Back in a grove

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

- Jesse Owens

Thirty four miles last week... should be 38 this week... I guess I am officially marathon training again. A friend visiting over the weekend reminded me that I said I wasn't going to do marathons anymore because of the time factor. So I lied. If I want to get up at 5:30 AM so I can finish work early enough in the afternoon to run... that is on me. Thankfully it works with my family schedule too.

The fact is... I will have an itch in me until I can qualify for Boston. If I can't ever qualify... well I am pretty stubborn... so it could be awhile before I give up.

While reading April fools jokes... I stumbled across the interesting story of a marathoner who disappeared during the 1912 Olympics. Japanese runner Kanikuri vanished in the middle of the race... and was never heard from. Fifty years later... he did surface alive and well and told the story of how he stopped for a drink... then felt embarrassed because of his lack of discipline... and decided to bail on the race. I don't know if the story is true... but it sure sounds better than if he bailed on the race because he couldn't hack it. ;)

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/history/story/2008/05/05/f-olympics-history-1912.html

Nice weather

Today was one of those days... nice weather days... that make running very enjoyable. It also must have given me a brain cramp... because I can't think of anything else to say.

Mia Crawls

She is off to the races. Last night she crawled to the edge of the computer room... then squeaked with delight as she realized... it is very cool to have an open road in front of you and endless possibilities.

Shamrock Run Race Results

"I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness." ~Adeline Knapp

This race was all about the weather. I looked at the temp before heading out... 42... not bad at all... should warm up a bit by the race... so I did not my extra cold running gear. I should have looked outside. As soon as I left the garage I was greeted by pelting rain. On 217 driving downtown to the race my Jeep was having trouble staying in its lane because of the blowing wind. This was the kind of eather I vowed not to train in... but race? If they are going to do it... so am I.

I have never checked my clothing at a race before... usually I just leave the layers in the car... but it was very windy and cold... and oh yeah... rainy. I was pretty much soaked an hour before the race. I kept my sweats on as long as I could... then checked them. Looking around I could tell I was one of the less dressed runners... and I paid for it before the race started.

Once the race did start though... all was fine. I didn't checked the course map... but I thought it would be a lot like the Portland marathon... little bit up hill for 3-4 miles then little downhill home. Stupid me.


I wanted to have a shot at better than 8 minutes per mile... but after miles of 8:05, 8:49, 8:42, 8:44 and 8:49... I knew that wasn't happening. This was a BIG race... 20,000 people between all the races I believe... though a little less than 3,000 for the 15K... but even with all those people... there was almost no chatter from the runners. I think the weather just shocked everyone and we were quietly just trying to hold on in our own ways. I literally saw someone get blown 2-3 feet sideways by one gust. It really didn't even help trying to run behind someone... because the air was so unstable it was just coming from everywhere it seemed.

And in the middle of all of it... I see... no... it can't be... someone running... BAREFOOT. Good lord. The streets were still lined in gravel from the winter... I can't imagine how someone would run like that. I still cringe thinking about it.

Around mile 6 we finally started downhill and I started to speed up for 8:05 mile 6 and 7:58 mile 7. Somewhere in between those two miles I felt a pain in the back of my leg. Very unusual spot... like maybe a hamstring? I slowed and briefly considered stopping... but seriously... with the weather what it was I'd die of exposure before getting back.

After mile 8 at 8:04... which was down hill so I was coasting... I sped up a bit for the last mile... 7:38 and then 7:36 for the last .3 to finish at 1:19:17... in 982nd place of 2742.... at ~8:30 pace. Considering the hills and weather... I am fine with that. Afterwards... after getting warm and dry and looking back at the storm I ran through... the unexpected hills... I felt good that I showed up and did my best. The weather will just make it that more memorable.

And of the barefoot runner? Well... he finished in front of me... the last half mile I saw the blood on the white stripe of the road... you could tell he was trying to run on it because it was smoother than the pavement.

Now it is time to begin training for Newport. Thirty miles on schedule for this week.

Back to the beginning

In March of 2005 I ran one of my first races of my adult life… the Shamrock 8K. I don’t remember why I ran it. I think I was doing more mountain biking at the time… and a friend at work might have wanted me to run it with him (and then backed out after I signed up).

Anyway… my pace for that run was 8:43. About two years later I ran my first marathon at a faster pace per mile. This weekend I will visit Shamrock land again… but this time I will run the 15K. My legs are still a little tired from Lincoln City… and I haven’t had any great workouts yet, but hopefully I will do OK.

Back then… I hadn’t even started dreaming of running a marathon. Are you kidding me? Five miles was a stretch. Not long before that one mile was something to brag about. Not long before that running from the parking lot to the grocery store door made me winded. Marathon? Crazy talk.

Just finished my training schedule through Newport marathon. I’m using a beginner schedule I just sorta made up. Hey… last year I ran 0 marathons. Weekly totals with long run are 30-10, 36-12, 38-14, 40-18, 22-7, 43-21, 38-14, 24-8, 45-22, 30-14.

I want a PR

I want a PR. Any distance will do. The easiest way of course… is to run a distance I haven’t before. Guaranteed PR right there. But seriously… why can’t I run faster? In two weeks I can run a 5, 8 or 15K. My 8K PR is really slow since it was really my first race in about 30 years. Seriously.

So 8K would be a PR for sure… I just ran ½ marathon at faster per mile. 5K might be hard to PR on two weeks’ notice since that was pretty fast for me. 15K is intriguing. Just under 8 minutes. Hmm. It is possible… but not probable. I won’t be able to do much speed work this week… and the week of the race doesn’t do me much good… but still I might be able to do it.

Lincoln City Half Marathon Race report

About time I raced again. Except... I really wasn't training for a race. I couldn't resist a half marathon near my home beach town though.

The weather report for Sunday was 50-55 and raining with some wind. Not too bad... though running wet is never too fun. It was raining as I drove to the race and there was enough wind that I thought in the back of my head... this could be interesting. I've raced in the rain and wind before though... much worse that it was looking.

Since I really haven't timed myself much lately... I did not know what to do with my pace. My PR for the half marathon is 1:41:39, a 7:45 pace... but I knew I'd be no where close to that. My plan was to go out at 9 minute miles... then see how I felt after the halfway mark. Seriously... the times I have time myself I was running 9:30 to 10:30 miles. UGH.

First mile was a little fast... they always are... 8:36 but I dropped right onto pace with 9:01, 9:00, 8:57, 8:59, 9:09 and 9:05. Miles 6 & 7 were a bit uphill but I knew that it was generally downhill (because duh... it was an out and back) thereafter.

I felt pretty good when we turned around and that was when some other runners started to struggle a bit... so I started to speed up. Mile 8 was 8:36 and I still felt good. And low and behold... as I was passing people at this point (no one passed me after 1/2 way point) when I came up to another runner that just refused to let me pass. He wasn't blocking me at all... but I could tell... he just didn't take kindly to being passed. I figured no one else would be like me... taking it easy the first half.. then harder the second... so I would be able to pass anyone. But everytime I sped up... he sped up.

Mile 9 was 8:16, mile 10 was 8:10. It was around the 9 mile mark when I finally passed he who would not be passed, because he walked at a water stop and I ran right on by. It was the only water stopped I ran by. My nameless competitor didn't take kindly to that, and I only led him for about 1/2 mile before he took the lead back. (Cool how I can talk about the 'lead' when I am a middle of the pack runner) =) Hey... I can create my own little universe... and I can tell you on this day... there was an epic battle going on.

Through mile 11, 8:35 and mile 12 I was right on his heels, I would fall back a bit on the flats... then catch him on the hills. With about a quarter of a mile to go I almost caught him... but burned my legs on a hill and by the time we crested... I knew I wouldn't catch him. He finished a good 1/10th of a mile in front of me. Mile 12 was 8:48 and mile 13... 8:12.

But wait... there's more... because of the hills... my watch told me I still had over 1/2 mile to run after I crossed the finish line... which means... either the course was grossly wrong... or my watch was and I really had been running faster than I though... fast enough for 8:17 per mile average. I will take that damnit. I haven't ran a mile that fast all year... and to average it for a 1/2... I will take it.

After the race I got some food and drank some gatoraid like I was supposed to... but I still got very sick. It was a good 3 hours after the race before I was stable. Was the race short? My watch off? I don't know. I doubt there will even be official race results posted anywhere... and that is all fine and good with me... because it will never tell the story of the little race within the race... where some unknown runner and I pushed each other to run a bitfaster than we planned... and it was great fun.