Random tidbits/Shoe Review

A couple of Runners World tidbits I read this morning:

"Sammy Wanjiru Will Skip World Championships, Try for World Best in the Fall

Wanjiru, of course, won the marathon gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and triumphed in London in April. He had been named to Kenya's squad for the World Championships in Berlin in August but has now made clear he wants to try to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record of 2:03:59 at the "regular" Berlin Marathon. "I had already set out my programme (ie, training schedule) to run in the Berlin Marathon on September 20 and there was no way I could reverse that decision right away," explains Wanjiru, who apparently has 2:03:30 on his mind. But Wanjiru's own agent, Federico Rosa, stated later on "it is true that he will not run the World Championships marathon but also I can confirm he is not running the Berlin Marathon. We are looking for one of the later fall top marathons in USA.” Gosh...who to believe?"

Huh?!? Is Chicago in the works?!? How awesome would that be?!?! No way he is running 2:03 in NYC, just way too hilly (course record is 2:07:43), so Chi is definitely a possibility if this statement is true!!!

"Here at Runner's World we've long preached the value of good nutrition, in general, and good pre-race nutrition, specifically. We've ruminated on just the right balance of carbs, fat, and protein for performance and recovery; we've pontificated on pasta and cogitated on carbo-loading; we've rated and reviewed energy bars and supplements. When it comes to nutrition, we offer a veritable smorgasbord of stories. Turns out, we could've saved ourselves (and you) a lot of time with one simple piece of advice, at least when it comes to pre-race fueling:

Have a sub.

Hey, it worked for Wesley Korir. According to a short piece in the L.A. Times, the Kenyan walked into a Subway sandwich shop last Sunday and ordered two subs. The next day, Korir won the L.A. Marathon. In record time. Not a bad endorsement for Subway."

As most people who know me, I frequently dine at Subway - perhaps 2-3 times a week for the last few years, it is almost a disease. And the "5 Dolla Footlong" song is one of the greatest marketing jingles known to man - I want to get it as a cell phone ringer. It has been suggested that I contact Subway to endorse me due to me "investing" thousands of dollars into their food already, but something tells me Wesley Korir most likely has a leg up on me with his most recent impressive performance in L.A.

So last night, got home to see several packages on my doorstep - one from Holabirds sports (my 904's had arrived!), one from New Balance Chicago (my 903's had arrived!), and amazon.com (Punchout for Wii had arrived!!! - awesome game, btw). Unwrapped everything, and promptly fell asleep on my couch. Two hours later, dragged myself out for an easy run and to test out the new shoes. Did an out and back, 5 miles total, weather was cool and dry (similar to Chi weather last weekend), and the one week of consecutive rain had finally taken a break! Kept pace pretty conservative the first mile, and pushed it a little on the second. Picked it up coming back, and felt ok - legs were definitely tired. Total Mileage: ~5, no watch, but about 38-40 minutes. Stretched, minor corework, Cavaliers game and testing out new game afterwards - fun, fun, fun!

Here are my thoughts with the New Balance 904's:

-904's felt good around my foot - a little more snug around the base of my foot. No issues with the front, plenty wide enough. Pretty comfortable fit.

-They felt lower to the ground than the other shoes, but still provided decent cushioning. On hills, didn't have as much cushioning support as other shoes I have had (not as spongey), so worried that might be an issue after a couple hundred miles.

-904's were light, supposedly a little heavier than its precedessors but I couldn't tell much of a difference. Feet felt very light when running with them, felt especially good at faster speeds.

-904's were stiffer than I am used to, but also could be because it's a new pair of shoes.

-I typically dress conservative, but when it comes to running I LOVE loud colors (ala Andre Agassi in the early 90's). Color scheme of the actual shoe looks pretty cool, but looking down while I was running I almost felt like my feet looked like huge bumblebees!

Overall, liked the shoes a lot, but most new shoes are going to feel pretty good. Fit pretty snug (but comfortable), but still felt like I had room to run. I think I can do some major damage on a track and shorter distances, but remains to be seen for longer runs. Shoes felt good while running, but still iffy on cushioning. Will report more later...

Ryan Hall in Chicago?!

Good interview with Leo Mazzano, U.S. Olympian and Winner of the Big River Festival of Miles on Runners World. Also, found another tidbit on RW concerning Ryan Hall:

"But the most intriguing news about Ryan Hall is that by going to his Twitter account, , you can actually vote on whether he should do the Chicago or the New York City Marathon this fall (just type: "@ryanhall3" and the name of whichever marathon you want him to run). At last count, the vote was very close to a tie. "You guys aren't making the decision any easier for me," tweets Hall."

I am going to be quite frank that I am not a Twitter fan by any means and consider it rather silly and basically a glorified text messaging forum, but I hope that Twitterers everywhere vote for Hall to run in Chicago. I commented last month about the Chicago Marathon, as a World Marathon Major, lagging behind some of their other star-studded compatriots in failing to attract some of those impact names (with all due respect to the elite who have ran the last few years). Ryan Hall is an impact name, one of the shining stars of American distance running today, and arguably the biggest hope to bring home a marathon major title to the U.S. I think his presence could attract other star runners to come as well, but he alone would raise even more interest in the marathoning community towards Chicago. NYC is considered the Super Bowl of marathons, and I can vouch for how AMAZING that experience is and consider that race to be the top of the top but please Ryan, come to Chicago!!!! You aren't going to PR in hilly NYC, but could drop an amazing time in flat Chicago!!! Plus I am selfish, and want to say I ran with Ryan Hall in Chicago :)

Yesterday, finished booking travel to Chicago for October. Insane to have everything basically ready to go before June but on the other hand it's nice to have all my plans complete already, and just have to concentrate on running instead of the stressful, intricate details of travel. Flying in on Thursday evening, taking the train back on Monday afternoon - booked both legs of travel for under $90, so was pleased with that. Staying with Anne over the marathon weekend - she has seen all my marathons, and has hosted me everytime I have run Chi (we run by her place on Clark right around the 15K marker), so owe her big time!!! Shoes are bought for the next 5 months, and am expecting my 904's to arrive today so will have a detailed report coming shortly!!!

Tuesday, was scheduled to be my speedwork day, but completely fell through due to averse weather conditions. Was hot and steamy (complete opposite of my perfect cool and dry weather last weekend in Chi), and I truly despise the weather in the Lou. My buddy Ryan was stopping by on his way back from Oklahoma to Chicago, so wanted to finish the workout before he arrived - I got ready as soon as I got home, but then started to pour rain everywhere. One meal/nap later, it was too late - perhaps it was a blessing in disguise as legs were sore, and speedwork would have been rough. Wed., got ready to run right after work, but once again started to rain - this time, it literally dumped all evening. It was pretty ridiculous. Laid down to watch tv and wait for it to let up, and started to nap which is pretty much the kiss of death for my running. Tim actually texted me before I reached complete unconsciousness (my point of no return), and ended up getting in a text conversation which woke me up (thank you Tim!). Rain had let up a little, and was muggy outside but somewhat cool so decided to tough it out. Planned workout was 3X2 miles - never done this workout before, but did 2X2 miles in preparation for St. Patty's Day Race this spring and was kind of fearful as I did hit my splits but was a really tough workout. I strategized to go kind of fast the first rep, slower in the 2nd rep, coast into the 3rd rep and finish strong - basically pretty close to how I normally race. Picked out an out and back, which is rolling hills the entire way. Better to simulate race conditions, quite frankly. First rep went ok, coming back was work, and went out too hard. 5 minute powerade break, 2nd rep started kind of rough, but absolutely hit my stride coming back to the point where I considered keeping going because it felt so easy. 5 minute powerade break, and last rep. Was raining harder now, but absolutely LOVED it! Pretty soaked, but my feet were dry :) Went a different route (going out downhill, coming back uphill), and felt ok - the impetus for the change was to make me work the last mile, and was definitely pushing a bit up the long, steady hill. Picked it up the last quarter and finished strong. Felt surprisingly good, and did a 2 mile cooldown afterwards. Total Mileage: ~8 (with warmup and cooldown). Splits for the 3X2: 12:18 (6:06, 6:12), 12:45 (6:18, 6:27), 12:31 (6:15, 6:16).

So was on cloud nine after this workout, ready to get back at it tonight. Probably an easy run (4-6), then if feeling ok on Friday I'll do my tempo then. Can't wait to get home to see my new shoes!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!!

On Saturday, my running group Big River Running Company held an event in St. Louis to benefit two local runners who had unfortunately been in accidents. The first is Brigette Schutzman, a runner at St. Louis University who suffered severe brain injuries in a car accident Dec. 31, 2007. Schutzman spent six weeks in a coma but has worked hard to walk again. She re-enrolled at SLU in January but will finish her degree closer to her parents' home in Indianapolis. She continues to dream of running again. The second is Mike Rathmann, a track star from SLU High School (6^th at state in the high jump), who suffered a freak accident during a weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks. The organizers at Big River assembled a field for Saturday's elite mile race with the goal of breaking the four-minute barrier for the first time in Missouri in more than 45 years - this field included many of the top area runners and also 2008 U.S. Olympian Leo Manzano. Leo ended up winning the race, running 3:55:29 which is the 3^rd fastest time in world this year!!!! Congrats to Derek Scott from Elite Indiana and Tommy Schmitz from Wisconsin for also breaking the elusive 4 minute barrier on this perfect night to run!

Sunday, went to church in the morning with the family, then pretty much napped most of the day away (recovery mode from the rough Saturday night out). Finally made it to Lakeshore by later afternoon, and got in a run. Tentative plan was a 7 mile pace but didn’t feel the pressure to hit pace, since I pretty much hit that in my long run the day before, and was definitely feeling some heavy legs. Weather was cooler and WINDY. Started out the first mile with Anne headed south on Lakeshore towards downtown, and we parted ways shortly afterwards. Picked up the pace, and felt pretty good but later realized I was running completely downwind the first half of the run. Turned around (starting to get tired), and completely ran into a fierce headwind. Struggled through mile 4, and started looking for people to draft off of. Actually caught up to and passed quite a few bikers, which was a huge confidence boost, so picked up the effort for the next couple miles. Completely crashed at the 6^th mile, had to walk a little bit and get a drink of water. Finished at ok pace, legs were done. Total run: 7 miles. Splits were all over the map: 9:30, 7:36, 6:53, 7:01, 6:51, 8:12, 7:31.

Afterwards, ate dinner at Café Ba Ba Reeba, a tapas place located in Lincoln Park. Just an incredible meal, one of my favorite restaurants, and ate enough to satisfy an army. Hung out with some friends pretty late drinking sangria, probably too much :) This morning, dragged my lazy butt out to Lakeshore again for a final run – couldn’t get my Garmin to pick up a satellite signal fast enough, so just took off heading north on Lakeshore. Weather was cool and breezy, and my legs felt pretty tired. Started out around 7:30 pace, but then a cute girl threatened to pass me so had to pick it up a little :) Turned around, actually ran into a fraternity brother on the trail so spent a few minutes catching up. Last mile was probably around 8 minute pace – legs were completely toast at this point. Total Mileage: ~4-5, I’m guessing 7:45 average pace?

Mmmmm, tapas :)

Doing some shopping downtown before heading back down south. Was a great weekend to get up to Chi, and was thrilled to get in runs every day. Last week turned out to be a good running week – 35 miles, but runs got harder at the end so need to be good about easy running days. Tomorrow’s speedwork will be tough: 3X2 miles, haven’t determined projected splits but will report about it soon. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Lakeshore Running

In Chicago this weekend to visit my sister, and having an amazing time thus far :) After work on Friday, headed up north on the Amtrak train for my weekend excursion. Train ride was pretty smooth and very fast – was in Chi by 8:30, and enjoyed a nice, laidback evening with Anne. Both of us were pretty tired from the crazy work week, so just stayed in for the evening, watching playoff basketball and hockey.

This morning, woke up pretty early to meet up with the New Balance Running Club, conveniently located one block away from Anne’s home. Met a great group of runners (~10-15) and headed out on a beautiful morning on the Lakeshore Drive trail, my most favorite place to run in the world thus far. Weather was cool and sunny with a nice breeze, about 65-70 degrees. Sooooo many runners outside, it was absolutely amazing!!! Started out with a warmup mile, then separated with a couple of the faster runners heading north on Lakeshore. The two runners (John and Jack) I ran with were previous marathon veterans, and didn’t take long to engage in some fun story-telling about previous races and current training, as well as Chicago sports. Pace was decent and felt so easy, and it was awesome to run with those guys - the conversation made the run go by waaaay too fast. John was only doing 9 miles, so headed back after a bit, but Jack and I kept going a little further then turned around. About 4 miles out, conversation died down a bit, and we ended up dropping the hammer down the home stretch. Legs were a little tired at the end, but overall felt awesome. Total Mileage with warmup/cooldown: ~12 miles – splits were 8:17, 7:54, 7:48, 7:38, 7:36, 7:38, 7:26, 7:21, 7:05, 7:02, 6:53. Quick observation – Lakeshore is overall pretty flat, but on a few of the minor hills towards the end, definitely felt tired so maybe need to incorporate more hilly runs in preparation for the upcoming 10K, which is pretty hilly.

Afterwards, had breakfast with the group, and enjoyed great conversation with everyone before heading back. I definitely will be joining this group run every time I am up in Chicago, and was even invited to participate in a team race in Utah later this August! I totally wish that St. Louis had running groups like this one, and am happy to know that I don’t have to worry about missing future long runs when headed to Chi on later trips this year. My parents ended up coming up for a day to do some shopping and hang out, so has turned into a nice family day.

Anne and I headed to the New Balance store after lunch to look at shoes/apparel. Anne was getting fitted for a new pair so started talking with one of the sales associate, telling her about my mess of a story with holabird sports. On Thursday, I called holabird sports and ended up ending my dilemma by ordering 2 of the 904’s – after talking to the New Balance associate, she agreed that the 903’s were a better shoe, and went out of her way to see if there were any available in the Chicago area, since they were completely discontinued. She actually found a pair in the Oak Brook store, so purchased those as well as a pair of racing socks (can’t wait to try these out!), and my shoe inventory for the summer/fall are set!

Tomorrow, supposed to be a pace run, but will probably take it a little easier since today’s workout was pretty aggressive. Just finished some Chicago style pizza at Lou Malnatti’s, my favorite pizza place!!!

Chicago!

Was forwarded an email from Chicagomarathon.com that had some cool videos. Here lies my fate in October:



Getting pretty excited thinking about Chicago even though it is still over 4 months away. This will be the third time I will have ran the course, so I think it will be a huge advantage just knowing what to expect. Last week, I received my finisher's certificate from the 2008 Chicago Marathon, and brought back some fond memories from last year's PR. I ran into a couple friends last night at the ballgame that I found out are also participating in the marathon this fall, so the amount of people I know is starting to get ridiculous! I think I run better when I am with a group of friends - just a great motivation for me :)

Last night, went to the ballgame yet again. I took Wednesday running off, because of a sore right knee, and ended up doing a tempo run yesterday after work on my friend's treadmill. This is the same treadmill I had commented about last week that pretty much gave up on me, so I was curious to see if I could make it submit to my speed. First mile, started at 9.0 mph, and increased to 9.2 on the second mile. Halfway through, the treadmill tapped out and much to my chagrin, slowed back down to 8.9. Seeing this was not acceptable and not fast enough for tempo training, I decided to jack up the incline so ran the last 2.5 miles on a 3 degree incline. Not very easy at all, and definitely struggled on mile 3 but finished strong. Total mileage (with warmup/cooldown): 5 miles - splits: 6:35, 6:32, 6:41, 6:41

Attempted a 5 a.m. long run this morning, but completely failed in that endeavor. Was pretty exhausted from back to back late nights, and my completely messed up diet/sleep schedule thus far. Headed to Chicago this weekend to visit my sister for a long Memorial Day weekend. I am going to call New Balance in Lincoln Park to see if they still have a Saturday morning running group (was invited to join a couple years ago, but never ran with them), and will do a pace run with Anne (on rollerblades) on Sunday. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!!!

Mile Repeats - BLAH

Any opportunity to post Kara stuff, I will :) This is an interview from Runners World recapping her Boston Marathon experience in early April. Can't wait until later this summer and fall to watch the marathon season unfold - will be very, very exciting!!!

This morning, I received a call from Holabirdsports telling me my order for the 903's had some conflict, since the shoes were discontinued recently. They were going to offer me the 904's for a heavily discounted price of $74.95, so considering taking the risk of loading up on a newer shoe which had mediocre reviews. I don't think I can get this pair of shoes cheaper than $110 anywhere, so this is a pretty good opportunity to get a newer shoe at a great price. But I love the 903's so much, and can't stand the thought of running without them anymore! Oh, what to do, what to do???

Last night, had the distinct pleasure of doing track work over at the nearby Liberty Middle School track, located about 2 miles away from home. We had planned on getting it in right after work but was too hot outside to do intense speedwork, so we opted to wait a little bit for the weather to cool down. Pat and Crystal had me over for dinner, and Crystal made some amazing nacho salad which basically tasted like tacos (but healthier, sooo tasty!), so I consequently pigged out like a starving Kenyan. Big mistake. An hour later, I was still very full and not ready to move, let alone do mile repeats, but got dragged out anyways. We parked at a bank, which is a little more than a mile away from the school, and warmed up jogging to the track. Weather was much cooler, and a nice breeze - prob 60's at this point. The plan was 5X1 miles, at 6:15-6:30 pace. I was cramping really bad on the warmup, and tried to work it out out to some success. We rotated the inside lane every mile rep, which we designated as the pacer lane, and away we went. First two miles felt great, and ended up having to slow down on the last quarter to try to save energy for later. Third mile was definitely starting to get tougher, and I struggled a bit on the fourth rep. We quickly figured out that the inside lane was easier to run in (weird, because it really isn't that much more distance at all), so on the last mile we decided to switch lanes every quarter. This worked out amazingly well, as it made the last rep go by faster, and it was almost a break every quarter to switch back to the easier lane. Killed the last mile, but definitely had heavy legs and could feel the lactic acid buildup. Crystal kicked major butt on this workout, as she hung with me step by step on every mile on despite running much faster than we had originally planned. She is definitely getting faster, and I seriously need to watch my back now! Jogged back to the bank, went home and stretched. Total workout: ~8 miles counting warmup/cooldown and quarter mile walks in between mile reps. Splits: 6:10, 6:10, 6:09, 6:04, 5:58.

So looks like I'm in ok speed shape, so tentatively aiming for a sub 40 minute 10K (~6:20-6:25 pace). It will pretty much depend on the competition at the race, and who is running in the front packs. I am not going to go on a kamikaze mission if I'm running the majority of the race alone. Half the reason I ran so well in the 5 miler was because I ran in a group and was paced most of the way. Tonight, going to the Cubs/Cards game! Legs are pretty tired and right knee is sore, so may take the night off. Tomorrow, going to the game again so have to get in speed workout early!

To buy or not to buy...

In preparation for the next five months of running, I stocked up on shoes via holabirdsports.com and loaded up on a couple pairs of New Balance 903's, which should get me through September hopefully). I have run New Balance shoes the majority of my "career", and have developed a good feel and trust for these shoes. I raced in the New Balance 901's for my first marathon, and have stuck with that family of shoes (901,902,903) pretty much the last three years. When the NB 904's came out a couple months ago, I had in my mind already bought the shoe, until I read the review on Runners World. I am sorry to say that they had the worst review of the 900 series shoes I have loyally stuck with, and I am really questioning whether to purchase or not. The shoe seems to offer great support and is extremely lightweight, but my doubts lie heavily in the durability of the shoe, and if it is smart to race in them since the consensus is they are a speedwork shoe rather than an everyday trainer. I bought a pair of Brooks Defyance shoes to run with last fall and have enjoyed running in those shoes, but quite frankly they are not light enough for me to race in. Considering trying the Asics Gel-series, or possibly dabbling in Nike shoes again (I ran Nike in NYC Marathon), if the 904 doesn't make the cut. I will be in Chicago this weekend - there is a New Balance store right down the street from Anne's condo which I frequently shop at when I am in town, and will let their reps try to convince me :)

Yesterday, went for an easy run with Crystal, which was designated our "Brooks Defyance Run" as she was trying out her new shoes! Weather was sunny, 70, and a slight breeze, so felt great outside. I had bought a Nike visor this weekend, so was trying that out versus running with a hat. I am 100% sold on the visor and the ventilation it offers is perfect for running outside. We did an out and back 4 mile route with easy effort, and felt good all the way through. Last mile, picked it up at the end a little, but was more testing out the new shoes (got raving reviews from Crystal). Can't remember the splits exactly, but I think 7:56, 7:52, 7:45, 7:33?

So Pat's lovely sister Stacy has recently decided to take up running and signed up for a local 10K, the St. Louis Science Center Run for the Stars 10K/5K, which our little running group of Pat, Crystal, and I have been sucked into as well. I have actually never ran a 10K before (8K's and 5 miles are my closest) and definitely not in the best speed shape like I was earlier this year. My running team leader had put me on a ridiculous 6 week running schedule to prep for the St. Patrick's Day 5 Mile Parade Run in March and as tortuous as it was, it resulted in a massive PR of 30:33 so I know what needs to be done to get back to that shape. However, the 10K is in 3 weeks, and I have already conceded that I don't have the time to prepare for that type of time effort, so have laid out some speedwork over the next few weeks to hopefully prep me enough to race somewhat decent. Tonight, doing mile repeats on the track - not my favorite workout by any means, but will offer a "state of the union address" of what my current speed situation is.

Raven Runner/Weekend Recap

I was watching Sportscenter last night, and came across this interesting piece on Outside the Lines about a streak runner residing in Miami Beach named Robert "Raven" Kraft. I thought I knew people that were obsessed about running, but this guy tops it all. He has been running 8 miles a day since January 1, 1975. Every day, a different group of runners joins Raven for the run and to share stories about life in South Florida. Runners who run all eight miles on one of Raven's daily runs earn a nickname from Raven himself. Raven catalogues all such runners (more than 500 as of this writing) by number of runs, partial runs and swims completed. On March 29, 2009, Raven ran his 100,000th mile - an absolute absurd number. I think last year, I came close to 2,000 miles while running a pretty considerable amount, but never will I get remotely close to 100K!!! Another interesting article about Raven here...

Weekend running ended up being pretty good. Saturday morning, woke up to do a long run with Pat and Crystal. The original plan was to hit 10 miles with even splits, but that goal completely fell apart. Did our typical Glen Carbon route, only we modified it as an out and back rather than a loop, so first half was downhill and coming back was uphill. Weather was cool and overcast, but became sunny and a little humid as the morning went on. Was feeling a little groggy starting out, and we did the first three miles with Pat at a pretty comfortable pace (he did 6). Picked up a little on the next couple miles, and started to get into a good rhythm. Last 4 miles, picked it up big time and pretty much tore it up coming home. Legs felt ok overall, a little tired, but handled the aggressive pace fine. Total run: 10 miles in 1:19:05; splits: 8:56, 8:51, 8:59, 8:16, 7:49, 7:33, 7:15, 7:17, 7:09, 6:56. Our easy 10 became a 3-1 run, oops!

Sat. night, ended up going out with Barrel and Trisha in St. Louis, and needless to say it was a long night. I parted ways with them around midnight and ended up at a local bar in town with some other buddies - fun times. Sunday morning, woke up a few hours later to stumble on the golf course to play an impromptu golf match, albeit on an absolutely gorgeous morning. Played pretty inconsistent, and we pretty much got our butts handed to us by one of the teams, but still a great time and had absolutely perfect weather conditions. I had obtained permission to skip the group Sunday morning run from Coach Crystal, and ended up going with them to my running store, Big River Running Company to get new shoes for Crystal and running apparel for Pat and I. Crashed on my couch all afternoon/evening in complete exhaustion, and dragged myself out around 10 p.m. to get in my run. Was kicking myself for procrastination, but was pleased to have a beautiful night to run - weather was 58, cool breeze, great conditions. When I trained for the New York Marathon, I did almost 90% of my training runs at night, and there is something about training late at night that I absolutely love and seems so much easier for me. Did 5 miles sans watch in a flat loop around town on the roads in ~36-38 minutes with what felt like minimal effort, and felt really good. Strides afterwards and stretching.

Overall week, ~33 miles, a lot of runs at weird hours because of aggressive social activites, but didn't miss a run :) Diet was a bit messed up though, and slacked off big time on core work but will get back on it this week!

Pics from the weekend:

Man defeats Machine!!!

Awesome article on stretching. Obviously for any runner, stretching is ridiculously important, and everyone should spend 10-15 minutes daily working on trying to improve flexibility. Had a discussion with my friend Dave about plyometrics - I had incorporated plyometrics into my speedwork in the past, albeit very minor, but after our talk, decided it would be prudent to start back up again on a weekly basis. Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance for a sport. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength and elasticity of muscles and surrounding tissues to jump higher and run faster. My buddy is involved in the P90X workout regimen, which seems to be the rage these days, and is noticably getting into amazing shape, so obviously something is working :)

Last night, ended up playing golf with Dave at Ruth Park golf course which is located in University City, roughly 10 minutes away from work. We walked 9, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I can't say much for the state of my golf game, which is complete crap right now. I'm hitting the ball very erratic, but my short game is as good as it has ever been. I lost four balls off the tee, yet somehow still shot 43, mainly from one-putting 6 greens. Dave hit the ball very well and was absolutely striping it 270 off the tee every hole, but had problems scoring so we ended up having a spirited battle which came down to the last hole (he won). Afterwards, headed over to this place to BBQ, and ended up having a few too many adult beverages so stayed in the area and dreams of a successful tempo run were vanished. Woke up early this morning to get in the workout, and was pretty groggy but my legs felt ok. Decided to do a progressive tempo on a treadmill, so started out at sub 7 minute pace after a quick warmup. Felt pretty weary on the first mile, but got into a pretty good groove shortly afterwards. Increased pace every mile about 11 seconds, and kept plugging away. Something funny happened though after my 4th mile - was trying to increase to 9.4 on the treadmill (6:13 pace), and got to that speed but noticed after a couple minutes that the speed was starting to decrease. Looked down to watch the treadmill LED display progressively slow down to 8.9. I kept pushing the plus button trying to increase the pace, but the machine wouldn't let me. So yes, I made the treadmill submit - man defeated machine!!! Was a lot later than I thought, so quickly finished out the workout as fast as the treadmill let me. Legs felt ok - tired, but finished with no problems. Left foot is sore though, possibly from walking hilly golf course? Total mileage: ~5 miles: splits: 6:57, 6:46, 6:35, 6:24, ~6:30?

This weekend, long run Sat. - Crystal and I are going to try to hit even splits for our run. Easy run on Sunday, and lots of golf in between! TGIF!!!!

Thursday Morning Ramblings

I came across this on Runner's World this morning, and absolutely LOVE this picture. It pretty much summarizes my running career to this point, and why I can't seem to quit running these marathons!!! In a nutshell, Wile E. Coyote has finally caught his trophy (the Roadrunner), and has since then rendered himself completely useless, boozing it up on his couch and watching t.v. while completely falling out of shape. It's almost like "what now?" While I have had one perfect opportunity to end at the top of the mountain ('07 NYC Marathon), I immediately dismissed that notion and kept forging on and have since then set new, more aggressive goals for myself. I do realize the end of my current crazy regimen is in sight, and I certainly hope when that happens that I don't suffer the fate of our friend, Wile E. Coyote!

Last night, immediately passed out upon coming home from work. Woke up around 7:30, and dragged myself out for a quick, easy run. Didn't bring a watch, kept the pace very honest and did an out and back on a somewhat hilly route. Weather was windy and HUMID (ended up with some insane storms overnight!!!). My body was in a completely lethargic state and my legs were feeling pretty tired from the last week, so definitely was trying to keep Paula's advice of 40 minutes recovery run. It was funny that my body is so used to pushing myself, and I'm trying to keep a pretty slow pace while my body is just tired and worn out, yet I could feel my legs want to kick for that harder pace and found myself slowing down so many times. Ended up settling down eventually, got in around 4.5 total with warmup/cooldown. I have no idea of the pace or time, as I was sidetracked talking to neighbors immediately after my run, but I'm guessing around 35-40 minutes total? Minor stretching, then played poker/drank beer (doh!) with my neighbors afterwards, and found myself wishing I was an undergrad again with very little responsibilities other than school and where I was drinking at the next night!

Tonight, playing golf with a couple friends after work, then tempo run. Playing around with ideas on tonight's workout, seeing a 10K is possibly approaching in early June...

The Biggest Winner

Congrats to Helen for winning the Biggest Loser last night! I was pulling for Mike to win, but half expecting Tara to win as well seeing she had pretty much cleaned up the majority of the challenges throughout the season. Helen pretty much flew under the radar in the final, and ended up winning by a pretty slim margin. Regardless, all of the contestants were big winners, and I think I have added this program as a must-see for seasons to come! For fun, I decided to "show-off" my own Biggest Loser story. I never got to the levels of obesity that the Biggest Loser contestants were at and conquered, but definitely got a little obese in my own nature after almost a year of inactivity and excessive snacking. When I ran Chicago for the first time in 2005, I weighed about 195 lbs. 30 lbs. later, here I am!

Barrel and I - 2004


Barrel and I - 2008

Last night, went over to Pat's to watch the Biggest Loser finale and engaged in some hardcore ping pong action during the commercial breaks. Got home around 10, contemplated going to bed but decided to get in my workout quickly instead of stewing in my guilt later. Weather was cool and windy and a little bit of lightning in the horizon, so I picked out something close - the road which runs adjacent to my complex. It is definitely an incline, but not nearly as steep as the Ebbets field route we did 2 weeks ago, and about a quarter mile long. Did not bring a watch, and ended up doing 8 repeats with jog break in between. Put in a decent effort, ranging from 1:20-1:30 splits, and hit the last 2 repeats pretty hard. Legs felt ok - a little heavy towards the end, and could definitely feel some lactic acid buildup. With warmup/cooldown and jogs in between, got in about 4 miles total. Quick corework/stretching afterwards.

Tonight, pending weather conditions, easy 4-5. If it storms like crazy as weather.com indicates it will, I might take the day off and just focus on corework, light weights, and work with the foam roller.

Recovery Runs

I found this video off of another running blog post (sorry for stealing it!) but since there is so much truth to it, I thought I would post as well. Paula Radcliffe is pretty much the greatest female distance runner of our generation, so whatever she says is probably right :) I typically have problems taking it easy on runs and end up with frequent burnout mentally and physically, so I am trying to avoid that as much as possible this time around. Pat brought it up the other night in conversation that he thought I might be overtraining, and while I argued that the mileage I was running now was the same I typically would be running, I did see some truth to his statement since I have been pushing myself pretty hard. Crystal and I discussed further last night, and decided to take a week off after this cycle in preparation for our 12 week marathon plan. The week off should definitely rejuvenate us mentally and physically and seeing we are in decent shape now and running a ton for the next couple months, I don't think we will lose too much fitness from a much deserved break.

Yesterday, Pat, Crystal, Shane, and I went out on an easy run on the trails. We picked an out and back loop on a different part of a trail that is pretty flat. Weather yesterday evening was gorgeous - 70, sunny, and a slight breeze. Went out at a conservative pace - Pat and Crystal turned around at 1.5, Shane and I went a half mile more. Realized it was later that we thought, so picked it up a bit on the way back in. Last mile was a little work for me, but Shane looked really smooth. Found out later that Pat took off on the way in, pushing it to sub 8 minute pace - he is getting a lot stronger, and is in great shape during this prep work before his marathon training cycle begins. Total workout was 4 miles - splits were: 9:02, 8:57, 7:18, 6:48 (oops!).

Afterwards, headed back to Shane's for a quick dinner, then to Pat and Crystal's for ping pong on their new table! Tonight, Biggest Loser finale, and speedwork (7Xhills at ~5K pace). Legs are feeling pretty tired, so not going to get too out of control for this workout.

Weekend Recap

Congratulations to Tammy and Victor for winning the Amazing Race!!!! Impressive performance from them, and clearly dominating since CBS wasn't able to show a close, dramatic finish for the finale like they would have liked to. Sort of fun to watch for me, since Tammy and Victor are pretty close to how my sister and I would be on that show (only I would probably be a lot more impatient and mean!). They give a good name to Asians everywhere :)

This weekend was a busy Mother's Day weekend, but a very productive running weekend as well :) Saturday morning, woke up bright and early and headed out for a long run with Pat, Crystal, and Shane. We picked a 12 mile loop on the trails, pretty much the same as last week's long run but went out a mile further (first 4 downhill, next 3 uphill, 2 flat, last 3 rolling hills). Weather was cool and slightly overcast at the start (got sunnier as the run progressed), pretty much great running conditions. First few miles felt a little groggy, probably from the few adult beverages I had the night before on my day off, and kind of struggled to get out of my funk. Pat was only running 6, so he split off after the third mile and headed back home. We found out later he hit negative splits on his run, very impressive considering the second half is all uphill - way to go, Pat! We picked it up the pace a little, and started to get into a better rhythm as we cruised up the big hill and made the turn around. Legs felt ok, and all of us were definitely starting to push the pace a bit more, so we found ourselves having to slow down several times. At about the 9 mile marker, there is a three way intersection at the trail, and we noticed another runner jump behind us. The pace started to noticably pick up, and when I asked Shane about it his response was priceless: "There's no way we're letting that f***er pass us." All of us being ultra competitive, we all stepped it up another gear as we suddenly found ourselves cruising through the last few miles. Last mile, things started to get out of control, as all of us took turns pushing the pace harder and harder. With half a mile to go, I got a bit carried away and jacked us up to 5:15 pace, so needless to say we finished strong. Shane and Crystal were not too pleased with my Usain Bolt impression at the end, but it was an awesome workout and everyone did a fantastic job! Not counting warmup/cooldown walk, hit 12 miles at 1:37. Splits were: 8:57, 9:02, 8:59, 8:23, 8:06, 8:36, 8:01, 7:55, 7:59, 7:47, 7:29, 6:30.

My beautiful Mother and I :)

Afterwards, headed back to Peoria to see the family. It was a quick one day visit, but pretty busy and great to get back. Played a lot of golf, relaxed, BBQed, and just spent some good old fashioned family time. My mother was very pleased to see my sister and I, and it was all in all a great Mother's Day. Headed back home after a nap and watching Tiger at the Players Championship, and tried to coordinate a group run for the scheduled 6 mile pace run which was supposed to be at 7:15/mile. Shane was hanging out with the family and Crystal had just got her run in but she offered to pace me on her bike for my run. I inquired about her workout and her splits, and found out she hit 6:51 average (even splits) which I was not pleased to hear her hitting ridiculous times (great job Crystal!!!) since that meant I needed to equal the effort, because I am WAY too competitive. Legs were a bit worn out from the long run on Sat. and golf, so was thinking of hitting the more "conservative" 7:15's as scheduled but after some goading from Pat, I quickly changed my mind and was on my way. Route was on the same as Sat's long run - out and back, 3 miles downhill then uphill. Weather was overcast and cool (perfect), and instructed Crystal not to let me get too out of control on pace even though I had low expectations. Since I am a "feel runner" and ideally like how I feel to set my pace rather than try to hit set splits, I decided not to look at my watch the first mile and try to settle in on a good pace instead. Worked out pretty well, and the first three miles felt pretty smooth while running pretty aggressively, albeit downhill. I had doubts of maintaining on the way back since it would be harder going uphill. Turned around, and cruised into the fourth mile and my legs still felt ok. Started to feel it on the fifth mile, and started to struggle as the pace was starting to get pretty difficult. The last mile was getting pretty rough, and definitely was working hard the entire time. We had previously done speedwork on this last mile going uphill (quarter and half mile repeats), so it was a huge advantage to know exactly the landmark splits for the last mile (bridges, funny looking trees, etc.). Kicked hard at the end to finish the workout, and was pretty wiped out. Probably should have slowed it down the last half, but was feeling ok at the time to finish it out. Crystal was awesome pacing me on the bike - kept a very consistent pace for me, and she talked me through the second half of my run when I was struggling so I owe her big time!!! 6 miles at 39:40 - splits were: 6:39, 6:37, 6:41, 6:41, 6:34, 6:21.

Last week was a great running week, possibly one of my best ever. Hit close to 40 miles, the majority of the runs were strong, and I hit great splits which leads me to think I am fully recovered and in better shape that I thought. Tonight, EASY group run with Pat, Crystal, and Shane.

Turning Point?

More Kara :) Great interview with Universal Sports talking about her upcoming World Championship prospects.

As detailed through previous entries, it's been no secret that this training cycle has been a rough experience thus far, and I have started to seriously question my motivation to run and why I was struggling so much through the early weeks of a new cycle. This week has been overall a battle, with small glimpses of success in some of my more recent runs. I ended up having a talk with my running mentor and coach Ken, and felt better after our discussion - I need to quit worrying so much about performance during workouts, and just run. If I was feeling it that day, then go for it but not put too much pressure on myself to kill workouts when I'm not feeling 100%. He was telling me about his recent training and how he too, was recently having bad weeks but then it suddenly clicked - he felt like he was 18 again, just mowing through the workouts. I hope that I am close to that point too...


Yesterday, I was scheduled for a 45 minute fartlek run, and ended up putting it off later and later because of various excuses. I was staying close to work because of picking up Shane and his brother at the airport (10 minutes away), and ended up going over to my friend Jim's apartment to hang out for the evening. The weather was pretty muggy and starting to get humid, so I decided to postpone my run until later and play some tennis. Two hours later of chasing balls around on the court, I was pretty wiped out - it is amazing how tiring tennis can be! Contemplated running after dinner and a small break, but the rain/hail started to hit so changed my mind of running an outdoor fartlek and relegated myself to treadmill running. As silly as this sounds, I changed my workout to running a tempo because I was too lazy to keep pushing buttons to change pace, so set a challenging goal of hitting 4 miles at sub 7 minute pace with a long warmup/cooldown. Started warmup at 7:30 pace, but amazingly felt great and just kept upping the pace until settling at 6:46 and beginning the actual tempo. I had the Cavs playoff game on the tv, and kept myself pretty distracted and just ran without much thought. Looked down at the screen to what I thought was maybe a couple miles into the workout, and was already 4.5 miles into my tempo so readjusted my workout and finished out. Hit about 7 miles total with warmup/cooldown, splits were: 6:46, 6:35, 6:35, 6:35, 6:35, 6:24. Legs felt unbelievable - I felt like I was putting in about 75% effort, and easily could have kept going for a few more miles. It was an amazing turnaround, and I am absolutely thrilled that I dominated this workout :)

This weekend, long run on Saturday, headed back to Peoria to see my family for Mother's Day, then pace run on Sunday. To all mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!!!

The Future "Mrs. Peter Kim"

Exciting news for American long distance running that Kara Goucher has decided to run the World Marathon Championships in Berlin on August 23rd. This could set up a potential duel with Paula Radcliffe, assuming her recovery from foot surgery goes well. Berlin's World Championship course is apparently going to be close to its current marathon setup for the Berlin Marathon, which means it will be flat and fast. I am curious to see how Kara measures up on that type of course, as her only marathons have been on hilly venues (NYC and Boston). She will undoubtedly run faster, but race tactics are so much different on a flatter course. It should be noted that she is passing up on big money appearance fees on a fall marathon to run the World Championships, which will probably encourage some of the other top U.S. runners to follow suit. She will be one of the heavy favorites come August. Good luck, Kara!!!

Last night, headed over to Pat and Crystal's for another wonderful dinner (Turkey Meatloaf and Homemade Macaroni and Cheese), and got to experience some of the most ridiculous stomach fullness after eating two large platefoods of food. After an hour recovery, stumbled home and got ready for a quick run. The night was absolutely perfect - cool, light breeze, around 60 degrees, and I couldn't ask for anything more. Decided to do a different loop (relatively flat, small elevations) to enjoy the conditions, and found myself pretty much on cruise control the entire way. About 3 miles into it, made a quick pit stop to my friend Jared's house to say hi to him and his beautiful family, then headed home. Got a little carried away on distance and pace, but legs felt great and had to really keep myself from just busting out something ridiculous. Ended up with ~6.5 miles with warmup/cooldown: splits were 7:28, 7:09 (oops!), 7:25, 7:26, 7:17, 7:18. First run this training cycle that truly felt easy, and I am feeling that good progress is being made.

Tonight, 45 minute fartlek, might try to catch a few extra miles if I still have legs later since I skimped out Tuesday's run. Picking up Shane at the airport, looking forward to getting in some runs with him this weekend!

Warning!!! Do not try this at home!!!

This is an email received yesterday afternoon from a "loyal reader":

-----Original Message-----
From: Harriss, Crystal L
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 12:29 PM
To: Kim, Peter
Subject: RE: Hi

Dear Coach Peter,
I am writing you this note to let you know how brutally punishing your
reverse ladder workout is. My legs are jello and I look as if I've been
swimming in my running clothes. Said workout is also not adviseable on
a treadmill because 10.1 is seriously hauling some buttay and I d*mn
near fell off the back!!! Picked up the last 400 and ran it at a 5:52
pace (10.2) which is still way slower than you had recommended (see
below). This is only further proof that you are a Nazi Coach and may
succeed in making me vomit from running. The only good that has come
from above workout is that I just ran my fastest mile E-V-E-R. Who
knew, I can run a sub six mile?!?!

Sincerely,
Paula wannabe

I was pretty much in hysterics after reading this, but very proud that Crystal hit all the splits I had prescribed for myself. Even more impressive, it was done on a treadmill which I feel is absolutely INSANE and a million times tougher. Very impressive work! After reading this "motivating" email, I pretty much decided to get this workout over with. An added motivation was punishing myself for my little drinkfest Monday night at the concert, as well as enjoying an evening with my workout done early (not to mention a little break from work). To make the workout even more challenging, I did it on the road - I find doing track work on the road more difficult: one, the terrain is usually not even, so have to deal with uphills and downhills which can make keeping consistent times tough; two, even though I have my Garmin to track distance, there is no substitute for running on a track, knowing exactly where your end points are at (this is more a mental barrier, if anything). So in summary, I was running a reverse ladder workout a day after a tough run on minimal sleep, a massive hangover and slight dehydration. Am I a glutton for punishment? Absolutely!

So I found a somewhat flat area around my building, and set forth on my workout. First set was the mile - went out pretty hard, kept a good pace going. While I felt like I was definitely working, legs felt pretty comfortable, and I was pleased to see 5:43 as my split. Next set was the 1200 - went out hard, definitely was struggling after the first quarter mile. Had to dig deep and kick hard to hit 4:22. Was struggling to keep good form, and felt every drink from last night with every step. 800 was pretty much the same - first quarter was ok, but grinded out the last half. Kicked hard to hit 2:47, and officially felt like complete crap. Final set was the 400 - legs were pretty shot at this point, and had taken a lot longer between sets at this point. I gave myself a good pep talk, and worked on my focus for this final set. Coasted through most of the run, and kicked hard at the finish to hit 1:15. Definitely would have shaved 3-5 seconds easy on a track, and was pleased to end the workout on a good note while hitting all my splits. Did a short cooldown to end the day.

After work, went over to Pat and Crystal's afterwards for a Cinco de Mayo celebration dinner. To celebrate the wonderful weather, we played some yard games and drank a few Dos Equis (oops!). Crystal made homemade guacamole (yummy!), cheesy chicken enchiladas which were amazing, and a raspberry layered chocolate cake for dessert. One note about Crystal's cooking - not only is her food absolutely fabulous and amazingly tasty, but it is all HEALTHY!!! I used to think all healthy food at best was mediocre in taste (mostly bland), but with her extensive research of healthy food magazine/cookbooks, experience and hard work, she has perfected her craft as an amazing cook whose food I thoroughly enjoy, not to mention is also good for me! Thank you so much for feeding your Kenyan-wannabe running buddy, Crystal!!!

Afterwards, we literally waddled over to a friend's house to say hi (they just moved in), then came back to watch the Biggest Loser. The challenge for this episode was for each of the final four contestants to run a marathon. Yes, you read that correctly - four obese people were instructed to run a marathon, and did I mention they had a whopping 26 days to train for it? I'm sorry, but I have a huge problem with the producers of this show coming up with this ludicrous challenge. First, while these contestants of the show have been exercising religiously over the last few months, the bottom line is you don't give anyone just 26 days to properly train for a race that most experts recommend intermediate to advanced runners a minimum 4 months to prepare for! That is just plain stupid and asking for too much from anybody. Second, the course that the runners were given was, in my opinion, was a lot more challenging than it could have been. Come on,running through mountains, fields, and sand?! A little overly dramatic, don't you think? Basically, outside of some family/friends and the previous Biggest Loser winners at a later mile marker, no one was on the course to cheer and encourage the contestants. I'm not sure how fair that was - spectators play a large part of a marathon in motivation. I don't know how many times I have been mentally defeated on a course, only to have a few cheering fans pick me up and get me going again. As far as I'm concerned, the producers should have just thrown the contestants 26.2 miles away in the middle of a desert and tell them to get back somehow. While I am ecstatic that the Biggest Loser is giving great exposure to the wonderful sport of long distance running, showing that truly anyone can do it, I feel they are giving false hope that one can minimally train for a marathon in less than a month and succeed. In my experiences of marathon running, it takes a good four months of dedicated running to properly prepare for the physical and mental rigors of the race, and giving yourself the best chance for injury prevention. I just think it is a very unsafe and unreasonable challenge, and hopefully we don't see a mass influx of running injuries from hopeful beginner marathoners over the next year.

On a different note, I give major props to all four contestants as they all completed the marathon against the odds. Running a marathon is one of the hardest things anyone will ever physically perform in their lifetime, and running with very little training, minimal crowd support, and what appeared to be a difficult course is a completely AMAZING feat. I am in complete awe of Tara, Helen, Mike, and Ron for joining a very exclusive club and earning the very prestigious title of "Marathoner". Bravo!!!

Tomorrow, easy run, lots of stretching and corework. Shane is coming back into town on Thursday night for the weekend, and looking forward to a group long run this weekend! As promised, here are a few pictures from Monday night's concert...

Happy Cinco de Mayo!/Monday EASY Run

Yeah right, once again I failed in my endeavor to keep an "easy" pace. Because of the concert in the evening, I decided to get in my run during work. Scheduled for easy 4 and after a motivational speech from Coach Crystal, I was on my way. I work in Westport Plaza, and the roads in this area are pretty hilly, so runs are never typically easy. Unfortunately, the hills are about as bad as you can get - long, and steep. First mile, kept up what I thought was a leisurely pace on a somewhat flat road - last quarter, hit a nasty upslope so worked into that, heard my Garmin beep, and was surprised to see 6:46 for the first mile. Oops! 2nd mile, rolling hills, was trying to keep up the effort, but my legs are not in great hill shape - struggled to a 6:55 finishing on a pretty steep half mile incline. At this point, my legs were pretty toast, so pulled in the reigns and hit 7:15 and 7:17 coming home. This looks deceptively fast, as I was coming back through the rolling hills but basically on a massive decline. Cooled down with a mile jog, legs were pretty beat. Shouldn't be this tired after 4 miles, but it was a rough route so I guess I'll give myself a free pass. Here are some pics of some of the lovely hills on my run:

I love Google Satellite Maps

Last night, Trisha and I and my coworker Scott and Brian headed over to the Fabulous Fox Theater to go see the Killers! Awesome show from what I remember, had a few too many adult beverages and am feeling pretty rough today. Will post some pics from my camera when I upload to my laptop. Tonight, speedwork - reverse ladder (1600, 1200, 800, 400), hoping to hit 5:55, 4:25, 2:50, 1:20. That might be wishful thinking in my current state. Afterwards, Cinco de Mayo dinner with Pat and Crystal!!! Siiiiiiii!!!

Breaking News!!!

From a press conference held last week in St. Louis:

"Okay boys and girls the peer pressure was too much so I signed up for Chicago." - Pat Harriss


Ok, so it wasn't exactly a press conference (an email), but we received confirmation from Pat stating he was registered for Chicago!!! This is exciting times for me, as my entire race travel crew will be rolling in full force for Chitown this fall! Look out, Chicago!


Pat is running for the Diabetes Action Team, which is a nonprofit organization committed to the prevention and treatment of diabetes and to the funding of innovative, promising research aimed at finding a cure for diabetes and diabetes related complications. For added support, Crystal, Shane, Tim, and I also signed up for the team. I have never run for charity before, but obviously it is for a great cause and even more poignant since I will actually be running in honor of my buddy Pat who actually has diabetes. Please visit Pat's page and make a donation!


On a much more lighter note, this sets the stage for some interesting side plots within our group. Pat, Crystal, and I come full circle in our running careers as we revisit the settings of our marathon debuts. And on that tangent, comes the opportunity for myself to settle the score between Pat and I - he has not hesitated for one second over the last 4 years to let me know he defeated me in the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Believe me, I am relishing the opportunity to even the score :)

Also, the fierce rivalry between Tim and Pat will come head to head, as they battle it out for the ultimate bragging rights. Tim is currently 1-0 lifetime against Pat (2007 Nashville 1/2 Marathon), but Pat has the better PR's in the 1/2 and full marathon distances. Will this war of words ever end as this bitter feud spills over into the Windy City? Stay tuned....

Weekend Recap

"Every story needs a hero - for every hero, there is a villain..."


And here are mine - Barrel (real name "Cheryl") and Trisha. They are my two good friends that reside in downtown St. Louis, and hanging out with them typically results in a good story (after half a day of conversations to figure out what exactly happened the night before) and a monstrous hangover. They continually test my drinking tolerance, liver functionality, sleep schedule, and usually afterwards I need a reminder that I'm 29, not 21 as we typically hit up nights like it's our first time out in Vegas. Regardless, they are fun friends who I have AMAZING times with, big supporters of my running career (when it doesn't interfere with their social obligations), and will be mentioned frequently throughout my blog in their many attempts to derail my marathon training. Barrel has even kindly offered her coaching services to me, consisting of driving in a car with a megaphone, rapping Nelly to me, while offering me beer as I run - an amazing offer, one that I may someday take up.

Weekend running was pretty successful. Saturday morning, Crystal and I hit up our long run on the trails of Glen Carbon. We are very fortunate to have some of the nicest running/bike trails in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and the majority of our training runs over 8 miles are usually done on these trails. Another nice perk of these trails is there are several intersection points within a mile of our start, giving us multiple options to consider when planning out a route for the day.


The plan was a 10 mile run: weather was nice - cool and a little sunny, and we laid out a nice, challenging loop where the first 4 miles were downhill, next 3 miles were uphill, then the final 3 miles were rolling hills. Still a little weary from the after-effects of being sick, I was continually monitoring my breathing, leg conditions, and basically how my body felt in general. I had initially thought we would be sustaining a conservative pace (high 7/low 8 minute/mile), but that was quickly washed away as we hit 7:23, 7:07, 7:29 for our first three miles. Fourth mile split was 7:30, as we prepared for the long uphill 3 miles that awaited us. Legs were starting to feel jelloish at this point, and definitely was feeling a little tired, so was focusing on good form and just trying to get myself through any potential mental roadblocks. The uphill splits, we hit in 7:26, 7:27, 7:30, and was extremely pleased with running consistent splits while feeling pretty decent. Crystal started to cramp a bit a little afterwards, so we slowed it down a tad and coasted home in 7:36, 7:47, 7:35. My right hamstring and hip flexor were a little tender afterwards and legs a little sore, but felt great otherwise. So overall, 10 miles in 1:14, a good effort and I was pretty stoked that I am definitely getting closer to full recovery.

Immediately afterwards, traveled to Okawville, IL (roughly one hour east) to participate in a golf tournament with a couple friends/former coworkers. It rained pretty consistently last week, so the golf course was basically a swamp, making it a pretty interesting day to say the least. Play was erratic (and messy!), but was a fun day to spend with friends. My highlights of the day were pitching in from 30 yards away for birdie (ironically, on the "Win the Car with a Hole-In-One" hole), and stuffing a wedge to a foot from 120 yards out for a kick-in birdie. Word of advice - if you ever decide to do a long run, make sure you STRETCH afterwards - the hour long car ride was a nightmare for my legs, and spent the first 15-20 minutes of my Okawville experience hobbling around like a 90 year old man.


Sunday, headed out to the trails with Pat and Crystal for a quick run in the later morning. We did an out and back at a pretty leisurely pace, first half downhill, coming back uphill, and legs felt pretty smooth the entire time. During the last mile, Crystal and I got a little carried away, and hammered out a pretty aggressive pace the last half mile - stride felt good, turnover was decent, and legs overall were fine. Splits were 9:08, 8:56, 8:34, 7:59, 7:30. Corework and stretching tonight, and probably will work 15-20 minutes on the foam roller on my right hamstring and hip flexor which are still a little sore.

So Week 1 of the Maintenance Cycle was overall successful, ~30-31 miles total. Still working out some kinks, and building back conditioning. I can't believe in one week of being sick that you could lose so much, but I guess it is what it is. Runs got progressively easier as the days went on, and the weekend running was just about perfect. Next week, will probably keep the intensity level somewhat honest, concentrating on building back good conditioning, maintaining good mileage, and aggressive corework. Tomorrow, easy 4-5, then going to see the Killers at the Fox Theater with Trisha!