Body Heals Much Slower in Your 40's

It's been several days now and my leg still is causing issues. I tried to run a mile last night and had to stop after only a few steps as the force of my weight coming down on my left leg caused a very acute pain. I was able to bike several miles though. This did not go well either as I was three miles away from my house when I got a flat front tire on my bike. Since I did not have a portable air pump nor a spare tire, I rode the bike home with the flat tire.

If it were not for my entrance fee I paid and race T-Shirt I'll receive, I don't think I would race tomorrow. I most likely will have to change my running gait to minimize the pain I will be incurring as I run. Running uphill will be most difficult as it will stress and further aggravate my iliopsoas muscle.

I imagine when I eventually create a formal training plan for competitive events I enter I will need to build in contingencies to address the potential for periods of non-activity due to injuries.

I was entertaing the idea of running another 5K race on Sunday May 31st in Reading PA called the RiverPlaceRun. I do not anticipate being completely healed on Sunday, but would like to try and do back to back 5K races some weekend.

Am I Fully Healed Now ?

My leg is feeling much better today from a range of motion perspective, although a twinge of pain remains. How do you know when you have recovered sufficiently from an injury to resume training ? It would be great if I had a hand held scanner where I could scan the affected area and compare it to a stored healthy image of the area to determine what is damaged and to what degree. Maybe someday, but not for now.

Excepted from http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/frontthigh/iliopsoasinflam.htm

The iliopsoas muscle is a very strong muscle that lifts the knee up. It starts at the lower back and inserts into the thigh bone (femur). This muscle can become inflamed if you over do the situps especially with a weight behind your neck, or do lots of up hill running. Behind the muscle is a bursa that can become inflamed on it's own or along with the tendon.

A partial rupture of the iliopsoas muscle will often lead to inflammation after the initial rupture has healed.

Symptoms for a ruptured iliopsoas muscle include:

• A sudden sharp pain in the groin that returns when you try to lift your knee up to your chest.
• Pain on resisted hip flexion .
• A deep pain in the groin when the knee is lifted up against resistance.
• A weakness in lifting your knee up.

What can the athlete do to prevent an inflammed iliopsoas muscle?

• Rest until there is no pain.
• Apply cold therapy
• Stretch the hip flexor muscles.
• See a sports injury professional who can advise on rehabilitation and strengthening.

My root cause would most likely have been the up hill running, about five miles worth on Friday May 22nd. Looks like I may re-aggravate this injury on Saturday due to the hilly nature of the CMN/UFC Balloon Chasers course at the Hershey Medical Center.

Injury Bug Strikes Again

I will not be working out today or tomorrow as my right leg still has a limited range of motion. I was hoping I would awake today and all would be fine. While the leg does feel better, it is not ready to bear any substantial forces yet.

I am using a five pronged attack towards rehabilitating this leg as soon as possible. I am resting the leg. I am stretching as much as possible. I am also using BenGay and IcyHot topical ointments. In addition, I am self-massaging my leg to help the blood circulation in the area. Finally, I am eating a variety of nutrition bars in addition to my regular meals to ensure I am providing my body the nutrients necessary to expedite my body's self healing processes.

Today I drove to the the course where the Hershey Medical Center's CMN / UFC Ballon Chasers 5K will be run this Saturday May 30th. In short, the middle part of the course is a long uphill road run followed by a long downhill run down an adjacent paved path only a few yards away. I don't feel very confident about beating 25 minutes and 41 seconds for a new 5K personal record. I would like to finish under 25 minutes.

Since I may be running with a hitch in my stride this Saturday it could have the effect of forcing myself to to run the race in a more controlled and even paced manner. A race weakness I have suffered from so far with running 5K races is to run the first mile too quickly and consequently run out of gas around the 2.5 mile mark.

Notes: To qualify for the Boston Marathon for my age group I need to average eight minutes per mile for a total of 26 miles. My first goal in getting to this pace and duration is to run a 5K (3.1 mile race) at an eight minute per mile pace. By my calculations, this pace would result in a 5K time of 24 minutes and 48 seconds.

Iliopsoas syndrome

I rested on Saturday and Sunday after my ten mile run on Friday morning. After our family had my mother over for a very nice Memorial day cookout, I decided to change track running venues and run at the Annville Cleona high school.

I stretched briefly before running. As I began to jog for the first time on the track, my right leg felt like their was a numb tendon or muscle which precluded me from raising the leg up for a normal jogging pace. The pain emanated very high up on the front (anterior) of my leg. Using the diagram above as a reference, the pain originated at the illiopsoas.

Excerpted from http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/iliopsoas-tendonitis.php

Iliopsoas syndrome is caused by a sudden contraction of the iliopsoas muscle, which results in a rupture or tear of the muscle, usually at the point where the muscle and tendon connect.

Iliopsoas syndrome is a soft tissue injury of the iliopsoas muscle and therefore should be treated like any other soft tissue injury. Immediately following an injury, or at the onset of pain, the R.I.C.E.R. regime should be employed. This involves Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and Referral to an appropriate professional for an accurate diagnosis.

It is critical that the R.I.C.E.R. regime be implemented for at least the first 48 to 72 hours. Doing this will give you the best possible chance of a complete and full recovery.

The next phase of treatment (after the first 48 to 72 hours) involves a number of physiotherapy techniques. The application of heat and massage is one of the most effective treatments for removing scar tissue and speeding up the healing process of the muscles and tendons.

Once most of the pain has been reduced, it is time to move onto the rehabilitation phase of your treatment. The main aim of this phase is to regain the strength, power, endurance and flexibility of the muscles and tendons that have been injured.

A thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity to come. Without a proper warm up the muscles and tendons will be tight and stiff. There will be limited blood flow to the hip area, which will result in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for the muscles. This is a sure-fire recipe for a muscle or tendon injury.



I need to add this stretch above to my pre-run stretching routine.

Go Long Baby

I took Friday May 22nd off from work to extend my Memorial day weekend. I decided to get up early and go to Quentin PA and run on a PA Rails to Trails segment. I have ridden bike here once or twice before, but I would not regard myself as familiar with the trail.

I intially wanted to attempt to run eight miles, but felt very good and decided to up the ante and go for ten miles. I brought a strawberry-banana flavored energy gel pack with 25 mg of caffeine from PowerBar. I also wore a Camelbak Classic 70 oz hydration backpack with water and ice cubes.

I ran five miles south toward Lancaster and then returned the same way. The majority of the trail is shaded so the heat was not an issue.

I ran the ten miles in 1 hour and 45 minutes. This distance exceeded my personal best by some four miles. I was running 11 minute miles toward the end of the run. This translates to roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes for a 13.1 mile half marathon.

I was not a fan of this trail run because the ground was not paved, it was a loose fine gravel.

When you plant your foot within the gravel and push off, you lose a certain amount of traction due to the gravel compacting under your weight. Add that lost energy up over the duration of ten miles and there is a fair amount of energy expended at packing gravel during the run.

At the five mile turnaround mark I ate the Power Bar gel pak and washed it down with some water from the Camelbak hydration pak. I did not feel any added energy surge until about 7.5 miles, some 20-30 minutes later. The surge only lasted for a mile and a half, although it provided me with enough energy to get me to the ten mile mark.

During the half marathon I will need two of the energy gel packs to get me through the race. This run has proven to be a tremendous confidence booster in terms of believing I can finish the Stratton-Faxon half-marathon at the end of June.

The Great Outdoors

During a bike ride yesterday I was awestruck to a degree by the amount of sensory information I was processing. The temperature was warm but comfortable, I could smell the fragrance of freshly cut grass, and a view of a very scenic overlook of the town of Palmyra from atop of Coffeetown hill. It was also nice seeing rabbits, squirrels, birds and wildlife in general.

Being a member of the white collared air-conditioned cubicle rank and file, I do not have the opportunity to sample nature's pleasantries very often. I do have a window seat which offers limited visual stimulation, as my view is a brick wall.

After doing some genealogical research a few years ago, I discovered my ancestors beginning in the 1820's within what today is Lebanon County were farm laborers. I don't know if this is why I seem to be predisposed to being comfortable in hot weather or not. I am looking forward to this summer and spending time outdoors with the family.

Notes: Did some speed work today. Ran a 400 meter dash as fast as I could eight times with a 1 minute 15 second rest in between runs.

2009 CMN/UFC Balloon Chaser's 5K Run

My next race is scheduled for Saturday May 30th @ 9:00 AM. The start and finish are located on the Hershey Medical Center campus, near the University Fitness Center. I have yet to find the race route for this race. I don't anticipate this course being flat as there are a fair amount of hilly roads on the western end of the HMC campus.

In each of the 5K's I have run so far I have run the first mile at a pace where I did not have any energy reserves remaining after 2.5 miles. I had a pasta dinner before my last five mile race and I feel it contributed to having a sufficient energy reserve to finish the race without walking. I would like to start making a pasta dinner the day before a race a habit.

My current 5K personal record is 25 minutes and 41 seconds. I would like to break 25 minutes, although I am starting to pull these times out of the air. As I run more 5K's it will become increasingly harder to set new PR's. Barring this course being excessively hilly, I should have an excellent prospect of setting a new 5K PR.

I don't anticipate being very competitive during my races this year due to the number of years of rust I need to shed. Next year I would like to set goals for my races. I want to keep running fun this year and merely finish the races.

High Mileage Month

I am currently on pace to run 60-70 miles in the month since I have been recording my workouts using my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS enabled watch. I can view my training history at any time on the Motionbased.com web site and view my accumulated results. If someone would have told me in January of this year that I would run 60 plus miles in May I would have thought they were reading the wrong horoscope.

As I run longer, it is becoming more difficult to work the training runs into a normal work day. Running six miles currently takes me slightly more than an hour to complete.

Today I am going to begin training on hills. Hill training produces much more stress on your knees and legs than does track training. There a series of hills on the north side of Palmyra within the neighborhood where I grew up which are very formidable. I chosen a three mile route within this area.

Notes: My weight this morning was 190.6 lbs. I should have no problem with being under 190 pounds by the end of May.

Re-Run Broad Street Five Miler Results

Our family decided to book a room at a Quality Inn in Montgomeryville PA on Friday night to avoid a long commute before Saturday's 9:00 am race time. Both Mom and I were tired and wanted to go to bed early. The kids and puppy had other plans. Being in a new place they were excited and wanted to explore every inch of the room several times. After a relatively stressful evening watching over the kids and puppy, we retired around 10:00 pm. The picture on the Internet gave this establishment a look of a hotel, however it really was a motel. Not our general preference, but with taking the puppy outside to do her business it worked out well for us.

Saturday morning everyone was up at 6:00 AM and then we ate a less than stellar Continental breakfast at the motel at 7:00 AM. At 8:00 we embarked on our three mile journey to Lansdale for the race. Lansdale PA is only 25 miles west of New Jersey.

The race's command center was set up in a small strip mall, called the Pavilion off of Broad Street. There was a DJ, food vendors, a Hatfield Farms pig mascot and generally a small fair atmosphere.

The kids race was first. Dylan did not like the pins they used to attached the runner's race bib to your shirt. All the kids had a #1 race bib. For this 1/2 mile run we ran a quarter-mile down the road and back. About the midpoint of the run Dylan shouted, "Daddy this is really fun !" That made my day. Once we crossed the finish line, Dylan was given a medal with #1 on it. A Kodak moment indeed.

The five mile race was next. I was nervous, but I had trained reasonably hard for this race. The course was 2.5 miles out and the same distance back in. I was fine until I hit a hill at the 3.5 mile mark. I wanted to stop running and walk, but I persevered. There were three water stations on the route, I did not take water at any of them because I was not sure how my body would handle the water. I am sure all would have been fine, I didn't want any surprises at the time.

My five mile time was 42 minute and 46 seconds, an awesome time for me. This translates to an 8:33 per mile pace. I had wanted to break 45 minutes. I have come a long way in 2 1/2 months of training. I finished 160th out of over 400 participants.

My next major hurdle is to run 13.1 miles in Connecticut on Sunday Jun 28th. I have a lot of work to do before I am ready for the half-marathon. Although the motivator for this race is I am guaranteed a medal if I finish.

Kid's Fun Run tomorrow

My oldest son will get his first taste of a running race, complete with a starter's gun/whistle and a finish line. In 1997, I ran the Smith Barney one mile run on Front Street in Harrisburg (6:08 mile). They used a starter gun with a blank bullet for that race. The shot was so loud I was stunned for a second as my ear drums recoiled in acute pain. I would not imagine a starter gun being used for the kids race - especially since we are in the Philly area here. A gang related gunfight could ensue.

I imagine in first grade he will have some sort of athletic competition - we used to call it 'field day' back when I was in school. Ribbons were awarded for the events.

His race is at 9:00am followed by my five mile race. From what I have heard I will be able to run with him for his 1/2 mile race. He is supposed to get a T-Shirt, a goodie bag and a medal for the race. I hope he enjoys the experience.

I am not a parent who lives vicariously through their children's activities. When my son's are ready to play sports, they will play. As it stands now, I feel at age 9 or 10 they should have developed their motor skills, reflexes , etc. to the degree where sports are fun to learn. If you introduce a child to a sport before he or she is ready, you risk your child enduring adverse early experiences which will render long term commitments to the sport extremely difficult.

Unfortunately for this race, my oldest son will be running with a cold and coughing.

Addendum: I would like to finish the five mile race with a time under 50 minutes tomorrow. We'll see.

Using Your God Given Talents

The beautiful aspect of running is it can be regarded as a perpetual competition against yourself. Sure you race against others, but the competition level is a variable in large part not within your control.

Within a work environment, you can get weighed down with political alliances, lack of advancement opportunities and poor work assignments. With running, you determine how far you want to pursue this craft. I am very pleased in a matter of one week of hard training, I was able to lower my 5K time by seventy-seven seconds.

This Saturday will mark a milestone within my lifetime fitness level. I have never been able to complete a five mile run, much less within a race environment. At the present time, five miles is on the upper limit of my running capacity, but within reach.

I have always had the ability to run, but for a variety of reasons, have not chosen to do so until now. It's up to each one of us to perform an introspective search occasionally and construct paths for success, whatever the endeavor may be.


Notes: The results of the May 9th Run for Children 5K run were published in the Wednesday May 13th edition of the Lebanon Daily News.

Recently heard about 'Blue Zones', a regional concept advanced by author Dan Buettner. He looks at cultures around the globe where the people enjoy very long lives. Needless to say none of the locations are in the Unites States.

Many of the cultures consumed herbal teas which contain compounds that lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart disease and dementia. I am now drinking a cup of herbal tea a day.

Developing New Gears

From the time I first began to run in March until now, some two and a half months later, I had one speed within my running arsenal. This speed would have been regarded by most as a slow trot.

Just this past week I have developed another gear which is faster than my normal trot. I am beginning to feel more fluid in my running motion. Prior to this week, I felt like the tin man from the Wizard of OZ when I ran. My stride efforts were vary labored and downright not enjoyable. I have just begun to be able to enter into a cruise control mode on longer runs. As of now, a long run is five miles. Developing this cruise control running mode will be integral to finishing the half-marathon in Connecticut at the end of June.

I would eventually like to develop five speeds corresponding to each of the more prevalent distance races available to the running masses.

Marathon - Slowest (11:30 mile)
1/2 Marathon - Slow (10:30 mile)
10K - Medium pace (9:45 mile)
5K - Brisk pace (8:45 mile)
1 Mile - Fastest (7:30 mile)


Notes: My weight was down to 186.4 pounds after a 5 1/2 mile run today at the PHS track. This is a 25 pound weight loss since March 1st of this year.

Basic Running Training Methods

In order to exercise and get in shape for months on end, you need to keep a freshness to the variety of your training to allow you to maintain your focus toward achieving your goals.

Two basic types of training for running have evolved for me to date.

I have one type where I run long, for example, I ran six miles this past Sunday. This does not help very much cardio-wise, but is excellent for losing weight.

The second type of running is where I ran hard for three minutes and then walk one minute - for anywhere between 8 and 12 sets. I believe its called interval training . This is excellent for cardio and not as good for losing weight. I dd 12 sets of the run 3 minutes / walk 1 minutes today for a total of 5 miles.

I need to incorporate some strength training in my regimen but I am not sure how to fit the time in my schedule to do so.

Someone mentioned plyometrics recently. It is "a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in a specific sport." I'd like to find out more about this - but again I'm not sure how to fit this into my schedule.

Earned My First Running Medal

I awoke race day Saturday morning, May 9th, very tired and not energetic in the least. I like to wake up the morning of the day of the race with a desire to expend excess bundled energy. For whatever reason, I felt flat.

I enjoyed the five minute commute to the 4th annual Palmyra Run for the Children 5K race, although it did not allow for much contemplative thought. There was plenty of parking available. Per the race organizers there were about 150 racers, although I believe this estimate was a little high. The family slept in for this 8:00AM race starting time.

I decided to wear my headphones and listen to music for this race. These races are recreational and so I decided to enjoy myself as much as possible while running five kilometers. I am having difficulties with finding upbeat music for running. I train while listening to the same songs for quite some time now.

The weather was nice for the race. No wind and a temperature in the upper 50's. I was not sure the whole race how I was doing. I had tried to hold back for the first mile to save energy for the last mile. I ran within the middle pack - not good enough for the speed/lead pack but ahead of the Sunday runners.

Much to my surprise I had shattered my previous best of 26 minutes and 58 seconds by posting a time of 25 minutes and 41 seconds. I must have trained very well in the week between these two races.

I did not stay for the awards presentation after the race. My last race had nearly a dozen entrants in my age group. It appears this race I had a much more favorable bracket. I finished 2nd place in my age group and won a silver medal. The medal is probably worth $1.98 but it is a welcome race keepsake. I don't anticipate accumulating too many medals, but who knows. I would have to classify this medal as an 'I got my ass in the race and tried' medal.

I am looking forward to running the five miler in Lansdale, PA this Saturday. My son Dylan is entered in a fun run. He is supposed to be awarded a medal for finishing and a goodie grab bag. As much as I would like to set a goal time for this race, it will be quite a personal feat to run five miles. I just hope this old heap of bones and flesh doesn't break down.

Hatfield meats, a business local to Lansdale, is supposed to be at the race to provide free hot dogs.

Mt Penn Race Analysis w/ SportTracks

A program I use in conjunction with my Garmin Forerunner 305 is called SportTracks. The free program from Zone Five software generates a file with a .KML extension which is the standard used by Google Earth. (Zone 5 refers to the highest aerobic / heart BPM exercise zone level)

It allows me to see exactly where I was on the course at any time and how fast I was running. I have included a map and data for my first 5K race in Mt Penn (Reading area).

Using Google Earth (see pic above) you can zoom and scroll around your activities to your hearts content.

Marker - Split Time - Pace
0.25 mile - 1:59 - 7:57
0.5 mile - 2:06 - 8:25
0.75 mile - 2:02 - 8:11
1.0 mile - 2:08 - 8:34
(1st mile time 8:15)

1.25 mile - 2:09 8:38
1.5 mile - 2:10 - 8:42
1.75 mile - 2:12 - 8:49
2.0 mile - 2:07 - 8:30
(2nd mile time 8:38)

2.25 mile - 2:04 - 8:18
2.5 mile - 2:07 - 8:31
2.75 mile - 2:15 - 9:04
3.0 mile - 2:17 - 9:09
(3rd mile time 8:43)

3.1 mile (5K) - 1:18 - 8:13

Total time - 26:58 - 8:42 a mile pace

A quick analysis reveals I ran out of gas at the 2.5 mile mark.

I picked up my race packet today. My race bib number is 227. According to the event organizers, there will be about 150 entrants tomorrow.

Course Knowledge Race Bonus

This Saturday I will be running a race in the familiar confines of my hometown, Palmyra. In a nutshell, we run down approximately one mile on Hoffer Road, around the development named ' ' for another mile and then return down the same Hoffer road for the finishing mile.

A major psychological benefit with regards to being familiar with a course in its entirety is you are aware how to apportion your existing energy reserves over the distance remaining for the run. During my first race this year in Mt Penn, I had to wait until I had a visual of the finish line before I could decide where to attempt to begin a 'kick' for a strong finish.

This race will have more entrants than my first. I may have to contend with issues with other racers. I am waiting to be spat upon yet. Hopefully this an unfounded fear. I'll know as I begin to accumulate more races under my belt.

I feel very good about the prospect of bettering my 5K PR of 26 minutes and 58 seconds.

Notes: My weight has stabilized in the 194 lb range. I may be converting some fat to muscle at this juncture.

My 46th birthday is today. Going to take the family to the Chili's restaurant in Harrisburg.

Palmyra Race - Run for the Children 5K

I received a flyer in the mail this week from the Palmyra Recreation and Parks department which listed a 5K race in town on Saturday May 9th @ 8:00 AM. I had planned to do a six mile run on Saturday in preparation for the Lansdale PA Broad St five miler.

The flyer mentioned it was the 4th annual run and was in memory of a Maggie Leach. From a brief internet search, it appears Maggie died in February 2006 at the age of seven. I could not find a cause of death. Her father, Mark W. Leach is a Family Practice doctor in Palmyra.

The race entrance fee is only $15 and includes a T-Shirt printed by En-Kay graphics, owned and operated by the Kristich's, fellow graduates of Palmyra Area high school.

The course is on the southern end of town on Hoffers road, near Reigle's airport on Route 117.

When I signed up for the race yesterday, May 5th, there were around 105 entrants for the race. I need to pick up a race packet on Friday afternoon. The packet includes a T-shirt, race number & race pins to affix the number to my shirt.

Race Schedule for 2009

One attractive virtue of running is the prevalence of a variety of races which are held throughout the course of the year. Everything from from road races, trail runs, duathlons and triathlons. I have scheduled the following events for 2009.


May 2009
3rd - Winning Kick 5K @ Mt Penn PA [26:58]
9th - Run for the Children 5K @ Palmyra PA [25:41] (2nd place)
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
14th - Classic 10K @ Middletown NY [59:43]
20th - Chocolate Miracle 5K @ Hershey PA [28:12]
28th - Stratton - Faxon 1/2 marathon @ Fairfield CT (withdrew)

July 2009
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
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
7th - USA 20K National Championships @ New Haven CT [1:51:11]
20th - Forever Friends Memorial 5K Run @ Myerstown PA
Scotiabank - Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon @ Toronto, Ontario in Canada

October 2009
7th - Baron Stiegel Mile @ Manheim PA
24th - Miles for Smiles 5K @ Hershey PA

November 2009
26th - Sticks and Biscuits Thanksgiving Day 5K @ Palmyra PA

Mt Penn Winning 5k Results

I have to say I was pleased with my performance On Sunday May 3rd. I ran the 5K race in 26 minute 58 seconds. My trial 5K the week before was 27 minutes and 35 seconds. The adrenaline of the race and a miniscule amount of training yielded a 37 second lowering of my 5K PR (personal record) time.

The whole day went very smoothly. I did not forget anything. I have to give much credit to my wife for getting the kids and all their necessities ready for the trip. It rained on Sunday throughout the race, so the kids were confined to the car for the majority of the time watching movies on the portable DVD player.

I stretched properly before the race and did not have any post race ailments.

In terms of how I fared against others in my age group, let's say I have a long way to go before I would regard my speed as being competitive. I finished 51st out of 77 runners. My oldest son asked me why I didn't win a medal. I told him daddy's just starting out running and still runs like a cow. I have to practice more and maybe someday I'll run like a horse.

The rain during the race did not have any material impact on my ability to run. Since the rain was light, it was slightly refreshing to have the rain present for the run.

I ran five miles this morning before work in preparation for the Broad Street 5 mile run on May 16th in Lansdale PA. I had a really poor time of 50 minutes. I may be looking at a contest for last place for this next race. Most neophyte runners enter 5K's. A beginning runner tackling a five mile race is asking for a world of hurt.

My race bib number was 288.

Note: 146 more days to train for the Toronto Marathon in September.

Mt Penn 5K - Race Day Eve

Our family had no plans for this weekend and the rain forecasted for today never materialized so we took a road trip to the Blue Marsh Lake near Reading. We also scouted the Mt Penn track, site of the Winning Kick race 5K tomorrow. It's on the intersection of Prospect and Byram streets.

I was disappointed in the track as it appeared to be a 20 year old cinder track at a playground. The neighborhood was also not very affluent. I hope the course is marked sufficiently that I do miss a turn anywhere. My initial observations was the area was not level, but replete with hills and valleys. I'll find out tomorrow.

The weather forecasted for tomorrow at 9:00 am is cloudy with a 30% chance of showers and a temperature of 55 degrees F.

I did not exercise today, so my hope is that I have some bottled up energy waiting to be expended tomorrow morning.

Managing Anxiety on Race Day

Prior to my practice 5K run this week, I was very concerned the Winning Kick 5K race on Sunday could quite possibly be a humiliating experience. I had been training very diligently, but without the 5K training this week I would have doubted my ability to complete the race every step throughout the race. Having successfully trained at this distance has substantially lowered my overall race day anxiety level.

The two primary issues I am concerned with this Sunday is to warm up sufficiently to avoid any muscle pulls and to maintain the pace I set (~ 9 minute mile) this past week during the practice 5K run. If I accomplish these two items, I believe I should have a good day. I am in a good position to beat my 5K PR (personal record) mark of 27:35.

Breaking News: I signed up for a 5 mile run in Lansdale PA on Saturday May 16th. I have never competed in a race longer than 5K. I will be testing the boundary of my endurance limits.

As the summer progresses, a five mile run should become a walk in the park. Right now, I would categorize this race length as "I'm going to cough up a lung if this five mile trek to the finish line does not end soon."

I also signed up my oldest son Dylan for a kid's 1/2 mile race. Each kid will receive a medal for finishing the race in addition to a grab bag of goodies. I can see this event spurring many races this summer around our house against my son Dylan for imaginary medals. He's too young (six years old) to begin running, but not too young to develop an inner drive for athletic competition.

Went for a 14 mile bike ride this morning from 5-6 am. I plan to take Saturday off from training.