Week 24 (13/36) in Review

Week 24. A very busy week, the hours are adding up. Fortunately I'm not slammed at work (yet.) Added a swim technique class that will hopefully do wonders for me, however it makes Tuesdays a very busy day. Warm weather, if you're out there, I miss you.

A summary of week 24 (March 23, 2008 - March 29, 2008)

Sunday 3/23: Race (8 Miles)
Monday 3/24: Run (8 Miles), Strength (45 Min)
Tuesday 3/25: Run (6 Miles), Swimming (3100), Strength (1 Hour), Swim Technique
Wednesday 3/26: Run (10 Miles), Strength (45 min), Yoga (1.5 Hours)
Thursday 3/27: Run (6 Miles), Swimming (2700)
Friday 3/28: Run (8 Miles)
Saturday 3/29: Run (5.5 Miles)

Stats:
Running: 51.5 Miles 6:13:31
Biking: Indoor Trainer: 0
Swimming: 5800 3:30:00
Strength/Yoga: 4:00:00

Total Time: 13:43:31

Shamrock Shuffle 8k - Chicago, IL

Shamrock Shuffle 8k
Chicago, IL
Conditions: Mild (41°F), Light Wind SE

The Shuffle is the official start of the road racing season in Chicago, so why not go for a strong start. I had intended to run 5:15 to 5:20 pace for the whole race, I ended up running a 5:37 average. Started strong at 5:15; not sure what mile two, three or four were at, but I know mile two was around 5:20. Still need to work on the competition, that's all that's missing is keeping with the group. Had a strong finish, didn't have a whole lot left.

Splits:

5:15, (2,3,4) 17:06, 5:34

Average 5:37

Total 27:56 (official)

67th Place

Week 25 (12/36) in Review

Week 25. Finally over 60 miles running. Started the week off with my first official race of the year at Cary. The run went well, my time was good considering the recent injury, slow return to milage, and hilly course. Probably could have been a little more competitive, we'll apply that at the Shamrock Shuffle. Feeling like a 6 to 6:15 marathon mile pace right now. Had a couple of good workout runs, kept pace below 6 minute miles. Finished the week in very hilly Sioux City. Got my money's worth out of the Garmin watch this weekend. I finished the week with my first 20 mile of the year, 1500 ft of elevation rise/fall and about a 7 minute mile pace. I got on the bike one day, other than that, just the usual. Increased my weight training, now or never.

A summary of week 25 (March 16, 2008 - March 22, 2008)

Sunday 3/16: Race (13.1 Miles)
Monday 3/17: Run (6 Miles), Bike, (1 Hour), Strength (45 Min)
Tuesday 3/18: Run (6 Miles), Swimming (3000m), Strength (1 Hour)
Wednesday 3/19: Run (5.5 Miles), Strength (45 min), Yoga (1.5 Hours)
Thursday 3/20: Run (7 Miles), Swimming (3000m)
Friday 3/21: Run (6 Miles)
Saturday 3/22: Run (20 Miles)

Stats:
Running: 63.6 Miles 7:34:25
Biking: Indoor Trainer: 1:00:00
Swimming: 6000m 2:30:00
Strength/Yoga: 4:00:00

Total Time: 15:04:25

Week 26 (11/36) in Review

Week 26 I returned to the 40 miles/per week club. Feeling good and loving any weather over 30°F, I mixed in some tempo workouts. Thursday I ran a 9 mile run with 6 at tempo. I held a 6:00/mile pace over the distance. This was a good confidence test going into my first race of the year. Swimming kept up, I enrolled for the next 8 week session. I did no biking this week, that will start again next week. Boston is only 5 weeks away.

A summary of week 26 (March 9, 2008 - March 15, 2008)

Sunday 3/9: Run (8 Miles)
Monday 3/10: Run (7 Miles), Strength (45 Min)
Tuesday 3/11: Run (6 Miles), Swimming (3000m), Strength (1 Hours)
Wednesday 3/12: Run (5.5 Miles), Strength (45 min), Yoga (1.5 Hours)
Thursday 3/13: Run (9 Miles), Swimming (3000m)
Friday 3/14: Run (6 Miles)
Saturday 3/15: Run (5.5 Miles)

Stats:
Running: 47 Miles 5:30:51
Biking: Indoor Trainer: 0
Swimming: 6000m 2:30:00
Strength/Yoga: 4:00:00

Total Time: 12:00:51

Race: Midnight Madness Half Marathon - Cary, IL

Midnight Madness Half Marathon

Cary, IL
Conditions: Cold (26°F-34°F), Light Wind

I learned where Cary, Illinois is. I also learned that there are hills in Illinois. My goal was 1:20:00, I ran a 1:21:08. Not too bad considering my recent injury setback and the elevation changes in the course. However my racing skills were definitely lacking. I did not put up much of a fight, I think not running in a group is the main problem here. I'll try to remedy that soon.

The race started slow, 6:10 first mile. I moved up with the second pack, places 3 thru 7, and increased my mile pace to 5:50. After mile 5 my shoe came untied and I got dropped and ended up running by myself for the distance. There were pretty large separations between groups. A few Fleet Feet guys passed me between miles 9 and 13. Mile 8 and 10 had monster hills, bigger than heartbreak.

I felt strong through most of the race, a little slow actually. The hills caught up to me at the end. A promising first effort, we'll translate these times into Boston.

Splits:

5:55, 5:52, 5:48, 6:31, 6:08, 6:18, 6:12, 6:06, 6:00, 6:20, 6:12, 6:26, 6:09, 1:04

Average 6:09

Total 1:12:08

672 ft ascent

619 ft descent

Bike Shoes

I've upgraded to a triathlon shoe. The SIDI T2's fit like a glove.  They can easily be worn without socks and they slip on quickly.  They're about a 1/4 of the weight of my previous shoe. The Speedplay pedals and cleats have been installed, now I need to get used to them before I practice crashing.

New Pedals

New Pedals

Speedplay Chromoly Road Pedal.
$109

210 gr and adjustable float. A complex but highly rated pedal. This is a bit of an upgrade from the 747's I've been getting away with for 5 years...

http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.zero

Week 27 (10/36) in Review

Week 27 and I'm back on the road again. Not too much and not too fast but it's better than nothing. Jerry's guy, Mark Priest, fixed me right up. That mixed in with a couple of days of yoga routines. Should be about 90% by the half-marathon next weekend, that's good enough to compete. Hopefully this lousy weather will start going away.

A summary of week 27 (March 2, 2008 - March 8, 2008)

Sunday 3/2: OFF DAY
Monday 3/3: Strength (1 Hour)
Tuesday 3/4: Swimming (2700m), Strength (1.5 Hours)
Wednesday 3/5: Run (2.5 Miles), Strength (45 min), Yoga (1.5 Hours)
Thursday 3/6: Swimming (3100m), Run (4 Miles)
Friday 3/7: OFF DAY
Saturday 3/8: Run (6 Miles)

Stats:
Running: 12.5 Miles 1:35:51
Biking: Indoor Trainer: 0
Swimming: 5600m 2:30:00
Strength/Yoga: 4:00:00

Total Time: 8:05:51

New Shoes

The new kicks. Asics GEL-DS Trainer 13's. The laces are offset from center, a very comfortable fit. These will likely be the shoe of choice for Boston.

The previous shoes are Adidas Supernova's. They have held up great and still have a lot of life in them. But at 340 miles, they have about 50% life left so it's time to start breaking in something new.