How To Wreck A Body In 7 Days

Pizza from Pearl Street Pizza in Indy
Mind your own business, it was delicious and I earned it.

I remember it like it was a week ago.  Yeah, there I was ... in great shape ... running faster than ever ... setting a new half-marathon PR!  Yes sir, those were the days.

Fast forward to this morning.  As I sit here writing this, I'm over-weight and sluggish, and running six miles on Saturday, and five miles on Sunday over the weekend ... well ... it just about killed me!.  It's seems a little surreal because just seven days ago I had trained for, planned out, and executed just about as good of a race as I can run at the Indy Mini-Marathon.  But immediately after that, this self-indulgent dummy went into total relaxation mode.  I didn't run at all the following week, had pizza twice and desert three times, and don't even mention core & ab work ... please ... it wasn't even a fleeting thought.  Basically I took the whole week off.

The break from running was by design.  (The crashed diet wasn't) I hadn't taken a week off in about a year, so it was a good time to rest my legs, and bask in the glory of my fastest running feat yet - ha.  But this week I'm back at it.  I'll start slowly building to another race and attempting to get my diet in check again.  But it's not gonna be easy.  Did I totally ruin my body and everything I had worked for in a week?  Not completely, of course.  But the older I get, it's amazing how long it takes to get into shape versus how quickly it goes away.  

So here I go again ... starting with planks in about 5 minutes.  Have a great week!

... be great today!

One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Review

(Thank you for all the kind words on my previous post about my PR in this race - this post is just my typical race & performance review for my reference later, forgive some of the recycled information)

One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

Crossing the bricks at the Speedway

May 4, 2013

Indianapolis, Indiana

Runners: 30,069

Course: Flat - only 82ft of elevation gain, included a lap around historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Weather: Cloudy & 60 degrees at start and finish, 57% humidity, 13mph ESE wind - pretty much ideal running weather

Health: Perfect, no issues at all

Race Weight: 177

_______________________________________________________________

SWAG: Long sleeve technical tshirt & hat

Food: Standard race stuff, bananas, fruit cup, 

granola bar, & cookies

Volunteer Support: Tons of friendly people

Race Organization: One of the best ever

Crowd Support: Sparse throughout the race but GREAT finish line area

Water Stops: There were a ton of them, very well managed & supported, maybe the best at any race I've ran

_______________________________________________________________

Time: 1:28:09 ... Set Current Half-Marathon PR

Pace: 6:43/mile

Place: 313th/30,069 Overall, 38th/1,879 ... Finished in top 1% & received "500 Club" medal for being one the first 500 finishers

Overall Race Review ... 1  2  3  4  5  

Overview: This was a great, well organized, race that went almost completely as planned from a pace strategy.  I took almost a minute off of my half-marathon PR which was set only three weeks ago, but actually ended up running 13.2 miles. The extra tenth of a mile cost me about 40 seconds, which would have put me closer to where I wanted to be.  All in all it was a really great race for me - but I still feel I can be a little faster.

One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Finisher Medal on the left, and "500 Club" Medal on the right
for being one of the first 500 runners to cross the finish line

Most of the time I'm way too critical on myself.  If you follow on a normal basis, you know this is very apparent in my personal performance reviews, and well ... probably my life.  Most of the time after a race, I feel like there's still room for a lot of improvement.  So I need to start this post by letting you know that I am EXTREMELY happy with the way the race turned out on Saturday.  I trained specifically for this event for about 6 weeks and felt like I was in almost peak condition, and executed a really well managed PR run.  That being said - I really feel like I can do better ... of course!

SWAG: Long Sleeve Tech Tshirt & Race Cap

I tend to peak a little early for most big races.  Ya know, like fruit gradually turning a little brown at the store, I usually feel like I'm in my best shape a couple of weeks before the event.  I know it's probably psychological more than anything, but right on schedule about a week before this one, I heard that typical little voice telling me I got myself primed too early.  That being said, I still felt strong, and my weight was about right for this run.  Also, I had absolutely no lingering injuries. I ran this race pretty much 100% healthy - I felt great!

For the last few weeks I had been running about 60-65 miles, during 5 days as opposed to my normal 6.  I had been taking Monday and Friday off and I think the extra day of rest kept my legs a little fresher.  Also, I typically ran about 18-20 on Saturdays, and then 10-12 on Sunday.  I backed off my mileage a little the week of the race but ran a couple of light miles the day before to get some circulation in my legs.  It seems like in the past if I just do nothing all week, my legs feel completely dead standing at the starting line.  But waiting in the gate on Saturday, I felt relaxed and ready to go with good energy, and my legs really seemed to feel fresh and strong.  There was no lingering effect of too much training and I felt like I had a good race in me.

Good luck Pre-race Dance - Michael showing off her cast

For this half marathon, runners could send in previous race results for a "seeding" of sorts at the starting line.  The faster your previous race times, the closer to the front you got to line up.  After turning in a couple of half-marathon and 5K times, I was fortunate enough to get a slot in Corral A.  This meant that I wouldn't have to fight much of the enormous 30,000-plus crowd.  And that was a good thing, because as they staged runners on Washington Street adjacent to the Federal Building, I looked back and couldn't see anything close to the end of the line up.  I think the Corrals went as far back as Q or R or maybe further.  It was just a sea of runners.

Our hotel was right on Washington Street, so there was no need for a drop bag.  Plus the weather was perfect, so I didn't bother with any warm up clothes.  I literally just walked out the door and started running two slow miles to loosen up and elevate my heart rate a little.

As I ran, and periodically stopped to stretch, I could hear the PA Announcer echoing through the downtown buildings.  He was really detailed and informative, full of energy and optimism.  Everything about this race was well organized and it just didn't seem like you were running with 30,000 other folks.  Michael and I had spent the days before the race fretting over the weather, but when we woke up on race day, it was perfect outside.  And right on cue that morning I heard the Announcer say, "It's a no excuse race day!"  And he was right.  It was cloudy, about 60 degrees, with a 15mph tailwind for half of the race, and no rain!  I could check the weather off of my list of performance excuses for this one.

Before the National Anthem, we observed a moment of silence for the Boston victims. I had worn my "We are all Boston Marathoners at heart" mini-race bib on top of my normal race bib.  And for some reason I was really thinking a lot about Martin Richard and his family that morning.  I know there were other folks who lost their life and were horribly injured in the bombing, but 8-year old Martin and his family had really hit me the hardest.  I tried not to think about them too much on Saturday because I didn't want to get overly emotional right before I ran.  But when I pinned the bib on, they seemed to really fill my mind.  For some reason when I run in races and my heart is beating out of my chest, I pray a lot.  Sometimes it's "God, please don't let me die today" ... but on Saturday, I found myself praying a lot for the Richard family as I ran.

The Race
I made my way to the starting line only about 5 rows from the front.  It literally took me 3 seconds from the time the gun sounded to cross the starting line.  Michael later told me it took her about 10 minutes to wade through the waves of runners from where she started.  I was really thankful for my spot in Corral A.  As I looked around, I saw a lot of "elite-looking" runners in singlets and non-age appropriate shorts.  I knew most of these people would finish ahead of me, but at least I wouldn't have to maneuver around them.  I just wanted to make sure that nothing broke my stride and I didn't have to fight through others runners to maintain  speed.  As it turned out, it wouldn't be an issue at all.

Miles 1-3
I had a specific pace plan in my mind for every mile of this race, and I was determined not to veer from it.  That plan included the first three miles above 7:00/pace to settle in.  As we made our way from the starting chute to a gradual bend away from the hotels, people were flying by me left and right.  I was being passed by hundreds of runners like someone had opened the doors at Wal-Mart for a Black Friday midnight sale.  Usually in a race, I start a little slower than most and get passed by folks before gradually catching up with them later in the run, but there were people everywhere.  It actually made me smile.  Like I had a little secret.  I thought, "That's right, y'all go on ahead.  I'm gonna smoke your a-- in about 20 minutes!"  And most of them I eventually would, ha. 

I didn't really fight the urge to run faster because of pumping adrenaline, which sabotages many of my races.  Rather, I really found myself throttling back because my legs felt so good.  They were bouncy, strong, and ready to go, but I was determined to manage a good race at the outset so I would have a little kick at the end. 

The first few miles took us West of downtown Indy through some very economically challenged neighborhoods.  I swear to you I saw more than one brown-bag wrapped bottle of "something" at 8:00am in the morning as the folks sat on their porches and watched the "crazy runners" parade by.  Not like "Hey, let's go outside and support the race", but more like, "What the ---- is this nonsense?"  It made me smile.

My first three miles were almost perfect at 7:25, 7:07, 6:58.  My heart rate seemed low and I felt great.  At this point I was really enjoying the complete lack of elevation to the course, only 82 feet of incline the whole race.  But later, I would lament the fact that there were no downhill breaks.  With the first three "settle in" miles behind me, it was time to pick it up a little.

Making my way through the Speedway,
(Suck it MarathonFoto, I didn't authorize this photo
so I'll use it how I see fit - ha)

Miles 4-6
If I had the race to do over again, these miles are where I would focus a little more.  My pace was still good, but I really intended to stair-step it down by 10 seconds per mile.  Unfortunately, they were kind of all over the place at 6:44, 6:47, and 6:42.  I wasn't a deal breaker by any means, but I really wanted maintain a certain rhythm and for some reason, I had a little trouble staying focused.

Also during this stretch, I really began thinking, "Man, I wish there were some downhill portions!"  I had heard runners say that they preferred races with elevation as opposed to flat races, and honestly I thought they were full of it.  But here's the thing, on a pancake flat course, you use the same muscles the entire way.  There are obviously no hills, which is nice, but there are no rest breaks on a downhill either.  All of the momentum is continually supplied from your pumping legs.  I experienced this exact same thing at the Fargo Marathon a few years ago.  It's a really flat course, but I my hip flexors were really sore afterwards.  

Miles 7-9
Although my paces for these three miles were right were I wanted them at 6:33, 6:33, and 6:26, this was probably my most frustrating point of the race.  I'm just gonna throw this out there ... running around the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a great experience and I'm so glad I got to do it ... but it was really pretty boring.  I thought it would never end.  After the first few minutes of, "Hey, I'm in the home of the Indy 500 ... COOL!", I was pretty much ready to move on.  It was just a constant view of empty grandstands for 2.5 miles. It was pretty cool initially, but it just got old quickly.

Hurting a little in the last half-mile

But probably the biggest issue during these miles was my pace.  I ran the miles right where I wanted them, but they weren't near as easy as they should have been. Up until mile 7, I had pretty much been on cruise control.  At the Speedway, I planned on applying a little pressure to my pace.  A 6:30 mile at this phase of the race should have been a breeze, but I was really working.  This is the point where I really started to wonder if it was going to be my day or not. 

Also during this stretch, I noticed for the first time in the race that I was adding mileage.  As I approached the mileage markers, my Garmin indicated that I was about .05 miles over.  This would also eventually cost my overall time.  I knew a low PR meant running the tangents well ... and apparently I wasn't.

Miles 10-12
During Rock The Parkway, three weeks prior, miles 10-12 was the point were where I realized it was a special day.  I didn't feel like I was working to keep the pace and I was really able to put the hammer down.  When I tried to do the same on Saturday at Indy ... there didn't seem to be much there.  It was weird.  I wasn't dead-legged or anything, but I really expected to get much more response from my leg turnover.  Instead, I still struggled to keep a 6:30 pace.  

Even though these three miles were pretty close to what I planned at 6:27, 6:26, and 6:25, it was really becoming a grind.  Before the race, I thought I might be able to squeeze out a 6:10-6:15 average over these three miles.  But more than anything, I was really just holding on at this point.  I didn't feel like I had much to give in the final mile.

Mile 13
Throughout the race, I had thought and prayed a lot for the Richard family, and especially their son, Martin.  For some reason, as I made my way through the last mile, Martin became even heavier on my heart.  At some point, I think about 12.5 in between huffing and puffing, I said, "Martin Richard ... Martin Richard", out loud.  I must have said it louder than I realized because two runners next to me pumped their fists in support.  I looked at them and smiled and it really gave me a boost.  

RAWKFIST at the finish line with a new PR,
the pained expression says "Exhaustion!"

I tried to finish with a strong kick, but there was still just not much there.  Mile 13 was my fastest of the day at 6:22, which was nice, but it wasn't anywhere near where I wanted it to be.  I held on as I powered down the last .1 mile and finished with 1:28:09.  Almost immediately after I crossed the line, a young man handed me a medal and said, "Welcome to the 500 Club!"  It was pretty cool! Out of over 30,000 runners, I was one of the first 500 to cross the finish line.  

I looked at my watch while I looked for some water and realized I had cut another chunk off of my previous half-marathon best by almost a minute, but as crazy as it sounds ... I was a tad bit disappointed. For starters, I had actually ran 13.2 miles in the race.  The extra tenth of a mile had cost me 30-40 seconds on my time.  Also, I just never really settled in and felt right during the run.  It had really been a grind the whole time.  At no point in the race did I feel like I could run through a wall like I felt at Rock The Parkway.  And finally, I finished 9 seconds shy of being below 1:28.  That will drive me nuts if that ends up being my all-time best.  It's like a 3:00:09 marathon ... WHO WANTS THAT EXTRA 9 SECONDS???  But all in all it was a good solid race.  I had gradually gotten faster during the race and I had set another PR.  More importantly, I had a great time in one of my favorite cities.  And hopefully falling just short of breaking 1:28 will give me something to shoot for this summer.  
... be great today!

Mission Accomplished: New PR @ Indy Mini Marathon!!!

One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

May 4, 2013

Indianapolis, Indiana

Runners: 30,069

Course: Flat, with absolutely no elevation, including a

lap around historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Weather: Cloudy & 60 degrees at start and finish, 57% humidity, 13mph ESE wind

Health: Perfect, no issues at all

Weight: 177

_________________________________________________

SWAG: Long sleeve technical tshirt & hat

Food: Standard race stuff, bananas, fruit cup, 

granola bar, & cookies

Volunteer Support: Tons of friendly people

Race Organization: One of the best ever

Crowd Support: Sparse throughout the race but GREAT finish line area

Water Stops: There were a ton of them, very well managed & supported, maybe the best at any race I've ran

_________________________________________________

Time: 1:28:09 ... Set Current Half-Marathon PR

Pace: 6:43/mile

Place: 313th/30,069 Overall, 38th/1,879 ... Finished in top 1% & received "500 Club" medal for being one the first 500 finishers

What a great weekend in Indianapolis at the One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon.  Michael and I love Indianapolis and had a great time enjoying the city and experiencing one of the best races in America.  It's the country's largest half-marathon with over 30,000 runners - but it's so well organized that you hardly notice the large volume of people.

One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Finisher Medal one left, "500 Club" Medal on right for being one of the top 500 finishers

I'll write a full race review later this week for my personal notes, over-analyzing my performance and being over-critical of things I can do better.  Yes ... I know I chopped almost another full minute off my PR, but I really feel like I can run better and faster.  But all in all it was a good race.  Here are some pictures from our weekend - we always have a pretty good time!

Front gate at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway

At the Expo...

The race expo was held at the Indiana Convention Center, and was huge!  There were a ton of Indy race cars on display with music and vendors galore.  Michael and I never miss an opportunity to act like idiots at one of these things, and some of the photos prove it.  One of the great things about the race was where we stayed.  Our hotel was directly across the street from the Convention Center, and only about 10 feet from the starting line.  Indianapolis is a beautiful downtown area with everything in walking distance, but having the hotel so close to everything was awesome. We spent the weekend watching the weather forecast because of the winter storm moving across the country ... IN MAY!!! But fortunately,  most of the bad weather stayed away from Indy and at race time, we couldn't have asked for better conditions.  We had a 14-15mph headwind on the backside of the race, but other than that, the weather was almost perfect.

Some fast car - I dunno ... it looked important, but I'm not a car guy - pretty sure it moves a little faster than mine

I actually got this car if I won the race ... missed it by 312, maybe next year

Meet your new insane UPS driver

This seemed like a funny picture until Security tackled me and I spent three hours in questioning (kidding)

There I was, minding my own business, when these Beauty Queen girls ran up and started screaming ... what can I say, it happens

Two Turkeys

Whatup Gansta

Around Indy...

Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana

Indiana Repertory Theatre with some amazing ornate architecture on the facade

Capital building in the sunshine

Capital building in the rain

Post race restaurant, Pearl Street Pizzera & Pub - nice little out of the way place

AMAZING PIZZA!!!! The first pizza I had in about 6 weeks ... and it was FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!!

The Race ...

Final stretch of the One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

It's really tough to accurately explain how well organized this race was.  I mean, there were over 30,000 half-marathoners and about 3,000 5K runners ... plus all of the people there with the runners - probably close to 100,000 people packed into downtown Indy.  And the whole thing went incredibly smooth! You really never had that big race disorganized feeling at all.  Everything was well-manned, from the water stops to the post race party.  The only other race that I've experienced this perfect of organization from start to finish was the Boston Marathon.  I don't usually rate Half-Marathons, but I would definitely give this one 5 out of 5.  I would put on your list of race that's you need to do.  To top it off, we got to run through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - home of the Indy 500.  I'm not really a race car fan, but it was REALLY cool making the lap around the 2.5 mile track.

Beautiful day in Indy

The tunnel into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Pole position pole (I think anyway, I dunno, I'm not a race care fan)

Pressbox

Around the 2.5 mile track - no cars on the track today ... which was nice

Indy's Finest walking the race in full gear

Finish Line

Tons of people and HUGE post-race party

Michael was easy to spot in the crowd ... I just looked for the most beautiful girl there!

Michael and me after the race with our medals ... we had a really great time!

... be great today!

I Never Get This Week Right

Here it is.  The week before a big race.  How will I mess it up this time?   Eat too much?  Starve myself?  Not run at all pre-race and feel sluggish at the starting line?  Work out like normal and feel fatigued in the first three miles of the run?  Build it up in my mind and literally lock up when it's time to move my feet?  Yeah, I've blown big races in just about every way imaginable.

My in-laws Kyle & Tracee, Michael & me at the Royals game this weekend,
The KANSAS CITY ROYALS are still in FIRST PLACE BABY!!!

This weekend is my big Spring race.  The Indy Mini-Marathon, the country's largest half-marathon.  Last year there were over 31,000 runners in this race.  It's huge!!!  And there are a ton of fast runners there.  Even if I ran the same time as a few weeks ago of 1:28'ish ... which is pretty fast for me and a PR ... I would still finish about 30th in my age group!   That's crazy.

Like I've mentioned in my last few posts, I'm about as fast as I've ever been right now.  Problem: all too often good training doesn't translate into good races.  For whatever reason, I consistently leave my fastest races on the training room floor.  I just seem to perform my best when no pressure is on during tempo or speed workouts in the middle of the week.  I freak out a little at the starting line and just don't run fast.  And that's a problem.

I think part of the problem is I build up these big races way too much in my mind.  I'm trying not to do that with this one.  Simply trying to relax.  I took a little of the pressure off a couple of weeks ago with a nice half-marathon PR at Rock The Parkway, but I know there is so much more where that came from.  My training times indicate that I should be able to shave off another minute or so from that race. I know that sounds like a lot, but I really didn't push it that hard in that race, and the Indy course is set up so much better for a PR.

Beautiful Kauffman Stadium on a perfect 70 degree spring day,
Topped off by a Royals 9-0 beat down of the Indians!!! 

Based on past race times we had to turn in, I was fortunate to get seeded near the top in the first corral.   Our friend Christa, who ran it in years past, told us that navigating the huge volume of people was an issue at this race.  So hopefully being near front in the thinner crowds will eliminate some of that.  Plus, like most races I've ran in Indianapolis, this is a very flat course, with almost no elevation over 10 feet.  So with any luck from the weather, the conditions should be perfect for a quick, hopefully record-setting run.

This week I'll lighten the load a little, but still try to keep the same intensity.  And my diet is really good right now, so I really don't see myself gaining any unwanted weight.  The key is just to relax, not think about it, and let it happen.  We all seem to run better when we're not all tense, and I'm living proof of that.  Hopefully next Saturday will be a shining example of what happens when you do it right.  I'll keep you posted ... have a great week!
... be great today!

Tempo Work 2mi@6:30, 1mi@6:15, 2mi@6:30

Today I had my last "tough'ish" workout before the Indy Mini Marathon in 9 days.  If I were in marathon training mode, the workout probably would have lasted a little longer, but for a half-marathon, it felt pretty good.  The run went relatively smoothly and I felt pretty fluent and fast, other than a little calf-tightness for some odd reason.  Plus, it was windy and the run was on some rolling hills and not a track and I still hit the times without any trouble, so that was great.  Here's how the workout went ...

Mile 1 - Warm Up
Mile 2 - Warm Up
Complete rest to resting heart rate simulating starting line
       Mile 3 - 7:12 (Simulate race warm up)
       Mile 4 - 6:30
       Mile 5 - 6:26
1 Minute Rest
       Mile 6 - 6:12
1 Minute Rest
       Mile 7 - 6:23
       Mile 8 - 6:24
Mile 8.5 - Cool down

At this point, I feel great for the race the weekend after next.  I really want to manage the next 9 days well.  As the old saying goes, "You really can't do much to win a race during the taper period, but you can do a lot to lose it".  I feel like I'm at top speed right now and I am flat out ready to run faster than I ever have in a half marathon.  I really want to post a low number.  But if I don't, that's fine.  I just want to run well and have a great time ... but seriously, I wanna post a low number.  'Cause we about to rock down to electric avenue up in here ... wait, is that right ... yeah, that's right - ELECTRIC AVENUE! Have a great week!
... be great today!

Evolution Of A Foot Strike

Although in a sprint to the finish line,
very noticeable heel strike in 2011

I'm in pretty decent shape right now, for me anyway.  And when I start getting fit, I become reeeeeeeally annoying to my wife.  I'll get out the shower ... ya know ... water glistening on my chiseled chest ... slowly dripping off of my rock hard abs...  and I'll offer to her, "You wanna touch this don't cha?" ... or "Got any laundry you need to scrub on my stomach?"  Fortunately she doesn't fight back nausea like many of you right now, but I DO usually get an eye roll or she'll act like she didn't hear me and keep talking.  But she notices ... oh yeah, she notices! Ha.

As far as my running form, I've spent a lot of time and energy over the past two years analyzing and changing it completely too.  And I can honestly say, I think it's never been better.   I was a heel striker.  I had always been a heel striker.  High school sports photos were evidence of this way back before I had any idea what a "foot strike" meant.  It was just natural.

But when I started running, the high volume of miles that were piling up year after year induced a lot of little nagging injuries and I needed to make a change.  I needed to find something that cushioned the blow of thousands of foot steps I was taking each year ... 2,500 miles in 2010, and over 3,000 miles in both 2011 & 2012.

So I did a lot of research on forefoot and midfoot striking. Basically finding out how to hit the ground with the front or middle of my foot first, instead of the heel, with each stride.  And honestly, I thought most of the things I read were flawed theories, and compensatory cobbled-up running styles that were half-baked from injury-prone runners who just couldn't hack it.  I thought it was a passing fad trumped up to sell stupid looking flat running shoes (I'm still not convinced that's not part of it).  And I thought trying to change someone's natural running style was stupid, ineffective, and would only lead to new injuries.  Boy ... was I wrong!

The evolution of a foot strike.  Transitioning from a straight and rigid-legged heel strike on the left,
to a gentler and more cushioned midfoot strike on the right ... this took about 12 months to feel totally comfortable

I began slowly.  Too slowly for my taste in fact.  But with each run, I started trying to make my initial contact with the ground with the front part of my foot, as opposed to my heel.  It felt like I was running on my tip-toes ... and it sucked!  My calves were on fire.  My hip flexors hurt like never before.  I had slowed to a friggin' way slower pace than normal.  My mileage was at an all-time low and I knew there was no way I would be ready for upcoming races.  I wanted to quit and honestly thought about it several times.  But I kept going.

Mile 9 of Rock The Parkway Half-Marathon,
My fastest 1:28:58, but maybe my best race form ever

After quite a bit of time, about 6 months in fact, this crazy new way of running started feeling a little more natural.  I still fought it from time to time, wanting revert back to my old habits.  But I began noticing that my legs felt better than ever and I seemed to be evolving into a stronger runner.

Fast forward to my half-marathon a few weeks ago.  It was probably the overall best race of my life, and also one of the first race I've ran where I maintained the foot strike and pretty good form the entire way.  The picture on the right is at mile 9 of the race.  I was running under 6:30/pace at this point ... which is fast for me ... but I'm still upright, my shoulders are back, my heads up, I'm leaning slightly forward, and I'm striking the ground with my mid foot, not over-striding.  Regarding form, it was about as good as I can get.

Now granted, being in good shape has a lot to do with this. I was only half kidding earlier ... I really am about the best conditioned I've been ... maybe ever.  Which of course helps maintain good form for a longer period in a race.  But more than that, it's the fruit of many hours focusing on form, stride, and efficiency in running.

It's not like I discovered electricity here.  I mean many runners experienced success by modifying their form and improving the little things.  I'll never be a world class runner, but I just finally decided that if I wanted to improve myself, I needed to focus on the form that the world class runners use.  It was a long road, and I'm still working on it everyday.  But for now, I can tell you that I'm evolving into the best runner I can be ... and between you and me, I don't think I'm done yet.
... be great today!

Sunday Runday For Boston

Occasionally Michael and I run with a group in Overland Park, KS on Sunday mornings.  It's a group of about 50-100 folks that meet at various local running stores, and then take off on an 8-10 mile run together. Today we ran for Boston.

Before the run we collected donations for the victims of Monday's events.  They also mentioned that yesterday at the Garmin Marathon in Olathe, KS, they raised about $2,500, which was awesome!

This week we met at Lucy Active Wear, in Town Center Plaza.  The organizers asked everyone to wear Boston Marathon colors, which we did.  They also handed out miniature racing bibs that read "We are all Boston Marathoners at heart", which Michael and proudly displayed.

It will obviously be a while before the victims of this tragedy are recovered in their own way.  But hopefully some of the money we raised, and from other events like this one, will help in some small way.  Have a great week!
... be great today!