Miles for Moffitt

Race Report

Ran in the Miles for Moffitt in Tampa Florida this morning. As expected, I didn't do real well. I finished in 25:10. Steve did much better than last week, and his brother Peter continued his successful North American Tour by picking up another 2nd in the 50-54 age group.

Steve and I both did something a bit nuts this weekend, we each bought a pair of racing shoes. Steve bought Mizunos and I bought Brooks, which is weird, because he wears Brooks as running shoes and I wear Mizunos. We bought them on Friday and wore them for the Saturday race. They felt great throughout the 5K.

Looking back I did finish 171 out of 1233, so that's not too bad.

Now that I am over my illness, again, I am going to do 5 miles tomorrow. It will be good to get back to training.

10 miler

I put in 10+ miles today at a nice slow pace of 10:30, and it was agony. I don't know if it was because I am not used to keeping the pace slow, or because I ran a hard 6 yesterday. Anyway, I decided that from now on my long runs are going to be on Saturday, with a short recovery run on Sunday. I think the long runs will be easier after having two days off.

10 mile data

15 mile run

I started out this morning for an 11 mile run and I stretched into 15. Perhaps not real smart, but I did finish. It was 1.6 miles longer than I have ever run before.

Garmin data

Stingray 5K

So this morning Steve and I ran the Stingray 5K in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. It was a perfect morning for running. I think the temp was in the mi 60's , low humidity, no wind, that and the nice flat course made for some damn fine running. At the start I went out way too fast, after about half a mile I looked at my Garmin and saw I was running 7 minute miles. I slowed my pace to a more sedate 7:30ish. As usual Steve ran out at a much faster pace and unlike a lot of races, this time I was catching him. I finally caught up to him right before two miles and realized that he was struggling a bit, he had not been running a lot because he has been a bit ill. I decided that since I was training for a marathon now I was not really worried about my time in 5K's. So I slowed down to run with Steve for the rest of the race. We seemed to be running a nice easy pace, at one point I noticed that is was around 8:20. So Steve and I ran side by side for better than a mile, and I tried to keep Steve going by verbally encouraging him. We get to the 3 mile mark and Steve picks up the pace a bit, then he starts sprinting toward the finish. Well, Steve can always out sprint me, so the butthead ended up beating me by two seconds. The big surprise came when I saw the official timing clock at the end. Steve did it in 23:49, and I did it in 23:51, one second slower than my PB. Which is really weird because I felt like I was running slow and easy for a good third of the race. I even had enough energy to talk to Steve as we went along.

Oh yea, Steve and I both got 3rd place medals for placing in our age groups.

Pictures

Garmin data

10 miler

I got in a 10 miler this morning. I also registered for the Space Coast Marathon being run on November 30 of this year.

Marathon Training

So I am now committed to running a marathon sometime between Nov 29 and Feb 28. I was hoping to make the announcement after I had registered, but my spouses job situation and our forthcoming 20th anniversary cruise is making it hard to narrow down an available date.

My long runs lately have been 9 and 10 miles. The 5K season in Florida pretty much ends on May 17th. The next week I am planning to run my first 15 miler. I am also going to increase my mileage on weekdays from 5 milers to 6 and 7 milers. Every three weeks I will decrease my mileage by at least 30% to give my body a break. Every month I am going to increase the distance of my long runs until I have at least one run more than 20 miles before the marathon date. I would love to have a 26 mile training run just to convince myself that I can do it.

I have created a tentative training schedule. The cross training will probably be a spin class, taught at a local YMCA, that is run by a woman I work with.

Also I will continue my crunches 5 days a week, and I will be doing some strength training on Mondays and Fridays.

When I start the longer runs at the end of May I will probably be posting a lot more (if that is possible) to update progress and for valuable feedback. My only goal for the race is to beat 5 hours. So I will not be worrying about pace during the runs, especially at the beginning of the training.

With a little luck I will have a great experience and this can be the first of many.

Tempo Run

Last night I did a 3 mile tempo run with a warm up and cool down mile. I was extreme;y happy with my effort as I almost equaled my 5K race pace.

Map and statistics of run

No runs until this weekend.

9 miler today

This morning I got in a good 9 mile run, actually 9.15, in just under an hour and twenty-seven minutes.

I started uploading my Garmin data to Garmin's Motion Based web site, here is everything from this morning's run.

Run data

While on the run this morning I must have really experienced a runner's high, because I decided that I was absolutely going to run a marathon. Which one I will run has not yet been decided.

Tomorrow after work I am going to start weight training. My goal is to be able to get my 5K time under 23 minutes.

Run for SPARC 5K

This morning I ran another 5K race. While not as fast as last weeks, I did have a respectable time of 24:03. Tomorrow I will be running 9 miles and back to my regular schedule next week . The next race is the Stingray 5K on the 19th.

Sanpiper 5K

It's a new track record. (my apologies to Tom Carnegie)

Ran a 5K race yesterday morning and finished in 23:50, 2 seconds better than my previous PB, and it was a very hilly course. I also finished 3rd in age group and received a nice little trophy. When the results are up I will post a link.

Victoria Park 5K

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was sick for a couple of weeks and I am just getting back to running.


This morning I ran another 5K race. I finished in 24:48, about 50 seconds slower than my PB but 40 seconds better than two weeks ago.

Because my wife had to work today, and Steve is not yet running races again since his groin injury, I went to the race alone this morning. My Garmin ran out of power so I have no stats, but I did do the first mile in 7:38. To be honest I did not push myself to run full out but I did get a surprise at the end. Another runner had passed me just before the 3rd mile mark. As I passed the 3rd mile I heard a loud piercing voice yell out, "pick it up Lancaster", I looked up, as there was a hill right before the finish, and there was Steve's better half. I have to admit I was surprised because the race was in another town about 15 miles away from our homes. Well I picked it up, passed the other runner and finished ahead of him. It turns out that he was in my age group and I beat him by .9 seconds.


Race results

Interval Wednesday

This afternoon I completed my interval training for the week, and for the first time I did 4x800, rather than 3x800. In other words I ran 4 fast half miles during my run. Fast being, just a bit better than my race pace.

Todays run:

Warm up (1 mile) - average pace of 10:38 m/m

Interval 1 (1/2 mile) - average pace of 7:42 m/m

Rest 1 (1/4 mile) - average pace of 10:36 m/m

Interval 2 (1/2 mile) - average pace of 7:44 m/m

Rest 2 (1/4 mile) - average pace of 10:17 m/m

Interval 3 (1/2 mile) - average pace of 7:32 m/m

Rest 3 (1/4 mile) - average pace of 10:40 m/m

Interval 4 (1/2 mile) - average pace of 7:32 m/m

Cool down (1.25 mile) - average pace of 10:21 m/m

Totals 5 miles in 46:59 at an average pace of 9:20 m/m

If I am feeling well tomorrow morning I will be going out for a nice easy run. Right now my legs are feeling todays run.

Also this evening I got in 250 crunches and about 10 minutes of leg and ab exercises with the stability ball.

Faith and Health 5K

I ran a 5K race this afternoon, and damn was it hilly. Living in Florida I have not really trained on any hills so I did not know how I was going to do in this race. It turned out that I had a fairly good performance, and I am happy with it.

I finished in 24:21, a 7:50 m/m pace, only 30 seconds slower than my PB at the distance. I finished 3rd in age group, and 19th of 163 overall. This marks the first time I have finished in the top 20 at a race.

Pictures

Results Link

Tempo run

I ran my first temp run this afternoon. It seems that I had to pick the hottest day yet, it is still 81 out now.

Anyway, I completed the 5 miles in 44:46.

Warmup 1 mile 10:13

Speed 3 miles 24:25

Cool down 1 mile 10:08

My goal was to stay between 8 and 8:30 during the speed part, though until I saw the data I thought I was closer to 8:30. It was a pleasant surprise.
Tomorrow morning I have a nice easy 5 mile run, and then I will be shutting down until the race Sunday afternoon. Next weekend will be interesting as I am going back to Indiana for my wifes brothers memorial service. I am planning to run on Saturday and Sunday morning, but the temps there are supposed to be in the high 20's low 30's.

January totals

Most of my friends think I went nuts when I started running regularly. Now, even running friends like Steve think I have gone a bit daft. I got out at 4:45 this morning for a nice 5 mile run at a 9:47 pace. My legs were just a bit sore after yesterdays intervals so the first two miles this morning were run at over 10 m/m.

January Totals


105.2 miles

9.33 avg pace

2 races, one successful and one not

16 hours 43 minutes total running time

15836 calories burned



Last January I was only able to run 57.5 miles.

February will be an interesting month. I will be in Indiana on the weekend of the 16th, so I expect to experience the cold as the rest of you have been doing.

One las thing, if anyone likes to run in the dark I would recommend purchasing one of these. I wore one this morning and it was very comfortable. I found a guy selling them on ebay, 4 for one price. I think I paid 25 bucks.

I hope everyone else is enjoying running as much as I am.

Speed Work

This afternoon I ran my speed work run. 1 mile of warm up, 3 intervals of 1/2 mile each with 1/4 mile between each, 2 mile easy run to finish. My next workout won't be until the 5K race on Feb 10th. Tomorrow I am planning an easy 4 to 4.5 mile run at 5am, it should be fun.

I am up to 200 crunches, 5 nights a week. My workout also includes about 5 minutes of other exercises.

5 miler

Last evening I got in a good 5 miles. Tonight is interval night.

10.3 miles

This morning Steve and I ran the 10.3 mile course. It was a bit slower than last wek, but that was because I ran the 5K race yesterday and my legs were a bit sore. I finished the run in 1:38:30, a 9:34 pace. Tomorrow is a day off from running, but it is my 19th wedding anniversary. We are going out to a place called Bonefish Grill, I hope that it is a nice place.

Daytona 5K

This morning I completed the Daytona 5K. Last year this was my first race ever, and I beat my time by six minutes and one second. I finished in 23:57, 6 seconds off of my personal record for the distance.
The big news from this run is that my wife joined me for the first time. She completed the race in 56 minutes and 57 seconds, which is phenomenal as she practically did no training for it. She is registered for another 5K next month and I think that with a bit of training she can do it much faster.

Link to results

Sorry, no pictures as we were both in the race.

5 miles

5 miles today at a nice 9:21 pace. This was the last run before the race on Saturday. The Daytona 5K will mark the first anniversary of my first race. While I don't expect a personal best I am almost assured of beating last years time of 29:58. Today I got in my copy of Running- the sacred art. It looks to be an interesting book about running and the spiritual life. I am hoping that this book will allow me to enjoy running even more.

5.2

I got in 5.2 miles at a 9:36 pace tonight. I also was able to get in all of my exercises from yesterday as well.

Non running day

No running today, but I did do 150 crunches, 29 3/4 pull-ups, 60 side planks (30 on each side), and 60 heel raises (30 on each foot). I do the pull-ups laying on my back, my legs being supported by a pilate ball, and pull up my body using the top bar from my ab roller.

10.3 miles

This morning I ran 10.3 miles at a 9:27 minute per mile pace. Even though the pace was a bit faster than my training runs of late, it was fairly comfortable. Tomorrow is a rest day and I will be back at training Tuesday.

There is a cold front that came through last night and the temp this morning was in the 40's. It would not have been so bad, except for the winds that gusted at about 15 miles per hour. Wearing layers helped a bit but overall it wasn't that bad.

Saturday Ride

I rode 15.6 miles this morning in just over an hour and seventeen miles. It was a chilly, rainy morning, but I had a good ride. I will be raising the seat a little bit higher as I felt like I was riding a kids bike. I am hoping that this cross training will help me get my legs stronger. Only one week until the next race.

6 miles

I ran just over 6 miles today at a 9:38 m/m pace and everything felt great. Even though I just started a new training regimen next week will be a bit different. I have a 5K next Saturday and I will not be running next Thursday or Friday. This race will mark my first anniversary of running races. What a great year.

Easy Miles

I ran 5 easy miles this afternoon. Everything felt great and the Pearl shoes, that I thought were no going to work, out felt good today. Tomorrow I am starting my Art Appreciation class so there will be no running. I am planning around 6 for Friday.

This evening I was able to do 150 crunches and 25 squats. I going to try and increase the crunches by 25 a week and the squats by 10 a week.

Speed Tuesday

I did my scheduled speed work for the first time.

1 mile easy warm-up (~ 9:50m/m)

800 meters (1/2 mile) at 5K pace avg 7:29

400 meters (1/4 mile) easy (~10:00 m/m)

800 (1/2 mile) 5K avg 7:37

400 (1/4 mile) easy (~10:00 m/m)

800 (1/2 mile) 5K avg 7:47

Finish distance easy 1.5 miles (~10:00 m/m)

My garmin is set up for miles not kilometers, but 1/2 and quarter are close enough. I was fairly happy that I was able to keep it under 8 m/m, though the last quarter was 7:49. The first quarter mile at 5K pace was 7:01. I started out just a bit to fast.

Morning Run

For the first time I ran a training run before work. I went out at 4:55 this morning and ran about 4.5 miles in 44 minutes, 27 seconds. This run was a test to see if I can run 4 miles and then work all day without any problems. Starting in June I will be working 4 10 hour days while the schools are closed for the summer. Since I will be working until almost 6pm, I think it will be easier to run in the morning than late afternoon. I will certainly know by tonight if this idea will work.

I am back to class this evening with the start of the Microcomputer Applications class. I hope it will be interesting.

Here is a workout I found online.

Step One – Starting Position

Lie face down on a mat or soft surface. Support your body weight with your feet and forearms. Tuck your pelvis so that your hips are pressed forward and your body is very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Step Two – Right Arm Up

From the starting position raise your right arm straight out above your head. Your right hand should be about 6 to 12 inches off the ground. Your weight should now be supported by your left forearm and both feet. Do not twist your body. Keep your hips pressed forward and your body very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Step Three – Left Arm Up

From the starting position raise your left arm straight out above your head. Your weight should now be supported by your right forearm and both feet. Do not twist your body. Keep your hips pressed forward and your body very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Step Four – Right Leg Up

From the starting position raise your right leg straight up off the ground. Your right foot should be about 6 inches off the ground. Your weight should now be supported by both forearms and your left foot. Do not twist your body. Keep your hips pressed forward and your body very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Step Five – Left Leg Up

From the starting position raise your left leg straight up off the ground. Your left foot should be about 6 inches off the ground. Your weight should now be supported by both forearms and your right foot. Do not twist your body. Keep your hips pressed forward and your body very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Step Six – Right Arm and Left Leg Up

From the starting position raise your right arm and left leg at the same time. Your weight should now be supported by your left forearm and your right foot. Do not twist your body. Keep your hips pressed forward and your body very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Step Seven – Left Arm and Right Leg Up

From the starting position raise your left arm and right leg at the same time. Your weight should now be supported by your right forearm and your left foot. Do not twist your body. Keep your hips pressed forward and your body very straight. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.

Nine miles

This morning I completed my first long run since last Sundays race. I did 9.15 miles at a 9:46 pace. It turned out to be a nice easy run with no complications.

Sometimes it is amazing to me just how clear my mind becomes after I have run a couple of miles. Today I was thinking about everything I did wrong leading to and during the last race. I made three mistakes that probably led to the problems I experienced.

1. I had catfish for dinner the evening before the race. While catfish is not necessarily bad for me, it was the first time I had eaten it in over a year, and it could possibly have caused problems while doing something as extreme as running the next day.

2. After the catfish dinner I had a container of rice noodles. This is probably the stupidest thing I did, and probably contributed the most to the problems during the race.

3. I drank the water that the race provided. After the first water station I should have either stopped drinking the water, or at least drank a lot less.

Just three weeks prior to this race I ran a half marathon and did none of the things mentioned above and I had a successful and fun race. Live and learn I guess.

School starts up again tomorrow. I am taking Art Appreciation and Microcomputer Applications this semester.

5 miles

5 miles again this afternoon at a 9:21 pace. A bit quicker than yesterday, but it felt good. I am going to run another 5K on the 26th. Plus this will be the first race that Veronica will participate in. Though probably at a much slower pace.

Success

I ran 5 miles this afternoon at a nice slow pace and it felt great. This was also my first run in my new Mizuno shoes.

Back to it

This afternoon after work I will be going out for the first time since Sunday morning. I am going to run 4 easy miles and try to take it easy. Even though my legs really needed the rest I have felt extra lazy the last couple of days.

DeLeon Springs Half Marathon

This morning I ran my second half marathon in three weeks. I was fine and running to plan for the first 4 miles, and then I started to get fatigued and started slowing down. I knew that I would not match my Jacksonville time at the half way point, but I figured I would finish just under two hours. I was wrong. Between mile 7 and 8 my stomach started hurting, I ran as much as I could, but for the first time ever in a race I had to walk. It stopped hurting when I was walking, but every time I ran it would hurt even more. I walked /ran through to mile 9 and I toughed out that one and ran all the way to mile 10. Then I had to walk more. Except for having to stop and tie my shoe between mile 12 and 13 I was able to jog most of the way home to finish in 2:10:47. A disappointing time, but I was very happy to average 10 minute miles with the way I was feeling. I knew that everyone eventually has a bad run and this was mine. Next year there will be only one 1/2. I only have 5 and 10k's coming up so I shouldn't have any more trouble. Steve on the other hand had a great run, finishing in 1:53:30 and bettering his time from Jacksonville.


Here is video of my finish.

Results