2009 - End of Year Summary

I have compiled a monthly breakdown of the miles I ran this past year. I went running 123 times in 2009 for a total of 553 miles. Of the 553 miles, I ran 21 competitive races for a total of about 100 miles. My average run length was four and a half miles, which equates to an average of about 35 to 40 minutes per outing.

I began my training for a marathon on February 27th, 2009.

Month - #of Runs:Total miles [avg] / (# of Races: Race miles)
February - 1:1 [avg=1 mile] / (0:0)
March - 6:18 [avg=3 miles ] / (0:0)
April - 4:13 [avg=3.25 miles] / (0:0)
May - 16:74 [avg=4.63 miles] / (4:14)
June - 13:55 [avg=4.23] miles] / (2:9)
July - 19:80 [avg=4.21 miles] / (4:12)
August - 17:96 [avg=5.65 miles] / (3:12)
September - 12:54 [avg=4.5 miles] / (3:18)
October - 16:59 [avg=3.7 miles] / (3:9)
November - 6:46 [avg=7.7 miles] / (1:26.2)
December - 13:57 [avg=4.4 miles] / (0:0)

Christmas 2009

We had a very good Christmas this year. My wife and I have been very careful to not have our kids exposed to marketing geared toward spending money on whimsical and trendy products. While our eldest son does want things from Santa like every other kid, he does not compile a laundry list of must haves. Even when exposed to his cousins who own everything from the comical Snuggie sweater (for a seven year old) to Nintendo Wii's, he has yet to come to either my wife or I and ask for something because his cousins or friends have one. I have to commend my wife on raising both my son's to be very people oriented and not materialistic.

After a nearly a month long hangover from my November marathon run, I am finally getting back into the groove of running. I am on pace for running about 60 miles this month.

I am searching for meaningful running goals for calendar year 2010. One of them I am contemplating is to run 800 miles next year. Because disposable income will be scarce next year due to my wife attending a college an hour's commute each way, it may be a few months into 2010 before I know if I will be running any races next year.

My most important running considerations are to stay in shape, keep my weight down, and most importantly, regulate my high blood pressure. Running the races was fun this past year, but was not essential for my physical well-being.

End of the Year Thoughts

This year represented my most physically active year as an adult. The last time I had exercised as much as I have this year was in the early 1980's while at college at Penn State. I was an avid basketball player, spending many evenings playing within pick-up games in the White building. I will have run over five hundred miles this year. To give you an idea how far that is, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is about 560 miles away from our house in south-central PA.

I ran in twenty one races this past year, ranging from one mile to twenty six miles in length. I ran them in no prescribed order, the race lengths occurred this year in essentially a random fashion. Each month I would scan the internet to find upcoming races.

I need to spend more time with my oldest son next year to help him begin developing athletically. He seems to have an affinity for baseball. Ironically, baseball was the first sport I played as a youth. I had a very good arm but was only average batting at the plate.

Finances will play a much more important role next year with respect to the number of races I enter. With my wife going to school and our debts mounting, we will be forced to limit spending to food only for many weeks. When faced with the choice to spend twenty dollars on a race entry fee or our family eating for the day, it's an easy choice.

Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run - Not Selected

I received an email today saying that I had not been selected within the lottery to run next year's Cherry Blossom ten mile race in Washington D.C.. I could sign up on a waiting list used for people who will not be able to run the race next year and need to sell their spot. I have decided not to sign up for the waiting list because logistically running at this race was going to cause some problems.

My wife will be in her first semester of her return back to college and we should keep our activities as simple and inexpensive as possible. We would have had to stayed in a hotel in the D.C. area, which would not have been inexpensive.

I need to find another race next year to set my sights on and to use as a motivator for staying in shape.

Running in the Winter

I have had the opportunity to complete a few runs in sub 40 degree weather this winter. None of them have been run while in the midst of any precipitation. Supplementing my running jacket and pants outfit with a knit hat and gloves has been sufficient to withstand the cold. I forgot my gloves on one run and my fingers were pretty cold after a half an hour of running. Wearing thicker synthetic socks also helps to insulate against the wind coming through the mesh portions of my sneakers.

Another bonus byproduct of running is my ability to withstand colder temperatures is much better than years past. For whatever reason, I can wear a windbreaker outside now in 30 something degree weather and not be freezing.

I have yet to run on streets covered with snow, slush or ice. I imagine an inch or two of dry snow may not pose a higher degree of hazardous faring, but most any other accumulation would be risky. I need to be especially careful of drivers who have not defrosted their windows sufficiently to see a full 180 degrees before them.

I have four separate programs I am using to keep track of my runs. Two of them are online, Garmin Connect and Running Ahead while the other two are pc applications, Garmin's Training Center and Zone Five's Sport Tracks. Each one of them is generating a different calendar year 2009 total for the miles I have run. They span anywhere from 480 to 510 miles. I need to reconcile them and determine what the official amount is for the year. I suspect I may have some biking miles included in the running totals somewhere. As it stands now, two of the programs indicate I have eclipsed 500 miles for the year, while the other two have me a couple miles short of the mark.

I have run a little more than 20 miles this month.

Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run

The first event I anticipate running within next year is Washington D.C.'s Cherry Blossom 10 mile run on Sunday April 11th. Entry into this event is done with a lottery system due to an overwhelming response to this year's event resulting in their web servers crashing due to the high volume of people registering for the race as soon as registration was opened. The 2010 race will be limited to 15,000 runners.

The lottery results will be posted by 10 a.m. on Tuesday December 15th on the web site http://www.cherryblossom.org.

Since there are so many runners, there will be six starting corrals used to help alleviate the congestion on the course. The fastest 2500 runners will start first, then after a period of a few minutes, the next fastest 2500 runners will begin the race. This will continue until the last corral has started. Each runner will have a color coded racing bib corresponding to the corral you need to be at within the staging area.

You are seeded in a corral based upon a time you estimate running the ten mile run which you enter during the registration process on their web site. Their is no verification you actually have run the time you entered.

In the past it has taken me about 90 minutes to run ten miles, or about nine minutes per mile. I anticipate starting in the next to last corral.

This race should be a very scenic one with the pink cherry blossoms in bloom and a large part of the race run along the Potomac river. At this point, I have no idea whether this is a hilly course.

Logistically, I would like to take the family to D.C. for the weekend. The race starts at 7:40 AM. I will be done by 9:30 am, leaving the entire day for the family.

Saying Good-bye to 'On a Wing and a Prayer'

I am looking forward to running competitively next year because I will have over 365 days of training behind me. This year, 2009, I had seven years or over 2500 days of inactivity behind me. The seven years dates back to the birth of our first child. In many of the races i entered this year, especially early in the season, I was aspiring to merely finish the race.

I was competing against many runners who had been training for over 2500 days. I was disappointed with some of my performances this year. However, I need to keep my calendar year 2009 performances in a healthy and realistic perspective.

Also, in many instances I was trying to race at events before I was sufficiently trained for them. This resulted in a fair number of muscle pulls and strains that contributed to several weeks of recovery time.

If you were to map out my paces per mile over several events this year, you would see I had a precipitous decline in my pace after the two and a half mile marker in most races. I would like to increase my stamina in 2010 to the point where I will be able to run four solid miles before my pace declines.

While I will most likely be running in only six or seven races in 2010 because of a financial re-prioritization of our family's goals for the year, I hope to enjoy as much road racing satisfaction as I did this year.


Excerpted from http://www.phrases.org.uk

On a Wing and a Prayer - Meaning
In poor condition, but just managing to get the job done.

Origin
This phrase originated with the WWII patriotic song Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer (1943), by Harold Adamson and Jimmie McHugh, which tells of a damaged warplane, barely able to limp back to base.

Adding variety to the Diet - Kefir

A couple of months ago i read an article within Runner's World about a nutritious food called kefir. I have never heard of this product before. While walking through the organic section in a local Giant food store, I noticed a product line of kefir from a company named Lifeway. At three dollars for a thirty two ounce bottle, I only purchased one bottle.

In a nutshell, kefir tastes like liquified yogurt. It has a thick viscosity, but nowhere near that of a chocolate milkshake. Lifeway produces a diverse set of flavors ranging from pomegranate to cappuccino. The company touts this drink as a probiotic drink.



Excerpted from mayoclinic.com

Your body contains billions of bacteria and other microorganisms. The term "probiotics" refers to dietary supplements or foods that contain beneficial, or "good," bacteria that are similar to those normally found in your body. Although you don't need probiotics to be healthy, these microorganisms may provide some of the same health benefits that the bacteria already existing in your body do — such as assisting with digestion and helping protect against harmful bacteria.

Per the Lifeway website ...

All Lifeway organic products are certified USDA. Which means they come from animals that were not given antibiotics or growth hormones and were also fed mostly without the use of conventional pesticides. Then there’s all the good stuff they do contain, like calcium, protein and fiber. And, of course, those ten live and active probiotic cultures that boost immunity, strength the digestive system and fend off a whole slew of diseases.

2010 Race Season - May events

I have compiled a listing of races I am interested in running next May. As you can see there are a fair number of races available in May. My wife will have completed her first semester of classes the first week of May 2010. It will be tough to pick one race out of this list to run, but I will perform better if I train for one race a month next year.

May 2010 races
May 1st - Dash for Diabetes 5K @ Middletown PA
May 2nd - Broad Street 10 mile run @ Philadelphia PA
May 2nd - Pittsburgh Half Marathon @ Pittsburgh PA
May 2nd - Kessler's Nittany Lion Franks 5 mile run @ Harrisburg PA
May 8th - Run for the Children 5K @ Palmyra PA
May 8th - Kennebunk Beach Classic 5 mile run @ Kennebunk Maine
May 15th - Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon @ Fredericksburg VA
May 15th - Broad St Rerun @ Lansdale PA
May 16th - Rite Aid Half Marathon @ Cleveland Ohio
May 16th - Run for the Red Marathon @ Pocono Mountains, PA
May 22nd - River Run 5K @ Columbia PA
May 23rd - Millersville Mile @ Millersville PA
May 23rd - Race to Stop Extinction 5K @ Portland Maine
May 30th - Red Rose 5 mile run @ Lancaster PA

No Turkey Trottin' This Year

I went for a run today to see how well my legs would hold up. I intended to run four miles, but came up lame with a groin issue about about the two and a half mile mark. I can't underscore how much the marathon drained me physically. Every ounce of energy I had was drained and every muscle in my legs was as sore as could be.

A benefit of this level of exhaustion is I had no residual tension in any of my muscles due to the stresses of everyday life. My muscles were too sore to be tense.

I have logged about 478 miles of running this year. I would like to run the remaining 22 miles in the forty days left this year. As far as I know there is no runner's 500 mile club, but I will start a local chapter.

I have no desire to race on Thanksgiving because I have done so many five kilometer races this year and feel I have posted my best time possible for this year, 23 minutes and 11 seconds. Over the course of the year I shaved three minutes and forty-seven seconds off of my initial five kilometer time. I think I would be lucky to break twenty two minutes for a race next year, a minute and eleven seconds off of my current personal 5K record.

Because my lovely wife will be attending college next year, I anticipate running only six or seven races in 2010, about one race per month. This way we save money and I can train longer and more effectively for each race. This year I ran so many races I did not have a substantial amount of time to train for each one.

To Turkey Trot or Not Turkey Trot

There are two local 5 kilometer races next Thursday on Thanksgiving day. The first is called Sticks and Bones Thanksgiving day 5K and is run in my hometown of Palmyra. The proceeds benefit Palmyra's ice hockey program. The second race is in New Cumberland and is called the Turkey Trot 5K. All proceeds from this race will go to the Vickie’s Angel Walk FOUNDATION to help provide financial assistance for local families fighting cancer.

Pretzel City sports will be timing the New Cumberland race. I enjoy running Pretzel City races because you are ensured the race will be well organized. Another bonus is the race results are posted online within a day or two.

Each race is charging $25 to run. We are in the midst of saving for both Christmas and my wife's resumption of her pursuit of a college degree. In addition, running the marathon has really drained my running motivational level. In a way, I have climbed to the proverbial mountain top and now I am resting before I begin another climb. I would like to achieve my last goal of running 500 miles this year though ...

Still Recovering from Marathon

I have been suffering from both a cold and very sore legs since the Harrisburg marathon last Sunday. Yesterday the temperatures were in the high 70's and so I decided to go for a run on the uncharacteristically hot mid November day.

On a normal day I need to run about a mile before I get warmed up and my muscles begin to work more smoothly. I was not able to kick in to my warmed up gear. The entire run was laborious. Near the beginning of mile three my knee soreness which originated from the marathon flared up.

Assuming I have roughly a three foot stride when I run, it would take me approximately 1760 strides to complete running a mile. Multiply this by the 26.2 miles associated with a marathon, and now you are taking over 46,000 strides in one day. That's a tremendous amount of stress to put on your legs and it appears my knees are my Achilles heel or weakest link.

The issue behind my feet searing at the marathon beginning around mile ten appears to have emanated from friction between my socks and my forefeet. The skin on each foot appeared to be one big blister spanning from one side of the foot to the other. It appears the unique combination of my sneaker, custom insole and sock caused excessive friction during my running cycle. If I would have run less than ten miles, this issue would not have materialized.

Five Hundred Mile Year

I have kept track of all of my runs this year using my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch and uploaded them to the Garmin Connect website. I have documented runs totaling 460 miles this year. I would like to complete training runs at a leisurely pace to attain the five hundred mile mark.

I always rested a day or two prior to a race this year in order to be as fresh as possible on race day. Since many of the races were run on Saturdays, I did not do very much running on Fridays this year. In many cases, I did not run the Sunday after a race because I was either tired or hobbling from some injury.

I am looking forward to running for the sake of running for the next several months.

Harrisburg Marathon Stew

I have a cataloged additional observations and comments relating to this past Sunday's Harrisburg marathon.

At the beginning of the race there were cheering crowds lining the Market street bridge onto the first turn at Front street. I imagine this cheering section was a microcosm of the experience you would have at a larger marathon, such as the Marine Corps or New York City marathon. I was inspired by the crowds. If there were crowds at the last few miles of the race I would have been embarrassed because I was running so slow. I believe my shadow passed me at one point in the race.

I remember seeing one woman with a thin wooden stick, maybe an inch square and three feet tall, which had a half dozen cowbells mounted upon it. To ring the bells she repeatedly bounced the stick on the ground. She was making the noise of an entire bleacher section at a local high school football game.

A woman was standing on the road between miles two and three in direct line of my running path. I initially wondered why she was standing on the race route. I then noticed she was guarding a water drain on the road I would have most assuredly twisted my ankle upon had she not been there.

The weather could not have been more beautiful for a November day. I believe the temperature at race end was in the low 60's and no wind.

The course was very flat except for miles seventeen, eighteen and nineteen through Wildwood park. Overall the course was a very fair course, i.e., level and fast. I have heard some people gripe about running through an industrial complex around mile thirteen, but c'mon, not every mile will look like a picture postcard.

I had never been to the HACC campus in Harrisburg prior to this race. It's a beautiful campus. I was very impressed by the buildings, parking availability, and the overall layout of the campus. I met my family here at the designated spectator area at around mile fifteen.

At around mile twenty I was overcome by a desire to eat about a half dozen hamburgers. I was snacking on the little Gu - brand electrolyte gel packs throughout the day. After I expended a couple thousand calories for the first twenty miles I needed something a little more substantial to eat than a tablespoon of paste. I felt weakened thereafter because my blood sugar level was deficient and I had no way to rectify my problem until I finished.

This race requires running along the Susquehanna for about six miles in total. The finish consists of running over the Market street bridge over the Susquehanna river to a finish line adjacent to the baseball stadium. Crossing the river you had been straddling for several miles is a neat way to end the race.

I am very envious of people who can run this distance competitively. In an unorthodox way, you have to be tremendously strong to be able to withstand the rigors of a race of this length. I have always had respect for marathoners, but as a result of my marathon experience, my level of respect is much more profound.

While I was disappointed with my finishing time I now have first hand knowledge of what is required to complete a marathon. If I ever decide to take up a marathon again, I will ensure I am sufficiently trained for the task.

Marathon Bucket List Item Accomplished

My pre-race meal consisted of a bowl of oatmeal, a banana, a bag of Raspberry flavor Powerbar Gel Blasts and a 16 ounce bottle of strawberry citrus flavored Clif Quench sports drink. The sports drink maintains it has the proper balance of carbs and electrolytes. I would not classify this beverage as refreshing due to high levels of palatable sodium. I force myself to finish the Clif Quench sports drinks because it's my hope they will be of some benefit during the race.

Harrisburg is only a thirty minute drive from my home. Sunday's commute went very well as I was able to get to City Island without any issues. The forecast was for sunny weather and while the morning temperatures were brisk at about 43 degrees, there was no wind to contend with.

I arrived at about 7:30 am, an hour before the race was to begin. I was able to park in the lot adjacent to the baseball stadium. If you arrived anytime later than 7:45 am you had to park within a lot on the southern side of the Market street bridge.

The pre-race packet pickup was well organized. This race was unique in that a jacket with the race logo was given to each runner. I was race bib number 830 for this race. Since the weather was a tad chilly, I hung out in the car until 8:00 am. I then made my way up to the Market street bridge. The bridge was closed down at 8:20 am for the start of the race.

I believe there were on the order of 900 runners at the starting line for the 37th running of the Harrisburg marathon. It's an exciting time at the beginning of a race with all of the mass of humanity standing around waiting to unleash all of their collective energy bundled up inside. I wanted to have a clock time that was clock to my net time so I inched up to about the sixth or seventh layer of persons behind the starting line.

For the sake of brevity I will not go into a mile by mile description of the race. My family was at the mile fifteen mark and my eldest son was holding a sign reading 'Go Jeff'. The 'Go Daddy' sign slogan was nixed due to the trashy television commercials by the company of the same name. I'll always remember the visual of Dylan holding the sign because he was so proud of his creation.

I had trepidations regarding my ability to complete a marathon. The longest race I had completed before the marathon was only twelve miles. I had not trained as diligently as one should for a marathon. In retrospect, I believe if you haven't completed a marathon training run of twenty miles then you should not attempt to finish a marathon in a competitive time frame.

Resting for the week prior to the marathon enabled myself to garnish as much energy as possible in reserve for the race. Miraculously, I did not suffer any cramps, muscle pulls or any other debilitating ailments because my legs were fresh at the onset of the race.

My only equipment issue was with my sneakers. At about the ten mile mark, the balls of my feet (forefeet) began burning up. It felt as though my socks were scrunched up underneath them. Every step I ran thereafter felt like I was stepping on small hot pebbles with my bare feet. I had run with these sneakers on a seven mile training run so I was caught off guard when I was ready to discard them for a new pair mid way through the race.

Running as a sport is very unique in that your training is usually very highly correlated to your performances. My marathon training was very poor, most would regard it as non-existent, and as a result my performance was poor. My stated goal for this was to finish, and finish I did.

If you have ever been at a gym and have done leg press repetitions until you can't do anymore and then attempt to get off the machine and walk, then you know exactly how my legs felt after the race. Aside of my knees feeling stiff to the point where they felt like the tin man's knees in the Wizard of Oz, I was in decent shape for traversing 26.2 miles. I also caught a cold sometime during the day. I was sneezing on the entire drive home.

There are two classes of accomplished marathon runners; those who are genetically predisposed for completing long distances such as a marathon and those who are phenomenally trained to accomplish running this distance. An elite marathon runner would be a member of both classes. Unfortunately, I was not in either class.

Do I have any desire to run another marathon ? At the moment, I have none whatsoever. A half marathon is as far as I would like to run in the future. I can train for the two hours necessary to complete a half marathon, but really do not have the time and desire to complete three plus hour training runs necessary for a marathon. In a similar vein, I enjoy playing nine holes of golf for a couple of hours. When you play eighteen holes of golf, you are engaging in a four to five hour afternoon on the course.

Overall I had an enjoyable experience. It was a great day for exercising and I was able to eradicate a longstanding desire to finish a marathon. I received a finisher's medal which will most likely be the only marathon finisher's medal I will ever be awarded.

Preparing for Race Day

There are several housekeeping issues I need to address before I awake on race day morning. At first glance, a runner merely needs to assemble shorts, a t-shirt, socks and sneakers for a race. There are a couple of other items I need to organize before race day.

The issue which is causing me the most anxiety is starting the race when the temperature is 42 degrees and windy only to find myself at mile marker twenty with the temperature in the low 60's and no wind. I have a low cold temperature tolerance threshold. I am not enamored with the prospect of standing at the starting line in shorts and a t-shirt for 15-30 minutes waiting for the start of the race while people are walking up and down the streets of Harrisburg in parkas and ski caps.

I don't have many shirts I can wear and just discard on the race route, but I guess I will need to find one if I don't want to start the race as a popsicle.

I will be wearing a road id band on my left wrist. This band contains important information about myself in the event I need medical attention and can't speak for myself. On the other wrist, I will be sporting my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch. I have already configured the watch to record my split times in half mile intervals. I will also be wearing an elastic band about my chest to record my heart rate throughout the race via the GPS watch. The watch will be fully charged. Only time will tell if the battery can hold a charge for four and a half hours for the marathon.

I would like to record 4:20 half mile splits for the first 8 miles, 4:40 splits for the next 8 miles, and 5:05 splits for the last 10.2 miles. This would translate very roughly to about four hours and twenty minutes. Realistically, I will record times commensurate with what my body tells me I can record. I am setting the split paces as a rough gauge of where I expect my pacing to be throughout the run. If my body tells me I am only capable of running 11:30 minute miles for the last five miles, there is not much I can do.

Another equipment dilemma I am struggling with is where to carry my three Powerbar Gel electrolyte packs. Most of my running short have one very small pocket large enough to carry a credit card and a key. I am not sure where everyone keeps their stash of gels while they run. I do not want to harness on a waist belt because I am concerned about items jiggling within for several hours as well as potential skin irritations. I have a pair of running shorts with pockets, but they are very long shorts, almost resembling basketball shorts. In order to avert chafing issues, I will need to wear compression shorts underneath my running shorts.

I will be wearing Brooks Ghost sneakers with brand new Dr. Scholls insoles. I opted to go with this shoe as I do not believe my normal racing shoe, the Mizuno Ronin 2's, will provide enough cushioning. The Brooks sneakers have a fair amount of cushioning and should thereby help alleviate some of my anticipated shin splint issues. The sneakers are relatively new, with only about forty miles on them to date.

In terms of head gear, I do not believe I will be sporting my USA flag bandana. Since I am follicly challenged, I need to be concerned about sunburn on my dome in the summer. I don't believe this will be an issue on Sunday.

My last issue is which socks to wear. I have a pair of Darn Tough Vermont synthetic sports socks I ran with during the USA 20K national in New Haven Connecticut in September. I don't have another pair I would like to wear which I feel are better than these nor do I want to risk making the wrong sock choice.

Marathon Week Training Regimen

In the weeks before you run a marathon conventional wisdom dictates you gradually lessen or taper your workouts in an effort to not be physically exhausted on race day. I have not run since last Saturday's five mile race in York and will not complete a run until this Sunday morning's marathon.

I have been nursing a very sore shin-splint in my right leg since last Saturday. It had been hurting to the extent I had been walking with a limp. It feels fine today, however I am not sure how it will hold up to a training run this week.

So I find myself caught between the desire to run a couple of miles this week to keep sharp and the suspicion I need to rest in order to avert re-aggravating my shin splint injury. At this point, I feel I will sacrifice a couple of minutes performance due to not training this week rather than face the prospect of running with a very sore shin splint for several hours. I would really like this run to be a test of endurance as opposed to a test of pain mitigation or pain threshold levels.

I am very excited the weather is forecasted to be a sunny and warm day on Sunday. I have run a couple of days in October where it was a sheer joy to be outside and running. I am getting a sense the same will be true for this Sunday's Harrisburg marathon sponsored by the Select Medical Corporation.

Celebration of Running

I believe I need to go into Sunday morning's marathon run with the mindset it will be a celebration of a season of running. I will not qualify for the Boston marathon this weekend. No one is pushing me to run a sub four hour marathon. The weather is forecasted to be warm and sunny on Sunday. Finishing this race should become a day to remember for the rest of my life.

My sons are too young to have any regard for this potential accomplishment, but I am hoping some day, if I am able to garner enough respect and admiration from them as they grow older, they will follow in their dad''s footsteps and beat my time. Both of my son's already have an athletic build, only time will tell if they will have an athletic mindset.

I find it amazing their exists about 800 other crazy people who are carving this Sunday morning out of their lives to run and walk 26.2 miles in Harrisburg.

Select Medical Corporation is the primary sponsor for this race. I used to work for a manager named Bruce Shearer who at one time worked for SMC. He could still be there now, maybe I will see him again Sunday.

Pre-Race Jitters abound

I am going through a maelstrom of emotions as race day approaches. Running a race of this length will test both my physical endurance and my mental toughness to a degree I have not been tested in my entire life. I have to be extremely careful to be aware of how my body is responding to the miles as they pass by and take the appropriate action. This event is intended to represent the pinnacle of my running this year. Getting carted off in an ambulance and incurring thousands of dollars in medical bills would place a major damper on the day and for months to come.

I intend to wear an mp3 player for the race. I have always been a big fan of listening to music. Listening to music while I run helps divert some of my mental focus normally centered on the pain I am incurring to somewhere else. A mental game I am going to engage in during the run is to pretend I am an explorer of sorts running through the town of Harrisburg for the first time and take in the scenery and enjoy myself as much as humanly possible. My normal running style is to lock my eyes down the road 50 yards and run. If I am to be running for four and a half hours I will need to look around to stay alert.

I looked back at the 20K (12.4 mile) run I completed in September and I was running at a 9:15 per mile pace at the end of the race. (I averaged 8:54 per mile for the entire race. ) That's a respectable pace for me after 12 miles. If I can finish the last mile of this marathon at around a 10:15 per mile pace I will most likely have recorded a great run.

One concern I have which emanated from my last five mile race is how to handle the temperature swing from the beginning of the race until the end. It may be in the mid 40's in the morning in Harrisburg and climb to the 60's by the afternoon. I am contemplating wearing an old T-shirt for the beginning of the race and then discarding it once I become warmed up.

In a nutshell, if I do not suffer from severe shin splints, a tight calf muscle, groin pull, etc. I am confident I will have both a fun and good run.

2009 Harrisburg Marathon - Initial Thoughts

I am not sure where or when my desire to run a marathon originated, but I do know it's a desire at least a dozen years old. Way back in 1997 I went on a running and racing avocation kick for a year and I remember wanting to accomplish running a marathon.

I read both the Running World and Running Times magazines on a monthly basis. Within each issue there are several marathons which are featured in full page advertisements . I find myself imagining running within a marathon in Texas, or in Louisiana, or more generally in states I have never been too. I like to travel and so does my family. The current limiter is finding the finances to get my family to these destinations and still meet our normal monthly financial obligations.

Running a marathon is compounded by the logistical efforts necessary to get you to the starting line on race day. Most of the marathons are located in major cities hundreds of miles away. Add a couple of nights for a hotel and you are looking at a budget of about $400 - $500 for every marathon entered. The major appeal for me in running the Harrisburg marathon is I have a 30 minute commute and do not require overnight accommodations.

A marathon is about as misaligned a running goal I could have for my athletic skill set. I am more comfortable sprinting for short distances. If you look at my catalog of personal records, they are more respectable at shorter distances and less respectable at the longer distances.

This race will not be a measure of how fast can I complete the course, but rather can I complete this course. I believe this will be a test of my ability to manage pain. I am currently nursing a shin splint. Running 26 miles on a sore leg will not help to alleviate the pain. I have confidence I can complete 13 miles as I have done this recently in early September. My primary concern is how much pain will I have to run through to get to the finish line.

One comforting aspect of this race is my familiarity with the Harrisburg area. In many races I am relatively lost at sea in terms of where I am in relation to where and how far away the finish line is located. I should have my bearings throughout this race.

This is a smaller marathon, on the order of 800-900 runners. As a result, there will not be a great amount of communal energy derived from running within large crowds. I will most likely be running solo or in a very small group for a large part of the race.

I am under the impression I can finish this run in four and a half hours. The race begins at 8:30 am. What I want to do is keep my chicken legs in motion until 1:00 pm. My first marathon goal is simple - finish.

York White Rose 5 Mile Race results

I woke up around 5 am Saturday and immediately checked the weather. It was very warm, around 58 degrees and there was no rain nor was there rain forecasted for anytime in the morning. I takes about an hour for me to get to York so I set out for the race a little before 7 am.

The trip route I had printed from Google maps appeared as though the route was a very easy one. The race venue was only a couple of miles off of Route 83. Well the route was easy if you turned right (towards York city) coming off of exit 83. As I read my trip instructions, I was to take a left turn off of Route 83.

Fortunately the instructions stated I should be at the Sovereign Bank stadium within two miles of exiting Route 83. After entering a town called Emigsville and driving through the entire town I decided to ask for directions. Ironically North George Street spans from York right into Emigsville, i.e. the house numbers do not start over in Emigsville.

I was told I was about three miles away from where I needed to be and it was about 8:05 am. On race day I am typically a litttle nervous about running, having difficulties getting to the race exacerbated my already elevated anxiety level.

I arrived at about 8:15 at a jewel of a baseball park. The Soveriegn Bank stadium appeared to be a brand new ball park and there did not appear to be a bad seat in the house. I look forward to taking my eldest son to a ball game here next year.

The race start was a block or two away from the stadium. I migrated there after doing a minimal amount of stretching. The temperatures were now in the low 60's, but there was a wind to contend with. In retrospect, I had dressed much too warmly for this race. I could have worn shorts and a t-shirt, but I had on running pants and a long sleeve shirt.

The mayor of York, John Brenner, appeared for a few comments at the start of the race. He seemed like a very down to earth guy, not your typical snake oil salesman politician type.

Aside of a grueling hill between mile one and two, I do not remember much of this course. I had overdressed for this race and I was burning up for a majority of the race. I witnessed one smart runner shed a shirt while running to alleviate their thermal distress. I had not dressed in layers so that was not an option for myself.

I had set up my watch to give 1/4 mile splits and I wanted to post sub two minute splits throughout the race to post a five mile time under forty minutes. I was able to post my goal splits for a large part of the race but could not get it done for the last four splits of the race. The finishing stretch of the race was along the side of the ballpark on a walk towards the entrance. I finished with a time of approximately 40 minutes and 35 seconds. While I did not break forty minutes, I was generally pleased I did not break down during the last mile and run a nine plus minute mile. I set a PR for five miles. I finished 117th out of 293 runners and 14th out of 23 male runners aged 45-49.

After the race I was talking 'shop' with a man named Jim who had run several marathons, including the Boston marathon. His advice to a first time marathon runner? Start slow and finish slower. Many newbie runners, myself included, get caught up in the adrenaline surge at the beginning of the race and begin races at a pace which is not sustainable for their fitness level. Adrenaline, at least in my case, is not a long term energy source.

My new Dr. Scholl insoles worked like a charm. My Mizuno Ronin 2 running shoes have minimal cushioning. Adding the new insoles served to make my feet much more comfortable throughout the race. I noticed two other runners sporting the distinctively orange colored Ronin 2's.

My next race? Would you believe a marathon? I signed up for the Harrisburg Marathon on Sunday November 8th. I have run over 450 miles this summer. Time to try and add 26.2 more miles to the running log.

The ING New York City marathon is today. I hope to see some of it on TV today. It will be interesting to see where the American favorites Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall finish.

Mile paces:
1 - 7:23 pace
2 - 8:01 pace
3 - 8:03 pace
4 - 8:23 pace
5 - 8:26 pace
Overall - 8:07 pace

Insole replacements for sneakers

In the course of examining the construction of a new pair of sneakers I recently purchased, I was surprised to find the stock insole was easily removed by prying under the heel and lifting it upwards. For some reason, I was under the notion the insoles were glued into the shoe and would require a fair amount of work to remove them. Once removed, the insoles appear to be made of a thin compressed cardboard-like material.

Spenco, Sorbothane, and SofSole are some of the more popular manufacturers of athletic replacement insoles. All of these insole replacements cost somewhere between $20 and $45 on the internet. I opted to purchase a pair of $11.95 Dr. Scholl's Gel Sport replacement insoles at our local Wal-Mart.

Inserting these new insoles into your sneakers is very easy. While the colorful side of the insole is displayed within the packaging while in the store, this side gets placed face down within the shoe. What you see as you look down into your sneakers is a neutral gray color which will match any pair of sneakers.

The male insoles fit any size shoe between sizes 8 and 13. I had to trim mine for a size 11. To trim the insole you merely cut along the appropriate shoe size line on the toe side of the insole (as opposed to the heel side) and discard the excess. The insoles are stamped with left and right indicators as they are not interchangeable.

I will be running the York White Rose five mile run tomorrow in my orange Mizuno Ronin 2's with a new pair of these insoles. While I don't believe I will run any faster with these new insoles, I do hope it will reduce the wear and tear on my feet to a degree and serve to lessen my run recovery time.

Addicted to Running

It has been three weeks to the day since I last raced competitively at the Baron Stiegel mile run in Manheim. I am very anxious to run this Saturday in York for the five mile White Rose run. Months ago I was very concerned about my ability to finish a five mile run without having to resorting to walking for portions of the race. Now I am trying to eclipse eight minutes per mile for five consecutive miles this weekend.

Having raced at about twenty races this year, two runners who race in my age group have surfaced repeatedly this year. Their names are Ray Ricke and Scott Ott. I would regard both runners as midstate elite runners based on their performances in the races I have run with them this year and some of their times posted on the internet. I do not know either runner personally, but will look for them this Saturday as they each have run this race in the past. Both of them will average a six minute and some change mile pace for this race, finishing in about 31 minutes.

I have to make a fair amount of progress before I will be seeing any of them near a finish line at a race soon. However, they do provide a tangible goal marker for where I could be if I were in excellent condition.

I read an article about the York White Rose race where the event has fallen on hard times recently. At one time, the race was drawing entrants numbering in excess of five hundred. Now they are drawing about 250 runners per year. This will be the first year where elite runners from other countries are not going to appear in any substantial numbers. Personally, I am not a fan of having Ethiopians and Kenyans running at our smaller races. I imagine if I were an American elite runner I might welcome the challenge.

I stumbled upon a website named http://www.runningahead.com which logs your training runs. A feature of the website I am attracted to is the automated uploading of training data from my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch. I was impressed by the sites ability to map and save routes, complete with an elevation change diagram. The map and elevation change for any route can be saved and printed for future reference. One more impressive feature is to search for routes in your area saved by other runners. The site does not reveal the runner who saved the route, just the route map.

White Rose Run Training

I am pleasantly surprised regarding how well my training runs have been lately. I was able to run four and a half miles under 38 minutes yesterday on a training run. My training runs are typically much slower than my race day runs. I have enjoyed a substantial adrenaline boost before races which contributes to my faster race day times. I wonder if over time as I run more races if the adrenaline effect will diminish ?

I need to invoke a 'relax and breathe' mantra for the White Rose five mile race on Saturday. I believe my excess adrenaline and desire to set a personal record for each race contributes to my muscles becoming tense and my breathing becoming heavier than necessary during the run.

I would like to finish the five mile race in under 40 minutes, or less than an eight minute per mile pace. In order to qualify for the Boston marathon someday I need to average an eight minute mile pace for a 26.1 mile qualifying marathon run for my age group band of 45-49. I have been able to run a five kilometer (3.1 mile race) with an average pace under eight minutes per mile. My next challenge is to run five miles in under an eight minute per mile pace average.

Excerpted from http://www.racespider.com/pages/race_detail.asp?EventID=2089

The first York White Rose Run was held in 1976 and has been run on the streets of York City for 32 consecutive years. The race has drawn as many as 600+ runners and has been known to attract a field of elite runners from the local and regional areas including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York. The USTA certified, five-mile course starts at the 200 block of North George Street, climbs the hills to Farquhar Park and finishes in front of the Sovereign Bank Stadium.

The York White Rose Run is proud to be affiliated with the York Hospital Running Series and is the last of eight series events.

Under new direction of local runners Ryan Myers and Patrick Hickey, this year’s York White Rose Run will be held at 8:30AM on October 31, 2009, rain, or shine. New focus has been given to creating a family fun and community friendly event while increasing exposure of the event to attract runners of all abilities. Awards will be given for both the York White Rose Run and the York Hospital Running Series. This year’s participation goal is to have 400 runners. Since a large number of runners from outside of the York City area will be participating, there is a sense of cooperation with local business to support and benefit from the influx of non-City residents.

The beneficiary of the race is the Early Learning Center at Crispus Attucks. Since its inception in the 1930’s, this mission of the Crispus Attucks Early Learning Center has been to provide the best quality child care in an environment where each child is loved and encouraged to grow physically and academically and to master life skills. The Center offers quality, safe, affordable, and developmentally appropriate child care for children ages four months to twelve years and serves children from diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.

http://www.yorkwhiteroserun.com/

Competetive Energy Accumulating

There are two races I am interested in running this weekend, the Miles for Smiles 5K in Hershey and the Frost Kerny 10K run in Hamburg Pa. Unfortunately there is a 70% chance of rain for Saturday morning. The temperatures are to be warmer this weekend than last. Fortunately I did not sign up in advance for either of these races.

The Hershey run is but minutes away from my house, but they are charging $25 for a 5K which is most likely a race with minimal accompaniments such as food, beverages, and general ambiance. In addition, T-Shirts are provided to only 75 runners. Finally, they do not post the results of the race anywhere on the internet. A search on the internet for Miles for Smiles runs returns dozens of races throughout the country, none of them in Hershey Pa.

The Frosty Kerney is an hour trip each way and I would be facing a fifty plus minute run in the rain. Even if it were a light drizzle, over the course of fifty minutes I imagine I would be drenched at the conclusion of the race.

I have signed up for the York White Rose Five Mile run next Saturday at Sovereign Bank stadium. This is a major running event for this area as runners from other countries participate in this event. I am not sure why because the prize money awards, five of them by gender, ten in total, range from $250 for first place to $50 for fifth place. It is the 32nd annual running of this race.

I researched the elevation changes of the course on http://www.gmap-pedometer.com. It appears there is a substantial climb between mile marker one and two. The remainder of the course is level.

This is a larger race, with a field typically ranging between two hundred and six hundred runners. I will run this race regardless of the weather next Saturday because it is a high profile and very competitive race. I am also in a great position to set a new personal record for the five mile. The last time I ran a five mile race was on July 11th.

Note: I recorded my 400th mile of running yesterday for this year on my Garmin Connect website I use to record my workouts from my Forerunner 305 GPS watch. I have actually run a few miles more which were not logged because the watch ran out of a charge while running several times.

Excellent Training Runs

My last couple of training runs have been as effortless as I have experienced this year. I believe the basis for this is the cooler temperatures and low humidity. Being injury free for the first time in a month and a half also helps the miles go by a little quicker.

One noticeable element of my running which has improved appreciably in the last two races has been my ability to pace myself throughout the race. By conserving some energy in the first segment of a race, I am opening the door for strong finishes. As a result of my improved personal energy store management, my times have markedly improved.

The Frosty Kerny 10K in Hamburg PA was postponed until this Saturday October 24th due to the cold, windy and rainy conditions last Saturday. While the temperatures for this Saturday are forecasted to be in the 50's, they are calling for rain again on Saturday. My personal record for a 10K is 59:34. This is a terrible time. The MacMillan running web site suggests I should be running a sub 50 minute 10K given my recent 5K performances. In order to do this I would have to average 8 minute miles for the 6.2 miles which constitute a ten kilometer run.

Wintry Weather is Here

It appears the weather this weekend will be cold, windy and rainy. Definitely not a great concoction for a run. As a result, I will not be running any races this weekend.

There is a race next weekend in Hershey, on the medical center grounds. It's on Saturday October 24th at 9:30 am. It's called Miles for Smiles and benefits a non-profit organization called Operation Smile.

I had run a race at the Hershey Medical Center at the end of May on a course layout which was all hills. It was uphill for half the route and then back downhill for the finish. I was not very fond of the layout, i.e., it was not conducive to achieving a new personal record.

The Miles for Smiles course layout is entirely different. Whereas the May race used a road adjacent to the medical center campus, this race is run exclusively on campus. It is a much more level course.

There is also a race On Saturday October 31st in York, PA which intrigues me. It's the York White Rose Run Five Mile race. It's an extremely competitive event with runners from Kenya and Ethiopa winning the event for the last decade.

Running in October

Now that October has arrived, the weather will be playing an increasingly larger role in determining when and how much I train this month. The hours of light in a day are rapidly diminishing and the temperatures are falling into the 40's. When the weather is sunny and in the 50's, the the conditions are great for running. Add in a scenic route with the leaves changing, and you could argue this is the best time of the year for running outdoors.

There are two races I am interested in running this weekend. There is a Polar Bear 5K in Dillsburg and a 10K called Frosty Kerney in Hamburg. Both of these towns are in Pennsylvania. I am leaning toward the Frosty Kerney race because I would like to record a 10K time better than my current fifty-nine minute and change personal record. The weather for this weekend has been forecasted to be very cold and rainy. I have no desire to run either one of these races in a cold rain.

Note: The Frosty Kerney was postponed until Saturday October 24th due to the inclement weather.

I have run for a total of seven miles in the last two days. It has been easier to breathe with the temperatures in the 50's. It's slightly chilly, but I feel like my lungs are working more efficiently in this colder weather.

End of Running Season

For the first time in about six months I am not registered to run any races. While there are races this weekend, my family and I are going away for a much needed rest & relation trip. My youngest son's birthday party is scheduled for next weekend. The next available date for a race is the weekend of October 24th and 25th.

I have applied for a seasonal part time job at a warehouse in Harrisburg in order to help pay down some debt incurred this year and to save money for Christmas. If hired, the job will run from the end of October through the end of January.

I am still limping from Wednesday's race, so I can use this time to recuperate.

Steigel One Mile Run results

Going into this run on Wednesday night I had both a touch of the flu and a shin-splint pain in my right leg which was still bothersome. The rain from early morning had ceased but the winds were still strong in the evening. The temperature was about 60 degrees. The strong winds made the temperature feel slightly colder.

Manheim is a short commute, only 35 minutes from home. I was able to find the registration area quickly once in Manheim. It was at a car wash on Rt 72. I was pre-registered for this race so I picked up my goodie bag and promptly headed for my car. I needed to walk the mile to the beginning of the race, which when walking, takes me about 20 to 25 minutes to traverse.

The town has a parade which coincides with this run. Its called a Farm Show parade. As I am walking back the race route I noticed there are dozens upons dozens of lawn chairs lining both sides of the road. I also noticed I will be running downhill for the last half mile of the race.

I made a turn onto High street, located at the square in Manheim and kept walking. And walking. It seemed like we were running much longer than a mile, but the course actually measured out to be very accurate. My watch beeped with my last split for a mile about six feet after I passed the finish line. Ironically, the race also began at a car wash. The Manheim area is home to a very large auto auction facility so its stands to reason there are more car wash businesses than usual in this area.

When you add the five gender-aged banded heats together you probably had in the vicinity of 150 runners in total. I was running in a male over aged 40 heat, the fourth of five heats for the evening and was scheduled to go off at 6:38 pm.

Most of the time the runners in a race are a normal lot. There was one runner in the race who was cast from a different mold. The man was in his late 50' s or early 60's and was only wearing short shorts, sneakers, and a clear plastic poncho to break the wind. There comes a time in everyone's life when you need to cover up in public.

My heat probably only consisted of twenty to twenty five men. It is a little awkward waiting for the race to begin. You don't know anyone and you are in a competition. I would classify myself as a recreational runner, and was among some very good athletes. It's a testament to good health for anyone individual over 40 running a mile sprint.

I had set up my watch to display my splits at quarter mile intervals. It was very dark during the race and as a result I did not review any of my watch split times during the race. There was a split clock on the course at the half mile point. I hit the clock at 3 minutes and 10 seconds. This was a good split, as I had purposely held back the first half mile in order to conserve energy for the last half mile.

At about the 3/4 mile mark, right in front of the town's fire station, a muscle in my right calf popped. I had to alter my stride quickly to minimize the pain. I had been running at a great pace until this time. As I am running now, I hear a man gasping and gasping for air coming up behind me.

Typically when you hear someone gasping for air, they are in bad straits and in the midst of falling back in the pack. This gentleman was gaining on me as I could hear his gasps become increasingly louder. I never turned around, because it was no concern who was behind me nor would I have known the man had I looked.

As it turns out, the man scared me into running a very fast last quarter mile. I pretended I was being chased and ran as fast as I could to avoid being caught. The ruse worked as I sailed through the finish line sprinting.

My finishing time was in the range of 6:25 to 6:30. I am still awaiting official confirmation. I was very pleased with the outcome as I had beat my 6 minutes and 30 seconds goal. I was disappointed because I was injured again.

As soon as I got home I iced my right calf for nearly an hour.

I called the Manheim Central Recreational organization at 717 664-7506. The results of all the races are to be posted on Monday October 12th on http://www.mcrec.org

Here are the results of the male aged 40-49 group ...

Ricke	Ray	48	M	05:42.9
Nissley	Rod	44	M	05:55.5
Winters	David	48	M	05:59.7
Howe	Tom	43	M	06:13.0
Evans	Jeff	46	M	06:26.5
Germer	John	41	M	06:36.1
Tarallo	Paul	48	M	06:47.5
Bucher	Alan	42	M	06:53.4
Eshleman	Nathan	44	M	07:06.4
Grimm	Joe	49	M	07:21.8

Excerpted from the race website ...

The first heat time will start @ 6:15 and the race start location will be at “Molly’s” Convenience store on the east edge of town at the corner of Doe Run Road and White Oak Road (35 Doe Run Road) The finish line will remain the same as before at Graybill’s Manheim Car Wash @ 240 South Main Street. The race route will run west on East High St. to the town square and then turn south onto South Main St. (Route 72) and continue south on Main St. to the finish line.

Stiegel One Mile Run in Manheim

I am looking forward to running this race tomorrow evening in Manheim. I used to be a sprinter in high school and feel more comfortable running shorter length races. With the longer races, i am usually anxious regarding whether I have trained sufficiently for them. I know I have a mile of energy within myself.

It is supposed to rain tomorrow, but it should clear before this evening race. With the sun setting around 6:00pm, I will most likely be running under the street lights. My only concern at this point is it is supposed to be windy. Fortunately this course is an L - shaped course covering two streets. The wind should only be a factor on one of the two streets.

Here are one mile excerpts from some of my recent races.

Oct 03rd - Ran a 3:34 half mile and a 7:21 mile on first mile of a 5K race
Sep 26th - Ran a 3:16 half mile and 6:43 mile on first mile of a two mile race
Sep 20th - Ran a 3:20 half mile and 7:05 mile on first mile of a 5K race

At the Paxton Fest 2 mile run I was able to run the first mile in 6:43. I would like
t0 finish this race at about 6:28. I will set up my Garmin Forerunner watch to give me quarter-mile splits.

My magic split number will be 1:37. If I hit four 1:37 splits, I will achieve my 6 minutes a 28 seconds mile goal.

My current personal record for a mile is 6:54, from the Miller's Mutual mile on July 15th in Harrisburg.

My splits from the Miller's Mutual mile were
1/4 mile : 1:32
1/2 mile: 1:44
3/4 mile: 1:49
1 mile: 1:49 (total of 6:54)

Note:All times are from my Garmin Forerunner watch, as opposed to any course timings.

Fall Down on the Trail 5K results

I woke up Saturday morning about 6:00 am. I still had a touch of the flu. I had run three miles on Friday and did not feel the flu had impacted me to any great degree. I was relieved to not be suffering from any major muscle pulls or strains for the first time in several weeks. I had a small tinge of shin splint pain, but the pain was mild in comparison to what I had been enduring for weeks.

Newville is a small town about twenty minutes west of Carlisle Pa. It took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive at the race location at the rails to trails site. This race was a smaller one, consisting of about 70-80 entrants, with a few of them sporting Shippensburg University apparel.

The weather was sunny with the temperature at race time in the upper 50's. Nearly 3/4's of the race trail was in the shade. This was an out and back race, i.e., you return on the same route you began.

I was initially impressed with the registration table containing two laptops and a couple of bar code scanners to facilitate the registration amd results posting processes. The high tech command center lost its luster at the end of the race when the finisher's times were scrambled. The order of the runners allegedly was accurate, only the times were inaccurate. Runners were told to count up four spots to determine your time. Fortunately, I wore my Garmin Forerunner watch and was able to record an accurate 5k time.

I began the race at an easy pace. I had decided before the race to relax as much as possible and remain loose as I ran. I believe I had a tendency to become very tense as I ran in the past. I wanted to focus on my breathing and maintaining a relaxed pace.

I had my watch set up to give me splits on the half mile. In order to establish a PR, I needed to run 3:47 half mile splits. This translates to averaging 7:34 minutes per mile.

The first mile was a slight uphill grade. I ran the first mile in 7:19 and as a result knew I had some time to spare for later in the race in terms of establishing a PR. In essence, I had fifteen seconds to spare for mile two. I could run a 7:49 and still be on track to set a PR.

The second mile was initially uphill, followed by the turnaround, and finishing with a downhill grade. I ran the second mile in exactly 7:34. My concern at the end of the second mile was how much energy I had remaining in the tank. Up to this point I had remained relaxed and was running my race. There were runners ahead of me, but I maintained my predetermined pace.

The last mile was a gradual downhill. My typical third mile of a 5K is marked by running out of gas and having a half dozen runners pass me. For this race I was able to catch one man in the last mile and maintain my pace until the end of the run. I ran the last mile in 7:32. I was able to maintain my pace until the finish line. While I would not regard my last 100 yards as a finishing 'kick', I did not slow down.

My time as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner for 5K (3.1 miles) was 23 minutes and 11 seconds, a new personal record. This averages to a 7:28 per mile pace or a 3:44 per half mile split. Per the official results posted on http://cvrtc.org, I finished 15th out of 68 runners.

I was proud of my performance because I ran my race without regard for what others were doing around myself. I was able to maintain a personal pacing discipline which resulted in my best 5K time of the year.

To Run Or Not To Run

I know I have a mild case of the flu but I am really anxious to run a race. There are several races this weekend. There is a night race tomorrow in Lewisburg and Saturday morning there are three races. One run is in Lebanon and is called Levi's 5K Run @ 9:00am. Another is in Northumberland called Pineknotter 5K Fall Fudge Run at the same time. In a town called Newville in Cumberland County there is a Fall Down on the Trail 5K Race & Hike at 9:00 am also. The Friday race is a road race while all of the Saturday runs are trail runs.

If I approach a race this weekend as a training run, maybe I will run a better race. When I say better, I mean a more evenly distributed pace per mile race. I often run too quickly at the onset of a race, only to limp across the finish line at the end.

I may go for a short run today to see how well I do or do not feel.

Flu Season is Here

The whole family has come down with the flu, including myself. As much as I would like to run Friday night in Lewisburg, it has been my experience this year if I am feeling less than 100% for a race, I do not perform well.

I have been losing weight because of the flu. I am down to 183 pounds.

I would like to save my energy for the one mile race in Manheim next wednesday evening. I'd like to complete the mile in 6 minutes and 35 seconds. A great time for a part-time runner like myself, but I need to be running at a 5 minute and 15 second mile clip to be among the fastest runners in my age group.

I have been getting shin splits on my runs lately because my sneaker cushioning has all but worn out. I have about 350 miles of running logged on these sneakers. The uppers of the sneakers as well as the soles look great. I probably could get a few more miles out of these by putting in a new insole. (a.k.a., insert, footbed, orthotic, sockliner)

Friday Night Race At Bucknell U

While searching for races to run this October I found a website called GetSetPA. It's billed as 'what's happening in Pennsylvania Active Sports.' The town of Lewisburg Pa is hosting a five kilometer race this Friday night at 8:00 pm. The URL is http://www.lewisburgtriathlon.com/lewisburglights5k/

I am intrigued by the prospect of running at night under the lights, barring cold temperatures and windy conditions. The course is a two loop course, i.e., you run the same roads twice. This should help in pacing for the run.

For my last two mile run, I ran the first mile in about 6:45 and the second mile in about 7:45. If I were able to run the third mile in about 8:30 I would be able to set a PR. It is imperative I learn to appreciably slow down on the first mile. If I averaged 7:30 mile paces for each mile I would have an awesome personal 5k time.

This running season is fast coming to a close. I recently applied for a temporary warehouse job to help pay off our credit cards and save some cash for Christmas so I do not anticipate having the time to do competitive runs for quite some time. It appears running will not pick up again until late April of 2010.

Paxton Fest 2 Mile Run Results

Saturday morning was slightly chilly, temperatures in the upper 50's and cloudy. There was no wind to speak of. rain was in the forecast, but no until later in the afternoon. My sons were both sick with the flu and stayed home for this race. I arrived in Harrisburg around 8:00 am. The packet pickup was in the basement of the six story brick building. The Paxton House is an assisted daily living facility for people of all ages.

I was very impressed with the goodie bag for this race. The race bibs were attractive Reebok race bibs. I was #285 for this race. A live band was playing and there was an overall festive atmosphere for the race.

Many of the residents of the home were in attendance. Personally, seeing the residents humbled me and made me feel more grateful for what my family and I have in terms of health.

Because I had altered my running style during training to minimize the groin pain I had been suffering from since Labor Day, I found myself with a left calf muscle which was very stiff. The muscle felt like there was a knot tied in the muscle. I was able to stretch and warm up the calf muscle sufficiently to run. I was hoping the muscle would relax as I ran.

This was a smaller race, maybe a hundred runners. I was excited to run this race because it was a shorter, less physically demanding race. I have become more physically fit this year, but need to work on my longer distance conditioning next year.

Typically when I run I see the lead runners for a few hundred yards and then they disappear into the distance ahead of me. This was the second race where I was able to hang near the front of the pack for about a half mile.

I tried to hold back slightly for the first mile, but the majority of it was downhill. I ran the first mile of this race in 6 minutes and 43 seconds, some 10 seconds faster than my one mile Milller's Mutual race in mid July. The first and last half miles of the race are run on roads while the middle mile is run through a small park. All of the route is paved.

I ran the second mile in 7 minutes and 46 seconds. The last mile is a small uphill climb. Once again I tired at the end, but I managed to eclipse my pre-race goal time by one second, finishing at 14 minutes and 29 seconds. This equates to averaging 7 minutes and 15 second per mile. I finished 21st in this race, my best place showing of the year.

After the race there was a prize raffle. I won the first prize drawn, a basket of good from the Hershey Pharmacy. One of the items within the basket was a game where you arrange words printed on magnets to make unique sentences. My eldest son Dylan loved this game.

Paxton Fest 2 mile run

I must confess I have never heard of this event in the many years I have lived in the Harrisburg area. There will be a festive atmosphere for this event as there will be kids activities , live music, chicken being grilled over open pits, tractor rides and a large walking contingency.

If I had to map out my internal gearing power curve it would drop off considerable after two and a half miles. I am anxious to run this race because I believe I can turn in a decent time.

At my last 5K (3.1 mile) race in Myerstown, I ran the first mile in 7 minutes and 5 seconds followed by a second mile pace of 7 minutes and 57 seconds. At the two mile split I recorded a 15:02 time.

I would like to break 14 minutes and 30 seconds for this race. This means I need to average less than 7 minutes and 15 seconds for each of the two miles. Because I always come out of the gates too quickly, I feel confident I can run the first mile in under 7:15. The issue will be do I have enough in the tank left to complete the second mile in under 7:15.

I often refer to the http://www.mcmillanrunning.com website to get a gauge as to how fast I can run distances I have not run to date. You type in a time of a race length you have run and the website extrapolates times for a multitude of other distances. Based upon my last race, this website predicts a 14:35 time for a two mile race.

I have not seen this course and allegedly about 3/4's of a mile may be run on grass or a dirt trail. I am not sure how level the course will be although I have read the finish is a slight uphill run. There's a definite advantage to being familiar with a course because it helps you to meter you energy during the run.

8th Annual Forever Friends 5K results

The weather was perfect for a run, sunny and in the mid 70's with no wind. Elco High school resides in Myerstown on the eastern end of Lebanon county and I live in the westernmost portion of the county. It took a little over a half hour to get to the high school for this 1 PM starting time run. It was as bear finding the school because it's located nearly a mile off of route 501 and not visible from the road. There were no signs on route 501 at the turnoff for the school. I was hoping for a 'Home of the Elco Raiders' sign somewhere with an arrow pointing down Elco road. I guess they figure every who needs to know where the high school is located already knows the location.

Upon arriving around 12:15 I was impressed by the sheer enormity of the high school campus. The school is located on acres and acres of fields surrounded by fields. I wrestled and played football in high school and have no recollection of ever traveling to the Elco school. I was also impressed by the turnout for this event. This event is definitely held in high regards by the Myerstown community.

The event headquarters was located near the entrance of the football stadium. I began to stretch and warm up on the synthetic track circling the stadium and found my groin pull was not going to cooperate fully. I had to alter my stride to minimize the groin pain. As with most runners, I land with my heels first. I had to alter my stride by landing on the extreme outer edge of my left heel, in a bow-legged fashion. This resulted in a unique post race calf strain due to my altered gait.

The woman running the event, Alice Wagner, had lost her son several years ago and gave an emotional pre-race address to the runners thanking them for participating. I can't imagine losing one of my sons. While I believe psychologists would advocate moving on after such a tragic event, in reality, I would find it difficult to ever fully heal from a loved one's death.

This run contained an interesting mix of runners and walkers for this 5K race. There was a substantial walking contingency for this run. It did not detract from the race in any way. I learned from my last race in Hershey to move up in the front tier of runners at the starting line to avoid playing bumper pool with slower runners at the beginning of the run.

The starter's gun went off around 1:15 PM and I proceeded to run like a rabbit with his tail on fire for the first half kilometer. I had set up my watch to record ten split times, at half kilometer intervals. I ran a 2:00 even pace for my first recorded split time. It's a matter of simple math to take ten 0.5K splits at 2 minutes each to finish with a 5K time of 20 minutes.

I have a major problem at this point in the race already. I can't run a 2 minute half kilometer split ten times consecutively. It was an awesome feeling though to be running with the leaders for what amounted to be a distance of about one lap around a running track.

I had to pull back and put on the brakes to conserve energy. I ran a 7:05 first mile. Again, a great split for me, but at my current fitness level, not sustainable. I reached he second mile at 15:02, logging a 7:57 second mile pace. My last mile pace was 8:26. While I am disappointed my pace drops off so precipitously as I run, I view this as potential for improvement next year if I train harder.

I finished with an official time of 23:41, a very good time for myself. I finished 26th out of 211 runners & walkers. By my Garmin GPS Forerunner watch, the race route was only 4.87 kilometers long. My actual 5K time would have been slightly over 24 minutes if the race was exactly five kilometers long. My bib number for this race was #21 and they used the RoadID.com bibs for this race.

It was a fun day to run as summer is coming to a close and fall is on the doorstep. I was thankful for being able to finish and just generally being in condition to participate in these events this year.

My groin injury was re-aggravated. I stretched for nearly a half hour after the race, took several ibuprofen tablets, and iced the area later that evening. I need to recover quickly in order to be ready for a two mile race this Saturday in Harrisburg.

Pre Forever Friends Memorial 5K Thoughts

My left groin injury feels good today. A trace amount of pain persists. I believe if I stretch and warm up appropriately before the race, I should not run into muscle cramping issues.

I weighed in this morning at 186 pounds, my lowest weight of the year. This is surprising because I have only run twice in the last two weeks. I personally felt like I was putting on weight. We'll see if weighing four pounds less than my last run will have any impact on m y performance today.

This is a 1 pm afternoon race. I usually run around 8:30 in the morning, an hour or so after waking up for the day. I should not have any morning cobwebs this afternoon.

I have three pace zones I have established for today's run. These are all half-kilometer paces. 2:20 is a fast, PR speed pace, 2:25 is medium pace, on par with my last 24min 16sec effort and finally a slow 2:30 or 25 minute pace. If I run a 25 minute 5K today, something went wrong.

Durability

In any athletic pursuit it's one matter to have ability and quite another to have durability. For nearly every race I have run this year I have had a physical ailment to contend with and the race tomorrow will be no different. My groin injury from nearly two weeks ago persists. I can run, but have no idea if I will develop an intense cramp up I did this past Tuesday when I was forced to stop training just shy of five kilometers.

I have to work on both strength training and flexibility this running off season. I initially was going to work solely on strength training, but realized I need to get both stronger and more flexible. Much like anything in life you have to strike a happy medium between the two.

I have not been injured to the degree where I had to quit a race while running. My leg does not feel up to par yet and I am very concerned about not being able to finish tomorrow. I will walk if I have to in oder to finish the race.

2009 Schedule Update

Here is a listing of the races I have run this year as well as the upcoming races.

[minutes:seconds] = Personal Record

May 2009 (4)
3rd - Winning Kick 5K @ Mt Penn PA [26:58]
9th - Run for the Children 5K @ Palmyra PA [25:41] (2nd place age 40-49)
16th - Rerun Broad Street 5 Miles @ Lansdale PA [42:46]
(race was 4.89 miles - 5 mile time was 43:44)
30th - CMN/UFC Balloon Chasers 5K @ Hershey PA [24:50]
(race was 3.01 miles - 3.1 mile time was 25:35)

June 2009 (3)
14th - Classic 10K @ Middletown NY [59:34]
20th - Chocolate Miracle 5K @ Hershey PA [28:12]
28th - Stratton - Faxon half marathon @ Fairfield CT (withdrew)

July 2009 (4)
4th - Firecracker 4K Run @ State College PA [21:18]
11th - Freshburst Five Mile Run @ Lititz PA [42:35]
(race was 5.03 miles. 5 mile time was 42:19)
15th - Milllers Mutual Mile @ Harrisburg PA [6:54]
25th - Lebanon Area Fair 5K @ Lebanon PA [24:53]
(race was 3.14 miles - 3.1 mile time was 24:25)

August 2009 (3)
8th - Running for Reading 5K @ Mechanicsburg PA [23:20 ]
23rd - 32nd Annual Twilight Trot 10K @ Elizabethtown PA [1:03:21]
29th - 18th Annual Tim Russell Memorial 5K @ Hershey PA [24:16]

September 2009 (3)
7th - USA 20K National Championships @ New Haven CT [1:51:11]
20th - Forever Friends Memorial 5K Run @ Myerstown PA [23:41]
26th - Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon @ Toronto, Ontario (withdrew)
26th - Paxton Fest Two Mile Run @ Harrisburg PA [14:29]

October 2009 (3)
3rd - Fall Down on the Trail 5K Race & Hike @ Newville PA [23:11]
7th - Baron Stiegel Mile @ Manheim PA [6:26]
31st - York White Rose Five Miler @ York PA [40:35]

November 2009 (2)
8th - Harrisburg Marathon @ Harrisburg PA [5:40:01]

A total of 21 races for calendar year 2009.