My favorite race of the year is here. It's time for the 101st Dipsea Race tomorrow. Heading in last year, I was just recovering from an injury, but managed to train very hard for a month, then put together a solid performance for my first black t-shirt in 19th place. My training throughout 2011 has been great. I've run more mileage and had stronger workouts leading up to the race than the prior two years, and even more importantly I've gone 9 whole months without any sort of injury. Still, my running confidence has struggled the past couple months. In April, a pesky cold slowed my training down for a couple weeks. When finally recovered, I had a great string of workouts, only to push myself too hard, and suffer from the effects of overtraining throughout much of May. Finally the past few weeks I've managed to feel strong at times by drastically cutting my mileage, and running much easier on days between workouts. Then after a decent road mile race - running a somewhat hilly 4:35 - I came down with another cold. So this week has seen a lot of vitamin C, sleep, and mostly easy running, but still not feeling 100%. Tomorrow morning I'll head to the starting line knowing I have a great fitness base with a balance of speed, strength running, and anaerobic work (very key for that painful 20 min climb up Cardiac Hill). I'll be well rested, so the key is to listen to my body early on, and just stay tough until I cross the finish line.
Local newspapers have posted quite a few interesting profiles on runners leading up to the race. There are several people running in honor of family members and a former inmate whose running is a key part of his rehabilitation. My buddy Alex Varner talks about what it would take for a "scratch" runner (the male 19-30 age group that gets zero head start) to win. I'll note Alex is an overwhelming favorite to win his 3rd straight fastest time trophy; it's just a matter of how much time he can make up on the older and younger runners who start well ahead of him. Finally, 9 year old Reilly Johnson - the youngest ever defending champion - has been in the spotlight leading up to the race. Last year's maximum 25 minute start is reduced to 19 minutes - 5 minutes for her age plus a 1 minute "winners penalty". I saw her out on the course a few weeks looking pretty darn strong. My prediction is that she'll make up 4 or those minutes, but she surprised everyone last year, so who's to say she can't do it again! Maybe I'll pull off a miracle and catch her on the course, but I'll confess - I'm pretty intimidated by a 9 year old girl :)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The 100th Bay to Breakers
I realized that I've never written about one of my favorite races - Bay to Breakers, plus I've yet to write a race recap within a week of the actual race, so why not do both!
To call Bay to Breakers a race, is a huge understatement. It's a spectacle - from the first man or woman to cross the finish line, to the last drunken yuppie to stagger home. The race was first held as the Cross City Race in 1912 as the city was still rebuilding after the Great 1906 Earthquake. A local college student ran the 7+ mile course from downtown (near the Bay) to Ocean Beach in 44:10. What started as a morale booster for the city never stopped, and the race now known as Bay to Breakers was set for its 100th running this past Sunday.
Why is it a spectacle? Let's start at the front and work back. The race attracts some of the very top road racers in the world. The elite woman get a 4 minute headstart on the elite men and the rest of the field, then the first person to cross the finish line - be it the winning male or female - pockets $25,000. There is also a $5,000 bonus for the first runner to crest the long & steep Hayes St. Hill in the 3rd mile of the 12K. Behind the elites is a very unique competition - the centipede. Numerous teams will enter 'pedes which consist of 13 runners tethered together with some sort of bungee chords. Sound crazy? Well over the years, the centipede race has turned into a heated rivalry between two Bay Area clubs - the Aggies and Transports (the latter now sponsored by Linked-In & featuring some serious ringers). This year the Linked-In centipede covered the 12K course in 37:00 which averages under 5 minutes per mile! That's a good performance on a hilly course for one person, but imagine doing that while being tied to 12 other people. I could tell some stories of past centipedes blowing up in spectacular fashion (as certain runners are dragged - one time literally - out out too fast), but I'll save it for another time. After all the elites, the 'pedes, and guys like me, there's 50,000 total registered runners and walkers. THEN, the real fun begins, with what seems like the rest of the city turning Bay to Breakers into the largest outdoor drinking and costume party of the year.
I was lining up for my first race in three weeks - after running my 4th and final crappy 5K of the season. Even though I spent much time on the track throughout the spring, I figured my mileage should have me prepared for a longer race like this. The only catch is my legs had been super tired for the past week and a half after a super intense week of training leading up to that (including a nearly 2 hour long run on snowy cross country ski trails at 8000 feet). After taking a really easy week, I was finally feeling ok for race day.
My plan was to run well under control for the first two miles, run steady but not too hard up and down the Hayes Street hill, then really start pushing the 4th and 5th miles which are slightly uphill, and just get ready to hammer the 2 mile downhill to the finish. In the first mile I ran a little faster than I wanted - 5:18, but backing off a bit in the second mile (5:32) kept it under control. I eased into the hill, keeping a smooth stride without losing too much ground as I ran up and back down. I turned onto the Pan-Handle hitting 3 miles in 17:08. That 3rd mile is always slow, but I ran a little slower than I intended, but no big deal, I was feeling good and it's time to really start racing. Last year, I held my position from the 3 mile mark to the finishing stretch, but this time I was focused on moving up. I immediately caught two runners and passed them, then focused ahead. Whenever I could, I wouldn't focus on the runner ahead, rather two spots ahead - which helps from getting lulled into the pace of a racer who could be falling off the pace himself. In the 4th mile (5:38 for a gradual uphill) and the 5th (rolling - 5:31), I picked up at least a half dozen positions. Then just as I'm getting toward the 5 mile mark, my calves and lower legs start to really cramp up. I pressed my pace to the top of the downhill, but just didn't feel like a good idea to hammer the downhill and risk injury. I gave back a few places as I passed through 6 & 7 miles (5:19 and 5:25 pace), then held my position to the finish along the great highway at Ocean Beach to finish 58th overall in 41:30, and 5th place in the male 30-39 age group (which to be fair does NOT include elites).
I wasn't thrilled with my overall time, but I think there were some very positive takeaways. First of all, I ran confidently, was tough when I needed to me, and stayed focused throughout. I had lacked all of those in recent races. The time easily could have been 30-45 seconds faster if I had been able to roll on the downhill 6th and 7th miles. Despite my disappointment with the pace, it's still my fastest time in three races there. Finally, in celebration of the 100th running, the race promoters announced that anybody who beat the winning time of 44:10 from the 1st Bay to Breakers would have their race number retired. So go ahead and hang #312 from the rafters because no one will wear it again at Bay to Breakers! Supposebly.
After I cooled down, got back to my car near the start, drove around town, and had brunch at a buddy's house, I walked down to the Pan-Handle to take in the festivities. Despite claims that alcohol and unregistered walkers wouldn't be allowed on the course, the party was going strong. It was just slightly more respectful of the neighbors than prior years.
If you want to see some good pics, there is a great slideshow that the SF Chronicle put together. Two of my friends made the reel - one who ran 5:30 pace dressed as Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, and another dress as well some sort of cop.
Here's the link to the full slideshow:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2011/05/15/MNJS1JGGTS.DTL&object=%2Fc%2Fpictures%2F2011%2F05%2F15%2Fba-baytobreakers_0503470795.jpg
To call Bay to Breakers a race, is a huge understatement. It's a spectacle - from the first man or woman to cross the finish line, to the last drunken yuppie to stagger home. The race was first held as the Cross City Race in 1912 as the city was still rebuilding after the Great 1906 Earthquake. A local college student ran the 7+ mile course from downtown (near the Bay) to Ocean Beach in 44:10. What started as a morale booster for the city never stopped, and the race now known as Bay to Breakers was set for its 100th running this past Sunday.
Why is it a spectacle? Let's start at the front and work back. The race attracts some of the very top road racers in the world. The elite woman get a 4 minute headstart on the elite men and the rest of the field, then the first person to cross the finish line - be it the winning male or female - pockets $25,000. There is also a $5,000 bonus for the first runner to crest the long & steep Hayes St. Hill in the 3rd mile of the 12K. Behind the elites is a very unique competition - the centipede. Numerous teams will enter 'pedes which consist of 13 runners tethered together with some sort of bungee chords. Sound crazy? Well over the years, the centipede race has turned into a heated rivalry between two Bay Area clubs - the Aggies and Transports (the latter now sponsored by Linked-In & featuring some serious ringers). This year the Linked-In centipede covered the 12K course in 37:00 which averages under 5 minutes per mile! That's a good performance on a hilly course for one person, but imagine doing that while being tied to 12 other people. I could tell some stories of past centipedes blowing up in spectacular fashion (as certain runners are dragged - one time literally - out out too fast), but I'll save it for another time. After all the elites, the 'pedes, and guys like me, there's 50,000 total registered runners and walkers. THEN, the real fun begins, with what seems like the rest of the city turning Bay to Breakers into the largest outdoor drinking and costume party of the year.
I was lining up for my first race in three weeks - after running my 4th and final crappy 5K of the season. Even though I spent much time on the track throughout the spring, I figured my mileage should have me prepared for a longer race like this. The only catch is my legs had been super tired for the past week and a half after a super intense week of training leading up to that (including a nearly 2 hour long run on snowy cross country ski trails at 8000 feet). After taking a really easy week, I was finally feeling ok for race day.
My plan was to run well under control for the first two miles, run steady but not too hard up and down the Hayes Street hill, then really start pushing the 4th and 5th miles which are slightly uphill, and just get ready to hammer the 2 mile downhill to the finish. In the first mile I ran a little faster than I wanted - 5:18, but backing off a bit in the second mile (5:32) kept it under control. I eased into the hill, keeping a smooth stride without losing too much ground as I ran up and back down. I turned onto the Pan-Handle hitting 3 miles in 17:08. That 3rd mile is always slow, but I ran a little slower than I intended, but no big deal, I was feeling good and it's time to really start racing. Last year, I held my position from the 3 mile mark to the finishing stretch, but this time I was focused on moving up. I immediately caught two runners and passed them, then focused ahead. Whenever I could, I wouldn't focus on the runner ahead, rather two spots ahead - which helps from getting lulled into the pace of a racer who could be falling off the pace himself. In the 4th mile (5:38 for a gradual uphill) and the 5th (rolling - 5:31), I picked up at least a half dozen positions. Then just as I'm getting toward the 5 mile mark, my calves and lower legs start to really cramp up. I pressed my pace to the top of the downhill, but just didn't feel like a good idea to hammer the downhill and risk injury. I gave back a few places as I passed through 6 & 7 miles (5:19 and 5:25 pace), then held my position to the finish along the great highway at Ocean Beach to finish 58th overall in 41:30, and 5th place in the male 30-39 age group (which to be fair does NOT include elites).
I wasn't thrilled with my overall time, but I think there were some very positive takeaways. First of all, I ran confidently, was tough when I needed to me, and stayed focused throughout. I had lacked all of those in recent races. The time easily could have been 30-45 seconds faster if I had been able to roll on the downhill 6th and 7th miles. Despite my disappointment with the pace, it's still my fastest time in three races there. Finally, in celebration of the 100th running, the race promoters announced that anybody who beat the winning time of 44:10 from the 1st Bay to Breakers would have their race number retired. So go ahead and hang #312 from the rafters because no one will wear it again at Bay to Breakers! Supposebly.
After I cooled down, got back to my car near the start, drove around town, and had brunch at a buddy's house, I walked down to the Pan-Handle to take in the festivities. Despite claims that alcohol and unregistered walkers wouldn't be allowed on the course, the party was going strong. It was just slightly more respectful of the neighbors than prior years.
If you want to see some good pics, there is a great slideshow that the SF Chronicle put together. Two of my friends made the reel - one who ran 5:30 pace dressed as Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, and another dress as well some sort of cop.
Here's the link to the full slideshow:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2011/05/15/MNJS1JGGTS.DTL&object=%2Fc%2Fpictures%2F2011%2F05%2F15%2Fba-baytobreakers_0503470795.jpg
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Nemesis
My nemesis hasn't been a person (but wouldn't that be fun), or a certain race course, or a workout. My nemesis is the 5K. A couple months after I first started showing up at West Valley TC workouts and slowly fighting my way back into shape, I ran my first race - a 5K in 16:29. A year later, at the end of my first full season of consistent training in several years, I ran the second 5K of my age 30+ competitive career - finishing in 16:07.
In two and a half years since that race, I've knocked 4 minutes off my best half marathon, run over a minute faster on a several cross country courses, plus trained faster, longer, and more consistently. Yet despite all that, I can't seem to clock a good 5K.
My best was a 15:49 on the track in the Spring of 2010, but other than that it's just been a long string of blowups in the low to mid 16's.
Heading into 2011, my goal was to focus my training around running a good 5K. Being just fast enough to jump in college open meets, there are several opportunities to race the distance. Surely just more time on the track would lead me to a sub 15:30 (that magical 5-flat per mile pace). Throughout the winter I worked my mileage up to a an average of 60 miles per week - which I've held all year. Our Tuesday workouts first featured longer intervals at hard tempo pace - which I'd often run 5:15 pace, then transitioned to faster somewhat shorter interval workouts. Week after week I would run 3 - 4 miles of repeats, all between 71 - 75 second per laps. One workout in particular, I ran 5 times 1000 meters averaging 3:02 - 15:10 5K pace. I didn't think I'd hold that pace running each kilometer back to back, but surely everything pointed toward me running 15:30!
My first shot was the Hornet Invite - an open college meet at Sacramento State (the track where I ran my lifetime 1500 PR back in 2000). Throughout the week, the forecast got worse and worse, and sure enough the morning of the race had a steady rain and 25-30 mph winds blowing right through the stadium. I hit the split right around 5 flat with the leader, but as soon as it strung out, it got ugly. In the second half I was red-lining pretty much every lap by the end of the front stretch, only to recover on the back stretch just in time to hit the wind again. My splits got slower and slower, and I finished with an ugly 16:32.
The next 5K, which was the one I really had circled on the calendar, was the SF State Distance Carnival. It's a meet with deep, fast fields, at a great venue - I bet this is the least windy track in the Bay Area. For some reason on race-day my mind was in the wrong place. I knew my training was going great, so I had no reason not to have confidence. Instead, I kept thinking of every way I could have a bad race. I wasn't thinking about crushing the race, I was thinking about not having a bad race. It was like I was battling all demons that plagued my performances for much my college career. I raced the slowest of 3 heats, but with a group that would be running in the mid 15 minute range. The pace was perfect - we were clicking off 74-75 second laps, hitting the mile just under 5 minutes. I hit half way thinking this is going well, but a lap later the pain really hit & I just wanted to quit. I hit 2 miles in 10:07, then 3 miles in 15:28, finishing in 16:04. This was the first race in a long time where I was really beating myself up for a while afterward - just felt like a wasted opportunity.
The 3rd race was the Carlsbad 5000 (near San Diego) with my West Valley teammates where I would run in an age group 30-39 race (no young guns!). It was a fun trip, even though Southwest canceled our flight getting us in pretty late. I went out conservatively, but still found myself right in the thick of a chase pack that let lead 3 runners go. I moved myself toward the front, again hitting the mile right around 5 flat. I felt great for the first part of the second mile, thinking this was my day. I led the chase pack shortly after the mile. Then for the third week in a row, things went south quickly. A couple guys passed me, then 3 more went by. I went from leading the chase pack to trying to hang on. I hit the 2 mile mark in 10:15 - REALLY I just slowed down that much?? I don't think I totally gave up in the last mile, but surely wasn't digging deep as I ran the last mile in a pathetic 5:30 for a finishing time of 16:18. On a positive note, watching the elite race was AWESOME as former 5K world champ Eliud Kipchoge got kicked down at the finish (13:10 was the winning time).
So there you have it. My big goal for the season has been an epic failure so far. Training has been an ongoing success. So what gives? I wish I had an easy answer... I think mentally I've gotten so used to underperforming at this distance that it's turned into a self fulfilling prophecy. For most of my good races I was there with my buddies, having a good time, and feeling loose before the race. Lately I'm analysing my race before it even starts. Physically, it's a tough distance. It always starts hurting pretty bad about half way, when you still have 7 minutes of hard painful running to go. When building up my speed and fitness, I need to run my workouts under control in order to benefit from consistency. But I think I really need to push the envelope every few workouts, otherwise I won't know how to dig deep into the well on race day. Finally, the workout that's been missing is the fast tempo (as opposed to the longer half marathon pace runs).
So how does this end? I really don't know. I just know I'm not ready to say "I'm too old for the 5K" and throw in the towel in favor of longer distances!
In two and a half years since that race, I've knocked 4 minutes off my best half marathon, run over a minute faster on a several cross country courses, plus trained faster, longer, and more consistently. Yet despite all that, I can't seem to clock a good 5K.
My best was a 15:49 on the track in the Spring of 2010, but other than that it's just been a long string of blowups in the low to mid 16's.
Heading into 2011, my goal was to focus my training around running a good 5K. Being just fast enough to jump in college open meets, there are several opportunities to race the distance. Surely just more time on the track would lead me to a sub 15:30 (that magical 5-flat per mile pace). Throughout the winter I worked my mileage up to a an average of 60 miles per week - which I've held all year. Our Tuesday workouts first featured longer intervals at hard tempo pace - which I'd often run 5:15 pace, then transitioned to faster somewhat shorter interval workouts. Week after week I would run 3 - 4 miles of repeats, all between 71 - 75 second per laps. One workout in particular, I ran 5 times 1000 meters averaging 3:02 - 15:10 5K pace. I didn't think I'd hold that pace running each kilometer back to back, but surely everything pointed toward me running 15:30!
My first shot was the Hornet Invite - an open college meet at Sacramento State (the track where I ran my lifetime 1500 PR back in 2000). Throughout the week, the forecast got worse and worse, and sure enough the morning of the race had a steady rain and 25-30 mph winds blowing right through the stadium. I hit the split right around 5 flat with the leader, but as soon as it strung out, it got ugly. In the second half I was red-lining pretty much every lap by the end of the front stretch, only to recover on the back stretch just in time to hit the wind again. My splits got slower and slower, and I finished with an ugly 16:32.
The next 5K, which was the one I really had circled on the calendar, was the SF State Distance Carnival. It's a meet with deep, fast fields, at a great venue - I bet this is the least windy track in the Bay Area. For some reason on race-day my mind was in the wrong place. I knew my training was going great, so I had no reason not to have confidence. Instead, I kept thinking of every way I could have a bad race. I wasn't thinking about crushing the race, I was thinking about not having a bad race. It was like I was battling all demons that plagued my performances for much my college career. I raced the slowest of 3 heats, but with a group that would be running in the mid 15 minute range. The pace was perfect - we were clicking off 74-75 second laps, hitting the mile just under 5 minutes. I hit half way thinking this is going well, but a lap later the pain really hit & I just wanted to quit. I hit 2 miles in 10:07, then 3 miles in 15:28, finishing in 16:04. This was the first race in a long time where I was really beating myself up for a while afterward - just felt like a wasted opportunity.
The 3rd race was the Carlsbad 5000 (near San Diego) with my West Valley teammates where I would run in an age group 30-39 race (no young guns!). It was a fun trip, even though Southwest canceled our flight getting us in pretty late. I went out conservatively, but still found myself right in the thick of a chase pack that let lead 3 runners go. I moved myself toward the front, again hitting the mile right around 5 flat. I felt great for the first part of the second mile, thinking this was my day. I led the chase pack shortly after the mile. Then for the third week in a row, things went south quickly. A couple guys passed me, then 3 more went by. I went from leading the chase pack to trying to hang on. I hit the 2 mile mark in 10:15 - REALLY I just slowed down that much?? I don't think I totally gave up in the last mile, but surely wasn't digging deep as I ran the last mile in a pathetic 5:30 for a finishing time of 16:18. On a positive note, watching the elite race was AWESOME as former 5K world champ Eliud Kipchoge got kicked down at the finish (13:10 was the winning time).
So there you have it. My big goal for the season has been an epic failure so far. Training has been an ongoing success. So what gives? I wish I had an easy answer... I think mentally I've gotten so used to underperforming at this distance that it's turned into a self fulfilling prophecy. For most of my good races I was there with my buddies, having a good time, and feeling loose before the race. Lately I'm analysing my race before it even starts. Physically, it's a tough distance. It always starts hurting pretty bad about half way, when you still have 7 minutes of hard painful running to go. When building up my speed and fitness, I need to run my workouts under control in order to benefit from consistency. But I think I really need to push the envelope every few workouts, otherwise I won't know how to dig deep into the well on race day. Finally, the workout that's been missing is the fast tempo (as opposed to the longer half marathon pace runs).
So how does this end? I really don't know. I just know I'm not ready to say "I'm too old for the 5K" and throw in the towel in favor of longer distances!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Another Interview: Tennesse Running
In the San Francisco Bay Area I'm just another sorta fast guy trying to stay within sight of some real elites. But I was fortunate enough to have a successful high school career in Tennessee where I was also competitive on the national scene. That fact that I got to do a couple of interviews on the internet this past year, is certainly not the result of anything I've accomplished recently (as in the past decade).
Dave Milner - who is a buddy of my high school teammate Jeff Edmonds - edits tnrunning.com, a website reporting on runners who live in Tennessee or originally hail from there. I'm a little embarrassed to see my name up there with Phoebe Write and Andrew Bumbalough, who are both developing into full blown world class runners. That said, I appreciate Dave sending me some questions, and reporting on what this has-been has been up to!
http://www.tnrunning.com/interviews/where_are_they_now/Gifford-Feb11.html
Dave Milner - who is a buddy of my high school teammate Jeff Edmonds - edits tnrunning.com, a website reporting on runners who live in Tennessee or originally hail from there. I'm a little embarrassed to see my name up there with Phoebe Write and Andrew Bumbalough, who are both developing into full blown world class runners. That said, I appreciate Dave sending me some questions, and reporting on what this has-been has been up to!
http://www.tnrunning.com/interviews/where_are_they_now/Gifford-Feb11.html
Interview on The Logic of Long Distance
I meant to write this post two months ago... after I knocked off one or two items on my blogging to-do list. But since my recent thoughts have been making their way onto the web 2.0, I realized it's time to post this.
I met Jeff Edmonds when I showed up for the first cross country practice as a 7th grader at Baylor (high school). At the time he was the captain and lead runner of our Jr High squad, and I was the newbie. Over the next four years, we were teammates, friends, and at times rivals. Jeff was the guy I chased in practice as I was getting faster and learning how to be a runner. When I was fast enough to actually train with him our workouts, and even our normal runs could get intense, because neither of us liked to ever back down!
Jeff graduated two years ahead of me, but we both experienced high school success, followed by the ups and downs of college running. After college we found ourselves focusing on our career, and in his case, educational goals (Jeff earned PhD in philosophy two years ago). Right around the time we each turned 30, we started lacing our shoes up more often, and both found ourselves cranking out the miles and racing again. I don't get to see Jeff very often - living on opposite sides of the country - but we've really enjoyed sharing our experiences and refound passion for distance running over the past few years.
Jeff has a very cool blog - The Logic of Long Distance. He combines two of his passions - running and philosophy - into a single forum. Often he'll discribe the triumphs and frustrations of his own running through the thoughts & writings of other philosophers.
Another feature of his blog is to interview runners non-professional runners who are still out there training hard trying to run fast. Jeff acted like I was doing him a favor by answering his questions, but he was the one doing me a favor. I had a lot of fun thinking back over my high school, college, and current careers, and putting my thoughts in worlds. I think in times when I get stuck in a rut with my training or racing, it's good to go back and see what I was doing and what mindset helped me run fast in the past.
I'm not posting the intereview here, because I'd encourage you to check out The Logic of Long Distance if you've never done so before.
http://thelogicoflongdistance.blogspot.com/2011/01/interview-jamey-gifford.html
I met Jeff Edmonds when I showed up for the first cross country practice as a 7th grader at Baylor (high school). At the time he was the captain and lead runner of our Jr High squad, and I was the newbie. Over the next four years, we were teammates, friends, and at times rivals. Jeff was the guy I chased in practice as I was getting faster and learning how to be a runner. When I was fast enough to actually train with him our workouts, and even our normal runs could get intense, because neither of us liked to ever back down!
Jeff graduated two years ahead of me, but we both experienced high school success, followed by the ups and downs of college running. After college we found ourselves focusing on our career, and in his case, educational goals (Jeff earned PhD in philosophy two years ago). Right around the time we each turned 30, we started lacing our shoes up more often, and both found ourselves cranking out the miles and racing again. I don't get to see Jeff very often - living on opposite sides of the country - but we've really enjoyed sharing our experiences and refound passion for distance running over the past few years.
Jeff has a very cool blog - The Logic of Long Distance. He combines two of his passions - running and philosophy - into a single forum. Often he'll discribe the triumphs and frustrations of his own running through the thoughts & writings of other philosophers.
Another feature of his blog is to interview runners non-professional runners who are still out there training hard trying to run fast. Jeff acted like I was doing him a favor by answering his questions, but he was the one doing me a favor. I had a lot of fun thinking back over my high school, college, and current careers, and putting my thoughts in worlds. I think in times when I get stuck in a rut with my training or racing, it's good to go back and see what I was doing and what mindset helped me run fast in the past.
I'm not posting the intereview here, because I'd encourage you to check out The Logic of Long Distance if you've never done so before.
http://thelogicoflongdistance.blogspot.com/2011/01/interview-jamey-gifford.html
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Winter Training and the Redding 10 Miler
Winter time is the perfect season for building a mileage base. After a break from the fall cross country and road racing season, it's time to re-charge and start building that endurance up with long runs, workouts, and overall mileage. However the season comes with challenges like shorter days and bad weather (of course if rarely gets worse than rain and 50 degrees in the Bay Area). In my case, I also have to balance training with my skiing habit as we head up to Kirkwood to hit the slopes most weekends this time of year. I do have access to a treadmill up there, and if it's not dumping snow (which it often is) I can get out on the roads for a run, but that's assuming I'm not completely trashed from a long day of skiing. This winter, instead of trying to force myself to log decent mileage before heading out to ski, or worse after skiing, I decided to shift from being a weekend warrior to a week day warrior!
Without having the weekends to log long runs and workouts, I had to be disciplined about scheduling a primary workout, long run, and secondary workout on the week days. This usually meant Tuesday workout, Wednesday long run, then Friday secondary workout. Once I got in the routine, my training really built on itself and everything fell into place. I ran my first 60 mile week in almost a year in mid January, then proceeded to run at least 60 for six out of seven weeks through the end of February (60, 65, 61, 71, 70, 50, 66). My workouts - which were mostly on the track - included a mix of longer, steady pace type intervals, 5k pace work, and even some speed. My legs didn't feel fresh for a lot of the workouts, but I almost always felt strong. There were a couple workouts where I felt really tired early on, but I could drop shoulders, relax my stride, and still make a quality session out of it.
I decided my focus for the upcoming season would be the 5k distance. That didn't mean I wouldn't race longer distances, but last year lacked a big picture as I tried to cater toward too many individual races and distances. Does running higher mileage to focus on a shorter distance seem contradictory? Not necessarily... My view is running better mileage (which still isn't "high mileage" in the grand scheme of things), will get me through longer workouts at a quality pace, which will ultimately allow me to handle faster paces into the 3rd mile of the 5k.
Before the 5k races cranked up, I headed up to Redding to run the first PA race of the season - the NorCal 10 miler. Normally I'd approach a 10 mile race much like a half marathon - good overall mileage (check), consistent long runs (check), and long tempo runs (somewhat missing in favor of more time on the track). Even if training wasn't focused on this distance, I felt confident that my strength could translate into a solid race. I allowed myself an easier week - even without the race, it's not a terrible idea to get my legs back under me every so often.
The plan for the 10 mile race was to hang back and run comfortably for 4 miles, then try to start moving my way up after that. I also decided that I wasn't going to look at my splits until at least half way through the race. I figured at this point knowing my splits would either psych me out if I was too fast, or psych me out if I was too slow.
As the race got underway there was a lead pack, then a few stragglers (including a couple teammates), then I was in the first chase pack. I fought the urge to jostle or surge by telling myself to relax. The first 3 miles were pretty uneventful. Looking at splits wasn't even an issue because the first mile marker we saw was the 5th. Somewhere around mile 3 I was pulling away from most the guys in my initial pack as I caught up with teammate Jonah, and close to teammate Matt. In the 5th mile as we left the bike trail to loop through a neighborhood, I tried to reel in Mike from the River City Rebels and two guys he was running with less than 5 seconds ahead. A slight attempt at a surge sent me from feeling pretty good, to feeling tired for the first time. Shortly after that, they started to slip away, and Jonah caught back up with me. At the 5 mile mark, I decided not to look at my watch - since I was starting to hurt but had someone to run w/, although did click the split button to look at after the race (27:16 at 5 miles). The 6th mile included the roller coaster hills that we hit on the way out. I stayed with Jonah, though a couple times using the downhills to surge and catch up. The hills ended just before the 7 mile mark, but I was pretty stretched at that point and Jonah started to pull away. In the 8th mile I just tried to keep Jonah from pulling further away. At the 8 mile mark, I finally looked at my watch for the first time - 44:15. I was a little disappointed to be just over 5:30 pace, but knew I needed to push harder to maintain that average pace. It was really hurting now, and I hit 9 miles at 49:52 - 5:37 for that mile. As the bridge we would cross to the finish got closer, Jonah had slipped too far away to have a shot. Then just before the bridge, I heard the one thing I didn't want to hear - footsteps. I was hurting, and had faith in my ability to kick, but didn't want it to come to that. I surged up the very slight slope onto the bridge. I was fully expecting to die toward the end of the bridge, but at that point there would be less than 200 meters to go, including an 180 degree turn, followed by a 90 degree turn. My pursuer had friends cheering for him, but I used it as motivation. Sure enough I was out of gas coming off the bridge, but got ready for one last kick just in case. I never needed it, as my move over the bridge opened the gap back up. I crossed the line in 55:16 for 13th place. My last mile was 5:23 - nothing amazing, but happy I was tough to suck it up when I was really hurting.
Splits were 27:16 for the first 5, then 5:42 (hilly), 5:33, 5:42, 5:37, 5:23.
Heading in I had hoped to run around 54 minutes, which was my split during my half marathon PR. Even falling short of my pre-race goal, it was a solid race on a tough course. I think I had several chances to pack it in during the 2nd half, but kept pressing. Even though I've had a faster 10 mile split, it's a PR for an actual 10 mile race, so have to be happy with that. Plus it's nice to run a race for the 3rd year in a road and clock my fastest time.
Next race will be a track 5K - possibly in 2 weeks, and definitely one in 3 weeks. Back to the track to work on that speed!
Without having the weekends to log long runs and workouts, I had to be disciplined about scheduling a primary workout, long run, and secondary workout on the week days. This usually meant Tuesday workout, Wednesday long run, then Friday secondary workout. Once I got in the routine, my training really built on itself and everything fell into place. I ran my first 60 mile week in almost a year in mid January, then proceeded to run at least 60 for six out of seven weeks through the end of February (60, 65, 61, 71, 70, 50, 66). My workouts - which were mostly on the track - included a mix of longer, steady pace type intervals, 5k pace work, and even some speed. My legs didn't feel fresh for a lot of the workouts, but I almost always felt strong. There were a couple workouts where I felt really tired early on, but I could drop shoulders, relax my stride, and still make a quality session out of it.
I decided my focus for the upcoming season would be the 5k distance. That didn't mean I wouldn't race longer distances, but last year lacked a big picture as I tried to cater toward too many individual races and distances. Does running higher mileage to focus on a shorter distance seem contradictory? Not necessarily... My view is running better mileage (which still isn't "high mileage" in the grand scheme of things), will get me through longer workouts at a quality pace, which will ultimately allow me to handle faster paces into the 3rd mile of the 5k.
Before the 5k races cranked up, I headed up to Redding to run the first PA race of the season - the NorCal 10 miler. Normally I'd approach a 10 mile race much like a half marathon - good overall mileage (check), consistent long runs (check), and long tempo runs (somewhat missing in favor of more time on the track). Even if training wasn't focused on this distance, I felt confident that my strength could translate into a solid race. I allowed myself an easier week - even without the race, it's not a terrible idea to get my legs back under me every so often.
The plan for the 10 mile race was to hang back and run comfortably for 4 miles, then try to start moving my way up after that. I also decided that I wasn't going to look at my splits until at least half way through the race. I figured at this point knowing my splits would either psych me out if I was too fast, or psych me out if I was too slow.
As the race got underway there was a lead pack, then a few stragglers (including a couple teammates), then I was in the first chase pack. I fought the urge to jostle or surge by telling myself to relax. The first 3 miles were pretty uneventful. Looking at splits wasn't even an issue because the first mile marker we saw was the 5th. Somewhere around mile 3 I was pulling away from most the guys in my initial pack as I caught up with teammate Jonah, and close to teammate Matt. In the 5th mile as we left the bike trail to loop through a neighborhood, I tried to reel in Mike from the River City Rebels and two guys he was running with less than 5 seconds ahead. A slight attempt at a surge sent me from feeling pretty good, to feeling tired for the first time. Shortly after that, they started to slip away, and Jonah caught back up with me. At the 5 mile mark, I decided not to look at my watch - since I was starting to hurt but had someone to run w/, although did click the split button to look at after the race (27:16 at 5 miles). The 6th mile included the roller coaster hills that we hit on the way out. I stayed with Jonah, though a couple times using the downhills to surge and catch up. The hills ended just before the 7 mile mark, but I was pretty stretched at that point and Jonah started to pull away. In the 8th mile I just tried to keep Jonah from pulling further away. At the 8 mile mark, I finally looked at my watch for the first time - 44:15. I was a little disappointed to be just over 5:30 pace, but knew I needed to push harder to maintain that average pace. It was really hurting now, and I hit 9 miles at 49:52 - 5:37 for that mile. As the bridge we would cross to the finish got closer, Jonah had slipped too far away to have a shot. Then just before the bridge, I heard the one thing I didn't want to hear - footsteps. I was hurting, and had faith in my ability to kick, but didn't want it to come to that. I surged up the very slight slope onto the bridge. I was fully expecting to die toward the end of the bridge, but at that point there would be less than 200 meters to go, including an 180 degree turn, followed by a 90 degree turn. My pursuer had friends cheering for him, but I used it as motivation. Sure enough I was out of gas coming off the bridge, but got ready for one last kick just in case. I never needed it, as my move over the bridge opened the gap back up. I crossed the line in 55:16 for 13th place. My last mile was 5:23 - nothing amazing, but happy I was tough to suck it up when I was really hurting.
Splits were 27:16 for the first 5, then 5:42 (hilly), 5:33, 5:42, 5:37, 5:23.
Heading in I had hoped to run around 54 minutes, which was my split during my half marathon PR. Even falling short of my pre-race goal, it was a solid race on a tough course. I think I had several chances to pack it in during the 2nd half, but kept pressing. Even though I've had a faster 10 mile split, it's a PR for an actual 10 mile race, so have to be happy with that. Plus it's nice to run a race for the 3rd year in a road and clock my fastest time.
Next race will be a track 5K - possibly in 2 weeks, and definitely one in 3 weeks. Back to the track to work on that speed!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Training and Racing - Thoughts from 2010
I think I’ve set a new pr for a belated blog post – reviewing last year 44 days into the new year. I think handful of short paragraphs would be more appropriate than a long essay.
In 2010 I ran less, ran fewer miles, raced less, and was overall slower than 2009. While none of that is positive, I did have some good moments, learned some valuable lessons, and finished the year on the right track.
Looking back at most of 2010, my training was hot & cold. At times I was pushing my training too hard, and other times cutting corners when what I really needed was consistency.
My first mistake was trying to jump right into a serious racing schedule after a long & busy season over the 2nd half of 2009. I only took one week off, and was right back into race specific workouts to run the New Year Eve race in Chattanooga. After that, I tried (unsuccessfully) to PR at the Kaiser Half Marathon in February, then the plan was to be ready for a 12k and 10miler in march, then in 5k shape for the April races, and then of course be a mountain running machine for the Dipsea Race in June.
It’s great to have big goals, but I really lacked a big picture. After a disappointing race at Kaiser, I let my training slack off a bit through February. Then after regrouping toward the end of March, a sprained ankle knocked me out for a month. A crash course training schedule got me ready for the Dipsea on 5 weeks of training. After that, an inconsistent summer ended with a calf injury. Finally in September, I focused on getting myself healthy, and slowly building my weekly mileage starting from an easy 30, up to 55 by the end of the fall.
There were a few bright spots. I was very happy with the Across the Bay 12K in March running a PR of 39:42, and finishing 16th in a competitive PA race. Then just 5 days later I ran my best 5K since college in 15:49 at a track meet. The Dipsea was a very solid and exiting race despite very limited preparation. Finally I capped off a limited cross country season with a good race at the PA Championships.
2010 vs 2009 comparisons
2028 total miles run (2272 in 2009)
273 days run (295 in 2009)
Averaged 5.6 miles / day (6.2 in 2009)
Averaged 7.4 miles per day that I ran (7.7 in 2009)
4 PRs (12K, 5K, mile, Dipsea) vs. PRs in just about every distance except the 5k for 2009
Best finish in a PA race – 16th: twice – Redding 10 miler, and Across the Bay 12K vs 3 different 6th place finishes in 2009)
Times I lost to a girl: once in 2010 (to Kate O’Neil at the Marin 10K) vs once in 2009 (to Kate O’Neil at the Kaiser Half Marathon)
Looking ahead: While I plan to race at a range of distances in the first half of 2011, my training is geared toward a single focus – improving my 5K performances. I’m well on my way to toward building a good mileage base, and this time around emphasizing track workouts over tempo runs (although still getting a couple tempos in each month). I’m also spending more time working on my speed. If I can improve this part of my running repertoire, I think it will pay dividends across the board.
In 2010 I ran less, ran fewer miles, raced less, and was overall slower than 2009. While none of that is positive, I did have some good moments, learned some valuable lessons, and finished the year on the right track.
Looking back at most of 2010, my training was hot & cold. At times I was pushing my training too hard, and other times cutting corners when what I really needed was consistency.
My first mistake was trying to jump right into a serious racing schedule after a long & busy season over the 2nd half of 2009. I only took one week off, and was right back into race specific workouts to run the New Year Eve race in Chattanooga. After that, I tried (unsuccessfully) to PR at the Kaiser Half Marathon in February, then the plan was to be ready for a 12k and 10miler in march, then in 5k shape for the April races, and then of course be a mountain running machine for the Dipsea Race in June.
It’s great to have big goals, but I really lacked a big picture. After a disappointing race at Kaiser, I let my training slack off a bit through February. Then after regrouping toward the end of March, a sprained ankle knocked me out for a month. A crash course training schedule got me ready for the Dipsea on 5 weeks of training. After that, an inconsistent summer ended with a calf injury. Finally in September, I focused on getting myself healthy, and slowly building my weekly mileage starting from an easy 30, up to 55 by the end of the fall.
There were a few bright spots. I was very happy with the Across the Bay 12K in March running a PR of 39:42, and finishing 16th in a competitive PA race. Then just 5 days later I ran my best 5K since college in 15:49 at a track meet. The Dipsea was a very solid and exiting race despite very limited preparation. Finally I capped off a limited cross country season with a good race at the PA Championships.
2010 vs 2009 comparisons
2028 total miles run (2272 in 2009)
273 days run (295 in 2009)
Averaged 5.6 miles / day (6.2 in 2009)
Averaged 7.4 miles per day that I ran (7.7 in 2009)
4 PRs (12K, 5K, mile, Dipsea) vs. PRs in just about every distance except the 5k for 2009
Best finish in a PA race – 16th: twice – Redding 10 miler, and Across the Bay 12K vs 3 different 6th place finishes in 2009)
Times I lost to a girl: once in 2010 (to Kate O’Neil at the Marin 10K) vs once in 2009 (to Kate O’Neil at the Kaiser Half Marathon)
Looking ahead: While I plan to race at a range of distances in the first half of 2011, my training is geared toward a single focus – improving my 5K performances. I’m well on my way to toward building a good mileage base, and this time around emphasizing track workouts over tempo runs (although still getting a couple tempos in each month). I’m also spending more time working on my speed. If I can improve this part of my running repertoire, I think it will pay dividends across the board.
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