Of Mice and Marathons

Run for the Hill of It

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Location:

Lake Orion,MI,

Member Since:

Dec 28, 2011

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

PRs

16:52 Phillies Charities 5k (2016)

35:52 Beach to Beacon 10k (2015)

58:10 Broad Street 10 Mile (2016)

1:16:02 Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon (2015)

2:46:54 Philadelphia Marathon (2015)

Personal:

I live in Michigan with my wife, Megan, and our boys, Charlie and Sawyer. I started running in September 2010.

(Please note that Strava links might contain blog inappropriate langauge)

 

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 17.80 Month: 188.40 Year: 510.50
Miles With Megan Lifetime Miles: 613.75
Nike Zoom Streak LT2 White/Orange Lifetime Miles: 189.95
Saucony Kinvara 5 Viziglow Lifetime Miles: 530.45
Kinvara 10 Lifetime Miles: 186.30
Kinvara 10 II Lifetime Miles: 137.80
Miles With The Boys Lifetime Miles: 99.90
Nike Zoom Streak LT4 Mr. Pinks Lifetime Miles: 21.60
Saucony ISO Freedom 3 Lifetime Miles: 609.15
Saucony ISO Freedom 3 #2 Lifetime Miles: 154.30
Altra Rivera Lifetime Miles: 337.95
Altra Rivera (Dark Blue) Lifetime Miles: 121.50
Saucony Kinvara 5 (2023 Vault Shoe) Lifetime Miles: 263.15
Saucony Kinvara 5 (2023 Vault Shoe II) Lifetime Miles: 228.00
Saucony Kinvara 13 Lifetime Miles: 188.90
Saucony Endorphin Pro Lifetime Miles: 170.00
Saucony Freedom 5 Lifetime Miles: 43.70
Saucony Kinvara 13 #2 Lifetime Miles: 20.30
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
74.750.008.000.0082.75
Kinvara 5 Blue Miles: 19.00Kinvara 5 Green Miles: 25.50Newton Gravity III Miles: 5.00Kinvara 2 White/Blue Miles: 13.25Nike Zoom Streak LT2 Miles: 20.00Miles With Megan Miles: 4.00
Weight: 171.90
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.250.000.000.0013.25

Lunch: Trails - 8 miles. Hot!

PM: 5.25 miles. Did some strides.

Hot. Dryer. Heat today kind of felt good but humidity was under 65% (somehow, thankfully). Dew point still 71 or so. Had I been tough and done a long run it would have hurt. A workout would have been disastrous. 

I feel good running-wise. It's National Ice Cream Day, so I'm off to Bredenbecks for a cone. Megan gets back in the morning. 

Kinvara 5 Blue Miles: 8.00Kinvara 5 Green Miles: 5.25
Weight: 172.40
Comments(7)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

Lunch: Trails - 8 miles

PM: 5 miles. Did some strides. Hot, but felt really good.

+ Stretching and core (late)

Newton Gravity III Miles: 5.00Kinvara 2 White/Blue Miles: 8.00
Weight: 170.90
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.003.000.0010.00

AM: Off. Wanted to hydrate and rest a little and get some work done. Track tonight.

PM: Track Tuesday - 10 miles.

3.6 warmup/2.8 down. I was thinking shorter intervals but the guys were thinking 800s. Fine with me. Workout went okay. Slowed a good bit but that seems to be typical of my summer workouts. Pulled it back around for the last rep. Jogs were pretty slow. Weather was 85 degrees, 65% humidity, dew point around 70.

6 x 800 w/ 200 jogs: 2:45.5, 2:48.3, 2:47.6, 2:49.9, 2:51.3, 2:46.1 (2:48 average)

I think in my early fall prep for my half I will do a few more 800 workouts but extend the number of reps to 8-10.

Nike Zoom Streak LT2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 172.10
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.250.000.000.0010.25

Lunch/Early Afternoon: 10.25 miles. HR 141. Very comfortable conditions.

Kinvara 5 Green Miles: 10.25
Weight: 170.40
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
16.250.000.000.0016.25

Lunch: 5.25 miles. Did some strides.

PM: 11 miles total, about 6 on the trails.

2 miles or so to Valley Green around 7:15 pace because I thought I was going to be late, but we waited a few minutes for the group trail run and ran just under 9 total with my warm up. The regular guys were there and kept the pace pretty honest, which felt good. I've been running 10:00-8:30 for my easy stuff and 5:00-5:30 for my fast stuff with nothing in between.

They had a beer tasting at Valley Green Inn, so we did that and had a few beers and some really good (if very small) smoked pork sliders. Hung out a while and then ran 2.25 home in the dark. Rather than feeling like crap (as I should have), I felt great even though my legs were stiff from sitting. Had a fun time, and the weather is perfect. Felt like I could have run for hours on the way home. Legs will likely be stiff in the morning from bombing some of the hills. It's a fun group and I feel like I am becoming more a part of Philadelphia (I don't really have any friends here, other than a few social events with colleages).

+ stretching and core (very late)

Kinvara 2 White/Blue Miles: 5.25Kinvara 5 Blue Miles: 11.00
Weight: 171.10
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

Lunch: 6 miles. HR 139. Did 6 x 200 on the track.

Kinvara 5 Green Miles: 6.00
Weight: 172.20
Add Comment
Race: Run for the Hill of It (5 Miles) 00:29:32, Place overall: 2, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.005.000.0014.00

AM: 10 miles total w/ 5-mile tuneup race in 29:32

Ran Run for the Hill of It this morning to give me one final LT push before Beach to Beacon. I ran this race last year with a disappointing 30:06. Went on to run over 10 seconds faster per mile the following weekend at Beach to Beacon.

We were blessed with some cool, dry air and dew points below 60 for the last 3-4 days before things get nastier again. Megan and I drove even though it is in the park where I do most of my running but my right hip flex. has been a little tight (not noticable running) and I wanted to warm up on somewhat flat dirt and avoid the big downhill coming down Germantown Ave.

Got in 2.5 miles of warmup but kept it somewhat fast (for my typical warmup anyway (7:30-7:45 for 2 miles, then light jogging). Some quick stretches and strides and we were off. We got out and settled into our pace and I found myself near the front. Knowing how fast this race can be I worried a bit, but saw my pace (decided to wear my watch) and we were running just under 6:00 and it felt very doable and too slow. I started to move toward the front because the pace was too slow but figured the guys behind me were sandbagging the first mile. It is not atypical for the 1st and 2nd to run 5:00-5:10 average pace.

I moved into the lead, then around 3/4 a guy moved up and put a gap on me that I didn't think I could cover but I kept him about 15-20 second ahead (he ran about 28 flat I think). I no longer heard footsteps after the first mile to mile and a half so I kept my pace and tried to push, figuring 2nd was in the bag. Going into Valley Green I think I was moving along okay and hit the turnaround, knowing the way back is a good bit slower. I was trying to get into the 5:40s but when I would starting holding 5:35-5:40 pace I would panic a bit and slow down without really thinking. I saw that the guy ahead of me was perhaps 20-25 second ahead of me. I hit halfway in just over 14:30, so I knew I had my work cut out for me to run 29 minutes, which would have made me quite happy.

Around mile 4 things started to get hard and my form started to suffer. I may have feel asleep knowing that there's a slight uphill grade just before the slight downhill at the finish and figured I had 2nd place wrapped up. I don't think I really gave up but didn't go completely to the well, which was not really the point today. I wanted an honest hard effort on loaded legs.

Came in at 29:32, so about 30+ seconds faster than last year. I also felt good during the race and felt pretty good about the race, which has been very rare in 2015.

Cooled down 2.5 and got some recovery snacks.

The rich, chocolatey goodness: 5:49, 5:52, 6:02, 5:55, 5:52 (5:54 average). Strava claims its worth about 5:49 pace adjusted but I think with some slight elevation change I run faster anyway. I don't adjust paces but I always like to see what the consolation pace is.

I don't think I am in 35-flat shape as I wanted to be, but I know I can run a PR (<35:42) next weekend and at least get a certified 10k time on my board. I'll try my best to do a lot better than that though. I'm planning a pretty serious cutback starting Wednesday, with a day off on Thursda. My plan is to run low-5:40s and try to pick it up (or just hang on). The first mile is quite fast on that course and there are some nice light downhills. Just need to try not to give too much back to the hills in mile 6 and give it hell on the partial like I did last year.

PM: 4 miles with Megan at 10-minute pace on a hot, dry afternoon. HR 119.

Kinvara 5 Green Miles: 4.00Miles With Megan Miles: 4.00Nike Zoom Streak LT2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 174.20
Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
74.750.008.000.0082.75
Kinvara 5 Blue Miles: 19.00Kinvara 5 Green Miles: 25.50Newton Gravity III Miles: 5.00Kinvara 2 White/Blue Miles: 13.25Nike Zoom Streak LT2 Miles: 20.00Miles With Megan Miles: 4.00
Weight: 171.90
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