So just a few days ago I was shocked I ran double-digit miles for three consecutive days. As of today I have now done 6 such straight days. And I am now ending it there. I figured if I was going to break my personal best for that sort of run I might as hell make it a heck of a streak so I would not be tempted to break it again.
On top of that, I decided to run 15 miles yesterday and 14 miles today in order to end the year with 2112 miles. It’s a palindrome and I love that stuff!
So no run on New Year’s Eve. I could run an easy 6 tomorrow and run the most miles I have ever run in a month but am deciding against it. I have run, inadvertently, 12 straight days, which is something I am totally against. Of course, Christmas eve was only a 3 mile run and if I had not run that I would have done 5 days and then 6 which would be fine. Nevertheless, this is how I am keeping myself from running.
Which is how my year will end. With no run. One year ago I ended the year with 26.2 miles. This year I will do it with a long sleep and relaxation. And hopefully some very good news I can share with you all soon.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
10 miles
Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.
-Thomas Mann, novelist, Nobel laureate (1875-1955)
As such, I realized that while others make and break New Year’s Resolutions, my own personal resolution to run harder, longer and smarter started a week early.
On Christmas day I ran 10 miles in 1:16:53. The next day it was in 1:15:33; the next in 1:15:44. This three days of double-digit running so astounding me that I blogged about it.
Well today, I ran 10 again but this time in: 1:09:49. I am pretty sure I am running 15 on Saturday and another double-digit day on Sunday, which will bring my total to 6 straight days of such running. But more importantly is the 10 miles today.
For one, it is the only run that matters. Yesterday is gone and I never know if. I will have tomorrow. So I sucked the marrow out of this run. I waved to people, congratulated those I passed and nodded to those I saw twice as they headed back to where they were coming from when I did the same. On a nearly 50-degree day in the greater DC are in the dead of winter, I wore shorts.
Also, today on this one Friday, I ran 10 miles straight. In all of 2006, I ran 10 TOTAL miles on days named “Fri”. Yep. Five runs. Each 2 miles. Ten miles total.
It looks like Christmas Eve is when the ball dropped on my fitness.
-Thomas Mann, novelist, Nobel laureate (1875-1955)
As such, I realized that while others make and break New Year’s Resolutions, my own personal resolution to run harder, longer and smarter started a week early.
On Christmas day I ran 10 miles in 1:16:53. The next day it was in 1:15:33; the next in 1:15:44. This three days of double-digit running so astounding me that I blogged about it.
Well today, I ran 10 again but this time in: 1:09:49. I am pretty sure I am running 15 on Saturday and another double-digit day on Sunday, which will bring my total to 6 straight days of such running. But more importantly is the 10 miles today.
For one, it is the only run that matters. Yesterday is gone and I never know if. I will have tomorrow. So I sucked the marrow out of this run. I waved to people, congratulated those I passed and nodded to those I saw twice as they headed back to where they were coming from when I did the same. On a nearly 50-degree day in the greater DC are in the dead of winter, I wore shorts.
Also, today on this one Friday, I ran 10 miles straight. In all of 2006, I ran 10 TOTAL miles on days named “Fri”. Yep. Five runs. Each 2 miles. Ten miles total.
It looks like Christmas Eve is when the ball dropped on my fitness.
Hilarious quote
In the December 2007 issue of RT, in the Heard On The Run section there is the following:
"Carmelo Anthony says he took up trail running last summer to get in shape for the NBA season. 'I'd get up really early, like 9 in the morning (to run)'."
Poor guy. So sad he has to haul his 5-year, $80 million dollar ass out of bed at the ungody hour of NINE!!
Luckily, Nike sent him several pairs of size 15 Trail Pegasus III+ shoes with the interactive iPod Sensor to motivate him. Good thing. I am pretty sure he would not be able to afford them.
(By the way, retailing for about $80, Carmelo could buy ONE MILLION of this shoe with his recent basketball contract. But don't worry, he could still skimp by on whatever endorsement deal he has. You know, like with Nike!)
Don't get me wrong. Carmelo did pay his dues. He went to all of one year of college you know. That's, like, 8 classes!
"Carmelo Anthony says he took up trail running last summer to get in shape for the NBA season. 'I'd get up really early, like 9 in the morning (to run)'."
Poor guy. So sad he has to haul his 5-year, $80 million dollar ass out of bed at the ungody hour of NINE!!
Luckily, Nike sent him several pairs of size 15 Trail Pegasus III+ shoes with the interactive iPod Sensor to motivate him. Good thing. I am pretty sure he would not be able to afford them.
(By the way, retailing for about $80, Carmelo could buy ONE MILLION of this shoe with his recent basketball contract. But don't worry, he could still skimp by on whatever endorsement deal he has. You know, like with Nike!)
Don't get me wrong. Carmelo did pay his dues. He went to all of one year of college you know. That's, like, 8 classes!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Dropping my Marathon PR in a big way.
I have only really put any serious mileage on my legs in the past few years.
In 2001 I ran my first marathon on minimal training (and the result showed). My second marathon in 2003 had me running more miles in preparation but nothing to write home about. While I trained very hard for my third in 2004, I only did so for a few months with little running prior to it. In 2005, I raced a bunch but did not run much. Which leads me to 2006, with Fiddy2, and this year.
Both years I have kept exact mileage totals via my favorite Excel spreadsheet. It appears that I will finish this year with exactly 2107 miles or 100 more than my initial goal. This is a modest mileage total given many of the totals my friends have finished with but I am happy with it.
While I was visiting my parents for the holidays I ran 10 miles on three consecutive days. It was a little cold in NW PA so I kept my mind off the temps and the run by thinking, like I usually do. It suddenly dawned on me that, as far as I was certain, and I was pretty certain, I had never ran a double-digit mileage total for 3 straight days. NEVER. I had run a half marathon on one day and a marathon the next. I had run 86 miles in one day. I had done many things but had never accomplished this relatively simple feat.
Which led my mind wandering another way. If I finish with 2107 miles for the year that will average out to 40.5 miles a week. A nice little total but nothing to be too impressed about. Then my thinking went another direction.
I have often claimed that I feel I have a 2:3x marathon in me. Some have agreed, others have harrumphed such speak as the daydreams of a middle of the “good” pack runner and some could not care less. I have packed up my thought process numerous times in many different ways but it all boiled down to how I really had not done the training required to really run a good marathon. The 40-mile a week average from above was one bit of proof.
But that isn’t enough for me. When people question what I say I really think about their opinions. Often I have already had a self-discussion which entailed just about everything that is ever said which is why I am so quick with a retort. So I began to question further why I think I can run a much faster time.
As I hoofed it home on each one of these 10 mile runs (5 miles out and then 5 miles back on the exact same route) I ran almost exact times. The first 5 miles would take me just under 40 minutes and the last 5 would take me about 36:3x. That I a heck of a lot of time to lose in just five miles. Here is my average time out and back with the pacing
39:45 7:57
36:30 7:18
Nearly 40 seconds faster per mile on the way back. Granted there is more downhill on the way home than there is on the way out (see below) but not enough to really matter. Plus, I run more on the outside of a curve on the way home than I do on the way out which would definitely add time.
So I am doing the math on these runs and realizing that even the 7:18 pace is not even all that fast. Then I realize, you know what? I NEVER really run all that fast. I do a track workout where I get some good sprints in once a week when things are going right in my life (meaning I am home and not traveling) and I run fast there. Occasionally in my last mile or so of a 6 mile run I will push out a sub-6 mile on a pretty large hill (see below) which always makes me feel good. But for the most part I do not push my long runs. For two years I have either been racing or recovering. I have not had the energy to (or more correctly had the intelligence to not) push it too hard.
Which leads me to this. My current marathon PR is a 2:55:34. That equates to a 6:41 minute mile pace. I can honestly say I have NEVER come close to training at that pace for anything other than my sprint workouts. I have recently been reading a great deal of running magazines and books. I have read about training programs and what some of the elites do. I was astounded at the speed at which they train. MANY of their long runs are WAY faster than their marathon pace. And that makes complete sense. But here I have rarely, if ever, run faster than my marathon pace, except in a marathon!
So basically, I do not run a great deal of miles and those I do are hardly all that fast. Without a doubt, I do not think anyone can argue that I am probably a pretty tired puppy given the racing I do. Yet, somehow I still have run a 2:55.
When the time comes when things have settled and I actually put the time into training for one (or a few) marathons, I see absolutely no reason why I will not run that 2:3x marathon.
In 2001 I ran my first marathon on minimal training (and the result showed). My second marathon in 2003 had me running more miles in preparation but nothing to write home about. While I trained very hard for my third in 2004, I only did so for a few months with little running prior to it. In 2005, I raced a bunch but did not run much. Which leads me to 2006, with Fiddy2, and this year.
Both years I have kept exact mileage totals via my favorite Excel spreadsheet. It appears that I will finish this year with exactly 2107 miles or 100 more than my initial goal. This is a modest mileage total given many of the totals my friends have finished with but I am happy with it.
While I was visiting my parents for the holidays I ran 10 miles on three consecutive days. It was a little cold in NW PA so I kept my mind off the temps and the run by thinking, like I usually do. It suddenly dawned on me that, as far as I was certain, and I was pretty certain, I had never ran a double-digit mileage total for 3 straight days. NEVER. I had run a half marathon on one day and a marathon the next. I had run 86 miles in one day. I had done many things but had never accomplished this relatively simple feat.
Which led my mind wandering another way. If I finish with 2107 miles for the year that will average out to 40.5 miles a week. A nice little total but nothing to be too impressed about. Then my thinking went another direction.
I have often claimed that I feel I have a 2:3x marathon in me. Some have agreed, others have harrumphed such speak as the daydreams of a middle of the “good” pack runner and some could not care less. I have packed up my thought process numerous times in many different ways but it all boiled down to how I really had not done the training required to really run a good marathon. The 40-mile a week average from above was one bit of proof.
But that isn’t enough for me. When people question what I say I really think about their opinions. Often I have already had a self-discussion which entailed just about everything that is ever said which is why I am so quick with a retort. So I began to question further why I think I can run a much faster time.
As I hoofed it home on each one of these 10 mile runs (5 miles out and then 5 miles back on the exact same route) I ran almost exact times. The first 5 miles would take me just under 40 minutes and the last 5 would take me about 36:3x. That I a heck of a lot of time to lose in just five miles. Here is my average time out and back with the pacing
39:45 7:57
36:30 7:18
Nearly 40 seconds faster per mile on the way back. Granted there is more downhill on the way home than there is on the way out (see below) but not enough to really matter. Plus, I run more on the outside of a curve on the way home than I do on the way out which would definitely add time.
So I am doing the math on these runs and realizing that even the 7:18 pace is not even all that fast. Then I realize, you know what? I NEVER really run all that fast. I do a track workout where I get some good sprints in once a week when things are going right in my life (meaning I am home and not traveling) and I run fast there. Occasionally in my last mile or so of a 6 mile run I will push out a sub-6 mile on a pretty large hill (see below) which always makes me feel good. But for the most part I do not push my long runs. For two years I have either been racing or recovering. I have not had the energy to (or more correctly had the intelligence to not) push it too hard.
Which leads me to this. My current marathon PR is a 2:55:34. That equates to a 6:41 minute mile pace. I can honestly say I have NEVER come close to training at that pace for anything other than my sprint workouts. I have recently been reading a great deal of running magazines and books. I have read about training programs and what some of the elites do. I was astounded at the speed at which they train. MANY of their long runs are WAY faster than their marathon pace. And that makes complete sense. But here I have rarely, if ever, run faster than my marathon pace, except in a marathon!
So basically, I do not run a great deal of miles and those I do are hardly all that fast. Without a doubt, I do not think anyone can argue that I am probably a pretty tired puppy given the racing I do. Yet, somehow I still have run a 2:55.
When the time comes when things have settled and I actually put the time into training for one (or a few) marathons, I see absolutely no reason why I will not run that 2:3x marathon.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Marathon Qualifying Times Responses.
In a recent blog I detailed my thoughts on the lowering of the Olympics Marathon Trials Qualifying time. Some people responded in the comments section and others sent me their opinions in an email. I have collected many of them and put their retorts into a message here below.
One good friend was an advocate for raising the time. One of his reasons is as follows:
“Raising the standard, for example to 2:25, will put the dream of making the Trial within the reach of many good but not great marathoners. In 1980, I was good but not great -- my 2:27:25 at Boston 1980 was more than five minutes slower than the 2:21:54 standard. But I had four years, and I could have trained to beat 2:25 -- but by 1984, they lowered the standard to 2:20. That was out of reach, so why bother training for it?”
Many brought up the point that allowing more runners, rather than fewer, to run the Marathon Trials will focus more attention on the event and sell more people on coming out to watch it. The Marathon Trials should get as much interest as the Track & Field Trials and "fill the stadium." In countries like Japan, a major event getting less than a 10% share of televisions ratings would be a huge disappointment. In the US a 1% share is normal (the SuperBowl gets like 40% FYI)
Others brought up the point that a “party-crasher” was not too well-received. By this I mean, Michael Wardian, a 2:21:27 PR, led the race for 35 minutes.
Many feel that the organizers felt this upstart was simply trying to unconventionally grab some fame and did not like him crashing their party. Organizers like well-scripted events and if anything is certain in marathoning, it is that 26.2 miles leaves plenty of time for a script to be written by those who weren’t invited to the writing table. But Wardian’s surge faded and in spite of the relatively slow early pace which worried organizers, Ryan Hall set a Marathon Trials record. So what's the harm?
Not taking away stories like Wardian’s, people have said, increases the probability of an unknown with a slower qualifying time having a breakthrough -- for example, Kyle Heffner in 1980, John Tuttle in 1984, Mark Conover in 1988.
I feel that my friends have very good points. For whatever reason, the same people who will shoot a 96 on the golf links will still go watch 4 hours of Masters coverage in the club house but your typical road racer wouldn’t want to watch coverage of a Marathon on TV. If there were more “everymen” running, would there be greater desire to watch? Obviously the “slower” time did not affect this year’s finish.
Good food for thought.
One good friend was an advocate for raising the time. One of his reasons is as follows:
“Raising the standard, for example to 2:25, will put the dream of making the Trial within the reach of many good but not great marathoners. In 1980, I was good but not great -- my 2:27:25 at Boston 1980 was more than five minutes slower than the 2:21:54 standard. But I had four years, and I could have trained to beat 2:25 -- but by 1984, they lowered the standard to 2:20. That was out of reach, so why bother training for it?”
Many brought up the point that allowing more runners, rather than fewer, to run the Marathon Trials will focus more attention on the event and sell more people on coming out to watch it. The Marathon Trials should get as much interest as the Track & Field Trials and "fill the stadium." In countries like Japan, a major event getting less than a 10% share of televisions ratings would be a huge disappointment. In the US a 1% share is normal (the SuperBowl gets like 40% FYI)
Others brought up the point that a “party-crasher” was not too well-received. By this I mean, Michael Wardian, a 2:21:27 PR, led the race for 35 minutes.
Many feel that the organizers felt this upstart was simply trying to unconventionally grab some fame and did not like him crashing their party. Organizers like well-scripted events and if anything is certain in marathoning, it is that 26.2 miles leaves plenty of time for a script to be written by those who weren’t invited to the writing table. But Wardian’s surge faded and in spite of the relatively slow early pace which worried organizers, Ryan Hall set a Marathon Trials record. So what's the harm?
Not taking away stories like Wardian’s, people have said, increases the probability of an unknown with a slower qualifying time having a breakthrough -- for example, Kyle Heffner in 1980, John Tuttle in 1984, Mark Conover in 1988.
I feel that my friends have very good points. For whatever reason, the same people who will shoot a 96 on the golf links will still go watch 4 hours of Masters coverage in the club house but your typical road racer wouldn’t want to watch coverage of a Marathon on TV. If there were more “everymen” running, would there be greater desire to watch? Obviously the “slower” time did not affect this year’s finish.
Good food for thought.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The 50 States and DC Marathon Group Humanitarian Award
In my many blogs about marathons, I have often spoken about my running friend Rob Toonkel. He is a tireless runner with 115 marathons to his credit (last i knew at least. He runs them far more often than I can keep track). Well, recently he was awarded the The 50 States and DC Marathon Group Humanitarian Award for 2008.
Rather than repeat the eloquent things said about him in my own prose, I am going to simply provide a link to the wonderful article about Rob. Way to go Rob!
READ MORE HERE.
Rob in all the way to the right.
Rather than repeat the eloquent things said about him in my own prose, I am going to simply provide a link to the wonderful article about Rob. Way to go Rob!
READ MORE HERE.
Rob in all the way to the right.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Ever been to Morganton, NC?
I have. And I am not exactly bragging.
After a long day in the car, feeling unbelievably nauseous after driving through some of the windiest roads imaginable, I did not feel like running. When you book a hotel, as close to the freeway as possible so you can get back on it the next day, your environs usually do not invoke a running response.
But since I had missed my run yesterday because of long traveling I really wanted to go today.
I found a little loop near me and set out. Too bad what I thought would be a nice scenic route put me right on another highway. Yikes!
So 7.6 miles later, I have gone over my goal for the year. Nothing huge but I am happy. And it was an up and down little run too!
After a long day in the car, feeling unbelievably nauseous after driving through some of the windiest roads imaginable, I did not feel like running. When you book a hotel, as close to the freeway as possible so you can get back on it the next day, your environs usually do not invoke a running response.
But since I had missed my run yesterday because of long traveling I really wanted to go today.
I found a little loop near me and set out. Too bad what I thought would be a nice scenic route put me right on another highway. Yikes!
So 7.6 miles later, I have gone over my goal for the year. Nothing huge but I am happy. And it was an up and down little run too!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
2002 miles
I ran 4 this morning before I got on the plane and another 4 when I got home tonight. Not the long run I was hoping to do on a normal Sunday but enough to push me over 2000 miles for the first time in my life. With one 5 miler (which I will run after a long day of traveling again tomorrow) I will have my goal for the year with 15 days to spare.
I am pretty excited about having done this. Now, will I hit 2100 before the year is up? And how funny is it that I plan on running across the country someday soon and that will be 1,000 more miles than I have run in an entire year prior to this?
I am pretty excited about having done this. Now, will I hit 2100 before the year is up? And how funny is it that I plan on running across the country someday soon and that will be 1,000 more miles than I have run in an entire year prior to this?
Friday, December 14, 2007
Last run in Bountiful
For the past week I have been in the greater Salt Lake City area in gorgeous Utah. I have been on a speaking tour to promote physical fitness, what I did last year and what I hope to conquer in the future. It has been a wonderful trip and I very much hope to be visiting again soon.
As I made mention earlier in my blog, I found a few hills to run in bountiful where I have been staying. One friend who originally hails form this area told me I needed to make a run up Bountiful Boulevard. I kept trying to fit the run in but the speeches and late nights made it difficult to do so. I was not sure if I would ever get a chance to fit in the run with the big hill.
So finally, tonight I was able to get a chance to conquer this run. As you can from below, there was quite a hill to kick the whole thing off.
And since I always like to see how much elevation change affects a run I decided to do a complete out and back run. The verdict? Well it took me 1:13:23 to run 8.8 miles.
The first 4.4 with the monster hill: 41:14 or 9:20 minute mile
The second 4.4 without said hill: 32:09 or 7:18 minute mile
Quite a change for sure. Plus I got to run past one of those beautiful Mormon Temples. With the snow falling lightly and the run being in the dark it was quite a site to see indeed.
So my week in SLC is over but I can definitely see myself visiting again soon. The nearly mile high runs would do wonders for my times when I came back to run with my flatlander friends.
p.s. There was more downhill in one mile then the net downhill of the ENTIRE Steamtown Marathon.
As I made mention earlier in my blog, I found a few hills to run in bountiful where I have been staying. One friend who originally hails form this area told me I needed to make a run up Bountiful Boulevard. I kept trying to fit the run in but the speeches and late nights made it difficult to do so. I was not sure if I would ever get a chance to fit in the run with the big hill.
So finally, tonight I was able to get a chance to conquer this run. As you can from below, there was quite a hill to kick the whole thing off.
And since I always like to see how much elevation change affects a run I decided to do a complete out and back run. The verdict? Well it took me 1:13:23 to run 8.8 miles.
The first 4.4 with the monster hill: 41:14 or 9:20 minute mile
The second 4.4 without said hill: 32:09 or 7:18 minute mile
Quite a change for sure. Plus I got to run past one of those beautiful Mormon Temples. With the snow falling lightly and the run being in the dark it was quite a site to see indeed.
So my week in SLC is over but I can definitely see myself visiting again soon. The nearly mile high runs would do wonders for my times when I came back to run with my flatlander friends.
p.s. There was more downhill in one mile then the net downhill of the ENTIRE Steamtown Marathon.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
My first run in SLC/Bountiful
I am in Salt Lake City for a week to give speech presentations on my life as a runner and Fiddy2. Even though I inexplicably forgot some of my cold weather running gear, I was smart enough to bring tights. Whew!
After driving around a bit trying to find a nice place to run (my hotel is on a highway I did not want to run on) I was a little stymied. The closest park I found on the net was covered in tons of snow and the trail wasn't even traversed let alone packed down yet. So I hunted elsewhere. I despise driving to somewhere to run. I admit I am spoiled as all hell to walk out of my back door at home and have a huge trail system to choose from.
Finally I said forget it and went back to my hotel. I parked my car and ran a little bit off on the highway before turning up towards the park I was going to run to in the first place.
As you can see below, not only am I a little higher than my usual, well, like zero feet of elevation in the greater DC area, but I had quite a hill to contend with today. Given my traveling for the past month I am a little piqued but I am happy to say I did this 7.7 miles in a respectable 56 minutes. Given the sloppy footing and other intangibles, I will take it.
After driving around a bit trying to find a nice place to run (my hotel is on a highway I did not want to run on) I was a little stymied. The closest park I found on the net was covered in tons of snow and the trail wasn't even traversed let alone packed down yet. So I hunted elsewhere. I despise driving to somewhere to run. I admit I am spoiled as all hell to walk out of my back door at home and have a huge trail system to choose from.
Finally I said forget it and went back to my hotel. I parked my car and ran a little bit off on the highway before turning up towards the park I was going to run to in the first place.
As you can see below, not only am I a little higher than my usual, well, like zero feet of elevation in the greater DC area, but I had quite a hill to contend with today. Given my traveling for the past month I am a little piqued but I am happy to say I did this 7.7 miles in a respectable 56 minutes. Given the sloppy footing and other intangibles, I will take it.
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