LAP 1 Team of 3 must stay together. All run as fast as your slow runner.
LAP 2 Same as lap 1.
LAP 3 Shed 1 runner. The shed runner will run lap 5 alone. The remaining 2 runners must stay together.
LAP 4 Shed 1 runner. He/she is done, has completed 3 circuits. The remaining runner pops off his/her best alone. After this lap, 4 completed for that specific individual, done.
LAP 5 The runner shed after lap 2 now has a crack at lap 5 alone, after hand touch.
Team time is then divided by cumulative age, called Donut Index, and rankings are made for event placing.
Example:
Lap 1
Runners 1/2/3
Lap 2
Runners 1/2/3
Lap 3
Runners 1/2
Lap 4
Runner 1
Lap 5
Runner 3
If interested, sent me a tweet @metamarshall or leave a comment on this post. If we can't pull it off tonight, maybe tomorrow evening? Donut Run followed by the Run for the Pies the following weekend. SWEET!
Using the same sensor technology found in Apple's iPhone and Nintendo's Wii controller, SwimSense is building the first performance monitor for swimmers.
My running has improved significantly the last several months thanks to the guidance of Coach Paul McRae of Personal Running Solutions. I joke with my friends that he is using Jedi mind tricks, but he really is doing an effective job pushing me to run better. And it isn't just a matter of making me run more, instead he is reviewing my progress and giving me work-outs that will help me achieve my goals.
Today, the plan was a 2-mile time trial at the Metamile since I had to miss last nights 5k. I ran a little over a mile to warm up. Coal Paul asked me what I thought I could do and I responded that I would be happy with 13:00. He told me he had 12:30 in mind. The lump in my throat soon became a sinking feeling of dread in my stomach. We did a few strides and then we were off.
After taking a quick glance at my watch at the first mile split and seeing 6:11, I really thought I was going to die before I completed the second Metamile. He pushed me hard the second mile, literally a couple of times, and I ended up finishing in 12:30. It was painful, but it was good training to run hard while feeling tired.
If you are looking for someone to push you to achieve your personal goals, I highly recommend Coach Paul McRae.
Heading up to Amelia Island at oh-dark-thirty for the Katie Ride for Life. Team Liver Families (sponsored by Jacksonville Running Company) will be heading out at 0700 for the 100k route. After that, a relaxing weekend at the Amelia Island Resort with my wife.
I am looking forward to meeting our team MVP, Andrew Kozlowski. He is 2 and just celebrated his first year anniversary post-liver transplant. While we rode last year, Andrew and his family were in Miami for his transplant. They will be doing the walk associated with the ride this year and we are very pleased to have them join us.
If you would like to donate, please visit our team page.
Had a great race this past Saturday, especially considering my training has been seriously hampered the last 2 months because of the broken elbow. Little or no speed work and I still came within 45 seconds of my PR. My finishing time was 1:07:55.
My splits are pretty good. I went out kind of hard to find some room (never really did) and then settled into a nice tempo in San Marco. The splits then went down a bit with the Hart bridge, but nothing dramatic.
There are some folks griping online about the distance measured by their GPS watches. It is not surprising that the watches measured the course long. With so many people on the course, it would be impossible to run the shortest distance. And with so many turns, I can't imagine being on the very inside for every corner. The only folks with a chance to run only 9.3 miles are in the very front and I don't think they wear GPS watches. It was no surprise my Garmin 305 beeped early at the first mile because I had to do a bit of weaving and jockeying to find space. And I was seeded up front. I can't imagine being towards the back and trying to work to the front. Those folks could have run 10 miles!
All in all, a terrific event. Plus a great post-race party thrown by Jacksonville Running Company capped a spectacular day!
I'm excited about the race tomorrow. I am about pasta dinner'ed out, eating pasta every night for the last 3 days.
The goal is to run the first mile in 7:30 and then turn the screws. Last year I had the same plan and ran the first mile in 7:30, and then subsequent miles right around 7 minute pace until 8 and 9. Those were 7:25 and 7:48. I ended up finishing in 1:08:22, which I wouldn't mind doing tomorrow. I would like to crack 1:08. Although not a PR, with the sporadic nature of my speed training lately, it would be an accomplishment.
This race is huge for Jacksonville, and has been a part of my life for a long time.
I went for a brainstorming run at lunch. The run went really well until I turned onto my street to head home. A neighbor was walking with her daughter and unleashed dog. I slowed up as I reached the dog, but it didn't matter. The dog snapped at my bootie putting a small hole in my shorts and leaving me with a red welt on my rear end. Thankfully, upon closer review, no blood.
By the way, I did come up with a couple of ideas. We'll see if they are any good.
No expectations for this race. Since I broke my elbow 6 weeks ago, I've been able to run some but no speed or tempo work. Speed is always the first to go. I have endurance, as evidenced by being able to run the marathon 2 weeks ago after essentially a 4 week taper.
The goal today was to hit the first mile in 7:20 and then crank it down. I'm never one to stick to plans in the heat of a race. My first mile was a little under 7, and the next one was right around 7. The third mile is tough, going over the US 17 bridge. That one was slower, coming in around 7:23. I was hurting, but decided to hang on and tough it out. My fourth mile was 7:09 and then I finished it up with a 7:05 to come under 36 minutes at 35:47.
This was my first race in Mizuno Precisions and I love them. I can't wait to race in them with more speed in my legs. Very light and good feel. Plus, the just look dang fast!
Two more weeks until the Gate River Run. I am optimistic I can add some more speedwork in before then and have a respectable time.
Here are the details from my quick run yesterday in Raleigh, NC. Would love to go back when I have more time. Greg uses the trails for his 3-hour runs. No doubt why he is a strong runner.
Tuesday
Track workout at UNF: Bring Your Light Weight Training Shoe! All levels welcome, meet at UNF Trail Head for warmup jog to the track.
Wednesday
Group Run: Easy 3-7 mile Kenyan shuffle.
Thursday
Trivia Night Group Run: Meet for easy 3-7 miles, then head over to Hooters for Trivia at 8pm
Friday
Prediction Run: Bring $5 and leave your watch at home. It's a 5 mile loop, guess your time. Closest time win half the pot. The other half is for pizza and drinks at Hotel Indigo. Anyone can win!
It really is exciting to see alternatives in Jacksonville. I think the entire running community is going to benefit!
UPDATE: It is my understanding that the runs will leave from the store at 9823 Tapestry Park Circle, Suite 4, Jacksonville, Fl 32246. The development is so new, it's not on Google Maps yet, but it is over by Seven Bridges and Merrill Lynch. Give them a call (904.379.7170) if you need directions.
It really is too bad this race is the same day as the Ortega River Run.
I participated in a tour of the Cecil Commerce Center today and saw the 6-mile course under construction. It really is impressive. A really cool section of the course is up and down over the old weapons bunkers, which rumor has it once held nuclear weapons.
Of course, I couldn't do it this year with the recovering elbow. One bad slip or fall and the recovery process would start all over.
This Sunday a group of runners are going to provide live Twitter updates throughout the National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer. Personally, I am doing this in an effort to raise money for the cause. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and the disease has affected too many people that I care about. This seemed like a great opportunity to have fun with Twitter and raise money for a great cause.
Steve Vandergriff and I will be pacing a group of marathoners who are aiming to break 4:30 in the race. The goal is to provide the race updates while making sure our group achieves it's goal. On top of all of this, since my broken elbow has not completely healed from my accident, I'll be twittering and running and trying not to fall.
Here is the map for the race:
That's it for now. Don't forget to track us on Sunday!
"Bike to Work Day 2009" will be held May 15 and Redman said cyclists from all parts of Jacksonville are invited to leave their motor vehicles at home that day.
Mark your calendar. I'll be in LA and I don't think I'll see too many bikes on I-5.
I am very excited Once a Runner is being re-released in April. Up until now, if you wanted a copy, you could expect to shell out over $50. I'll be picking up a copy the day it is released, that is for sure!
I am now experiencing less pain in my right arm so I can actually spend a little time typing what happened yesterday afternoon.
I met up with Mike McLamb, Lyndon Box and James Cardozo at the stadium to run the River Run course as a tempo run. We had a good run with some excellent effort in the middle. Then the big finale, the Hart bridge. I'm not a fan of running the bridge when traffic is flying across. It is a harrowing experience to put it mildly.
We ran up the bridge and crested it in single file. On the way down, there is a little more room in the shoulder to spread out. Coming down, I was in the rear and heard someone step on something metallic. It made a clanging noise and I didn't think anything else about it until I heard it again. It's kind of fuzzy, but I think I heard it again, and then went down face first. Hard.
Turns out, it was a metal ring, maybe 15" in diameter. It wrapped around my ankles like a bolo. I was essentially hogtied. My right hand was a bloody pulp, it took the brunt of the fall. Both knees had terrific strawberries. When I got up, my right arm was numb. A driver going up the bridge slowed down to check on me. I gave him the thumbs up. Thanks for checking Mr. Anonymous Green Camaro Driver.
The guys had kept running and eventually turned around and saw me bent over and staggering. They jogged back up to see what was going on. Fortunately, I only had a half mile to jog back to the car.
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch taking ibuprofen and icing everything. The right arm is still hurting pretty badly, but I don't think it's broken. It isn't swelling, and I can move it in all directions. Although on a few occasions, bending the arm or my wrist almost brought tears to my eyes.
Today, more ice and ibuprofen. I was considering running 10 at race pace tomorrow morning, but I've changed my mind (OK, Karen changed my mind). I'm glad I am in taper-mode and can afford to take the time off. Although, the taper is a time for your body to heal the effects of training, not stupid accidents on a tempo run.
UPDATE (1/22/2009):
Went to see the doctor today. Fractured the radial crown. No cast, splint or sling. Doctor says I can run the marathon on 2/1, but if I fall the bone will break off and I'll need surgery to have screws inserted. Really bummed, but I'm not going to risk surgery so no race for me. Ultimate irony is I met my friend Owen at lunch to pick up my race shoes.
Interesting article in Runner's World where a lady used her GPS watch to create a message when overlaid on a map: Let Her Spell It Out for You
I've thought about "track writing" with my Garmin Forerunner 305. The lady in this article used a 205. A 305 has a much better antenna, so I think the results would be much better.
Next Monday, January 19th will be an exciting day for the Jacksonville running community. That's the day Owen and Jo Shott, along with Ted Devos, open the Jacksonville Running Company. Jacksonville is already fortunate to have a great running store with 1st Place Sports. I think the addition of JRC will strengthen the running community, much like the multiple bike stores we have in town.
Good luck guys!
UPDATE: Looks like the opening has been pushed back to January 31.
Directions to JRC...
From I-95 South exit 344/ Butler Blvd. and go east. Travel 2 miles to Southside Blvd./ FL115 North exit. At first traffic light, Gate Parkway, turn right. Turn right at first traffic light, Deer Lake Drive. Second left on Deer Lake Dr. is the entrance to Tapestry Park. Jacksonville Running Co. is located 2nd door from end on right off the main road.
Just read this good article by Greg McMillan on developing an effective recovery routine. I just started trying out the Hammer Nutrition Recoverite powder. It's a 3:1 carbohydrate to protein powder with some amino acids blended in.
Here is the route. Just an OK run. Humidity was miserable.
Playlist (in no particular order):
Back In Black -- AC/DC
Bad Medicine -- Bon Jovi
Be Still -- Story Side B
Better Days -- Citizen King
Bittersweet Symphony (remix) -- Moby
Bring Me to Life -- Evanescence
Cannonball -- The Breeders
Crank Dat Soulja Boy (Cousin Cole Remix) -- Soulja Boy
Elevation -- U2
Fly Away -- Lenny Kravitz
Glycerine -- Bush
Going Under -- Evanescence
Harley David -- The Bollock Brothers
Here I Go Again -- Whitesnake
Hold Your Head Up -- Argent
Hope To Carry On -- Caedmon's Call
Hurricane Jane (The Cansecos Remix) -- Black Kids
Leech -- Eve 6
Monkey Wrench -- Foo Fighters
My Hero -- Foo Fighters
Never Let Go -- David Crowder Band
Never Let You Go -- Third Eye Blind
Nookie -- Limp Bizkit
Numb -- U2
Plush -- Stone Temple Pilots
Shine -- Newsboys
Take Me Home Tonight (Justin Kase Remix) -- Eddie Money
The Remedy (I Won't Worry) -- Jason Mraz
The Sweet Escape -- Gwen Stefani
The World We Live In -- The Killers
This Is Your Life -- The Killers
Under the Milky Way -- The Church
We Need Each Other -- Sanctus Real
What I Didn't Know -- Athenaeum
Where The Streets Have No Name -- U2
Here are some stretch training goals for 2009:
Running -- 1500 miles (2008 actual -- 1025 miles)
Cycling -- 3650 miles (2008 actual -- 2784 miles)
Swimming -- 125000 yards (2008 actual -- 96900 yards)
I think in order to achieve these goals, I am going to have to change the way I do some of my training. Translation: I need to stop doing every workout near the top of my aerobic zone and letting the workout bleed into an anaerobic state. Some days need to be easier. I have no problems going hard on the hard days. Every day of training can't be a race.
I also will need to do a better job with recovery. Eating something (healthy!) the first hour after a workout. Doing active recovery workouts the day after a hard workout and not going hard again.
New training goals for 2009 (this is going to be painful):
Pull-ups -- 3650
Sit-ups -- 36500
Push-ups -- 36500
I have neglected working on my core and I will do a better job in 2009.
The half iron and marathon goals look aggressive, but they really aren't. We'll see how close I come to the marathon goal on February 1. With the 70.3, I just need to race smarter and get nutrition right. I also think working on the swim so I get out of the water sooner will have exponential benefits for the entire race.
Left from the neighborhood and did the Mandarin loop. Tough headwind. Thanks to the abundance of shrapnel on Jacksonville's roads, I had a flat courtesy of a nasty gash in my rear tire. Overall enjoyable ride. Now off to the bike shop for a new tire.
Nutrition:
I took a Hammer Gel every 5 miles. The flavors for the day were Apple Cinnamon, Espresso and Tropical with caffeine (x2). I nursed a bottle of Grape G2 from 6.5 miles to the halfway point. All other water stations I took water, and water and Powerade at the later stops.
Equipment:
Mizuno provided the shoes and singlet (Go Juggernauts!), the RaceReady shorts were subsidized by Hammer Nutrition and socks were from City Cycle. My trusty Garmin 305 was providing the telemetry.
Here is the pace chart with heart rate data overlay:
Frequently played tunes on the iPod during training (but not the race!):
I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance (The Twelves Remix) -- Black Kids
Prophecy -- Remy Zero
Somebody Told Me -- The Killers
Real World -- Matchbox Twenty
The Remedy -- Abandoned Pools
Machinehead -- Bush
Summer Rain -- ATB
Take Me Home Tonight (Justin Kase Remix) -- Eddie Money
I should know -- Dirty Vegas
Seven Nation Army -- White Stripes
TMBG Man 2002 Remix -- They Might Be Giants
She Is -- The Fray
Run -- Snow Patrol
Going South -- The Wolfgang Press
Technologic -- Daft Punk
Rich Girls (RAC Mix) -- The Virgins
Going into marathon training this fall, I was wondering if all of the miles I put in on the bike this summer were going to help my running. They did.
I began training the week of September 22nd, with 13 weeks to get ready. I developed a schedule based on 3 weeks of build followed by stepdown weeks. In the beginning, I did ramp up the mileage fairly quickly, which is not the best, but I backed off on the cycling so I think it balanced out. My running regime was based on the Furman First program, with 3 key workouts (long, track and tempo) plus recovery runs and/or cross-training. I also started getting weekly massages in November. I was able to put in 4 runs of 18 miles or longer, including 2 twenty mile runs. A PR in the Outback Half on Thanksgiving and a strong run nine days later in a warm OUC Half boosted my confidence.
The week before the marathon I was extremely anxious. The weather forecast was not good and it looked like it was going to be hot and humid. I took in a lot of water during the week, so much my wife started making fun of my frequent trips to the restroom. Tapering is not easy because you have trained your body to expect a pattern of work-outs.
The morning of the race was somewhat cool, but it still was not optimal running conditions. The only hope I had was that the skies would be overcast to keep the sun off. I had mentally prepared myself the days leading to the race, envisioning running strong in the heat.
The beginning of the race was comfortable. The goal was to do even 8:00/mile splits. There was a group I was hanging with that was doing 7:50. I decided to remain with them, because I knew in my head that if I dropped back I would find myself pressing to catch them again. Plus, according to McMillan, I was capable of running 7:37 miles for a marathon. I decided that even with the heat, 13 seconds over projected pace would not destroy me. Somewhere along Mandarin Road, between miles 8 and 10, I dropped that group and started passing folks. Running miles 13 through 15 is a blast because of the crowd support. After 15, I was still passing folks. Through 18, my average was a 7:52/mile and on pace for a 3:26 marathon. Unfortunately, this is where the happy part of the race report ends.
Because of the heat and humidity, I was sweating quite a bit. However, for some reason my bladder filled up. I needed to go as soon as mile 6, but could never find a port-o-let that was empty or didn't have someone waiting. Finally, at mile 18 I had my chance. My body felt really good after the pit stop, but I think my legs locked up a bit. After making the turn onto Scott Mill, my body started slowing down. There is less shade on this part of the course, and there were no clouds, so it started to get really warm. At the water stops, I took in a lot of fluid because I knew my body needed it, but it made my stomach gurgly. By the time I got to the next stop, I would be in dire need of fluid again and would feel like I was overindulging. I wish I had a water bottle at this point to sip on.
I continued to slow down and was eventually walking through water stops after mile 21. I saw Rick Patterson at 23.5 and he told me to pour water over my head. That felt good and gave me a boost. I started doing the math in my head to determine what it would take to still finish under 3:30. Once I realized that wasn't happening, I started doing the math to beat my PR. I still had a chance. However, with each passing mile, that goal also became unattainable.
In the end, I finished in 3:39:29, two minutes off of my PR that I ran in my first marathon ever in 2004. The weather in 2004 was absolutely perfect. I consider this year's Jacksonville Marathon to be on par or better than the 2004 because of conditions.
In the past, after a bad marathon I would immediately start looking for another race to redeem myself, but in the end would decide that would be a bad idea. This year is different. I know I am in really good shape and I owe it to myself to find another marathon and hope for good conditions. After talking with numerous folks, I think I am going to do the Tallahassee Marathon February 1 to go for that PR. Traditionally, the weather is very cool for the race and it is a pretty fast track. Apparently, it is even flatter than Jacksonville.
My recovery has been very fast. I ran 3-4 miles 2 days after the race, then did a 30 mile bike ride last Friday. I ran 5 miles Saturday morning, and another 5 miles this morning. Jenny Lindley gave me a great massage this morning and I feel like I am back to pre-race form. I'm shooting for 15 miles this Saturday morning. That will be 4 weeks before the race. A couple more long runs during the first half of January and then a stepdown week followed by a taper week and I should be ready for that PR.
It may sound weird, but my body is now conditioned to expect marathon training every fall. It craves the long workouts. I enjoy the experience, spending time on the road and track with friends. I am also thankful to have the support of my wife and daughters to allow me to be selfish and take the time to do the training (although they are rarely awake when I leave for my runs).
Garmin Forerunner 305 screens customized for marathon
Changed the screens around a little for the race. I need to revisit this right after the race to determine how I liked the changes. Here is how I have them set-up:
Main Screen:
Time
Distance
Pace
HR
This screen is set-up for real-time data. Where am I in the race, what is my pace and HR?
Screen 2:
Current Lap
Lap Pace
Heart Rate
I thought this might be good to do a pace check during the race. Once in a smooth and steady pace, switch over to this screen and confirm the pace.
Screen 3:
Time
Distance
Average Pace
Another screen to save me from doing math. Will check this one periodically during the first half to make sure I am not surging. I might switch to this screen late in the race as well when HR may be irrelevant and it's more a matter of running based on how I'm feeling.
These screens may change 10x before Sunday, but this is the current configuration.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
I will run 8:00/mile pace and finish the first half in 1:45:00.
After the first half, depending on what is in the tank, anything goes. If it means I continue to run 8:00/miles, I'll break my PR by 7:30. If I can pick up the pace, gravy!
Of course, weather is the wildcard. However, even with warm weather, I think a sub-3:30 is possible.
Tried to reign it in, and I did for the most part, but I still averaged 12 seconds per mile faster than plan. The first 5 miles I started at 7:20 and descended to 7:14. At that point I made a conscious effort to not be an idiot.
I pulled back and ran very consistent and smooth 7:23 splits for the rest of the race except for the 9th mile, which was a slow 7:29. Finishing time was 1:37:18.
It was warmer and more humid than the Outback, but for the most part conditions were very nice.
I don't think I destroyed the legs. Even though the competitive nature of racing made me run harder, I am glad I was able to shut it down and not run as hard as I could have.
So, 2 half marathon in 9 days with a 20-mile training run sandwiched in the middle. I am ready to start tapering and run a strong Jacksonville Marathon!
OUC Half Marathon is tomorrow morning in Orlando. I need to keep reminding myself: TRAINING RUN, TRAINING RUN, TRAINING RUN.
I lowered my PR by 94 seconds last week in the Outback. There is no need to destroy the legs to try to lower the time. Anyway, it is unlikely conditions will be as good in Orlando as they were on Thanksgiving Day.
That means I should just focus on running 13.1 miles at my marathon pace and get comfortable with the effort. Save the legs for December 21 and the Jacksonville Marathon.
The 2009 Beaches Fine Arts Series Sprint Triathlons are scheduled for May 16, June 13 and July 11. Races 1 and 3 will have a new venue in Jax Beach and will cross the Butler and Beach Blvd bridges (race 2 will be at Mickler's).
Very interesting. I didn't do any of these races last year, and only one in 2007. A change of venue is a good reason to try the series again in 2009.
Great massage today by Jenny. She said my muscles were in much better shape this week than they were last week. I guess stretching does that for you. The massage wasn't nearly as painful this week either. I think some of that credit can go to the electric clippers.
Short track workout tomorrow to get the race pace down and the an easy run Wednesday. The weather is shaping up to be perfect Thursday morning. I don't think I have the goods for a PR, but should have a good showing.
The plan after Thursday's race is a 20-miler next Tuesday, the OUC Half in Orlando on December 6th (that one more at marathon race pace or maybe easier if I run with Pete), and then a couple of runs in the 15=17 mile range at race pace the second and third weeks of December. A taper the week before the marathon and then showtime!
I've mentioned it before, but Garmin customer service is some of the best in the business. And I'm not saying that because they took care of me again. They have developed a loyalty from me that will extend to any GPS device I ever need to buy.
My 305 battery is no longer holding a charge for more than 3 or 4 hours. Yesterday's zen run prompted today's call to Garmin. They issued me a RMA number to send it back for a battery replacement. I'm going to put up with the inconvenience until after the Jacksonville Marathon. Then I will be able to be without it for 2-3 weeks.
If there was a viable next step in the Forerunner family, I probably would go ahead and upgrade. I'm just not sold on the 405, and the 305 meets all of my needs. The GPS is super accurate, the heart rate functionality works great, and I love the cadence sensor on my bike. The only downside is the Training Center PC software Garmin provides. No worries though, I use/love SportTracks.
I was having a hard time getting motivated for today's run to begin with. The temperature this morning was supposed to be in the high 20s. The prospect of heading out at 0500 to spend almost 3 hours in those conditions was not appealing. I soldiered on, took a hit of Hammer Gel out of a flask in the kitchen and walked out my front door.
Even if it's frigid outside (it was), I usually sit on my front steps to put on my shoes while waiting for my Garmin Forerunner 305
to lock in the satellites. This morning, the minute I turned it on, I got a low battery warning. I thought it would be no big deal, if it died on the run, at least I could get some pacing and heart rate data. Then the screen went blank. It wasn't low, it was dead.
Of course, the first thought was to go back in, crawl in bed and get another hour or two of warm sleep. But then I thought this would be a good mind over matter exercise. So I headed out on a 20-mile run with no way of knowing heart rate, pace, time elapsed, distance or anything.
The first 5 miles were fine. I did the Ortega River Run course so I could swing back by and down a gel and some water. From there I was going to run to St. Vincent's Hospital and back for another 5, grab a gel and water and then repeat the two loops again. As I was heading out for the second 5-mile loop, I decided that was going to be too boring, so I headed for downtown to do the bridge loops. I had a gel, so I stopped at the YMCA for water along the way. This loop added a little under 12. One more stop at the house for water and gel and then to Ortega Point for the last 3 miles.
Running without a watch was weird. I kept wanting to look at it, and when I stopped for water I would reach for my wrist as thought I was going to pause the watch. The GPS watch
is usually a helpful limiter to slow me down early on, and without it I know I was doing sub-race pace miles early on. The last few miles were a bit difficult.
I synched up the iPod and looked at the songs I listened to this morning. Based on that, I was able to calculate my run took about 2:43:00, including water breaks. Not bad, but faster than It should have been.
The run was a challenge from a pyschological standpoint. I am so accustomed to having access to data for even 3 mile runs. Going 20 without it was extremely tough, but a good test.
I am a little worried about the watch, because the battery hasn't been holding a charge as long as it formerly did. I need to call Garmin and see if it needs to be replaced.
Good 19-mile run this morning. The weather was awesome. Six weeks out from the marathon. Training for next week includes a long run of 20 miles next week and then a step-down week (with the Outback 1/2 Marathon on Thanksgiving Day). The first two weeks of December will be hard and focused on longer race pace runs and then a one week taper. I promised Pete I would run the OUC Half with him the first weekend in December. Not sure if that will be a race pace practice run, or a long tempo run.
I'm feeling a little fatigued, but strong. Need to do better on diet and hide the kid's Halloween candy.
Marathon training seems to be going well. For the month of October I have run the second highest number of miles for a month ever. In November of 2004 I ran 145. So far this month I've run 140. The running totals for the previous three months are 55, 37, and 65. The huge ramp-up could be cause for concern, but cycling miles are drastically down, so effort that traditionally went to riding is now being spent on running.
While this week is technically a step-back week for me, this morning's track session was the toughest one of the year. John, JJ and I ran 1600, 3200 and 2x800. It's a good thing my long run for the week was only 10 miles. I beat my split for the 1600 by 3 seconds, missed the 3200 by 1 second, missed the first 800 by 2 seconds and nailed my last 800. The net of all the intervals? I hit the splits required for someone looking to finish the marathon in 3:30.
Now I need to continue working on the aerobic engine with slower (not slow) long runs, aiming for somewhere around 8:30 m/m splits. I have a hard time with this part of the training, and I ran my 17 mile run last week at 8:20 pace. My race pace will be 8:00, so I'm almost not training but racing the long runs. I need more discipline!
Amazing performance at yesterday's Ironman World Championship
Sure, Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington won in Kona yesterday, but Sean Swarner, a two-time cancer survivor with one lung, crossed the line at 11:44:15.
Focusing more on the bike, I only ran 156 miles in July, August and September. In the first 10 days of October I have run 50. Worried that I might be escalating the mileage a little too quick. Last week I ran 24. This week I ran 31, a 20% jump. I know the rule of thumb is to increase by no more than 10% a week, so I broke that rule. The difference is I've cut the bike mileage by 40%, so my legs aren't hurting too bad.
Maybe I'll run another 31 next week to offset this weeks big jump, and then go to 35 the following week before an easier back down week.
I looked down at my cyclometer at mile 35 and drifted off of the trail. Barreling into soft sand at 22 mph and then over the handlebars headfirst into scrub brush filled with thorns is not fun. I remember stopping and thinking I had broken my neck. Fortunately, I didn't plow into a pine tree. My helmet was intact, but full of dirt and I was covered head to toe in thorny vines. Thankfully, the bike was OK. I gathered my senses and got back on the bike to head home.
A couple of miles down the trail, I saw what looked like a water moccasin just sunning himself on the side of the path. I'm glad he wasn't waiting for me in the brush.
Overall, it was a good ride. I rode from home to Bryceville, then over to Baldwin where I picked up the rail trail. Then it was back home. I listened to the Jaguar game for the first half and was glad they pulled out the victory.
Right now, other than the scrapes and scratches, I just have a sore neck. I promised Karen I would go to the chiropractor tomorrow to check it out.
Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.
I am so glad the fall weather has returned. It certainly made this morning's 5x1000 workout bearable. Unfortunately, for me it was only 4x1000. The guys had already started the first interval when I arrived at the track, so I missed the first one. I did run the last 400 with JJ, so that counts for something.
My goal for the workout was negative splits, and I accomplished that goal, lowering each successive interval by 4 seconds.
Speedwork is great, but I still have some work to do on the base.
A long bike ride and a long run over the next 3 days and this will be a successful training week. It would be REALLY successful if I could get in the pool one of these days.
We get our own version of the Empire State Building Run Up on Saturday, February 7, 2009 when the American Lung Association organizes Climb Jacksonville, a race up the Bank of America Tower. Only 42 floors. Or 838 steps.
After riding their bikes from California to Florida to benefit special needs children, two men were hit by a truck just miles from their final destination.
Stan Bippus, 68, had been on the ride of a lifetime with his nephew, 29-year-old Jeremy Winkelman, by his side when tragedy struck.
Winkelman has cerebral palsy and was the inspiration behind the ride. He told an Indiana TV station that he wanted to show the world that people with special needs can do anything. Earlier this year, the pair set out on a cross-country bike ride from San Diego to St. Augustine to raise money for charity and prove doubters wrong.
The two detailed their trip daily with updates on their blog Jeremysride.blogspot.com, and from the looks of things they were loving the trip.
However, on Wednesday, with the finish line less than 25 miles away and six months of travel behind them, Bippus and Winkelman were hit by a truck near Green Cove Springs.
Put in a good effort on Saturday with the Open Road group ride. Group ride dynamics are always interesting. Traditionally, the group has a fast acceleration once we turn onto Beauclerc from San Jose. There was a mini acceleration, but then it was almost like we were continuing the warm-up. The sustained fast riding didn't begin until Scott Mill. There was a stretch that was a real ripper, and looking back at the data we were doing 32 mph for the stretch past the 295 overpass. The pace from that point on averaged 27 mph until the short loop riders turned off. I stayed near the front for much of the ride and worked with a couple of folks to bridge a gap with a breakaway. There was one fellow on a tri bike that put in a huge effort. Total mileage for the day was a respectable 53 miles.
After taking a lazy, hot Sunday off, I put in a good effort in the pool yesterday (perfecting the flip turn!) and a muggy 8-mile run this morning. This oppressive heat is the pits!
Forty mile tempo ride early tomorrow morning to be followed by track work on Thursday.
Too bad airplanes don't have treadmills or spin bikes. An Endless Pool would be nice as well, especially simulating rough open water swims with turbulence.
No chance to train on Monday since I spent it in airports and airplanes. Tuesday I was able to get in a run and a quick swim at the hotel pool. It was actually 25-yards and had a swim lane roped off. Very nice.
Wednesday was another travel day.
Yesterday, I did hit the track with the gang and ran some 800s. Did pretty well despite my lack of running recently. This morning I had an early conference call, so instead of risking being rushed by going to the pool, I stayed in the neighborhood and went for a run on the Ortega River Run course.
I might be able to sneak off a swim this evening, but the yard also needs cutting. Responsibilities!
Tomorrow I'm hoping for a 60+ bike ride, with maybe a run off the bike. Be the brick!
Towards the end of yesterday's swim, I was ticked that I'm 4 years into swimming, and still not flip turning. Based on their progress, my 7-year-old and 5-year-old will be flip turning before me.
So I decided to do a 500 yard swim with the pull buoy and do flip turns the entire distance. Mission accomplished. Now that wasn't so bad. Admittedly, I probably was flailing my arms on a couple and ended up going too deep on some others, but I did it.
Next step, no pull buoy. I did 200 without my crutch and did pretty well. Towards the end I was really pushing off of the wall and getting some distance. Sweet!
Now to stay strong and not regress. I do worry about folks sharing a lane with me while I improve.
Good swim and run on Monday, miserable long run on Tuesday, and challenging ride with Mike on Wednesday evening at the Trail with high winds, pelting rain, and shrapnel all over the path. At least I kept the rubber side down. There was a pine tree that had fallen and blocked the entire trail. Glad I wasn't around when it came down.
Yesterday morning was an OK track work-out. I was just glad to get back on the track with Jay and John. I did the alternating speed workout, with a 400 at 5k pace, and then a 400 at marathon pace. Since my running has not been great of late, I did 800, 1600, 1600. Usually I do 2x5000 with this work out. Need to run more!
I'll swim today and do a long ride tomorrow. I'm still debating whether to do the Open Road group ride or a solo effort.
With the recent vacation (recap coming soon), I've been neglecting the run. Yesterday morning I ran for the first time in 2 weeks after my swim. It was a short 3 mile run, but at least I was running. This morning I ran 10 miles. Coupled with the heat and humidity, it was pretty yucky.
Tomorrow morning I have a 40-mile bike ride on schedule. It is now pretty dark at 0600, so I need to put the light on the handlebars for tomorrow morning.
Garmin-Chipolte is posting the information for one rider daily on the Motionbased website. Here is David Millar's data for yesterday. Would be really cool to see his information for today's time trial.
The other cool thing the team is doing is sending Twitter SMS updates during the stages. I think Jonathan Vaughters, team CEO and race director, is sending out most of the updates. The funniest one was today:
Ooops... I just dropped the F-Bomb on Versus, live. Sorry to all the parents out there. It was just really intense today... JV
Hot run yesterday afternoon, good bike ride this morning
Ran for an hour yesterday afternoon, leaving the house at 4:30. Legs felt springy at first, but then the heat starting bearing down and turned them to lead. I forgot to take my endurolyte caps before I left and was only drinking water. Probably wouldn't have been as bad if I had taken them.
Turned around early this morning and rode 36 miles. Was worried that my legs would not have recovered. Surprisingly, they felt pretty good. My heart rate stayed within a comfortable range. Only one incident of road rage. Some redneck punk pulled up right behind me on Old Plank and laid on the horn and then passed me. Guess he was showing off for his sister/girlfriend in the passenger seat.
Participated in the Marineland International Distance Triathlon yesterday.
Kevin Cofran, Jay Strates, Steve Matson, Clay Bruce, Lacey, Peter King and I left the condos a little before 0700 for the 0800 race start. This is a fairly small race, and transition was completely open. You could rack your bike wherever you wanted. Besides the International distance, there was a sprint tri, a sprint du, and an international du.
Everyone made their way to the beach for the start. A few pre-race instructions and then the national anthem. The national anthem CD skipped so badly, it must've been gouged with some deep cuts. This would prove to be a creepy omen. . .
As sprint folks lined up near the waters edge for their start, the fellow operating the inflatable boat being used to monitor the swim course hit a wave and was tossed out. Because he didn't have the kill switch attached to his life vest, the boat started doing doughnuts in the water at full speed. Right in the middle of the swim course. You just can't make this stuff up. But it gets worse.
A couple of folks decided to wade towards the boat to stop it. They were soon talked out of making such a foolish decision by lifeguards on long boards who were nearby. The boat was at full throttle and bucking like a mustang. At this point, a race participant decided he could no longer be inconvenienced by this delay started wading out to the boat armed with a life vest. In waist deep water. He got close enough to hit the steering wheel with the vest but missed the throttle. The boat spit the vest back at him. He must have been encouraged by his near success so he went in closer. Folks were either yelling at him to get away, or turning around to avoid witnessing the macabre inevitability. Like I said, you just can't make this stuff up.
The boat lunged at him and he disappeared. Then the boat slowed down considerably. After that, we saw someone in the water begin yelling and dragging a body through the surf towards the beach. Folks with medical backgrounds ran towards the victim with first aid equipment and calls were made to 911. The tension on the beach was overwhelming. We were told by a friend who is a physician that the outboard's prop had ripped through his thigh and almost severed his manhood. He was stable and talking, but in pretty bad shape. The ambulance arrived and I saw him as he was loaded in. He had gouges all over his legs, chest and back.
By this point, the out-of-control boat was heading north with the current and out of the way of the swim course. We were told the race would now start at 0900.
A couple of minutes after 0900 the race did indeed start, with the sprint wave. Two minutes later we were off with the international wave. The swim course was a 2-loop course, meaning we would be swimming with the current and against the current. New rules were also in place that were a deviation from the swim course used in April and May. In the past, once you swam around the northernmost buoy of the three buoys, you could immediately head for shore and run to transition. This time around, you had to swim back to the middle buoy and head for shore. Now I understand why the swim splits were so fast for previous races.
The swim was OK. I've never done a 1500 meter swim in the open ocean. Without a wetsuit, I knew my split was going to be in the high 30s and I didn't disappoint. Swim time was 38 minutes.
The run to T1 requires you to run up a sand dune and then through a parking lot. Once at my bike, I tried to pull my jersey on. I forgot my race belt, so I pinned my number to the jersey. Unfortunately, I pinned number without much give and had a time getting the jersey on. I ended up ripping the bottom of the number as I pulled it down. I had my shoes clipped in and ran out of transition. They didn't have a mount line marked so I wasn't sure where to hop on. I ended up jumping on in the middle of A1A. As I put my left foot down, my shoe immediately unclipped. Grrr. I finally was able to start pedaling and get my feet in. Surprisingly, T1 only took a mniute and 48 seconds.
The bike course was a 2-loop out and back. Based on conventional wisdom, I assumed we would have tailwinds one way and headwinds the other. Nope. The wind seemed to be more of a cross-wind, and occasionally in front or behind us. I immediately cranked it up to 22 and tried to maintain a cadence of 85-95. I was never passed on the bike. My heart rate stayed in the 150-160 range, although at one point it dropped down into the 140s. I immediately cranked it back up to the 150s. There was a considerable amount of roadkill up and down the course, so we were frequently treated to the stench of rotting flesh.
I passed Jay on the way down on the first loop. I saw Steve, Peter and Clay heading the opposite way on both loops, but was never able to catch them. I saw Kevin behind me for both loops. I was waiting for him to overtake me near the end of the bike leg but he never did.
T2 was a bit faster. I was in and out in 64 seconds.
The run course was another 2-loop out and back on a sidewalk running alongside A1A. There was a water station at each end of the course offering only water. It appears all of the sprint participants used up all of the Gatorade. It could have been worse, I heard a lady say that when she reached the far point of the course for her second loop, they were out of water. I remember getting my water at that point and thinking there would be nothing more for me until the end of the race. I can't imagine not getting that last sip of water.
My pace was stuck between 8:00 and 8:15. I wanted to run 7:45 splits but it wasn't happening. The run course, like the bike course, had zero shade. I only stopped for a couple of steps at each water station to make sure I got my water, but ran the entire course very consistently. I was picking people off at a pretty good clip. I passed Clay on the leg back of the first loop. He mentioned how ugly my Tri-Gator race suit was. On the last leg back, I could see Steve in front of me. I could tell on each leg of the run that I was gaining on him. With a mile to go he was maybe 200 meters in front of me. Every time he passed a road sign, I picked up the pace until I got to the same sign. I was really gaining on him and was planning on hanging back and pouncing right at the finish because I knew I had little left for a kick. He heard the footsteps and turned around and saw me with about 200 meters to go. He yelled at me "Oh no you don't" and kicked. I tried to hang on but was spent. He opened another gap on me that I couldn't make up. I finished 9 seconds behind him. Turns out we were racing for 2nd place in our age group. I'm disappointed my tactics didn't work, but still ended up with a third place finish.
According to the results, I ran a 49:06 for a 7:54 pace. However, I think the run course was short (my Garmin agrees) and when I calculate the pace for only 6 miles, it turns out to be an 8:11 pace. That's more like it.
Kevin was with Steve's wife near the finish cheering for us. He dropped out after the bike. We all congregated near the finish and cheered as Peter and Jay finished.
Like the run course, the sprint participants ravaged the post-race goodies. I was able to snag one of the last 2 cokes to replenish some energy. The oranges were gone and the remaining bananas were all green.
I am satisfied with my bike and run. I just need to work on the swim. Sounds like a broken record.
And what an interesting day it was.
Update:
From the St. Augustine Record:
Stephen Denny, 47, of Jupiter, was participating in the event and saw Rodriguez's boat circling in the ocean with no apparent driver. Denny swam over to try to stop the vessel, but the boat's Yamaha motor propeller cut both of Denny's legs and his chest, Hill said.
He was taken to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona and remained in satisfactory condition Sunday evening, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Peter wanted to know what I'm back in the groove training for. For the short-term, I am looking towards a good race at the Marineland Olympic. Looking long-term, DRC Sports just announced a new half ironman in Amelia Island that will be held the first weekend in October. I could certainly see myself entering that race.
Good week of training so far. Monday was a bit of a disappointment because my 50-mile ride was shortened to 15 because of a flat tire. New tires and rim tape will make sure that doesn't happen again for a while.
Tuesday morning Mike and I ran 7.5 miles. Felt strong and comfortable during the run. This might be the last week of reasonable morning temperatures. Yesterday, Mike and I rode 38-miles doing 5x8 minute intervals with 3-minute rests. I let the heart rate sneak up near threshold, but never felt really bad. This morning, John and I ran a couple of bridge loops downtown. The humidity was nasty, but the temperature was bearable.
Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I leave for Seattle early Saturday morning. I have a couple of running routes picked out for while there. Green Lake seems to be a popular spot. There is also a nice park with trails near downtown. There is also some paths along the water downtown.
Sunday morning at 0530 Kevin, Steve, Tony, Clay, Jay and I were shuttled to the transition area by Clay's girlfriend and Rob. Around 0615, after body-marking and setting up transition, everyone headed to the swim start. Everyone except for Kevin and me. Our waves didn't start until after 0700. Instead of waiting in line for nasty toilets, we decided to catch the bus and retreat to nicer potties, namely the ones in our cabins. A much more pleasant experience, although Karen and Julie probably would have preferred to not have their sleep interrupted. A quick bus ride back (folks were looking at us like we were nuts. . ."Shouldn't you be at the race start?") and we still had to wait 20-30 minutes for our waves. Of course, I had been pounding water, so my nervous bladder forced me to use a stinky port-o-let at the start.
Once my race did start, sometime late Sunday morning, the swim felt comfortable. In my mind, I was making adequate progress. I checked the watch several times during the swim and felt good. The water was warm and didn't taste or smell of diesel nearly as bad as I remembered it last year. And just as sure as I though to myself on the way back to shore that the jostling was at a minimum, it seems like everyone wanted to be where I was swimming. As I neared shore and looked at my watch, I realized that my swim was going to be a bit slower than last year. In training, I didn't do enough interval workouts and it was showing. The swim was ultimately around 47 minutes, 2 and a half minutes slower than last year.
The run to transition is a little bit of a haul. Much of it is carpeted but the last bit is through mulch and mud. My feet were pretty nasty by the time I got to the bike and I didn't leave a water bottle to rinse them. I ended up using the towel I had everything laid out on. I did put on socks, which last year I didn't do until before the run. I'm glad I did because it rained on transition while I was on the bike and trying to get wet socks on later would have been a chore. Another longish run to the bike mount line and I was off. T1 was just under 5 minutes, a full minute slower than last year.
At the start of the bike I took a hit of Hammer gel out of my flask and washed it down with water. For the bike, I determined that I was going to keep the HR at 150 as much as possible to save my legs for the run. Even with the lower cap, I was passing lots of people (good swimmers but poor cyclists?). My speed fluctuated between 20 and 21 mph. We had some favorable tailwinds in spots and some nasty headwinds as we headed west on 192. Much of the bike was under overcast skies, and when we took a 5-mile spur on Porter Road the rain came. I found myself out of the aero position a bit to maintain control. At one point, I thought I was having some GI issues and stopped taking my Perpetuem. I had mixed up a 3-hour bottle and was nursing it with water out of my aero-bottle. Turns out, my race belt was a little too tight and was squeezing my gut. By the way, I hate having to wear the race number while on the bike. I guess having my race number on both arms, on my helmet and on my seat post just isn't enough? I moved the belt down around my hips and immediately felt better. Unfortunately, I had backed off nutrition for a while so I was a bit worried.
Surprisingly, on the bike course, I didn't see any crashes, but did see a number of flat tires. There was one little stretch as we left 535 to go to Overstreet Road where there was construction and we had to ride single file in a no passing zone on a temporary sidewalk made out of plywood. Some chick up front thought 10 mph was the prudent thing to do. That sucked. Then a little later there was a clown in a mini-van that decided to be part of the race and not give any room and DRIVE THROUGH THE AID STATION. All in all, the ride felt very comfortable. My Garmin did show the bike course to be 57 miles, and this was confirmed by several others. My bike split was 7:33 slower than last year, but this was part of the plan. My average heart rate was 148.
Back to T2, I found my wet shoes and cap. I guess I wasn't sweating fast enough and had to make a quick pitstop at the port-a-potty in transition. Transitions took a bit longer this year, and I think I just was a little too lackadaisical in my approach to transitions. T2 cost me an extra 2:22 this year, taking four and a half minutes.
Out of T2 and into the run, I didn't feel I had the same stomach issues I had last year. The only nutrition I carried with me was a gel flask. I tried to slow down the run but still chalked up the first one in a little over 8 minutes. I saw Karen and the girls for the first time during the first mile. Feeling good. I did start to slow down, but even with walking through aid stations to take ice and water my pace was ~9:00/mile through the first 6 miles. Then the wheels fell off. The overcast skies were gone and it was clear and sunny. And folks started baking. I kept trotting along, but was getting slower and slower. Then a tactical mistake. At the last 2 aid stations I chugged some flat Coke. Oh sweet nectar! I was hoping the sugar and caffeine was the jolt I needed to finish this run. After the race I saw the Coke again. Yecch. Never again. I finished the run a little over 2 hours and 18 minutes. Almost 8 minutes faster than last year. Unfortunately, that only compensated for the extra time on the bike. The longer swim and transitions resulted in me finishing almost 6 minutes slower than last year. My finishing time was 6:03:49.
I remember at parts of the run calculating that I could still beat my time from last year. And then that goal slowly slipped away. And then I just wanted to break 6 hours. And although the bike course was an extra mile long, that only accounts for 3 minutes.
As I look back at the race, I made a few observations. First, I always dismiss the effect of my poor swimming ability on my race. Just get through the swim and then hammer the bike and run. I'm a terrible swimmer and that isn't changing. But in retrospect, if I want to avoid the heat of the run later in the day, those 10 minutes less I spend in the water sure would help. Second, focus should always be maintained in transition. I got a little too comfortable and wasted time. Third, I remember during the run thinking to myself that I would never do another half. Well, a couple of hours after the race that mandate was forgotten.
Of course, my daughters had a great time at the race and at Disney. Emily suggested we come down for the race with our friends again next year even if I don't do the race. I told her I would be doing the race again and she looked at me like I was crazy.
It was the little piggy on my left foot that didn't get any roast beef. One of the victims of the marathon. Emily and Maggie thought it was pretty gross. I asked them if I could put it under my pillow for the 'Toenail Fairy.' They thought it might be worth a shot. The only problem is if the 'other' TF pays up, I might catch my girls slamming their toes with a hammer for an easy payday.
So much for my excuse that most of the folks who die in these races are out of shape when my mother brings up stories like this to discourage me from running. This guy ran a 3:02:26 and was 13th overall and dropped dead at the finish line. The Ryan Shay story didn't help, and now this. I guess it just proves that when it's your time, time's up!
Weather forecast at the beach is **AWESOME**. It'll be 45 at 0700, warming to 54 by 1000, with a slight breeze from the NNE. One last chance to run the course and then begin the taper.
18-mile training run on the Breast Cancer race course
Ran 18 miles of the Breast Cancer Marathon course on Saturday morning in the rain and cold. James and I did everything except for the first and last 4 miles of the course, which is mostly on JTB. We met up with Josh and Erin after 3.5 miles and ran with them for a while. This is a step-down week for them, so they turned around after running with us for about 10 miles. They live around the 11 mile mark for the race, 7 mile mark for our run Saturday. We were able to stop, grab some water and use the bathroom. Could be convenient on race day!
Felt pretty strong on the run. The 2.25 mile section on the beach is going to be tough. For the most part, the course is flat. I'm still worried about those doggone bridges on JTB, especially coming home.
The run capped a good week of training. My legs were a bit tired for the long run because I decided to do my annual brickfest last week. A brick a day, with a minimum of 30 minutes. The bricks didn't have to be done consecutively, just 2 disciplines a day. It mostly boiled down to training runs, 3 trips to the pool, and a daily 30-minute session on the trainer, which was really good for recovery.
This week is a down week for me. I might do the Matanzas 5k on Saturday in St. Augustine and ride my bike back. Next week is a big week capped with a 20-miler. Then a 2 week taper. I'm also contemplating the Winter Beaches Run 10-miler the Sunday before the marathon. If I do it, it'll strictly be at race pace.
Tonight, somewhere between the hotel and the restaurant, the right rear tire of my car picked up a huge rusty bolt. As I pulled into the parking lot it was thumping so loudly I thought it was already flat. Nope. Just a giant bolt sticking out. Hertz sent out roadside assistance to change the tire. Now I have to have the tire repaired tomorrow after my meetings before I head back to Detroit. As my boss would say, just part of life's rich pageant. Grrrrr.
Training is going pretty well. The races this past weekend were helpful in terms of running fast, since I've missed track session sthe last several weeks. I wasn't as fast as I would have liked in the races, but that's OK. This morning John Womack and I did a quick track session consisting of a 1 mile warm-up, followed by 1200-1000-800 at 5k pace, with the last 400 of every interval broken down as 200 jog and 200 hard. We finished with a 1 mile cool-down.
Last night, Mike McLamb and I rode in the awful heat on the Baldwin Trail. After a 6 mile warm-up, I rode 3x17 minutes at 40k pace with 3 minute recoveries between sets. After a 3 mile cool-down, I put on the shoes and ran 2 miles at about 7:30 pace. Did I mention it was hot?
Tomorrow I'll swim, and then do the Open Road short loop Saturday followed by a run. I'm thinking I might increase the run on the brick up to 4 miles and maybe work on the nutrition strategy.
I feel like I'm sharpening up for the HOT. I can't imagine the conditions being any hotter than they have been the last couple of days.
Low expectations. That's what I had going into this year's race. Looking at my logbook, my running mileage is down 100 miles from last year, and I haven't run nearly as many races. I have spent a lot of time working on the bike and swim, and really have neglected the run. A lot also has to do with the hip problems I had earlier this year.
With that caveat out of the way, I really was surprised with my overall performance. The format for the race is a series of 3 different races within 24 hours. First up is the 4-mile run on the beach Friday night, followed by a 5k road race Saturday morning, and finishing up with a 1-mile out and back sprint in downtown Jacksonville Saturday afternoon.
Combined, I only lost 4 seconds in the 4-mile and mile races. Last year, my 4-mile time was 29:10, this year it was 29:11. Last year's mile was a slow 6:18, this year was a bit slower at 6:21. The 5k is where the destruction occurred. I lost 41 seconds over last year. This year I finished in 21:39. Yecch. Overall time was 57:11, 45 seconds slower than last year.
Still,with the emphasis on things other than running, I can't be too disappointed. Hopefully, I will still be faster on the run at the HOT if I pace myself correctly on the bike and have fresher legs for the run. I should be able to go a bit faster on the bike and still accomplish that goal.
The other thing that bugs me year over year is my dismal mile performance. I was once fast at short distances, but it seems that is history. I lost two places this year because the guys 4 and 9 seconds behind me going into the last race creamed me. Both went under 6 minutes. Might need to rethink some of my track workouts.
Here are the HR graphs for the first 2 races:
2007 Tour de Pain 4 miler
2007 Tour de Pain 5k
James ended up on the podium after a heated battle in the mile. He was tied for 3rd going into the race and shadowed his competition to the 1/2 mile mark and then turned the screws of pain. According to the official results, he tied Chris Brock in the mile as well, but the race was that close at the finish.
Mike had a very strong performance in his first TDP, finishing 7th in our age group. He turned in a blistering 5:40 in the mile.
Erin and Josh ran the 4-mile race bandit, and Josh also ran the 5k (actually, he started the 5k and took a shortcut to the finish).
Looking forward to 2 hard weeks and then a one week taper to prep for the HOT.
Turning off of Herschel onto Woodmere would be the halfway point. After a trip over to Ortega (all the way to FYC) we would come back up Herschel and hit the 20-mile wall at Hungry Howie's before finishing at the stadium.
The first couple of miles would be fast (out of pure necessity) as we run through some (ahem) redeveloping areas of Springfield, almost to 8th Street. Pack yer heat!
I like the idea of a course that would start and finish downtown. Perhaps Doug is looking to make this race larger on the national scene now that it has local competition from Donna Hicken's marathon in February.
Went out for a run this morning. Days like today make me wish I was in the pool instead. By the end of the run, it looked like I had been in the pool. With the Tour de Pain this weekend, I skipped the long run in favor of a run just under 6 miles. Friday night is the 4-mile race on the beach. Saturday morning is the 5k on a pretty flat, fast course. Saturday afternoon is the mile sizzler downtown, which last year was a mile steamer instead.
Met up with Mike and Peter at the trail this afternoon. After a brief warm-up I did 2 x 10 miles at race pace plus a little. Haven't downloaded the data from the Forerunner yet, but I'm pretty sure I averaged over 24 mph for both intervals. HR was a bit high, but it was pretty hot out there as well, The effort didn't seem too unbearable. For the Hammerhead Triathlon at the end of August I would like to average 22.5 on the bike and still have plenty in the tank for the run.
Running in Birmingham ain't like running in Jacksonville
Ran a little over 5 miles with Mark Robertson this week while in Birmingham. It was really interesting to look at the elevation data at MapMyRun for that run.
On July 28, from noon to 4:00 pm, Velocity Multisport Coaching is sponsoring a contest to see who can hold the highest power on the bike for 5 mins at the Trek Store in Mandarin. They will use the power numbers from the Tour, and set up your bike on a computrainer and see who has the best power-to-weight ratio for men and women. The time trial and the food (from Native Sun) are free!
Decided against doing speedwork this morning. My right knee was sore yesterday from Tuesday's long run. Decided hard running on the track would not be a good idea. Maybe a swim or easy spin this evening.
I wanted to do an 11-12 mile run today. Met up with Mike and headed for StV, where we met James. We ran together to 5 Points and Mike, looking to do 6-7 miles, turned around to head back home. James and I ran to downtown and did a bridge loop. It was hot and humid. According to the weather alert on my phone when I woke up, it was 79 degrees at 5 am.
I ran with a bottle of HEED, and took a gel around 45 minutes. The gel certainly put some bounce in my legs, if only for what seemed like 10 minutes. James dropped off at StV, and I headed home. According to the Garmin, it was 11.3 miles, but it took 1:35:00. A lot slower than I would like, but I did keep the HR in the 150s. I checked my running log, and last year I ran 11 on the same date, but it only took 1:27:00. Not only that, but I wasn't working hard last year, as my average HR was 149. Very depressing, until I looked back in my blog for an entry regarding that work-out. Suddenly, a smile appeared when I found this entry and these two words: unseasonably cool. Today was seasonably hot, so maybe my running fitness isn't as bad as I thought.
On Tuesday morning, I set out for an 11-mile run. About 3 miles into it, I just wasn't feeling it and headed home. Although it was hot and humid, if I could've found a bathroom I may have been able to continue. Was feeling a little heavy, you know? Total mileage for the morning was 6 miles.
Tuesday afternoon, the plan was to do a 5-mile run (Ortega River Run course) to get my mileage in for the day. I started off feeling pretty good, and was maintaining an 8:00/mile pace, but going over the US 17 bridge was a real booger. A thunderstorm was rolling in and the wind was blowing me sideways. Looking at the HR chart, I maxed out at 165, so nothing too terrible. But for some reason, once I got on McGirts, the HR spiked. Way up there. I couldn't muster energy to save my life. I was carrying a bottle of Heed and started hitting it pretty good, but still no luck. The last 3 miles were miserable. There are a couple of dips in the chart, and that is where I slowed down and walked for a little bit.
Still not sure what happened on Tuesday. I didn't do anything on Sunday, and only swam 3000 yards on Monday. I took Wednesday off. Yesterday I swam 3000 and did a 25-mile bike ride. I felt fine. Today is another swim and then another 60-mile long loop ride tomorrow.
Did the Open Road 40-mile ride yesterday. Including the ride to and from the shop, it was just under 60 miles. Was a little apprehensive before the ride, but confidence from last month's ride made it easier.
By the end of today's track workout John, Mike and I looked like Frosty the Snowman when Professor Hinkle locked him in the greenhouse. After the cooldown when we were standing in the parking lot, it was funny to watch the puddles around our feet grow.
Here's the comparison:.
2006
2007
1600
6:37
6:37
1200
4:49
4:52
400
1:26
1:32
400
1:28
1:30
400
1:26
1:30
400
1:25
1:25
The numbers are off again, but as I look back at my logs, at this point last year I had run 77 more miles. The other wildcard is how poor my speed sessions have been the first half of this year as I battled the hip issues. The key is to consistently do the speed sessions.
The goal for this summer is to train hard (and not over train!) and break 2:30:00 in the Hammerhead Olympic Triathlon. My Oly tri PR was set at St. Anthony's last year with a time of 2:32:28
Here are the finishing times for past HOTs:
2004 -- 2:50:51
2005 -- 2:49:39
2006 -- 2:37:59
Here are the HOT splits from last year:
Swim -- 34:50
T1 -- 1:31
Bike -- 1:08:37
T2 -- 0:54
Run -- 52:09
The HOT is not the ideal race to target for a PR. The swim is notoriously always long. The bike is pretty flat. In the past, the run included an annoying hill around the 4-mile mark. This year, they have made the run an out and back, and eliminated the first spur. That will put the hill around the 2-mile mark.
As long as the swim isn't crazy long, I think I can break 30:00 this year. Assuming the transitions are the same, that means I need to find a little over 3 mniutes in the bike and the run. Improving the bike average from 21.8 mph to 22.5 mph will save me 2 minutes. All that's left for me to hit the goal is a 51 minute 10k.
So, I need to maintain my bike fitness, start doing intervals in the pool to sharpen the speed now that endurance isn't an issue, and build the running fitness back up now that the hip issues are gone.
Here is another comparison of track work-outs. We ran in a light mist this morning, and it was very humid. John and I were discussing how it always seems like we have a headwind on the back straightaway, but never a tailwind on the front straightaway.
2005
2006
2007
1000
4:06
4:03
4:06
1000
4:08
3:57
4:04
800
3:16
3:10
3:13
800
3:18
3:13
3:15
400
1:29
1:23
1:29
400
1:30
1:24
1:31
The difference in running fitness from last year to this year are even more obvious in today's workout. The good news is, it seems like most of the hip pain is now gone, so I'll be able to slowly ramp up the running mileage. Then again, 11.5 miles on Tuesday wasn't exactly a slow progression.
Next week we do 4400 again with a little more emphasis on the long stuff, and then some short stuff. The plan is 1600, 1200, and then 4x400. I only have last year's data for next week's track session.
Ran to downtown, across the bridges and back. James joined me at St. Vincent's. Very humid. I lost about 5.5 pounds. Maintainedan 8:00/mile pace, but the HR crept up toward the end. Went without fluids, so it was probably dehydration.
For the second week in a row I have ridden my bike to Arlington to visit family. Last week I rode to Hope and Jesse's house off of Atlantic. This past Sunday I rode to Karen's parent's house off of Kernan. The first trip I went straight up Atlantic, and through the Regency. The area around Regency Mall is not the place to be on a bike. This past trip, instead of going all the way down Atlantic, I turned left on University, went down to Ft. Caroline, and came in the back way. University had nice shoulders to ride on after you cross the Arlington Expressway, and Ft. Caroline has a bike path that goes for a couple of miles. However, once off the bike path on Ft. Caroline, there is no shoulder. Once Ft. Caroline merges with Merrill, there is nasty construction and no where to hide. The same goes for McCormick and Kernan. I'll keep looking for safe roads in Arlington.
I've done the same track work-out in the middle of June for the last three years. Last year I was in great running shape and had set a series of PRs. Looking at today's work-out, I don't think I'm too far off, which is encouraging since I haven't done much speed work the last couple of months. If I can put in some quality speed sessions throughout the summer, I might do well in some of the late summer races.
First nasty, steamy, hot run of the year. Haven't had a run like this since last year. Went out for an hour, and it was a struggle. I don't think I was dehydrated, but maintaining a pace faster than 8:00/mile seemed impossible. Hopefully the body will acclimate soon.
Last week, I wasn't sure if I was going to do the race. Then I was recruited to do the swim and bike leg for one of the corporate sponsors. Today at packet pick-up, I was asked if I wanted to do the entire race because they still needed a runner for one of the relays. So tomorrow morning, I will be doing the entire race as a relay team for free. Sweet!
Last month, a 1:01:44 won the relay division. Granted, there was no swim and it started with a 1-mile run. I wonder if I can break an hour tomorrow. The swim is 400 yards. The bike is 10.5 miles, a mile shorter than past years. The run is a long 5k.
Let's see:
Swim -- 9:00
T1 -- 1:30
Bike -- 27:00
T2 -- 1:00
Run -- 21:30
I guess it's possible, but that bike split is going to have to be a little faster for me to have a chance.
Pretty neat stuff. In Google Maps, you can now zoom in to street-level imagery in the following areas:
* Denver
* Las Vegas
* Miami
* New York City
* San Francisco Bay Area
I wanted to check out Lombard Street in San Francisco. Thought it would be neat to see the curvy road again. I zoomed in and found terrorists taking photos ! Just kidding, but could see where this could cause some privacy concerns.
Did a 5-mile easy run with Mike McLamb on Sunday, followed by a good 45-mile group ride Monday morning.
The group was harassed by one of JSO's finest on Beaver Street in Baldwin because we were in the road. Hmmm. Thought we had a murder problem in Jacksonville. I was wrong, we have a FITNESS PROBLEM. After taking the time to rush in front of us, jump out of the car, and yell at us to get out of the road, he then followed the group (he said we were blocking traffic?) until we turned north onto 121. I respect police officers, but this guy was bored. We had been passed by maybe one or two cars on Beaver Street until he had the epiphany to protect us from ourselves.
Yesterday I took the day off since it was Karen's birthday. This morning, back in the pool.
Tomorrow it's back on the track and then another swim on Friday morning. Saturday morning I'll do the short loop with the Open Road group and hope there aren't any bored cops in Mandarin.
I promise a more thorough race recap, but life is stressful right now. quick summary, I got a call at 2 AM the morning of the race to tell me my Dad had a heart attack. No one in my family has ever had a heart attack. From 2 until 4 AM I was waiting to hear the results of the catheter to see if he was going to need open heart surgery. At 4:30 I found out that they had stabilized him and inserted a stint. I was told to do my race and then come home. Needless to say, it was a very stressful race and I had a lot on my mind. Totally screwed nutrition up going into the run and didn't take in ANY fuel for the run other than nursing a bottle of HEED. B-O-N-K!
Can't believe it is here. We are getting ready to head down to Disney for the Florida 70.3 on Sunday. If you watch Ironman Live on Sunday, look for racer 1787.
Thanks to everyone who has offered advice and encouragement. I really appreciate the support I have received as I prepare for my first Half Ironman.
10:30 AM: Weather is looking real nice for the race!
Got a call from Drew at City Cycle. He said that if I flat this weekend, my race is over. Apparently he had a difficult time putting the new tires on the rims. I immediately think of the stories I heard about the Disney 70.3 last year when lots of folks had flats in one stretch of the road. I also remember Peter King telling me about the popping sounds coming from the transition area the morning of the race. Overinflated tires expanding in the heat is a scary thought.
Since the tires are new, the prospect of them getting cut is low. However, the possibility of a pinch flat still remains. Mike has let me race on these wheels many, many times and they have always performed flawlessly. I remain optimistic. I certainly will be waiting until Sunday morning to pump them up, and even then will stay well within the limits.
No more Palm Valley Road. And it is a mile shorter. Here are the details from the website:
Bike (new course for 2007)
The 2007 Lifestyles Realtors Beaches Fine Arts Sprint Triathlon Series will be using a new bike course this season. As in the past, the race will start and finish at Micklers Landing in Ponte Vedra Beach. For the biking leg, athletes will head north along Florida A1A from Mickler Road to Solana Road and return south along Ponte Vedra Boulevard. The new bike course is 10.5 miles. As always, St. John's County Sheriff's Office deputies and race officials, organizers and volunteers will be monitoring the course and directing athletes along the new route.
That's an easy way to lop a couple of minutes off of a PR.
My bike is up at World Famous City Cycle for a pre-race tune-up. New bar tape, chain, tires and moving the mount for the Garmin Forerunner 305 are also on the list. I finally got the bike-to-wrist mount. It's pretty neat. It comes with the mount for the bike, and then a velcro strap with a similar mount. In T2, you pop it off the bike and click it onto your wrist.
I need to figure out how I am going to secure my Garmin under the swimcap. I also need to replace my shoelaces with Yankz. I'm going to use an older pair of shoes that still have life in them. Since the run course includes a lot of grass (packed dirt), I hear shoes get trashed. The Wave Riders I wore in the River Run should be perfect.
I have limited HR data from past long endurance events to analyze. Before the 2006 Jacksonville Marathon, I used a barebones Polar S150 to track HR data. I could look at average and max HR information, but not in a graphical format like I can with the Garmin Forerunner 305. I am still trying to decide how fast I can go in the Florida 70.3.
I went back and looked at the '06 Jax Marathon, and my average HR was 165 and I kept the HR north of 160 for the entire race, 3:42:00. I know HR max for running and cycling can be very different. I'm wondering if I could maintain a 150. Or maybe do 140 for the first hour or so, see how I'm feeling, and then start ratcheting it up. The other wildcard is my inability to stick to a pre-race strategy once I get caught up in the heat of competition. However, I do want to be very methodical this coming Sunday and race smart.
Weather looks favorable. There is a front coming through and there will be isolated T-storms through Saturday. The high for Sunday is going to be 83. Project for the wind is out of the NE at 15 mph. That might make the first half of the bike challenging, but we'll have a tailwind coming home. Maybe another reason to start at 140 bpm.
We will be racing together down in Disney at the Florida 70.3 a week from Sunday. Last year's Florida 70.3 was Peter's first half-Ironman. Not sure if I am going to bite off the full iron distance within the next year.
Just had a bit of a scare with my Forerunner 305. I tried to synch it with the PC, and the Forerunner was dead. Nothing. Took it out of the cradle, tried to turn it on, nothing. Unplugged the cradle from the USB and plugged it into the power cord, nothing.
Called Garmin support, they suggested a hard reset, although I would lose all of my data. No problem. To do a hard reset, hold down the mode and reset buttons for 5 seconds and then press power. It worked! And as a bonus, I didn't lose any data. Sweet!
Not sure what happened, but it freaked me out. My Forerunner is my favorite training tool and I'm glad to know I won't have to spend time without it.
By the way, Amazon has the Forerunner 305 for $206 after $50 mail-in rebate. A great deal. Click the link above to check it out.
I feel like I dodged a bullet doing the long loop this past weekend. A lot of the fast riders were out of town at a race. I also benefitted from a higher than average number of red lights, or so I was told. Nonetheless, I put the date as a goal in my calendar at the start of the year, trained pretty hard on the bike to prepare, and achieved the goal on the date I had set.
The ride over was uneventful. I have done the short loop many times, and I have never needed to go before a ride. Maybe it was the nerves, or maybe it was all of the fluid I took in in anticipation of the ride, but I was in dire need of a restroom. I found a secluded spot behind the shopping center and felt much better. The group left the parking lot and began the warm-up. Unbelievably, I found myself needing to urinate again right before the hard part of the ride began. Nothing I could do but ignore it.
As the group turns off of San Jose onto Beauclerc, there is a quick acceleration. Nothing major, but you do have to put it in the big ring and get out of the saddle. Then it is a steady tempo ride down Beauclerc until we turn left on Scott Mill. Another acceleration, but again, nothing remarkable. Shortly before the 295 overpass there was a massive surge. I had to shift up a couple of gears and get on the rivet when I saw Mike take off. I was on the edge of the road and I had to get over to the far left and pass the folks in front of me because they weren't going. I caught the breakaway and rode a couple of wheels behind Mike. Because of construction on Scott Mill, we had to take the detour right after the overpass to San Jose and then resume the course at Mandarin Road. Riding along San Jose was a steady tempo, not much faster than the warm-up. But the minute we turned onto Mandarin Road, it was hammer time.
The pace was brisk, but the group had to slow down for a pick-up pulling a trailer down the narrow part of Mandarin Road. Seeing a pack of rabid cyclists in his rearview, the driver was kind enough to pull over onto the shoulder and let us pass. The pace had dropped to 10-15 MPH at that point, and after the pass it was another acceleration. Around Mandarin Road was a hard, steady effort. I maintained my position in the middle of the pack.
We approached Flynn Road. This is where the long loop and short loop diverge. Time to put up or shut up. I made the right turn with the long loopers, and the pace eased up a bit as we headed for San Jose again. I knew after we turned right onto San Jose there would be another massive acceleration over the bridge into Fruit Cove. No problems getting across the bridge, and I worked my way forward as we approached the right turn onto Fruit Cove Road. Again, another acceleration, but I stayed with the pack. There seemed to be a bit of yoyo-ing in this stretch, and I found myself feathering the brakes a couple of times. I hate doing that. We worked our way through a neighborhood, and it was back onto SR 13.
Here is a tricky part, because we have to turn left into the Julington Creek subdivision. We didn't get the green arrow and a couple of cars going in the opposite direction went through the intersection. There was a gap, and a couple of guys hit it and made it through. Then the cars coming at us stopped, even though they had green, and allowed us to go. Through the Julington Creek subdivision, there were some good accelerations and I think we lost a fair number of folks. I'm not sure because I didn't want any part of hanging around the tail. We crossed Racetrack Road and began hammering on Bishop Estates. At this point, I must have become complacent, because Mike pulled up next to me and told me to look back. There wasn't anyone there! Crickey! I started working a little harder and worked my way up the group. Then I heard the group groan.
Yikes! Someone hit a squirrel. His twitching body lay in the middle of the road as I zoomed by. There is a quick right-right combination that the ride makes to get back to SR 13 and head back to the start. The second right is challenging because it is at a high rate of speed, and if you swing too far, you might end up like the squirrel. I swung a little too far, and almost ended up smacking a white minivan in the lane next to the bike lane. I can remember looking in the passenger window at the driver and the passenger. Not sure who was freaking out more. The good news is I didn't get killed and was in position for the next acceleration over the bridge. Once over the bridge, the group needed to cross traffic again. Again, this was a very risky proposition, and despite all of my griping about cars in Jacksonville, I was amazed at the courtesy we were given. I think it is the bait fish mentality. When you are in a pack, you are much safer. Cars stopped in both directions and let us cross.
At this point, we pretty much retraced our path out. On Mandarin Road, I stayed near the front of the pack, and found myself pulling through on a couple of occasions. On Plummer Cove Road, the fellow referred to as Canada tried to roll off the front. James was going to let him go, but then a Velobrew rider chased and James chased after him. I jumped as well, and we reeled in the runaway. James rode Canada's wheel and apparently made him give up trying to get away. The final sprint happened on Beauclerc and then the hard part was over. From that point home, it is more or less a social event. I was at the front again and didn't pay attention and started riding 21-23 MPH back to the bike shop. I looked over my shoulder and there was no one. I waited for a little while just past the shop and a pack of 3 came through. Then came Mike followed by James. The 6 of us rode back to Avondale together.
Once home, I grabbed my running shoes and did a 2 mile run. I felt like I was slow as molasses, but I was running at a 7:30 or 7:45 pace. I tried to slow down, but I finished the 2 miles averaging 7:48. In the race, if I run 9:00/miles I will be estatic.
Overall, it was a good training day, and I was happy not to get dropped. I will ride the long loop again, but I know the chances I will get dropped are still high. The interesting thing is it took 15 minutes less to complete the same distance in the TDForts the Sunday before, so I know I can hang on for steady riding. It's the jumps and wild accelerations that many of riders that were missing contribute that will make the ride tougher in the future. Then again, I will maintain my training, to minimize the chance that I can't hang on.
Here is a map with the bike ride, as well as the 2-mile run off the bike to complete the Cinco de Mayo birthday brick. I'll post my thoughts of the ride in a recap later. Bottom line: Completing the long loop was a big accomplishment, and a major psychological hurdle is now behind me.
UPDATE: Link above is the KML file to view with Google Earth. To view in a browser, here is the map in Google Maps.
I have done the Open Road Saturday morning short loop many times. For the first time, I will attempt to do the entire long loop tomorrow. I agreed to this at the beginning of the year, because I knew that my cycling fitness for Florida 70.3 had better be strong enough that I could do the long loop 2 weeks prior. This will be a terrific test. Last week's Tour de Forts also provided a good test. In the long loop, it is about an hour and ten minutes of high speed tempo with several big jumps tossed in. That is about how long I hung on last week in the TDForts. Last week's speed was a little slower, but hopefully I'll find a strong wheel and hang on. I also need to ride smart and stay fueled.
The long loop is about 40 miles, and from my house it is a 10 mile warm-up ride to the start, and then a 10 mile cool down ride home for a total of 60 miles.
While in Des Moines on business last week, I was able to get in a long run. It wasn't easy to do because the weather didn't want to cooperate and many of the paths that make up Des Moines great network of trails were underwater. I was finally able to run on Friday morning along the river to the north. I did encounter a few sections of underwater paths, but for the most part it was a very nice run. It would be fantastic if Jacksonville would commit to a series of trails like many other urban areas have developed. Here is a map of my run with splits.
Mike McLamb and I rode the Tour de Forts yesterday. Fortunately, much of the smoke from the south Georgia wildfires had not yet started blowing in the area we were riding. Later on in the day, the sky was filled with smoke and would have made the ride very difficult. More difficult than it already was. We rode in the lead pack from the start, until I missed a jump at the 27th mile just north of Big Talbot Island as we rode across a causeway bridge. Up to that point, I had held my own and kept up with all of the accelerations, but the speed coupled with the incline were too much. I pretty much popped and couldn't bridge the gap. Mike was hanging off the back of the lead pack hoping I could make it, but when he realized I wouldn't, he dropped and waited for me. We forgot to agree ahead of the ride what we would do in that scenario. I should've told him to ride on without me. We ended up in a pack of 6 guys that were all doing the 61-mile route. The other guys in the pack were all very strong and we were able to work together and still finish the loop in 2:40. Here is the Tour de Forts map with splits.
Fun ride, and a good warm-up for my inaugural long loop ride this Saturday.
On Thursday, I did the 40-mile loop out at the trail. The scariest part of the ride is usually sharing the road on Otis Road, US 301, and county roads 121 and 119. This past week, the most danger I saw was after I got off the roads and on the trail. The first snake I saw was a harmless racer, but then I came up on a water moccasin that was lying across the trail. I aimed for the tail end and hammered past, not wanting to slow down for a second look. A litle farther down the trail, I encountered this booger. As I went past, I thought it was a king snake. I decided to circle around for another look. Coral snakes are pretty rare. To my surprise it really was a coral snake. He was a little guy, and much like the description I have heard. He was kind of floundering around on the trail, not sure where to go. He wasn't fast, and didn't appear able to see very well. I was able to get close for a photo, something I wasn't willing to do with the cottonmouth. The coral snake was the last snake I saw on the trail that day. Despite stopping for the snake, it was a fairly fast training ride, finishing the 41-mile loop in 2:01.
Good week of training, despite being out of town for 3 days. Was able to get some swimming in while in Birmingham. There is a really nice YMCA on Lakeshore Blvd. that I use whenever in Birmingham. Totals for th week are:
Run 18.20 miles
Swim 6600 yards
Bike 84.5 miles
Total time was a little over 9 hours. The plan called for 10, but I finished a couple of workouts faster than I planned. Next week I'm looking at an 11 hour week, then a 12 hour week the first week of May. Then a 2-week taper and the race. Wow, four weeks to go.
I would be interested to know if Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press has ever run a marathon
Because, if you aren't an elite and you are running the Boston Marathon, you are an "also-ran" according to an article I read this morning regarding the conditions of today's Boston marathon.
A slow pace usually leads to a more tactical - and more exciting - race up front. More of a concern for organizers is how the weather will affect the 20,000 also-rans, who will be out longer and more likely to need medical care.
Wow. There were 432,000 marathon finishers last year in the United States. That's approximately .14% of the US population. And that doesn't factor in people who finished more than one marathon last year, which would make the percentage of actual participants even lower. And the majority of marathon finishers can only dream about qualifying for the Boston Marathon (including me, the closest I've come is a 3:37 when I need a 3:15).
The bottom line is I don't think "also-ran" is a very good word to describe the people who have the ability (and the nerve) to toe the line in Hopkinton.
I was happy to round out my sub-par week of training with a good brick yesterday. I didn't think being on the road was going to disrupt the training much, since I planned on running the boardwalk while in Atlantic City. Unfortunately, I was only able to do one run of 4 miles and my 11-miler was cancelled because of atrocious weather. Thursday morning the weather was rainy, 38-degrees, and 20 mph gusts. My swim on Friday was replaced with a long run on Friday and a quality brick yesterday.
I met up with the Open Road group ride yesterday morning at 7:30 and while it was a small group, the effort was pretty good. There were some good jumps and I was able to work with the lead group until the turn-off for the short loop. Heading home, I met a guy named Mark and we put in some strong efforts to break from the rest of the group. We maintained a good tempo of 25-26 mph and never saw the rest of the group. Total mileage was around 44 miles. Once home, I put on the running shoes and ran 2 miles. This is the first good run off the bike I've done this year and my legs were feeling sluggish. It's funny how your legs can feel that way, even though you are going faster than you think. I was sure I was running north of 8:00/miles, but the splits were in the 7:45 range. For the Disney Half, I want to run between 1:45 and 2:00, so that is a confidence builder.
The coming week will include some more travel, but here's the plan:
M - Run 12
T - Swim 2000 (might get moved to Thursday)
W - Swim 3500
R - Bike 40 (tempo and drills including time in the aero position)
F - Swim 3000
Sa - Bike 50, Run 2 off the bike
Su - Run 5 (tempo)
IM Arizona has started and the pros have just come through T1. The age groupers will come through shortly. My neighbor Peter King is racing, so I'll keep an eye open for him. I have the athlete tracker page fired up. Lyndon Box and his wife Lesleigh are also in Tempe racing. I think the Box-man is looking to qualify for Kona and break the 10 hour barrier.
In other racing news, James did the TriAmerica distance triathlon down in Clermont this morning. The distances are 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) for the swim, 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) for the bike and 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) for the run. Anxious to hear how the race went. He was going to leave Jacksonville this morning around 4 or 4:30 and said he was going to be ticked if they cancelled the swim because of the weather. I think they replace the swim with a 5k run if the weather prevents the swim.
Regarding the weather here in Jacksonville, it is rainy and yucky. With the girls sick all week we decided to stay home from church.
UPDATE 1: Lyndon just finished the swim in 1:05:24.
I'm taking tomorrow off. I will be unable to do any training, and it will be good for my body (so I'm told). I might be able to get some stretching in (another thing that I've been told is good for me).
The last couple of days I have put in some quality training. I had a good, but short 2000 yard swim today. Felt comfortable the entire time. I did 3x400 (swim, kick pull), followed by 300 swim, 200 kick, 100 drills. Then I did a 300 swim cool-down.
Yesterday was a 5-mile tempo run. I did the Ortega River Run course and I must've had a massive tailwind going down McGirts because I was cooking at 6:50 pace. Got the heart rate up, but not too high. Maybe around 165 or so for the hard effort.
Saturday was my longest ride of the year. I rode from the house to the rail trail and did the 48-mile loop that includes Plummer Road, 301, CR 119 and 121. Total distance was about 64 miles. But they were tough miles with a nasty headwind coming out of the northwest. Gusts up to 20 mph I think. It's demoralizing when you are cranking as hard as you can and you look down and you're only going 16 mph.
The rest of last week included:
M - 1500 yard swim. Cut short because the Y pool had been emptied and refilled, and when the refilled it, I swear it was 50% water, 50% chlorine.
T - 10 mile run. Longest run since the River Run. Hip felt good and I maintained a 7:51 pace.
W - 3000 yard swim.
R - 29 mile bike ride with Mike and Lori.
F - 3000 yard swim.
Good volume with some good, hard efforts tossed in. This week will be a down week, and then a 3 week build up. After that, a 2 week taper and then the race.
With the commitment to lay off the run after the River Run, running mileage is down 50%. Swim volume is 23% greater and bike volume is a whopping 122% greater. Still need to do more work in the pool. Overall fitness is pretty good with all of the cycling miles.
First long run since the River Run over 3 weeks ago. Trying to give my hip a chance to heal. The therapy seems to be working as well. This morning I ran 10 miles at a 7:51 clip. Not too bad, and I felt good during the run. When I returned home, I worked on stretching out the gluteus medius (sp?) and the lower back, areas that seem to have been giving me trouble. Heart rate was a little high for some sections, but nothing terrible.
I also ran 6.5 this past Sunday and couldn't get the heart rate below 160, although I was only running an easy 8:00/mile pace. I think I was dehydrated.
Friday's 20x100 on the 2:00 did a lot for my confidence. Today's 3800 yards was a breakthrough in terms of distance. My longest swim so far this year had been 2700 yards. Today's swim workout was:
The person who cuts my hair let me borrow an old pair of clippers to take a hack at the winter growth. She asked that I clean off the blood before returning. Glad to report there was no need.
And boy was I feeling fast in the water today! It's so funny how that makes a difference psychologically. Now I'm looking to be fast in tomorrow's group ride. This will be the first time this year I've done the complete short loop with the group. With the nice weather, I bet the pace will be brisk. On the rivet!
Sometimes my business travel can screw up a training week. I still get it done, just not in typical fashion because of the added dynamics of being on the road. This week, traveling to Madison, WI definitely got my out of rhythmn, but I should end up with everything I wanted to do accomplished. That being said, I need to do the 50-mile group ride on Saturday and do a one hour bike drill session on Sunday afternoon.
Here is my training for the week so far:
M - 2000 yard swim, 45 minutes on the spin bike
T - 45 minutes on the spin bike doing intervals
W - Did not go to the gym so I could be home when the girls woke up. They were asleep when I came home Tuesday night.
R - Swim 2800 yards. Track session with Mike. Lots of stretching between 400s. Total distance around 3 miles.
F - Swim 2000 yards. Done as 20x100 on the 2:00. For me, this was huge.
Total volume for the week will be around 8 hours. Up to 9 next week and 10 the following week. Then back down to 8 hours before my last big push of high volume before the race.
Greetings from the hurt cellar. Actually, I am no longer in the hurt cellar, but I spent 70 minutes there yesterday. Seventy freakin' minutes. Two minutes and 54 seconds longer than last year. It was bad. It was ugly. It was no fun.
The morning was uneventful. Mike and Lori picked up Pete and me around 7:15. Once at the race Pete and I headed over to the Team Gate hospitality area, got ready, checked our bags and used the potty. It was around 8:15 at that point and I wanted to get to the start area before they dropped the rope to let everyone move up. Slight problem at this point. . . I didn't do any kind of warm-up. Not sure if that matters. Met up with Erin and Josh in the starting area. The gun sounded and off we go.
Mile
2007
1
7:12
2
7:13
3
7:19
4
7:30
5
7:28
6
7:34
7
7:40
8
8:21
9
7:20
Finish
2:27
Erin and I passed the first mile marker with a 7:12 split. Pretty good. The goal was 7:10, right on target. However, I didn't feel good, but attributed that to the lack of warm-up. The second split was 7:13. Still felt like there was no need to panic, but I still didn't feel comfortable. Maybe it was just the exertion from the Main Street Bridge. Unfortunately, Mile 3 wasn't any better, clocking in at 7:19. At this point, we were back in the neighborhoods of San Marco and I was hoping the shade would help speedup the pace. Last year it was warm and humid, but we had cloud cover to prevent the sun from beating down on us. No cloud cover this year, and even the tree cover of San Marco could help. The split for mile 4 was 7:30. This race was going downhill in a big way. Somewhere in the fifth mile, I started to feel a little better. Maybe it was a short-lived adrenaline rush. Then Bill Rodgers passed me before we turned off of Belote onto Atlantic. He didn't pass me last year until the downslope of the Hart Bridge. Icontemplated taking a gel at mile 5, but held off until mile 6. It didn't help much. The slowdown continued through the neighborhoods of St. Nicholas. Erin and I stayed together until mile 7. Not sure if she picked up the pace or maintained her pace and I slowed down even more. Running up the bridge was as tough as always. The weird thing is usually the wind is really blowing on top of the bridge. This year, it seemed very still. A stiff breeze would have been welcomed to help cool things off. Running down thebridge allowed me to clock my fastest split since mile 3. The last three tenths took 12 seconds longer this year. Doesn't seem like much, but from a pace perspective that amounts to 40 seconds over a mile. Sheesh! I was crawling to the finish.
Split
2006
2007
Difference
1
6:44:00
7:12:00
0:28:00
2
13:37:00
14:25:00
0:48:00
3
20:39:00
21:44:00
1:05:00
4
27:53:00
29:14:00
1:21:00
5
35:03:00
36:42:00
1:39:00
6
42:25:00
44:16:00
1:51:00
7
49:50:00
51:56:00
2:06:00
8
57:55:00
60:17:00
2:22:00
9
64:55:00
67:37:00
2:42:00
Finish
67:10:00
70:04:00
2:54:00
Trying to look back and analyze the difference between 2006 and 2007 is difficult. It was hot, but I took water at every station. Unbelievably, my hip really didn't bother me. It just seemed like I didn't have it in the tank. Looking back at the training log, I'm only 29 miles behind last year. Not sure if I did more long runs last year, but endurance shouldn't be a factor based on the additional cycling mileage I've logged this year. The chart to the left shows the aggregate loss of time during the course ofthe race. A little over a minute for the first 5k, a little under a minute for the second 5k, and then another minute for the last 5k. Maybe I just chalk it up to a bad race day.
Hats off to Erin (Liger!) for smoking me in the last 2 miles. However, I think we can both agree that our performances were well below our expectations. Jay missed his goal of 60 minutes by 77 seconds. Mike McLamb was two minutes off of his goal and Pete was several minutes off of his goal. James was actually 9 seconds below his goal, but he's a sick puppy and actually likes the weather we had yesterday. Josh was about 4 minutes behind his expectations and John Womack was 81 secondsslower than his goal.
Meb won his 6th River Run title, but couldn't catch Deena Kastor for the equalizer bonus. The elite women started 5 minutes ahead of the rest of the pack and she finished 80 seconds ahead of Meb. She missed breaking her American record by 4 seconds.
As for me, it is now time to back off running for a couple of weeks to see if I can get the hip to heal. I will ramp up the cycling volume and ease back into the running after a couple of weeks. I might even go see a doctor or a therapist.
Karen and I went to the Team Gate pre-race pasta dinner tonight at the River Club. We sat down at one of the tables and the guy next to me asked if I was one of the invited runners. Heh! I guess I should be happy that I could be mistaken for an elite.
John Gaughan from Channel 4 said that there are 3 weather patterns they are looking at. One is dry, one has a few sprinkles, and the third has 2 inches of rain. Thankfully, John and George Winterling are leaning towards the drier model. He said it should be around 58 degrees at race start and be in the mid-60s by 10 am. Another incentive to finish quickly.
Meb Keflezighi was the keynote speaker. He talked about the River Run and how important it has been in his career. He mentioned that his success in the River Run figured in to his decision to run the Olympic marathon. He finished second in that race, and then finished second in the New York City Marathon 70 days later. Talk about showing the world that American running is on the rise! After dinner, for good luck in the race on Saturday, he let me touch the silver medal. That was the first Olympic medal I think I've ever seen in person and it was gorgeous. I wished him a good race and he told me good luck in my race as well. And then he said "I really mean it, I hope you have a great race." Look out Liger!
I was reviewing some old training logs looking for River Run splits and found something funny in the 2004 file. I started swimming in June of that year to prepare for my first sprint triathlon. I had never done any swimming for fitness, and certainly never swum laps. The first week I told myself I was going to get in the pool everyday to ramp up the training. I remember the first day in the pool was a nightmare, I didn't even use goggles. Well, I was in the pool 5 days that week and racked up a total of . . . 1400 yards. Haha.
For Christmas, Karen ordered me a Tri-Gator racing set. I just found out that the uniforms are set to arrive March 23rd. Sweet! I have always enjoyed seeing the Tri-Gator uniforms at the races, and although my college days are long behind me, it's pretty neat I can join in on the fun.
I saw this in the current issue of Runners World and thought it was pretty nifty.
Who says the treadmill is boring? Not the members of OK Go, whose music video "Here It Goes Again" features the foursome dancing across treadmills set at two miles per hour... After eight days and 20 takes, the three-minute-long video was perfected, and the musicians felt as sore as marathoners.
Emily and I participated in the fun run last night with Bill Rodgers and Todd Williams. So, when you think about it, the folks in the picture to the right have 6 River Run titles, the American record for the 15k (42:22), 4 Boston Marathon wins, 4 New York City marathon wins, 3 Olympic appearances and a 2nd place in the 30-39 age group at the 2004 Spring Jubilee 5K. Pretty impressive stuff, eh?
UPDATE: I found Todd Williams' splits for his American record 15k on his website:
1 mile - 4:23
2 mile - 8:46 (4:23)
3 mile - 13:15 (4:29)
4 mile - 17:46 (4:31)
5 mile - 22:24 (4:38)
6 mile - 27:04 (4:40)
7 mile - 31:50 (4:46)
8 mile - 36:21 (4:31)
9 mile - 40:58 (4:37)
15k - 42:22 (1:24, 4:40/mi pace)
His splits were slowing until he hit the Hart Bridge and he dropped 15 seconds from the previous split going up that beast.
River Run week got off to a fun start last night with the Retro Ruver Run 5k. Tube socks and afros everywhere. The race started on Coastline Drive and meandered through dowtown, then over the Main Street Bridge, back over the Acosta Bridge and finishing on Hogan Street. I didn’t start my watch until we turned left on Market. The track on the map is very wobbly because James and I started near the back of over 2,000 runners and had to zig-zag considerably. He was pushing Maddy in the jogging stroller, so ft was easier for me to weave through traffic.
I decided to pick up the pace on Hogan just before Monroe. I had a blast looking at all of the great costumes and catching up with friends. On the bridges, I would run as hard as I could until I reached a wall of runners. I would slow down until there was a break and pick up the pace again. I ran pretty hard down the Acosta.
Other things to look forward to include a fun run with Bill Rogers and Todd Williams on Monday evening at Epping Forest. The Pasta Dinner at the River Club is on Thursday night. Meb Keflezighi, Bill Rodgers, Hal Higdon, Todd Williams, and other running luminaries will be there. The Expo and packet pick-up are on Thursday and Friday and the big race in on Saturday.
This will be my 7th River Run, and 5th consecutive. I also ran the race in 1986 and 1987. I remember the finish of the 1987 race being less than spectacular. Along the race course, a group had set up an unofficial water station. But instead of water, they served that super sweet citrus concoction known as Sunny Delight. It was a warm day, I was running hard and undertrained. As I crossed the finish line, I puked Sunny Delight all over the street. Nice memory, eh? Maybe that's why I went on a 16-year hiatus from the race.
Running mileage looks similar, despite the hip issues. Swim volume is 35% greater and bike volume is 30% greater. Need to do more work in the pool, really get those numbers up. Bike volume should continue to trend up.
On the rivet one last time at the Lee track with Jay, John and Mike. Jay and John ran 10 x 400 at mile pace. Mike and I opted for some longer intervals so we did 2 x 1000 a little slower than 5k pace, 2 x 800 at 5k pace and 3 x 400 at mile pace.
Like Tuesday, it was a bit muggy out there. The hip was a bit sore in the 1-mile warm-up, but didn't feel terribly bad during the intervals. Looking at the chart, the recovery period between the first and second 1000 was about 25 seconds shorter than the recovery period between the second 1000 and the first 800. As a result, my heart rate only dropped to around 140 before it was time to go again. It didn't really affect performance, because the second 1000 was 2 seconds faster than the first. Recovery between thesecond 800 and the first 400 was a full 1:30, which allowed my heart rate to recover to almost 120, but then recoveries between the first and second 400 and the second and third 400s were 1:14 and 1:21 respectively, so you can see the dips trend up.
I think doing the workouts with the shorter recovery periods are good for teaching the body to push through the lactic buildup and acclimate itself to staying in the anaerobic zone. However, I don't think shorter recoveries are beneficial for all track workouts, but perhaps just those right before a big race when you are sharpening up for peak performance.
CityCycle is sponsoring a ride for free weekend. Drew Johnson has invited the Cannondale Demo truck to Jacksonville for the weekend. The Cannondale Demo Truck will be at City Cycle on Friday March 2nd to answer questions and tech help.
Saturday morning, March 3rd, they are doing a ride at the Baldwin Rail Trail at 8:00 am. You will be able to take a bike and do the entire 30-mile ride.
Eric Saletel, the Cannondale factory representative, has a truck load of new System Six and Synapse Carbon bikes for people to ride. Helmet and I.D. are required. Get there before 7:30 if you want to ride a $5,000 15-pound Cannondale!
Long run on the schedule for this morning. Met up with Mike and left the neighborhood at 5:50. James joined us at St. Vincent's, just past the 2-mile mark. Headed for downtown to run a bridge loop. I haven't been doing a lot of running (other than races and speedwork) at sub-8:00 pace. That, plus the humidity made for a pretty tough run. Total mileage was about 10.75 miles. I lost 3 or 4 pounds on the run despite consuming a full water bottle of Heed and a water bottle of Endurox after the run. As the day has progressed, it doesn't seem as humid as it was this morning. Maybe it was all in my mind. Makes me nervous about the River Run.
A new group run has started at the 1st Place Sports Jacksonville Beach Store. The runs will start at approx. 6pm (just after the store closes and the workers get changed) on Mon. Wed. and Fri. evenings. The route is approx. 5 miles with varying paces depending on who shows up to run. If you have any questions for them, please call at 270-2221.
Saturday was the perfect day for a race abd a race party. Nice and cool at the start. Beautiful sunny sky, no chance for showers. Folks starting arriving at the house a little before 8. We jogged easy over to the start and enjoyed running with some of the kids in the 1 mile fun run. Stood around and talked for 10 minutes and then hopped into the throng of 2000 for the start. I was standing in a sea of red as I was surrounded by the famous El Guapo Running Club. Really nice people.
Every year I tell myself I am going to start closer to the front for the Ortega River Run. This year it didn't seem so bad dodging folks. It also helped prevent me from starting way too fast. Ran the first mile with Erin and we clocked it a little under 7. She told me she had run the race a couple of years ago and averaged 7:15s. She said she would like to do that again. Little did I know she was sandbagging. Heh.
I was very proud of Woodmere. Lots of folks out, lots of Corrigan signs, and my cheering section at the end of Oleander. Gave Emily and Karen a high five on my way to a quick second mile split of 6:45. I was still running with Erin at this point and I made the decision to slow down and maintain a 7:00 pace. She maintained the faster pace and put some time on me. Running up the 17 bridge was a little tough. I had to keep reminding my self to lean forward. I would find my self running upright and would immediately look down at my shoes to force myself to lean into the incline. I cruised down the bridge, passing the 3-mile mark on the way. My third mile was a 7:15. Yikes.
The momentum from the bridge helped me cruise McGirts at a comfortable clip. I was maintaining the pace going up the little inclines and running down them hard. As usual, there was a terrific group of kids yelling on the last incline before the 4-mile mark. Like last year, they really helped me get up that last little climb. Mile 4 was somewhere around 6:50.
I felt like I had a bit still in the tank and my hip wasn't hurting too terribly bad. Erin had about 100 meters on me and there was no catching her. She was running a great race. I kept pushing and when I hit the flashing lights at the Grand Avenue curve I knew I had a quarter-mile to go. I increased the leg turnover but kept it under control. I crossed the finish line in 34:49, my last mile was around 6:52. My finishing time was only 10 seconds slower than last year, even with the problems I have had with my hip and reduced mileage on the road.
Everyone met up near the finish line and we started a slow jog back to the house for our reward. Once we were home, there were lots of breakfast goodies and I think everyone had a terrific time. I really appreciate the work Karen put into hosting the party. I jokingly refer to the annual Ortega River Run party as my birthday party since I would rather celebrate a great race with friends than I would my birthday.
Finishing times of party attendees:
James Cardozo -- 30:37
Jay Millson -- 31:34 (PR!)
Josh Allen -- 32:26
Mike McLamb -- 34:15
Erin Moore -- 34:25
Greg Umberger -- 34:31
Leah Pust -- 37:36
Lori McLamb -- 40:08 (I think this is a PR)
Jane Mondadori -- 42:10
Marla Stearman -- 56:49 (running for two, no less)
A special bonus at the party was an appearance by Rodney Brown. Rodney and Kelly didn't run the race, they ran on their own earlier, but he still dropped in to visit. Rodney works for the Department of Justice and he returned from Baghdad this past Thursday. He assisted the Iraqi government in the trial of Saddam Hussein, as well as others. He was in the courtroom when Saddam was convicted. Rodney found himself looking Saddam face to face as Saddam left the courtroom. Wow! Rodney also ran the Baghdad Marathon and had his second best marathon ever, despite coming under small arms fire at mile 5. Amazing! It was great to see him at the party.
Now we have 2 weeks until the grand-daddy road race of them all in Jacksonville, the Gate River Run. Looking forward to a good race in the 15k.
One of my favorite races of the year is tomorrow. I consider my home course since I run the route on average at least once a week. Since our house is located just past the 1 mile mark, we host a post-race party every year. Last year I set a 5–mile PR of 34:39 that lasted a little over 3 months before I broke it in Boston running the Harpoon 5–Miler in 34:09.
The goal for tomorrow is to go sub-35 again. A large part of meeting that goal will be contingent on my hip cooperating. The weather is going to be perfect. In the low to mid-50’s and sunny at the start of the race.
Looked up the race numbers for the River Run. I’ll be number 507. Emily is excited to be getting her first race number ever. She will be number 15191 and representing John Stockton Elementary in the Junior River Run.
Just took a look at BFAST’s nice new website to see what the dates are for this year’s races. They have posted some images from past events (and deleted past results, Boo!). Click the link above, then click the triathlon images tab and go to image number 10. Looks like it was taken from the draft fest that was race #3 last year. By posting it on the website are they condoning it?
Medium ride Saturday, medium run Sunday using new fuel
My shipment of fuel arrived last week from Hammer Nutrition. I have used Hammer Gels in the past, and even used a sample of Heed once, but had never tried Perpetuem. Now is the time to start experimenting with nutrition for May’s race. I have heard lots of good things about Perpetuem and I enjoyed my sample of Heed, so I ordered a supply of both.
A couple of hours after ordering, I received a phone call from Whitefish, MT. The folks at Hammer Nutrition call first time buyers to see if they have any questions. Very cool. As you chat with them, they also toss in other freebies like gel flasks, gel samples, and samples of their other nutrition products. I discussed my training with Katey, who made several recommendations regarding product usage. If you ever have a question, they have a support line to answer any product questions.
Saturday was supposed to be a 50–60 mile ride. The weather got in the way and we only did a 40 mile ride. I mixed up a 3–hour supply of Perpetuem in one bottle, and carried an extra bottle of water to drink after every hit of Perpetuem. The resulting liquid from mixing up 4 scoops of Perpetuem in a single bottle wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. For longer rides, you can create a thick paste in a bottle so you can be self-sufficient for a very long effort as long as you can replenish your water supply. The dreamsicle flavor was a very subtle and not too sweet. In the past for a 3–hour ride, I usually take a gel after an hour and a Clif Bar after 2 hours, and Gatorade throughout. On Saturday’s ride I never felt like I was running out of fuel. I also like the idea of using complex carbohydrates to fuel a longer effort. Very cool.
After the ride, I mixed up a bottle of Hammer’s recovery drink Recoverite (one of the free samples). It had a light citrus flavor and was pretty tasty. Recoverite competes with Endurox, and can also be used as a meal replacement. I have a jug of Endurox to finish and will have to decide what product to use then. I do like the lighter flavor of Recoverite as opposed to the very sweet taste of orange Endurox. Maybe I need to try the chocolate Endurox like Jay suggested.
On Sunday, I mixed up a bottle of Heed and went for a one hour run. Again, the drink has a very light flavor and uses complex carbohydrates instead of simple sugars to keep you going.
I plan on testing some other products, like Cytomax and Accelerade to see how they work. And while it is convenient to go with all liquid fuel, I enjoy eating a Clif Bar on a long ride because it is a change of pace from gels and liquids. I have three months until the race, so there is ample time to see what combination works best. Hammer Nutrition will be tough to beat though.
Hammer Nutrition makes it easy (and economical) to try out because they give all first time customers a 15% discount. Plus the benefit of a courtesy call and lots of free goodies in your first order.
After all, this is the year of the Gator. I guess you would classify this as a super sprint. The distances are 250 meter swim in the O dome pool with a time trial start, 4 mile bike and a 1.5 mile run.
Erin has invited us all to come down for the race. I bet we could even get Mike McLamb to race in this one (despite his contempt for the Gators).
Maybe we could even talk the wives into letting us ride our bikes home from the race. . .
| Posted by Marshall M. Butler at 10:05 AM|Permalink
February 15, 2007
Good advice
“Remember: eat, hydrate, stretch and recover. That is how you get faster and stronger--with good recovery; not being on the rivet every session.”
It’s been 2 weeks since my last Every Street update. I have now started to add old Ortega to the grid. I still have some clean-up to do in Avondale, and I need to add the area bordered by Post, King, Park and McDuff. That is the neighborhood I lived in the first 10 years of my life. I grew up on the corner of Cherry and Forbes. Here is the latest Every Street 2007 map.
It’s funny how sterile and clean the streets and neighborhoods look on the map. I immediately look at the grid-pattern of streets on the map I haven’t been to and think about adding them. Then I think about the neighborhoods represented by those streets and think again. Maybe during daylight hours. With a bunch of people. And a police escort.
One of the early morning lifeguards is pregnant. She is only 5 months pregnant, but was experiencing what she thought was labor pains this morning. Apparently, she had hot wings for dinner last night that made her dehydrated and that caused the false labor. Emergency services were called and everyone had to get out of the pool at 6:30 because two lifeguards have to be on duty. I received an e-mail from the Executive Director of the YMCA around lunch and he said she is going to take a couple of days off but will be fine.
When I returned from my run yesterday afternoon, Emily wanted to go for a run. She is registered for the Junior River Run being held in 4 weeks. She took off fast, but when we reached the corner she needed a quick rest and some water. From that point on she listened to me and ran at a steady pace. We ran around the block, which is a little over half a mile. I think it was her best run ever around the block. After the first stop, she didn't stop again and was very consistent. Yeah Emily!
This is a picture she drew of us later on last night of her running with her Daddy. The pink thing in my hand is her water bottle.
What’s a gel worth? A couple of minutes at the end of a 10–mile run? That’s what I have to wonder as I look back at yesterday’s Winter Beaches Run.
The goal was to run 7:30 splits, nice and steady. Last year I shot out running 7:00 – 7:15 splits, only to explode and finish at a 7:36 average pace. The first mile, as always, I got caught in the surge and ran a little faster than I wanted. After passing the first marker in 7:10, I slowed it down a bit and did the next mile in 7:36. Closer to the goal. I stayed on pace until the 7th mile. Then the slowdown began. I have to believe if I had taken a gel atthe halfway point, I could’ve finished stronger. My hip started to nag me as well, but I’m not sure if that was enough to sabotage my race. I tried 15–second surges on the minute during mile 9 to try to reel some folks in, but couldn’t sustain the effort. I finished in 1:16:33, 36 seconds slower than last year’s 1:15:57.
I did run a much smarter race this year, but in the end, I think nutrition was the difference. Aside from not using a gel, the only meals I had prior to the race included Grape Nuts for breakfast and a Clif Bar an hour before the race. Although Karen and I had to keep nursery at church yesterday morning, I still thought I would have a chance to eat lunch. I also thought the race started at 3 pm. Nope, 2 pm start.
Next year I will have a gel and I will know what time the race starts!
Comparing January for 2005, 2006, and 2007, I would say I am almost a week ahead of the past 2 years in terms of training. Certainly a week ahead in swimming and cycling, but the hip injury has lowered the number of miles running. No worries. The strategy for preparing for the 1/2 IM has been to focus on the bike and the swim for strength and fitness, and maintain the run. One month in and everything looks on (ahead of) schedule.
Here is the latest view of my Every Street 2007 project. Next step is to add the streets bordered by McDuff, College, I-95 and the St. Johns River, while tying up some loose ends in Avondale.
I just recently learned of El Guapo and his running club. Apparently, these folks run through Riverside, Avondale and Ortega, and do weekly speed sessions at the Lee Track on Tuesday mornings. Might need to run with them one of these days. Sounds like a fun group.
Ran the Matanzas 5000 on Saturday. I was a bit cynical going into the race because I have been more focused on long, slow, endurance-building running workouts. The race didn’t disappoint. I ran the first mile in 6:40, and then promptly laid down consecutive 7:00 splits. Final kick was OK, but man was I gassed. Looking at the HR data, i jumped straight to the low 170s and stayed there for the entire race. Also painfully apparent is my inability to start slow and run negative splits. The race was fairly large with around 1400 runners. I ended up finishing in the top 150. James beat Josh by 45 seconds (but finished behind Mills, yikes!) and Mike McLamb ran 20 minutes flat.
After the race, we took the kids to the carousel and park to play for a while before heading home. Karen and Molly took the girls home and Josh, James, Erin and I hopped on our bikes for the 50–mile ride home. Riding along US 1 can be hairy, but for the most part cars gave us plenty of room. The 1st Place Sports van and trailer heading back from the race actually gave us the closest drive-by. Not a very nice way to treat customers! From US 1 we went to Racetrack Road in St. Johns county, and then to Bishop Estates where we encountered another cyclist-hating rube.
No traffic at all on the road. This guy pulls up behind us, honks his horn at us, and then guns his engine and flies past us. Just so he could pull into his driveway a quarter mile down the road. Josh pulled up to the gate of his house and yelled for himto come out of his garage. Wasn’t happening. So we continued on. Then 5 minutes later, he comes up behind us again and pulls the same stunt. You really shouldn’t pull that garbage when you have a vanity tag and you let people know where you live. Harry Madden, who lives at 3345 Bishop Estates Road Jacksonville, FL 32259 is a creep and needs someone to tell him about the recently passed Florida law.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. My back tire went flat with a mile to go. I rode it in.
The Matanzas 5000 is the fastest 5k in the area. The weather should be perfect. . .nice and cold. I am anxious to see how I do. My hip is still bugging me, and my long runs aren’t as fast as they used to be. This is mainly because I am following a training plan by Joe Friel that forces me to keep my heart rate low on long runs to build aerobic endurance. I am still doing speed work once a week, but with the really slow long runs, I’m a bit cynical. After the race James and I (and possibly Josh and Erin) are going to ride our bikes home. Should be about a 50–mile ride.
Wrapped up Brickfest 2007 yesterday. Here is a recap of the rest of the week:
Thursday
Picked up Mike M. and met Jay and John for our weekly track session. One mile warm-up followed by 2x(3x400). Then did a little over a mile cooldown. When I returned to the car, I promptly realized that instead of taking my car key off of my key ring and putting it in my shorts, I had taken my house key. My car key was locked in the car. Hello AAA! After watching someone break into my car in less than 60 seconds, I went home and rode the trainer for 30 minutes.
Friday
1800 yards in the pool and then some weights. Did a 30 minute run later that evening.
Saturday
Fifty mile ride through North Jacksonville and Nassau county. Finished on the rail trail. Luckily, no one smashed our car windows at the Imeson trailhead, although evidence covered the ground that many crimes have been committed by the crackheads recently. While it doesn't officially count in the brickfest, I spent 2.5 hours with 15 5 and 6 year-olds at Emily's Adventure Landing birthday party. But since that doesn't count, I had to drag myself onto the treadmill when I got home to do a quick 30-minutes.
Sunday
Last day, woo-hoo! Went ona 30-minute ride through Riverside, adding some streets to my Every Street 2007 project. See latest progress here. Then a 40-minute run, again adding streets to the map.
Totals for the week:
Swim: 5150 yards
Run: 28.7 miles
Bike: 92.3 miles
When you add in 2 weightlifting sessions, it adds up to a little over 12 hours for the week.
I started Brickfest 2007 this past Monday. Annually, to help folks kick start the training year, the Hammerhead Triathlon Club sponsors a brickfest. The rules are:
1. You must do seven days of seven bricks.
2. They must be running (could be done on treadmill), swimming and/or biking (can be a spin class or done on a trainer).
3. You must do a minimum of 30 minutes each event, for a minimum of one hour per day.
4. Events do NOT need to be done right after the other.
5. Events must be two different types (you can't run on the treadmill for 30 mins then run on the road for 30 mins).
6. If you miss a workout, you must start over.
Here is the summary of my Brickfest so far: Monday
Swim 1700 at the Yates YMCA
Run 4 miles at lunch
Tuesday
Run 9.5 miles
Spin for 45 minutes on the trainer doing Isolated Leg Training
Wednesday
Ride bike to the Yates YMCA
Swim 1650
Ride bike home (total distance on the bike was about 10 miles)
Tomorrow is a track work-out and a bike ride later on in the day. It might end up being a spin on the trainer in front of the TV if the weather doesn't cooperate. Friday will be a swim work-out and strides at the track. Saturday is a 50 mile bike ride and a run sometime later in the day. Sunday is a run and a bike ride, not sure when or where.
All of this for a t-shirt. . .although it is a very special t-shirt.
James is also campaigning for an Epic Weekend the first weekend of February. He got the idea from Gordo's Epic Camps . The idea here is you get 4 points for each running mile, 1 point for each biking mile, and 1 point for every 100 meters in the pool. We set an arbitrary goal to accumulate 100 points per day for a weekend. Of course, we would start the weekend on Friday.
Epic Weekend is shorter than Brickfest, but definitely more intense. And no t-shirt!
Was looking at my training log for 2006 and noticed I did a fair amount of running while traveling this year. All told, it adds up to 8 different states and quite a few different places around the state of Florida.
Eleven days into 2007 and training is going well. I am following a half ironman triathlon training plan developed by Joe Friel. So far so good.
To make 2007 training interesting, I have decided that I am going to try to run or bike down every street in my neighborhood using my new Forerunner 305. Because a lot of my runs in this training plan call for me to keep my heartrate in a certain zone for a certain duration, distance is inconsequential, so I don't need to worry about courses that I have measured and know the splits. I have done 2 runs so far with this specifically in mind. Here is an aerial view of my progress so far.
Today Mike, Jay and I did 2x(3x400) with a 400 recovery run between sets. I hit all of my splits but it wasn't easy. A weekly speed session is my only deviation from the Friel plan. With his plan, I was supposed to do some strides and hop on each leg 30 times between intervals. I don't think I'm sabotaging the plan too much with this modification.
No expectations for this race. Since I broke my elbow 6 weeks ago, I've been able to run some but no speed or tempo work. Speed is always the first to go. I have endurance, as evidenced by being able to run the marathon 2 weeks ago after essentially a 4 week taper.
This Sunday a group of runners are going to provide 
is being re-released in April. Up until now, if you wanted a copy, you could expect to shell out over $50. I'll be picking up a copy the day it is released, that is for sure!
Low expectations. That's what I had going into this year's race. Looking at my logbook, my running mileage is down 100 miles from last year, and I haven't run nearly as many races. I have spent a lot of time working on the bike and swim, and really have neglected the run. A lot also has to do with the hip problems I had earlier this year.
. I tried to synch it with the PC, and the Forerunner was dead. Nothing. Took it out of the cradle, tried to turn it on, nothing. Unplugged the cradle from the USB and plugged it into the power cord, nothing.
Greetings from the hurt cellar. Actually, I am no longer in the hurt cellar, but I spent 70 minutes there yesterday. Seventy freakin' minutes. Two minutes and 54 seconds longer than last year. It was bad. It was ugly. It was no fun. 
For Christmas, Karen ordered me a 
Saturday was the perfect day for a race abd a race party. Nice and cool at the start. Beautiful sunny sky, no chance for showers. Folks starting arriving at the house a little before 8. We jogged easy over to the start and enjoyed running with some of the kids in the 1 mile fun run. Stood around and talked for 10 minutes and then hopped into the throng of 2000 for the start. I was standing in a sea of red as I was surrounded by the famous 
What’s a gel worth? A couple of minutes at the end of a 10–mile run? That’s what I have to wonder as I look back at yesterday’s Winter Beaches Run. 
The Matanzas 5000 is the fastest 5k in the area. The weather should be perfect. . .nice and cold. I am anxious to see how I do. My hip is still bugging me, and my long runs aren’t as fast as they used to be. This is mainly because I am following a training plan by Joe Friel that forces me to keep my heart rate low on long runs to build aerobic endurance. I am still doing speed work once a week, but with the really slow long runs, I’m a bit cynical. After the race James and I (and possibly Josh and Erin) are going to ride our bikes home. Should be about a 50–mile ride. 
