I'm more mad at myself for missing the turn, although I do think there should have been a guide at that turn. If so many of us missed it, the marking must not have been obvious - I can't believe that so many of us are that moronic! The race organizer is extremely nice, and I know they have problems lining up volunteers. Volunteering is something I need to do as well -- you know, the thing about being part of the solution and not part of the problem! OTOH, hell, we pay $25 to enter this race. I'd rather they use some of our money to pay somebody to stand on a corner and point instead of t-shirts! LOL. Also, I was surprised with this race, because all markings were on the road. Usually with our major races, they have signs up for all of the mile points and arrows at major turns.
I guess if there is a consolation, I still came in 9th out of 38 in my age group and 44th out of 297 overall. I'm still bummed, though, because my finish would have been over 2 minutes faster than the guy who won overall third place. And I would have definitely won the 1st or 2nd place age group award, unless I tripped or somethin' in that last 1.3 miles. Very frustrating, because of our popular local races, this is the only one where I have a chance to do that well.
I'm probably going to run a 5K in mid-May and then a 10K in Huntsville, AL on Memorial Day. The 10K is a big race, with lots of out-of-towners, and well over 1,000 entrants (which is a lot for Huntsville). I'll have to go for a PB in the 10K. Looks like there is a substantially hilly stretch on the course, but not anything like yesterday's race. There are several entrants in the 10K who can run sub-35 minute 10K's , so should be challenging and fun to run with so many elite, superhuman runners.
I know what you mean about superhumans. One of the guys I run with on Wednesdays ran the 10-miler yesterday in 1:04. And he was only third in his age group...
You still had a great run even if you didn't get the trophy to prove it.
You should come to Narlins for one of their 10ks. You could hit a superhuman pace on those flat roads, if you can steer away from the potholes. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Thanks, Cappuccino! I probably will try to run a race in New Orleans sometime. My in-laws live there, so we are usually in the area sometime during the Spring anyway. Believe me, I know all about the potholes!! I don't think the streets in Uptown New Orleans have been repaved in about 75 years.
1. STRAIGHT LEG DEADS (on platform): 8x120; 6x150; 5x180; 5x190; 5x200
-- decided to do straight leg deads and good mornings instead of heavy regular deadlifts -- didn't feel up to it due to leg fatigue following race
2. GOOD MORNINGS - 10x140; 10x150
3. S/L DEADS - BACKOFF SET: 12x140
** actually, these exercises nailed my hamstrings better than anything I have done in a long time, so I may keep doing these for a few weeks and then go back to heavy deads
4. PULLUPS - BWx5; +30 x5; +32.5 x5; +35 x5; +15 x6; BWx7 (so much for those "higher rep" backoff sets!)
5. CHINUPS - +40 x2 (faied on 3 -- ooops- too heavy!); +30 x 4 (Dang, I sucked on these after pullups)
6. STANDING BB CALF RAISES - 220x8; 220x10
7. EZ BAR/ BICEP CURLS - 102x5; 102x3
8. HANGING LEG RAISES - LEGS STRAIGHT OUT -- 11
9. SWITCHED TO LEG RAISES (STRAIGHT OUT) ON DIP BAR -- 17 (Ahhh - arms not as tired doing this as they are when hangin')
10. WEIGHTED CURLUPS WITH TWIST: +25db - 30 reps
-------------
MONDAY 4-25-2005 - off
TUESDAY 4-26-2005:
1. BB BENCH PRESS: 8x110; 5x130; 5x185; 3x190 (oh well, so much for surpassing my previous 4x190 this time)
2. DB INCLINE BENCH: 5x65; 5x65
3. DB DECLINE BENCH: 5x65; 5x65
4. BB BENCH PRESS/BACKOFF: 8x140; 10x120
5. OVERHEAD SQUATS: 8x60; 6x80; 5x100; 4x110 -- haven't done these since last Summer during Homegrown Muscle. I forgot how much I like these - but it was hard keeping that bar overhead after all the bench pressing.
6. FRONT SQUATS - 5x200; 4x200; 12x140 -- My depth wasn't great on the two heavy sets -- just past parallel. Last set, I went all the way... Need to work on depth in the heavier sets next time.
I may stick with the Overhead and Front Squats for a few weeks before returning to regular heavy BB Squats.
7. HANGING LEG RAISES WITH TWISTS - Left-Center-Right: +20# ankle weights - 21 (7 each position)
8. WEIGHTED CURLUPS +50db (303 tempo) - 22 reps
9. BICYCLES - +20# ankle weights - 30 reps
------------------
WED. APRIL 27, 2005
AM RUN -- Didn't sleep all that well... Go with the flow run, no attempt at high intensity -- 6.3 miles, time was around 47 minutes... ~7:30 average pace.
Pretty good workout last night. I ate like it was my last day on Earth yesterday, so maybe that gave me some extra fuel.
1. STANDING BB SHOULDER PRESS: 8x60; 6x80; 5x120; 5x120; 5x120 --- *excuse me, did *I* actually improve in shoulder presses? I felt like I could have used more weight or done more reps on the first two 5x120 sets as well. Last week I could only get 5x120, 4x120, 3x120. Probably an anomaly. Maybe it was the Mexican food for lunch.
** Good day for shoulder pressing! I'll look forward to my next one in 2006 or 2007.
4. BENT OVER BB ROWS (hold 1 sec. at "Top"): 8x90; 6x110; 5x150; 5x155; 5x160; 9x130
** These went okay - I'm not sure my form is where it should be and I may not be getting enough of a squeeze at the top. I'm wondering whether I should back off on the weight a little and concentrate on the squeeze and the hold at the top. At 130# for the last set, I can get it.
5. BB SHOULDER SHRUGS: 8x210; 8x210
**Nice challenge for the grip. I broke the glove habit recently (except for heaviest deadlift sets - and I bet as it gets hotter and more humid in my basement this Summer, I'll need them for pullups/chins), and my grip has definitely improved. I could never have done these bare-handed with a pronated grip a couple of months ago. My hands are coverd with callouses, now, and my wife is telling me I need workout gloves! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
6. AB STUFF:
- Incline Bench Sit-Ups (+30db) - 13
- Dragon Flags (+20# ankle wts) - 13
- Russian Twists/Feet Elevated/ +30#db - 11 (ow!)
Time to go running this AM - another night under 6 hrs. of sleep, so I don't know how this will go... but I'm not doing anything high intensity this week.
AM run went a little faster than I expected. 6.1 miler - down the mtn. and back up. Time = 42:21, which was an ave. pace of 6:57. Not my best time on this run -- I didn't run as fast on the first half as previously, although that seemed to allow me to run back up at a similar pace as I did when I ran it at a higher intensity for better overall time. My fastest split was mile 2 at 6:33 pace. Slowest was the entirely uphill mile 4 at 7:46.
7.2 mile run; 52:04. Ave. pace = 7:14. Last mile was 6:12 - that was the only split I checked.
I also worked at the finish line of a 5K yesterday for the first time, which was fun. I was worried, at first, about possibly getting ranks out of order when tearing the tags off from the bibs, but it went okay overall. Lots of runners from a "Couch to 5K" program the Birmingham Track Club has been running for new people trying to get into running. It's a great idea, and you could tell that being part of that training group really motivated many of them to finish.
We had friends over last night, so lots of eating again and a couple of Margaritas. I'm planning a long run and hopefully have myself completely rehydrated! Definitely should have the glycogen reserves.
Longest run in several weeks - hard course. The weather was cool (but very windy! and why is it cool on May 1st in Alabama? Weird), which was a good thing since I had no fluids or gels with me. I need some kind of fluid contraption for my long runs this Summer, because I'll never make it, and I want to try to do around one per month in this distance range through the Summer to keep me as close to marathon condition as possible.
Overall, this run went pretty well. That has to be a personal best for that course, which I am happy about since I am over 2 mos. post-marathon now.
My watch deleted the first two splits for some weird reason...
SPLIT TIMES: [distance point of split]- [time for split] - [total time to point] - [split pace] - [ave. pace to point]
5.4 miles (split was 3.7 to 5.4) - 12:02 - 39:14 - 7:05 - 7:16
6.35 miles - 7:48 - 47:03 - 8:13 - 7:25
8.6 miles - 18:52 - 65:56 - 8:23 - 7:40
9.55 miles - 6:50 - 72:46 - 7:12 - 7:37
11.25 miles - 12:48 - 85:38 - 7:32 - 7:37
12.3 miles - 9:09 - 94:44 - 8:43 - 7:42
14.0 miles - 13:23 - 108:07 - 7:52 - 7:43
15.0 miles - 6:57 - 115:05 - 6:57 - 7:40
I seem to be slowly adapting more and more to these longer runs. Back in January when I was marathon training, this run would have wiped me out for the day and cause leg spasms. None of that today (although I am not motivated to do the yard work I should be doing). I was advised to stretch my quads as a possible solution to the irritation in my left knee - and since I have been doing this before my runs this week, I have experienced much less aggravation. I have some soreness on my left knee, but nothing like after the 15K last weekend. Hopefully I can keep this under control!
1. STRAIGHT LEG DEADS (on platform): 8x120; 6x150; 5x190; 5x200; 5x210
2. GOOD MORNINGS - 10x150; 10x160
3. S/L DEADS - BACKOFF SET: 12x150
4. PULLUPS - BWx5; +30 x5; +32.5 x5; +35 x5
5. CHINUPS - +30 x5 ; +30 x 5
6. PULLUPS - Backoff Sets: BW +10 x7; BW x6
** I am not getting my chin completely over the bar for final rep or two in some of these pullup/chinup sets, although I am close. I'll probably keep my weights stable and work on form. The "Backoff" sets are no exactly backoff sets in terms of number of reps - I guess I should do bench assists to add more reps at the end.
7. STANDING BB CALF RAISES - 225x10; 225x10
8. EZ BAR/ BICEP CURLS - 102x5; 102x5
9. LEG RAISES (STRAIGHT OUT) ON DIP BAR -- 20; 14
10. WEIGHTED CURLUPS WITH TWIST: +30db - 30 reps
-------------------------------------
WED. 5/4/05 MORNING RUN
-- I actually fell asleep quickly after my workout last night, so I had 6-1/2 hours of sleep before getting up to run.
6.2 mile run -- 42:55 (ave. pace = 6:55)
SPLITS: (mile point) - (split time) - (total time) - (pace for split) - (ave. pace to this pt.)
1.0 miles - 7:16 - 7:16 - 7:16 - 7:16
2.3 miles - 9:17 - 16:34 - 7:08 - 7:12
3.35 miles - 6:47 - 23:21 - 6:28 - 6:58
4.4 miles - 7:36 - 30:58 - 7:14 - 7:02
5.2 miles - 5:52 - 36:50 - 7:20 - 7:05
6.2 miles - 6:04 - 42:55 - 6:04 - 6:55
This turned out to be a great run. First mile was okay... I lost a few seconds trying to get a black lab to stop playing with me. LOL. From 1.0-2.3, I did a few intervals. 2.3-3.35 is a downhill segment. 3.35-4.4 was the reverse of the downhill - this was my biggest effort segment for the run - tried to keep my pace up as much as possible and focused hard on controlling my breathing and "belly breathing." Definitely a PB on that uphill stretch. Of course, I ALREADY BLEW MY HILL RACE, but no doubt running hard on this stretch is great training for anything. 4.4-5.2 -- definitely a recovery segment -- not nearly as much uphill as previous split, but my pace dropped off anyway. I kicked it up for the final mile - especially the last quarter mile where I was close to sprinting.
It looks like my schedule is going to work out to run a 5K on May 14th. This will be my first 5K race. I'm not sure what the course is like -- it's in a section of town where it could be fairly level or obnoxiously hilly.
1. BB BENCH PRESS: 8x110; 5x130; 4x185; 4x190 (regressed on the 185 set; went up versus last week on the 190 set --- overall, no progress, really)
2. DB INCLINE BENCH: 5x67.5; 5x67.5
3. DB DECLINE BENCH: 5x70; 5x70
4. BB BENCH PRESS/BACKOFF: 8x140; 9x120
5. OVERHEAD SQUATS: 8x60; 6x80; 5x110; 3x115 -- I'm really limited on these by upper body stamina. I should probably do the squats before all the bench pressing.
6. FRONT SQUATS - 5x200; 5x200; 7x140 -- Depth was marginal on first set, better on the second. For the 140 backoff set, I tried the cross-arm approach for holding the bar. At first, it seemed much better than having my arms bent back, but the bar kept slipping off of my sweaty shoulders, and I lost it completely after the 7th rep. Last week I did 12x140 for that set with the regular method for holding the bar.
I really like both Overhead and Front Squats, but I am missing that complete hammer from traditional BB squats with a lot of depth. I may need to back off on the pounds for the Front Squats and focus on going close to the bottom, as I did for regular squats. Alternatively, I may work in a set or two of reg. BB squats, although this is already a long workout.
7. HANGING LEG RAISES WITH TWISTS - Left-Center-Right: +20# ankle weights - 24 (8 each position)
8. SWISS BALL SIDE RAISES +30db (303 tempo) - 11 ea. side
Laid back run, overall - mostly go with the flow. I ramped up the final mile and did it in 6:00. One second short of my PB for that final mile ramp-up. LOL. I would have made it a few seconds shorter if I hadn't lost momentum when I had to stop briefly to deal with the overly friendly Lab. I had two pauses on this run to deal with dogs. Sheesh.
Sometime I need to do some track training, especially if I want to run some 5K races. I really don't have a good feel for pacing myself on a shorter race, and my training grounds are not optimal for developing a sense for this. On the other hand, a flat track is not representative of local race terrain - but it would probably still help. My 5K split in the recent 15K was probably around 19:20 - so I should be able to knock some time off of that for a 5K. My fear is starting off too slow and losing lots of seconds or too fast and not being able to maintain momentum through the race.
My plan was to do this as a tempo run. The first 1.05 miles was 6:17 (5:59 pace), which was a little faster than I planned. I wanted to conserve some energy for the long uphills in the second half. So, since energy conservation was blown, I then decided to just keep it at faster tempo for the entire first half. Next mile = 5:48 (very happy with that - since a combo of up and downhills), and next mile was 5:39 (almost entirely downhill). Total time for the first half (3.05 miles) was 17:44. Definitey the first time I have done that, although there is a net elevation change of ~ -300 feet on this half, which of course helps (esp. in the third mile).
Second half (reverse of first half) - First mile took 7:52. That's the reverse of the previous mile, so 2:13 longer going back uphill - LOL. I knew I would not have the stamina to PB on that particular mile, so I just focused on keeping an even pace. Next mile took 7:03 -- again mostly uphill, and I needed recovery from the previous one. The last 1.05 miles took me 6:41 (pace= 6:22).
Overall - a great training run. The "runner's high" from going fast is definitely different than, say, a super long run.
Today is my longer run day - probably in the 11-12 mile range this week. Looks like I won't be able to do it until later in the day, so could be hotter than I am currently used to.
I didn't get my long run in on Sunday. Both girls were home with me Sun. morning, whereas usually they are at Church while I engage in the heathen activity of running. Then I had tons of yard work on Sunday afternoon. Motivation for a long run was gone by evening, so I decided to do weights Sun. night instead.
1. STANDING BB SHOULDER PRESS: 8x60; 6x80; 5x125; 4x125; 3x125 --- I continue to think that I may be experiencing some strength gains in shoulder exercises.
4. BENT OVER BB ROWS (hold 1 sec. at "Top"): 8x90; 6x110; 5x140; 5x145; 5x150; 10x130
** Backed off on my pounds for these to do a better job with keeping the 1 sec hold at the top and form in general.
5. BB SHOULDER SHRUGS: 8x215; 8x215
6. AB STUFF:
- Incline Bench Sit-Ups (+30db) - 14
- Dragon Flags (+20# ankle wts) - 16
- Russian Twists/Feet Elevated/ +30#db - 11
- Full V-Sits (20# ankles/ 30#db) - 14 (I think)
--------------------------
MONDAY MAY 9, 2005:
MORNING RUN. 9.3 miles. 69:12. 7:26 average pace. This was my substitute for yesterday's long run. I planned to go a little longer, but didn't have time. Not very satisfying overall -- too short for a slower-paced long run. I didn't feel like I got much out of it. Nice morning, though -- pleasantly cool (around 60 degrees), and the scenery from the top of the "mountain" was nice with fog settled into the valleys. It won't be much longer before the early AM runs are in thick humidity and temps. near 70, although that still beats running in the afternoon or evenings.
1. STRAIGHT LEG DEADS (on platform): 8x120; 6x150; 5x210; 5x220; 2x230 (lost grip); 3x230
2. GOOD MORNINGS - 10x160; 10x170
3. S/L DEADS - BACKOFF SET: 10x160
4. PULLUPS - BWx5; +30 x5; +32.5 x4; +35 x3
5. CHINUPS - +35 x4 ; +35 x 4
6. PULLUPS - Backoff Sets: BW +10 x7; BW x5
** Focused on better form for weighted pullups, but wound up doing less reps than last time. May have been fatigued from increases on S/L Deads. Or maybe just a sub-par day.
7. STANDING BB CALF RAISES - 230x8; 230x8
8. EZ BAR/ BICEP CURLS - 107x5; 107x3
9. LEG RAISES (STRAIGHT OUT) ON DIP BAR -- 20; 18
10. WEIGHTED CURLUPS WITH TWIST: +30db - 30 reps
--------------------
WED. 5-11-05:
MORNING RUN. 8.9 miles Time = 64:56 Ave. Pace= 7:18.
Tough course and my legs felt like they were weighed down. Probably due to last night's hamstring work. Pace was decent on more level sections, but I was slow on inclines. My next run will be Friday morning, but that will be a lower intensity effort since I have a 5K race on Saturday. I'm planning squats for Thursday night, which I may regret on Saturday morning!
1. OVERHEAD SQUATS: 8x60; 6x80; 5x115; 5x120 -- Did these ahead of bench presses this time, so I would have more upper body strength.. and it worked... but of course it was detrimental later for my bench presses.
2. FRONT SQUATS - 5x160; 5x170 -- Lowered my weight here alot to allow focus on form and depth. Tried to keep my elbows positioned straight out and went as close to the bottom as possible. This exercise, and the overhead squats, are always very hard, which no doubt means they are really good for you!
3. BB SQUATS - 5x280; 5x280 -- added two sets of conventional BB squats. Did pretty well with depth. Not as good as previously when I wasn't doing the overhead and front squats before doing the heavy conventional ones.
4. BB BENCH PRESS: 8x120; 3x185; 4x185 -- Overhead squats zapped some strength for bench presses. Not too surprising. Ah, life on the Bench Press Plateau.
5. DB INCLINE BENCH: 4x67.5; 4x67.5
6. DB DECLINE BENCH: 5x70; 5x70
7. BB BENCH PRESS/BACKOFF: 8x140
8. HANGING LEG RAISES WITH TWISTS - Left-Center-Right: +20# ankle weights - 24 (8 each position)
9. SWISS BALL SIDE RAISES +30db (303 tempo) - 12 ea. side
10. WEIGHTED CURLUPS +50db (303 tempo) - 30 reps
11. BICYCLES - +20# ankle weights - 40 reps
Decent workout overall - it's pretty long, though. I finished late, almost 11PM, so I decided not to wake up at 5AM for a run this morning. Instead, I will run when I get home from work and enjoy the steamy early evening air. I'm planning a fairly EZ pace run, since I have a 5K race in the morning. I haven't thought much about this 5K - I'll just try to haul ass and see how well I can do.
Hard course, but I kept the pace ramped down due to the race on Sat. 5/14/2005. Even so, I don't think running 12 hours in advance of my 5K was such a great idea... I will not do this again!
------------------
SATURDAY 5/14/2005 -- Brother Bryan 5K, Birmingham , AL
This was my first 5K race, so definitely a learning experience. The weather was decent - not overly warm. The course turned out to be fairly level for around here. The race start was irritating. A bunch of slower runners planted themselves in front. I briefly got bogged down, but finally broke away and wound up in 5th or 6th position. I ran the first mile in 5:36, and I could tell fairly soon into mile two that I had gone out too fast. I could also tell by that point that I should not have done squats 36 hours before the race and should not have gone running 12 hours before! Lessons learned. For the second mile, my time was 6:13 , and then I ran the last 1.1 miles in 7:15 (6:35 pace) [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] . My final time was 19:04 (6:09 average pace). I did win the 3rd Place award for Men 35-39. And a really nice door prize - a box of six solar landscape lights!
Overall, it was a decent run, but my pacing was obviously off. I really think I should have been able to do that run 30 seconds faster. If I had done the first mile around 5:50 or 5:55, I believe I could have maintained my pace a lot better. It's really hard to know, because I have not really trained much for this type of run, but my 5K split in the recent 15K race was around 19:25, so I only knocked 25 seconds off of that. Definitely gives me something to work on!!
I'm probably running a 10K next weekend and will rest more appropriately in advance of that race. I'm hoping that I can run it in an average pace not too far off from this 5K, especially since I kept my pace around 6:20 or even a little under through the 10K split in the 15K race three weeks ago.
Longer run - 12.7 miles. Time was 94:30. Ave. pace = 7:26. My legs were still fatigued - I could really tell on the inclines, which were slow. On more level to rolling terrain, I was truckin' along okay. I tried out my new "fluid belt," which I bought at a runners' store last week. Much better than the awkward hikers' belt with water bottles that I tried last Summer. This one allows you to carry as many as 4 8-ounce bottles that are smaller and can be positioned sideways for comfort. I brought two bottles with Powerade, thinking that a cold front had already moved through with drier air. Instead, it was fairly muggy, but temps. were only in the low 70's so not exactly a sauna. It also seemed to get cooler as time passed. I think this fluid belt will be a lifesaver for long runs as we get into more serious heat as Summer progresses. The best thing is that it did not cause any chafing, which was good since it did tend to rise up over my waistband. And also a convenient pouch on the belt for my trusty pepper spray, which I did use to spice up the life of a pit bull who likes to get a little too close (and WHY do people like this breed again?? Is this like the thrill of owning a tiger or something?? Are the constant news reports of vicious pit bull attacks not enough to clue people in that these aren't safe pets and especially should not be allowed to roam around without restraint??)
Tonight will be upper body work. I'll probably do weights again on Tues. night, and run on Wed. morning. That will be my only other run this week ahead of the race on Sat. And Friday will be a full day of rest!
1. STANDING BB SHOULDER PRESS: 8x60; 6x80; 5x125; 5x125; 4x125 --- Some increase in reps on shoulder presses again! Shocking for me. I'll be really pleased if/when I can start doing reps at 130 or more.
Took the day off! I think I needed it - about 2 weeks since I had taken a rest day. Tuesday was my younger daughter's 6th birthday, so we pigged out on birthday cake. We also made her a cookie cake for her classroom party and did a lot of sampling of that as well. I felt like I had a gallon of lard in my stomach - I really am not used to this stuff anymore, especially the frosting.
WED 5-18-2005:
Not a very good night's sleep. I was essentially awake by 3:55AM. Got up at 5AM to eat and then go running. I ran 6.2 miles, 43:32. Ave. pace = 7:01. Actually not a bad run considering the lack of sleep, which followed the previous night's mediocre sleep quality as well.
Since I skipped my workout on Tues., that now puts deadlifts on tap for Thurs. I am a little hesitant, with the 10K on Sat. morning. But it seems that I recover better from deadlifts than squats -- I could really feel the fatigue from those during last Saturday's 5K race. I thought about doing the deadlift workout tonight, but I don't think I'll have the energy.
1. ROMANIAN DEADS: 8x120; 6x150; 5x210; 5x230; 5x240; 5x250
2. GOOD MORNINGS - 10x170; 10x180
3. ROMANIAN DEADS - BACKOFF SET: 12x180
4. PULLUPS - BWx5; +30 x5; +32.5 x5; +35 x4
5. CHINUPS - +35 x5 ; +35 x 5
6. PULLUPS - Backoff Sets: BW +10 x7; BW x7
7. STANDING BB CALF RAISES - 230x9; 230x8
8. EZ BAR/ BICEP CURLS - 107x5; 107x4
9. LEG RAISES (STRAIGHT OUT) ON DIP BAR -- 21; 20
10. WEIGHTED CURLUPS WITH TWIST: +30db - 32 reps
----------------
FRI 5-20-05 -- rest day today, since I have a 10K race tomorrow morning. I have not slept all that well for most of the week, and if I have another bad night tonight, I may not run the race. I am not pre-registered, and I'm not going to get up at 5AM and drive over an hour to the race if I have not had a decent night's sleep. There's another 10K race on Memorial Day that I can do instead. No sense in running a race if I am not going to be capable of doing my best.
The 10K on Saturday went fairly well. I wasn't 100% pleased with my time, which was 39:28 (6:22 average pace), but it certainly beat my only other 10K race time from last Sept., which was 41:40. However, my 10K split in the 15K race 4 weeks ago was around this same time, so I should have been capable of running a faster time for a race that was 10K total distance. Just further evidence that I was really "on" during that 15K, all the more reason to be frustrated about going off course! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]
Interestingly, though, I just checked the McMillan Running Calculator at http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/Runni...calculator.htm and my predicted 10K time based on my 5K time the previous week was almost exactly what I ran it - 39:36!! So maybe this is just where I am at right now, although like the 5K the previous week, I didn't feel 100% "on" during the race. Lack of sleep may have impacted things.
Overall, the race was well-staffed and conducted really well. Actually better than many races down here in the big city! LOL. The course was outstanding for around here - generally almost level with only some rolling hills. This race is worth running just for that! Much of it was on country roads in full Sun, so that's the only negative, although the temps. were reasonable. Can't complain at all about the course or race conditions.
SPLITS:
Mile 1 - 6:10. This may have been a little fast. As with the 5K, I think if I had gone out just a little slower, I may have held pace better. As usual, it took some time to break away from the pack, even though I was in the second row. And then I must have been hoofin' it for the last 0.7 or so of Mile 1 to make it in 6:10.
Mile 2 - 6:10 -- Kept the same pace!
Mile 3 - 6:20 -- A little bit of a drop - I sensed it and knew by this point that I was not going to ave. pace in the 6:10 to 6:15 range as I had hoped.
Mile 4 - 6:26 -- a little slower...
Mile 5 - 6:40 -- This is the mile where I really lost some seconds. This was the only mile where I took a cup of water... that probably didn't help. My overall time at this point was 31:48, which was 23 seconds slower than my 5-mile point in the 15K -- more evidence that I was not completely with it during this race (or was just having a banner day in the other one!)
Mile 6 - 6:23 -- Regained some pace in the sixth mile.
Mile 6.2 -- 1:16 -- (6:20 pace) -- the last 0.2 miles were on a track. I thought I had ramped it up, but my pace was similar to that for Mile 6, so I must have been fading again.
Overall, a good experience! I don't know my final placement, yet, I decided not to stick around for results. The past two races give me some good goals to shoot for -- I would like to do an 18:30 5K and get below 39 minutes in the 10K and possibly below 38 minutes at some point. Will take some work!
I did not get my long run in on Sunday and instead did an upper body workout. I'll have to log that in later -- don't have the info. with me.
I haven't been logging my past few workouts and runs... I doubt I will go back and type that all in. LOL.
MEMORIAL DAY - I was able to run a long one - 15.1 miles. 1:54:28. Ave. pace = 7:35. The weather was unusually runner-friendly for the end of May. Cloudy, some drizzle, temps. in the 60's. That was my personal best on the course by around 40 seconds. I'll take the slight improvement! It's a very difficult run, and I am very happy to be averaging a pace on it that is similar to my marathon race pace from Feb.
For June-August, I'll probably have to work hard to maintain my pacing due to the weather. Normally, I experience a burst of improvement when Fall rolls around and the weather becomes more pleasant. On the other hand, I suspect that my days of steady pace improvement are ending -- and it will take more running and more conscientiousness about speed work to make more gains. Sometime in August, I plan to switch to 5 days per week running, and that's when I'll start really working on speed more than I am now.
As usual, I am starving the day after a long run! I am counting down the minutes until lunch.
I also think I am going to revise my workout plan and start doing all leg stuff on one day per week. I have squats scheduled tonight, but my legs are fatigued from yesterday's long run. Maybe if I was 21 I could follow a 15-mile run with heavy squatting, but I don't think it's optimal for me. Generally, I don't like having squats and deads on the same day, because one compromises the other, but I believe that is what I am going to start doing anyway. I can alternate which of the two I do first each week. Also, it will be better for my running to have only one leg-crushing workout per week instead of two. There's no denying the muscle soreness and fatigue from squats and deads and the impact it has for 1-2 days on my running.
Just doing upper body last night worked out well. My legs are much better recovered today. I was planning to run this evening, but we have a skate party to attend for the kids. It will probably be a rest day with a run tomorrow morning instead.
ROLLER SKATING PARTY! Both of my girls actually skated. We had a great time. And to think I almost talked myself into skipping it to go running (I expected my daughters to be avoiding actual skating as they have done previously).
THURS. JUNE 2, 2005:
AM RUN - 8.2 miles. 60:44. Very hard course. But the weather was great. Pleasant 60's, with some fog, especially at the highest elevations. Pleasant in June??? A dog started running with me at around 1.5 miles and finished the run with me... despite my best efforts to sneak away from her. I have no idea how this dog has survived so long -- an absolute ditzbrain in the streets, defying cars to hit her. Sweet dog, but she stresses me out the entire time she runs with me (this was at least the third or fourth time she has done this).
FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2005:
LOWER BODY WORKOUT -- This was my new format of combining squats and deads on the same day. It worked out really well, so I will definitely continue to do this instead of trashing my legs twice a week with weights and trying to maintain a running program.
I. BB SQUATS (my depth was good) - 8x180; 6x220; 5x275; 5x285; 5x280; 5x290 --- thought I was going to drop the bar and puke after the last set!
II. DEADLIFTS - 8x180; 5x220; 5x265; 4x275 (lost grip); 5x270; 4x280 (grip failed again). --- Deadlifts are the last exercise where I have still been using gloves. However, they really felt awkward, and after the 275 set, I ditched them. My grip was just as strong without them (as long as I dried my hands well). So after a couple of months of going au natural on all other exercises, I am completely glove-free. You CAN break the glove habit! OTOH - I am having some grip problems, since that's failing in the heaviest sets before the rest of my body... and I have done better than this in the past.
III. OVERHEAD SQUATS - 2x120 -- Working on getting down lower with these...
IV. GOOD MORNINGS -- 10x190; 7x200 -- These seem to nail my hamstrings more than any other exercise
V. BB SHOULDER SHRUGS: 7x230; 6x230
VI. BB ROLLOUTS: 30
VII. HANGING LEG RAISES/TWISTS (left-center-right) - 21 reps (7 each position)
This morning (Sat 6/4/05) I am planning a run -- probably a 7.2 mile course. Should be fun, considering my leg fatigue, but I'll probably have more soreness tomorrow, when I am supposed to do my longer run for the week!
SAT - 6/04/2004 -- 7.2 mile run. 52:55. 7:21 per mile average. This wasn't too bad considering the leg-slammin' weight session the night before. Humidity was very high. Running in Summer around here becomes more about survival/endurance than speed... at least for me.
SUN - 6/05/2005:
10.25 mile run. 83:25. Ave. pace = 8:08.
This was supposed to have been a longer run ~13 miles. I cut it short. Weather conditions were MISERABLE - muggier than hell, and I am definitely not acclimated yet. I wound up taking some walk breaks on some incline stretches, and despite bringing fluids with me, I was dehydrating fairly quickly. Summer sucks for training down here in Dixie!!
He's probably too tired to write. I'm amazed at the weights Dave uses for lower body exercises immediately before or after running. I'm doing week 5 of BOM and have to adjust leg day around my one night of basketball per week.
Re: See BamaDave Run (and Lift)
, so should be challenging and fun to run with so many elite, superhuman runners.
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