Fri 2006 Sep 29, 3 mi, 45 deg

Lake Elmo Ave 3.0 mi, 23:30, pace 7:50. Time and pace are approximate, because my watch didn't start until mile 1. Tsk. Gloves too thick? Splits were 7:47 and 7:41 after that. Again I tried to hit a pace of 8:05, but went a little under. This was the first run of the fall in the dark; I wore a reflective vest and two shirts. Nice morning, no wind to speak of. Last run before TCM, last run of the month. No problems at all; I feel good. Even the cold symptoms have abated. Walk tomorrow with the SCV runners in Stillwater.

New marathon strategy: Hal informs me that GUN time, not chip time, is used for ranking runners in the Grand Prix. I thought it was the opposite. Furthermore, all TCM awards including age group awards are based on gun time, not chip time. So the strategy of starting toward the back of wave 1 is no good; we should start between the 3:30 and 3:40 pace teams and stay between them. Back off if we're catching the 3:30 team, speed up if the 3:40 team is breathing down our necks. But stay closer to the 3:30 team until mile 20, then maybe slow down a bit on the hills as necessary.

Wed 2006 Sep 27, 5.2 miles, 52 deg

Woodbury Runners 5.2 mi, 41:18, pace 7:57. Measured a new route on Google Earth, and it turned out to be just as hilly as the regular 10k course. Tsk. Wanted to run 8:10, so this was just a bit faster, and it included one dead stop for at least a minute at a stoplight. Can I run this fast for five times as far next Sunday? Here's hoping! Great running weather tonight, with a sunset the deepest red I've ever seen. Just beautiful. The rest of the runners stayed for the annual "party," but I went home for chicken soup and early bedtime, treatment for early cold symptoms. No pains, I feel very good. Three more miles at marathon pace Friday, three walking miles Saturday, then the marathon.

Tue 2006 Sep 26 Legion 2-miler, 46 deg

Legion 2-miler, 16:10, pace 8:05. Was shooting for 8:05, so the average pace was perfect. Unfortunately, the splits were 8:24 and 7:46, not quite so perfect. But it's normal for me to start out a little slow and speed up after the first mile. I'll try again tomorrow night with a 6-miler. What a lovely day it was to run this morning, temp 46 degrees, bright sun, little wind. One can only hope for that kind of weather for TCM. Only pain is a slight ache in the right hamstring, the one that failed during the 2004 TCM. Hmmm

Sun 2006 Sep 24, Myeloma 5k race, 51 deg

MMRF Race for Research 5k, Lake Phalen, 21:30, pace 6:55. My PR is 8 seconds less, but I couldn't really have run any faster. I ran my very best today in this race. Goetzke, who finished first overall, wasn't happy with his time either; he thinks Lake Phalen is a difficult course. But it was such a wonderful day to run! Couldn't have been more delightful. I did win a nice medal for first in age group,and I was also the first myeloma "survivor." This was the last hard run before TCM. No pains! Met Carrie Tollefson. Way more women than men at this race - we met at least two myeloma widows.

Sat 2006 Sep 23, 5k race, 57 deg

Fall Roundup 5k Stampede, N St Paul, 22:10, pace 7:08, not certified. I intended to run marathon pace, 8:05 or so, but ran a minute faster instead. Tsk. I am such a poor judge of pace. First mile was 6:34, but I figured the marker was misplaced and sure enough the second mile was 7:56, for an overall pace of 7:15 to that point. Last 1.1 mile was 7:40. Met Derek Dippon and his wife; each finished first in their gender. Such nice people. Before the run, A & S and I went to Stillwater (SCV) and walked a 5k with Jim. Lovely walk, bright blue & white sky, best weather of the day. Nice to chat w Jim. No pains today, except a slight pull in the left hip that feels very temporary. This was a fun race; I'll run races for a long time if I can keep it this fun. Something to think about.

Planning to run TCM with Randy, using the strategy discussed on last Tuesday's log. Getting anxious to start; half anticipation and half dread. Sigh.

Thu 2006 Sep 21, 4-mi run, 48 deg

Church & Legion 4-mi route, 31:59, pace 8:00. Meant to go 8:00 to 8:10, which is my intended TCM race pace. I think the second half of this run was faster than the first half, which is pretty normal; the first mile or two are slow. Excellent running, wore two shirts, gloves, ear cover,and shorts. No pains! I love that. Feeling some upper-body muscle soreness from yesterday's resistance training, but that's a good thing. I did skip last night's run with the Woodbury runners, because I was concerned about overtraining. Morning pulse rate has been up a few beats in the last week. Easy does it from here to TCM.

Tue 2006 Sep 19, 8.5 mi run, 46 deg

New 30^th & West Lakeland 8.2-mile route, plus 0.3 mi miscue, 1:10:50, pace 8:20. Ran with Cap'n RB, who is still working his way back into marathon condition after time off to heal an injury. He ran very well today. This was an exhilarating run: cool, windy, and cloudy with an occasional spritz of rain. Excellent morning. Pace was about what I had hoped for, even though we did walk a couple of times for water or gel. No pains except a slight hint of overuse in the right hamstrings. Good time to be tapering for TCM! Hopefully that taper will allow the hamstrings to fully mend before the marathon. Meantime stretches and exercise are in order.

Today's pace would get me a 3:38 marathon, which would be a PR for me, but I'm hoping for a little better yet. Current marathon strategy, subject to modification: There are pace teams at 3:30 and 3:40. I'd like to run about 3:35. So start at the very back of Wave 1, with eyes forward on the 3:40 balloons. Cross the start line perhaps a minute after the 3:40 balloons. Then when I catch them, I already have a 1-minute advantage. They usually go out a little too fast, so let them stay ahead past the hills at mile 2.0 to 2.5. After that, gradually catch up and pass the 3:40 balloons, probably between mile 7 & 10, but not before Lake Calhoun mile 5. OK to run with the 3:40 pace team for a mile or two, especially if they're helping with a facing wind. But leave them no later than mile 10, along Minnehaha Parkway, or there will be no way to gain four more minutes. They should run about 8:20, and I want to run about 8:05, average, for the first 20 miles. Then slow down to 8:35 if I have to, but preferably only for the two miles of the Summit Ave hills. If I do slow down to 8:35 for the entire last 6.2 miles, I'll run 3:35. If I can hold the pace at 8:05 for four of those 6.2 miles, I'll run 3:33. Should be possible, because I ran 8:06 for the entire Bear Water 20-miler, which was a little hilly and without the benefit of a taper. All of this assumes perfect weather, as we had at Bear Water. If it's too warm (or too cold?) then maybe start the same race but stick with the 3:40 pace team much longer, maybe all the way to the end.