A Tough Reminder and a New Experience

Saturday's 18-miler served as a tough reminder of my first marathon last year in Oklahoma City. Those who know me know that it was not a great marathon experience. The run took me over 5 hours to complete. It was, to say the least, frustrating. The reason: I went out too fast.

On Saturday, the same thing happened, and while my takeoff was not nearly as careless as it was in OKC, I still ended up regretting it a little around mile 13. The first 5 miles of the run was a flat loop through Jenks. I could tell we had started out maybe a little quicker than usual, but it was not until the 4th mile that I glanced down at my Garmin to see that, at that moment, we were running 7:44. Obviously, that was not our sustained pace, but considering we were not even coming off of a hill, our average pace was, for me, uncomfortably faster than my marathon pace. (Maybe that's a good thing?)

Dave and I pulled back a pretty decent amount as we headed east down the Creek Turnpike Trail. After the turnaround on Garnett, my legs started feeling a little fatigued. I slipped on ahead of Dave at a water stop on Memorial (not because of my speed, but just because I did not stop and chat for very long). He quickly caught up with me, and I told him I was going to hang back, that I had already used up too much.

Once I had topped the hill west of Sheridan and had regained my composure headed toward Yale, I started to feel a little more energy. Trying hard to just ride this late burst, I focused on maintaining a steady, consistent pace, so as not to use it all up again.

In the end, I was content with my average pace--extrapolated, it still would have gotten me to the finish line in under 4 hours--but I think I could have attained the same pace a little more comfortably had I started out a tad slower and reserved more strength for the later miles. Doing so might help me through the last 6 killer miles of a marathon.

This morning, I decided to go to the Y for some treadmill time. This, once complete, affirmed my long-held belief that I do not like treadmills. I ran for 30 minutes (3 miles according to the display), and that was all I could take. I considered running another 3 miles around my neighborhood after I got home, but decided against it since I was wearing a now sweaty short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Also, I was missing another garment of clothing I typically wear (especially in the winter), but forwent this morning in order to experiment with what seems to be a clothing norm among Runners World Tulsa Facebookers--at least, among those who responded to a recent Facebook poll posted by Brian. My thoughts on this new experience? In a word: liberating.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 665 ft Location: Jenks, OK Elev. Gain: -10 ft Date: 02/20/10 Up/Downhill: [+925/-935] Time: 08:02 AM Difficulty: 3.9 / 5.0 Weather: Light Rain Fog/Mist 42 F temp; 92% humidity 42 F heat index; winds NE 5 Performance Distance: 18.33 miles Time: 2:35:26 Speed: 7.1 mph Pace: 8' 29 /mi Calories: 2183 Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 06 -0' 23 7.4 +0.3 -3 ft 2 8' 06 -0' 23 7.4 +0.3 +3 ft 3 8' 12 -0' 17 7.3 +0.2 -6 ft 4 8' 06 -0' 23 7.4 +0.3 0 ft 5 8' 22 -0' 07 7.2 +0.1 0 ft 6 9' 17 +0' 48 6.5 -0.6 +6 ft 7 9' 18 +0' 49 6.5 -0.6 +95 ft 8 8' 29 +0' 00 7.1 -0.0 +26 ft 9 8' 18 -0' 11 7.2 +0.1 -62 ft 10 11' 24 +2' 55 5.3 -1.8 +26 ft 11 8' 14 -0' 15 7.3 +0.2 -52 ft 12 8' 25 -0' 04 7.1 +0.0 +23 ft 13 8' 28 -0' 01 7.1 +0.0 +46 ft 14 9' 06 +0' 37 6.6 -0.5 -49 ft 15 8' 28 -0' 01 7.1 +0.0 +13 ft 16 8' 48 +0' 19 6.8 -0.3 +30 ft 17 8' 25 -0' 04 7.1 +0.0 -49 ft 18 8' 40 +0' 11 6.9 -0.2 -66 ft end 8' 23 -0' 06 7.2 +0.1 +3 ft Versus average of 8' 29 min/mile

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Racing Against the Clock

Last night, I had to charge my MP3 player. To do so, I use the same cable that I use to charge my Garmin (you can already see where this one's going). So I unplugged my Garmin and plugged in my MP3 player. This should not have been a problem, had I thought to turn my Garmin off when I unplugged it. But I didn't. So I woke up this morning to the "low battery" message on my Garmin. I plugged it in while I got ready for my run, hoping that it would provide just enough juice to get me through this morning's 6-miler. I checked it regularly over the course of my run, and every time I looked, it was indeed tracking me. Back at the car, I looked again, and fortunately, it stayed alive for my entire run.

I was happy with this morning's pace. One of my goals this morning was to keep my pace from dropping as I went ran my 5th mile. Mile 5 on my out-and-back on the Creek Turnpike is the section between 161st (Wal Mart) and 177th (not sure of the Broken Arrow name equivalents). There is a 79 ft. (~8 house stories) net gain that occurs over a relatively short section of the path. When I hit it on my return, I am headed west right into it. This elevation is one of the primary reasons I have shifted my running path to 145th starting east. I want to get to where running it requires less and less effort. I was able to maintain my pace, but my heart rate did jump a decent amount as a result of the section (and my speed dropped .1 MPH). Something to work on. As I hit this elevation, I normally think about the hills in OKC, and one particularly nasty hill I remember that immediately follows a pretty sharp right turn in the middle of a neighborhood, relatively early in the race. I remember hitting it last year. It sapped my strength pretty good. I hope to be better prepared for it this year.

This past week's runs (Monday, Wednesday, and today) have been pretty uneventful. This past Saturday, I decided to forgo the Poker Run, and I just did my own thing--11 miles to the Harvard hill and back. I ended up with an 8:13 pace for the 11 miles, which made me happy. If I could just stretch that pace across 26 miles!

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 667 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 02/18/10 Up/Downhill: [+508/-505] Time: 05:46 AM Difficulty: 3.9 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 25 F temp; 80% humidity 25 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 6.41 miles Time: 0:51:52 Speed: 7.4 mph Pace: 8' 05 /mi Heart Rate: 156 bpm (Avg) Calories: 760 190 bpm (Peak) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 10 +0' 05 7.3 -0.1 +13 ft 2 8' 14 +0' 09 7.3 -0.1 -19 ft 3 8' 09 +0' 04 7.4 -0.1 -39 ft 4 8' 09 +0' 04 7.3 -0.1 -7 ft 5 8' 09 +0' 04 7.4 -0.1 +79 ft 6 7' 53 -0' 12 7.6 +0.2 -26 ft end 7' 44 -0' 21 7.8 +0.3 +3 ft Versus average of 8' 05 min/mile

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A Revealing 18 Miles

Saturday's run started off...off. We forewent our traditional Veteran's Park HQ and started (and ended) down by the Riverwalk in Jenks. That off-ness was fine--actually good. It was a really nice change. The other off-ness was not as pleasant--at least, not for those who had to run with me. Typically on cold Saturday mornings, I will do everyone a favor and wear shorts over my tights. During my lonely weekday runs in the pitch black of 5:30 in the morning, I will skip the shorts. Apparently Saturday morning, I was still in weekday-mode, because I realized when I was about a mile from our new starting point that I had indeed forgotten my shorts. I considered turning around and making up my run on Sunday, but with last weekend's solo 14-miler fresh on my mind, I knew I did not want to have to do 18 on my own. So I stuck it out in my tights--my apologies to anyone who had to witness that.

The run was challenging. Dave's group is still pretty fast for me, and it took most of what I had just to keep up. At about mile 13.5, we hit the sharp incline on the turnpike trail just on the west side of Harvard. It pretty much sapped my remaining strength. Add to that the steep dips between Harvard and Yale, and my pace dropped significantly. I turned around at Yale and headed back to the Riverwalk. I got another little burst as I approached Harvard, and then coasted back to the tent. When I hit the tent, I looked at my Garmin: 17 miles on the dot. I was mentally prepared to run 18, and I knew I needed to hit 18, so I jogged into the Riverwalk parking down to the new construction a half mile and turned around.

I think my legs were still tired this morning, as I noticed a steady slowing and coasting. I had to tell myself to pick it up numerous times. My route was a little different this morning: a three-mile out-and-back starting on the Creek Turnpike Trail at 145th and going east. I think I'm going to run that route more frequently, as it is a very hilly few miles. I think I have gotten used to the hills at Memorial and Sheridan, and this morning, my body was having to kick in at different times, and that's a good thing.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 625 ft Location: Jenks, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 02/06/10 Up/Downhill: [+528/-528] Time: 08:00 AM Difficulty: 4.3 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 37 F temp; 78% humidity 37 F heat index; winds N 5 Performance Distance: 18.07 miles Time: 2:33:58 Speed: 7.0 mph Pace: 8' 31 /mi Calories: 2145 Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 35 +0' 04 7.0 -0.1 -3 ft 2 8' 32 +0' 01 7.0 -0.0 -3 ft 3 8' 37 +0' 06 7.0 -0.1 +7 ft 4 8' 24 -0' 07 7.1 +0.1 -6 ft 5 8' 32 +0' 01 7.0 -0.0 -3 ft 6 8' 24 -0' 07 7.1 +0.1 +9 ft 7 8' 20 -0' 11 7.2 +0.2 -13 ft 8 11' 15 +2' 44 5.3 -1.7 +10 ft 9 8' 17 -0' 14 7.2 +0.2 +3 ft 10 8' 01 -0' 30 7.5 +0.4 -10 ft 11 8' 18 -0' 13 7.2 +0.2 +10 ft 12 8' 29 -0' 02 7.1 +0.0 -10 ft 13 8' 23 -0' 08 7.2 +0.1 +4 ft 14 8' 43 +0' 12 6.9 -0.2 +99 ft 15 8' 30 -0' 01 7.0 +0.0 0 ft 16 8' 19 -0' 12 7.2 +0.2 -91 ft 17 8' 51 +0' 20 6.8 -0.3 0 ft 18 9' 08 +0' 37 6.6 -0.5 -10 ft end 10' 00 +1' 29 6.0 -1.0 +9 ft Versus average of 8' 31 min/mile

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I'll Run Here. Wait, No, Here

The fog was as thick as I've ever seen it when I headed down 81st to the Creek Turnpike Trail this morning. (Lucky I had my trusty head light!) I parked under the bridge across the street from Grace Fellowship and headed west...for about 100 yards. After slipping and sliding on the thin sheets of ice that were covering the path, I decided to turn around. I had hoped that the path would be clear today but alas, it wasn't.

As I got in my car and left, I debated: treadmill at the gym or neighborhood run. In light of the fact that a trip to the gym would require a clothing-change (no, I'm not going to wear my tights on the treadmill at the Y), and the fact that I just don't like to run on treadmills, the neighborhood run won out.

I decided to keep it at 5 miles (my plan for today was 8), as I had already lost too much time in my plan-change. It was one of those runs where I'd look up periodically and say, "how did I get here?" Guess I was just deep in thought--or just not paying attention (probably more likely).

I was very happy with my pace today. Not sure what happened there. Maybe I should just disengage more often? Of course, it's a very easy path. Essentially hill-free aside from a couple of minor inclines in the neighborhood streets.

Hopefully the sun will come out today and melt all of the the ice off of the Creek. I'd really like to hit 8 miles tomorrow, especially in preparation for this weekend's 18.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 672 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 02/03/10 Up/Downhill: [+193/-193] Time: 05:54 AM Difficulty: 2.8 / 5.0 Weather: Freezing Fog 26 F temp; 88% humidity 26 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 5.34 miles Time: 0:42:49 Speed: 7.5 mph Pace: 8' 01 /mi Heart Rate: 157 bpm (Avg) Calories: 635 167 bpm (Peak) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 11 +0' 10 7.3 -0.2 +13 ft 2 8' 06 +0' 05 7.4 -0.1 -7 ft 3 8' 03 +0' 02 7.5 -0.0 -7 ft 4 7' 57 -0' 04 7.5 +0.1 0 ft 5 7' 55 -0' 06 7.6 +0.1 0 ft end 7' 43 -0' 18 7.8 +0.3 0 ft Versus average of 8' 01 min/mile

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14 Tough Miles

I had planned to miss this past Saturday's run with the Runner's World group because my wife was supposed to be going out of town this weekend, and I was to be staying home with the kids. Six inches of snow later, my wife's trip was canceled. Nevertheless, I knew that beginning a 16-mile run at 8:00 on a snowy running path would put me back home at 10:30 or 11:00. Not wanting to be gone that long and that late in the day, I decided to wait until Sunday to get my long run in when I could start a little earlier in the day (and avoid the extra driving time on the slick streets).

On Sunday, I was up at 6:30, out running by a little after 7:00. As I was getting geared up, I silently debated on how far I really wanted to run. Five miles sounded great. Seven sounded ambitious. I still had not decided as I pushed Start on my Garmin.

The neighborhood streets were very icy still, but my Yaktrax were doing a nice job of keeping my footing. As I would push off, I could feel my feet sliding a little, but overall, I had secure traction.

I ran my old neighborhood trail (slightly modified)--ended up being about 6.5 miles. Of course, the entire 6.5 miles, I was thinking about how badly I needed a long run, and as I approached my house, I simply had to look at it longingly as I continued on for a second loop.

I ended up detouring into the neighborhood directly across the street from ours at the end of the second loop, simply to get in a little more distance. Ended up being just over 14 very challenging miles. Much of the challenge for me on a run like that it is pretty lonely for quite a while. One of the most beneficial aspects of running with the Runner's World group on Saturday mornings is that I am able to endure--no, embrace--my long runs with other people who are also agonizing!

As far as gear goes, I used my new water bottle for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortably it rode along. I was carrying 16 oz. of Cytomax, plus my phone, and it never bothered me. Fit snug against my lower back. Only problem was that I let a strap make contact with my skin (unknowingly) for much of my run, and I ended up with a pretty good burn. I can tell that my shoes are approaching the end of their running tenure, as my knees were pretty sore both yesterday and today (after this morning's run). I've been noticing some soreness recently, but nothing really substantial until yesterday and today. I am hoping that part of it is merely due to my poor form while running in snow and ice, because I'm hoping to stretch these shoes out at least until the end of February.

Upon walking in the utility room door, I heard both kids yell "Daddy!"--a perfect way to end a run. My daughter thought it was hilarious that I had ice in my goatee when I finally made it home. It took a while to get warmed back up--lots of coffee and pancakes--but I was so glad to have stuck it out for 14 miles. Yesterday's run was very slow (today's was even slower), but it was great mental practice.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 677 ft Location: Broken Arrow, OK Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 01/31/10 Up/Downhill: [+570/-570] Time: 07:21 AM Difficulty: 4.6 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 24 F temp; 91% humidity 24 F heat index; winds S 5 Performance Distance: 14.02 miles Time: 2:00:54 Speed: 7.0 mph Pace: 8' 37 /mi Calories: 1651 Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 17 -0' 20 7.2 +0.3 +13 ft 2 8' 39 +0' 02 6.9 -0.0 -13 ft 3 8' 32 -0' 05 7.0 +0.1 +20 ft 4 8' 34 -0' 03 7.0 +0.0 -29 ft 5 8' 16 -0' 21 7.2 +0.3 -3 ft 6 8' 29 -0' 08 7.1 +0.1 +10 ft 7 8' 24 -0' 13 7.1 +0.2 -3 ft 8 8' 43 +0' 06 6.9 -0.1 +26 ft 9 8' 30 -0' 07 7.0 +0.1 +17 ft 10 8' 54 +0' 17 6.7 -0.2 -23 ft 11 8' 44 +0' 07 6.9 -0.1 -17 ft 12 8' 51 +0' 14 6.8 -0.2 -3 ft 13 8' 58 +0' 21 6.7 -0.3 +10 ft end 9' 05 +0' 28 6.6 -0.4 -3 ft Versus average of 8' 37 min/mile

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