Lebanon VA 5K

The weather for this Saturday morning is forecasted to be in the low 60's, a perfect temperature for a run.

I typically do not like to run a race on consecutive weekends, because there's not much progress to be made in the week between the races. I did not pre-register for this race.  I'll have to register for the race Saturday morning.  Fortunately the race fee is only $18.  In many cases, you will pay $25 or more if you register the day of the race.


I would like to finish this race in 22 minutes and 30 seconds or average 7 minutes and 15 seconds per mile.   My magic quarter mile split time will be 1:48.  If I can hold a 1:48 per 1/4 mile split for thirteen consecutive quarter miles I will reach my goal.  I will have my omnipresent Garmin GPS watch set to give me the splits on Saturday.


The Lebanon VA 5K and the PA DUI Assn 10K will serve as my  beginning of the summer benchmark races.  I will train for the entire summer and then run the Beach to Beacon 10K and the Tim Russell Memorial 5K in August.


The URL for this race is http://www.va5k.com/.

Climbing a Mountain

I have recently surpassed running over three hundred miles among races and training this calendar year. Occasionally I will come up for air and ask myself why am I running as much as I am.


I  have come a long way from the ten minutes and eleven seconds it required to run my first mile last year when I began training. I have progressed from running a mile in 611 seconds to only 355 seconds in fourteen months. In order to get to the next level I need to become 45 seconds faster, running a mile in about 5 minutes and 15 seconds

There are parallels among climbing a mountain and training.  If you choose to climb a smaller mountain it will not take you as long to get to the peak.  I have already climbed the mountain I have set out to climb.  Completing a mile in less than six minutes is something I have never done in my life, not even as a skinny teen.  This mountain required 14 months of training.  I have run over 135 hours and 850 miles during this time.

As I stand now and ask myself if I want to continue to climb the mountain or climb back down, I can't help but desiring to keep trekking.  I am still setting personal records at each race.  I have not plateaued yet.  I am training smarter, doing less training and getting better results. To get to the top of the mountain you have to progress at a reasonable measured pace, i.e., enjoy the climb as you go.

I have always believed I would need to train for about three years before I can enter races and actually race against others. (The prospect of discovering I was a promising runner at age 46 and after years of a sedentary lifestyle was not realistic. I knew I would have to work hard to get in shape.)  This year I choose a target pace for a race and then adhere to it, regardless of what is transpiring around myself.  I would like to climb this mountain for one more year and then re-assess where I am on the mountain.

I would like to run the Lebanon VA 5K his Saturday morning.  The best runners from Lebanon county will be there.  I won't finish in the top ten, but I should have a shot at besting my personal 5K record of 22 minutes and 48 seconds.  My training program is customized for a 5K, not the one mile I recently ran.
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Millersville Mile Results - Broke the Six Minute Mile

Sunday May 23rd was a very cloudy but comfortable day with low humidity and temperatures in the low 70's. During the entire day it appeared as it was going to rain at a moment's notice.  I did not want to subject my wife and kids to a downpour for the race so I decided to go the race alone.  As my sons get older we will brave the elements.

This race was on the Millersville University campus in Lancaster.  I have never set foot on this campus.  It's a beautiful campus with some really interesting architecture.  I believe school was out for the summer so there were few students to be seen.

The majority of the race is run on North George Street, which is ironic because a street of the same name is a major thoroughfare in the city of York.  I drove the race route to get to the race headquarters at McComsey Hall.  I was very enthused about running the course as the first quarter mile was uphill, but the remaining three quarters of a mile were downhill. 

About fifteen minutes before our heat was to begin at 6:30pm, it begin to rain very hard.  I was not looking forward to running in the rain, but it would have been an experience.  Fortunately a race official knew the rain would be out of the area quickly.

The race went off at 6:30pm as scheduled.  I was running with boys aged 8-14 and men aged 40 and above. As the starting gun went off, a young man immediately to my left, slipped and fell on the road due to oils which had accumulated on the surface of the road.. I made a mental note to be conservative when making changes in direction during the race.  I did not have any issues with footing during the race.

I had memorized where I wanted to be at each quarter mile split, 1:30, 3:00, and 4:30.  A nice feature of this race was someone was present at each quarter mile to call out your split times.  At each split I was six or seven seconds ahead of where I wanted to be.

In spite of achieving the splits I had planned upon, a quick scan revealed I was further back in the pack than the top ten.  I was somewhat dejected throughout the race because of my relative position, although this was more than offset by the excitement of getting closer and closer to breaking my six minute per mile goal for this race.

Unofficially, I finished the race in five minutes and fifty-six (5:56) seconds.   The official results will be posted at http://millersvillemile.homestead.com/

My training appears to be effective.  My prior personal one mile record was 6:26 at the Stiegel Mile in Manheim last October. I was able to shave thirty seconds from my one mile PR.  I would like to run the Miller's Mutual Mile in Harrisburg in late July.  The mile run in Harrisburg is a slight uphill during the entire run.  I will be very lucky to break 5:50, but we'll see what happens then.

Structured Training

I have been using the Pete Magill training program for about four weeks.  This training incorporates running steep hills, running intervals (alternating slow jogs and fast running), technique drills and medium and long runs.  He recommends training for about ten weeks before expecting appreciable differences in race results.

Prior to adopting this regimen, my training consisted of runs which only varied in their lengths.  The intensity of the runs were proportional to the distance of the runs - more intense for the shorter runs and less intense for the longer runs. It was a very unstructured regimen.

I should benefit to a degree from this structured training regimen for the Millersville Mile race on Sunday. My primary concern for the race is the chance for heavy thunderstorms.  I will run in the rain, but a thunderstorm could postpone the race to a later time or another weekend.  I probably should email the race organizers regarding this scenario.

My son is supposed to run in a fun run on Sunday also.  I believe when he is older he will run in the rain, but for now,  I won't subject him to running in the rain.

I will predict there is a 90% chance I will finish the mile between 5:50 and 6:10 (six minutes and ten seconds). If I finish any faster, I would have to credit the gain to the training program.  If I finish slower, either it rained or I cramped up and faltered during the race.

I have aspirations of finishing in the top ten in my heat.

2010 Race Schedule

I would like to enter twelve or thirteen  races this year. I ran 21 races last year.  Running this number of races will afford myself much more time for training for each individual race. Because I have been training much more this year I have set a personal record on each outing this year.

5K = 3.1 miles, 10K = 6.2 miles

February 2010
27th - Run for the Cookies 10K @ Berwick PA [51:44]

March 2010
27th - Get the Lead Out 5K @ Ambler PA [22:58]

April 2010
10th - Ridley Run 3.1  5K @ Ridley PA [22:48]

May 2010
23rd - Millersville Mile @ Millersville PA [5:57]
29th - Lebanon VA 5K @ Lebanon PA [21:37]

June 2010
5th - PA DUI Assn 10K @ Harrisburg PA [48:18]
19th - William F Foran Colon Cancer Prevention 5K @ Harrisburg PA [22:04]
26th - Palmyra Friends 5K @ Palmyra PA [21:40]

July 2010
21st - Miller's Mutual Mile @ Harrisburg PA [6:29]
31st - 5K Distance Classic Run @ Shippensburg PA [22:14]

August 2010
7th - Beach to Beacon 10K @ Portland ME [46:56]

September 2010
6th - Quarterback Club of York 5K @ York PA [22:16]
25th - Paxton Fest Two Mile @ Harrisburg PA [14:36]

October 2010
23rd - York White Rose Run (5 mile) @ York PA [38:36]

November 2010
20th - Give Thanks for Lebanon 5K @ Lebanon PA [23:23]
25th - Sticks and Biscuits 5K @ Palmyra PA [22:09]

December 2010
Nothing

[mm:ss] indicates a personal record.

PA DUI Assn 10K Race

I have decided to run the PA DUI Association 10K in early June in Harrisburg.  The run is entirely along the Susquehanna river and is on a very flat trail along Front Street.  Google lists the trail as the Capital Area Greenbelt.


This race will mark my beginning of the summer or baseline ten kilometer time.  I will then have eight weeks to train for the Beach to Beacon 10K race in Maine.  The B2B race will be my featured race of the year. This year's B2B race will have about 6500 runners.

The trail along the Susquehanna river is an awesome run.  I ran along the Susquehanna during the Harrisburg Marathon last year. I don't know if there is a scientific basis for this sentiment,but I feel I derive some energy from the water within the river. I don't believe Front Street will be closed for this event .  Front Street is the road which runs parallel to the trail and river.

I believe the runners within this race are very talented but I also recognize the course will be a very fast one.  Weather conditions permitting, I should be in a great position to set a new ten kilometer personal record.  My current 10K PR is 51:45, which is not a very respectable time.  10K = 6.2 miles

I have not run a race since April 10th.  I am very anxious to line up at the starting line at Millersville this weekend.  There are three one mile heats - one for the old men (myself included), one for the young men and one for the women.

Ten Mile Run - Barely

I decided to see if I could run ten miles at a decent pace this past weekend.   My efforts last year at running this distance resulted in a very slow pace at the tail end of the run.  It was not uncommon for me to exceed a ten minute per mile pace at the end of a long run of this distance last year.

The route that I typically take for my weekend long run begins and end at my home, a seven and a half mile loop about the eastern side of town.  I tacked on a three mile loop through an adjacent development to yield a ten and a half mile route.

I tried to conserve my energy as best possible for the first seven and a half miles.  I did a fairly good job.  However, my pace slowed markedly after I reached my house after the 7.5 mile marker.  The last two and a half miles hurt a bit - my thighs were burning and I began to get shin splints.  I ran an average pace of 8:27 for the first 7.5 miles - a decent pace.  The last three miles I ran at a 9:06 pace.  You could say I have "7.5 mile" legs right now.  As I train more I should get 'longer' more durable  legs..

Fortunately I did not injure myself but trying to run too far.  Had I  tried to run a mile or two more I would have hurt something to the extent I would have been sidelined for a week or two.

I am going to do three workout this week before the Millersville Mile on Sunday.   I will rest on Friday and Saturday to ensure my legs are as fresh as possible.  I have trained a lot for a six minute run.

Trying to find a Race for June 2010

I am looking for a race to run in June after I complete the Millersville Mile next weekend.  There are several to choose among.

On Saturday June 5th, there are two local races.  One is in Hershey and the other in Harrisburg. I ran the Balloon Chaser 5K last year at the Hershey Medical Center.  The course is about one quarter uphill and another quarter down the same hill.  In other words, half the course is going up and down a steep hill. Commuting costs are minimal and the race entry fee is only $10, sans a T-shirt.  I believe there were over 250 runners for this event last year.

The 7th annual DUI Victims Memorial 10K run is run in Front Street in Harrisburg.   This is a smaller race with about 120 runners.. http://www.padui.org/special_events.htm   A ten kilometer race is typically more competitive because there is not a large base of newbie runners trying to run ten kilometers or 6.2 miles for the first time.  The 10K Run for the Cookies race in ran in February was the most competitive race I have run this year.

After reviewing the race results for the 2009 DUI Victims Memorial 10K run, it was evident this is a very competitive run. Over two-thirds of the male runners averaged less than an eight minute per mile pace for the 10K race. Only nine male runners out of the sixty-one in total averaged a pace of nine or more minutes per mile. There are few recreational runners in this race.  My current personal record for a 10K race is a paltry eight minutes and nineteen seconds per mile. (51:45)



I am leaning toward running the ten kilometer race to benchmark where I am now in terms my training for my August Beach to Beacon 10K race.   I would like to average seven minutes and fifty-five seconds per mile if I run the 10K race. (Translates to a 49:15 10K performance.)

There's a saying if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.  In this case I will be racing with the best in this area. In a nutshell, this race will be more of a personal challenge than the Balloon Chaser 5K in Hershey.


There is a new run in my hometown on June 26th.  It's called the Friends 5K and is sponsored by the Friends of Palmyra Area Recreation and Parks Commission.  I believe it is part of Palmyra's 250th anniversary 'Celebration of Pride' campaign this year.

Awesome Long Distance Run

Last Friday I decided to go on my seven and a half mile run around the perimeter of my hometown.  I usually run my 'long run' on Saturdays, but the forecast for Saturday was a day of rain.  (The rain never materialized.)

It was a beautiful day , 69 degrees and sunny. It was my birthday, having just turned 47 years old. I had read somewhere a tempo run should be run at a pace sustainable for an hour..  I did not run at a leisurely pace nor did I run at a very fast pace, such as a mile run or five kilometer pace.


I finished the run averaging an eight minute and four seconds pace per mile.  I ran at a brisk pace, but was not pushing myself to run hard. I felt very good throughout the run.  I usually tire precipitously somewhere within the run.

I have been using a training program created by master's runner extraordinaire Pete Magill for over three weeks. The technique drills I have been are embedded within a video on the web page

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=17578

  I have noticed my training sessions have been much more sharp and productive since beginning the program. I noticed my 6.2 mile split (10K) during this run was 50 minutes and 14 seconds.  My current personal record for a 10K race, set just this year, is 51 minutes and 44 seconds.

It would be an awesome personal accomplishment if I could average 7 minutes and 45 seconds for the Beach to Beacon 10K race in Maine the beginning of August.  That translates to a 48 minute and 15 second 10K time.

Millersville Mile 2010 - Race Strategy

I am going to configure my GPS watch to display my split times at each quarter mile.  I need to run each quarter mile in under ninety seconds in order to finish the mile in under six minutes.

My game plan is to come out with a fast initial quarter mile.  I need to come in between 80 and 90 seconds for the first mile.  If I finish the first quarter mile faster than 80 seconds I will increase my risk for having no energy left for a fast finish.

I should be in the  first dozen or so racers at this point.  I anticipate several runners being approximately 50 to 75 yards ahead at this juncture.  These runners will finish the mile in under five minutes. I can not concern myself about keeping up with these runners, at least not this year.


Based upon my split for the first quarter mile, I will adjust my pace for the second quarter mile.  I want to conserve as much energy as possible for the last quarter mile. Mentally I will be settling down within the second quarter mile, everyone should be within their pace comfort zones at this stage. There is a fair amount of separation now within the runners among the field.

The third quarter mile is the set-up segment of this race. You are setting up your strategy for the final quarter mile.  At this point either you have your running mojo for the day or you do not.  You sense you will have a kick for the end of the race or you are on auto-pilot trying to sustain your current pace in an attempt to stave off a dozen runners passing you in the last fifty yards before the finish line.

The last quarter of a mile is the most exciting part of the race.  You are typically battling someone for position, you can see the finish line,  and the people lining the race route are cheering . It's been a long time since I have caught anyone at the end of a race.  I have had to outrun runners trying to pass myself in the last fifty yards of a race.

The last exciting component of the race is watching the clock tick off the seconds as you approach the finish line.  The official race clock typically has numbers some eight inches high making it very easy to see from a distance.  I have had several occasions where I was very pleased with what the clock was reading as I approached the finish line and pushed harder to get to the end and set a new personal record.

Next Up - Millersvile Mile Run

This race takes place on the Millersville University campus  They also have a kids fun run of a quarter mile. I will register my eldest son for this race. We have not raced together this year.  Another Kodak moment together in the making.

My training has become much more interesting due to incorporating a variety of workout types into my current training regimen.  I completed short hill repeats yesterday.  For this workout type you run 50-100 yards up a steep incline.  I did this six times with a two minute rest in between each uphill climb. I grew up on the north side of Palmyra.  There was a steep hill on North Chestnut Street I used to sled down  as a kid.  I use this hill as my training hill. This type of training allegedly will help you to run faster.

Tomorrow I will do an interval training regimen where I will run slightly faster than my 5k race pace for three minutes minutes and then jog at an easy pace for three minutes. I will do this a total of five times.


Later on in the week I will be doing technique drills as well as a long eight mile run.  I have reached a point where I know how much to push myself within my training before I  markedly increase the risk of injuring myself.

The Millersville Mile has to be a fast course because last year four people ran the mile in less than five minutes, with the winner coming in at 4:37.  Of the first six finishers last year, four of them were over 40 years old. I don't have any aspirations of medaling.

What I would like to do is finish under six minutes. I think I will be close, but I am feeling very good about my prospects of achieving this goal.