It's been 5 months or so since I've posted anything here, so there is a little ground to cover. Following my Frederick Half Marathon in May, I decided to back off on my miles a little bit. I did enough to stay in shape, but didn't really exert too much effort into getting faster or running farther. I finished out May with some easy miles, and kind of took it easy in June and July as well. It's always a busy time in the summer anyway, so just staying in shape was my goal, and I was able to do that. Once August rolled around I really started to build some miles and enjoy some longer runs. That carried right over into September. I ran a nice 5K race, the SCI-FI 5K, in early September and finished with a time I was pretty happy with. Following that I just continued to build my miles in anticipation of the Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon on October 6th. I built my miles up, was getting comfortable with my pace and really feeling good about improving on a race that I absolutely bombed on the year before. I was on vacation the whole week leading up to the race, continued to train and work hard, and felt great come race day. I was running a great pace, well on my way to a PR right from the start. The temperature kept rising and rising into the 80's and probably close to 90, but I just kept on pushing. I was running with the pace group I wanted to run with and was feeling pretty good. By the time we got to the 8 mile mark, I could feel myself overheating and not feeling the greatest. I pressed on, but at a bit of a slower pace, but still in sight of the pace group I was hoping to stay with. By mile 9 it was apparent that I wasn't going to PR that day, cramps started to kick in and a blister was forming on the ball of my foot. At mile 10 I gave in and backed it down to a crawl mixed in with trying to pick things up a bit. I shed my shirt, stopped for extra water, and tried to press on. I ended up with my worst half marathon in recent memory on a day I thought a PR was within reach. I finished, ran a good 8-10 miles, and learned some lessons I guess. The only saving grace was I knew I was getting another chance in 2 weeks, and I was going to make the most of it. The high note of this whole day was watching my 4 year old run her 1K race!
The next 2 weeks leading up to the Gettysburg Blue Gray Half Marathon were a bit mixed for me. I ran twice with the Gettysburg Beer Runners, pushing myself pretty hard through both runs of just over 4 miles. I also did a few other 3 mile runs, pushing the pace, but no distance running. By the time the race finally rolled around, I had fresh legs and a clear mind. The temperatures were roughly 40 degrees cooler than 2 weeks prior, and I was grateful for that. No corral starts for this race, just one big mass. I went pretty far back, mostly because I waited too long to get in line. Once the musket went off, I found myself stuck, trying to weave in and out, running in the grass on the side of the road, and just trying to get to an open area at a pace I wanted to run at. It probably took until the middle of the second mile to get there, but that may have been a blessing. It definitely kept me from going out too fast, and let me settle into a pace I really wanted. By mile 4 I was feeling pretty good, and when I hit the halfway point faster than goal pace, I felt I was in pretty good shape for a good time. The hills started to get a little steeper by mile 8, and the big hill that came at mile 10 or so took a little bit out of me. Once I got to mile 12 and checked with another runner about where we were time wise, I got a pretty good feeling. I could lumber in and have the finishing time I wanted. It was my fastest half marathon in recent memory, my first one in my home state, and a wonderful feeling seeing a bunch of fellow runners from my area at the finish line celebration. A great day all around, almost 15 minutes better than the race 2 weeks prior!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Frederick Race Recap
Before I get into my own race, I'll start this by talking about what a great time my kids had at the fun run on Saturday night. It was their first race, and they enjoyed it immensely. They couldn't wait to get out on the track after watching the bigger kids run their race. We finally lined up and I was trying to get a few last minute pictures and it was ready, set, go! I ran with our three year old daughter and my wife ran with our 2 year old daughter. My 3 year old took off and started sprinting, passing other kids and parents and never slowed down. I was so proud of her. As soon as we finished, she asked me how many more times we get to race tonight! Our youngest daughter did very well also, keeping pace and enjoying the run. It was great for their first official race experience!
We got to Frederick in plenty of time and met up with our friends there. My wife was running the relay with a friend of ours. We all got to catch up for a few minutes and my wife had to catch her shuttle. It wasn't long before it was time to begin lining up. As we were waiting for the start of the race, we got to enjoy a nice tribute to the Boston Marathon with the playing of "Sweet Caroline", and of course the National Anthem. I looked up and noticed a hot air balloon that was similar to the one I pointed out to my kids the night before. That gave me a nice reminder of them right before the start. With all the preliminaries out of the way, it was time to run.
This race started much differently than the Shamrock did for me just 6 or 7 weeks earlier. I had trained much harder for the Shamrock, and was forced to take almost 4 weeks off due to some broken ribs that happened during a basketball game. We started off bunched up as usual and in the middle of the pack. As things finally began to separate somewhere around a half to three quarter miles in, I felt surprisingly good. My legs felt fresh, breathing was good, and I was moving through the crowd a bit. I ran my first mile almost 30 seconds faster than I anticipated, and immediately dropped the long sleeve shirt I had on to keep warm (my donation to the Frederick City Rescue Mission). We made the turn into downtown and I still felt surprisingly good, keeping up a faster than expected pace. I kept my headphones on thinking this would help me regulate my pace a little better, but I just kept pushing it seemed. The miles just seemed to melt away. We travelled through some beautiful residential areas, past a few great parks, churches, and a high school campus. It really seemed like the gentle rolling hills weren't going to bother me at all, and I felt as though everything seemed to be downhill.
As I kept rolling along thinking what a great run I was having, I kept wondering if the terrain was going to change. I made it through the halfway point, still moving along quite well. I started to approach mile 8, and there was my wife waiting at the exchange point for the relay. Her relay partner was not far behind me I told her since we ran together for the first 5 miles of the race. Once I passed mile 8, I could feel my pace begin to slow slightly, although I still felt pretty good and we were going through some very supportive neighborhoods. As the miles kept passing, I began to look forward to the finish. That's when the hills began. As I approached the 11 mile marker, there was a pretty good climb, and that took a little out of me. I settled in after that and kept a nice even pace. As we got closer and closer to the finish line, I could feel the adrenaline begin to kick in. That's when the final hill leading up to the 13th mile really hit. It was by far the toughest and steepest hill of the day, and for it to show up there at the end of the race was demoralizing. I finally conquered that, made the turn into the track and finished strong.
It was a totally different race than the Shamrock, rolling hills as opposed to the flat of the beach. Lots of turns within the city as opposed to long straight stretches of road. With all of that being said and with a lot less training, I was still able to take 30 seconds off my time. I was extremely happy. It was a great day running on fresh legs and a great race, very well organized, very well supported, and a great group of volunteers that helped make it all possible. Very much looking forward to next year!
We got to Frederick in plenty of time and met up with our friends there. My wife was running the relay with a friend of ours. We all got to catch up for a few minutes and my wife had to catch her shuttle. It wasn't long before it was time to begin lining up. As we were waiting for the start of the race, we got to enjoy a nice tribute to the Boston Marathon with the playing of "Sweet Caroline", and of course the National Anthem. I looked up and noticed a hot air balloon that was similar to the one I pointed out to my kids the night before. That gave me a nice reminder of them right before the start. With all the preliminaries out of the way, it was time to run.
This race started much differently than the Shamrock did for me just 6 or 7 weeks earlier. I had trained much harder for the Shamrock, and was forced to take almost 4 weeks off due to some broken ribs that happened during a basketball game. We started off bunched up as usual and in the middle of the pack. As things finally began to separate somewhere around a half to three quarter miles in, I felt surprisingly good. My legs felt fresh, breathing was good, and I was moving through the crowd a bit. I ran my first mile almost 30 seconds faster than I anticipated, and immediately dropped the long sleeve shirt I had on to keep warm (my donation to the Frederick City Rescue Mission). We made the turn into downtown and I still felt surprisingly good, keeping up a faster than expected pace. I kept my headphones on thinking this would help me regulate my pace a little better, but I just kept pushing it seemed. The miles just seemed to melt away. We travelled through some beautiful residential areas, past a few great parks, churches, and a high school campus. It really seemed like the gentle rolling hills weren't going to bother me at all, and I felt as though everything seemed to be downhill.
As I kept rolling along thinking what a great run I was having, I kept wondering if the terrain was going to change. I made it through the halfway point, still moving along quite well. I started to approach mile 8, and there was my wife waiting at the exchange point for the relay. Her relay partner was not far behind me I told her since we ran together for the first 5 miles of the race. Once I passed mile 8, I could feel my pace begin to slow slightly, although I still felt pretty good and we were going through some very supportive neighborhoods. As the miles kept passing, I began to look forward to the finish. That's when the hills began. As I approached the 11 mile marker, there was a pretty good climb, and that took a little out of me. I settled in after that and kept a nice even pace. As we got closer and closer to the finish line, I could feel the adrenaline begin to kick in. That's when the final hill leading up to the 13th mile really hit. It was by far the toughest and steepest hill of the day, and for it to show up there at the end of the race was demoralizing. I finally conquered that, made the turn into the track and finished strong.
It was a totally different race than the Shamrock, rolling hills as opposed to the flat of the beach. Lots of turns within the city as opposed to long straight stretches of road. With all of that being said and with a lot less training, I was still able to take 30 seconds off my time. I was extremely happy. It was a great day running on fresh legs and a great race, very well organized, very well supported, and a great group of volunteers that helped make it all possible. Very much looking forward to next year!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Shamrock Recap
Last year when I ran the Anthem Half Marathon on St. Patrick's Day weekend, I hadn't done a training run longer than 4 miles. I wasn't overly prepared for the race to say the least, but I completed it in a reasonable time. With 2 young kids at home, I didn't want to take time away from them by training long hours, that coupled with the fact that my youngest daughter still wasn't sleeping the night through at that point really pushed me to the brink of exhaustion at times. I ran a sub 2 hour half marathon without ever running longer than 4 miles in training, and I wasn't too disappointed with that.
This year was a little different. I extended my training runs up to 7 miles, knowing full well I could handle 13.1 on less training, but I was out to improve my time over last year for the Shamrock and the Crawlin' Crab. The weather wasn't great to say the least, but it was decent for running. The cooler temps were perfect, but the breeze wasn't exactly ideal. The roads were dry for the most part, the crowds, volunteers and support along the course were as good as ever given the weather conditions. I started out in the middle of my corral. I generally try to do that in order to keep from going out too fast. In hind sight, I should have moved up a bit, but it all worked out. I eased out through the first mile and never felt winded or fatigued. Sometimes during a training run I would have a slight bit of difficulty with the first mile if I didn't warm up at all or if I went out too fast. I just settled into a nice comfortable pace and stayed there. I realized after about mile 3 that I was just cruising right along, not at a great pace, but at a nice comfortable pace taking in the scenery and watching the other runners. By the time we made it to Fort Story and I saw the next clock, I knew about what my time was going to be when I finished. I was feeling good, wasn't pushing myself, and I was just really enjoying a relaxed race. I wasn't racing myself, trying for a PR, or anything else, I was just counting down the miles. By the time I got to the lighthouse and mile 8, I had it in my mind to just stay at that pace, stay comfortable for 3 more miles until I got to pass my kids at the Wyndam again, and just cruise on to the finish line. I passed them just after mile 11, told them I loved them, and stayed at my comfortable pace for a while. At mile 12 I decided to turn it up just a bit. My final mile was by far my fastest of the day. By the time we turned onto the boardwalk, I realized I had way too much energy left for that far into the race, but I finished at a nice pace for my final mile. I felt great finishing, enjoyed my water, Irish Stew, and especially a Yuengling Lager at the finish line tent. The finisher's blanket came in very hand on my 30 block walk back to the hotel!
I left a lot out on the course, but I finished without injury, improved on last year's time by a minute and a half or so, and really enjoyed the course for the first time in a few years. It wasn't the worst weather I ever ran that particular race in, but the weather really didn't have any impact on my time. I was grateful to get to spend the weekend with my family. My daughters and I were spectators while my wife and father-in-law participated in the 8K on Saturday, and then I got to take them swimming in the hotel pool on 2 different occasions on Saturday. They were all my biggest fans as I ran past them twice on Sunday as well.
It was a great St. Patrick's Day weekend that's been a tradition for several years now, and I look forward to that weekend every year!
This year was a little different. I extended my training runs up to 7 miles, knowing full well I could handle 13.1 on less training, but I was out to improve my time over last year for the Shamrock and the Crawlin' Crab. The weather wasn't great to say the least, but it was decent for running. The cooler temps were perfect, but the breeze wasn't exactly ideal. The roads were dry for the most part, the crowds, volunteers and support along the course were as good as ever given the weather conditions. I started out in the middle of my corral. I generally try to do that in order to keep from going out too fast. In hind sight, I should have moved up a bit, but it all worked out. I eased out through the first mile and never felt winded or fatigued. Sometimes during a training run I would have a slight bit of difficulty with the first mile if I didn't warm up at all or if I went out too fast. I just settled into a nice comfortable pace and stayed there. I realized after about mile 3 that I was just cruising right along, not at a great pace, but at a nice comfortable pace taking in the scenery and watching the other runners. By the time we made it to Fort Story and I saw the next clock, I knew about what my time was going to be when I finished. I was feeling good, wasn't pushing myself, and I was just really enjoying a relaxed race. I wasn't racing myself, trying for a PR, or anything else, I was just counting down the miles. By the time I got to the lighthouse and mile 8, I had it in my mind to just stay at that pace, stay comfortable for 3 more miles until I got to pass my kids at the Wyndam again, and just cruise on to the finish line. I passed them just after mile 11, told them I loved them, and stayed at my comfortable pace for a while. At mile 12 I decided to turn it up just a bit. My final mile was by far my fastest of the day. By the time we turned onto the boardwalk, I realized I had way too much energy left for that far into the race, but I finished at a nice pace for my final mile. I felt great finishing, enjoyed my water, Irish Stew, and especially a Yuengling Lager at the finish line tent. The finisher's blanket came in very hand on my 30 block walk back to the hotel!
I left a lot out on the course, but I finished without injury, improved on last year's time by a minute and a half or so, and really enjoyed the course for the first time in a few years. It wasn't the worst weather I ever ran that particular race in, but the weather really didn't have any impact on my time. I was grateful to get to spend the weekend with my family. My daughters and I were spectators while my wife and father-in-law participated in the 8K on Saturday, and then I got to take them swimming in the hotel pool on 2 different occasions on Saturday. They were all my biggest fans as I ran past them twice on Sunday as well.
It was a great St. Patrick's Day weekend that's been a tradition for several years now, and I look forward to that weekend every year!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Cross
It's been an interesting February of training to this point. My mileage has been alright, not great, but alright. The past week I've rediscovered the stationary bike due to some inclement weather, and that's been great for some cross training. I've also picked back up on the weights a bit, and that never hurts either. I caught a bit of a cold over the weekend, and it really slowed down the building miles I was working on, but I'm feeling a lot better now. Time to get back out on the road and really log some miles for the last two and a half weeks leading up to my half marathon. My body feels pretty good and strong and I'm looking forward to testing myself on a longer run tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Girls are doing great. They are both back to sleeping much better which makes life better for everyone in my house! My oldest daughter had an ear infection and some drainage into her lungs, but happily we seemed to catch things in time and get that taken care of and she is well and doing great. Chasing the two of them around is getting tougher, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Have a great evening!
Girls are doing great. They are both back to sleeping much better which makes life better for everyone in my house! My oldest daughter had an ear infection and some drainage into her lungs, but happily we seemed to catch things in time and get that taken care of and she is well and doing great. Chasing the two of them around is getting tougher, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Have a great evening!
Friday, February 15, 2013
On the Road
Lately I've been able to return to outdoor running and it's been very nice. My pace tends to be greater when I'm outside, usually 30 seconds or more per mile, and I don't feel bad running. There are no flat runs in my town, so I take the good with the bad. I've felt pretty good with the hills, and have been using them as a great training tool of late. I was happy to get a 3 mile run in and have been back to playing some basketball as a little cross training. The problem with basketball lately is the pain in my knees, shins, and hips the next day. Not sure how much I will be playing as I approach my half marathon in 4 weeks. I'm certain I won't be playing the week of the race. I've skipped the bike a bit lately and just tried to add another run each week. My distance hasn't increased lately, and I really need to focus on a good longer run each week. I think I will try to add a mile or mile and a half to my long run each week leading up to the half marathon. Strength training is still going well. The weights are helping and I'm feeling pretty good.
Girls are coming down with a cold I believe. Both have a nasty little cough going right now and I'm just waiting for the fever to start. There has been a lot of sickness going around their daycare, and we've been fortunate neither of them has caught anything yet. We're planning to take them to the Mt. St. Mary's basketball game tomorrow. Less fighting than hockey! Hoping they stay healthy and get on the road to recovery soon.
Have a great weekend!
Girls are coming down with a cold I believe. Both have a nasty little cough going right now and I'm just waiting for the fever to start. There has been a lot of sickness going around their daycare, and we've been fortunate neither of them has caught anything yet. We're planning to take them to the Mt. St. Mary's basketball game tomorrow. Less fighting than hockey! Hoping they stay healthy and get on the road to recovery soon.
Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Fat Tuesday
It's fat Tuesday and I'm celebrating accordingly with some donuts, homemade greasy ones yet at that. On to the good news, I ran each of the last two days and felt really good. I ran 4 miles Sunday night and felt great, and I got a quick 2.5 miles in last night in the fog. Training has been going well. I really need to work on getting a longer run in at some point during the week, but I've struggled to go beyond 4.5 miles in quite a while. Perhaps this will be the week, but with the looks of the forecast for Thursday, it may not be likely. We are under 5 weeks until my first half marathon of 2013, and I'm hoping to make it a great one. I always love the Shamrock race, and I'm looking forward to it again this year. Strength training is still going well, and my back is feeling much better. Along with the running and weights, I'm trying to get a few more miles on the bike as well. My last two runs were both outdoors, and I have to say I've really enjoyed them after spending a lot of time on the treadmill this winter. I'm looking forward to more outdoor miles as spring gets closer and closer.
Girls are doing great. My wife has a support group meeting tonight so I get them all to myself. Nothing like some great Daddy/Daughters time. It's just amazing to watch them grow and develop. I think we are going to sign them up for the kids fun run at the Frederick Running Festival in May. Short run for them, but I think they will enjoy it. We are also thinking of some swimming lessons since they love the pool so much. Sports for them will be right around the corner I guess.
Have a great evening!
Girls are doing great. My wife has a support group meeting tonight so I get them all to myself. Nothing like some great Daddy/Daughters time. It's just amazing to watch them grow and develop. I think we are going to sign them up for the kids fun run at the Frederick Running Festival in May. Short run for them, but I think they will enjoy it. We are also thinking of some swimming lessons since they love the pool so much. Sports for them will be right around the corner I guess.
Have a great evening!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Strong Start
After battling a minor back injury late in January, I was off to a pretty strong start in February. I went out for a nice 4.35 mile run on Sunday before the big game and felt great. I haven't felt that good on an outdoor run in quite a while. No headphones, just some snow flurries and a neighbor out walking were all I really encountered. Strength training is going well and I'm logging plenty of miles with my dogs as well. My time on the bike seems to be helping as well. I've made more of a conscious effort to log bike miles during the week and that is going well for me. The nice part is my kids enjoy being in the basement while I'm on the stationary bike and my oldest daughter has been asking to get outside for a bike ride. My goal was to run at some point today, but I think I'm going to reserve myself to the bike tonight. I tweaked my back just a bit carrying my oldest daughter up to bed last night and my gut tells me to just leave the pounding of the road alone tonight and stick to the bike. I will plan for a longer run tomorrow once i see how my back feels in the morning. My first half marathon of 2013 is less than 6 weeks away and I don't want to risk aggravating an injury if I don't have to. I've decided on a May half marathon, and I think I might do 2 in October along with a 10K. Not sure if all that running in the fall is wise, but I think I'm going to give it a whirl!
Girls are doing great. Saturday we went swimming at the pool at the YWCA, and then to the Hershey Bears hockey game. My oldest daughter no longer wants to go to the hockey game. She didn't like the boys punching each other! Then once Hershey finally scored in the 3rd period, the horn scared her, and that pretty much sealed the deal for hockey. Happily baseball season is right around the corner and both daughters enjoy the Harrisburg Senators games(although I really think they enjoy the family area with the bounce houses, not so much the baseball). My youngest daughter didn't seem to have too much trouble with the fighting or the noise at the hockey game. but was definitely more focused on finding the mascot than watching hockey. Sunday we were at church and my daughters helped with the offering and were very well behaved during the service. As for football Sunday night, they had no interest and were upset we couldn't watch cartoons before bedtime. Other than that, they are doing great!
I have two funerals to help provide military honors with, one Friday and one Saturday. Friday will be a mess standing graveside in the snow/sleet/freezing rain and Saturday will be miserable in the wind and cold. Oh well, we will get through it.
Have a great evening!
Girls are doing great. Saturday we went swimming at the pool at the YWCA, and then to the Hershey Bears hockey game. My oldest daughter no longer wants to go to the hockey game. She didn't like the boys punching each other! Then once Hershey finally scored in the 3rd period, the horn scared her, and that pretty much sealed the deal for hockey. Happily baseball season is right around the corner and both daughters enjoy the Harrisburg Senators games(although I really think they enjoy the family area with the bounce houses, not so much the baseball). My youngest daughter didn't seem to have too much trouble with the fighting or the noise at the hockey game. but was definitely more focused on finding the mascot than watching hockey. Sunday we were at church and my daughters helped with the offering and were very well behaved during the service. As for football Sunday night, they had no interest and were upset we couldn't watch cartoons before bedtime. Other than that, they are doing great!
I have two funerals to help provide military honors with, one Friday and one Saturday. Friday will be a mess standing graveside in the snow/sleet/freezing rain and Saturday will be miserable in the wind and cold. Oh well, we will get through it.
Have a great evening!
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