02/15 – Sunday – Austin Half Marathon – 13.1 miles – 2:01
02/16 – Monday – off
02/17 – Tuesday – Neighborhood – 4 miles – 40 minutes
02/18 – Wednesday – Stationary Bike – 30 minutes
02/19 – Thursday – Neighborhood – 6 miles – 60 minutes
02/20 – Friday – off
02/21 – Saturday – Town Lake – 10 miles – 1:34
Weekly mileage: 20 miles
Austin Half Marathon
I finished the Austin Half Marathon in a disappointing 2:01. Just a few weeks ago I completed the 3M Half Marathon in 1:46. Zowie that’s over 1 minute per mile difference. I just never really felt good running today. I felt stiff, clumsy, and slow. The hills didn’t help either. Also I didn’t hydrate and fuel well thoughout. Afterwards I drove and stopped at mile 17 and near mile 23 to look for Terry, one of my running buds from this year. I saw him with the 4:30 group at mile 23 looking good. Best wishes friend. The year’s running course doesn’t end with a bang, but a whimper.
Running log week of 2009-02-08
02/08 – Sunday – off
02/09 – Monday – Neighborhood – 4 miles – 40 minutes
02/10 – Tuesday – Stationary Bike – 30 Minutes & Class – 5 miles – 60 minutes
02/11 – Wednesday – off
02/12 – Thursday – Neighborhood – 3 miles – 20 minutes
02/13 – Friday – off
02/14 – Saturday – off
Weekly mileage: 12 miles
New shoes
I bought new running shoes yesterday after my Town Lake long run. My standard Nike Triax Structure Size 8.5. The old ones had over 320 miles on them and I felt it was time. I used my discount at Rogue to buy my new pair. The discount will stop at the end of the month so now was a good time to use it. I’ll break them in next week, and then run the Austin Half Marathon on my new brighty whiteys with red accents.
With a whimper
My running class is coming to an end. Typically it would have completed in my running the marathon next weekend. I would be feeling butterflies and stress about it now. However, I’ve decided that the HALF marathon is what I’ll be doing. Feeling this way is weird because I’ve only known that now is the time to run a marathon. Everyone else in my class is ready to go and do it. The class builds to this point yet I’m not going to reach that pinnacle. So I’m kinda feeling incomplete. I even have other runners I know that keep chiding me to run the full. (Thank you Monica, but sorry I won’t) Yet I know running the half is the right decision. Thinking back on this past running season I find that the peak for me was about a month ago. It was during the 20 miler race that I ran my longest race. Yet I hadn’t realized it at the time. Then a few weeks ago a raced the 3M Half Marathon. I pushed my self real hard for that one. And I’m not planning to race the Austin Half Marathon. So by then I was already on the downward slope. But I still was not fully realizing that the season for me was over back then. Nevertheless it was good exercise. I did all that was asked of me during class. And with that I am satisfied. My only wish was to have met more running buddies, but this time it didn’t work out. I just didn’t blend in or they were just too fast or slow. It was my fault too, because I would run out ahead or struggle to catch up. Maybe because I knew I wasn’t going to run the marathon I kept my distance literally and figuratively. Whatever the case I don’t even have a friend to run the half with. And with that I am saddened. Sigh.
Running log week of 2009-02-01
02/01 – Sunday – off
02/02 – Monday – Neighborhood – 4 miles – 40 minutes
02/03 – Tuesday – Class – 5 miles – 60 minutes
02/04 – Wednesday – Stationary Bike – 30 Minutes
02/05 – Thursday – Neighborhood – 4 miles – 40 minutes
02/06 – Friday – off
02/07 – Saturday – Town Lake (from Rogue) – 12 miles – 1:51
Weekly mileage: 25 miles
Running log week of 2009-01-25
01/25 – Sunday – 3M Half Marathon – 13.1 miles – 14:7:24
01/26 – Monday – off
01/27 – Tuesday – Class – 5 miles – 60 minutes
01/28 – Wednesday – Stationary Bike – 30 Minutes
01/29 – Thursday – Neighborhood – 10 miles – 110 minutes
01/30 – Friday – off
01/31 – Saturday – Last 7 miles of marathon – 14 miles – 2:08
Weekly mileage: 42.1 miles
3M Half Marathon
I ran my little heart out today. The weather was a bit cool (started at 32 degrees F), but over time it warmed up a few degrees. I was warm throughout so it wasn’t an issue. I wanted to complete in under 1:50. The night before I prepared a pace band, but in the morning I was so worried that I wouldn’t accomplish it that I didn’t use it. I started with Richard. Terry was no where in sight. However within 1 mile Richard was out in front by 100 feet and pulling away (he finished in 1:40!). So I ran without any company other than the hundreds of unknown runners around me. I really do like having a running buddy to team with. I still remember running 3M with David R. about 5 years ago and we were pushing each other, and just cruising along – nice. I again used chocolate chip cookies as my fuel. I still had problems with opening the baggie, then getting one out quickly was tough, and finally some pieces fell down my tights and bothered me (along with making me appear to have large bumpy warts on my inner leg which were sticky, icky). I’ve got to remember not to eat any cookies the day before or the day of the race so the taste is new and fresh in my mouth. There times today that I held off eating because of these difficulty and the taste. I just kept pushing for the whole race always fearing I wouldn’t be under 1:50 because I did not having a pace band. At the last half mile I caught Nadia B., and told her to run, she sped up and we finished within 5 feet of each other. I was beat, but I did it. I completed it under 1:50. Woohoo! Overall Place: 952 out of 4140 finishers (excellent), 35 in age group M 55-59, First 10K: (Rank=973, 50:54.06, 8:12/M) Second 10K: (Rank=1030, 56:29.84, 8:12/M), Total Chip Time: 1:47:24.35
01 8:39.00* 0:08:39* (missed mile marker)
02 8:38.00* 0:17:17* (glanced at watch, but forgot to push it)
03 7:43.00* 0:25:00.31
04 8:00.90 0:33:01.21
05 7:38.59 0:40:39.59
06 8:33.59 0:49:13.68
07 8:04.00 0:57:17.68
08 8:17.84 1:05:35
09 8:13.50 1:13:50
10 8:46.89 1:22:35
11 8:07.65 1:30:43
12 8:02.21 1:38:45
13 7:56.04 1:46:41
13.1 0:49.58 1:47:31
* estimate
Running log week of 2009-01-18
01/18 – Sunday – off
01/19 – Monday – Neighborhood – 6 miles – 60 minutes
01/20 – Tuesday – Class – 4.0 miles (8 x 200) – 60 minutes
01/21 – Wednesday – Stationary Bike – 30 minutes
01/22 – Thursday – Neighborhood – 10 miles – 110 minutes
01/23 – Friday – off
01/24 – Saturday – off
Weekly mileage: 20 miles
8 x 200m
In class I ran eight 200 meter diagonals at 5K pace, but actually I was running all out, that is, no 5K pace. If I really did 5K pace I should have completed 200m in 1 minute. “Diagonals” means I ran 200m on the track (first number) and then cut across the track back to the start (second number). What is interesting is that my time overall improved from run to run. This was because I was at first chasing Monica and Nadia, and then I caught up to them and they seemed to ran faster so I had to also. What was good is that I had to do eight repeats (I’m in the beginner class) where they had to do ten (they are in the intermediate class).
Run, Recovery
50.41, 50.63
51.63, 46.72
51.38, 48.25
48.00, 52.18
49.57, 50.63
49.37, 52.52
47.60, 54.50
47.90, 1.01.00
