I went for a decent run yesterday. Nine nice miles, although it was cold and windy and not the most enjoyable experience. In any case, I am trying to get my head straight about running and I want to refocus on my running goals. So, here they are:
1. I currently weigh about 172 pounds. I had been down to 170, but I've gained a bit the past few weeks. It is time to stop messing around. I need to cut out the midnight PB & Cookies nonsense. I want to get to 165 in an effort to get faster and I must hit that number before my next marathon training cycle. That means, I have until the end of May to lose 7 pounds. I can do this.
2. I need to get faster. My goals require more speed, plain and simple. So, I need to incorporate some degree of speedwork. I think the best way to do that is to focus on training for a 5K and attempting to run one at 7:00/mi pace.
3. I need more speed because my goal is to qualify for the Boston marathon. I need to be able to run a marathon in 3:10 to qualify and I need to do that before I turn 34. That is going to be rather hard, frankly, so I may end up getting to qualify in the next age group, which requires a 3:20. I still want that 3:10, though. I would like to qualify for and run in the 2009 Boston Marathon.
4. To get to Boston, my goal for this year is to run a 3:25 in a marathon. It will likely be MCM again, if I get to run any marathon at all. I could try Richmond, too, which is likely to be a faster course. In any case, a 3:25 would be a major step forward and a drop of 18 minutes from my previous marathon performance. If I put in the effort, I can definitely do this.
So, to recap, I want to get to 165 pounds, run a 7:00/mi pace for a 5K and be able to do a marathon in 3:25 by year end. This will put me in position to train for a marathon in late 2008 in which I can score my Boston qualifying time. Along the way, getting personal records in a 10K and a few other races would be nice.
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday, October 16, 2006
Army Ten Miler Race Report
I know, I know. You, my faithful reader, are sick of all the running related posts. But, what did you expect? I spend as much time running and thinking about running as I do working or dealing with my family. So, bear with me, a few more running posts and then I might chill out for a bit.
So, a little over a week ago, I ran the Army Ten Miler. I signed up months ago with my friend Jon. We were going to run in the team competition, but we never got a fourth member on the team, so the team was disbanded and we ran as individuals in the "All Comers" group. This race was huge, something like 24,000 people registered for the event. I read that only 16,000 or so actually showed up, which seems like a heck of a lot of drop offs to me. Did those clowns not care that they paid $45 or more to run this thing? I don't get it and I wonder if the total registration numbers weren't inflated a bit to get some press and to pressure people to sign up quickly. At 24,000 people, they can claim that they are the largest 10 mile race in the US and the second largest in the world. In any case, as you can expect, a big race means a big pain in the ass for most runners. I'm not interested in going to a festival, but that is how these events often turn out. packet pick-up is always a chore since there is a limited amount time to get your stuff and they don't do race day pick-up, something that smaller races can handle. So, I had no choice but to waste time on a Saturday afternoon to go get a bib and the t-shirt for the race at some overcrowded hotel. And it was a waste. Parking was a bitch, the hotel was packed, and the t-shirt is fairly boring to look at. Not the ugliest one I've got, but not something I want to even wear on a plane when travelling home from a business trip. I thought the expo might be worthwhile, but I was wrong about that too. No good deals and a bunch of shitty idiots milling about, making it impossible to move or to find anything on sale. Ah, anyways. I got out of there, irritated and not particularly excited about the race. I wouldn't have even bothered to do any of this if there was any way to get my money back, but there wasn't.
The night before the race, I fell asleep early, but woke up at 2AM or so. And I couldn't get back to sleep. As it was, I planned on getting up around 5:30AM to drive to the race. I would have loved to take the Metro, but the wacky security that they'd set up for the race that disallowed runners to have cellphones, not to mention heart rate monitors and bottled water (fascist idiots), had me concerned that I'd have no way to contact anyone post-race to figure out what was going on. There were plans for a picnic at a nearby park, but I didn't want to just wing it and head over there without calling Audrey to make sure that the plan was still valid. In any case, I did catch a bit more sleep, but not enough to make much difference and then I was up and out of the house.
It was freaking cold. 50s maybe? Maybe 40s even? I didn't make any coffee (and no place was open at that time), so I grabbed my crap and headed out. I got to the parking garage in Pentagon City at 6:20AM or so. Race starts at 8AM, so I've got tons of time to kill. I hung out in the car for a bit, listening to the radio, before deciding to head over and check things out. Crowds were starting to form, but there wasn't much else to see. I hung out in the starting area, watching the parachuters come down and rubbing my legs together to try and stay warm. I didn't really prepare for the cold, so I only had shorts and a t-shirt on. Next time, I'll bring a black plastic garbage bag or something that I can ditch during the race.
It was a pretty cold and boring morning until the race started. Despite the wave start and the bib colors for general race paces, lots of people didn't listen and jammed the front. I got off fairly lucky, only having to wait a few minutes from when the gun went off until I passed the start. Some folks had to wait fifteen minutes or more. So, gun goes off and the throng lurches forward, slowly jogging as one, then suddenly stops. We start jogging again, slowly through the start, and then things pick up as the pack thins out a bit. The pack never really thinned out much over the ten miles. I spent the entire time dodging and jumping and sidestepping other runners to try and keep my pace and find room to run. It was very frustrating and I'm glad I didn't trip anyone or have anyone trip me.
I'm sure it was a scenic run, but I can't ever pay attention to the overall surroundings when I'm running, so I didn't see the Pentagon or enjoy running the bridges or look at the monuments or anything like that. It is a shame and kinds of makes it silly to keep running races in the city. If not for the sites, who cares where it is? I've enjoyed my regular runs much more, particularly those on the boardwalk in Jersey and the few runs I got to do out in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
I didn't intend to go crazy and push it, but I couldn't help things once I got started. I don't consider myself to be supercompetitive, but I just had to run as hard as I could that day. In truth, I think I could have run a bit faster, but I didn't rest up much and I took it easy for the first few miles. In the end, I crushed my previous PR for a 10 mile race, but I assumed I would considering all the training I've done since the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.
Army Ten Miler Bib # 4725
Washington, DC
October 8, 2006, 8:00 am
Time: 1:16:42
Overall Place: 1942/15589
Gender Place: 1669/8970
Pace: 7:40
Moral of the story? After my marathon, I'm not doing any more giant races like this. Except the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon, of course. But, really, that is it.
So, a little over a week ago, I ran the Army Ten Miler. I signed up months ago with my friend Jon. We were going to run in the team competition, but we never got a fourth member on the team, so the team was disbanded and we ran as individuals in the "All Comers" group. This race was huge, something like 24,000 people registered for the event. I read that only 16,000 or so actually showed up, which seems like a heck of a lot of drop offs to me. Did those clowns not care that they paid $45 or more to run this thing? I don't get it and I wonder if the total registration numbers weren't inflated a bit to get some press and to pressure people to sign up quickly. At 24,000 people, they can claim that they are the largest 10 mile race in the US and the second largest in the world. In any case, as you can expect, a big race means a big pain in the ass for most runners. I'm not interested in going to a festival, but that is how these events often turn out. packet pick-up is always a chore since there is a limited amount time to get your stuff and they don't do race day pick-up, something that smaller races can handle. So, I had no choice but to waste time on a Saturday afternoon to go get a bib and the t-shirt for the race at some overcrowded hotel. And it was a waste. Parking was a bitch, the hotel was packed, and the t-shirt is fairly boring to look at. Not the ugliest one I've got, but not something I want to even wear on a plane when travelling home from a business trip. I thought the expo might be worthwhile, but I was wrong about that too. No good deals and a bunch of shitty idiots milling about, making it impossible to move or to find anything on sale. Ah, anyways. I got out of there, irritated and not particularly excited about the race. I wouldn't have even bothered to do any of this if there was any way to get my money back, but there wasn't.
The night before the race, I fell asleep early, but woke up at 2AM or so. And I couldn't get back to sleep. As it was, I planned on getting up around 5:30AM to drive to the race. I would have loved to take the Metro, but the wacky security that they'd set up for the race that disallowed runners to have cellphones, not to mention heart rate monitors and bottled water (fascist idiots), had me concerned that I'd have no way to contact anyone post-race to figure out what was going on. There were plans for a picnic at a nearby park, but I didn't want to just wing it and head over there without calling Audrey to make sure that the plan was still valid. In any case, I did catch a bit more sleep, but not enough to make much difference and then I was up and out of the house.
It was freaking cold. 50s maybe? Maybe 40s even? I didn't make any coffee (and no place was open at that time), so I grabbed my crap and headed out. I got to the parking garage in Pentagon City at 6:20AM or so. Race starts at 8AM, so I've got tons of time to kill. I hung out in the car for a bit, listening to the radio, before deciding to head over and check things out. Crowds were starting to form, but there wasn't much else to see. I hung out in the starting area, watching the parachuters come down and rubbing my legs together to try and stay warm. I didn't really prepare for the cold, so I only had shorts and a t-shirt on. Next time, I'll bring a black plastic garbage bag or something that I can ditch during the race.
It was a pretty cold and boring morning until the race started. Despite the wave start and the bib colors for general race paces, lots of people didn't listen and jammed the front. I got off fairly lucky, only having to wait a few minutes from when the gun went off until I passed the start. Some folks had to wait fifteen minutes or more. So, gun goes off and the throng lurches forward, slowly jogging as one, then suddenly stops. We start jogging again, slowly through the start, and then things pick up as the pack thins out a bit. The pack never really thinned out much over the ten miles. I spent the entire time dodging and jumping and sidestepping other runners to try and keep my pace and find room to run. It was very frustrating and I'm glad I didn't trip anyone or have anyone trip me.
I'm sure it was a scenic run, but I can't ever pay attention to the overall surroundings when I'm running, so I didn't see the Pentagon or enjoy running the bridges or look at the monuments or anything like that. It is a shame and kinds of makes it silly to keep running races in the city. If not for the sites, who cares where it is? I've enjoyed my regular runs much more, particularly those on the boardwalk in Jersey and the few runs I got to do out in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
I didn't intend to go crazy and push it, but I couldn't help things once I got started. I don't consider myself to be supercompetitive, but I just had to run as hard as I could that day. In truth, I think I could have run a bit faster, but I didn't rest up much and I took it easy for the first few miles. In the end, I crushed my previous PR for a 10 mile race, but I assumed I would considering all the training I've done since the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.
Army Ten Miler Bib # 4725
Washington, DC
October 8, 2006, 8:00 am
Time: 1:16:42
Overall Place: 1942/15589
Gender Place: 1669/8970
Pace: 7:40
Moral of the story? After my marathon, I'm not doing any more giant races like this. Except the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon, of course. But, really, that is it.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Marathon Training Update
Anybody care really? Things are going well, all in all. I've run three 20 milers now and think my training is on track. Yesterday's run was rather hard, ending with me collapsing on the front lawn. But, I feel fine today. Two more big runs, the Army Ten Miler, and then it is time to start the taper. I've got time, but I can feel the marathon getting closer now. I am bit nervous, but I'm also really excited.
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