Feb 09 2010

On and On and On: 2010 Goals and Plans

February 9, 2010 – 11:51 am
By mattpitt99 | Posted in Training, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

I am excited about 2010. After my first year of running, it’s great to feel kinda hardcore. I’ve lowered my PR times and I’m starting to get into the age group awards realm. I’ve kept up my running through the cold January and February and it should be a great year.

Marathon Goal:
I’ve signed up for the Pittsburgh Marathon and will have an entourage of family and friends coming to watch me run. My goals is to just enjoy the run, maintain a decent pace and no stop to walk. It should  be a great course that winds through the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and with family to cheer me on, it should be a fun time in my hometown!

I haven’t planned on any fall marathons yet, but the Flying Monkey is on my radar. I’d love to break 4 hours in a marathon as well.

5k:
My goal this year is to break 20:00. My PR is 21:05, so I think that’s doable. It’ll give me a nice motivating goal to keep up with speed training. There are plenty of 5ks for me to get this goal.

1 Mile: Get a sub 6 min. mile. PR is 6:10. I can do this.

10k: Get a PR and gauge where I’m at. It’s a pretty basic goal because I’ve only ran one, so I’d love to just know where I’m at with this distance. I’d love to run more 10k’s as well.

1/2 Marathon: PR and enjoy the race(s). I’ll be doing the Tom King again, which was one of my favorites. Others on my radar are the Oak Barrel 1/2 and Mufreesboro 1/2.

Other goals: Race one race per month. I’m mostly set with this goal. I’ll need to find one for April and plan for the fall, but it’s looking good. It’ll help keep me motivated and races are a blast.

One of my goals is also to try as many different types of races and distances. Last year, I ran an 8k, which was a fun distance. Perhaps some trail races this year?

I’ll have this years Bourbon Chase this fall with my awesome team again!

Also, I need to volunteer more at races.

And non-running wise, I hope to expand my design client base, get more projects and/or find a full-time or part-time design position

Here’s to 2010!

By mattpitt99 | Posted in Training, running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
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)