I was able to roll out of bed for 4 easy miles this morning. The will probably be the last miles before the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday. Travel day tomorrow and expo on Saturday! Weather prediction for Sunday is now mostly cloudy with low of 44 and high of 56. Check the blog for results!
I think they have live online tracking on mtcmaraton.org. I am bib #3400 and Andi is #F2980.
The Minnesota Twins are playing their last game in their current stadium (the Metrodome) at an afternoon game on Sunday. We will be going home to clean up after the race and then head directly over to the game. I hope there aren't too many stairs down to our seats!
"Even after all these years, running continues to amaze me. Mostly in its ability to clarify - to make things OK and bring you back down to earth, even when things are insane. Especially when things are insane."
Mark Remy, Executive Editor, runnersworld.com
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
September monthly totals
September totals were 123 miles. Not bad considering I took time off (one week I had a total of 9 miles!) and ran with a bum knee for the first three weeks. I also passed the 1000 mile mark for the year (I am at 1018) today. Still not where I wanted to be at the beginning of the year (goal was 1500 for the year), but I am ahead of last year by about 100 miles. I didn't get to 1000 until the end of October last year.
I have also doubled by blog visitors for the month compared to September 2008. Last year in September I had 250 visits, this year 500 in September!
In the news:
Dathan Ritzenhein is scheduled to run the World Half Marathon Championships on October 11th. He has been putting in some tough workouts. His coach, Alberto Salazar, is copying some of our workouts (ok, not really). He recently did 9x1600m with 1 lap recovery, each in 4:21, and did a 10 mile tempo run (half on road and half on the track) in what would be a US record of 45:03. I'd say he is in amazing shape. See article here.
45 year old US runner, Colleen DeReuck is running the Twin Cities Marathon and based on her recent win at the US 20k championships, she has a chance to win both US women's marathon championships and master's marathon championships on the same day. It will be fun to be a part of that race this weekend.
My cousin is in Physical Therapy school at Regis University in Colorado. He did a video for a project in school on back pain. Click here to view. It is very entertaining!
I have also doubled by blog visitors for the month compared to September 2008. Last year in September I had 250 visits, this year 500 in September!
In the news:
Dathan Ritzenhein is scheduled to run the World Half Marathon Championships on October 11th. He has been putting in some tough workouts. His coach, Alberto Salazar, is copying some of our workouts (ok, not really). He recently did 9x1600m with 1 lap recovery, each in 4:21, and did a 10 mile tempo run (half on road and half on the track) in what would be a US record of 45:03. I'd say he is in amazing shape. See article here.
45 year old US runner, Colleen DeReuck is running the Twin Cities Marathon and based on her recent win at the US 20k championships, she has a chance to win both US women's marathon championships and master's marathon championships on the same day. It will be fun to be a part of that race this weekend.
My cousin is in Physical Therapy school at Regis University in Colorado. He did a video for a project in school on back pain. Click here to view. It is very entertaining!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
More MP Intervals: Total 6 miles @ MP
I joined Clay and Dale again for their track workout and helped rabbit them on their mile repeats. They ran 5x1600m with a one lap recovery jog. I ran through the first and third recovery laps maintaining pace and ended up running 2x4000m (~2.5miles) and finished with another 1600m for a total of 6 miles at marathon pace. My 4k splits were 16:50 and 16:20 and I finished with a 6:25 mile. Total mileage for the day was 9.
Clay and Dale are both getting some great quality workouts in preparation for the Long Beach Half Marathon in two weeks. Once returned from MN I will drop the times down and run the 5x1600m as intended, then do prolonged marathon pace work on the weekends.
I would like to test myself with 10 miles at MP (6:40) in the near future.
I just finished a book by Bart Yasso titled My life on the Run: The wit, wisdom, and insights of a road racing icon. I was lucky enough to go to the Boston Marathon expo early and get to meet Mr. Yasso as he was signing free copies to the first 50 people in line. It is one of those books that you can pick up, read a chapter, and then pick it up again weeks later and continue (my kind of book). I have way too many running books on the shelf that I have not read. I am hoping that posting short book reviews for my readers will motivate me to read a few more.
This book is very entertaining. Most of it chronicles crazy stories of some of the most bizarre and hilarious races and endurance achievements Mr. Yasso has participated in over the years. He has hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, run the Badwater Ultramarathon, and biked across the country...in 20 days! He also describes how the "Yasso 800s" came about. Running has become his passion and addiction, replacing drugs and alcohol. The best part of the book is his message he wrote on the inside cover, "Never limit where running can take you."
There are also three levels of training programs for races from 5k to marathon that I was not too impressed with, but overall the stories make this book a worth while read. Most of you could read it in a weekend. It took me a year and a half.
My favorite paragraph in the book is:
"As runners, we each have a duty to accept the role as mentor to a slower runner or a new runner or someone who doesn't think he or she can walk around the block, let alone finish a 5k. Remember, we're not some members of a snooty, noses-in-the-air fraternity. We are runners! So let's spread the message. Can you imagine how grand this planet would be if everyone where a runner? Obesity? Not a problem. Depression? Never heard of it. Sluggishness? Get the hell out."
He also rated the Twin Cities Marathon: Most scenic urban marathon. He says, "Many runners, including me, believe this is one of the best organized marathons in the country. They deliver on every promise, including natural beauty. This race is in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and it seems like you pass 9,999 of them. The foliage is amazing, right up there with anything you'll see in New England. The finish line is in front of the state capitol in Saint Paul, and parts of the course are along the mighty Mississippi River. You'd never know you're in a city of 400,000 people, except they're all out cheering for you."
I can't wait!
The forecast now calls for (partly cloudy) low of 45 and high of 59! Should I wear long sleeves?
Clay and Dale are both getting some great quality workouts in preparation for the Long Beach Half Marathon in two weeks. Once returned from MN I will drop the times down and run the 5x1600m as intended, then do prolonged marathon pace work on the weekends.
I would like to test myself with 10 miles at MP (6:40) in the near future.
I just finished a book by Bart Yasso titled My life on the Run: The wit, wisdom, and insights of a road racing icon. I was lucky enough to go to the Boston Marathon expo early and get to meet Mr. Yasso as he was signing free copies to the first 50 people in line. It is one of those books that you can pick up, read a chapter, and then pick it up again weeks later and continue (my kind of book). I have way too many running books on the shelf that I have not read. I am hoping that posting short book reviews for my readers will motivate me to read a few more.
This book is very entertaining. Most of it chronicles crazy stories of some of the most bizarre and hilarious races and endurance achievements Mr. Yasso has participated in over the years. He has hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, run the Badwater Ultramarathon, and biked across the country...in 20 days! He also describes how the "Yasso 800s" came about. Running has become his passion and addiction, replacing drugs and alcohol. The best part of the book is his message he wrote on the inside cover, "Never limit where running can take you."
There are also three levels of training programs for races from 5k to marathon that I was not too impressed with, but overall the stories make this book a worth while read. Most of you could read it in a weekend. It took me a year and a half.
My favorite paragraph in the book is:
"As runners, we each have a duty to accept the role as mentor to a slower runner or a new runner or someone who doesn't think he or she can walk around the block, let alone finish a 5k. Remember, we're not some members of a snooty, noses-in-the-air fraternity. We are runners! So let's spread the message. Can you imagine how grand this planet would be if everyone where a runner? Obesity? Not a problem. Depression? Never heard of it. Sluggishness? Get the hell out."
He also rated the Twin Cities Marathon: Most scenic urban marathon. He says, "Many runners, including me, believe this is one of the best organized marathons in the country. They deliver on every promise, including natural beauty. This race is in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and it seems like you pass 9,999 of them. The foliage is amazing, right up there with anything you'll see in New England. The finish line is in front of the state capitol in Saint Paul, and parts of the course are along the mighty Mississippi River. You'd never know you're in a city of 400,000 people, except they're all out cheering for you."
I can't wait!
The forecast now calls for (partly cloudy) low of 45 and high of 59! Should I wear long sleeves?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
10 mile steady state run (1:15)
Total mileage today was 13! I met Clay and Dale at Ave. S and the aqueduct at 5:50am. We did a 2 mile warm up (much needed as I was stiff from yesterday). Then we set out to do 10 at 7:30 pace. We stayed very even and finished in 1:15! Clay and I did a 1 mile cool down (again much needed) for a total of 13 miles. Dale hurried off to church.
This is the first time in a month that I have run 2 days in a row and the first time in over a month that I have put in a 25 mile weekend. I am tired, but the left knee held up great.
Here are my splits: 7:36, 7:35, 7:36, 7:29, 7:34, 7:31, 7:38, 7:26, 7:35, 7:02.
It was a marathon pace run for Clay and Dale and we talked easily most of the time. I think a sub 3:15 is in their near future (CIM)!
This is the first time in a month that I have run 2 days in a row and the first time in over a month that I have put in a 25 mile weekend. I am tired, but the left knee held up great.
Here are my splits: 7:36, 7:35, 7:36, 7:29, 7:34, 7:31, 7:38, 7:26, 7:35, 7:02.
It was a marathon pace run for Clay and Dale and we talked easily most of the time. I think a sub 3:15 is in their near future (CIM)!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
12 mile fast finish run
Andi, Dale, Dan, Chuck and I started at 6:00 am on a 12 mile fast finish run. We planned on 8:30s for the first 8 and then pick it up for the last four. What happened was 8:30 for the first mile, then dropping down to 8:15-8:10 for the next seven. Chuck had some calf cramping that stopped him after about three miles. Dale maintained pace and finished 15. Andi stayed with Dale until 10 miles and then finished strong. Dan and I took off after 8 and ran the next 2 at about 7:00 pace, then dropped a 6:30 and 6:15 to finish. (these splits are estimated...I forgot my garmin, but Dan has a Polar watch with a foot pod for pace/distance/time calculations). Total time for 12 miles was about 1:33 (avg pace 7:45). Dan and I both did ice baths afterward. It was a good effort and Andi's last before Twin Cities, with easy runs for her the rest of the week.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Minneapolis 10 day forecast
Today is the first day that October 4th (Marathon Day) comes up on the 10 day forecast. Here is their prediction: Abundant sunshine. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Sounds like ideal conditions to me! Looking forward to it.
Tomorrow: 12 miler fast finish run at Ave. S and the aqueduct 6:00am.
Tomorrow: 12 miler fast finish run at Ave. S and the aqueduct 6:00am.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
10 mile fast finish run
I met Clay up on the aqueduct this morning at 5:45am for a temp/steady state run, what ever you want to call it. His plan was to run 2 miles warm up, then 3 at 7:30 pace and 3 at 7:15 pace. I decided to save on gas and run the 2 miles up to the aqueduct, mainly to add some mileage. We then did another 2 miles warm up and then headed east towards Highland. This the same stretch of aqueduct that I did my 10k time trial at a month ago. Our first three mile splits were 7:26, 7:25, 7:32! We then turned around and pushed it back in 6:58, 6:55, 6:46. Total 43:06 for 6 miles. The last three ended up a little faster than what Clay had wanted, and we both thought it felt harder than it should have, but I think it says something about Clay's current fitness. He has really been training hard for the past 3 months now and it is paying off. I am predicting 1:31 for the Long Beach half marathon and I think 3:15 is definitely possible with 2 more months of intervals and longer marathon paced runs. I will be doing more threshold and marathon paced runs as well over the next 2 months.
Total mileage today: 10
Total time: 1:16:31
Avg pace: 7:39
Read this article on a family in the midwest that set the Guinness Record for most siblings finishing the same marathon at 16! They ranged in age from 18-44 and all ran under 5:30, one with a prosthetic leg!
The Running Doc posted on PRP (plasma rich platelets) treatments. I had read about this treatment after Hines Ward had it done before the superbowl. It is a very interesting and easy procedure and sounds like it gets great results. They take your own blood, centrifuge down the plasma rich platelets, and then inject this into the injured site jump-starting the healing process. Read more about it here.
A follow up to the heat effects on marathons looked at both male and female world records. Both records were set at marathons that started at 9:00 am with starting temperatures of 51 degrees F, and both athletes ran negative splits (Haile only by 7 seconds). Neither race got hotter than 61 degrees by the time they finished.
Total mileage today: 10
Total time: 1:16:31
Avg pace: 7:39
Read this article on a family in the midwest that set the Guinness Record for most siblings finishing the same marathon at 16! They ranged in age from 18-44 and all ran under 5:30, one with a prosthetic leg!
The Running Doc posted on PRP (plasma rich platelets) treatments. I had read about this treatment after Hines Ward had it done before the superbowl. It is a very interesting and easy procedure and sounds like it gets great results. They take your own blood, centrifuge down the plasma rich platelets, and then inject this into the injured site jump-starting the healing process. Read more about it here.
A follow up to the heat effects on marathons looked at both male and female world records. Both records were set at marathons that started at 9:00 am with starting temperatures of 51 degrees F, and both athletes ran negative splits (Haile only by 7 seconds). Neither race got hotter than 61 degrees by the time they finished.
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