152 Mile March

No I didn't march that far, I ran 152 miles in the month of March.

But I've definitely transitioned from using this blog as my daily running log, to using Running2Win.

I'll try to recap here a couple times / week:

Friday 3/28:
Considered not running today but ended up going out for a short run in the afternoon. Rachel (part way) and Brooke came along on their bikes. I ran 24:41 for 3 miles and then went back as Brooke had fallen behind a little at the end.

Weather was sunny but cold and windy.

Saturday 3/29:
I ran the same 10.5 route today that I ran last week with Randy. As usual, running alone added about a minute per mile to my pace.

Sunday 3/30:
I had to skip church today as I have a class on soccer coaching from 11-4. So I ran this morning, an easy 5-miler. Weather was chilly (still) and there was a strong wind out of the south.

I ran negative splits, 20:58 on the way out and 19:47 on the way back. That's pretty significant, because as soon as I turned around at 2.5 (on the out-and-back course), I was headed due south, into the wind, for the next 1.5 miles.

I ran as many miles this week as last week, and that was with 2 long runs last week.

Monday 3/31:
Easy run with Rick, had to stop a couple times for traffic as we ran around Progressive Field just prior to the Indians Opening Day game.

Wednesday Tremont

I ran the Tremont 5 1/2 mile route today. I consciously tried to run at a faster pace, but I'm just not good at running fast by myself. I ran 44:03, which is 8:00 per mile.

It was 2 1/2 minutes faster than the same route 2 weeks ago, but part of that is due to the terrain, as the roads are finally pretty much clear of snow and ice.

I did run past the new Progressive Field sign that went up in the past few days.

Hamstring feels about the same as yesterday.

Tuesday Easy 6

I took Monday off, continuing my recent pattern of 1 rest day every week, early in the week.

I had to run at lunch today as I'm going to Rachel's soccer game tonight and can't run with the Tuesday night group. It was an easy run, very windy today. A couple times I felt like my stocking cap was going to blow off my head!

I ran 6 miles in 51:36, 8:36 pace. Good news is it was 1:34 faster than I ran the same course on 3/13.

My right hamstring started feeling a little tender & tingly. It didn't get any worse (or better) throughout the run.

Weight = 189 lbs. I'm not losing anything at all.

Easter Long Run, Vitamins

I ran another 10+ miler, this time with Keith. We ran about 3 hours after easter dinner. We took it pretty easy. Distance was almost 10.5 and time was 1:23:07.

We did have a section mid-run into the wind where we traded off the lead every 3 telephone poles and we might have picked up the pace a little.

But then as we mad the turn by Greg's I had a rather juicy burp and we pretty much cruised the rest of the way.

Also, I started taking a vitamin today, which I haven't done in years. I'm taking the Equate (Walmart brand) version of the One A Day Men's Health vitamin. I was kind of spurred on by last week's slower race which I still think was affected by my giving blood.

Friday Long, Saturday Short, Malachi Pics

Friday AM I ran long with Randy. He was running 19 and I ran the first 10 1/2 with him. I ran 1:21:20 and felt pretty decent.

Saturday afternoon I ran easy on the treadmill at home while watching Duke vs. West Virginia.

I also got an email with my photos from last week's St. Malach 5-Mile race. I doubt I'll order any but they are neat to look at.

Treadmilling Again

Weather was cold again today so I jumped on the treadmill at lunch. I hoped to watch some NCAA basketball but the TV was just too far away. I ran really slow, 25:32 (7:51 pace).

Tuesday Night - Snowy Paths - Light Rain

I ran in Oberlin tonight but ran on the road instead of the path. We had 6, Randy, Keith, Greg, Thomas, Ken, and myself.

I got caught by myself in the middle for the first part, but ran the 2nd half with Ken and Thomas. There was a light rain for the last 10 minutes or so of the run.

I'm giving in and recording my distance to the nearest 1/4 mile, but I refuse to go any further. Distance was 4 3/4 miles and time was 38 minutes.

Scrape

I ran an easy 4-mile run today on the Bridges Plus course. I forgot my watch so no time on this one. The weather was brisk and breezy, especially on the bridges (which is normal).

At the foot of the 2nd bridge, I dodged to my left to avoid a pile of snow and scraped my right knee on the stem of a bush that had been cut back. It bled a little but not too bad.

Sunday Morning 8-Miler

I got up early and ran my 8-mile loop again today. I made no effort at all to run fast on the way out, and it showed, as I passed half-way in 39:22. I did then try to run faster on the way back and finished in 75:04, so my 2nd half was 35:42.

This was my first week this year over 30 miles and I did it with a day off.

Giving Blood And Racing

I found this article about the effects of giving blood on racing.

"donating blood does—temporarily—reduce the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood which will have a negative impact on your running. This condition will last for about a week. Expect anywhere from a five to 10 percent drop in your ability to run."

St. Malachi 5 Mile Run

I ran the St. Malachi 5-miler this morning. Levi and I left early and we were downtown by 8 AM. We got his chip and then started warming up. We probably jogged about 1/2 mile.

Levi ran well, running 7:10 for the first mile (he thought it was 11:10) and then 14:58 at the finish. His adjusted chip time was 14:51.25. He finished 111th out of 478 runners, and 9th out of 20 in the 10-12 age group.

I ran bits of his race with him and had a good 2 miles in by the time I went to the starting line. The first mile is downhill. I tried to just run easy but still passed the mile marker in 6:07. I thought this was ok and that I had a chance to meet my goal time of 32:30.

I stayed relaxed through the 2nd mile, and passed in 12:56, for a 6:39 split. I still thought I was on an ok pace. The next mile had some uphill and I didn't attack it hard enough, running 7:29 for a 20:25 split.

I tried to pick it up on the downhill and ran 7:05 for a 27:30 4-mile time. I crossed the line in 34:44 but my chip time was 34:41.85. I finished 113th out of 1042 and 17th out of 98 in my age group.

I'm not satisfied with my time. I could use a few excuses such as chilly weather or giving blood on Thursday, but the bottom line is I need to work harder. The weather is starting to improve so hopefully I will be able to.

I am at 27.5 miles for the week so tomorrow's run will put me well over 30.

5 Miles & Packet Pick-Up

Before running today, I did 3 sets of 10 leg presses and 3 sets of leg extensions. I felt a little creaky in the knees yesterday and I do this as a precaution. I don't know why but it was recommended to me by another runner over 10 years ago and it has helped me avoid any serious knee pain ever since.

No watch today. I ran the middle section of the St. Malachi course again and then stopped at McCarthy's Ale House to pick up my race packet. This was around 4 miles, then I added on another 1 mile back to the office.

Weather was chilly & drizzly.

Weight = 189 lbs.

One night of eating out and I gain a pound?

Malachi Course Preview

I ran the St. Malachi 5 mile course today, all by myself, plus a mile getting there and back. I had to slow and even stop a couple times to double-check the map. Actually distance was 6.1 miles in 54:05.

I never noticed before but there are several sloping hills in this route.

I gave blood this morning, so that may have slowed me down a little. I really felt fine though.

Tremont 5.5 Solo

I ran the full Tremont route today. Getting to & from Commercial hill were the worst as the sidewalk was snowcovered and that stretch of Ontario is fairly busy. After that I managed to avoid most of the traffic.

Total distance is 5.5 miles and I ran it in 46:36 which is 8:28 per mile. I had hoped I was going faster but I guess that was fast enough. It was nice to go out by myself and get a decent run in.

I have a 5 mile race this weekend. Weather is supposed to be colder with snow possible. My goal is to beat my times from the 2 5-mile races I ran in May of 2007 & May of 2006, that being 33:33 and 33:59. So I guess 32:30 (6:30 pace) would be a good goal.

Weight = 188 lbs

Trouble With Dish Network

I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill in my basement tonight at 11 PM, I got to watch the last 4 minutes of the Horizon League championship game. Butler soundly beat Cleveland State, which really was no surprise. I ran 28:37 (8:10 pace).

I had wanted to run earlier but my stepdaughter had set up the DVR to record Law And Order. For some reason, you can't watch a different channel while the DVR is recording, so I had to watch the first part of the game on the upstairs tv.

You would think the DVR would go straight to the satellite box. Why can't I watch a different channel while the DVR is recording?

March 2008 Carnival Of Running

Welcome to the March 11, 2008 edition of carnival of running and racing. I did have to reject several submissions this month that have absolutely nothing to do with running, racing, or even fitness. I hope you enjoy the posts listed below, and keep them coming!

Running

Mike Remer presents Celebrating! | My Path To Fitness Blog posted at My Path To Fitness Blog.

Kaleena Lawless presents The Marathon, Tour De France + Triathlon Workout posted at Personal Trainer in Toronto. So you may not be ready yet for the famous endurance races but you CAN work a race's distance in to your own routine for fun, a way to track your weekly distance and to aim for a new personal best!

Mike Remer presents Wish Exercise wasn’t so Hard? | My Path To Fitness Blog posted at My Path To Fitness Blog.

Diet

Andrew Caxton presents Vitamin C for Your Diet and Training posted at Bike Cycling Reviews.

Life. Money. Development. presents Diet Tips for Preventing High Cholesterol Levels posted at Life. Money. Development. A neat collection of diet tips for keeping cholesterol in recommended levels.

Marc and Angel presents 5 Reasons Why Weight Loss Products Keep You Fat posted at Marc and Angel. Next time you’re tempted by the latest and greatest weight loss craze, ponder these 5 reasons why it’s almost certainly far from great.

Other Fitness

Anne K presents A Funny (Yet Sad) Thing Happened At The Range Today posted at Doug Kercher Golf.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of running and racing using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Treaded Out

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill today in 23:52. I had hoped to run 10 but mentally I gave in and stopped at 3.

I got 26 for the week, 2 short of last week's 28.

Blizzard!

Easy 3-mile run at home on the treadmill in 23:18. Shoveled snow in the morning. Hoping to be able to get my 10-miler in outside tomorrow. Not sure I'm mentally tough enough at this point to run that long on the treadmill.

I did dig out a VHS tape from 1992 of A Concert For Life, a tribute to Freddy Mercury (of Queen). I watched the first 2 acts which were Metallica and Extreme.

Friday Home Run

I ran from home this morning as I have a funeral for my Uncle Fritz later in the day. I ran the 6.5 mile Waterbury block in 54:42. It was a little slower than I had hoped but all things considered it was a good run.

It was cold, upper 20's with a decent wind from the northeast. I ran into the wind for most of the first 3.5 miles.

I debated staying in and running on the treadmill but I doubt I'd have run as far if I had chosen that route.

Running Around The Hole

It was in the upper 30's and sunny today so Rick, Milica, Vicki, and I ran outside. We ran the marginal route and came back past this hole in the street caused by the water main break.

We also saw the NYU indoor track teams getting off their team buses and heading into their hotel. They are in Cleveland to participate in the UAA Indoor Track Championships at my alma mater, Case Western Reserve University.

It was a pretty easy run for me. The group stopped to walk twice, the 2nd time I didn't stop but ran on ahead.

I wore my watch, time was 42:06.

Weight = 188 lbs.

Back Inside

It snowed and iced all night long so I was back inside today. I ran another 4.5 miles on the treadmill, accelerating every half mile or so. About 15 seconds faster than I ran the same workout last week.

7:52
7:23 (15:15)
7:14 (22:29)
7:00 (29:29)
(33:22)

I saw instructor Chris in the fitness center, he's signed up for the 5 mile race next weekend. He said he hasn't run since September. He's always in good shape though so he'll make it without any trouble.

Weight = 188 lbs.

Outside (Finally!)

I ran outside today with Kevin D, Milica, and Peter. We ran the always popular Homeless Route, shown below.



We didn't encounter any homeless people but we did meet hordes of runners, since this was the first decent day of the year. The temperature was warm, in the 50's, but it was still pretty windy.

No time on today's run but the total mileage is a little over 4.5.

Weight = 189 lbs.

Long, SLOW, Distance

I ran the same route this morning as last week, just ALOT slower (72:06 compared to 62:11)!

The weather was colder (24) and there was a patch near Randy's where the road was not cleared and I ran on ice for about 1 1/2 miles, but mainly it just shows the difference in my pace when running alone compared to running with someone.

I only met 5 cars the entire way, and I never had to break stride when crossing 57!

Good news is I got up and ran early on a busy day, it's a significant sign that my commitment level is back up where it needs to be for me to run well!

Easy 4

I ran on the treadmill this afternoon. Watched part of one of my favorite action movies, XXX staring Vin Diesel.

Mile 1: 8:18
Mile 2: 7:39 (15:57)
Mile 3: 7:20 (23:17)
Mile 4: 7:27 (30:44)

I'm planning a long run (8 miles) on Sunday morning. I have to get up early and get it done before church as we are having a birthday party for George in the afternoon.