Hitting the Hills Today

After having missed yesterday morning's run (was not feeling well), I decided that I needed to make this morning's run more challenging this usual in order to get my money's worth. So I decided to hit the hills on the Creek Turnpike trail--at least, as much as one can on that trail. I started at Sheridan and ran west. This put me on the Sheridan/Yale hill right off the bat, which is a short but relatively steep hill. At 5:30 this morning, it was still dark, and the run under the "tree tunnel" that covers the hill was pretty fun. The crickets were so loud through the trees that I couldn't even hear my MP3 player. Speaking of which, as I approached Harvard, not even two miles into my run, my MP3 player died. I hope it's just the battery needing a recharge.

I hit the hill west of Harvard (downhill, of course) about 2 1/4 miles into my run. I turned around about a quarter of a mile past it and came back to the short, steep hill (uphill, of course), then moved on to the stretch between Harvard and Yale which, when heading east, has quite a few subtle inclines, all of which are much more noticeable when one is trying to recover from the Harvard hill.

I could tell that it was a little after 6:00 as I headed back down the hill between Yale and Sheridan and past my starting point at Sheridan, because I started seeing quite a few more people on the track. The sun was starting to light up the track as I continued east toward Memorial.

At Memorial, I came up on a couple of friendly runners on the hill. They were clearly exhilarated by the Memorial hill. A half mile later, I turned around again and hit the Memorial hill from the other side. On the west side of Memorial, I began to relax and coast back to my starting point at Sheridan. Not a bad hill run for Tulsa.

Monday's run was the neighborhood 7-miler I used to take every Wednesday when I was training for OKC. It was nice to be on that old track again. My hope was to boost my speed a little, but I ended up being a few seconds per mile slower than what I've been doing on the Creek trail. Nevertheless, it was a nice change of scenery. And I hit 100 miles for the month, which I have not done since my OKC training.

Saturday's run was an awesome 12-mile hilly run with the Runner's World group, the FOB Four in particular. I've really been enjoying the group and the pace. This next month or two should be pretty interesting, as we increase mileage and try to keep it around 9:10.

7-30-09
Distance: 8.01
Time: 1:11:04
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.54
Rabbit Count: 9

7-27-09
Distance: 7.12
Time: 1:00:56
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:33
Rabbit Count: 4

7-25-09
Distance: 12.52
Time: 1:56:38
Avg. Mile Pace: 9:18

Tired and Not in the Mood--A Perfect Day to Run

When the alarm went off at 5:30 this morning, I was not ready to wake up. I rolled out of bed, still a tad stiff from yesterday's relatively aggressive 8-miler. Putting on my running garb, I could sense a little fatigue. However, all of these complaints combined made for a perfect short-distance "endurance" run this morning.

In moving from a mindset of enduring to a mindset of embracing, mornings like this provide the perfect challenge. Not to say I was overjoyed about getting out there today, but I knew it would be good for me. (New shoes made it a little easier to get out the door.)

I decided in my less-than-optimal state to go ahead and attack the Memorial hill pretty hard on my return. I also tried to increase my pace (sub 8) for the last half mile. I plan to keep stretching that distance out.

Strange that runs that are a mere 24 hours apart can be so different. Yesterday's run was one that surpassed even the traditional runner's high. The perfect combination of pace, music, and sunrise literally brought tears to my eyes at one point. It was a run that I experience maybe one in 100 times. Yet today, I seriously had to talk myself out of just flopping back into bed.

While I like the challenge of the Creek Turnpike trails I've been running lately, I really miss the neighborhood trails I was running in preparation for OKC. Love/hate relationship with hills aside, there has been a real tradeoff of two very desirable but mutually exclusive aspects of running: solitude for community. Running through the neighborhoods was extremely peaceful. I would pass maybe 3 people during the entire run, and car noise was minimal. Thoreau would have loved it. The Creek trails on the other hand are very noisy, and I run past quite a few people every time go out. Now, maybe it's just Oklahoma, or maybe it's just runners (or maybe it's just Oklahoma runners), but no matter how worn people look like they may be, they always offer a kind gesture. (Maybe it's just that they pity that poor sweaty bastard who's huffing and puffing up the Memorial hill?) Anyway, community is one aspect of running that I really appreciate. Thinking back on last Saturday's 10-miler with the Runner's World group, just being back with my running group again after 3 weeks away made the 10 miles feel so much easier than the six that I run alone on Mondays and Thursdays. (The cooler weather probably helped too.) Community is what got me started in distance running. And there's really nothing like running (or walking) 26.2 miles with thousands of like-minded people.

OK, enough of that.

7-23-09
Distance: 6.02
Time: 51:12
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.30

7-22-09
Distance: 8.07
Time: 1:08:36
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:30

7-20-09 (Garmin error)
Distance: ~6
Time:
Avg. Mile Pace: ~8:52

Out with the Old, In with the New

After 547.52 miles (including one marathon), it was definitely time to retire my Asics Nimbus running shoes. Probably my favorite so far, but they could have used a little more arch support.


Yesterday, I brought home a pairof Nike Vomeros from Runner's World. While I really liked the slightly deeper toe bed of the previous Vomero model (and the cool blue color), they didn't have them in my size. But I ran with this latest model this morning, and I was pretty happy with them. They're comfortable and stable in the heel area, and the sole looks to be pretty durable. They also breathe well, maybe even better than my Asics did. And they're really light. This pair should get me through 2, possibly even three marathons.

7-18-09
Distance: 10.41
Time: 1:35:35
Avg. Mile Pace: 9:10

7-15-09
Distance: 6.07
Time: 53:29
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.49

A Tired Monday-Morning Run

This weekend marked my third week in a row of missing the Saturday morning run with the Runner's World group. I hate to miss, especially since it the one and only day each week I run with them, but family medical issues prevented it from happening this past Saturday. I did however get in my 9-mile run, but had to do so on Sunday. Went to church Sunday morning, which put me running between 11:00 and 12:30 in the afternoon. It was 94 degrees, and I noticed that shortly after I got home from my run, KJRH had issued a heat advisory. I ended up walking probably the equivalent of a mile, simply because the heat and humidity had completely sapped my strength. (All the more reason to stick with the Runners World group for my long runs. Sure, 5:45 is early in the morning, but much more bearable with regard to conditions.) I don't think I have ever sweat so much in my life! And I could feel the heat from the pavement through my shoes. There was hardly any breeze at all, so my only respite was the shade provided by the trees that line the track. Unfortunately, from Memorial to Mingo and Mingo to 91st, there are hardly any trees. That is where I began walking.

Despite the fact that I ran my long run yesterday afternoon, I still wanted to get up today and start the week with my regular 6-mile. My legs felt like spaghetti as I began to jog away from my car. I ran the eastern trail to Elm and back. After the fourth mile, my legs felt very fatigued. I began thinking about the entry I posted last Wednesday about the mental aspect of distance running, and I remembered Dave's comment that "Running when you are already tired seems like a good idea." So I tried simply to embrace the fatigue and use it as an opportunity to build endurance and get myself into a better place mentally. Seemed to work out just fine. Now, I'm contemplating a 6-mile the day after my long run every week. This would probably involve adding a day, as I love to run on Mondays and do not want to give up that day just for running on on Sundays (following my regularly scheduled long run). We'll see how things go this coming weekend. But one thing I can say for sure at this point: I will be out there at 5:45 with the FOB Four this Saturday.

7-13-09
Distance: 6.01
Time: 52:30
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.43

7-12-09
Distance: 9.01
Time: 1:35:54
Avg. Mile Pace: 10:37

Mental Preparation

Today was my midweek 8-miler. I decided to go 4 miles east on the Creek Turnpike Trail today rather then the western 4 mile out-and-back I usually take on Wednesdays. The additional mile was...about the same as the previous three.

I was tired this morning after getting to sleep a little late last night, and then waking up in the 2:00 hour for no apparent reason, and tossing and turning for an hour. I decided that this was actually a good thing though, because lately, I've been contemplating the "mental" side of my marathon training a little more seriously. My recent concern has been that, with running long distances (14+ miles) only once a week, I may not get enough mental "practice" to be really ready for my second marathon. So on mornings like this when I'm starting out a little exhausted already, I try to embrace the final mile or two, which wear on me pretty good, even at shorter distances.

To continue the "mental" practice, I've been contemplating things like running in the middle of the day when it's hotter, but my schedule doesn't really allow for that. Any other suggestions for mental preparation for a marathon?

7-8-09
Distance: 8.02
Time: 1:08:43
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.34

Catching up

While I have been laying off of the blogging for several days, I have not been laying off the running. I have been maintaining my regular schedule (right margin) except for one day last week that I was not able to make it out. The heat and humidity has slowed me to a walk a couple of times over the past week--especially at 2:00 Saturday (July 4) afternoon after the rain. But I've had a couple of great runs recently too. This morning's was very nice at 66 degrees. And last Wednesday morning, I felt like I could have run 26.2 miles.

I'm now looking at the Bass Pro Shops Marathon in Springfield on Nov. 1 instead of KC and St. Louis. Between the time of year, the hills, and my Route 66 training schedule, it may just make sense to go with the Springfield option. More info

7-6-09
Distance: 6.01
Time: 52:05
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.40