Easy 7 with The Boys

Today I met Brian, Alex, and Jay for an easy 7 miles on the trail. The weather was a bit warm and humid, but nice. We headed out counter clockwise on the trail and talked about a variety of topics, but mostly Brian's wedding on Saturday. The man's perspective was fun to talk about and I will stop there! We stopped for water at the Rock and then headed on in. We did a few strides and then talked to Gilbert for awhile. I hit the road after that and did some exercises at home.

Tomorrow is a rest day; 7 miles on Friday and then 10 with the group on Saturday morning.

Stats - 6.9 miles/1:05:29/9:29 pace

Another Run in the Hood

I am getting very used to sleeping in...and loving it! I took the kids to school and then headed out with Carla for an easy run. I stayed with her for the first half mile and then took off. I decided to get off the roads and ran through some of the trails in Circle C and back home. Not much to report.

Stats - 5.04 miles/44:15/8:47 pace

Easy Run

It's week two of post marathon recovery and today I did an easy 5 miler at home. The weather was windy and a little cool, but warmed up fast. I did my usual 4 mile out and back with a couple of tweaks to get to 5 miles. I started out slow, but gradually got a little faster as the miles progressed. My legs felt great and I really enjoyed the run. I have been using my iPod while I run lately and it makes it really nice. I did some squats, push ups, abs and some work on the exercise ball when I got home. I really need to find a new gym, but don't feel like the hassle right now.

Stats - 5.01 miles/42:06/8:24 pace

Recovery Run

Today I met a pretty large group of folks for a 7 mile recovery run. We decided to sleep in and head out at 7AM. The weather was warm and muggy, but a nice change from the cold that we have been having. I was able to run in shorts and a t-shirt. It was great to see many people I haven't seen in a long time. We headed out clockwise on the trail so people could peel off at 7 miles. The main pack went really slow, but I couldn't drop back that far so I ran with Dennis and David to the Rock and then hooked up with Alex Wolfe and his folks, who are in town from Michigan, for the rest of the run. Alex trained with us for Chicago and his Dad is a two time Boston marathoner. We had a great conversation for the 5 miles we ran together. We picked up the pace as we went along those miles which probably wasn't a great idea, but my legs felt good. My last mile was an 8:23. I joined a modest crew for stretching and then headed home.

Stats - 7.09 miles/1:04:28/9:05 pace

Short, Easy Run

Today I went out for a short run before heading for my post race massage. The weather was really nice again this AM. I planned on just walking, but got bored so I started to run after a few minutes. I took a a couple of walk breaks along the route through my neighborhood. I got a new armband holder yesterday for my iPod and it worked really well during the jog. I got home and stretched briefly so I could get ready for my massage.

My massage was relatively pain free. Lucy didn't find anything wrong so I did achieve the goal of coming through the race injury free. I plan on resting tomorrow and then meeting the group for an easy 7 miles on Saturday morning.

Stats - 3.1 miles/29:49/9:37 pace

Walking Fun

Today I woke up and wanted to do something so I put on my iPod and headed out for a walk. It was a perfect morning and it was nice to actually see the neighborhood that I run through all the time. I did a loop through the west side of the neighborhood around the girl's school and back home. My legs felt pretty good and I did break into a jog, but thought better and kept walking. I plan on walking again tomorrow and then going for my post race massage. I am meeting Jay for an easy run on the trail on Saturday and then will run every other day next week. I need to find a new gym so I can get on my weight training program.

Stats - 2.96 miles/43:53/14:50 pace

What's Next?

After a good night's rest I get to relax today before I start my new job at Sun Microsystems tomorrow. I know I mentioned not being prepared for my race yesterday. I have also had some work stress all through this training period that had an affect on my training. My new job has taken that stress away and I am very excited to get started.

My next marathon and BQ attempt will be the 2007 Chicago marathon. To prepare for that race I need to fix a few things with my body before we start training in June.

• Take 3-4 weeks off and let my body really heal; I didn't take enough time off after Chicago
  
• Fix my back by rebuilding my core strength
  
• Strengthen my whole body with a rigorous weight training program
• Get back to 195 pounds before we start the training in June

I also want to break 20:00 at the Bun Run and PR again at the Indy Half marathon in May.

I want to thank my family, the Gazelles, and Gilbert for all their support. I couldn't enjoy running as much as I do without you!

2007 ATT Austin Marathon

My 10th Marathon...to put it very simply, I wasn't prepared! I know I took a very non-chalant attitude for this race and it cost me at the end of the race with some painful miles. The conditions were perfect for a change with temps in the low 30s and very light wind. Everything went smoothly this morning as opposed to last year so I had very little stress. I got up at 4:45 and met the group at RunTex. A few of us blew off the warmup and walked over to the start area. I hit the bathroom, took off my warm stuff, grabbed my garbage bag/Gatorade bottle porta potty, and got in the chute with about 20 minutes to the start. There was only one pace group ahead of me so I was in a good position. I used my Gatorade bottle twice while standing there and was good to go when the gun went off.

I felt good through the first few miles having to weave through some of the dumb ass half marathoners who should have lined up in the back. Once I broke clear of them I was running in the clear at a good pace. Fletch came by with his 3:10 group and said hello. The southern part was really nice. It was a lot more scenic than previous courses and the hill up to Oltorf wasn't that bad. The downhill back toward the lake was nice and we hit the first flat area on Barton Springs down Lamar, and the loop on 5th street where we were blinded by the sun. Once we got onto Cesar Chavez, I caught up with Diana and we ran together for the next 10 miles. I stripped off my long sleeve shirt on that stretch and ran with just a singlet. I saw Carla and the girls at the Rock and gave them my shirt. The next stretch through Lake Austin Boulevard was nice I was still feeling good and actually running below my 8:00 goal pace with minimal effort. Once we hit the rolling hills on Enfield we started passing some folks and then made the turn onto Exposition. It was nice to run in the middle of the road, but near the end of this stretch I was feeling a bit tired which wasn't a good thing.

Miles 1- 10 Splits - 8:17, 7:50, 7:37, 7:36, 7:33, 7:21, 7:49, 8:02, 7:53, 8:06

Once we crossed over Mopac I wanted to get into a rhythm of 8:00 miles. I had some faster splits in the first 10 miles, but was feeling fatigued and wanted to conserve and finish feeling good. We ran up Bull Creek, Hancock, Shoal Creek, and up Great Northern. I was hoping this would be a place to relax, but we were still climbing. Although I was feeling tired, I was still hitting around my 8:00 pace marks. Once I turned onto Foster and headed toward the mall I thought of bailing and jumping off when I saw Carla and the girls again, but I have never DNF'd and I told myself I would walk it in if I had to. My conditioning felt great, my stomach felt great, and I was doing well with my CarbBooms and hydration. My legs just felt like shit. I think I beat myself up too much with the 20 mile Race and 3M which I knew would have an affect on me. I just didn't think it would be this much. I was still running around 8:00 pace through 17, but once we headed south I started to drop off at a rapid pace and really felt like walking. I dropped into the 9:00 range at mile 20 and at that point knew I was going to have a huge struggle the last 10k.

Miles 11-20 Splits - 7:53, 7:58, 8:02, 8:04, 8:15, 8:12, 8:11, 8:40, 8:41, 9:03

The last 10k just plain sucked. My mind and cardio were saying let's go, but my legs were toast. I made it through the neighborhood area and onto Red River, but had really slowed down. On Red River I finally had to walk and it was a painful walk. It hurt more to walk than run so I started to run/shuffle again. Joseph Kozusko patted me on the back and told me to keep going and Skud wished me well. I made it to 38th and ran down the hill. I was on fumes and walked up the hill to Duval. Once on Duval, it was downhill and I let gravity carry me down. I was kind of in a stupor around Double Dave's and Sean came out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me. He pushed me on with some kind words and a half a block later I hit a pack of Gazelles including Shannon and Patrick. Patrick made me take a small bottle of Accelerade and it was a life saver. I sipped on it through the campus and it gave me a good pick me up. I didn't walk from that point on and actually picked it up the last mile. I saw Carla and the girls for the last time at the Capitol building. Gilbert was there as well and yelled words of encouragement. I ran around Capitol and onto the awesome finish down Congress. There were tons of people lining the streets and I actually felt good for a bit down this stretch. I saw Brad and Richard yelling along Congress and finished strong.

Miles 21-26 splits - 9:06, 9:34, 9:51, 9:56, 9:52, 8:51

I got my medal and headed into the finish area. I didn't find any of my peeps so I got a bagel, my finisher's shirt and headed outside of the are to try and find Carla and the girls. I ran into Rich, who ran an awesome 2:58, and we hung out for a bit. We didn't see anyone else so we walked back to RunTex where we ran into Brian. We visited for a bit. Brian had a good race in spite of getting food poisoning on Monday night. I headed home after that and actually did a little yard work before I hopped in the shower. I took a brief nap and then met Jay, Alex, and Brad for some Mangia and beers. I got home and passed out in front of the TV.

Stats - 26.2 Miles/3:41:51/8:29 pace
Overall finish 913 (top 20%)
3rd place in Clydesdale 2 division

Pre Marathon Easy Run

Today was our usual easy 30 minute pre marathon run. We got to sleep in a bit later and start at 7:45. G gave us our pre race instructions and we were off. The mood was good and the weather was even better. I was bundled up and got really warm during the run. We got back and for some reason some folks went through the drills. I think Pete started it and a bunch of folks just followed. I skipped that and talked to Alex and Amy. We did our stretching near the Palmer Events Center and then I hit RunTex for a few packs of CarbBoom.

Tomorrow is "run how I feel" and have a great time! Good luck to everyone...enjoy it!

Stats - 3.11 Miles/29:44/9:33 pace

Fartleks

Today we did some easy fartleks on the trail. Weds before a marathon is usually just diagonals at Auditorium shores so this was a change. The weather did change for the really colder. It was near freezing with a nasty wind out of the north. I had 3 layers on top with tights and a ski hat. We did a 15 minute warmup toward MoPac on the trail. I ran with the a mix of folks including Amy, Carrie and some other ladies. Once we hit 15 minutes we started 1 on and 1 off fartleks. We turned around at the bridge and headed back. We did 10 sets and finished with less a half mile to go for a little bit of a cool down. I did 10 strides with Alex and we headed over to the RunTex annex for some stretching. I think we invaded the Rogue turf because we were getting dirty looks, but screw 'em! We took our corner and it was nice to do some visiting out of the elements.

So I have two rest days in a row and then a 30 minute easy run on Saturday. It is time for some goals, but I am going into this marathon with no pressure at all and it feels great. I am going to shoot for a 3:30 (8:00 pace) at the start and see how I feel after the first half of the race. If I am feeling good, I will pick it up over the last half. My plan is to also attack the course in the appropriate places and back off during the hills. That seemed to work for me at 3M and at the 20 mile race so we will see how it goes for this one. I can't believe it will be my 10th marathon. The weather forecast is looking great and I am looking forward to a great day on the course.

Stats - Warm Up and Fartleks - 4.24 miles/37:05/8:44 pace
10 strides - .75 miles

Easy Recovery Run

Today I did a very easy and short recovery run at home. I usually take the Tuesday before a marathon off, but looked back and saw that I ran on the Tuesday before so I decided to head out today. The weather is changing again with a front coming in. It was windy with temps falling. I did my usual out and back with a couple of deviations to get to my 30 minute goal.

Stats - 3.64 miles/31:31/8:38 pace

1x4000 at Zilker

Today we met for a brief speed session. We headed over to Zilker to do two loops around the soccer fields which is approximately a 4000. The weather was foggy and drizzly with temps in the low 50s. We jogged over, did our drills and then were off. I ran by myself and set a decent pace below my MGP of 8:00 with splits of 7:39, 7:33, and 7:25 for the .38 miles at the end. I jogged back with Jay and Alex and we did six strides at Auditorium Shores. It was a nice little workout.

Stats - 6.03 miles

Long Run...One Week to Go

Today we did our last long run which was only a little over 9 miles. The weather was chilly with a front blowing through so it was time for tights again. Since most of my peeps were doing another run and I am still nursing my leg, I ran with Jay's group for most of the run. We ran the first part of the course which takes us down south with an up and down hill for the first two miles. The new course is definitely more scenic than in years past and I think it is going to be a fun day. We stopped for water along Barton Springs and then at the rock on the way back. G told us to pick up the pace for the last two miles so I chased Amy to the finish and had a couple of quick miles with a 7:36 and a 7:38 to close out the day.

I did some strides and then headed out to catch Caroline's soccer game.

Stats - 9.09 miles/1:19:03/8:42 pace

Short Recovery Run

Today I ran a short 5 mile recovery run at home. My legs were a little tight from yesterday's 800s so it was good to get out. The weather changed again and it was drizzly with temps in the 50s and humid. I did my usual out and back with a little add on to get to 5 miles. I kept a pretty good pace and my legs felt good. My groin feels good so I was able to get in some good work yesterday without any harm. Tomorrow is a rest day and then 10 miles easy on Saturday.

Stats - 5.21 Miles/43:50/8:25 pace

800s at AHS

Today was our last speedwork session of this marathon training season. This weekend I didn't plan on doing the workout, but my groin has been feeling better so I thought I would go out. The morning was a lot warmer with temps in the low 50s and humid. It was a very nice change. I wore two layers on top, but was burning up by the time we got to AHS. I took off the top layer for the workout. We did our drills and the G had us do 6-8 repeats at "Yasso" pace not MGP. I ran over thinking I would be running them at 4:00 each, but ended up trying to manage around 3:30 for each repeat. I ran with the ladies today which was nice. Many of my training buds from past marathons in the posse so it was really nice. We took turns leading and I was able to hang for the first 4. My groin acted up so I backed off and called it a day after 6 repeats.

Splits - 3:35, 3:23, 3:26, 3:24, 3:29, 3:28

They weren't my fastest by any means, but they did the Yasso trick. My groin is a bit sore now, but it will be fine after some easy runs and the extra race days this week.

Stats - 7.16 miles

Easy Run

Today I met Emily and Brian for an easy 7 miles on the trail. It wasn't as cold so I was able to wear shorts today. I was testing my new compression shorts under my running shorts and they felt really good. They kept my quad warm. The soon to be newlyweds talked about their upcoming weddings and I was able to add some tidbits since today is mine and Carla's 14th anniversary. I remember our wedding day and honeymoon very vividly so I am really excited for Emily and Brian. I can't believe the marathon is in a week. It has been nice training without any pressure. Maybe it might even translate into a nice time.

Stats - 6.91 miles/1:09:16/10:01 pace

Wilke...Sort Of

Someone in the marathon group suggested a last run at Wilke and G decided it was a good idea. We've never done it this late in our training so I was a little leery. My groin is still not 100%, butg I decided to jog over with the crew and take it easy on the mountain. I figured I would at least get close to 6 miles in if I didn't do any climbs. We jogged over from RunTex, did our drills and were told to go really easy. I started up with Brian and Jay and stopped at about 3/4 of the way up. I could feel my groin pulling so I walked up and jogged back down. I did a couple more like that and then tried to do some backward. Once I hit the steep part I could feel it again so I called it a day. I visited with Kenny and waited for the gang to finish. I had a nice jog back with Jay, Rachel, Brian and Colleen. We had a few good laughs along the way.

I hit the chiropractor this morning and he did a few tweaks to align me and get the nerve to the groin area going again. I have one more appt next week before the race to get straightened. I bought some compression shorts that I will try for our workouts this week to see if it helps stabilize the area as well.

Stats - 6.5 miles

15 Miler - Last Really Long Run Before ATT Marathon

Today we ran our last long run of the training season. It was a 15 miler covering some of the mid miles and the finishing miles. It was really cold this AM with the car temp reading 28 degrees at RunTex. I wore a snow cap, tights, two layers on top, and my warm gloves. I have learned the hard way that my thin Mizuno gloves don't work worth a crap below 40 degrees.

I headed out with Brian and we were passed by a few groups and then hooked up with a portion of Jay's normal group. I was taking it slower due to my groin and the pace was fine. G wanted us to run easy and then run the last 5 miles at MGP. My legs are still pooped from 3M so I didn't think I could get near MGP today. At our second water stop on Hancock and Bull Creek we had a longer stay to take care of bodily functions and it was just me and Brian. We picked up Diana when she stopped to deal with her broken watch. We stayed together and caught the others at the water stop near the golf course on Red River. I did pick it up a bit over the last 5 miles with splits of 8:19, 8:24, 8:09, 8:37, and 7:58. My groin held up well and I didn't really feel it until I started pushing the pace.

I got back to RunTex and visited a bit and then headed home. G sent everyone home to stretch since it was so cold still. I iced my groin most of the day and it felt pretty good. This week's speed workouts are Wilke and 800s which could aggravate my injury so I may do some alternate stuff. It will be a game time decision.

Stats - 15 miles/2:13:49/8:55 pace

Easy 7

Today I ran at home and this time didn't push the pace like I usually do. My right thigh is still pretty tender even after a day of rest. It was near 50 degrees, but I still put on tights to keep my leg extra warm. I did my usual route north on Escarpment and back. The first couple of miles were a little rough, but after everything got warm, it was a really nice run. I got home and put the ice pack on my leg and then stretched. I put the ice off and on throughout the day and it seems to help. I should be able to go for the 15 miles on Saturday.

Stats - 7.01 miles/1:00:41/8:39 pace