"Break" from Running

On May 21, Aimee and I ran the Fargo Marathon in Fargo, ND. We loved this run and would recommend it to anyone looking for a smaller "big-time" run. There were over 21,000 runners (most run the half), but it had a small town feel. There was good crowd support, the weather was awesome, and you get to start and finish at the FargoDome, which has plenty of space to park and relax both before and after the race. I was going for a PR, but went out too fast and tanked at the end, Aimee ran strong and consistent as always. Runners World Magazine ranks this as one of the friendliest marathons and we both agreed. Fargo was smaller than Springfield, but had plenty for us to do the two full days we were there.

After running the Fargo Marathon I was ready for summer and considering running another marathon in 3 weeks in Iowa then visiting Aimee at Creighton. I slowed down for about two weeks but wanted to really work hard during the summer and be ready to run several races each month in the fall, both fulls and halves. However, about two weeks ago on June 5, I smashed my foot into the bedpost and broke my little toe. I never knew how much I used this toe until I could no longer use it! Since then I have only managed to gingerly run three times and I am not sure when it will be healed. The lack of running has opened new doors to me though as I have picked up biking and swimming more and I am now looking at the possibility of purchasing a road bike which would be the first step towards competing in triathlons. The only problem with buying a bike in this house is we would need two, and obviously double the cost. Oh well; we'll get it worked out. Until next time...

Frisco RR Run

Over the weekend Aimee and I ran in the Frisco Railroad Run; a 10 mile, Marathon, 50k, and 50 mile run on the Frisco Trail. The Frisco Trail starts in Springfield by the airport, and runs all the way to Bolivar; the RR Run starts in Willard. Aimee and I participated in the 10 mile event for the second year in a row. Since we are running the Fargo Marathon in 3 weeks, we also had our longest training run scheduled for Saturday, so we ran the race, ran back, and added a few extra miles to get our longest runs of 21 (Aimee) and 23 (Dustin) miles.

As for the race, Aimee was 4th overall female and won her age division, while I was 6th overall and took 2nd in my age division. With our finishing places, we were both able to pick up a sweet box-car trophy (this makes 2 in a row for Aimee)! This week we begin our taper and will be racing in the May Day 5k in Republic on Saturday, May 7th. I have been helping a group of teachers get ready for the event and we are looking forward to seeing them reach their goal.

In totally non-related Aimee and Dustin news, but running related new; a runner set a new record for time in a 100 mile race running just under 13 hours, which is roughly a 7:40 minute pace for 100 miles!!! Check it out.

Sub 5

I have to brag on Dustin. This morning we did speed work on the track and Dustin ran mile repeats. On his 4th, 1-mile repeat he ran a 4:54!!! 4:54!! It was on a track (level, not down hill) and it was windy, so this was no easy feat. This is Dustin's first sub 5-minute mile and a PR for him by 12 seconds! I am so proud of him! He has been working so hard and it shows.
Now, if he could just keep that up for another 25.2 miles and win us some money hehe :)
You're awesome babe!!
~AW

3 Twentys

For the first time in training, I have completed three straight weekends of 2o milers. In the past I have only ran two twenty mile runs. This time around I still have one more to go and it will be 23 (my longest training run, period). Also new to me during this round of training is several tempo runs of 1-8-1 or one mile warm-up, 8 at pace, one mile cool down, 4 x 1 mile repeats, and maxing out with 60 mile weeks.

I am following a more intense program with hopes of running a PR or at least returning to BQ (Boston Qualifying) time. Speaking of Boston, today was the 115th running of the marathon and what a race it was. You check it all out here. Not only was the world record broken by the top two finishers, but the fourth place finisher, American Ryan Hall, ran the fastest American male race ever. Needless to say the race was super-fast with ideal conditions for running including a tailwind. I learned the records would not count because of strict regulations that Boston does not meet including: too much elevation drop between the start and finish, and not starting and finishing within a certain distance. Boston is a point-to-point marathon, which is what makes the tailwind so important; it is always at your back if blowing in the right direction. Of course when I ran Boston you could have fooled me it was a net elevation loss, but I guess the five miles of hills from 16 to 21 are placed just right?

All the Boston coverage, plus being 5 weeks out from Fargo, and my decreasing times have got me excited to race again. Now all I need is a little Spirit of the Marathon from Netflix to keep me going. I'll be checking that out soon. Pictured below is my training log from the past several weeks. I have been racking up the miles.

Seattle!

It wasn't easy running in Seattle. Our hotel was in the middle of the city (which made for good shopping) so it seemed as if we had to stop every block to wait for a street light. In addition, meetings started at 7:00am. By the time we showered, stopped at Starbucks (when in Rome…) and walked to the convention center it didn’t leave me much time for anything but a quick 30 minute treadmill run. The first morning I was there was the only day that I was able to go for a run outside. My friend Stephanie ran with me. The best part of running in the city was all the distractions. We ran down around Pike’s Place Market and saw all the fun shops around Seattle. At one point we turned a corner and were surprised by the giant Space Needle. We just kinda stumbled upon it. I was glad we did because it turned out being the only morning when it wasn’t rainy and gloomy. Actually, it was a beautiful morning (I say morning because it didn’t make it to the afternoon before it rained again); the water sparkled, the large boats were majestic, and the market was live with vendors setting up for the day. I was able to catch a glimpse of why so many people brave the gloom and rain for the beauty of summer and fall. That morning we only ran less than 5 miles but I enjoyed the time with Stephanie and running around Seattle, especially since we didn’t have time for much of anything else with our busy conference schedule.

Running With Tony

So, this is the Weather Channel's idea of 10% chance of rain?

I have a colleague at school who is training for his first marathon, the St. Louis Go!, which is only two weeks away. So, earlier this week, I ask if he wanted to run together on Saturday morning since we would probably be going the same distance. He was all for it, but preferred not to run in the rain. We decided to keep an eye on the weather all the way up through Friday before making a final decision and as of yesterday it was only calling for 10-20% chance of rain Saturday morning until 9:00 am then the chance increased to 40-60%.

We decided to go ahead and run, starting at 5:30 am knowing our 16 miles would take roughly 2.5 hours putting us well ahead of the rain. When I woke up this morning I checked The Weather Channel one more time only to see the chance of rain decrease to 10% max up until 9:00 am. Perfect. No rain on the radar. Out we go.

8 miles into the run, at the farthest part of our run away from the house, downpour. Not only steady rain, but the wind is blowing and it's cold. Like in the 30's cold. All I can think about is "great Tony is never going to run with me again". However, he turned it into a positive by saying that if he can run in this he can finish his marathon. I told Tony that two weeks from now he could look back on this run when he reached mile 20 and be motivated by either finishing the cold-rain run or by thinking I can't wait to get home and strangle Washam! Either way he would be motivated.

Big ups to Tony and running through our unpredictable spring weather and for putting in the miles to prepare himself for St. Louis. Weather channel however?, next time up your % so at least I can think well, they told me it would rain. Run over, glad to be done.

Out With the Old...

Last week I made a big decision in my life; I finally purchased a new watch. Not just any watch, but a Garmin GPS Forerunner 110! Since I started running in 2005 I have been using a the very trustworthy Wal-Mart Velcro Stopwatch special. Actually, I have had my Wal-Mart watch since college and will continue to keep it until it quits working. That watch has been lost, found, soaked, sun burned, and used over and over and over again through 6 years of training runs, countless local races and multiple marathons. And it still works! On the original battery!

But enough about Wal-Mart watches, lets talk about this upgrade. The Garmin keeps track of time (of course), pace (no more math in head while running), and distance (just put it on and go). It beeps every mile and shows my split for that mile and has made running that much easier without a lot of planning before or during the run. As you can see on the display screen from my run this morning I ran 18 miles in 2 hours and 20 minutes for a 7:48 pace. Sad to see you go Wal-Mart special, but I'll keep you around, that is until your battery dies (if it ever will).