Training Log Archive: hkleaf

Pig training group run from Sawyer Point. Just an easy out-n-back to Friendship Park. For most, this was the last run before the race. Lots of folks out and about with Party in the Park and a hockey playoff game nearby.

My legs felt fine. A little stiff, perhaps from the inactivity the last few days. L-ankle is still painful and bothersome on every foot strike. Hopefully a few more days of rest will take care of it.

Another rest day...
I am antsy to go do something, but L-ankle is still a bit swollen and painful to walk on.

Legs feel good, but not much progress on the ankle. The swelling and blackness has traveled upwards a little.

Legs a bit sore today, but still nothing when compared to past experiences. L-ankle quite swollen on the inside, around the bone, and painful to walk on. Dorsiflexing is less bothersome than the other way around.

Derby Festival Marathon
course

It's a PR, and I'm feeling fantastic! Will write more to add the details tomorrow.

Derby Festival Marathon - Louisville, KY.
54F, overcast, very light drizzle at the start, gave way to just cloudy skies, and even some sun later in the race. Occasional 10+mph wind.

Since it's not a long drive (75min) from home, the original plan was to head down the morning of the race and return the same day. But my parents decided to come cheer me on, so we booked a room just a couple blocks from the convention center downtown, and spent the night there Friday. This gave us time to walk through the expo, take in the city a bit, and also drove most of the course to get a sneak peek. Dinner at a sushi restaurant was delicious (I only had chicken teriyaki, no sashimi!) It was a nice relaxing way to prepare for the race.

Race morning, I woke up at 4am (3.5hrs before the start) to eat my breakfast. I pulled apart the curtains to see rain coming down steadily. This reminded me of the wet experience at Boston last year, and I'm not looking forward to it. At least the temperature was still warm enough for shorts and singlet. ~5:45am, I was dropped off and boarded the bus by the convention center that would take runners to the start near Iroquois Park south of the city. It rained lightly the whole journey there, and still drizzling at 6:15am when we arrived. The lone shelter (a medical tent) was already packed with folks trying to stay dry (wish I had my camera with me). I found a spot on the curb near the porta-potties to sit down and conserve energy, using the time to visualize running through the course mile by mile. At 7am, I changed from sandals into my dry socks and shoes, and waited in line for the bathrooms one last time.

The race attracted a record 12,000 entrants, so I was expecting the start to be crowded. As it turned out, most people positioned themselves in the appropriate pace areas, so there were lots of rooms near the front. I had only a two-week taper this time, and hadn't really been focusing much on my own training, so expectation wasn't very high. The pace predictors, using my Lunken 10k and Heart Mini 15k times, suggest a 2:58 or there about. So the plan was to give 3:00 a shot, going out at 7:00/mi for a half and picking up to 6:45/mi afterwards if I feel good. The fall back plan was a 3:10, which would still qualify me for Boston next year. There were 14 water stops (tiny 8oz. plastic bottles, some with caps still on, some off) along the way, roughly at every 2 miles. Some stops included Powerade. They also handed out Jelly Belly Sport Beans near miles 10 & 19 of the course. My Gu/hydration plan was to eat 1 Blok along with sips of water every 2 miles. No Powerade taken as I feared it might upset my stomach. I did pick up a bag of Sport Beans and ate some near the end as I ran out of Bloks.

Mile 1 (6:59.79 -- 143/154) - Just following the throng, fortunately no need for any zigzagging.
Mile 2 (6:57.92 -- 151/159) - Continuing the flat stretch and staying relaxed.
Mile 3 (7:04.04 -- 154/160) - Beginning of the hilly portion into and around Iroquois Park.
Mile 4 (6:57.07 -- 158/170) - Some more rolling hills through the park. By now, I've noticed a couple groups of guys running just ahead of me, but close to the same pace.
Mile 5 (6:47.95 -- 158/170) - A longer stretch of downhill. Same effort, but pace picked up slightly.
Mile 6 (6:50.55 -- 154/169) - A little more downhill. Out of the park and back through the start area. Nice crowd support here.
Mile 7 (6:53.85 -- 156/160) - Beginning of a very flat stretch along Southern Parkway towards town.
Mile 8 (6:56.65 -- 155/161) - More flats. Pretty uneventful.
Mile 9 (7:06.50 -- 151/156) - The course took a detour into Churchill Downs, part of the appeal running this marathon. We took the tunnel under the race track and onto the infield, then ran a loop around and out through a different tunnel. To my disappointment, there was nothing going on at the track. I had thought there-d be people everyone busy preparing for Opening Day. Instead, it was deserted but for a couple loud speakers blaring some replays of old races.
Mile 10 (6:54.60 -- 154/160) - Back out onto 4th Street, heading towards Downtown.
Mile 11 (6:43.75 -- 152/160) - Saw a few more spectators around the UofL campus. This is also where I met David from Lexington, whose plan was to run a 3:05-3:10. This was his 5th Derby Marathon. We chatted a little bit over the next couple miles, which might explain the inconsistencies in the pacing.
Mile 12 (7:09.40 -- 151/159) - This is where the half and full marathoners split up. We'd take a right towards the East part of town while the halfers finish up into downtown. Of the 12,000 runners, only ~1200 did the full marathon. Add in the relay teams and there were still less than 1500 people on the rest of the course. So what was a semi-crowded road quickly turned deserted. David and I picked up Jeff and Mark from Indiana (Greenville and Salem), who were doing their first marathon and wanted to run 3:10 or under. Now I've got myself a posse!
Mile 13 (6:36.10 -- 149/155) - Ran past and waved at my parents. Our group chatted away along the lonely road. Perhaps the excitement of running in a group caused me to speed up too much? Fastest split of the race thus far. Ironically, the HRavg was the lowest since the start!?!
Mile 14 (6:58.07 -- 153/163) - I held back a bit, as the terrain turned from flat to rolling. Looked for the half-way marker and clock, but there was none to be found. Estimated time to be 1:31:xx.
Mile 15 (6:41.75 -- 161/170) - Still feeling good, I decided it was time to pick up the pace a little and follow the plan. David and the others stayed back to do their own thing, so for the rest of the race I was truly alone.
Mile 16 (6:37.53 -- 161/171) - After a few more rolling hills, the course drops down into Cherokee Park. This new pace felt fine, and allowed me to start picking off guys ahead of me.
Mile 17 (6:41.38 -- 157/171) - Continued around the relatively flat scenic loop of the park. Chatted briefly with a guy, who spotted my Cincinnati singlet and said that he'll be at the Flying Pig pacing a relay team.
Mile 18 (6:43.37 -- 165/173) - Saw a race photographer. Since I was the only one around, he must've taken 10 pictures of me!!! Then up and around the park's boundary. Passed by one of the five "Scream Teams," which was a small group of cheering spectators. It wasn't quite the same as running through Hyde Park square, but was nonetheless a welcomed break from my run in solitude.
Mile 19 (6:28.83 -- 168/174) - Up the hill on Grinstead passed the 30k mark. I guess I just got a little carried away with the crowds there.
Mile 20 (6:41.12 -- 163/169) - Pretty flat along Baxtor Ave. Picked up a bag of Sport Beans since I was low on Bloks. All things considered, I was still feeling quite well. Waiting for the dreaded "wall" to rear its head.
Mile 21 (6:30.15 -- 167/173) - Back near downtown, making our way towards the Ohio. This was also the time when I started feeling some pain on the inside of my left ankle. I didn't recall kicking myself with the other foot, and still don't know what caused the pain.
Mile 22 - Along the Waterfront Park, by Slugger Field, and back along Main Street. Focus turned to the aching ankle a little bit. I wasn't sure what's going on. Between that and seeing my parents a second time, I totally missed the mile marker.
Mile 23 (13:32.23 -- 168/174) - Climbing the 1.5mi long Second Street Bridge into Jeffersonville, IN. The wind has picked up considerably by now, and the ankle still hurts. I zoned out and missed the mile marker again. One of my least favorite mile of the course. At least I got to see the leading ladies running side-by-side on their way to a 2:48 finish.
Mile 24 (6:40.72 -- 166/172) - A small loop around the N end of the bridge and back on for the return trip. This mile sucked also. Saw David less than a mile behind.
Mile 25 (6:32.03 -- 168/173) - Once I crested the bridge, my spirits picked up. The big crowd was waiting there to cheer us on. I didn't care if my ankle was still hurting, all I wanted to think about was finishing strong.
Mile 26 (6:13.24 -- 176/181) - Saw my parents one last time. This last mile was all flat around the downtown streets. I pretended this was the last set of the mile repeats of my speedwork on the track, and picked up the pace as much as I could. It was fun knowing the end of near, and still having the energy to fly along the street!
Finish (1:07.21 -- 182/185) - This final bit was tricky. The full and half marathoners were merged together once again. At first there were cones separating us on different sides of the street, but once passed the mile marker 26, the cones were no longer there. The slower half marathoners were spread out all over. I had to zig-zag my way through some patches before finding a clear lane to the finish.

I was ecstatic to see the clock still under 3:00! What a nice surprise! Too bad they don't have any finish line photos, and my parents missed it by a few minutes. :( My last 2 marathons, I was barely standing after the finish. This time was different. I was a little tired, but still felt incredible! Thinking about the noon check-out time, I quickly walked through the finish area to pick up my medal and some food, then found my parents and walked back to the hotel. After a brief stretch, I jumped into the tub for a 20min ice bath! It was the perfect remedy for tired legs and aching ankle. I felt so refreshed afterwards, and was able to walk around downtown for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing at Churchill Downs (part of the runner's premium was 2 complimentary tickets), watching some horse racing. I bet on a couple races, using my bib number, but was unsuccessful. Still, it was a wonderful day.

Looking back now, 5 minutes might've been too big of a negative split? But it was awesome to feel so strong at the end of a long race. At least I mostly followed my plan for the first half. The faster than expected second half indicates that I was having a super day, and perhaps underestimated my abilities slightly. This was my first marathon running with a HR monitor, so there aren't any previous data to compare with. Judging from this set of HR data alone (HRavg 159/ HRmax 185), in addition to how I felt post race; it seems I can still push harder. Therein lies the challenge of marathons - it's never easy to get that perfect pace. Who knows how much faster I could've gone? I don't care to find out, as I've already had a fantastic race, above and beyond my original expectations. I'll try to savor these feelings, and hope to use them to my advantage in future training/races.

C • Wow! 7

Just some light walking around at the expo and downtown. Then drove most of the course to get a sneak peak for my mental preparation. Feeling slightly nervous most day, the normal pre-race jitters I guess.

78F, partly cloudy - Went riding on the bike trail with a few folks in place of running. Started in Newtown (Avoca trailhead), and rode past Ward's Corner before turning back. Some opted to take a tour of Indian Hill and Forest Park, but I wanted to keep it easy on the flats. Nice evening to be out.

Not sure if I'm getting a cold, or just allergic to the pollen that's floating around in the air, but I feel very stuffed up, like my head is going to explode soon! Not a good timing for this to happen, ugh!

Easy swim in place of running, all with pull buoy.
500 catch
500 zip
5x100
500 catch
4x50 fast
Total = 2200yds.

Feeling more rested today, finally.

75F, sunny - Pig training group run from Ault Park, followed by a cook out. All of the groups (full, half, walkers) were there, so it was crowded with ~350 ppl! Since we're tapering, the run itself was short. However, most still can't help themselves but to go fast. I should've asked JoeB to find someone else to lead the run... oh well. It's my last real run of the week before Saturday, so I should be fine.

C • 2 marathons 3

Boston Marathon - not running this year, but will be tracking all my friends who are there.

71F, clear - Easy track workout at Withrow just to dial in the race pace. Was hoping a few folks would show up for company, but no one did. The track was crowded with elementary and middle school kids everywhere, plus some of their parents walking laps. So some energy was spent dodging and hurdling people.

Warm up 6 laps, 10x strides, 2mi at MP, then cool down 4 laps.
1.59mi (14:08) - 118/127
1.06mi (8:16) - 148/162

Similar to a couple weeks ago, I brought along a DVOA map for reading. Most of it was during warm up, then finished up the course in the first half of the MP run.

10x 100m strides (w/ 20m recovery) on the field turf.

2mi goal pace run. Target was ~6:50/mi (or 1:42.50/lap). I messed up my watch, so inadvertently added an extra laps in the beginning.

Splits per lap:
1:36 (this is the extra lap. I took a minute break before starting up again.)
1:39.52 - 131/169
1:41.80 - 157/162
1:41.87 - 166/172
1:39.78 - 170/182
1:43.50 - 168/175
1:42.60 - 168/178
1:43.85 - 168/179
1:42.62 - 163/169

It felt harder than I'd expected, but the HR data looks reasonable.

Dirt Days - Ault Park
Was going to go for a ride on the bike trail after lunch, but sunny sky gave way to overcast, light drizzle all afternoon.

50F, partly cloudy - Helped out as course sweeper at Dirt Days Ault Park race. It was a mom carrying a baby on her back, so we were at walking pace mostly. This gave me the time to take down all the flags and tapes along the way. Nice morning, with a turnout of ~120.

Event: US Middle Distance and Relay Champs
 

54F, cloudy, intermitten rain - Pig training group run from Crossroads.

Avg. 2:12, 27-32spm, 302c.

Level 10, Alpine Slopes, 461c., 96rpm.
on the Star Trac bikes while watching Spiderman III.

Arms only with pullbuoy. 1100yds total.

Apparently there was a seismic event early this morning. The epicenter was ~180mi away in SE Illinois, but the tremors and aftersocks could be felt here in the tri-state region. Some of my friends felt it, but I was oblivious.

71F, clear - Warmest run so far this spring. After attending the Spot's injury clinic for a 15min. massage, met up with the trail runners (Heather, Sandi, Johnny, and David) for an easy run in Ault Park. We did the Dirt Days course, then added some more at the end. Still some wet spots along the stream trail, but overall the conditions are quite good. Walked some of the uphills to keep the effort low. Legs feel a bit funny after the massage, but they are looser, and the soreness is mostly gone.

65F, clear - Pig training group run from the Spot. Ran easy for the most part, as everyone is into their taper period. Legs weren't feeling all that great.

I've spent quite a few hours this week on OCAD, trying to draft a sprint map for Ault Park. Not sure how good this will turn out, but if nothing else, I'm getting better at using the program. Obviously won't get it done in time for Dirt Days, but hopefully there'll be plenty of training benefits down the road.

More computer time... haven't been sleeping nor eating too well the last few days either, so another non training day it is.

Trying to make deadline for a project, so no time for track today.

Event: MVOC-Hills & Dales sprints
 

Feeling pretty tired. So no sprints for me, unfortunately.

Event: German Ridge Ramble
 

45F, mostly cloudy, windy - Pig training group run from Newport Levee. I started earlier to add in ~3.5mi on my own. Decent day to be out, if a bit on the cool side with the wind. Lots of local runners everywhere doing their last long run. My legs were still fatiqued from the Yasso workout, so I was content to keep it nice and easy. Started off with JT and Paul, who jetted off after a couple miles of warm up. Ran mostly with Mark then, until Brian and George caught up to us in the second half. Picked up the pace in the last couple miles for a nice finish. The strong headwind on Eastern wasn't much fun, so I was very glad to be done.

3.41mi 27:19 (8:00/mi) -- 129/142
18.5mi 2:20:21 (7:35/mi) -- 134/164

Didn't have enough time after the run to make it to the OLOU meet. Probably a good thing for my legs.

I'm withering away... :-/
Avg. 2:12.5, 27-31spm.

Easy swim.
500yd warm up
500yd catch w/ pull buoy
500yd finger tips w/ pull buoy
500yd free, trying to put everything together
4x50yd to finish up.

Total=2200yds

~70F, cloudy - Ran over to Ryle for a solo track workout. Speedwork has been sporadic all through winter and spring, so I just wanted to have one last good session before the taper begins next week. Thought about doing mile repeats, but since legs still seemed tired in yesterday's run, I decided to go with the Yassos.

Brought along some DVOA maps to practice reading at high speed. It wasn't easy, as my brain wasn't always able to process the data. The exercise only lasted through half of the intervals before it got too dark to read the map.

For cool down, I took a different route home in order to avoid running on unlit roads. Little did I know it would be an extra 2.7mi when compared to my warm up route! It was way more than I'd bargain for. Luckily, I got a ride back for the last 2mi of the journey.

10x100m strides (w/ 20m recovery).

10x 800m (w/ 200m recovery):
2:54.13 -- 161/174 (92.73 -- 172/188)
2:52.72 -- 173/186 (90.62 -- 175/187)
2:52.55 -- 183/203* (90.05 -- 180/188)
2:49.50 -- 186/193 (90.70 -- 179/191)
2:52.13 -- 180/187 (90.87 -- 169/183)
2:50.45 -- 179/186 (90.70 -- 171/185)
2:50.55 -- 179/187 (90.35 -- 170/186)
2:48.73 -- 181/187 (90.24 -- 168/185)
2:46.01 -- 182/190 (90.30 -- 169/185)
2:45.92 -- 179/188 (91.00 -- 166/184)

Pleased with the times. Consistency wasn't the best, but reading the map probably contributed to this. I was quite surprised by the last few reps, in a good way.
*HR had a brief spike above 200bpm at the beginning of 3rd repeat. It's the first time I've ever seen it that high, it actually triggered the alarm on my watch! Since the rest of the data in subsequent laps appear normal/reasonable, I'm going to assume this temporary spike is an anomaly for now.

Recovery inbetween intervals.

Low 60s, mostly cloudy - Pig training group run from Crossroads. Pretty tame out-n-back route with an uphill first half and downhill finish. I started up front trying to keep pace with Craig and Ryan, but after 4 miles my legs began to tire. They just didn't want to turn over fast enough, perhaps still feeling the effects from the long weekend. So I dropped back and ran with the next group - Stephen, Thies, et al. - the rest of the way. Nice evening for a run.

Upper 60s, partly cloudy - Easy recovery run around Burnet Woods (with map). I had fun picking out a route that would cover every single trail in the park, plus some of the disc golf areas. Quite a few people out and about due to the nice weather. The trails though were still soft and muddy in many spots. Finished with a dash up Clifton along the W edge of park (~.5mi) and back down to the car.

Totally forgot to stretch as I was in a hurry. Walked over to meet my friends at the Esquire to watch Run Fatboy Run. For the Tuesday bargain price, it was definitely worth a good laugh.

Scheduled rest day. I think I felt asleep on the floor while trying to stretch! Pretty much sore everywhere! Legs aren't too bad, but shoulders are worse. I apparently also got a bit sunburned from yesterday. And the lack of appetite and proper nutritions over the weekend is showing itself on the scale.

Hamstrings are real tight. Gluts/hips are sore.

Red/Blue Sprint 1 - Splits

Red/Blue Sprint 2 - Splits

Event: Flying Pig XII
 

Upper 50s, cloudy - Ran over from the event center to the model map (~.75mi each way) for a warm up. Lucky for me the rain had stopped. Due to time constraints, I skipped the 3 western most controls. Didn't gain much insightful knowledge about the map, but took note of the honeysuckles in the medium green areas.

After getting back from the model area, continued my warm up run to the start. Made it there with ~10min to spare.

OCIN Flying Pig XII, WRE Middle - Rentschler Forest Preserve, Hamilton, Ohio.

Had a decent run for me out there. A fews mistakes, hesitations mostly, but the biggest of which was running from 15-17 unintentionally! Estimated time lost about 3+min. Obviously still has lots of room for improvement, but I think I'm moving in the right direction. I will add more detail when I get a chance.

Stuck around to help with take down and clean up a little, but felt too weak and tired to help with control pickups. Sorry Mike!

Blue - Short Pig/WRE - Splits

To warm up.
Avg. 2:08.5, 25-27spm.

Level 10, Intervals, 624c.
It's been raining all day. Tried out one of the newer Precors. Not quite used to the motion. Similar to the bikes, I think I might like the old ones better.

Brought along some MU maps to study.

Squeezed in a quick swim afterwards. 850yds. Felt good.

51F, mostly clear - Two dry days in the row! Pig training group run from the Spot. I guess people were feeling good as we kept a solid pace throughout. Near the end I added a couple extra miles on my own near MP pace. I wasn't exhausted, but definitely glad to be done.

~50F, mostly cloudy, windy - Drove out to EF in the late afternoon to vet all the eastern controls. It's so much nice when it's not raining. There're still plenty of muddy spots, but footing actually wasn't bad. Finished up just as darkness fell. Total time spent was 2.25hrs.