Greetings! This is my little running log on the Internet. This is where I chronicle my triumphs, failures, and annoying little pains. Since you're here feel free to look around and share any thoughts, suggestions, or questions.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Here we go!

Workout: 4 Mile Easy Run

OK… It’s Marathon week. I am barely doing anything. I skipped my runs over the holiday weekend, mostly because I was so busy I didn’t have time.

My run tonight was fine. I feel fresh and ready to go. I just wish Sunday would hurry up and get here.

I have revised my SD Goals.

1) Enjoy the freaking race!
2) At worst run marathon in under 4:20
3) If I’m feeling normal run in under 4:00
4) If everything goes perfectly run it is 3:40

I know that’s a big swing but what are you going to do. I should have run Detroit in 4:20 so I feel like anything short of that will be a failure. I am considerably stronger now so I think it is very reasonable to run a 4:00 Marathon. If I feel as good as I did in Indianapolis and Kalamazoo, and the weather is good I think I should be able to pull off a 3:40. Although I will probably really have to push it the last few miles.

I’ve decided to definitely line up with the 3:40 pace team. I figure I’ll be able to tell in the first 5 miles or so whether it’s going to happen or not. If it’s not going to happen I’ll fall back with the 4 hour group.

As for food and drink I’m still a little up in the air. I’ll definitely do Gu every 60 minutes, but am not sure on the sports drink. I’ll try to take in liquid every 2 miles alternating Gatorade and water. That’s the plan for now.

So this may be my last entry until I get back from SD. I’ll run a little on Thursday and may report in, but I fly Thursday night so may not get around to it.

Please send all your good wishes my way. The Marathon starts at 6:30 (Pacific Coast Time) that’s 9:30 in Michigan. I’ll need them!

I believe my Bib number will be 3725 so you can check out my results, but I will report them here as soon as I know them.

Here we go!

3.5 miles/31:20/avg 8:57

Thursday, May 25, 2006

4 Miles

Workout: 4 Mile Easy Run

Just a quick 4 miler tonight.  Decided to run it a little fast just to prove that I could.  My legs actually felt a little heavy but not too bad.    

A little cross training tomorrow and then 8 miles on Saturday am and I’ll be ready to go.

4.0 miles/33:20/avg 8:20

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Another Run Down... 5 to Go!

Workout: 5 Mile Easy Run

The taper continues. Did a better job eating today so the run seemed better. Really kicked it in the last half mile or so. Feeling pretty good but starting to question whether I will be able to run 26.2 by next week.

Had a family dinner tonight as well. My Nephew has Strep Throat, which I get at the drop of a hat, so am now really paranoid about getting sick before the run.

I think for my next marathon I may try to cut the taper to two weeks. Will have to ask around about that.

5.17 miles/43:11/avg 8:21

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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Eat More!

Workout: 40 minute Easy Run

Didn’t eat enough today, that is for sure! Legs felt fine, breathing was fine, just really light headed. Need to do a better job.

This tapering is hard because I’m not taking the runs seriously. I think only 4 miles which is the wrong thing. Need to stay more focused.

The good news is SanDiego is only 10 days away. I can hardly wait!

4.10 miles/35:02/avg 8:33

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Last 10+ before San Diego

Workout: Long Run 10-12 Miles

I decided to run with The Team this morning over in Lansing.  I was expecting a pretty good sized crowd.  The weather was great, and there are almost 90 people running Bayshore next weekend.  I thought everyone would be out for their last big run before the marathon.  But it was pretty quiet all in all.

The run was fine.  I settled into my typical 8:30’s which was good.  I started out shooting for 12 miles but the folks I was running with turned around at 10, so I decided to follow suit.  So just a quick 10 miler today.

Stood around afterwards for a while talking with Karen and her husband.  Her husband is really fast and we talked training for a while.  He says he runs 6 miles a day and then ramps up just his long runs before a race.  1st week 10, 2nd week, 6, third week 12, 4th week 6, etc…  And he never does more than one 20 miler before a race.  

The other bit of advice from Karen was to not run SD for time.  Just soak it all in.  I am concerned that I peeked in Indy so I may revise my goals.  I’ll see how I’m feeling and try to write a few down.  We’ll see.

10.02 miles/1:23:32/avg 8:20

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Short Run

Workout: 4 Mile Easy Run

So the taper has started in earnest. Today was only 4 miles which I will admit was a little hard to get up for. I had every intention of running it first thing this morning, but instead slept in. I don’t really get all that many chances to sleep in so I jumped on it.

Eventually I did drag my carcass out of bed and onto the street. The run was great, the weather was nice. Nothing hurt and for whatever reason I was pushing the pace a little. It took me a while to figure out why I was breathing so hard and then I realized I’d run the first mile sub-8. Lets hope I don’t pull that stunt in SD.

Anyway just sitting around a waiting. Two more weeks

4.21 miles/34:53/avg 8:17

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Too fun, but hilly!

Workout: 50-60 minute Easy Run

So my sister invited me out to the farm for dinner. I was trying to figure out how to get my run in so I just decided I’d run from the farm before I ate. It ended up being a really great/hard run.

Before heading out I checked on Google and mapped out an 8 mile route. A little longer than I was planning but since last night was cut short so I thought why not. It ended up being fun. I was on back dirt roads for most of the run with very little traffic. I saw deer and a herd of cows that were all kind of staring at me. I actually think they were plotting something.

The first mile was at a pretty good clip, but after that I slowed down a bit. Why you ask? Because there were a ton of hills. Not little rolling ones, but tall steep ones. This wasn’t going to be your average 8 mile run. But what the heck… hills are good for me, or so they say.

Anyway I really had a good run. I felt challenged and enjoyed the new route. But the question still remains… Is San Diego here yet? ARG!

8.38 miles/1:13:14/Avg 8:44

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Shorter than I wanted…

Workout: 50-60 minute Easy Run

Well I was just really busy tonight so didn’t get a chance to start running until about 9:00. Unfortunately it started getting dark so I had to cut my run short.

I was moving along at a good clip though so I am pleased about that. I feel pretty strong and ready to go. Just waiting waiting waiting….

5.43 miles/45:08/Avg 8:18

Sunday, May 14, 2006

I think everything that can hurt does!

Workout: 5 Mile Recovery Run

So this running slower thing seems to just be making my sore. I think I should try faster! OK… Maybe not, but still lots of things seem to hurt today. Specifically my left calf and quads. My calf was sore yesterday but the quads are new to today. I think I’ll just keep an eye on it and will definitely be taking tomorrow off from running.

The run itself was fine. I just did a quick out and back. I had a bunch of family stuff today so pretty much did the run first thing. I was sore and not moving all that fast, but I think it was good to fire the legs up a bit.

Now comes the hard part… the taper. Mentally I think this is the most difficult part of the training, I basically have to hold my horses for 3 weeks. Those of you who know my horses know how difficult that can be.

So my goals for the next 3 weeks are #1, Stay Healthy, #2 lose 5 pounds. I’m 170 now (was 180 in Detroit last year) and would like to get to 165. I think my weight loss and cross training have contributed significantly to m increase in speed. No Beer, No Ice Cream for 3 weeks. Arg!

Total Run: 6.35 miles/56:58/Avg 8:58

Saturday, May 13, 2006

See Ann, I listened!

Workout: 20 Mile Long Run
5/3rd Riverbank Run (25K) + 4.5 Miles

So Ann really got on me about running my long runs at a more reasonable pace.  There were threats made if I ran any faster than 9:00/m.  And actually I was on board with this decision.  So I was determined to run today slower than I have the last two weeks.

Anyway I needed to get my second 20 miler in this weekend, which worked out perfectly since the 5/3rd Riverbank Run was today.  Although it was only a 25K/15.5 miles it got me most of the way there.  I decided to do my extra mileage immediately after the race so I could just keep running with as little a gap as possible.

The weather was actually pretty good.  A light mist but nothing to sneeze at, and the temperature was perfect.  A little sunshine might have been nice but beggars can’t be choosers.

All in all I felt good about the race.  I feel strong and ready to go but it was kind of a let down from my last two weeks.  I felt so great in the Borgess Half, and Indy… well what else can I say.

I once again employed the technique of staying out until 1:00am the night before and drinking beer.  For some reason this really seems to work for me.  Maybe I’ll do it next month… maybe not!

So a big thanks to Liz Lancaster for running with.  She was locked in at 9:00/m which was great.  It really helped me to slow down.  A big thanks to all volunteers, it was kind of a crappy day to out cheering but there they were.  After the race I ran some of the course in reveres to get my extra mileage and was quickly among those that were hurting or walking and still there were a ton of well wishers.  How cool is that, they must have been out there for at least 3 hours.  You people rock.  A big thanks to Ann.  I saw her twice during the race.  And both times she was pleased that I was running 9’s.  

So good race, good run.   I am ready!  Bring San Diego on!

Race: 15.5 miles/2:19:02/Avg 8:58
Extra 4.5 miles: 4.93 miles/41:34/Avg 8:26

Total Run: 20.43 miles/3:00:36/Avg 8:50

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Another Hour Run!

Workout:  50-60 minute Easy Run

My favorite run.  The good old hour run.  I had to wedge it into my day so I did it on the treadmill.  Very boring, especially since I’ve been running outside so much lately.  I felt pretty strong anyway.  I got very bored by the end but felt great the whole way through.  

Mentally I’m really kind of struggling.  I’m not sure if it was because Indy was so great or if the Marathon seems so far away, or if I’m off a set training program and just kind of blending two together, but I feel a little lost.  I guess we’ll see how this weekend goes.

Anyway, another good run.  SD is in less than a month!

7.0 miles/1:00:04/Avg 8:34

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Easy Run Tonight

Workout: 40 minute Easy Run

Nothing major to report here.  Just a quick 40 minute run.  I successfully slowed down a little although the real test will be this weekend at the Riverbank Run.  

Everything feels OK although my knees were a little quirky after the run.  Nothing bad, just different than normal.  I’ll keep an eye on it in the future.

So this is the last big mileage week before SD.  The taper starts Sunday!

5.0 miles/44:29/Avg 8:53

Sunday, May 07, 2006

I Know... Run Slower

Workout: 8 Mile Easy Run

Now that Indy is over I am blending the McMillan Training Program with the Hal Higdon Intermediate I Marathon Training program.  Basically I’ll keep my weekly runs the same from McMillan and work in the long weekend runs from Hal.  

According to this new plan I was to run 8 today.  I ended up running with the team.  I hadn’t been over to Lansing in a while and needed to pick up some new shoes and wanted to log some miles with team.  It was a great day for running and a lot of fun.  Most of the group seemed to be doing their 20 mile run in preparation for Bayshore.  There were only a handful of us doing anything less.

I ran with Sheila again which was great.  The problem is I think we both push each other a little.  We were running sub 8:30’s for most of the run.  She’s fighting a knee issue and I just ran Indy really fast yesterday.  Perhaps we should have taken it a little easier.

When we got back Ann, my coach, really let me have it about slowing down on my long runs.  I mean she let into me for a good 3 or 4 minutes.  And she’s right, I know she’s right, I just get so amped up.  So I will try to do better this weekend as I run my second 20 mile run (15.5 @ 5/3rd + 4.5 extra miles)  I’m shooting for 9:00’s.

So after the run I was sore.  Not terrible but now I’m all panicked about getting hurt.  So I tried the cool bath thing.  Lots of people talk about ice baths, and while was not willing to go that far, I did soak in the tub with cool water.  It actually seemed to help.  Maybe I’ll throw in some ice next time.

The other fun thing was I started talking to Karen (the short & middle distance coach).  And she got me all fired up about SD and Chicago.  She said Detroit was nice for a first Marathon but kind of dull compared to these others.  It’s the longest conversation I’ve had with her but it was really great.  I so ready to go!

8.09 miles/1:07:10/Avg 8:18

Saturday, May 06, 2006

You just can’t believe how awesome that was!

Workout: 12 mile long run

Today was the Indy Mini Marathon (Half) in Indianapolis. I’ve had this race in my sights for almost 6 months, really since May of last year. You just can’t even believe how much fun it was. There were 35000 runners, elephants, bands bands bands, cheerleaders, beer, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and so much more! It was out of control!

So my tale really started last night. Dad & I drove down to Indy and checked into our hotel and then headed right over to the expo. It was packed with people and vendors and they even had a main stage with experts talking about raining and race strategy. We only stayed for a little while and then head for dinner. The really odd thing about the night was that it was obviously high school prom weekend. There were HS kids all over the place in tuxes and prom dress along with tons of runners in tennis shoes and jeans or running pants. It was quite the dynamic. So cool.

This morning we woke up early and headed to the start at about 7:00am. I had run a couple of qualifying races earlier in the year which gave me a preferred starting corral. This was huge. I started in corral “C” at the front, the last corral “Z” was 8 blocks behind me. It was so much fun walking up to my corral past all those thousand of runners who hadn’t qualified, I was getting such a high. I’ve heard the traffic on the course can be in a problem but I think starting in the front really helped. There were a ton of people, but I never felt claustrophobic in the least. In fact when the race started I noticed the crowd pulling away from me a bit. Obviously I had somehow found myself in with the seriously fast runners.

I was so ill prepared for what to expect on the course. I knew there would be a lot going on but come on…..

Within the first half mile I saw a couple of preachers giving sermons on soap boxes, a giant elephant checking us out from the zoo, and a guy with a cello playing and singing “Play That Funky Music White Boy”, and tons of spectators cheering us on. How cool was that!

Now I was trying to keep in mind that this was just a training run and that I should pace myself at about 9:00/m but with all the excitement, and the field pulling away from me, the people who didn’t qualify working their way forward, the bands, the people, the elephant, I clocked my first mile at 8:10. Oops but no big deal right, I just needed to slow myself down. So my second mile I ran a 7:39… Dumass! OK Tom…. Focus, slow down or you’ll bonk before you even get on the track. I actually had this conversation several times… at mile 3 (7:53) at mile 4 (7:47) at mile 5 (8:06) at mile 6 (8:04).. You get the point.

The hard part, and the great part, was that there were over 40 bands on the 13.1 mile route. Literally there was a band every 4 or 5 blocks. It was incredible, but only helped to get me more geeked and run faster.

Anyway we weaved our way through some local neighborhoods, but the big prize I new was coming at bout mile 6. We turned a corner and there it was. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Awesome. I think I’ve been to over 30 races there but never made it onto the track. We turned into the track and ran through one of the tunnels. Everyone was screaming and cheering. How am I suppose to run slow through this? Anyway we came out in the infield and then just a few more steps we were on the track.

The cool part is that as we were coming onto the track the elites were just finishing up their 2.5 mile lap. They had 2.5 miles between us in only about 45 minutes. Those guys are fast. So most of the runners stuck to the inside of the track. I of course dived to the outside wall. You can’t imagine what its like to running down the backstretch of the IMS. It was incredible. My face actually started to hurt because I was grinning from ear to ear. The whole track was great. On the front stretch I even stopped and kissed the yard of bricks at the start finish line. For those of you who don’t know, this is a big tradition if you win a race at Indy. Fabulous!

Anyway soon enough my lap was over and we turned off and back onto the surface streets. This was about mile 9 and I could definitely feel a let down. Not too bad, but I definitely felt tired. But then I saw it… I had heard rumors, but didn’t think it was actually there… A BEER STOP! Out in front of the roughest biker bar you have ever seen, with bald headed tattooed bikers out front, they were handing out beer. This of course I could not pass up. So I grabbed a small cup, gave them a thanks and headed on my way. It was such and interesting site. These tough red-neck bikers and toothless wombats handing out beer and supporting the runners. How cool is that!

Anyway the last miles were a blur, not from the beer. I was just really enjoying myself, and although I was tired and was really having fun. More bands, more cheerleaders, no more beer.

The problem came at mile 11 when I realized if I could average 7:45’s the last two miles I would guarantee myself another preferred start next year. I kept saying that this was crazy, don’t hurt yourself, this is just training run. Mile 12 (8:00), Mile 13 (7:16)… So sue me!

All in all an awesome race. I mean really fun. I remember thinking at one point I should just sign all my friends up to run this next year and force them to train. If it’s not on your list, put it on.

Simply Outrageous. Absolutely without a question the most face, and the most run fun of my short career!

13.1 miles/1:44:48/avg 8:00

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Another Good Run!

Workout: 40 minute Easy Run

Just another great run, the last run before Indy. I’m really starting to get fired up now.

I ran the State Road route tonight after work. I felt pretty strong the whole way and moved a pretty good clip. The sun was out and I ran across some other runners enjoying the weather. This is such a good route with some many options I’m not sure way I haven’t found this before.

Just two more days to Indy!

7.24 miles/1:00:00/Avg 8:17

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

8 Miles In The Rain…

Workout: 30 minute Easy Run

Tonight was so fun. I ran with some new friends with the Mars Hill Running Club. On the drive up to GR I drove through a torrential downpour. I would have probably bailed but I knew I would take a fare amount of grief.

I met up with Lynell before the group run to log 3 miles as we both anted to end with 8 for the night. I was nervous because she was talking about 8:00/m pace which would have been doable, but probably not pretty. Luckily she was content to run 8:15’s or so.

The first 3 miles were pretty good, then we met up with Sara and the rest of the group. They were all really nice, as runners tend to be. Al in all I would say we had about 20+ runners.

We started out in the rain but that eventually subsided. We ran through some fun little neighborhoods, on some paved trails, and some parks. It was actually a cool little route. By the end of the run the sun came out which was cool. I actually didn’t mind the rain that much although I must remember more body glide next time I do it.

Good run. Bring on Indy!

8.23 miles/1:09:01/Avg 8:23
BMI: 26.0