This past Saturday was the CRIM Festival of races 10 Mile run in Flint, MI. It was my third consecutive year running the CRIM. I really do like this race. 10 miles is a great racing distance. My results so far are a 1:44:14 in a super hot 2008, and a 1:26:37 in a perfect weather 2009.
This year the weather was very nice. It did warm up towards the end of the race, but I'm pretty sure we started the race with the temps in the low to mid 60's. My final official time was 1:24:04. I was sort of going for a sub 1:25 time. Overall I wanted to just run well and injury free. I can certainly tell I'm a newb at the racing aspect of running. I backed off a few times because my heart rate was climbing fast and I didn't want to crash at the end. However, I still felt great at the end and probably could have knocked those last 4 seconds off to go sub 1:24. My hope next year is to run a sub 80 minute run, but I'll let my fitness level next year dictate that.
My splits for the race:
Mile Time Moving Time
1 0:08:08 0:08:06
2 0:07:58 0:07:56
3 0:08:19 0:08:16
4 0:08:21 0:08:22
5 0:08:20 0:08:16
6 0:08:42 0:08:40
7 0:08:21 0:08:19
8 0:08:30 0:08:27
9 0:08:21 0:08:15
10 0:08:16 0:08:13
That mile 6 is all uphill basically, and mile 8 picks up another hill not as bad.
I'm very happy with these results. This next week mileage approaches 45 miles, and I have a 20 mile training run on the marathon course this coming Saturday that I'm anxious to run.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Week 10 of training
This has been my best week of training. I knew it would be a challenge to get my long run in on the weekend as we had family coming in for a visit. I planned on going out very early on Saturday morning. Set my alarm for 4:30 am, but we ended up getting thunderstorms basically all night. They finished around 8 in the morning. I considered the run lost until the family that was planning on staying the night decided to leave Saturday night. I was out the door by 5:45 am on a beautiful Sunday morning and had my best long run to date, maybe even my best overall run. It was 63 out and not humid at all, what great weather!
M - 3 easy miles
T - 7 miles @ 9:25 pace
W - 4 miles
R - 8 easy miles @ 9:45 pace
F - Rest
S - Rest
S - 18.5 miles @ 9:38 pace
The thing about the long run is I know I'm supposed to slow down. I was very pleased with that long run at a 9:38 pace because I was very consistent over my run. Only 1 mile that was almost all uphill came close to 10:00, the rest were right around that average pace. The last two miles were 9:52 and 9:53, and the last half mile was at a 9:37 pace. I felt great when I was done, and quite honestly this was the first run I thought I could have extended out way past what I was doing. If I wasn't already pressed for time, I may have just turned it into a 20 mile training run, but I have a couple of those coming anyways.
And... it is race week. Time to rest and get ready for the Crim in Flint this week.
M - 3 easy miles
T - 7 miles @ 9:25 pace
W - 4 miles
R - 8 easy miles @ 9:45 pace
F - Rest
S - Rest
S - 18.5 miles @ 9:38 pace
The thing about the long run is I know I'm supposed to slow down. I was very pleased with that long run at a 9:38 pace because I was very consistent over my run. Only 1 mile that was almost all uphill came close to 10:00, the rest were right around that average pace. The last two miles were 9:52 and 9:53, and the last half mile was at a 9:37 pace. I felt great when I was done, and quite honestly this was the first run I thought I could have extended out way past what I was doing. If I wasn't already pressed for time, I may have just turned it into a 20 mile training run, but I have a couple of those coming anyways.
And... it is race week. Time to rest and get ready for the Crim in Flint this week.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Week 9 of Training
Forgot to post this weeks worth of training. You can tell I'm around peak training mileage since I'm hardly online the past few weeks.
M - easy 4 miles
T - easy 7 miles
W - Rest
R - 5 miles
F - 7 miles
S - Rest
S - 16.5 miles @ 9:57
The Sunday long run was not fun. I got up and out the door at 5:30 am and it was already 75 and very humid. I struggled much of the run. That pace was a moving pace. I think I stopped 3 or 4 times in the last mile or so.
I was very pleased with almost 40 miles of running for this week. The short weekday runs are now creeping up to 5 miles, and very soon the middle distance runs during the week will be 8 miles.
M - easy 4 miles
T - easy 7 miles
W - Rest
R - 5 miles
F - 7 miles
S - Rest
S - 16.5 miles @ 9:57
The Sunday long run was not fun. I got up and out the door at 5:30 am and it was already 75 and very humid. I struggled much of the run. That pace was a moving pace. I think I stopped 3 or 4 times in the last mile or so.
I was very pleased with almost 40 miles of running for this week. The short weekday runs are now creeping up to 5 miles, and very soon the middle distance runs during the week will be 8 miles.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Shoes
It seems like any somewhat serious long distance runner has some sort of inherent affliction with shoes. A simple google search on the lifespan of a pair of running shoes will bring up a wide variety of opinions. From reading through quite a few articles, I figure on getting 300 - 500 miles out of any one pair of shoes. Certain factors appear to play into the life of the shoe such as weight and frequency of runs. An article written by a runner here discusses rotating shoes. Basically, he says, rotating 2 pairs of shoes will last longer then 3 new pairs worn consecutively. Finally, some would encourage you to run barefooted or with minimalist shoes. I'll provide my take on barefoot running at the end of this article, so skip to the end if you don't care to read about my progression of shoes.
Being over (or around) the 200 lb threshold brings some other considerations to the table. I'm a neutral style runner. I have seen the term biomechanically efficient, and biomechanically correct. Basically, I have a normal gait. I also have a fairly normal arch and the width of my feet are standard. I tend to favor heavier cushion shoes that are geared towards the heavier runner. In 2008, I bought a pair of Asics Cumulus 10's for my marathon training and for the marathon itself. I bought a pair of Saucony Ride to replace those Asics. My thought at the time was a little lighter shoe. They were sold to me as cushion shoes for the neutral runner. However, after I bought them, I found a review that classified them as performance trainers. Despite that, they still were fine to wear on runs under 8-10 miles. At the time I was wearing them, I was in the 205-212 range for weight.
My next pair of shoes was the Mizuno Wave Rider 11's. I liked these shoes a lot, and they became my staple shoe for training for the 2009 marathon. I put around 200 miles in these shoes and they were the shoe I ran in for the CRIM in Flint. However, I started getting a pain in my knee that I attributed to a slight stumble in a training run. It got worse, and I ultimately had to stop training for a while and rest the knee, thus missing my 2009 marathon attempt. My shoes felt flat, and reading around on some running forums, I found some runners who wore the same shoe were also having the same type of knee problem. A friend who happened to be a runner and had the same size feet put my shoes on and said they felt very "flat" to him. No response, and no cushion. I had just picked up a pair of Nike Air Pegasus 25's for under 25 bucks, so I thought I'd give those a try. I do no like these shoes very much at all. They feel narrow and stiff with almost a plastic like feeling to them. I still wear them for short treadmill runs at home, but that is about all I'll wear them for in the future.
This past Spring, the 5/3rd River Bank run had a runner's expo before the race. I stopped in and found a pair of New Balance 1063 on clearance. The 1064's were out, so that is why they were getting rid of them. I bought them, and I have not been disappointed. The fit is great, and as silly as it sounds, I love the laces. I have just over 300 miles on those shoes and they are still in good shape. I've considered buying another pair of these as the clearance prices are still slowly dropping.
Around the 100 mile point of the New Balance 1063, I wanted to pick up another pair to start a rotation. Mileage is piling up fast, and I wanted to extend the life of them. It was at that point I watched a video on Barefoot running. That video can be seen here.
I have started to change my viewpoint on running in the bare foot. Personally, I am looking at minimalist shoes. I just can't bring myself to run in the bare. But one key takeaway from that video is that it takes time to switch over. The major step for me is changing my running style. And I figured I could do this with my super cushion shoes. I'm running less upright with shorter strides, making sure to strike on the forefoot. The cushion shoes make that a difficult task, so instead of buying another pair of 1063's, I started looking at lighter shoes to wear. I figure it will be important for me to continue to lose weight as well, so I should follow a natural progression in lighter shoes anyways. I decided to buy the New Balance 758 shoes. For the barefoot runners and minimalist people, these are still shoes that are way too built up in the heel. I know that. I'm not pretending to be part of their culture ... at least not yet ;)
The New Balance 758's are 4 oz lighter then my 1063. I've put 50 miles on those shoes and I do like them a lot. I do notice less cushion in them, but they feel better on a longer run than my Saucony Ride's did. I also do find it easier to strike the forefoot as well. I'm also still shopping around for true minimalist shoes. When I switch between the 1063 and the 758, I still find myself liking the 1063 model shoe. So, I'm at a crossroads with the minimal shoe decision. I haven't committed to it yet, and I want to get through this training cycle and race before I recommit myself to it. I may even buy one more pair of 1063's to finish this cycle out.
Being over (or around) the 200 lb threshold brings some other considerations to the table. I'm a neutral style runner. I have seen the term biomechanically efficient, and biomechanically correct. Basically, I have a normal gait. I also have a fairly normal arch and the width of my feet are standard. I tend to favor heavier cushion shoes that are geared towards the heavier runner. In 2008, I bought a pair of Asics Cumulus 10's for my marathon training and for the marathon itself. I bought a pair of Saucony Ride to replace those Asics. My thought at the time was a little lighter shoe. They were sold to me as cushion shoes for the neutral runner. However, after I bought them, I found a review that classified them as performance trainers. Despite that, they still were fine to wear on runs under 8-10 miles. At the time I was wearing them, I was in the 205-212 range for weight.
My next pair of shoes was the Mizuno Wave Rider 11's. I liked these shoes a lot, and they became my staple shoe for training for the 2009 marathon. I put around 200 miles in these shoes and they were the shoe I ran in for the CRIM in Flint. However, I started getting a pain in my knee that I attributed to a slight stumble in a training run. It got worse, and I ultimately had to stop training for a while and rest the knee, thus missing my 2009 marathon attempt. My shoes felt flat, and reading around on some running forums, I found some runners who wore the same shoe were also having the same type of knee problem. A friend who happened to be a runner and had the same size feet put my shoes on and said they felt very "flat" to him. No response, and no cushion. I had just picked up a pair of Nike Air Pegasus 25's for under 25 bucks, so I thought I'd give those a try. I do no like these shoes very much at all. They feel narrow and stiff with almost a plastic like feeling to them. I still wear them for short treadmill runs at home, but that is about all I'll wear them for in the future.
This past Spring, the 5/3rd River Bank run had a runner's expo before the race. I stopped in and found a pair of New Balance 1063 on clearance. The 1064's were out, so that is why they were getting rid of them. I bought them, and I have not been disappointed. The fit is great, and as silly as it sounds, I love the laces. I have just over 300 miles on those shoes and they are still in good shape. I've considered buying another pair of these as the clearance prices are still slowly dropping.
Around the 100 mile point of the New Balance 1063, I wanted to pick up another pair to start a rotation. Mileage is piling up fast, and I wanted to extend the life of them. It was at that point I watched a video on Barefoot running. That video can be seen here.
I have started to change my viewpoint on running in the bare foot. Personally, I am looking at minimalist shoes. I just can't bring myself to run in the bare. But one key takeaway from that video is that it takes time to switch over. The major step for me is changing my running style. And I figured I could do this with my super cushion shoes. I'm running less upright with shorter strides, making sure to strike on the forefoot. The cushion shoes make that a difficult task, so instead of buying another pair of 1063's, I started looking at lighter shoes to wear. I figure it will be important for me to continue to lose weight as well, so I should follow a natural progression in lighter shoes anyways. I decided to buy the New Balance 758 shoes. For the barefoot runners and minimalist people, these are still shoes that are way too built up in the heel. I know that. I'm not pretending to be part of their culture ... at least not yet ;)
The New Balance 758's are 4 oz lighter then my 1063. I've put 50 miles on those shoes and I do like them a lot. I do notice less cushion in them, but they feel better on a longer run than my Saucony Ride's did. I also do find it easier to strike the forefoot as well. I'm also still shopping around for true minimalist shoes. When I switch between the 1063 and the 758, I still find myself liking the 1063 model shoe. So, I'm at a crossroads with the minimal shoe decision. I haven't committed to it yet, and I want to get through this training cycle and race before I recommit myself to it. I may even buy one more pair of 1063's to finish this cycle out.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
199, 198, 197...
The weight is still coming off. I normally weigh myself before and after each run. The "official" weight I try to record each Monday is the post workout run. It usually comes after an easy 3-5 mile run. I wrote about my sub 200 weigh-in a bit ago, and I'm very pleased with my progress. I have stepped on the scale under 200 lbs before most of my runs lately. My lowest post-run weight has reached 196.8 last week. I seem to have steadied around the 198 plateau. I'm still hoping to hit 190 by the end of this month.
While it is not easy balancing a diet with running longer distances, I really expect this effort to pay off down the road. I'm still battling mentally with a sub 4 hour marathon time; however, I expect to improve my fitness and training over the winter where the current struggle over a 9:09 minute mile will seem like a distant memory.
While it is not easy balancing a diet with running longer distances, I really expect this effort to pay off down the road. I'm still battling mentally with a sub 4 hour marathon time; however, I expect to improve my fitness and training over the winter where the current struggle over a 9:09 minute mile will seem like a distant memory.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Week 8 of Training
Weather can be a killer in Michigan. This week was no exception. I ran three of my runs in temps over 85, with one of them being in 90+ temps, all with humidity. Then, after taking off for my long run of 15 miles, a thunderstorm came in and cut it short at the 6 mile mark. I spent most of Sunday depressed about missing my long run. Today, I figured I'd post my update of week 8's training, and then I'll sit down with my schedule and figure out how to work my mileage back to where it needs to be.
M - Rest
T - 4 miles
W - 7 easy miles (93 degrees)
R - 3 easy miles
F - 7 miles @ 9:11 pace
S - Rest
S - 6 miles run
I was feeling good for that Sunday run too. I expected to go out a little slow, approximately 10:00 miles. I figured I would slowly work my way up to a 9:30-9:45 pace, and I had it in my mind I would finish the last two or three miles around 9:15 depending on how I felt. I know I am pushing my limits with a 4 hour marathon goal, so any missed training run, especially the long run, feels like a major disappointment.
M - Rest
T - 4 miles
W - 7 easy miles (93 degrees)
R - 3 easy miles
F - 7 miles @ 9:11 pace
S - Rest
S - 6 miles run
I was feeling good for that Sunday run too. I expected to go out a little slow, approximately 10:00 miles. I figured I would slowly work my way up to a 9:30-9:45 pace, and I had it in my mind I would finish the last two or three miles around 9:15 depending on how I felt. I know I am pushing my limits with a 4 hour marathon goal, so any missed training run, especially the long run, feels like a major disappointment.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Week 7 of Training
Since I started this blog with a few weeks of training under my belt, I'll pick up with the results of week 7's training from Hal Higdon's Novice I plan.
Hit all my runs this week.
Monday - 4 easy miles
Tuesday - 7 pace Miles - 9:04 pace
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 4 easy Miles
Friday - 7 easy Miles 9:39 pace
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 14 Mile Long Run - 10:02 pace
One thing I wanted to accomplish with my long run was to keep my heart rate down. The weird thing is, I woke up last night not feelin well. I still got up at 5:15 to run the planned run and felt "Ok". started running, and felt ok the first 5 or so miles. Around mile 7, I picked up my second water bottle and started to not feel well again. By mile ten or so, I felt pukey. I was still running ok, around a 10:10 to 10:19 pace, but felt miserable in my stomach. For mile 12 and 13, since I felt sick, but was still running ok, I kept a 10:10 and 10:11 pace. My stomach was tearing me up on that last mile, as I felt horrible. Finshed the last mile with a 10:23 pace.
So, I probably should have had something more substantial to eat when I first woke up. Around that mile 6-7 mark, I was screaming mad hungry. I also didn't have a Gatorade that I usually do my long runs wiht. I happened to have run out and didn't realize it. Today, I picked up some more Gatorades to have on hand, as well as my gummy treats to snack on during my runs. I consider today's run a "gut check" run. A 36 mile week feels good, looking back on it.
Hit all my runs this week.
Monday - 4 easy miles
Tuesday - 7 pace Miles - 9:04 pace
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 4 easy Miles
Friday - 7 easy Miles 9:39 pace
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 14 Mile Long Run - 10:02 pace
One thing I wanted to accomplish with my long run was to keep my heart rate down. The weird thing is, I woke up last night not feelin well. I still got up at 5:15 to run the planned run and felt "Ok". started running, and felt ok the first 5 or so miles. Around mile 7, I picked up my second water bottle and started to not feel well again. By mile ten or so, I felt pukey. I was still running ok, around a 10:10 to 10:19 pace, but felt miserable in my stomach. For mile 12 and 13, since I felt sick, but was still running ok, I kept a 10:10 and 10:11 pace. My stomach was tearing me up on that last mile, as I felt horrible. Finshed the last mile with a 10:23 pace.
So, I probably should have had something more substantial to eat when I first woke up. Around that mile 6-7 mark, I was screaming mad hungry. I also didn't have a Gatorade that I usually do my long runs wiht. I happened to have run out and didn't realize it. Today, I picked up some more Gatorades to have on hand, as well as my gummy treats to snack on during my runs. I consider today's run a "gut check" run. A 36 mile week feels good, looking back on it.
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