Big story today was the weather. Unseasonably warm (almost 50) and heavy rain starting around mile 3 and last through the end.
Plan today was to run 8:00's for the first three miles (knowing the first would be a little faster due to the long downhill) then crank the second half. Splits: 7:41, 7:57, 7:56, 7:43, 7:43, 8:05 (hill), 1:38 (hill). Really proud of miles 2-4. Very even. Finished in 48:43 for a new PR by 3+ minutes (previous was 51:50 set on this course in 2011). Great run.
Link: http://www.hotchocolate10k.com/Results.aspx
Submitted by Rush 1/21/2012 1327184218
I ran the Charlotte Marathon yesterday. Went out too fast (1:55 @ 13.1, 2:23 for the second half). The course is all hills. Most rolling, some steeper. Despite taking fluids at every water station and eating gels on schedule, I developed bad leg cramps started at mile 16. Had to stop and stretch and walk several times. Then my IT band lit up at mile 23 and the last 3.2 were really tough.
My IT band flared up badly 3 weeks ago so I had a very abrupt taper. I ran little during the last three weeks, and I'm very surprised my ITBS held off yesterday as long as it did. Had it started at mile 10 or 12 or 15, I probably wouldn't have finished. Many thanks to Jade Pierce for doing great massage therapy that helped me get to the starting line.
One thing about this race, they mix the full and the half runners together and the halfers run the same course until mile 12. Made it challenging to find a group to pace with as the marathon bibs were all white while the halfs' were light blue.
They corral the runners together based on projected time. I got into the 4 hour Full ( I think the half for that corral was 1:46). I noticed that the 3:45 corral in front of us had a designated pacer with a big sign on his back. Unfortunately there was no such guy in the 4:00 block. Anyway, I started out too fast and knew I was running too fast but didn't reel it in. I finished in 4:18:20.
I learned a ton. I'm happy to have the first one in the books and I've got some new goals to aim for during my next one.
Submitted by Rush 1/14/2012 1326578433
Sunday was my last long run, a 16 miler. I felt good. Then, I did not. Around mile 6 my IT band started to tightened. I slowed and really focused on my form, which helped. At the 8 mile turnaround, I stopped and stretched for about 5 minutes, and I felt great. . . for about 100 yards. I ran/walked through mile 9 then gave up. I was in full blown ITBS lateral knee (someone is drilling through my knee) pain. I walked 7 miles back to my car. I was in agony at the end. I could barely walk.
I first developed ITBS last year. I ran through about 6 wks of pain, then stopped running. I did 10 visits for PT, started doing lots of hip/glute/core strengthening, etc. I ended up taking 3 months off. I started running again last October; 1 mile, three times a week.
Fast forward to Sunday. I have had a great year. I dropped my 5K to 21:50 and my 1/2 marathon to 1:46. Not staggering numbers, but a solid improvement for me. I have been doing the Hanson marathon regime and it really seems to agree with me.
All year, I have continued to do hip/glute/core work and foam roll regularly. I guess it has not been enough. Sunday, I went from a level 1 pain to level 10 in less than 2 miles. Just like when it started last year. At least now I know to STOP, so maybe this acute phase will pass and I will still be able to run my race in November. I hope so.
I know I will be running for the rest of my life, and if I have to wait a few months, that is a drop in the bucket of time. I know that, intellectually. Emotionally, I was ready to do this thing. I was ready to face this challenge. Now, all of that is in doubt.
Submitted by Rush 1/14/2012 01:58:34
I'm deep into the Hanson's Marathon Training Program, preparing for the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon on November 12th. I did a 9 mile run Thursday night at 8:10 a mile, after which I thought, "Well, there goes the Scamper." I did a super easy 3 mile jog yesterday to kind of shake things out and get a good stretch. Last night, I had written down my goals: to try and break 23:00 and to run fearlessly. I'd plotted out a 7:20/mile pace, memorized my splits, laid out my gear, and got a pretty good night's sleep.
Saturday broke crystal clear, with a light breeze, and mid 40's. Almost perfect weather. During my warm up jog, my legs felt a little heavy. I hadn't taken any days off to prepare for this race. I had done no speed work either, but my marathon training is progressing well and I thought I might have a shot to better the 23:30 I ran at Bel Chere. I really stayed focused on the mantra, "Don't be afraid to run hard. Don't be afraid to breathe hard." I ran several acceleration strides, found a patch of grass and went through some dynamic stretches and got to the start about 2 minutes before the gun.
The race is a "fall and crawl". It starts with a long, steep down hill stretch and finishes with a long, steep up hill stretch. I went by my half mile mark about 15 seconds faster than I'd planned. I hit the first mile at 6:54, 26 seconds faster than I'd planned. Breathing hard, but feeling pretty good. The course climbs back up to the town square then plunges down West Main. I ran through the second mile in 6:55, a good thirty seconds ahead of my goal pace. Well there was nothing for it but to dig in and try not to fade.
Earlier in the week, I'd measured the last half mile of the race. I knew the landmark to start the last 800 meters (almost all of it uphill). Knowing that mark really helped me mentally, having run a set of Yasso's 800s about 10 days ago. I ran stride for stride with a woman I recognized from other races. As far as I could tell, she was the first woman. I was focusing on staying calm, trying to let my legs turn over. We chopped up the hill together, shoulder to shoulder. At the top, with one tenth of a mile left, I pulled ahead and really bore down for the finish. I crossed in 21:50, a new PR by a full 1:40. I almost couldn't believe it. I placed 2nd in my age group (45-50). I got to see several runners from our CouchTo5K class. They did great. After crossing, I went back to the West Main hill to encourage other runners coming up that steep grade. Eventually, I jogged down to the bottom of the hill and found 3 members of the C25K class and jogged with them to the finish.
All in all, a fantastic day.
Submitted by Rush 10/15/2011 18:56:43
Place
Name City
Bib No
Age
Gender
Age Group
Total Time
Pace
1
Justin Tebockhorst Biltmore Forest NC
206
26
M
1 Open
1:13:12.9
5:35
2
Gary Curran Asheville NC
48
43
M
1 40-44
1:19:21.7
6:03
3
David Worth Gatlinburg TN
236
26
M
1 25-29
1:20:36.4
6:09
4
Todd Caldwell
243
39
M
1 35-39
1:23:16.9
6:21
5
Matt Verley Greenville SC
215
26
M
2 25-29
1:24:27.8
6:27
6
John Nietfeld Raleigh NC
149
30
M
1 30-34
1:24:31.3
6:27
7
Chris Campbell Marion NC
27
47
M
1 45-49
1:24:39.7
6:28
8
Amber Moran Skyland NC
143
32
F
1 Open
1:25:21.0
6:31
9
Gary Ball
248
42
M
2 40-44
1:25:31.5
6:32
10
Michael Dijulia Baltimore MD
54
31
M
2 30-34
1:26:30.1
6:36
Full results at the link.
Link: http://www.leetiming.com/BHALF2011_OA.HTM
Submitted by Rush 10/11/2011 15:01:49
1. SCOTT LAWS 39 M ARDEN NC 358
18:39 6:01
2. BRAD DELLINGER 44 M SPRUCE PINE NC 146
20:35 6:39
3. ZAN SISTARE 53 M SPRUCE PINE NC 685
20:38 6:40
4. KEN WORTHEN 52 M HENDERSONVILLE NC 643
20:46 6:42
5. DANIEL SCHOMMER 19 M ASHEVILLE NC 527
20:54 6:45
6. SCOTT HICKMAN 54 M ARDEN NC 265
20:56 6:45
7. JEFF JANUS 42 M CANDLER NC 676
21:01 6:47
8. JOE BARRETT 50 M ASHEVILLE NC 35
21:11 6:50
9. JACOB DINKINS 33 M BREVARD NC 159
22:22 7:13
10. DUANE GENTRY 45 M ASHEVILLE NC 217
22:47 7:21
Full results at the link.
Link: http://flyavl.com/media/PDFs/Overall%20reportREPORT.pdf
Submitted by Rush 10/2/2011 02:20:26
26 year old Kenyan set a new world mark of 2:03:38 (that's 4:43/mile .. ouch) bettering Haile Gebrselassie by 21 seconds.
Kenya's Florence Kiplagat won the women's division in 2:19:44 in her marathon debut.
The top American finisher on the men's side was Alex Crabill at 2:17:42. Can't find info on the first American woman.
Submitted by Rush 9/25/2011 18:09:39
1. CRAIG PLUNKARD 36 M SWANNANOA NC 2214 18:03 5:49 18:00
2. JEREMIAH GOSSETT 15 M ARDEN NC 2012 18:54 6:05 18:50
3. ADAM PINKSTON 49 M ASHEVILLE NC 2561 19:01 6:08 18:58
4. MICHAEL BEADLE 39 M CANTON NC 2368 19:09 6:10 19:06
5. ZAN SISTARE 53 M SPRUCE PINE NC 2430 19:49 6:23 19:46
6. JEREMY CADEAU 35 M MILLS RIVER NC 1894 19:53 6:24 19:50
7. JOHN MCDERMOTT 25 M ASHEVILLE NC 2142 20:28 6:36 20:04
8. ERIN BROOKS 17 F HENDERSONVILLE NC 2454 20:40 6:39 20:36
9. JUSTIN LAIL 19 M HICKORY NC 2476 20:55 6:44 20:51
10. ELIZABETH LACKEY 16 F HENDERSONVILLE NC 1813 21:03 6:47 20:58
Full results at the link.
Link: http://www.citizen-times.com/assets/xls/B0179376917.HTML
Submitted by Rush 9/19/2011 03:09:37
1. MICHAEL GREEN 34 M TROY AL 567 1:09:53 5:21 1:09:50
2. RYAN WOODS 32 M BOONE NC 100 1:12:39 5:33 1:12:36
3. JOSH BAKER 30 M VALDESE NC 161 1:13:08 5:35 1:13:05
4. RYAN PURCELL 24 M ATLANTA GA 1497 1:18:55 6:02 1:18:52
5. DAVID WORKMAN 40 M HENDERSONVILLE NC 101 1:21:14 6:13 1:21:10
6. JONATHAN ROSS 25 M RALEIGH NC 898 1:21:48 6:15 1:21:41
7. RYAN FRANCIS 29 M ASHEVILLE NC 504 1:21:47 6:15 1:21:43
8. JEREMIAH WIGGINS 35 M BRYSON CITY NC 1558 1:22:04 6:16 1:21:59
9. JILL HORST 32 F ROME GA 855 1:22:39 6:19 1:22:35
10. JOSHUA BERNSTEIN 41 M ASHEVILLE NC 1457 1:22:54 6:20 1:22:49
Full results at the link.
Link: http://www.citizen-times.com/assets/xls/B0179377917.HTML
Submitted by Rush 9/19/2011 03:08:03
Place Team Name Category City State Runners Run Time
1 Asheville Running Collective Open Asheville NC 12 20:24:00
2 Charlotte Running Club/TrySports Open Charlotte NC 12 20:26:10
3 Carolina Godiva Masters Master Raleigh NC 12 21:58:33
4 Norm's Maggots Master Asheville NC 12 23:44:03
5 Crazy Legs Open Charlotte NC 12 23:58:35
6 Team Awesome Mixed Charlotte NC 12 24:11:41
7 Booty Call Open Greenville SC 12 25:16:59
8 Bourbon's Most Interesting Men Open Union KY 12 25:19:27
9 Bear in Mind Mixed Charlotte NC 12 25:19:30
10 Poets & Pirates Open Greenville SC 12 25:29:14
Full results at the link.
Link: http://www.citizen-times.com/article/2011309120050
Submitted by Rush 9/17/2011 18:46:51
follow along
