Running For My Life

What a fantastic evening!!  The Delafield Block Party 5K was a great event…..tons of fun.  I finished in 19:05, which is still well off my best time from the end of last year (18:23), but a 10-second improvement from my previous 5K last month.  I ended up in 8th place (2nd in age group).  This was a well-organized event with great atmosphere.  It was held in downtown Delafield in conjunction with the city’s annual Block Party.   My wife and kids went along, and got put to work on flag-waving duties near the two-mile mark (my running store was a sponsor so we had to provide some volunteers).  Then after the 5K, they had a kids race and my two younger sons ran in that (and both did quite well!!).

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/21/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:19:05.00
• Distance: 3.1 miles
• Average Pace: 6:09.23/mile

Some friends have a large yard and asked me to come over with my Garmin to measure the yard since their son is going out for cross country in the fall.  So I ran the yard and it turned out to be almost one mile (out, back and around).  Unfortunately, when I tried to charge my Garmin later in that night it wouldn’t work.  I’m not sure if the problem is with the unit itself or the charger.  Hopefully I can get it fixed since I don’t know how I could live without it for an extended period of time.  Thankfully Google Pedometer is an adquate substitute.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/20/2008
• Time: 06:00:00
• Total Time: 00:09:50.00
• Distance: 1 miles
• Average Pace: 9:50.16/mile

After running 10 miles on Monday, Tuesday and Thurday, my 8-miler this morning seemed like a jog around the block!  I would have kept it at 10 but since I have a race tomorrow I dropped a few miles.  I will be running in the Delafield Block Party Twilight 5K.  Since it’s a 5 p.m. start, I don’t have high hopes for a great finish (I don’t do well in non-morning runs).  It sure would be nice to break 19 minutes though.  Stay tuned….

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/20/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:09:20.00
• Distance: 8 miles
• Average Pace: 8:40.23/mile

I had every intention of doing an easy 10-miler this morning, but from the outset I knew I was going to have trouble holding myself back.  The first reason: it was a beautiful morning (clear, low 50s).  Second: my legs were fresh since I did a cross-training workout yesterday.  Usually on an easy run I do the first mile in 9:00 and the second in 8:30.  So when I looked at my Garmin and it said 15:57 at the 2-mile point, I knew I was in for a fast ride.  I continued to cruise along at a 7:15 pace for the rest of the run.  Normally I wouldn’t mind the extra speed, but I have a race on Saturday so I am trying to take it easy.  Oh well….there’s always tomorrow!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/19/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:15:50.00
• Distance: 10 miles
• Average Pace: 7:35.12/mile

1+ hours of pure fun on my exercise bike

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 06/18/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:03:20.00

I ran 8×400 intervals during the middle of a 10-mile run this morning.  It was my first serious speedwork since February, before I got injured.  For the most part, I held back and didn’t go all out.  My interval times ranged from 1:18 to 1:30, with the average being 1:27.  Hopefully I can improve on that as the summer goes on.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/17/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:22:40.00
• Distance: 10 miles
• Average Pace: 8:15.87/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/16/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:23:00.00
• Distance: 10 miles
• Average Pace: 8:17.93/mile

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 06/14/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Total Time: 00:57:39.00
• Distance: 3 miles
• Average Pace: 19:13.85/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/14/2008
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 00:34:38.00
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 8:39.48/mile

To add to our flooding misery, we got another 8-10 hours of steady rain last night and this morning, which forced me to do my long run (17 miles) on the treadmill.  All of my favorite running routes are flooded and it just keeps getting worse.  Many people are leaving their homes and streets are flooded shut.  I always thought it was neat living in a small community surrounded by four lakes, but not in times like this.

I can’t remember if I have ever run 17 miles (2 hours, 20 minutes) on a treadmill, but it wasn’t as bad as one would think.  For the first 10 miles, I listened to music, which I never do outside, and that seemed to make it go fast.  For the last 7 miles I concentrated on form and pacing.  There are many reasons I prefer running outside to a treadmill, but there are also several things I like about the treadmill: I think you run more relaxed because you don’t have to worry about dodging cars, holes, animals, etc.; water and bathroom breaks are much easier; and the surface is much more forgiving than the pavement.

I did my long run today because we are going out of town this weekend (yes, again!).  It’s been a productive stretch for me; in a span of 6 days, I did runs of 7, 9, 10, 16 and 17 miles (59 total), and I feel pretty good.  My sore left knee and left foot (see yesterday’s post) are much better today.   Hopefully I can continue to build my mileage without injury.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/13/2008
• Time: 04:30:00
• Total Time: 2:20:54.00
• Distance: 17 miles
• Average Pace: 8:17.24/mile