Ran a 10k in June (3 Viewers)

[AcerFC]

OK, so here goes

I showed up at OCC about 40 minutes early. It was cold so I stayed in the car for a bit. I headed in 20 minutes early to hit the bathroom. Long lines and I wound up getting out of bathroom 5 minutes before the start. went outside and it was cold but not unbearable. The rain had stopped and there was no snow like they were predicting. Wore shorts and two long sleeve shirts. National Anthem was sang and then Paul Sr. gave us the Ready, Set, long pause and Go

I had made my way up front and started my Garmin. Since I ran the course on Tuesday, I knew to expect the uphill climb that awaited. I pretty much sanded the start even though I dont like to. I wanted to give it a whirl. I saw my HR hit 195 and I slowed myself down because I really wanted to hit my time and didnt want to burn out. Here is my breakdown

Mile 1: 6:54, HR 183

Mile 2: 7:31, HR 177

Mile 3: 6:54, HR 183

.10: 39.6, HR 183

.11: 41.8, HR 185

As I said, according to my watch which I calibrated and was accurate, I felt the course ran an extra .11. Maybe it did, maybe it didnt. Doesnt matter, I still set my PR either way.

This was my first race since the 07 NYC marathon. I finished 42nd overall and came in 10th in my age group. I have to admit, and I never like to do this, I am pretty proud of myself. I can not wait to start my speed work so I can do better. I feel like if this was a flat course I could have been 21 minutes. I have another race set for April 21st. Obviously, Im looking to beat this time.

There was a ton going on after the race with BBQ being cooked. But I had to bail to get to my baseball draft. Is this the norm at races. People just hang and chill out after.

 

[Sand]

I saw my HR hit 195 and I slowed myself down because I really wanted to hit my time and didnt want to burn out. Here is my breakdown

Were you praying for death at the mile 2 marker? If not you let up too much. Still, that wasn't a bad race at all! A PR is a PR and something tells me you will be taking a big chunk out of that next time around.

There was a ton going on after the race with BBQ being cooked. But I had to bail to get to my baseball draft. Is this the norm at races. People just hang and chill out after.

Depends on the race, but BBQ being cooked after a race is superbly awesome.

 

[prosopis]

I did a nice easy 5 mile recovery run today. My right upper leg right near my nut sack is killing me and has been since I tried that speed workout. After every run it kills me. I mentioned it at my massage and she said it felt WAY tighter then the left. She worked it over really hard. To the point where I had to ask her to back off. I dont think she helped it at all and it may be worse. I have had painful massages before but this girl beat them all by a lot. She pretty much used her elbow and full body weight the entire time. She told me she was forcing the muscles to relax. I damn near cried at one point. I also have some bruising from it.

I saw the guy at the grocery store again. I asked him why he did not accept the scholarship to Pima Comm College. He told me he did not like the coach or his style. Says he still goes to Pima and races those guys every chance he gets just to show them up. He gave me some interval advice and pointed me towards a road they do their workouts on which I am going to try. Nice guy. He also said he was 24 and started running at ?21. He did not like the kids at Pima because they were 19 year old jocks. He says he was really into the drug scene in highschool and just cant hang out with the jock crowd. Interesting guy.

Good luck to all the racers this weekend.

I'd get that groin checked out ASAP.

I am almost always bruised after a DT massage. FWIW

Seriously? I have no insurance so I doubt I will. I can still run. It just hurts like a ##### after. I was going to try some yoga stretches on it to see if that helps.

 

[prosopis]

OK, so here goesI showed up at OCC about 40 minutes early. It was cold so I stayed in the car for a bit. I headed in 20 minutes early to hit the bathroom. Long lines and I wound up getting out of bathroom 5 minutes before the start. went outside and it was cold but not unbearable. The rain had stopped and there was no snow like they were predicting. Wore shorts and two long sleeve shirts. National Anthem was sang and then Paul Sr. gave us the Ready, Set, long pause and GoI had made my way up front and started my Garmin. Since I ran the course on Tuesday, I knew to expect the uphill climb that awaited. I pretty much sanded the start even though I dont like to. I wanted to give it a whirl. I saw my HR hit 195 and I slowed myself down because I really wanted to hit my time and didnt want to burn out. Here is my breakdownMile 1: 6:54, HR 183Mile 2: 7:31, HR 177Mile 3: 6:54, HR 183 .10: 39.6, HR 183 .11: 41.8, HR 185As I said, according to my watch which I calibrated and was accurate, I felt the course ran an extra .11. Maybe it did, maybe it didnt. Doesnt matter, I still set my PR either way. This was my first race since the 07 NYC marathon. I finished 42nd overall and came in 10th in my age group. I have to admit, and I never like to do this, I am pretty proud of myself. I can not wait to start my speed work so I can do better. I feel like if this was a flat course I could have been 21 minutes. I have another race set for April 21st. Obviously, Im looking to beat this time.There was a ton going on after the race with BBQ being cooked. But I had to bail to get to my baseball draft. Is this the norm at races. People just hang and chill out after.

 

[tri-man 47]

20:25

Sand - :

 

[Sand]

20:25

Sand - :

I'd rather you'd have crushed it instead of edging a shade better. That just means I have hope of coming back at you. I really wanted to have no hope and sail off into the distance (a la Gru).

 

[2Young2BBald]

There was a ton going on after the race with BBQ being cooked. But I had to bail to get to my baseball draft. Is this the norm at races. People just hang and chill out after.

If its not fun, its not worth doing IMO. We make events of as many races as we can. I am really lucky that many of my friends race too. We are constantly email races to each other and someone always packs beers, snacks, etc. Showed up today to packet pick up was greeted by one of the volunteers who shouted "the Bloody Mary Gang is here".

 

[2Young2BBald]

Bald Mountain - Mountain Man 10K Trail Run RR:

One of those days where I question why I bother running on pavement, ever. The course was beautiful and a lot more technical than I expected. Wider trail, but lots and lots of rocks. Much cooler than expected, about 38 at the start and damp due to rains this week (low lying areas were very sloppy). Ran it in 50:51 (not to be confused with Van Halen's 5150). If its possible to Sand the first three miles, I did it and paid after a double climb just past the three mile mark. I was already suffering from nasty spring allergies and making matter worse they'd just done a controlled burn at the state park this week. At the top of the climb my HR spiked to 184 and I could not get a real good breath, coasted a bit on the down hill after and dropped the HR back to the 160s an carried on. Passed 5 lakes on the route, best view came when rounding a corner we crossed a dam and the lake to the left of the dam was like glass reflecting the tree surrounding it. I let out a muffled "awesome" at the sight. The last mile plus is the most twisty on the course. It goes through a pine forest, with sandy soil. No way to watch the Garmin without falling on your face. Every turn I expected to see the finish. I knew I was close and could hear breathing on my heels and it sound like a woman. I went into full out sprint (too early) and was just barely able to hold off being chicked. The weather was a bit too cool for the typical dirt race Bloody Mary bar, but being ever prepared, back up beers were packed, so we got to enjoy a few beers and pizza by a bonfire while watching the awards. Kind off cool that the age spread of particpants spanned from an 11 year old girl to and 85 year old man.

WTG Tri-Man, for the RR and where you finished AG.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Hey Grue, took me a few minutes to even realize you were in this photo. Jennifer

 

[AcerFC]

Thinking of doing a half marathon a day after my next 5K on April 22nd. Not sure I have enough time to train. I know I can run the miles, just need to figure if it's worth it just for a baseline.

 

[Sand]

Hey Grue, took me a few minutes to even realized you were in this photo. Jennifer

I don't see him.

 

[17seconds]

Managed a 5K PR today even though I haven't been doing any interval training.

21:27, 6:55 pace! Sanded a little bit. First mile was 6:40 then about 7:00 was all I could muster for the rest with a little kick at the end. Beat previous PR by 25s. Some headwind in mile 2. Other than that, conditions were perfect.

 

[thetman]

As a relative newbie, I have to ask. Is keeping track of your heart rate that big of a deal?

 

[thetman]

I just started reading this topic. There's a lot of good stuff in here! I started running at the end of last year. I ran 5.7 miles this morning in 55:55, 9:48 pace. I have a marathon relay in 2 weeks where I'm running 7.5 miles. I'm hoping to break 10 per mile.

 

[tri-man 47]

The Race That's Good For Life 5K

Official time: 20:26 6:35/mile

Details: 4th of 34 AG, 130th of 460 overall (men's race)

Mile 1: 6:24 HR-171

Mile 2: 6:38 HR-180

Mile 3: 6:49 HR-180

Final .1: 6:00 HR-180

This is one of the more competitive races in the Chicago area, in large part because it's featured on the CARA race circuit. That said, I was actually pleased to finish 4th in the AG. I missed 3rd by almost two minutes. Most encouraging was that my time was five seconds faster than my final 5K last fall (and yes, I edged out Sand's time from our little competition at the end of last season).

"Plan your race, and race your plan," as they say, and I was very pleased with this. I knew we had one long straightaway from .5 to 1.5 miles. That was followed by a series of six turns over the next mile. The course had a small incline before mile 2, then a similar descent at 2.75. My plan was to push the first mile and see if I could hold that speed through 1.5 miles; use the turns to slingshot the pace a bit; and run strong regardless of how I felt (or breathing pattern) over the final half-mile. I faltered a bit physically and mentally over the first half of mile 3, but pulled things together for the home stretch.

Pre-race all went fine. I had a great night's sleep, and morning routines were normal. Being Palm Sunday, I caught 8:30 a.m. church and slipped out after the sermon to change and do my warm-up down to the race site for a 9:50 a.m. start. The temp was about 60, but some rain in the area made it humid (which I don't like). I had seen a bit of Jet Li's "Fearless" movie on Saturday afternoon, and that word became my mantra whenever negative thoughts appeared last night or through the morning, which worked very well.

Mile 1: I started back a bit, knowing how fast the field was. It was a bit crowded, but I was running around 6:15 pace through the first half-mile. The first turn backed up, and I'm sure I lost a few seconds. As I started the long stretch, the field around me seemed to slow but I pushed the pace to stay on target. The 6:24 mile was good, and more encouraging was that I felt steady and rather strong.

Mile 2: I reached the 1 1/2 mile turn at 6:26/mile and still felt OK. As mentioned, I tried to use the turns to accelerate a bit. I needed to focus, as I could see my pace slipping a bit. I attacked the incline before mile 2 ..the effect of that section probably had some impact over the rest of the race. The mile was 6:38, and my two mile time was 13:02. I liked that! ..but knew I had a tough mile ahead.

Mile 3: This started rather poorly. My breathing was an effort, and I saw some pacing that even crept up to 7:00/mile. I tried to be patient and wait for each turn to get a 'boost.' The final turn was before the 2 1/2 mile point. As planned, I started pushing, despite the fact that my breathing indicated how tired I was - I had quite a bit of "double breathing" ...breathing (inhale/exhale) each step instead of every other step. But I just ran hard - real hard. I wasn't focused on runners around me or even my time. I just gave it all I had.

So it was good! It really was a race ...concentration and focus throughout; I stayed in a race zone throughout. I need to work on my endurance more, but upcoming races are longer, so I'll add more tempo runs and more repeats to my mile intervals.

 

[17seconds]

As a relative newbie, I have to ask. Is keeping track of your heart rate that big of a deal?

It's more like monitoring it to stay at the right training intensity. Can be a good indicator instead of pace because as your fitness improves you'll be able to increase your pace and ypu can see that improvement in your HR.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Wow. You can tell spring has arrived with all the races and serious training runs taking place. My personal favorite is Ned's 206.9 mile month because, let's face it, 207 would be kind of stupid.

Did a really nice 15-miler after church this morning, averaging 9:38/mi. That's a little faster than what I should be doing long runs at (let's say MP is 9:00/mi), but it felt good at the time and I'm not sore or otherwise beaten-down now.

 

[tri-man 47]

Hey Grue, took me a few minutes to even realized you were in this photo. Jennifer

I don't see him.

He's the one getting his butt checked out by the guy behind him. Jennifer is looking good, though I did tease her a bit on a FB pic of grue's regarding her heavy heel strike. She acknowledged that her form (her foot form) was way off in that race.

 

[prosopis]

Wow. You can tell spring has arrived with all the races and serious training runs taking place. My personal favorite is Ned's 206.9 mile month because, let's face it, 207 would be kind of stupid.

Did a really nice 15-miler after church this morning, averaging 9:38/mi. That's a little faster than what I should be doing long runs at (let's say MP is 9:00/mi), but it felt good at the time and I'm not sore or otherwise beaten-down now.

 

[prosopis]

Tri-Man - Very nice race. I am always impressed with how you prepare and execute a race. While you are counting breaths between strides I am wondering if I used enough glide and how old the girl in front of me is.

 

[Sand]

Gents: A

start to the week. ---

Unlike tri-man and 2Y (who kicked ### today), I was a slug and only managed a slow 50 minute ride today - good recovery activity. Just not used to the hard 50 mile weekend rides yet. 3.5 hours on the bike and 30 minutes in the pool this weekend; not bad at all. Managed 25 hours this month doing something - evenly split between swim and bike, with precious little running. If all goes well a well orchestrated (<---- that be sarcasm, folks) volume increase to 10 hrs/week will be happening through May (then bike season will begin in earnest!)

 

[AcerFC]

Gents: A

I dont care how many calories I burn, Im just trying to get away from my wife

 

[BassNBrew]

Ditch the race for a 56 mile bike ride. 19.9 mph average, 133 avg hr. Definately felt the lack of bike mileage as that hr is pretty low. Knocked out the first 20 miles at 20.0 mph. Moved the avg up to 20.3 over the next 20 miles. Fell off the cliff from there and the speed bled back to 19.9 over the last 16 miles.

Followed that ride up with a 5 mile easy run (that didn't fell so easy) at an 11:30 pace.

I did work in the yard and moved a ton of rock on Saturday which got the soreness started. The ride left my hammies barking today.

 

[tri-man 47]

Gents: A

 

[AcerFC]

I just signed up for the HM. Not using it to PR, using it as a baseline to get better. I figure its worth it since I am really enjoying running these days

 

[Ned]

Ended the weekend on a somber note. I was on the trails yesterday running my 18 miler when I received a call from my mom that her husband (step father) was in ICU and being put on life support. Long story short, we watched him take his last breaths last night after succumbing to cancer. What a f'ed up disease it is. As I finished up my run, I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky and a touch guilty for being able to do what we do out there.

 

[AcerFC]

Ended the weekend on a somber note. I was on the trails yesterday running my 18 miler when I received a call from my mom that her husband (step father) was in ICU and being put on life support. Long story short, we watched him take his last breaths last night after succumbing to cancer. What a f'ed up disease it is. As I finished up my run, I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky and a touch guilty for being able to do what we do out there.

my condolences to you and your family

 

[gruecd]

Sean - Did you decide if you're gonna go ahead with the Higdon plan?

benson - Why are you running 7-minute miles (or faster) in training? Were you doing a tempo run or something? Just trying to make sure you know what you're doing...

jb, Acer, and 17secs - Congrats on the 5Ks!

liquors - You seriously went to "21 Jump Street?"

BNB - I'm with the others. A training cycle geared towards speed should help.

sho nuff - Great job on the 12/7. I despise that workout, especially since (like Ned said) it typically comes in the middle of your peak mileage week. It's a helluva confidence builder when you nail it, though.

Hang 10 - Nice running.

Ned - Great running lately! I only got 199.7 for March; if I'd known you were beating me, I would've run an extra 8-miler.

prosopis - Again, agreeing with Ned. Post-massage brusing is pretty common. And they always hurt a lot. Gotta break up those adhesions!

tri-man - Not bad for an old guy. Way to kick off the racing season!

2Young - Sounds like you had a great time yesterday!

thetman - I don't track my heart rate at all. That being said, I've been running for 8+ years now, so I like to think I've got a pretty good idea of perceived exertion. Good luck with your relay!

Ivan - Nice job on the 15!

Sand - Nice training!

 

[gruecd]

Followed up Friday night's 5K with a rest day on Saturday, 16 yesterday afternoon, and a 7-mile recovery run this morning. Legs felt pretty heavy yesterday, but that's what I've come to expect from taper runs, and I'm sure there was some residual fatigue from the race, too.

Pretty easy week on tap: 7, 8, SRD, 5, SRD, 12, SRD. I'm supposed to include some mile repeats tomorrow, but after the last few training cycles, I've determined that the risk/reward isn't worth it. Too easy to pull a muscle or something, and it's just too close to the race for it to have any meaningful positive impact.

 

[gruecd]

Pretty cool story from back in January about my friend Jenny who was in my picture. Since you guys are such fans, I thought I'd share.

 

[gruecd]

Ended the weekend on a somber note. I was on the trails yesterday running my 18 miler when I received a call from my mom that her husband (step father) was in ICU and being put on life support. Long story short, we watched him take his last breaths last night after succumbing to cancer. What a f'ed up disease it is. As I finished up my run, I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky and a touch guilty for being able to do what we do out there.

Sorry, dude. Condolences.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Great racing all. It is amazing the amount of effort that gets put forth on this board week in and week out. Truly inspirational and totally motivating.

Ned- Sorry to hear about your step-father. Cancer is just one of those things that needs to go away.

-------------

For me, I started off strong last week, but the week ended down in flames. I ended up getting sick on Friday and was out of commission Friday and most of Saturday. My one goal was to get in my long run for the week of 18 miles. I went out last night around 8:30 and could only do 15. I am not as over my sickness as I thought I was and was feeling it about 10 miles in. I cut it short at 15 and need to try and get some more rest. I need to have a couple of good weeks and head into taper. Not feeling too well about this training cycle as it started out really well, but I just have not been able to put in the quality time lately that I need to be. Live and learn, but I will still get through it and it will be a great experience for me again.

Have a great day all.

 

[The_Man]

Ned, very sorry for your mom and family.

Tri and Grue, and all the other 5K racers – nice job. How I hate that distance. It led me to abandon my high school running career before my senior year. Instead of suffering through 3.1 miles, I raced a nice, enjoyable, 10-miler yesterday, the Cherry Blossom 10-miler which runs all around the downtown DC monuments.

My training has been crap since the holidays, largely because I’m too lazy to run in the pre-dawn cold and dark, so I’ve been running on the weekends only – 6 or 8 on Saturday and then 12 on Sunday. I’ve been averaging 18 miles a week since mid-January (I did 65 total miles in February and 75 in March).

My speed and stamina are shot, but my endurance is still o.k. So my goal was to run a 7:30 pace and finish in 75 minutes. My wife was also running her first 10-miler ever, and I was really hoping for her to have a good experience. Unlike me, she has been killing her training, even getting up before 5 a.m. twice a week to run with our neighbor before work. Her goal was to finish without walking.

The race has 15,000 runners, with a wave start. My wife handled the registration and somehow entered info for me that got me lined up to start way back, in the third wave. I weaseled my way up into the second corral, but even from there could see the signs for the 8:00 and even 8:30 pace group were hundreds of runners in front of me.

The horn sounded and I spent the first mile running like Barry Sanders, zigzagging back and forth wherever I could find a hole in the wall of people in front of me, then accelerating to squeeze through before it closed. Maybe I was a little too fast, as I hit the first mile marker right at 7:00. I felt surprisingly good, though. It was a perfect morning to race – upper 40s, completely overcast skies, and just a very light breeze, so that probably helped.

For the next 3 miles, I focused on maintaining my speed while continuing to breathe easily. But I finally had to start backing off a little – I didn’t want to bonk, and I knew I wasn’t in shape, so I stopped worrying about my time and let my fitness level dictate how hard I went. At the midway mark, my average pace was 7:08 per mile. For the second half of the race, I averaged 7:18. Overall, I finished with a 7:14 pace in 1:12:11, #107 out of 928 in my age group.

My rookie racer of a wife had to stop for a potty break around Mile 4. That contributed to a 12:09 pace for her first 5 miles, but she ran the last 5 miles at 11:01. That was way fast for her! Believe it or not, she is now contemplating a Half Marathon.

I was definitely happy with my time, particularly to see that my inactivity hasn’t cost me all of my fitness since last fall’s marathon. I’m much more sore than usual after a 10-mile race, but am starting to feel very motivated again. I’ve got another 10-mile race in Mid-June, and I feel like I might be able to break 70 minutes with a dedicated 10 weeks of training. After that, I’ll probably gear up for a late fall/early winter marathon, with an eye toward knocking 5 minutes off my PR to get the 3:15 I need to qualify for Boston.

 

[BassNBrew]

Ned, very sorry for your mom and family.

Tri and Grue, and all the other 5K racers – nice job. How I hate that distance. It led me to abandon my high school running career before my senior year. Instead of suffering through 3.1 miles, I raced a nice, enjoyable, 10-miler yesterday, the Cherry Blossom 10-miler which runs all around the downtown DC monuments.

My training has been crap since the holidays, largely because I’m too lazy to run in the pre-dawn cold and dark, so I’ve been running on the weekends only – 6 or 8 on Saturday and then 12 on Sunday. I’ve been averaging 18 miles a week since mid-January (I did 65 total miles in February and 75 in March).

My speed and stamina are shot, but my endurance is still o.k. So my goal was to run a 7:30 pace and finish in 75 minutes. My wife was also running her first 10-miler ever, and I was really hoping for her to have a good experience. Unlike me, she has been killing her training, even getting up before 5 a.m. twice a week to run with our neighbor before work. Her goal was to finish without walking.

The race has 15,000 runners, with a wave start. My wife handled the registration and somehow entered info for me that got me lined up to start way back, in the third wave. I weaseled my way up into the second corral, but even from there could see the signs for the 8:00 and even 8:30 pace group were hundreds of runners in front of me.

The horn sounded and I spent the first mile running like Barry Sanders, zigzagging back and forth wherever I could find a hole in the wall of people in front of me, then accelerating to squeeze through before it closed. Maybe I was a little too fast, as I hit the first mile marker right at 7:00. I felt surprisingly good, though. It was a perfect morning to race – upper 40s, completely overcast skies, and just a very light breeze, so that probably helped.

For the next 3 miles, I focused on maintaining my speed while continuing to breathe easily. But I finally had to start backing off a little – I didn’t want to bonk, and I knew I wasn’t in shape, so I stopped worrying about my time and let my fitness level dictate how hard I went. At the midway mark, my average pace was 7:08 per mile. For the second half of the race, I averaged 7:18. Overall, I finished with a 7:14 pace in 1:12:11, #107 out of 928 in my age group.

My rookie racer of a wife had to stop for a potty break around Mile 4. That contributed to a 12:09 pace for her first 5 miles, but she ran the last 5 miles at 11:01. That was way fast for her! Believe it or not, she is now contemplating a Half Marathon.

I was definitely happy with my time, particularly to see that my inactivity hasn’t cost me all of my fitness since last fall’s marathon. I’m much more sore than usual after a 10-mile race, but am starting to feel very motivated again. I’ve got another 10-mile race in Mid-June, and I feel like I might be able to break 70 minutes with a dedicated 10 weeks of training. After that, I’ll probably gear up for a late fall/early winter marathon, with an eye toward knocking 5 minutes off my PR to get the 3:15 I need to qualify for Boston.

Awesome dude!

 

[BassNBrew]

Ended the weekend on a somber note. I was on the trails yesterday running my 18 miler when I received a call from my mom that her husband (step father) was in ICU and being put on life support. Long story short, we watched him take his last breaths last night after succumbing to cancer. What a f'ed up disease it is. As I finished up my run, I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky and a touch guilty for being able to do what we do out there.

:(

 

[Ned]

I beat grue at something? Thats it. I'm retiring.

The_Man - you're immensely talented. I have zero doubt you can hit 3:15 with a solid training cycle. Congrats to your wife!

 

[2Young2BBald]

Ended the weekend on a somber note. I was on the trails yesterday running my 18 miler when I received a call from my mom that her husband (step father) was in ICU and being put on life support. Long story short, we watched him take his last breaths last night after succumbing to cancer. What a f'ed up disease it is. As I finished up my run, I couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky and a touch guilty for being able to do what we do out there.

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[pigskinliquors]

The Man: AWESOME race to both you and the Mrs.

20:25

Sand - :

I'd rather you'd have crushed it instead of edging a shade better. That just means I have hope of coming back at you. I really wanted to have no hope and sail off into the distance (a la Gru).

Great Race Tri!!! Sand: the old man now owns you.

Hey Grue, took me a few minutes to even realize you were in this photo. Jennifer

Difference between Grue and I is that I would certainly make sure I was pacing off of her, while being approximately 3 paces directly behind.

As a relative newbie, I have to ask. Is keeping track of your heart rate that big of a deal?

Ned: Please come to the nearest courtesy phone...

Gents: A

Great story!!!! Is she still single ______________________________

My update:

I took my first SDO in two weeks on Saturday, as I had rough Thursday and Friday nights (you know something went wrong/right when your 10 year old daughter asks you in the morning why there is cheese all over your house).

Yesterday was just P90x Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. I'm running to the gym now for an hour on the elliptical, before running back. Tonight will be Plyometrics and Ab ripper.

I'm starting to get into bathing suit shape

 

[17seconds]

Sorry to hear that news Ned.

Good racing and training everyone!

 

[2Young2BBald]

Ned, very sorry for your mom and family.

Tri and Grue, and all the other 5K racers – nice job. How I hate that distance. It led me to abandon my high school running career before my senior year. Instead of suffering through 3.1 miles, I raced a nice, enjoyable, 10-miler yesterday, the Cherry Blossom 10-miler which runs all around the downtown DC monuments.

My training has been crap since the holidays, largely because I'm too lazy to run in the pre-dawn cold and dark, so I've been running on the weekends only – 6 or 8 on Saturday and then 12 on Sunday. I've been averaging 18 miles a week since mid-January (I did 65 total miles in February and 75 in March).

My speed and stamina are shot, but my endurance is still o.k. So my goal was to run a 7:30 pace and finish in 75 minutes. My wife was also running her first 10-miler ever, and I was really hoping for her to have a good experience. Unlike me, she has been killing her training, even getting up before 5 a.m. twice a week to run with our neighbor before work. Her goal was to finish without walking.

The race has 15,000 runners, with a wave start. My wife handled the registration and somehow entered info for me that got me lined up to start way back, in the third wave. I weaseled my way up into the second corral, but even from there could see the signs for the 8:00 and even 8:30 pace group were hundreds of runners in front of me.

The horn sounded and I spent the first mile running like Barry Sanders, zigzagging back and forth wherever I could find a hole in the wall of people in front of me, then accelerating to squeeze through before it closed. Maybe I was a little too fast, as I hit the first mile marker right at 7:00. I felt surprisingly good, though. It was a perfect morning to race – upper 40s, completely overcast skies, and just a very light breeze, so that probably helped.

For the next 3 miles, I focused on maintaining my speed while continuing to breathe easily. But I finally had to start backing off a little – I didn't want to bonk, and I knew I wasn't in shape, so I stopped worrying about my time and let my fitness level dictate how hard I went. At the midway mark, my average pace was 7:08 per mile. For the second half of the race, I averaged 7:18. Overall, I finished with a 7:14 pace in 1:12:11, #107 out of 928 in my age group.

My rookie racer of a wife had to stop for a potty break around Mile 4. That contributed to a 12:09 pace for her first 5 miles, but she ran the last 5 miles at 11:01. That was way fast for her! Believe it or not, she is now contemplating a Half Marathon.

I was definitely happy with my time, particularly to see that my inactivity hasn't cost me all of my fitness since last fall's marathon. I'm much more sore than usual after a 10-mile race, but am starting to feel very motivated again. I've got another 10-mile race in Mid-June, and I feel like I might be able to break 70 minutes with a dedicated 10 weeks of training. After that, I'll probably gear up for a late fall/early winter marathon, with an eye toward knocking 5 minutes off my PR to get the 3:15 I need to qualify for Boston.

Awesomeness. While it sold out for this year (and only a month away) you and your wife should target running Indy Mini 1/2 next year. My wife an I did it a few years back and I ran with her. It was one of my most favorite days running (and she crushed her previous 1/2 PR).

 

[Ned]

tri I forgot to pass my congrats. That's a fantastic start to the season.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Run to: 4:41

50 minutes elliptical

Return: 4:38

I'm planning on trying to run it slightly faster until I either: a) feel new pain, or b) am running at 100%. While it is just baby steps, it feels pretty cool to be on the road "running."

 

[Sand]

Run to: 4:4150 minutes ellipticalReturn: 4:38I'm planning on trying to run it slightly faster until I either: a) feel new pain, or b) am running at 100%. While it is just baby steps, it feels pretty cool to be on the road "running."

I thought running (or, for that matter, "running") was verboten for you? Has the doctor relented?

 

[pmbrown_22]

Run to: 4:4150 minutes ellipticalReturn: 4:38I'm planning on trying to run it slightly faster until I either: a) feel new pain, or b) am running at 100%. While it is just baby steps, it feels pretty cool to be on the road "running."

Great to see you running again as I know you were so bummed when you couldn't last year. Hopefully it builds to something good for you.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Run to: 4:4150 minutes ellipticalReturn: 4:38I'm planning on trying to run it slightly faster until I either: a) feel new pain, or b) am running at 100%. While it is just baby steps, it feels pretty cool to be on the road "running."

I thought running (or, for that matter, "running") was verboten for you? Has the doctor relented?

I have virtually zero cartilage in my right hip. I can run as I can't damage it any more. The problem is that it causes severe pain at some point in running. I have no delusion of running even a 5k pre hip surgery, but I refuse to NOT find out what my limits are. I was running 2+ miles last year at this time every time I re-injured myself (which then was pretty much every time I ran 2+ miles). At a minimum, I want to find out if I'm going to be able to play a little soccer or basketball with my daughters if/when they ask.

 

[tri-man 47]

tri I forgot to pass my congrats. That's a fantastic start to the season.

Thanks, Ned. Sorry to hear your family news. Two years ago, my wife had to leave early from our summer vacation (cottage in Michigan) as her father was near the end after a long illness. I had a triathlon up there before returning myself. I actually placed in my age group in that race ...it was very emotional as I reflected on celebrations of life versus the certainty of death. I understand what you said, therefore, about being out on a trail run with such thoughts on your mind.

 

[BassNBrew]

Run to: 4:4150 minutes ellipticalReturn: 4:38I'm planning on trying to run it slightly faster until I either: a) feel new pain, or b) am running at 100%. While it is just baby steps, it feels pretty cool to be on the road "running."

I thought running (or, for that matter, "running") was verboten for you? Has the doctor relented?

I have virtually zero cartilage in my right hip. I can run as I can't damage it any more. The problem is that it causes severe pain at some point in running. I have no delusion of running even a 5k pre hip surgery, but I refuse to NOT find out what my limits are. I was running 2+ miles last year at this time every time I re-injured myself (which then was pretty much every time I ran 2+ miles). At a minimum, I want to find out if I'm going to be able to play a little soccer or basketball with my daughters if/when they ask.

I'm still looking for a true sprint tri...swim 50 yards, bike 50 miles, run 50 yards.

 

[sho nuff]

Sorry to hear that news Ned...

6 X 1200m on tap for later tonight after it cools down some.

Spent the first day of my son's spring break checking out the zoo with him including a new DinoTrek exhibit of robotic dinosaurs. Pretty cool and he loved it.

Also...huge thanks to so many here who donated with the link I posted. Ended up getting $1,010 so just past my $1,000 goal. So amazed by the generosity of people on here I have never met...I really appreciate it as its for such a great cause.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Run to: 4:41

50 minutes elliptical

Return: 4:38

I'm planning on trying to run it slightly faster until I either: a) feel new pain, or b) am running at 100%. While it is just baby steps, it feels pretty cool to be on the road "running."

I thought running (or, for that matter, "running") was verboten for you? Has the doctor relented?

I have virtually zero cartilage in my right hip. I can run as I can't damage it any more. The problem is that it causes severe pain at some point in running. I have no delusion of running even a 5k pre hip surgery, but I refuse to NOT find out what my limits are. I was running 2+ miles last year at this time every time I re-injured myself (which then was pretty much every time I ran 2+ miles). At a minimum, I want to find out if I'm going to be able to play a little soccer or basketball with my daughters if/when they ask.

I'm still looking for a true sprint tri...swim 50 yards, bike 50 miles, run 50 yards.

No one gets the table slanted in their direction until I get the MiniMe Division.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Ned, very sorry for your mom and family.

Tri and Grue, and all the other 5K racers – nice job. How I hate that distance. It led me to abandon my high school running career before my senior year. Instead of suffering through 3.1 miles, I raced a nice, enjoyable, 10-miler yesterday, the Cherry Blossom 10-miler which runs all around the downtown DC monuments.

My training has been crap since the holidays, largely because I’m too lazy to run in the pre-dawn cold and dark, so I’ve been running on the weekends only – 6 or 8 on Saturday and then 12 on Sunday. I’ve been averaging 18 miles a week since mid-January (I did 65 total miles in February and 75 in March).

My speed and stamina are shot, but my endurance is still o.k. So my goal was to run a 7:30 pace and finish in 75 minutes. My wife was also running her first 10-miler ever, and I was really hoping for her to have a good experience. Unlike me, she has been killing her training, even getting up before 5 a.m. twice a week to run with our neighbor before work. Her goal was to finish without walking.

The race has 15,000 runners, with a wave start. My wife handled the registration and somehow entered info for me that got me lined up to start way back, in the third wave. I weaseled my way up into the second corral, but even from there could see the signs for the 8:00 and even 8:30 pace group were hundreds of runners in front of me.

The horn sounded and I spent the first mile running like Barry Sanders, zigzagging back and forth wherever I could find a hole in the wall of people in front of me, then accelerating to squeeze through before it closed. Maybe I was a little too fast, as I hit the first mile marker right at 7:00. I felt surprisingly good, though. It was a perfect morning to race – upper 40s, completely overcast skies, and just a very light breeze, so that probably helped.

For the next 3 miles, I focused on maintaining my speed while continuing to breathe easily. But I finally had to start backing off a little – I didn’t want to bonk, and I knew I wasn’t in shape, so I stopped worrying about my time and let my fitness level dictate how hard I went. At the midway mark, my average pace was 7:08 per mile. For the second half of the race, I averaged 7:18. Overall, I finished with a 7:14 pace in 1:12:11, #107 out of 928 in my age group.

My rookie racer of a wife had to stop for a potty break around Mile 4. That contributed to a 12:09 pace for her first 5 miles, but she ran the last 5 miles at 11:01. That was way fast for her! Believe it or not, she is now contemplating a Half Marathon.

I was definitely happy with my time, particularly to see that my inactivity hasn’t cost me all of my fitness since last fall’s marathon. I’m much more sore than usual after a 10-mile race, but am starting to feel very motivated again. I’ve got another 10-mile race in Mid-June, and I feel like I might be able to break 70 minutes with a dedicated 10 weeks of training. After that, I’ll probably gear up for a late fall/early winter marathon, with an eye toward knocking 5 minutes off my PR to get the 3:15 I need to qualify for Boston.

That is a sensational time considering them minimal training you were able to squeeze in. Nice job. Congrats to Mrs. The_Man as well.