Training Log Archive: hkleaf

Event: OCIN TROL Practice 5 - Miami Univ Natural Areas
 

Event: Cincinnati 99th annual Thanksgiving Day Race - 10 km
 

I didn't race, but went downtown anyway to support the group. Jogged out to Clay Wade Bailey Bridge at the 5mi mark to cheer on folks, and ran back with Laurie R. when I've out long enough to get bored. Knee ok.

Got invited to Heather B.'s for Thanksgiving dinner. We went out for a hike in the woods through their backyard! Not sure of the time and distance covered, so they're an estimate here. It was actually nice (and warm) out, and always fun to be in the woods. L-knee held up just fine at walking pace and in terrain.

T-day training group run from the Spot. Fairly light turn out as most are "tapering" (I guess) for the race. I took the short route and ran easy, so that it wouldn't aggravate the L-knee. Still, the discomfort surfaced after 2+ miles till the end. This means I won't be running the race on Thursday, bummer!

Event: OCIN TROL Practice 4 - England-Idlewild Park, KY - New Map!
 

~30F, clear - T-day training group run from the Spot. A 5-mi loop to Mt. Lookout and back. I started late in the back and ran easy with Brandon most of the way. It wasn't until the uphill on Linwood that we caught up to more people. Thought it'd feel much colder but actually wasn't bad at all. L-knee was fine more 1+ miles, than some on & off discomfort, most noticeable on harder footstrikes. Interesting, it's fine on grass. Stephen is going to give me contact info to his knee doctor - I think I'll get it checked out just to be safe.

Planks, core, squats, and some push-ups.

More rest still. It's been 2 wks most marathon. I think I'll begin training daily again, L-knee allowing. There'll be 2 days of running only, 3 max. X-training and strength stuff will take up the rest of the program.

Event: OLOU Score-O
 

OLOU Highschool Champs - Score-O

Weather was fine, if a bit cold. I skipped yet another chance to O because I wanted to rest the knee. Even if it's mostly on soft surfaces, 3hrs worth of running around can't be good for it.

Event: MVOC Jr Champs and Turkey Hunt (new map)
 

ICO Cataract Void, or MVOC Turkey Hunt

Mid 40s, light rain, windy - T-day training group run from PBS. We did a preview of the course. When I woke up to check the weather, I saw 47F and wrongly assumed it was short-t and shorts weather. Little did I know the wind and cold rain (plus dropping temps) would make the run somewhat miserable. By the end I could hardly feel my reddened forearms and frozen fingers! I'm pretty sure I was radiating the coldness thru my sweater and jacket for quite a while afterwards. At least I had a nice conversation with Christine M. and the L-knee seem to be fine running at this slower pace.

With weather conditions supposedly worsening and a full schedule for the day, I convinced myself skipping Bill Yeck was the wise decision.

Mid 50s, mostly clear - Easy trail run w/ headlamp in French Park. Heather, Tim, and newcomer Laura were there to join me as well. We had the whole park to ourselves. There were occasional slight hints of discomfort in L-knee, but running on trail in very slow pace doesn't seem to bother it much. I'll try some O on Sat and see what happens. Saw a few deers, and a nice looking near full moon rising.

Planks and push-ups.

Finally finished with my NYC race report.
Here are the official race photos.

~40F, light drizzle - T-day training group run from Crossroads. We did a 50min out-n-back down Brotherton and then up Erie - 2 long sustained hill climbs. Legs were fine. They still don't have the faster gears. Discomfort in L-knee again during run, particularly on downhills. No noticeable pain or soreness at start, nor when stopped. I'll try to the trails on Thursday and see if orienteering may be ok. This is probably a sign telling me to call it a season...

Level 8, Manual, 476c.
Legs feel normal walking around, but seem to lack some power still.

Planks.

Event: OCIN Camp Craig BSA (Friedlander)
 

Feeling almost normal now. Probably should've gone to the Friedlander meet...

Event: COO - Buckeye Billy
 

Pretty bummed about missing out on the Buckeye Billy, but I think it's a smart decision to rest more as I'm still experiencing some tiredness from last week. Went to Aiden's 1yr-old b-day party instead.

Level 10, Random, 636c.

~70F, clear - Easy run from the Spot after getting my L-knee checked out at the injury clinic. There's been some hints of discomfort during the past few runs around the medial side of the knee. Still not sure what it is exactly, but probably caused by overuse. Legs are feeling better in general. Quad soreness is mostly gone.

Planks.

Legs continue to feel better. They hardly hurt to go up and down stairs anymore.

Low 60s, mostly clear - T-day training group run. Most everyone did a 60min out-n-back, but I only went for an easy 40. Legs, esp. the quads were still sore, though they were a bit better than Monday. Chatted w/ Randy G. most of the way, who raced in Indy over the weekend.

50s, overcast - Went out for an exploratory jog/walk around the North hill of Central Park. I navigated using the map borrowed from cedarcreek. It was painfully slow as my quads were still very sore, but I think it was a good active recovery. The park is wonderful as always. Lots of cyclists, a few walkers and tourists, and a ton of fat squirrels.

Wore my garmin but once again it wouldn't record any data. It says the memory is full, which means I've recorded 1000 laps on the thing! Guess I need to delete some old stuff manually... I had thought new data would just overwrite the oldest stuff, but apparently not.

C • 3:09:32!!! 6

Upper 30s (rising to 50s), clear, sunny, windy - I woke up at 4am to get ready for a 5am bus to the start. Arrived at the Start Village at 5:40 and proceeded to wait for 4hrs before the actual start! It was dark, cold, and windy. I underdressed and suffered for it. After the sun came up, things got a bit better. The start was crowded, but I didn't have too much trouble finding room and settling into my pace. The plan was to start out at 3:10, see how I feel, and adjust from there. The primary objective was to have fun and immerse in the whole experience. I brought my camera along and stopped to take pictures whenever there was a nice view. Many of my friends who live in NY were scattered along the course cheering, so it was cool to see them. The course was pretty flat with the exception of the bridges. Everyone seemed to start out fast, but I held steady around 3:10 pace the whole time. Brooklyn was long, but crowd support was pretty solid throughout. My quads began to tire around mile 15 on the Queensboro Bridge. Coupled that with a few stops to chat with friends, my pace slowed a bit in those late middle miles. 1st Ave from 16-18mi was a treat, as the crowd went crazy for us. Upper East side into Bronx was uneventful, then things picked up again from Harlem and into Central Park. Quads were tired, but I was feeling great and getting pumped from the crowd. The last few miles winding thru Central Park was very nice. The entire way to the finish I just couldn't wipe that big smile off my face! I knew 3:10 was still achievable, so I picked up my pace. It felt good to pass a bunch of people, plus my quads actually felt better at this faster pace. Coming into the finish, I made sure to smile for the cameras, and was happy to see the clock read 3:10:xx!

Overall, it was a very cool experience, running with 39,000 others, 22k of which were foreigners. There were so many cheers in French, Italian, etc. it made the race even more memorable. Other than the long and chilly wait before start, the weather couldn't have been better. Garmin wasn't taking splits, so I just ran by feel (kept my HR in check between 150-170, and stopped whenever I wanted to admire the views, take pictures, or say hi to friends. The end result was the most fun I've had at a marathon. The icing on the cake was getting a BQ time, so now I can go to Boston in 2010 if I want.

Splits per 5k:
5k___0:22:43__(22:43)
10k__0:44:48__(22:05)
15k__1:06:54__(22:06)
20k__1:29:29__(22:35)
Half__1:34:33
25k__1:52:34__(23:05)
30k__2:15:37__(23:03)
35k__2:38:38__(23:01)
40k__3:00:12__(21:34)
Fin__3:09:32__(21:39) (1:34:59)

Splits per Mile after 16:
16mi__1:57:25__(7:53)
17mi__2:03:46__(6:21)
18mi__2:11:04__(7:18)
19mi__2:18:14__(7:10)
20mi__2:25:39__(7:25)
21mi__2:33:02__(7:23)
22mi__2:40:16__(7:14)
23mi__2:47:15__(6:59)
24mi__2:54:13__(6:58)
25mi__3:01:11__(6:58)
26mi__3:08:04__(6:53)
Fin____3:09:32__(7:20)

Quad felt pretty shot. Sitting down and then getting up are diffiult. But overall, this isn't the worst I've felt.

Walking from finish to baggage truck, over to meet friends, then to late lunch, and finally back to the apartment. Never had a chance for an extended stretch, massage, nor ice bath. But I'm hoping all this walking will help with the recovery.

Event: LIOC AVALON TOWN PARK (PAUL SIMONS PRESERVE)
 

Event: OCIN Indian Creek foot and bike O'
 

50s, sunny, clear - Easy jog in the morning over to Riverside Park and back. Nice place to run, with lots of people already out exercising. The trip took a down turn when I stepped into a large pile of poo while exploring the trails. :( It stunk!

Various walking/touring around the city. Time/pace is an estimate.