My 15 minutes...

CBS 4 Bolder Boulder Slideshow

Light it up!

In perfect, 52 degree, partly cloudy conditions, I crushed the Bolder Boulder.

• Mile 1 - 6:36.93


• Mile 2 - 6:51.55


• Mile 3 - 6:57.32


• Mile 4 - 6:49.75


• Mile 5 - 6:42.58


• Mile 6 - 6:55.69


• Final - 42:19.21

I came in 25th in my age group out of 442 runners!

For those of you who may or may not have been keeping track, this represents a 4 minute improvement over last year's results!

Weird, and a little creepy

www.athlinks.com



John 4:29

Overstepped my limits

It has been a while since I had a run where at the end of it I was ready to cry "uncle". Today was one of those.

Melissa had to run 9 miles today, which happens to be the distance around the Cherry Creek reservoir if you drive into the park and run from one of the parking lots. So I suggested that she run that run rather than the usual "Wash Park" run. It must have appealed to her more than 4 loops around the park so she took me up on it, really I had only half-heartedly suggested it. I remember not-so-fondly the days of my first marathon training when I had decided to run a long loop and ended up 5 miles from nowhere with nothing left in the tank. On some level I want to "rescue" Melissa from those kind of runs. But I realize that most times those are the runs that make you a better runner. They give you something to fall back on when you are hating life, and you think "well, it can't be worse than such-and-such a day".

Ironically enough, Melissa made out great on her run, while I ended up being the one craving rescue. For most of Melissa's runs I have pushed the double jogging stroller around Wash park, acting as child wagon/support vehicle. I can usually cover 11-12 miles on these runs and I can lay down a wicked pace while doing so. So today I was buoyed up by this confidence and I decided to run out to my 20 mile turnaround point. Without the trip to the parking lot outside of the state park this is a 15 mile circuit and I decided that it was doable in the time Melissa had alloted for her run. I also figured by doing this, that I would end up coming up behind Melissa in the end of her run and be able to offer some encouragement.

So I set about to running, taking a nice easy pace and keeping a relaxed posture on the stroller. I knew there were some hills to contend with and I wanted to make sure I had enough energy to finish. I kept a positive attitude and made it all the way out to my turnaround point (mostly downhill) with no problems. Unfortunately it was then that I realized how tired I was already and how many hills I had left to face me on the return trip. From there it became an attempt to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and tackle each hill one at a time. Finally I reached the top of what I knew was the last hill and I knew that I was going to be able to finish, even if it was slow. Finally I reached the car and was relieved to find Melissa there already and in good spirits. Within a few minutes of realizing that I was done pushing (for it could barely be called running at that point) I was able to regain most of my posture and finish up my day.

Lessons learned: I now have a much greater appreciation for Team Hoyt, pushing a vehicle is not a huge deal on level ground, but is vastly more difficult on hilly terrain. Also, legs can be well trained for endurance, but any chinks in the armor (core, arms, shoulders) can bring you down over the long haul. Finally, kids, while heavy, are great companions and can talk you through some hard times.

I know it has been a while since I blogged, but I have not really had any particularly memorable runs. My mileage has been pretty good, pushing 40+ miles per week for a while now, and building a good strong base to build off for the year. I just broke through 500 miles for the year (which last year did not happen until May), and I'm ready to be building in speedwork to prepare for the races to come.

Go Gadget Go!

I have a new toy to play with on my runs now. A friend of mine bought a new heart rate monitor on Cragslist so he gave me his slightly used one. Now I can monitor my heart rate as I exercise and try to hit the target zones optimal for training. Yesterday it was very icy out so I opted to hit the gym and give the new gadget a try. I did impromptu speedwork, with a mile of warmup, followed by 3 miles of 2 laps hard, 1 lap recovery, and then another mile cooldown. During the speedwork session I was well into the 80-100% max heart rate that is optimal for speed training. My average for the session was 155 bpm, and max was 188. The max is actually only 2 bpm less than my maximum heart rate which is determined solely by my age. While I was working hard, it was certainly not an all out effort, so I suspect that my max heart rate is actually a little higher than 190.


It was nice getting out of the cold as all of my runs this week have been in the snow, which is really pretty, but adds another element to the workout. My quads have been sore since Wednesday!

Pictures are up

You can see me struggling through the last 100 yards of the Colder Bolder on Sunday.



eventpictures.com



Boy do I look warm!

It's Colder in Boulder

Today I ran the Colder Bolder invitational race in Boulder. It's a 5K race, but it is different in that you qualify for your wave based on your finishing time for the Bolder Boulder. That means that you are racing against people who are roughly the same speed as you, and if you have made significant fitness gains over the past year you have a chance to "win" your wave. My wave was the 46 minute invitational, and it had maybe 20 people racing in it. We all toed the line and with a blast from an air horn we were all off. Based off of the success of my speedwork this year my plan was to stick with the front of the pack for the race and either place in the top three, or get pulled along to a fast time. By the first half mile I was in the first 5 or 6 people, and the leader was setting a pretty fast pace. At the first (and only) mile marker we had set a 6:20 pace, but the leader could not hold on and fell back to be replaced by someone else. It was at this point that I moved into third place, hoping to hold on as well as I could. We hit a decent hill though, with a stiff headwind and it took a lot out of me, so I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was reeled in by someone who had paced themselves a bit better. Eventually I was passed by a guy who I swear must have been twice my height and was taking one stride to my two, and then finally by another guy who I had been neck-in-neck with for most of the race. I finished 5th in my wave in 21:02 (according to my watch). I felt a little bad having missed the "podium" by just 30 seconds or so, and the prize was a stuffed macaroni penguin (which Elijah has come to recognize from Diego). It would have been nice to bring back such a prize to Elijah, but I just have to be satisfied with a ripping fast PR (personal record) in the 5K.

Technical Difficulties

Well after almost a month here I am again. I have been consistent in updating my milage on the right, but posting has been difficult due to my computer being in for repairs. I've been running fairly consistently during the week lately, but the weekends have been difficult to get my runs in. Especially with preparing for Thanksgiving and the holidays. I went out today with a friend of mine for 8 miles through the trails of Cherry Creek. It was fun to run through the trees and enjoy what little snow was remaining from this weeks storms. You gotta love Colorado!

I'm still running!

I haven't had enough time to blog so I need to do a little bit of catching up. My trip to California was good, with a great wedding and a bunch of great running. The best part was a 12 mile trail run in Laguna beach, which I was happy to be able to complete just 2 weeks after the marathon. Mostly I have been easing back into regular running, trying to have a little fun in the process. Yesterday I hit the Mesa trail hard and was cranking up and down the hills, a great aerobic workout. Coupled with today's tempo run, that makes for a tired boy. But it hardly felt like work with the sun just disappearing behind the flatirons and the Boulder valley laid out before me.

The morning after

Well this week has been pretty laid back as I recover from the marathon. Monday I was pretty sore and I got hit with a cold pretty bad. Miles had been fighting one for a while so I'm happy it held off until after the big day. By Wednesday the soreness had subsided so I ventured out to the gym for some "no-impact" stationary bike riding. Friday I got a chance to hit the pool, and then today was my first run. I only went 5 miles, which didn't feel too bad, but my calves were kind of tight, I think partly due to the swim yesterday. Next week I'll be back into a semi-normal schedule, with daily runs and swimming where I can fit it in. I'm off to California on Thursday though, so I'll have to find time for some running "on-the-road."



By the way, my pictures are online at Brightroom, but there are only two and neither is what I was hoping for. I was wearing bib number 1457.

Twenty-Six Point Two!

I crushed the marathon today, crossing the line with 3:32:45 on the clock. We'll see what the chip time gives me.



The Denver Marathon was a class act all the way, everything ran like clockwork and the gatorade stations were plentiful. It would be great to see this race at the top of the list along with Boston, New York and Chicago. Even with the rain there were lots of spectators lining the course from start to finish. They are the real heroes of the day, the runners are running and generating heat, the spectators just get cold and wet.



Melissa, Elijah and Miles were all at the finish to welcome me back and it was wonderful to see the support that my family offers me. As I ran through the rain I thought many times how others must think I am crazy to want to do this. But the love and support of my wonderful wife and children are there regardless.



Update: My chip time is up and my time for the race was 3:32:09!! I came in 188 out of a field of 1563.

Tomorrow's the day

I picked up my race packet yesterday and so far I am impressed with the quality of the race. Of particular note are the Saturn cowbells for spectators, and the race bib, which has my name written on it! Being downtown yesterday with all the runners around brought me right back to the energy of the race last year. This year I am much better prepared and have a lot more confidence in the distance. In addition, having the race in my own backyard helps me to keep my routine pretty stable in these final days. The only monkey wrench in the works this year is the 70% chance of rain for tomorrow morning. I don't think it will be a factor once I get running and warmed up, but standing at the start line will not be pleasant with rain coming down. But with 4 plus months of training and $100 race fee on the line I will just have to make the best of it. Anything is better than what happened with the Chicago marathon last week!



Also of note, I'm not sure if anyone has been paying attention to the milage total on the sidebar here, but I will break 1500 miles for the year in the first few miles of the marathon.

The last week

Only one more week until the marathon! The taper is going well, I am down to 38.5 miles this week from 57 during training. Today's 11 mile run seemed like I was just getting warmed up. With a laid back week coming up I just have to rest up for next Sunday. Carbo loading is in order this week as well, gotta love carbs!

September flies

Well September has gone by so quickly I barely knew it was there. With 232 miles for the month it has been a lot of hard training. But with winding down now all that is left is to await the marathon and let the training pay off. I realized today that I am really excited about seeing what I can do come race day.


My 14 miles today was nice, I ran it hard enough for it to be challenging, but being done in just 2 hours is a treat. The flies today were particularly bad though and I had several fly into my eyes, nose or mouth. It was the last thing I was expecting as all night the wind was really bad. So I was going into the run expecting a stiff headwind, and all I got was a light breeze, not enough to knock down the flies. I did have a pretty close encounter with some mule deer. Some young ones were out with their mothers and they let me get pretty close before bounding off into the brush. They and I were the only ones out at 6:30 before the sunrise.

Flying!

I was rockin' today for my 18 mile run. I finished it in 2:32:53 which is an 8:30 min/mile pace overall. It was not too hard of an effort so I think I am going to shoot for a 3:40 marathon time. This was my last "long" run of the marathon training, so now begins my three week taper. I am going to keep my mileage for the week about the same, just backing off on intensity and long run distance. Speedwork is still essential, however.

Five by Four

Did my third 20 mile run today for this training schedule and as a confidence booster this one was tops. I finished strong, right at marathon race pace, and I felt like I could go for more. I am feeling great and ready for the challenge ahead. I am four weeks out from the race and I have not yet decided if I will do one more 20 next week or not. At the moment I'm leaning toward 18 next week before heading into my taper.


This week was good but I am feeling pretty sore after all the workouts I did. I don't think I did any workouts at more than 8:30 pace, so my easy pace has certainly picked up. The worst workout I had was Wednesday, coming off a tough workout late the night before. My schedule this week made it difficult to fit in my runs, but I managed to do it. Next week should be a little more laid back.

16's feeling good

I capped off this week of 54 miles with a nice 16 this morning. I have to say it felt like almost nothing to crank through the miles, which is another indication that my training is going well. My speedwork this week was awesome as well as I pushed through 10x800m repeats at 7:00 pace. Next week is going to be a big one as I am going to have to fit my running into a pretty hectic work schedule. That and 20 miles again next Saturday.


I am pretty happy today as I managed to find my shoes at a great price this morning at Southlands. I had been looking into a new pair online for a while now and had been coming up empty handed at the usual places. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that I might have to pay "full price" for a new pair. But with today's purchase I am happy that I will be able to run the marathon on fairly fresh shoes. I will likely swap them into the rotation for the long runs so that they do not have too many miles on them for the big day. I must admit I am lucky to have a wife that understands my shoe collection, with this pair I will have three pairs of identical shoes in the running rotation.

Let me explain...

No there is too much, let me sum up. This was a great week of running for me, 4x1600m at the track on Monday I was hitting at sub-7:00 pace, then running in Boulder on Tuesday I ended up meeting someone new who was using my pace for a tempo run. We had a nice chat before heading out separate ways, and I thought it was funny someone running with me the way I run with Todd. Wednesday I took an extra "rest" day and just did a short run in the evening. This proved to be a great decision as I was fired up for my runs for the rest of the week. Today I finished up another 20, this time with Jake and over the "hilly" reservoir circuit. It was a little slower than my last one, but we still finished strong, at marathon race pace, and I made it through the whole distance without having to use an energy gel. This was a mental victory for me, as I now have more confidence in the way my muscles run into glycogen deficiency. With my extra rest day it was only 51 miles this week, but I really feel like I needed the break and I wasn't dropping a "quality" workout. I have been careful to be flexible in my training, while listening to what my body is telling me and I think this is why I have been so successful this year. I am in the best shape of my life right now and I am feeling strong and ready for the marathon. Just 6 weeks left!

Well that could have been worse.

Today was the first day in a long time that I woke up and did not really want to do my long run. Last night I was up until 2 with noisy neighbors and an overactive brain, so when I saw the clock read 4:56, I was not happy to be rolling out of bed. But I knew I had to get to it and I knew that Jake would be waiting for me at 6:15. So I went through the motions and got out the door on time.


When Jake arrived we greeted each other with lackluster enthusiasm as it turns out Jake's night had not been much better. Once we started running and chatting we got into it pretty quickly. By the time we got to 14 miles or so we were both feeling it, but agreed that things could have been much worse given our preparation. We hammered out the last of our 18 and were happy to be done.


I'm ready for my rest day tomorrow, this marks the 4th week in a row of 55+ miles.

Great Workout

I've had some great workouts this week, but today's was awesome. 16 miles and we really pushed the pace at the end. Our last 2.5 miles we did in 19 minutes! With the good banter with Jake and the "shorter" distance the miles really flew by. I must admit having the company for long runs makes it much easier to pass the time. My speedwork this week was really good as well and I am really happy with where my training is. I have a little bit of pain in my lower leg near my ankle, but it doesn't hurt when I run, and I'm chalking it up to the higher mileage. That and the fact that one of my pairs of shoes is almost ready to be retired. I am swapping in the new pair for the majority of my miles now.