Feb 03 2010

Since You’ve Been Gone

February 3, 2010 – 11:05 am
By mattpitt99 | Posted in Marathon Report, Training, race report, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

*Brushes off the dust, removes the cobwebs*

*sigh*
Sorry for the aweful song choice, but sadly it FITS. I actually wanted to find a song from The Who in honor of the Super Bowl, but while I do have blue eyes, this isn’t a very introspective post and I don’t know anyone named Baba O’Reilly.

So, even though it’s a month into the new decade, here’s a recap of the past year and what I’ve been up to since my last post ages ago.

2009 Summary:
Miles: 1269
Hours: 196:46:25 (about 8 days)

3 Marathons: 4:00:36 PR
1 Half-Marathon: 1:55:49.04 PR
1 10 Mile Race: 1:32:25.82 PR
1 10k: 49:55.2 PR
1 8k as part of the two day Blackbeard Challenge with my PR OBX Marathon: 47:23 PR, 15/64 finish in challenge
6 5ks: 21:04 PR
1 Mile Race (after a 5k): 6:12
1 Bourbon Chase with 12/151 overall finish, 4th/80 in age graded division
1 Speed Session ending with a 6:10 Mile time PR

I had a fantastic year in running. I never thought I would get into running as mush as I have, but I’m really loving it. I ran a ton of races and never quit running for more than a few weeks (December after the Huntsville marathon).

Quick Summary of my fall races:
Bourbon Chase:
Most fun that I’ve had running. It was a fantastic experienc being part of a team and being competitive was great fun as well. Spending an overnight in a van, cheering on fellow teammates, running 3 times including one at 4:30am, celebrating with the team aftwards. Great fun, and I’m looking forward to doing it again!

OBX Marathon:
PR’d with my goal time of 4:00! It was a great course with a pain in the ass bridge to run up and it was awesome to race at a place where I’ve vacationed for years. I also loved running the 8k on Sat. and Marathon on Sunday for the Blackbeard’s Challenge. Only downside was the leg cramps I had around mile 23. Ugh.

5ks: Habitrot, Rudolph Red Nose Run, Run for Mercy
PR in Habitrot to impress the parents and kick-off a nice Thanksgiving. Age group award (that I missed out on) and fun and freezing Rudolph run. Competing with a final sprint for an Age group award (my first!) and running with friends for an awesome race that was directed by Melanie for the Run for Mercy.

Rocket City Marathon
The most fun I’ve had running a marathon. Rode with Amy to and from Huntsville that day. Ran with both Amy and Melanie (and also another friend Cheryl) most of the way at a nice enjoyable pace. Finished with  Melanie who had a fierce sprint for the last quarter mile! It was great to run with friends and enjoy the race (my second marathon in about a month). I also completed my goal of running the whole thing w/o walking!
Plus, had a fantastic cheesburger and milkshake on the way home.

So there you have it. That’s what running I’ve been up to *insert bad some title here*

Stay tuned for my plans for 2010.

By mattpitt99 | Posted in Marathon Report, Training, race report, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Sep 18 2009

“The Dog Days Are Over” Training Report

September 18, 2009 – 7:42 pm
By mattpitt99 | Posted in Training, running | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

(Major bonus points if you know the song reference!)

So a month has gone by, and I have logged some major training.

In the last month or so, I’ve:

a. Completed the Fleet Feet speed sessions and taking my mile time down from 6:40 to 6:00!

b. Ran my first 10k (Franklin Classic) with a time of 49:55!

c. Completed long runs of 18, The 11.2, 18, 14, 22.

d. Did my first double (5 and 5) to prepare for the Bourbon Chase

d. Mixed in some average pace runs and tempo runs.

e. Averaging about 30-40 miles per week while trying to manage a new work schedule.

I’m feeling pretty good about training for the upcoming marathon. I was tired after running 22 on Saturday, but felt I could get to 26.2. And I was out there on 1 day of rest and my legs felt fine.

The good news, is that all of the above training has been done during the *wonderful* Tennessee summer. It’s mid-September, and I’m looking forward to the fall temps.

It’ll be a nice way to lead into the OBX Marathon, for which I am now officially registered. Yay!

Plus, I’m doing the extra Blackbeard Challenge, which is an 8k on Saturday and then the marathon on Sunday. Hardcore!

By mattpitt99 | Posted in Training, running | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Aug 12 2009

It Takes Two: Smyrna Parks Race Report

August 12, 2009 – 2:53 pm
By mattpitt99 | Posted in race report, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

It’s not just one, but two, two race reports in one!

I ran the Smyrna Parks 5k and 1 Mile race this past weekend. And I did awesome.

I took 1:30 off my previous PR (from the Striders’ Picnic 5k)!  And I came close to my 6 minute track mile PR from my speed sessions. Sweet!

The day started off HOT and HUMID. I registered and then ran a little warm-up half mile. I’ve been doing this in speed sessions, and I think it works well for races as well. I met up with a Bourbon Chaser teammate, Bill, wished him luck and headed to the start line.

At the start, I was surrounded by kids. There were kids everywhere because the race was open to Cross Country teams. It was a cool site to see all the kids out there enjoying running.

The gun went off and I started with a pace around 7:30. I felt good. I was curious as to what a good starting pace would be, because I haven’t run many 5ks, but this was a great starting pace seeing as I’m pretty sure I had negative splits the whole way!

This ended up being a fun race. First, it was FLAT!  I couldn’t believe how flat it was, and it felt awesome. Second, it was fun the run with all the kids around. Third, I ended up having a nice finish with a 22:42! I finished 6/12 in my age group, 100/380 total.

I finished, caught my breath, got a bottle of water and had to prepare… I was running a mile race in less than an hour! In between races, I hung out with some fellow Striders (the fast bunch, who shrug at 17:30 5k, saying it was nothing!) and tried to keep my legs loose.

Soon, it was race time. I felt like I was pretty hardcore when I lined up. There were a total of 42 who stuck around for the mile race. The gun went off and my legs felt TIGHT! It was tough to get through that first quarter, but I did. I kept a pretty good pace and saved a bit for my sprint at the end.. I ended up with a 6:12 time! Not bad for after a PR 5k!  And only 12 seconds off my best. I also finished 2nd in my age group (OK, out of 2.. but still….) I finished in dead middle 21/42.

That’s become standard for me. I have a tendency to stay in the middle of the pack.  But that’s okay, because I keep getting faster with new PRs.

Great races, great day…

…except for one fact: Our reward for running both races: They ran out of BBQ and Chic-fil-a.  Thanks Guys! Grr.

By mattpitt99 | Posted in race report, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Jul 22 2009

And I Would Walk 500 Miles, And I would Walk 500 More

July 22, 2009 – 10:20 am
By mattpitt99 | Posted in Training, running, travel | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Dear Matt,

Seeing your absence from the Blogosphere, I thought it’d be a great time to write this letter. This is a Thank You letter.

Specifically, I want to thank you for the last year. It’s been a great year for me since we met last July. You’ve been a great friend, taking me almost everywhere you went. Sure there were a few times where I stayed at home, but mostly, I was there with you.

When we first met, you took me on mostly small trips. We did start off by running the streets of a small beach town. Then you took me to see your neighborhood. Pretty soon, we started getting up early and getting out to see the world. Traveling to local parks. Meeting the locals and taking longer trips. It was fantastic.

Then we hit the big time. You went all out for a 4.5 hour trip and showed me a Civil War Battlefield. It was beautiful!

Then the New Year came and we had all new adventures. We traveled up and down some mountains and hills, met some more locals, and even saw wild animals!

Not only did you bring me on the great times, but you trusted me in tough times as well. I was happy to help out in extreme weather, from the rain and cold to the hot and sunny.

So, in closing, I just want to say Thank You for all of the adventures of the past 1189 miles. I’m looking forward to hanging out with new people, going on weekend trips, visiting the beach once again, and for you continuing to take me on speedy trips.

Here’s to the next 1000 miles.

Sincerely,

-Nike Running Hat

P.S. Your 6 minute mile ROCKS!

By mattpitt99 | Posted in Training, running, travel | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)
Jun 23 2009

Blister in the Sun: RC Cola & Moon Pie 10 Miler Race Report

June 23, 2009 – 11:43 am
By mattpitt99 | Posted in race report, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Ah, Middle TN in the Summer, in the middle of a heat wave. There’s nothing like 95+ degree highs that feel like 105 and lows ranging from a cool 70 to 75 degrees.

And there’s nothing like running a race (and running in general) in this weather. The RCCMP Race took place in a small town called Bell Buckle as part of the RC Cola & Moon Pie Festival, which meant I got to wake up at 5 in order to get there on time.

I arrived in plenty of time, got my number and tshirt and headed back to the car to drop off my shirt. But due to too many trips back and forth to the car, porta-pottys….

…as I was returning to the race area, I hear the gun go off. I was late. I ended up following some others and ran against the grain to the start. The director gave us a warning of not going through the start line in reverse with our chips…

Crap, I forgot to get my chip. Oh well.

So my first 10 mile race technically doesn’t count, but I was happy with my time anyways. I had my Garmin, so it didn’t really matter. I started behind the group, ran too fast to catch up and then sunk into a 9 mile pace. The first 2 miles were killer. Recently, I haven’t been really warmed up until around mile 4-5 and these first 2 were down a long, hot road. I think the temp was probably 80 degrees too.

I kept the good pace up and ran up all of the hills that a lot of people were walking, including a nice and steep hill around mile 4-5. Along the hill, I passed Europe Bound Melanie, had a nice, short conversation and was on my way.

The rest of the race went better. There were more areas of shade and a nice farmer who had a hose spraying for us. I kept dumping water on my head to keep cool and kept a bottle on me as well. I caught up to Amy (aka Chatty McChatterson) for the last couple miles, and we had a nice talk that helped those mile go fast. I had a nice finish, but not my best. In fact, Amy ended up smoking me to the finish. I was really hot and tired.

The finish area had some nice rewards for our suffering: RC Cola and Moon Pies of course, chicken biscuits, popcicles and fruit.  Great way to recover! I stood in the shade, trying to cool down and stop dripping with sweat and enjoyed the food. I left, with Moon Pies and Cola in hand, satisfied with the race:

Unofficial finish:
1:32:25
316/1000?
Age: 25/52

By mattpitt99 | Posted in race report, running | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)