The Jaeger Boys Take a Couple Medals at Chileda

This morning, me and my family got up early to head to La Crosse to run in the annual La Crosse Chileda Classic. I believe this was the 28th or 29th year it has been going on. It's gotten to be a pretty big event over the years and the race is always followed up by a nice breakfast in the park along the Mississippi River. In past years, it has usually been pretty warm and humid for the race, but this morning it was pretty ideal out. It was mostly sunny and cool out and a little breezy. I was excited about running this morning because I was going to get to race with my brother Pete, which I hadn't done in awhile, and I also felt like I had a good shot at breaking the 40 minute barrier for the 10K, which I had never done before. The gun sounded at 7:30am and the lead pack went out at a typical quick pace. Pete and I settled into a nice pace fairly quickly and we hit the first mile at about 6:11. The next mile slowed a bit but it was still a solid mile at 6:20. The third mile was a little tougher because we were running into a fairly strong breeze which made the pace slow down just a tad. We still hit the 3 mile mark at 6:27, and that would end up being our slowest mile. Mile 4 was lot nicer because we were able to get out of the wind a bit, and the streets we were running on were fairly shaded. We hit the 4 mile mark with a 6:20 split. Around 4.5 miles I started to tire a bit and Pete surged ahead a tad, but not my too much. He was always within shouting distance and kept encouraging me by saying that I was right on pace to crack 40 minutes. Despite feeling a tad spent, I still hit the 5 mile mark with another 6:20 mile. The end was now in sight and all I had to do was run with a little guts and I would get my mark. The early part of the 6th mile was a little slow, but almost halfway through it, I got a little strength back and was able to pick up my pace again. I was never able close the gap with my brother, but that's ok, because when I rounded the final corner and could see the finish line, I knew I had done what I set out to do. I crossed the finish line in 39:09, averaging 6:18 pace, and was extremely proud of myself. I had run a very smart race, and having my brother there to pace me and work off of, really helped me a lot. Pete finished the race in 38:55, just 14 seconds ahead of me. That is the closest I've ever gotten to him in a race so that was a good feeling too. Granted, he isn't in his usual super fit mode, but that just shows you how talented he is to be able to average 6:16 per mile over 6 miles when he hasn't been running a ton of mileage. I think it's kind of funny to think that one of his slower times is my best. That's ok, though... I'd be happy to run that anyday. Our times were good enough to place us 23rd and 26th respectively out of 279 runners and we also were able to win 2nd and 3rd place medals in our age group. Pete's wife Dannie also ran the 10k and she placed 171st overall and 8th in her age group with a time of 53:26. Our dad did the 5k and finished 550th out off 774 with a time of 35:44. Dad just missed getting a medal in his age group by placing 4th. We all ran great races and it made the pancakes and sausage taste even better afterwards. The morning was topped by watching the kids race in which Pete and Dannie's kids to part of. I had a lot of fun watching them and cheering them on. Actually, it really was fun watching all the kids run... they really ran their hearts out and tried their best, and that is what we should all aspire to do.

Warm up before race: 1 mile > 8:11

Today's race: 10K > 39:09 > 6:18 pace

Miles this week: 24.5

Another Cool Night

Because I was heading out sometime this morning to my parents for the weekend and it was such a perfectly cool night, I decided to go for a little 3 mile run when I got home from work last night. I tell ya, I am really getting used to this nighttime running... you really can't beat it, especially when there have been some fairly warm mornings this week. There is always a small part of me that really doesn't want to run at night but that is only because I just finished work, am a little tired and drained, and just want to take it easy and go to bed. However, once I will myself to lace up my shoes and I step outside into that cool, nighttime air, all that hesitation goes away and I generally always have a great run and feel re-energized. That is the way it was last night. The nighttime air totally reinvigorated me and the 3 miles I did just seemed to fly by. My legs felt very fresh and I even did the last mile at 6:49 pace. That's always a good feeling. Hopefully that is a good sign and means I'm ready for Saturday's 10k race in La Crosse. We will see.

Last night's workout: 3.1 miles > 21:56 > 7:17 pace

Miles this week: 17.3 miles

Back to Running Around the Lake

Last night when I got home from work, it was close to 11:30pm but I was still seriously thinking about going out for another nighttime lake run. It was so peaceful and cool out and I know I would have gotten in a good quality run. I was fairly tired though and I just wanted to sit back, relax and doze off while watching tv. After getting up early this morning to get in my first long run since the marathon, I really wished I would have gone last night. It was just way too warm for my taste to run 11 miles. But... I did it anyway. The run started off pretty good, with me running some fairly consistent splits near 7:30 pace for the first 5 miles. But after stopping at the Monona Terrace to get a drink of water and to strip off my soaked running shirt, the last 6 miles seemed like it would take an eternity to finish. I was still running under 8 minute pace but I just felt so sluggish... like I was carrying a piano on my back at times. I grinded out my remaining miles and actually did the 11 at 7:44 pace, which is pretty good considering how warm it was out. At least there was a somewhat cool breeze at times to give me a little relief. I learned my lesson, though... the next time I get home from work and it's a nice night out, I just might be cruising around the lake... especially during the summer months.

Today's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:26:12 > 7:44 pace

Miles this week: 14.2

A Quick Turnaround 10k

This week I am trying to get myself back into race mode for an upcoming 10k race this Saturday in La Crosse. The race is called the La Crosse Chileda Classic and it is one that my family enjoys doing every year. I haven't participated in it the last couple of years because it was just getting too difficult for me with me what working til 11pm at the tv station, driving two hours and getting to my parents farm in Coon Valley at 1am, and then getting up before 6am to head to La Crosse for the start. That doesn't really make for an ideal race. You kind of feel like you ran a race even before the gun went off. This year, though, I was given Friday, the 4th of July off, so it makes it a lot easier to head up to the Coulee Region to run the Chileda Classic. The trick this year, though, will be trying to get my legs prepared for doing a race not two weeks after running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. My brother Pete did that same double a few years ago, and he said that he felt pretty wiped out after running Grandma's and then doing Chileda's 10k a couple weeks later. I think my legs, and body overall, should be fine, though. I have no residual soreness that you sometimes get after running a long distance race, and my legs seem to be responding well to the runs I've been doing since the marathon. Yesterdays 7 miler at 7:07 pace is a testament to that. Because of that, I feel pretty confident that I could run a strong race on Saturday morning. I am hopeful that I might be able to break the 40 minute barrier for the first time in a 10k. We will see, though. As I said a few days ago in my post about Grandma's Marathon... there are no gaurantees.

Today's workout: 3.1 miles > 23:10 > 7:29 pace

Miles this week: 3.1

Me vs. The Computer

For several years now, I have been using the Garmin Forerunner 201, a gps training watch that accurately and instantly tells me my time, distance and training pace on daily runs. It really has been an ideal training tool for me, and with the use of it, has helped me to accomplish a lot of my racing goals. The Garmin really has a ton of functions and capabilities, most of which I have not fully utilized. I primarily just use it to help me with my pacing and to help me run even splits in a race. This afternoon, though, I decided to buck the trend and use it's virtual partner function to see how it worked and how it might be of benefit to me. I have to say that I really liked it, but I wouldn't want to use it every day. When using the virtual partner, it gives you three options to punch in: you can either set the watch to your distance and time, your time and pace or your distance and pace. I chose the latter and plugged in a distance of 7.1 miles and a pace of 7:45 per mile. After the numbers are plugged in, you just hit the start button and you are instantly racing against the computer. On the watch display, there are two little people racing side by side. The top one represents the computer who is running an even 7:45 pace and the bottom one is me who has to keep pace with it. The nice thing about this training device is that it instantly puts you in the race mode mindset, and from the moment you hit start, your pace is a little more up tempo than it usually is when you go out for a training run. Another nice feature is that the watch will tell you the distance you are lagging behind or ahead of the computer. I started off a little behind Garmin but that didn't last too long. Within the first minute or so, I surged ahead and made a conscious effort to stay there, as well as lengthen the distance I was ahead was ahead of the computer. Like I said, I really like how it put me into that race mode mindset, and because of that, I averaged a 7:07 pace for the 7 miles and buried poor 'ol Garmin in the dust by over half a mile. GAME OVER. Even though I really enjoyed using the new feature, I wouldn't want to use it every day. It might get a little draining to be in race mode for every training run. That would take some of the pure joy out of running... just to go out and run and not worry pacing or distance. Plus, I wouldn't want Garmin's fragile ego to get bruised too badly from me beating it every day;)

Today's workout: 7.1 miles > 50:34 > 7:07 pace

Miles this week: 20.4

The Power Goes Out... The Shoes Go On

When I got home from work last night, I wasn't really planning on going for a run. It was a good night to go, but I just wanted to watch a little tv and then do my best impression of Rip Van Winkle. As I was just about to doze off, the power in my apartment went off. It wasn't a good time to go off either. It was fairly warm in the apartment and with no power to cirulate the air, it made it that much worse. I stuck my head outside to see what areas were affected by the outage, and noticed that pretty much the whole block and surrounding area were in pitch black, vampire mode. Terrific. While I was outside, I noticed how comfortable the temp was and decided that instead of running in the forecasted muggy weather of the morning, I should just get my run in now (at 1am) and be done with it. Plus, maybe by the time I was done with the run, the power would be back on. With that, I lit up a candle to give my apartment a little flickering light, laced up my shoes, and headed out the door to get in a little five miler. As I headed north down Monona Dr. to do an out and back, I noticed how some places still had a little light while others buildings were blacker than black. People at The Silver Eagle, a local watering hole, were milling about outside in the hopes that the lights might come on so they could have that one final libation before heading home. The stoplights at the corner of Nichols and Pflaum were dead to the world as a few straggling cars paused before heading to their destination. A mile into the run, I hit an area where the power outage hadn't affected it. It was nice to be able to see where my feet were landing once again. I continued on til Olbrich Park and then turned around with the hopes that the black hole of Monona had finally seen the light. I knew that it hadn't, though, when I crested a small hill and could see a wall of darkness in the distance. Despite the dark last mile, I finished up the run with little problem and I got in a nice nighttime run. I don't know which got a harder workout, though... my heart or my pupils. By the way, the power eventually came on... but not until 5:10am.

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 39:54 > 7:49 pace

Miles this week: 13.3

The Summer is Heating Up

Because I felt relatively good in my first run since the marathon yesterday, I decided I would get in a little jaunt before my dental appointment this morning. It's a good thing it was a little run because the weather this morning was pretty crummy. Even though I ran at around 8am, it was surprisingly muggy out and it didn't make for the most enjoyable run. Sounds like we are going to have a little stretch of the hot and sticky stuff for a couple days before it cools down a bit. That's ok with me, though... I should still be taking it easy with my running;)

Today's workout: 3.1 miles > 25:12 > 8:08 pace

Miles this week: 8.2