Week #12 - Day 2

The rain from the hurricane finally stopped after about a good 30 hours. And it stopped early enough that by the time I got to the park there were only a few widely scattered puddles on the towpath. I headed south and did my 8 mile run, completing it in 78:13. I was looking to keep my heart rate under 80% which I managed to do (keeping it under 75% for most of the run, at least early on. Trying to overtrain, especially since I plan to do all 4 runs this week instead of cutting back to 3 like I have for the past month. So tomorrow I'm going to do a 5 mile run, and then probably attempt the long one of 18 miles on Saturday.

Week #12 - Day 1

After my disappointing outing on Saturday, I felt like I had to prove something to myself today. I started off my five mile run feeling pretty good, so I pushed myself. I finished the first mile in about 7:48. And then I just kept pushing, and pushing. I left the heart rate monitor at home today, so it was just me and my watch. In the end, I had my best training run ever. Five miles in 38:53 (7:46 mile pace). That's just a second off my pace from last week's 5K (3.1 miles). Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with my performance. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I'm not going to go out and try to repeat this every day because I know training so hard will end up hurting me. But it was nice to have this one day to make me feel back on track.

Week #11 - Day 3

I was hoping to have some momentum carry over from my 5k performance the other day into this week's long run, but it was not meant to be. I started off pretty well, going north on the towpath. But I think I tried pushing myself too hard as my heart rate got pretty high (90% max) and stayed there for most of the run. I could only go 7 miles north as the towpath was closed beyond that, so I turned around and headed back to where I started with the intentions of going beyond and finishing up those last 4 miles to reach 18. But it never happened. I hit the 14 mile mark at 2:14:58 (9:38 mile pace) and kept going about another 1/4 of a mile and stopped. My legs felt like they were about to cramp up and I really didn't feel like I could go much further today. I was rather disappointed, but stuff like this happens. It had been a while since I missed the mark on my long run, but I need to try to not let it get me down.

This coming week, I am going to try to get back to the 4 days of training program. Since I did my long run today, I can run on Monday, and hopefully Tuesday and Thursday before next week's long run of 18 miles.

Week #11 - Day 2 (a 5K)

This evening I ran in the inaugural Merrill Lynch Bull Run in Brecksville, OH. There were about 150 runners (at least that is what they announced it as) and it was very nice weather. Upper 70s, overcast, and not very humid. It was my first 5K run, so I was very concerned with selecting a pace since my marathon training has gotten me so used to going at a reduced pace for a longer distance. Well, I started near the front and kept up pretty well.

We started going on a gradual uphill slope, up Route 21, for about 3/4 of a mile. We then turned down a street and I hit the 1 mile mark at 7:53, which was very encouraging. The next half mile was a pretty steep downhill run. I was feeling really good at the halfway point, but then we turned around and headed back up the steep hill we had just descended. It was a struggle at times, but I put my head down and leaned into it and hit the 2 mile mark at 15:55 (give or take a couple seconds). Once I ascended the hill, the last 3/4 was back downhill the way we had came, down Route 21. I really found my groove and kicked it into high gear, especially at the end. I hit the finish line right at 24:00 minutes even. So that last 3.1 miles was about 7:20 split for me.

Overall, the 24:00 equals out to a 7:43 mile pace which was much better than I had expected. I'm now very interested in trying a 5K on a more level course to see how I would do since I have always read that you lose more going uphill than you gain from going downhill. I'm not sure how I did in relation to my peers as I did not stick around for the awards, but I estimate I finished in the top 25% overall. So I'm very happy. I will post the link to the results when they put them up.

UPDATE: The results are in. I ended up winning my age group (25 to 29) and placing 33rd overall out of 123 runners.

Week #11 - Day 1

Another week, another few miles. Hit up the park in Strongville today. Went a different way this time and started at a mile marker, and it ended up being the only one I saw my entire run. So I have no idea how far I went, though I'm pretty sure it was a little beyond the 5 miles that I had planned on doing. I just ran for 25 minutes in one direction and then turned back and ended up running for 51 minutes. So even if I ran a very slow 10 min mile pace, I still managed to get through 5 miles. I kept the run pretty slow today as I wasn't feeling that great. I learned once again that I don't do well when running after a large meal. Also didn't want to burn myself out since I have the Merrill Lynch Bull Run 5k tomorrow evening in Brecksville.

Week #10 - Day 3

No real "day 3" run this week (as recommended in my book), just the long run on Sunday. And boy was it long. I did pretty good for the first 13 miles, but those last 4 miles were tough. My pace was slowly creeping up to the 10 minute mile pace, and hit the 11 minute mark for those last four miles. I ended up finishing in 2:54:07 (10:14 mile). I came the closest to stopping that I had in a long time, but managed to finish it up. The knees hurt pretty bad afterwards, as usual. Not sure of my running plans for next week. I have a 5k Thursday night, so I'm not sure what else I'm going to do for the week besides that.

Week #10 - Day 2

I had my first of five straight weeks of 8-mile mid-week runs today, and it wasn't much fun. There was the threat of rain, so I ventured off with my old wrist-watch as my stopwatch instead of the heart rate monitor, so I was left on my own for figuring out whether or not I was going too fast. Apparently I was as I finished my first mile in 8:24 and trailed off from there and got more and more exhausted as I ran.

I managed to finish in the respectable time of 72:32 (9:04 mile pace), though that is less than a minute faster than I ran the same distance six weeks ago. I think it's time to do some more research and try to figure out some strategies for breaking through this barrier and get back on the improvement track. I don't expect my long runs to get faster each week, but it would be nice to see the shorter runs improve.

Week #10 - Day 1

Well, here it is. The first double digit week number. Hard to believe it's been 4 months since my first run on the towpath. Today I took a rare stray away from the towpath and headed out to the Metroparks in Strongsville with Kristy. She took her bike and headed off down the trail while I settled in to do my 5 miles. It was very convenient that they had a half-mile marker right where I started, so I was able to do 2.5 miles and turn around instead of doing 3 out and 2 back and walking 1. It is an all-paved path and was very busy with bikers and occasionally got too close to the street for my comfort, but it was a nice change of pace. I might add it to the mix during these last few weeks.
Finished the 5 mile run in 44:40 (an 8:56 mile pace). This is slightly slower than the time I had 6 weeks ago! When I first started training, I was amazed to see the improvement, yet in the last month I seem to have peaked out and almost even slowed down a bit. It might be a sign of overtraining and my body is just getting worn out. Hopefully it is a temporary plateau and I can soon get back to cutting my times. Next run is an 8 miler that will probably be for Thursday.

Week #9 - Day 4

Today was the long run of the week, and yes it was quite long. 16 miles. I never would have guessed a few months ago that I would be capable of doing 16 miles of non-stop running, but here I am. I'm happy it's another personal best, but my body is busy trying to recover. I headed south on the towpath for the first time for a long run, and went much further than I ever had on my bike, well past Pennisula and a golf course. It was a great day for running as it was in the mid to upper 70s, completely overcast, and just about the halfway point there was a very fine mist (which I wish it would do every time I run). There were quite a few people out, runners and bikers, with it getting busier the further south I went.

The 16 miles ended up taking me 2:38:24 to complete, so about a 9:54 minute per mile pace. I kept my heart rate around the 80% mark for the majority of the run. Initially I was having some breathing issues, but those cleared up after a mile or two. I also encountered what felt like some numbness in my left leg around the 4th mile which I was afraid was going to make me stop, but it wasn't too bad and went away as most things do.

So there wasn't nearly as much pain during the run as there was after. I walked about 1/2 mile after the run, and with each passing second my legs started aching more and more. Also, I had some very sore chaffing spots under my arms and my chest. The outer knee pain also made an appearance, along with some sore feet. Basically it' s my body telling me it doesn't like running that far. But it's only a few more weeks of this, and then the marathon. So hopefully it can hold up.

Week #9 - Day 3

Took off day 3 yet again. Having skipped it for the past couple of weeks for injury reasons, I figured it would be bad on my body to suddenly add another day back in, along with 4 more miles. I'm going to try to get it in next week since my long run is staying the same next week. I am planning to do my long run of 16 miles tomorrow morning, hopefully bright and early.

Week #9 - Day 2

Another so-so run this evening. It was much cooler than yesterday thanks to an afternoon thunderstorm, but it was still humid. Physically I did not feel too bad except for getting out of breath. I managed to finish the 7 mile run in 1:03:46 (9:06.5 mile pace), but much of that was thanks to a hard push for most of the last mile, particularly at the end where my heart rate reached 98%.
Next run, a 4 miler, is either going to be tomorrow or Friday. It's pretty odd how I was so uncertain of things because of my knee pain, yet my big concern now is my breathing. I can't understand how I am suddenly getting winded much sooner when I'm running a slower pace than before. I have gone south on the towpath the past two runs, but there really are not any noticeable inclines, so I don't think that has anything to do with it. I'll probably do my next run going north just to see if that makes any difference.

Week #9 - Day 1

Kicked off week #9 with much less than a bang. Ran 4 miles in 35:58 (9:00 mile pace). While this is better than last weeks 4 milers, I was surprisingly laboring pretty hard to make that time. It's almost like I'm getting in worse shape as time passes instead of better. I was very happy with my progress following Sunday's long run, but days like today are discouraging. But I suppose I'll have my good days and my bad days, and this is just one of the bad ones. Knees did not feel too bad. They were sore during the day and at the beginning of my run, but were pretty good after the first mile except for the occasional flare-up. I think I'll try to get in my second run of the week tomorrow.

Week #8 - Day 4

Alright, now I'm officially halfway done with my training! 8 weeks down, 8 more to go (the countdown is down to 54 days!). I was pretty unsure about how today would go seeing as I had not run since Wednesday, and that was a shortened run. My knees felt better on Saturday, but when I woke up this morning I felt pretty stiff. I did a lot of stretching at home before I left and was very stiff, even after the stretching. When I got to the park, I stretched even more and finally started to feel slightly less tense. However, pretty soon after I started my run my calves were tightening and my knees were starting to ache. But I pressed onwards and felt looser with each mile.
I hit my turnaround point at 7 miles, and saw that it took just under 1:06 (9:25 mile pace). I was pretty excited about this as it was more than 30 seconds better than last Sunday's pace. However, my pace did slow. I hit the 10 mile point at about 1:36, meaning I was up to about a 10-minute mile. And I think my 13 mile time was 2:06, which is over 3 minutes better than last week. I finally finished up at 2:15:11 (9:39 mile pace). And I actually felt pretty good. I had let my heart rate creep up the last few miles to the mid 80% level.
I'm looking forward to having the day off tomorrow. With the help of some ice (which I'm currently applying for the 2nd time today at the moment) I hope I can be ready for Tuesday's 4 mile run. I really hope I can make it through the week without having to reduce or skip any of my runs. However, I now realize it's not the end of the world if I have to.

Week #8 - Day 3

I've decided to skip today's run and rest up for Sunday's 14 mile run. My knees are still quite sore and I think I'll do more harm than good by running today. Hopefully this does not become a weekly occurence.

Week #8 - Day 2

Not a very good outing today. Another late start because of work. Did not get started until after 8pm. I cut my run short after 4 miles because of pain in my knees. Was scheduled to do 6 miles. Took 35:12, so much better than yesterday. I'm going to rest tomorrow and hopefully be recovered enough to do 4 miles on Friday.

Week #8 - Day 1

Today is just one of those days. I wrote a nice long entry, only to have nothing show-up when I published it. Thanks blogger.

Anyways, long day. Got to the park at 8:30, finshed my 4 miles just as it was starting to get pretty dark. Finished in a very unimpressive 37:19 (9:20 mile pace). Between the long day, lack of food, and soreness leftover from Sunday, I had a lot going against me. I did end on a strong note though, as my first 2 miles took nearly 20 minutes. I managed to get a bug in my eye, which was less than fun. I think I spent most of the 3rd mile trying to get it out with no success. Hopefully I can manage to get my next run in tomorrow.