U.S. Men's Olympic Trials, Ryan Shay, & my Ultra Training Starts in Earnest
For anyone who set their alarm clocks early to get up and watch the live web cast of the U.S. Men's Olympic Trials in NYC, it was a real treat. I have to admit though that I didn't see the first half of the race since I was sleeping in. Since this is an "off week" in between training sessions for Runner's Edge of the Rockies, I wasn't getting up at "oh-dark-thirty" to go set up a training run... (As most members in the group know, I'm typically waking up somewhere between 2:00 & 3:00AM every Saturday.) So the plan was to sleep in today. But unfortunately with Champ & Apollo starting up their morning "wag until you wake" routine, I didn't make it past 6:30AM. But even then, that's still a big difference for me on Saturdays...
The trials themselves were tremendous, with Ryan Hall dusting the field to take top honors followed by Dathan Ritzenhein and Brian Sell to round out our Olympic marathon squad. I was bummed that favorites Meb Keflezighi & Alan Culpepper didn't make the team (Alan dropped out halfway), especially with how solid of a year they both have had. But at the same time I'm very encouraged by how strong U.S. distance running has become, and Ryan, Dathan & Brian should represent us well in Beijing next August!
On a tragically sad note however, elite runner Ryan Shay collapsed at 5.5 miles and died. It's never easy to hear about someone dying during a marathon, especially when it's an elite athlete with a superior fitness level. According to Shay's father, it could likely be due to an enlarged heart but an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. Naysayers of the marathon will point fingers at distance running itself every time someone dies during a race, however at only 5.5 miles the pack hadn't even picked up the pace to full throttle yet so it probably wasn't due to the exertion. No matter what though, Shay died doing what he loved while trying to compete for the opportunity to represent his country... My prayers go out to his new wife of only 5 months and the rest of the Shay family.
TODAY'S TRAINING UPDATE
The last several days have been pretty busy so I'm trying to pack everything in as best as I can. I have to admit that since the Kansas City Marathon two weekends ago I've really limited my mileage to allow for recovery. However, I had great runs on both Thursday (4 miles) & Friday (3 miles) and was very encouraged with the results. Maybe it was because I took Champ with me both times and she loves to run fast, but my pace was definitely much quicker than I would have expected so soon after a marathon. I really didn't have any residual muscle soreness this week - Maybe that's a factor of running slower at KC, taking more time for recovery the past two weeks, etc... Whatever the reason, I was very encouraged for today's long run where my training for Sunmart definitely started in earnest. However, the run wasn't all the peaches n' cream I was hoping it would be...
J.D. Praeger, Bob Kendrick and Jim Mayo all live within a half-mile of me here in Stapleton, so we decided to meet up at 2:00PM for a run. J.D. and Jim were coming off of the crazy-hot Chicago Marathon and Bob just ran Denver. Mike Kennedy also joined us since he needed to get in 12 miles for his Tucson Marathon training, after having just run KC as well. My plan was to aim for 16 miles; possibly 18 if I felt outstanding. I'm leaving a bit of wiggle room with my training since I know that as the long runs increase during November, I'm going to have plenty of runs where I'm feeling like garbage, so anytime I feel good I want to make the most of it. While I don't typically recommend that approach for members in our group training for a full or half marathon, the ultra marathon is a different story and I want to be in tune with the feedback my body is providing me. My biggest concern is that I'll push it too hard and sustain an overuse injury which could knock me out of doing Sunmart completely.
J.D., Bob & Jim all were targeting 7, and when Jim called saying he couldn't make the 2:00PM time, Mike and I were happy knowing we would have company on the second half of the run. The first 7 miles felt pretty easy/relaxed and by the time Mike and I said goodbye to J.D. & Bob we were ready for the second half. I scarfed down a couple hand fulls of trail-mix and to my surprise had zero complaint from my stomach even as we ran. That will be a huge factor for me in the next month; training my stomach to take solid foods while I'm running. You pretty much either succeed or fail in that category. And if I fail... Well, let's just say that hopefully whatever I eat will taste the same coming back up!
We ran down the street to Jim's house for the second half of the run, and what was supposed to be 5 miles. Jim miscalculated on the route, (Mike and I weren't thinking or carrying GPS), so the second half ended up being closer to 6.5. Oops! Personally I didn't mind because that just meant one less mile I had to run solo once Mike & Jim were done. Jim's pace was also a bit quicker so by about mile 10 both Mike and I were struggling a bit. Muscularly I felt fine but the bottom of my feet were getting sore fast. We were running mostly on street whereas Sunmart is all trail, however I still wasn't happy about this at all. After we wrapped up that loop back at my house, Mike & Jim were done but I still had 3 more to go... Perfect distance for Champ! Thank goodness I took her because she really is a strong runner and helped spur me on. (Plus, there's the added bonus of wearing her out. And as The Dog Whisperer says, "a tired dog is a happy dog!")
Post-workout was an immediate recovery drink and then straight to a 12-minute ice bath. While normally I don't use ice baths for anything less than an 18-20 mile run, I'm going to try and do them after every Saturday & Sunday long workout since I can't afford to have tired/inflamed muscles, especially with fewer recovery/off days. (I'll let you all know how that works out.) I also spent a good 20-30 minutes stretching since my iliotibial band let me know it was there. Typically for me I don't feel that during the run, but at least now I know I have to be REALLY proactive on my pre & post-run stretching. I thought this was somewhat ironic since I did a TV segment on 9News on just that issue! I'm also susceptible to plantar faciitis so I definitely have some things to pay attention to...
So all-in-all I can't say it was a terrible long run only two weeks after KC. 16.5 miles total, 3 Hammer Endrolyte Caps (AKA "eCaps"), 2 PowerBar gels, some trail mix and of course Gatorade & water. (In the next few days hopefully I'll go more into the nutrition strategy and mileage plan that I'm following.) But, I am "chasing" today's long run with another long one tomorrow afternoon of 14-15 miles, and most definitely on a soft trail!
IDIOT RANT OF THE WEEK
For those of you who watch or listen to ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" (my new favorite show), you're probably familiar with one of their pieces called, "Just Shut Up!" where they allow viewers/listeners to vote on who in the sports world needs to shut their cake-holes the most because they said something stupid. Well, one of our members Alicia Green sent me an article from Salon.com titled "How Oprah Ruined the Marathon", and I think the author totally gets my vote. I'll let you judge for yourself, but to me he comes off as snobbish and bitter for not making the most of his only marathon experience. (Maybe he should have prepared better!) While I do agree that the marathon is a competition and shouldn't be taken lightly, I've got no problem with people wanting to better themselves, improve their fitness, and achieve something that maybe they didn't think was possible. And, with obesity fast becoming one of America's problems, I'm all for everyone being active, even if they weren't blessed with the physical tools to ever run a sub 3:30 marathon.
FUNNY E-MAIL OF THE WEEK
In response to an E-mail sent out to members in the group who are training for the Sunmart ultra marathon, where I suggested doing one Goal Pace tempo run per week... Dave Longcope (who just ran a 3:02 at the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday), responded with "did you qualify anywhere what "goal pace" is? I probably run every mile now faster than my 50 mile goal pace."
THE LAST TWO CENTS
Is it just me, or does having daylight savings go all the way into November just suck? The last few weeks, both Julie and I have been struggling to get moving in the morning due to the lack of daylight. (In fact, normally Champ & Apollo are up by 5:30AM, but even they seem to be more interested in their ZZZ's lately than breakfast.) Thank goodness we can set our clocks back an hour tonight.... And speaking of sleep, I need some - Good night! And good luck to everyone running the NYC Marathon tomorrow morning!
The trials themselves were tremendous, with Ryan Hall dusting the field to take top honors followed by Dathan Ritzenhein and Brian Sell to round out our Olympic marathon squad. I was bummed that favorites Meb Keflezighi & Alan Culpepper didn't make the team (Alan dropped out halfway), especially with how solid of a year they both have had. But at the same time I'm very encouraged by how strong U.S. distance running has become, and Ryan, Dathan & Brian should represent us well in Beijing next August!
On a tragically sad note however, elite runner Ryan Shay collapsed at 5.5 miles and died. It's never easy to hear about someone dying during a marathon, especially when it's an elite athlete with a superior fitness level. According to Shay's father, it could likely be due to an enlarged heart but an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. Naysayers of the marathon will point fingers at distance running itself every time someone dies during a race, however at only 5.5 miles the pack hadn't even picked up the pace to full throttle yet so it probably wasn't due to the exertion. No matter what though, Shay died doing what he loved while trying to compete for the opportunity to represent his country... My prayers go out to his new wife of only 5 months and the rest of the Shay family.
TODAY'S TRAINING UPDATE
The last several days have been pretty busy so I'm trying to pack everything in as best as I can. I have to admit that since the Kansas City Marathon two weekends ago I've really limited my mileage to allow for recovery. However, I had great runs on both Thursday (4 miles) & Friday (3 miles) and was very encouraged with the results. Maybe it was because I took Champ with me both times and she loves to run fast, but my pace was definitely much quicker than I would have expected so soon after a marathon. I really didn't have any residual muscle soreness this week - Maybe that's a factor of running slower at KC, taking more time for recovery the past two weeks, etc... Whatever the reason, I was very encouraged for today's long run where my training for Sunmart definitely started in earnest. However, the run wasn't all the peaches n' cream I was hoping it would be...
J.D. Praeger, Bob Kendrick and Jim Mayo all live within a half-mile of me here in Stapleton, so we decided to meet up at 2:00PM for a run. J.D. and Jim were coming off of the crazy-hot Chicago Marathon and Bob just ran Denver. Mike Kennedy also joined us since he needed to get in 12 miles for his Tucson Marathon training, after having just run KC as well. My plan was to aim for 16 miles; possibly 18 if I felt outstanding. I'm leaving a bit of wiggle room with my training since I know that as the long runs increase during November, I'm going to have plenty of runs where I'm feeling like garbage, so anytime I feel good I want to make the most of it. While I don't typically recommend that approach for members in our group training for a full or half marathon, the ultra marathon is a different story and I want to be in tune with the feedback my body is providing me. My biggest concern is that I'll push it too hard and sustain an overuse injury which could knock me out of doing Sunmart completely.
J.D., Bob & Jim all were targeting 7, and when Jim called saying he couldn't make the 2:00PM time, Mike and I were happy knowing we would have company on the second half of the run. The first 7 miles felt pretty easy/relaxed and by the time Mike and I said goodbye to J.D. & Bob we were ready for the second half. I scarfed down a couple hand fulls of trail-mix and to my surprise had zero complaint from my stomach even as we ran. That will be a huge factor for me in the next month; training my stomach to take solid foods while I'm running. You pretty much either succeed or fail in that category. And if I fail... Well, let's just say that hopefully whatever I eat will taste the same coming back up!
We ran down the street to Jim's house for the second half of the run, and what was supposed to be 5 miles. Jim miscalculated on the route, (Mike and I weren't thinking or carrying GPS), so the second half ended up being closer to 6.5. Oops! Personally I didn't mind because that just meant one less mile I had to run solo once Mike & Jim were done. Jim's pace was also a bit quicker so by about mile 10 both Mike and I were struggling a bit. Muscularly I felt fine but the bottom of my feet were getting sore fast. We were running mostly on street whereas Sunmart is all trail, however I still wasn't happy about this at all. After we wrapped up that loop back at my house, Mike & Jim were done but I still had 3 more to go... Perfect distance for Champ! Thank goodness I took her because she really is a strong runner and helped spur me on. (Plus, there's the added bonus of wearing her out. And as The Dog Whisperer says, "a tired dog is a happy dog!")
Post-workout was an immediate recovery drink and then straight to a 12-minute ice bath. While normally I don't use ice baths for anything less than an 18-20 mile run, I'm going to try and do them after every Saturday & Sunday long workout since I can't afford to have tired/inflamed muscles, especially with fewer recovery/off days. (I'll let you all know how that works out.) I also spent a good 20-30 minutes stretching since my iliotibial band let me know it was there. Typically for me I don't feel that during the run, but at least now I know I have to be REALLY proactive on my pre & post-run stretching. I thought this was somewhat ironic since I did a TV segment on 9News on just that issue! I'm also susceptible to plantar faciitis so I definitely have some things to pay attention to...
So all-in-all I can't say it was a terrible long run only two weeks after KC. 16.5 miles total, 3 Hammer Endrolyte Caps (AKA "eCaps"), 2 PowerBar gels, some trail mix and of course Gatorade & water. (In the next few days hopefully I'll go more into the nutrition strategy and mileage plan that I'm following.) But, I am "chasing" today's long run with another long one tomorrow afternoon of 14-15 miles, and most definitely on a soft trail!
IDIOT RANT OF THE WEEK
For those of you who watch or listen to ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" (my new favorite show), you're probably familiar with one of their pieces called, "Just Shut Up!" where they allow viewers/listeners to vote on who in the sports world needs to shut their cake-holes the most because they said something stupid. Well, one of our members Alicia Green sent me an article from Salon.com titled "How Oprah Ruined the Marathon", and I think the author totally gets my vote. I'll let you judge for yourself, but to me he comes off as snobbish and bitter for not making the most of his only marathon experience. (Maybe he should have prepared better!) While I do agree that the marathon is a competition and shouldn't be taken lightly, I've got no problem with people wanting to better themselves, improve their fitness, and achieve something that maybe they didn't think was possible. And, with obesity fast becoming one of America's problems, I'm all for everyone being active, even if they weren't blessed with the physical tools to ever run a sub 3:30 marathon.
FUNNY E-MAIL OF THE WEEK
In response to an E-mail sent out to members in the group who are training for the Sunmart ultra marathon, where I suggested doing one Goal Pace tempo run per week... Dave Longcope (who just ran a 3:02 at the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday), responded with "did you qualify anywhere what "goal pace" is? I probably run every mile now faster than my 50 mile goal pace."
THE LAST TWO CENTS
Is it just me, or does having daylight savings go all the way into November just suck? The last few weeks, both Julie and I have been struggling to get moving in the morning due to the lack of daylight. (In fact, normally Champ & Apollo are up by 5:30AM, but even they seem to be more interested in their ZZZ's lately than breakfast.) Thank goodness we can set our clocks back an hour tonight.... And speaking of sleep, I need some - Good night! And good luck to everyone running the NYC Marathon tomorrow morning!
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