Saturday Morning Long Run

Had a good 10 mile run this morning. This will be the last "long" run before next Saturday's 10k. I'll run my hilly trail loop on Monday; probably 5 miles with each loop (mile) getting faster, then an easy run on Wednesday and that's it. I should be pretty fresh for the 10k...which, incidentally is just a tune-up (a "B" race) before next month's half marathon. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. Sure, I'd like to run well, but I'm not going to push to the point of exhaustion. It should be fun and low-key with a pretty low turnout.
Enjoy your weekend!

Feeling A Bit Crummy This Week, But The Show Must Go On

Been feeling sick, with very low energy levels last couple of days, thus the previous 2 days off. Decided to go short today and throw in one fast mile. Here's how it played out:
1st mile slow (8:04), 2nd mile fast (6:29), last 1.5 miles slow (11:58 / 7:58 pace). Still felt a little out of it, but ran the fast mile faster than expected. It took a lot out of me, though. Was going to go 4.5 miles, but I shut it down at 3.5. My plan is to run 8-10 miles tomorrow morning...SLOWLY, depending on how I'm feeling. I hope this crud goes away soon, since my 10k race is a week from tomorrow. The race is a "B" race, though; just a tune-up for the Spokane Half Marathon next month. Happy Friday!

Today's Run

Today's easy run.

NY Times Article on Ibuprofen Use

I don't use ibuprofen before or during exercise (although I probably would have considered it for a marathon or ultra - both of which I have yet to run), but if you do, here's an article that might be of interest: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?

BOOK REVIEW: Dean Karnazes 50/50

I just finished reading Dean Karnazes' latest book, 50/50 (subtitled "Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days - and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!"). My review can be summed up in three words: 'eh, not bad'. It wasn't as compelling as I had hoped. There are little sidebars with "helpful tips" - some of which are actually interesting and helpful, some of which made me laugh out loud. In the book, Karnazes accounts in varying detail each of the 50 marathons he ran in 50 states in 50 days. Some of the stories were interesting, but after awhile, my interest began to decline a little. Due to scheduling demands, only 8 of the marathons were "real" scheduled events. The rest were run mostly over the courses of actual marathons (usually with 10-50 locals who signed up to run with Dean). I don't really fall into either the "Dean Lover" or "Dean Hater" camp. I respect his abilities and the attention he's brought to ultra running, but sometimes he's too over-the-top (i.e. a "stunt runner") to be taken seriously . The kicker [SPOILER ALERT] was after his last marathon in New York, when he decided to pull a Forrest Gump and run back across America...because NOBODY BOOKED HIM A FLIGHT OUT OF NYC! Huh? At first, I though it was a joke. Nope. Well, he abandoned the run somewhere in Missouri and flew home. A bit over the top? Yeah, probably. But to be fair, he seems to be a sincere and friendly guy (although I've never met him) that intensely loves to run, and who am I to question his motivation. And as a small business owner myself, I salute him for finding a way to make a living doing what he loves to do. I think one of the main reasons he's controversial among the hard-core ultrarunning community is that he appears to be seeking out celebrity status...which seemingly isn't the modus opperandi among that usually low-key, laid-back, happy-go-lucky group.
In my Running Book Library, I gave it 3/5 stars. Worth reading, but not a "must read", IMHO.

I'm currently reading Kenny Moore's book "Best Efforts - The Long Blue Line, Volume 1". I'm about halfway through it, and it's fascinating! Might be the best running-related book I've read in years! I'll post a review after I finish it.

(Oops) Tempo Run

What was supposed to be a relatively easy 5-mile trail run with hills turned into a fairly quick tempo run. The time was 38:23 (7:40 pace), which was about 30 seconds per mile faster than I wanted to be today. On the last 1-mile loop, a high-school girl started running (looked like she could be a cross-country runner) at pretty much the same pace I was. I gradually caught up with her, just running my own pace. She glanced over at me. I apologized (didn't want to be a 42 yr old guy creeping out this poor girl) and picked up the pace all the way up the hill to the end. I was pretty winded when I finished. In hindsight, I should have backed off my pace as soon as I saw her in front of me, but I guess the ego got in the way and took over. So now my week will have to be re-shuffled. I had intended running an interval workout tomorrow. Not gonna happen now. It'll be an easy run, with possibly a scaled back interval workout on Wednesday, bike on Thursday, short run on Friday and medium-long run on Saturday. Hey, stop yawning!

Recovery Run

I ended the week with a slow and easy 3.5 mile run (8:49 pace / 119 finishing HR), for a 25 mile week (plus 20 on the bike). The legs feel GREAT after yesterday's 12-mile run.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Friday Long Run

Sunday, October 6, 1991: "12 mi - 1:31:54 (7:39/mile pace). Tough, but good. The longer I run, the better I feel...marathoner?"

The above was taken from my running log book 18 years ago. Even at the age of 24, I was starting to realize that maybe I'm more suited for longer distances. Well, that goal of becoming a marathoner has yet to be realized. That was the last time I had done a run of 12 or more miles...until this morning. I strapped on the new fuel belt & iPod and ran 12 miles on the Centennial Trail down in Snohomish. Weather was perfect - 67 and sunny. I drank thrice; one time was at mile 5 when I also ate two Shot Blocs. Never had any stomach issues (I had never eaten during a run before so I wasn't sure what to expect). The only thing about the run that bugged me a bit was the fuel belt. I learned that I could either wear it loose and low and have it bounce around like crazy, or wear it tight and have it creep up my stomach. I chose the latter and dealt with a bit of breathing issues (not major), pushing the belt down every once in awhile. For a training run, no big deal. But during a race, when I'm breathing hard, it could be a problem. I'm still going to look into a hand-held bottle soon. I probably didn't even need to carry anything for 12 miles, but I wanted to see how it would all work and if I could eat and drink efficiently while running.
My time was about what I expected (1:41:14 - 8:26/mile pace); maybe a tad faster. Fastest mile was 8:18, slowest was 8:41, when I was eating & drinking. Was a little faster coming back than going out. Took a 12-minute ice bath when I got home. Calves are a little tight, but aside from an occassional tweak during the run, the legs held up nicely.
Assuming I feel okay in the morning, I'll do an easy 3.5 mile run to end the week.
Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Great Wednesday Run, Testing Fuel Belt

Got a good night's sleep (assisted, unfortunately) last night and decided against getting up before 6am to run. Instead, I was out at 10:00am for a 4.5 miler. I ran the first mile slow (8:10), 2nd mile fast (6:37), last 2.5 miles slow (19:45) for an overall time of 34:33 (7:41 pace). First of all...wow! My goal was to run mile 2 in 7:10-7:15. Had no idea it would be that much faster. Second of all, this was my first time ever wearing a fuel belt (Brooks Waterboy A/S). Worked okay, but it kept creeping up my abdomen and settling right below my ribcage, which caused some breathing issues. I'll play with the tightness of the belt the next time out. Instead of using the bottle that came with it, I chose to use a fairly cheap Nike bottle that uses an auto-seal on the nozzle (there's nothing to pull open or push closed), so you squeeze to shoot liquid out, but otherwise it stays sealed. Or it's supposed to (it works great on the bike). When I'd drink and replace it on the belt (it sits horizontally), I'd feel drips on my leg for a couple of minutes. If it's just water, it's not a big deal (other than losing precious liquid), but if it's sports drink, I'm looking at a sticky mess on my leg after awhile. So next time I'll probably use the bottle that came with the belt & see how it goes.

I was planning on taking tomorrow off, but I might go out for a very short test run to see if I can get the belt to work comfortably before Friday's 12-miler. I want to focus on that run, and not have to fiddle with the fit of the belt the whole time.

Have a great day & run strong!

August Totals

Here are my running and cycling numbers from August:

Runs: 15
Miles: 86.5
Total run time: 11:58:15
Average pace/mile: 8:18
Long run: 10 mi

Rides: 6
Miles: 142.4
Total ride time: 9:33:25
Avg. mi/hr: 14.9
Longest ride: 35 mi

Races: 1 (bike leg of Whisky Dick Triathlon, Aug. 9)

Total run/bike time: 21:31:40