Posts Tagged ‘Roanoke’

As the self-proclaimed president and one of the few remaining members of #watchlessmonday, I hereby announce my resignation. Sort of. I wore my Garmin today for the first time on a Monday since early April. I had 9 runs on Mondays without wearing a watch, including a race. The point of Watchless Monday was to get me out of my element and to do something different. It worked. It got me out of my comfort zone at times, while other times I was probably running too slow. It was fun while it lasted.

Now here comes the BUT. While I’m officially ending my Watchless Monday campaign, I will continue to have an occasional run without a watch. As I get closer to marathon training, I’ll want the break every once in a while. It’s worth running without the watch every so often. These past two months without a watch once a week has changed me. I truly believe that, but as with most things with running, when things start to feel too routine, it’s time to change it up. Intentionally not wearing my Garmin on Monday started to feel cartoonish.

That being said, I will continue to urge people to go watchless or technology-less to break up the feeling that they’re necessary every single time out there. Running just to run is a great feeling that we all need. I get that feeling now even if I do wear my Garmin, so I am calling Watchless Monday a success for me. Now it’ll just be #watchlesswheneverifeellikeit.

As for having my watch today, I had a decent progressive run with mile splits of 9:06, 8:31, 8:30 and 8:04 (a slight downhill mile), with the final tenth in 44 seconds. It’s not quite what I would call speedwork, but it’s still different from what I’m used to. While it was still hot in Roanoke today – about 80 for the lunch run – the humidity was much lower.

I’m excited about seeing what happens in my 5k this weekend. I feel like I’ve had something to unleash on my runs recently and I need the race atmosphere to do it. My faster pace on everyday runs and doing a couple of progressive runs have given me a boost.

* * *

Here’s a look at today’s run on a map, plus the elevation profile. I hope to post more of these this summer as I get as focused as I possibly can on my individual runs:

Today was the last day in my current job and I will soon be headed in the opposite direction in a different city for my new job. For those who don’t know where I live, I’m in Bedford, Va., which is pretty much in between Lynchburg and Roanoke. After a little more than 18 months of making the commute to Lynchburg, I’ll soon be headed the other way on U.S. 460 to what I hope will be the last new job in a while.

Anyway, since I haven’t gone for a run at work in the time I’ve been there, I thought it would be fitting today to head up that monogrammed mountain in Lynchburg and bid farewell. It’s not that I won’t come to Lynchburg anymore, but it’ll certainly be for different reasons than work. Unfortunately the views weren’t the greatest today, as you can see below. On a clear day, you can see a lot more than this, plus the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. This just looks very BLAH.

I also struggle to use the word “mountain” for this — it’s more than a hill, but it’s not quite a mountain either, at least to me. It was pretty much a mile straight up Candlers Mountain Road, then into Snowflex and then a little bit of relief before the final peak. I stopped for a few minutes to catch my breath and to take in the skewed view and then headed back down for a few more miles. Here’s a look at the elevation profile:

The entire run was a good mix of road, gravel, dirt, trail and some sidewalk. About 3 miles into it, I felt some rain … then I felt some more rain … and then about 4 miles it was pretty steady. No problem — I don’t mind the rain at all, although it did make for two days in a row of some kind of rain. But about mile 5 it thundered. Then it thundered again. I’m not going to be out in a thunderstorm, so I ran about a mile less than I wanted to today, but I certainly am not going to complain.

The intensity of the uphill and downhill was something I haven’t experienced in a while. I needed it. And with the thunderstorm, it was a very fitting way to say good-bye.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest to win an entry to the Blue Ridge Marathon in Roanoke, Va., in April. The winner, thanks to Random.org, was the fifth comment out of 14. It came from Anita F.

It’s very fitting that Anita won — she’s lived in Roanoke for about seven years, has done about 40 marathons and more than 100 ultramarathons.

In an email earlier this week Anita wrote this to me: “I love Roanoke and am thrilled that we have a marathon here now, especially one so beautiful and challenging.”

Dare I say she makes this marathon look easy come April? Best of luck to you Anita.

As for me and that race, I would love to make it my next marathon, but I cannot commit to it yet with the knee issues.

Last spring I called the Blue Ridge Half Marathon an “instant classic” and it appears many others had twice as much fun doing the full marathon that day. Well, the second National College Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway is coming around in April and I’m here to give you a chance to run it for FREE. Yes, free.

Before you get too excited, be sure you know what you’re entering. Next year’s race is being dubbed as “America’s Toughest Road Marathon.” The 2011 course includes 3,620 feet of total elevation gain and 7,234 feet of total elevation change. That’s 600 additional feet of elevation gain compared to the inaugural race. This is by no means a “normal” marathon. And before you enter, make sure you’re available to travel to Roanoke, Va., that weekend. The race is Saturday, April 16, 2011. Visit blueridgemarathon.com for full details.

You can enter up to three times in the comments section below. The first way is to leave a comment. Any comment. Say “hi.” Say “I want to run this race.” Say anything. It will count as one entry. The second way to enter is to become a “fan” of the Blue Ridge Marathon on Facebook and then leave a comment below telling me you’re a fan. (If you’re already a fan, that’s fine; just let me know below.) The third way is to follow @brm26pt2 on Twitter and then leave a comment below telling me you’re following that account. (If you’re already following, that’s fine too; just let me know below.)

I will pick a winner using the random number generator on Random.org at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 30. Good luck!

Note: Please leave an accurate email address below so I can contact you. Comments without an email address will be deleted immediately. If you are picked as the winner and do not respond within a week, comments related to that email address will be deleted and a new winner will be chosen.

About a year ago, I went to the doctor after dealing with various foot issues on and off since late 2007. It’s odd to read the post about the visit and see what didn’t happen. I didn’t do physical therapy; I didn’t run on the weightless treadmill; and I didn’t get any shots in my foot. I simply wore some insoles for a little while (that temporarily hurt the other foot) and the infamous plantar faciitis “slipper” on and off for a few months and that was it. That was all I needed to get through the summer.

Fast forward a year later and I’m in a completely different state of mind. At the time of the doctor’s visit, I privately considered giving up on long distances. I wouldn’t have had a problem doing that — I never ran any longer than 4 miles for the first two and a half years of running anyway. Now, I’m planning a schedule of races to do this year. I haven’t done this in three years. I’ve focused on the big picture races and rest — Shamrock, rest, Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, rest, repeat. Big picture is important — I’m completely focused on the Richmond Marathon in November — but it’s the smaller picture races that will make the big picture even more rewarding.

I’m almost scared to put this out there, but it’s part of my shell-breaking that I’m doing. Sure, some of these races might not happen for various reasons, but this is the plan through November in addition to what I’ve already done.

* May 8: Bella 5K Stroller Race in Roanoke
This will be a first for me — racing with my son. I’ve never done more than 2.6 miles with a stroller, so it’ll be the longest distance with him. My main goal will be to finish without tripping over a baby or two … I guess as far as time is concerned, I’m really just shooting for under 9-minute miles. While I can run any time with my son, I’m looking forward to the racing experience. That makes the entry fee worth it.

* June 5: Trail Nut Half Marathon in Bedford
Another first — an all-out trail race. I’m hoping to do more trail running this month beyond a mile or two to prepare for this. It will mark the third half marathon this year, all with increasing difficulty. From what I’ve heard about this race and what I know about these mostly single-track trails, I think two hours or so will be likely. I’m looking forward to doing something radically different so my focus isn’t on a PR, but rather just having a good time.

* July 3: Academy Mile in Lynchburg
There needs to be more mile races. It’s been three years since I did a 6:26 in this race. I’ll set my mind on this much later, but it would be awesome to be even faster. Maybe that weird goal of mine of running so hard I throw up will come true.

* July 17: Percival’s Island 5-Miler in Lynchburg
This is one of my most favorite races around this area. It’s flat; it’s fast. One of my best races ever came here in 2007, so I hope that I continue what’s happened so far in 2010 and nail it again this year. This race will be a good test of where I am with my speed and endurance and can help set the tone for the three months of marathon training that will follow.

* Aug. 14: Lynchburg Half Marathon in Lynchburg
Want to run a half marathon for $20? That’s all this race is. It’s also a very flat race, a rarity for this area. It’s hard to believe that when this race gets here that this might be the fourth half marathon of the year. There’s also a 5K that same day — I might change my mind and do that as a speed workout instead. We’ll see. No reason to rush on that decision.

* Sept. 25: Virginia 10 Miler in Lynchburg
This is a wish-list race that is dependent on marathon training. This very tough race is only $30 through the end of August, so I’ll decide by then whether or not this will happen. If you’re looking for a challenge and can’t afford some bigger-named fall half marathons, this is one to consider doing.

* Nov. 13: Richmond Marathon in Richmond
Marathon No. 2 — the big prize — is 192 days away. The countdown is officially under way.

Every so often in the running journey, there are particular runs or races that come along that are life-changers. They’re the type of runs you look back on years from now as events that helped define who you are as a runner. For me, I have a few moments that stand out before I started blogging — my first race comes to mind, as does my first long-distance race in the Virginia 10 Miler in 2006. Since I started writing three years ago, I haven’t had too many of those moments. Besides the marathon in 2007, nothing is worth talking about. That is, until January of this year.

In late January, I had my first-ever mountain run. That run set the tone for the rest of the winter. If it wasn’t for that run, other things with my running wouldn’t have fallen into place. I most likely wouldn’t have gotten out in the snow as much as I did; my streak of 10-mile runs wouldn’t have been nearly as long; and all that would have translated into another disappointing Shamrock Half Marathon. I credit that run to leading to my PR in the half and to last week’s 5K PR … and to tackling what I did today: the first-ever Blue Ridge Half Marathon in Roanoke.

The experience of this half is just unbelievable. After a relatively flat mile, the next two-plus miles were uphill. As in straight uphill. As in, you have to live near the mountains to appreciate a hill like this. Timing wise, I kind of messed up — at mile one, I hit stop instead of lap, so I missed exactly what the second mile was. Two of the first three miles were in 19:40; my friend Travis called out about a 9-minute mile when we got to the second mile. We intentionally started slow, knowing what was about to come. We even did some power walking at some point to keep things fresh. It was funny to watch people pass us the few times we walked only to pass them again a minute later.

I've worn this hat for my last two half marathons. Maybe it's bringing me some good luck.

Somehow, though, going uphill, we pushed along pretty well. Fortunately mile 4 had a nice downhill … only to have to make a turn right back up the hill we glided down. Mile 4: 8:33. The next mile was by far the toughest of the race. Straight uphill toward the Roanoke Star. This mile included some walking as well, helping me feel completely in control. Had I forced myself to run, I honestly wouldn’t have made it to the end. This was not a race against the clock, but rather a true test of endurance to finish in one piece. That mile was in 11:05. Early in the race, I said it would be awesome if we could do the first five miles in a less than 10-minute pace. Do that and we can nail this race in less than 2 hours, a quiet goal that I had.

After just a little more incline, we made the turn for the best view of the race at the Star, took my time drinking some water and even grabbed a couple of pretzels for the journey down the mountain. I also touched a small alligator that someone was holding from the nearby Mill Mountain Zoo. YES, I touched an alligator during a half marathon. How awesome is that?

And then it was on.

Mile 6 was in 8:06; mile 7 was in 7:24; and mile 8 was in 8:09. Those three miles were a bit slower than I expected, but I was quite shocked at how much I actually had to hold myself back on the decline to stay in control. By the time we made it to the bottom of the mountain, I could feel some cramps in my lower legs and even in my lower back just a bit — the mountain had certainly taken it’s toll, but we kept going.

While the course elevation map looked flat, the last five miles were not — considering the literal mountain we had to climb and descend, of course it would seem like the streets of Roanoke would be flat. It was more of the rolling hills variety, but after the first 8 miles, the little up and down hills were hurting by this point. Mile 9 was in 8:39 and mile 10 was in 9:02, which included a small walk up a hill.

With 5K to go, when I would normally have a push in a half marathon, I had nothing left to give. I just kept it steady, finishing the race with miles of 8:58, 9:03, 8:52 and a final tenth in 52 seconds. My chip time was 1:57:39, finishing 117th out of 450 runners and 93rd out of 216 males. (Travis had some fuel left at the end and finished in 1:56:01.)

When I crossed the finish line, I immediately had this new feeling of respect for the sport of running. Besides my one and only marathon, the difficulty level of this easily surpassed any road race I have ever done. This doesn’t touch the heat I experienced in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in August 2008. There were times today in which I really second-guessed what I was doing. I was never vocal about it and I knew that the uphill climb wouldn’t last forever. There were other times after going up and down the mountain that I just wanted to slow down. I wanted to revert back to the way running was just six months ago — I just wanted to slip down to a lower gear and log the miles and just finish.

Oddly enough, I never felt like I had to dig too deep to get those thoughts out of my head. When I had a negative thought, I could void it out quickly. I thought about how two years ago today was the worst day ever in my career and that I wouldn’t let this April 24 be a story about a bad race experience. I thought about all these people out there who called us runners crazy for doing this today. Tell me, please, what’s so crazy about reaching a mountain top?

This race is an instant classic in my running journey. How it changes me will take a while to figure out, but I just know that after today I am a new runner.

Here’s another preview of Saturday’s Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway. It makes me glad I’m doing the half.