CoffeeRun's Xanga

Half Marathon Survival?!

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:37:13 GMT

The Week Before:

I had my big paper for the grad class I was in the Thursday before the race. Not only that, but I had meetings every night that week. I averaged getting to bed between 12:00 and 1:00 every night. I think Friday was at 11:45 and I had to get up about 4:00 for the race. Okay, 4:10! I was just a little tired going into the race.

In addition I think I got about 6 - 8 nose bleeds during the week. I even went to the doc. He tried to seal it with a silver nitrate, but I still got them after that. Don't know how much blood I really lost during the week, but it was more that I wanted to loose.

The Morning:

I got up okay, got my breakfast, oatmeal w/ a little peanut butter, V8, and a banana. I saved the 'nana for about 2 hours before the race so I ate it on the way to Indy. I left a about 5 min late, but I already had extra time worked in there. The trip down was good, drove part of the route to get in and saw the water stations getting filled up. Those volunteers were out earlier than I was.

The weather was nearly perfect. I had to wear a warm-up jacket, but did not need hat or gloves or bottoms. It was in the low 50's a little wind, but not much. (Only felt it in two places on the run.) It was overcast, but no rain. Humidity ever so slightly higher than I wished for, but not enough to worry about.

The Race:

The race started on time (7:30) and off we went. Thanks to last year's time I had a good starting position and I was to the start finish line in about 2 minutes and off we went. The first part is down hill so there is a temptation to go out to fast. My Garmin kept trying to slow me down, but I often ignored it. I shed my warm up after about 3/4 of a mile. Things were going well. At two miles I was over a minute ahead of my plan, a little worried, but not to much.

In the second mile a friend passed me, I was expecting that, but thought it would take him a couple of more miles, but he waved and was gone. Just after that, I started to catch another friend, I saw him and thought, man, I am still going to fast, I better slow down a little. Miles 3 and 4 I was still ahead of the planned pace, but I was having trouble speeding up. I was running slower than I should have on those miles, I was only ahead because I had gone out two fast the first couple of miles. About mile five I was even and then after that I just kept loosing ground. I started stopping and walking when I get water, I would walk maybe 10 yards each time I got water to make sure I drank it all. I was normally taking water every other mile.

Around Mile 8, I stopped and checked my right foot, it felt like the sock had bunched up and was folded over so I sat down and checked it out. It was fine, I rubbed my foot for a minute and took off. I think I it was sometime after that, I walked about 100 yards, I just felt drained.

I started feeling better about mile 10 knowing it was getting close to the end, until I grabbed some gatoraid at a stop. I was going to have just a sip, but it tasted so good, that I kept drinking till it was all gone. About 1/4 mile later I was cramping so bad, I thought I was going to hurl. It was terrible. I almost double over a couple of times. I kept going, more out of anger then because I just felt so stupid for having drank the stuff when I know I should not have.

The best thing was about mile 11 -1/2 some body was there with a box of klenex, I grabbed one and blew my nose, a little worried it would start bleeding, but it did not, and I felt much better there. A last water at mile 12 and off to the finish. With about 1/2 a mile to go, I kicked in a higher gear and went back into the 8:00 miles again, I felt good and then asked myself why I could not have done that sooner.

When I finished, I felt good. My body was only a little sore. I was not that tired in reality. I then got mad because I realized that my body was okay, it was my mind that day that let me down. If I had been sharper mentally, I would have had a much better day. I finished in 2:04:25. The friend I almost caught finished in 2:04:24, that bummed be out. He is 25, I really would have loved to have beaten him. He also had a bad day though, he is normally a better runner than me. When we are both having good days, he should beat me by about 5 minutes in a mini.

After the Race:

I went to my van, called my wife, told her I survived, (she always worries about that) and then I went to the Marriott for this great brunch the have. If you do the mini, treat yourself and go. Good coffee, Chocolate milk, yummy. I started with some Lox (smoked salmon) and fruit. I had an omelete made to order, and finished with a waffle topped with fruit. No, I was not stuffed, but I felt good! If I would have eaten more, I would have been stuffed.

Reflections:

I learned how vital sleep is before a race. I was trapped by the responsibilities of life, work, and school, so there was not much of a choice. Next big race I run, I will make sure I get rest the week before the race.

I have been very bummed, because I really wanted to beat last year's time and I was in fact 4 minutes slower. I need to get over that. That is part of the reason I had not posted. I was bummed and almost ashamed, I really thought I had a good chance at 1:55, maybe even 1:50 and I get 2:04. What a rube!

I should be proud, I finished in the top 3rd and in the top half of my division. Not bad, even if I wanted to be better.

I am not planning on running the Indy Mini next year. I really want to do this race in Colorado called the Bolder Boulder. It is a big 10K and it is on Memorial day. I don't think I could do the mini and recover in enough time to get ready for the BB. I may run the 5k that they hold in conjunction with it as a good training race for the BB.

Recovery:

I was not to sore or tired that day or the next. Further testimony to the fact I did not push my body as hard as I could have.

I ran yesterday for the first time with a friend who is a beginner so it was slow and short, but that is probably good for a while.

If you made it this far, Thanks for reading.

I'll try to find some pictures later on!

Still Kicking

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:43:18 GMT

Seems like I am Always on the Run these days: Work, School, and Running

I'm averaging 25-30 miles a week. It is going pretty well, not as fast as I want, but not to bad, I need to put together a good race plan in the next couple of days. I am pretty sure I will break 2 hours, but I wanted to break 1:50, not sure about that.

Got the Garmin back last week. I really missed it. I have intervals tomorrow and that is when I really need it.

On my long run Sunday (11.5 miles), my knee came down sore. I am icing it and will run in my knee brace between now and the race. It did okay on yesterday's run.

Did anybody get to watch the Boston or the Olympic trials Marathons? I wish I could have. I recorded the trials audio and listened to it last night. Go Deena!!!

If you made it this far,thanks for sticking with me!

Have a Great Day!!

Keep Pressin' On!!

Olympics

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:15:25 GMT

I'm sure most of you have seen protests surrounding the Olympic Torch Run (More like walk, I've only seen them run once.) The protesters are upset about China's treatment of the people of Tibet. I sympathize with the protesters. China has a horrible record on human rights and I believe it was a mistake for the International Olympic Committee to ever allow China to host the games.

I have been disturbed at some of the protests also, I think they have been more violent than what they should be. Especially since Tibet is know for promoting peace and non-violence. I think the protesters are right to protest, but I think they should seek more peaceful means to protest.

Some are calling for a boycott of the Olympic Games. Personally, I think that only hurt the athletes. These athletes have worked hard for years to have this chance. For many of them, this will be the only chance they have to compete in the Olympics.

A few athletes are calling for a boycott. If an individual athlete does not want to compete in the Olympics because they disagree with China's treatment of Tibet, that is fine, let them. However, that should not mean that all athletes should be forced to do that because of the decision of a few.

Again, I think China has been guilty of wrong doing. I think the I. O. C. was wrong in their selection of China as a host city. (Besides the social/political problems, the air pollution is terrible there.) I support anyone who peacefully protests China and their treatment of Tibet.

Note: The Women's Olympic Marathon Trials are the Day before Boston. Good Luck Ladies!!

I'm Not So Sure!

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:36:23 GMT

Last Wed, I was feeling pretty good about my chance of reaching my goal of 1:50 for the mini next month. To do that, I have to run, 8:24 pace. On Friday, I decided to do a temp run at 8:15-8:20, well, as usual, I started out to fast, like a 7:55, I was dying, I could not finish the 4 miler. I had to stop once and then I still only finished in like a 8:40 pace. I chalked it up to that was my 3rd fast run in a week and the wind was bad again.

However...

On Saturday, I did a 10 miler, I was planning on a slow one, like 10:00 - 10:30 and after 6 miles I was dying, I thought about heading home, but I decided I could not stop. about 8 miles into it, my legs started to tingle, not something I remember happening before. I kept going, but I felt bad. Don't know what my final pace was, my Garmin got sweat or water under the crystal and it died on me. I was probably over dressed, since I drank a ton of water and was drenched when I got home, but...

Now, I am really in doubt, I thought I was doing a lot better this year, but now I am not so sure. I want to break at least 1:55, but more so, I would like to break on 1:50. I have 3 weeks of training to go - what in the world.

Garmin Crisis:
I will be calling Garmin this afternoon, I need to see if I can get the thing fixed, how long it will take etc. I depend on it so much for training, I don't know what I will do without it. I guess I will just figure it out.
I really want it race day to help me keep my speed down. I can set speed alarms to help me keep from starting out to fast and get feedback pretty quick instead of waiting until the first mile marker.

OH well!! Sorry to be worried about that, it is such a little thing in the scope of life and problems, but I hate the idea of 14 weeks of training not getting me a better result!

Take Care and Please forgive my Rant!!!

Random Thoughts

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:34:47 GMT

Monthly Mileage:
- Just filled finished my mileage log in for March, I toped out at 97.8 miles that is up from 66 miles for March last year. (No Wonder my legs felt tired after today's run.)

- Feb was 62.5 which was up from 43 for last year.

I am excited, right now I am working on getting a little faster. I think I got going long down, now I'd like to up my pace about a Minute per mile off my time.

President's Challenge:
- Last week I finally earn enough points in the President's Challenge to earn the Gold Medal. It took me about a year and three months to earn the 80,000 points for the gold. I will post pictures when I get the medals, I have to order them.
After you get the gold, it puts you on track to get the platinum medal, for that it is 500,000 points. I figure it is going to take about 5 or 6 more years or so to get that one!

Intervals:
- Today was another interval workout - 9 x 1/4 mile - target was was 7:45 pace. The fast one was #1 at a 6:52 pace and slow was #8 at 8:00 - I averaged out at 7:31. I had about a 10 mph wind that was blowing mostly across my route. It only bothered me a little. I did have to walk part of three recoveries though, that kind of stunk. But I am happy with the work out.

New Shoes:
- I Love my new shoes, I got a Pair of Mizunos. They are the best ones I have had yet. I need to go get another pair in the next week or two because these will have too many miles on them by the Mini (Like 250 or so) I am going to get another pair just like the ones I already have. They are great!

MISC:
- In case you care, I vote for a hot shower following cold run is more soothing than a cool/luke warm shower after a run on a hot day!!

- Again thank you all for your help with pre-race food ideas.

Thank You!

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:18:00 GMT

Thank You - THANK YOU!!
Thank you for all your help on pre-race and during race food. I tried some oatmeal w/ a little peanut butter before my long run (10.3 Miles) on Sat. It went well. My stomach felt pretty good. I tried some dove Dark Chocolate squares on the run, They were okay, not great, but not to bad either. I think I am going to try dark chocolate chips, easier to chew.

I Don't Know if You are dealing with it, but I am sick to death of the wind!
Not only has this winter been colder, but it seems the wind is always blowing!! Saturday I had a 15-20 MPH wind in my face for three of the ten. It really stunk. It seems like every run I have, it is in at least 10 mph. It really stinks when I am running intervals into the wind. I try to run them with the wind, but sometimes it does not work.

Question of the Day:
I want to know, which you think is better.
- A hot shower after a cold run or a cold shower after a hot run?
I can't decide!

Keep Pressin' On!!

Question:

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:57:44 GMT

First I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!! We had a nice time - but had to say goodbye to some of our best friends. They moved on Monday about an hour away. We will see them some, but not often, life is too busy!! The husband was the guy who ran with me on my first mini - at different times, we pulled each other along and finished below two hours. It was great! I will miss them.

Question of the Day/Week!

I am looking for the perfect pre-race meal to eat before the Half Marathon. I cannot run that far without eating anything before I go. I will have at least 2 hours from when I eat to the race itself.

I need something that will provide energy without a drop off and will not hurt my stomach. Last year my bagel and cream cheese and an egg left my stomach upset. Any Ideas?

Also, I am looking for a snack during the race. I have tried the sports beans, the gels, the shot blocks, gummy bears, and they all give me a stomach ache. I am considering dove dark chocolate squares, I love them and I was thinking I could eat one every two miles or so. Also gatoraide tends to make my stomach upset. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Keep Pressin' On!!

Twice in a Month

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:14:52 GMT

I Missed You All

I think I forgot how much I liked hanging out on Xanga until I took some time today and did that. I missed you, I have just been busy. I hope I can get caught up on what has been happening your runs and your lives!

Runnin' Stuff

I am signed up for the Indy 500 Mini Marathon - May 3rd. Sometimes I think I am crazy signing up for a race that I have to train for in the cold and snow. This winter has been harsher than the last 2 have been. I am sick of cold, snow, ice, wind, and such. The wind in particular has been a pain this year!!

I think I am finally getting back to a decent form. The first few weeks I was afraid that I would not be able to break 2 hours, now I am thinking I SHOULD do that and I am thinking 1:50 is thinkable. Not sure about do able yet, but I have 6 more weeks of training so I am not to concerned yet.

I remember the first year I did this, my legs hurt every single morning when I woke up. Now they only hurt sometimes, not even to bad after a long run. (I still take an ice bath, I think that helps a lot.)

I did 8 1/4 mile intervals yesterday. My goal pace was 7:24 (Based on my best 5K time). My best one was 7:06 (#1 & I was holding back!) Worst was 8:06 (#6) and the last was 7:36. My average was 7:24 and I felt great afterward. Not tired, not drained, I was not even thirsty. (Yes, I showered) It was a good day!

Today is supposed to be a 4.5 miler, I will take it easy, no target goal even.

Take Care Everyone and as always

Still Living - Still Running - Still in School!

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:26:43 GMT

Hi everyone!

I feel like the Mummy, O look, the Mummy has risen!

Quick take - School has been a pain, the last two classes were hard!!! They took a lot of time. Work has been crazy also!

Running has been going okay. One of the few things in my life that is sane. I am in the middle of training for the Indy 500 Mini. I did 23 miles this week, long run of 8. I'm a little slow right now, but I have not been able to get much speed work in, the weather has stunk for that, wind, snow, cold, all my favorite four letter words!! Also, sick. I had a weird infection in my neck that kept me down for most of a week, but it was so cold I may have wimped out any way!!

Hey, I hope I can get caught up with you all some! I have missed you. By the way, I did get A's in both those classes that about killed me!!

Keep Pressing on!

Below is my Son's Stuffed animal decked out to give me some encouragement!!

White Christmas?

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:39:09 GMT

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. In many ways it was the best Christmas I have ever had. The kids are old enough to be fun and young enough to still have the wonder and excitement of Christmas.

The house still this is still strewn with presents, but I love the mess, it is a sign of a the wonderful Christmas we had. My 5 year old's CD player is playing on of my favorite Christmas CD's. It is wonderful.

The Santa gifts went over pretty well, but I have a little bit of fine tunning to do on the guitar stands, but the kids loved them.

Michelle got me a nice Timex Iron Man watch. I love it. It has a hundred lap memory and a bunch of other stuff I have not had a chance to figure out yet. I need a back up to my Garmin. A couple of times I have gone to races and my Garmin's Battery was dead. That really bums me out when that happens. Now I will take my IM also in case I forget to charge.

I hope that you all had a Wonderful and Blessed Christmas!

Here is my question of the Day: What constitutes a White Christmas?

If it snows Christmas Eve, it is a white Christmas? What if the snow doesn't stick? If it snows for 5 minutes on Christmas Day, does that count? What if it does not stick? What if it snows a couple of days before and the snow is still around? Is that a White Christmas?

You may wonder what caused this question. I have heard a few discussions on the radio about this topic and some people were very picky about there definition about a white Christmas. I thought to myself, "People - Get a Life!!" I worry about the things that some people argue about.

For me, I don't care, we have a little bit of snow in our front yard - left over from our snow forts last weekend. As far as I am concerned that is a White Christmas if you want it to be. (No one else in my family agreed with me!)