As promised, I have completed a calendar for all of our runs for this calendar year. Click here for a direct link the calendar; you can also download the file, if you like.
In interest of keeping things simple our group runs will take place at one of three places:
KCPD Regional Police Academy
Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport
Trolley Track Trail
We will meet at the lower-level entrance on the east side of the building for runs scheduled at the Academy, assuming weather is favorable. Plan to meet at the indoor track if weather is poor.
As for runs at the other locations, if weather is poor we can default to meeting at the Academy indoor track, as well.
Park in a lot on the southeast corner of W. 74th Street & Wornall Road for any runs scheduled at the Trolley Track Trail.
Although these locations were chosen for simplicity and consistency, please feel free to suggest any other locations for a group run. We can keep things flexible to ensure as many people as possible enjoy running together.
Finally, I added several local races of interest to the calendar. The list is far from inclusive so there will be events that I did not include. I can add other events to the calendar, if desired.
Hello everyone...I hope you all had festive Christmas and New Year's holidays!
As with last year, I decided to let our group go dormant for about a month due to the end of year craziness that tends to happen. Now that 2014 is already here it's time to pick up where we left off.
With that in mind, I am finally getting around to implementing a suggestion made by one of our group members when it comes to scheduling runs. Instead of the rather haphazard nature I've used to schedule runs so far, I am in the process of creating a calendar for all our runs this calendar year.
In addition to the calendar itself, other differences include the runs will now be scheduled more frequently and well in advance, which I hope will make it easier for people to participate in more of our runs. Runs will still occur in the same pattern as before, namely a run up north, then downtown, and then down south.
One final addition I plan to make to the calendar is listing dates of local races for everyone to reference. A couple quick examples include the Rock the Parkway Half-marathon and Kansas City Marathon, but I will include events of all distances.
The calendar should be posted here on the blog within a week at most...until then I hope your new year starts off well!
Well, as I mentioned in one of my recent posts I have decided to jump in to another marathon training program.
I have decided to run the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene, Kansas on April 12 of next year. I have run spring half-marathons before but this will be my first full marathon so early in the year.
This also means I will be training for a marathon during the winter for the first time and walking into uncharted terrority. Potentially harsh weather is the obvious concern, not so much because of the weather itself but because it may well force most of my workouts indoors.
The good news is I have a decent amount of cold weather running gear so with luck I'll be able to run outdoors more often than not. Cold temperatures are not fun to run in but I can manage...on the other hand, several inches of snow, or even worse, ice will most likely force me to hit the treadmill. Logging lots of miles indoors does not sound like my idea of fun but we'll just have to wait and see how the weeks and months unfold!
In addition to the Eisenhower Marathon I will also register for the Chocolate Rush Half-Marathon. It is scheduled for February 8 in Overland Park, Kansas. Much like the Eisenhower Marathon, this will be the earliest in the year I have ever run a half-marathon and I am frankly not looking forward to it. The timing of the race is perfect for me to use it as a tune-up race to determine my overall progress so it will be worth sucking it up and running in the cold.
As is often the case, both the Eisenhower Marathon and Chocolate Rush Half-Marathon offer events for the shorter distances. If anyone wishes to join me for either of the events I encourage you to do so!
One of our running club members forwarded a very insightful article about the impact of wind on running performance. I was familiar with some of the basics, such as the impact of a headwind, but the article does a great job explaining findings of other factors such as tailwinds and even drafting behind other runners.
As always, remember intensity is all relative. Do not force yourself to run outside of your current ability. Keep in mind intensity can change within a single workout, as well, as you become tired. So you may be able to run at 6.5mph for the first 3:30 interval but at only 5.5mph for your final interval, both of which may feel like a Level 8 out of 10.
The 1:30 recovery can also be an easy jog or simply a walk, depending on one's ability.
Finally, the choice of four to six rounds is also based on your ability. If you can barely finish four rounds, make the smart decision and call it a day. If you're still feeling strong after four intervals, go after some more!
BE SMART AND RUN WITH YOUR HEAD AS MUCH AS YOU DO YOUR LEGS!
I unplugged from running for a few weeks after my marathon on October 13. This gave me ample time to not only physically recover from the race (more on that in the following paragraphs) but to reflect on the race itself.
With that said, here it is, my race report for the Prairie Fire Marathon:
The Good
The good news is I set a new PR, 3:05:50! This is an improvement of a little over eight minutes from my previous PR, which I also set at the Prairie Fire Marathon in 2011. Pound-for-pound this was arguably my best marathon, even though I did miss both of my time goals. I'll get to that in the next section, though.
My pre-race nutrition worked out great; I stuck with my plan of two meals before race start. I woke up four hours before race start for my first meal, a bowl of rice and some water. I then went back to bed for about an hour, then had my second meal of a custom shake of Muscle Milk Collegiate and CytoCarb II and a banana.
I was also surprised about my nutrition needs during the race. I originally planned to run with my own water bottle for the first six miles or so, but ended up holding onto it until about the half-marathon mark. I had my preferred sports drink in it so it wasn't a big deal to keep it with me other than the effort to simply hold the bottle for so long.
I used only two gels, too, which is the least amount I've ever used. I also never drank Gatorade while on the course, using only water after I ditched my bottle. This was fine by me, as I've found most cups of sports drink served during a race are not mixed well, being far too concentrated and sweet.
I credit the "train low, race high" approach I've mentioned previously to such a successful nutrition strategy. I feel my body was capable to properly utilize fat during the latter stages of the race, just as planned. I never faded due to nutrition and felt physically strong the entire race. I still slowed toward the end, but only by a small margin. In fact, the second half of the race was only about a minute slower than the first.
Much like nutrition, my pacing strategy was also where it needed to be when looking at the big picture. I started my first few miles intelligently and I think that, coupled with my good nutrition, allowed me to have a good race from start to finish.
Other, smaller factors likely contributed to my performance. The hotel at which I stayed was literally right next to the start/finish area, allowing me to sleep just a little bit more and not have to worry about driving to and parking at the race.
My race attire was also comfortable the entire race, which doesn't always happen.
In the end I was very pleased with my performance...although I missed my time goal I can tell I'm headed in the right direction!
The Bad
The obvious "bad" thing that happened is that I missed my time goals. My primary goal was to finish under three hours. A backup goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which I missed by only 50 seconds!
While knocking over five minutes off my time was arguably a tall order, I can say with relative certainty I should have gotten my BQ time. Although my first few miles were paced intelligently, I was perhaps a bit too conservative around miles four through six. Looking at my pace throughout the race I can see where I should have pushed the pace a bit harder, including around the first 10K of the race and around mile 16.
But as I said above, this was my most solid marathon effort so far, so overall I can't complain!
Other than my finish times the only other thing worth noting is it took longer than usual for me to recover. I'm usually back to normal within a handful of days after a marathon and no longer than a week. It took a good two weeks before I really felt the urge to get back out and run again.
I suppose part of this could be attributed to the intensity and pace at which I ran, which was the fastest I've ever ran a marathon. Perhaps age is starting to catch up with me, as well. I am only in my early thirties but I can tell how more intense training and racing is beginning to take its toll.
One thing I should do is to dial in my daily nutrition better. Overall my diet is sound but I've been a bit more lax on occasion than I would prefer. I may need to revisit The Paleo Diet for Athletes, which served me very well for my Ironman a few years ago.
The Ugly
There is only one crazy thing to report here: I contracted a small infection on one of my feet! I'm not exactly sure what caused it and I'm not sure if it happened during the race itself.
I could tell I was starting to get a small blister on the bottom of my left foot during the final couple miles of the race, but it was barely noticeable and not painful at all. I looked at my foot after the race and could tell a blister was starting to form but the skin was still intact.
A couple days later, however, the bottom of my foot was a bit red and swollen, so I went to the doctor. A quick prescription of antibiotics knocked it out after just a couple days but that was the first, and hopefully last, time I can say I ever picked up an infection while racing!
So What's Next?
First things first, I owe my wife a big, heartfelt THANK YOU for letting me continue to race, particularly races such as marathons that take up so much time in the training process. It means a lot that she lets me do what I enjoy, particularly now that we have a family. She never complains about my training, which means more to me than she probably knows. I love you!
As for what's next, given I was so close to my time goals I've decided to hop right in and start training for a spring 2014 marathon. I haven't decided which race I want to run but will do so shortly.
So with that in mind, be on the lookout for some more training updates in the near future!
The KCPD's Police Athletic League (PAL) is hosting a Halloween Fun Run on Tuesday, October 29 at 6pm at the PAL Center (1801 White Avenue).
This should be a family-friendly event, allowing children that participate to run on the outdoor track at the PAL Center. Games and Halloween treats inside the PAL Center await after the Fun Run.
PAL has reached out to our running group to show up and support the kids. It would be a great way for our group to interact with kids doing something we already enjoy. Reply here on the blog or send me a message if you're interested in lending a hand.
It's time for another northland run and I have a new location for us to try. I've recently added the loop around Metro North Mall (400 NW Barry Road) to my runs and quickly learned it's a nice place to add some miles with minimal traffic.
Let's get together on Sunday, October 20 at 8:00am. We can meet on the south side of Macy's, which faces Barry Road. Here is a map showing where to park:
The loop around the mall is roughly 1.5 miles, making it easy to keep a run as short or as long as you like. I primarily run on the street surrounding the mall but it's also possible to run the majority of the distance within the parking lots, all but eliminating traffic.
I felt good overall about Week 15, although I would have liked a bit more volume. I had both a long endurance run and a 10K race lined up, however, so in the end things worked out well. I was very happy with how I felt during the 21.5-mile run even though I had to cut it a half-mile short due to time.
One thing I am confident made that run so successful was a bit of a nutrition experiment I tried. I often take a caffeine-based sports supplement before some of my runs, but this time I waited until about 2/3 through this run before taking some caffeine in the form of one of the small shots that are so popular nowadays, such as 5 Hour Energy.
I felt very strong during the final several miles of my run, particularly when it came to mental focus. This was quite a relief, as you might guess, particularly since the final stretch of my previous 20-mile run was not exactly pleasant.
I'll experiment with another energy shot one more time prior to race day. Assuming I still have no stomach/digestion issues it may be worth doing come race day, too.
As for the 10K, I was pleased because I not only set a new personal record but I also won the 10K itself! It's
the first time I've ever had a podium finish, let alone won a race, so I was
very excited. I'll be the first to admit there are definitely better 10K runners
out there but I nevertheless had a good day. Just as important, it was a great
confidence boost to gauge my overall fitness, including for my marathon.
I ran the Jeff Taylor Run for SAFE, which was my first time at the event. The course is very flat and fast, plus it's for a great cause, as I mentioned in my earlier blog post. I can say for sure I'll be back as years go by.
Week 16 Recap
Total Mileage: 34 miles
Workouts:
Bicycle trainer session
Four miles of intervals
2 x 2-miles (6:31/mile average pace)
Six-mile race pace run
6:56/mile average pace
Six-mile maintenance run
7:30/mile average pace
Eighteen-mile endurance run
7:41/mile average pace
I was not entirely happy with Week 16, mainly the speed sessions. The race pace run in particular was disappointing. Not only was I seven seconds slow per mile, but I was supposed to run 10 miles as opposed to six. I have no one to blame but myself, though, as the combination of running in warm, windy weather too close to an appointment caused me to have both a physically demanding and shortened run. In some ways I was pleased with my mental toughness to try and push through the steady wind, but my pace just didn't get to where I needed it to be.
I also had to chop my long endurance run short by a couple miles. I wanted at least 20 miles, if not 22. The good news is I was very pleased with my overall pace. I felt strong the whole way and could have continued running while increasing speed. Race day is just a couple weeks away, though, so the few miles I didn't run won't necessarily make or break me at this point. Getting another 20+ miles in a single run would have been more of a confidence-builder at this point.
And speaking of race day, the bulk of my training is already over! Week 17 still has a couple challenging runs lined up, namely the usual interval and race pace sessions. After that it's time to start tapering!
