Posts Tagged ‘8k’

Today was a big running day in Richmond - an 8k, a half marathon and a marathon. The same and only marathon that I ran two years ago. I was going to run the 8k, but as soon as I got my job offer I knew that I didn’t want to squeeze it in with the moving that had to be done.

Instead of running a race this weekend, I spent last night getting a workout in by climbing up and down a ladder and carrying boxes out of my attic in about an hour’s time. Today I’m feeling it — my feet and hips are sore from that up and down mess on the ladder, my elbows are bruised from hitting the sides of the attic entry and my knee hurts because I missed a step coming down one time, resulting in me banging my knee against the ladder.

But that wasn’t a PR in an 8k or a 4-hour marathon. It was life’s work. While I’m excited about my move and completely happy with my new job, it was sad not participating in a big race today with thousands of other people. But the great thing about running is there’s always next year. It’s so cliché, yet completely true. I’m actually tempted to sign up for next year’s marathon this weekend while there’s a discount rate.

I’ll give it a day, though, just to make sure I’m not going with my emotions right now. My body and I need to talk about this …

Often after a race I find myself in the strangest of moods. A runner’s high is great. It’s unexplainable to anyone who doesn’t run. Coming down off that high, though, is tough. Yesterday wasn’t so bad. I came back home energized, ready to sign up for another race, ready to make plans for next year, ready to just keep going. Since I didn’t run too hard, I wanted the “what’s next” part of running to be right now. It can sort of happen like that, but like a year ago at this time, I’m finding that I don’t really want “what’s next” to be a half marathon. At least this year I want to run; last year at this time I was tired of running.

So today I’ve really come crashing down off my weekend experience. While a few weeks ago I was ready to not do the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half again I realize that this is very much a “vacation race.” I had a lot of fun just getting away, hanging out with my 10-month-old son on the beach, eating dinner each night with my mom and stepdad — but it felt like it was a day too short. I wish I would’ve taken a longer stroll on the beach with my wife the last night there; I wanted my son to play in the sand for another half hour on Sunday. I didn’t want to work today and rainy weather didn’t help. I wanted to stay home and plan … I wanted to plan my now-annual Shamrock Half Marathon trip; I wanted to plan next Labor Day weekend at the beach again. I wanted “what’s next” to be right now.

But I can’t rush these things. I have a real world to get back to and I have some work to do with my running besides just wanting to race. I don’t want to run for the sake of running, which has sort of happened this summer. So as far as what’s next, a big focus for me has to do with not worrying about racing. Yet at the same time for me to improve my running in these “big” events, I have to race in something. Nothing beats the experience of running with large groups of people.

So for right now, my running is going back to basics. I want to get faster — I want to get back to my sub 8-minute mile race paces from 2007. In order to do that I need to do speed work. So starting next week at least once a week, one day of running will be devoted to speed - intervals, fartleks, tempo runs. Something other than my current one-speed pace. I am not going to do a “big” fall race, meaning the Richmond Half Marathon is out. However, that weekend (Nov. 14) also has an 8k that I plan on doing. I’d like my “long” runs to be in the 5-6 mile range this fall, so a mid-November almost 5-miler would be ideal. That gives me two months to work on my speed issues and to attempt a PR at that distance. A turkey trot in Ohio is likely later that month and maybe, just maybe, I’ll return to my roots in Bedford for the Christmas Classic that I’ve done a few times.

That pretty much leads me into next year. I mentioned the new Blue Ridge Marathon several weeks ago, but that event is out. It’s too costly for me to commit to right now. Plus that course is the toughest course I’ve ever seen. And, quite honestly, the marathon itch still isn’t there for me. My main goal is to set a PR in the half marathon and, to me, there’s no better course to do it on than one I’ve already done three times — the Shamrock Half Marathon in March.

A lot of runners like to travel to different cities for events. I often get that desire from time to time, but at this point in my life I’m starting to enjoy this tradition. The trip to Virginia Beach in March these past few years have been a lot of fun. While it’s cold, it’s an awesome time to go when not many tourists are around. Everything is still open, just minus the people. And after two years in a row of being at the beach on Labor Day, I’m pretty sure that next year I’d like to do it a third time. And since race entries do nothing but go up throughout the year, there’s no better time than now to plan out 2010.

If I’m going to have a tradition with running then two half marathons a year in two completely different times of the year in one great place only two hours from home is a nice tradition to have.

This may be the least that I have to say about an actual race, but for the time I was running there’s really not much to say. I finished today’s Sweetheart 8k in 40:01, just a tad more than 8 minutes a mile. Like last year, the initial half-mile uphill was the make-or-break point for this race. I handled it OK, getting the first mile in at 8:17. The next mile was mostly downhill and I was rolling along at just over 7 minutes. The rest of the race was up and down, as were my times. In the end though, I felt good about what I had done despite not breaking last year’s time. For me, this was a test of my race shape. I’ll give myself a B-minus. I feel good about what I can do in the next five weeks to have a good half marathon. A PR may be out of reach at this point, but it may set me up for a good rest of the year.

On the flip side of things, I’m not trying to use this an excuse for running slower than I wanted, but the temperature at race start was about 30 degrees. It felt flippin’ cold after near-record highs earlier this week. It was nearly a 30-degree swing in temperatures from running outside last week. Another issue that I couldn’t control was the start of the race — it started 10 minutes late. WTF?? I have NEVER started a race that late … two, maybe three minutes, but 10 minutes? After warming up, I was ready to go … not stand around and wait for the thing to start.

I hate to talk bad about the local running club’s races, but this isn’t the first somewhat unorganized event I’ve attended. On top of the late start, there were only two portapotties for more than 300 finishers - fortunately I didn’t have to pee, but … and there was a long line for water and the usual after-race treats — something I had not seen before at a community race. Usually water is pretty accessible, but not today for some reason.

All in all, though, today was a very good day. I got in some speedwork, but I wasn’t as fast as I’d like. I ended up getting in 6.3 miles total today and after another run tomorrow, I’ll have more than 20 miles for the week. After taking off time from thinking about racing for a while and resting up my body, I think I kind of expected today’s results. I hit the reset button on my own with running, and it’s up to me to stay focused and get back to where I was a couple of years ago. It will be done …

(Funny thing… after writing all this I just went back and read last year’s post about this race. Eerily similar, including my use of bold and italics, minus the race complaints. Click here to check it out.)

While it seems much of my focus has turned back to running, I can’t let go cross training days go without being recognized. Tonight, after 2 miles on the elliptical, I got in a nice, slow, steady 8.4 miles on the bike. It was kind of odd — I was putting in a pretty good effort, yet it felt effortless. There’s nothing better than a workout like that.

* * *

After my 7 creepishly bad miles on Saturday, I got in a good 3.6-mile run yesterday and felt a ton better. I think some of my problem Saturday was actually just being outside. I’ve gotten used to running indoors and the nice weather outside was probably a bit of a shock to my system.

* * *

Lastly, this weekend I’m still planning to run the Sweetheart 8k. I’m not looking forward to that first hill, but I am looking forward to racing again. It’s been almost four months since my last race, so I’m getting that itch to see how I’ll be. Last year this was a very satisfying race; this year I’m looking for the same.

There’s part of me that feels like this was a disappointing week, yet there’s another part of me that feels completely satisfied. In the end, I think it’s what I realized this week with getting in better overall shape that has me happy.

It’s been an interesting week with my mileage. All told I have 32 miles — 10.6 running, 10.5 biking, 8.6 walking and 2.3 on the elliptical machine. I missed a run this week to get into the teens, but I did do a little more biking — all this weekend. Adding it all up, it’s more than last week and that’s really all I was seeking. My desire to run still isn’t very strong, but as I’ve mentioned this week my desire to stay in shape and get in better shape is growing.

I don’t have any specific injuries, but I’ve had a lot of dull, aching pains this week in my feet and my knees. It’s nothing major and it’s nothing I haven’t trained through before. Perhaps its the changing of the seasons and the cooler weather, or perhaps it’s because I need the break from pavement. I’m not going to push it right now, but I’m not going to completely stop either. Getting in 10 miles or so a week right now is sufficient for me, as long as I’m doing other stuff.

This coming week, my goal is to increase my overall mileage from this week — it’s nice to be able to take a different approach to fitness with the ability to ease off the running. You may have noticed that I took my 8k counter down. It’s not that I don’t plan on doing it, but for personal reasons I can’t commit to it until that week. I don’t need it sitting there if I end up not running it. There’s also a 5k next weekend that I’m considering, but I probably won’t make that decision until the night before. It sure is nice to be able to do that.

Lastly, I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Vicki, who also ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half in August. Yesterday she completely the Baltimore Marathon in just under 5 hours — congrats to her and all the other finishers out there!

While September was a great month to get some rest, I can’t continue with that mind frame. That’s why this week was all about getting back into the groove and getting October started on the right foot. If I’m going to get back into being consistent, I have to start now.

This week I was able to log 13.9 running miles, 9.6 walking miles and 7.1 miles on the bike. While this is nothing overly impressive, it’s far better than anything else I’ve done since August. With an 8k now less than six weeks away, it’s a good place to be. My “long” run this week was 4.1 miles, which is a good starting point. Being just shy of 14 miles for the week, I’m right where I want to be to get consistent with miles in the mid-teens. And I definitely plan to build on my bike mileage too for a few weeks. I’m starting to run out of daylight, so I’m figuring out what to do about that. I continue to ponder joining a gym, but it’s a tough commitment.

All in all, I am happy that October has started off well. I’ve kicked off the last quarter of the year better than what the economy is doing, so I guess I’m doing something right.

At the end of the month, I usually do some sort of month recap. I’ve missed some months along the way — like last month, which ended with a race and I pretty much forgot about it — but I usually like to take a look back on what has happened both positively and negatively.

If you have followed my blog, you already know that September was pretty much an off month for me. I did it for various reasons, but the No. 1 reason was to give myself a break by choice. Sure I’ve had some breaks in the past year, but they were mainly due to injury. I wanted a break by choice. It wasn’t a complete break from running — it was a break from doing things because of a race. My random runs were actually pretty good. I happily increased my dog’s miles along the way as well. I also got back on the bike after a couple of months off it. I didn’t get many miles, but it was enough to feel comfortable again on two wheels. The totals: 24.8 running miles (compared to more than 100 miles in August); 19.9 biking miles; and more than 20 walking miles. Surprisingly, when it comes to running, it wasn’t my lowest total for the year — that came in April when I was getting over an injury.

So now that September is over, I can finally answer the question of what’s next. I have decided to run the Ntelos 8k in Richmond in November. It’s the same day of the Richmond Marathon and the new Richmond Half Marathon. Simply put, it’s a huge running day in Richmond. While it’s not a “big” race when it comes to mileage, it’s a “big” race with more than 2,000 people taking part in the 8k. That distance is what I’m comfortable with right now. It’ll be nice over the next six weeks to have a few runs a week in the 3-4 mile range and “long” runs in the 5-6 mile range. It’s a welcome break from what I’ve been used to for almost two years. I’ll detail my goals sometime in the next few weeks.

I may do a 5k along the way, but honestly I just want to spend the next couple of weeks getting into a normal routine. My September normal is over and it’s time to get refocused.

No race should start with a steep uphill. It’s just cruel. But that’s the way today’s race started. The initial incline wasn’t too bad, but then within a tenth of a mile it was like running up a black diamond ski slope. It wasn’t long, but it was hell. A young boy running with his father was repeatedly saying “I can’t make it.” I think he did make it up the hill, but I didn’t seem them again. I’ve never seen a field of runners get so spread out so quickly as I did today.

About the first half mile of today’s race was uphill before it flatten out a bit and started going downhill toward the end of the first mile. I happened to glance down at my watch when I hit one mile (there were no mile markers on the course) and was at exactly 8 minutes. Having battled that hill, I was pleasantly surprised, but I questioned whether or not I could maintain the pace. Thankfully there was a decent downhill to allow a recovery and to pick up the pace without trying too hard.

The rest of the race went well. There were several rolling hills that reminded me of my running days in Lynchburg. Richmond is a strange area — my neighborhood and the surrounding few miles are relatively flat. But in the neighborhood five miles south, it’s nothing but hills. Anyway, during the race I kept getting a feeling that my legs were going to cramp. It was cool - about 40 degrees - and quite windy in certain areas. At the half way point, I was screaming at myself in my head for wearing a long sleeve shirt. I took my thin gloves off, pushed up my sleeves, turned my hat around and kept rolling along near that 8-minute mile pace.

Near mile 3, I had one of those annoying people pass me who likes to just shout stuff out randomly. “MILE 3! WE’RE AT A SUB-8 PACE!” While it may come across as supportive, at this point I don’t want to hear anyone talk, unless they’re cheering us along. “THAT’S 3.5 MILES. ONLY A LITTLE MORE THAN A MILE TO GO!” At that point, the competitive side in me came out and I said to myself — perhaps I should’ve shouted it — I’m not going to let this guy finish in front of me. While running is often individual with racing against myself, I can’t help but want to finish in front of know-it-all types. I think another woman near me felt the same.

As we rounded the corner to circle around a lake to the finish line, the woman passed by him, and with less than a tenth of a mile to go, I had enough in me to pass by him. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not complaining about him. I like having people out there like that. It helps me maintain my pace, and it helps get my mind off the fact I would have rather stopped and thrown up at some point this morning.

So, I crossed the finish line in 38:26, a 7:44 pace. It’s also a PR for that distance - my previous (and only) best in this distance was in 2006 (on a course nowhere near as hilly) at 39:17. With a month to go until my big race, what does all this mean?

Despite the fact I want to shed a few pounds, I think this is a great sign to get close to my time from last year. My goal, though, is to beat that time, even if by a second. There are a lot of things to keep in mind — this course was hilly; the Virginia Beach course is basically flat. Today had wind often in my face; Virginia Beach is also windy, but last year it was more of a cross wind. Who knows what the weather will be. Today was close to 40; last year it was in the low 20s at the start — in mid-March, anything can happen. Today was my first true speed workout in three months; I have four more weeks to get a few more speed workouts in. I want to beat 1:44:23, and today put it in perspective that it’s possible. I just have to say focused.

For the first time in a while, I feel pleased with where I am with running. What I need to do is right there in front of me, and I can only blame myself if it doesn’t happen.

Tomorrow morning I’m running in my first race since the marathon. I’m pretty excited about it too. Having dealt with being sick, being injured and slowly getting back into shape, this will be a good test for me before the half marathon next month. It’s an 8k, and I’ve only done one other 8k before (plus two 5 milers - close enough, right? Except I can have totally different PRs).

I’m not really setting up any specific goals — I just want to be able to run a nice steady pace the whole time. Not having run a race for three months is a pretty big gap considering what I did last year, so I’m eager to test it all out. If I set a PR, that’ll be nice, but I’m not really worried about that.

I weighed myself today and am mad at myself for letting a few pounds creep back. It’s kind of odd with increasing my mileage and seeing the weight go up, too. I know that it’s actually common for that to happen, but it’s frustrating all the same. I’ve been doing great with getting focused on running, but no so good when it comes to food I guess. Plus I’m at this age where I can tell things are starting to change too. I know, I know, you’re saying that I’m only 29, but I can really tell that my metabolism is changing and that I can’t just eat what I used to. I’m mad at myself because I was so determined after the marathon not to gain weight back, but it’s just like last year all over again. I guess I have to lay off the goodies at work and get back to eating apples instead.