I took Monday and Tuesday off work because my dad is in town for only a few days and I don't get to see him too often. Since I didn't get a run in on Saturday, and my con-ed course was Sat and Sun, I was able to bump my "long run" for the week to Monday. I ran 4 miles on my own, then picked up Andi and we ran 6 together (we took it easy, she has a cold), and finished with an extra 2, for a total of 12 miles in about 1:38 (avg pace 8:10). It was slightly windy at times but not too bad. This will be my last run longer than 1 hour before the 30 miler on July 5th. Time to start preparing my body with more fluids, carbs, and rest.
Total mileage for June was 148 miles! Total mileage for half the year is 627 miles!
I looked back to last May and June and found that I had only run 184 miles total between the two months. This years May and June totaled 295! Interestingly my total for the first 6 months of 2008 was 624 (only 3 less than this year). What does this mean? It means that this summer base mileage will give me more to build on if I maintain for fall racing!
Clay, I found this post on Runners World by Amby Burfoot and thought of you. It is right up your alley! Check it out here.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
8 miler in Quartz Hill (62:50)
I got out later than I had hoped this morning. I left at 6:30am. It is starting to heat up around here. I only had time for an hour so I did an 8 mile loop that included 3 x .5 mile hills that I pushed a little harder. It is a fun loop when you push up for .5 miles then cruise down for .5 miles, then repeat. It was getting hot and I did not carry fluid with me this time.
If you are out this summer running for more than 45 minutes I would recommend taking something other than water with you (gatorade, accelerade, etc). It will help replenish the electrolytes lost in your sweat and give you some carbs for added energy. Water alone will not cut it for exercise >45 min. Please take at least water on every run >80 degrees outside. If you are just taking water, a salt tablet before the run will help quite a bit. Anything to avoid hyponatremia.
I finished a two day course today on kinesiotaping. It was a great course and although I was using the tape before I now feel I have a much better understanding of different applications. I learned some great techniques for shin spints, different types of knee pains, IT Band friction syndrome, and many others.
Here is a video of Susan Kuijken NCAA 1500m champion from Florida State University after a semifinal race. She is wearing kinesiotape on her left knee. A good idea, except that from what I learned this weekend, the tape is on upside down. It is facilitating her quad in open chain not in closed chain as I suspect her trainer intended. Watch video here, taping shown at exactly 2 minutes.
USA track and field championships ended today. Michelle Perry, a Quartz Hill graduate and former World Champion, made the final but did not run. I am not sure what happended if she was injured or false started in the final or something else. Hey there "Delilah DiCrescenzo" made the final of the women's steeplechase but finished 9th. Jordan Hasay won the junior women's 1500m in 4:18!
If you are out this summer running for more than 45 minutes I would recommend taking something other than water with you (gatorade, accelerade, etc). It will help replenish the electrolytes lost in your sweat and give you some carbs for added energy. Water alone will not cut it for exercise >45 min. Please take at least water on every run >80 degrees outside. If you are just taking water, a salt tablet before the run will help quite a bit. Anything to avoid hyponatremia.
I finished a two day course today on kinesiotaping. It was a great course and although I was using the tape before I now feel I have a much better understanding of different applications. I learned some great techniques for shin spints, different types of knee pains, IT Band friction syndrome, and many others.
Here is a video of Susan Kuijken NCAA 1500m champion from Florida State University after a semifinal race. She is wearing kinesiotape on her left knee. A good idea, except that from what I learned this weekend, the tape is on upside down. It is facilitating her quad in open chain not in closed chain as I suspect her trainer intended. Watch video here, taping shown at exactly 2 minutes.
USA track and field championships ended today. Michelle Perry, a Quartz Hill graduate and former World Champion, made the final but did not run. I am not sure what happended if she was injured or false started in the final or something else. Hey there "Delilah DiCrescenzo" made the final of the women's steeplechase but finished 9th. Jordan Hasay won the junior women's 1500m in 4:18!
Friday, June 26, 2009
HDR XC Race #1 plus MORE MILEAGE
Thursday nights in the summer there is a High Desert Runner cross country series which is open for anyone to participate. There is a 1 mile race followed by a 3 mile race. You can even run both if you wish. Last year I ran the 3 mile course on two separate occasions and broke 20 minutes on my second attempt (it's a pretty tough course). I ran the mile for the first time in exactly 6 minutes. I thought I would be under but my official time was 6:00. It was super windy too.
When I got home I remembered that the USA track and field championships started that night and was being streamed live on flotrack all weekend. I caught the last 3 laps of the men's 10k and saw Galen Rupp win! If you want to watch some live championship track and field check it out here.
Friday morning I got in a solid 9 miles in just under 8:00 pace. I ran on some of the same roads that I will run on the 30 miler. The mornings have finally been great for running!
When I got home I remembered that the USA track and field championships started that night and was being streamed live on flotrack all weekend. I caught the last 3 laps of the men's 10k and saw Galen Rupp win! If you want to watch some live championship track and field check it out here.
Friday morning I got in a solid 9 miles in just under 8:00 pace. I ran on some of the same roads that I will run on the 30 miler. The mornings have finally been great for running!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
5 mile easy run (39:50)
My first run since the 22 miler went great. I was mapping out my 1 mile loop for the last 5 miles of my 30 miler. I had to run it a few times to get it just right. I did a total of 5 miles in 39:50 and felt great by the last two. I would have gone farther but I stopped to meet a neighbor that I have seen running on occasion in the morning and invited him over on July 5th for the big run and for breakfast.
Less than two weeks to go now and I am getting excited for all the festivities. The Newhall Independence Day 5k is going to be fun. I have many friends that are running for a PR. I am excited to see where Andi is at as she will be running it as a time trial. We will base her marathon training off that time.
Less than two weeks to go now and I am getting excited for all the festivities. The Newhall Independence Day 5k is going to be fun. I have many friends that are running for a PR. I am excited to see where Andi is at as she will be running it as a time trial. We will base her marathon training off that time.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
29 mile father's day weekend!
Saturday I did a neighborhood run. I zig zagged through streets that I typically don't run on for 7 miles and saw some nice homes. My legs felt kind of heavy and I took it easy averaging about 8:20 pace. It was a nice morning for a run.
My plan was to do a 3 hour run on Sunday morning in preparation for my 30 miler in two weeks. I woke up to some hard gusty wind and almost called it a day until Andi suggested calling her sister in Canyon Country to see how the weather was 45 minutes away. She said that the weather was nice so we loaded up and got there around 1:00. I left right away with some accelerade, a powerbar gel, my cell phone and a credit card, and took off west on the Paseo (a bike and running path that winds around the Santa Clarita area). I noticed right away that it was hotter than I was used to. I don't know the last time that I ran in the afternoon.
I stopped 2 miles out at a CVS and bought some vasaline and a small water. I sipped on that water for the next 6 miles and then took my gel finishing the water. There was very little shade, unless I was going under a bridge or overpass, until I found another branch of the trail called the south fork that had large trees lining the path for about a mile and a half. There was also a little breeze that helped cool me down. I turned around at just over 11 miles. I had to stop again at mile 15 as I was running out of accelerade. I stopped at a Shell Station and asked if I could fill up my bottle with water at the fountain drinks. She said all they had was hot water but I could also use their ice, so that's what I did. It was getting hotter as I continued and stopped one final time at mile 19 which was back at CVS. I was starving and bought a gatorade and some powerbars. I ate one powerbar and drank half my Gatorade before I got to the front of the line. I finished the run of 22 miles in 2 hours 52 mintues. I stopped the watch at each stop I made.
When I got back to Andi's sister's house I asked what the temp was. She said it read 80 degrees in her car that afternoon. It felt hotter than that. I was able to take a dip in their community pool after my run (always feels great).
The effort today was harder than two weeks ago mostly due to the heat. By the end of the run I was dumping diluted accelerade on my head to try and cool down. I also was not properly hydrated, fueled, or rested before the run. I learned alot that will prepare me for my 30 miler in two weeks.
I averaged 7:50 per mile over the 22 miles and most of the time when I looked at my Garmin I was easily (cardiovascularly) maintaining 7:30 pace, but was hitting 7:50-8:10 for most of the second half. Here are some splits I remember.
10 miles in 76 minutes
13.1 miles in 1:40
20 miles in 2:35
It will be nice to run with some people in two weeks. As of today I have 18 runners who have RSVPed to run some portion with me and at least one, maybe three, people biking.
My plan was to do a 3 hour run on Sunday morning in preparation for my 30 miler in two weeks. I woke up to some hard gusty wind and almost called it a day until Andi suggested calling her sister in Canyon Country to see how the weather was 45 minutes away. She said that the weather was nice so we loaded up and got there around 1:00. I left right away with some accelerade, a powerbar gel, my cell phone and a credit card, and took off west on the Paseo (a bike and running path that winds around the Santa Clarita area). I noticed right away that it was hotter than I was used to. I don't know the last time that I ran in the afternoon.
I stopped 2 miles out at a CVS and bought some vasaline and a small water. I sipped on that water for the next 6 miles and then took my gel finishing the water. There was very little shade, unless I was going under a bridge or overpass, until I found another branch of the trail called the south fork that had large trees lining the path for about a mile and a half. There was also a little breeze that helped cool me down. I turned around at just over 11 miles. I had to stop again at mile 15 as I was running out of accelerade. I stopped at a Shell Station and asked if I could fill up my bottle with water at the fountain drinks. She said all they had was hot water but I could also use their ice, so that's what I did. It was getting hotter as I continued and stopped one final time at mile 19 which was back at CVS. I was starving and bought a gatorade and some powerbars. I ate one powerbar and drank half my Gatorade before I got to the front of the line. I finished the run of 22 miles in 2 hours 52 mintues. I stopped the watch at each stop I made.
When I got back to Andi's sister's house I asked what the temp was. She said it read 80 degrees in her car that afternoon. It felt hotter than that. I was able to take a dip in their community pool after my run (always feels great).
The effort today was harder than two weeks ago mostly due to the heat. By the end of the run I was dumping diluted accelerade on my head to try and cool down. I also was not properly hydrated, fueled, or rested before the run. I learned alot that will prepare me for my 30 miler in two weeks.
I averaged 7:50 per mile over the 22 miles and most of the time when I looked at my Garmin I was easily (cardiovascularly) maintaining 7:30 pace, but was hitting 7:50-8:10 for most of the second half. Here are some splits I remember.
10 miles in 76 minutes
13.1 miles in 1:40
20 miles in 2:35
It will be nice to run with some people in two weeks. As of today I have 18 runners who have RSVPed to run some portion with me and at least one, maybe three, people biking.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
7 mile Quartz Hill loop (52:18)
I woke up this morning to the sound of chirping birds! To me that means NO WIND! I have mapped out a tough 10k course that includes a half mile hill up 65th and a mile steady hill up 60th. I felt good from the start and decided to push the hills a little and cruise the downhills. When I looked at my watch I was averaging about 7:20 pace up the hills. The loop is almost exactly 6 miles and would be a good 10k time trial or tempo run. I finished with an extra mile for a total of 7 in 52:18 or 7:30 avg pace. It was a great morning run.
Some of you may know of Dick Beardsley from the Duel in the Sun with Alberto Salazar at the 1982 Boston Marathon. He is also the Grandma's Marathon course record holder. He also ran a 2:47:56 at the age of 50! He had a total knee replacement in January of this year, not because of arthritis from running (running doesn't cause arthritis, heredity does) but he twisted his knee at the beach and required arthroscopic surgery (his 12th on that knee) but it got infected and the damage required total knee replacement. The amazing part of the story is that 6 months later he is running 40-45 miles per week! Read the article here.
Check out Dick Beardsley's Blog here.
He talks about his recovery from surgery, pretty interesting stuff.
The RunnersWorld Daily blog has been pretty funny this week.
Highlights include this story about beer.
And this one about underwear.
The Twin Cities Marathon that my wife and are running October 4th has officially reached its 11,000 entrant capacity with 3 months to go!
Finally, Thirsty Thursdays with Jack Daniels are back!
Some of you may know of Dick Beardsley from the Duel in the Sun with Alberto Salazar at the 1982 Boston Marathon. He is also the Grandma's Marathon course record holder. He also ran a 2:47:56 at the age of 50! He had a total knee replacement in January of this year, not because of arthritis from running (running doesn't cause arthritis, heredity does) but he twisted his knee at the beach and required arthroscopic surgery (his 12th on that knee) but it got infected and the damage required total knee replacement. The amazing part of the story is that 6 months later he is running 40-45 miles per week! Read the article here.
Check out Dick Beardsley's Blog here.
He talks about his recovery from surgery, pretty interesting stuff.
The RunnersWorld Daily blog has been pretty funny this week.
Highlights include this story about beer.
And this one about underwear.
The Twin Cities Marathon that my wife and are running October 4th has officially reached its 11,000 entrant capacity with 3 months to go!
Finally, Thirsty Thursdays with Jack Daniels are back!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Calm before the storm: 18 miles last 2 days
Monday I did some AVRT (Antelope Valley Resistance Training) in the wind for 8 miles. I felt slow and tired. I completed the 8 miles in 64 minutes.
The forecast looked good for this Tuesday morning but called for scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. I figured today would be the last day I should go a little farther if I plan to complete a 3 hour run this Sunday. The wind finally stopped this morning after 7 days of gusting. I had a great run, and my legs felt really good. I ran 10 miles in 1:18 (7:48 pace).
Here is the information on my 30 mile run on July 5th. I wanted to extend the invitation to come out and run/bike with me to all my blog readers. Let me know if you need directions or have questions.
Karno Kids - The intent of this organization is to provide financial support to organizations and programs that are focused on improving the health and wellness of our youth and restoring and preserving the environment and urban open-spaces. We work with a select number of quality organizations and programs that support this vision in an accountable and quantifiable manner. These currently include: Girls on the Run, The Conservation Fund, Kids on Trails, and The New York Road Runners Foundation.
“We’ve let our health slip in this nation, especially our youth, and it’s time we recognize the importance of physical wellness as an important life priority and take back our health as a country.”
- Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathoner, CEO & President
The forecast looked good for this Tuesday morning but called for scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. I figured today would be the last day I should go a little farther if I plan to complete a 3 hour run this Sunday. The wind finally stopped this morning after 7 days of gusting. I had a great run, and my legs felt really good. I ran 10 miles in 1:18 (7:48 pace).
Here is the information on my 30 mile run on July 5th. I wanted to extend the invitation to come out and run/bike with me to all my blog readers. Let me know if you need directions or have questions.
Family and Friends,
I hope your training has been going well and your running shoes are a bit tattered and worn! Not too worn though because the big event is just around the corner! The important information and logistics are listed below.
Karl will start the run at 5:00am on Sun. July 5th at our house. The following is a break down of the approximate start times of each loop. Each loop will start from our house.
15 mile loop 5:00am
5 mile loop 7:00am
5 mile loop 7:40am
1 mile loop 8:20am
1 mile loop 8:29am
1 mile loop 8:38am
1 mile loop 8:47am
1 mile loop 8:56am
breakfast celebration 9:05am
As you can see we took out the 3 mile loop and decided to do multiple 1 mile loops. This change was made to allow walkers and slower runners to start the 1 mile loops and have the opportunity to cheer and support Karl multiple times before finishing with him.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the estimated start time of the loop you are running. This will assure you do not miss Karl if he is speeding through the run faster than we anticipate!
If you are traveling from out of town and need a place to stay on Saturday night please let us know. We have a large house and would love to fill it with “Karl supporting runners!”
In lieu of gifts Karl would appreciate donations to be made to Karno Kids. He has set up a website to donate: http://www.active.com/donate/karnokids/KStutel His goal is to raise $500 for the organization!
Please RSVP by commenting on the blog or email at kstutel@hotmail.com
Karl has been training hard in preparation for his run! Your love and support mean the world to him. Hopefully we will see you July 5th and together we can celebrate with Karl as he achieves his goal of running 30 at 30!
I hope your training has been going well and your running shoes are a bit tattered and worn! Not too worn though because the big event is just around the corner! The important information and logistics are listed below.
Karl will start the run at 5:00am on Sun. July 5th at our house. The following is a break down of the approximate start times of each loop. Each loop will start from our house.
15 mile loop 5:00am
5 mile loop 7:00am
5 mile loop 7:40am
1 mile loop 8:20am
1 mile loop 8:29am
1 mile loop 8:38am
1 mile loop 8:47am
1 mile loop 8:56am
breakfast celebration 9:05am
As you can see we took out the 3 mile loop and decided to do multiple 1 mile loops. This change was made to allow walkers and slower runners to start the 1 mile loops and have the opportunity to cheer and support Karl multiple times before finishing with him.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the estimated start time of the loop you are running. This will assure you do not miss Karl if he is speeding through the run faster than we anticipate!
If you are traveling from out of town and need a place to stay on Saturday night please let us know. We have a large house and would love to fill it with “Karl supporting runners!”
In lieu of gifts Karl would appreciate donations to be made to Karno Kids. He has set up a website to donate: http://www.active.com/donate/karnokids/KStutel His goal is to raise $500 for the organization!
Please RSVP by commenting on the blog or email at kstutel@hotmail.com
Karl has been training hard in preparation for his run! Your love and support mean the world to him. Hopefully we will see you July 5th and together we can celebrate with Karl as he achieves his goal of running 30 at 30!
Karno Kids - The intent of this organization is to provide financial support to organizations and programs that are focused on improving the health and wellness of our youth and restoring and preserving the environment and urban open-spaces. We work with a select number of quality organizations and programs that support this vision in an accountable and quantifiable manner. These currently include: Girls on the Run, The Conservation Fund, Kids on Trails, and The New York Road Runners Foundation.
“We’ve let our health slip in this nation, especially our youth, and it’s time we recognize the importance of physical wellness as an important life priority and take back our health as a country.”
- Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathoner, CEO & President
Friday, June 12, 2009
Still windy!! : 9 miles
The wind has not let up for the last 5 days now. The calmest time is first thing in the morning. I have also found that if I go about 2-3 miles east of my house that there can be little to no wind. I did that today but it did not work. It was windy even in Lancaster and Palmdale. I ended up running through each on my 9 mile loop. Total time was 1:10:30 (avg pace 7:50).
Here is some video from our house this week.
The quote below was on my day calendar today and it reminded me of my sister. I remember when Pres. Bush said this and we thought it was hilarious.
“I do not like broccoli. I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m president of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”—George H. W. Bush
"Cho-pin-bra-co-li"
Now go eat your vegetables!
Here is some video from our house this week.
The quote below was on my day calendar today and it reminded me of my sister. I remember when Pres. Bush said this and we thought it was hilarious.
“I do not like broccoli. I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m president of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”—George H. W. Bush
"Cho-pin-bra-co-li"
Now go eat your vegetables!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June Gloom! 8 mile treadmill progression run.
It has been gusty here night and day for the past 3 days. I fully recovered from my 20 miler in about 2 days. I could have run yesterday but the wind kept me in bed. Today I got on the treadmill for 8 miles: 5 miles @ 8:00 pace, 2 miles at 7:30 pace, and the last .5 miles at 6:40 pace and watched the trees sway from inside. Total workout was just over an hour.
I have some good links to check out that I have found over the past week:
Coach Jay Johnson out of Boulder, CO has a great website and some good videos on core workouts for runners. Check them out.
Here is a recent article from the NY Times titled “The Road to Success, Paved with Bad Advice.” It talks about stretching, orthotics, and running form and how the wrong advice, even with good intentions can be detrimental to your training. I think anyone that says that their technique or their product will help everyone or prevent injuries for all runners is feeding you a line. Again, there are so many variables that training, stretching, footwear, etc., have to be individualized for each runner. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had perfect biomechanics?
Next, here is a great article from Exercise Physiologist and Coach Jason Karp Ph.D. out of San Diego, on training by time and not mileage. Definitely worth a read! He has an online newsletter on his site called REVO2LT that is also worth checking out.
Did anyone watch the Prefontaine Classic this weekend? I thought the women’s 1500m was the most exciting with Jenny Barringer almost catching Gelete Burka of Ethiopia at the tape. See the bell lap on video here (it was Flotrack's Tasty Race of the Week) start video at 2:23. She became only the third American woman ever to break 4:00 in the 1500m. Mary Slaney and Suzy Favor-Hamilton are the only others. See her reaction here. Quartz Hill HS graduate and 2x world champion hurdler Michelle Perry won the 110HH at the Pre Classic in 12.74. Second place also ran 12.74 another photo finish!
Finally, the California state high school championships was this weekend. There were two local girls that represented the Antelope Valley well in the sprints, both making the finals in the 100m and 200m. Jessica Davis, a Junior at Highland HS in Palmdale was 2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m. Jordan Hasay won the CA 3200m for the 4th year in a row by 18 seconds in 10:05! After looking over the results of that race I noticed that nearby Saugus HS qualified 4 girls in the 3200m final and placed 2 in the top 5 and all 4 in the top 20 (only 1 senior--the 4th one)! Amazing! See all the results from the meet here.
Looking to visit Hawaii this year? Seach on fly.com they have some tickets as cheap as $99 each way!
I have some good links to check out that I have found over the past week:
Coach Jay Johnson out of Boulder, CO has a great website and some good videos on core workouts for runners. Check them out.
Here is a recent article from the NY Times titled “The Road to Success, Paved with Bad Advice.” It talks about stretching, orthotics, and running form and how the wrong advice, even with good intentions can be detrimental to your training. I think anyone that says that their technique or their product will help everyone or prevent injuries for all runners is feeding you a line. Again, there are so many variables that training, stretching, footwear, etc., have to be individualized for each runner. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had perfect biomechanics?
Next, here is a great article from Exercise Physiologist and Coach Jason Karp Ph.D. out of San Diego, on training by time and not mileage. Definitely worth a read! He has an online newsletter on his site called REVO2LT that is also worth checking out.
Did anyone watch the Prefontaine Classic this weekend? I thought the women’s 1500m was the most exciting with Jenny Barringer almost catching Gelete Burka of Ethiopia at the tape. See the bell lap on video here (it was Flotrack's Tasty Race of the Week) start video at 2:23. She became only the third American woman ever to break 4:00 in the 1500m. Mary Slaney and Suzy Favor-Hamilton are the only others. See her reaction here. Quartz Hill HS graduate and 2x world champion hurdler Michelle Perry won the 110HH at the Pre Classic in 12.74. Second place also ran 12.74 another photo finish!
Finally, the California state high school championships was this weekend. There were two local girls that represented the Antelope Valley well in the sprints, both making the finals in the 100m and 200m. Jessica Davis, a Junior at Highland HS in Palmdale was 2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m. Jordan Hasay won the CA 3200m for the 4th year in a row by 18 seconds in 10:05! After looking over the results of that race I noticed that nearby Saugus HS qualified 4 girls in the 3200m final and placed 2 in the top 5 and all 4 in the top 20 (only 1 senior--the 4th one)! Amazing! See all the results from the meet here.
Looking to visit Hawaii this year? Seach on fly.com they have some tickets as cheap as $99 each way!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
28 mile weekend in Phoenix!
I missed a post on Thursday but put in 8 miles in 59 minutes (7:23 pace) and felt great!
Friday night I left for Phoenix. My cousin Will Schmid was ordained as a Catholic Preist on Saturday! It was an incredible ceremony and he has worked very hard to get to where he is now. He is a great person and will help many people.
I stayed with relatives in a time share in Scottsdale (the north east corner of Phoenix). I had mapped out a running route before I left using google maps.
Saturday I got in 8 miles in 59:18 (7:25 pace). What I didn't realize looking at the satellite image is that the route I chose was a steady uphill all the way out and downhill all the way back. I felt great on Saturday averaging 7:40 on the uphill (probably 3-5% grades), and 7:00 on the way down.
Sunday I got in a 20 miler! The route I picked on google came out to be almost exactly 20 miles on the Garmin 305. I extended the run from Saturday so the course was 10 miles uphill and 10 miles downhill with grades a little steeper towards the peak. It took me 2:36:19 for 20 miles (avg pace 7:50). I was averaging 8:20's on the way up and 7:20 on the way down. There were some low points where I wondered if I could make it but was able to rally back and finish. Then I hopped in the pool for 10 minutes! It ended up being a very good run, tough by myself, but gave me some mental confidence for July 5th!
Friday night I left for Phoenix. My cousin Will Schmid was ordained as a Catholic Preist on Saturday! It was an incredible ceremony and he has worked very hard to get to where he is now. He is a great person and will help many people.
I stayed with relatives in a time share in Scottsdale (the north east corner of Phoenix). I had mapped out a running route before I left using google maps.
Saturday I got in 8 miles in 59:18 (7:25 pace). What I didn't realize looking at the satellite image is that the route I chose was a steady uphill all the way out and downhill all the way back. I felt great on Saturday averaging 7:40 on the uphill (probably 3-5% grades), and 7:00 on the way down.
Sunday I got in a 20 miler! The route I picked on google came out to be almost exactly 20 miles on the Garmin 305. I extended the run from Saturday so the course was 10 miles uphill and 10 miles downhill with grades a little steeper towards the peak. It took me 2:36:19 for 20 miles (avg pace 7:50). I was averaging 8:20's on the way up and 7:20 on the way down. There were some low points where I wondered if I could make it but was able to rally back and finish. Then I hopped in the pool for 10 minutes! It ended up being a very good run, tough by myself, but gave me some mental confidence for July 5th!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
National Running Day
Happy Running Day!
I had big plans that didn’t work out this morning. My son was up for 2 hours last night. I was actually wide awake at 3am and briefly thought about just going for a run then, but decided I needed to try and get some sleep more than the run.
The folks at flotrack interviewed some elite runners about how they started running and what running means to them. See the interviews here.
It is fun to reflect on all the good times running has brought me. I have a picture of me holding a medal for being the youngest runner to finish a local 5k at the age of 7. I started running competitively at Mohave Valley Junior High School in AZ. We would run about a half mile for time in PE class on an old dirt road out and back course near the school. Our PE teacher would time it and post the best times on a window at the schools main office. This was one of my favorite days as I would usually finish in the top few in the school. I joined the track team there and we traveled to Kingman, Bullhead City, and Lake Havasu for track meets in the spring. We would have practices after school where we could try any of the events to find out what we liked and what we were good at. I tried hurdles, long jump, and shot put! But I always enjoyed and was more competitive in the “long distance” events (1200m was the longest event at the Jr. High meets). The experiences in Arizona motivated me to join the cross country and track teams when we moved to Henderson, NV before my freshman year at Green Valley High School, and the rest they say is history.
Running has given me an outlet.
… has helped my self esteem.
… helped me pick my university.
… is how I met my wife.
… helped me pick my career.
… has helped me get a job.
… has helped me set goals.
… has created many friends.
… has filled my competitive spirit.
… has become a part of who I am.
So how did you start running and what are some of you fondest memories that involve running? Share any stories you wish.
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people…who have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept…Generally, by the time you are Real, most of you hair is loved off…but these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” –Velveteen Rabbitt
I had big plans that didn’t work out this morning. My son was up for 2 hours last night. I was actually wide awake at 3am and briefly thought about just going for a run then, but decided I needed to try and get some sleep more than the run.
The folks at flotrack interviewed some elite runners about how they started running and what running means to them. See the interviews here.
It is fun to reflect on all the good times running has brought me. I have a picture of me holding a medal for being the youngest runner to finish a local 5k at the age of 7. I started running competitively at Mohave Valley Junior High School in AZ. We would run about a half mile for time in PE class on an old dirt road out and back course near the school. Our PE teacher would time it and post the best times on a window at the schools main office. This was one of my favorite days as I would usually finish in the top few in the school. I joined the track team there and we traveled to Kingman, Bullhead City, and Lake Havasu for track meets in the spring. We would have practices after school where we could try any of the events to find out what we liked and what we were good at. I tried hurdles, long jump, and shot put! But I always enjoyed and was more competitive in the “long distance” events (1200m was the longest event at the Jr. High meets). The experiences in Arizona motivated me to join the cross country and track teams when we moved to Henderson, NV before my freshman year at Green Valley High School, and the rest they say is history.
Running has given me an outlet.
… has helped my self esteem.
… helped me pick my university.
… is how I met my wife.
… helped me pick my career.
… has helped me get a job.
… has helped me set goals.
… has created many friends.
… has filled my competitive spirit.
… has become a part of who I am.
So how did you start running and what are some of you fondest memories that involve running? Share any stories you wish.
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people…who have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept…Generally, by the time you are Real, most of you hair is loved off…but these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” –Velveteen Rabbitt
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
8 mile marathon pace run (59 min)
After days of running at 8 min pace I was fed up and needed to run a little faster. Sometimes I feel better after a harder effort than I do running slower. I used the first 1.5 miles as a warm up to Lane Park and then did 1 mile loops around the park (5 loops at what felt like a tempo marathon pace effort) and then returned home. Here are the splits: 8:22, 7:47, 7:28, 7:08, 6:53, 6:45, 7:23, 7:16. Average pace on the entire run was 7:22. Only mile 5 and 6 were at goal marathon pace (I have some work to do there). I felt better on this run and afterward than I have in weeks.
Need some inspiration? US 800m runner Khadevis Robinson is always good for a motivational interview.
Here is an interview with Jordan Hasay's coach Armando Siqueiros his history with Jordan and her future. Wow!! What an amazing coach and person.
See a tour of Alan Culpepper's running store in Colorado Solepepper Sports. Watch for his running shoe museum! Cool!
Finally, tomorrow June 3rd is National Running Day! Hope you all have a great day and get in a good run.
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die from a misprint." --Mark Twain
Need some inspiration? US 800m runner Khadevis Robinson is always good for a motivational interview.
Here is an interview with Jordan Hasay's coach Armando Siqueiros his history with Jordan and her future. Wow!! What an amazing coach and person.
See a tour of Alan Culpepper's running store in Colorado Solepepper Sports. Watch for his running shoe museum! Cool!
Finally, tomorrow June 3rd is National Running Day! Hope you all have a great day and get in a good run.
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die from a misprint." --Mark Twain
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