Year End Review

Races completed:

Round Lake 5k 21:44 AG award





Hawthorne Woods Half Marathon 1:43:28 AG award



Des Plaines River Half Marathon 1:39:40




Crazy Legs 8k 36:35 (Last year 40:35)



Bunny Dash 5k 21:30 AG award (Last year 26:04)





Soldier Field 10 1:21:29 (Last year 1:25:46)

Northshore Half Marathon 1:43:49




Grayslake 5k 21:10

Gurnee 10k ~48:00



Rally for Autism 5k 24:34

Milwaukee Marathon 3:56:45






Westfield Hawthorn 5k 21:12 (2nd in AG)last year 24:00






Total miles run:
1400

Total miles biked:
300ish

Shoes run in:
ASICS Gel Nimbus 11
ASICS Gel Nimbus 12
ASICS Gel Nimbus 13
Saucony Progrid Ride
Saucony Progrid Ride 2

Running related doctor visits-3

Classes taken:
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry II
Grades:A in both (of course)

Next up:
General Biology I
Calculus

I turned 30 this year and that has worked out pretty well for me.

Westfield Hawthorn Turkey day 5k

At the start it was a nice 35*F. Perfect weather for shorts as you can see above. These kids were in the front the whole time, as you might imagine.

This may be the first 5k I ran like an adult. My first mile was right on goal pace and my 2nd and 3rd mile were both under 7:00 min pace

Thanks to Terry and Pete for the photos, this one is at the start line with the high school kids. One of these guys won the 5k in 16 minutes and change.
Nice.




I ran hard and puked at the end. For all that effort I got a nice shiny medal for 2nd in my age group. I would have had first, but they used 10 year age groupings.

Here is a photo of the GRC crew pre-race



I woke up and had a good breakfast with coffee, picked up my dad and had a short warm up. I wanted to do a longer warm-up, but it didn't happen. I ran into Pete, Ricky, Terry and some other peeps from GRC. It is always nice to have friends there for encouragement and inspiration.

Mile 1-6:29
Mile 2-6:55
Mile 3-6:50
last.1-0:56



This means 21:12 for today. Not a PR, but I will take an age group award over a PR all day, any day. I find that most 5k I run tend to be a little short, usually by not more than .05. This one was long by .05, and I think that is how it should be. You can't run perfect tangents, so it seems to me that the route should always read a bit long according to the Garmin.



This is my 3rd Turkey Trot and my second time running this particular race. It is nice to know the course so you can mentally prepare yourself for what is to come. I hope to run this next year as well with an even faster time.

This is my dad at the finish



Some more from the race photo people:
This 1st one is right at the end, my face shows what is to come:puking

Some Perspctive on Milwaukee.

Now that I have had some time to think about my first marathon, I thought I would revisit the day. Since this blog is really just a public journal I wanted a little more detail for my future self to look back on.

Splits:
1- 08:09 I started out with the 3:40 group, so I don't know why this is fast
2- 07:43 Got sick of the pace group pretty quickly so I just ran what felt good
3- 08:05
4- 08:08
5- 08:04
6- 08:19
7- 08:05
8- 07:54 Somewhere in this area I was running next to a girl whose dad (I assume) was cheering her on-"looking good (girl's name) but try to pick it up." That gave everyone around us a good laugh.

9- 08:01
10- 08:01 I think I had some delicious sport beans here
11- 08:06
12- 08:11
13- 08:08 Half marathon split was a bit over 1:46, which was right on time, or so I thought

14- 08:04
15- 08:18
16- 08:25
17- 09:35 This was a little slower because I had to piss and I could not hold it any longer. No, I was not willing to piss on myself to save a minute.

18- 08:14
19- 08:42 This is where the knee pain set in, I was really hoping it would just go away

20- 09:08 Knee pain
21- 11:22 Took a couple Hammer gels the were handing out, that didn't help the knee, all miles after this I was using the tried and true run/walk method :(

22- 11:22 Stopped somewhere around here to stretch out the knee and legs a little, that didn't help either.

23- 12:03 I was really hurting here, it was really demoralizing "running" this slow. It also didn't help that I saw all my peeps pass me by around this time.

24- 10:41 At this point I knew I would finish under 4 hours by just walking it in and that gave me some energy to run this blazing 10:41

25- 12:08
26- 10:11 The spectators got thicker here and I think that helped, I could also see the finish area by now.

27- 09:21

During those last 5 or 6 miles I witnessed many people who looked much fitter than I dragging themselves along as I was. In the last mile there was a woman laying on the side of the sidewalk getting medical attention.

At mile 24-25 there was a guy limping along with his girlfriend yelling at him to run and pick it up. That was humorous and I don't think it was helping.

Now that I have had some time to think about it, I am somewhat glad I ran this the way I did. I tested myself, and that is what these races are all about. I could not hold my pace for the entire race, but I definitely gave it all I had.

I probably could have finished quite a bit faster if I would have run all 8:30s from the start. That would have put me around 3:45 and that would have been great, but I learned a lot from this and now I know what running a marathon really feels like.

I read a great quote regarding marathons-"Mile 20 is the halfway point." That really sums it up and I can relate to that after this one.

For my next marathon I will be better prepared to be sure. Good weekly volume has to be +40 for the whole cycle with a least a few weeks over 50 miles. For the near term I am really going to concentrate on speed. My number 1 goal going forward is a sub 20 minute 5k. #2 has to be a faster half. My 1:39 last spring is going down.

I need to be more consistent with speed work and tempo runs to accomplish these 2 goals, which should be doable now without the time consuming 20 milers. Of course, I have to wait for my knee to improve, I am still having some stiffness after 2 weeks.

Milwaukee Marathon

3:56:45


First of all, thanks to Lindsay for putting up with my training schedule this summer and fall. Between work, classes, photo shoot and running, it has been taxing on all of us. You are the best!

This is my first marathon. In preparation for this I started out on the Higdon Advanced I schedule, but that didn't work out well for me so after a few weeks I just ran what I felt like.

Here is my log

3 runs over 20 and a few in the high teens. The last 20 miler felt pretty good and I was finally feeling like I was ready for the marathon. I ran my long runs at about 9:00min/mi. which is about 45-60 seconds slower than my planned marathon pace. This seemed to work out well for me. I needed zero recovery time after my 20+ runs and I never got to the point of feeling burnt out.

On my last 20, I had some Sport Beans courtesy of Golden Legs. They were really good, so much better than any Gel I've had. So on the way up to Milwaukee, we stopped to get some from the Jelly Belly store.

Me as Linds was dropping me off



The race started great I ran a typical, if not slow, half for me of 1:46:32. So I was on perfect planned pace. I was feeling good, no surprises.

At a couple spots along the route, Mary, Trish, John and Greg were there with signs and everything. This was a great pick-me-up. That was really great to see some familiar faces cheering me on.

Thanks to Trish for this one:


Here is my Garmin data

As you can see, I was doing well until mile 18. That was when my left knee started to hurt. It was on the outside of my left knee, I was sure it would subside after another mile or so.......but it did not.

It got worse and worse.

At one point I actually stopped and sat in the grass on the side of the road and tried to stretch it out. That didn't work either.

I started having crazy thoughts: "I'll just call Lindsay at the next place I see and she can pick me up." or "I'll make it to 20. 20 is enough. 20 is plenty."

Those evil thoughts subsided and I just kept on truckin' slowly. I walked some during all of the last 6 miles. I think it is ITBS, I had a little problem with this during training, but nothing like this.

I realized at mile 24 that I could walk the rest and still be under 4 hours, and that made me really happy. Which then energized me a little bit.

I was very glad when it was all over. I got my medal and saw Linds and the kiddies and made my way around the crowd to meet up with them.

Kids awaiting my arrival


Here I am relieved to be finished


Cool shirt


2 Alieve and my legs hurt much less, but this is going to take some recovery.

Before this race I was supremely confident that I could run a 3:40, if not faster. That did not work out for me. I thought my training and nuitrition were good. The weather was awesome. The race was awesome, great scenery, great support and everything you could ask for.

What went wrong? Obviously the knee was my main problem. I swore I would not go out too fast and I didn't think I did, but I guess I was wrong.

As the great Lt. Gen. Douglas MacArthur said "I shall return"

Thanks for reading

Bike-run-bike-run-bike

Today was the Gurnee 10k and the Rally for Autism 5k in Libertyville. Pete had the great idea of running in both AND biking between them. I took that a little further and also rode my bike to and from home.

39 miles total traveled

Leg 1-9.3mi/30:59min.

The first leg of the journey was from Lake Villa to Gurnee-about 9.3 miles. I got up early this morning and was out the door by 6:35am, right on time.

Leg 2-6.2mi/48:30min

The 10k started at Warren High School, so there were ample bathrooms available. Once that was taken care of I met up with Jackie, Pete, Terry, Rosanne and Barry. A truly great looking crew if I ever saw one. Barry was in it for the 2 mile run, so he started after us. A gun went off and we started running.

This was a great course along the DPRT, a nice out-and-back with some shade and good scenery. Pete went out like he was shot out of a cannon, but Terry and I soon reeled him in. This was my first 10k, as well as Terry and Pete's. So we all set PRs by default. My plan for today was to run both races at about 8:00min/mile. Our finish time was perfect with 48:30, right on pace.

Leg 3-6.09mi/24:14min

This is the part where we got on our bikes and rode to Independence Grove, this was nice because it was only 6 miles and it felt good to engage some different muscles.

Leg 4-3.1mi./24:34 7/24 in AG

Right before the 5k gun
Rally for Autism 5k. We got there just in time, literally 5 minutes before the start. We found Tricia and Mary, for a quick picture before the run, then we heard the gun go off.
Here's some photos from the 5k:







Since we did the 10k first, this 5k seemed to fly by. I stopped a few times for some photo ops and just ran at about 8:00min/mi. For the first mile my legs felt pretty heavy, but that soon abated. My only beef with this race was the end of the course. Right before the finish line, there was a tiny out and back section. This was just bad planning. It seemed like they just measured wrong and needed an extra .2, so they just threw it in at the end. Thumbs down. What made it worse was that we had to run right by the BBQ before the out-and-back. Those sausages smelled damn good.

I finished in 24:34, this was my slowest 5k this year, but this was not about speed today.
This is us right after the 5k

Leg 5-14.5mi./54:29min

Now for the ride back home. Pretty uneventful, 6 miles back up the DPRT and back down Grand Ave. to round out the day.

When I got home my little guys were playing in the pool, man that looked like a good idea.

Oliver and me.

Grayslake 5k

This was my third 5k this year and my fastest ever at 21:10. I was 5th in my age group, which put me out of the running for one of those cool glass mugs they give away to the top 3 in each age group. My dad ran this one too. He successfully reached his goal of sub 30:00 so double mission accomplished.

Since it is the middle of July, it was hot. 79 degrees according to the GCHS sign with some noticeable humidity. OK, I'll say it: I miss winter!

We had a bunch of people there from the Grayslake Running Club, so that was nice to have some people there that I know.

Flat course with only 32 feet of climbing.

Mile 1-6:36 I was trying to keep up with JR and Ricky, but 6:00 seemed unnecessary to me.

Mile 2-6:54 I would have liked to run these first 2 at 6:45 each, but they averaged out.

Mile 3-7:09 Not sure why I slowed down so much here, but clearly mile 3 is where I lost some time.

last .1-0:30

I was really happy to run a PR for this race because my schedule lately has only allowed for about 6.5 hours of sleep per night and it has really caught up to me. The night before the race all I wanted to do was sleep in. Not to mention the fact that my kids gave me their summer cold so it feels like I have a ball of phlegm in the back of my throat. OK enough whining for now.

It was a great race, but running in this heat really sucks.

North Shore Half Marathon

The North Shore Half Marathon is my third half of the year. When I signed up for this race in March I was hoping for this to be a PR race. Due to some injury and training issues I've had to change my expectations.

Short Version:

Finished in 1:43:50, good support, cool backback, dog fight, urination.

Long Version:

I picked up my packet and my dad's packet on Thursday. No T-shirts, but we got a really nice backpack instead. Also included were a bath size towel and a wrist sweat band.



Since I had to work the night before this race, I got less than five hours of sleep. On the way to pick up my dad I stopped at Starbucks for my pre-race fuel of a tall vanilla latte and a maple scone-delicious!

Dad and me pre-race


We got to the start area with plenty of time to spare. This is when a smart person would hit the port-a-potties or maybe a GU or something. I got in line for the lav. While in line, a dog fight broke out between a big black fluffy dog and a smaller brown dog. This discouraged me from standing in line any longer, so I made my way to the start line with Trish. We saw Shanna already in the start area patiently waiting to smoke most of the other women in the field and chatted for a few minutes.

This race is how far?!


Trish and I had the much coveted red bibs, which allowed us into the VIP section of the corrall, so that put Shanna behind us for the start. This was probably the only time we in front of her the whole race.

The race started pretty well, but I had to piss like a race horse. My splits were good up until mile 6, where I had to dart off the course and evacuate my blader. The course was beautiful-Ravinia, Fort Sheridan and views of Lake Michigan.

My dad took this one with his cell phone during the race


Mile 1-7:31 Threw my sunglasses into the grass and yelled "St. Johns and Beech"
so I would remember where to find them.
Mile 2-7:48 Met up with Mark, who I met at one of Jenny's track sessions.
Mile 3-7:36
Mile 4-7:35
Mile 5-7:42
Mile 6-9:31 This was when I left a gallon of pee in a port-a-pottie
Mile 7-7:20
Mile 8-8:11 This mile had a huge downhill and corresponding huge uphill
Mile 9-7:49
Mile 10-7:38
Mile 11-7:49 Had some gatorade and water at this stop.
Mile 12-8:23 Threw my hat in the garbage because I was too hot and didn't want
Mile 13-7:49 to carry it
last 0.1-7:26


The capacity of the human bladder is about 16 oz. Mine was full and then some. It took me a full 2 minutes to take care of business. That is why mile 6 took 9:31. After my pee break I never saw Trish again, but I was able to pace myself pretty well and finish with a respectable time.

In the finish shoot I heard Shanna cheering me on, so that was awsome motivation for the final 100 meters or so.

After the race I got my medal and met up with the family to wait for my dad to finish. He crossed the line at about 2:32. Not to shabby for an old guy.



While waiting at the finish I saw Barry and Shanna and we talked for a minute, then Jack and oliver saw someone with a breakfast muffin, so that was all they could talk about. So we headed over to Corner Bakery for a nice post race Panini. Then I went in search of my sunglasses at St.Johns and Beech-found them no problem.

Summary
I have plateaued in my half marathin times, so I think to get any faster at the half marathon distance I will have to do one or more of the following things:

1.Lose weight-10-20lbs.
2.Run more miles per week-increase from 30 to 40, then 50
3.Take speed work more seriously and do more of it.

At this point I do not think I am willing to do any of these 3 things for a variety of reasons, for now I am satisfied with my times and I'll contine to focus mainly on the Milwaukee marathon in October.



If you have read this far, you are awsome.

Soldier Field 10

In preparation for the race I took off work on Friday so I could go to bed early. I normally work until 11pm and so I normally hit the sack at about 12:30am. I went to bed at 10:30 since I had to be up at 4:00am to drive to Soldier Field. It would have been nice to get more sleep, but whenever I try to go to bed to early I just toss and turn-it's not good.

Jackie and I drove to Soldier Field together, we got there at about 6am. Parking was nice and easy-and free. I picked up my packet and we waited around to meet up with some of her friends.

Before the start I saw Karen Sahr and Barb Bradley in the stadium and talked with them for a few minutes. I was trying to meet up with Carolyn for a pre-race photo op, but we never connected.

This was my first race using Hammer products. I have heard so many good things about them, so I bought some gels, HEED, and Recoverite. I took one of the Gels during the race and it did not agree with me. I think anything I would have taken at that point would have caused the same reaction-nausea. I had the HEED and Recoverite after the race and the taste was good, not too strong, but I couldn't tell if they had the desired effect.

The start was good, we were all in the A corral, so there was not too much traffic to deal with. My goal was to run 7:30 miles. I thought this was do-able since I ran 7:38 miles in a half marathon back in March. I have had some injury issues for the past few weeks, so I was prepared to adjust my speed based on how I felt. The first 4 miles went as planned, then.....the wheels came off. Here are the splits:

Mile 1-7:31---Feeling good
Mile 2-7:26---Ok, this is not so bad
Mile 3-7:27---keeping it up
Mile 4-7:43---Uh-oh-tried to take a hammer gel-almost puked
Mile 5-7:52---Something is wrong
Mile 6-8:34---Had to stop at porta-pottie
Mile 7-8:01---Karen caught up with me here, then dropped me like a bad habit
Mile 8-9:06---Nine minute mile? Seriously?
Mile 9-8:25---Barb caught up with me here and we ran the last 2 miles together.
Mile 10-8:31--I am glad she was there or I may have just walked it in.

As you might expect I am feeling very damaged today. Despite the poor performance/strategy I beat my time from last year of 1:25:xx and ran a 1:21:35 yesterday. So it wasn't a total train wreck. After the race I met up with my wife, Lindsay, and my kids, my Mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and thier clever baby Will and we went to the Shedd aquarium for the rest of the morning. The crazy dolphin show at the Shedd made me feel better about my day. On the way to lunch I gave my oldest son Jack my other Hammer Gel-he loved it! Then we had a huge lunch at Panera and drove home. Pretty great day all around.

Sorry, no pics-forgot the camera. In the end it is all relative, my best day is someone's worst day and vise-versa