My journey.....so far

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I had a great weekend running! I put up my best time on my 12 mile run in a really long time. It was my 2nd best time ever and only a few minutes off my PR! I also gained some much needed confidence after having some "not-so-great" long run times lately. My goal of running a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon in my first half is very realistic now! I ran the 12 miles in 1:54:22 and felt so good afterwards! Lately, I've been struggling to get my times under 10mm for my long runs, but Saturday I got every single mile under 10 minutes except the last 2 and they were just over 10 minutes. I had quite a few that were under 9 minutes. It felt really good getting out there and having a good run.

Most importantly, I had no residual pain in my heal following my run and felt great throughout the rest of the weekend. Some of the soreness I usually feel after a long run was not there!

DW also started trying to stretch her distances out. She's now shooting for 4miles a few times per week along with her daily runs of 3.1 miles.

I've revised my training schedule for my first half-marathon on March 3rd. I'm going to be running 3.5-4 miles (based on how good DW feels during our runs) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm going over to my dad's to run on the treadmill with him. He used to be a pretty fast runner (PR of 19:02 at age 40 in 5k), but tore his ACL, MCL, and anything else ending in CL in a bad skiing accident about 10 years ago. Since, he hasn't been able to run any more, but has been itching to start running again and has slowly built his endurance up on the treadmill. He's not fast like he used to be, but I love the time together on the mill to bond.

I didn't enjoy running when he did it and now he can't run long distances or fast and can't go out on the road with it, but this is a way we can maybe push each other along and enjoy a little time together.

On Saturdays, I'll alternate my training. Every other weekend, I'll do a long run. I'm taking some advice to not do a long run every weekend. I'll probably just go the 4 miles DW does on the shorter run weekend. Long run weekend will consist of at least a 12 mile run, but I really want to get in a few 13-14 mile runs before my first half.

DW and I had a great run again this morning. I'm so proud of her especially since she's extending her distances. What she doesn't realize is that time she's struggled to improve upon will start getting better and better as her endurance gets better.

We also bought another scale this weekend and to my surprise, I have gained the 10 pounds I thought I had gained since my low weight last May; however I had only gained 2 pounds since I last weighed in August. I want that 10 pounds I gained to melt off before my 1/2 in less than 6 weeks. It's definitely doable, but I think the lighter weight will help my times tremendously.

 

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Got a good run in this morning. 3.58 miles. I was really proud of DW. She finished the 3.1 portion just a tick off her best 5k pace! It's funny that I feel like I'm just getting warmed up now after 2 miles or so. I guess that's my long-distance training kicking in.

I'm happy to say that I've dropped 3lbs. since Monday. I've been eating steady, but just paying more attention to the types of food I'm eating and bringing my lunch as opposed to eating out. I know that pace is not going to sustain, but it feels good to get some of that garbage out of my system and start feeling "healthy" again.

 

[dragitoff]

Had a really good run this morning. Also had a good one Saturday morning. DW has increased her week-day runs from 3.1 miles to 3.6 and her Saturday runs from 3.1 miles to 4 miles. She actually ran the 4 miles this Saturday at a faster pace than her 5k PR! I didn't do a long run this Saturday. It was a recovery weekend. I'll do a 12 mile run tomorrow with the hopes of improving on last weekend's pace. I've got just a little over a month until my first 1/2 marathon so I'm trying to whittle that time down. My goal is to run it in under 2 hours. I'm currently around 2:05 or so based off last weekend's run. I'm such a competitor, I just have to be very careful. I have a tendency starting off too fast and then having to tough it out the last part. I have to run my pace, my race, and run smart. I'm not beating any of the Kenyans at this 1/2! lol. There are actually alot of good runners that come from all over for this 1/2 since it's a BQ and it's flat and fast. I don't think many of them run the 1/2 though.

 

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I reached a new record for myself last night. I had the longest run to date that I've had. I logged 13.1 miles. My time was off a little from my 12 mile run pace, but I was still pleased with the 2:09 finish time. I've got 4 weeks from Saturday to get that time down to under 2 hours. I'll keep plugging away. Either way, my primary goal is under 2 hours, but deep down, I'd be honest with a pace under 10mm and I'm already doing that now.

 

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After a week off from running due to a ridiculous schedule (last run was 13.1 miles last Tuesday night), DW and I logged 3.58 miles this morning. It was a decent pace, but it was just nice to get out there and run. It's amazing how much I love running, but how much I hate running at 5am! lol. If there were only another time to do it, I'd be the happiest guy in the world. Oh well. I'm down to less than a month until my first 1/2. I've got to really push hard to get my pace down to about 9mm so I can finish in under 2 hours. I'm close now, but not quite there.

I'm ready for this 1/2 though. I'm excited to do it and hope it gives me a little push. I seem to have hit a wall where I can't imagine doing a full marathon. Of course, I couldn't imagine doing a half this time last year either so I know I can do it. It's just a matter of getting past that mental block. I feel like I'm doing well with my 1/2 training, but when I hit that 11th or 12th mile, I see my times per mile slip dramatically. Last week, my last 1.5 miles were so terribly slow, but I made myself finish the 13.1 mile run I set out to do.

I guess I'm just sharing my thoughts with everyone that reads this more than anything else. I'll get beyond it much like I hit this same kind of wall when I suffered my achilles injury last December. I came back faster and stronger from that. I'll push through this and be better on the other side. Just gotta' get through it for now.

 

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HUGE breakthrough for me personally this weekend! I was able to do my Saturday morning long run (13.1 miles) in 2:01:23. That's an 8 minute improvement over my previous best 13.1 mile run. Of course, I've only done that distance once before, but I have been running 12 miles on the weekend for quite some time and my 12 mile time was about the best I've ever had. Most of all, I was pleased that I didn't have horrible splits. I was almost the same pace for the 1st half as I was the second half.

That was great encouragement as I've been trying to figure out how am I going to make the move from half marathon to full marathon over the next 9 months or so. I felt great after finishing the run and honestly felt like I could have gone a little further.

I made up my mind that starting 2 weeks after my half-marathon, I'm going to try to increase my long run distance by 1 mile every other week. That will still give me plenty of time after building up the endurance for a 20+ mile run to work on my times. Ultimately, I'd like to run the full in under 4 hours.

After this weekend's run, I'm certain that running my first half in under 2 hours is a real possibility.

 

[dragitoff]

I've been tapering my mileage down a little the past week trying to prep for my 1/2 next weekend. I've also been very focused on my times. I'm trying to be extremely consistent on that 9mm for the 1/2 pace. Last Friday night, I ran 5 miles in 43:40 which was slightly faster than that pace. I had to go out of town on business Sunday afternoon. I ran Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in DW's hometown of Charleston, SC. I was staying downtown and go to run on the battery. Great, peaceful place to run. There are soooooo many runners in that area! I did 5 miles Monday and Tuesday. My brother who used to run track in high school has recently started running again. He wanted to go out with me Wednesday. He couldn't quite make it the 5 miles and needed quite a few walk breaks, but we did log 4 miles. My times Monday and Tuesday were very good. 45:23 Monday and almost 45 on the dot Tuesday. Wednesday, we did the 4 miles in 37:18, but like I said, we walked about 6 minutes of that. The first mile was more like a 5k pace (8:06). All in all, it was a good week or so of running for me. My plans leading up to the 1/2 is:

Friday: 3.6 mile run with DW (her pace)
Sunday: 6.55 mile pace run (9mm target)
Tuesday: 3.6 mile run with DW (her pace)
Thursday: 5 mile pace run (9mm target)
Saturday: RACE!!!!

 

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Since I kept detailed logs of my running distance, times, weight, etc.. last year (and continue to do so), I tallied up my total miles for 2011. I was honestly a little disappointed. I ran just a tick over 500 miles last year. I expected it to be more than that; however I had to remind myself I didn't really start doing longer distances until September of last year.

My goal this year is to run over 1500 miles. So far through mid-February, I'm already well over 100 miles so I'm on my way! Since I'm training for my first full marathon this year, my mileage will certainly increase. I'm trying to be easy on it though so I don't increase the mileage too fast.

 

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The weekend before my first half was quite uneventful. I've tapered my mileage off this week and last in preparation for this weekend's half. I only ran about 20 miles last week and I'll do about 12 miles this week before the half this Saturday.

We had a lock-in for my students this weekend at church and I did play alot of basketball. Even though it was only 1/2 court, I'm still feeling the effects of it today, although not nearly as bad as I was yesterday. DW and I tried to do a quick run yesterday, but the soreness and the rain cut it short after just 2.8 miles.

I'm really excited and quite a bit nervous about the run this weekend. My goals for this race are finish in under 2 hours. That's really my only goal I'm setting. It's my first half so I don't really know what to expect.

 

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I completed my first half marathon this past Saturday. It was quite a bit different than my practice runs for sure. For one, there are alot more people on the roads than my practice runs (obviously) lol. Most different was the torrential downpour that I encountered this weekend.

The first 3+ miles it flooded. I don't mean a little sprinkle. I mean a full-blown, I expected to see boats going down the street pouring down rain! I felt like I was running on sponges with every step my socks and shoes got so wet. The rain cleared out mostly after about 3-4 miles, but then the tornado sirens started around mile 5 or 6. It was a little nerve racking.

I was on pace to finish in under 2 hours until around mile 9. Even then, I was only off-pace by about a minute, but I was getting very tired and could tell it was going to be a battle to finish within my goal time.

Despite all that, I kept on chugging. Around mile 10, I realized (sorry if TMI), that between my new singlet, the extra rain, and everything else, my nipples had become extremely chaffed and I had bled all over the front of my shirt. It looked alot worse than it was since the rain was washing the blood down my shirt, but it still looked terrible.

Not long after I realized this, my calves (especially the left one) began to tighten up and cramp very badly. Each time I stopped to stretch, it would be worse when I started back. I decided to keep moving and walk more rather than stop to stretch. Apparently that was a bad idea. The walking caused the muscle to ease up, but then when I'd start running again, it would completely lock up to the point where I couldn't run at all.

I pushed through with this for about a mile and a half until I only had about 1/2 a mile left to go. I decided I wasn't crossing the finish line walking and sucked it up and ran (albeit very slowly). I finished by my watch in 2:09:53. I didn't get my official time, but I was about 0:24 seconds off from their times at the various checkpoints. Hopefully they'll post the official times and results later today.

I'm so thankful for getting my first half out of the way and look forward to the next one.

DW and I did do a nice, slow run this morning of 3.57 miles. It was good to get out and stretch my legs good again. After Saturday's fiasco, I was a little anxious about the run this morning.

 

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Just saw the online results posted. My official time was 2:10:03 and I finished 299th out of over 800 1/2 marathon finishers. Had I finished within my goal time, I would have finished in the top 200! So close!!!!

 

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Another solid run this morning. DW and I ran 3.6 miles and we each ran it about 1:30 faster than we did yesterday. I feel like my tightness and slight soreness from Saturday's 1/2 have eased up. I'm glad too. We're planning on getting another few 3.5-4 mile runs in this week. I'll probably do a mid-range distance run of maybe 5-6 miles Saturday. Next weekend, I'll shoot for my first 14 mile run in preparation of extending distances to start training for my first full marathon in January.

I also wanted to mention, there haven't been any comments on my journal in quite some time. I wanted to encourage any newbies or oldies to feel free to comment on my journal or others. It's your encouragement that keeps many going.

 

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After a good week of running 4 times (total of about 18 miles), I made a decision to change my running strategy a little in preparation for the full marathon in January. It'll mean me running a little slower at first, but so far, after a few tries at the new strategy, I feel more refreshed during and after my runs. Before, I had been using a run/walk method of 9 minutes running and 1 minute walking. My time goal was 9mm. My new strategy has me running 4 minutes and walking 1 with a time goal of 10mm. So far, I've been faster than my time goal (which is ok with me), but the shorter times between walk breaks has me feeling more refreshed and I'm actually running faster during the times I'm running. I guess it's possible I could actually do the 9mm time despite the additional walk break, but I'm going to tinker with this strategy for a little while to see how it plays out.

Sunday, I actually tried to see just how fast of a pace I could actually run. One of my younger brothers ran track in HS and did the one mile at the regional track meet in under 5 minutes. Of course, he was a teenager and I'm 33, but I was still curious. I actually surprised myself and ran it around 6 minutes. I was completely gassed afterwards but that's how I started my 5 mile run Sunday. My run ended in not so good a fashion as I decided to go a slightly different route that took me across the dirt road of a group of ball fields near the area where I run. It used to be part of my long run route and my legs (and knees) loved the softer impact of the dirt/grass road vs. the asphalt. I was going along nicely until a rather large rock (how I missed it is beyond me) jumped up and grabbed my big toe. I did a complete flip when I hit it, but like a hollywood stuntman jumped right back up and took the fall in stride, barely missing a beat. Of course, it wasn't my extreme skill or grace that allowed me to jump back up so quickly. It was actually the fact that this particular area where I was at was right on a major highway and I didn't want anyone to see me.

Anyway. I'm not sure if anyone reads this anymore, but I'm still posting at least for my own reflection.

 

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I tried my new strategy of running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute Saturday for my long run. I completed my longest run to date of 14 miles in 2:17:23 and felt great afterwards! If I had longer to run, I could have easily done another mile or two. We had to drive to Atlanta for my SIL's baby shower and I had to stop after the 14 mile mark. Either way, I'd say the new training strategy so far is a huge success. I'm definitely sacrificing a little speed for the sake of finishing strong and feeling good, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make! I felt great all weekend with no after-effects of the long run so I'm feeling good about the change so far.

 

[Terapin]

Sounds like you are doing amazing! Good work. Keep posting - inspirational.

 

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Thanks for the comment Terapin! I haven't had anyone comment in so long I was beginning to feel like I was just typing to myself.

After a few 4 milers this week, I'm hoping the weather cooperates for me to do a long run tomorrow morning. There's rain in the forecast and after my half marathon in the pouring rain, I'm not all about running a practice run in the same conditions!

If the weather does indeed cooperate, I'm aiming for at least 14 miles (like last weekend) and really wanting to do that extra mile or 2 beyond that if I'm feeling as good as I was last weekend. We'll see how everything goes. Either way, I'm definitely looking forward to a nice long run regardless of the distance. I'm just praying it doesn't have to be on the treadmill due to crappy weather.

I'm on vacation next week. The kids are on Spring Break. We're going camping next weekend with some friends from church, but being off work means I won't be updating my journal next week most likely. I don't think the crickets will mind.

If anyone can tell me how to post pics on my journal, I've got a few I was wanting to post. Maybe you can advise me Terapin since you've posted a few to yours.

Thanks!!!

 

[Terapin]

That is some serious mileage - way to go.

I'm hoping for a nice long run this weekend myself, but nowhere near 14 miles. That is awesome. I like reading the variety of mileage that people are doing, from beginning to walk to serious training. This is a great community.

 

[dragitoff]

That is some serious mileage - way to go.

I'm hoping for a nice long run this weekend myself, but nowhere near 14 miles. That is awesome. I like reading the variety of mileage that people are doing, from beginning to walk to serious training. This is a great community.

It's hard to believe that just a little over a year ago, I could barely run 2 or 3 minutes consecutively on the treadmill. lol.

 

[Terapin]

It's hard to believe that just a little over a year ago, I could barely run 2 or 3 minutes consecutively on the treadmill. lol.

It is amazing to see what our bodies are capable of doing. Last summer I just started running and found the first weeks of C25K excruciating!

I'd like to build up more mileage because I am goal-oriented, but my coach has me working on endurance right now. He wants me to be capable of more sustained activity at a lower heart rate before moving my mileage up. I guess that is a wise move. I'm biking as much as running right now, and starting to go right after running to keep me going hard but sparing my body the rigors of a llong, long run.

Monday our plan is for a big, uphill, fast hike over several hours. Eek!

Right now I am topping out at 7k runs - hoping for double-digits soon! Please keep writing!

 

[Rose&Mike]

You can post pics through photobucket. First you upload your pics to photobucket. I usually edit them to be a bit smaller and then there's an area with links to help you share. There is one that says img. This is the link that I copy and put in my journal.

I think there are better instructions somewhere on the disboards, but it's pretty easy.