Grandma's Marathon

Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN. They were forecasting mid 50s for the start, but it ended up being in the 60s. Overcast, breezy, so it felt pretty good, and the high was 67, so the temperature shouldn't have been a factor. We got up at 4am, got ready, then drove into Duluth, leaving the hotel at about 4:50am. We got parked in the garage and onto the bus shortly after 5:30, then up to the start not much after 6am. We relaxed for a bit, then at about 7 got in line for the bathroom, then into the starting area ready for the marathon to begin.

The race got started shortly after 7:30, I had started around the 4 hour pace group, with the plan of running around 9 minute miles for as long as I could. Got going and was able to start out at a pretty good pace, with the first 6 miles in 9:00, 9:02, 8:59, 9:06, 9:14 and 9:20. I hit the 10K time in 56:47 for a 9:10 pace, so pretty good so far. The pace wasn't as easy to run as I expected, with my heart rate averages about 159. Mile 7 I scarfed down some shot bloks so had a 9:43 mile, followed by 9:01, 9:19, 8:39, a 23 second lap to get back on the mile markers, 9:31, 9:50 and 9:56. Right before the half marathon split I hit the bathroom real quick, then got going, so 2:02:43 for the split, a 9:22 pace, but a 9:34 pace for the 6.9 miles from 10K to 13.1, so I was already starting to slow. 4 hours was out of the question, and 4:10 would be tough.

Mile 14 was 10:02, then I did a 1 minute split to get on track for the mile markers.Splits of 10:00, 10:33, 10:46, 11:51 (shot bloks again), and 9:45 followed. The 9:45 was my attempt to get running faster, but it just didn't feel all that comfortable, and this mile was followed by a 16:30 mile where I walked most of it. This brought me into the mile 20 split in 3:20:28, a 10:01 pace, but more importantly 11:16 pace from 13.1 to 20, so I was really slowing down. With no chance of a PR, I felt my motivation drop. I knew I would make it, but I wasn't really going to worry about my time. Under 4:30 would be nice, but it would mean picking up the pace. I ran a 12:59, 13:17, 12:54 the next 3 miles, so I knew 4:30 wasn't going to happen. This was followed by a 11:34 and a 12:14, hitting the 25 mile split in 4:23:55, a 10:34 pace, with a pace of 12:05 from mile 20 to mile 25. I thought I'd at least be able to run it in from mile 25, but I found myself taking a walk break, and had a 11:27 mile, then finished with a 1:44 for the final .18 miles. Total time of 4:37:52, average pace of 10:37.

I got done, grabbed a bit of food, got changed, found that I had a blister on my toe next to the big toe on the left foot, and then walked back to the car to get the camera and drop off some stuff. I then went to the bathroom, and walked back to the marathon area. I went to the blister tent to get my blister taken care of. Then I waited for Judy to finish. I had signed up for the text updates so I knew where she was and such, but she still called at mile 24 to tell me she was slowly making it in. By the time she finished, they had taken away the post race food and water, but we were able to get a few things in the after race 'party' area, then we headed back to the car and to the hotel. After getting showered and changed, we went to the Black Bear Casino and to the buffet there. It was very good, and I managed not to over eat too much. Then it was back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit then went to bed.

After finishing, I was disappointed. I had somwhat given up after the half way point. Rather than pushing it I was content with coasting in. But after a couple of days of thinking about it, I realized that my time was pretty good, the course was not 'flat' - but seemed to be never ending rolling hills. It was a fun marathon overall, and it's on the short list of ones to do again some day.

Short Run

Headed up to the lake with the intention of running 3 miles, but a storm was rolling in, and so cut things short to 1.2 miles. Really rained on the drive home. 1.2 miles in 11:39, average pace of 9:40, splits of 9:23 and 2:15 for the last .2 miles. AHR of 145. 72F out with a 70F dew point.

3 Mile Morning Run

3 miles up at the lake, wanted to run my marathon pace to keep loose and ready. 27:43 total time, 9:14 average pace, 152 AHR. Splits of 9:43, 9:02 and 8:57. Not too bad out, 77F with a 69F dew point.

8 Mile Morning Run

8 miles up at the lake, wanted to run about a 10 minute mile pace. Last mile it was getting warm with a hot sun, and so I sorta coasted in on the last mile. 1:19:00 total time, average pace of 9:52, AHR of 159. Splits of 9:59, 9:36, 9:44, 9:58, 9:44, 9:46, 9:44 and 10:25. Overall a good run. About 84F with a 73F dew point when finishing.

Ice Cream 5K Run

Ice Cream 5K run in St Peters. 30:05 total time, splits of 9:42, 9:22, 9:31 and 1:28 over the last .14 miles. Average pace 9:34, AHR of 154. Storms rolled thorough, so it wasn't too bad out, and it didn't rain while running. Fun run.

5 Mile Run/Walk

Have the Ice Cream run tonight, so this morning, Judy and I marked the course, so we walked the about 1 mile to the course, then I went the 3.1 miles (running about a mile of the non-short cut course), then ran the mile back. Already warm out. 4.89 miles total in 1:14:45. Walking pace was about 18 minutes/mile, running was around 10 minutes/mile.

5 Mile Run

Concert tonight, so decided to do speed work in the morning. 10 x 1/4 repeats with a warm up mile and cool down mile. Warm up mile of 9:59, then a 2 minute stretch, then a 2 minute job at 9:14 pace, the repeats at mile paces of 7:12, 7:03, 6:53, 6:48, 6:49, 6:53, 7:05, 6:55, 7:11 and 6:54. Was getting pretty tired new the end, had to really push it the last couple to have any 'speed'. Finished with a 9:17 cool down mile. Overall 6.04 miles in 58:42 of running, 9:43 average pace, 153 AHR. Fairly nice out, 73F wit a 62F dewpoint. Glad I didn't do it in the evening, near 90F out, bleh.

5 Mile Easy Morning Run

5 miles up at the lake in 50:19, average pace of 10:03, took it fairly easy. Splits of 10:37, 10:16, 10:12, 10:22 and 8:50 for the final mile. Heart monitor oddly wasn't working (new Garmin arrived Saturday, second run with it). 72F with a 56F dewpoint, so not too bad out.

10 Mile Pace Run

10 miles up at the lake, was wanting to push the pace a bit, run near my goal marathon pace to see how everything felt. 1:30:57 total time, 9:05 pace, AHR of 160. Splits of 9:32, 8:56, 8:58, 8:53, 8:46, 9:26, 9:01, 9:05, 9:17, and 9:01. Took a walk break every mile, felt pretty good overall. Cooler, about 71F with a 58F dewpoint.

8 Mile Run

8 miles with FFRC in St Peters. Garmin was acting up, but got in 8 miles in about 1:24:00 for a 10:30 pace. Felt very warm out, 77F with a 68F dewpoint at 8am near the end of the run. No wind at all, so ran fairly slow, AHR was 149, so not too bad there. Slowed near the end, but was able to keep going.

Speed Work, 6 x 1/2 Mile

Speed work in Chesterfield in the evening, 83F with a 65F dew point, so pretty warm and muggy. Did a warm up mile at 10min mile pace, then a light lap before starting, then 6 x 1/2 mile repeats with about 3 minute breaks between. Mile pace of 7:38, 7:35, 7:43, 7:25, 7:32 and 7:17 for the repeats. Had to get going right after wards, so no cool down. Total of 5 miles overall.

5 Mile Neighborhood Run

5 miles around the neighborhood, took it fairly easy, 52:42 total time, 10:32 average pace, 146 AHR. 76F with a 67F dewpoint, so muggy. Splits of 10:49, 10:39, 10:33, 10:28 and 10:12.

16 Mile Long Run

16 miles up at the lake, was originally planning on running 20 miles, but Judy twister her ankle, and I was beat, so decided to cut it short. Ran 15 miles, took a bit of a break to go to the bathroom and drink some water, then ran 1 more mile rather than 5. Hot out, 74F wit a 67F dewpoint at 7am, 82F with a 68F dew point at 10am, and the sun was out and quite warm, not much wind either. 16 miles in 2:54:36, average pace of 10:54, AHR of 152. Splits of 10:36, 10:25, 10:24, 10:19, 11:29 (shot bloks and refilled water), 10:37, 10:43, 10:41, 10:36, 10:54, 10:49, 11:04, 11:07, 11:30, 11:18 and 11:57 cool down mile. Could have proably made 20 miles, but didn't really see a reason for it.

Pancake Run

8.2 miles out in St Peters with the FFRC, Garmin acted up, so distance is approximate. Ran around a 9:45 pace on the average, AHR was 154. 71F with a 57F dew point, so not quite as humid as it has been, but still not all that comfortable.

5 Mile Social Run

5 miles out in Chesterfield for the Thursday evening social run. Splitting up the run seemed like a fairly easy way to get in 10 miles in the middle of the week. 49:56 total time, 9:59 average pace, 154 AHR. 83F with a 67F dewpoint, so pretty muggy, but there was a bit of a wind, so not as bad as it could have been. Garmin acted up a bit, but splits of about 9:57, 10:12, 10:02, 10:02 and 9:39.

5 Mile Morning Lake Run

5 miles up at the lake in the morning, 49:40 total time, 9:56 average pace, 153 AHR. Was 70F out with a 66F dewpoint, sticky, but not too bad. Splits of 10:07, 9:57, 10:01, 9:52 and 9:41.

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake in the morning, 51:43 total time, 10:20 average pace, 149 AHR. Took it fairly easy, about 71F out with a 67F dewpoint, so a bit sticky. Splits of 10:43, 10:07, 10:22, 10:19 and 10:10.

20 Miles In The Heat

Judy was planning an 18 mile run, so I figured I'd do 20. Dropped her off at the restaurant at 6:30, I drove up to the soccer field parking lot, walked a bit, then got running at 7am. I was going to run 10, then meet Bob at 9am and run my final 10 with him. First 10 went pretty good, it was already 73F out with a 68F dewpoint at 7am, so I knew I'd need to take it pretty easy. First 10 were in about 1h45min, average pace of 10:30, AHR for the miles were in the 140s and 150s, with the 10th mile being the highest at 157. Splits of 10:42, 10:27, 10:45, 10:24, 10:25, 10:24, 10:27, 10:23, 10:23 and 10:29. Went to the bathroom, got some water, had a gu, toweled off a bit, then Bob and I got going right at 9am and it was up to 77F with a 70F dewpoint by then. First few miles were all right, though the Garmin started acting up a bit and turning off, probably due to all the sweat. Ran the last 10 miles in about 1:52:35, about 11:15 pace. Heart rate kept creeping up, with an average heart rate for mile 17 of 169. After that I started taking more walk breaks as I didn't want my heart rate to be that high. Splits for the final 10 were around 10:16, 10:24, 10:16, 10ish, 10:28, not sure, not sure, 12:00, 12:43 and 12:37. I was getting really warm by the end and it was hard to run without feeling very hot. Legs were surprisingly not too dead. At the finish, itw as 85F with a 71F dewpoint, so getting really brutal out, but at least there was a bit of a breeze. Happy to have it done.

5.85 Miles In Forest Park

Was volunteering at the Run For The Stars 5K in Forest Park, so got there early and ran a loop with Bob before. Was humid, but not too bad. Bob needed a pit stop during mile 5 and I didn't stop the garmin right away. The garmin did manage to stay on the whole time. I'm beginning to think it's moisture related as it seems that if it's raining, or if I'm sweating a ton, it seems to have more issues. 5.85 miles in 57:36 with an about 1m30sec stop during mile 5. 9:50 average pace, 149 average heart rate, splits of 9:46, 9:59, 9:03, 9:27, 10:57 and 9:46 pace for the final .85 miles. Run felt good despite being the 3rd day in a row. Temps were going up quickly, it was 61F with a 57F dewpoint at 7am, and 66F with a 58F dewpoint at 8am, so was sweating pretty good.

6 Mile Run

Ran with Judy up at the lake in the morning, 6 miles in 1:02:30. Garmin turned off once, but other than that did OK. Splits of 10:16, 10:31, 10:12, approx 10:15, 10:16 and 10:20. AHR of 145, so very low for me. Average pace of 10:25. Comfortable out, 64F with a 61F dewpoint, decent breeze.

5 Mile Chesterfield Run

Was raining hard in the morning, so figured I'd run in the evening out in Chesterfield with the Fleet Feet social run group. Started at 6:30, garmin turned off several times, but total time was 43:20 for the 5 miles so an 8:40 average pace. 8:39 and 8:56 for my first two splits but then the garmin kept turning off. AHR was 159, so not too high considering my pace. Very light rain for some of it, but overall OK out, 63F with a 60F dewpoint, so humid.

6 Mile Lake Run

Comfortable out, 55F with a 52F dewpoint, fairly easy run. 6 miles in 58:06, average pace of 9:41, AHR of 152. Splits of 10:25, 9:48, 9:39, 9:38, 9:41 and 8:52.

16 Tough Miles

Volunteered at the Girls On The Run 5K in Forest Park in the morning, so didn't run until the afternoon. Ate lunch, looked at the radar and saw that rain was coming in, would probably get here around 4pm or 5pm, so headed out and got running shortly after 12:30. Was planning on running 18, but was running the 16th mile and figured I didn't really need to run 18, so cut it off there. 2:50:37 total time, so average pace of 10:39, AHR of 154. While running temps were around 63F with a 56F dewpoint, so not quite into the 'uncomfortable' range for me. Splits of 10:22, 10:21, 10:25, 10:19, 10:26, 10:47, 10:39, 10:37, 10:36, 10:40, 10:35, 10:38, 10:45, 10:50, 10:56 and 11:33. Was happy when it was over, walked 2.5 miles after the run and they were slow - nearly a 20 minute/mile pace. Guessing standing around at the 5K for a few hours took a bit out of my legs.

7.5 Mile FFRC Run

7.5 miles out in St Peters with the FFRC. Ran with Bob and Ken most of the way, rained on us the whole time. Heart monitor acted up and didn't work much of the time. Ran fairly easy, but we were soaked, so it was harder going than it should have been. 1:15:33 total time, 10:04 pace, 152 average heart rate for when it was working. Splits of 9:59, 10:10, 10:15, 10:17, 9:41, 10:00, 10:05 and 10:03 pace for the final .5 miles. 57F with a 52F dewpoint, so fairly comfortable out.

8 Mile Morning Run

8 miles up at the lake. It was 72F with a 66F dewpoint when we left the house, but it was overcast. The TV Weatherman had said that rain would hold off until the afternoon, but it started to rain at 7am, heh. Never very hard, but the wind was pretty gusty. Probably for the best, as it did seem to cool things off slightly. Started off slow, was able to pick up the pace as I went. 1:18:54 total time, 9:51 pace, 158 AHR. Splits of 10:28, 10:11, 10:11, 9:45, 9:42, 9:44, 9:46 and 9:03. Glad to get it done, felt a bit bleh by the end, need to get use to the warmth I think.

7 Mile Lake Run

7 miles up at the lake, ran out on the spur over the pedestrian bridge, then was blocked by angry geese so turned around, headed up towards the sail boat cove, then back, up the overpass hill, then to the car. Took it fairly easy, but my heart rate was higher than I expected. 1:07:52 total time, 9:42 average pace, 159 AHR. Splits of 9:56, 9:34, 9:47, 9:38, 9:48, 9:48 and 9:19. Pretty warm out 66F at 7:50am with a 60F dewpoint, but there was a bit of a breeze, so didn't feel too bad.

Quincy Bridge The Gap Half Marathon

Quincy "Bridge The Gap" Half Marathon in Quincy, IL. We drove up Friday after work, went to the expo, had the spaghetti dinner there and heard Amby Burfoot speak, which was interesting. Spaghetti was all right, hit the spot, but wasn't great. We then went and checked into the hotel, relaxed a bit, and went to bed. Got up in the morning, got dressed and headed the 3 or so blocks to the start line. It was about 42F with a stiff wind from the west, gusts over 30mph. It was a bit chilly, but I figured I'd be fine once I got running. The race started by going up a hill the over the Mississippi, then turning around and coming back. On the way out was into the wind, on the way back was with the wind. We then wound our way through a park, which had a decent sized hill, and then we ran out and back going north, turning around shortly before the 8 mile point and heading back to the start. I felt good the whole way, took 7 water and/or gu breaks along the way, but expect for the 2 Gu breaks, they were shorter than a minute. Started off with a 9:33, 9:17 and 9:25 miles as I warmed up and got past the major hills. Then I ran 8:24 (including the down hill out of the park), 9:01 (had a Gu), 8:44, 8:58 and 8:46 north somewhat into the wind. After the turn around, I figured I would pick up the pace and see how things felt, as I figured I could make 2:00 pretty easily and I might have a chance at a PR if I picked up the pace. I ran 8:19 and 8:37 (had another Gu) and hit 10 miles at about 89 minutes, so if I averaged under 8:20 a mile for the last 3.1 miles I'd get my PR. I then ran 8:15, 8:26 and 8:04, then 0:40 for the last approx .1 mile to finish in 1:54:35 officially. Felt really good, and not overly tired, probably could have pushed it a bit more, but sometimes it's hard to tell. Jackie Joyner Kersee put my medal on me at the finish line. Walked back to the hotel, changed, then came back and waited for Judy. She finished in about 2h40min, so I good time for her as well. We then went back to the hotel, showered and headed to the 'Best Buffet' Chinese buffet, which was pretty good but I definitely over ate. A good experience, will probably do it again sometime.

6 Mile Morning Run

6 miles out at the lake, planning on running sub 9 minute miles, but felt a bit worn out and tired, so ran 3 harder miles then 3 easier miles. Ran out on the spur and back, then down to the woods and back. On the spur, after the pedestrian bridge there was a very defensive goose who was a bit tricky to get around. He was not in a good mood, and I had to pass him again on the way back. Other than that, it was a very nice morning out, and the run felt pretty good, though I did feel a bit tired overall. 6 miles in 56:52, 9:28 average pace, splits of 8:59, 8:59, 9:18, 9:48, 9:58 and 9:47, average heart rate of 151.

6 Mile Run

6 miles out at the lake, running out on the spur 2 miles, then back and south into the woods, then returning. Was cool out, in the upper 50s, and was running pretty easy. 59:54 total time, 9:59 average pace, 151 AHR, splits of 10:26, 10:04, 9:50, 9:56, 9:37 and 9:59.

16 Mile Long Run

16 miles out at the lake, running the first 6 solo, then running 10 miles with Bob. Glad he came out, as the last few miles were a struggle. Did a big loop starting at the soccer field, then ran clockwise from the soccer field, through the woods, out past the swimming pool and north on the road until we hit 5 miles, then returning the same way. Wasn't quite as humid today, but was getting warm, about 70F when we finished, with a 55F dewpoint. 2:43:28 total time, 10:13 average pace, 156 AHR, though the last 7 miles all miles were over 160 average, with the last mile being 167, so I was wearing down. Splits of 10:14, 10:16, 10:17, 10:11, 10:18, 10:00, 9:53, 10:03, 10:07, 10:10, 10:34, 10:20, 10:11, 10:04, 10:21 and 10:22. Happy with the run, but getting in my final long runs before Grandma's marathon will be pretty tough.

7 Mile St Peters Run

7 miles out on the St Peter's FFRC course, running with Tim and Sue the whole way, and some others for part of the way. Took it easy, was warm and humid out (about 60F out, but near 100% humidity) but with the pace I went it didn't seem to affect me. 1:12:21 total time, 10:20 average pace, 149 AHR. Splits of 10:21, 10:21, 10:26, 10:41, 10:10, 10:14 and 10:05.

8 Mile Speedy Run

8 miles up at the lake, pushing it a bit to see how things feel. Running harder seems to bother my left heel more than taking it easy, that's for sure, was pretty sore when I was done, but it didn't slow me down as I ran. 8 miles in 1:11:07, average pace of 8:53, AHR of 164. Splits of 9:02, 8:45, 8:56, 8:58, 9:01, 8:58, 8:55 and 8:28. Cool out, good run overall, I should be able to push it for the upcoming half marathon.

6 Mile Run

6 miles out at the lake, running out on the spur, then south and through the woods and back. Was about 49F out, light rain, but nothing too major. Took it easy to see if it would make the heel hurt less, and it seemed to have worked, though it could be that it was only 6 miles, so who knows. 1:03:55 total time, 10:39 average pace, 151 AHR, splits of 11:12, 10:48, 10:29, 10:46, 10:33 and 10:03.

16 Mile - Going Long Again

16 miles out at the lake, running a mile out and back on the spur starting at the restaurant, then south and through the woods and doing a figure 8, going out and back on the spur again, then through the woods and back. Was getting tired and my heel was hurting by the end, but didn't really slow down. Was cool out, in the 50s, quite windy and a light rain most of the way, but never rained hard. 16 miles in 2:37:52, average pace of 9:52, AHR of 158, though it was over 160 for the last 4 miles. Splits of 10:14, 9:54, 9:56, 9:49, 9:51, 9:45, 9:50, 9:47, 9:51, 9:58, 9:50, 9:49, 10:04 (garmin acted up a bit here as I was going through the woods), 9:39, 9:48 and 9:40. So after the warm up mile, all miles between 9:39 and 10:04, a very consistent run. Felt good to go long as it had been a while, so it was a bit of a test of how the body is doing. Though I may not PR @Grandma's, I don't think I'll have any trouble finishing. I am clearly going to need to get my heel checked after that though, as it's getting worse.

7 Mile FFRC Run

7 miles out in St Charles on the St Charles course, running with Rick, Jim, Ken and Vicki. I lost them for a bit when I took a walk break, and I turned around at 3.5 miles to head back so ran back solo. Not a terrible run, but it was 64F out with a 61F dewpoint, so rather uncomforatble and it showed in my heartrate. I took it easier on the way back. Splits of 9:47, 9:35, 9:31, 9:57, 10:05, 9:58 and 9:54, overall pace of 9:50, AHR of 162, total time of 1:08:51.

8 Mile Evening Run

8 Miles up at the lake in the evening, running to the south tail, then out on the spur and back. Conditioning is a bit shot, had to take a walk break every mile and just didn't seem to ever get in a groove. Right about 70F out but dry and not windy, so felt all right out. Splits of 9:58, 9:53, 9:58, 9:55, 9:52, 9:51, 9:48 and 9:54. Overal a decent run, but I need to get back into shape after not running much the last week or so. Overall time of 1:19:13, pace of 9:54, AHR of 162.

3.2 Mile Run in Charlottesville, VA

3.2 Miles out in Charlottesville running with Wang, we ran up the big, massive, huge, etc hill, then back down. Took a few walk breaks, but it wasn't all that bad, temperature was pretty good, in the 60s. 35:32 total time, 11:05 average pace, did not wear the heart rate but wasn't pushing it too hard.

7 Mile Moring Run

7 miles up at the lake, running out on the spur and back. I was going to do a tempo run, but I just couldn't seem to run fast enough to get my heart rate up high, and needed a walk break every mile. Overall though, a pretty good run. 1:02:26 total time, 8:55 average pace, 158 AHR, splits of 9:24, 8:55, 8:53, 8:56, 8:41, 8:53 and 8:42. Cool out, in the upper 50s/lower 60s, sunny, light breeze.

12 Mile Run

12 miles out at the lake, I ran south past the end of the tail, to the swimming pool, then south into the neighborhood until I got to 2 miles, then returned, then headed out on the spur and back to make 12 miles. 1:59:39 total time, 9:58 pace, 154 AHR, though the garmin was flaking out a bit at the start and I had a 165 average for the first mile. Most miles were 151+/-2, though it was starting to get warm out (77F at the car when I was done) and my last two miles were 156 and 160, but I was also getting a bit tired and was trying to get my average pace under 10 minutes/mile. Splits of 10:21, 10:14, 9:56, 9:55, 10:05, 9:52, 9:57, 10:11, 9:26, 10:01, 9:48 and 9:47. Run felt pretty good, left heal was a bit sore for most of it, but it wasn't really slowing me down or affecting my form, so I'm not going to worry about it for now.

8 Mile Run

8 miles out in St Charles, ran with Tim and Sue. Took it fairly easy, 8 miles in 1:22:05, average pace of 10:15, AHR of 151. Very nice out in the upper 50s, very little wind and sunny. Splits of 10:20, 10:25, 10:15, 10:24, 10:07, 10:21, 9:57 and 10:11. More or less took no walk breaks, but felt fine with the slightly slower pace.

5 Mile Social Run

5 miles in the evening, running out in St Charles with the Fleet Feet social running group. Ran with Tim and Sue out 2.5 miles then back, 5 miles round trip. Did not have my Garmin so no splits or heart rate, total time was from Tim's stopwatch. Easy feeling run, but my legs were a bit tired from the speed workout.

10 x 1/4 Mile Speed Work

Speed workout this morning. Overcast, in the 60s, a bit of a breeze, felt pretty good out. Did 10xQuarter miles with 2 minute walk breaks, and started with a warm up mile of 9:55 and finished with a cool down mile of 10:12. I started running out of gas a bit the last few, but mile pace of 7:16, 7:05, 6:47, 6:55, 6:48, 6:51, 6:58, 6:54, 7:42 (up the overpass hill) and 6:51. Was beat by the end, but overall felt pretty good.

5 Mile Neighborhood Run

5 miles around the neighborhood in the morning, temperature was in the low 60s, but was dry and a breeze so it felt pretty good. 49:47 total time, 9:57 average pace, 153 AHR, splits of 10:18, 9:49, 10:01, 9:57, 9:39. Legs were a bit tired, but overall a good run.

Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon - Springfield, IL

Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon in Springfield, IL. At 5:30am it was pouring, at 6:30am while driving down to the race start, it was sprinking, and by the 7:30 start, no rain. In the 50s for the race, felt pretty good out. I started a bit slow and ended up not being able to make up the time to get under 2 hours. I thought I was going to make it, but of the .09 miles the garmin gained during the race, .05 of it was in the last 1.1 miles, and I just couldn't kick it in high enough to shave off the seconds. 13.1 miles officially in 2:00:11, average pace of 9:11, AHR of 163. For the last 5 miles my average heart rate was 170 or so, with the lowest mile average was 169, so I was pushing it quite a bit. Couse had a few hills, but was fairly flat. Splits of 9:55, 9:12, 9:20, 9:27, 9:16, 8:52, 9:24, 9:10, 8:29, 8:51, 8:58, a 20 second lap at 8:58 pace to get back in sync with the mile markers, 9:03, 8:38 and a 1:11 for .15 miles to finish, 7:57 pace. Ran with Rachel from the Fleet Feet running club for the first half of the race, ran with a woman from Indiana for the second half as I sped up. Good race, will probably do it again.

5 Mile Social Run

5 miles in the evening, running out in St Charles with the Fleet Feet social running group. Ran with Sue until she turned back at the 1.5 mile mark, then caught up and ran with Amanda the rest of the way. 5 miles in 48:42, average pace of 9:44, AHR of 161, splits of 9:24, 9:36, 10:10, 9:49 and 9:42. Was in the 80s, but fairly windy and not very humid, so didn't feel too bad out, but clearly my body is not ready for warm running just yet.

5 Mile Morning Run

5 miles up at the lake in the morning. Ran south to the end, then back and out on the spur and back. Total time of 49:54, average pace of 9:58, AHR of 152. Splits of 10:33, 9:57, 9:55, 9:50 and 9:38. Easy comfortable run.

8 Mile Evening Run

8 miles out at the lake in the evening, running out on the spur. 1:19:45 total time, 9:58 average pace, 152 AHR. Splits of 9:58, 10:25, 10:27, 10:35, 9:30, 8:53, 9:57 and 9:57. Even on the under 9 minute mile the average heart rate wasn't too high, 161. Took a while to get in a groove, but then the run went pretty good.

10 Mile Run

10 miles out on the St Charles course, running all the way out and back. Ran with Bob, started fairly slow, got going a bit better by the end of things. 10 miles in 1:19:45, average pace of 9:58, AHR of 149, which is the lowest average for a run since last year. Splits of 10:24, 10:19, 9:37, 9:56, 9:55, 10:35, 9:34, 10:10, 9:21 and 9:50. Comfortable run.

8 Mile Run

8 miles up at the lake, running out on the spur and back. Tried pushing the pace, but it was a bit hard going. Splits of 9:06, 8:54, 9:06, 9:45 (uphill over the bridge), 9:04, 8:52, 8:57 and 8:54. Total time of 1:12:41, average pace of 9:05

5 Mile Run

5 miles up at the lake in the morning. Was in the mid 40s, overcast, but not windy, so felt pretty good out. Ran 2 miles north from the restaurant, then back and out on the spur to get in a few hills, then back. 48:00 total time, 9:36 average pace, 155 AHR. Splits of 9:42, 9:43, 9:52, 9:42 and 8:59.

Quivering Quads Trail Half Marathon

Quivering Quads Half Marathon in Cuivre River State Park near Troy, MO. It was in the mid 30s, windy, but at least it wasn't running. The creeks and stream along the course were fairly dry, but the trail itself was quite muddy. Fun race, will likely do it again. Started off running with Bob the first 2 miles or so, but then I got ahead of him a bit and was mostly running by myself, following someone for a while, and then either passing them or falling back a bit and then following someone else. I got a bit tired near the end, but not too bad, and managed not to fall or trip. 13.1 miles in 2:35:56, 11:54 average pace, 164 AHR. Splits were 10:09, 11:17, 11:47, 12:04, 11:52, 12:06, 13:11, 12:21, 10:58, 11:52, 12:49, 12:50, 12:15. I didn't stop the garmin after crossing the finish, so no ending split, but I picked up the pace a little at the end as the end was in sight. After finishing, got changed, then waited for Judy. She had taken a wrong turn along the course, but eventually got back on the course and finished. Judy, Bob and I then went to Denny's for some post race 'breakfast'.

Easy Jog

Ran two miles then walked 2.5 miles out in St Charles this morning, taking it pretty easy. I hooked up with Judy, Andy, Glenn and Kelly for the walking part. Felt pretty good, in the 40s out with a decent wind, so a bit chilly. 10:41 and 11:00 for my jogging miles (AHR of 142 and 147), then walking at a 16:39 and 17:06 pace. I forgot to stop the garmin when done so last bit was a bit off, but figured I walked at the same pace as I had been. Hopefully the rain gets through here quickly and tomorrow is better than what they're forecasting for the QQ Half. Fingers crossed!

5 Mile Neighborhood Run

5 miles around the neighborhood in 49:46, 9:57 pace, 161 AHR, splits of 10:00, 9:51, 10:02, 9:55 and 9:55. Cool out, below 40, but probably overdressed for it.

6 Mile Run

6 miles around the neighborhood in 58:43, average pace of 9:47, AHR of 159. Splits of 9:54, 9:44, 9:57, 9:44, 9:57 and 9:24.

10 Mile Run

10 miles up at the lake running with Bob. Started at the soccer fields, ran a big loop couter clockwise, then started a second loop, but cut across at the overpass and ran on the inside meadows loop back to the car. 1:39:40 total time, 9:58 average pace, 154 AHR. Took a while to get in the groove, the first few miles just felt extra tough. Splits of 9:37, 9:33, 9:45, 9:53, 9:46, 12:15 (including stop at the car to refill water and such), 9:55, 9:53, 9:30 and 9:29.

5 Mile St Patrick's Day Parade Run

5 miles downtown at the St Patrick's Day Parade run. Ran with Bob, the start was pretty crowded, but then things got a bit better. 45:49 total time, 9:10 average pace, 160 AHR. Splits of 10:12, 9:19, 8:59, 8:34 and 8:34. Felt pretty good.

9 Mile Lake Run

9 miles up at the lake. I was planning on running 8, but then as I was returning back to the restaurant on the road side of the soccer fields, the trail was closed because of the construction they're doing, so I had to backtrack back to the soccer field bathrooms and back that way, adding a mile to my run. Kicked it in because Judy would be waiting for me, so the final 2 miles were a bit faster. 1:25:03 total time, 9:27 average pace, 159 AHR. Splits of 9:59, 9:48, 9:43, 9:43, 9:30, 9:33, 9:34, 8:18 and 8:52.

6 Mile Neighborhood Run

6 miles around the neighborhood in 57:34, average pace of 9:35, AHR of 157. Splits of 9:38, 9:39, 9:45, 9:43, 9:39 and 9:09. Consistent run.

6 Mile Run at Cuivre River

6 miles on the first half of the Quivering Quads Half Marathon course. Trail was fairly dry, good day for a run. 1:08:57 total time, 11:29 average pace, 164 AHR. Splits of 11:49, 10:44, 11:06, 11:14, 11:21 and 12:41. Was starting to get tired near the end, will need to make sure I don't start out too fast for the actual half marathon.

6 Mile Run

6 miles with the FFRC out in St Charles in 56:49, 9:28 average pace, 163 AHR. Splits of 9:26, 9:46, 9:14, 9:47, 9:19 and 9:14.

8 Mile Tempoish Run

8 miles up at the lake working in two out and backs on the spur to get in some hills. 1:14:15 total time, 9:16 average pace, 166 AHR. Splits of 9:58, 8:49, 9:07, 9:21, 9:01, 9:05, 9:42 and 9:08. Was wanting to run a bit faster, but just didn't seem to want to go faster.

6 Mile Quicker Run

6 miles up at the lake in 54:58 total time, average pace of 9:09, AHR of 160. Splits of 9:20, 9:17, 9:18, 9:20, 9:10 and 8:31.

7.93 Mile Trail Run

7.93 miles out at the Lewis and Clark trail running with Bob. Trail was a bit sloppy in places, but overall not too bad. 1:37:04 total time, 12:14 average pace, 155 AHR. Splits of 10:27, 12:45, 12:19, 12:34, 11:57, 12:34, 12:24 and 12:02.

8 Mile Run

8 miles with the FFRC out in St Charles in 1:16:09 overall, 9:31 pace, AHR of 158. Splits of 9:39, 9:43, 9:17, 9:40, 9:38, 9:29, 9:16 and 9:22.

8 Mile Neighborhood Run

8 miles around the neighborhood in 1:19:59, pace of 9:59, AH:R of 161. Splits of 10:08, 9:54, 9:56, 10:01, 10:07, 10:09, 10:22 and 9:18.

5 Mile Run

5 miles around the neighborhood in 49:49 time, 9:57 pace, AHR of 165. Splits of 10:12, 9:58, 10:02, 9:54, 9:40.

5 Mile Run at Cuivre River

5 miles out at Cuivre River on the second half of the Quivering Quads Half Marathon course. Was rainy, and the creek crossings were very wet, and it was in the upper 30s, so it was pretty crazy. One crossing was nearly waist deep. 1:04:05 overall time, 12:49 pace, splits of 13:33, 11:13, 13:39, 12:43 and 12:54, AHR of 161. Race day can't be any worse... I hope.

8 Mile Run

8 miles with the FFRC out in St Charles, running with Bob. 1:15:53 total time, 9:29 pace, 162 AHR. Splits of 9:23, 9:24, 9:30, 9:38, 9:13, 10:06, 9:18 and 9:18.

8 Mile Treadmill Run

8 miles on the treadmill at work, started at a 9 minute mile pace, but got tired near the end and slowed to a 10 minute mile pace, so 1:15 total time, 9:22 pace.

5 Mile Treadmill Run

5 miles on the treadmill at work, ran a 9 minute mile pace.

7.87 Miles at Lewis and Clark Trail

Ran out at the Lewis and Clark trail, doing the longer loop. It has snowed an inch or two, so the trail was actually pretty good to run on. 7.87 miles in 1:33:46. Average pace of 11:54, AHR of 156. Some pretty darn massive hills that I walked up, but overall a good run. Splits of 10:23, 12:16, 12:31, 13:10, 11:12, 12:33, 11:35 and 11:31 pace for the final .87 miles.

Valentines Run

Crestwood Couples Valentines Run, 2 loops on a fairly easy trail. Ran moderately hard, but didn't push it too much. 3.53 miles in 34:39, average pace of 9:48, AHR of 169. Splits of 9:21, 9:50, 10:18 and 9:38 over the last .53 miles. Judy and I got 3rd place in our age group, got a medal for it, woo! Went for all you can eat pancakes at IHOP afterwards, tasty!

5 miles on the treadmill at work, dull. Originally I was going to do 8, but I called it a day after 5. 9 minute mile pace.

4 Mile Treadmill Run

4 miles on the treadmill at work, as it was pretty cold out. Was dull, but managed, ran at a 9 minute mile pace.

7.17 Mile Trail Run

7.17 miles out at the Lewis and Clark trail running with Bob. We started by running a mile out, then back to the start to add 2 miles to the course. 1:29:23 total time, 12:28 pace, 159 AHR. Splits of 11:33, 11:19, 10:53, 13:30, 13:24, 13:28, 13:04 and a 12:40 pace for the final .17 miles.

8 mile Run

8 miles with the FFRC out in St Charles, 1:14:36 total time, 9:19 pace, 168 AHR. Ran hard the first 3.9 miles then took it easy on the way back. Splits of 8:46, 8:58, 8:39, 9:41, 9:45, 10:04, 9:28 and 9:11.

6 Mile Run

6 miles up at the lake, running south to the end, then back north on the inside of the meadows loop, across the parking lot, then continuing up past the sailboat cove, then returning. 53:34 total time, 8:55 pace, 165 AHR. Splits of 9:10, 8:34, 8:39, 8:42, 8:38 and 9:49. Sorta ran out of gas at the end.

4 Mile Neighborhood Run

4 miles around the neighborhood. Pushed it a bit, 35:32 total time, 8:53 average pace, 163 AHR. Splits of 8:58, 8:49, 8:59 and 8:44.

7 Mile Trail Run

7 miles out at Lewis and Clark Trail. First time running out there, so I kept doubling back so I wouldn't be too far from Judy. Splits of 10:39, 11:25, 12:28, 12:59, 12:49, 11:42 and 12:34. Total time of 1:24:39, overall pace of 12:05, AHR of 159. Started getting a bit muddy by the end, but overall a pretty good run.

8 Mile Run

8 miles with the FFRC out in St Charles, running 4 miles out and 4 miles back. Splits of 9:55, 10:06, 10:03, 10:02, 9:21, 10:01, 9:50 and 9:39. Total time of 1:19:00, average pace of 9:52, AHR of 161. Pretty good run overall.

6 Mile Run

6 miles up at the lake, running to the south end, then through the woods and up towards the sailboat cove, then back around. 1:03:25 total time, 10;34 average pace, 160 AHR. Heart rate was a bit high for my pace, probably just tired. Splits of 10:42, 10:35, 10:33, 10:43, 10:57 and 9:52.

3.1 Mile Lake Run

3.1 miles up on the lake, 30:42 total time, 9:53 average pace, 158 AHR. Splits of 10:14, 10:07, 9:19 and 9:50 pace for the final .1 miles. Good to be back to running through the week.

7 Mile Run

7 miles out with the FFRC out in St Charles. 1:09:01 total time, 9:51 average pace. Splits of 10:00, 10:11, 9:51, 10:08, 9:38, 9:39 and 9:32. Overall a good run.

6 Mile Easy Saturday Run

Taking it easy at the marathon made recovery a lot easier, and so I was ready to get back to running the following Saturday. Ran with the FFRC, running 3 miles out and 3 miles back on the St Charles course. 1:00:16 total time for a 10:02 pace, AHR of 160, splits of 9:35, 10:18, 9:40, 10:05, 10:14 and 10:21. Pushed it a bit, but run felt good.

Disney Marathon - Goofy Challenge

Full Marathon at Disney World. I knew it was going to be a long day as I was already getting tired by mile 6. Thoughts of breaking 5 hours faded as I stopped for the bathroom three times, with the first two being +5 minute stops. Just didn't feel like standing back up and getting back to it. First 10 miles went pretty good, with splits of 11:16, 10:42, 10:47, 10:58, 10:31, 11:11, 11:03, a .1 mile lap to get back on the mile markers at a 1:22 pace, 10:49, 11:41 and 11:09. I then had a 20:00 mile with a 8 or 9 minute pit stop, then miles of 11:09, 11:08, 11:22, 11:31 and 11:38. Mile 17 was another bathroom stop with a 17:56 mile, then .16 miles at 15:39 pace to get back on the mile markers.The final 9.2 miles were a grind, I was walking about half a mile, then running a half mile. Splits were 12:30, 12:30, 12:18, 12:12, 11:59, 13:20 (quick bathroom stop), 12:35, 12:37 and 12:12. The final .27 miles to the finish were at a 10:24 pace. Overall 5:23:28, a 12:20 pace, AHR of 145. Though it was colder at the start, the sun was out and it felt pretty pleasant out. Was fun, will do it again some day, but would not want to make it an every year thing, that's for sure. Would plan better next time.

Disney Half Marathon

Half Marathon at Disney World. Plan was to take it pretty easy and save my energy for the Full Marathon, but I did run a bit faster than I planned. 2:24:45 total time, 11:02 average pace, splits of 10:28, 11:00, 10:07, 10:25, 11:26, 12:07, 11:24, a .17 mile split to get back on the mile markers at 10:28 pace, 10:44, 10:32, 10:45, 10:54, 10:46, 10:42 and a 10:34 pace for the final .15 miles to the finish. Cold, freezing rain, windy. Was really cold when I got done. Nice weather would have made the course a lot more fun, but I am glad it wasn't hot, made for comfortable running.

8 Mile Lost Valley Run

8 miles out at Lost Valley with the FFRC. I wanted to take it fairly easy, and didn't want to run on the single track trail part, so ran out and back on the start part, then out and back on the end part. 8 miles in 1:22:31, AHR of 155, splits of 10;20, 10:16, 10:40, 10:18, 10:09, 10:39, 10:08 and 9:57. Felt pretty good overall.