Saturday, February 27, 2016

This week in running 2/21 - 2/27




DayMileage / WorkoutComments
Sunday5Easy run through downtown Elko
Monday83 Miles at 10K / tempo pace plus 1 Mile of strides
Tuesday9Solid effort throughout at half marathon pace.
Wednesday7Nothing but easy
Thursday10.58:33 - 9:15 min per mile for 9 miles
Friday5Easy
Saturday20Long run. Pretty solid effort
Total miles for the week: 64.5 - YTD: 422

Week's Summary


You can see the capitol building in the distance 

Well, another solid week of training -- with no races!

With no races, I was able to focus on getting in a few tougher workouts as well as getting in a higher mileage quota for the week.  Usually I try to over do it in mileage when building up for a marathon and I like to hit 70+.  I think 64 will have to be close enough.

I've also done a bunch of 16 - 18 in recent weeks but this week I opted to go for 20.  For some reason, I am not afraid to do 16 miles, but crossing over into the 20 mile area always take a bit more bravery and energy.

My Saturday 20 mile run went very well.  Although my GPS seems to lose the signal about half way through and it screws up my pace.  I felt like I was running the same pace throughout and suddenly I see it reporting back 12 minute miles.  I know what a 12 minute mile feels like -- and I wasn't running one of those.  Looking at the map it generated, it seems to have gotten really lost and it's always in "never land".  There isn't a lot of trees out there but I suspect there are some electrical transformers in the area and I wonder if they mess with it.

I also did an impromptu tempo run mid week.  I felt pretty good and felt like I'd go medium paced, but a faster runner was ahead of me about 100 - 200 yards.  I've seen this guy before and I know he runs a 3:30 marathon.  So his "easy" pace is a bit more work for me.  So I tried to hang out with him as much as possible.  While he didn't know I was racing him, I slowly made ground and eventually passed him.  We recognize each other on the bike trail all the time so I thanked him for pushing the pace and giving me a solid workout.


Upcoming Races


03/05: March Madness Half Marathon (Confirmed)
03/12: Winter Striders 10 Mile (Confirmed)
03/19: Sand Hollow Marathon - Hurricane Utah (Confirmed)
04/02: Winter Striders Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/10: Summerlin Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/23: Winter Striders 30K (Confirmed)
05/??: Some sort of Colorado Marathon (Either the Colorado Marathon or Colfax)  Other potentials might be Reno Marathon.
06/??: Looking at the Lamoille Canyon Marathon.
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon (Confirmed)

Sunday, February 21, 2016

This week in running 2/14 - 2/20




DayMileage / WorkoutComments
Sunday17First 8.5 at 9:45, second half in 9:20's
Monday7Easy
Tuesday7Speed work: 1.5M in 11:30, 1M @ 7;34 + Strides
Wednesday7Had a big lunch so went easy
Thursday10Decent run
FridayOffRest day
Saturday7Winter Striders 10K Race
Total miles for the week: 55 - YTD: 357.5

Week's Summary

Another solid week of training.  I had a fantastic long run on Sunday.  The first 8.5 miles were fairly easy paced.  Around the half way point, I was like, okay, let's see what I can do for on the way back.  I didn't accelerate to 10K pace or anything, but I definitely kicked it up a notch.  I love it when a long run work out comes together.

On Tuesday I decided to do some speed work.  I really need to get more of it in -- I just generally dislike it. Once I am in "speed work mode" I definitely am in the groove, but just mustering the courage to deal with the pain and discomfort of running fast is scary.  Plus, it is hard to do after sitting all day at an office eating junk food and staring at a computer.

The weather is slowly warming up and the snow is disappearing.  I would say we had a pretty mild winter and I am looking forward to it warming up a little -- but not too much.  I am just happy to have gotten in a solid base during the tough months.

My Cat is Back





If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know that I am good friends with a cat named Snowball.  His owner lets him hang out on the bike trail.  The cat is super friendly but wary of people.  Luckily, he and I are good buds.  He usually waits for me on the bike trail (he knows my schedule) or if the weather is dicey he'll hang out on his porch and when he sees me come and I signal him, he'll come charging across the street to greet me.  I try to remember to bring him food (he isn't starving by any means) and he greedily gobbles it down.  He is such a sweetheart and spending a few minutes with him is a nice way to wrap up a run -- although I think he is more interested in my food then me nowadays.


Upcoming Races

02/27: Salt Air 15K (doubtful -- need to get in a final long run)
03/05: March Madness Half Marathon
03/12: Winter Striders 10 Mile (Confirmed)
03/19: Sand Hollow Marathon - Hurricane Utah (Confirmed)
04/02: Winter Striders Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/10: Summerlin Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/23: Winter Striders 30K (Confirmed)
05/??: Some sort of Colorado Marathon (Either the Colorado Marathon or Colfax)  Other potentials might be Reno Marathon.
06/??: Looking at the Lamoille Canyon Marathon.
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon (Confirmed)

Saturday, February 20, 2016

2016 Winter Striders 10K Race - Ogden Utah




Official Time: 52:07
Placement: 9th out of 24 (45 - 49 age group), 118th out of 475 overall
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Upper 30's, no wind
Garmin Dump:  Here

Mile Time Comments
1 8:11 Uphill start. Hemmed in. Slightly slower than what I wanted
27:19Cruising downhill!
38:10Some down hills here. Pretty fast 5K thanks to the hills
48:32Some rolling hills here. 
510:02Hills hills hills.  Passed a lot of people who had simply started walking
69:00Get to the top of the hill and then turn on the jets to the finish
6.130:54Crushed it at the end.
Total Miles: 6.13

Introduction


Since I've signed up for the entire race series this winter, I made the journey for the second installment of 5 races up in Ogden.  Faithful readers may recall that I ran the 10K last year and was pretty humbled by the hills -- that I didn't know existed.

This year, I knew what to expect and came prepared for the race.  My only goal, though for this race was to do better than I had last year. 

The Race


On the way up to the race it started to rain.  Normally I run great in the rain and this was sort of a blessing.  Although the rain was fairly short lived but the air was cool and just a perfect day for pushing the pace.






I did a brief warm-up after picking up my timing chip and bib.  Since I had paid for the series up front, I had already gotten the t-shirt from the previous 5K race.

The race started promptly at 8AM and the first half mile or so I was hemmed in pretty well.  Normally I am a fast started and in some ways this was a blessing and in other ways I was a little frustrated.  I think I had started a little too much in the middle of the back and I had to claw my way to the people in my pace group.

I was really upset with myself when I hit mile 1 and saw that I was about 30 seconds slower than last year.  Ugh.

The next few miles are primarily downhill, including a knee breaker that you have to climb up on the way back.  I certainly wouldn't want to run down this hill on a daily basis.  Also, the road is cambered so unless you are running in the middle of the street, you will have one leg lower than the other -- which is a recipe for IT-band syndrome.

My legs were pretty tired feeling and with growing desperation I realized that my splits were a bit slower than last year's.  The only goal I had for this race was to do better than last year.

By the start of mile 4 the hills start to set in and it becomes a battle to maintain your pace.  Also, a lot of folks start walking up the hills.  I am not sure which is faster -- a power hike up the hill or a shuffle.  I ran up the hills as best as possible and picked off a number of runners here.

I had memorized the point where the hill ended and as I crested the hill, I turned on the jets.  I had plenty in the tank and managed to haul it in during the last .75 of a mile.


Conclusion




I had plans for the rest of the day, so immediately after crossing the finish line, I grabbed a few donut holes, a banana and some Gatorade and went to my car.  I grabbed my camera and snapped a picture or two.  I socialized for a few minutes with a runner I haven't seen since last year and wound up taking off no less than 15 minutes after finishing.

I wasn't devastated that I had finished slower than last year, but I really wanted to make some sort of improvement.  I think I didn't get off to a strong start.  Comparing my splits from last year, I did finish slightly faster, which is good.  I did bank some energy for the last push to the end, but the slow start easily cost me a minute.

The 10 mile race, which more or less combines the 5K and 10K course is coming up in a few weeks and that is another brutally hilly race.  Hopefully then I get a little bit of redemption!

Saturday, February 13, 2016

This week in running 2/7 - 2/13



Photo from Monday's desert run

DayMileage / WorkoutComments
Sunday14Wanted to run fast but legs were dead. Really dead after 9 miles
Monday8Hilly desert run in Wendover, UT
Tuesday7Medium paced run. Felt good
Wednesday13Kicked butt for 12 miles. Really nice run.
Thursday7100% easy tonight.
FridayOffRest day
Saturday4Sweethearts 5K Race
Total miles for the week: 53- YTD: 302.5

Week's Summary

This week was actually a pretty solid week in terms of training, volume and racing.

I got in over 50 miles, which bodes well for marathon training.  Granted, I would've liked to have hit over 60 but being Saturday was a 5K race, I had to dial it back a bit.  I also only had time for 14 miles on Sunday.

The highlight of my week came on Wednesday, when basically I did a half marathon at roughly half marathon pace.  I wasn't wearing a watch or a Garmin of any sort but I was definitely hustling.  It is night's like that one that make me feel like I'll be coming out strong this spring.

I am hoping this week to try and get in as many miles while still coming in fairly fresh for the Ogden Winter Striders 10K.  This race is really difficult and I am hoping to better my time from last year.

Upcoming Races


I got a coupon for the Summerlin Half Marathon last week.  I've done the race in 2013 and it was a nicely done race (although very difficult).  Looking for some sort of destination race and the coupon's 20% off, I decided to take the plunge.  Slowly but surely my spring race card is filling up.



02/20: Winter Striders 10K (Confirmed)
03/05: Winter Striders 10 Mile (Confirmed)
03/19: Sand Hollow Marathon - Hurricane Utah (Confirmed)
04/02: Winter Striders Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/10: Summerlin Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/23: Winter Striders 30K (Confirmed)
05/??: Some sort of Colorado Marathon (Either the Colorado Marathon or Colfax)
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon (Confirmed)

Sweetheats 5K Race Recap - Bountiful Utah

Me post race, sporting my finisher's medal


Official Time: 23:53
Placement: 26th overall, 19th male, 4th in the 45 - 49 age group
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Lower 30's, mild wind. Chilly with poor air quality
Garmin DumpHere

Mile Time Comments
1 7:13 Fastest mile I've run in a really long time. Off to a promising start
28:01This is a challenging mile. Most of it is uphill.
38:11About 3/4ths of this mile is up hill as well. Finished strong
3.070:28Blew by a few people at the end.
Total Miles: 3.07 - 23:53


Introduction


Valentine's Day is a bit of a tradition for me.  Since moving to Utah, I've always done the South Davis Recreation Center's 5K up in Bountiful Utah.  This race is cheap (particularly if you sign up early) and fairly close. They also give an epic swag bag / experience that includes a finisher's medal.

I had signed up around Thanksgiving Day, so the price for this race was less than $20.  How often can you get a timed 5K race, t-shirt, goody bag and post race refreshments for under $20?


The Race


I really had high goals for this race.  First off, I've run this course many times, so I know it well.  They use the same course for the Thanksgiving Day races, so I think I've run it close to 7 times by now.

The race starts off fast with a first mile that is mostly downhill.  It isn't a crazy downhill but surely downhill enough to make you go out fast.  And I did... I really wanted to push the first mile hard.  There was a mild headwind and I managed to tuck in behind a woman who was running low 7 minute miles as well.

Unfortunately, after the first mile, I couldn't keep up with her.  Also, after the first mile, the course starts to get challenging.  At the first turn you get a look up a very mild hill and just the vision of it sort of saps your energy.

After the second turn you have a long stretch of road that culminates with a climb to the finish.  This is where the going gets tough and my legs started to feel heavy.

I felt like I was in contention for an age group award and I really wanted to hit mid 23's, so I really pushed as hard as I could here.

I really felt good here and managed to really turn it on in the last quarter mile.

Packet pickup


Conclusion


I was about 7 seconds slower than last year, but at least I was slightly ahead of Thanksgiving's finish. So I have mixed feelings about my performance.  On the plus side, my Garmin did say I ran my fastest mile ever, 

The turnout seemed less than last year but the swag bag was packed full of goodies.  This year's t-shirt was also something I can wear -- the last few years have been sort of effeminate.  I also got a nice finisher's medal too... again all for $20.

The post race food was coffee, hot chocolate, donuts, banana and orange slices.  Fairly typical post 5K stuff.

It took forever to get the results and once I realized I wasn't in contention for an age group award I took off.  I think most other people got frustrated too and left.  I did stick around making small talk with a few runners though and loaded up on a some snacks.

I'll definitely do this race again, but I really hope to move from 4th place to 3rd (or better).  The last few years I've been skunked.  Oh well.


Wish I had won one

Finisher's Medal





Saturday, February 6, 2016

This week in running 1/31 - 2/6




DayMileage / WorkoutComments
Sunday7Trail was a mess. Nothing but easy
Monday6Icy trail. Easy throughout.
Tuesday5Easy again. Trail was yucky.
Wednesday5Ran a few miles fairly hard but just didn't feel up to it. Mind wanted to, but body said no.
Thursday7Actually a decent run -- fartleks between patches of ice and snow.
FridayOffRest day
Saturday5Winter Striders 5K
Total miles for the week: 35- YTD: 249.5

Week's Summary


This week was really difficult to run.  I just didn't feel it all week and while I came home and ran every day, I just felt "blah".  I know a cold / flu is going around and part of me was terrified of catching it.  Any little cough, even to clear my throat, was met with suspicion as to whether I was getting sick or not.  Couple this with the fact that I wasn't running particularly well and it had me super paranoid about becoming sick.

Also, to make matter worse, the bike trail on which I train on, was iced over.  Whoever was supposed to plow it on Saturday didn't seem to get to it until Monday.  At that point, it was mostly super packed snow and ice that made running really awful.  Luckily, as the week went along more black asphalt became exposed -- although I took a wicked tumble on Tuesday after slipping on black ice.

So I sort of made this a recovery week and made sure I was fresh for the tough 5K on Saturday.

This coming weekend, assuming the weather is right, I'll be looking to see if I have made any improvements on my speed over the winter as I run a 5K course that I've done several times now.  It is always nice to have a baseline to compare myself too.

Upcoming Races


I am happy to report that I took the plunge and signed up for the Sand Hollow Marathon.  Faithful readers may recall that I ran it last year (which you can read about here).  The race fit perfectly into my schedule and I am glad they moved it to March.  April and May are so packed that this made it an easy decision -- couple it with the fact they had a nice coupon.  

I did have to get a hotel room in Cedar City though, which is about 45 minutes away from the race site.  It was about 50% cheaper.  Everything was either sold out in St George or obnoxiously priced (like $110 for a Super 8).  After the race, I'll head down to Mesquite.  It'll be just yucky to not have a shower right away after running but hopefully I can take a sink-bath at the indoor center they have there.

02/13: Sweethearts 5K - Bountiful Utah (Confirmed)
02/20: Winter Striders 10K (Confirmed)
03/05: Winter Striders 10 Mile (Confirmed)
03/19: Sand Hollow Marathon - Hurricane Utah (Confirmed)
04/02: Winter Striders Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/10: Summerlin Half Marathon (Confirmed)
04/23: Winter Striders 30K (Confirmed)
11/13: Las Vegas Marathon (Confirmed)

Winter Striders 2016 5K - Ogden Utah Race Recap



Official Time: 25:40
Placement: 105th out of 470, 9th out 29 in the 45 - 49 age group
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Upper 20's, no wind. Some slickness on course with black ice
Garmin DumpHere

Mile Time Comments
1 8:16 Off to a cautious start. I know hills are coming
28:42Most of this was uphill and some of it really steep. I didn't do as bad as I thought I did on this mile though, thanks to some downhill
37:56A few rollers here but also some climbing
3.120:48Push it to the end -- luckily fairly flat
Total Miles: 3.12 - 25:40


Introduction


Well, to kick the season off, I decided to sign up for the Winter Striders Race Circuit.  This is a series of races geared to promote the Ogden Marathon as well as serve as a training vehicle to get you fit enough to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

For about $100 (or so) I got the following races:  5K, 10K, 10 Mile, Half Marathon and 30K.  So it is really a nice deal.  Although you only get one shirt.

Normally I probably wouldn't drive all the way to Ogden for a 5K but they do keep track of your standings in the overall series, so there is a bit of a competitive element to it.



The Race


I arrived in plenty of time and managed to snag a prime parking spot near the finish line.  I managed to get my bib and shirt and had the comforts of the Dee Events Center to prepare for the race (as well as clean / flush toilets).  I also had a chance to visit with the chief race director who remembered me from last year.  Always nice!

Being that it was cold and the route was on roads, I was a little worried about black ice.  Couple this with the fact that the course was extremely hilly (with downhills and uphills), I knew it was going to be a tough race.

I went out with shirts, a shirt-sleeved tech shirt and my Vegas running jacket.  I also threw on a pair of heavy-duty gloves and a small hat.  I was one of the few in shorts and was pretty happy with my decision on what to wear.

The race started at 8 and almost right away there was a patch or two of black ice.  Luckily it was avoidable but it sort of set me up to be extremely cautious.

The first mile has some gentle ascents to it and I knew that the "major" hills were at mile 2.  Thankfully, I went out fairly conservatively and help something back for the second half. While I wanted to hit the first mile at 8 minutes flat, I was happy to see that I hit the first mile slightly slower.

After the first mile, the hills really kicked in.  We aren't talking mild rollers here, but maybe 1/4 mile at 4 - 6% grade hills.  I was holding my own on the hills but I noticed a lot of lighter weight people were climbing them really easily.  I do very little training on hills, so I know what I need to work on.

After about the half way point, the descents started.  I was hoping to make up some time here but the roads had a bit of wetness on them and I was terrified of going all out and falling on face.  Luckily I didn't have any problems but there was always something in the back of my mind, so I really didn't take advantage of the hills like I would normally do.

By the end of mile 2, my legs were like jello from the constant up and downs.  I did get a second wind here and while it helped to have mostly a downhill mile, I had plenty left in the tank.



Conclusion


I felt like I had run the race exactly the way I wanted to.  Granted it is a pretty slow 5K compared to the rest of my times, but if you look at the fact that I was running at close to 5000 feet of elevation and had 277 feet of elevation climb (according to my Garmin) I was within reason of a normal, if not slightly better than average 5K.  I also chatted with a few other runners who indicated they were about 1 - 2 minutes slower than usual.




After the race, I chatted with a few people and did a cool down.  I snapped a bunch of pictures of the valley of Ogden and some gorgeous snow covered mountains which you can enjoy below.

By the time I had gotten back 90% of the people had taken off and they were taking down the finish line.  I grabbed a few bananas and donuts for the ride home.  

Overall, a good race.  I was a little worried about race course congestion.  They had two races going on: a short races (2.55 miles) and the 5K.  But the directions on where to go were simple and most people were doing the long race.

Looking forward to building on this for a positive 2016.