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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.

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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
215.3434.0016.104.00269.44
Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 41.00Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 46.00Acis DS Trainer Miles: 55.35Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 63.59Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 16.35Brooks Axiom Miles: 16.15Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 31.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.000.000.000.0010.00

Enjoyed the day off yesterday and had some good time with the family.  I did get out and walk a couple of miles with the family so that was good after the long run on Sat.  It was cool (38) this morning but the wind was down so that made it feel really nice.  I felt good this morning.  Probably the best I have felt on a Monday after a long run.  I just took it easy and wanted to make sure that I recover before pushing it again. I am running the half marathon this weekend so will run normal the first part of the week then do a mini-taper for the race. 

1:19:30 (7:57 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 10.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.500.003.000.5013.00

Woke up last night sick at my stomach and then couldn't sleep so was tired this morning.  I felt pretty good running but just took it easy and then added in 6 x strides at the end.  Stomach felt better after running so hopefully just something I ate and not a bug.  If I continue to feel better I will try to add a run this afternoon.

7m in 53:45 (7:41 avg)

PM:  Stomach still feeling a little quezy but wanted to get out and do a few tempo miles to shake the legs out.  I felt flat starting out and did a couple of mile warmup then did 3 miles at tempo pace.  The goal was to run around 6:30:  Here were the splits:

1st - 6:31

2nd - 6:27

3rd - 6:28

The first mile didn't feel very good but I felt better as I went along.  Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow and be ready to race on Sat.

6m in 42:30 (7:05 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 7.00Acis DS Trainer Miles: 6.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

It was pretty good morning for running (39, light wind).  I felt better today but my legs still seem sluggish.  Hopefully just running easy today will help. I seemed to feel better as I went along.  I had some pain in my right foot toward the end so need to keep an eye on that. 

63:35 (7:50 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Cool morning (37) with some wind.  I am going to do a mini-taper for this Sat half marathon so I will just run short and easy today and tomorrow.  I have been feeling a little beat up this week for some reason.  I had been feeling great the last couple of weeks but the last few days just had several aches and pains that came up.  I still felt flat this morning getting going but felt better as I went along.  I am hoping that a couple of easy days will snap me out of the way I am feeling.  On a positive note my foot felt better today and I didn't really notice it at all.  I will see how tomorrow goes and then decide how I am going to run the race this weekend.  The main purpose of the race is a tune up for the marathon in Dec but I would still like to run a decent time to build some confidence.

39:20 (7:52 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 5.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

It was cold (29) this morning with a light wind.  I decided to stick with the mini-taper for the race tomorrow so just ran 4m today easy.  I added some strides at race pace.  I still feel sluggish running so not sure what to expect.  Maybe its just from cutting back here at the end of the week. 

The plan for tomorrow is to go out at PR pace and see how I feel then take it from there.  If I feel good I will continue to push.  If not, I might back off and do it as a long MP run.  The weather looks good so I hope everything comes together for a good race.  They ended up with about 5500 runners so it will be a nice size race.  They have a pretty even split between the half and the full. 

31:20 (7:50 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 4.00
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Race: Monumental Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:25:58
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.250.0013.100.0016.35

Ran a new PR of 1:25:58 at the Monumental Half today.   It was a good day for running temperature wise but it was very windy (around 20mph) and that would come back to get me toward the end. 

I got down to the race early and ran about a 1.5 mile warmup with a few strides.  I felt pretty good warming up but still a little flat on the strides.  I really felt that I had a shot at 1:25 so I decided to go out at 6:30 pace and see how I felt.  I was hoping to get to mile 9 on pace and either hang on or push it depending on how I felt.  The race got off to a good start.  There were many people that started too close to the front for their pace so I had to work my way through them.  Even with that the first mile was good and right on pace.  I set my Garmin to do auto laps every mile so I didn't get the splits at the race mile markers.  My Garmin had the race as 13.37 so it was way off from the mile splits.  After the first mile I was able to settle into a comfortable 6:30 pace.  I had to watch myself because a couple of times I was getting a little quick and had to ease it back.  I was hitting the race mile markers consistently at 6:30 pace and by mile 8 I was about 15 seconds ahead of 6:30 pace.  One cool thing is they had a timing mat at 10k and I went through their in around 40:10 which is a new PR for me in the 10k.  I guess I need to run a 10k soon and see what I could do.  During this stretch we were supposed to be running downwind but it felt like it was swirling off the buildings and would sometimes be in our face.  I knew when we made the turn back to the city we would be running around 3 miles dead into the wind on a very wide city street with little protection from the wind.  This was my concern going into the race and I was hoping that I could just hold my pace during this stretch.  As we made the turn and headed back to town the wind hit me coming out of the curve and stood me up.  I knew then that I would have my work cut out for me to stay on pace.  I tried lifting my effort which kept me on pace for a little while.  I was passing some people during this stretch so that felt good but I was slowly droping off of my pace.  I continued to try to push it but ended up losing around 15 seconds per mile over this 4 mile stretch into the wind.  Even though I didn't hit my goal I felt good about the effort.  I passed alot of people during this stretch and only got passed by one other runner and that was in the last 50 meters by a young guy who I couldn't hold off in the sprint. 

Here are my splits from the Garmin but they are off because of the distance difference but at least shows that I stayed fairly consistent throughout the race. 

6:20, 6:22, 6:17, 6:27, 6:25, 6:26, 6:25, 6:28, 6:25, 6:26, 6:37, 6:37, 6:16

This gives me some confidence because this is 2:47 faster than I ran in the same race last year in better conditions.  Also, I am starting to believe that I really have a shot at a 3 hour marathon.  I am not quiet there yet but feel like I am starting to get closer. 

Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 16.35
Comments(7)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.000.000.004.00

I felt pretty good today after the race yesterday.   It was an absolutely beautiful day today (69) and sunny.  I just wanted to get a few miles in to enjoy the great day and flush the legs out a little.  I did have some tightness in my right hamstring from the race but hopefully a couple of more easy days and I will be good to go.  I have 3 more weeks of training before I start tapering for the marathon so I want to try to make these weeks count and make that final push for the marathon.  Hopefully the work schedule will cooperate.

31:24 (7:51 avg)

Brooks Axiom Miles: 4.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

Super morning for running today (48, light wind).  I started off tight and stiff so went real easy.  After a couple of easy miles I loosened up and felt better but still just crusied along this morning.  I feel like I came out of the half in pretty good shape so hope to get back into the training groove quickly.

Rough day for the Colts yesterday but at least they got the win.  Unless they turn things around from the way they played the last two weeks they will get smoked by the Pats next weekend.

63:18 (7:55 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.006.00

I missed running this morning because of work commitments and wasn't able to get out until around 8 tonight.  I didn't want to run on the TM and I didn't trust going out on the roads when it was so dark so I ran around our neighborhood 6 times.  It was a boring run but I was glad to get something in today.  If I miss the morning run it is very hard to get in a decent run.  Hopefully I will have better luck tomorrow.  I did feel good running and the weather was nice.

46:50 (7:49 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 6.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.007.000.000.0012.00

It was a cool morning (39) and the wind was blowing so that made it feel colder.  I felt pretty good this morning after running late last night.  I wanted to do a longer than normal run today and add some MP miles at the end.  I started off easy and felt good the first few miles.  After about 3 miles I started picking up the pace gradually until I got to MP around mile 5.  At mile 7 my Garmin battery died so I had to run the rest of the way by feel.  I am not sure what pace I stayed at but just tried to keep the same pace the rest of the way.  I would have liked to know the splits just to see how I finished off the run but it was a good effort so I guess that is all that matters.

 

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 12.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.508.00

I had some early meetings today so didn't run until after work.  It was a nice day, mid 50's, sunny and light wind.  Starting off I felt sluggish but started getting my legs back after a couple of miles.  I just took it easy most of the way but added 6 x strides at the end.  This has been a busy week with the kids activities and work so thankful to get a run in today.

61:25 (7:41 avg)

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 8.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

It was cool this morning (33) with some light wind.  It ended up being cooler than I thought because I didn't dress warm enough and was cold the whole way.  Ran out and back down 300S.  I felt good this morning but just ran easy.  Trying not to push it too hard this week as I transition from the half marathon back into my last few weeks for marathon training.  I am planning on a long run tomorrow so didn't want to overdo it today so I can get the most out of the run tomorrow.  This is turning out to be an OK week but has been very busy so thankful to be able to get out ever day.  Both of my daughter's are in school plays this weekend so they have been having a lot of extra practices this week.  Lots of running back and forth plus helping with homework, etc.  They have 5 performances in 5 days so I will have lots of entertainment over the next few days.

1:10:17 (7:48 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 9.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
22.000.000.000.0022.00

Great morning for running.  It was mid-40's but windy.  I am 4 weeks from the marathon so want to get a couple of more long runs in and today planned on going 22.  When I started out I didn't feel the best so thought I might be in for a struggle but even though I didn't feel great I was able to cruise along pretty good.  I started off easy and then at the turn around I started picking up the pace on the way back.  I ran the last 5 miles at 7:30 or faster.  Another thing that I wanted to do today was try to get used to taking Gels for the race.  I planned on taking 3 to see how my stomach reacted.  No problem on the first one.  The second one my stomach got a little quezy and the third was even worse.  It might have been because I just got up and ran this morning and didn't have any food in my stomach.  Anyway, I don't think it will be a problem with the race but I am always on the edge of getting sick with Gels.

2:50:55 (7:46 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 22.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.000.008.00

I stayed up late last night watching the Colts-Patroits game.  Wow that was a really crazy game and I can't believe that the Colts won. I think Bill gave us an early Christmas present with his decision to go for it on 4th down.  After the game I was pretty hyped up so had a hard time going to sleep.  I decided to get some extra sleep this morning and run after work.

It was cool (44) and very windy this afternoon.  I felt really good when I started which is encouraging after the long run on Sat.  It seems like the body is adjusting to the long runs since I am recovering faster.  I just ran easy the whole way.  It did seem to get a lot colder when it got dark and I wish I would have worn gloves because my hands were freezing.  

60:50 (7:36 avg)

Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.000.000.003.0011.00

We had probably my least favorite type of weather today (cool, raining and windy) so I stayed inside on the TM.  I wanted to do some faster running today on the track so I only ran 6 miles this morning and will try to get to the track this afternoon.  I felt good running this morning and just took it easy so I will be fresh for the faster stuff this afternoon.

6m in 46:40 (7:47 avg)

 PM:  The day didn't work out the way I planned.  First of all I got crazy busy at work and then I only had a short window to get a run in before my daughter had a play tonight.  It was pouring rain at this time so back on the TM.  Since I didn't have much time I did a one mile warmup and then 4 x 3/4 miles @ 6:00 pace with a 1/4 recover.  I felt good during the intervals and could have pushed it faster but that is as fast as my TM will go.  Not a bad run for just squeezing something in but I would have liked to do more.

5m in 35:45 (7:09 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 5.00Brooks Axiom Miles: 6.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

When I got out this morning it had stopped raining but was cool (42). I felt tight and sluggish this morning when I started. It took me about 3 or 4 miles to feel like I was loosened up and running normal.  About 2 miles into the run it started to rain really hard which made it feel a lot colder.  I thought about going back to the house and finish on the TM but it stopped raining soon and I started to warm back up.  I just took it easy the rest of the way and ended the run feeling pretty good.  I am traveling to DC this afternoon so not sure if I will get another run in today or not.

9m in 1:11:41 (7:58 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 9.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.3510.000.000.0014.35

Fairfax, VA: It was 55, misty rain and windy this morning. I had a hard time getting up and going this morning but once I started moving I felt better. I planned to do 10 miles at MP today and thought it would be a good simulation for the marathon because of the rolling hills up here. I started off with 4 miles easy and then got into the MP miles. I felt pretty good running the MP miles but had to push it some because of the wind and hills. My legs didn't feel the best this morning. I just seemed to be lacking energy. It was a good run and I was glad to get a longer MP run in especially with some hills. Here are the MP splits: 7:02, 7:02, 6:55, 7:05, 6:56, 6:55, 6:54, 7:04, 7:01, 6:52.

1:45:10 (7:20 avg)

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 14.35
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

My flight got delayed last night so I ended up getting in late so was dragging this morning.  It was 42, with some wind.  I felt better after I got out and got going.  Nothing special today just taking it easy after the MP run yesterday.  I did add 6 x strides at the end.  Hoping for good weather tomorrow for another long run.

1:10:48 (7:52 avg)

Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
17.594.000.000.0021.59

Great morning for running (42, calm).  Three weeks until the Huntsville marathon so this is my last 20 miler.  Today I ran out to a loop that has some decent hills and I ran that loop 3 times to get a long run in with more hills to prepare for Huntsville.  Got started early and was sluggish getting going.  I felt like I was running good but I was really slow starting out.  After a few miles I finally got to feeling a little better.  I still just took it easy to around 10 miles because of the way I was feeling.  After 10 I started to pick up the pace and I ran faster each mile from then to the finish.  I ran the last 8 miles all under 7:25 and the last 4 between 7:15 and 7:00.  For starting off kind of bad it turned out to be a good run and I felt pretty good afterward.  My plan is to try to get a pretty good week in this coming week, run med-long next Sat and then do a two week taper for the marathon.  I also need to start figuring out what my plan should be for the race pace wise.  Now off to paint a dining room and put up the outside Christmas lights since it is going to be such a nice day.

2:46:00 (7:41 avg)

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 21.59
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
14.150.000.000.0014.15

Nice morning for running (44, calm).  Somehow this week I strained a muscle in my left hamstring.  It bothered me all day Sunday.  I stretched it out good Sunday night and it felt better this morning.  It was tender when I started running but actually felt a lot better after I got warmed up.  I felt good running this morning.  After the long run on Sat it seems the legs recovered nicely.  I planned on just running easy this morning because of the hamstring issue and recovery from the long run.  A few times during the run I had to catch myself and slow down because I was naturally pushing the pace.  Seems like a good sign after the long run.  I want to get one more solid week of training in then start the taper.  Thanksgiving holidays will make that a little tough since we are going out of town to visit family.

8m in 61:40 (7:43 avg)

PM:  I was able to squeeze in a few more miles after work.  It was nice out (50, calm).  I felt really good and just ran by how I felt.  I wasn't really pushing or holding back just running what felt comfortable and trying not to look at the watch.  I felt like I picked it up as I went along and was a good run.

6.15m in 46:32 (7:34 avg)

Brooks Axiom Miles: 6.15Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

Another nice morning (48, light wind).  Today I was planning on doing a tempo run but after warming up for a couple of miles I knew that it wouldn't be a good day so decided to just take it easy and see what tomorrow feels like.  I have been experimenting with running doubles and I don't think my body is used to it yet.  Yesterday I felt great but today I felt sluggish.  Maybe on my next training cycle I can run more doubles and get used to it.

1:12:52 (8:06 avg)

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.0010.000.000.0014.00

It was rainy, cool (45) and very windy this morning.  It looked like that rain was going to stop so I started out and got about a 1/4 of a mile into the run and it started raining again.  I didn't want to be out in the cool, windy weather and get wet.  Always seems a lot colder when it is wet.  I went back in and decided to run on the TM.  I would have perferred to go outside.  Anyway, wanted to do a MP run today so started off with some easy miles to warmup then got into the MP miles.  I ran 10 MP miles between 7:10 and 6:53 with most closer to 7:00.  I didn't feel the best today.  My legs were just heavy and a couple of times in the run I thought about cutting it short but I hung in to get in the 10 MP miles I was hoping for.  Now we are packing up and heading to KY to see the family for Thanksgiving.  That will make it more difficult to stay on schedule so I was glad to get today's run in.

1:41:55 (7:09 avg)

Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 14.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.003.000.000.0011.00

Somerset, KY:  Visited family all day yesterday so didn't get a chance to run.  Ran this afternoon.  It was mid 40's and pretty windy.  I felt good and ran easy.  I did add a few miles at MP toward the end.  It was a hilly route so was glad to get in some hill training.  Hoping I will be able to go longer tomorrow.

7:30 avg

Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 11.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.000.000.000.0018.00

Somerset, Ky:  It was a cool morning (mid-30's) but sunny and it warmed up quickly.  I ran on a very hilly route that was pretty much up and down the whole way.  Most of the hills were long but not too steep.  This was a good training run for Huntsville.  I felt good starting out but tried to run easy and relaxed.  I wasn't sure how I would do on the hills plus it was pretty windy and I ended up running the last 6 miles dead into a head wind.  I felt good the whole way and was glad to get this one down since we were visiting family and it is always hard to get a long run in while visiting.  Now it is tapering the next two weeks for the marathon.  

2:22:24 (7:54 avg)

Acis DS Trainer Miles: 18.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.005.00

Honolulu, HI:  Traveled out here today and ran after I got in.  I was pretty tired so just ran a few easy miles.  I felt good and hopefully will get a better run in the morning.  Tired and ready to get some sleep now.

39:30 (7:54 avg)

Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 5.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
215.3434.0016.104.00269.44
Mizuno Wave Rider 12 #2 Miles: 41.00Saucony ProGrid Ride Miles: 46.00Acis DS Trainer Miles: 55.35Mizuno Wave Rider 12 Miles: 63.59Saucony Tangent 3 Miles: 16.35Brooks Axiom Miles: 16.15Saucony Ride (Blue) Miles: 31.00
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