My how time flies… I Wish I could run that fast. I knew January would be a hard month in my training, and it has been, but heck… it is almost gone! I missed just one 4-mile run so far this month, and that was because we had 5 inches of snow on the ground. Yeah yeah… I know a REAL runner would be out there *and* pulling a sled. =)
This week I covered 34 miles and I am only on day 5. Plodding along. My legs are definitely tired… but I have two more long runs of 16 and 18 miles before I get a rest. Argh. I am determined to keep the schedule… regardless of how my legs feel. I will just run slower if I have to. And I have (oh yes I have).
I have been running with my IPod lately, now that I have discovered Nike+. I purchased shoes that were Nike+ without actually knowing it. When I read about what it was… I thought... cool… I will have to give it a try. If you have an IPod Nano, basically you buy a Nike+ kit, and they are cheap… like $19 bucks I think, and put the sensor in your Nike+ shoe. (Or heck… search around and I am sure you can figure out how to put the thing on another shoe in the laces or something) Calibrate the sensor to a known distance, and off you go!
When you plug your IPod in to charge… it uploads your workout data right to a Nike+ website where you can see charts and graphs. You can also participate with others in challenges to see who can run the most miles in a month, or the fastest 10K etc… It is all for fun… and I think the biggest motivator is that it helps put you in a virtual group of runners for encouragement. The idea is still in its infancy, but I can see a huge market for such a tool. The techno geek in me certainly likes it, and it will certainly drive the obsessive compulsive runners to new mind-boggling heights. (And I think most distance runners have to be at least a little obsessive compulsive)
The Nike website had big trouble keeping up with the traffic after the holidays… when everyone’s new year’s resolutions are to get in shape and lose weight. Once they worked all the bugs out, it is very cool. And again, I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. (Think virtual races, GPS Ipods for better accuracy, etc… etc…)
Anyway… I am about to the point where I should register for the big race. I get chills up my spine just thinking about it! I have topped 750 miles in my training so far, and am heading down the home stretch… toward… er… the starting line! The fat lady will be singing already by then. I am doing the work now during my training so there will be no questions about the results on April 29th.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
The 20.07 race
I finished my first race of the year yesterday… a 20.07K race sponsored by the Oregon Road Runners Club. Since I kind of took it easy over the break, I was just getting my wind back in the days before. On my 4-mile run on Saturday the day before the race, I had lead legs. Uh oh… very bad sign. It would have been better for my race time if I had skipped the Sat run, but I need to stick to my schedule, no exceptions.
Sunday I awoke to heavy misty rain. Yuck. I hoped that by race time there might be a break in the weather, but the grey skies were endless. I was a little unsure of what to run in, so I brought a varied selection and figured I could change once I saw what the other runners were in. No help there… there was no consensus though I know now that the ones who wore waterproof jackets were the smart ones. The start was at a grade school so we had a gym to stretch and warm up in. NICE. When I knew it was near race time I headed out the doors… but where was the starting line? LOL… not were I was. I ran back through the gym… and saw the crowd. As soon as I jogged over to the runners the race started. Talk about cutting it close!
I thought with my conditioning I should run about 8:30 miles. I set my watch for 8:15 though. =) (Even though that MAYBE if everything went right I could be under 8) Well… things didn’t go right. For one… the huge guy I was running behind and using to block the wind pulled over to let me by. Rats. Would it have been bad form to ask him to just run a little faster? I could be his cheerleader… ‘come on now… you can do it… keep strong… pick it up a little… drive hard…’ but no. Also… I gained 10 pounds of water weight once all my cloths soaked. Wind + Rain + a little out of shape equaled 8:16 miles. Not too shabby so close after the New Year. Still estimates to the magical bit-under-4-hour marathon pace I am shooting for. Boston seems impossible at 7:37 for me. Ah well… one step at a time. I read that only the top 1-2% of marathon finishers qualify for Boston. As my son would say, ‘wholly crud!’ I haven’t even finished one yet… I am worse than last!
Sunday I awoke to heavy misty rain. Yuck. I hoped that by race time there might be a break in the weather, but the grey skies were endless. I was a little unsure of what to run in, so I brought a varied selection and figured I could change once I saw what the other runners were in. No help there… there was no consensus though I know now that the ones who wore waterproof jackets were the smart ones. The start was at a grade school so we had a gym to stretch and warm up in. NICE. When I knew it was near race time I headed out the doors… but where was the starting line? LOL… not were I was. I ran back through the gym… and saw the crowd. As soon as I jogged over to the runners the race started. Talk about cutting it close!
I thought with my conditioning I should run about 8:30 miles. I set my watch for 8:15 though. =) (Even though that MAYBE if everything went right I could be under 8) Well… things didn’t go right. For one… the huge guy I was running behind and using to block the wind pulled over to let me by. Rats. Would it have been bad form to ask him to just run a little faster? I could be his cheerleader… ‘come on now… you can do it… keep strong… pick it up a little… drive hard…’ but no. Also… I gained 10 pounds of water weight once all my cloths soaked. Wind + Rain + a little out of shape equaled 8:16 miles. Not too shabby so close after the New Year. Still estimates to the magical bit-under-4-hour marathon pace I am shooting for. Boston seems impossible at 7:37 for me. Ah well… one step at a time. I read that only the top 1-2% of marathon finishers qualify for Boston. As my son would say, ‘wholly crud!’ I haven’t even finished one yet… I am worse than last!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The year… of the marathon
This is it. 2007. Time to buckle down and get serious. I am about 120 days out from the Eugene Marathon. Time to implement, operation, get my ass ready.
Stage 1, reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption. I have already cut myself down to 1 cup (albeit a REAL cup is more than the measurement unit of a cup) a day. This was made easier by the fact that on the first day of vacation I got the flu and was not able to hold anything down. By the time I could, I figured I was over any caffeine headaches I could have. The alcohol is a different story… the Christmas break and New Years are definitely drinking occasions, and I certainly did my share. Time to cut back to a very rare occasion.
Stage 2, eat better. I love Pizza and all sorts of assorted snack foods that are less than healthy. I need get my nutrition under control and lay off the junk until after the marathon.
Stage 3, stick to my schedule like glue. Because I took a week off when I was sick, I am now struggling just to get back to where I was. What I decided to do is to back off the marathon training schedule I am using from the marathon date to where I would be right now. You see… I was going to finish the schedule a month plus before the marathon, and then just repeat the last months. Now I am not going to do that. I basically backed up in my schedule 6 weeks. (Long run this weekend 12 miles instead of 20) This will allow me to make sure I work off those extra holiday pounds and am proper shape before I push it too hard. The danger however, is that there is not any room to slip the schedule now. No injuries, no getting sick… nothing. Mentally I am ready for what that means, and Stage 1 and 2 will put me in the best position for me to physically hold up.
2007… the year of the marathon… on your mark… get set… go!
Stage 1, reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption. I have already cut myself down to 1 cup (albeit a REAL cup is more than the measurement unit of a cup) a day. This was made easier by the fact that on the first day of vacation I got the flu and was not able to hold anything down. By the time I could, I figured I was over any caffeine headaches I could have. The alcohol is a different story… the Christmas break and New Years are definitely drinking occasions, and I certainly did my share. Time to cut back to a very rare occasion.
Stage 2, eat better. I love Pizza and all sorts of assorted snack foods that are less than healthy. I need get my nutrition under control and lay off the junk until after the marathon.
Stage 3, stick to my schedule like glue. Because I took a week off when I was sick, I am now struggling just to get back to where I was. What I decided to do is to back off the marathon training schedule I am using from the marathon date to where I would be right now. You see… I was going to finish the schedule a month plus before the marathon, and then just repeat the last months. Now I am not going to do that. I basically backed up in my schedule 6 weeks. (Long run this weekend 12 miles instead of 20) This will allow me to make sure I work off those extra holiday pounds and am proper shape before I push it too hard. The danger however, is that there is not any room to slip the schedule now. No injuries, no getting sick… nothing. Mentally I am ready for what that means, and Stage 1 and 2 will put me in the best position for me to physically hold up.
2007… the year of the marathon… on your mark… get set… go!
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