Back On the Bricks!

My day to day adjustment in my running schedule called for an eight miler today, a decision made just as I went out the door. If I didn't suffer all the setbacks in the past few months, I would have been scheduled for a 12 miler today, but since I'm planning my 20 miler on Friday, or Saturday if I don't work, I thought it prudent to stick to an easy 8.

Didn't do my usual half mile walk. I walked the dogs before I ran and called it good enough. I still, non-the-less, began the first mile very slowly and incorporated my one minute walk at the beginning of each mile.

The course was all uphills and downhills with the exception of a 2 mile stretch of reasonably flat concrete trail. Although I didn't plan on pushing it much, I felt pretty good after a few miles and through in some tempo stuff for the heck of it. Splits as follows: 13:00, 11:49, 11:56, 10:46, 9:44, 8:58, 11:26, 9:29 with a 10:59 average and a max of 6:57 (have no idea).

This weeks 20 miler will be the last indication of what kind of shape I'll be in for Dallas. At this point, all I can state is that I'll finish........Mike

Very Successful 20 (Sat) and 6 MIlers (today)

Ran 20 miles with Runner's Edge Saturday morning with an unusual combination of course work.  Due to a Katie McClave marching band competition, I had a hard stop at 10:30 am, so I got up and ran 4 miles before Runner's Edge.  My plan was then to run the maximum loop of 14 miles, but once we got on course I discovered that Eladio had shortened it to 12 miles, so I doubled back at mile 8 and added 4 more miles to get my total in of 20.  Beautiful course on full color treed Brookside streets.  Fun visits with Amy Lara (always smiling and laughing!), Chuck Mathy (who ran the St. Louis full last weekend) and various other 11:00 pacers who reported in on their Chicago and Minneapolis marathons.  Based on the canvassing of my pace group, I'm probably looking at a 4:45- 5:00 marathon time in Dallas.  Frankly, I'd love to run faster, but my main goal is to finish a steady, strong race and cement my baseline return to marathoning.

Ran 6 easy miles over lunch today consisting of a 4.3 mile loop at 9:53's outside and a 1.7 mile warm down inside at 10:54's.  Due to October having 5 Saturdays in it, this month's total mileage of 159.5 miles is my second highest running month ever!  October represents my 9th straight month of running since returning to running in February after essentially taking off two and a half years.  I'm very psyched to be back!  --Bill

Sunday run

I ran 7 miles this morning. I was trying to run with the Sunday Runday group. I couldn't find the new start. I did find it after a few minutes, but everyone was gone. I did find the route, so I did find water on the course, even though no runners.

It was a good start to the day. My wife and daughter are in town, but they were sleeping. I was thinking about doing 10, but with my 15-minute late start, I needed to get back. My wife and I went out for breakfast and then a realtor showed us 5 houses. It was fun to go house hunting with Emma, my daughter. She was excited about the space and her new bedroom.

Here's the run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/125351881

Longest

Went out this morning determined to maintain a pace that would allow me to just cruise through 21 miles. It was cool, clear and calm, so the conditions were right for a good run.
I started out with a 10:23 and then fell into a long series of splits around the 9:30 mark. It felt comfortable and it seemed like I'd be able to maintain that pace indefinitely. Then, by the time I hit mile 17, I kind of hit a wall. Not THE wall, but I was suddenly a little light headed and overly weary. I stopped to drink and rest for a few minutes before taking off again. I'd been drinking, but possibly not enough. For the next 4 miles I kept my pace at about 10:00, which is what I felt was safe and sustainable for the rest of the run.
Overall, I did 21 miles in 3:24:11, for a 9:44 average. When I got home I ate a big bowl of oatmeal with bananas and strawberries, drank a bunch, and then weighed myself. I'd lost 5.5 pounds on a 21-mile run in cold-to-cool weather. That's a lot, and probably means I wasn't hydrating like I should have been, which might explain the trouble I had in the last four miles. I'm still happy with the run, even if I didn't handle all the technical details of it very well.
39.5 for the week. -- Rob

Big Ten!

Well, my goal was to run an easy ten miler today since I have to work the weekend and won't be able to get any mileage in.

I wanted to run somewhere different, so I drove the short distance to one of our bike routes, the Interurban Road. I picked it because there are no real hills to speak of, just some gradual grades here and there.

As I began the first mile with my usual half mile walk and half mile slow pace run, I decided to see where a certain road lead to. You know, kind of an adventure and sight seeing run.

At not quite a mile into the familiar Interurban Rd., I took a right hand turn at 126th street and an immediate left onto Congress. There they were, hill after hill after hill after hill, etc. etc! I don't recall any flat surface for more that a quarter mile. This would have been a perfect route to train for the Hilly Hundred and I plan on riding this route the next time I'm on the bike.

Anyway, I had the wind at my back for the first five miles, but didn't realize it until I made the turnaround and spit into the wind only to have it smack me right back in the face. The wind was pretty tough on the way back, but I just considered it a challenge and kept on truckin'.

All in all, I was very satisfied with the splits considering I walked my full minute at the beginning of each mile with the exception of the last mile. I just decided to see what I had for mile ten, so I pushed it trying to just stay under a nine minute pace. Here are my ten mile splits:
13:51, 10:50, 10:58, 10:55, 9:37, 10:49, 10:55, 10:34, 10:47, and 8:43 for a 10:48 average with a max of 7:44. I take it!............Mike

Successful Interval Workout Today

Today's schedule called for 7 miles with 6 x 800s in the middle.  Opened with 2 miles @ 10:30's, then ran 2 x 800s @ 8:57's; 3 x 800 @ 8:27's and 1 x 800 @ 8:00, each with 0.1 walk inbetween.  Finished with 1.5 miles at 10:31s again.  These are "cheater" intervals since I'm running them inside on a treadmill with zero incline.  That said, I've now logged a weekly interval workout in 5 of the last 6 weeks and I can see steady improvement over the time period.  The 8:57's that were pushes 6 weeks ago are now very doable.  Next week will have 8 intervals in the lower mileage week and I'll be interested in seeing if I can drop the last set another notch faster.  I'm sore right now but the workout was very successful.  -- Bill

Easy 6

I let details of life derail me from running Monday and Tuesday so Wednesday was my first day out this week.  The plan called for 6-7 miles with 4 miles at pace.  I did 6 miles with 4 at 10:30 -- just didn't feel like running much, and didn't push the 10:00 pace I should have held.  Nonetheless, by the end of the 6 miles I was back on track feeling like a runner.  Funny how that works.  Today is a lunch time intervel workout, then an easy recovery jog tomorrow before Saturday's long run.  --Bill

Bike ride

I got on my bike for the 1st time since Hilly 100. It felt great. I averaged 12.1 mph, faster than normal. I rode on some Overland Park trails, and then on the streets. My plan was to shop at Trader Joe's and then ride home. I had my Panniers on the bike and did a quick shopping trip. So I actually used my bike to get somewhere instead of my car. It was dark on the way home, but I got to use my new and very bright headlamp, in addition to my bike lights.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/124549895

One of my favorite runs in the park

I ran 5.1 miles in Frick Park in Pittsburgh. Bad news -- my father is in the hospital -- brought me there. But he's doing OK and I had time for a perfect fall trail run. The run starts at my father's apartment, with about 0.5 miles on the street then the rest in the park. It's down hill from the start to mile 3. My splits were: 10:52, 9:45, 12:28, 12:40, 12:53. I was slow on the way back up. A great start to a difficult day.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/124549900

Easy 6

Much cooler tonight than earlier this week - just 54 when I got going at 6:45 p.m. That's not bad for a fall day, though.
I had just six miles on the schedule, and I had no desire to do anything fast. I just wanted a nice, easy, comfortable run.
So, I started off slow and pretty much kept it that way until the last two miles, which averaged 8:59. The first mile was 10:15 and everything else was right around 9:30. I did 6.2 miles in 58:28, which is a 9:26 average.
That sets me up for two days of rest before my 20-22 miles on Saturday.-- Rob

Another Easy Day.

Nothing special about today's six miler other than there is still no problem with the knee. Confidence building each day with regards to Dallas. Goal still is to just cross the finish line and be able to stand up. However, some of you guys know me very well, so I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind to see if I could race this thing.

Actually, as of this week, I'm thinking about the possibility of running the first half at a ten minute pace and the second half at a nine minute. That would put me at the finish line around 4:15. I'm pretty sure I can hang on to the ten minute pace the first half, but not so sure about the second half.

Decision won't be made until race day!.........Mike

Congratulations Brandon!

Mike sent over this picture of he and Brandon at Brandon's troop ceremony recognizing his Eagle Scout award.  Pretty special picture, we think!

Huge congratulations to Brandon for completing his Eagle Scout!  This is a major accomplishment in life with character lessons that will stick with you and guide you throughout your life.  Well done, well done!

This being a running blog, Brandon, please plan on joining us for one of our monthly 5-mile runs and dinner so we can celebrate properly!  -- Bill and the rest of the MRC

Four Harder than Eighteen?

Schedule called for an easy four miler and it was nice, but warm, for the run. I probably didn't have to, but I did my usual walk for the first half mile then slowly eased into my run. Hammies a little sore, but nothing serious, so I stayed around an 11:00-11:30 pace.

Seems like I was fairly sluggish for this four miles and it seemed more difficult than Sunday's 18 mile run. This is why we have hard and easy days!

Five weeks to go!.............Mike

Note: I think I'll have Mexican food with a lot of refried beans the night before Dallas. My bunk mate, Bill, will appreciate it and it will give me a much needed boost during the race.

Sticking with the schedule

Nothing much to say about my run tonight, except that I felt fresher than I expected, so I ran my scheduled 8 miles rather than the 7 I was considering. Total time was 1:12:03, for a 9:01 average. My last two miles were my fastest, at 8:35 and 8:34. -- Rob

A Slower Half Marathon Than I Would Have Like

Ran the St. Louis Rock n Roll Half Marathon yesterday with 21,000 of my closet friends.  Had a blast -- this was a beautiful, big city course with live bands, a road full of runners the entire race, huge spectator crowds, live bands every mile, and a fabulous finish area party with headliner band and free beer in warm fall sunshine.  Very fun experience.  Overall, however, I was slower than I would have liked.  Headed out with the 2:10 pace group with the plan in mind that if the miles were clicking by I would speed up in the back half.  However, I never got in a groove in this race.  I was slightly winded the first 2 miles (10:29 pace) and although I exactly averaged my target 10:00 pace through miles 3 - 7, I just never felt at ease and clicking.  This race was a steady push for me the entire way.  Lost the 2:10 pace group in miles 8 & 9 when they picked up the pace on a 2-mile long uphill and I slowed down to 10:20's.  Lodged two 11:00 miles in next 3 miles to mile 12, and only beat 2:15 by finishing with a 9:50 pace for the finishing 1.1 mile.  Ended up at my "C" plan of 2:14:46 for a 10:17 average overall.

Splits were:  10:29, 10:29, 10:10, 9:56, 9:56, 9:57, 9:59 (miles 3-7 at exactly 10:00 average); 10:22; 10:20; 11:03; 10:19; 10:53 (2 off miles in miles 8-12); 9:58; and 8:37 for the last 0.1 mile.

As Mike noted on Rob's entry, a half marathon 6 weeks out is a good barameter of where I stand.  I am still working towards seeing if I can run a 4:30 in Dallas, but this weekend would indicate that 4:45 is much more likely.  We'll see.

Last thought:  I may make the St. Lous half a target race in the future.  Beautiful city with great hotels 1 block from the race start.  This might be a really fun weekend trip for Lucy and I in the future.  -- Bill

Too nice not to

It was just too nice out today not to go for a run, so even though this should have been a day off, I decided to do an easy 3 and just enjoy the perfect day.
I headed for the Line Creek trail, which has been extended recently. What a great trail this is going to be when it's all done. It will start about a mile north of us and go all the way to Riverside, where I understand it's supposed to hook up with the levee trail and then the English Landing Park trail. Ultimately, it's to be extended all the way up to Weston and then over to Smithville Lake, where there's already a great trail around most of the lake.
Because I wanted to see all of the new extension, I wound up with 4.3 miles, averaging 9:27. Another month and we'll wonder where all this great weather went. Best to enjoy it now, while we can. -- Rob

Jumping Ahead!

Well, I had a decision to make this morning. With only six weeks to go before Dallas, I knew I had get at least one long run in of 18-20 miles. This week has gone so smooth regarding my knee and with the Hilly Hundred, a quality four miler, and a quality 7 miler on Friday behind me, I felt it was time to just throw caution to the wind and test body, mind and attitude.

The result was a surprising, better than expected, 18 miler. I walked the first half of the first mile with the usual J-word in the second half and even began the second mile with a one minute walk. I walked a full minute at the beginning of each mile and just could believe how good I felt after mile four.

My intentions were to just take it easy and average in the mid elevens for the 18 miles, but I looked down at my watch from time to time and was just cruising along comfortably in the high eights and low nines. When I came to my next mile marker I walked the full minute. I didn't walk briskly, I walked like one who was walking with their wife in the park, you know the window shopping pace. This is also when I hydrated.

When the minute was up, I slowly picked up the pace until I was cruising along again at 8:30s to a little over 9:00. I just couldn't believe how good I felt. Not sure I could hold that pace without the one minute walk. At any rate, here are my splits. Walk and jog mile one in 15:17, then 11:51, 11:43, 11:59, 10:33, 10:06, 10:05, 9:53, 10:05, 10:09, 9:20, 8:56, 9:07, 9:21, 10:58, 11:50, 10:53, 12:01 with a max of 7:31 and a 10:52 average for all 18 miles. FYI, my hips were giving me some issues in the last three miles and I had to take it easy the last mile...........Mike

Bagel Run - like coming home

I ran the bagel run 10 mile yesterday. It's been three weeks since my last one. I really liked doing the same run I've done many times and catching up with a few running friends.

This was also my last long run becuase of two bike rides, Tour du Port and Hilly 100. Returning to a long distance run was welcome. My splits were:
1 9:55, 2 9:35, 3 9:22, 4 9:26, 5 9:59,
6 9:34, 7 10:30, 8 11:07, 9 11:31, 10 11:18
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/123668168

I ran with a friend until mile 6. We worked out some stresses I've been having at my job. His perspective was helpful.

After my friend took a shorter route back to the start, I slowed down, running by myself for the last 4 miles. I was still pleased -- I'm not fast and an overall average of 10:10 is just what I needed after 3 weeks.

Hilly Hundred

I had a challenging 1st day. 57.5 miles is more than I've ever done. I may have come close, but it was when I was in my 20s. Actually, the riding and hills were OK. My physical capacity was fine. I took it slow and rode up every hill. But my butt was so sore, I was thinking about skipping Sunday. (I knew that I'd wake up and decide to ride. But it was comforting to give myself the option of taking the day off.) On the one hand, I was disappointed that the four of us did not stay together. But in the end, I was much happier riding at my own pace without any pressure to keep up. This was a long ride for me. I probably needed more time on the bike for training.

The Saturday ride was also very satisfying. I was right about wanting to ride, once I woke up. I decided to do the shorter 39 mile ride. I felt no need to do more. It felt a bit odd at the 1st turnoff for the 39 because most (~90%) took the 49 mile route. There was no one in front of me and no one followed me either. But a Hilly 100 board member caught up with me and we had a conversation about the ride and biking. The ride itself went well. Again my fitness level pulled me through. Surprisingly, I was not as sore as I thought I'd be. And I only walked one hill, Mt. Tabor. I felt fine walking this one.

I'd consider doing it again, but for the next year or two, I'll stick to closer and smoother rides.

A test

Saturday was another real nice day for a run. I got out about 7:30, when it was still in the low 40s, so I had to wear gloves and a couple of layers on top. I went down to the levee, which, as it turned out, was open for about .8 of a mile. Better than nothing. I went out and back on that to start.
I had 12 miles on the schedule, but I decided if I was going to go 12, I might as well do a half marathon, and I might as well test myself a little bit doing it. I thought it would be nice to know at 6 weeks out just how I was doing.
I didn't treat it like a race, though. I still wanted to feel good at the end and I didn't want to go into a high-mileage week needing to recover more than usual. I started with a 9:53, then followed that up with a 9:22. I was being careful because I'd come out of my last run on Thursday with a little bit of a right calf muscle pull. It was slight, but enough to be a bit of a concern. It never bothered me, though, and after a couple of miles I just forgot about it.
Miles 3 and 4 were 9:05 and 9:06, and then all the rest of the splits were under 9:00, with a couple in the 8:36 range. I stopped briefly three times with the clock off to drink and refill my bottles.
The final tally was 13.1 miles in 1:57:28 for an 8:59 average. I think I could have shaved a couple of minutes off that if it had been a race at the end of a taper week.
30.5 miles for the week. -- Rob

Pretty Good, Pretty Good!

Ran a steady 7 miler today on the trail along 64th street. I began with my usual half mile walk and half mile J-word then set my watch back to 00:00:00 and began to pick it up. Splits aren't that impressive unless you consider the long uphills. Splits were 10:42, 9:23, 9:53, 9:47, 9:10, 9:15 and 9:18 with a max of 7:17. Only walked about 30 seconds in mile three. Knee still okay, so far, but Sunday will tell the tale. I plan on doing a 16 miler, but will take it real easy..........Mike

Recovery Week

After the thrill of my first 40+ mile week since April 2008 and the really fun KC half marathon, I thought I would roll right into this week.  In reality, the wisedom of a recovery week became immediately apparent.  Monday through Wednesday, my legs and chest were still tight from the push to the finish Saturday.  I just didn't feel like running.  Looking back, Saturday's 19.1 miler was the 6th straight week of 14+ mile weekend runs (1 run was 14; the others were all in the 16's, then the 19.1).  I needed this recovery week.  So I logged easy runs of 3 and 4.5 Monday and Tuesday and an elliptical cross train on Wednesday.  Finally, last night I logged a 6 mile run that included 4 repeats of 800's -- 2 at 8:57 and 2 at 8:27 pacing.  I felt like running again and I'm looking forward to my weekend:  a short, easy run this afternoon, a rest day Sat., and then the St. Louis half for time on Sunday -- can't wait!  -- Bill

Nice night for a run

Got out for the third day in a row tonight, so now I can have an off day before my long run on Saturday. That's only 12 miles, so it's not a big deal, but I like to have a day of rest before anything of any length.
The sky was clear tonight, and I got going a little earlier than usual, so I had almost two miles with at least some daylight. There was a slight breeze and it was a couple degrees over 50, which is warmer than the last few nights. Nice conditions for a run.
I wasn't sure what kind of run this would be when I took off. I decided I didn't want to climb any hills to start things off, so I walked until they were all behind me. I did 6 miles, but in terms of how it developed it was almost identical to Tuesday night's 7-miler. I started with 9:32, then 9:13 and worked my way down to 8:34 for my last mile on the way to an average of 9:00.
I felt better than I did for my 4 mile run Wednesday night, probably because I didn't start the run with any hills. -- Rob

Another Nice Surprise.

Well, I got my nine miler in today, albeit slow. Lots of hills, don't remember the last time I had to deal with hills. Yeah, right! Anyway, I took my time and had to really discipline myself on slowing down. I felt way too good for someone just coming off a 100 mile weekend bike ride and running a four miler yesterday.

I kept looking at my watch to be sure I wasn't going too fast since I just wanted to get in the mileage. I walked a full minute at the beginning of each mile split and still average in the high tens for the 9 miles. The best part, of course, was I still haven't had a knee issue.

I plan to run a 12-15 miler on Sunday and work to increase the mileage from there. I only have 6 weeks to prepare to at least finish Dallas....Mike

Back on foot

After four days off from running I finally got back out tonight. I could still feel the residual effects of the weekend bike rides, but once I got going it didn't seem to be a factor. I guess the muscles used are different enough. I even thought I felt a little stronger on the hills after all those Hilly Hundred climbs, but maybe it was just all the days off.
Tonight's run was 7.2 miles. I started off thinking tempo run, and that's the way it developed. After opening with 9:33 and 9:22, I went 9:07, 9:03, 8:35, 8:42 and 8:30, plus the partial mile at an 8:41 pace. The average was 8:59. -- Rob

Important Only To Me!

Being not real sure as to how my knee was going to respond to a run after the Hilly Hundred weekend, I went out the door with intentions of running an easy four miles just to give it a test run. It couldn't have gone better!

I walked the first half mile and J-worded the back half of the first mile just like I usually do. I picked it up a little and found myself running in the tens with little effort. I have no idea why, but I just decided to push it a little more and was running in the mid eights. I even pushed it a little more for around a quarter mile and was in the sevens with a max of 7:07. I didn't know about the seven minute pace until I checked my Garmin.

At any rate, when I got home, my knee was just fine! I plan to run an easy six to eight tomorrow to see where I'm at with the knee. If I can run through the weekend without any knee issues, then I'm pretty sure I can slowly, and I mean slowly, increase the mileage.

Can't help but realize that cycling has been extremely beneficial to the re-habing of my knee.

Nothing to add with regards to the Hilly Hundred that Rob hasn't posted. Everything he stated would only be sentiments echoed by me. The only thing I WOULD post different is that I WILL NOT GO BACK! It was just to unnerving for me and I really would like to see my 100th birthday and not be in a wheelchair!...............Mike

The "Hilly"

"Hilly Hundred." That's a cute name that now seems to fall far short of describing this event. I'm trying to think of a more descriptive name - Hundreds of Hills, Horrendously Hilly, Hills of Horror. I'm working on it.

Sean, Mitchell, Rob and Mike.

For the two days I totaled 103.27 miles, 57.48 on day one, and 45.79 on day 2. I averaged a shade over 12 mph and had a top speed of 35 mph.
What was it like? Relentless hills, mostly steep, one after the other after the other after the other. Descents were as fast as you dared, but the roads were rough, pitted, potted, and curving. I "Ohhh shiiitted!" more than once as I flew down the backside of a hill I had just crawled up at 3 mph, unable to brake much for fear I'd fly right off the front or wipe out on the rough surface.
And the wind. Lordy! As bad as it was Saturday, it was even worse on Sunday. Straight out of the west at, I'm guessing, 25-35 mph. It seemed like I rode west the entire distance.
On Friday evening, before riding, we heard about the hill on Mt. Tabor Road: maximum grade 20.2 percent.This came up on the second day about two-thirds of the way through the ride. I was pretty much gassed by then, and I tried for the five miles preceding the climb to prepare by easing back and resting my legs as much as possible. It didn't work. I wasn't more than 60 feet up the hill before I knew it was fruitless. I was off the seat and walking, along with at least half the "riders" around me. It was hard to even walk up that hill.

Climbing the Mt. Tabor Road hill. We all walked it.

This ride is definitely meant for experienced cyclists, riders who know how to work the gears to their best advantage on climbs. I pretty much knew what I needed to do, but my timing could have been better. On the infrequent occasions when I began the climb at the right speed and in the right gear, and shifted at exactly the right time, the climbs seemed surprisingly easy. More often, though, I mistimed at least one aspect and paid with expensive withdrawals from the energy bank.
I'm not sure I'll ever do the Hilly Hundred again, but if I do I'll want to train a little harder and use a road bike. Both would make the job easier. I'm happy with how it turned out, though. It was a tremendous workout and another experience I can put on the list. -- Rob
Note: These photos were taken by Mike.

Congratulations Tandy Gabbert!

Dan's wife Tandy, who also joined weight watchers with Dan and lost a bunch of weight ... the result of which is increasingly that people are pretty much concluding Dan was a serious cradle robber when he married, ran her first every half marathon Saturday in the KC Half.  She finished in 2:39:05 -- well ahead of her 2:45 stretch goal.  Well done, Tandy!!!

Kansas City Half/19 Miler

Pulled off a very successful and fun long run Saturday by running 6.5 miles before the K.C. marathon then completing the half marathon race.  Got up at 4:15 am and starting running out of Ken's loft parking lot 5:15 am.  Did 2 loops of the race start to downtown part of the course (very interesting running downtown at that hour as the volunteers worked to set up the course), changed shirts to my (dry) race shirt and jogged over to the 7:05 am start.  Jumped in the 2:30 pace group but left them after a mile and hung with the 2:25 group which was pacing my desired 11:00 miles.  They dropped me on the 2-mile uphill from mile 2 to 4, but I caught back up with them at mile 10 and finished very strong.  Overall my half marathon splits were 11:31 for miles 1-4 (included a 2-mile uphill), 10:47's for miles 5-8 (downhill miles), 11:13 for miles 9-10 (another 2 mile uphill) an 11:02 for the 11th mile water stop mile, and then finished strong at 9:37  & 9:45 for the last 2 miles.  2:23:16 for the half for 10:57 average -- exactly on plan.  This was a great run for me as I set out to run steady 11:00's which I did with a lot of extra capacity at the end.  I'm feeling like I'm fairly well set up for the 7 week run into Dallas.

Last thoughts:  loved -- absolutely loved -- the half course. Every neighborhood was interesting, the fall colors were gorgeous, 11,000 runners meant large surrounding running groups the whole race, good crowd support, live bands, beer and big expo at the finish, and Dan Gabbert yelling encouragement to me 4 times during the race (he was leap frogging the course supporting his wife's first ever half marathon) made for a very memorable morning.  I feel especially blessed to live in KC on days like Saturday!  Life is good.

Lunchtime Tempo Run

My schedule called for 3 mile warm up followed by 4 mile race pace tempo run today, so I ran out of my gym over my lunch hour.  Opened with 3 miles easy at 10:15's on a loop course, then 4 miles on the treadmill at steady 10:00's.  I'm working on getting 10:00's to feel very normal this month, and I think I'm beginning to make progress.  This was a very very doable workout for me. --Bill

Crowding it all in

With running not much of an option beginning today, I set out this week to get all 20 miles on my schedule in between Tuesday evening and Thursday morning.
To do it, I ran 7 tempo-pace miles Tuesday evening, then got up early Wednesday morning and ran 7.1 miles. Wednesday evening I went to the gym to lift, and I followed that up with 3 easy miles on the treadmill, so my total was 10 miles for Wednesday. This morning I got up early again and finished off the 20 with 3.1 easy miles on the street. So, I had 20.2 miles in about 35 1/2 hours. It was a little bit like Hood to Coast, but not as hard and certainly not as fun. right now my legs and feet feel a like they usually do after an 18-mile run.
Now it's 100 hilly miles in Indiana. -- Rob

Still Concerned!

I intended on doing a short slow run today, since I rode 18 yesterday, but I still have that dull ache in my knee from Monday's short run. I had to do something and didn't want to ride the bike anymore until the Hilly Hundred this weekend, so I decided to just walk. I had a nice four mile walk on a new trail close to where I live. Weather nice, leaves starting to peak here and there and it was just nice to not worry about pace or distance. Just a nice walk with my own thoughts............Mike

Wednesday Lunch Run

My schedule called for 3-5 mile recovery day so I ran a 4.3 mile loop on my lunch hour in the gorgeous fall sun.  Opened with a 9:55 and targeted 10:00's for the run as I need to move my easy run pace up from 10:30's to 10:00's.  Ended up averaging 10:05's due to a slower 10:18 third mile.  But nice run overall.  Don't know how long the fall weather will hold, so I'm pushing to get in outside runs whenever I can! -- Bill

Tuesday Intervals

Ran 8 x 800's yesterday on treadmill at 2x 10:00 pace (easy), 2 x 9:30 pace (easy), 2 x 9:00 pace  (not as easy as I'd like), and 2 x 8:30 (takes focus for me).  This was the same workout as 2 weeks ago, but this time I definitely felt I had more capacity for completing them.  Both weeks followed lower long run weeks so I should have fresher legs for them.  Overall 7.3 miles for the workout.  Next week, I hope to start the 800's at 9:30 and finish at 8:00's.  We'll see how that goes given my 20 miler planned for this Saturday!  -- Bill

7 good miles

I felt surprisingly good after running 20 on Saturday, standing on a concrete floor selling bloody marys for 8 hours Sunday, and taking Monday off. I started off at a comfortable pace and tried to maintain that effort throughout. I gradually increased my speed as I loosened up.
After a 9:33 first mile, I went 9:01, 9:03, 8:52, 8:40, 8:48, and 8:53. That's an 8:59 average, and like I mentioned, it was comfortable.
This is a low mileage week in which I am scheduled for only 20 miles total. I don't know if I will get them all in, what with my schedule starting Thursday, but it probably doesn't matter. A little extra rest is always helpful. -- Rob

Taper Week for the Hilly Hundred

I decided not to run much at all this week so not to take a chance on my knee acting up before the Hilly Hundred this weekend.

Did an 18 miler on the bike today riding east of Parkville on FF Highway. After riding on rough, bouncy, gravel road for a little over a mile, I suddenly remembered why I didn't want to ride this route anymore, since Rob and I experienced this route sometime last year. Took my time and rode very slow.

Two more days before departure for Indiana. The break will do all of us some good. I just wish more of you guys could have made it this year. Put this one on your calendar for 2012!...........Mike P.S. We'll share all of our HH photos with the group at the next MRC meeting on Nov. 7th!

5 mile run

I did an easy 5 mile run, mostly along bike paths. I found the path last week on my bike. It's mostly along the highway, but I had my Eric Clapton. Great weather, and a great run.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/72054926

Tour du Port Bicycle Ride

My 23-year old son, Elliot, and I had a great ride in the Tour du Port.

The ride was 24 miles. My GPS battery was and I started my Droid iMapmyRun App about 1 mile into the ride. FYI http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/53711792

It was a beautiful day, great scenery and wonderful to be with my son. He took some photos, but has not sent them yet. We rode along the inner harbor, then Federal Hill, back along the inner harbor, out past the port and some industrial area, Dundalk and then back to the start. We stopped on a bridge where you could see Bayview hospital where Nathan was for a few months. Just some time to think about him.

The weather was fantastic, 60s to start! This was a great event. Thanks bikemd.org

-- Mitchell

Tired of just easy four milers!

Shouldn't complain, but I'm really looking forward to getting my mileage back up where it was a few weeks back. Still resting the knee off and on which is just how my running is going, off and on. Not really a solid training method for running a marathon in less than two months. This knee thing has really set me back. All I can state is that I'm just glad I can run at all even though it's 3 miles here and four miles there. I think the key to this whole problem lays in the realization that the knee needs more healing time. I didn't think I was pushing it, but combined with my age, maybe I am............Mike

After much cajoling from our friend, Bill, I decided to make my first entry. I ran the half today in Wichita's Praire Fire Run. The weather in Wichita was much more runner-friendly, today ,than in K.C.. The temperature was in the low 60's with an overcast sky and occasional light rain. The course was pleasant and more importantly, flat, with only one noticeable hill. We ran down Douglas Ave., one of the main drags, before entering an area of nice older homes near Friends University, past a nice park and then back down Douglas to the finish. I finished in 2:03:52, while still a rather slow time, it beat my previous best time by about 15 minutes. so I was pretty happy. I may need the advice from the rest of you in deciding what pace I should shoot for in my full next month in San Antonio.

Dan G.

Octoginta Bike Ride Report

I took in the annual Octoginta bike ride in Lawrence this morning.  This ride is cited by many riders at all three rides I did this summer/fall (Summer Breeze, Gorilla Century, and now Octoginta) as probably the best 1-day riding event in Kansas.  The highlights were an extremely pretty, peak fall season ride on very scenic roads, lots of riders (2-3 times Summer Breeze) and a full hot breakfast at the first SAG stop about 13 miles in and a full lunch with hot soup at the finish - which makes for great commraderie.  Downsides were a very shortened course -- the 40 mile loop I chose came in at 33 miles -- no second SAG, and (unique to today) very high winds.  Most of the veterns today said this year was "off" compared to previous years.  Also, for the record, last weeend's Tour de BBQ got rave reviews. 

Bottom line is that we should target either the Tour de BBQ or Octoginta as a designated fall ride for us next year.  I'll keep the dates in front of us and we can decide if we're up for a group ride.  I had a lot of fun today and met a lot of nice folks.  Bicylcing is just a great sport!  -- Bill

20

OK, finally I have finally managed a long run properly, and the result is that I finished in good shape. And this one was 20.3 miles, my longest by 2.3 miles so far this training period.
I didn't quite follow my plan of 3 miles at 11, then 3 miles at 10, but I did start with one mile at 11 and then hung around the 10 mark a lot of the time. I had a few miles around the 9:35 mark, but I was pretty consistent all the way.

I did this by parking the truck in a central location (Tiffany Springs shopping center) and then running out and back in various directions. I used the truck as a energy station - someplace where I could stop to fill up my hydration bottles and pop in a few Shot Bloks for quick calories. That, and a reasonable pace, contributed to a good run. I felt better after this one than after either of my previous 18-milers. Things are looking up.
My time was 3:21:49, for an average pace of 9:57.
Just for the record, my right foot is a little sore and stiff, but I think that will go away in a couple of days. It doesn't seem serious at all. -- Rob

Back to encouraging signs!

After my bike ride yesterday, I thought my knee would be acting up. I didn't have any pain after the ride, or this morning, so I thought I might give the running another try. With a 3 mile goal in mind, I walked the first half mile and went into a slog J-word for the last half of that mile. I felt okay so picked it up to what I felt was comfortable without pushing it. I finished the final 2.5 miles at exactly a 11:01 mile pace. No pain, no concerns! Who the hell knows what the next run will bring?

Is Dallas out of the question now, or will I be able to get enough runs in, including at least one long 18-20 miler before declaring myself capable of finishing? Who knows, but I'm still trying..........Mike

Pleasant run

I had half a mind to get up early this morning for my run, but the half that didn't want to get up early won out and I ended up doing 7.2 miles after work. That's OK, though, because half the run was in the daylight, and the weather was perfect.
Since I have a 20-mile run planned for Saturday, my goal this evening was to avoid placing any extra stress on my legs. At no point did I want to feel my legs tiring. I started out fairly slowly, I thought. In checking my splits at the end, however, I saw that my first mile was 9:18, which is significantly faster than my normal opening mile. The first mile also has the most hills, so that makes the split even more interesting.
Mile two was 9:15, and then mile 3 was 9:05. At no point in any of those miles did I feel like I was burning up extra energy. Mile 4 was 9:15, which seems a little curious since it is mostly flat to downhill.
Mile 5 was 9 min. flat, and then I did 8:51 and 8:53. The last 2 tenths was run at an 8:48 pace.
The whole run was very comfortable. I spent most of the 65 min. thinking about how to pace myself on Saturday. I'd like to do the first three miles at 11 min. pace, the next three at 10 min., and then something like 9:30 over the final 14. A slow start like that should set me up nicely. We'll see.
I hope everyone has a good run on Saturday. They're all important now. -- Rob

A Longer Bike Ride, Finally!

What a great day for a ride! I drove to Smithville and rode out and back on the Bone Bender and Smokin Davey Trail, returned to my car, then rode the other direction on the Anita Gorman and Cabin Fever Trail. I ended up riding just short of 40 miles. Kept the bike in 3.4 to get a workout for the legs.

The only problem were the nuts on the trail. The Walnuts I could see and dodge, but those damn little acorns were like marbles and the acorn caps, that became separated from the main nuts, were extremely nerve racking!!! The popping and crunching were unavoidable due to being covered with leaves. I was sure I would end up with a flat and have to walk back to the car. A lot of crushed nuts were left on the trail not to mention the ones in my bike shorts. Good thing I don't use them much!

Weather was just beautiful with the exception of the wind. The gusts coming off the lake were very strong and most of the time it seemed like I was riding into it. Why is that? Every time I ride into the wind and turn around I'm still heading into the wind! Strange!............Mike

Great morning run in Nebraska

I was in Grand Island Nebraska for a meeting at the city's power plant. But I had time for a great run in the cool morning. I ran from the hotel through some quiet streets in the neighborhood. Not too fast, I averaged 10:36. But looking back, I don't ever remember checking my pace. I was just running without any agenda or goal. It's good to have goals, but an occasional run just for the sake of running is excellent.

Two more things:
1. Most of the streets were concrete.
2. It was flat. Garmin says the elevation gain was 8 ft.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/119431336

I've Never Been So Insulted by a Treadmill

When I ran an interval workout on treadmill yesterday, I quickly encountered some unusual happenings.  0.12 miles into my warmup, the machine advised me "This treadmill does not recognize anyone on the machine."  I decided to take it as a compliment and replied "Thank you -- that is quite nice of you!  I've actually lost 15 pounds since my return to running in February, but I still have 10 pounds to go, and really -- I'm no waif yet."  0.06 miles later, the machine promptly shut down on me.  Cranking back up got me to 0.11 miles before the machine refused to acknowledge my very existence.  I decided its' problem with being ignored need to be addressed directly.  My inquiry of "Tell me, have you met God yet?" was met with another abrupt and complete shutdown.  My third attempt produced some momentary hope as the machine advised me that it would, in fact, keep running for me if I pressed its magic button (the "enter" button.....how appropriate, I thought).  "I'm a guy -- no problem!"  But the enter button proved to be as elusive a concept as the "G" spot and I was shutdown a third, and for me, final time.  I mean, I know when to cut my losses and move on damn it.

On a new machine, I got in my 7 mile workout that included 12 quarter mile intervals in three sets of 4 x 9:00, 4 x 8:30, and 4 x 8:00's (which proved to be a lot harder than I would have liked).

As I left the gym, I couldn't resist a parting shot, so as I passed the front desk I inquired "When -- exactly -- did my old high school girlfriend turn into a treadmill, and what the hell is she doing here?" -- Bill

Short tempo run

Tonight I did 3.3 miles, and once I got going I decided to make it a tempo run. My opening mile was 9:32, followed by 8:39, and 8:30. The final 3 tenths was done at an 8:07 pace. The overall was 8:50. That is all. -- Rob

MRC Monday run

It was great to be back running with the MRCofKC. I wore my VFFs and was teased by a few of you. I don't mind the comments. That just part of weary very silly looling shoes.

It was a good run; Rob and I picked it up for the last mile or so doing a 10:00 and 9:30 mile splits.

Thanks to all of you for the trees planted in Israel in memory of Nathan. It was great that you guys did one more thing for me and my family.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/119020030

I Really Need to Go Long

Last week was a bit of a recovery week since my legs were very, very sore after my 16 mile hilly run 2 Saturdays ago.  I logged runs of 3.0-5.4 miles over Monday-Thursday with only Tuesday's 5.4 miles at 10:11's feeling OK.  By Saturday however, I was recovered and ran 17 of my planned 18 mile run for a total 34 mile week.  I had to stop short when I screwed up and got started later than I'd planned, then had to cut the run at 17 miles to get to a marching band competition Katie was in.  My Saturday run like last week's 16 miler was strong for just under 13 miles, averaging 10:15's very steady pace.  But like a week ago, I slowed down to 11:20's for the last 4 miles which doesn't speak well for where I should be right now.  My plan is to stick to the training schedule which has 3 runs of 20, 22, and 22 before Dallas.  It will be essential to hit these as I'm down to only three really long runs going into Dallas.  No room for error anymore!  -- Bill

At Least That's Something!

Rode 18.5 mile at Smithville with Rob. Knee seemed to be okay. I'm just going to stick to the biking for awhile and see what happens. If I feel the knee will hold up for a short run, I'll begin again, but I don't feel very positive about it now............Mike

Relly Concerned!

After resting knee three days after my Cortizone injection I decided to try and run a slow four miler. Slow it was! I walked about a third of the four miles due to the knee pain coming and going. Right now, at this point, I not only feel I can't participate in the Dallas White Rock Marathon, I also feel my running days may be over.

My knee just isn't the same. It feels unstable and is swollen after each attempt to run. It looks like biking will be okay, so I'll stick with that for a time.....Mike

Goal-Pace long run

I didn't really set out to do this, but my long run this morning turned into a goal-pace run, meaning I averaged what I hope I can average for a whole marathon. This was only 12.3 miles though, so that's quite a difference.
It was mid 40s when I got started, and I opened with two miles just short of 10 min. pace. I just let the run come to me the rest of the way, trying to stay comfortable and to not burn up too much energy. I wanted to finish strong and feeling good.
Mile 6 was my first under 9, and all the rest of them (with one exception) were under 9 the rest of the way. My last full mile was the fastest at 8:34, and that surprised me because it seemed like I had slowed down in that mile.
Anyway, I DID finish strong - and I felt pretty good at the end - so I accomplished my goal for the day.
30.7 miles for the week. -- Rob

another 10 mile Saturday run

I did my usual, dependable and comfortable 10 mile bagel run today. I even bought a dozen bagels after the run! People were happy to see me there. I just did a normal pretty even run, averaging 10:15 min/mile. There is one hill I really like at mile 8.5, steep and tough. I push hard up this one. I ran slower than last time, but I'm happy with a 10:15 pace / 10:06 moving pace. The weather was perfect in the 50s. I finished and asked another runner how it went for her. She said she was glad it's over. I felt that way only a little. I was happier running.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/118288209#