Saturday, January 26, 2008
Pre-Race Rituals, v.2008.01 [Entered 1/28/08]
Saturday morning was the usual super easy jogging with the gang, 30 minutes, then strides. We followed that up with the full out stretching ritual. The campers were all in fine spirits as we awaited the downhill 3M fest on Sunday. Lots of easy laughter as we did our last fine-tuning. For the day, a mere 3 and a quarter miles. The rest of the day was spent chilling out, messing about the house, playing some guitar, and getting all my stuff ready for the race. Now let's go run that thing!
When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth [Entered 1/28/08]
Once again, I've let the blog slip my attention. Oops. I'll catch you up on the running stuff in a later post, but right now I need to let you know how the Brothers Van Halen, the Lead Singer, and the Baby Van Halen did in concert on Thursday night.
Frank and I met at his casa Thursday afternoon, and after an easy drive, a healthy pre-concert dinner at Hooters (it was for the wings, man...seriously! :-) ), and the remaining journey to the AT&T Center in San Antone, we were ready to rock. Judging from the crowds waiting on line to enter the auditorium, the age range was weighted more heavily to the late 30's and older crowd, but a sizeable number of teens and younger adults was mixed in as well. We were sure better dressed than we were in the old days when we'd go to an arena rock show!
Once the doors opened, a roar shot up from the crowd. I'd say the audience was a little stoked. After the obligatory t-shirt purchase, we settled into our seats and awaited the night's entertainment. The stage looked pretty cool, with a giant video screen behind the band, all the speakers above the stage with an impressive lighting rig suspended above, and an S-shaped runway coming off the main stage that surrounded a tidy piece of the crowd on the floor. So far, so good.
The opening act was one of the many Marley children, grandchildren, or nephews that are out there performing. It was pleasant reggae music, with a couple of Bob Marley's tunes sprinkled in for effect ("No Woman No Cry" and "I Shot The Sheriff"). Thank you. Now get off the stage.
After the roadies did their magic, and suitable time had passed, the lights went down, the crowd went nuts, and the massive guitar chords of VH's version of "You Really Got Me" blasted out of the speakers. From that point on, it was nonstop party rock and roll for 2 hours.
The Van Halen brothers looked to be in fine physical and sober form, and David Lee Roth, the grinning banshee, was similarly happy to be on stage again. Those three guys, music veterans all, showed us what a professional rock and roll show is all about. The guitar player did his pyrotechnic technique thing, showing off the full kit bag of two-handed tapping, blindingly fast runs, and chest-thumping power chords. Obviously, the years of hard living haven't robbed Eddie of his prodigious musical gifts. His trademark solo portion of the show, very late in the evening, was stunning as usual. About 8 minutes of all the cool things you can do with an electric guitar, 16 amps turned to "11," an arsenal of effects pedals, and two magic hands...it was amazing. The funniest thing was how all the guitar players in the audience were staring at the closeups on the big video screens of Eddie's hands as he played all that cool stuff...it was no different than the look that guys have at strip clubs! Sort of a slack-jawed half grin, half grimace, as we watched something we'd never be able to do. :-)
David Lee Roth? He sort of screamed a lot of the lyrics, but who's worried about lyrics in this setting, anyway? He never was much of an actual singer, but he's lost none of his raw showmanship. He strutted the stage the whole night through, like some sort of Atomic Rooster, with that crazed ear-to-ear grin plastered on his face. He was clearly the happiest person on stage, and who can blame him?
Alex played the drums with all the thunder that was required, locked in tight with his brother as they supplied the stuff that makes arena rock so intoxicating. I'm not sure that he needed all four (4!!) bass drums in his kit, but it sure looked cool. His drum solo was actually pretty cool, and I'm not really a drum solo guy.
Now, I must discuss little Wolfgang Van Halen, the Child Of Eddie, 16 years old, in his first band, Daddy's band, playing every night in front of 15,000 people. Sigh... I must admit that any anger stems from a heavy sense of envy, but the kid looked like, well, a 16-year old kid. He played the bass very well, bringing the bottom end, and obviously he has a genetic gift for the guitar and bass. No problems there. The singing was adequate, but no 16-year old can match pipes with Roth. I just thought he looked a little scared, a little hesitant to do anything outside of a tightly scripted list of Acceptable Moves. He may turn out to be a fine adult someday, but one wonders what this trial by fire might do to any 16-year old boy. It would nearly be impossible to maintain any clear sense of one's self under those circumstances, no matter how much fun all the glitz and glamour might be.
The encore was the expected "Jump," and after the last chords echoed through the arena, the night was over. What's the final verdict? For musical quality, I give the instrumental portion a "10," and the vocals just a "6." I missed the portions of the songs where Roth either used to scream or wail those high notes, and the sound system swallowed up the vocals a lot. For entertainment value, I give it a "9.5." Geez, it was Van Halen, the original Van Halen, rocking loud and proud. While it wasn't 1984 again, it sure was a lot of fun. Well worth the price of admission, and even worth the long rambling journey out of the jumbled parking lot and back home to Austin that night.
Frank and I met at his casa Thursday afternoon, and after an easy drive, a healthy pre-concert dinner at Hooters (it was for the wings, man...seriously! :-) ), and the remaining journey to the AT&T Center in San Antone, we were ready to rock. Judging from the crowds waiting on line to enter the auditorium, the age range was weighted more heavily to the late 30's and older crowd, but a sizeable number of teens and younger adults was mixed in as well. We were sure better dressed than we were in the old days when we'd go to an arena rock show!
Once the doors opened, a roar shot up from the crowd. I'd say the audience was a little stoked. After the obligatory t-shirt purchase, we settled into our seats and awaited the night's entertainment. The stage looked pretty cool, with a giant video screen behind the band, all the speakers above the stage with an impressive lighting rig suspended above, and an S-shaped runway coming off the main stage that surrounded a tidy piece of the crowd on the floor. So far, so good.
The opening act was one of the many Marley children, grandchildren, or nephews that are out there performing. It was pleasant reggae music, with a couple of Bob Marley's tunes sprinkled in for effect ("No Woman No Cry" and "I Shot The Sheriff"). Thank you. Now get off the stage.
After the roadies did their magic, and suitable time had passed, the lights went down, the crowd went nuts, and the massive guitar chords of VH's version of "You Really Got Me" blasted out of the speakers. From that point on, it was nonstop party rock and roll for 2 hours.
The Van Halen brothers looked to be in fine physical and sober form, and David Lee Roth, the grinning banshee, was similarly happy to be on stage again. Those three guys, music veterans all, showed us what a professional rock and roll show is all about. The guitar player did his pyrotechnic technique thing, showing off the full kit bag of two-handed tapping, blindingly fast runs, and chest-thumping power chords. Obviously, the years of hard living haven't robbed Eddie of his prodigious musical gifts. His trademark solo portion of the show, very late in the evening, was stunning as usual. About 8 minutes of all the cool things you can do with an electric guitar, 16 amps turned to "11," an arsenal of effects pedals, and two magic hands...it was amazing. The funniest thing was how all the guitar players in the audience were staring at the closeups on the big video screens of Eddie's hands as he played all that cool stuff...it was no different than the look that guys have at strip clubs! Sort of a slack-jawed half grin, half grimace, as we watched something we'd never be able to do. :-)
David Lee Roth? He sort of screamed a lot of the lyrics, but who's worried about lyrics in this setting, anyway? He never was much of an actual singer, but he's lost none of his raw showmanship. He strutted the stage the whole night through, like some sort of Atomic Rooster, with that crazed ear-to-ear grin plastered on his face. He was clearly the happiest person on stage, and who can blame him?
Alex played the drums with all the thunder that was required, locked in tight with his brother as they supplied the stuff that makes arena rock so intoxicating. I'm not sure that he needed all four (4!!) bass drums in his kit, but it sure looked cool. His drum solo was actually pretty cool, and I'm not really a drum solo guy.
Now, I must discuss little Wolfgang Van Halen, the Child Of Eddie, 16 years old, in his first band, Daddy's band, playing every night in front of 15,000 people. Sigh... I must admit that any anger stems from a heavy sense of envy, but the kid looked like, well, a 16-year old kid. He played the bass very well, bringing the bottom end, and obviously he has a genetic gift for the guitar and bass. No problems there. The singing was adequate, but no 16-year old can match pipes with Roth. I just thought he looked a little scared, a little hesitant to do anything outside of a tightly scripted list of Acceptable Moves. He may turn out to be a fine adult someday, but one wonders what this trial by fire might do to any 16-year old boy. It would nearly be impossible to maintain any clear sense of one's self under those circumstances, no matter how much fun all the glitz and glamour might be.
The encore was the expected "Jump," and after the last chords echoed through the arena, the night was over. What's the final verdict? For musical quality, I give the instrumental portion a "10," and the vocals just a "6." I missed the portions of the songs where Roth either used to scream or wail those high notes, and the sound system swallowed up the vocals a lot. For entertainment value, I give it a "9.5." Geez, it was Van Halen, the original Van Halen, rocking loud and proud. While it wasn't 1984 again, it sure was a lot of fun. Well worth the price of admission, and even worth the long rambling journey out of the jumbled parking lot and back home to Austin that night.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Dancing In The Dark
The weather returned to good old chilly and clear this morning, so we got to enjoy that while taking laps around the Zilker soccer field complex. The mood was good as we all cruised over to Zilker and got drilled up. Gilbert gave us a few words about the workout, and then it was time to group up. At that point, things got a little jumbled, since a lot of us don't really know who's who yet in the new groups. The first group went out, though, and then when no one stepped forward for the second group, a bunch of us took off as a mob for our workout.
We started out sort of slow, but by about halfway through the repeat, I had worked my way up to the front, and we were moving a little more smartly by the end of that loop. The gates were locked across the road at two points on the Zilker loop, which made the start/finish a little compacted, and it made for a brief cross-country detour at about the 3/4 mile mark. For the last three repeats, I was in a smaller pack, and ran with two guys who are new to me. I've talked with one of them, but not the other. Note to self: Ask people their name! Anyway, we were very consistent on the last three repeats, and I was done. I had to get back to make sure Jake got on the school bus. Teenagers. The sun was just coming up over the horizon when we knocked out that fourth repeat, and was the only time I could really see the road all morning. It was a nice sunrise, though.
I ran back with Amy, and we had a fun talk. So, for the day, 4 x 2000m repeats (actually 1.18 miles). 8:57, 8:40, 8:42, 8:42. Average pace was 7:21/mile, which is about right for the slightly longer repeats compared to the mile repeats last week. I felt good all morning long, and if time had permitted, a fifth repeat wouldn't have been a terrible ordeal. That's all good.
Total mileage for the day was a shade over 8 miles. I'm looking forward already to the tour on Saturday of the 3M half marathon course. That course is fun even in training, with a gentle downhill trend the whole way.
We started out sort of slow, but by about halfway through the repeat, I had worked my way up to the front, and we were moving a little more smartly by the end of that loop. The gates were locked across the road at two points on the Zilker loop, which made the start/finish a little compacted, and it made for a brief cross-country detour at about the 3/4 mile mark. For the last three repeats, I was in a smaller pack, and ran with two guys who are new to me. I've talked with one of them, but not the other. Note to self: Ask people their name! Anyway, we were very consistent on the last three repeats, and I was done. I had to get back to make sure Jake got on the school bus. Teenagers. The sun was just coming up over the horizon when we knocked out that fourth repeat, and was the only time I could really see the road all morning. It was a nice sunrise, though.
I ran back with Amy, and we had a fun talk. So, for the day, 4 x 2000m repeats (actually 1.18 miles). 8:57, 8:40, 8:42, 8:42. Average pace was 7:21/mile, which is about right for the slightly longer repeats compared to the mile repeats last week. I felt good all morning long, and if time had permitted, a fifth repeat wouldn't have been a terrible ordeal. That's all good.
Total mileage for the day was a shade over 8 miles. I'm looking forward already to the tour on Saturday of the 3M half marathon course. That course is fun even in training, with a gentle downhill trend the whole way.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Chillin' In The 'Hood
Ah, yes...if it's Tuesday, we've got a brand new weather situation here in Austin. Just last week, it was lovely, crisp and cool. Yesterday, not so good, but okay, and today we're well into the 70s again. I suppose it could be worse, though. :-)
So, today I managed to visit the gym for the first time in eons. Okay, maybe not eons in the dictionary sense of the word, but it's been quite a while. I sidled into Gold's this morning, and found that yesterday's circuit training had left some sore spots in my weak core. I'll take that as a sign that work needs to be done. Anyway, I won't relate each and every exercise, but I did an introductory round of stuff, single sets, on core (planks, crunches, etc.) and legs. I felt better having completed any sort of gym workout, and now that the ice is broken, future visits won't be such a mental chore. And, yes, the Resolution members were out in good numbers, but at this point, I'm essentially a Resolution member, so I will leave those folks alone.
Once I got home, I changed and went out in the 'Hood for an easy hour's run. 6.4 miles, exactly one hour, 9:19/mile. It was warmer and bright sun, but still a nice day for a run. Everything checked out okay, and by mile two, I was working through any residual soreness from yesterday's lunges and today's leg weights.
So, for compliance with the Program, I'll give myself a solid grade. I'm not quite back to full sets of gym work yet, but that will come as long as I continue to go there.
Tomorrow, 4-5 x 2000m repeats. Yowzah! I could probably slink through the workout and just do 3 x 2000m, but I'm going to approach it as a 4 x 2000m day, and if I manage things properly, then I'll go ahead and do all 5 repeats. Should be interesting.
So, today I managed to visit the gym for the first time in eons. Okay, maybe not eons in the dictionary sense of the word, but it's been quite a while. I sidled into Gold's this morning, and found that yesterday's circuit training had left some sore spots in my weak core. I'll take that as a sign that work needs to be done. Anyway, I won't relate each and every exercise, but I did an introductory round of stuff, single sets, on core (planks, crunches, etc.) and legs. I felt better having completed any sort of gym workout, and now that the ice is broken, future visits won't be such a mental chore. And, yes, the Resolution members were out in good numbers, but at this point, I'm essentially a Resolution member, so I will leave those folks alone.
Once I got home, I changed and went out in the 'Hood for an easy hour's run. 6.4 miles, exactly one hour, 9:19/mile. It was warmer and bright sun, but still a nice day for a run. Everything checked out okay, and by mile two, I was working through any residual soreness from yesterday's lunges and today's leg weights.
So, for compliance with the Program, I'll give myself a solid grade. I'm not quite back to full sets of gym work yet, but that will come as long as I continue to go there.
Tomorrow, 4-5 x 2000m repeats. Yowzah! I could probably slink through the workout and just do 3 x 2000m, but I'm going to approach it as a 4 x 2000m day, and if I manage things properly, then I'll go ahead and do all 5 repeats. Should be interesting.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Circuitry
This morning was sort of springlike, weatherwise, but tolerable. It was a good day to head to Austin High and join a bunch of Gazelles for circuit training. We had a bunch of new folks there today, I think, so I believe Gilbert took it slightly easy on us. Plus, the 30K racers were there to gently work out the junk left over from that hilly tour, and circuit is a good way of doing that.
Those who ran the 30K seemed awfully relaxed and strong today, which was very impressive. Equally impressive was Larry, who ran a 100K race all day on Saturday, and then showed up this morning to ease back into running. All of those folks were pretty awesome, as far as I'm concerned.
The circuit stuff was the usual, with the addition of pullups and medicine ball magic to the regular exercises. I hung out around Rachel, Brian and Amy, and we were diligent about the exercises, but pretty casual about the 400m runs between each circuit. We got the full benefit of the workout, since we were directly into and out of the exercises, but we certainly didn't bust a move doing those 400s. :-)
After 3 circuits, Gilbert had us do another round of 4 different medicine ball exercises, and I paired up with Amy for that. She chose the 8 pound medicine ball, but except for dealing with a heavier toss, it wasn't too bad. After the medicine ball, we were secretly hoping that a certain exercise that Shall Not Be Named would not appear, and we were rewarded when we went directly to a couple of rounds of fast feet. The first round was either 1 or 2 minutes, I don't know which, and the second round was either 2 or 3 minutes. All I know is that I was about 3 seconds away from having to stop on that last round of FF. The whistle blew just in time. Bernard accompanied our FF song on a drum, which lent a new vibe to the whole experience.
Fun recovery run back to RunTex with Michael, Wes, Brian, Amy and Rachel, and our day was done. It was a wimpy mileage day, around 4.5 miles, but I'm glad to get in some exercises to boost my reentry into gym work. Tuesday should be that day, if I get myself moving in the direction of the gym.
I got my assignment for the AT&T marathon entertainment volunteerism, and I got a good spot, I think. I'll be at the baseball fields on Great Northern at about mile 15.5. Not too deep in the race that people will be in distress, but not so early that the runners will be jammed up together. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep an eye on the runners and give shout outs to my peeps!
Those who ran the 30K seemed awfully relaxed and strong today, which was very impressive. Equally impressive was Larry, who ran a 100K race all day on Saturday, and then showed up this morning to ease back into running. All of those folks were pretty awesome, as far as I'm concerned.
The circuit stuff was the usual, with the addition of pullups and medicine ball magic to the regular exercises. I hung out around Rachel, Brian and Amy, and we were diligent about the exercises, but pretty casual about the 400m runs between each circuit. We got the full benefit of the workout, since we were directly into and out of the exercises, but we certainly didn't bust a move doing those 400s. :-)
After 3 circuits, Gilbert had us do another round of 4 different medicine ball exercises, and I paired up with Amy for that. She chose the 8 pound medicine ball, but except for dealing with a heavier toss, it wasn't too bad. After the medicine ball, we were secretly hoping that a certain exercise that Shall Not Be Named would not appear, and we were rewarded when we went directly to a couple of rounds of fast feet. The first round was either 1 or 2 minutes, I don't know which, and the second round was either 2 or 3 minutes. All I know is that I was about 3 seconds away from having to stop on that last round of FF. The whistle blew just in time. Bernard accompanied our FF song on a drum, which lent a new vibe to the whole experience.
Fun recovery run back to RunTex with Michael, Wes, Brian, Amy and Rachel, and our day was done. It was a wimpy mileage day, around 4.5 miles, but I'm glad to get in some exercises to boost my reentry into gym work. Tuesday should be that day, if I get myself moving in the direction of the gym.
I got my assignment for the AT&T marathon entertainment volunteerism, and I got a good spot, I think. I'll be at the baseball fields on Great Northern at about mile 15.5. Not too deep in the race that people will be in distress, but not so early that the runners will be jammed up together. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep an eye on the runners and give shout outs to my peeps!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
ARA 30K - A Spectator's View
This morning, I joined a bunch of Gazelles to volunteer at one of the water stops for the ARA 30K in hilly SW Austin. We were at about mile 7, and we had a full-service stop (GU, Gu2O, and water). The day started early in the dark, of course, and finished some 3 hours later when the last runner passed our position.
In between, the great crew efficiently managed to hand out all of our Gu2O, a bunch of water, and a gaggle of GU (I think Tri-Berry was the preferred choice among today's runners, narrowly beating out Vanilla Bean. Chocolate finished third out of three, but the GU staff reports that the super fast folks at the front of the race predominately asked for choco-GU.). We also did some serious cheering, especially for anyone sporting their Gazelles colors. By the time the runners arrived at our place, they were still looking pretty relaxed, and it was fun to yell at our friends.
We had the stop all buttoned up by the time the cleanup truck arrived, and I was done in time to scurry back to the finishing line to try and see everyone at the end. There was no available parking near the finish, so I took up residence on the last giant hill, right at the 18 mile marker, and cheered my friends up that last tough climb. All things considered, the Gazelles looked pretty darned good. I offered up my Dr. Pepper to Amy, but I think she was afraid of losing her balance and rolling back down the hill that she had worked so hard to climb. :-)
It was big fun, and I'm very impressed with the runners today. That course was just epic, and I'm sure it will achieve some sort of legendary status among Austin runners. It'll go in there with that double loop 20 miler up in Round Rock where the wind threatened to blow us backwards, the ice storm Freescale Marathon, and other races of that ilk.
Today we put away the Christmas decorations, which is always just the bestest time, and everyone then chose their own 30 minute anti-clutter project to complete. We might set a new record for amount of recycle materials on trash day this week. :-)
In between, the great crew efficiently managed to hand out all of our Gu2O, a bunch of water, and a gaggle of GU (I think Tri-Berry was the preferred choice among today's runners, narrowly beating out Vanilla Bean. Chocolate finished third out of three, but the GU staff reports that the super fast folks at the front of the race predominately asked for choco-GU.). We also did some serious cheering, especially for anyone sporting their Gazelles colors. By the time the runners arrived at our place, they were still looking pretty relaxed, and it was fun to yell at our friends.
We had the stop all buttoned up by the time the cleanup truck arrived, and I was done in time to scurry back to the finishing line to try and see everyone at the end. There was no available parking near the finish, so I took up residence on the last giant hill, right at the 18 mile marker, and cheered my friends up that last tough climb. All things considered, the Gazelles looked pretty darned good. I offered up my Dr. Pepper to Amy, but I think she was afraid of losing her balance and rolling back down the hill that she had worked so hard to climb. :-)
It was big fun, and I'm very impressed with the runners today. That course was just epic, and I'm sure it will achieve some sort of legendary status among Austin runners. It'll go in there with that double loop 20 miler up in Round Rock where the wind threatened to blow us backwards, the ice storm Freescale Marathon, and other races of that ilk.
Today we put away the Christmas decorations, which is always just the bestest time, and everyone then chose their own 30 minute anti-clutter project to complete. We might set a new record for amount of recycle materials on trash day this week. :-)
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Long Running [entered 1/6/08]
Saturday, it was long run time again. On an average weather day (humid and in the high 50s to low 60s), I met up with the gang at 5:30am for a tour d'Austin. The AT&T folks were due for 20, but my peeps were "only" going to go for 16.5 or so. After the initial shuffling around, I ended up running with Leslie and Frank. They must have been taking it easy due to injury discomfort, but I still appreciate the fact that I had folks that wanted to run my pace. :-)
We started out by heading south on the initial 5 miles or so of the AT&T course. That first hill is still a tester, especially since it appears right away, before we got a chance to warm up much at all. I was worried a bit as we worked our way up the steady incline, all the way to the end of Lightsey, since I was huffing and puffing more than I'd prefer that early in a long run. However, once we turned back north on S. First, I settled down, and from that point on, I was running fairly comfortably.
I had thought we'd find lots of AT&T folks running around our pace, but I suppose most of our pace pals were running the 30K on Sunday, and thus weren't there for this long run. Oh, well. We found plenty to discuss as we cruised around town. Gilbert had the rolling water stop set up around Oltorf, and he was already in an expansive mood. Again, it's funny how we are all so wide-awake so early in the morning, even if we're not necessarily "morning people."
We didn't encounter too many runners this morning, presumably due to tomorrow's race. Still, it was a little weird to have the streets and sidewalks basically to ourselves.
We took a second quick water stop at Auditorium Shores, where I took a GU as well. Nice trip on the trail to Mopac, then Lake Austin Blvd. to the next water/Accelerade stop at Enfield. We were already 9 miles into our morning, and it seemed like most of the hard terrain was still yet to come. Man, I'm glad I'm not doing AT&T this year!!
The hills of Enfield and Exposition came next, and we got through those in pretty fine shape. It was sure great to get over the bridge at Mopac, because that was the last bad hill of the day, really. We met up with Lisa and Laura at the water/Accelerade stop on Shoal Creek, and had a brief chat as we took our second GU and tanked up on fluids. From there, we only had maybe 5 miles to go, so weirdly, we were almost done.
Picking our way across 38th Street was different, since we don't usually use 38th to get across town, but it worked out okay. Kenny was there on Duval with the next water/Accelerade stop, and after topping off, it was time to finish this thing.
I started running up front after that, through the massive construction project at the UT football stadium, through the nearly empty UT campus, up those nasty little hills on San Jacinto going past the Capitol, and then finally, we were on the downhill tip on 11th and then Congress. I tried to get us run over at several of the stoplights and crosswalks on Congress, but we managed to escape without serious damage. I just wanted to get done, I guess. :-)
Leslie were running along at the end, and she kept asking what the GPS said the mileage was. When we realized that we were going to be really close to an even 17 miles, we decided to continue on the trail for just a little bit after the usual stopping place, just to let the watch roll over to an even 17. Silly? Yes. But, by the time we ran past SRVaughan's statue, we had achieved our minor goal. 6 striders later, I was ready for the full stretching routine.
We did most of the optional "bonus" stretches on Saturday, and we had an overflow crowd at the Annex that spilled out onto the loading ramp and parking lot outside. It was a nice day for stretching, even if it was a little warm to be considered ideal for running.
For the day, 16.94 miles (after accounting for the minor distances that accumulate at water stops, you lose some absolute mileage). 2:42:03 with all water stop time included, 9:34/mile total pace. Actual running pace after subtracting 10:31 in water stop time was a nifty 8:57/mile, plenty good for me.
I scored a surprising 43.5 miles this week, the most in quite a while. Got in 5 days of running. Failed to return to the gym, but I should get that kick started next week after circuit training on Monday reveals the state of my weak core. All in all, things are going great. I might back off a tiny bit on mileage this week to allow some recovery and rebuilding...we'll see how that goes.
We started out by heading south on the initial 5 miles or so of the AT&T course. That first hill is still a tester, especially since it appears right away, before we got a chance to warm up much at all. I was worried a bit as we worked our way up the steady incline, all the way to the end of Lightsey, since I was huffing and puffing more than I'd prefer that early in a long run. However, once we turned back north on S. First, I settled down, and from that point on, I was running fairly comfortably.
I had thought we'd find lots of AT&T folks running around our pace, but I suppose most of our pace pals were running the 30K on Sunday, and thus weren't there for this long run. Oh, well. We found plenty to discuss as we cruised around town. Gilbert had the rolling water stop set up around Oltorf, and he was already in an expansive mood. Again, it's funny how we are all so wide-awake so early in the morning, even if we're not necessarily "morning people."
We didn't encounter too many runners this morning, presumably due to tomorrow's race. Still, it was a little weird to have the streets and sidewalks basically to ourselves.
We took a second quick water stop at Auditorium Shores, where I took a GU as well. Nice trip on the trail to Mopac, then Lake Austin Blvd. to the next water/Accelerade stop at Enfield. We were already 9 miles into our morning, and it seemed like most of the hard terrain was still yet to come. Man, I'm glad I'm not doing AT&T this year!!
The hills of Enfield and Exposition came next, and we got through those in pretty fine shape. It was sure great to get over the bridge at Mopac, because that was the last bad hill of the day, really. We met up with Lisa and Laura at the water/Accelerade stop on Shoal Creek, and had a brief chat as we took our second GU and tanked up on fluids. From there, we only had maybe 5 miles to go, so weirdly, we were almost done.
Picking our way across 38th Street was different, since we don't usually use 38th to get across town, but it worked out okay. Kenny was there on Duval with the next water/Accelerade stop, and after topping off, it was time to finish this thing.
I started running up front after that, through the massive construction project at the UT football stadium, through the nearly empty UT campus, up those nasty little hills on San Jacinto going past the Capitol, and then finally, we were on the downhill tip on 11th and then Congress. I tried to get us run over at several of the stoplights and crosswalks on Congress, but we managed to escape without serious damage. I just wanted to get done, I guess. :-)
Leslie were running along at the end, and she kept asking what the GPS said the mileage was. When we realized that we were going to be really close to an even 17 miles, we decided to continue on the trail for just a little bit after the usual stopping place, just to let the watch roll over to an even 17. Silly? Yes. But, by the time we ran past SRVaughan's statue, we had achieved our minor goal. 6 striders later, I was ready for the full stretching routine.
We did most of the optional "bonus" stretches on Saturday, and we had an overflow crowd at the Annex that spilled out onto the loading ramp and parking lot outside. It was a nice day for stretching, even if it was a little warm to be considered ideal for running.
For the day, 16.94 miles (after accounting for the minor distances that accumulate at water stops, you lose some absolute mileage). 2:42:03 with all water stop time included, 9:34/mile total pace. Actual running pace after subtracting 10:31 in water stop time was a nifty 8:57/mile, plenty good for me.
I scored a surprising 43.5 miles this week, the most in quite a while. Got in 5 days of running. Failed to return to the gym, but I should get that kick started next week after circuit training on Monday reveals the state of my weak core. All in all, things are going great. I might back off a tiny bit on mileage this week to allow some recovery and rebuilding...we'll see how that goes.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
The Quintet Rolls LBLake
This morning was another perfectly crisp and clear day, just right for a relaxed run around Lady Bird Lake with the peeps. It was hovering around 30 degrees all morning, and it was fabulous! Marcy, Rachel, Brian and Michael made up our running posse along with little old me, and we had a grand time putting in our 7 miles. Lots of conversation, lots of laughs, and almost as a side effect, we got in a nice run while doing it.
Just as we got started, the fast folks from the Tuesday/Thursday crew blasted by us in the opposite direction, as they finished up their fartlek workout. Alex looked like it was effortless running for him as he went by. We enjoyed a really beautiful sunrise that peeked over the horizon and through the buildings of downtown Austin just as we made our water stop at Auditorium Shores. It was just a delightful day, and I was very happy to be a part of this run. Like I said, the actual running was nearly secondary to the good company and conversation, but we took care of business there, too.
For the day, 6.95 miles, 9:09/mile pace, even with the water stop. We were clicking away at an 8:35/mile clip for those last 4 miles, but it felt good to me. I'm probably the poky little puppy in that group, but it worked out for me today, at least.
After bundling up in dry clothes, I stretched just a bit before driving back to the hacienda. I'm feeling really good lately about my running, and I've enjoyed these last couple of weeks. So far, so good. Now, I just need to get my gym visits kick-started again, and I'll be all set!
Just as we got started, the fast folks from the Tuesday/Thursday crew blasted by us in the opposite direction, as they finished up their fartlek workout. Alex looked like it was effortless running for him as he went by. We enjoyed a really beautiful sunrise that peeked over the horizon and through the buildings of downtown Austin just as we made our water stop at Auditorium Shores. It was just a delightful day, and I was very happy to be a part of this run. Like I said, the actual running was nearly secondary to the good company and conversation, but we took care of business there, too.
For the day, 6.95 miles, 9:09/mile pace, even with the water stop. We were clicking away at an 8:35/mile clip for those last 4 miles, but it felt good to me. I'm probably the poky little puppy in that group, but it worked out for me today, at least.
After bundling up in dry clothes, I stretched just a bit before driving back to the hacienda. I'm feeling really good lately about my running, and I've enjoyed these last couple of weeks. So far, so good. Now, I just need to get my gym visits kick-started again, and I'll be all set!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Dark Fartleks
It just stayed dark this morning all the way around the lake loop as we did our fartleks. It was nice and chilly, around 27 degrees, which is totally okay with me! I felt great all the way around.
I ran with a new group (to me, at least), since most of my normal pace peeps weren't there today. Brian, Rachel, Michael and a couple of others were up ahead, but I missed out on them early. So, I hooked up with Monique's crew, and I was a happy camper. Still feeling my way back into speedy stuff since the long marathon recovery period, I was content to hang out with this new gang. It wasn't a stroll around the lake, either. We took turns leading, and everyone did a good job pulling the bunch along when they took their time at the front. I had watch issues, so I don't have the usual super detailed data from the fartleks, but suffice it to say that we were moving right along on the faster bits. We stood around for most of a minute at Mopac while a couple of folks grabbed water, so that mile was artificially slower.
Gilbert sneaked up on us during our cooldown run at the end of the workout, so everyone picked it up a bit once we realized that that's who was joining us. :-)
Stats: 9:20, 9:14 (warmup), then first fartlek burst at 7:13/mile pace, then miles at 8:57 (extra recovery minute in that one), 8:19, 8:33 (the one with the Mopac stop in it), and 0.33 miles at 7:59/mile. Warmdown miles at 9:09 and 0.51 miles at 8:53/mile. 6.92 miles for the day, overall pace 8:51/mile. We were doing 1:00 on and 1:00 off fartleks, so we did a good job with pacing, I think. It was tough at the detour on the north side of the trail to maintain a good steady pace for just a bit, but we got past that soon enough.
I had fun out there today, and it was interesting to run with entirely new people for a change. I've got to learn some names!!!
After we got done, Gilbert opened up the Annex, so I did the full stretching routine, more or less, since we were inside in the warmth of a closed building. My legs will appreciate that tomorrow, I'm sure.
I ran with a new group (to me, at least), since most of my normal pace peeps weren't there today. Brian, Rachel, Michael and a couple of others were up ahead, but I missed out on them early. So, I hooked up with Monique's crew, and I was a happy camper. Still feeling my way back into speedy stuff since the long marathon recovery period, I was content to hang out with this new gang. It wasn't a stroll around the lake, either. We took turns leading, and everyone did a good job pulling the bunch along when they took their time at the front. I had watch issues, so I don't have the usual super detailed data from the fartleks, but suffice it to say that we were moving right along on the faster bits. We stood around for most of a minute at Mopac while a couple of folks grabbed water, so that mile was artificially slower.
Gilbert sneaked up on us during our cooldown run at the end of the workout, so everyone picked it up a bit once we realized that that's who was joining us. :-)
Stats: 9:20, 9:14 (warmup), then first fartlek burst at 7:13/mile pace, then miles at 8:57 (extra recovery minute in that one), 8:19, 8:33 (the one with the Mopac stop in it), and 0.33 miles at 7:59/mile. Warmdown miles at 9:09 and 0.51 miles at 8:53/mile. 6.92 miles for the day, overall pace 8:51/mile. We were doing 1:00 on and 1:00 off fartleks, so we did a good job with pacing, I think. It was tough at the detour on the north side of the trail to maintain a good steady pace for just a bit, but we got past that soon enough.
I had fun out there today, and it was interesting to run with entirely new people for a change. I've got to learn some names!!!
After we got done, Gilbert opened up the Annex, so I did the full stretching routine, more or less, since we were inside in the warmth of a closed building. My legs will appreciate that tomorrow, I'm sure.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Froeliche Neue Jahr!
Or something like that. My Deutsch isn't what it once was... :-)
I hope the fledgling New Year finds all of you hale and hearty (and not too hungover, if you partied hard last night). This morning, I got caught up in the Twilight Zone Marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel, digging on those tasty nuggets of TV written and hosted by the incomparable Rod Serling. When I was finally able to avert my eyes, I was then distracted by the bowl games. Finally, about 3:00, I dragged my carcass off the couch, put on running togs, and headed out into a beautiful 50 degree, sunny day. What a glorious way to start the new year!
I had a nice little cruise around the 'Hood and back on the trails behind the 'Hood, enjoying the weather, running nice and easy. These recovery runs are so good for me, but I've neglected them in 2007. I hope to rectify that issue this year. I had fun on the occasionally rocky trails, and I only fell once, late in the run, when my attention wandered just enough...boom! No harm done, though, just a scrape on one of my hands.
For the day, a very easy 4.7 miles in about 46 minutes. I told you it was easy running! Legs feel great, and I know that the magic of the recovery run will help purge any remaining junk from my legs that remains from the mile repeats. Tomorrow will be a fun fartlek workout with the herd.
I hope the fledgling New Year finds all of you hale and hearty (and not too hungover, if you partied hard last night). This morning, I got caught up in the Twilight Zone Marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel, digging on those tasty nuggets of TV written and hosted by the incomparable Rod Serling. When I was finally able to avert my eyes, I was then distracted by the bowl games. Finally, about 3:00, I dragged my carcass off the couch, put on running togs, and headed out into a beautiful 50 degree, sunny day. What a glorious way to start the new year!
I had a nice little cruise around the 'Hood and back on the trails behind the 'Hood, enjoying the weather, running nice and easy. These recovery runs are so good for me, but I've neglected them in 2007. I hope to rectify that issue this year. I had fun on the occasionally rocky trails, and I only fell once, late in the run, when my attention wandered just enough...boom! No harm done, though, just a scrape on one of my hands.
For the day, a very easy 4.7 miles in about 46 minutes. I told you it was easy running! Legs feel great, and I know that the magic of the recovery run will help purge any remaining junk from my legs that remains from the mile repeats. Tomorrow will be a fun fartlek workout with the herd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)