Running and Real Life

Okay let's face it, if you are reading this most likely you are similar to me and you just love running.  So much in fact it is about all you talk about, you are always thinking about workout is next, or what you are going to do differently on next race...lets face it running is life lol, but sometimes we have to step back and realize what is going on in the rest of the world and see if there are other things we need to pay attention to.

I personally try to race every other weekend, always try to run everyday, and every once in a while try to slide in a 2 a day.  Sometimes all these plans are not possible, training usually is the most accurate, but recently mine has fallen off a bit.  Reasons are: the kids have doctor appointments, school orientation, maybe they just want to do something with me randomly, work asking me to work more, I mean the list is endless honestly.  Some I pick to do, some I say well I have to get my training in, or I just decide not to sleep, which is helpful since I do plan on doing a 100 mile race soon. 

On to races, I miss a lot of races I plan on doing, I mean a lot.  Reasons being: lack of sleep and probably the biggest one, decide to take the kids to a race or event, kids or wife need something and it is a better place to spend the money, bills, pretty much anything that money is better spent elsewhere. 

Sometimes real life throws us a curve ball and if we are able to handle our addiction we handle it right, if not, we realize a utility may be in danger of being turned off or experience the burning death eyes from our spouse from our spouse, which is usually the indicator for me I should have spent the money elsewhere.  She is fully supportive of my running but sometimes I get carried away with racing and she lets me know about it lol. 

Just remember, there is life off of the trail.

Training for this week:

Monday - easy run (1.5 hours for me)

Tuesday - mile repeats (trying for 4 this week at my recommended pace, if you don't know yours try out the calculator at the bottom of the blog)

Wednesday - easy run

Thursday - 5,4,3,2,1 (just google it if you don't know what this is, it is explained much better out there than I can)

Friday - easy run

Saturday - 15k trail race (hopefully)

Sunday - 10 mile run

Sorry no cool pics to entertain you but I am having to do this post and some future posts from my phone, and for some reason it does not like the pic option.

Mooreland Free Fair 5k, 10k and 1 Mile Fun Run, August 15, 2015

This is what this town is known, the Mooreland Free Fair and this race, or at least it is how I even found out this town even existed.  I know when I first brought up that I was going to this race a few years ago, everyone was like "oh yeah the free fair is awesome", it is about 20 miles from my house and never knew.

The Fun Run is nice how they do it, it is a straight out and back course.  Parents can run with their children or let them run on their own, there is no chance for them to get lost and you can see them the whole time, depending on how tall they are.  If you are a parent, pretty sure you get to watch your child finish, because I am almost certain we did not start till they were all finished, which is awesome because who doesn't want to watch their child finish or help their child finish.

As for the 5k, it is a fast course and generally the talent is fast that shows up.  The course is pretty straight forward, I think there are a total of 5 turns counting the turn around since it is an out and back.  It is really flat except at the turn around, you go down a hill then turn around and go back up it.  The winning time this year 17:02 and the course record is 15:09 for the men and the women's course record is 18:33.  The results are not yet posted, so that is about all the information on times I have.

This was the first year for the 10k event, so the winning time was the course the record, which was in the mid 38's, set by a guy I see racing a lot and tend to be back and fourth with him, even though lately he has been putting it to me, his name is Casey Carmichael.  As for the course, it is shared with the 5k for the first 2 miles and the last 1 mile, so you get secluded from the speedsters for 3 miles.  Once again the course is decently flat except for the 3 miles it does not share with the 5k, the road you go off onto is nice and rolling with some decent hills on them, I mean good hills for the road people lol.  You can kind of get an idea of the course with my little GPS map from the race. 

All of the races have great prizes and they have the age groups so well broken up, that it is actually hard to not get an award.  A little bit of cash here and there too, which is never bad.

The race for me was an okay race I guess, it was my fastest 10k on the year, so I can't really complain, even though I wanted that W and the course record for at least a year.  I started off strong, really struggled to hold my self back for the first mile but managed a 6:08, which is a slow first mile for me so yay!  The next mile I was able to back off a little more even though it was a little slow, I think it was like 6:30, way off pace.  Right after the 2nd mile is the turn, where the races split up, I was so irritated with that 2nd mile I sped up and lost my concentration to miss the well marked turn... luckily Casey is a more than fair competitor and he yelled at me to tell me I missed the turn.  So, I had to double back and obviously chase him down, as I caught him he said he is going for 6:20 a mile for the first 3 and then seeing what happens after that, just so happens 6:20 is the pace I was looking for to average during the race, so that was comforting.  Stayed with him for mile 3, then he started pulling away after that, he trains on the hills, he loves the hills, and he ate me alive.  I tried a last
ditch effort in the last mile to try and chase him down but he was too far gone, not even the Foltz kick was enough for that gap.

Good race Casey! Can't wait to see you at our next race whenever that may be, and good luck in your marathon in Colorado.

Training for this week shall be:

Monday - 1.5 hour easy run

Tuesday - Mile repeats with a 2 minute rest in between each, trying for 6 definitely doing at least 4

Wednesday - 1.5 hour easy run

Thursday - Ladder workout 100m, 200m, 300m, 200m, 100m for 3 miles, with 30 second rest in between each one

Friday - 1.5 hour easy run

Saturday - 27 mile run (also an early 1/2 mile race with Max for his first race ever!)

Sunday - 18 mile run with hills

Training and Listening to Your Body

Not even sure what I am going to title this at this point, but I do know what I am going to talk about, training and listening to the body, actually that might be a good title!

There are times when you go out to train and you are looking at your training schedule and what is up for the day, and you are just like I am way too tired for this, my legs hurt, or it just may be way too hot for this exact workout.  Sometimes, it is just best to deviate from the plan and find something that will work or just take a rest day.

Lets start with too tired, now I am not saying too lazy, these are two completely different things.  When I say tired, I am saying literally have been having problems staying awake for the last few hours.  I do have this issue often as I do most of my training when I get off of work and I work third shift so there is that psychological issue as well.  Falling asleep while running is possible, I have done it, it is no fun waking up 50 yards down the road, a lot of things can happen in that time.  "Sometimes sleep is the best cross training", not sure where I read that line, it was a while back, but it's dead on the money.  Get a nap in, there have been times in the middle of an Ultra and was so bad off I stopped and napped, see if that helps or just go to bed for the day, either way it's one training day in a 3 month, 6 month or year training block.  Better to be able to run tomorrow than get hurt and not be able to train for weeks.

Next subject is pain, sometimes it can just kill any motivation we have to get out the next day, then again some of us thrive on it.  You wake up the next morning after a run and your legs are just killing, you think about running, but then you are like well will I get hurt if I run anymore, the answer could be yes or no.  Most times we are sore is because the day before we may have pushed it just a little harder than what we are used to, either we did speed work, got in some weight lifting, took a different course that may have been just a little hillier than what we are used to, or nutrition and/or sleep has changed up.  Whatever it may be, it may be a sign to take it a little easier today, we hate to back off now because yesterday was awesome, but if we push today the soreness COULD be worse tomorrow.  As for other pains, not muscle soreness or generally pains we get from the amazing fun time of running, you may want to talk to a doctor, especially if it has been around for a while or is getting worse.

Last but not least, especially this year in my area, the heat.  You walk out the nice air conditioned building, to realize you have entered the 7th gate of hell, as you start to run you realize you are literally the only idiot outside in this stuff, as you see random faces staring at you from inside their cozy homes.  In these conditions, I would say maybe we should cut the run short today or slow it down a lot.  When it is abnormally hot in your area, pay special attention to your body, some people take the heat just fine, I know I did when I was younger, I was actually best in high heat.  Now that I have gotten older, high heat shuts me down as it does most people, I know I can't go as or as hard as I would like, it's been a tough lesson, because I still fight with it keep trying to push through it, but the body can only handle so much stress before it starts forcing you to slow down or worse.

All I am saying is just be careful out there, we all want to keep racing, after all that is why we train.

Also, do not forget, I am still doing my shoe giveaway for lucky cross country runner.  Check out my Facebook page for more details.

Training for this week:

Monday - 2 hour run

Tuesday - 1 mile repeats x6

Wednesday - 2 hour run

Thursday - 400 meter intervals x12

Friday - 2 hour run

Saturday - 10 mile run

Sunday - 10 mile run