Posts Tagged ‘Lynchburg Half Marathon’

Last night I passed last year’s running miles and now stand at more than 1,012 for the year. In just a few days I’ll pass my consecutive running days streak — Saturday will be the record-setting day. It’s a fitting way to end the year full of personal records. Here’s a look:

• It started in April with a 3-second PR in the 10k at the Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond. You may recall this was my No. 1 racing moment of the year in my post the other day.
• In July I had one goal — a PR in the Stars and Stripes 5k in Howland, Ohio. Mission accomplished by 31 seconds.
• A few weeks later, I dug deep and found a PR in the Percival’s Island 5 Miler, the fourth time I’ve done that race. I knocked 12 seconds off my PR from 2007.
• It wasn’t a personal record in the distance, but I did set a course record by more than 4 minutes on the “new” course of the Lynchburg Half Marathon in August.
• A week after that I set a new bar in the 5k in the Fab 5k, knocking off another 18 seconds off my PR.
• Perhaps the biggest PR came in the Baltimore Marathon. I never really talked about how much improvement I made in that distance, but my 3:56:17 finish was more than 16 minutes better than my first attempt at that distance in 2007.
• The final record of the year came with a course record a few weeks ago in the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic in which I knocked off more than a minute and a half of my time from 2009.

One of the biggest lessons I learned from last year was to not get too caught up in the “most ever” or “best ever” moments. While they’re great and worth celebrating, it’s very easy to lose focus if I dwell on them too much.

Today is one of those moments to celebrate, but I also need to quickly move on. I’ll talk about it now and drink a Magic Hat or two to celebrate, but tomorrow is September and there are still 45 days until the Baltimore Marathon. FOCUS.

So … what’s the big deal?

Today’s tired feeling 3.3-mile run puts me at 134.5 miles for August. It’s the most miles in a month ever, edging out 133 miles in October 2007. I actually fell about 6 miles shy of my goal, as well as not getting to 40 miles last week, but I knew ahead of time those were big miles for me. The 40 will come soon enough though.

Similar to how I felt a month ago, how I got to that number is what is important.

• 7 runs out of 22 were under a 9-minute pace. That’s not quite as good as July, but this month I had a few more shorter and slower (and very important) recovery runs.
• A solid effort in the Lynchburg Half Marathon.
• Breaking 22 minutes in the Fab 5k.
• I ran a mountain.

Coming off Saturday’s Lynchburg Half Marathon, I’ve been very happy with how my body has reacted.

• I had a nice 2+ mile recovery run with Duke on Sunday morning. It was a good way to cap off a week in which I really pushed myself with four runs in three days mid-week and the race. At 33.2 miles, it was the highest mileage week of the year and just less than 2 miles off my training peak from last year.
• I had a great core session on Monday, which included increasing my reps of squats I’ve been doing. I was worried initially about making that push, but my legs felt great.
• Today I continued my “push” theme and ran 4.7 miles in an 8:30 pace, which included a comfortable 8:19 middle mile. I initially felt like I started too fast, but I was able to maintain a good pace. The second mile, which was the hilliest, was 8:40.

Yesterday marked the two-months-to-go mark until the Baltimore Marathon. Two months? Really? That’s all?

I’m very happy with where I am in my training and the progress I continue to make with distance, speed and less worrying about my knee. The thought is still there quite a bit, but I can’t let it be a big distraction.

Next up in the journey is a big week with a goal of 36 miles this week, which will include a 5k on Saturday — the Fab 5k in Salem, Va. It’s a cross country style race.

While it’s promised to be flat, I’m looking at it as a speed workout. I’m not going to set a specific goal for this one. My long run goal is 16 miles on Sunday.

As I enter the second half of my training, I’m really setting my sites on a “first ever” moment of hitting 40 miles in a few weeks. It’s a distance out there that I’ve never been able to hit.

My previous two marathon attempts had too many things happen, but as of right now I’ve put it on my plan to hit 40 or more a few times before the taper begins. This will be the year it finally happens.

Somewhere along the way this week I let my mind take over. It’s a big fear I think most runners have — losing mental toughness. On the way to the Lynchburg Half Marathon this morning, I realized (again) that I’ve been letting my mind take over and I didn’t like it. I used that half hour or so to refocus on today’s race.

I hit the start line — after warming up in a steady run — with these thoughts:

• Don’t let the hill win.
• Finish stronger than I start it, carrying the theme of my main goal for 2011.
• Don’t look at my watch — just run by feel.
• Don’t worry about my time goal.
• Be able to honestly answer this question: can I double my effort?

Funny thing about my time goal is I couldn’t remember what I wrote the other day. I had shifted my focus since that post that I really didn’t care what my overall time was. If I did these things, I would have a solid training race, not a race race. And if I did these things I should be happy with my day no matter what.

After a steady rain for my warm-up, I almost put my Garmin away. The only reason I kept it on was to see the massive hill in my data, and I wanted to see how I handled it. While I was happy with last year’s race, it was THE hill that stuck out in my mind.

So with a different mindset than just 12 hours earlier, I had my most solid long run ever that just happens to fall smack in the middle of all my half marathon times.

It may sound crazy, but I really didn’t look at my watch until the 8th mile. I glanced at it a couple of times to do a mileage check, but in the first half of the race I didn’t check my mile times or look at my pace. It was quite refreshing.

I finished today in 1:51:31, more than 4 minutes faster than a year ago. Had it not been so humid after some overnight rain and the shower before the race, I probably could have knocked a couple of minutes off this. I was very pleased to set a course record on the “new” course for this race, as well as setting out everything I really wanted to accomplish.

• I beat the hill. I did miles 4 and 5 in 9:07 and 9:15; those two miles had elevation gains of 153 and 160 feet. Not that there’s anything wrong with walking hills, I remember last year feeling defeated when I had to. Today that thought never crossed my mind.

Lynchburg Half Marathon elevation

• The second 6 full miles were more than 3:30 faster than the first 6 miles. I’m very happy with that negative split.
• I actually didn’t make up that much time when I came down the hill. The mile with the most elevation loss — between 9 and 10 — was 8:03, and wasn’t my fastest mile. The next one was at 8:02. I lost something between mile 11 and 12 (8:26), but finished strong in the final full mile at 8:04. The last tenth or so (I say “or so” because my Garmin measure a tenth of a mile long) was in a 7:30 pace.
• So … can I double this effort? I know I have a lot of work left to do, but at the half way point of my training I am very confident that I can double this effort for the Baltimore Marathon.

I apologize for the headline that seems like a bunch of mumbled, jumbled words … as well as for the rest of this post.

I’ve had a hard time writing this week — if it weren’t for my Twitter Q&A and my monthly 11 things posts, I probably wouldn’t have written anything else.

I thought it was writer’s block, but truth be told, it’s me avoiding setting a goal for this weekend’s Lynchburg Half Marathon — a race that I’m not approaching as a “big” race, but instead focus on it being a training race.

In the past I’ve called it a “non-race race,” but those aren’t the right words anymore. “Training race” has a better ring to it.

This race fits in perfectly with my training schedule for the Baltimore Marathon. It’s exactly at the halfway point of my training — it’s a big test of where I am fitness-wise for a speedier long run. It’s about putting enough on the line to “race” it without being sore for 3 days after and messing up next week that should be even higher mileage. There is a fine line here with how hard to run this race.

Ideally, I’d like to run this slightly faster than my marathon goal of 3:45. An 8:36 pace — a time of about 1:52 — for a half marathon seems too slow of a goal. I think — and I say think because I may change my mind as soon as I wake up — that a goal of 1:49 is realistic for this race.

Last year the one major hill in this race — probably about 3/4 of a mile long — zapped me coming down. Yes, down, but knowing the course better will help this year. The weather is also supposed to much nicer than a year ago and considerably cooler than the past few weeks.

One thing about this race is that I’m realizing how important it is for me to do this. Otherwise I feel like I could fall into this cycle of “just another long run.” I have to push myself to set the tone for the second half of training. I’ve had an unbelievable first 8 weeks of training and I want the next 8 to be even better.

I’m probably no more clear about this than I was went I first started this post. Honestly I’m eager to get out there and see what happens. And, more importantly, to have fun.

Image: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Before I jump the gun and call July 2011 the best running month ever, I want to get through this entire training cycle first. I was ready last night to call this month the best ever, but what if next month is even better?

There’s a lot of running to do between now and Oct. 15, so what I want to do is take a moment to reflect on this month and then keep my eyes on the big prize — the Baltimore Marathon. My goal is to not have “best ever” months, and I can certainly hand out the “best ever” awards later.

• I set two race PRs in the 5k and the 5 miler. I haven’t had two race PRs in a calendar month in four years.
• Overall, I’m a lot faster. Out of 22 runs, 12 of them were under a 9-minute mile pace. Last July I ran 20 times with just 5 of those runs under that pace. Up until the past few months, I haven’t paid much attention to my everyday pace from an overall perspective. Now that I’m paying attention to it, I want to go faster. I really like my new slow.
• One of those faster runs included a double-digit 10-mile training run in flat Ohio, definitely one of the best long runs I’ve ever had.
• I ran down a mountain.
• I did two doubles (running twice in a day).
• I ran 122.5 miles — the third highest mileage month ever, just 2.2 miles off September 2010. My highest mileage month was October 2007 when I ran 133 miles.

Looking ahead to August, I’ve established some mileage goals that I have never hit. Besides the mileage, I want to continue getting faster and stronger — it’s quality and quantity continuing to come together.

This week will be a cut-back week before what I am anticipating will be three very intense weeks. In two weeks I am running the Lynchburg Half Marathon. I will set a very specific goal for this race as I will treat it as a test of where I am physically. I am beginning to have some thoughts of what I want to do for Baltimore, but I need this race and the next several weeks to come together before I get specific about the marathon.

For the last full week of August I have written down a goal for something that I’ve never done — 40 miles. All told I have a goal of 140 miles for the month. How I get to that number is much more important than just hitting that number.

I am embracing what I have put in front of me, but as always I will change my goals if I have to.

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After Sunday’s wall-hitting run, I’ve taken the past few days to privately think about that moment and where I’ve been since last fall. It’s been a big wake-up call to focus on the work that remains and that I can’t get into a comfort zone of training that’s so easy to slip into.

It’s really hard to explain, but I’ve had a variety of thoughts this week that at first seem a bit jumbled, but they all fit together somehow.

• I’ve dusted of Matt Fitzgerald’s “RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel” that I got for Christmas to find things that made sense then, but I never really grasped. I read much of that book at the lowest points of my running seven months ago. Once again, I feel like this book was made for me as it reaffirms so many of my approaches to running in the past couple of years. I need it now to get refocused. I hope by the end of summer to write an appropriate review.
• I read a good post this week over on Loving the Run about bucket lists, a term I’ve never really liked until now. I don’t have a bucket list; I’m afraid to make one. Right now it seems my thoughts are getting through the Baltimore Marathon uninjured, but is that the right frame of mind? I don’t really know, but if I’m questioning it, perhaps I should make my own bucket list.
• I’m getting very close to establishing a specific goal for the Lynchburg Half Marathon that is Aug. 13. The “non-race race” approach has worked in the past, but honestly this is a perfect time to test where I am both physically and mentally at a longer distance on a tough course. I’m not saying it will be a 100 percent all-out race, but I have a feeling it may be close. Blame the book or the wall-hitting or buckets on these thoughts, but I think the same approach as last year puts me back in this same-old same-old routine.
• Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that after Sunday’s run, I bounced back in the mid-day heat the next day for a lunch run of 4.1 miles. I treated it mentally as a recovery run with a co-worker; I felt like I complained the whole time, but we turned in a nice run at right about a 9-minute mile pace. I needed that run as much as I think I needed this wake-up call.

Now that I’ve put all this out there, it’s time to move on and make this the best week of training.

For the first time in four years, I’ve done four races in the first half of the year. There’s something about the variety of races I’ve done this year that have me really wanting to do more as I train for the Baltimore Marathon. And more is what I’ll do.

• The check is in the mail for a 5k near my in-law’s house in Ohio on July 4 — the Stars and Stripes 5k in Howland, Ohio. This will be the flattest 5k I’ve ever done. Considering that I’m coming off a 23:03 5k on a very hilly course this past weekend, there’s no doubt that I’m going to aim for a PR. I pretty much have no time to prepare for that increased speed, so here’s to hoping the hills I run on make all the difference. If I don’t get it, I’ll be OK. I just want to put it out there that I want to break my 5k PR — this is my last shot until December.
• On July 16 I’ll run the Percival’s Island 5-Miler in Lynchburg for the fourth time. Last year I did what I called the smartest racing I’ve ever done. In hindsight, I don’t really remember much about that race, but I’ll be shooting for a faster time than last year (39:52). In 2007 I ran this race in 36:59, which is still my fastest-pace race ever. I don’t know if I have that in me right now, and I’m sure that weather will be a factor once again, so I won’t set any goals just yet.
• Nearly a month later, on Aug. 13, I’ll run the Lynchburg Half Marathon for the fourth time, but only the second time on the “new” course with a nasty hill in the middle. Last year, this was a bad race, but a good training run. Looking back, that hill defeated me. I’m not going to let that happen again. Whether or not I beat last year’s time of 1:55 is something I’m not thinking about right now. Ideally, yes, I want to be faster. How much faster is a goal that will wait after several long runs.
• After that there are some other things I’m considering before the marathon, but I’m not signing up for anything else right now. The 5 miler and the half marathon were very cheap right now and come with moisture-wicking shirts; with a price increase coming July 1, I went ahead and signed up for those this week. Signing up also gives me even more intense focus on training and putting thoughts in my head now of what I want to do in Baltimore in October.

As with many of my miles this year, Duke was with me for mile 1,000.

I’ve said many, many times this year how great of a year this has been for me with running. Then November came along and it all seemingly came crashing down. But I’m not going to let an injury define my year or set the stage for 2011.

There have been so many great things happen this year that my attitude about running is changed forever. 2010 has been the highest of highs and it’s time to reflect on running quadruple digits for the first time in the seven full years I’ve been running. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I (quietly) hit 1,000 running miles in 2010 Saturday. So here it is, the highlights of my 1,000 miles of running this year …

0-2.4
Funny thing about the year with the most running miles ever … I didn’t run my first miles until Jan. 4 because I started the year off with a horrible cold and horrible weather conditions.

42.5-54.5
It’s very rare to have a non-race run to be so life-altering, but these miles covered a run/power hike on Terrapin Mountain that I didn’t think I could do. A big group of us battled wind, cold and icy conditions at the top to do this. This run set the tone for the year, putting in my head that I could do anything I set my mind to. Not that it wasn’t there before, but it became reality.

226.6-239.7
Simply put: a PR in the Shamrock Half Marathon. A goal met that was a long time coming.

This was me at the 100th mile in April. Looking back, this photo was somewhat of a wake-up call to drop a few pounds. Besides my beard, I can see the difference in my mile 1,000 photo and this one.

257.8-359
Talk about doing anything I set my mind to, the April streak is the highlight of my year. While I had PRs and climbed mountains, running at least a mile a day for 30 straight days was one of the most self-satisfying things I’ve ever done in my seven years of running. Speaking of PRs and climbing mountains, during my streak I set a PR in a 5k by one second (miles 310.2-313.3) and ran a half marathon that climbed Roanoke Mountain (miles 325.1-336.2). I also ran just before and after midnight for two of those days during Relay for Life. Looking back, April 2010 was the single best running month ever. Expect another streak in 2011.

435.8-437.5
Not all these miles have to be good — this was my DNF in a trail half marathon in June. While I was sick for much of that week, I learned that it’s OK to not finish if the body doesn’t allow it. My DNF was so much better than a DNS. I gave it a shot; that’s all I could do that day.

514-515
One measly mile, but it was oh-so fast. The 6:15 in the Academy Mile was surprising, and to this day I think I could have done better.

647-660.1
It’s strange how many humbling runs I’ve had this year, and the Lynchburg Half Marathon in August is no exception. It was a wake-up call that I needed to step-up my training a bit. A GIANT hill in the middle killed any thoughts of having a good race and it made me realize that I had to stop taking hills for granted. But I finished with my son in my hands, and that was what made this so special.

810.6-820.6
Not a PR, but I survived some late race heat to put in a good performance at the Virginia 10 Miler, a pretty much unplanned race. Looking back, I know I could have set a PR had I not had an 18-miler the week before. Maybe, just maybe, this becomes a big focus for 2011.

835.6-855.6
The first 20-miler of my Richmond Marathon training session was also a bit humbling. Looking back, I still don’t know what to say about it. Each long run this summer was special with hitting distances I haven’t hit in 3 years. It makes it even more special now knowing that I’m not going to do it again anytime soon.

901.6-921.6
The second 20-miler, which set the stage for the injury I have now. I clearly remember the last big hill in that run and my knee starting to ache a bit. Had I stopped that run at around 18 miles instead of pushing it, who knows what could have happened the rest of the year. But I can’t play the “what if” game. It’s another lesson in listening to my body that I so easily forget.

966.6-992.8
I’ve well documented the Richmond Marathon and how that went and how things have gone since then, but looking back a month later, I wouldn’t have done anything differently. If I lived and ran in hindsight, I would be doing myself a disservice. It’s done and I’ve moved on. So many of you out there who have injuries and regrets with running need to do the same thing.

999.2-1,000
It’s not even a whole mile, but this Saturday I hit 1,000 running miles for the year. Since the marathon, I’ve ran a few tenths here and there, only logging a mile or more just a couple of times. It certainly didn’t happen like I thought it would or when it would or any of that once I knew it would happen, but now that I’ve hit the mark I don’t care. I did it. 1,000 miles. Quadruple digits.

To mark the occasion, I took my dog, Duke, to the nearby middle school to run the final bit on a field where I ran my very first “official” mile when I was in 4th or 5th grade. Fittingly, it was cloudy, cold and windy, like so many of my runs in the first couple of months in the year.

I ran the final few tenths of a mile on a flat field at the Bedford Middle School, site of my first ever timed mile 20+ years ago.

So there you have it. You won’t see a 2010 recap or top 10 list from me in the next couple of weeks because this is it. This IS my year of running. I may run another mile here or there, but these are the best and worst of what the year had to offer. A year ago at this time I was ready for 2010 to be “my” year — a redefining sort of year. And to reflect on this year, I must say that it was my year.

Just after I got to mile 13 today, I saw my wife and son cheering me on. I saw a big smile on his face … I looked behind me to see no one near me … and scooped him up. Finishing the last little bit of today’s Lynchburg Half Marathon with him was special — something I won’t soon forget. I can’t wait until he can do his first kids race.

As for the rest of the race, I did what I wanted to do — a sub 4-hour marathon pace. I haven’t widely broadcast what I want to do for the Richmond Marathon, but less than 4 hours is my goal right now. So I went into today’s event with the mindset of this being a solid long training run. While I would have liked to have been around 1:50, my finishing time was 1:55:38. There’s really no need for a mile-by-mile recap because everything was pretty steady. Except for one thing.

The biggest issue with getting slowed down was a HUGE hill about three-quarters of a mile long — and it wasn’t really the uphill that caused the issue. Coming back down the hill kind of just killed the whole run. After the bottom of the hill, there were a little more than 3 miles to go. I just couldn’t go. I just settled into a pace a little more than 9 minutes a mile and eased to the end.

To put this hill into perspective, I have mapped this big hill and the middle miles of the race on Daily Mile. This rest of the Lynchburg Half is mostly flat, with some gradual hills along a bike path next to the James River. (For anyone new to my blog, this course has changed drastically from three years ago when it was a mostly flat race. I had NO IDEA that this hill was this big, despite what people told me.)

From a racing standpoint, this just wasn’t that great of an experience. From a training standpoint, it was actually a really good run. I’m not going to complain about it; I’m just going to move on from it. I learned some lessons today about hills — I may run on them every day, but I need to learn to work them better and not let them work me. I think I’ve become too used to them. I smell a hill repeat workout soon.

On a side note, today was the 10th half marathon I have completed since the summer of 2006, and my third this year. The past two experiences — this one with the hill and the Blue Ridge Half in April — have really taught me to respect this distance more than I already did. My other eight half marathon experiences have been mostly flat, including six half marathons at Virginia Beach. Experiences like today and in April are eye opening and why I want to keep going. It makes training for my second marathon all the more worthwhile.