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Monumental Half Marathon

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Location:

New Palestine,IN,USA

Member Since:

Oct 23, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

5k - 18:59 (3/09)
4M - 25:06 (9/09)
10k - 41:01 (11/07)

Half - 1:25:58 (11/09)

Marathon - 3:06:33 (12/09)

Short-Term Running Goals:

1:25 for the half marathon
Sub 39:00 for the 10k.
3:07 marathon
18:30 5k

Upcoming Races



Long-Term Running Goals:

Break 3:00 for the marathon.

Personal:

Married, two daughters (18 and 15).  Masters runner trying to get competitive in my age group.

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Ride 5 (Red) Lifetime Miles: 372.70
ASICS Excel 33 Lifetime Miles: 152.00
Saucony Ride 7 Lifetime Miles: 249.00
ASICS DS Trainer Lifetime Miles: 212.20
Asics Cumulus 16 Lifetime Miles: 241.30
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
223.6033.0034.101.20291.90
Saucony Ride Miles: 145.40Acis DS Trainer Miles: 52.20Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 59.00Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 20.20
Race: Monumental Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:28:38, Place overall: 47, Place in age division: 6
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.0013.100.0018.10

I decided at the last minute to run this race because I had been wanting to run some faster workouts this week and they never happened so just thought I would jump in this race instead. Another reason is the weather looked perfect. It was around 48 at the start. Since it has only been 3 weeks since my marathon my plan for the race was to go out and run the first 6 miles like a tempo run at around 6:50 pace and if I felt good continue to race to the finish. I did a two mile warm up before the race and was feeling good.

1st mile - 7:09 (it was a big race but there were around 6,000 runners so I had to weave through quite a few runners to get clear)

2nd mile - 6:36 (I over reacted a little here due to the slow first mile)

3rd mile - 6:42 (starting to settle into a good pace)

4th mile - 6:48 (this was pretty close to what I wanted to run)

5th mile - 6:46 (still feeling pretty good)

6th mile - 6:48 (this was my check point and I was still feeling good to decided to keep up the pace)

7th mile - 6:50

8th mile - 6:48 (took a gel here and was starting to feel it a little here but got a pick up from the gel)

9th mile - no marker (I felt like I was able to pick up the pace here some after the gel)

10th mile - 12:11 (for two miles so I know this marker had to be off because I felt like I picked it up some but not that much faster.)

11th mile - 7:27 (I know this was off but avg around 6:40 for 3 miles)

12th mile - 6:53 (here my legs really started feeling the effects of having run a marathon a few weeks ago. I felt like I should be able to go faster but couldn't get the legs to turnover any faster)

13th mile - 6:59 (I felt like I was really slowing down but was glad to see I didn't lose too much time)

13.1 - 1:28:38 (It felt really good to look up and see the 1:28 on the clock as I came to the finish)

It was really good to get under 1:30 and a boost to my confidence after the poor performance at Chicago. This gives me some motivation going to the Huntsville marathon and now feel that the BQ is within reach. Also, I am looking forward to running a half where I can focus on it and see what I can do. I did a 3 mile warm down after the race.

Saucony Ride Miles: 18.10
Comments(11)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

After yesterday's race I wanted to get out and shake the legs out a little today. I was able to get out late afternoon on an unbelievably warm day (70, windy, sunny). When I started out my legs were really tight/stiff but got better as I went along. After a couple of miles I felt normal again and just ran easy the entire way. I think it was a big help to be able to get out today after the race yesterday. Hopefully, I will be able to get back to a normal week of training this week.

49:49

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 6.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Still unseasonably warm this morning (50) and it was nice to have some help from daylight savings time so I could at least get part of the run in the light. I stayed up late last night watching the Colts game and then had trouble getting to sleep so was a little tired this morning. At least the Colts finally won! I went to Southeastway park and enjoyed running on a beautiful morning. My legs still didn't feel great but pretty good considering the race on Saturday. The loop around the park gives me a chance to run on some rolling hills which hopefully will help for Huntsville. I am going to Huntsville tomorrow on a business trip so I am going to try to preview the marathon course if I can work it in the schedule.

66:05

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Nice morning (45 and sunny). Right quad still a little tight starting out but it loosened up nicely. I started off real slow for the first mile or so but then picked it up to a normal pace and felt good the rest of the way. Very nice morning for running. I am going to enjoy these days because I know it will change soon and be freezing out. Now off to vote and then driving to Huntsville.

64:09

Saucony Ride Miles: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.004.000.000.009.00

Huntsville, AL.  It was a great morning for running (50, sunny).  I felt good this morning other than some tightness in the right hamstring.  After a 2 mile warm up I did 6 x short hill sprints then ran a couple of miles easy and ran the last 4 miles at MP.  The MP miles felt ok which is good since I wanted to see how the legs felt running faster after the race last weekend.  I was hoping to get check out the Huntsville marathon course but it was dark after I got out of my meetings and I wasn't real sure where I was going so may try to do that before I leave tomorrow.

69:19

Saucony Ride Miles: 9.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Huntsville, AL. It was a great morning (45, sunny). I just ran easy around our company headquarters. It was nice because I got to practice running on some rolling hills that should be similar to the marathon course. I felt good the whole way and wish I could have ran longer but had to get to meetings.

80:12

Saucony Ride Miles: 10.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.508.00

I got back home real late last night (around 1:00am) so I was pretty tired this morning. It rained last night but had stopped and cleared off by the time I got out. It was around 50 but windy. I felt good this morning other than some tightness/soreness in my right hamstring. This has been bothering me some the last few days so will try some stretching/massaging to see if that helps. I did 7 x strides at the end of the run.

63:40

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 8.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.0020.00

Today was one of those days that I was not looking forward to doing a long run. It was 36 degrees and very windy so I was not excited about battling the wind for 20 miles. I started out easy and just felt kind of flat today and a little tired. I ran out 300S to a section of road with some rolling hills and I just looped around this area for 10 miles to try to get more time on the hills. The legs started to feel tired around 14/15 miles but I still picked up the pace the last 5 miles into a head wind. This felt like good practice for the last part of the marathon because it wasn't comfortable. I am glad that I got out and get this long run in. This run was tougher than I thought it would be but I guess it was the combination of the weather and the fact I haven't done a 20 miler in around 6 weeks.

2:40:16 (8:01 avg)

Saucony Ride Miles: 20.00
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

I had some extra time after church since my wife and the kids had a meeting to attend so decided to go for an easy run. I was surprised how well I felt this morning after the long run yesterday so that is another reason I wanted to get out. It was not a great day pretty much the same as yesterday (37 and windy). I went to Southeastway park and ran through the woods and around the park. I didn't wear a watch so just ran easy and it was enjoyable just being out in the woods running.

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 6.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

I finally had to get out the tights and some warmer clothes today since it was 26 and windy. I was dragging a little this morning so ran easy most of the way. I did run to the park and did 6 x short hill sprints but the legs were pretty on these as well. This might be from the long run over the weekend or it could be just one of those days. I am hoping to get some faster paced running in this week so hopefully tomorrow will be better.

1:12:29

Saucony Ride Miles: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.004.000.008.00

Today I did a 4 mile tempo run on the track. I haven't really done any faster workouts since the marathon so it was good to get out and run fast. It was cool this morning (28) with some light wind. I did a 2 mile warm up and my legs didn't feel great. Still had that tired feeling. The goal for the tempo was 4 miles @ 6:30 pace. Here were the splits:

1st - 6:30

2nd - 6:29

3rd - 6:27

4th - 6:21

I didn't feel very good on the first mile. I was really wondering if I would be able to finish the workout or if I set too fast of a pace for the tempo. I started to feel better in the second mile. The 3rd mile was the best. I felt like I was just running comfortable. The last mile I pushed a little faster and was starting to feel the effort. I think I learned a good lesson today that you can't judge how you are going to do by that first mile of a race/workout. If I had went by the first mile I might have just canned the whole workout but I started feeling much better and it turned out being a great workout. Another cool thing I just noticed is that I ran this 4 mile tempo faster than my PR for a 4 mile race I did 4 years ago. 2 mile warm down after the tempo.

60:36

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 8.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.600.000.000.008.60

Nice morning (45, calm) so went to Southeastway Park. I ran my standard loop four times around the park and through the trails. I felt pretty good this morning and just ran easy. On the second loop I felt weak like I had ran out of fuel but felt better after a little bit so kept going. Right when I finished it started raining so timing was perfect. Glad I didn't have to run through the rain.

1:12:02

Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.008.000.000.0012.00

It was warmer today (50) but misty rain. I did a med long MP run today. I didn't feel great this morning just a little flat. I did a 3 mile warm up then jumped into the MP miles. The first 3 miles of MP I felt kind of sluggish and couldn't really get into a rhythm. Around 3 or 4 miles into the MP part I started to feel better and got into a good pace. After that the run went pretty smooth and picked up the pace the last 3 miles. Here are the MP splits (7:17, 7:38, 7:33, 7:22, 7:16, 7:06, 7:17, 7:12). After this did a 1 mile warm down. Overall I was happy with the run today. This has been a build up week so the legs are a little tired but it is good to get some faster running in.

1:31:24 (7:37 avg)

Saucony Ride Miles: 12.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.500.000.000.006.50

Pretty nice morning (51 and light rain). I went to Southeastway Park and ran my standard loop. It was nice to be able to run in shorts and short sleeves this time of year. However, looks like we are in for a big change tomorrow just in time for my long run. I felt ok today but legs still somewhat tired.

If you are interested, I saw this article about a kid that won the TN state XC race just a few days after his best friend died in a car . Touching story.

http://www.milesplit.us/articles/20664

55:52

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.0020.00

Well the weather was right this time. Woke up to a rough day (rain, 20 - 30 mph winds and 38 degrees). I thought if the rain would stop I would run outside so checked the weather on the computer and rader/forecast was for all day rain. I decided to stay in on the treadmill and see how far I could go. So I thought I better try to pump himself up for this long run on the treadmill by thinking of all the positives about running 20 miles on the treadmill. Here is what I came up with:

1. Enjoying the great Sat morning TV selection of news, 10 best hole-in-ones in golf, bass masters and Sportscenter repeated 5 times.

2. Ease access to gatorade/drinks while running

3. Simulating running in Florida since my workout room felt like a sauna when I finished.

4. Not having to find a spot in the woods if nature called.

5. Having to answer my families question "Are you almost done?" about 10 times.

6. Learning that my treadmill completely shuts down at 99:59 and has to be reset.

7. Smelling my wife's cooking while I am enjoying Tri-Berry Gu.

8. Next time someone says they have ran a marathon I can say "Sure anybody can run a marathon. Have you ever ran 20 miles on a treadmill?"

As you can see I had plenty of time to think and fit off the boredom. This was definitely not what I wanted for my training. I would much rather been outside but at least I got some time in and surely it helps my mental strength for the marathon. Also, as I went along I did 90 seconds hills about every ten minutes just to practice some rolling hill running. I also picked up the pace as I went along and the legs were feeling tired the last couple of miles. This was my 21st straight day running which is something I normally don't do so looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Should do the legs good.

2:44:31 (8:14 avg)

Saucony Ride Miles: 20.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

It was cool (30) and windy this morning. Went to Southeastway park and did the normal loop. I added 6 x short hill sprints toward the end. I felt pretty good this morning after the long treadmill run on Sat. I have to go to DC this week on business so hopefully I can stay on schedule.

1:17:15

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.300.000.000.006.30

I traveled to DC for business last night.  I over slept this morning so didn't get to run as long as I had planned.  Not sure if the alarm didn't go off or I just slept through it.  I was able to get in 6 miles before my meetings and will try to get out this afternoon if possible.  I felt good this morning and was running easy.  It was 31 and windy this morning so felt a little cool.  Hopefully more later..

 48:17 (7:39 avg)

Second run didn't work out today.  My meetings ran late and it was dark when I got out. Didn't think it was wise to run the streets of DC in the dark with all the traffic.  I will try the double again tomorrow because it is the only way to get in a longer run with the meetings.

Saucony Ride Miles: 6.30
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.007.000.0017.00

Still in DC and it was a cool morning (27 and windy).  Today I wanted to do a tempo run and since I didn't have a measured course to run I found a local track to run the tempo on.  I did a 2 mile warm up then jumped into the tempo run.  I planned on doing 7 miles at around 7:00 pace.  This  is slower than my normal tempo pace but wanted to run a longer tempo.  The first mile I was still cold and a little stiff so took me a little while to get going.  After this I felt good and the tempo felt pretty comfortable.  I pushed the last  couple of miles so felt the effort of that.  Here are the splits for the tempo:

1st - 6:57

2nd - 6:56

3rd - 6:54

4th - 6:52

5th - 6:56

6th - 6:47

7th - 6:42

 Glad to get this  run in while I was on travel.  I would like to do another easy run this afternoon but will see if the schedule will allow it.

 74:15

 PM::  I was able to squezze in another run after meetings and before a dinner meeting.  It was still cool this afternoon (36) and still windy.  I did an easy run and felt good after this mornings tempo run.  I have noticed recently that my easy runs are getting a little bit faster than a month or so ago which feels good.

 54:27

Saucony Ride Miles: 17.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Last day in DC and I will be glad to go home.  Life on the road is not much fun.  It was warmer today (35) and not as windy.  I ran real easy today after yesterday's big day.  I was stiff/tight starting out but better after I finished. 

 66:13

Saucony Ride Miles: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.005.000.000.0010.00

Today was the coldest day of the year so far (20 with a wind chill of 5). It was not too bad except when running into the wind and then it was not much fun. When going into the wind I ran faster around MP mostly just to get it over faster and try to generate some heat. I can't believe this is Nov. This is more like weather we get in Jan. Other than the weather I felt good today. The weather is making it hard on the marathon training. For me it is hard to focus on faster workouts when the weather is rough. If I had been a better day today I probably would have done some tempo work. I guess it is good to at least get the miles in.

I am going with our church youth group to our state youth convention tonight and tomorrow so I might not be able to run tomorrow. Certainly won't get a long run in.

1:17:20 (7:44 avg)

Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 10.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.0010.000.000.0020.00

Since I went on the overnight with our church youth group Friday night I was pretty wiped out when I got home Sat evening and put my long run off until today. It was warmer today (38) put still pretty windy. Today I planned on doing the long run with at least 10 miles at MP plus I wanted to run the other 10 at faster than normal pace so that when I hit the MP miles my legs would be more tired than normal. I started out I didn't feel the best. It might have been from the lack of sleep on Fri or from not eating well the last couple of days. Anyway the legs didn't feel sharp plus I had some GI issues going on. Still I ran the first 5 miles in the 7:50 range then ran the next 5 in the 7:40 range. After 10 I picked it up to MP and for the last 10 ran between 7:20 and 7:35 with most of the miles around 7:25. Turned out to be a pretty good run since I was able to run a decent pace despite not feeling my best plus having to deal with the wind. Also, I ran this 20 miles 35 seconds per mile faster than my marathon PR. Should give me some confidence for Huntsville. I have 3 weeks until the marathon and this time plan to do a 2 week taper. For my last marathon it seemed like I felt best 2 weeks into the taper and got flat the last week. I will try to this and see how it goes.

2:33:11 (7:40 avg)

Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 20.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Just did an easy 8 miles after yesterday's long run. I felt pretty good today just a little stiff/tight from yesterday. I started off real easy and tired to keep the pace relaxed. I had to battle a pretty good head wind about half of the run so it was hard to run easy into a strong wind. I just wanted to shake the legs out after yesterday so nothing special.

64:48

Saucony Ride Miles: 8.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.500.000.000.707.20

Another cool and windy morning. I went to Southeastway park and ran the loop easy. My legs were feeling a little heavy today so just took it easy but I did add in 6 x short hill sprints towards the end. I also had some pain in my right calf. Not sure where that can from but will try some ice and stretching.

62:09

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 7.20
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.200.008.000.0012.20

It was cold this morning (25) but the wind was calm so that made a huge difference. Today I did a long tempo run. The way I have been doing these is running them longer than normal and running between tempo pace and marathon pace. Today I wanted to run 6:50 to 7:00. I hope that this will make the first part of the marathon seem easy. I have also been trying to run the very controlled effort. I felt better today the legs seemed to not be heavy like they had the last couple of days. I did a 2 miles warm up and then started the tempo. I felt good throughout the tempo part. The only issues was my calf acted up a couple of times. Around 3 miles is when it first started and noticed it for about a 1/2 mile. If it didn't get better I was going to cut the tempo short but it went away. It acted up again around 5 miles but only for a little bit and then didn't bother me the rest of the way. I really need to keep a check on this. Here are my splits for the tempo:

1st - 6:55

2nd - 6:53

3rd - 6:54

4th - 6:53

5th - 6:50

6th - 6:53

7th - 6:51

8th - 6:44

1:28:29 (7:15 avg)

Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 12.20
Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

We went to Lexington, KY to my moms for Thanksgiving and was able to get out early for an easy run.  It was cool (28) but no wind which was nice.  I was able to get a nice rolling hill route which was very pretty with a nice sunrise.  Now time to eat and watch football!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I know for me that I have much to be thankful for and will take some time to reflect on my blessings.

57:15

Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 7.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.002.000.000.005.00

Still visiting family in KY. I started feeling bad Thur. night so I slept in today and felt better this morning. Unfortunately that didn't leave me much time to run since we had some family commitments. I got in 5 miles and picked up the pace the last few miles. Felt good.

37:50

Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.004.002.000.008.00

Drove back from KY today and got home around 2:30. I promised my wife I would put the outdoor Christmas lights up today so didn't leave much time for a run. I would have liked to have done a long run today since the weather was very nice (43) and tomorrow is going to be rain/snow/wind but got to keep my promises and priorities in line. So with not much time I got out the door as quickly as possible and felt good from the start. I just ran by feel and ended up running the first two miles around 7:30 pace. I picked it up from there and ended up averaging 7:07 for the 8 miles. I didn't check the splits but some of the miles had to be under 7. It was a good run and felt great. Now just hope I can catch a break tomorrow and get some decent weather or I might end up on the treadmill.

56:59

Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 8.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.000.000.000.0017.00

I had another busy day scheduled with the family and I had to run early but the weather didn't cooperate. I was rainy with snow mixed in and 33 degrees. I didn't want to be soaking wet in the cold for over 2 hours so went to the treadmill. If I didn't have the marathon in two weeks I probably would have went outside but didn't want to chance anything. So turned out to be a long boring run on the treadmill. It didn't seem as bad this time. I did some hills along the way and picked the pace up as I went along. I really wanted to run 20 but didn't have time before the days activities. I am learning that Dec is not the best time to run a marathon. There are just a bunch of conflicts this time of the year and don't won't my family to suffer because of my running. So the training is pretty much done just switch into taper mode now. I will do some more MP runs this week but will start to cut back on the miles. I don't feel like I did the best on my long runs leading up to this marathon but hopefully it won't hurt me too much. After running the 17 miles I had to jump off the treadmill take a quick shower then went Christmas shopping with the family for 4 hours and came home and finished decorating for Christmas. Maybe that will count for a little extra workout :).

I finished the month with 292 miles which is my highest mileage month ever.

2:11:55 (7:46 avg)

Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 17.00
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
223.6033.0034.101.20291.90
Saucony Ride Miles: 145.40Acis DS Trainer Miles: 52.20Saucony Triumph 6 Miles: 59.00Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 20.20
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