My Mizuno Running shoes

These are my good friends, my Mizuno Wave Rider running shoes.  They have already gotten me through a 10 miler and a Marathon...and I'm getting pretty close to that should have replaced a while ago period.  I never advocate someone running on shoes that are in need of replacing, but sometimes you have no choice and you keep on going until you find a way to get them replaced.  On the top, they look fine, a little dirty from the mud I've run through these past few weeks...but when you get to the bottom it's a whole different story.

Here you can see WHY they need replacing...that Gray part up top...is wear all the rubber has slowly come off my shoes, causing me to lose some much needed cushioning.  I promise I will replace them before I put to many more miles on them, hopefully by late April when I do either than 10 miler or by early June when I do the half marathon...

When I do kiss them good bye though, I will certainly miss the racing tags on these shoes, I keep them partly because I think it's a cool momento to keep on the shoes, but also in case anything happens to me they have my name and age on the shoe, running with some sort of ID is VERY important, we've had 2 runners in DC get hit while running and it can take some time for them to figure out who you are without some sort of ID....always carry one.

March 11th - Pacers Greenberry AM Run

Time: 42:29

Distance: 5.3
Pace: 8:01
Weather:  Nice and dry the entire course

Temp: 51

Time: 5:00 AM
Terrain: Pretty flat except at the the end

I was FINALLY able to run in shorts and a t-shirt for an AM run again, and it felt fantastic!  I ran with Ken again this morning, we talked most of the way and had someone in front of us that kept us at a pretty decent pace, even though we weren't running with her.  As a whole the run was uneventful, near the end as we were approaching the hilly finish I looked to Ken and asked if he thought we could catch the runner in front of us.  After thinking for a moment we decided we mine as well try so off we went on the uphill to try and catch Julia, I got her about half way up the hill and just kept on trucking past.  It then hit me like a freight train that their was still a flat portion left and I had used up most of my energy on that up hill, oops.

On a separate note, on Saturday morning Pacers is having their Four Court Four Miler race, and it ends on the double up hill from my old Thursday route, which I promise you will be pretty brutal for those not prepared.

I'm also planning on running tomorrow a nice and easy 4 miles with a friend at the Pentagon City store...I'll let you know if he bails on me!

I took pictures of my shoes this morning, to show how badly worn they are, I'll post them later today.

PACERS Running Tips - Hills

Let me make a confession, through all my training for 2 marathons I have never done a "hill workout" or a "track workout" not once, not never.  I've had the INTENTIONS to do one or the other but I have never committed a workout purely to hills, that I can think of.  Don't get me wrong, I run routes sometimes and will pick it purely because it is hilly in nature, such as my new favorite, Lake Barcroft loop.  Regardless, today Pacers newsletter had a side article about training on hills and figured it was a great article to pass on.  If you have not already, I strongly recommend going to the Pacers web-site and signing up for the newsletter here

Hill training and it's benefits

Hill training promotes the development of lower leg and quad strength; a good hill training session combines the benefits of weight training with the aerobic and anaerobic conditioning of running.  In addition, hill training strengthens you mentally; completing these tough workouts will help you deal with the physical discomfort of racing.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HILL TRAIN?

As a general rule, hill training is done once per week - done properly, these sessions are very demanding.

HOW LONG AND STEEP DOES THE HILL NEED TO BE?

Obviously the geography of where you live and train will dictate the type of hill you can train on; you've got to work with what you've got.  The ideal hill for a strength and stamina hill workout should take you about 90 seconds to climb.  The grade should be steep enough that you "feel the burn" in your legs over the last half or quarter of the hill repeat, yet not so steep that your normal running form is significantly compromised.

WHAT ABOUT INCORPORATING HILLS INTO MY EVERYDAY RUNS?

There is nothing wrong with running  up and down hills as part of your everyday runs. However, like almost anything else, you can overdo it.  You should avoid hilly terrain on your recovery runs.  Also, more than three days in a row on a hilly course is more than most runners can handle.

WHAT MODIFICATIONS TO MY RUNNING FORM DO I NEED TO MAKE?

Climbing hills requires a slightly modified running technique.  This involves shortening your normal stride, dropping your shoulders to ensure a lower arm carriage, and leaning slightly forward into the hill.  You should aim for a strong, steady and consistent pace throughout the hill rep.

Running downhill also requires some modifications.  Again, shortening the stride and leaning slightly forward is helpful.  For steep down hills, thinking about leaping from one foot to the other can be an effective way to quickly negotiate the hill.

March 9th - Pacers Greenberry AM Run

Time: 43:11

Distance: 5.3
Weather:  Nice and dry the entire course

Temp: 46

Time: 5:00 AM
Terrain: Pretty flat except at the the end

This morning I woke up bright and early to go on a 5 mile run with the Pacers group over in Greenberry.  It's easy to get up and head out for this run typically, because they have a lot of people show up and typically someone at my pace for me to run with.  This morning I ran with a guy Ken, we met a few weeks ago during a run and have become pretty good running partners since we both run at about the same pace and he doesn't mind a little talking along the run which is always good with me.

The weather was great for 5 AM, I left my house and it was about 40, by the time I got to Greenberry's it was already 46 and by the time I was heading home it hit about 53.

I didn't feel much fatigue along the run, although that uphill near the end always gets me.  I don't know if I could maintain the 8 minute pace for another 5-6 miles but I am hoping that soon, even with the baby coming, I'll be able to get some decent runs in to help me prepare for the half marathon I'm hoping to do in May.  (NOTE: I really don't EXPECT that I'll be able to train well for it, just wishful thinking)

Two additional thing I observed.
1) I desperately need new shoes again.  I have mastered wearing the shoe down until their is pretty much nothing left to provide cushion, hopefully I get a break in the next couple of weeks and find a fresh pair of shoes on my feet.  I'll take a picture of them tonight for a quick post.

2) By looking at my last run at Greenberry I cut my time since last time by a full minute and I remember last time I felt extremely fatigued at the end, I think I'm slowly getting my conditioning back!

Lake Barcroft Long Run - March 7, 2010

Time: 1:28:57

Distance: 9.8

Pace: 9:04

Weather: Warm and Sunny

Temp:57

Time:1 :22 PM

Terrain: Rolling hills.

Today I took advantage of the GORGEOUS weather and went out on a long run.  I haven't run in a week because of a combination of doctors appointments and getting a cold.  I did the loop around Lake Barcroft, the lake around my house.  By going into the side streets I make the run over 9 miles and add quite a bit of elevation, though the elevation chart certainly does not do this route justice because trust me it's brutal.

The run started off really well with some small ups and downs for about the first 4 miles.  Right after mile 4 theirs a pretty big hill (note not seen in the elevation chart AT ALL) after that it subsides a bit and it's pretty flat until you get onto Sleep Hollow Road for a short spot.  When I got here their was another guy running on the opposite side of the road and I felt it necessary to make sure he knew I was faster, even though it totally wore me out going up the hill faster than I needed to.  I then headed back into the lake community where it got really hilly, to the point I feel like the hills were just taunting me.  I would see a downhill and actually start to dread it, because I knew that at the end of that I would need to eventually go back up.

After I got back on Columbia Pike I did my best to pick up the pace a bit and I turned down a side road to finish off my run in a sprint...or something that tried to appear that way because I was beat!

Today I also tried out cytomax for the first time, it was recommended to me as a better alternative than Gatorade.  It tasted better, not sure how much more it helped, I definitely did the route faster than last time so maybe I had a little more spring in my step.  I look forward to testing it out more when I get quality runs in and get back into better conditioning, then I'll really know if it's adding to my runs.

SWPL - Marathons

For Christmas my sister-in-law and her fiance gave me a calendar entitled 'Stuff White People Like.'  Now typically I am not that person that REALLY likes the message a day type calendars, as usually by January 15th or so I've completely lost interest in it, but this calendar is different.  It's legitimately funny and I can usually find someone to relate each days item to, today it defined me as the item of the day was Marathons.  I have posted the full piece from their web-site, hopefully you can relate too.  I have emphasized the parts most relevant to me.

Marathons

In life, there are certain milestones of physical activity that can define you.  A sub 5 second 40 yard dash, a 40 inch vertical leap and so forth.  To a white person, the absolute pinnacle of fitness is to run a marathon.  Not to win, just to run.

White people will train for months, telling everyone who will listen about how they get up early in the morning, they run when it rains, how it makes them feels so great and gives them energy.

When they finish the marathon, they will generally take a photo of themselves in a pair of New Balance sneakers, running shorts, and their marathon number with both hands over their head in triumph (seriously, look it up, this is universal).

They will then set goals like running in the Boston Marathon or the New York Marathon.

If you find yourself in a situation where a white person is talking about a marathon, you must be impressed or you will lose favor with them immediately.  Running for a certain length of time on a specific day is a very important thing to a white person and should not be demeaned.

Also worth nothing, more competitive white people prefer triathlons because Kenyans can’t afford $10,000 specialty bicycles.  If the subject ever comes up, just say that triathletes are in better shape than football and basketball players.  It’s not true, but it will make the conversation a lot more genial.

Happy Friday!

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