Almost a half

Today was my long run. I did it today instead of Saturday because I got several things to do tomorrow, so I just adjusted and moved it up a day, which is something I'll need to do again in a couple of weeks. I learned today that eating better the day before, PLUS hydrating myself better makes a tremendous difference. Though it was an "easy" run, meaning that I wasn't going for speed, I still was faster by over 4 minutes for the first 10 miles that I ran over what I ran last Saturday. Sure, temps made a difference, as today it was cooler, but still I know that eating better and being hydrated really helped. I set out knowing that my training schedule called for 11, but I really wanted to do 12, and that's what I did - I truly could have gone a few more miles. That's not intended to be bragging - it's just intended to remind me of the necessity of preparation. Today was the second longest run I've ever gone on, topped only by the half-marathon I ran last November. From here on out for the next few weeks, my long run will set new personal records for distance. Here are the splits:
Mi 1 - 9:06.22
Mi 2 - 9:01.75
Mi 3 - 9:02.83
Mi 4 - 9:19.26
Mi 5 - 9:41.24
Mi 6 - 9:23.93 (55:35.23)
Mi 7 - 9:22.08
Mi 8 - 9:26.62
Mi 9 - 9:38.18
Mi 10 - 9:34.38 (1:33:36.49)
Mi 11 - 9:35.99
Mi 12 - 9:16.03
Total = 1:52:28.51

I'm excited my last mile was almost as fast as my first! I also learned that almost 2 hours alone with me is a long time. I felt like I ran all over Goldsboro. Thank goodness for the ipod!

Adaptability

I really was hurting from the run this past Saturday. I truly believe I was pretty dehydrated, and I was actually still not feeling well all the way till Tuesday morning. So while my schedule called for 5 easy miles on Monday, I decided I needed to rest my body. Wednesday I was scheduled to run a 4-mile fartlek (who fartleked?), so I decided I would do a 5-mile fartlek instead. My youngest son wanted to run 2 miles with me because he was going to miss soccer practice that night for "Trunk or Treat" at the church, and we were talking about the run as we were on the way home from school. Next thing you know, his friend that rides home with us decided he wanted to run 2 miles with us. I knew this was a bad idea - Aaron runs a lot with soccer, and he's one of the better runners on his team - so he's a pretty strong runner. I was pretty confident this kid wouldn't be able to hang with us, and that we'd definitely have to slow things down for him to keep up. I was right - he couldn't finish 1 mile with us, and he walked back home. Anyway, I was glad when the 2 miles were done with Aaron because though he is 10, he still doesn't seem to have the sense to really pay attention as he's crossing the roads while we run. I was getting so stressed watching him ahead of me (of course) and seeing him not look both ways, it was such a relief to get back home. Here are the splits:
Mi 1 - 8:53.76
Mi 2 - 8:34.07
Mi 3 - 8:57.42
Mi 4 - 9:11.09
Mi 5 - 8:36.76
0.31 Mi - 2:35.27
Total = 46:48.37

Tomorrow I've got 11 scheduled, but I really feel like I may push it to 12 - at least that's the hope. I've already prepared much better than for my last long run - I've eaten better today, and I've been drinking plenty of water. I'll get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast, and off I go in the AM!

Respect the miles

I learned an incredibly important and valuable lesson today! All week I have known that I was scheduled to run 10 miles today, and it hasn't concerned me one single bit. So I flippantly stayed up much too late Thursday night, got up much too early Friday, and then stayed up much too late again on Friday night. On top of that, I barely ate yesterday (Friday), eating only an egg and a piece of toast for breakfast, a McD's regular double cheeseburger for lunch, and 4 pancakes and a piece of sausage at the church Pancake Supper last night. So after staying up too late last night, I tried to sleep in a bit, but I still knew I had 10 miles to run, so I finally got up and ate 2 pieces of toast and a cup of milk, and then went for my run about 40 minutes later.

I knew I was in trouble when I was already feeling it in my legs at mile 3. Yes, it was quite a bit warm and humid today, but I really should not be bothered at mile 3. I'm glad I took all four water bottles for my fuel belt, and I made sure to take a gel for mid-run, but it was not a fun run. I just couldn't believe how bad I felt, especially considering how good I felt last week for the 10K. But the difference was that last week I was prepared - I ate well the day before, fully hydrated, and I also had plenty of rest. So, lesson learned. I will do much better next time.

Here are the splits:
Mi 1 - 8:55.57
Mi 2 - 8:55.05
Mi 3 - 9:09.56
Mi 4 - 9:28.37
Mi 5 - 9:46.51
Mi 6 - 9:56.71
Mi 7 - 10:03.19
Mi 8 - 10:12.56
Mi 9 - 10:28.92
Mi 10 - 10:26.37
Total = 1:37:22.81

You can see how bad I was lagging as the run went on. I promise it will be different next week when I have 12 miles scheduled for the long run.

As an end note, I really think I was dehydrated today. I was miserable during and after the run. When I got home I decided to try something I've read quite a bit about for after a long run: the dreaded ice bath. I got Jacob to go across the street to the church with me with a large cooler so we could grab some ice, and then I came back filled the tub with the cooler of ice, and I tried to get in. YIKES! Holy freaking cow, it was cold! If I do that again, I may get in the tub of water first, and then S-L-O-W-L-Y add the ice. I couldn't make it all the way in - too much. We went and ate at the Chili Cookoff here in town, and then had to go to Walmart, and I swear, by the time we got home I was barely coherent. I was just numb all over. I've never felt like that after a long run - granted, it's been almost a year since I've run at least 10 miles. As soon as we got home I laid down and rested for a little over an hour, and I have been a different person since. All of this contributes to my lesson of the day: Respect the miles.

2 days - hitting my stride

Yesterday was supposed to be a day of rest for me, but instead I took the day of rest on Tuesday and I ran an easy 3 miles. I am following a marathon training plan, and I'm pretty proud of how strictly I have been following the plan, but every now and then you've got to change the plans. Yesterday (Wednesday) I was just burning with nervous energy, and I could tell my stress level was high, so I really wanted to run. Again, since it was supposed to be a rest day, I was very proud of myself that I did just an easy 3 mile run. In fact, for once, I left the ipod at home and just soaked it all in. My son Aaron ran the first mile with me, and it was awesome just to run with him for that mile (yes, he went slow so that I could stick with him and still have an easy run). Here are my splits for that run:
Mi 1 - 9:10.67
Mi 2 - 9:15.23
Mi 3 - 9:12.34
Total = 27:38.24

Thursdays are always crazy days in my life. Jenn usually has to be in Raleigh on Thursday for her law firm, so I'm fully responsible for the boys - which is cool, but sometimes stressful. Anyway, today I had 5 miles on my training schedule - 1 easy warm up, 3 tempo, 1 easy cool down. I've not had to do a run like this, so it was kind of neat that when I heard my Garmin chirp that I had finished the first mile, I was able to kick it up a notch. I was pleasantly surprised how strong I felt for the 3 miles, yet it was also quite pleasant to hit the final cool down mile.

Mi 1 - 8:36.75
Mi 2 - 8:09.92
Mi 3 - 8:08.95
Mi 4 - 8:13.75
Mi 5 - 9:06.48
Total = 42:15.85

Saturday I'm still undecided about what to do. I have a scheduled 10 mile run, but there is a local 5k that I really would like to run. I ran this race last year, and it was the first race that I had run since I was in high school, and I finished 3rd in my age group! The think that sucks/stinks about the race is that it doesn't begin until 11:00 AM. AND Duke has a home game at 1:30, that we are seriously considering experiencing (pending the rain). But right now I am definitely leaning towards not running the 5k, if for no other reason than I want to run an uninterrupted 10 miles (I'll probably push it to 11).

Reasons of Run

For Monday, my training schedule called for an "easy" 5 miles. Yesterday was just one of those days that seemed to start off good, but the start of the day was the high point - it all went down from there. So I was actually looking forward to getting in my run to blow off some steam. One of my sons had "homework" from his soccer coach, and he was supposed to run 1-1.5 miles and then report the time to the coach, so Aaron decided he would go out for a run with Dad. It was nice to run with him, but he and his brother are fast, and even though he was taking it easy, we still ran at an 8:20 per mile mace for 2 miles, and that was a bit quicker than what I was wanting to run for my easy run! We finished up his 2 miles right at our house, and I was able to keep on running to finish my 5, though I did slow down just a bit.

Yesterday was just one of those runs that I needed. Everyone that runs has a different reason that they run. Some may run so that they can still eat the things that they want to eat. Some may run because they enjoy being outdoors. Some may run just because they are idiots. I run for a lot of reasons. Sometimes I run to be able to push myself to things I wasn't sure I could do. Sometimes I run because I have a fierce competitive streak in me. Sometimes I run to escape from the stress of the world, and that's what I did yesterday. Once I dropped Aaron off at the house I listened to a podcast of one of my favorite preachers, and it seemed like he was talking just to me. I felt so much better after my run, it was as if the day had started over.

I'm still trying to be careful with regards to my shins. I'm just paranoid that I'm going to develop another stress fracture. So I am trying to be very diligent in following the training schedule, and not over do it - again. My training schedule calls for me to do cross training today (Tuesday), and then take Wednesday as a day off, and my next run coming Thursday. If I feel really good tomorrow, I'm going to go for a short run. Gotta love it.

Here are the splits from the run today:
Mi 1 - 8:20.07
Mi 2 - 8:20.54
Mi 3 - 8:57.14
Mi 4 - 9:12.81
Mi 5 - 9:11.59
Total = 44:02.15

Crossing the Bridge

I had to get up at 5:10 this morning just so that I could get up, get dressed, and get to New Bern for the Neuse River Bridge Run 10K. As I was trying to get myself started this morning, I kept asking myself the question "Why do I do this again?" I couldn't come up with a good answer, but I could come up with an answer of why I had to get up and do this one today: I had already paid for it! Yes, money can be a motivator.

As I drove, I began to get a little concerned about the weather as it began to mist a bit. Outside, it was 46 degrees and winds around 10 mph, and I knew that a misty rain would make it feel even colder as we crossed the bridges over the Neuse and Trent River. I had to be there and registered by 7:30, because there were buses that transported you from the registration area (which was the finish area) to the start, and the last bus was to leave at 7:30. Got there on time, in spite of a road being closed and having to trust my natural manly "hunter" instincts ;-). I was relieved to know that they were providing a "sweat shuttle," so I could wear my warm-ups all the way up till the start of the race, and they would shuttle them back to the finish for me. As I rode the crowded bus over to the start, it was intimidating to see and hear the wind blow as we crossed the rivers. They dropped up off in a Food Lion parking lot, which is where the start was, and we had an hour before the race started. So I sat. There were probably 200-300 people that went inside the Food Lion, but I just sat outside. But I sat outside - getting my "game face" on - and taking a nap.

After running a warm-up mile, I ditched the sweats and got ready. I was determined that I was not going to go out on the first mile and run crazy - I wanted to run a nice, even pace. As we started, crowds were rushing past me, but that was ok - I was looking at them and thinking to myself, "Don't worry - you'll see them again." At the first mile marker there was a water table, which is unusual - I can't say I ever seen a water table that early in a race. I was wondering why in the world they would have one at mile 1, and only later did I realize it was because it wasn't until mile 4 that we were running on solid ground again (remember, this was a bridge run). As I look at the stats from my Garmin, it is funny how you can almost trace the bridge as it show the elevation increase and decrease. On the increase, I began to see those people that had passed me early. I just felt strong this morning, and I wish in hindsight that I had pushed myself harder, because I had a lot left in the tank at the end.

One neat thing they did at the end of the race: with about a quarter mile left, there were people on the side with walkie-talkies, and they were calling out the numbers of the racers as we went by. As I got closer to the finish, I was then able to hear on the PA, "And here comes Adam Seate, bringing it home! Come on Adam!" That was a neat touch, and it definitely inspired me to bring it home. Lame, I know - but still, I thought it was a cool touch.

Here are my splits and final time for the race:
Mi 1 - 8:34.34
Mi 2 - 8:27.89
Mi 3 - 8:37.59
Mi 4 - 8:22.98
Mi 5 - 8:05.06
Mi 6 - 7:55.62
.2 - 1:49
Total = 51:52

I was pleased with the race, mainly because I really felt I was good for several more miles. For me, these times represent progress, considering I've only been back running from my stress fracture for just a little over a month. Symbolic that I ran across some bridges, while I feel like I also crossed some bridges from where I was to where I'm going.

End note: One of the strangest things happened in the race today. There was a cop who was riding a motorcycle, and this particular cop kept ticking me off because of the way he would recklessly ride around the runners. This guy, who could barely fit on his bike due to his weight, just seemed to want to ride back and forth from front to back showing everyone he could ride. He kept annoying me the way he almost ran into several runners, and he just didn't seem to have any sense at all on that bike. The dude went buzzing past me not too far from the finish - maybe a mile away - and I swear I was close to flipping him off - he had no business coming up that close to me and he passed me from behind! As he kept going and made the next turn, I just kept running. After I made the same turn, I came upon people hollering and jumping out into the road to stop traffic. I couldn't see what was going on - all I saw was there was a car on my right that was stopped as it was pulling into a driveway. As I ran past the car, there was the cop on the group - dude got hit by the car, and you could tell he was hurt. Fortunately I didn't see blood, but by the look on his face, he was hurting. I do not know what happened to him, but truly the guy was an idiot on that bike. I feel sorry for him, but I also feel sorry for the driver who hit the cop. That's gotta suck.

Excuse me, did you fartlek?

Back when I was in high school and college (yes, back in the dark ages of the late 80s and early 90s), when I ran, I simply ran. My XC coach would have a training schedule for us - some days long runs, other days interval training. I thought I knew a little bit about running, but when I saw on my training schedule for today that I was to do "fartlek training," I thought I was a natural! OK - I lie - I had no clue what fartlek training was, so I had to google it. In case you don't know, "fartlek" means "speed play" in Swedish (Ya, dis true!). Fartlek training is where you go out for a run and pick a distance on the horizon, and then sprint to that designated location. It's supposed to be like making running a game, and since you aren't running exact differences, you can't lose!

Today I had to do 4 miles of fartlek training, so I ate an extra helping of beans for lunch, and then I was ready to go this afternoon. ;-) The temp was a wonderful 55, and I think I over dressed - long sleaves are not necessary at 55 degrees. I decided that for my fartleks, I would actually do them on hills in my neighborhood - I would sprint up the hill, and then jog back down it and over a block to the next hill. I ran my guts out - not a mental picture you really want me to develop here. However, I felt OK at the end of the run. Even though each mile was broken up quite a bit, I still had fairly level splits, even after getting tired from running the hills. Here are the splits:
Mi 1 - 8:37.11
Mi 2 - 8:10.35
Mi 3 - 8:49.24
Mi 4 - 8:42.36
Mi 0.15 - 1:16.24
Total = 35:35.30

Still no problems where I had the stress fractures earlier this year. I think I'm safe to add another day of running next week - I hated taking 2 days in a row off from running. I am excited about running the Bridge Run in New Bern on Saturday. Not looking forward getting up early on Saturday to drive to New Bern to pick up my registration, take the bus ride to the starting point, and then waiting for the race to start.

Dial it back

One of the most difficult things for me to do is to completely understand that I am not a teenager anymore. In my mind, I am still capable of running 5 minute miles; in reality, I'm not. I have learned that I am in fact 38 (!!!), and I feel it. That being said, one of the reasons that I have suffered from not one but two stress fractures this year is because I still think I am a teenager - at least physically. I would go out and run just as hard as I could, and I would do it again the next day. The consistant pounding and over-training is what led to the stress fractures, and so I have learned that I have got to dial back my running. I'm now not running every single day, but usually giving at least one day in between runs. I have also learned (from reading and my ortho doc) that I've got to mix up my runs - one day run long, another day run short and fast, another day just go slow and easy. The most difficult runs for me are the "slow and easy," because I want to do more. I guess I'm an adrenaline junkie, and I want to feel like I've done something. I may start out planning on just doing "slow and easy," but I usually end up pushing it far more than I had hoped to do.

Today was supposed to be a "slow and easy" 4 miles, and looking at my schedule this afternoon and evening, I decided to go for my run at lunch. What a great way to break up the day! I ran a trail in a nearby park, had a little light rain hitting me, and I just enjoyed myself. I also was pleased that I was able to maintain a nice and easy slow pace - and I felt like I could have kept running for several more miles - which is a good sign that it was a "slow and easy" run. Below are my splits for today:
Mi 1 - 9:03.73
Mi 2 - 9:14.66
Mi 3 - 9:23.39
Mi 4 - 9:17.38
Total = 36:59.16

I'm now supposed to cross train tomorrow and have a day of rest on Wednesday. I'm excited about the 10K on Saturday - I think it's going to be a beautiful run!
www.bridgerun.org

5K + 7M = UGH!

Today I did decide to go out and support my friend who's church was sponsoring a 5K, so I got up early this morning and headed out there to get registered and warmed up. Though I have run in hotter weather, I swear at the time of the race there was not a cloud in the sky and the sun felt fierce. Though the course was relatively flat, around mile 2 there was a real nice decline - and that caused me worry, because as you know, if you go downhill it is very likely you will also go uphill. Long story short, I finished the race, though I was really disappointed with my time - 25:35. Here are my splits:
Mi 1 - 7:47.35
Mi 2 - 8:19.57
Mi 3 - 8:21.6
Final 0.13 Mi 1:06.87
Total = 25:35:39

Of course, I just missed a medal for my age group by 10 seconds. :-(

As I mentioned earlier, my marathon training schedule today called for a 7 mile run. After the race, I had to go to the soccer field and line the field for games this weekend, and when I got home I decided I would go ahead and finish my miles. The thing is I had been debating with myself if I just wanted to run the 4 more miles for my total of 7, or if I wanted to go for a 7 mile run. I left the house and I told the family I wasn't sure what I would do, but deep down I knew I wouldn't be satisfied unless I did the 7. Afterall, I'm running a 10K next Saturday, so I thought running the full 7 would restore my confidence. I guess all I can say is that I finished it. I really wasn't concerned with time in this run - I really just wanted to see if I had it in me to do the 7 after already running a race. And yes, I did the 7. I did take my water belt and a gel for midrun, and all of that did help. Here are the splits:
Mi 1 - 9:17.41
Mi 2 - 9:08.24
Mi 3 - 9:27.74
Mi 4 - 9:44.62
Mi 5 - 9:54.83
Mi 6 - 10:17.73
Mi 7 - 10:18.35
Total = 1:08:08.92

Tomorrow = Rest day!

Thirsty Thursday

Four miles in beautiful 73 degree weather! Thanks to my allergies, I was quite thirsty (and I'm "snot" kidding). Here are my split times:
1 Mi 8:21.04
2 Mi 8:26.75
3 Mi 8:43.26
4 Mi 8:40.86
Total: 34:11:91

Though this is very slow for many, this is still a little faster than what I wanted to run today. I have got to start doing a better job of pacing myself, though the pace felt comfortable today. I take tomorrow as a rest day, and there is a 5k that I'm not sure if I'm going to run on Saturday or not - mainly because I've got 7 miles on the schedule, and I really don't want to break that 7 miles up between the race and then 4 later, or do the race, and then 7 later. Oh well, all in all it was a nice run while listening to a blog by Erwin McManus.

And so it begins . . .

I decided to begin this blog because I have read and heard in so many places that you should blog about your runs as a way of keeping track of things, and getting feedback from others. I've been putting it off for quite a while, and as I'm now approaching the last few months before I finally fulfill something I've been striving for, I figured I might as well start now.

This year has been a crazy year. My new years resolution was to run a marathon in 2009. As I had been running again since the summer of '08 and had run a half-marathon in '08, I figured that was an attainable goal. My problem is that when I set out to do something, I go all out - as in "over-training." Early in January I could not ignore the pain in my shin anymore, and soon was diagnosed with a stress fracture. With that, my plans for a November marathon on the Outer Banks came to a halt. After 7 weeks I was able to begin again, only to have to back off again due to pain. Finally I was pain free, and set my goal for the 2010 Disney World Marathon. I went ahead and registered, started running all out again, only to be hit with another stress fracture - same location, different leg.

So now I've changed up my stride (shorter more efficient strides), and changed up my training (only 3-4 runs a week). This has all seemed to work much better, and I am running pain free! I'll fill in more details as I go, but I don't have much time today. Typically my training plan has me running on Monday and Thursday, with the long run on Saturday. Lately I've taken to running a quick mile on Wednesday with my sons, who I am finding are very quick. Today I ran with them and finished my mile in 7:18, which is without a doubt the quickest I've run in some time. Tomorrow I've got 4 miles on the plan.

Looking forward to possibly running a 5K on Saturday (it's a small, local race being sponsored by a nearby church - I may run only to be able to beat the other pastor!). However, I am supposed to run 7 miles on Saturday, so I've got to decide this: Do I run the 5K and then run 4 more miles later to complete my 7, or do I run the 5K early in the day, and then later set out and run my 7? Hmmm . . .