Just Wondering?

How do people like their Garmins? I borrowed one this past weekend and I really liked the real time pace and distance functions.

So what's up with these gadgets? Is it like having a little virtual running coach on your shoulder? Worth the price?

Quads Core Speed

I really am that dense, sadly. Despite just having written two posts about how important it is for me to focus on the legs, the abs and speed workouts, here is another. If I don't bang it into my head with a hammer, I don't remember. So this is my mission, to improve these key areas, and not worry about the other distractions such as biceps and and benching and big shoulders. Quads Core Speed.

Exhibit A:

Weekend of March 13 through 15 Workouts

On Friday the 13th I did a simple easy 60 minute run at Wetlands Park because I'd had a long week at work and that was all I felt like doing.

On Saturday I volunteered at a marathon in the morning, which was fun. In the afternoon I borrowed the Garmin of a friend and was able to maintain a 7 minute pace for 13 miles to chalk up a 1:30 hallf marathon time on the streets near my house. The Garmin seems an incredibly useful tool and I will need to get one soon - being able to nail down consistent 7 minute miles one after the other is huge. I was very heartened by this discovery.

On Sunday I did a relaxed 10k trail run with running group friends. In the evening I went down to a local high school track and did 3 fast 400 meter sprints with one rest lap between each. By fast I mean fast for a relatively slow distance runner type, with 86, 81 and 88 second splits.

I think I'm on the the right track with training overall, emphasizing quality, strong legs, core, interval sprints - the kind of stuff that should show results on the race course.

PS - Gotta get a Garmin!

A Question of Emphasis

Well it occurred to me that I've been training the wrong body parts. Why is it when I make my 3 to 4 weekly trips to the gym that I lift barbells and do push ups and develop my upper body? All the sort of manly stuff you see guys at the gym doing - I suppose I just saw everyone else doing it and assumed I should as well. But a developed upper body doesn't help a runner at all.

I knew this and yet somehow it didn't register until I volunteered at a half marathon this weekend and closely observed the top 5 runners: they were all quite fast, and they all had great big quads, flat stomachs and no upper body to speak of. Gazelles not Grizzlies.

So there's a lesson there. If I had a personal coach I'm sure this obvious truth would have dawned on me much sooner, but I don't, so I've got to make the best of the realization now that I've finally grasped it. Speed = strong legs, core and wiry build.

From now on at the gym, it's all core, abs, and legs for me. No more pushups, bench, or barbells. I've got to put the emphasis on the parts that are going to get me results. I've got to carve a runner from the block of marble, not a wrestler.

Red Rock rocked Me!

So the hills and unusually strong headwinds - 20+ mph - combined to make the Red Rock Half Marathon a surprisingly tough race. I ended up clocking a 1:33 for 8th place, far off the 1:27 or 1:28 I had been hoping for - but very happy with having been a serious contender.

The first half of the race with constant 6 and 7% inclines for 5 miles straight is definitely what bit me as far as my finishing time - that part was just a very difficult slog.



Me on one of the rare flat sections.

I did manage five or six solid 100+ yard sprints on the downhill backside that were fun, a lot faster than I'd normally be able to manage in a half marathon. This action helped keep two aggressive younger runners at bay, they had closed on me near the half way point but once the downhill commenced I was able to surge past them. They finished 30 and 45 seconds behind me so the sprints really did make the difference there. The sprints also served the psychological function of making my normal pace seem easier.

So I am happy with where I finished and overall had a positive race experience, the great striped cliffs of Red Rock were a beautiful backdrop to this challenging course. At this point though, if I never see a hilly race again, I'll be a happy camper - hills are tough! I'm all about the flat courses from here on out!

A Comfortably Hard Race

I've got the red rock half marathon this saturday morning, and I'm looking forward to it despite the elevation change that will be involved. Basically the first half is uphill 1000 feet and the second part downhill the same. A half marathon roller coaster.

I feel good, I've been taking the training easy this week so I should be fresh enough to put in a good effort. I'm aiming for an average pace of just over 7 minutes a mile, maybe closer to 7:15 if the incline proves particularly tough. I'm not looking for a PR here.

It's a smaller race with 300 to 400 runners so I'm hoping to be somewhere near the front. My goal is to keep the lead "peloton" in sight by running comfortably hard, which is what a 7 minute pace should be for me, about a 160 pulse with long full breaths but no heavy breathing.

I want to be very careful not to push it into the gasping/panting zone on the initial uphill in an effort to keep up with the leaders - this is something I've fallen for before and it will kill my effort at having a strong second half and negative split.

After the halfway point the game plan is to accelerate on the downhills with at least 5 on the toes sprints and hopefully reel in some fish. I've been practicing mixing in 100 yard sprints into my tempo runs and this should be something within my ability to pull off. I'd love to finish in the top 10, which seems plausible based on last year's results. My current PR is a 1:28 at this past December's Vegas half, which was flat and fast. Still I'd like to run close to that.

But until Saturday morning I've just got to chill out, taper, eat moderately and get enough sleep. And then come race day, do what I do every day, just a little bit harder.

Why I Run

It's nice that most races are for charities, and for the social aspect of finding a group of like minded individuals.

But mostly I do it because I like to be fast. I love to open it up. I love to cruise along and push to a higher pace and feel that gradually become natural, to sprint for 100 yards in the middle of a 12 mile run because you can, to be harder better faster stronger, to overcome the dull muscle ache, to go out on a still day and be shocked at how hot it feels when you slow down and realize you've been creating your own breeze. I love all of that.



On the way to 2nd place at a Lake Mead half marathon