Since blogging about running Crater Lake Rim Runs 13 miler in Oregon, I have registered for at least four half marathons in 2013.
Late August had south Louisiana reliving the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with Hurricane Isaac confusing the hurricane hunters. Just as Katrina, the forecasted path of Isaac continued shifting westward from a Florida landfall to an eventual landfall just west of New Orleans. Good news is that I had no damage whatsoever...just alot of free time on my hands while waiting out all of the wind and rain that Isaac delivered.
Being fortunate enough to keep my power, internet and cable through the storm, I planned my trip to the Dakotas next spring. I've had a few trips where I've run Saturday-Sunday back to back races. Next May I will run South Dakota one Saturday followed by North Dakota the following Saturday. In between races, I will visit National Parks and other attractions in both Dakotas.
I will be running the Brookings half marathon onMay 11th. 10 people have registered for the the half and full combined to date. A week after running my 48th state in SoDak, I will run Fargo on May 18th. Both courses are advertised as flat and fast so there should be fast running.
The other two half marathons that I've registered to run recently are part of the Gulf Coast half series. I will run in Gulf Shores, AL January 13th. I'm already registered to run the Louisiana half in Baton Rouge the next weekend on the 20th. I figure this will be good practice for my May Dakota races a week apart.
The 2nd race in the Gulf Coast Series will take me to Pensacola Beach, FL on April 7th. I will sign up for the last race in the series as well. It is the closest half to my present home. I am not running it this October as I totally forgot that it was the same weekend as a 10 mile race in my former home town. For 2012, runners will get something for completing all 3 events so that will be my goal for 2013.
Running wise, I am actually feeling pretty good these days. I have maintained my present weight for the past month so hoping that I can keep that up. My right achilles is alot less sore than it has been. I ran in my first non New Balance pair of shoes for the first time in years this month. In fact, I liked the way the Brooks Ghost 4 felt so much that I ordered a pair of Brooks Glycerin 9's to try as well. I had been in New Balance for years due to the fact that they have been making shoes in various widths for years. It seems like other shoe manufacturers have also begun catering to narrow and wide width feet as well.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Oregon is in the books
I had another tough, humbling western state run to complete my 47th half marathon (almost) state a week ago yesterday. The 13.0 mile rim run at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon was as tough as advertised.
Getting There
Some of the states that I have run have been what I would call true race trips as I have flown into the city where the race is being held the day before, run the race, and flown back home the day of the race. That was my Kansas experience earlier this May. Crater Lake, however, was more of a vacation with a race involved rather than a trip to run a race.
Wanting to stay in Crater Lake Lodge race weekend, I booked a room with a view of the lake 13 months out from the 2nd weekend of August 2012. From what I could tell, the race has been held the 2nd weekend of August for quite some time. With a room booked that far in advance, I waited awhile before looking for air fare options. Portland seemed to be the nearest major airport; near but still what looked to be a 5 hour drive south. As airfares seemed to remain holding steady around $500 and with 25,000+ frequent flier miles in my United account, I was able to book a direct flight from New Orleans to San Francisco for 12,500 miles each way. I jumped on that offer as: 1) there aren't that many nonstop flights from NOLA to anywhere 2) 25,000 mile roundtrip options are few and far between these days 3) I had not yet traveled on CA 1 and wanted to experience the California coast drive at some point and 4) I had no other vacation planned for the year so a long trip seemed in order.
Once I settled on the airfare, I needed to figure out where I was going to stay between San Francisco and Crater Lake my first night of travel. Using mapquest to estimate driving times following the 2 lane windy coast highway, I settled on Eureka, CA as my first night stay. It involved a good deal of driving on day 1 but put me in good shape to arrive in Crater Lake mid afternoon. I also decided to add a couple of nights in Yosemite National Park on the back end of the trip as I had never visited the park and it was within 5 hours of San Francisco. So flight was all booked in March, race registration was set to open in April. With a race cap of 500 total for a 6.7 mile, 13.0 mile, and marathon races, I waited anxiously to register for the race as everything but the race was booked.
I registered for the 13.0 miles without any problem and everything was in place by April for my August trip. I happened to check my trip details in June and both my flights to and from SF had been changed. The departure from NOLA actually helped me by moving my arrival time up half an hour; however, the return flight was moved up over 3 hours from 4PM to 1PM. I didn't want to feel rushed driving from Yosemite to SF for the flight so I managed to push the return flight back a day and booked a night in Union Square in SF.
After a nice 4 hour flight, the car rental process went smoothly with a remote agent via a kiosk (first time I had this experience) and I was crossing the Golden Gate bridge heading north right on schedule.
There were many beautiful views along the winding CA 1. There were quite a few sections of the road under construction but none of the delays were long. I arrived in Eureka around 6PM, checked into the bed and breakfast and grabbed a quick dinner at Chilis. I made a stop at K-Mart to pick up a few food/drink items for the week before heading back to the room.
Friday brought more winding roads along the coast and one through a forest as well before I joined US 101 with wider straighter roads. Before long, I was being scared by the view on my Garmin heading up rim road to Crater Lake. This was a prelude to my running experience the next morning (switchbacks = much hill climbing):
I checked into my room and had an awesome incredibly clear view of the lake from my room:
I wish I had taken more pics Friday as smoke from nearby fires settled over the lake Saturday and views were really hazy all day long.
Race morning turned out to be about 20 degrees warmer from the prior year race day temps but temps in the 50s were still considered pleasant for me. Altitude above 7,000 feet with 1,000 foot elevation changes over 4-5 miles proved to be rather tough for me. My per minute mile times ranged from 7:50 to 15:05 depending on the uphill/downhill mile that I was running. As advertised, the last 5 miles of the race were killer being all uphill. There's just no way for a sea level flatlander to simulate those conditions. All in all, I was pleased with my 2:18 finish time.
The rest of the day Saturday was spent doing some hiking in the park and also doing some laundry before having dinner in the lodge dining room. Sunday was another driving day going from Crater Lake all the way to the Awahnee Lodge on the Yosemite valley floor. With traffic delays, it took over 10 hours to drive the distance.
Yosemite was more crowded than Crater Lake, especially the valley portion of the park. The hour drive up to Glacier Point yielded fantastic views of the valley. As expected, the more popular Yosemite waterfalls were dry this time of year. I think that is what led to the even more crowded feel around Yosemite trails.
After running hills and hiking hills in both Crater Lake and Yosemite, I had one last option to walk hills in San Francisco. A nice afternoon walk from Union Square through Chinatown up to Coit tower got my heart rate elevated once again. Over the hill and back down to the bay brought me to Pier 39 and these guys:
Getting There
Some of the states that I have run have been what I would call true race trips as I have flown into the city where the race is being held the day before, run the race, and flown back home the day of the race. That was my Kansas experience earlier this May. Crater Lake, however, was more of a vacation with a race involved rather than a trip to run a race.
Wanting to stay in Crater Lake Lodge race weekend, I booked a room with a view of the lake 13 months out from the 2nd weekend of August 2012. From what I could tell, the race has been held the 2nd weekend of August for quite some time. With a room booked that far in advance, I waited awhile before looking for air fare options. Portland seemed to be the nearest major airport; near but still what looked to be a 5 hour drive south. As airfares seemed to remain holding steady around $500 and with 25,000+ frequent flier miles in my United account, I was able to book a direct flight from New Orleans to San Francisco for 12,500 miles each way. I jumped on that offer as: 1) there aren't that many nonstop flights from NOLA to anywhere 2) 25,000 mile roundtrip options are few and far between these days 3) I had not yet traveled on CA 1 and wanted to experience the California coast drive at some point and 4) I had no other vacation planned for the year so a long trip seemed in order.
Once I settled on the airfare, I needed to figure out where I was going to stay between San Francisco and Crater Lake my first night of travel. Using mapquest to estimate driving times following the 2 lane windy coast highway, I settled on Eureka, CA as my first night stay. It involved a good deal of driving on day 1 but put me in good shape to arrive in Crater Lake mid afternoon. I also decided to add a couple of nights in Yosemite National Park on the back end of the trip as I had never visited the park and it was within 5 hours of San Francisco. So flight was all booked in March, race registration was set to open in April. With a race cap of 500 total for a 6.7 mile, 13.0 mile, and marathon races, I waited anxiously to register for the race as everything but the race was booked.
I registered for the 13.0 miles without any problem and everything was in place by April for my August trip. I happened to check my trip details in June and both my flights to and from SF had been changed. The departure from NOLA actually helped me by moving my arrival time up half an hour; however, the return flight was moved up over 3 hours from 4PM to 1PM. I didn't want to feel rushed driving from Yosemite to SF for the flight so I managed to push the return flight back a day and booked a night in Union Square in SF.
After a nice 4 hour flight, the car rental process went smoothly with a remote agent via a kiosk (first time I had this experience) and I was crossing the Golden Gate bridge heading north right on schedule.
There were many beautiful views along the winding CA 1. There were quite a few sections of the road under construction but none of the delays were long. I arrived in Eureka around 6PM, checked into the bed and breakfast and grabbed a quick dinner at Chilis. I made a stop at K-Mart to pick up a few food/drink items for the week before heading back to the room.
Friday brought more winding roads along the coast and one through a forest as well before I joined US 101 with wider straighter roads. Before long, I was being scared by the view on my Garmin heading up rim road to Crater Lake. This was a prelude to my running experience the next morning (switchbacks = much hill climbing):
I checked into my room and had an awesome incredibly clear view of the lake from my room:
I wish I had taken more pics Friday as smoke from nearby fires settled over the lake Saturday and views were really hazy all day long.
Race morning turned out to be about 20 degrees warmer from the prior year race day temps but temps in the 50s were still considered pleasant for me. Altitude above 7,000 feet with 1,000 foot elevation changes over 4-5 miles proved to be rather tough for me. My per minute mile times ranged from 7:50 to 15:05 depending on the uphill/downhill mile that I was running. As advertised, the last 5 miles of the race were killer being all uphill. There's just no way for a sea level flatlander to simulate those conditions. All in all, I was pleased with my 2:18 finish time.
The rest of the day Saturday was spent doing some hiking in the park and also doing some laundry before having dinner in the lodge dining room. Sunday was another driving day going from Crater Lake all the way to the Awahnee Lodge on the Yosemite valley floor. With traffic delays, it took over 10 hours to drive the distance.
Yosemite was more crowded than Crater Lake, especially the valley portion of the park. The hour drive up to Glacier Point yielded fantastic views of the valley. As expected, the more popular Yosemite waterfalls were dry this time of year. I think that is what led to the even more crowded feel around Yosemite trails.
After running hills and hiking hills in both Crater Lake and Yosemite, I had one last option to walk hills in San Francisco. A nice afternoon walk from Union Square through Chinatown up to Coit tower got my heart rate elevated once again. Over the hill and back down to the bay brought me to Pier 39 and these guys:
Next morning I headed over to the airport and had an uneventful flight back home. Up next will be a couple of 10 mile runs and then a couple of local half marathons. My next state chasing trip should be next September where I think I will be doing a Sunday/Saturday back to back halfs in the Dakotas. I have done several Saturday/Sunday back to backs but this could be my first back to back spanning a week.Saturday, June 23, 2012
Added a Day to My August Western Trip
I spent 30 some odd minutes on hold with United Airlines this morning in order to change my upcoming return flight for my Oregon/California trip. I didn't see a way to change my reservation without a fee using the UA website so the wait time was well worth it in my opinion. The change was free as UA eliminated the return flight that I initially booked and had placed me on an earlier flight the same day. However, I will be returning to San Francisco from Yosemite the day of my scheduled return flight so I would have had to leave the Awahnee at the crack of dawn to make my flight. At $500+ a night for this once in a lifetime stay in Yosemite, I will now have all day to get back to San Francisco for my flight the following day.
I will now have a full week out west to run .1 miles shy of a half marathon in my 47th state. I'm sure I'll learn the history of why the event is a 13.0 miler and not a half marathon when I get there but I now have no idea why the distances for Crater Lake are marathon, 13.0 and 6.7 miles. I'm counting on not running the tangents to get me to half marathon distance. Hopefully the state chaser auditors won't bust me. I already see where the Half Fanatics have removed the event from their website.
I have been taking the stairs from the 12th floor where I work up to the 17th floor when I head to the fitness center at lunch weekdays. I also have been going up and down even farther distances on the stairs with co-workers at different times of the day. Hopefully this will help somewhat with the 1000 foot elevation changes I will encounter at Crater Lake.
After a few weeks of being back running at lunch in this heat and humidity, I felt like I was somewhat acclimatized this past week. Either that or the weather pattern was just different.
I will now have a full week out west to run .1 miles shy of a half marathon in my 47th state. I'm sure I'll learn the history of why the event is a 13.0 miler and not a half marathon when I get there but I now have no idea why the distances for Crater Lake are marathon, 13.0 and 6.7 miles. I'm counting on not running the tangents to get me to half marathon distance. Hopefully the state chaser auditors won't bust me. I already see where the Half Fanatics have removed the event from their website.
I have been taking the stairs from the 12th floor where I work up to the 17th floor when I head to the fitness center at lunch weekdays. I also have been going up and down even farther distances on the stairs with co-workers at different times of the day. Hopefully this will help somewhat with the 1000 foot elevation changes I will encounter at Crater Lake.
After a few weeks of being back running at lunch in this heat and humidity, I felt like I was somewhat acclimatized this past week. Either that or the weather pattern was just different.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The Race Must Go On
Mid January I registered for Five Trails 1/2 Marathon in Leavenworth, Kansas. Having found an airfare bargain under $200, this race seemed like the perfect race to log my 46th state run. Like most races, the entry fee was non-refundable. Booked through hotwire.com, the airfare and car rental were also non-refundable. Mid February I added a prepaid hotel reservation near the KC airport to my travel plans.
My training in the first 3 months of the year went fairly well. I was logging regular weekday and weekend long runs. My weekly mileage was between 15 to 20 miles per week. Living in the New Orleans area, my training was all on pancake flat ground. My plan was to start running parking garages and the Superdome ramps in order to get some hill substitute training for the hilly Kansas course. Right around the time I was going to add these faux hills to my training, my training was interrupted by a couple of setbacks. The second of the two setbacks was related to lower back pain. After attempting to run through the pain on a few runs, I scheduled an appointment with a chiropracter. I was hoping for a quick diagnosis and adjustment that would have me back on the road training within days of treatment. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
With my back still hurting, I did not attempt to run while still getting treated multiple times a week. The race date was May 20th; on May 13th, not having run yet in May, I decided to run an easy run to see how things would go. I ran 4 miles at an easy 10 minute pace and felt fairly good after the run. However, I woke up the next morning unable to walk without pain in my back. The pain was actually a little higher up than the source of the initial problem. Fortuantely, after a day and more treatment, I was able to move pain free. However, I would not run anymore until race day.
Being a small event with less than 400 finishers, the race offered packet pickup morning of the event. This is an option that I wish would be available for other events as well. I understand that race organizers want to get you into their expo, but after visiting enough expos, I may as well skip that experience.
I flew out of Baton Rouge to Kansas City, connecting through Houston on United on the trip up and traveling through Dallas on American on the return trip. I had not flown out of Baton Rouge since the early 90's. I am a fan of small airports as well as small races these days. I guess that's the cranky old man coming out in me! :-)
Sunday morning I made the short 30 minute drive from Kansas City airport to Leavenworth to get my race packet and run the race. Morning temperatures were in the upper 60s so no additional clothing was required. With a front passing through, the high temperatures for the day were forecast to remain below 80. On the drive to the race start, I witnessed just how hilly the area was. My back felt good and I was confident that I would be able to finish the race. My goal was to beat my previous worst half time but I would have taken a race finish period.
I had seen the race profile months before; knowing that it was hilly, I didn't really focus on how soon the race had us climbing. The course did not disappoint. within the first mile, we were climbing. This was my first run in hills since running weekends in Huntsville State Park last July. My quads reminded me of that fact most of the week following the race.
By mile 4, I found myself walking midway up the hill nicknamed Pikes Peak. There was a bell on a lightpost at the top of the hill that runners were ringing as they passed the peak of the hill. I passed on the bell but started running again near the top of the hill. Being passed by several runners heading up the hill, I was surprised at the number of runners that I passed descending the hill. I learned early on in hill running to shorten my stride uphill and to just pick up my feet downhill and let gravity take over. Leaning forward and picking up my feet, I quickly got to the bottom of the hill. My mile 4 pace went from a high teen pace per mile to an average mile 4 pace of 9:40 thanks to the downhill.
I managed to average between 9 and 11 minute miles for the first 6 miles. My lack of conditioning kicked in at that point and most uphills were walked from mile 7 to race end. Miles 7 to 12 were run at paces from 10:30 to 14:45. The last mile was a big downhill to a finally flat finish. I managed a 9:23 pace in that downhill. Mile 13 was the second fastest mile of the race for me.
Official chip time for me was 2:22:53; 18 out of 20 in my age group; 144 out of 177 among males and 255 out of 379 overall. Post race was in the middle school stadium; a very nice US flag lined finish. They had typical post race food and drink. Yeah, I had a donut at the finish. Add the 2 Shipley donuts while in IAH my weekend donut count was 3!
I headed back to the hotel for a noon checkout and went to a nearby shopping area to keep moving post race. Early evening flight was fine and I got home shortly after midnight. It was a great running weekend to wrap up my 46th state. I ran my 63rd fastest half (out of 65) to keep my Wyoming 1/2 PW finish intact.
My training in the first 3 months of the year went fairly well. I was logging regular weekday and weekend long runs. My weekly mileage was between 15 to 20 miles per week. Living in the New Orleans area, my training was all on pancake flat ground. My plan was to start running parking garages and the Superdome ramps in order to get some hill substitute training for the hilly Kansas course. Right around the time I was going to add these faux hills to my training, my training was interrupted by a couple of setbacks. The second of the two setbacks was related to lower back pain. After attempting to run through the pain on a few runs, I scheduled an appointment with a chiropracter. I was hoping for a quick diagnosis and adjustment that would have me back on the road training within days of treatment. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
With my back still hurting, I did not attempt to run while still getting treated multiple times a week. The race date was May 20th; on May 13th, not having run yet in May, I decided to run an easy run to see how things would go. I ran 4 miles at an easy 10 minute pace and felt fairly good after the run. However, I woke up the next morning unable to walk without pain in my back. The pain was actually a little higher up than the source of the initial problem. Fortuantely, after a day and more treatment, I was able to move pain free. However, I would not run anymore until race day.
Being a small event with less than 400 finishers, the race offered packet pickup morning of the event. This is an option that I wish would be available for other events as well. I understand that race organizers want to get you into their expo, but after visiting enough expos, I may as well skip that experience.
I flew out of Baton Rouge to Kansas City, connecting through Houston on United on the trip up and traveling through Dallas on American on the return trip. I had not flown out of Baton Rouge since the early 90's. I am a fan of small airports as well as small races these days. I guess that's the cranky old man coming out in me! :-)
Sunday morning I made the short 30 minute drive from Kansas City airport to Leavenworth to get my race packet and run the race. Morning temperatures were in the upper 60s so no additional clothing was required. With a front passing through, the high temperatures for the day were forecast to remain below 80. On the drive to the race start, I witnessed just how hilly the area was. My back felt good and I was confident that I would be able to finish the race. My goal was to beat my previous worst half time but I would have taken a race finish period.
Race elevation profile
I had seen the race profile months before; knowing that it was hilly, I didn't really focus on how soon the race had us climbing. The course did not disappoint. within the first mile, we were climbing. This was my first run in hills since running weekends in Huntsville State Park last July. My quads reminded me of that fact most of the week following the race.
By mile 4, I found myself walking midway up the hill nicknamed Pikes Peak. There was a bell on a lightpost at the top of the hill that runners were ringing as they passed the peak of the hill. I passed on the bell but started running again near the top of the hill. Being passed by several runners heading up the hill, I was surprised at the number of runners that I passed descending the hill. I learned early on in hill running to shorten my stride uphill and to just pick up my feet downhill and let gravity take over. Leaning forward and picking up my feet, I quickly got to the bottom of the hill. My mile 4 pace went from a high teen pace per mile to an average mile 4 pace of 9:40 thanks to the downhill.
I managed to average between 9 and 11 minute miles for the first 6 miles. My lack of conditioning kicked in at that point and most uphills were walked from mile 7 to race end. Miles 7 to 12 were run at paces from 10:30 to 14:45. The last mile was a big downhill to a finally flat finish. I managed a 9:23 pace in that downhill. Mile 13 was the second fastest mile of the race for me.
Official chip time for me was 2:22:53; 18 out of 20 in my age group; 144 out of 177 among males and 255 out of 379 overall. Post race was in the middle school stadium; a very nice US flag lined finish. They had typical post race food and drink. Yeah, I had a donut at the finish. Add the 2 Shipley donuts while in IAH my weekend donut count was 3!
I headed back to the hotel for a noon checkout and went to a nearby shopping area to keep moving post race. Early evening flight was fine and I got home shortly after midnight. It was a great running weekend to wrap up my 46th state. I ran my 63rd fastest half (out of 65) to keep my Wyoming 1/2 PW finish intact.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Derailed
What started out as a promising 2012 running year has quickly become an inury riddled year. Returning to the 1,000 mile club for this year is looking rather bleak. Things were going smoothly up to Easter weekend. A non running condition had me not running the week following Easter.
I returned to the roads a week later feeling good. The next week I ran 2 7 mile weekday runs. I felt like my pelvis was out of alignment the whole time during both of these runs. Rather than listening to my body, I pushed through the runs in an effort to get in miles for my Kansas 1/2 marathon coming up in a little over a week.
I haven't run yet this month. I started seeing a chiropractor a couple of weeks ago and have begun to feel some relief but things still don't feel right. I will make the trip to Kansas and run in my 46th state; I have nonrefundable everything booked for this trip.....hotwire air, car and prepaid hotel and race entry fee.
My hope is that this chiropractic treatment will get my back and legs loose to where I can return to running pain free the rest of the year. I have a trip out west to run around Crater Lake in August and need to be ready for an altitude and elevation course.
I returned to the roads a week later feeling good. The next week I ran 2 7 mile weekday runs. I felt like my pelvis was out of alignment the whole time during both of these runs. Rather than listening to my body, I pushed through the runs in an effort to get in miles for my Kansas 1/2 marathon coming up in a little over a week.
I haven't run yet this month. I started seeing a chiropractor a couple of weeks ago and have begun to feel some relief but things still don't feel right. I will make the trip to Kansas and run in my 46th state; I have nonrefundable everything booked for this trip.....hotwire air, car and prepaid hotel and race entry fee.
My hope is that this chiropractic treatment will get my back and legs loose to where I can return to running pain free the rest of the year. I have a trip out west to run around Crater Lake in August and need to be ready for an altitude and elevation course.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Falling Back when I should be Springing Forward
The daily tip at the end of last month is very relevant to my training these days. I just need to remember to keep getting back up!
*** Today's Tip: GETTING BACK UP IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
We are now two months into the new year – how are you doing with your
health and fitness goals? A Japanese proverb states, “Fall down seven
times, get up eight!” Setbacks are a normal part of changing habits
and behaviors. The people that are the most successful are those who
can quickly refocus and re-commit themselves. This applies to exercise
and eating habits, quitting smoking and managing stress. Don’t throw
in the towel. Keep trying until you find strategies that work for you.
*** Today's Tip: GETTING BACK UP IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
We are now two months into the new year – how are you doing with your
health and fitness goals? A Japanese proverb states, “Fall down seven
times, get up eight!” Setbacks are a normal part of changing habits
and behaviors. The people that are the most successful are those who
can quickly refocus and re-commit themselves. This applies to exercise
and eating habits, quitting smoking and managing stress. Don’t throw
in the towel. Keep trying until you find strategies that work for you.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Hubig Pie Run
Yesterday I ran what is fast becoming my favorite lunchtime CBD/French Quarter route. Well I guess its now CBD/FQ/Faubourg Marigny route as I cross into the Marigny after hitting Esplanade at the back of the quarter.
While I have run this route a couple of times and have noted the Hubig Pie factory on Dauphine street, I never experienced the sweet aroma of pies baking while running. I swear I gained a couple of pounds just taking in the smell of sweetness while I ran down Royal, a block off but the wind blowing the smell my way. On the way back, I passed right in front of the factory but the smell had faded.
Mission accomplished. I got in a good 7+ mile weekday run and put my Sunday non motivated 10 mile run behind me.
While I have run this route a couple of times and have noted the Hubig Pie factory on Dauphine street, I never experienced the sweet aroma of pies baking while running. I swear I gained a couple of pounds just taking in the smell of sweetness while I ran down Royal, a block off but the wind blowing the smell my way. On the way back, I passed right in front of the factory but the smell had faded.
Mission accomplished. I got in a good 7+ mile weekday run and put my Sunday non motivated 10 mile run behind me.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Clydesdale Motivation
This Sunday was my 3rd consecutive weekend long training run. Mileage today was 10 miles; it was just one of those days where I never got comfortable running. If I hadn't run an out and back run, I probably would have cut the run short. Legs were fine.... I just never got into a groove.
A big motivating factor for me since the Louisiana Half last month was my realization that I could have completed in the Clydesdale division for the race. The Tammany trace has a horse trail along with running/walking and biking. I smile everytime I see the horse trail signs.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Toto didn't tell me Kansas had hills
This should be interesting after months of pancake flat training and races. I look forward to the challenge in Leavenworth, Kansas May 20th!
January is in the books
I hate to spoil a good thing by committing it to writing but I seemed to have finally turned the corner with my achilles tendonitits issues that have plagued me the past few months. Two weeks now of much less pain and I've been able to increase the miles. I wound up with 88 miles for the month; 12 miles short of an ultra race for you 100 mile racers out there. 27 miles more than the 61 that I logged in January 2011. That puts me on pace for a 1,000 mile year. That hasn't happened the past 2 (or is it 3) years.
I'll take it.
It seems like winter has thrown in the towel for the moment at least. After several roller coaster weeks of hot and then cold weather, its been really mild (and humid) the past week. Makes you think we are in a different J month, say June compared to January. Nah, I'd love to have this mild weather in June.
I'll take it.
It seems like winter has thrown in the towel for the moment at least. After several roller coaster weeks of hot and then cold weather, its been really mild (and humid) the past week. Makes you think we are in a different J month, say June compared to January. Nah, I'd love to have this mild weather in June.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Registered for state number 46
I will be visiting Kansas for the first time ever (I think) to run state number 46 May 20th. This will mark my third time flying into Kansas City International airport to travel to a race. I believe that breaks a tie for the arrival airport for races for me! Not to be outdone by arrivals, I will be departing out of Baton Rouge for the first time for a race. Given the fact that I'm not much further from Baton Rouge's airport than New Orleans and that I'd be connecting with either airport, price was the deciding factor in my selecting Baton Rouge.
I'll be running Five Trails Half Marathon in Leavenworth, Kansas. It is a small event run on a loop course with easy parking. I am leaning towards smaller races with efficient race logistics these days. While Rock n Roll and Disney type large events with transportation needed to and/or from the start and finish are exciting and appealing, I go through phases where events where trying to not get lost due to so few participants on the coursse are just as appealing.
I'll be running Five Trails Half Marathon in Leavenworth, Kansas. It is a small event run on a loop course with easy parking. I am leaning towards smaller races with efficient race logistics these days. While Rock n Roll and Disney type large events with transportation needed to and/or from the start and finish are exciting and appealing, I go through phases where events where trying to not get lost due to so few participants on the coursse are just as appealing.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Inaugural Louisiana Half Marathon
Wow. No posts in November or December..... except for a weekend training run the first weekend in November my posting and weekend running for that time period lines up perfectly.
My 2011 fall running season can best be described as how not to train for a half marathon. The good news is that I ran on average 3 times a week for much of the fall. The not so good news is that I averaged 5 miles on those runs. Not bad for the general public.....not good for training for mid to long distance races.
After completing the 3rd annual Jazz Half (my 2nd consecutive) the last weekend in October, I looked forward to having plenty of time to train properly for the Louisiana Half. That didn't happen. I blamed myself for lack of motivation; however, I believe things may turn around for my next training session which just began. I have been having Achilles issues since May of last year. I've had these issues before and they seem to linger for what seems like forever, resolving themself on their own timetable. While the Achilles is just tender to the touch and sensitive when both walking and running, it is not an acute injury that will keep you from running altogether. As such, my training the past few months has been on the light side but still there; when co-workers comment that I'm walking funny, I know its time to back off the running.
I was really pleased with the Louisiana Marathon/Half experience this past weekend. The race was marketed as an alternative for those that did not get into Houston. For me, it was a better experience than Houston as I'm presently on the smaller events kick. My biggest complaint about the event is that they advertised no day of race pickup so I had to drive the expo Saturday to pick up my race packet and then back for the race Sunday morning. I realize they want you at the expo to view sponsors stuff and all, but you go to enough of these expos and they really all start to look alike.
The weather for the weekend was made to order for runners in my opinion. It was in the mid 30s at the start and around 45 when I finished nearly 2 hours later. I believe my splits below indicate my level of training/fitness was good for almost 10 miles. The last 5k was tough for me.
Mile 1 9:25
Mile 2 8:55
Mile 3 8:43
Mile 4 8:59
Mile 5 8:58 4&5 were tracked together on my splits and included a potty break
Mile 6 8:17 thanks to the much appreciated potty break
Mile 7 8:46
Mile 8 8:34
Mile 9 9:02
Mile 10 9:33
Mile 11 9:16
Mile 12 9:11
Mile 13 9:42
Last .1 1:05
Chip time: 1:58:17
Half marathon 63 is in the books. Just 37 more 1/2's to meet the Half 2 Run group's 100 half marathon challenge. Well maybe just 35 as I believe 25k's count as well!
My 2011 fall running season can best be described as how not to train for a half marathon. The good news is that I ran on average 3 times a week for much of the fall. The not so good news is that I averaged 5 miles on those runs. Not bad for the general public.....not good for training for mid to long distance races.
After completing the 3rd annual Jazz Half (my 2nd consecutive) the last weekend in October, I looked forward to having plenty of time to train properly for the Louisiana Half. That didn't happen. I blamed myself for lack of motivation; however, I believe things may turn around for my next training session which just began. I have been having Achilles issues since May of last year. I've had these issues before and they seem to linger for what seems like forever, resolving themself on their own timetable. While the Achilles is just tender to the touch and sensitive when both walking and running, it is not an acute injury that will keep you from running altogether. As such, my training the past few months has been on the light side but still there; when co-workers comment that I'm walking funny, I know its time to back off the running.
I was really pleased with the Louisiana Marathon/Half experience this past weekend. The race was marketed as an alternative for those that did not get into Houston. For me, it was a better experience than Houston as I'm presently on the smaller events kick. My biggest complaint about the event is that they advertised no day of race pickup so I had to drive the expo Saturday to pick up my race packet and then back for the race Sunday morning. I realize they want you at the expo to view sponsors stuff and all, but you go to enough of these expos and they really all start to look alike.
The weather for the weekend was made to order for runners in my opinion. It was in the mid 30s at the start and around 45 when I finished nearly 2 hours later. I believe my splits below indicate my level of training/fitness was good for almost 10 miles. The last 5k was tough for me.
Mile 1 9:25
Mile 2 8:55
Mile 3 8:43
Mile 4 8:59
Mile 5 8:58 4&5 were tracked together on my splits and included a potty break
Mile 6 8:17 thanks to the much appreciated potty break
Mile 7 8:46
Mile 8 8:34
Mile 9 9:02
Mile 10 9:33
Mile 11 9:16
Mile 12 9:11
Mile 13 9:42
Last .1 1:05
Chip time: 1:58:17
Half marathon 63 is in the books. Just 37 more 1/2's to meet the Half 2 Run group's 100 half marathon challenge. Well maybe just 35 as I believe 25k's count as well!
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