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Hey, isn’t this supposed to be easy?… July 3, 2009

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Sherene and I headed out for what I thought would be an easy 4-mile run, especially after last weekend’s half marathon.  Easy, it was not. The body was stiff, the left foot started acting up, and my “rub spots” from last weekend haven’t healed yet.

The bonus was it was a gorgeous morning and Sherene brought Kenji, her Labradinger, who is always entertaining!

And, because I can, here are the splits:

Mile 1 - 10:27
Mile 2 - 10:20
Mile 3 - 10:15
Mile 4 - 9:57
Last 0.19 miles - 9:16

A good pace, I just wish it wasn’t so creaky.  :-)

Workout:

Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon June 27, 2009

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I attempted my second half-marathon last Saturday hitting the inagural Seattle Rock ‘n Roll.  Several friends also ran it, so it was pretty cool to see people there I knew. We were late to the start line (we arrived at 7:30) but that turned out not to be an issue.  Sherene and I jumped into a corral and waited another 30 minutes to cross the start line.  There is an hour difference between our gun time and chip time.

I was pretty nervous how it would all turn out.  I had been struggling with foot problems a few weeks earlier and, by the time that was resolved, I didn’t have enough time to get the mileage needed to be secure that I would finish the race.  Up until race day, the furthest I had trained for was 8 miles.

To be honest, the first 9 miles of the race were awesome. The weather was perfect, the bands were interesting, and even Jeff & the kids came out to wish me luck between mile 7 and 8.  I fueled at mile 7, and things seemed to be going well.

At mile 10, my foot problems resurfaced.  My feet started to swell, which caused the tape on my left foot to start cutting into the skin.  Almost simultaneously the bursa sack under the ball of my right foot became inflamed and all of a sudden each stride became amazingly painful.  Somehow I managed to muscle through 2 more miles before having to walk.  The last mile took me 18 minutes.

For the first time ever while running an I felt defeated and sad. I admit now I had high expectations that I would finish somewhere around 2:30.  I have never had my body break down on me in such an obvious and sudden way.  I knew I would cross the finish line, but it wasn’t the way I wanted it to happen.

Sherene continued on ahead and finished just over 2:30.  Nearly 15 minutes later I followed.

I have my medal and the pride that comes with finishing such a long race.  I also should be proud that I ran every hill in the course (with the exception of the short but ultra steep transition from Lake Washington Blvd to I-90).  And yet, I’m still dissapointed.  I didn’t expect it to be easy, but finishing alone and in so much pain wasn’t quite what I wanted for my race experience.

So, I’ve already decided to do it again next year.  The plan is to maintain my base all year long and maybe run for time next year.  Now that the course isn’t so scary, I’m wondering if I can break that 2:30 barrier.

Anyway, overall it was a fun experience.  I just personally wish I had done better.  Here are my semi-respectable splits:

Mile 1 - 11:49
Mile 2 - 11:51
Mile 3 - 12:08
Mile 4 - 11:52
Mile 5 - 12:03
Mile 6 - 11:33
Mile 7 - 11:39
Mile 8 - 11:47
Mile 9 - 11:27
Mile 10 - 12:27
Mile 11 - 11:33
Mile 12 - 11:38
Mile 13 - 18:13 (*sigh*)

I did take lots of pictures. You can enjoy them here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kimayars/2009RnR

And yes, we did see a bald eagle!

Workout:

Zoom! June 20, 2009

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I had a great run today at the Fall City Days 10k.  Jeff brought the girls and they did the 1k while Sherene and I took off for the long haul.

I can’t really say anything bad about the run.  I felt strong, loved our pace, and it was a beautiful course.   There was no foot pain (I did my usual preventative measure of taping and Advil). Sherene’s occasional outbursts of profanity provided the entertainment. 

The splits:

Mile 1 - 10:26
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:07
Mile 4 - 10:00
Mile 5 - 9:55
Mile 6 - 9:59
Last 0.28 miles - 9:17

I know I’m not prepared for the half next Saturday, but there’s not much I can do except keep myself healthy. It is what it is.

Workout:

I’m awake! I’m awake! June 16, 2009

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I forgot to put in my Tuesday run — 5:30am with Angela.  It was actually a nice run, but soooo hard to get up that early! I felt pretty strong though, and love the 10:35min/mile.  Better yet, the foot is still hanging in there.  The combination of taping and Advil seems to be helping it hold together. 

Saturday I’m running the Fall City Days 10k with Sherene to begin my “taper” (which is hilarious, since I feel like I’ve been tapering for several weeks now).  I hope I have enough in me to make a decent show at the half marathon next Saturday.  I will be happy with anything under 3 hours at this point!

Workout:

Mt. Si Running Club June 13, 2009

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This was my first run with the Mt. Si Running Club. A bunch of us met at the HS and I teamed up with my friend Angela for a 7-mile run.  We started at the local High School, ran through the golf course, and went out the Snoqualmie Valley Trail before turning back. 

The bonus is my foot feels great!  I feel like I have a small bruise, but nothing that slowed me down. I did tape it and take two Advil before the run, so maybe my preventative measures helped.

What I loved about his run was it was a push, but I felt great for most of the run.  I haven’t enjoyed running for a few weeks now, so this was refreshing.  Perfect temp, nice pace, and a good stretch.  I’ll take tomorrow off and try and get another medium-distance run on Monday.

Oh, and I passed 100 miles for the year! Yay! (And I just realzied I ran 25 miles this week!)

Workout: