Weekend on New Training Program

My new training program, found at http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm uses weekends for a long run and cross training. I have decided to ride bike on the roads as my cross training exercise. The plan has Saturdays scheduled for cross training while Sundays are allotted for the long runs. I will swap these days depending how I feel heading into the weekend.

I receive a weekly training tip email from the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront marathon race organizers. This week's installment relates to recovering quickly from a long training run.
The Key To Speedy Long Workout Recovery

We are quickly approaching the middle of the training season and the point where the endurance workouts will be the longest. The key to efficient recovery and minimizing post endurance workout aches, pains or injuries is to begin the recovery process the minute you finish the long workout each week.

Take 10 minutes and keep moving with easy walking. Walking at an easy pace allows the body to come down more gradually and circulates blood back to normal distribution quantities and regions on your body (i.e. stomach for digestion).

Within the first 15-20 minutes of completing the long workout, consume a sports drink like Gatorade or the new Gatorade Endurance to increase blood sugar levels and replenish electrolyte levels in your system (sodium, potassium).

Within the first 30-90 minutes post long workout, eat a meal rich in carbohydrates and a little protein (7 to 1 ratio carbohydrates to protein). This will quickly replenish the glycogen stores depleted in the long workout as well as provide protein to rebuild muscle tissue damage.

The longer you wait to refuel, the longer it will take to fully recover from the workout.

Soak your body (hips and legs) in a cold tub. Fill the tub with lukewarm to cold water. Get in with your rubber ducky and then add ice cubes. Normal post long workout swelling will decrease in cold water and speed recovery. This sounds like an awful thing to do, but is highly effective in recovery strategies. It is the first thing most professional athletes do post game (pitchers in baseball) or race. Spend 15-20 minutes in the tub.

Continue hydrating throughout the day to replenish water losses.

Use the "Pee" test to monitor adequate hydration levels. If your urine is pale yellow you are adequately hydrated. Continue to replenish fuel and sodium stores. A bowl of soup is a great meal to do so.

If possible, schedule a massage 3+ hours post long workout or the next day. Massages too soon to finishing the workout can create more soreness due to moving around the lactic acid that accumulates in training.

Massage can have a dramatic effect on post long workout recovery times. You can also perform your own massage with some of the products on the market like "the Stick". It is great for deep tissue massage for hamstrings, calves, thighs and hips. You can find it at most running specialty stores.

Take a 20-minute nap 2-4 hours after eating. Your body at rest will absorb more readily the food in your stomach and speed healing. Yes, it is okay to nap. Tell your family it is all part of your training regimen and you'll get to the chores later.

Pay attention to aches and pains post long workout. Most aches and pains will subside within 24 hours. If they stick around longer than 3-4 days, take 2-3 days off running/walking, cross train and stretch.

In most cases, the time off will allow the aches to heal. If they stick around for a week or grow worse, schedule an appointment with a physical therapist or orthopedic doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Converting to Metric for the Half Marathon

Growing up as a child in the mid 70's I have recollections of President Jimmy Carter and his efforts to convert the United States to a metric unit based society. Anyone who has ever learned and used metric will attest to its ease of use.

For example, if you are using a 12 milimeter socket wrench and need to get a wrench one size larger you get out the 13 millimeter wrench. Using the Standard English system if you are using a 5/8 inch socket and you need one size larger you need to fire up the synapses and perform mental gymnastics to get to the 11/16 socket wrench.

One mile is equal to 1.609 kilometers and one kilometer is equal to 0.621 miles.

I need to complete 21.1 kilometers for the half marathon. At the end of each kilometer I will determine if I achieved my goal pace for that kilometer and adjust my pace accordingly for the next kilometer. You could view the race as being an accumulation of 21 report cards, one per kilometer.

I have mentioned before I wanted to maintain a 5:41 minutes per kilometer pace to break my two hour goal. This pace is an easy number for me to remember. I grew up on 541 N. Lincoln St. in Palmyra. Realistically, I am not going to run the same pace for each of the 21 kilometers. I most likely will run faster in the beginning of the race and then gradually slow as the race progresses. I believe I could hold a steady pace for about 12 kilometers now. I have no idea how rapidly my last nine kilometer paces would regress.

I need to do some research regarding the features provided by my Garmin Forerunner watch. I know the watch provides an instantaneous or current pace as well as an overall run or race pace. The feature which would make this watch most awesome is a last segment pace, be it a mile or a kilometer. If I could set up my watch to display the three paces of instantaneous, last segment and overall, I will have no excuses relating to being ignorant of my pacing. The watch will enable me to effectively manage my pace throughout the entire race.

The half marathon race will also feature pace runners. These are people who will be purposely maintaining a pace to facilitate running a prescribed time. For example, I could simply try to keep up with the 2 hour half marathon pace runner throughout the race. I am not sure how they will be identified on the road during a race. I imagine they will be wearing a jersey with a distinctive color combined with a distinctive number to indicate the pace. God forbid I accidentally follow the one hour half marathon pace runner. Also, it would be less than fortunate to accidentally wear the same color as the pacer runners for the day.

NOTES: My weight is at 188 pounds. I would like to lose another 5 pounds before race day. I have some body fat to eliminate but I also will be building some muscle mass through strength training. We'll see which way the scales go.

Long Runs & Heart Beats per Minute (BPM)

On Sunday July 26th I went for a long run about town which lasted for about one hour and totaled a tad over 6 miles. As I typically do, I uploaded the data from my Garmin Foreunner 305 watch to my PC immediately after the run. I always wear my heart rate monitor chest strap to get data on how my heart is responding to my training.

As you can see from the graph above, at some point between 30 and 36 minutes of running my heart's BPM rate fell from the 140's to the mid 110's. (click on the graph to see a larger picture.) There were several readings of 100 BPM's and below.

Another trend I am concerned with is the first part of the run consisted of a relatively smooth 140 BPM rate with not too much deviation from this rate. The second part of the run had a tremendous amount of fluctuation. I am positive that the second part of my run was not markedly different from the first part in terms of the roads and hills traveled.

I did not feel any difference personally between the first and second parts of this run. The only rational basis for this behavior I can arrive at now is that my body is capable of running thirty minutes in a relatively comfortable and stable fashion. After the thirty minute mark my body begins to become distressed and begins a series of sine-wave'esque BPM cycles to adapt to my body's distress signals.

I am scheduled to run seven miles on Sunday. I will analyze the heart BPM data again to determine if this pattern surfaces again. I wonder if I need to consult a cardiologist for confirmation of my hypothesis ? I want to die as an old man in my sleep and not as a broken down runner in the streets of Toronto during the half marathon.

Workin' the Hills Tuesday

Per the half marathon schedule I have recently adopted, Tuesdays are now running hills day for the remaining months of my training schedule, August and September. I run on the north side of Palmyra, near the Northside Elementary school. I grew up on North Lincoln street at the base of a large hill. There are three adjacent streets which each have large hills. (Railroad, Chestnut, Lincoln)

Hills are extremely difficult to tackle for a new runner. Many races advertise their courses as flat and fast. I am very fortunate the half marathon I have chosen to run has no major hilly sections to contend with. From my experience, hills can be pace killers.

My simple race strategy for the half marathon will be to maintain a 9:10 per mile pace in order to break my 2 hour goal. Since this race is run in Canada, everything will be measured in meters. 13.1 miles equates to running 21.1 kilometers and I will need to average a pace of 5:41 per kilometer to finish under 2 hours. There will only be kilometer markings present on the race course.

Fortunately, my Garmin watch displays an average pace for a run in both miles and kilometers. Although I am not sure at the moment if I will have any issues with using the global positioning system part of my Garmin watch in Canada.

Training Composition Change

By and large and I am going to eliminate training on the high school track and convert primarily to long distance and hill running on local roads. I am also going to dedicate two days per week to working with weights. I need to begin completing runs on the order of 8, 10 and 12 miles. A ten mile run on the track would require forty circuits about the track. Even with an MP3 player buzzing in my ears, running that many loops would be very taxing on the boredom threshold.

I ran for 6.2 miles (10K) yesterday on roads throughout town at a comfortable pace. I believe I wound up averaging about 9:40 per mile for a total of 59 minutes and 54 seconds.

I would like to finish the half marathon in under 2 hours. This translates to an average page of 9 minutes and 10 seconds per mile. If I had to venture a guess now where I will finish I would say in the vicinity of 2 hrs and 5 minutes. This translates to a 9:33 per mile pace. I would like to close this gap in the next two months.

I sent in an application today for my last race before the half marathon. It's the 32nd annual Twilight Trot 10K in Elizabethtown PA on Sunday August 23rd. This is an evening race. I would like to better my current 10K PR from 59 minutes and 34 seconds to something less than 55 minutes. This will be my twelfth race of the year.

excerpted from http://activenet2.active.com/gears/

Enjoy this scenic 10k race at the beautiful grounds of Masonic Village. Race is broken into age and gender categories. Register on-line or call GEARS for an entry form (367-0355). Twilight Trot is supported by Abraham C. Treichler Lodge #682.

Lebanon Area Fair 5K results

I enjoy running at the local races because it removes commuting anxiety from the day's agenda. This race was only fifteen minutes away. I was surprised at how many people entered this race. I believe the race organizers announced they had registered over 230 runners.. The number must have exceeded their estimate as their results board, where each runners bib tags are posted, only contained enough space for 150 runners.

I arrived about an hour early for the 9 AM race. This was the only race I have run so far where I registered on race day. There is usually a five or ten dollar penalty or premium placed on the race fee if you wait until race day to to register. I was pleasantly surprised the T-shirt for this race was fashionable.

This was a trail race. It used a small section of the PA 'Rails to Trails' trail. I do not dislike racing on trails, but I am not currently a fan of trail racing. The race was also an 'up and back' race with a turnaround point. We ran up the trail halfway and then turned around at an orange cone and returned down the same path. You have runners going in opposing directions. While I did not witness any collisions, you did have to be careful when passing someone you did not encounter anyone going the opposite direction.

I ran this race by feel. I did not use my Garmin watch for pacing purposes. The primary reason is I can not read the watch easily while wearing sweaty and foggy sunglasses. That being said, I ran a 7:25 split for the 1st mile. How did that blistering 1st mile pace affect me ? I was so gassed by the the 3rd mile of the race, I had to stop not once, but twice. In any event, I beat my 25 minute goal, by running a 24:53. I finished 77th out of 237 racers.

As with most every race I have run this year, my GPS watch recorded a different race length than the advertised race length. In this case, my watch recorded a distance of 3.14 miles. My 3.1 (5K) split recorded by the Garmin watch was 24 minutes and 25 seconds.

I did not know immediately after the race why I had to stop running to catch my breathe. After the race, I was kicking myself in the butt mentally for stopping twice . I had this image of a drill sergeant in my head yelling at me for stopping. My personal jubilation for breaking 25 minutes was offset by the fact I probably left 20 seconds on the course because I had walked.

Once I uploaded data from my Garmin GPS watch to my PC and saw my first mile split it was evident why I tanked in the 3rd mile, again. My first mile split was 7:25, 2nd mile was 7:58 and the third mile split was 8:22. I did not leave anything in the tank for this race. I also paced myself extremely poorly.

As you finish a race, you are supposed to tear off the bottom portion of your race number and hand them to someone who collects them. There is a perforation line which facilitates tearing off the tag. This portion has your name, age and bib number. It's after the race and I am trying to find my name on the results board, and I notice a young teenaged girl hanging the tags. As I am standing there she drops a handful of the race tags and they lie scattered on the ground. She looks around, visibly terrified, not knowing what to do. An adult race organizer was standing next to her and says just pick them up and hang them. My name had already been hung at this point, but the race organizers need to stack the tags on a dowel rod or thick electrical wire to eliminate the dropped / mixed up tags issue.

There was a one mile fun run which began at 10:00 AM. Some kids ran by themselves and others ran with a parent. Each finisher received a blue ribbon for their efforts.

My takeaway from this race is I must learn to pace myself in the next two months for a race or I will be in a world of hurt for the 13.1 mile / 21.1 km half marathon race at the end of September.

I introduced myself to a man I had seen frequently at the Palmyra track coaching a group of kids to run. His name was Bill Stankowski and he had a high school aged son, named Connor running this race. Connor won his age group.

Planting the Running Seed

I recently received a mailing from Pretzel City Sports of Reading PA which included nearly a dozen applications for road and trail running races in the area this fall. My eldest son (6yrs old) began reading them and searching for applications which included a kids run or a fun run. We found a run in mid August, called the Legs for Lindsey 5K in Collegeville PA. The run is on a Wednesday evening at the Evansburg State Park and includes a one mile fun run. Collegeville is nearly a two hour commute for us.

There is a race in Reading PA next Sunday morning which has a half mile fun run with a goodie bag for the kids. It's at Gring's Mill park near the Penn State Berks county campus and only one hour away. I am leaning toward taking the family to this race instead of the Collegeville run. This race was not included in the literature we received.

I am very pleased my son has taken an interest in running. My adoption of running this summer has served a dual purpose. I wanted to get back in shape. My blood pressure was skyrocketing and I needed to become more physically fit. My weight loss was a natural byproduct of my training.

My second purpose was to plant the athletic seed for my eldest son, Dylan. (My youngest son is a year old and not impressionable with my running exploits now.) I was hoping that while watching me as a spectator during races that Dylan would also want to partake in running.

I have no aspirations of living vicariously through my son. While I would immensely enjoy my sons actively engaged in sports as they age, I would be equally as happy if they played in the band, acted in school plays, and/or were academically oriented. I am merely exposing him to the sport of running.

Now the irony is Dylan wants to run a race by himself, with no assistance from either mom or dad. My visions of father-son runs have already been dashed by his insistence to run solo.

NOTE: This past week I went over the 200 mile mark for running this year.

Past 5K Performance History

I have run four 5K races this year. My last 5K race in June was my worst race performance of the year. i was hampered by a sore leg. As you can see from the times listed below, running with an injury in June proved to be a much more difficult task for me than running my first 5k in the beginning of May.

In each of my 5K races, my second mile split has been much worse than the first mile. This strongly suggests I come out of the gates much faster than I can sustain over the duration of the race. (A five kilometer race is 3.1 miles long)

Race, Date, 1st mile, 2nd mile, 3rd mile splits
Mt Penn - May 2nd - 08:16 , 08:39: 08:45
Palmyra - May 9th - 08:07, 08:20, 08:42
Hershey Med - May 30th - 07:57, 08:36, 08:27
Hershey Co - June 20th - 08:25, 9:04, 09:53

At my last five mile race at Lititz two weeks ago my splits were 8:15, 8:09 and 8:51 during the first three miles of the race. I was able to run two good mile miles before tanking in the third mile. I should note the 2nd mile for this race was primarily downhill as the 3rd mile was primarily uphill and the toughest mile of the course.

It's my hope on Saturday my three mile splits are within 15 or 20 seconds of each other and I break the 25 minute barrier.

Adopting a Training Schedule & LSD

For the last several months I have been running and training as I wanted. Not being a very regimented person, this unstructured training has proven effective for me. To be perfectly honest, many of the training programs I found in the past assumed you were in much better physical condition than I.

I found a training plan for a half marathon on http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

The plan appears to be in line with my current physical capabilities. It is a twelve week plan. I have ten more weeks until my half marathon. I'll jump into the schedule at week three. It incorporates strength training on Mondays as well as a provision for cross training on Saturdays. Fridays are the rest days and long runs are scheduled for Sundays.

There is a training type called Long Slow Distance (LSD) which is described below. The training plan above incorporates LSD runs on Sundays. I have not completed enough of this training type to date.
excerpted from http://runninginjuryfree.org/2008/10/long-slow-distance.html

Long slow distance is running at a moderate pace in which you can carry on a conversation and in which you aren't panting for breath and don't get side stitches (cramps) or a raw throat. Running LSD means that you're running aerobically, that is, your body is getting sufficient oxygen. Running LSD means that you're using moderation in your training and not pushing your body to extreme stress levels. Most of your training should be LSD if you want to run injury free. It's during your LSD runs that your body develops endurance. As you run, you put your body under stress, and body cells are destroyed. During the 48 hours after your runs, your body reacts to the stress by rebuilding the body cells, and the end result is that you're stronger than you were before. At least, its supposed to work that way. The problem is that if you apply more stress than your body can handle, your body can't fully recover, and residues of stress remain. Over time, those residues can build up until the stress reaches the point where your body breaks down and injury occurs. Many runners are anxious to develop speed and long distances, and they push themselves to reach faster and longer goals. This works for a while, because their bodies can withstand the stress and not break down. But, if the high stress levels are continued, the time comes when their bodies can't handle the stress, and the runners either become injured, or they become so tired that they often lose motivation and stop running. Through using moderation by running slower (LSD) and allowing more time for rest between runs, runners can reduce their stress level to the point where their bodies can handle it, and they can reach their goals without injury and without being overly tired. In doing this, they can develop a good base that will allow them to do speed training in a systematic and safe way. Rest after a run doesn't imply no running. If you feel up to it, you can allow your body to rest by running shorter and/or slower distances or by doing cross-training.
Of course, if all you run is LSD, you'll never become a fast racer. If racing is your interest, you'll want to do speed work and run hills after you have a good base of LSD.

Next Up: Lebanon Area Fair 5K race

The Lebanon Area Fair, which is held at the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center, is scheduled to begin on Saturday July 25th and runs through Saturday August 1st. I have to confess I have never been to this fair. It's a very farming centric fair, complete with a rodeo and truck and tractor pools. The 5K race is slated to begin at 9:00 AM on Saturday July 25th 2009.

I am the sixth generation of Evans' which has resided in Lebanon County, however, for some reason have very few known relatives in the area. My great grandfather, Samuel Evans, sold his farm in the 1950's.

An interesting web site I found recently is http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/Running University/Article 1/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm

The website allows you to enter a time for a race or run length you have completed in the past and it extrapolates estimates of how long it would take you to finish runs of other lengths. If you have run races of different lengths you can also compare how well you did relative to each race or run. As can be expected, my performances worsened as the length of the race increased. My best race time was the one mile and my worst race time was the 10k (6.2 miles).

An important caveat with these relative race times is you must train for the length of race in question. For example, based on my one mile time of 6:54, the web site states I should be able to run a half marathon in 1 hour and 50 minutes. At this juncture I do not have 13.1 miles in me. It does give me an idea of how well I could do given my current fitness level.

Since my family is not fond of early morning Saturday races, I will be making this trip alone. This race probably will not have many amenities for the kids as it is a smaller race than the others I have run this year. I will take the time at the race to determine if my kids would like to visit the fair later that evening.

My personal record for a 5K race this year is 25 minutes and 35 seconds. This translates to a average pace of 8:14 per mile. I'd like to run an average pace of 8:05 this Saturday and break 25 minutes for a 5K for the first time.

My weight has dipped below 190 pounds for the last several days. I would like to be down to 182-184 pounds by the end of September for my half marathon in Toronto. Being thirty pounds lighter this fall will contribute to a better race and hopefully increased longevity if I maintain this weight loss.

Running History

I recently checked out a couple of books on running from the Hershey Public library. After reading them I was impressed as to how unimpressive the history of running has been.

In today's media age where most every sport is attempting to maximize the fan experience through competitive enhancements, dedicated access channels, and marketing of supporting products, the sport of running appears to have no one at the helm.

Another difficulty is nearly every famous runner's experience I read about is marred by a constant struggle between above average performances and great performances. And the career span of good runners appears to only be a couple of years. I can't recall any runner being the king of the hill for a period of 10 years or more. Great runners appear to be a transient lot.

What is needed to resurrect running from the dead is to have professional team running within large markets in the United States. Allow people to bet on individual races as well as teams. If the level of competition needs to be adjusted to level the playing field have runners add weight to their sneakers or shorts, similar to how horses are handicapped by adding weight before a race.

Borrowing a page from Nascar, have the likes of Powerade, Gatorade, Nike and other running affiliated corporations sponsor teams and outfit the runners with collectible colorful jerseys.

Listed below are the two primary running governing bodies.

IAAF.org is the online home of the International Association of Athletics Federations, the world governing body of track and field. The site is home to international professional news, results, rankings, a race calendar, and much more. For elite running enthusiasts, this site's daily news will keep you up to date on the latest track-burning action.


USA Track and Field (USATF) is the official organization representing track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. The site has athlete bios, a schedule of events, statistics, news headlines, and more.

Miller's Mutual Mile Results

It was a beautiful Wednesday night on Front Street. Front Street runs parallel to the Susquehanna river. The sun was shining, the humidity was low, and the temperature in the low 80's. Ideal conditions for a personal record (PR) run.

After a failed attempt to enlist the aid of my family to attend the race, I left the house around 6:15PM to drive the half hour commute to Harrisburg for the race. Some of the races are boring for spectators, so I could empathize, albeit begrudgingly. My race for aged 45-49 year olds, was scheduled to begin at 7:45 PM. The sun does not set until around 8:30 PM at this time of year.

I was very fortunate to find parking at the YMCA on the 700 block of Front street, just one block south of the race finish line. I had allowed for 5-10 minutes of driving around the city for a parking space, but was very fortunate to find a spot immediately. I picked up my timing chip, a small circular black plastic disk and a tie strap. The race finish was the festive area, complete with a radio station trailer, beer drinking tent, kids inflatable bounce houses and a variety of walking costumed characters.

Since I arrived early I had plenty of time to make the twenty minute mile walk to the starting line at Maclay & Front streets. The race was segmented into heats by age group and as a result there was not a large crowd congregating at the starting line.

Much to my surprise, the starting times by age group were on time, as scheduled. My run went off at exactly 7:45 PM.

My first quarter mile split was 93 seconds or 1:33. I had planned on being at 1:45 for the first quarter mile. The good news was I was 12 seconds under my goal. The bad news was I could not sustain this pace for three more quarters and wind up with a 6 minute mile time.

I ratcheted down my pace for the next quarter mile. Not being a vehicle with gearing, I slowed down but did not know how much until the next quarter mile split.

At the half mile point I was at 3:19 - still 11 seconds ahead of my 3:30 pace. I ran the 2nd quarter in 1:46, a tick slower than I had set out to do. So far so good.

I ran the 3rd quarter of a mile in 1:47 and was at 5:06 seconds with only 1/4 of a mile to go. only nine seconds ahead of my goal. My 3rd quarter split turned out to be my slowest.

I finished the race at 6:54 - some six seconds ahead of my 7:00 minute race goal. I was elated at how well I performed. I placed 25th out of the 38 racers. In line with previous years, 37 of the 38 racers in my age group finished the mile in under eight minutes.

In a lot of respects, I am racing against area all-stars at events like these. There were no 'Sunday runners' at the starting line for this race. This is a little intimidating for me, but I maintain my focus on doing what I set out to do strategically throughout the race without any concern as to what my competitors are doing. I knew from my training and previous race history I was going to finish in the last third of the field for this age group.

Miller's Mutual Mile Race Strategy

This race will have 1/4 mile splits which should contribute immensely in maintaining my predetermined pace throughout the entire race. I have committed the following split times to memory for this race.

1/4 mile split: 1:45
1/2 mile split 3:30
3/4 mile split 5:15
1 mile time 7:00

As I run past the first quarter mile split I will choose one of three courses of action depending upon my actual split time.

A) if I am slower(over) than my anticipated split time, I will need to pick up the pace.
b) if I am slightly faster than my anticipated split time, I will maintain my pace.
c) if I am more than 10 seconds faster(lower) than my anticipated split time, I need to slow down to conserve energy for the finish.

As I hit the 1/2 mile split I need to take my first 1/4 mile split time into account. If I was five seconds slower than anticipated on my first 1/4 mile split, I want to speed up slightly to only be five seconds slower in total on the 1/2 mile split. In other words, I should not try to make up the five seconds lost in the first 1/4 mile during the 2nd 1/4 mile. I need to perpetuate this strategy as I hit my 1/4 mile markers throughout the race.

The key to a good race tonight is to dial in to a comfortable fast pace quickly and maintain it from 1/4 mile to 1/4 mile split.

Way back in early March of this year when I began my training I was only able to run a mile in 10 minutes and 12 seconds. I have come a long way since then.

Midweek Evening Race - Miller's Mutual Mile

I used to run track as a sprinter back in my high school days. As a result, I have no long distance running training to draw upon as many of my peers are able to.

The shortest race I have found is a one mile run in Harrisburg. I ran this race on Front Street in 1997 when it was then named the Smith Barney mile. I ran it in an amazingly fast 6 minutes and 8 seconds. The race is Wednesday July 15th and is run on Front Street between Maclay and Foster streets. My heat is scheduled to begin at 7:45PM.

This racing event is unique as there is a separate race for each age group and gender. In 2007 40 of the 42 aged 45-49 male entrants and in 2008 36 0f 37 aged 45-49 male entrants ran a mile in under 8 minutes. Fortunately i can run a mile in under 8 minutes now, but I am going to be staring at a lot of man butts for this mile race as I will be trailing the pack.

I would like to run a mile in under 7 minutes and 30 seconds. I must ensure that I stretch properly before this race as well as warm up or risk pulling a muscle while running. Not only would a pulled muscle hurt, but it would probably cement last place for my heat.

I have had good training runs this week and feel as good as I ever have going into a race.

This race employs a computer chip you affix to your shoe. 1/4 mile splits will be recorded for this race. Read about the timing device below.

http://runhigh.com/ChampionChip/CC-Intro.html

ChampionChip System

Introduction

Road race timing and scoring has entered into a new era. The widely accepted tear-off tag system has always created significant demands on race timers, race directors, and finish line volunteers. The larger the race, the larger these demands.

The new space-age technology employs a system where a runner wears a computer chip on his shoe. As the chip crosses over a set of special mats at the finish line, the chip sends its unique identification number to antennas in the mats. The time and number are then recorded in the finish line computers.

As a result, no chutes are needed, there are no back-ups at the finish line, the amount of needed finish line volunteers decreases significantly, and the results tabulation is practically instant.

What is a ChampionChip?

This system is called the ChampionChip, and it was first introduced in The Netherlands in 1994. The ChampionChip is a small plastic disk (less than 1.5" in diameter) containing a miniature transponder. It is attached to the runner's shoe lace. For triathlons, a velcro ankle bracelet is worn by the triathlete.

How does this system work?

The basis for the ChampionChip timing system is the high-frequency identification system (TIRIS) from Texas Instruments. This is the same technology that is also used for security-locks in cars, admission control in buildings, and automated toll lanes on expressways. For race timing, special antennas are cast in thin tartan mats, and the mats are placed at the finish line and other timing locations. Each time a ChampionChip comes within the detection range of the antennas, the ChampionChip activates and sends its unique identification number to the reading antennas in the mats. The data is then stored with the corresponding time in a computer. A ChampionChip system with a 12 foot wide mat can score more than 1,500 athletes per minute without missing anyone!

Freshburst 5 Miler Results

Our family got up early on Saturday morning to drive about 30 minutes to Lititz for the Fresh Burst 5 mile run. We left home around 7:15 AM. The run was scheduled to begin at 8:15 AM. It was a sunny morning with the temperature in the low 80's by race time. Dylan's 30 yard dash was acheduled to begin at 9:15AM.

The race start and finish was located in front of the Johnson & Johnson manufacturing plant on 400 W. Lincoln Avenue in Lititz. The parking lot for this plant was used as the race headquarters and general congregation area.

Turkey Hill was the major sponsor for the race as they donated baby sized pools filled with iced teas, lemonades and water. Subs and Italian ice were also available.

The plant apparently produces mouthwash and mouth rinses for kids as both my son and I received goodie bags containing bottles of each.

I was surprised to see hundreds of people lined up for the races. There was a 5 mile run and a 5K walk being conducted at the same time. There were 522 finishers of the 5 mile race and 74 racers for the 5K walk. This was the largest local race I have run.

Of the 522 runners I finished 248th with a time of 42 minutes and 35 seconds. My Garmin Forerunner watch measured this course at 5.03 miles. The Forerunner recorded a 42:19 time at the 5 mile mark.

I held back ever so slightly the first mile in an effort to conserve energy for the last mile. The second mile was all downhill and prior to the race determined I was going to run this as fast as possible. I ran the 2nd mile in 8:07, which turned out to be the fastest mile split of the run for me.

I was particularly pleased with my performance for the last three quarter mile splits of the race. I ran each quarter mile, which translates to roughly one lap around a track, in less than 2:07 each. I actually passed a half dozen runners at the end of the race. I typically get passed by runners at the end of a race.

I have come a long way since March of this year. In the next couple of months, or more specifically, 75 days, I need to build my endurance level to where I can run the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles.

Freshburst Lay of the Land

Thanks to a website named http://www.gmap-pedometer.com I was able to get a read for the elevation changes, i.e. uphills and downhills for the Freshburst five mile run in Lititz PA on Saturday morning.

The race begins with a mild uphill for the first mile. The first to second mile part of the course is all downhill and should prove to be one of my fastest mile splits of the day. The second to third mile appears to be a series of small rolling hills. The hardest part of the course is a hill from the three to 3.5 mile mark. The last mile and a half of the race is downhill which should aid in finishing with a decent split. The last mile of the race also serves as the first mile of the race.

I do not feel especially invigorated today as I am generally sore from the amount of running I completed this week. Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow morning re-energized.

I hope my son Dylan has fun in his race. It's a 40 yard sprint. He enjoys getting the race goodie bags these events dole out.

Pre Race Conditioning Dilemna

With a couple of days before my next race, I am torn between resting in advance of a race or getting in a small workout or two before the race. I had no intentions of running today as I was still sore from my ten mile trek on Tuesday. It was such a beautiful day, sunny and no humidity, I felt compelled to run. I only ran for two miles.

Not being a young pup anymore I need time to recover from my prior training efforts as well as time to accumulate excess energy reserves to apply to my next training effort. My concern this week was if I were to take Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off I would feel like a slacker. The flip side of the coin is I would have been fully repaired and rejuvenated for this Saturday's race.

I remember from my last five mile race in Lansdale PA I nearly began walking at the 3.5 mile mark because I came out of the gates too quickly and needed to find a second wind to get to the finish line. Within every race I have run this year, I let my adrenaline get the best of me in the first mile. I need to find a way to manage this adrenaline for the first mile in an effort to not tail off so dramatically at the end of my races.

15th Annual Freshburst Five Miler in Lititz PA

The 15th Annual Freshburst Five Miler in Lititz PA begins on Saturday June 11th at 8:15 AM with a 5 mile run. I entered my eldest son Dylan into a kids race which begins at 9:15 AM. The kids race is segmented into age groups and will be approximately 30 yards for my son's 5-6 year old age group.

Each year a charity is selected for a donation from the proceeds of this race. This year's charity is the Clare House. Clare House is located in Lancaster PA and "serves homeless women and children by providing a temporary home in a caring environment."

I ran a total of 10 miles yesterday - a five mile run followed by runs of three miles and two miles. I ran from my house to the square in Annville and back. A majority of this run was on Route 422, a high traffic road. I was not nervous running on the side of this road, but if I were to get hit by a car for any reason I believe it would be viewed by many as an unsafe practice on my part.

One issue of concern was my post run blood pressure. As soon as I got home I took my blood pressure and found it had dropped to 97 / 58. I did not feel dizzy, however, I was extremely tired as could be expected after a run of this length.

I have run two five mile practice runs this week and completed each in about 51 minutes. I have raced a five miler once before this year - finishing with a 43:44 time or about an 8:45 average pace per mile. During the Classic 10K in Middletown NY I hit the five mile mark in about 47:30 as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner 305.

I would regard anything under 45 minutes as a good run on Saturday.

June 09 Training - In Review

June was a very difficult month for me as I was plagued with a right leg injury for a majority of the month. I only tallied 55 miles of running on thirteen outings for the month. Two of the thirteen events were races, a 5K and 10K. I ran 74 miles during the month of May.

It is hard to find a positive for June other than I persevered and continued training throughout this trying time. My lack of progress this month forced me to cancel the half marathon I had scheduled on June 28th in Fairfield Connecticut.

I have to remind myself I have been exceedingly sedentary for quite some time and it will require a fair amount of time to shed the physical rust I have accumulated.

One training change I need to make is to increase my aerobic exercise level within my current regimen. My heart rate data from my Garmin Forerunner 305 indicates I run a substantial amount of time in the 90-100% of my heart rate maximum. You enter the anaerobic realm at this high of a pace. I need to get within the 75-85% of HRM level and run for much longer periods of time, e.g. an hour or two.


Excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_exercise

Anaerobic exercise is exercise intense enough to trigger anaerobic metabolism. It is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Muscles trained using anaerobic exercise develop differently as compared to aerobic exercise, leading to greater performance in short duration, high intensity activities, which last from mere seconds up to a maximum anaerobic metabolic contribution at about 2 minutes.^{[1] [2]} Any activity after 2-minutes or so, whether it be exceedingly easy or immensely intense, will have a large aerobic metabolic component.

Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, includes lower intensity activities performed for longer periods of time. Such activities like walking, running (including the training known as an interval workout), swimming, and cycling require a great deal of oxygen to generate the energy needed for prolonged exercise (i.e., aerobic energy expenditure).

Firecracker 4K - 4th of July Weekend

I had an awesome 4th of July vacation weekend. My family and I were very fortunate to have been extended the use of a cabin near the town of Wellsboro in central northern Pennsylvania. The cabin is owned by my wife's maternal grandparents.

I awoke early Saturday July 4th morning at the cabin to travel to the Penn State University in State College for the Firecracker 4K road race. I arrived around 7:45 AM to register for the 9:00 am race. The fee was $18 and included a T-shirt.

Conditions were perfect for the race - sunny, low humidity and no wind. The race was well organized. There were 881 finishers for the race, many of them college and high school aged. I finished with a time of 21:18. 4K is about 2.5 miles. I finished 41st out of 90 in the aged 40-49 male group and exactly 300th overall.

One interesting feature at this race was a vendor stand which had a water based signing mechanism that dropped sheets of water shaped liked stars, stripes, and words. There was a radio station present for the race who conducted an on-air interview with the owner of the device. The owner mentioned it work on the same principle as a computer inkjet printer.

It was five years since the last time I had been to my alma mater. I am amazed at how much the university has grown in the last twenty years.

Current Health Appraisal

Nintendo's Wii fit video game is currently one of the most popular games combining the audio visual experience of a game with exercise coordinated with a bevy of activity types.

Once concept introduced by this game is the Wii Fitness Age, a numerical measure of your youthful vigor for specific activities. For example, if you can ski a course on the fitness board in a certain time you would be awarded a fitness level of a 24 year old.

As I am in my fourth month of training, it would be interesting to have some sort of numerical rating ascribed to both my beginning fitness level and my current level. For example, how has my lung capacity changed, my bone density, my flexibility, muscle mass, waist - calves and thighs measurements.

We may need to wait until the 22nd century to have a device capable of performing a full body scan and accumulate all the measurements above and generate some sort of automated wellness assessment score. I am sure United States Olympic level athletes have a battery of tests and measurements which contracted medical staff perform to assess their fitness stages, but it would be helpful to the lay-athlete to have access to these procedures and resulting information as well.

87 Days to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

I have just completed my fourth month of training this year and have only three more months to go until I run my first half marathon. After a very depressing and injury-ridden June, I am looking forward to getting back on track in July.

I had an excellent workout yesterday where I was able to able to achieve a sprinting speed of 11 mph, as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner 305 watch. I have not run at that speed for over a month.

There is a 5K race in Norristown PA on Saturday July 4th. Norristown is about 90 minutes east using the PA Turnpike. They have 60 awards to present and currently only 50 runners are registered. The 5K race begins at 9:00 AM. It's been a couple of weeks since I have raced and as a result have a competitive itch which needs to be scratched.