A few weeks ago, when I started my old political blog back up, I noticed in my archives that I did a blog posting when I began running back in 2008. It's very comical to look back on it now (especially writing that a 5K is 3.2 miles, haha), but what caught my mind was seeing that I was training for a race on November 27th, 2008, the inaugural Lansdowne Turkey Trot. Today marks the 4th anniversary (or, race-iversary, if you will) of that momentous (for me) occasion.
It has also caused me to look back on how far I've come as a runner in those 4 years. That first race, for example, I ran it in 30:47 (gun time, as the race was not chip timed), which, from what I have been told is not a bad time for your first 5K. The course was hilly, but it was in my neighborhood, so I had been running portions of that course for the 2 1/2 months preceding the race. It was at that moment that I began to think of myself as a runner, and the next day I went to the local running store to get properly fitted for a pair of running shoes.
34 races later, that 30:47 5K time has been replaced with a 25:04 5K time, an improvement of over 5 minutes in just 4 years. I've run fourteen 5K's, six 10K's, three 10 Milers, 5 Half-Marathons, and one full Marathon. That first 5K was simply a bucket list item, and it's morphed into something more substantial, 4 years of hard work, fitnress, and a love of running.
And I don't want to stop.
Post script to yesterday's blog post
My Twitter friend "Tai Fung" asked me yesterday what was it that spurred my son to want to participate in the Gingerbread Man Mile last week? So I went to the source, and asked him.
Was it because Daddy is a runner, and he wanted to be like me? Did he think that running a race would make me happy? Or was there some other underlying reason?
His answer was simple: he said, "I just thought it would be kinda cool to run a race."
Yeah, it is kinda cool.
Showing posts with label improvement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improvement. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
After The Thrill Is Gone
For the past 20 weeks (and more likely, since March), my mind has been consumed with one thought: finishing the Marine Corps Marathon. Now that the end is near, in a week I will be faced with the post-marathon blues. What do I have to train for now?
I have been giving that a lot of thought, and as of today, I think my plan will be to run a number of 10-milers next year. It's my favorite race distance, and to date, I've only done 3 of them. The races I'm targeting:
I also believe that I should take the remainder of 2012 to get in the habit of doing core work and restarting my strength training workouts. These are areas that would help me improve if I were to just put in some effort. I am guilty of neglecting these 2 areas and focusing just on roadwork.
As for other race distances, I don't think I'm going to try another marathon again anytime soon. The time it has taken away from my family wasn't something my wife was particularly happy with, so I think I'll just cross "finishing a marathon" off my bucket list and focus on races up to 10 miles, and throw in an occasional Half Marathon when the occasion suits me. I enjoyed the challenge of marathon training, but there are more important things in life.
One thing that I'd like to explore, though, and would need to discuss with my family beforehand, is possibly training for a 50K in 2015 (the year I turn 50). I believe that could be a rather unique way of celebrating a half-century on this planet, but we shall see. Until then, I will be focused on continuous improvement and overall fitness.
I have been giving that a lot of thought, and as of today, I think my plan will be to run a number of 10-milers next year. It's my favorite race distance, and to date, I've only done 3 of them. The races I'm targeting:
1) Cherry Blossom Ten Miler: a signature event for the Washington, DC, metro area, and a race that I've never tried, usually due to conflicts with other Spring half-marathons I've been training for.
2) Broad Street Run: Back in 2009, this was my first race over the 5K distance, and with it being held in the area where I grew up (Philadelphia), I hold a special fondness for this race. Plus, the course is flat-to-negative sloped, so it's easy on the legs.
3) Army Ten Miler: another great race in our Nation's Capital. I ran this in 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed everything about this event.
4) Reston 10 Miler: this race is in my current hometown, and although it's hilly, I ran it well preparing for the Rock & Roll USA Half Marathon this past March. I have to support the local races.
As for other race distances, I don't think I'm going to try another marathon again anytime soon. The time it has taken away from my family wasn't something my wife was particularly happy with, so I think I'll just cross "finishing a marathon" off my bucket list and focus on races up to 10 miles, and throw in an occasional Half Marathon when the occasion suits me. I enjoyed the challenge of marathon training, but there are more important things in life.
One thing that I'd like to explore, though, and would need to discuss with my family beforehand, is possibly training for a 50K in 2015 (the year I turn 50). I believe that could be a rather unique way of celebrating a half-century on this planet, but we shall see. Until then, I will be focused on continuous improvement and overall fitness.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Homestretch
49 months ago, when I went out for my first run in over 20 years, never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd be attempting a marathon, much less even thinking about one. In fact, I distinctly recall a conversation I had with my running partner back then, saying I wasn't even interested in running a HALF marathon. I couldn't fathom running for 2-plus hours.
But here I am, 20 days away from lining up for the Marine Corps Marathon. Yesterday I completed a 22-mile training run, in just under 3 hours, 45 minutes. Two 20-milers within 4 weeks. a 173-mile month of September. And I've probably eaten more spaghetti, pancakes, and potatoes in the past 5 weeks that I care to think about.
It's almost here.
My whole lower body aches. My left calf has been screaming at me for the past 2 weeks now. My right foot, where I had a bout of plantar fasciitis a couple months ago, is reminding me to not forget about him. My right hip flexor wants my attention as well. But it's too close to let any of that affect me. This is within my grasp.
Going in to this, my goal was to just finish the race. A few weeks into training, with the stifling heat & humidity, I was wondering if it was all worth it. Monster Month came, and I regained my confidence. And yesterday's run, while it was excruciatingly difficult, affirmed the fact that, yeah, I can finish this thing. I have a time goal, but that takes a back seat to just finishing. My ultimate goal for MCM would be a 4:08:00, which is a 9:30 pace. Depending on how I come out of the hills early in the race, that could be doable. More likely, I'm looking at a 4:15-4:20 finish (9:45 to 10:00 pace). I'd be happy with that.
I've received tons of motivation & help from a lot of people these past 17 weeks, and for that I'm extremely grateful. It's helped me get through this. But I can see that finish line now. It's that close. When and if I cross that finish line, it will be my biggest personal athletic achievement of my 47+ years.
From 275 pounds and grossly out-of-shape in April 2007 to potentially being called "marathoner" in October 2012 is beyond words for me.
Tramps like us...
But here I am, 20 days away from lining up for the Marine Corps Marathon. Yesterday I completed a 22-mile training run, in just under 3 hours, 45 minutes. Two 20-milers within 4 weeks. a 173-mile month of September. And I've probably eaten more spaghetti, pancakes, and potatoes in the past 5 weeks that I care to think about.
It's almost here.
My whole lower body aches. My left calf has been screaming at me for the past 2 weeks now. My right foot, where I had a bout of plantar fasciitis a couple months ago, is reminding me to not forget about him. My right hip flexor wants my attention as well. But it's too close to let any of that affect me. This is within my grasp.
Going in to this, my goal was to just finish the race. A few weeks into training, with the stifling heat & humidity, I was wondering if it was all worth it. Monster Month came, and I regained my confidence. And yesterday's run, while it was excruciatingly difficult, affirmed the fact that, yeah, I can finish this thing. I have a time goal, but that takes a back seat to just finishing. My ultimate goal for MCM would be a 4:08:00, which is a 9:30 pace. Depending on how I come out of the hills early in the race, that could be doable. More likely, I'm looking at a 4:15-4:20 finish (9:45 to 10:00 pace). I'd be happy with that.
I've received tons of motivation & help from a lot of people these past 17 weeks, and for that I'm extremely grateful. It's helped me get through this. But I can see that finish line now. It's that close. When and if I cross that finish line, it will be my biggest personal athletic achievement of my 47+ years.
From 275 pounds and grossly out-of-shape in April 2007 to potentially being called "marathoner" in October 2012 is beyond words for me.
Tramps like us...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Hitting My Mark
Today was intervals. Never my favorite training day, but a necessity, nonetheless. It was made more daunting when I woke up this morning and saw the weather - 78 degrees with a dewpoint of 74. Very uncomfortable, but I went out.
The plan was to run 5 miles; a 1/2 mile warmup, and six half-mile repeats with quarter-mile jogs in between. My goal pace for the repeats was 8:45. As I've said many times here, the streets in my neighborhood are very hilly. This would be quite a task, indeed.
The humidity was stifling but I persevered. At one point (halfway through my 3rd repeat), I looked at my Garmin to check my pace, and saw 7:47. That's right, a sub-8:00 pace. Unbelieveable. I backed off slightly so as to not blow myself out.
I got to the point after my 3rd repeat where I actually walked for 1/10 mile after finishing the half-mile interval. Then I picked it back up to a jog before starting again. Mostly because I felt as if I was breathing through a carpet. I did that for the rest of the run, and it helped.
When I finished my run, I checked my Garmin, and saw the numbers: 26:16 for 6 half-mile repeats (overall, 47:17 for 5 miles). That, my friends, is an 8:46 pace. I hit the mark, dead on!
A great way to start the day!
The plan was to run 5 miles; a 1/2 mile warmup, and six half-mile repeats with quarter-mile jogs in between. My goal pace for the repeats was 8:45. As I've said many times here, the streets in my neighborhood are very hilly. This would be quite a task, indeed.
The humidity was stifling but I persevered. At one point (halfway through my 3rd repeat), I looked at my Garmin to check my pace, and saw 7:47. That's right, a sub-8:00 pace. Unbelieveable. I backed off slightly so as to not blow myself out.
I got to the point after my 3rd repeat where I actually walked for 1/10 mile after finishing the half-mile interval. Then I picked it back up to a jog before starting again. Mostly because I felt as if I was breathing through a carpet. I did that for the rest of the run, and it helped.
When I finished my run, I checked my Garmin, and saw the numbers: 26:16 for 6 half-mile repeats (overall, 47:17 for 5 miles). That, my friends, is an 8:46 pace. I hit the mark, dead on!
A great way to start the day!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Constant Improvement
I was looking at my running statistics this morning, and I noticed a number that I had never seen before:
88.6
That's the number of miles I logged in the month of March. That's also a personal high - I ran 71.4 this past January, and 69.1 last June; those were my top monthly totals before then. Of course, running and training for a half-marathon is what contributed to that number, and also not being injured helps. I'm trying to keep my weekend long run at least 10 miles, since I'll be running another half marathon in less than 6 months.
I'll have to keep that monthly pace up if I want to reach my goal of running 1,000 miles in 2010. Hopefully, with the bilzzards past us, training for another half, and as long as I stay healthy, I don't see a problem reaching that goal.
88.6
That's the number of miles I logged in the month of March. That's also a personal high - I ran 71.4 this past January, and 69.1 last June; those were my top monthly totals before then. Of course, running and training for a half-marathon is what contributed to that number, and also not being injured helps. I'm trying to keep my weekend long run at least 10 miles, since I'll be running another half marathon in less than 6 months.
I'll have to keep that monthly pace up if I want to reach my goal of running 1,000 miles in 2010. Hopefully, with the bilzzards past us, training for another half, and as long as I stay healthy, I don't see a problem reaching that goal.
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