Here are some upcoming races for the month of January:

January 16 – Polar Challenge 5k in Bemedji, MN

January 23 – Securian Frozen 5k & Half Marathon at the St Paul Winter Carnival.  Check out my thoughts on last year’s race.

January 30 – Winterfest 5k in Waconia sounds like fun.

Last weekend was the “World’s Most Prestigous Indoor Marathon” the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon.  The Meet of the Miles was also recently held, but I can’t find a link.  It also is the first race in the MDRA Grand Prix.

Since I’m not running I won’t be running any of these… will you?

* This is not a comprehensive list!

Technorati Tags: January, 5k, half-marathon

I celebrated being done with the training cycle by resting and racing the Get in Gear 10k – almost setting a PR (posted my race number).  To go along with this phase I talked about detraining. A local marathoner used his mad skills to chase down a thief (Team Cross doesn’t recommend doing this).  My mom sent me a story from the hometown paper about a co-worker/teacher who ran at Boston.  This week’s Foto Friday was a picture of “Get in Gear” written in the snow before the race start.

Mileage

Running – 9.2 miles

Monday was an easy 3.25 on my Metrodome Loop.  Nothing too exciting. About 42 and overcast with a wind chill of 35.  It didn’t really seem that windy and overall the run felt nice and relaxed.  I finished in 24:30.

Tuesday I ran my 6×400 workout on the Greenway on a nice morning.  44 and sunny with a decent amount of headwind.  My goal was 1:26 which is 5k pace but I didn’t want to push too hard.  I won’t see any benefit from this workout on race day – it was just an opportunity to open up the legs and sharpen up a bit.  My splits were 1:33, 1:30,1:30,1:27,1:29,1:28 and only on the second half did it really feel like I was having to push.  The rest felt very smooth.  It was a total 5 mile workout in 39:44.

Wednesday – a 2 mile run felt like such a waste of time.  It would take almost as much time to get ready as it would to run it.  So I decided to take the day off, rest my foot and enjoy tapering.

Thursday was a pretty overcast morning but warm.  55 and humid for my 4 mile run. I didn’t really try to make it a tempo at all.  I figured an easy run was more appropriate and it felt good.  I did it in 30 minutes heading East along the Greenway.  Nothing special. My heel felt pretty good all day.

Friday felt a little lazy but rested.  Foot pain is almost gone!

Saturday another rest day.

Sunday Race Day!  I was initially very disappointed but after processing it and writing my review it wasn’t quite as bad as previously thought.  But still a 1:36:26 is not what I had planned on.

Mileage:

Running – 25.5 miles

Biking – 8  miles

Wow. You could not have asked for a much better day to race. Mid to upper 40’s at the start with a slight breeze off the lake.  It was only in the mid-50’s at the finish.  Unfortunately, my race performance didn’t match the quality of the day.  But first some details.

Packet pick-up went smoothly at the Wells Fargo near the starting line.  A spacious and un-crowded room at about 7:15.  Picked up my bib number – 381 and then my timing chip.  Went to pick up some nice looking shirts and they only had smalls.  I’m not sure how you make that mistake when the race filled up ahead of time.  Seems pretty simple to place an order and get your shirts in time.  They are mailing them to us at a later time.  I jogged the 1/4 mile to the lake shore and warmed up a little bit before heading back to the start.  We were delayed for several minutes due to our missing police escort.

When the siren blew we were off.  I started a few rows back and went out what felt really slow.  I let a good number of people pass me and tried to stay very relaxed. I checked my Garmin pace and slowed down even more!  The first mile went along the Lake and then up a little hill where I saw my wife and we came through mile 1 in 6:47. I promise it felt a lot slower (the mile was a little short).  So I slowed down a little and didn’t push as we climbed the steepest and longest hill of the day. We kind of meandered through the countryside occasionally getting a glimpse of the lake through the huge houses. I tried to maintain my pace even with the mostly downhill coming through mile 2 in 7:13.  Ok and even 7 pace that is pretty good.  We continued a little bit before turning on to a main road – where I was expecting to see my wife and be able to toss her my arm warmers.  They had served their purpose and it was time to be done with them.  Sadly I wouldn’t see her again until the finish.  Evidently, she got messed up with some construction and had to turn around and then the cops wouldn’t let her through, so she ended up going all the way around the opposite side of the lake.  This is really odd since lots of cars were on the course and it was advertised as an “open course”.  It is really annoying that there was an apparent double standard.  So a little frustrated I came through mile 3 in 6:43.  I took water at the aid station and came through the 5k in 21:29.

These next few miles were on a random, hilly country road away from the scenery of the lake and pretty unshaded.  There were two large hills in this mile and per my plan I didn’t push the pace up them.  I tried to just stay relaxed.  I came through mile 4 in 7:18.  I felt ok with that and kept what felt like a steady pace.  There was a few small pockets of people cheering along the way but for the most part it was pretty quiet.  Mile 5 was 7:09.  A little disappointed in two mile over 7 I wasn’t too worried, I figured that it would be easy enough to make up.  As we kept going up and down I decided to take one of my Clif Shot Bloks.  I also took water and Gatorade at the waterstop. We came back out by the main lake and back onto the shoulder of a main road and through mile 6 in 7:32. Ok, now I was a little frustrated and given the plan was to run a faster second half I picked it up.  I came through 10k in 43:38 (my PR is 41:28) and the half way mark in 46:00.  It wasn’t marked so I didn’t know where it was, but that would seem to be right on track for where I wanted to be coming out of the first half.

We continued right next to the lake shore through a little town and my pick-up worked as I ran mile 7 in 6:52.  That was helpful, especially as I was catching up to some people.  More of the same as we kept running next to the lake and I came through mile 8 in 7:02.  I tried to stay focused on pushing the pace a little bit as we dropped down to within several feet of the lake shore for a little bit and then back up a short and steep hill through an aid station.  We were running next to a bike trail then we jumped onto it for a few yards before crossing a timing mat and turning back the way we came and then another turn back towards the lake.  We then hit mile 9 in 7:36.  I came through the 15k in 1:06:04. (My PR is 1:03:24).

As we continued on the lake shore it was almost as if something inside of me fell apart.  It was almost as if I hit a small wall or gotten into a funk.  I took a second shot blok to see if that would help, but the wheels were falling off.  I tried to keep pushing but it was getting harder.  I came through mile 10 in 7:29. I definitely didn’t remember their being so many hills throughout the last half of the race. I was starting to get passed my more and more people now. I came through mile 11 in 7:47.  Crap.  That’s unacceptable.  I remember telling myself I needed to keep it under 8 minute miles. Somewhere along here there was a waterstop – but it was off the course in a parking lot.  I probably should have gone through it but I just wanted to finish and the shorter the course the better. However I did come through mile 12 in 8:03. Yes the wheels were falling off the bus.  My 20k time was 1:30:35.

We turned onto a dirt trail right before the 12 mile mark and I knew this was going to be the way to the finish.  Yes, 1 mile to go pick up the pace a little…  Not happening.  Getting passed by everyone and their brother.  A few runners tried to encourage me and I did try to pick it up I promise. The last mile was a pretty slow uphill grind which wasn’t overly pleasant. As we got closer to the finish you could start to hear people yelling and getting excited.  It was a 6-8 foot wide trail but once we got within the last 1/4 or so it was lined with people on either side – making a lot of noise.  It was a cool tunnel effect.  I could hear someone coming behind me. I tried to open my stride a little.  Then he pulled up into my vision and I thought “I can’t let this happen” and dropped gears and gave it every last ounce.  I pulled away from him and left him in my dust – so to speak!  I came through mile 13 in 7:49 and the last 0.1(or 0.18) in 1:09.  My final time was 1:36:26.  A long ways off my goal, 3 minutes off my PR, and my 4th fastest half-marathon ever.  The course was a little long!

After recovering my breath I shuffled over to get water, Gatorade, and refreshments.  They had quite a spread of fruit, bread, and snacks available.  I found my wife and learned of her plight with the road marshals.  And I just sat down for a little bit.  Exhausted. Frustrated. Disappointed.  It was a pretty tough course though, I will give it that.  And in hindsight – not a PR style course.

As I’ve written this though I’ve realized that I’m in pretty good shape! While none of my splits are super impressive I was pretty consistent throughout the race and even with my wheels falling completely off I didn’t do too terrible!  As of this writing the official results are posted yet – but this is the link they are supposed to be posted at!  The results are posted here (pdf).

As you can see by the chart below – the “official” mile markers were a little bit off.

Technorati Tags: Half Marathon, Lake Minnetonka, Race

The time has come.  Twelve weeks of training is about to pay off on what should be a beautiful morning to race around beautiful Lake Minnetonka.

Yesterday I published a course preview and I must say that I think it is a pretty ideal course.  Point to point, a few hills, and nice scenery.

My goal is to break 1:30:00 in the half-marathon.  This equals a 6:52 pace for 13.1 miles.  I always say this – but my plan is to go out slow and finish faster.  I’d like to go through the first mile in about 7:15 and then slowly pick up the pace throughout.  I don’t often do this part successfully (although I did it too successfully at the Mid-South Half Marathon, going out 8:05 which was a little too slow!).

I’ve been able to nudge my times down.  My official PR is 1:33:22 set at the Rochester Half Marathon last year.  However, during the City of Lakes 25k I came through the half-marathon in 1:31 something.

I just need to relax, go out slow, and not get over-psyched about the race and I’ll let my training speak for itself.  A Sunday morning race, will make for a pretty low-key Saturday (hopefully) and I should be able to get and stay hydrated and eat good pre-race foods.

About the Race

The 2009 Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon in its 29th year of running filled and closed again this year.  As suspected this is NOT a closed course (if you look at the map you’ll see that some of these roads are the only way in and out of the area) but you are allowed to wear headphones!  They are offering awards in 10 year age groups.  There isn’t much race history to be found on the website.  Wells Fargo is the “title” sponsor for the event starting in downtown Wayzata and finishing in downtown Excelsior.

About Lake Minnetonka

From the Lake Minnetonka website:

Lake Minnetonka (meaning “Big Waters” in the native Dakota language), is located twenty miles due West of Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota. Formed by glacial melting following the last Ice Age, Lake Minnetonka is one of the largest lakes in the state, boasting 110 miles of shoreline (officially). Other estimates have placed the figure closer to 350 miles, but any way you slice it, it’s a BIG lake.

Various Native American tribes inhabited the area for centuries before the lake was discovered by portagers in 1822. Ancient Indian burial mounds are visible in many locations along the shoreline, and one village on the western end of the lake was originally christened “Mound City” for this reason (known today simply as Mound).

In 1852, a dam was built on Minnehaha Creek and a logger’s settlement grew into the village of Minnetonka Mills. That same year, a fellow from New York City by the name of George Bertram, after a brief visit to the lake, returned to the east coast and recruited a number of his friends, establishing the “Excelsior Pioneer Association”. They returned to Lake Minnetonka in 1853 and founded the town of Excelsior on the southern side of the lower lake.

Wayzata (Dakota for “North Shore”), was founded in 1854, followed by Deephaven, Orono, and nearly a dozen other townships and municipalities.

Technorati Tags: Lake Minnetonka, Half Marathon, Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon

In preparation for this weekend’s Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon, today I’ll look at the race course.

This is a Map My Run Map of the course provided by the race directors.

And their elevation chart – which is kind of weird looking. It says there is a total elevation gain of 17 feet over the entire course.  With a minimum elevation of 912 and a maximum of 1,004feet.  My driving of the course and the picture makes them seem like at most rolling.

Awhile back I drove the course with my video camera.  You can watch a high-speed version (13 minutes) of the video below or a longer (26 minutes) video here.

Below are a couple of pictures from taken along the course (click to enlarge).

Updated: In a pre-race e-mail from the director, there are a few course changes:

Race Course Modification
Just so you are all aware, there are three course changes this year that you should be aware of and pay attention to:

1. START LINE: Moved 300 feet toward Rice Street, away from Wayzata Blvd.
2. 10K MARK: Please follow the arrows and cones as you approach the 10K mark on the course. As you come off of Northview Drive, instead of turning onto Lake Rd where the 3rd Water Stop is located, proceed onto the trail and follow the signs on the course.
3. FINISH LINE: The Finish line has moved 300 feet closer to the LRT Trail exit in Excelsior. Instead of heading across Water Street over to the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot, everything is going to be staged in the main parking lot near the finish line. The school buses will be waiting on George Street after the race to return you to Wayzata.

Technorati Tags: Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon, Half Marathon, Lake Minnetonka

I was a little disappointed with my race at the 2008 Earth Day Half Marathon and Week 12 of training.  I also registered for my first marathon – Twin Cities while Chicago filled up. I started a new series which lasted for awhile posting up various race numbers on Wednesday.  I highlighted a new report on running being a prevention for dementia.   Foto Friday was a glamor shot of me from the half-marathon.

Mileage:

Running – 26.2 (ironic eh?)

Monday I did an easy 3.28 mile run past Powderhorn.  It felt good and the weather was nice – 38 and overcast. I ran it in 25:46.

Tuesday was an interval day.  I wanted something different than the Greenway so I did my Riverfront loop – not sure how it would work out with my 6 x800 at 10k pace – 6:26 or 3:12 for an 800.  My warm-up time ended right before hitting the River Rd so I stopped the timer until I got there and began my first interval down the hill to the river.  I felt pretty good on most of them, some had more wind and hills than others but this workout was more like race conditions due to the varying terrain than on the Greenway. My splits with 400 meters rest were 3:03, 3:07, 3:19, 3:23, 3:16, 3:08.  So on average pretty good.  The total run was 7.14 miles in 54:10.  It was 38 and sunny with a 28 wind chill (so that says a little something about the wind).

Wednesday on a very sunny morning I went for a 3.25 mile run.  I’ve really enjoyed the change in pace of my runs through the neighborhoods – going out about 1.5 miles turning and coming back.  Today I went east towards Seward on 26th St – crossing Hiawatha at the light.  Turning on 29th Ave and heading back on 24th St.  It was 41 with a 35 wind chill.  About a mile into the run I saw a bicyclist get hit by a car.  Luckily the car was stopped and just started to roll forward.  I’m not sure what the idiot was doing since all 5 lanes of traffic were stopped and 3 bikes were crossing in a bike crossing lane.  She was fine and the driver and other cyclists were helping her so I continued on.  Everything felt pretty loose except for my heel for the first 1/2 mile or so.  I didn’t wear any tape on the run today.  I finished in 24:35.

Thursday was absolutely gorgeous – but I rested.

Friday was a beautiful day.  Sunny. Mid 60’s.  But a little too warm for my body.  I planned on the 60 minute tempo run but had to cut it short at 7 miles (52:45) because I could feel that I was overheating.  The run started out well on the Sibley trail but about 3 miles in things started falling apart – I went “exploring” a bit which was stupid and then struggled to get back into a groove.  I did get down into the 10k goal pace range for a little bit.  I could feel my breakfast sitting in my stomach, then my shoulder got really tight, and finally I could feel my face burning up and getting really hot.  I decided to just quit at mile 7 and walk the last 3/4 mile in.  I felt really hot the rest of the day.

Saturday morning I met Nathan and we along with a friend of his ran about 9 total miles.  We went from his house near Minnehaha Falls and ran to Pike Island at a nice easy pace and then watched the start of the 2009 Get in Gear 10k.  We didn’t see many people we knew but cheered them on anyways.  It was a pretty perfect day for a race – lower 40’s with a slight breeze.  We had an enjoyable – slow run about 80 total minutes (including our really slow jog back to Nathan’s house after the start of the race).  Looking at my map – the Garmin did a really weird thing while out on Pike Island – but the distances seem pretty close.

Sunday I did my now usual swim and rest in the hot tub at the YWCA.  I only did a couple of laps – 250 yards since I’m tapering.  No need to wear yourself out!  It was kind of a rainy morning too so it was nice to be inside.

Weekly Mileage

Running  -29.4 miles

Biking -29.8 miles

Swimming - 250 yards

Week 11 and the taper began.  You might recall that a group of runners were attacked by a swarm of bees and a suicide bomber last year.  Two incidents – one story.  Last year I began looking forward to by goal of racing my first marathon with this contemplative post.  Another compilation post of two great lists that every runner should read at least once.   Foto Friday was a picture of the infamous Grandma’s Saloon & Grill sign of Grandma’s Marathon Fame.

Mileage:

Running – 28.3 miles

Monday an easy 3.25 miles on the Metrodome loop.  I was very tight and sore for the first 1/2 mile or so then it seemed everything loosened up.  It was 43 with a 38 wind chill so not too shabby!  A pretty uneventful run and some core work afterwards.  I finished in 25:00.

Tuesday was a 4 x 1600 at race pace or 6:52. It was 40 and sunny when I set out along the Greenway for the interval workout.  I did a 5 minute warm-up (10 is better I’ve decided) and then the workout with 1/4 mile rest between each. The 4 intervals were 6:45, 6:46, 6:39, and 6:42.  Not too bad, though the purpose of the workout is to help your body remember what goal pace is – so on that note I failed!

Wednesday was a new random route through the Whittier neighborhood.  I just took off down 24th Street and made a left turn at about 1.5 miles and came back along 26th Street to my house.  There aren’t many options to cross over 35-W so I’ve got to be a little careful that I don’t mess one of these up! It was 40 and sunny.  My legs felt a little tight from yesterday’s workout.  I finished in 23:48.

Thursday was a nice day off.

Friday I ran my 55 minute tempo run along the Minnesota River on the Sibley trail.  This is a nice flat trail that meanders along next to the river through different scenery.  The out and back tempo was about 7.5 miles and I felt pretty good for most of it – the last few miles were pretty tired.  I kept trying to push the pace and got pretty close to tempo pace.  It was in the low 50’s and overcast for the run. When I woke up my Plantar didn’t hurt which was a nice change – too bad it didn’t last.

Saturday we met at Lebanon Hills again for a nice easy long run.  It was in the low-50’s with the sun starting to peak through the clouds and we did about 12 miles in 1:36:26 on the east side of the park.  This side is flatter but still has plenty of hills to make you tougher! It felt like a pretty relaxed pace for most of the run which was a nice change!

Sunday I did a nice easy 300 yards at the YWCA pool.  It was empty so I had a lane to myself and I actually swam most of it continously which is a good change.

Total Mileage:

Run: 32.2 Miles
Bike: 22.0 Miles
Swim: 300 Yards

Last year I was driving home from Alabama, ran in Chicago and found 5 inches of snow in MN.  Week 10 didn’t go well last year! I was a little sick, my leg hurt, and more traveling.  My unscientifc poll showed that only 1/3 of my readers stretch before and after every run. You might recall that after finishing last year’s Little Rock Marathon, Adam Nickel died suddenly.  A month later his cause of death was announced.  This time last year was the London  Marathon – with lots of Ryan Hall hype I highlighted the Massai Warriors and their marathon attempt – before and after. Last year’s Foto Friday was the last of my memoribilia from my wall of fame.

Mileage

Run – 15 Miles
Bike – 8 Miles

Monday since this is Spring Break I had hoped to have some fun with my training this week – going places I don’t usually get to go.  Today I decided to check out Pike Island.  We had walked around a little bit yesterday there so I knew it would be flooded – I wasn’t expecting what I found though!  I ran through 4 flooded areas.  The first was easily traversed with a fallen tree, the second went over my ankles in cold water, the third was a muddy mess that had me completely losing the trail and turning around, and the fourth was about to the middle of my shin (around 6-10 inches) deep of cold water.  I think it was about 3.5 miles and the time is pretty irrelevant.  Be sure to check out these videos that I created after running there.   I should also note that my Garmin is still at the repair shop.

Tuesday was interval workout. 5 x 800 at 10k pace was on the schedule.  The only local track that I know is open to the public is at the University of St Thomas so I drove over there and did my warm-up.  My goal 10k pace is 6:26 which would make a 3:13 800. I handled that pretty well – 2:39,2:53, 2:54, 3:04, 2:57.  I had about 200m active recovery time in between (all less than 2 minutes).  After a short break I decided to finish the workout off with a 400 and a 200.  I ran them in 1:13 and 0:35 respectively.  I had to share the track with some female track members and the football team was using their field in middle so that was a little different than I expected.  Obviously I felt tired, but I felt pretty good about the workout and enjoyed running on the track.

Wednesday I decided to try something a little different.  I had just been reading about recovery days and hard days in Running Times and it was saying that you could do two hard days back to back as long as you followed with two recovery days.  Since the schedule called for two off days before the weekend’s race I decided to give it a try and ran my 30 minute tempo run.  It seemed a little odd today given my schedule to drive 30 minutes to run 30 minutes so I just ran along the Greenway. I actually ran on the rocky section next to the Greenway which does have some nice flat trail (but not recommended).  I did about 4.25 miles (still no Garmin) in exactly 30 minutes, ok 30:06.  My legs were pretty tired from yesterday’s track workout (as expected)!

Thursday I didn’t run.  However, we did have a staff versus student basketball game.  We got ripped off – students reffed and the scorekeepers did a terrible job.  We lost by 3 points in over time.  Not too shabby for 7 “old people” who don’t play much against about 15 middle schoolers who play all the time.   This may have been a mistake because my foot was almost done hurting and it started back again.  I was also a lot more tired and sore than I expected to be – so maybe I ended up having 3 hard days in a row.  The game also ruined a lot of the benefits of the massage I received in the morning. I also stood around at a bonfire for a few hours which tends to make my heel hurt worse. Ugh.

Friday I didn’t run. I didn’t bike. I took the day 100% off.

Saturday I ran the Fred Kurz Memorial 10 mile run.  This was a time-handicapped race – with the handicap being assessed at the beginning. The first runners left at 8:30 and I left at 9:30 with several runner starting after me.  I ended up running the 10 mile race in 1:10:31 which was pretty close to my goal of 1:08.  I cramped about halfway through otherwise I’m pretty happy with my performance. My Garmin arrived which was great timing!

Sunday was a great celebration of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus.  We enjoyed time with friends and spending the day together.  We rode our bikes around the neighborhood hanging up flyers for an upcoming event and put about 10 miles on the bike.  It was all at a nice leisurly pace which felt good.

Weekly Mileage

Run – 23.5 Miles
Bike -  21.7 Miles

Week 9 last year of training was pretty low due to traveling (coming home from Easter weekend and flying to Alabama for a wedding), not to mention that I had some  severe pain on a mid-week run.  Last year I was doing monthly highlights of blog posts – you can see March’s here.  Let me know which format you like better.  What do you think about Zen Running? Last year’s Foto Friday was a nasty picture of me finishing the Human Race.

Weekly Mileage

Running -  22 miles

Monday was my standard 3.24 miles around the Metrodome loop.  It was 34 with a 29 wind chill and a nice sunrise hitting the skyline for an easy run.  I felt pretty good and I was wearing my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8. I finished in 26:08.

Tuesday was a 3x mile repeat at race pace.  My goal race pace is 6:50 so that was the goal for these along the Greenway. It was 34 with a 24 wind chill and a little bit of rain.  I did a 10 minute warm-up and then one repeat before turning around.  It was a nice tail wind on the way out which made for a not so nice head wind for the last 2 repeats.  My times were 6:19, 6:47, 6:34 so I did well – except the workouts purpose was to train your body to run the right pace not an all out effort.  Still, I’m not going to complain.

Wednesday I did my modified loop around Powderhorn which turned out to be 3.5 miles on a snowy morning.  A dusting on the ground and flurries falling.  It was 34 with a 24 wind chill.  Nothing too exciting on this almost 29 minute run.

Thursday was a nice day off, too bad it was a nice day outside too.  I had discovered that my Garmin was no longer beeping during workouts and talked with customer service.  It sounds like my speaker stopped working so I’m sending it in for repairs.

Friday was my first workout with out my Garmin and it was a little weird.  Not a lot of data to crunch – but I didn’t feel the freedom that I sometimes feel when not wearing it.  I ran between 7 and 7.5 miles around Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles – tacking on a little bit at the end to get to the 50 minute mark.  It was 40 with no wind chill but the breeze coming off the lakes was still pretty cool due to ice still hanging on.  I’m not sure of my “tempo” but I’m pretty sure I got down pretty close for awhile.  I’m glad they maintain porta-potties around the lakes all year long!

Saturday we met at the Jensen Lake Trailhead again and did an hour warm-up on the East side of the park’s trails. We maintained a pretty steady pace throughout and enjoyed the cool morning – it was about 30.  It warmed up during this part of the run and most of us shed layers as we headed out for the second part.  The second part was a tough hill workout on the “zoo trails” section of the Lebanon Hills park.  It includes one killer hill (that we run twice) and lot of other hills.  I was dragging pretty bad by the end of the 2 hour workout.  It is somewhere around 15 miles.

Sunday my wife and were going to go swimming at the Midtown YWCA, but when we got there the pool was closed for their indoor triathalon.  We decided to drive over to the Uptown YWCA, hoping that their pool would be open.  There is a different feel at their pool.  It feels more like a lap pool – the Midtown  YW has a huge slide and kid section in the same area as the lap pool.  Also most of the time that we swim it is during a Master’s class and they take up all but 2 lanes, while this morning at the Midtown pool there was no closed lanes.  Finally, the Midtown YWCA is 25 meters not 25 yards like the Uptown one.  All that to say I swam 500 meters.  My right shoulder hurt this week again about 3/4 of the way through.

Weekly Mileage

Running – 35.3 miles

Swimming – 500 meters

Running – 39 miles

This was Easter week last year and between the Human Race 8k and traveling home for Easter my Week 8 training was a little messed up.  I discovered how to create “blog bling” or the little picture of me in the address bar.  Being back in Indiana and having easy access to dirt trails made me long for trail running.  I think I’m at that point again this year, I think in part because it is a long wait for trails to clear and not be a complete muddy mess.  Even before the 100 push-up craze hit the blogosphere I was extolling the benefits of the push-up for all around physical fitness.  Last year’s Foto Friday was a terrible picture of me finishing at the Human Race.

Monday I ran the Metrodome 3.25 mile loop in 25 minutes.  It was a nice 42 outside with a wind chill of 38.  It had rained earlier in the morning, but didn’t while I was out.  I was sore from the Human Race but loosened up by the end of the run.

Tuesday was another great morning for a workout.  Today was 4 x800 meters in around 6:30 pace (or 3:15). It was 51 with a little wind and overcast.  I did the intervals on the Greenway, heading East.  My splits were 3:04, 3:04, 2:59, 3:00.  Obviously I was quite pleased to have all the intervals under goal pace – even with the wind.  This workout made me feel a lot better about where my running is.

Wednesday I did a nice easy run around Powderhorn.  This time I actually ran my old two lap route around the lake. it was 3.3 miles in 27 minutes. The temp was a nice 38 but the gusty winds brought the wind chill down to 14.  It was also flurrying and starting to stick – though it never accumulated.

Thursday was a nice day of rest!

Friday I went looking for a different place to run and decided to head to Wirth Beach and run around Theodore Wirth Park.  I haven’t run there very often and stuck mostly to the Grand Rounds Parkway before.  I could clearly see some of the trails and decided to take them.  I didn’t really know where they went or anything, but soon found a map that showed some general directions.  I was a little disappointed because I was on the paved trail section but they went North and caught the parkway and that’s what I decided to do.  After catching the parkway I was presented with a dirt trail option or staying on the paved trail – obviously I took the dirt path and eventually found myself back on the road – but not where I expected, nor did it have anything to offer besides sidewalk running so I turned around.  I retraced my steps and stayed on the parkway heading back south.  I got back to the beach area with about 10 minutes left so I kept running and found another little trail near the Bird Sanctuary and ran the dirt paths for a little bit.  It was a good run – didn’t really hit tempo pace but I pushed the pace when I could and felt solid with it. It ended up being 5.77 miles in 43 minutes on the sunny and windy morning – 24 with 14 wind chill.

Saturday we met at Jensen Lake in Lebanon Hills which was a great change of pace and scenery.  The plan was to run between 90 minutes and 2 hours but after arriving back at our cars after 90 minutes most of us were ready to be done.  We had logged a tough 12 miles on the rolling hills around the park.  It was a sunny and brisk morning in the mid-20’s when we started and into the 30’s by the end.  It took us about 94 minutes and I was feeling it more in my legs than anywhere else.  If you want a tough hill workout this is the place to go!  The trail was virtually ice free with some small remnants here and there.  One nice thing about the freezing temps was that the trail wasn’t muddy at all.

Sunday my foot was hurting last night so I opted to go for a swim again this morning.  I managed to get 400 yards out of the morning before becoming worn out.  I did a mixture of freestyle and using the kickboard.  It was nice to finish off with a sit in the hottub!!

Total Mileage:

Running – 29.6 miles

Swimming -400 yards

Biking – 7.8 miles