Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Las Vegas Marathon 2006: Race Report

My apologies for such a belated report here. But here goes:

We arrived in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. Checking into our hotel was a breeze, and we were pleased with the accomodations. We made a quick run through the casino area to scope things out, and then got a bite to eat. After this, J.T. signed up for a poker game, and I got all my things sorted out in the room before going down to the expo. The expo wasn't very crowded, so I looked up my race number to get my bib. There was a man working there who was writing everyones number down for them to take to the next place, and right off the bat I got called out for my accent.

Him: "What's your number, Mam?"

Me: "Six Nine Seven Seven."


He smiles.

I look confused.

Him: "Where are you from?"

Me: (smiling, thinking'I haven't been here 2 hours yet!! This already?!')"I'm from Tennessee."

Him: "Ah, I was going to say Georgia, but I new it was close. I haven't heard "NINE" like that in a long time."

I laugh with him a minute and then go on my way. I guess they pronounce it like "NI-EEN", but it's just "NINE" to me, one syllable. This would happen many other times, especially when I would say "y'all". It was all in good fun, though...everyone was really nice. I picked up a couple cool things, then headed back to the room. I played some blackjack, lost $200, and decided to pack it in for the night.

The next morning I got up and took a jog down Las Vegas Blvd at 8:00 a.m. I wanted to get a feel for the weather, and I'm glad I did because I found out I was way over dressed. No UA cold gear here. I decided I would wear my Nike Acceleration Capri Tights, a short sleeve Addidas shirt, and my old faithful long sleeve Team Nashville Half Mary shirt. J.T. and I headed out that evening to MGM, and then to Ceaser's Palace where he played cards, and I shopped. And I really shopped too long. I didn't back to my room until 9:30, and being as though the race started at 6:00 a.m., I should have been asleep right then. But oh well. I got all my things ready for the next morning, requested a wake up call for 4:40, and went fast asleep. On a side note - I hadn't been able to eat well the entire time. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but I would take about 4 bites of my meal and feel so full I couldn't eat another bite.

The wake up call came, and I jumped right up, ordered some coffee from room service, and took a shower. I was ready in probably 15 minutes, but our coffee didn't come until about 5:10. J.T. and I fixed a cup and then headed down to the lobby. We stood around with tons of people for a few minutes, and then I told him we should probably head towards to the port-a-potties. I'm glad we did that then, because I was able to get in and out and then down to the start line without much trouble, but those who waited ran into about 5,000 people rushing toward the start line. I got J.T. to stand in the corral with me, because he was going to take my headband and sweatshirt back after I started. We found the 4 hour pacer and stood there waiting. With about 10 minutes till the start, he started heading out. I talked to 3 other girls beside me, all of them looking for a sub 4 hour marathon like myself. They were from Houston, TX, Birmingham, AL, and Hattiesburg, MS. It was cold for a few minutes as we waited on the start, and the Blue Man Group performed, but I couldln't see them. Fireworks went off, and we were moving.

Here was my first mistake. When I left the room, I grabbed a Gatorade, my coffee, and gel. I didn't take my water. So while I had planned on taking a gel before the start, I was afraid to do that without water. So I held onto it and planned on taking it at the first water stop. And the only thing I was able to eat prerace was a Chocolate Mint Zone bar. I knew this wasn't going to be enough, but it was all I could do to even choke it down.

The start was absolutely beautiful. The sky was a deep blue and the lights of Las Vegas were awesome. Mile one ran past the Mandalay Bay, The Luxor, Excalibur, and Monte Carlo hotels. During this mile I tried to stay close to the pacer, but I thought to myself that she was starting a little faster than I had planned. I looked at my Garmin when it beeped and found that I was right. I ran the first mile in 8:45. Since my planned marathon pace was 9:09, I had planned on running the first 5 miles around 9:20, and then slowly making up the difference afterwards. But the wind was at our back, the pacer was moving on, and I talked myself into staying with her. I reasoned that it might not be good for me mentally to lose the 4 hr pacer.

Mile 2 ran past the Bellagio and the cool water show, then past Ceasers and ended around the Mirage and Ti. During this mile I passed a group of Elvis's - one of which was pushing a jogging stroller with a boombox blaring music. The atmosphere was unreal, and I was having a blast. And still running too fast trying to stay with the pacer. Mile 2 - 8:54.

Miles 3 and 4 ran passed a stretch of casinos J.T. and I had not yet visited - Circus Circus, the Stratosphere, etc. I also saw a girl running in a skin-colored suit with a thong on - and it looked VERY real until you got up close. Hilarious! Finally at mile 3 there was water, so I got my water and took my Chocolate GU energy gel. Mile 3 - 9:10, Mile 4 - 8:55.

During Mile 5, I really did feel like I should probably slow it down some. But then we ran into Old Las Vegas, the Freemont Street Experience. It was like a covered alley packed with people whooping and hollering, giving 5, jumping and down for all of us. I got so excited I pumped my fist, gave them 5, and yelled with them. I wondered if I'd pay for getting so excited later on in the race, but gosh, it was fun. Mile 6 the half marathoners split off from us, and we started an climb out of the city. Mile 5-8:53, Mile 6-8:57.

I am well aware that I'm ahead of pace by a good bit at this point. But I'm still having trouble keeping up with the pacer, so I say "forget it" and let her go. Mile 7 - 9:12, Mile 8 - 8:55, Mile 9-8:57. At this point I catch up with the girl from Houtson that I met at the start line. She had previously run a 4 hour-even marathon and was going to try to push this down under it. We chatted and agreed that the pacer had started out way too fast.

The mile 10 marker brought a left turn that headed out into the desert. It also brough 30 mph winds right in my face. I know I previously said 19mph (that's what accuweater reported), but I got corrected by everyone else I talked to. They said the airport, which was right there close to the start and finish, was reported 30+mph winds for most of the race. It was hard to keep on pace at this point. I kept trying to find someone running my pace to draft behind, but I was never really able to make that work. They either ran off and left me, or they were too slow. I haven't mentioned it, but the whole time I am drinking Gatorade at ever Gatorade stop which was every other mile. Slowing down, taking a couple sips, then starting back. This stretch seemed to last forever, and I could see the splits getting higher. I was thankful, at this point, that I had started out ahead of pace...I just hoped that once we turned off this road and the wind wasn't as bad that I could go back to atleast 9:10s.
Mile 10:9:05
Mile 11: 9:19 (took another gel)
Mile 12: 9:25
Mile 13: 9:24
Mile 14: 9:20
The mile markers also got all screwed up during this stretch. At one point my Garmin was a half mile ahead. I wasn't sure what the deal was. The 13 mile mark, according to my Garmin, though, said I was at 1:57:58, and my 4 hr pace band said I should atleast be at 1:58:59. So I knew I was still one minute ahead of pace, but that didn't seem like a lot for how I felt after dealing with that wind. But at mile 14 we got to take the left turn and re-entered some civilization. I kept trying to get my splits back down, but wasn't making much headway.
Mile 15: 9:16
Mile 16: 9:08
Mile 17: 9:18 - took another gel
Mile 18: 9:16
Mile 19: 10:00 - At this point, I couldn't hold it(the pee, that is) any longer. I finally found an unoccupied port-a-potty and ran inside to relieve myself. I'd say it took about 45 seconds total, but I felt a ton better.
Mile 20: 9:38
At this point, I haven't been feeling good for a while. The wind had really done a number on me, and I put up all the fight that I had in me, but the effects showed when I couldn't get my splits back down close to 9:00. I remember on Mile 17 thinking that I felt awfully fatigued to not even be at mile 20 yet.

But Mile 20 came and went and we took a left turn to head back towards the city. At this point, though, I really have no idea how far I've been. The mile markers are nowhere close to my Garmin, so I just run. I also realize that I am almost a minute ahead of what my 4 hour time should be. I started feeling nauseous, and I knew that I needed a gel, but I also knew if I ate one I'd throw it up. So I just tried to keep a steady pace as fast as I could. There was quite a bit of crowd support around this area - especially one little boy handing out water and cheering as loud as he could.
Mile 21:9:34
Mile 22:9:30
Mile 23:9:43
Mile 24:9:28
Here is where I had the mental lapse. At this point, I'm pretty sure that 4 hours is not going to happen, but I keep repeating this to myself:

"You may not get 4 hours, but you WILL get the best time you can possibly get. Do NOT give in. Do NOT give up. You are lucky to be out here, it would be ashame to not give it your all. And you paid 95 bucks to do it too, so run hard!"

And I was running hard, back into the wind again, and thinking that I must have missed the mile 24 mile marker because my Garmin said "24.92"...when all the sudden I come upon the...."WHAT?!?! Mile 24 ?!?!?! WHAT THE #$%!@#" I'm thinking I'm about to tell myself that I have 1.2 miles left, when they say I have 2.2 left. I can't explain the devistation here. One more mile than I expected is horrible. Because I don't feel like I can take another 20 steps. But I have negotiated this deal with myself that if it will keep going, it's only got another mile point two....and when it sees otherwise, it gives in. Instead of taking a couple sips of water and moving on - I walk...and I walk...and I walk. Probably a tenth of mile or so before I can find it in me to start running again. And as it turned out, this marker was just wrong, because the total distance on my Garmin at the end was just 26.37, but it made for a Mile 25 - 11:25. And it wasn't long after that I finally saw mile marker 25, and I ran it on in, but it was slow. Mile 26 - 10:43. The .2 (or .37 according to my Garmin) - 3:42. Official Time: 4:08:28

As I came around the final turn I wondered what J.T. was thinking. I had told him that I felt good about 4 hours. I spotted him, and I lifted my palms up as if to say "This was all I had." I crossed the finish line, and walked over to him at the fence. He hugged me and just leaned into him saying nothing. He whispered that he had heard about the wind, and for me not to feel bad, that he had seen a lot of other disappointed people at that finish line. I nodded and hobbled off to get my picture made with show girl. Everything hurt. Everything. I don't remember being in physical pain like this after the Country Music Marathon. I looked around for water or Gatorade or food, but there was nothing. I thought that was strange, but I followed the crown on up to the hotel and sent out a text message to my friends and family with my time. I was totally fine with just being done, and felt like I had given it my all - except for the mental lapse around mile 24/25 where I caved in. We finally made it back to the room, and I tried unsuccessfully to take a nap, but did get an ice bath and a few hours of rest. We went out to Paris Las Vegas afterwards, and I got 4th place in a Hold'em tournament and won a little money to ease the pain. :) More on the aftermath later...

LVM: Pre-marathon pics


















We arrived at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on Friday afternoon. It was convenient since the race started and ended here.



































This was right outside of the expo. The expo was great, they had everything a could runner could want - even a Garmin 305 charger!























Elvis was everywhere!

Monday, December 18, 2006

I am alive

Still no race report, but because several of you have inquired about my well being and my safe return from Vegas, I thought I'd let you know that all is well. We got home last Tuesday night and have been running crazy ever since. I have started on a race report, but have yet to finish it. Hopefully tonight will be the night, but don't hold me to it - I told Michele "tonight" 4 days ago. And just to be right honest with ya, I'm having a hard time with it. The race is over, the pain is gone, the soreness is no more, but the 4:08:28 is still there. It's just me, those 8 minutes 29 seconds, and a big fat question mark left.

Logical Lana scowls and stares down her nose at me saying "You just ran the Las Vegas Marathon. Not only that, you finished it. Not only that, but you finished it in 4:08:28 despite some brutal wind conditions. There are people in this world who will never get to run a marathon. There are those who will start but won't finish. Girl - you have family and friends RIGHT NOW going through radiation and chemotherapy for cancer!!! They just want to live! MJ gets up and goes to the rec center to do whatever she has the strength to do just days after her treatments. And you hit the "snooze" button and go back to sleep because you are upset over 8 minutes and 29 seconds????? Pa.Thet.Ic."

Competitive Lana steps up. "Look here, Little Miss Logic. Lana realizes all this. And you are right - Lana is blessed, very very blessed. But in your little logical world, she never toes the start line at Vegas. Or in Nashville, for that matter. Because it just doesn't seem logical to spend 16 or 20 weeks running all over the county at all hours of the day and night to prepare for a such a thing. And it certainly doesn't seem logical to be climbing fences at the local track at 5 a.m. for a speedwork session. Or to pass on the glass of wine or to be getting butterflies in your stomach the night prior to a long run because you're nervous about keeping a certain pace. PACE! Do you hear that word?!?! In your little world of logic you must understand that if one spends 16 weeks of training geared toward one thing - PACE - and ultimately fails to meet that pace in the culminating event she's...well...SHE'S PISSED!!! I will grant you, Lana needs to get back with the program like, yesterday, and quit hitting the sooze button and such. But I think she's got a right to be upset."

And so I waiver back and forth. I am upset. If it had been a 5 or 10k, I could just find the one going on next weekend, hope for better conditions, and try again. But 26.2 miles??? I don't know. And the thought of those 8 minutes and 29 seconds hanging over my head going into triathlon season??? Not good.

I will, though, take a moment away from my self pity and give out some much overdue congrats to Michele - Great job at Memphis(PR by like, 20 minutes)!!!, David - Congrats on the PR in Hunstville!!!, Lance - Way to make it in under your goal at the White Rock Marathon!, Phil - Congrats on the 30k PR - you are FAST!, and Jodi - Who ran the Vegas Half and PR'd!!

And thanks for all the comments and emails...and particularly to Phil, for helping me put things into the correct perspective.

I will get that race report out asap...

Sunday, December 10, 2006

4:08 and change

I'd like to tell you that the competitor in me is upset with this, given how hard I trained and how bad I wanted sub 4. But I'm not. On this course, on this day, and with the exception of one mental lapse on mile 24/25 which I'll explain later, this was all I had. I made some mistakes out there, and the 19 mph winds were brutal once we made the turn out of town and into the desert, but regardless, I don't think 4:00 hours was gonna happen today. I am glad I chose to run this marathon, but don't get me wrong - I am happy to be done! I have practiced much restraint in Vegas so far - so sub 4 or no sub 4 - it's time to celebrate, baby!!! I'm gonna be walking like a pirate with 2 peg legs, and I think the little black dress and high heels I brought may have to stay in the closet tonight - but we're out and off to have some fun!!! Race report to come soon!

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Viva Las Vegas

Preface - I can't get the pics to load, so I'll upload them later.

We're here! Actually we've been here for almost 24 hours now. The plane trip was smooth sailing, the check-in at Mandalay Bay was easy-peasy (They had no problem supply me a refridgerator free of charge), the room is extremely nice, and the expo is AWESOME. OMG it's by far the best expo ever. I went ahead yesterday to get my race packet and stuff, and boy I am I glad I did. It was no problem...but today, there is a line a mile long. I bet it takes those people 2 hours just to get their bib and chip. The race bag rocks, too...more free stuff than I've ever gotten in one. Tons of free stuff and good deals all through the expo as well. Oh, and as if that weren't enough, how about Elvis?!?!? I admit I stayed up to about midnight(pacific time) in the casino, but other than that, I've been good. No, I repeat NO alcoholic beverages, keeping a water bottle in my hands at all times (every time a cocktail waitress comes by I request water - it's a good thing I brought my big purse), and eating right. Today I attended one of the seminar's at the expo by a named Paul something of the LA Road Runners. It was fabulous. He talked mostly about running with the correct form, and then he got us all fired up with a big chant that we repeated...haha. No gambling for me today, as today didn't fare so well, so I said forget it. I've talked with several people about how J.T. can see me in the most spots, but everybody says his only realistic options are mile 2 and 24 or start and finish. So I don't know which it will be, but hopefully he can get some footage posted at some point. I just realized today that race starts at 6 AM!!! Gosh, I was thinking 8 AM until a fellow runner corrected me. So we'll be starting in the dark, but the forecast says it will be almost 50 degrees at start time. And almost 60 at finish time. You can't ask for any better than that. Although I've had to modify my wardrobe plans several times. But the weather is beautiful here - I shoulda brought more shorts and left the pants and sweaters at home.

So here's how I finished up this week of training. After Tuesday's intervals, I rode the trainer for an hour solid on Wednesday. I did a 10 minute warmup, then 1 min sprint interval and 3 min easy interval ten times, followed by a 9 minute cooldown. Nice, easy workout, made me sweat but didn't kill me. Then Thursday morning at 6:00 a.m. I set out for my final run - 3 miler @ marathon pace. I felt kinda sorry for Wrigley since he was going to the kennel that day, so took him with me. And about a half mile into it, I tripped over him. ~Sigh~ Now I have a banged up left leg to match the right one. Not anything major, but it did aggravate a place I used to have trouble with as a kid right below the knee cap. I'm alright though - it's not gonna slow me down. I finished up the run in 26:55. I got out about 6:30 this morning and ran down to The Excalibur and back to get a feel for the weather and warm up my legs a little. And that was when I realized that my Garmin battery was dead.

"No problem", I thought..."I'll charge it when I get to the room."

Well, when I got to the room I realized I only brought half of my charger (It's plug and a dock - I left the dock at home.) I am almost cried, but then I remembered that there was a Garmin booth at the expo. So as soon as it opened, I took it down there to see if they could charge it. And thankfully they could. So, things are good now. I am excited. I am feeling positive about 4 hours. More later...

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Bags are packed

Sort of. I still have some things to add that aren't quite ready yet. But, this is definitely a PR for packing early. I normally start packing about 10 p.m. the night before I'm going somewhere. Not for this one, though. I have been worried to death that I'll leave something here. So I have slightly overpacked. But hey, anything that gives me peace of mind right now gets the green light.

I called our hotel this morning to find out if we had a refridgerator in our room. The answer was "no, but do you need one for medical purposes?" ~silence~ I was thinking hard about saying yes, but I decided I needed all the good vibes I could get for this trip, so I didn't lie. I said, "Well, I'm running the marathon and if you consider needing a refridgerator to store my Gatorade and water in a medical purpose then that works for me!" The lady laughed and said, "Well, no, we normally charge $20 for that, but I'll note that you need this and you can talk to the front desk about it when you arrive. They might wave it for you." Hmmmm...I sure hope they do. We'll see.

J.T. informed me tonight that Hank Williams Jr. was going to be playing at Ceaser's Palace while we there. I got all excited because - go ahead, call me a redneck if you must, but - I LOVE HANK! I know like, every word to every one of his songs. So I was VERY excited...until told me that he was playing on Saturday night. And to make it worse, at 10:30 Saturday night. I plan to be asleep at 10:30 Saturday night, folks. A country boy can survive, but a country girl can't survive 26.2 after staying up all night jamming to Hank. So forget that. Oh well.

Ok, on to training. Tuesday's speedwork went fine. I did it on the treadmill, a 1 mile warmup, then 6x400m @1:43 each w/a 400m jog @6.0 mph in between, and a 1 mile cooldown. Then today I did 1 hour of spinning on my trainer that included a 10 min warmup, 10 x 1 min sprint then 3 min easy, and a 9 minute cooldown. I caught up on an old Grey's Anatomy episode while doing so.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

You are getting very nervous...

Not you, me. Yes, that's right. I'm getting nervous. And you know how I know? I am eating right. You may find this funny, but when I start getting nervous about something, eating right calms me down. I feel like I'm back in control when I order the baked fish or the grilled chicken salad. Or when I give that piece of chocolate away. This is not always a good quality - but I LOVE TO BE IN CONTROL. Which is why I'm nervous about the last 6 miles of the marathon. I want to be in control. I know I'll be in control during the first 20, but what about the last 6? Or the last 4? Another thing that makes me feel in control is getting up to workout at 5 a.m. But I didn't get in bed early enough last night, and I decided I better get the sleep and do my intervals this evening. So...I'm feeling a little out of control by not getting up early, but I'll feel better after my intervals this evening.

I went mountain biking Sunday, and I took a rest day yesterday. I will spare you of pictures of the bruises on my right leg. Go ahead - roll your eyes. I know, it was stupid to go mountain biking 7 days before Vegas. But I had the opportunity, and gosh, opportunities pass, ya know...I just had to go. And everything would have been fine if it weren't for the freaking worst pedals ever made - the Shimano m505 clipless pedals that came on my bike. I started to title this post "Shimano m505 clipless pedals suck!" I couldn't get my stupid shoe out of them! I thought they were fine just riding around in the yard and down the road, but there was no getting out of them in an emergency. So I fell about 7 times, and one that hurt pretty bad. But I didn't do anything very dangerous, so I'm okay. My right shin and ankle are a little sore, but I'm icing and taking Aleve, and it's a lot better. It's not gonna slow me down Sunday.

So here's the plan for this week:
Today - Intervals 10-20 warmup, 6 x 400m, 10 min cooldown
Wednesday - 5:30 a.m. - 1 hour spinning on the trainer
Thursday - 5:30 a.m. - 3 miles @ PMP and some upper body weights
Friday - Rest and travel to Las Vegas, get settled in
Saturday - Rest, maybe a short 2 mile run, Expo and some minor gambling (not enough to make me feel out of control, ofcourse)
Sunday - Run smart. Run like hell. Break 4 hours. Take a nap. Celebrate like a mad woman!

Saturday, December 02, 2006

The week before the final week

..and things are coming together. Finally. For one, we finally got our christmas tree up! I know, it's about time. I usually put it up the day after Thanksgiving, but I just had too much to do last weekend and chose not to take on the project until this weekend. And to make up for the delay, we got a real one! Granted, it came from Lowe's, so I don't have cool picture of us cutting it down or anything like Trimama, but hey, it's a step above the artificial tree we've had for like 8 years. Bo is 5 this year, and he was very excited. He helped with every part of it, and he was especially proud of the outdoor lights we put on our landscaping, as you can see. We had dinner at Cracker Barrell, then went and picked out the tree, and then all four us spent the rest of Friday night decorating the tree and putting up our lights around our landscaping outside. We don't go overboard or anything, but definitely do enough to know it's Christmas. So, now that I'm finally ready - 'Tis The Season!!!! I have refused, however, to do any of that crazy shopping out in the crazy malls this time of year. That's a sure fire way to kill my Christmas spirit. After last year, when I saw red(and not a Christmas-y kind of red, mind you) and had thoughts toward fellow shoppers that I'd never admit on this blog, I decided it was time to go electronic with the shopping thing. I'm shopping 2 places - The Internet and the Bike Shop. Oh, one more, maybe Vegas...but I wouldn't count on that since I have a marathon to run and some black jack calling my name. Anyways, on to week 15's training....

Week 15 started on Monday. FIRST said I had to do 5 x 1k with a 400m rest interval, and target time for each 1k interval was 4:25. I got up at 5:30 and since I woke Wrigley up getting out the door, I decided to take him to the track with me. He ran the warmup mile, the cooldown mile, and walked all the rest intervals with me. And he slept the rest of the day!!! ha! Here's the numbers:

1.02 mile warmup: 10:29
5x1k:
1.4:31
2.4:19
3.4:26
4.4:19
5.4:25
1 mile cooldown:9:01

Tuesday I rode the trainer for 32 minutes, doing some intervals of my own choosing, nothing special.

Wednesday I wasn't feeling so well, so I pushed the tempo run back to Thursday.

Thursday's tempo run was a 6 miler - 2 easy, 3 @short tempo pace (7:51), and 1 easy. Here's the numbers according to Garmin(I forgot to wear my HR monitor again, dangit):







I hit target pace on the 2nd tempo mile, then sorta went down hill. I was okay with this run, but not overly happy. I wish had worn my HR monitor, because I was working awfully hard for just those mediocre splits.

Still a little concerned about the level of effort required for Thursday's tempo run, I elected to rest on Friday in preparation for my final long run before Vegas. I had two objectives for Friday, 1.)Teach Bo to ride his bike without training wheels because this is way overdue, and 2.)Get the Christmas tree thing done. And although I didn't get in bed until 12:15 a.m., I accomplished both of those.

And then the alarm rang at 5:00 a.m. telling me to get up and run the final long run. And for some reason and totally out of character, I got up - no snooze button - and got ready. Lazy Lana did fling in a comment or two as I was brushing my teeth to try and get me to go back to bed, but it didn't fly. I had to get this run done before 7:00 because J.T. had to leave for work at that time. I got out the door before 5:30 a.m., and had a great run. Target pace was 9:00/mile (PMP) for 10 miles, and I ended up at 8:53/mile and feeling good. Here's the numbers:








So, the last week will soon be upon me. That being said, I should finally tell you my goal. It's sub 4 hrs. I want it bad. We'll see what happens.

Today was the Memphis Marathon and Half Marathon. Michele
is running the full, and my sister, H, and her boyfriend are running the half. Goodluck to all!!!!!!

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Update

Okay - it's time I talked about this. Saturday's long run was a bust. I don't know for sure what caused it, but I didn't have 13 miles @ PMP in me Saturday morning. I really didn't pay attention to my nutrition beforehand and took off again, like an idiot, without haven't eaten anything but a bite of toast and a bite of the scrambled eggs I had fixed for the family. And I didn't think I needed my fuel belt or a gel for 13 miles, but I was wrong. I started out not feeling great, but okay. My pace wasn't too far off, but I never got to the point where I could pick it up to what it needed to be. Instead, it just kept dropping off. I was doing an 8.27 mile loop from my house, then had planned on doing an out and back for the final 4.73 miles. Instead, by the time I got to my house at 8.27 miles, I was dehydrated, exhausted, and could barely put one foot in front of the other. I considered shuffling along for the 4.73 mile out and back, and then I thought better of it. That's what I did the last go around for the Country Music Marathon, and I don't think it was the right choice. So I went on inside my house and called it quits. I was drained the rest of the day. I'll post some Garmin splits on this later.

Speaking of the Garmin, Jay, aka Tri-Dummy, left a comment asking what Garmin I use. Sorry for the delay, Jay, but I have a Forerunner 305. I used to have a 301, but I left it on my back bumper and it got crushed on the highway. I like the 305 even better, though, as I feel like it holds the signal better. Not really all that noticeably better, but for an anal person who doesn't like to be off even a tenth of a mile, it's better. ;) And I also think the HR Monitor is a little more accurate.

I had also promised Briar that we'd get the mountain bikes out Saturday and hit the trails with my sister, H, her new man, K, so I got about an hour rest and then we started loading up the bikes. WE HAD A BLAST!!!!! This mountain biking thing...well, let me just say I think I'm in love. We actually didn't get to ride very long before being run off by hunters - but I am craving, absolutely obsessing about going back. I shoulda bought this mountain bike a long time ago. Next time I'll take pictures for ya.

Friday, November 24, 2006

First Week of Taper

Week 14 of 16 is almost done. Here's what I've been doing:

Sunday I never really had a chance to go riding or swimming since J.T. worked all day and into the late evening. But I did manage to put in the CTS dvd and do the 60 minute time trial work out on the trainer. Monday I did nothing. Really no excuse there, I just didn't do a thing. Tuesday was intervals. FIRST said that I was to do a 10 - 20 minute warmup, then 8 x 800m intervals, and a 10 minute cool down. I could not stand the thought of running outside in the 30 degree weather on this day, so I took myself to the rec center and did the workout on the treadmill. Each interval was supposed to be done in 3:31 with a 1:30 rest interval, so I just set the treadmill to that pace each time and made myself get it done. While there are obvious disadvantages to the treadmill, you have to admit that it's easier to loaf a little on the track when it starts getting tough as opposed to when you are on the treadmill and vow not to reduce the speed. You are basically forcing your legs to get the job done, or face falling off the back and looking like an idiot to all those who were staring at you like you were crazy in the first place. About halfway through the 7th 800m interval @8.5 mph I was wondering if I'd be able to make it, and I had a vision of me refusing to hit the "down arrow" to slow the pace and eventually passing out and falling all over the place...haha...but nothing that dramatic ever occured. I finished up all 8 intervals and then went downstairs top play some basketball with my boys. The mind will try anything to convince you to go for the "down arrow" though. Wednesday was back to cross training, so I took off on my bike during my lunch break for a 17 mile ride including "Brinkley Hill". My mind tried to tell me I wouldn't make it up Brinkley Hill this time too, but I went right up, no problem. Wednesday evening I took Briar to the bike shop to get measured for a road bike, what he says he wants for Christmas this year. It looks like it's gonna be either the Felt f24 or the Trek KDR1000. If I can 1)figure out how to pay for such a thing, and 2)convince J.T. that it's a good idea(he knows that's what he wants, but he doesn't know what it costs yet....~sigh~) Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the Mach Tenn Running Club held a group run with options of 5 miles and 8 miles. Since FIRST said my tempo was supposed to be 5 miles at mid-tempo pace (8:06), I chose the 5 mile route. And boy was I happy that FIRST said 5 miles, because the 8 mile route included the same Brinkley Hill I had biked up the day before. And one Brinkley Hill a week is plently, whether on bike or foot. The club had a good turnout, but I didn't have my best tempo run. I never did hit the target pace, and my heart rate averaged 170 bpm!!!

And today I should have gone to the rec center to swim, but I didn't get up there. I won't go into the excuses I made to not go. Tomorrow is the long run of 13 miles, and it is to be done at planned marathon pace, which is 9:00/mile.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

I am thankful for...

- good health. So many around me are fighting illness and disease, but for some reason God continues to bless me and my family with good health. And I am so thankful for that.

- my kids. The heart of a child is so innocent and beautiful. I learn from my children every day.

- my family. What a blessing to know you can't screw up bad enough to for them to turn their back on ya.

- friends. I have so many friends in so many places, and I am so thankful for them all. From my old high school buddies to friends I've made in recent years to friends in this blogosphere who encourage me all the time. I could not be more thankful for ya.

- My Uncle Troy. He has been diagnosed twice with cancer, but is relentlessly fighting the battle and really kicking it in the ass.

- My friend Mary Jane - who is presently just past the halfway point of 12 chemo sessions that followed her surgery to remove colon cancer. And she still shows up at the gym at 5:30 a.m. most mornings. And at church on Sunday mornings. And she wears a look about her daily, along with her smile, that says "I'm not going down with this." She's a warrior. And for her I am thankful.

- J.T. - I'm not sure how he puts up with me. Unless he considers it even exchange for me putting up with him.

- new opportunities - I wanna seize every one of them.

- my grandmother, Ma. She is still here, and she blesses me everytime I talk to her. I can't wait to have Thanksgiving dinner with her. I am also thankful for past Thanksgivings with her late husband and my grandfather, Pop. Those are sweet memories that I will be forever thankful.

- the Thanksgiving dinners of the past with my grandma, Eliza Jane, who is no longer here. I don't think there is another person in this world who has or ever will think I am as wonderful as she did.

- Jesus Christ - who knows my weaknesses, loves me anyways, and forgives my sins.

Monday, November 20, 2006

It's about time I posted these...

Briar rock climbing




















Me rock climbing



















Briar and Ranger Angelo at the edge of the cliff about to repel(can you tell he was scared?)



















He finally made it off the cliff!




















Me repelling (I was scared too!)




20 Miler Stats according to the Garmin

3:08:13











The Final 20 Miler

Friday morning brought my last 20 miler to the table. It also brought a target pace of 9:30, which seemed impossible, and temperatures of 34 - 37 degrees at 5:30 a.m. I was a little nervous about trying to hold a 9:30 pace for 20 miles, since my previous 20 milers were all around 9:45. But I was also somewhat excited to be at this point in my training program, so it wasn't difficult to get motivated for this run. I didn't take my preparation lightly when the alarm went off. I got on up, checked the weather forecast online, ate a Zone Bar with some Gatorade, and took my time to make sure I had everything I needed. One thing I didn't have were my Gu packets that J.T. had picked up for me at the bike shop the day before. So I had to find his keys and go outside to unlock his truck and bring them back in. After I did this, I headed to my bedroom to get my fuel belt out and put them in it. I keep my fuel belt in a drawer in my dresser, and being that I am not all that coherent at 5:30 a.m., for some reason I opened the drawer and dropped J.T.'s keys in and shut it back without ever realizing it. A few minutes later I thought "Hmmm...I never got my fuel belt out." So I went and got the fuel belt and finally got started on the run. Note: It never occured to me that J.T.'s keys were still in my dresser drawer.

I could tell after the first 10 steps that this was going to be a good run. Isn't that strange? From the start, I felt light on my feet was able to keep the pace down around 9:30/mile. I had on my UA Cold Gear tights, my UA Cold Gear Mock Turtleneck, a vest, UA gloves, and my Pearl Izumi ear warmer, but I still was a little cold for the first few miles. The sun coming up was beautiful, though, and I soon got warmer. I ran from my house to Interstate Dr and proceeded to do an out and back to the golf course on Hwy 55 (5 miles out and 5 miles back). At mile 8.5 I about got hit my school bus. The driver was waiting to pull out onto the highway from the same side of the road I was running on, and she was only looking for traffic coming from the opposite way. I slowed down to let her on out, but she kept hesitating, so I finally ran on along in front of her. And ofcourse about the same time she decided to pull out with no idea that I was in front of her. But I knew that this was the case, since she hadn't looked my way at all, so I kicked it into a sprint and got out of her way before she really got started anyways. I'm sure she was pissed at me, but I didn't really care. She could have atleast looked my way one time before pulling out. I mean, I was on the side walk after all - and there could be people on the sidewalks even though it is 6:45 a.m. in Manchester.

So I got the golf course and ran the half mile loop around the subdivision. I saw John Leighton picking someone up to school and he texted me saying "You are a freak-it's like sub-zero out here." And I saw several other friends taking their kids to school. And shortly after, around mile 11, J.T. calls me.

"Lana, did you use my keys this morning?"

"Yes, I had to get my Gu from your truck."

"Well I couldn't find them. I finally just took the kids to school in your car. Do you know what you did with them?"

"Well, they are either on the kitchen counter, my dresser, the computer desk, or the bathroom sink." (Those were the only places I could think of where I might have sat them down.)

"Well, I looked at all those places and couldn't find them. I'm waiting on Matt to let me in the office now. Just call me when you get done."

"Okay, sorry."

He wasn't real happy about that, but there's not much I can do when I'm 9 miles away. It didn't affect my pace though, by now I'm keeping all miles under 9:20 with very little effort. I had forgotten my heart rate monitor, so I couldn't tell what my heart rate was, but I would say it below 160. When I got back Interstate Dr. I realized I was going to be fairly short on the mileage, so I kept running all the way into town, then took a left Hwy 41 to head home. I noticed at the "3 miles to home" point that I was at mile 16, so I knew I'd have to run past my house a ways to get the full 20 miles. I didn't like the idea of that, but at this point I didn't really want to try to figure out another way to get an extra mile. Mile 18 hurt, mile 19 hurt worse, and I pushed mile 20 just because I couldn't wait to be done. I think mile 20 ended up at like an 8:45 pace or something. My final time was 3 hours, 8 minutes and some change. Average pace was 9:25. YES!!! This was the best long run I've had yet by a long shot. And gives me a really good feeling going into the taper. I'll try to post the long run splits later, as I don't have my Garmin handy right now.

Back to the lost keys though, I couldn't find them when I got home either. J.T. got his extra set and was fine, though, and about 4 hours later it occurred to me that I had put something in my dresser drawer that morning instead of taking out my fuel belt. So I went to the drawer and there were the keys. haha

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Week 13 Update

Ok...I'm a little behind with the blogs. But this week has been going well. Better than last week, for sure. I rested Sunday after Saturday's long run. Monday, the plan called for 10 x 400s, target time: 1:43. I did them at the track, and felt good the whole time. I think 400 meters is my favorite interval distance. The plan said to take a 400m rest interval after each 400, but I thought that was an awful long rest interval so I jogged most of them instead of walking like normal. Here's the results:

1 mile warmup: 9:16
10 x 400m:
1:37
1:41
1:40
1:40
1:41
1:34
1:37
1:38
1:38
1:36
Cooldown jog to the car.

Tuesday I had a superdeeduper bike ride on my lunch break. It was about 20 miles in an hour and 7 minutes, and it was one of those where I thought I wouldn't make it at first, with the wind and stuff, but that turned into a great ride and a rewarding workout.

Then, this morning FIRST said to do an 8 mile tempo at marathon pace(9:00/mile). It rained all night and was still raining when I got up at 5:15 to run. I started to go ahead and run outside, and then decided to just go to the rec center and run in circles on the 1/12 of a mile track. It wasn't that bad, actually, I listend to Steve Runner talk about Exercise Addiction on my IPod and then Tracy ran the last 3 miles with me and we chatted the whole way. My final time was 1:13:00 - a 9:07 pace. I'll take it.

Thanks to all of you guys who have left encouraging comments on my blog lately. I was about to hit a tough spot in my training, but you guys helped me rise above that. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! And concerning my final 20 miler scheduled for this Friday - I say BRING IT ON!!!...and then let the taper begin...ahhhhhh

Monday, November 13, 2006

Forward Movement

Sometimes I have family and friends to ask me how I can keep running for 20 miles or for 3 to 4 hours at a time. My answer to them is always that "I just keep putting one foot in front of the other until I reach the goal." I have always thought that distance running is a lot about patience. There is no room for getting antsy and trying to "just get it over with" in a 20 mile run. And there is no room for getting antsy in week 12 of 16 of a marathon training program. And although I have always considered myself a very patient person, I've been antsy lately. The upcoming holidays are making me antsy. The closeness of the marathon is making me antsy. The things that need to be taken care of within the next few weeks make me antsy. My runs that have been "off pace" are making me antsy. The dropping temperatures and the bad weather make me antsy. But none of this changes the fact that I had a 15 mile run to get done this past Saturday. And since I was coming off a terrible failed attempt at a 10 mile tempo at marathon pace, I had to bring myself back to the basics. Back to the bare bones, suck it up and put one foot in front of the other until you reach 15 miles. Here's how it went...

As I was getting ready for Friday's swim, I noticed that I had left my Garmin at work. Since I don't work on Friday's and would not be back to the city where I work until Monday, I borrowed a friend's Garmin for my 15 mile run on Saturday morning. So I got up at 5:30 a.m., got dressed, ate a Chocolate Gu, walked outside and turned on the Garmin to find that the battery was almost dead. Obstacle #1 - No Garmin. So I calculated a 15 mile route in my head based on an 11 mile route that my sister had just run the day before. I added 4 miles to it and put on my sports watch to time it. Not ideal...I won't see my splits or know my pace while running, but it would have to do. Obstacle #1 - conquered.

So I put on my Pearl Izumi Whisper jacket since it stormed all night and still looked like more was to come and then strapped on the iPod. I had downloaded all the new podcasts the night before. I navigated to the podcasts folder, and found that for some reason the new ones did not synch to the iPod. Obstacle #2 - The iPod didn't synch. There was only one on there I hadn't heard. It was an October podcast of TriTalk, though, so I decided I'd listen to that and then just switch over to music when it was done. I took off and thought it to be so ironic that the TriTalk podcast had interviews with some IronMan finishers, and one of them talked almost entirely about "Forward Movement". Perhaps my iPod is smarter than I - I needed to hear this podcast!!! Obstacle #2 - conquered.

My target pace for this run was 9:10, but I knew I wasn't doing that during the first few miles. I did feel better than I had felt Wednesday though, and I ran all the way down McArthur St., then all the way down Royal Trail, down Hills Chapel Rd, and left on Doak Rd. Nobody was out...it was messy morning...rain here and there lots of dark gray clouds. As I ran down Doak Rd., though, I looked over and saw Russell, a friend from the gym and from church, out sewing grass seed on his yard. I yelled at him and he yelled some encouraging words out to me that gave me a little boost. I ran another mile all the way through White Oaks and got ready to come out on the highway and head back in the opposite direction. I am assuming I had a tailwind all the way down Doak Rd and through White Oaks, because when I made the u-turn to come out on the highway the wind about knocked me down. Obstacle #3 - 15 to 20mph winds and rain. Then came the rain. The drops stung my face and I could barely move forward into the wind. I knew I had several more miles of this before I could turn again, and I recalled what TriMama said about the wind at IMFL:
"The wind was frustrating, but what are you going to do, quit?" -TriMama
I said repeated that to myself, got my butt in gear, and continued putting one foot in front of the other no mater how slowly it was. I realized I wouldn't be hitting target pace today, but I also knew I had to give my best effort at it. So I pulled myself all way down the highway until I came to the right turn at Hwy 55 and got some relief in the form of a crosswind. Obstacle #3 - conquered.

From here on out I dealt with hills, more rain, more headwinds, etc. but I kept running. I ran until I reached my house for 15 miles in 2:26:39. That's a 9:47 pace. That's a long shot from 9:10. But that's just the way it was on this particular day. I have barely been hitting target pace in the best of conditions, so I couldn't expect to do so while running into rain and 15-20 mph winds. I can say that while I didn't feel great, or really even good, I am cool with this run...And I am hoping my final 20 miler this Friday will be better.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Running Low on Desire

I hate to admit that, but it's true. And I'm not really sure why, either. I guess it could be some general fatigue setting in at week 12 of the training program, or maybe it's got something to do with the allergies and congestion that are keeping me from breathing easily, or it also could be that I am starting to get nervous and scared like I always do when such an event draws near. I always freak out and have this notion to just back out and forget the whole thing. Talk about being a coward.

So anyways, Tuesday morning I was supposed to hit the pool for a swim at 5:30 a.m., but I didn't get out of bed. And Wednesday morning I was supposed to do Week 12's tempo run, which is 10 miles at PMP(9min/mile), but...you guessed it, I didn't get out of bed. So this morning I really had no choice. I drug myself out of bed and started getting ready while fighting the demons the entire time.

~Go back to bed...this sucks...you don't wanna do this...you aren't gonna hit your target pace...you are tired...it's still dark outside~

But I kept going back to all the other times I didn't feel like running, but went ahead anyways and had great runs. So I went on. I didn't eat anything, just took a sip of Gatorade as I walked out the door. About a mile into the run I realized I didn't dress warm enough. I was thinking it would be mid 40's to 50 degrees, but it was actually mid 30's, and all I had on was a long sleeve tech shirt and my capri tights w/out insulation. By mile 5, I was cold. I knew I wasn't hitting target pace, but most of my miles were in the 9:20's so I kept thinking I'd get faster and eventually make it up. But at mile 7 I started shutting down. I felt like I had no fuel left, and had to slow the pace to even think about making it home. By the time I made it home I was at 8.28 miles and could not even think about running the last 1.72 to finish. I doubt it would have even been beneficial at the pace I was running anyways. So I called it quits, went inside and got ready for work. Here's the splits:
Mile 1: 9:31
Mile 2: 9:20
Mile 3: 9:34
Mile 4: 9:22
Mile 5: 9:11
Mile 6: 9:25
Mile 7: 9:29
Mile 8: 9:42
.28/mile: 2:30

Total Distance: 8.28 miles in 1:18:08, 9:26/mile pace.

Not the way I'd like for my runs to be going with 4 weeks to go. I wonder if the half mary took more out of me than I realized? I've got to swim tomorrow, and then I've got 15 miles at a 9:10 pace on Saturday. Here's hoping things turn around this weekend!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Official Results and Intervals on the Treadmill

Well, the Team Nashville Half official results say my time was 1:52:05, and finished 5th place in my age group.

I rested on Sunday and did my intervals this morning at the rec center. I have been missing being at the rec center in the mornings and seeing all the people, so I did the 3 x 1600m on the treadmill. I did a warmup in 10:00 min, 1600's @7:16/mile, and a 9:40 cooldown mile. I also did upper body weights, abs, and lunges.

Congrats to Trimama, The Kahuna, etc. for a great IMFL!!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Tempo run, Team Nashville Half, and Goodluck to those at IMFL

First of all, I have to say that my thoughts, prayers and good luck wishes are with all those competing at IronMan Florida today. Especially TriMama, Nancy Toby , Shelley, The Kahuna, Bolder in Boulder and RoboStu- you guys ROCK!!! I just checked on TriMama and she is off the bike and is rocking the course!! I checked on Nancy and saw that she made it through the swim, but they haven't updated her bike time yet. You guys are all awesome!

Thursday's tempo run went okay, it was a 6 mile run with the first mile easy and the following 5 miles at target pace of 8:06. I got up and did the run at 5:30 a.m. was fairly close to the target, but never did hit it. Splits were 10:02, 8:22, 8:18, 8:09, 8:29, and 8:10. Total Time for 6 miles: 51:34

So I did nothing on Thursday, swam 2000 yards on Friday, and then got ready for the Team Nashville Half Marathon in Goodletsville on Saturday morning. Michele offered to pick me up at 5:15 a.m., and I took her up on it. We made the trip to Moss-Wright Park in Goodletsville just in time for the 7 a.m. start. It was a beautful morning to be running. I did this race last year without too much long distance training and kind of struggled through it to finish in 2:04 and some change. It's quite a hilly course, with 3 very significant hills that can really humble a runner. Today, I just wanted to break 2 hours. My PR for a half was set at the flat and fast Tom King Half Mary this past March, with a 1:51:02, but I didn't figure I could get close to that on this course. I started out around an 8:30 pace though, and didn't feel too bad, so I just kept trucking, and the miles ticked off. The first hill didn't seem as bad as I had remembered it, and the second didn't seem bad at all. After the second hill at mile 8, I picked out runners in front of me to catch, and continued to push my pace without blowing up. The final hill seemed a little worse than last year though, but I pushed up it and passed a couple more runners. When I made the final turn into the finish, I saw that the clock said 1:51 something, and I was pretty happy about that!!! I sprinted in and passed another runner, and my clock time was 1:51:37...although my Garmin said1:51:58...kinda weird, it looks like it would be the other way around..oh well. Anyways, official results aren't out yet - so I'll report an official time later. Michele did great as well, beating her time from last year by a couple minutes (her time from last year was already under 2 hours though). And since we had lots of obligations at home today, we didn't hang around - we headed straight home and got back by 10:30 a.m. Here are the splits according to my Garmin:

Monday, October 30, 2006

SAFE!!!...but just barely

Whew...If I ever appear to have it all together, or come across as though I have this wife/mother/software programmer/runner/triathlete thing figured out, just remind me of this post. Granted, I have been known to hit a grand slam for my kiddos every now and then, but today, I just barely squeaked out a single. Barely - and I almost got out. When I picked Bo up from preschool Thursday, his teacher told me that he was to bring 8 Halloween treats and his trick-or-treating bucket to school Monday.

"Yes, sure, no problem! See ya Monday!"

Fast forward to 7:00 a.m. Monday morning. I come in from my interval workout at the track and wake up the boys. Bo asks if I will take him to school this morning and let Dad take Briar. "Sure" I tell him, and I proceed to let J.T. know he's got Briar, and I've got Bo. So J.T. and Briar get off to school, and Bo and I are ready to leave when the panic alarm goes off in my head.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Halloween Treats...Bo's Halloween Treats...Remember???!!!

"OMG - The Halloween treats! And the bucket!! Where is the bucket?!? The attick, I hope! Oh my...I should already be at work..."

I immediately start thinking we're going to have to drive all the way across town to Wal-Mart. But then I remember that I bought 3 bags of Halloween candy yesterday. I decide that I can use the candy we have to put together 8 treat bags with Zip-Lock bags. But the bucket...that's a different story. I didn't want to mess with getting up in the attick last year, so I just bought 2 buckets at Wal-Mart for $0.96 and threw them away afterwards. But I thought I had one up in the attick, and while I hate going up there, it would be faster than going all the way to Wal-Mart. So I climb up in the attick and find the bucket...along with all the other Halloween decorations that Bo has been asking about for 2 weeks:

"Mommy, when are we going to decorate our house for Halloween?"

I stand there and look at the fiber optic pumkin, the light-up scarecrow, the pumpkin night light, the strobe light skull, and the other light up pumpkin. I almost grabbed the bucket and ran back down, after all, Halloween is tomorrow, but I couldn't. So I gathered all of it up and made two trips down from the attick. I resigned to the fact that I would be late for work today, and Bo and I decorated our house for Halloween. No, it wasn't as elaborate as usual with the fake spiderwebs and spiders and spooky music, but it was enough to make him happy. And it didn't make me all THAT late to work anyways. When we finished, we put his treats in his bucket and got off to preschool. He walked in proud of his little Halloween treats and telling them about his decorations. And I got back in my car and pulled out with my heart still pounding at the thought that I almost took him to preschool without him having his treats. I guess it wouldn't have been the end of the world if he didn't have them, but I was sure glad that I somehow pulled that one off, even if it was just barely.

On a marthon training note - Week 10's long run was suppose to be 15 miles, but I have switched Weeks 10 and 11 long runs in anticipation of doing the Team Nashville Half Marathon next Saturday Nov 4th. So the 20 miles for Week 11 was done Saturday at 4:10 p.m. I had intended to it at 6:00 a.m., but the thought of being out running when the kids woke up talked me out of it. So I enjoyed my morning with them, and set out a little after four o'clock. The problem with this decision was that it really does a number on my mental aspect when I take off running during the midday sun, and watch it go down, and continue to run another hour into the darkness. So the first 14 miles went great, with the following splits (target pace was 9:30 - 9:45): 9:25, 9:25, 9:14, 9:31, 9:27, 9:34, 9:36, 9:35, 9:50, 9:42, 10:02, 9:52, 9:39, 9:47. But it then got dark and all I could think about was getting home and getting this over with....wondering what J.T. and the boys were doing at home...wondering if the UT game had already started. And it got cold, too. And the last 6 miles came in like this: 10:07, 10:01, 10:01, 10:04, 10:24, and 9:59. I finished the 20 mile run in 3:15:25, a 9:46/mi pace. Avg HR:155, Max HR:175. I'm not very happy with that, as I think if I had stayed focused and positive I could have easily gotten that pace down in the 9:30's. But I guess any completed 20 miler is a good 20 miler for now.

I took Sunday off, and picked back up this morning (Monday) with intervals. FIRST said I was to do 1k,2k,1k,1k w/400m RI. Target pace for the 1k was 4:25, and I have no idea what the target for the 2k was. Here's the results:

1 mile warmup:10:25
1k Interval:4:39
400 RI
2k Interval:9:31
400 RI
1k Inteval:4:32
400 RI
1k Interval:4:33
1 mile cooldown: 9:16

Off pace, as you can see. I could still feel the 20 miles in my legs during each interval, as it had only been 36 hours from when I finished the long run. But it's in the books, and we are on Week 11 of 16, now. Hopefully a good night's sleep tonight will have me rested and recovered by tomorrow.

Friday, October 27, 2006

I finally decided...

I finally made a decision, and got the bike shop to order me this:

Gary Fisher Tassajara Disc GS

I LOVE SHOES!!!

...especially when I find them on sale!!

New Keen Boulders















New Keen Venices