A new approach to October
October wasn’t about the finish … it was about getting back on track.
For the past few years, October has been about winding down. It’s been more about ending something rather than starting something.
This year, though, it’s been all about a change of pace, quite literally. With this being the first full month of being a father of two, all I was really striving for was making sure I ran 3 or 4 times a week for 30-40 minutes. If I had it in me, go for 10 miles or so on the weekends.
It turns out this extremely loose plan with no major goals was exactly what I needed to make this October completely different than previous years. And the more removed I am from the Runner’s World Festival weekend, the more I realize how important those few days really were to me.
A few things about this month:
- I ran 78 miles, the fourth month in a row of increased mileage since a really low mileage month in June.
- My combined running and biking mileage was more than 100 miles for the third straight month.
- My streak of running 1,000 miles in a calendar year will end, but in November I’ll still cross a combined 1,000 exercise miles for the year. I’ll take it.
- I lost 3 pounds of my “baby weight.” September and early October were a bit rough with everything that involved eating. I got things under better control in the past few weeks and feel much better because of that. I’m back to 30 overall pounds lost since early 2004 and I feel a stronger desire than usual to get to my original 40 lost before the end of the year. I can’t obsess about it, but I can certainly stay on this path.
- After writing about setting a goal of a PR in the 10-miler, I realized I need to actually run at and below that goal pace. A renewed effort with speed work started this week by including 2 miles on the treadmill at 15:21. That, too, is a path to stay on with more and longer speed work.
Now it’s on to November. No major goals other than to build on October.
Let’s go …
The PR streak
The competitor in me is ready to compete against myself again. I don’t know if 6 weeks is enough time to knock off a PR, but the one I’m going for feels reachable. My current 10-mile PR was set on the hilliest of courses in the Virginia 10 Miler last year at 1:21 and change.
Certainly on a flat course at Virginia Beach (and at sea level) in the Surf ‘n’ Santa 10 Miler I can drop closer to an 8-minute pace to beat that time. If my PR in the half is so much faster pace wise, I know I just need to put in the work to get there.
All this thinking about a PR has me reflecting on nearly 10 years of running and this “PR streak” that I have, which is, quite simply, setting at least one PR per year (technically two) since I started running. I’m a big believer in looking at my past to understand what my next goals are, so for the first time in a really long time, I’m looking back at what PRs were set each year all for the purpose of making sure I go for at least one this year.
* indicates first time racing that distance; ** indicates tlast time racing that distance
2004
5K - 24:51
* 4 miles - 34:00
2005
* 2 miles - 16:18
5K - 24:42
4 miles - 33:47
2006
* 1 mile - 7:11
5K - 23:49
* 8K - 39:17
* 5 miles - 41:07
* 10K - 48:32
* 10 miles - 1:22:49
* Half marathon - 1:55:28
2007
1 mile - 6:26
5K - 23:03
5 miles - 36:59
Half marathon - 1:44:23
* Marathon - 4:12:51
2008
** 4 mile - 32:49
8k - 38:26
2009
** 2 mile - 14:57
10K - 48:11
2010
** 1 mile - 6:15
5K - 22:41
Half marathon - 1:42:52
2011
5K - 21:52
5 miles - 36:47
Marathon - 3:56:17
2012
** 10K - 45:49
** 10 miles - 1:21:22
Half marathon - 1:40:48
This year hasn’t been a total loss with racing. My 5K in July was a nice race, but I didn’t capitalize on those feelings. I’ve also opted to focus more on fun this year rather than PRs, such as running in costume with my sister in April (where she got a PR).
In a little more than two weeks I’m running the Richmond Half Marathon with no major goal in mind. I’m looking at that similar to last year’s Runner’s World Half. It’s a set-up race. Run it strong; finish healthy; stay focused on the Surf ‘n’ Santa 10 Miler in December.
Getting, or not getting, a PR isn’t going to make or break me, but I need to set realistic goals in 2014. The December race will help determine that that reality looks like.
Understanding success
As I near 10 years of running, I have been doing a lot of reflecting that hasn’t made its way to pen and paper or a keyboard and computer screen. One of the big things on my mind lately is the definition of success and what it really means to me.
When I look back at my running highs and lows, the greatest moments haven’t been my PRs. The greatest moments have come when I’ve been challenged.
Sometime in the next year, I’ll probably have a top 10 list of moments that have helped me define success — things like finishing the 2010 Richmond Marathon and the 2012 Cleveland Half will likely be on that list.
Another may very well be this past weekend’s Runner’s World Half Marathon.
As I only briefly wrote about heading into the weekend, I fully planned on doing the Five and Dime — the 5K and 10K on Saturday. I had given in to my story of not being in shape enough to run the half marathon because I knew I couldn’t perform like I wanted.
Once I got to Bethlehem, though, I started thinking about it. Why shouldn’t I run the half? Sure the Five and Dime was a big challenge, but why not just run 13.1 for one more “running just to run” race?
So I opted for a big trade — sleeping in on Saturday (9:30!) and run on Sunday.
The half marathon was certainly no race for me — except for that mile I ran hard to get away from a very annoying pace group — as I finished in just under 2:05, my second slowest official half marathon ever and a far cry from my 1:40 half marathon PR.
For a long run though, it was what I needed for some motivation — big-time hills, perfect weather and thousands of people at the event celebrating running. Finding motivation, to me, is a huge success.
I said in my previous post that this weekend could be the spot where I fell back in love with running. It could very well be possible that this race is the one that gets me focused on a 10 miler PR in December and then even bigger things in 2014.
Only time will have those answers for me, and I’m ready to get there.
Falling back in love?
My favorite quote of the weekend was during Dave McGillivray’s presentation. Dave is the Boston Marathon race director.
For much of the past year, I have felt disconnected from the running world. I’ve had so many more downs than ups since I fell apart at the Richmond Marathon. Without diving into it too much, before this weekend I found myself glad I’ve given myself this break.
No pressure, no major goals, no thinking about running other than doing enough to not get too far off track, no getting wrapped up in what other people were doing.
After my experience this weekend at the Runner’s World Festival, though, I know that it’s time for change. In my mind I’ve been ready to make some changes, but I haven’t pushed myself enough to take action.
It’s time to refresh my goals. Really refresh them. And be realistic about them. And be harder on myself as I get closer to them.
I can get into all that later, as this post really isn’t about me. It’s about this group of 20 people over the weekend who have help me realize I need a new path.
As a full disclaimer, Runner’s World paid for my trip to Bethlehem, Pa., and treated 20 of us bloggers to an experience like no other.
While the swag was nice, the experience of meeting so many people I knew by blog name or Twitter name only is what made this weekend truly special.
It’s easy to say that this weekend is the moment where I fell back in love with running, but I won’t know if that’s true for another month or so. Like any good relationship, it’s going to take time to figure that part out.
As I think about how I want to really sum up the weekend, I have trouble finding the right words. Fellow blogger and #fitblog founder Katy (who was the inspiration for starting #runchat) said it best in her post:
From the Runner’s World staff and editors to the volunteers to the passionate sponsors who seemed truly excited to meet and work with us, this weekend affected me deeply. Thank you is not enough …
For those of who blog regularly or enjoy conversations on Twitter, I have to blunt with you: don’t hide behind your phones or computer screens.
Go to races. Socialize. Meet other people you think you know so well. You’ll be rewarded with experiences that will change you forever.
As for the actual running this weekend? I’ll save that unexpected story for later in the week.
Thanks to Running Skirts for hooking up me, Scott and Bart Yasso with a skirt at the Skirt Olympics.
Bloggers at the Altra clinic.
The Running is … board from Altra.
Runner’s World cookbook
Awesome items from Icon Fitness
Eat Run Repeat and Stuftmama with their tiny silverware.
Scott and I with #fitblog founder Katy, our inspiration for #RunChat
A huge thanks goes out to sponsors who provided gear or other information directly to the bloggers at the Runner’s World Festival: Altra, Running Skirts, Ortholite, Icon Fitness, Bondi Band, Injinji, PRO Compression, SPIBelt, The Stick, Wild Planet, Belvita, Deer Park Water (Nestle), Run Donna, and Bermuda Marathon.
No. 1039
After so little blogging in the past few months, I feel this sudden urge to write about a lot of things. Only problem is having the time to do that. Like everything else outside of work and family, I have to devote 30 minutes a few times a week to sit and write. That’ll happen eventually.
For now, I just need a mind-clearing post and turn some of these into actual posts later on:
* This weekend I’m running the Five and Dime at the Runner’s World Festival. That’s a 5K followed by a 10K. My plan remains like it was when I first mentioned this … which is I don’t know. I certainly won’t “race” these two events. I’m just running them a little faster and with more effort than other runs I’ve had lately. And that, to me, is all I need headed into the rest of fall.
* By “rest of fall,” I mean also taking part in an event that I know I won’t fully “race” — the Richmond Half Marathon. This event to me is all about seeing where I am. Will going for a PR 5 months later at Shamrock be realistic? Will I not go too crazy doing another race and not setting a goal in stone? It’s kind of a race that’ll fit what’s become the theme of my year — a test.
* I’m also raising money for Comfort Zone Camp at the Richmond Half. Help me out and win cool stuff in the process.
* I realized recently that every year I’ve been running I’ve set at least one PR. Some PRs are bigger and more important than others, but it’s a streak that I can’t let end this year. I decided that in December to go for a PR in the 10-miler at the Surf ‘n’ Santa race in Virginia Beach. It’s flat and at sea level. Certainly I can beat last year’s mark at the Virginia Ten Miler. I’ll explain more in a later post … about everything.
I ran on a treadmill and the world didn’t end.
I hate getting emails with a sentence as a subject line and nothing in the body of the email. It would be like writing a headline with no blog entry.
That’s kind of how I feel about this blog title. I don’t need to provide context, but then I’d hate myself later on.
So a few things about running on a treadmilll …
* My outdoor-only running streak has ended at around 4 years.
* I joined a cheap gym.
* I joined that gym because I’ve been very tired in the early mornings with my baby working his way toward a schedule and with the sun setting earlier this time of year my neighbor hood is crazy dark at night.
* I actually liked it. Sure it was only 10 minutes, but I was quickly reminded at how I can do a variety of speedwork on the treadmill that I may not normally try on the road.
I have several other reasons for doing all this, but what’s important is I survived and don’t feel any worse for having run on a treadmill. And the world didn’t end and hell didn’t freeze over. At least not yet.
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