When I signed up for this race in early March, my training was going really well. I intended to challenge my PR on this fast, flat course in New Orleans. Two months later after completin.g back to back halfs, my training fell off the side of a cliff with work and later moving taking huge chunks of my time. Add in achilles tendonitis in both legs and my weekly mileage dropped to single digits.
Since moving back to Louisiana early August, I had logged one weekend long run along with 2 half marathons prior to this race. Since the Gulf Coast 1/2 3 weeks prior to this weekend, I had 4 5 mile weekday runs. With all that said, I was totally pleased with my time of 1:55 in this race. The weather was to my liking with start temps in the lower 50s. There was a brisk 10-20 mph wind but with the course being looped, there were head, tail and cross winds. I definetely can deal with wind better than heat.
The start and finish were moved to near Lafayette Square this year. This gave more room for the post race party; otherwise, the course was the same as last year's course.
With the Louisiana Marathon and Half 11 weeks away, I'm ready to start training properly for this upcoming race. I'm now officially down to one house and am pretty much done with getting settled in so no excuses for those weekend long runs!
Thanks to the New Orleans Saints 55 point beatdown on the Indianapolis Colts, I'm now registered for Rock N Roll New Orleans in early March. I don't think competitor envisioned a 55 point spread when coming up with their promotion for discounted registration the day after Saints games. $1 per point netted me a 1/2 marathon registration under $40. The savings have been capped at $21 for future discounts.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Gulf Coast Half Marathon Louisiana Northshore
After traveling 4465 miles in straight line distance for the Bupa Great North Run last month, this past Sunday's half marathon in Fontainebleau State Park was a wake up in your own bed event for me.
With 1149 finishers Sunday, the field was much smaller than the 54,000 runners registered for the GNR. I am favoring smaller events these days; there were plenty of runners around me the entire race.
Estimating a 12 week intermediate half marathon training plan at 225-250 miles, I logged just over 100 miles for the 12 weeks leading up to this race. The lack of training came back to haunt me around the 8 mile mark, a little earlier than last months GNR but understandable given the warmer weather conditions and abundant sunshine.
All in all, it was a great race for my 61st half marathon. It was my first race in Louisiana outside of New Orleans.
Next up is the Jazz half in New Orleans the last Saturday this month.
With 1149 finishers Sunday, the field was much smaller than the 54,000 runners registered for the GNR. I am favoring smaller events these days; there were plenty of runners around me the entire race.
Estimating a 12 week intermediate half marathon training plan at 225-250 miles, I logged just over 100 miles for the 12 weeks leading up to this race. The lack of training came back to haunt me around the 8 mile mark, a little earlier than last months GNR but understandable given the warmer weather conditions and abundant sunshine.
All in all, it was a great race for my 61st half marathon. It was my first race in Louisiana outside of New Orleans.
Next up is the Jazz half in New Orleans the last Saturday this month.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Bupa Great North Run
Just back from my first trip to England where I ran in the Bupa Great North Run September 18th. This race is currently the world's largest half marathon with a maximum capacity of 54,000 runners. A general lottery is held for race entries as well as many entries being reserved for runners racing money for various charities.
I must admit that the trip was poorly organized on my part as I was pre occupied for the months leading up to the race buying and selling houses and relocating from Texas to Louisiana for work. Once my actual move date was nailed down and my move completed in early August, I decided in mid August that I would indeed make the trip for the race.
I first learned of this huge race in northern England in October last year. I wore my race shirt for the Jazz Half Marathon that I had just completed on my flight back to Houston from New Orleans. The guy seated next to me was returning to England after vacationing in New Orleans. Seeing my race shirt, he told me about the Newcastle race and how difficult it was to secure a spot in the event.
Once I got home, I researched the race and noted the lottery opening date on my calendar. I entered the lottery not confident that I would be selected. So as luck would have it, my entry was successful when the lottery was held in January. Once selected, I booked a race transfer package that included lodging for the night prior to the race. Not knowing anything about the area, I just blindly selected a place based on website descriptions (and price of course).
Reviving my trip planning seven months after being entered into the race and having one nights lodging booked, I booked a Wednesday to Wednesday flight from New Orleans to London with United or Continental (can you really tell these days?). I bought a book on England earlier in the year to help with my planning. Based on the 7 days I would be in England, I booked a couple of nights in a hotel in Bath for my first 2 days and then 3 nights in London post race. A week before the trip and I had nothing booked for travel within England.
Friday before leaving, I decided to purchase a 4 day rail pass for my travel within England. Thanks goodness for 2 day Fedex shipping as I received the pass the day before my flight.
I arrived at the airport Wednesday afternoon for my 5:20 pm flight and all was going well until my flight was cancelled due to a mechanical problem right when we were supposed to start the boarding process. As instructed, I got my bag from baggage claim and proceeded to the ticketing counter along with the rest of the passengers to figure out new transportation. Louis Armstrong is not a large airport and not much flight activity occurs after 5:00. It seemed that most people were heading home with flight plans for the following day. I got lucky and was put on an American flight at 7:00 connection to London through Dallas instead of my original flight connecting through DC.
After going through a long customs line to get into England, I had my rail pass activated and was on my way to Bath. My hotel was very old with a tiny, slanted 2nd floor by England count (3rd floor to us Americans) room with a private external bathroom. It was within a half mile of the train station.
After a great 2 day stay, I caught a 9:00 train to Darlington where I would determine how I would make it to my lodging booked way back in February. After the 7 hour train ride, I arrived in Darlington and sought information on local transportation options. Prior to heading to England, I looked into renting a vehicle. The problem I encountered was that no car rental companies were open on Sunday. I needed to return the car Sunday post race in order to travel to London on the 4th day of my 4 day rail pass.
With no car rental agency in sight of the train station, I opted for a train to Bishop Auckland in order to get somewhat closer to my lodging. Once arriving at the BA unmanned station, I walked over to the nearest business and one of the employees graciously called a cab company for me. My Verizon cell phone was in paperweight mode the entire trip as Verizon's platform does not work at all in England.
Almost 40 quid later, I was at the bed and breakfast. I then had the issue of figuring out a way to get to the shuttle bus pickup area in Dunham the next morning for the race. Another couple staying at the bed and breakfast offered me a ride to the bus the next morning so I was set for the race.
I had breakfast race morning at 6; at 7:30 we caught a bus to the race start. The race atmosphere was fantastic; many runners were dressed in costume. After the elite wheelchair and elite women's start, we got underway after the Red Angels did a flyover.
Like Alaska, weather was fantastic; course was nice; training was lacking. Severly. I thought my training for my mid June Alaska race was off, training for this race was practically non existent.
12 week leadup in 4 week increments:
First 4 weeks: 32 miles
Second 4 weeks: 11 miles
Third 4 weeks: 41 miles
Mile splits show the lack of training in the later miles:
Mile 1 8:54
Mile 2 8:39
Mile 3 8:38
Mile 4 8:44
Mile 5-6 17:02
Mile 7 8:49
Mile 8 8:36
Mile 9-10 20:01
Mile 11-12 19:35
Mile 13.1 9:21
Total 1:57
Post race, I got my checked bag, changed in a portolet and caught the shuttle bus back to Durham. Once in Durham, I ran around looking for a taxi. I finally went to a hotel and had them order me a taxi to get back to the bed and breakfast. I had the taxi wait at the b&b while I retrieved my luggage and then continued my fare to the train station in Darlington. Total fare was over 100 quid. Yikes.
After the long train trip to London, I caught the tube to my hotel. After sitting for so long post race, I hobbled around the remainder of my trip. Yeah, lack of training had alot to do with that as well.
All in all, it could have been a much better planned trip but it was another successful run for me. This was my first run outside of the United States. There are no eminent plans for a second international run.
I must admit that the trip was poorly organized on my part as I was pre occupied for the months leading up to the race buying and selling houses and relocating from Texas to Louisiana for work. Once my actual move date was nailed down and my move completed in early August, I decided in mid August that I would indeed make the trip for the race.
I first learned of this huge race in northern England in October last year. I wore my race shirt for the Jazz Half Marathon that I had just completed on my flight back to Houston from New Orleans. The guy seated next to me was returning to England after vacationing in New Orleans. Seeing my race shirt, he told me about the Newcastle race and how difficult it was to secure a spot in the event.
Once I got home, I researched the race and noted the lottery opening date on my calendar. I entered the lottery not confident that I would be selected. So as luck would have it, my entry was successful when the lottery was held in January. Once selected, I booked a race transfer package that included lodging for the night prior to the race. Not knowing anything about the area, I just blindly selected a place based on website descriptions (and price of course).
Reviving my trip planning seven months after being entered into the race and having one nights lodging booked, I booked a Wednesday to Wednesday flight from New Orleans to London with United or Continental (can you really tell these days?). I bought a book on England earlier in the year to help with my planning. Based on the 7 days I would be in England, I booked a couple of nights in a hotel in Bath for my first 2 days and then 3 nights in London post race. A week before the trip and I had nothing booked for travel within England.
Friday before leaving, I decided to purchase a 4 day rail pass for my travel within England. Thanks goodness for 2 day Fedex shipping as I received the pass the day before my flight.
I arrived at the airport Wednesday afternoon for my 5:20 pm flight and all was going well until my flight was cancelled due to a mechanical problem right when we were supposed to start the boarding process. As instructed, I got my bag from baggage claim and proceeded to the ticketing counter along with the rest of the passengers to figure out new transportation. Louis Armstrong is not a large airport and not much flight activity occurs after 5:00. It seemed that most people were heading home with flight plans for the following day. I got lucky and was put on an American flight at 7:00 connection to London through Dallas instead of my original flight connecting through DC.
After going through a long customs line to get into England, I had my rail pass activated and was on my way to Bath. My hotel was very old with a tiny, slanted 2nd floor by England count (3rd floor to us Americans) room with a private external bathroom. It was within a half mile of the train station.
After a great 2 day stay, I caught a 9:00 train to Darlington where I would determine how I would make it to my lodging booked way back in February. After the 7 hour train ride, I arrived in Darlington and sought information on local transportation options. Prior to heading to England, I looked into renting a vehicle. The problem I encountered was that no car rental companies were open on Sunday. I needed to return the car Sunday post race in order to travel to London on the 4th day of my 4 day rail pass.
With no car rental agency in sight of the train station, I opted for a train to Bishop Auckland in order to get somewhat closer to my lodging. Once arriving at the BA unmanned station, I walked over to the nearest business and one of the employees graciously called a cab company for me. My Verizon cell phone was in paperweight mode the entire trip as Verizon's platform does not work at all in England.
Almost 40 quid later, I was at the bed and breakfast. I then had the issue of figuring out a way to get to the shuttle bus pickup area in Dunham the next morning for the race. Another couple staying at the bed and breakfast offered me a ride to the bus the next morning so I was set for the race.
I had breakfast race morning at 6; at 7:30 we caught a bus to the race start. The race atmosphere was fantastic; many runners were dressed in costume. After the elite wheelchair and elite women's start, we got underway after the Red Angels did a flyover.
Like Alaska, weather was fantastic; course was nice; training was lacking. Severly. I thought my training for my mid June Alaska race was off, training for this race was practically non existent.
12 week leadup in 4 week increments:
First 4 weeks: 32 miles
Second 4 weeks: 11 miles
Third 4 weeks: 41 miles
Mile splits show the lack of training in the later miles:
Mile 1 8:54
Mile 2 8:39
Mile 3 8:38
Mile 4 8:44
Mile 5-6 17:02
Mile 7 8:49
Mile 8 8:36
Mile 9-10 20:01
Mile 11-12 19:35
Mile 13.1 9:21
Total 1:57
Post race, I got my checked bag, changed in a portolet and caught the shuttle bus back to Durham. Once in Durham, I ran around looking for a taxi. I finally went to a hotel and had them order me a taxi to get back to the bed and breakfast. I had the taxi wait at the b&b while I retrieved my luggage and then continued my fare to the train station in Darlington. Total fare was over 100 quid. Yikes.
After the long train trip to London, I caught the tube to my hotel. After sitting for so long post race, I hobbled around the remainder of my trip. Yeah, lack of training had alot to do with that as well.
All in all, it could have been a much better planned trip but it was another successful run for me. This was my first run outside of the United States. There are no eminent plans for a second international run.
Mayor's Half Marathon
I ran my 2nd half marathon in Alaska June 18th, this time in Anchorage. 90+ days later here is my race report (at least what I remember).
Weather was nice; course was nice; race would have been nicer had I trained adequately. I still had some benefits from my training earlier in the year for my back to back halfs; the mileage in my 12 week training period was:
First 4 weeks: 100 miles
Second 4 weeks: 80 miles
Third 4 weeks: 50 miles
There was a definete lack of a build up or the longest taper period I have ever done! My time by mile shows the lack of conditioning aka the tank being empty the last few miles:
Mile 1 8:34
Mile 2 7:57
Mile 3 8:03
Mile 4 7:58
Mile 5 7:51
Mile 6 7:32
Mile 7 8:01
Mile 8 8:23
Mile 9 9:07
Mile 10 8:34
Mile 11 8:40
Mile 12 9:25
Mile 13 11:09
Total time 1:51
I spent a week post race on a well organized tour booked through an Alaskan travel company. Transfers were all taken care of, tours booked, lodging secured. All I had to do was show up. After spending a day in Anchorage, I visited Kenai Fjords and Denali National parks. Portions of my transportation was via the Alaskan railroad, a very scenic travel method!
Weather was nice; course was nice; race would have been nicer had I trained adequately. I still had some benefits from my training earlier in the year for my back to back halfs; the mileage in my 12 week training period was:
First 4 weeks: 100 miles
Second 4 weeks: 80 miles
Third 4 weeks: 50 miles
There was a definete lack of a build up or the longest taper period I have ever done! My time by mile shows the lack of conditioning aka the tank being empty the last few miles:
Mile 1 8:34
Mile 2 7:57
Mile 3 8:03
Mile 4 7:58
Mile 5 7:51
Mile 6 7:32
Mile 7 8:01
Mile 8 8:23
Mile 9 9:07
Mile 10 8:34
Mile 11 8:40
Mile 12 9:25
Mile 13 11:09
Total time 1:51
I spent a week post race on a well organized tour booked through an Alaskan travel company. Transfers were all taken care of, tours booked, lodging secured. All I had to do was show up. After spending a day in Anchorage, I visited Kenai Fjords and Denali National parks. Portions of my transportation was via the Alaskan railroad, a very scenic travel method!
Monday, September 12, 2011
First double digit run since June 18th
Yesterday I ran 10.01 miles as my final/only long training run before Bupa Great North Run this coming Sunday. It was the first time that I hit double digits since running Mayor's Half Marathon in Anchorage back in June. Little did I know how much undertrained I would be going into GNR compared to Mayors as my training for Mayors was less than stellar.
Basically my mileage came crashing to a halt after my back to back half weekend April 30th/May 1st. Work responsibilites in May followed by a work relocation zapped most of my free time. Hopefully I will be down to one house in about a month. I also hope to continue my increased training as I have two Louisiana half marathons next month.
Basically my mileage came crashing to a halt after my back to back half weekend April 30th/May 1st. Work responsibilites in May followed by a work relocation zapped most of my free time. Hopefully I will be down to one house in about a month. I also hope to continue my increased training as I have two Louisiana half marathons next month.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
I run like a Paw Paw
2 days after my 47th birthday, I was blessed with 2 grandchildren. They arrived a few weeks early so have spent time in the Special Care unit. James came home Monday and hopefully Emmaleigh will be joining him shortly.
I'll be joining them as well; well, I'll be getting closer to them at least. I'm relocating back to the New Orleans area after almost 6 years of running The Woodlands.
I'll be joining them as well; well, I'll be getting closer to them at least. I'm relocating back to the New Orleans area after almost 6 years of running The Woodlands.
Emmaleigh Grace
James Patrick
Sunday, June 5, 2011
13.1 Chicago
After running over 50 half marathons in 45 states, I no longer have many "race firsts" in events these days. Yesterday morning at 13.1 chicago I did not receive an official race time for the first time. Only 130 of the 5000 or so participants received official times as the course was red flagged around 1:45 into the race. The red flag was changed to black a couple of miles later at about the 11.5 mile mark for me. I was able to finish the race and did receive a race medal.
The event started under yellow flag conditions in the mid 70s and balmy. Shining sun and not much shade on lakeshore made for tough running. The course reminded me of the Gary Bjorklund 1/2 course in Duluth MN that is run along Lake Superior vs Lake Michigan in Chicago.
Weather aside, 13.1 chicago seemed much better organized than reports I'd heard of other 13.1 events. Packet pickup was in a local running store within walking distance of the L. Shuttle transportation to and from the start/finish went very smoothly. I just would have liked to have had the need to check warmups but it just wasn't meant to be.
When I registered for this race, I had visions of training hard in an attempt to PR on a flat fast course. Work got in the way of training, so I'm not disappointed with the warm weather. I run another half in 2 weeks. Weather in Anchorage should be cooler than yesterday!
Mile 1 8:54
Mile 2 8:16
Mile 3 8:04
Mile 4 9:04
Mile 5 9:20
Mile 6 10:53
Mile 7 7:47 looks like this mile was short?
Mile 8 10:50
Mile 9 11:03
Mile 10 11:04
Mile 11 10:28
Mile 12 12:04
Mile 13.1 11:39
Total unofficial time: 2:09. My previous time May 1st in Lincoln was 1:49.
The event started under yellow flag conditions in the mid 70s and balmy. Shining sun and not much shade on lakeshore made for tough running. The course reminded me of the Gary Bjorklund 1/2 course in Duluth MN that is run along Lake Superior vs Lake Michigan in Chicago.
Weather aside, 13.1 chicago seemed much better organized than reports I'd heard of other 13.1 events. Packet pickup was in a local running store within walking distance of the L. Shuttle transportation to and from the start/finish went very smoothly. I just would have liked to have had the need to check warmups but it just wasn't meant to be.
When I registered for this race, I had visions of training hard in an attempt to PR on a flat fast course. Work got in the way of training, so I'm not disappointed with the warm weather. I run another half in 2 weeks. Weather in Anchorage should be cooler than yesterday!
Mile 1 8:54
Mile 2 8:16
Mile 3 8:04
Mile 4 9:04
Mile 5 9:20
Mile 6 10:53
Mile 7 7:47 looks like this mile was short?
Mile 8 10:50
Mile 9 11:03
Mile 10 11:04
Mile 11 10:28
Mile 12 12:04
Mile 13.1 11:39
Total unofficial time: 2:09. My previous time May 1st in Lincoln was 1:49.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Back to Back Half Marathon Weekend Version 2011
With only 7 states remaining in my 50 state half marathon quest, finding opportunities to pick up 2 new states over a weekend is becoming more difficult. I had these 2 states and races in my sites for a few years and was just waiting for the end of April and beginning of May Saturday/Sunday dates to line up correctly with the calendar.
Drake Relays half marathon is held every year the last Saturday in April as part of the Drake Relays. The Lincoln half marathon is a companion half held in conjuntion with the Lincoln marathon the first Sunday in May. So for 2011, I was able to run the 2 events Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st and pick up states 44 and 45.
Race week brought me some weather related news regarding my online running log. After not being able to access Buckeye Outdoors website for a couple of days, the following message appeared in the website Thursday evening:
After starting out using nothing to record miles in my first marathon to using a stopwatch to click miles in my first few half marathons before getting a Timex watch with lap features to getting my first Garmin back in 2006, keeping mileage logs has become more and more important to me. So hearing the above news that the one place that had all my marathon and half marathon results plus other distance PR times had lost all data was somewhat troubling. However, Thursday evening was my normal start packing for a race weekend time so I did my normal post final training run laundry routine and started gathering items for my back to back running weekend. When running a single race while traveling, I don't pack my Garmin charger; for a double race weekend, I packed the charger to make sure I'd have enough battery for both races. With a wet Saturday forecast for Des Moines, I also packed 2 of everything (including running shoes) in case everything got soaked Saturday.
As 2 pairs of my size 13's could probably fill a carry on bag alone, I packed in a bigger bag and took advantage of my Continental One Pass elite access for the first time by checking a bag for free. After completing my packing for the most part, I headed to bed after 11 knowing that Friday would be a busy traveling day for me. I woke up early Friday with Waldo wanting his early morning breakfast as usual. After feeding him, I decided to get something out of the freezer for myself. I then discovered that my freezer was not nearly as cold as it should be; food was partially thawing out. After noticing frost in the back of my frost free unit, I got online and tried troubleshooting the problem. Around 4:00 in the morning, I was removing the back panel of my unit and cleaning stuff out with a brush and my vacuum cleaner attachment. I then replugged the unit and tried to get a little more sleep. After not much luck sleeping more and as much luck with the unit cooling down, I unplugged the unit and emptied out the freezer. I just left the kitchen with the refrigerator pulled out in pieces; this would become a Sunday evening project!
I dropped Waldo off at Cozy Paws on the way to the airport. Cozy Paws is really convenient and is a great alternative to more exclusive cage free dog boarding facilities that are further out in Conroe and don't do as well with problem pooches. You'd think with a picture with Caesar that they could handle dogs better. Just saying.....
I then made my way to IAH for a mid morning flight to Kansas City. A hassle free flight and a smooth car rental had me on my way for the 3 hour drive to Des Moines right around 1:00PM. I drove straight to packet pickup on Drake campus and then checked into the Hyatt Place downtown for my night in Des Moines. When I started unpacking, I discovered that my Garmin was nowhere to be found. Charger was there but turns out my Garmin was back in my dining room hundreds of miles away.
Saturday morning was cloudy and 56 with light rain having passed through the area earlier. With no Garmin to record my data (that may be eventually be lost with all my other data) I found myself without a watch for the first time since running the Great Alaskan Maritime Marathon cruise with the Bingham/Hadfield no need for speed gang. On that cruise, the running catch was to try and run your events at the same pace without using a watch in order to emphasize consistency versus speed (so I found out I'm neither fast nor consistent that week). Having run a half marathon in Juneau without a watch gave me some confidence heading into this event.
My one concern of going out too fast proved to be valid and would come back to kick me in the butt later in the race. One thing about the Drake field; well two things about the Drake field. Being held in conjuction with the Drake relays with high school,college, and open divisions competing at track and field events, there were true athletes all around the area and entered in the event. The other thing was with a 2 1/2 hour time limit, you only had serious race walkers and runners that could maintain an 11:30 pace.
The only clock I saw was at the finish line. Mile markers were painted on the ground so weren't easy to spot. Some miles had volunteers calling out times but many did not. I started a few seconds after the gun so the times called out were pretty close to accurate. I ran the first 5 miles at an 8 minute per mile pace. The warmer weather, hillier than anticipated conditions quickly did me in and I found myself walking up quite a few hills later in the race. The route was quite beautiful; things were starting to bloom and it was a pleasant although tough course. After mile 5, I got a timer that called out a 1:25 time at mile 10 which was about 8:30 pace for me. The last 3 miles were at a 10 minute pace to put me at 1:55 for the finish. I could have pushed through but was holding back for Sunday's race.
After finishing, I got my medal and some post race food and headed back to the hotel to clean up and make another 3 hour drive west to Lincoln for Sunday's race. The early morning rain brought in a front that had me driving into 30 mile hour headwinds the entire drive. I arrived around 4 in Lincoln; checked into the Cornhusker (sounded like the appropriate place to stay on my only night ever in Nebraska) and made my way to the expo. The expo, restaurants, the start and finish line were all within walking distance of the hotel which was convenient. It was very windy Saturday and felt cooler than Des Moines.
Sunday morning brought weather in the lower 40s and calmer winds. I walked to the race area, checked my bag and lined up right in front of the 9:00 pace sign. The Des Moines hills had me somewhat concerned about what hills Lincoln would throw at me. I had read that Lincoln would have narrowing barricades at the start to attempt to spread out the race before the course narrowed around mile 6. With that said, it took me over 10 minutes to start post gun and didn't help much with the course narrowing later in the event. While the narrowing barricades was a nice attempt, it failed mostly because people lined up in the wrong spots. When you pass walkers walking 3 abreast within the first 2 miles of the race you know that the honor system just doesn't work. If you're going to attempt to spread out the race, use a seeded corral system to accomplish the task. I've run the Chicago marathon with 4 times as many people that didn't feel nearly as crowded as Lincoln was the entire 13.1 miles.
I was surprised that much of Linclon was run on a sidewalk starting around mile 6. A field of 10,000 running on a sidewalk made for a very crowded event. I was feeling great Sunday and was passing lots of runners. My times/splits are below:
My pace by split was 8:51, 8:29, 8:24 and 8:21. I felt strong the entire race but did tire by having to weave through runners the entire race.
The finish on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium was nice. Having a bigger race field than Drake, Lincoln had more spectators along the route. The finish area in the stadium was congested with spectators as well. Post race was another quick clean up and then hit the road for another 3 hour drive back to Kansas City. I got home about an hour later than planned due to storm delays. Plugged in the refrigerator and its working fine.....so far. Still no verdict on the Buckeye data recovery. Garmin is ready to run again. My quads not so much....ready for a post race massage.
Drake Relays half marathon is held every year the last Saturday in April as part of the Drake Relays. The Lincoln half marathon is a companion half held in conjuntion with the Lincoln marathon the first Sunday in May. So for 2011, I was able to run the 2 events Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st and pick up states 44 and 45.
Race week brought me some weather related news regarding my online running log. After not being able to access Buckeye Outdoors website for a couple of days, the following message appeared in the website Thursday evening:
And I thought running in the rain was my biggest weather related issue!Buckeye Outdoors has suffered a major outage. A series of electrical storms first knocked out the backup servers that were located at the backup up location. Then the unthinkable happened 4 days later and a second electrical storm caused an extended power outage at the datacenter where the primary Buckeye Outdoors servers are hosted. The current situation is pretty grimm and I'm despritly trying to recover the data that has been lost. If I am un able to recover the data I will put the application back online but right now I am holding out hope and I even might send the Hard Disks to a data recovery place.
After starting out using nothing to record miles in my first marathon to using a stopwatch to click miles in my first few half marathons before getting a Timex watch with lap features to getting my first Garmin back in 2006, keeping mileage logs has become more and more important to me. So hearing the above news that the one place that had all my marathon and half marathon results plus other distance PR times had lost all data was somewhat troubling. However, Thursday evening was my normal start packing for a race weekend time so I did my normal post final training run laundry routine and started gathering items for my back to back running weekend. When running a single race while traveling, I don't pack my Garmin charger; for a double race weekend, I packed the charger to make sure I'd have enough battery for both races. With a wet Saturday forecast for Des Moines, I also packed 2 of everything (including running shoes) in case everything got soaked Saturday.
As 2 pairs of my size 13's could probably fill a carry on bag alone, I packed in a bigger bag and took advantage of my Continental One Pass elite access for the first time by checking a bag for free. After completing my packing for the most part, I headed to bed after 11 knowing that Friday would be a busy traveling day for me. I woke up early Friday with Waldo wanting his early morning breakfast as usual. After feeding him, I decided to get something out of the freezer for myself. I then discovered that my freezer was not nearly as cold as it should be; food was partially thawing out. After noticing frost in the back of my frost free unit, I got online and tried troubleshooting the problem. Around 4:00 in the morning, I was removing the back panel of my unit and cleaning stuff out with a brush and my vacuum cleaner attachment. I then replugged the unit and tried to get a little more sleep. After not much luck sleeping more and as much luck with the unit cooling down, I unplugged the unit and emptied out the freezer. I just left the kitchen with the refrigerator pulled out in pieces; this would become a Sunday evening project!
I dropped Waldo off at Cozy Paws on the way to the airport. Cozy Paws is really convenient and is a great alternative to more exclusive cage free dog boarding facilities that are further out in Conroe and don't do as well with problem pooches. You'd think with a picture with Caesar that they could handle dogs better. Just saying.....
I then made my way to IAH for a mid morning flight to Kansas City. A hassle free flight and a smooth car rental had me on my way for the 3 hour drive to Des Moines right around 1:00PM. I drove straight to packet pickup on Drake campus and then checked into the Hyatt Place downtown for my night in Des Moines. When I started unpacking, I discovered that my Garmin was nowhere to be found. Charger was there but turns out my Garmin was back in my dining room hundreds of miles away.
Saturday morning was cloudy and 56 with light rain having passed through the area earlier. With no Garmin to record my data (that may be eventually be lost with all my other data) I found myself without a watch for the first time since running the Great Alaskan Maritime Marathon cruise with the Bingham/Hadfield no need for speed gang. On that cruise, the running catch was to try and run your events at the same pace without using a watch in order to emphasize consistency versus speed (so I found out I'm neither fast nor consistent that week). Having run a half marathon in Juneau without a watch gave me some confidence heading into this event.
My one concern of going out too fast proved to be valid and would come back to kick me in the butt later in the race. One thing about the Drake field; well two things about the Drake field. Being held in conjuction with the Drake relays with high school,college, and open divisions competing at track and field events, there were true athletes all around the area and entered in the event. The other thing was with a 2 1/2 hour time limit, you only had serious race walkers and runners that could maintain an 11:30 pace.
The only clock I saw was at the finish line. Mile markers were painted on the ground so weren't easy to spot. Some miles had volunteers calling out times but many did not. I started a few seconds after the gun so the times called out were pretty close to accurate. I ran the first 5 miles at an 8 minute per mile pace. The warmer weather, hillier than anticipated conditions quickly did me in and I found myself walking up quite a few hills later in the race. The route was quite beautiful; things were starting to bloom and it was a pleasant although tough course. After mile 5, I got a timer that called out a 1:25 time at mile 10 which was about 8:30 pace for me. The last 3 miles were at a 10 minute pace to put me at 1:55 for the finish. I could have pushed through but was holding back for Sunday's race.
After finishing, I got my medal and some post race food and headed back to the hotel to clean up and make another 3 hour drive west to Lincoln for Sunday's race. The early morning rain brought in a front that had me driving into 30 mile hour headwinds the entire drive. I arrived around 4 in Lincoln; checked into the Cornhusker (sounded like the appropriate place to stay on my only night ever in Nebraska) and made my way to the expo. The expo, restaurants, the start and finish line were all within walking distance of the hotel which was convenient. It was very windy Saturday and felt cooler than Des Moines.
Sunday morning brought weather in the lower 40s and calmer winds. I walked to the race area, checked my bag and lined up right in front of the 9:00 pace sign. The Des Moines hills had me somewhat concerned about what hills Lincoln would throw at me. I had read that Lincoln would have narrowing barricades at the start to attempt to spread out the race before the course narrowed around mile 6. With that said, it took me over 10 minutes to start post gun and didn't help much with the course narrowing later in the event. While the narrowing barricades was a nice attempt, it failed mostly because people lined up in the wrong spots. When you pass walkers walking 3 abreast within the first 2 miles of the race you know that the honor system just doesn't work. If you're going to attempt to spread out the race, use a seeded corral system to accomplish the task. I've run the Chicago marathon with 4 times as many people that didn't feel nearly as crowded as Lincoln was the entire 13.1 miles.
I was surprised that much of Linclon was run on a sidewalk starting around mile 6. A field of 10,000 running on a sidewalk made for a very crowded event. I was feeling great Sunday and was passing lots of runners. My times/splits are below:
| Location | Race Time | Time of Day | Overall Place | Division Place | Sex Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | 1:49:36 | 8:59:52 | 1040/7212 | 72/235 | 694/2410 |
| 15K Split | 1:18:10 | 8:28:26 | 1121/7190 | 75/235 | 732/2405 |
| 10K Split | 52:40 | 8:02:57 | 1240/7212 | 79/235 | 791/2410 |
| 5K SPLIT | 27:27 | 7:37:43 | 1697/7206 | 96/235 | 997/2408 |
| ChipStart | 11:48 | 7:10:17 | 2332/7212 | 117/235 | 1186/2410 |
| GunStart | 00:00 | 6:58:29 |
My pace by split was 8:51, 8:29, 8:24 and 8:21. I felt strong the entire race but did tire by having to weave through runners the entire race.
The finish on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium was nice. Having a bigger race field than Drake, Lincoln had more spectators along the route. The finish area in the stadium was congested with spectators as well. Post race was another quick clean up and then hit the road for another 3 hour drive back to Kansas City. I got home about an hour later than planned due to storm delays. Plugged in the refrigerator and its working fine.....so far. Still no verdict on the Buckeye data recovery. Garmin is ready to run again. My quads not so much....ready for a post race massage.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
With a Lincoln 1/2 finish on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium......
I think I'm going to have to pull out my LSU dri fit gear for this race on May 1st!
dWednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
nyc half
The Comeback Continues
While still not PR race ready, I ran the NYC half marathon Sunday morning just 4 weeks after running my first half marathon of the year in Austin. Less weight, more training miles, and much cooler weather resulted in my knocking almost 18 minutes off my Austin time. That put me at 1:52:24; within 25 seconds of running a 1:51 something. 1:51:xx is the only time that I have yet to run between 1:39 and 2:00 hours. Oh well, this was only my second 1:52:xx time, my first coming way back in 2001 with my 2nd ever half marathon.
The Expo
The expo was held Thursday through Saturday at the Metropolitan Pavillion in lower Manhattan. Prior to traveling, I discovered that mapquest now has (may not be new at all but it was new to me) mass transit directions in addition to walking and driving so I printed out subway routes for every place I planned to visit while in NYC. Subway got me to the expo with no issues.
I received an email earlier in the week that we would receive a bracelet at the expo that needed to be worn at all times until after the race. I think nyrr's were worried about bandits running due to the low volume of runners in the tri state area that got accepted via the lottery process.
The expo looked like all others, actually probably smaller than many. It looked like they were getting ready for press conferences or something so I just picked up my packet and got out asap. I didn't see any power bars at the expo (the one thing I forgot to pack) so I headed over to a Sports Authority across the street and got a power bar and clif shot blocks for the race.
Race Morning
I reviewed my subway directions before heading to bed early Saturday evening. The travel to the start involved a transfer between lines and it seemed easy enough. I got on the N train per the directions and noticed on the stop map in the car that we only had one more stop before the end of the line. Turns out weekend work had the N train stopping at the very next station. So I wind up from starting at the hotel at 45th street on 59th street at the end of the line when I needed to get up to 95th street to the start.
A very nice subway worker was giving directions for the few people around at 5:30 in the morning that needed to get some place. I might add that I was the only person that had slept the night before. Everyone else looked to be headed home from a night out. I was leery about taking the workers advice to head back to 42nd street, take a shuttle to grand central and then catch the 6 train up to 95th street. I got back on the subway (which was still sitting at the end of the line) and waited for it to leave. After a couple of minutes I decided not to wait and to just walk the 35 plus blocks to the start. The directions from the hotel were 3.6 miles so I knew it would be no farther than that. I ran into a few other people making the same walk up 5th avenue so the walk passed quickly.
I got to the start with plenty of time to check my bag. Race morning weather was in the mid 30s so I checked a warm up suit for post race and had gloves, a skull cap and a throw away sweatshirt for the 45 minute wait in the corrals.
After announcing a star studded field that included Ryan Hall and Meb (just Meb) and several other American and international runners we were underway. The race started in central park and ran a loop and a 1/2 through central park. I would say the hills were Huntsville State Park comparable with nothing too steep or too long but definetely hilly. That took us to mile 8 where we exited Central Park on 7th avenue and headed straight down Broadway through Times Square to 42nd street. Race trivia; The NYC half and New Years Eve are the only 2 times of the year that Times Square is closed to traffic. 42nd avenue west took us to the end of Manhattan on West? drive. After a quick right hand turn and loop to the finish we had 3 miles to the finish. Turning right there was a pretty strong headwind and I was glad that you could immediately see the turn. I smiled knowing that I would get a tailwind the 3 miles to the flat finish.
My split times per the NYRR website:
5k: 27:51
10k: 54:55 (27:04)
15k: 1:21:21 (26:26)
20k: 1:47:16 (25:55)
No blow up miles and I started somewhat slow not knowing how hilly the park would be and got gradually faster.
Back to dieting and more miles to get ready for back to back 1/2's in Iowa and Nebraska in 6 weeks.
As far as the elites, Caroline Rotich of Kenya and Mo Farah of Great Britain won the 2011 NYC Half! Americans Kara Goucher and Galen Rupp were third.
While still not PR race ready, I ran the NYC half marathon Sunday morning just 4 weeks after running my first half marathon of the year in Austin. Less weight, more training miles, and much cooler weather resulted in my knocking almost 18 minutes off my Austin time. That put me at 1:52:24; within 25 seconds of running a 1:51 something. 1:51:xx is the only time that I have yet to run between 1:39 and 2:00 hours. Oh well, this was only my second 1:52:xx time, my first coming way back in 2001 with my 2nd ever half marathon.
The Expo
The expo was held Thursday through Saturday at the Metropolitan Pavillion in lower Manhattan. Prior to traveling, I discovered that mapquest now has (may not be new at all but it was new to me) mass transit directions in addition to walking and driving so I printed out subway routes for every place I planned to visit while in NYC. Subway got me to the expo with no issues.
I received an email earlier in the week that we would receive a bracelet at the expo that needed to be worn at all times until after the race. I think nyrr's were worried about bandits running due to the low volume of runners in the tri state area that got accepted via the lottery process.
The expo looked like all others, actually probably smaller than many. It looked like they were getting ready for press conferences or something so I just picked up my packet and got out asap. I didn't see any power bars at the expo (the one thing I forgot to pack) so I headed over to a Sports Authority across the street and got a power bar and clif shot blocks for the race.
Race Morning
I reviewed my subway directions before heading to bed early Saturday evening. The travel to the start involved a transfer between lines and it seemed easy enough. I got on the N train per the directions and noticed on the stop map in the car that we only had one more stop before the end of the line. Turns out weekend work had the N train stopping at the very next station. So I wind up from starting at the hotel at 45th street on 59th street at the end of the line when I needed to get up to 95th street to the start.
A very nice subway worker was giving directions for the few people around at 5:30 in the morning that needed to get some place. I might add that I was the only person that had slept the night before. Everyone else looked to be headed home from a night out. I was leery about taking the workers advice to head back to 42nd street, take a shuttle to grand central and then catch the 6 train up to 95th street. I got back on the subway (which was still sitting at the end of the line) and waited for it to leave. After a couple of minutes I decided not to wait and to just walk the 35 plus blocks to the start. The directions from the hotel were 3.6 miles so I knew it would be no farther than that. I ran into a few other people making the same walk up 5th avenue so the walk passed quickly.
I got to the start with plenty of time to check my bag. Race morning weather was in the mid 30s so I checked a warm up suit for post race and had gloves, a skull cap and a throw away sweatshirt for the 45 minute wait in the corrals.
After announcing a star studded field that included Ryan Hall and Meb (just Meb) and several other American and international runners we were underway. The race started in central park and ran a loop and a 1/2 through central park. I would say the hills were Huntsville State Park comparable with nothing too steep or too long but definetely hilly. That took us to mile 8 where we exited Central Park on 7th avenue and headed straight down Broadway through Times Square to 42nd street. Race trivia; The NYC half and New Years Eve are the only 2 times of the year that Times Square is closed to traffic. 42nd avenue west took us to the end of Manhattan on West? drive. After a quick right hand turn and loop to the finish we had 3 miles to the finish. Turning right there was a pretty strong headwind and I was glad that you could immediately see the turn. I smiled knowing that I would get a tailwind the 3 miles to the flat finish.
My split times per the NYRR website:
5k: 27:51
10k: 54:55 (27:04)
15k: 1:21:21 (26:26)
20k: 1:47:16 (25:55)
No blow up miles and I started somewhat slow not knowing how hilly the park would be and got gradually faster.
Back to dieting and more miles to get ready for back to back 1/2's in Iowa and Nebraska in 6 weeks.
As far as the elites, Caroline Rotich of Kenya and Mo Farah of Great Britain won the 2011 NYC Half! Americans Kara Goucher and Galen Rupp were third.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Rodeo Run 10k
This was my 3rd consecutive Rodeo Run. This also made the 2nd Rodeo Run in a row that I was coming off an injury. Last year, I was recovering from a TFL injury when I ran this race.
This race has a nice post race party and a festive atmosphere. The first part of the course runs on the rodeo parade route. There are lots of spectators there that are lined up waiting for the parade to start.
Coming off the Austin 1/2 marathon finish the Sunday prior to this Saturday morning race, I felt much more confident at this distance. I had my race packet mailed to me this year so the challenge was not to lose my bib number and d-chip prior to the race. I managed to find the race packet buried under my kithchen table the night before the race.
The weather for this year's event was warm. I remember wearing a long sleeve running shirt and gloves the year before; no gloves required this year and short sleeves were in order. The race went well; I made my way around the post race party and then headed home.
I'm looking forward to running my 4th consecutive Rodeo Run next year. Hopefully I'll start a new tradition of showing up injury free!
This race has a nice post race party and a festive atmosphere. The first part of the course runs on the rodeo parade route. There are lots of spectators there that are lined up waiting for the parade to start.
Coming off the Austin 1/2 marathon finish the Sunday prior to this Saturday morning race, I felt much more confident at this distance. I had my race packet mailed to me this year so the challenge was not to lose my bib number and d-chip prior to the race. I managed to find the race packet buried under my kithchen table the night before the race.
The weather for this year's event was warm. I remember wearing a long sleeve running shirt and gloves the year before; no gloves required this year and short sleeves were in order. The race went well; I made my way around the post race party and then headed home.
I'm looking forward to running my 4th consecutive Rodeo Run next year. Hopefully I'll start a new tradition of showing up injury free!
Austin Half Marathon
My first race back post calf tear came a bit earlier in my return to running than I would have liked. I registered for the Austin 1/2 marathon prior to my injury. I ran a 2011 high mileage run of 8 miles at Huntsville State Park a week prior to Austin. Conquering Huntsville hills and trails gave me enough confidence that I knew that I could complete Austin.
Race expo lines were not bad at all. I've seen enough expo's to where I pretty much am ready to go once I get my race gear.
Race day weather was on the warm side. One advantage to this is that there was no need to check a bag. I lined up farther back than I normally would to ensure that I didn't start too fast. I ran the race without any problems until I ran out of gas between miles 9 and 10. After that, it was a lot of run walking but I managed to finish marathon number 54. It sure beat the feeling I had of my first half marathon DNS in San Antonio a few months earlier.
Race expo lines were not bad at all. I've seen enough expo's to where I pretty much am ready to go once I get my race gear.
Race day weather was on the warm side. One advantage to this is that there was no need to check a bag. I lined up farther back than I normally would to ensure that I didn't start too fast. I ran the race without any problems until I ran out of gas between miles 9 and 10. After that, it was a lot of run walking but I managed to finish marathon number 54. It sure beat the feeling I had of my first half marathon DNS in San Antonio a few months earlier.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Catching Up
Happy New Year!
My last post was in mid December while I was recovering from my torn calf muscle. I was able to close 2010 out with my first post injury run on December 30th. I started back with 2 mile runs the first week, upping my mileage by a mile each week for the first 4 weeks. I ran 4 days every week for the first 4 weeks. Cold weather and back pain hit and my weekly run total dropped to twice a week. I have made it to 6 miles on a single run. Back pain at bay now and warmer weather, I will attempt to run an easy 10 miles tomorrow at Huntsville State Park. This will be my first run in Huntsville since early September. I signed up for the Austin 1/2 marathon February 20th before my injury last year. This will be a slow run/walk race for me.
Lottery Luck
I was notified in December that my lottery entry into the NYC 1/2 marathon on March 20th was successful. My lottery luck continued this month as I was informed that my application to take part in the 2011 Bupa Great North Run via the general ballot was successful. So September 18th I will be running my first international event in Newcastle Upon Tynes, England. This will be my first trip to England.
I learned of the Great North Run in October last year on a flight from New Orleans to Houston after running the Jazz Half Marathon. The guy sitting next to me in the plane was returning to England after a vacation in New Orleans. I had my race shirt on and we got to talking about running and he told me about this half marathon in northern England with 54,000 runners. I looked it up online when I got home and made a note to enter the general ballot when the application window opened. With over 100,000 applicants and some (not sure how many but quite a few I believe) of the 54,000 slots going to charity fundraisers and other specific lotteries I didn't think my chances of getting in were very good. But I'm in so am now planning a fall trip to England. At least the language barrier should be manageable.
Two lotteries and I'm out big bucks. I think I need to try PowerBall to actually win a lottery and have money coming in!!!!!!
My last post was in mid December while I was recovering from my torn calf muscle. I was able to close 2010 out with my first post injury run on December 30th. I started back with 2 mile runs the first week, upping my mileage by a mile each week for the first 4 weeks. I ran 4 days every week for the first 4 weeks. Cold weather and back pain hit and my weekly run total dropped to twice a week. I have made it to 6 miles on a single run. Back pain at bay now and warmer weather, I will attempt to run an easy 10 miles tomorrow at Huntsville State Park. This will be my first run in Huntsville since early September. I signed up for the Austin 1/2 marathon February 20th before my injury last year. This will be a slow run/walk race for me.
Lottery Luck
I was notified in December that my lottery entry into the NYC 1/2 marathon on March 20th was successful. My lottery luck continued this month as I was informed that my application to take part in the 2011 Bupa Great North Run via the general ballot was successful. So September 18th I will be running my first international event in Newcastle Upon Tynes, England. This will be my first trip to England.
I learned of the Great North Run in October last year on a flight from New Orleans to Houston after running the Jazz Half Marathon. The guy sitting next to me in the plane was returning to England after a vacation in New Orleans. I had my race shirt on and we got to talking about running and he told me about this half marathon in northern England with 54,000 runners. I looked it up online when I got home and made a note to enter the general ballot when the application window opened. With over 100,000 applicants and some (not sure how many but quite a few I believe) of the 54,000 slots going to charity fundraisers and other specific lotteries I didn't think my chances of getting in were very good. But I'm in so am now planning a fall trip to England. At least the language barrier should be manageable.
Two lotteries and I'm out big bucks. I think I need to try PowerBall to actually win a lottery and have money coming in!!!!!!
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