Interesting Article

Just came across an interesting article, by John Raucci. He covers breathing techniques, minimalist footwear, aerobic training and thoughts on Arthur Lydiard, diet, and mind-body connections. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but I find the article very thought provoking.

Good Week

Just wrapped up a nice week of running:

Runs: 7
Miles: 40
Time: 5:52:50

While the paces were slow for the most part, the mileage was good. For me, anyway. I hit 40 miles for the first time since 1991. I also have a 10-day streak going. So far, the body feels fine (knock on wood). Probably due to keeping my pace relatively slow. Not sure if I'll try to keep this streak going or not. It'll really depend on how fatigued I'm feeling and whether or not I start to feel little injuries coming on.
I ended the week up in Birch Bay, WA, where we stayed with my in-laws at their time share condo. My final two runs of the week were little morning 4-milers along the waterfront, which were very enjoyable.
It's hard to believe that Christmas is in 5 days. I hope the holidays are treating you well!

First Run in Brooks Launch

Today was my first run in my new Brooks Launch. Six miles. Got rained on, but still a good run. Shoes felt great. Picked up the pace the last 3 miles (final mile in 7:15) just to see how they'd feel close to race pace. No complaints! They're definitely more "minimal" than the Defyance 2's I usually run in. Felt lighter and more responsive. I seemed to be landing more fore/midfoot than I usually do (and I normally land pretty much midfoot). Didn't wear my Superfeet Green inserts, as I'm trying to wean myself off of them. I'll probably continue rotating 4 pairs of running shoes, so these won't get action every day. Eventually I'll race in them, though.

But I can certainly see what all the fuss is about, though! Thumbs up!

Prepare for Launch

I just picked up my first pair of Brooks Launch today (thanks Arthur!) and I'm anxious to try them out. I put them on as soon as I got home and they fit like they were made for my feet. I now have 4 pairs of running shoes currently in rotation. Not quite up to Imelda Marcos standards, but it should keep me going for awhile. The Launch are lighter and lower-profile than my regular training shoe, the Defyance 2's. The Launch will make their debut on my 6-mile run tomorrow.

Old Race Shirt

Here's the photo the editor of Northwest Runner took of me after the Christmas Rush 10k on Saturday, Dec. 12. I'm wearing the race shirt I got in the inaugural race back in 1983 (with my other shirt rather awkwardly bunched up underneath it!) And, man, I look old and tired. Which, ironically, is exactly how I felt after this race!

Back To Where It All Started

In December of 1983, I ran my first road race. It was the inaugural running of the Christmas Rush 10k in Kent, WA. I was 16 at the time and, frankly, didn't run very fast (46:28). I had just finished my first season of Cross Country and was still very new to running.

Fast forward to today, for the 27th Annual Christmas Rush 10k (and 5k run/walk). My race number was 834...which gave me a chuckle, since I first ran it in '83, and it was my 4th time running it. Anyway, it was 27 degrees as I lined up at the start. This year, the race directors went with an out and back course, rather than the usual loop for some reason. More on that later.

My goal was to go out a bit slower than I did in my previous 10k (when I went out at 6:39). Mission accomplished, with a 6:49 first mile. My legs felt good, but even that early, I was having problems with my breathing. My lungs felt very tight, and later in the race, I felt like I was breathing through a straw. Due to the cold and stagnant air, the air quality has been pretty bad this week. I'm beginning to think that I'm sensitive to that, or maybe I've got mild asthma. I ran mile 2 in 6:58. At about this point, I got tired of fighting my heart rate strap, which apparently wasn't tight enough. It finally dropped down to my stomach and became useless. Mile three clocked in at 7:01. At 20:46, I was still running at sub-7 pace, but was starting to feel some fatigue. At the 5k mark, I tried to hit my lap button on my Garmin, but pushed the start/stop button by mistake. It took me nearly a mile to realize this. I could already tell that this probably wasn't going to be my day, but for some reason this took even more wind out of my sails. I guess I rely too much on that stinkin' Garmin.

So I had to run the rest of the race without having any idea of my pace or heart rate. There were volunteers at the mile markers, but, for some reason, they were calling out times that were nearly 2 minutes slower than the actual time.

At around mile 4 1/2, the consequence of having an out-and-back course reared its ugly head. The 5k runners and walkers started 10 minutes after the 10k runners, and here is where we ran head-on into them. There was a sea of mostly walkers, many with strollers and little kids darting all over the place (and people talking on cell phones, for crying out loud!), and us 10k-ers had no choice but to dodge and weave through the mob as best we could. It would have been a good idea to have several volunteers along the 5k course reminding them to stay to one side of the path. So that was basically strike 3 for me, mentally. I pretty much cashed it in and quit racing. My pace slowed quite a bit. My initial goal was to run under 44 minutes, but by now I expected to cross the line in 45-something. I managed to come in at 44:47. Better than my first 10k this year, but 41 seconds slower than my most recent. I obviously don't have all of my mile splits, but my first 5k was 21:31 and my ugly second half ended up being 23:16.

After the race, I walked by the booth of our regional running magazine (Northwest Runner). One of the guys (the editor, I think) noticed my 1983 race shirt and asked to take my picture. He said it'll probably be in the next edition of the magazine. He was really impressed to see a race shirt that old. I didn't notice any other runners with old shirts. I definitely got some quizzical looks & a couple of questions about it.

So in summary, I'm a bit disappointed, but relieved to be done with my shorter races for awhile. I'm ready to move up to longer challenges, but it was fun to come back to where it all started.

[EDIT - This was actually the 5th time I've run this race: 1983, '84, '87, '91 and '09]

Signed Up!

Well, I did it. I am officially signed up for my first marathon (May 15, 2010). And while I was at it, I signed up for a January half marathon and a March half marathon. I can't say my wife was happy to see me writing three checks last night. Merry Christmas to me, I guess.

I'll probably treat one or both of the half marathons as long tempo runs leading up to the marathon. I wouldn't mind getting a PR in at least one of them, though, but I don't want to wipe myself out in either race. I'll also throw in a 10k or two (as speed work) before the marathon. As for the rest of 2010, the schedule is up in the air. I may try for a fall marathon, and possibly my first ultra somewhere in there. I have committed to running as part of a relay team in July in Spokane, but I don't have any details yet.

So as 2009 winds down, I'm eagerly looking forward to running and racing in 2010! I hope '09 has been good to you.