Monday Running Group

Tonight was the third meeting of the Y Monday night running group. Every time I show up for one of these I meet new people. There are around 30 people signed up for the group, but we have yet to see them all. It is getting kind of hard to keep everyone straight, but I am sure it will come with time and warmer temps.

Tonight everyone agreed to an initial 4 mile route. So off we went. We seemed to have about every pace imaginable. Everywhere from 7:30 - 12:30 per mile. I found myself running with Jen and her husband Jeff, who was with us last Monday. Unfortunately my favorite running partner has to sit out Mondays due to family obligations. I totally understand, family is always first!

After about the first couple of miles I found myself running with a newcomer named Robin. She seemed to be running at an acceptable pace so we ran and chit chatted for the last couple of miles. Soon enough we were back at the Y and waiting for everyone else to come in.

It didn't take too long. Once everyone was in, Shawna, Jen, Gary, and myself headed out for another 3.75 miles. The pace was quicker. I was pleasantly surprised when Jen said that the Garmin said we were traveling at a 7:50 -8:10 pace. Wow! At that pace we were back at the Y before I knew it. After standing around for a few seconds, I was bidding everyone a good evening and heading for the house.

Next up will be some running through the week with Chris.

That's all for now.

Later

Another Saturday full of big miles

Today was the second Saturday meeting of the Y running group that Chris and I have joined up with. Last week with put in 12.6 miles with them to our surprise. It seemed like a quick jump in the mileage that we had been putting in, but it felt right.

I had arranged for Chris to give me a ride, since he would be heading this way any way. We had received an email from the Shawna, the lead crazy runner, that they would be starting out at 6:00 am. So Chris picked me up at about 5:50 am and we were on our way. The drive from my house to the Y is only about 2-3 minutes, so we were there in plenty of time. When we arrived there were already 3 cars in the parking lot, but no occupants in them. As we waited, two other cars showed up. One was driven by Tom and the other was driven by Traci. Within minutes of there arrival we spotted three bodies running into the parking lot. It was Shawna, Gary, and Jen. They had arrived at 5:0 am and had already put in one lap on the 6.3 mile loop.

After standing around for a few minutes while everyone got ready to go, we were off. We started off at a pace that felt a bit slow, but I had to remember that they had already put in 6.3 miles. Tom and Traci had decided that they were going to head a different direction and put in 18 miles, so we soon parted ways. As we headed along our route we had to make a pit stop so that Gary could answer the call of nature at the local IHOP. After that quick break the miles seemed to fly by as fast and effortlessly as they had last week and before we knew it we were heading back to the Y.

As we approached the Y Linda, one of the ladies who had ran with us last weekend, was heading towards us. I guess she just couldn't wait to get going. Chris and I had pulled away from Shawna, Gary, and Jen at some point. So we were the first ones back. As we entered the parking lot we were greeted by a newcomer to the Saturday morning crew. I can't remember her name, but I am sure if she keeps coming I will learn it. Anyway, as we stood and talked with her we saw Shawna, Gary, Jen, and Linda heading into the parking lot. After standing around for a few minutes to figure out just how far the newcomer was wanting to go, we were on our way.

As we headed out, Chris, Linda, and myself kind of pulled away from the rest of the group and soon we were on our own. All I can say of Linda is, she is a talker. I think she learned more about Chris and I in the 6.3 mile loop than most people do in weeks. At some point I could feel myself slowly pulling ahead of Chris and Linda. I think that Chris was just being polite and hanging with her, since she wouldn't stop talking to him. As we headed along the last leg of the run, we could see the rest of our group ahead of us. They had cut part of the route off in order to make their route 5 miles.

I am still amazed that we were able to put in another 12.6 miles and that it didn't feel too bad. We hung out and chit chatted for a few minutes before Chris and I were off.

We ended up putting in 12.6 miles in 1:58:22, that's with about a 5 minute potty break by Gary. Another awesome run. I think if we keep up this amount of training, we will be able to pull off a marathon at some point.

Next up is the group run on Monday. I'll try and update the blog after that.

Later

Running with Marathoners makes the miles add up

Two weeks ago Chris and I headed up to the local Y and sat in on a meeting about a Triple Crown running group. Since then we have been running with the local marathoners and putting in some serious miles.

The group meets on Mondays and Saturdays and the leader of the running group will run at any time. Last week was the first Monday night meeting. Since Chris had family obligations, he could not make it. We ended up putting in just under 5.5 miles that night. On Saturday Chris and I headed up to the Y and met the running group for and early morning run. The group mainly consisted of the local marathoners and their friends. The official time for the running group was 8:30, but the main group meets anywhere from 5:00 - 6:00 am and heads out on their 6.3 mile loop, returning to the Y at the end of each loop to pick up anyone who has shown up to run.

We headed out on the first loop at a very comfortable 8:40 pace. I will say that I was a bit surprised. I had figured that they would be faster, not that I am complaining. Everyone in the group that we ran with on the first loop are Boston Qualifiers, which is just amazing. We ended up finishing the first 6.3 mile loop in just over 56 minutes. After standing around for a few minutes to gather all of the new arrivals we were off on lap 2. I will say that starting lap 2 kind of sucked. It was really hard to get going again, but after about the first half mile things fell back into rhythm. We ended up completing the second 6.3 mile loop in just over 55 minutes. Not sure how we shaved an entire minute off the pace, but we did. After 12.6 miles Chris and I were ready to call it a day.

Last night Chris had things to do at home, so I headed up to the Y and met the running group without my favorite running partner. When I arrived there were two new faces for the running group, which would only consist of 5 people for the evening run. One was returning to running and the other had only done indoor training. We decided to run 2 miles and bring the first runner back to the Y and then head out for some distance. The first two miles were not that enjoyable, we had to stop and walk a couple of times and the pace was quite slow. But everyone has to start somewhere and being part of a running group isn't just about me. After returning to the Y and dropping off the first runner, we were off. We put in another mile and a half before parting way with the last member of the group. Then myself and the 2 marathoners were on our way. We ended up putting in a total of 8.2 miles, according to the Garmin the leader was wearing, in just over 82 minutes. The average pace was slow, but I would say that the last 4 miles flew by.

I will say that I have been wrestling with the idea of running a marathon, but since heading out with the marathoners I have a clearer vision that it could actually be a feasible possibility.

We shall see.

Later

50 Degrees, how could I not run?

Today was planned as a rest day in the training schedule. Chris and I had both put in several miles already this week and planned on taking it easy today. But when I woke up and headed outside to grab the mail, I quickly realized that it was just too nice not to get out for a run.

Since Chris had said yesterday that he was taking today as a rest day, I had planned on waiting until my son got home and seeing if he wanted to head out for a run. He has been running some, and actually headed out with Chris and I yesterday. I had planned to let him dictate the pace and see how far he could go. But as I was checking email, I received one from Chris that simply state "You thinking what I'm thinking?" The answer was a resounding "YES!"

After confirming with my daughter that she was not going to need her car for a bit, I suited up and headed to Chris's hood for what was planned as a nice easy 2-3 mile run. We started out at a nice easy pace, hitting the first mile right at the 9 minute mark. From there we gradually picked up the pace on the second mile. As we hit his house at the end of the second mile we were at 17:41. We decided to go ahead and do another 2 mile loop. We ended up finishing the second 2 mile loop in 16:46 for a grand total of 4.06 miles in 34:28, which ended up being right at an 8:30 pace.

Tomorrow is definitely going to be a rest day. I plan on heading out on Saturday morning and putting in a long run with the running group if I can drag myself out of bed early enough.

That's it for now.

Later

2010 Mini Marathon Training has officially Started

Like the title says, I have officially began training for the 2010 Mini Marathon. Last week Chris and I headed up to the local YMCA and sat in on a meeting for a Mini Marathon/Marathon training group. There were people there that will be training for everything from a 5k to 26.2. After leaving, I went home and signed up online for the group. Couldn't pass up the $10 shirt.

The group was scheduled to do the first group run on Monday, but I wasn't sure if it would go off as planned since the group leader had just done the Goofy in Disney. For those of you who don't know what that is, it consist of running a half marathon on Saturday and then following that up with a full marathon on Sunday. CRAZY!!! Anyway, earlier in the day I received an email that the run would go off as planned. So at 7 pm I headed to the Y. There were only 4 of us total, including the leader and one of her running partners. We ended up putting 5.41 miles in 57 minutes. It was a slow easy pace.

Yesterday I was supposed to get out and run with Chris, but I was never able to pull myself away from things around here. Oh well. He did get out and put in a good 6 mile run.

Today we got together and put in a 6.5 mile run in about 56 minutes in my hood. We are actually kicking around the idea of training and running a full marathon later this year. We shall see.

Anyway, that is what is going on right now as far as training and running. I will try to update this as the process goes along.

Later

Hangover Classic 2010 Recap

Yesterday Chris and I participated in what I am sure will become an annual run for us. We ran in the Hangover Classic 10 miler. It was an awesome run ran with a great friend.

The day started off for me around 3:30 am. Not sure why, but I just did not sleep worth a crap New Years Eve. The bad thing was that it was not due to partying, I just kept waking up. Oh well, I've ran with less sleep. After finally giving in and just getting up I headed out to the computer and checked out all of my favorite haunts, Facebook, Woot.com, Passwird.com, and a few others. Then I threw on a pot of coffee and tried to relax for a bit.

After posting a pre-run entry on blogger, I decided to watch District 9. Pretty decent movie, especially for the budget that it was produced on. While watching the movie I jumped on the Iphone and checked to see if Chris was on Facebook, he was. We chatted for a bit about the upcoming run. He then graciously offered to pick me up a Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino on his way over, which was awesome. He was planning on picking me up about 9:00 am. The run started at 10:00 am.

Then it was time to suit up and head out the door. I had found a few web sites that had very good advice on dressing for the cold. Since we don't normally head out when it is 20 degrees or less for a run, I wanted to make sure that I didn't over or under dress. The advice worked, and my new under armour gear was awesome!

Chris arrived right about 9:00 am and we were on our way. We made it to the start of the run within 20 minutes. It may have actually took that much time to find a parking space. There was a great turn out for a 10 miler on New Years Day. We then headed inside to see if we recognized any familiar faces. We saw a few of the hard core runners that we don't really know, just have seen at most of the runs we have participated in over the last year.

Then it was time to head out in the cold and do this thing! We took our spot near the end of the pack, since we didn't need to be near the front. The great thing about this run is that it was chip timed. We never heard a official start, everyone just started going, so we followed along.

The first mile was really slow, 9:08.30. Mostly because of the huge group of people all trying to find their groove. After the first mile we settled into about an 8:40 -8:45 pace, which was what we were planning. Our goal for this one was to finish in 90 minutes. After about the first 5 miles the cold didn't even matter anymore. I did find it kind of crazy that I had ice forming in my goatee!

The course was everything that it was billed as. We ran through parts of Louisville that I hadn't been trough in some time. It was a very nice, well marked flat course.

We ended up finishing up the run in 1:27:30! We met the goal that we had set for ourselves. Chris also ran the farthest he has ever ran. Way to go Yeti! We celebrated the run with a few Upland Wheat Ale's that I had brought along. It was a nice way to end the run. We then headed inside to see if we had won any door prizes. Within the first 3 names called, I won a fleece blanket from the 2009 Louisville Marathon, which I used to shield Chris's car seat from the sweat that was coming off of me on the ride home. Unfortunately Chris did not take home a door prize.

After all of the prizes were handed out we were on our way. All I can say it that it was an awesome way to kick off the new year. So if you ever find yourself in the Louisville area on New Years Day, I highly recommend this run. And if you look close, you just might see a few Yeti's in the pack.

For a great recap and photos, check out Chris's recap of this run. Well done!

Later

Gonna usher in 2010 with a cold 10 miler

Like the title says, I will be heading out for the first run of the new year with my favorite running partner and good friend Chris. We will be tackling the Hangover Classic 10 miler in a little over 3 hours. The weather bug on my computer is telling me that it is a balmy 18 degrees outside at this time. I think that weather.com is saying that it will be 22 at race time, but feel like 11. We have the gear and the desire, so it should be a good run and new tradition. I will post a recap later today.

In 2009 I put in a little over 500 miles. For 2010 I would like to hit 1000. We will see. I have a couple of half marathons that I will be training for, so that will keep the miles up.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. Here is to making 2010 even better.

Later