Back to 20

This morning I completed a 20 mile run! It felt good overall — it’s been a little while since I last did 20.

In fact, the last time I ran 20 miles was on November 17, about 3 months ago. Before that I hadn’t ran 20 miles since the Foothills 50K Frenzy on October 3. I feel that running a 20 miler means I’m back into full training mode. I may do a 21 or 22 miler between now and my next marathon, but sometimes 20 is my max.

Why has it been 3 months? After running the Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving, my Achilles was sore. It remained that way all through December. I was able to somewhat maintain my conditioning by doing one run per week and cross training, but it’s just not the same as running 30+ miles per week.

In early January I began carefully ramping back up, gradually increasing my total weekly mileage as well as my weekly longest run mileage. Two weeks ago I hit 17.5mi on my long run and last week I did 14.7mi. This morning I woke up at 4:45 and set out in the 28F weather. It was cold, but I was excited to get a good run in. I was hoping to do hills this week, but there aren’t any by my house and I decided I can focus on hills after my full base is established.

That led to a wandering run criss-crossing freeway overpasses so that I could at least get a tiny bit of hill work. I was carrying a water bottle and a flashlight, so despite wearing knit gloves, my hands suffered through much of the run. Around mile 13 and 14 my hands were painfully cold and numb and it became pretty distracting. Somehow I managed to get my last gel out of my pocket and holding it and eating it managed to warm me up. I kicked for the last 2 miles to hit marathon goal pace (~6:50/mi). It felt pretty good and I was happy I had enough energy left at the end to get that in.

Cyndi had some warm French Toast waiting for me when I got home. I slathered them with peanut butter and a little syrup and nothing ever tasted better 🙂

2016 Goals and Training

We’re already more than a week into 2016. I’ve been thinking about my goals, but also a bit about how I’ll achieve them. It will be hard for me to have a better year than 2015, but it’s definitely possible to match it, particularly if I can remain injury free. If I can remain injury free, I fully expect to beat all my PR’s 10k and up. (My high school 5k (16:32) and mile (4:34) PRs aren’t going anywhere soon.)

My primary goal is to run faster than 3:00:00 in a marathon. My goal last year was to qualify for Boston. I did, but I didn’t qualify by enough and I ultimately didn’t make it into the race. I’d really like to make it in next year, or even just get to the point where I have the option. I’m pretty sure if I actually make it I’ll sign up and go as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

With a sub-3:00 marathon being my primary goal, how do I get there? I was originally thinking about running more miles and getting up to ~55 miles per week. However, as I’ve thought about this more, I don’t think it’s something I necessarily want to commit to. I’m fairly injury prone and injuries are the most likely obstacle to me reaching my primary goals. Right now my plan is to stick with the 3+2 regimen set forth in Run Less, Run Faster. Three days of running and two days of cross training. On the sixth day I’ll either rest, cross train, or do a recovery run. (I don’t exercise on the Sabbath, so I only have six days of training per week.) I got a road bike for Christmas, so I expect to mix in more cycling into my cross training.

Besides regular training and cross training, I really need to do more stretching and strengthening drills and exercises. I plan on doing these about twice a week for at least 15 minutes. I think I mostly just need to develop the habit. I can do some stretching at my stand-up desk at work or while I’m at home watching a movie or reading. Thus, it doesn’t take too much time and I don’t have a good excuse not to do it — I just need to develop the habit.

Another goal I hope to achieve this year is to break into the top 10 at the Race to Robie Creek. I think I can do it if I continue regular training. Last year, the 8th, 9th, and 10th runners all came in at 1:28:xx. The year before was fairly similar. However, I know that last year the top runner has some issues and dropped out in the last 5 miles. I also know another runner that beat me at Zeitgeist that will likely move into the top 10. And I’m pretty sure the guy that won Zeitgeist didn’t run Robie last year, and he could possibly win Robie if he shows up. I’m thinking I’ll need to hit <1:27 to make sure I’m there. That’s definitely possible, although it will take some work and a good training stretch. We’ll see!

One other option, depending on injury, is to do a Half Ironman. I now have a road bike. I’ve often done 20-30 minutes twice a week on the stationary bike for cross training. I’m fairly confident with 2 or 3 months of good training I could do a solid Half Ironman. My biggest obstacle is the swim. I’d have to get a gym membership and work on my form quite a bit, but I think I could survive it with some practice. The Half Ironman is a back up option, as I’m much more concerned with qualifying for Boston for the time being.

Basically, I feel like I still have 2-4 years of steady improvement before I peak. I’ve been improving for 3 years now, so assuming the general rule of 7 years to peak, I should have a couple solid years left. If I increase my mileage and avoid injury I can probably get a lot from these next two years. Even if I just repeat my training regimen from 2015 I think I can improve. I hope I can make the most of 2016!

2015: Year in Review

2015 was probably the best running year of my life. The only other year that comes close is my senior year in high school, but I’m not sure it was quite as good as 2015.

My recent running life reemerged in 2013. That year I cut 19 minutes off my time from the year before at the Race to Robie Creek. I also committed to run the St. George Marathon with my father-in-law, and then I surprised myself by getting a personal record (3:24), beating my PR set in 2001 when I was 18 years-old. I had a great experience at the marathon and immediately wanted to run another. I also realized that I could potentially qualify for Boston at some point if I worked at it.

2014 was a fairly disappoint year. I was plagued by injuries that cost me 3-4 weeks of training at a time. First it was a foot tendon issue, then it was a strained calf, then another foot tendon issue (I get these a lot), and finally a sore knee to finish out the year. I barely achieved a marathon PR (3:21 at the Phoenix Marathon) and it was in March — early in the year. Nevertheless, I think I improved my base endurance capability quite a bit, and I learned some valuable lessons about injury prevention and not being stupid.

In late 2014 I signed up for the Newport Marathon, which was going to be on May 30th. That gave me plenty of time to train and improve leading into May. I used the 3:05 marathon training schedule in Run Less, Run Faster and got to work. The schedule is for 16 weeks, so I had a few extra weeks built in. That turned out well because I was sick a couple times and ran the Race to Robie Creek in April (which required a small taper and some recovery).

A week before Robie Creek I achieved a post-high school PR in the 5k (18:48) at a little fun run my company put on. That totally surprised me.

Then I achieved a big course PR at the Race to Robie Creek (1:31).

While I didn’t do as well as I hoped at Newport, I still achieved a PR (3:13).

I continued training through the summer and picked up a half marathon PR at the Idaho Falls Half Marathon (1:23 — excluding the wrong turn).

Then in September I finally met my goal of a 3:04 marathon at Mt. Nebo.

I felt great and my fitness was better than ever, so in October I ran the Foothills 50k Frenzy, my first ultramarathon.

Finally in November, I picked up a course PR at Zeitgeist (1:28) despite a strained calf.

That was followed by a 10k PR at the turkey trot (37:27).

Like I said, my best year ever. I PR’d in every distance 10k and above, as well as a post-high school 5k PR. Unfortunately the year didn’t end on a high note, as a small Achilles strain kept me from training much in December. Nevertheless, as long as that heals up I’m looking forward to a good 2016.

What made the difference this year for me? First was consistency. 2014 and 2015 were my most consistent running years since high school. 2013 wasn’t too bad either. What separated 2015 from 2014 was the lack of injuries. I think before December I only had two or three weeks that I couldn’t run due to a strain. One contributor to fewer injuries was that I would adjust my schedule if something was hurting. I also did more cross training and was sure to adjust my effort (rather than going really hard every run). I also bought some cheap compression ankle braces which I felt helped prevent sore spots from worsening.

All of that led to logging about 1359 miles of running in 2015, plus another 344 “equivalent” cross training miles (basically I count about 10 minutes of cross training as 1 equivalent running mile). That was by far the most I’ve ever ran and trained in a year.

I’m hoping for a great 2016. I’ll post again regarding my goals.

2015 Clark County Turkey Trot 10k Race Report – New PR!

Thanksgiving is a great holiday for many reasons:

  • It helps us reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for;
  • we get to eat a bunch of delicious food like turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes, and stuffing;
  • we get to eat a bunch of pie;
  • and we get to run in the Turkey Trot!

We usually go to Vancouver, Washington for Thanksgiving. A few years ago I discovered the Clark County Turkey Trot and signed up. It’s now become a tradition, and typically several members of our extended family will walk or run it. Last year I did it alone for some reason, but this year we had a decent sized crew. It consisted of Cyndi and me, our 8-year-old and 6-year-old, our 5-month-old, my father-in-law, sister-in-law, and a few nieces. My 4-year-old son was also supposed to go, but he threw a fit right before we left so we left him at home with grandma.

Ready to run the Clark County Turkey Trot
Turkey Trot crew

The Clark County Turkey Trot is a fairly large, but very family-friendly event. There are typically over 1000 runners and walkers I believe. It takes place on a walking path through a nice area with a creek, grass, and marshes nearby. It isn’t really great for “racing” as the path is fairly small, there are lots of walkers, and it’s an out-and-back. Nevertheless, I still try to do it fast and do my best.

For the past 3 or 4 years this has been my one 10k for the year. This year was no exception, so I was excited to see how my time would be and I hoped to break 40 minutes. My time last year was about the same as the year before that, so I really wanted to see some improvement this time around.

The weather was pretty chilly this year, but at least there were clear skies (in Washington — a rarity!). The temperature was around 27F when the race started. This year they started the 10k five minutes before the 5k, which helped with congestion a bit. I told my 8-year-old daughter, Paisley, that if she could finish her 5k before I finished the 10k, I would buy her a large smoothie from McDonald’s on the trip home from Washington. She loves smoothies, but we usually just get her the $1 sundae since we have five children and we don’t want to set a precedent of $4/piece just for dessert. I told Paisley that I thought she could beat me if she just ran the whole time — a daunting task for an 8-year-old. She had been running at school, so I thought she could do it.

I lined up near the front and got in an early pack within the first mile. There was one guy that took a nice lead, but most of us let him go. Our first mile was pretty fast at just under 6 minutes. A couple of the guys around me started to let up, but this was right about where I wanted to be. I was hoping to be able to maintain a pace under 6:15 or so.

There were some icy spots, especially on some of the bridges, but it wasn’t too bad. The sun started shining down and warming my hands a bit more as we finished Mile 2. There was a runner right behind me and we passed the #2 runner. The first runner was out of sight. The course has some very gentle and short slopes, and on one of these short uphills the runner right on my tail passed me, but then I passed him back on the brief downhill.

At the turn-around I was still feeling alright and it gave me a chance to see the guy behind me and see how far back the other runners were. We were spreading out, and as long as I could maintain a good pace I figured I could finish in the top three or four and hit my goal of under 40:00. I passed my father-in-law on his way out and yelled a “hi” a bit after the turnaround.

The runner right behind me stayed right on my tail. I could hear him there the whole time and I couldn’t shake him. I pushed hard up and down the slopes so he wouldn’t pass me again. I would have liked to slow down, but the competitor in me really wanted to beat this guy.

Once we got to Mile 4.5 we hit the crowd of 5k runners. This is always where the Clark County Turkey Trot gets a little hairy. It’s not designed for racing, and I want to be respectful, but I also want to get the best time I can. Well, when the trail is packed with walkers and joggers, you have to improvise. This means a lot of weaving, off-roading, and some close passes. Fortunately it was dry this year, so I could run in the grass next to the trail a lot more. Often there are puddles and mud which make off-trail running more difficult.

As we wove around the 5k’ers I began to hear the guy behind me less and less, although he was still fairly close. I saw my niece, Natalie, pushing my baby in the stroller and yelled a “hi”. I also passed my sister-in-law and a couple other nieces, as well as my 6-year-old daughter, Cosette. Finally about a quarter or half mile from the finish line I passed Paisley and Cyndi running together. I told Paisley she was doing great as I ran by her.

I ran through the finish at a time of 37:27, which I was very happy with. I believe this is my all-time PR (I didn’t run many 10k’s in high school). I held off the runner behind me and finished second place. Without that runner, I’m sure I would have been 0:30 or 1:00 slower. He helped me tremendously. The 6:02/mile pace was fantastic for me.

After finishing, I headed back up the course to find Paisley. She wasn’t too far behind and had a strong finish. I didn’t know about the 5 minute 10k head start when I gave her the smoothie challenge, so I gave her a big hug and told her she earned her smoothie. She would have beat me if I didn’t get the head start. She ran the whole 5k and finished in 36:59, so I was very proud of her.

We ate donuts and sipped hot chocolate as the rest of the runners in our family came through. We all had a fun time and a good Turkey Trot.

Of course, later in the day came the delicious Thanksgiving meal with over 30 people crammed into my in-laws’ dining room. We had about 6 pies available and I was the first to slice into them a couple hours after dinner. I started with just a small sample of each one. However, I soon learned that none of my wife’s family are really big pie eaters, so I just kept on eating. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, banana creme pie, chocolate pudding pie, lemon meringue pie, and raspberry rhubarb pie. I ate so much pie it was ridiculous. The next day I did it again. I’m pretty sure I ate more pie than everyone else combined.