I must say that the last couple of mornings have been almost pleasant. Good week to start exercising.
This will be short and sweet. I did some walking this morning. DW isn't helping things much as she made my favorite chicken and dumplings for lunch. It was the the 6 year old's birthday party so the family came over for lunch and I wasn't prepared. Next time, I need to plan ahead and make something healthy for myself to eat while everyone else eats what they eat.
Later
Well, I spent some time this afternoon reading through old blog posts. I started at the beginning. The first blog post. That was almost 3 years ago. With just an ounce of character and a little stick-to-it-ed-ness, I surely wouldn't find myself sitting here today in just as bad a shape as I was when I started running in 2004. I'm afraid this is my last chance. My last chance to get this done...Once and for all! If I don't go all the way this time, I'm not sure I ever will.
So, my project at work is over. It'll be official Tuesday or Wednesday this week. It has been quite a ride. So, this week starts my new life. It's gonna be wierd having 4-8 extra hours in a day to do the things I need to do, the things I should have been doing this past year, the things I have to do. This weekend's been a good start. I got up and ran this morning and had a good breakfast. I'm still very tired from the past month or two. I think it's going to take a bit of a recovery period before I'm back in balance.
That's all for now. See you at the track.
I just finished a 90 hour work week. Now, today, I'm going on 13 hours. It's stopping tomorrow. No more putting out fires. If it ain't getting done in a 10 hour shift, it ain't getting done.
I promise. I'll be back real soon.
I'm down to the final mile of the marathon that is Pathnet Millennium, the project I've been working on for 25.2 miles, uh, I'm mean 2 years. Although I take full responsibility for my weight gain and fall into the abyss of an unhealthy lifestyle, this job, this project has taken its toll on my life. It's worn me down. It's caused me to lose focus on what's important. And I'm basically a stress eater. Let's face it. Plain and simple, I have an eating disorder. And the stress from this project has been HUGE. Now, I guess, I'M HUGE!!! :) But it's all coming to an end. In 4 days, we are flipping the switch and we'll be LIVE. Although it's been hard and my team has sacrificed much, I'm very proud of what we have accomplished. This was one of those projects where all along the way, THEY said it couldn't be done. Right up until just recently, all you could hear were the nay-sayers. Well, we shut them up and now all they can do is stand there in disbelief that we did anyway.
Now that's two things in my life that I can look back on and say to myself, "I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to." Actually, I don't care too much for that statement at all. I know that that I can accomplish nothing without faith and family and friends. I guess it's like a lot of things in life. The initial decision, sometimes the hardest part, is very personal. Only I can make the decision to change my life and to follow a healthy lifestyle. But once that decision is made in earnest, it's only through prayer and the support of friends and family that I can accomplish my goals. Heck, I may even need some PROFESSIONAL HELP!!! Where are you Catherine?
So, I've been consistent and stuck with the plan this week. I "ran" Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Tuesday was rest. Now, finding time today to get my exercise in is going to be a challenge but I MUST get through this first week on plan. I need a small victory right now.
My absolute only goal at this point is to lose this weight. Needless to say, I'm not looking at any running or racing goals right now. I did register for Houston back in January but I'm not stupid y'all. I do have a little bit of running experience, you know. I've run the numbers though and it's not unrealistic to be down to 275-280 by January. So my registration wouldn't be a waste of money, maybe by then I could walk/jog the half. Can you switch from the full to the 5K? Do they give massages to the 5K'ers? Anywho, let me now set my goals too hastily. I need to be realistic and thoughtful about this and not set myself up for failure. It took 8 months to get in this bad a shape. It's gonna take at least that just to pick up where I left off in October. Then there's a bunch of work after that so I've got to be in this for the long haul.
Speaking of the support of friends, thanks for the very, very encouraging words on that last post. I figured since I had fallen off the face of the blog world, I wouldn't get any readers at all. Anyway, thanks friends for the thoughts and prayers and support.
I'm sitting here staring at the computer screen, feeling very uncomfortable. It's funny because that's what I do for a living, stare at computer screens. But this screen is different. With this screen right now, on this web site, in this text box, I have a connection. It's a connection to a different lifestyle, to friends that I love, to a sport that not so long ago brought me joy and pain and health and strength and camaraderie. It's a connection, needless to say, that I've lost somehow, some way. And now, right this minute, I want so badly to re-connect. But some strange, ugly part of me that I hate keeps telling me to stay disconnected. I don't understand it. It's not what I want to do but I keep doing it anyway. The specter of embarrassment and failure and foolish pride wants me to stop right now and click that little X up in the corner like I've done so many times before. But I can't keep doing that. Enough is enough. I'm back at the end of myself and I can't stand it anymore. I think I'm finally to the point where I hate what I have become more than I hate the embarassment and hard work it's going to take to get back to where I was.
So, I think I know how I got here. As a matter of fact, I'm absolutely sure of it. It's GLUTTONY!!! I'm a glutton. I am plainly and simply a person "who over-indulges in and over-consumes food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste." [Wikipedia] I think I'm realizing that blaming it on being busy or on working too much or on anything else is just rationalizing. I am a glutton. Ah, confession IS good for the soul.
On to the updates. Well, here's the embarassing part. I've gained 50 pounds since the half marathon back in October. Yes, you read right. 50 POUNDS!!! I'm up just over 340. So, of the 80 pounds I lost, I'm back up 50. If I don't do something now, I'm going to be back at my all time high water mark of 370 and I think I'd have to jump off a cliff if that happened. Just kidding. And running, well here are my monthly totals this year:
...and November/December were just as dismal. It's like after the best race of my life, I just checked out. Anywho, vivid memories of those days still fill my mind and I have that to hold on to and motivate me.
Some of you may have heard a rumor that at the age of 41, I was going to be a new father. Yes, DW and I had a little surprise come into our life and for a while, it looked like major life changes were in store for us. But I'm sad to say that some weeks ago, DW miscarried and we lost the baby. It's been very difficult to deal with as we had no problems whatsoever with our other three children. It never occured to us that this would happen so it was a shock. But we're getting through it a day at a time. Of course, it's much more traumatic for a woman to go through all that. But DW is strong. She's coping well.
The project I've been working on at work is coming to a close. We are "going live" next weekend, followed by 3 weeks of hardcore 24/7 support. I was looking at my calendar and realized that I have not taken a day off from work in over a year. That is ridiculous. You can bet I'm making up for that starting in July. The good thing about this project is that no matter what EVER comes our way, no project will every be as demanding and as tough as this one has been. It kind of reminds me of the marathon. Once you've done one, you know there's nothing you can't do and everything else seems easy compared to that.
Finally, let me log my workout today. I almost said "log my miles" but I'm not quite up to the "miles" thing yet. Soon, enough, right?
Venue: Fairfield lakes and neighborhood
Workout: 5 min walk (warmup), 8x60/90 (jog/walk), 5 min walk (cooldown)
Total distance: 1.9 miles
Average pace(including walking): 18:07
Congratulations to Bill on his comeback and on his return to racing at the Astros RftP. And thanks for checking in Pony. You're the one that got me thinking about all this. This time is for real. IT HAS TO BE!!!
Well, I don't know how many times I'm going to "start over." Tell you what! This will be the last time, ok?
I got out and did three miles this morning. What a beautiful morning for a run. A beautiful morning for racing too. Looks like June and Steve NAILED the Park to Park. Anywhooo!!! I ran a good loop this morning and feel great. I know I can't be where I was so I'm not at all hung up on running as fast as I was last October. But you know, that's one thing that motivates me is remembering the Fall and where I was, where I was headed. I really, really want that back.
So, put me down for 3 miles in about 41 minutes, just like the good old days. :)
Later.
In case, 10 years from now, I go back to see what I was thinking about, what was my focus, my inspiration going into new year, 2007...
I get kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughing
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place.
I have been blessed
And I feel like I’ve found my way.
I thank God for all I’ve been given
At the end of every day.
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed
Across a crowded room,
I know you know what I’m thinking
By the way I look at you.
And when we’re lying in the quiet and
No words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift.
I have been blessed
And I feel like I’ve found my way.
I thank God for all I’ve been given
At the end of every day.
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed
When I’m singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know...
I have been blessed
And I feel like I’ve found my way.
I thank God for all I’ve been given
At the end of every day.
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed
3 miles tonight. Felt good.
I don't want this to be some big dramatic thing.
But here's the deal. I've got some stuff to get done. I love you all and will be cheering for you. See you around. If not, I'll see you at the Bayou City Classic. :)
Well, I got my life back but could someone please give me my fitness? And could someone please give me back my endurance?
I know it's probably unrealistic to expect to do 17 miles after a 10 day layoff. But I just wanted to cover the distance. No heroism. No TLT or middle 6 at marathon pace or anything like that. Just cover the distance.
Well, I covered distance alright but it wasn't 17 miles. It was about 12 and it was a struggle. I felt good enough through 10 but faded fast after that. I don't know what the deal was. I was weak and hungry. And I stopped 3 times to "go to the bathroom" with stomach problems. Guess it's going to take more than just a day of eating right to actually make and impact on my long runs. I'll need a good week of hydrating and eating right to really feel up to par I think.
Next weekend, I'll see how it goes. One more long run like today and I'll have to reset my training plan back a few weeks for Austin. It's just too late to not be doing these long runs.
So, the plan for next week is:
Monday - 5 miles
Tuesday - Silly Walks, 5x180/180at 5k race pace, 2 mile CD
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - TXU Turkey Trot 10K (PR!!! You can bet the ranch!!!)
Friday - rest
Saturday - 18 miles (Tour de Memorial)
Sunday - rest
Sorry there wasn't better news to report on the long run today. But not to worry. I still have my life.
I awoke this morning to temps in the 40's and absolute perfect running weather. More importantly, I woke up not worried about all I had to do at work today. It's a relief.
Today's run
Purpose - To work out a few cobwebs and put some calories in the bank to start my day
Total distance - 3.0 miles
Average pace - 13:15
I'm a bit anxious about tomorrow's run. I'm not looking to break any records tomorrow. I just want to cover the distance and get to the house. 16-17 miles. Happy running tomorrow, everyone.
"...whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..."
The Message says, "...let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."
To the point, I've come to the realization that this verse does not mean that I have to work and work and work and work at a job and work and work and work at a job until it totally consumes me. Surely God doesn't want us, eh, ME to sacrifice my family, my fitness, my health, even my church for the sake of "doing a good job." Well for the past 2 or 3 months, that's exactly what I've done.
On the way home from another 13 hour day... That's right! on the way home and not on the way to Terry Hershey park... I called DW and told her that I was giving up the Houston Marathon. I told her that I just couldn't do what it takes. I tried as best I could to explain that marathon training (for me at least) wasn't just about getting in the runs. It's about preparing mentally, being well rested, eating right, planning your meals, camaraderie, family support, and a concentrated consistency week after week, right up until race day. I told her that I just can't do that right now with this project we are doing at work. I'm working 12 hours a day, bringing work home after work and on the weekends. When I'm not working, I'm worrying about not working and how I'm going to get everything done I have to get done. I'm thinking about deadlines, who I'm going to let down, how I'm going to get more organized, how I need to be doing this and that instead of working... I think my desire to do a good job has evolved into something else. Something not good.
DW has been telling me for weeks that it's not worth it, how in 10 years I'm going to look back and not remember how many hours I put in at work this week or how I helped meet a deadline or how we met budget. I'm going to remember things like my son's last freshman football game, the year we invited 30+ people over to our house for Thanksgiving, the first time I went sub-6 for a marathon, soccer games, the first year DW coached a neighborhood basketball team, and the good times I had with my friends and family. I think tonight I finally heard her.
Note to self, "Would it be too much trouble if I had my life back please?" I hereby reclaim my life. I can do a lot in 8, 9, 10 hours at work. I can do a good job. I can do my job "as unto the Lord." But my job is not my life any more than running is my life. My life is my life and there are important things that need to be tended to and experienced. My health, my goals, my children, my church. so, I hereby reclaim my life, not for myself alone but for Him.
Now, down to business. Here's my situation. There are 59 days left to Houston. I haven't run in about 10 days. My last long run was weekend before last and it was a strong 15 miles, no problem. I'm up about 6 pounds from my low mark at the Fired up 5K. I feel good. I'm staring at about a 16-17 miler on Saturday. I'm looking at doing an easy 3 or 4 miler in the morning. Yes, it's the day before my long run but I think I need to shake out a few cobwebs before Saturday. I'm still confident after my half marathon race just a few weeks ago. No doubt I've lost some fitness but I think Houston is salvageable.
Daily updates to follow. Wish me luck. Oh, and one more note to self...Thanks!
Friday was a bust. I just could not afford with everything that's going on at work to come in late. I had made arrangements to come in to work around 10 with plenty time to do 15 but I just have sooooooo much work and so much to do before the week ended. No way I could have missed 3 or 4 hours of work.
So, I was really bummed. I'm on call this weekend so a long run was not in the cards. But conversation at lunch turned to why Vic didn't run Friday morning. I shared my sob story with my co-workers. I said that this job and this project makes it really hard to train and that I was going to be behind after this weekend. Then my buddy said, "I'll cover call for you Saturday morning." WOW!!! What a friend. It really is the case that we can't do this alone. It takes a lot of support and sacrifice from family and friends.
.So, I ran an easy 15 miles this morning with my running group. We had a blast!!! Martina, Faith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W Smith, and a bunch more. We ran to down to Sabine, back to the park and around for 2 more loops to make right at 15 miles. Here's the shakedown:
Total distance - 15 miles
Splits - 13:56 / 13:38 / 13:45 / 13:40 / 13:36 / 13:27 / 13:27 / 13:23 / 13:15 / 13:12 / 13:13 / 13:13 / 13:36 / 13:37 / 13:35
Total time - 3:22:45
Average pace - 13:31
I'm tired. I'm going to bed.
Ten weeks. That's what's left. How am I going to go faster? How am I going to go farther? If I asked ANY Joe on the street, the answer would be obvious. YOU'VE GOT TO DROP SOME WEIGHT.
For the past couple or years, I've wondered why I've been able to remain for the most part injury free, especially at my weight. Yes, I'm disciplined about listening to my body. I know what I can take and what I can't take. But another reason I don't injure myself is that I don't really push myself. I always seem to get to a point where I'm making progress, training hard, ramping up the miles, and then I back off, go into hiding. REST!!! Those seems to be my favorite words. REST! RECOVER!/p>
Don't get me wrong. Rest is good and recovery is the time when all the desired post-stress adaptations take place. But there are most certainly two extremes, overtraining and undertraining. Our job, MY job is to find the fine line between the two. For me, I tend to err on the side of undertraining and if you're going to err, I'd suggest you stay over here with me. But dang it, I want to run better. I want to run faster. And I want it now.
Ok, back to my real topic...It's sooooooo obvious that shedding this weight is going to get me a lot closer to what I so impatiently want. So, why don't I just do it? I know how. I guess it's just a matter of how MUCH I want it. Let me tell you...today, this morning, right now, I want it BAD! But it's not enough to say it. How bad I want it is directly measured by the actions I take to get it. I can't say "I want it BAD!!!" and then eat so much of the wrong stuff. So, maybe it's better to just not say "I want it BAD!!!". Maybe I should just shut up and sing, as they say.
So, I stand right now, on the scale, at 297. That's bascially up 5 pounds from my low mark back in September. Yes, there's good news. I've only gained 5 pounds. But the bad news is that I haven't LOST the 20 pounds I said I wanted to lose by now. Obviously, my goal of running Houston 50 pounds lighter than last year is gone. But running it 25 pounds lighter is not out of reach at this point. And the beauty of this whole thing is that 25 pounds will most certainly shave a lot off of my finish time. I may get more benefit losing 25 pounds than I would from my training. As far as training goes, it's all about the long runs now. That's the key.
Ok, rant over...
4 miles last night at ~13:00 pace. I wasn't fueled properly and ran out of energy early in the run. Luckily, it was just 4 miles and I pushed through and finished decent. I started with the Striders. The plan was to go out 2 and turn around to get back by the time Jen was returning. But Jen must have already turned around and passed me while I was in Starbucks for a potty break. I so wanted to wish her good luck in NY, in person. Good luck, Jen!!! It looks like PERFECT weather. You are gonna rock it. I'm sooooooo proud of you. We'll be watching.
More cool temperatures this morning as I got 4 feel-good miles in at Memorial Park.
Total distance - 4 miles
Splits - 13:11 / 12:50 / 12:37 / 12:35
Total time - 51:14
Average pace - 12:51
I'm surprisingly well-recovered from Sunday's pounding at the half marathon. I really felt good this morning and would have run 2 or 3 more had I not run out of time. I'm bummed that I have to miss Kenyan relays tonight but DW is going out with a girlfriend for dinner so I'm "in charge" of the household tonight.
The rest of the week is going to be interesting. I'm on call this weekend so I'm going to try to run long Friday morning before work. I've already told my boss that I won't be in until around 9:30 or 10:00. I'm looking at going 14-15. Don't know where yet. So, the week looks like this:
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wednesday - 6-8 miles with the Striders
Thursday - rest (NOT Boot Camp C, Awwwww! I'm sad)
Friday - 15 mile long run
Saturday - rest and soccer games (the kids, not me)
Sunday - 3 miles
Total miles for the week - 28-30
So, I'm back to daydreaming at work about running, reading blogs, writing blogs, checking the McMillan running calculator, checking my VDOT, updating my training plan, checking my logs, logging my calories, just generally obsessing. Like Santos said, "Doesn't your boss know you have a running problem?" I've been working my butt off and my butt's been getting bigger. It's time to start running my butt off and see if that works. :)
Lastly, I ran into one of my all-time heroes this morning at the park. Reuben. Ok, get this. Reuben was getting in and easy 18 this morning to get his day started. 18 MILES!!! Not 18 minutes. Reuben is one of the most genuine people I know. The world could use a lot more Reuben's. That's for sure.
Late last night, I posted my strategy/plan for this morning's Half Marathon, something I've done before a number of races. In some ways, today was either make or break for me. I really needed a good race and some indication that I'm going to be able to get back on track for Houston. To be honest, a poor race today and I may very well have come home and switched from the full to the half for January. I've never finished a long race strong. Never! I needed to finish strong today.
I arrived right on time and made my way over the marble floored bathrooms at the Doubletree like a wily Houston racing veteran. My buddy, Danny, from the Woodlands was impressed with that tip. Then I made my way over to the machine. I'm referring to the machine that is the Koala/Luke's Houston Half marathon, managed and directed by the Houston Striders This race runs like a clock. Every detail in order. Plenty bathrooms, smooth chip pickup, fun/challenging course, perfectly run water stations, fun, fun, fun post-race party, just a wonderful race experience.
I picked up my chip, tied it on and went to the back of the pack and did some stretching. After a wonderful rendition of our Star Spangled Banner, we were off.
Mile 1 was mile 1. I wanted to get through the first couple of miles with plenty left in the bank, just warming up. Still, I didn't want to borrow too much time and blow it early. Mile 1 was 13:28. Now, that's Garmin pace. I don't know if it was the buildings or what but Garmin arrived at 1 mile about 30 yards short of the first marker. I think there was a problem with the Garmin at the start because I arrived at the mile markers consistently about 10 or so seconds late. No worries, though.
Mile 2 - 13:34. I'm still doing my easy, warmup thing here. At this time I'm thinking I'd like to get to 3 miles feeling really, really fresh. Then it's just a 10-miler after that.
Mile 3 - 13:37. I lost about 20 seconds with a bathroom break at the 2.5 mile water stop. Still, no worries. When I came out of the port-a-potty, I found myself in the middle of a leapfrog with a couple of FBF'ers. They were so cute. "Tag! You're it." I must admit it was annoying. I left them at the 45 underpass and never saw them again.
Mile 4. Ok, it's time to get down around that 13:15/13:20 mark that I wanted to run through the halfway point. I ended up with a 13:11. Just right on the mark.
I'm really starting to feel good at mile 5. I had a Gu at the water stop. Mile 5 split was 13:03
After mile 5, I start to think about easing my way just below 13 for 2 or 3 miles.
Mile 6 - 12:52
Mile 7 - 12:41
Got a great shout out over the loudspeaker from Coach at the halfway point. Oh, and I forgot to mention. This race, I sported sunglasses for the trip(s) eastward and if you ask me, it made all the difference.
Not much commentary from here on out. The splits speak for themselves.
Mile 8 - 12:36
Mile 9 - 12:24
Mile 10 - 12:19 (starting to really crank it up with a little over 5K left).
I'm so zoned out that Steeeve starts running with me and it's well over 100 yards before I even notice him there at my side. I notice a shadow and turn to see coach running there with me. I think I said, "Hi! Bye!" It really was good to see you there Steeeve. Oh, that reminds me. Reuben jumped in around mile 7 or 8 and was going to run with me for a few miles but I think I dissed him too. I feel so bad. It was great to see my hero, Reuben, but I think I just wanted to go by myself. Reuben, you rock!!!
Mile 11 - 12:12
Mile 12 - 12:17
With a little over a mile to go, I had managed to get my average pace down in the 12's and I start to thing that I may just finally finish a race strong.
Mile 13 was tough. I was fading and fading fast. I took a couple of short walk breaks but maintained a 12:20 pace nonetheless. I cruised in for an OFFICIAL 2:48:45. That's right!!! 11 minutes and 14 seconds faster than last year.
Here are the splits again so you can see them all together - 13:27 / 13:34 / 13:37 / 13:11 / 13:03 / 12:52 / 12:41 / 12:36 / 12:24 / 12:19 / 12:12 / 12:17 / 12:20 / 11:33 pace for the final .1 miles. Now, by calculations, that's about a 50 mintute per mile negative split for the second half of the race.
I'm excited about the PR. I'm excited about the 2:48 and change which is the official cutoff time for the race and puts me on track for a sub-6 hour marathon at Houston. But I'm stoked at how I finished this race. I have NEVER finished a race strong. I've always faded and faded hard at the end of these long races. Today, I was picking people off left and right the second half of the race. Now THAT was a totally new experience for me and one I could get used to. :) Per my buddy Danny as well as coach Matt, I just set my sights on the next person and just worked away at her. Then, I'd put another in my sights and pick him off. Lordy, I don't know how many runners I passed that last 6 miles but it was a blast. I ran through all the water stops and Gu breaks. I only walked a little going up the underpass at Studemont and for about 10 seconds at mile 13.
I so needed this race. And to think I almost didn't run it for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that my training has sucked the last few weeks. I just registered for this race on Saturday afternoon. Coach suggested that I should be energized after a race like this and I AM!!!
.Where's the next giant?
This weather is unbelievable. I think it's going to be like this all the way through January, don't you? I mean when was the last time we ever had a 10-day forecast like this?
I'm really pumped about the half tomorrow. Maybe a little too pumped given I only decided Friday afternoon that I was going to run it. Part of me (a big part) tells me I'm not ready. One day, after January 13th, I'll confess to the world what a scary place I was in at the end of October. I'm definitely not where I should be, but I'm not out of it yet. I'm right at that point where either I start ramping up the mileage, LIKE NOW!!! LIKE TOMORROW!!! or the Houston Marathon is going to quickly turn into the Houston Half Marathon for me.
Goals and strategy for tomorrow's half... Even though my training is not where I thought it would be by the end of October, I still can't fathom not PR'ing tomorrow. The question is only how much of a PR. I can see myself with a 2:55, no problem and that would be a 5 minute PR. But, I'm shooting for sub-2:50. I'm going to have to run hard but I think it's doable, not thanks to any increased fitness I've gained since the 10-miler but thanks in most part to the weather.
Strategy... I'll employ a similar strategy/plan as I did for the 10-miler. Mile 1 is mile 1. Just trying to settle in and get warm. I'll work to settle into that 13:20/13:15 pace for the first 6 or 7 miles. Then, I'm going to gradually ease it down to ~12:50/13:00 pace for miles 8-12. If I've got anything left, I'm just going to let it all out for mile 13 and just try to finish a freaking race strong. I mean it! I'm tired of finishing weak. At this point, I'd rather walk the first half of a race for a chance to finish strong, RUNNING in, not limping in or walking all but the last quarter mile so that at least I can run across the finish line. I'm sick of that. If I finish strong tomorrow, I'll be happy, no matter what the clock says.
Ok, let's go slay some giants!!!
What a glorious, beautiful morning for a race. I had three goals for the race. My oh-my-goodness-I-must-be-dreaming goal was a 2:05 or 12:30 pace. My second goal was to run a 130 minutes, 13:00 pace for the math impaired. :) My last fallback goal was a 10 minute PR. That's right, 10 minutes. Heck, I ran a 5 minute PR during a training run last weekend.
Friday afternoon found me in the barber's chair talking race strategy with coach Matt. We talked about the importance of having a plan going into a race. Of course, the extent of my race plans to date has been "I'm gonna get started and see how I feel after a mile or two..." That's not a plan. So, the plan today that we came up with was to warm up for mile one and get into my goal marathon pace which is 13:20. I was going to hold that pace through mile five. Then for the next 4 miles, the plan was to work my way down towards 12:30 and then just let it all hang out for mile 10.
Mile 1 - 13:23
I started out just right. I chatted with James for a couple hundred yards. We caught up on things and he was off. There were very few people behind me but hey, that's ok.
Mile 2 - 13:17
Mile 3 - 13:21
Mile 4 - 13:19
I walked through the mile 4 water stop but Joltin Joe ran with me for about a half mile and got me back on pace quickly.
Mile 5 - 13:12I felt strong through 5 miles. Really strong!!! I felt like I had just walked 5 miles. I was ready to start cranking it down. I figured the best way to start doing that was to pick out a person ahead and just work on passing him. Then, pick out another person and pass her. So, that's what I did. I passed several people during mile 6 and fixed my sights on a girl in a pink shirt about a minute ahead of me.
Mile 6 - 12:55
I felt really good going across the bridge and kicked it up a notch for the race photographer before turning onto Space Center Blvd. Pink shirt girl was just ahead.
Mile 7 - 12:31
After the turn onto Space Center Blvd. and going into mile 8, I was right where I wanted to be. I had executed the plan flawlessly and was on track for a 2:10 or better. Just about the time I caught pink shirt girl (actually, I passed her), I just sort of lost it. The sun was beating down pretty hard and there was no breeze to speak of. No, those are just silly excuses!!! The fact is I'm just not tough in these situations, out by myself, on a loooooong stretch of road, starting to fatigue. Just when the going gets a little tough, I just don't know where to reach to find that extra umph!!!
Mile 8 - 13:27
By this time, I was walking quite a bit. But when I was running, I felt like I was still moving at a pretty good clip but I just couldn't hold it, or wouldn't hold it. I took a Gu and walked through the water stop at mile 8, thinking, "OK, you can do ANYTHING for 2 miles. So, I took off. Then I hit the stink!!! Oh my goodness. That smell going over that bridge made the bat bridge at Waugh smell like a rose garden. I couldn't breathe and I walked through the funk.
Mile 9 - 13:51
Mile 9 was the slowest and most disappointing. I walked a lot. Then, from somewhere inside, I started to think about my fallback goal or 2:12:53, a 10-minute PR. I did some calculating and realized it was still possible. With 800m to go, I beared down and said, "I ain't walking, no matter what." I rounded the final turn and saw Pony. She ran me in the last 400m or so and I'll tell you what, if it weren't for her, I don't think I would have finished that last bit as strong as I did.
Mile 10 - 13:02
So, I had a little redemption there at the end and crossed the finish at 2:12:34, a 10:19 PR.
The race today was bittersweet for me. I know with just an ounce of toughness I could have broken 2:10. Still, I did have a plan and I think it was realistic and for a good part of the race, I was executing. This race puts me well off of my marathon goal. Obviously, my training at the longer distances is lacking. I've gotta get with it.
The post-race activites were a blast. It was such a beautiful morning and it was so nice sitting around the tent in the morning breeze visiting with the Striders. On the Run put on a first-class event. The mile markers were right on. The water stops were well services. Thanks to OTR for a memorable race.
I got out the door tonight and logged 1.6 miles down the block, around the lake, and back. A 20 minute, easy run is just as good as a rest day if you ask me. The fun part was the kiddos tagged along on the bikes and we had a rowdy-good time. Plus, I got to log a couple with my new kicks. Man, you really don't know how bad your old shoes feel until you don a brand new pair.
Now, let's talk 10-miler strategy. Aw, heck, I'm just gonna run. I have no idea how fast. I have no strategy and that is bad. I'm not confident enough at >5K to know what I can do and what pace to start out at. I guess if I had to strategize, I'd say go out very easy for the first 2 or 3 miles, say MP +15-30 seconds. Miles 4-8, gradually crank it up and find a good groove, somewhere between MP and 10K pace. Then, for miles 8-10, just gut it out like it was the last 2 miles of my life. I'll probably walk the water stops, Galloway style, for a periodic recovery. How does that sound?
Training AND blogging...
Venue - Memorial Park
3 mile warumup / 3x800m with 400 recovery.
Average pace, warmup 13:05
800s - 5:40 / 5:35 / 5:00
Total distance - ~5 miles
That's all the blogging I have time for this morning. :)
3 miles this morning. Nice and easy. Still sore in the thighs from Saturday.
Total distance - 3 miles
Splits - 13:30 / 13:35 / 13:10
Total time - 40:16
Average pace - 13:26
Sorry, that's all I have time for this morning. Unbelieveable goings-on in Chicago. Unbelieveable!!!
