Soggy Hill Repeats

Tonight I did hill repeats with the guys. We did a quick warm-up out of the store and used a long gradual hill on Lynn road for our repeats. It has been a little warmer than usual for the past few days and we have been receiving some much needed ran. I just wish mother nature had chosen some other time than in the middle of our workout to make up for so much in such a little amount of time. Most of the guys did 6 repeats. I hung in there for 4 and when my hamstring started acting up again I called it a night. Brian, who is easing his way back into training, decided to join me for the easy jog back to the store.
Even though I am struggling a little with some leg issues, tonight's workout was pretty good. It was my first semi-hard workout since the marathon.
The RRO guys and I have started to swing ourselves into training for Boston. I am not sure I will be able to do Boston but I am going to go ahead and start training as though I am going to do it. I hope to work though the leg issues and get back into the swing of things here pretty soon.

I AM A SLACKER

O.K. So I haven't been posting anything for the past couple of weeks. There are two simple reasons for that. I got a little lazy after the marathon and I simply have not been running that much. The lack of running was planed for the week following the race but as for the past week, I have been dealing with a tweaked hamstring. Because of all this I am thinking that I will not be doing the Mistletoe Half next weekend.
I am running some. I ran eight this morning and I have been going out every other day. The hamstring does seem to be getting better though. I do have to admit that this brake has been a nice change from the crazy training leading up to the marathon. Good running to all and I hope to see you out there soon.

First Post Race Run

I did my first post race run today. I did an easy four miles around the neighborhood. My legs felt like crap for the first mile, but as I shook them out they felt just about back to normal by the end of the run. I am looking forward to getting back out there and starting up again.

THE RACE!!!

It's the day after the race and it felt like my legs were broken when I woke up this morning. After thirteen weeks of training, everything came together for an awesome race. The weather was perfect, mid forties to fifties and sunny, and everyone was in great spirits. I felt great in the week leading up to the race and was ready to attack the race with a vengeance. Well, the hard work paid off. This was my first marathon and my primary goals were to finish the race, and try and get under 3 hours. I came in at 2:47:48. Crossing the line and seeing the time on the clock was one of the most exhilarating and awesome feelings I have ever had.
I think the entire race went great and I could not have asked for more. I went out for the first two miles with Ben, Craig and Sam but then had to make a pit stop. I miss judged my bladder at the start. After that I ran with Jim for a few miles. All of my mile splits were around 6:20 with a few down below 6:10 and two miles in the high six's and low seven's. My half marathon time was 1:23:17 and my average mile pace was 6:24.
The Richmond Marathon lived up to its reputation as being the friendliest marathon. From packet pick up to post race fun, everything went smooth. I would definitely recommend this marathon to anyone whether it's your first one or you are a seasoned pro. They made my first marathon an awesome memory that I will have for a long time.
I also think that there is something to be said about doing a big race like this with a group of friends. I have been training for the last year with the folks in the Raleigh Running Outfitters team. I would not have been able to do as well as I did with out the help and motivation of everyone. Thanks for running with me!
Well it's on to recovery and deciding the next big race. My next short-term goal is to do the Mistletoe Half Marathon in early December over in Winston-Salem. Hope to see everyone out running soon.

The Real Last Workout?

So. When I said last Tuesday that I had done my last speed workout before the race...I lied. In my defense, I thought it was the last one. We did four by the 800 meter with a 400 meter recovery. The group consisted of Jim, Sam, Jennifer, Rob, Fila Chris, John and I. Chris was joining us after a brief hiatus due to a leg injury. Good to see you back out there Chris. It was a very easy workout. The legs felt great and I am feeling good about the race. Just a couple more runs to go. An easy 6 to 8 tomorrow and an easy short run on Friday. Four more days!

Nice and Easy Weekend

This past weekend was a rather easy one as far as running goes. I did 8 on Saturday out at Umsted and 10 on Sunday out at the store. Both days with the RRO guys. It was a rather easy pace for both runs. My legs were feeling a little heavy on the runs. Signs that my legs are healing up from the heavy workouts of before and getting ready for the race. This week should be really easy. Just a few runs to loosen up the legs for Saturday. 5 more days!

Loving The Taper

Tonight I did a very easy 6 miles with the RRO folks. I ended running with Kevin and Russ. We took it nice and easy. The more I taper for the race, the better my legs seem to feel. Not looking to do too much this weekend. Probably around 20 miles or less for the whole weekend. Only nine more days untill Richmond!

The Last Speed Workout

Tonight's workout consisted of three 2 mile repeats. We did the repeats at about the same pace as we did our 2 mile repeats a couple of weeks ago. It was a good workout and I feel good. Ben pointed out during the workout that things seemed to be going very smooth since our legs are so fresh do to tapering. It is tough, though, cutting out the miles after so many weeks of high mileage.