Since Monday, I'm back to running. Being careful now, so I only ran two 3 milers. I will make some changes in my training methods:

- I will run during the day, trying to do it at lunchtime, at least until winter is over. To be honest, after living 8 years in the south, I wasn't prepared for the Louisville winter. This may have been one of the principal causes of my disappointing performances before my hiatus. So now I will run during the day, when it is still daylight outside, not that cold (I mean come on - running in 10 F?), and I can spend my evenings with my family. The challenge is to integrate it into the workday (showers, etc.).

- I will run 6 days a week (up one from 5). That way the workouts don't have to be absurdly long. Especially because

- I will run more miles. Trying to go under 20 minutes on thirty-some miles is hard. I will try build up to 40-60 mpw, like in marathon training.

So here is the long term plan:
Week of 12/27: 5 x 3 + 6 = 21 miles
1/3: 5 x 3.3 + 6.5 = 23 miles
1/7: 5 x 3.6 + 7 = 25 miles
1/14: 5 x 4 + 8 = 28 miles

Than maybe another buildup week, or immediately start the buildup program to 40 miles. By April, I will have a very solid base. By July, I will have completed a very rigorous training program. Meanwhile, I only plan to race in the Kentucky State Parks 5K series, which is cross country anyway, so there is no time goal, just some nice placement. So I plan to start to do road races after July, and meanwhile I will keep myself on a maintenance program. By the end of fall, I hope to have some nice 5K and 10K PRs. Then fold it again in mid-November, and start a new cycle after Christmas 2011. 2012 can be a year for half marathons and maybe a fall marathon (Indianapolis)? Then maybe in 2013 I could do the Derby Festival Marathon. Speaking of long term goals... :)

In case you were wondering about me: I am on a hiatus from running... I didn't really plan it, it just happened. First, I was struggling to get the runs in due to my crazier and crazier schedule. Then I had a few very disappointing runs, and I fell far from goals, and it looked like the sub-20 this year is hopeless - that was very discouraging. Then I had a week, when I traveled and worked basically day and night, and I skipped many days of running in a row. And just when I wanted to get back on schedule, the cold winter arrived to Louisville, and now we have 10-20 degrees pretty much every morning. That's when I decided to take a hiatus. I plan to start over in January with base building, hoping to get in form by spring. Winter races are out of the window (actually I skipped my Dec. 4 race). I hope to get in form by the spring cross country State Park Series.

Last night I had my worst interval training *EVER*. I warmed up for 2 miles, and then I wanted to do sub-4 minute 1000 meters. I was actually aiming for 3:55 - two weeks ago I did 7x600 at that pace, and though it was hard, I could do it. Yesterday, the first was OK, I ran 3:54, but in the second lap of the second interval, I just lost it. The strength left my legs, and my heart couldn't keep up. I slowed down to the last 200 meters so much that I finished with 4:04. I almost decided to go home, but then I changed my mind and decided to finish the workout. I had to give up on the pace and I just ran the 1000s by feel around my VO2 max. I am ashamed to admit that the last three intervals were ~4:15 each. That was the best I could do.

I have no idea what caused the problem. Maybe I'm not ready, or just don't have the physical capabilities to go under 20 minutes. I have had a lot of stress at work and in private life lately, but this had never influenced my running before. I also was so busy yesterday at work that I barely drank anything until 3pm, but then I started to hydrate like crazy, and I only ran at 10pm.

Before my run last night I was hesitating if I should do the prescribed 10K time trial or a 4-mile tempo. I decided to do something in between. Part of the reason was that the university track was locked again (grrr) when I got there. There is a 1/2 mile "cardio path" around the track, which is a winding, slightly rolling path, with one 14 foot hill in the middle. So I decided to warm up for 2 miles, and then do 6 miles at 7 min/mile pace.

My first half mile was at 6:30 pace, so I slowed down a bit, but my first mile was still 6:38. Then I started to knock down 7:0x miles. By the fifth mile I was quite tired, and it was 7:07, but I got myself together and my last mile was 6:57. Altogether: 6 miles in 41:50. This pace translates to 43:19 10K, which would be a PR, but it only shows how soft my 10K PR is.

Last spring I ran 42:06 on a track training session on 10K, but the track is definitely easier, and I was probably more fit, simply because I had longer training before that. I was also much more motivated. So I guess I should say again: I am where I am supposed to be.

7 x 600 meters on the track last night. Splits were around 2:20 for 600 m (1:34/lap). First I tried it with 200 m jog for recovery, but after the third set I felt too tired so I decided to increase recovery time to 1:50-2:00 (basically power walking the 200 meters instead of jog). That way, I could finish strong and paces didn't fall off.

7 miles last night. My last 3 days add up to 22 miles and I'm going to the track tonight. Recently I found the the easy 5-7 milers don't seem to make me more tired - in fact I feel better on the following days.

Finalized goals (all races are in Louisville, except for the State Park Series):

12/04/10: Old Tyme Christmas Santa Sprint 5k ($20, 11/27)
This race is in my neighborhood. I could run from our apartment for warmup. Of course race logistics (packet pickup, etc) makes it unlikely that I'll actually do that. I'll try to go under 20 minutes.

Polar Bear Grand Prix:
12/18/10: Reindeer Romp 4k ($15 + $10, 12/15)
01/15/10: Frostbite 5K ($25, 01/12)
02/12/10: Snowman Shuffle 4 Mile ($20, 02/09)
Unless I'm getting really good by then, I should aim for a sub-15:30 4K, a definite sub-20 5K and a sub-26 4 miler. That is a total of 61:30. Sub-1 hour would be a dream, probably unachievable. Edit: scratch all of this. I think the series is in Cherokee Park, which is very hilly. Unless I'm getting *really* good by then, the above times are probably too ambitious.

Louisville Triple Crown of Running
02/26/10: Anthem 5K Fitness Classic ($25, 02/19)
03/12/10: Rodes City Run 10K ($25, 03/05)
03/26/10: Papa John’s 10 Miler ($25, 03/19)
Here I should definitely go sub-20 on the 5K, optimally, this should be routine by then. It is too early to make any predictions or goals for the 10K. Since all my training will still focus mostly on 5Ks until at least 2/26, I don't think I can realistically hope for anything more than a sub-42. Similarly, I would be happy if I could keep 7-minute miles for the whole duration of the 10-miler, that is 1:10. So that is a total of 2:12.

Kentucky State Parks 5K series
Probably starting around April. It hasn't been announced yet.

I ran 5 miles on Sunday after the 10 on Sat. Finally the rain washed the air clean tonight, so I'll be ready for my 36 mile week. The last time I ran more than 36 miles a week was in December 2009, and that week included a marathon. :)

The air cleaned up a bit, it was only "unhealthy for sensitive groups" (which does apply to me...) and I ran 10 miles. The smoke was in pockets over the city - sometimes the air was clean for two blocks, then a smoky pocket for one block, etc. Today the EPA report is back to "unhealthy", but I will run anyway - I will drive to Lexington if I must.

I am so frustrated today! I had SRD on Thursday and I couldn't run ever since. By Friday afternoon thick smoke covered the city that is full of particulate matter and it is unhelathy to breath in, let alone run in it. Man, I hate this city. And I have only lived here for little more than 2 months.

Ft. Vallonia 5K Race Report

Goal: 20:15. Minimal goal: 21:00.

The race was held in a small Indiana town about an hour drive from our place. The race started at 1:00pm. Initially I thought this was great, because the whole family could come and I don't have to get up early, but since the race day was the hottest day in weeks, it sucked that we had to race at 1pm. The race was part of a big festival called Ft. Vallonia Days.

The town is very small, just one main street with a bunch of houses and lots of farmland around it. I started my warmup at 12:35 and I finished it at 12:50. I didn't feel great, and it was very hot. I'm not sure about the exact temperature, but our car thermometer showed 82 F when we left. I guess it was around 78-79 F. I did all my recent training in about 55 F, so I was not acclimatized. And I'm sure that the heat felt even worse, because we were running in the sun.

After lining up at the front and some conversation with friendly folks around me (160 people ran or walked the race), we were off at exactly 1:00. The start was a bit nervous, and many people started quite fast. I settled into a fairly conservative pace, especially because a few hundred yards after the start line, we started to climb a hill. The hill was about 1 mile long and the elevation change was 90 feet. It doesn't seem to be that much, but it was enough to make the first mile hard. I'm not very good at climbing hills anyway. I got to the 1 mile mark, which was about the top of the hill.

Mile 1: 6:40

That was slower than expected, but it was uphill. The worse part was that I was quite winded and started to feel hot. The second mile was mostly flat. The course was out-and-back, so we reached the turnaround point during this mile. By this time, we left the town and we ran among corn fields. There was seriously no shadow on this course whatsoever. After playing yo-yo with a few runners, I passed them at around 1.5 miles and I never saw them again. I was alone, hot, tired, and disappointed, because I knew (from my Garmin) that I won't be close to 20 minutes today. At that point, my average pace was around 6:45. I decided to settle for my minimal goal to run sub-21.

Mile 2: 6:49

The rest was downhill. I passed one guy right after the 2 mile mark, and I set sight on another, who seemed to be in my age group. He was about 100 yards away. I worked hard to catch him, and I got close - then I recognized him, and realized that he was 27 - I remembered seeing his bib at the start line. I was in pain, so I stopped trying to pass him: I just ran behind him.

Close to the finish line a moron decided to cross the course and her daughter followed her. I almost ran over the little girl, then I almost fell when I managed to avoid her. I am totally amazed just how stupid some people are.

Mile 3: 6:32

I saw my family at the finish line, my kids cheering me on! That is one of the best things in racing.

Finish time: 20:41

Considering the heat and the hill, this was an OK race. I'm just a little frustrated that the race had to be on that hot day. But this wasn't my goal race so I guess it is OK. I got lucky and I won my age group. The award is a really cool mug! Let me add that the organization was first class: they started on time, the course was accurate, the T-shirt and awards are great, and registration was cheap. (No post-race food, but plenty of water, and I don't care too much about food after a 5K.)

In January this year (after my marathon) I set the sub-20 5K goal. When I got so close in April, I though the goal would be accomplished by May. Now it is October and I'm still not any closer... Anyway, I'll just go on.

I will post a report later about my unspectacular but satisfactory performance on Sunday. For now, I just need a place to collect the races in the future I'm interested in. In parenthesis the date of the late registration and price.

11/20/10: Harvest Run 5K, Louisville ($20, 11/12)
12/04/10: Jingle Bell 5K, Cincinnati ($30 with T-shirt, $20 with no T-shirt, 12/01)
12/04/10: Old Tyme Christmas Santa Sprint 5k, Louisville ($20, 11/27)
12/18/10: Reindeer Romp 4k, Louisville, 1st race of Polar Bear GP ($15 + $10, 12/15)
01/15/10: Frostbite 5K, Louisville, 2nd race of PBGP ($25, 01/12)
02/12/10: Snowman Shuffle 4 Mile, 3rd race of PBGP ($20, 02/09)
02/26/10: Anthem 5K Fitness Classic, 1st race of Triple Crown ($25, 02/19)
03/12/10: Rodes City Run 10K, 2nd race of Triple Crown ($25, 03/05)
03/26/10: Papa John’s 10 Miler, 3rd race of Triple Crown ($25, 03/19)
April? Kentucky State Parks 5K series

A little out of order, I did my track workout on Monday, because I decided in sort of a "last minute" manner that I'll race a 5K on Sunday in Indiana (not too far from us though). I drove to the University track first, and it was closed! I walked around, checked everywhere, but short of jumping the fence, I couldn't get in. I seriously considered jumping, but then I pictured getting arrested for trespassing, and being denied for the green card, so I decided against it.

I drove through town the high school track I used before. I had a fine workout. I was fairly tired when I started, so I really did have to gut it out the end, but I managed to run 3:59, 3:56, 3:56, 3:56 repetitions of 1000 meters. I don't feel terribly sore, but I do feel the effect. I might have run a little too fast.

Last night I did the 4-mile tempo that eluded me two weeks ago twice. After about a mile warmup, I ran 4 miles at 6:54, 6:56, 6:51, 6:50. I was originally shooting for 7 minutes, but I felt great and the weather was perfect (about 50 degrees).

I am starting to feel that I may be close to race shape. My goal race is still almost 2 months away, so I'm slightly worried that I would peak early.

I ran 4 miles yesterday, and this was my 5th day in a row of running. The streak started with a track workout (see below) and included an 8-mile long run on Saturday in the cold rain. Normally I run in the pattern: 3 days running - 1 day rest - 2 days running - 1 day rest - repeat. So I'm supposed to be tired, but I've felt better and better every day in this running streak. I rest today and tomorrow I'll try a 6-miler with 4 miles at tempo pace.

I had track training last night. (I found a well marked, nice track!) 4x1000, same intervals as two weeks ago (I'm repeating 2 weeks of training). It actually went quite a bit better than last time. My goal was to run 4:01 repeats - two weeks ago I fell slightly short on the last interval. Last night: 3:58, 4:01, 3:59, 3:58. Either my tempos last week were the exception, or my lactate threshold is disproportionally weaker than my other parameters. In either case, I will know what to do.

I got a little behind with my training plan last week. My Tuesday tempo was awful. I was working, standing all day, barely had time to drink, so I think I was dehydrated by the evening run, and it was hot outside. Also, I picked a somewhat hilly course. I tried to run 1 mile warmup, 4 miles at 7:00, and 1 mile cooldown. My first fast mile was 7:05. Slightly disappointed, I tried to run faster, and the result was a 7:18 second mile. Then I completely ran out of steam during the third mile and I had to stop and jog (almost limp) home.

I wanted to repeat the tempo on Thursday (after resting on Wednesday). This time I drank enough during the day and it was somewhat cooler, but I still worked a lot that day. My fast miles were 6:53, 7:01, 7:18, 7:11. Not good. I also felt totally hammered at the end.

Then I came down with a cold on Friday. I was so sick that I didn't run on Friday and Saturday. I was better on Sunday, but I had a lot of work to do (deadline on Monday), so I didn't run. What a bum week.

I think I'll repeat the last two weeks of training. I will have to pick a new goal race then. Maybe I tried to do too much, or the cold virus was in me since Tuesday. Or something - it is no good to find excuses.

I just feel that I'm so slow, and I'll never run sub-20.

Here is my last quality workout (track) from last night: 2800 m warmup, 4 x 1000 m fast (splits: 4:01, 4:01, 4:01, 4:04 - I was on the right pace for the last repeat at 800 m, but I managed to lose 3 seconds in the last 200) with 400 m recoveries. 1600 m cooldown. Total: ~ 6 miles.

On Tuesday, I went out (actually drove) to the T & F facility on UofL campus to do a tempo run, and I managed to mess it up badly. Amazingly, I forgot the workout I was supposed to do, and I started to run 1 mile intervals instead of 2. I only realized it after the second interval, when the mileage for the day didn't add up. So I lost my enthusiasm for the night and I finished the run as a fast 4-miler, which took a lot more out of me than it should have.

Yesterday I decide to do the correct workout, even though I wasn't that well rested. I drove out this time to a park and I ran 2 x 2 miles LT intervals at 7 min/mile pace. It was great, I felt good. I finished with 6.5 miles for the day.

On Tuesday I had my first track training in a while. It was 5 x 800 m with 400 m recoveries. The 800s were supposed to be run in 3:15. I ran on an asphalt track at a local high school. The track was fine. After the first 800 I thought it was a 400 yard track, because my time was so good (3:06 - but this was after I saw that my first 400 was 1:32 and I slowed down a bit). It turns out that I was just not used to track training, because I had to work hard toward the end to maintain 3:15. Fitness-wise it seems like I am where I am supposed to be. In 12 weeks I hopefully can crush 20 minutes.

Interesting note: the GPS watch I'm using was quite inaccurate on the track: it measured anything from 385 meters to 401 meters for one lap, typically measuring about 5-10 meters shorter distance per lap.

Edit: after some further research, I've found that there are basically no 400-yard tracks in the US. The old, (and by now quite rare) imperial tracks were 440 yards long, which is exactly 1/4 mile and a little above 2 meters longer than 400 meters.

I'm finally back on track with running. After my long hiatus with only a few runs in SC at the end of July, we moved to Louisville, KY, and I haven't started training here for about another two weeks. Then finally, two weeks ago, I did my first consistent week in a while with 20 miles total and I did a 25-mile week last week. Now I'm ready to start Pfitzinger's Schedule B again, which is a 12-week program peaking at around 33 miles.

My goal race is the 5th Annual Harvest 5K on November 20. I'm really just evaluating my form right now, but I sure hope I can have a shot at a sub-20. This goal is now getting old, I want the monkey off my back.

Nevertheless, I think I will probably stick to shorter races (possibly venturing to 10K territory) for the spring and early summer, because there is a 5K trail series in the KY State Park system, and it wouldn't be too bad to get some results. I'll see if I can do that and work toward a sub-41 10K in the same time. Provided that I'll have my sub-20 5K by then.

I'm just posting to let the reader know that I haven't trained since my last 10K. Life is complicated and too busy. I've been traveling across the country, and we are moving to Kentucky in 3 weeks. Things will be slightly relaxed from now, but I'm still not sure if it worth it to restart training before we move. For one, it is brutally hot here in SC. So the most likely scenario is that I start a rigorous 3 month program in Kentucky with goal 5K in November.

Lake Wylie Splash Dash 10K Race Report

This is a small race close to Charlotte, NC, but some competitive folks do show up. It is a hard, hilly course, and the temperature was in 80s, with high humidity, so it was quite clear that I won't run a huge time here. My main goal was to get an age group award, winning it if possible, and the secondary goal was to run 43:30, which would be 7-minute miles. After I ran 42:06 in training in April, I thought this would be easy. Well, on that training day, the track was flat and the night was cool...

I arrived at around 7:00, well before the 8 o'clock start. I started the warm-up at 7:30, and after just 20 minutes, I was covered with sweat. I had some GI issues in the morning and during warm-up: fortunately bathrooms were plenty in the camp where the start was.

I made sure to line up in the front, because the history of the race suggested many slower runners. At 8:02 the race started. The first mile was very hilly, but I think it was net downhill - at least there was one steep downhill on which I charged down, getting myself to close to the leaders. I let people pass me on the uphill portion after this - I'm not particularly good going up, and I didn't want to get winded early. I hit the first mile marker at 6:30. That was faster than my desired pace, even for a net downhill mile, so I eased up on the pace a bit.

I looked around. One skinny black guy (Robert, as I learned later) had just passed me and I tried to follow him. I decided to try to keep my position and pace off of Robert. We played yo-yo on the rolling hills: I caught up on the downhills, but he increased his lead again on the uphills. I started to get really really hot, and there were long stretches of the road with no shade. The temperature started to get me, but probably everyone else, too, because nobody passed me. I somehow missed the 2nd and 3rd mile marker, so I wasn't sure about my pace, but it was definitely slower than the first mile. Finally, when I hit mile 4, my time was 28:30: quite a bit slower than my goal pace.

About this time, Robert didn't increase his lead on a hill, and I caught him on the top, and passed him. He slowed down a lot: he lost more than 2 minutes in the last two miles, though he claimed he had a sub-40 PR.

I was running alone for almost a mile. I *almost* missed a turn. Volunteers were sitting in the crossing, but they didn't bother to show me the direction until I started to turn the wrong way, losing a few seconds. At mile 5, my time was a disappointing 36 minutes, but at least I had something in reserve. I caught a guy (Glenn), who just started to walk when I caught him. He looked really bad, and I was truly worried that he would throw up on me. He got himself together when I passed him, and he started to follow me.

At this point I felt OK, and I saw a few more people ahead of me. I picked them one at a time. Meanwhile we passed each other back and forth with Glenn, but he clearly wasn't in my age group, so I didn't worry too much about him. We passed 3 people, and one of them looked like an age-grouppper (he was!).

Just before the finish stretch, the organizers made another mistake and let an SVU on the road in front of me. That was extremely annoying, because the road was narrow (one way) with speed bumps, so I eventually had to dodge and pass the car, but not before it smoked me well, and I ran left-to-right like twice, until I felt safe enough to pass it on the right. Glenn was running in front of the car, and I probably wouldn't have beaten him anyway. We ran through the gate: my finish time was 44:26. Almost a minute slower than my goal, but considering the circumstances, this is not bad at all. I didn't know how hilly the course was, and I didn't know how hot and humid it would be today.

Post race food was great: lots of variety, too. I loved the southern style, very sweet ice tea. I didn't feel like cooling down (like it would have been possible!), so I was chatting with other runners while waiting for the awards. I won my age group! The award was a standard medal, nothing special. The overall winners received a beautiful glass trophy; I would have to train a lot more to have a chance to get one of those. (I was 8th overall; the winner's time was 38:59.)

Now I'm thinking about taking a break from running, for about 6-7 weeks. I'd like do to at least one (or two) more long trail runs in the Congaree National Park before we move to Kentucky, maybe I'll do those next week. I could race next Saturday, and there seems to be two options: a night 5K in Greenville, or a morning 5K in Charlotte. Neither of those are flat, and it WILL be hot again, so not much chance of running sub-20. I haven't decided yet, but I don't see too much point in doing either of those. After next week I will be traveling a lot, so I won't have much chance for training for at least two weeks anyway. And I don't see much point in coming back in July and running some races without proper training.

My longer plans now look like this: in the first weeks of August I start a periodized, 12-week 5K plan, and I'll find myself a 5K in early November in Kentucky. Then I'll run a sub-20, or bust!

I had an interesting tempo run this morning. The whole thing started on Monday evening. I was supposed to run an easy 4 miler, but I was so tired (sleepy), and it was so warm outside, that I decided to skip the run and to go to bed early. And also, to get up this morning early to do my Tuesday tempo run.

It was a total of 6 miles, with two easy miles (first and last), and 4 miles at 7:05/mile. Normally, I run 7 minutes miles for tempo, but this is a hilly course, so I allow a little extra time per mile on average. Usually I run the first fast mile in 7:10. This is the hardest mile because of a steady downhill and a steep uphill. Then I would do two 7 minutes miles (mostly flat ones), and 7:10 on the last hilly mile (which is a first mile backwards).

Today the first splits were:
7:08, all is fine.
6:52. I knew this was fast, but I felt just fine. I decided to slow down a bit.
6:50. OK, I thought I slowed down, but apparently I haven't. I only check the splits at my mile markers, so I wasn't aware of my speed during this mile.
7:28. At the beginning of this mile, out of nowhere, I just suddenly died. I don't remember this happening to me before. One moment, I was feeling fine, then, maybe about 100 yards after my mile marker, I felt very winded, extreme stabbing side stitches, pains in my body everywhere. It was so bad, that I almost decided to stop. But then, I thought, this is a good opportunity for training to be tough, so I ran on. I was hurting so bad that I felt screamed out loud a few times. I was dragging myself for about a half of a mile. Then I recovered somewhat, and I ran up the last hill at a relatively steady pace, saving my time: the average of the 4 miles was 7:04.50.

I don't know what this means; this was last fast workout before another race on Saturday. I decided to run a 10K just two weeks from my disappointing 5K. In retrospect, the 5K was OK, nobody in the field I (or Alex) knows got any close to their PR. I don't expect a terrific time from the 10K. A sub-42 would be nice, but I can't predict the weather and I don't know the course. It is also a small race, so probably there won't be many markers on the course. Then I'll probably hang up my running shoes for a few weeks and I restart with 5K training early August. I want to do a full cycle of 12 weeks and see if I can smash my time in November.

After the disappointing race last weekend, I had at least a satisfactory training run last night. I ran 4 fast miles sandwiched between two easy miles. The time was 28:15, which is roughly 7:04/mile. That is quite good on the hilly terrain I ran. I was particularly pleased with the fact that this was not full effort, I didn't fall apart. It really does feel like I can maintain 7 minutes miles for a long time on relatively flat courses. I also think I am better at longer distances, 10 kilometers and up, I just virtually haven't raced those.

The grief has to end... I ran my race on Saturday, but I haven't gotten myself to write report until now. It is probably my biggest running disappointment so far. Objectively, it is not a disaster, but I was hoping for so much better.

Jailbreak IV 5K Race Report

Goal: 19:59

I arrived to the race quite early and I did a long warmup. My general feeling of being out of shape that had been haunting me the last few days stayed with me that morning. I ran around a bit on some trails close to the parking area, and I almost got lost... I arrived to the start line feeling better. I did some striders close to the start line. Finally, seven minutes before the start, I decided to get to the start line. This was a mistake for two reasons. By that time, the start area was very crowded, and I couldn't get close to the start line. (I had to spend the first quarter mile dodging people.) The other issue was that they started the race 2 minutes early, so there was only five minutes between my warmup and the start. Note to self: I have to get to the start earlier next time.

We were off, and then I tried not to trip over the slow people who started close to the front line (like the young lady with the small dog, and the elderly couple). After about a quarter mile, I spotted Alex from the RW forum (ColunbiaSC5ker), and I decided to try to follow him - he is faster than I, so if I can follow him, that should be good enough for me, even (or especially) if he doesn't run a PR. The first mile was slightly downhill, and I felt pretty strong, and also, my split was around 6:16, which was quite satisfactory. Maybe I actually started too fast.

I was hanging on in mile two, in fact I passed Alex at one point. I tried to push hard, somehow I missed the second mile clock, so I'm not sure about my split, but I was sill ahead of Alex and his time was 12:50, so I was still good. This part of course was quite hilly, and I started to really suffer on the inclines. Alex passed me back, along with a few other people, and then, within another quarter mile, I was done for. I was hot, in pain, and I felt like I would collapse at any second. Then I saw the finish line, and the finish clock was showing 19:5x, and I was still far away. I seriously had to talk myself out of quitting at this point, because I knew the sub-20 goal floated away. I crossed the line at 20:26.

The course was not easy, and the race conditions are not ideal, but I knew this before the race, and I still believed that I improved enough so that I can still run sub-20. Running teaches you humility. I was 5th place in my age group, which means no award - my extra punishment is that 20 minutes would have earned me a 3rd place.

This race reminds me too much the SC Peach Festival 5K last summer, where I tried to go sub-21 for the first time. I was good for two miles, and then I couldn't finish the job in the last downhill mile. I guess it is especially hard for me to run a race with a last hilly mile, but it is stupid to look for excuses - I simply wasn't good enough on Saturday.

The journey is not over. I will run a few races in the next few weeks, but I'm not exactly sure how it will work out with all my travels. Then I will most likely take a running break in July and start over in August. By that time, we will have moved to Kentucky. I will try to loose a few pounds to stabilize my weight under 160 lbs, I will do a full cycle of training per Pfitzinger, and I will try to kill my PR in November, in Kentucky.

I did my speed session last night. 2 x 1600 m at race pace: the first was 6:19, the second was 6:24. The first was slightly faster than I wanted. Interestingly, I was right on pace after the 3rd lap, then I "accidentally" ran the last lap 5 seconds faster. It's interesting that it didn't feel faster, and I'm not sure why I accelerated. Anyway, after 800 meters recovery, I did my second set, which was much greater effort, but slower time. Maybe I do lack distance specific endurance... With 2000 m warmup and 2000 m cooldown, the total was 8 kilometers.

I don't feel very strong and fit, and this is not a good sign with a little more than a week before my goal race. I could look for excuses, but I'm not going to. I'll just follow my plan and see how it works out.

Yesterday I did another set of intervals: 5x1000 meters in 5K pace, with 400 meters recovery. It was quite brutal, especially the last 1000 meters. I almost puked at the end. Here are the splits for the 1000s:

3:59, 4:00, 3:57, 4:01, 3:57

Now I just have to cut out the recoveries and I have a 19:54 5K. :)

I modified my goal a bit. One reason is that I AM getting close to the 20 minute 5K; the other is that lately I trust McMillan's calculator more than RunersWorld's. If you follow the method I mentioned below, type a 3:15 marathon into McMillan's, and you get 20:00, 41:33, 1:32:28 respectively for 5K, 10K and half-marathon. Therefore my modified goals are:

5K: 20:00
10K: 41:00
Half marathon: 1:32

According to McMillan, the 10K is the hardest, because that involved the largest rounding, so I might work on decreasing my 5K time before I move on to 10K. Also, training for 5K is somewhat less time - something I wouldn't mind now. On the other hand, 5Ks are the most painful of these races: if you take them seriously, you SHOULD feel pukish at the end. We'll see. After I get my first sub-20 5K, I'll see what I'll try. It would also be nice to complete a whole 12 week 5K training cycle a la Pfitzinger.

Today I ran a 10K PR in training. I thought this would happen, because my only 10K has a very soft time, but I was particularly pleased with the result.

My plan prescribes a 10K time trial for today. The background is a usual, lengthy workday, not much sleep, and riding my bike to work and home (10 miles total). Also, my last 3 days I ran 8 miles, 9 miles and 5 miles respectively, the longer ones at sub 8:30 pace. After all this, I drove to the track at around 9pm (kids in bed), I did 4 laps for warm-up, then off I went on my 10000 meter journey. I took splits at every 4 laps, or 1600 meters.

6:58 - I went out conservatively, because I didn't feel that well physically, so I decided to run just below 7 min/mile pace at the beginning.

6:55 - I felt better, the pace felt quite easy.

6:51 - I had the feeling that I could do 7 min/miles forever. My body was relaxed, no pain, so I decided to turn it up a bit.

5000 m - 21:35 - Not bad, some time ago I would have been happy with this time at a 5K.

6:46 - I felt a little tired, but still pretty good. Time to drop the hammer.

6:37 - I felt awesome. I started to hurt a bit, but clearly because I ran faster. I still thought that if I only had to maintain 7 min/mile, I could do it forever.

6:31 - I started to really push in the last laps.

Last 400 m - 1:28 - This is what I had left in the tank. This would trasnlate to 5:52/1600 m pace.

Total time: 42:06. I don't think I can call it a PR, because it wasn't a race, but the university track is surely accurate, so I'm sure the time is right. I'm especially happy that I ran 20:31 in the second half. That is a pretty good 5K time for me in training.

I've just come back from the track - I did a 3000 meter time trial as suggested by Pfitzinger. I am very satisfied with the results, I could almost say, proud! For background info: I ran this as a training run, no taper of course, I ran late in the night after working long hours today, and I rode my bike to work and home, 5 miles one way. Here are my splits:

Half lap: 0:43.39
Lap 1: 1:33.75
Lap 2: 1:34.22
Lap 3: 1:33.83
Lap 4: 1:33.05
Lap 5: 1:33.09
Lap 6: 1:33.25
Lap 7: 1:29.26

Total time: 11:33

Compare this with my 3000 m race last summer, where I ran 12:09.

I've changed my training method a little bit. I am following one of the plans from the "Road Racing for Serious Runners" by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas (very nice book).

The main changes are more quality work, and somewhat higher mileage (but not much). Last week's speedwork was 4x1000 meters on the track: my splits were 4:01, 4:04, 4:03, 4:02 with 400 meters in ~2:15 recovery in between. With he warmup and cooldown I covered 6 miles. Last night I ran 8 miles at sub 8:30 min/mile pace. I like the book's philosophy about faster long runs and longer intervals. Seems like it makes me work harder without overtraining.

Resurrection 5K Race Report

Goal: 20:30. Dream: getting close to 20 minutes.

The race was only about 4 miles from our apartment, but I still got up early to take my time and get there early, so I showed up an hour before the start. This is small local race, but it was very well run: many volunteers, good organization all around. I picked up my bib, warmed up by jogging 10-15 minutes, then I walked over to the start area, which was about 1/2 mile from my parking place (and the finish line). I met ColumbiaSC5Ker (an RW-online friend) while waiting for the start.

We lined up in the front row, and exactly on time, the organizer gave the mark, when we were supposed to say "He is alive!" and start running. The first 1/2 mile was a steady, but not too steep incline. I settled myself right behind CSC5K, but I felt he was too slow for my usual pace, so I passed him at about just 1/4 mile into the race. This made me a little nervous, because I knew that he has run in the 19:30-20:00 range lately, and I was pretty sure I couldn't do that, but you do what you have to do - if he is having a bad day, I can't let myself to be dragged with him.

There were no mile markers, so I just ran by feel, trying to keep the pace of some runners ahead of me. Everything went fine: nobody passed me and I haven't passed anybody until about the 1.5 mile mark - then CSC5K passed me, so things settled into their usual order.

At about 2 miles, the hurt started, but I was able to overcome it mentally, and I believe I kept my pace. CSC5K told me at the end, that he ran big negative splits, so I guess I ran close to even splits, or maybe slightly positive ones (maybe I should get a Garmin at last). Then at about 2.5 miles, I even found some extra strength (or maybe it was the downhill), and I accelerated slightly. I started to hear the cheer at the finish line, and my watch was still showing 19:xx; then finally, when I turned into the short home straight, I saw the clock turning to 20:00. I sprinted my way down to the line - the end was a bit of a blur (I almost fell over a guy, who stopped in the middle of the chute). My official time is 20:09. I smashed my previous PR! I had thought I crossed the line at 20:05, but this is not the first time that I think I had a time that is a few seconds better than my actual time. I probably often black out close to the finish line. :)

Post race food was also pretty good: I had a few Oreo-type cookies, banana and water. I was really impressed with race: everything went smoothly, and even the award ceremony started on time.

I got a 3rd place in my age group, but I am so much prouder of this one than the age group win with 21:30 last August. Now I am at shooting distance from the sub-20 times. CSC5K ran 19:4x, and he was also 3rd in his age group. (I'm lucky he is a few months older than me, otherwise he would have knocked me out of the first three.) The course was easy with about 30 ft (~10 m) of net elevation loss, but it still had a few rolling hills, so I won't put an asterisk by my new PR.

Next step: two months of training and a sub-20 minute 5K in June. Tentative plan: June 22, Jailbreak 5K.

Last check-in before the race tomorrow. My week was a little hectic, real life, some pleasure seeking activity and uncertainty in the slightly modified SmartCoach plan that I was using resulted in only two 4-mile runs early in the week. I did a bit of cross training (riding my bike to work almost every day, coaching my daughter's soccer team on Wednesday), but my exercise volume has never been this low on race week. We will see how this will work out.

I still haven't found a 5K plan that I would really like. All the free popular on-line plans (Higdon, Luff, etc.) that I know are very low on miles, and even the advanced plan of Higdon seems to be for (advanced) beginners - with quite a bit of speedwork, but still peaking at about 30 miles. So I decided to buy Pfitzinger's "Road Running for Serious Runners" book. I have Pfitzinger's marathoning book, which I like a lot, so I thought this guy must know something. I probably chose suboptimal shipping method though, because I ordered the book on March 30th and so far the book was delivered from Wichita, Kansas to Des Moines, Iowa (almost opposite direction).

Tomorrow I will shoot for 20:30 or below - I'll see how running feels, and adjust accordingly. I would be *very* disappointed if I didn't go below 21 minutes.

Very nice tempo run today:
Mile 1: 8:18 (warmup)
Mile 2: 7:21 (BIG hill)
Mile 3: 7:08
Mile 4: 6:56
Mile 5: 7:01 (mostly uphill)
Mile 6: 8:33 (cooldown)

It went better than I expected. This was the last fast workout before my 5K on 04/03. My goal is 20:30, but I just have a feeling that if everything clicks together, I might have shot to get really close to 20 minutes.

Interesting post on runnersworld.com, about something that has long bothered me:

Mileage Inflation: Where Will It End?

Pretty much anyone can "run" a marathon on virtually no training. Most marathon courses are open for at least 8 hours. I can walk 6 kilometers an hour, and I have done it, hiking, for many hours on hiking trails with a backpack. Once, well before my recent running times, I hiked 55 kilometers in 11 hours. So my point is that it is not a big deal to walk at a speed of 6 km/hr on the road, no obstacle, no climbing, no backpack, and with an aid station in every two miles for only 7 hours. Because this way you finish a marathon in about 7 hours, well before the course is closing.

Certainly, the fact, that you move a certain a way that you call "running" doesn't impress me, if your "running" is not faster that my walking. In the international rules of the road running races there is no requirement about the technique. You just move any way you want - just get to the finish line as fast as you can.

If you've been reading this blog, you may remember that I made a firm decision before I started to prepare for my marathon - I wanted to do it in 4 hours. I still think that that should be the requirement for some real accomplishment. In fact, no that I've done it, I think that it isn't that big of deal until you qualify for Boston. Now that is something.

I'm running another 5K in less than two weeks. My dream would be to break 20 minutes, but I'll be satisfied with 20:30 for now. And I'm telling you: running a sub-20 5K is *much* harder than running a marathon in 5-6 hours. You probably also need more training for the former (even in terms of mileage).

Let me make it official now what my long term goals are in running, so I can be held accountable later, and I can also look them up! :)

We exchanged a few emails with a friend of mine lately, and we discussed running goals. My very long term goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. For my age and gender, this would be a time 3:15 (from next year, and it is quite clear that qualifying this year is out of the question anyway). Type this into the runnersworld.com training calculator to get equivalent times on different distances. Round down the times to whole minutes; this is what you get:

5K: 20:00
10K: 42:00
Half marathon: 1:33
Marathon: 3:15

I'll try to achieve them in this order, because as one gets older, they slow down on the shorter distances first.

I can't believe this shit! I just came back from a 5-mile run in HEAVY SNOWFALL in Columbia. In March. In South Carolina.

At least my run went well. In fact I was a little too fast, 8:34, and I aimed at 8:49.

Cupid's Chase 5K race report
or how I caught a cold, missed a turn and still PRd

Previous PR: 21:17, Goal: 21:00

The backdrop for the race was less than ideal. I was in prime form for last Saturday, and the race got postponed due to heavy snowfall in Columbia, SC. Last week I had tapered extensively. So I wasn't really sure what to do this week - and since at the beginning of the week, I wasn't even sure I could race this weekend, I decided to resume vigorous training, and skip tapering altogether. My training plan for Saturday reads: "Long run 9 mi @ 8:49 or 5K race".

Add to this that I caught a nasty cold, with sore throat and mild chest congestion in the middle of the week. This kind of thing have never stopped my training, but it costs a little power, too. Really, I'm not trying to make excuses, because the race was actually quite fine. I just want to point out, that I was quite pessimistic.

My wife dropped me off at the race. It was (at last) warm enough to run in shorts and t-shirt! It was a beautiful and sunny morning, but not too hot. I warmed up, and I lined up at the front row. There were only about 50 people running - this was already a postponed race and it was to be low key originally anyway. (I knew there would be no mile markers either.) I settled into a fairly fast pace, with four runners in front of me - including one girl. After about 3/4 mile I passed a guy on a downhill. I though he would pass me back on the next uphill, but he didn't, and he finished a good 40 seconds behind me, even though I almost gave him a gift position (see below).

By the time we got to the halfway point, I lost sight of the runner in front of me, and I ran completely alone. The course didn't have many volunteers. In one intersection, where we were supposed to make a right turn, there were no volunteers, no police cars, nobody. There was an arrow sign on a stop sign, but it was on the right, and naturally, I ran on the left side of the road. I wasn't careful enough, and I missed the turn. After a little while, I heard the volunteer in the previous intersection, and the police officer another block ahead (proctoring an earlier part of the windy course) shouting: "You missed a turn!" I stopped, confused, and then they pointed out which street I should have taken. I turned around, and I ran to the right direction. I think that I lost about 30 seconds here.

When I ran back to the right street, the guy behind me caught up. He was right on my back. I felt totally devastated. I knew I wouldn't run under 21 minutes with the extra 30 seconds, and I also lost my drive a little bit. I just wanted to get over with the run. Nevertheless, I decided I wouldn't lose my position in the race. So I still pressed on, and I got rid of my follower. It was hard to do my usual mental game of dissociating myself from the pain I felt.

When I got closer to the end, I saw my time wouldn't be too bad after all. When I turned into the finish line, I knew that I had a chance to PR. So I pushed a little harder and I got through the finish line at 21:11. A six second PR with my missed turn!

Post-race food was the usual thing for small local races: muffins and bottled water. Good enough for me.

The course was not too hard, but also not particularly easy with many rolling hills, typical of Columbia's residential neighborhoods. To be able to run this time with the given circumstances suggest that I might not be that far from my sub-20 dream. That is good. Also, my missed-turn-mishap didn't cost me a position (I finished as 4th overall, 3rd male). But I am *so* disappointed thinking that if I didn't miss that turn, my PR would read 20:xx now.

Family logistics was extremely complicated today with one car and a postponed race, so my wife showed up to pick me up before I could have received my award. The main organizer lady promised me that she would hold onto it - I will call her office on Monday.

It looks like I can run this weekend, but I don't have much optimism. I caught a cold, and for a change, I haven't tapered this week, but instead I've been training quite hard. I will also run an easy 4 miles tonight, and I will skip only one day before the race. Even though my base physical condition is definitely better than it was last summer (when I ran my current PR), I am not at all sure I can PR here and now. It is still damn cold outside, about 10 F lower than it should be this time of the year. It is freezing every night. And the weather forecast is about the same for next 10 days.

The 5K on last weekend was postponed due to heavy snowfall in Columbia. (It virtually never snows in Columbia, so this was quite an event. My younger daughter is 3 years old, and this was the first time she has ever seen snow.) The race is rescheduled for next weekend, which sucks big time. I'm still not sure how I can participate. I feel strong and prepared. Even though I woke up with a headache on race day, later I ran 8 miles at sub 8-min pace, which is pretty good. I guess I had to run the frustration out of myself.

My tentative race schedule for the first half of the year:

4/3/2010: Resurrection Run 5k. This will be the race where I plan to reach ~20:30.

5/22/2010: Going the Extra Mile 5k or
5/29/2010: Jailbreak 5k. The former has the advantage that it is the same course as this weekend's run. Of course in case I can actually participate. This will be the race I might have a chance to go sub-20, although it is almost more likely than not that something will delay the progress.

Most people work on the sub-20 5K for several years, so even if I don't reach it this year, it is not a tragedy.

Last night I was forced to return to the beautiful Riverfront Park. We used to live by it, and I ran there nearly every day. It is a park between the Columbia Canal and Broad River/Congaree, on a very long peninsula in the river. I almost forgot how cool it is to run there. Last night, I drove to the university track to do my last speedwork session before the 5K less than 2 weeks from now, but the track is (still) undergoing resurfacing (just like last week, gr...). So I drove to the park and ran 8 times 1/4 mile fast, with recoveries, warmup, cooldown, etc. Even though it was quite cold a drizzly, the park is still great. I wish we lived closer.

Training goes quite well. I am not that good with my lactate threshold, but in fact it is hard to judge it from training alone. My next race is not until February; my secret dream of racing a local 8K last weekend totally evaporated due to family budget constraints. Anyway, I guess it is not unreasonable to only race when I have a chance to do my best - the weekend race was still too close to the marathon to perform 100%.

I'm thinking about my next marathon already, and maybe (depending on many things, like real life) I will run the 2011 Kentucky Derby Marathon. Nothing earlier for sure.

We have a cold wave here in Columbia. I still managed to do all my run this week outside. Every single day I ran in sub freezing temperatures and in the dark, occasionally in the wind. I can't decide if I hate the cold or the treadmill more... I guess I'll try the treadmill today.

I'm slow... can't hit my goal times in tempo runs. I can do the intervals just fine, so maybe the problem with the tempos that I'm trying to do them over very hilly terrain. I guess I won't really know it until February 13th. That is my upcoming 5 km race. I really would like to go under 21 minutes.

It was too cold here last evening, but I still rode my bike to the university track to do my speedwork. Only to find the track closed. I actually still know how to get in, but a police car was circling the parking lot, so I decided to go home instead of getting arrested. :) I thought I would drive back in the evening. Then I decided to take some smaller back streets to get home, because it was still rush hour, and I got lost, so much, that a half an hour later I found myself on the street where I work! By the time I got home, I had ridden for more than an hour in sub freezing temperatures. I was so frustrated that I skipped my intervals...

I'll make up something today (instead of resting), but I might opt for the treadmill. I hate cold. I think I hate cold more than the treadmill.

I started training for a February 5K. It doesn't go that well. My speed is not where I want it to be. I have a chest cold, but I still run with it. My experience is that it goes away faster if I run. Indeed, today I already feel better than yesterday.

I run much more in a fast(er) pace than for the marathon training, and in fact more than for previous 5K training cycles. We will see how it works out. I follow Hal Higdon's advanced 5K training plan, which I don't particularly like, but I haven't found anything better.