2008 Flying Feather Four Miler

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I'm happy to say that I've gotten up early and raced once again on Thanksgiving morning. And Mrs. P joined me this year too! We did the Flying Feather Four Miler in Dublin, OH for the second year in a row. This is a very well done race. The course is great with some uphill at the start before flattening out. But what goes up, must come down, leaving a nice downhill near the finish. Of course there is a slight uphill finish, but it's so small it doesn't factor in. We had beautiful weather this year with around 22 degrees, no wind, and no clouds. Did I mention all runners receive a bottle of wine? Yeah, that's why we do this race...

I was fortunate to run once again with my friend John who lives in the Columbus area. I found out he's venturing beyond the marathon into ultras and having great success! He stayed back with me for the first three miles before punching out the last mile in sub 6 minute fashion. I'm grateful to have been able to pace off of him again, as I would have slowed down to catch my breath after the first mile. We did that first mile in 6:19. My lungs were burning from not being used to going that hard in the cold yet. If I were at the track, 6:19 would be a good mile split, followed by a 400m jog to catch my breath. No such luck in a race. Mile 2 passed in 6:34. A little more manageable pace. Mile 3 was right on at 6:33. But I was gasping to breathe. The cold had congealed something in my lungs and I could feel it when I inhaled. I told John he could take off if he wanted, and boy did he move out! The last mile was the slowest in 7:04. I knew I was going to PR the course, so I just ran as hard as I could, trying not to worry about catching anyone ahead of me, or preventing anyone from passing me. My finish time? 26:26 at a 6:37/mile pace average. That's 3 minutes and 26 seconds faster than last year! I don't know how I'm going to match the level of new PRs next year, or if I should even try. I was 7th of 110 in my AG and 29th overall of about 2400 runners. John was 5th in our AG, but would probably have won it (not to mention being competitive in the overall) if he hadn't decided to stay with me for 3 quarters of the race.

I had a great race and followed it by eating a TON of food for dinner. But I did something a little different this year. I ate mostly main course food, two helpings, and only one slice of chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert. And I only drank water while eating. This morning I weighed a half pound LESS than yesterday morning. Coincidence? I think not!

Today I'm going to climb on the bike and try to do about 30 miles or so. I'm also planning a longer run for Sunday before the snow machine starts up again. We only have ONE more race planned for the year, a week from tomorrow, and then it's just training miles until next spring. Good luck to everyone finishing out they're season.

2008 Fall Classic Half Marathon

12. The car was showing 12 degrees as I pulled into the parking lot in Strongsville for the Fall Classic yesterday. Good thing we weren't running in Brunswick. I got a 10 driving through there on 71. I made a last minute addition to my wardrobe before heading out the door: tights under my running pants. Good decision too. Although the added weight and restriction of movement slowed me down a bit, my legs did indeed stay warm. As did the rest of me that I layered up. Two pairs of gloves. Two long sleeve shirts. A jacket and a vest. The only area I was having issues was my feet. They were numb by the start and made for some awkward early miles. This was, without a doubt, the coldest race I've done yet. And it's right up there with the coldest runs I've ever done.

But cold or not, slower than usual or not, I must have done something right because I placed third in my age group. I ran a 1:40:02 (by my watch). That's not my best, but certainly not my worst. Here are my mile splits: 6:50 (short mile) / 8:02 (long mile) / 7:33 / 7:34 / 7:23 / 7:24 / 7:57 (hit slower congested traffic on the bike path section) / 7:57 / 7:37 / 7:45 / 7:47 / 7:39 / 7:41 / 45:10. While it may not have been a PR outing, it was a course PR for me by five or six minutes. I felt pretty good for the most part. Definitely started feeling the extra clothing by the second loop. I didn't feel like ditching anything, so I just kept everything on and kept pounding. And pounding is an accurate description too, as I still had not fully recovered from the 20 miles I put in on the bike Friday afternoon. My legs were still tired.

This is a good race. It's become an annual event for me, unpredictably uncomfortable weather and all. They put on a spring race on the same course which I've never done. The only thing that depresses me about this race is that it means Thanksgiving is near which in turn means that the end of the season is upon us. I'm going to try to get outside more this winter than I have in the past. Hopefully that will help with the winter blues.

Next race: The Flying Feather Four Miler, Thanksgiving morning.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I did it. All this snow has finally gotten to me. I went and busted out the Christmas music tonight. And the first CD I chose to listen to? Twisted Sister's Twisted Christmas! WOW! You haven't heard Christmas carols till they've been twisted by Dee Snider and the boys!

On to other things, I climbed onto the bike tonight in the basement and rode 20 miles in an hour and twenty minutes. That's a 14.9 mph average. Which doesn't sound like much compared to what can be had on the road, but the trainer is an entirely different animal than the road. It's much more difficult to ride inside than it is outside. So I'll gladly take it as base mileage.

I'm looking at some cross training tomorrow and then I'm ready for the Fall Classic Half Marathon on Sunday. The snow is supposed to stop overnight and Sunday is looking sunny with low 30's in the morning. Nice running weather. No expectations for this race. Just doing it for the fun of it.

Running in the Snow

An inch of snow evenly covers the track, with just the occasional snowflake randomly falling. Two floodlights above the stands splash the entire track in light thanks to the reflective layer of snow. The light reaching even to the furthest corners, dim but noticeable. No one else has been here yet. A pristine blanket of snow awaits my tracks, my autograph on this night. Maybe tomorrow someone will venture out here and find my surely frozen footprints in lane one. The wind, gusting out of the northwest, chills my hands as I make my way down the back straight and around the far curve. But numb fingers alone aren't going to stop me. Heavier gloves next time. Lap after lap I make my way back to the line on the track I uncovered with my shoe. I notice with detached amusement how my footprints often fall in the same spots. Could I have done that if I had tried? As the snow transforms into slush with each pass, I need to edge my way to the outside of my now established path. There is better running in the fresh snow. How many more laps to go? How long do I want to run? How much would we do on a night like this if more people were here? I don't want to short change this opportunity. It's really not so bad, so I think I'll stick with the plan.

A warm-up mile in 7:32. Hey, that's not bad. Am I sure I ran four laps? I count the footprints to make sure. A recovery lap before another mile, this time in 6:59. Not the fastest mile I've ever run, but for the conditions, pretty good. Why is it that when it's dark you feel like you're running much faster than you actually are? Another recovery lap and it's time for 1200 meters. Only three laps. I illuminate my watch as I cross the line. 5:00 flat? Wow, I guess I'm moving a bit tonight. Another recovery lap and then 800 meters. 3:15! That's a split right out of the summer! Another recovery lap and a final 400 meters. 1:33! Those times are great for not doing any serious speed work since before Columbus. Time for a cool down mile. As the sweat evaporates it starts to get a little chilly. Do I want to do an extra mile? Not tonight, I'm good.

70.3

1.2 mile swim.


56 mile bike.


13.1 mile run.


That is a 70.3 triathlon, also known as a Half Ironman. A little daunting when grouped together, true, but taken as individual parts, a challenge I not only think I can meet, but excel at. Or so I hope.

Two things that have been weighing on my mind the past few months have been moving from duathlon to triathlon and going longer. This move satisfies both quite nicely. With the economy headed into the crapper, I've been waffling on whether to make the attempt next year. I decided last night to just go ahead and make the commitment. It's done. Now I have to get myself ready.

Steelhead will by my "A" race of "A" races next year. The other two being the Rite Aid Marathon in May and most likely the Columbus Marathon again next October. I love to challenge myself and I think two marathons and a half Ironman triathlon should challenge me quite nicely. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing this had I not had as good a year as I had in 2008. The addition of track work did wonders for my running at all distances. I think that with a steadfast dedication to training on the bike, I can not only get faster but go longer in a race than I ever have before. The swimming side will be the wild card in the whole house of cards. If that fails, the whole thing's going to come down. I enjoy being in the water, it's just the fact that I can't stand up in the water that starts to mess with my head and always has. Last night I decided to tackle that last little fear that's been holding me back.

So that's what I've been up to lately. The snow is flying outside and I'm making plans to race next August. I also got an 11.5 mile run in Friday after work while it was still spectacular outside. Yesterday afternoon I got the bike mounted to the trainer and did a short 11 miles. It was short, only 44 minutes, but seemed to take forever. I really don't like riding indoors. I have to play a mental game with the odometer. Quarter mile hard, quarter mile recovery, quarter mile hard, quarter mile recovery. Next mile, repeat. It's boring, but if it's going to help, I'm going to do it.

This won't be my only triathlon next year, and not even the first. I plan on some shorter races to build up. Sprint and Olympic distances. I just haven't decided which ones to do yet.

Off season is over. It's time to get back to training!

OH CRAP

What the hell did I just do?

3 minutes ago I just entered the 2009 Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon.

I hope somebody out there can help me with my swimming.

This Time of Year

I'm referring of course to the period of time from November to whenever it is that we get daylight before AND after work again. This time of year is really hard for me to keep up on my workouts. This time of year I start to lose my motivation. This time of year I start to indulge in food and drink a bit. This is the time of year for something called an "off season". While I don't intentionally let myself have an off season, I guess I end up having one after all.

I workout year round in the mornings. It usually consists of some aerobic activity and is inside. Sometimes I'll do some weight training in the morning, but I usually save that for the evenings. We have an elliptical, which on its highest setting, provides a great cardio workout. I'll get on that 3 to 4 days a week. We used to have a borrowed treadmill which came in very handy on cold winter days. We were on the lookout to locate a replacement. We have a bicycle training stand that will fit both our bikes. It is handy during the foul weather, but the most boring thing I've ever done. And I'm not kidding.

Due to some recent events at my employer, we've decided that buying a treadmill right now isn't the wisest investment. Getting a membership to the rec center is being put on hold as well. I was hoping to be in the pool all winter and spring and make the transfer from duathlons to triathlons next year. Unfortunately that's going to have to wait another year. The economy is constricting. The company I work for is unexpectedly constricting. My training and racing plans are going to constrict accordingly as well. The gray weather reflects my mood this time of year.

So this time of year I plan on running outside when possible. Long runs on the weekends and whatever I can do during the week, logging miles on the bike trainer instead of the treadmill, running my elliptical into the ground, and lifting. I need to work on my leg strength anyway. Hopefully this winter will go by as fast as the summer did.

Mr. P

November 4, 2008

I know this is two days late. I'm sorry. I'm not that reliable getting posts up here in a timely manner.

Tuesday was Election Day. How did I spend my day? I ran 5.2 miles with Marsha from the club. In the dark. And when I say "dark" I mean DARK! Damn clock changes. Could we just leave it on Standard or Daylight time year round? Or, the best solution I have heard: Let's move the clocks ahead 1/2 hour in the spring and leave it there permanently. We could call it Eastern Moderate Time. Which is also where our country's politics are going to need to go, but more on that later.

Marsha and I were the only ones who showed up for the track work this week. Lots of other people showed up for a soccer match and some more pee wee football games, so both stadiums were being used yet again. We headed out on the same course they ran last week. But this night, we could barely see where we were going. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to grab her head lamp, so we had a little swath of light illuminating any sticks, cracks, and small animals. I'm going to have to get one of those. (A light, not a small furry animal!) The run was otherwise uneventful as we toured Reagan Park by moonlight. Sections were straight out of a B horror movie. With everything appearing gloomy and grainy. Kind of a weird experience. I don't know what's going to happen to the weekly workouts. It's just too dark to do much.

As for the politics. I'm not by any means going to get into a rant or anything. I've been relatively quiet this year. If someone asked which way I was leaning, I answered truthfully. I had no desire to go around advertising my thoughts, and have no intention of doing so here.

I will just say this:

The result of Tuesday's election was historic. As a nation, we should be proud of what just happened. Something I didn't expect to see happen so soon. I am proud to be an American because with this election, we are regaining our leadership role in the world. Something we have lost in the last 8 years. But we need to keep working. The extremists on both the right and the left have taken control of the issues. In order to keep our country strong, we're going to have to come together in the middle and be Moderates. Otherwise it's like we're living in two different countries, and that's not good for anyone.

Mr. P

2008 Inland Trail Half Marathon

I decided to run the half marathon yesterday instead of the 5K. I really didn't know what to expect from a long run. It has been two weeks since Columbus and I hadn't done anything over 7 miles. And I didn't feel all that great doing that. So I was very pleasantly surprised when I felt great yesterday.

My time was 1:34:55. That's about a minute or so longer than my PR. I didn't expect a PR day, but that's certainly a course to do it on. It's flat and the wind is generally at your back, when you're not sheltered by trees anyway. I'm not an iPod runner, but this course made me think about it. When I ran this race last year, the weather was not nice. It was cold and blustery. The leaves had all dropped from the trees and it was generally grey all around. This year, the weather was beautiful. It was chilly at the start but it warmed steadily. The sun was out and there were still some great fall colors to enjoy. I had an enjoyable, steady run as seen in my mile splits: 7:25 / 7:18 / 7:14 / 7:29 / 7:19 / 7:19 / 7:25 / 7:20 / 7:31 / 7:18 / 7:30... and that's where I messed up my splits. I missed the mile 11 marker so that 7:30 is a little long and the remaining splits I have don't make sense to me today.

The course is so flat and the field is so small, that once you've settled into your pace, there is very little passing that occurs. Unless, of course, someone starts out too fast (which happened), too slow (which also happened), or is fluctuating (ding, ding there too!). There was a guy running with a heart rate monitor who came up on me and passed me. He got a little bit ahead of me before he came back. I could hear the thing beeping. When it started beeping faster, he would slow down. Eventually he dropped back behind me. I didn't turn around to look at any point to see where he or anyone else was behind me. I was able to make out people ahead of me, barely. It's hard to judge distances out there with no curves or elevations to go by.

Like I said, I felt good. No knee pain. No phantom pain in my foot. My breathing was right on. I started cramping a bit in the last mile, which prevented me from turning on the boosters and finishing hard. But that was fine as I didn't have to race anyone to the line. I ended up placing 3rd of 9 in my age group and 19th of 177 overall. Not too bad for two weeks after the marathon with minimal training in between.

Congrats to Mrs. P and Jr. P for running the 5K and placing 2nd each in their age groups. Congrats also to some other club runners yesterday: Ladd, Marsha, and Dan. Marsha won her age group and Dan placed second in his age group in the marathon.

Mr. P