Minnetonka 8k

Well... I'm still waiting for the official results, but I had a time of 37:26 on my Garmin for my 8k, which puts me under my goal of 37:30.  I did not check out the course beforehand, so I did not know what to expect.  The description said rolling hills, but I had no idea they meant you were either ascending or descending the entire time.  To be honest, when I hit the halfway point, I didn't think there was any possible way I would get under 37:30.  The hills weren't very steep, but they were endless and they really sapped the energy out of me.  It also didn't help that I went out with the second group and did the first mile in about 7:10.  I should know better, but I'm still relatively inexperienced when it comes to racing so the adrenaline makes me think I can go faster than I really can.

If anyone wants to read it, I might post a more detailed description of the race once the official results come in.  In the meantime, here is the gps data.

P.S.  I don't care what it says for elevation, there was more than 80 ft of elevation change.

Does anyone else...

...feel the need to run faster than other runners, even on an easy jog?  Yesterday I was on an easy run, not wanting to do too much because I want to do 8-10 miles at a fast pace tomorrow, but I turned a corner and the was another runner about 50 feet ahead of me.  I tried to tell myself to just take it easy; she was a running a bit faster than I was, no big deal.  Then she looked back to judge my speed, and I couldn't take it.  I increased my speed, subconsciously at first, unaware of what I was doing.  I looked down at my Garmin, saw the increase in pace, and decided "what the hell."  I quit fighting it and pressed forward.  I didn't bother looking at my pace again; I figured I was going about 30 seconds per mile faster than my normal easy pace.  She looked over her shoulder again and I had closed the distance by about half.  If I'm not mistaken, she sped up at this point as well.  I caught up and passed her, and as I did, I looked down at my watch.  It said I was running at a 7:30 pace.  Again, this is not what I had intended.  I was feeling good and fresh but I had already reached my quota for that fast of running for the week, and was planning for more on Saturday, and I really didn't want to overdo it.  At the same time, just because I was past her didn't mean I could slow down.

As I neared my next turn, I hoped that she would take a different route.  I turned the corner, and I swear I heard her footsteps follow me.  Darn.  For whatever reason, I don't like to look back over my shoulder, so I waited for another turn to look for confirmation.  Just because I made it a competition in my own head didn't mean I wanted anyone else to know.  I came up on a road where I had to stop for a moment for traffic.  It was the perfect opportunity to look back.  I do, as nonchalantly as I could muster, and there was nobody there.  From there, I resumed my original intended pace and continued on.  2 miles later, I met another runner, and you know how it goes from there.

Longer Tempo Run

As promised, I set out to do 4 miles at my Tempo pace, adding 1 mile to my amount from last week.  I'm happy to report that I was successful.  After my mile warmup, I ran 4 miles in 30:32 which gives an average pace of about 7:38.  If I were to keep that up for another .97 miles, that would give me a 37:56 8k, which is right about at my goal.  I now have no doubt in my mind that I can accomplish my goal of 38:00, and might even be closer to 37:30.  I'm especially optimistic considering this came 2 days after running 15 miles.  It was by no means a walk in the park, and I was damn near tapped at the end, but with more rest beforehand and 3 more weeks of training left, I feel pretty good about where I'm at.  I'm excited to blow away my previous 8k time of 44:32.

Workout Details

All said and done, today I ran 6.4 miles in 56:55.  I walked for 4 minutes after the fast 4 miles, and then I tried to jog the rest of the way home but was bothered by a pretty bad side-ache for the rest of the way home.  I tried walking until it went away, but it would come back within 30 seconds of jogging.  Oh well, I got the important part of the workout done before that affected me, so I can't complain.

Minneapolis Half Marathon

Yesterday, I tagged along with my friends Ben and Mim on their half-marathon.  I had tried to register, but it was full, so I ran along with them and just didn't get a medal or a shirt for my troubles.  It was supposed to thunderstorm, but it ended up being a sunny day, with rain clouds making a brief appearance off in the distance.  It was pleasant running without worrying about my time.  I've entered races before where I was "just admiring the scenery" or "running with friends," but the second that gun goes off, moderation is out of the question.  This time, not having a chip time to worry about, I was able to relax and enjoy the run; not that I don't enjoy racing, but it's a different kind of enjoyment.  I wouldn't say racing is fun, but it's extremely rewarding, whereas yesterday was actually fun.  I did feel a little weird not having a race number, and that will probably be the only time I do that.  It feels a bit too much like stealing.  Then again, 100 bucks for a half-marathon is robbery as well.

Workout Details

You can see in the workout details that the distance is actually 15 miles.  I was feeling pretty good after 12 miles at a relaxed pace, so I broke off from the race and ran 3 miles on my own and met back up with them at the finish line.  You'll also notice that the 2nd mile was quicker than the rest.  That was because about a mile into the race, I realized I really had to pee.  I didn't want to hold Ben and Mim up, so they went on ahead and I had to play catchup.  It was worth it though; I was far more relaxed afterward.  I ended up with 15 miles in about 2 hours and 30 minutes, but the goal of this workout wasn't speed, so I'm very happy.  It was about spending time with friends and about getting some mileage in.  If anything, keeping my pace a bit slower was very beneficial.  I was able to get 15 miles in without putting undue impact on my legs.

One thing that was pretty cool was that this was an out and back race. It's the first time I've run a race like that, and while normally I prefer circuits, it was fun to watch the race leader fly by with a police motorcycle in front of him.  I overheard that he finished in 1:14, but I haven't bothered to double check.  It was kind of fun being able to cheer the leaders on as they went by.  The leading woman also got a bunch of cheers, especially from the ladies, as she went by.  All in all, it's a race I will consider actually entering next year, though my primary race for June will be Grandma's.

Good Tempo Run

Workout Details

Today, I planned to try the same workout I attempted last week.  When I set out, I immediately thought it was going to be a bad run.  Running at my easy pace seemed a little more difficult than normal, and I realized I had to pee about 5 minutes into the run; not a good way to start.  I continued anyway, hoping it would get better as I went along, and it certainly did improve.

I did my mile warmup, and followed it by 3 miles at my tempo pace.  I had aimed for 7:45-7:50, and I was able to hit that goal with every mile.  I posted times of 7:47, 7:45, and 7:36 for the splits.  I think I could have gone further, but since I'm still getting used to speed work again, I didn't want to push my luck and end up hurting myself.  I think next week I'll try to do 4 miles, and then 5 miles the week after that.  I have an 8k coming up on the 26th, so it would be nice to have a 5 mile run at close to race pace for mental and physical fitness.

I plugged my December 5k time into a race predictor, and it gave me a time of under 37:14 for an 8k, so I'm going to set a goal of 38 minutes for it.  I think I'll just run easy on Thursday this week, run long on Saturday, recovery on Sunday, Tempo on Tuesday, and then throw in some intervals next Thursday for some anaerobic work in the weeks before the race week.