20 mile run plus Get In Gear 10K 2008

Friday, Jim, Kim, and I ran 20.7 miles as our last long run before Fargo in three weeks. That morning at 4:30 it was 52 degrees at my house. Jim said he had 49 in Minneapolis. I dressed in my planned marathon clothes of a sleeveless shirt and race-ready long distance shorts. I put glide on what I thought were my 'problem areas'. After the run I found that I had forgot the seam/tag area at the back of my shorts. Maybe I'll remember next time. Kim and Jim ran in long sleeves which was a better choice. After our start the wind was strong and it was obvious the temperature was dropping like a rock. We had intermittent mist and rain but stayed just warm enough to keep us out of trouble.

We have out GU/electrolytes figured out. Before the run I took a GU but I think that one is optional. During the run we took GU at the 1 hour mark and then every 50 minutes after that. At the 2 hr 15 min mark we took one S! Cap. The S! Cap is the key to preventing cramping and possible stomach problems late in the race due to low electrolytes. Jim had trouble two weeks ago on our 20-miler (skipping the S! Cap then) but sailed right through this one. We finished the run at 3:00 on the dot including the 9 minutes of stops for GU/bathroom breaks. Our overall pace was 8:43 and our running pace with the 9 minutes of stops removed was 8:17. Perfect since our goal for Fargo is about a 7:55 pace.

That was Friday. Now Saturday we have the Get In Gear 10K race. Cold, wind, and snow. That was the Get In Gear this year. Kim, Jim, and I along with KB and Dave were running the 10K. My early goal was just to run it at about an 8:30 pace. Then I changed my mind and wanted to run it at whatever speed my body wanted to go. Dave and I lost Jim, Kim, and KB before we lined-up for the start. Dave and I must have been around the 9:30 pace people. The race started and I ran with the crowd for the first half mile. I was feeling very claustrophobic and just wanted to get around people. Dave and I parted ways and then I started to move forward through the runners. At the first mile marker I pushed my lap timer on my watch at 8:15. Not bad.

I decided to run at a reasonable/easy pace for me but I still moving forward through the crowds. Near the half-way point I decided that I was going to run a negative-split race and kicked up my speed. Mile 4, 5, and 6 paces were 7:10, 7:04, and 7:10. Crossing the Ford Bridge was a B@#$h. The wind was very strong from the west. Still, it didn't affect my time very much. I finished feeling good at 46:12 officially (46:15 on my watch). 7:27 average pace. You can see from my heart rate chart below my easy first half / hard second half race.



I believe my anaerobic threshold is 167/168 so I wasn't pushing it too hard. So, not too bad for the day after a twenty mile run.

Kim who also ran the 20.7 on Friday got the 3rd place award in her age group. Way to go Kim! Awesome!

I've had some cuboid bone problems in my foot since a few days after the Trail Mix. I didn't notice it during the race but I know I'm not 100% yet because it was much worse Sunday afternoon. I purchased some moleskin and made a patch to help the foot problem. The image below is from a website I found while searching for info on my problem.



This week is still a fairly full week of running through my planned 12-miler on Friday. Then it's two weeks of tapering.

--Mark

Seven weeks to Fargo

Training is going well. I did a 20+ mile long run with friends on Friday. This was our first long run on a dry surface. I started to get tired with about a mile to go. We ran for 3:15 and 20.6 miles. I looked at my heart rate monitor chart afterwards and found we had stopped for a total of 16.5 minutes. The stops were for traffic lights, water/GU breaks, and bathroom breaks. We'll do another long run in 2 weeks.

This weeks plan:

Mon: run outside - speed 9? miles
Tue: run outside - easy 9 or 12 miles
Wed: run outside - tempo 9? miles
Thu: yoga
Fri: run outside - 6 miles easy
Sat: Ron Daws 25K race
Sun: maybe a few easy miles

--Mark

I LOVE long runs

I went on a 19 miler early yesterday (Friday) morning with friends. I just love running the long runs. They are like mini-expeditions to me. It was so beautiful outside yesterday with the snow falling, a nice coating of snow on the trees, and the peacefulness of the morning.

We ran for 3 hours and my only mishap was my slip, spin, and roll on a patch of snow-covered ice. The only lasting effect from that was a little bruise on my kneecap. It was a little painful during my short 4-mile recovery run this morning but it did not affect my running. It just hurt - kind of like it would hurt if someone whacked the side of my kneecap with a stick.

Now there are only 8 weeks until the Fargo Marathon. Next week I have a 20 mile long run planned. I can't wait. I think I will skip a planned Monday tempo run and hopefully run outside then and Tuesday. I'll do Kickboxing on Wednesday and this time I think my wife will join me in class.

--Mark

Awesome run this morning

I started out early this morning on a 16 mile run with two friends. We were going to run it Sat but moved it up a day. The plan was to run over to lake Harriet, run around the lake, and then back to the club. We got to the lake and my friends said they thought it was much farther around the lake that what I said. They changed the plan and we ran up and along the east side of Calhoun and then got on the Greenway. We ran east to the river parkway and then south and back to the club. We ran until we we crossed the Ford Bridge and then walked up the hill. The total running time was 2:47 and the mileage was 17.5. We got an extra-good workout because of the lack of traction in the snow. At one point in the run I commented on how stupid we were to embark on a 16 mile run with no water. Not too smart. We did stop at Dunn Brothers at the Lake St. Bridge for water at mile 15. I weighed myself at the club and found I lost about 5 lbs. Next time I need to carry water.
--Mark