I've decided not to run a spring marathon and it's due to the fact that I have been feeling fatigued. Back in January, I would sleep 7 hours at night and wake up in the morning feeling exhausted and not refreshed. I attribute this feeling to the 70+ weeks I was running in December and January without adding in extra sleep. Eventually all of this running on relatively little sleep caught up with me and my runs were flat, and my lungs and legs weren't responding as I would have liked. Non-stop, injury-free running has created a new nemesis: My own ability to run more and more without any painful checks and balances on my tendons/joints. Instead what checked my running was fatigue. I've found out that all of those Runner's World tips that stress getting enough sleep/rest that I've been ignoring, actually have some merit!
So, I've cut my mileage down to around 40 mpw and I've really slowed down my training runs. My weekly training pace has traditionally been around 7:45/mile. Since February 1st that pace is now 8:30/mile with the first couple of miles of most runs near 10:00/mile pace. The book "80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower" which I read last month advises running 80% of your runs super slow. This new plan seems to have helped me recover a bit and I am feeling a lot better/fresher, although not faster.
So, I won't be running a spring marathon, but I have signed up for two spring races so far:
1) Shamrock Shuffle 8k
2) The Ravenswood Run 5k
I am likely going to run the Indy Mini Half Marathon in May, although I haven't registered for it yet.
Ideally, I'd like to PR one of these races, but I am getting to the point where I would be happy with a "2nd best PR", since I don't have the "spring in my step" that I would need to run super super fast. However, I still have a month for the Shamrock and two months for the Ravenswood Run, so maybe I'll find my spring soon enough!
Ice formation along the Lakefront Trail on my 13 miler Sunday
On Saturday, I met up with Xaarlin and Eric for the inaugural Mikkeller Beer Run. The 3.3 mile fun run started from the Northdown Cafe and Taproom on Lincoln Ave went north on Ravenswood all the way to Montrose and back. We had really warm temps (near 50º) for an early February in Chicago. It was nice to catch up with Xaarlin and Eric while enjoying a free Mikkeller Beer and some sausage after the run was over.
Here is a picture of the group before the run:
MRC Runners (can you find Xaarlin, Eric and Me?) (src)
Right after that we headed out. Eric snagged one of me and Xaarlin with his handy GoPro:
After the turnaround we headed back down Ravenswood to the bar:
The thirsty crew heading back to the bar...
Once at the taproom, we all got our free Mikkeller. Eric and I ordered some delicious Polish sausages and fries. Jeff H who claims he was the first runner back to the bar, sat down at our table and chatted with us for awhile. After an hour or two, I ran the two miles home with a full belly and felt fine. Anyway, did I mention that Xaarlin organized this whole thing and got a mega turnout of 37 people?! She did an awesome job. The next run is March 7th. Don't miss it!
This was the second time I've signed up to run the F^3 Lake Half Marathon yet only the first time I've actually run it. Two years ago, I had paid my money and then made a last minute decision to not run. This year I was injury free, well for the most part.
Goal: Since three out of the four half marathons I ran last year were sub 1:30s, and since I have put in some major miles the last five weeks - I thought that a sub 1:29 was well within reach. However, on Monday night I pinched a nerve between my ribs and then the next morning, I went to the track (for the first time in over a year) for some fast intervals. By Tuesday night, I was finding inhaling deeply to be difficult, but I thought it was due to pinched "rib nerve". Then on Wednesday, I went swimming to loosen the legs, but in the process that exacerbated things with my lungs. Little did I know that I probably was dealing with a little exercise induced asthma. According to the Mayo Clinic exercise induced asthma triggers include:
Cold air
Dry air
Air pollution
Chlorine in swimming pools
Activities with extended periods of deep breathing, such as long-distance running, swimming
My lungs were exposed to all of those things in the last few days leading up to the race. But I still thought that my issue was the nerve and that it would feel better by Saturday. So, my lungs were about a 4 out of 10 heading into the race on Saturday. If I had realized this, a couple of puffs off my inhaler would have made them a 6 or better. The inhaler, however, stayed unused. My gut told me that the race would either end up being a disaster or it would be awesome. I did not even consider that there was perhaps a "happy medium" result as well.
Getting To the Race: On Saturday morning, my neighbor Stacey (who later PR'd) and I drove to Soldier Field garage and sat in a long line of cars to get in the garage. Some drivers were driving around the line and then cutting in near the front. Nice. I guess they were more important than us.
Pre-Race: After getting out of the car, we walked up the stairs and found ourselves in the United Club at Soldier Field. I used the indoor facilities with indoor plumbing. Then I stood around for awhile and spotted Emily and said "hi". As we were being called down to the start line, I had to decide what to wear (the temps were in the mid 30s and creeping upwards) and decided to leave my running pants and jacket in my backpack, but take my big warm mittens and not my running gloves (this turned out to be a mistake).
Pre Race in the United Club at Soldier Field
Then I checked my bag and headed to the starting line. On my way down the stairs I bumped into Lynton (who else?) . I have seen him at every race I've run in Chicago since at least April!
Miles 1 through 3: Temps were much warmer than expected for this time of year, I was wearing shorts, but I had three layers of shirts on plus a hat and warm mittens. I soon realized that I had over-dressed. After a one mile loop around Soldier Field, we headed by McCormick Place. I passed Xaarlin who took some pics of me getting ready to high-five.
About to hi-five Xaarlin at mile 2 (notice big mittens)
My breathing was okay, but I was pushing the pace too much as I usually try to cover the first 3 miles of most half marathons in 7:00/mile pace. I was, unfortunately running much faster. 6:46/mile.
Miles 4 through 6: The course heads straight down along the relatively desolate portion of Lakefront Trail. I was starting to overheat, so I removed my mittens and from that point forward, I had to carry them with my bare hands the rest of the race. There seemed to be a slight headwind, which made me hopeful that at the turnaround at mile seven we would have a slight tailwind. My breathing was getting a bit harder at this point and I probably should have backed off my pace, but I rolled the dice in order to see if I couldn't hold a sub 6:50 for the rest of the race. 6:46/mile.
Miles 7 through 9: At the hairpin turn at mile seven I was greeted with a stronger headwind as we headed north and I knew right then it was going to be a positive split for me. I chatted with a guy from Switzerland and told him I wasn't feeling it. He soon dropped behind me, which made me think that I wasn't the only one having issues. However, he must have just had to take a slight break because a few minutes later he zoomed past me. By mile nine, my lungs were prematurely starting to beg for mercy and I got passed by about a dozen runners. I can't tell you how much I'd rather be the one doing the passing at this stage. I realized that it wasn't my day lung-wise and I would try and slow even further until my breathing would get more comfortable. I saw Kelly, Emily, Erica, Lauren and Lynton coming the other direction. 7:00/mile.
Miles 10 through 12: The course was quiet and I only got passed by a handful of runners as I slowed down to help my lungs "reset". I even stopped to walk at an aid station while I got some Gatorade. I was still clutching my mittens which I wanted to ditch somewhere in the lake. Anyway, the walk did me some good and helped me breathe a little easier. 7:28/mile.
Miles 13 and 13.22: I was actually staging a mini-comeback! I passed a couple of the runners that had passed me over the last few miles. It wasn't much, but I was able to at least salvage what could have been a disaster into something somewhat respectable. 6:57/mile.
I crossed the finish line and got my medal about 2 feet later!
Analysis:
Total Finishing Time: 1:32:08
Pace: 7:02/mile
Overall: 76/1,866
Age Group: 7/132
Well, I can either dwell on what could have been if I had had decent lungs for the race, but I'd rather dwell on the fact that I was able to retake control of the race over the final two miles. Some races all the pieces don't fall into place, so you have to look at the few positive things that happened. Pacing was an issue, and I probably could have broken 1:30, but it would have only happened with perfect pacing. The final outcome was neither a complete disaster nor completely awesome. I'm calling it a "happy medium"! Post Race: I picked up my gear, had the free Goose Island can and chatted briefly with Lynton, Kelly, Erica and Emily.
Conclusion: Hopefully I can take care of lung-related issues prior to my next race. Since this is an isolated race in the middle of the winter, I can use it as a learning experience for my next race, whichever one that is!
* Ran a course PR of 34:06
* Coldest race (0º windchill) I've ever run
* Finished 3rd in my age group (however, these are ONE year age groups)
* Best race after-party ever
Pre-Race:
I stayed at the Grand Geneva resort and spa in Wisconsin (where the race was held) and the patio off of my room was approximately 5 feet from the course. I had planned on just "training through" this race (i.e. no taper), so my legs would not be fresh going into it. The day before the race (Friday), I ran twice for 10 miles total (three miles outside, seven miles on the treadmill in the spa). Then the morning of the race (Saturday), I ran a 3 mile shakeout run on the course. My legs were pretty tired by early Saturday afternoon, so I decided that right before the race I would go back to the spa and swim some laps for about 45 minutes to loosen them up a bit. At about 2:00 pm I got out of the pool, took a shower, got dressed, pinned my bib on and ran over to the start line for the 2:30 pm start.
Race morning shakeout run on the 5 Mile "Snow Fun" course
The Race:
The race temp was 14º with a windchill of zero. Considering that the day before the race the windchill was -20º, it actually didn't feel too cold. My legs were tight from all of the running I had done over the previous two days, so I was just targeting about 7:00/miles, when normally I would try for something like 6:20/mile. I knew the footing would also be a problem, since the course was 90% unsalted, snowy roads.
Runners chilled beer on their patios
The course was out-and-back and the wind was to our backs on the way out, so I knew I needed to save a little in the tank for the return trip. It was hard to pass other runners as the only non-slippery (i.e. icy) part of the course were the two narrow "tire tracks" in the middle of the road which is where most runners hung out. Maybe if I were to do it again, I would start further up in the start corral, so I would not have had to spend so much time slipping and sliding in order to pass.
Anyway, the return trip was much harsher than the outbound trip as the wind was gusting in our faces. I heard one guy curse out loud at how he disliked the course, but his breathing was pretty heavy at mile three, so it was probably more appropriate for him to curse his too fast of a start. During the last mile there is a hill with (according to my Garmin) a 90 foot incline. I was able to pass a few people on the hill and then sprint down the other side of the hill to the finish area.
The downhill portion near the finish line
I turned the corner at the bottom of the hill, passed a couple more runners just before the finish line and I was done!
Finish Time: 34:06
Course PR (out of 2 races)
Splits: 6:54, 6:56, 6:55, 6:50, 6:35. Average Pace: 6:49
One year AG: 3rd out of 12 (top 25%)
Overall: 42nd out of 657 (top 6%)
Yes, my one year age group was competitive!
Post Race:
I walked the 100 yards from the finish line back over to my hotel patio to watch the finish of the race. The guy who was standing on the balcony above me was throwing cans beers down to runners wearing Bears jerseys. I also saw a bachelorette party run by and they were taking turns drinking out of a flask!
Standing on my patio, watchin' the race
I also saw Darth Vader run by, although sadly, he was not offered a beer:
Sad Darth Vader without beer running the "Snow Fun Run"
I also shot a video:
I started to get the chills, so I went inside and took a hot shower before I made my way to the post-race festivities. In the festival hall, there was the traditional table of schnapps which had several delicious varieties. Then it was on to the buffet table to stuff my face with Wisconsin brats, burgers and serve-yourself craft beer. I saw a few of Mo's friends from last year's race and I said "hi". Then I went over to the awards table in order claim what I thought would be my age group medal since the age groups were one year as opposed to the traditional five year. However, I had actually come in third place and the woman behind the table informed me that there was no medal for third place. I hung my head in shame and slowly, sulked away. My spirits were soon brightened, however, when I was able to view the legendary "Sausage Dance" relatively close to the stage. The dance was quite interesting, but it was sorely missing Sausage QueenErin and her dance moves. I also witnessed the "Hunk of Cheese" dance and drank a couple of beers. There was lots of revelry and the festivities went late into the evening until everyone moved the party to the pool and/or the nightclub at the resort.
This is one of those events that keeps people coming back year after year. It's basically a 40 minute race in the snow followed by and eight hour post-race party indoors. In any case, it's a great way to spend a wintry afternoon and evening!
I had this week off of work. So, what better thing was there to do than to attempt a weekly PDR?
Weekly PDRs are difficult to attain during work weeks when putting in lots of miles means early wake-ups, running a bunch of miles, working all day, then squeezing in a few more in the evening. However, being able to sleep in, then wake up and run relaxed paces without any deadlines makes loading up on miles easier and more enjoyable.
Anyway, my previous weekly PDR was just over 83 miles which I attained over seven days of marathon training last September. This is how this week's PDR broke down:
Sunday 12/28 Morning: 16 miles along the Lakefront Trail Sunday 12/28 Afternoon: 4 mile recovery
Tuesday 12/30 Morning: 12.4 miles along the Lakefront Trail
12.4 on Tuesday
Wednesday 12/31 Early Morning: 8.0 miles to Wrigley Field Wednesday 12/31 Late Morning: 5.0 mile recovery run to McDonald's Wednesday 12/31 Evening: 2.3 mile recovery run (breaking in new shoes)
Wrigley as backdrop to 13 on New Year's Eve
Thursday 1/1 Morning: 16 miles along the Lakefront Trail to Navy Pier
Happy New Year! 16 miles
Friday 1/2 Morning: 10 miles along the Lakefront Trail Friday 1/2 Afternoon: 2.6 mile recovery (breaking in another pair of shoes)
The geese and me on Friday for 12.6
Saturday 1/3: Rest
Weekly Total: 86.5 miles (previous PDR 83.2)
I could have actually squeezed in a few more miles today, but not wanting to be greedy (and not wanting to overdo it), I took the day off completely.
So how did I feel during the last few miles? Fantastic. In fact the last mile of my 10 miler Friday morning was run at 6:33/mile. I think if I am reasonable by not punishing my legs too much, and at the same time I build endurance, the whole running package comes together quite nicely.
I have a "bucket list" goal to run a 100 mile week, and I hope to get there someday - maybe even this year. However, it won't be anytime too soon. It's back to work next week, then I head up for the S-No-W Fun 5 mile race in Wisconsin. If there is enough snow, I'll do some cross country skiing there in addition to running. I also signed up for the F^3 Half Marathon in late January, and I will need to work a little on speed before that one. I'm not sure when I'll set another weekly PDR, but I'm looking forward to it, whenever it happens!
In my last post I coveredNot everything that happened to me running-wise in 2014 was a highlight. Trying to achieve some running goals in 2014 was a double edged sword: Sometimes I soared, and then sometimes I fell flat on my face. So, without further ado, here are my running lowlights of 2014: 5)2014 Ravenswood Run 5k (April) I was shooting for a sub 19:00 and wound up with a 19:29. Maybe it was the 25 mph wind gusts or the fact that I failed to hear Rahm Emanuel cheering me on?
4)2014 Michelob Ultra 13.1 Half Marathon (June) I won a free entry and had a great time post race, but I made the mistake of playing hard in two softball games about 36 hours before this race and my legs were shredded come race morning. This one was painful for most of the way. Slowest. Half. Of. The. Year.
Trying to eke out a "kick" en route to
my slowest half of 2014 (source)
3)Run for the Stars 5k (DNS) (June) 36 hours before this race, I was at yoga. I kicked a yoga block and stubbed my toe. Really bad. So badly that my toe turned black and I had to get it looked at by a PT. Since the 5k race was only 36 hours later, I had to take a DNS. Although I was only sidelined from running for four days, this $40 race took place during one of those four days. On a positive note, I will spare you a picture of my toe!
2)Chicago Marathon 2014 (October) I hesitate to include this in my lowlights list. However as in life, some lowlights can simultaneously be highlights. In the highlights column: It was my fastest Chicago Marathon and second fastest marathon ever. In the lowlights column: It was the most I had ever trained for a single race and then during the race, my legs proceeded to cramp three times over the last 6.2 miles and I came up a four whole minutes short of a PR.
Hoping my legs don't cramp again
over the last 100m of the race
Drumroll please....and now, my lowliest lowlight of 2014, goes to... 1)Injury (January and February) Not much to say here, but my wonky ankle prevented me from training for most of these two months. I did get one race in, but it was just for fun (and the schnapps). I had to scrap my plans for a spring marathon since I did not get back to a full week of running until March.
Honorable Mention: I signed up for (and paid) but did not start: St. Michael's Oktoberfest 5k (September)
2014 Lessons learned:
1) Don't kick things in yoga
2) Make sure you look or listen for the mayor cheering you on when you run by his house
3) Play softball before a race at your own risk
4) Train more before expecting to PR, or maybe don't expect a PR and it will happen
5) Don't get injured
Not too much happening on the running front, besides just plain old running. Ran 70 miles last week and I'm on track to do it again this week (if I don't eat and drink too much tonight). In other news I did not win the two running blogger giveaways for the F^3 Half Marathon, but I may sign up for it anyway, because what else do I have going on mid-January? Oh yeah, the "S-NO-W Fun Run" with the Wurst Running Club Ever on Jan. 10!
Well, maybe I'll just have to run both races.
Anyway, I went out for a 14 mile run today by the lake and it was cold and raining and I had a blast.
Slippery Trail this morning
Buddha heads
Not many people were out there, and those that were were pretty fast. I got dusted by a couple of runners, but I let them go. Must be the holiday spirit?
This was my second time running the Schaumburg Half Marathon, but the first time running it on the new course layout. I was excited to run my last half marathon for the season and see what I could do time-wise.
Goal: Since I had just raced the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 10k less than six days ago, my expectations for this race weren't too high. I did low mileage all week in order to try and recover from the 10k and despite that my legs were still slightly sore. I knew it was going to be a tad on the cold side for this one, so the extra layers plus the cold air might slow me down a little. So, my goal was to run a smart race (i.e. negative split) and see if I could flirt just under 1:30:00.
Getting To the Race: On Sunday morning, I drove on an almost empty Kennedy expressway and made it from my house to the parking lot in Rolling Meadows in under 30 minutes.
Pre-Race: After getting out of my car, I headed over to the yellow school buses (aka "shuttle buses") which would take us to the starting line. This was a point-to-point course so our checked bags would have to be shuttled back to the finish line.
Waiting for the bus
On the bus
The total time from the parking lot to the start line felt like it took about the same amount of time it took me to drive from Chicago to the parking lot. Oh well, I had plenty of time to spare so it was NBD.
I got my packet and made my way over to the bag check area. I spotted Zoe, and after twittering and blogging back-and-forth for a few months we finally met IRL.
Me and Zoe waiting for the race to start
Around that time, I realized I had lost one of my gloves, so I backtracked around to look for it. I did not find it, but I did find another lost glove on the ground and just assumed that the person who lost the one I found had found mine. So, the karma evened out, I hope! Zoe and I made our way over to the start corrals. It would not be a 2014 Chicago-area race if I did not see Lynton, and of course, there he was calling my name near the starting line! Seriously, I have seen Lynton at perhaps every single race this year (either spectating or racing). Unbelievable. Anyway, I met Mark H. and Adam stopped by and said hi as well So it was one big happy family. Lynton warned us all beforehand that the course had plenty of ice on it, so we would have to watch our footing.
Miles 1 through 3: Temps were comfortable considering it was in the 30s, perhaps it was the sunshine? Anyway all of the aforementioned people took off ahead of me and I settled into a nice groove somewhere above 7:00/mile. There were several ice patches which we had to navigate around. On the first big hill of the course I caught up to Zoe again and we ran together for about a mile and a half, chatting and chilling.7:04/mile.
Miles 4 through 6: After mile three, Zoe and I parted ways and I ran somewhat alone through scenic Busse woods, picking off runners here and there. There were a few hairpin turns which afforded me glimpses of Lynton and Adam as they were coming back towards me. I think we passed an Elk pasture. This picture shows kind of what the trail looked like:
The scenic Schaumburg Half course
Also we ran on a few hundred yard stretches of snow covered grass. 6:44/mile.
Miles 7 through 9: I was finally able to see the 1:30 pace group up ahead and thought it would be cool to catch up with them and then hang with them until the finish. I spotted Lauren's husband Mike, but he seemed to be running faster than the 1:30 group and breaking away from them. 6:38/mile.
Miles 10 through 12: I finally caught up with the 1:30 group and tucked in the middle of them. The pace leader asked if any of us were attempting half marathon PRs. One woman in the group said this was her first half marathon! A first timer was running smoothly in the 1:30 group. It took me years of 1:40s and 1:30s to finally break 1:30, so that was cool. Anyway, looking at my Garmin, I knew they were going a little faster than the 1:30 pace (6:52/mile) they needed. So when they finally slowed down to 6:52/mile, I thanked the pacer and took off ahead of the group. Some guy in the group shouted "smart race" to me, because he knew I had been playing it conservatively up until these last 3 miles. 6:37/mile.
Miles 13 and 13.22: I was basically on my own, just picking off runners willy-nilly. The final stretch was downhill, but it was on the snow-covered grass. I started shouting "the finish is on grass?" over and over. For some reason it ticked me off, but I am better now. I think I wanted a faster kick and was slowed down by the snowy grass. Oh well! 6:10/mile.
I crossed the finish line and got my medal about 2 feet later!
Analysis:
Overall: 35/1,620
Age Group: 7/110
Official finishing time was 1:28:47 for a new "Schaumburg Turkey Trot PR" by over a minute! My main goal of finishing sub-1:30 was accomplished. The course was icy, grassy and had lots of turns, so I'll take it. Post Race:
I picked up my gear and headed back to the finish line. I spotted Lynton who had just set a massive PR. I believe he keeps PRing in Schaumburg. I also spotted Erica fly through the finish line and she came by and said hi.
Me and Erica
I cheered on Zoe near the finish line, then chatted with Lynton and Mark before heading back to the car.
Me, Lynton and Mark
Once I got near the city my "check engine" light came on, so I dropped my car off (with smoke coming out under the hood) at the mechanic and walked/jogged about a mile until I found a cab home! Looks like I'll need a new $150 oil valve.
Conclusion:
Great sunny day, race PR, and another race where I got to see so many race friends!
Next Up: I might run the Jingle Bell 10k in December. If not it will be the epic "It's S-NO-W Fun Run" in January with the Wurst Running Club Ever!
