Run in the Hood

Today I didn't feel like getting up to go do circuit training so I slept in and ran at home. I did my usual out and back with a little extra to get over 5 miles in. It was a bit chilly so I wore two layers on top and gloves. I wanted to do a moderate run since I have been feeling so sluggish since the marathon. I felt pretty good today.

I did 6x12 lunges when I got home and stretched.

Stats - 5.33 Miles/44:05/8:16 pace
AHR 147
MHR 161

Back in the Saddle Again

Today was my first "official" workout with the group after Chicago. We ran the out and back from the school off of south Lamar this morning. We met at 6AM and I ran with Patrick and Gretchen most of the way and felt pretty good. I at a carboom at the rock and got some water. My glute tighened up near the church and the little keyhole off of Barton hills. I also had some issues and had to skip the keyhole and head towards Lamar to find some relief. I ran back to the school and did an extra loop to get the mileage back up.

Splits - 9:19, 8:34, 8:13, 8:26, 7:24, 7:53, 8:43; 8:47, 8:35, 2:03 (.25 Miles)

Not much to report...it's good to be back and see everyone!

Stats - 9.25 miles/1:18:03/8:26 pace
AHR 141
MHR 166

Longer Run in and Out of Circle C

Since I was only able to run 4 miles yesterday, I extended my run today with the goal of going 6-7 miles. I dropped the kids off at school and then took off at 7:30. I had a couple of brief back spasms just as I was starting out that almost made me turn back. I am finally feeling 100% after the fall last week, but I really tweaked my back pretty good. Once it got warmed up it began to feel better.

I went out to Escarpment and instead of turning right for my usual 4 mile out and back I went left toward Slaughter. I crossed Slaughter and ran through the construction site and to the other side of Escarpment and down the hill. I was really enjoying the run until I realized it was all down hill. I ended up running about 3.25 miles out and decided to turn around give the hills in front of me. I felt really good and was focusing on using my quads to make sure I was holding my form. I ran up the hill and felt pretty good. My heart rate increased a little from the 130s and 140s, but I wasn't breathing hard. I crossed back over Slaughter and headed home. I did a brief stretch focusing on my hips and back.

My back feels a lot better now and hopefully it will feel better with time. I really need a massage, but Lucy is out of town. If massage next week doesn't help, then I will head to a chiropractor.

I may crosstrain or rest tomorrow and then jump back in on Saturday with a long run from South Lamar. I really enjoyed that run when we did it in the Summer.

Stats - 6.5 miles/
AHR -
MHR -

Run in Circle C

Today I just ran my usual 4 mile out and back in Circle C. I wanted to do 7 easy on the trail again, but my physical was scheduled for 9AM and I could only have water until after that. I figured 7 miles with no food for 3 hours wouln't be a good idea. I pushed myself a little harder than I have been running and felt pretty good. My back is still tweaked from the fall, but my legs felt good. My right hip/glute still feels a bit weird, but I will get back into the weights and work on it. I have picked up about 5 pounds since the marathon so it's time to get back in the full time swing and not enjoy my food and beverage as much.

My physical went well and I was told that I am doing everything that a 40 year old should be doing to stay healthy...exercise, minimal alchohol, and no smoking. I still have to get my blood work back, but the doc didn't think that my fall was caused by anything serious. Since I am healthy I didn't have to do the full battery of possible tests, but if I keel over again, I will have to go back in for the full work up.

I plan to run easy tomorrow 4-7 miles, and then join the group for the long run on Saturday.

Stats - 4.07 miles/32:55/8:04 pace

Easy Run at Town Lake

Today I ran down at the lake with Jan. We were hoping to catch the M/W group for a run, but they were off doing the hills of Meriden. A cold front blew in last night and it was 40 at the house when I left. I wore two layers on top and some gloves with a hat. We went clockwise on the trail and had a pretty good run. My back hurts where I fell down last week, but other than that, my legs felt pretty good. My glute was a tiny bit sore, but hopefully nothing to worry about. I think I really used them up in Chicago so I am not going to rejoin the Gazelles next Monday. I still want to get the doctor approval stamp and get another week of easy running in. I plan to join the group for the long run on Saturday.

Stats - 6.96 miles/1:06:39/9:34 pace

Catch Up - Week of 10/17-10/22

This is week two of the Chicago recovery. It has been a weird week. I had to fly to San Jose for work on Tuesday and was there through Thursday night. On Tuesday night I got up to go to the bathroom and passed out. I banged up my face pretty good. I guess I just got up to fast or something. My face looks and feels better, but I realy bruised my face under my mustache and that still hurts.

I did cross train twice while in California. I did 30 minutes on Weds and 36 minutes on Thursday. On Thursday I did a glute workout which was really good. I got home late Thursday night and had an early meeting on Friday so no running or exercise that day. Yesterday I ran 4 miles in the neighborhood and felt really good. I ran 4 miles in 33:56/8:16 pace.

Tomorrow I am going to start a week of longer easy runs and then rejoin the Gazelles for their long run on Saturday and hard workouts next Monday. I am eager to get back in the swing of things. It has been nice sleep late, drinking beer, and eating, but I am gaining weight and feel sluggish.

Easy Run and the Gym

Today I got up early, WHY! and headed down to the lake for an easy run. I have been doing my ab workouts, but couldn't stand no aerobic exercise. I got to RunTex and saw a few Freescale buds who did awesome yesterday. They took off for seven miles and I hung out to talk with G a bit. I left in the dark by myself and did the the loop to MoPac from RunTex. I wanted to run slow and did a good job of that. It was a great morning, but really dark. I was focusing on my form so my right quad wouldn't flare up. It hurt a little towards the end, but nothing major. I went to the gym and did my weight routine adding squats, lunges, and some cable exercises for my glutes.

My legs are really tired now and my right glute has some dull pain. I think it's from the exercises, but we will see tomorrow. I am in San Jose the next 3 days and will do some crosstraining and maybe some light running out there. It all depends on how the glute feels. Now is the time to get it healed.

Stats - 4.43 miles/41:16/9:18 pace

Random Post Chicago Thoughts

Now that I have had a week to think about my Chicago effort I want to make some notes and put them on this BLOG for next time. I think my pre race prep was perfect. I drank enough and ate enough so that I didn't bonk. I ran pretty steady during the early miles which was also good. Having to pee messed me up a bit and I have to figure out how to get around that in the future. I have only had one marathon where I didn't have to pee. I read a note today from Kenny Hill about lifting weights and getting stronger...I really do think that is the difference in my performance over previous marathons. My core is stronger and my legs are stronger. I need to strengthen them even more and be more rigorous about my non-running workouts for Freescale. I also think I need to be mentally tougher during our hard workouts. I can go faster and need to push it to make that last 10k of the marathon seem easy. I did come close to my goal of weighing 195 before Chicago. I weighed 196 on the Monday before the race. I need to get below 190 before Freescale. That means I need to sacrifice more when it comes to my favorite foods. It is actually pretty easy, but with the holidays coming up during this training it could be challenging...especially since we will be in Arizona with Mom's home cooking!

All in all I am very happy with my efforts and results. I am enjoying a little down time and managing my post race blues. I miss seeing my friends on a daily basis and I think that's the hardest part of having to take some days off.

Anyway, 126 days until Freescale!

Easy Run

We got back from Las Vegas last night and I my right leg hasn't hurt since Monday. I thought I would go for an easy 30 minute run. About half way in my leg started hurting again so I turned around. I went pretty slow and took it easy on the way back. I got a massage late in the day and it turns out I have an inflamed right glute...or a pain in the ass! I have to give it some rest and ice it. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, but I am definitely out of this weekend's Pervasive race. I hate that race anyway, so no biggie. I will probably do a couple of easy runs next week...one before and after I travel to the bay area. I have been doing my ab work daily and will do some cross training while on the road.

Stats - 3.69 Miles

Race Day

I was in and out until about 4:30AM when I woke up to drop the first deuce of the day. I ate a Clif bar when I was up and also drank some gatorade. I laid in bed until 5:30 and then got up for good. I ate another Clif Bar, took a shower and drank some more Gatorade. The goal was to drink a 34oz. Gatorade Endurance before 6AM to top off and also be able to pee it out before the race started. I met Jan, Patrick, Sean and Anne in the lobby at 6:15 and we began our walk to the starting line. It was a long walk, but kind of cool to see all of these runners coming up onto Michigan Avenue heading in the same direction.

We found the Team Challenge tent and I headed straight to the bathroom line. When I was done I took off my sweat pants and changed into my running singlet. I kept on an old Bun Run t-shirt for the walk to the Preferred start. We grabbed a group photo, wished each other well and then Anne, Patrick, and me headed to the start at about 7:15. The crowds were terrible and we it took us a long time to get over there. G found us on the way and wished us well. He appeared out of nowhere like he does during our workouts some times. I had to pee again so I had to jump over a fence and stand in line to pee on a wall...crazy! I jumped back into the corral and we walked up as far as we could go to wait for the last 20 minutes. My heart rate was really high standing there...in the high 70s. I tried to calm down a bit and relax so it wouldn't be so high at the start. Tom Wopat butchered the National Anthem and then we had the pre-race surge. Kristin Armstrong, Lance's ex, lined up right behind us so we had a little group of Austinites at the start. The wheel chair folks went off at 7:55.

Van Halen's "Right Now" began to play and the race began. My heart rate soared into the low 100s instantaneously. The first few miles were very crowded. I stuck with Patrick and Anne up Columbus to Grandand then we headed west to State street right by our hotel. I was looking for Carla and couldn't find her as we headed south on State. The urge to pee was back...not good! We made a right on Jackson street and then a right on LaSalle for the long straight into Grant Park. I wanted to get into a good rhythm in this section. Anne dropped off for a potty stop somewhere in here and it was just Patrick and I. We went through the park and onto Sheridan where the wind really picked up since we were near the water. I was happy to hit Addison for the turn around to get away from the wind.

Miles 1-8 Splits - 8:01, 8:02, 7:46, 7:26, 7:43, 7:42, 7:40, 7:37
Average through 8 miles - 7:45 - definitely within striking distance
5k Split - 24:30
10k split - 48:20

We headed south on Broadway onto Clark and then onto Sedgwick. This was a very pretty area through Old Town. The crowds were awesome. Anne caught up with us by now and we were all in the same general vicinity and would run together at times. We made a left onto Division and towards downtown again. We made a right on Wells and I finally saw Carla and a small group yelling my name between miles 11 and 12. I turns out it was the 3rd place she came to see me, but had missed me the two previous times. That gave me a little lift although I was still feeling great. We made a quick right on Hubbard, a left on Orleans and across the river onto Franklin. This was a really neat area with awesome views of downtown. We then made a right on Adams for the out and back portion. The sun finally came out and it started to warm up. The wind also kicked up although it was at our backs through this section of the race.

Miles 9-13 Splits - 7:43, 7:30, 7:34, 7:48, 7:40
Average through 13 miles - 7:43 - picked up a few seconds!
10 Mile split - 1:17:11 (previous 10 mile race PR - 1:21:36) Pervasive 2004
20k split - 1:35:53 (previous 20k PR - 1:36:54) Decker 2004
Half Split - 1:41:04

Going out on Adams I really had to pee. I kept watch for a spot to go and finally broke the seal during mile 14. I saw a potty that was wide open. The stop cost me 40 seconds which wasn't good. It was at that point that Patrick kept going. I hoped I wouldn't see him again meaning he had a strong race. This part of the course wasn't too interesting. The crowds were a little sparse and you could see the people ahead coming back on the other side. Something about an out and back really messes with my mind. At mile 15 we made a left for a block and another quick left to put us on Jackson and directly into the wind. I decided I needed to draft so I started running pack to pack instead of running by myself. I made it through the windy section, but I knew I was slowing down a bit. I told myself to battle through the hard parts like I had done prevoiusly in the race. We got to Halstead and made a right turn to cross mile 17 and made a right onto Taylor sending us west again for another mile. We made a left onto Ashland to get us to pass the 30k mark and almost to mile 19. We made a left onto 18th and I was really battling. My splits were hovering in the barely sub 8 range, but I still believed I was in striking distance given our training to run the last part of our long runs really hard. We passed through the Pilsen neighborhood and my "peeps" really pumped me up with some Mariachi music, and some cool latin grooves. I was clapping, waving, and giving thumbs up to the bands and bystanders. We made a right onto Morgan to get us to mile 20. I still thought I had an outside chance to pull it off until I read my mile 20 split. I passed Patrick on Taylor or Ashland and he told me to go for it. He was hurting and told me to go on.

Miles 14-20 Splits - 8:25, 7:34, 7:53, 8:00, 7:56, 7:55, 8:35
Average through 20 miles - 7:50 - Lost a few seconds but still thinking positive
25k split - 2:00:19 (previous 25k race PR - 2:09:41) Strasburger 2003
30k Split - 2:25:02 (previous 30k race PR - 2:29:28) RunTex 2005

So now we are to the last 10k...the real race. My right hip/glute area really started to bother me during mile 20 and I kept trying to fight it. We headed left on Cermak and then made a quick left on Halstead across the river again. We made a left on Archer to get us to mile 21 and into China Town. The crowds thickened again and we made a right onto Wentworth where you could see Comerica Field in the distance. I really started to slow down here. I was feeling my leg, feeling claustrophobic, and things started to really bother me. I took off my Garmin, unhooked the heart monitor and let it hang in my shirt. I wanted to take the shirt off too, but couldn't. My right leg started to feel numb and not good at all. I stopped to adjust my laces on my left shoe since that foot started to hurt and I think that was my slowest mile. After I passed the baseball stadium we made a left on 35th over the Dan Ryan Expressway, another quick left onto the feeder road, and then a right onto 33rd which would lead us to Michigan avenue and the final long straight. I didn't really make any backup goals since nothing short of a BQ would make me happy, but now I was thinking I can still do a sub 3:30. My leg wouldn't help me out. I passed a Gatorade station where they were playing the Brothers Johnson, "Aint No Stoppin' Us Now." I actually started singing and it was making me feel better. A couple of the course workers saw me singing and gave me the thumbs up. I started to pass cratered people along Michigan avenue and felt good that I was still running relatively strong as was going to definietly PR. Gilbert joined me out of nowhere during mile 25 and gave me some very thoughtful words...something along the lines of "I know what's in your head...I want you to run proud and finish strong...you look great." I welled up under my "terminator" glasses and actually started running faster. I picked up the pace by about a minute for mile 26 and was running strong over the "hill" at the Roosevelt street bridge over the train tracks. I picked up momentum on the downhill and made the left onto Columbus and the stadium crowds. I was running strong toward the finish. I spotted Carla on the right yelling for me and I kept it going until I crossed the line.

I really struggled to get through the chute. My right leg was killing me. I got my medal and a bottle of water and paused any place I could hold onto something. I got some food and then slowly walked back to the Team Challenge Tent. I got my stuff and got into the tent where I could barely mix my Endurox. I talked to some of the other Gazelles who mostly all had great days. At that point I was one of the few that didn't qualify for Boston. It was nice to see that the group as a whole did great. We have a great coach and great comeraderie within the group so I shouldn't be surprised. I also have some great friends within the group that I was able to share this experience with and I want to thank them for their support and friendship. Most of all I want to thank Carla for putting up with all of my running stuff and for sharing this weekend with me.

Miles 21 - 26.2 Splits - 9:07, 9:25, 10:20, 9:31, 9:31 (averaged), 8:27, 1:35
Race average - 8:10 - 30 seconds off goal pace
35k split - 2:52:28
40k Split - 2:52:28
Finish Time - 3:34:27 - New PR by 14:16

NOTES: I drank half a dose of Enervitene every 4 miles with two doses at mile 20. I also drank a cup of Gatorade at every station after the first two. I carried water with me for the first two stations.

Post Race - We started to walk back to the hotel, but said screw it after about a mile. Carla, Jan and Patrick jumped in a cab with me and it was a quick ride back to the hotel. When I got back I jumped in the tub and Carla filled it up with ice. It was very cold. I took a hot shower and then had the shivers really bad. I put some clothes on and warmed up. I drank another endurox, ate some more snacks and rested a bit before we headed off for some pizza. We met Sean and his folks, Jan and Patrick downstairs for the short walk to Lou Malnatti's. We had to wait for a table and were plenty hungry when we sat down. I shared a deep dish pizza with Sean and had a couple of beers. We headed back to the hotel where I just crashed early. It was a long day and first time in any of my marathons, I think I really left what I had out on the course.

The Day Before Chicago

So it's the day before the big race. The usual anxiety hasn't set in yet...I think that's a good thing. I had a great night's sleep...my first in about a week. I got up at 6:45 to meet Anne, Jan, Sean, and Patrick downstairs for our walk over to Navy Pier to meet G and the rest of the Gazelles. The weather was a bit warmer, no rain, but still windy. I went out in shorts with a t-shirt and a long sleeve running shirt over it. I also wore a hat and my "groves." We had a fun walk over to the pier and everyone seemed to be doing well. We caught up with most of the Chicago group and began a slow jog South on Lakeshore drive. We ran into a few packs of other runners as well as some of the elites. Some of the packs waived and yelled, but the elites just jogged quietly by and gave G the once over.

We went out about 1.75 miles, turned around and then did 5 strides in the grass. We jogged back to the starting point and then I headed back to the hotel with Anne. The others joined G and the bigger group for breakfast at the Embassy Suites. Anne had to get back to head to the expo and I wanted to take Carla out for breakfast. I drank an Endurox when I got back and started drinking my many bottles of Gatorade Endurance. I was lucky they sold them at the Expo. I drank 3 of these today to go along with all the water.

We ate breakfast at the Weber Grille...yes, the same ones they sell at Target and Home Depot. I had a couple of big pancakes, 3 pieces of bacon, a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, and a large OJ. The plan was to eat a big breakfast and an early dinner and snack in between. I walked Carla over to Nordstrom's so she could begin her day of shopping and headed back to the hotel to rest before meeting a few folks at the ESPNZone for the UT game.

I read some of my book, dozed, and watched some college football pre-game. I met Patrick in the lobby and we headed over to the Zone. The Zone had some stupid rule about spending $10 per hour per person to watch the game. They didn't have anything on the menu that we could eat the day before a race, so we drank plenty of $2.50 bottled water. Sean showed up as well as Carrie and her boyfriend. I only stayed an hour and headed back to my hotel where I purchased the game on PPV. Carla came back and joined me and we napped and watched the game. In the afternoon I snacked on rice crackers, pretzels, and dried cherries.

At 4:30 we headed over to the same Italian place where I had a big bowl of pasta with bolognese sauce. I only ate half of it along with some great bread. We headed back to the room and ordered a PPV movie, Fever Pitch. It was an OK flick. After the flick, we watched the rest of the Astros/Braves game where I dozed a bit more.

I finally went to bed around 10:30. At 1AM I woke up and was feeling my first pre-race jitters. Only hours to go!

Chicago Travel Day

Today we flew to Chicago for the race. Jan, Patrick, Sean, Jayna, and Kenny were all on our plane up there. It was a pretty quick flight. Once we landed we hopped in our limo and headed to the hotel. The weather was really cold, windy and rainy. Carla and I ate lunch with Patrick and Jan at a really good Italian place right next to the hotel called Ballo's. We shared a calamari appetizer and then Carla and I shared a wonderful cheese pizza. '

We then walked a couple of blocks and caught the shuttle to the Expo at McCormack Place. The expo had the usual fare of running shoe companies, pain people, nutrition, cheap clothes, and some charitable places. We stayed for about an hour and walked the whole floor. My feet were getting tired and we wanted to avoid traffic so we bailed around 3PM. We headed back to the hotel where we were able to catch the first of many naps. The weather was perfect for napping and chilling out.

We headed over to PF Chang's for dinner where I had a cup of hot and sour soup and a order of fried rice made with brown rice. It was awesome...definitely a 48 hour prior meal for races to come. We decided to head back to the hotel and rest. Me for the marathon and Carla since she wasn't feeling so well. I think I was asleep by 10:30 after watching another weather report.

Easy Warmup and Diagonals

Today was our last run in Austin prior to the race. A small group of us got together for a two mile warmup and about 12 minutes worth of diagonals on Auditorium shores. We stretched and talked with G for a bit. Everyone was loose and laughing a lot. Some of the topics can't be mentioned in this forum, but they were funny. Jay sent us off with a positive farewell which was nice.

Tomorrow is a rest day and we fly on Friday. The weather is looking good, I am feeling great and I look forward to a great day on Sunday. I will updated my BLOG when I return from Las Vegas on Wednesday.

My BIB number is 6164 for those of you tracking at home.

Stats - 3.66 Miles

Easy 4 Miler at Home

Well it's the stretch run to the Chicago Marathon. After yesterday's 10k jog I did an easy 4 miles in the neighborhood. It was warm and humid and I am tired of the heat! Other than that the same old route. I am feeling really good and very confident.

Stats - 4.01 Miles/33:37/8:23 pace

IBM 10K

Today was the start of the 05'-06' Distance Challenge with the IBM 10k. The weather was warm, humid, and a bit overcast...typical IBM race weather. The race now starts at Northcross Mall and runs on part of the Freescale marathon course.

I met the group at 7AM and we did a two mile warm up and drills with Gilbert. I hit a porta-a-potty on the way back before the drills and then hit a bush right before the start. I was actually thinking that I might skip this race before the gun went off, but decided to run and enjoy the day. My only goal was to run slower than 47:30 which is right around my 7:40 marathon goal pace. Jay and I grabbed some water and headed over to the start line. We were pretty far back, but I took it as an opportunity to deal with the crowds which I will need next week in Chicago. I also took water at every stop but one so I could practice that as well.

The gun went off and I took off at a pretty controlled pace. I wanted to maneuver through the crowds and get into my rhythm quickly. There were a lot of folks to get through, but it was nice to be out of the gate and racing! I passed the governor in the two mile range and told him good job. He gave me a low "five" and said "go get 'em big 'un." We are about the same size so I don't know where the "big 'un" came from. :)

The first water stop snuck up on me so I missed it...no big deal. I got into my pace and was watching my heart rate. It was up in the high 140s and I was feeling great. I caught up with Jan in the mile 3 range and then Jay caught us. I was going to run with him, but he was going at like a 7:30 clip. I thought I better hold back a bit, so I slowed and let Jan catch up with me. I ran with her to the mile 4 marker and then I wanted to pick it back up to my marathon race pace so I took off.

I crossed over Anderson Mill and was still feeling really good. I caught up with Jay at the 5 mile mark and ran him in. He looked like he was having a hard time so I gradually picked up the pace and he followed. Gilbert yelled at him to stay with me and I told Jay to draft me to the finish. He ended up crossing the line ahead of me which was really cool.

So for the day, I was 4.5 minutes off of my 10K PR, but I got a good workout and built some additional confidence for next week's marathon. I was able to run with two of my closest running friends and really enjoy the race which I haven't done in a long time. I think we all need to "stop and smell" the roses at some of these races. We all tend to focus so much on the time rather than running with friends and just enjoying a race.

Splits - (Miles 3 and 4 are averaged due to mile 3 being short) - 7:49, 7:48, 8:13, 8:13, 7:49, 7:39, 1:34

Race Stats - 6.2 Miles/49:05/7:54 pace
AHR - 152
MHR - 168

Pre-Race 4 Miler

Today I got to sleep a bit later than normal and met some of the group at RunTex for an easy pre-race run. G said to run 30 minutes easy, but Jan and I took it our run out to the MoPac bridge and then turned around. It was a nice easy run on a really crowded trail. All the fall groups are out in force and it is really cool to see all the people training for a half or full marathon.

The group was assembling to take a new group picture, but I had to take off to get to Caroline's soccer game. I did some stretching and ab work at home and rested all day for tomorrow's race.

Stats - 4.2 miles/40:21/9:35 pace