Today I'm starting this blog back up to log my training. Only for 5K's. My days of Master the Met are over for now. The headaches and the pain were too much for another 4th place. I ran at Forest Park today in a rainy 5K and came in at 21:47. I tried pacing myself to run a more balanced race and as usual I ended up around no one.I caught a guy around the 2nd mile and beat him by 30+ seconds as we had a split around 14:03. So starting out slow and pushing it in the 3rd mile isn't going to work because there won't be anyone around to pace myself with. Instead, I'll need to start with the leaders and somehow hang for the 3rd mile in a sub 7 minute pace. My training has been weak so there's plenty of room for progress. If I can get myself down to low 19's I can win most of these races. It's physically possible, but not with the training that I'm doing now. Jogging 1-3 miles most days isn't going to cut it. I need speedwork and training that hurts as bad if not worse than the races. The weather starts to warm up this week and my schedule is freeing up towards the end of the school year so this should be an opportunity. Tomorrow I'll aim for 4 miles to get a stronger base. I need to run outside more often while still finding time to lift weights.

2010 Met Run Conclusion

I didn't keep track of my training on here this year. I went with a different strategy because after the thousands of training floors last year, it still hurt like year one. This year's training, though not as dedicated on the surface proved to be more efficient. I put more weight training into my routine. I also feel that I'm in a slightly better 5K shape because of the running I did over the winter. I also had the benefit of 2 training runs at The Met 2 and 4 weeks ago.

The first practice I did at about an 80% effort just to see where I was. I started out at a slower pace and didn't push it through the tough floors in the 20's. By floor 36 I was able to increase for a final kick letting me know I had some left. My time for 40 floors (training was 2 floors shorter than the real thing for building reasons) was 7:38. Pretty slow, but I still had a month to put in and I wasn't hurting all that bad. I was about where I expected.

Instead of the usual stairmaster that has a sort of escalator step on it, I used the older version with the little step pedals. I feel that that machine forces me to push my whole weight up. I also used the elliptical machine a lot more. I wasn't able to go to as many of Beth's "boot camp" classes (okay, I didn't go to any, just her pilates classes instead), but I did make it to several spin classes. I don't own a bike anymore but spin class really strengthened my legs and built some endurance over the weeks in December and January.

Student teaching really cut into my time and energy this year. Some days I only worked out for 15 minutes because I no longer have the luxury of waking up and strolling into the gym at 10:30 anymore.

By the next practice which took place 2 weeks before yesterday's event I was ready to see exactly where I was timewise. I gave a full 100% and by the top of the 40th floor I was at a 5:07. I told them "that's not right," as I walked away upset that they had messed my time up. Beth and our team captain Kenny came too and helped me recover as best they could but I still ended up puking in the parking lot...after a practice.

I prepared the best I could for the next two weeks tailing things off by Tuesday and only doing light bike and elliptical in the gym. I was so upset that they had messed up my practice time because I really didn't know what to expect. What really worried me was the headaches I was getting after the practice. They was a sharp pain in the back left "corner" of my head after practice for a few hours. It finally went away but then came back when I went to bed. The next day I was okay but as soon as I put any effort into lifting (I think I was bench pressing) the pain came back which started to freak me out. I've been taking Motrin which always helps.

Race day came and I decided to get up at 6:00 and eat 2 pop tarts at 6:15. I showered and we headed down to The Met to arrive at 7:30. This year I had the advantage of starting 4th overall. There were 1445 runners and the practice runs and previous years have always been plagued with slow runners in my way. Passing on a stairwell is much more difficult than passing in a road race. The #1 bib was Missouri's Lt. Governor. The #2 runner was missing. #3 was a guy who ran his practice in 5:55 and was overconfident.

I had a lot of adrenaline going and decided to just shoot up the first 8-10 floors. I passed the Lt. Gov. by the 6th floor (he started 27 seconds ahead of me). I passed the #3 runner around the 18th floor which put me in the lead with (as they say in NASCAR) clean air ahead. Each floor has volunteers letting the runners know where the break floors are (every 10 floors). I ignored them as they offered rest and water (as if!). Could they not see the crazy look of determination in my eyes? I'm a complete nutjob for this event and yeah, it's great to raise money to fight lung disease, but this race is the competitive highlight of my year...so no...no water stops.

By the 30th floor I was back to the living hell that makes this race so hard. Everything in the body says stop. It's kind of like drowning because every muscle is out of oxygen. I took two Motrin with breakfast so my headache wasn't getting to me. I used my arms to pull myself up each set of steps (two at a time the whole way). Ignore the pain, it will go away. This is one of the few interesting things you'll accomplish and have to brag talk to people about for another year.

I crossed the line first to an applause of strangers and immediately found a table to lean on. No chairs. I begged for one and threatened to puke, but no one helped. I wasn't as "sick" as I normally am though. It's not that I didn't give 100%, my body just didn't have to puke this time. My teammates crossed the line a minutes later including my lovely wife who clocked in at 8:48 (I promised her $160 boots from ALDO if she broke 8 minutes so she was a little upset). My time ended up being 5:58. I felt like I went faster at practice so maybe if you take away the 2 extra floors and the landing on the 41st floor, I actually did run a 5:07 at practice. The good news was I improved from last year's time by 22 seconds. Sadly, the result was the same. 4th place overall (that guy who won the St. Louis Marathon was repeat champion at 4:48). I won my age group of men 30-39 because top 3 runners don't get to place in age group as well. Still, I guess I can say I'm happy with the result. I may have run faster at practice, I'm still not sure. I'll be back next year most likely. I know what works, I just have to do more of it. I don't fear the headache pain anymore. Spin classes, elliptical machine, and running are the key. I talked to the 2nd place guy and he's some hardass runner who travels the world with his wife doing marathons and 10K's. Like I said, the winner is a marathoner training for the Olympics. The 3rd place guy was some personal trainer looking guy...and then there's me. I figure those 3 all run a few miles every morning and watch their diets. I was the guy drinking 4 pints of beer afterward instead of a cool down. (Scary--5th place was the overall woman's winner just 17 seconds or so behind me!)

I'm proud of myself, my wife, and our efforts. Thank you again for those who donated. I'll try again next year and see if I can finally crack the top 3!

Half Marathon Training recap

The race is this Sunday morning at 7:15 (way too early). I've been running pretty regularly for a few months now. Other than yesterday, it usually doesn't hurt. I did a workout of 10 miles once on a treadmill. I did 8 2/3 miles outside once, that was hard, and a bunch of workouts of 5 to 7 miles, usually once or twice a week. Yes I under-trained but my knees, etc. can't take a regular schedule and my goal is to run the whole way. I've been training at a pace under 8 minutes, but don't plan on doing that for 13 miles. 9 or so is the plan and then just like my workouts I'll play it by ear. After the race I plan to stay in shape and run a few 5 K's and then take that training into the winter for Master the Met next year.

updates

I've put in a few 6 and 7 mile days. I ran 7 on Friday at a gym in Columbia and then 4 yesterday here. My leg leg hurts just above my ankle but I can't tell it it's a pain of injury. It's just sore. I'll run a few more miles today outside while it's still cool.

OK seriously...

Today I started started my half marathon training with 4 miles on the treadmill at just under 9:00 per mile (8:40ish?). Tomorrow, more miles, maybe 3 or so outside if it's dry. Felt good.

Running a half marathon

I'm going to run the St. Charles Half Marathon in September. I've been running for a week and some highlites include doing the mounds (just 5 times yesterday), running a 5K on the treadmill in 22:00. Running a sub 6:00 mile and not breathing that hard. I feel like I've broken through on a few things and will get my 5K time closer to 20:00. There's a race in about a month near our home that we did last year. Another race in July to improve further on. Tomorrow I'm going to run 6 miles in the park (provided tonight's party doesn't get too crazy).

Also, I get married in 6 days.

2nd place team!

Kenny and I got a 2nd place award for our "team." Wow, I guess you only needed 2 people to make a team. I got my first place men 30-39 award yesterday...they didn't mail it, they left it at my door (weird!).

I've been training as usual though I just got over a foot injury so I haven't been running as much. I started running again today though and felt rested. I was in Wichita all last week and only got 1 trip to the gym (there was a blizzard). I ended up losing 2 pounds as a result.

loooong jog

I jogged with Beth today in Forest Park. We were both hurting from bad knees so we walked a little. It was between 5 and 6 miles.

A day off

I didn't exercise yesterday. Tonight is lifting and pilates but I needed a rest yesterday. Here's the picture from Saturday...that girl was in my way.

Still working hard

I forgot to add the steps from t race. 3751 + 42 = 3793.

Good news, I GOT MY IPOD BACK! The people who put the race on had it for me.

I took Beth's last Tuesday circuit training class last night. It hurt, my legs still aren't 100%
I think for next year I'll focus less on leg strength and more on breathing and stamina from being able to breathe better. I really didn't feel like I was in better shape this year compared to last, I just ran harder and pushed myself beyond. So next year I'll just run more distance, perhaps up hills. I may never come close to winning if cyborg guy is still competing, but I can at least defend my 30-39 Men's title and improve my time. I'll get my picture up from the race soon too.

another race today

I did a 5K today in 22:07. There were a ton of people there so I didn't place but it felt okay. I didn't push myself as hard as I normally do for a 5K. I could feel that my legs weren't there in the first mile but I finished strong. I was pleased with the time so I must be in decent 5K shape. We got a packet with a bunch of other upcoming races this spring and a few in the summer. Perhaps this is the year I break 20 minutes

Results

I got 4th place overall. I'm pretty happy with it. I ran a 6:20 so I dropped 28 seconds from last year. Sadly, I somehow lost my iPod on the way up. I new it came unplugged but I didn't know it came out of my holder on my hip until I got home.

This was easily the most pain I have ever put my body through in any athletic event. Worse than any high school cross-country or track race. I tried to puke afterward but nothing was coming up. My head hurt, I could barely sit up, it was worse than being super drunk at the end of the night when it's all about to fall apart. Add that feeling with the sensation of drowning and that's about where I was.

Going into the race I knew I wasn't going to win...someone had already post a 4:42. 2nd place was 5:05 but 3rd was only 9 seconds ahead of me at 6:11. Since the top 3 overall don't count toward their age group results I "won" the men's division age 30-39. I'll get a small award for that.

I'm coughing pretty bad so I don't know about running that 5K tomorrow. I have 2 more shows to perform in tonight. For now I'm just going to let myself recover.

Full results here... http://www.fleetfeetstl.com/racetiming/results/MASTER_THE_MET_2009_42_OA.HTM

It's go time

Tomorrow is the day. I feel ready and confident. I did a light elliptical machine yesterday for 10 minutes and did a short jog today. My bck and neck feel fine, I have no cold symptoms for the first time in weeks and the weather shot up to about 70 degrees today. All is ready. I think I'll use Radiohead's Iron Lung and/or Modest Mouse's Spitting Venom for my iPod. Pace is important. Mental toughness is even more important. I've trained too long to let myself wuss out halfway up. I logged over 3700 floors and ran a lot of miles for this. I can only wonder who if any are taking it as seriously.

a few days left

I did 20 floors in 5 minutes yesterday just to move my legs. I ran a mile also at a slow pace. Then pilates class. Today I'll exercise bike it for 10 minutes and jog for a few as well. I feel confident. I still haven't picked a song yet.

Total floors = 3751

Scouting

I found the webpage with last year's results and scanned through. Like I said, the winner last year is hurt. There seems to be 1 guy who had a faster time than me competing this year, David Klein. He's only 25 or something. But at that age your life changes a lot from year to year. His time was only 20 seconds or so faster than me. I really think I have a shot at winning this thing.

final few days

Today I ran a mile and change, about a half of that on an incline on level 5. I'm getting ready for a possible 5K on Sunday (there's open beer tap after that race) if my legs feel okay.
After the run I did 40 floors in 5 minutes on the stairmaster. I'm now being mocked by the staff at the gym but I probably deserve it for being so serious about all of this. I suppose I will do light steps tomorrow and a few Wednesday, then jog Thursday and then walk Friday leading up to the race on Saturday morning. My lungs still get a little bit of yuck in them after tough workouts but not as much each time. I feel pretty good overall other than my neck hurting.



total floors = 3731

1 week away!

I did 2 workouts today as I finish up my harder training before tailing off. I did 90 floors in 20 minutes while carrying 20 lbs today. I realize that makes me look like a jackass in the gym but I've stopped caring about that. All drinking will stop by Monday Wednesday and I'll pick up my packet to find out when my starting time is. Good news, they're letting us wear iPods this year. I'm torn on which song to use for my 6 minute climb. I may go with Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups, or the last 6+ minutes of Modest Mouse's Spitting Venom. Whatever I choose will be permanently associated with pain from then on though. I'm taking this extremely serious but all in good fun. I miss competing; I miss winning. I honestly think I have a shot at it. Only 1 person broke 6 minutes last year and he's out this year. I need to drop 48 seconds for 42 floors. So pretty much what, 1.023 seconds per floor or something like that?

Here's what happened last year. I knew to pace myself early but I still flew up the first 9 floors. That's about where most people "in shape" start to become aerobic and their muscles run out of excess Oxygen. My goal this year is to not hit that wall until around 15 floors. Having an extra 6 floors of speed would really help my time. Last year I grounded out floors 10-mid 30's and then I don't remember how hard I ran those last few. There's a landing on floor 19 and 40 so my legs had to adjust to just running on flat ground for a hallway. (2 women got in my way on floor 40 last year) They're starting people on 12 second increments this year instead of 15. There could be a little more traffic.

My goal this year is to, like I said, get through the first 15 anaerobically, then push through to about the 35th floor, and then just all mental for the last 7. I was able to sprint up the last of 5 trips to the top of the mounds on Wednesday so I know my legs have more boost in them. I'm just convincing myself I'm in much better shape this year (I am). All I can aim for is to be under 6 minutes. If someone runs another 5:30 and wins, so be it, I'll just train harder next year, but if I can get under 6 minutes I'll be in really good position for placing high.

3691 total floors

Last night I took Beth's classes and worked my legs a lot more. They hurt pretty bad but were fine today so I went out and ran the mounds 5 times without stopping. My lungs burnt really bad once I got back to my car and I've been coughing a little but it isn't too bad. There really is something wrong with me that every time I have to push myself to breathe that much it ends up giving me a cough for at least a week. Hopefully it'll clear up soon. I don't have many more super tough workouts left before I tone it down for the week going into the race.


3551 + 50 = 3601 total floors

80 tough floors through different exercises.

3551 total floors

yesterday's workout

I did 71 floors yesterday in 15 minutes. That's a pretty fast pace actually. I've also been running on the treadmill a lot lately for some 5K's in the future. I think the first is the day after the Met Race. I'm going to hold off on registering to see how my lungs feel. Hopefully I won't get sick like last year with that plagued cough. I did some steps in the aerobic room today as well as some jumproping. That's good for lower leg exercise.


Anyway I'm up to 3471 floors.