Saturday Night

So it is Saturday night, and I am sitting on the couch with my feet up, listening to music. Not a bad Saturday if you ask me, though it may not be sexy and exciting, it sure is relaxing.

So...lets recap running the past few days. Today (Saturday morning) I ran a fairly relaxed 11 miles. Ran the 6am route with a 1 mile addition. I thought I set my alarm last night, but it turns that I did not. It is a good thing that motorcycles were racing by my place at 645am today. I suppose that is just as good as setting an alarm, though I doubt I can rely on that every morning.

I decided not to run on Friday. I was not sore, or hurt, but simply did not feel like running. It felt much more relaxing to take a nap after work...so I did.

Now for the Willow River run on Thursday with, Finch, Mike, Tony, Wynn, Chris and Kyle. That was fun!! I have decided that I need to start running the downhills a bit harder, faster, and this held true for the run at the park. So I would run down the hills fast, and settle back into pace on the flats. The only issue that came up, was that I felt pretty darn good running up the hills too, and Mike seemed up for running some of the hills hard. The pace picked up a bit after we ran past the waterfall for the second time. Tony decided to get a few steps in front of everyone, and Finch quickly went up to join him. I was feeling pretty good at this point, so I tucked in behind them. When we ran up the final hill into the campground, I decided to run the hill hard, and when I got to the top, I decided to just keep on running fast. Felt kinda bad doing that, when nobody went with me initially. Mike quickly caught me, and we hammered the pace in to the the finish. I can't remember the time for the loop, but it was a good run, mainly because the hills (up and down) felt good, felt strong. We finished up the run with a soak in the Willow River with the beer that Tony owed Mike.

Now I need to get out to Afton and run the ski hills. Running up a hill at a state park is one thing, running up and down a ski hill is going to be a entirely new/painful experience.

Song of the Day: Gold In The Air of Summer - Kings of Convenience

Models for Wives

Well...besides running, not a lot to report about in the past few days. On Monday I volunteered at the Brian Kraft 5k, handing out t-shirts, and cutting bananas in half. I was able to watch the first 10 or so, men finish. An impressive finish. It seemed as though everyone was bunched together as the leaders approached the start line, and then Jeremy pulled out a kick and dropped everyone. Impressive to watch. After my volunteer duties were complete, I ran to Lake Harriett and back with Kelly for 8 miles. It felt as though we were running a fast pace, but there is no way to know for sure, how fast we were running. After the run, I showered, and went to a Memorial Day gathering.

On Tuesday...I ran with the group from the store in the evening. We ran in Crosby Park along the Mississippi River and then up the Highland hill then back to the store. I am making an effort to push the hills (up and down), and the pace got a little carried away. It was a good run, but I was fairly tired the rest of the night. The burrito I had for dinner did not go down all that well.

Last night...just ran an easy 10 miles. Nothing special, nothing horrible about the run.

We should have a good group to run at Willow River today, but I think I may head to the driving range before that happens.

Song of the Day: Calcutta - Hopewell

Why do we always need a title?

My streak of watching the Twins lose is now over!! Since moving back to the Twin Cities in 2006, every Twins game I have attended, they have lost...that is until last night! I think my record was 0-8, but now it is 1-8. When you add that I have yet to see a Vikings victory or Wild victory into the mix, my record is 1-13. Then add in the only T-Wolves game I have been to (which was a win, how strange is that?) and I am 2-13. Not a bad percentage! If I can see a few more Twins victories this year, then I may consider going to Vikings games again.

Running wise...I took Friday off, just because. Ran 10 miles on Saturday morning, and made an effort to not relax so much on the downhill sections, and ran a pretty fast time for that course. I am going to start preparing myself for fast downhill running, since the US Mountain Champs are 5 weeks away, and I am concerned with my downhill running ability.

Today I ran 16 miles at the Stillwater Marathon. Mike and I started our run near the finish and ran the course backwards until 10 miles, and finished up at my parent's house. Running the course backwards may have been more difficult than running the course in the proper direction. The final 6 miles of the marathon are downhill, but that is after a brutal hill at 19 miles, preceded by a brutal hill at half-marathon. These hills could make you cry. It is a hilly course, good for a Sunday run, but I don't know if I would aim for a fast time on that course. Mike and I did have a lot of people tell us we were running the wrong way, and one guy even thought we were showing off.

Song of the Day: Runaway Boys - Stray Cats

2 Days Off, 2 Days On

After two days off, one of which included my first trip to the driving range this year, I decided to start up running on Wednesday. I ran a very easy 5 miles. Felt a little tired, but not sore. I will not say that my legs rebounded completely, but they are much more fresh than after the past few marathons. I think that has something to do with resigning myself to a jog the final 6 miles or so. I was sore on Monday, but not as sore as usual, and on Tuesday I had a few sore spots, but I was functioning well. Yesterday and today I don't feel any soreness from the marathon. So it seems that by bailing on the final 6 miles I was able to save my legs...for the time being.

Today I ran 8 miles, and at a moderate pace. I definitely do not have my racing legs back. But I am able to run at a decent pace without much discomfort. Before the end of today's run, I had debated the idea of running the half-marathon at the Stillwater Marathon this weekend. I think this is my knee jerk reflex to running a bad race (just get right back out there). At the end of the run I was running at a good clip, and I could feel that if I were to run the half-marathon, and "if" I were to start racing, I would be in a lot of trouble. Then I flashed back to last summer when my legs were fried out, and the decision became crystal clear...don't run a half-marathon this weekend. I will just have to redeem myself at some of the races this summer.

Song of the Day: No Ceiling - Eddie Vedder

Green Bay Marathon

2:35:28 - 12th place.

I have yet to have a "good" marathon in 4-5 attempts. I have had to walk because of cramps at every marathon that I have run. Usually a side stitch, and they seem to pop up at different places, and there is no pattern for there appearance.

So now for the race report:

The first 11 miles were not exciting. The course is great through this section, there are plenty of people cheering, and a lot of 1/2 marathoners to run with at this point. I was running around 5:40's at this point (give or take a few seconds on each side). I hit the first aid station at 7 miles and drank my fluids, took my Gu and I was running relaxed. A few half marathoners went by around 10 miles, but I did my best to suppress the race tendencies because I knew they were getting close to the finish. I went through 10 miles in 56:40, which was on pace and felt relaxed, but I didn't feel as though I was floating. It felt like a Sunday morning long run.

The marathon and half-marathon split at 11.5 miles. The half-marathoners turn towards Lambeau Field, and the marathoners turn towards the Fox River. This is where the race took a turn for the worst for me. Once I was by myself, my pace slowed to 5:50 for the next 3-4 miles. I wasn't too worried about this since I was running into a head wind during this period. I just told myself to get back on pace when I cross the river and have the wind at my back. Looking at splits from the race, I noticed that when the split happened, I had a person about a minute ahead (who I could barely see) and there were a few guys over a minute behind. Miles 12-16 were a very lonely stretch. There were a few people working on their lawns, a few police and volunteers patrolling intersections, and that's about it for people on that stretch. It is a tough stretch to get through mentally, and when you are running alone...and I did not do a good job at that on this day.

We crossed the Fox River at mile 16, and I passed two people at this point, putting me in 13th place. I would have been excited by this, but I was really beginning to notice my developing blisters, especially on my right foot. The blisters were most painful when going around corners, which was alright since the next 5 miles had minimal corners. Now that I was on the other side of the river and didn't have to fight a head wind, I thought it was time to open up my stride and get back on pace. But then I cross mile 17...5:50...again. Ok I thought...just keep at it...just get back under 5:50, and at this point the guy in 12th was getting closer to me...I was starting to believe that I could pick some people off the final few miles. Then I get to mile 18...5:55. What?? Oh....crap? I was working harder, but I didn't think I was slowing down. At this point the race began to resemble an actual training run. Running on a bike path, running by myself, and running near 6 minute pace. Mile 19...5:55. My thought process switched to keeping it under 6 minute pace at this point. I was a bit demoralized after seeing another split like that. I knew getting under 2:30 was not going to happen.

Then it happened. I developed a stitch on my right side...felt like I was stabbed with a knife. So I stopped to massage the cramp out. That took about a minute. But nobody caught me in this time of walking. So I started running again...cross 20 miles...7:00. Wow! I had no thoughts at this point. Then just after 20 mile, the stitch came back, so I massaged it out again, then started running again...Mile 21...6:38. At this point we were now off of the bike path, which was good. But at this point I had also convinced myself to just jog into the finish. I figured I had no chance at beating my best of 2:34, I figured I would struggle to break 2:40 at this point. During the next mile I ran with my hand on my right side, massaging out the cramp. Finally...someone caught me at this point. He had a few encouraging words, and then ran past.

Just before 22 miles, on the bridge across the Fox River, I saw Jason, Nicki and Nate. While I was looking for sympathy at this point, the only thing I got was, "If you don't finish, you are not getting a ride home." Which turned out to be what I needed to hear at that point. So my jog started to turn into long run pace at this point. And my stitch had disappeared around 22-23 miles. The guy who had passed me at 21 when I was working out the cramp, appeared to slow, and I passed him at a water station at 23 miles...so I was back in 13th place. Then the guy who was a minute up on me the entire race was starting to show signs of slowing, and the racing instincts kicked in at this point. I passed him at 24 miles (now in 12th place), and I felt fast again but mile 24 was a 6:15. Not fast, but I felt good again...which was strange. Mile 25 passed by our hotel, and at this point I was starting to almost feel fast, though my pace did not increase. Just after mile 25 you join up with the half-marathoners again for the loop around Lambeau Field. And I felt like I was sprinting at this point. It is quite a mental boost to run past people at a fast clip, and before I knew it, I was across the finish line. It didn't feel like marathons of the past...I had the feeling of just completing a long run. The only part of me that is in pain right now, is the right foot.

So hopefully there is a good marathon in my body, but for now I am going to focus on shorter distances, and try to get faster.

Keep On Keepin On

Oh...the days leading up to a marathon. I still feel like this is my first try, since I have yet to have a marathon that I have deemed as good, it is difficult to say if my week of preparation in correct. And it is tough to answer questions concerning my level of readiness for the marathon. I do know that I feel more and more in shape each week/each day. So that is good?

Today was an relaxed 10 miler with Jeff in St. Paul. We were supposed to run at 6am, but both of us were a bit on the tired side, so the run was pushed back to 5pm. Its not bad to run at 5pm, but there is a feeling you cannot re-create when you finish a run in the morning. The same feeling does not exist in the evening.

On Tuesday I ran my final workout before the marathon. I opted to run a tempo paced workout as opposed to the marathon pace workouts I would run in marathons past. It was pretty darn windy last night, so I opted for a route that would minimize the wind. So I ran 2x2miles with 4 minutes recovery on the river roads. The recovery is longer than usual, so the 2nd 2 mile segment started a bit quick. In all, it was what I wanted to run. 10:31 and 10:21. With three of the miles at the pace I was aiming for...the 3rd mile was a bit fast.

Under 4 days left. Better find a purple jersey soon.

Song of the Day: I Only Want You - Eagles of Death Metal

Chuck Norris

This post will have almost nothing to do with Chuck Norris, but I was reading the Chuck Norris facts online today, and the majority of those facts make me laugh. Chuck Norris doesn't have doors in his house, only walls, which he walks through.

No for the boring, mundane world of running. I ran with Finch at Willow River on Sunday morning, and it was a good run. Starting to be able to handle the quicker tempo runs in the park without feeling like we are racing. It was the first time that I have run up the paved hill in the park (which is either called Whore or Bitch, can't remember), and that is a steep lil guy. There were not a lot of words exchanged the final 10 minutes of the run, which means we were either cruising, or we ran out of things to talk about.

As for today, just a nice and easy 12 mile run. Made a conscious effort to not push the pace, and stay within a comfortable breathing pattern. Nothing special about the run, just my Monday morning route.

Song of the Day: Pennyroyal Tea (Unplugged) - Nirvana

Turn The Beat Around

By this point, I know that any back issues that I may encounter will only be of the temporary fashion. On Monday of the past week I figured I would not be able to attempt Green Bay, but this morning I had a good workout, and the back pain has subsided to a dull ache.

I took Thursday off from running because of the TC 1 Mile. Not because I was racing, but because I am a volunteer for the TC 1 Mile committee/division. Having been in event planning meeting, and city planning meetings for the past few months, I was anxious for race day to arrive. I began my day at the TCM offices at 8am, picking up supplies for the race. From there we attended the elite athlete press conference, well sort of...it was completely crowded in the press room, so I sat with a few other people in a nearby nook to drink coffee and chat. After the press conference we picked up more supplies, and then began the set-up. While it is a cool thing to say that you have driven a 16 foot truck on Nicollet Mall, it is logistically a nightmare. The bus and taxi traffic at 5pm on that street is ridiculous. After we set-up the course we rushed to finish up last second things that popped up, and then I was at my intersection for the rest of the night...Nicollet and 5th, which happens to be where the light rail crosses Nicollet. And let me tell you how much fun it is to see a race starting two blocks away, and then seeing a stationary train that was two blocks away, move towards the intersection. But in the end everything worked out, and the TC 1 Mile was a great event, and that is because there are some great people that make it happen.

As far as running since the TC 1 Mile on Thursday...I ran 12 miles on Friday evening with a mile of 1 block on/1 block off. Today I ran a 6x3-minutes on/2 minutes off workout. I wanted to run fast, but run relaxed, and I was happy to get through the first 1/2 mile of the 3 minute on in 2:25ish, and then to get through the first 1/2 mile of the sixth 3 minute on in under 2:25, and it felt relaxed. Then I ran an easy 8 miles this evening...just to make up for missing Thursday.

Looking forward to a long run at Willow River tomorrow morning. Should be fun.

Song of the Day: Sad Sad City - Ghostland Observatory

Month of May v Month of January

You could say there are many differences between the two months, but for myself in the past few days the difference has been motivation. My back pain decided to make a reappearance the past few days, yet I have found a way to run through the pain. If the same pain had happened in January I would have spent the last three days on the couch. The only real difference I have determined is motivation. With a marathon less than two weeks away, I feel the need to "work it out" and still get in some training. If I were running Fargo this weekend, I would pull the plug on that race, but fortunately Green Bay is another week after that, and if the back pain persists deep into next week, there is always Stillwater a week later.

On another note...I am curious to see if or how the meeting between the Vikings brain trust and Green Bay's favorite son turns out later this week. I would be as excited as anyone to see #4 in a purple jersey this season, and if this does happen I will be the proud owner of a Favre Vikings jersey.

Song of the Day: Golden Age - TV on the Radio

A Sunday out of the Ordinary

You are probably expecting an epic story about how this Sunday was more grand than other Sundays, but it is actually quite simple. I did not run long this morning, and I have more energy today.

We met at Derek's house and ran into Fort Snelling, mostly because of the massive amounts of people participating in the MS Walk, and secondly because running trails is good. We ran an easy 70 minutes today. Felt like we were only out there for 30 minutes. Hopefully that is a good sign.

When I returned home, I received a call that both Pat and Tony ran 2:34 at the Eau Claire Marathon. Good run, for JUST being a training run!

Song of the Day: Sweet Virginia - The Rolling Stones

Road to Lambeau Field

This is an attempt to start blogging again. Hopefully I can manage more than 5-6 posts in a one month period this time around.

The road to the Green Bay Marathon is almost complete. Only a few more quality efforts until the peaking phase begins. This time around, I have decided to drastically reduce the peak phase, well...all the phases, of training. I am a believer in experimenting with your training and your body to find out what works.

The build-up for Green Bay has been different. I logged a PR mileage week (115), and recorded two of my longest runs ever (2:32 in time - 22 or 23 in length). I started my training later in the season, opting for a 12-14 week build-up, instead of the 18 week build-up.

To recap this week: 105-110 miles. A good volume week, especially following the Get in Gear 10k last Saturday.

Racap the recent quality efforts: (Wed. 4/22) 3k time trial at SD State's first home track meet in 12 years. Ran 8:59.11 after a 4:39 opening mile. I was pretty excited about the first 2k, since zero of my training has been geared at running that fast. (Sat. 4/25) Get in Gear 10k - 32:03 for 15th place. Roughly 10 seconds shy of a PR, and after running like crap at Human Race, I was pleased with the effort. (Thurs. 4/30) 2x5 miles at MP. 27:58 - 5 min rest - 27:50. That was good, because it felt relaxed.

Now for this morning's run with Finch in Stillwater. We met at my parent's house at 6:45, so that we could get in 2 hours before I had to be at work. I ran the same route with Tony about a month ago, and I think Finch felt the need to run the route faster than Tony. And he/we were successful. I think when I run with Finch, we both are trying to prove to one another that we can hammer hills. This route has a good number of hills, up and down, and we both tried to push the hills. In the end we covered 19 miles in 2 hours. A good run, but I was hurting on some of the non-hilly sections around 1:30, but for some reason felt better on the final climb at 1:50. I doubt this is the last time we will run this route.

Green Bay in 14 days!

Song of the Day: The Holiday Song - Siren Six! (Pixies Tribute)