Name that Run

This weekend is the weekend after a race and the weekend before another race and the weekend before I start my January marathon training plan.  So today's run was a recovery, taper, base building run.  That's a mighty long name for a little ole 6 miles. 

While today's weather was definetely nicer than the oven like weather we've been experiencing here in Houston the past couple of months, I still wouldn't call it NICE.  My definition of nice involves temps another 30 degrees cooler, with cloud cover, and just the right amount of mist.  Oh well I'll take what I can get. 

Coach Les Miles and LSU Sports are tweeting to wear gold for this coming Saturday's game up in Washington.  I guess with 10-20 thousand tiger fans expected to make the trip we may be looking at home field advantage.....

7 Days to College Colors Day

Parkersburg News & Sentinel Half Marathon

I ran the News & Sentinel Half Marathon in Parkersburg, West Virginia this past Saturday for my 36th state. I flew to Columbus, Ohio Friday morning and drove to Parkersburg to pick up my race packet and attend the Friday evening pasta dinner. The Parkersburg race is held annually in conjunction with Homecoming weekend. It's a festival type atmosphere; the Saturday race courses are either a 2 mile course or a 1/2 marathon course. The race participants consist of mostly locals and a handful of Kenyans that compete for the race prize money.

I added my times per mile as well as my average heart rate and comments to the Parkersburg course description of the race:

Mile 1 – the first mile is fast and furious; the crowd is excited and many runners will get caught up in this excitement. Mile two will fix that. There is a slight upgrade but finishes with a steep downhill to the end of mile one.


8:22 146 AHR My 1st mile time per the Garmin was 7:31. I didn’t realize that there wasn’t a timing mat at the start line until 12 hours later lying in bed in another state. Mile 1 was spent dodging walkers that were ahead of me; it would have been nice if there were markers with estimated pace per mile for people to line up (not that that stops people from lining up in the wrong place but it’s at least an attempt to get people sorted out properly.)

Mile 2 – begins on a flat stretch of road and winds around to the bridge and Rt. 68. Construction a few years ago changed this mile. There is a moderate upgrade on the bridge that changes to a significant upgrade to the exit ramp. This is a HILL by any name. This is a tough little section of the course. Your legs will know you have been on a hill.

8:08 157 AHR As advertised, there is a hill at mile 2; I just don’t see how they couldn’t have mentioned all those other HILLS that were to come…..

Mile 3 – is different too because of the past construction. This is good news - good news. You are past the "hill" and now you will meander downhill to Marrtown Road. Once on Marrtown, the downhill grade continues. ENJOY!


8:19 161 AHR I thought I read that I was past the hill and mile 3 was downhill. Didn’t happen. Could I have been on the wrong course???

Mile 4 – you are now traveling on Route 95 close to Ryanwood Village. You have entered the realm of rolling hills. Gihon/Rt. 95 is not a tough section of the race but there are a series of small to moderate "rolls." This is a nice section to find your pace. The excitement of the start has died down and the big hill is behind you so this is a good time to get comfortable, considering you are racing.

7:46 155 AHR At this point I was thinking that there was no end to hills in sight. We are running through rural residential sections at this point; lots of folks were outside watching us running.

Mile 5 – Ditto from mile four. You will be close to the golf course, but no time to stop for a quick nine. You are still on Gihon Rd. and it is still rolling. Good time to work on your pacing skills, too early to get excited though. Good news is there is a great water stop at mile six and you are almost there.

8:09 160 AHR The golf course was probably the most scenic part of the course. Prior to this section, I was thinking to myself that this wasn’t a top 25 half marathon course.

Mile 6 - is just before the Evangelical Methodist Church and this is a great water stop. These people are just happy. You are beyond the rolling Gihon and you will find some nice flat land for a while, but it does not last forever.

8:19 162 AHR Once again, no mention of the monster climb to the mile 6 marker. This makes Flintridge look flat. I didn’t realize that rollers could be so mountain like!

HEY YOU ARE HALF WAY!!!!!!

The unofficial plan that I had for the race was to run the first half at or below 150 HR. The plan worked for mile 1; by mile 6 the HR plan was beyond recovery. I was just going to monitor the HR and see how I did.

Mile 7 – Gihon Rd. has turned into Rayon Dr. (it is the same street) and there is a hill to climb. Personally, this is my least favorite hill. You are getting tired and this is a real hill. Tough it out because there is a nice flat stretch just ahead of it. Be ready for it though. Get a good drink at that great water stop at mile six.

8:39 162 AHR Maybe this was the mile 6 hill; I really have a hard time distinguishing what hills they try to emphasize as hills compared to the general terrain in these hilly places.

Mile 8 and Mile 9 - You have crossed a large intersection and found a nice downhill to Camden Ave. This section is flat and can be very fast. If you have held your pace okay, this may be a place to test your legs; Camden is a nice lengthy stretch where you may be able to pick up a little time and stretch out your stride. You are getting close to the crowds and the finish. It is almost time to get excited.

8:32 162 AHR I finally found flatness at the 8.5 mile mark and it was gone before I reached mile 9.

9:01 160 AHR Mile 9 wasn’t a tough part of the course but I was just tired. Plus there is no shade on the course and with an 8 am start the sun had things pretty warm by this point.

Mile 10 – You have turned right onto Division St. It is flat, but if the temperature is up, you will feel it here, not much shade and sometimes little air is moving. There is traffic again and you should notice a few more people on the course to cheer you on. You will cross the bridge headed back into downtown Parkersburg. The best thing about this mile is it leads you to mile 11 and almost home.

9:16 157 AHR The bridge headed back to Parkersburg is a definite incline. So much of an incline that it had me wondering if this was the mile 11 hill that I heard so much about.

Mile 11- finds you on Avery St.; this area is flat for the most part, with slight upgrades. Return runners and locals will be passing this spot knowing he/she is only one block from the finish line, but it will take him/her over two miles to get there! Good news is there are some shaded spots on this road.

Bad news is - OH NO!!! 13th St. HILL!!! "Good Grief super runners/walkers, what are we to do?" Even though this hill has a reputation, it is what it is, short and sweet. It is tough because your legs are tired, but there is a very nice downhill just beyond this demon that feels wonderful. You are less than two miles to finish, don’t give up hope now.

9:25 161 AHR The 13th street hill really was a short but very steep incline. I walked the entire steepness of it and still was under a 9:30 mile so it was very short.

Mile 12 – Construction moved the race onto 17th St. several years ago. Mile 12 is located at St. Mary’s Ave and 17th St. After a little zig and zag, you have a straight shot to Market St. and home. I thought the road looked like it had a slight upgrade, but it didn’t feel like it when I ran it. You decide. You will turn left onto Market St. and a perpetual downhill grade to finish. You are probably getting excited by now; you deserve it, you are almost here.

10:12 157 AHR Lots of walking going on here. Just wanting this puppy to end at this point.

Mile 13 – is located at 6th St. and Market. You can see, you can hear it, you can feel it, so go get it; the finish is downhill and fast. Leave nothing on the course and go for the gusto. I will leave the light on for you.

9:36 [8:32 pace for last 1.1 miles] 160 AHR I picked up the pace in the last half mile and ended up hitting my max HR of 173 for the race right near the end. The finish was downhill as advertised.

Total gun time (no net chip time) 1:53:47 max HR 173 AHR 158

Things That Make You Go Ahhhh

Parkersburg, WV forecast for this weekend calls for a high of 77 and lows around 60. Both of those are running about 20 degrees cooler than what we've been experiencing in the Houston area this summer. Woot!

Unfortunately, I have a feeling their hills will look somewhat like this to me:

I always say heat, hills, and humidity are best battled one on one. Its that combination that makes them a killer.

I plan on running an easy 4 miles this evening after work or tomorrow morning. My next run after that will be the half marathon in Parkersburg. I need to go home and see if I remember how to pack as its been over 6 months since my last running trip. Should be a great weekend!

Marathoning the Hansons' Way

It's been over 7 months now since I signed up for the Goofy challenge at Walt DisneyWorld this coming January. Reality is starting to set in that I'll actually have to start marathon training at some point. I really have no desire to run a 20 mile training run so I think I'll look into the Hansons' Way training program. Gotta love a 16 mile max distance long run.

No matter what amount of training I do from this point out I will be better trained than the last time I ran the marathon at WDW. This January marks the 10th anniversary of my first marathon that was also run at WDW. Back then I had one dri fit shirt, didn't log my runs, didn't track shoe mileage and was totally in awe of the marathon distance. This time around will be only my 5th marathon but I no longer fear the distance. I do respect the distance but know that it can be conquered.

This morning's 12 mile run turned into 12.75. My average HR was right under 75% max so mission accomplished. This week will be easy low mileage stuff resting up for my 1/2 next Saturday morning in Parkersburg, WV. Hoping for cool weather!!!

New New Balances

I've been running my training runs either in New Balance 1062s or 1063s these days. They've been fine for my training runs but I haven't decided what I'll be running my races in going forward. New Balance discontinued their 826 shoe model late last year without designating a replacement model. I've heard from various review that the 757 now 758 shoe is comparable to the 826. I ordered a pair of the 758s today to see if they will become my race day shoe of choice. Price at Online Shoes was around $90 with free shipping before a trip to coupon cabin got me an additional 20% off so can't really complain about the cost.

Natural Pain Relief

Yesterday was the final day of my steroid treatment for my tennis elbow. I also began using a natural gel called Sore No More to apply to my right elbow. I believe I received a sample of this stuff at the Canyonlands 1/2 in Moab, UT. I know it was somewhere out west..... after a while all these races and states start blending together. Anyways, I liked the sample so ordered a jar awhile back; the stuff really feels good on my elbow. Evidently it keeps on working too; as I sweat running on the treamill at lunch I could feel it warming up again. More so in the shower post run.
I checked out the Runner's World forums for the first time in awhile today. I discovered yet another online 1/2 support group, Half Fanatics. Um yeah..... I qualify as a 1/2 fanatic!!!!

Saved by the 10 Percent Rule

This weekend's running came out looking nothing like what I had planned. Well at least Saturdays no running. I was planning on running the Run the Woodlands 5k series but slept in until almost 9.... very late indeed for me.
I was up before 6 this morning and headed up to Huntsville State Park for my long run. I had just finished my coffee when I saw flashing lights up ahead. There is construction in the area but it looked to me like the lights were right in the middle of the interstate. Turns out they were. I had to exit for a hundred yards or so and got right back on the interstate. They had cops at both the exit and entrance.... I wasn't sure what they were doing. A few miles later, a message board on the interstate was displaying an "Elderly missing" notice along with a license plate number and a while olds cutlas vehicle description. I guess they were rerouting traffic at the particular construction point to get a look at vehicles. Early Sunday morning didn't have much traffic. The message was still on the boards on my return to the Houston area.
I had originally planned on running 13 miles this weekend to get to my race mileage 2 weeks before my race. Next weekend will be a 12 mile week and then taper to race day. I carry 36 ounces of hydration wearing a fuel belt on my long run; that usually last me the 9 something miles that I've been running. Before hitting the trails this morning, I ran 2 miles on the roads at Huntsville State Park so that I could drink and then stop and pick up my fuel belt for the run. Running on the road was nice and I did notice that my speed is much faster on the road compared to the trails. It will be interesting to see how that translates in Parkersburg in less than 2 weeks.
Running the 2 miles before the trails and my normal 9.25 trail route got me 11.25 miles this morning. I decided to call it quits at 11 as I looked like I had fallen in the lake plus I had already exceeded a 10% increase in last weeks mileage. Next time I'll need to run any extra mileage before I hit the trails.
I won't be back to Huntsville for 5 or 6 weeks now as I've got next week running from home, Parkersburg 1/2 the next week, next week at home and the next week in Seattle. That will be my longest break from the trails in quite some time.

Tennis Elbow

If you're going to have an injury and you're a runner, tennis elbow is one of the better injuries that you could have if you got to pick and choose your injury. I was diagnosed with tennis elbow Monday and started taking a corticosteroid used to treat arthritis pain and inflammation. My Achilles tendons are in heaven right now. I'll have to keep this in mind if I get an acute case of tendonitis again. I'm on a 6 day 21 tablet load up and back off dosage. Hopefully the elbow pain will subside and the achilles will stay happy.

Just Another Day in Paradise

I woke up early and headed to Huntsville State Park for another hilly long run. I experienced a first in that the park gates were locked when I arrived around 6:30. I had to mix my sport drink so just pulled into the lot near the gate and by the time I had my last FuelBelt bottle filled a park ranger had opened the gates.

Last week I saw a couple of deer for the first time in the park; today I saw 3 that were all together. They spotted me and watched for a second to see where I was headed before they took off.

The mileage plan today was a repeat of last week.... close to 11 by adding loops in near the end of the run. It was pretty humid out there... at least by the amount of sweat that I was producing it seemed to be. My HR stayed pretty low for me and I felt good early on so I pushed a little harder than I had in the past. When I got to the loop turnoff, I passed on the extra mileage and finished just a little over 9 miles. I think I'll try to get 13 or so in next weekend and then run the weekend before the race in flatter land near the house. There you have it.... training on the fly.

I haven't seen anything printed yet about the Houston marathon and half but am still confused about the seperate caps that were placed on the races this year along with the ability to transfer into a sold out event. Why place seperate caps if you're going to allow transfers even after one of the caps has been met. It makes it look like its all about the money. In this case, 1/2'ers paying the full marathon fee plus a $10 transfer fee. Amazingly, that is still cheaper than the Disney 1/2 fee. Anyways, if there are more 1/2 than full participants, maybe there should be a change to the 1/2 course to make it more scenic. I think removing the viaduct and adding Memorial Park would be a welcome change. Just an innocent bystander here as I'm not running Houston this year but those thoughts dominated my run this morning.