Change of Plan: A FAMILY MARATHON!

A lot has happened since my last post. Most importantly, I may not be going this next Marathon alone! My daughter-in-law Adrienne told me that she wants to run the Lincoln Marathon with me. Woo hoo! And, to my great joy, a week or so later my daughter Heather and her husband Ben said they want to run with me as well! I am a happy man.

I am very excited and optimistic, but I am also very practical. A lot of things can happen between now and race day, and knees, feet, shins, and the weather can be prickly things. For now, I am a happy man!

Our goal this year is modest but attainable: Finish in under 5 hours. This will be my 4th Marathon, but I'm slow. My fastest time is 6 hours, but with a bit of weight loss and a good strategy, I should be fine. This will be the first for Heather, Ben, and Adrienne. They are young and in good shape, so a five hour marathon is a reasonable goal. And, of course, all of us want to prep and run without getting injured, so five hours seems like a great plan.

Dren started preparing in November, and is making good progress. She ran cross country in High School, so she already knows quite a bit about running. Her knees have been a bit tweekie, so she is taking it slow. But, she has been very smart with her early preparation, and I am very proud of her.

Heather and Ben are just getting started, but both are athletes and should do well. Heather just had her first baby in August, so my little grand daughter is in for a bunch of stroller runs!

I published my running schedule, which is in the sidebar to the right. Adrienne, Heather, and Ben can certainly follow mine if they choose, but each will probably want to make a schedule that better fits their personal needs.

The key to keeping to this schedule is, I think, the weather. I don't run when the temp drops below 15F or when the paths are icy (safety reasons), so my actual miles may vary. In 2007, I missed many days, including 8 days in a row, due to nasty weather, and I had a similar problem in 2008. I'll adjust as the weather permits. I did use the treadmill, but I can only get in 5 or so miles a day on a treadmill so my mileage will be low during bitter cold periods. Regardless, I will try hard to get in 400 miles before race day.

Many experts suggest training runs totaling 600 miles or more before a marathon, including several weeks running over 40 miles or more. That's nice! Great for them!! I have no such goals. First, I'm not an rabbit-fast SBR (skinny butt runner), and never will be. If I try to run over 600 miles in the next four months, or 40 miles in a week for consecutive weeks, my entire body will break.

Anyway, I am excited to run with my kids, and it should be a great race prep!

Starting Over

It's been almost 4 months since the Lincoln Marathon, and its time to get ready for my next run, the LA Marathon, which will be in March, 2009.

We had considered running a marathon in October, but the bottom line is that I just was not ready. There are certain physical reasons, including the deep, deep blister in my right foot that just does not seem to heal, along with the fact that I was pretty physically beaten up this time. My initial recovery was quicker, but all the aches and pains this time have taken months to clear. And that blister between the balls of my feet just keeps coming back (In fact, it's back already after my last walk).

Perhaps more importantly, I have the heart for more marathoning but my brain has not been in the right place. My time was horrible, and over all three marathons I keep losing time, not getting faster. And, I think I took more of a mental beating than a physical beating on the last marathon, as it was not really a good experience. I was far too heavy, which was my fault. But, whereas in 2007 the route remained open until just after I crossed the finish line, this time they pulled all of the road blocks a whole hour and half earlier, so I had to finish the last hour plus on the sidewalks. I did enjoy, very much, going the last couple of miles with my family, which I could never have done if the course had still been closed. But, stopping for red lights and such for such a long distance killed my time. And, when I finished, the crews were taking down the finish line and the steel beam that holds the overhead clock had been lowered to about three feet, so I walked up and touched it to finish as opposed to sprinting across the finish line. I looked back over the numbers and realized that I was on pace to beat my 2007 time, but when they opened the course an hour earlier my time was doomed.

So, I'm starting over.

I plan to complete the LA Marathon in 5 hours to avoid this problem, but that will be a very difficult task for me because of my slowness. Regardless, that's the plan.

I'll start my prep this time with gentle jog-walks and slowly increase, just like I did for my first marathon. And, I've placed a premium on stripping off the weight. We'll see what happens from there.

I started last Saturday with a 4.4 mile walk (the distance from my daughter's house to mine). I have modest goals for September, and will gradually increase my weekly averages until December, when I begin my marathon schedule again.

We shall see what we shall see.

Finished Marathon #3!

Ran the Lincoln Marathon today! I have now completed 3 marathons.

The race conditions were wonderful, but my time was absolutely horrible so I won't talk about it too much. However....

My family was magnificent! It was so wonderful to see them come along and cheer. They brought me water, helped me when I had to change my insoles and fix a blister, and were an inspiration to me. I am eternally grateful to have such a fantastic family.

Now, the results. I didn't finish last! Not far from it, but not last (1163 out of 1170). I also beat 3 guys; two were younger than me and the other a little older.

The story line for this race is very simple: I weigh far too much. I also lost a lot of time with stops. I had to pull over to tie my shoe in Mile 2, stop by the side of the road next to the mile 6 marker to replace the blister pads on my foot, a huge stop in mile 16 to fix (again) the blister and change out the insoles in my shoes, two short bathroom breaks and a final, long stop to use the restroom at mile 23. Overall, at least 12 minutes in stops. Further, they pulled the police escort early, so I spent the last 6 miles stopping at traffic lights. I have no idea how much time I lost to those. The other big problem was my prep time, as I did not get in nearly enough miles.

Well, that's about it. Horrible time, but I finished. Now, I need to strip off a lot of body fat, pump up the miles, and hit the weightroom. I'll take a few days off from running before starting anew.

Race Eve

Tomorrow morning is Marathon #3. I am using the exact same race plan that I used last year, and hopefully the weather will be a bit more cooperative. The forcast calls for a cold morning, but it should warm a bit as the days moves along. No rain, and hopefully not much wind. Last year was windy and rainy.

I have tempered my expectations for this year. I had big plans, but those went by the wayside when all the problems we had earlier in the year. The goal tomorrow is to finish in less time than I ran Kansas City, and if I can break last year's Lincoln time (6:00:02), woo hoo! Not sure I can, but I'll give it the old college try.

I'm coming into this marathon in pretty good shape. No pulled muscles or the like. I am a bit heavy, and I have a nagging, deep blister on the balls of my left foot. I ran the Mayor's Run (1 Mile) with David this morning and finished in 9:29. Huge congestion problems and stopped to pick up a couple of little kids who had fallen. But, this is a highly popular, and congested, kids race, so I was not looking for a good time. I also didn't want to push too hard because of the race tomorrow.

Woo Hoo!

Birthday Run An "Oops"

Went to bed very early on the 27th so I could enjoy a lovely, early morning 8.5 mi birthday run. Temp was cold (33F) so I bundled up and lauched!

Unfortunately, I forgot to prep the deep blister on the pad of my left foot.

I started strong, and even after being caught by three traffic lights I still reached the 1.5 mi mark in 16:58. The next mile was strong too. Then, fully warmed, I decided to start my sprint intervals. I cranked up my pace into lovely sprint, and near the end started to feel the burning sensation in my foot - the burn that results from forgetting to prep the blister. I stopped sprinting at that point and walked the rest of the way to the zoo merge. I had to stop a couple of times along the way to work on my foot, tighten my shoe laces, and the like, but I still finished the 3.4 mile segment in 43:09. A crummy time if I was running, but not bad for when I walk a good part of it.

Once I reached the merge, I decided to test my walking and avoid further injury. So, I walked the remaining 5.1 mi.

The walking was actually interesting training. I quickly realized that I could not take a long stride because my toes would bend, which made the blister hurt. But, if I took short, quick steps, the blister didn't hurt so much. So, I took short, quick steps the entire last 5.1 miles. My time was sucky, but without jogging an inch I still completed the 5.1 mile distance in 87 minutes, which is approximately a 17:25 mile or just under 3.5 mph. So, even if my lungs pop out in the latter stages of the marathon, I can still add a little jog and average a 15 minute mile, or 4 mph pace.

I got the blister during my run in Reno, and it is much deeper than I thought. My protection measures have worked, though, so we shall see what we shall see....

Good 8.5!

Ran my 8.5 mi circuit on Apr 22. I am excited about my performance because I have improved substantially. Not quite where I was this time last year, but I'm improving.

I ran the circuit in 103:35. The last time I ran this route was March 13, and I finished in 117:50. So, I reduced my time by 14:15. Woo Hoo! Not my fastest time, but not bad, either.

A quick walk down history lane. This is the 32nd time I ran this route, ranging back to 2006. Tuesday's time was my 6th fastest time.

Breaking down the route, I finished the first segment in 9:52, and reached the Hwy 2 -Rock Island merge in 29:35. Not a great time, but a solid time. I reached the Zoo merge in 58:06, so I completed the Rock Island segment in 28:29. My goal is to reach the merge, which is about 5.1 miles, in under an hour, and the more time I cut the happier I am.

I then walked the portion of the Billy Wolff trail next to the zoo for safty reasons, which I always do when running at night because the path is very uneven for about .3 miles. I was able to get in stride fairly quickly after walking almost 6 minutes, but that walking hurts my time. The distance from the Zoo merge to the Billy Wolff/48th St merge is only about 1.9 mi, but it took 25:55 to complete the distance.

My time up the hill was 19:34, which is not bad. I would like to get it under 18, but I won't be able to do that until my next marathon sequence.

Anyway, I was pleased with my effort, and enjoyed a fine run!

Novartis 10K

Lovely 10K (6.21 mi) event. The weather was fantastic! A bit nippy (low 40's) at the start, but quickly warmed to a wonderful race temp with a gentle breeze and very few gusts. We had three racers today, as David and Jasmine ran the 2 miler. Cornell was at track practice, and Jen didn't like racing so she went back to the treadmill last year. But, as always, my Jen got us registered, organized, picked up our packages, then got us all ready in the morning and out the door on time for a lovely race day. What a joy and a privilege it is to have such a supportive wife and mother!

Before I yak about me, I want to boast my children. This was Jasmine's first ever 2 miler, and only her second race. It was a chore for her and she walked in several spots, but she finished in 29:24, or 272 out of 307 runners. She averaged a 14:42 pace. More importantly, she stuck to it and finished! Woo Hoo Jasmine!

David ran brilliantly. He finished in 20:47, which put him in a 3 way tie for 156 place out of 307 runners, most of whom were adults! He averaged just under a 10:24 mile. I don't know the times, but he apparently ran a fast first mile, and ended up walking a portion of the second mile. I would love to get him training from someone who knows how to establish a good pace (I'm still trying to learn this for myself), because I think he would run even better with a little training from a real track coach. Unfortunately, the only track club we have found for kids practices on Sundays, and Sunday is our Sabbath day so we don't do those types of activities on that day. Most of the people who finished behind him were adults, so I was enormously proud of how well he did.

My times show that I am still behind where I was last year, but I am finally catching up a bit. In some ways, I did better on this race than I did on last year's Novartis 10K.

Overall, I finished in 1:10:42, which is exactly two minutes slower than last year. This compares to the State Farm 10 miler, where I finished 9:05 slower than last year. I started very tight, and the first couple of miles were hard. I reached the half way point in 33:42, which was 2:03 slower than last year. However, I finished the last half in 37 min, which is 4 seconds faster than I ran that same distance last year.

My mile times are weird, but very very instructive and point out a trend that I need to correct; I don't properly utilize the down hills stretches. Not even close. I noticed the same thing with my 5.5 hill route and my 3.3 speed route. Both share the same down hill stretch, and I seem to zone out or something instead of capitalizing on a chance for an easy reduction in my time.

To understand the issue, one must first know the race course. This particluar race begins with a loop around Holmes Lake Park. We start out pretty flat, and at about a third of a mile begin a very pronounced down hill slope. It levels off to finish the mile, and a short distance later we begin to ascend the other side of the hill and the level out again, and begin a nice descent as we approach the 2 mile mark. The route is relative flat for the next mile and a quarter or so, then we begin the long, steep climb up 56th street. I run this same stretch as the toughest portion of my standard 5.5 mile hill route. We go most of the way up the hill, but turn around about 50 yds or so short of the intersection. and head back down. We pass the 4 mile marker on the way down, and after a taper and some flat terrain reach the 5 mile mark. At about the 5.5 mark we begin to ascend again, and at the 6 mile mark we head down the same slope we experienced in mile 1, going .21 miles to the finish.

As noted above, I started out very, very tight. I finished the first mile in 10:18, which is about the same time I run the first mile in most of my practice runs. I ran the second mile, which contains the first uphill, in 10:57. We then began a mile that has nice down hill, then flat. My time? 11:07, which is slower than my time with the up hill. My time should have been in the low 10's. Then begins a short flat stretch followed by the long up hill, which I ran in a respectable 11:57. In fact, I was very pleased with my uphill time. But, I completed the next mile, which contains most of the long down hill, in 11:32. The times don't neatly compare because the mile markers don't precisely match the up hill and down hill legs. However, I can say that I ran a mostly pronounced uphill mile only 25 seconds slower than I ran a mostly pronounced down hill mile? The down hill drops about 150 or so feet of elevation, so I should have been in the low to mid 10's as well. Several folks passed my on that down hill, but I passed noone on that slope. I think I either zoned out, relaxed too much, or was abducted by space aliens and lost the time (just kidding). The bottom line is that I did NOT capitalize on that hill. I croaked on the next flat and uphill to finish mile 6 in a horrible 12:41, then had a kick at the end to complete the final .21 in 2:05.

Some good things. I reached the 5 mile mark at 55:53. Three weeks ago at the State Farm 10 miler, I finished the first five miles in 59:30 on a very flat course. Today, I was 3:37 faster on a course with a big hill. Further, I was only 47 seconds off my marathon five mile pace, and the first five on the marathon is a very flat five miles. I finished strong today, in comparison to last year when I thought I was going to croak on my way to the finish line, and this time I recovered much quicker. And, despite my slow start, my time to complete the last 5k of the race was faster than last year's last 5K.

The bottom line: I'm still behind last year at this time. I probably won't catch up, but I might get close. Given the year I've had, I'm pleased.

Speed (ha ha) run

Started my run tonite with the intention of running an 8.5 mi. Got started very late (as usual) and I was making good time. It was a warm night (57F at start) but the wind was ugly and clouds were billowing. As I thought about the upcoming 10 K on Saturday, I thought "what the heck" and around the 2 mile mark I turned my 8.5 into a 5.4 "speed run" In other words, I ran several hard "sprint splits."

Well, I'm slow. And I'm behind where I was this time last year, and much heavier to boot. Overall, however, my time wasn't bad: 1:00:59. I started on my 8.5 route clockwise, so the first .9 miles is down hill. The path then levels off, and then is followed by a 1/3 mile or so uphill leading to the Rock Island Trail. I completed the first downhill segment in 9:41. At this point I was not hustling, but then I never hustle the first mile or so because I'm trying to warm up without getting injured. I then ran the flat segment and the short uphill in 20:19, for a first half time of 30:01. Not a great time, as this time last year I was running it in 2 or so minutes faster, but what the heck.

I then turned around and ran back, completing that same segment in 19:54, which was 25 seconds faster. I then completed the .9 segment back up the hill in 11:03. The head wind was pretty ugly and it took me an additional 1:22 to complete the segment as an uphill, but what the heck.

Overall, I'm slower than last year and won't catch up until I lose the weight, which won't be completed until the 2nd Marathon in the fall. But, I'm on a good glide path, and considering all the distractions from January - April, I can't complain too much. Of course, I made no attempt at weight management in the three months following the KC Marathon, which was a big mistake. But, we'll pull the weight off as smart as I can, keep our expectations low for this Marathon, and make the big effort for a super time in the fall.

Taking stock, preparing for the future

My next marathon is only three weeks from today, so its time to take stock of my progress thus far and plan my strategy for the next three weeks.

Taking Stock.

Comparing my effort this year to my prep last year for the Lincoln (May 6) and KC (Oct 20) marathon's yields mixed results.

My prep for my first ever Marathon (Lincoln 07) was quite good. I had a solid running base, and in the four months preceding the event I ran 47 times for 326 miles. By this date last year, I had completed 37 runs for 256 miles, and completed an additional 10 runs for 69.8 miles in the three weeks before the marathon.

My prep for the KC Marathon was poor. If I count my Lincoln Marathon miles as prep for the KC Marathon, I ran 223.9 miles in the 5+ months between the two races. Not good, but the rest of the story is even worse. I had a decent June 07 with over 60 miles, but July and August were minimal. So, in the four months before KC I ran only 25 times for 119 miles. With three weeks to go, I had completed only 15 runs for about 80 miles, with 10 runs and 39 miles being completed in the last three weeks.

My current prep is better than last year's KC prep but far below Lincoln 07's prep. With three weeks left in the four month period, I have run 22 times for about 128 miles. My January and February were bad, but that is chronicled below. Barring accident, I should be able to complete an additional 10 runs for about 62 miles, bringing my pre-race total to 33 runs for 190 miles. This will put me 8 runs and 71 miles better than Kansas City, but 14 runs and 136 miles below Lincoln 07.

The information is interesting, but the trends from last year were even more interesting. I made incremental improvement in my time last year throughout February and March, but as I neared the end of my prep phase in April I had several "break through" days. For example, for my 8.5 mile times, in early March 07 I hovered between 106 and 110 minutes. But, on March 28, 07, I cut almost 7 minutes off my time. I cut another 6 minutes off by April 23, and cut off another 4 minutes only three days later. So, from March 19 to April 26, 07m I cut 16:25 off my overall time. My reductions in my 3.3 mi route were no less dramatic. My times throughout March ranged between 37 and 40 minutes. But, I knocked it down to 33:31 on April 19, and sliced off another 2 minutes on April 28 (my birthday) for a personal best 31:28. Significantly, just a few days before the KC marathon where I had less prep time, my time on the 3.3 route jumped back up to 34:52.

2008 has been a bit unkind, as my additional weight and multi-impacted running schedule saw my 3.3 time balloon to just over 36 minutes last month, and my 8.5 mile time tanking. Fortunately, I think my times are starting to trend downward again, which is a good sign. They won't be as low as my times last year because I have run less miles and am several pounds heavier, but If I can get them down a bit I'll be ok. I'm looking forward to next week's Novartis 10K to compare my progress under race conditions to last year's race.

So, what does all this mean? If I finish the month strong and watch my diet carefully, I'll be fine. Otherwise, I finish over 6 hrs again.

I did make some goals in January. 60 runs, 150 miles in March, 110 miles in April. Hah! Shot to crap. I may reach 90 in April! Maybe.

One final note. On July 8, 2006, I ran my first long run in many years, 15.33 miles, following the same basic path as I took this time (looped around the lake then, but no neighborhood loop). That time was 5:18:08. Today I went about the same distance in almost 2 hrs less time. At least I'm progressing.

The Next Three Weeks.

Unfortunately, I need work in every area. So, I will run a 3.3, a 5.5, and 8.5, and a 12-15 for each of the next two weeks. I'll then run an 8.5 and a 5.5 the week of the Marathon, with my last run being on Wednesday and resting Thursday - Saturday for the event on Sunday. Next Saturday is the Novartis 10K (6.2 mi), so I'll run that in the morning and see if I can add another run later in the day.

I have my diet program up and running, and am recording everything going into my mouth. I am trying to lose 12 lbs over the next 21 days. It will be a big task, but if I eat right I should be able to make this goal, which will help me be a bit lighter for the next marathon.

I will evaluate this in a couple of weeks, but I think I will use last year's race plan for the Marathon. Better clock management (I lost track of my time on several occassions last year) should help me keep my last 11 under control, and if I can average 4 mph over that distance I should finish in just under 3 hours. We shall see.

What a difference a couple of weeks make!

Ran a 15 mi today (actually 15.1). Started strong and ended strong. Had to walk the last 4 mi or so because I became nauseous, but that was a diet problem, not a running problem. I haven't had much of an appetite over the past week or so, primarily due to the family circumstances mentioned previously. For today's run, I started a little after 5 pm, but my only intake for the entire day, besides a couple of bottles of water, was 2 scoops of protein powder and an ounce of mixed nuts for lunch, and a handful of Pringles (cheddar cheese) moments before I ran. Big mistake, forcing me to take an extended bathroom break and mostly walk the last 4 miles to avoid losing the Pringles. That having been said, I still ran strong and walked strong, so I'm very happy with the results.

Now the particulars. Ran my 15 mile route (check the right column on the blog), counter clockwise. The weather started cool and windy (41F, gusts up to 15 mph) and ended up cooler and windier, with light snow blowing around (37F, gusts up to 25, humidity 61%). I ran "heavy," which means I wore my CamelBak (about 20 lbs this time) and a long sleeved shirt along with my usual cold weather gear.

By going counter clockwise, I started with the hilliest part of the course first. I finished the first 10 mi in 2:02:10, which included traffic light stops for a total of 2:39 (I don't deduct time for stops from my overall time). Two weeks ago I ran 10 mi in 2:07:59 with similar weather condictions, but on a very flat course with no stops. Today, I ran the same distance 5:49 faster, but on a very hilly route, carrying a 20 lb pack on my back, and losing 2:39 to stop lights. In other words, wonderful improvement.

My stomach began flaking out around mi 11 so I jog-walked the last 4 mi to keep from throwing up, and I still finished in 3:24:19. At the end of February, 2007 (the last time I ran this route), I finished in 3:39:05. Today, I ran an extra loop around the block ( about .45 miles). The bottom line: almost 15 minutes faster on a route that was .45 mi longer.

Also, I ran a 14 mi on the ultra flat MOPAC trail back on March 22, finishing in 3:38:53. So today, I ran 1.1 mi longer in 14:44 fewer minutes, without stops and on a hilly course. Woo Hoo!

Now the bad news. I jumped on the scale today, and was stunned by what I saw. Way, way, way too heavy. My best guess is that I should lose 13 lbs by race day. I have been attacking the diet all week, but until race day I'll do it in more earnest.

Reno Runs

2008 is turning out to be quite the year! My aunt Louise died in a wrongful death matter, so I drove out to Reno (1400 mi one way) to assist the fam. So far this year, my only sibing died in January and I had a solid case of bronchitis in February.

Anyway, I was determined to run, and I learned from a park ranger that the city had a nice bike and running path along the Truckee river through the middle of town. So, I ran a 9+ miler on Saturday and an approx 8.5 on Monday. I took this self-portrait near a lovely down town park area at the conclusion of my first run.

The path is, for the most part, not as nice as the paths here in Lincoln (thin asphalt with numerous cracks, mounds and the like,many caused by tree routes) but the scenery is fantasic in many places.

The Saturday run was a bit of a pain as the route was not completed as advertised. I ended up getting partially lost while trying to navigate my way through several detours, and finally called it quits and went back to the start. Monday was great, and I may have gone longer than the 8.5 I calculated. Doesn't matter. I had two nice runs and only two blisters! Woo Hoo!

Ugh! My 10 Mi Time Pathetic, but David Get's a PB!

There is no way else to say this. My time sucked. Horrible. Icky. Pathetic.

The weather was a bit cold and breezy, with the starting temp at 37F and winds out of the southeast gusting up to 15 or so miles an hour. Not ideal conditions, but the weather really was not a significant factor. I just ran slow.

Here's the official stats. My time was 2:07:59, which was 9:05 slower than last year. There were 692 runners in the 10 mile race, and I finished in ...... 681st place! Woo hoo for me! And, I finished ahead of 4 other men! Last year, I was the last male finisher. So, I met one goal (not be the last male finisher) but I missed the other goal quite badly (finish in under 2 hrs).

To make my two hour goal, I had to keep each mile under 12 minutes and then have a little kick at the end. I started well, completing the first mile in 10:31. I then slowed considerably but settled into a good rhythm, and reached mile 2 at 11:55, mile 3 at 12:09, and mile 4 at 12:01. Three straight miles paced in a 14 second window is about as goos as I've done, so I was pretty happy. And, at this point I was still 1:24 ahead.

Things fell apart from there. I reached mile 5 at 12:54, 6 at 14:12, 7 at 12:51, 8 at 13:25, 9 at 14:28, and mile 10 at 13:29. I did sprint splits in miles 7 and 8,with a sprint to the finish at mile 10. Hence, each of these miles was under 13:30. Still way over, but not nearly as bad as miles 6 and 9. I did not do sprints in either of those miles, so my times there are horrible.

The track club kept some weird statistics this time. They officially recorded our first 3.45 mile time, the second 3.55 mile time, and the last three miles. I have no idea why they did this. Anyway, I completed the first segment in 39:48 (avg 11:32 per mile), the second segment in 46:47 (avg 13:11 per mile) and the final 3 mile segment in 41:25 (avg 13:39 per mile)

In other words, I stunk up the course.

Now, the kiddies.

David ran brilliantly. He finished his mile in 9:08, which is a new personal best (previous best was 9:14). Not bad for an 8 year old. He finished 86th out of 229 runners. I counted only 8 runners his age or younger who finished before him. Setting a personal best by 6 seconds on the first race of the season is an excellent accomplishment.

Our foster boy, age 12, ran a good race as well. He finished in 10:31, and placed 152 out of 229. This was only his second race, so we were proud of his performance.

Jasmine, age 14, became a little lost on the course and did not finish. This was her first race, and hopefully she will have better luck on the next race in three weeks.

Anyway, we have a bunch of work to do to get me ready for the marathon, because if today is any indication, it'll take me a week to finish!

State Farm 10 Mi Tomorrow!

Last run before the big 10 miler. Wanted to work on speed this week so I did a 3.3 earlier in the week, and a 5.5 mi today. My overall time today was 67:40, so I cut 9:42 off my time in only 24 days. My 5.5 mi time is still slower than any 5.5 I ran last year, so the long lay off hurt me a bit. While I don't think I can reach a 5.5 mi record time before this upcoming marathon (I would have to trim another 6:18 from my time but the Lincoln Marathon is only 37 days away), I can reduce it substantially. Besides, my training focus for the Kansas City Marathon was the 5.5 hill route, and I didn't properly focus on the longer distances. I have returned my focus to 8.5's for this upcoming marathon, with the 3.3's and the 5.5's being primarily for speed training.

RACE PLAN FOR TOMORROW

As noted previously, I tempered my expectations for this 10 miler because of early, unavoidable hits to the running schedule. At the start of the season I wanted to cut several minutes off last year's time. That has been scaled back and simplified:

- Finish in under 2 hours (last year I ran a 1:58:54 in the State Farm, and 1:54:11 in the Lincoln Marathon).
- Not be the last man to finish (I finished dead last among men last year in this race, albeit I did beat 17 women!).

Last year was cool and rainy, which I liked. The trail was a muddy, but I did just fine. This year, the forcast is cold (in the 30's) with heavy winds. I hate the wind as it slows me down considerably. However, we take the weather as it comes.

David, Jasmine, and our foster boy KH will be running in the one miler, so that should be really fun. They have practiced a few times, so we'll see how it goes.

Woo Hoo!

General Update

Not quite the running week I had hoped for, but that's ok.

I woke up Sunday with a fairly large blister on the side of my heel from my Saturday run. Unusual location, and I think it was caused by my removal of my arch supports. So I took Sunday off (as usual), but I also took Monday off because of the blister and because the "rubbed raw" spot on my thigh had gotten a bit worse. Ran Tuesday with the kids, and that included a big "sprint to the finish" up the little hill to our house. I was pretty tired and was resting, and didn't quite make it out for my 5 miler.

Ran my 3.3 mi "speed circuit" yesterday. Time was not great, but I finished faster than expected and finished quicker than I did last year at this same time. While the 8.5's are key to my endurance, I run hard on the 3.3's so they help with endurance and also help me develop speed.

Tonite, I'm going to run with the kiddies, take a break, then do my 5.5 mi circuit. Won't set any records, but I will try to cut at least a full minute off my previous time.

Concerning the arch supports. In my prep this time last year, I kept getting lower back pain and sore shins on my longer runs. My back really hurt after the State Farm 10 miler last year, so I bought an expensive shoe insert that has a solid platform that extended from my heel to my midfoot and a solid arch, all covered with foam. My back pain went away immediately. Shortly thereafter, my shoes started to fall apart, so I bought my first pair of Nike +'s. They were wonderful but wore out quickly, so I bought another pair and more inserts. I was recently analyzing my shoe wear and started to wonder if the inserts were causing my feet to roll out too far. Further, I realized that I had never worn either pair of Nike's a single time without the inserts. So, a couple of weeks ago I took out the inserts and put the original lining back in, and my running seemed to go just fine! I'll see how my feet and back feel after the 10 miler on Saturday. If all goes well, I'll just skip the inserts. Anyway, the inserts were pretty large and my shoes have a different feel with the original inserts, which I think is the cause of the blister. We shall see.

14 Mile Jog on the MOPAC Trail

Needed to start running longer distances, so I went 14 miles on the MOPAC trail. I had not runned a long route since the last Marathon (October) so, with a 10 miler coming up next Saturday and the next marathon only 43 days away, this was a bit overdue but I have been unable to fit it into my schedule.

The MOPAC Trail is ideal for this purpose. The trail is crushed limestone and is in good condition. The surface makes it a slower run, but one that is softer on the knees and joints.

My object was not to worry about speed, but rather just get the miles in. I wanted to run the first five, do splits on the rest, and finish without injury. I met that that objective, but with a few modifications. Most notably, I wanted to run longer, but the weather did not fully cooperate. The temp ranged between 37 - 40, but the wind was nasty in spots. The terrain flattens into lightly rolling hills, and by the 5 mile mark a person is pretty much in the open without protection from the wind. I was wearing my new thermal underarmor stuff, but the wind went right through in spots which made the run very difficult.

Also, I ran "heavy." Namely, I planned for a longer distance, so I wore my CamelBak which weighed just over 20 lbs. Hydration was not an issue, but the extra weight slowed me even further.

Anyway, I ran the first five, then went into a mile walk, mile run interval scheme. The first 5 miles were slow: at 12:33, 12:43, 14:10 (bathroom break), 13:23, and 14:43 (had to make brief stop). Not nearly the time I get on cement, but considering the weather and the 20 lbs of crap on my back, I was pleased.

I then went into an alternating 1 mile jog, 1 mile walk interval. But I made several stops which skewed the numbers (take pictures, remove rock from my shoe, use the bathroom again, etc).

Overall, it was slow, but was a good long run. No injuries!

Times slowly improving

Ran my 5.5 hill route Wednesday nite. Overall time was 70:43. Icky when compared to last year, but slowly improving. This is the third time I've run this route this month. The first time was 77:22, and the second was 72:58. If I can drop another 8-9 minutes off my overall time before the next marathon, I'll be a happy man.

We're very on track this March in comparison to our goals and in comparison to our effort in March 2007. My times, especially in the 8.5's, are behind what they were last March, but I suspect that I'll catch up within the next 30 days.

50 days till my next Marathon!

My next marathon is only 50 days away! To celebrate, I was going to treat myself to a lovely 12 mi on the MOPAC trail on Saturday morning, but I had to cancel the run to recover from a minor injury. My compression shorts are a year old, and the inseam separated in one spot for a couple of inches. I hadn't worn them in a while, and during my 8.5 mi run on Thursday the separated inseam rubbed a nasty raw spot on the inside of my thigh. I treated it Friday morning, but as I was stretching on Saturday morning it started to hurt. I checked it out, and it was a bit wider than I thought - about 2-3 inches. It was also a bit nastier, and is in a bad spot. So, I scrubbed my scheduled 12 miler to let my leg heal.

Running has been a very low budget affair so far. I have good shoes and a decent watch, but my running clothes are mostly t-shirts, sweats, and an extra layer of stuff on cold days. Garmin's and heart monitors are on the wish list, but with the current budget they'll stay on the wish list for some time to come. BUT, I was able to treat myself to a new pairor compression shorts, and this time I got the thermal, full length kind. Expensive at $45.00, but I needed them.

I am way behind schedule when compared to last year, but for reasons I've already explained. Regardless, in Jan and Feb of 2007, I ran a combined 137 miles. This year in that same period, a whopping 10.5 mi. Obviously, if I try to "catch up" I'll just injure myself, but I'm still trying to push just a bit. I ran just over 105 miles in March 07, and by the 15th I had completed 29.5 miles. By March 15th this year, I have already completed 43.25.

The next 35 days will be big running days, and will include 1 very long run (20+mi). I did 2 last year during the same time (24.5 and 21.5), but under the circumstances I'll take additional runs with less total miles over an additional very long run (with its accompanying 2-3 extra recover days). We shall see. I will make another comparison in a few weeks to see where I stand.

Stretching and running going well, with no significant injuries so far. Both shins and my left arch are a little sore and my back has been a bit iffy, but overall no major issues. Still hacking a bit from last month's bronchitis, but I'm getting my wind back and have resumed sprint splits.

I've been wanting to work on my 3.3's because that's where I work on my speed, but my coughing has pretty much precluded running any faster than a jog pace. Hopefully, I'll be healed enough to run at least one 3.3 by the end of the week.

At least it started well....

Ran my 8.5 mi circuit tonite. A few days ago I ran it in 1:58:00, and today I shaved only 10 seconds off that time. I'm not displeased, though. I incorporated 8 sprint splits and was running ahead of schedule for the first 5+miles. The sprints, however, made me quite tired and I croaked on the hill leading up to my house. Also, I was running late at night after a long day, and I did not eat dinner.

I was really happy with my start. I reached the first landmark at 10:58, which was 12 seconds faster than my last time. I then reached my first leg (2.6 miles) at 33:14, which was 46 seconds faster. By the time I reached the Zoo merge (5.1 miles) I was 2:26 ahead. But after the sprint splits I was quite worn and began to slow. I lost 42 seconds on the 3rd leg of the route, and I lost 1:35 on the run up the hill.

Most importantly, I did become winded, but my lungs didn't hurt so bad and the coughing was manageable. Improvement!

Cornell's and David's seasons underway

Well, its track season in the Leffler household. Quite frankly, nothing I ever expected would happen in our family.

It is true that K2 and Heather both ran track for one year in Jr. High School. They both played football that same year, too. That was, however, a long time ago; K2 is now married and in the Army and Heather is married, pregnant, and graduates from the University of Nebraska in August. I never ran track in High School, and neither did Jennifer. Regardless, here we are.

Cornell is a Junior and ran varsity last year. He even qualified for state! He should be even faster this year, and is a joy to watch. He has fine track coaches, so I'm not involved in his training, other than to make sure he is well fed and has good clothes. I have not yet seen Cornell's track schedule, but I look forward to watching him run.

While Cornell runs High School, David runs in the local 1M "Grand Prix" fun runs. Though he is only 8 years old, he is a seasoned runner, and this is his 3rd year running races. Jasmine, age 14, has no track experience, but she asked to run in the races too. Should be good for her, and we'll give her our best support!

The Lincoln Track club sponsors several races through the year. Most are 1 milers for the kids, followed by longer races for the older folks (1 Marathon, one 10 mi, two 10K's, and several 5k's). One of the kids races is a 2 miler. David achieved "Grand Prix" status last year, and his name will be on this year's T-shirt.

The first race for David, Jasmine and I will be on March 29. State Farm Insurance is hosting a 1M/5K/10M, and both kids will be running the 1M. David started preparing yesterday, as he and I did a quick .65 mi jog walk. Nothing major, just getting him used to moving again. Jasmine started today, as she, David, and our foster boy KH did a 1.5 mi jog/walk. Jasmine had a very hard time keeping up, but if she keeps at it she will improve. I'll have her jog/walk four days a week for the next couple of weeks before moving her up to jogging the entire distance. David will be ready to run the whole way by the end of the week. He is already an experienced runner, and is getting ready for a great season. I'll try to go with both of them as my schedule permits, spending more time with David because he is only 8. David runs vastly faster than Jasmine, so he won't really be able to run with her because she cannot possibly keep up. At least not this year. But, she's trying, which is a wonderful thing!

Should be an interesting track season!

Musings of a Running Fat Man

I was reviewing my running logs (again) and comparing this March (so far) to March 2007.

Anyway, today is March 10, and so far this month I have gone 33.2 miles. Last year, I ran only 29.5 miles in the first 18 days of the month! And, by this same date in Mar 2007, I had run only 24.9 miles.

I started the night with a .6 jog walk with David. This was his first run getting ready for his running season. He has 7 or 8 races, with one being a two miler and the rest being one milers. So, we started with a nice jog/walk, and he'll pick up the pace over the next few days.

I then ran an 8.5 mi . Pretty slow, 1:58:00 (118 min), and because it was midnight I walked the .3 miles in front of the zoo because of the well chronicled problems with the path. Otherwise, I jogged the rest of the way. No sprint splits (my lungs wouldn't take it right now), but a solid effort.