Lukas Verzbicas picks Oregon (absolute stud if you don't know him, defintely worth following), Ritz out of London, thoughts from Bernard Lagat and Peter Gilmore. Lagat is preparing for an attempt at a 9th consecutive victory at the Wanamaker Mile (Millrose Games in NYC tomorrow night, I believe), and is still quite the icon in the running scene. Shane forwarded this to me - a beginners runner program for Boston. Can't believe that is only 3 months away!!!
Ryan Hall has an AWESOME beard, cheat sheet for the USA 1/2 Marathon Championships, and Hall's outlook going into this weekend. I have to say, there is a ton of controversy following Hall with his decision to leave Terence Mahon and use religion as part of his training regimen (???), but there are some things to say about his new training and my thoughts on his running future...
- Elite runners know how to train themselves - coaches obviously help a ton, but Hall has been coached throughout his entire career by amazing talent and has a plethora of workouts/philisophies to incorporate into his own training. He knows his body better than anybody else, and I think he knows what works best for him.
- He took a day off of his training week (per the Bible). As crazy as it sounds to be using the Bible as a training reference, any runner will tell you a day of rest is a good thing. Your body needs to recover at some point!
- Less mileage, body is going to be fresher. Hall limited his tempo workouts, but worked a lot on on/off workouts (mile on, mile off) to work on strength running. A different philosophy, but I think he is banking a bit on some of the mileage he has sustained in past training blocks to get him through for endurance purposes. Not a bad assumption to make, so this is more like a calculated risk to me.
- I love his philosophy of running really easy on easy days to prep for running hard on the hard days. Just my personal opinion, but would rather be closer to 100% on hard tempo/track days then have dead legs and try to bust out sub 6 minute miles. Granted, you're simulating races (towards the end at least), but I strongly feel you lose potential for increasing speed.
- Ryan Hall is Ryan Hall - last year in Boston, he ran 2:08 which would have won almost any year except that year. He ran pretty poor Phoenix earlier, but the Boston time was still amazing and just happened to run it on a day when records were broken.
Not sure Hall will win this weekend, but he is clearly the most talented runner in the field. I'd be surprised if he didn't break 1:03 though, and there are only a couple runners in the field capable of doing so. So stay tuned, we shall see! I believe runnersworld and running times are live-blogging the events (Sat. morning 7:30 a.m. CT, 1/2 championships; Sun morning 6:45 a.m. CT, marathon).
Wed, Jan 26 - 7 miles. Did a neighborhood loop, then a loop around town. Sidewalks/trails are still covered in snow, so ran on the roads and shoulders where I could. Since temps were still below freezing, had to really watch myself for slick spots. The heavy irony is I made it through the run unscathed, but completely wiped out walking up the steps to my place. Not hurt, thank God. Concentrated on form and posture the entire run, ended up hitting the workout in 53-54 minutes - too fast, but I felt good so I'll take it.
Thur, Jan 27 - 0! Switched day off because of late work dinner, no biggie.
Going to do speed work tonight since I am feeling pretty good and need to hammer this workout out. Planning on long mileage over the weekend, and finishing off a decent running week. Good luck to all Houston Runners!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday Tempo Work and Things to Improve On
Found a great article about downhill running (something I need to apply in my own running) and the USA Half Marathon Championship field in Houston for this weekend. Two of my Big River teammates are running the full marathon in Houston this weekend - best of luck to Brian Lyons and Adam Macdowell!!!
Was thinking of a run a couple weeks ago, where Tim remarked about my form looking bad on some of my easier runs. I did a stride analysis at the O'Fallon Big River Running Store last year, and was shocked to see my messed up stride - basically I am slightly bowlegged, and pronate while running which at foot strike, correct at the last second - completely inefficient, and I'm wasting a ton of energy doing so. Also, I noticed that I have had a lot of lingering soreness with my IT band this winter, and noticed that I was slouching a lot on my form which lowers my center of gravity - this combined with me running more flatfooted in inclement, slippery conditions (to prevent possible slipping) has created a ton more of impact in my legs, which has inevitably led to a lot more soreness. Consequently, I have made an effort to try to correct my form - run more upright, legs more inwards, in efforts to learn a more efficient and safer running motion. This is clearly a work in progress, but one that will hopefully make me become a better runner in the long haul.
Tuesday, Jan 25 - 9 miles, 1 up, 2X3 mile at tempo (6:37 pace), 2 down. Shoulders of the roads in town are still blocked with snow and ice (unfortunately might be a while since the weather is so cold), so did our own warmups since I didn't want to run literally on the streets and run the Ebbets loop 10 times. Ate a couple slices of leftover pizza before, which was a huge mistake (need to address this poor diet thing immediately, just clogging my body with gunks of garbage), and could feel it in my warmup. First 3 mile set felt ok, but was tiring big time at the end. 3 minute rest, told Crystal to strap on her Garmin just in case because I didn't think I could make the 2nd rep (she is running sans Garmin to get better feel on her runs, so I was calling out splits). Second 3 mile set, felt better after the first mile, and just hit cruise control to finish it out. Cooldown, then home for a little stretching and bed. Splits: 6:36, 6:36, 6:31; 6:27, 6:36, 6:33.
Felt good about hitting this workout. Have a little cold which zapped some energy, but rallied to hit the splits. Crystal pretty much flew through this workout, a lot better than I did - she is in the final stage of her marathon training, and is in amazing shape. I am going to adjust my schedule to hit pace runs with her for the next 6 weeks to help her through this last stretch.
Things to work on: diet (has been atrocious with nonstop fried food, pizza, and beer), more sleep, and just taking care of myself more. They say your body is your temple, and I have trashed it every day this year. I hope to lose 5-10 lbs. over the next month by jus adjusting to a healthier lifestyle, then hitting it hard for the spring races and Boston.
Was thinking of a run a couple weeks ago, where Tim remarked about my form looking bad on some of my easier runs. I did a stride analysis at the O'Fallon Big River Running Store last year, and was shocked to see my messed up stride - basically I am slightly bowlegged, and pronate while running which at foot strike, correct at the last second - completely inefficient, and I'm wasting a ton of energy doing so. Also, I noticed that I have had a lot of lingering soreness with my IT band this winter, and noticed that I was slouching a lot on my form which lowers my center of gravity - this combined with me running more flatfooted in inclement, slippery conditions (to prevent possible slipping) has created a ton more of impact in my legs, which has inevitably led to a lot more soreness. Consequently, I have made an effort to try to correct my form - run more upright, legs more inwards, in efforts to learn a more efficient and safer running motion. This is clearly a work in progress, but one that will hopefully make me become a better runner in the long haul.
Tuesday, Jan 25 - 9 miles, 1 up, 2X3 mile at tempo (6:37 pace), 2 down. Shoulders of the roads in town are still blocked with snow and ice (unfortunately might be a while since the weather is so cold), so did our own warmups since I didn't want to run literally on the streets and run the Ebbets loop 10 times. Ate a couple slices of leftover pizza before, which was a huge mistake (need to address this poor diet thing immediately, just clogging my body with gunks of garbage), and could feel it in my warmup. First 3 mile set felt ok, but was tiring big time at the end. 3 minute rest, told Crystal to strap on her Garmin just in case because I didn't think I could make the 2nd rep (she is running sans Garmin to get better feel on her runs, so I was calling out splits). Second 3 mile set, felt better after the first mile, and just hit cruise control to finish it out. Cooldown, then home for a little stretching and bed. Splits: 6:36, 6:36, 6:31; 6:27, 6:36, 6:33.
Felt good about hitting this workout. Have a little cold which zapped some energy, but rallied to hit the splits. Crystal pretty much flew through this workout, a lot better than I did - she is in the final stage of her marathon training, and is in amazing shape. I am going to adjust my schedule to hit pace runs with her for the next 6 weeks to help her through this last stretch.
Things to work on: diet (has been atrocious with nonstop fried food, pizza, and beer), more sleep, and just taking care of myself more. They say your body is your temple, and I have trashed it every day this year. I hope to lose 5-10 lbs. over the next month by jus adjusting to a healthier lifestyle, then hitting it hard for the spring races and Boston.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Off Week
Cool Pre story, and Jenny Barringer/Simpson is awesome!
Monday, Jan 17 - 6 miles. Ran around town pretty slow with Tim. Started raining towards the end, which sucked. Felt ok, was tired from the long weekend workouts and stride felt all busted up.
Tuesday, Jan 18 - 3 miles, 1/2 mile warmup, 8 X 400, 1/2 cooldown. Pretty chilly outside, went to the track with Tim and did a quick 1/2 mile warmup, then went into 400 meter repeats. Hit the repeats from 1:24-1:26, felt really strong all around and had to slow down on every one. Ran into Andy Payne from Metromilers (local running group) and Crystal joined us later to do her workout, so was nice to have some company out there.
Wednesday, Jan 19 - 6 miles. On the eve of snowopalypse, got this one in as quick as I could. No watch, but definitely hit the 2nd half harder. Finished in 45-48 minutes I think, prob too fast but felt ok.
Thursday-Sun - 0!!! Let all the excuses fly, but the 12"+ inches of snow and cold weather didn't help. 15 glorious miles this week :( Weekend shenanigans didn't help either, but was kind of worth it. Feel pretty rested.
Monday, Jan 24 - 6 miles - 5, drills, 1 cooldown. Ran with Tim and Crystal (well sort of, she scampered well ahead of us) on the shoulder of Governor's Parkway, which was pretty cool actually. Looped around, was guiding Tim in at this point and ended up hitting a nice progressive tempo for him. I felt pretty good, and cruised with no issues. Drills were a bit messy on a snowy/icy track, but got through them ok.
Monday, Jan 17 - 6 miles. Ran around town pretty slow with Tim. Started raining towards the end, which sucked. Felt ok, was tired from the long weekend workouts and stride felt all busted up.
Tuesday, Jan 18 - 3 miles, 1/2 mile warmup, 8 X 400, 1/2 cooldown. Pretty chilly outside, went to the track with Tim and did a quick 1/2 mile warmup, then went into 400 meter repeats. Hit the repeats from 1:24-1:26, felt really strong all around and had to slow down on every one. Ran into Andy Payne from Metromilers (local running group) and Crystal joined us later to do her workout, so was nice to have some company out there.
Wednesday, Jan 19 - 6 miles. On the eve of snowopalypse, got this one in as quick as I could. No watch, but definitely hit the 2nd half harder. Finished in 45-48 minutes I think, prob too fast but felt ok.
Thursday-Sun - 0!!! Let all the excuses fly, but the 12"+ inches of snow and cold weather didn't help. 15 glorious miles this week :( Weekend shenanigans didn't help either, but was kind of worth it. Feel pretty rested.
Monday, Jan 24 - 6 miles - 5, drills, 1 cooldown. Ran with Tim and Crystal (well sort of, she scampered well ahead of us) on the shoulder of Governor's Parkway, which was pretty cool actually. Looped around, was guiding Tim in at this point and ended up hitting a nice progressive tempo for him. I felt pretty good, and cruised with no issues. Drills were a bit messy on a snowy/icy track, but got through them ok.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Happy MLK Day!
Josh Cox just misses the world record in the 50K, and Kara finishes runner up in her return back to running! Thought this was a cool GPS side by side that RW did with Garmin and Timex. I love my Garmin and am very biased, but interested in the new Timex watch - maybe I will try it out in the future...
A quick shout out to Timmy and the new blog he created for our group (Ihavetheruns.com). It is pretty much a forum of blogs that you can follow about my friends and their training and goals as this year carries on. Fun times to come, as we are in talks of some upcoming group trips in 2011 so please follow along in our respective quests!
So as usual have fallen behind in my own blog, but playing massive catchup. It's been an up and down year already as I've missed some runs here and there, but putting together some decent mileage and starting to build some good strength. I will start to transition to some speed work by the end of this month for some march races, but feeling decent about the mileage I have been putting in.
Monday, Jan 3 - 8 easy, don't remember the run.
Tuesday, Jan 4 - 8 miles - 2 up, 4 x 1 mile, 2 down. Ran up to Ebbets with Crystal, hit mile repeats with 1 minute rest in between. Perfect night to run, and felt amazing out there. Mile splits were: 6:26, 6:23, 6:20, 6:26.
Wednesday, Jan 5 - 0! Worked till almost 10 p.m., unfortunately run was not able to be done.
Thursday, Jan 6 - 0! Home late, push back to Friday.
Friday, Jan 7 - 0! I suck, decided that a greasy dinner and blue moon pitchers > workout, so went that route. Strong weekend running can save this week.
Saturday, Jan 8 - 18 miles. Long run with Crystal, typical trail run. Cold outside, went moderate/slow pace started out. Felt pretty decent throughout the run which was nice. Hit last 2 at marathon pace, and was cruising doing so. Had to slow down without making this workout too ridiculous. Avg pace: 8:24 - last 2 at 7:05, 7:03.
Sunday, Jan 9 - 10. Out of back on G.C. trails. Went slow, was pretty tired. Hit high 8 pace. 44 miles I believe, not bad.
Monday, Jan 10 - 6 - easy around town, was starting to snow and wanted to get in a run as soon as possible. Was getting pretty slick outside when I finished, lucky there wasn't much traffic because the shoulders were covered and I ran on the roads a bit. Went pretty easy because of slick conditions, no idea of pace.
Tuesday, Jan 11 - 0! Road conditions were awful.
Wednesday, Jan 12 - 6 - ran around town, snow everywhere. Lucky to get this much in, worked harder than I should have for an easy run, thus the lesser mileage.
Thursday, Jan 13 - 0! Roads were still a mess, but getting better. Got home late, just didn't make it out. Not happy with myself, made it a point to get up early for some mileage.
Friday, Jan 14 - 13 miles: 4 miles a.m., very easy and slow, 9 miles p.m. - 2 up to Ebbets Field neighborhood, 5 tempo (well really 4, did a little of Crystal's workout at the end), 2 down. Ate some chicken wings before the run and a nap, and it did not settle very well - got major cramps going up, then started to feel it into my tempo. Was supposed to hit 5 at tempo, had to stop to work out the cramp after a mile and a half, then finished the workout at 4. Splits were all over the place, not happy about that. Caught up with Crystal who was doing a fartlek, finished with her. A shame to waste perfect running weather. Tempo splits were: 6:11, 6:38 (bad cramp), 6:23, 6:09.
Saturday, Jan 15 - 10 miles - Out and back on the snowy trails with Crystal. Nothing crazy to note, felt pretty decent and we went pretty slow which was nice. High 8 minute pace, was a little chilly outside.
Sunday, Jan 16 - 18 miles - long with Crystal in Forest Park. Met up with Big River group at the Visitor's Center bright and early, pretty decent turnout (70+). Did Arch loop and back, then tacked on a bit through Forest Park. Loved that the roads through the city were clear; hilly route, but not too hard. Nice that my legs at the end felt the same as halfway through, so definitely getting stronger. 8:02 average pace, but big negative split. Hit last 2 in 7:43, 7:26 pretty comfortably. 53 miles this week - not bad considering I missed 2 runs (shame on me).
Scheduled for 6ish tonight. Legs are feeling the heavy weekend, so will be nice and slow. Going to try for some good speed work this week, so cross your fingers!
A quick shout out to Timmy and the new blog he created for our group (Ihavetheruns.com). It is pretty much a forum of blogs that you can follow about my friends and their training and goals as this year carries on. Fun times to come, as we are in talks of some upcoming group trips in 2011 so please follow along in our respective quests!
So as usual have fallen behind in my own blog, but playing massive catchup. It's been an up and down year already as I've missed some runs here and there, but putting together some decent mileage and starting to build some good strength. I will start to transition to some speed work by the end of this month for some march races, but feeling decent about the mileage I have been putting in.
Monday, Jan 3 - 8 easy, don't remember the run.
Tuesday, Jan 4 - 8 miles - 2 up, 4 x 1 mile, 2 down. Ran up to Ebbets with Crystal, hit mile repeats with 1 minute rest in between. Perfect night to run, and felt amazing out there. Mile splits were: 6:26, 6:23, 6:20, 6:26.
Wednesday, Jan 5 - 0! Worked till almost 10 p.m., unfortunately run was not able to be done.
Thursday, Jan 6 - 0! Home late, push back to Friday.
Friday, Jan 7 - 0! I suck, decided that a greasy dinner and blue moon pitchers > workout, so went that route. Strong weekend running can save this week.
Saturday, Jan 8 - 18 miles. Long run with Crystal, typical trail run. Cold outside, went moderate/slow pace started out. Felt pretty decent throughout the run which was nice. Hit last 2 at marathon pace, and was cruising doing so. Had to slow down without making this workout too ridiculous. Avg pace: 8:24 - last 2 at 7:05, 7:03.
Sunday, Jan 9 - 10. Out of back on G.C. trails. Went slow, was pretty tired. Hit high 8 pace. 44 miles I believe, not bad.
Monday, Jan 10 - 6 - easy around town, was starting to snow and wanted to get in a run as soon as possible. Was getting pretty slick outside when I finished, lucky there wasn't much traffic because the shoulders were covered and I ran on the roads a bit. Went pretty easy because of slick conditions, no idea of pace.
Tuesday, Jan 11 - 0! Road conditions were awful.
Wednesday, Jan 12 - 6 - ran around town, snow everywhere. Lucky to get this much in, worked harder than I should have for an easy run, thus the lesser mileage.
Thursday, Jan 13 - 0! Roads were still a mess, but getting better. Got home late, just didn't make it out. Not happy with myself, made it a point to get up early for some mileage.
Friday, Jan 14 - 13 miles: 4 miles a.m., very easy and slow, 9 miles p.m. - 2 up to Ebbets Field neighborhood, 5 tempo (well really 4, did a little of Crystal's workout at the end), 2 down. Ate some chicken wings before the run and a nap, and it did not settle very well - got major cramps going up, then started to feel it into my tempo. Was supposed to hit 5 at tempo, had to stop to work out the cramp after a mile and a half, then finished the workout at 4. Splits were all over the place, not happy about that. Caught up with Crystal who was doing a fartlek, finished with her. A shame to waste perfect running weather. Tempo splits were: 6:11, 6:38 (bad cramp), 6:23, 6:09.
Saturday, Jan 15 - 10 miles - Out and back on the snowy trails with Crystal. Nothing crazy to note, felt pretty decent and we went pretty slow which was nice. High 8 minute pace, was a little chilly outside.
Sunday, Jan 16 - 18 miles - long with Crystal in Forest Park. Met up with Big River group at the Visitor's Center bright and early, pretty decent turnout (70+). Did Arch loop and back, then tacked on a bit through Forest Park. Loved that the roads through the city were clear; hilly route, but not too hard. Nice that my legs at the end felt the same as halfway through, so definitely getting stronger. 8:02 average pace, but big negative split. Hit last 2 in 7:43, 7:26 pretty comfortably. 53 miles this week - not bad considering I missed 2 runs (shame on me).
Scheduled for 6ish tonight. Legs are feeling the heavy weekend, so will be nice and slow. Going to try for some good speed work this week, so cross your fingers!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Catchup/Happy New Year!/2010 Year in Recap
Back after a lengthy vacation, let's just get at it! First, don't know what to think about Sammy Wanjiru and his recent scraps with the law, but seriously how hard is it to stay out of trouble? My Number 1 rule in life is not to threaten to shoot anyone with a gun, nor use the butt of a rifle to try to break into my house to attack my wife. Geesh!!! But apparently, all is well in the Wanjiru household and they are trying to make amends. Next, Haile's "comeback" appears to be doing well.
Monday 12/20: 3-4. Had a work dinner at this fantastic restaurant in Town and Country called Cafe Napoli2. Just amazing food, amazing service, recommend to anybody that wants to eat a very nice, intimate dinner. Ran late when I got back, felt queasy starting out and my stomach wasn't pleased. 2 miles into the run, completely threw up all my dinner and at that point my head was spinning. Run was therefore declared over.
Tuesday 12/21 - 0! Sick. Went to bed after work, slept for a good 12-13 hours straight.
Wednesday 12/22 - 0! See above
Thursday 12/23 - 0! See above
Friday 12/24 - 0! Felt a little better, but it was travel day for me. Snow started in STL in the morning, and continued all the way to Peoria. We got 7 inches, roads were unrunnable, gyms closed, therefore 0.
Saturday 12/25 (Merry Christmas!)- 8 easy. Couldn't stand not running anymore, nor the ridiculous amount of food ingested, made my way out late afternoon and braved the tiny shoulders since the town was dumped upon with snow. Not too bad, but cold and windy. Felt decent, but joints were on fire coming back because of the snow running. Mom was shocked at how far out I went (I asked about some Korean Presbyterian Church I saw on my run on some state route headed towards Kickapoo, IL (small city neighboring Peoria). I was yelled at pretty good about it too - seriously Mom, how else do you expect me to prepare for a marathon??
Sunday 12/26 - 0! Travel day back, decided to save up energy for the aggressive running week, joints were on fire and I truly was feeling like a crippled old man. 11 glorious miles for the week!
Monday 12/27 - 8 easy, drills. Vacation this week, as well as Crystal, so a lot of day runs planned. Ran 5.5 up to the track (3 in her parent's neighborhood), drills on the track which weren't too much fun for my old bones, 2.5 back. Cool part was watching all the steam rise from the track because of the sun/temperature change. 8:20ish pace.
Tuesday 12/28 - 8 total, 4 tempo. 2 up to Crystal's parent's neighborhood, 4 tempo (6:34, 6:46, 6:35, 6:36), 2 down. Felt like garbage, struggled to get through this workout. Wind was a bit of a factor, but this run shouldn't have felt this hard.
Wednesday 12/29 - 9 easy. Because of the rain, did laps around Crystal's neighborhood. Mentally was not there, therefore this run felt like it took a good few hours to finish. Almost quit on 5 separate occasions, most notably at the 6 mile marker when I actually turned off to run home only to hear Crystal yell "Wuss!", and sprinted back to finish it out. Needless to say, the last 3 miles were filled with murderous thoughts, but it got done rain and all. 8:30ish pace
Thursday - 0! No biggie, switch with Friday offday.
Friday 12/31 - 8 total, 2 up, 1X10 5K pace, 2 min off, 2 down. Did this on the trail, legs were tired at this point with the higher mileage. The repeats went by pretty quick, but was a lot harder than it should have been. We hit high 5/low 6 minute pace, leg turnover just wasn't there. I guess lack of speedwork is starting to show. On a weird temperature note, was almost 70 degrees. Last run of the year in shorts!
Saturday 1/1 - 16 easy. Did out and back with Crystal on the G.C. Trails, much colder 30 degrees. Another one of those crappy running days where nothing felt right. On the turn back, could feel my hip flexors just locking in and not firing at all, which killed my leg turnovers. Felt like I was running flat footed because of the lack of range of motion, and as a result struggled on the way in. Wind was brutal in a few parts, but got through ok. Picked it up the last 2 miles, glad to have that over with. 8:24 average pace
Sunday 1/2 - 0! Could barely walk, my knees were both locked up and the IT band/tendons were so sore I could barely walk. Painful to move around the house, let alone run 11 miles. 49 miles this week will have to do.
Today, hopefully get in some good miles. Legs feel better, but still uber sore. I am blaming this on my old age and most likely lack of stretching. Time to bust out the foam roller/stick again!
2010 was pretty much the victory march in my running career, and I hit a couple goals that I had set. Racing was mediocre at best, but the main focus of 2010 was the Boston Marathon.
Here are my highlights of running in 2010:
Best run: training, probably the solo 16 mile solo at marathon pace in February as well that was very fun. Had no business hitting a workout like that, but just clicked for that day and was cruising on the trails, just me and Mother Nature. For race, Boston for nostalgic reasons but the Top of the Hibernian 5K in March was my favorite run. Hit a pretty decent time (18:16), but just battling against Candace with everyone cheering against me was fun. Good tactical race run by me, and it was one of the few times this year (sadly) that I was not going to lose. Felt strong the entire way, ran as good as I did all year. A close second was the St. Pat's Day 5 Miler. Another strong performance, but just ran tactically stupid on the last mile and barely missed out on a PR. That course just beats me up.
Best Out of Town Run: Boulder sweeps all the awards. Ran an XC Race in January in arguably the most scenic race I have ever run (mountains in the background, lake, nature at its finest), and BolderBoulder 10K was a race on my bucket list, and it lived up to all its hype. Now if I only I could do something about that altitude. Runner up is Boston, had some fun runs around town, and obviously that nice 26.2 mile jog on Patriot's Day ;) Denver, D.C. and Chi get honorable mentions, because they are all just awesome.
Favorite run: 15 miler with Shane, Crystal, and Mike this spring. Always good to get out on a long run with Team Sullentrup, and enjoyed getting in a good run on a nice day with some good friends. Close second was the hour off, hour on run with Crystal. Big confidence booster for her for her upcoming marathon, big confidence booster (at the time) for me since my running had been suffering due to bad allergies.
Best fast long run: 1/2 in Philly - PR out of nowhere, my welcome back to running after a frustrating summer/fall. I am pretty sure Shane is my lucky charm, I run good races everytime we run together. Hit PR splits at the 10K and 10 mile, and just cruised in. Pretty much salvaged my racing year up to that point.
Favorite workout: TIE- first, track work right around when I was starting to have some bad breathing problems. Failed at completing the workout (2 miles at pace, 1 mile 10-15 seconds faster), but hit the 2 mile when I had no business doing so and felt great doing it (5:54, 5:58). 2nd was the Dallas Mayor's Race 5K. Billed from the beginning as a workout, but turned into a win for me in a decent sized field. Any victory is always fun :)
Favorite race: TIE - Philly 1/2, was obviously a thrill to PR and was an amazing trip with Marc and Shane. Boston Marathon for personal reasons with Shane, Crystal, and I running together, fulfilling the biggest goal of all, and having friends and family there to watch me run.
New PR's in 10: 1 Mile - 5:17, 1/2 Marathon - 1:25:18
Monday 12/20: 3-4. Had a work dinner at this fantastic restaurant in Town and Country called Cafe Napoli2. Just amazing food, amazing service, recommend to anybody that wants to eat a very nice, intimate dinner. Ran late when I got back, felt queasy starting out and my stomach wasn't pleased. 2 miles into the run, completely threw up all my dinner and at that point my head was spinning. Run was therefore declared over.
Tuesday 12/21 - 0! Sick. Went to bed after work, slept for a good 12-13 hours straight.
Wednesday 12/22 - 0! See above
Thursday 12/23 - 0! See above
Friday 12/24 - 0! Felt a little better, but it was travel day for me. Snow started in STL in the morning, and continued all the way to Peoria. We got 7 inches, roads were unrunnable, gyms closed, therefore 0.
Saturday 12/25 (Merry Christmas!)- 8 easy. Couldn't stand not running anymore, nor the ridiculous amount of food ingested, made my way out late afternoon and braved the tiny shoulders since the town was dumped upon with snow. Not too bad, but cold and windy. Felt decent, but joints were on fire coming back because of the snow running. Mom was shocked at how far out I went (I asked about some Korean Presbyterian Church I saw on my run on some state route headed towards Kickapoo, IL (small city neighboring Peoria). I was yelled at pretty good about it too - seriously Mom, how else do you expect me to prepare for a marathon??
Sunday 12/26 - 0! Travel day back, decided to save up energy for the aggressive running week, joints were on fire and I truly was feeling like a crippled old man. 11 glorious miles for the week!
Monday 12/27 - 8 easy, drills. Vacation this week, as well as Crystal, so a lot of day runs planned. Ran 5.5 up to the track (3 in her parent's neighborhood), drills on the track which weren't too much fun for my old bones, 2.5 back. Cool part was watching all the steam rise from the track because of the sun/temperature change. 8:20ish pace.
Tuesday 12/28 - 8 total, 4 tempo. 2 up to Crystal's parent's neighborhood, 4 tempo (6:34, 6:46, 6:35, 6:36), 2 down. Felt like garbage, struggled to get through this workout. Wind was a bit of a factor, but this run shouldn't have felt this hard.
Wednesday 12/29 - 9 easy. Because of the rain, did laps around Crystal's neighborhood. Mentally was not there, therefore this run felt like it took a good few hours to finish. Almost quit on 5 separate occasions, most notably at the 6 mile marker when I actually turned off to run home only to hear Crystal yell "Wuss!", and sprinted back to finish it out. Needless to say, the last 3 miles were filled with murderous thoughts, but it got done rain and all. 8:30ish pace
Thursday - 0! No biggie, switch with Friday offday.
Friday 12/31 - 8 total, 2 up, 1X10 5K pace, 2 min off, 2 down. Did this on the trail, legs were tired at this point with the higher mileage. The repeats went by pretty quick, but was a lot harder than it should have been. We hit high 5/low 6 minute pace, leg turnover just wasn't there. I guess lack of speedwork is starting to show. On a weird temperature note, was almost 70 degrees. Last run of the year in shorts!
Saturday 1/1 - 16 easy. Did out and back with Crystal on the G.C. Trails, much colder 30 degrees. Another one of those crappy running days where nothing felt right. On the turn back, could feel my hip flexors just locking in and not firing at all, which killed my leg turnovers. Felt like I was running flat footed because of the lack of range of motion, and as a result struggled on the way in. Wind was brutal in a few parts, but got through ok. Picked it up the last 2 miles, glad to have that over with. 8:24 average pace
Sunday 1/2 - 0! Could barely walk, my knees were both locked up and the IT band/tendons were so sore I could barely walk. Painful to move around the house, let alone run 11 miles. 49 miles this week will have to do.
Today, hopefully get in some good miles. Legs feel better, but still uber sore. I am blaming this on my old age and most likely lack of stretching. Time to bust out the foam roller/stick again!
2010 was pretty much the victory march in my running career, and I hit a couple goals that I had set. Racing was mediocre at best, but the main focus of 2010 was the Boston Marathon.
Here are my highlights of running in 2010:
Best run: training, probably the solo 16 mile solo at marathon pace in February as well that was very fun. Had no business hitting a workout like that, but just clicked for that day and was cruising on the trails, just me and Mother Nature. For race, Boston for nostalgic reasons but the Top of the Hibernian 5K in March was my favorite run. Hit a pretty decent time (18:16), but just battling against Candace with everyone cheering against me was fun. Good tactical race run by me, and it was one of the few times this year (sadly) that I was not going to lose. Felt strong the entire way, ran as good as I did all year. A close second was the St. Pat's Day 5 Miler. Another strong performance, but just ran tactically stupid on the last mile and barely missed out on a PR. That course just beats me up.
Best Out of Town Run: Boulder sweeps all the awards. Ran an XC Race in January in arguably the most scenic race I have ever run (mountains in the background, lake, nature at its finest), and BolderBoulder 10K was a race on my bucket list, and it lived up to all its hype. Now if I only I could do something about that altitude. Runner up is Boston, had some fun runs around town, and obviously that nice 26.2 mile jog on Patriot's Day ;) Denver, D.C. and Chi get honorable mentions, because they are all just awesome.
Favorite run: 15 miler with Shane, Crystal, and Mike this spring. Always good to get out on a long run with Team Sullentrup, and enjoyed getting in a good run on a nice day with some good friends. Close second was the hour off, hour on run with Crystal. Big confidence booster for her for her upcoming marathon, big confidence booster (at the time) for me since my running had been suffering due to bad allergies.
Best fast long run: 1/2 in Philly - PR out of nowhere, my welcome back to running after a frustrating summer/fall. I am pretty sure Shane is my lucky charm, I run good races everytime we run together. Hit PR splits at the 10K and 10 mile, and just cruised in. Pretty much salvaged my racing year up to that point.
Favorite workout: TIE- first, track work right around when I was starting to have some bad breathing problems. Failed at completing the workout (2 miles at pace, 1 mile 10-15 seconds faster), but hit the 2 mile when I had no business doing so and felt great doing it (5:54, 5:58). 2nd was the Dallas Mayor's Race 5K. Billed from the beginning as a workout, but turned into a win for me in a decent sized field. Any victory is always fun :)
Favorite race: TIE - Philly 1/2, was obviously a thrill to PR and was an amazing trip with Marc and Shane. Boston Marathon for personal reasons with Shane, Crystal, and I running together, fulfilling the biggest goal of all, and having friends and family there to watch me run.
New PR's in 10: 1 Mile - 5:17, 1/2 Marathon - 1:25:18
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