Indianapolis 500

Glad the check up went well! Happy anniversary! I was so glad my BP stayed normal throughout my whole pregnancy. One less thing to worry about.

Running-wise, the week ended so much better than it began.  Maybe there is some truth to the trying to run a workout after so much driving, and well even if there isn't that is indeed my excuse for a crappy run.  Finished the week with a solid 45 miles and yesterday's long run over the hill course (30 min drive) was excellent.  It certainly helped that it was 55F at the start, but the temps did rise into the mid-70s by the run's end.  The Bedford hill run consists of climbing roughly 1033ft and it basically rolls over the entire.  There is one significant hill at the start and finish, but other than that, it is just one continuous roll.  I just wish I could get the group to go there more often as it really is good for us.  I was pleased too as I covered the 18 miles with a negative split.

Just happy that I didn't decide to race the local half marathon here this morning as it was 70F and most likely 100% humidity at 8 am when we did our 5 mile recovery run.  Yuck!  Felt like running in Atlanta again, and I don't miss the weather there in the early Fall.  Overall the week was good and a productive one - starting to feel like myself, just a bit slower than I used to be.

Recap:

Mon - Day off.  At the US Open Tennis tournie in NYC.  Drove down in the morning in a rain storm and there was a 5 hr delay, but we did get to see Federer, Nadal, and the Bryan Bros. Once the sun came out it was pretty hot and humid, but we couldn't have asked for better tennis.  
Tues - 6 miles done as 3 x 1600, 2 x 800, and some 200s.  Crappy run, felt sluggish and the weather was good.  Did drive 8 hrs home from NYC.
Wed - Easy 5.2 miles.  Felt better, but tight
Thurs - Solid core and weight workout followed by a 6 mile tempo run on the Bridle trail.  Good run.  I often feel better running after having been in the gym.  Weird, I know.
Fri - Easy 5 miles
Sat - 18 miles of hills.
Sun - easy 5 miles

WTD: 45 miles

That makes 2 wks in a row of mileage in the mid-40s.  Next week will be a bit of a "taper" for the Erie half on Sunday, and then back to the grind after that.

The long drive tends to have negative effects on my running, I've noticed. Just before I had the stabbing pain from the meniscus tear in the spring, I had driven to and from Buffalo on a Thursday/Friday. My knee was stiff from doing all of that driving, I had noticed, and I swear that had something to do with it.
Excellent job on the rolling hills!

Definitely sounds like a good run to end a week on.  I do enjoy training on hilly routes, as I think it helps strengthen your legs for the pounding we give them during a marathon.  The 1000+ elevation change sounds intimidating, but I bet it isn't so bad once you've done it a few times.

Good running weekend. Ran the Erie Half Marathon this morning and was pleased with my overall time, even if I didn't run the smartest race.  Best part however was meeting up on Saturday with Chris M and his buddy Scott who both ran the full marathon.  It is great to connect with our virtual friends every once in a while especially when they kind of visit my neck of the woods. I'll let Chris talk about his own race.

As for mine, I ran 1:43:12 (chip) and was 3rd in my AG.  That now will become the fastest time that I have run on the Presque Isle course although this race was actually slightly different as we spent more time on the bike path than on the road, but needless to say, it is pretty much the same. Of course, the weather was pretty perfect at 51-52F.  It did get a bit warmer over the course, but nothing like the weather in the summer (or this past week!). Kudos again to the Erie Runners Club as they know how to put on a good race.  The marathon and half were the largest fields that they have had and they handled it well.  Water stops every mile, a nice shirt, and a good food spread.  I would recommend this race to anyone.  My only complaint was that as a "faster" half runner  we caught the slower marathoners pretty quickly - of course, the "faster" marathoners probably felt the same way about the slower half marathoners.  It is tough on a loop course so you did have to weave on occasion to go around the slower runners, but for the most part, it really wasn't an issue.

My beef is with my own race as I really ran out of gas around 11.5 miles partly from running on the edge and partly from going out a bit too fast.  That is easy to correct in a half marathon, but you still find yourself a bit behind the 8 ball in the last few miles.  I'm usually smarter than that, but I really wanted to see if I could go under 1:45, and I did.  I'll need to be careful come marathon day to not make such a mistake.

Even with the success today, I sure felt spent after the race (although I feel fine now) which worries me about my goal in Indy.  I'll just let it lie for now as I know a lot of the concern is due to the fact that I have not had the pleasure of running a goal marathon race in a while due to weather, injury, pacing or whatever, so I'm in that doubt zone.

Overall it was a good week, a good race, and a fun time spent with Chris and Scott.

Even though the last mile and a half were tough, it still sounds like a good race.  It is easier in the HM to start out at a pace and see how long you can hold it.  Needless to say, I think pushing yourself will actually help you come race day.  As this race could be treated is as a speed training run.  Keep up the good work 1L and congratulations on the 3rd place AG finish!!

Thanks, Nick. You are probably right.  I was just mad at myself  because I can do better.

A very interesting thing - the woman that I run with all summer ran the Philly Half today. We ran pretty much identical times.   Weird, huh?

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Good running weekend. Ran the Erie Half Marathon this morning and was pleased with my overall time, even if I didn't run the smartest race.  Best part however was meeting up on Saturday with Chris M and his buddy Scott who both ran the full marathon.  It is great to connect with our virtual friends every once in a while especially when they kind of visit my neck of the woods. I'll let Chris talk about his own race.

As for mine, I ran 1:43:12 (chip) and was 3rd in my AG.  That now will become the fastest time that I have run on the Presque Isle course although this race was actually slightly different as we spent more time on the bike path than on the road, but needless to say, it is pretty much the same. Of course, the weather was pretty perfect at 51-52F.  It did get a bit warmer over the course, but nothing like the weather in the summer (or this past week!). Kudos again to the Erie Runners Club as they know how to put on a good race.  The marathon and half were the largest fields that they have had and they handled it well.  Water stops every mile, a nice shirt, and a good food spread.  I would recommend this race to anyone.  My only complaint was that as a "faster" half runner  we caught the slower marathoners pretty quickly - of course, the "faster" marathoners probably felt the same way about the slower half marathoners.  It is tough on a loop course so you did have to weave on occasion to go around the slower runners, but for the most part, it really wasn't an issue.

My beef is with my own race as I really ran out of gas around 11.5 miles partly from running on the edge and partly from going out a bit too fast.  That is easy to correct in a half marathon, but you still find yourself a bit behind the 8 ball in the last few miles.  I'm usually smarter than that, but I really wanted to see if I could go under 1:45, and I did.  I'll need to be careful come marathon day to not make such a mistake.

Even with the success today, I sure felt spent after the race (although I feel fine now) which worries me about my goal in Indy.  I'll just let it lie for now as I know a lot of the concern is due to the fact that I have not had the pleasure of running a goal marathon race in a while due to weather, injury, pacing or whatever, so I'm in that doubt zone.

Overall it was a good week, a good race, and a fun time spent with Chris and Scott.

Congrats on the half and getting the sub-1:45 and 3rd in the AG!! That's great.  I used to eye that race when I lived in Pittsburgh (2 hours away) but never have done it.  If I'm ever in Pittsburgh at the right time for it, good to know that you recommend it.  
Sometimes mistakes are good, because they reinforce what not to do.  Like, in the marathon you probably won't go out too fast since you just did it.  I will not forget to double knot my shoes based on my last race.  Yay for meeting Chris and Scott, too.
As far as doubt, I think its only real purpose in terms of running / races is to keep us humble so we don't get too big of heads.  You're about due for a great marathon based on the fact that you haven't run a goal marathon in awhile, right?

Silly Charles will be here shortly to enjoy dinner before he embarks on a 24 hr race around a 1.9 mile asphalt look on Lake Erie - glad I'm only cooking dinner, eating, and merely running 18 miles tomorrow.  I'll report in from the race tomorrow.

Congrats on the solid half and the AG price, Michele! Those last couple of miles are supposed to be hard, right?

Hope you and Charles had a great dinner. I'll be looking forward to your update from the torturefest 24-hour race. Charles has promised to do one of the laps barefoot - let's see if he follows through with it!

Stopped by the 24 hr race after my long run this morning.  It was very windy, but not raining, and I guess that it didn't rain too bad in the beginning.  We ran 18 on the Towpath which is a gravel, asphalt, and packed dirt trail in the driving rain and mud but I'm glad that he didn't have to contend with that.  Charles was having GI issues which I hoped he has worked out.  Hope it wasn't my cooking - lol, but I was fine.  

Decent week for me even after Sunday's race.  I did take Monday off, ran an easy run with hills on Tuesday, and I only biked 25 miles on Wednesday (no running).  I did workout with my trainer on Tuesday afternoon and went to my core class on Wednesday morning, so I am continuing that.  Thursday is was very warm again (85F) so we did a 7 mile tempo run on the trails.  The trails don't really allow you to get down to "tempo" pace, but I was running at 85% effort which was/is the target. Legs felt pretty good in spite of working with my trainer on Thursday as well.  Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to run on another piece of the metropark trail system while my car was being worked on.  I had not run this portion for several years and I forgot that it had some rollers (good) and is pretty nice.  The only drawback is that you have at least three road crossings (lights) in a 2.5 mile stretch.  I ran 5 in a negative split.  So with the planned 7 mile recovery run tomorrow, I'll have 43 for the week.

Not sure what kind of time I am targeting yet for Indy.  It is tough to determine since my paces have been all over the place mostly due to weather.  I did negative split today's run (1:32:23; 1:26:12) with the last two miles flying through puddles in 8:37 and 8:12.  That still is really a 9:54 average pace for the entire run, but it felt pretty easy in spite of having raced last Sunday. What a drenched, muddy mess we were at the finish - it was almost like we did our own DWD.

Sounds like you had a good race in spite of your concerns about running out of gas towards the end.  I guess there is a fine line between starting to fast and running to conservative...

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who can't quite decide on my marathon goal.  I guess we still have time.  Keep us posted.

Sounds like a pretty decent week to me.  As far as the messy Saturday run, I enjoy those wet/muddy runs occasionally.  They make me feel like a kid again.  Playing in the rain   Plus, it breaks up the normal routine.  Keep up the good work Michele...

Decent couple of days so far this week.  It really is amazing how much weather can have an effect on my running.  Tuesday was a speed workout that I was kind of dreading.  It was still hard but more due to the circumstances than the paces.  It was "family day" at the field during Band practice.  (The band suddenly practices on Tuesday nights at 7 PM - which makes for interesting track runs especially since the band leader guy stands atop a Rubbermaid garbage can in lane 3!).  The workout was 4 x 1600 starting at 7:30 and hopefully running the last one around 7 min.  Well, success - I actually was able to do the workout running 7:28, 7:19, 7:13, and 6:58.  Now I did get one of the faster women to push me for the last one, but I then warmed down (2 miles) with her and it still felt good.  8 well done miles.

Yesterday, I had my car work finished, and it just so happens that a portion of the Metropark trail is across from where the dealer is located, so I jumped on the trail for an easy 5 while they were working on my car. Temps were in the low 50s and it felt great.  I passed a guy who was decked out in full sweats and a winter hat, and he remarked that I made him feel cold.  But in my short sleeve shirt and shorts, I felt great.  

Tonight I have 8 on the schedule followed by my long run tomorrow.  The plan calls for 16-20 and we will see how it goes.  It can be tough to run alone that many miles, but if I run down the main street here (on the sidewalk), and least I feel safer, and I get to see all the early morning goings on.  I also get to come back along the lake and see how the other half lives.

The band director must not weigh much to stand on a Rubbermaid garbage can.  You should ask him if he takes requests, while you run.

Nice runs, too!

ounce wrote:The band director must not weigh much to stand on a Rubbermaid garbage can.  You should ask him if he takes requests, while you run.

Nice runs, too!

He's a little guy and he is not nice, so I'm guessing requests are not in his MO.

Nice running! I think I'd have a hard time not playing chicken with the band director on the trash can, especially if pushing at a sub-7 pace.  

I bet runners all over the Midwest are heaving sighs of relief as the summer heat and humidity finally breaks.

I have had that same encounter with casual runners all bundled up for a run when it is in the 50s.  I, like you, am in my shorts and sleeveless running shirt and thinking this is great running weather

Good job on the speedwork!!  Especially the last one...It's all coming together

Great speed workout! I agree the weather really helps. Bring on fall but not winter, right?

I'm eager to hear how your long run goes.

Just for you, Julie.  Long run went pretty well today.  It was 48F at the start but quite humid.  I planned on averaging 9:30 per the McMillan calculator which I hope is 45 sec over MP as I have always done my long runs too fast.  The calculator has 9:30 on the slow end, but it is hard to run by oneself especially over city sidewalks, but it was fun.  Started out easy and kept having to really concentrate and slow myself down so as to not run 9 min pace.  Felt good at 10 miles where I walked for a bit to take in a gel and down some water, then I kept going.  I picked my pace up over the next few miles and took another short walk break at 15.5 miles to get in another gel and more water.  Finished strong with my last two miles were 9:02 and 8:57 for an overall pace of 9:26, so I accomplished my goal.  I was pretty hungry when I got home and a bit thirsty, but I am ok now, not real tired or too sore.  (Funny, during the latter miles my left heel was hurting some and I was confused as my PF and achilles have not flared up for a while, but a lot of the sidewalk is concrete.  I came home to find a pretty sizeable blister instead!)

I'm pleased as I did leg work in the gym last night and ran a solid, but easy 7 miler (cut it off to 7 as the impending darkness on the trails make it tough to see!).  I have the RnR Cleveland half next weekend, and I am currently planning on not racing as I have two friends coming into town to run.  Currently, I am thinking of starting a bit slower than MP, bringing it up to MP, and then finishing the last 5K strong.  The course is ok, but it will be crowded with the predicted 6000 runners. I am just going to have to sell my sole to make sure I am in one of the first two corrals.

Nice job on the speed work and the long run!  Keep up the great work.

A blister? How could that happen? 

Anyway, good work on the long run. Enjoy your half marathon race, er, easy run, er, tempo run, er, progression run next week.

Finished the week with just over 50 miles and I'm feeling very good.  I have the new RnR Cleveland on the schedule for next week, but I don't expect to race instead, I anticipate running MP for most of the race and hoping to finish strong.  I have a friend from Atlanta coming into town, and he PR'd today at the RnR Providence Half and ran the RnR Montreal half last weekend (he's crazy).  I know I could be motivated to race, but I'm not sure it would be wise.  I feel good and might even try to run a bit longer next Saturday so as to make sure that my legs are sufficiently tired next Sunday so as not to overdo the pace.  The group is running 20 next Saturday and then 10 at pace on Sunday - hmmmmm???  I bet I could run 15-16 on Saturday and 13.1 at pace on Sunday - is that wise? Not so sure, but I would like to get in a good mileage week since I'm nearing the end and feeling very good.

Things to ponder for the week..........Just don't want to leave my race in training.

I think easy does it, and put a hold on the extra shot of adrenaline in the start chute. Easy to get swept up into the spirit of the race! Run smart...

Michael Enright wrote:I think easy does it, and put a hold on the extra shot of adrenaline in the start chute. Easy to get swept up into the spirit of the race! Run smart...

+1...I would think of it as a fast training run.