Hard Work Will Pay Off!

Alright, so I did 13 miles last week for the fun of it. This past week marked my first full week of "official training" for the full in Jan. Most would say that I'm running 13, why not just keep it up. My strategy is to really focus on the quality of my runs, especially my long runs, in order to make my goals in January. I'm going to drop my mileage down and start building back up with a focus of running my long runs at an average pace between 8:30 and 9 min mile. With that said, I wanted to start my official training in my old, but challenging, stomping grounds....DC Ranch. Again, this is hands down my favorite route because of it's beauty and the challenge it provides me as a runner....and cyclist. Jeff was out of town and Rich, who is training for the half marathon, was going to be up in this area for work anyway, so I asked if he wanted to join me. We decided to meet at 6am with the intentions of doing 6 miles. I knew this route would be a challenging one for Rich, because 6 is uncharted territory for him and of course there is F' You hill (see previous entries from me and the Tao of Pyne blog on the right). It was just about sunrise and the weather was not to bad. After a light stretch we were out the gate. The first mile is flat then you let gravity take it's course. At one point I looked and we were cruising at a 7:50 pace...things felt great. Mile 3 marked a chance to fill up with some water and get ready for the climb back home. Rich was hanging in like a champ although he said his legs felt like lead. He informed me that he was gonna try to keep up on the climb back up but to forge on if he needed to take a breather. My Garmin said we were at an average pace of 8:57, so I knew I had to go strong to keep my average pace between 8:30 and 9. On we went. I was gonna try to keep a 9 minute pace even with the hill.  The thing about F' You hill is not just the grade but the length. About half way up, the legs and lungs were hitting capacity. Heart rate was in the 170+ range and I was thinking, "A short rest wouldn't hurt my time too much." Then I reminded myself that this is what training is all about. I needed to push through the urge as best as possible in order to meet my goal. Rich stopped around this point to grab some air and I continued up. Coming to the top of the hill was great, I looked down to find I was running about a 8:50 pace, I was very proud of myself for not stopping. The last mile is flat and the heart rate settled down a bit and I took off for a strong finish. My body was excited not to be climbing hills and I was running an 8:15 pace. When all was said and done, I ended up finishing with an average pace of 8:51. Rich finished 3-4 minutes after me and I think he is in a great place to meet his goals come January. Anyone who can conquer that route in decent time should be proud. I'm proud of my results and I'm reminded that if you put in the hard work....it will pay off. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Carefree, AZ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 09/13/08 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 07:15 AM Difficulty: 0 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   78 F temp; 43% humidity   78 F heat index; winds SE 3 Performance Distance: 6.05 miles Time: 0:53:38 Speed: 6.8 mph Pace: 8' 52 /mi Heart Rate: 160 bpm (Avg) Calories: 917 177 bpm (Peak) Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Heart Rate (bpm)   Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 169 - 188 0h 19m 35%  2.74 mi Zone 4 150 - 169 0h 27m 50%  3.12 mi Zone 3 132 - 150 0h 08m 15%  0.74 mi Zone 2 113 - 132 0h 01m 1%  0.07 mi Zone 1 94 - 113 0h 02m 3%  0.07 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0%  0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 39 +0' 47 6.2 -0.6 145 -- ft 2 8' 27 -0' 25 7.1 +0.3 156 -- ft 3 8' 25 -0' 27 7.1 +0.4 154 -- ft 4 11' 47 +2' 55 5.1 -1.7 155 -- ft 5 4' 43 -4' 09 12.7 +5.9 174 -- ft 6 8' 17 -0' 35 7.2 +0.5 173 -- ft end 8' 05 -0' 47 7.4 +0.7 174 -- ft Versus average of 8' 52 min/mile

Posted from runtracker.runnersworld.com

Summer Vacation is Over

Ok, I've set an ultimatum with Mother Nature.  I'm headed to New York for vacation in a week and a half.  In normal parts of the world, September marks the end of summer and a straight path into fall.  Fall=Nice weather.  So, my intentions are to run in the beautiful weather of the east coast and bring that beautiful weather back with me.  In my dream world I'm gonna come back to AZ at the end of September and the morning and nighttime temps are going to be great, and naturally, with great weather comes GREAT RUNNING!  If that is not the case....I'm moving!

The beauty of AZ running is that we don't have to run in 6 inches of snow in Nov/Dec, so when the rest of the country is running on a treadmill, we're throwing on a long sleeve tech shirt or a light pullover, and we are running outdoors for the next 8 months.  

5k's...10k's...half marathon's....happening just about every weekend.  The only problem is knowing that you can't do them all.  The OCD in me came to light this past week, having just come off my Disney Half.  Seeing that this race falls on labor day weekend, I typically look at it as the end of summer vacation.  Time to look forward!  I put together a formal 20 week training schedule for the Full P.F. Changs Marathon on January 18th.  Wow, it's jam packed with speedwork, strength training, and many multiple workout days.  Wanting to stengthen my abilities on the bike, I've ensured that I spend lots of time in the saddle too.  This should also build my running endurance.

Now, lets talk events.  I'm sure that there will be plenty of one off, spur of the moment 5 and 10k's, but here is a list of some of the big ones on the schedule for the next 20 weeks.  

• The Other Half in Moab, Utah.  I am so pumped for this half marathon!  It's gonna be beautiful!
• YMCA-Half or 5k
• Fiesta Bowl-Half Marathon
• Tour de Tucson Bike Ride.  I'm thinking the 67 or 80 mile ride.  One of the largest bike rides in the country.  Over 10,000 riders.
• Mesa Turkey Trot
• The reason for all the hard work takes place on January 18, 2009.  The full P.F. Changs Marathon.

Long story short, it's gonna be a hard but fun 20 weeks.  I've also made the commitment to myself to blog as much as possible along the way so I can look back on this adventure.  

School is now in session!

Disneyland Half '08

For those who don't know the story, my stepdad, Peter, has been training for the past 8 months for the Disneyland Half Marathon. He decided to begin running to better his health, the completion of a half marathon would be the icing on the cake. The Marathon was Labor Day weekend as it is every year since its inaugural year. Watching him train reminded me of the struggles that every runner goes through when entering the sport. On top of those struggles, you are faced with the struggles of summer training during monsoon season in Arizona. Long story short, it is quite the mountain to climb. However, in the last month I did my long runs with him on Saturday morning at 4:30 am, and I'm so very proud of the dedication that I saw him put into it. Again, I say it takes a little something extra to get your ass out of bed that early into 95 degree 60% humidity weather. After months of training, the weekend was finally here. We headed out there on Saturday morning. We were staying at the Disneyland Hotel, which is where the expo was being held. After checking in, we headed to the expo. This is the part where I get giddy. Yeah, I said it, giddy. I LOVE the atmosphere that surrounds any race, especially big ones. Seeing thousands of fit individuals all sporting their local 5K or turkey trot T-shirt from years past like trophies.  The running community is an amazing group that I'm proud to be a part of! After picking up our bibs, chips and other sundries from the expo we hit the park. I will say that this is the challenging thing about this race, you should be resting before and after a race....not is Disney country, your feet take a beating. We took in a healthy dinner and were able to hit the sack by 9pm. Let me remind you that I ran last years Disney Half and it was brutal by most racers standards. The temps for the weekend were hovering around 100 degrees and the humidity was extremely high. The race officials were dangerously close to canceling the race. Ok, fast forward to this year. You could not have asked for a more picturesque California morning. Start time temps were mid to high 60's and although the humidity was high, there was slight breeze in the air. Getting to our corral, I was reminded of the fun of this particular race. Whether you love Disney or not, you are surrounded by people enjoying the sport of running and having a good time with it. C'mon, what other race can you see a very fit grown man dressed in a tinker bell outfit?  Disney does everything top notch. The start included a marriage proposal, the national anthem, a monorail full of Disney characters, tons of lights and what start isn't complete without large pillars of fire coming from the starting arch. I don't want to speak out of turn here, but I'm pretty sure that Peter was a little in awe of the restless energy that you're surrounded by in the 10,000 other runners around you in those corrals awaiting the start gun. After all the festivities, we were under way. The first 3 miles take you through California Adventure and Disneyland....they go by very quick. Then you hit the streets of Anaheim for the next 5. The first 6 miles were really strong. I told Peter at mile 6 that we were on pace for a strong finish. The California marine layer (cloud cover) kept things down right pleasant. Around mile 8 is where difficulty began to set in. Around mile 10, after having just passed the Anaheim Angels baseball stadium, the sun began to creep out. Couple that with some hip and right leg problems, and I could tell that the final 3 were gonna be a challenge for him. This is where the true fight in an individual is seen during a race, you see it all around you. Everyone digging deep to find their own motivation to push them through till the end. Peter did this, and he did it big. With the sun beating down on an already tired body, he found the determination to finish strong. Again I'll say it. The human body and spirit is amazing, and you can do anything you set your mind to. Peter, I'm proud of you! You finished your first half marathon! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 146 ft Location: -- Elev. Gain: -3 ft Date: 08/31/08 Up/Downhill: [+134/-137] Time: 06:12 AM Difficulty: 2.3 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 13.36 miles Time: 3:25:38 Speed: 3.9 mph Pace: 15' 24 /mi Heart Rate: 122 bpm (Avg) Calories: 1396 161 bpm (Peak) Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Heart Rate (bpm)   Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 169 - 188 0h 00m 0%  0.00 mi Zone 4 150 - 169 0h 01m 0%  0.11 mi Zone 3 132 - 150 0h 24m 12%  1.62 mi Zone 2 113 - 132 2h 25m 70%  9.76 mi Zone 1 94 - 113 0h 48m 23%  2.86 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0%  0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 13' 27 -1' 57 4.5 +0.6 125 -3 ft 2 14' 09 -1' 15 4.2 +0.3 124 0 ft 3 14' 25 -0' 59 4.2 +0.3 125 +10 ft 4 14' 11 -1' 13 4.2 +0.3 127 -3 ft 5 14' 51 -0' 33 4.0 +0.1 124 +10 ft 6 15' 27 +0' 03 3.9 -0.0 120 0 ft 7 15' 47 +0' 23 3.8 -0.1 120 +13 ft 8 15' 49 +0' 25 3.8 -0.1 120 0 ft 9 15' 37 +0' 13 3.8 -0.1 120 +4 ft 10 15' 20 -0' 04 3.9 +0.0 122 -10 ft 11 15' 52 +0' 28 3.8 -0.1 120 -6 ft 12 16' 18 +0' 54 3.7 -0.2 121 +7 ft 13 15' 54 +0' 30 3.8 -0.1 118 -20 ft end 16' 37 +1' 13 3.6 -0.3 125 -3 ft Versus average of 15' 24 min/mile

Posted from runtracker.runnersworld.com

Mid Week Monsoon Run

So I went out for my last easy run before the Disneyland Half Marathon last Thursday. The last 2 weeks I have been doing my mid week runs with Trudy, who is getting back into training shape for Changs. Trudy and I have been doing our runs at night after the sun goes down and I can put my kids to bed. I headed to her side of town around 7:45. On the way out there I noticed a small patch of lightening out to the south. Being monsoon season, I've had the pleasure of seeing a number of storms in the last couple of weeks. It's beautiful and has been a welcome distraction during a run. Once we headed out, Trudy said that she did not want to run in the rain. I reminded her of the 18 mile run we did in the pouring rain last November (one of the most defining experiences in my short running career). It was a great easy run. The lightning in the distance began to pick up as our run progressed. The east and south were one light burst after another. It was hands down one of the most incredible things I've seen in a long time. I was reminded again that even night running brings things that others inside on their couch don't see. The last half mile the wind got stronger and the last quarter mile, the rain began to fall. It was a refreshing change to the summer heat, and an incredible 3 mile show put on by mother nature! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 1470 ft Location: Paradise Valley, AZ Elev. Gain: -3 ft Date: 08/28/08 Up/Downhill: [+52/-55] Time: 09:14 PM Difficulty: 1.9 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 2.91 miles Time: 0:30:04 Speed: 5.8 mph Pace: 10' 20 /mi Heart Rate: 145 bpm (Avg) Calories: 450 162 bpm (Peak) Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Heart Rate (bpm)   Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 169 - 188 0h 00m 0%  0.00 mi Zone 4 150 - 169 0h 11m 35%  1.05 mi Zone 3 132 - 150 0h 19m 64%  2.13 mi Zone 2 113 - 132 0h 02m 6%  0.19 mi Zone 1 94 - 113 0h 01m 5%  0.06 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0%  0.02 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 15 -0' 05 5.8 +0.0 136 -26 ft 2 12' 20 +2' 00 4.9 -0.9 143 -13 ft 3 6' 50 -3' 30 8.8 +3.0 152 +23 ft end 9' 57 -0' 23 6.0 +0.2 159 +13 ft Versus average of 10' 20 min/mile

Posted from runtracker.runnersworld.com