I'm waiting for a Swedish butter cake to come out of the oven at 2:28 a.m. (which clearly says something about me) and thought I would post something to kill the time. That's not the only reason I'm writing after a long absence. If it took butter and a whole lot of sugar baking in the oven to make me post every time, I would be in a world of trouble. The other inspiration for writing was my short run today in the neighborhood, which ended my long dry spell in running. And, as an afterthought, I realized that I hadn't yet posted about the Marine Corps Marathon, which I ran at the end of October.
I finished my 5th MCM in 4:53!!! I took 32 minutes off of my previous PR, which was 5:25. It was the hardest marathon I've ever run. I nixed my lax and relaxed marathon running style of old and really pushed myself. On a funny note, my running buddy and I worried that we "went out too fast" at a blistering 10-minute mile pace. At mile 23, I hit the wall like I had never hit it before. I felt shaky and leaden. At the end of the race, I had nothing left. For those of you who aren't familiar with the MCM course, it's pretty easy as far as marathon courses go -- not too hilly. It lulls you into a false sense of security and then BAM! A hill comes up out of nowhere right before the finish. Normally, no matter how badly I'm hurting, I can muster the strength to sprint up the hill and across the finish line. Not this year. The only thing that carried me up that hill running was my pride; I refuse to walk so close to or across the finish line. Absent a real injury, I feel like there are no excuses not to run across the finish line even at a shuffle run.
Now that I've broken the 5 hour mark, my next goal will be to beat Oprah's time of 4:29. I suppose it's ambitious to take another half-hour off. And lest you think that I'm weird for gunning for Oprah, there's a whole website devoted to it: Beat Oprah's Marathon Time for A Cure. Do you think I can do it?
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
I've Come A Long Way
Yup, I'm bragging. I have been running faithfully since spring (and not writing about it much), and it's paid off! I would oftentimes run and then wonder whether I would ever break the 10-minute mile barrier, especially since a 10-minute mile for me was particularly speedy. Suffice it to say, I am finally beginning to see results in my running! I've been averaging about 20 to 30 miles a week and have been running in the heat of summer, in many cases, during the hottest part of the day, since I generally run during my lunch break.
Here is the abbreviated re-cap of my summer races. You're lucky I'm feeling lazy and therefore decided not to regale you with a detailed description of my painstaking training. Back in early June, I ran the Lawyers Have Heart 10K. Since I was running regularly at the time, I was hoping to come in under an hour. It didn't happen, and I ran it at a little over a 10-minute mile. I didn't achieve my goal; but hey! There were free snowcones after the race so it wasn't a total loss.
I stepped up the training in preparation for the upcoming Marine Corp Marathon, and at the end of August, ran that Annapolis 10-Miler. It was fun to run the hometown. Despite the heat and the hills, I, with the help of my running buddy, came in at 1:39 and some change. Our pace was one second under a 10-minute mile. As an aside, I got a kick out of the St. Anne's "holy" water station.
Which brings me to today. I finished the Army 10-miler in 1:35, a 9:30 pace, which is the fastest I've ever run over a longer distance. It was hard, and I'm not sure that I could have done it without my running buddy. I challenged myself to push and keep up with him, and was able to for the most part. I have concluded that all of my training hasn't necessarily made me speedier, but stronger. I can now muscle through runs better than I could before.
Who knows what the future holds?
Here is the abbreviated re-cap of my summer races. You're lucky I'm feeling lazy and therefore decided not to regale you with a detailed description of my painstaking training. Back in early June, I ran the Lawyers Have Heart 10K. Since I was running regularly at the time, I was hoping to come in under an hour. It didn't happen, and I ran it at a little over a 10-minute mile. I didn't achieve my goal; but hey! There were free snowcones after the race so it wasn't a total loss.
I stepped up the training in preparation for the upcoming Marine Corp Marathon, and at the end of August, ran that Annapolis 10-Miler. It was fun to run the hometown. Despite the heat and the hills, I, with the help of my running buddy, came in at 1:39 and some change. Our pace was one second under a 10-minute mile. As an aside, I got a kick out of the St. Anne's "holy" water station.
Which brings me to today. I finished the Army 10-miler in 1:35, a 9:30 pace, which is the fastest I've ever run over a longer distance. It was hard, and I'm not sure that I could have done it without my running buddy. I challenged myself to push and keep up with him, and was able to for the most part. I have concluded that all of my training hasn't necessarily made me speedier, but stronger. I can now muscle through runs better than I could before.
Who knows what the future holds?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Don't Let Them Sock It To You
Who is "them?" Running stores. I went to buy new shoes at a running store in Annapolis that shall remain nameless, mainly because the owner seems like a really nice guy and I wouldn't want to say anything critical of his store. I was also thinking about buying new running socks.
My shoes ended up costing about $130, and the store wanted $9 for one pair of the lowest-end running sock. I bought the shoes because I feel guilty about going to a running store and getting fitted and then not buying the shoes. How about a poll: Do the rest of you runners out there feel similarly guilty? When I got home, I experienced a sinking moment when Eugene looked my shoes up on a military exchange website. They were going for about $70 to $80 (can't remember). It's always a suckerpunch when you realize that you paid almost 50% too much for something. The upshot? For anyone who has access to a military exchange, get your shoes there, especially if you just buy the latest model of the same pair of shoes and don't feel a need to get re-fitted.
Happily, the whole night wasn't lost. I passed the socks up and went to Target instead. I got six pair of 100% synthetic material Champion brand athletic socks for the same price that the running store wanted for one paid. The socks work fine, so another piece of advice; buy your running socks at Target. Something to note, though; Target doesn't seem to carry 100% synthetic athletic socks for men.
My shoes ended up costing about $130, and the store wanted $9 for one pair of the lowest-end running sock. I bought the shoes because I feel guilty about going to a running store and getting fitted and then not buying the shoes. How about a poll: Do the rest of you runners out there feel similarly guilty? When I got home, I experienced a sinking moment when Eugene looked my shoes up on a military exchange website. They were going for about $70 to $80 (can't remember). It's always a suckerpunch when you realize that you paid almost 50% too much for something. The upshot? For anyone who has access to a military exchange, get your shoes there, especially if you just buy the latest model of the same pair of shoes and don't feel a need to get re-fitted.
Happily, the whole night wasn't lost. I passed the socks up and went to Target instead. I got six pair of 100% synthetic material Champion brand athletic socks for the same price that the running store wanted for one paid. The socks work fine, so another piece of advice; buy your running socks at Target. Something to note, though; Target doesn't seem to carry 100% synthetic athletic socks for men.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
But I run marathons!
I'm going way back, all the way to late April or early May. The sordid events that I am about to explain happened so long ago (at least in blog time) that I can't remember when they occurred, other than the generic "awhile ago."
Eugene and I are very busy people. We work long hours and are always running off to one activity or another. As a result, we aren't as proactive as we could be about yard work, proactive being a kind euphemism for lazy. I'm far more guilty of this than Eugene. At any rate, we decided to have a big Memorial Day barbeque because we figured that it would motivate us to really get things done.
And it did. I attacked the garden patches with unprecendented fervor. I spent over five hours on my hands and knees one Saturday relentlessly weeding. Note to self: don't let weeds go for two years; it's not pretty. At the end of the day, I was in pain like I had never been in pain before. My wrists were screaming, and I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was sore for days. I felt worse than I usually do after marathons that I run without really training. I was shocked to be in so much pain because as a person who has run a few marathons in a state of woeful unpreparedness, I figured that I had a really really high tolerance for pain. I never would have imagined that a measly five hours in a garden could cause me that much pain.
Ironically enough, I was reading Better Homes and Gardens and saw an article on pre-gardening stretches. Ordinarily, I would have scoffed at such a wussy idea like stretching before gardening. Now, I am a true believer and will definitely do my pre-gardening warmup stretches.
Eugene and I are very busy people. We work long hours and are always running off to one activity or another. As a result, we aren't as proactive as we could be about yard work, proactive being a kind euphemism for lazy. I'm far more guilty of this than Eugene. At any rate, we decided to have a big Memorial Day barbeque because we figured that it would motivate us to really get things done.
And it did. I attacked the garden patches with unprecendented fervor. I spent over five hours on my hands and knees one Saturday relentlessly weeding. Note to self: don't let weeds go for two years; it's not pretty. At the end of the day, I was in pain like I had never been in pain before. My wrists were screaming, and I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was sore for days. I felt worse than I usually do after marathons that I run without really training. I was shocked to be in so much pain because as a person who has run a few marathons in a state of woeful unpreparedness, I figured that I had a really really high tolerance for pain. I never would have imagined that a measly five hours in a garden could cause me that much pain.
Ironically enough, I was reading Better Homes and Gardens and saw an article on pre-gardening stretches. Ordinarily, I would have scoffed at such a wussy idea like stretching before gardening. Now, I am a true believer and will definitely do my pre-gardening warmup stretches.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
We finished!
I was so wiped out last night, I forgot to tell people we finished! Matt finished a strong last 2 legs and brought us into DC. Compared to our experience at Ragnar, this finish was much better organized. They had the runners come off the C&O trail, through Georgetown, and finally into the park adjacent to the FDR Memorial.
The Washington Post had an article about the relay today - and our team got mentioned!
And no, we didn't see Mayor Fenty - although I did run with him for a few miles during the Marine Corps Marathon 2 years ago.
More to follow - today is yard work - I will go back and fill in posts, as well as add more photos.
The Washington Post had an article about the relay today - and our team got mentioned!
And no, we didn't see Mayor Fenty - although I did run with him for a few miles during the Marine Corps Marathon 2 years ago.
More to follow - today is yard work - I will go back and fill in posts, as well as add more photos.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Final 2 legs
So despite the heat we are now standing by for the final 2 legs. After a beautiful 14 mile run last night, I had one of the toughest 13 mile stretches of my life. Hot and humid, and don't forget that I slept about an hour and have already run 24 miles....
Kevin is now finishing up his last 2 legs, and Matt is getting ready to take us into DC. Our revised ETA at FDR is now between 6 and 6:30. See you there!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Home stretch
The end is in sight... Greg is wrapping up 29 and 30, and getting ready for 12.8 on 31 and 32... It's warm, but thankfully not as warm as yesterday.
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IT issues
It appears we are having air card issues... So I'm going to try and update via the good old blackberry. In a nutshell, we've made it through the night safely - definitely tired though. Nobody got that much sleep. D is currently on leg 28 and Greg is prepping for 29 and 30. After I got into a footrace last night with some girl in the last 1/2 mile of 20, I am not sure how my legs are going to hold up.
A bunch of teams got held at 5 am at the C&O trail start.... Seems we were ahead of pace and the trail wasn't open yet.
Right now we're projected to arrive at the finish line between 3 and 3:30... Updates to follow.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Friday, April 24, 2009
Getting ready for 14.1 miles
So in what is definitely a very cool setup, the Odyssey staff has arranged for a local high school to act as a little base for us... complete with showers, massage tables, and food. Lots of people laid out sleeping in the gym.
D finished up his legs, and Greg is out on 17 and 18. 17 is supposed to be pretty brutal, so I'm sure he's going to be feeling it at the end. At this point I am going to sign off and start prepping for 19 and 20.
D finished up his legs, and Greg is out on 17 and 18. 17 is supposed to be pretty brutal, so I'm sure he's going to be feeling it at the end. At this point I am going to sign off and start prepping for 19 and 20.
The Oasis
Jay just finished his second leg on 13 and 14, and D is up now on 15 and 16. One neat thing about this relay is they have an area where 15 transitions take place... So basically it will give all of us a chance to wind down and relax.
With the sun down, it has cooled down considerably... There is a nice breeze now and we're hoping it stays like this for the rest of the night.
With the sun down, it has cooled down considerably... There is a nice breeze now and we're hoping it stays like this for the rest of the night.
Matt is now part of the club
So Jay is now started our second round... a quick 8.8 on legs 13 and 14. The sun is starting to come down and temperature has gone down nicely.
Matt, having missed the story of Charlie and car accident of Ragnar, now has his own relay story to share. While we were at the transition between legs 10 and 11, there was a house across the street which had a larged fenced area... apparently, there was a hole in the fence, and the 4 dogs from that house were coming out to bother runners. Matt, immediately upon starting his leg, actually got nipped by one of the dogs (it didn't break the skin).
And don't worry Madison and Peyton, Daddy can still get in the van because he doesn't stink (yet).
Matt, having missed the story of Charlie and car accident of Ragnar, now has his own relay story to share. While we were at the transition between legs 10 and 11, there was a house across the street which had a larged fenced area... apparently, there was a hole in the fence, and the 4 dogs from that house were coming out to bother runners. Matt, immediately upon starting his leg, actually got nipped by one of the dogs (it didn't break the skin).
And don't worry Madison and Peyton, Daddy can still get in the van because he doesn't stink (yet).
Little cute animals
One thing I forgot to note was Kevin crossed the Pennsylvania-Maryland border during his run (Matt cracked he came all this way and doesn't get to run in a different state...)
This friendly guy, guarding his sheep..
Some of the more interesting things we've seen today...
This friendly guy, guarding his sheep..
No idea what this was...
During one of transitions, we had a State Police helicopter land in the parking lot next to Wal-Mart...
What has to be the coolest play ground we've ever seen...
57 miles down, 142 miles to go
So it took me a bit longer to get back to blog... I just finished two great legs (7 and 8) and was quickly followed by Kevin. Hard to believe it's already been 4 hours since I started my run.
Last time at Ragnar, I got stuck with the ungodly hill up Rt 40... this time, it was Greg who got the hill. Technically, he had more of a vertical climb than I did, but mine was over a shorter distance!
The weather has not only held, it has gotten very warm... I debated with running with or without a belt and ultimately ended up running with it (which ultimately was a very good decision). I felt great for the first mile of leg 7 or so (chasing a guy from another team) but then quickly hit a wall as the heat and a steep uphill got to me. After the third mile I was feeling in the zone and having liquids made a big difference - I started picking other teams off. At one point I was running around a sub 7 minute mile, but had to slow myself down as I reminded myself that I had 33 miles or so to go... Leg 8 also went pretty well - after a long slow uphill climb the last 3.5 miles was all downhill - steep downhill. I took advantage of the downhill and flew into the checkpoint to hand off to Kevin for legs 9 and 10.
Kevin's legs also went well - except he had literally run through several miles of farm fields that had been freshly manured. At one point he almost felt like he had to throw up due to the heat and the smell...
Kevin finished up his 10.6 strong and handed the bracelet off to new team member Matt for legs 11 and 12. Matt wanted say hi to his girls Madison and Peyton - and they should know the van is not stinky... yet! More coming soon on Matt's progress.
Also wanted to give a shout out to Tony, who ran Ragnar with us but unfortunately couldn't run this time due to injury. Wish you here brother!
Last time at Ragnar, I got stuck with the ungodly hill up Rt 40... this time, it was Greg who got the hill. Technically, he had more of a vertical climb than I did, but mine was over a shorter distance!
The weather has not only held, it has gotten very warm... I debated with running with or without a belt and ultimately ended up running with it (which ultimately was a very good decision). I felt great for the first mile of leg 7 or so (chasing a guy from another team) but then quickly hit a wall as the heat and a steep uphill got to me. After the third mile I was feeling in the zone and having liquids made a big difference - I started picking other teams off. At one point I was running around a sub 7 minute mile, but had to slow myself down as I reminded myself that I had 33 miles or so to go... Leg 8 also went pretty well - after a long slow uphill climb the last 3.5 miles was all downhill - steep downhill. I took advantage of the downhill and flew into the checkpoint to hand off to Kevin for legs 9 and 10.
Kevin's legs also went well - except he had literally run through several miles of farm fields that had been freshly manured. At one point he almost felt like he had to throw up due to the heat and the smell...
Kevin finished up his 10.6 strong and handed the bracelet off to new team member Matt for legs 11 and 12. Matt wanted say hi to his girls Madison and Peyton - and they should know the van is not stinky... yet! More coming soon on Matt's progress.
Also wanted to give a shout out to Tony, who ran Ragnar with us but unfortunately couldn't run this time due to injury. Wish you here brother!
4 down, 32 to go...
Well, the weather seems to be holding up. In fact, the wind has died down and the runners are starting to feel the sun on the course. Our second runner has finished up a tough 16.6 miles through some very hilly country. We ended up at Libery Mountain ski resort, which was kind enough to let the runners use their facilities (another plus over Ragnar!). This is true Pennsylvania farm country, complete with lots of cows and covered bridges.
Greg is now tackling legs 5 and 6. I'm up next, so I'll probably be offline for a few hours as I start to get ready. The transition after 5 was at a restaurant called Ventura's in Fairfield, PA. While most of the teams (the weak 12 person types) are stopping for lunch, I don't think our compressed schedule will allow us to stop just yet.
Greg's legs: 4 and 5
Pictures will come at the next break.
Greg is now tackling legs 5 and 6. I'm up next, so I'll probably be offline for a few hours as I start to get ready. The transition after 5 was at a restaurant called Ventura's in Fairfield, PA. While most of the teams (the weak 12 person types) are stopping for lunch, I don't think our compressed schedule will allow us to stop just yet.
Greg's legs: 4 and 5
Pictures will come at the next break.
Weather update
So the weather forecast this morning called for sunny skies, high of 70... Which would have been great for us, considering the monsoon we experienced (or rather, I experienced) during the Ragnar. However, in the last hour, the wind has picked up, and we are seeing a lot of clouds starting to roll in...
Onto leg 3
So, despite the fact that Jay ran a 50 mile race 6 days ago, he ran our first 2 legs (9.4 miles) in a respectable 1:15. Our second runner is off and we'll meet up with him at the Covered Bridge, which is supposed to be the highlight of the entire relay. He has 2 back to back 8.3 mile legs, for a total of 16.6.
The first exchange (at least for the ultra teams) was at Boyd's Bear Country store...
D's legs: 3 and 4
The first exchange (at least for the ultra teams) was at Boyd's Bear Country store...
D's legs: 3 and 4
And they're off...
So after a relatively quiet evening at the Wyndham Hotel, we met up for breakfast and loaded the van. You may remember last time at the Ragnar we crammed 6 guys, all our gear, food, and water into a very small Toyota Mini-van. This time we had the foresight to rent a 12 person van - which means everyone in the back gets their own row.
We had an early start this time (as opposed to starting last during the Ragnar) and the weather is absolutely beautiful. The route (starting in historic Gettysburg) is definitely much more scenic than the Ragnar route (although I could be jaded by the massive downpours we experienced last time).
Jay's started off on his first leg (9.4 miles). We'll keep you updated.
Jay's legs: 1 and 2
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The American Odyssey Relay
Back in my first post, I went into great detail about how 6 of us decided to embark on the Ragnar Relay - a 183 mile, 28 hour relay run from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. Having run 7 marathons, it was something different and despite the cold weather, heavy rain, and cramped conditions I had a good time (although running 28.5 miles over 3 legs was certainly challenging). I am also fairly certain that I said back then that I wasn't planning on doing another relay anytime soon.
Which is funny now, because I find myself in a hotel lobby getting ready for yet another relay. This time it's the American Odyssey Relay from Gettysburg, PA and again finishing up in DC. 4 of the original 6 from our Ragnar team have returned, and I think we have frightened the 2 new guys with all the crazy stories from our last race. Although, I am hoping we don't get have another "Charlie" type encounter (see original post).
This time I have my laptop and air card with me, so I am planning to provide live updates from the van. For now, it's time to get some sleep. Talk at you in the morning!
Which is funny now, because I find myself in a hotel lobby getting ready for yet another relay. This time it's the American Odyssey Relay from Gettysburg, PA and again finishing up in DC. 4 of the original 6 from our Ragnar team have returned, and I think we have frightened the 2 new guys with all the crazy stories from our last race. Although, I am hoping we don't get have another "Charlie" type encounter (see original post).
This time I have my laptop and air card with me, so I am planning to provide live updates from the van. For now, it's time to get some sleep. Talk at you in the morning!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Registration Day (double whammy)
In what I can only characterize as a break down in inter service communications, the Army and Marines apparently have decided to have registration open for both the Army Ten Miler and Marine Corps Marathon on the same day (today, April 1). In addition to certainly overloading the networks around noon, as my friend Greg mentioned when you have two runners in the family it will be close to $300 in fees...
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