Day Three of My Two-week Half Marathon Training Program

Today was day three of my two-week half marathon training schedule (see What I Did on My Summer Vacation) -- a 5K run at race pace. I did what I call the Meadows 5K, a route I have mapped around my house that begins with a one-mile downhill, followed by rolling hills, and ending on a .75-mile uphill grind.


Evan and I get checked in for the Good Samaritan 5K in Castle Rock.

My goal today was to run at race pace, harder than I typically go when running in the morning with my dog Casey. My best time on this course is 24:19 (7:50/mile) on August 23 of this year. Today I ran it in 25:21 (8:10/mile), the exact same time I ran in the Good Samaritan 5K a week ago with my brother Evan.



Evan finished 4th out of 55 runners at the Good Samaritan 5K in Castle Rock.

Evan finished fourth with a 22:56, and I finished 9th out of 55 competitors. It was my first race since Ironman 70.3 Boise back in June and it hurt. Today wasn't nearly as painful. I have a hard time really pushing myself when I'm not in a race setting.



This kid edged me out at the finish to take 8th overall and push me to 9th -- my first top ten finish ever!

Saturday was the first day of my half marathon training. I ran six miles on the Ridgeline Trail at a nice, easy pace of 9:32/mile. Yesterday I took a 21-mile road ride, my first time out on the road since June. It felt good to be back on my Cannondale, flying down Wolfensberger Road at 45 mph! Think I'll have to try and squeeze in a few more road rides the Fall before the snow hits Colorado!

Next up: Five mile run on Wednesday.

Ride on!

Daren

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I took a long summer vacation this year -- from competition. After Ironman Boise nearly killed me I decided to take the summer off and enjoy it. I just wasn't having fun training for Boise, and the event itself was just downright painful. I haven't swam in open water since I froze in Lucky Peak Reservoir. I 've only been on my road bike once since suffering through the 56-mile ride through the barren outskirts of Boise and I haven't run further than six miles since the 13.1-mile run on the Greenbelt along the Boise River.

And yet, I may be in the best shape of my life. I've stayed active, running regularly and mountain biking on the Ridgeline Open Space near my home in The Rock. And, of course, I've been eating lots of lean beef to fuel my physical activity. And I've been having fun -- and eating well -- doing it!




The Ridgeline Open Space offers 15 miles of hiking, running and biking enjoyment right outside my back door!



The Ridgeline Trail offes views of three 14ers on the Front Range: Pikes Peak (14,110), Mt. Evans (in the distance, 14,240) and Long's Peak (14,259)

Mountain biking and trail running are very different than road biking and running. Steeper climbs and descents, rocky terrain, and wildlife (mostly deer, an occasional coyote and my dog, Casey) keep it interesting. More intense exertion at shorter distances mean less time with similar results. I am at my optimal weight (210) and feel great and I am running some of my best times at altitude (sub-8s on the road and sub-9s on the trail).

So, I decided today to sign up for the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon two weeks from tomorrow. Vacation over. Kinda have that end of vacation melancholy. Now I actually have to follow a training schedule, but its only for two weeks!

Last year I came up with my own two week half marathon training program for the Go! St. Louis (1:50:34, my third best half) and Waddell and Reed Kansas City (1:46, my PR) half marathons. Now, this is not a couch to 13.1-mile training program. It begins with a good base-level of fitness. I run 2-3 times per week (at least 3 miles each run) probably averaging around 10 miles per week. I ride once or twice a week (more in the summer months), probably averaging around 50 miles per week on the road or 15 on the trail.

So, beginning with a good base level of fitness, here is my two-week half marathon training schedule for the Denver Rock and Roll Half:

Week One

Saturday (today) -- Six mile trail run (completed in 57:18 or 9:32/mile)

Sunday -- Rest

Monday -- 3-mile run (race pace)

Tuesday -- Rest
Wednesday -- 6-mile run
Thursday -- Rest
Friday -- 4.5-mile run (race pace)

Week Two

Saturday -- Rest

Sunday -- 10-mile run

Monday -- Rest
Tuesday -- 5-mile run
Wednesday -- Rest

Thursday -- 3-mile run (race pace)

Friday -- Rest

I will probably ride or run on Saturday to keep my legs loose, but easy pace for a short distance.

The race is on Sunday, October 9, in Denver. This will be my first Rock and Roll event. Should be fun. My goal is 1:57 (Sub-9s), which would be a personal record at altitude. My only other race in Denver (5,280 ft. above sea level) was my first half marathon, the Arby's Rocky Mountain Half in 2007, which I completed in 2:08:52 (9:50/mile).

Ride (and run) on!

Daren

My Ironman 70.3 Boise, Part 3 (The Run)

I managed a quick burst of energy to smile
and pose for the official photographer

Exiting the bike-to-run transition my left foot was throbbing, my left knee was aching and my legs felt like they could seize up at any moment. Other than that I felt great. Oh wait, there was the stabbing pain between my shoulder blades (I believe resulting from my head out of the water "polo style" swim three hours earlier). How can I forget that?

As I headed through downtown Boise (aka BoDo) on the 13.1-mile run course, I came across the Team BEEF cheering section: Traci O'Donnell (and her husband Jim), Katlin Davis (and her parents Phil and Yvette), Janice Streng and Jesse the intern from the Idaho Beef Council, Idaho beef producer and blogger Kim Brackett, and Wyatt Prescott from the Idaho Cattlemen's Association were there, I think (I know there were all at the race but honestly can't tell you for sure if they were all together at this point). Seeing them provided a great boost of adrenaline. Time to dig deep. Finish strong.

An unknown Team BEEF member approaches
the finish line

By the time I reached the Greenbelt path I knew I could do this. The flat, shaded bike path along the raging Boise river (near flood level) was just what the doctor ordered. The two-loop, out-and-back course meant I'd see lots of other Idaho Team BEEF athletes at various stages in the run. Some would be completing their second loop headed towards the finish line. Others, like me would be on their first loop with miles to go.

Everytime I saw another Team BEEF member I shouted "Give me some BEEF!" and high-fived them. The camaraderie was tangible. We supported and encouraged each other to keep moving. Eventually the high fives turned to low fives and then a wave or slight hand motion or head nod in their direction as I felt the sharp pain between my shoulders blades every time I deviated from the steady, even running motion. Even taking a Dixie cup of Gatorade from a volunteer and tilting my head back to drink it became a problem.

Dane is looking strong as he strides toward
the finish line

Around mile three on the first loop of my run I saw Team BEEF elite athlete Dane Rauschenberg approaching from the other direction, completing his second loop. Dane's wave began five minutes before mine and by this time he had opened up about an hour-and-a-half gap (he finished in 4:52). Amazing, especially considering this was Dane's first Ironman 70.3 distance event.

There are serious athletes like Dane and then there are weekend warriors like me. And then there are professional athletes like Ben Hoffman from Colorado, the overall winner, who finished about two and one-half hours ahead of me!

The highlight of the run, by far, was the Boy Scouts at Aid Station BEEF. Every time a Team BEEF athlete approached they began chanting "BEEF!" and didn't stop until you were trailing out of sight. After the first time through I began looking forward to seeing them on the return, then again on the second loop and one last time towards the end. Like a Hot Wheels track motor they sucked us in one side as we ran low on momentum and shot us out the other with a fresh burst of speed.

OK, so maybe speed is a bit of an exaggeration but they kept me going. As I left them for the last time I knew the end was near. I can't remember how far that last stretch was, maybe 1.5 miles, but every stride was painful and I was running very low on fuel. Exiting the Greenbelt for the last time onto the streets of BoDo I saw the finish line in the distance. I didn"t have any kick left. As I crossed the finish line my right hamstring cramped and a "catcher" steadied and walked me towards the official photo platform, draping an emergency blanket around my shoulders. I worried I might hurl at any moment as wave after wave of nauseau came and went.

Exhausted, relieved that it was over, I waited in line for my official photo

I managed a quick burst of energy to smile and pose for the camera but I had nothing left. I left it all on the course, which is the way I try to finish every race. If you feel fine within five minutes you left too much in reserve. It took me over an hour to feel like a human being again. But later that night I had enough energy to go out and celebrate with Leslie, Dane, and the Idaho Beef Council and Cattlemen's Association team that had been grilling and serving beef sliders to all of the finishers for over six hours in the BEEF Recovery Zone.

I finished in 6:30:48, the slowest of my three
Ironman 70.3 events. But I finished.

My third Ironman 70.3 distance triathlon is in the books. So what's next? I think I'll sign up for the Denver Triathlon in July. So should I go for the shorter sprint distance (800 meter swim/23.5K bike/5K run) or the longer Olympic distance (1500 meter swim/40K bike/10K run)?

Hmmm. Given that the bacteria sampling results for E. coli in Sloan's Lake are approaching advisory level, I'm thinking shorter may be better :)

Ride on...

Daren