Pushing 10

Since I would not be able to run Thursday or Friday and had a 5k race on Saturday, I decided to run my long run of 10 miles today. This just may have been the hardest I've ever pushed. I have pushed harder on short runs, but never this hard for this long of a run. Last year's Clarksville Half was 3 miles longer and about 45 seconds per mile faster, but seemed easy compared to today's run. I didn't feel like anything the rest of the night. I drank some, but probably not enough. I was finished running by 7:30, but at 11:00, I was still feeling the effects.

I stayed under 9:00 most of the run - 8:14, 8:38, 8:59, 8:52, 8:48, 8:48, 8:48 (Actually, Miles 5-7 were all 8:48.37. How in the world were they exact for 3 consecutive miles?), 8:45, then I was running low on fuel for Miles 9 and 10 and finished with 9:24, and 9:28. My total time was 1:28:44, for a pace of 8:52.

I've been trying to get my scheduled miles in (or more). I think I should have been worrying more about my speed. I'm afraid I won't be able to better last year's Clarksville Half's time. )It's hard to believe I did it in 8:09.) For this half, though, I have stuck more to the schedule than for any other before.

Sure wish I had the heart monitor today. I probably would have set a new max record. The average for the run would have had to have been up there, too. I'm not really sore. I just don't feel right... hard to explain...

I finished September with 108.1 miles. The most miles for a month in my 26 months of running, and the 3rd time to be over 100.

Monday, Spetember 26, 2011

I did a mile walk/jog warm up before today's run. It took about 11:00. I was to run 5 miles, but since I did the warm up and it was getting dark, I ran 4. I tried running fast - 7:54, 7:58, 8;27 (slow mile 3), and 7:48. Time: 32:07. Pace: 8:02, Dadgum Mile 3 cost me being under 8:00 pace.

9/24/11 - Houston County Fair 5K

I have a thousand excuses of why this did not go as I had planned, but I will only list a few. I had "planned" on beating my last year's pace of 7:27. Let me begin with two days before the race. I ate too much. We ate supper on the way home from work (about 4:00). I had 10 McNuggets, fries, and a drink. Of course, this could not get me to bed time, so I ate more junk. The next morning we stopped for Krispy Kremes. During the day, I ate 5! I had gained 6 pounds in 2 days. I was also 10 pounds heavier than last year. I've been feeling a little dehydrated, but not thirsty - make sense? I had already ran 32 miles during the week. There was also the 5-10 seconds I lost tying my shoe. I loosened the laces not long before the race started, because I felt they were a little tight. About 1/2 mile in, one came untied. I kept running, hoping I could finish. The shoe then began to start slipping, so around Mile 1 I had to stop and tie it. Not that those few seconds mattered.

My official time was 24:30, for a pace of 7:54 - a long way from my goal.

http://www.racenashville.com/houstonresults.txt

4 Days In-a-Row = Burn Out

Jelly legs actually started Tuesday. My legs have felt weak every day this week, even before Monday's run. I seriously thought about taking a rest day. I've been trying to get in miles for the half marathon. The past 2 years I missed quite a few scheduled runs. This year I am doing my best to run 4 days a week and get the number of scheduled miles in (or more), because the December marathon has some overlapping training days. Next week, I may do some calculating and post some statistics on the number of miles at a slower pace versus the lower number of miles at a faster pace of my Clarksville Half Marathons. I'm sure this research will NOT excite you, but I want to see how it affects the coming up in two weeks.

Along with running for the 4th day in-a-row, another thing that caused this run to feel so blah is that I ate too much junk today. For breakfast, I had a piece of cake. For morning snack, a bag of M&M's. I had peanut butter and crackers, a bag of chips, part of another bag of chips, more M&M's, and on the way home, we stopped at McDonald's and I got a 10-piece McNugget and fries. Then I tried to run on a full stomach and empty legs.

I guess my overall time was not that bad. All my miles were under 10:00 (with 3 of them at 9:56). My total time was 1:06:52 with a pace of 9:33. It seems like the total and pace are less than they should be, but I'll take them.

Tired 8 Miler

My legs are tired - 3rd day in-a-row to run. Kept all miles under 10:00, though. Slowest was 9:56 (mile 7). Total time: 1:14:10. Pace: 9:16.

Week Day 10 Miler

I said yesterday's run was for the miles I missed last week and that I would run yesterday's scheduled 5 today. Well, I got to thinking that I will not run my long run this Saturday, because I will be running in the Houston County Fair 5k. I decided to run the long run today. I hope to get in 35 miles this week - where you at, Shane? :) Monday 7 - check; Tuesday 10 - check; Wednesday 8; Thursday 7, and Saturday 3. If I remember correctly, 35 miles is the most I've ever run in a week, and that was 2 weeks ago.

I tried to take it easy - even though running 10 miles is never easy. My fastest mile was Mile 1 at 9:20; my slowest was Mile 10 at 10:06. I guess I'm happy only 1 mile was over 10:00. I would have been happier if I had ran it 7 seconds faster, though. My overall time was 1:36:08, for a pace of 9:37.

Monday, September 19, 2011

I thought about running the Thursday 5 I missed and the Saturday 2 I was short on Sunday, but I slept about 15 of the 24 hours. After Saturday's let down, we went to eat at Patti's in Grand Rapids, KY. A surprise for Sherri and Terri's birthday were all the kids showed up. Afterwards, I then drove home to tend to the dogs, Morgan and Lola, while Sherri stayed in Kentucky. I guess I was in bed by 11:00. I took the dogs out around 7:00 am Sunday and went back to bed. I got up after 9:00, ate some cereal, and went back to bed. About an hour later, Crissy brought Sherri home and Lainey wanted to see me, so I got up. After about 30 minutes or so, I was back asleep. I then got up and stayed for about 3.5 hours before taking a nap. The next time I stayed up for about 4 hours before going to bed for the night.

I guess all the rest on Sunday was not enough, because on Monday my legs were feeling shaky. Once I started running that evening, I couldn't even feel my legs, except for the pain running up each shin as each foot hit the ground. I ran 7 miles (the "missed" miles) in 1:08:37, a 9:48 pace. I hope to run the actual scheduled 5 for today tomorrow and get back on track.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

I did not get Thursday's 5 miler in, and was having mixed emotions about today's 14 miler. Last week's 13 miler went pretty good, so I was hoping for more of the same, especially since I had an extra rest day. But, 14 miles is a long way and a long time!

As I drove to Salem United Methodist Church to begin my run, I passed a few bicyclist. A tent was in the church parking lot for one of their "fuel" stations. The cyclist were on their way to Montgomery Bell State Park to conclude a week-long, 480 mile bike ride sponsored by Tennessee State Parks.

For some reason, seeing those bikes on the road, got me pumped up, even though we would not be on the same roads. I began my 14 mile journey by running Mile 1 in 8:12. The next 4 miles were also under 9:00. After 5 miles, my pace was at 8:32. I was thinking I could be last week's 9:15 pace for 13 miles. What was I thinking? Mile 6 - 9:21. Mile 7 - 9:38. It just kept getting worse. Miles 8-10 were 10:03, 10:14, and 10:41. And worse. Mile 11 - 13:55. And worse. Mile 12 - 18:12. It got so bad that I only ran 12 of the 14 scheduled miles. Actually, I only jogged 10.5 of the 12 and walked the last 1.5 miles. After starting so well, this was a major crash and burn. My total time for the 12 miles ended at 2:04:44, a 10:24 pace.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My shins felt much better today. My complaint for today is "sweat". It was 81 degrees and cloudy, and I was sweating like a pig. My hair's not that wet when I get out of the shower; my shirt was soaked, so I had to wipe the sweat off my face with sweat. I think one of the things that contributed to the "sweatness" of the run was coffee. I didn't get much sleep last night (staying with Lainey), so I drank a couple of extra cups of coffee. I also didn't hydrate before the run. It looked like rain, so I just hurried to get on the road.

I added a mile to hopefully get in 30 miles for the week. I ran 7 miles in 1:03:12. I saw I had a very slim chance of finishing at a 9:00 or less pace as I headed into the last mile. I was close, but just didn't have it in me. I finished at a 9:02 pace. My max heart rate was well above my formulated 180 at 195. I've hit 232, which I believe is an error, since one formula starts at 220 and can only be less than 220. I've also hit 198 twice. This is my second 195. The thing is that these top 5 max HR's do not have fast times. The fastest pace is 8:38; the rest are over 9:00. Also, the distance doesn't seem to be a factor. Only one is over 10 miles - the Country Music Marathon, which is the one with the error, and the pace for that was 13:43. My "Recovery From" of 194 was my 3rd highest ever. I was trying to get under 1:03:00, but was barely moving.

Monday, September 12, 2011

I was supposed to meet up with Shane for today's run. We left work a little late, so got home a little late. I sent Shane a text about 5:15, asking if 6:00 would be okay. About 5:50, I received a reply that he was still working at his farm, so I hit the road by myself. It was probably a good thing that we didn't run together, or should I say "try" to run together. I would not have been able to keep up. My shins - mostly to the sides - gave me problems, beginning about a half mile into the run. I was hoping they would loosen up, so I kept running. Just before getting to mile 2.5, I felt a burning sensation running up my right shin. Once I got to the 2.5 mark, I walked for a half mile. I ran the last mile very easily. There was still pain every time each foot hit the ground, but I could live with it.

It took me 40:22 (10:06 pace) to run these 4 miles. I had some of my lower heart rates: 150 avg, 178 max, 60 rest, recovery 159 to 109.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Shane called last night, but I was too lazy to get up and get the phone. We were to try to run together. I didn't know what I was doing anyway. Sherri wanted me to help with Lainey when she came Saturday morning. I didn't want to "have" to get up and run at a certain time. I wanted to wake up when I felt like it. By doing that, I knew I would be finished running by the time Lainey arrived. Sherri was taking Lainey home that afternoon/evening, but I knew Shane couldn't run then because of his wife's birthday. I thought about running Sunday, but once I woke up Saturday morning, I just could not go back to sleep. Sherri asked me how long it would take me to run; I told her a couple of hours. She said for me to call Shane and go ahead and run, hoping I would be back in time for Lainey's nap. (She likes for me to take a nap with her.) I tried texting Shane a couple of times - didn't want to wake him or anyone else. When I didn't receive a reply, I thought maybe he went running without me. I drove the running route I thought he would take on my way to the church to see if he was out there. I didn't see him, so I called him. No answer.

I wasn't really prepared to run, since it was a last second decision. I had a cup of coffee, 2 cinnamon rolls, and some PowerAde. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach for about the first 3 miles, but it eventually went away. I don't know how - or why - I ran so good for the first so many miles. Mile 1 was 8:44. Mile 2 was 9:34, which was more like I expected for the first few miles before slowing down for the latter miles. After 10 miles, my pace was 8:53. All but 3 of those miles were under 9:00 (Mile 2 - 9:24, 3 - 9:01, 10 - 9:03). During Mile 9, I was wanting to quit. I pushed on through Miles 9 and 10. Then the wheels came off the bus. Miles 11 thru 13 - 9:49, 10:39, and 10:50. I went from 9:00 miles to almost 11:00 miles. Even with the let down at the end, I'm still satisfied with my overall pace. My total time was 2:00:12 (would have liked to erased those 12 seconds, though). My pace was 9:15.

I believe it is safe to say - I haven't checked for sure - that the 35 miles I ran this week are the most I have ever run in a single week.

Hey, Dummy! Too Fast!

Since I was running 2 miles less than yesterday, I wanted to have a faster pace than the 8:38. 8:30 would have been fine. I knew it would be a difficult task, so I started out running like crazy. Mile 1 was in 7:27. I thought to myself, "You, dummy, that was too fast. You can hardly breathe. Not only can you not keep that pace up, it will probably cost you minutes in the miles left." Hoping to avoid the major slow down, I kept pushing. Miles 2 thru 4 - 8:09, 8:02, and 8:06. Total time: 31:43. Pace: 7:56. Thanks yo Mile 1, I was able to finish with a pace under 8:00, even though only 1 of the 4 miles was actually under 8:00. This is the first time I've been under an 8:00 pace since October 28, 2010!

My heart rates seem confusing to me. As expected, my average heart rate of 177 was one of my highest (181, 178). What I don't understand is why my max HR was not in the 190's. I ran harder today - especially during the first mile, and was having to use all I had during the last mile - than I have in quite some time. It was 188. I may have it the max in the last mile, because my recovery started at 187 and went down to 131.

Thought I Set New PR's & Mile 3 Killer

I thought I set new personal records. The sad thing is that the records were not in time or distance, but heart rates. Using the average of 4 different heart rate formulas, my max heart rate should be 179.4. Before today, 2 of my last 4 runs hit 190. Today, I took it up to 191. This is still not near the highest. I have about 30 runs in which I've been 190+, including 2 at 198. In the Country Music Marathon (April 30, 2011), I hit 232 - that was either a malfunction or I'm lucky to be alive. My recovery was 191 to 118. I just knew the 73 point difference had to be the biggest ever. Wrong. On May 26, 2011, I had a 75 (189-114) point recovery.

Mile 3 proved to be my slow mile once again and stopped me from having all 6 of my miles under 9:00. Mile 1 was 8:40 - good, but would be nearly impossible to maintain. I didn't hear the watch beep indicating Mile 2, so I didn't get to see the split time. I wasn't too far past the mark when I looked at my watch, and by my total time I thought it was over 9:00. It was close at 8:56. The killer mile in 9:06. I didn't set out to run hard - I was actually worried about how Monday's 12 miler would affect this run - but once I saw that Mile 4 was at 8:41, and that I had a chance to finish at a pace under 9:00, I began pushing. Miles 5 (8:23) and 6 (7:58) were my fastest 2. Total time: 51:45. Pace: 8:38.

Another "Thanks to Shane", But in a Different Tone

Today is a rest day - thank goodness. "Thanks to Shane", the 12 miles I ran yesterday are killing me today. Of course, my legs hurt, but so does my right hip, sides, and between my shoulder blades. My right ITB is giving me fits, and that scares me. My mind is also foggy.

12 - Thanks to Shane

I was supposed to run 4 miles on Thursday, September 1. On the way home from work, I began to get a headache and felt chills. I felt chills on a day that Nashville set a new record high with a temperature of 99 degrees. My legs also ached, so running was out of the question.

I did feel better on Friday, but since I had 12 miles scheduled for Saturday, I thought I would forget about those 4 and rest another day. Saturday, I helped Sherri babysit. I planned on running when she wen to Crissy's house that evening. When she left, I got dressed to run, but couldn't make myself get out the door. I contacted Shane, hoping he would be running, and running with him would help me get out the door. He had other plans, so I backed out. Probably a good thing, because I began to feel ill again. I fell asleep before 7:30 and did not get up until just after 10:00 Sunday morning. I stayed awake for about an hour, and then took a two hour nap. I got up and took a shower, hoping that would help me feel better. I went to Foodlion for a few things and that wore me out. Shane called to see if I was running today. I told him I just couldn't do it, and we could try again tomorrow.

Labor Day - Monday, September 5. I met Shane at the co-op for a 12 mile run. When I left my house around 5:00 pm it was 65 degrees (it had reached 68). When I returned about 2.5 hours later, it was 63. It felt like it got much cooler during the run. I was expecting to see mid to upper 50's. In the beginning, Shane ran off and left me. (First 3 miles for me: 9:11, 9:28, 9:21 - too fast for me.) After 3 miles, I guess my legs loosened up (and he slowed down) I caught up. We swapped leads a few times, not that it was a race, but "inspiration" to run and complete 12 miles. If I had not been running with him, I would not have run that far. As bad as I felt during the first 3 to 4 miles, I probably would have turned around then. I wanted to quit before, but really after Mile 9. I wanted to be finished and at home, but I had to get back to my truck. I wanted to walk the last 3 miles, but Shane ran past me. I finally made myself jog again. With a mile left, I decided to push with what I had left. I was finally under 10:00 again. Miles 4 thru 12: 9:53, 9:49, 10:18, 11:04, 11:36, 10:53, 12:08, 10:57, and 9:31). Total time: 2:04:08. Pace: 10:21. Heart Rates: avg. 150, max, 182, rest 64. Recovery 161 to 110. I could barely move when I got out of the shower.