Sunday, May 8, 2011

Race #4, Two Weeks & Counting

Counting down to race #4 of the 2011 season, the inaugural running of the Frontier Run N' Fun 10K! This will be my first 10K of the season and I'm super excited! From the brochure it looks like it's going to be one huge party start to finish, sounds fun to me!

My training the last few weeks has gone very well, I just need to be more focused on my diet. Due to this being the inaugural running I have no place goals but my goal times are 48:11 overall with 7:45 miles.


Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Post Race Recovery

Post race recovery is a tricky kitty. I try to follow the one easy day for every mile ran rule. I took Sunday and Monday completely off, but decided to run an easy 4 yesterday. I can walk around all day at work and feel just fine, but this is where the tricky part comes into play. As soon as I left my home, I could feel every ounce of effort I had put into my race come back to my instantly fatigued legs. It hurt. The easy four miles quickly deteriorated into a painful shuffle. As I type these very words, I have a heating pad plastered to my back. Oh race recovery, how I loathe you.

Praise the Lord and run on!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Nutri-Run Recap

I awoke this past Saturday morning prepared to run the second race of my 2011 running season, the Nutri-Run 5 miler. It was a gorgeous day out, sunny, slightly chilly, and a slight breeze. Great running weather in my book! I ate my pre-race meal, grabbed my Brooks gym bag, and headed out the door.

Everything leading up to the race went incredibly smooth. I sat in my car right before the race and took a couple of pics, slid on my new Brooks T7 Racers, slid off the running pants revealing my shorty shorts, and headed to the starting line.

The race began, and as I normally go out too fast, I tried intentionally to slide into my goal pace. I clocked in at  mile 1 about 20 seconds faster then planed (even with the plethora of hills). I thought, dang, but decided to hold onto that pace for as long as I possibly could. Miles 2,3,4...right on in regards to my new faster pace. Hitting mile 5 was where it got tough. The hills had really worn on my legs and I was now running into a strong headwind.

Just as I started to lose focus, a fellow runner passed me. The thought of slowing down passed through my mind, but quickly dissipated. I latched on, and followed her through to the finish. My goal time for this race? 40 minutes. My actual time? 38:44!!!  Compared to my time last year this is very sad, but for where I am in my training right now, it made me very happy!

Not thinking I was anywhere near an award, I ended up 2nd out of 3 in my age group receiving a pineapple (see picture below). I also placed 20th out of 112.

The Nutri-run has always been a great early season race, and I plan on running it again in 2012. Maybe next year I'll be in shape enough to complete the 20K!

Praise the Lord and run on!

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Fast Track





Ran my first speed workout of the year last night! What a beautiful night for it too! Headed to the track and ran 3 x 800 at 3:44 pace. Even though speed work is by far the hardest run of the week, it always makes me feel so much more accomplished. One more week until race #2 of 2011, the Nutri-Run 5 miler!!!

Praise the Lord and run on!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Brooks Racer T7 Review

Todays workout:  3 miles @ 8:49

Happy early birthday to me! My incredible wife let me purchase my birthday present a few weeks early! This post is my initial review of the new 2011 Brooks T7 Racer.

I must preface this review by informing my followers that I have not yet run a race in these shoes. I have only worn them during a 4 mile run. The first thing you will notice as you take these racers out of the box, is they are CRAZY lite! The Racer T7 is by far the lightest racing shoe I have worn post high school, weighing in at an incredible 6.4 ounces.

Other than the fact that they are a work of art, the second thing you will notice is they run very small. I normally wear an 11.5, but I could have probably used a 12 in these. I became so attached though, I couldn't stand to ship them back, so I just sucked it up.

The Racer T7 is a very narrow shoe, and at first they hurt my feet somewhat. As I entered my first mile the pain increased. Uh oh! No worries though, after a couple miles on the road they broke in just fine and ended up feeling awesome! When I finished the run, my mile splits were much faster than normal. Was it the shoes? Who knows, but I'm sure they helped.

Finally, the wear factor on these shoes is not so hot. But really, what do you expect? They are insanely lite weight racers made of almost pure foam. After my one 4 mile run in these shoes, the bottoms showed some wear. I wouldn't expect them to last longer than one racing season.

Overall review (so far): I love these shoes! Yes, they have a few flaws, some of which can't be avoided when a shoe weighs so little, but they are amazing! If you have good foot mechanics, and are looking for light weight racers, buy these shoes!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

31st Annual FWTC Nutri-Run

Today's workout: 3 miles @ 8:04

I'm officially registered for the 31st annual Nutri-Run 5 miler!

This will be my second race of the 2011 season. I'm still not up to racing speed yet though, so I don't plan on a great performance. I'm just out to push myself and have fun on this one. I ran this race last year and it was a blast! The Nutri-Run is a great race due to the challenging course (probably one of the hilliest in Fort Wayne), the two options of distance (5mile & 20K), the commemorative pint glass you receive, and of course the complementary smoothies at the finish! I can't wait!

If you're in the Fort Wayne area, I highly recommend signing up for this race! I guarantee a good time!

Praise the Lord and run on!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Blah!

Tonight's workout: 3 miles @ 8:48

Do you ever have those days where you don't even want to get off the couch? This was one of those nights. I really did not feel like running. I have discovered something in running and this probably spills over to exercise in general. If you can get off your duff to work out, you always feel great about yourself afterward! It's like an instant mood booster. I got off the couch and ran a slow three miles, and now? I feel great!

Here is my piece of advice to all of you. Get off your butts! Just do it! I promise in the end you will not regret it!

Praise the Lord and run on!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Two Comments on a Winter Day

Today's workout: 2 miles @ 8:53

Comment #1: I live in Indiana. It is inevitable that we will have snow. I love running in snow showers but I dislike running in deep snow. I do, however, enjoy grudgingly hitting my snow covered running routes and seeing no other footprints in the snow but my own from days before. It reminds me of my dedication to the sport, and at how crazy I am compared to the normal human being.

Comment #2: Today was a first for me. When I started my run today, the roads themselves were wet, but not icy. As I was running I witnessed the transition of the wetness to ice as the temperature went from 33 to 32 degrees. It was pretty amazing to watch the reflective streets transition to sparkling, shimmering sheets of glass.

Praise the Lord and run on!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Running Partners Are The Bees Knees

My buddy Joseph Chase was nice enough to tone his speed back tonight to run a lite 3 miler with me! It was a very brisk, snowy night out tonight which was made more enjoyable by having a partner to partake in it.

Anyone wanting to take up running, I highly encourage you to find a running partner. It makes the sport much more enjoyable and gives you that little nudge you need to get your rear end out of the door.

Praise the Lord and run on!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Life Is Nice Without Ice

Today's workout: 2 miles @ 8:13

Tonight was an absolute perfect winter night to run. It was above freezing and one of the first nights I have ran in I don't know how long where there was not ice on the streets. A grandiose full moon also accompanied me on my journey tonight. Even in an urban setting I was able to enjoy God's creation.

Praise the Lord and run on!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Tough Just Got Tougher

One of my life dreams has always been to qualify for Boston. Well, today my dreams just got tougher to achieve. The Boston Marathon qualifying times have all been increased by 5 minutes across all age groups, and the registration process is now determined by how fast your qualifying time is. So even if I do someday hit my qualifying time, I am still not guaranteed an entry.

As much as I hate to say it, I do feel these changes are important. The Boston Marathon is supposed to be the best of the best in the United States. I think these changes will help the marathon continue to stay this way. I am just going to have to work harder.

Praise the Lord and run on!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Fanny Freezer 5K Results

Today's workout: 2 miles @ 8:30

First race of the season...complete! The Fanny Freezer 5K went fairly well. My times were slow, but I wasn't expecting much. I still had a great time though. Very good weather for February, and even had a couple of friends to run it with me. Also, I had my very on cheer squad, my wife was there being my support crew.

So, let's compare goals to actual performance.
Goal time: 23:28     Actual time: 24:23     Missed it!
Goal mile time: 7:33     Actual mile time: 7:52     Missed it!
Goal overall place: Top 77     Actual place: 79     Barely missed it!
Goal age group place: Top 9     Actual age group place: 6     Got it!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

First Race of the Season!

Today's Workout: 2 miles @ 9:14, 100 crunches

Less than three weeks left until my first race of the season, the Fanny Freezer 5K! I'm not planning on placing very well due to the fact I have just started running again post-injury about 1 month ago. I do plan to have a great time though, and push myself as hard as I possibly can. I'm craving competition soooo bad!

So, here's my race goals:
  • Time - 23:28
  • Mile Time - 7:33
  • Overall Place - Top 77
  • Age Group Place - Top 9
Praise the Lord and run on!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Dream Shoes of 2011

Today's workout: 3 miles @ 8:28, 100 ab crunches

Ok, so maybe I have a slight running shoe fetish. I might tend to buy more running shoes in a given year then I really need. (Good thing I get a discount through Brooks) This year is a slightly different story though. Now that I've been found to have been running in the wrong shoe type for the last few years, I need new kicks for my races and daily running. Here are my potential shoes for 2011.

These are the T7 Racers. These are going to be my main racing shoe for the year. Crazy light at 6.4 ounces and if I do say so, beautiful! This is the new model of the shoe from my previous post.
These are the Glycerin 8's. A work of cushy, foam molded art! Once I get my mileage up to the point where I'm running back to back days, I would like to invest in a second pair of daily trainers. These glorious hotties are the ones!

Praise the Lord & run on!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

2011 Racing Shoes

I think I've found the racing shoes I'm going to use for 2011. They are beautiful, and very, very light!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snow Way!

If you refer to my previous post, you'll see that I do indeed loath treadmills. Yes I have one, and yes I have been doing my running on it for the past few weeks. This week though, I've maned up! I opened the front door and entered a world of arctic bliss! I ran a three miler in about six inches of snow. I was able to finish, but boy are my legs sore. Because of the depth of the snow, I had to do high knees for a good portion of the run. Phew! It was tough, but I'm sure glad I did it.

Praise the Lord and run on!

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Great Outdoors

Just a quick comment. I LOATH running inside on treadmills! I've been running again for two weeks now, and each and every run has been on my treadmill. Uck! It's soooo boring. I just might try to get outside tomorrow for a run. We'll have to see how much snow we end up getting. Here's hoping.

Praise the Lord & run on!