93.2 - Almost there

7 wet miles last evening. I don't mind running in the light rain, but the issue is with the feet. The shoes are so "venty" that they also allow alot of moisture in, at least I think that was the issue. Have the start of a blister under one of my toes as a result, but it's not a major problem and won't hamper my efforts. The one note I took here is how consistent I was in time on this one. With the hills on my runs I typically vary in mile times up to 30 seconds. I was between 8:55 and 9:05 every mile. Just the way it worked out I suppose. Anyhow, it was a very comfortable run and probably not too far off the pace I plan to run the marathon at (12 days). Looking somewhere in the vicinity of a 9:15 average for the marathon, but will judge it as I run it. On that note, I took the kids for a ride over the weekend to checkout the marathon course. It's nearly as flat as it is described to be, which is great! Some slow incline/declines, but should be very condusive to keeping a good pace. There is one large hill, at mile 22 which could be trouble, but it's still not half of pretty much any hill where I run now... Of course, after 22 miles of running it will look like Everest I'm sure. LOL

Update: Added a couple more on the treadmill to bring me to 95.25 and have some time blocked tomorrow afternoon to finish off another 100+ mile month, woohoo. I'm also going to finish my PU/SU challenge of 1500 just over my goal for each.

15 Days - Marathon Cometh

Quick post to update the status. Another 4.3 yesterday, kind of an interval run. Splits were 8:32, 7:55, 9:00, 8:16, and a light .3 to finish it off.

September run miles: 86.2
PU - 1190
SU - 1040

Will get a "long" run in over the weekend hopefully; weather isn't looking to promising... Maybe 7 or 8 miles, we'll see.

Question was asked about the "gel pack" and it's the Nathan brand "gel pack". That's about it...I think it'll work really well on the marathon course. I'm going to have to look into Rae's suggestions though, sounds nice and potent! :-)

16..16...16...16 days gotta get it done..

For all you High School Musical fans, the whole “Now or Never” song which I felt was appropriate for my mood counting down to the Hartford marathon.  So, 16 more days to my first marathon attempt and I’m calm but the excitement is building for sure.  Added to that, I just received my new gel pack holder for the run.  It’s really just a glorified fanny pack (man I hate that word) that holds your race day gels, powerbars, etc.  It also has a neat little pocket that holds the sticky empty packs as well.

4.3 miles at a faster pace yesterday (8:23 average) and the knee continued to feel better as well as the shin splints feeling bearable and no need for extra icing or pain reliever.  Slow paced medium length run on tap for the weekend at some point (probably Sunday), I’m thinking about 8-10 miles.  My running during the week will alternate between quicker tempo runs, medium interval runs, and slower recovery type runs.  I should still hit the 100 mile mark for Sept without pressing it and I’m close to my SU/PU goal of 1500 each.

 

Run Miles for Sept: 81.9

PU: 1010

SU: 910

Day 17 - Hartford Marathon Countdown

“Weeeeee’ve traveled back in time…..so-far, we haven’t found any signs of life…..but if I have to tear this universe a new black hole, I will…cause I’ve GOT TOOOO MISTERRRR”.  For no other reason than I love that scene in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective…..

17 days to go till 26.2.  Since this one is my first run of that distance I’m not going to say that I’m ready cause I just don’t know till I give it a go.  Do I believe that I put in the work in order to succeed? Yes, I can honestly say that I don’t think I really could have trained all that much more to prepare myself for this.  Although I didn’t follow a formal marathon plan, I had taken what I’ve read about a number of them and incorporated them into my own philosophy matched with the time I had available to train.  Feel like that was the best of both worlds and something I could be happy with going into race day. 

The knee is okay, although I do still feel it the slightest bit when walking up a long flight of stairs.  Bottom line, it’ll be all set come Oct.10 as I’m not going to push the speed or distance all that much in the coming days.  My focus is to keep a certain rhythm going, and to slim down a little more.  In the slim down category I’d like to lose 3-4 lbs and think it’s very doable while still keeping my “fuel” levels high.  Basically, time to cut out the late night snacking on fatty stuff.  I’ve realized that this has been keeping where I am, on the scale, but haven’t really cared all that much till now.

With that, are there any other big events coming up for Team Voicers in October?  I know it’s typically a big race month around the country, so I was curious.  I know Justin is gearing up for the Lincoln Marathon but not sure when that is, or if that’s the right one. J  Any others?

Testing 1,2,3...

First, thanks for all that commented on my last post. I was a little down after missing the mileage mark, but felt good to hear the encouragement. :-)

Just a quick reply so we're on the same page. I think I left the impression that I was going all out on that run and worried about my time and such. Although the time was actually decent, on second glance, I was just trying to find a comfortable zone for the long haul. I think what did me in where the knee is concerned was the hills. I decided to double loop an area that is up then down, up then down...not really condusive to long distance running I guess. The tough part is getting 20 miles of anything that is flat where I live (short of circling a track for 20 miles...which I might do next time....holy repetitious Batman!). After seeing a short video of the Hartford marathon course (http://www.hartfordmarathon.com/marathonnew.htm#Video) mostly flat...phew.

Anyhoo, my knee appears to be okay. Tested it last night on a 4.37 miler (with some hills, of course) and it appeared to be okay, a little pressure but it's still recovering so no worries. I've been dealing with shin splints in my right leg for a while now, but it doesn't really impact my running, just tight for the first couple of miles and it loosens up. Mostly due to the mileage I've been putting in. I'll give it a rest post marathon and pre-gear up for Disney.

My wife has shown interest in joining us team voicers, what do ya think? Should we let her in? ;-) I tell ya, if anyone has had ANY problems running, she's a great resource as she's been through it all in the past year. She started training when I did last year, but always had the 2010 half-marathon as a goal (I just got antsy and had to do 2009). She's battled knee problems, plantar facitis problems...physical therapy, cortizone injections....major blisters, etc. All to complete this darn thing in January. Going to be a great weekend for sure.

Side note- Disney's Earth Blu-Ray was great. Video was amazing, music was also great. The only wish I had would be for more footage. It only ran 1hr 30min, so by the time you got into it, it was over. Definitely one to add to the collection though as it even kept the kids interested for a while.

1st Failed Run....

I suppose it was just a matter of time, but today was the first run where I set out to do a certain distance and came up short. :-( Before I get into excuses, here's the data.

Target - 20 miles
Actual - 19.37 miles
Time - 3:10:87
13.1 Split - 2:04:xx
Mileage Total for Sept - 73.22

Things just didn't line up that well today. Temps at 49 when left, no issues there, actually it felt good! Carried two 20oz bottles and one 22oz on my back for the first 2 mi and then dropped the 2 in the park. Instead of watching the Heart Rate and keeping in a zone, I decided to just get into a good breathing rythm and go with that At mile 3 I felt a small rock rolling around in my shoe and just decided to keep going. Mile 3.5 was stopped dead at a light for like a minute, crazy morning traffic, and then again by a lost motorist a half mile later...One of my pet peeves!!! Can't you see I'm running here!!!! After that things were going well, but felt just blah...not stiff or in pain, but just never got into a rythm as I typically do. I did a double loop in a pretty hilly area and headed back towards where my water bottles are. Somehow I miscalculated the mileage and was behind by around a mile or so. So I had to loop this downtown area like 3 times which is another annoyance of mine...I just get bored and lose all motivation. At mile 16ish I started to feel pain in the tendon behind my knee, but kept plugging along. My calves were burning, but I expected that at this mileage. So at this point I'm unmotivated by having to cratively make up mileage and headed towards home thinking I would just make my 20. Turns out I have to wog the last mile in this run (another first) as my tendon wouldn't hold up on the hills and I couldn't even take a corner without it feeling like it would give out. So I ran the straightaways and walked the corners/hills.

I was contemplating another long one prior to the marthon, but I'm only 21 days out and don't think I could get another one in with enough time to recoup. So I'm going to keep them under 10 the rest of the way and hope for the best. The good news is that the marathon course is pretty darn flat, although, anything is flat in comparison to what I've been running lately. Also, I won't have to carry water with me!

Side note - Got Disney's Earth Blu-Ray in the mail from Blockbuster and will watch over the weekend. I'll let y'all know how it is. :-)

Back to School and the Triple Lindy

The summer is officially over for me today as I get back to it and head into the final stretch of my MBA program. Somehow I knew going into June that the summer would fly by leaving me to say only this "wow, summer really flew by". Very profound... :-) and No, I didn't even get to try a triple lindy off my roof and into the pool....how disapointing.

In any event, I'm at 53.85 run miles for September and plan to take a couple of days off prior to the big 20 miler on Friday (I'm targeting Friday at the moment, but subject to change). This is going to sound strange, but the upper part of my lower legs is aching and feels like it needs some rest and perhaps ice. From everything I've read I should be taking it down a notch prior to a long run like that anyhow. If I get home from school early enough, I may do 2-3 on the treadmill, but will take the next couple of days off.

How's Team Voice feeling out there? Some are in recovery from the DL half and the others are gearing up for WDW half/full/Goof.... I know I'm starting to feel more and more anxious/excited about Jan now that the temps are slowly dropping here in New England. Going to creep up on us fast folks, so start hitting those training plans and working more consistently toward your core and strength training! I'm back to SU's and PU's everyday again and it feels good.

Let's give some love to Bryan out there as he very quietly trains for the WDW full marathon in Jan! He can hide, but can he run? ha! Also to Justin who I believe is going to Goof it up in Jan. When does this guy have time to do that lawyering thing....jeeez! :-)

Sloshy Six

53min for 6 miles today in the rain. No, I didn't melt, but it's not exactly a load of fun either. In any event, I'm just shy of 50 miles for the month (48.2) and eyeing my 20+ miler for some time later next week. Still trying to figure out how I'm going pull 20 miles out of my area without having to run on the highway, or do too many of the same loops (almost as much fun as running on a treadmill).

Got my new marathon shoes the other day and started to break them in. Just another pair of Asics GT-2130's. I think Amazon has fully run out of my size at this point and I'll have to head back to the shoe shoppe for zomething different. Probably a treat for the feet come WDW Marathon weekend, timing seems right.

Trip planning chatter is starting heat up around my house. We've got those 10 days in November and the Marathon trip not too long after. I tell ya, it really keeps us going!

Tarzan - Okay, I'll admit it...I'm lame...I watched Tarzan for the first time yesterday morning. Wow, what a great job Disney did on this! Is it me, or do they really try to make you cry in all these movies! Maybe it's me...it's like the older I get, the more emotional I get...What a softie! LOL
Back to school Monday night, boooo, International Business. Think I might have already griped about this one.... Thankfully I'll have internet access via computer or at the very least, the blackberry.

Take care of yourself out there during you training! We'll chat with ya soon. :-)

9 on 9/9/09

Didn't actually plan it this way, but laughed when I realized it. Just ran 9 miles this afternoon on a beautiful afternoon here in CT. Mid-70's, breezy, and then there was my lead legs. The first four miles were extremely difficult for me due to two things 1) I took the mondo-hill route and 2) My legs were so stiff it felt like I was running with lead pipes attached to them. Knew I'd loosen up at some point and finally did around 4.5 miles into it. After that, everything was grand. Averaged 9:26 right in the heart rate range I wanted to. This is where I want to be for the marathon run and think it'll be very easily possible given that the course won't be as brutal (hardly any elevation minus one large hill at mile 22) and it's an 8am start time in October which should be optimal weather-wise.

NFL football tomorrow night, I know at least one other Team Voicer that is as psyched as I am!!! That's right, give me some love Mike-Speed!!! :-) Steelers/Titans I believe, should be a great defensive match-up.

Status
Run Miles for Sept = 42.6
PU's = 400
SU's = 380

26.2

Not sure why I was waiting, but I finally registered for the Full Hartford Marathon on Oct. 10th. I knew it wasn't going to fill up to capacity (3500 for the full, 3500 for the half), but my neighbor just missed out on registering for a triathalon that she'd been training months for....so I thought I'd get off my rear end and make sure I'm in for this.

Weird how I actually feel different now that I'm registered. Must be the financial commitment (90 bucks in this case) that makes the brain go "holy cats....I've actually got to do this now".

I've read some articles on Active today about Marathon prep and such. They talk about winding down the the miles one month out. Much quicker than anything else I've seen. Interesting. I'm still planning on a 20 mile training run by 9/19 at the latest, so I think that should give me enough time to recoup for the race on 10/10. The article said it takes 4 weeks to get over a training run like that. Again, interesting... I'm going to use the iPod for this race even though they recommend that you don't (noticed they changed their language from last years race, from prohibited to recommend against it). I'll try not to use it for the most part and keep the volume down when I do use it. I have never had an issue with other runners as I'm pretty aware of my surroundings when I run. God bless those runners that can do without, and I hope to do another in the future without, but we'll see.

Back to the MBA program next Monday night. At least it's one step closer to finishing next June. International business is the next class, and should prove interesting given the times we're in economically. Of course, my training will take a hit as it's now a day that I won't be able to sneak in a run.

The "Wishing I Were Running in Disneyland" Half Marathon

Only one entrant for this years "Wishing I were running in Disneyland" event, but a determined entrant at that! This years race start time was 12:44p, under sunny skies and 80+ degree heat (ick). Below are the results for our runner. He finished 1 out of 1, 1st in his age group, and 1st overall!! Way to go!

Chris Cullen (34M) 2:02:10

________________________________

So I decided this morning to run the half marathon distance that our Team Voice folks would be running this weekend. The issue is that I should have run it in the morning... Would have, but had two meetings on the calendar (of which one of them blew me off...). Heat/sun made for tough sledding this time out and about 80% of the course is wide open in the sun (ugh). Granted, I ran 3 half's faster than this, but they were also run very early in the morning in 50-60 degree temps. Ran about 7-8 miles in my heart rate range, but my body wasn't comfortable (probably due to the extra time in the sun), so I picked up the pace a little till I felt a comfortable pace. Run the long one's in the morning..lesson learned. I think the next long run will be in 2 weeks and will be a 20 miler (probably a 7am start). 9:21 average mile, Below are the splits.

Mile 1 - 8:48
Mile 2 - 9:01
Mile 3 - 9:21
Mile 4 - 9:15
Mile 5 - 9:28
Mile 6 - 9:37
Mile 7 - 9:36
Mile 8 - 9:51 (Long winding hill)
Mile 9 - 9:18
Mile 10 - 9:32
Mile 11 - 9:28
Mile 12 - 9:05
Mile 13 - 9:12
Mile .1 - :01

Walked a mile home from the "finish" (in the sun the whole way...now I'm all sunburt! :-))

GO T.V. in DL!!

Best of luck to all the Team Voicers this weekend in Disneyland!! From the training I've ready about, you all will do great. :-) Just wish I was going out there as well, but what can ya do. I wouldn't have been able to go no matter what as it's my daughters 5th b-day and there's a whole of party festivities to be had.

Side note - We are booked into the Beach Club Villas for next July, kinda psyched about that. My in-laws do the timeshare thing and are now able to trade for DVC properties. They have been gracious enough to give us one of their weeks for quite some time now. We've been checking the DVC availability, not expecting much, and this one popped up so we snagged it right away. Now that my daughter is in school it looks like the summer and break vacations will be the norm. Not loving how hot it's going to be, but hey, it's still Disney!

Training - Kicked off well this month, up to 17 miles for the week and planning a longer run today. Might go for the 13.1 again and save the loooong run till next week, but I'll decide this morning based on how much time I have. I've been puttinging in SU/PU's every day as promised too. :-)

August Review - Best Mileage Month Yet

August turned out to be exactly what I needed in order to prep for the Hartford Marathon. I was able to get two 13+ mile runs in and exceed my best mileage month from 2008. Not bad at all… September is going to be key as my one and only goal is to feel that I can complete the 26.2 miles without injury, death, ya know, that kind of stuff. J I’m pretty confident right now, but feel I need to get at least one 20+ mile run in and then I’ll declare myself ready. Thus far, the 15 miler is my longest to date, but I tell ya, I felt like I could have gone another 5 no sweat at all….well…of course there would be sweat, but you know what I mean.

I had hit over 100 miles Sunday evening with a 3 mile treadmill interval session (100.58 to be exact) and exceeded my June 2008 total of 100.17. These are all run miles, I do keep track of the walking/warm-up-down miles separately. Happy to have exceeded it, but yesterday was an outstanding weather day so I put in a lunch run of 8 miles really boosting the total over my previous best. The 8.23 miler was incredibly easy and felt great, the only reason I stopped was time, had to get back to work (this put me at 108.81 total for Aug). As I had mentioned previously, I’m tracking my average heart rate trying to slow things down in order to maximize speed at a given HR. Well, I compared my 8 miler to a run last week that was similar in every way (except it was warmer last week) and I reduced my HR by 3 (149 to 146) and was nearly 20 seconds faster per mile…go figure… It’s a challenge to keep in the HR zone when I was feeling really good, but I did and feel like it’s paying off. I’m going to keep this up through September as it really should help me in the marathon (hopefully).

In any event, probably not going to get a long run of more than 9-10 miles in this week with two b-day parties for my daughter Saturday and Sunday, but I’m going to keep up the frequency best I can prior to school starting back up Monday evening (the 14^th).

One more note, yes Mike, I use the caffeinated gels infrequently. Pretty much the first one for a morning run and then switch over to the non-caffeinated ones. I drink enough coffee as it is! Used the shot blocks yesterday and I like them a lot, so much easier to stomach, but not as easy to “take” while running. I’m used to the gel packs, so I’ll probably keep going with those (perhaps try some of the other brands that y’all have been mentioning..hammer and whatnot). Oh, and I’m slacking on the push-up/sit-ups and have put a 1500 goal on each for this month. Only finished with 600/800 last month L Core, Core, Core!!!