Its been two weeks since the marathon and I feel pretty good. I cut back on impact training and was strictly riding and swimming. I took back to the road yesterday and it was a beautiful afternoon for a nice 10 miler. I told myself to take it easy which I did. I met up with Brandon Moen and he wanted to just do an easy 10, but for him an easy 10 is at well over my race pace. He agreed to go slower since this was day 1 of getting back. The fastest mile was 7:14 and it felt good just to stride out a little. The rest were between 7:20 and 7:50. It was good just to get back out for a few miles. I am recovered.
There are several races coming up and a few additions to my race schedule. Next is the Sullivan sprint triathlon. www.sullivanil.us/triathlon.htmThis is a small fun triathlon that is very competitive, but it is a great race for the beginner tri athlete. A pool swim, windy bike, and a nice easy run on a packed rock path, except for the last 3/4 mile its paved, is a good starting race to get the tri blood pumping. Usually the weather takes its toll on folks. The wind in central Illinois is brutal at times. Just get in aero and crank.
May 3rd there are several races going on that weekend. Mine, the Lake run 4 miler or 12K haven't decided which I 'm doing yet. I am leaning toward the 4 miler since I haven't done that one yet. There also is a track meet, state qualifying sectionals that day. I will have to take off as soon as I get done running. There will be several of our runners make it this year. From now until then confidence building and proper mindset is the key, but I won't forget about the hard tempo's, speed work and long runs that are on the schedule.
Train hard, Train smart
Monday, April 21, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Often Running Team
Good news folks. That's right, your wannabfast2 president was selected to be on the Often Running Team. For those who don't know Often Running is a Retail store in Normal Illinois. Great store check it out. The race team, sponsored by Adidas, is a select group of competitive athletes from different age groups that participate in several races ranging from 5k to marathons. With an Adidas sponsorship, the Often Running Team members can be seen representing at races, sports shows and expos. At this time I have only met a few of the team members and they are a great group of individuals / athletes. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the team soon.
Stay tuned
Train hard, Train smartThursday, April 10, 2008
Track up date
Maybe one day we could get a meet or two in. The weather has been nasty and two meets have been cancelled. Last Saturday though a 8 team meet was held at Bloomington Central Catholic. The kids were nervous and just wanted to get on with it. The girls were up first and did a fantastic job. A few standouts came out of the 6th graders, and I was impressed as well as proud. Some of these girls have competitive edge which I didn't see in practice. So my statement as to having an athlete such as Desiree Ficker come from a small town in central Illinois may hold true. Once the first competition jitters went away you could see what good quality practices have done. A few girls were seconds off state qualifying times.
Girls 1600 runners NB 6:14, CR 6:41 HS 6:45, AH 6:59, JB 7:07, DH 7:26 Though qualifying time for 7th and 8th grade is 6:03 a few runners have a good chance to make it to state.
Girls 800 runners consists mostly of 6th and 7th graders. We do have one 8th grader representing Heyworth. The times were OK, but once again first time jitters were there and some tears were shed. As a coach positive reassurance will lead these girls onto better times. State qualifying time 2:42
NB 2:55,RF 3:20, CM 3:20, AH 3:24, KP 3:24, SS 3;28, KR 3:29, JD 3:33, KC 3:34
Girls 400 m state qualifying time 1:07
BW 1:15 KZ 1:16 and on the 8th grade level CSt 1:07, CS 1:18
Good job girls.
On the boys side, again I was impressed. After being patient watching and cheering on the girls it was the time to get warmed up to race. The sprinters faired well and still have some room to improve. Next was the 1600 meter run which was the only race I got to watch before I had to leave for the race I was preparing for. They ran the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders together, which put the field at over 20 runners. There were some good points to this but also some bad points as I will explain shortly. For some this was their first race and others you could tell the jitters were there, but soon to leave.
The gun went off and ZQ, and BK were out to a fast start. ZQ, an 8th grader has been training fairly hard and has some races under his belt. BK was in his first race and he is a 6th grader. Watch out for this 6th grader in the future. The rest of the field trailed as ZQ and BK pulled ahead. The the first 400m ZQ came across 1:03 and the trailing BK 1:16 The rest of the field began to spread out and by the middle of lap 2. I have new stop watch and I inadvertently pushed the wrong button and lost track of the splits. Lap 4 started at 3:47 for ZQ and he finished with a strong 5:03. The unfortunate part was ZQ and BK had to pass numerous runners in the last 200m, which added a few seconds to the end time. BK's time ended up being 5:36. Prior to this race the best time ZQ clocked for the mile was 5:15 and BK's was a practice time of 6:20. The rest of the milers from Heyworth faired well, TR 5:59, JS 6:08, KD 7:08, JB 7:34
The rest of the field had a good race 3rd place ended up being 5:52. State qualifying time 7th grade 5:28 and 8th 5:13
800 m runners did a fantastic job state qualifying time 7th 2:28, 8th 2:20
ZQ 2:22, RW 2:28 BP 2:35, BK 2:36, CJ 2:57, DP 2:58 SM 3:03, BC 3:04, SC 3:08, ET 3:10
400 m State qualifying time 7th 1:01 and 8th :58
7th grade level EB finished 1:03 and JS 1:11 and 8th grade MF 1:06, TC1:06
In all it was a good day for the Heyworth Junior High track team. The relay teams faired very well and posted some good times. With more practices ahead and some positive mind setting strategies our times will improve. The girls finished 4nd overall in points (110) and the boys finished 1st (148) and combined the team finished in 2nd place.
Good job runners keep up the good work
"Pain is temporary, Pride is forever"
Girls 1600 runners NB 6:14, CR 6:41 HS 6:45, AH 6:59, JB 7:07, DH 7:26 Though qualifying time for 7th and 8th grade is 6:03 a few runners have a good chance to make it to state.
Girls 800 runners consists mostly of 6th and 7th graders. We do have one 8th grader representing Heyworth. The times were OK, but once again first time jitters were there and some tears were shed. As a coach positive reassurance will lead these girls onto better times. State qualifying time 2:42
NB 2:55,RF 3:20, CM 3:20, AH 3:24, KP 3:24, SS 3;28, KR 3:29, JD 3:33, KC 3:34
Girls 400 m state qualifying time 1:07
BW 1:15 KZ 1:16 and on the 8th grade level CSt 1:07, CS 1:18
Good job girls.
On the boys side, again I was impressed. After being patient watching and cheering on the girls it was the time to get warmed up to race. The sprinters faired well and still have some room to improve. Next was the 1600 meter run which was the only race I got to watch before I had to leave for the race I was preparing for. They ran the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders together, which put the field at over 20 runners. There were some good points to this but also some bad points as I will explain shortly. For some this was their first race and others you could tell the jitters were there, but soon to leave.
The gun went off and ZQ, and BK were out to a fast start. ZQ, an 8th grader has been training fairly hard and has some races under his belt. BK was in his first race and he is a 6th grader. Watch out for this 6th grader in the future. The rest of the field trailed as ZQ and BK pulled ahead. The the first 400m ZQ came across 1:03 and the trailing BK 1:16 The rest of the field began to spread out and by the middle of lap 2. I have new stop watch and I inadvertently pushed the wrong button and lost track of the splits. Lap 4 started at 3:47 for ZQ and he finished with a strong 5:03. The unfortunate part was ZQ and BK had to pass numerous runners in the last 200m, which added a few seconds to the end time. BK's time ended up being 5:36. Prior to this race the best time ZQ clocked for the mile was 5:15 and BK's was a practice time of 6:20. The rest of the milers from Heyworth faired well, TR 5:59, JS 6:08, KD 7:08, JB 7:34
The rest of the field had a good race 3rd place ended up being 5:52. State qualifying time 7th grade 5:28 and 8th 5:13
800 m runners did a fantastic job state qualifying time 7th 2:28, 8th 2:20
ZQ 2:22, RW 2:28 BP 2:35, BK 2:36, CJ 2:57, DP 2:58 SM 3:03, BC 3:04, SC 3:08, ET 3:10
400 m State qualifying time 7th 1:01 and 8th :58
7th grade level EB finished 1:03 and JS 1:11 and 8th grade MF 1:06, TC1:06
In all it was a good day for the Heyworth Junior High track team. The relay teams faired very well and posted some good times. With more practices ahead and some positive mind setting strategies our times will improve. The girls finished 4nd overall in points (110) and the boys finished 1st (148) and combined the team finished in 2nd place.
Good job runners keep up the good work
"Pain is temporary, Pride is forever"
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
St Louis Marathon PR
What a great day to run 26.2. I woke up early for the pre-race rituals, coffee, banana, protein bar and a bottle of Infinit nutrition. The sun was just starting to make its way up when we left the hotel, and as we walked east toward the down town I could see a huge American flag blowing in the slight breeze and in the background was the Arch. I told myself this was going to be a good fast day.
Armed with confidence and my new Adidas shoes I was ready. After reaching the starting area the energy was just starting to build while he runners began to arrive. I took a quick Johnny on the spot break then headed over to the corral. I wanted to stay out of the crowd so I made my way up toward the front. The national anthem was sung by the St Louis Blues regular singer and the wheelchairs were sent off. After a short wait the gun went off for the rest of the runners. This was the only crowd I ran in all day. The first 5 miles I ran with a guy who was doing his first marathon and his goal was 3:10.
I also had a new toy with me, my Garmin 305. What a cool toy. The first 5 miles were logged in as 7:16, 7:00, 7:11 6:46, 7:07 and with all these new beeps going on it kept me busy. At mile 6 I lost my log sleeve shirt and powered on feeling good going back through downtown. Did I mention the hills on the course yet. Well there are some hills in St Louis. I guess that what I like about this course its challenging.
At the halfway point I was right on, 1:33 this would put me a 3:06 if I could stay at this pace. The hills again showed up as we turned back toward downtown. I was feeling strong physically, mentally and spiritually through mile 18, and a slight sign of a hammy cramp started in my left leg. Why ? I can't seem to get away from my left leg cramp. But I did not verbalize this one with anyone. I pushed through it kept pace. At mile 22 my left leg just seized up. I yelled stopped and began massaging the baseball size knot in the back of my leg. I thought my best way was to go ahead and take a few minutes, stretch, massage and walk it out. Good idea because it did help.
Now being off pace I started to calculate what time I had left to make it to the finish under 3:20. I was hoping for longer, but with only 2.2 miles left I would have to push out sub 7's. Sub 7's are not that hard to do I do it all the time. I had to go for it. I opened up the pace and as soon as I thought I had it, the leg cramp would stop me dead in my tracks. After about the third time of this happening I told myself to just finish strong. I crossed the finish line at 3:24:45 disappointed yes, but still a PR.
I will further analize what may have caused my problems and corrections will be in place for the next 26.2 . All in all it was a beautiful day to be alive and I am greatful to be healthy enough to accomplish what I do.
Thanks to the volunteers and the folks in St. Louis for another great race.
Next a little R and R.
"Pain is temporary, Pride is forever"
Armed with confidence and my new Adidas shoes I was ready. After reaching the starting area the energy was just starting to build while he runners began to arrive. I took a quick Johnny on the spot break then headed over to the corral. I wanted to stay out of the crowd so I made my way up toward the front. The national anthem was sung by the St Louis Blues regular singer and the wheelchairs were sent off. After a short wait the gun went off for the rest of the runners. This was the only crowd I ran in all day. The first 5 miles I ran with a guy who was doing his first marathon and his goal was 3:10.
I also had a new toy with me, my Garmin 305. What a cool toy. The first 5 miles were logged in as 7:16, 7:00, 7:11 6:46, 7:07 and with all these new beeps going on it kept me busy. At mile 6 I lost my log sleeve shirt and powered on feeling good going back through downtown. Did I mention the hills on the course yet. Well there are some hills in St Louis. I guess that what I like about this course its challenging.
At the halfway point I was right on, 1:33 this would put me a 3:06 if I could stay at this pace. The hills again showed up as we turned back toward downtown. I was feeling strong physically, mentally and spiritually through mile 18, and a slight sign of a hammy cramp started in my left leg. Why ? I can't seem to get away from my left leg cramp. But I did not verbalize this one with anyone. I pushed through it kept pace. At mile 22 my left leg just seized up. I yelled stopped and began massaging the baseball size knot in the back of my leg. I thought my best way was to go ahead and take a few minutes, stretch, massage and walk it out. Good idea because it did help.
Now being off pace I started to calculate what time I had left to make it to the finish under 3:20. I was hoping for longer, but with only 2.2 miles left I would have to push out sub 7's. Sub 7's are not that hard to do I do it all the time. I had to go for it. I opened up the pace and as soon as I thought I had it, the leg cramp would stop me dead in my tracks. After about the third time of this happening I told myself to just finish strong. I crossed the finish line at 3:24:45 disappointed yes, but still a PR.
I will further analize what may have caused my problems and corrections will be in place for the next 26.2 . All in all it was a beautiful day to be alive and I am greatful to be healthy enough to accomplish what I do.
Thanks to the volunteers and the folks in St. Louis for another great race.
Next a little R and R.
"Pain is temporary, Pride is forever"
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Taper in full swing
Lets go run shall we... not. I am in full taper here and I have lots of energy. I went from running 50-60 miles a week down to taper week 30. I did swim an extra day this week so far and that has helped. Today I'm off of everything and wish I just had a 5 miler to do. That would make me feel better.
On Tuesday I went out a bought a book to read, "Chi Running" by Danny Dreyer. I don't plan on changing and running forms right now that wasn't my plan, I am basically going to utilize some theories and philosophies of Chi Running. So far what I have read I would recommend the book to any runner from beginner to advanced. Keep an open mind and try some of the basic principles while you read.
St. Louis Marathon in 3 days, can't wait to look East through downtown, see the Arch and hear the gun go off. My plan is to go down early Saturday, check into the Hotel and check out the expo. This is always a good place to pick up positive running energy. They always have music playing and the people are so nice that they give stuff away. Free stuff the best kind.
This will be the second year in a row to run in St. Louis and I am looking forward to another beautiful run. It's only 26.2 only 26.2 that's it. Easy day of training for what mileage I have put in. The weather is calling for a high in the lower 60's and a 30 percent chance of rain. I remember the same forecast as last year. I hope its true because last year it was a beautiful day.
Remembering back I will take all the good aspects of last year race and apply them to this years. Some good which came out of last years race was I signed up for a pace group and met some really strong runners. When the race started there were 20 plus runners in the pace group and even after losing a few which only signed up for the 1/2 marathon the mood of the groups was positive. Shortly after the first half, 13.1, a few started dropping back. I give alot of credit to Mike LNU, the pacer, for trying to keep those folks with us. Around mile 18 the mood was still relaxed and everyone was felling strong. Then it happens, people just start dropping out. The infamous wall hits them. It could be physical pain or mental weakness or a bit of both. Some slow down while others just stop. I have very little experience with hitting the wall, but seem to be able to push through at that distance. My wall doesn't hit me until later on in the race.
I have only started and completed 3 other marathons, and one was after a long swim and long bike. That particular race was the Florida Ironman 2007. I will definitely be thinking about that race during this one. All positive of course. The other two marathons, Chicago 06 and St. Louis 07. The Chicago race miles 23-26.2 were pure HELL. That was a wall of physical pain which turned into mental anguish. Then there was last years race at Gateway. As was said prior a few started dropping out and at mile 20 there was only 3 of the group left. A very strong runner Allison, Mike the pacer, and me. We all were still feeling strong but the conversation basically had stopped at that time. At mile 22 I felt a cramp coming on in my left hammy and as soon as I opened my mouth and said something to Mike my leg seized up. Lesson #1 don't verbalize whats about to happen. Who knows if I hadn't of said anything would the cramp still come on. I won't know until it happens again. I guarantee you I won't tell anyone.
Mike and Allison were the only ones to finish at the pace time. I finished 6 minutes later, still a PR 3:27 and some change.
Positive thinking of the past will fuel me all the way to the finish.
Until next time
"Pain is temporay, Pride is forever"
On Tuesday I went out a bought a book to read, "Chi Running" by Danny Dreyer. I don't plan on changing and running forms right now that wasn't my plan, I am basically going to utilize some theories and philosophies of Chi Running. So far what I have read I would recommend the book to any runner from beginner to advanced. Keep an open mind and try some of the basic principles while you read.
St. Louis Marathon in 3 days, can't wait to look East through downtown, see the Arch and hear the gun go off. My plan is to go down early Saturday, check into the Hotel and check out the expo. This is always a good place to pick up positive running energy. They always have music playing and the people are so nice that they give stuff away. Free stuff the best kind.
This will be the second year in a row to run in St. Louis and I am looking forward to another beautiful run. It's only 26.2 only 26.2 that's it. Easy day of training for what mileage I have put in. The weather is calling for a high in the lower 60's and a 30 percent chance of rain. I remember the same forecast as last year. I hope its true because last year it was a beautiful day.
Remembering back I will take all the good aspects of last year race and apply them to this years. Some good which came out of last years race was I signed up for a pace group and met some really strong runners. When the race started there were 20 plus runners in the pace group and even after losing a few which only signed up for the 1/2 marathon the mood of the groups was positive. Shortly after the first half, 13.1, a few started dropping back. I give alot of credit to Mike LNU, the pacer, for trying to keep those folks with us. Around mile 18 the mood was still relaxed and everyone was felling strong. Then it happens, people just start dropping out. The infamous wall hits them. It could be physical pain or mental weakness or a bit of both. Some slow down while others just stop. I have very little experience with hitting the wall, but seem to be able to push through at that distance. My wall doesn't hit me until later on in the race.
I have only started and completed 3 other marathons, and one was after a long swim and long bike. That particular race was the Florida Ironman 2007. I will definitely be thinking about that race during this one. All positive of course. The other two marathons, Chicago 06 and St. Louis 07. The Chicago race miles 23-26.2 were pure HELL. That was a wall of physical pain which turned into mental anguish. Then there was last years race at Gateway. As was said prior a few started dropping out and at mile 20 there was only 3 of the group left. A very strong runner Allison, Mike the pacer, and me. We all were still feeling strong but the conversation basically had stopped at that time. At mile 22 I felt a cramp coming on in my left hammy and as soon as I opened my mouth and said something to Mike my leg seized up. Lesson #1 don't verbalize whats about to happen. Who knows if I hadn't of said anything would the cramp still come on. I won't know until it happens again. I guarantee you I won't tell anyone.
Mike and Allison were the only ones to finish at the pace time. I finished 6 minutes later, still a PR 3:27 and some change.
Positive thinking of the past will fuel me all the way to the finish.
Until next time
"Pain is temporay, Pride is forever"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
