TheRunningRev.Com

Running and wondering about Boston

How great is it when you get to run outdoors in the sun and the temperature is hovering around fifty degrees? I don't think it gets much better than this.

This afternoon I headed out at 4:00 pm for an eleven mile jaunt to see if I could keep up a schedule that would allow me run the National Marathon at the end of March. The bigger question for me is whether I might possibly be able to run a 3:20 and qualify for Boston in 2009. I think if I did this I would be satisfied with accomplishing a significant level of marathon running.

Perhaps some of my readers will tell me this is not the way to train but my long runs are going to be run as close to race pace as I can manage to see if I can maintain a 7:40 pace over the longer distances. If I'm crazy please tell me. The last two (my first two) marathons I ran I did all my training at the pace I planned to run on race day and I accomplished my goals and never hit the wall, but I'm trying to take 23 minutes off my last race time which is a huge chunk. I may yet change my mind and push for a Boston time in the fall but that's when I'd like to take on the JFK 50!

Today run 11 miles at 7:34 pace, felt great, breathing a little harder than I'd like to have been but then I ran the Dam Hill, not the damn hill but the hill beside the dam, steep and long on the way out and really steep on the way back!

Boredom on the Treadmill

Last night I was running in my basement again. I try and avoid the treadmill whenever possible but Jenny was at a meeting and the kids were in bed, the wind was howling and it was cold out, so down I went to the basement and, feeling like a lab rat, I  dutifully climbed onto the machine pushed a few buttons and off I went.

To try and help pass the time I flipped on the TV and watched Chuck, it helped a bit but I still have to play some crazy head games to get more than a couple of miles on the treadmill. (Treadmill running has to be one of life's most boring endeavors!) It's not that I mind the head games as I know I need to play them to get through miles 14-20 in a marathon, but it just seems silly to have miles 2-4 on a treadmill feel like the most arduous miles you will ever run!

I think life is often like this, we encounter certain environments which make us feel like we are much less able to do what we know we can do, and do well. But if we persist then we will succeed, we may have to adjust our attitude or approach depending on the environment we are in but if we keep pressing on, using our known abilities we can succeed.   

Cool Running, But Fast For Me!

Over the last couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about my next marathon. I really want to get that third one under my belt, but I've also been thinking about trying to qualify for Boston, to do so would mean taking 23 minutes off my time from Richmond. In reality that means running one heck of a lot faster!

It was cold today, at least by Virginia standards, it was 27 degrees with a wind chill of 20 when I went running at 3:00 this afternoon. As a result I received more than one strange look from drivers as they flew past wondering to themselves what this crazy fool was doing running in this cold.

I was supposed to run a slow long distance run today, a comfortable run at a slightly slower speed. But it was cold... very cold... I felt comfortable all the way, but it wasn't slow, actually if I had been running a USATF certified half marathon I would have set a personal best of 1:41:25. If that really is my "slow" run then perhaps I could continue to add on the miles and qualify for Boston. Truth be told though, I ran harder than I would normally have as it was freezing out!

Gotta love running!

Will I Run the National Marathon This Year?

I'm trying to decide if I should run the National Marathon again this year? Last year it was my first marathon and I was delighted to break four hours. I'm in the middle of a two week trial right now to see if I feel like I can do it justice this year. If I do run I'd like to run a 3:30.

For a first marathon it was a blast, I was one of the featured runners on NBC4 as I worked to raise funds for the AIDS orphans through Team World Vision. This gave me a great motivation to run and I'm delighted to have raised some funds for a great cause.

This past Monday I pounded out 14 miles on the treadmill at an 8:00 pace, if the weather doesn't allow me do my long runs outside then there's no way I'm running it. (I can only tolerate about 4-5 miles on the treadmill). This coming Monday will be a fifteen mile run, if I feel good after that then I may be on for my first marathon of 2008 and my third overall.

72 Degrees, is it winter?

It's not supposed to be 72 degrees and sunny on January 7. This is winter, I shouldn't be out running in a warm weather t-shirt and shorts, I shouldn't have to drink 20oz of water over a nine mile run, I shouldn't be hearing the sound of a lawn mower (but I did). I managed to push through 9 miles today at a 7:48 pace, I was hoping for a faster time, around 7:40 pace, but since it was a good 30 degrees warmer out than I've been used to I'll not complain!

Everything about today tells me that its not winter, but sometimes things aren't as they appear. Sometimes we feel that we are alone, that God doesn't love us or that we are unlovable, but this is no more true than a 72 degree day would prove that its not winter.

A Thought From Roger Bannister

Bannister said,
"Sport is about not being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport is about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify your plans at the last minute. Sport, like all of life, is about taking your chances."

Goals for 2008

At this point I'm still not certain what my 2008 goals are yet. I have that ultra-marathon hanging over my head just screaming at me to get on with it. On the other hand, I would love to run a 3:20 marathon and qualify for Boston. Could I do both? Maybe, but probably not.

At a minimum I want to run 2 marathons and at least one half or ten-miler this year. I'm sure there'll be a couple of 5k runs but most likely I'll run those with my daughter. Actually that's a great goal in itself. So here's to 2008.

4 Miles to start the year

4 miles today, all run inside on the treadmill. I'm loving the new treadmill but its hard to run in your basement. We're finding that our pace slows when we run at home, I'm not sure if its the heat (30 degrees warmer in the basement than outside) or the mental aspect of running in our home. Either way it's still nice to have.