Weekend Fun

No races = no new blog posts. So maybe I'll change it up with a training update.

I'm less than 6 weeks away from my next Half-Ironman race - the Texas Man Triathlon on May 16. So I thought I'd do a "full" workout on Saturday to gauge where I stand. Started with a 7-mile run - 3 miles by myself and then met up with the Keller Running Club for the first 4 miles of their 7-mile route. After that I went to LA Fitness for a 3,000 yd swim + 2.5 hrs on the spin bike (15 min warmup + 2 spin classes with 15 minutes in between). I had skipped breakfast (was running late for the phase 1 run) - Big Mistake: I was starving by last hour of spin. Pretty solid workout - 1.5 x Half-Iron Swim, 5/6 of Half-Iron Bike, 7/13 of Half-Iron Run - which makes for a nice confidence booster.

On Sunday, I put in some more time in the spin room. (Unfortunately, even though the weather was pretty nice, I didn't have time to do a properly ride outside - we have 11:00 AM reservations for Easter brunch. :-) In total, 2 hours and 15 minutes completed - call it about 40 miles of riding. Normally, I would estimate it as closer to 45 miles (assuming a 20 MPH average) but I was definitely moving a little more slowly today and the intensity was down a notch (especially for the first 1:15 which was self-paced) - some recovery from yesterday's efforts. But even though the bike ride wasn't optimal, it still counts as time in the saddle and back-to-back days of riding ("50 miles" + "40 miles"). This is definitely welcome as my other big upcoming event is the Sam's Club MS-150 - a two-day 150-mile from Frisco to Fort Worth on May 1-2 (less than a month away).

Finally, today, I did my longest swim over six months - 4,000 yds in 1:28:16. This is about 4 minutes slower than my equivalently-matched "PR while wearing baggy swim trunks" (and nearly 13 minutes slower than my overall PR of 1:15:23). A little disappointing, but now I know where I need to improve. I'm going to try to get in my some more long (4,000+ yd) swims, and hopefully some open-water swims as well, before May 16.

2010 Cowtown Marathon

Hooray! My second 26.2 is complete. I finished the full distance at The Cowtown Marathon in 4:09:01. My goal was to beat my time at White Rock (4:18:35) with a stretch goal finishing in sub-4:10. So I made it with 58 seconds to spare. :-)

Unlike the wind and cold of last year, the weather was perfect today - cool but clear in the morning with only a gentle breeze, sunny and warming up to around 60 degrees by mid-day. (Yes, I remembered to put on my sunscreen.)

Traffic was a little heavier than I expected (and I left the house a little later than planned) so I didn't get parked until about 6:30. Ran into Melissa and Heather while heading to the expo and saw Fiona at race day packet pickup area. After getting my bib, T-shirt, and goody bag I went back to my car to get the rest of my gear and dump unnecessary items (I didn't know that they had a bag check service! - did I miss it in years past?). So by the time I made it (back) to the starting line, it was pretty crowded and I didn't really expect to find any of my friends.

I did run into Sean and Tonda while making my way back to "Corral D" (home of the 9:30-10:00/mi marathoners) and, even better, after hopping the fence and squeezing into the sardine can of runners, I heard someone call my name. Greatness, Derek was standing right next to me. Since the half-marathon (his event) and marathon shared the same course for the first 8 miles and his target pace was the same as mine, we were able to run together for the first hour of the race (as well as hang out and talk while we waited for both the starting gun and the 16-17 minutes before our corral group actually made it to the starting timing mat & archway).

The first 8 miles were exactly as expected. The pace was a little slow due a gradual climb (elevation chart below) following the steep descent behind the Fort Worth Courthouse building. I was perfectly (un)dressed for the run. I had donned the always stylish black trash-bag-as-disposable-windbreaker for the start and peeled it off just before the Mile 2 water stop - tossing my garbage bag into the volunteer's garbage bag.

Derek and I did a 5-min/1-min run/walk and did a nice steady jaunt to Mile 7. At that point, my legs were loosening up and I picked up my pace - according to my Garmin, I did mostly sub-9:00 miles from Mile 7 to Mile 16. The downhill grade from Mile 8 -Mile 13 definitely helped my averages, as well.

Obviously, everything from Mile 8-24 was virgin territory (Cowtown race-route wise) for me; Miles 1-8 & the final two miles are shared with the half-marathon that I've done in 2008 and 2009. However, since I had run parts of the route (Colonial Parkway, TCU area) with the Ranch View Gang in times past and obviously Trinity Park was home to many Fort Worth Runners Club races, there was still some "home-field advantage" working in my favor.

At around Mile 16, I ran into Kevin and we leap-frogged each other for most of the remainder of the race. We saw Michael at Mile 18 - he was volunteering and directed us (and fellow runners) to turn left and head north towards University Ave, Trinity Park and downtown. After crossing the river at the Rogers Road bridge, Mason joined us at the Mile 21 water stop to run Kevin in for the final 5 miles and Lori was added to the group at the top of the hill after passing the Duck Pond in Trinity Park (just before the Mile 24 FWRC-manned water stop).

As we headed into downtown, I had to walk almost the entire hill on 7th Street - I made it over the bridge, but lost all my power after that. Mile 24-25 was my worst Garmin-reported mile split (10:53). But the two-minute walk break helped a lot and I finished climbing the hill (seeing Tonda & Jenna helped too :-) and turned right onto Florence St (a mostly downhill stretch - yay!) before the final test of Lancaster Ave. That was not pretty - had to walk for most of it - but did pick up speed at the top of the hill. And kept it up after turning onto Throckmorton and entering the skyscrapers of downtown Fort Worth. I had hoped to run the rest of the way, but I needed one last break (45 seconds on last part of Throckmorton up to 9th St). During that walk break, my Garmin informed me that I could make my sub-4:10 goal if I hustled - so I fired the engine back up, turned onto Main for the final quarter-mile, and crossed the finish line in 4:09:01.

My official stats showed my overall pace and standing at the following split points:

10K: 59:25 (9:34/mi), 649th place

13.1mi: 2:01:50 (9:18/mi), 543rd place

30K: 2:53:21 (9:18/mi), 467th place

Finish: 4:09:01 (9:30/mi), 381st place

Wow, overall, I passed almost 270 people (more than a fifth of the field) over the last 20 miles. So while I'm definitely disappointed that I had to slow down on those hills in the final 2.25 miles, I still had a strong finish, relatively speaking.

Final stats: 381st place overall out of 1216 finishers, 312th out of 847 men, and 63rd out of 133 in my age group.

After collecting my finisher medal and relaxing & recovering for a little bit at the finish line, I headed over to the "party area". Met up with Elizabeth who had been up since 3:00 AM keeping the food tent stocked and operational. Thanks to Elizabeth and all volunteers for taking care of us runners!

As you can from the photo, with the 2009 & 2010 medals, I am 2/5 of the way to completing the Cowtown Marathon five-medal-series Texas Star. I will definitely be doing at least the half-marathon at Cowtown for the next three years to finish that star!

After feasting on post-race nourishment (an assortment of yogurt, bananas, chicken-noodle soup, ice cream, pastries, bars & gels) - along with downing two Muscle Milk Light recovery drinks, I said hello to Eva, Kim, and other marathon/ultra-marathon finishers. Driving home was "interesting" as my left calf kept cramping up as I pressed down on the clutch to switch gears - the downside of a manual transmission. Luckily, once I hit the highway, all was well.

Twenty minutes later, I got back to my house (another reason I love this race, close to home). After unloading my car, I prepped for my now post-20+-mile run ritual - ICE BATH. Between 20-minutes of my legs in ice water, keeping them elevated for an hour (while I took a nap) and some self-massage, hopefully I can avoid/lessen the dreaded next-day D.O.M.S.

Garmin Connect info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25672070

Full results (all races, all runners) at http://www.mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=4335

Lake Benbrook Half-Marathon 2010

This morning's hilly and chilly Lake Benbrook Half Marathon was pretty tough but I survived and had a decent time to boot.

The temperature was only 30 degrees at the start time, and with a 15+ mph wind, the wind chill was only 16-17.

I had a pretty good race - all things considered - and completed the 13.1 mile course (13.36 per GPS) in 1:57:37 for a 8:59/mi pace (8:48/mi per GPS). My time placed me at 94th out of 217 finishers - and 10th out of 22 in my age group. There were fewer runners than in the last two years - the weather no doubt kept participants away.

This is a PR for me for this course, but that is not saying much since I was just 9 seconds faster than last year and in 2008 I had a DNF due to my nagging ITBS. However, I was proud to have a very consistent pace for the entire 13+ miles. Most of the race was done with 8/1 run/walk. Time taken from start to the course's turn-around: 58:47; time from turn-around to finish: 58:50 ... not quite a negative split, but close!

My run started off okay, but there were a few obstacles. Without sweat to hold my PattStraps (a must for my IT bands on the hilly and often banked roads of this course) in place (and I probably didn't put them on tight enough), I had to stop twice (once for each leg) to re-adjust them. At Mile 1, we hit the expected low-water crossing of Benbrook's park road. Unexpectedly, there was quite a bit of flowing water and no way around it. I tried my best to jump over it, but still got one shoe soaked (brrr) in the frigid water. Not pleasant.

At Mile 5, there was ice on the road and we were directed to go off to the grass to avoid it. Unfortunately, the grass/dirt was wet and muddy so it was still not an optimal path.

0.65 miles later, "Nice Hill" was reached. Having taken a walk break less than 7 minutes earlier, my legs still felt pretty strong and I was able to power up the 75 feet of elevation change (in 0.11 miles) in just over a minute - not too bad for such a steep grade. I just "rode the downhill" (and rolling uphill) to Mile 6.66 (hmm) and walked at the turn-around water-stop.

The return leg was the same as the "out" with the same ice & mud dodging at Mile 8.25 as Mile 5 and same low-water crossing/river at Mile 12.3. Unfortunately, the water flow was worse the second time (maybe extra ice had melted further upstream?) and I got BOTH feet wet - and despite (or maybe because of) being warmed up after 12+ miles of running, my feet were VERY cold after the second dousing ... and my shoes were a lot heavier for being wet.

Luckily, I could already see the Benbrook YMCA (the start/finish was right behind it) and pushed myself to an 8:00/mi pace for the final mile.

So not the most fun race, but I'm glad I got in the required 13 miles for my Cowtown Marathon training plan and I got to see some friends at the start and finish - albeit briefly - we all left pretty soon after the race due to the bitter cold (and wet feet!)

Garmin Connect info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23553989

Official results:http://www.runtimeracingservices.com/Results2.aspx?RaceID=780

Saturday Aqua-Bike, Sunday Blackjack Run & Monday Recovery Swim

I had a solid workout on Saturday morning - a 2,500 yd swim in 48:37 - splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 9:30.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:55
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:52.5
• 4th 500 yds: 9:51
• 5th 500 yds: 9:28

followed by 2 hours and 35 minutes of spin class (avg hr 150 bpm) ...

Then, on Sunday I had the first of my two scheduled 20+ mile long training runs for the Cowtown Marathon.

Despite having to run all by myself (just me and my MP3 player) in my neighborhood, I ended up running 21.25 miles in 3:25:45 (a 9:40/mi pace). I'm happy that I kept a fairly steady speed for the entire run - the first 7 miles were at 9:26/mi pace, next 7 at 9:32/mi, and last 7.25 at 10:03/mi - so I slowed down, but not horribly. In addition to that I am now very familiar with the roads of my community - it's amazing that I was able to run so far and yet I was never more than 1.5 miles (as the crow flies) away from my house (in case of emergency) and (for the most part) I didn't double-back on any of the roads - i.e., I didn't do a 10 mile run and then just turn around and do it in reverse.

Afterwards, I tried my first post-run ice bath. I filled the tub with about 8 inches of water. Dumped all the ice that I had in the freezer (probably about as much as one of those big bags from the grocery store) into the water and hopped in. Brrrr, it was really cold. I could only stand to keep my legs in the water for about 10-20 seconds at a time and then I had to pull them out for 20-30 seconds for some recovery. I "dunked" them about 20 times - so probably only about 5-7 minutes of total "ice bath time" (15 minutes is recommended) but that was all I could take.

I have to admit that despite the pain and discomfort during the actual bath, my legs did feel better afterwards (maybe just from being out of the cold :-). And the next day I definitely felt less soreness in my legs than my previous 20+ mile runs. So I will have to keep going on these ...

Today, I was originally planning to take a well-deserved rest day, but because of a last-minute business trip coming up (which, by nature, usually equals rest days), I decided to squeeze in a recovery swim this afternoon. It ended up being one of my fastest 2,500 yd swims to date. Total swim time was 46:55 (I think that is a PR??). Not bad for a day when I was originally just going to sit on the couch. Splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 9:10
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:29
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:34.5
• 4th 500 yds: 9:25
• 5th 500 yds: 9:17

So my Iron Distance Challenge totals through today - Swim: 11.65 miles, Bike: 357 miles, Run: 83.65 miles. Three full Ironman distances complete - need 91 bike miles and 21.25 miles by this weekend (Sunday evening) to meet my personal goal of four. Not exactly sure when I can get them in, but I'm going to try my best!

2010 Too Cold To Hold 15K

Good run(s) today. Beautiful running weather. 5 miles before the race and then the Too Cold To Hold 15K for a total of about 14.5 miles.

My "warm-up" run went pretty well. My route was west across the northernmost bridge of White Rock Lake and then south down the west side of the lake - past the 5K water-stop & turnaround - and then back to my car. My was a little faster than I had originally planned and a little longer than my Garmin stats recorded. I had mis-read (or mis-recalled) the race information and thought that it began at 8:00 AM (the start time was actually 8:30) so I only took one walk break and really picked up the pace on the return leg. 4.94 miles in 43:36 (8:49/mi pace). But like I said the distance was actually a little longer - I had to reset/restart my watch after 0.25 miles because my heart rate monitor wasn't working correctly.

The Too Cold To Hold 15K had a new course this year (and the 5K did as well) - it was an out-and-back from Norbuck Park down along the east side of White Rock Lake with the U-turn just past the Arboretum. Coming back, there was a small deviation and we went up the hill at Winfrey Point before rejoined Lawther Drive.

Unfortunately, because of my mis-timing, instead of getting back from my workout run and then immediately starting back up on the 15K, I had almost 30 minutes of down time after dumping my fuel belt, soaked shirt and empty gel wrapper. In the morning air, I cooled down quickly, but luckily, there were multiple outdoor patio heaters placed around the registration area (NICE!) so the wait wasn't too uncomfortable.

I ran the first mile with Serena at a relaxed 9:30/mi pace before speeding up. I really felt great during the run - a lot less tired than I thought I would be after already putting in 5 miles. I didn't do my normal run-walk intervals though I did stop and walk for about a minute at all of the rest stops (except for the first one where I only slowed briefly). At around Mile 7, I calculated that I did about an 8:15/mi pace for the rest of race I could break 1 hr and 20 min. I came very close (my official time was 1:20:02) and had a sub-8:00/mi pace for the last half-mile+, but didn't quite make it. Oh well.

My final result of 1:20:02 put me in 200th out of 719 overall (137th out of 268 men and 34th out of 52 in my age group). From the results, my official 5K splits were

• 1st 5K: 27:35.74 (227th place)
• 2nd 5K: 26:23.25 (181st place)
• 3rd 5K: 26:02.21 (177th place)

And here are my splits (yes, I'm really digging the consistent pace and strong finish :-):

I am very happy that my time for the 15K was only 2 min, 20 sec off of my PR (which I set at last year's race). The almost perfect race conditions - mostly cloudy (the sun didn't come out until near the end of the race) yet not too cold nor windy - really helped me today. They also helped Lee (2nd place in his age group and 12th place overall) and Serena (a new 15K PR). Woo-hoo!

I'm probably going to take it easy this week, running-wise. 20 miles on the schedule for next weekend - less than 6 weeks until Cowtown! :-P

Miscellany:

• Garmin Connect info (5-mile warmup): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22586508
• Garmin Connect info (15K race): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22586543
• Full race results: http://www.runontexas.com/Results/2010/TooColdToHold002/TooColdMenu.htm

Heels & Hills & Him Half-Marathon

A lot of my tri friends were out doing the PlayTri Stonebridge race this morning but since I'm training for December's White Rock Marathon, I need to get my running miles in.

So this morning, I ran in the Heels & Hills & Him Half-Marathon in Las Colinas (Irving, TX). The mostly out-and-back course showcased the City of Irving's Campion Trail system. I know these trails fairly well - having done training runs with Derek, Jarrod, and Matt in the past (but not in at least 18 months) and rollerblading on them as well ~10 years ago when I lived closer to the area.

Despite being a warm day, I ran a pretty good race and completed the half-marathon in 1:54:09. I must have started my watch about 20 seconds early because I had the time at 1:54:31. I ran with Kim ("recovering" after running 40 miles yesterday - training for the Palo Duro Trail 50 Miler) for the first 3 or 4 miles and she noted the discrepancy in our Mile 1 split.

My official pace was 8:43/mi. However, even with the aforementioned "early start", I only recorded the course at 12.99 miles. So using the GPS distance and the official finish time, my pace was 8:47/mi. This is a little faster than last week's Tour Des Fleurs 20K for an extra half-mile distance and in warmer weather. So that is pretty encouraging. Some things working in my favor today were a flat course and quite a bit of shade from the trees on the trails.

I finished 57th out of 580 half-marathon finishers and 6th out of 24 in my age group. I completed the first 6.5 miles in about 56 minutes and the remaining 6.5 in about 58, so my pace slowed down by a little in the second half of the race - mostly because I walked more (e.g., almost 2 minutes at the final water stop around Mile 11.5). I had done 2 1/2 hours of spin classes on Saturday, so my legs got tired and I was definitely running out of gas by the end.

As I said earlier, the course was nice, shaded and flat and there were some cute signs every few miles encouraging us on. A couple that I remember: "I like to run, it makes me smile, I think I'll run another mile" and "Running is a mental sport ... we are all insane".

Today's stats:


My heart rate was fairly high due to the pushing of the pace (thanks, Kim!) and the warm weather. After the fifth mile, my average went down only when I walked at the water stops. Speaking of the water stops, we probably could have used one or two more (that would have been hit twice on the out-and-back). There were a couple of water fountains on the trails, but those are not very convenient when on the go.

I was able to catch up to Kim again around Mile 7.5 and we ran together for another 1/2 mile or so before I had to drop the pace. There was an extra loop (around a playground in the La Villita community) and an out-and-back (near the Irving Police Station) on the return trip. I think that it would have been better for me mentally to have done those "side excursions" on the way out, but I guess the runners would have been too bunched up earlier in the race.

Overall, I had a great run today and enjoyed the chance to race at my old training route. It was very nice to see that the Campion Trails (PDF, 13.8 MB) now extend into Sam Houston Trail Park and Valley Ranch. I'll have to come back some time to do more running/riding/rollerblading on them!

Race results: http://heelsandhills.com/Events/Race_Results.html

Garmin Connect map & info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14500476

Double-Race Saturday, Recovery Workout Sunday

Saturday morning:

Completed the 20K race at Tour Des Fleurs in 1:49:24. This works out to be an 8:49/mi pace for the 12.4 mile distance. I finished 338th out of 1182 finishers, 231 out of 555 men and 53rd out of 111 in my age group. My first 10K was in 54:40 (8:49/mi pace, 359th place) and my second 10K was in 54:43 (8:50/mi pace, 310th place). So I am very happy to have kept my pace mostly constant for the entire run.

My splits/data - obviously, I missed a couple of the mile markers :-P:

Speed chart - the drops in speed are walk-breaks at the water stops:

Heart-rate chart - the drops in HR coincide with the aforementioned walk-breaks at the water stops, but it looks like the final two breaks were too short to make much of a dent!:

The weather was not too hot, but still felt muggy and humid. Although not a PR (my time was 3 minutes slower than last year), I thought I did pretty well. Especially since overall, I have not been running as quickly this year vs. last year and the fact that I had my Half-Ironman race just 6 days ago. Something is quite interesting is the difference between my average heart rate this year (161 bpm) versus last year (172 bpm). I think the walk-breaks definitely helped keep it down and yet my speed didn't drop too much.

Was nice to see lots of friends before and after the event. Melissa and I carpooled from Keller - save the planet (and save some gas) and met with some of her Luke's training team before the race. I also met up with Derek and ran into Chris & Kara before the start. After finishing, I saw Kim and Eva at the finish line area and we walked up to the "party-zone" and I grabbed pizza, bagels, and some breakfast burritos. We met up with some RVG members and compared results and snapped a few photos before heading back to the parking area at Winfrey Point.

Race results: http://www.mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=3891

Garmin Connect map & info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13586343

Saturday evening:

The Community Storehouse Run In The Dark is a local charity run that occurs at night. The 5K event didn't start until 8:00 PM. Luckily, the streets of the route were well-lit. As far as I know there were no darkness-related injuries.

Before the 5K, there was a 1-Mile Fun Run, which I did with my 6 year old. Actually, according to my Garmin Forerunner 305, it was about 1.3 miles - and she completed the entire thing!

The starting area of the 5K was a little cramped and crowded. Because I wasn't paying close enough attention to the time, by the time I made it to the start line, I had two choices - just jump in at the front of the pack or go all the way to the back behind the strollers, etc. So I chose the former because it was easier ... and thus I started off way too fast (7:16 for the first mile) - swept up by the speedy front-runners.

The route had a fairly steep hill up Bear Creek Parkway between Mile 1.15 & 1.45 so that slowed the pace for me (8:13 for the second mile). About 2 1/2 miles in, I got some encouragement from John from my spin class - his wife, Cassie, and daughter were running the 5K as well.

I finished up the remainder of the course and crossed the finish line in 25:22 for 116th place out of 946 overall and 20th out of 82 for men 30-39. Not too bad considering I had done a 20K just 12 hours prior.

Officially, my pace was 8:11/mi. However, my Garmin showed the course as 3.25 miles long - which calculates to a 7:48/mi pace. I'm going to with that ... since my ego is bruised thinking that I can't keep an 8:00/mi pace for a 5K. :-P

Race results: http://www.runontexas.com/Results/2009/RunintheDark965/DarkMenu.htm

Garmin Connect map & info: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13618057

So between the two races and the Fun Run, I ran 16.5 miles (17+ if you believe the Garmin) today. Logging the distance in my Dallas White Rock Marathon training log. :-)

Sunday:

No more running - gotta give my knees & shins a rest. So the workout of the day was a 2,500 yd swim followed by 1:15 of spin class. I completed the swim in 48:09, which is a pretty good time considering the hard efforts of yesterday (and the long swim on Friday). Here are the 500 yd splits for the swim:

• 1st 500 yds: 9:23 (started off fast, probably too fast)
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:30
• 3rd 500 yds: 9:48.5
• 4th 500 yds: 10:04 (the fast start is definitely catching up to me)
• Final 500 yds: 9:23.5 (alternating breast-stroke/free-style)

I was able to speed up for that last set, but I paid for it. After getting out of the pool, I needed about 5 minutes to fully recover.

The spin class afterward was a solid effort. Our instructor, Michelle, is a cyclist (has done the MS-150 a couple times) and triathlete as well - and is planning to do the Monster Triathlon at the Keller Natatorium in October. Always nice to meet fellow racers.

As for the class itself, I avoided coming out of the saddle (so as to not put too much weight on my legs), so my heart-rate only averaged 146 bpm for the 75 minute session (usually when I do standing climbs, my heart-rate goes up quickly). However, it was still a great class and the spinning really helped get the blood flowing to my legs and should speed recovery.

Whew, that was quite a weekend. I think I'll take a well-deserved rest day tomorrow!

Half-Iron Weekend

My plan for this weekend is to do (close to) a half-Ironman triathlon, but over two days ...

Saturday, August 8: Day 1 of "Half-Iron Weekend" completed! I survived a 2,500 yd swim (in 47:05 ... then the 9:00 AM water aerobics class kicked me out of the pool) + 2.5 hours of spin (avg hr 153 bpm) ... Time for lunch - man, I'm hungry!

Swim splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 9:17.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 9:20.5
• 3nd 500 yds: 9:29
  
• 4th 500 yds: 9:34
• 5th 500 yds: 9:24

Bike stats (15 min before class, Class #1, 15 min intermission, Class #2 - split into two halves):

Bike heart rate (click to enlarge):

Saturday, August 8: Day 2 of "Half-Iron Weekend" is now done. An 11.17 mile run in 1:56:45 (10:26/mi pace) ... Wow, if 11 miles is this tough at 8:30 AM, how am I going to survive 13.1 at around 11:30 AM for the actual tri?

Stats/Splits table below (click to enlarge). I (tried to) hit the "lap" button on my Garmin Forerunner 305 whenever I started/stopped my walk-breaks - you can see that I took many of them (and several were 5+ minutes in length) after the first five miles (Lap 4 and on):

Speed graph, again you can see that my average speed dropped significantly, :

Heart Rate. The depressing thing to note is how high and quickly it went up, even after the many and lengthy walk breaks. A combination of the heat and my lack of run conditioning.

Elevation profile (no notes, just included for completeness):

Looks like I'll need to do a lot more running training in the next month. Otherwise, it is going to be a tough run on September 13th ...

A Run and A Swim

Sunday: Since I didn't do a brick run after yesterday's Goatneck ride (well, to be honest, I'd be doing the long run today even if the brick had materialized), I had a goal of running 10 miles around my neighborhoood this morning. I thought this would be doable as the temperature this morning was "only" 81 degrees.

Ummm, yeah, it turns out that 81 degrees is not as cool as it would seem (especially when there is substantial humidity involved). I ended up doing 9.65 miles in 97 minutes (for a 10:02/mi pace). By the end, I was too tired to run around the block for an even 10. Exhaustion trumps OCD!

Still it was a (near-)victory of sorts. I hadn't completed a double-digit run since the Cowtown Half, and I was glad to run even longer than last Saturday's Too Hot To Handle (even if it was only by a quarter of a mile) since this was just a training session. My goal is to work my way up to 12-14 miles over the next month. I'm sure I can do the miles with consistent training; the trick will be staying injury-free during the ramp-up!

Monday: Normally, today would be a rest day following long bike and run over the weekend. However, instead I did a (slow and hard-fought) 2,500 yd lunchtime swim. Splits: 10:22, 10:35, 10:48, 10:58, 11:17. Yep, those sets got really slow and painful. But no rest for the weary - 48 days 'til the PrairieMan Half ... Yikes!

In other news, I've officially lost 4 pounds in the last two weeks. I want to lose about 6-8 more before the Half. I don't really "need" to lose the weight, but I just don't want to be carrying around extra ballast for 56 miles on the bike and 13.1 on the run!

Kicking It Up a Notch

I feel pretty good after my back-to-back events from the weekend. Even my legs feel pretty good - surprising, since 15.5 miles is more than I have run in quite a while (even that 15K felt like a really long run).

Anyway, as I look at the date of the PrairieMan Half-Ironman Tri (September 13) circled on my calendar (okay, so I don't actually own any paper calendars - it's "virtual/digital" circle :-), I definitely feel a little anxiety.

The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital. -Joe Paterno

Okay, so I'd better prepare and kick my training up a notch. Especially for the swim and run.

Tuesday: 60 minute spin class (avg hr 149 bpm) + 500 yd swim in 10:16. Okay, so not much of a "kick-up" today ...

Wednesday: Another Wednesday duathlon at LA Fitness - 3mi run (24:14), 60min spin, 2.5mi run (21:29). Last week: 2mi run, 45min spin, 2mi run ... PROGRESS! I was pleasantly surprised that even for my post-spin run that I could keep a sub-8:30/mi pace on the treadmill and my heart rate stayed around 150-155 bpm. On the downside, I was planning to do 3 miles for that second (brick) run but just couldn't finish the last half-mile even after cranking down the speed. Will look to improve next week.

Thursday: Another 60 minute spin class (avg hr 152 bpm) + 1,000 yd swim in 21:16 (10:44, 10:32). Double of my normal post-spin distance. Yay!

Friday: Instead of my usual day off, I did a lunchtime run of 2.16 miles (that 8 laps around a local park while my daughter played in the playground in the middle) in the 1:00 PM Texas sun. I was running for 17:37 ... however, I took a shade/water break after every 2 laps, so the total time was nearly 29 minutes. I'm too lazy to do the math right now, but I know that's a slow overall pace and not a very long distance. But still, it's better than nothing.

Okay, time to get ready for bed. I'm going to tackle the 69-mile route at The Goatneck tomorrow morning!

Too Hot To Handle 2009

Well, I still need to work on my running, but I think I did pretty well at this morning's Too Hot To Handle 15K. My official finish time of 1:23:26 (8:58/mi) – was two minutes slower than 2008's THTH race. However, last year, the last 5K was torturous and I took almost 30 minutes to finish the final 3.1 miles. This year, I held back for most of the running since I have the Disco Tri tomorow and I ended up having a pretty smooth race even though the time was slower.

I ended up at 56th out of 107 in my age group and 403rd out of 1272 total 15K finishers. Here are my official split times/places:

• 5K: 27:47.88, 396th place
• 10K: 27:21.51, 358th
• 15K/Finish: 28:15.83, 461st

So a fairly consistent pace, especially considering that the final 5K contain the two uphill stretches of the course (see elevation in Garmin Connect). Here are my GPS stats (click to enlarge) with lap splits at each mile and 5K marker. Looks like the course was about 0.1 miles long for my run.

My average heart rate is still higher than what I'd like but at least it was under 170 bpm. Race day weather was not bad for July (got a break from the heat of a recent string of triple-digit temperatures).

Afterwards, I met up with Lee (42nd overall with a 1:04:19 - 3rd place in his age group despite "holding back") and Kim and Eva who had strong showings while also saving up for their midnight 25K at El Scorcho.

Full results at: http://www.runontexas.com/Results/2009/TooHotToHandle950/TooHotMenu.htm

Garmin Connect map/data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9104216

Disco Taper Week

Monday: Problem: I'm torn between wanting to run (to get better at it and maybe do it outdoors to get some climate training) and not wanting to run (so my legs/knees wouldn't get sore/injured). Solution: 30 minutes on the home elliptical trainer.

Tuesday: 1 hour of spin class (152 bpm avg hr) + 1,000 yard swim (10:25, 10:30). Feeling pretty good.

Wednesday: A "Lunchtime Du" - 2-mi run, 45-min spin, 2-mi run. The runs were pretty fast (averaging sub-8:00/mi pace for both). Too bad I can't do that pace in the heat. :-P

Stats below:

First run - started slowly and gradually increased speed - 0.25 mi at 6.0 mph, 0.25 mi at 6.7 mph, 0.5 mi at 7.5 mph, 0.5 mi mph at 8.0 mph, and 0.5 mi at 8.55 mph. Spin class was quick and tougher than the 45-min duration and 151 bpm avg heart rate seems to indicate. Second run was at a constant 7.5 mph (8:00/mi) pace.

This should be my last hard workout before the weekend races - will taper and rest starting tomorrow. Also picked up my Disco Tri packet today. Bib #701 - hope that is my lucky number.

Thursday: 50 mins of spin (150 bpm avg hr) and then 500 yard swim (10:17). The spin class was probably a little more energetic than I'd planned, but overall I don't feel like I'm overdoing it.

Tomorrow will be a full rest day and I'm looking forward to it!

Disco Pre-Tri

Good workout this morning and got to meet up with some fellow racers.

Swim: Two open water swims: 9:49 + 13:27.4. I'm guessing I did about 1,200 meters total. Good practice.

Bike: Rode the sprint course - did the portion on E Lone Oak Rd that was outside of the park twice for a total distance of 31.38 miles in 1:36 (19.6 mph average speed) and an average heart rate of 149 bpm.

MotionBased stats: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8616960 (forgot to stop my watch right away so the time is a bit long)

Run: 3.68 miles in 40:22 (10:58/mi pace). More of a walk/jog than a fast brick run, but at least I got some miles in. Really feeling the effects of nearly 100 miles of cycling in the last 24 hours. My average heart rate was 155 bpm even with all the walk breaks and water stops. Oh well ...

MotionBased stats: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8616961

I Hate the Stairmaster

Didn't wake up early enough this morning for a run so I headed to the gym at lunch time instead.

Why is it that the Stairmaster never gets easier? 20 minutes on that torture device then a 3.5 mile treadmill tempo run in 28:29 (8:08/mi pace). Almost a minute and a half faster than Wednesday's effort for the same distance (albeit after a 20-minute stair session vs. 60 minutes of spin class).

Three quarter miles at 6.0, 6.3, and 6.7 mph respectively.  Then, 0.75 miles at 7.1 mph (around an 8:30/mi pace) - heart rate still at a respectable 156 bpm.  The next mile was at 7.5 mph (8:00/mi).  Finally, half-mile segments at 8 & 8.5 mph (7:30/mi & 7:03/mi paces) to finish the run. 

Back From Break

Wednesday, May 20: My last hard workout before vacation. I will be taking it easy over an extended Memorial Day weekend as my brother, his wife and my niece and nephew are coming to town for a visit. Today's workout: 110 minutes of spin (148 bpm) followed by 1,000 yd swim in 19:31 (9:52, 9:31)

Sunday, May 24: My ONLY workout during the 5-day holiday/vacation - a 5.91 mile morning neighbor run in 57:24. Very slow (that's a 9:43/mi pace - there are many walk-breaks), but at least I broke my "lazy streak"!

Tuesday, May 26: 1 hour spin class (150 bpm) + 500 yd swim in 10:23

Wednesday, May 27: First a 1 hour spin class (150 bpm). Then a 3-mile treadmill brick run in 27:03 (9:01/mi, 154 bpm).  I started at 6 MPH and slowly worked my way up to about 7.5 MPH.


Thursday, May 28: 45 min solo spin session (149 bpm) followed by 45 min spin class (157 bpm). Afterwards, a 500 yd swim in 10:34 - a little slower than Tuesday, but can you blame me after that nice long (albeit indoor) bike ride.

Saturday, May 30: Morning workout: 1,500yd swim (in tri-shorts) in 29:05 (set times: 9:40, 9:46, 9:39) followed by 2hr,40min on the spin bike (24 minutes before class then back-to-back classes with 16 minutes in between).  A solid session and I kept up the intensity (154 bpm overall average heart rate) the entire time.


Sunday, May 31: Another Sunday morning run. This time - 7.16 miles in 1:07:09 - 9:23/mi pace at an average heart rate of 157 bpm. Quite a bit faster pace than last week's effort even though the route was 1.25 miles longer. Progress!

Monday, June 1: Skipped the lunchtime workout. My daughter graduated from Kindergarten at 1:00 PM. :-)

The rest of this week is almost a clone of last week.

Tuesday, June 2: 1 hour spin class (144 bpm), 500 yd swim (freestyle) in 10:04 (no tri shorts - so this is pretty fast) followed by another 500 yd of breast stroke (hadn't planned to go this far - just kept following Don - so no timing for the second set)

Wednesday, June 3: First a 1 hour spin class (147 bpm). Then a 3.5-mile treadmill brick run in 29:58 (8:34/mi, 154 bpm). I can't believe that I cut my pace that much as compared to last week while keeping the same average heart rate and going an extra half-mile. Yay!


As you can see, a key improvement was being able to hold a sub-8:30/mi pace at 156 bpm (see Lap 4) this run while that same heart rate was nearly 9:00/mi (see last Wednesday's Lap 3).  Hopefully, this is a trend and not just a fluke.

Thursday, June 4: 50 min spin class (146 bpm) followed 500 yd swim in 9:19 (tri-shorts) and other 250 yd that were (again) untimed (hit STOP instead of LAP on my watch so no stats)

So that's it ... catching up on a long list of old workouts.  Not sure why my heart rate during this week's spin classes was lower than normal.  Well, actually I do know, I felt tired. :-P  Will try to do a little better next week.

Tomorrow, I plan to do a morning run (I guess I had better get to bed now!) and then on Saturday, I'll be doing the 100K route at the 2009 Mesquite Rodeo Bike Ride.

Texas Man Taper??

I should be tapering for this coming Sunday's Texas Man Olympic-distance Tri, but instead I seem to have been building up steam the last couple of weeks instead. I guess it feels good to have some "normal" workouts - i.e., having my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS and heart rate data available again (after breaking during the MS-150) and a healing/improving finger (I was finally able to go in the pool after getting the stitches out).

Anyway, here are the workouts from the last week and a half:

Tue, May 5: First training session after two rest days following the "MS-72."  A 2-mile run followed by a 1-hour spin class.  No stats due to my broken watch, but it was a good workout.

Wed, May 6: 60-minute spin and a 500 yd swim. First time in the pool since the Caveman Tri - got my stitches out yesterday.  11:10 - my slowest swim pace for this distance in quite some time.  Oh well, if this is my (re)starting point in the pool, I'll take it.  Post-swim: my wounded fingers are a little sore from rubbing against each other - I may need to bandage them up.

Thu, May 7: 1-hour spin class and 1.5 mile brick run on the treadmill.  Nothing special, just chugging along. 

Fri, May 8: Woo-hoo! I got my replacement "newly overhauled" Garmin Forerunner 305!  Only took $79 and about a week of waiting.  Looking forward to testing it out tomorrow.

Sat, May 9: 6-mile treadmill run in 51:54. Tried to concentrate on base training and keep my heart rate under 150 bpm. I was somewhat successful for the first two miles, but it kept steadily creeping upwards. I increased my pace by 0:30/mi at the 4.5, 5, and 5.5 mile marks - and was running at a 7:30/mi pace at the end. 

Followed my run with 2.25 hours of spin class (avg hr = 154 bpm). Actually, my heart rate was averaging 157 bpm for the first hour or so, but by the 1:45 mark, my right foot started hurting.  I usually don't wear my running shoes for spin class - and this is the reason.  Lesson (re)learned.

Sun, May 10: Texas Man Pre-Tri - about 1,000 yards of open water swim practice (yay, my wetsuit still fits) followed by a 10-mile bike - a well-deserved easy day, I suppose, after yesterday's killer session :-)

Mon, May 11: 6.5-mile treadmill base training run in 55:35. I was able to keep a 150-153 bpm average heart rate for the first 3 miles at my approximately 9:00/mi pace. Unfortunately, at that point, it started to creep up.  But I definitely see improvement versus Saturday's run - with my average heart rate about 3 bpm lower through five miles while running at the same or even slightly faster pace than that of two days ago.

Tue, May 12: 55-minute spin (avg hr = 148 bpm ... must have been tired from yesterday's run) and then 500 yd swim in 10:27. Much better swim pace that last week.

Wed, May 13: 60-minute spin class (avg hr = 154 bpm) and then a 2-mi treadmill run in 18:21 (4 x half-miles at increasing pace: 10:00/mi, 9:30/mi, 9:00/mi, 8:30/mi). The run felt tough even with the overall slower pace, but it was still good to get it in.

Thu, May 14: 70 minutes of spin. My average heart rate for the bike was only 143 bpm.  I tried to push harder - and I think cardio-wise I could have done more - but my legs were just very tired from four days in a row of running and cycling.  After spin class, a 500-yard swim in 9:27.  A lot faster than the last two swims - definitely feeling better and more comfortable in the pool, however to be fair, I also was wearing fast/aerodynamic tri-shorts (and that also helped my speed).

Fri, May 15 (plan): Early morning 3-4 mile run. I need to do some runs outside instead of just on the treadmill (where it's perfectly flat with no humidity and a mild temperatures! :-P)

Sat, May 16 (plan): One more (easy) swim - going to try for 1,500 yards - and then take it easy for the rest of the day.

Sun, May 17: Race Day!!!

Sunday Reverse Brick

I was amused to discover that I finished last in my age group (4th out of 4) in this morning's Fort Worth Runner's "Club Lucky 7" race despite running a respectable (for me, anyway) 57:34 (8:12/mi).  That's what I get for racing with these speedsters. :-)

I ran this seven mile race last year, and although the starting line was moved from the River Plaza to Trinity Park, five of the seven miles were still on the Trinity Trails - so the 2009 course was "5/7-identical" to 2008.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able set a new PR today - my time was almost 2 minutes slower than last year.  Still, it was a pretty good performance considering that I did the sprint tri yesterday.

My splits and my speed & heart rate charts:

As you can see, I kept a fairly consistent pace for the entire distance.  I took short walk breaks at Miles 1.9,3,4, and 5.1 (which are included in splits for Miles 2, 4, 5, and 6.  Even with those walk breaks, I stayed below an 8:30/mi for those splits - NOT BAD!  I may have gone out a little (too?) fast in the first half mile before settling down.  However, I'm very happy with my strong finish - my last mile was the fastest of all of them.  I think I need to really consider doing walk-run for all of my longer runs - and longer may be defined as anything longer than 10K.

MotionBased route and data: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7802407

Full results: http://www.fwrunners.org/Results/2009/Mar_09_Results_All.pdf

After the race, I met up with some friends and did a 42 mile bike ride on the Trinity Trails.  The ride was at a relaxing pace although I did do "Nice Hill" in Lake Benbrook Park a couple of extra times.  Overall, a solid weekend of races and training.  Looking forward to a light week coming up - Spring Break!

2009 Cowtown Half

I finished the Cowtown Half Marathon this morning in 1:57: Not quite a PR (I was hoping to get to 1:50), but I'll take it.

Met with part of the Ranch View Gang near the starting area for some photo ops and pre-race inspiration, but it turns out that some of the smarter members of the gang had been waiting in the Starbucks around the corner.

The day started off cold and very windy (22 MPH average with 30+ MPH gusts).  Panicked due to the wind and bundled up for the start.  Consequently, I was completely overdressed for the race - gloves, two long sleeve tech shirts and two pairs of pants over my tri-shorts.

The shirts came off at Mile 2 or 3. And if they weren't my good wind-pants (and my running gloves were stuck in the pockets), the pants would have been tossed as well.  So I definitely wasn't in my "comfort zone".

The course what I expected since it was the same as last year.  After the initial steep downhill from the Courthouse, a steady uphill climb to Mile 8, then downhill for a couple miles and finally uphill again when approaching downtown Fort Worth to the finish line.  Elevation map in the MotionBased stats below.

I didn't have a great race, but it was okay.  Lowlights: Had to stop at mile 0.5 to adjust my PattStrap which had slipped down (probably from rubbing against my running tights - another reason I shouldn't have worn long pants) from its above-the-knee perch.  Also had to use the "portolet" at the Mile 6 aide station - I think I was just tired and convinced myself that I needed the rest :-P.  However, despite these stops, I still had a sub-9:00/mi pace, so it was still a respectable performance by me - the total time being almost exactly what I did in the Benbrook Half last month and the DRC Half back in November.   I'd like to do more running training, but am worried about reinjuring my stress fracture.  We shall see ...

Oh well, I still had a great time and got to see my friends before, (a few) during, and after the race.  Lots of good refreshments at the finish and an awesome medal (the first of a series of five!) to boot.  I'm already looking forward to next year!

Course map & MotionBased stats: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7706995

Full results at http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventLinkageID=17319&year=2009

Moving the Cheese

(Perhaps "moving the finish line" is more accurate, but I really like that book.)

The only way to get better (for endurance training, anyway) is to go longer and harder.  So I'm going to try to kick it up a notch the next few weeks until I begin tapering in mid-March for the Lonestar Half-Iron.

On Saturday, I started the morning by meeting up with the Keller Running Club at the Keller-Smithfield Node for their "6-miler" on the Bear Creek Trails.  I took a detour up the steep hill on Elaine St (both times - on the "out" and the "back") and did the loop around the baseball fields at the Keller Sports Part so my run totalled just over 8 miles.  Afterward, I did another couple of miles (oops, forgot to restart the Garmin) with a fellow Cowtown Half-marathoners - back west on Bear Creek Parkway to Keller Town Hall and the KISD Natatorium and then wound along the trails back to the Node (and my car).  About 10 miles total.  MotionBased data & map (for the first run): http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7619648

After the run, I hightailed it to LA Fitness and was surprised to find that even at 9:00 AM (15 minutes before the start of spin class), all the bikes were already reserved.  I caught a huge break when someone working out on a bike told me he was planning on leaving at 9:10 and that I could have his bike then.  Nice.  Not only did I get a bike when it wasn't looking likely, but the bike he was riding was "my" bike (you spin regulars know what I mean).

After 6 minutes on the rowing machine (while waiting for the clock to reach 9:10), I hit the first class hard (avg hr 155 bpm) and then took a 4-minute breather during the 15-minute intermission (note heart rate drop on chart from 1:05-1:09) and the tried to hang in there for another hour.  The second class was very hard - the run was definitely catching up to me and my legs felt very sore.  But overall, I ran 2.75 miles more than last week and added the 6-minute rower session - so definitely a significantly more vigorous effort despite the lower heart rate during the double spin-classes.

Today, after two 2,000 yd swims last week, I decided to go a little farther.  Total swim time: 52:44.6; Total distance: 2,500 yd.  My splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 10:31.5
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:29
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:25
  
• 4th 500 yds: 10:40
• 5th 500 yds: 10:38.5
  

Still a ways to go when compared with my 3,000 yd PR pace, but overall, not too shabby ...

Symmetric Week

Symmetric as in [Swim] - [Bike+Run] - [Bike+Swim] - [Bike+Run] - [Swim]

Monday (2/9) : 2,000 yd swim in 37:54.4 (splits: 9:28, 9:31.5, 9:25, 9:30).  Pretty fast time (5:45 faster than January 19) - mainly because I "cheated" and wore tri-shorts.  Taking yesterday off helped as well.  Still, it felt good to get in a longish swim.

Tuesday (2/10): 1 hour spin class (144 bpm avg heart rate - hmm, why so low? - lazy!) followed by a 1:16 transition and a two-mile treadmill brick run in 16:29 (8:15/mi pace; 153 bpm avg heart rate)

Wednesday (2/11): 1 hour spin class (149 avg heart rate - better intensity, but still doggin' it!) and then a 500 yd cool-down swim in 10:36

Thursday (2/12): A clone of Tuesday - 1 hour spin class (156 bpm avg heart rate) followed by a 2:53 transition and a two-mile treadmill brick run in 18:20 (161 bpm avg heart rate despite the 9:10/mi pace; I was a little tired after that spin class)

Friday (2/13): I ended the week the way I started it - with another 2,000 yd swim.  No tri-shorts this time so I'm back to my normal pace.  My time was 42:26.6 with splits of 10:23, 10:38.5, 10:41, 10:44.  Not bad at all - just 1:08 slower than my 2,000 yd PR.

Happy Friday the 13th and that "other holiday" tomorrow!