Random Road Run: Temperature 82 degrees; Splits 9:19; 9:16; 9:22; 9:22; 9:10; 4:17; 50:46 total for 5.5 miles; 9:13 per mile pace. (Planned pace was 9:30).
I'll keep it short and sweet, since all you care about is who won the raffle... :-) Hot and humid run, but despite that I challenged myself with lots of hills and did better than my goal of a 9:30 per mile pace.
OK, as far as the raffle goes, I didn't e-mail everyone their ticket numbers because it really didn't make sense to. Bottom line is, you guys seem to trust me to have had a fair raffle. I allotted the tickets as promised, put all of them in a bowl, and took one out. The winner is.....Lindsay from "Chasing the Kenyans" blog. She will receive a case (24) of Vanilla Bean GU gel, as well as a custom made t-shirt with whatever she wants put on it. Thank-you everyone who entered.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
My Next "Race"
My daughter and I ran in this last year. I told her I would run the course with her and a co-worker of mine. Needless to say, I didn't, and finished a few minutes before them. This year my daughter and I will be running the entire "race" together. I learned a valuable lesson during the Petit 5K race. Quality father-daughter time during a 5K is much more important than my finishing time. I'm hoping my co-worker will also run with us. Check out the link below, and you'll see why I have "race" in quotation marks. The free beer afterwards certainly motivates me also!
http://www.hartfordmarathon.com/foundationnew/hmfevents/xtremescramble2.htm
ALSO: Check out photo #268...my daughter and I finishing the Petit 5K together...Priceless!!
http://www.markmaglio.smugmug.com/gallery/9033850_DYKNj#600084426_hcZUb
http://www.hartfordmarathon.com/foundationnew/hmfevents/xtremescramble2.htm
ALSO: Check out photo #268...my daughter and I finishing the Petit 5K together...Priceless!!
http://www.markmaglio.smugmug.com/gallery/9033850_DYKNj#600084426_hcZUb
Saturday, July 25, 2009
18 Miles? No Problem!
North end of Cheshire random run: Temperature range from start to finish: 59 degrees to 69 degrees. Splits 9:43; 10:11; 9:46; 10:09; 10:23; 10:23; 10:10; 10:28; 10:34; 10:50; 9:48; 11:08; 10:38; 10:14; 9:51; 10:20; 10:12; 9:39... 3:04:28 total for 18 miles; 10:14 per mile pace.
(WARNING: Post-run runner's high still in effect. This post is all over the place)
I woke up at 4 a.m. today, determined to be out of the house and on the road by 5 a.m. (side note: I started running at 5:20..OOPS!)so that I could beat the scheduled 85 degree temperature and humidity. I ate my normal breakfast of 2 english muffins with Smart Balance Light and strawberry jelly, downed a big cup of coffee, and started packing both "tool belts" with my 18 mile runner's survival kit: 2 bottles of ice cold water, and 2 bottles of water mixed with Hammer Nutrition's unflavored "Sustained Energy" powder. I left one tool belt with a bottle of Sustained Energy and a bottle of water in my garage for the halfway point of my run. The Sustained Energy comes in 85 gram packets, and I mixed each one with about 20 oz. of water. Here's the info. about it:* Enjoy sustained energy hour after hour.
* Easy to digest.
* Reduce muscle fatigue & recovery time.
* Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly.
* Contains no MSG.
"One of the original long distance fuels, Sustained Energy has attained a legendary status in the world of endurance sports since its introduction in 1992. Tested and proven in virtually every endurance event on the planet, Sustained Energy's unique 7:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, and it's neutral flavor, is still the first choice of thousands of athletes. After about two hours of exercise you need to have some protein in your fuel or you will start to cannibalize or break down precious muscle tissue."
Well, I certainly don't want to "cannibalize" my muscle tissue, do I?! I also downed my favorite energy gel, a Vanilla Bean flavored GU Energy Gel the recommended 15 minutes before I started running, and sucked down 2 more at about the recommended 45 minute and 1 1/2 hour intervals of my run. I regretted not having more of them on me. Instead I tried, for the first time, a tangerine flavored PowerBar gel, at about the 2 1/4 hour part of my run. It has 50 mg, or 2 times the normal caffeine of other gels, or so they claim. All I can say about it is "YUCK!" It tasted horrible, and I literally gagged it down. I also have it in double latte flavor, so to be fair I'll try that flavor at some point. Both were freebies at the Petit 5K Race, so at least I didn't spend any money on them.
Today's run was the first time in my Jeff Galloway training plan that I was supposed to run less and walk more. What I mean is that up until today, my "Long Ones" as he calls them, consisted of me running for a mile (approximately 8 1/2 to 9 minutes), and walking for a minute. Starting today, I was supposed to cut back to running for 5 minutes, and walking for a minute. Galloway's reasoning is that "These walk breaks shift the use of the muscles before they get over-fatigued. You'll have better muscle response late in the run and will recover faster.. There is NO reduction of endurance when you take walk breaks." Well, he's right. Twelve days ago I ran 16 miles with a walk break every mile, and averaged a 10:18 per mile. Today, with the more frequent walk breaks I averaged a 10:14 per mile pace. More walking resulted in a faster per mile pace overall!! OK fellow bloggers, if you haven't realized it by now, then I'll repeat myself: I LOVE THIS MARATHON TRAINING PLAN. The miles go by quicker and easier, and I find myself focusing on my Garmin and the 5 minute and 1 minute intervals, rather than on how far I've run and how many miles I have left. Come on...all of us can certainly run for 5 minutes and walk for a minute repeatedly, right?! Talk about something to look forward to..even left brain was OK with this training run today. You know from my last post how difficult left brain can be!
Between properly hydrating myself (Proud of me Lindsay?!), the GU gels, and the frequent walk breaks, I ran well and still feel well. It's 10 hours after my run, and other than a little leg and toes pain, I'm feeling great. How much of this is due to the Hammer Nutrition products and GU Gel I don't know. I have a scheduled 20 miler on August 9th. Maybe I'll run without the Hammer Nutrition products and see if I feel as good as I do right now. In closing, I believe I could have run-walk-run 26.2 miles today. At a 10:14 per mile pace, that would have been a 4:28:41 marathon time. Not bad, and certainly I would be happy if I have that time in NY.
(WARNING: Post-run runner's high still in effect. This post is all over the place)
I woke up at 4 a.m. today, determined to be out of the house and on the road by 5 a.m. (side note: I started running at 5:20..OOPS!)so that I could beat the scheduled 85 degree temperature and humidity. I ate my normal breakfast of 2 english muffins with Smart Balance Light and strawberry jelly, downed a big cup of coffee, and started packing both "tool belts" with my 18 mile runner's survival kit: 2 bottles of ice cold water, and 2 bottles of water mixed with Hammer Nutrition's unflavored "Sustained Energy" powder. I left one tool belt with a bottle of Sustained Energy and a bottle of water in my garage for the halfway point of my run. The Sustained Energy comes in 85 gram packets, and I mixed each one with about 20 oz. of water. Here's the info. about it:* Enjoy sustained energy hour after hour.
* Easy to digest.
* Reduce muscle fatigue & recovery time.
* Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly.
* Contains no MSG.
"One of the original long distance fuels, Sustained Energy has attained a legendary status in the world of endurance sports since its introduction in 1992. Tested and proven in virtually every endurance event on the planet, Sustained Energy's unique 7:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, and it's neutral flavor, is still the first choice of thousands of athletes. After about two hours of exercise you need to have some protein in your fuel or you will start to cannibalize or break down precious muscle tissue."
Well, I certainly don't want to "cannibalize" my muscle tissue, do I?! I also downed my favorite energy gel, a Vanilla Bean flavored GU Energy Gel the recommended 15 minutes before I started running, and sucked down 2 more at about the recommended 45 minute and 1 1/2 hour intervals of my run. I regretted not having more of them on me. Instead I tried, for the first time, a tangerine flavored PowerBar gel, at about the 2 1/4 hour part of my run. It has 50 mg, or 2 times the normal caffeine of other gels, or so they claim. All I can say about it is "YUCK!" It tasted horrible, and I literally gagged it down. I also have it in double latte flavor, so to be fair I'll try that flavor at some point. Both were freebies at the Petit 5K Race, so at least I didn't spend any money on them.
Today's run was the first time in my Jeff Galloway training plan that I was supposed to run less and walk more. What I mean is that up until today, my "Long Ones" as he calls them, consisted of me running for a mile (approximately 8 1/2 to 9 minutes), and walking for a minute. Starting today, I was supposed to cut back to running for 5 minutes, and walking for a minute. Galloway's reasoning is that "These walk breaks shift the use of the muscles before they get over-fatigued. You'll have better muscle response late in the run and will recover faster.. There is NO reduction of endurance when you take walk breaks." Well, he's right. Twelve days ago I ran 16 miles with a walk break every mile, and averaged a 10:18 per mile. Today, with the more frequent walk breaks I averaged a 10:14 per mile pace. More walking resulted in a faster per mile pace overall!! OK fellow bloggers, if you haven't realized it by now, then I'll repeat myself: I LOVE THIS MARATHON TRAINING PLAN. The miles go by quicker and easier, and I find myself focusing on my Garmin and the 5 minute and 1 minute intervals, rather than on how far I've run and how many miles I have left. Come on...all of us can certainly run for 5 minutes and walk for a minute repeatedly, right?! Talk about something to look forward to..even left brain was OK with this training run today. You know from my last post how difficult left brain can be!
Between properly hydrating myself (Proud of me Lindsay?!), the GU gels, and the frequent walk breaks, I ran well and still feel well. It's 10 hours after my run, and other than a little leg and toes pain, I'm feeling great. How much of this is due to the Hammer Nutrition products and GU Gel I don't know. I have a scheduled 20 miler on August 9th. Maybe I'll run without the Hammer Nutrition products and see if I feel as good as I do right now. In closing, I believe I could have run-walk-run 26.2 miles today. At a 10:14 per mile pace, that would have been a 4:28:41 marathon time. Not bad, and certainly I would be happy if I have that time in NY.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hot, Hotter, Hottest
Linear Trail: Temperature 85 degrees...hottest day of running in a while (Yuck!). Splits 8:55; 8:45; 8:43; 8:56; 8:50; 8:42; 52:51 total for 6 miles; 8:48 per mile pace. (Planned pace was under 9:00).
It was hot. It was humid. I didn't want to run. I know a lot of you can relate to that. Running the NY City Marathon in 101 plus days is a good thing, because it motivates me to suck it up and run. I looked in my box of Hammer product goodies for some pre-run help. I decided to try the Endurolytes, which I had never used before. I took one pill. According to their website, "Cramping is your body's final warning signal that you're on empty electrolyte wise. However, your performance is deteriorating and you are slowing down long before you feel the slightest twinge of a cramp. To keep your body's muscular, digestive, nervous, and cardiac systems firing on all cylinders you need a consistent supply of all electrolytic minerals, not just sodium and potassium. Plus, in many instances, you require greater volumes of electrolytes than any sports drink or gel can provide. That is why Endurolytes fulfills such a crucial component of your fueling by supplying your body with a perfectly balanced, full-spectrum, rapidly assimilated electrolyte source, allowing you to meet your widely variable electrolyte needs with tremendous precision, hour after hour, no matter what the weather throws at you." Sounded good to me, especially I've been feeling like a cramp was coming on at times the past few weeks, plus the warmer temperature. I also mixed up 20 oz. of Heed and stashed it in a bottle in my "tool belt": "HEED's subtle tasting, all-complex carbohydrate formula goes down easily and supplies you with consistent, long-lasting energy and the electrolytes you need to keep pushing the pace. Because we add no citric acid to the formula, it will not burn your throat or stomach no matter how long you drink it. HEED's sweeteners - stevia and xylitol - are actually good for you, xylitol being especially beneficial for helping promote oral health. The full-spectrum, all chelated mineral, electrolyte profile helps satisfy your body's mineral requirements. L-Carnosine and Chromium Polynicotinate help to buffer lactic acid and support stable blood glucose levels. If you prefer sports drinks over energy gels or like to use the two together, try HEED and find out what a sports drink done right can do for your athletic performance." OK, you get the idea.
I started off feeling great. Although it was 85 degrees, running on the Farmington Canal trail makes everything seem so much better. No traffic to dodge, no hills to go up or down, and best of all today, it was the return of drum roll please..."roller blading, disco dancing, karaoke singing, linear trail lady." See my May 20th post for more about her. Strange thing was that she actually was skating normal-no singing out loud or disco dancing. Oh well. Anyhow, I was running a comfortable and effortless pace, just happy to be running on a summer day. I reached mile 1, and Garmin beeped and showed me a respectable time of 8:55. I was off to a good. I was saving my Heed, figuring once I started to feel dehydrated I'd start drinking it. The voice of Lindsay (http://www.chasingthekenyans.com/)always reminds me to properly hydrate ever since I was a "space cadet" a few months ago and she commented in my blog to hydrate AHEAD of time as well as during my runs. Mile 2 came quickly and easily also, and Garmin showed me an 8:45 second mile split. I was running easy, despite the 85 degree temperature, humidity, and not much available shade. I hit a flat, open, full of bright sunshine area of the trail, and started taking drinks of Heed. Around mile 2.3 (Garmin is so precise!), I felt as if I was running on a treadmill with rocks in my pockets. Worse yet, as I approached an elderly couple walking on the other side, I suddenly became light headed, staggered, and regained my balance. ( I swear Lindsay, and everyone else, I drank enough water before my run, and up to that point). I quickly explored my options: a)stop; b)stop and walk; c)run slower and see what happens. Quitting never entered my mind. I went into "marathon mentality." That is, I asked myself "What are you going to do if this happens in the NY City Marathon?" Answer: c)Slow down to a slow jog, regroup, and regain my normal pace (hopefully). So I slowed down, chugged some more Heed, wiped myself off with my favorite small running towel that I carry in my pocket, and cursed myself for not bringing my favorite energy food, my Vanilla Bean GU energy gel. I was hurting, or at least I thought I was. It was left brain vs. right brain, and I was going to make sure that right brain won. (See April 21 for explanation of right and left brain). Right brain was telling me that I could do it, that the Heed and slower pace was going to help revive me, and get my mojo back. Left brain was telling me that I now felt like I had cement shorts on, it felt like a zillion degrees, and I might be better off just walking. I continued on, using the marathon mentality of just put one foot in front of the other, and keep running. My Garmin beeped, meaning I had "finally" reached the 3 mile/turnaround point of my planned 6 mile run. I reluctantly looked at my split time: 8:43. HUH?! I thought I was hallucinating. My 3 mile split was faster than my previous two splits? I don't know how it happened, except maybe I was so spacey that I didn't realize how well I was running. I decided to reward myself for toughing it out, as well as preparing myself for the last half of my run, so I slowed to a walk, chugged some more Heed, toweled myself off, and gave myself a pep talk, all in about 15 seconds. My first thought as I resumed running was that I wasn't going to be able to run a nine minute or better split for mile 4, since I had walked. Right brain reminded me that with the Jeff Galloway method of training, walk breaks help me revitalize and run well. At about the 3 1/2 mile point, I suddenly felt great again. I indeed was revitalized! Thank-you Heed, Endorolytes, and Jeff Galloway. I wasn't feeling quite as well as I did at the start, but at least I had lost the "lead legs." I reached the end of mile 3-4, and was pleased to see an 8:56 split. I still hadn't run a 9 minute split, which was my goal. Better yet, I was now feeling as good as I did at the beginning of my run. I picked up my pace, and reached mile 5 at 8:50. I was now 5-5 with sub 9 minute miles. I certainly wasn't going to run mile 6 slower. I wouldn't allow myself to. I reached for whatever physical and mental energy I had left. I was smiling, and having fun again. I was alert, I was sane, I was almost done in what felt like a short mile. Garmin beeped and rewarded me with my best split of the day: an 8:42. I was finished. I had sucked it up, defeated the heat, humidity, and left brain. It was time for a reward. I headed to 7-11 and celebrated with a 32 oz. Slurpee. As I've said in previous posts, try one sometime after a run on a hot day. It's cold, refreshing, and delivers a wicked brain freeze. P.S. Anybody out in Bloggerland want to do a team relay of 12 runners from Connecticut to Boston??? Check out this link: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/boston/index.php
It was hot. It was humid. I didn't want to run. I know a lot of you can relate to that. Running the NY City Marathon in 101 plus days is a good thing, because it motivates me to suck it up and run. I looked in my box of Hammer product goodies for some pre-run help. I decided to try the Endurolytes, which I had never used before. I took one pill. According to their website, "Cramping is your body's final warning signal that you're on empty electrolyte wise. However, your performance is deteriorating and you are slowing down long before you feel the slightest twinge of a cramp. To keep your body's muscular, digestive, nervous, and cardiac systems firing on all cylinders you need a consistent supply of all electrolytic minerals, not just sodium and potassium. Plus, in many instances, you require greater volumes of electrolytes than any sports drink or gel can provide. That is why Endurolytes fulfills such a crucial component of your fueling by supplying your body with a perfectly balanced, full-spectrum, rapidly assimilated electrolyte source, allowing you to meet your widely variable electrolyte needs with tremendous precision, hour after hour, no matter what the weather throws at you." Sounded good to me, especially I've been feeling like a cramp was coming on at times the past few weeks, plus the warmer temperature. I also mixed up 20 oz. of Heed and stashed it in a bottle in my "tool belt": "HEED's subtle tasting, all-complex carbohydrate formula goes down easily and supplies you with consistent, long-lasting energy and the electrolytes you need to keep pushing the pace. Because we add no citric acid to the formula, it will not burn your throat or stomach no matter how long you drink it. HEED's sweeteners - stevia and xylitol - are actually good for you, xylitol being especially beneficial for helping promote oral health. The full-spectrum, all chelated mineral, electrolyte profile helps satisfy your body's mineral requirements. L-Carnosine and Chromium Polynicotinate help to buffer lactic acid and support stable blood glucose levels. If you prefer sports drinks over energy gels or like to use the two together, try HEED and find out what a sports drink done right can do for your athletic performance." OK, you get the idea.
I started off feeling great. Although it was 85 degrees, running on the Farmington Canal trail makes everything seem so much better. No traffic to dodge, no hills to go up or down, and best of all today, it was the return of drum roll please..."roller blading, disco dancing, karaoke singing, linear trail lady." See my May 20th post for more about her. Strange thing was that she actually was skating normal-no singing out loud or disco dancing. Oh well. Anyhow, I was running a comfortable and effortless pace, just happy to be running on a summer day. I reached mile 1, and Garmin beeped and showed me a respectable time of 8:55. I was off to a good. I was saving my Heed, figuring once I started to feel dehydrated I'd start drinking it. The voice of Lindsay (http://www.chasingthekenyans.com/)always reminds me to properly hydrate ever since I was a "space cadet" a few months ago and she commented in my blog to hydrate AHEAD of time as well as during my runs. Mile 2 came quickly and easily also, and Garmin showed me an 8:45 second mile split. I was running easy, despite the 85 degree temperature, humidity, and not much available shade. I hit a flat, open, full of bright sunshine area of the trail, and started taking drinks of Heed. Around mile 2.3 (Garmin is so precise!), I felt as if I was running on a treadmill with rocks in my pockets. Worse yet, as I approached an elderly couple walking on the other side, I suddenly became light headed, staggered, and regained my balance. ( I swear Lindsay, and everyone else, I drank enough water before my run, and up to that point). I quickly explored my options: a)stop; b)stop and walk; c)run slower and see what happens. Quitting never entered my mind. I went into "marathon mentality." That is, I asked myself "What are you going to do if this happens in the NY City Marathon?" Answer: c)Slow down to a slow jog, regroup, and regain my normal pace (hopefully). So I slowed down, chugged some more Heed, wiped myself off with my favorite small running towel that I carry in my pocket, and cursed myself for not bringing my favorite energy food, my Vanilla Bean GU energy gel. I was hurting, or at least I thought I was. It was left brain vs. right brain, and I was going to make sure that right brain won. (See April 21 for explanation of right and left brain). Right brain was telling me that I could do it, that the Heed and slower pace was going to help revive me, and get my mojo back. Left brain was telling me that I now felt like I had cement shorts on, it felt like a zillion degrees, and I might be better off just walking. I continued on, using the marathon mentality of just put one foot in front of the other, and keep running. My Garmin beeped, meaning I had "finally" reached the 3 mile/turnaround point of my planned 6 mile run. I reluctantly looked at my split time: 8:43. HUH?! I thought I was hallucinating. My 3 mile split was faster than my previous two splits? I don't know how it happened, except maybe I was so spacey that I didn't realize how well I was running. I decided to reward myself for toughing it out, as well as preparing myself for the last half of my run, so I slowed to a walk, chugged some more Heed, toweled myself off, and gave myself a pep talk, all in about 15 seconds. My first thought as I resumed running was that I wasn't going to be able to run a nine minute or better split for mile 4, since I had walked. Right brain reminded me that with the Jeff Galloway method of training, walk breaks help me revitalize and run well. At about the 3 1/2 mile point, I suddenly felt great again. I indeed was revitalized! Thank-you Heed, Endorolytes, and Jeff Galloway. I wasn't feeling quite as well as I did at the start, but at least I had lost the "lead legs." I reached the end of mile 3-4, and was pleased to see an 8:56 split. I still hadn't run a 9 minute split, which was my goal. Better yet, I was now feeling as good as I did at the beginning of my run. I picked up my pace, and reached mile 5 at 8:50. I was now 5-5 with sub 9 minute miles. I certainly wasn't going to run mile 6 slower. I wouldn't allow myself to. I reached for whatever physical and mental energy I had left. I was smiling, and having fun again. I was alert, I was sane, I was almost done in what felt like a short mile. Garmin beeped and rewarded me with my best split of the day: an 8:42. I was finished. I had sucked it up, defeated the heat, humidity, and left brain. It was time for a reward. I headed to 7-11 and celebrated with a 32 oz. Slurpee. As I've said in previous posts, try one sometime after a run on a hot day. It's cold, refreshing, and delivers a wicked brain freeze. P.S. Anybody out in Bloggerland want to do a team relay of 12 runners from Connecticut to Boston??? Check out this link: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/boston/index.php
Monday, July 20, 2009
Today's Run, and a Freebie For You
Random Road Run: Temperature 79 degrees. Splits 8:44; 8:56; 8:54; 9:00; 8:28; 8:10; 52:12 total for 6 miles; 8:42 per mile pace. (Planned pace was 9:00).
What can I say? I felt good at the beginning, I felt good at the middle, and felt great at the end of my run. Hey, I even did a 9:00 split time after taking a "break" to shed some excess water weight. (Think about it...on second thought, don't think about it!). I think I've found the main reason for my success: proper footwear. I've noticed that since I bought new running shoes (ASICS GT-2140), my running aches and pains have decreased. I'm so glad that my podiatrist told me I didn't need running shoes for overpronation. My hip and knee pains are gone. By the way, I so smoked the 6th mile!
OK, as promised, my version of a giveaway/freebie. I want to keep this simple. I'm giving away a 24-pack of GU Energy Gel, Vanilla Bean flavor. Here's how you win it. I'm having a raffle. 1)You earn 5 tickets for being a member of my blog. 2) If you refer someone to my blog, and they post a message stating that you referred them, then you earn 10 raffle tickets for each person you refer. 3) You also can earn 3 tickets by adding me on Facebook. Click on my Facebook link on the right. If you already have, then you've already earned the tickets. 4) I have to encourage/bribe everyone to donate to my fundraising effort for team Autism Speaks. So, you get one raffle ticket for every dollar you donate to my fundraising effort. If you have already donated, you're all set with tickets. You can click on the link on the right in order to donate. 5) If someone you refer to my blog donates $$ to Autism Speaks, you will receive 1 raffle ticket for every dollar that they donate.
If you want your raffle tickets mailed to you, please e-mail me your address at cotaman@yahoo.com, and I will mail you your tickets. Otherwise, I will e-mail you your ticket numbers, and keep your tickets here. Raffle winner will be drawn on July 28th, which is my birthday! I will mail the prize to the winner. Hopefully I have covered all the rules. If not, PLEASE let me know. This is my first raffle, and I'm trying to keep it simple. In closing, I do want to say that I am not raffling the GU gel to promote it. I bought an extra case of it since I use it and like it, so I thought I'd share it with you guys. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!! The winner will also receive a t-shirt custom made with any logo, saying, picture, etc. of their choice. T-shirt will be white, but not "see-through."
What can I say? I felt good at the beginning, I felt good at the middle, and felt great at the end of my run. Hey, I even did a 9:00 split time after taking a "break" to shed some excess water weight. (Think about it...on second thought, don't think about it!). I think I've found the main reason for my success: proper footwear. I've noticed that since I bought new running shoes (ASICS GT-2140), my running aches and pains have decreased. I'm so glad that my podiatrist told me I didn't need running shoes for overpronation. My hip and knee pains are gone. By the way, I so smoked the 6th mile!
OK, as promised, my version of a giveaway/freebie. I want to keep this simple. I'm giving away a 24-pack of GU Energy Gel, Vanilla Bean flavor. Here's how you win it. I'm having a raffle. 1)You earn 5 tickets for being a member of my blog. 2) If you refer someone to my blog, and they post a message stating that you referred them, then you earn 10 raffle tickets for each person you refer. 3) You also can earn 3 tickets by adding me on Facebook. Click on my Facebook link on the right. If you already have, then you've already earned the tickets. 4) I have to encourage/bribe everyone to donate to my fundraising effort for team Autism Speaks. So, you get one raffle ticket for every dollar you donate to my fundraising effort. If you have already donated, you're all set with tickets. You can click on the link on the right in order to donate. 5) If someone you refer to my blog donates $$ to Autism Speaks, you will receive 1 raffle ticket for every dollar that they donate.
If you want your raffle tickets mailed to you, please e-mail me your address at cotaman@yahoo.com, and I will mail you your tickets. Otherwise, I will e-mail you your ticket numbers, and keep your tickets here. Raffle winner will be drawn on July 28th, which is my birthday! I will mail the prize to the winner. Hopefully I have covered all the rules. If not, PLEASE let me know. This is my first raffle, and I'm trying to keep it simple. In closing, I do want to say that I am not raffling the GU gel to promote it. I bought an extra case of it since I use it and like it, so I thought I'd share it with you guys. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!! The winner will also receive a t-shirt custom made with any logo, saying, picture, etc. of their choice. T-shirt will be white, but not "see-through."
5K Race Report...Quality Father-Daughter Time
I've run races with my 27 year old daughter before. Races where I've driven in my car with her and spent quality time together. Races where we've both wandered around beforehand, just talking and enjoying the pre-race atmosphere and freebies. We always go to the start line together, and nervously wait for the race to begin. Once or twice I even said that we would run together the entire race, only to have her tell me to "go ahead" because she couldn't keep up with me and knew I wanted to run faster. I always finished those races about 4 minutes before she did, but at least I was always at the finish line to cheer her on. OK, MOST of the time I was at the finish line cheering her on. Other times I would be stuffing my face with post-race food, or at the porta-potty as she finished. We always had a meeting place for after the race, so at least I never lost her! All of that changed yesterday. I wasn't going to enter the "GE Petit Family Foundation Road Race." It's for a great cause, which I mentioned in an earlier blog post. You can also "Google" it to find out the details. It's difficult for me to write about it again, so if you want to know my connection to it all, go back and read my post from May 31. So anyhow, my daughter laid the guilt trip on me last week about entering it: It was the second year, so the glitches from last year would be solved; there's great freebies; and most maybe the free race shirt wouldn't be so feminine looking (Side note: My wife loves the shirt). Of course she also played the "We can go together" card also. She didn't bother to ask if we could actually run together. So I entered the race, obviously. The past week I thought about the race, and the reasons for the race. To use the motto for the race, Yesterday was going to "Be the change." I was going to run the entire 5K race with my daughter. I was going to be a father, a companion, a friend, a running buddy to my daughter. I was going to let my daughter know how much I love her, appreciate her, and enjoy running with her. So I did. I ran the entire race with her. Sometimes we talked, sometimes we ran through sprinklers together to cool off, but mostly we just ran. I taught her the art of dodging "obstacles," or slower runners. I taught her to use the sidewalk for the first mile if necessary to get around the obstacles. At one point she told me to "get away." I thought she was telling me to leave her alone. Turns out there was "smelly guy" in front of her, and she needed to hurry up and get around him! The last half mile to the finish is a slight uphill, on a wide road. About 50 yards from the finish line she suddenly went into an all out sprint. I thought she was trying to beat me, so I stayed with her and asked her to grab my hand, so that we could finish together, holding hands. She did, and we did. She officially finished in a personal best time of 26:36, while I finished in 26:37. She had never finished a race in under 27 minutes before, so she was happy. I also found out why she was running so fast at the finish. As we were near the finish line, she spied her ex-boyfriend catching up to us. She wasn't going to let him beat us, and he didn't. He finished in 26:38, 2 seconds behind my daughter. Nice to know my usually non-competitive daughter has it in her to kick some ex-boyfriend's ass at the finish line. Overall, it was one of the slowest 5K times I have ever run, but it was also the most enjoyable race I have ever run. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, beats quality father-daughter time together. Giveaway update: Details later, or tomorrow. Fundraising update: I've raised $1503.20. SWEET!
Friday, July 17, 2009
This Run's For You!
Thursday: Linear Trail: Temperature 80 degrees. Splits 9:20; 9:19; 9:06; 9:03; 9:01; 8:37; 54:26 total for 6 miles; 9:04 per mile pace. I'm happy, since I was planning on a 9:40 pace.
Today: Random Road Run: Temperature 85 degrees and humid! Splits 8:43; 8:29; 8:53; 8:41; 34:46 total for 4 miles; 8:41 per mile pace. Good pace, if I must say so myself. It was hot and humid today.
Yesterday's run was scheduled to be 45-55 minute run at a 9:40 per mile pace. I packed my "tool" (hydration) belt, one bottle of ice cold water, downed a GU vanilla energy gel, and drove to the linear trail. I decided to dedicate each mile to a follower of my blog. If a mile wasn't dedicated to you, I promise one will be in the near future! That being said, mile 1 was dedicated to Anais (http://through-greeneyes.blogspot.com/). Anais hurt her ankle recently, so I decided she earned my mile 1 dedication. Anais inspires me to do well more than she realizes. Mile 1 was also my slowest mile...LOL! I probably just offended her, but maybe I can make up for it by saying my original plan was to run my 6 miles at a 9:40 pace. Mile 2 was about the same: 9:19, and was dedicated to Lisa,(http://watchlisarun.blogspot.com/)whose also injured but kicking ass with her workouts at the gym. As I finished mile 2, I was feeling strong. I seem to respond well to the GU vanilla gel. More on that later. Mile 3 was dedicated to Mel (http://mel-2ndchances.blogspot.com/), whose blog will always inspire me. She has gone through a lot in her life, and that has made her stronger. So strong that she's now training for a "Tri." Go Mel! Mile 4 was Carlee's (http://chasingfg.blogspot.com/). At that point in my run, I had turned around in Hamden and was heading back along the part of the trail that (I think) Carlee runs a lot. Carlee is a member of "Team in Training," who I actually saw at the Fairfield Half Marathon. They seem like a great group of people, and even had members along the course cheering on not only their team members, but everyone else as well. From their website: "Team in Training Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training® (TNT) has grown to become an unparalleled sports training program. More than 389,000 participants, from first timers to seasoned athletes, have trained with the Team and achieved their best at marathons, half marathons, triathlons, 100-mile century bike rides and hiking adventures." BRAVO to them. Mile 5 was dedicated to Mel, aka "Tall Mom on the Run." (http://tallmomontherun.blogspot.com/). Mel is a running babe, who also used to play basketball for Gonzaga. Yes, I called her a "babe." She runs a lot, runs well, and from what I can tell from her blog does a great job balancing her career, running, and family life. Mile 6 was dedicated to Lindsay (http://www.chasingthekenyans.com/). At that point, I was "smokin'" I was loose, I was feeling no pain, I was apparently vanilla GU gel good. Lindsay, I believe, is the 2009 version of "The Bionic Woman." She runs a lot of days, and a lot of miles, and runs damn FAST! Hence my theory about her not being human.
OK, no report about today's run? Why? Because 1) I've babbled on enough, and you can read my splits above; and 2) I'M GOING TO HAVE A GIVEAWAY!! DETAILS LATER...
Today: Random Road Run: Temperature 85 degrees and humid! Splits 8:43; 8:29; 8:53; 8:41; 34:46 total for 4 miles; 8:41 per mile pace. Good pace, if I must say so myself. It was hot and humid today.
Yesterday's run was scheduled to be 45-55 minute run at a 9:40 per mile pace. I packed my "tool" (hydration) belt, one bottle of ice cold water, downed a GU vanilla energy gel, and drove to the linear trail. I decided to dedicate each mile to a follower of my blog. If a mile wasn't dedicated to you, I promise one will be in the near future! That being said, mile 1 was dedicated to Anais (http://through-greeneyes.blogspot.com/). Anais hurt her ankle recently, so I decided she earned my mile 1 dedication. Anais inspires me to do well more than she realizes. Mile 1 was also my slowest mile...LOL! I probably just offended her, but maybe I can make up for it by saying my original plan was to run my 6 miles at a 9:40 pace. Mile 2 was about the same: 9:19, and was dedicated to Lisa,(http://watchlisarun.blogspot.com/)whose also injured but kicking ass with her workouts at the gym. As I finished mile 2, I was feeling strong. I seem to respond well to the GU vanilla gel. More on that later. Mile 3 was dedicated to Mel (http://mel-2ndchances.blogspot.com/), whose blog will always inspire me. She has gone through a lot in her life, and that has made her stronger. So strong that she's now training for a "Tri." Go Mel! Mile 4 was Carlee's (http://chasingfg.blogspot.com/). At that point in my run, I had turned around in Hamden and was heading back along the part of the trail that (I think) Carlee runs a lot. Carlee is a member of "Team in Training," who I actually saw at the Fairfield Half Marathon. They seem like a great group of people, and even had members along the course cheering on not only their team members, but everyone else as well. From their website: "Team in Training Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training® (TNT) has grown to become an unparalleled sports training program. More than 389,000 participants, from first timers to seasoned athletes, have trained with the Team and achieved their best at marathons, half marathons, triathlons, 100-mile century bike rides and hiking adventures." BRAVO to them. Mile 5 was dedicated to Mel, aka "Tall Mom on the Run." (http://tallmomontherun.blogspot.com/). Mel is a running babe, who also used to play basketball for Gonzaga. Yes, I called her a "babe." She runs a lot, runs well, and from what I can tell from her blog does a great job balancing her career, running, and family life. Mile 6 was dedicated to Lindsay (http://www.chasingthekenyans.com/). At that point, I was "smokin'" I was loose, I was feeling no pain, I was apparently vanilla GU gel good. Lindsay, I believe, is the 2009 version of "The Bionic Woman." She runs a lot of days, and a lot of miles, and runs damn FAST! Hence my theory about her not being human.
OK, no report about today's run? Why? Because 1) I've babbled on enough, and you can read my splits above; and 2) I'M GOING TO HAVE A GIVEAWAY!! DETAILS LATER...
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