Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

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Time is Running Out: A Tom King Prequel

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

I’m tired of being tired.

I’m tired of being hungry.

I’m also busy. So my running has suffered.

<————————–(Note my milage)

That being said, it’s not all bad.

(New PR)————————–>

My point is that I’ve been busy, which isn’t all bad, but it does make it hard to get motivated to fit in running. I started working on an awesome project for a non-profit. Which is great and I’m very motivated to help them and want to do everything for them, and that takes up a lot of time. . Multiply that by 3 for my job 2-3 days a week  at 4:30 am. Add normal around the house tasks. Plus one doggie. And a recently busy social life (side note: post title=tribute to my recent Muse show, also went to a Rodrigo Y Gabriela show, want go to The National show) and multiply everything by February and I’m exhausted.

One reassuring fact is that I’m not alone. Both Melanie and Amy have felt the “winter blues” or whatever you wish to call this. So I’m not alone, which is good. We are all working to get back into the swing of things because we all have some races coming up. And I know we will, because we love running and it’s important to us.

So in summary:

(1 Non-profit project * (3)4am shift (crazy sleep schedule + crazy eating schedule) + Some Household chores + 1 Doggie + 1 Social Life) * February = Hard to find time to run.

Maybe it’s winter blues, but, as I said on Saturday, I call it “Tapering for the Tom King Half-Marathon” Which, as noted above, worked.

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On and On and On: 2010 Goals and Plans

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

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!

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Since You've Been Gone

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

*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.

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Posted in Marathon Report, Training, race report, running | 2 Comments »

"The Dog Days Are Over" Training Report

Friday, September 18th, 2009

(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!

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

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

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!

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Learning How to Fly (But I Ain't Got Wings)

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Back.. and less than a month later!

News on the running front is that I’m doing Speed Sessions with other runners from Fleet Feet.

Every Tuesday, I get up early and out the door to the track to meet roughly 40 others and run sprints.

First Week: 1 Mile test
I was ecstatic at my mile time… waaay faster than what I was thinking!  6:40!  I felt pretty good too.. sore the next 2 days, but good. We also did some warm up laps and stretches that we’ll do each week.

Week 2: 8×400 at R Pace
Meaning: 8 400 meter sprints at my mile pace, each followed by 400m rest.
It was a great workout. The challenge was sticking to my pace. The whole group I was in ran the first lap waaaay too fast. I managed to slow the next ones down and had it pretty much around 6:40 pace at the end. Felt great afterward, but my legs were tired today for my 8 mile run.

Other running notes:
Did the 11.2 on Sat.
Have increased my normal running distance to anywhere above 6 miles… usually around 7-7.5.
Haven’t done as many running days as I would like.. have to work on that.
Have been running with fellow Nashville running blogger, Amy, whose provided great company and great motivation to get up early and run!

Ultimately, my goal right now is to keep my milage up and work on my speed through the track workouts. If I keep this up until Marathon Training begins, I’ll be in good shape… hopefully, for a 4 hour marathon.

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For Those About to Rock (We Solute You)

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Lots of people from blogs I read have their races this weekend in St. Louis and Boston, so I want to with them good luck!

I’m in the middle of my taper right now, with a week to go until the CMM. I’m excited! Compared to the Battlefield marathon, this one is a big experience with crowds and bands; it should be a good time.

I completed my last big week of training this past Saturday with 46 miles and a 20 mile run. The run went great. I did 4 with Melanie at a relaxed pace and then 16 straight. It was nice to catch up and then push myself to do the 16 straight. Mostly, I didn’t want to do 3 out and backs to get to 20 miles. I was tired in the middle, but finished strong. My pace was around 9:15, and that included the relaxed 4 miles. So I think I’m in great shape for the marathon.

I’ve been taking it easy this week, because my left calf is a little sore. I’m not worried, just want to rest it.

Also, I want to get a shout out to my fellow designer-runners that I hung out with this week. Great to catch up!

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Rockin' the Suburbs

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Time for a Ben Folds flavored training update (awesome show at the Ryman on Tuesday)!

Great news.. one more 20 miler to go before I start to taper for the marathon! And yes, it’s in the suburbs. I’ll be running a greenway and have company from a friend for a little bit of the run, which will be nice.

Last weekend, my other 20 miler was in the suburbs as well… even more so than this week as it was in the fancy-schmancy yuppie park where all of the soccer moms bring their soccer kids to play. All in all it was a great run. I did two loops of a longer trail that winds through the park, into a housing development and back, plus a trail in the park itself. I was tired midway through and I think that was because I stopped too long for my refueling break.

And speaking of refueling.. I learned some good news on the run… that I can stomach Cytomax. I was on a quest last week to find some and got some samples from a running store. The good news, as I said, is that it doesn’t make me sick! The bad news… it tastes disgusting.. something along the lines of how I imagine lemon-lime dish soap to taste. Hopefully, I can stand it for 26.2 miles! It’d be nice if marathons could just use Gatorade…

So that 20 miler capped my first of almost 50 mile weeks (48). I’ll have 46 this week. I looked back at my training last year, and I didn’t even come close to that. My legs are feeling it a little, but I’m excited and think I’ll run a really good time this marathon.

My goal: 4:15

My awesome, exceeding expectations goal: 4:00.

I’ll still be happy with: 4:30

I’ve been running at a 8:45-9 min mile for my runs… so all of the above are possible, It’ll just depend on the day!

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The Fall of the 11.2

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Well, the 11.2 is over and done with…and I survived. Actually, not only did I survived, I liked it. Sure, the hill around mile 5 was a pain and the loooong hill at mile 9 was tough, but I didn’t mind in the end. All-in-all it was a great run. I finished with a 9:20 pace and really pushed it after the midway water stop. I haven’t had any real hill training except for taking a wrong turn or two in Nashville, so this was a change for me, and I liked it. It was a great experience and I’ll definitely do it again… In fact, the experience might have caused some crazy thoughts in my head because I’m thinking about the Flying Monkey Marathon. I think I could do this again… twice in a row.. plus more… Hmm..

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The 11.2

Friday, March 6th, 2009

I haven’t posted for a while and I want to get back in the habit.. So I decided to post about the 11.2. The 11.2 is an 11.2 mile route in Nashville’s Percy Warner Park. It is all hills. It has also been in the back of my mind a goal I’d like to accomplish.

Tomorrow the Striders and doing a training run that does the 11.2 and more so I decided that it would be a perfect time to take on the 11.2. It’ll be nice weather, they have some fluid stops, and I’ll have company. Perfect!

I’m a little nervous because it is all hills and I’m doing the half-marathon tomorrow, but I figure I won’t get this good of a chance for a while.

So tomorrow at this time, the 11.2 will be mine!

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