Random Inspirational Quote

AM TM at gym - 3mi. alt MP/HMP (MP = 9.5 mph / HMP = 10mph).  Stretching, core, and foam rolling afterward.  Legs feel good - got a little in the red on the last bit of HMP.

5mi. total - 34:30

AM: TM gym easy 30 min. - 3.75 mi.

PM: TM gym - easy 30 min. - 3.25 mi.

AM Series 5k Race in Seymour.  Chili this morning and rain spitting on the windshield as I was leaving the house - almost kept me at home.  Had to text Nathan to confirm his attendance to convince myself to go :)

Not raining in Seymour fortunately, but, much cooler than it has been.  Windy also (hurricane weather making its way in land).  A great turnout (about 400), including a couple of younger guys and the local guy who wins every year toeing the line.  A young guy, the usual winner, and a funny older gentlemen going for a 1 mile PR apparently, shot off as the gun went off.  Older guy and younger guy fell back before one mile mark, but, the winner (Ryan) continued to pull away.  To my surprise, I never started reeling him in as in previous years.  He wound up running 16:4x and a huge PR for him.  

A decent showing for me: Mile 1 could've been a little more controlled, but, 5:29, and then a 5:49 for mile 2 evened me back out.  I recovered with a 5:39 last mile and 0:50 for the partial.  17:46 - 5k a week after a draining effort in another failed marathon - I'll take it.

AM Long run - warmed up quickly.  Grandview Loop was nice today. Legs are feeling very fresh after 2 low mileage weeks. Drained a handheld and ate 3 gels (left house with an almost empty stomach). 2 bathroom stops and zero cars on the Grandview Loop.  19miles - 2:27

Strength stuff in the early evening after a visit to the pumpkin patch with the kids - squats, planks, lunges, etc.  Maybe 15 min.

PM - spent $70 on lights and new tire/tube for bike.  Obligated to ride it, now.

5.2 miles around the neighborhood at a very easy pace right before bed time.

Lunch - easy jog over to gym WU, rowing, Planks, lunges, PUs for about 15 minutes, and easy jog back to office.  2mi. - 17:20

PM rt. before bedtime - 5mi. bike - about 20min.

AM before work: no breakfast andfeeling like trash this morning.  Started to jog on TM and pulled the plug.  stretching and loosening up and then on to elliptical for 10 minutes.  about 15 min. more of stretching.  Another easy week with light workout today or tomorrow in preperation for Chicago on Sunday. 

PM: Track Tues Abbreviated: 2x200 @ 1mi., 2x400 @ 5k, 800 @ 10k, 2x2:00 @ 5k, 2x200 @ 1mi.

Got the legs moving and heart rate up in the 80 deg. heat.  Looks like another warm day on Sunday... :(

easy 3.3 miles PM - 30 min.

Easy 6.6 miles over to tire place to pick up car. Nice weather at 9:30 am. 

PM - stroller push after dinner.  Jude and I enjying the sunset. - 3.4 miles around the hood

Lunch run - easy 3.4 miles - 30 minutes.  Loops around a grassy field

Off - lots of driving and walking/transportation in Chicago.  Expo/packet pickup, dinner and then back to hotel.

Chicago is a big fun city and I enjoyed spending a couple of busy days with Nathan's family experiencing it together.  I drove up Saturday and met them out our hotel close to Midway and hopped the train to go downtown for expo/packet pickup.  It was a solid 1 hour ride downtown.  We saw a bunch of the sites when we got off at the wrong stop.  Soldier Field is very cool.  Lots of decent pictures.  The expo was crazy and fun and we went through fairly quickly to get back and off our feet.

Race morning we left around 5am to give us plenty of time for transit.  We met some cool new folks in our travels and missed our stop at Roosevelt when the doors shut very quickly.  Got down there in plenty of time for me to take about 4 bathroom breaks... more on that.

Sat around a bit shivering and made our way next to A corral.  I jogged for about 5 minutes and we made our way in to the corral around 7:10.  Cool to see the Amer.DevPrgm elites getting loaded into the elite corral and here the elite-elites announced.  A seemingly decent morning weather-wise. About 55 degrees and a bit windy.  Away we went - I seemed to be in about the correct place as we started clicking off 6:15-6:20 pace.  Feeling decent and into a good group with not too many annoying chatty folks.

My troubles start at about 8 miles and get worse.  Energy levels plummet and shortness of breath.  A comparison of splits between timing mats and GPS data are a bit conflicting:

GPS:

Another epic fail.   :)

So, the answer to why I have been crushing everything else up to half marathon in races and doing pretty well in long runs in training, yet, can't put together a good marathon? 

A random acquantaince through the QuaffON! group stuff clued me in to a little thing I have heard thrown around and never really paid much attention to:  iron deficiency.  I literally randomly bumped into her today as we were exiting the 27th mile party at Grant Park.  Of course, I went straight to whining/complaining about low energy/shortness of breath, and hating gels when she asked about my race... SO I read up on it online (so now I'm an expert, right? )  - lots of coffee and bathroom stops race morning and lots of coffee in the regular diet during training.  Shortness of breath, dizziness at times during and after the race, and low energy level for seemingly no reason.  I mean, come on! Mile 8? After a good training buildup, proper taper and PR at every distance this summer?  Some other factors to consider:  I have gone vegan, cut out eating Total cereal religiously every morning (100% DV of iron), and drink lots of coffee all the time (like 3 cups a day).  It all adds up it seems.

Got my free beers out of the deal, at least.  I admit, after 4 months of not drinking and being dehydrated, the Goose Island IPA tasted like piss. :)  So now, it looks like I no longer consume caffeine, either.

Off work today for Columbus Day.  Off running today also.  Nice to sleep in and take it easy.

OFF

Lunch run - easy 3 miles.  Legs feel decent.

PM after bed - 3 miles easy - 26 min.  Lower caffeine in-take has me cranky.

AM before work - TM at gym - easy 30 minutes - 3.6mi. 

Lunch easy jog with co-worker - 22 minutes for 2 miles

AM TM easy run - 30 min. w/ hill sstrides - 3.7 miles

Lunch run with Karlei and Greg - 2miles easy

AM Marathon up near Indy, Fort Ben  - about an hour drive from the house.  This is a good race - scenic course, well run, nice course set up with water stops, etc. that is being taken over by the competing company owner of the Indy Monumental Mar., I think.  The full marathon is going away next year, and will be a half marathon and 5k only.  Found somebody selling their bib cheap, to boot.  So, really didn't want to miss out. So, 6 days after Chicago, I am running another marathon :)

Went in with a conservative mindset, and with a plan to test out a nutrition plan only drinking sports drink.  Its a pretty hilly course, and I planned on taking the climbing portions extra conservatively, also.  Aside from the bathroom break at mile 11, the nutrition and gut issues went pretty well, but, were likely due to much cooler conditions (37-45 degrees).   

I was surprised to find that the sports drink kept me enrgetic, and full (enough) feeling.  Don't know if the bathroom break was avoidable.  I really crashed hard in the last 10k, but, I'm chalking that one up to the recent marathon.

Splits

Almost toughed out the sub 3 hour again... :)  On to the next one.  IMM on Nov. 7.  Hopefully, I can just keep on going... seems to have worked well so far... (JK) 

Off - In some pain - Mostly Quads.

Lifted "weights" - Bench 5x5reps at 95 lbs, 3xpullups (assisted), 2x3:00 row, core (planks), 3xpull (back machine)

about 30 minutes total.

2 mi. elliptical WU, 2mi. on TM.

AM - TM run at gym before work: 6 mi. w/ 3 mi. progressive.  Ended up at about MP. 6mi. - 47:05

PM - TM lunch workout: jog over to gym 1mi., and hopped on TM for : 5x3:00 hills - 6%@8mph.  Jogged back to work.

I'm feeling pretty good.  Time to put in a couple of good weeks.

AM TM run at gym - Walked half a mile to WU.  My legs were very tight and a little sore.  5 miles - 43:13.  4 Sets of Squats and lunges afterward.  Heavy Squat was painful.

Lunch Workout - run over to gym, 3.2 miles on TM - easy pace.  Core work for 10 minutes, jog back to work.  5mi. total

WU w/ some walking and then running on TM. 30 minutes of Random strength circuit: Bench, rowing, core, 1-leg deadlifts

Lunch run (long lunch) - beautiful outside for October in Indiana - 70 degrees and sunny.  I ran with my nipples out, for sure.  Ran from work to "Seymour 5" sign on SR 11.  Had intended to run all theway home, but, again, felt wise about turning around.  Lingering soreness and fatigue from recent increased volume and activity.  11.2 miles total - 1:34:36

Legs are very sore (Hamstrings & glutes)

AM: 15 min. spin on bike trainer at gym WU,

Getting serious about some strength training:

(Pull ups (assisted)x6) x3,
Shoulders: 3x15-20 lbs for each of (8xfront raise, 8xbutterfly raise, 10xoverhead)
Weighted Lunges: 3x8 (25lb dumbells overhead at top of forward lunges)
Legs are very sore (Hamstrings & glutes)

AM Long(ish) run - 14miles slow - about 2 hours.  about 65 dgrees, humid, and a little bit of sprinkle here in IN.  3 pee stops :(

Poor diet yesterday.

AM Long run - Grandview out and back w/ Grand View Loop at roughly AT.  Effort up to LT on hills.  7mi. AT. - about 6:25 avg. pace using GAP.  Drank handheld full of GU energy elctr. mix.  Had to pee 3 times dugin run today...

I have not been following the vegan diet.  Yesterday was the wife and I's 6th anniversary and we went to Hibachi grill in town.  There was meat eaten and alcohol consumed.  Time to be good again.

AM: gym walk/jog on TM to WU (I felt liek trash as I triedto start running. 

Strength training for 30 minutes - 5 x squats, wieghted single leg dead lifts x 5 , core

Lunch run: 6.3 miles out and back behind Walmart - about 8 min. pace

AM TM run at gym.  Its raining out side and I might melt.  4 miles with 1 mile at ~MP.  Felt like trash again... 30:40 total time.

PM Track Workout with Nathan.  Central Middle track in the rain/wind.  A little chilly and down right miserable when the wind blew.  Nathan toughed it out and finished the workout.  I called it quits after 3 reps and was happy to be dry and warm in my car :).  1mi./1.25mi./1mi. -  Looks like we did an extra lap on the second rep - that's how not in to it I was ;) 4.85 miles total - 34:13

PM run to Walgreens and back.  Got my flu shot since the kids and wife got their's today.  Good weather - 55 degrees and windy.  Took in the view of a nice sunset.  8.4 miles - about 65 minutes

PM - last White River running Pu run of the year - costumes required.  I wore all my high vis clothing and claimed that my costume was a hi-lighter.  there was one Forrest gump, a Gene Simmonds, and a clever couple with one as Lightning bolt and other with charred clothes and burnt umbrella.  Pretty funny.

I ran 3mi. at TH - WU for mile 1 and then, 6:15ish for 3miles.

AM - gym.  WU on elliptical for 10 minutes, weighted Squats, deadlifts, and core.  TM 4 miles with 6 x strides from 11mph up to 12mph for about 20 seconds each.

AM series race across town at Cera Land Park - Pink Strong 5k.  Good run weather - 50 deg. and overcast, hilly course with lots of turning.  No big effort today - 5k Tempo - 18:45.  5:52, 6:16, 6:06, 30 sec. for partial.  Good cause - Helping fund cheap mammograms to fight Breast Cancer.  Tuning up for Indy Mon. Marathon next weekend.  Good luck to all running NY tomorrow.