Fighting a cold or allergies today. The morning workout was far from a ball-buster, but the turnover felt nice.
After work, the night run was almost perfect: pleasantly warm, calm, with heat lightning glowing in the sky. That was great until the heat lightning turned into a thunderstorm, which quickened my pace on the way back from Connecticut Ave.
Also, and this is going to make me sound like a beer-league tennis player, but I woke up this morning with a killer pain in my rotator cuff...sharp enough to wake me up from sleeping. I have zero idea how this happened, but I'm assuming it occurred when I went to the gym last night.
The positive: I can't feel it at all when I run.
The negative: it looks like I won't be doing the wave anytime soon. I can't reach for the cereal on top of my fridge in the morning without wincing in pain.
I'm still optimistic. Nothing can stop us; we're Atlanta's air force!
I woke up with a raging sore throat in the morning...so sore, in fact, that I dreamt about having a sore throat last night. As the day wore on, it became more and more obvious that a cold has hit me. Grrr...I can't win sometimes.
Solid run this evening. Ran about 50:00 on my own before meeting Jake, Patrick, and Christiam at the Line for the zoo loop and then ran home for 2:37 total. I felt strong, especially given that I only took a little water on this run and nothing else...no gels, Gatorade, etc. We also moved at a fair clip at some points, though nothing too crazy. I'm very encouraged by the effort today.
Next week will be my last week of higher volume before I start to taper a little bit. And thank God for that...I couldn't be more ready to get this chapter of my running life written and done with.
Looking back at the last 15 weeks, I've averaged almost 95 miles/week (admittedly more than I thought it would be). I'm going to shoot for one more week in that area next week.
Yes, last weekend was awful...and my own stupid fault for poor tactics. If I'm reading the signs correctly, the tide my be turning back in a positive direction for good. I am hopeful...a little rain over the last three days could be prove to be a personal metaphor, because I feel refreshed.
AM: 2 miles @ HM pace, 3:00 jog rec, 4+ miles @ MP, 3:00 jog rec, 2 miles @ MP, 13 miles
PM: 4 miles easy, treadmill
Ran an OK solo workout on the Meadowbrook stables loop. Surprisingly very humid. Died a little bit on the last one, though I still averaged under what I was shooting for on the 2-mile reps(5:25). Splits: 10:40 (5:20), 22:43 (5:41), 10:58 (5:29).
Felt better enough to push a little during the run (Rock Creek Park). I hope I'm turning the corner here...I need to quit stressing so much about my running and just get out the f***ing door and enjoy it.
Last day of my conference in DC. I went to the gym with Valerie when I got back.
Word on the street today: our national financial system may be in trouble. Just rumors at this point.
Spirits were at an all-time low today. I warmed up for a workout, stopped, and had no desire to run another step. Total lacking any motivation whatsoever (this is new for me, and a little alarming). I shuffle-jogged home and tried to spend the rest of the day thinking about running as little as possible.
As of right now, my name still isn't in the results, and that's probably for the better. Though this race was technically a "PR," I am far from pleased: it's a C-minus effort, and the personal best is the only thing saving me from an F. I ran a half-marathon this time last year (the Parks Half Marathon) and was only 1 minute slower...on a much more difficult course.
Simply put: I went out too fast (first two miles under at or under my 10k pace). I thought I could take a gamble on the fast course, and I lost, and the race was just too long to try to BS my way out of it. Before you say, "but you ran a PR, moron?!" consider my splits: 5:12, 5:13, 5:22, 5:24, 10:47 (2 miles), 5:33, 5:33, 5:31, 5:35, 5:39, 5:43, 6:17 (1.1). That's a consistent rate of slowing on a lightning-fast course. So it may be a personal-best time, technically, but slowing down the entire way, making it a time-trial, not a race. You're not going to beat anyone slowing down the entire time.
Indeed, after the second mile, I passed all of two guys...everyone else I saw was doing the passing. At around mile 9, the women's pace car and leaders caught up to me. I thought, "OK, time to rally. Plus, maybe I'll get to run with (2-time Olympic marathon medalist) Catherine "The Great" Ndereba." Oh, she was there all right...except that I wasn't the only person thinking that during the race. She had a lot of friends, both men and women. That completely broke me. Any time 30 people pass you all at once in the last third of a race (perhaps a first for me), it's psychologically a little tough to handle. I had no response and felt like I was kicking over the last 5k. By mile 10, I just wanted to be put out of my misery, and I hung on the best I could.
On a good day, I thought I was in sub-70 minute shape. My target going into the race was to run steady 5:20s the entire time, and then if I still felt good by mile 9 or 10, to pull the trigger and go for it. I must have left my race plan sitting at home somewhere, because I sure didn't use it today. Stupid mistake which put me barely inside my target of 70-72 minutes. I admit that if the last 4 miles hadn't sucked so badly, I wouldn't be crying about this right now.
Like the drifting cowboy says in the Big Lebowski: "Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes he eats you."
This will probably be my last race before Marine Corps...if I am still running it. Today moved me from "yes" to "undecided." At this point, I'm going to have to take it a week at a time. The spring version of myself would have kicked the ass of whatever you'd call the unconfident, broken shell of a man that I was today. Though I still have a few more weeks, sub-2:30 fitness just isn't there right now for whatever reason, and while I might still be close, I'm not sure if I want to race a marathon on anything but PR fitness. The pain and recovery aren't worth it.
Drove to Philly right after the run. Probably walked around the city more than I should have once I got there, but I didn't really care because the weather was amazing.
No time for much else tonight. I'm headed to a grad school fair right after work, so I don't think I'll have time to get to the gym or get in another run. It's probably for the best. Yesterday was pretty meaty, so a couple of easy days will do me good before Sunday's race.
"Wait...wait...this one still has a pulse!" I love workouts where, just when you think you're washed up, you have a comeback run on what would otherwise be an uneventful morning workout.
Very pleased with this effort, and I was treated to some beautiful fall weather. Ran up Connecticut Ave, through Chevy Chase, and started gradually picking up the pace along Western Ave. I finished up with 2.5 loops around Meadowbrook, splitting (loop splits in parenthesis): 5:40, 5:34, (13:21), 5:39, 5:22, (13:06), 5:15. I definitely didn't dip into the well, either; I still felt light and crisp on my cooldown. Confidence is high going into Sunday's race...I felt even better this morning than I did on my Tuesday workout with Patrick and Jake "Red Fox?" Klim.
For the evening run, I met Patrick at my place for a jaunt in Rock Creek Park. It's getting darker sooner and sooner now, so we had to finish on the roads.
Funny story from yesterday: I had my annual physical. The nurse took my pulse, only to reply, "Any lower and you'd be dead." I suppose that's a good sign. When I finally saw the doctor, she took my pulse several more times from my neck to my ankles, just to make sure there wasn't any human error (or something seriously wrong with me).
I got a morning shake-out run on the Capital Crescent. I planned more, but McCain and Biden trading barbs on The Today Show distracted me.
After work, I met P. Murphy and Klim at B-CC. After a 2-mile warmup, we got in a short tempo run down the Capital Crescent, with Jake stopping at 3 miles. The goal was more to get a feel for half marathon pace this weekend. Splits: 5:19, 5:16, 5:19, 5:18.
Very steady...I'm pleased. It may be a stretch to run this for 13.1 miles this weekend, but we'll see. I didn't feel overextended at all.
There wasn't a lot of work in here, so I will more than likely do another workout on Thursday morning--probably a longer progression run.
These next few weeks are going to be critical. My mileage isn't going to be too high with the race on Sunday, so I more or less have two more weeks to get in high volume training before I start to taper for MCM. Again, this weekend will be a big test.
Another unfortunate factor in my diminished is that I am *not* at my race weight of ~155-157 right now. Not even close! It's not like my pants are fitting tighter or anything; this snuck up on me. I mean, I *look* leaner right now, so I don't really get it. But I guess if the times are there, then the times are there.
I suppose I need to monitor my weight a little more closely than I have been. And not eat so many Luther Burgers right before bed. "What's a Luther Burger," you ask?
The morning run was cut short with a trip back home to the bathroom. I felt much better after work; the lower humidity helped. Neighborhoods and Rock Creek Park in the morning; Chevy Chase and Western Ave loop in the evening.
AM: 10 miles @ MP (5:45...during Parks HM), 17 miles
PM: weights, core, stretching
Absurdly humid today. The goal was to run this race at marathon pace, but I was worried after a slow 10th mile that if I started to push more, I would begin to dig more than I wanted to. It took a lot of self control in a "race" situation, but I patiently brought it in around 1:17:00 for the entire thing. I hit 57:30 at 10 miles and decided that was enough for the day: I didn't want to mess around with the heat and an important race next weekend in Philly.
The course and conditions for this race are a lot tougher than the Marine Corps Marathon. Consequently, I'm not too worried about not feeling too great today. I'm happy to call the effort what it was: a solid workout.
Still, I learned some more lessons today:
Gatorade + raw chaffing = new level of hell. I was coming up on the women's leader right at a water stop. I took some Gatorade, some of which trickled down into my shorts. Not good: I let out a loud cry from the pain right behind her. I'm sure I sounded like I was insane.
It's still f***ing hot in September. I got really dhydrated today...with chills, dizzyness, irritability...the works. Also, afterward, my pee was the color of an Arnold Palmer. No, not Arnold Palmer...an Arnold Palmer. This was obviously not good. The other usual suspects for dehydration were there, including the typically ravaged colon (see any summer race over 5k from the summer).
By the late afternoon, following a long nap, I rallied, peeled myself off of the couch, and made it to the gym with Valerie, where I felt back to par.
This is the end of a recovery week for me. Personal history suggests that I will begin to feel better next week, when the mileage goes back up again (though not too much with the Philly Distance Run on Sunday).
Much cooler weather this morning, but still absurdly muggy. I got in a morning run around the Cross Creek/Peachtree Battle/Bobby Jones loop before afternoon golf and my flight home from Atlanta.
Unfortunate Accident of the Week
In non-running news, the major casualty this week was Valerie's sister Brittany, who was in the worst surfing accident that I've ever seen that didn't involve a shark, bed of coral, or stingray.
Somehow, the poor girl wiped out but in the process landed on the razor-sharp fin on her brand new board. The result was a very ugly wound at and above her knee. She's still in the hospital right now in Norfolk (she goes to school at Old Dominion), waiting to see this weekend what and how much surgery will need to be done. That being said, she sent a photo to Valerie and I...
Warning: this image isn't for the weary or faint-hearted, but at the same time it's very real. When I first heard about it, my initial reaction was, "OK, maybe a few stiches?" It was a lot gnarlier than either of us expected, and definitely one of the worst sports-related injuries any one of my friends has ever experienced.
Let's wish her a speedy recovery and hope that she'll be able to get back on the board by the time the weather turns warm again. Be careful out there!
PM: 2 miles @ HM pace (5:00 recovery), 4+ miles @ MP, (5:00 recovery) 4x200 strides, 11 miles
The good:
Today was the last day of the conference, so I got to have the rest of the day to relax. I went to Westminster and saw Tribble and the team: they look good this year (what's new?). I gave a brief pep talk/motivational speech, which was sort of fun, before striking out on my own for the workout.
The bad:
Westminster hasn't lost its "charm." Unfortunately, you have to wear a shirt on campus, which is fine unless it's 90+ degrees with 110% humidity, like today. The first interval (10:40) was right on pace, but I felt anything but light and springy. The next interval, done on Westminster's 2+ mile hilly trail loop, came close to breaking me. My legs felt like someone took a sledgehammer to them. Not good.
The ugly:
At this point, the heat was really starting to get to me, at which point I thought, "F*** this," and threw my shirt off. Everyone had gone home by this point, anyway. The plan was to do another 2-mile rep, but I could tell that this wasn't going to happen. Instead, I struggled through a few strides and called it a day. When I got home, I took a much-needed ice bath.
The verdict:
My legs have felt like garbage for a few days now. Simply put, I was not ready and didn't prepare adequately for the Atlanta hills and heat. The 115-mile week last week probably didn't help things, nor did my neglecting It's a shame to have a couple of shitty workouts so close together, but that's life. The plan now is to do a very light workout Friday, followed by a tempo run (at goal MP) at the Parks Half Marathon on Sunday.
In Atlanta, I headed across Peachtree Battle; past Cross Creek around Defoors Ferry; up the monster hills near Margaret Mitchell. I added three loops at Westminster and went around the school on the roads, taking West Paces Ferry all the way down past the governor's mansion. I finished down Habersham and back to Peachtree Battle.
I felt well enough, though I could tell I was running out of gas by the end. I suppose that's the point. Lots of hills today with plenty of humidity. I was drenched afterward.
This ends the highest-mileage "real" week I've ever had (i.e. not two long runs six days apart on opposite weekends). The next few days will be busier for work; the coming week is going to be a welcomed recovery week.
AM: Run for the Kids 5k, 15:14 (PR**), 3rd place, 9 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
In Atlanta, I looked around to see if there were any competitive races while I'm down here, and I found this little race, advertised as "fast." Well, truth in advertisement: it has a 300-ft net drop. The race gets that drop at the beginning of the first mile, right away, and with a longer, more gradual hill in the last mile. The second mile has a few hills, which helped even out the pace a little bit. I'm not sure how much "help," I got from the downhills, but no doubt that this was a lightning-fast course (which is why I put the * by the "PR"). This was *not* a certified course, but it was fun to run a fast course.
Here is a rough sketch of the course profile (it finished on a flat access road, which wasn't mapped):
Click on the "view full screen" link, followed by "show elevation" on the right to give you a look.
The downhill at the end definitely helped, because I only got one split...9:56 at 2 miles. That means that my last mile was pretty quick, which makes sense because of the downhill (check the elevation).
I lost a little ground on the top two guys, but I wasn't able to get my wheels turning fast enough to catch back up. We finished about 10 seconds apart.
Because of the fast course, and the fact that I didn't know or really recognize anyone there, I feel sort of ambivalent about the whole thing. It's nice to get a PR, but we'll call it a "road PR." I won't call it a breathrough just yet. The "real" test will come in a few weeks at the Philly Distance Run; that should give me a better indicator of my marathon fitness than I received today.
In the afternoon, I got in a pretty chill run with Fellows as a shake-out. Good to catch up with him. I won't see him again until his wedding at Thanksgiving...he'll be my first good friend from high school to make "the leap."
After waking up around 4:00 to catch a flight, I got in 10 slow-as-molasses miles from my mom's house. It was most likely from the flight, but my legs felt like lead. This is why I don't time my recovery days...sometimes, you just have to run absurdly slow. I'd just rather not know *how slow* exactly, because there's little reason to know. Though, I am running heavy volume (for me) this week. Coupled with the early morning, that most likely explains it.
Played some so-so golf afterward. The course wasn't in great shape, which hurt my game a little bit.
Rock Creek Park in the morning. Met P. Murphy after work for another run in the park, plus some loops through the neighborhoods because it started to get dark.
PM: 10 x 800m w/ 200 jog recovery (~:75), 13 miles
The morning shake-out run was through the neighborhoods. Felt a little stiff, but OK.
After work, I ran most of the workout with Klim at B-CC, though Melissa and Timm were there as well, running a similar workout. Our workout was sort of a modified version of Yasso 800s, but with the recoveries cut in half. I feel like this modification is a better predictor for the marathon than the workout would be otherwise.
For those that aren't familiar with Yasso 800s, the idea is to run in minutes:seconds for the 800s for what you want to run in the marathon. Sharing the work, we were ridiculously consistent, which is how I like to run my workouts. The short rest is definitely what makes this workout the most challenging; the fatigue sneaks up on you.
Definitely not a cupcake workout, but I also wasn't destroyed afterward...positive sign there.
On an unrelated note, I try to either limit my political musings on here or make them so subtle that they're more or less an inside joke with myself.
But, then someone out there tried to take down this video--which has bipartisan appeal for unintentional comedy--from the Internet.
Censorship be damned....up it goes. I present to you your Republican Vice Presidential Candidate. Note: the anchor on the right has an awesome Ron Burgundy/Prefontaine/pronographic-film-star mustache:
I mean, Gov. Palin is a runner, and her first son is named Track. There you have it. It's not irrelevant to the blog!
It's time that we stand together as not Republicans, Democrats, or Independents and say, "It's OKAY to laugh at this." If we live in a country where schmucks like myself can publish their typically boring and self-indulgent running logs, then--damn it--we can publish embarrassing sportscasting videos of unqualified vice presidential candidates!
Rock Creek Park for both the morning and evening runs. For the PM run, I checked out some trails that I'd never seen before. That's definitely one of the bonuses of running in the park: I've lived here for more than a year, and there are still parts of it that I haven't seen.
The morning run was an out-and-back on the Capital Crescent. Especially after I got past Bethesda, I've never seen the trail so busy. I had to dodge a ton of bikers, strollers, and rollerbladers.
In the second run, I met Klim, Peter and Dylan for a run at the Line. Given that today was a fairly meaty double, I felt much better than I thought I would have otherwise by the end of the run (especially without an afternoon nap!). After starting on the trails, we picked up the pace some on Beach Drive. I got in some strides afterward in the parking lot.
To make a long story short, camping in Pennsylvania last night was a total bust. To make the best of things while still giving some new camping gear a test run, Valerie and I decided to make a last-minute change and camp in Greenbelt Park. With the dense woods, it's easy to forget you're in Prince Georges County...if you can tune out the distant police sirens and semis. But you know what? Greenbelt Park will always have a special place in my heart, so it will always be "wilderness" to me.
Since we were already in the park, I ran the Greenbelt loop twice from our campsite. I took the first lap steady (around 38 minutes) and tried to progressively increase my effort on the second loop (32:20). Assuming the loop is ~5.8 miles, that puts the second loop on the same pace as last Sunday's race. I'll take that--the ups, downs, twists and turns of Greenbelt make even the Annapolis 10-Mile course seem fast by comparison.
In the afternoon, I went out with Valerie during her run for a shake-out.
