Something 'clicked' when I saw this on the screen - a very surreal feeling!
Confirmation:
You have a confirmed spot in the ING New York City Marathon 2009.
Entry #344XXX
Please use this number for any correspondence relating to your marathon entry
Joshua Parks
United States
The following fees have been charged to your account ending: XXXX.
Processing Fee: $11.00
Entry Fee: $138.00
Total: $149.00
Welcome to the 2009 race. This year you will be part of an extra special event as we celebrate our 40th running. Before you step onto the starting line, you might enjoy reading New York Times writer Liz Robbins’ book “A Race Like No Other”, and watching Judd Erlich’s documentary “Run For Your Life” ( Click Here). Thank you for joining us.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Nearly Soloing the Brooklyn Bridge & City Hall out and back
After a long day of sitting around and doing shopping, I was literally hoping around at dinner. I suggested a run and Steph said, 'sounds great, but it's late.' Undaunted, I strapped on my running shoes and jumped out to start my run at 9:42.
Finishing 34 minutes later I'd put another 4.3 miles in the bag. That and I'd run both the Brooklyn Bridge and the loop around City hall. For comparison, I ran this same course (minus City Hall) in late 2007 - but in 32 minutes. Thus I effectively ran around City Hall in 2 minutes (which is impossible).
Details:
4.3 miles
34 Degrees (22 degrees w/ windchill)
Pace: 7:47 average
(pace was 7:24 on the return part of the Bridge when I pushed the tempo)
Average Heart Rate: 164 (which is high for a recovery run, but this was more of a 'I had a light but fast weekend' run, which means all bets were off)
Pumped it up to 183 on the uphill before shutting it down and cruising on the downhill side of the bridge.
General overall feeling: amazing. I've been feeling down lately during my running as the reality that I'm not going to run a 7 minute pace for the Marathon sets in - that's a longer time on the road. But this pace (7:40's) felt pretty great, even though this was admittedly very short. My stated goal for the Marathon will be 8 mins flat. But my stretch goal will be in the 7:45 area. And I think I can reach it.
Mostly I just enjoyed pushing the tempo on the vertical seeming uphill of the way out of Manhattan - there's something about pumping that hill that just feels great. That and the fact that the V. Narrows bridge is there, out over the right shoulder, gleaming green in the distance.
I love my new slower paced system, but sometimes you just have to burn a little rubber.
Recovery:
2 mins: solid 100/99 bpm
5 min: 93 bpm
Finishing 34 minutes later I'd put another 4.3 miles in the bag. That and I'd run both the Brooklyn Bridge and the loop around City hall. For comparison, I ran this same course (minus City Hall) in late 2007 - but in 32 minutes. Thus I effectively ran around City Hall in 2 minutes (which is impossible).
Details:
4.3 miles
34 Degrees (22 degrees w/ windchill)
Pace: 7:47 average
(pace was 7:24 on the return part of the Bridge when I pushed the tempo)
Average Heart Rate: 164 (which is high for a recovery run, but this was more of a 'I had a light but fast weekend' run, which means all bets were off)
Pumped it up to 183 on the uphill before shutting it down and cruising on the downhill side of the bridge.
General overall feeling: amazing. I've been feeling down lately during my running as the reality that I'm not going to run a 7 minute pace for the Marathon sets in - that's a longer time on the road. But this pace (7:40's) felt pretty great, even though this was admittedly very short. My stated goal for the Marathon will be 8 mins flat. But my stretch goal will be in the 7:45 area. And I think I can reach it.
Mostly I just enjoyed pushing the tempo on the vertical seeming uphill of the way out of Manhattan - there's something about pumping that hill that just feels great. That and the fact that the V. Narrows bridge is there, out over the right shoulder, gleaming green in the distance.
I love my new slower paced system, but sometimes you just have to burn a little rubber.
Recovery:
2 mins: solid 100/99 bpm
5 min: 93 bpm
Pretty Happy with the Results
What can I say - Josh threw down the gauntlet when he insisted that my time should be below 9:00. I slacked off training this week and my diet on the road wasn't great as I was stressed out about some logistics at work and really wasn't focused like I should have been. I'm hoping to be more focused this week - particularly if I want to run 9 miles as planned for Sat this week.
Results from NYRR from the race said that I finished the 5K in 26:59, or 8:42 per mile. Since running the 1-mile race in September last year I've been getting steadily faster in my times and this was a big improvement. In October I ran 5M at 9:58, Nov I did 4M in 9:43 and my first race of this year was 9:24 for a 5M. Today's distance was only 3 miles but I did a nice 2M warm up to get a little loose after a week of sitting on my computer without running.
My heart was pounding hard for this one. Compared to my training runs where I'm trying to keep it under 165 I was way out there at 175 for most of this run but didn't feel too bad.
Overall very happy and planning to work hard to make this a solid week of training.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
New PR - Al Gordon Snowflake 5K
Today I ran the Al Gordon, who's still alive at 107, 5k in Prospect Park.
Race Results:
Overall place - 499
Gender place - 444
Age place - 89
Net time - 22:11
Ave. per mile - 7:09 (which is the number of the house in which I grew up!)
Notes on the race:
There was a huge disturbance in the force as I picked up my blue race bib - which meant that I could line up with the elites for the first time in my NYRR career. Hoping to live up to the billing of my 360 bib number, I jumped in the coral after a nice warm up with Brian. The first mile was basically straight up hill.
Per mile times:
#1: 6:58
#2: 7:09
#3: 7:19
rest: 47 seconds
I stopped to tie my shoe (which was initially tied in the corral before the race) - it looks from this like I 'lost' 10 seconds during the re-tie exercise - bummer! You can see the V in my heart rate, right by the dotted vertical line.
This race reminded me how hard it is too improve, as I ended up beating my personal best by nearly a minute, and yet, didn't run my fastest per mile race ever for NYRR - that would be the 4 mile 7:04 per mile burner that I completed last Mother's Day (thanks MOM!). Even with those ten seconds back I was not as fast as last May. But I'm certainly 100% faster than I was last February.
Along those lines I wanted to illustrate how the 'new' training method was playing out. Remember that the concept is to run longer, slower and build cardiac capacity. As you can see from the graphic above - my heart rate average per exercise is clearly coming down (with a couple of exceptions like the recent races), and my pace is staying the same (not pictured) or even going up, especially for long runs.
Another nice thing to pick up from this chart is that my miles are going up very quickly - back to a higher per week level than before Dylan was born (in July 2008 - note the dramatic fall off as well as the quiet period just before 2008 close). I thought that this was hands down the chart of the day.
I'll try to keep integrating interesting graphics, especially when they are this 'telling' or illustrative.
As seems to be a common theme for me lately, this race was a win on many fronts, but left me with a feeling of what could be, rather than of complete accomplishment. It felt a lot harder than I'd expected. So I've got to get out more frequently, push the pace, run some hills, and leave the excuses (and old times!) behind.
I am very proud of Brian and will comment on his blog when he posts - I also expect that he'll share the pedometer of our run today - I don't want to upstage him.
Race Results:
Overall place - 499
Gender place - 444
Age place - 89
Net time - 22:11
Ave. per mile - 7:09 (which is the number of the house in which I grew up!)
Notes on the race:There was a huge disturbance in the force as I picked up my blue race bib - which meant that I could line up with the elites for the first time in my NYRR career. Hoping to live up to the billing of my 360 bib number, I jumped in the coral after a nice warm up with Brian. The first mile was basically straight up hill.
Per mile times:
#1: 6:58
#2: 7:09
#3: 7:19
rest: 47 seconds
I stopped to tie my shoe (which was initially tied in the corral before the race) - it looks from this like I 'lost' 10 seconds during the re-tie exercise - bummer! You can see the V in my heart rate, right by the dotted vertical line.
This race reminded me how hard it is too improve, as I ended up beating my personal best by nearly a minute, and yet, didn't run my fastest per mile race ever for NYRR - that would be the 4 mile 7:04 per mile burner that I completed last Mother's Day (thanks MOM!). Even with those ten seconds back I was not as fast as last May. But I'm certainly 100% faster than I was last February.
Along those lines I wanted to illustrate how the 'new' training method was playing out. Remember that the concept is to run longer, slower and build cardiac capacity. As you can see from the graphic above - my heart rate average per exercise is clearly coming down (with a couple of exceptions like the recent races), and my pace is staying the same (not pictured) or even going up, especially for long runs.Another nice thing to pick up from this chart is that my miles are going up very quickly - back to a higher per week level than before Dylan was born (in July 2008 - note the dramatic fall off as well as the quiet period just before 2008 close). I thought that this was hands down the chart of the day.
I'll try to keep integrating interesting graphics, especially when they are this 'telling' or illustrative.
As seems to be a common theme for me lately, this race was a win on many fronts, but left me with a feeling of what could be, rather than of complete accomplishment. It felt a lot harder than I'd expected. So I've got to get out more frequently, push the pace, run some hills, and leave the excuses (and old times!) behind.
I am very proud of Brian and will comment on his blog when he posts - I also expect that he'll share the pedometer of our run today - I don't want to upstage him.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Bethesda MD: 21+ mile weekend
Saturday
Ran Rock Creek Park with my sister in law Diane
Map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2563684
Distance: 9.14 miles
Time: 1:26.28
Heart Rate Average: 148
Comments: It's great to run with Diane. We chat and catch up and she tends to push me harder than I'd like for my recovery runs - I won't admit it to her but maybe she'll read the blog. This was an immensely beautiful run, and one that I will certainly add to my 'usuals' when I'm in Bethesda. We parked just outside the limits (you can see the parking lot in the zoomed in Satellite view right by the start...
Started out nice and easy and then increased the pace on the return (uphill). Diane really killed it over the last mile and it was all I could do to keep up.
Sunday
Capital Crescent Trail Solo
Map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2563682
Distance: 12.18 (going by the map ped because my footpod wasn't working)
Time: 1:40.56
Heart Rate Average: 153
Comments: The distance is likely a bit high because I was having footpod problems at the beginning and started and stopped a couple of times. City street run to the trail, which is paved. Ran on the side of the trail for much of the run in an attempt to soften the footfalls and decrease the pounding. Ran almost all the way down to Georgetown, and had I know how close I was I would have continued. Felt great on the uphill, although I was running in the 9 min per mile pace. All the downhill at the beginning and a nice 'kick' back up into the neighborhood completed an enjoyable and impressive training run. Note that the heart rate is staying down and the speed is slowly but surely ticking up.
Final comment - my legs feel surprisingly fresh for a 20+ mile weekend with only slight tenderness in my knees. My ankles on the other hand feel a bit battered from the uneven ground (I always run on asphalt). And I'm a little tired, but in general it's amazing how my 'typical' run is now ticking up into the 8 plus mile mark without really even noticing it. A 'long' run of less than 10 miles feels like a bit of a ripoff, with something missing.
I'm still somewhat frustrated by the relatively modest improvement in my per mile times - but I know that it's too soon to see major improvements and that I'm carrying some lactic acid from run to run. It takes a couple of days to clear and I'm not necessarily giving myself enough time. Still it will feel pretty great to tick off 5 spot on 7 minute miles again. But now is the time for patience to let this training regimen take its course. Remember the marathon is still 9 months away...
Ran Rock Creek Park with my sister in law Diane
Map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2563684
Distance: 9.14 miles
Time: 1:26.28
Heart Rate Average: 148
Comments: It's great to run with Diane. We chat and catch up and she tends to push me harder than I'd like for my recovery runs - I won't admit it to her but maybe she'll read the blog. This was an immensely beautiful run, and one that I will certainly add to my 'usuals' when I'm in Bethesda. We parked just outside the limits (you can see the parking lot in the zoomed in Satellite view right by the start...
Started out nice and easy and then increased the pace on the return (uphill). Diane really killed it over the last mile and it was all I could do to keep up.
Sunday
Capital Crescent Trail Solo
Map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2563682
Distance: 12.18 (going by the map ped because my footpod wasn't working)
Time: 1:40.56
Heart Rate Average: 153
Comments: The distance is likely a bit high because I was having footpod problems at the beginning and started and stopped a couple of times. City street run to the trail, which is paved. Ran on the side of the trail for much of the run in an attempt to soften the footfalls and decrease the pounding. Ran almost all the way down to Georgetown, and had I know how close I was I would have continued. Felt great on the uphill, although I was running in the 9 min per mile pace. All the downhill at the beginning and a nice 'kick' back up into the neighborhood completed an enjoyable and impressive training run. Note that the heart rate is staying down and the speed is slowly but surely ticking up.
Final comment - my legs feel surprisingly fresh for a 20+ mile weekend with only slight tenderness in my knees. My ankles on the other hand feel a bit battered from the uneven ground (I always run on asphalt). And I'm a little tired, but in general it's amazing how my 'typical' run is now ticking up into the 8 plus mile mark without really even noticing it. A 'long' run of less than 10 miles feels like a bit of a ripoff, with something missing.
I'm still somewhat frustrated by the relatively modest improvement in my per mile times - but I know that it's too soon to see major improvements and that I'm carrying some lactic acid from run to run. It takes a couple of days to clear and I'm not necessarily giving myself enough time. Still it will feel pretty great to tick off 5 spot on 7 minute miles again. But now is the time for patience to let this training regimen take its course. Remember the marathon is still 9 months away...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
DID IT
In Boston today but made it out for my 7 mile run in the cold.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2559610
More later
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2559610
More later
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Bittersweet second 1/2 in three weeks
The Bronx Half Marathon is now in the bag. And it is with mixed emotions that I compose the blog. First off I ran a great first 3/4 of the race. Unfortunately because I was so fast on the first portion I had nothing in the tank to finish. I'm disappointed by my really weak 'kick' that lasted for the last three miles.
To give you a sense of how fast I went out:
Last March 2nd I ran a 23:06 5k - today's first 3 miles took 22:43 more or less equaling that pace. My best ever 10k is 48:16 - and I ran the first 6 miles today in 46:15 which ~ 47:45! Clearly, WAY TOO FAST for a 1/2 marathon for me at this point, but it felt good. Lesson learned.
Official results:
Heart Rate was just too high the entire race - and the complete breakdown after mile 10 marks a real opportunity for improvement. However I did manage to improve my per mile time by 9 mins per mile and my overall time by 1 minute and 46 seconds - not bad for two weeks of training! I just wish I would have left a bit more energy for the rolling hills of the Grand Concourse - those were real killers! Next year!
A special thank you to Steph and Dylan who were there - in the bitter wind - to see me run and give me a hug at the finish. It was great to see them and I really needed their support to pull through that last mile and 1/10th! Perhaps we'll have some fun video to post later in the week from Steph...
To give you a sense of how fast I went out:
Last March 2nd I ran a 23:06 5k - today's first 3 miles took 22:43 more or less equaling that pace. My best ever 10k is 48:16 - and I ran the first 6 miles today in 46:15 which ~ 47:45! Clearly, WAY TOO FAST for a 1/2 marathon for me at this point, but it felt good. Lesson learned.
Official results:
| OverallPlace | GenderPlace | Age Place | Finish Time | Pace/ Mile |
| 1074/ 3668
| 891 | 178 | 01:46:50 | 08:09 |
| Mile | Time | Ave. Heart Rt. | Mile | Time | Ave. Heart Rt. | Mile | Time | Ave. Heart Rt. |
| 1 | 07:41 | 164 | 7 | 08:02 | 176 | 13 | 09:15 | 175 |
| 2 | 07:32 | 169 | 8 | 08:01 | 176 | 0.1 | 00:51 | 183 |
| 3 | 07:30 | 171 | 9 | 08:01 | 177 |
|
|
|
| 4 | 07:45 | 172 | 10 | 08:37 | 175 |
|
|
|
| 5 | 07:45 | 176 | 11 | 08:33 | 176 |
|
|
|
| 6 | 08:02 | 176 | 12 | 08:41 | 175 |
|
|
Heart Rate was just too high the entire race - and the complete breakdown after mile 10 marks a real opportunity for improvement. However I did manage to improve my per mile time by 9 mins per mile and my overall time by 1 minute and 46 seconds - not bad for two weeks of training! I just wish I would have left a bit more energy for the rolling hills of the Grand Concourse - those were real killers! Next year!
A special thank you to Steph and Dylan who were there - in the bitter wind - to see me run and give me a hug at the finish. It was great to see them and I really needed their support to pull through that last mile and 1/10th! Perhaps we'll have some fun video to post later in the week from Steph...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Finally a good week
Very solid run today. My Nike+ said it was 5.5M but my gmaps measurement said 6M. I'm not that worried - spent 60min at ~10min/mile pace so it is what I needed to do for today to keep inline with my training plan. Tomorrow I'm out with Liam all day doing a lot of walking but I might try to make it to the gym for some cross training as scheduled.
Was planning to drive to Boston on Tues which will mess up my training but I think we're moving our meeting up to Mon afternoon so I'll be driving on my Mon rest day and will be able to do my run on Tues as planned in the morning. I felt a lot better doing my run today after having done the 3 runs during the week. This is what I need to do to get the ball rolling on the training and I'm feeling positive and energized about the plan ahead of me though I'd like to pick up the pace somehow - maybe when my cardio is better in a month or two.
Was planning to drive to Boston on Tues which will mess up my training but I think we're moving our meeting up to Mon afternoon so I'll be driving on my Mon rest day and will be able to do my run on Tues as planned in the morning. I felt a lot better doing my run today after having done the 3 runs during the week. This is what I need to do to get the ball rolling on the training and I'm feeling positive and energized about the plan ahead of me though I'd like to pick up the pace somehow - maybe when my cardio is better in a month or two.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Vote of no confidence
Bummer....just noticed someone voted that I won't finish the marathon....I need to work hard to instill some confidence out there. Here is a gadget with my last 5 runs (click on arrow to move through them). Clear to see the consistency of the treadmill runs.
Two days and counting
It was really hard, but I dragged my sorry ass out of bed this morning and hit the treadmill for another 3 mile jog today. I am trying out my new pace ~8:30 mixing it up with my regular pace of around 9:30-10:00. Felt good this morning and I was able to keep my HR under 165 which is the level at which I start to feel fatigue accumulate quickly.
I'm going to be vigilant in my training using the Higdon plan - which means another 3 miles tomorrow morning then I'll hit the pavement Sat for a nice 6 mile jog (which should fit okay into the calendar/schedule this week).
I'm going to be vigilant in my training using the Higdon plan - which means another 3 miles tomorrow morning then I'll hit the pavement Sat for a nice 6 mile jog (which should fit okay into the calendar/schedule this week).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Finally - I'm pathetic...gotta make Feb a turnaround month
I'm having a really hard time making the time and mustering the motivation to get out and log the miles. I'm on the road in Boston every week working til after dark and commuting in the morning out to the client which requires gettin up really early to exercise.
My second part of the challenge is managing my diet on the road (and at home, but to a lesser extent). I'm eating well today. Cup of fresh fruit for breakfast, salad (veggie only, no dressing) and a pear for lunch with some water. I have an apple for later this afternoon. Will have a crappy hotel salad for dinner as the other options are all heavy butter laden fare (i.e., wings, burgers, potatoes...you get the idea).
At least I got up and ran this morning. Logged 3 miles on the treadmill and they did some upper body weights to improve my strength (which is miserable).
Here is my plan starting with my 3miles this morning from HalHigdon.com
My second part of the challenge is managing my diet on the road (and at home, but to a lesser extent). I'm eating well today. Cup of fresh fruit for breakfast, salad (veggie only, no dressing) and a pear for lunch with some water. I have an apple for later this afternoon. Will have a crappy hotel salad for dinner as the other options are all heavy butter laden fare (i.e., wings, burgers, potatoes...you get the idea).
At least I got up and ran this morning. Logged 3 miles on the treadmill and they did some upper body weights to improve my strength (which is miserable).
Here is my plan starting with my 3miles this morning from HalHigdon.com
Cadman Plaza Early Morning Run (note Parkes middle name)
On my run today I was thinking 'this next 1/2 is a real opportunity to blaze a new trail and crack my speed record' - but my legs remindedme that I'm still carrying a ton of lactose in my legs from the first1/2!Run: 4.83 miles over a packed 'track' artificial surface. I ran the first two miles slow, then cranked out two miles in 16 minutes (well 1.98 so it was an 8:04 per mile pace - plenty fast for me - and my 'race' pace for the 1/2 certainly). Absolutely no pressing or difficulty. However my heart rate did creep up - it was snowing - to around 160 toward the end. So tomorrow I'll run a slow four miler.Notes: I really appreciated the softness of the track surface (it's not a track but a circular path about three feet wide around one of the parks in downtown Brooklyn). Running this track will become one of my weekly runs as I do love the soft feel and am very, very keen to reduce the pounding on my legs. Also, it's 1/3rd of a mile, which is better than the 1/4 mile tracks I've run on before. There are some transitions to tile, but generally it is very soft.
Conditions: near freezing with a light wind and drifting slight snow.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
'Long' Sunday training run
Description: Slow and easy training run.
Route: Out through Dumbo, then out to Redhook and back
Pace: 9:34 min/mile = Painfully slow, thus although I ran for an hour and fourteen mintues, (my 15k time), I only managed 7.74 miles
Heart rate average: 150 bpm (I finally got a new battery, so that's probably right). Ran in the zone of 144 to 155 but snuck up to 160 a couple of times. Never 'pushed it' - just nice and slow and easy.
Notes: I stopped a couple of times either to wait for a car, or to just enjoy the view. Also, instead of pushing through I stopped briefly to injest my gel at 38 minutes - which ended up right in the middle of my run.
I should get a water belt for these long runs or take money to buy some water at a bodega.
Health: my legs got heavy and a bit tight toward the end...this was a big week for me at 19.9 miles. Niggly little things in my right knee (very slight) and left anterior ankle (needs stretching).
Route: Out through Dumbo, then out to Redhook and back
Pace: 9:34 min/mile = Painfully slow, thus although I ran for an hour and fourteen mintues, (my 15k time), I only managed 7.74 miles
Heart rate average: 150 bpm (I finally got a new battery, so that's probably right). Ran in the zone of 144 to 155 but snuck up to 160 a couple of times. Never 'pushed it' - just nice and slow and easy.
Notes: I stopped a couple of times either to wait for a car, or to just enjoy the view. Also, instead of pushing through I stopped briefly to injest my gel at 38 minutes - which ended up right in the middle of my run.
I should get a water belt for these long runs or take money to buy some water at a bodega.
Health: my legs got heavy and a bit tight toward the end...this was a big week for me at 19.9 miles. Niggly little things in my right knee (very slight) and left anterior ankle (needs stretching).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)