That Time of Year... Again

For whatever reason, I sometimes get much more thirsty when I'm out for a long run in the Fall and Winter as opposed to the Summer. I don't know whether it's the crisper, more dry air of those seasons that drys out my mouth or what, but sometimes during my long runs during those months I get a little parched and need to wet my whistle. Today was one of those days. It was very brisk and breezy out and as I was nearing the seven mile point in the run I decided that when I came upon the next water fountain I was going to take a bit of a respite and stop for a cool drink. I usually don't take pit stops on my runs around Lake Monona but today I was really looking forward to it... so I stopped... pushed the water fountain button and out came... nothin'. My wonderful friends at Madison Water Dept. had already turned off the water to the bubblers for the season. Terrific. The first snow of the season hasn't even flown yet here in Madison and they've already shut down the fountains. I know it's been a little chillier as of late, but c'mon... is it really chilly enough that it's going to freeze up the pipes already? We're not living in the Arctic Circle. After mumbling a few things to myself and shaking my head, I continued on. The Water Fountain Season comes and goes way to fast. Now I have to wait until the end of April or the start of May to have that convenience once again. I guess I'll have to make other plans. I'm not going back to carrying a water bottle either. It's annoying and it usually freezes anyway. Hmmm... there are a lot of bars along my running route. I have never been much for bar hopping, but that could work;)

Today's workout: 11.2 miles > 1:23:55 > 7:30 pace

Miles this week: 22.4

A Brisk Run Around the Lake

After taking a nice day off from running yesterday after my 15k on Sunday, I was back out on the road this morning. I was really deliberating whether I wanted to do just a quick run or get in a quality run around the lake. After sticking my head out the door to get a gauge on the weather conditions I decided it was just to nice a Fall day not to run longer. Winter will be coming soon and you have to take advantage of the nice days while they are still here. It was a bit chilly this morning so I opted not to wear shorts and instead went with the longer running pants. I might have been a little overdressed but it didn't affect me too much because the wind coming out of the north kept me comfortably cool. My legs felt surprisingly good this morning despite having raced just a couple days ago. I thought they might be a little shot but they felt pretty strong. Despite feeling good, I'm still going to err on the side of caution and continue to run every other day for awhile longer. As I said yesterday, there are no races on the horizon and it's nice to be able to give my legs a little extra rest by treating them to a few bonus days off here and there... after all, they've earned it. I'll be back at it on Thursday, though.

Today's workout: 11.2 miles > 1:25:16 > 7:37 pace

Miles this week: 11.2

Last Race of the Year?... Possibly. A New P.R... Definitely.

When I got up Sunday morning and stepped out the door, I wasn't too excited to be running in a race that morning. It was WINDY... and when I say WINDY, I mean EXTREMELY WINDY. I wanted to turn right around and crawl back into bed. I didn't want to deal with what felt like gale force winds that day. It was going to be hard enough running a 15k race two weeks after running the best marathon of my life... I mean, heck... who knew if my legs had fully recovered from that hard effort of October 11th? Well, we would soon find out. I told myself to suck it up and give it a go. I have been in Madison for over 14 years, but this was the first time I had ever participated in the UW Fall 15k. I had always wanted to do it, but the timing just never worked out. The last time I had done a 15k was two years ago in Milwaukee, and like then, I was two weeks removed from running a marathon. Back then, I had a pretty decent effort by running the 9.3 mile course in a little and hour and nine minutes. Not bad for coming off a marathon... in fact I remember being extremely satisfied for being able to average around 7:30 per mile that day, also in windy conditions. My only other 15k prior to that was back in 2002 when I ran that same Milwaukee course and probably averaged around 7:15 to 7:30 per mile for the race. One thing I knew Sunday though, was that even though I had basically taken it easy since the my marathon of October 11th, I knew I was still in infinitely better shape than those previous two times and that I had a good chance of getting my 7th PR of the year in seven different races. The wind was going to make it difficult, though. Not knowing the course layout, I was ever hopeful that the wind would be at my back a good portion of the time. The race started pretty much right at 9am and the wind had picked up even more since I had left my apartment. After the horn sounded, I was off in my orange racing shoes in my 10th road race of the year. The wind was somewhat in my face at the start but I honestly didn't feel it. I was too busy trying to gauge how my legs felt those first few hundred yards, and honestly, they felt pretty darn good. I was able get into a nice rhythm and set my body on cruise control pretty much right away. I hit the first mile mark at around 6:22 and felt very strong in doing it. Again, I was extremely pleased with how my legs felt, especially given the windy condtions. I hit the 5k mark at a little over 20 minutes and was still feeling pretty good. My pace had slowed a touch but that was ok... I knew it would a little bit because I had gone out fairly hard at the beginning. When I hit the 10k point in the course, I knew I was on pace for an extremely good time, well below my previous two 15k races. At the 10k mark, I came through at roughly 40 minutes and 30 seconds for a 6:31 pace average. I just had to hold on for another 3.1 miles. The next mile went pretty quickly. A couple of Movin' Shoes employees who I work with passed me around the 10k mark and I worked off them for the next mile or so which really payed some dividends. My 7th mile split was the fastest of the day for me at 6:12. After that, I started to fade just a touch with having to deal with the wind, a couple hills, and just generally feeling a bit tired. I didn't crash and burn, though. I finished up pretty strong and came across the line with a new PR of 1:00:45 and averaging 6:31 per mile. I was pretty proud of myself, to say the least, with having to deal with the wind and just being two weeks removed from a marathon. I really couldn't have hoped for anything better. I also had my third top 20 finish in a row by placing 17th out of 202 runners. It was a good way to end what will possibly be my last road race of the year. I won't say that for sure but with the road racing schedule in Wisconsin dwindling because of the colder weather coming, there really isn't much out there that peaks my interest. We'll see, though. Something might come up. I'll never say never. If it doesn't happen though, what a way to end my racing for 2008... my 7th PR in seven different race distances. Don't know if I'll ever top that one... I'll always try, though.

MY SPLITS FOR THE RACE

• Mile 1 - 6:22
• Mile 2 - 6:32
• Mile 3 - 6:34
• Mile 4 - 6:48
• Mile 5 - 6:36
• Mile 6 - 6:36
• Mile 7 - 6:12
• Mile 8 - 6:45
• Mile 9 - 6:35
• Mile 9.3 - 1:00:45

Yesterday's race: 15k > 1:00:45 > 6:31 pace

Miles last week: 29.3

Brisk Day, Brisk Run

After taking a day off yesterday, I was back out on the road today to get in a little run with a little speedwork sprinkled in. Since I am planning on doing the UW Fall 15K on Sunday morning, I wanted to get my legs used to turning over at a quicker pace. It was a typical Fall morning with cool temps and fairly breezy. I just started off by running a couple of miles easy and then threw in some 30 second to one minute pickups where I run at my normal 10k race pace, followed by a couple minutes of easy running. It's a nice little workout. I did something similar prior to running Whistlestop a couple weeks ago. It really gets your heart pumpin' a bit and gets your legs used to that quicker pace you will be doing in a race. I did a total of about six pickups sandwiched in the middle of a nice five mile run and I felt pretty good doing them, too. Despite racing fairly soon after doing a marathon (two weeks), I feel like my legs should hold up pretty good. This most likely will be my last road race of the year so I want to make it a good one. We'll see...

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 37:42 > 7:24 pace

Miles this week: 16.2

The Evil Pumpkin

Today was an ideal morning to give my first long run since the marathon a try. It was an extremely cool and crisp sunny morning and there was a very light breeze blowing. Pretty much perfect conditons for me. After having two successful five mile runs over the weekend with days off in between, I was getting a little antsy to try something a little more substantial. My legs have been feeling good so why not give it a try... that and the fact that I was feeling a little guilty for eating a bunch of candy at work yesterday. One of our audio engineers at the tv station by the name of Pete has a tradition where a couple weeks prior to Halloween, he brings in an orange plastic pumpkin filled with candy, and he keeps refilling it every time it gets low. It's a very "evil pumpkin". It beckons your name as you walk by it, pleading with you just to take a piece of candy or two. I most certainly don't have as much restraint as I did last year. Last year at this time, I was in the middle of my "denial diet" where I swore off candy, ice cream, and any and all in between snacks in order to lose some excess weight. I really had no trouble last year warding off the pleas of the "evil pumpkin," and before I knew it, Halloween had come and gone without me giving in. This year is much different, though. I'm in great shape and don't have anymore weight to lose, so as I told Pete the engineer, I'm making up for last year... and boy am I making up. I must have really pissed that pumpkin off from last year with my "Just Say NO" attitude because this year the jolly 'ol jack-o-lantern is constantly tempting me with sugar fixes, and this time I'm not saying no. No wonder that stupid pumpkin is always smiling. The bad part is he'll be smiling for quite some time since there are still 10 days left til Halloween. I guess I'll have to practice temperance. With that, this mornings 11 mile jaunt was just the thing I needed... a little penance for all the sugary treats I ate yesterday. On the good side, maybe all that sugar gave me a little boost this morning because my legs were feeling good. For only doing a marathon a little over a week ago, my legs felt pretty fresh and fluid. I circled Lake Monona in around an hour and twenty-four minutes and thus felt very optimistic and confident that I should be able to run a nice race in Sunday's upcoming Fall 15k. Perhaps another PR?... who knows. Maybe I'll bring the "evil pumpkin" with me for some added motivation... nah, he can stay right where he's at. I won't need any candy on Sunday. I did have some more today, though... big surprise, huh?

Today's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:24:14 > 7:35 pace

Miles this week: 11.1

Taking a Victory Lap

The goal after the marathon was to take a full week off with no running. It didn't happen. I knew it probably wouldn't, either. I did give myself a good five days off, though, before I started feeling like I was getting a little too lazy. Let's face it, I was getting way to comfortable sleeping in til 9 or 10 am and I needed to get some exercise. Because of that, I decided to go for my first little run, or as my good friend Dave Dexheimer calls it, "a victory lap," last Friday. How did it go? It was five miles and pretty typical of a first run, post-marathon. Very slow and somewhat achy. Still, it felt nice. Nice to get outside in the cool, Fall weather and breath in some fresh air. Nice to stretch the legs out and get the aorta pumping. Nice to feel like I was doing something worthwhile. It was a nice "victory lap" in that it allowed me to reflect on the hard work I put in leading up to The Whistlestop and how that hard work translated into one of my all time best performances. It's fun to savor those memories in your first run back. My friend Dave is right, you have to take those "victory laps."

My second run last week was on Sunday morning. It was also a five miler and this time my legs felt like they had a little more pep. Where Friday I just ran a conservative 8 minute pace, Sunday I was back to doing a comfortable 7:37 pace with no real achiness in the legs. Tomorrow I am looking forward to doing my first run around Lake Monona since October 5th. It's supposed to be one of the best days of the week tomorrow weatherwise, and I want to take advantage of it. Plus I just want to see how my legs will react to a longer run, especially since I am planning to do a 15k race this coming Sunday here in Madison. I know it's probably a little crazy to be racing so soon after running a hard marathon, but I'm just not quite ready to acquiesce and put away my racing shoes for the year. Plus, I have always kind of liked the 15k distance... not too long, not too short. And it will also be nice to race again in this beautiful October weather we've been having. Snow and cold will most likely be coming soon which makes it a lot tougher to race. Mine as well enjoy it while I have the opportunity, right?

Friday's workout: 5.1 miles > 40:42 > 7:59 pace

Sunday's workout: 5.1 miles > 35:50 > 7:37 pace

Miles last week: 10.2

Third Times a Charm... I DID IT!!!

Last Saturday's marathon set up to be a perfect day to run... and I needed it to be. After enduring two heartbreaking marathons earlier this year where I just missed my 3:15 Boston Marathon qualifier by running a 3:17:45 in Napa Valley in March and 3:17:19 at Grandma's in June, I needed things to go right for me last Saturday morning in Ashland, WI for The Whistlestop Marathon, and they did. The weather couldn't have been any better if you would have ordered it. The Whistlestop is not your typical marathon in a couple of ways. First, it has a fairly late start time of 9am. Most marathon nowadays start fairly early, 7 or 8am, to beat the heat of the usual days. Up in Ashland, you generally don't have to worry about that since the race is in October and the area borders Lake Superior. It usually makes for some pretty cool temps at race time, as was the case last Saturday with a starting temp of 50°. That's perfect in my book. The other unique thing about The Whistlestop is that it's a point to point course, 24 miles of which are on an old, converted railroad track now made up of packed gravel and limstone. It's a pretty forgiving running surface and really gives your knees and joints a break from running on concrete and asphalt that you usually have to endure in most races. The tough part about running on that type surface up there is that there are inconsistancies in the footing. You might go from running on fairly big gravel pebbles, to soft, silty dirt, to ruts in the path caused ATV use, to a nicely packed surface. It sometimes makes it hard to get into a nice running rhythm when you are often darting side to side to find the best footing. It's a bit of a challenge but well worth it when you get to see the amazing Fall color display that the course provides. Wisconsin is known for having some of the most amazing Fall colors around, but I would have to say this is one of the best areas the Badger State has to offer. It's spectacular and you get to see mile after mile of it as the northwood trees line the whole course. The other nice thing about those trees is they give you optimum shade coverage if the sun is out like it was last Saturday.

After the singing of God Bless America, the race was underway. As I stated last week in my blog, my goal for the race was to start out fairly conservatively by running between 7:20 and 7:25 pace for the first half of the race and then build from there. That strategy was pretty much thrown out the window after the gun sounded. I didn't start out guns ablazin', like there was no tomorrow, but I still had a pretty quick first mile at 7:00 minutes even. It wasn't anything super fast but it was still 20 to 25 seconds faster than I wanted to be. I tried to calm myself down a bit and telling myself in essence to "ease up a bit" and "relax" and although I slowed somewhat I was still knocking off miles between 7:04 and 7:10 per mile. I really couldn't help it, though. The cool, crisp weather of the northwoods was just way too invigorating and my legs were feeling way too good that I just wanted to throw all caution into the wind and see what I could do for the day, so that's exactly what I did. Even though there were well over 700 marathoners entered in the race, I was pretty much on my own during much of the race. The race spreads out pretty quickly but the nice thing is that there are usually plenty of runners in sight to keep pace with and to reel in and pick off here and there. At the halfway point I was still feeling exceptionally good and my time reflected that. Thru 13.1 miles I was at a little over 1:33 and on pace to run a 3:06 marathon. Again, 3:15 was my Boston Qualifier so I was well ahead of that. The question was could I keep up that unrelenting pace. The answer was an emphatic yes. The next ten mile splits were all between 6:51 and 7:09 pace, five of which were under 7:00 minute pace, and the scary part was that I felt good doing it. I wasn't struggling to hang on or just looking for a solid finish... I was laying waste to this course, which only three years earlier, pushed me around a bit and caused me to finish in 3:23:06. Last Saturday, I was the one who felt like I was doing the pushing. After a good 24 miles or so my feet finally hit pavement. It was a welcome feeling, too. No more darting from one side to the other to find the best place to put my feet down. I was tiring a bit at this point so it was nice to just be able to run on a flat, smooth surface and just try to get in a nice running rhythm to knock of the last mile and a half or so. It also helped that the town people were there to encourage me on and tell me to finish up strong. One lady even yelled out to me and let it be know that I was in the top 20 for marathoners. I was pretty tired by that time so all I could say was, "Really?" As I would later find out, it was true. The main thing was my time. Where was I going to finish timewise? After a few more minutes and rounding a few more corners, I soon found out. 3:06:01. That's what I crossed the finish line at... 3:06:01. Not only did I decimate the Boston qualifying time by nine minutes, I also broke my personal best time from the 2003 Quad Cities Marathon by 51 seconds. I was dumbfounded to say the least. I honestly didn't know if I would ever get back to running a marathon time of that caliber again. The hard work paid of the last year paid off, though. The disappointment of narrowly missing my goal times at Napa Valley and Grandma's motivated me more. This time I did it, and did it soundly and with ease. The lady who yelled out to me was right, too. I did finish in the top 20... 20th out of 754 runners to be exact. By far, the highest I ever finished. It was quite a day. After retrieving my duffel bag and putting on some dry clothes I gave my mom and brother Pete a call. It was hard to tell them how the race went without choking back a few tears... I was just that happy. That's what a marathon does... it can really bring out a deluge of emotions. Those who have run them know what I'm talking about and for those who haven't, I'm sure you can imagine.

I'm a little sad that this is most likely the end of my marathoning for the year. Part of me would really love to do one more sometime in December but I think that might be pushing it a bit. I've really caught the bug, though. Number 10 is in the books and I'm looking forward to number 11. Maybe it will be Boston in April, maybe it will be Ft. Collins, CO in May... who knows. All I know is that I'm looking forward to that next one, looking forward to the training, and maybe even shooting towards running under the three hour time barrier... wouldn't that be something. I think I can do it, though. We'll see what next year brings.

A quick sidenote: I wanted to say congratualtions to my two running buddies who went up with me to Ashland and also ran The Whistlestop. My good friend Dave Dexheimer completed the 24th marathon of his career, finishing 212th overall with a time of 3:44:11, and my other friend Steve Chavala completed his very first marathon, finishing 233rd with a time of 3:47:34. I'm really proud of you both.

MY SPLITS FOR THE RACE

• Mile 1 - 7:00
• Mile 2 - 7:04
• Mile 3 - 7:07
• Mile 4 - 7:09
• Mile 5 - 7:10
• Mile 6 - 7:10
• Mile 7 - 7:06
• Mile 8 - 7:05
• Mile 9 - 7:04
• Mile 10 - 7:00
• Mile 11 - 6:58
• Mile 12 - 6:59
• Mile 13 - 7:02 - 1:32:14
• Mile 14 - 6:51
• Mile 15 - 6:54
• Mile 16 - 7:06
• Mile 17 - 7:04
• Mile 18 - 7:04
• Mile 19 - 6:56
• Mile 20 - 6:54 - 2:21:28
• Mile 21 - 6:57
• Mile 22 - 7:01
• Mile 23 - 7:09
• Mile 24 - 7:25
• Mile 25 - 7:18
• Mile 26 - 7:28 - 3:04:48
• Mile 26.2 - 3:06:01

Saturday's race: 26.2 miles > 3:06:01 > 7:05 pace

Miles last week: 42

One Final Run and a Guarantee

Well, this is it... one final tune up run before the big day on Saturday morning. One final run to get my legs churning, heart pumping, and get a good sweat broken. One final run to think about race strategy and how I'm going to attack the opening miles as compared to the finishing miles. One final run before what looks like my last marathon of the year. In retrospect, I had two clear main objectives when the new year started. The first one was to run three marathons in the calendar year so that I could get to an even ten for my career... I will be doing that. The second objective was to requalify for Boston in one of the three... I have yet to do that, just missing the standard in the previous two races by a couple minutes each. This weekends event should be a much different result, though. This should be the one. I'm feeling very confident in that all the training that I've put in this past year, over 1,600 miles worth of it, is pointing me toward a rapturous end result, one that I've been shooting for since the first of the year. As I've said in past races, especially the marathon distance, there are absolutely no guarantees on how you will do because it is such a tough and grueling race, mentally and physically... especially the last six of the 26 miles. I still stick by that. However, I would like to amend it just a bit. There are no guarantees, save for one. That I will dig down and battle and try my best to get out all the God-given ability I have on Saturday morning... to make myself proud and the people who know me best proud. That, my friends, is a guarantee!

Today's workout: 5.6 miles > 43:22 > 7:45 pace

Miles this week: 13.7

A Run With Some Pick-ups

After taking yesterday off to recoop from running four days in a row, ending with Sunday's 12 miler, I was back out on the road this morning to get in a decent little run. I didn't want to run 10 miles and I definitely wanted to run more than five, so I compromised and did eight. It wasn't a normal eight, though. No, I decided to put that Running Times article I talked about in yesterdays blog to use again. The writer in it stated that four to five days prior to your marathon you should do a run between six to eight miles and throw a series of pick-ups in to get a touch of speed work in. These pick-ups should be around 30 seconds in length and be at around your 10k race pace, which for me is around 6:15 per mile. The pick-ups should be followed by a good two to three minutes of easy running. I hadn't done a workout like that in awhile so it sounded like fun to me. After running easy for my opening two miles, I dropped the hammer and kicked up my speed to 10k pace for my first series of pick-ups. It felt a little strange at first, but after my heart, lungs and legs adjusted, I felt fine, feeling very fluid and somewhat relaxed. It really is amazing to see that after you do those 30 second short interval bursts and then you slow it down to what almost seems like a jog, how your overall pace still remains pretty fast. After slowing down after doing the pick-ups, my pace usually leveled off somewhere between 7:10 and 7:15 pace, and remarkably, it really did feel like I was jogging. In total, I did about seven of these quick hitters with some easy running in between, and actually finished up the eight mile run averaging around 7:28 pace. It really was a nice little workout that wasn't too hard, but at the same time got my heart pumping in spots and allowed my legs to really stretch out a bit. The cool, overcast Fall weather made it all the more enjoyable to run as well. I felt very gratified after finishing the workout, and like after Sunday's long run, I feel all the more confident going into Saturday morning's race.

Today's workout: 8.1 miles > 1:00:30 > 7:28 pace

Miles this week: 8.1

The Start of Marathon Week

Well, this is it... the start of marathon week. And how did I start it? By taking a day off from running. It was much needed since I had run the last four days in a row. I know, I know... I was supposed to take Saturday off, but as I said I would, I changed my mind a couple hundred times in the course of the night and decided a little three mile run wouldn't hurt me. It was a nice, crisp Saturday morning too, so I decided that before heading to work at Movin' Shoes I would just get in a little jaunt. I also would have felt a little guilty if I had only gotten in four days of running last week instead of five. For good or bad, I'm just used to my workout regimens. It's also called being stubborn;)

Sunday morning was no little three mile run. It was my last real long run leading up to the marathon next Saturday. I honestly didn't think I would get up early to get it in since I had gotten home late the night before from going to the Wisconsin/Ohio St football game where the good 'ol Badgers blew the game in the last six minutes or so. Ah, what the heck. I honestly forgot about it pretty much after the game was over with. I'm not going to waste my time brooding about the plight of the Badgers anymore. It serves no purpose and I have more fruitful things to think about... like getting myself qualified for Boston again. I can't control what the Badgers do but I sure as heck can control how I race next Saturday. Then again... it's a marathon... and as I've said in the past, marathons are a strange mistress... they can humble you in an instant. I guess I better watch what I say then. Aw, the heck with that too... I'm going into that race feeling just as confident as I did when I ran Grandma's Marathon in Duluth back in June. And why shouldn't I be confident. I've trained just as hard as I could have possibly trained, I had one heck of a half-marathon result just a little over a week ago, and I'm feeling pretty well rested. You can't beat that, right? I sure hope so. Yesterday's long run was also a nice confidence booster leading up to this Saturday's race. Like I said, yesterday was my last significant long run before the marathon so I wanted to make sure it was one of quality. It was. Once I got up and out the door, I was greeted by overcast skies and cool temps. I actually thought it might rain during the run but the rains actually held off til I was done. Now even though I wanted yesterday's run to be a quality one, I didn't want to go out guns ablazin'... that would have been stupid. No, I wanted to leave a little left in the tank, so I put into use something I had just read Saturday in The Running Times magazine about tapering before your marathon. The writer, whose name I forget, said that seven days out from your marathon you should get in a 12 mile run where you run the first six miles easy and then the last six miles at your goal race pace. Sounded like a good strategy, why not give it a try. I actually adjusted it a bit though, by doing the first five miles easy and the last seven at goal pace, but that's ok... I don't think it will hurt me. I was feeling a little antsy and wanted to pick up the pace a bit earlier. I'm such a go-getter, aren't I? I know... temperance. Anyways, it was a good workout. I did the first five miles between 7:35 and 7:45 pace and then ran the last seven miles in 7:26, 7:11, 7:22, 7:23, 7:22, 7:25 and 7:20. Goal pace for me is between 7:20 and 7:25 so I was pretty much right on the button with those splits. I'm pretty sure I can even go a little faster, but the plan is to be a little conservative on race day for the first 13 to 16 miles and then gradually try to pick it up from there. We'll just have to wait and see how the day shakes out. The bottom line is I know I can do it... I believe I can do it... so why not just do it.

Sunday's workout: 12.1 miles > 1:31:38 > 7:33 pace

Miles last week: 36.5

Overdressed a Bit

After yesterday's successful run, I wanted to head out this morning early to get in a litte run to see how my right calf would respond to running in consecutive days. It felt good yesterday so I thought two days in a row might be a good litmus test to see where it's at and how it feels. The morning was a brisk one... really brisk. Brisk enough for me to wear long running pants and a running jacket. It was probably a little overkill because once I got going and my heart started pumping, I got a little warm and decided I should have just worn shorts and a couple shirts. Live and learn. I always do that a couple times a year... feel the sharp chill in the air, get a little too bundled up, and then bake as if you were running in a parka in the Bahamas. It's that overdressing syndrome. It's not the most enjoyable. Despite that, it was a pretty enjoyable run. Although I didn't run that fast, it was a beautiful morning out to breath in some crisp, fall air and get in an easy five mile run. The best part though, was that my right calf didn't cause me any discomfort, so it seems as though it's on the mend. Even though I really don't want to take a third day off this week tomorrow, I most likely will. I'm planning on doing my last big long run before the marathon on Sunday morning, and thought I'd give myself Saturday off just to rest up a bit. Of course, I say that know... I may change my mind a couple hundred times before morning comes. Nothing like being decisive;)

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 41:08 > 8:04 pace

Miles this week: 21.3

No More Babying... Time To Really Run

After my successful race last Saturday, I woke up on Sunday morning to get a post race run in. Just an easy five miler to get the kinks out. The run itself went fine. I think I averaged close to 7:45 pace which is pretty darn good after a hard effort like I had with the day before's race. During the run though, I noticed that my right calf had a little twinge to it and was a little tight. Nothing major, just probably a little delayed onset muscle soreness. With that, I decided to take Monday off to rest it, ice it, stretch it, and massage it in the hopes that the tightness would dissipate a bit. Tuesday morning came and I decided to give it a go. Nothing long, just a quick little five miler again. The run started off just fine, but as the run progressed, I could feel that little twinge of tightness occurring once more. Again, it was nothing major or painful, just a little tightness. Another day of rest followed with some more ice, light stretching, ibuprofen and massage. That brings us to today. A day where in essence I said, "No more babying it... Time to put the calf through some real paces and see what happens." By that I mean a good 11 mile run. It was a beautiful fall day to run, too... really crisp and brisk and a little breezy. I even wore a couple of shirt layers because it was so cool. Like Tuesday's run, everything started out just fine. No twinges of pain or nothing. As I got into the fourth and fifth miles I could feel a little tightness but it was nothing that was going to slow me down. I was working on a solid training run and really wanted to finish up strong. Once I had reached the eight mile mark, I felt I was in pretty good shape as far as the calf went. No real discomfort, just a little tightness, no better no worse... just fine with me. Despite taking a couple extra days of rest this week, I really turned out a good run today. The cool temps really reinvigorated me, and because of that, I got in a quality 11 miler at 7:27 pace. I'll take that any day of the week, sore calf or not.

Today's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:22:43 > 7:27 pace

Miles this week: 16.2

Ach, Du Lieber! It's Oktoberfest!

I know, I know... I said I would write over the weekend on how my Oktoberfest race in La Crosse went, but after the race, I was just enjoying relaxing at my parents farm and really didn't feel like writing. The race went great, though. I didn't necessarily expect a great result especially since I had a two hour drive after work on Friday night, didn't get home until 1am, tossed and turned in bed for four hours and then was up at 5am to head to La Crosse for the race. Not the most ideal pre-race rest plan. Oh well, I did it anyway and everything was fine. I was very appreciative that my dad also woke up early to drive me into town and cheer me on at the race. Having family members supporting me at running events has always meant a great deal to me, so thank you dad. The morning of the race was pretty much ideal. When my dad and I got to Riverside Park in La Crosse, it was still pretty much dark out but you could sense that it was a little overcast. It was also nice and cool and a little breezy. After picking up my timing chip and relaxing for a bit, I went for a mile and a half warm up just to loosen my legs up and get my heart pumping a bit. After stretching a bit and getting my thoughts together, I stripped off my warm up pants and shirts and laced up my orange Saucony racing shoes. I was ready to go. The race started promptly at 7am, and after a mad dash by everyone at the starting line, I settled into a comfortable pace. It had been awhile since I had done this particular race, 2002 to be exact. At that time, I was a neophyte to long distance racing and it was my first half-marathon. I ran well back in 2002, finishing the 13.1 mile course in a little over 1:28, averaging 6:45 pace and finishing first in my age group. Kind of a nice start for a "greenhorn" long distance runner. Since then, I had done a few marathon relays where my part of the leg was the half-marathon distance, but I hadn't run just a half-marathon since 2002, and in the relays I did, I hadn't come close to equaling that time of 1:28... until last Saturday. I was a little nervous heading into the race because it seemed like forever (early August) that I had a race of any distance. This was to be a nice test for me with the Whistlestop Marathon only a couple weekends away. I had put in the base miles and my legs were hardened and strong with close to 1,600 miles of training already logged this year, but I wanted to see what kind of race shape I was in... and I wasn't disappointed. Like I said, the race started off with runners running like there was no tomorrow... people tearing out of the starting line, running at a much faster pace than most would finish in. I don't get caught up in that "start of the race" madness... never really have. It's a long race and I like to settle into a comfortable pace early so that I will have more left for the end. I've learned that if you do that, you can reel in a lot of runners who are gassed because they went out way too hard. A lot of runners may pass me at the start of a race, but as they whiz by me, I always say in the back of my mind, "I'll catch up with you a little later"... and I usually do. I had a goal in mind of averaging 6:45 pace throughout the race but deep down I thought I could even run a little faster and possibly run 6:30's. When I approached the first mile marker, I was right on that pace... 6:29. It felt easy and comfortable but I still had 12 more to go. The next few miles, I bounced around between 6:30 and 6:40 pace, but I was still feeling very good... and confident that I might be in for a record setting day. The nice thing about this particular course is that it's an "out and back." You run a little over 6.5 miles out for the first half and come exactly the same way back for the second half. The nice thing about this is that it allows you to see who's ahead of you, and at the half way point there were only 14 runners faster than me. That's a pretty neat feeling to know that. It's also a little unnerving when, as your heading back, you are seeing just the throng of people that you are ahead of. It is a little overwhelming to say the least, and you have to calm yourself down a bit knowing that you are one of the race leaders. Even though it is a little overwhelming, I wouldn't trade that feeling for the world. It's a pretty cool feeling knowing that you're cruising along ahead of pretty much everybody else. Another one of the neat features of the race is that the last couple miles are on the Oktoberfest Parade route so you have quite a few spectators sitting on the sidewalks watching you run as they are waiting for the parade to start. Even though there were a ton of spectators out there, they weren't the most enthusiastic group. The adults were just lounging about, partaking in a few Oktoberfest libations (beer), and a lot of the kids were throwing footballs back and forth to each other, just passing the time. Maybe it was just too early in the morning for them too... who knows. Anyways, despite the lack of enthusiasm from the parade crowd, I was still able to finish up strong and pick off a few other runners in the process. With the finish line in sight, I picked up even a little more steam and crossed the tape in 1:25:30, finishing 11th out of 483 runners and first in my age division. I really couldn't believe it. Not only did I average a 6:31 pace for the 13 miles, but I shattered my 2002 time by three minutes and got my fifth P.R. (personal record) of the year, and all of them in different distances. Pretty incredible. I guess those 1,600 miles of training have really paid out some good dividends. When I think about it, I'm really at a loss for words. All I can say is "Ach, du lieber!" Whistlestop, here I come!

Saturday's race: 13.1 miles > 1:25:30 > 6:31 pace

Miles last week: 41