I woke up this morning not feeling AT ALL like running. It's still cold out, it was dark, my legs were pretty sore from Sunday's long run and I still haven't found my iPod shuffle. But I managed to drag myself out of bed at 5:00 for a quick 3-mile run. There isn't a whole lot to say about this outing. My time was fine. My legs actually felt BETTER after the run than they did before. Most of all, I was glad to just get the miles in. I feel ready for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon coming up in 2 1/2 weeks, and this morning just gives me a little more confidence. Activity
  
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
3-Mile Run
Monday, December 29, 2008
Getting Back Into It
I haven't run in the 2 weeks since the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon. I've had a ton of reasons:
So I decided to get back to it by doing a 10-miler. That should also put me right on track for the PF Chang's Half Marathon in 3 weeks. Bill has been fighting a bum knee, so I figured he was out. Barry doesn't like cold (and the overnight low of 38 definitely counts as COLD!), so I figured he was out. Bill surprised me by counting himself in for a 10-miler. We met at Granada Park at sunrise. It was a balmy 32, 38 or 40 degrees, depending on which source you consulted. Either way, it was friggin' cold! For the first 2 miles, my hands were painfully cold. After that, they warmed right up and the cold didn't bother me. As we neared the 4-mile point, Bill said his knee was hurting, so we decided to turn around at 4 miles. I was feeling the 2-week layoff, too. I wasn't quite back at square one, but I was definitely laboring more than usual. On the run back, Bill's knee loosened up and we decided to do our original goal of 10 miles. Bill even felt a little runner's high. At mile 9 or so, we passed an old man whose run could best be described as a shuffle. He dragged the soles of his shoes along the ground as he ran. It took us a little while to pass him, but I was bound and determined to do it because it seemed like we should both be able to leave a shuffler in the dust. :) We finished up at about 1:29, an acceptable 9:00 pace. It was far from my strongest run, but I was happy that I overcame my laziness. For not having run in 2 weeks, it was acceptable. Activity
  
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon
 What is "the perfect race?"I don't think there is any one definition. Each runner will have his own, and that definition can (and should) evolve. I think my own definition changes with each and every race. Before today's Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon, I would have defined My Perfect Race thusly:
1) I woke up at about 5:30, feeling pretty good. Jen and I went to dinner at Quiessence for her birthday last night. (Great food and great atmosphere, incidentally.) I was afraid that would leave me hung over and tired, but I felt neither this morning. FIVE POINTS. 2) When I woke up, I went out to get the newspapers. I was annoyed that someone had stolen our New York Times, but happy to find it delightfully chilly. I could even see my breath a little. Perfect! FIVE POINTS. 3) The forecast called for rain this morning (and I DON'T do rain). The headline on the Arizona Republic yesterday even said "Shitty Weather In Store For Valley This Weekend" (I'm paraphrasing a little). It was a little overcast, but not a drop of rain in sight. Awesome! FIVE POINTS. 4) Maintaining a consistent pace throughout the race. In my previous two half marathons, I had to take a few walk breaks. That ended up making my time slower than I wanted. I was determined to run a consistent 8:15 - 8:55 pace this time. From the start of this race, I did exactly that. I had to stop at about mile 1 to tie my shoe, and I took two 15-second walk breaks when my knee started feeling sore. Otherwise I was right at 8:30 - 8:40 for most of the race, except for mile 11 - 12. Even at the end of the race, when I felt like I was running out of gas and that my pace must have slowed, I checked my Garmin and saw that I was still on pace. 4.5 POINTS. 5) Finishing without feeling like I had been the loser in a street brawl. After my previous two half marathons, I felt completely drained at the end of the race. I wanted to walk away from this one feeling better physically. I also wanted to keep on track for running my next half marathon, the PF Chang's Rock'n'Roll Arizona Half Marathon in January, so I didn't want to incur any injuries. At the end of the race, I felt tired, but not overly so. I was a little worried about my knee at one point, but now it feels like normal post-race soreness. Greg even commented at the end of the race that it looked like I hadn't even broken a sweat. 4.5 POINTS. 6) Finish without having to stop for a bathroom break. I was hugely successful at this today due to a much more intelligent hydration strategy. I drank tons of water on Friday and Saturday. I knew I was adequately hydrated because I was having to pee every 15 to 30 minutes, and it was a very pale yellow. I went a couple times before I left the house, and once more at the start area. I didn't drink any water before the race, and I drank only enough to keep from getting dehydrated during the race. 5 POINTS. 7) A finish time faster than 1:58. I didn't train very hard during my trip to Paris or in the weeks after, so I wasn't expecting a sub-1:50 here. But I still thought the flat course and nice weather would contribute to a new PR. Indeed, I finished in 1:56:11, a good 4 minutes faster than my previous PR, which I set at The Other Half in Moab only 2 months earlier. I was stoked about my time. 5 POINTS. 9) Have fun. I had a blast today. I rode to the race with Barry, and we ran into Greg and Brant. Barry finished at 1:38:11, only 9 seconds behind Greg's 1:38:07. That's amazing because Barry has been distance running since May! Brant finished at about 2:12, which beat his goal time by about 3 minutes. I saw and talked a woman I know (Kronos Kim) during the race, and we ran into another woman we work with (Meredith) at the end of the race. All during the race, I was alternately right behind or right ahead of a Navy Seal. We took turns pushing each other at various points during the race. There were various other people that I ran several miles with that made the run enjoyable. The small field (about 1000 particpants) meant there was plenty of room, and I didn't experience the annoying Five-Abreast-Slow-Walker phenomenon you see at larger races. All in all, I had a great time today! 5 POINTS. So 39 points out of 40 is 97.5%, which is pretty damn close to The Perfect Race! Incidentally, and apropos of nothing, my new favorite Radiohead song, and, increasingly, one of my favorite songs by any band, is "Reckoner" from their last album, In Rainbows. It's a beautifully haunting (or hauntingly beautiful) song. Enjoy the video: Activity
  
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Sunday, November 30, 2008
12 Mile Recovery Run
| Today was my first run since the Mesa Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Bill had a 19-miler on his calendar, and he wanted to do it on Sunday. We txt'ed back and forth a bunch of times and arranged for me to run 11 of that with him, which would leave 1 solo mile for me and about 8 for him. The plan was for Bill to start by the Scottsdale Shea hospital and run down the Green Belt. I would meet him where the Green Belt intersects the Canal (just south of Indian Bend Rd. at Hayden) at 7:00AM or so. I arrived at our meeting spot about 2.4 seconds before he did. Perfect timing! It was a brisk 51 degrees when we started-- much, MUCH better than the 80-degree heat of last week. After Bill re-filled his new Amphipod RunLite Hydration Belt (Merry Christmas, dude!), we set off on the Canal. I could tell right away that my legs were still tight from the race on Thursday. Not painful or sore, just tight. It felt really good to not worry about heat or hydration issues. If it weren't for the tightness in my legs I would have felt perfect! We cruised down the Canal past the newly redeveloped Scottsdale Waterfront. I noticed a couple restaurants that look worth trying. As we passed Goldwater Blvd., I could tell my legs really, really wanted a rest. But I resisted, trying to pick up my pace a little. As we neared our turnaround at Herberger Park, it got harder and harder to keep my legs moving. But I managed to do just that, and we reached the 5-mile point in a respectable 43 minutes, keeping a really consistent 8:30 pace the whole way. We stopped at the facilities at Herberger Park to rest and refuel. While there we talked to a couple of nice women who were out for an 18-miler. I felt like my 12-miler was wussy stuff compared to what they and Bill were doing! After a couple minutes, we set out on the canal again. My legs still felt pretty stiff, but luckily the rest didn't make it worse. On the run back, I took a couple 10- to 15-second walk breaks as we crossed streets. It's amazing how even a small break like that can help rejuvenate tired muscles. I ran the second 5 miles at about an 8:45 pace. It was slower than the first 5 miles, but I'm very pleased with my time considering how my legs felt. When we reached Hayden Rd., we headed north. I ran with Bill until we reached McCormick Parkway. Bill continued north along the Green Belt, and I turned around and ran back toward the Canal. When I reached the Canal, I was about a 1/2-mile short of my tarket distance. I didn't feel like finishing my run, but I forced myself to. I did a 1/4 mile loop on the Canal, pushing myself as fast as my legs would allow. I finished the 12 miles in 1:44, at an average pace of 8:44. After last weekend's bonk, today was a nice comeback. I am shocked that I had an 8:44 pace in me considering how tight my legs felt. A couple more training runs and I'll feel ready for the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon in 2 weeks. I will focus on hitting the starting line as healthy as possible. Activity
  
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Thursday, November 27, 2008
Mesa Turkey Trot 10K
I ran the 2008 Mesa Mi Amigo's Turkey Trot 10K this morning. The weather reports all week had been indicating thunderstorms for this race. My aversion to running in the rain is well-known. To increase the likelihood that I wouldn't sissy out of the race, I asked Bill for a ride. It was pouring when I woke up, but as I got ready to leave, the rain stopped and the skies cleared. By the time Bill arrived a little before 7:00, it was shaping up to be a really nice day for a race-- cool and clear.We arrived at the race site about an hour and a half before the start of the race. After picking up our numbers and T-shirts, we milled around the park. We ran into my boss Greg and some of his running buddies. After drinking some water and making a couple trips to the port-o-lets, we made our way down to the starting line and positioned ourselves near the front of the pack. The gun went off right on time, and we were able to get off to a good start. The first 2 1/2 miles of the race is a loop around the block that re-crosses the starting line. That section of the race went by pretty quickly and I was feeling pretty good. My bladder was pretty full and that kept me from pushing a faster pace. As we completed the first loop and passed the starting line, Bill started to pull ahead. I was feeling comfortable with my 8:15-ish pace and let him pull away. At about mile 3, I realized I wasn't going to finish the race without relieving myself (damn fun size bladder!). I found a nice big bush in a vacant lot just before mile 4, and took care of business. From mile 4 on, I felt really good. I was running between a 8:00 and 9:00 pace. I got some water at the water station at mile 4.5 and dumped it on my head. Ahhhh! At the 5.9 mile mark, the route crossed Brown Rd. and headed back into Red Mountain Park where the race finishes. I saw a seemingly fit woman off to the side puking her guts out. What a bummer to lose it so close to the finish! As I entered the park, I picked up my pace a little. The route makes a couple sharp turns as it winds its way through the park, which makes a little hard to finish with a good stride. As we entered the path where the finish line was, I kicked it up a notch and passed a couple people who had been ahead of me for the whole race-- despite their best efforts to keep me behind them.  I finished in 53:16, by far my fastest time for a 10K. I believe my previous PR was a 56:00-ish time at the Lost Dutchman 10K earlier this year. I think a sub-50:00 10K is in my very near future. I met up with Bill at the finish area. There is a person that runs the race in a turkey suit. You get a special certificate if you finish faster than the turkey. Unfortunately they ran out of certificates just before Bill got his, but he'll always be able to say he beat the turkey. Overall, this was a very fun race and a quality run for me. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Activity
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Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bonk!
| I hadn't run since my 10-miler the previous Saturday. I'm still trying to get my circadian rhythm back on Arizona time. I've been falling asleep super early and waking up super early. I've forced myself to stay up late the last 2 nights in an attempt to finally get back on track. Meanwhile, I just have NOT felt like running during the week. Barry was out of town this week, hiking in the Grand Canyon. Bill was busy, too, volunteering at the Ironman Triathlon Arizona. Incindentally, those people are NUTS! Swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and then running 26.2 miles?!?!? I tip my hat to you folks! Anyway, Bill and I put our immense anyalytical brains together and figured out that if he started at Granada Park and ran a 7-mile out-and-back, I could join him for the last 11 miles. The only problem is that he had to attend a volunteer meeting at 9AM on Saturday and would be at the Ironman all day Sunday. So the only opprtunity we would have would be Saturday afternoon. The forecast called for temps in the low 80's. That didn't seem so bad at the time. Boy, were we wrong. Bill started his run at about 11AM, running west on the canal from Granada park. He turned around a little past Central Ave. and headed back toward the park. I arrived at the park at around 11:45 and was waiting for him when he arrived. I thought he looked a little sweatier than I expected, but I shrugged it off. After filling up his water bottles, we headed east on the canal. We started off at a good, moderate pace. I had the typical little aches and pains pop up in various places in my legs, but everything loosened up pretty quickly. The first 2 miles were pretty uneventful. We chugged along at about an 8:45 pace. The first sign of trouble came as we were crossing 32nd Street. As we crossed, Bill seemed to cross a little slower than I would expect. "Was he... walking?" I thought. I asked him if he was feeling OK, and he gave me an unconvincing nod. A half mile later, I turned to say something, and saw Bill walking. What the...? He confirmed that he just wasn't feeling it that day. The rest of the way down to our turnaround at 56th Street we alternated good, strong pace (e.g. we were at a sub-8:00 pace as we approached 40th Street) with short walk breaks). When we got to 56th Street, I asked Bill if he had bonked. "Yep," he said. Bummer! We walked over to the restroom, and cooled off with some water. For the first time I could feel how hot I was. Even though it felt nice out, it was a real crummy day to be running. The water I splashed on my face felt really cold, meaning I was really hot. The run back was a slower affair than the way out. We alternated running and walking, trying to be careful not to overdo it. When I thought Bill was on the verge of quitting, I would tell him some story to keep his mind off it. It seemed to work okay, and we run-walked together for the 5 mile return trip. Bill did better than I did when I bonked on this same route back in the spring. With about 3/4 mile to go, Bill talked me into running the last segment myself. I took off and hit a 6:05 pace. Yikes! The heat hit me in the face like a punch. I slowed to a slow jog for a couple seconds, and then took it to the finish line at a more reasonable 7:00 pace. Bill finished only a couple minutes behind me, and he came in running. I did my 11 miles, and he did his 18. The heat made this a pretty tough run for both of us. Bill seemed bummed about it, but I figure that days like this remind us that we're mortal. I'm reminded of the Hebrew folktale of King Solomon, from whence the phrase "This too shall pass" comes. I'm also reminded of the quote from Dean Karnazes I have on the top of my blog: "Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." Amen! Activity
  
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