The Calm Before the Storm

I took it easy last week, following the Gar Williams Half Marathon.  I took Monday off after the half marathon, and then tried to run on Tuesday but I was hurting.  Not like an injured hurting, but more like an "I just ran 13.1 miles faster than I ever have before" kind of hurting.  I called it quits 2 miles into my run on Tuesday and figured I'd just sort of run for fun for the week.  No pace or mileage goals.  I'd just run to run.  I think I earned that.

The one longer run I did on Saturday was 8 miles, and it was absolutely beautiful.  I ran along the Potomac River on the Mount Vernon Trail.  It was slightly breezy, incredibly sunny, and a cool 50-ish degrees.  I love running past Gravelly Point Park (here are some pictures) where planes take-off and land literally right over your head.  You can also look across the water at the monuments in DC, and on a clear, sunny day the colors are so vibrant.  The contrast between the dark blue water and the sparkling white monuments, with trees intermixed, can be quite a scene.

I plan to approach this week with a little more intensity.  I don't have anymore races lined up before we leave for India in January, but I am going to attempt the "12 Runs of Christmas" challenge.  That will be some big volume for me and I'm a tad bit nervous about it.  I figure that I can have one more tough week, and the first week of the challenge will almost be like a recovery week; however, the second week of the challenge will be tough.  Oh well, here's to trying new things!

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       2.00 miles; 20:00; avg. pace 10:00/mi
Wednesday:  4.06 miles; 36:05; avg. pace 8:53/mi
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          4.00 miles; 34:15; avg. pace 8:33/mi
Saturday:      8.02 miles; 1:11:10; avg. pace 8:52/mi
Sunday:         Off

Total Mileage:  18.08 miles
Total Time:       2:41:30
Average Pace:  8:56/mi

Happy Running!

Gar Williams Half Marathon Race Re-Cap

*Update: Here are the official results posted online:
1:47:54
Overall Rank: 56 out of 152
Gender Rank: 43
Age Rank: 14


I was going into this race without any big expectations.  I built a great training foundation leading into Marine Corps Marathon in October, and I've, more or less, continued my training since; however, the intensity of my training has declined quite a bit.  I still have intense training days, but I know that I don't have the same level of drive I had every day leading up to MCM.  There have been several weeks over the past couple months where I only managed to run 3 or 4 times, and got in a whole 2 runs over Thanksgiving.  That being said, I figured it would show in my race last weekend, so, leading up to the race, I planned on running a "scenic trail run" where I'd just "have fun" and be "social".

All of that changed when I read a blog post, Taking Risks, by an extremely seasoned ultra marathoner, Wyatt Hornsby, where he told a short story about his Mohican Trail 100-Mile Run.  It was so refreshing to read someone's perspective, that differed from the usual "run a smart, steady race...pace yourself...nutrition...fluids...etc."  Sometimes I just feel like going out and "running."  When I ran MCM I was more worried about finishing respectably, and near the end of the race I had a choice.  Try to run harder to meet my goal of breaking 4 hours, or continue at my current pace and finish well, but fall short of my goal.  I was scared that I'd fall apart if I ran faster, so I opted to continue along at ~9:30 miles and finished at 4:03:55.  I'm happy with my finish, a PR by 18 minutes, but I feel like I left something out on the course.  I can't help but wonder, "What if I just ran faster?  I may have held on to run a 3:59:02."  Just seeing that time makes me wish, at the risk of completely falling apart, that I had tried for the sub-4-hour marathon.

So, Sunday I took a cab to the start line of the Gar Williams Half Marathon and told myself, "I'm going to run fast.  I don't care about anyone else on this course.  I'm going to PR today, and I'm going to PR big."  It was cold and drizzling, and the trail was muddy with giant puddles scattered everywhere.  It was a perfect setting for a battle.  We all stood shivering on the trail as the race coordinator/volunteer with DC Road Runners made a couple of announcements over the bullhorn, and like that we were off!

There were roughly 300 of us running on a very narrow dirt/gravel trail bordered by a canal on one side, and a forest of trees on the other.  I flew out of the gate and was dodging people left and right, running through the leaves on the side of the trail, and occasionally jumping over sticks and branches on the ground.  I was hardly even aware of the time until my Garmin beeped that I'd covered a mile at a 7:50/mi pace.  I was cruising, but it didn't scare me.  It inspired me to keep going.  I logged the next mile at 8:06, and my lungs were already burning, I could feel my heart beating in my chest and in my head, and I wondered for the first time, "Can I actually hold on like this for 13.1 miles?"

I slowed down slightly, but logged mile after mile in the 8:20-8:40 range.  This was insanely fast considering my PR for a halfmarathon was 1:56:58 (avg. pace 8:56/mi).  As the miles went by the burning in my lungs and the screaming in my body never really decreased, but somehow became more manageable.  After hanging in there for so long, I got to roughly the 10-mile mark and felt that I had the same choice as during the MCM.  I could continue at my current pace and certainly PR, or I could run faster and break the 1:50:00 mark.  In large part thanks to Wyatt, I decided to run faster.  I logged a couple miles in the 8:20's and finished with an 8:02 mile.  I reeled in runners that had passed me earlier, and it felt great.  I felt competitive.  I felt like a runner.  I crossed the finish line at 1:48:03*.  My lungs were still on fire, my pulse was pounding in my head, my hip-flexors ached, and I felt great.  This was the first race that I can honestly say that I left it all on the course.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       4.03 miles; 33:55; avg. pace 8:25/mi
Wednesday:  4.01 miles; 32:45; avg. pace 8:10/mi
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          Off
Saturday:      4.00 miles; 34:05; avg. pace 8:31/mi
Sunday:        13.1 miles; 1:48:03*; avg. pace 8:15/mi

Total Mileage:   25.14 miles
Total Time:       3:28:48
Average Pace:  8:18/mi

Happy Running!

Eventful Sunday

Unfortunately, last Sunday I wasn't able to run the DC Road Runners 10K Bread Run.  I missed the registration!  :-P  That was kind of a stupid mistake on my part.  I just didn't think there was a possibility of them selling out.  They reserved the last 25 spots for race-day registration, but I just didn't feel like going all the way to the race with only a chance at running.  I did, however, register for the Gar Williams Half Marathon, also hosted by DCRR, next Sunday.

Since I missed my 10K last Sunday, I decided to run a 10K on my own on Saturday, and then a 20K on my own on Sunday.  It felt great to finally run a little distance again.  I sort of forgot that it takes me 4-5 miles to get in my groove on a run.  The weather was great both days, and my Sunday 20K turned out to be quite eventful!

As I was running along the Custis Trail in Arlington, VA, about 5 miles into my run, a little girl yelled out the window from the back seat of her parents car, "Yeah, do it!"  She was probably only 6 or 7 years old, and it made my day.  They were just sitting in a church parking lot, either waiting to go in, or waiting for someone to come out, and she looked so genuinely excited that I was running by.  Her enthusiasm matched that of the most passionate marathon supporter I've seen.

The next big event of my day was witnessing a big motor vehicle accident on Lee Hwy.  I was running along, about 6.5 miles in, and heard a blaring horn, which prompted me to look up in time to see an SUV t-bone a BMW sending it slamming into another vehicle heading the opposite direction through the intersection.  The smashed up BMW came coasting straight toward me and stopped about 10 yards short.  I ran out to the vehicle to help out the lady inside.  Her door was smashed shut and all of the airbags in the vehicle had deployed.  Luckily she, and no one else, was really hurt in the accident.  The poor lady was really shaken up after her pinball ride through the intersection.  I asked her if she felt like she had any head or neck injuries, then helped her crawl out the other side of the car and answered the nice OnStar lady's questions for her.  I've never had OnStar in any vehicle I've owned, and it was kind of funny talking to someone through the speakers in the car.  Not that I did anything too helpful, but she seemed to really appreciate another human face to talk to after a traumatic experience like that.

I continued on my run after police and paramedics arrived on the scene.  I was going to run 14 miles, but decided I'd better just turn around and head home.  The rest of the run went great, and I felt better running than I have in a long time.

I'm not exactly looking to PR this weekend at the Gar Williams Half Marathon.  Technically it will be a PR because I've never ran an official race other than a marathon.  I just don't think I've logged adequate mileage and speed work lately to beat my current training PR for 13.1 miles.  I was looking good immediately following MCM, but over Thanksgiving I slacked off a bit.  I plan to go out and run the race, and, at the very least, enjoy my run.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       4.15 miles; 36:50; avg. pace 8:52/mi
Wednesday:  4.12 miles; 37:05; avg. pace 9:00/mi
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          Off
Saturday:       6.20 miles; 54:50; avg. pace 8:51/mi
Sunday:         12.44 miles; 2:01:45; avg. pace 9:47/mi

Total Mileage:    26.91 miles
Total Time:        4:10:30
Average Pace:   9:19/mi

Happy Running!

Holiday Running...or Lack Thereof

So, I had planned to have a big-ish training week over Thanksgiving, but that didn't exactly work out.  I only got two runs in, and neither were noteworthy; however, I really enjoyed the holiday.  I spent time with my family, I watched football, and I relaxed.  It was great!

I think that last week was probably a good break for me, both mentally and physically.  My training hasn't really slowed down since my trip to Hawaii in September, with the exception of the taper for Marine Corps Marathon.  I hate to admit it, but I'm still kind of sore from playing football over a week ago.  Although I've been running frequently, I haven't been doing any cross-training.  Playing flag football was a good reminder to me that I need to exercise the rest of my body, and I need to keep my workouts balanced.  As a result of that, I'm going to incorporate some strength training into my normal routine.  For now I'll still plan on running T,W,Th,Sa,Su, and doing some light weights M,W,F.  I want to add some strength training without letting my mileage suffer.  I've got a couple races coming up; DCRR 10K Bread Run 12/2 and Gar Williams Half Marathon 12/9, but after those I'd like to get back into football once per week.

I'll give you a DCRR 10K Bread Run race recap next week.  Hopefully my slow week over Thanksgiving hasn't ruined my chance at a PR.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       4.51 miles; 42:30; avg. pace 9:26/mi
Wednesday:  Off
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          6 miles; 55:55; avg. pace 9:19/mi
Saturday:      Off
Sunday:        Off

Total Mileage:  10.51 miles
Total Time:       1:38:25
Average Pace:  9:22/mi

Happy Running!