I set out to run this race with two goals in mind. #1, beat last year’s time, which was a 58:32 or something close to that & #2, get as close to 55 minutes as possible. I am happy to report that I met my two goals!
Got checked in this morning and got the bib number pinned on my OAR race shirt, drank some more water and went for a quick warm up run. Finished my 1.3 mile trip around the walking track and get ready for the race. It was nice having about a half hour between warm up and race start, it gave me time to cool off and focus. I had a feeling I would be posting a time really close to what my second goal was after running the warm up.
When the race started I felt like I was running slow, but wanted to ease into the first mile and pick up the pace only after the first mile was behind me. As I approached mile 1 I felt like I was gliding along at a pretty average pace, but when the GPS told me I was running an 8:46 mile pace I knew I wasn’t going so slow! Kept going and pushed myself a little on mile 2, which I ran an 8:12. I was at that point nearly a whole minute below my target pace of 9:03, but kept cruising along. By the time I hit mile 4 I had decided I should back off a bit to regain some strength for the finish.
Getting back into town gave me a slight burst of energy and I knew when I was passing my house that I was going to at least beat last year’s time. Saw the wife & kids as I passed and made the turn towards the finish. At mile 6 the GPS gave me a reading that was, in my mind, off the charts! I still had two whole minutes to run the last .2 mile to beat my second goal - I knew I had it in the bag. Or so I thought.
This race is divided between runners (10k) and walkers (5k). I didn’t figure any of the walkers would come into play because they started a minute behind the runners. However, as I crested the hill just before the finish line I saw the horror of it all! I ran smack in the back of a wall of walkers. I couldn’t even run to the finish line, I was forced to walk the last 15 - 20 yards because there was no way to get around them and still make it into the chute. I lost somewhere between 10 - 15 seconds right at the finish due to walkers.
It wasn’t all bad though. In spite of having to walk the finish I still made the 6.2 mile trek in under 55 minutes. When I walked past the time clock it read 54:55, five seconds below what I set my second goal. With that finish I was happy. I knocked 3.5 minutes off of last year’s race time, which is a pretty big feat in a 10k race. And after a few minutes I was able to walk normally again. Free water, free pizza, free ice cream, and lots of fruit helped get me back on track.
During the run I had thought there was no way I was going to win my age division again, as I had last year. However, quite to my surprise, some of the guys running were either older or younger than me - ones I had picked to beat me and take the age group. I somehow managed to get another medal for this one, two years running.
It was a fun race, a good race, and a personal record race. I am more than happy with the results and based on this, I know I am improving through all the training.
Official results haven't been posted yet, but I'm pretty sure my guess will be within a couple of seconds.
Runner WIth a Reason
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Bethel 10k & Training Update
This Saturday I will be participating in the 2nd annual Bethel 10k. I did this race last year as well, and by some stroke of luck, I won my age division (I’ll spare the details of that). This year I qualify for the next age bracket up in the 35-39 age group and I hope to beat last year’s time by at least 3 minutes. I finished last year with a 58:30‘ish time and this year I am shooting for a 55 minute time. Since I am more familiar with the course I should feel better about it this time around. Also, I have run the course twice in the past couple months, and most recently I ran most of the course (and a little extra) only yesterday.
For those who are unfamiliar with the metric system here’s the simple breakdown. The 10k race is 6.2 miles. Yesterday’s run was 7.24 miles and I managed to maintain a close to race pace for all of that, finishing with a 9:13/mile pace. Since I am not running today and am only planning on a 3 miler tomorrow, I should be well rested and ready to take on the challenge of dropping those three minutes well before crossing the finish line in Burke Park sometime around 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
Training Update:
Much to my chagrin, I found out last night that I will be unable to participate in the USAF half marathon in September. I waited a bit too long to get registered for the event and it was full as of yesterday. My hopes of posting a sub two hour time for a half marathon will have to wait for another race. However, with this tinge of bad news comes the hope of something new and exciting. I was already prepared to do a 20 mile run the week before USAF, and now I will be able to come pretty close to that and run a race at the same time. After the disappointment set in for a while last night I decided to do some research. As it turns out there is a 27k race the week I am slated to run 20 miles. Yes, this races is a tad short of the 20 miles (17 miles = 27k), but I think I will be able to make up those miles either before or after the race. This works out perfect for me in a couple of ways. #1 registration for USAF half would have cost about $75, #2 the race takes place at Caesar’s Creek and will “sort of” be on the way to a family get together, #3 in lieu of the $75 USAF entrance fee I will only pay $9 for this other race (nice savings), #4 I still get to put in the miles, but instead of me running by myself I will have a group of runners with me as an added bonus (and hopefully make some new running friends). All in all, I’m a happy runner and have made the best out of a somewhat bad situation.
For those who are unfamiliar with the metric system here’s the simple breakdown. The 10k race is 6.2 miles. Yesterday’s run was 7.24 miles and I managed to maintain a close to race pace for all of that, finishing with a 9:13/mile pace. Since I am not running today and am only planning on a 3 miler tomorrow, I should be well rested and ready to take on the challenge of dropping those three minutes well before crossing the finish line in Burke Park sometime around 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
Training Update:
Much to my chagrin, I found out last night that I will be unable to participate in the USAF half marathon in September. I waited a bit too long to get registered for the event and it was full as of yesterday. My hopes of posting a sub two hour time for a half marathon will have to wait for another race. However, with this tinge of bad news comes the hope of something new and exciting. I was already prepared to do a 20 mile run the week before USAF, and now I will be able to come pretty close to that and run a race at the same time. After the disappointment set in for a while last night I decided to do some research. As it turns out there is a 27k race the week I am slated to run 20 miles. Yes, this races is a tad short of the 20 miles (17 miles = 27k), but I think I will be able to make up those miles either before or after the race. This works out perfect for me in a couple of ways. #1 registration for USAF half would have cost about $75, #2 the race takes place at Caesar’s Creek and will “sort of” be on the way to a family get together, #3 in lieu of the $75 USAF entrance fee I will only pay $9 for this other race (nice savings), #4 I still get to put in the miles, but instead of me running by myself I will have a group of runners with me as an added bonus (and hopefully make some new running friends). All in all, I’m a happy runner and have made the best out of a somewhat bad situation.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Recovery Run
This running in the evenings is getting old fast! It truly is difficult to get yourself motivated to run after you’ve spent an entire day at work, mowing grass and running a weed eater all over creation and back. I push mowed weeded 5.15 miles at work today, and the temperature when I finished was a cool 90 degrees, so coming home after that go go run - forget it!
Fixed dinner, changed, helped Tina get the youngest ready for soccer practice, and then I sat around and drank lots of water. I cooled off, took popsicles to the kiddies at soccer practice, and decided that I should run. I keep hearing about these “recovery” runs that are a good idea shortly after a really long run - I don’t usually do them - so I went for a recovery run. Set out to do 3 - 4 miles, and that’s pretty much what I did. 3.18 miles with a 9:13/mile pace, which, considering what I put my body through today and the heat, I’d say that was a pretty decent run.
To completely change subject, I’d like to focus a little on autism and why I am running.
It is currently estimated that, in the U.S. alone, there are between 500,000 and 1,000,000 individuals with some form of autism. There are roughly 306 million people living in the U.S. right now. I am by no means a math genius, but that seems like a pretty high percentage. Imagine how many people come in contact with someone with autism on a regular basis, how many families that deal with autism on some level each and every day. I’m sure I said it before, but I will repeat it often. My wife and I are fortunate to have Noah. Yes, he is autistic, but he is on the very high functioning end of the spectrum. There are families out there with multiple autistic children at varying degrees of severity. We have it pretty easy compared to some, yet even on our best days we struggle some.
Some have found that changing the diet has made all the difference. For people like us, changing the diet didn’t seem to change anything. Some families are seeking alternative medicine treatments with great success. Others are finding that traditional means (i.e. doctor, psychologist, prescription medicine, etc.) are working to their advantage. We are stuck. While we are slowly making a little progress, that slowly is more like creeping. The point here is not that we have been unsuccessful in finding the right treatment(s) for Noah, but that the spectrum is, well, it’s bizarre! Some treatments work for some and not for others. Some treatments may actually make matters worse, but we have to keep trying.
So, when you see a car with the autism ribbon on the bumper; or when you see someone with an autism t-shirt, or when you see a show on TV, etc., etc., etc., know that there are many people living around you that could possibly be somewhere on the autism spectrum. Do your part to learn, and find out what you can do to help. While you’re at it, help a runner raise money for research - every dollar counts!
Fixed dinner, changed, helped Tina get the youngest ready for soccer practice, and then I sat around and drank lots of water. I cooled off, took popsicles to the kiddies at soccer practice, and decided that I should run. I keep hearing about these “recovery” runs that are a good idea shortly after a really long run - I don’t usually do them - so I went for a recovery run. Set out to do 3 - 4 miles, and that’s pretty much what I did. 3.18 miles with a 9:13/mile pace, which, considering what I put my body through today and the heat, I’d say that was a pretty decent run.
To completely change subject, I’d like to focus a little on autism and why I am running.
It is currently estimated that, in the U.S. alone, there are between 500,000 and 1,000,000 individuals with some form of autism. There are roughly 306 million people living in the U.S. right now. I am by no means a math genius, but that seems like a pretty high percentage. Imagine how many people come in contact with someone with autism on a regular basis, how many families that deal with autism on some level each and every day. I’m sure I said it before, but I will repeat it often. My wife and I are fortunate to have Noah. Yes, he is autistic, but he is on the very high functioning end of the spectrum. There are families out there with multiple autistic children at varying degrees of severity. We have it pretty easy compared to some, yet even on our best days we struggle some.
Some have found that changing the diet has made all the difference. For people like us, changing the diet didn’t seem to change anything. Some families are seeking alternative medicine treatments with great success. Others are finding that traditional means (i.e. doctor, psychologist, prescription medicine, etc.) are working to their advantage. We are stuck. While we are slowly making a little progress, that slowly is more like creeping. The point here is not that we have been unsuccessful in finding the right treatment(s) for Noah, but that the spectrum is, well, it’s bizarre! Some treatments work for some and not for others. Some treatments may actually make matters worse, but we have to keep trying.
So, when you see a car with the autism ribbon on the bumper; or when you see someone with an autism t-shirt, or when you see a show on TV, etc., etc., etc., know that there are many people living around you that could possibly be somewhere on the autism spectrum. Do your part to learn, and find out what you can do to help. While you’re at it, help a runner raise money for research - every dollar counts!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Long Haul
So I woke up about an hour and fifteen minutes later than I wanted, but I decided to get out there and get things moving. Checked the weather online only to see that the temp was 59 degrees, much to my surprise at 7:15 am! After stretching and filling the camel back I headed outside to get going.
Started out a little slow, but picked up the pace gradually. The first two miles were about 10:20 & 10:05, but I settled into a rhythm around mile three and maintained a nice 9:35 until somewhere around mile 7. From there it was mostly uphill and the pace slowed severely. By the time I reached the crest of the second big hill I was running at a 10:53 pace. Since the course home was flat with a few declines I was able to pick things back up and finished the last five miles. All told I put in 16.07 miles in 2 hours, 40 minutes, 45 seconds which translates to a 9:57/mile average.
I feel really good considering this was the longest I have ever run at once. However, as I was about 200 yards away from the house I came to realize that come October 10th I will still have an additional 10.2 miles left! For now, I am pleased with today’s run. No long run next weekend due to the Bethel 10k, which I am hoping to beat last year’s time of 58:30 and would like to post a time below 55 minutes. The following weekend will be another scheduled 15 miles, but I may increase that to 17 or 18 based on how I’m feeling. Until then, keep running and sharing my experiences with family & friends. And don’t forget, I am running the Chicago Marathon to raise awareness for and funds for autism research. You can donate through OAR, and all proceeds go towards autism research. Thanks for stopping by!
Started out a little slow, but picked up the pace gradually. The first two miles were about 10:20 & 10:05, but I settled into a rhythm around mile three and maintained a nice 9:35 until somewhere around mile 7. From there it was mostly uphill and the pace slowed severely. By the time I reached the crest of the second big hill I was running at a 10:53 pace. Since the course home was flat with a few declines I was able to pick things back up and finished the last five miles. All told I put in 16.07 miles in 2 hours, 40 minutes, 45 seconds which translates to a 9:57/mile average.
I feel really good considering this was the longest I have ever run at once. However, as I was about 200 yards away from the house I came to realize that come October 10th I will still have an additional 10.2 miles left! For now, I am pleased with today’s run. No long run next weekend due to the Bethel 10k, which I am hoping to beat last year’s time of 58:30 and would like to post a time below 55 minutes. The following weekend will be another scheduled 15 miles, but I may increase that to 17 or 18 based on how I’m feeling. Until then, keep running and sharing my experiences with family & friends. And don’t forget, I am running the Chicago Marathon to raise awareness for and funds for autism research. You can donate through OAR, and all proceeds go towards autism research. Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Rest Day (A Reflection Before a Long Run)
Even though I put in close to 4.5 walking miles at work today, I still consider this to be a “rest day” because I didn’t run, swim or go to the gym. The wife and kids met me at work and we headed out for a small bit of shopping and dinner. The shopping was for the older two, mainly for church camp items, and dinner was just an easy way out - easy as in not having to cook or clean after!
I am slowly psyching myself up for tomorrow’s run - a 15 mile trek that will be the longest distance I have traveled by foot since the Marine Corps 20 mile full pack hike (back in my early 20’s). Granted, this isn’t much further than the half marathons I have already run (three in just over a year), but there is still a mental part of running that many probably don’t understand. If one is not mentally prepared to take on a run beyond nine or ten miles, then that run will most likely not go too well. Mentally I believe I am ready to take on this long venture. On the way home from dinner I took a slight detour to get a rough idea of where I will be running to, and giving a short lesson in the GPS function of the iPhone to the boys. My plan is to start and finish at the house - running to East Fork Lake, down to one of the boat ramps and back to the house. I hope and plan on keeping the pace somewhere in the range of 9:30 - 10:00 per mile, nice and easy.
All of these miles run, logged, and counted for a reason. I run because I have a reason to run. I’m not just running to raise money for autism research, I am running to help raise awareness of the autism spectrum, autism research, and most importantly, because my youngest son, Noah, has autism. He keeps me going even when I don’t want to go any further - and when the pain settles in somewhere after mile ten, I will think of him and know that I have a good reason to keep going.
I am slowly psyching myself up for tomorrow’s run - a 15 mile trek that will be the longest distance I have traveled by foot since the Marine Corps 20 mile full pack hike (back in my early 20’s). Granted, this isn’t much further than the half marathons I have already run (three in just over a year), but there is still a mental part of running that many probably don’t understand. If one is not mentally prepared to take on a run beyond nine or ten miles, then that run will most likely not go too well. Mentally I believe I am ready to take on this long venture. On the way home from dinner I took a slight detour to get a rough idea of where I will be running to, and giving a short lesson in the GPS function of the iPhone to the boys. My plan is to start and finish at the house - running to East Fork Lake, down to one of the boat ramps and back to the house. I hope and plan on keeping the pace somewhere in the range of 9:30 - 10:00 per mile, nice and easy.
All of these miles run, logged, and counted for a reason. I run because I have a reason to run. I’m not just running to raise money for autism research, I am running to help raise awareness of the autism spectrum, autism research, and most importantly, because my youngest son, Noah, has autism. He keeps me going even when I don’t want to go any further - and when the pain settles in somewhere after mile ten, I will think of him and know that I have a good reason to keep going.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
More Running?
The past few runs have been brutal! The heat and humidity have cause me to slow things down by nearly a full minute per mile. While the pace still isn’t too bad, it is not where I would like it to be. However, I guess that if I am still running at a decent pace in these horrible conditions, perhaps when September & October roll around I will be running at or at least near my optimal performance. I wouldn’t mind running Chicago at a 10 minute mile pace, and that will probably be my goal pace, but if I end up faster than that I will be quite happy.
Made a few adjustments to the August running schedule and I’m on pace to set a personal single month record. As long as I stick to the plan I will have accumulated at least 115 miles this month, and September looks to be even higher still, pushing 140 miles! The tally so to date and the projected running through the end of the year brings me pretty near 700 miles for 2010, and that is something I hope to increase for 2011.
With September right around the corner I have to start thinking about a few things. 1) in less than 2 weeks I will be running my first race since the Flying Pig half in May - the Bethel 10k, 2) in just over a month I will be running the Air Force half again - hoping to best last year’s time and seriously desiring to beat a certain, unnamed person’s last half marathon time (I need to post a sub 2-hour time), 3) October is just around the corner - and while I have exceed my first set goal for funds raised for OAR, I still have some work to do and some money to pull together for autism research. If you are interesting in giving, click here OAR/Firstgiving - it will take you directly to my fund raising page. Thanks in advance, and thanks for supporting Runner With a Reason!
Made a few adjustments to the August running schedule and I’m on pace to set a personal single month record. As long as I stick to the plan I will have accumulated at least 115 miles this month, and September looks to be even higher still, pushing 140 miles! The tally so to date and the projected running through the end of the year brings me pretty near 700 miles for 2010, and that is something I hope to increase for 2011.
With September right around the corner I have to start thinking about a few things. 1) in less than 2 weeks I will be running my first race since the Flying Pig half in May - the Bethel 10k, 2) in just over a month I will be running the Air Force half again - hoping to best last year’s time and seriously desiring to beat a certain, unnamed person’s last half marathon time (I need to post a sub 2-hour time), 3) October is just around the corner - and while I have exceed my first set goal for funds raised for OAR, I still have some work to do and some money to pull together for autism research. If you are interesting in giving, click here OAR/Firstgiving - it will take you directly to my fund raising page. Thanks in advance, and thanks for supporting Runner With a Reason!
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