Changes Afoot

Looks like I will be moving to Charleston SC. This will be a good move for me - I will be closer to family and be able to pursue work that makes me happier. I've met a number of people who have made Vegas work for them, but it's not for me, and it's probably best that I close this chapter. I'm excited about getting a new start.

Another change will be more shorter races - and fewer marathons. I did 3 full marathons in 2009 - Phoenix, Myrtle Beach and Portland - and they were all great races, well organized, in nice places, just very positive experiences. Times of 320, 310 and 312 - I qualified for Boston and might do that next year if I can find time for it.

But mostly I'd rather focus on half marathons in the future - I think 13 miles is a better, more manageable distance. Less wear and tear and faster, with less downtime after. It's been almost two weeks and I'm still hurting pretty badly from the portland marathon - my quads and hamstrings have zero pep in them, no bounce and a constant ache - which is to be expected to a certain degree, but not something I'm used to.

Anyway I'm looking forward to running in a place with trees - under trees - in the soft green filtered light of a forest path - something I've missed while doing my time here in Vegas. It really makes a huge difference.

So very excited about searching out the mossy old live oaks of the South and making my acquaintance with them - this will be a good change.

Portland Marathon

I was not sure whether I would be able to handle the full distance of the Portland Marathon as the longest I've run in the last 6 months was a few 15 milers. But I imagine the intense 10 and 12ers I did over the summer turned out to be sufficient to keep me in shape. I had a really nice marathon - the race started on a beautiful fall Pacific northwest day - 50 degrees with a misty fog and no wind - and I felt like I was given a gift as I was able to watch the sun rise and take in the green city of Portland waking - the river, the trees, the bridges - all very picturesque.

I started sort of slow and gradually picked up the pace, easing my body into it, waking up and passing the slower crowd that I had started with. I much prefer a gradual increase in speed over several miles and one of the advantages of this race is you have plenty of time to do that. I'd never run a marathon with a Garmin before and now it's fun to look at the mile splits - I was pretty damn consistent from mile 5 when I hit my stride through 20 doing about a 7:05 throughout so I'm happy with that long stretch of consistency.

At mile 21 I hit the wall that always seems to descend at that point - but I handled it ok and managed to keep the arms moving, drinking some water and pushing forward. At 25 I suffered some real difficulty with cramping calves and hamstrings but I knew that was likely to happen so I just slowed the pace a bit more and kept at it knowing there was only a mile to go. And then I was done.

My time was 3:12 which I'm happy with - it makes me feel that my 3:10 in February at the Myrtle Beach marathon was not a fluke, and that with better distance training that I could hit a 305 fairly easily. 7:17 average pace for the 26. Top 300 out of 8000 runners. It was a great race and a fun time and I really enjoyed it.

Garmin Connect

15 mile marathon training run at 7:22 pace

15 miles at Wetlands Park in the AM at 7:22 pace. Beautiful cool fall morning. I felt good the whole way, with the pace dropping down to 7:05 at mile 8. Portland Marathon in 18 days - I wish this had been a 20 mile run instead of just 15, I'd feel more confident going into that race, with more longer distance training. But it was a hot hot summer and I was working full time and breaking up with my girlfriend and amidst all that I couldn't quite figure out how to make the proper training schedule happen. Anyway, good run today.

Garmin Connect

I used a 10 ounce amphipod handheld water bottle which fits nicely into the hand and seems to be enough water to get the job done. No music, no ipod - I've taken a break lately from the music, although there's no question I run about 10% faster with it - which is a big difference over a long race. I might use the ipod at Portland, haven't decided yet. Sometimes it's nice just to run with the sounds of the park and a clear head and plenty of time to think.

Checked out for a while

I took a break for a while - still running, just had a lot going on in real life and needed to step away from the blogging. I ran the red rock relay this past weekend and had a good experience - lots of fast mefium distance running there. The high point for me was the 6.5 mile leg that was pretty much all downhill in a steep mountain canyon, allowing me to stride out and hit a speed that I'm rarely able to maintain out in the flat lands. My last 3 mile splits were 5:56, 5:42 and 5:29 as I accelerated down the mtn with the righteous fury of a locomotive without brakes - it felt like I was a wheelbarrow, all up on my forefoot and the weight leaning forward, down, faster and faster - just as much effort required to keep pushing as to slow down. The first mile had been slightly uphill to the peak, and there were remnants of a hurricane from Baja blowing through so I was hit with about ten minutes of ice cold hail at the start - the elevation was 8000 feet, this race is near the Brian Head ski resort near Zion - but as I hit the vast magnificent downhill the weather relented and I began to feel my cheeks ears and arms again. My breath returned after the initial shock of running in such thin mountain air and my breathing became normal after mile 3. I passed five other teams, five "kills". I had always wanted to run a long mountain downhill like this and it really was all I had hoped for, fast and fun. I felt like king of the mountain for a brief moment. My average pace according to the Garmin was 6:10 and the time for the first 6.2 miles was 38:15 giving me a new 10k pr. Our team ran well and I think we finished 5th out of 62. It was a good time.

10 miles at 101 degrees

A hot day but fortunately there was some shade out at Pittman Wash on this thursday evening run with the Village Runners. Most were doing 6 miles but with Portland in only 6 weeks I needed to do 10. The mileage felt good except for the heat, which topped out at 105 today but was probably only 100 or 101 at the time of the run, and with the shade it was tolerable. It's really only direct sunlight that bothers me. I had my hydration bottle and used all of it.

I think I could've done 655 average but I ran the first 3 miles with the slower runners to chat some. Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll take a swing at sub 7.

Garmin Connect

Two longer runs

12 miles Sunday morning with the marathon training group (for the Rock n Roll Vegas marathon), a little slower pace than I would normally do but it was worth it for the social aspect.

Then 12.4 miles this morning at wetlands park at 7:10 pace. I felt strong and comfortable for most of it. The hydration belt came in handy one again, I am really getting used to having it on and don't have to fiddle with it as much now. In the final few miles I tried to emphasize better form, lifting my chin, pulling my elbows in - they tend to swing out as I fatigue - and lifting my legs just a bit higher.

I am upping my mileage over the next 5 weeks because the Portland Marathon is only 7 weeks away and I've been letting the heat be an excuse for not getting in sufficient distance. But if I don't address this now it will soon be too late to make a difference. Also running a 12 person relay in southern Utah on Sept 4th and 5th - the Red Rock Relay - and I'll be an anchor runner for them and so I want to be in solid shape for that.

Two nice runs, moderate temps in the 80s, very pleasant experiences, reminds me of why I love to do this. Grateful for my health and a good place to run near to home.

Garmin Connect

Prog run in the AM at the park with the bunnies

6 miles in the AM at 6:58 pace. A "progression run" getting faster with each mile: 7:13, 7:09, 7:06, 7:00, 6:49, 6:29. I can't usually make that last mile the quickest so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do that this time.

Three observations:
1. running in the morning really is great if you can just get out of bed...
2. hydration belts bounce less sitting low on the hips
3. what a great way to start a day - and if you can't run, then jog, go for a hike or a walk, just as good

Quick 5k at the dog park

20:48 with mile splits of 6:41, 6:44, 6:42. A bit of speed practice, fun to see the dogs at the park, close to home - a nice little workout.

Also tried out some new Adidas Megabounce trainers that were on sale at the Finish Line and I'd say they're basically the same as the Nike Shox but with a little less support in the upper and a little more cushioning in the sole. Good shoes, they do the job. My fourth pair this year (2 shox, 2 megabounce) - all still in use, I rotate, they say it makes them last longer, I aim to get 400 to 500 miles on each pair. I like that both shoes have a big fat heel - I don't know for certain that this equates to more cushioning, but it sure looks and feels that way, and I'll take a good placebo effect any day.

Garmin Connect

5.8 miles at 6:58 pace at 103 degrees

First 4 miles under 7 min pace, 5k time of 20:39, at 103 degrees at 1 pm. 6:31, 6:44, 6:49, 6:57. So that was a good workout considering the heat. Only problem? I had nothing left at the end of the run and the last 1.8 miles were at 7:30 pace or so. It would be nice to be able to maintain 6:45 through a 10k in this heat. That would set me up for maintaining 6:45 through 13.1 at normal temperatures which I will need to be able to do this fall.

Garmin Connect

Excerpt #2 from "Once a Runner"

"An interval workout," Cassidy once explained to a sportswriter,"is the modern distance runner's equivalent of the once popular Iron Maiden, a device as you know used by ancient truth seekers." Although overdistance laid the foundation, intervals made the runner racing mean. Quenton Cassidy liked them. Others preferred bamboo splinters under their nails. Everyone, the winner in his painful glory as well as the loser many seconds behind in his equally painful anonymity, suffers the physical bankruptcy of total oxygen debt." -p. 217

Arrgh interval workouts. None for me this summer - too hot. I'll cruise along at marathon race pace in my more intense workouts and hope that is enough to get me to a good place for the fall races.

10 miles at 7:08 pace at Wetlands Park at 101 degrees

Even though it was 7 pm when I started this run it was still 101 degrees out here - effin Vegas! Still after the first 3 miles I got used to the heat and was moving fast enough that there was a little breeze.

Mile splits: 7:17, 7:24 - Ack! It's 100 degrees!, 7:30, 7:13, 7:00 - making the adjustment, 7:05 - feeling better, 7:07, 6:45 - feeling the flow!, 6:52, 7:10. 1100 calories burned, brought the hydration belt and used it at mile 8, feel pretty good with this run on a hot summer evening at the devil's porchlight:

Garmin Connect

They say it's a dry heat - but you know what else is a dry heat? An oven.

Excerpt from "Once a Runner"

Props to Bill for his post on the merits of this fine novel which prompted me to pick it up again. I had read the excerpt from "The Runners Literary Companion" but I didn't really get the section they had chosen to highlight. Looking at it now from the beginning, it really is a thoughtfully crafted story and well worth the free time of anyone who's ever run. An excerpt:

"Quenton Cassidy was six foot two, his meager 167 pounds stretched across his frame in the manner dictated by the searing daily necessities of his special task. Beneath the tight skin, a smooth musculature glided with fluid ease, giving the impression of elastic, lightweight power: a featherless view of a young falcon.
There were no inefficient corners or bulges; the form was sharply chiseled as if from sand worn driftwood, fluted with oblique angles and long, tapering ridges, thin products of his care. Even now, as he stood perfectly still in the early morning glow, inverted tear drop thighs and high bunched calves suggested only motion: smooth effortless speed.
Stretching with a lovely kind of pain, he turned from the window and sat again on the edge of the rumpled bed to put on his worn Adidas Gazelle training shoes, and was out the door and gone.
Quenton Cassidy was a miler."

A Hot and Hilly Race

The Run with the Devil race turned out to be hotter and hillier than I had hoped, even at the 7 AM start time for the 10k. I then made things more difficult for myself by starting out too fast, trying to hang with the frontrunner - a 5:57 first mile split - ouch. Then 6:23, 7:02 - crashing, 7:05, 7:15, 7:34 out of gas. So I really fell off near the end. Still managed around 43 minutes and 6th place out of about 50, I believe. So not as fast as I wanted - 42 was my goal - but I'll chalk it up to the heat and hills and jackrabbit start.

I volunteered the rest of the day and that was fun. They had a half, full marathon and 50 miler going on in the 108 degree midday heat. Quite brutal, entertaining to watch though.

The tooth fairy was on hand kicking some assphalt:



This lady was running 50 miles on one leg, very inspiring:

10 miles at 6:54 pace at Pittman Wash

I need to start posting my Garmin info again. It's the mile splits that I find most interesting. This most recent run had very consistent 6:55 splits, which is what I've been aiming for. Well, 6:45 splits.

Similar weather and terrain to the race tomorrow, so I think this run bodes well.

The long run puts the tiger in the cat.

Big race this weekend

Calico racing is putting on the "Run with the Devil" 50 mile, Marathon, Half marathon, 10k and 5k this weekend out at Lake Mead this Saturday. The idea is to have a hot race that makes for a good story to tell for the extreme ultrarunners who dig this sort of thing. The marathon starts at 10 am, the half at noon, so temperatures should be above 100 out there by the treeless, shadeless lake on the blacktop road that follows the north shore. A lot of participants are those thinking of doing Badwater in Death Valley, this gives them a good idea of what to expect. A bunch of hell sent nastiness, heh.

I'll be both running and volunteeribg, but since I'm not feeling that extreme lately I'll be doing the 10k that starts at 7 am. My goal is a 6:45 pace maybe slipping down to a 6:30 for the last mile, but perhaps not - the course has rolling hills that slow things down. So a 42 is my goal. I will do a medium intensity 8 mile run with the running group today and then swim a half mile tomorrow, which should leave me fresh enough for the race on the following day.

I'm volunteering at the 11 mile aid station for the poor hard core souls attemptung the marathon and 50 miler, I'll have my iphone handy and try to take a few pics for voyeuristic amusement. If you believe the study Dean Karnazes included in his book about optimum marathon temps, this race will be 60 degrees ABOVE ideal temp - so these runners can expect a 50% worse performance than one would hope for on a nice cool day - and then there are lots of rolling hills. Ouch.

I'm looking forward to that part, watching these mad men and women try to bang this thing out. I'll also be offering them plenty of water and ice - so it won't all be shameless gawking ;)

Reading about Running

I just finished Dean Karnazes' "50 marathons in 50 days" and am still absorbing the individual short stories and excerpts of "the Runner's Literary Companion". And then it's "Once a Runner", "The Runner's Handbook" and "Chi Running".

Also I should get "Spirit of the Marathon" on DVD in the mail in a few days.

So lots of running media over here! Any favorites anyone out there has?

3 things that are working for me, 3 that are not

Working:
1. Ten mile runs at dusk at Wetlands park - love that run! Got in a 6:55 avg pace yesterday. It was only 90 degrees and that trail is flat and fast.
2. Reading about running. Almost done with Karnazes' 50/50 book, with several more on the way via Amazon.
3. Icing my leg muscles and soaking the legs in cold water baths. I've read about this in Runners World many times and you know what - it totally works! Feels great after that first icy minute.

Not Working:
1. Fast food. Oh Mcdonalds with your awesome iced coffees and double quarter pounders with cheese, how you tempt me...
2. Just bad eating habits in general. I like to eat. Lots. It slows me down.
3. The heat, vegas in the summer. A 90 degree day is unusually cool. But I'm dealing with it.

New shoes update

I did 10 miles at the wetlands at 7:15 pace last night and once I got rolling the new Adidas felt...almost exactly like the old Shox. Ha.

New Pair of Wheels

I'm a huge fan of the Nike Shox, I have 5 pairs. I like the large cushioned heel and the support all throughout the front and sides of the shoe - your foot feels enclosed and protected as if in a light plastic boot. With all the heel slamming I do, I love seeing those solid rubber pistons in the heel, shielding my feet and joints from the rock hard concrete and asphalt roads.

BUT it was time for a new pair and I've gone with another shoe - the Adidas megabounce 09s. Three reasons:

1. I tried both in store and the megabounce felt much more cushioned, and, well, bouncy. That's got to be a good thing in a long distance running shoe.
2. They were 20% cheaper. I go through a lot of shoes and I'm not a fan of what Nike charges for the Shox.
3. They felt lighter.

I'll report back on how they do after a week of running.

Easy 6 mile run at 92 degrees - for the joy of running

Reality check: sometimes I think I push myself too hard with the running and create a hypercompetitive mindset that is counterproductive. Ie, if I don't run 15 miles hard at tempo pace then it's nothing. This is a bad attitude. No one is superhuman and no one can keep up day after day of pounding hard workouts. It's not physically or mentally healthy.

Today I ran an easy 6 miles at the park, without my ipod or music, at a relaxed pace, and just watched the rabbits and birds and sunset and listened to the trees sway in the breeze. Just for the joy of running. It was great.