Today I am sore.
Why?
Because yesterday I ran.
I didn't run from the police.
I didn't run to evade getting tackled by a large man in a helmet.
I didn't run up and down a court to throw a ball in a basket or back and forth across a pitch to kick a ball in a goal.
I didn't run as a part of any team sport.
While all of these things would definitely wear me out, they had nothing to do with my running.
Showing posts with label run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label run. Show all posts
Ten Kay!
Saturday I ran my first 10k - the St. Louis Frozen Buns Run.
The weather was overcast with a mild wind, with a race time temp of 32, so the race title was pretty fitting.
Lisa was able to attend thanks to my family watching the two girls. While I was running the course, Lisa was able to do some window shopping in the Loop. They were setting up for their annual ice carnival, of which the run is the kickoff for the Saturday events.
I decided that I was going to follow my friend Charles' advice and get as close to the starting line as possible. This way, I could set my own pace, pick my own line and not have to hassle with working my way around and through the crowd of people. If people wanted to pass me, they could exert the extra effort to go around me. So, with 5 minutes before the race started, I positioned myself on the opposite side of the street from the masses. As soon as the police closed the street on my side, I took my place on the line, to the right of center. This is definitely a strategy that I will utilize again, as I did not have to work near as hard as I normally do in the first mile or so. There was plenty of room for people to go around me, and after the first 4 blocks or so, pretty much everyone had passed by that needed to.
The first mile was a pretty steep uphill and as I reached the top my legs were feeling quite heavy. I worried briefly about that until I checked my time and saw that I had run the first mile uphill in 8:45. Since this was much faster than man desired pace, I was happy to be able to scale it back a touch and catch my breath on the slight downhill. From that point on, I stayed in the same pack of 3 fellow racers for the duration of the course. We kept a solid pace of around 9:30for the majority of the run, with all of us increasing that pace the last 2 miles.
I felt good throughout the run, without ever doubting my ability to finish. After running the first 3 miles in 28 minutes, I knew I could beat an hour of total running time and set my goal to finish before the 58 minute mark. It's nice to find a group of people who are determined to run a very similar time. Without saying a word, you challenge each other to conquer the next hill without slowing. You find yourself determined to not lose any ground to those around you. As the race winds down, everyone picks up the pace and the challenge become even more intense. As we rounded the final turn to run the last .2 miles, I was determined to pass 1 of the guys I had been shadowing. I picked up my pace just as he increased his again. Knowing that end was near, I was able to move passed him and finish quite a bit ahead of him.
It was at this point in the race where I saw Lisa on the side of the road waiting for me. I passed my nearly empty water bottle off to her and she challenged me to "pass that guy", speaking of a different man who had just passed me before the final turn. I huffed back to Lisa "I can't, I've been trying" and kept plugging toward the finish line. I was thrilled to see the clock tick to 57:32 as I crossed the line. I had not only finished the race confidently, but I had beaten my initial goal of running a 10 minute pace, as well as my mid race goal of under 58 minutes.
I'm glad I got to run this race, as it was very well organized and had great volunteers helping with it. We had 2 water stations on the 10k course and they had a great relief tent set up at the finish line with all sorts of great treats. I had decided to run this 10k because it was the only one in the area over the next few months and I needed a 10k finish time in order to sign up for a time based starting position in the upcoming Go! St. Louis Half Marathon.
I have almost 3 months to prep for the extra miles in that race. I am hopeful that I will enjoy that race as much as I did the one this past weekend...
The weather was overcast with a mild wind, with a race time temp of 32, so the race title was pretty fitting.
Lisa was able to attend thanks to my family watching the two girls. While I was running the course, Lisa was able to do some window shopping in the Loop. They were setting up for their annual ice carnival, of which the run is the kickoff for the Saturday events.
I decided that I was going to follow my friend Charles' advice and get as close to the starting line as possible. This way, I could set my own pace, pick my own line and not have to hassle with working my way around and through the crowd of people. If people wanted to pass me, they could exert the extra effort to go around me. So, with 5 minutes before the race started, I positioned myself on the opposite side of the street from the masses. As soon as the police closed the street on my side, I took my place on the line, to the right of center. This is definitely a strategy that I will utilize again, as I did not have to work near as hard as I normally do in the first mile or so. There was plenty of room for people to go around me, and after the first 4 blocks or so, pretty much everyone had passed by that needed to.
The first mile was a pretty steep uphill and as I reached the top my legs were feeling quite heavy. I worried briefly about that until I checked my time and saw that I had run the first mile uphill in 8:45. Since this was much faster than man desired pace, I was happy to be able to scale it back a touch and catch my breath on the slight downhill. From that point on, I stayed in the same pack of 3 fellow racers for the duration of the course. We kept a solid pace of around 9:30for the majority of the run, with all of us increasing that pace the last 2 miles.
I felt good throughout the run, without ever doubting my ability to finish. After running the first 3 miles in 28 minutes, I knew I could beat an hour of total running time and set my goal to finish before the 58 minute mark. It's nice to find a group of people who are determined to run a very similar time. Without saying a word, you challenge each other to conquer the next hill without slowing. You find yourself determined to not lose any ground to those around you. As the race winds down, everyone picks up the pace and the challenge become even more intense. As we rounded the final turn to run the last .2 miles, I was determined to pass 1 of the guys I had been shadowing. I picked up my pace just as he increased his again. Knowing that end was near, I was able to move passed him and finish quite a bit ahead of him.
 |
| Yours truly right before the finish line. |
It was at this point in the race where I saw Lisa on the side of the road waiting for me. I passed my nearly empty water bottle off to her and she challenged me to "pass that guy", speaking of a different man who had just passed me before the final turn. I huffed back to Lisa "I can't, I've been trying" and kept plugging toward the finish line. I was thrilled to see the clock tick to 57:32 as I crossed the line. I had not only finished the race confidently, but I had beaten my initial goal of running a 10 minute pace, as well as my mid race goal of under 58 minutes.
I'm glad I got to run this race, as it was very well organized and had great volunteers helping with it. We had 2 water stations on the 10k course and they had a great relief tent set up at the finish line with all sorts of great treats. I had decided to run this 10k because it was the only one in the area over the next few months and I needed a 10k finish time in order to sign up for a time based starting position in the upcoming Go! St. Louis Half Marathon.
I have almost 3 months to prep for the extra miles in that race. I am hopeful that I will enjoy that race as much as I did the one this past weekend...
New Running Milestones
This Saturday, I will be doing something I have never in my life attempted or completed.
I will run a 10k race.
Over the past few years, I have run numerous 5ks.
I do typically 2 a year, usually in October and November.
Instead of stopping after those races, I decided to keep running and set some new goals.
The next milestone for me to tackle is the 10k (which is 6.2 miles).
The farthest I have ever run was 2 weeks ago on my long run. I was running for a little over 5 miles and decided to run for a solid hour (another milestone in my life). I later learned that I had run just under 6 miles. So, I have no doubt that I can finish the upcoming race, as I could have continued running beyond when I stopped two weeks ago.
The biggest question in my mind is how fast will I go?
I'm hoping to run the race in an hour, which means that my pace will need to be at least 9:39/mile. If I finish with a pace of anything under 10 minute miles, I will be satisfied with my race. The course appears to be uphill for most of the first half, with the back half being mostly downhill. The longer runs I have done have been mostly uphill for the first 2 miles, so I am hopeful that I should not have too much trouble with the large uphill portion.
Currently, the weather is supposed to be clear with a light wind and a race time temperature of 30 degrees. Hopefully, this is the case, as I don't enjoy running into a strong wind, especially with cold temperatures added to it. Either way, it should be a good time and I am looking forward to it.
I will run a 10k race.
Over the past few years, I have run numerous 5ks.
I do typically 2 a year, usually in October and November.
Instead of stopping after those races, I decided to keep running and set some new goals.
The next milestone for me to tackle is the 10k (which is 6.2 miles).
The farthest I have ever run was 2 weeks ago on my long run. I was running for a little over 5 miles and decided to run for a solid hour (another milestone in my life). I later learned that I had run just under 6 miles. So, I have no doubt that I can finish the upcoming race, as I could have continued running beyond when I stopped two weeks ago.
The biggest question in my mind is how fast will I go?
I'm hoping to run the race in an hour, which means that my pace will need to be at least 9:39/mile. If I finish with a pace of anything under 10 minute miles, I will be satisfied with my race. The course appears to be uphill for most of the first half, with the back half being mostly downhill. The longer runs I have done have been mostly uphill for the first 2 miles, so I am hopeful that I should not have too much trouble with the large uphill portion.
Currently, the weather is supposed to be clear with a light wind and a race time temperature of 30 degrees. Hopefully, this is the case, as I don't enjoy running into a strong wind, especially with cold temperatures added to it. Either way, it should be a good time and I am looking forward to it.
Weighing In
A few weeks ago, I was thinking about the upcoming Holiday season and became focused on all of the cookies, treats and snacks that I knew I would consume. Having just started to lose and redistribute some weight through a consistent running program, I kind of bemoaned the fact that I would inevitably gain weight during this time. (I realize that I could choose to abstain from the goodies, but I am being much more realistic in my thinking than that.) The more I thought about it, the more I disliked the idea of gaining back the weight I have lost already. So I have devised the personal challenge that I am currently involved in.
Here is my simple challenge:
- Weigh in on the Friday before Christmas (December 17th).
- Weigh in on the Friday following New Year's Day (January 7th).
The goal is to maintain the initial weight or lose weight if possible.
That's my challenge. It's not hard, but I think it is already providing me with some extra motivation to keep up with my running. I realize that I am consuming more calories than before, but my running program also has me expending a few more than before as well. This challenge has also caused me to rethink eating that next cookie a couple of times already.
That's how I am attempting to not gain weight over the next two weeks.
My initial weigh in was 210 lbs.
So far, so good.
On a related note, my running has been going really well. I have been able to remain consistent in my running and have seen a great amount of improvement. In fact, to easily see the results, consider this:
- I ran the Eye Run For Haiti 5k on October 30th and finished with a time of 32:28. (10:58 mile)
- I ran the Jingle Bell Run 5k on November and finished with a time of 28:22. (9:09 mile)
- This morning I ran 4 miles in 33:38. (8:24 mile)
I don't have a firm goal at this point as to any specific race or anything, but I am hoping to reach the place where running 4 miles at a sub-8 minute pace won't kill me. I'm not there yet, but give me a month or two...
Here is my simple challenge:
- Weigh in on the Friday before Christmas (December 17th).
- Weigh in on the Friday following New Year's Day (January 7th).
The goal is to maintain the initial weight or lose weight if possible.
That's my challenge. It's not hard, but I think it is already providing me with some extra motivation to keep up with my running. I realize that I am consuming more calories than before, but my running program also has me expending a few more than before as well. This challenge has also caused me to rethink eating that next cookie a couple of times already.
That's how I am attempting to not gain weight over the next two weeks.
My initial weigh in was 210 lbs.
So far, so good.
On a related note, my running has been going really well. I have been able to remain consistent in my running and have seen a great amount of improvement. In fact, to easily see the results, consider this:
- I ran the Eye Run For Haiti 5k on October 30th and finished with a time of 32:28. (10:58 mile)
- I ran the Jingle Bell Run 5k on November and finished with a time of 28:22. (9:09 mile)
- This morning I ran 4 miles in 33:38. (8:24 mile)
I don't have a firm goal at this point as to any specific race or anything, but I am hoping to reach the place where running 4 miles at a sub-8 minute pace won't kill me. I'm not there yet, but give me a month or two...
Learning Lessons Over the Miles
This past Saturday, Lisa, Lydia and I ran a 5k to help raise funds to build an elementary school in Haiti (www.growinghopeforhaiti.org). Actually, Lydia rode a 5k in her stroller, which I pushed the 3.1 miles. She was tired and crying just prior to the start of the race, but I decided to give it a try anyway. We ran toward the sun for the first mile and Lydia continued crying the entire way. 
When we finally turned the corner and the sun was out of her face, Lydia promptly fell asleep for the remainder of the race. It was about at this point of the race that the gentle downhill turned into a ever-increasing uphill run. Every time I though we might have reached the plateau I was greeted with another hill. Notice how great I look in the wonderful snapshot of Lydia and I crossing the finish line.
Here are some observations from my race:
Not all 5ks are created equal.
My first ever 5k was a totally flat course, based in a floodplain. The 5k we ran in the Spring had a large hill in the middle of the race, but then we turned around and had a nice downhill run for the majority of the back half of the race. The course this past weekend was downhill the first mile and then basically uphill the remaining 2 miles, with a brutally steep hill the last few hundred yards to the finish line.
You run differently when pushing a stroller.
This is obvious at a glance but becomes a harsh reality once you begin the race. As you attack hills, you find your arms tiring of the effort to keep the stroller far enough in front of you to allow you to drive your legs with power over the hill. This expense of energy takes a toll after several hills and your legs get tired much more quickly.
You breathe differently when pushing a stroller.
Being slightly bent over hinders your ability to grab a complete breath, especially when you are working your way up a hill. The downhill stretches become a respite where you can let gravity pull the stroller for you and you can stretch your arms out and relax your posture. These are the moments where you have to capitalize on catching as much oxygen as possible.
Your child's attitude/demeanor can and will alter your pace throughout the race.
I started the race a little quicker than I normally would, because I was hoping that Lydia would stop crying and fall asleep. Once I saw the turn away from the sun my pace quickened even more. For this particular race, this meant that my pace over the first mile was significantly faster than I would have run on my own or if she was happy at the time. While this mile was mostly downhill anyway, I burned a lot more energy and effort to cover it quicker than I would have otherwise. This led me to essentially starting the climb on the back two-thirds of the race slightly out of breath and with a higher heart rate than I would normally have liked.
I am not as young as I once was.
I ran my first 5k after 6 weeks of dedicated training. I ran the same flat 5k a year later having trained consistently for a month and then we had Lydia and I didn't run for 4 weeks leading up to race day. The 5k earlier this year and had run a couple of times in the month leading up to the race, but I wasn't consistent at all and wouldn't dare call it training of any sort. This was also my first 5k pushing Lydia, who at the time weighed in around 15 pounds. I had not trained or run at all leading up to this race and it really beat me up. Lydia was heavier (25 pounds) I was more out of shape and the course was harder than any I have run to date. My legs are about 90% today and it is the first day that standing up from a sitting position doesn't hurt.
Lessons Learned & Goals:
I want to run another 5k after training consistently for it.
I want to reduce my course time.
I want to own the course and not have it mock me.
I want to be able to walk normally without pain within 2 days of the race.
I should heed my wife's warnings and walk some of the course if I have not trained.
Enduring to finish comes at a steep cost when you aren't prepared for the race.
When we finally turned the corner and the sun was out of her face, Lydia promptly fell asleep for the remainder of the race. It was about at this point of the race that the gentle downhill turned into a ever-increasing uphill run. Every time I though we might have reached the plateau I was greeted with another hill. Notice how great I look in the wonderful snapshot of Lydia and I crossing the finish line.Here are some observations from my race:
Not all 5ks are created equal.
My first ever 5k was a totally flat course, based in a floodplain. The 5k we ran in the Spring had a large hill in the middle of the race, but then we turned around and had a nice downhill run for the majority of the back half of the race. The course this past weekend was downhill the first mile and then basically uphill the remaining 2 miles, with a brutally steep hill the last few hundred yards to the finish line.
You run differently when pushing a stroller.
This is obvious at a glance but becomes a harsh reality once you begin the race. As you attack hills, you find your arms tiring of the effort to keep the stroller far enough in front of you to allow you to drive your legs with power over the hill. This expense of energy takes a toll after several hills and your legs get tired much more quickly.
You breathe differently when pushing a stroller.
Being slightly bent over hinders your ability to grab a complete breath, especially when you are working your way up a hill. The downhill stretches become a respite where you can let gravity pull the stroller for you and you can stretch your arms out and relax your posture. These are the moments where you have to capitalize on catching as much oxygen as possible.
Your child's attitude/demeanor can and will alter your pace throughout the race.
I started the race a little quicker than I normally would, because I was hoping that Lydia would stop crying and fall asleep. Once I saw the turn away from the sun my pace quickened even more. For this particular race, this meant that my pace over the first mile was significantly faster than I would have run on my own or if she was happy at the time. While this mile was mostly downhill anyway, I burned a lot more energy and effort to cover it quicker than I would have otherwise. This led me to essentially starting the climb on the back two-thirds of the race slightly out of breath and with a higher heart rate than I would normally have liked.
I am not as young as I once was.
I ran my first 5k after 6 weeks of dedicated training. I ran the same flat 5k a year later having trained consistently for a month and then we had Lydia and I didn't run for 4 weeks leading up to race day. The 5k earlier this year and had run a couple of times in the month leading up to the race, but I wasn't consistent at all and wouldn't dare call it training of any sort. This was also my first 5k pushing Lydia, who at the time weighed in around 15 pounds. I had not trained or run at all leading up to this race and it really beat me up. Lydia was heavier (25 pounds) I was more out of shape and the course was harder than any I have run to date. My legs are about 90% today and it is the first day that standing up from a sitting position doesn't hurt.
Lessons Learned & Goals:
I want to run another 5k after training consistently for it.
I want to reduce my course time.
I want to own the course and not have it mock me.
I want to be able to walk normally without pain within 2 days of the race.
I should heed my wife's warnings and walk some of the course if I have not trained.
Enduring to finish comes at a steep cost when you aren't prepared for the race.
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