Doyle's Running Club

Hockey draft

2007-09-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

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What's next?

2006-10-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

One of the big questions to be addressed after you have completed a marathon training course is: What's next? I can't answer for the rest of the group, but I can answer for myself. I'm planning on getting in shape to run whatever 5K/10K races that I come across until it is time to train in earnest for the St. Louis Marathon and the River to River Relay which will be held next April.

In the mean time, there is a 10K the first weekend in November, a Half marathon the week after in Forest Park, a 10-mile run in Alton over Thanksgiving weekend, a Marathon relay the first week in December, and a series of races on Saturday mornings in Forest Park. In other words, there are still races to run. And miles to go before you sleep. And miles to go before you sleep.

Congratulations to Papaswoof and Phil

2006-10-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Papaswoof and Phil for
1) Completing the marathon,
2) Meeting and exceeding their time goals, and
3) Keeping positive when it looked like they were going to have to run in snow.

You guys, Rock!

Papaswoof
5K 0:27:46
10K 0:53:59
15K 1:19:27
20K 1:45:33
Half 1:51:11
25K 2:12:02
30K 2:40:20
35K 3:10:39
40K 3:45:00
Done 3:58:16

Phil
5K 0:32:21
10K 1:04:32
15K 1:34:15
20K 2:04:40
Half 2:11:05
25K 2:34:25
30K 3:05:21
35K 3:37:54
40K 4:11:51
Done 4:25:28

Wanted: Waldo

2006-09-08T06:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon I'll be haring a hash in downtown Clayton. I need the services of a "Waldo" as one of the features will be a live Where's Waldo hunt at the Clayton Art Fair.

Saturday run

2006-09-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

We'll meet at the Grant's Trail trailhead at 6:00am. Oliver and I will cache water on the way out. If anyone has any questions, please get a hold of me.

I fought the Treadmil and the Treadmil won.

2006-09-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Out of town for the long weekend. Wedding went well, running not so well. Wet weather settled in the morning after we arrived. I opted to wait a day to see if it would clear up. It didn't, so I did 6 on the treadmill and gave the weather another chance.

No dice. It was time to own up, so I set the MPH at 6 and settled in with a bad TV for 16 miles. It's over and I don't intend on repeating it any time soon.

On the plus side, I did do the 16 mile run and I tried out the PowerBar Gel packets. They seemed to do the trick, so there's another option for goo. Chocolate wasn't too bad and the double latte, with 2x the caffeine , was a nice change.

Looking ahead - Week 7

2006-09-05T05:05:00.000-07:00

Monday - JCC 10K
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 6 miles (mid tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 12 miles
Sunday - Rest

I'll be doing my 16 mile run this week as I had to take last week off to heal up some nagging injuries.

A good run

2006-09-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm up at the Hog Capital of the World, (Kewanee, Illinois) this weekend for thier annual fall festival, Hog Days. I did the 4 mile Hog Days Stampede this morning (I'll do my long run tomorrow). I did great! Here are my splits
Mile Time
1 8:12
2 16:08
3 23:55
5K 24:45
Finish 31:36

This was gun time, no chips. I self seeded poorly, and spent the first 1/2 mi working my way through the pack to the spot I should have started in. Because of this, I think I should have been about 30s faster overall (more or less irrelevant). The field was 425 runners, and I finished 98th. Very happy :)

Looking ahead - Week 9

2006-08-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 12 x 400m
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 8 miles (long tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 16 miles
Sunday - Rest

If you didn't get a chance to get in your long run this weekend, just extend the mid week run slightly. Better to miss it than double up.

The Lewis and Clark Half-Marathon is full. As far as I can tell, JP is the only one who registered. The rest of us will have to support her from the sidelines. There is a half-marathon the next week near 55 and 255, so it looks like we're not off the hook.

Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon FULL!

2006-08-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

"We have reached our 3800 entrant limit for the 5th annual Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon. We must limit registrations because a portion of our race course is on the Katy Trail, a rather narrow rails-to-trails conversion. A field of more than 3800 entrants could lead to bottlenecks that would detract from the racing experience. We are in discussions with the City of St. Charles regarding a course change that would allow us to accept an unlimited number of entries for the 2007 Lewis & Clark event. We hope you can join us next year. Please visit our online Event Calendar to find other excellent local events. Of particular note are September 23th's Hills and Hollows half marathon, September 24th's City of Roses Half Marathon, October 21st's Wild in the Woods trail half marathon, and November 12th's American Health & Wellness half marathon.
We plan to post the final entrant list will by mid-day on August 30th. Visit the event website to confirm your entry."

Raise your hand if you forgot to register. *Sheepishly raises hand*

Course maps for Chicago are out

2006-08-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

The course maps for the Chicago marathon are out.

Interactive
http://www.axismaps.com/outbound/marathon.html

PDF
http://www.chicagomarathon.com/pdf/New%2006%20Course%20Map%20Vert.%20B%20(CMYK).pdf

Looking ahead - Week 9

2006-08-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 x 1600m
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 7 miles (mid tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 15 miles
Sunday - Rest

The suggestion was that we would run at Grant's Trail on Saturday. Let's plan to meet at the trailhead at 5:30. Bring water/gatorade to cache. Let me know via email who we might have to help distribute liquid.

Make sure that you are getting in your mid week runs. The long runs are the most important runs in the training schedule but the other runs are important for keeping your cardio training going.

I'll see what I can do about looking up hotel accomodations for the marathon. LH and I are planning to stay with my parents. There's at least another spot for one group with my parents. In terms of places to stay, there are a lot of hotels along the L tracks that would be convenient options that aren't precisely downtown. Also, there are a number of options along the route from my parents' place to the race that would be convenient for us to stop and pick up someone on the way to the race.

Bagged the Saturday run due to weather. We're going to try and run on Sunday at 5:30am.

Saturday run 8/19

2006-08-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

We're meeting at the History Museum in Forest Park at 6:00am. We'll be doing ten miles, getting back on track.

Full Field Expected at the 5th Lewis & Clark Event

2006-08-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

"Full Field Expected at the 5th Lewis & Clark Event

The 2006 Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, September 17th, starting at 7am at the Family Arena in St. Charles County.
With one month to go before the event, we have 2600+ entrants, over 1000 more registrants than we did at the same time last year! We anticipate filling all 3800 entrant spots well before packet pickup begins on September 13th. If you plan on participating, please register soon.

We have entrants from 34 states, the District of Columbia, and London. Marathoners account for 16 of every 100 entrants. Click on the following links for current entrant lists: Marathon; Half Marathon."

Looking ahead - Week 10

2006-08-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 7 x 800m
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 7 miles (long tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 10 miles
Sunday - Rest

I talked with Papaswoof about changing up the schedule a bit since we just had a down week two weeks ago. Options are 10 (getting back on schedule), 12 (taking a smaller step back), 13 (maintaining current long run distance), or 14 (a smaller step towards next week's 15). The running program can support any of these options. What do you want to do? Respond in the commenrs or via email.

Race report: Chicago Distance Classic

2006-08-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

The weather was great for the half-marathon with temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s. LH and I got to the site about a half-hour ahead of time, leaving us plenty of time to park, potty, and get to the race start. I jumped into the 9:00 pace group while LH continued back to the 11:00 pace group. I debated jumping out of line to potty again, but decided that I'd hit a porta potty during the run. And we were off.

My race plan was to run at a max heart rate of 150 for the first half and possibly up to 10 miles. My main goal was to come in under 2:00. I missed the first mile marker but was doing well on HR. I came through the second mile marker at 17:35, which meant that 1) I was on pace to finish faster than 2:00 and 2) that I picked the right starting group. At the water stops I had gatorade and water. The gatorade kept me from needing to use either of the energy gels I had carried with me. I had a bit of trouble keeping myself from pushing it too far, but I kept consulting my watch and backing off a step when my HR crept up. About mile 6, I had to relax my vigilance a bit and I let it creep up to 154. A couple miles later it was a solid 160. About mile 11, I pulled off into an outhouse for my first potty break of the run. When I got out I saw a 2:00 pace group leader ahead of me. As I hurried to catch up, I kept reviewing my mental math. I was still ahead of pace. I should be able to break 2:00. This pace group had to be 4-5 minutes ahead of where they should be. Still I hurried to catch up. The last mile or so I felt the effects of my hurrying and had to slow down. Finally I saw the finish line ahead and surged on through. I finished in 1:57:15, a personal best.

Mile	Split	Total
1	-	-
2	17:18	17:18
3	8:48	26:06
4	8:53	35:00
5	8:59	43:49
6	8:54	52:54
7	9:01	1:01:55
8	8:59	1:10:55
9	8:48	1:19:43
10	9:47	1:29:30
11	8:45	1:38:10
12	9:27	1:47:22
13	9:01	1:56:23
Finish	:45	1:57:15

The thing that I liked about the race is that both on a per mile and a per 5K basis, my times were consistent throughout the race. It just tells me that with renewed effort and dedication, that I should be able to run these times on race day.

After the run, I got some food and gatorade and waited for LH to come through the finish area. I kept thinking that I should be running back along the course, but instead I just stood there. (FYI - Bad idea) LH finished in a time of 2:22:21. We went over to the food area, had some food, and relaxed a bit. Reebok was giving out personalized postcards, so we each got one. On mine, they misspelled my name (Grrrr...). Then we went home to clean up.

Race Results

Saturday run 8/12

2006-08-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

It sounds like the group is meeting at the entrance to the athletic field at 6:00am.

Here are the directions to get there:
Take 270N to Dorsett. Turn left off of the exit ramp.
Take Dorsett to Marine. Turn right.
Take Marine to Maryland Heights Expressway. Turn left.
Take MHE to Creve Couer Mills Rd. Turn left.
The athletic fields are on your left.
Park either outside of the gate if it's closed or on the lot inside.
Meet at the gazebo by the parking lot.

Alternate and untested directions:
Take 270N to Page (364) West.
Take 364W to Maryland Heights Expressway. Turn right.
Take MHE north to Creve Couer Mills Rd. Turn right.
The athletic fields are on your left.
Park either outside of the gate if it's closed or on the lot inside.
Meet at the gazebo by the parking lot.

I'll try and drop off some energy gels with either Phil or Papaswoof before I leave, but everyone should plan on bringing some of their own as a backup. Also, Mamaswoof may be assisting with water caching, so bring some water for her to drop off.

Looking ahead - Week 11

2006-08-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 x 1200m
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 3 miles (short tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 13 miles
Sunday - Rest (Chicago Distance Classic 1/2)

LH and I are going to be out of town this weekend. I'll start coordinating a run for Saturday via email. Personally I don't have a preference, but we'll go with what works for you.

Race Report: St. Charles Flat Five

2006-08-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

Phil and I arrived bright and early to the race. Phil went to register and I went to stand in the porta potty line. The guy on the microphone kept declaring that they wouldn't start the race until everyone had a chance to go. As such the race ended up starting about ten minutes late. Something tells me that they have "Add more Porta-potties" to their list for next year.

The start of the race went off without a hitch. I was able to surge out and get in position with no problems. I had a feeling that I was going too fast, but I didn't listen to it. When I came through the first mile under 7:00, I knew that I should have listened to myself. Instead I opted to hang on to the pace as long as I could, which ended up being about the 2 mile mark (14:10). The wheels started faltering as I did an 8:00 third mile (22:10) and a 8:20 fourth miles (30:30). I picked it up a bit on the home stretch and ended up finishing in 38:24. My average pace was 7:41, but if i had stuck closer to 7:30s, then I think I would have finished better. One to grow on, I guess.

Phil also started off too quickly, but he adjusted his pace better at the one mile mark. After an 8:00 first mile, he adjusted his pace and ended up finishing 42:86 or 8:31/mile.

Results

Looking ahead - Week 12

2006-07-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday - Rest
Monday - 10 x 400m
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 6 miles (long tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 7 miles St. Louis Track Club CC 5K
Sunday - Rest St.Charles Flat Five

There are two races this weekend. On Saturday, there is the St. Louis Track Club Cross Country 5K (http://www.stlouistrackclub.com/files_in_use/2006_08_05_CrossCountry_entry.pdf). I'll verify that you can enter as a single. On Sunday, there is the St. Charles Flat Five (http://stcrunners.tripod.com/flatfive/flatfive06.pdf). Personally I'm leaning towards that Flat Five, but if everyone else is going to do the CC race, I'd do that instead.

Update:
I verified that you can enter the CC race as a single runner. Since no one else has chimed in that they are doing anything different, I'm planning on doing the Flat Five on Sunday.

Saturday run 7/29

2006-07-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Location: Forest Park by the History Museum.
Time: 5:30 am
Route: Twice around Forest Park, including a loop around the History Museum

We'll be talking about energy gels. I'll bring some of the ones that we have. LH may be sitting this one out.

Update: We may have another runner joining us for our run on Saturday. She is also training for the marathon and wants to run with a group.

Looking ahead - Week 13

2006-07-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

137/30/06
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 x 1600m
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 5 miles (mid tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 12 miles [was 7 miles; will be next week]
Sunday - Rest

Question: Do you guys want to switch Week 13 (7 miles) with Week 12 (12 miles) since Week 13 works better when combined with the St. Charles Flat Five (5 mile race with 2 mile cool-down)?

Update - Consensus agreed to a 12 mile run this week. Papaswoof brought up that it is going to be another scorcher. Does anyone have any problems with starting at 5:30am? I'm thinking that we will do 12 in Forest Park. Bring Energy Gels [GU, Power Gel, Clif Shots] as a starting nutritional supplement.

Looking ahead - Week 14

2006-07-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 6 x 800m
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 5 miles (long tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 10 miles
Sunday - Rest

Notes:
This week is supposed to be HOT. Remember to try and adjust your workouts accordingly. If you can run earlier do it. If you have to run in the heat, adjust your pace accordingly. And HYDRATE!

We'll be meeting Saturday morning at 6:00am at Creve Couer Lake with the goal to do two loops. We'll need to have some water cached along the trail. We'll be discussing nutrition strategies after the run.

The first few weeks in August feature the St. Charles Flat Five and the Chicago Distance Classic. We'll want to discuss plans for runs around those events.

Saturday run 7/13

2006-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Let's meet at Forest Park by the History Museum at 6:00 am on Saturday. We'll do the Wydown Loop back to back as the course. I checked it out with the USATF running routes site and that'll get us to 9M exactly.

The strange case of Do as I Say and as I Do

2006-07-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

My run tonight was scheduled for a track workout. However, my calf started to cramp about midway through the first repeat. Rather than push it through the workout, I instead geared it down and ran an easy couple of miles to finish out the workout. It wasn't what I had scheduled, but it was what I needed. There will be plenty of time to put myself through challenging workouts, but the goal is to just cover the distance and so I did.

Upcoming runs: Moonlight 10K, Chicago Half, Lewis and Clark Half

2006-07-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the details on the Moonlight 10K
July 15, 10:00 pm
Crystal City, MO (near Festus, about 30 miles south)
$15/18 (preregistration/race day)
http://www.stlouistrackclub.com/files_in_use/2006_07_15_JeffersonMoon_entry.pdf
http://www.jeffcomo.org/parks/progs/tenk.cfm

Here are the details on the Chicago Half
August 13, 6:30 am
Grant Park in Chicago, IL
$50 (need to register by August 7 if not before)
http://www.chicagodistanceclassic.com/
http://active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1252751
My parents will be out of town so we will be able to crash at their place.

Lewis and Clark Half
September 17, 7:00 am
St. Charles, MO
$30/$40 (need to register before 8/27 for discount)
http://fleetfeetstl.com/lewisandclark.htm

Chicago Marathon
October 22, 8:00 am
Grant Park in Chicago, IL
http://chicagomarathon.com/page_L2.aspx?subMenu=&Page_ID=24&Nav_2_ID=556&Page_Title=Hotel
Set up hotels

Race Report: Firecracker 5K

2006-07-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

The alarm was set for 5:00am. No, really it was. Neither of us heard it is all. So, instead of getting to the race with plenty of time to warm up, we arrived with a few minutes to spare before the start. in our rush out the door, I left my HRM, watch, and running hat at home. Once again, I had Oliver in tow, so we went to the back of the pack to await the gun. Thankfully, this was a chip timed event, so I wasn't really penalized for being a stroller dad.

When the gun went off, I waited a bit to make sure that the pack got off ahead of me before we left. The real benefit to my starting position was that I could just push to the outside and pass the slower runners on the left instead of getting trapped. As it was I put up a pretty good first stretch and when I made the turn I started looking back for Papaswoof and LH. But Papaswoof was running on my shoulder and burst past me. I missed the mile marker, but I felt like I had pushed it a bit too fast. The 1.5 mile marker was near the finish, so I sort of got a 1.5 mile split of 12:15. I thought I was in good shape to SR. I really started to feel the effects of the first part of the race about 2 miles and didn't pass many people until the 2.5 mile marker. We saw LH as we headed for home. I surged into the finish and registered a chip time of 23:15. Papaswoof finished ahead of me and registered a chip time of 22:19. LH registered a chip time of 29:42.

In retrospect, I think I ran a decent race, but there is a bit more that I would have liked to have been able to do. Regardless, I got a SR, so I'll stop complaining. And next time, I'll let someone else push Oliver.

Results:
http://fleetfeetstl.com/race_results/FIRECRACKER_2006_OA.HTM

4th of July 5K

2006-07-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

There is one official 5K in the area on the 4th:
http://ofallonmococ.weblinkconnect.com/cwt/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=108
http://www.ofallonchamber.org/5kregistrationflyer.pdf

There is also apparently a 5K run in Ames Place at 8:30, but I don't have the details yet. I'll update this post when I get them.

AD Training diary 6/28-29

2006-06-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night I went hashing. The first leg to the beer stop was a good haul but I ended up walking back to the start so it ended up not quite being the workout I was anticipating.

Thursday night I decided to head to the track for some mile repeats. On the way I decided that I was going to do 4 x 1M with a 400m rest in between intervals. I jogged over to the track (about a half-mile) as a warmup. Once at the track I took off on my first interval. My target pace was 8:00/mile. At first I started off too quickly, but I adjusted and was able to churn out a 7:54 mile at 146 HR. I had a bit of trouble finding the right pace for the second one, but I eventually found it and was able to run another 7:54 mile at 152 HR. After that the training wheels came off and I clocked the next two at 7:34 and 7:12 respectively. In hind sight I should have kept them to 7:54 as my HR was 172/175 for the last pair possibly too hard for the workout that I had envisioned.

Week 17 Looking ahead

2006-06-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Non-track intervals (10 min warm up, 4x(3 up, 1 easy), 10 min cool down
Wednesday - 3 miles, yoga
Thursday - 3 miles up tempo
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 7 Miles. Place TBA [Suggest: Creve Couer or Grant's Trail]
Sunday - Rest, yoga

Last of the three mile tempo days.

AD Training diary 6/24,25

2006-06-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

I met with Phil, Papaswoof, and LH at Forest Park on Saturday. LH took off before the rest of the group arrived as she was worried about starting out too fast. We ended up taking off about ten minutes after her. The run was at a relatively easy pace for me. The weather was great and we were able to get it done with little trouble. I noticed my HR going up towards the end of the run, so I made a concerted effort to slow down.

Sunday I did a yoga class in the morning. It's still kicking my butt but not to the same extent. Later we went to the pool to play with Oliver. I did four laps and that was about as far as I could go. It's a good thing I didn't try a tri, or I could have drowned.

Saturday run

2006-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Meet up Saturday at 6am in Forest Park by the History Museum.

AD Training diary 6/20

2006-06-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

I took Oliver out for a run last night at about 7:00. It was still very warm so I made a mental decision to gear down. I wasn't going to be setting any land speed records. I decided to do the Forest Park up Wydown to Hanley route. The hills and the heat had a AD-snack, but I finished the workout. I may have gone a little harder than I wanted to, but the mental toughness of finishing the workout made up for it. I still need to spend some more time acclimating to the heat.

AD Training diary 6/17

2006-06-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

I went for a run about 12:45. My original plan was to do 6 miles, but as I had missed a run earlier this week, I decided to "squish" them together. Note - I don't recommend the practice at all. So I changed my plan to run to Forest Park, around it, and back home. My consideration for the squishing and the heat was that I planned to run in the FB zone on everything except the hills. I did a good job adhering to the plan. I even managed to avoid my ego getting the best of me and let someone pass me. About the time I was getting to the ball fields it started raining. The rain was a nice change from the heat though. In the en I got back around Forest Park and was having trouble keeping my HR low enough to stay in the FB zone, so I decided to pack it in and walk home.

AD Training diary 6/10,11,13, 14

2006-06-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

LH and I ran a set 35 minute runs at FB pace on the 10th, 11th, and 13th. The terrain had some rolling hills, but other than that it was very pleasant.

On the 14th, I ran an out and back course on the Naponset Greeway. Each way was 2.28m. I did the first half slower than the second half, but neither half got me beyond a cardio pace.

PF Training Diary 6/17

2006-06-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

This week I've been on vacation. My wife and I went to the Smoky Mountains while the kids went to Grandma's. I didn't do any running on vacation, but I did some strenuous hiking. The first hike I did on Monday was 8 miles total (4 mi out and back) with an elevation change of about 2500 feet. The second hike I did on Tuesday with my brother-in-law was 10 miles (5 miles out and back) to the summit of Mount LeConte (~6600 ft) with an elevation change of nearly 3000 feet. Both hikes I averaged about two mi/hr, which is brisk for mountain hiking with a light pack. I was passing most other hikers.

Wednesday I did some light mountain biking (since I brought it). There really is no good place to bike in the Smoky Mountains. There was a short trail only two miles long where biking was allowed, so I rode it twice quickly for an 8 mile ride. It mostly sucked.

This weekend the wife and I have driven up to Grandma's to pick up the kids and see my wife's family. This morning I ran 6 miles. I was very tired at the end, but I finished the distance on pace.

A strange training week, but I'm happy with keeping up the activity and making a descent run today. I think I'm on track, and I can feel myself getting stronger. Looking forward to breaking into the double-digit distances soon.

AD Training diary 6/9

2006-06-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

LH and I went for a run by Niagara Falls. Since we didn't have any good distance markings, we did a 35 minute run at FB pace, figuring that that would be close to the right distance. The run was very pretty looking out over the falls, but the hill at the end was a killer.

AD Training diary 6/5

2006-06-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

I got together with Phil for a run before gaming. We took off on a three mile run winding through the neighborhood by Phil's house. The run itself was not terribly exciting. There are a number of people that need to keep a better leash on their dogs. The route was a little unusual for me in that there were not many sidewalks to run on. Personally, I'd prefer to run on sidewalks for the safety factor. It also featured a lot of rolling hills. The hills weren't ever severe, but by the end of the run, I knew that I had run over them. This would be a great RtR training course. Phil and I ran the route at a pretty good pace but it remained conversational albeit at the upper range of conversational.

AD Training diary 6/3

2006-06-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

We met just past 6:00 at Creve Couer Lake by the waterfalls. We decided to run first around the Mallard Lake loop and then around the far side of the Meadow Loop and then finishing up at the boat house on the lake loop. The total loop that we would have done was about 6 miles, so cutting off at the boat house brought it up to the right distance. As a whole, the run went fine. We stayed together as a group for the first half of the run before I stretched it out a bit once we made it back to the paved path. I really liked the Mallard Lake loop as it was much quieter than the lake and meadow loops. We'll have to revisit CCL again when we're running longer distances.

Zen and the art of Running Hills

2006-06-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Chicago, I didn't have much call to learn how to run hills. A long time ago they had all been bull-dozed and dumped into the lake to create more land. When I came to St. Louis, I was generally unprepared for all of the hills. Here. In St. Louis. You can imagine my surprise when I visited San Francisco. But I digress. Over time I've learned some of the tricks to running hills.

There are a lot of reasons that we run hills in the first place. The most obvious is that there are frequently no better routes to run that up and over the hill. But we look for hills because for a given pace and a given distance, adding climbing into your run makes it more difficult. Running hills helps build leg strength. Hills also use a slightly different set of muscles than flats. A long run can also be mentally broken into pieces using hills as landmarks. One other benefit is that a hill provides a focus during which you can work on your running form.

When I notice that I'm starting up a hill, I focus on my running form. Mentally I shift from third gear into first gear. I shorten my stride and maintain or increase my turnover (leg RPM) slightly. I relax my shoulders and my face. I lean forward into the hill slightly. I concentrate on swinging my arms straight forward and backward and not side to side. I focus my gaze on a spot about 25-30 feet ahead of me. I keep my momentum going as I crest the hill and slowly stretch my stride back to its original length as I keep going.

When I notice that I'm going down a slope, I have a different set of questions to address. I need to figure out how aggressive I want to be with the hill. The answer to that question determines whether I'll keep a neutral lean (aggressive) or a backwards body lean (passive). With a neutral lean, the natural thing to do is speed up and let the hill carry you away. This is fine as long as you are still able to control yourself. With a backwards lean, you are applying some breaking force which helps in keeping you in control. As you speed up, you can increase your stride length a little bit, but I'd look more to increasing your turnover. Increasing your stride length beyond its natural state makes you more susceptible to injury.

You can specifically add hill work to your workout with either incidental hills or interval hills. Incidental hills are the hills that just happen to fall into your running route. You get to work on your hill running form as you complete other workouts. Just be sure that you account for the hill in your workout plan. Interval hills are another form of interval running. Select a route with a hill that's 200-400m long. Do several intervals of striding to the hill, running up the hill and then jogging back down.

With some practice and focus you can make hills a strength in your running program. After doing River to River for the last three years, I look forward to the hills that I encounter in my runs and I can tell that my favorable outlook on hills carried over to my racing.

MS Diary 5/31

2006-06-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Ran the Millwell route which USATF aproximates at 3.56 mi. This has been my self-check route over the last couple of training efforts -- some light hill work, some smoother stretches, but a good route to judge progress and comfort.

Right now, however, it's a bit of a hazard as Midland is under construction between Millwell and FeeFee. There's almost no room to avoid cars but it looks like there will be a nice sidewalk to follow when the work is complete.

Besides the heat and humidity -- I could see steam coming off the street while I was running -- there was silt and mud in the construction area. I tweaked my right calf muscle and will probably take things a little easier going into the long run Saturday to make sure I don't create a stress injury. At least now I have a chance to recover.

Still running without a watch. I'm judging by breathing and effort with a focus on completing runs while I'm building my base back up.

Looking ahead:
6/1 - probably 2 miles (or rest depending on leg)
6/2 - rest (maybe travel)
6/3 - long run (somewhere)
6/4 - recovery run (TBD)

PF Diary 5/31

2006-05-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

I ran on Monday, but not well. According to the USATF route map, just a bit over 2 mi. And I couldn't run the whole distance. That was disappointing. I was with the inlaws and my mother-in-law smokes like a chimney. I always feel congested and crappy in her house. I think that might have had an impact.

Today I ran the route that I had intended for Friday of last week (i.e. I didn't get lost); about 3 miles. I managed to run continuously for about 2.5 miles of it, and ran/walked the rest as I could. Still I finished in 35 minutes, so I was probably running a bit too fast.

After finishing CCL without walking, I've been a bit disappointed with these two days. Though I do feel like I am improving.

Heat acclimation

2006-05-29T12:44:00.001-07:00

The summer heat has returned. It can take up to two weeks of exercise in the heat in order for your body to become acclimated to it. With that in mind, there are a couple of things that you can do in order to protect yourself.

First, hydrate. You should drink enough water so that whenever you go to the bathroom your urine is clear - the less colorful the better. Get in the practice of weighing yourself before and after your runs. Anything that you lose when you are running is strictly water weight. Drink enough water when you get home so that you recover the water weight that you lost while exercising.

Second, take it easy. The heat and the humidity can make a run of similar pace take much more effort. Back off on your pace by about 30 seconds or so per mile until you have become acclimated to the heat. If you go to start an up-tempo run and the heat is oppressive, you may just want to gear down and take it easy that day.

Third, schedule your workouts away from the heat. The weather is at its coolest in the early morning. If you can run then, you'll be able to escape from the worst of the heat. After dark the weather breaks somewhat, so if that is an option, run then. Just make sure that you take into account your safety. Wear bright and/or reflective clothing and watch for traffic.

Race Report: UCity Memorial Day 10K

2006-05-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

I woke up in the morning mercifully a little later than I'd expected. I got dressed and had some bread with peanut butter and some water. Oliver joined me for a bit and by 7:00 I was out the door. The nice part about having a race this near to your house is that you can do your warm-up on the way to the race. I was a little anxious about my level of preparation as I had passed out the night before at my yoga class and here I was able to run a 10K. My plan was to run 7:45/miles and then see what I had left at the end.

I got to the starting line and positioned myself in the front quarter of the pack. The start was relatively smooth with only a little jockeying for position. I came through the one mile at 7:30. The second mile featured a couple of long climbs that I excelled at. I would pass a whole bunch of people on the climb and then they'd pass me on the flats. I came through the two mile mark at 15:15. I had a bit of a confidence problem through the middle of the course. I came through the three mile mark at 23:08. The fourth mile had a couple of climbs that I did well at again. I came through the 4 mile point in 31:15. Mile five featured two tough climbs to get up to Hanley road and then to get up to the high school. I hit the five mile point in 39:40 and soon after I started my kick. I was able to keep up a good pace all the way into the finish, but I didn't end up having anything for the final push to the finish. I was pumping my arms and nothing was happening. I crossed the finish line at 49:38.

I didn't end up running a better time than the previous week, but considering the weather I think I did all right. I'll be looking to try again when I've got some more training under my belt.

AD Training diary 5/28

2006-05-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

In as much as it is important for me to record successful training sessions, it is important to record unsuccessful training sessions so that at the very least I can learn from my mistakes. Sunday was an unsuccessful training session. When I showed up at yoga yesterday, I was probably somewhat dehydrated and my blood sugar was low as I hadn't eaten well during the day. During one of the standing postures I noticed my vision clouding. I thought I'd just stand the next one out, but my body had other ideas. I woke up with the teachers hovering over me. I had passed out. My guess is that the combination of dehydration, low blood sugar, heat and exertion was just too much for me. I remained sitting in the room until they were done with the standing series and I rejoined the class for the ground based postures.

I was fortunate that nothing else was hurt other than my ego. The lessons that I learned were that I need to come prepared for each class both in terms of what I've had to eat and what I've had to drink. I may also have not had the right balance of electolytes in my blood stream, so I'll need to make sure that I drink someething like a gatorade before I show up for class next.

Goals

2006-05-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

As a runner it is important to have goals. Goals help you to measure your progress. Goals help you refine your training. Goals help motivate you to get out and to keep going when you really don't want to. However, it is important to make sure that the goals that you set for yourself are not unrealistic.

Earlier this summer I was talking about how if I started to hit my goals, I could qualify for the Boston Marathon. In order to do that I'd need to run a 3:10 marathon or 7:15/mile. Right now I can't even do that for a 10K. Over the summer I hope to train such that I can do it for a 10K, but I don't think that I'll be able to do it for a marathon this year. It isn't a goal that I can shoot for honestly.

When I organize my goals for the summer, I make three levels of goal. The first is the attainable goals. These are the ones that if I complete my training, I should be able to achieve. They should be slightly challenging but still attainable. The next level of goal is the one where I'd be really happy if I achieved it. These goals are a little bit out there and really require you to focus in order to achieve them. The final level of goals are the ecstatic level goals. These goals are currently beyond my capabilities and would require a very focussed effort and the right conditions to achieve. Beyond the ecstatic goals are the daydreams.

My marathon goals for this year are
1 - Complete the marathon without any significant stretches of walking. My last attempt started badly and I ended up walking a significant portion of the back half.
2 - Run a 4:00 marathon.
3 - Run a sub-4:00 marathon.
D - Qualify for Boston

As a beginning marathoner, your first level of goal should be to complete the marathon. Your second level goal should be completing the marathon the way you want to. Finally, your third level goal can be any sort of time goal. The reason that you would want to set it up this way is that it would be terrible to finish the marathon and feel bad because you were not able to beat an arbitrarily selected time. You just ran a marathon! Once you have a marathon under your belt, then we can start talking about time goals.

Week 21 Looking ahead

2006-05-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Monday - U City 5/10K
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 2.5 Miles
Thursday - 3 Miles (long tempo)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 5.5 miles (meet at Waterfalls at 6am)
Sunday - Rest; yoga

AD Training diary 5/27

2006-05-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

I met with the marathon group for a long run of four miles today. I planned to take the CC lake blue loop and go around the outside of the meadow to add in the additional distance. LH and I were running a bit behind because of trouble getting out of the house. We all met at the Waterfall and started off together. I asked PF to run with LH for consistent pacing. They did the CC lake blue loop. We stopped for water at the 1 mile mark. After the water MS and I pushed out our pace a bit. It felt nice and easy. MS and I came through the end of the loop with no real issues.

I'd like to keep this up for a while where the group does the first part of the run together and then breaks by pace. I'd like to think that it helps keep some measure of group unity in place. It also helps that everyone is in the same general ball park in terms of times on this go-round.

AD Training diary 5/25

2006-05-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

Oliver woke up early this morning. Instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, I went downstairs and fed him. Since I was up anyway, I took him out for what should have been an up-tempo run. Instead after I got up the hill on Big Bend, I decided that this was going to be an easier day. We circled around to Skinker and came back Wydown and then came home via Big Bend. In total distance it ended up being about 3.25 miles.

I was just not up for doing a serious run today. I have a couple of days to rest before the Saturday run, which should be relatively easy and then get ready for Monday. I just need to make sure that I get some rest and sleep over the next couple of days.

AD Training diary 5/24

2006-05-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

I got together with MS for an easy run. We grabbed his daughter C and headed out. Between the hills, the stiff wind, and the time we decided to run the short route. The short route ended up being a little less than 2 miles in total distance. We put up a pretty decent pace and finished well going uphill.

AD Training diary 5/23

2006-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to go to the track to do the 3000m race with St. Louis Track Club, but it didn't work with my schedule. I was going to do some intervals, but by the time I got out it was going to be too dark to see my watch clearly. So instead I did a 4.8m run with some hills at Forsyth, on Wydown, at Hanley, and on Jackson. It was a nice run with some quick stretches. I ran along Wash U with another runner and chatted as we went. It was kind of fun. I felt like I was moving at a pretty good pace and didn't feel too tired on the hills.

Procrastination Alert! Registration for Chicago is closing

2006-05-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

You need to register for the Chicago Marathon this week if you are going to run it. Registration closes at 40,000 runners and 34,000 have already signed up. Go to the Chicago Marathon website and register.

Along with registering for Chicago, we'll need to make arrangements for housing while we're there. My parents live in Chicago and we can offer a bed and couch space. But if you wanted to sleep more comfortably than that, you'll need to book your hotel very soon.

If you aren't able to register for Chicago, it's not catastrophic. There are other marathons near the same date, but we won't necessarily be able to field the same level of support for, say, the Wichita marathon. If it becomes necessary, here are some links to plan alternate races:

October 2006
November/December

Week 22 Looking ahead

2006-05-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Monday - REST
Tuesday - 10 minutes easy, 4x(3 minutes long tempo, 1 minute easy), 10 minutes easy
Wednesday - 2.5 miles easy
Thursday - Yoga, 3 miles mid-tempo
Friday - REST
Saturday - 3 miles long run
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - UCity 5K/10K

AD Training diary 5/21

2006-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I went to a Bikram yoga class in the morning. It was a good class. I'm starting to understand how it works. I've already seen some gains in flexibility. What I'm really hoping is that the gains in flexibility and strength help with my running. Some of the postures come right from my running stretches which is nice because of the familiarity with the movement.

I got together with PF for a long run at Creve Couer Park. PF hadn't gotten a chance to go shoe shopping yet, but I thought it would be fine in the very short term to run in hiking shoes. Before we started, I let him know that the goal was to cover the distance whether running, walking or crawling. The best way to measure an appropriate pace was to run at a conversational pace. We stretched for a minute and then we took off. I let him set the pace initially. The first half mile or so we covered at a rather challenging pace. After that distance I noticed that he was starting to breathe harder, so I suggested that we slow down the pace a bit. We took a water break at the one mile mark and then took off again. After we passed the 1.5 mile mark, we walked for a bit while he caught his breath. After the 2.0 mark we started running again. We kept going until the 3.0 mile mark and then walked the rest of the way in. I was rather impressed at how well he did.

This week I suggested that he do 20/30/20 minutes of running. The goal is to run at any pace for that amount of time, caring more about continuously going than about which pace he goes at. I'm going to ask MS to run with PF so that he gets to hear another experienced runner's POV.

AD Training diary 5/20

2006-05-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

I did the Science Center 10K in the morning. I finished in 48:22 for 7:48/mile. Even using a Race Time Predictor which shows an optimistic time for me, I'd still be well short of qualifying for Boston (3:48 and need 3:10). So let's just dispense with that right now. I'm not going to qualify for Boston this year. I just want to run a sub-4:00 marathon and gear up for a BQ at a later marathon.

I got together with LH and MS for an easy long run at Creve Couer Park. LH wanted to do five miles and MS and I were scheduled for three. We opted for the Blue Path which runs about 3.8 miles. I figured that we would get in three and anything else would just be gravy. MS brought his daughter, so he pushed her in the stroller for a while. When he needed to remove some layers, I took the controls and pushed her for the rest of the way. Our pace was something close to 10:00/miles, so it was just right for me. MS did well with the pace and we were able to keep it relaxed and conversational. At the end of the run, we sat and relaxed for a bit while we waited for LH to finish. LH finished up her run and felt good about it, so winners all around.

Race Report: Science Center 10K

2006-05-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

Science Center 10K
St. Louis, MO

I got up early in the morning to care for my son and get ready for the race. For my breakfast I skipped the usual eggs and bread for peanut butter and bread and plenty of water. Thankfully the race wasn't too far away from the house, so I was able to spend some time with him before it was time to go. I left the house about 35 minutes ahead of time because I wanted to get some time to warm up.

I got to the Science Center and did a little light jogging. After taking care of some last minute bathrooming, I walked out to the starting line. On my way I passed one of the Fleet Feet guys and I asked him about putting up pace placards to help with seeding. He said that it was something that they would definitely to for a marathon, but for these smaller races (under 1000) they thought there talk was enough. I countered that it helps those of us who want to pace with someone to find that someone before the race starts rather than trying to guess who is trying to run my pace at the first mile marker. He said that they'd look into it. My guess is that they aren't going to look into it too hard, but it was nice to talk to someone about it. As I lined up for the start I kept trying to guess how many 10k participants there were. I saw up to 53XX, so I think there were three hundred 10K runners. The 5K and 10K had the same start, so there were a lot of people there.

I got a good start much less impeded than the Chevy's run. I was also much farther up in the pack, so that may have helped. The first part of the course had a slight rise which helped pick off some of the weaker runners. I came through the first mile in 7:30. I thought that I was on pace considering that I wanted to run 7:30s. The second mile hit some more significant hills and I started passing some people who had started walking. I came through the second mile in 15:05 and thought I was on track. The third mile was a little more daunting and I started noticing that I was slowing down a little. I came through the three mile mark in 22:57. At this point I just wanted to hold on. The course did and out and back so I got to see the leaders as I headed into the fourth mile. After I made the turn I was able to see the pack behind me and it was oddly comforting. I was in the leading pack. I hit the four mile mark at 31:05. During the fifth mile I started losing touch with the runners around me. I came through the five mile mark in 39:30. Ahead I saw a hill and was encouraged. Ever since I ran River to River, I've been able to refocus when I come to a hill. I did the hill well, but not super well, but still came down with a good stride going. Heading into the last stretch I put everything I had left into a surge. I passed some of the people that I'd been pacing with. I crossed the six mile mark at 47:12 and powered through the finish at 48:22.

Mile Time Interval
1 7:30 7:30
2 15:05 7:35
3 22:57 7:52
4 31:05 8:12
5 39:30 8:25
6 47:12 7:42
6.2 48:22 1:10

In the end, I'm still happy with my time. I bested my earlier SR of 49:38 by 1:16. My pace averaged out to be 7:48/mile. I think I still can run faster at my current training level. It would just be a matter of running smarter. If I were to run a consistent 7:45/mile pace, then I would be at the same place but with better splits and a better likelihood of finishing well. I did wear my HRM during the race and I set it for my aerobic zone. I spent 10:30 in the zone. My average HR for the race was 171 or 88% of max HR (including a three minutes of forgot-to-shut-it-off-after-I-finished, so it was likely higher). The more I use my HRM for racing, the more I was to upgrade it. If nothing else I'd like something with a lap memory so that I don't have to remember my times.

I was sort of surprised to not run into any hashers I knew at this race. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised, but after seeing them at half-marathons and full marathons I thought a 10K might draw them out. I did run into a hasher who just moved in town (Greetings, Just Brian) and so I sent him to the hash website.

AD Training diary 5/18

2006-05-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

I ran the loop from my house to Big Bend to Wydown to Hanley and home for 3.25 miles. I covered the distance in 27:00 which was a bit faster than my goal pace, but it felt like a good workout. I started having a little trouble after the second mile. I'm a little concerned about my endurance. I can't wait to start piling up the mileage.

I signed up the Science Center 10K which starts at 730a on Saturday. Later that day, I'll meet with the marathon group for an easy three miles. If I miss anyone, I'll go for an easy run on Sunday.

AD Training diary 5/17

2006-05-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

Last night was an easy run. I was scheduled for 2.5 miles, but I did 3 miles @ 134 BPM on the treadmill. I was able to maintain a 10 minutes/mile or better pace for most of the distance while staying in the fat burn range. I did notice that after 2.5 miles that my heart rate went up and pace went down accordingly. I'm not sure if this is just a sign that I need to work on overall endurance more.

AD Training Diary 5/16

2006-05-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

The workout I had scheduled was 10 minutes easy, 5x(2 minutes mid-tempo, 1 minute easy), 10 minutes easy. I ended up doing 10 minutes easy, 5x(2 minutes short tempo, 1 minute easy), 20 minutes easy. I have a good feeling that I was doing the intervals much quicker than I had planned to. I'll have to send myself back to pace school.

Week 23 Looking ahead

2006-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Monday: Rest/Cross Train - Yoga
Tuesday: Non-track interval workout
Wednesday: Easy run
Thursday: Tempo Run
Friday: Rest/Cross Train - Rest
Saturday: Science Center 10k
Sunday: Rest/Cross Train - Yoga (?)

What I want in a race

2006-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of things that I want to see when I show up for a race

1) Safe running area free of potholes and traffic
2) Clear, well marked and accurate course.
3) Accurate time
4) Volunteers reading splits at mile markers
5) Assistance in self-seeding
6) Good competition
7) Good post race food
8) Prompt starting time

Race Report: Chevy's Cinco de Mayo 5K

2006-05-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

This race ended up being more of a learning experience than a honest to goodness race. The first thing that we learned was how to deal with a baby on race day. As much as we like cloth diapers, I think Oliver will have to wear disposables next time. I had to change a wet diaper with just a few minutes to go before the race started. Once he was changed, however, he was a happy camper.

The first time that my wife and I ran this race, Fleet Feet helped with the self-seeding process by placing pace cards on the side of the road every twenty yards or so. So if you were planning on running a 6:00/mile pace, you moved up to the start. If you weren't, you didn't, but found a pace group more geared towards runners of your ability. There are going to be people that overestimate their own ability, but you will find far fewer of them than when you just let everyone line up in the corral willy nilly. So, every time I come to a race where they haven't posted pace signs, I am disappointed.

They didn't do that so the start was really rough. It was my first time running a race with a stroller. Some of my difficulties may have been my fault because I didn't go far enough up in the corral to start with. Either way I spent a good chunk of the first mile saying "Excuse me" and accelerating into small spaces. Even with that I think I came through the first mile in 8:30 (I forgot my watch and heart rate monitor [lesson 3]). There weren't any volunteers calling out splits at the mile markers.

The feature of the next mile was an out and back that had the faster people coming back as the slower people came in. The turnaround was marked by a painted arrow on the ground. It was manned by a couple of volunteers but not something as obvious as a group of cones in a semi-circular shape. Oliver and I made the hair pin turn with just a little excitement. We missed waving hi to Mommy on our way out.

The last stretch had a couple of small rises but nothing significant. Oliver and I passed a number of other runners before breaking the tape in 24:43. However, the bib had a chip on it, so I have an accurate start to finish time. After we finished, I took off my number and trotted back down the finish cheering on the other runners and looking for my wife. We ran into her with about 400m to do and ran with her for a bit.

After the race we went over to the refreshment area and gorged ourselves on the good food. The Chevy's 5K easily has the best after race food in the city. It's good, good for you, and present in copius amounts. We'd finally had our fill and headed home without either of us partaking of the free drinks, again! I think I've gotten one only once. I have to admit that I was surprised to not run into any of the hashers at the race. Then again they could have been there and we just missed each other.

Results

Kingdom House Aha!

2006-05-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

The other day I went for a run in Forest Park. As I came around the turn off of Lindell, I realized that I was near the Kingdom House 10K run course. So I jogged over to it to see if I could figure out where it went wrong. It took me a couple of minutes to sort it out, but apparently the volunteers were standing at the wrong intersection. If they had been standing *one* intersection closer to the start (on the little triangle piece), the run would have gone according to how it was supposed to. As it was, the run instead went from a 10K to something closer to a 4m.

AD Training diary 5/11

2006-05-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

I went for a run last night. I did a course from my house to Forest Park and then back via Forsyth to Jackson. The course ended up being 3.75 miles. In terms of the level of effort, I probably ran a little harder than I wanted as it was very windy. But it was still a good run.

Today is a rest day. I'll go for a walk tonight with my wife. Tomorrow is the Chevy's 5K. I'm not sure to what extent I'm looking forward to it as I'll be pushing Oliver in the stroller. I don't know what pace I'll be able to do with him and I don't know how the other runners at the front of the pack will like having a stroller runner up there with them at the start.

AD Training diary 5/10

2006-05-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

I got home late last night. But thankfully I only needed to do a short easy run. I decided to do 25 minutes at 10:00/mile pace on the treadmill with a 5/5 warm up and cool down. The run went easily and I kept my heart rate under 140 for the first 20 minutes. Later in the run it started creeping up over 140, so I think I have a little more to do in terms of conditioning.

AD Training diary 5/9

2006-05-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last night I did a track workout. I wore my heart rate monitor so that I could see how my level of effort coordinated with my heart rate. I did a 10 minute warm up ending at the Wash U track. My initial workout plan was 6 x 400m with a 100m job in between legs. I planned on running each quarter in 1:40, a little better than 7:00/mile and 55-60s slower than my 10K pace. The first few quarters felt easy, but I noticed that my average heart rate over the interval was going up with each repetition. I was still able to hit my time goals without straining, but between managing my monitor and wanting to get my heart rate down I ended up walking most of the 100s. When I got to the sixth interval I still felt okay, so I did another 2 for a total of 8x400m. Each interval was within a couple of seconds of 1:40 and I still felt pretty good. I did a fifteen minute cool down on my way home, but I ended up walking a significant portion of it as I was trying to keep my heart rate in the 140s.

Running: The Stuff - Nice to haves

2006-05-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of items that are nice to have. They aren't necessary by any means.

Running watch
It's nice to have a running watch. A running watch has a stop watch that will allow you to keep split times. This is useful when you are running a race and want to know what your splits were. At most races someone will be standing at the mile markers shouting out your splits, but if you have a watch, you won't miss them if they aren't there.

Running hat
It's nice to have a wicking running hat. It keeps the sun out of your eyes. It redirects forehead sweat away from your eyes.

Heart rate monitor
One method of training revolves running with a heart rate monitor strapped to your chest. The heart rate monitor gives you instant feedback about what level of effort a given pace actually requires. It allows you to optimize your pace so that you don't start too quickly and then bonk out at the end. The marathon that I ran with a heart rate monitor was one that I set my marathon PR at. That said, it takes a special level of discipline to actually listen to it. And they are somewhat expensive starting near $100 and going up from there.

Garmin/GPS device
One of the recent advances in running technology is the advent of the Garmin GPS device. It tracks how far you have gone using GPS positioning. It is a great help for when you are running on an unmarked trail. Advanced versions also include heart rate monitoring capability. As you can imagine, they are quite expensive ($250+).

Running: The Stuff - Clothing

2006-05-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

After shoes, the next most important set of items is clothing. How important clothing is to you is largely dependent on how your body works when you run for a long time. I don't think anyone who runs 90 feet needs special clothing, but if you are going to be running for hours anything that can make your more comfortable helps immeasurably.

Socks are an integral part of a runner's getup. A running sock performs two important functions. First, it prevents friction between the foot and the shoe. Second, it wicks away moisture from the foot. Cotton does not do either of these functions well especially when it becomes wet. That's why I recommend getting socks made of some sort of wicking material. They'll cost a bit more, but they are well worth it.

Tops come in a variety of styles and lengths. There are only two important things that a top has to do. First, it has to fit. Fit is important as your shirt will be brushing against your skin for 26 miles. Any excessive looseness becomes an opportunity for chaffing. Second, it has to wick moisture away from your skin. This helps both in terms of comfort and cooling.

Shorts are important for their utility and ability to wick away moisture. A runner's shorts are one of the few places that he can use to store food (carbohydrate gels), keys, and other essentials. Convenient pockets are useful. Wicking becomes especially important as your shorts are generally the last places on your body where sweat from your torso will pool. Once I wore a pair of non-wicking shorts for a ten mile run and spent the back half of the run holding up my sodden shorts so that I didn't moon other runners. A pair of wicking shorts would have avoided any such embarassment.

Underwear can also be a key component to your running costume. The ladies reading will have a special understanding for the importance of jogging bras. Or if they don't, they need to. Men also have different underwear issues. Personally if I'm not wearing a pair of underwear/compression shorts/biker shorts that extends to my mid-thigh, I have issues with chaffing in my groin. And for god's sake remove the tags on your underwear or you'll have even more issues with chaffing in back. Again wicking is key.

Depending on how your body works the clothes that you wear can make the difference between a pleasant and an agonizing run. But it is different for every runner. I need to be covered in wicking material or I finish a run with bleeding nipples, chaffed thighs, and blistered feet. One of my previous training partners was not a sweaty pig like myself and was able to do most of his training runs wearing cotton t-shirts and Old Navy cargo shorts with no problems. It's also different for each run. A 5K race requires less preparation than a marathon as there are fewer miles for fabrics to rub and become uncomfortable. This is one area where you can see what you need before you go out and buy it.

Running: The Stuff - The necessities

2006-05-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

The only real necessity is adopting running as a hobby is to get a good pair of shoes. What you are looking for in a pair of shoes is something sturdy, comfortable, and that fits your foot.

Sturdy shoes are shoes that will hold up under the mileage and the pounding that you are going to give them. Shoes generally only have a lifetime of six months (even if you don't run in them) or five hundred miles before they need to be retired to lawn mowing shoes.

Comfortable shoes have enough cushion to alleviate some of the pounding that you are doing on your feet. They should not have anything inside the shoe that rubs your foot the wrong way. Comfortable shoes also allow your feet to breathe and wick away moisture. Believe me, you don't want to be hauling around a marathon's worth of foot sweat on the big day.

Fit is just as important as comfort. When you are evaluating fit, you need to feel how the shoe works with your foot. Does your heel slip out of the back as you stride? Does the shoe pinch anywhere on your foot? Is the shoe wide enough or too wide? Does the shoe support the arch of your foot? It's important that you get help with this part of the experience.

In terms of places to go for shoes, I'd recommend a specialty store like Fleet Feet or the Running Center over a chain store. The specialty stores have salespeople who are there to get you a good pair of shoes. They have the knowledge of what shoes fit what kinds of feet and can help evaluate how you run. With the frequency that runners come in for new shoes, they are more apt to sell you the pair of shoes that you'll enjoy over the most expensive pair, because if you like them you'll come back. A good pair of shoes will run you somewhere between $80-$110.

Marathon Training Program

2006-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Week Number Date Ending	Monday (Rest)	Tuesday (Interval)	Wednesday (Easy)	Thursday (Tempo)	Friday (Rest)	Saturday (Long)	Sunday (Rest)
24 5/14/06	Rest	10 min easy 5 x (2 min long tempo, 1 min easy) 10 min easy	2 miles	3 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	5K Cinco de Mayo Run	Rest
23 5/21/06	Rest	10 min easy 5 x (2 min midtempo, 1 min easy) 10 min easy	2 miles	3 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	5 miles Science Center 5K/10K	Rest
22 5/28/06	Rest	10 min easy 4 x (3 min long tempo, 1 min easy) 10 min easy	2.5 miles	3 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	3 miles	Rest
21 6/4/06	UCity 5K/10K	Rest	2.5 miles	3 miles (long tempo)	Rest	5.5 miles	Rest
20 6/11/06	Rest	6 x 400m	3 miles	3 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	3 miles	Rest
19 6/18/06	Rest	10 min easy 4 x (3 min midtempo, 1 min easy) 10 min easy	3 miles	3 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	6 miles	Rest
18 6/25/06	Rest	10 min easy 4 x (3 min midtempo, 1 min easy) 10 min easy	3 miles	3 miles (short tempo)	Rest	6 miles	Rest
17 7/2/06	Rest	10 min easy 4 x (3 min short tempo, 1 min easy) 10 min easy	3 miles	3 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	7 miles	Rest
16 7/9/06	Rest	Fair St. Louis	3 miles	4 miles (long tempo)	Rest	5 miles	Rest
15 7/16/06	Rest	4 x 1200m	3 miles	4 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	9 miles	Rest
14 7/23/06	Rest	6 x 800m	3 miles	5 miles (long tempo)	Rest	10 miles	Rest
13 7/30/06	Rest	3 x 1600m	3 miles	5 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	7 miles	Rest
12 8/6/06	Rest	10 x 400m	3 miles	6 miles (long tempo)	Rest	12 miles St. Louis Track Club CC 5K	Rest St.Charles Flat Five
11 8/13/06	Rest	5 x 1200m	3 miles	3 miles (short tempo)	Rest	13 miles	Rest Chicago Distance Classic 1/2
10 8/20/06	Rest	7 x 800m	4 miles	7 miles (long tempo)	Rest	10 miles	Rest
9 8/27/06	Rest	3 x 1600m	4 miles	7 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	15 miles	Rest
8 9/3/06	Rest	12 x 400m	4 miles	8 miles (long tempo)	Rest	16 miles	Rest
7 9/10/06	JCC 10K	Rest	4 miles	6 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	12 miles	Rest
6 9/17/06	Rest	4 x 1600m	5 miles	9 miles (long tempo)	Rest	18 miles	Rest Lewis and Clark Half-Marathon
5 9/24/06	Rest	12 x 400m	5 miles	9 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	14 miles	Rest
4 10/1/06	Rest	6 x 1200m	5 miles	10 miles (long tempo)	Rest	20 miles	Rest
3 10/8/06	Rest	7 x 800m	4 miles	6 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	12 miles	Rest
2 10/15/06	Rest	3 x 1600m	3 miles	4 miles (mid tempo)	Rest	8 miles	Rest
1 10/22/06	Rest	30 minutes easy	2 miles	4 miles easy	Rest	Rest	Chicago Marathon

Paces

Name	Pace
Long Run	10K + 60-75 seconds/mile
Long Tempo	10K + 30-35 seconds/mile
Mid Tempo	10K + 15-20 seconds/mile
Short Tempo	10K pace
1600m	10K - 30-35 seconds/mile
1200m	10K - 40-45 seconds/mile
800m	10K - 45-50 seconds/mile
400m	10K - 55-60 seconds/mile

Baseline Times

2006-05-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

400: 0:67
800: 2:32
1M:
5K: 23:48
10K: 49:38

Race Report: Kingdom House 10(?)K

2006-05-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

I got to the race well ahead of time. It was good that I did as the rain started pouring down shortly after I got into the World's Fair Pavilion. I had a small snack as I watched the Everyday Circus performance. After the performance the rain had slackened and I was able to potty and drop off the t-shirt and other swag in my car, and get in a warm-up before the race. As the racers lined up, the sun came out. There was a delay in getting the race started because the pace car was delayed at the Children's Fun Run. Finally, the pace car arrived and we didn't have to use an ambulance as a pace car.

We took off and I tried to maintain a nice conservative pace. I fell in with a pair of runners. One of the nice things about the 10K is that you are going just fast enough to be competitive, but not so fast that you can't talk. At one point, the 5K and 10K paths diverged. As I started down the 10K path, I saw the leader coming back towards me. Having not hit the one-mile, I thought it was a lot fishy. When I saw more people streaming back towards me, I was confused. One guy yelled that there wasn't another volunteer at the turn, so everyone was turning around at a certain point. I was torn. On the one hand, I wanted to run the whole distance. But on the other hand, I didn't know the course well enough to run it on my own. And running a 10K completely on my own was not an attractive proposition. So I turned around and as soon as I did it, I regretted it. Part of the reason for running these races was to see how well my endurance would hold up. And I just love the distance. Once committed to the turnaround, I decided to pick up the pace. I wasn't running a 10K any more - it was more like a 4 mile race. And I can go faster for 4 miles than I can for 6.2. There were a couple of hills on the back half of the course and I ran each really well. I reeled in the only guy ahead of me that I knew was in the 10K and had a burst for the finish. I finished the race under 30:00, so I guess I ran about 7:30 miles.

Some observations:

Knowing the course would be good to avoid future occurences of this problem no matter what's wrong with the racers.
I really prefer races where someone is calling out splits at the mile markers. Even on this race, knowing my splits on the abbreviated course would have helped.
For these races where I'm really just trying to get a gauge on where I'm at running the distance is more important than placing well.
I really like hills as I can lock in to them and concentrate on form, stride length, and pace.

Race Report: St. Charles CC 10K

2006-05-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

I got up in plenty of time to get to the race. I grabbed a banana, some water, and a trail mix bar and headed out the door. The race site was about a half-hour away from the house, but I left early as I had not preregistered and, let's face it, there isn't that much to do at that hour. I didn't have any trouble registering and got to warm-up, stretch, and potty before the race started.

When the race started it was raining. It was a light rain, neither driving nor heavy. My initial plan was to go out slowly with a nice conservative first mile or two and then to pick it up on the back half. Since I didn't have a watch, I figured that I would try and depend on the kindness of strangers. I came through the first mile about 7:30 and did a second mile in 7:45 for an approximate two mile time of 15:15. I didn't have anyone near me when I came through the next couple of mile markers, so I didn't get my splits. Through the halfway point, there hadn't really been any hills, just slight rises, but the fourth mile marker was on a decent sized hill. After the hill, the course did an out-and-back, so I could see the runners ahead of me as I ran out and the runners behind me as I ran back. It was good for my ego to see the few runners ahead of me and the many runners behind. I hit the five mile marker after the turnaround and paced with a runner twenty meters ahead of me through the next stretch as the wind blew in my face. I crested the top of the rise and was able to see the end of the race half a mile and change ahead of me. So I started my kick. I was able to pass the guy that I'd paced with and reel in four or five other runners. Going into the final stretch there were two other runners ahead of me and I burst past them with under 100 meters to go. I crossed the finish line at 49:38.

Results
My time of 49:38 placed me 36th overall (out of 112). I averaged 8:00 per mile. To have placed in the top five in my age group, I would have needed to have run 7:37/mile or better. To have placed in the top 10 overall, I would have needed to have run a 6:56 or better. I do think that my goals are very reasonable for the summer.

Some observations:

From the second mile marker on, I passed more people than passed me, so I felt good about my pace.
I'm always sort of ambivalent about having a strong finishing kick. If I can finish this strong, shouldn't I have run faster in the miles previously?
I really need to run with a watch. And maybe a heart rate monitor.
I didn't mind the rain and the cold. In fact, I preferred it to sun and heat.
Finishing a race that you've gone to by yourself is kind of lonely.

Goals for the summer

2006-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

I've decided to list my goals for the summer running season.

1) Complete a half-marathon.
2) Run 4-5 times per week.
3) Run a 10K in 42:00.
4) Run a 5K in 20:00.
5) Compete in the St. Louis Track Club Track series on Tuesday nights.
6) Run a half-marathon in 1:40:00.

My time goals should all be reachable as I averaged 7:30 for one of my legs over the weekend and I've already run a sub 24:00 5K on my own. With some dedicated training over the summer, I should be able to pull it off.

Begin at the beginning

2006-03-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

My goal is to run the Lewis and Clark Half Marathon in September. Ordinarily you can ramp up to a half-marathon in a couple of months time. But I want to do it right. That means building my base mileage and then embarking on a rigorous training program. An early start is a necessity.

Over the next several weeks I'll spell out my training program and talk about different training related issues.

Doyle's Running Club

Hockey draft

What's next?

Congratulations to Papaswoof and Phil

Wanted: Waldo

Saturday run

I fought the Treadmil and the Treadmil won.

Looking ahead - Week 7

A good run

Looking ahead - Week 9

Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon ***FULL!***

Course maps for Chicago are out

Looking ahead - Week 9

Saturday run 8/19

Full Field Expected at the 5th Lewis & Clark Event

Looking ahead - Week 10

Race report: Chicago Distance Classic

Saturday run 8/12

Looking ahead - Week 11

Race Report: St. Charles Flat Five

Looking ahead - Week 12

Saturday run 7/29

Looking ahead - Week 13

Looking ahead - Week 14

Saturday run 7/13

The strange case of Do as I Say and as I Do

Upcoming runs: Moonlight 10K, Chicago Half, Lewis and Clark Half

Race Report: Firecracker 5K

4th of July 5K

AD Training diary 6/28-29

Week 17 Looking ahead

AD Training diary 6/24,25

Saturday run

AD Training diary 6/20

AD Training diary 6/17

AD Training diary 6/10,11,13, 14

PF Training Diary 6/17

AD Training diary 6/9

AD Training diary 6/5

AD Training diary 6/3

Zen and the art of Running Hills

MS Diary 5/31

PF Diary 5/31

Heat acclimation

Race Report: UCity Memorial Day 10K

AD Training diary 5/28

Goals

Week 21 Looking ahead

AD Training diary 5/27

AD Training diary 5/25

AD Training diary 5/24

AD Training diary 5/23

Procrastination Alert! Registration for Chicago is closing

Week 22 Looking ahead

AD Training diary 5/21

AD Training diary 5/20

Race Report: Science Center 10K

AD Training diary 5/18

AD Training diary 5/17

AD Training Diary 5/16

Week 23 Looking ahead

What I want in a race

Race Report: Chevy's Cinco de Mayo 5K

Kingdom House Aha!

AD Training diary 5/11

AD Training diary 5/10

AD Training diary 5/9

Running: The Stuff - Nice to haves

Running: The Stuff - Clothing

Running: The Stuff - The necessities

Marathon Training Program

Baseline Times

Race Report: Kingdom House 10(?)K

Race Report: St. Charles CC 10K

Goals for the summer

Begin at the beginning

Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon FULL!