State Track

This past Friday and Saturday was state high school track and field weekend in Kansas. State qualifiers from every corner of the state come to Cessna Stadium in Wichita for the meet and the chance to compete against the best. It's two days of organized mayhem, though the meet is run with the precision of a Swiss watch by people who have done it for years.

We at the radio station in Clay Center covered high school sports year round, so we would pack up and head down Thursday afternoon. Covering state track was the final act of our high school sports year, and we treated it as such-- we'd load up on sodas and munchies and spend two days high up in the press box and cover the events and athletes. The time flew by during those two days, and I remember these times well-- they were a lot of fun.

It calls to mind my first state track story, in May 2003.

A booming thunderstorm woke me about 3:30 am Friday. Being unable to go back to sleep, I decided to go for a run at about 6 and still be back with time to get ready for the day. It was still cool outside, and obviously still wet, though the rain had stopped. I was still a neophyte, and thought I was doing well to crank out three miles, especially since I didn't know my way around too well.

It was later that afternoon when the full effect of that run came into play. I had managed to catch a cold and was pretty much useless the whole day. I sat near a heat vent on the lower level of our booth, since my nose didn't run when warm air blew on me. In addition, I hadn't slept well and I'd never covered this event and had no idea what was going on. Thankfully there were others who were there to help spot for us and check results as they were brought in. I spent most of the day running to the restroom to get more paper towels.

I want to say that things ended early that evening because of more weather, so we went back to the hotel. That is, I went back to the hotel, after stopping at a drug store for provisions. One bottle of Gatorade, two Pop Tarts and one Nyquil shot later, I was down for the count as my friends went for a burger.

A good night's sleep seemed to do the trick, as I was able to contribute and do my job better the next day.

More Miles

There really isn't a whole lot going on, training-wise. It's nice in a way, since there's no race, there's no sense of urgency. I run if I want to, but don't worry about it (much) if I don't. I've reached my overarching weight goal, so there really isn't much left right now.

Don't misunderstand-- I still need to get out the door 4-5 times a week, maybe crank out a little Wednesday tempo run and maybe a 7-8 miler on Saturday. However, life occasionally gets in the way and not all scheduled miles get run that week. My last five weeks have been 26-28-30-3 (that was hamstring and Mayor's Cup week)-26 and 15 last week. I'm at 15 so far this week with a weekend trip to Nashville this weekend.

This means I'll vary my pattern a little bit. I'll go for a fiver tomorrow (Thursday) before work and take Friday as a travel day before another five-miler in Nashville Saturday. I'll enjoy a short run in a different neighborhood, unlike the time we took a trip to Kansas City during half marathon training and I banged out 12 miles on a treadmill (it seemed like a good idea) one evening.

No races on the horizon-- just miles and miles. And that's just fine.

Back to the Grind

I'm back in the saddle following Saturday's success. I'm still happy with that run-- it was about as well as I could've run that day.

I've decided to stay in the mid to upper 20-mile neighborhood for a few more weeks and race in the monthly or so 5K. I don't really have a need to get above 30 weekly miles unless there's a half or a full marathon out there. 

Today's run started at 8:30 am, which is now too late, since the calendar now says May. Low 70s and humid at the start, 81 by the 9:30 finish. I did a six-miler, with four miles at 8:45. I did a nice job of holding my split times, but the heat and humidity and the baking sun really beat me down-- my heart rate got over 180 a few times. 

I ran today in my Pearl Izumi IsoShift, which I raced in Saturday, and my Experia running socks. This combination felt about as good on my feet as anything has recently. Really felt the cushion from the socks. I wonder about the tread on the Pearls-- 225 miles and the forefoot seems worn a little.

26 miles this week, then likely 27-28-29, then we'll see. 

Mayor's Cup PR!

Saturday's Mayor's Cup race turned out to be an excellent run.

As mentioned, I'd fully intended to not race this event and be OK with something in the 27-minute range. The weather was overcast, and temps were in the 60s, so it was a great day for a run. My legs felt rested (with a week's rest, they'd better) and I had no hamstring pain going in, so I felt pretty good.

Not wanting to race, I entered the corral a little toward the back and got caught up in midpacker traffic. Add that to the tighter course at the outset, and it cost me a little time-- 4:30 was my initial half-mile split. I don't really know at what point I chose to get after it, but I really felt good out there, and began to think I could come in under 23 minutes. My half-mile splits improved each time, with my last two miles clocking 7:38 and 7:19. I deliberately kept my Garmin set to my distance and pace setting-- no stopwatch.

So I would up red-lining it, going about as hard as I could. I never noticed my sore hammie. One nice thing about starting toward the back is passing lots of slower runners. It doesn't help when you decide that a good number is there for the having. My Garmin time said 24:18, official time was 24:38, which was good for 80th male finisher, 87th overall. 15 seconds better than the previous Mayor's Cup PR, and in the top 8% of all finishers.

These are all good numbers and I am happy with them, but now I know a little more about what I'm capable of. I'll need under 7:30 miles to break 23 minutes. Sounds like a goal worth shooting for.

Mayor's Cup, 2012

I'm laying low in advance of tomorrow's Mayor's Cup 5K race. I haven't run all week, so it's very likely to be a run for me, as opposed to a race. 

The course this year is different than last, but I still think it'll be pretty flat, so I'll remember last year's time of 24:53. The 5K PR of 23:08 is not within reach. It's the reality of the situation.

I'll  also remember the hamstring I tweaked at the end of last week's nine-mile run. It was feeling pretty good, but Tuesday I chased our chalkboard easel down the street while at work and felt a little twinge. Before the second twinge, I'd planned a Tuesday return. Then things got pushed back to where I couldn't justify a Thursday or Friday run in advance of the race. No sense in risking things.

So the plan for now is to run Saturday and see what the world looks like. Much like last year, I run at 8 and open the store at 9:30. 

Running

Yesterday I wrapped up my recent up week with a 30-mile effort, with 26 and 28-mile weeks leading in. The weather continues to cooperate, since it's been really nice during the days. It wasn't a true hill workout, but I  included a few hills on my most recent Wednesday run, which began at noon, after a morning of hitting golf balls at the driving range with a friend.

The long run yesterday was a nine-miler. I drove to another part of town for some new scenery, and got a good workout. Terrain was a little more challenging, traffic was about the same, in terms of amount I had to deal with, but there was also a nice long stretch of asphalt that ran parallel to the road.

I splurged on a new 22-ounce water bottle, with the hope of keeping my heart rate down (letting my body work less on keeping me cool), but it still climbs as I go, and doesn't seem to ever come back down. Still more to look at in that regard.

I also noticed a slight twinge in my left hamstring at about eight miles. It went away for the next half mile or so, then reappeared with less than a quarter mile to go. I shut it down immediately. The hammie feels better today, and will feel better after a second day of rest tomorrow.

This makes me wonder about my running-- I may have pushed things a bit too far. I took two weeks off after Birmingham, and two more weeks in March because of the pain in my foot. The foot feels fine, but the off and on nature of things, and some weight work Monday, plus a little more uphill work may have damaged things a bit. I don't worry about it yet. One day's rest helped a lot.

It's a lighter week of running, so the rest eliminates the chance of a double run Monday. The only item on the agenda is the Mayor's Cup 5K, for which I will represent the racing team. I'd hoped to put a great number on the board, possibly beating my 5K PR of 23:08, but obviously things have changed, at least for now. Runs of 5-5-5 this week, then we see how things feel ahead of the race.

Training

Two good weeks of running are in the books... 26 and 28-mile weeks. It's just been too nice outside not to run, and things have been effortless. Long runs have not gone past eight miles.

I'm back to running doubles, Mondays about 8:30 am and pm. I like it since it's a decent way to bump up mileage without adding an extra day. I stopped doing it a while back, since my foot was hurting. But with that pain manageable and mostly behind me, I've worked my way up. 3 in the morning and evening, then 3-4, and 4-4 last week. 5-4 is on tap for tomorrow (weather permitting), possibly making it up to 30 miles, though nothing serious is on the horizon.

I am down for my next 5K on Saturday, April 28. It's the sixth annual Mayor's Cup, which was run in August last year due to the tornado. I wonder if I can do something in the 22:00 window. 23:08 is the PR I'll be gunning for.