I've got to break this blog down into segments, because I have many different thoughts running through my head. Perhaps I should have named my blog "Random Thoughts by an Obsessively Running Hypochondriac." Here they are my thoughts:
I Started This Post 5 days Ago:
I just registered for the Syracuse Half Marathon. I'm pretty excited, but nervous in the same breath. I don't know why, because I know that a half isn't a big deal at this point in my running life, but something about actually registering makes me feel more accountable in one way or another.
I ran the last Frozen Foote for the season today with my wife and children. I went out with the intention of just running it to do it, but I am happy with the results. My M.O. has become run the race, but don't look at the Garmin - run by feel - check out the stats later. I planned to run today solely by how I was feeling, and I went into the run thinking that I would go comfortably hard, unless I felt really good. I ran comfortably hard. Amazingly, I felt like this was a huge win for me. Mainly because I didn't feel like I pushed really hard, and yet I logged a time that ended up being within a few seconds of the first race of the series, when I ran with the double stroller and felt like I pushed really hard for the whole race. I guess what I'm saying is that I felt really relaxed and comfortable, even though my time was almost identical to my time in December. My take away is that my training is paying off. I felt like I wasn't pushing really too hard, but I still managed to get a decent stroller time.
This is where I resumed writing tonight:
My Cousin: There isn't too much to say. I just received confirmation from my cousin, and I'm uber psyched to hang out with him and run the Syracuse Half Marathon with him.
Syracuse Half: I've been thinking a lot about this race and my pacing strategy. I've never run a half sans stroller, so I'm a little on the fence about pacing, but I think that I'll aim to start at 8:45's and go based upon feel from there. On a more analytical level, I think that I'll hold back for the first 1.5 (uphill climb), and then take advantage of the big first downhill. After that, settle into a pace for the next 3 or 4 miles (as it's a gradual climb), and then push from there (mostly downhill). I worry about how I'll feel for the one significant climb at approximately mile 10, but at that point I'll hopefully be feeling like it's almost over and perhaps knowing that it's all flat or downhill from there I'll just push at a 5K effort. As much as I'd like to run with my cousin, I'm prepared to let him go early if I feel like I'm pushing too hard too early. My A goal is to break 1:45, my B goal is to break 1:50, my C goal is to break 2:00, and my last ditch goal is to PR in the distance (sub-2:06) - which shouldn't be ridiculous because I ran about a 2:06 with the double stroller last year - when I was running significantly less mileage.
My Training:
I've been pleasantly surprised by my recent training. Although I've been consciously keeping the efforts low for most of my runs, I've noticed that my paces are better than expected. To illustrate, these are the paces from some of my recent training runs.
Monday: 12.94 Miles - I planned on going max 10 miles, but I improvised, and ended up taking a route that took me further. I probably should have stopped after 9.5 (you know that point where your body starts to really feel the mileage of the run), but I was still 3.5 miles from home, so I trudged on... I viewed this run as a peak mileage run before the Syracuse half, and was hoping to feel good to boost my confidence going into the race. I never felt like I was pushing the pace, and my HR actually decreased as I progressed. I did, however, feel very fatigued during the last 3 miles. As a side note, I did not look at the Garmin until after finishing.
Mile 1: 9:39
Mile 2: 9:35
Mile 3: 9:32
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:07
Mile 6: 9:15
Mile 7: 9:24
Mile 8: 9:15
Mile 9: 9:21
Mile 10: 9:51
Mile 11: 10:13 (almost all uphill)
Mile 12: 8:51
Mile 13 8:07
Avg: 9:25
Wednesday: 6.08 Miles
I ran this without looking at the watch (as is my M.O. these days), and just made sure I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard. Afterwards, I was surprised by two things: By how slow my first few miles were, and by how much faster my last two were. Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 10:15
Mile 2: 9:57
Mile 3: 9:52
Mile 4: 9:29
Mile 5: 9:18
Mile 6: 9:14
Avg: 9:39
I have no idea where I stand after these runs, but I know that I feel pretty confident, because when I reflect upon my marathon training from back in 2011, I know that I worked to run 10:15 miles, and an equivalent effort to what I am running these days would probably have put me above 11 minute miles.
Based upon these recent training splits, how do you think I'll fare at the Syracuse half? I'd love to hear your predictions and compare them against my actual results.
Marathon Blues: I really want to do a fall marathon. I was hoping to do a spring AND fall this year, but life circumstances are preventing me from doing so. My wife just agreed to commit to the the MCM in the fall, but I'm a little discouraged now that I found out that the race sold out in less than 3 hours last year, and that I have a work presentation just an hour and a half before the registration opens. So, I'm already starting to prepare myself for having to find an alternative fall marathon. I was originally thinking of the Chicago as a fall back, but upon looking into it, I realize I've missed the deadline. Any suggestions for marquee events in the fall?
To BQ or not to BQ: I don't talk much about it these days, but BQing is still always in the back of my mind, and is what I'm always subconsciously striving for. I used to think that 2013 would be a reasonable year to shoot for it, but I'm now thinking that I'm at least another year (or more) away from challenging that goal - thoughts? What do I have to run in a half to think it's reasonable? What is a good 5K or 10K time as a predictor? I don't necessarily believe the Macmillan and Daniels' predictors - I think that in this point in my running life, the longer the distance gets, the more inaccurate those calculations are (if I'm using my 5K times as a predictor).
Race Results for All:
I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been cleaning these up so that they are more easily read. In the past, I've copied and pasted them from other sources, which doesn't always translate into a very easily read format here, but I've been editing and cleaning them to help with this issue. In addition, I've been adding races that I've been able to find results for. I hope you appreciate it. I plan on adding more, so keep checking... As an aside, I've found that these are some of the most highly visited pages in my blog - go figure... I knew it was frustrating to me to be unable to find race results, perhaps the same is true for many runners.
Other Cool Things Related To Running: Some co-workers and I have started a C25K program at our work, which I'm happy to admit is bringing me great joy. I love talking to people about their running, and encouraging them to stay motivated and helping them believe that they can achieve their goals. One of the coolest things is that we're organizing group runs as a result. I ran with one of the other "coordinators" tonight to show her a running path that she can utilize for her group - isn't it always more fun when other people are enthused about running too?
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