Training in Montana

A really good hard 12 miler today. Legs were a bit tired to start but not bad. I powered through today's run, imagining being tired for the race. At mile 3 I hit my tough hill, about 350 feet rise in .8 miles. It looks way tougher in person than it sounds on paper. I held about a 9:30 pace up that part, and when I'm tired I drift to an 11 or 12 minute pace, or walk up that stretch. It keeps rising another 1/2 mile and I kept it steady. A bit of down, then more up and a drop to mile 6, then turn around and back up the hill, then mostly down until mile 9 when it's a tough up for 1/2 mile. Again, kept a steady pace, then it leveled out and mostly downhill to home. Very proud of today's run. 2 weeks to go!

Paces: 9:36, 8:43, 8:58, 9:03, 8:48, 8:29, 8:27, 7:59, 7:45, 8:08, 7:54, 7:59. AP: 8:29

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/217478237  

Skipped yesterday's run as the bottom of my right foot is acting funky since my Saturday run. It's back to the same old tricks of feeling like there's something underneath the front of my foot. On the run Saturday it felt bruised up there but Sunday and beyond it feels like there's something in there. It doesn't hurt to walk on so I'll just continue on. Maybe try rolling it on a golf ball to break up the junk, and continue icing it as I've been doing.

Today's run felt tougher than it should have. I think my weekend of not doing much affected me a bit. Feeling pretty good.

AP: 8:29 

I failed to wake up yesterday due to turning down the sound on my iPod, so instead of resting today I ran according to plan. I think my gravel roads have bruised my foot so I drove the 3/4 mile to paved roads and ran on them. A good hard effort today. First mile is a slight downhill, then turned around after 1 mile which meant 2 miles of steady up before turning around for a fast last mile.

Foot never hurt, but I could feel the pressure the first 1/2 mile then it warmed up and I didn't feel it since. 

AP: 8:22 

4 miles this morning, doing 2 out and backs on the blacktop. After warming up felt pretty good and pushed the pace a bit. 8:01 is my race pace and I seem to know that pace now. I'm excited about the 16th. I hope everyone has great TOU races next weekend which will psych me up for the next day.

AP: 8:12 

8 miles on the marathon course. Schedules didn't allow my wife to pick me up at the end of 8 miles so I started at the final 10K mark, ran 4 miles in, then turned around and headed back. I'm very very familiar with the final 2 miles of the course, but these in between miles I'd never run before and there's lots of twists & turns. I'm glad I did this route today as I feel much more confident about the course on these difficult final 6.2 miles. I've never been more prepared for a marathon distance race: 1) this is my first one in Billings where I could run the course; 2) I've hit all 3 of the 20 milers, and most of the other long mile runs; 3) No major injuries stopped me from running more than a couple of days. I have high hopes.

On today's run I wanted to do a marathon pace on the 4 miles into town, and I overshot that a bit. I'm okay with that though as it was a better simulator than running actual MP on fresh legs. I backed off a bit on the way back but picked it back up as my legs wanted a bit more. Overall, really enjoyed today's run. Now off to a football game, soccer game, then to a ranch on the Crow Reservation for a fun church activity for the rest of the evening. Dutch Oven cooking, hay rides, potato sack races, etc. We always have a great time out there.

Paces: 8:16, 7:46, 7:38, 7:45, 8:04, 8:29, 7:57, 7:54. AP: 7:59. Avg HR 156.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/220238860 

I ran in the evening, which is a very strange time for me to run. Very warm out, 82 degrees, with no breeze to speak of. I ran "naked" and it was kind of nice. No GPS, no headphones, and not even a headband (bad idea). I could tell that my effort was good as I was breathing pretty heavy. Ended with a strong effort. 

4 miles at lunchtime along the marathon course. Went faster than I should have as I was chasing someone. Caught them, then had to keep at that speed. Fun stuff! I'm way excited for the marathon. Fast forward, please.

No run today, but the marathon forecast is in full swing, and the temps keep getting better! The day before temps are 83 for a high, only drops to 51 at night, but 68 for a high! I can take that. Every day the high temp for Sunday drops by a couple degrees. Hopefully the cold front will come a little sooner. The low temp Sunday is 42, so that bodes well for a decent morning. Hopefully the wind will stay away.

2 miles today, 2 miles tomorrow, 26.2 on Sunday. The temps keep getting better for Sunday, but now I'm worried about what kind of system will bring the cooler temps. Friday high 90, Saturday high 86, Sunday high 68 (was 64 yesterday). Winds Saturday 10-13 mph from the North, switching to 16-23 mph from the West/Northwest. I can handle West winds as this race runs from the West to the East. If I get a tail wind, I might run a bit faster than expected. I'm starting to get nervous, but thankful for a very busy week that I've just had. I think I'm ready.

Spent time last night getting everything ready for this morning. Got to bed before 10 pm and must not have taken too long to get to sleep. Longer than normal, but not interminable. Woke up at 2:30 to use the bathroom and I was stoked at having slept so long before my first awakening. Slept fitfully until 4:30 then got up. Bathroom visit was uneventful. Hmph. Showered, got ready, toasted a bagel, and headed out the door. Rode the bus to the starting point and hit the POP. Success. I didn't realize we got to wait inside the community center so I brought all my warm gear. It was nice to sit inside on benches instead of the ground as I'm used to. Hit the POP once more, 10 minutes before. Small race but lots of POPs at the starting line. Excellent. Starting temp was 59 degrees, much warmer than planned. Good news is that it wasn't going to move much all day. My A+ goal was a 3:30 (8:01 pace), and my race bracelet showed me each of the splits based on elevation (borrowed from the SGM and modified for this elevation).

The first 11 miles are mostly a steady up, gaining 200 ft elevation. It then drops 900 feet to the finish. I took off with a goal for an 8:12 the first mile and hit that. At mile 3 we go South for an out & back to get more miles. It was fun to see the leaders and a lot of my friends. During this stretch I had a guy in front of me running 10 seconds per mile faster than I wanted but I couldn't help catching him. I said that to him and he mentioned trying to hit 8 minute miles. Me too, so we ran together most of the race. I had to pee at mile 12 and he kept going. I made the mistake of quickly catching up to him, hitting some sub 7 paces in a downhill section. It didn't hurt me at the time, but probably did later. I was feeling pretty good, getting close to the times for each mile. It honestly would've been easier to hit my paces if I ran the race by myself but it was great to have company and share tips. At mile 15 I started to feel the pace. Just before 17 we turn into a subdivision for a mile, and it's just-tough-enough uphill stretches. I felt okay but knew the rest would be tough. At mile 21 I really started feeling it. It was the last uphill (which I'd forgotten about) and a water stop at the top of that stretch. I stopped to get water and Pete my running partner didn't stop and I couldn't match him anymore. I struggled for that mile, then at the next water stop pulled out the 2X caffeine gu I'd been waiting to use, plus hit 3 endurolyte capsules (did 3 every hour) and within 10 minutes I was feeling like gold. I hit some 7:45 paces trying to regain some speed, and that mile was a good mile sandwiched between bad miles. My HR kept climbing even though my legs weren't moving fast, and I got dizzy. St. George all over again. At this point I was now on my regular Noon running route, and I loved that but felt rough. I had been dousing my head with water at the stops and it got on my singlet which was great. At mile 25 I pushed it as best as I could and gained 10 seconds from the previous mile, then when I hit 26 I hit the highest gear I could and ended with a 7:20 pace. My kids ran with me the last 200 yards and that was so fun! I loved it. I had done all that I could to run a good race.

 Finished having taken off 14:30 from my previous best. I'm very excited by that. At this point I don't see how I can improve from what I did today, but with hard work and some better speed/hard workouts I think I can improve that final 6 miles. 

Splits, elevation, and HR here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/223613858 

I'm on the first page of the mileage chart! Only way that happens: Jake and most of the other high milers run a Saturday marathon, and I run a Sunday marathon. Great timing on my part! I'll bask in the short-lived glory, never to behold it again. Sure looks good though, until I get looking at the rest of the numbers (miles per week, month, year, etc.). There are a lot of beasts on this blog. Fun to watch you all tear up the roads day after day. Thanks to all of you for posting your workouts here as it is so motivating for me, especially being in a community with few races. I have my own support system from most of you who I've never met. Cheers! 

3 slow miles this morning, first time running since the marathon. Calves are pretty tight. Felt good to get out. Will do 4 tomorrow, 5 on Saturday.

5 miles, felt pretty good. Nothing hurts so life is good. Hopefully next week I can get a 10 miler in.

AP: 8:43 

4 miles at lunch time along the end of the marathon route. It was nice to run backwards along the route then turn around and finish the route, but with a much bigger flourish than I did last week. I pushed it and ran faster than MP for much of the way.

AP: 7:48 

5 miles this morning. Legs a bit tired from the race and from yesterday's faster-than-normal effort. I pushed it a bit more than normal and survived it. Felt pretty good actually. I need a winter race! The funds aren't there right now to travel to a race so maybe I'll just have to make up my own and recruit a few people for a nice long run in a few months.

Wishing I was at the Huntsville marathon this weekend. Go Kam and others! I may have to try that next year. 

AP: 8:22 

Ran just over 4 miles after a Noon conference call. I was pretty tight from not running yesterday, plus some hard efforts Monday & Tuesday. A couple of times during the run my lower back cramped up on me. Weird. It literally has never done that. I stopped and did minor stretches and wasn't an issue, but worried it would creep back in. Didn't. Near the end my right shoulder started hurting and it hasn't done that in a long time. Weird. Glad the creaks & pains came out after the marathon and not before.

No watch, no headphones, no idea of time. I did have a headband so I was happy. 

I forget about post-marathon legs. They are leaden. Didn't get enough sleep last night but was determined to wake at 6 and run so I did. Planned on 5 miles but after 1 and wanting to walk I turned around at 1 1/2 so got in 3. I'm planning on 10 tomorrow during a Scout campout, but we'll see how I feel. No rush to get back into it, but I am back to feeling the need to run. I just need to run slower and for not as long until the legs return.

Camping last night at a Stake Merit Badge Day. I love camping at this spot - it's at a member of our church's place, about 45 minutes out of town. Fantastic spot. The boys were working on badges by 9 am, I helped clean up breakfast and prep for lunch then decided to go for a run. Headed East on a dirt road and felt pretty good. It was a steady up, probably 300 feet of up over 5 miles. I couldn't figure out why I was so warm and why the air was so still. I wondered if I had a tailwind and after turning around realized that it was a pretty fierce wind. Heading back was nice. Had wind to cool me down and a steady downhill. Got back by Noon, had lunch, hung out and did things and we left at 5 PM. I smelled pretty awful the rest of the time. Hopped in the shower as soon as we got our stuff put away. Ahhh. Very successful day.

AP: 8:48