Amber and I just finished another race over the weekend and we're halfway through the month of October. Time continues to fly by. This has been a very busy running month. The month began with the Soroptimist 10K and Amber and I ran 3 miles to the starting line from our house. Amber was awesome enough to let me run the race while she hung with the kids. After the 10K, we all ran back home another 3 miles. I ended up getting a 12 mile day in and Amber got 6. I think we both enjoyed the day and thankfully it was sunny.
On October the 17th, Amber ran the Humboldt Marathon-5K and I ran the Humboldt Half Marathon. We both ran these races last year and we both got a PR for the course. I bettered my time by 1 minute and Amber by 1 minute plus. She wasn't sure if she was going to run and she may have fractured her thumb the night before, but still gutted it out and ran. I was really proud of her, even though she had a side stitch the entire race she never stopped. I felt great most of the race and hit 10 miles in a time of 58 minutes and 10 seconds. I really felt like I would be able to PR, but hit the wall the last 3 miles. Oh well, I'm happy with how I did and can't wait until next year to do another one.
At the end of the month there are back to back runs on the 30th and 31st. I'm not sure if we'll run both, but it looks like the Ridge Trail run will be a for sure. The Monster Dash 5k also sounds like a lot of fun though. We'll see how everything goes and now it looks like I'm shifting gears from half marathon's to 5k's. It should be interesting!!!
Go wild and enjoy running!!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Half Marathon!!!
Well, we survived. Amber and I are still sore, but on the mend. What a great half marathon it was. Amber and I both ran the Hammond Half Marathon on Saturday morning, August the 14th. We awoke to a misty morning. The fog hung low and there was absolutely no wind. It was the perfect morning for a half marathon.....
It was Amber's first half and my 3rd. Both of us were unsure of how it was going to all turn out. Amber had never done one before and has been nagged by sore knees on most of her long runs. Although I've done two other half marathons, I've never done one on such low mileage weeks. My highest mileage week was 2 weeks ago when I logged 38 miles total. Before my last half I had a high week of just over 50 miles. Amber had a borrowed GPS watch, her iPod ,and tons of spirit. I had my Brooks jersey, 2 pairs of socks on, and great competition in a young local that showed up to run his first half marathon.
Amber wanted to run it under 2 hours, but also didn't want to go out too fast so she paced herself well throughout. I wanted to get a PR, but wasn't sure if I had it in me. Amber ended up running a 1:59.23 and I ended up running a 1:16.51. We both achieved the goals we had set out to do. She broke 2 hours(without injury) and I got a sweet PR. Although I ended up getting 2nd place(by 30 seconds) I feel like I really accomplished something. Once the soreness wears off maybe I'll see if Amber would ever do another one. I think she's got it in her to be a great long distance runner. I guess only time will tell.
Go wild and enjoy running!!
It was Amber's first half and my 3rd. Both of us were unsure of how it was going to all turn out. Amber had never done one before and has been nagged by sore knees on most of her long runs. Although I've done two other half marathons, I've never done one on such low mileage weeks. My highest mileage week was 2 weeks ago when I logged 38 miles total. Before my last half I had a high week of just over 50 miles. Amber had a borrowed GPS watch, her iPod ,and tons of spirit. I had my Brooks jersey, 2 pairs of socks on, and great competition in a young local that showed up to run his first half marathon.
Amber wanted to run it under 2 hours, but also didn't want to go out too fast so she paced herself well throughout. I wanted to get a PR, but wasn't sure if I had it in me. Amber ended up running a 1:59.23 and I ended up running a 1:16.51. We both achieved the goals we had set out to do. She broke 2 hours(without injury) and I got a sweet PR. Although I ended up getting 2nd place(by 30 seconds) I feel like I really accomplished something. Once the soreness wears off maybe I'll see if Amber would ever do another one. I think she's got it in her to be a great long distance runner. I guess only time will tell.
Go wild and enjoy running!!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Training partner
It's so great to have a training partner. Someone to talk to on those long runs, cheer on at races, support when there's been an injury, and celebrate all that is running with. It's awesome to find someone that can be as into running as you and not be embarrassed about it. Comparing splits off your Garmin's after a great workout or discussing racing philosophies over a cold beer is always fun. Often this training partner can turn into more then just a training partner, but can also become a great friend. A training partner like this is a valuable commodity and definitely someone that is hard to replace. I really appreciate having my training partner and if you have a great one too congratulations!!
Go wild and enjoy running!!
Go wild and enjoy running!!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Clam Beach 5K Challenge
I know I just posted, but I'm feeling great after a wonderful weekend. My wife and I ran a 3 mile warmup with a fellow Windy Wednesday member to the start of a 5k yesterday. After completing the run, we jogged back home finishing up with 9 miles that day. What an awesome workout. My wife and I then took the kids kayaking for a couple of hours in one of our local lagoons. Probably not the best idea, but it was definitely a full day of physical activity. I slept very, very well last night!! I almost forgot to mention that my feet feel better today then they have in 3 weeks. I'm so happy to be running pain free again. I hope it continues!
Next up is a half marathon on August the 15th. We hope to get 2 long runs under our belts in the next 2 weeks. One run will be 8.5 miles and another that will be 10 miles. I still don't think I'm ready for a fast half marathon, but we'll soon find out!!!
Go wild and enjoy running!!!
Next up is a half marathon on August the 15th. We hope to get 2 long runs under our belts in the next 2 weeks. One run will be 8.5 miles and another that will be 10 miles. I still don't think I'm ready for a fast half marathon, but we'll soon find out!!!
Go wild and enjoy running!!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Summertime fun in the sun!!
Well, it sure has been a while since I got a post on here. A lot has been going on the last several months. Amber and I are still running and racing. We've both gotten a couple PR's in the last couple of months too.
An exciting thing for me happened about a month ago when I was accepted into the Brooks ID program. I now get to wear their gear, which I already proudly wore because they make such awesome products, but I also get a pro-discount on all the merchandise at the Brooks website. This is dangerous for me, but I've behaved myself for the most part. I also have a sense of being part of the Brooks running community with a racing series that is posted online. Every member (some 818 members are in the racing series) enter their racing times and then an age grade or VDOT(V02 max index for runners) scores your performances for the year and then compares them to everyone else. It's an age/graded, gender based scoring to help compare apples to apples. Needless to say, it really helps to keep me going and establishing PR's. Today I'm 52nd out of the 818 runners posting races on there. There are some really amazing athletes that are part of the Brooks ID program and I've enjoyed reading posts in the forums, people's bios and member blogs.
As for PR's, I've been hurting as of late with achillies tendonitis problems and some plantar fascia issues have arisen too. Each foot has an issue. It's limited my miles some, but I'm still getting out at least 4 times a week to run even if it only means 20-30 miles of training per week. A running buddy of mine has also experienced some ankle issues which he thinks might be a stress fracture. We both love running so much that we just want to keep running through the pain, but I think we both realize that sometimes you can't do that and you have to give your body time to rest.
Windy Wednesday's running club still meets every Wednesday evening after work. We've been running on the track and have been doing 800 and 400 meter repeats. Barefoot strides in the infield are sure to follow the track workout. It's been awesome getting back out on the track some, even if I'm not out there flying around the oval like I used to. I've really enjoyed running with my wife and friends as a group. We have so much fun running this way and everyone is improving.
Lots of great runs coming up too. A club run 5k this weekend followed by a half marathon that my Windy Wednesday running partners might do. I haven't been logging the miles that I need to be doing in order to do a sub 1:18 half marathon, but I'll put in a couple 8-10 mile tempo runs and should be ready to go on August 15th. It's sure to be a real gut buster. I hope to keep on training, improving, and having a blast out there.
Go wild and enjoy running!!!
An exciting thing for me happened about a month ago when I was accepted into the Brooks ID program. I now get to wear their gear, which I already proudly wore because they make such awesome products, but I also get a pro-discount on all the merchandise at the Brooks website. This is dangerous for me, but I've behaved myself for the most part. I also have a sense of being part of the Brooks running community with a racing series that is posted online. Every member (some 818 members are in the racing series) enter their racing times and then an age grade or VDOT(V02 max index for runners) scores your performances for the year and then compares them to everyone else. It's an age/graded, gender based scoring to help compare apples to apples. Needless to say, it really helps to keep me going and establishing PR's. Today I'm 52nd out of the 818 runners posting races on there. There are some really amazing athletes that are part of the Brooks ID program and I've enjoyed reading posts in the forums, people's bios and member blogs.
As for PR's, I've been hurting as of late with achillies tendonitis problems and some plantar fascia issues have arisen too. Each foot has an issue. It's limited my miles some, but I'm still getting out at least 4 times a week to run even if it only means 20-30 miles of training per week. A running buddy of mine has also experienced some ankle issues which he thinks might be a stress fracture. We both love running so much that we just want to keep running through the pain, but I think we both realize that sometimes you can't do that and you have to give your body time to rest.
Windy Wednesday's running club still meets every Wednesday evening after work. We've been running on the track and have been doing 800 and 400 meter repeats. Barefoot strides in the infield are sure to follow the track workout. It's been awesome getting back out on the track some, even if I'm not out there flying around the oval like I used to. I've really enjoyed running with my wife and friends as a group. We have so much fun running this way and everyone is improving.
Lots of great runs coming up too. A club run 5k this weekend followed by a half marathon that my Windy Wednesday running partners might do. I haven't been logging the miles that I need to be doing in order to do a sub 1:18 half marathon, but I'll put in a couple 8-10 mile tempo runs and should be ready to go on August 15th. It's sure to be a real gut buster. I hope to keep on training, improving, and having a blast out there.
Go wild and enjoy running!!!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Running in the rain
Well, here it is February and I haven't posted anything since November. Since the Turkey Trot there have been two runs. The Patrick's Point run in late January and the Clam Beach Run, which was just last weekend. Both runs led to myself getting a 1 minute personal record(PR) in the 10K and Amber crushed her previous best 5k time by over two minutes.
Next we did the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run. This one was special to both Amber and I because it signalled the beginning of racing a year ago. People in our neighborhood started training for it last year and it was an opportunity for me to try and run as well. Little did we know that once we started running it was going to be hard to stop. I actually remember having a conversation with Amber after an evening run when I told her that I felt like I was made to run. I think she just chuckled and thought I was crazy, but now maybe even she thinks she was made to run too!!! Windy Wednesdays is still active. It's always nice to get together on Wednesdays.
There are plenty of springtime races coming up, Foggy Bottoms, The AVE, and many club races. Here's to many more PR's!
Go wild and enjoy running!!!
Next we did the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run. This one was special to both Amber and I because it signalled the beginning of racing a year ago. People in our neighborhood started training for it last year and it was an opportunity for me to try and run as well. Little did we know that once we started running it was going to be hard to stop. I actually remember having a conversation with Amber after an evening run when I told her that I felt like I was made to run. I think she just chuckled and thought I was crazy, but now maybe even she thinks she was made to run too!!! Windy Wednesdays is still active. It's always nice to get together on Wednesdays.
There are plenty of springtime races coming up, Foggy Bottoms, The AVE, and many club races. Here's to many more PR's!
Go wild and enjoy running!!!
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