Run, Moon!

My fastest 11 mile run of my entire life!

2009-05-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

...man, that joke never gets old.

Saturday I ran 11 miles. For reasons I explained elsewhere, this was originally going to be a training run for a half marathon in three weeks. But the half isn't for another six weeks. Still, I'm glad I went out and did it!

My girlfriend, Lindsey, helped to talk me into doing the 11 miles today. She's very supportive that way and it rocks.

I prepared for the training run by drinking lots of water, and by eating a delicious cinnamon chip scone from Starbucks about two or three hours prior to setting out. I also planted a 20 oz. bottle of Gatorade near where I was going to finish. It's got electrolytes - what the body needs.

I also applied Body Glide to my nipples, my waist (where the waistband of my shorts would go), my inner thighs, and the Achilles tendons, ball, and tops of the toes of each foot. Just to be safe.

I took with me two packages of PowerBar vanilla flavored gel. More electrolytes! More of what the body needs!

And I was afraid I'd need all of the electrolytes, and luck, I could get.

My plan was to run out and back on my 4-mile loop, then out and back for another 1.5 miles (one way) for my total of 11 miles. I assumed I would be running an 11:30-12:00 pace, for a total time of 2:10 or more, which is why I was being so cautious in having plenty to eat and drink during and just after the run.

I will note this: because this was a training run, I did stop my stopwatch when I stopped to take a drink, so the total time I was out is greater than the time indicated below; my justification is that I was only timing the time I was actually moving to help me gauge my pace.

Here's my mile splits, with cumulative time and cumulative average pace:

10:29 / 0:10:29 / 0:10:29
10:51 / 0:21:20 / 0:10:40
10:28 / 0:31:48 / 0:10:36
10:10 / 0:41:59 / 0:10:29
10:44 / 0:52:44 / 0:10:32
10:42 / 1:03:25 / 0:10:34
11:04 / 1:14:29 / 0:10:38
11:14 / 1:25:43 / 0:10:42
11:21 / 1:37:04 / 0:10:47
12:21 / 1:49:26 / 0:10:56
11:33 / 2:00:58 / 0:10:59

The weather was warm, warm and sunny enough that I feared I might get tanned or sunburned (I didn't) - except for the last mile or so, when it lightly rained on me. I ran out and back on my 4-mile loop (total 8 miles), then out and back another mile and a half, for my total 11 miles, with mile markers.

I ate both gel packets during the run, at around the 3 mile (~30 minutes in) and 7 mile (~75 minutes in), and drank pretty much the entire 20 oz. of Gatorade within 10 minutes of finishing. I also stopped for water at least twice more, and did some walking, especially in the first few miles and the last few miles.

I walked for at least 10 minutes after the run to cool down. Within 15 minutes of finishing the run, I drank a half-liter of water and ate two slices of Bellagio's BBQ chicken pizza.

I did a few leg stretches that evening but nothing major.

My legs were slightly sore that afternoon, but the following day my legs felt good. I think the combination of taking it slow, and all the fluids and electrolytes and the food I ate, helped me reduce the pain of going that far.

Bring on the half-marathon! I think I'm ready to at least finish well. And I still have 6 weeks to work on pace!

A mistake has been made and corrected.

2009-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, pre-run:

Lindsey, knowing I planned a long run today, looked at her calendar. On there (as there was on mine) was an appointment for Sunday 24 May 2009 for "Brian runs the Helvetia Half Marathon". I had asked her, a couple of weeks ago, if she would be my "support crew" for my first half marathon, said support consisting of getting me to the race, and being there at the finish line to cheer me on. I hadn't entirely decided I was going to do it, but having someone else involved helped ensure that I would carry out the plan.

"Honey," she said, "if you run 11 miles next weekend, you could have a two-week taper before the half on the 24th."

"I can't run 11 miles next weekend," I replied, "because I'm running the 12K Lake Run that weekend. That's 7-point-something miles."

"Well," she suggested, "You could run 11 miles today, then, run the race next weekend, and still have a good taper before the half." Runners (which Lindsey was at one time, refer to half marathons as just "halfs". It's jargon-y.)

"Wow. 11 miles?" I had trouble wrapping my head around the idea that I was anywhere near ready for an 11 mile run.

"But you just ran 9 miles two weeks ago," she said, encouragingly.

"Well... sure. But..." I didn't know why it seemed like so much further. It was only 2 miles more than my last long run. Maybe it was the jump to double-digits.

"You could totally do it," Lindsey said.

I spent the rest of the morning motivating myself, and preparing for, an 11 mile run.

Saturday afternoon, post-run:

My sister, along with her husband and my youngest nephew, were over at my apartment. She was picking up her laptop, which I had spent the previous day cleaning up because I am such an awesome brother.

"I ran 11 miles today!" I announced proudly.

"Wow! I can't imagine it. What's it like to run for 2 hours straight?" she said.

"I'm preparing for the Helvetia Half Marathon in three weeks. Would you like to come see your brother run his very first one?"

My brother-in-law said, "Where do you go to watch someone run 13 miles?"

My sister asked me when it was, and I told her the date I had marked on my calendar, 24 May. She looked, and said, sadly, "That's Memorial Day weekend." They were going to be at their beach house that weekend.

My brother-in-law said, "I don't think there's any way we can make it," but Lisa wasn't entirely sure. "What time is it?"

So I double-checked the website.

The date listed was Saturday 13 June 2009. Start time was 8 AM.

"What the...? How did I get the wrong date?" I thought about my run today, and the now 6 weeks until the half.

"Oh, no!" my brother-in-law said, amused. "You peaked too soon!"

Meditative running

2009-03-09T07:20:00.001-07:00

I woke several times last night. I think I was hungry. Yesterday morning I ate a huge brunch at my new favorite place, the Delta (cheddar grits are tasty! And beignets with lemon cream!), then sat around and whined to myself about how rainy, hail-y, and cold it was outside. Basically I was trying to talk myself out of going for the long run I had planned on.

It almost worked, too. By 5 PM, I thought it was going to be dark soon. I had forgotten about Daylight Savings Time, though. Crap, I realized, it's not going to get dark until after 7 PM! Plus, actual blue sky appeared and the rain stopped.

With a nudge from friends, I was dressed and out in the sun, and, as predicted, I warmed up soon enough.

I kept my pace manageable and even, and if I felt myself getting too out of breath, I slowed my pace but did not walk. And out of the 5 full miles I ran, three of them were under 10 minutes each, which is pretty good since taking a break due to injury a few weeks back.

At one point, tiny bits of hail started hinting at possibly maybe falling on me. I thought it would get worse, and as I considered it, my feet still pounding the pavement, I realized that I was near the half-way point and a little hail would not stop me. But the full hailstorm never arrived, and in retrospect it might have simply been some residual hail being blown off the tree branches along that section of street.

I finished 5.4 miles in 0:55:37, for an average pace of 10:16 per mile.

My reward was an applewood smoked bacon and white cheddar burger (and fries!) from Mike's Drive-In, while watching the Sunday night cartoons.

And dreams of not being able to sleep. Dreams of having difficulty waking. And waking up from those dreams and having trouble getting back to sleep.

I think I was still hungry...

My fastest 8 miles of the year!

2009-02-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

This joke will never get old.

Today I ran my 4-mile loop forwards and backwards. And I surprised myself at how well I did.

This morning, around 9 AM, there was actual light snow coming down, which made me think my run later was going to be frozen. But by 2 PM the sun was out and it had warmed up considerably to around 44° F. Windy but still manageable.

I had had a small breakfast of 32 oz. of coffee, cream and sugar and a cinnamon roll, then collapsed on the couch to watch three hours of TV, so I was more than ready to go for a run.

I stopped twice for water - OK, actually, three times, but the middle time had no actual water; the fountains in Westmoreland Park have been shut off for the winter. The other two times I also ate some sports beans, which are like jelly beans but, y'know, sporty.

And amazingly enough, I managed a 10:00 pace overall! Here are my splits (with total time and cumulative pace):

10:11 (0:10:11 / 10:11)
09:57 (0:20:08 / 10:04)
09:39 (0:29:47 / 09:55)
10:03 (0:39:51 / 09:57)
09:59 (0:49:50 / 09:58)
10:21 (1:00:10 / 10:01)
10:31 (1:10:41 / 10:05)
09:45 (1:20:26 / 10:03)

Not quite negative splits. I am still impressed with this run. Even comparing it to the last year: in 2008 I ran 8 miles three times, and only one of those was faster than today's time, by 67 seconds.

Tonight my legs feel rock hard, and my left ankle is a bit sore and achey. I shall watch them, and on Monday I plan a really easy run. But I'm sort of eager to get out and see how today's run will benefit me.

Valentine Fanconi Anemia 5K Official results

2009-02-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

The official results for yesterday's race are posted.

And the official time matches my unofficial time: 28:08! W00t!

This is a good sign for future races. I'm gonna set a PR this year, I just know it!

Coming in third place to myself

2009-02-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

When I race, I have no illusions about competition. I'm a late-bloomer for running, and I'm not in the best of shape. And my gender/age group is the sweet spot for local champions - typically the winner is a man around my age. Those guys are fast!

So I just compete against myself. I try to best my previous record, or my record for that race or course.

This morning I ran in my first race of the year, the Fanconi Anemia Valentine's Day 5K.

I've been running every other day for a couple of months, since my last time of falling off the wagon. I've been working on increasing my overall distance, and in the last couple of weeks have tried to make my five-mile-plus loop my "default" run. I'm somewhat discouraged because on my training runs, I rarely average better than a 10:30-10:20 pace.

So going into today's race, I figured I'd show up, do my best, and just use it to gauge my level of fitness for future races. No expectations. I just wanted to finish.

I did a mini-taper by running a slow 3.5 mile loop on Friday. I've been watching what I eat. I've been drinking plenty of water. Saturday I lifted some weights, mostly upper-body stuff. Got plenty of sleep the night before. Ate a cup of yogurt about an hour and a half prior to the start of the race, and a half-liter of water.

It was cold, below freezing the morning of the race, and windy, but I dressed for it; long pants, two long-sleeved technical shirts (one thin and one thicker in case I got too warm), gloves, skull cap.

The course was very flat - starting under the Morrison Bridge, heading south along the waterfront, then turn around near our beautiful expensive Tram and head back basically the same way.

When I passed the Mile 1 marker, I was astonished: 8:40?! Eight minutes and forty seconds? That can't be right! I was pushing a little but not hard. I decided that the marker must be wrong. But I kept the same pace as long as I could.

Second mile was just around 9:00. Again, that seemed way too fast for how I felt. But, hey, keep going.

I didn't mark the 3 mile point because I could see the finish line. I had slowed down, though, I could feel it. But with the finish line in sight I picked it up. And seeing the number 27 on the clock right next to the finish booth made my spirits soar.

My unofficial time was 28:08.56. Because I hadn't double-checked my previous times earlier, I wasn't sure where that fell in my overall personal records, but I knew it was near the top. I tweeted my astonishment, and my guess at this being my second-fastest.

But, actually, this is the third-fastest 5K I've ever run. First is the 2007 Race for the Roses at 27:30; second is the 2007 Mt. Tabor Challenge at 27:59.

Yes, only nine seconds separates my second and third best times. So close!

This is very very encouraging. Maybe all those slow miles actually do help? I'm happy, though, that my 5K times are starting to be more consistent.

My next race will be the Shamrock Run 5K. I'll be running it in a kilt! I won't expect to set any personal records, though; there's far too many people to navigate around both at the start and finish. I'll just be going out and having a good time. In a kilt.

Easy run

2009-01-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Ran outside. Hell, with the temperature above 45° F and no rain, it would be hard not to run outside tonight.

My 4+ mile loop, 42:14, 10:07 average pace. I tried to maintain a nice steady pace, but on the last half I kept having timing issues crossing the street, and I walked at least a minute a mile.

But I did it.

Non-long run

2009-01-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Man, it was cold. 39° F at the warmest, which was around 4:00 PM. OK, it's been colder, snowy, even, but it felt really cold.

I did not want to do my long run today. I kept finding mental reasons not to. Like not being able to find my running tights, or not having exactly the right clean long-sleeved running shirt. But around 4:00 PM I finally got motivated, after having sat around the house, surfing, while wearing my running clothes.

Still, I couldn't motivate enough to actually do a long run. I decided on my 5+ mile loop.

As I could have predicted, I warmed up soon enough. But almost never during the run did I feel loose and light. Every step was heavy, and my left hamstring was sore almost the entire time. I never broke under 10 minutes per mile, even on my famously-fast Mile 3.

Overall, I did the 5.41 miles in 57:03, for an average pace of 10:32. I'm glad I went out but am not really proud of the run.

Indoor run

2009-01-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

3.2 miles, 33:30 total time, 10:28 average pace.

On a treadmill.

Boring.

My fastest 5+ miles of the year!

2009-01-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

It felt warm, but rainy last night after I got home from work (around 54° F), and windy.

But at least it wasn't snowing.

After my 3+ mile run in the snow on Sunday, I felt ready for anything. Anything became my five-mile loop while I got dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved tech shirt and my covered-in-mud Brooks Adrenaline GTS6 shoes. I wasn't sure I'd be warm enough in short sleeves, so I had several moments of doubt before pulling on my gloves, too.

But, of course, once I got to running, I warmed up just fine.

I forced myself to start slow, which meant the first mile was around 10:10 and the second mile was around 10:05. The third mile, though, being downhill or flat, was 9:31. Then I took a short walk break, but mentally kept pushing myself to keep going, finishing the fourth mile in 10:05, which felt really good, actually. And the final mile was just over 10:00 even.

I've been also trying out a suggestion from last month's Runner's World magazine: breathing from the diaphragm and not with the chest. I am not sure if it is helping or not but for some reason, my stomach and abs feel stronger. Also drilling myself to keep my shoulders relaxed and back, my arms loose but not crossing in front of me when I swing them, and my head high. Form is important, they tell me. We shall see.

These times are approximate since my trusty New Balance watch is not handy right now. But close enough. Total distance: 5:41; total time: 54:15; average pace: 10:01.

First-ever snow run

2009-01-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

I intended to do a long run today, but the fact that it was 29° F this morning around 9 when I got out of bed, and didn't get much more than 5-6 degrees warmer throughout the day, and my anxiety over running long in the cold, put the kibosh on my plans.

And then around 4:30 PM, when the snow started coming down, that seemed like the nail in the coffin for me running today. I mentally began preparing for another boring run on the treadmill at work.

Then I got home. And I thought, crap, if I'm not going to run in the snow at all, it looks like Portland is going to keep me from running all winter long.

I haven't yet run in the snow. Ever. But I've run in 30-degree weather before. And I've run in the rain - even hard rain. Maybe I need to break my snow-running cherry.

So I got dressed. Long-sleeve tech shirt with long-sleeve high-necked ¾-zip, long running pants, stocking cap, gloves, headlamp and reflective vest-thing. Regular Brooks shoes, though, not my trail shoes.

Planned on my 4 mile loop. When I left, it was mostly wet and rain. The headlamp made the rain/snow show up in a tunnel extending out from my eyesight line but I eventually got used to it. Except for the fact that the snow got in my eyes; next time, I want goggles or un-tinted sunglasses.

I kept just over a 10:00 pace for the whole distance. I had to stop once because the safety pin that secured my house keys in my pocket came undone and was poking me in the leg, and I accidentally overshot a turn and went one block farther east than I should have, but it's all good. It felt good to move and breath hard and I'm glad I did it. 4.17 miles, 42:24 total, 10:10 average pace.

The snow was starting to stick towards the end of my run. I did about 5 minutes worth of plyometrics: kicking myself in the butt for 30 seconds, high-kicks, balancing on one leg for 30 seconds, skipping, standing two-leg hop. I really like those exercises and I am going to try to add those to every shorter run.

Races coming up

2009-01-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

I signed up for:

The Fancomi Anemia Valentine's Day 5K on 8 February 2009
The Shamrock Run 5K on 15 March 2009.

I'm eying several more races. I remember last year, when I compiled my race records, having a goal of re-running, and beating, all my previous records. But I'd also like to try to push beyond 10K and try a half-marathon or even a *gulp* full marathon.

For instance, there's the Race for the Roses, an event that includes a 5K and a half-marathon. Two years ago, I set my personal best time in that 5K (27:12, an 8:45 pace). I would love to try to beat that time. However, the half-marathon is 14 weeks from tomorrow, which means, considering my long run of just a month or two ago was 8-9 miles, I could easily be in shape to at least finish. Decisions, decisions.

At any rate, I plan on racing a lot more this year compared to last year. Way more.

First run of 2009

2009-01-02T10:40:00.001-08:00

My first run of 2009 was today, in the workout room at my office. On a treadmill.

3.32 miles in 36:00 was all I could stand. So boring. But yay for me doing it!

Easy run + plyometrics

2008-12-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

Headed out for a short easy run tonight. My 3.69 mile loop. Every half-mile but one was over 5 minutes. Ugh. Felt slow but glad I did it.

Wore my running pants, a sleeveless singlet under a 3/4 zip long-sleeved shirt, a hat, and my reflective gear/headlamp for safety. Oh, and gloves. It was around 43° F when I left the house.

Because I felt slow, I wanted to do more after I finished, so I did about 5 minutes of plyometrics afterward: tried to kick my own butt 30 times; skipped for 30 seconds; did 30-40 lunges; goose-stepped and high-kicked for another 30-40 seconds. Then I did some of those again. It really loosened me up and my legs felt stretched out and warmed up afterward, instead of tight and tired like they did after my previous 5+ mile run. I'm definitely going to work in those kind of post-run exercises more often.

Nine days

2008-12-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

It's been nine days since I last posted here; nine days since I last ran.

The Snowpocalypse rendered running almost impossible for me. I'm sure there are many hardy folk who ran in the snow and cold, but not me. And since I don't have a gym membership, my only access to a treadmill is at work. But between Snowpocalypse and Christmas, I only went in to work twice last week, and one of those days was a short one.

But, today, my 44th birthday, I ran. It took me a lot of willpower to get going; by the time I'd gotten up and dressed for a run, it had started raining.

I went out for my 5+ mile loop and gave myself permission to be slow - slower than my usual, even.

By about the halfway point, it stopped raining. Or I stopped noticing it.

Totals: 5.41 miles, 58:39, 10:50 average pace.

Treadmill

2008-12-19T20:40:00.001-08:00

Managed a whole 4 miles on the treadmill at work today.

Around 42 minutes for around a 10:30 pace.

So. Boring.

Tread. Mill. So. Boring.

2008-12-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Another snow day, another run on the treadmill at work. Would you believe that the treadmill here is pretty much my only motivation for coming in today?

3.5 miles, 36:32, 10:26 pace. And one of my fellow co-workers changed the TV to Fox "News" which made it even more boring.

I'm falling behind in my goal to reach 500 logged miles this year. Gotta figure something out to help catch up.

Runners ARE different

2008-12-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hat tip to Kelly Johnson over at OregonLive for this decade-old Adidas ad campaign for their running shoes/clothes.

Each ad touches on some aspect of running that runners "get" and non-runners, probably, don't.

Of the eleven acts depicted, I have done some variation of eight of them. Yes, even this and this, I'm not-really-ashamed to say. Feel free to guess the other seven in the comments, or just speculate about my mental health. Or even chime in if you're a runner. It's all good.

(Cross-posted from my normally-not-about-running blog)

Treadmill running

2008-12-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

Since the weather outside is frightful, I packed gym clothes and decided to use the treadmill at my office. Ugh. I hate treadmill running, but it beats frostbite.

Not much to tell: 3.5 miles in 36:19, for an average pace of 10:23. I'm slower because it's BORING. I had nothing but CNN Headline News to keep me company. The big news? A journalist in Iraq threw two shoes at President Bush, and... nothing else.

Best laid plans

2008-12-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

I planned on running nine miles yesterday. I wanted a long run.

Then I started eating as if I were going to run nine miles later.

Giant breakfast from the 24-Hour Hotcake House. Eggnog latte. Donuts.

Large chunk taken out of the warmest part of the day by seeing a movie.

When 5:00 PM rolled around, it was cold, dark, and off-and-on rainy.

So the plan was - run my four-mile loop, come back home, warm up a bit, then go out for my five-mile loop.

I did pretty well on the four-mile loop. I wasn't pushing very hard because I wanted to save myself for the longer run later, but I still managed 4.17 miles in 41:56, for a 10:03 average pace. I didn't mark off mile splits; just the total time.

Then I came back inside, and drank some water, and started warming up, and changed into dry shoes, and put my outerwear into the dryer to warm it up... and, almost two hours later, it was a bit colder, still drizzling, and I had lost my motivation to run.

At least I got some miles in, I suppose.

5 miles easy

2008-12-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Cold tonight - temp was around 48° F when I finally left my nice warm house. There was a wind, too.

Planned on my five mile loop - 5.4 miles - and tried to keep it medium-easy. I had mistakenly eaten a small lunch, hauled a bunch of computer equipment around all day, and did not eat a snack, so I was a bit hungry, maybe too hungry.

I noticed tonight that I've been marking off the third mile of my loop too soon - according to Google Earth it should be the corner of SE 19th and Bybee, but I've been marking it off at SE 21st. This explains all the exceptionally fast Mile 3s I've posted this year. Argh. So much for having a consistent set of data. I shall begin using the corrected landmark.

However, strangely, I did have an exceptionally fast Mile 4 tonight, and I'm sure that's because the milepoint for #3 moved.

I also had to stop at least thrice for traffic lights. Stoopid traffic lights.

Here's my splits for tonight and for future reference:

10:01 / 10:01
10:20 / 20:21
10:55 / 31:16
09:11 / 40:27
10:21 / 50:48
04:28 / 55:16

Final interval was .41 miles. Average pace was 10:13.

Second half faster than first

2008-12-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

My four mile loop tonight. Pushed hard on the third mile and kept up some of that energy on the final full mile. Finished my second half faster than my first! Whoo-HOO!

That's called negative splits. I didn't actually plan it but I'm glad it worked out that way.

Temp was around 48° F, a little bit foggy out, definitely dark. Wore long sleeve tech shirt under short sleeve tech shirt, and gloves, and shorts.

Had eaten about 1500 calories so far in the day, with about a 3 hour gap from the last calories eaten (a fun size 3 Musketeers bar) and my run.

Here's my mile splits, with cumulative time and cumulative pace (final interval is .17 miles):

10:09 / 10:09 / 10:09
10:09 / 20:18 / 10:09
09:18 / 29:36 / 09:52
09:46 / 39:22 / 09:51
01:36 / 40:58 / 09:49

Year-end goal

2008-12-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

So far this year I've run about 435 miles. My average run is a tad over 4 miles. And my average pace is something like 10:30.

I'm trying to keep from being disappointed and just accept those numbers as what is.

But I can also see a goal: I can aim for 500 miles total for the year. To that end I've sketched out the remaining 12 runs of 2008. If I push my long runs (I have three weekends left) to 10 miles, which is very doable, I can reach 500 miles.

Let's see how the next three weeks goes.

Best 7-miler of the year

2008-12-07T13:02:00.001-08:00

It was cold (48° F). And dark. Dark for it being the middle of the day, anyway. And threatening to rain.

Good time for a long run, eh?

I planned on doing seven miles - a 3.5 mile out, and back. I focused on just maintaining a steady, even, 10:00 pace. And with two exceptions, caused by having to stop for water, I succeeded, and even made up enough time on some of the other miles to give me an average of 10:05 per mile, making today my fastest seven miles of the year in 1:10:37.

And it did rain during my run.

Here's my mile splits (with cumulative time and cumulative pace):

09:59 / 0:09:59 / 09:59
09:52 / 0:19:51 / 09:56
09:53 / 0:29:44 / 09:55
09:51 / 0:39:34 / 09:54
10:48 / 0:50:23 / 10:05
09:44 / 1:00:06 / 10:01
10:30 / 1:10:37 / 10:05

Easy run

2008-12-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Another night run, last night. 3.69 miles in 38:04. Slow. But, damn, it was freezing. OK, it was in the low, low, low 40s.