This was to be my fourth official race since I started running last spring, my second HM, and my first time really trying to set a PB. I ran my first HM last year faster than expected at 1:27:51, and think it was at least partly because I really tapered beforehand (probably more than really necessary), so I decided to do a decent taper this time as well with only around 60K the week before and around 30K the week of the race.
For some reason I had it in my head that to get the time I did in my last HM, I had to run a 4:17 pace, but when I sat down to double check a few days before, I was a bit shocked to see how off I was, and how fast I would have to run to beat my old time with any kind of respect.
This did not help with the pre-race jitters and nervous stomach I always get, but fortunately the beautiful weather (and some stomach meds) helped calm me down on the actual day. I planned to just do my best to run with Bob, but had trouble locating him beforehand and headed to the front of the pack. The temperature was great if a little warm, but the breeze was picking up and conditions felt perfect.
I can't say I'm a big fan of doing laps for a race, but it didn't feel that bad. I had one guy in my sights during the first 1.5 laps who I eventually passed, but he stuck right on me, and eventually helped me to kick in the last lap to lose him. My 5k splits were 19:24/19:53/20:04/21:33, overall time of 1:25:08. I'm with Bob on thinking that the last 5K were strange, as I did not feel like I was running much slower, and actually started my kick mid way through that.
Overall, I was happy with how I felt throughout the race. I was paying a lot of attention to how hard people around me seemed to be breathing, while I was able to keep good, steady breathing throughout. I didn't have any cramping or leg pain, but for some reason my Mizuno Wave Universe 3 racing flats, which I have worn in two marathons and for plenty of training, gave me blisters on the outside of both feet (my right foot to the point of a blood blister exploding and getting blood all over my shoe).
Great race for setting PBs, beautiful (if inconvenient) location, and likely to become a very popular race in the coming years for both of those reasons...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Weekly Mileage September 19-25
Sun: 14.2/1:11:44/5:03/VFF A late run home from work to the car rental place to pick up the bike. The beginning of my taper before my race next Sunday, so made an effort to keep it slow and easy. Feet a little tired in the VFFs, but ok. Will only do a few short days for the rest of the week.
Mon: Bike 33K
Tue: Total Distance: 7.7K/Evo. Warm up: 3.4/15:57/4:41; Three 1K intervals: 3:56/4:01/4:06; 1.3 cool down. Meant to run the intervals at race pace (4:15), but ended up going too fast. Hopefully this won't mean I go out too hard on Sunday.
Wed: Rest
Thu: 8/35:25/4:25/Evo Measured this using Gmap Pedometer for the first time, and think it might be a bit long because the pace seems fast. I did do 1K fast about 4:10 pace, but I think the average is low. The run was good, legs seem stiffer than they should for how little I have been running this week, but it's probably pre-race paranoia.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5.7/BF Easy pre-race run. Decided not to time it, just took it at an easy pace with one short distance at race pace.
Total mileage: 35.6 Hopefully a good enough taper, and not too much!
Mon: Bike 33K
Tue: Total Distance: 7.7K/Evo. Warm up: 3.4/15:57/4:41; Three 1K intervals: 3:56/4:01/4:06; 1.3 cool down. Meant to run the intervals at race pace (4:15), but ended up going too fast. Hopefully this won't mean I go out too hard on Sunday.
Wed: Rest
Thu: 8/35:25/4:25/Evo Measured this using Gmap Pedometer for the first time, and think it might be a bit long because the pace seems fast. I did do 1K fast about 4:10 pace, but I think the average is low. The run was good, legs seem stiffer than they should for how little I have been running this week, but it's probably pre-race paranoia.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5.7/BF Easy pre-race run. Decided not to time it, just took it at an easy pace with one short distance at race pace.
Total mileage: 35.6 Hopefully a good enough taper, and not too much!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Weekly Mileage September 12-18
Sun: 12.2/59:26/4:52/VFF A bit hot again, but overall a good recovery run. Took the fraying straps off the VFFs and they work fine like that.
Mon: 12.2/57:48/4:44/Evo Super hot and humid with no wind! Felt like I was definitely running slower than yesterday, so a bit surprised by the pace. May be because I stopped my watch for a bit while getting around some water under one of the bridges, although not for that long. Legs are tired but ok, but my back has really been stiff. Tired in general, so will rest tomorrow.
Tue: Rest
Wed: 20/1:34:51/4:44/VFF About 10 degrees cooler than my run on Monday, a north wind down the Arakawa and rain, what a difference! A bit stiff in my left leg, and could feel some tightness in my back, but the rest and a long sleep yesterday seemed to help. Was a bit slow when I took a split about 15K in, so pushed a bit at the end to get a decent pace. I wonder how I'm going to cut 30 seconds off this pace in the race on Sep 26, but I'll just have to wait and see.
Thu: 12.2/59:44/4:53/Evo Stiff legs, tired body, north wind and rain made for a slow run. Went by relatively quickly though and glad that I got out there and did it.
Fri: Rest - great relaxing night at beach with family!
Sat: 10.7/50:54/4:45/VFF Really pleasant run out in Katsutadai along the river after dropping off the rental car. A little stiff at first, and little painful on some of the big gravel on the trail next to the river, but focused on running slow and relaxing. Cool air, great fall insects and birds, and beautiful sunset!
Total mileage: 67.3 Good recovery week, although I wonder if I should have done less miles or focused on running more slowly. Will do a taper next week in prep for my HM on Sunday, will it be enough of a taper?
Mon: 12.2/57:48/4:44/Evo Super hot and humid with no wind! Felt like I was definitely running slower than yesterday, so a bit surprised by the pace. May be because I stopped my watch for a bit while getting around some water under one of the bridges, although not for that long. Legs are tired but ok, but my back has really been stiff. Tired in general, so will rest tomorrow.
Tue: Rest
Wed: 20/1:34:51/4:44/VFF About 10 degrees cooler than my run on Monday, a north wind down the Arakawa and rain, what a difference! A bit stiff in my left leg, and could feel some tightness in my back, but the rest and a long sleep yesterday seemed to help. Was a bit slow when I took a split about 15K in, so pushed a bit at the end to get a decent pace. I wonder how I'm going to cut 30 seconds off this pace in the race on Sep 26, but I'll just have to wait and see.
Thu: 12.2/59:44/4:53/Evo Stiff legs, tired body, north wind and rain made for a slow run. Went by relatively quickly though and glad that I got out there and did it.
Fri: Rest - great relaxing night at beach with family!
Sat: 10.7/50:54/4:45/VFF Really pleasant run out in Katsutadai along the river after dropping off the rental car. A little stiff at first, and little painful on some of the big gravel on the trail next to the river, but focused on running slow and relaxing. Cool air, great fall insects and birds, and beautiful sunset!
Total mileage: 67.3 Good recovery week, although I wonder if I should have done less miles or focused on running more slowly. Will do a taper next week in prep for my HM on Sunday, will it be enough of a taper?
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Weekly Mileage September 5-11
Sun: 10.6/50:42/4:46/BF Good BF run with no blistering. Feels good that I can do this sort of recovery run after a long run, legs are definitely getting stronger.
Mon: 13.5/1:06:07/4:53/Evo Very stiff legs to begin with and felt pretty tired throughout. Tough run, and almost no breeze until the last few km. Hoping to do the long route home from work tomorrow, hopefully my legs will recover a lot by then.
Tue: 17.6/1:24:25/4:47/VFF Felt much better than yesterday, thankfully. Timed my splits for the middle and last 5K, and they were pretty good at 23:38/23:49 considering I wasn't trying to push. My default pace is definitely coming down. Strap on my right VFF is almost completely shredded now, so it felt a little loose, but I think they can be used with no straps when they both come off.
Wed: Rest (Typhoon!)
Thu: 13.5/59:24/4:24/Evo Decided to do a tempo run since I took yesterday off. Got off to a pretty fast start, probably faster than I should have before getting warmed up, and started to get some of the old pain behind my right knee. I backed off a bit, and it subsided a bit, and was there but not bad for the rest of the run. The typhoon totally cooled things off which was great. Got to the 10K mark at 44:20. Legs feel fine now.
Fri: Bike 33K
Sat: 30/2:22:01/4:44/MWV Was really exhausted today and my back has been bothering me, so I wasn't sure how well the run was going to go, but felt good from the start, so decided to go for it. Glad to finally get in a 30K run! Overall was very comfortable for the whole run, and felt like I was moving at a good pace. Some random splits: 11k 50:54/21K 1:43:06/26K 2:06:42, basically slowed a little in the middle, but then picked it up a bit. Only really felt tired the last 2-3K. Tried a couple of gel packs, one from Power Bar, can't remember the other, but they were disgusting, felt like sucking down a tube of toothpaste. I'll be sticking with real food from now on. Stopped for water 5 times. Got home and felt really sick to my stomach for about 15 min, I guess it was just energy depletion.
Total Mileage: 85.2 Great! Two over 80K weeks in a row. I am exhausted, but legs feel good!
Mon: 13.5/1:06:07/4:53/Evo Very stiff legs to begin with and felt pretty tired throughout. Tough run, and almost no breeze until the last few km. Hoping to do the long route home from work tomorrow, hopefully my legs will recover a lot by then.
Tue: 17.6/1:24:25/4:47/VFF Felt much better than yesterday, thankfully. Timed my splits for the middle and last 5K, and they were pretty good at 23:38/23:49 considering I wasn't trying to push. My default pace is definitely coming down. Strap on my right VFF is almost completely shredded now, so it felt a little loose, but I think they can be used with no straps when they both come off.
Wed: Rest (Typhoon!)
Thu: 13.5/59:24/4:24/Evo Decided to do a tempo run since I took yesterday off. Got off to a pretty fast start, probably faster than I should have before getting warmed up, and started to get some of the old pain behind my right knee. I backed off a bit, and it subsided a bit, and was there but not bad for the rest of the run. The typhoon totally cooled things off which was great. Got to the 10K mark at 44:20. Legs feel fine now.
Fri: Bike 33K
Sat: 30/2:22:01/4:44/MWV Was really exhausted today and my back has been bothering me, so I wasn't sure how well the run was going to go, but felt good from the start, so decided to go for it. Glad to finally get in a 30K run! Overall was very comfortable for the whole run, and felt like I was moving at a good pace. Some random splits: 11k 50:54/21K 1:43:06/26K 2:06:42, basically slowed a little in the middle, but then picked it up a bit. Only really felt tired the last 2-3K. Tried a couple of gel packs, one from Power Bar, can't remember the other, but they were disgusting, felt like sucking down a tube of toothpaste. I'll be sticking with real food from now on. Stopped for water 5 times. Got home and felt really sick to my stomach for about 15 min, I guess it was just energy depletion.
Total Mileage: 85.2 Great! Two over 80K weeks in a row. I am exhausted, but legs feel good!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Weekly Mileage August 29-September 4
Sun: 12.2/55:51/4:34/Evo Wanted to push since I haven't run in two days, but it felt like I was working hard and still running slow, so the pace was a happy surprise. Feet feel good, but left calf is a bit tight.
Mon: 17.6/1:24:47/4:49/VFF The heat will not let off! Went at this with the intention of just taking it as easy as possible. Checked my pace about every 5K, and was happy to see that I was under 5:00. Was a bit tough at the end, but I didn't seem to lose speed. Still some blistering on the ball of my right foot, and left ankle a little stiff, but ok.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: Namban Workout 13K total/7K warm up/cool down, 6X1000 intervals: 3:38/3:39/3:33/3:32/3:35/3:27 Great workout, much better times than I anticipated, and actually didn't feel very tough until I really pushed on the last one. Hopefully can get out for that workout a little more regularly.
Thu: 13.5/1:05:24/4:50/VFF Felt good considering the workout yesterday, took it easy and was happy with the overall pace. The heat is definitely letting up at night, and there are whispers of fall in the wind...
Fri: Rest
Sat: 27.3/2:11:38/4:49/Evo Was aiming for my first 30K training run, and got worried about getting back in time, and was pretty tired, but frustrated that I didn't stick it out for a little longer. Otherwise a nice run, pretty sunset and good breeze; happy with my pace as well. Some blistering on ball of right foot, and my left big and middle toes are a bit banged up.
Total mileage: 83.6
Mon: 17.6/1:24:47/4:49/VFF The heat will not let off! Went at this with the intention of just taking it as easy as possible. Checked my pace about every 5K, and was happy to see that I was under 5:00. Was a bit tough at the end, but I didn't seem to lose speed. Still some blistering on the ball of my right foot, and left ankle a little stiff, but ok.
Tue: Bike 33K
Wed: Namban Workout 13K total/7K warm up/cool down, 6X1000 intervals: 3:38/3:39/3:33/3:32/3:35/3:27 Great workout, much better times than I anticipated, and actually didn't feel very tough until I really pushed on the last one. Hopefully can get out for that workout a little more regularly.
Thu: 13.5/1:05:24/4:50/VFF Felt good considering the workout yesterday, took it easy and was happy with the overall pace. The heat is definitely letting up at night, and there are whispers of fall in the wind...
Fri: Rest
Sat: 27.3/2:11:38/4:49/Evo Was aiming for my first 30K training run, and got worried about getting back in time, and was pretty tired, but frustrated that I didn't stick it out for a little longer. Otherwise a nice run, pretty sunset and good breeze; happy with my pace as well. Some blistering on ball of right foot, and my left big and middle toes are a bit banged up.
Total mileage: 83.6
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Weekly Mileage August 22-28
Sun: 9.3/44:40/4:48/VFF Opted out of BF to save my feet for running next week. Stiff left ankle at first, but overall ok. Paced myself along the jogging route at 4:36/4:11, which makes me think the measurements are way off, considering my overall pace, and the fact that I really wasn't pushing at all.
Mon: 13.5/1:06:09/4:54/Evos Hot and slow! But put the insoles back in the Evos which seemed to help my feet. A little stiffness in the left ankle again, which is worrying, but hopefully not a real issue.
12.2/58:17/4:46/VFF Not quite as hot as yesterday. A little slow at the 10K mark, so pushed a bit towards the end. Feet seem to be in good condition.
Wed: 9.2/41:02/4:27/Evo Running at the beach, I guess the distance is right, but a bit surprised by the pace, because it didn't feel like I was pushing at all. I guess I run faster when I know I don't have to run far.
Thu: 7.2/35:41/4:57/Evo Second day of running on vaca at the beach. Think the distance is short, and pace slow, but makes up for the day before.
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest. Had planned to do a long run, but came back from the beach and decided to bag it and get ready for the week ahead instead.
Total mileage: 51.4 Will definitely beef up the mileage from next week!
Mon: 13.5/1:06:09/4:54/Evos Hot and slow! But put the insoles back in the Evos which seemed to help my feet. A little stiffness in the left ankle again, which is worrying, but hopefully not a real issue.
12.2/58:17/4:46/VFF Not quite as hot as yesterday. A little slow at the 10K mark, so pushed a bit towards the end. Feet seem to be in good condition.
Wed: 9.2/41:02/4:27/Evo Running at the beach, I guess the distance is right, but a bit surprised by the pace, because it didn't feel like I was pushing at all. I guess I run faster when I know I don't have to run far.
Thu: 7.2/35:41/4:57/Evo Second day of running on vaca at the beach. Think the distance is short, and pace slow, but makes up for the day before.
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest. Had planned to do a long run, but came back from the beach and decided to bag it and get ready for the week ahead instead.
Total mileage: 51.4 Will definitely beef up the mileage from next week!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Weekly Mileage August 15-21
Sun: 10.5/48:18/4:36 or 9.9/48:18/4:52/BF Depends on if I believe the markings along the running route or Google Earth. Annoying. I was moving at a pretty good clip despite being barefoot, so I think the second pace must be off, but I thought Google Earth was pretty accurate. Been thinking seriously about getting a Garmin GPS watch, and this kind of shit may force me to do it (as if I need a reason).
Mon: Bike 35K
Tue: 12.9/1:00:42/4:42/Evo Thought I was taking it slow, but got to the 10K mark much faster than expected. Had some blister issues on my right foot, perhaps a result of running too fast BF on Sunday. Actually quit 500M early and walked to try to minimize the damage. Slight blood blister for the first time in a long time, but hopefully not running tomorrow will take care of it.
Wed: Bike 36K
Thu: 19.7/1:33:14/4:43/MWU What a difference a nice north wind makes! Feet felt good in the MWUs also, ran a couple K further than I had originally planned.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 13.5/1:02:49/4:39/Evo Had to work, so just ran home. Did 5 intervals of probably around 1-2k each. Only timed the one I could measure which was 1K/4:00, I assume the pace for the others was similar. Felt good overall, but still some blister issues on my right foot. May need to pick up some new insoles for the Evos.
Total Mileage: 56.6K Good off week, will try for high 70s for the next two weeks, hopefully no issues with the feet...
Mon: Bike 35K
Tue: 12.9/1:00:42/4:42/Evo Thought I was taking it slow, but got to the 10K mark much faster than expected. Had some blister issues on my right foot, perhaps a result of running too fast BF on Sunday. Actually quit 500M early and walked to try to minimize the damage. Slight blood blister for the first time in a long time, but hopefully not running tomorrow will take care of it.
Wed: Bike 36K
Thu: 19.7/1:33:14/4:43/MWU What a difference a nice north wind makes! Feet felt good in the MWUs also, ran a couple K further than I had originally planned.
Fri: Rest
Sat: 13.5/1:02:49/4:39/Evo Had to work, so just ran home. Did 5 intervals of probably around 1-2k each. Only timed the one I could measure which was 1K/4:00, I assume the pace for the others was similar. Felt good overall, but still some blister issues on my right foot. May need to pick up some new insoles for the Evos.
Total Mileage: 56.6K Good off week, will try for high 70s for the next two weeks, hopefully no issues with the feet...
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