uphill climb

Thanks guys - I really needed that

Monday 6/27: Skipped my noon run b/c I was teaching classes to middle schoolers all day. I think that made me more tired than running! I basically had to force myself to ride 60 quality minutes on my bike trainer. Got to bed later than usual ~ 11:30...

Tuesday 6/28: Woke up at 4:00 to get to work early and join some coworkers on a goose capture/banding operation, which was a success with about 100 geese captured while only missing about 3 from a nearby lake. They were deemed nuisance and were to be relocated to a local reservoir. It was actually sort of fun grabbing the hissing critters from the capture pen and holding them for their banding. Fun, that is, until I was leaning over the pen to grab a goose while leaning on my side and felt a rib pop a little. Ouch. It is tender tonight. [email=%$@%^@W]%$@%^@W[/email] geese!!! This is going to hurt for a little while - it doesn't affect my running so much (well, unless I have to breathe I guess ) and I'll be OK - I'm just POd that I did it at all.

Oh well - anyway, the show must go on...
Lunch - swam 3,800 yds (~2.16 miles) at 1:48/100 yd pace (1:08:46). Side loosened up a little, but hurt through the swim - was going to go a little longer, but cut it off...
PM - thunderstorms overhead so I used the dreadmill - 1.5% incline, 8.0 miles, 7:03 pace overall, 153 bpm HR. Legs felt good - side hurting a little. Getting excited about this weekends 10K.... Sometimes it just feels good to run - tonight was one of those times where I feel lucky to be healthy and able to do this...

Yeah I'm sure middle schoolers would wearing a lot of us done. I know that it would me.

As for the ribs yeah that is no fun. I remember back in H.S. I had some really bad bruised ribs and it happen at the start of track season and well it sucked for a while! Hope you feel better soon.

John, you are looking really solid right now. With the swimming and biking, your aerobic base must be solid as a rock!

Dang, the man can keep that pace for 8 miles, too! Don't forget to rest (REST!) a bit more the next few days to get the legs rearing to go by the time your 10k rolls around. Got a goal time yet? Sub-40? I think so.

Good luck in the 10K. You'll clean house.

John, I was just going back a bit in your blog and looking at some awesome training! It's great to see such consistency.
I hope the ribs are feeling better.
Incidentally, geese (Canada Geese to be specific), have always been a huge issue in our area. Nobody had found an effective way to get rid of them. I'm not sure what the purpose of your project to band them is, but up here, people have come up with some whacky ideas, like poisoning or hunting them.

Thanks Mike, Tom, Seth and Alex - I'm going to try to run the 1st 5K at 20:20 and then see what happens after that...

Schuey - the f-ing rib hurts worse today. $%#!@ geese!

The geese are actually pretty easy to get right now, as they are molting and can't fly. It takes a team of people to corral them (off a lake in this case using canoes/kayaks with trolling motors) into a large gated area. As soon as they are in it, you close the gate off and corral them to a little area for processing. If they get loose, they are hard to chase down on foot though! These guys were simply relocated and weren't harmed at all (well, I'm sure they didn't really enjoy the experience, but they are none the worse for wear). They all got leg bands, but these were nuisance geese that needed to be moved. The problem is they are a migratory bird (federally protected) and in some areas there are no places to put them that won't turn into someone elses problem...

Well, the stinking rib thing has gotten worse. No running today or this evening - couldn't sleep real well last night - hurts to take a deep breath, laugh, sneeze, etc. I hate to take a day off, but this really sucks. I decided I hate geese. It really sucks to log nothing - nada...

John Kilpatrick wrote:Well, the stinking rib thing has gotten worse. No running today or this evening - couldn't sleep real well last night - hurts to take a deep breath, laugh, sneeze, etc. I hate to take a day off, but this really sucks. I decided I hate geese. It really sucks to log nothing - nada...

Well that sucks about the ribs John but look at it this way maybe the little break off will be a good thing in the long run. I'm like you and don't like to take days off but really in the long haul they are good for the body and mind. I hate geese also! And don't worry about what the log says for today, the log is just that a log. You have been putting in some awesome training and it will pay off in the end. Some of my best races came when I decided to take a whole week off in the middle of my training. Well one year I really did want to do it I was forced to do it because of the black bears all around are camp when we were on our fishing trip in Canada.

John Kilpatrick wrote:Well, the stinking rib thing has gotten worse. No running today or this evening - couldn't sleep real well last night - hurts to take a deep breath, laugh, sneeze, etc. I hate to take a day off, but this really sucks. I decided I hate geese. It really sucks to log nothing - nada...

Just means you're going to run a negative split on Monday with all that extra energy. Don't blow it with a 100-miler on the bike this weekend

Just reading you hurt your rib and some Geese were involved? I would let that heal before I hit the roads again. No one likes taking days off especially when forced to but it usually is the prudent choice. Feel better!

Schuey wrote:Well one year I really did want to do it I was forced to do it because of the black bears all around are camp when we were on our fishing trip in Canada.

I think that would do it for me too!

Mike MacLellan wrote:
Just means you're going to run a negative split on Monday with all that extra energy. Don't blow it with a 100-miler on the bike this weekend

Yeah right - there will be no 100-milers for me anytime soon... I'm still feeling pretty sore today, so I'm not sure what I should be doing - either take another day totally off today or maybe try to ride on my bike trainer tonight - definitely not up for a run. Hopefully tomorrow - this totally screwed up my plans b/c I would of liked to have hit it hard yesterday and today, have a moderate day Friday, and take Sat. and Sun. off. My father would of said "son, there are greater tragedies", but I still think it sucks...

Kenny B. wrote:Just reading you hurt your rib and some Geese were involved? I would let that heal before I hit the roads again. No one likes taking days off especially when forced to but it usually is the prudent choice. Feel better!

Thanks - it really just makes me angry to blow what will probably be multiple days... I'll get over it.

Make the course cry tomorrow, John. If you're not wishing to (insert deity of choice here) that it'd be over already when you're halfway through, go faster.

On Saturday, I made it to Atlanta to run the Peach Tree 10K on the 4th. Been fighting the rib thing, but rode 22 miles on Saturday with no problems and ran for about a mile on Sunday without a lot of pain. Got to Atlanta on Saturday with my 5-yr old, who somehow got a case of diarrhea basically on the way there (what a joy that was for the both of us). He was supposed to go to the race with my Mom, but couldn't make it for obvious reasons. My mother and two brothers live in Atlanta, so fortunately, one of my brothers was able to stay home with him. It was neat to have her there - she is a survivor of breast cancer and skin cancer, and is now undergoing a second round of treatment after a recurrence of lymphoma, which she first found out about weeks after my father died with anal cancer a couple of years ago. She always maintains a positive attitude and is a great source of inspiration. After the race, we were talking about how it is strange that I ever got interested in running - I never had any athletic desires or abilities as a kid and was never good at anything (was pretty bad actually). I said I have no idea where any of this came from, and she simply said "maybe it came from God". Interesting.... Anyway, I don't take our time together for granted. I also wore my Rhonnda pin on my hat that Glenn sent to me - hope she is doing well...

The pre-race was pretty exciting - I've never seen something so large and so involved - people were everywhere - I guess that is what a big marathon must be like - I think there were 60,000 slots for this race, lined up by times submitted from previous races. I got to start in the A coral, behind the seeded and sub-seeded people. Lot of nervous energy beforehand. I spent time wandering around and when we got close, listened to the usual pre-race songs. They had a huge flag up and the national anthem was sung followed by three fighter jets that came screaming above the road we were getting ready to start on. If that didn't get you pumped up, you must not have a pulse!

Start temp was somewhere around 75 with what felt like pretty high humidity. I'll use Michele's recap of the course...
Mile 0-1: This mostly flat and slightly downhill. You won't really notice the downhill since it is that slight, but it is really down. The mile 1 marker is just past Trader Joes.
It was frustrating starting out with the crowds of people - some of which it felt like were running WAY to slow. Had to do a lot of bobbing and weaving for the first 1/2-2/3 mile - at one point I ran laterally across 4 lanes to find a spot to squirt ahead of a huge traffic jam. It was nuts! I think my overall pace could of been a little better if it wasn't for fighting traffic.
Pace - 6:37 / HR 160

Mile 1-2: This mile is flat to the start of the only real major downhill. The mile 2 marker is just past Moe's (on the left) as you begin the descent.
This part was great - early in the race and everything is feeling good - the crowd started to thin out a little and I was running a comfortable stride - was also able to pass quite a few people, which was a lot of fun I must admit!
Pace - 6:21 / HR 169

Mile 2-3: This mile is the only true downhill on the course. You need to make sure that you don't burn it all out here as the uphills are yet to come. Many people blow it out down this hill which is a pretty good grade. The downhill end around the 3 mile mark at Peachtree Battle Rd.
I kept this in mind running this section - I really felt like I could of run a little faster, but was able to keep a good pace with just being comfortably uncomfortable. You can see the upcoming hills, which are starting to look a little bigger the closer you get to them.
Pace 6:21 / HR 169

Mile 3-4: This is where the hills start. The first one is short and kind of steep but only last about 0.2. You then flatten out a bit, and then you climb "Cardiac Hill" which is named that because it is in front of Piedmont Hospital. This hill is not as steep as the first but is a bit longer starting around 3.5 miles and ending around 3.8. Once you get to the top, it flattens out again and you even have a slight downhill.
Ouch - the hills start and my legs loaded up pretty quickly - as Michele said, they were not real steep, but were relatively long. You can feel the humidity now and effort shoots way up. At this point I started thinking another 3 miles is a long way!
Pace 6:44 / HR 179

Mile 4-5: The last climbs are in this mile. Once you pass the 4 mile mark, you cross the interstate and the first small climb follows. This is rather short but is then followed by the longest hill which climbs from about 4.5 miles to 5 miles into Colony Square. Again, the grade isn't great, but it is near the end of the race. Even in Time Group A, you will find people walking this hill.
Now it is time to feel the burn! To people that run hills regularly this probably would be nothing, but I don't and I paid for it. The only consolation was that I could sense that everyone else was struggling too and most people slowed down quite a bit through this stretch. I started thinking that I could walk and nobody would ever know - I could blame it on a sore rib (which wasn't actually that bad), bad taper, bad weather, etc. I hate those mind games. I slowed down quite a bit, but had to tell myself HELL NO, YOU are NOT going to stop now. It will be over soon...
Pace 6:48 / HR 181


Mile 5-6: Once you crest the hill at 14th and Peachtree (or Colony Square), the course flattens, but there is usually a headwind even on the warmest days at this corner. This is the entrance into midtown and your first real "sky scrapers" on the corner. The mile has a very little roll to it, but is mostly flat to downhill. When you make the final left turn onto 10th street, you start the downhill. Right before 6 miles, you will cross Piedmont and go under the photo bridge. There is a slight "up" hill here, but nothing major.
OK, now it is just time to hang on. I'm bushed, but know I've got it by now. I don't even have any idea on what was around me by this time, I was just tunnel visioned on getting to the final turn.
Pace: 6:30 / HR 183

The last 0.2 - This is all downhill - really!! Yesterday, the three women that I was running over the course started to "sprint" when they saw the traffic light that marks the end at Charles Allen Rd. But ha, since I knew the course, I actually ran them down since I knew the finish was/is truly a downhill grade to the finish.
The best part of a race is when you can see the finish line! Didn't have anything left for a sprint to the line, but enjoyed the downhill.
Pace: 6:16 / HR 185

When it was all said and done, it was a great event, by far my biggest event, and I got to set a 10K PR of 40:26 (besting my 40:56 official of a few months ago). That was good for 495th overall and 37th in my age group. I also picked up my top 1,000 finishers mug!

It was a good race - the highest I have ever had my heart rate up to was 186 and that was a year ago, so I'm not sure I could of done much if any better. Shows me I have a lot to improve upon, but that I have been working pretty hard this summer and it paid off over the last couple of races.


The next day (Tuesday), I took my son (now recovered) to a six flags water park in Atlanta - I had promised him a month ago I would. We went, had a blast, and I think I was more tired after chasing him around all day than after the race!

Ended up back in south Georgia Wed. evening and took off on a 50-mile bike ride. The temp at the start of the ride was 99 degrees and humid - ended up about 95. 20.1 mph avg. yeah, it's good to be home.

Thursday - ran 10.0 miles this morning at 8:22 pace. More heat and humidity - started at 80 with about 75% humidity. good news is we only have about 2 1/2 more months of this!!! Plan is to swim this afternoon if I can muster up the energy!

Hey congrats on the PR John and I'm glad you had a good time in your first big race. Big race are much different then running in smaller races but I do find both have there benefits and negatives. As way to follow up the race with a nice solid 10 miler.

Also I will comment to your post in my blog but I also want to acknowledge it in your blog by saying that was very kind and flattering what you said. I very proud to know that I can help keep you going while out training or racing. I also want you to know that your drive and desire is also very inspiring to me also John. That is what is good about this place the chance for all of us to be able to feed off each other's energy. All we have to do is open up to one another and feel free to share our success and failures to one another and it is amazing what we all can learn and do it with.

Tunnel vision at mile 6 sounds like you ran the best run you possibly could have. I still think you've got sub-40 in you, too. I think I remember you saying that your 10 miler turned into an aborted tempo? Glad I'm not the only one who found it hard to crank out some good paces after racing earlier in the week.

Nice PR! I thought Bolder Boulder was a big 10K. Does make for an experience though! Congrats!

That was a great report glad you got your pr.

Great race and great report John. How nice to have been able to have your family close, if not right there at the race. Bummer about your son, but I'm glad he recovered quickly enough to make it to Six Flags.

Awesome job, John! You ran the race perfectly, and see what happened - a new PR! Fantastic.

I'll be back in Atlanta in late August, and I hope that you'll be coming up for a race or two in the fall. Maybe the Thanksgiving Half? It is a good one.

Excellent race! Congratulations!

Isn't this one of the biggest races in the country? I thought I read that in a running magazine awhile back.

I'm glad you could see your mom. I hope she does OK will all the horrible cancer...you are right we don't know how many days we'll be given on Earth.

Schuey wrote:Hey congrats on the PR John.....

Thanks - for everything

Mike MacLellan wrote:Tunnel vision at mile 6 sounds like you ran the best run you possibly could have. I still think you've got sub-40 in you, too.

Thanks Mike - you know how to pump someone up! I'm going to keep working at it...

ChasMcG wrote:Nice PR! I thought Bolder Boulder was a big 10K. Does make for an experience though! Congrats!

Thanks Chas - it was an experience for sure!

Kenny B. wrote:That was a great report glad you got your pr.

Thanks Kenny and back at you on your 5 miler!!!

Seth Harrison wrote:Great race and great report John. How nice to have been able to have your family close, if not right there at the race. Bummer about your son, but I'm glad he recovered quickly enough to make it to Six Flags.

Thanks Seth - he is none the worse for wear and went bonkers at the park - there is only one person in the world for whom I would spend a day in a place like that!

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Awesome job, John! You ran the race perfectly, and see what happened - a new PR! Fantastic.

I'll be back in Atlanta in late August, and I hope that you'll be coming up for a race or two in the fall. Maybe the Thanksgiving Half? It is a good one.

A perfect race - really? That is a hell of a compliment. I would love to run the Thanksgiving half and see how badly I can get beat down with the hills there!

Julie wrote:Excellent race! Congratulations! Isn't this one of the biggest races in the country? I thought I read that in a running magazine awhile back. I'm glad you could see your mom. I hope she does OK will all the horrible cancer...you are right we don't know how many days we'll be given on Earth.

Thanks Julie - they claim it is the biggest. I don't know, but I know there were a ton of people there. Thanks for the words as well about mom - she has the incredible attitude that she is not afraid of dying, but is more afraid of not living! All things considered, she is exceptionally healthy and very active - I think she'll be around for a long time!




For the rest of this week -

Thursday PM - swam 3450 yds (~1.96 miles) in 1:00:11 (1:44/100 yds). Swimming is a great way to give the rest of the body some time off and it didn't bother my ribs as bad as I thought it would.

Friday Did one of the tougher runs I have done - it was horribly hot and humid, but I managed to plod through a 6.01 mile run at a pace of 7:42. The pace was not what I would consider really strong, but this is what it can do to the heart rate...

miles	pace	HR
1	7:44	121
2	7:35	141
3	7:36	147
4	7:48	152
5	7:49	160
6	7:42	167

Saturday - rode 67.1 miles in 3:24:28 (19.6 mph). Slower than I usually go, but I left at noon while super humid with a "feels like" of 105. After about an hour and a half, I got hit with some pretty strong thunderstorms with higher winds. Usually I would hate that, but it was a welcome from the heat! It was a fair workout, even though the numbers don't really show it. As soon as I got home, I swapped into running shoes and did s 3.46 mile bricked run at a 7:26 pace. It feels like it is getting easier and easier to transition from the bike without the heavy jello legs.

Sunday - left leg felt sore in a way I can't really describe so I was nervous about taking off on a long run - where I run, once you start you are pretty much committed and if I was hurt, I didn't want to get stuck. Solution was to run on a dreadmill. My leg feels sore (something inside - tendon? who knows), but the motion of running doesn't really bother it. Running was no problem (but boring) - ran 15.0 miles. 1st 7 miles at an easy 8:27 pace (HR 133-140), next 6 miles at a still not too bad 7:47 pace (HR 146-156), and the last two miles at a sort of cool down 8:13 pace (HR 147-149).

Overall numbers don't look impressive for the week, but it was good to have a good race and spend some quality time with my son. Unfortunately my wife had to stay behind and write a paper and take two tests so I missed her, but it was good to come home.

For the week: ran about 40 miles, swam about 2 miles, cycled about 115 miles

Have a great week!!!

That's a nice little latent talent you got there. Wow!!! Congrats!

Nice run on the DM. Takes a real man to run 15 on the DM. I should know.