Characters courtesy of Planearium
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Reach the Beach Relay - 2009
Krulik's Revenge - Men's Masters
Back row from left: Randy [aka: Long Hard Middle Leg] (leg 8), Rich (leg 6), Tucker (leg 1), Brian (leg 5), Gavin (leg 2), Bill (leg 4)
Middle row from left: Suzi (leg 9), Alison (leg 10), Jodi (leg 7), Ania (leg 12), Patty (leg 11)
Front row: Vince [aka: Me] (leg 3), Krulik [aka: Mascot] (in my mouth)
| Distance | Difficulty | Time | Pace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 3 | 3.88 | Easy | 7:16 | |
| Leg 15 | 8.24 | Hard | 7:15 | |
| Leg 27 | 8.54 | Hard | 7:05 | |
| 20.66 | 7:11 |
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
WV Weekend
We just returned from our West Virginia weekend. See the WV travel page for more details. I completed the Charleston Distance Run 15 mile race and finished 129 of 491, 15 of 44 in my age group. Not too bad. I ran 7:55 pace overall - negative splits as my pace was 8:20 for the first 6 miles including up "Capitol Punishment Hill". After figuring I was at a 2 hour 1 minute ETA at about mile 11, I picked it up as I passed mile 12. Of course, this wasn't a half marathon and the expected 1.1 miles to finish was actually 3. I gutted it out and beat the 2 hour mark - not my original goal, but I had a good day, so why not?
We also learned Cornhole. Being that this is West Virginia, this may bear further explanation. A web link is provided. Pictures are also found on the aforementioned WV Travel page. That's about enough of that.
We're back home now, and I'm keeping to my RTB training schedule. A hard 7.5 miler today in 57:30 (7:40 pace) leads into a longer (and easier paced) 10 miler tomorrow. I'll cool down on Thursday, rest Friday and do another long easy trail on Saturday. I'm looking beyond RTB, so my taper isn't really significant.
We also learned Cornhole. Being that this is West Virginia, this may bear further explanation. A web link is provided. Pictures are also found on the aforementioned WV Travel page. That's about enough of that.
We're back home now, and I'm keeping to my RTB training schedule. A hard 7.5 miler today in 57:30 (7:40 pace) leads into a longer (and easier paced) 10 miler tomorrow. I'll cool down on Thursday, rest Friday and do another long easy trail on Saturday. I'm looking beyond RTB, so my taper isn't really significant.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Milestones
The title is a good name for a running blog methinks. Anyway, time to update you on my running. Let's start at the beginning of this year. I trained for the Boston Marathon with the goal that it would be a good halfway point for September's Vermont 50. Running 26 miles in April would give me ample time to ramp up to 50 by September. The best laid plans ...
Two weeks before the marathon about 6 miles into an 18 mile trail run I twisted my ankle something awful between a tree root and a rock. I had a painful 4 mile limp/walk back to the car before heading home for ice and elevation. The next morning, I woke to some swelling and discomfort, but not enough to keep me from 15 miles - my body/lungs needed it to keep pace, but my foot/ankle sure didn't. I spent the next two weeks sticking to my marathon training plan as best I could. I must confess, by marathon Monday, I was feeling no pain, but I'm sure the excitement had something to do with it. After the run, I took some time to recover - that time turned into the better part of the month of May.
Losing a month was not in my plan for the Vermont 50 miler, so that goal was lowered to the Vermont 50k. And when June brought the inevitable summer drudgery of oppressive heat, bugs on trail runs, yard work and lawn maintenance, the Vermont 50k became the Vermont "maybe next year". So what to do?
We were already planning our Labor Day West Virginia trip and thus, the Charleston Distance Run. I figured a 15 miler would be a nice easy long run at this part in my training. Instead, it became the new milestone. Come mid July, I got the inevitable and predictable call - I was needed for Reach the Beach Relay. I vaguely remember telling Rich back in January/February timeframe that I'd fill in last minute if he was in a real bind. Of course, July was a little earlier than last minute, but I had no other plans. (Thinking back, given our RTB history, volunteering to fill in if someone drops out last minute is as good as saying, "call me the night before and give me the hardest, longest, uphill legs.")
So I went from one 50 miler in September to two 15 to 20 milers instead. I'm still looking for another ultra though, but this year is winding down fast.
Two weeks before the marathon about 6 miles into an 18 mile trail run I twisted my ankle something awful between a tree root and a rock. I had a painful 4 mile limp/walk back to the car before heading home for ice and elevation. The next morning, I woke to some swelling and discomfort, but not enough to keep me from 15 miles - my body/lungs needed it to keep pace, but my foot/ankle sure didn't. I spent the next two weeks sticking to my marathon training plan as best I could. I must confess, by marathon Monday, I was feeling no pain, but I'm sure the excitement had something to do with it. After the run, I took some time to recover - that time turned into the better part of the month of May.
Losing a month was not in my plan for the Vermont 50 miler, so that goal was lowered to the Vermont 50k. And when June brought the inevitable summer drudgery of oppressive heat, bugs on trail runs, yard work and lawn maintenance, the Vermont 50k became the Vermont "maybe next year". So what to do?
We were already planning our Labor Day West Virginia trip and thus, the Charleston Distance Run. I figured a 15 miler would be a nice easy long run at this part in my training. Instead, it became the new milestone. Come mid July, I got the inevitable and predictable call - I was needed for Reach the Beach Relay. I vaguely remember telling Rich back in January/February timeframe that I'd fill in last minute if he was in a real bind. Of course, July was a little earlier than last minute, but I had no other plans. (Thinking back, given our RTB history, volunteering to fill in if someone drops out last minute is as good as saying, "call me the night before and give me the hardest, longest, uphill legs.")
So I went from one 50 miler in September to two 15 to 20 milers instead. I'm still looking for another ultra though, but this year is winding down fast.
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