Weekly Recap-Week 5 in Limbo

Sunday.

Saturday.
Off. Busy busy busy.

Friday
6 miler
Walked / jogged couple with girls.

Thursday.
Off

Wednesday.
Walked four. Inflamation in right hip, and tightness in hamstring.

Tuesday.
Jogged four, walked a couple

Monday
Jogged four, walked a couple.

Weekly Recap-Week 4 in Limbo

Sunday.
Off

Saturday.
Off

Friday
Walked six.

Thursday.
Off

Wednesday.
Jogged a couple with J.

Tuesday.
Off

Monday
Walked / jogged four to burn calories. Been cutting back on calorie intake also.

Weekly Recap-Week 3 in Limbo

Sunday.
Good 8. Pulled back 12 secs/ mile to handle heat. At 6 felt great and picked it up to normal pace. 2 miles later, soaked in sweat.

Amazing how 12-15 secs/ mile makes big difference.

Saturday.
Off

Friday
Off.

Thursday.
Five miler.

Wednesday.
Jogged a couple with girls.

Tuesday.
Walked four during lunch, Ran / Walked another six at night. Just burning calories.

Monday
Walked 4.5 at night.

Beach To Bay Marathon Relay

I was so out of shape post New Orleans marathon (Feb 28^th), I wasn't even planning to run Beach To Bay. Additionally, as I constantly assert, "Beach To Bay is a great event, but a crappy race." Crappy for four main reasons.

1) The weather is usually dangerously hot. I almost heat stroke every year just running a single 4.5 mile leg.

2) A 1/3^rd to half of your team members (6 to a team), don't take it seriously, and thus quit the week of the race, or just don't even try to run fast.

3) Because of #2, you have no idea when you're going to get the hand-off. Sometimes you wait 1 ½ to 2 hours in the hot sun just to start running.

4) The course is only closed to one lane of traffic, so you have to run next to a long trail of cars moving along at 5 mph, breathing in their exhaust.

So it's ridiculous that I ended up agreeing to run three of the six legs this year. I've done it before, as stated in #2 above, 1/3^rd of your team usually gets an "injury" or "urgent" personal matter the week of the race. However this year, I was running for two different teams, and de facto, a 3^rd team.

The local running store asked me to be on their team, which is competitive in their division. It's a honor to be asked, plus it eliminates complaints # 2-3 above. I agreed to run leg #4 for Fleet Feet running store. Then a client asked me to run leg #5 for them also. Since I would be standing there anyway (after finishing leg #4), I said sure. But then my daughter was asked to run leg #5 for her school. I figured I could run leg #5 for my client, then double back and catch my daughter running toward the end of leg #5 for her team. Hopefully, she would only be about halfway done and I could help her finish.

Under ideal weather conditions, and if I was in optimal shape, I can average 6:20-6:30 min/mi over 4.7 miles (length of leg #4). However I knew it would be hot and humid, and I wasn't in optimal shape, so I told my Fleet Feet buddies to expect 6:40 to 6:45 min /mi for me, or about 31.5 to 32.0 minutes for my leg.

The week of the race, rain and heavy cloud cover was forecasted, great!!!! That would help with the heat. However, the day before the race, the forecast was changed to only 20% chance of rain, and light clouds.

The first leg of the race began at 7:00 a.m. By 7:45, I was standing at the start of leg #4 expecting the handoff in about 45 minutes. Our team captain said to expect the handoff about 8:25-8:28 (our team was shooting for a sub 3:00 race time). Fifteen minutes later, a thunder storm came through. The wind blew strong and straight out of the East, with a light rain. Another runner lamented that the wind was going to make it tough. Twenty-three of the twenty-six mile race is North-North West from the South. But two miles of leg #4, through the naval base, go due East. By 8:30, my team hadn't arrived. The weather was having an effect.

At 8:32 I got the handoff, and took off feeling strong. Half a mile later I was headed dead into a 30 mile / hr wind, with 60 mile hour gusts. I finished my first mile in 6:37, but had to cut back. The wind was killing me; by mile two I was struggling, and breathing hard. It was like running up hill. Finally by mile 3, the course turned North and the wind became perpendicular. However by this point, I was now soaking wet and sloshing in my shoes. I had to stop, only about 10 seconds, and walk three times to catch my breath. Six other runners passed me through the base. I expected none, or maybe 1 or 2 at the most.

I finally handed off to leg five, finishing my leg in 34:50, or 7:23 min / mile. I was totally disgusted.

I found my wife and daughter huddling with 2,000 other runners next to the Port-A-Potties in the strong wind and light rain. My eight year old daughter had to stand there almost two hours before she got her handoff. I waited about 45 minutes, when my second team runner arrived. Leg #5 goes North-West and the wind was mostly at our backs. Piece of cake. I cruised along at 7:30 min /mile, without much effort. I could have pick it up, but I paced two other runners for about a mile each exhorting them to not stop (do as I say, not as I do)!

I handed off to leg #6, and headed backwards along leg #5 to catch my daughter, again directly into the wind. I had to stop and walk five times. Right at the half way point, about mile two, I caught my daughter cruising strong toward me. I turned and ran with her the rest of the way (so I did leg #5 twice-once in full, and then two halfs.) She ran a great leg, four miles in 39 minutes. Damn impressive for a 8 yr old.

When I arrived at Cole Park, the finishers area, I was too ashamed to look my fellow Fleet Feet runners in the eye, as I didn't hold up my end (30 sec / mile ) slower than expected. But then I found we had actually placed 3^rd in our masters division!

Additionally, the 2^nd place team was almost 3 minutes ahead of us, so had I run my planned time, it probably wouldn't have matter. Also, our final team time was 3:04; since I got the handoff at 8:32 (1:32 into the race), the first half of our team (legs # 1-3) had an identical split as the second half (legs # 4-6). So overall, I contributed about average to the team effort. Finally, I learned later that the wind had gusted up to 60 mph, which I ran straight into for two miles.

So overall, not bad!

Beach to bay

Team placed third in masters division.

Weekly Recap-Week 2 in Limbo

Sunday.
Off

Saturday.
Beach To Bay Marathon Relay

Friday
Off

Thursday.
Off

Wednesday.
Solid 7, good speed despite the heat.

Tuesday.
Off

Monday
Solid 7, good speed despite the heat.

Weekly Recap-Week 1 in Limbo

Sunday.
Off

Saturday.
Off

Friday
Solid 7, good speed despite the heat.

Thursday.
8.5 miles; was planning to do 15 and felt good at 7 notwithstanding the heat. By 8.5, had a hardtime breathing and called it quites.

Wednesday.

Tuesday.
Seven-Normal Pace

Monday
Off

Seattle Off

Work schedule too hectic, not able to train enough to make a honest effort. Canceling Seattle run.

In limbo until late July, when I begin a 12 week cycle for Chicago.