Buffalo Creek Half Marathon Recap

BUFFALO CREEK HALF MARATHON

When: Oct. 17th 2015

Where: Buffalo Township, Pa

Swag: T-Shirt and finishers medal

 

Course: This is probably the fastest course I have ever ran. The first mile is on the roads of Cabot, Pa. and then you turn onto the trail and you never leave it again.  It seems flat as you are running , but you are probably running on a 1% downhill slope.

 

Starting Area: You are shuttled up to the starting area and then dropped off at a fire hall. The station is closed but they did have port-o-johns in the parking lot. It was cold and windy the morning of the race so most runners were standing up against the outside walls of the fire hall trying to shield off the wind.  I don't think they had enough toilets for all the runners, but like any other race it seemed there was one huge line and then 5 small lines. Let's get it together people, how long have we been running? we should be making equal lines for every toilet.

 

Finishing Area: This year about a week out of the race we were informed the finish was changed. You used to leave the trail and end on the streets of Freeport, but due to lack of traffic control people the race had to end on the trail. The finish are was small and congested but still had all the usual post race treats, water, cookies, banana's, and hot apple cider. I heard they ran out of cider and some people were unable to get some. 

 

My Experience: I was one of the stupid people who was on the first shuttle to the start, so it was extra time out in the cold. I spent a lot of the time stretching and trying to stay warm. As we were about to line up I spotted KIM and her daughter. I went lined up behind them and asked Kim what time she was shooting for. I figured I could use her to pace me for the first mile, since I know she is fairly fast. As the gun sounded we were off and I tucked in behind a few people and tried to get in a comfortable pace. My goal was to run the first mile around 9 minutes and then build from that. I heard my Garmin beep for the first mile and I was at a 8:05 but felt really good. I decided to turn up my music and not look at the Garmin. Around mile 2 I felt my shins start to hurt and immediately thought "you have to be kidding me."  I ran through the pain and kept going and at mile 6 looked at my watch to see I was just under 50 minutes. I knew I needed to pick up the speed, but still didn't want to focus on the clock.  It was around mile 7 I realized there was no mile markers, the ones they had were for the old course. I just kept running and listening to my music. Before this race I decided I would not worry about the clock and just run. Well sometimes that can be bad I found out. I couldn't hear my watch beep and let me know what mile I was on. At one point I stopped to tie my shoe and heard a runner yell to me "you got this, only a mile and half to go." I looked at the Garmin and thought damn I didn't realize that I was almost done. I still ran a sub 2 hour race, but never was able to pick up the speed I wanted to at the end.  Overall I felt great and still ran a decent time, just never got my PR. 

 

Overall Race Experience: For a smaller race, this was a great course and one that I recommend for anyone looking for a course to go for a PR. The race kind of seemed to be confusing and unorganized at times, but they still did a good job. If you are looking for a cheap race that has great scenery then this one is for you. 

 



The week that was Buffalo Creek Half Marathon

Before I start with my weekly recap, I need to say congrats to everyone who raced this weekend. It seems like there was so many races, Hershey, Runners World, Crawling Crab, Buffalo Creek, Columbus, Baltimore, Detroit, and Toronto to just name a few. Oh and let me not forget about everyone who raced at the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships, 1600 athletes from 6 continents and over 20 countries were represented.

Now back to my race week. I caught a cold at the end of last week so training this final week was going to be very minimal. 

MONDAY: Rest from running and some light stretching at the house. I was really feeling the cold this day so I pumped my body with medicine and liquids. I wanted to go out for a 4 mile run but knew that it could do more damage than good.

TUESDAY: I was feeling a little bit better so I decided to go out for a 5 mile run. Well 5 miles turned into 8 after how good I felt. It was one of those runs were everything just comes together and you feel like you can just keep going. When I got home I iced down my shins and rolled my calf muscles. My shins were being so weird, some runs they would hurt and some runs they would feel great. I wasn't sure how to react.

WEDNESDAY: GYM DAY: CROSS TRAIN: I rode the bike for 6 miles and did a leg workout. One thing I have learned from doing marathons and half's is my hips can withstand about 9 miles and then they start to get fatigued. This training cycle I really tried to focus on making my hips stronger.

THURSDAY: Light Stretching and more icing down the shins

FRIDAY:REST DAY: Carb loaded with some pasta and iced down the shins.

SATURDAY: RACE DAY: I will recap the race on Thursday, but I am happy with how I did. I did not get a PR or get the time I wanted, but I ran a very smart race and struggled with shin pains for most of the race. However I never stopped and was able to push through the pain.

SUNDAY: TODAY is day 1 of a nice week or 2 off. I went to Primanti's to watch the Steelers and had a few beers with some friends.

How did your week go?
If you raced this weekend let's hear how you did.

4 Weeks Until Buffalo Creek Half Marathon

I can't believe that I am only 4 weeks out of my main fall race. This week I wanted to try and hit some goals that would help me out on race day. First, most run with negative splits. I looked back over some previous races and realized that some of my better races are when I start out slow and build up rather than go full steam ahead. Secondly, I wanted to do a great speed workout that I could walk away from and say "this workout was great." Third I wanted to make sure that on my long run I chose a course that would challenge me. Here is how the week played out and then we can decide if I hit the goals.

MONDAY: This was my last day off work for my vacation and since I missed my long run over the weekend I did my long run here. I headed to North Park for 12 miles. I didn't want to run the loop twice so I decided to run the 5 mile loop and then head into the trails for the last 7. The run went really good and my splits were dropping each mile on the road. Once I hit the trails I pulled back and focused more on where I was stepping.

TUESDAY: SPEED DAY: I hit the track for 800 meter repeats. I did 6 X 800's with a 200 meter rest in between each one and then went to 400 meter repeats. I did 4 X 400's with a 200 meter rest in between each one as well. I ran every rep at a 7 minute pace. I felt really good and was surprised that how each rep was so easy. I controlled my breathing and was able to get into a nice groove.

WEDNESDAY: CROSS TRAIN: I needed to work on my leg muscles so I went to the gym for a leg day. After an hour of using all the leg machines I headed onto the stair climber. I suck at this machine but still managed to get in 400 steps before calling it quits. I ended out the workout with a 3 mile run on the treadmill. I started at a 9:30 pace and dropped 30 seconds each mile.  My legs were killing me but I felt really good after the workout.

THURSDAY: 5 miles: This run I really wanted to focus on hitting the negative splits, and I wanted to go about 80 percent full speed. I finished with a 8:33 pace and a time of 42:50. I had a bit of shin pain on the last mile, but it was nothing to bad that I couldn't run through.

FRIDAY: TRAIL DAY: 4 miles on the trails of Frick Park. I still wanted to hit negative splits but I went slower than the previous day. I finished with a pace of 8:55. For the record I was trying to run it a bit slower than the day before. I wanted to just get in a good run on the trails and not go so fast that I am worrying about my footing on the trail.

SATURDAY: LONG RUN: I ran 15 miles on a course that has been notorious for giving me problems. I crushed it though and was still able to finish with a 8:45 pace. This was huge confidence booster with only 4 weeks until the race.

SUNDAY: Today was a much needed rest day.

Looking back on my week I would say I hit all my goals I set out to reach.
This week I have the Gladiator Rock N Run on Saturday and the Great Race on Sunday. Will I be seeing any of you at these races?

How did your week go? Are you better at holding a solid pace or do you like to gradually build up the speed?

Buffalo Creek Training: Week 4

For a short week, and I call this a short week because I had a race Friday night so I had to rest more days than normal it actually turned out to be a good week.

Monday: Rest day - I moved my rest day to Monday's because now that I am starting to add the mileage on my Sunday long runs my legs will need a bit of break to recover.

Tuesday: Speed Work: I headed to the local track to run 3 X 1600's.  My first mile was ran in 6:25 and when I finished I was gasping for air. I decided for my next 2 miles that I would use my phone and record myself running. What I found out was pretty useful. When I am alone on a track I will run with my head down as if I am looking at the track. When I am running with someone or in a race I will tuck behind a person and look forward at them.  This would explain why I have trouble running my speed workouts by myself.  Let me explain, put your chin on your chest and breathe in through your nose and out your mouth, now take your head and lift it up and look straight ahead and breathe. You will see that when your head is straight you allow for more oxygen to reach your lungs. This is something I really need to make sure I pay attention too.

Wednesday: Since it was brutally hot out I decided to head to the gym and run my 5 miles on the treadmill. I made sure to be aware of where my head was and where I was looking, and I ended up running one of best 5 miles in a while. I ran at a 8:05 pace but I felt so good and it was such an easy run. After I did a few arm workouts.

Thursday: Rest Day: Even though the race on Friday is a 1 miler I wanted to make sure my legs were fresh.

Friday: THE LIBERTY MILE: during recent runs and having already ran a mile race at 6:10 this year I set a goal for myself of 5:40-6:00 minutes. I was a little thrown off at the start when I realized the team challenge runners were in our heat. In the years past they had their own race. The race director asked them to all come to the front, and I was pushed back to the 4th line. As the gun fired I had to hold my friend Kevin back who was ready to shoot out of the start since we kids ahead of us. Kevin and I both made our way to the bike lane, but it was difficult to get into a steady pace with people cutting everyone off.  We went through our first quarter mile at 1:45, which is slow for me. I don't think we really picked up the speed that much but at the half way point we were at a 3:03. As Kevin and I got to the end I was able to see the clock and tell I missed my goal time. Kevin sped up a bit and finished in what I thought was 6:00, but results say 6:06. When I crossed I looked up and saw 6:08, but results say 6:15.  Overall I don't care too much about missing my goal for this race. I enjoy the race and getting to run in the city at night, and It was awesome to hear all of my friends cheering me on from the sides.

Saturday: I ended up taking a 3rd rest day for the week, not by choice but due to the amount of alcohol I drank Friday after the race. I could tell that I was a bit dehydrated and spent most of the day drinking water getting ready for my long run on Sunday.

Sunday: TODAY: I headed out to North Park for a 90 minute long run. I ended up getting just over 11 miles in, and for the most part I felt really good. I got to see a lot of familiar on my faces including Steph twice as we passed each other on our loops around the lake. After my run I came home and did a few push ups and crunches. I am doing another 30 day challenge and it calls for crunches, push ups and squats. I skipped the squats since I just ran.

Next week I have the Battle Frog race, so this week I am going to really try and get in some mileage. I am doing the extreme race, 6 hours to do as many laps as I can. I still have to find a person to be my crew member and hold my drinks and clothes and help me when I need it the layover part of the course. 

How did you do if you ran the Liberty Mile?
How was your week?

Training Week 1 For Drum Roll Please........

     Well friendly people after weeks and weeks of searching for the perfect fall race, I have finally made my final decision. Drum Roll Please........ and the race I will be running this fall in hopes of getting my half marathon PR and vengeance from the Pittsburgh Half will be the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon. The decision came down to this race and the Crawlin Crab in Virginia Beach. I heard great things about both of them, but the final decision came down to a race that I think I can really zone out and just run. Buffalo Creek is on a trail with little spectators and it is a point to point race. I always do better at these type of races and with no crowd I will be able to put my headphones in and just run.

With the race now being on October 17th, we are just 13 weeks out. I already have a hand full of races that I am registered for, and they will be great for this training cycle. This past week marked my first week of training. Even before the race decision was made I went into this week with the mindset that it would be week 1 of training. I always take the first week a bit slow and build up from it, and this cycle was no different.

MONDAY: The weather this summer has been nothing but wet and shitty. As much as I hate running on the treadmill I went to the gym and decided to do 4 miles. I paced the 4 miles at a 8:18. I felt really good and if this was day 1 of training then I am really excited to see how this ends up.  Hopefully this time around I stay injury free.

TUESDAY: Normally Tuesday is my track day, unfortunately the weather once again was wreaking havoc and forced me to use the treadmill again. Since I was scheduled for a speed workout I decided to do a tempo run. My first mile was ran at a 8:30 pace, then I ran my next 2 miles at a 7:00 pace, followed by a 8:30 pace to end the workout. 

WEDNESDAY: I saw a break in the weather and thought I could head over to a local field and try to get in some more speed work. The field was a little less than a quarter mile, I used it like a normal track and ran 75 percent speed laps. I got about 4 in when the rains came pouring down and I had to call it quits.

THURSDAY: REST DAY- my legs were a little sore from doing 2 days of speed, normally I would never do or recommend doing that, but I have a mile race coming up and want to increase my speed. It was a one time thing and will not be done ever again in training. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be dedicated for speed workouts.

FRIDAY: Stretching. It was late when I got home from work so I decided to do some stretching and get caught up on some much needed burpee's. With BattleFrog coming up in 4 weeks I am going to need to start doing more of those so I am ready come race day.

SATURDAY: I headed out on a 6 mile run and right before I started I said something to myself. "Run like you use to, run like you know how." I don't know what happened over the past few years, but from some reason I got so involved with holding a pace that I threw everything I learned out the window. This run I when I went down a hill I let my body carry me and I relaxed. When I would go up a hill I would shorten my stride and lean forward. Even though I wore my Garmin I never looked at it until I was done. My final time for the 6 miles was 45 minutes exactly.  This training session I am not going to worry about time as much and I am going to focus on just running like I use to 15 years ago when I was running at my highest level.

SUNDAY: Today is another rest day before I get back into the training full time and with little resting. Even days I don't run I plan on using to stretch and do some lifting. 

Anyone else running Buffalo Creek?
How are you training for it?

It's about that time.....

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend, I know I did. What a weekend it was between the cookouts and the woman's world cup.  How about those USA ladies? Talk about a good old fashion ass kicking.

 



Instead of me telling you about my workouts or lack of for last week, I have decided this week I am going to tell you about my plan for my up coming training session. Today marked day 1 of fall marathon training. I am still undecided between 2 half marathons but I figured I might as well get ready. I still plan on going for a PR and I plan on using what I learned in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon to help me. One thing a lot of us, myself included took for granted was the weather. We trained in the cold and never really had a humid day, then on race day we got hit with a hot, humid day. This training cycle I still plan on using a modified version of the Hal Higdon method but I am going to change up the mileage and make the speed days more intense. Since the race will be in the fall I plan on training in both hot and cold temperatures. I will run on a treadmill in the AC on blast to simulate the cold and I will run outside in the normal heat. 

Today I ran a 5K just to see what a good training time to go off would be. I ran a comfortable pace of 8:25 and that is the time I plan on using for my easy pace. Long runs will be done at no more than a 9 minute pace and speed workouts will be in the low 7's.  What is the old saying? It's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you can keep getting back up.  Well I have been down and at times I thought I was out, but I always found a way to get up and move forward. This is my time now. I finally am back to full health. I finally am moved into my house, and I finally have my confidence back. Now it is time to put everything I have learned over the years and really give it my all. 

 

 

How was your 4th of July Weekend? Did you run a race?

When do you start training for a fall race?



 

I just can't decide!!!

Recently I have been tossing around the idea of running a fall half. (I am still holding strong on taking a year off of doing another full) I had a goal time in mind when I did Pittsburgh and unfortunately with the injury and the humid weather I was not able to get it that day. I am now setting my sights on a fall race in hopes of getting my goal time, problem is I am not sure which fall race I want to do. Do I go for a fast, flat course and stack the odds in my favor of hitting my goal time? Do I challenge myself and find a course with some hills that will make me work for mygoal time? Do I do a destination race or do I do a local race? The possibilities are endless. I asked my Twitter friends for some help and the suggestions came pouring in. I almost wish I never asked for help because now instead of 3 races being tossed around now there is like 10, but hey I guess the more options the better.

Here is some that are topping my list right now. I still have not committed to one, not sure why though maybe I am waiting for someone to show me one that will really blow me away and then they will tell me that they are also running it. First the in state ones:

Sept. 12th- Montour trail half, Montour Pa.: I have ran on this trail many of times and I would expect it to be an out and back course. The trail is pretty flat, but I am still not sure how I feel about going for a goal when there will be little to no crowd support. The positive beside it being flat would be it is a 30 minute drive from my house and would be fairly cheap.

Sept. 13th- French Creek half, Meadville Pa.: I know very little about this race but from what I have read it looks like it would hit both the roads and the trails. I really like the idea of both roads and trails and I tend to do fairly good on courses like that. Only negative is this is a bit further away and would take me getting up a bit earlier to get to the race and pick up my packet and run.

Sept. 19th- Boston Harvest half, Boston Pa.: I am very familiar with this course since I ran a half there early in the year. I am pretty sure that it is the same exact course. It is very flat and most of the race is shaded by trees. The only thing turning me away from this race is that I did it earlier in the year and what to do a new course. The positive though is I would know exactly what to expect and would make training a lot easier.

Oct. 18th- Hershey Half, Hershey Pa.: I have heard a lot of good things about this race and I do know someone that is doing it. Negative would be I would have to spend the night and foot the bill for a hotel room.

Oct. 18th- Runners World Half: I have always wanted to do the Runners World race, but part of me wants to wait and run the full there. I have heard so many good things though that it is making it one of the top on the list.

Then I have a few out of state races that are on top of my list:

Oct. 4th- Crawlin Crab half, Hampton Va.: I know a lot of people running this race and this right now is at the top of the list. I have heard that it is a flat, fast course. It is not too far and I would be able to drive down Saturday morning and race Sunday and then drive home.

Oct. 18th- Columbus Half, Columbus Oh: I ran the full here last year and I was disappointed with the course. All I heard was is it is so flat and so fast, well I found it not as flat as everyone made it out to be. However it was a great race for a great cause. Now that I know the course I would be able to train properly for it.

There are other races I have been looking at but these few are ones that I keep going back too. Help a guy out and let me know which one you like or is there a hidden gem out there that I don’t know about?

Training: Higdon week 3

      This week my training was all over the place. I did miss a few workouts, and I have already altered my plan for the up and coming week in order to take that into effect. I also was sure not to overload myself just to make up for one week.  That is one huge mistake people make and I have made that same mistake. You start to get down on yourself for missing some workouts and then you crunch everything into a small period of time, and the damage is way worst than the benefit. So this upcoming week will be just a bit more intense.
      What can I say about winter at this point except I am over it. I am done logging onto Facebook and seeing people update the weather like the rest of us don't know what is going on. I am tired of seeing pictures of peoples car temperatures. I am flat out just tired of winter.  You will never hear me complain about the heat, but these cold temps. are killing my runs. This week was all treadmill workouts, and I can not stand the treadmill. 

So this is how this week went down for me: 

MONDAY: 3 miles 26:34 and a shoulder workout.  One thing I have noticed is even though Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's are usually only 3 miles, my casual pace had dropped in this short amount of time on this plan.  I am now going sub 9 minute miles and I am hardly breaking a sweat.  I feel really good on these runs and I am now starting to believe that if you work on the short runs the long runs will really benefit.

TUESDAY: My workout called for a hill workout, but I had free passes to go see McFarland.  You can read my review that is a  few post's back.  I highly recommend you go see this movie. I am already putting this in my top 10 list.

 

WEDNESDAY: 3 miles in 26:38. I also did a arm and ab workout. 

 

THURSDAY: 30 minute tempo run.  I broke the run up into 10 minute sections. I ran the first 10 minutes at a 9:13 pace then I dropped down to a 7:10 pace for the next ten minutes and finished back at a 9:13 pace.   Shins were on fire for this run, and I am really dreading doing speed workouts on the treadmill. 

 

FRIDAY:  REST DAY

 

SATURDAY:I had all plans of waking up and doing a 5K at race pace.  Unfortunately on Friday when I was driving home from work my car basically kicked the bucket. Saturday morning was spent sitting at the car dealership buying a new car.  By the time I left the dealership in my new ride, the roads were a mess and cars were sliding everywhere. I couldn't even make it up my hill to get home. I had to park down the road and walk. Not the day I had in mind.

 

SUNDAY (Today): Even though my plan calls for a rest day, I am going to do some cross training. Nothing major just  some small workouts I can do around the house.

 

 

Hopefully next week I don't run into any issues like this week, and I can get in my entire workout. 

How did your week go?

What is your all time favorite sport movie?  mine is McFarland and Without Limits... 2 great running movies.

 
 
 

Phase 2; Week 1 of Training

      This week was the start of Phase 2 of training for me. Phase 1 was me building a good foundation of distance and speed. Phase 2 was the start of a 12 week training schedule (Hal Higdon Advanced). On top of the running schedule I am currently in the first week of a 30 day squat challenge.
      Before I go into what I did this week let me first say I really underestimated this schedule. Previously I have been use to running maybe 4 days a week with 2 days of straight cross training and 1 day of total resting. I am now running 6 days a week with cross training thrown in on lighter run days and 1 day of rest.  Needless to say this week beat the shit out of me, but I am up for a good challenge and I am not about to shy away from a little pain and hurting. With that being said let me show you exactly how this week went down.

MONDAY: Called for a 3 mile run in which you could hold a conversation if you were running and strength training.  I ran 3 miles in 28:45, that is a 9:37 pace. I really had problems because I wanted to speed up, but I had to tell myself it was okay that I was running a comfortable pace. For the strength training part of the workout I did my 55 squats, did some burpees, and some push ups.

TUESDAY: This day called for 6 X hill workout. The hill is supposed to be a gradual hill that is 200 to 400 meters long. It was bitter cold this day and the roads were icy so I ended up going to the gym and was forced to do the workout on the treadmill. I started with a 1 mile warm up run then would increase the incline to 12 percent and hold it for 400 meters. My legs were beat down, but I still finished the whole workout. Even though this day didn't call for strength training I still did my 60 squats and threw in a short AB workout.

WEDNESDAY: Another 3 mile run with strength was on the agenda. Once again I was forced to hit the treadmill and felt really good holding a 9:13 pace. For the strength part I did a back and arms workout. At the end of my workout I kind of felt like maybe my shins were a little sore.

THURSDAY: Called for a 40 minute tempo run. I ran my first 15 minutes at a 9:13 pace then gradually increased the speed until I was at a 7:30 pace. I finished with my last 10 minutes being a 9:13 pace again. I had some real problems with this. My shins were on fire and the pain was almost unbearable. I kept saying in my head "please don't be shin splints". I thought maybe it was because I was on the treadmill. I also took note of the shoes I was wearing, my Brooks Pure Flows. Still did my 70 squat though.

FRIDAY: Rest day from running, so i just did 75 burpees.

SATURDAY: With nice running weather I was super pumped to hit the roads again, even if it was only for a 3 mile run. Once again I was wearing my Pure Flows and the shin pain came back in full force. I was forced to do a very slow 3.14 miles. I ran a 33:04 with a pace of 10:32. When I returned home I did my 80 burpees and threw on my compression sleeves to help with my shins.

SUNDAY: Today the weather was nicer than yesterday and I headed to North Park for a 90 minute run. I decided to switch up my shoes and go with my Asics GT 2000-3's.  There was no shin pain what so ever and I felt really good for the run. The run called for a 3/1 which means I was to progressively pick up the pace every half hour. Unfortunately my Garmin battery died 5 miles in and I had to basically guess on the rest. I know I still ran 90 minutes but the distance is a guess. If I had to guess I would say 9 was the least I did and 10.5 was the max.  Either way when I finished I was not out of breathe and I have decided the Asics are going to be the go to shoes from here on out. I plan on going to buy another pair this week to rotate in. I will still use the Pure Flows but strictly on speed days at the track.

I ended this week with around 25 miles. This is one thing I like about this program. It's not so much the miles you are worried about, it's the time you are running.

Next week looks almost identical to this week except for a speed workout rather than a hill workout, and a bit longer tempo run.

How did your week go?

Until next time stay safe on the roads, and don't forget to join #Runchat tonight at 8:00 pm

PHASE 2 OF TRAINING

13 weeks may seem like a lot of time, but i can guarantee that time is going to fly by before the Pittsburgh Marathon.  I changed my training up a bit this week and decided to break the training up into two phases. Phase one was only a 4 weeks. I called it the base phase. all my runs were basically just getting my body ready for phase 2. Phase 2 is a 12 week training program using the Hal Higdon advanced schedule for the Half Marathon.   This past week was the last week for phase 1. I did more cross training and resting than running this week in hopes that my body will be nice and rested for the hard phase 2.
I am a person who likes to run alone. Let me rephrase that I am a person that doesn't like to be coached. I have always felt I know enough that I can make up my own training schedule. Well I was wrong. Can I coach someone? No problem, but when it comes to myself I have noticed that I am winging way to many runs and the runs have become way to jumbled up. Choosing a set method is a great way to have the plan laid out in front of you and you can see what is on the horizon. I looked at a few and got input from a few coaches that pointed me to this method. I even have a few elite runners that I will be staying in contact with to help me with some changes later in the training.

So this week my training looked something like this:
MONDAY:  Cross Train - 80 burpees with an arm workout thrown in.
TUESDAY: 4 miles on the treadmill at a 9:30/pace
WEDNESDAY: REST DAY
THURSDAY: 3.5 Mile run at 8:30 pace followed by a chest workout
FRIDAY: REST
SATURDAY: 6 Miles at a slow pace. I did not time this run because in the Hal Higdon method I will be using, on long runs you don't go for mileage you go by time.
SUNDAY: TODAY- REST DAY from running, but since I am in a 30 days of hell group where we do a different challenge every month, today was day 1 for squats. I did 50 squats.

What I took out of Phase 1 - I am definitely faster this year than I was last year at this time. I did a few runs where I dropped the pace to the low 7 minute per mile and I felt really good and know I can go harder.

I know the Hal Higdon method is a 12 week program and there is 13 weeks left, but I figure I will just double up week 6 or 7. From everything I studied about this method and crossed it with what my goals are I am very confident this will give me exactly what I need to hit my goal time for the Half Marathon.

What this week has in store for me:

MONDAY: 3 mile run with strength training

TUESDAY: 6 x Hill

WEDNESDAY: 3 mile run with strength training

THURSDAY: 40 minute tempo run

FRIDAY: REST

SATURDAY: 3 mile run

SUNDAY: 90 minute run.  (3/1)      the 3/1 means progressive, each half hour I am to increase speed

JANUARY TOTAL MILES= 59.23 This is right where I wanted to be for a solid base. I am going into phase 2 with just about 60 miles of all different types of workouts and I feel really good and most of my runs were successful.

How is your training going? Are you using any training method?

Erie Marathon Recap

     On Sunday I ran the Erie half marathon. It was my first time running this race and this is my recap of the race. I arrived at packet pick up which was located on Presque Isle, Erie.  It was held at the Rotary Pavilion.  I really liked this because everything was there. You picked up your packet and then could browse the few vendors that were there.  Also I liked that the expo was held outside and you had room to move around unlike a lot of the other expo's that are inside and very crowded.  Another nice thing I noticed was if you purchased tickets for the pasta dinner on Saturday it was right there inside the pavilion.  I did not partake in the pasta dinner since I carb. loaded Friday night.

     The packet included your normal swag. A long sleeve t-shirt, some coupons and flyers, a 13.1 sticker, a bumper sticker, a bandanna that was a map of the Isle, and your number and timing chip.  

      I started to get prepared for the race all day Saturday. Starting around 2:00 pm I would sip some coconut water every hour. I made sure not to over eat even though I didn't eat the best meal.  Once in my hotel room I took a hot shower and did some stretching as soon as I got out.  I wore my Zensah Compression socks to bed to help with any pains I had in my legs.   I honestly had one of the worst nights of sleep. I kept waking up every hour on the hour looking at the clock. At 4:30 am the alarm finally went off and I jumped out of bed like it was Christmas morning.  Before getting dressed I ate my Power Bar and had a glass of water. The morning was cold so I was wearing my fleece pants and hoodie over my outfit. We left the hotel around 5 and headed over to the start which was at the same place as packet pick up.  One thing that sucked was how dark it was out. Walking from the car to the starting area was a task in itself.  I ran into some other runners and we managed to find our way. Once in the starting area I waited for my friend Abby so we could warm up together. It was still early and I made the smart decision to use the port-o-potty early before the lines got long.  It was nice not waiting but it was still so dark you couldn't see what you were doing.  I kept thinking to myself this has some kind of accident written all over it.  Luckily I managed to do my business with no mishaps.  

     The full marathon started at 7:00 am so I walked over to watch the start.  After the runners took off I made the smart decision to use the restroom one more time.  This time the lines were a little longer and there were rolls of toilet paper sitting out in front of each unit. I heard someone say "make sure you take in toilet paper because most of them are out."  Thank god I did not need to use the toilet paper.  After relieving myself me and Abby walked to the starting line for the 7:30 half start.  They had people holding signs that said what mile splits so you knew where to stand.  I had no real goal for the race so I started between the 8 and 9 minute per mile sign.  

     

     Like I said earlier I had no time goal for the race, but I did want to run a smart race. My plan was to watch my water intake and just run a comfortable race and see how I felt.  I took some advice from Kristy who said take water every mile even if it is just a sip to stay hydrated.

  

Mile 1- 8:06  I felt good and felt like this was a nice pace to go at. 

Mile 2- 7:55 My shins were hurting, but it wasn't anything to worry about i figured.

Mile 3- 7:53 Still felt really good and my pain in my shins were starting to go away.

Mile 4- 7:45 This was the first time I took some GU. I normally don't take it this early in a race, but I knew that there was some at mile 8 so I figured break the race down into 3 parts. 

Mile 5- 7:46 When I started the race I wore my arm sleeves, at this point I started to get hot and wanted to loose them.  Luckily at mile 5.8 you passed the start and I was able to throw them to Amanda who was watching from the side

Mile 6- 7:35 Seeing people always makes me speed up and I picked up the speed since my adrenaline kicked in.

Mile 7- Somewhere around here is when I noticed my Garmin was not on with the mile markers set up for the race. It was dead on for the first 6 miles then it seemed to be off a bit.  8:21- I know I slowed down because I ran into another runner and broke open my hand held water bottle.  I stopped to make sure it wasn't in the way of any other runners.

Mile 8- 7:54 I was still feeling good, I knew if I wanted to pick up the pace I could, but I honestly wasn't worried about the time. I was still doing everything the way I planned.

Mile 9- 8:01 This mile has the only uphill on the course.  It is a small hill compared to most hills I am used to, so it didn't really phase me.

Mile 10- 8:31 I decided to slow down a bit from here on out. I knew as long as ran under 9 minute miles my time would be respectful. I want to go to Columbus with confidence and this race was giving me just what I needed.

Mile 11- 8:45 

Mile 12- 8:34

Mile 13 and 13.1- 9:34  If you add the times it does not add up with what my official time was.  I finished with a time of 1:46:34        169th overall and 14th in my age group.     

I am very happy with how I did in this race. I set out to execute a smart race plan and I succeeded.  I felt really good and know I could of went faster. This was a great race to build my confidence.

THE MEDAL:

 After getting my medal I got to watch my friend Abby finish. She ran one of her best times and I am very proud of her. 

Overall this was one of my favorite races. The course is super flat and shaded.  Even though we got perfect weather on race day I feel like if it was sunny the trees would of gave us great cover. The expo was small but good and it was really organized.  The race was organized and except for some small things like the toilet paper had no big problems.   If you want a race that isn't too crowded and are shooting for a good time this one is for you.