Is All that Running Worth it???

This is my last weekend before the race next week and I am in full taper mode.

I ran seven miles on Saturday morning.  I was not looking for a fast pace, but got one anyway...  We stayed at close to 8:00 pace the whole way, except for the way up the Copper River Bridge (9:20) and I had a sub 8:00 on the way back down.  My legs felt really tight and I am hoping this is still from my traveling last week.

I coached my son's soccer team from 11:00am to 12:00pm and then ran four and a half miles from the field back to my house (9:15).  It was warm, but I felt good (and it was cool that my family was there to see me off and greet me when I got home).

Today I rested (kind of)...

I did go for a hike and kicked the soccer ball around with my son (and took care of my sick wife), but no running.

The trail my son and I hiked, Patriots Point Trail, was really nice and I am going to incorporate it into some of my runs after this week.  I think it was about one and a half miles long, shaded and came out on the Charleston Harbor.  It was right behind where my son plays soccer (I had no idea it was even there).  I wonder how many more jewels like this are waiting to be discovered.

Oh, if you ever wondered "is all that running worth it?".  To be able to do this kind of stuff with my son, its way more than just "worth it"...

One Week Until the Palmetto 200

One more week and I get to spend about thirty hours in a van with a bunch of smelly runners!

We are starting our taper for the Palmetto 200 so I have been forced to take it easy for at least this next week. The problem is that I am also starting to ramp up my mileage to see if I can give this whole ultra running thing a try...

Wednesday, I ran a five mile tempo run on my own. My legs were really tight from traveling the last few days, so I took it easy on the way out and pushed the pace on the way back. I ran negative splits the whole way and ended up with the last two miles at (8:10 and 7:50).

Thursday afternoon, I ran six miles to the Citadel and back. I was working on not looking at my Garmin as I ran. I want to be able to dial in my pace and get a feel for effort rather than pace. This will be a huge help when its ninety-five degrees outside this summer. When I got back I checked my watch and I maintained a (9:15) pace the whole time. Not bad...

This morning I did a quick track workout:
1x800 warm up
Drills
5x800 (10k pace)
1x800 cool down

I was fast on the first two 800's, but settled down on the last three. I am amazed that I am able to know my pace just by feel. I don't even look at my watch until after I finish a repeat. This is a huge improvement over last year.

We have one more long run on Saturday and then its time to pull back. I am not looking forward to this week, but I am unbelievable excited about the Palmetto 200!!!

Running Up the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Its not the first step that is so amazing.  Its not the second, third or even the last step that makes this assent so incredible.  Its all of those steps added to the weight and magnitude of standing in a place that is so awe inspiring that makes this such a unique experience.

Getting the opportunity to explore cities that I visit is an added bonus to being a runner.  I have been looking forward to my trip to DC for the last few weeks.  I knew the weather was going to be nice and I knew I would be staying close to the city.  I had know idea that I would be right next to a trail that would take me through some of the most beautiful areas surrounding our nation's capital.

I left Charleston Sunday morning believing I would leave on my Delta flight at 10:00am.  I arrived early, had one carryon and went through security without a problem.  So far, so good...

Delta was looking for volunteers to take another flight because the plane had been overbooked (I passed).  Twenty minutes before boarding an announcement was made that they did not need any volunteers for the flight (good sign).  Ten minutes before boarding an announcement was made stating that there was a mechanical problem and the flight would be delayed twenty to thirty minutes (ok, still not the end of the world).   Twenty minutes later, they announce that they were ready to start boarding (yeah!).  I was in zone three so I was toward the end of the line.

As I started walking down the stairs to go outside, I notice that people were waiting to get on the plane.  After about five minutes of waiting, I notice that people were backing off the plane (bad sign).  A rumor made it back to me that the plane was too small and that we had to go back to the Delta desk (too small?  are you kidding me?).  Being at the end of the line, I ran back to the desk and was close to the front of that line.  What could be causing this confusion?  The actual plane had twenty fewer seats than the plane on the computer screen (one guy was looking for row twenty and there were only thirteen rows).  I was not happy at this point and to make it even better all the flights out of Charleston were full for the rest of the day (I am guessing there was a mass exudes from Charleston due to the Grits Festival being over).  Thirty minutes later I found myself in a van heading to Columbia, SC, to get on another fight to Atlanta (yep, that's right - I had to go two hours away in a van to get another flight).  Plus side was that I was given a $400 voucher, meal tickets and upgraded to first class.  Down side was that I did not get to DC until after 10:00pm and I was too tired to get out and run.

I spent all day Monday in meetings and could not wait to get back to the hotel to go for a run.  Two people working at the reception desk were runners and told me about the Mount Vernon Trail, they said I would love the run (they were so right).

I was staying in Crystal City and even though I had only been there one time, I had strong memories about this area.  Crystal City is part of the last four miles of the Marine Corps Marathon.  It was through this area that I thought I was going to have to drop out of the race.  I had cramped up so badly that I was limping and barely running, but the crowds were incredible and pushed me to keep moving.

When I got back to the hotel I quickly changed my clothes and headed out the door.  I got on the Mount Vernon Trail at the Crystal City Water Park.  I was in love as soon as I hit the trail.  The trees were hanging over each side and the trail made a loop down and around the highway to the Potomac River.  I made my way around and headed towards Reagan National Airport.  The trail passed right next to the end of the runway.  As I was running by, a plane flew right over me (it was so cool)!

The trail had so many amazing views of the capital that I thought I was going to have whiplash from turning my head so much.  I was really loving this run.  I had only planned on running about six miles, but then I noticed that I was getting close to a bridge that was directly across from the Lincoln Memorial (how could I pass that up?).

I made my way up the trail and over the bridge.  The Lincoln Memorial was right in front of me.  I ran around to the front and looked up at the steps to the top.  It was so amazing.  How lucky was I to be able to do this?  How many other people get to travel to a city and really explore and experience things so intensely?

I ran up the steps and walked through the monument to the statue of Abraham Lincoln.  There were hundreds of people standing around and for a brief second I felt strange just standing there sweating and breathing heavy.  I turned and ran down the steps to head back to my hotel.  I kept looking back as I made my way over the bridge and back to the trail.  I could have run all day and night.

On the way back I paid attention to every detail of the trail.  I knew I was only going to get one shot at this run and I wanted to take it all in.  As I moved off the trail and back to Crystal City I looked at my Garmin and saw that I had run over nine miles.  I wish it could have gone on for ever...

Long Run - 15.5 Miles - 4-17-10

Technically it should be "long run #1 (8 miles) and long run #2 (7.5 miles)", but you know what I mean...

This morning I ran eight miles from the Old Village to Sullivan's Island.  We had about twenty runners running in different groups as part of the Palmetto 200 training.  We took our longest leg of the race and ran that distance.  My longest leg is about eight miles and that matched up with two other runners (Stacey and Ninja Stuntman).

We ran at around 8:30 pace the whole time.  I felt good, but was a little worried that it might hit me later in the day when I went out for my second run (it did).  As always, running over the Ben Sawyer Bridge is amazing.  The bridge is awesome and the view is spectacular.  This really is one of my favorite places to run.

After the run I showered and headed to the soccer field to coach my son's U7 team.  After the game we went to lunch.  I was still thinking about the run that I would be doing later in the day.

From 2:00pm to 3:00pm we watched the Blue Angles show that was going on over the Charleston Harbor.  It was crazy!  After that I headed home, changed and drove over to Sullivan's Island for my afternoon run.

I met Stacey for the run and she had a route that took us all over the island.  It was a great route and kept my mind off how much I was spent.  We were running at a pretty good pace (8:39 average) and had to take a couple of walk breaks at the end to finish up the run.  It was not the distance as much as the sun, heat and everything else I did today that wiped me out...

Off to Washington DC in the morning.  I will make that my 200th post when I get back.

And the Winner is...

Congratulations to Erica H. of EricaRunning! She is the winner of the two pair of Feetures! socks giveaway!!! Thank you Feetures!

By the way, I am now an official Feetures! Ambassador. This was not a stretch since I wear their socks and push them on my friends all the time.  They are the best socks ever made :)

I am wrapping up my last two weeks of training for the Palmetto 200 and I am psyched! This will also be my first 50 mile week of the year and I am feeling great!

Wednesday morning I ran my five mile tempo run. I ran with a great group and averaged about 8:00 pace including the warm up. Wednesday night I ran five miles at 10:30pm. This was a good test for the nighttime running I will be doing during the second leg of the race.

Thursday night I went out for another night run. I ran four miles (9:15). I realized that no matter how many flashing lights and reflective material I have on, I have to be careful. Not only did the people in the cars not see me, I almost got hit by a drunk guy on a bicycle!

This morning I went to the track. This was a good test of running in the morning after a run at night. I felt great. The workout was a good one and I hit all my splits:

1x800 warm up

Drills

4x200 (100 recovery)

4x300 (200 recovery)

4x400 (300 recovery)

1x800 cool down

I am resting this afternoon and this evening for my runs this weekend. I will be doing one in the morning, one in the evening and one on Sunday morning. And the miles just keep racking up...

Running the Streets (Urban Trail Running)

I think "urban trail running" sounds a little better than "running the streets", but a lot of people have used that title for their blog posts already...

I have been talking to one of my buddies from high school who is an ultra runner and lives in Colorado (he ran the North Face 50 last year). He has a great blog Summits and Valleys: A Mountain Runner's Life about his running, snowboarding and anything else he thinks up. After reading about his trail runs, I started looking for some local trails to try out. My running experience is limited to the last three years and I have never experimented with running on trails. I am planning on running a new half marathon trail run (the Dirt Dash) in September as part of my marathon training. The Dirt Dash goes through the swamps of the Francis Marion National Forest (only a few miles from my house) so I may try to train on some of those trails before I do the race.

I was thinking about trail running when I went for my first run yesterday and realized that I was doing some of the same things I might have to do on a trail:

- Running on uneven ground - It really does not get much more uneven than the sidewalks and roads in Downtown Charleston.

- Dodging obstacles - There are so many tourists in town that it’s like running through a forest.

- Running over rocks and streams - Cobblestone roads / sidewalks and horse piss from the carriages - enough said.

- Inclines and Declines - The Cooper River Bridge adds some much needed elevation from the ten feet below sea level where I start my run. Not to mention the steps of the Customs House that I run up to do my Rocky pose.



So I ran the eight miles and acted like I was running on a trail the whole time (urban trail running). I ran all over Downtown, up the Cooper River Bridge and then made my way up the steps of the Customs House for my Rocky pose (I think I startled the homeless guy at the top). When I got back to my office I was totally pumped! I can't imagine how I would feel if I had just run a real trail.

I did my second run last night. It was a short four mile out and back route from my house. Not much to say about that run, but I did feel really good getting in twelve miles for the day.

This morning I decided to go to Boot Camp to hurt some turtles (see past post about turtles). After our warm up, we broke up into three groups and did a three station, fifteen minute each circuit.

My group went to the track to run laps and sprints. There is nothing like a Marine yelling at you to sprint to get the blood flowing. I have not run that hard in a while and it felt good to go all out. Next, we went back to the gym and worked with the medicine balls. I paired up with another guy and we did chest passes to each other from our knees. We started about ten feet from each other and eventually moved to about thirty feet apart. The goal was to spring forward, throwing the ball, and drop into a pushup. My arms were a mess after fifteen minutes. We then moved to the striking station. One person held a pad while the other person threw punches. Then one person laid on the ground while the other person straddled them and held the pad in their face. The person on the ground then did elbow strikes. After that we stood up and did alternating knee strikes to the bag. I was wiped out!

I could tell everyone was exhausted, but as we finished with group exercises the whole group was loud and motivated. This is what keeps me coming back to Boot Camp.

Don't forget to sign up for the givveaway - only two days left!

Bloody Nipples, Speed Work and Long Runs...

This could be one of those posts that has too much information... 

Wednesday morning I ran my five mile tempo run from home.  The pace was pretty good for a solo run (9:08, 8:24, 8:25, 8:34, 8:45).  I ran alone because when I woke up at 5:00 am to run with the group, my head was killing me and I went back to bed for a few more hours.  The night before, I had to have my ears irrigated (cleaned out) at the doctor's office because they were full of wax and pool water (I told you this was one of those TMI posts).  By the way, this could be another reason I was hating running on the treadmill for the past three days.

Thursday morning I went to Boot Camp.  It was a good workout with lots of running so I was pretty happy.  We broke up into two groups.  One group did exercises while the other group ran laps.  We were given a certain amount of time to run the laps and get back so the other group could go.  This was really good speed work because we were being threatened the whole time if we did not run fast enough!

Later that day I went to the track with my son.  He wanted to do a "real" track workout.  I came up with a 50 meter sprint workout:

1x400 warm up
4x400 (100 meter jog, 50 meter sprint, 50 meter walk, 100 meter jog, 50 sprint, 50 meter walk)
1x400 cool down

He loved it!  I had to drop cones at the 50 meter marks, but otherwise he didn't have any problem doing the workout.  I ran it with him and we had a blast "racing" the 50 meter sprints and stomping on leaves during the 50 meter walks.

Friday morning I was back at the track for my workout:
1x800 warm up
Drills
6x800 (3:43) full recovery
1x800 cool down

I was a few seconds fast, but consistent.

I had really been running at a fast pace this week and I was looking forward to a nice slow long run in the morning.  Well, Coach Greg quickly stomped on that day dream.  He advised me that I would be leading the eight mile group in the morning and I needed to do it at around 7:30-8:00 pace.  Crap!

Saturday morning, I woke up early and drove to meet the running group.  Its the second Saturday of the month so that means its time for the Pancake Run with the Charleston Running Club (dutch of course).  There are three groups: 4 mile (no one gets left behind), 6 mile (10:00), and 8 mile (7:30-8:00).  There were only three people in my group (counting me) so we took off fast in an attempt to get back at the same time as the other groups (we didn't want to miss out on all the pancakes).  We ran at a good pace for the whole run and even picked up another runner (Jon) at mile two (8:32, 7:58, 8:05, 8:01, 7:55, 8:05, 7:50, 7:45).  The route was through the Old Village and it was an absolutely beautiful morning!  We finished our run just as the other groups were coming in - mission accomplished!

My favorite part of this run is meeting everyone afterwards at Alex's for breakfast.  We really have a good time just sitting around talking about crazy stuff.  Really, at one point we were talking about having to pee at races and how funny it is to see so many people lined up on the side of the road peeing.  At another point (remember, this is at breakfast) someone was talking pooping during a long run (see, TMI).  We really do have a great time.

I came home, rested a few minutes and then played basketball with my son (it is Saturday - did you expect me to lay around on the couch?).  I got a text about meeting for our second run at 3:30pm (part of my Palmetto 200 training).  The group was only going to run four miles so I decided to run to where I was meeting them to get in an extra couple of miles (I miscalculated the distance and ended up running two and half miles to meet them) (9:37, 9:04).  I met Annie (aka Amy), Heather and Joe "No L".  We decided to run two miles to the Bridge and back.  We started together, but Joe "No L" was pushing the pace and I ended up running with him for most of the way out (9:29, 9:58).  I decided to slow down and run with Annie and Heather for the return (10:58, 11:03, 10:29).  We made it back to their cars, parted ways and I headed back to my house.  As I was running home, I noticed blood on my shirt.  Crap!  Of course I was wearing the same shirt as I wore at the Marine Corps Marathon (see bloody shirt episode).  I ran into a gas station and asked for a band aid.  I know, you're thinking this is the South and of course they gave me a band aid.  Nope!  She pointed and said "over there".  I almost never carry money with me when I run, but today for some reason I had my key and a ten dollar bill in a plastic bag.  I purchased the "box" of band aids and put one on my bloody nipple right there in the store :)  I felt great after that and ran the last two miles at a pretty good pace (9:16, 8:51).

I ran further than I had planned, but it felt good to run seventeen miles today.  This was a great way to end the week; friends, speed work, long runs and bloody nipples...

Don't forget to check out my giveaway!

I Hate Treadmills...

Ok - hate is a strong word, but I really do not like running on treadmills.

Spring Break started on Friday and I decided to take my son to Myrtle Beach for a little vacation.  Before we left, I ran a seven mile run with my Palmetto200 team.  We ran at a pretty fast pace for a long run, but it was only seven miles out to Sullivan's Island and back (9:40, 8:55, 8:41, 8:41, 8:31, 8:25, 8:22).  Hitting negative splits was a nice bonus.  I was supposed to run another three miles that night, but I was on vacation and I was not going to make my family change plans for three miles.

My wife had to head back to Charleston on Sunday (she has to work this week - not me!!!).  I did not think it would be very responsible of me to leave my six year old son in the hotel room while I ran, so we went down to the workout room.  I got on the treadmill and I set my son up on a step/run machine (I have no idea what it was, but he really liked it).  I ran 3.5 miles (8:00 pace).  I only ran that fast because it was so crazy boring!  Peyton ran two miles and we called it a day.

Monday, we got up early and went back to the workout room.  I ran 3.5 miles (8:00 pace) and Peyton ran 1.5 miles.  We got out of there as fast as we could and headed out for some fun in Myrtle Beach.

Tuesday, we were back at the workout room for our last day workout.  I ran 3.0 mile (7:45 pace) and Peyton ran 1.5 miles again.  I ran as long as I could stand it.  I have no idea how people run in place for so long.  I was bored out of my head.  After we finished, we rinsed off and jumped in the pool and had a blast.

Anyway, we got home this afternoon and I am ready to get back on the road for some real running (no offense to you crazy people that love your treadmills)...

Don't forget to sign up for the Feetures! Socks giveaway!

Barefoot at the Track!

I may not be ready for a ten mile barefoot run, but I did finish my track workout with some barefoot sprints and I loved it!

Yesterday, I ran six miles to the top of the Bridge and back to my office (I even ran up the steps of the Customs House again - my Rocky moment).

This morning, I showed up for my track workout with six other runners.  After an 800 meter warm up, stretches and drills we got into the main part of the workout: 4x200 (:54 / 100 recovery), 4x300 (1:21 / 200 recovery), 4x400 (1:49 / 300 recovery).  I was fast on all of my splits, but felt great the whole time (I even pushed it on my last 400).

I have been toying around with the idea of running barefoot, but the thought of the bottom of my feet hitting the pavement has held me back a little.  At the end of our workout, Coach Greg threw in a little twist (a barefoot twist).  We took off our shoes / socks and did 10x50 meter sprints on the grass.

The grass was cold and wet, but felt good on my feet.  I noticed right away that I was leaning forward when I was running.  I also noticed that the only part that was uncomfortable was the bottoms of my feet (they were cold).  The feeling is much like that of taking your shoes off and stretching your feet after a long flight (it just feels good).

The hope is that by doing this I will build up the muscles in my feet.  I am reading Born to Run right now and that might make me even more inclined to try the barefoot approach on the road someday.

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