American Family Fitness Richmond Half-Marathon Race Recap

I've wanted to break two hours in a half-marathon since the 2011 Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach half.  At the end of that race, I came in at 2:08:14.  For every half marathon after, I set my time goal of under two hours but never quite managed to get myself over the line in that time.

But, you guys, I finally did it! I'm convinced it's because (1) I've been training, and (2) I went into the AFF Richmond Half-Marathon with the idea that I just wanted to have fun.

Contrary to what weather.com said, it rained for a good portion of the race.  The race started not far from the Virginia Capitol building and ran west toward the convention center, through a few residential neighborhoods, through a beautiful park, more neighborhoods, the VCU campus, and finished up near the riverfront.  There were a few points during the race when I wasn't impressed with the course.  West Broad Street and North Boulevard, for example, weren't the prettiest streets for running, but I did enjoy seeing a few neighborhoods.  The park was beautiful but the path was narrow (and hard to pass) and there wasn't much crowd support until we came out.

Aside from not being sure whether I was hot or cold (I wore a long sleeve shirt and shorts since it rained), I felt strong for most of the race.  I've also been having some trouble with my IT bands, but they didn't cause too much trouble until after the race. 

Previous PR: 2:04:31 2012 RnR USA

New PR: 1:57:25

Average Pace: 8:54

The race organizers put on a really great event, and I'm very excited about the swag.

The medal, tech tee, AND a finisher's blanket 

Medal detail

After this finish, I'm actually really excited to train for my next race: the 2014 Rock 'n' Roll USA marathon in March.  (Yup, the full 26.2....gulp.)  Maybe I'll train but then, on race day, convince myself that I don't care about my time -- with my luck, I'll end up qualifying for Boston.

That would be amazing!

MCM 10K Race Recap

About this time last year, I was on the course of the Marine Corps Marathon, likely cursing myself for signing up for such a ridiculous distance and wishing that it was over.  This year, I ran the Marine Corps 10K and, let me just say, I felt much better at the end of this race than I did at the end of the marathon.

I last ran a 10k in 2011, so I expected to see some improvement in my running.  I'm happy to report a PR, but even happier to report that my dad totally rocked his first 10K with a time of 58:22.

The course starts on the mall, heads east toward the Capitol before looping back down 14th and across the bridge into Crystal City.  From there, it's (mostly) flat to the Iwo Jima memorial in Arlington.  The pack was tight for the first mile, which I didn't mind because it forced me to hold back and gradually settle into my race pace.  The weather and crowd support were perfect.

I'm very pleased the the result of this race.  I'd reached a point in my running, that seemed to start early last year, at which I felt like I wasn't making any progress.  I've made a few changes in my diet, workout schedule, and training plans, and I'm definitely seeing progress again.

Previous record: 58:01 Capitol Hill Classic 2011
MCM 10K net time (official) 53:37
Average pace: 8:38

Next up, the Richmond Half!

Army Ten-Miler 2013 Race Round-Up

I last ran the Army 10-Miler back in 2011, and, because of the crowds, I wasn't entirely sure that I'd want to run it again.  (I also say this every year about the Cherry Blossom race and, yet, I seem to keep entering the lottery.)  When the fields are large for races shorter than half-marathons, I sometimes find it hard to get enough running space to settle into a pace that I like and stick with it.  Part of the battle is getting into the right starting corral, which happened this year.

I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get to the Pentagon, drop off my bag, and line up, so I left my apartment this morning at 6:30, caught the trains just right, and got to Pentagon with what I thought was plenty of time to take care of everything.  I was right on schedule until the security checkpoint set up before the corrals.  I don't know how the race organizers managed this, but there was only one entrance and maybe 20,000 runners who needed to get through.  I spent a lot of time standing in one place until they opened up a second checkpoint only moments before my wave was scheduled to start.  I made it up to the start just in time.

The pack was tight for the first few miles of the race, but things thinned just enough after the third mile. Since I'm running a race next weekend, I wanted to push myself just enough to set a PR and not injure myself.  I'm proud of myself for running a consistent race (which I'm, happily, doing much more these days).

Here are the numbers:

Previous 10-Mile Record: 1:33:10 (Army 10-Miler 2011)
Current 10-Mile PR (and course record): 1:32:18
Average pace: 9:04

Next up, I'm running with Marine Corps 10K with my dad.  Then, I'll focus on my training for the Richmond Half in November.

Deadspin: How Far Did Rocky Run?

Oh, Internet!  Ask and ye shall receive!

Over at Deadspin, someone created a route to determine how far Rocky would have run to hit all of the locations in the Rocky II training montage.

What’s always amused me about this scene is how absolutely little sense Rocky’s route makes: South Philly becomes North Philly becomes the Italian Market becomes North Philly again, and so on. Obviously, the montage isn’t meant to be taken seriously as an actual workout; it’s just a few scenes strung together so “Gonna Fly Now” can play and Rocky can finish at the top of the Art Museum steps.

Has the city not figured out that this would make an amazing ultramarathon?

RnR Philadelphia Half-Marathon Race Recap

It's been a while -- almost two months -- since I've posted.

I really didn't have it in me to write about my training.  When I'm not racing every weekend, the posts seem to blend together.  I abandoned my SmartCoach plan in July and, on most days, ran as much and as fast as I felt like.  It was the most pleasant training experience I've had.  

On Saturday, Stef and I went up to Philadelphia for the Rock 'n' Roll Half.  I had such a good time the last time I ran a race in Philadelphia (see what I did there?), I was looking forward to running in the city again.  The course was flat, covering the center city area and the Schuylkill River trail.  Before the race, Stef and I completed one of the items on my bucket list: running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art -- Rocky style.

The view from the top is amazing.

I may not have been in shape to run a sub-2:00 race, but I kept telling myself to run the first half somewhere in the neighborhood of a 9:00 to 9:30 pace and pick it up during the second.  I kept an eye on my watch during the first half and noticed a few times when I was running a sub-9:00 and had to tell myself to pull back.

I started to lose steam in the second half of the race and never really pushed myself faster than I ran the first half of the race.  According to my watch, I hit 13.1 around 2:04.  My official race time is 2:05:07.

I feel good about this.  I registered for the Richmond Half Marathon in November, and I intend to train. (For real.) It should help that fall running is much more pleasant than summer running.  Between now and that half, I have the Army 10 Mile Race and the Marine Corps 10K.

Beating the Heat

So, it's hot.  Although my running hasn't suffered completely, I haven't been getting in as many miles as my SmartCoach plan suggests because of the heat.  The folks over at Yahoo Shine shared some useful tips for safe running in summer heat.  I may have to pair these with tips for getting out of bed before work to get my run in.

Ze Frank Illustrates the Average Human Lifespan in Jelly Beans

My blog is three years-old! I still find it hard to believe that I've been running (and writing about it) for that long.  I feel like I should do something to celebrate -- like write a substantial update about my running and my race plan for the fall.  (Also, you guys, I bought a bike! It's beautiful, and I'm so excited to mix in cycling into my workout routine...and maybe sign up for a duathalon.)

I'll get to an update, I promise. 

Until then, here's a colorful reminder to cherish the time we have.  Ze Frank used Jelly Beans to illustrate the average life span and how that time is spent. 

(h/t The Laughing Squid)

Zero Prostate Cancer 4-Miler Race Round-Up

Oh, hey! It's been a while (posts containing YouTube videos and exclamations about fast miles not withstanding)!

What have I been up to?  Officially, the six few weeks have been spent training for the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half in September.  After two tries at Operation Sub-2:00, I figure that the third time has to be the charm.  (Also, I do just want to have fun because Philadelphia is an excellent city for racing.)  I'm using Smart Coach as the basis of my training plan and, so far, it seems to be working.  I'm running a lot, and the work that I've put in so far is definitely paying off.

My dad is in town this weekend for the Zero Prostate Cancer 4-Miler (formerly the Dash 4 Dad 4-Miler).  I wasn't focused on setting a PR, but I did want to run a consistent race. 

We started out together, but it took some time to find running room and settle into a good pace.  A bit into the race, I went ahead but my dad wasn't too far behind for most of the run. All told, I had a really great race (and it will always be humbling to be passed by cancer survivors and parents pushing jogging strollers).  And, bonus, I set a PR! 

Previous record: 36:10 (2012 Dash 4 Dad 4-Miler)
Net time: 35:08
Average pace: 8:47

Dad finished in 38:10, for an average pace of 9:33.  This continues to be my favorite way to spend Father's Day!

Hot Damn!

Either my watch is broken, or I ran my first sub-8:00 minute mile on my run today!

Or...

I dressed appropriately, have been eating balanced meals, have been getting enough sleep, and have followed through on my strength and speed workouts and ran my first sub-8:00 minute mile today.  I could get used to this -- especially the parts that involve treating my body well.

Oh well...

On the bright side, I save something in the neighborhood of $250 in race registration fees plus the cost of travel, a hotel in New York City, and other expenses.