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Since my last blog entry, I've run three more races. When you add in Thanksgiving, my son's 8th birthday, and Christmas preparations, it's been a busy few weeks.

11/14/09 - Team Nashville 10 Miler - 1:15:06 (7:31) - I ran the first three miles sort of fast, but I didn't feel like pushing it. It was cold, and I knew I had another race the next day. So the last seven miles I slowed down and focused on running "marathon pace". I felt fine at the end, so it was hardly a race effort. But technically it was still a PR because I've only done a couple of 10 mile races.

11/15/09 - TSBA 5K - 19:24 (6:15) - Another cold morning, but I felt pretty good. I led from the beginning, and I finished first overall. I was only 6 seconds over my PR, which wasn't bad for having no one in front of me and running my second race of the weekend.

11/22/09 - Flying Monkey Marathon - 4:10:11 (9:33) - As in years past, the wheels came off in mile 19. I ran the first 14 miles with my friend Phil. He made us run smart and easy, and we intentionally averaged about an 8:45 pace for those miles. Then at 14 he took off, and I couldn't keep up. When I got to the 18 mile mark, I was still doing "ok", but I knew the next 4 miles were going to suck. And they did. I lost a ton of time there as I walked up the hills and stopped to stretch. I eventually figured out that my lower back muscles were painfully tightened up, and that was causing the tightness in my glutes, hams, and knees. After I did some toe touches and trunk twists (in mile 22), my back relaxed, and I felt much better. I ran the last 4 miles fairly well, but I missed going sub-4. My splits were 1:50 for the first half and 2:20 for the second half. Sheesh.

Next year I plan to just volunteer for the Monkey. Running it three times is enough for me. I love everything about the race except running the 26.2 miles. I realize now that I'm not a marathoner, and I'm ok with that. I'm also ok with the fact that most of my running friends are marathoners, and they love it. I enjoy running up to 13 miles or so, but I mostly enjoy running fast. Running long may be better for others, but it's not my thing. I'm averaging a little over 30 miles a week this year, and that's not enough to race marathons on. But with good planning, it's enough to get two quality, intense runs, a long run, and a couple of short, easy runs each week. I'm happy with that, and we'll see what I can do with that knowledge next year.

Live well and have an excellent holiday season!

Labels: Personal, Running

On Saturday I ran three races.  I primarily did it as a “stunt” because I’d never done three distance races in one day before, and I didn’t know anyone who had.  The races and results were:

• Donelson-Hermitage Dash 10K @ 8am – 1st overall.  41:13 (6:38 pace).
• Halloween Hunt 5 Mile @ 11am – 60th overall; 4th in my age group.  37:06 (7:26 pace).
• IRFTP Halloween 5K @ 5pm – 16th overall; 2nd in my age group.  20:55 (6:44 pace).

Overall, that was a pretty good day of racing.  I’d originally intended to “save some energy” during the first race.  But I had the opportunity to win it, so I had to go for it.  I intentionally trailed the leader for 5.5 miles, and then I was able to outkick him over the last 3/4 mile.  That was fun (an overall win always is), but it sapped all of my energy for the next race, which was a little over two hours away at that point. I survived the 5 mile race and went home to shower, nap, and eat.  I felt better for the 5K that night, but I still wasn’t 100%.  It was an interesting and educational day though.

On Sunday morning I got up and watched the live feed of the New York City Marathon.  Both the men’s and women’s races were exciting because neither one played out the way folks thought they would.  Paula Radcliffe (the women’s favorite) ended up 4th, but no one wanted to count her out of it until the very end.  But the shocker of the day was Meb Keflezighi winning the men’s race!  He’s the first American to win in NYC in 27 years.  It was awesome, and it was a great day for American distance running.  Ryan Hall (2008 US Olympic Marathon Trials winner and current US half-marathon record holder) finished in 4th place.

On Tuesday night I got a tip that Ryan Hall and Bart Yasso (Chief Running Officer for Runner’s World magazine) were going to be in town on Wednesday to do a group run at the Nissan headquarters right down the street from where I work.  So on my Wednesday lunch run, I jogged over to the Nissan building and joined in the running group with Ryan and Bart!  It was a lot of fun.  We ran almost 5 miles, and I got to talk to Ryan and Bart about all kinds of things.  It was definitely the best lunchtime run I’ve ever had and one of my most memorable runs overall.

Here are some pictures of today’s run with Ryan and Bart (thanks to Pamela Hobson):

• Me and Bart - Ryan's in the background talking to Sara (his wife).
• Me, Sara, and Ryan - He grins on the opposite side of his mouth from me, which makes him a much faster runner.
• Me "outkicking" Ryan at the finish - Bart Yasso ran ahead to take this picture with Pamela's camera.

I’m not sure what the rest of my running week holds, but I’m looking forward to it!

Labels: Running

I run for days like today.  Coming off a hard weekend of running, I set a very satisfying 10K PR today.  The entire race I felt like I was running my best.  It hurt, of course, like a race should, but I felt like I ran right at my limits for cardio, leg strength, leg turnover, pain management, etc.  I ran a smart pace by checking my Garmin early and often, and I was able to adjust my effort level appropriately based on the hills and racers around me.  Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect (based on my weekend efforts), but this was one of those days where everything went right.  I even had a strong finishing kick over the last quarter mile.  I felt happy and powerful.

Today was just one race, but it had everything I love about running in it.  I alluded to some of the individual aspects above such as testing my limits and the mental focus required to run a smart race.  But today also had plenty of the social aspects of running.  I saw lots of friends before, during, and after the race, and that made the whole event a lot more enjoyable.  I've never been involved with any hobby, skill, or trade that is so balanced and applicable at both the individual and social levels.  I can run alone or with friends and get great health benefits and satisfaction.

The social running community here in Nashville is so open it's amazing.  There are numerous races as well as several local running groups (e.g., Nashville Striders, East Nasty, Fleet Feet, Jim Spivy Running Club, Williamson Youth Track Club), and they all welcome new runners.  It's a great change from my past experiences with other endeavors.  I spent several very satisfying years practicing Wado Ryu karate, but I was always disappointed that the great organization I was involved with wasn't involved with any other Wado organizations.  Unfortunately, that's common in martial arts.  Many schools are "islands" and are exclusive of all other schools and styles.  But, fortunately, running is not that way.  Running is very inclusive.  Races and group runs are generally open to members of any running group and unaffiliated runners.

Both socially and individually, I've had a great summer of running.  I finished the Fleet Feet Summer Speed Sessions.  It was well worth the $50 for 10 weeks of coaching, and it was a great group to train with.  This summer I lowered my mile PR to 5:31 (on the track), my road 5K to 19:18 (at the Smyrna Parks 5K), and my road 10K to 40:46 (today at the Franklin Classic).  I've also done the first three Striders marathon training runs (up to 18 miles), and I've done one 27 mile run solo.  (When I was off work on July 3rd, I headed out for a long "runabout", and I called Amy 5 hours and 27 miles later to come pick me up.)  So things are going well.

For the fall, I'm going to keep training with a mix of speedwork and long runs up to half marathon distance.  I've got the Jaunt in the Joint half marathon coming up next week (September 16), and then the Music City Half on October 18.  After that I'm signed up for the Flying Monkey Marathon on November 22 (again and again).  The Flying Monkey has too much distance and too many hills for me to race it, but I'll run it and try to improve my time from last year.

Amy is also signed up for the Flying Monkey, and it will be her first marathon.  She did two half marathons this spring, so now she wants to go for the brass ring.  There's no tougher road marathon than the Monkey, so it should be an interesting day for both of us.  She's training with the Fleet Feet Fall Marathon Training group, so I've basically given up all Saturday morning races for this fall.  I may sneak in one or two Saturday races if we can find a sitter for Aaron, but for the most part Saturday mornings are hers now.

On a related note, if you love running too, I strongly recommend that you read Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher Dougall.  If reading this book doesn't make you want to go out and run, then you probably have no pulse.

Labels: Running

Yesterday (Father’s Day) was the inaugural running of the Nashville Beer Mile.  Of the 19 people that pre-registered, 16 showed up and ran.  That’s pretty amazing since it was 94 degrees, sunny, and humid!  It was a scorcher!

The official results are available at http://www.menees.com/beermile/Files/2009%20Results.txt.  They’re also listed on BeerMile.com, the Internet’s “official” repository of beer mile results.  They’ve even Twittered our winning time.

The overall male winner was Phil “Zimmer” Zimmerman in 8:57.  The overall female winner was Amy “USC Girl” Young in 12:25.  There was lots of belching, a few “wet burps”, and one good puker.  But the puker showed a lot of heart!  She finished her beers (including a Skull Crusher as beer #4) and ran her penalty lap.  Her finish in 37:31 was exciting, strongly-cheered on, and way better than a DNF!

There were several spectators, and we had three awesome volunteers that helped with timing and beer checking (i.e., making sure each runner finished each beer).  Our timing official (Bob) even wore a black and white striped referee’s shirt to really look the part.

The post-race party was great too.  We hung out for a few hours in my saltwater pool, which was very relaxing even if the water was warmer than I’d hoped for.  The only downside to the party was the huge grill fire that destroyed the grill!  Fortunately, we had a fire extinguisher handy (every house should have one!), and we ordered Papa John’s pizza instead.

(FWIW, the leftover meat and treats were given to my wife’s church this morning.  They cooked them up and delivered them as Meals on Wheels, so at least all the remaining burgers, hot dogs, and peanut butter treats went to a good cause.)

On a personal note, I tried to go to work this morning, but I felt like I’d been kicked in the head.  I turned around after a mile, came home, and called in sick.  If we do this again next year (and that’s a big if), I’ll definitely make it on a Saturday afternoon instead of a Sunday.  I feel sorry for everyone that had to go on to work this morning (especially Phil who had to fly out on a business trip)!

I’d love to post some race pictures, but I didn’t take any.  Many of the spectators did, so I’m hoping they’ll send me some links soon.  In the meantime, I do have a picture that one of the volunteers sent me of when the grilling started to go horribly, horribly wrong: