toe Isn't Healed

2008-06-09T06:47:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up nice and early. Rolled out of bed at 6:00am and was on the road by 6:10am. I was sleepy, and the first mile took a lot more effort then what it should have to get my legs moving. Mile one went by at 8:38, even though it felt like I was running a seven minute mile. Mile two I slowed a bit, but I was finally waking up, so my effort level fell considerably. Mile two passed in a time of 9:19. Mile three was very tough, the mercury was already beggining to rise, even though it was only 6:30am at this point. I took a bit of a walk break from about 22:15-22:50, the 85º temps were starting to hit me. Mile three finished at 9:28. My pace was slowly falling as the temps were slowly rising. I walked another four-hundredths of a mile to cool my body down a bit. As I sit here typing this my toe is starting to bother me, I was hoping it was finally healed, apparently not.

Mile splits (which are posted above):
Mile 1 - 8:38
Mile 2 - 9:19
Mile 3 - 9:28
3-3.04 - :38

Total - 28:04 - 9:14/mi

What a Wonderful Run Yesterday.

2008-06-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had what could be described as my best run ever. It was a just a quick and easy 4.5 mile run, but it was so perfect. My feet were moving seemingly effortlessly, my breathing was in perfect check. I went out with only one goal, to hold a steady pace, and I did just that.

Mile Splits
Mile 1 - 9:23
Mile 2 - 9:33
Mile 3 - 9:45
Mile 4 - 9:25
4-4.64 - 6:03 (9:27/mi pace had I finished it)

Held a steady ~9:30 pace for my entire run.

On another note, I registered for the Inagural Baltimore 10 Miler yesterday. I need to have another shot at a race distance of double digits. Look for me on June 21st running 10 miles through the ghettos of Baltimore.

Running On an Injury. Probably Not the Best Idea.

2008-06-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

I hurt my toe when I took that miss-step in my half-marathon on Sunday. It felt wrong the rest of the race, and swelled up like a baloon as soon as I stopped running. I gave it Monday off to rest then got back to pounding the roads on Tuesday. I went out for a quick four miler, although my pace didn't suffer from the lingering injury, I know that it would have made a difference had I went much further. After mile 3 I could feel every other step (the ones that I was landing on my left foot) so intensely. I should probably rest it until the weekend, then plan on cutting my long run back if it starts to flare up, but I will probably go out on a run tonight and see how it goes.

~Mile Splits~
Mile 1 - 8:30
Mile 2 - 8:41
Mile 3 - 9:45
Mile 4 - 9:48
4.0-4.19 - 1:50 (9:55/mi pace)

Stupid toe!

Zooma Annapolis Half-Marathon Race Report

2008-06-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

I suppose that this race started Tuesday afternoon, when I picked up my race packet. At that point I had a mix of excitement and nerves. I was feeling good, having a tough time with my taper though, I just wanted to run. I went out for a quick two mile run on Thursday, just to keep my legs loose, that was my last run before the race.
My bib:

Race shirt:

~~Saturday~~
I had a graduation party to goto, at 3:00 PM. Which means I'd be eating whatever they served for dinner. The food sucked, so when I got home I cooked myself some pasta and enjoyed in a carbo-load dinner. I went upstairs around 9:30 PM and started my last minute prep for the following morning. I set two alarms so I'd defiantly wake up on time. I laid out my clothes, set my shoes by the door. Made sure I had my breakfast food of choice in the house. Everything was perfect. I didn't fall asleep until closer to 11:30 PM, giving me about five hours of sleep.
Everything waiting for me to wake up:

~~Sunday (pre-race)~~
My alarms sound at 4:30 AM, which is the earliest I've woken up in a long time. I was surprised that I was able to sleep as well as I did. When I woke up my stomach was in knots, I was so nervous. I got dressed, went downstairs and set in on my usual race day breakfast of toast with peanut butter (chunky) and apples & cinnamon oatmeal. After breakfast my stomach wasn't feeling good at all, I set off anyway in hopes that in the following hour and a half before the race starts it will settle. It started to, but defiantly wasn't 100% at the start.
At my house, 4:40 AM:

Pre-race at the start, 6:40 AM:

~~Sunday (gun to finish)~~
I lined up with the nine minute pacer, knowing that I couldn't hold that pace, but I was hoping to stick with her until mile 6 or 7. As we were in the final minutes before the start I saw one of my friends that I had no idea would be at the race, that was a big boost. She set off with the nine minute pacer, also knowing that was too fast for her. The gun sounded and we were off. It was really happening, I was actually about to run 13 miles, 142 yards, 1 foot, and 6 inches. Mile one was effortless, we ran it in 8:20. Mile two was also quicker then it should have been with about 8:40. Right after the mile two marker we embarked in our first hill, a bridge over the Severn River. This bridge was huge, and a killer. It's good that I was at the beginning as opposed to the end. I was able to run the bridge but it took a lot out of me. I don't know any more mile splits from this point because my Garmin started to mess with me. At the 5k split the clock was showing just under 30 minutes, which puts me on the ten minute pace I was hoping for, but I hit it earlier then I wanted. Right after the 5k point I took a miss step which resulted in me falling off the road, I caught myself with my hands and was able to only loose a step or two. Mentally it messed with me bad though. I pushed on and around mile five I saw the nine minute pacer walking, turns out she tripped also. Around mile six I was starting to slow and could feel it. Not too much later I had a FE with cj2001. We ran together for a little, then she fell off the pace, then caught me again, then passed me. At the turn around point, which came right before mile eight I was feeling really bad. I was still ahead of my hopeful ten minute mile pace. At eight and a half I grabbed some Gatorade because I was cramping a bit. This was a bad idea, my stomach didn't like that at all. I was starting to lose my pace around mile nine. Shortly after my friend from the start line caught up to me and helped to push me along. I was starting to hurt bad around mile ten. After the tenth mile marker I was in a new distance PR. The miles kept passing, although they were passing much slower then I was hoping they would be. The last couple miles were downhill, which was a welcomed relief considering the first four or five miles were almost straight up hill. Mile twelve passed, I was hurting so bad. I looked down and saw 2:10:00 pass, there went ten minute pace. Now it was all about finishing. Mile thirteen came, all that was left was a loop around an exit ramp to the finish line. As soon as I saw the banner that said "FINISH" my legs gained a second wind. I asked my friend if she minded if I 'sprinted' to the finish, she told me to go. I gave it my all, crossed the line with a gun time of 2:18:36.
Just after the gun:

Coming to the finish:

Just after the line:

Removing my chip:

Post-race chat with fellow runners (#8 is my friend who helped me push through the last 5 miles):

~~Sunday (post-race)~~
I tried to walk a bit, but my legs weren't having any of that. So I stretched as best I could before getting on the shuttle to the post-race party and expo and my car. One I sat down on the bus my legs instantly locked up, it was bad. We got back to the post-race party, I stumbled off the bus and picked up my boxed lunch. I was feeling horrible still, as expected. I stumbled my way back to my car where I say cj2001 again, she finished about ten minutes ahead of me (Good Job on your first half!) we chatted for a little before we parted ways. After a bit of a ride home I took a shower and sat in the tub, it felt so good. I took a bit of a nap on the sofa then checked for the official results. My chip time was, drum-roll please...2:18:20. A 10:34 pace, only 34 seconds off my goal pace, so for my 1st half I am not complaining. Another thing I saw when checked the results, was that I won my age group! Ok, I was the only Male 15-19 to finish, but there is still a 1 next to my name under age group place!

Twas' the Night Before, Racemas?

2008-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning is my first Half-Marathon. My nerves are finally showing themselves. Everything is set for tomorrow, hopefully it goes off without a hitch. My shoes are by the front door, chip attached. My breakfast is waiting for me on the counter, just need to heat and eat. Dual alarms are set. And my race clothes are laid out hanging on my bedroom door. 8 hours, 43 minutes until the gun sounds, I really need to get to bed.

"Trust your training, trust your taper."

Zooma Annapolis Half-Marathon Right Around the Corner

2008-05-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I picked up my race packet for the Zooma Annapolis Half-Marathon on Sunday. This has been the main focus of my training for the past couple of months. The nerves are starting to set in.

I pulled up to Fleet Feet, where the packet pick-up was being held.

My bib. I hope to see some signs with encouraging words for #1470 Sunday.

Got a nice technical shirt too. This won't be worn until I can call myself a finisher.

Last Run Before The Half

2008-05-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today was my last run before the Half-Marathon on Sunday. This was just to be a quick run, just to keep my legs loose and to let me know if I had any injuries lingering that I needed to nurse for the next couple days. I went out for what was supposed to be an easy two miles, well easy wasn't what my pace ended up being. I ran those two miles in just over 17 minutes, oops. As I lay here typing this, my fingers are twitchy, my legs won't stay still. Needless to say, its going to be a long 60 hours.

Mile Splits

Mile 1 - 7:36

Mile 2 - 8:48

2-2.08 - :41 (8:48min/mi pace)

Race Day is Looming.

2008-05-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

As I write this the countdown to the gun is at 3 days, 12 hours and 48 minutes. It's finally starting to hit me, 13.1 miles. In one outing. At the same time. What was I thinking? Too late to back out now, In 3 days and 10 hours I *hope* (can't jynx it) to be a Half-Marathon finisher! So, today I went on my next to last run before the race. I set out looking for a calm and relaxed four miler. The miles ticked off, one by one. I was feeling very good the whole way, my pace slipped just about a minute from mile one to mile four. Mile three was even a bit quicker then mile two. If this is any indication of how things are going to go Sunday, I will be so excited! As usual, I will finish my post with my mile splits from the run.

Mile Splits

Mile 1 - 8:11

Mile 2 - 9:05

Mile 3 - 9:00

Mile 4 - 9:37

4-4.08 - :45 (9:24min/mi pace)

Training Partners ROCK!

2008-05-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Kate, this one goes out to you! Today was my first run with my marathon training partner. I drove to her house so we could run on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, which just so happens to be where the majority of my Half-Marathon is going to be run. As we set off toward the trail we jibber jabbered about random stuff, her graduating, school, life in general. It was great to talk to someone besides the little voice in my head. As we approached the trail we had the option to turn left onto it, or to turn right onto it. We decided to turn left, after looking at a map later, had we turned right we would have overlapped my Half-Marathon's course a little. We cruised along the trail for 4 miles before turning back. The miles just seemed to pass, didn't even realize how far we were going and how far we went. Around mile 6ish we were both getting tired, and thirsty. Luckily there was a water fountian just ahead. We stopped and got some water and took a quick potty break before finishing off the run. The final couple miles were hard, after the water break my legs seemed to think we were done and didn't want to come back. Perseverence paid off and we ran the trail back to the streets to get to her house. The total mileage on the day came to about 9.3 miles. Since we ran this one electronics free I don't have mile splits, or even an accurate time. Judging by the clock in my car at the time we left and time we got back we spent about 1:40:00 on the run. That would come to an average pace of about 10:43min/mile. Having a training partner is great! Two more weeks until we really start to train for the MARATHON!

New 5k PR?!

2008-05-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today I was going to watch my little cousins baseball game. He was playing up the street from my house so I mapped out a 5k route to the field he was playing at. I hit start on my timer and never looked back. I ran the whole thing, never even slowed to a jog. When I finished I was really feeling good, like I could have gotten back home running the same pace. If my GPS was accurate, this would have been my fastest run ever, fastest mile by 1:02 and fastest 5k by about 2 minutes!

Mile Splits
Mile 1 - 5:48
Mile 2 - 6:26
Mile 3 - 8:43
3-3.11 - 1:00

5k Total - 21:57

3.11-3.46 - 4:00

Total - 25:57 - 7:29min/mi

Quick Loop, Great Run

2008-05-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today when I got home from work I wasn't feeling very much into running. I forced myself out anyway though, just for a quick loop around the neighborhood. Three miles later I got home feeling great. Aside from pushing mile one hard I was able to finish running my normal three mile pace. I was surprised when I still had a little juice left in the tank after finishing my run. I guess there is a bit of get up and go in me after all?

Mile Splits
Mile 1 - 7:21
Mile 2 - 8:27
Mile 3 - 9:29
3-3.26 - 3:29 (13:17 had I finished, cool down walk)

Total - 28:47 - 8:49min/mi

Rainy Days Make for Crappy Days.

2008-05-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

Since its the weekend, I think we all know what today is...Long Run Day! I woke up this morning to grey skys, and wet roads. I've done a run or two in the rain before, and they were the worst expierence ever. I followed my normal routine anyway though, toast and oatmeal, let it settle, hope the clouds clear out. As the morning pressed on, the clouds hung on, and the forcast wasn't looking good. At 10:30am the clouds started to clear so I got dressed and out the door I went. As usual, miles one and two were a bit faster then they should have been, but I was able to hold an O.K. pace for miles three through eight, with only a couple blips. As I got into mile six I felt some drops, its alright, only a drizzle, I'll survive. I pressed on, mile seven brought some more drops, at this point I was about to loop by my house before the last three mile loop back to it. I decided I'd run a series of smaller loops to get to my mileage, that way if the rains came I wouldn't be a mile or two away from home. This was a good decision, at I entered mile eight the heavens opened. I was caught in a downpour, and the sky all around wasn't showing any signs of it letting up any time soon. I made my way home and finished 8.68 of my scheduled 10 miles. I showered, ate and napped, it was still raining.

Mile Splits for the day
Mile 1 - 8:24
Mile 2 - 9:19
Mile 3 - 10:38
Mile 4 - 10:06
Mile 5 - 10:52
Mile 6 - 11:37
Mile 7 - 10:24
Mile 8 - 11:29
8-8.68 - 7:31 (11:08 had I finished the mile)

Total - 1:30:23 - 10:25min/mi

Slowly adding distance to my mid-week runs.

2008-05-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

When I started running, my long runs weren't even this long! Today I set out on a trek that took me 3.84 miles before arriving back home. Like usual, my first mile was much too fast, and I paid for it in my last. One day I will learn how to properly pace that first one! Not much more to write about today, more to follow later.

Mile Splits
Mile 1 - 8:18
Mile 2 - 9:18
Mile 3 - 9:06
3-3.84 - 10:07 (12:02 had I finished the mile)

Total - 36:51 9:35min/mile

Three and a quarter, no GPS

2008-05-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today as I was getting ready for my run I went through all my usual steps. Put on the shirt, change into some shorts, lace up the Brooks, turn on the GPS. All was well until I got to the GPS part, when I turned it on it sounded a low battery warning, ok, so its staying home today. Without my GPS I knew it meant that I'd have to mentally pace myself since I won't have anything to keep track of it for me. Out the door I went, I ran the 3.27 mile loop rather consistently, or atleast it felt like it was consistent. I finished the loop in 29:17, which is an average pace of 8:56min/mile. No mile splits today, since I didn't have any way of measuring them.

10 Miler, Number 2

2008-05-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up right on time, had a nice breakfast then watched some TV while I let my toast and oatmeal settle. Nothing worse then the side-stiches that come while digesting on the run (literally.) At 11:23am I set out. It was good weather, the sun was starting to come out, but it was still staying cool. My first three miles were effortless, then I had a bit of trouble in mile four but worked through it. Mile five my pace dropped back to my starting pace, which I was very happy about. The final five miles were tough, but I held a steady 10:30min/mile pace through them. This was probably my best long run to date!

Mile Splits
Mile 1 - 8:17 (too fast)
Mile 2 - 9:14
Mile 3 - 9:22
Mile 4 - 10:50
Mile 5 - 9:28
Mile 6 - 10:33
Mile 7 - 10:26
Mile 8 - 10:28
Mile 9 - 10:17
Mile 10 - 10:36
10-10.19 - 3:10 (16:35/mi had I finished walking it out)

Total - 1:42:45 - 10:04min/mi
My pacing is defiantly getting better, I still need to work on the first few miles though.

Blisters Suck!

2008-05-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

When I bought my newest pair of shoes I had a series of blisters follow, all on my right foot, all in the same spot. I finally thought I had them taken care of, apparently I was wrong. During my long run today, scheduled for 11 miles, the blisters came back. I felt them begin around mile 6, and as I moved through mile 6 and into 7 they were becoming un-bearable. My pace was beginning to reflect that as well. I ended up cutting my run short, only ran 7.91 miles in a total time of 1:22:29. My pace was very steady, until the blisters hit. I was averaging about 9:40/miles.

::Today's Mile Splits::

Mile 1 - 9:13

Mile 2 - 9:43

Mile 3 - 9:25

Mile 4 - 9:59

Mile 5 - 9:44

Mile 6 - 8:33

Mile 7 - 12:46

7.00-7.91 - 13:02

My pacing was very good on this run, now I need to work on the blister control again. The worst part is that I went about 30 miles without a blister, then all of a sudden I get a couple huge ones on the same run.

Pain Free Runs Rock!

2008-05-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I went out for my last run in the month of April. Heading into this run I had 66.1 miles under my belt, and I knew that I was going to break 70 miles in April. I got home from work and laced up my shoes, and out the door I went. As I was off I felt a sense of calm come over me. The miles were just ticking off, almost effortlessly. Before I knew it 3 miles had passed, only .9 miles to go before I broke 70! I was still feeling good so I kept on running. Another mile passed, and with that came a huge sense of satisfaction, that I ran so far in a month. I finished my route with another 2 miles and change. The total distance of the run came to 6.07 miles. The total time of the run was 57:16.

Todays mile splits were:
Mile 1 - 8:35
Mile 2 - 8:12
Mile 3 - 9:38
Mile 4 - 10:13
Mile 5 - 9:52
Mile 6 - 9:39
358ft (cool-down walk) - 1:04

At the end of the run I was feeling good, no lingering pain in my legs. During the run there was no pain. Well after the run there wasn't any pain. It feels great to run pain free! My mile splits were much more controlled this time around, I hope to be able to continue to hold a steady (for me at least) pace in my 11 mile run tomorrow. Until then, happy trails.

Frustrating Race Day

2008-04-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Grr! I think that pretty much sums it up. Today I ran in the 1st annual Dundalk Pond Skipper 5k. This was my first local race, and it will probably be my last. I ran it because a few of the girls from work were running in it also. The registration forms read that the race would be starting at 9:00am, with packet pickup beginning at 8:00am. I also checked on Charm City Run's website which stated that the race start was at 8:00am, so I figured I'll get there around 7:50am since I knew it was going to be a smaller race. As I was getting close I noticed that the police were blocking off all the streets already, and being unfamiliar to the area I wasn't going to drive into the neighborhoods and get lost while trying to get closer. I parked about a half of a mile away from the start and then had to run to get to the registration table to get my bib and t-shirt. So after the half mile near sprint to the start I was already a bit winded. I had about 5 minutes to catch my breath before the gun went off for the start. I started out way to fast, there was a high school track team there so I started with them. When I looked down at my Garmin about 2 minutes in I saw that we were running a 5:10/mi pace! I slowly dropped off their pace and finished mile 1 at 7:05, which I knew was still too fast. So I slowed it down again. As we were approaching the turn around I came to where my car was parked, with the lights on, so I ran off the course, turned off the lights in my car, and back into the race! At the water table they had dixie cups, yes, the 2oz bathroom cups. I grabbed one, but after the initial slosh, maybe got an ounce of water out of it. My mile two split was 9:14, which was much closer to the pace I wanted to run, but this time was a bit too slow. The final full mile was majority up hill, although I don't remember running down any big hills in the initial two miles. As we neared the finish I looked down at my watch and saw it ticking off 23:30 - 23:31 - 23:32. I had just over a minute to finish if I were going to break my PR. My 3rd mile was done in a time of 8:32. As I took off in a sprint to the finish I took a peak at my watch and saw pass by 24:38, my PR. Which was very demoralizing, but I kept on running. Coming along the final straight I passed two other runners, and crossed the line at 25:12. Still a respectable time for me, but a bit slower then I wanted. I don't think that my 6 mile run on Thursday, tweaking my ankle a bit on Tuesday, or the extra half mile sprint to the start helped my time today, but it's racing, and we all have our off days. Time for a nap, snooze on and have a great weekend.

Thin-Air Thursday

2008-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know its not Thursday anymore, I'm late posting this one. I spent the later part of the week helping move my girlfriend home from college, and while she was taking her last exam I went on a run. I am used to running around sea level, not 1000ft up like in Williamsport, PA. I was amazed to find that even with the elevation change, I had no problems with my breathing. If anything it was even easier. I was going out hoping for 6 miles, but cut short at 5.62mi since I ran into my girlfriend as she was coming back from her exam. My mile splits were getting slower and slower as I went, but from one to the next were remaining fairly close to each other. I am getting better with my pacing, which will be very important if I plan on running 26 miles, 285 yards.

--Mile Splits--

Mile 1 - 8:28

Mile 2 - 8:39

Mile 3 - 9:55

Mile 4 - 10:39

Mile 5 - 10:39

I would also like to note that the start of my run was downhill, and was an out and back. So obviously the back was uphill. Race day tomorrow, so race report will be posted tomorrow. Until then, cool runnings!