Week 3: Day 1 Night Ride

Tonight Mead brought me out on a night ride on Difficult Run, and I made a mess of myself. Mountain biking is one of those things that I never get very comfortable with and when I take time off I become very shaky. Tonight all seemed fine until a creek crossing. My attempt to ford the river failed leaving me covered in mud and blood (not bad, on the knee). I think I also lost an oxen, 225 lbs of food, some ammo, and Timmy.

There were tons of critters, especially deer, on the trail and Matt almost ran into one.

Somehow I failed to start my GPS at the beginning of the ride. The ride took about 45-55 minutes and cover roughly 9 miles of trail. The second half of the route which tends to be sloppy after rain was a bit muddy, but not too bad.

Another product endorsement tonight, my Light in Motion Seca 400 produces excellent, bright light and is extremely light-weight. The battery pack was completely unnoticeable after I got riding. The only complaint I had was that it was constantly shaking due to a poor mount. Now that's partly my fault, and I can probably shim it to make it sturdy, but I was definitely disoriented by it. Also, the white light produced by the L.E.D.s might have caused a loss in definition of some obstacles, but I need to take it for another spin to be certain.

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Week 2: Day 7 A long run to cap it off

Despite the race Saturday night, I decided to stick to my training plan last night. At 6:30 I set out for a ?? supposedly 11 mile run. I set out initially unsure of how this would turn out after going all out at the 4-miler. I also decided to experiment with a new Fuel Belt brand water belt I bought along with some new "Frictionless" socks. It turned out to be a pretty solid run.

I ran to the Fairfax County Park way and gave my self several outs in case I thought I'd have to cut the run short. I had initially felt some mild tightness in my mid-section, and some soreness under my left quad. As I approached north Reston I was running out of escape routes, and thus I was locked into a long run. I felt a general fatigue in my legs, around 7 miles in, but some significant downhills helped me to relax and coast in.

It's difficult to find a flat course around Reston. This particular run had my climb and descend ~650 feet. Not bad since it's spread out over the course of 10 miles, but there are some steep parts.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
10.57	1:27:39	8:18	146	166

I am definitely happy with the Fuel Belt. It's a two bottle (8 oz+ each) belt with room for some food. I put about 6-7oz of Propel in each bottle and emptied them before the last mile, drinking about every 2 miles.

The socks were excellent with no blister troubles or associated pains over a fairly long run.

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Week 2: Day 6 Twilight Festival 4-miler

Last night I ran my first race in over a year and a half. The Twilight Festival 4-miler, held in Leesburg, was a nearly flat 2 loop road race. I hemmed and hawed about how hard I'd run it, thinking I could just pace Brenda since I'm supposed to run 11 today. Instead I decided to race it.

I went out at a steady pace between 6:15 and 6:45. I had started behind 100-200 runners and slowly worked my way through the pack. Throughout the race I was dealing with a dry mouth again, but the water station just beyond the 1/3 mile marks was enough to alleviate that problem. For a brief moment I wanted to just relax at the end of the race, but I decided to tough it out, holding off one runner at the end. The guy was in his 40's and definitely competitive. We exchanged congrats with what little breath we had left.

I ended up 75th out of 1053 runner and 10th in my age group with a time of 28:50. According to my Garmin, my weaving put me at a tenth over 4 miles. I decided to go unencumbered by the HRM this time around.

distance	time	Pace
4.10	26:50	6:32

Brenda had a goal to finish faster than a 10m/mile pace, and not only did she succeed, but she ran 38:50, a fantastic time for her. I'm really proud of her; she ran hard all the way through the finish.

We met some cool people at the post-race party. One couple I had picked out pre-race as being contenders were in fact excellent runners. Both ran last year for Longwood University in VA. Matt ran sub 23 minute, putting him near the front of the pack, and Jacquelyn was right behind me. Her shoes had something on the toe that kept clicking every step. It was like I had a metronome pacing me.

They were hanging with a 57 year old man who ran sub 6m/mile. The guy, Chuck Moeser, turns out to be a legend in the running masters division. That's the kind of drive and determination that we'd all like to have while nearing our golden years.

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Week 2: Day 4 Tempo Run

Today was my first tempo run. I'm sure I've done workouts like this before, but this is the first time I've tried to do a by the book tempo run. I'm not quite sure I understood it, and I'm pretty sure I didn't run it as hard as I should have, but I ramped up from an easy pace all the up to the peak which is supposed to be ~10k race pace.

The peak which lasted roughly 7:30 minutes, and was the majority of my climb for the day was a little over a mile long with an average pace of ~7:15. It's difficult to find a flat route around here, and I was far from one today. I felt like I could've ran harder, but I didn't want to over do it the first time around. Anyone who has some tempo run expertise, I'd be glad to hear it.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
3.95	31:01	7:51	155	182

Tonight Brenda and I walked with Vic Mike, and Melissa along with their dogs. Our fierce looking ;-) gang of 8 wandered the Hunter Woods trails. We came across a few gang tags which is awesome... I guess this is our little neighborhood watch. Reston is made up of two worlds which seem very distant from each other. Whether it's language barriers, or class issues, it's unfortunate. I think some of these kids just need attention and a positive outlet.

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Week 2: Day 3 - Plan altered; Cycling

Today I broke ranks with the Hal Higdon school of thought and spent the day cross training. I went out with Mead for a Mountain Bike ride on Difficult Run today. It was my first time on the bike in a while, and only my second ride since the Greenhorn Adventure Race in late April.

Every time I get back on the bike after a break from riding it takes me time to get the feel for it again, whether it's shifting on inclines or going over obstacles. Matt took me on some parts of the trail that were new to me, one spot which totally psyched me out, but I'll get there soon enough. It was a incredibly steep decline with a creek crossing and a barrier to hop.

I was feeling some knee pain during the ride when pedaling hard. Mead suggested I keep my heel down which not only helped eliminate the knee pains, but also seemed to provide more powerful strokes.

distance	time	Avg. Speed	HR Avg.	HR Max
6.88	50:36	8.2	138	168

Jays watch:
Scotty Richmond tossed a good 7 innings today allowing 2 runs. The offense scored early and often getting a nice cushion for the rest of the game. Vernon Wells, whom deserves much scrutiny due to his excessive salary hit a solo bomb and a RBI double. I got to take this all in over a few good brews and some excellent chicken tacos with home grown jalepeños curtousy of Mr. Mead. It was a good day.

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Week 2: Day 2

Today the plan called for a 5 mile run. The run felt good with new hiccups. I kept a fairly steady pace, except in the middle when I had to race to beat a light at a main intersection. I live dangerously...

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
5.05	39:59	7:56	147	181

The heat in the sun was up today, so much that the car AC didn't want to work too effectively. I had a bit of cottonmouth. I felt like I was hydrating properly; perhaps it was the weather. I also felt a little bit of knee pain under the knee cap when cooling down. It didn't last, so I'm not concerned.

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Forget about week 1... Training Week 2: Day 1

Tip #1: If your heart rate monitor is failing you, especially a Garmin, apply saliva to the chest contacts.**

I wasted time/money getting a spare battery when it just needed a lil moisture. For reference, water did NOT work.

I jumped straight into week 2 of the training program today. I don't know that I'll strictly adhere to the plan from here until race day, but I ran the prescribed 3 miles today.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
3.13	24:10	7:44	149	173

Or at least that's the information from my robo-runner brain (aka Garmin Forerunner 305). I've been running with the forerunner for 3 years now, and despite its bulky appearance, it is a fantastic tool for serious runners, especially those who like to geek over training data like me.

I passed a large group of women (or several related packs) running on the trails and gave them words of encouragement. I suppose it's not the most sensible thing to say "great pace" or the like when I'm flying by (I blame oxygen deprivation to the brain at the time) but for the most part the women were positive in response anyhow :-)

I think I may forgo the Monday runs for cycling or swimming, but we'll see...

** - If that fails, find your favorite volt meter and make sure the battery is supplying the proper power.

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Toronto Marathon 2009 in my sights

Just back from the last softball game of the season. It was a great effort, but defense won out in the 6-4 loss. I love playing, but the trouble is it definitely interferes with marathon training when games are on a Sunday. That coupled with the onslaught of weddings this summer, I will be missing the summer league sadly. On the bright side, the Jays finally won a game here in DC!

Yes, I'm training for the Toronto Marathon. Note to self... register soon... I won't be alone as my good buddy Alex and his former marathon training buddy are going to Toronto to, Alex to do the half. I intend to loosely follow Hal Higdon's advanced training, but I have a feeling I will miss some of the workouts due to work and other commitments... I'll do my best, and truth is there are so many formulas one could follow which lead to similar results...

My goal is not firmly established yet... Boston qualifying is 3:10. It's a bit steep so I'm thinking 3:20-3:30 might be a bit more realistic. When I ran the Honolulu marathon in 2006, I was on pace to run 3:20 before my failure to hydrate caught up with me. I ran a 3:43 and some change, completing a novice training program that aimed for completion. Perhaps I'll set an ambitious pace for the first couple weeks of training and gauge how my body handles it. I'll already have to skip week one of training. Week 2 begins tomorrow!

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My journey to today

Ahh... the traditional first blog post. This is a project that has been long in the waiting, so it's time to put my good intentions into action.

My journey as a runner began back in my freshman year of high school. When I signed up for the track team I swore I would not put myself through the punishment of cross country. I joined the track team in the spring where I said I could run the half and the mile, but I wanted to dabble in pole vault. The latter dreams were dashed pretty quickly as I was neither built, nor had the drive to become a great vaulter.

It was through Tommy Calcaterra, a man to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude, I began to realize the potential I had as a distance runner. I soon established myself as a serious contender in NY section 6 track and cross country. Looking back, I can see how a flirted with serious drive, but my ambition had its limits.

My freshman year of college was an awakening for me. I realized what serious training was through Ed O'Goreman, a man who didn't understand me at all, but knew his workouts. I peaked that year in the 5k at 16:08, not where I wanted to be, but a signficant improvement over my barely sub 18 minute high school 5ks. At this point I let personality differences wedge me off the team. I maintained an excellent fitness level and miles in the summer of 2001 running a 27:30 hilly 8k run for charity, but it was after that I put running on the back burner and focused on the rest of my life.

8 years later, I still have a hunger for competition that comes and goes. After moving to northern VA for work, I somehow developed this reputation... this lore of how great a runner I am. I realize now that these things are relative, and what I can still do today due to the great base I built up in the past puts me in the upper half of the running spectrum. I am by no means a fantastic runner these days, but I will not deny I have the wisdom of many miles.

I have received a lot of fantastic advice over the years, and have developed my own take on training and diet. I am no expert, I just know what works for me, and I will try to keep track of that here. I will refer to Buffalo Sprocket for cross training as he is the biking expert in my world.

And so begins my blog...

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