run run run

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been trying to pick up the speed on some of the medium runs. Today I went out and was hoping to get done before the rain and I accomplished that. I didn't feel like I was running "that" hard, but when I was done I had run 6 miles in 45:39 (7:36/mile according to Mr. Garmin). That's pretty fast for me. I was pleased to say the least. I felt good afterwards and didn't feel like I pushed myself to hard. I've only gone that fast several times during some shorter 3 mile runs and once during a Duathlon (the first 5K of the Apple Duathlon in 2008), so it appears that my endurance is getting better. Depending on the weather, I will try and do an easy 5 miles and rest on Friday for my 16 miler this weekend.

St. Paul Half Marathon/Chicago Marathon

My wife Sarah finished her first half marathon on Sunday! She finished in 2:34. Slower than she hoped, but it was hot and humid, so finishing was primary. She ran with her friend Angela and both had a good time. Congrats dear!

Since the Lifetime Triathlon, I switched gears back to marathon training. I had a little more spring in my step having now accomplished my first triathlon (and doing better than I expected) and just weeks after having finished my first marathon. Now that I now what I need to work on and having experienced what it's like to run 26.2 miles, I am anxious to try my hand at the Chicago Marathon. 

I know that I need to work on speed, so I've been doing more Fatrlek training sessions. I also just like saying Fartlek.....Fartlek, Fartlek, Farlek. I know, how childish.  Anyway, I was reviewing my training log (a spreadsheet I keep at work) the other day and looking at my prep for Grandma's and realized that I didn't complete all my long runs. I noticed that on the weekends that I was scheduled to do long runs, we were out at my wife's parents place. They live out in western MN, 4 miles north of a town called Chokio. If any of you have ever been out this way know that there is not much to look at unless you like fields of corn or soybeans and the wind doesn't stop blowing! I mean really blowing. Not just a light breeze across the open plains; but howling, skin stripping, wind! 

I've already had better long runs this summer and the heat hasn't gotten to me the last couple weekends; temps were only in the low 70's at the start, but the humidity has been 85%+. One of those runs, I got to do with my brother. We knocked off a 14 miler in 2hrs 7 min. Not bad. he lives just outside Chicago and I'll be running with him on Oct 11. Or at least we'll be starting together. He's run this marathon a couple times and is a much faster runner. 

I have a better plan for this marathon and have enjoyed the longer runs more. The cold weather and wind this spring didn't make the long runs as enjoyable. I hope to make a good run at a 4hr marathon and hope the training thus far has served me better than Grandma's. 

  

LifeTime Triathlon

I am finally writing about my first official triathlon experience. It went great! The day before my friend Ryan came down to Apple Valley and met me and the family to go to the Expo. We picked up our "stuff", browsed around, and went for supper. I had a pasta dinner and Ryan had pizza. 

We got back, I put in some "yanks" and talked about the next days game plan. 

At 4:30am, got up, had some oatmeal, banana, loaded up and left for Lake Nokomis. We parked a long ways away, got the bikes off the rack, and made our way to transition. We watched the pro's take off and waited around for...ev....er. The weather was great and it was quite an awesome experience to see so many people with the same goal in mind. Ryan's friend from work came for the race from Virginia Beach, VA and we hung out before the race. 

I had a finish time in mind, but each time I've shared that time, I've come up short. Anyway, to say I was nervous about the swim, would be a colossal understatement. I got my wetsuit on, jumped in the lake for a minute, wished my friends good luck and got in line. I waited my turn and when they said go, I went. The swim didn't go well, but on the upside, I did meet some very nice lifeguards. My swim time was 22:53 (3:33/100m). When I got out of the water, I was very happy and  even happier to hear my wife and daughter cheering me on as I ran up the beach.

 From that point forward, I had a huge smile on my face. I hopped on "Lucy" and took off. I had rode the course the week before and hit it hard. Ryan and Mike (Ryan's friend from VA) had started about 2 minutes behind me in the swim, but managed to pass me somehow. I can't imagine how. I did manage to pass Ryan on the bike at mile 3. I hit it hard and was passing people left and right. Of the 3 duathlons I had done, I had only passed one person, so It was a nice boost to the ego after the swim to know I could make up some time. I finished the bike in 48:09 (18.7MPH), much better than I anticipated. I jumped off my bike, racked it, grabbed my hat, and off I went on the run. I felt good and was still smiling. My wife and daughter cheered my on as I left T2 and was another good boost of energy.  I went through the aid station, grabbed some water and pushed it with all I had. About a half mile from the finish I hear Mike say "Jeff!". I had passed him and didn't even know it. I asked if he wanted to sprint to the finish,  but he declined. I finished the run in 24:01 (8:00/M). Mike crossed a minute or 2 behind me. My overall time was 1:39:48 and finished over 10 minutes ahead of my goal. The bike and run went better than expected.  We waited for Ryan to finish, talked about the race and our different experiences and left to go our separate ways. I was still smiling and with my family waiting for me at the end, how could I not. What a spectacular experience. I can't wait to do another. But for now, I have to transition back to Marathon mode. Chicago 10/11/09. I want to see if I can finish sub 4 hours. We'll see it happens, if not, you can bet I'll be smiling when I see my family. 

Grandma's Marathon

I guess I haven't been paying attention. I never reported on my first marathon. Grandma's went as good as could be. We got there the day before the race. Had lunch, waited for friends to meet us at the hotel and then headed to the expo to get the race packet. After parking, we "milled" around the expo, bought a new tank top and got my race number. The tank was going to be the best purchase I made in recent history. We ate the spaghetti dinner and made our way back to the hotel. The friends that met us there decided to go for a drink and my wife decided to go with them. My daughter fell asleep and I did shortly after. I set the alarm for 4:30AM.  

The alarm went off, I got up, showered, and headed to the lobby for breakfast. Several banana's and a bowl of oatmeal later and I was ready to go. I went back to the room, got my drop bag, and hopped on the bus. I had a nice talk with a guy from Coon Rapids who had run several times and I got some good advice. 

I dropped off my drop bag and got in line for the port o pot. After that, I stretched for the next 10-15 minutes and made my way to the start line. I lined up with the 4 hr finish time people. They sang the national anthem, some jets flew by, and we were off. I of course had to pee again right away, so I stopped at the first port o pot I found at mile 1. The next few miles I ran and talked with a guy from Ely who run's Ultra's. Interesting discussion and one heck of a nice guy. He finished the Zubro 100 in 27 hours, Amazing!  I chatted a little with other people along the way and realized that it was hot! Hotter than expected. Glad I had on the tank and not the short sleeve tech shirt I brought. I watched my times on the Garmin and knew that I wasn't going to reach my goal of 4hrs. Oh well, it was only one of the goals I set for the day. The other was to have fun and finish. 

I  kept a decent pace and was taking in a lot of fluids, which was good. The weather was hot and reached close to 90 degrees. I got to town with 6 miles to go. The mood was festive and people were spraying garden hoses, handing out beers, and the music was pumping. I took in a homemade slip N slide at a frat house and was then offered a beer bong, which I politely declined. 

I pushed as hard as I could between aid stations and finished in 4hrs 27 min. I saw my wife and daughter about .2 miles from the finish and I smiled as I ran by. I got my medal, a sandwich, and headed to the lake. I sat in the water and thought about my adventure. I couldn't believe I did it and went to share my accomplishment with my family.  

6 days and counting.....

Only 6 days until Grandma's Marathon! I sure hope that I did enough to get in under 4 hours. I worry about dumb things like getting a cold, forgetting my registration card, or just stubbing my damn toe the night before the race. I hope the weather is good too. I have to admit that I would have done things differently with regards to training if I knew then what I know now.  I will have the chance to put this to practice for the Chicago Marathon in October.  I also just realized that the LifeTime Triathlon is only 3 weeks from Grandma's! I didn't leave myself a lot of time for brick workouts prior to my first triathlon (outdoor), but I'll have to make due. Wish me luck this weekend and I got my fingers crossed for the $75 giftcard giveaway on Steve in a speedo's blog. 

update

Since my last post I've been mostly concentrating on putting in some extra miles running. I have however been doing some cross training in an attempt work on my core. I've been swimming once a week on Wednesday nights and been doing some additional work outs. I ran the Trail Mix 25K on 4/18. It was my first trail race and was an awesome day. The weather was great. I got there in time to see the 50K runners take off. I got stretched and ready and approximately 30 minutes later we were off.  This was my longest run to date and realized about half way in I should have done more hill work. None the less, it was fun. I finished in 2hrs and 41 minutes. I really feel I could have finished in the 2hr 30min range, but took a slight detour. About half way through the race I did the 2 mile loop between the aid station twice. I was a little thrown off. I walked for awhile trying to decide what to do. I decided that when I returned for the second loop I would turn around without doing the loop a third time.  I was happy to see my wife and daughter waiting for me at the finish line. After the race, we went to the enormous playground and played. My daughter and I climbed to the top and I had to carry her back down as she decided she didn't like walking on the rope bridges. It was a great day!

I got in a 3 mile run the following day to get the "kinks" out. I met some cool people while at the Trail Mix and 3 of them had completed Ironman's, an eventual goal (dream) of mine. 

I got a couple of good runs in this week and a good bike ride (first of the year), 10 miles in about 44 min. 

Grandma's marathon is 8 weeks away and I'm getting excited. Time to get in some long runs and shoot for the sub 4hr marathon. 

new bike!

As the title suggests, we got a new bike. Since we (my wife and I) only had a hybrid bike and a mountain bike respectively, we made a financial decision to purchase a rode bike. It wasn't easy as we are not immune to the financial crisis just like anyone else; diminishing 401K's, salary freezes, and possible layoff's at work. Oh yeah, and we both work at the same company. But since we both have made an increased effort to live a healthy lifestyle and staying in shape, the rode bike is something we can both use for different events into the future. 

We've been talking about what to name the bike. It's red in color, so my wife initially thought "Lucy" was a good name, in honor of Lucille Ball. I simply thought "Red" was a good name, but that seemed to obvious. I asked my 2 year old daughter what we should name the bike and she said "Winnie the Pooh". Well I don't think we could argue with the cuteness of that, so "Winnie the Pooh" it is! Or just Winnie or Pooh or WTP, the possibilities are endless. 

If it ever gets warm for more that a day or two, we may even be able to use it before May.

Down time

The last few weeks have been kind of slow in the training department. We seem to be passing "colds" around every week and someone has been sniffling or sneezing at just about any given moment. I am starting to feel better and have been to do some incline work on the treadmill. I plan to start getting in some mileage soon, but a little help from the weather would be nice. I will try and be more consistent with the posts. It helps keep me honest and focused on my goals. April 18th is the Trail Mix 25K and I got some work to do. 

one week later

It appears that I'm paying for last weeks antics. The sunday following the 10K resulted in a sinus infection. I finally broke down and went to a minute clinic. The PA confirmed my own diagnosis and advised I use a decongestant, sudifed, nasal wash, and ibuprofen. This has set me back running, but I've had a chance to put on some miles on the stationary bike for the indoor tri next week. Anyway, the super bowl is on, so the american thing to do is watch the commercials. I also got Pam Reeds book and can't wait to read it. later 

Winter Carnival

This was kind of an eventful morning. Woke at 6am, ate some breakfast, and was off to swim laps. I use the term "swim" loosely as I'm trying to get used to the water as I'm not a very strong swimmer.  Anyway, I swam from 7am until 7:40am.  I showered off and donned multiple layers of clothing for the next order of business. My choice of clothing went something like this; wind brief, 2 layers of tights, 2 pairs of socks, one short sleeve layer,  one long sleeve layer, a wool sweater, a windproof jacket shell, a balaclava, stocking cap, and ski goggles. The temp on the drive to St. Paul was -13 degrees not including the windchill.  One the way I thought to myself that maybe the half marathon wasn't a good idea and thought the 5K would be a better option. When I arrived, I heard that they cancelled the half and dropped it down to a 10K. I thought, "that's doable".  

The start was cold to say the least and was glad I had the goggles. The first mile was tough as I adjusted to running into the wind. My balaclava frosted up, but was still effective. The windchill was something like -25. After the blood was flowing and I got to the turnaround (28 minutes seemed respectable given the conditions), the run back was much more enjoyable. I drank a small bottle of water and used the port a potty. I got a video text from my wife and daughter, who had enough sense to stay at home, wishing me good luck and to stay warm, which I was at that point. I thought a return picture was in order, so I took a self portrait and sent it off, all while i was running. I got a couple looks. Unbeknownst to me, my lovely wife forwarded it one to some friends an family. Needless to say I had an ice beard attached to the winter growth I had. 

The last couple of miles was good and the finish time was about 58 min. Not a bad start to the weekend.  

Grandma's Marathon

Well I did it. I signed up for my first marathon. Grandma's Marathon in Duluth MN. It is basically a run from Two Harbors Minnesota south along the shore of Lake Superior (Lake Gichigumi if you're PC) to Duluth. I am really excited and can't wait! There are a couple of races I may run prior to Grandma's; the St. Paul winter carnival 1/2 Marathon and the Trail Mix 25K in April. I only hope I can put in enough miles to make a sensible go of it. I also started doing my lap swimming last saturday. It didn't go as well as I would have liked, but it's a start and I know that I have a lot of work to do. Enough talk, time to get going. 

I'm finding it difficult to get any consistent running. It's part motivation (it's been so cold outside) and part illness (cold season is upon us). A half marathon on 1/24 may be a lofty goal with the way the training has been lately, but I'll make the final decision the day prior. My lap swimming time starts this Saturday morning and I am excited. I will have to do some research on some swim techniques and exercises in preparation for the upcoming indoor tri and this summers activities. 

long run

Well I guess I'm not very consistent at posting as some, but I'm new at this and not the most technical guy in the world. I have been making my spring, summer, and fall 2009 plans for running and triathlons. First order of business, the indoor tri at the U.  I committed to this with my friend who got me into this new lifestyle. I am excited and nervous at the same time. My weakest point is definitely the swim and that is a huge understatement. I am not a strong swimmer, but recently signed up for for some pool time through a local school district. I have no expectations of my swim time (or distance within the time).  

Next, I need to send in my entry form for the Trail Mix 25K. I entertained the thought of doing the 50K, but common sense (or as I like to call her, my wife) convinced me to do the 25K. I'm sure this was the right decision. My tentative plans after that go something like this; Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in July, another triathlon in Glenwood Mn in august, and marathon sometime in the late summer or fall. I would enjoy doing a marathon with my brother who lives in Chicago. He's done the Chicago Marathon twice and I may have him convinced to do another in 2009. If not, I will have to go it alone. 

But before I can do any of these things, I have to get into training mode. This last week, I logged about 24 miles, half of which was outstide. Semi-respectable times given the conditions. More posts and miles to come in the future. 

Happy New Year! 2009 is off to a slow start. We (my wife, daughter, and I) are all getting over colds. However, I looks to be a promising year in the area of running. This is my first post and therefore I'll keep it short.