Or, "Better Late Than Never".
To truly tell the tale of this race, I need to start a copule days before. Lana and I had gotten into Orlando a couple hours after we had wanted to on Friday, so we just ended up meeting the 'rents at Big River (at the Boardwalk area) for dinner -- I had a nice chicken penne dish -- and some beer. As you might guess from the title of my last post, beer is involved in most of my best stories, but I don't want to get ahead of myself here. Anyway, since we were late, it was pretty much dinner and head to the hotel for bedtime. After all, the next day was a big day.
However, it wasn't big because it was race day. No, quite the contrary. It was the day before, where if I were an intelligent man, I would be taking things relatively easy. But we were at Disney, so that was right out the window. Well, I could at least control myself a bit, right? Well... see above re: Disney. We decided to go old school and head to the Magic Kingdom to let the kid inside me out to play. And he had some fun. We walked all over that park... repeatedly. I won't bore you with the details, but I think I should have been wearing my Garmin that day, just to see what we really did. Maybe next time...
At about 5:30, we decided to leave the Magic Kingdom and head over to Epcot, where we had dinner reservations. I think that by now, my loyal readers have learned enough about me to know that I don't do things in a conventional way. So, what would be the best food for training for a distance run? Of course -- the German buffet!
Several sausages, lots of salads, German cheesecake, more spaetzle than you can imagine, and a liter (yes, a liter) of Oktoberfest beer later, we were ready to move on, so we got out of the restaurant -- just in time to see the fireworks. We waited on them while Mom tried out her "fireworks" setting on her camera (which apparently doesn't work that well), and then staggered to the car and went back home. We finally got to bed at about 10:30.
...and woke up at 4:45. It was race day, and I was actually excited! Granted, I wasn't working on much sleep, but this was the great day that I had marked on my calendar months ago.
My first 10K.
And it didn't disappoint.
But now it's late, and I'll have to continue later... when I have the pictures.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
When You Wish Upon A Beer
I'm about to be getting out of Dodge and heading down to Orlando for the Disney Race for the Taste 10K. This will be my first 10K race, so I'm pretty anxious about it, but at least at the end, there should be some tasty vittles and good beer (Epcot won't actually be open at that point, so I'm making my parents supply the beer).
Expect a race report on Monday night when I get back.
Wish me luck!
Expect a race report on Monday night when I get back.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Rain, Rain Go Away
It has been raining here for days. Not off and on for days, but for days straight. The sun didn't peek out yesterday at all. It has been gloomy and nasty. It honestly seems like it has been nighttime since Sunday.
I don't know how people in those arctic regions survive.
In any case, after another long day of work yesterday, I was really feeling the itch to do something, and my wife was stuck at work for a while, so I decided I'd finally take this opportunity to get a run in. During the week. I know, I know... it's not what you'd expect, but I did say in the last post that I was going to do this.
Of course, I've been saying that in lots of posts.
But this time, I meant it!
So, I got to the gym, fought the torrential downpours from this storm that doesn't actually have a name, but seems at times like it should. I straggled through the door, looking like a cat that got left out a little too long. I managed to drag myself over to one of the treadmills, set it to a warm-up, and started walking, at a 2% grade. I started running on it a few minutes later -- not quick, but a decent pace.
And you know what? It felt pretty good.
I ended up running for half an hour, with a few walk breaks in there. I did lower the angle from time to time, as my shins were starting to get pretty sore. It's obvious that I need to work on the strength in my shins at this point. But I still got through it with an average grade of 1.1% (according to the treadmill), having run 2.3 miles. Not too bad, considering how easily I was taking it.
As for the orthotics, well, they felt kinda weird. Not a bad weird, just weird. I know they'll get better as I continue to run with them, but I'm still going to ease into that pretty gently. For instance, I will not be wearing them this weekend at RFTT. But I'll probably wear them for running tomorrow (we'll see if I can't make 2.5 miles at 1.5%, or something like that).
Yesterday was a fantastic example of how running can beat the blues. Even after a treadmill run, I felt spectacularly good -- good enough to get through the rain and get back home for some good ol' country fried steak and taters! I haven't completely embraced the "eating well" portion of my training, but dangit, it was goooooooood!
And now it's raining again. And me without my shoes.
*sigh*
I don't know how people in those arctic regions survive.
In any case, after another long day of work yesterday, I was really feeling the itch to do something, and my wife was stuck at work for a while, so I decided I'd finally take this opportunity to get a run in. During the week. I know, I know... it's not what you'd expect, but I did say in the last post that I was going to do this.
Of course, I've been saying that in lots of posts.
But this time, I meant it!
So, I got to the gym, fought the torrential downpours from this storm that doesn't actually have a name, but seems at times like it should. I straggled through the door, looking like a cat that got left out a little too long. I managed to drag myself over to one of the treadmills, set it to a warm-up, and started walking, at a 2% grade. I started running on it a few minutes later -- not quick, but a decent pace.
And you know what? It felt pretty good.
I ended up running for half an hour, with a few walk breaks in there. I did lower the angle from time to time, as my shins were starting to get pretty sore. It's obvious that I need to work on the strength in my shins at this point. But I still got through it with an average grade of 1.1% (according to the treadmill), having run 2.3 miles. Not too bad, considering how easily I was taking it.
As for the orthotics, well, they felt kinda weird. Not a bad weird, just weird. I know they'll get better as I continue to run with them, but I'm still going to ease into that pretty gently. For instance, I will not be wearing them this weekend at RFTT. But I'll probably wear them for running tomorrow (we'll see if I can't make 2.5 miles at 1.5%, or something like that).
Yesterday was a fantastic example of how running can beat the blues. Even after a treadmill run, I felt spectacularly good -- good enough to get through the rain and get back home for some good ol' country fried steak and taters! I haven't completely embraced the "eating well" portion of my training, but dangit, it was goooooooood!
And now it's raining again. And me without my shoes.
*sigh*
Monday, October 1, 2007
War Damn Eagle!
Yes, I know that once again, it has been a mighty long time since I posted, well, anything at all.
And it's not really because I have nothing to say. I just don't have any bloody time to say it!
In the last few weeks, I have been given the lead on a new project at work, but unfortunately, my old duties still exist, as well. Needless to say, my running during the week has gone to pretty much nothing.
But the important thing (for now) is that my weekend long runs have been continuing, albeit at a pretty dang slow pace. This past weekend... 12 miles. And it was the longest run of my life.
No, really. My previous longest run was 8 miles. And I learned something.
Twelve hurts.
On the plus side. my leg has been feeling fantastic! I'm definitely ready at this point to get back to some good running. Hopefully, I'll be able to hit the gym tomorrow (there's a Nor'easter tearing through the area right now, so running outside is somewhat less than optimal). And this weekend is the next race in my fall series... the Disney Race for the Taste 10K. Stay tuned for more info, and hopefully pictures!
Oh, and the title? If you're not keeping up with college football this year, Auburn upset Florida in the closing seconds this past weekend, and we were in The Swamp watching it happen. My wife went to Auburn, so I've become quite a fan. It was probably the second most exciting game I've ever seen (see UVA-FSU '95).
And it's not really because I have nothing to say. I just don't have any bloody time to say it!
In the last few weeks, I have been given the lead on a new project at work, but unfortunately, my old duties still exist, as well. Needless to say, my running during the week has gone to pretty much nothing.
But the important thing (for now) is that my weekend long runs have been continuing, albeit at a pretty dang slow pace. This past weekend... 12 miles. And it was the longest run of my life.
No, really. My previous longest run was 8 miles. And I learned something.
Twelve hurts.
On the plus side. my leg has been feeling fantastic! I'm definitely ready at this point to get back to some good running. Hopefully, I'll be able to hit the gym tomorrow (there's a Nor'easter tearing through the area right now, so running outside is somewhat less than optimal). And this weekend is the next race in my fall series... the Disney Race for the Taste 10K. Stay tuned for more info, and hopefully pictures!
Oh, and the title? If you're not keeping up with college football this year, Auburn upset Florida in the closing seconds this past weekend, and we were in The Swamp watching it happen. My wife went to Auburn, so I've become quite a fan. It was probably the second most exciting game I've ever seen (see UVA-FSU '95).
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Another Brick in the Wall
So now I know. When you've been taking training easy for weeks, do not try to go out and run like you should be able to.
Saturday's long run was actually not bad. Only five miles, and I was sticking with the slower group, since I was still wearing the old shoes and no orthotics. Hopefully, that will change for this week's run. However, I decided to give the new shoes a try for the race that night. Yes, I know you shouldn't do things in races you hadn't done before, but dangit... those old shoes just aren't working out for me.
The new shoes felt great! There's a lot more cushion in the heel, and that was obvious from the beginning all the way to the end. The front of the foot is a little wide, and had my insert (which I bought for a much smaller shoe) sliding around a bit. The new orthotics don't seem to have that problem when I did wear them in those shoes, though, so that shouldn't be as much a problem when I start running with the orthotics.
Speaking of running with the orthotics, that should be starting any day now! Hopefully, I can get out tomorrow and get some good running time in -- assuming we aren't in the middle of a monsoon, like we were today. It's rough getting up early to be greeted by loud, rumbling thunder. The pillow seems extra inviting when that happens.
Getting back to the issue at hand, though, the shoes felt great. What didn't feel great was my legs. Not the shins... the muscles. I said I was going to run it easy. I didn't. I ran the first couple miles at a fairly aggressive pace for me (about 9 min/mile). As it turns out, without the training, running five miles in the morning and then attempting to jam out 5 more miles at night at such an ambitious pace was, how do you say, idiotic?
At the turnaround, I was hurting. It was pretty obvious that at that point, I couldn't keep up that pace any longer. On the plus side, I was there in just under 23 minutes... pretty dang good for me! However, when I hit three miles, I lost everything.
Now, I had never really hit "the wall" before. I'd heard stories, but it's hard to do when running 5k races. This time, I think I finally get it. My legs simply would not do anything I told them to do! I had started out running a 3/1 ratio, but I finished up running 1/1, and even that was excruciating. And the second half of the run... 31 minutes. Ouch. Most of it was in the last two miles.
So, my results:
I can't wait!
Saturday's long run was actually not bad. Only five miles, and I was sticking with the slower group, since I was still wearing the old shoes and no orthotics. Hopefully, that will change for this week's run. However, I decided to give the new shoes a try for the race that night. Yes, I know you shouldn't do things in races you hadn't done before, but dangit... those old shoes just aren't working out for me.
The new shoes felt great! There's a lot more cushion in the heel, and that was obvious from the beginning all the way to the end. The front of the foot is a little wide, and had my insert (which I bought for a much smaller shoe) sliding around a bit. The new orthotics don't seem to have that problem when I did wear them in those shoes, though, so that shouldn't be as much a problem when I start running with the orthotics.
Speaking of running with the orthotics, that should be starting any day now! Hopefully, I can get out tomorrow and get some good running time in -- assuming we aren't in the middle of a monsoon, like we were today. It's rough getting up early to be greeted by loud, rumbling thunder. The pillow seems extra inviting when that happens.
Getting back to the issue at hand, though, the shoes felt great. What didn't feel great was my legs. Not the shins... the muscles. I said I was going to run it easy. I didn't. I ran the first couple miles at a fairly aggressive pace for me (about 9 min/mile). As it turns out, without the training, running five miles in the morning and then attempting to jam out 5 more miles at night at such an ambitious pace was, how do you say, idiotic?
At the turnaround, I was hurting. It was pretty obvious that at that point, I couldn't keep up that pace any longer. On the plus side, I was there in just under 23 minutes... pretty dang good for me! However, when I hit three miles, I lost everything.
Now, I had never really hit "the wall" before. I'd heard stories, but it's hard to do when running 5k races. This time, I think I finally get it. My legs simply would not do anything I told them to do! I had started out running a 3/1 ratio, but I finished up running 1/1, and even that was excruciating. And the second half of the run... 31 minutes. Ouch. Most of it was in the last two miles.
So, my results:
258 456 61 Bill, 35, Jacksonville, FL 54:10 10:50Still, there is one bright spot. I still beat my time from the winter beach run (54:54), despite running five miles in the morning. I'm definitely improving as far as endurance goes, if not in my pacing. I just need to make sure to get back to running more as soon as it's safe for me to do so.
I can't wait!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
AUUUUUGH!!!
Yes, that's right. Augh.
Why augh? Well, for one simple reason. I still can't run!
So, I went to the doctor's office the other morning to pick up my orthotics, and they were in. And they feel great -- a little strange, still, but it actually feels like there's some stability. And then the doc told me this little tidbit:
"Don't run in them until at least the second week".
Yeah, I figured there would be some break-in time, but I'm getting really frustrated at my inability to run! And here I am, still having to go forward with any running that I might do without my brand-spanking-new, mighty expensive, custom orthotics. Now, the bonus is that on a short run, I guess I can start up running with my new shoes and the old inserts, but it's just not the same. Plus it won't help with the long runs this weekend.
Oh, yeah -- I did get new shoes, too... Saucony Progrid Omni 6. I'll have to post a review after running in them for a while, but just walking around in them yesterday felt great! There's a lot more cushioning in the heel than my current (read: old and cheap) New Balance shoes. I'm fairly excited to try them out.
And yes, some of you may have picked up on the fact that I said "long runs" up above... that's for a simple reason. The training group is running 10 miles in the morning. My wife and I will be doing half that (5 miles, for the arithmetically impaired) for a training run, and then Saturday night is the Carrabba's Summer Beach Run. It's a five mile out-and-back run on the sand, and it should be pretty good. It's the same course as the four miler for the Tour de Pain last month, just extended another half mile south.
Yes, I'm running a race.
No, I'm not going to push very hard. I'm going to make sure to take things pretty easy.
But I sure do wish I could have the cool new feet in the race, too.
Why augh? Well, for one simple reason. I still can't run!
So, I went to the doctor's office the other morning to pick up my orthotics, and they were in. And they feel great -- a little strange, still, but it actually feels like there's some stability. And then the doc told me this little tidbit:
"Don't run in them until at least the second week".
Yeah, I figured there would be some break-in time, but I'm getting really frustrated at my inability to run! And here I am, still having to go forward with any running that I might do without my brand-spanking-new, mighty expensive, custom orthotics. Now, the bonus is that on a short run, I guess I can start up running with my new shoes and the old inserts, but it's just not the same. Plus it won't help with the long runs this weekend.
Oh, yeah -- I did get new shoes, too... Saucony Progrid Omni 6. I'll have to post a review after running in them for a while, but just walking around in them yesterday felt great! There's a lot more cushioning in the heel than my current (read: old and cheap) New Balance shoes. I'm fairly excited to try them out.
And yes, some of you may have picked up on the fact that I said "long runs" up above... that's for a simple reason. The training group is running 10 miles in the morning. My wife and I will be doing half that (5 miles, for the arithmetically impaired) for a training run, and then Saturday night is the Carrabba's Summer Beach Run. It's a five mile out-and-back run on the sand, and it should be pretty good. It's the same course as the four miler for the Tour de Pain last month, just extended another half mile south.
Yes, I'm running a race.
No, I'm not going to push very hard. I'm going to make sure to take things pretty easy.
But I sure do wish I could have the cool new feet in the race, too.
Monday, September 10, 2007
I'm still here!!
I know I haven't been posting much lately, but I think y'all know that it's because I haven't been running much lately. Hopefully, that will be remedied soon, but let's start at the beginning.
Previously, on The Starting Gun:
A couple weeks ago, I had gone to a podiatrist to see if there was anything I could do to stop the shin splints that had been hampering me for several weeks. He ended up scanning my feet for custom orthotics and gave me the go-ahead to run again... easily, and being mindful of any pain showing up.
Since then, I actually have run a few times. I went to the gym and tried out the treadmill a few days after the appointment, and it didn't work out too well. I started feeling an aching in my shin, and I wasn't sure if it was just soreness, or if it was the Return of the Splint... so I took it easy and quit after just over a mile. But I was incredibly happy just to run that one mile.
That weekend, I went to the Galloway group long run, which was scheduled for seven miles. I was planning on walking the whole thing, but I ended up running with my wife's group, which runs a 1/1 ratio at about a 16 minute/mile pace. And that went very well -- I barely had any pain in my legs at all! Woo hoo!
I took it easy again through last week, not wanting to push things too hard, especially since I didn't have my orthotics or new shoes yet. So I basically didn't "run" all last week. But this past weekend, I went back to the group for the eight mile long run, still planning on sticking with my wife's group. I figured that it worked so well last time, I might as well try it again!
Before I go any further, I just want to point out that this is not one of my "X Reasons Why I'm an Idiot" posts.
The run actually still felt really great. It was a beautiful run around downtown Jax, including two bridges and the historical San Marco neighborhood. In fact, the bridges we ran were the same ones from the Vestcor 5K about a month and a half ago, and it was much easier this time. Granted, I was running much slower than race pace, too... but I even ran some sprints going up the Acosta.
And what is the outcome of this weekend's run? Nothing worth noting. Sure, I'm sore. But I don't have massive shin pain. I did ice my leg on Saturday afternoon, but it feels fine right now. My right leg is sore as all get-out, so I think I was compensating, but still... nothing bad.
I could not be happier.
Except for one thing. My orthotics are in. I got a call from the doc, and I will be picking them up tomorrow. And I'll be getting new shoes tomorrow at lunch. I'll be careful in the breaking-in period, but I think I'm well on my way back to the running fold.
Insert happy dance here.
Previously, on The Starting Gun:
A couple weeks ago, I had gone to a podiatrist to see if there was anything I could do to stop the shin splints that had been hampering me for several weeks. He ended up scanning my feet for custom orthotics and gave me the go-ahead to run again... easily, and being mindful of any pain showing up.
Since then, I actually have run a few times. I went to the gym and tried out the treadmill a few days after the appointment, and it didn't work out too well. I started feeling an aching in my shin, and I wasn't sure if it was just soreness, or if it was the Return of the Splint... so I took it easy and quit after just over a mile. But I was incredibly happy just to run that one mile.
That weekend, I went to the Galloway group long run, which was scheduled for seven miles. I was planning on walking the whole thing, but I ended up running with my wife's group, which runs a 1/1 ratio at about a 16 minute/mile pace. And that went very well -- I barely had any pain in my legs at all! Woo hoo!
I took it easy again through last week, not wanting to push things too hard, especially since I didn't have my orthotics or new shoes yet. So I basically didn't "run" all last week. But this past weekend, I went back to the group for the eight mile long run, still planning on sticking with my wife's group. I figured that it worked so well last time, I might as well try it again!
Before I go any further, I just want to point out that this is not one of my "X Reasons Why I'm an Idiot" posts.
The run actually still felt really great. It was a beautiful run around downtown Jax, including two bridges and the historical San Marco neighborhood. In fact, the bridges we ran were the same ones from the Vestcor 5K about a month and a half ago, and it was much easier this time. Granted, I was running much slower than race pace, too... but I even ran some sprints going up the Acosta.
And what is the outcome of this weekend's run? Nothing worth noting. Sure, I'm sore. But I don't have massive shin pain. I did ice my leg on Saturday afternoon, but it feels fine right now. My right leg is sore as all get-out, so I think I was compensating, but still... nothing bad.
I could not be happier.
Except for one thing. My orthotics are in. I got a call from the doc, and I will be picking them up tomorrow. And I'll be getting new shoes tomorrow at lunch. I'll be careful in the breaking-in period, but I think I'm well on my way back to the running fold.
Insert happy dance here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
