Run of the Mill 5k...and, More New Shoes!

Yesterday morning, I ran the Run of the Mill 5k, in Mill Creek, WA. I ran this race for the first time in 2010 but skipped last year's version due to my never-ending injury situation.

It was a beautiful morning, with temperatures hovering somewhere between 'just right' and 'a tad too warm.' I've been fighting a head and chest cold for over a week. It recently turned into a bit of bronchitis, so I wasn't going to go all out in this one. I started slowly (partially out of necessity, due to the crowd), then ran each mile faster than the previous. My splits were:

8:00
7:24
7:02
(6:19 pace for last .13)

Official time: 23:15.

Overall: 175 of 1321
Age group (40-49): 19 of 111
Men: 140 of 581

Obviously nothing to crow about, but given how I felt, I was pleased with the result; especially with a pretty quick final mile.

The overall winner, Jordan McNamara, won it in a time of 14:13 (a new course record). He's the real deal, having finished 7th in the Men's 1500m final at the Olympic Trials in Eugene recently.

A nice addition to the many booths set up for the race was the Brooks Cavalcade of Curiosities double-decker bus. Being a Brooks ID member myself, I (of course) had to pay them a visit. Although I've been a runner since the late '70s, I somehow had never had my gait professionally analyzed. Brooks was offering that service for free on the top level of their bus, so up I went. I know I'm a bit of a pronator, so this wasn't ground-breaking for me, but it was interesting to see the video, as well as a photo breakdown of just how much I do pronate.

As a result, I was recommended three models of Brooks shoes that I've never worn (of course!) The Adrenalin GTS 12, the Ravenna, and the Trance II.
I ordered a pair of Adrenalins, as well as the Pure Cadence (semi-minimal shoe with a bit of support). My wife was thrilled, to say the least. More shoes to add to my pile ;-)

I'll report back after I've put a few miles on each pair.

Boeing Flight for Sight 5k

This morning, I ran the Flight for Sight 5k, which is a race to benefit Guide Dogs of America. I finished in 22:54 (7:23 pace). I actually won my age group (45-49)! I can't remember ever winning my age group (got a few 2nds & 3rds, but never 1st place). There were only eight finishers in my age group, but I'll take it. Finished 7th overall (not sure how many overall finishers yet, but it was a small race. I'm guessing under 100 for the 5k).

I'm a bit embarrassed to win my age group with that time, but I am happy about a couple of things. First, I've done nothing but Zone 2 runs (10:20-ish pace) the last three weeks, with absolutely NO fast running. I guess this shows that slow base-building can increase fitness enough to still run a reasonable pace. Second, this course was hillier than the 5k I ran in Arlington three weeks ago, yet I ran almost 30 seconds faster (note: I have lost 6 lbs. since that race, so that helped, too). Third, I managed to run negative splits yet again (7:44, 7:27, 7:13, 6:10 pace for last .1). I was still hurting more than I wanted to, but for an old guy held together with duct tape and paperclips that can barely train, I'm not at all disappointed. Next up, Berry Dairy Days in Burlington (with Natalie; next Saturday), then Run of the Mill 5k (July 7th).

[EDIT: the official results are in. Turns out, there were actually 8 finishers in my age group (makes me feel better, anyway)]. Official results:
22:54
Overall: 7 of 93
Age group: 1 of 8
Men: 7 of 47

Arlington Walk & Roll/Run 5k

Beautiful morning for a race! Sunny, low 50's.

I never thought I'd be happy with a 23:26 time in a 5k, but given that I'm running a total of 6-7 miles per week, I'm 17 lbs. over my race weight, and I'm still battling a perpetual heel injury, I'll gladly take it.

Wanted to run progressive splits and succeeded - 7:53, 7:37, 7:17, (6:58). Barely took 2nd in my age group (I think I passed 3rd place within the last mile), but would have won the group if they split it into 5-year segments. The last mile was tough for me. I was totally spent crossing the line.

I was 13 seconds slower than my January 5k time (when I was running just a little more), but I enjoyed this one a lot more.

I have a LOOONG way to go, but I'm hopefully that I can slowly rebuild my base and increase my fitness and, just maybe, race the way I'd like to again. Fingers crossed.

5K, Part Deux

I added an entry to my "upcoming races" gadget on the right side of the page. Yes, I started "running" again a couple of weeks ago. The quotes are to emphasize that my current two runs per week, from the perspective of any serious runner, are quite laughable. What may draw even more chuckles is the fact that those two runs both involve speed work. Who the heck needs base training?!

Have I officially gone mad? Likely. Since it's become apparent that any halfway decent volume significantly affects my bum heel (and the associated scar tissue in my Achilles tendon), I thought I'd see how running fast (relatively speaking) will affect it, while the mileage and frequency are low. So far, so good.

Does this mean I'm back on my 5K PR Quest? Nah, not really. I'd like to not embarrass myself, but I have no desire to put pressure on myself with this small amount of training. Since my 'Where I'm At' post from a few weeks ago, I've come to realize that I enjoy small, local road races too much to completely give them up, fast times or not.

So, come May 19th, I'll toe the line in Arlington, WA to run a 5k on some short speed work and very little mileage. This should be fun.

And I promise not to gripe if I lose to a 60-year old lady.

No offense, 60-year old ladies...

A Look Back, A Look Ahead

A LOOK BACK

As far as running goes, 2011 was a struggle for me. A good part of the year involved no running at all. Even when I was able to begin some short runs, I'd bump against the wall frequently, still experiencing residual pain from my heel/Achilles injury, along with some "new" injuries (i.e. old injuries coming back for a visit), like my knee. Rehabbing from my injury has been an amazingly long-term process. It's hard to believe it started in the middle of 2010 — a year and a half ago!

At the beginning of 2011, I posted that the year was going to be about balance. Did I achieve that goal? Partially. I always struggle with not going all-in when I have a desire to improve on something. Keeping many balls in the air is a challenge for me. Even though I was only running 3 times per week later in the year, that became my focus. Consequently, my strength training took a back seat. I even lost my desire to hit the pool, and my training on the bike trainer lacked passion (although...can ANYONE be passionate about riding on the trainer?)

Here's a look at the numbers:

MILES
Running - 247
Cycling - 130
Bike Trainer - 145
Swimming - 14 (23,900 yds)
Walking - 102
Schwinn Airdyne - 336

Total cardio hours - 119

Races run - 4 (3 with daughter, 1 solo 5k)

STRENGTH TRAINING
Pushups - 3768 (max:  53)
Pullups - 4500 (max: 18)
Situps - 4022 (max: 40)
Dips - 3227 (max: 38)

Deadlift lbs. - 187,273 (max: 313 lbs.)
Bench Press lbs. - 193,479 (max: 205 lbs.)

I did manage to reach the goal of achieving 6-pack abs early in the year, but as you can see, my mileage was pretty paltry. My weight also fluctuated a lot. I dieted down to 145 lbs. during the abs project. Then, hit the weights (and food) hard and bulked up to 173 within a matter of weeks. As the running returned, the weight started dropping off and I ended the year at about 160 lbs.

A LOOK AHEAD

I was fortunate enough (and surprised) to be invited back as a Brooks I.D. member in 2012. This will be my third year with them. I'll be shamelessly displaying their running gear at the many races I plan on running this year.

Races, you ask? Yes, even with my limited ability to train, I do have a fairly modest goal in mind. I'd like to break my 5k PR. Since I never ran a road 5k at my peak as a runner (in high school), my PR is rather soft (21:15). If I can manage to build enough of a base and — most importantly for a 5k — speed...then I'll take a shot at it. I'll have to average better than 6:51 per mile in order to do so. Even if I can do no more running than my current 3 runs per week, I should be able to achieve this, assuming I can keep the injuries at bay. As 2010 and 2011 showed, that's a BIG if. I'll be basing my training on a modified FIRST program.

The cross-training on the bike and in the pool will continue, as will the weight training. I plan on resuming my weekly swim very soon. I still plan on participating in a sprint triathlon sometime this year. 

I hesitate to set any numerical goals for 2012, as this injury menace just won't completely go away. Like I mentioned above, I'd like to break my 5k PR. I'd also like to run at least one 5k race per month. 

Even though I currently can't run at the same level as many of my running colleagues, you all inspire me. I wish you all a very successful and happy new year. May you run effortlessly and joyfully.

(Wow, that really sounded cheesy. Did I just write that?)

Candy Cane Dash 5k

Well. If there was ever a race I shouldn't have run, it was this one. I last ran this race in 2003, when there were 405 finishers. Today, there were 30 or 40. When I showed at 8:00am for day-of-race sign up, they told us that the start time had been changed from 9:00am to 10:00am because one of the volunteers was going to be late (huh?). It's sad to see a formerly vibrant race die a sad death.

I decided to wear my new Brooks Launch (the old red and orange model. They're new, but sitting in a box in my garage for over a year), instead of my new Pure Flow; partially because of a tweak behind my left knee (thanks to a lot of jumping in my latest video) and thanks to multiple suggestions from my friend (and running conscience) Mark U. I'll do a few more short runs in them before I run a race in them. It was chilly, so I layered up with a couple of long-sleeve tech shirts under my Brooks racing singlet, and went with tights and compression socks down below.

One thing that made me a bit uncomfortable is the stereotype I seem to portray; especially at these small races. I'm decked out in Brooks pro race gear, so I look fast. I've also got the bodytype of a fast runner. The thing is...right now, anyway...I'm NOT FAST. But while waiting for the race to start, I could feel lots of eyes on me that seemed to be saying, "oh, this guy must be going for the win," or "what's HE doing here at our little race?" Boy, were THEY in for a letdown!

Once the race began, I realized that, for the most part, the course was unmarked and unmanned. There were 3 or 4 volunteers out on the course, but due to the winding nature (going up and down side streets, through wooded trails, etc.), there was no way to know where to go unless you knew the course, or could stay close enough to someone in front of you who did. I succeeded in keeping up with a high school cross-country runner (girl) so I wouldn't get off course. I've had trouble all week with my breathing — partially due to a chest cold, and partially due to the lousy air quality here (which I'm pretty sensitive to, it turns out). Thankfully, the above-mentioned soreness behind my knee wasn't an issue during the race (although it's tender as I write this). What was an issue are the measly 12 miles per week I've been running...with no speed work...and this being my first race (aside from pacing my daughter) in 15 months. With that said, my game plan was to go out at 7:30, run mile 2 at 7:20, then bring it home with whatever was left. I ended up going out at 7:25 and ran mile 2 also in 7:25, splitting the difference (unusual consistency for me). As I neared the finish, I could tell the course was significantly short. I ran what turned out to be the last .92 in 7:06 pace (7:19 pace for the whole race). I did push myself but, with the breathing issues, I didn't want to go too deep into the pain cave.

It's a shame it was a short course, as I can't compare the finishing time to other races. Using some math, it was equal to a 22:42 5k, which is just about what I ran in my 5k time trial a couple of weeks ago. At least I have a bit of a benchmark to go by when I run my next race in January.

But skipping this particular race wouldn't have been a bad idea, in hindsight.

Heat: Yes. Speed: No.

This morning I ran my first race since my marathon on May 15th: the Run of the Mill 5k, in Mill Creek, WA. How did it go? Ugh. 21:53 (my goal was 20:59). I'm going to blame the heat for my lack of speed (plus the heel injury and under-training). It hurt far more than it should have.

Splits: 7:06, 7:04, 6:54, [6:28]

Official results: 
Overall: 112/1711 (6%)
Age Group: 12/143 (8%)
Men: 103/707 (14%)

There was quite a bit of uphill the first half of the course. When I hit the downhills on the way back, I was too toasted to take advantage of them.

I ran a warmup mile before the race (7:48), which told me today wouldn't be my day. After post-race festivities, I ran 3.6 miles home and was starting to feel a little heat exhaustion, plus the heel was hurting (it felt fine during the race). Took an ice bath when I got home.

So...Ragnar is less than 2 weeks away. It could be rough. I'm running the lead-off leg, which starts at 4:00pm on July 23rd. All next week, I'm going to run during the hottest part of the day (even though it looks like a cooling trend is on the way). Still, that won't be enough time for heat acclimation. I'll just try to take the first leg (6.2 mi) slower than normal and save my energy for the final two legs.

I've never run well in the heat, and I'm not entirely sure why. For a guy built as slight as me, one would think it would be easier for my body to cool itself. Must be my Nordic heritage.

Here's how this week panned out:

Runs: 4 (6, including warmup and post-race run home)

Miles: 22.34

Time: 3:12:10

Avg. Pace: 8:36

Avg. HR: 130

First race since 2003 this morning!

Well, where to start? I've been anticipating this little 5k for months now. I'll give you the short story first: I finished in 22:20 (7:12 pace) and finished second place OVERALL! Okay, so there were only about 40 runners in the 5k, but I didn't expect to place at all! What was even better was that the guy who beat me was 44, so us old guys held off all the young'uns. MASTERS POWER! WOOHOO! My goal was 23:00, so I'm happy there (not a PR, but for not racing for so long, I can't complain). The course was hilly, and I could definitely tell that the hills I've been running REALLY paid off! The longest hill was on the way out, starting probably around the half mile mark. At that point, I was probably in 5th or 6th place. That's where I passed everyone except the leader and held on. There were no mile markers, so I had to just go by perceived exertion. I wanted to go out slow, and felt like I held back some, but I have no idea how fast it was.
So, if you can't tell, I'm JACKED about getting back out there and running more races! I'm not really suited for 5k's, so I'll be looking for longer races. I'm planning on a fall half-marathon (not sure which one yet), with maybe a 10k leading up to it. Next up is the bike leg of the Whisky Dick Triathlon on Aug. 9th. Talk about hills...the bike leg starts with 12 uphill miles. Time to hop back on the bike (while still running a little...'cause I gotta!) starting next week.
Hope everyone enjoyed their races this weekend!