FL Vacation Run #1

I must have walked 10 miles over the last two days - carrying my almost four year old daughter for 5 of them. I am also getting a cold. Note to everyone, if you have a biting your nails habit break it before you go to a theme park - gross. So, I got up around 6:45 am and gulp down a glass of water. I did not feel too good, but my race is in less than a month - up and at 'em.

I do a warmup run up to the club house for the vacation home association and proceed to run through every cul-de-sac and side street of the development. It was cold for an April morning in Florida, but a far cry from the horrible lows of the past winter. Five miles later, I stop, walk a little bit then practice my running form with a brisk jog back to my unit. Another successful training run complete. My goal of a sub-eight minute mile pace accomplished.

Stats:

• Mile 1 - 8:13
• Mile 2 - 8:02
• Mile 3 - 7:58
• Mile 4 - 7:57
• Mile 5 - 7:38
• Total - 5.01 miles, Elevation 579 ft, Avg Pace 7:57 min/mi
  

15 miles through the Dark Knight

Because I am going to Disney tomorrow I wanted to get my long run out of the way tonight. I was supposed to do 20 miles, but I had to settle for 15 miles on the treadmill. I got home from work after dropping off the dry cleaning and picking up dinner intending to eat a little something and jump on the treadmill for a "marathon session." I set up my laptop to watch the Dark Knight DVD while I run. I was striving for a 9 min/mi pace for the whole 20 miles.

I did well through the first ten, but by mile 11 I knew I was in trouble. I started have a pain like a side stitch, but in the front of my belly. I slowed down so that the pain wasn't so intense and regathered myself to keep going. The movie ended and my two younger children were having an intense game of laundry basket basketball that combined with the fact that the treadmill had started to feel slippery with sweat and I decided to call it off after 2:21:51 - 15 miles on the treadmill, my longest treadmill run ever.

A run with some b-ball and Adam Corolla

Vacations are tough. I mean they shouldn't be, but the week before you go on one you've got to wrap up whatever you are doing at work. You have got to make plans to be away and make sure someone is taking care of home and you have to adjust your schedule. All of this so you can go and have some well deserved fun.

I have got a nice vacation lined up to Disney World, but I am a software engineer whose work has to be wrapped up in 3 week cycles. I am missing my last week of this cycle so I have got to get all my work done this week before I jump on a plane. So, it is not surprising to me that I get home at 8:30 PM and still have my 5 mile run ahead of me.

I ran this one on my basement treadmill and took it nice and easy with a 9:07 min/mi pace for 45:39 while watching the college basketball skills competition and listening to the Adam Corolla podcast guest starring Alonzo Bodden. The Adam Corolla podcast is great stuff, funny, sometimes cerebral and this episode is probably his most coherent. Maybe not too funny, but just a listenable discussion about Alonzo's background with the Skunk Works and Ace's enjoyable sidebars.

I'm running in the rain

I set out today to run fast, to make this marathon goal of mine more real. I want to run a 3:40 marathon. I need to run at an 8:24 min/mi pace for 26.2 miles to accomplish this - no easy feat. My goal for today was to run 10 miles at a 8:00 min/mi pace. It was misting when I got home from work today. I wrapped by iPod in a plastic baggie and put my Garmin on and ran out the door hoping to get the miles in before it both got too dark to run and before the drizzle turned into an all out rain.

Well, I could not run my normal long distance route because it doesn't have street lights and I didn't map a new one because I actually planned to run inside on the treadmill. I pieced together some routes that I thought might make up 10 miles and by my estimation it might have worked had the rain held off a little longer. I have lost one iPod due to running too long in the rain and I would not risk my new Nano and my Garmin 405 to a similar fate. So I rounded the entrance to my neighborhood at about mile 7 and wandered the sidewalks to increase the mileage count to just over 8 miles before trudging home in the rain.

Stats:
8.14 miles
1:06:16
8:08 min/mi

5 miles on the treadmill

I jumped on the treadmill for a quick 5 mile run today determined to maintain an 8 min/mi pace. I think that because I have been running these long distances recently I have not been expecting fast paces and got used to running slower. Eight minute miles is not too fast for me, but I have gotten unaccustomed to the pace. I accomplished my goal and even increased the pace for the final mile to complete the 5 miles in 39:48. I have got to remember to hold on to my pace in my long weekend runs in order to be ready for the marathon. You get used to the exertion, but your brain tells you to slow up even though you can keep going.

The almost 20-miler...

Well I got to run this weekend because my intramural basketball team laid an egg on Friday. At 3:30 PM on Saturday I cleared my schedule for 3 hours and set out to run. It was a misty/drizzly afternoon and I had a bit of fear about wearing my electronic equipment. I left my iPod and wore my Garmin, but I brought a sandwich baggie just in case the mist turned in to a real rain.

About 5 miles in my Garmin starts beeping to tell me that the battery charge is low. I saw the indicator earlier that day and noticed that it was at 33% battery. I guess that I misjudged that a charge level like that would carry me through the entire run because it stopped for me at 13.62 miles. I intended to run 20 miles, but I invented the route as I went along even running 1 mile down a dead end road. I finished with an 18.77 mile run as mapped by the Gmaps Pedometer.

I am bothered by my 9:38 min/mi pace because it seemed pretty close to my mental limit, but I did complete my hardest mileage week ever (56.78 miles). I really want a sub-4 hour marathon. If I am going to get it I am going to have to toughen up.

Championship weekend begins - the affect on training

I have officially retired my Nike+ Vomero 3 running shoes and replaced them with a pair of Saucony Triumph 6 kicks. I also finally registered for the Maryland Double, which means that I am now committed to completing both the Frederick and Baltimore Marathons. Yay!

This week I put in my normal midweek trio of treadmill workouts. My mileage was 5-10-5 from Tuesday to Thursday and I was facing a 20-miler this weekend, but doubt/hope I can't do it. You see, my intramural basketball team is in the third round of the playoffs this weekend and our championship is Sunday at the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland.

Tonight we take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Elite Eight for our hopeful berth to battle the winner of Virgina/NC State on Saturday in the Final Four. Last game I was player of the game for the first - without scoring a field goal! I had to play a 6'8" guy from Emory University that outweighed me by probably 100 lbs. I got fouled every time I held the ball down low and I wanted the ball. After going 5 of 6 from the foul line I got a generous goal tend from my large friend and finished the game with 7 points. Not the highest scorer, but the most tenacious effort. I've got to play like that tonight and all weekend for us to gain the championship.

Let's go Maryland!