Posts Tagged ‘Shamrock Half’

As a follow up to my sort of “what’s next” post the other day, I put the wheels into motion this week to finish up 2011 strong. For the first time ever, I’ll be running three races three weeks in a row.

While they’re “only” 5ks, my goals for each are different, but all will have the same underlying similarity of figuring out what a realistic goal for the Shamrock Half Marathon will be in March.

Turkey Trot
For $20 and a long-sleeve moisture wicking shirt, plus running for a good cause, why not run this? It’s a new course this year in downtown Lynchburg, so no matter what happens, it’s a course record. And coming off two 5k PRs earlier this year, I want to see where I stand with that distance and speed.

I’m expecting a large crowd, so most of all I just want to have fun and an excuse to have seconds on Thanksgiving. This race is more about setting me up for the next race a little more than a week later.

Christmas Classic
This will be the first race I have ran five times — three of those from my pre-blogging days — with one of those being a 10k that no longer exists. My main goal will be to beat my course record of 24:34 from two years ago on a cold, rainy, almost snowy day.

This is my home course — the loop route includes streets I have ran on dozens of times since I moved back to Bedford two years ago. I feel like there’s no better time than now to make it the best Christmas Classic yet.

Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis
The final leg of the 5k trio takes me to Roanoke, where I fully expect to run a race purely for the fun of it. It’s free through a workout program at work and I’ll be running with co-workers that I’d really like to see push themselves in this distance.

That said, this is going to be a very crowded race and it’s all about bringing awareness to a great cause, ending the year with a fun run, and giving a push to co-workers. I won’t be setting any goals for this other than to have fun.

A year ago I was panicking as my second Richmond Marathon neared and I was battling an ITB injury. I had a strong year only to see things unravel in the final 2½ months of 2010.

After the marathon, I closed out the year at the lowest point since I started running in 2004. Sure I hit 1,000 miles, which was my huge goal for the year, but I had to do it in what felt like such an uncelebratory way. In December, I set a goal for 2011 to end it stronger than I begin it.

And now, all of a sudden, that time is here. I’ve thought about it since I wrote about it. I’ve been trying to figure out what I meant all year – sure it sounded good, but how I hit accomplish this goal is so open-ending.

In some ways, I’ve already accomplished it. In the second half of the year I have set a PR in the 5k twice, the 5 miler and the marathon. I’ve also already ran more miles in the second half of this year than I did in the first 6 months – 412.3 from January through June; 463 since July 1.

I’m finding myself in unchartered terrority with my running – two marathons ended with injury and an overall lack of interest in running. Now with a little more than two months left in the year, I remain excited about running after my third marathon.

It’s time to focus on finishing what I started this year … and last year. In these last two months I want to hit 1,000 miles in a meaningful way. I don’t want to force it just because I’m close to it. I want it to be fun.

I also want to close the year off strong race-wise with a course record at my “home” course – the Bedford Christmas Classic. I enjoyed watching my friends run strong in that race last year, but it hurt me to miss it.

I ease back on my mileage a bit and get rested up before I prepare for the next big training cycle with my fifth Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. But that’s 2012. I have some things to take care of in the next 67 days.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are a variety of things on my mind, so I won’t waste time getting to them:

• As if I didn’t know that the Baltimore Marathon was a month away, an email with a giant counter reminded me, and a Facebook post unveiled the official marathon logo. The finishers medal was also released today. So yeah, there’s a month to go.
• I got a nice reminder this week that my body is in full control. I was a bit wiped out Monday and skipped what had become a regular core day with our personal trainer at work. Then after a good run Tuesday, my throat started hurting a bit. Then Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I didn’t feel that great. I spent yesterday fighting it with allergy medicine, Naked Juice, Arizona tea, water and a dose of Nyquil knock-off. I got a solid night’s sleep and woke up feeling 10 times better today.
• That said, I’m a bit off my mileage this week. I probably would have pulled a double yesterday for more mileage, and I thought about it briefly tonight, but besides an extra half mile with Duke, I’m opting for an earlier bedtime for more rest. I think at this point rest is more important than forcing miles. It’s the first week of my training that I have felt behind, but I’m not going to force myself to make anything up.
• If you’re not a Garmin Connect fan, check it out. There is now a courses creation feature that follows the road.
• This weekend marks what is now becoming known in the Shamrock Marathon events at Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day weekend. For me, it’s also known as 6-more-months-to-go-until-I-set-my-half-marathon-PR weekend, or 4-weeks-to-go-until-the-Baltimore-Marathon weekend. Both are equally exciting.
• Lastly, tonight summer gets a big boot in the butt as temperatures drop to about 50; tomorrow’s high might hit 60. It will be the coolest day since April. While I know there are plenty of warm days left, I think the oppressive heat is finally over. I’ll drink to that.

It’s not often that I sit down for a blog post and struggle to come up with something. In the past few days, though, that’s the case. Today I turned to Twitter to get people to ask me running-related questions to spur my mind a bit. There were some great questions that I’ll answer below, a few that I can use for a future #runchat session and some that I just can’t answer (sorry @TedWeismann, I don’t know anything about maintaining glucose levels on a run).

Q: @teacherswhorun: How can you use a half marathon time to find expected full marathon time?
A: The timing of this is great since I’m going to run a half marathon this weekend. While both of my marathons haven’t produced results I was hoping for, I have found that the McMillan Running Calculator is fairly accurate with predicting times. I actually used that calculator, among other things, when coming up with my Baltimore Marathon goal a few posts ago.

Otherwise, take your pace on a comfortable long run and take anywhere between 30-60 seconds per mile off that to come up with a goal. Some say your long runs should be even slower than that — simply put, there are no simple answers out there. I’d love to hear other ideas in the comments section.

Q: @thetk42one: Socks or no socks? Discuss.
A: Socks. Preferably Injinji. How about you?

Q: @FitNotFried: I joined a running club, but as a new runner my pacing is too slow, and I get left behind. How can I improve?
A: About 5 years ago I joined a training group for my first long-distance race and was terrified. Fortunately the group was big and was pretty much divided up into 3 groups — fast, slow and everyone else in between. My suggestion would be to talk to whoever leads the club and tell them about your concerns. My bet would be that there will be others in the group who are at or near your pace. Together you’ll all get faster and stronger.

Q: @trumpdabeast: What has been your favorite race that you ran, and what is your dream race to run?
A: I LOVE the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. I’ve done this race 4 times, but unfortunately missed it this year coming back from my injury. Oddly enough, I don’t have a dream race. I just want to get through a marathon uninjured.

Running the Shamrock at Virginia Beach will produce scenes like this.

Q: @notdiyheather: When wanting to increase mileage, is it better to run longer or run more often?
A: I think some of this is a personal preference and it depends on what you’re training for. I like to gradually increase my mileage by some sort of combination of running longer and more often. Honestly, I think the answer to this question is one I’m constantly seeking — both approaches have worked at various times for me in my running. I’d love to hear some advice in the comments section.

Q: @TheHeldawg: How do you effectively use BodyGlide? How much? When?
A: I use BodyGlide or Mission whenever I’m going to be running for more than an hour or for races 10k or longer. The more humid it is, the more I put on. Put it in between your legs if they rub, your nipples, your feet and, yes, even your butt. It’s probably impossible to put on too much.

Q: @runforsushi: What are your rules for running when sick?
A: If you have a fever, DON’T RUN. It’ll only make you worse. If I have a cold, I’ll run — in fact, I think it helps clear me out. Otherwise, if I feel bad — fever or not — I opt not to run and rest up. This question reminds me of one of my second ever blog entry when I woke up with a fever on race day. Check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my tweet this afternoon. This was a lot of fun. If you have any answers to these questions that you’d like to share, please leave a comment! I hope you’ll join me and Scott for #runchat at 8 p.m. ET this Sunday!

It’s not a DNS … it’s a deferment to 2012. Yes, I said that a few weeks ago about today’s Shamrock Half Marathon, but today sure did hurt worst than I expected. Instead of a title of “Sham Rocked V,” I have Facebook, Twitter and Daily Mile posts to remind me of the good times that I missed after four straight years. Last year’s PR seems so far away.

Instead of crawling in a small space and hiding from it, I did a short trail run today … and I’ve read just about every single post I can about the race. I’m going back to Virginia Beach next year for the Shamrock Half as a stronger runner, but perhaps more importantly a smarter runner. (Although is saying publicly that I want to break 1:40 being smart?)

Speaking of today’s trail run, I enjoyed a different scene today. It wasn’t for very long (just 2.6 miles), but it’s something I hope to do more of in the coming months. I think my legs will both curse me and praise me at the same time for the different surface.

If I could get those few days back when I was sick and add an extra two days to make this a normal-length month, this would have been the best month in a long time. But I can’t get that time back, so I’m left with what I still think is a pretty good February.

Here’s a look:

The pescetarian lifestyle
Getting rid of meat and still eating fish was easy. I’m not sure if I want to continue this lifestyle or not – a good burger or steak every once in a while or some Chick-fil-A every couple of months sounds delicious right now – but I still say this commitment to four weeks of eating differently has changed me.

My eyes are open to eating things like black bean “burgers,” eggplant parmesan and breakfasts without bacon or sausage. While I continued to eat fish, having a tuna sub for lunch filled with spinach and jalapeños felt much more satisfying than, say, a cold cut sub.

While I got filled up during my meals, I haven’t had many bloated feelings (except for when my wife and I pigged out for her birthday). A lot of meat-based meals leave me feeling like that and I don’t miss that feeling.

Weight loss
Thanks in part to eating differently, I’m ending the month at 187 pounds, down from 1.8 at the end of January. I just feel better overall and a little bit of weight loss certainly gives me a boost of confidence. I continue to want to focus on how I feel rather than a particular number, but weekly weigh-ins will continue.

5 miles
The other day I hit my long run goal for the month – 5 miles. And it was a good 5 miles. My overall mileage took a hit with my illness, but I still logged 44 miles, which included a sub-9-minute mile paced run tonight — the first non-race run of that pace since the end of September. Had I not gotten sick, I would have been close to 60 miles. I can’t complain about that.

What’s ahead
As the calendar changes, I have some things in mind. The “#dailymission” on Daily Mile the other day of doing a max plank test was a huge wake-up call to my weak core. I did 1:13.

I could blame being sick sucking the life out of me or that I did it without warming up or I did it without shoes, but I know I can do better than that. No excuses anymore — I have to work to increase that. While I’ve done a lot more core work and cross training in the past couple of months than I probably did all of last year, I’ve got a long way to go.

By the end of March, I want to hit 2 minutes. Plain and simple goal.

When it comes to running, my dancing around on what’s next is over. I signed up tonight for the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k presented by Martin’s in Richmond on April 2. (This will be the one and only time I mention the name in full.) For those not familiar with this race, the Monument Avenue 10k has expanded registration to 40,000 people this year, making it one of the largest 10ks in the country and putting it in the top 25 races in the country as far as size. It’s also been one of the top “10 greatest places for runners to hit the road.”

I ran this race in 2008 and 2009, both times as a fundraiser. This time I’m just looking at this as a “comeback” race. I’m not looking for a PR – I want something that’s affordable, something to give me confidence and, most of all, something that’s a lot of fun. This race will do all of those things.

On that note, I officially deferred my Shamrock Half Marathon entry to next year. It hurts to miss my most favorite event ever, but it’s also motivating. How so? I know that to avoid a repeat of this I need to get stronger, run smarter, get refocused and so much more. Missing this race will make me a better runner. It just has to.

As for anything else this year, I’m not making any commitments right now. I want to get through March with continued progress and then kick-start April with the 10k.

Better yet, get the shocks out and get this body going again. My running recovery was coming along so nicely until Friday came along.

Then BAM!

I’ve had some sicknesses stop me from running for a while, but it’s been a long, long time in which I’ve had something absolutely put me back to what feels like square one. I know I’m not really starting over — but with a fully empty stomach, having to hydrate myself as if I’ve never had water, and pretty much taking a week off running, it feels like I’m restarting.

But you know what? This is a good thing. The spinning wheels in my head have slowed way down. I had pretty much decided not to run the Shamrock Half Marathon this year, but the decision to pull out was very tough. That was until I found out recently I could defer my entry fee to next year. Then after getting sick, I didn’t have to think about the decision. It’s what I’m doing.

The Shamrock Half, to me, is not about just finishing. It’s a tradition for me to want to go out and prove something. This year wouldn’t prove anything to increase my mileage over the next five weeks to go out there and risk hurting myself. I’ve come too far already to take that chance right now. It’s not a DNS … it’s a true deferment with very little money lost since I signed up on race weekend last year.

I’m instead going to put my focus on some things in April and then I’ll wait until then to focus on things later this year. Recovering from my ITB injury (uh, result) has changed my frame of mind for now and I have no issues with continuing this way for a while.

So as bad as getting horribly sick was, it’s like it was my body’s way to tell me to completely stop. I always listen to my body and it’s always right. I hope, though, that my body will be ready to keep running 4 miles at a time with no problems very soon.

45.1 miles so far in January, with a day to go. I’m not even sure how I got to that many this month. And since I’ve finally got a streak going to zap-the-zero on Monday, I’m pretty sure that I’m running tomorrow.

I really have to make a decision soon about the Shamrock Half. Honestly, I can’t afford to stay somewhere for a couple of days, but since I have friends in the Virginia Beach area, I’m sure I could stay somewhere. It’s not ideal — I love going to the beach that weekend when it’s not crowded at all. It’s become such a tradition … but I can’t use that as a reason to not run Shamrock.

My brain is still spinning. I’ve been trying to gauge my thoughts on previous years, but that’s not really working. I don’t have the first experience from four years ago documented, but I do remember having a strong training session as I was part of a speed/endurance group that had some awesome track and hill workouts. Three years ago I ran fewer miles in January than this year, had a strong February then ran into major foot issues during the race. Two years ago I was just shy of 60 miles in January and had a decent race. Last year was far and away my best January ever. I ran 75 miles in January, 93 in February. The translation — a PR that was a long time waiting.

Today, though, I realized that it’s time to move on from last year and for that matter what happened in years past. Last year was awesome, but if I don’t move on from it, I’m going to do what I’ve done in years past — I’ll keep comparing myself to the runner I’m not anymore. And that attitude is actually what made last year so great. I pretty much moved on from previous years and did my best to not look back.

So what you have in this post is nothing new. I’m no closer to a decision than I was the other day. Sure I’m still leaning a certain way, but the final decision is going to come from a different frame of mind than what it would have even a few days ago.

Every injury has taught me to appreciate running more than I did before, and in the past few months I’ve learned even more to not take things for granted.

While I needed a break, it has been frustrating at times. I’ve somehow managed, though, to kind of just go along for the ride and see what happens.

These past few weeks have been very good as I’ve slowly increased my distance and intensity on my runs. Today I hit a milestone that I thought was probably another week or two away — 4 miles.

It was the first time hitting 4 miles (besides the marathon) since Oct. 27, only a day away from three months ago. That seems unreal that I’ve gone a quarter of the year since doing that.

While I haven’t been keeping track too closely of the times on my run, today was one of the fastest “everyday” runs since the beginning of October. I was just a few seconds away from having an easy run under a 9-minute pace today.

I felt good out there in shorts while it briefly snowed. I didn’t think about my knee all that much — I just ran. I’m actually starting the year much better than several other years.

There’s a lot going through my head right now with whether or not to do the Shamrock Half Marathon. Part of me wants to drop out and just focus on continuing to recover. Another part of me kind of aches about thinking of ending a tradition. This would be my fifth consecutive Shamrock Half if I do it. I still have time to get to the mileage I want and I’m pretty sure my fitness from marathon training has stuck with me relatively well.

I’m not deciding anything today, but I’m definitely leaning a certain way. I’m not really looking for advice on what to do — I know what my options are and I certainly know the risks, rewards and potential disappointments with either choice. It’s just a spinning wheel in my mind that I can’t totally figure out yet.

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In my guest post the other day on Mike’s blog, I said something that really stuck with me about injuries: “… the more I think about it, the more I dislike the term ‘injury.’ Things like ITBS and plantar faciitis … aren’t injuries at all. They’re the results of what could be a number of things: too many miles too quickly, bad form, bad shoes, poor alignment with the back or pelvis, running on too many sloped roads, etc. The list could go on and on, but the point is that pain in your knee or foot most likely isn’t because of one single event in your running.”

Since I typed that (and the rest of that entry), I’ve had a huge mental shift in my running. And with that shift I’ve had much more confidence in my few runs and am now less worried about aggravating my injury results and am more focused on what I need to do to not have a repeat of my problems.

I’m a long way off from where I was a few months ago, and I’m pretty close to having to make a decision I don’t want to make about the Shamrock Half, but I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a dim light, but I know that it’s there.