Denver Bound (again)!

Time for Round 2 of Denver for 2010! Bags are packed, ready to board my flight later this afternoon and see all my good friends that will be there for a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend! Before getting on to my last couple days of running, here is a good article I found about possibly the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt.

Wednesday, did my scheduled long run with Mike on the trails. Was raining that day, but helped out with the crappy temperatures by basically cooling everything off. Really never hit any big downpours which was awesome, and the temperatures dropped almost 20 degrees for the impending storms that never happened. So basically ran in 70 degree temps in drizzle/light rain, which I will take 10/10 times :) Both of us didn't want to push it, so we started out pretty slow. Sort of picked it up in the mid miles, but at the end really slowed it down the last 2 miles. Went by pretty fast, good conversation, and my legs were definitely getting a little tired by the end due to the spike in my mileage this week. Total mileage: 10+ miles - average split was 8:30ish.

Yesterday, off - just ran out of time, and decided to switch my off day with today. Today, did a morning run on my friend's treadmill. Intending on slow, but felt great with the day off and hadn't done any speed work this week so just sped up as the miles went. Last mile, approached 10K pace (a little slower), and felt pretty good. Didn't feel like I pushed it at all, which is always a good sign. Total mileage: 4 miles - splits were: 7:30, 7:05, 6:50, 6:30.

So finally piecing together a solid running week (at 27 miles currently), and we have a couple runs planned out this weekend that sound amazing. Going to Red Rocks on Saturday for a run out there (Trish lives pretty closeby), and most likely a Washington Park run on Sunday, as well as hanging out in the park. The race is early on Monday morning, and should be a super fun time. I have no goals, other than to have a good workout, try not to burn out, and have a great time :)

3 more days...

until I will be back in beautiful Denver! Excited to see Tim and Trish, and as an added bonus Shane and Marc will also be visiting. We are all running the BolderBoulder 10K on Memorial Day, so should be a complete blast! Found a cool article concerning the race - really, really wish I could be more competitive, but just not realistic given my current level of shape and altitude adjustment. Talked with Marc a little bit over the weekend, and both of us decided to commit to a solid week of running/working out before the inevitable destruction of us in Colorado.

Good running so far this week. Monday, waited until it cooled down a bit. Weather was humid, but a lot cooler and a good breeze. Did a small loop on the trails, then back through town. Didn't go too hard, but noticed some cramping on the 4th mile. Still, felt nice to be out and doing a night run - something that hasn't happened in a while, and what I did exclusively for 2 years. Total mileage: 6 miles - no idea how long I was out for.

Yesterday, couldn't get up early like I wanted to, but did successfully talk Crystal into doing a few miles with me in the P.M. Weather was sunny, hot, and humid, but it isn't going to get much better here on out so I just need to suck it up. Wanted to get in a little more, so ran 1.5 and met her on the trail, then we did 4 together. Walked back to their house to say hi to Pat, then ran back home. Total mileage: ~7.5 miles. Average split of the 4 miles I did with Crystal was 8:20ish.

Feel ok, a little fatigue but to be expected since I haven't really run much in the last month. Long run tonight with Mike and Crystal at a very S-L-O-W pace, then will wrap it up with something smaller on Thursday before heading out west!

Run for the Stars 5K Recap

Had an ok running weekend - weather suddenly decided to turn 30 degrees warmer and get oppressingly HUMID, so didn't get in the mileage I would have liked. Was kind of prepping for the St. Louis Science Center 5K, but quite honestly my running has been garbage and was hoping I could cash in on previous fitness and race experience to get me through another race. Friday, ran easy after work. Did 3 miles slow, just needed to get the legs moving again. Hung out at home and got to bed relatively early.

Race Morning

Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning. Went outside to gauge the conditions for the day, and did a quick jog to get loosened up. Was already stuffy, and was going to be very sunny that day. Ate a quick breakfast of yogurt and a banana, grabbed my stuff, and took off for downtown. Got there and parked, then went to registration to get my bib and t-shirt. Jogged for about 10 minutes on the course, and waited for my friends Ben and Dave to get there. Felt decent and ready to go.

At the Start/Mile by Mile Report

Met up with those guys, got their packets and walked back towards the start. Did some light stretching, strides, and dynamic stretching, and got lined up. Saw a group of guys that had Ghisallo racing singlets on (Ghisallo Racing is a local team), so I talked to them to gauge how fast they would be going out the first mile. Tried to get myself focused and in that race mentality. Lined up at the front, and waited for the gun.

Mile 1 - Gun went off, and away we went! First mile goes down a hill then turns up a pretty decent hill. Important not to go out too fast, and the Ghisallo group, some high school guy, and myself had quickly formed a small pack. When we got to that hill, sort of relaxed my stride and tried to concentrate on good form. Those guys started to take off, and I was getting gapped pretty good. Weaved through Forest Park, rolling hills so was working a bit. Was breathing way pretty hard at this point and already feeling tired which was not a good sign. [Mile 1 - 5:44]

Mile 2 - Got passed by a couple runners. Went down a huge hill, then back up towards the Muny which is an outdoor theater in Forest Park. Tried to work off one of the guys that had passed me - he was a younger runner, and going faster than me but I thought I would be ok. He started to really gap me, and I gauged off the volunteers cheering that there were people not too far behind me. I was tired and didn't want to waste energy looking back, but eventually did when we made a sharp right hand turn up a hill and saw a group of 4-5 guys. Legs were starting to hurt, started to really question why was I racing?!?! [Mile 2 - 5:58]

Mile 3 - Pretty much conceded I wasn't going to catch the guy in front of me, and the Ghisallo guys were out of my sight. This is where the mental battle began for me, and since I had spent the majority of this race running basically by myself and getting tore up by these hills, I was not in a good mental state. Really started to slow down, and I could hear a runner creeping up on me. I knew there were 2 big hills coming up, and I'm not proud to say that I basically gave up and just dropped pace but didn't let the guy pass me. Hit the first hill kind of hard, noticed I was gaining ground on one of the guys but then saw him turn off which meant he was a 10K runner. Was in 4th at this point, and suddenly heard the hard breathing and footsteps of the guy behind me. [Mile 3 - 6:23]

Finish - The guy was gaining ground, and I was really tired. Could hear people cheering, and finally snapped out of my ridiculous funk and picked it up. Last half mile is straight uphill, so punishing but definitely gapped the guy and finished hard. [5K Time - 18:51]

Peter Kim M30
Chip Time: 18:51
Clock Time: 18:53
Overall Place: 4/442
Gender Place: 4/?
Division Place: 1/?
Pace: 6:05/Mile

Walked and grabbed some Vitamin Water, water, and bananas, and talked to the Ghisallo guys who had finished 1-2 (high school guy was third). Jogged back towards the course and met up with Dave and Ben who were finishing up. Ben was running his first 5K and Dave had ran the majority of the race with him so I took over the reigns and he took off like a bat from hell for quite a spectacular finish. Ben kicked really hard the last 100 meters and passed 5 people, so that was pretty awesome to watch. Congrats on both for a good race! Went back to our cars, had a few beers then chilled at the post-race area and got my award.

Final Thoughts

Not my best race by any means, and pretty disappointed in myself for losing focus and basically giving up on the last mile. Albeit, I don't think I could have improved my place any, but still should have ran 15-20 seconds faster. Time was ok and slower than what I thought it was, but the hills slowed me down - definitely need to build up some strength. Regardless, it was a good training run/speedwork, was thrilled to finish top 5 overall, and always nice to win my age group :) Lots to work on right now, and this was a wake up call that I need to really start working hard or I am not going to improve any.

Ended up with around 5 miles total on Saturday, did my "long run" of 5 miles on Sunday. It was just waaaay too hot, and I was completely drained after 5 minutes of being outside. Legs were tired from the race and was still adjusting to the sudden, severe temperature change, so reasoned with myself that I would pick up some cheap miles throughout the week. The plan is to get a boatload of miles early, rest up for the Denver trip, easy running over the weekend, then Monday's race will be a hard tempo and nothing more!

Ben and I postrace. Won my age group!

Post Race Celebration

I suck

this week at running - ugh, been a little crazy, and have not gotten in very much mileage. There is no excuses, but I will be much better moving forward. Really quick, saw this article about Khalid that I thought was pretty interesting - one of the all-time marathon greats!

Saturday, ran 5 easy I think? I actually can't remember. Sunday, did long run with Pat, Crystal and Mike. Weather was overcast and cool, and we purposely went pretty slow. Picked it up a little at the end, those two crazy ones took off at the end and I had nothing left. Nice workout, felt good to get in a decent long run. Total mileage: 10 miles - average mile pace was 8:22 I think.

Monday, opted out of the group run because of impending crappy weather, then just got home and hammered out a few easy miles in the drizzle. Felt pretty sore starting out, but felt very loose when I finished up. Total mileage: 4 miles - no idea splits, went pretty easy.

Tuesday, slept all afternoon, rain killed any chances of any workout. Wednesday, don't remember but I think I ran 3 easy, nothing special to report. Thursday, got out late for a run. Did a modified fartlek, where I pretty much just picked out landmarks instead of doing by time. Felt really loose, and the weather was very cool outside. After the first mile, really hammered out the hard portions of the fartlek, but felt kind of lethargic/out of shape which might be from all the unstructuredness of this week. Total mileage: 3+ miles - time out was 22 minutes.

Going to try to do an easy jog after work tonight (pending weather). Running the St. Louis Run for the Stars 5K tomorrow with some friends. No expectations, more like a training run quite honestly - tough course, and I hope to run a more even race as opposed to my kamikaze race a couple weeks ago (albeit, a win!). Still working out the kinks of getting back into it, but progress is being made :)


Big River Running Festival of Miles is tomorrow night over at SLU High School. Great event for a great cause, and hopefully they will have a huge turnout for what is becoming one of the more premiere running events in the area!

Track work!

Ryan Hall Super Slow Motion - 2010 Boston Marathon from Runblogger on Vimeo.

Ryan Hall at the Boston Marathon in super slo-mo - AWESOME!

Mark this on your calendar - Wednesday June 2nd has been designated as the 2nd annual National Running Day! This day is used to promote running as easy, healthy and very accessible form of exercise used to combat some of our nation's pressing health problems. Everyone remember to get out and get in a few miles that day!!!

Yesterday, took a monster nap after work, which fortunately worked out well with the ridiculous rain that brushed through the area. Harbored evil thoughts of skipping my run/postponing it till Friday (thank God I didn't, the rains this morning were 1000X's worse!) but eventually dragged myself out to the track during the halftime of the Cavs/Celts Game 6 for my postponed track workout. Weather was cool and breezy, absolutely perfect actually. Was dark, but I have done so many track workouts at night that it didn't phase me. Actually had some company on the track, as there was a girl doing mileage before and after I had gotten there - good for her! Did a quick warmup - legs were a little tired, but was ok to run. Wanted to do a reverse ladder (1600, 1200, 800, 400) - plan was to hit the mile at 5K pace, then try to get a little faster as I went down the ladder. Short jog/water breaks in between, I had a basketball game to get back to! Hit all my splits a little faster than I wanted to (5:38/4:12/2:43/1:14) , but never felt like I was pushing too hard with the exception of the 400 where I let loose a little, but even then wasn't going terribly hard. All my quarter splits were pretty consistent which was a good feeling. Felt a little sluggish starting out the reps, but not surprising seeing I haven't hit the track in a couple months. Nailed this workout, felt great doing so. Total mileage: 3 miles

Legs feel pretty good today, and right on track where I want to be at this point. Easy running all weekend, long run with Mike and Crystal on Sunday. Best of luck to Tim who is running the Colfax Marathon this Sunday - he has been training his butt off this spring, and I know he is going to run a great race :)

Back to the grind...

Found some good running articles - first, one about the popularity of the sport starting to increase due to studs like Usain Bolt, despite the lack of U.S. dominance. The internet has been an amazing conduit to follow sports in general and has pretty much rendered the days of reading newspaper articles obselete - now you can go to sites like espn.com to see instant scores, or in the case of racing go to sites like universalsports.com and watch some of the major races live. Next, a very heartwarming story about a dog which has become quite a runner :) Plans for Ritz, Khalid is back (best of luck to him, one of the all-time marathon greats and a super nice guy), and a good Runners World interview with the lovely Kara Goucher.

Monday night, was feeling super sore from weekend running, so eventually dragged myself out the door. Was pouring rain all afternoon, so skipped group run and went home. Did a evening loop around town - made it a point to run very slow. Felt better after running then I did before, which is always a good thing. Total mileage: 4 miles - no idea on time or splits.

Tuesday, 0! Going to switch off-days with Friday, so no harm done. Wednesday, did some mileage at Forest Park. Had scheduled this day to run with a couple friends, and used the opportunity to scout out the course for the upcoming race. Did a harder run initially just to work on the hills, then a couple cooldown miles before those guys got to Forest Park. I forgot how hilly Forest Park can get, and it will be definitely some work when we race next Saturday. Downhill start, but then rolling hills the rest of the way with a few long sustaining hills in between. Last 1/2 mile is a gradual uphill, which I distinctly remember sucking. Anyways, tacked on about 4 more miles with my buddies before calling it a day. Total Mileage: 10 miles - splits for the actual workout portion: 7:11, 7:10, 6:58, 6:43. The rest was pretty easy pace.

Feel ok, definitely a little tired but getting more strength in my legs. Looking forward to hitting the track tonight for the first time in a long time (pending weather conditions).

TABC 5K Recap

Had a pretty decent running weekend, despite taking a couple days off because of a sore hamstring. Weather cooled down quite a bit, not like the typical STL humid, hot, so was nice to spend some time outside. Crapped out on Friday's run - just ran out of time, and decided no run was going to help, and it was like a tornado outside with some crazy winds that moved in. Hung out with Pat and Crystal, then made it to bed early. Slept awful because of the wind and the trees that kept beating on the side of my apartment.

Race Morning

Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning. Walked outside and did a quick jog to gauge the conditions. Very sunny, very cold, and very windy. Ate a banana and some peanut butter and jelly crackers, changed, then headed to the course. The course was located over in Troy, which is a neighboring city next to Glen Carbon. It was literally an 8 minute drive, so the proximity was ridiculously convenient. Picked up my race packet and bib at the school, ran into Mike who was also running, then went back to the car to just zone out and burn time. Mike came back to warm up with me, and he gave me a quick course tour in the process. Course starts/ends at the school, then runs/loops through some neighborhoods, and had lots of sharp turns and rolling hills. We noted a few areas where wind was going to be a issue.

At the Start/Mile by Mile Report

Did some drills and dynamic stretching to get loosened up. Not a good sign when you are getting physically tired when warming up - was this race really a good idea?! Saw Candace strolling up to the start, so this race became a little more interesting and competitive. Tried to get myself mentally prepared and in the zone.

Mile 1 - Lined up at the start, gun went off and away we went! Really shot out of the start like a cannon, and was immediately in the lead. Got sort of confused with where we were supposed to go, as there were little flags and a couple barriers so wasn't sure whether to cut over or stay on the sidewalk. Mike yelled directions out from behind, then the pacer immediately joined so was ok. Ran in a residential area, and looked back a little to see who was behind me. Saw Candace and Mike, and a few others, but had already gapped them quite a bit. The course loops through this neighborhood, lots of turns. Felt decent, but could tell I was going waaaay too fast. [Mile 1 - 5:25].

Mile 2 - Course goes up a hill, you go around some cones and come back. Could see where everyone was at, and saw that Candace was slowly closing the gap. Mike was still in third, but had a small group closeby. Slowed it down at this point, as I knew this pace was just too aggressive, and tried to hit the flat portions aggressively. Considered letting Candace catch up and trying to work with her, but quickly changed my mind and decided on forging. Looped back around the school, saw Pat and Crystal (they came out to spectate and cheer) which was a huge adrenaline boost. Was running up a slow incline and into the wind, so wasn't feeling too hot at this point. That familiar 5K pain was starting to really settle in, and I didn't like it. [Mile 2 - 6:10]

Mile 3 - The pacer was leading me all over the place, and wasn't too pleased about all the sharp turns. We looped around a different neighborhood, then around some building. Looked back, Candace was about 10-15 seconds back which was close enough for me not to get comfortable. When we ran around the building, I made it a point to surge hoping that if she didn't see me around the building maybe it would demoralize her a little. Hit a straightaway which led back towards the school. I could see the finish, but the pacer looped me around some other street and then told me to loop around the school to the finish. Was feeling like complete garbage at this point, the lack of speedwork was clearly affecting me, but knew I just had to suck it up and grind it out. [Mile 3 - 6:12]

Finish - Looped around the school, saw that I had a decent lead so relaxed a bit. Saw Pat and Crystal again, raised my fist out of excitement. Checked behind one more time, saw that I was in the clear. Finish line was just ahead, dropped into cruise control and crossed in first place for my first ever race win! [5K Time - 18:32]

Peter Kim M30
Clock Time: 18:32
Overall Place: 1/?
Gender Place: 1/?
Division Place: 1/?
Pace: 5:58/Mile

Pretty psyched, but super tired as well. Candace crossed shortly after, talked with her and watched the rest of the runners finish. Mike battled it out at the end, ended up 5th overall but won his age group! We grabbed some water, then did a short cooldown together. Hung out with everybody for a while, watched the Kids Fun Run (our future competition), and waited for the awards ceremony.

Final Thoughts

Pretty happy with my time, stoked about winning, and just an all around good day. Was fun to race again, even though my legs didn't think so, and glad to represent Big River Running well on the east siiiide. Time was better than I thought it would be, and I think I can get back into the low 18 minutes with some work. Grabbed a victory brunch with Pat and Crystal afterwards, then enjoyed a fun rest of the day :)

Sunday, woke up not feeling too hot, but dragged myself out for a run. Less windy conditions, super sunny and a slightly warm. Legs were a little sore, and felt like crap quite honestly. Did an out and back towards Troy, didn't realize how fast I was going until the 5th mile. The good news was the pace felt really easy. The bad news was I progressively felt worse and mentally wasn't there, so intentionally slowed it down coming back to avoid complete burnout. Really hit a mental wall on the last mile - my motivation was shot, and just didn't feel like being outside. Legs were feeling kind of heavy too, should have stretched better after the 5K. Forced myself in, and laid down for the rest of the afternoon. Total mileage: 10.5 miles - splits were: 7:21, 7:10, 7:07, 7:02, 6:58 (seriously, what am I doing?!?!), turned watch off and ran much slower coming in, probably around high 7-low 8 pace.

So hit about 28 miles last week, not too bad. Legs are sore today, but will do some sort of run at night to loosen up for speedwork tomorrow! SLSC Run for the Stars 5K in 2 weeks!!!

Mike and I - Team Sullentrup representation!

Candace and I

Back to Racing...

Cool article I found at the Running Times - it is pretty much a State of the Union on marathons. The 1/2 Marathon has grown almost 10% in terms of finishers, and is becoming more and more popular. NYC has the largest marathon in 2009 - in fact, the largest ever!

So on the eve of my first race since the marathon. Not sure what to expect, as 0 speed work has gotten accomplished in almost 2 months. Ran on Wednesday after work on my friend's treadmill - did 4 miles at 7:30 pace, felt pretty good. Hamstring was still tight, which was the reason I passed on the speedwork yet again. Didn't run yesterday, but will do 3-4 tonight pretty easy. But the good news is I feel pretty good today (nothing too sore) and with a good night's sleep and hopefully a good warmup tomorrow morning, I should be ready to go! No time goals, just hope to run a solid race, and breaking 19 minutes would be nice. An age group prize would be nice too :) I really have no idea what kind of shape I am in, and this is the first week that running hasn't felt very difficult which means my recovery is almost complete.

On a side note, Big River Running unveiled their newest jersey, which I picked up today. Very similar to the black one I wore in Boston, just in dark gray, and super cool! Will give it a test run tomorrow, when I lace it up for the TABC 5K - think good thoughts for me!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Awesome interview I found with new American record holder in the 10K, Chris Solinsky. First time he ran this distance, and he runs 26:59:60! He is targeting sub 13 minutes in the 5K at the Prefontaine Classic in July, which I believe Kenenisa Bekele is also running - should be absolutely AMAZING to watch :)

Quick update on my running so far. Monday, ran with the Big River Monday group - right hamstring was super sore, which makes no sense whatsoever since I hadn't run since last Thursday. Ran slow with Pat and Crystal, she picked it up towards the end and I followed with her. Felt decent for the most part, just lingering soreness. Total mileage: 4-4.5 miles - total time out was 32:40 I think.

Yesterday, pulled Pat and Crystal out for a run after work. Hamstring was still sore, and couldn't stretch it out before the day was over, so completely vetoed the idea of a track workout. Did out and back on the trails, weather was nice and sunny. Was really sore starting out, but shook it off eventually. Coming back, picked it up a little, then the last 2 miles was a little aggressive. Told Crystal I was going to really pick it up on the last mile and did so. Felt nice to just be running freely, and didn't feel like I was pushing too hard. Stride felt ok, but turnover is still a little bit of a mess. Total mileage: 6 miles - splits were: 9:14, 8:48, 8:19, 8:00, 7:19, 6:30 (give or take 5 seconds).

Today, going to try to run up to a local high school to do a reverse ladder, assuming there aren't people on it. Otherwise, more easy mileage. Then Mexican and margaritas later at night! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2010 Race Schedule

Well, I am going to confess about my "spectacular" running this weekend - 0 miles!!!!!!!!! Just was too lazy to do anything, and really capped off an "amazing" 12 mile week with a missed long run yesterday. Opted for an afternoon round of golf with Pat instead and judging by how tired I felt after the round, I guess that could be considered as cross training :) Regardless, I feel like I deserved a 2 week period of rest and light running to recharge my batteries, so today it begins again!

After thinking about what I wanted to do the rest of the year, I decided to target the 1/2 marathon in the fall. In the meantime, will get in basic mileage and work on speed to really try to move to that next level. Signed up for a few races to help motivate me, and there will be more racing to be done this summer. This Saturday, I am 80% sure I am going to run the TABC 5K - I ran this in 2008 and finished 2nd overall, and it's a smaller race but well run and about 10 minutes away from my house. Not to mention, the awards in that race freaking rock :) Next, in a few weeks, I'll run the St. Louis Science Center Run for the Stars 5K. I ran the 10K last year, and won my age group so have some good memories from there. Ken and I actually ran the 5K in 2006 so I think with a good day, I can place pretty high. I think a few speed sessions should get me back into decent shape - this course has light hills, and will be a good workout at the very least. Crystal is running as well as a couple other friends, so we should have a good time regardless.

BolderBoulder 10K the weekend after, but realistically this will be just a good training run as altitude destroys me. I am excited to get to experience one of the biggest road races in the country, as this one has been on my list of races to run in the U.S. Shane and Marc signed up for the race too to run with Tim, Trish, and I, so should be a fun Memorial Day weekend :) Next in June, I am going to sign up for the Steamboat Classic in Peoria. I ran this race in 2006 with Ken and my boy Ryan, and Candace kind of talked me into running with her this year. It is a fast road race, and a lot of fun - not to mention, I will be home already for Father's Day, so works out perfect. She will push me hard, and I should run this race pretty fast and shatter my P.R. Considering the Bix 7, but we'll see on that. Finally, picked out my fall 1/2 marathon on a complete impulse - the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon. I did absolutely no research on this one, but a good excuse to get to D.C. to visit Shane, Marc, and Josh (D.C. is a short 3 hour drive to Philly), and supposedly fast. Assuming they do start corrals, I should be more up front, and can make an assault on the 1:25 barrier which I am thinking is very reasonable.

So those are my races/goals for now for 2010, and the quest begins tonight at the Big River group run!