4 miler, shoulda been a 3

My legs are still tired from that speedy run on Sunday. I'm really proud of that time and the 13 minute improvement from my last 10k, but when I was trying to climb down out of my jeep at starbucks this morning, I decided I don't HAVE to try and shave 5 or 10 minutes off my 1:08 in Lincoln Park this weekend. I'm trying to maximize my racing experience from running these two races back to back, but I have to say when I think back to actually running my two 10ks its all a blur... like I was blacked out or something. My sense of timing throughout the race is all messed up, its really weird, like I'm on the outside of the experience looking in, but I can't remember much exactly.
I ran Red River today, which is a favorite training run for me, because it mandates a little hill practice and as far as I am concerned hills are like intervals without the math. I started out at my pace from Sunday and kept it up for the first two miles but my IT band quickly put me in check. I ran the hills pretty strong, but kept the flats easy and slow for recovery. My cardio was fine, but my leg was killing me, like someone had attached a ball and chain to my left hamstring, so I walked in the last quarter of a mile. I think I will do an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow and friday and leave it at that. Next week, I'm going to start making my runs a little long so I have time to warm up.

race report IBM Uptown Classic

PR's for everyone! Yay!
The race was great, despite my self sabotaging beer consumption the night before. I had a nice (walking) warm up and the cool morning made it easier to get going. I had some trouble when we were running through the mall... some dehydration induced visuals (oops!) that quickly subsided at the next water stop. I knew it was an easy course and my legs felt good and quick. I didn't have any leg pain, mostly pain in my sides from struggling to breathe through my smokers lungs and stuffy nose. I don't want to run with nasal spray running down the back of my throat (yuck) but I will have to try something out if I arrive at the start with a stuffed up nose. I knocked 13 minutes off my first 10k time at the Nike human race. I'm much happier running in the cold, which means I will probably have another strong race next weekend in Chicago, of course, if I don't its really not that big of a deal.
I've got some lingering soreness in my hamstrings, probably a result of compensating for the IT band and from pushing myself to hard in yoga while I was unable to go running, so I will have to take it nice and easy in yoga class this week. All in all I'm super happy about my run (it's a great feeling to get to the mile marker a whole minute before your watch says you should) and glad I am on the road to recovery. I've got another 10k next weekend, then a favorite fall cycling event after that. Good times!

The Human Race

I got back on this blog so I could give myself a big ol pat on the back for completing my first 10k. I trained mostly by myself, getting up at 6 am to beat the Texas summer heat during the hottest summer on record here in the Lone Star State.
I ran the Nike Human Race with Lance Armstron, Aaron Piersol, Matthew McCoughnahey and about 13,000 other people. This was my first running race. My motivation to train for this came from my piss poor pace at the Danskin in June. I actually ran faster in 2004 when I was drinking like a sailor, running on a treadmill and still riding a mountain bike. Something had to be done. I had learned about the awesome couch to 10k plan from the Weight Watchers message boards and decided to give it a try. I think one of the big tricks to following a plan like this, is to adapt the plan to fit your needs and not worry about if you need to take time out to run a little slower or do a little less mileage. The race went really well. I was pleased with my time considering the hot evening, the hilly course and the sketchy water stops. I'm a total nerd with my hydration belt, but I was the envy of many when I circumvented the whole mess and gulped down my water. It's always good experience to go to a big event like this even if it was a little overwhelming for my first running race. It's also good to remember that a 10k is six point TWO miles, so when you pass the 6 mile marker you shouldnt get all confused and slow down, sigh. Good race. Sketchy water. Excellent time.