Mon 2006 Oct 9, 8 miles in the park, 47 deg

LE Regional Park 8.0 mi, 1:09:52, pace 8:44. Wanted to take it easy this morning and it worked! What a lovely, exhilarating run along the lake and the railroad tracks and through the park. A hawk screeched at me from a fence post as I entered the park, then flew off, discretion being the better part of valor for her. Nice comfortable pace, cool with a little breeze from the north, fall leaves brightening as the sun rose behind the clouds. Is this what running is really about? Maybe so. Slight pain in right knee went away as I ran. Calf muscles are yapping a little, but didn't cramp up. They need more stretches and a little massage.

Sat 2006 Oct 07, St Croix Valley 5 mi, 55 deg

St Croix Valley Runners 5.0 mi, 41:03, pace 8:13. Marathon pace again! A little faster than intended, but you get going with a particular runner and try to keep up. Randy, Dave, & Al went out ahead; I ran w Tom A and Gauss, followed by Paul, Roy, & Charlie. A & S walked with Cal & S. Good group - did I miss anyone? Cool and breezy, a beautiful fall morning with a red sunrise during the run. What a day! Afterward the outside part of the ball of my left foot hurts a little, and the right hamstring is still giving a little warning. Both calves are tight. Probably should have run a bit slower. Still feeling the effects of the marathon; easy does it (with stretches!).

Wed 2006 Oct 4, 5.8 mi, 59 deg

Woodbury Runners 5.8, 48:00, pace 8:17. Huh - marathon pace, go figure. Rob, Bill, Jim, & Jack went out front, I ran w Al & then Pete caught up to the two of us. Very nice, enjoyable run. Plenty fast, but I nevertheless felt chilly during the run despite the relatively warm temp. Probably because of the wind and low humidity. I felt a little soreness in the front of the right knee, gone the next day. But a little soreness in the right hamstring the next day. Just a little.

Sun 2006 Oct 1 Twin Cities Marathon, 59 deg average temp

Twin Cities Marathon 26.22 miles, 3:36:02, pace 8:14. I ran a dumb race, but mostly got away with it. Intended to run 8:05 until mile 20, then 8:35 to the end. Instead, I ran 7:53 to the half, and7:56 to the 20-mile, then 9:14 to the finish. Tsk. A lot of walk / running in that last 10k, sneaking peeks over my shoulder to see if LS or HL or ER were about to overtake me. But nope - I finished third of 39 in 65-69, first Minnesotan. Good enough. Furthermore, I ran a PR 30k (2:27:26) and a PR 20 miles (2:38:34). This was a good day to run, but not a great day. Temp was 48 at the start, but 69 at the finish. Kinda warm, plus there was a 10 mph wind most of the way, facing us much of the time. But I’m not aware that either the temp or wind bothered me very much. Quad muscles are sore tonight, and calves. More than usual after a marathon. Probably because of the pace and the temp; I may have let myself get a little too dehydrated. Some of the water cups weren’t very full, and I didn’t take a second one. Also, I never dumped water on my head, which I should have done. But no injuries; the sore muscles will repair themselves and become stronger. Other good news is that I don’t have an upset stomach. I ate a Clif bar at 3:00 am, five hours before the start, apparently without negative effect. I had some cramps in calf muscles around mile 22 or so, after climbing the hills, especially when I tried to slow down. But I took a packet of salt, and the cramps gradually subsided. :-)

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