Irish / Italian Fest

The weather for the 5K race on Friday night was just about perfect. It was cool - not cold and the rain held off. During the race I paced off of Steve. I have ran intervals with Steve last year and did a 10 miler with him and Sam a few weeks ago. I asked him what he thought he might run the race in to see if I should pace off of him. He said maybe under 20. Steve took off and led the race most of the way. After about half a mile I dropped right behind him. The first mile was at a 6:08 pace. That is a little fast for me. I was able to stay right behind Steve for a little over 2 miles. Then I started to drop off the pace. Steve finished in a PR (by about 30 seconds) at 18:3X. I POSITIVE split (meaning the second half of the race took longer than the first) by about 25 seconds. I was just trying to hold on for the last half mile or so.

Saturday it rained all day and I took the day off from training. Went to the Irish / Italian festival (read Guinness and pizza) put on by the local Catholic church. It was still raining Saturday evening. The swag bag from the race included tickets for food or beer. They also gave out samples of Irish whiskey. I ended up eating a meatball on a cone (yeah - I know - gross) and gained 5.5 pounds. These Catholic festivals are so much more fun than the Southern Baptist ones.



There was also another 5K race Saturday morning. Due to the rain only about 70 people showed up. This race had a cash purse of $100 for male and female winners. The male winner won in something like 20:XX and the female was 21:XX. I should have climbed out of bed - I actually like running in the rain.

Friday Night 5k

Just a quick note - NEW 5K PR - 19:09! - 3rd overall and 1st in age group.

Reduced volume and loving it!

If we know where we want to go, then even a stony road is bearable. - Horst Koehler

This has been a reduced volume week and I am digging it (I did 14 hours of training last week) - I normally have trouble throttling back but not this week.

I had a good running interval session yesterday and today had good 1500 yard swim PR (23:54) - wow - feeling good.

I have a 5k after work on Friday and then a big BRICK on Saturday. There are about 10 of us doing a 50 - 60 mile bike followed by 6 - 12 mile run. It will be a blast.

I spoke with Tony who lives on Lake Serene. He said that the temperature was in the low 60's. He was out in it recently with a wetsuit on - he reported that it was not pleasant but the water was bearable. I might get a chance to try it myself this weekend or early next week.

I am also getting back into bike commuting to work - I have missed it!

New 5k PB

Just got back from the first 5k of the year. It rained really hard all night and most of the morning but it let up about an hour before the race. I did this race last year with a 20:31 (11th overall). I have not been working much on speed this year but everything is coming along. I got 8th overall (about 1:20 behind the fast group that pulled away) and finished with a 19:19 (not offical - it was between 19:15 - 19:19 so I am rounding up right now). My previous best was 19:56 set in August (2008). I felt really good in this race. I paced it well with the first mile at 6:21. I usually go out much to fast and just try to hang on. I feel that I have a little more speed in my legs and want to see 18:5X this year.

5k Race prep

It rained like cats and dogs last night. There is a chance for thunderstorms all morning. The 5k is on the rails to trails (asphalt) so it will not be muddy or nasty - just warm and humid. My 5k PB is 19:56 and I hope to best that time. I did an easy 4 mile run yesterday but my legs are still a little tired. I'm sure they will wake up once the race starts.

It is going to be a tough day.

Lite running preparing for the 5k

I did some quarter mile intervals yesterday at lunch at just under a 6:00 mile pace. I got a total of 10 miles in for the day (easy 6 in the morning - hard 4 at lunch).

I had fun in the pool this morning with a really easy and quick workout. Just a 250 yard warm up followed my 10 x 100 yards with 20 seconds rest. These were all in the 1:33 - 1:35 second range. In retrospect I really was not pushing very much. That is near my average last week for 1000 yards with no rest. Anyway, followed it up with an easy 250 yard cool down. I was just trying to practice my head position during this swim. I have swim class tonight.

Ran an easy 4 miles on the trace and borrowed a GPS watch from Vic to calculate the approximate 5k start and finish for the race on Saturday. I was right on with my guess last week. Did lots of abs after the run. I will probably be a little sore tomorrow.

Day Off?

Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

I actually took a cardio day off yesterday - it was scheduled! No running, biking or swimming at all. I normally have my swim class on Monday evenings but due to Mardi Gras the campus was closed. Yeah - that's right - No classes or anything here in Southern Mississippi during Mardi Gras (staff has to work though). I did do some strength training during lunch (back and abs) but nothing big. My legs felt better this morning so I ran the 6 miles to work at a conversational pace (just under 8 min / mile). Might do some speed work at lunch.

Also I think that I will sign up for a 5k for the weekend to test my speed and follow the race with a longer run.

Swimming and running PB's

Determination and perseverance move the world; thinking that others will do it for you is a sure way to fail. - Marva Collins

Yesterday was a scheduled off day. I do not do these well. I did let the legs rest but I worked my abs and back and then had a swim class after work. Mary really pushed me during this session again. I am feeling strong and making improvement. I did another 100 yard time trial. I started way to fast, like I was doing only a 50 yard TT - I had to hold on for the second lap. I finished the 100 yards in 1:22 - a personal best by 2 seconds. I think I have some more time in me (my kick is improving).

I rode the rollers this morning for 30 minutes. The rollers put a lot of pressure on my wrists. You do not notice how often you move your hands around around when you ride. I am getting very comfortable on the rollers but not enough to just be able to take my hands off of the bars.

At lunch I decide to try and redeem myself from the running time trial that I failed at last week. This was a little different. It was cool outside and I ran a known 5k route on the long leaf trace. There has been some construction so I am not completely sure of the exact distance so I added about 30 feet to the start / finish. This is an out and back and the back is just a little bit up hill. I ended up splitting this run perfectly. At the turn around I was at 9:55 and finished at 19:50. This would be a personal best. My average heart rate for the 19:50 was 173 with a max of 189. My complete max heart rate is right about 195 and I have been really close to this (194) during a real 5k. I might have just a little bit more speed in me yet. This is a good thing since my real 5k PB is 19:56. All of the 5k's are starting soon - should be a good year.

Working the plan.

I ran 3 easy miles Tuesday morning with Jodie. The weather was nice but my Achilles tendon on my right foot was aching horribly. I was foolish and strayed to a different brand of shoe. I have tried New Balance in the past and I believe that they are good shoes but they just do not fit me well. Everything is fine with the shoe except the back of the shoe is too stiff. I put about 15 miles on them and my Achilles felt, not stranded or pulled, but bruised. These shoes have been shelved. On a related note I also bought a pair of light and fast Adidas running shoes. Also not a normal shoe for me. These shoes are working great. Against my own advice I continued to run even with the pain just not in the New Balance shoes.

I also ran at lunch with Vic and Chad however I did not participate in the "Dot Race". I ran the course but not the race. I started slow and tried to increase my speed at each 1/4 interval. The last 1/4 mile was an all out 1:22. Pretty good considering the pain and already have run 3/4 of a mile at a 'good' pace.

Woke up this morning feeling good and wanted to run a light tempo run (faster than normal but not all out). I was shooting for about 5 BPM below lactic acid threshold (LT - also called aerobic threshold - this is the level you can sustain without going anaerobic). So after a short 1/2 mile warm up I started at the 5k start / stop point of a known out and back course. I accelerated to a comfortably hard pace. Clicked off the first mile at 6:38. Not anywhere near 1 mile records but feeling strong. During training I have so much difficulty sticking to the PLAN. As I said I was feeling strong and pushed just a little harder - maybe to just above LT. Hit the half way point and charged home. The ground was wet from a light rain the night before and the sun was still not all the way up. I missed the last mile marker so I was unable to get my splits. With about 3/4 mile left I pushed the pace higher. I was now well above LT. Breathing was labored. Still strong but having to push hard. Was about to cross under the final bridge with a 1/4 mile left and I gave everything. Arms were pumping, my stride increased (not always a good thing), and I focused on the goal. Crossed the finish line feeling like I had accomplished something. My day was made. Ended up with an unofficial personal best 5k time of 19:42 - 15 seconds better than my race times. For the record I will add about 10 seconds because the start/stop is not marked exactly - but I will take it.

I guess the time off probably really helped - I tend to have a difficult time taking the easy days easy and I rarely train smart. Something that I have to work on.

I am getting inspired for the 1/2 mary coming up. I had previously only been going through the paces. It is now time to put the goal in permanent marker and work the plan.

Labor your Legs 5k

I ran the labor your legs 5k this morning. This race had been scheduled for obviously Labor Day buy had to be postponed due to Hurricane Gustav. I was not as prepared for the race as I had wished. I really felt that I had been peaking at the end of August. As a matter of fact, I had finally broken 20 minutes in the 5k. I was off of my game today but still managed an age group win. These only have so much value because they depend on who shows up at the race. I know several people who can whip me easily at this distance. They were not present today. Brad also did well today - 3rd in his age group.

I think my race was off for a number of reasons. As I mentioned I was peaking about a month ago and the race conditions were a little worse today. That could just be my perception but it was hotter and muggier. In addition there was a stiff head wind for much of the race. I also believe that I just did not have the motivation to kick it up and push it out after achieving the sub 20 minute 5k last month. It is time to re-group and plan the next goal. Then I will be able to push a little hard and run a little faster. I've got to set my sights on sub-19. New 5k goal for 2009!

New shoes for faster racing

Went for 35 miles + group ride on Saturday morning. Had a total of 9 people in the pack. Many were fairly new but it still made for a good ride. It is amazing how much of a difference a pace line can make. We were flying. Did a small run brick after the ride with Jim and Keith.

Went to Soccer Locker and City Runners faster shoes. This local runner stores gives members of the Pine Belt Pacers 10% off and just started to up that to 15% on the 15th of the month. Mustafa told me about the sale but I said that I need the shoes for the upcoming 5K this weekend. He gave me the 15% off anyway. I realize that I could get the shoes cheaper online but I due like to support local businesses anytime that I can. I certainly do also enjoy the instant gratification. These shoes will be strictly for racing. As a side note, I am going to start tabulating expenses that this sport is costing (NEW SHOES = $80.) Don't get me wrong - I believe that the positives of keeping fit and working out far out weight the money.

Jim was not able to make the mini-tri that we had planned for Sunday. So I decided to explore a local (less than a mile from the house; just off of the trace) mountain bike trail. It has been a while but I used to really enjoy trail running. I put my old Timex GPS triathlon watch on and hit the road. It has been wet and muddy since Hurricane Gustav roared through (more rain than wind) so there were a few shallow creeks. My feet were soaked from the get go. Rolling hills and quick switchbacks were a welcome change to the dead flat asphalt trace. I found a 1/2 mile loop and and circled several times for a total of about 5 miles. I really enjoyed jumping over the felled trees and leaping the small streams.

Monday I met Jim out at Lake Serene for a morning swim. When we hit the water the sun was just beginning to break. The pretty purples and oranges filling the sky and was enchanting. The water temperature has gotten a few degrees cooler in the past two weeks. Jim keeps mentioning that this might be the year to get a wetsuit. I am wondering just how cool the water gets in Southern Mississippi.