35, 5, and 2

Mark B wrote:You've been quiet lately, Ounce. And in taper, no less. You don't have to leave this early to get there, do you?

I'm walking.



I've been getting slammed at work and putting in more hours than I desire. Which looks to be continued until the Fort Worth Marathon on November 11.

It's REALLY quite nice that I'm tapering, then recovering after Odessa in the coming week, so I can get some good sleep without shorting my training.

Ran 10 in the rain & 75 degrees, today. Details I hope will be coming today or tomorrow.

Today, the weather forecast for Odessa next Saturday is a low of 59 and a high of 73 with sunny skies (the forecast I saw yesterday said 61 and 81 with sunny skies). Sunrise is to be at 7:47, which would mean I get to run 2 hours in the coolness, prior to sunrise. Of course, the forecast is subject to change.

1 week until Odessa. In fact, a week from now, the marathon will be in the books and I'll be halfway home and spending the night in Kerrville, Texas.

Today, I marked the end of the 2nd week of taper with a 10 mile run. The idea for the run was to run at an average of 135 bpm and see what the times were. This is a departure from my normal, run half the distance at 130 bpm & negative split the second half. But Monday's 8 mile run was at a 120 bpm average goal and I wanted to see what 135 would produce. This morning's temperature was 75 degrees and the chance of rain was high, so the dewpoint was around the air temperature.

10.06 miles, 2:21:28, 14:03 pace, 136 bpm, 152 max bpm during mile 8, 13:36 1st half, 14:30 2nd half.

1. 13:13, 131 bpm
   
2. 13:11, 135 bpm
   
3. 13:36, 136 bpm
   
4. 14, 137 bpm
   
5. 14:02, 135 bpm
   
6. 14:17, 134 bpm
   
7. 14:10, 137 bpm
   
8. 14:17, 139 bpm
   
9. 14:45, 138 bpm
   
10. 14:57, 138 bpm
    

Pretty durn close to what I wanted, but didn't like the times. Some of it is due to the temperature. It did rain, actually it showered for about 3/4ths of the run. Nothing ever hurt, except there was a niggle on the right foot on the inside part of the heel. I'm guessing it's where the achilles attaches to the inside part of the heel bone. I could adjust my heel strike a bit and avoid the pain. The run never taxed me. It shouldn't.

The forecast for next week has the high temperature changing again, now with a high of 68. A 10 degree spread from the low to the high would be nice. Of course, subject to change. I'll be packing most of my stuff tomorrow, because I'm expecting to be busy at work too much to ensure me not forgetting to pack something.

Good luck Oz, I am sure you aren't worrying about the time you ran on your 10 mile run because 75 w/ 100% humidity SUCKS to run in. I bet you will like those 2 hrs before the sun rises, I know I love running at that time of day. Temps look pretty good for an early Oct race in Texas.

Thanks, Joel. Since running in the heat is not an accurate predictor of future performance, I believe I'll be able to run a sub-6 hour marathon, but I think PR'ing would be a challenge with temps 20 degrees warmer than a January morning in Houston.

One good thing about starting before anyone else is I can get into my own rhythm without trying to stay with anyone. I figure the half marathon bunch will catch me around mile 7, so I'll have peace and quiet until then.

I hope none of the locals yell, "Hey, boy! Yew best git off before them runners chase yew off the road!"

3rd week of taper and I decided to air it out a bit and do a 2.5 mile run pretty fast for me. I had to go by the Shell station to get my car, after passing its state inspection. I go right by it every time I run. It's about 2.2 miles into any run I do. I just wanted my body to be ready for moving fast, if needed, for Saturday.

2.51 miles, 27:02, 10:46 pace, 159 avg bpm, 170 max bpm, 64 degrees 64 degrees!

1. 10:59, 153 bpm
   
2. 10:37, 163 bpm
   
3. 10:38 pace, 162 bpm
   

I enjoyed it. I thought I was slowing a bit during mile 2, but I wasn't.

Regarding the weather for Odessa, it's changed so much. It started at 62 for a low and 85 for a high. Now on both the NWS and Intellicast, Saturday is supposed to be 55 for a low and 62 for a high, mostly cloudy with isolated showers and a NE breeze at 15-20. Friday's high is 88. Might have to pack a long sleeve shirt.

So I am working on memorizing the Odessa course and found on my iPhone the actual surroundings of an area on the course provided by Google. JEEZ, I've seen rural plenty of times, but this area is so sparse and brown that I expect to get in a race with some tumbleweeds on Saturday.

I was trying to get an idea of the density and the street lamps on the course, since I'll be in the dark for around 90 minutes and by myself. There ain't many street lamps and the moon doesn't look like it'll be able to punch through the clouds that are forecasted.

I have one of these hiking Black Diamond headlamps that I could wear, but I'd have to keep it with me the whole race which is rather a bummer. I'm definitely going to drive the course on Friday.

What are your thoughts on the headlamp, please? thanks.

Yeah, that's about right.

Do you have a little fanny pack for carrying gels and such? You could stash it in there, if there's enough room. Failing that, you could maybe loop it a couple of times and carry it on your arm once you don't need it. And from the description of the course and the astronomical info, it sounds like you might need it. (Nautical twilight in Odessa on Saturday is at 6:54, Civil twilight at 7:22 and sunrise at 7:47.)

I have one of those headlamps, Doug and mine has a little clip on it, so often I just clip it to my waistband when I don't need it anymore. Another option is to leave it at a water stop, if it is an out and back course, and pick it up on the way back.

Good luck this weekend - enjoy the tumbleweeds and oil derricks!

Mark, thanks for the times. I figure by nautical sunrise, I'll be around mile 7 which would be good from a navigation perspective. I don't have a fanny pack.

Michele, the lamp I have doesn't have a clip to attach to my waist. I'll either let it dangle around my neck or strap it to my forearm. The course is a point to point, albeit a very crooked point to point.

Thank you both for your wonderful ideas.

The weather is supposed to be windy to the tune of 20 mph out of the NE. There's a 3 mile stretch where that will be a tailwind in the middle of the race. The spread of temperatures from sunrise to the warmest part of the day on Saturday is 2 degrees. 53 at sun up and 55 for a high. Mostly cloudy. I'm bringing a long sleeve shirt, just in case. Friday's high will be 88.

I hope everyone keeps their dogs inside during the start of the race, but I figure there will be one that wants to hassle me. I pity the fool. I leave in the morning. Odessa has almost 100,000 people and 2 Starbucks. Bigger than I thought.

I'm thinking of wearing my drape cap, so I don't get sandblasted so much. Opinion? Looking forward to the drive. Y'all don't fight while I'm out of town. And you KNOW I'll know.

Cloudy, low of 53, high of 55? Are you sure you've got the right Odessa?

Drive safely! I think the Lawrence of Arabia hat would just end up annoying you.

Good luck!

Mark B wrote:Cloudy, low of 53, high of 55? Are you sure you've got the right Odessa?

Drive safely! I think the Lawrence of Arabia hat would just end up annoying you.

Thanks. I've extracted the hat. I may have overstated the weather.

JohnP wrote:Good luck!

John, thanks and thanks for stopping by.



From this morning's forecast at the NWS for Odessa:

Today Sunny, with a high near 85. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the morning.

<LI class=row-even>Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northeast 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. </LI>
<LI class=row-odd>Saturday A 20 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 52. Northeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. </LI>

I like the other forecast better. But think of the tailwind!

When I helped a couple of runners train for Badwater in DV, we had a pretty severe wind one of the days. I wore my LoA hat, and I think it really helped. What do you think?

Looks quite becoming, Michele. The scarf adds a bit of fashion.

Well, I finished the race in 5:55:12 or a 13:33 pace. The weather was exactly as advertised, including the 20-25 mph sustained winds with gusts to 35 and 53 degrees with overcast skies. Except for the breeze, it was the best race weather I have ever had.

I would've finished faster, but 3 of the last 4 miles were all headwind. I probably had equal amounts of head and tailwind.

Except for the last 4 miles, I can honestly say it was fun. Partly because I was able to run some pretty severe tangents. At one point, I was one-tenth under the actual measured distance. I finished at 26.18 miles.

Time for bbq. More details when I get back to Houston and see the splits.

Given that headwind just when you needed it the least, this is a really solid race for you, Once. Congrats!

Love to know how your extra-early start worked out.

Thanks, Mark. Parts of it sure seemed better than others. But, I survived the wind without any injuries or new niggles.

**

Short version:

The weatherman in Odessa hit all the Saturday forecast points on the mark: low 50's, 20-25 NE wind with gusts to 35 and a 20% chance of rain, although the rain came as a steady mist for about an hour after I toed the line at 6:04 a.m. The timing company and the race director were very easy to work with on my desire to start an hour before the race, so I could have an official time.

I had on a long sleeve & a short sleeve shirt, gloves, and my headlamp. I had never run with a headlamp before, just hiked with it. Sometimes, you just have to do things that you've never done in training, when the situation warrants.

Actually, the headlamp worked great, but it was chilly out there. In the latter stages of being in a wind tunnel, my toes were freezing.

26.18 miles, 5:55:12, 13:33 pace, 153 avg HR, max HR of 165 during miles 17, 18 and 19, 13:13 first half and 13:53 2nd half.

1. 13:01, 142 bpm
   
2. 13:38, 148 bpm headwind
   
3. 13:37, 146 bpm headwind
   
4. 13:18, 146 bpm
   
5. 13:31, 145 bpm
   
6. 13:15, 146 bpm
   
7. 13:24, 148 bpm
   
8. 13:02, 147 bpm tailwind
   
9. 12:45, 151 bpm
   
10. 13:03, 149 bpm
    
11. 12:50, 150 bpm
    
12. 12:39, 154 bpm
    
13. 13:18, 157 bpm tailwind
    
14. 13:38, 156 bpm tailwind
    
15. 13:31, 155 bpm tailwind
    
16. 13:29, 158 bpm tailwind
    
17. 13:28, 157 bpm tailwind
    
18. 13:21, 160 bpm tailwind
    
19. 13:41, 161 bpm
    
20. 13:32, 158 bpm
    
21. 13:49, 159 bpm
    
22. 13:57, 158 bpm headwind
    
23. 14:37, 159 bpm headwind
    
24. 15:10, 155 bpm headwind
    
25. 14:34, 156 bpm
    
26. 14:05, 158 bpm headwind
    
27. 14:00 pace, 156 bpm
    

Considering that all my runs during the summer were as slow as molasses, I was surprised I was running what I ran. I was checking the average pace frequently, but only the laps sporatically. Once I saw my pace for miles 4-12 were holding in the lower 13's, I was encouraged plus maybe that I would be seen by Joel as sandbagging.

For the heart rates I was recording, I thought they were rather low plus after miles 18 and 19, I never averaged a heart above 159, including the real bitches of 22-24.

While I don't think I would've had a PR time, I didn't have a bad day.

The race was well managed, for such a small race. They had 4 races and just over 500 total participants. Aren't you glad this is the short verson?

Nice job on another one. It's no fun running into a headwind, that happened to me once in a marathon and it just killed me with all the extra effort it took to fight it.

Congrats, Doug on an excellent race - well done! Running into a head wind sucks as I have to run into one a lot here along the lake.

By the way, the "scarf" in the picture is one of those ones with the ice gel pack that keeps your cool. Works great.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:By the way, the "scarf" in the picture is one of those ones with the ice gel pack that keeps your cool. Works great.

I have one that has rice in it. You soak it, it swells and it's cold, if soaked in cold water.

**

Apologies for not checking in since the 8th, but between work and family, coming here is a quick diversion I have to almost plan.

Since Odessa on October 6, I've done some resting and some less than 10 mile running. The week of the 8th, my self-diagnosed achilles tendonitis flared up to where I couldn't run more than 2 or 3 miles. I took Meloxicam 7.5 mg pills I had from the August shin splints. Did that for about 4 days and rest. The week of the 15th found me trying 2 miles successfully on the 18th, then running 8 miles at a 12:26 pace in mid-50's weather. That really shocked me, plus there was no pain. The week of the 22nd, which also is the 1st week of taper for the Fort Worth Marathon on November 11, found me regressing on Friday the 26th with the tendonitis flaring up again after 3 miles of a planned 10 mile run. I walked 1.5 miles home and am just going to not run until later this week, maybe not run until next week, week 3 of taper.

The pain is where the achilles tendon attaches to the heel on the medial side of the right foot...just inside of mid line. I've determined that longer strides, foot planting where the right heel is lower than the rest of the foot, and older shoes with less sponginess. So, last week I was short striding with little problems. I'll be running Fort Worth on shoes with 8 miles on them, so that's about the best I can do, aside from watching foot placement.

So, I leave for Fort Worth on Saturday the 10th. I'll be staying at my brother's house in Dallas, then return to Houston after the marathon for a one week vacation.

Mark, if you could please send me the instructions on how to upload a photo, I would appreciate it. I have a not too interesting photo from the Odessa trip that I'd like to share.

y'all be good.

Ouch, I can so relate to the achilles issue!

The Fort Worth Marathon occurred on Veterans Day. It was the second of five marathons I thought would be a good thing to do back in the Spring. Had I known then what I would have experienced in the past 30 days, I would've scrapped doing the 5 marathons.

Four family emergencies, including one the Friday before Fort Worth, and nursing a tendonitis in my right Achilles back to being runnable were two of the three memorable happenings that preceded Fort Worth. So I wasn't in prime condition.

I chose the Fort Worth Marathon because it fell on a good weekend in November, it was supposed to be a flatter course than one could expect in Fort Worth, which has a lot of rolling hills for this flatlander to run. The course was measured along the banks of the Trinity River from the Fort Worth Cats minor league baseball stadium to Benbrook Lake and back. The course had a lot of packed dirt along with concrete sidewalks and a lot of flat grass that served as the flood plain, should the water level rise a bunch. It's a small marathon of less than a thousand people and they even let walkers start 90 minutes before the runners. So, it has that small, trail run type atmosphere where all the runners encourage each other.

The weather started at 70 degrees and humid, with a distinct chance of isolated thunderstorms and a cold front to move through. The front moved through a bit past the halfway point and a 20 minute shower followed. I'm glad the rain stopped when it did because my hands were starting to get cold. Temps didn't drop that much, but it did drop about 10 degrees and the dewpoint by 20 degrees. I loved the overcast skies, but the wind, oh the WIND, was a headwind of 20 mph for the whole first half. I guess I'm running into a spat of wind-filled marathons, as last month's Odessa Marathon was very windy.

I love Fort Worth. I graudated from TCU and really love the town. I wasn't a runner during those days, so I never enjoyed the Trinity River trails.

I loosened up weill with no pain in my heel. I made the mistake (I guess) of trying to maintain a pace to a headwind. I felt if I didn't, I would have a slower time because I would be tired near the end. But since I ran the Odessa course overly efficient (26.18 miles), I was looking for ways to be efficient on this course. And there were TONS of areas to be efficient and run tangents. The course didn't have cones except at the start, so it was great and a very nice diversion.

My heel yelped about mile 12 and had a dull grumble type of whine, but it never kept me from running. I was so relieved. I didn't want to have to run six marathons to get five. I ended up running 25.96 miles and crossed the finish line! I never looked at my garmin for heart rate, just thte average pace. I knew I was running harder and I didn't want to confirm what I already felt.

25.96 miles, 6:14:26, 14:25 pace, avg HR 160, max HR of 176 during mile 10, miles 10-17 had the highest HR maxxes in the 170's, first half in 2:57 and 2nd half in 3:17.

1. 13:25, 147 bpm
   
2. 13:17, 148 bpm
   
3. 13:00, 157 bpm
   
4. 13:03, 155 bpm
   
5. 12:42, 156 bpm
   
6. 13:13, 156 bpm
   
7. 13:20, 159 bpm
   
8. 13:35, 158 bpm
   
9. 13:35, 162 bpm
   
10. 13:19, 168 bpm
    
11. 13:30, 169 bpm
    
12. 13:38, 170 bpm
    
13. 14:31, 168 bpm
    
14. 14:44, 168 bpm
    
15. 14:14, 170 bpm
    
16. 14:24, 167 bpm
    
17. 14:40, 165 bpm
    
18. 15:20, 164 bpm
    
19. 15:34, 160 bpm
    
20. 16:41, 157 bpm
    
21. 16:06, 159 bpm
    
22. 15:19, 159 bpm
    
23. 16:01, 157 bpm
    
24. 15:36, 157 bpm
    
25. 16:13, 155 bpm
    
26. 15:13 (pace), 158 bpm
    

I finished in one piece and while I didn't enjoy the last 8 miles, running the tangents was a great consolation prize.

Next race is on Friday, December 21 for The End of the World Marathon in Humble, Texas, a suburb of Houston. I had plenty of time to develop a strategy for that race and since it's a 4 loop course, I thought I'd long run pace the first 3 loops and walk the last loop because the Houston Marathon comes 3 weeks after it on January 13. Thanks for your time.

Congrats, Doug. Running a marathon is always a victory. I wondered though about the achilles and since we hadn't heard from you, I figured you might have bailed. You have plenty of time now before the December race (Joel is running too), so rest up some and enjoy what you can of the cooler weather.

Nice work on another marathon, Ounce! Sorry about the achilles issue and the family stress. Hope things get better soon.

I missed the how to post a photo question. Let's see if I can explain it.

1. Download you photo to your Desktop or some other easy-to-find location.

2. Click this icon in the bar above the text window.

3. It will open up this box:



4. Click the "Choose File" button and navigate your way to the photo you want to post.

5. Select the photo, and then choose the image size you prefer. For most horizontal photos, 640 px is good, for vertical, 320.



6. Copy the URL that you see in the "Image:" box. That's the one in the middle.

7. Paste that URL into your text box with the rest of your post, click Preview below to see how it looks. Presto! The photo is there.

8. If you want to upload more photos, click on the Upload link at the bottom of that window with all the URLs in it.

9. To make that list of URLs disappear, simply click the icon again.

Have fun!