This was an easy week for me after the big Robie race. I told myself before the race that I was going to "take the week off" once I finished. That worked out ok for the first couple of days until I started feeling really fat and lazy. I don't claim to be the most in-shape person in the world. I've got a really long way to go before I think I would consider myself in "good shape", but I'm definitely addicted to exercise, especially running. I made it until Friday and then I went to the gym for some swimming and lifting. Then this morning I went on a little 3 mile run. I don't know what it is about running that I love. I saw an interview between Kristen Armstrong and her former husband Lance Armstrong and she described the feeling she gets from running as "clean". I can definitely understand that especially after going a week without running and feeling like a dirty pig. I'm not sure what word I would use to describe how I feel. There are the obvious ones like happy, satisfied, and sometimes just really tired. I really think I'm just addicted, I almost feel like I have to run to feel normal.
I've made some plans and goals. I'm finally ready to commit for the big one, I'm going to run a marathon this year. I'm going for the St. George because I hear it's really cool. I have put my name into the lottery so I hope to report that I've been picked on May 8th. If not I'll probably go for the top of Utah marathon in Logan. I will also do another couple of races this summer to "tune up" for the marathon. I'd like to do another half and go for a PR in that distance. I'd also like to do another 5 or 10k. From now until the beginning of June I'm going to be pretty free with my running. I'll run 3 times a week and try to keep the weekly milage around 12-15. I've been wanting to do Yoga again for a while but my running schedule hasn't left me enough time so for the next few weeks I'll be doing some yoga and other cross training stuff. Then starting June I'll be pretty focused on the running and getting ready for the marathon.
Later
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Robie Kilt Me
I DID IT!
The mighty Robie Creek is now over.
The week was pretty crazy. I started out with a good run during lunch on Monday. Tyson and I did the "suburban loop" and it was nice and fast the whole way. Then between Tuesday and Thursday we were in the car making our way from Flagstaff to Boise. Thursday morning in Boise I went out for a quick 3 mile run. I was a little worried at that point because after a couple of miles it was way harder than it should have been. Then I looked at my watch and realized I was running a bit fast. I think with the elevation change I was breathing way easier so I didn't think I was working as hard but then my legs made it very clear how hard I was working. So with that little bit of doubt in my mind I headed into the Saturday race. The forcast was calling for cold windy weather with a chance of snow flurries. The newspaper said the road was going to have a good deal of mud. So essentially I was prepared for the worst.
Saturday morning I made my way to the race start. It was cool, they had a band there and people were getting all into the scottish theme of the race. Some were painting there faces blue like in Braveheart. I even saw a good number of folks wearing kilts. Then as race time came closer they called us all into the starting corral. Just then down the street you could see a scottish band consisting of people wearing kilts and knee high socks playing drums and bagpipes. They starting playing and marching down the street towards us and behind them was a crazy scottish looking chick with a sword riding a horse. They came up and the crazy chick on the horse gave a rousing speach about how we must "do or die". When she finished she yelled and charged down the street and with that the race was started. I thought it was all pretty cool, usually you just get a "mark, get set, go" and so this was much more creative. I had been a bit nervous but about an hour before the race I calmed down and knew I was going to be ok.
The start was pretty flat and after a mile we looped back aroudn and got to see the scottish band and crazy horse chick again. There were a bunch of spectators for the first 2 or 3 miles as we wound through some neighborhoods. Some of them were blasting music which was nice since we weren't allowed to wear ipods for this race.
The race was the usual blurr of scenery, other racers behinds, water stops and feeling a bit tired. The only memorable part was this one lady that was bound and determined not to let me pass her. This seems to happen to me at some point in every race and it's usually a female. She ran right on my shoulder for a good 3 or 4 miles. At times I would slow down at a water stop and she wouldn't, then I would catch up again, but she would not let me get ahead of her. I was actually shocked at how good I felt and the pace I was able to hold for the first 5-6 miles. The hill really wasn't too bad up until about mile 7. From there to the top I was "power walking" about 50% of the time. At the top they had a crazy water stop with more scottish looking people trying to offer us beer and what looked like peices of cake (sick). I made the top in 1:29ish which totally shocked me. My whole mentality going into this race was that I just had to endure the climb and the rest would be an easy downhill to the finish. So I started having delusions of grandure thinking I might finish in less than 2 hours. So I started hauling down the hill. After about I mile of that I realized the worst of the race was yet to come. The downhill was so steep! I didn't train and was therefore not at all prepared for that. So the last 3 miles were a bit excruciating because you really can't take it very slow unless you're just walking but you feel stupid walking on the downhill so I tried my best to push through. Apparently other people didn't have the same problems did with the downhill because I was getting passed like I was stading still the entire way down. It was kind of sad. Before the race I had made up my mind that if I finished before 2:30 I would feel good about the race. I'm happy to report my finish time was just under 2:09. I definitly think I'm capable of a sub 2 hour, especially if I can be more ready for the downhill. It was just tough the whole way because I really didn't know what to expect. I kept feeling like I needed to hold back because I needed something in the tank for when it got "really hard". If I do it again I'll certainly be better prepared and should finish much faster. The weather ended up being pretty good. Mostly sunny with a slight breeze, no snow. The road condition was fine. The after party was pretty cool, but the bus ride back was a bit of a hastle. All in all it was a good day and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to have participated.
Here is an elevation map of the course as captured by my Garmin. And a couple of photo's from the race.
The mighty Robie Creek is now over.
The week was pretty crazy. I started out with a good run during lunch on Monday. Tyson and I did the "suburban loop" and it was nice and fast the whole way. Then between Tuesday and Thursday we were in the car making our way from Flagstaff to Boise. Thursday morning in Boise I went out for a quick 3 mile run. I was a little worried at that point because after a couple of miles it was way harder than it should have been. Then I looked at my watch and realized I was running a bit fast. I think with the elevation change I was breathing way easier so I didn't think I was working as hard but then my legs made it very clear how hard I was working. So with that little bit of doubt in my mind I headed into the Saturday race. The forcast was calling for cold windy weather with a chance of snow flurries. The newspaper said the road was going to have a good deal of mud. So essentially I was prepared for the worst.
Saturday morning I made my way to the race start. It was cool, they had a band there and people were getting all into the scottish theme of the race. Some were painting there faces blue like in Braveheart. I even saw a good number of folks wearing kilts. Then as race time came closer they called us all into the starting corral. Just then down the street you could see a scottish band consisting of people wearing kilts and knee high socks playing drums and bagpipes. They starting playing and marching down the street towards us and behind them was a crazy scottish looking chick with a sword riding a horse. They came up and the crazy chick on the horse gave a rousing speach about how we must "do or die". When she finished she yelled and charged down the street and with that the race was started. I thought it was all pretty cool, usually you just get a "mark, get set, go" and so this was much more creative. I had been a bit nervous but about an hour before the race I calmed down and knew I was going to be ok.
The start was pretty flat and after a mile we looped back aroudn and got to see the scottish band and crazy horse chick again. There were a bunch of spectators for the first 2 or 3 miles as we wound through some neighborhoods. Some of them were blasting music which was nice since we weren't allowed to wear ipods for this race.
The race was the usual blurr of scenery, other racers behinds, water stops and feeling a bit tired. The only memorable part was this one lady that was bound and determined not to let me pass her. This seems to happen to me at some point in every race and it's usually a female. She ran right on my shoulder for a good 3 or 4 miles. At times I would slow down at a water stop and she wouldn't, then I would catch up again, but she would not let me get ahead of her. I was actually shocked at how good I felt and the pace I was able to hold for the first 5-6 miles. The hill really wasn't too bad up until about mile 7. From there to the top I was "power walking" about 50% of the time. At the top they had a crazy water stop with more scottish looking people trying to offer us beer and what looked like peices of cake (sick). I made the top in 1:29ish which totally shocked me. My whole mentality going into this race was that I just had to endure the climb and the rest would be an easy downhill to the finish. So I started having delusions of grandure thinking I might finish in less than 2 hours. So I started hauling down the hill. After about I mile of that I realized the worst of the race was yet to come. The downhill was so steep! I didn't train and was therefore not at all prepared for that. So the last 3 miles were a bit excruciating because you really can't take it very slow unless you're just walking but you feel stupid walking on the downhill so I tried my best to push through. Apparently other people didn't have the same problems did with the downhill because I was getting passed like I was stading still the entire way down. It was kind of sad. Before the race I had made up my mind that if I finished before 2:30 I would feel good about the race. I'm happy to report my finish time was just under 2:09. I definitly think I'm capable of a sub 2 hour, especially if I can be more ready for the downhill. It was just tough the whole way because I really didn't know what to expect. I kept feeling like I needed to hold back because I needed something in the tank for when it got "really hard". If I do it again I'll certainly be better prepared and should finish much faster. The weather ended up being pretty good. Mostly sunny with a slight breeze, no snow. The road condition was fine. The after party was pretty cool, but the bus ride back was a bit of a hastle. All in all it was a good day and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to have participated.
Here is an elevation map of the course as captured by my Garmin. And a couple of photo's from the race.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
One Week To Robie
Yep, this was the last week of training before the big Robie Creek in Boise. This crazy idea started after reading an article in Runnersworld magazine that said Robie Creek was the toughest half-marathon. For some reason I thought it would be cool because A) it's in Boise where Paige's parents live and B) it would be something that would force me to push myself. Now the time has finally arrived and the time for preparation is all but over.
This week the idea was to cut back on cross training and run more. So I ran 4 times this week. First on Monday I had a nice time running the "suburban loop" with Ells. The "suburban loop" is a nearly 5 mile loop through some trails in the forest by my work. It's got one really nasty hill about 2/3 the way into it and is a regular run during the summer. The trails have finally dried out so we gave it a shot. I could tell that my training for hills is paying off. Usually when I charge up the big hill, I really want to die and end up walking some of it. This time I didn't feel so bad. Hopefully that will help me get up Aldape summit next Saturday.
Wed. and Friday were both at the gym on the treadmill. Nothing too special. Used the incline on both runs just to get me used to what I'll be facing.
Saturday was "long" run day. I did 9 miles from the house and got to head up the forest road near where we live. It's a really nice dirt road the goes through the forest and gains about 100 ft per mile. This was the first week it's been open since the snow started which is probably what explains the lack of cars on the road (didn't see a single one). Again I ran without ipod but didn't come up with any awesome poems this time. Probably because nothing crazy happened. It was just a nice peaceful run through the trees. My stomach was giving me fits, but that was probably due to the pizza the night before and the pancakes that morning.
Deep thoughts alert!
I had some interesting thoughts after Wednesday's run. It had been a rough day at work and somebody had mentioned how glad they were it was "hump day". After my run I felt much better and got to thinking about what it is that makes me happy. I came to the conclusion that a big part of happiness is just enjoying life for what it is. Everyday presents a new challenge and new opportunities to grow and learn. I think this is analogous to running. Each run is challenging, sometimes the biggest challenge is just getting going, sometimes it is completing all those damn speed intervals. But in the end I'm always glad I went and even during the run I find moments of pure joy. So instead of being glad the weeks almost over, I'm going to try and enjoy each day for what it is.
This week the idea was to cut back on cross training and run more. So I ran 4 times this week. First on Monday I had a nice time running the "suburban loop" with Ells. The "suburban loop" is a nearly 5 mile loop through some trails in the forest by my work. It's got one really nasty hill about 2/3 the way into it and is a regular run during the summer. The trails have finally dried out so we gave it a shot. I could tell that my training for hills is paying off. Usually when I charge up the big hill, I really want to die and end up walking some of it. This time I didn't feel so bad. Hopefully that will help me get up Aldape summit next Saturday.
Wed. and Friday were both at the gym on the treadmill. Nothing too special. Used the incline on both runs just to get me used to what I'll be facing.
Saturday was "long" run day. I did 9 miles from the house and got to head up the forest road near where we live. It's a really nice dirt road the goes through the forest and gains about 100 ft per mile. This was the first week it's been open since the snow started which is probably what explains the lack of cars on the road (didn't see a single one). Again I ran without ipod but didn't come up with any awesome poems this time. Probably because nothing crazy happened. It was just a nice peaceful run through the trees. My stomach was giving me fits, but that was probably due to the pizza the night before and the pancakes that morning.
Deep thoughts alert!
I had some interesting thoughts after Wednesday's run. It had been a rough day at work and somebody had mentioned how glad they were it was "hump day". After my run I felt much better and got to thinking about what it is that makes me happy. I came to the conclusion that a big part of happiness is just enjoying life for what it is. Everyday presents a new challenge and new opportunities to grow and learn. I think this is analogous to running. Each run is challenging, sometimes the biggest challenge is just getting going, sometimes it is completing all those damn speed intervals. But in the end I'm always glad I went and even during the run I find moments of pure joy. So instead of being glad the weeks almost over, I'm going to try and enjoy each day for what it is.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Oh Shultz!
A good week of training. Started out on Tuesday running down woody mtn road again during lunch. I ran from work down to the county fairgrounds which ended up being six miles total. Then on Wednesday I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill for 3 miles with a 4% uphill grade. Can't say that was much "fun" but it was a good workout. Today was the big run up shultz pass road. I woke up early and had the road all to myself. The road snakes up about 1ooo' over 4.5 miles. Then I hit another road and gained another 400 feet or so till I hit six miles then turned around and headed back down the hill.
Robie Creek isn't going to allow ipods so I've been running sans ipod to get used to it before the big race. On Tuesday and today I left the ipod at home. I think it would be crazy to run on a treadmill without headphones so I kept them on for Wednesday's run. Anyway, the point is I've been coming up with new ways besides music to keep my head occupied while I run. Today I started doing poetry in my head. Yeah, poetry. Let me share what I came up with. After the incident I describe in the poem, I just kept coming up with these stupid rhymes. WARNING: If you are offended by references to poop or doo-doo, please stop reading.
For those of you that don't already know me
I am training for a race that they call Robie.
It's 13.1 miles of hill climbing hell
so I must train for it very very well.
On todays training run I got hit with the boo
if I need to translate, I had to poo.
It hit me around the 2 mile mark
and wouldn't go away with a few loud farts.
So I looked around for a decent spot
to pull down my pants and take a squat.
I was releived when I found T.P. in my pocket
as the shit flew like a spacebound rocket.
If this had been any day in July
I would have gotten strange looks from people passing by.
But this was April and early in the morning
when the boo hit without any warning.
After the release I sauntered back to the trail
And continued to train very very well.
I'm sorry if you find this poem gross or crude
I'm not trying to come accross as crass or rude.
I just wanted to share what was running through my head
as I ran on Shultz road, my heart full of dread.
Robie Creek isn't going to allow ipods so I've been running sans ipod to get used to it before the big race. On Tuesday and today I left the ipod at home. I think it would be crazy to run on a treadmill without headphones so I kept them on for Wednesday's run. Anyway, the point is I've been coming up with new ways besides music to keep my head occupied while I run. Today I started doing poetry in my head. Yeah, poetry. Let me share what I came up with. After the incident I describe in the poem, I just kept coming up with these stupid rhymes. WARNING: If you are offended by references to poop or doo-doo, please stop reading.
For those of you that don't already know me
I am training for a race that they call Robie.
It's 13.1 miles of hill climbing hell
so I must train for it very very well.
On todays training run I got hit with the boo
if I need to translate, I had to poo.
It hit me around the 2 mile mark
and wouldn't go away with a few loud farts.
So I looked around for a decent spot
to pull down my pants and take a squat.
I was releived when I found T.P. in my pocket
as the shit flew like a spacebound rocket.
If this had been any day in July
I would have gotten strange looks from people passing by.
But this was April and early in the morning
when the boo hit without any warning.
After the release I sauntered back to the trail
And continued to train very very well.
I'm sorry if you find this poem gross or crude
I'm not trying to come accross as crass or rude.
I just wanted to share what was running through my head
as I ran on Shultz road, my heart full of dread.
Word to your mother,
I'm out!
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