Monthly Archives: March 2009

Race Plan: Human Race 8K

This weekend is my first race for 2009.  I ran the Human Race 8k last year, see my review.  I actually wrote a little preview about it last year as well.

The Human Race 8k is put on my TSL Events and has become the annual spring opener.

Last year I finished in 31:27. My goal going into last year was breaking 32 minutes which was a fairly arbitrary number but was based on my goal 10k time.  That also represents my post-college PR.  There aren’t many 8k around.  I don’t actually remember my collegiate 8k PR, but I never broke 30 minutes, but it was below 31 minutes.

The Human Race course is nicely designed for setting PR’s because the last half is downhill.

I think my goal for this year will be to set a new PR – it would be nice to break 31 minutes but that might be stretching it.  To PR would require running a 6:19 pace.  That might be stretching it since I’ve  not run that fast very often this training cylce.

We’ll see what happens.

This post was inspired by this one.

Updated: Be sure to check out how it went!

[tags] Human Race 8k, St Paul, 8k [/tags]

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Thoughts on Running Shoes

I have really enjoyed my Mizuno Wave Inspire running shoes.  I started with the 3 and am now on my third pair of the 4’s.  They came out with a 5, but the 4 is cheaper so that’s what I went for.  Oddly, I first picked up the 3 because it was on the clearance rack at a running shoe store.

I know, that is dangerous.  But I did due diligence and talked with the staff to make sure that the Wave Inspire was the correct shoe for me based on my wearing of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7.  Later I found this great chart that shows all of the different major brands and which shoe you should wear based on your current one.

I’m not sure that last sentance makes sense so based on the fact that I wore the Adrenaline GTS it recommends Mizuno’s Wave Inspire and Asics GT-2140, etc… I wish there was a good chart that could help you pick out trail running shoes based on your road shoe, without making a trip to the store.

It is a fun little chart and I recommend looking at it.  A lot of people say that you should never change shoes after you find one that you like, but there is a lot of anecdotal information out there that every now and then it is good to switch brands – each one is a little different and that will help your foot and body.  Obviously, I have changed brands a few times.  I wore Adidas in college, Asics for a few years, then Brooks, and now Mizuno.  I can attest that they are all a little different and my feet have enjoyed pretty much all of them.

INSTRUCTIONS

I started writing this post to highlight some of the “care instructions” and a “Caution” that came with my most recent Mizuno purchase.  I find them a little humorous.

– None of the Mizuno range shoes are suitable for machine washing.  This may destroy or damage the technical fibers used on the shoes.  We had a freshman one year in college who washed his shoes occasionally (in the washing machine).  One time he washed them and then the next day we ran on some muddy trails.  He complained the whole time about getting his clean shoes muddy.

-Your shoes should be regularly cleaned and maintained.  Generally this can be done by hand washing in soapy water, however you should not use chemically enhanced powders or detergents. Does running through puddles count? I’ve never washed my shoes with soap.  Does it add extra mileage to them?

– Do not force or artificially dry your shoes. This may damage or destroy the materials or substances used in production. Well talk about confusing – don’t wash, then wash them but you can’t dry them.  Actually the best way to dry your shoes is to stuff them with old newspapers and lean them up against a wall so the toes are pointing down.  They’ll usually be dry overnight.

– You should regularly check your shoes to ensure that the necessary components are still suitable for performance as deteriorated midsoles or outsoles may cause injuries.  Components? Are the shoes little widgets? Shoes only last for about 300 – 500 miles depending on your build and gait.  The soles will start to break down and show wear.  Even if they don’t it is a good idea to purchase new ones.

Cautions

– This product has been designed and manufactured for the sport running. Use of this product for other activities limits the warranty for this product. I didn’t realize shoes had a warranty, except for Nike which would replace any shoe whose air pocket burst.  So if I walk around in my shoes does that void the warranty?  That doesn’t bode well for all of the Jeff Galloway fans out there.  Not to mention the grammatical error!

[tags] Running Shoes, Nike, Asics, Mizuno, Brooks, Adidas, Shoe Care [/tags]

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Week 5: Half Marathon Training

Last Year

Last year was week 6 of training. It was a tough week with hills, 4 x 1200’s, and 2 x 20 minutes at 10k pace.  I joined the USATF’s stretching study – which I believe is still ongoing.  This week we had some air quality warnings which is related to a story about smog and the Olympics, which ended up being not too much of a worry.  I loved writing this post about running strategy and using the idea of baking cookies.  Foto Friday was a picture of my “Olympic Trials” number.

Mileage

Run: 34.0 Miles
Bike: 7.0 Miles

3 m run + strength
8 x hill
3 m run + strength
45 min tempo
Rest
3 m pace
90 min run

Monday was hard to wake up after the Daylight Savings switch on Sunday morning everything was dark again. I had been enjoying the sun on my runs.  The extra sun also made the motivation a little easier to get up! I did the 3.25 Metrodome loop in 27:30.  It was 27 with no wind.

Tuesday saw another human error operating my Garmin.  You’d like after over a year I’d remember how to use it!  Today I forgot to restart it after stopping it while waiting to cross a street.  So that’s a little frustrating but it could be worse!  I ran about 7 miles total in 57 minutes.  This included an 8 x hill workout on the hill next to the Franklin St bridge.  I ran the exit ramp hill (from West River Road).  It is approximately .16 miles or 257 meters.  The intervals were 1:10, 1:13, 1:11, 1:10, 1:09, 1:08, 1:09, 1:05 The temp was about 34 with a 29 wind chill and a slight drizzle for part of it.  I feel pleased and after I loosened up I felt pretty good.

Wednesday Well so much for the worst of winter being behind us.  It was -2 with -23 wind chill and fresh snow.  I ran 3 miles around Powderhorn with my Yaktrax.  They did really good and I didn’t really slip at all.  Some of the snow had drifted into several inches of powder but for the most part it was maybe 1/2 inch.  It took me 27 minutes to lumber around and get home.  The stiffness went away after the first 1/2 mile or so.  I also ran in my new Mizuno Wave Inspire 4 shoes.  Same brand and model just a different color!

Thursday was even colder than Weds so I was happy to take the morning off and enjoy sleeping in.  Although when I awoke I was actually really tired and groggy.  Oh well – sleep is good.

Friday was a sunny morning with temps rising but it was 22 with 19 wind chill for the start of my run.  I drove to Lake of the Isles and ran around it and Calhoun for my 45 minute tempo run. There were plenty of patches of ice still on the paths around the lakes, though I didn’t fall and they weren’t enough to have wanted the Yaktrax. I felt pretty good for the whole run and managed to lay down a good tempo section hitting 6:30 pace for about a mile.  I finished the 6 mile run right at 45 minutes and almost exactly back at my car!

Saturday was a beautiful morning for a run.  Sunny and 27 (ok could have been a little warmer) with no wind.  We met at the Longfellow Grille and took a new scenic route of Minneapolis.  Cutting across the heart of South Minneapolis via the Greenway, the short side of the Isles heading up into Kenwood on Mt Curve Ave and then under the Walker Art Center through the Sculpture Garden and then through Loring Park up Nicolet to the River and then across the Stone Arch Bridge and down the river back.  This made for almost 15 miles in 1:54:12.  I felt pretty good until we crossed the Stone Arch and then I started really feeling tired and by the time we got to Franklin Ave I had pretty much dropped off the group’s pace.  I struggled through and finished thanks to Kirk’s help.  Overall an enjoyable run!

Sunday my foot had been feeling pretty good all week and was a little stiff so I took it easy and went for a swim.  It was a little hard knowing that the temps were going to be in the 50’s but it was the prudent thing to do.  So I went to the YWCA and swam about 300 yards, sat in the hot tub, and did some stretching.  It felt really good.  The actual swimming part is tough!  I need to work on building my endurance – but I’d rather be running so we’ll see.

Weekly Total

Running – 34.2 miles

Swimming – 300 yards

Guest Post: Team One Verse

Today I’m turning over the writing duties to Allison Martin.  We heard from her back in December of 2007 in a Guest Review of the St Jude Marathon. Allison started running in 2005 and slowly added on the miles, completing her third marathon in October 2008. She lives and runs in Indianapolis, works at a running store, and is going back to school to teach high school English.

In the past year, I began to learn about the need for Bible translation. While I own five Bibles, there are over 2,000 language groups around the world who don’t have the Bible in their own language. These groups represent approximately 196 million people. I’m also a runner, though not a fast one, and have completed three marathons now. (Each one a little faster thankfully!) When I learned about the great need for translation, I wanted to find a way to spread the gospel and do it by running 26.2 miles!

I learned about One Verse, an affiliate of Wycliffe Bible Translators, through a friend and reached out to them to see if there was an opportunity to start a running team to raise money for Bible translation. Amazingly, the people I spoke with caught the vision and have allowed me to work with them to start Team OneVerse!

One Verse works specifically with national speakers who begin or complete the translation process for their own people group. Guided by a team of translators around the world, the Bible is steadily being translated into every language. Team OneVerse takes the preparation, determination, and energy to run a marathon and infuses it with the ability to raise funds and awareness for this translation process.

How does it work? We’re starting with a focus on the Chicago Marathon, but any race is great. Runners around the country will train together on their own or in local groups. During their training, every person will set the goal to raise $1500, which is over 55 verses translated into a previously unreached language for $26 each (the average cost of translation as calculated by One Verse).

I want to invite you to join Team OneVerse and be part of the translation process through running. This is a chance for you to use the sport you love to build God’s kingdom and hopefully set a new PR in the process! If you’re not able to be part of the team physically, but feel a call to give and support the team as a necessary encourager, your prayers and involvement is needed. Please share with your friends about the team. Or maybe God has a place for you in the translation process. Please pray about where you can join Team OneVerse. You can learn more about the team at www.teamoneverse.org.

Happy Running!
~Allison

[tags] Team One Verse, Bible Translation, Chicago Marathon [/tags]

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