Week of preparation

As I am running a 5K race this Friday evening, and a 10K on Sunday, I am preparing this week to go hard in both races and shoot for new personal records. The 5K seems likelier to me, in some ways - my current record is 29:29, which I ran in the Holiday Hustle 5K in Dexter on December 13. And I have only run one 10K race since my accident - the 10K portion of the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run last June 1, which I did in 1:02:29. I'd love to break an hour, but don't know if that's feasible. However, I have run 10K under an hour a couple of times in training.

BIG Saturday

This morning I left at 6:25 AM, in already pleasantly warm conditions, wearing (for visibility) the bright orange t-shirt from our recent Mission Trip to Mexico, and ran a long run I've been planning and waiting for since last summer - 11.8 miles to the far side of Ypsilanti, from which I rode the bus home. The run took me 2:02:42, which was a pace of 10:26/mile. Now I look forward to relaxing the rest of the day - and drinking plenty of water!

A long run on a nice day

THursday afternoon, I experienced probably the nicest day, overall, that I've had to run in since early last fall. It was brightly sunny, and almost sixty degrees. (It's supposed to be warmer the next few days - almost too warm for my tastes, as it pushes eighty.) Accordingly, I ran 10 miles, in a little over 1:44. This was not quite as good a time as I had hoped for, but still I was glad to be able to do it at all. As I ran, I listened on my iPod to a new "Running" playlist I had compiled, beginning and ending with the theme from "Chariots of Fire." I figured this big run would be a good help in preparing me for the half-marathon I'm planning to run on May 31.

A disappointing run

After having been pleased to do a big run of 11.3 miles last Saturday, I set out at 7 AM today, hoping to do the same route (though in the reverse direction). But I was disappointed to allow myself to cave in to fatigue (much more mental than physical), and hopped on the bus after 6.8 miles (about 1:11). Not that this is disastrous - but it is something I mustn't allow to continue if I want to build up the kind of mental toughness that will be necessary for the half-marathon on May 31.

Expanding my mileage

As I am getting ready to run a half-marathon (13.1 miles) on May 31, I'm in the process of ramping up my miles in training so I'll be ready for it. At the same time, I'm attempting to walk the fine line of not doing it too quickly so as to strain and injure myself. Last Saturday morning I ran 11.3 miles, comfortably and relatively easily. This Saturday I intend to do the same. Race director Hal Wolfe assures me that if I can do that distance, the half-marathon will be "well within" my range. I hope (and trust) he is right!

A good Saturday

Since I am planning to run a half-marathon on May 31, I realized I needed to step up my mileage in preparation for it, so I went out this morning just past 7 AM and ran 11.3 miles in slightly under 2 hours. It was 32 degrees when I left, and 38 when I finished, so the run was brisk ... but there was no wind to speak of, and a mixture of sun and clouds. Later in the morning I drove the route of the half-marathon in order to begin familiarizing myself with it ... most of it follows Huron River Drive between Dexter and Ann Arbor, which is a nice, winding, tree-lined road that has the river in close proximity much of the time.

The merry month of May

I am looking for May to be an eventful month in my running, with several races that should be quite enjoyable. I begin the month with a 5K on Friday evening, May 1, in Mason (near Lansing), where my brother-in-law and his family live. (The course finishes past their house, and Chip and Carla and their kids, Lauren [5] and Grant [2] (our godchildren), enjoy watching the runners go by.) Secondly, on Sunday morning, May 3, I'm planning to do a 10K here in Ann Arbor - the Burns Park Run. Next, my son John graduates from St. Olaf College in Minnesota (my alma mater, too) on Sunday, May 24, and the previous day, as part of what they call Celebration Weekend, St. Olaf runs a 5K, which I am planning to do. Then I'll finish the month with the biggest challenge of all. The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run is a big annual happening in these parts. In 2007 I ran the 5K portion of it; last year I did the 10K; and this year I intend to step up to my longest run since my accident, doing the half-marathon (13.1 miles). It begins in the small town of Dexter, west of us, winds along the Huron River Drive, and finishes in downtown Ann Arbor. At one point I was hoping I might be able to do it in 2 hours, but now I'm thinking 2:15 is a much more realistic goal. (I ran the Twin Cities [MN] Marathon in 1984 and 1992 in 3:32:45 each time ... but I was a lot younger then, and without some other baggage, as well.)