Wow, I haven't done one of these in a long, long time.
The Brianna Becker 5k was a 2 lap course following roughly a square pattern. The start/finish line was on the right side of the square. It and the bottom side were mostly flat. The left side consisted of 4 hills, while the top side of the course started at a high point that went into a slight dip in the middle to another high point at the other corner, which swept back down around the turn into the start/finish line.
When the gun went off it was a moderate pace with a small field. Everybody stayed bunched up down the first stretch, through the right hand turn, and along the next stretch. Then, after the second right hand turn (where I passed the eventual female winner of my age group), into the hills, the pack was tested and began to stretch out a little bit. The first mile marker was just on the other side of the first hill, and my watch said I had completed that mile in just under 8:00--way, way too fast.
I chugged through the next 3 hills and up the long, slow slope before the last right hand turn of the lap. I swept over the hill and down toward the lap marker and saw the time was 12:38. Again, way, way too fast. I glanced over my shoulder and saw 4 guys running together about 30 or 40 feet behind me. One of these guys ended up being the winner of my age group.
I motored down the front stretch, around the right hand turn, and into the next right hand turn. The 4 guys were still behind me by about 20 feet or so. Then, up the first hill, I felt my legs finally begin to weaken. One of the 4 guys--the age group winner--passed me right on top of the hill while the other 3 hung back. At the bottom of the second hill the next hill 2 of the next three passed me and the third caught me at the top of the third. By the bottom of the third hill the last guy had put 20 feet between me and him. Right about here we started passing the walkers who were at the back of the pack--that was a cool feeling. I managed to close it to about 10 feet before the start of the 4th hill, but he dropped me on that hill and I was never able to close the distance again.
Along the back stretch and up the final sweep I glanced over my shoulder and saw the female age group leader catching up to me, but still a good 50 or 60 feet back. I topped the hill and turned on the final burn. As I approached the finish line the clock read 25:50... :51, :52, :53,.... I kicked it up one more notch ... :54... final time was 25:55.
This topped my previous best time from 2009 by nearly 4 minutes!!
The miles lately have clearly been paying off.
The next target in my sights is a 54:00 10k, and I'm taking a shot at that on April 23.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Demons
You step up to the line, and it starts.
You don't want to do this (yes I do)
You're not going to be able to finish (yes I will)
You don't have to do this (yes I do)
This is not a race (yes it is)
Nobody is competing against you here (yes they are)
Why are you doing this to yourself (because I must)
Seriously, you don't have to (yes, I do)
What are you trying to prove (it doesn't matter)
You're going to regret this (fine, that's what I'll do)
And then you begin
See, every part of your body is rebelling (calm down)
That discomfort is going to become pain (calm down)
You're not going to be able to finish (calm down)
You might as well quit (never)
Why are you doing this (because I must)
What are you trying to prove (it doesn't matter)
You're never going to be able to pull this off (the worst that can happen isn't that bad)
Oh, no, my friend... failure stings (failure to start stings more)
You remember failure... you don't wan-- (never again)
And then the finish line draws near
You're running out of gas (I have enough)
You're not going to make it (I must)
You can't (I can)
What makes you think you can (I don't think I can)
Exactly (I know I can)
You can't win (I can't lose)
Just stop (just stop)
The challenge is figuring out which is the voice in my head, and then how to silence the other.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
2010 Running recap
Ok, so I haven't posted here in awhile.
Since about June something, if the record can be trusted. Just before the big 10k up in Kingwood.
Well, that run didn't go so well. I missed my target time by more than 10 minutes. I don't think the mile markers were placed very well. I couldn't maintain pace and overheated on more than one occasion. It was an awful run. Awful.
After that I opted to run a few more timed runs, but then I took off the watch and ran without a clock. It was very liberating to do that. I ran a lot without a clock, just free as the wind.
Then September rolled around and my lovely wife enrolled in school.
Then October came and scheduling became a challenge. I offered to my lovely wife that I'd shut down running for a month to get our schedules back in sync.
Then, in November, it was a little bit tough to get the engine to rev back up again. The Turkey Trot came on thanksgiving day. I ran the 10k variety in just over 1:15. Not a spectacular time. Not really even a good time, by my own standards. Nearly 20 minutes behind my time last year and 5 minutes off my time from the Kingwood 10k.
That's when I decided to switch from the marathon to the half marathon at the end of January--officially.
So, then came December and I logged exactly zero miles for THAT month.
Nonetheless, for the full 2010 year I logged almost 20 more miles than the year before--213.
Not a spectacular tally. I know people who run that much in a month. And most "runners" I know run that much in 3 months, if they don't do so in 2.
For me, that's a high water mark. A mark I'm almost certain to top in 2011.
On the 3rd I logged my first 5k. No time, but the distance was there. I think I'm going to shoot for at least a 5k each month of the year along with at least a 10k. Neither of those goals should be particularly hard to accomplish, considering my typical run is at least 3 miles. I can work in a 6 mile run at least once a month. The question is not whether or not I CAN do it, the question is whether or not I WILL do it. There's a discipline thing in there where it doesn't look terribly hard to set aside a couple of hours each month to run two measly runs during the month. But, the fact of the matter is that I don't like running that much, and I don't like running only slightly less than I don't like the extra weight that I carry around when I don't run. So, choosing the lesser of two dislikes is the challenge, because I like to not run a whole lot.
The greater challenge will be to once again try and work in a single half marathon each month of the year. In 2010 I managed to squeeze out 2 half marathons. For 2011, I think I'll shoot for a modest improvement of merely 3 half marathons for the year (but I'm still going to have an eye toward 12).
Cheers to you, and happy new year.
Since about June something, if the record can be trusted. Just before the big 10k up in Kingwood.
Well, that run didn't go so well. I missed my target time by more than 10 minutes. I don't think the mile markers were placed very well. I couldn't maintain pace and overheated on more than one occasion. It was an awful run. Awful.
After that I opted to run a few more timed runs, but then I took off the watch and ran without a clock. It was very liberating to do that. I ran a lot without a clock, just free as the wind.
Then September rolled around and my lovely wife enrolled in school.
Then October came and scheduling became a challenge. I offered to my lovely wife that I'd shut down running for a month to get our schedules back in sync.
Then, in November, it was a little bit tough to get the engine to rev back up again. The Turkey Trot came on thanksgiving day. I ran the 10k variety in just over 1:15. Not a spectacular time. Not really even a good time, by my own standards. Nearly 20 minutes behind my time last year and 5 minutes off my time from the Kingwood 10k.
That's when I decided to switch from the marathon to the half marathon at the end of January--officially.
So, then came December and I logged exactly zero miles for THAT month.
Nonetheless, for the full 2010 year I logged almost 20 more miles than the year before--213.
Not a spectacular tally. I know people who run that much in a month. And most "runners" I know run that much in 3 months, if they don't do so in 2.
For me, that's a high water mark. A mark I'm almost certain to top in 2011.
On the 3rd I logged my first 5k. No time, but the distance was there. I think I'm going to shoot for at least a 5k each month of the year along with at least a 10k. Neither of those goals should be particularly hard to accomplish, considering my typical run is at least 3 miles. I can work in a 6 mile run at least once a month. The question is not whether or not I CAN do it, the question is whether or not I WILL do it. There's a discipline thing in there where it doesn't look terribly hard to set aside a couple of hours each month to run two measly runs during the month. But, the fact of the matter is that I don't like running that much, and I don't like running only slightly less than I don't like the extra weight that I carry around when I don't run. So, choosing the lesser of two dislikes is the challenge, because I like to not run a whole lot.
The greater challenge will be to once again try and work in a single half marathon each month of the year. In 2010 I managed to squeeze out 2 half marathons. For 2011, I think I'll shoot for a modest improvement of merely 3 half marathons for the year (but I'm still going to have an eye toward 12).
Cheers to you, and happy new year.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Running stuff...
Wow, a ton of stuff has happened in the last few weeks since I posted at the end of July.
I ran my 8:00 mile. It was on a treadmill, it was indoors, but it was 7:51. I'll take it because I could have run it faster. In fact, just to prove it I may run a sub-8 mile out here at the park some time in the next few weeks.
The under 2:00 half marathon I was looking at for mid September is likely going to become just another training run because as of right now I'm less concerned with speed and more concerned with distance. Why? Well, that's because...
I just received notice that I was selected in the lottery for the Houston Marathon in January. The goal for January is pretty much 40 miles, because I want the marathon distance to be well below my max extreme. If it's below my max extreme, then running multiple marathons in the same month isn't going to be quite so hard to do. In fact, 26.2 will be a proverbial walk in the park. Target time: 3:59:59.99
That said, my 3 mile runs have become 6 mile runs. My 6 mile runs have become 9 mile runs. And my weekend runs, when I get off my ass to start doing them again, will be 11 to 14 mile runs. For what it's worth, during the month of August 2010 I haven't run anything less than 6 miles at a stretch. Last year during this month I only ran 6 miles once. This is a very, very different year.
Even better, the weather is beginning to break a little. Yes, it's still hot as blazes out there. Yes, the humidity is ridiculous. But it's beginning to break, and break early. Usually we have to wait until mid September for the hottest of the hot days to be behind us, but there have been remarkably few 100 degree days this summer and the pattern appears to be holding. There's still time for that to change, though.
My average mile so far this month is 9:45 over a 6 mile stretch. It'll probably stay there for the remainder of the month while I start trying to stretch the distances out. The next scheduled race is the Houston Half Marathon in October, but I may get a few 5k and 10k runs in during the interim to work on a little bit of speed work.
An interesting thing happens during my 6 mile runs, right around mile 3.5. I smile. Yea, I know. It's weird. It only lasts for about a half mile or so, then the grimacing death mask descends on my face, but that little stretch of the run is actually quite pleasant. Not as pleasant as the nap following the run, but pleasant enough in its own rights.
I ran my 8:00 mile. It was on a treadmill, it was indoors, but it was 7:51. I'll take it because I could have run it faster. In fact, just to prove it I may run a sub-8 mile out here at the park some time in the next few weeks.
The under 2:00 half marathon I was looking at for mid September is likely going to become just another training run because as of right now I'm less concerned with speed and more concerned with distance. Why? Well, that's because...
I just received notice that I was selected in the lottery for the Houston Marathon in January. The goal for January is pretty much 40 miles, because I want the marathon distance to be well below my max extreme. If it's below my max extreme, then running multiple marathons in the same month isn't going to be quite so hard to do. In fact, 26.2 will be a proverbial walk in the park. Target time: 3:59:59.99
That said, my 3 mile runs have become 6 mile runs. My 6 mile runs have become 9 mile runs. And my weekend runs, when I get off my ass to start doing them again, will be 11 to 14 mile runs. For what it's worth, during the month of August 2010 I haven't run anything less than 6 miles at a stretch. Last year during this month I only ran 6 miles once. This is a very, very different year.
Even better, the weather is beginning to break a little. Yes, it's still hot as blazes out there. Yes, the humidity is ridiculous. But it's beginning to break, and break early. Usually we have to wait until mid September for the hottest of the hot days to be behind us, but there have been remarkably few 100 degree days this summer and the pattern appears to be holding. There's still time for that to change, though.
My average mile so far this month is 9:45 over a 6 mile stretch. It'll probably stay there for the remainder of the month while I start trying to stretch the distances out. The next scheduled race is the Houston Half Marathon in October, but I may get a few 5k and 10k runs in during the interim to work on a little bit of speed work.
An interesting thing happens during my 6 mile runs, right around mile 3.5. I smile. Yea, I know. It's weird. It only lasts for about a half mile or so, then the grimacing death mask descends on my face, but that little stretch of the run is actually quite pleasant. Not as pleasant as the nap following the run, but pleasant enough in its own rights.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Runner attacked
Has anyone heard of any incidents of runners in Houston having things thrown at them from car windows.
Things such as rocks, chunks of concrete, bricks, bottles, etc?
Things such as rocks, chunks of concrete, bricks, bottles, etc?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The run
I said yesterday's run was in jeopardy due to complete lack of energy. Well, I managed to get up off the deck and post a decent run: 6 miles in 1:03. It wasn't great, but wasn't so bad, either. I've done better, but not since January.
But here's the kicker: yesterday was a scheduled rest day. The TUESDAY run was scheduled for 5 miles, but I was on the deck so hard Tuesday night my schedule was off by a block. So, the rest day that I THOUGHT was today is actually a day scheduled for speedwork.
I so hate The Almighty Schedule I can taste it.
I've been tinkering with The Almighty Schedule anyway, so a little more tinkering may not be so bad. I might skip tonight's run and overload the miles tomorrow (with a little speed work thrown in), tack on a 3 easy miles Saturday (scheduled rest day), and then be back on track for the LongSlowDistance run for Sunday (9 miles scheduled).
Or, I might get in a long, easy run tonight, skip tomorrow, sneak in some miles Saturday, and be on track for the LSD on Sunday.
Or, I might rest tonight, run tomorrow morning with an easy 6, cross on Saturday, LSD on Sunday.
I don't know. Maybe I just need to rest to the weekend and try and get my clock straight. I'd hate to lose out on the miles for this week--I don't have any more time in July to make them up.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Setback... of sorts
Ok, I've fallen a bit ill over the last few days. My energy level has been ridiculously low to the point where I was beginning to feel physically ill. The last scheduled run on The Almighty Running Schedule was skipped as well as the two short bonus runs I had planned to squeeze into the mix. Tonight's run is, to say the very least, in jeopardy. The Almighty Schedule for the week is almost certainly trashed. I can only hope to get back on track for next week, even though I have a business trip planned--all hotels do have treadmills and the mileage is light to moderate. I may overdose the mileage simply to keep myself "normal" in a foreign city.
This could become, to say the very least, a problem. Let's hope it doesn't go there.
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