PF Chang's PR PeRfect!

Wow, the feelings one gets when they hit a PR. I have been at this Half Marathon thing for well over two years now and it just keeps getting better. My first Half Marathon attempt way back in the spring of 2007 was such an accomplishment and it netted me a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 38 seconds. So as the years have gone by my times have gotten faster. I approached PF Chang's with a skeptical attitude, I had just PR'ed back in November in Fresno, CA at the Two Cities Half Marathon with a 1:45:33. Unfortunately thanks to my enjoyment of food, wine and beer and regardless of how far I've run I've put on a few pounds over the Holidays. Last year I had run PF Chang's in 1:47:20 and as one can see that damn "less than 1:45" has always been so close yet so far away. So I figured with PF Chang's I'd approach this years' race with a "see how you feel, see how it goes" type attitude. A short breakdown of the race...

Miles 1 to 6 - Perfect temperatures (40Fs) with some cloudiness. Senator John McCain shoots the starting gun and we are off. Headed out with a faster than normal pace, I wanted to average somewhere around 8:20 a mile as I always have this fear of pushing too hard at the start. Well, I started out in the 8:15 range and then I was up to 8:10, I was feeling pretty good but was I going to pay for it later?

Miles 7 to 9 - Now we've got some small hills but I still seem to have the strength to push maybe a little harder, my Garmin watch now seems to be stuck in the 8:06 range. I begin to wonder, could I possibly push my overall average to under 8 minutes? An overall average less than 8 minutes will get me in that 1:44 range. At this point in the race I am starting to tire a bit and I somewhat doubt if I can push to reach that 8 minute mark.

Miles 10 to 13 - For some reason I get a wonderful kick going. I step it up a notch and tell myself with each push "try it and if you don't like it slow the pace". So I keep pushing it up and somewhere I notice my watch is now at the 8 minute overall average which means I am running somewhere in the 7:30 a mile range. The last mile seems to last forever, I just want to finish at this point, I've given up looking at my watch fearful that a greater than 8 minute average may appear and I'll be dissapointed and shut it down. I continue hard to the finish with one weird dizzy spell and then I cross the finish line. I look down at my watch and am greeted with a time of 1:44:24! Elation and unbelievable feelings of wanting to cry in happiness fall upon me. Yes, I finally beat that demon called 1:45!

What a great race! All that hardwork, all those long runs, all those short runs, all the soreness, etc., etc., it was worth it! I'll talk about the race itself in upcoming blogs. But today, just lovin the moment and enjoying the fact that I am now in the 1:44 category for the Half Marathon, Yipee! Keep running and keep smiling!

Assistance Please! 411 of Running.

Here I am at less than a week away from the Phoenix Rock and Roll Half Marathon. A little nervous, a little excited, a little worried, a little happy, yep a full spectrum of feelings fills this runner a week before a long race. This last week before the race has gone well training wise. My times during my tempo runs, track runs and long distance runs have all been within what I would call an acceptable range.

Last week I had a pretty good track run, run 3x1600 at 7:19 with 800 rests between sets. I was able to keep my times well under the 7:19 number but also since I was feeling so good threw in an extra 800 at a sub 7:00 mile. And my easy "taper before the race" long run on Sunday turned out great also, 9.5 miles at 09:12 a mile average. So where do I get my training help from?

One of the best sources of information for this runner has to be by far, Runner's World Magazine. I can honestly say that out of all my magazine subscriptions this is the one I always look forward to, almost like Christmas day everytime it arrives. The magazine is full of excellent information, from workout programs, stories of inspiration, the latest and greatest equipment to my favorite, their food and health sections. Many healthy meals I create at home are inspired by the recipies I find in Runner's World.

But how can this magazine help one with their training? Here is one of the great parts about the magazine, their website http://www.runnersworld.com/ is even more packed with running goodness. And their Smart Coach page is a perfect place to start if you are thinking about starting running or increasing your distances. You have to set up an account but once you do you can click on their Training section and from there custom build a running program based on your needs. I have been utilizing their Smart Coach now for almost 3 years now and my results have improved with time. And here is the kicker, Smart Coach doesn't cost a dime, nothing, well, maybe the cost of giving them an e-mail address so you can create an account. So what can I say, Runner's World to me is like having the Yellow Pages of Running or the 411 of running at my fingertips, you want information, they've got it.

Well, Sunday will be here before I know it, wish me luck in my quest to get a Half Marathon time under 1:45. Last year I was above 1:47, so keep smilin and keep running.

Happy New Year! Back in black, toenail that is.

Happy 2010 to everyone! I thought I'd start the new year off right, from a runners perspective, a little black trophy greeted me this new year. A first for me, I have never had the famous black toe nail that I have heard so much about from the running community. I can say that I am not at all impressed with it, but it does give one a unique look when bare footed. Though explaining it to my masseuse was no easy task.

I had run my usual Sunday long run, 10 miles out in the desert hills around Phoenix, AZ. If you are interested I was wearing a pair of Brooks Cascadia 4. When I returned home my little toe hurt and it felt like someone had taken a hammer to it. To those of you who have never had one of these this should be your indoctrination into the world of the famous black toenail. Plenty of pain, redness, swelling and after a number of days the trophy of a black toe nail. Of course I was curious what causes this and Google was full of articles and unfortunately pictures. Essentially your toe gets hammered inside your shoe enough to where a blister develops between the toenail bed and the toenail and that blood accumulation spreads thus resulting in that wonderful black color. From this point forward I am not sure what will happen, will the nail grow, will it fall off, stay tuned.

A good article on this phenomenom can be found at Jeff Galloway's website. I like the fact that he says the black toe nail is "a sign that you've moved your training into a higher level". Good info at Jeff's site.

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/injury_archives/black_toe.html

Well the training continues, the Phoenix Rock and Roll Half Marathon is now 2 weeks away for this runner. Had some good runs this week and even wanted to take a day off New Years but toughed it out and ran 4.5 miles because I know the guilt of not running would hang over my head all day long. Keep runnin!