New Shoes!

I ran for the first time in my new pair of shoes last night, and I'm really happy with them.  I expected to walk in and buy another pair of either Asics or Brooks Adrenaline shoes (I've worn about 6 or 7 pair of them).  Turns out, after going through a thorough gait analysis at the store and trying on about a half-dozen pair, I chose a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire shoes.

I had been wearing Brooks because they are great motion control shoes.  Turns out I don't pronate as much as I thought, plus I've lost a little weight over the past few years.  The Mizuno shoes do provide a moderate amount of support, but they do not have as much material as the Brooks.  Translation = less bulk, less weight.  I barely noticed they were there, which is how you want shoes to feel... especially on the first run.

A "Short" 12 Mile Run

As strange as it sounds, I went on a quick 12 mile run this morning.  A few weeks ago that would have been considered a really long run but as I've sandwiched this one between a 16, 18 and 20 miler I savored this relatively short one this morning.

I've been trying out some mid-run "fueling" in preparation for the longer distances.  Runs over 90 minutes mid-run nourishment, so I'm looking for the best combination of food/drink for the race.  I find gels easiest... I don't get hungry while running and Larabars/PowerBars/etc. just don't settle with me very well.  I found some jellybeans that are good, but they seem like they are full of sugar (which makes me thirsty).  The key is to find something that works and makes you feel good - some of the stuff I've tried isn't easy to digest, and that's the last thing I want to worry about.  I'm also going to phase in a new pair of running shoes - shoes last about 6 months and/or 300-400 miles,and since the race is 42 days away, it's a good time to break in the new pair.

GTIS 1/2 Marathon & 16 Miler

The next few weeks will be heavy on the mileage before I start tapering in advance of the marathon.  This week I'm running 46 miles in 8 days.

I ran the Georgetown-Idaho Springs Half last Saturday - it was a great day in the mountains (starting temps in the 50's, finishing temps in the 70's).  Great crowd (it felt much bigger than last year) and an improved post-race expo.  For the money, this is one of the better 1/2 marathons in Colorado.  It costs about $40 - I'd pay $50 if they gave you a medal after finishing though.  In lieu of medals, this race provides t-shirts to finishers.  All of the money goes toward the local high school, so it's for a good cause.

I ran at about the same time (2:08) as last year - disappointing as I was hoping for a better time but I ended up running with a painful side stitch for the last 10 miles which really slowed me down.  I normally do not have trouble with side stitches - I chalk it up to the "extra" fuel that I ate/drank right before the race - a couple of bananas, a couple of Powerade bottles, water, coffee and cereal.  On a normal run I'd eat some fruit and cereal, that's about it.  In hindsight, I was hydrating well in the days before the race, and that's all I really needed.  One of the reasons I did this race was to get myself in a "race routine", so I'm glad I did it. 

My next race is the Boulder Backroads 1/2 Marathon, which is unique in that 85% of the course is on dirt roads - easier on the body.  I'd love to PR that race... I've been disappointed with my recent 1/2's and I know I can do better.

I was up at 3:15 this morning to do my 16 mile run... only 2 more "long" runs left (18 & 20 miles)!  I didn't expect to see anyone out at 4am, but I actually saw 4 other runners in the first hour of the run - believe it or not, I saw more runners that cars.  Rock on, Colorado!

Race Week

I've "disrputed" my training schedule to run the Georgetown-Idaho Springs 1/2 Marathon this Saturday.  Instead of running 15 this weekend I'll run 13.1 - slightly less than prescribed but it will be great to get out and run a race.  I've only done one race so far this year - as of this time last year I had done four.  I'd like to beat my time from last time and I'm feeling a bit tired, so I've tapered down my mileage for this week.  I'll be done by 10 on Saturday morning, so I'll have plenty of time to rest and kick up the mileage in a big way next week.

I've been running the 1/2 marathon distance for a few weeks.  There are a few variables that will come into play on Saturday - the altitude (8500 feet) and terrain (1,500 foot elevation gain, 2,500 foot elevation loss)... much different from what I've been used to (I train at 6,000 feet).  My next race (Boulder Backroads 1/2) is full of rolling hills, so this will be a nice tune up for that race, too.  The Chicago Marathon is about as flat as it gets, so I'm betting that these will help me prepare, both mentally and physically.

Tune Up Races

Routines.  As much as we hate to admit that we like them, most of us need them.

Same goes for racing.  There is a big difference between heading out on a weekend run and running any sort of race - there is the preparation, the drive, parking, finding a bathroom, pre-race anxiety, etc.  Get used to the routine and the anxiety goes away.  Well, sort of.

With that in mind, I've registered for two half-marathons between now and the Chicago Marathon.  My first will be August 14 in Georgetown, Colorado at the Georgetown-Idaho Springs 1/2 Marathon.  I ran this race last week and learned a lot about preparation... running 2000+ feet higher than I'm used to makes a difference!

My second will be the Boulder Backroads 1/2 Marathon on September 19th.  85% of the route will be on dirt roads, which is so much easier on the body.

Scheduling is always a challenge - I'll need to move my long run up a week to make it all happen - but it will be nice to have a couple of significant races under my belt before I head to Chicago.