First, this is pretty cool - Ryan and Meb are both running in Boston this April!!! No American runner has won since Greg Meyer in 1983, so I would say there is a great chance it may happen in 2010. Excited to run with these guys, and will be an event to remember!!! Second, Brooks sent me an email yesterday renewing my sponsorship for 2010! This may have been the kick in the butt that I needed, as I am suddenly very motivated to get in some good miles despite battling some illness and lingering Vegas hangover! So I am in the process of reaccessing my goals for 2010, and after I figure it out I will lay them out for all to see...
Yesterday, was on cloud 9 with the Brooks news, so actually got in my run immediately after work instead of waiting till the last second of the evening. Weather was sunny and cold with a little breeze, somewhere in the 30's. Strapped on my new Adrenaline 10's, and decided to do a progressive tempo run. Wanted to hit somewhere in the low 7 first mile, then decrease times each mile until I couldn't do anymore. Felt pretty good starting out, hills always a pain to try to get into a good rhythm but I was watching my Garmin and splits. Hit the first mile exactly where I wanted to, and kept forging on. Was initially thinking I could get in 2 miles on the trail, but it was so cloudless that I thought maybe I could really battle the sun and try to get in a few extra miles. 2nd mile, looked at my watch and was booking, so forced myself to slow down the last quarter. Was a tad fast on the mile, but still felt fine. Third was more of the same - felt decent, was trying to do the math in my head to find out where I should be every half mile. Slowed down a little at the end to catch up. Fourth mile, had the turnaround so felt myself picking it up a lot initially to make up for the lost 5 or so seconds. Was coasting, and it was starting to get pretty dark so I think my body too off. Was not pleased to see me hit 14 seconds faster despite slowing it down a bit, so I knew the miles moving forward were going to be a challenge.
Fifth mile was a beast, but it was flat and I knew I was racing the sun to get off the trail. Finally got a mile where I ran consistently the entire way, but the mile times were getting pretty fast at this point so I really couldn't slow down. Contemplated stopping at this point and doing a couple mile cooldown to end it, but had some gas left in the tank, so decided to try to hit the hilly 6th mile hard. Brain wasn't having much luck computing numbers at this point, so did my best to approximate my half splits. Last 0.15 is uphill, and wasn't feeling too hot so eased up. Hit a good split, so I knew I had to keep going since the next mile was a slight downhill grade. 7th mile just sucked. My form was suffering, and had to battle minor traffic. At this point, if I stopped, would have killed me so had to make a few swerves. Was pretty tired at this point, and knew this was my last mile, plus I could do a nice 1 mile cooldown upon completion. Was monitoring my watch, and knew towards the end of the mile I had developed a good cushion, so sort of eased up. Maybe a little too much, because I beat my 6th mile split by a whopping 1 second! Oops!, but nailed the workout parameters so was extremely pleased. Did 1 mile cooldown home, sort of raced the cars since traffic bunches up big time around that area due to rush hour and a quick light. Stretched out like mad afterwards. Total mileage: 8 miles - splits were: 7:05, 6:49, 6:40, 6:27, 6:24, 6:15, 6:14.
The workout was a beast, but I crushed it so was very happy. Hit the last 10K right around 40 minutes, so I feel that my speed shape is ok considering my lack of speedwork this winter. Going to try to hit the next couple weeks hard and get faster, and maybe squeeze in 1 more 5K to end the year. TGIF!!!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Leaving Las Vegas
and recovering big time. I am pretty behind in updates, so let's get right to it. First, Ryan Hall is running a couple of the early Rock n Roll races this year - PF Chang's in Arizona (Deena Castor is doing this as well), and the Mardi Gras 1/2. I actually am considering doing a spring 1/2 for Boston prep, so kind of mulling the idea of making an NO trip. Another option would be Shamrock 1/2 in March over in Virginia Beach, so I'll figure something out.
Well, Vegas was a big mess as usual, but so much fun. Nonstop drinking, gambling, and all around debauchery. Was awesome to see Shane, Tim, Marc, and Josh again, as well as the rest of their crew. I ran 0 miles on Thursday, 0 miles on Friday, 0 miles on Saturday, and a whopping 0 miles on Sunday for an impressive 12 miles last week. Monday, pretty much was dead so didn't do much. At night, attempted to quit feeling sorry for myself, so did a late night run. Felt like death, weather was cold and windy. There isn't much to say other than it seemed like it was never going to end. Did a loop around Glen Carbon, legs were beat mainly from lack of sleep over the weekend. Total mileage: 6 miles - no watch, no concept of time and could have been anywhere in the mid 7's to high 8 minute range.
Tuesday, came home to receive a package from Brooks - my new Adrenaline GTS 10's came in!!! Was FREEZING outside, but it's a new pair of shoes so had to give it a whirl. After a few more days, I will give a more thorough review, but I was pleased to see the shoe was lighter and I really like the sleeker design. Was strapped for time since I was going to the Blues game with Jessica later, so just wanted to get in a quick 2 miles. Shoes felt pretty snug, but good, and did an out and back to the trail. First half, felt pretty good and was moving about 7 minute pace which felt surprisingly easy. At that point, had somewhat warmed up to the 15-20 degree conditions, so picked it up a bit. At the turn around, decided to give it a hard effort and try to hit low 6's. Coming back is net uphill and just in general hilly so not the easiest. Could tell that my legs were just plain tired from lack of rest, so tried to push through it. Didn't want to kill myself on the last hill, so was aggressive but laid back. Very pleased to see the last mile split. Total mileage: 2 miles - splits were: 6:39, 5:55.
Wednesday, procrastinated around when I got home, didn't get in a run till late when I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and run to Jared's so I could hang out with him since we hadn't in forever. He lives about 2.5 miles away, so jogged there and back. Felt like I was going fast, but have no idea. Both legs took less than 20 minutes, so was somewhere in the 7 minute range. Legs felt ok, lungs were on fire from the cold air and possibly my cold. Total mileage: ~5 miles.
So here I am, trying to motor through a good week before the holiday travels, so hopefully I can keep up. Aiming for a long run this weekend (~16 miles), so would be pleased to hit that. Going to officially start my half marathon training in hopes of hitting sub 1:25 next year, so time for speed, speed, and more speed!
Jess and I at my movie premiere!
Tim, Shane, Marc, and I right before winning in roulette
99 cent Newcastles = bad news
At Red Square in Mandalay Bay, best vodka bar
Well, Vegas was a big mess as usual, but so much fun. Nonstop drinking, gambling, and all around debauchery. Was awesome to see Shane, Tim, Marc, and Josh again, as well as the rest of their crew. I ran 0 miles on Thursday, 0 miles on Friday, 0 miles on Saturday, and a whopping 0 miles on Sunday for an impressive 12 miles last week. Monday, pretty much was dead so didn't do much. At night, attempted to quit feeling sorry for myself, so did a late night run. Felt like death, weather was cold and windy. There isn't much to say other than it seemed like it was never going to end. Did a loop around Glen Carbon, legs were beat mainly from lack of sleep over the weekend. Total mileage: 6 miles - no watch, no concept of time and could have been anywhere in the mid 7's to high 8 minute range.
Tuesday, came home to receive a package from Brooks - my new Adrenaline GTS 10's came in!!! Was FREEZING outside, but it's a new pair of shoes so had to give it a whirl. After a few more days, I will give a more thorough review, but I was pleased to see the shoe was lighter and I really like the sleeker design. Was strapped for time since I was going to the Blues game with Jessica later, so just wanted to get in a quick 2 miles. Shoes felt pretty snug, but good, and did an out and back to the trail. First half, felt pretty good and was moving about 7 minute pace which felt surprisingly easy. At that point, had somewhat warmed up to the 15-20 degree conditions, so picked it up a bit. At the turn around, decided to give it a hard effort and try to hit low 6's. Coming back is net uphill and just in general hilly so not the easiest. Could tell that my legs were just plain tired from lack of rest, so tried to push through it. Didn't want to kill myself on the last hill, so was aggressive but laid back. Very pleased to see the last mile split. Total mileage: 2 miles - splits were: 6:39, 5:55.
Wednesday, procrastinated around when I got home, didn't get in a run till late when I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and run to Jared's so I could hang out with him since we hadn't in forever. He lives about 2.5 miles away, so jogged there and back. Felt like I was going fast, but have no idea. Both legs took less than 20 minutes, so was somewhere in the 7 minute range. Legs felt ok, lungs were on fire from the cold air and possibly my cold. Total mileage: ~5 miles.
So here I am, trying to motor through a good week before the holiday travels, so hopefully I can keep up. Aiming for a long run this weekend (~16 miles), so would be pleased to hit that. Going to officially start my half marathon training in hopes of hitting sub 1:25 next year, so time for speed, speed, and more speed!
Jess and I at my movie premiere!
Tim, Shane, Marc, and I right before winning in roulette
99 cent Newcastles = bad news
At Red Square in Mandalay Bay, best vodka bar
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Next stop - Vegas!!!
Has been a quick week - let me fill you in on my running. Monday, completely crapped out and ran out of time. Went to dinner after work with Pat, Crystal, and Stacy, and was exhausted by the time I got home so nothing happened. Tuesday, the weather started to go nuts. Rained alllllllllll day/night, but fortunately squeezed in a quick run before lunch. Did a loop around Maryland Heights - hilly as crap, windy, and drizzling. Felt ok, and didn't push it too much. Total mileage: ~5 miles - total time out was 38 minutes.
At night, hung out with my buddy Dave. We did one of his P90X DVD's, which was plyometrics. I don't do plyometrics too much, but totally need to more. Did the entire DVD, which was roughly an hour long. My God, it absolutely tore me up!!!! It's just a series of quick drills - squats, lunges, etc., and just nonstop. I was hobbling around like an old man afterwards, and my hammys were just shot. Wednesday, went for a run after work in some AWFUL conditions. Temperature plummeted to arctic like conditions, and was as windy as I have ever seen that day. Not to mention, I was so sore I could barely move. Did a quick warmup, then suffered through a rough run. High teens, 40 mile per hour winds, not much to report other than it was a survival of the fittest. Almost quit after 4, but plodded along. Legs were failing, but need to get in mileage. Finished, and stumbled inside to get away from the cold and wind. Total mileage: 7 miles - total time out was around an hour.
So got in some ok mileage so far this week, and a spectacular drills session. We'll see how running in Vegas goes - crappy weather predicted (rain), but will have plenty of running partners around so hopefully can squeeze in 2 solid runs out in Sin City!!!
At night, hung out with my buddy Dave. We did one of his P90X DVD's, which was plyometrics. I don't do plyometrics too much, but totally need to more. Did the entire DVD, which was roughly an hour long. My God, it absolutely tore me up!!!! It's just a series of quick drills - squats, lunges, etc., and just nonstop. I was hobbling around like an old man afterwards, and my hammys were just shot. Wednesday, went for a run after work in some AWFUL conditions. Temperature plummeted to arctic like conditions, and was as windy as I have ever seen that day. Not to mention, I was so sore I could barely move. Did a quick warmup, then suffered through a rough run. High teens, 40 mile per hour winds, not much to report other than it was a survival of the fittest. Almost quit after 4, but plodded along. Legs were failing, but need to get in mileage. Finished, and stumbled inside to get away from the cold and wind. Total mileage: 7 miles - total time out was around an hour.
So got in some ok mileage so far this week, and a spectacular drills session. We'll see how running in Vegas goes - crappy weather predicted (rain), but will have plenty of running partners around so hopefully can squeeze in 2 solid runs out in Sin City!!!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Vegas Prep Week
Headed to Vegas this weekend to reunite with my partners in crime, Shane and Tim. So after shockingly seeing my weight balloon up quite a few lbs., I finally found decent motivation to get my fat butt up and start running decently again. Finally got in a good weekend of running, so here we begin:
Friday, decided to do a couple runs since I missed Thursday's workout. Ran at lunch at work in hilly Maryland Heights, and didn't really push too terribly hard. Did a loop around my office - weather was cold and windy, and I was tired. The hills here are long and steep, so it was quite the workout. Happy to get it over with, but felt kind of beat up. Total mileage: ~6 miles - no idea the splits, but guessing in the 8 minute range. Run 2 - went over to my buddy Dave's apt. over in U City. I beat him there, but he left me a key so I could change and get on my way to run. I have run a route there before in the past, and was just in that area for my movie screening, so just looped around the neighborhood and Washington University campus. Was still really cold, but having a ton of houses and trees blocking the wind so felt good. Total mileage: ~ 4 miles - once again, all in the 8-9 minute range.
Went out over in Central West End area, had a late night and was regretting scheduling our long run on Saturday. We had a couple extras to our group - Mike and Tom (Crystal's coworker who had run with us before), so was nice to have the extra company. Weather was windy and cool, but sunny. We did the Glen Carbon Trail to Meridian, then looped around the neighborhood to tack on some more miles. Felt pretty sluggish starting out, but got more into it later. Hit Meridian and wasn't too bad so went with it. Got back onto the main road which is not as sheltered, so battled the wind a bit which made it 20 times colder. Came back through Meridian, which is much better going back because it's net downhill. Last big hill sort of sucked, but battled through it. Got back onto the main trail, and was certainly getting fatigued from the run. Last mile, was coasting through and Crystal started to pick it up true Paula style. Mike asked me, "is she really doing this?!" and we picked up the surge leaving Tom behind. Well, competitive instincts took over, slowly sped up, then kicked the last quarter. Last mile was blazing fast which I guess is good. Felt good overall, was tired from the run but happy to get in some good distance. Total mileage: 14 miles - splits were: 8:58. 8:59, 8:13, 8:43, 9:50, 8:45, 8:48, 8:35, 8:16, 8:15, 8:38, 8:28, 8:38, 6:43.
Ate a huge meal, crashed out for a while, then headed over to Nick's house for a long day/night of football and beer. Slept most of Sunday, woke up to watch football, then dragged my useless carcass over to Pat and Crystal's to get in a small, easy recovery run. Did 4 miles on the trail, didn't bring a watch, felt pretty good but certainly tired. Awesome week of running - got in 45 miles, and intend on keeping this train rolling while I can!!!
Friday, decided to do a couple runs since I missed Thursday's workout. Ran at lunch at work in hilly Maryland Heights, and didn't really push too terribly hard. Did a loop around my office - weather was cold and windy, and I was tired. The hills here are long and steep, so it was quite the workout. Happy to get it over with, but felt kind of beat up. Total mileage: ~6 miles - no idea the splits, but guessing in the 8 minute range. Run 2 - went over to my buddy Dave's apt. over in U City. I beat him there, but he left me a key so I could change and get on my way to run. I have run a route there before in the past, and was just in that area for my movie screening, so just looped around the neighborhood and Washington University campus. Was still really cold, but having a ton of houses and trees blocking the wind so felt good. Total mileage: ~ 4 miles - once again, all in the 8-9 minute range.
Went out over in Central West End area, had a late night and was regretting scheduling our long run on Saturday. We had a couple extras to our group - Mike and Tom (Crystal's coworker who had run with us before), so was nice to have the extra company. Weather was windy and cool, but sunny. We did the Glen Carbon Trail to Meridian, then looped around the neighborhood to tack on some more miles. Felt pretty sluggish starting out, but got more into it later. Hit Meridian and wasn't too bad so went with it. Got back onto the main road which is not as sheltered, so battled the wind a bit which made it 20 times colder. Came back through Meridian, which is much better going back because it's net downhill. Last big hill sort of sucked, but battled through it. Got back onto the main trail, and was certainly getting fatigued from the run. Last mile, was coasting through and Crystal started to pick it up true Paula style. Mike asked me, "is she really doing this?!" and we picked up the surge leaving Tom behind. Well, competitive instincts took over, slowly sped up, then kicked the last quarter. Last mile was blazing fast which I guess is good. Felt good overall, was tired from the run but happy to get in some good distance. Total mileage: 14 miles - splits were: 8:58. 8:59, 8:13, 8:43, 9:50, 8:45, 8:48, 8:35, 8:16, 8:15, 8:38, 8:28, 8:38, 6:43.
Ate a huge meal, crashed out for a while, then headed over to Nick's house for a long day/night of football and beer. Slept most of Sunday, woke up to watch football, then dragged my useless carcass over to Pat and Crystal's to get in a small, easy recovery run. Did 4 miles on the trail, didn't bring a watch, felt pretty good but certainly tired. Awesome week of running - got in 45 miles, and intend on keeping this train rolling while I can!!!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thank GOD It's Friday!!!!
Loooong week, glad it's the weekend! Here are a couple articles I found on World Marathon Majors Champion Samuel Wanjiru that are pretty awesome: Wanjiru is defending his London Marathon title, and a great article talking about him in general and the impact he may make when his career is done. Also, for people who want a great alternative to massages, use a foam roller. I will vouch for them that they are awesome and will kick the living crap out of you, but helped immensely with my IT band problems and saved another year's running for me :)
Trying to remember my runs this week, not really coming to mind very easily. Tuesday night, ran with Pat and Crystal after work. Weather was cool and chilly, but still perfect conditions to get in a run. We did about 3 out and back on the trail, then 1 more around their neighborhood. Surprisingly felt ok from Monday's inpromptu tempo, but was getting tired towards the end. Pat pushed the pace so didn't get too comfortable :) Total mileage: 4 miles, didn't have a watch but was in the 8's. Wednesday, rain, rain, and more rain. Totally wimped out, asked Pat if I could use their treadmill which I normally despise. Was watching some good reality tv, so the miles went by quickly. Got pretty bored after a while though, quit while I was ahead and feeling ok. Total mileage: 4 miles - total time on treadmill was 29:17. Yesterday, failed miserably and got in 0. Went to an advanced screening of "Up in the Air" with Jessica, Pat and Crystal, and just ran out of time (pics later). Considered going when I got home, but was just tired from the long day and was ready for bed. Will make up for this with a couple runs today!
Just got around to posting this, but wanted to send out a big congratulations to my buddy Marc who just competed in and finished his first Ironman in Cozumel!!!! Absolutely amazing performance by him, and I am totally in awe of his achievements. He, Shane, Tim, and I will all be in Vegas next weekend, and have much to celebrate with our recent Chi Marathon performances and Marc's IM. Congrats Marc!!!!!!
Trying to remember my runs this week, not really coming to mind very easily. Tuesday night, ran with Pat and Crystal after work. Weather was cool and chilly, but still perfect conditions to get in a run. We did about 3 out and back on the trail, then 1 more around their neighborhood. Surprisingly felt ok from Monday's inpromptu tempo, but was getting tired towards the end. Pat pushed the pace so didn't get too comfortable :) Total mileage: 4 miles, didn't have a watch but was in the 8's. Wednesday, rain, rain, and more rain. Totally wimped out, asked Pat if I could use their treadmill which I normally despise. Was watching some good reality tv, so the miles went by quickly. Got pretty bored after a while though, quit while I was ahead and feeling ok. Total mileage: 4 miles - total time on treadmill was 29:17. Yesterday, failed miserably and got in 0. Went to an advanced screening of "Up in the Air" with Jessica, Pat and Crystal, and just ran out of time (pics later). Considered going when I got home, but was just tired from the long day and was ready for bed. Will make up for this with a couple runs today!
Just got around to posting this, but wanted to send out a big congratulations to my buddy Marc who just competed in and finished his first Ironman in Cozumel!!!! Absolutely amazing performance by him, and I am totally in awe of his achievements. He, Shane, Tim, and I will all be in Vegas next weekend, and have much to celebrate with our recent Chi Marathon performances and Marc's IM. Congrats Marc!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thanksgiving Weekend Update
Some quick news before moving on to my running reports. Paula wants a baby by 2012 - not a surprise here, she's been saying this all along and the timing makes sense as she makes one more push for a gold medal in 2012 London. My buddy Charlie Sunderlage made his marathon debut in the Seattle Marathon last Sunday, and WON - congrats on an amazing time (2:32) and an amazing victory!!! And finally, Ryan and Sara Hall were named Humanitarians of the Year, quite a great honor.
Friday night, made it home from a good week in Peoria. The weather here was the complete polar opposite than cold, rainy P-town, and enjoyed a nice run on Saturday. Went out in the late afternoon - perfect 60 degree weather. Did a quick out and back on the trails, was amazing to be running on more flatter ground which I was just flying on. Made it a point to run "comfortably" and not worry about time and splits. First couple miles felt pretty good, and just got in my zone. At the turnaround, ran slightly downwind which made me want to take off but didn't. Last mile, let my body have fun and picked it up. Never felt out of control, definitely a refreshing run. Total mileage: 6 miles - splits were: 7:18, 7:18, 7:33 (slightly long mile), 7:17, 6:42.
Sunday, 0!!!!!!!!!! Went out Saturday night with some friends that were in town, and had problems getting up. Ended up meeting up with Barrel and Trisha (who was in town briefly), so missed my small window of getting to run. Was pretty disappointed in missing yet another long run, and really wanted to hit high mileage this week. Got in 36 solid miles, but getting closer to where I want to be. Monday, got home and had PERFECT fall running weather. 50's and breezy, exactly what I want. Was supposed to do easy mileage, but hit a fast 1st mile and was feeling good, so let myself pick it up. Blazed through the second mile with no problem, decided to keep going another mile out on the trail since weekday trail runs are pretty much done now with it getting dark so early. Plus, I was forced to race the sun since the sun was already setting, and who wants to be in the woods in the dark? Flew through the 3rd, 4th, and 5th miles feeling pretty good, and tried to figure out how far I was going. 6th mile is very hilly, no problems and was cruising. Looks like all the hill work is paying off as my legs are definitely stronger. 7th mile is net downhill, let myself relax and decided to quit while I was ahead. Jogged 1 mile cooldown back home, stretched and was very pleased with my run. Total mileage: 8 miles - splits were: 6:55, 6:35, 6:29, 6:32, 6:35, 6:30, 6:31.
Actually technically PRed the last 10K, kind of wondering what I would have hit with race conditions. As stated before, my favorite run are the fast tempos that feel effortless. Need to get in a solid 9 more days, as my Vegas trip lies around the corner so need to get my butt in shape!!!
Friday night, made it home from a good week in Peoria. The weather here was the complete polar opposite than cold, rainy P-town, and enjoyed a nice run on Saturday. Went out in the late afternoon - perfect 60 degree weather. Did a quick out and back on the trails, was amazing to be running on more flatter ground which I was just flying on. Made it a point to run "comfortably" and not worry about time and splits. First couple miles felt pretty good, and just got in my zone. At the turnaround, ran slightly downwind which made me want to take off but didn't. Last mile, let my body have fun and picked it up. Never felt out of control, definitely a refreshing run. Total mileage: 6 miles - splits were: 7:18, 7:18, 7:33 (slightly long mile), 7:17, 6:42.
Sunday, 0!!!!!!!!!! Went out Saturday night with some friends that were in town, and had problems getting up. Ended up meeting up with Barrel and Trisha (who was in town briefly), so missed my small window of getting to run. Was pretty disappointed in missing yet another long run, and really wanted to hit high mileage this week. Got in 36 solid miles, but getting closer to where I want to be. Monday, got home and had PERFECT fall running weather. 50's and breezy, exactly what I want. Was supposed to do easy mileage, but hit a fast 1st mile and was feeling good, so let myself pick it up. Blazed through the second mile with no problem, decided to keep going another mile out on the trail since weekday trail runs are pretty much done now with it getting dark so early. Plus, I was forced to race the sun since the sun was already setting, and who wants to be in the woods in the dark? Flew through the 3rd, 4th, and 5th miles feeling pretty good, and tried to figure out how far I was going. 6th mile is very hilly, no problems and was cruising. Looks like all the hill work is paying off as my legs are definitely stronger. 7th mile is net downhill, let myself relax and decided to quit while I was ahead. Jogged 1 mile cooldown back home, stretched and was very pleased with my run. Total mileage: 8 miles - splits were: 6:55, 6:35, 6:29, 6:32, 6:35, 6:30, 6:31.
Actually technically PRed the last 10K, kind of wondering what I would have hit with race conditions. As stated before, my favorite run are the fast tempos that feel effortless. Need to get in a solid 9 more days, as my Vegas trip lies around the corner so need to get my butt in shape!!!
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