If that's what CGB is doing right now, without training, I'm in trouble once he gets motivated. Congrats to him on a blistering 5k run. 18:17 is just. plain. fast.
Not to be outdone by CGB's recent defeat by a girl in a 5 mile race, I went out yesterday and got myself beat by two girls in a five mile race. The race was the Jubilee CityFest 8k, the city's big annual race. The event offers prize money, and thus attracts some very good runners from around the state. The course is extremely hilly. Indeed, the first two miles are mostly uphill.
I have not done any speed work since the duathlon, more than a month ago, but I have done a lot of riding. Thus, I was strong, but slow. Every time we climbed I gained on the race leaders. Then we would hit a flat stretch and they would all pull away from me as if my feet were sealed in concrete. Two women passed me on a flat stretch in mile 3. Shortly thereafter, we climbed a rather steep hill and I gained back all the ground I had lost on them. Then the terrain leveled off, and they shot ahead. I think I must have deflated like a leaky balloon. I ended up running that mile in 7 minutes even, by far my slowest mile. I got my mojo back in mile 4, which was all downhill. I ran mile 5, a long, straight stretch with medium-sized rollers, in 6:06.
The result: 32:26, 12th overall. My pacing was so inconsistent that I didn't really have a pace; I had paces. Several of them. I probably looked like a rookie out there. I sure felt like one. Not my best day. Fortunately, we're not done yet with this 10k challenge.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Time to Catch Up...
It has been a while, so I have a lot to cover. Let's get right at it, kids.
1) In response to AJMac's question after I was beaten by either a woman or a transvestite at the Dan Ford's 5 Mile charity race, I respond by simply stating, "no comment".
2) AJMac described his Dream Team for the Aggieman kayak triathalon. As a personal reference to his testament regarding his other brother, I can emphatically confirm that he is, in fact, a behemoth of a man. I would be surprised if they did not win their division either by having the fastest collective time, or by having his brother lift every other team up and with one fell swoop throwing them to the other side of the river. How can I make such dramatic (and accurate, I might add) statements? Well, AJMac and I had the frightful... I mean pleasurable experience of being college roommates with said behemoth. We would often tease Chewbacca and try to gang up on him only to once again discover the hard lesson of why we should never upset Chewy. (I still have flashbacks of him making loud Sasquatch sounds while beating down on us with both arms like a silver back gorilla.)
3) I have not been very consistent in my running. There are multiple causes for this. Lots of cookies and ice cream happen to be one reason. The four brownies the other night happen to be another. I have been busy with kids, work, and yard work (which usually comes after the rest). I have been going to bed late and therefore, waking up late.
Still, I have been able to keep in relative good shape. I used to have a full size tire around the mid-section, but now only have the proverbial spare tire. I now realize that it is not coincidental that a spare tire is sometimes referred to as a donut - I look like a donut. Anyway, I have been able to keep in shape by doing various other physical activities - spin once or twice a week, floor workouts, approximately two hours of fast paced basketball on Monday nights, and my minimal running.
4) Again, the oddest race happened. On Wednesday night, I ran the same weekly 5K as I did twice last year. It is the same race where I broke the 19:00 minute 5K with a personal record (PR) of 18:37. On Wednesday night, I set another PR by running 18:17. I actually expected to run over 19:00 minutes since I have had sporadic running (at best) over the last couple of weeks. I did not run at all from Saturday through Tuesday and so I did not want to be rusty on Wednesday evening; so, I went out for five miles early in the day on Wednesday. It was a light three miles, which quickly turned into five miles so that I could go explore a new conservation area. I had resigned to the idea that I will try to keep up with the another runner, but will not be able to best my previous PR. As I arrived to the race, I found the runner with whom I had traded wins last year. He proceeded to tell me that three weeks ago he set a PR of 17:56. I proceeded to look for someone else with whom I could keep up.
As the gun sounded, Mr. Speedy went out blazing and kept a 10 second lead over me and cruised to a 15 second victory. There was another gentleman who maintained a five second lead through most of the race until I closed the gap, took the inside, let him get a good glimpse of me, and then watched him kick away and come in second. So, I crossed the finish line third and in total disbelief that I was actually 20 seconds faster than before. It reminded me of the Dan Ford 5 Miler, where I could not see the mile markers and did not realize I was running a 31 minute five mile until the very end.
In conclusion, I know I have a lot of work to do to optimize my racing this year. That being said, I am not far off from being in great shape and I think that it is becoming more natural for me to run faster. It is rather exciting.
Thank you for reading. I will keep in touch soon.
1) In response to AJMac's question after I was beaten by either a woman or a transvestite at the Dan Ford's 5 Mile charity race, I respond by simply stating, "no comment".
2) AJMac described his Dream Team for the Aggieman kayak triathalon. As a personal reference to his testament regarding his other brother, I can emphatically confirm that he is, in fact, a behemoth of a man. I would be surprised if they did not win their division either by having the fastest collective time, or by having his brother lift every other team up and with one fell swoop throwing them to the other side of the river. How can I make such dramatic (and accurate, I might add) statements? Well, AJMac and I had the frightful... I mean pleasurable experience of being college roommates with said behemoth. We would often tease Chewbacca and try to gang up on him only to once again discover the hard lesson of why we should never upset Chewy. (I still have flashbacks of him making loud Sasquatch sounds while beating down on us with both arms like a silver back gorilla.)
3) I have not been very consistent in my running. There are multiple causes for this. Lots of cookies and ice cream happen to be one reason. The four brownies the other night happen to be another. I have been busy with kids, work, and yard work (which usually comes after the rest). I have been going to bed late and therefore, waking up late.
Still, I have been able to keep in relative good shape. I used to have a full size tire around the mid-section, but now only have the proverbial spare tire. I now realize that it is not coincidental that a spare tire is sometimes referred to as a donut - I look like a donut. Anyway, I have been able to keep in shape by doing various other physical activities - spin once or twice a week, floor workouts, approximately two hours of fast paced basketball on Monday nights, and my minimal running.
4) Again, the oddest race happened. On Wednesday night, I ran the same weekly 5K as I did twice last year. It is the same race where I broke the 19:00 minute 5K with a personal record (PR) of 18:37. On Wednesday night, I set another PR by running 18:17. I actually expected to run over 19:00 minutes since I have had sporadic running (at best) over the last couple of weeks. I did not run at all from Saturday through Tuesday and so I did not want to be rusty on Wednesday evening; so, I went out for five miles early in the day on Wednesday. It was a light three miles, which quickly turned into five miles so that I could go explore a new conservation area. I had resigned to the idea that I will try to keep up with the another runner, but will not be able to best my previous PR. As I arrived to the race, I found the runner with whom I had traded wins last year. He proceeded to tell me that three weeks ago he set a PR of 17:56. I proceeded to look for someone else with whom I could keep up.
As the gun sounded, Mr. Speedy went out blazing and kept a 10 second lead over me and cruised to a 15 second victory. There was another gentleman who maintained a five second lead through most of the race until I closed the gap, took the inside, let him get a good glimpse of me, and then watched him kick away and come in second. So, I crossed the finish line third and in total disbelief that I was actually 20 seconds faster than before. It reminded me of the Dan Ford 5 Miler, where I could not see the mile markers and did not realize I was running a 31 minute five mile until the very end.
In conclusion, I know I have a lot of work to do to optimize my racing this year. That being said, I am not far off from being in great shape and I think that it is becoming more natural for me to run faster. It is rather exciting.
Thank you for reading. I will keep in touch soon.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Aggie Men
We've been back in 'Bama for a week now. Al Gore hasn't got a clue, and the cooling trend we've enjoyed this year continues unabated. The weather has been stunning: cool, sunny, and dry with occasional rain showers. (Perfectly consistent with the sun spot theory, by the way. Look it up. Dismay a global-warming alarmist.)
The perfect weather has been great for cycling, which is terrific, because I have been devoting most of my attention to the bikes this year. My next target race is this event, called the "Aggieman," a kayak triathlon, which I am racing as a relay with my two brothers. Little brother and fellow 18:59 blogger AlittlemoreflashGordon will run the last leg up the mountain. I've got the 25-mile bike ride in the middle. Our other brother, a muscle-bound behemoth, will paddle the kayak around the course for the first leg. Should be great fun. Our goal is somewhat ambitious. We plan to win the team relay classification. Then we'll find an agent and a sponsor and make our fortunes.
I've put in the miles this year--more than 1,000 since January 1--and my stamina is pretty decent. And I have done much more hill work this year than I did the last two years, since we moved from Colorado, so I feel strong. But I need to get the speed back up. I have raced in two time trials so far this Spring. My speed has been around 23.5 mph at 5.6 miles. Last year at this time I was consistently riding 24. So, I need to start cranking out intervals.
Meanwhile, the running has taken a back seat... for now. I managed some trail running while in Colorado, and I have felt quite strong during my runs this last week back at sea level. But I'm no faster than I was two months ago. The cycling is great for conditioning, but I won't get any faster on the runs until I actually... well, run. So the 10k challenge is temporarily delayed. But only temporarily. I'll be back for more 6.2-mile agony in a few weeks.
The perfect weather has been great for cycling, which is terrific, because I have been devoting most of my attention to the bikes this year. My next target race is this event, called the "Aggieman," a kayak triathlon, which I am racing as a relay with my two brothers. Little brother and fellow 18:59 blogger AlittlemoreflashGordon will run the last leg up the mountain. I've got the 25-mile bike ride in the middle. Our other brother, a muscle-bound behemoth, will paddle the kayak around the course for the first leg. Should be great fun. Our goal is somewhat ambitious. We plan to win the team relay classification. Then we'll find an agent and a sponsor and make our fortunes.
I've put in the miles this year--more than 1,000 since January 1--and my stamina is pretty decent. And I have done much more hill work this year than I did the last two years, since we moved from Colorado, so I feel strong. But I need to get the speed back up. I have raced in two time trials so far this Spring. My speed has been around 23.5 mph at 5.6 miles. Last year at this time I was consistently riding 24. So, I need to start cranking out intervals.
Meanwhile, the running has taken a back seat... for now. I managed some trail running while in Colorado, and I have felt quite strong during my runs this last week back at sea level. But I'm no faster than I was two months ago. The cycling is great for conditioning, but I won't get any faster on the runs until I actually... well, run. So the 10k challenge is temporarily delayed. But only temporarily. I'll be back for more 6.2-mile agony in a few weeks.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Of thin air and avalanche chutes
Family Mac, the road bike, and I have been in Colorado since Tuesday, first in Denver, now in Summit County. I have ridden every day since we arrived. The altitude hasn't hindered me as much as I had expected, and I have been stronger than expected on the numerous ascents. Indeed, the biggest obstacles have not been lack of oxygen or steep climbs, but howling wind and the remnants of winter in the high country. The wind up here has been monstrous and inconsistent, often changing directions. But worse has been the snow and ice on the roads and bike paths. The high mountain roads are simply too sketchy this time of year for road biking. Everything below 10,000 feet has been clear for the most part, but occasional rock slides and piles of snow and ice force one to keep one's hands near the brakes.
That's all in a day's work. But yesterday I encountered a new obstacle, one I had never met in all my time riding here in Colorado. Climbing up Ten Mile Canyon, which had been plowed clear, I suddenly saw in front of me a wall of snow. As I surveyed the wall, trying to discern what it was and how to deal with it, a cyclist appeared over the top of it carrying her road bike. She was on her way back from Copper Mountain and she assured me that the way was clear all the way, except for this avalanche slide. Indeed, it was clear over Vail Pass and all the way to Vail, if I wanted to go that far. I thanked her and began climbing the remains of the avalanche, tricky business in cycling cleats. The rest of the was more or less clear, just as she had reported, and I had a terrific descent on the way back, other than stopping to climb back over the slide.
I will save this anecdote, and add all proportionate embellishments, so that someday when they are old enough to appreciate it, I can tell my kids that I conquered an avalanche slide during a road ride.
That's all in a day's work. But yesterday I encountered a new obstacle, one I had never met in all my time riding here in Colorado. Climbing up Ten Mile Canyon, which had been plowed clear, I suddenly saw in front of me a wall of snow. As I surveyed the wall, trying to discern what it was and how to deal with it, a cyclist appeared over the top of it carrying her road bike. She was on her way back from Copper Mountain and she assured me that the way was clear all the way, except for this avalanche slide. Indeed, it was clear over Vail Pass and all the way to Vail, if I wanted to go that far. I thanked her and began climbing the remains of the avalanche, tricky business in cycling cleats. The rest of the was more or less clear, just as she had reported, and I had a terrific descent on the way back, other than stopping to climb back over the slide.
I will save this anecdote, and add all proportionate embellishments, so that someday when they are old enough to appreciate it, I can tell my kids that I conquered an avalanche slide during a road ride.
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