A Marathon of Misadventures

Coon Creek 10k Race Report

2009-08-02T17:25:00.003-05:00

After another three lazy days of running, I got up reasonably early for a local 10k this morning. I felt reasonably confident going in to it, and was hoping for a 45 minute race, setting a new PR. As usual, I was far too confident in myself, and definitely overestimated my training, as usual. After all, how fast can I run a 10k when I haven't passed 5 miles in a training run?

In any event, it was a beautiful day for a run. Sunny skies, light breeze, cool temps at the start in the mid 60's. It was a lively crowd for the race, I'm guessing upwards of 200 runners, which isn't bad for such a small town race. I got hyped up at the start, as usual, but it was a bit trickier this time. The starter kept going "Get ready...get set...hang on a minute." After three false starts, he finally decided to ditch the inoperable starter's gun in favor of waving his arm, and we were, at long last off. The course was run on the local roads, which meant there was plenty of space for all of us to get started and spread out comfortably. I managed to hold my tempo down a bit, but probably not as much as I should have. I'd been planning to kick for the final mile, but my pace gradually kept creeping up from the one mile mark all the way through to the five mile mark.

As a result, I was a bit more spent then I'd planned, plus, mile five started right at the foot of the longest hill on the course. I managed to run steady through the hill, but all thoughts of a kick were destroyed. Silly me. Eventually, I crossed the finish line, and got my official time: 50:27...faster by my last PR, but only by 9 seconds. A beautiful race, lots of fun, but personally a little disappointing. Here's hoping it pays off by finally making me taking my training a bit more seriously. Only time will tell.

Excuses and Progress

2009-07-29T20:18:00.002-05:00

It was another rough (unsuccessful) weekend of running. I got just one mile each Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for a variety of reasons. Partly from cramps (stomach/calf) and partly from my favorite (most common) excuse...sheer laziness. But I got in a decent 5k last night (I set out to run farther, so it was slow, but came back early due to more stomach cramps). It has taught me a few things. First I need to be a lot better disciplined about what I eat and when I eat it. It's hard to get in a good run when I'm either too hungry or too full. And secondly, I need do a better job of making time for and scheduling my run. It's far to easy to get sidetracked by errands and chores and not have enough time for a long run. Which is why I really need to switch to morning runs. That way I can run before I get busy and before I get too hungry. Sadly, I always seem to wake up and early and think "I can always run this evening." Sometimes I even manage to complete the thought before I fall asleep again. Oh well. One of these days maybe I'll manage to make the change.

On a happier note, I managed a much better five mile run tonight, at a decent clip to boot. It should have me on pace for a 45 minute 10k on Sunday, and maybe even better if I don't try to push it too soon. I can't wait.

Race Ready

2009-07-24T19:41:00.004-05:00

Another good run tonight. Just a steady four miles, a little slower than yesterday, but nice and comfortable. I'm getting ready to mail in my registration for a a local 10k one week from Sunday. Should be exciting, I'm sure I've got no chance to win, but I should be able to at least set a new PR since my last 10k was nearly one full year ago. I don't think I've run anything shorter than a marathon since then. I'm ready for another race.

The Joy of Running

2009-07-23T21:07:00.002-05:00

It was another terrific run tonight. I still had plenty of sore muscles from yesterday's experiment, but I was ready to hit the road and see what happened. I went back to my regular shoes, shoes so I can make the transition slowly, but I tried to keep my stride short. Instead of stepping out in front of myself, I worked on landing on the balls of my feet under myself. I also tried to keep my pace slow and relaxed. Imagine my surprise when I finished my four mile run almost two minutes faster than yesterday despite feeling much more relaxed and refreshed when I finished. There were probably two highlights to the run. First, my sock was rubbing just right on a bug bite I have on the bottom of my foot that's been bugging me all day. That was terrific. Secondly, I tried to finish my run with a uptempo portion like I always do, today the last tenth to quarter mile. But since I had to keep my strides short, I really sped up my foot turnover. And wouldn't you know it, my stride really smoothed out, it felt like my whole upper body was gliding on a could. I loved it. It's going to take a bit of practice to get this stride to feel natural, and it'll take even longer to get this comfortable running the faster pace, but I think it's worth it as I fully expect this to pay big dividends over the long haul.

On a lighter note, I've come up with another long term goal for my running career...I'd like to grab the glory for being the oldest person to finish a marathon. And before you ask, my research seems to indicate that the current record was set in 1976 by a 98 year old man named Dimitrion Yordanidis. So if no one else steals his thunder before me, I've got some 70 plus years to train for my record setting run. It'll be here before I know it...I hope.

Flat Feet = Fast Feet?

2009-07-22T19:57:00.002-05:00

Before we get to the good stuff, let's get the boring stuff out of the way. I got in a decent four mile run tonight, felt a bit sluggish, but managed to come home just thirty seconds slower than yesterday's run, so not too bad. And now for the fun stuff.

If it's not already obvious, I'm kind of hooked on this running thing. And I enjoy reading about a lot of different things as they relate to running. I'm getting more interested in the history of running, and the more I read about ultra running, the more intrigued and tempted to run of my own in the not too distant future. Recently, I started reading "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall, which I think is a terrific book. Well written, great stories, with some particularly strange and entertaining characters. One of the topics covered in the book is barefoot running. I've read a bit about the topic before, but in this book it's better explained and even backed up with some scientific studies. I was intrigued enough I thought I should give it a try and see what happened.

Now I'm not quite prepared to skip straight to barefoot running, so I went with some street shoes I have with a particularly thin sole. It made a huge difference. I could feel every bump and dip in the road. I feel like I changed my stride because I have all sorts of sore muscles all up and down my legs that I didn't know I had before. It's not painful/injured sore so much as worked out/exhausted sore. It's a good feeling. I even came back just a bit slower despite what felt like a much slower pace. All in all it felt like a successful first experiment. I'll be back in my normal shoes tomorrow, but I'll definitely be back in the thin soled shoes again, and I might even try out a short barefoot run before too much longer. Now I just have to hope my body still thinks this was a good idea tomorrow.

Running on Empty

2009-07-21T19:32:00.002-05:00

Well I had a long and rather disappointing weekend of running. My miles weren't quite where I hoped they would be, but I wasn't too far off, especially considering I spent Sunday night and some of Monday battling a stomach bug of some sort. It was feeling much better today, however, as I managed to get out for a solid four mile run. Overall I'm not quite on track with my training plan, but I'm close enough to catch up without too much extra effort, and I'm definitely still on track as far as my main goal of simply increasing mileage week to week.

Fall Is Here

2009-07-17T20:47:00.002-05:00

Okay, so that's just wishful thinking for me, but we are having some fantastically cool weather for this time of year. I don't know where it came from, but we had a nice cooling wind and a lovely breeze with a high of under 70 and probably closer to 60 when I ran and walked the dog this evening. I am absolutely loving it. I realize it's not actually the fall yet, which kind of makes me sad. But it was terrific weather for a run, and I'm looking forward to a little longer run tomorrow before it starts to warm up too much.

Staying The Course

2009-07-16T19:35:00.002-05:00

Well I've managed to stay on schedule through two more days. Nothing too exciting, an easy two miler yesterday and a little faster 5k tonight. Tonight especially I felt a bit more sluggish while running, but I pushed through. I was pleasantly surprised however when I checked my watch and discovered that I'd actually run faster than expected. It's an excellent reason not to check the watch. I like to run on effort and see how I did when I finish. Sometimes it's a pleasant surprise, sometimes it's an unpleasant surprise, but that's the way I like it. Other than that, I managed to make it to the grocery store, so I'm properly supplied again to eat a bit lighter and healthier fare, which I hope will help me recover faster as I quickly increase my mileage these next few weeks. And now, it's off to walk my dog and rest up for another run tomorrow.

The Man With A Plan

2009-07-14T20:06:00.003-05:00

Hey, another day and I'm still on track with my plan. Sure, it was just a 5k run, and it wasn't spectacular, but it felt extremely satisfying. I actually sat down today and mapped out a 25 week training plan to get me through the rest of the year. And sure, chances are it'll be modified as I go, and of course it is only three days, but I'll be damned if it doesn't feel good to be running with a purpose again. It's surprising how much of a difference a specific goal can make. To be honest, I have no idea where this plan will take me. I think it will make me faster, I think my fall marathon times will come down, I think my endurance will improve. Then again, it could do nothing besides make me very very sleepy. Stay tuned, and I'm sure we'll find out together.

Build Up

2009-07-14T06:58:00.002-05:00

Hey, I'm back again. My weekly mileage has been terrible recently, but I finally feel like I have a decent excuse. I was on vacation white water rafting last week and didn't have the kind of time to get in many miles. But I still managed to get in at least one mile each day, so my streak is still alive. Better yet, I feel refreshed and renewed and I'm ready to rededicate myself to my training. In fact, I've even started to draw up a more specific training plan. I've got the first week mapped out, and two days in, I'm still on pace. The basic plan is to slowly build up my mileage far beyond what I've done before. I suspect it will help improve my marathon times, but more importantly, it will help prepare to start running ultra marathons. And yes, I realize that moving on to ultras when I haven't been able to properly train for regular marathons seems like a foolish idea, but I'm okay with that. I'm hoping the extra motivation will help keep me on schedule. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if that's actually true.

A Return

2009-06-28T21:04:00.002-05:00

Or at least a return of sorts. I'm afraid we've had some hot weather recently. As much as I'd like to blame that for another week of short one mile runs, I don't think I can. The truth is that I'm partly lazy and partly easily distracted. As such, I haven't done a good job of making time for running and have been to quick to accept any lame excuse I can come up with. Oh well. In any event, I did manage to get in a nice run tonight, roughly 5k. Everything felt good and relaxed. My goal is to get back to the point where I can run at least 5 miles a day every day, but I think I've been lazy enough that I need to increase my mileage slowly before I get back there. Today is a good step in the right direction, so even though I would have liked it to have been a longer run, I'm still reasonably happy with it. Hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same.

Road Trip Return

2009-06-19T21:44:00.002-05:00

That's right, I spent the first part of the week out of town. To be fair, I traveled by plane, but it would have been a bit far to drive from Illinois to Vancouver. It was a good trip, and the week started out great from a running standpoint. I set out for a five mile run to start the week and got back to my hotel nine miles later feeling great. I followed it up with a set of five one mile repeats with negative splits to boot. As much as I enjoyed those two runs, it turns out it was definitely harder than I should have been running. I started the next day hoping for an easy five, but my right foot was feeling tender so I cut it to just one mile. Wednesday, I was feeling a bit better, but pressed for time and only got in two miles. Thursday I was back home and jet lagged and only managed another short one mile run. Tonight was a little better, but not much. It was really muggy after the storms passed through, but I had no giddy up in my legs tonight. Just felt really heavy and sluggish. But I did manage a total of four miles, with the first three at a decent clip, and the last mile a mix of intervals. All things considered, not too bad. I realize that my five mile a day streak didn't last very long, but I did get a dramatic increase in my miles, and hopefully with a little more rest, I'll be able to step up my mileage a bit more next week.

Give Me Five

2009-06-13T19:00:00.002-05:00

One more day, five more miles. So far this longer streak challenge isn't too bad. Today's run felt a little bit easier, wasn't as challenging to finish, and I managed to clock in a with a time right between my last two days. Now for a little note about pacing. I find that there are times where if I worry about my pace too much, I get burn out and don't enjoy the run as much as I'd like to. So lately, I've taken one look at my watch when I start the run, just to make sure I did in fact start it. And then I do my best not to look at it again until I finish. That means I've been running solely on how I feel. When it's too easy, I run a bit faster, when it's too hard I slow down a bit. Which is why I'm rather surprised that I managed to finish all three runs with a times in a fifty second window. Best of all, since I don't worry about my pace while I run, I really get to enjoy the weather, the scenery, the freedom, and everything else that makes running such a joy. Best of all, now I get to grill another steak to cap off a lovely day.

Wall Running

2009-06-12T22:21:00.003-05:00

Well Day 2 of my five miler streak was an adventure. I set out for my run on another beautiful evening, but was feeling a bit sore from yesterday's run. I did manage to warm up and settle into a steady rhythm, but after my first couple of hills, I really started to struggle. Luckily, I'm nothing, if not stubborn, so I just gritted my teeth and kept on running. Usually when I run through those lows, I come out the other side in reasonably short order. But it just didn't work that way tonight, the more I ran, the more my quads complained. So I just kept to a nice easy steady-effort pace and kept hoping to round that final corner as soon as I could. I know it was only a five mile run, but it felt like I spent nearly the whole time running through the wall. But wouldn't you know it, but when I got home, and checked my watch, I'd actually managed to beat my time from yesterday. Turns out it wasn't such a bad run after all, and if that's not a great way to start the weekend, I don't know what is.

Streaking

2009-06-11T20:20:00.002-05:00

Obviously, it's been another week of short runs. Don't know why I've been so busy. I feel like I've just had trouble finding enough time in my schedule for long runs, but that's largely me being lazy. I know I can get in longer runs if I just make the effort. On the other hand, I have been able to get in at least a mile a day, which is a definite plus. So I figured, if this streaking thing is enough motivation to get me out the door, why not make it a streak of longer runs? So tonight I got in a solid five mile run, and I've decided to get in at least five miles every day between now and my next marathon this fall. So far, so good. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go finish grilling my steak and start getting ready for tomorrow's five miler.

I'm Back

2009-06-04T20:13:00.002-05:00

And better than ever. Well, maybe not ever, but certainly better than recently. I've been slacking off a bit the last week, with just an easy one mile daily run. There were a lot of reasons for my light week of running. I had some house guests (who were kind enough to buy me a grill...parents are the best) and a hectic schedule at work, plus a puppy at home recovering from being spayed. As much as I'd like to say it was out of my hands, there was also a large part of me that was simply lazy.

Tonight, however, I felt a little extra giddy up in my stride and set out for a three mile run. I made it home four miles later. I thought it was a relaxed four miles, but when I looked at my watch I discovered that I had actually beat my typical pace for that distance. Turns out I really needed the break.

Now originally I had another marathon scheduled for this weekend. But between my terrible preparation and my recovering puppy, I've decided to skip it. I really don't know that I have it in me mentally to slog through another five hour marathon. Although it is a bit disappointing not to be running the race, I'm not too worried about it. I've got a weekend with a good forecast of near perfect grilling weather, plus a nice long stretch to get in a proper training regimen before my fall marathons. And based on tonight's run, I'm well rested and ready. If I actually manage to stick to my program, I think there's even a chance I can PR this fall. So far, so good.

That Was Fast

2009-05-26T20:13:00.002-05:00

Like a fellow blogger, and in fact a rather large community of similarly habitual runners, I own a modest running streak. I know it's been over a year, but not quite a year and a half, but I'd completely lost track of the number of days. So I decided to figure out. Turns out, today is number 500 in a row. Yes, I worry about myself too. Even though my running has been a bit lazy recently, it's been pretty successful over all. I've managed to run one 5k, two 10ks, three half marathons, I've finished four full marathons, and dropped out of one full marathon and one 50k. I've averaged nearly three and a half miles a day during that span for a total of 1744 miles. After reading all that back, it makes me think, "man, I need a hobby." But then I realized that I seem to have a hobby, running. That was awfully easy.

In any event, I'm reasonably happy with my past 500 days. I would like to increase my daily mileage a bit, and I'd definitely like to increase my speed, but what else is new? I think it'll all come with time. I know what you're thinking, how'd you celebrate the milestone? A relaxed 5k run and a lovely porter called the Edmund Fitzgerald by the Great Lakes Brewing Company. In fact, I think I'll make it two.

Catch 22

2009-05-21T21:12:00.002-05:00

Tonight was another beautiful evening. We've settled into a nice stretch of early summer weather. Clear, dry skies, temps in the mid to upper 70s. It's terrific. And it was lovely for an out door run tonight. A little harder run tonight, as I incorporated some hills into my route. Nothing major, but enough to be a challenge. The problem I always have with hills is that intellectually, I love them. I know they're good for you, I like meeting the challenge and there's always the sense of satisfaction when you make it to the top. But right in the middle of the hill? That's the spot I'm usually cursing myself for being such an idiot. It's a constant battle between knowing I should run them, and actually running them. Maybe with enough nice weather and a stubborn streak this summer I can make the hills more of a habit and an afterthought than a struggle. Here's hoping anyway.

Really?

2009-05-20T22:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight was a much better run, back up to a solid 5k. Everything felt good, no more lingering effects from the marathon. At least not until I try pushing it a bit more. Tomorrow I plan to push up the mileage a little bit more, and start gearing up for South Bend.

On a side note, I was reminded today of the one part of the Rockford Marathon I didn't really care for. The first part they can't help. After all, the half marathon runners have to split off the course at some point. In Rockford, that point was after 12 miles in. Which meant the half runners had less than a mile to go, while I was even half way done yet. Quite discouraging at the best of times, particularly since the spectators and volunteers kept shouting "You can do it! You look great! You're nearly there!" But of course, I wasn't, and all the cheering for the lucky bastards made me a bit bitter. And this is where things just got mean. The half runners all kept going straight. But me (and presumably the rest of the marathon runners), with cries of "you're almost home!" ringing wistfully in my ear, I turned the corner and found myself at the foot of the steepest hill on the course. Couldn't you plan the course a little better? I mean, come on, the steepest hill, right there? Really?

Oil Please

2009-05-18T20:39:00.002-05:00

Wow, I managed to get in one very creaky mile tonight. During the day, I thought I felt pretty good and was actually looking forward to this evening's run. But when I actually started "running" (it was probably closer to a shuffle/waddle/walk-while-swinging-arms-like-a-runner type of thing) I found myself to be much more achy than anticipated. I did manage to gut through about a mile and a quarter, and towards the end of the run things had even begun to loosen up. But it was uncomfortable enough at the start that I decided to keep it short in the name of quick healing. Here's hoping I'm feeling recovered enough tomorrow to get in a few more miles.

Rockford Marathon Race Report

2009-05-17T19:21:00.003-05:00

The one thing I really hate about writing race reports, is that I never really know where to start. I'm suppose I'll start with some good stuff. It was a beautiful day for a race and a surprisingly large race field. I did manage to finish, and I did beat my St Louis time, but not by much. So, what went wrong? Mostly me. I'm too lazy to train properly, which means I'm not quite in marathon shape both physically and especially mentally. That means I have a hard time pushing myself for the full distance. I did okay at the start, and felt fine in the middle, but just couldn't keep myself running as much as I would have liked. On the other hand, I did finish the race, and I still feel pretty good physically. Not to mention, I finished two marathons in four weeks with terrible training. I'm suppose the real lesson to take from all of this, is that it's a bit goofy of me to try running a marathon a month. Sure, I can do it, but it's not a smart move to get personal bests. What does all of this mean? Well, I've got several more marathons this year, which I think means several more slow marathons. But next year, I plan to spread out my races a little better. See if I can't put together and actually implement a proper sixteen week training program. Then maybe I can finally get a better time and have a decent shot at qualifying for Boston. On one final note, it was a perfect day for a run, and I couldn't have had much more fun if I tried.

Chomping

2009-05-16T16:44:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here relaxing, drinking a beer, and watching the lead up to the Preakness. I just got in another light 5k run. Everything felt great. I'm healthy, running feels smooth and easy, the weather forecast looks good tomorrow. I think I've got a great shot at a PR tomorrow, and I'm chomping at the bit and ready to start.

Silky

2009-05-15T20:31:00.003-05:00

I got in an easy 5k run tonight at a slow pace. It felt relaxed and easy, you might even say, silky smooth. Okay, maybe that's just me. Just a light run to keep lose and ready for the marathon on Sunday. Felt good and healthy, weather forecast looks good. I'm excited, and ready for a new pr.

Diat It Up

2009-05-14T22:24:00.002-05:00

It was a full and busy evening, which didn't leave much time for a run. And instead of just going for a quick and easy short run, I decided to go for a quick and hard short run. That's right, it was a much over due one mile time trial. Sandwiched by a quarter mile warm up and another quarter mile cool down, I managed my fastest time to date with a 6:15 mile...and it was in the dark. Not too shabby if I do say so myself...which I do, since no one was dumb enough to watch me run in the dark...that I know of anyway.

Knight Runner

2009-05-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

I have to admit, I'm not actually a high tech artificial intelligence car with all sorts of nifty gadgets, but I have been known to run at night. This evening was pretty typical. It was a busy day, and a full evening of playing with Kya (it turns out that she loves empty milk jugs as a toy, and it doesn't take her very long to destroy it). So I finally got a chance to get my run in just after the dark fully settled in, and as usual, I really enjoyed it. There's something soothing about running in the calm of the night. I makes me even more certain that I need to switch my runs to the morning. It's just so hard to do after a night of short sleep from running late the night before. Oh well, one of these days maybe I'll get to bed on time and actually manage to make the switch.