2009 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon

I'm a little slow in my updates, as almost a month ago (June 27th, 2009 to be exact) I ran my 2nd half-marathon of the year. My wife and I made it part of our vacation to the Pacific Northwest, and took part in the inagural Seattle Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. It was my first experience with one of the very popular "Rock 'n Roll" races, and although it was a little more expensive than I am used to with other races, it was well worth it. The expo was well put together. The shuttle buses from downtown to the starting line on race day were great, the starting area had everything I could need, the corrals were organized well, the fluid stations were numerous and very well staffed, and the finish area had more food than I could eat.

As for the race itself, I was a little overwhelmed by the masses of people (the event was sold out with 25,000 participants - most of which were doing the half, as I was). I was assigned to the 4th corral (based on my expected finish time of 1:45 when I registered), while my wife ended up way back in the mid 20s. So I managed to cross the starting line shortly after the actual race started, while my wife did not make it there until about a half hour later. Given the large number of people, the first few miles were very crowded. Despite the corrals, I managed to get stuck behind people that seemed way too slow to be starting that far up, and I had to make my way through them whenever possible, which was not easy. As a result, my time on the first few miles suffered.

Beyond that, the course was great. While there were plenty of hills as promised, it was not as bad as I had built it up to be in my mind beforehand. A lot of the run was pretty rural since we started south of Seattle in Tukwilla and made our way back to downtown and the finish line which was next to the football stadium. I managed to pick up my pace as the race went along, and after mile 10, I realized I had a chance to set a PR, which I had convinced myself before the race started was not going to be possible. So that made me run even faster, and I was feeling good. Well, as I neared the finish line, at about 12.9 miles, my calves started cramping since I was pushing to hard, and I had to slow my sprint and labor painfully to the finish. I couldn't remember my PR time, so I wasn't sure if I had beaten it or not. Later out, I found out I missed it by 3 seconds! But ultimately I was very happy because I did not expect to come even close to beating it since the hills I saw on the course elevation map had psyched me out before the race even started.

Here are my final results:

Chip time: 1:39:50
Overall place: 458 / 15,676
Gender place: 333 / 4,235
Division place: 57 / 754
Pace: 7:37/mile
5km time: 24:29
10km time: 48:18
9 mile time: 1:09:26

2009 Ohio City Run & Crawl 5K

Last night I did my only annual 5K run. It was the 4th annual Ohio City Run & Crawl 5K which I have run all four instances of. It starts just across from the West Side Market, in front of the Great Lakes Brewing Company, and loops around the Cleveland neighborhood of Ohio City before finishing up right where it started.

Yesterday, it was sunny with temperatures near 80 and humid, which were not ideal running conditions. The race started at 7pm, at which point it had not cooled down much from the heat of the day. The course is not the best, with a lots of twists and turns at the start followed, fortunately, by some longer stretches along city streets though many of the streets are kind of treacherous with potholes and the such. I hit the first 2 mile markers at right around a 6:45/mi pace, which is a little slower than I had hoped for, but my body was not up for taking it faster than that. I did manage to have a surge towards the finish, but a PR was not to be had this evening. I did manage to beat my time from last year, but not the PR I had set 2 years ago.

Afterward, the main sponsor, Bier Markt, had a $1 draft special for each runner's first drink. Kristy had a Brooklyn IPA and I settled for a Hoegaarden. We then went next door to Bar Cento and enjoyed a very tasty dinner and another round of beers. After we left, walking back to the car, the weather was perfect. Too bad we couldn't have run the race then.

Chip Time: 20:53.92
Overall Place: 29 / 444
Division Place (M30-39): 9 / 71
Pace: 7:36.6

2009 Cleveland Half-Marathon

Yes, I am in fact still running. After seemingly reaching a plateau over the past couple of years, I am finally starting to see a small bit of improvement. A few weeks back, on May 17th, I ran my first half-marathon in 2 years and beat my previous best time by just under a minute, finsihing in 1:39:47. Here are my full results:

Chip Time: 1:39:47
Overall Place: 286 / 4181
Gender Place: 226 / 1813
Division Place (M30-34): 38 / 307
Pace: 7:36.6
10K Split: 46:17

Not too bad. My goal was to get in under 1:40, which I did, barely. I was discouraged in the last mile when the 3:20 marathon pace group passed me, but I managed to have a good last mile and make it in just under.

As far as the course, I ran the full Cleveland Marathon back in 2008, and while I only did the half this time, I felt the course was better. The start area was much improved over last year when there were many turns through crowded areas. Also, the wind situation did seem to be better with running west away from the lake and east near the lake, though at times there was still a stiff headwind, especially near the end when approaching downtown on the Shoreway. The finish area was also improved. I think after last year's race I said I would not run it again, but now I would actually consider running the full marathon in Cleveland again.

My next plan is to likely run the Akron Marathon at the end of September. Depending on whether or not I take it easy and run with my wife (who is considering running this as her first marathon), I may then run either Detroit or Columbus three weeks after that.

Yes, I still run

Yes, despite my complete and utter lack of posts for the past year, I am still running. Yesterday was the perfect day for running with very unseasonable 60ish degree weather here in Northeast Ohio. It was ideal running weather, with the sun going down and a slight nip in the air. I also set out with a brand spanking new pair of shoes, a pair of Saucony Grid Cohesion NX cushioned shoes that I picked up for cheap, $39.99 on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods. Normally I try to get my shoes at one of the local running stores to support them, but I had a gift card and was really looking to save a few bucks for once.

So of course, the beginning of my run felt like I was running on pillows. The first run in new shoes is like being introduced to running all over again, especially when combined with the awesome weather. But halfway into my run (around 3.5 miles in), I realized I had ignored common sense and gone for a longish run with new shoes, and the inevitable new shoes blister was making an appearance on my left heel. At that point, I turned around, but I still had the whole way to go back. So the perfect run turned into the run from hell as my left heel felt not-so-great as I gritted out the run back.

In the end, 7.18 miles in 58:12, for an 8:06/mi pace. That pushed my running total for the year over 700 miles, but I'm ultimately going to end up well short of my 1,000 mile goal for the 2nd year in a row. But hey, next year will be attempt number three. Maybe three will be the charm.

Here are my new shoes:

Four miles & some weights

Today was what will hopefully be the first of a regular series of weight training workouts. I did a number of upper-body weight workouts today at the fitness center before hitting up the track for a 4 mile run, which left me extremely sweaty since it was in the upper 80s today, over 20 degrees above normal temperatures for this time of year. After that, I hit up the stationary bike for just over a half hour. So it was a good workout that hopefully won't leave me too sore.

Post-marathon run #1

Today was my first run since Saturday's marathon, and it went fairly well. I planned for a 5K, and managed to get through it, on the treadmill at the fitness center at work this afternoon. I felt various pains in unusual places, like the inside of my lower left ankle, and some pains in the right quad (which got tight near the end of the marathon). But nothing serious enough to make me cut the run short.

It was also my first real run in my new shoes, a pair of Saucony Progrid Trigon 5 Ride. I only know that because I'm looking at the box right now. I bought them about a month ago, but stuck with my old Brooks to get me through the marathon. This is my first pair of Sauconys, and I got them because they felt really soft, cushioned and light. Hopefully they hold up pretty well. I have a new pair a Brooks waiting for me courtesy of the Akron Marathon, so I'll have those as a backup in case these don't work out. I think it was my body still recovering today that caused the discomfort, and not the shoes. Or at least that's what I hope.

5 mile easy run

Today was the first run of what might end up being 16 weeks of marathon training. Well, actually, this would be the start of week 2 since the marathon, the Akron Marathon, is now 15 weeks away. I went onto Runner's World website and used their little training application to come up with a training routine, and today was my first attempt at following it. Since I'm planning to run a 10K this weekend, and thus would come up a few miles short of this week's long run, I added a couple miles to today's "easy run" to make it 5 miles instead of the 3 the schedule called for. I did manage to follow the 8:30 pace closely, as I set the treadmill to 8:27/mi and it came out very close. I didn't use my inhaler today but actually felt OK. It was my legs that were tired more than anything, even after taking yesterday off. Next run is Thursday.

Ohio City Run & Crawl 5K (new PR!)

Tonight was the 2nd annual Ohio City Run & Crawl 5K. It was my second go-around at this race, and my first 5K since last year's event, though this year I was very glad to be joined by my fiancee, Kristy, who was running the event for the first time. The weather was a bit warm, but not unbearable. There was a very nice turnout this year, with about 470 runners, compared to last year's 310. The course, which mostly winds around Ohio City, was a little different this year, but was still very comparable to last years.

The starting line, on Market Avenue right in front of the West Side Market, was pretty crowded since the street is narrow, so the first quarter mile was a lot of trying to run around people. After that, it was pretty sparse. I honestly don't think anyone passed me beyond the first half mile, which just about never happens to me, and I was able to slowly pick off a number of people during the 3.1 miles.

I hit the one mile mark at 6:30, and knew I had a good chance of beating last year's time if I could keep it up. I was huffing and puffing pretty hard the whole time though, and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to maintain my pace. It was very encouraging to see my friends, Josh and Amanda, helping to man the water stop halfway through.

Luckily I still had some gas in the tank near the end and was able to kick it into high gear for the last tenth of a mile, though I was almost taken out by another runner I was passing as he was cutting a corner very tight. But I got past and was able to sprint to the finish line to clock a time of 20:35, which is 40 seconds faster than my time from last year, which was my previous best for a 5K. Kristy meanwhile knocked a number of minutes off her previous 5K best, finishing much faster than she had anticipated. So we both came away happy with the race and our results.

Afterwards, we met back up with Josh and Amanda, who were our guides on the pub crawl portion of the event. First we hit up the Garage Bar, and continued to enjoy the nice weather on their outdoor patio. We then hit up the Old Angle Tavern for some really good food, and then capped off the evening at the ABC Tavern, where much fun was had playing their "bowling" machine (as pictured above). I never knew so much fun could still be had these days with only a quarter. I had some beginner's luck at first, but Josh turned out to be a pro. All in all it was a great night and made us wonder why we don't head up to Ohio City more often.

Time: 20:35.70
Pace: 6:42/mi
Overall: 46 of 470
Division (Male 20-29): 12 of 72

Weekly Total: 11.32 miles

4.2 mile warmup

A 4.19 mile warmup run on the treadmill after work on a Friday afternoon. Kept it light because I'm running a 5K tomorrow evening.

4 miler

A four mile run on treadmill at work.

8 mile long run

Today was a beautiful day here in Northeast Ohio, as I went out for a run around noon and the temperatures were in the low 70s and very sunny. I headed out to the towpath, for the first time in a while, and did an 8 mile run, heading north out of Brecksville.

It wasn't until I started running that I realized I forgot to use my inhaler, the results of which I noticed shortly afterwards, so I knew I was in for a hard run. Surprisingly, I finished the first mile in 7:52, but then there was a huge drop-off as the 2nd one took me 8:44, which is the pace I hovered around for most of the rest of the run.

Today was also the first time I used the new water bottle I bought. Since 8 miles isn't too crazy, I felt taking the Camelbak was a bit of an overkill, so I have a new 1 liter bottle with a zip-up cover that has a handle you wrap around your hand. I was worried it was going to be cumbersome, but it wasn't too hard to get used to running with. The only bad part about today's run (besides the lack of inhaler), was that everyone else (and their cousin) was out enjoying the nice weather, so the towpath was a little congested. I think I was passed by about 100 bikers today. But I suppose I should be happy that everyone is out enjoying nature and getting some good exercise.

Weekly Total: 17.44 miles

5 mile tempo

Since my new issue of "Runner's World" arrived this week, with an article stressing the importance of tempo runs, I've decided this is something I need to focus on more. So today, I went out and did one.

Started off with the first mile at a warmup-ish pace of 8:27, then put in 3.1 miles at a 7:30 pace, and then cooled down back at 8:27, with a slight pickup to 8:00 for the last quarter mile or so, because I was bored and wanted to get it over with. All in all, my iPod says I did 5.11 miles in 39:03, for an average pace of 7:38/mile. Not too shabby. I followed that up with a solid 35 minutes on the bike (30 @ good pace, 5 @ cool down) and finally a good set of stretches. Fridays after work are the best workouts because the fitness center is the least crowded it ever gets. Just us losers who have nothing better to do on a Friday evening. :)

Four miles to 500!

Today I went for a four mile run on the treadmill after work, and with that run I passed the 500 mile mark on my Nike+ iPod device, for which I got this little certificate to brag about. It only took me 82 runs since October of '06 to get this far (albeit missing a few runs, notably the Philadelphia Marathon & 2007 Hermes Cleveland 10 Miler).

As for the run itself, it went well. I started at a pace of about 7:53/mi, and kicked it up a notch each mile before constantly speeding it up over the fourth and final mile. I felt pretty good afterwards, though I was coughing a little bit later, but not as much as I have in the past. Skipped the bike today though. Figure I'll save that for another day.

A 10km run

Today I went for a 10km run around the indoor track at the community fitness center. Even though it was indoors, the track area is not air conditioned, but rather huge fans pump in (or pump out, I'm not exactly clear) air from the outside. It was in the upper 80s outside and extremely muggy which made for less than ideal running conditions. But I still managed to finish in a very respectable 49:01, for an average pace of 7:52 per mile. At the end, I think you could have rung out my shirt and filled a 2-liter bottle. I know, that's pretty gross.

Weekly Total: 15.09 miles

A 5k run and new mile PR

For today's treadmill run, I did a bit of a mock 5K race since I plan on running some in a few weeks. Obviously I didn't go all out, since it wasn't an actual race, but I wanted to get up near race pace. I managed to pull off a 22:07 time, which is 52 seconds off my actual 5K PR. But in the process, my Nike+ iPod informed me that I had set a new PR for the mile of 6:58. I know that's not the fastest mile I've ever run though (which probably was done in the 5K I set my PR in last year, but did not wear my iPod), but it was still nice to hear.

Since the run went by so fast, I hit up the bike and went for 30 minutes.