Time: 75:35
Distance: 11.88 miles
W/u: 24:11 for 3.08 miles
W/o: 5 mile tempo at 5:10-5:20 pace, 5 min. rest, 5 x 1 min hard w/ 1 min rest
C/d: 11:07 for 1.47 miles
It was a great morning for a tempo run in Santa Rosa. I jogged from the friend's house that I stayed at last night over to the start line on Channel Drive. I was using a popular section of road that is close to Annadel and Spring Lake. It's frequented because of little traffic, relatively flat surface and quarter markers. My high school team used to run workouts along this section all the time.
The goal for the morning was to run a relatively controlled 5 miles and then attack the "minuters." I had a pretty big range in pace that gave me some flexibility to push if I felt good (5:10) or back off it I didn't (5:20). I figured a 5:15 average (26:15 total) would be a good measure going into the minute efforts.
Tempo Splits:
5:18, 5:10, 5:14, 5:08, 5:15 for 26:05 total
(5:00 rest for .64 miles or 7:47 pace)
Hard Minuters:
4:30 pace (7:11 pace)
4:22 (8:01)
4:14 (7:51)
4:26 (8:04)
4:36 (uphill finish)
The total time for my tempo and minuters was 40:17 and I covered 7.33 miles (5:29 pace)
I wouldn't have been happy with this workout had it not been for the hard minute efforts. I didn't all that great during the tempo run which is why the pace varied a little bit form mile to mile. I was sluggish off the line and struggled to get rolling with that 5:10 split. I remained relatively relaxed, but never really fell into a rhythm. The minuters were a different story. I wanted to lash the body with some hard, steady, efficient running. I think I did just that as I was able to have some pretty solid minute averages. My turnover was nice and quick and I could tell that my arm carry was good.
Showing posts with label 8k tempo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 8k tempo. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Candlelight 8k
Time: 70:33
Distance: ~9.5 miles
Race: 25:47 for 8k, 3rd
W/u: 30:32 for 3.82 miles
C/d: 14:14 for 1.62 miles
It was a busy volunteering weekend here in Charlotte as the Queens athletes were roped into helping out at the Candlelight 8k. Scott Simmons was co-race director along with Saul Bizuneh, Fasil Bizuneh's brother. The first year race was out in Gastonia, NC and was offering a cash payout of $500, $200, $100.
I didn't decide to race until about 7:10 pm when I figured I could get a comp entry. I really had nothing to lose if I were to race and there was the possibility of winning some coin. I sent out a few text messages inquiring the whereabouts of some Zap athletes who might show up. They were up in Boston for Mayor's Cup and would not be in attendance. That was great news for me, but I still had to make a decision. I'll tell you what wasn't a good decision...eating the Jason's Deli turkey sammich, potato chips, cookie and three pickles around 5:00 pm.
I started warming up with Jenna and received a call from Simmons saying he could get me in. I was now leaning towards running the race, or at the very least starting it. I had only seen a couple of guys who looked like they could challenge for the lead and the stomach didn't feel too upset. Furthermore, my cold is nearly better but I still cough at the start of runs.
About 20 minutes from the 8:15 pm gun time I spotted the first Kenyan warming up near the start/finish line. I kept my eye out for his buddies as they usually travel in packs. The only other runner that I knew of in attendance was Ryan Woods of Boone, NC. He shows up in a lot of road races that offer a bit of prize money.
The race course was a hilly three loop circuit near the hospital. Simmons suggested a conservative start because we would be running the first hill of approximately 400m in length all three laps. I already had settled on a really conservative "race" plan that involved running for money and dropping out when it looked like there would be no pay day. And, I'm not talking candy bars.
The Kenyan (Julius Kogo) and Woods were out quickly up the starting hill, exiting onto the main road and up the hill on the loop. I was running in third, leading the chase pack of three. I felt settled and content to let the race come down to a kick for $100. I didn't see myself running that aggressively at any point so I was most concerned with running relaxed with Dan Matena (Charlotte Running Club) and Cody Angell (TrySports). The Royals had been assigned course marshaling duties which provided me great crowd support about every 500m.
On the second loop I was able to gap Angell and Matena by the smallest of margins and I felt that Woods was coming back. I maintained a rhythm and kept at it. At the top of each hill, Woods seemed to be gapping me. I thought I might be able to make a run for second place, but when the advantage closed by only 10m on the last climb I knew the difference was insurmountable. I finished strong for third. Splits were:
5:17, 5:04, 5:05, 5:19, 4:55, :08 for 25:47 and 5.03 miles. (Simmons said the course was a little long).
It was fun meeting some new guys out at the race. I haven't been able to run with the Charlotte Running Club yet, but that is something that will eventually happen.
Oh yeah...Kogo. The Kenyan. He ran pretty damn fast. He broke the tape in 23:21 (4:41 average) which for a night race and solo is legit. Kogo trains out of Chapel Hill, NC according to his coach who was present and served as interpreter. One of the guys asked Kogo what he ran and he simply help up his watch to see. Some of his training partners were up in Charlottesville, VA for a race earlier in the day. They also performed well. I heard that they will be running the City of Oaks Half Marathon next weekend.
Distance: ~9.5 miles
Race: 25:47 for 8k, 3rd
W/u: 30:32 for 3.82 miles
C/d: 14:14 for 1.62 miles
It was a busy volunteering weekend here in Charlotte as the Queens athletes were roped into helping out at the Candlelight 8k. Scott Simmons was co-race director along with Saul Bizuneh, Fasil Bizuneh's brother. The first year race was out in Gastonia, NC and was offering a cash payout of $500, $200, $100.
I didn't decide to race until about 7:10 pm when I figured I could get a comp entry. I really had nothing to lose if I were to race and there was the possibility of winning some coin. I sent out a few text messages inquiring the whereabouts of some Zap athletes who might show up. They were up in Boston for Mayor's Cup and would not be in attendance. That was great news for me, but I still had to make a decision. I'll tell you what wasn't a good decision...eating the Jason's Deli turkey sammich, potato chips, cookie and three pickles around 5:00 pm.
I started warming up with Jenna and received a call from Simmons saying he could get me in. I was now leaning towards running the race, or at the very least starting it. I had only seen a couple of guys who looked like they could challenge for the lead and the stomach didn't feel too upset. Furthermore, my cold is nearly better but I still cough at the start of runs.
About 20 minutes from the 8:15 pm gun time I spotted the first Kenyan warming up near the start/finish line. I kept my eye out for his buddies as they usually travel in packs. The only other runner that I knew of in attendance was Ryan Woods of Boone, NC. He shows up in a lot of road races that offer a bit of prize money.
The race course was a hilly three loop circuit near the hospital. Simmons suggested a conservative start because we would be running the first hill of approximately 400m in length all three laps. I already had settled on a really conservative "race" plan that involved running for money and dropping out when it looked like there would be no pay day. And, I'm not talking candy bars.
The Kenyan (Julius Kogo) and Woods were out quickly up the starting hill, exiting onto the main road and up the hill on the loop. I was running in third, leading the chase pack of three. I felt settled and content to let the race come down to a kick for $100. I didn't see myself running that aggressively at any point so I was most concerned with running relaxed with Dan Matena (Charlotte Running Club) and Cody Angell (TrySports). The Royals had been assigned course marshaling duties which provided me great crowd support about every 500m.
On the second loop I was able to gap Angell and Matena by the smallest of margins and I felt that Woods was coming back. I maintained a rhythm and kept at it. At the top of each hill, Woods seemed to be gapping me. I thought I might be able to make a run for second place, but when the advantage closed by only 10m on the last climb I knew the difference was insurmountable. I finished strong for third. Splits were:
5:17, 5:04, 5:05, 5:19, 4:55, :08 for 25:47 and 5.03 miles. (Simmons said the course was a little long).
It was fun meeting some new guys out at the race. I haven't been able to run with the Charlotte Running Club yet, but that is something that will eventually happen.
Oh yeah...Kogo. The Kenyan. He ran pretty damn fast. He broke the tape in 23:21 (4:41 average) which for a night race and solo is legit. Kogo trains out of Chapel Hill, NC according to his coach who was present and served as interpreter. One of the guys asked Kogo what he ran and he simply help up his watch to see. Some of his training partners were up in Charlottesville, VA for a race earlier in the day. They also performed well. I heard that they will be running the City of Oaks Half Marathon next weekend.
Friday, July 31, 2009
A Stadium Record?
Time: 73:32
Distance: 11.46 miles
W/u: 22:57 for 3.01 miles
W/0: 6 mile tempo at 5:00 pace
C/d: 20:10 for 2.45 miles
I saw this workout on the schedule and had my doubts about being able to complete it at the proper pace. The warm up went well enough and I felt like this was going to be the best test of my fitness. I was delighted to see Scotty D roll up on his bike because that meant I had a pacer on the track and someone to hand me water if needed. The weather was the best it has been in recent weeks with cool temps (upper 60s) and low humidity.
I chose to run this workout on the track so that I would know exactly when the pace was going to shit. If I had run on the roads the pace would have the chance to really vary. Before getting started I made the comment that I was out to set the stadium record because I doubt anybody has run close to 30 mins for 6 miles on the Norman High School track.
Splits:
4:59.34, 4:59.35, 5:01.52 (15:37 at 5k),
5:04.67, 5:09.06, 5:01.54 for 30:15 total.
The first few miles rolled by as I was counting up the laps. Scotty tried to break the slight breeze on the homestretch but it was still noticeable. I was able to run about 3.5 miles comfortable before the wheels started to loosen. I didn't lose focus on the 5th mile but the pace definitely slipped as the effort got harder. The legs kept churning and I think my form stayed the same but the power from my legs wasn't there. I pushed the final 1k and was able to make the last mile respectable again to finish with a 5:03 mile average for the day. I texted Jailhouse and he said that it's probably the best tempo he has seen me complete.
Distance: 11.46 miles
W/u: 22:57 for 3.01 miles
W/0: 6 mile tempo at 5:00 pace
C/d: 20:10 for 2.45 miles
I saw this workout on the schedule and had my doubts about being able to complete it at the proper pace. The warm up went well enough and I felt like this was going to be the best test of my fitness. I was delighted to see Scotty D roll up on his bike because that meant I had a pacer on the track and someone to hand me water if needed. The weather was the best it has been in recent weeks with cool temps (upper 60s) and low humidity.
I chose to run this workout on the track so that I would know exactly when the pace was going to shit. If I had run on the roads the pace would have the chance to really vary. Before getting started I made the comment that I was out to set the stadium record because I doubt anybody has run close to 30 mins for 6 miles on the Norman High School track.
Splits:
4:59.34, 4:59.35, 5:01.52 (15:37 at 5k),
5:04.67, 5:09.06, 5:01.54 for 30:15 total.
The first few miles rolled by as I was counting up the laps. Scotty tried to break the slight breeze on the homestretch but it was still noticeable. I was able to run about 3.5 miles comfortable before the wheels started to loosen. I didn't lose focus on the 5th mile but the pace definitely slipped as the effort got harder. The legs kept churning and I think my form stayed the same but the power from my legs wasn't there. I pushed the final 1k and was able to make the last mile respectable again to finish with a 5:03 mile average for the day. I texted Jailhouse and he said that it's probably the best tempo he has seen me complete.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Bethany Freedom Run
Time: 58:48
Distance: 9.14 miles
W/u: 8:02 for 1.07 miles
Race: 26:13 for 5.00 miles (according to Mr. Garmin), 26:04 for 8k (according to DG)
C/d: 24:33 for 3.07 miles
Is there a better way to spend the Fourth of July than starting the day off with a race? I think not. A race on the Fourth is second to only a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. Scotty, Meagan and I left Nompton at the bright hour of 6:10 am in the direction of Bethany, OK. I had vague directions to the start of the race which I thought was on NW 23rd St. We took a few wrong turns, but ended up in the right spot with a few moments to spare.
Originally, I had planned to run a workout with Jerry's Kids that was going to be 5 miles on the course prior to the race and then the 8k race itself. Since we arrived at 7:05 am for a 7:30 gun time, that clearly wasn't going to happen. Instead, I was able to register for the race, seek out a bathroom down the hill from the start and jog back.
I established my position at the starting line and scoped out who all was present: Jerry's Kids (just doing a workout), Scotty D, Jonathon Pillow and Sam Dech (recently ran 1:50 for 800m and 3:44 for 1500m). Those mentioned would be racing towards the front of the race once Don Garrett finally decided to fire the shotgun.
The pace went out at a solid effort for the first K which I think was 3:09 as stated by some guy holding a stopwatch. The first water stop was either just after or before the K mark which struck me as odd because it was so early in the race. Who needs water 3 to 6 minutes into the run? I took water anyway just to cool off the back of my neck before surging to the lead. Mr. Pillow, Mr. Downard and Mr. Dech followed closely behind my lead and through the mile we were 5:08. Around the 2k mark Dech tossed in a visible surge for about 40 seconds. I could see his turnover quicken as he opened up a 20 to 30 meter gap. As I ran by Pillow in chase of Dech, he said, "I think I pissed him off." Great. Now I was going to have to get after the pace.
There were no more individuals calling out K splits for the remainder of the run, but luckily, I had Mr. Garmin along. He said my splits for the race were 5:08, 5:02, 5:11, 5:26, 5:23. I went through the 5k at 15:50 with a gap on the others. I skipped the part of the race where I caught and passed Dech just after 3k and then was running solo for the last half of the race.
I felt good out front and in control. There was no need to really hammer the pace and I was afraid of potentially taking a wrong turn. A few times I passed the lead motorcycle cop because he was having to chat with drivers who were on the race course. Also, at one point we had to dodge a road closure which meant the motorcycle was up on the dirt and curbs kicking up dust.
If I were to grade this race, I would give it a C. The weather was 83 degrees at 6:00 am this morning and there were only 3 water stops scattered over the 8k distance. The first was at 1k, the second past 5k, and the third water stop was at 7k, however, when I got there the SUV had just arrived to set up the table for the water. Not ideal given the humid conditions. There wasn't anything particularly special about the race course and Don Garrett clearly messed up the timing. I was awarded first place with a time just over 26 minutes but I'm positive that was rather generous as several friends at the race thought they had run 11 to 12 seconds slower, yet they were given faster times. On a positive note, I won a free pair of racing flats! But, I have to go to a competing running store in Oklahoma City to pick up my prize. Clearly, I can't let this prize go to waste, but at the same time I have no desire to betray OK Runner.
Distance: 9.14 miles
W/u: 8:02 for 1.07 miles
Race: 26:13 for 5.00 miles (according to Mr. Garmin), 26:04 for 8k (according to DG)
C/d: 24:33 for 3.07 miles
Is there a better way to spend the Fourth of July than starting the day off with a race? I think not. A race on the Fourth is second to only a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. Scotty, Meagan and I left Nompton at the bright hour of 6:10 am in the direction of Bethany, OK. I had vague directions to the start of the race which I thought was on NW 23rd St. We took a few wrong turns, but ended up in the right spot with a few moments to spare.
Originally, I had planned to run a workout with Jerry's Kids that was going to be 5 miles on the course prior to the race and then the 8k race itself. Since we arrived at 7:05 am for a 7:30 gun time, that clearly wasn't going to happen. Instead, I was able to register for the race, seek out a bathroom down the hill from the start and jog back.
I established my position at the starting line and scoped out who all was present: Jerry's Kids (just doing a workout), Scotty D, Jonathon Pillow and Sam Dech (recently ran 1:50 for 800m and 3:44 for 1500m). Those mentioned would be racing towards the front of the race once Don Garrett finally decided to fire the shotgun.
The pace went out at a solid effort for the first K which I think was 3:09 as stated by some guy holding a stopwatch. The first water stop was either just after or before the K mark which struck me as odd because it was so early in the race. Who needs water 3 to 6 minutes into the run? I took water anyway just to cool off the back of my neck before surging to the lead. Mr. Pillow, Mr. Downard and Mr. Dech followed closely behind my lead and through the mile we were 5:08. Around the 2k mark Dech tossed in a visible surge for about 40 seconds. I could see his turnover quicken as he opened up a 20 to 30 meter gap. As I ran by Pillow in chase of Dech, he said, "I think I pissed him off." Great. Now I was going to have to get after the pace.
There were no more individuals calling out K splits for the remainder of the run, but luckily, I had Mr. Garmin along. He said my splits for the race were 5:08, 5:02, 5:11, 5:26, 5:23. I went through the 5k at 15:50 with a gap on the others. I skipped the part of the race where I caught and passed Dech just after 3k and then was running solo for the last half of the race.
I felt good out front and in control. There was no need to really hammer the pace and I was afraid of potentially taking a wrong turn. A few times I passed the lead motorcycle cop because he was having to chat with drivers who were on the race course. Also, at one point we had to dodge a road closure which meant the motorcycle was up on the dirt and curbs kicking up dust.
If I were to grade this race, I would give it a C. The weather was 83 degrees at 6:00 am this morning and there were only 3 water stops scattered over the 8k distance. The first was at 1k, the second past 5k, and the third water stop was at 7k, however, when I got there the SUV had just arrived to set up the table for the water. Not ideal given the humid conditions. There wasn't anything particularly special about the race course and Don Garrett clearly messed up the timing. I was awarded first place with a time just over 26 minutes but I'm positive that was rather generous as several friends at the race thought they had run 11 to 12 seconds slower, yet they were given faster times. On a positive note, I won a free pair of racing flats! But, I have to go to a competing running store in Oklahoma City to pick up my prize. Clearly, I can't let this prize go to waste, but at the same time I have no desire to betray OK Runner.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Cold Tempo
Time: 35:46
Distance: 6 miles
I got a call from Connor last night and he wanted to know if I would tag along on an 8k tempo run/time trial. I'm always up for a run, so why not? I was picked up at 7 am in the morning and we headed on over to the track along with Andres Gonzalez. It was quite cold on the track but at least the wind wasn't too real. The goal was to start out at 5:30s and cut down from there? It was too early for me to care and I'm too out of shape to get ambitious about working out.
I had a pathetic warm up of 8:25 around the track while the ESPN Game Day crew was putting down wires on the backstretch. I had a hard time feeling my face but I shouldn't be complaining because Tarpy and Owen have it colder than I. Connor was rocking out in some 1980s jazzercize capris that used to be his ma's. Pretty much this was a big deal.
Splits went as follow:
5:29, 5:24, 5:31, 5:29, 5:25 for 27:21 total.
Connor dropped at 4 miles because he has a "wu-wu." Andres fell back with 1200 to go. I finished solo since I'm a beast and can drop 5:30s. Huge fitness indicator. No cool down. No need.
Distance: 6 miles
I got a call from Connor last night and he wanted to know if I would tag along on an 8k tempo run/time trial. I'm always up for a run, so why not? I was picked up at 7 am in the morning and we headed on over to the track along with Andres Gonzalez. It was quite cold on the track but at least the wind wasn't too real. The goal was to start out at 5:30s and cut down from there? It was too early for me to care and I'm too out of shape to get ambitious about working out.
I had a pathetic warm up of 8:25 around the track while the ESPN Game Day crew was putting down wires on the backstretch. I had a hard time feeling my face but I shouldn't be complaining because Tarpy and Owen have it colder than I. Connor was rocking out in some 1980s jazzercize capris that used to be his ma's. Pretty much this was a big deal.
Splits went as follow:
5:29, 5:24, 5:31, 5:29, 5:25 for 27:21 total.
Connor dropped at 4 miles because he has a "wu-wu." Andres fell back with 1200 to go. I finished solo since I'm a beast and can drop 5:30s. Huge fitness indicator. No cool down. No need.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
An Embarrassment to the Sport
Time: 88:17
Distance: ~13.75 miles
Woke up this morning and checked the weather. I needed to get out the door pretty early if I wanted to beat the wind. Working out on the GT when it is blowing, really blows. Jogged out to the GT in 26:40 feeling pretty good. Had a couple long sleeve shirts on and some tights over a pair of shorts. I wasn't ready to workout in 30 degree weather as the workout indicates.
Target: 4 mile tempo dropping 5:20, 5:15, 5:10, 5:10. (5 mins recovery). 4 x 200/200 in 33/60.
Splits: 5:16, 7:58 (1.5 miles). Stopped. Jogged 400m. 800 in 2:40. (1 min). 800 in 2:36. (1 min). 800 in 2:35. (5 min recovery). 32.64, (58.74), 32.76, (60.74), 32.81, (63.00), 31.50, (55.94). 36.25 total of 5.75 miles.
Once the workout got tough I basically quit. I'm an embarrassment to the sport. There are workouts that you are proud to put in your log, and there are those that make you cringe. This is one from the latter category. I'm not really sure why I sucked today. I got pretty cold after 2 miles and started to struggle. My breathing wasn't relaxed and I was having a hard time finding a rhythm. After 2.5 miles I stopped and put on a second long sleever while jogging a lap. My intention was to start right back up for another 1.5 miles, but I still felt terrible. So I decided to run 800s of which I never felt great. The only time I felt fluid today was on the 200s. Ouch.
C/d back to the Lodge 25:12.
Distance: ~13.75 miles
Woke up this morning and checked the weather. I needed to get out the door pretty early if I wanted to beat the wind. Working out on the GT when it is blowing, really blows. Jogged out to the GT in 26:40 feeling pretty good. Had a couple long sleeve shirts on and some tights over a pair of shorts. I wasn't ready to workout in 30 degree weather as the workout indicates.
Target: 4 mile tempo dropping 5:20, 5:15, 5:10, 5:10. (5 mins recovery). 4 x 200/200 in 33/60.
Splits: 5:16, 7:58 (1.5 miles). Stopped. Jogged 400m. 800 in 2:40. (1 min). 800 in 2:36. (1 min). 800 in 2:35. (5 min recovery). 32.64, (58.74), 32.76, (60.74), 32.81, (63.00), 31.50, (55.94). 36.25 total of 5.75 miles.
Once the workout got tough I basically quit. I'm an embarrassment to the sport. There are workouts that you are proud to put in your log, and there are those that make you cringe. This is one from the latter category. I'm not really sure why I sucked today. I got pretty cold after 2 miles and started to struggle. My breathing wasn't relaxed and I was having a hard time finding a rhythm. After 2.5 miles I stopped and put on a second long sleever while jogging a lap. My intention was to start right back up for another 1.5 miles, but I still felt terrible. So I decided to run 800s of which I never felt great. The only time I felt fluid today was on the 200s. Ouch.
C/d back to the Lodge 25:12.
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