This week, the adventure begins again. Sarah and I are invovled with Team in Training again. We had such an incredible experience last year that we volunteered to work as Team Captain this year. It is such a wonderful organization and the people are great to work with.
So, as a result, I am now training for my second full marathon - The County Music Nashville Marathon, April 24, 2010 (less than 2 weeks before I turn 40 years old).
This week, I've also started running in the mornings with Bryan. We had taken a hiatus after the marathon last year, but have returned in earnest. Tuesday, we met at 6AM and ran 4.1 miles in under 40 minutes. Tomorrow, we meet again.
Saturday is our first TNT group run!! Go Team!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Another Race
Sarah and I found ourselves in familiar territory this morning. Both of us got up early on a Saturday for a run. This time, however, we weren't meeting for a group run, though there were lots of people from TNT there. This morning was the Knoxville Expo 10k. Our first race since the marathon in Nashville. To be honest, I was a little nervous going in, not for the distance, I was confident I could complete the course. I was more worried about my time.
In the four weeks since Nashville, I've only run three times, with the longest being 3.5 miles. Each time, my pace was a little on the slow side. For some reason, I have this need to complete 5k in under 30 minutes and, as a result, 10ks in under 1 hour. I wasn't sure going in if I would meet that goal. The race started at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum (actually, above it heading downhill towards town). Shortly after 8, the race was on. The temperature was warm (I'd say close to what we started with in Nashville). I'd estimate the crowd at about 1,000+.
The first mile took us to Gay Street and over the Gay Street Bridge. It was crowded as most of the races are at the start. Everyone is jockeying for position, passing some people who were really had no business being as close to the front as they were (walking within the first mile). But still, after 8:35 the first mile was done and not a bad start.
The second mile took us across the bridge and down Sevier Avenue towards South Knoxville and Island Homes. Fairly flat, but somewhat out in open. During this time, we passed the split for the 5k runners (they headed back to the finish line). This provides a little sense of accomplishment as I recall a time when I would have only done the 5k, not feeling ready for the "big league" of the 10k. From there, we broke off into the Island Homes Neighborhood. It's a this point that I see the leader for the 10k returning back towards the finish line. I'm still maintaining a good pace with an 8:40 mile (17:16 overall). I'm still on pace to be below 1 hour.
Mile 3 was the first time to slow for water, by now the sun was out and starting to get warm. The Island Home neighborhood provided shade and was scenic. an 8:50 mile (26:05 overall). I was feeling confident that I would be under an hour.
Mile 4 was continued in Island home, we started to head back towards the finish line retracing the course already run. Upon leaving Island Homes, we were out in the sun. 9:10 mile. Mile 5 things really started to get warm and the pace was slowing to 9:23. With 1.2 miles left, my time was 44:40.
Mile 6 provided the biggest challenge of the race. A short steep hill we had run down during mile 2 had to be run back up. This was the only time I had to slow to walk, there was a water station at the bottom of the hill, I ran for a short distance, then returned to a walk at the crest of the hill to catch my breath, then a run back across the river. Turning back towards the Coliseum, the finish line was in sight, though the last mile took me 9:54, with a overall time of 54:34, I knew I was good. The final .2 miles were almost all downhill. I complete that in 1:47. For an unofficial chip time of 56:22 (the gun time on the clock was close to 56:40).
So, my 2nd 10k is in the books. I'm really proud of Sarah as she completed the race as well (her 2nd longest race). We both agree that we needed this race to jump start our fitness plans that hae been a little dormant for the past month, The next race for us is the Fireball 5k on July 3rd.
In the four weeks since Nashville, I've only run three times, with the longest being 3.5 miles. Each time, my pace was a little on the slow side. For some reason, I have this need to complete 5k in under 30 minutes and, as a result, 10ks in under 1 hour. I wasn't sure going in if I would meet that goal. The race started at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum (actually, above it heading downhill towards town). Shortly after 8, the race was on. The temperature was warm (I'd say close to what we started with in Nashville). I'd estimate the crowd at about 1,000+.
The first mile took us to Gay Street and over the Gay Street Bridge. It was crowded as most of the races are at the start. Everyone is jockeying for position, passing some people who were really had no business being as close to the front as they were (walking within the first mile). But still, after 8:35 the first mile was done and not a bad start.
The second mile took us across the bridge and down Sevier Avenue towards South Knoxville and Island Homes. Fairly flat, but somewhat out in open. During this time, we passed the split for the 5k runners (they headed back to the finish line). This provides a little sense of accomplishment as I recall a time when I would have only done the 5k, not feeling ready for the "big league" of the 10k. From there, we broke off into the Island Homes Neighborhood. It's a this point that I see the leader for the 10k returning back towards the finish line. I'm still maintaining a good pace with an 8:40 mile (17:16 overall). I'm still on pace to be below 1 hour.
Mile 3 was the first time to slow for water, by now the sun was out and starting to get warm. The Island Home neighborhood provided shade and was scenic. an 8:50 mile (26:05 overall). I was feeling confident that I would be under an hour.
Mile 4 was continued in Island home, we started to head back towards the finish line retracing the course already run. Upon leaving Island Homes, we were out in the sun. 9:10 mile. Mile 5 things really started to get warm and the pace was slowing to 9:23. With 1.2 miles left, my time was 44:40.
Mile 6 provided the biggest challenge of the race. A short steep hill we had run down during mile 2 had to be run back up. This was the only time I had to slow to walk, there was a water station at the bottom of the hill, I ran for a short distance, then returned to a walk at the crest of the hill to catch my breath, then a run back across the river. Turning back towards the Coliseum, the finish line was in sight, though the last mile took me 9:54, with a overall time of 54:34, I knew I was good. The final .2 miles were almost all downhill. I complete that in 1:47. For an unofficial chip time of 56:22 (the gun time on the clock was close to 56:40).
So, my 2nd 10k is in the books. I'm really proud of Sarah as she completed the race as well (her 2nd longest race). We both agree that we needed this race to jump start our fitness plans that hae been a little dormant for the past month, The next race for us is the Fireball 5k on July 3rd.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Back in the Saddle Again
So, 15 days later. My first post-marathon run tonight.
2 miles. It felt good to get back out on the pavement. I felt a little nervous starting out and I felt a little tired after about 1/4 of a mile, but found my pace shortly thereafter. I kept a good pace as both miles clocked in at 9:26.
Less than 2 weeks to the next big race... The Knoxville Expo 10K.
2 miles. It felt good to get back out on the pavement. I felt a little nervous starting out and I felt a little tired after about 1/4 of a mile, but found my pace shortly thereafter. I kept a good pace as both miles clocked in at 9:26.
Less than 2 weeks to the next big race... The Knoxville Expo 10K.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Where to now?
After returning to work yesterday, this is the big question I've been asked... what are you going to do now?
Our TNT running coach Phil told us that after the race, if asked, we would probably say no, but given a couple of days, we would more than likely change our minds.
The short answer is that I'm going to keep running. I'm taking a couple of days off to recover, but I plan on hitting the road again shortly. Beyond that, what people are more curious about, I'm sure, is whether or not I'm planning on attempting this again. I'm saying... yes.
Right now, Sarah and I are planning on running the Knoxville Expo 10k on May 23rd. When I ran the 10k (6.2 miles) last year, it was the longest I had run at that point. Sarah didn't run it last year. We are looking forward to that.
Sarah wants to run the San Antonio Half Marathon later this year in November. She has asked me to run with her for the race and I have agreed.
I will run Nashville again next year (hopefully with cooler weather) and might even consider doing the full in Knoxville. Long term, I'm still planning to run the Disneyworld Marathon.
You'll just have to stay tuned....
Our TNT running coach Phil told us that after the race, if asked, we would probably say no, but given a couple of days, we would more than likely change our minds.
The short answer is that I'm going to keep running. I'm taking a couple of days off to recover, but I plan on hitting the road again shortly. Beyond that, what people are more curious about, I'm sure, is whether or not I'm planning on attempting this again. I'm saying... yes.
Right now, Sarah and I are planning on running the Knoxville Expo 10k on May 23rd. When I ran the 10k (6.2 miles) last year, it was the longest I had run at that point. Sarah didn't run it last year. We are looking forward to that.
Sarah wants to run the San Antonio Half Marathon later this year in November. She has asked me to run with her for the race and I have agreed.
I will run Nashville again next year (hopefully with cooler weather) and might even consider doing the full in Knoxville. Long term, I'm still planning to run the Disneyworld Marathon.
You'll just have to stay tuned....
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Did You Win?
Facebook Marathon Photo Album
Three days removed from the big day, I can finally start to get some perspective on the big weekend. I can honestly say that Saturday was filled with so much emotion, ranging from anticipation to excitement to dread to frustration to exhaustion to accomplishment.
The day began at 4AM (CST). Sarah was able to sleep the night before; I didn't sleep that much. We were dressed and down in the lobby of the hotel to catch the shuttle to the start line at 5AM. At 5:15 we boarded the shuttle to head towards Centennial Park and the start line. From there we had a wait till race start at 7AM. (A great of time was spent waiting to use one of the porta-potties in the park). At 7AM was walked over to the start line. Even though the gun sounded at 7, for most people it would be some time before they started the race as each runner was assigned a corral to start. I started the race in corral 17. At 7:33, the race began.
An important side note to insert. The usual temperature for the race at the start is mid-50s with a temperature around 65 at the finish. Nashville experienced a freak heatwave marathon weekend. The temperature at the start was 62. Mind you, this was hotter than any of our previous long runs.
Starting out was exciting racing towards downtown Nashville with a huge crowd cheering us on. Not to mention being in the middle of 30,000+ people. We kept a decent pace for the first part of the marathon. Kudos must go out to the marathon organizers. They knew the heat was coming and pull out all the stops. They had 3 times the water stations set up and extra medical stations standing by. As the heat rose, we hit every water station, one cup of Cytromax (Gatorade type drink), one cup of water to drink, one cup of water to pour over our heads (and, if available, a run through a water hose to help cool off).
The first psychological wall was at mile 11, where the marathon and half-marathon split. Our coach Phil warned us about this. At the point the half-marathoner only had a little over 2 miles to go to finish. We rounded the corner and were met with the sign "Marathon - 15 miles to finish". The next wall came a couple of miles later as we crossed the half way mark, by the point the temperature was getting hotter and we were starting to have to walk. I was keeping track of the the mile splits and for some reason mile 14 seemed to keep going and going. Finally, when my watch said 20 minutes, I figured I must have missed the marker for mile 14. Five minutes later imagine my feeling expecting to see the marker for mile 15 to be greeted with the sign for mile 14 (it took us 25 minutes to make the mile). Immediately my mind raced with thoughts of us not finishing the race in time, of us running out of strength and energy to complete the race. We picked up the pace for the next couple of miles (even one that over half of it was uphill). It was on mile 16 that we passed a 1st Tennessee Bank sign which announced to everyone passing by that the temperature at this point was 84 degrees.
Miles 19 and 20 were back in downtown Nashville again and we met back up with the half-marathon crowd again. Shortly before the start of mile 21, we broke off again and watch the half-marathoners race downhill towards their finish line as we had 6.2 miles to go. At this point, we were running small goals... to the next street, to the stop sign, to the water station. From mile 20 to 25, we saw 4 people carried off in ambulances, we assume, due to heat exhaustion. Finally, passing mile marker 24 (with 2.2 miles to go) we knew the end was finally in sight. At mile marker 26, I took a picture with a disposable camera I had with me (see photo album up top) and the camera fell out of my pocket. A passerby stopped me and reunited me with the camera. From there it was a .2 mile dash to the finish.
Once rounding the last turn, there's no way to describe the mixture of emotions. 5 months of hard work, 26+ miles in 5 hours and 43 minutes... people were cheering and at this point, I was the only person approaching the finish. I waved to the crowd to get them to cheer some more and the did, I saw my sister and brother-in-law cheering me on (I missed Sarah on the other side of the lane) and crossed the finish line at 5 hours, 43 minutes and 13 seconds after starting.
I was finished. I had run a marathon. Shortly afterwards, family members were calling... all asked the same thing, joking "Did you win?" You know what? I ran 26.2 miles, I raised $1,800 to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. I did win.
Three days removed from the big day, I can finally start to get some perspective on the big weekend. I can honestly say that Saturday was filled with so much emotion, ranging from anticipation to excitement to dread to frustration to exhaustion to accomplishment.
The day began at 4AM (CST). Sarah was able to sleep the night before; I didn't sleep that much. We were dressed and down in the lobby of the hotel to catch the shuttle to the start line at 5AM. At 5:15 we boarded the shuttle to head towards Centennial Park and the start line. From there we had a wait till race start at 7AM. (A great of time was spent waiting to use one of the porta-potties in the park). At 7AM was walked over to the start line. Even though the gun sounded at 7, for most people it would be some time before they started the race as each runner was assigned a corral to start. I started the race in corral 17. At 7:33, the race began.
An important side note to insert. The usual temperature for the race at the start is mid-50s with a temperature around 65 at the finish. Nashville experienced a freak heatwave marathon weekend. The temperature at the start was 62. Mind you, this was hotter than any of our previous long runs.
Starting out was exciting racing towards downtown Nashville with a huge crowd cheering us on. Not to mention being in the middle of 30,000+ people. We kept a decent pace for the first part of the marathon. Kudos must go out to the marathon organizers. They knew the heat was coming and pull out all the stops. They had 3 times the water stations set up and extra medical stations standing by. As the heat rose, we hit every water station, one cup of Cytromax (Gatorade type drink), one cup of water to drink, one cup of water to pour over our heads (and, if available, a run through a water hose to help cool off).
The first psychological wall was at mile 11, where the marathon and half-marathon split. Our coach Phil warned us about this. At the point the half-marathoner only had a little over 2 miles to go to finish. We rounded the corner and were met with the sign "Marathon - 15 miles to finish". The next wall came a couple of miles later as we crossed the half way mark, by the point the temperature was getting hotter and we were starting to have to walk. I was keeping track of the the mile splits and for some reason mile 14 seemed to keep going and going. Finally, when my watch said 20 minutes, I figured I must have missed the marker for mile 14. Five minutes later imagine my feeling expecting to see the marker for mile 15 to be greeted with the sign for mile 14 (it took us 25 minutes to make the mile). Immediately my mind raced with thoughts of us not finishing the race in time, of us running out of strength and energy to complete the race. We picked up the pace for the next couple of miles (even one that over half of it was uphill). It was on mile 16 that we passed a 1st Tennessee Bank sign which announced to everyone passing by that the temperature at this point was 84 degrees.
Miles 19 and 20 were back in downtown Nashville again and we met back up with the half-marathon crowd again. Shortly before the start of mile 21, we broke off again and watch the half-marathoners race downhill towards their finish line as we had 6.2 miles to go. At this point, we were running small goals... to the next street, to the stop sign, to the water station. From mile 20 to 25, we saw 4 people carried off in ambulances, we assume, due to heat exhaustion. Finally, passing mile marker 24 (with 2.2 miles to go) we knew the end was finally in sight. At mile marker 26, I took a picture with a disposable camera I had with me (see photo album up top) and the camera fell out of my pocket. A passerby stopped me and reunited me with the camera. From there it was a .2 mile dash to the finish.
Once rounding the last turn, there's no way to describe the mixture of emotions. 5 months of hard work, 26+ miles in 5 hours and 43 minutes... people were cheering and at this point, I was the only person approaching the finish. I waved to the crowd to get them to cheer some more and the did, I saw my sister and brother-in-law cheering me on (I missed Sarah on the other side of the lane) and crossed the finish line at 5 hours, 43 minutes and 13 seconds after starting.
I was finished. I had run a marathon. Shortly afterwards, family members were calling... all asked the same thing, joking "Did you win?" You know what? I ran 26.2 miles, I raised $1,800 to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma. I did win.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
5:43:13
My first marathon is in the book....
Official time 5 hours, 43 minutes, 13 seconds. More to come later....
Official time 5 hours, 43 minutes, 13 seconds. More to come later....
Friday, April 24, 2009
1 Day to Go!!
So here it is.
Less than 14 hours to go, we are in Nashville, checked into our hotel and got our bibs for the race. Sarah and I spent the afternoon at the Nashville health and fitness expo. Currently we are resting before our inspirational pasta dinner with Team in Training.
This last week has been so surreal. I would say the last event I looked forward to and planned so much for was when Sarah moved down to Tennessee and the our wedding. It's kind of hard to believe that this time tomorrow, it will be over.
I'm not sure how much, if any, sleep I'm going to get tonight. Our schedule is that we are meeting in the hotel lobby at 5:00AM to catch a 5:15 shuttle to the starting line. The race starts at 7:00 (CST). I'm probably going to start in coral 17 where my fellow TNTer Trisha is running. (We've been keeping each other pace on our long runs for the past couple of months.) I probably won't actually start till around 7:35 - 7:40AM. My goal is 4 hours and 30 minutes. (Since I've had some ask... to qualify for Boston, I'd need to finish before 3 hours and 15 minutes. But, if I do finish before that time, I'll run in Boston.)
My bib number is #9183 so you can keep tabs on me tomorrow by visiting the marathon's website.
Less than 14 hours to go, we are in Nashville, checked into our hotel and got our bibs for the race. Sarah and I spent the afternoon at the Nashville health and fitness expo. Currently we are resting before our inspirational pasta dinner with Team in Training.
This last week has been so surreal. I would say the last event I looked forward to and planned so much for was when Sarah moved down to Tennessee and the our wedding. It's kind of hard to believe that this time tomorrow, it will be over.
I'm not sure how much, if any, sleep I'm going to get tonight. Our schedule is that we are meeting in the hotel lobby at 5:00AM to catch a 5:15 shuttle to the starting line. The race starts at 7:00 (CST). I'm probably going to start in coral 17 where my fellow TNTer Trisha is running. (We've been keeping each other pace on our long runs for the past couple of months.) I probably won't actually start till around 7:35 - 7:40AM. My goal is 4 hours and 30 minutes. (Since I've had some ask... to qualify for Boston, I'd need to finish before 3 hours and 15 minutes. But, if I do finish before that time, I'll run in Boston.)
My bib number is #9183 so you can keep tabs on me tomorrow by visiting the marathon's website.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
What's on the iPod?
I've followed a couple of discussions about what people listen to while running. For no good reason, I decided to post my playlist. For those that know me, know that my musical tastes running to the extremes. I've added and subtracted along the way, mostly trying to find songs along a certain tempo. So here is the "Marathon Megalist" clocking in at 4 hours, I'll be repeating some on my way to the finish line. I'll leave it to you to discuss....
Take On Me - a-Ha
Journey To The Center Of The Mind - The Amboy Dukes
Freeway Of Love - Aretha Franklin
Don't Cry - Asia
Around The World (La La La La) - ATC
Get Back (Love Album Version) - The Beatles
No More Words - Berlin
Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) - Bill Conti
Dancin With Myself - Billy Idol
Let's Go - The Cars
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
Let's Dance - Chris Montez
I Believe In a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Pour Some Sugar On Me (Historia Video Edit) - Def Leppard
Days Go By - Dirty Vegas
Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
LA Woman - The Doors
Free Ride - The Edgar Winter Group
Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65
I'm Still Standing - Elton John
Whats Going On (Techno Remix) - Four Non Blondes
Wish - Franka Potente & Thomas D
Radar Love - Golden Earring
Breakup Song - The Greg Kihn Band
You Could Be Mine - Guns 'n' Roses
Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis and the News
Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
Instant Karma! - John Lennon
R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock) - John Mellencamp
That's The Way (I Like It) - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
I Was Made For Loving You - Kiss
Funkytown - Lipps Inc.
Ray Of Light - Madonna
Maniac - Michael Sembello
Words - Missing Persons
Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees
Yummy Yummy Yummy - The Ohio Express
We Belong - Pat Benatar
Invincible [Theme From The Legend Of Billie Jean] - Pat Benatar
Coming Up - Paul McCartney
Sussudio - Phil Collins
Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
Wannabe - Spice Girls
Stars on Long Play (Beatle Mix) - Stars on 45
Stars on Long Play (Disco Mix) - Stars on 45
Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
Edge Of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
Fox On The Run - Sweet
Great White Buffalo - Ted Nugent
Runnin' Down A Dream - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Mony Mony - Tommy James & The Shondells
We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
Beautiful Day - U2
Start The Commotion - The Wiseguys
Take On Me - a-Ha
Journey To The Center Of The Mind - The Amboy Dukes
Freeway Of Love - Aretha Franklin
Don't Cry - Asia
Around The World (La La La La) - ATC
Get Back (Love Album Version) - The Beatles
No More Words - Berlin
Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) - Bill Conti
Dancin With Myself - Billy Idol
Let's Go - The Cars
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
Let's Dance - Chris Montez
I Believe In a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Pour Some Sugar On Me (Historia Video Edit) - Def Leppard
Days Go By - Dirty Vegas
Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
LA Woman - The Doors
Free Ride - The Edgar Winter Group
Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65
I'm Still Standing - Elton John
Whats Going On (Techno Remix) - Four Non Blondes
Wish - Franka Potente & Thomas D
Radar Love - Golden Earring
Breakup Song - The Greg Kihn Band
You Could Be Mine - Guns 'n' Roses
Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis and the News
Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
Instant Karma! - John Lennon
R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock) - John Mellencamp
That's The Way (I Like It) - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
I Was Made For Loving You - Kiss
Funkytown - Lipps Inc.
Ray Of Light - Madonna
Maniac - Michael Sembello
Words - Missing Persons
Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees
Yummy Yummy Yummy - The Ohio Express
We Belong - Pat Benatar
Invincible [Theme From The Legend Of Billie Jean] - Pat Benatar
Coming Up - Paul McCartney
Sussudio - Phil Collins
Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
Wannabe - Spice Girls
Stars on Long Play (Beatle Mix) - Stars on 45
Stars on Long Play (Disco Mix) - Stars on 45
Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
Edge Of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
Fox On The Run - Sweet
Great White Buffalo - Ted Nugent
Runnin' Down A Dream - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Mony Mony - Tommy James & The Shondells
We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
Beautiful Day - U2
Start The Commotion - The Wiseguys
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tapering Off
It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks, this adventure will be over.
After months of building up to long runs, yesterday we cut back the miles for our long run - down to 10 miles. Of course, looking back over past posts, I would have been hard pressed to say "only 10 miles."
Our group met for the final group run Saturday morning at 3rd Creek Greenway. This run would be "simple" - 5 miles down and back, taking us from Bearden down to UT and back. At 8:20, we were off. Our group decided to pick up the pace for this run, moving from a 10 minute pace down to 9:30. Starting out, however, I ran into my biggest problem on the day... firing up the iPod, I was greeted with "Connect to Power Source". Great, no music. Well, can't let it stop me, but I had to press on. One thing that I noticed early on was the lack of people. The weather, while cool, was really nice for running. I can only assume that the Easter holiday had some sort of effect.
A lot of people on the team said this run was harder than expected. I don't know if it was the excitement of the final group run, or the fact that it was only half the run we did the week before, but we forged ahead, hitting the halfway mark at Thompson-Boling Arena in 45:18. Running back the pace slowed a little as we had to navigate an Easter egg hunt on the greenway and a walk for autism futher down the greenway. We finished with a time of 1:34:12, an average of 9:25 per mile.
After months of building up to long runs, yesterday we cut back the miles for our long run - down to 10 miles. Of course, looking back over past posts, I would have been hard pressed to say "only 10 miles."
Our group met for the final group run Saturday morning at 3rd Creek Greenway. This run would be "simple" - 5 miles down and back, taking us from Bearden down to UT and back. At 8:20, we were off. Our group decided to pick up the pace for this run, moving from a 10 minute pace down to 9:30. Starting out, however, I ran into my biggest problem on the day... firing up the iPod, I was greeted with "Connect to Power Source". Great, no music. Well, can't let it stop me, but I had to press on. One thing that I noticed early on was the lack of people. The weather, while cool, was really nice for running. I can only assume that the Easter holiday had some sort of effect.
A lot of people on the team said this run was harder than expected. I don't know if it was the excitement of the final group run, or the fact that it was only half the run we did the week before, but we forged ahead, hitting the halfway mark at Thompson-Boling Arena in 45:18. Running back the pace slowed a little as we had to navigate an Easter egg hunt on the greenway and a walk for autism futher down the greenway. We finished with a time of 1:34:12, an average of 9:25 per mile.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Mowing
While taking of the yard tonight, I've come to a small conclusion: going out for a run is like mowing your own yard.
It might be something you are not looking forward to (especially if you haven't done it in a while), but you know it has to be completed. Once you start, even though it might be tough, it's better once to take stock in what you have accomplished than focus on all that remains. Once you get close to finishing and see the end in sight, it makes it easier.
And there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction once you are completed.
It might be something you are not looking forward to (especially if you haven't done it in a while), but you know it has to be completed. Once you start, even though it might be tough, it's better once to take stock in what you have accomplished than focus on all that remains. Once you get close to finishing and see the end in sight, it makes it easier.
And there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction once you are completed.
Monday, April 6, 2009
"Fully Trained"
Saturday was the final "long run" leading up to the marathon. Our trainers told us, if we completed the run, we would be "fully trained" to run the marathon. I have to say, the excitement of the previous week's half marathon was still in the air. This run would present all sorts of new challenges. This run would be 20 miles.
We met near the Alcoa/Maryville Greenway about 2 1/2 miles from the city line. Our objective was simple, we would run 5 miles, turn around, return 5 miles and repeat. It sounds so simple written down. At 7:15, we were off. It was a cool morning with a little bit of fog and the sun starting to rise as we left the starting line. The first couple of miles were good averaging under 10 minute miles. At the end of the first 5 miles, it took 48:29. Not a bad pace.
Returning back, we stopped about 1 1/4 miles in for a small pit stop and continued on. Getting back to the car at the end of 10 miles, I had to swap out my long sleeve shirt for a short sleeve and get some more water. At this point before heading back out, 10 miles down and 1:43:48 into the run.
Mentally, the toughest obstacle of the day was knowing that we were only 1/2 done and had to complete the circuit again. At 13 miles I was at 2:13:50 in, slightly faster than my half-marathon pace the week before.
By mile 15, fatigue was settling in. We were 2:39:13 into the run and had 5 miles to return back to the car. These were the toughest 5 miles I had traversed in quite a long time. I wish I could say i ran all of them, but the final 3 miles I had to walk a bit. By mile 17, we were over 3 hours into the run. I had to walk 1/4 of mile 18, 1/2 of mile 19 and 1/4 of mile 20.
Seeing the finish line after 3 and 1/2 hours was a remarkable feeling of accomplishment. Though my legs were ready to fall out underneath me, knowing the end was literally around the corner gave me enough push to end the race on a high note. Finally, 3:39:47 after starting, we crossed the end of the run.
It's was an amazing, yet scary, feeling knowing that in less than 3 weeks. I will run the distance again, tacking on the final 6.2 miles, to complete my first marathon!!
Here are some photos from finishing the half marathon. On top, I was waving to the camera operator in Neyland Stadium (hoping for good close-up :) ), and on the bottom... attempting to finish strong.
We met near the Alcoa/Maryville Greenway about 2 1/2 miles from the city line. Our objective was simple, we would run 5 miles, turn around, return 5 miles and repeat. It sounds so simple written down. At 7:15, we were off. It was a cool morning with a little bit of fog and the sun starting to rise as we left the starting line. The first couple of miles were good averaging under 10 minute miles. At the end of the first 5 miles, it took 48:29. Not a bad pace.
Returning back, we stopped about 1 1/4 miles in for a small pit stop and continued on. Getting back to the car at the end of 10 miles, I had to swap out my long sleeve shirt for a short sleeve and get some more water. At this point before heading back out, 10 miles down and 1:43:48 into the run.
Mentally, the toughest obstacle of the day was knowing that we were only 1/2 done and had to complete the circuit again. At 13 miles I was at 2:13:50 in, slightly faster than my half-marathon pace the week before.
By mile 15, fatigue was settling in. We were 2:39:13 into the run and had 5 miles to return back to the car. These were the toughest 5 miles I had traversed in quite a long time. I wish I could say i ran all of them, but the final 3 miles I had to walk a bit. By mile 17, we were over 3 hours into the run. I had to walk 1/4 of mile 18, 1/2 of mile 19 and 1/4 of mile 20.
Seeing the finish line after 3 and 1/2 hours was a remarkable feeling of accomplishment. Though my legs were ready to fall out underneath me, knowing the end was literally around the corner gave me enough push to end the race on a high note. Finally, 3:39:47 after starting, we crossed the end of the run.
It's was an amazing, yet scary, feeling knowing that in less than 3 weeks. I will run the distance again, tacking on the final 6.2 miles, to complete my first marathon!!
Here are some photos from finishing the half marathon. On top, I was waving to the camera operator in Neyland Stadium (hoping for good close-up :) ), and on the bottom... attempting to finish strong.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Half a marathon... and then some!!
So it's been a couple of weeks since an update. Although I've been keeping up with the smaller daily runs, I've been working the past couple of weekend on the state high school basketball championships. As a result, I missed last week's long run of 18 miles.
Today was the Knoxville Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5k race. It holds a special place in my heart because 5 years ago, it was the first 5k that Sarah and I ran.
Back in '04, we had been on the weight loss/healthy living track for a little over 6 months, when we decided that it would be fun to run a 5k. Had I not traveled to Canada to visit Sarah, I probably wouldn't have know how long a 5k was. It wasn't like we trained for it at all. In fact, I remember clearly being at the local gym and figuring it might be good to get on a treadmill or something to see about running. That night I think I ran for about 10 minutes or so and figured I was ready (as much as I could be). The day of the race, I finished in about 36 minutes or so and didn't do too bad. I do remember seeing all the marathoners and half-marathoners and thought it was something I'd never be able to do.
So the day started for us at 5:15AM. With the weather being wonderful and springlike all week, of course today it had to be 46 degrees, plus add in a cold wind. We made it to downtown by 6:30 and had to wait for the pre-race activities. Perhaps that's the hardest time of the day, staring down the road, knowing you have 13.1 miles ahead of you. When the gun finally sounded shortly after 7AM, with the sea of humanity, we weren't going anywhere fast. In fact, it wasn't until after mile marker 1 that the crowd started to part. My first mile was around11:40. In hindsight, it might have been good since I couldn't get off to a quick start.
By mile marker two, I ran into my next problem, the two bottles of water I had drunk earlier in the day, made themselves be known. The first set of porta-potties on the course had quite a line, so I had to keep on moving. The next couple of miles were good and around mile 5, there were some porta-potties with a small line. Of course, I could have answered nature the way some other runners did and just run over behind some trees.
Just pass the half way mark, my mother and sister were waiting for me to cheer me on. My sister, as I found out afterwards, had a rough evening before and morning; yet she still was determined to cheer me on. Shortly after passing them, just pass mile marker 7, I hit the first real challenge... Noelton Drive. Noelton is about 1/4 mile in length, nearly all at a signigificant incline, only with a small level area about halfway through. I'm proud to say I plugged my way through the inclines, slowing to walk on the level part. The fact that I had the theme from "Rocky" playing in my Ipod during this part of the run really helped out. :)
After Noelton, the next 3 miles were on the greenway. While trying to keep a good pace, it was starting to get a little tougher. The next challenge was after the greenway going into Ft. Sanders, about 3/4 mile all at an uphill incline. Passing mile maker 10 I smiled thinking of a T-Shirt I had seen earlier in the run... "A Half-Marathon is a 5k with a 10 mile warmup." Passing the 10 mile mark during the incline, it was time to start the 5k part :). This area was also part of the course that Sarah and I had observed in years past after we had compelted our 5ks. Seeing people running up the hill, I was amazedat how they could do it. Today, it was my turn and I got to make the most of it.
From there, it was (almost) all downhill to the finish, over 2 hours after starting, I finished.
So here I am, with finisher medal, after crossing the finish line. (Note, this is the best "action" pose I could muster at the time.)
OK, so here is where I would wrap up and say how wonderful the experience was and how much I'm looking forward to Nashville and completing my first full marathon. (All the about is true.)
However, there was still that 18 miles I didn't run last week, and I've only completed 13.1 miles. Yes, I had 5 more miles to run.
We had a break and I dropped Sarah off at the gym and arrived back downtown about 2 hours after finishing the race. All I say is that it wasn't pretty, it wasn't fast, but I completed my 5 addtional miles. I'm not going to call it an "18 mile run" because I know there was a break in the middle. However, I can say that today I did run 18 miles, perhaps splitting hairs, but I'm still proud on my accomplishment for today.
Today was the Knoxville Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5k race. It holds a special place in my heart because 5 years ago, it was the first 5k that Sarah and I ran.
Back in '04, we had been on the weight loss/healthy living track for a little over 6 months, when we decided that it would be fun to run a 5k. Had I not traveled to Canada to visit Sarah, I probably wouldn't have know how long a 5k was. It wasn't like we trained for it at all. In fact, I remember clearly being at the local gym and figuring it might be good to get on a treadmill or something to see about running. That night I think I ran for about 10 minutes or so and figured I was ready (as much as I could be). The day of the race, I finished in about 36 minutes or so and didn't do too bad. I do remember seeing all the marathoners and half-marathoners and thought it was something I'd never be able to do.
So the day started for us at 5:15AM. With the weather being wonderful and springlike all week, of course today it had to be 46 degrees, plus add in a cold wind. We made it to downtown by 6:30 and had to wait for the pre-race activities. Perhaps that's the hardest time of the day, staring down the road, knowing you have 13.1 miles ahead of you. When the gun finally sounded shortly after 7AM, with the sea of humanity, we weren't going anywhere fast. In fact, it wasn't until after mile marker 1 that the crowd started to part. My first mile was around11:40. In hindsight, it might have been good since I couldn't get off to a quick start.
By mile marker two, I ran into my next problem, the two bottles of water I had drunk earlier in the day, made themselves be known. The first set of porta-potties on the course had quite a line, so I had to keep on moving. The next couple of miles were good and around mile 5, there were some porta-potties with a small line. Of course, I could have answered nature the way some other runners did and just run over behind some trees.
Just pass the half way mark, my mother and sister were waiting for me to cheer me on. My sister, as I found out afterwards, had a rough evening before and morning; yet she still was determined to cheer me on. Shortly after passing them, just pass mile marker 7, I hit the first real challenge... Noelton Drive. Noelton is about 1/4 mile in length, nearly all at a signigificant incline, only with a small level area about halfway through. I'm proud to say I plugged my way through the inclines, slowing to walk on the level part. The fact that I had the theme from "Rocky" playing in my Ipod during this part of the run really helped out. :)
After Noelton, the next 3 miles were on the greenway. While trying to keep a good pace, it was starting to get a little tougher. The next challenge was after the greenway going into Ft. Sanders, about 3/4 mile all at an uphill incline. Passing mile maker 10 I smiled thinking of a T-Shirt I had seen earlier in the run... "A Half-Marathon is a 5k with a 10 mile warmup." Passing the 10 mile mark during the incline, it was time to start the 5k part :). This area was also part of the course that Sarah and I had observed in years past after we had compelted our 5ks. Seeing people running up the hill, I was amazedat how they could do it. Today, it was my turn and I got to make the most of it.
From there, it was (almost) all downhill to the finish, over 2 hours after starting, I finished.
So here I am, with finisher medal, after crossing the finish line. (Note, this is the best "action" pose I could muster at the time.)
OK, so here is where I would wrap up and say how wonderful the experience was and how much I'm looking forward to Nashville and completing my first full marathon. (All the about is true.)
However, there was still that 18 miles I didn't run last week, and I've only completed 13.1 miles. Yes, I had 5 more miles to run.
We had a break and I dropped Sarah off at the gym and arrived back downtown about 2 hours after finishing the race. All I say is that it wasn't pretty, it wasn't fast, but I completed my 5 addtional miles. I'm not going to call it an "18 mile run" because I know there was a break in the middle. However, I can say that today I did run 18 miles, perhaps splitting hairs, but I'm still proud on my accomplishment for today.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Loop the loop
A new personal milestone on a couple of levels yesterday.First off, I completed 16 miles in a little over 3 hours and 7 minutes. While the time may seem a bit longer than past times, the second milestone was where the run took place. I ran around the 8-mile loop of Cades Cove... twice!
For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Cades Cove is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. More information and history could be found here. Given the fact that we ran in the mountains, it was much more intense given hills and valleys than past runs.
A map can be found here. Our route took use down to Hyatt Lane and around. Sarah and I were a little late in arrivin and got there around 7:40AM (I misjudged the time it would take to arrive.)
We couldn't have asked for better weather. The temperature was around 45-50 and a clearing sky. (We were told this was the best weather Team in Training had had for this run in the past couple of years). Two things were clear from when we started. First, this would be unlike any previous long runs with the hills and valley. And, two, we would be treated to some wonderful scenery while running.
I have driven around Cades Cove numerous times and have even rode a bike around it 3-4 times. I had never seen as many deer as I saw yesterday. It might have something to do with not being in an automobile, but, at the closest, we had deer within 10 feet of us. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through their minds as we ran by. Probably something akin to trying to figure out what we were doing.
The first loop took about 1 1/2 hours to complete. The thought of running a second loop was daunting, but we took off. The only problem, besides sore legs, was the rising temperature. The long sleeves I was wearing was getting awfully warm. We stopped for water about 4 miles into the second loop (about 12 miles in). I have to say the final 4 miles kick my butt. There was a lot of walking on the hills. By the end, we had arrived a "mini-goals" (reaching the post at the top of the hill, reaching the next tree). But, like I said over 3 hours after we started, and 1 hour and 40 minutes after starting the second loop, we finished. Our group had a very nice potluck picnic afterward to celebrate our victories. Phil, our team trainer, told us that if we could complete the run, with all the hills, we definitely could complete the full marathon in Nashville.
Perhaps someday, I may attempt to run the full 11 miles. In any case, I will never forget this trip to Cades Cove.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Here Comes the Sun
To borrow a lyric from one of my favorite Beatles songs... "It's been a long and cold lonely winter." Not necessarily lonely, as my beautiful wife Sarah has been training along with me the past couple of months, but this winter has been long and cold for sure.
This morning, met with Bryan and John to run down on the Boulevard. At 29 degrees, the temperature didn't seem to bad as dealing with temps in the teens and low 20s. What was really nice was, as we finished our 5 mile run (all of us feeling good about the run), the sun was coming up. Due to the time change over winter, we haven't seen the sun on our runs since October. Unfortunately, after next week's change, it will be another couple of weeks again.
But I can deal with it, if it gives us daylight longer in the evening. Another passing moment telling us spring is around the corner.
This morning, met with Bryan and John to run down on the Boulevard. At 29 degrees, the temperature didn't seem to bad as dealing with temps in the teens and low 20s. What was really nice was, as we finished our 5 mile run (all of us feeling good about the run), the sun was coming up. Due to the time change over winter, we haven't seen the sun on our runs since October. Unfortunately, after next week's change, it will be another couple of weeks again.
But I can deal with it, if it gives us daylight longer in the evening. Another passing moment telling us spring is around the corner.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Down on the Boulevard
I've restarted my Tuesday and Thursday morning runs.
Even though there is nothing I would rather do at 5:15 in the morning except go back to bed, there is no better way to start the day than with a good run. Like I said, my running partner Bryan and I took a hiatus for the last couple of month due to the weather and the fact that Bryan suffered a stress fracture in his ankle after Thanksgiving.
This morning was to be our second morning run of the new year. I arrived at 5:50am and parked at the tail end of Cherokee Boulevard. (For those unfamiliar with Knoxville, the Boulevard runs through one of the older neighborhoods of Knoxville surrounded by plenty of expensive homes.) Bryan and I usually meet here and run for about 30-45 minutes, covering distances of 3-4 miles. Today, I parked my car at 5:50 and waited for Bryan, who is very punctual and shows up around 5:55. Once my clock read 6:05, I knew something was wrong. I returned to my car and as soon as I sat down, my cell phone rang. Bryan was on the other end and had problems with his alarm and wasn't going to make it this morning.
There are those moments when you are faced with a decision. I could have taken the easy way and simply left. Or I could go out for a run on my own. Today, I chose the latter and started on my way. Now, let me mention that the temperature this morning was a brisk 24 degree F. Even so, there was a few people out. Perhaps, we are all crazy.
Being alone this morning, I decided to press my run a little as my busy schedule on Saturday had kept me from my run. Today, I decided to run the full length of the Boulevard... 2.6 miles one way.
Running along the road, the first 1.75 miles is generally flat. Beyond that, the remaining mile is full of hills and valleys. I'm proud to say that except for turning around and the final hill, I managed to run the full road... 5.2 miles in under 52 minutes, keeping my 10-minute pace.
Even though there is nothing I would rather do at 5:15 in the morning except go back to bed, there is no better way to start the day than with a good run. Like I said, my running partner Bryan and I took a hiatus for the last couple of month due to the weather and the fact that Bryan suffered a stress fracture in his ankle after Thanksgiving.
This morning was to be our second morning run of the new year. I arrived at 5:50am and parked at the tail end of Cherokee Boulevard. (For those unfamiliar with Knoxville, the Boulevard runs through one of the older neighborhoods of Knoxville surrounded by plenty of expensive homes.) Bryan and I usually meet here and run for about 30-45 minutes, covering distances of 3-4 miles. Today, I parked my car at 5:50 and waited for Bryan, who is very punctual and shows up around 5:55. Once my clock read 6:05, I knew something was wrong. I returned to my car and as soon as I sat down, my cell phone rang. Bryan was on the other end and had problems with his alarm and wasn't going to make it this morning.
There are those moments when you are faced with a decision. I could have taken the easy way and simply left. Or I could go out for a run on my own. Today, I chose the latter and started on my way. Now, let me mention that the temperature this morning was a brisk 24 degree F. Even so, there was a few people out. Perhaps, we are all crazy.
Being alone this morning, I decided to press my run a little as my busy schedule on Saturday had kept me from my run. Today, I decided to run the full length of the Boulevard... 2.6 miles one way.
Running along the road, the first 1.75 miles is generally flat. Beyond that, the remaining mile is full of hills and valleys. I'm proud to say that except for turning around and the final hill, I managed to run the full road... 5.2 miles in under 52 minutes, keeping my 10-minute pace.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Half way there!!!
After the dismal weather of the past 2 weeks, the promise of 60 degree sunny weather is enough to bring a smile to anyone's face. However, it only gets in the 60s in the afternoon... 7:30am, the thermometer was showing a brisk 29 degrees.
Today's group run presented a new distance challenge: 13 miles.
13 miles, .1 mile short of a half-marathon. For you Knoxville folks, longer than the entire distance of I-640 or traveling on I-40/75 from West Hills almost down to the Lenoir City exit. But for me, it marks the halfway point of my overall goal.
Like 2 weeks ago, the course was around the 3rd Creek Greenway. Those training for the marathon would run from the old Bi-Lo parking lot, along the greenway for 3.5 miles and turn around. We would run a second lap of 3 miles down and back.
Even though it was cold at the start, everyone seemed to get off to a good start. The greenway was a little crowded this morning as the Knoxville Track Club was hosting a training run for the Knoxville Marathon as well. One thing I've discovered is that most runners seem to be nice friendly people, a smile and small wave as you pass by. Perhaps it's that feeling of "I know what your going through." And, even though it's very small, it can be a nice pick up.
The other thing I had going for me today was the addition of my IPod Nano. I bought a refurbished Nano from Apple a couple of weeks ago specifically for running. I own another IPod classic, but found out last year they weren't designed for running. (Mainly, because of the movement while running, they shut down after 30 minutes.) [An added benefit of the new IPod was that I was finally able to use the Christmas gift Sarah gave me 2 years ago. The watch above also is able to serve as a remote control for the player and it worked like a charm.] It's funny, but having the music made the trip pass a little quicker.
Today I had another first. The first time I really hit the wall. I won't say the whole trip was quick and easy, but the first 10 miles weren't bad. I was making good times around 9:30 - 10:30 pace per mile. I didn't have to stop to walk at all, only stopping for water. After my last water stop in Tyson Park, I had 3 miles ahead of me to get back to the car. The first thing was the stiffness in my calves. The hills seemed a little steeper and my pace started to slow. With a little less than 2 miles to go, I crossed a big hill and finally had to slow to a walk. I had to give myself credit; I had done better with these 11 miles than I did 2 weeks earlier, now I was in uncharted territory.
I had to slow to walk a couple more times. I never completely stopped, but it was getting harder to want to start back up to a run. Finally at mile 12 (1 mile to go), I wasn't sure if I would get back to a run, most of the final mile would be on an uphill grade. I had 2 runners pass me and I knew I couldn't walk the last mile. I forced myself into short bursts of running and then finally in the last .25 miles I told myself I couldn't break stride again.
I may have wanted to die at the end, but I did run the final .25 miles.... an exhilarating and scary finish. Exhilarating in that for the most part, I ran a half-marathon this morning and an halfway to my goal. Scary in that looking ahead, I'm only halfway there. To finish my goal, I'll have to double my output this morning. I will have to keep my runs up to build up my endurance.
Let me clarify one point, some of you may look at the time above and compare it to the time from 2 weeks ago and think that I had a better time on my last run. The time above is my complete time for start to finish, without stopping the clock at all. The time from 2 weeks ago is only time in transit. Any stops were not included in the time below.
Stay tuned; the best is yet to come!!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hamster Time!
When I first started running, I used a treadmill quite a bit. I guess the idea of a controlled environment appealed to me. I remember the first time I ran 3.1 miles without stopping, how pleased I was with myself.
Last year, I started running outdoors and didn't go back to running on a treadmill, until a a couple of weeks ago. With the bad weather and short daylight, the treadmill was the only option to get the miles in for the day... But something had happened along the way.
I've found that I can't run that well on a treadmill anymore. I don't know what it is, if its the boredom, if its the set pace... but it's so much harder to do any major distances.
I finally got a good solid hour and finished over 6 miles. I'll be so glad when warmer weather arrives.
Last year, I started running outdoors and didn't go back to running on a treadmill, until a a couple of weeks ago. With the bad weather and short daylight, the treadmill was the only option to get the miles in for the day... But something had happened along the way.
I've found that I can't run that well on a treadmill anymore. I don't know what it is, if its the boredom, if its the set pace... but it's so much harder to do any major distances.
I finally got a good solid hour and finished over 6 miles. I'll be so glad when warmer weather arrives.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
11 miles
The best proof I have of this morning's activities.This is a shot of my watch after my run down at the 3rd Creek Greenway. The 11 laps represent 11 miles. Another new personal best in distance and time (last mile run was 9 min 53 sec and an overall time of 1 hour and 50 minutes).
Though a little cold and wet at the start, the course started on the greenway and went down for 3 miles and returned, then a second lap of down 2.5 miles and a return.
Honestly, for the first 6 miles I was doing good. Even with a little congestion hanging around, I made decent time. It was the "second" lap that was difficult (I guess something about being back near your car ready to finish and having 5 miles ahead of you).
The second lap, while more difficult, was good as well. I am able to run most of the second lap. Next stop, in two weeks is 12 miles!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Out with the old....
Yes, it's been 9 days since an update. In the interim, the weather in Knoxville has been freakin' cold (lows last week on 6 and 9 above zero), and I've been under the weather for the last 4 days with a bad head cold.
In the meantime, I finally was able to go out and get a new pair of shoes. Last week Sarah and I paid a visit to Fleet Feet Sports out in West Knoxville. This was my first visit to a specialized running store to purchase shoes. Now, we been told over and over that running shoes should only last 6-8 months tops. Here are the shoes I've been wearing for 16 months. Yes, from Oct 2007 to Jan 2009, 7 races, months of daily runs.
A pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 (Size 10.5). I purchased these shoes at Dick's Sporting Goods after figuring out the $29.99 Nike running shoes I had purchased had managed to screw up my ankles. (On the plus side, the Nike shoes taught me that you get what you pay for when it comes to shoes.) They don't look that bad for shoes I've owned for 16 months.
The only negative thing I can say about these shoes, at least for me, was that they provided too much support for pronation. Towards the end, I started to develop Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot.
After consulation with the fine folks at Fleet Feet, who were more than helpful, I ended up with these babies...
I'm the proud owner of a pair of Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 10 (Size 11). I've backed off a little on the pronation support. So far, I've only got to run twice for short distances. I'll let you know whoi they are after a longer run. (Which weather and health permitting will be within a couple of days.)
In the meantime, I finally was able to go out and get a new pair of shoes. Last week Sarah and I paid a visit to Fleet Feet Sports out in West Knoxville. This was my first visit to a specialized running store to purchase shoes. Now, we been told over and over that running shoes should only last 6-8 months tops. Here are the shoes I've been wearing for 16 months. Yes, from Oct 2007 to Jan 2009, 7 races, months of daily runs.
A pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 (Size 10.5). I purchased these shoes at Dick's Sporting Goods after figuring out the $29.99 Nike running shoes I had purchased had managed to screw up my ankles. (On the plus side, the Nike shoes taught me that you get what you pay for when it comes to shoes.) They don't look that bad for shoes I've owned for 16 months.
The only negative thing I can say about these shoes, at least for me, was that they provided too much support for pronation. Towards the end, I started to develop Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot.
After consulation with the fine folks at Fleet Feet, who were more than helpful, I ended up with these babies...
I'm the proud owner of a pair of Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 10 (Size 11). I've backed off a little on the pronation support. So far, I've only got to run twice for short distances. I'll let you know whoi they are after a longer run. (Which weather and health permitting will be within a couple of days.)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
47,520 feet
It was a cold and wet morning. The alarm went off at 6:30 (way to early!!) And it was a Saturday!!!!!!! Who freakin gets up at 6:30AM on a Saturday morning? After a check of the weather conditions (39 degrees and in between two lines of rain), it was a slow wander around the house to wake up and get ready for the big event of the day... less than 90 minutes later I was going to run a personal record distance of 9 miles.
After waking Sarah, a challenge in and of itself (Hi, Sweetie :) ), we both were up and in the car by 7:45 for the trip over to the Sterchi Hills Greenway for our group training session. As part of the Team in Training, we have these longer group runs every two weeks (today was 9, two weeks from now it will be 11 miles.) Having never been to the Sterchi Hills Greenway, I have to say it is a very nice course. Winding through a couple of nice neighborhoods with a few light hills, the course it located in North Knoxville.
At this point there was a few drops in the air and everyone attending was bundled up for the weather. One of the participants, Amanda, gave a "mission moment" to remind us why were there (besides to run a marathon), as her life had been touched by the loss of a friend due to Leukemia.
(Personal plug here... you too can donate to help the fight against all sort of blood cancers.)
Finally, we were given the directions for the run. Since we were located along the middle of the greenway, run to one end at a soccer field, loop the soccer field and return and run to the other end of the greenway and back - 4 miles all told. And we were off. This time, knowing the distance to cover, I had to make an effort to keep my pace down. I knew I wasn't going to conquer this at a 5K pace of 8:30 a mile. I caught up to one of my fellow team members who was running a 10 minute pace and stuck with her. Even though both of us were in our own separtate worlds (she had an Ipod on and, being my first time in the neighborhood, I was taking in the scenery), I think we both benefited from having some else to keep up with. Neither of us stopped at all, except when we passed the starting point to get some water.
Today was probably one of the best run I had because after 1 hour and 34 minutes, we had completed 9 miles (even having to throw in an extra loop around the soccer field to make it complete). Even with a steady rain for the last mile of running (of course, when you are away from the car, to only way back is to run in the rain). I think if I can back down a little on race day, and not get caught up in the desire to run those 8:30 miles, I'm looking forward to where I can go from here, and the half marathon in Knoxville and the 26.2 in Nashville. Today, I passed the 1/3 mark of my overall goal.
After waking Sarah, a challenge in and of itself (Hi, Sweetie :) ), we both were up and in the car by 7:45 for the trip over to the Sterchi Hills Greenway for our group training session. As part of the Team in Training, we have these longer group runs every two weeks (today was 9, two weeks from now it will be 11 miles.) Having never been to the Sterchi Hills Greenway, I have to say it is a very nice course. Winding through a couple of nice neighborhoods with a few light hills, the course it located in North Knoxville.
At this point there was a few drops in the air and everyone attending was bundled up for the weather. One of the participants, Amanda, gave a "mission moment" to remind us why were there (besides to run a marathon), as her life had been touched by the loss of a friend due to Leukemia.
(Personal plug here... you too can donate to help the fight against all sort of blood cancers.)
Finally, we were given the directions for the run. Since we were located along the middle of the greenway, run to one end at a soccer field, loop the soccer field and return and run to the other end of the greenway and back - 4 miles all told. And we were off. This time, knowing the distance to cover, I had to make an effort to keep my pace down. I knew I wasn't going to conquer this at a 5K pace of 8:30 a mile. I caught up to one of my fellow team members who was running a 10 minute pace and stuck with her. Even though both of us were in our own separtate worlds (she had an Ipod on and, being my first time in the neighborhood, I was taking in the scenery), I think we both benefited from having some else to keep up with. Neither of us stopped at all, except when we passed the starting point to get some water.
Today was probably one of the best run I had because after 1 hour and 34 minutes, we had completed 9 miles (even having to throw in an extra loop around the soccer field to make it complete). Even with a steady rain for the last mile of running (of course, when you are away from the car, to only way back is to run in the rain). I think if I can back down a little on race day, and not get caught up in the desire to run those 8:30 miles, I'm looking forward to where I can go from here, and the half marathon in Knoxville and the 26.2 in Nashville. Today, I passed the 1/3 mark of my overall goal.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Rainy evening
A later run than usual, at least on a school night. Sarah and I went to the local park, Northwest School Park. They have a figure 8 loop that is approximately 1 mile in length. I didn't get an "official" time as I didn't reset my watch after my last run. Still, I was able to get 5 miles in this evening. The last couple of laps were in a light mist, by the time we got home the rain was going down.
Tomorrow should be an interesting day. Sarah and I are hitting the gym after work. I fully expect it to be a madhouse when we get there, being the first full week of the new year.
Tomorrow should be an interesting day. Sarah and I are hitting the gym after work. I fully expect it to be a madhouse when we get there, being the first full week of the new year.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A New Year
First off, happy new year to all. Here's hoping that your 2009 is healthy and full of fun.
It should go without saying that my new year's resolution would be to get healthier this year, but I'm not coming out to say it. As previous posts can attest to, I've been here before.
2009 got off to a good start for both Sarah and myself. Even though we stayed up to watch the ball drop, after catching a movie earlier in the evening, we were up early Jan 1 to run in a New Years Day 5K downtown.
The sun was out, and even though it started a little cold, by the time we finished, it had warmed up (warm for Jan 1). I guess one of my resolutions will be to work on my endurance. I lost my stride twice during the race and had to slow to walk. Still I finished with an official time of 26:20, not a bad time.
This past week, I was good about getting all the scheduled runs in for the week, averaging 4-5 miles for 4 days this week. For the upcoming week, I have a new benchmark to reach - 9 miles on Saturday. I have scheduled runs of 5 miles on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, then the big one for the week.
Next Saturday will have a second adventure as I go shopping for new running shoes.
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