5:20 Time I got out no the road running.
16 Degrees Farenheit showing on the car wash sign when I passed it at 5:58 this morning.
Although that sounds a little high to me; it sure felt colder than that. Brrrrrrrr!
0 Number of other runners I saw on the road.
5 Number of miles run this morning.
50 Number of minutes it took me to run.
25 Number of minutes it took me to thaw out after running in the cold.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Back in the Saddle
I've slowly gotten back in the saddle. This past week, I ran 3 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles yesterday. The week before I ran 3, 3, and 4. Current goal is to run the Painters Half Marathon in St. George on January 17th. So I need to be up to 8 or 10 miles as my long run probably by January.
Glutton for Punishment
I have heard that women somehow forget the full pains and agony of child birth, thus enabling them to actually decide to have more than one child. I don't know if that's true, but if so, there must be some kind of similar thing for running a marathon, because I have decided that somehow it would be a good idea for me to run the St. George Marathon again next year.
I signed up for something called the "Runners Series," which will allow me a guaranteed spot in the next St. George Marathon, to be run on October 3, 2009. They have designated 7 different races that take place in Washington County (Southern Utah). As long as I participate in at least 2 of them I will be ensured of the opportunity to kill myself again in October.
First up for me: Painters Half Marathon on January 17, 2009. Hopefully St. George in January won't be quite as cold as Salt Lake City in January.
I signed up for something called the "Runners Series," which will allow me a guaranteed spot in the next St. George Marathon, to be run on October 3, 2009. They have designated 7 different races that take place in Washington County (Southern Utah). As long as I participate in at least 2 of them I will be ensured of the opportunity to kill myself again in October.
First up for me: Painters Half Marathon on January 17, 2009. Hopefully St. George in January won't be quite as cold as Salt Lake City in January.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
SUCCESS!!!
Yesterday I successfully completed the St. George Marathon.
Wow.
I still can't believe that I did it. I've been training for this for about 10 months and I am so happy that I was able to do it without getting seriously injured. I have such a sense of accomplishment.
I want to preserve the day for posterity, so here goes on my recap of my marathon day:
MARATHON DAY
I slept over at my brother-in-law Wade's house because he was running the marathon with me and he lives closer to St. George. We weren't particularly interested in catching the very first shuttle buses up to the start line, which left at 4:00 in the morning. So we woke up around 4:15 and headed over, catching a shuttle around 5:00. As the bus was leaving town it started to rain, in what would be an ominous sign for the day's weather.
The bus ride to the start line traced the entire marathon route, so it was a little scary to see just exactly how far we would have to run that morning. It didn't help that the bus was taking it slow and it was raining pretty hard by that point. I understand that it took around 90 buses to shuttle all the runners up. 7,000 participants in the race. It was easy to tell the hard core runners just by looking at them. Wade and I? we did not look like hard core runners, but very much like the first time newbies that we were.
The bus arrived at the starting area -- a large stretch of the road that is sectioned off for the runners. There were thousands of people milling around in driving rain and strong head winds. The race organizers had set up rows of little bonfires and made available big garbage bags to help protect us from the rain. People were wearing garbage bags and huddled around the bonfires trying to keep warm. All in all a pretty miserable scene as we waited for the 6:45 start time.
The start time finally rolled around and we all pushed in together to squeeze through the start line so that the sensors could register each person's timing chip for the an official run time. It took Wade and I about 7 minutes from the gun start to get to the starting line. Everyone was bunched up together for probably the first half of the run before thinning out.
There was a consistent drizzle, occasionally increasing in strength to a good rain, until around 10:00 or 10:30. And the gray cloud cover never lifted throughout the entire morning, with temperatures hovering in the fifties for the whole race. With a pretty strong breeze bursting through every now and then to lower the effective temperature and maintaining the miserable weather conditions.
I didn't have an mp3 player to listen to anything throughout the marathon, so I was listening to the sound of my feet and the feet of hundreds of others around me pounding the pavement. Also there was at any given time a conversation going on between runners around me. For the first 6 or 7 miles I was running with a group of guys that kept calling out their pace time (around a 9:00 minute mile). At other times I heard various stories -- like marathon war stories. I overhead some people talking about meeting a guy at the Boston Marathon who had run 26 miles a day for 25 days in a row, with the Boston Marathon being on the 26th day. Woah. That's crazy.
There were aid stations every 2 miles beginning at mile 3, with water and gatorade, and sometimes Clif bars or ClifShots (packets of super-protein goop), and a few porta-potties. Sometimes there would be a line of a few people waiting for the porta-potty, but way more often I would be running along and see runners (both men and women) simply run off the side of the road and make use of a nearby bush or trees or outcropping of rocks to relieve themselves. This happened extremely often.
At about mile 7 we descended down into the small town of Veyo. After running through town we crossed a bridge and then began an ascent out of town that lasted for about a mile. Very tough hill to run up with an inordinate amount of people choosing to walk it instead of running. After that we entered Dammeron Valley, then Diamond Valley, then we passed Snow Canyon with some absolutely beautiful vistas, we then ascended Winchester Hill and began the final descents into St. George. I would say that about half of the run was a good down hill, a quarter fairly level, and a quarter was uphill.
The race organizers had set up mile markers every mile and I remember thinking that the markers were spaced out farther than I thought they should be; it felt like it took me longer than it should to get to the next mile marker. When I passed the 20-mile mark, I thought to myself, "this is now officially the longest run I have ever done in my entire life!"
Throughout the course the families and friends of runners had posted signs of encouragement and love. One of my favorite signs read "Running is a mental sport" followed immediately by a sign reading "And you're all insane!"
After my fast pace for the first 10 or so miles, I was forced to slow back to a much slower pace. After passing a number of people for the first 8 or so miles, it felt like the last 10 miles all I was doing was being passed. I was surprised though, that I was able to keep up a good pace, even if it was a slow pace, throughout most of the marathon; I only stopped to walk probably 3 or 4 times, for very short periods of time, with the longest walking break being about a minute long.
By the time we were coming into St. George there were around 3 miles to go. I was surprised at the number of people out along the route cheering the runners along. It was a nice boost to have so many people shouting encouragement. I was expecting to run the whole marathon in about 5 hours, trying to be realistic about my chances. I think that the amount of downhill running combined with my faster than normal start contributed to a faster time. When I turned the final corner and saw the finish line, I was surprised to see that the race clock read 4 hours and 44 minutes. And of course that was the clock measured from the gun time; it had taken me about 7 minutes to get to the starting line after the gun went off.
My official time: 4 hours, 37 minutes, 23 seconds.
!!!
Wow.
According to the official race results, I came in 3,515th place out of 5,030 that finished the race. About 70% of all finishers finished before me. The first place finisher finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes, right about the time that I crossed the half-way point.
Post-Race:
I have never been so sore in my entire life. My ankles are killing me and every muscle is in pain. It is extremely difficult to walk right now, but I know that things will get better. I'm pretty useless right now, as about the only time that I'm comfortable is when I'm laying in bed with about 1600 mg of ibuprofen in me. But man, what a feeling to have successfully run a marathon! I am so glad that I prepared adequately to be able to complete the run, and I am so grateful for Robin's continuing support of my training and helping me to accomplish my goal.
Wow.
I still can't believe that I did it. I've been training for this for about 10 months and I am so happy that I was able to do it without getting seriously injured. I have such a sense of accomplishment.
I want to preserve the day for posterity, so here goes on my recap of my marathon day:
MARATHON DAY
I slept over at my brother-in-law Wade's house because he was running the marathon with me and he lives closer to St. George. We weren't particularly interested in catching the very first shuttle buses up to the start line, which left at 4:00 in the morning. So we woke up around 4:15 and headed over, catching a shuttle around 5:00. As the bus was leaving town it started to rain, in what would be an ominous sign for the day's weather.
The bus ride to the start line traced the entire marathon route, so it was a little scary to see just exactly how far we would have to run that morning. It didn't help that the bus was taking it slow and it was raining pretty hard by that point. I understand that it took around 90 buses to shuttle all the runners up. 7,000 participants in the race. It was easy to tell the hard core runners just by looking at them. Wade and I? we did not look like hard core runners, but very much like the first time newbies that we were.
The bus arrived at the starting area -- a large stretch of the road that is sectioned off for the runners. There were thousands of people milling around in driving rain and strong head winds. The race organizers had set up rows of little bonfires and made available big garbage bags to help protect us from the rain. People were wearing garbage bags and huddled around the bonfires trying to keep warm. All in all a pretty miserable scene as we waited for the 6:45 start time.
The start time finally rolled around and we all pushed in together to squeeze through the start line so that the sensors could register each person's timing chip for the an official run time. It took Wade and I about 7 minutes from the gun start to get to the starting line. Everyone was bunched up together for probably the first half of the run before thinning out.
There was a consistent drizzle, occasionally increasing in strength to a good rain, until around 10:00 or 10:30. And the gray cloud cover never lifted throughout the entire morning, with temperatures hovering in the fifties for the whole race. With a pretty strong breeze bursting through every now and then to lower the effective temperature and maintaining the miserable weather conditions.
I didn't have an mp3 player to listen to anything throughout the marathon, so I was listening to the sound of my feet and the feet of hundreds of others around me pounding the pavement. Also there was at any given time a conversation going on between runners around me. For the first 6 or 7 miles I was running with a group of guys that kept calling out their pace time (around a 9:00 minute mile). At other times I heard various stories -- like marathon war stories. I overhead some people talking about meeting a guy at the Boston Marathon who had run 26 miles a day for 25 days in a row, with the Boston Marathon being on the 26th day. Woah. That's crazy.
There were aid stations every 2 miles beginning at mile 3, with water and gatorade, and sometimes Clif bars or ClifShots (packets of super-protein goop), and a few porta-potties. Sometimes there would be a line of a few people waiting for the porta-potty, but way more often I would be running along and see runners (both men and women) simply run off the side of the road and make use of a nearby bush or trees or outcropping of rocks to relieve themselves. This happened extremely often.
At about mile 7 we descended down into the small town of Veyo. After running through town we crossed a bridge and then began an ascent out of town that lasted for about a mile. Very tough hill to run up with an inordinate amount of people choosing to walk it instead of running. After that we entered Dammeron Valley, then Diamond Valley, then we passed Snow Canyon with some absolutely beautiful vistas, we then ascended Winchester Hill and began the final descents into St. George. I would say that about half of the run was a good down hill, a quarter fairly level, and a quarter was uphill.
The race organizers had set up mile markers every mile and I remember thinking that the markers were spaced out farther than I thought they should be; it felt like it took me longer than it should to get to the next mile marker. When I passed the 20-mile mark, I thought to myself, "this is now officially the longest run I have ever done in my entire life!"
Throughout the course the families and friends of runners had posted signs of encouragement and love. One of my favorite signs read "Running is a mental sport" followed immediately by a sign reading "And you're all insane!"
After my fast pace for the first 10 or so miles, I was forced to slow back to a much slower pace. After passing a number of people for the first 8 or so miles, it felt like the last 10 miles all I was doing was being passed. I was surprised though, that I was able to keep up a good pace, even if it was a slow pace, throughout most of the marathon; I only stopped to walk probably 3 or 4 times, for very short periods of time, with the longest walking break being about a minute long.
By the time we were coming into St. George there were around 3 miles to go. I was surprised at the number of people out along the route cheering the runners along. It was a nice boost to have so many people shouting encouragement. I was expecting to run the whole marathon in about 5 hours, trying to be realistic about my chances. I think that the amount of downhill running combined with my faster than normal start contributed to a faster time. When I turned the final corner and saw the finish line, I was surprised to see that the race clock read 4 hours and 44 minutes. And of course that was the clock measured from the gun time; it had taken me about 7 minutes to get to the starting line after the gun went off.
My official time: 4 hours, 37 minutes, 23 seconds.
!!!
Wow.
According to the official race results, I came in 3,515th place out of 5,030 that finished the race. About 70% of all finishers finished before me. The first place finisher finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes, right about the time that I crossed the half-way point.
Post-Race:
I have never been so sore in my entire life. My ankles are killing me and every muscle is in pain. It is extremely difficult to walk right now, but I know that things will get better. I'm pretty useless right now, as about the only time that I'm comfortable is when I'm laying in bed with about 1600 mg of ibuprofen in me. But man, what a feeling to have successfully run a marathon! I am so glad that I prepared adequately to be able to complete the run, and I am so grateful for Robin's continuing support of my training and helping me to accomplish my goal.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
long run
This morning I ran for 16 miles. I got up at 5:00 and was out the door around 5:20. It took me just about 3 hours. I stopped briefly for some water and a protein bar half way through. I actually felt pretty good for about three quarters of it; the last quarter was pretty tough.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
New Record ...
I ran 14 miles yesterday morning. Longest run ever for me.
It was tough, but I'm glad I did it. Just over a month to go until the marathon, I've got 2, maybe 3, more weeks before I need to taper off the long runs and rest up for the big one.
Still sore.
It was tough, but I'm glad I did it. Just over a month to go until the marathon, I've got 2, maybe 3, more weeks before I need to taper off the long runs and rest up for the big one.
Still sore.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Feel the Burn
Last Saturday I ran 10 miles for the first time. Was quite the experience. I have a 5-mile route that starts and ends at our house so I just did that twice, with a little bit of walking and drinking water half way through. Ran in the evening after a long day; we had returned from camping overnight at our property in Duchesne and I had done yard work in the afternoon. The weather was interesting - it rained buckets on me a couple of times, but at least it cooled the temperatures down to a manageable level.
This week I ran 5 miles on Tuesday morning and just finished a 7-mile run this morning. I feel like my body is starting to get used to running those mid-distances (5 to 7 miles) without getting too fatigued. Will try for 12 miles on Saturday.
This week I ran 5 miles on Tuesday morning and just finished a 7-mile run this morning. I feel like my body is starting to get used to running those mid-distances (5 to 7 miles) without getting too fatigued. Will try for 12 miles on Saturday.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Thursday Evening Run
Ran Tuesday morning ... terrible run. Barely made it 4 miles while having to stop and walk about 3 times and plagued with intestinal troubles. Not fun. Worst run in a long time.
This evening was much better. Ran 7 miles. Pretty good pace, was able to get into a bit of a groove and keep it up with relatively little pain and discomfort.
Goal is to run 12 miles on Saturday. Time is running short ... have to start doing real long runs each weekend, increasing probably 2 miles each weekend for the next 5 or 6 weeks, then taper off before the marathon.
This evening was much better. Ran 7 miles. Pretty good pace, was able to get into a bit of a groove and keep it up with relatively little pain and discomfort.
Goal is to run 12 miles on Saturday. Time is running short ... have to start doing real long runs each weekend, increasing probably 2 miles each weekend for the next 5 or 6 weeks, then taper off before the marathon.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Mountain Running
I ran about 6 miles on Saturday morning up in the Kolob mountains near Zion National Park. We were camping out up there for the Beatty family reunion. Was a pretty good run, but the altitude made it a little more difficult than normal, plus there were lots of ups and downs.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday July 31
Ran 5 miles this morning. That makes 16 miles over the past 3 days. I think that's an all-time high for me. Will rest tomorrow then try to do a good long run on Saturday. Will be a little difficult because we will be up in the mountains for the Beatty family reunion, but Wade has indicated that he wants to do a long run Saturday morning so maybe between the two of us we will get the motivation to do it.
Today for the first time I tried some "Fartlek" training, which the coolrunning website defines as "bursts of speed in the middle of a training run." At 3 random points during my 5-mile run I decided to up the pace for a short distance. I can't say that I was breaking any land speed records, but it was definitely faster than my usual shuffling slow pace. Feeling pretty good so far.
Have gone back to iceing down my knees and shins after each run. I have a reusable gel pack that I keep in the freezer for such occasions.
Today for the first time I tried some "Fartlek" training, which the coolrunning website defines as "bursts of speed in the middle of a training run." At 3 random points during my 5-mile run I decided to up the pace for a short distance. I can't say that I was breaking any land speed records, but it was definitely faster than my usual shuffling slow pace. Feeling pretty good so far.
Have gone back to iceing down my knees and shins after each run. I have a reusable gel pack that I keep in the freezer for such occasions.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Back in the saddle again ...
Ran 4 miles yesterday. 7 miles this morning.
Trying to ramp things back up after not running much last week. I only ran 5 on Monday and 5 on Saturday last week.
I ran a bit the week of the cruise, but the marathon is fast approaching and I've got to get used to running longer and longer distances. Will try for at least 10 this weekend.
Trying to ramp things back up after not running much last week. I only ran 5 on Monday and 5 on Saturday last week.
I ran a bit the week of the cruise, but the marathon is fast approaching and I've got to get used to running longer and longer distances. Will try for at least 10 this weekend.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
No Posting, but Still Running
So I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been running still.
This week I ran 20 miles total. 4 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Wednesday, 3 miles on Friday, and 8 miles this morning. Still maintaining around a 10:00 minute per mile pace.
Last week I also did 8 miles on Saturday, but didn't run on Thursday or Friday.
My knee has started hurting; getting sore and stiff; hard to walk down stairs and things like that. It's okay usually when I'm just walking around. So I've started trying to focus on that. I'm soaking it in hot water more often which seems to help.
The shin splints haven't really come back, so that's a good thing. Started to get a blister on my big toe this morning, so I need to watch out for that. Not good when I'm planning a fairly big hike next week. Going to hike Mt. Whitney with my brother-in-law and some of his brothers-in-law next Wednesday; doing it all in one day, which is pretty crazy. Should be fun, but crazy.
This week I ran 20 miles total. 4 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Wednesday, 3 miles on Friday, and 8 miles this morning. Still maintaining around a 10:00 minute per mile pace.
Last week I also did 8 miles on Saturday, but didn't run on Thursday or Friday.
My knee has started hurting; getting sore and stiff; hard to walk down stairs and things like that. It's okay usually when I'm just walking around. So I've started trying to focus on that. I'm soaking it in hot water more often which seems to help.
The shin splints haven't really come back, so that's a good thing. Started to get a blister on my big toe this morning, so I need to watch out for that. Not good when I'm planning a fairly big hike next week. Going to hike Mt. Whitney with my brother-in-law and some of his brothers-in-law next Wednesday; doing it all in one day, which is pretty crazy. Should be fun, but crazy.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Upping the Ante
I ran 4 miles on Wednesday, 3 miles yesterday, then 6 miles today. First time I've ever run 6 miles. Was unsure of a route to run, so I looked on the map and decided on a 3-mile out and then reversing course for 3 miles back. Unfortunately the map did not reveal that the initial 3 miles were pretty much all up hill. Steadily increasing hills, not entirely uphill. But pretty brutal nonetheless. I only walked at the very end of the last hill for about 20 seconds, other than that ran the whole way. Still focusing on good form; the shin splints have not come back, knock on wood.
I did the first 3 miles in about 35 minutes; not bad for mostly up hill. The return 3 miles I did in about 30 minutes. All in all a really good workout.
That makes 17 miles this week. Most ever.
Next week will run 5 days and try for 20 miles total.
I did the first 3 miles in about 35 minutes; not bad for mostly up hill. The return 3 miles I did in about 30 minutes. All in all a really good workout.
That makes 17 miles this week. Most ever.
Next week will run 5 days and try for 20 miles total.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Out in Nature
good 4-mile run this morning over the trail and up to the cinder knoll. Good work-out. Increasing my pace a little as I get better at my form.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
running route
here is a link to a nice 4-mile running route over to a scenic cinder knoll that I plan to run tomorrow: LINK
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Good Week
So this has been a good week of running. For the first time I ran four times in the same week. Also I have run the most distance of any week I've run before.
I ran 3 miles on Monday, 3 miles on Tuesday (still getting used to running back to back days), 4 miles on Thursday, then somewhere between 5 and 6 miles today. We are in Hurricane for the weekend and I went running with my brother-in-law, Wade, today. I let him pick the route, and he picked some crazy off-road running up and down some cinder knolls located close to the house here. Jogged a bit up some really steep rocky terrain before walking. Most of the running today was on soft dirt paths, but we had to be careful to avoid twisting an ankle on all the rocks. It was a fun run overall with a good bit of walking; we didn't push it too hard.
Most importantly, I feel really good with where I am at with my shin splints. Like I mentioned on Monday, I have been trying out some new stretches and also trying to correct my stride when I run, trying to focus more on rolling the foot (landing on the back half of the foot and then rolling it forward consistently) rather than just slapping the ground with my feet. So far it appears to be working. I have not had any significant shin splints or tightness. I'm optimistic that this will be the solution to my problems.
When I first started the new and better technique, my ankle muscles were getting pretty sore and I had to stop and walk more than I care to. Also I have been running at a slower pace than I'm used to, just trying to focus solely on training my body to run with correct stride and technique. So far so good.
I think that I will try to run 5 times next week with normal distances and paces, to see how my body adjusts and reacts.
I ran 3 miles on Monday, 3 miles on Tuesday (still getting used to running back to back days), 4 miles on Thursday, then somewhere between 5 and 6 miles today. We are in Hurricane for the weekend and I went running with my brother-in-law, Wade, today. I let him pick the route, and he picked some crazy off-road running up and down some cinder knolls located close to the house here. Jogged a bit up some really steep rocky terrain before walking. Most of the running today was on soft dirt paths, but we had to be careful to avoid twisting an ankle on all the rocks. It was a fun run overall with a good bit of walking; we didn't push it too hard.
Most importantly, I feel really good with where I am at with my shin splints. Like I mentioned on Monday, I have been trying out some new stretches and also trying to correct my stride when I run, trying to focus more on rolling the foot (landing on the back half of the foot and then rolling it forward consistently) rather than just slapping the ground with my feet. So far it appears to be working. I have not had any significant shin splints or tightness. I'm optimistic that this will be the solution to my problems.
When I first started the new and better technique, my ankle muscles were getting pretty sore and I had to stop and walk more than I care to. Also I have been running at a slower pace than I'm used to, just trying to focus solely on training my body to run with correct stride and technique. So far so good.
I think that I will try to run 5 times next week with normal distances and paces, to see how my body adjusts and reacts.
Monday, May 19, 2008
So it Begins ...
I haven't posted in awhile. We had a family emergency that kept me from running for about a week. I ran 3 miles on Monday, April 28, and didn't run again until Tuesday, May 6. That week I ran 3 miles on Tuesday, 3 miles on Thursday, and 5 miles on Saturday.
Last week I ran 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday, and 3 miles on Friday. That was the first time that I ran 2 days in a row. I intended to also run Saturday, but I was sick and my shins were really tightening up, so I skipped Saturday and Sunday.
I need to develop an ability to run multiple days in a run in order to be able to stick to my marathon training schedule, but I don't think I'm there yet. I'm hoping that my shin tightness is simply my body telling me that I'm not ready to run so many consecutive days yet, something that I can build up to through training, and not an indication of some more serious injury or anything. The big concern would be that the tightness is not just "normal" shin splits, but some kind of micro fracture that would prevent me from running for a long period of time.
St. George Marathon
I found out last week that I was not selected through the lottery system to run in the St. George Marathon. I was very disappointed, but decided to try my luck through the charity system. Each year the St. George Marathon gives away a certain number of entries to different charities to distribute how they please. Some charities simply auction off their entries to the highest bidder on ebay. I was lucky enough to get a spot with the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which does not auction off its entries, but rather requires its participants to raise at least $500 for the charity in order to secure the marathon entry.
Marathon Training
So according to the 20-week marathon training schedule I've found, I should start today and I should be able to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday this week. I'm not to that point yet, so I'm going to modify the schedule to my abilities. I think that this week I will run today and tomorrow, take Wednesday off, then depending on how I'm feeling, I'll try another back-to-back running on Friday and Saturday, or I'll just run Thursday and Saturday, and wait to try multiple back-to-back running for next week. I think that no matter what I should run 4 days this week at least, and not drop below that from here on out.
I've also found a 16-week training schedule for first time marathoners which seems to be a little less strenuous, so I think that I'll cater the training schedules to my ability and work my way up to a 5-days-a-week schedule over the next 4 weeks. We'll see how it goes.
Last week I ran 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday, and 3 miles on Friday. That was the first time that I ran 2 days in a row. I intended to also run Saturday, but I was sick and my shins were really tightening up, so I skipped Saturday and Sunday.
I need to develop an ability to run multiple days in a run in order to be able to stick to my marathon training schedule, but I don't think I'm there yet. I'm hoping that my shin tightness is simply my body telling me that I'm not ready to run so many consecutive days yet, something that I can build up to through training, and not an indication of some more serious injury or anything. The big concern would be that the tightness is not just "normal" shin splits, but some kind of micro fracture that would prevent me from running for a long period of time.
St. George Marathon
I found out last week that I was not selected through the lottery system to run in the St. George Marathon. I was very disappointed, but decided to try my luck through the charity system. Each year the St. George Marathon gives away a certain number of entries to different charities to distribute how they please. Some charities simply auction off their entries to the highest bidder on ebay. I was lucky enough to get a spot with the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which does not auction off its entries, but rather requires its participants to raise at least $500 for the charity in order to secure the marathon entry.
Marathon Training
So according to the 20-week marathon training schedule I've found, I should start today and I should be able to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday this week. I'm not to that point yet, so I'm going to modify the schedule to my abilities. I think that this week I will run today and tomorrow, take Wednesday off, then depending on how I'm feeling, I'll try another back-to-back running on Friday and Saturday, or I'll just run Thursday and Saturday, and wait to try multiple back-to-back running for next week. I think that no matter what I should run 4 days this week at least, and not drop below that from here on out.
I've also found a 16-week training schedule for first time marathoners which seems to be a little less strenuous, so I think that I'll cater the training schedules to my ability and work my way up to a 5-days-a-week schedule over the next 4 weeks. We'll see how it goes.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Slow but Steady
Back in the saddle again ... ran Monday and this morning, a relatively slow pace on just over a 3-mile course.
It seems like whenever I am focusing on one thing in particular, I start to see that thing all over. For example, the other day we recorded a Nova special on a group of people training to run a marathon. And I heard on the radio a 68-year-old guy who ran the Boston marathon for the 13th time and for his 49th overall marathon. Wow.
It seems like whenever I am focusing on one thing in particular, I start to see that thing all over. For example, the other day we recorded a Nova special on a group of people training to run a marathon. And I heard on the radio a 68-year-old guy who ran the Boston marathon for the 13th time and for his 49th overall marathon. Wow.
Monday, April 21, 2008
First Goal Accomplished
I ran the Salt Lake City 5K on Saturday morning bright and early at 7:30 am. I'm not sure yet what my official time was, but I estimate that I did it in under 30:00. The race started at precisely 7:30 but it took me a couple of minutes at least to get to the starting line because there were so many runners. Then the first half mile or so was crazy dodging all the walkers; big groups of walkers who appeared to have no concept that thousands of other people were trying to actually run the 5K.
But after a while it spread out enough that I didn't have to spend too much time trying to avoid running into the back of someone. I still spent most of the race passing people, as well as being passed. I tried my best not to mind being passed by so many people, but when the 10-year kids do it, it's a little strange. Still, I focused on just staying within my own pace and not trying to outrun anyone or compare my pace to anyone else.
It turned out well I think. My shins were tight for the first mile or so but then I was able to settle into a pretty good rhythm and by the end of the run I was actually able to not only maintain my pace but try to pick it up a bit as I approached the finish line.
I ran this morning as well. A good 3-mile run at a slowish pace.
I figure that if I am able to register for the St. George marathon, and I want to adhere to a 20-week marathon training schedule, the 20-week period will begin in the middle of May. So I look at the period between now and then as a transition period in which I go from running 3 times a week, half an hour at a time, to running 5 times a week with increasing distances and times.
So this week my plan is to run 4 times, with Saturday being my first "long run." I ran today for 3 miles, will plan to run Wednesday for 4 miles, Thursday for 3 miles, and then 5 miles on Saturday. Maybe do that schedule for a couple of weeks before making the long run longer. We'll see how it goes.
Shins are doing pretty good today. I ran a relatively slow pace. And for the first time I iced down my shins after running. I bought a reusable gel ice pack over the weekend and I think this will help.
But after a while it spread out enough that I didn't have to spend too much time trying to avoid running into the back of someone. I still spent most of the race passing people, as well as being passed. I tried my best not to mind being passed by so many people, but when the 10-year kids do it, it's a little strange. Still, I focused on just staying within my own pace and not trying to outrun anyone or compare my pace to anyone else.
It turned out well I think. My shins were tight for the first mile or so but then I was able to settle into a pretty good rhythm and by the end of the run I was actually able to not only maintain my pace but try to pick it up a bit as I approached the finish line.
I ran this morning as well. A good 3-mile run at a slowish pace.
I figure that if I am able to register for the St. George marathon, and I want to adhere to a 20-week marathon training schedule, the 20-week period will begin in the middle of May. So I look at the period between now and then as a transition period in which I go from running 3 times a week, half an hour at a time, to running 5 times a week with increasing distances and times.
So this week my plan is to run 4 times, with Saturday being my first "long run." I ran today for 3 miles, will plan to run Wednesday for 4 miles, Thursday for 3 miles, and then 5 miles on Saturday. Maybe do that schedule for a couple of weeks before making the long run longer. We'll see how it goes.
Shins are doing pretty good today. I ran a relatively slow pace. And for the first time I iced down my shins after running. I bought a reusable gel ice pack over the weekend and I think this will help.
Monday, April 7, 2008
... still running
Ran on Friday morning - 30:00 minutes straight.
Ran this morning - about 32:00 minutes. Not a bad morning, about 40 degrees; could feel the moisture in the air. Now, just a minute on returning home it starts to rain. Good timing.
Ran this morning - about 32:00 minutes. Not a bad morning, about 40 degrees; could feel the moisture in the air. Now, just a minute on returning home it starts to rain. Good timing.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Registered for the Big One
A portion of an email confirmation I just received:
"Dear Runners:
Thank you for registering for the 2008 St. George Marathon lottery. The lottery will take place the first part of May and results will be posted no later than May 8."
(crossing fingers)
"Dear Runners:
Thank you for registering for the 2008 St. George Marathon lottery. The lottery will take place the first part of May and results will be posted no later than May 8."
(crossing fingers)
Up and Running
So even though I haven't been blogging the past couple of weeks I have kept up with my running for the most part.
Two weeks ago, instead of running on my Friday schedule, I went mountain biking with my brother-in-law down at Gooseberry Mesa. It was my first time biking there and during the course of the day I took a somewhat major spill, bruising my rib and spraining my wrists. So I was not able to run on Monday of last week, but I did get my running in on Wednesday and Friday last week, 27 minutes straight running each time.
This week I ran Monday in the evening for 30 minutes straight, as well as a good 30-minute run last night at the community rec center while waiting for my daughter who was at a gymnastics class.
So things are on pace for me to run the Salt Lake City 5K coming up here in a couple of weeks.
Two weeks ago, instead of running on my Friday schedule, I went mountain biking with my brother-in-law down at Gooseberry Mesa. It was my first time biking there and during the course of the day I took a somewhat major spill, bruising my rib and spraining my wrists. So I was not able to run on Monday of last week, but I did get my running in on Wednesday and Friday last week, 27 minutes straight running each time.
This week I ran Monday in the evening for 30 minutes straight, as well as a good 30-minute run last night at the community rec center while waiting for my daughter who was at a gymnastics class.
So things are on pace for me to run the Salt Lake City 5K coming up here in a couple of weeks.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Depressing
So I signed up for the Salt Lake City 5K yesterday. In the application it asked if I was signing up in the "Clydesdale" category.
Huh?
turns out, you're in the Clydesdale category, for men, if you're over 200 pounds.
(sigh).
Yes, I'm in the Clydesdale category.
Huh?
turns out, you're in the Clydesdale category, for men, if you're over 200 pounds.
(sigh).
Yes, I'm in the Clydesdale category.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
"I'm Getting Better"
So I was able to run a full 25 minutes straight this morning without walking once. It wasn't the fastest pace in the world, but I'm not complaining.
On the shin-splint front: my shins were a little tight for the first 3 or 4 minutes, but then they gradually eased up. I'm encouraged. And I was shin-splint free the past 48 hours since running last, so hopefully with continued proper stretching and adequate warming up I'll be able to continue running sans pain.
Temperature: a comfortable 44 degrees. Clear skies. Nice morning for a run.
We're going down to Hurricane hopefully tonight, so I might try to get in another mountain bike ride with Wade and Adam. Always good to max out the heart rate.
On the shin-splint front: my shins were a little tight for the first 3 or 4 minutes, but then they gradually eased up. I'm encouraged. And I was shin-splint free the past 48 hours since running last, so hopefully with continued proper stretching and adequate warming up I'll be able to continue running sans pain.
Temperature: a comfortable 44 degrees. Clear skies. Nice morning for a run.
We're going down to Hurricane hopefully tonight, so I might try to get in another mountain bike ride with Wade and Adam. Always good to max out the heart rate.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Up to Speed
Last week I managed to run twice - on Tuesday and Thursday - each time running in segments of five minutes followed by 2 to 3 minutes of walking. The schedule today called for a full 25 minutes of jogging uninterrupted by any walking.
Woke up this morning with a bit of the stomach flu and without having run since last Thursday, but game to stick to the schedule. I was able to run for about 20 minutes before I decided to walk for about 1 minute, then finished off with about 6 or 7 minutes of running. Still trying to ease into it. Confident that I'll be able to get up to speed soon.
Immediate goal is to run the Salt Lake City 5K on April 19.
Cold this morning - about 28 degrees.
Listening to the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. I've made it through the middle of chapter 22, about the end of 1838 and the terrible persecution at Far West.
Woke up this morning with a bit of the stomach flu and without having run since last Thursday, but game to stick to the schedule. I was able to run for about 20 minutes before I decided to walk for about 1 minute, then finished off with about 6 or 7 minutes of running. Still trying to ease into it. Confident that I'll be able to get up to speed soon.
Immediate goal is to run the Salt Lake City 5K on April 19.
Cold this morning - about 28 degrees.
Listening to the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. I've made it through the middle of chapter 22, about the end of 1838 and the terrible persecution at Far West.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
On the Road Again ...
Up at 5:15. Jogging by 5:40. Cold - about 25 degrees.
Ugh.
Listening to:
Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt.
Ugh.
Listening to:
Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Brrrrr ....
Cold run this morning. Started out at 32 degrees at 5:30 this morning and only got colder. Brought tears to my eyes when I started.
Bumped up to the next level in my "Couch-to-5K" training schedule:
Run 5 minutes, walk 3
Run 5 minutes, walk 3
Run 5 minutes.
It'll be nice when Spring actually shows up for good around here.
Bumped up to the next level in my "Couch-to-5K" training schedule:
Run 5 minutes, walk 3
Run 5 minutes, walk 3
Run 5 minutes.
It'll be nice when Spring actually shows up for good around here.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Blizzard Jog
Yesterday I needed to run to get my three times a week in ...
I procrastinated all day and didn't have a chance to run until later in the day. Unfortunately, by that time all the nice warm Spring-like weather we had been enjoying had given way to a sudden blast of cold and a sweeping blizzard-like snow storm.
So I layered up and headed out. It was crazy. My glasses were fogged up and covered in snow. I was running on the road next to the gutter and torrents of snow melt run off. Visibility was probably 30 yards, and that's before taking into account my glasses situation, which cut it down to about 3 yards.
Oh, and my shoes did not do a good job of keeping the water out. Wet socks. Wet hat.
But I did it. Felt pretty good to get out there and keep it up.
I procrastinated all day and didn't have a chance to run until later in the day. Unfortunately, by that time all the nice warm Spring-like weather we had been enjoying had given way to a sudden blast of cold and a sweeping blizzard-like snow storm.
So I layered up and headed out. It was crazy. My glasses were fogged up and covered in snow. I was running on the road next to the gutter and torrents of snow melt run off. Visibility was probably 30 yards, and that's before taking into account my glasses situation, which cut it down to about 3 yards.
Oh, and my shoes did not do a good job of keeping the water out. Wet socks. Wet hat.
But I did it. Felt pretty good to get out there and keep it up.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday Morning Run
Ran again this morning ... pretty cold, although Spring is in the air. Was a nice clear morning, with
a bright half-moon shining; temperature around freezing but with wind chill felt like it was down in the 20's.
Stuck to the running schedule this morning - 3-minute run, 90-second walk, 5-minute run, 2.5-minute walk, 3-minute run, 90-second walk, finishing off with a 5-minute run. I have to say that it's getting a bit easier to run these distances.
I'm trying to incorporate a bit of feeding the spirit while I exercise the body. I listened to the Saturday afternoon session from the most recent General Conference. On Monday I listened to some chapters from the Book of Mormon in Portuguese which I had downloaded on Sunday after I discovered that the Church's website had them available. Very cool.
a bright half-moon shining; temperature around freezing but with wind chill felt like it was down in the 20's.
Stuck to the running schedule this morning - 3-minute run, 90-second walk, 5-minute run, 2.5-minute walk, 3-minute run, 90-second walk, finishing off with a 5-minute run. I have to say that it's getting a bit easier to run these distances.
I'm trying to incorporate a bit of feeding the spirit while I exercise the body. I listened to the Saturday afternoon session from the most recent General Conference. On Monday I listened to some chapters from the Book of Mormon in Portuguese which I had downloaded on Sunday after I discovered that the Church's website had them available. Very cool.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Still Chugging Along ...
even though I haven't posted in awhile I have been steadily training over the last 3 weeks.
I have been following this training schedule from the "Cool Running" website aptly entitled the "Couch-to-5K" Running Plan. As the training plan describes, "Too many people have been turned off of running simply by trying to start off too fast. Their bodies rebel, and they wind up miserable, wondering why anyone would possibly want to do this to themselves." That has pretty much been my experience to date. Whenever I have decided to get back into shape and start running, I always start cold turkey by running 2 to 3 miles, 2 to 3 times a week, and I usually last about 3 to 4 weeks before my body breaks down and I give up for 6 to 9 months before trying again.
This time I have been taking it slowly, gradually easing into running 3 miles at a time consistently. It's hard because I get impatient, but so far so good. My main nemesis to successful continual running has been shin splints, but this go-round I think that the gradual easing into the running has helped in not damaging my shins too bad.
Three weeks ago the running plan was 60 seconds of running, 60 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes exercise.
Two weeks ago the running plan was 90 seconds of running, 60 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes. (I modified the increments from the official running plan somewhat)
Last week the plan was jog 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes, alternating for 20 minutes.
Each of the last three weeks I've been able to get out three days during the week.
This week marks the beginning of the 4th week in the training plan, and the schedule called for jogging 3 minutes, walking 90 seconds, jogging 5 minutes, walking 2.5 minutes, jogging 3 minutes, walking 90 seconds, and finally jogging 5 minutes.
It was a good run, farther than I'd gone before. Not too cold, but cold is all relative. Weather.com says that it was around 35 degrees during my run. Lot's of moisture in the air but didn't rain on me; scattered clouds over head but I could see some stars. All in all a good morning so far.
I have been following this training schedule from the "Cool Running" website aptly entitled the "Couch-to-5K" Running Plan. As the training plan describes, "Too many people have been turned off of running simply by trying to start off too fast. Their bodies rebel, and they wind up miserable, wondering why anyone would possibly want to do this to themselves." That has pretty much been my experience to date. Whenever I have decided to get back into shape and start running, I always start cold turkey by running 2 to 3 miles, 2 to 3 times a week, and I usually last about 3 to 4 weeks before my body breaks down and I give up for 6 to 9 months before trying again.
This time I have been taking it slowly, gradually easing into running 3 miles at a time consistently. It's hard because I get impatient, but so far so good. My main nemesis to successful continual running has been shin splints, but this go-round I think that the gradual easing into the running has helped in not damaging my shins too bad.
Three weeks ago the running plan was 60 seconds of running, 60 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes exercise.
Two weeks ago the running plan was 90 seconds of running, 60 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes. (I modified the increments from the official running plan somewhat)
Last week the plan was jog 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes, alternating for 20 minutes.
Each of the last three weeks I've been able to get out three days during the week.
This week marks the beginning of the 4th week in the training plan, and the schedule called for jogging 3 minutes, walking 90 seconds, jogging 5 minutes, walking 2.5 minutes, jogging 3 minutes, walking 90 seconds, and finally jogging 5 minutes.
It was a good run, farther than I'd gone before. Not too cold, but cold is all relative. Weather.com says that it was around 35 degrees during my run. Lot's of moisture in the air but didn't rain on me; scattered clouds over head but I could see some stars. All in all a good morning so far.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Training Resources
I'm on the lookout for some good training resources ... tips, training schedules for beginners, etc.
I've found a couple of websites that appear to have a wealth of information:
Runner's World
Cool Running
Also, the goal here is to run in the St. George Marathon this October, 2008. It's website can be found here.
I've found a couple of websites that appear to have a wealth of information:
Runner's World
Cool Running
Also, the goal here is to run in the St. George Marathon this October, 2008. It's website can be found here.
Cold Windy Morning
up at 5:30am to run again this morning. Very windy and cold as a major storm is moving in. Getting a little easier to run. Was very sore and stiff this morning. Hope I don't start getting shin splints again.
Current temp is 38 feels like 30, with wind at about 15 mph.
Have started trying some form of interval training where I run for awhile, then walk for a little bit, then run some more. In the past I have always just tried to run non-stop for however long or far I was aiming for.
Current temp is 38 feels like 30, with wind at about 15 mph.
Have started trying some form of interval training where I run for awhile, then walk for a little bit, then run some more. In the past I have always just tried to run non-stop for however long or far I was aiming for.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
2nd day of jogging
Today was my second day of jogging since I decided to start training for a marathon.
got up around 5:30, went down the street and back. Probably about 3/4 of a mile. Gotta start somewhere, right?
Frigid cold this morning. I need to get some good gloves. Also very foggy this morning, visibility down to about 50 yards. Fun to run in, just wish it wasn't so cold. Right now, at 7:13am, weather.com has the temperature at 13 degrees (F), but feels like ZERO ... ugh.
got up around 5:30, went down the street and back. Probably about 3/4 of a mile. Gotta start somewhere, right?
Frigid cold this morning. I need to get some good gloves. Also very foggy this morning, visibility down to about 50 yards. Fun to run in, just wish it wasn't so cold. Right now, at 7:13am, weather.com has the temperature at 13 degrees (F), but feels like ZERO ... ugh.
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