Addicted to Exercise

It was absolutely beautiful outside this morning.  The temperature was perfectly cool, and there wasn’t any humidity in the air.  I’m still not committed to running the Marathon in February since I’ll be racing hard a few weeks before it, but I like to leave my options open.  So today I joined the group for the 21-miler just for fun.  Actually, I was only really with the group for the first three miles.  Then I got out ahead where people were a lot more spaced out.

I was a little stiff when I first started out, but after a mile or two that had gone away.  I just focused on being smooth and was amazed at how quickly the miles clicked by.   Before I knew it I had reached the top of the route and was on the way back.  Looking back at my splits I see that I was remarkably consistent the whole way.  A few of the others from the group kept catching up to me as I was leaving each water stop, and they kept telling me I looked good.  That kept me motivated to keep focusing on my form.

Gilbert was out driving around the course checking on us, and I saw him several times.  He seemed pleased, so that was good, too.  The route today was basically the last 20 miles of the marathon course, and I liked the minor adjustments they have made since last year.  It’s still pretty much the same hilly course, but a couple of the meaner spots late in the game have been made a little easier.

Once I got back to Auditorium Shores, I did a handful of strides with some pull-ups mixed in before leading the group in an hour or so of stretching.  That was all a lot of fun.  My pace on the run was good, and my heart rate was nice and low.  It was so awesome outside this morning.  I’m really glad I got to enjoy it, and I feel sorry for anyone that wasn’t out there.

Last night, one of my friends had a little holiday party, and not only did I mess up my nutrition plan pretty well, but I also spent hours there playing drums on this new Rock Band video game and drinking beer.  It was pretty awesome, but my feet were actually pretty worn out afterwards from working the kick pedal.  So, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d feel for the run today.  I did have plenty of water when I got home, though, and I know that helped.
It turned out to be kind of a strange morning.  There was a thick fog, and it was hard to see much during the warm-up.  I arrived about 15 minutes early like I had been doing to get a little more warm-up.  That really seems to be helping since by the time we get to the workout I’m ready to go instead of still warming up on the first interval or two.  At the track, the fog started to go away as we did our drills, but we noticed some strange temperature spots.  It was generally warmer outside, but there were a few pockets around the track where it was really, really cold.  I don’t know what to make of that.

Anyway, Gilbert told me the time he wanted me to do, and it was faster than he’d ever told me to go on these before.  I was a little apprehensive at first, considering my preparation, but I took off and did them anyway.  I had a strong group to run with, and we took the first interval a little easy and picked it up from there.  I just focused on being smooth and graceful, and I didn’t really worry about the speed.  It was there, though.  I felt strong through the whole thing, and I picked up the pace on the last lap.  Amazingly, I knew I could have gone even faster, but I held back a bit to keep things smooth and totally under control.  My times were my fastest set of these ever: 2:59, 2:49, 2:51, 2:49, 2:46, 2:47, 2:46, 2:38.  I recall Gilbert even yelling out something about my form being good, so that’s a good sign, too.

I felt fine on the cool-down run back, did a few stretches, and that was it for the day.  I’m really happy with this one, and I’m glad my legs are feeling this good.

Back before I joined the Gazelles a few years ago, I used to test myself with a four-mile time trial on the trail.  I remember clearly the first time I got under 32 minutes.  I had been trying it for quite a while when finally one of my friends dragged me along, absolutely at the limit of what I could do at the time.  (According to my spreadsheet, that was March 11, 2004.)  I joined up with this group soon after that, but that was my first real taste of really pushing the limit.

I remember when I first started doing Gilbert’s tempo runs.  Back in those days, there was even a five-mile option, but I was doing just four, and by the time I got to where I knew what I was doing four was the max.  I remember seeing a few of the faster runners come back in 24-something for four miles and wondering how anybody could do that.  It was just an unbelievable speed to me.

I’ve been getting consistently faster, and today was a breakthrough day.  I showed up with my legs feeling perfect, and I decided to go for it.  It was pretty cold outside, so I arrived early and did an extra little bit of pre-warm-up before the real warm-up.  That helped a lot.  By the time we finished the drills I was ready to run.

We started, and I took off running fast.  No one was ahead of me.  I heard steps behind me, and I ran just fast enough to stay ahead of them.  I knew I could keep doing what I was doing.  I never had any doubt about that.  I didn’t look at my split at the first mile.  I saw a handful of people on the trail, and I enjoyed flying past them.  It was pretty dark out there.  I actually slowed to a walk at the big dip by the 1.5 mile marker to avoid wiping out.

When I made the turn-around, I picked up the pace.  It came naturally.  I was amazed at how smooth and graceful I felt.  I just decided to move my feet faster, and they responded.  I finally decided to look at my watch after three miles, and when I saw the time I yelled out.  I knew I had it.  I increased my effort a little bit more.  With the last quarter mile, I heard footsteps behind me again.  I didn’t know who it was, but I picked up the pace a little bit to try to stay ahead.  I could not.  It turned out that a few really fast folks had started a bit behind the rest of us, and one of them caught me right before the line.  I was thankful for the extra little burst of speed I got trying to stay ahead.

I ended up taking a huge chunk of time off my previous best, and I had a huge negative split as well.  I did 24:45, with splits of 6:21, 6:21, 6:04, and 5:59.

I did a two-mile cool-down jog, and I got to reflect on the run a little bit.  It seems that once I stopped trying to run fast and started thinking only about running gracefully that I’ve really picked up the pace!  I’m just thankful I get to go out there and do it.  I couldn’t imagine running this fast a few years ago, so there’s no telling what’s ahead.

I guess some days you just end up in the zone.

Like Tuesday, I arrived a little bit early to get a jump-start on the warm-up.  I ran about a mile and a half before I met the group.  Then we all headed over to AHS for the real workout.  I knew Gilbert was going to push me today on the 1000s, and I was ready to go for it.  My mind is a jumbled mess right now, and I knew this would be a good escape.

I took off with my usual group and jumped out in front.  I was surprised at how easy it felt.  It was like I was just gliding forward and my feet weren’t even touching the ground.  I finished that interval and Gilbert said that was too slow so I would have to speed up.  So I ran faster after that, and it still felt effortless.  I could tell that I was very smooth and totally in control.  I just picked it up a little bit on each one, and then Gilbert told me to run even faster on the last one.  I knew I had some more energy left, and I used it.  I felt like I was flying on that last one, and I still felt graceful and totally in control.  Gilbert even yelled out “good form” as I passed where he was standing.  That’s not something I hear every day, but maybe I should start.  I felt like doing some more laps, but that was it for today.  My times were: 3:47, 3:39, 3:37, 3:34, 3:34, 3:24.  That’s by far the fastest set of those I’ve ever done, and that last interval was off the charts compared to what I’ve done before.

I enjoyed the cool-down trip back to RunTex, did a few stretches, and left feeling really good.

This race is special to me.  Five years ago, it was the first race I ever ran.  I had just started my journey into running and getting into shape.  Now I come back and run this race each year as a celebration of the positive changes I’ve made.

I got in really late Wednesday night from my trip.  I discovered it was really cold, so I dug up all sorts of cool-weather gear, not really knowing what I would need in the morning.  I attached my chip to my shoes, got on the internet to find out about race-day registration, set my alarm for early, and fell asleep instantly.

I was still really tired when my alarm went off.  I could barely hold my eyes open.  It felt really cold, so I bundled up and headed out anyway.  I made it down to the park and registered for the race, and then inspiration struck.  I had plenty of time, so I set the alarm clock on my phone and took a nap in my car until it was closer to the start.  That helped a lot, but I miscalculated the time a little bit.  The alarm went off, and I headed out for a warm-up jog.  Thankfully, I warmed up enough on that that I was able to dress reasonably for the race, but I almost missed the start going back and dropping off all my extra clothes.  I snuck through a crack in the gates after the Anthem and was just relieved to be pretty close to the front where I would be able to run from the beginning.

The race started, and I took off running hard.  I left my watch at home and just ran by feel.  I just looked around me and asked myself questions.  How much do I want this?   Am I willing to work harder than these people next to me?  All right.  Let’s go.  In the first mile, I had my doubts.  I knew I was operating outside of the optimal conditions for a great race.  Plus the wind was pretty strong, and we were running into it.  Then I snapped.  All those are great excuses, but I was there to run.  There was no reason I couldn’t run faster than last year’s me, and I switched those thoughts for some that would support me.  I still hadn’t reached the first mile marker yet, and I passed a guy wearing a short that said: “Don’t run with your legs.  Run with your heart.”  I laughed.  That was from the book I read between naps on my plane rides this week.  So I kicked it up a notch.

I was at the first mile in about 6:10.  I knew with the hills still coming up I probably wasn’t going to average under six, but that did not change how I approached it.  In fact, I decided to work a little harder.  I started passing a lot of people in the second mile.  Mile two is pretty easy, and I gained back some time.  I passed the water stops without stopping.  Before I knew it, I was in mile three.  This was the hilly section.  I charged up the hills and passed more people.  I knew I was about half way through the course, and I felt good.  I knew I could just keep going like this.  In that mile, we went through some residential streets, and there were a few spectators outside.

When I made the turn on to Red River, I knew I was in for some rolling hills and a long straightaway.  I had been going back and forth with a guy for a while, and I finally decided that he wasn’t going to get back by me.  I charged up one of the hills and never saw him again.   I tried to be smooth and pick up time on the downhills as well.  That’s a big improvement from last year.  I am a lot more smooth and stable now, and it really helps with that.  I could see from the clocks that I wasn’t going to get under 30, but it was going to be a huge PR.  In mile four, I knew I was working really hard.  The cold air moving through my system hurt as I breathed, and I just kept doing it.

I started telling myself all sorts of things and had a pretty good little positive soundtrack going in my head, and in the fifth mile I was just gliding along on auto-pilot.  We had the one-mile walkers on the side of the road in there as we funneled together for the finish.  I charged up that last monster hill on 10th and passed a few more people even there.  I made the turn to the finish line and pressed on.  I raced a couple guys along that, too.  I ran through the finish line with authority and was surprised at how good my legs still felt.

I  think I was running about as fast as I can sustain, but I could have kept going for a while longer.  I obviously have the endurance and just need to work some more on my turnover.  I’ve been focusing on my running form a lot these last several months, and it’s paying off.  My legs feel completely fine.

I did 30:28 (6:06 pace), and that took 39 seconds off my time from last year.  On a race this short, that is a huge improvement.  I’m just glad I was able to get out there and do it.  Next time, I’ll be under 30 for sure.

So, I was in Las Vegas for a conference for most of this week.  My last run in Austin before that was the tempo last week, and I knew I would miss the long run and more.  I did not know how much time I would have, but I was determined that Thursday morning I would toe the line at the Turkey Trot back in Austin ready to run a PR.  The challenge was that I expected to be in sessions about twelve hours a day and then to go hang out with one of my friends out there most of the rest of the time.

My first thought was to consider a long run Friday before I left, but I had an early meeting at work.  So my next idea was to wake up early on Saturday and run as long as I could before the sessions started.  That didn’t work out so well either.  My connecting flight was delayed by so much Friday evening that I got in really, really late.  For some reason (possibly my wandering around the airport for hours carrying all my stuff), I was really sore all over when I woke up Saturday morning.  I decided to just do some core exercises and commit to running the next day.

I had never been to Las Vegas before.  A couple people had recommended before I left that I should just go running up and down the strip (in the early morning, before it gets covered by a swarm of people).  I stayed out pretty late Saturday night and probably walked close to ten miles (no kidding).  At least I got my bearings straight.

After a brief rest, I got up at the crack of dawn Sunday and took off running.  The big tower of the Stratosphere had been catching my attention the previous day, so that’s where I went first.  I had purposely left my watch resting safely at home.  I wanted to just enjoy these runs every chance I got.  I turned south with the intention of just running until I felt like turning around.  It was pretty awesome to just take in all the outrageous architecture and watch the video screens all up and down the street.  It was cool outside, and my legs felt great.  There are several streets where you go up stairs to a walkway to cross the street instead of waiting for the traffic to clear.  I charged up those with authority, thinking about how that might come back to help me in my hilly race.  I ended up running all the way past the end of the hotels and casinos and found myself at the airport.  I figured that was pretty good, and then I was just blown away when I turned around to look back north.  With the sun coming up, I could see the skyline with the mountains in the background, and it just seemed perfect.  I took off again, having decided I’d run up to the tower again.  People were starting to appear by then, and I shared greetings and a high-five or two with some other runners.  I picked up some more details of the scenery on the way back up, enjoyed all the steps again, and generally felt really good.  Once back at the tower, I decided that was enough for one day and turned back towards my hotel.  I figure I did close to 15 miles in all.  The interesting thing is I didn’t have any gels or water out there, but I didn’t miss them either.  I stretched a bit and headed off to my sessions.

Something odd happened the next day.  I woke up and felt like doing the same thing again.  My legs felt perfect, and I had the energy, so I figured I’d go for it.  I don’t usually do back-to-back runs that long, but I had enjoyed the previous one so much I wanted to experience the whole thing again.  It was just as awesome as the first time.  I did learn a lesson in paying attention, though, as I nearly wiped out on a bump in the road while I was watching one of the video screens.  I also had to cut through one of the casinos this time because a work crew had decided to tear up a large section of the sidewalk outside it.  It’s funny how their buildings are designed there to get people to keep passing by all the games.  My legs felt really, really good.  I even picked up the pace a couple times to give them some variation.  I did some stretching and a little core afterwards, and that energized me for the day.

Now I was forming a habit.  I did it again the next day.  I figured if my legs were going to feel this good I should just keep treating them the same way.  This time, I ran into a guy wearing a Decker shirt.  I was wearing one of my Austin race shirts, too, and we stopped for a minute.  He was from Austin and there on a family vacation, and he was getting a run in while his family was still resting.  I told him to run down to the airport and turn around to enjoy the view if he hadn’t been down there yet.  My legs felt perfect, and I did some more stretching and core when I returned.   In fact, a nagging annoyance I had had for months in my left ankle had even disappeared.  Maybe all I really needed was to back off on the intensity for a few days and focus on being smooth and graceful.

I’m really glad I got to do all that.  I went from not even knowing if I would find time to run to having some of the best runs I’ve ever experienced.  Here’s to some more of that!

I just had what I think is the best long run I’ve ever experienced. Everything just worked perfectly. I met the group early for a 5:30am start from Barton Springs. The route was the out-and-back on Shoal Creek, so you could make it as long or as short as needed. A lot of people were doing 20 miles. My plan was to extend it out to 22, but I had an idea in the back of my mind I might do a little more if the turn-around wasn’t far from 183.

I ended up out towards the front by the end of the first mile, and I had a couple people with my on Lake Austin and Exposition. There was supposed to be a water stop at the middle school on Exposition, but we got through there before it had arrived. I decided that if we reached Shoal Creek before the water did that I was going to wait. Those hills on Exposition don’t really pose much of a challenge when they are this early in the run, and we were on 35th before I knew it. Along there, we started passing people who had started the run earlier, and thankfully the water stop was waiting at Shoal Creek.

Some really, really fast people went by on Shoal Creek, and I just remained in my rhythm. I felt good. My heart rate monitor wasn’t working. I think the batteries are out. I know my effort level pretty well now, though, so I was fine. There was a surprise water stop at White Rock, and I was happy to see it. Shortly after that, on Great Northern, Gilbert and a couple other people passed by. I told Gilbert I felt like I could run 30 miles, and he told me to save it!

I got to the water stop while they were still there, and I kept them in sight as we got back on Shoal Creek. Soon I was at the street which was the recommended turn-around point for 22 miles. I could see 183, so I decided I’d just turn around once I got there. I guess it was a little farther than it looked, because it was a little more than half a mile. I saw Gilbert coming back right before I reached it, and he yelled something to me that I couldn’t understand. I touched the sign, and decreed that now it was time to start running. I was by myself then. No one behind me was going out that far.

I knew then that I was on the way back, and I wondered what people I would see. Somewhere in there, I started laughing. I just felt so good and happy to be out there. I think I scared some people who were almost to the 22-mile turn-around point. Back at the water stop on Foster, I saw some friends who had just reached it on their way out, and I spread as much cheer as they could stand.

Coming back down Great Northern, I enjoyed passing all the people from the other big training group. They were doing several laps around that area, and I was happy that our run was much more interesting. Back on Shoal Creek, I passed several people who were on their way back from shorter distances, and I tried my best to make them laugh.

When I reached the water stop at the end of Shoal Creek, I knew I was almost done. I cut over on 35th to Pecos, and I started catching more people on Scenic. The whole time I practiced bringing myself back any time my mind tried to wander away. There was another unexpected water stop on Scenic before the last big climb. I made a point to just look out over the water and enjoy the view as opposed to thinking about the climb. As I approached the boat docs, I ran into some dude that seemed a bit lost, and he ran with me for a while on Lake Austin Blvd.

The sun was out, and it was getting pretty warm along there, and I was happy that I was almost to the end. My calves tried to cramp up a little but along there, but I knew that I needed to keep moving. I felt like I was on a victory lap once I reached the trail. I laughed some more. I cruised back in to the parking lot at Barton Springs with a big grin on my face and checked the time. Including all the water stops (9 in all I think), I averaged 8:16 per mile for 23.1 miles. Perfect.

I snuck in a quick dip in the cool water before stretching, and that did me some good. Then I did the stretches with the group, and it was hard to control my excitement. I just felt so good after that run, and I know I was being a little loud. My legs were a little tired, but I knew I didn’t have any problems at all. I went back in the water for longer after the stretching, and by the time I got out of there I felt almost back to normal. Then, I tried to take a big step up and realized I needed a little rest. After a couple hours, though, I didn’t even feel sore. Wow! I am so happy I got to go outside and enjoy that!

The long run this weekend was a real confidence booster. We met really early and carpooled up to 183 and Spicewood Springs for the long trip back down. Often when we do this we end at RunTex, but this time we wound around a bit to end up at Barton Springs.

When we started running, I was ahead of my usual group, running by myself. There were only a few people up ahead, and I really had no plans to catch them. I just found my rhythm and went with it. About two miles in, Gilbert drove by and reminded me that I could drop back and run with the group, but I really felt like this was easier. I’ve been working to train my brain so that it constantly pumps me up while I run, and listening to the usual chatter about nagging injuries and tiredness just really doesn’t do good things for me.

The first water stop was at the end of Jollyville after a little more than three miles. I thought I might end up in a group there, but I did not. So, I just kept running. Over the next couple miles, people who were opting for shorter routes started joining in, but they were waiting for people behind me to come along, so I still just ran by myself. Every time my mind tried to take me somewhere else, I just remembered to stay in the moment and enjoy the journey. That worked well.

At the second water stop, I had caught the people in front of me, and I ran with them for maybe half a mile before I just backed off a little bit and let them go ahead. We crossed 183 and headed south on Shoal Creek, and I realized it had been quite a while since we had run this route. I was just in my zone through there, and the sun was starting to light things up. I caught up to the lead group again at the next water stop on Great Northern, but they took off much faster than I did from there.

I knew I was doing well, so I just settled back into my pace. We have run this next section so many times I was on auto-pilot, but I still kept focusing on keeping my senses alive and focused on the present. I tried to take in new details to keep my mind from wandering. I thought we were going to have more water at Hancock, but I didn’t see it. Maybe I got there too fast. I was doing fine, though. I was losing sight of the people in front of me, and I didn’t see anyone coming up behind, so on I went.

We grabbed part of the old 3M course from there and went down to 38th street. I didn’t see the people in front of me, but when I reached the water stop at Shoal Creek there they were. From there, I fell in briefly with a few people who were doing a much shorter run, and they turned off at Exposition. I went on toward Pecos for the trip down Scenic. I saw lots of people from another training group coming up the opposite way through that section, and it felt good to know I was almost finished with my run while it looked like they were just getting started. I really made a point to take in the scenery. We usually run up this section in the dark, but with the sun up I could see all the houses on the other side of the water. It really is a great place to be.

The last official water stop was on Lake Austin Blvd by the boat docs, and I was catching more people who had done shorter routes, but there was still no sign of anyone coming behind me. I cruised down Lake Austin Blvd, grabbed a really quick sip of water at MoPac, and hit the trail. I knew I was running well, and I felt great about it. It’s really amazing how relaxed I felt. I had managed to put aside all the mind chatter and just enjoy the run. I ended up back at Barton Springs to find a couple people doing strides. I did only a few of those myself, but I was happy that I could.

People started getting back, and a handful of us went down to the water for a quick cool dip before stretching. That was awesome. I joined a group of probably around half the entire crew for some stretching, knowing that there would be enough people coming in later that they could all stretch together too. After that I went to the water again to finish cooling off those muscles, and it felt really good.

At the end, I had 20.33 miles on the GPS in 2:49:14. I leave the clock running during the water stops, so my actual running speed was a little faster than the 8:20 average that time would indicate. My heart rate was under control the whole time. (If anything I should have worked harder.) So I feel great about this one. Let’s bring on some more!

Gilbert’s workout calendar for today declared that he was raising the bar. We were doing Wilke, but instead of the usual maximum of 7 or 10, today it was 20. I hadn’t done one of these workouts in a few weeks, so I was not sure what to expect. I think this might have been the first time I’ve taken the short version of the warm-up for this one. I joined everyone else in parking at Robert E Lee instead of running from RunTex. When we arrived at the hill, we found out that we were extending it a bit. We usually just run the incline portion, but this time we started lower and ran to the end of the street to get a little bit of flat running on both ends of each lap.

I took off running, taking it a little bit easier because I wanted to give myself a shot at a new record. It can’t have been that slow though, because I still started to lap some folks after a while. The nice thing was that with the longer recovery I really felt ready to go again each time I got to the bottom. I saw Gilbert after 7 of them, and I asked him how many I should really do. At that time, he said 10, so I kept going. On what was to be my last one, I decided I really wanted to do one more (since 10 was my previous record), and as I passed Gilbert and told him that he said I should do two more. So, I kept going. As I was coming down after number 12, he egged me on again, and I did two more. By then, a lot of people were leaving (including Gilbert), so I figured it was time to switch to backwards and get ready to leave. I did three of those backwards things, and I didn’t even fall once. I fumbled my way through a couple sprints after that, but I could tell I was pretty tired and they weren’t very good.

I feel good now, though. I totally conquered that hill today. After my cool down run, I made a stop at the gym for an upper body workout plus a couple core exercises and a couple light leg exercises. I think that hit the spot, too, because my body felt good the whole rest of the day.

Clearly, I’ve earned an easy recovery day tomorrow!