Run for Cookies 10K Withdrawal

There is a winter storm heading into our area which will dump an appreciable amount of snow over the next day or two. The Run for Cookies 10K is run in Berwick PA, about an hour and a half north. Berwick is slated to get nearly a foot of snow, continuing into race day on Saturday.

I only paid a five dollar entry fee, so I am not worried about losing the money for withdrawing from the race.

I was hoping for nice weather when I signed up for this race. Oh well, my sons and I will take the time and play in the snow on Saturday.

Run for the Cookies 10K Training

February has been an excellent training month for me. In spite of missing opportunities for running due to a couple of snowstorms, I am on pace for logging over sixty miles and eight hours of running for the month.

I have been completing training runs averaging nearly six miles a run this month. Last night I had the best ten kilometer training run I have had to date, averaging nearly eight minutes and thirty seconds a mile for over six miles (6.2). This translates to about a 53 minute 10 K time, which is over six minutes faster than my current 10K personal record.

I am going to create a web site that catalogs my racing experiences in greater detail in the near future. I want to create distinct categories such as pre-race thoughts, course maps, entry form, race results and post race thoughts and catalog my experiences throughout the year.

Reminder: Lebanon Valley College has a 5K fun run in April - need to get details regarding this years incarnation.

1OK Race Strategy

Within most every race I ran last year, I came out of the gates full speed ahead and guns blazing. If you are in shape, this might be a viable racing strategy where you attempt to intimidate your opponents by coming out of the blocks at warp speed and demoralize them. A fair amount of adrenaline has accumulated by the time the starter gives the signal to begin the race. I need to be able to channel it for use late in the race.

If you are not in excellent shape, which is were I found myself last year, you run the risk of exhausting your energy reserves prematurely and then are consequently reduced to a hobbling chicken for the last stages of the race.

I need to hold back initially for this first couple of miles of this race. I would like to see my last mile be the fastest mile of my race, instead of the first mile, as was so typical last year.

Ten kilometers is not as a formidable distance as it once was for me. I recently have run a 54:15 ten kilometer training run. My average training run for the Month of February to date is over five and a half miles.

If I plug in a twenty-five minute 5K time on the http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm running calculator web site, it extrapolates I should be able to run a 10K in 51 minutes and 56 seconds. I would love to break 52 minutes, but I feel a more reasonable goal is breaking 53 minutes. All of this assumes the weather next weekend is conducive to racing.

I'd like to hit 2:06 for each quarter mile split. I love my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch for pacing purposes.

Kidney Stones Resurface

I have been dogged with having to contend with kidney stones since my late 20's. I had a mildy debilitating eposide last evening. Fortunately i was not planning to run yesterday.

I have medication which takes the edge off the pain, hydrocodone. However I have exhausted my supply, as I only have one pill remaining in my inventory. It works great at relieving the pain, but I believe it may be difficult for me to get a contingency refill to have at my disposal for my next bout because it has an addictive element.

I hope my boys do not have to contend with kidney stones, because the pain can be crippling.

Let the Games Begin ..

I am slated to run my first race of the year in exactly ten days, on March 27th. I found a cheap race, only a five dollar entry fee (without a T-shirt, $18 with) in Berwick Pa.

It is a ten kilometer race, which is longer than I would like to run for my first outing of the year. It is called Run for the Cookies and all prizes are awarded in cookies from a local bakery named Dalo's. The course is an out and back type, i.e., one where you go out halfway and then turnaround and retrace your way back on the same route to the finish line.

My personal record for a 10K is an abysmal 59 minutes and 34 seconds. I hope to lower this PR to around 52 minutes and change, weather permitting.

Racing Goal 2010

A major benefit of cataloging my training runs and my road races is the ability to analyze them ad nauseam. One statistic I have always been intrigued with is where I placed within a race, regardless of demographics.

Early in the 2009 road race season I was finishing in the bottom third of most races. Toward the end of the season I was able to finish above the 50th percentile in most races. In many cases, I was merely trying to finish the race without walking, hurting myself, expelling my most recent meal, etc.

I would like to finish in the top 25% of every race I run this year. If there are a hundred racers for a given event, I would like to finish twenty-fifth or higher.

For a race or two in 2010 this may prove top be difficult to attain. For example, the Ben and Tim Memorial 5K in Hershey Pa at the end of August perennially contains a couple hundred high school runners in the field. I finished 189th out of 438 in 2009, or at the 43rd percentile. I would have to move up about eighty places to meet my new goal for 2010.

Beautiful Snow

We received about fifteen inches of snow yesterday (Wednesday March 10) in addition to the fifteen we already had from a previous snowfall. As I back out of the driveway I have a three foot high snow wall enveloping my car.

In previous years, I have been sick during snowstorms and have had to shovel and plow while weakened from a cold or flu. Another benefit of my running regimen is I am generally healthier. I was able to make a small workout of my snow eradication responsibilities.

It was nice having everyone in the family at home and enjoying time together yesterday. The boys are getting much better at playing together.

I am going to try and run in the plowed snow today. I have to watch my footing, lest I fall and hurt myself. The air should be very fresh. (and chilly)

Running with my E-brake on

I did some research regarding one of the blood pressure medications I have been prescribed. It is called clonidine and I am taking the smallest dose prescribed, 0.1 mg.




According to wikipedia's clonidine entry -

Clonidine treats high blood pressure by stimulating α₂ receptors in the brain, which decreases cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance, lowering blood pressure.

Clonidine is also a mild sedative, and can be used as premedication before surgery or procedures.

From Drug.com, here are some of the possible side effects from clonidine.

• fast or pounding heartbeats;

• a very slow heart rate (fewer than 60 beats per minute);

• feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion;

• swelling, rapid weight gain;

• confusion, hallucinations;

• fever, pale skin;

• urinating less than usual or not at all; or

• feeling like you might pass out.

• feeling dizzy, drowsy, tired, or nervous;

• dry mouth;

• dry or burning eyes, blurred vision;

• headache, muscle or joint pain;

• nausea, vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite;

• sleep problems (insomnia);

• urinating more at night;

• mild skin rash or itching; or

• decreased sex drive, impotence.

When you are running you want to maximize your cardiac output. The whole point of going on training runs is to maximize your cardiac output. Since this medicine reduces your cardiac output, I am in effect running with a personal emergency brake applied.

Problem is you can not simply stop taking clonidine. According to drugs.com

Do not stop taking this medication suddenly without first talking to your doctor. Stopping this medication suddenly can cause nervousness, agitation, headache, tremors, severe high blood pressure, or life-threatening symptoms. Talk with your doctor about how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking clonidine.

My only recourse appears to be to take the medicine as far in advance of a run as possible. i don't recall taking this medication just before a run, but I should avoid this scenario immediately before a race.

February Plan

Since we only have twenty eight days in February this year, I will have ten percent (3) less days to run. I have been posting about fifty miles per month recently. So I will be shooting for about a forty-five mile month of February.

The overwhelming majority of my runs for the month of January were three miles or less. I would like to run three times a week for a total of twelve outings in February, with each run being five or more miles. Realistically, more miles would constitute only six or seven miles. Six or seven miles takes me slightly over an hour to complete. I generally don't have an entire hour to run.

I also have to factor in my recovery time from long runs. When I run four or more miles it generally takes a day and a half to recover from my sore muscles.

January 2010 Summary

I ran a total of fifteen times in January, consuming seven hours and thirty five minutes. I was able to traverse about fifty three miles. That translates to an average outing of about thirty minutes and three and a half miles.

February should be another cold month and then March should bring in some milder temperatures. I know i was concerned about my ability to run in the winter, but I have had no issues to date.

I anticipate running tonight for about four miles.