It was a chilly 44 degrees when we left home just after 8:00 am. I decided to run in shorts and short-sleeves. I about froze to death waiting in line at the port-a-johns before the 5 miler began at 9:00. The first mile was not too bad, and I ran it in 7:20. I was conflicted on to run to try to keep it under an 8:00 pace for the whole race, because the 10 miler was to follow. The faster I finished the longer I had to rest, too. Well, all of that thinking came to an end as I headed into Mile 2. It was uphill - not steep, but long, and the wind was blowing twice as hard as last weekend, when it was 20-30 mph. Mile 2 was 8:45. What a time killer! I finally got to turn around at Mile 2.5. With the wind at my back for the second half of Mile 3, I finished it in 8:27. Those 2 miles over 8:00 deflated my confidence, and I wanted to slow down. I decided to try to keep pace with the guy about 30 yards ahead of me. I finished Mile 4 in 7:51. Then it was into the wind again. I guess that is why Mile 1 wasn't too bad - the wind was behind me. Now, I had to finish the race running into it. Mile 5 was 8:14. My total time was 40:37, for a pace of 8:07. I won a bottle of wine for finishing first (of 3) in my age group. I finished 38 of 155 overall. (This was my 2nd fastest 5 miler ever. I ran a training run in October 2010 at 7:57).
Finishing in about 41 minutes gave me about 20 minutes to rest. I went to the vehicle, dried off a little, drank some PowerAde, and ate some chewy Life Savors. I then went to the port-a-john line. I didn't have to wait too long this time. I then went to the start/finish line. Sherri was wanting to finish the 5 miler in 12:00. I wasn't convinced she could do it, since she has never ran more than 3.1 miles. Those 5k's were in the 12 minute range, and she would be adding 2 miles. I thought I would have started the 10 miler by the time she finished, but we started about 15 minutes late, so I got to see Sherri finish in 1:00:47. She was just short of her goal. I think she could have done it if it wasn't for the wind and her having to stop to throw up. She tried pushing too much at the end to make sure she reached her goal and it cost her some time. She showed me, though!
For the 10 miler, the first 5 miles were the same route as the 5 miler, so Mile 1 was okay at 8:10. Then it was into the wind for about a mile-and-a-half. Mile 2 was 8:45. I was mad! I hate the wind! I knew it would get better after Mile 2.5, though. Mile 3 was 8:48. Mile 4 was slow considering I had some wind at my back at 8:38. Mile 5 was against the wind again and was 8:56. For Mile 6, we ran past the 5 miler finish line, so I was still running against the wind and finished it in 9:06. By Mile 7, I was getting tired. My left hamstring and calf felt a little sore, but it was between them behind the knee that was causing the most discomfort. I finished it a horrible 9:45. It just got worse - the pain was the same, the time is what suffered. Mile 8 was in 10:21. At about Mile 8.1 was a turnaround. The wind seemed to be blowing harder than ever. I refused to run into it, so I walked. I told myself that I would run when I wasn't heading directly into the wind. Well, the rest of Mile 9 was right into the wind, so it took me 13:34. At the mile marker, I thought I would run since it looked like the final mile would also be directly into the wind. I ran about half, walked the last third quarter-mile, and finished with a jog. Mile 10 was 10:22. My total time was 1:36:25, for a pace of 9:38. I finished 2nd of 2 in my age group (last year there were 5 in this age group). I was about 3 minutes behind the other runner. I'm sure he was one of the 20 or so that passed me while I was walking. I was a pathetic 67 of 86 overall. (This was my 8th fastest 10 miler. All the others were training runs, with the fastest being in September 2011 at 8:52).
Other people had good - great - experiences during the windy conditions. The following is from the http://www.tnrunning.com/turkeytrot/index.html website:
Despite the very windy conditions, we saw all four event records
tumble as Nashville's Ryan Snellen clocked 25:04 to win the 10-miler,
while Ryan Sheehan of Louisville,KY clocked 52:43 to win the men's
10-miler. On the women's side, Brentwood's Sonja Friend-Uhl, 40, ran
very impressively to win both races, clocking 28:59 in the 5-miler
and then bouncing back to clock a very impressive 1:00:38 to set new
Tennessee state records for the 40-44 age group for both distances.
Friend-Uhl already owned the 1 mile and 5k state records for 40-44 year-old females. See http://www.tnrunning.com/records/road/w_staterecords.html for more information.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
My mind was a little foggy today. I don't know if that was caused by the 20 miler or not. I do know that the run is what is causing my knees to feel like they are locking up. I ran/walked a mile with Sherri. I knew there was no way I could run the 5 miles on my schedule. The weather is supposed to be getting wetter and cooler, so I may not run again until Saturday.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
20 Miles!
Shane said he is supposed to run two 20 milers as part of his marathon training. I guess I should at least run one 20 miler. Todd called me Saturday trying to motivate me to running my 20 miler (at least no less than 18). The two of them had me "wanting" to run the 20 miles. I have been wanting to run 20 miles just so I could say I did it. Wanting it and doing it are two different things. I wanted to do it, but didn't want to do it. How could I do it without stopping? I don't mean stopping to walk, but to just quit and go home. I decided I would have my wife drive me 20 miles away from home and drop me off. I would have to at least walk home.
My most recent long run was a 15 miler 3 weeks ago. During the last 2 months, I've ran two half marathons, a 15 miler, and a 13 miler. I should have ran some 16 and 18's, but I've only ran once in the last week (an 8 miler) and it has been 19 days since I have ran in double digits. How am I to get to 20 from 15 a few weeks ago? The last time I did more than 15 was the marathon in April. Before that, I had not been over 15 miles since March 2010. The reason I say this is because, as my wife was driving farther and farther away from home, the more doubtful I became. I was hoping Shane would be working at his farm in case I needed to be rescued, but he wasn't. It was just to be me and the road. Sherri was heading to babysit Lainey, and was to drop me off 20 miles from home. As all that pavement rolled under or tires, I got more nervous. I had her to stop 15 miles from home. This was just across the Gus Norfleet bridge. So, there I stood - all alone. Then I began running.
The sun tried to break through a few times, but never for more than 10 seconds at a time until around Mile 9. It stayed for about 3 miles, and then it got cloudy for good. It was 78 degrees when I started and 70 when I got back home. The wind made it feel much cooler. I had seen on the news this morning that wind gusts would be between 20-30 mph. Those long gusts made me feel cold. It was also difficult running directly into it. (One time, while I was running with the wind, I could swear that when both of my feet where off the ground that the wind carried me ahead an extra step.)
My times per mile were all over the place. Mile 1 was 9:23. I beat that twice with Miles 6 and 9 - both were 9:21. Mile 4 was 11:22, mainly because I had a long way to go and thought it better if I walked up the hill it included. After 5 miles, my pace was 10:08. After 10 miles, my pace was 9:59, with 5 miles in the 9:00's, 4 in the 10:00's, and the one 11:00+. During Mile 11, I thought the end was coming as I slowed to 12:37. I was able to pick up the pace for Miles 12 and 13 for paces of 10:04 and 10:00. When I reached Hilltop, I decided not to run down the hill towards the Dollar Store, leaving about 3 miles to home. I turned right and headed toward the convenience center (dump). I was trying to calculate the more familiar areas into getting the extra 5 miles I needed. That right was dead into the wind. From the dump, I ran onto Highway 13/48 towards Montgomery Central. I got on to Salem Ridge Road from there. Somewhere during these areas, I had 2 of my 3 slowest times, Mile 14 at 13:00 and 15 at 13:30. Mile 16 was at 12:08. Then I seemed to find my second wind. Plus, I was getting close to home. Mile 17 was 9:55, and Mile 18 at 9:45. Those 2 miles were too much. Mile 19 was my second slowest at 13:05. I reached home before hitting Mile 20, so I ran back-and-forth in front of the house until I heard the watch beep of relief. I tried to finish strong, and I really thought it was faster than it actually was - Mile 20 was in 12:26.
My total time was 3:36:21, a pace of 10:49. I think I would have enjoyed - can't believe I said that - this run if it wasn't for the wind. At least now, I can say I ran 20 miles, even though I did some walking. I walked so much in the marathon, it's not really true to say I "ran" a marathon. After 20 miles during the marathon, my pace was 11:55. I finished with 13:43.
My most recent long run was a 15 miler 3 weeks ago. During the last 2 months, I've ran two half marathons, a 15 miler, and a 13 miler. I should have ran some 16 and 18's, but I've only ran once in the last week (an 8 miler) and it has been 19 days since I have ran in double digits. How am I to get to 20 from 15 a few weeks ago? The last time I did more than 15 was the marathon in April. Before that, I had not been over 15 miles since March 2010. The reason I say this is because, as my wife was driving farther and farther away from home, the more doubtful I became. I was hoping Shane would be working at his farm in case I needed to be rescued, but he wasn't. It was just to be me and the road. Sherri was heading to babysit Lainey, and was to drop me off 20 miles from home. As all that pavement rolled under or tires, I got more nervous. I had her to stop 15 miles from home. This was just across the Gus Norfleet bridge. So, there I stood - all alone. Then I began running.
The sun tried to break through a few times, but never for more than 10 seconds at a time until around Mile 9. It stayed for about 3 miles, and then it got cloudy for good. It was 78 degrees when I started and 70 when I got back home. The wind made it feel much cooler. I had seen on the news this morning that wind gusts would be between 20-30 mph. Those long gusts made me feel cold. It was also difficult running directly into it. (One time, while I was running with the wind, I could swear that when both of my feet where off the ground that the wind carried me ahead an extra step.)
My times per mile were all over the place. Mile 1 was 9:23. I beat that twice with Miles 6 and 9 - both were 9:21. Mile 4 was 11:22, mainly because I had a long way to go and thought it better if I walked up the hill it included. After 5 miles, my pace was 10:08. After 10 miles, my pace was 9:59, with 5 miles in the 9:00's, 4 in the 10:00's, and the one 11:00+. During Mile 11, I thought the end was coming as I slowed to 12:37. I was able to pick up the pace for Miles 12 and 13 for paces of 10:04 and 10:00. When I reached Hilltop, I decided not to run down the hill towards the Dollar Store, leaving about 3 miles to home. I turned right and headed toward the convenience center (dump). I was trying to calculate the more familiar areas into getting the extra 5 miles I needed. That right was dead into the wind. From the dump, I ran onto Highway 13/48 towards Montgomery Central. I got on to Salem Ridge Road from there. Somewhere during these areas, I had 2 of my 3 slowest times, Mile 14 at 13:00 and 15 at 13:30. Mile 16 was at 12:08. Then I seemed to find my second wind. Plus, I was getting close to home. Mile 17 was 9:55, and Mile 18 at 9:45. Those 2 miles were too much. Mile 19 was my second slowest at 13:05. I reached home before hitting Mile 20, so I ran back-and-forth in front of the house until I heard the watch beep of relief. I tried to finish strong, and I really thought it was faster than it actually was - Mile 20 was in 12:26.
My total time was 3:36:21, a pace of 10:49. I think I would have enjoyed - can't believe I said that - this run if it wasn't for the wind. At least now, I can say I ran 20 miles, even though I did some walking. I walked so much in the marathon, it's not really true to say I "ran" a marathon. After 20 miles during the marathon, my pace was 11:55. I finished with 13:43.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
5:00 pm - almost dark. It was a beautiful day, but that should change tomorrow. Did not run yesterday because got home about an hour-and-a-half late because Joe Biden was in Nashville and caused major traffic problems. Why they shut down the whole interstate is beyond me. Most people don't care. If they would not "promote" it so much, most people wouldn't even know. I didn't know he was coming to town. We ran into traffic not far from work. I thought it was a wreck and I would go another way. As I driving on the roads through the airport, I saw Air Force One parked on a runway. I knew then that Biden or Barack SADAM Hussein O(S/b)ama BIN LADEN was in Nashville. The nightmare drive home began. No Monday 5 mile run.
I ran 8 miles tonight, because tomorrow we are coming home thru Dickson because of haircuts, and also because it was a nice day and that will be changing - cooler, wetter. 8:08, 8:23, 9:13 (slow mile 3), 8:53, 8;23, 8:31, 8:16, and 8:34. Total. 1:08:20. Pace. 8:32.
I ran 8 miles tonight, because tomorrow we are coming home thru Dickson because of haircuts, and also because it was a nice day and that will be changing - cooler, wetter. 8:08, 8:23, 9:13 (slow mile 3), 8:53, 8;23, 8:31, 8:16, and 8:34. Total. 1:08:20. Pace. 8:32.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Nov. 5, 2011 - Sango UMC 10k and 5k
The story for these two races actually starts about 2 weeks before race day. I had been trying to drink a bottle of water a day. I hate water, so I usually gulped down a bottle right before getting to work - no water on weekends. The last couple of weeks I had not been drinking water. I had cut back on fluids altogether for some reason. I left work one afternoon and noticed that I had barely taken a sip out of my Dr. Pepper. This was also a day I didn't drink water. So, at about 4:00 pm, I had only drank 2 cups of coffee and a sip of Dr. Pepper. Even after runs, I didn't drink as much PowerAde as I had been doing.
Also, about 2 weeks ago, Halloween candy entered the picture. My wife bought some, so I started eating some. I have also been eating the left overs leading up to the night before race day. Thursday, we had tacos. I ate eight of them. I knew this was a bad idea, but I ate them anyway. The tacos and 2 weeks of candy got to me Friday night. I didn't get sick, but my stomach had pains that were sometimes sharp.
My mom had called me at work Friday at about 2:30 to say she was in the emergency room, because of chest pains. I was worried, but not too worried, since she was able to call me herself. Still, it was on my mind.
I was feeling a little extra tired and had planned on going to bed a little early to be ready for the 7:00 am race. Instead, I watched "Dateline" about the Michael Jackson case. I have not been following the case too closely, because I would just get mad/sad. I mean, I do know a little about what's going on, but I don't seek out information. I just hear what I hear.
I finally got to bed about 10:30, with a hurting stomach and mom and Michal Jackson on my mind. I was too tired to let those things keep me awake, but I did dream about them. I woke up at about 4:30 (an hour before my alarm was to go off) and could not go back to sleep. I was thinking about the previous things and dreading getting up for the race.
I got up 10 minutes before the alarm to give me a little extra time to get ready. I left just after 6:15, and it was 37 degrees, still dark (the time changes tonight), and FOGGY - 7 degrees warmer than last week. I drank some coffee and PowerAde on the way and ate some dry cereal. I wasn't ready for these races.
It was about 38 degrees when the 10k started at 7:00 am. It was still foggy, but the sun was rising. Like at last weeks Austin Peay 5k, I wore pants and my heavier skull cap with a long sleeve Heatgear shirt. Last week, I wore a UA jacket, too, but got a little sweaty, so went without it today. It felt just right. For the 5k at 8:30, the fog was gone and the sun was bright; the temperature around 41 degrees. I put on a dry, long sleeve Heatgear shirt and a lighter skull cap for this race. Again, it felt pretty good. I hope typing this will remind me of what I need to wear at these temperatures.
I ran my fastest 10k. 7:35, 7:58, 8:16 (slow mile 3), 8:09, 7:47.68, 7:47.68 (remember these back-to-back exact times), and 1:58 for the last 0.2 miles. Total time: 49:32. Pace: 7:59. Eight seconds faster than I ran same race last year. Placed 2nd in age group of 5 runners and 25th of 89 overall.
The 5k was my second fastest. 7:22, 7:47.68, 7:47.68 (back-to-back and the same as the 10k's) - amazes me that back-to-back times are to the 100ths of a second and I did the same time 4 times - and the last 0.1 in 0:40. Total time: 23:38. Pace: 7:37. Placed 2nd in age group out of 5 and 19th of 129 overall.
Also, about 2 weeks ago, Halloween candy entered the picture. My wife bought some, so I started eating some. I have also been eating the left overs leading up to the night before race day. Thursday, we had tacos. I ate eight of them. I knew this was a bad idea, but I ate them anyway. The tacos and 2 weeks of candy got to me Friday night. I didn't get sick, but my stomach had pains that were sometimes sharp.
My mom had called me at work Friday at about 2:30 to say she was in the emergency room, because of chest pains. I was worried, but not too worried, since she was able to call me herself. Still, it was on my mind.
I was feeling a little extra tired and had planned on going to bed a little early to be ready for the 7:00 am race. Instead, I watched "Dateline" about the Michael Jackson case. I have not been following the case too closely, because I would just get mad/sad. I mean, I do know a little about what's going on, but I don't seek out information. I just hear what I hear.
I finally got to bed about 10:30, with a hurting stomach and mom and Michal Jackson on my mind. I was too tired to let those things keep me awake, but I did dream about them. I woke up at about 4:30 (an hour before my alarm was to go off) and could not go back to sleep. I was thinking about the previous things and dreading getting up for the race.
I got up 10 minutes before the alarm to give me a little extra time to get ready. I left just after 6:15, and it was 37 degrees, still dark (the time changes tonight), and FOGGY - 7 degrees warmer than last week. I drank some coffee and PowerAde on the way and ate some dry cereal. I wasn't ready for these races.
It was about 38 degrees when the 10k started at 7:00 am. It was still foggy, but the sun was rising. Like at last weeks Austin Peay 5k, I wore pants and my heavier skull cap with a long sleeve Heatgear shirt. Last week, I wore a UA jacket, too, but got a little sweaty, so went without it today. It felt just right. For the 5k at 8:30, the fog was gone and the sun was bright; the temperature around 41 degrees. I put on a dry, long sleeve Heatgear shirt and a lighter skull cap for this race. Again, it felt pretty good. I hope typing this will remind me of what I need to wear at these temperatures.
I ran my fastest 10k. 7:35, 7:58, 8:16 (slow mile 3), 8:09, 7:47.68, 7:47.68 (remember these back-to-back exact times), and 1:58 for the last 0.2 miles. Total time: 49:32. Pace: 7:59. Eight seconds faster than I ran same race last year. Placed 2nd in age group of 5 runners and 25th of 89 overall.
The 5k was my second fastest. 7:22, 7:47.68, 7:47.68 (back-to-back and the same as the 10k's) - amazes me that back-to-back times are to the 100ths of a second and I did the same time 4 times - and the last 0.1 in 0:40. Total time: 23:38. Pace: 7:37. Placed 2nd in age group out of 5 and 19th of 129 overall.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Slower than yesterday? Hard to believe.
I ran 8 miles again. The sun was setting as I headed out. I had to run a couple of errands on the way home from work, so another late start. Of course, it was dark by the time I finished - and getting cooler. The wind was also picking up, trying to bring in tomorrow's rain. It seems that since it is getting darker earlier that the vehicle traffic has tripled. I'm hating to run now - darkness, coolness, breezy, and traffic. I guess it was much more enjoyable running in the warm sunlight and only really having to worry about cars on the main road. I don't know what I will do next week after the time changes this weekend. It will be dark before I get home from work, and dark when I leave to go to work.
Anyway, it took me 1:21:20, a pace of 10:10 - 9 seconds slower than yesterday. I thought I did run a little faster than yesterday, though. Guess not.
I ran 8 miles again. The sun was setting as I headed out. I had to run a couple of errands on the way home from work, so another late start. Of course, it was dark by the time I finished - and getting cooler. The wind was also picking up, trying to bring in tomorrow's rain. It seems that since it is getting darker earlier that the vehicle traffic has tripled. I'm hating to run now - darkness, coolness, breezy, and traffic. I guess it was much more enjoyable running in the warm sunlight and only really having to worry about cars on the main road. I don't know what I will do next week after the time changes this weekend. It will be dark before I get home from work, and dark when I leave to go to work.
Anyway, it took me 1:21:20, a pace of 10:10 - 9 seconds slower than yesterday. I thought I did run a little faster than yesterday, though. Guess not.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Half - And I Don't Mean Marathon
I had been doing so well, but before today, I have only ran a 5k in the last 5 days. I planned on running my long 16 miles yesterday (Monday), but forgot it was Halloween, so I didn't run at all. I thought I would try it tonight. Well, we got home late from work. It was almost 6:00 before I got out the door. The temperature was already down to 63 degrees, with darkness coming soon. I thought I would run to the 5 mile marker and see how I was feeling. If I was feeling good, I would run further and try to get in the 16 miles. If I didn't feel good, I would just turn around and head home for a 10 miler. Well, it was dark and getting cooler, especially since I had sweated during the warmer time. I headed for home and just 10 miles. Then I got to the point that I just didn't want to be out there anymore, so I took a little short cut. It's not that I couldn't run 10 miles or didn't want to run 10 miles - I just didn't want to be running in the dark with cooling temperatures. I am so used to the sunlight and warmth. I only ran 8 miles. My lack of enthusiasm slowed me down to 1:20:07, a 10:01 pace.
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