Race Report: San Jose 408K Race to the Row

Today's plan calls for an (8)K run from the HP Pavilion to Santana Row!

The 408K: Dist. (4.92)mi. Pace-avg: (14:10). Speed-avg: (4.2)mph. Speed-Max: (6.3)mph. Burned: (501) Calories. 2XU L/S shirt and Tights.

Plan: Run (8)K, or (4.97)mi.
Actual: Run , bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.x)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: 1x cup coffee, 1x Honey Stinger Waffle (Honey); Mid-run: (water); Post-run: late lunch.

Splits:

Mile (1): (13:30);

Mile (2): (14:08);

Mile (3): (14:35):

Mile (4): (14:42);

Mile (0.92): (13:59).

I woke-up on time, more or less, but did not feel too well-rested. Mainly because I wasn't. Note to self: Avoid Spring Forward race days in the future, or at least don't forget the sleeping pill. I brushed my teeth, took my antacid, got dressed and had some of the complimentary Motel 6 coffee with a Honey Stinger waffle for breakfast. after that I walked down to the starting line, which was only (0.5)mi. away.

Walking to the Start.

There's the starting line up ahead.

 And away we go!

Traversing the first dip in the course on W. Santa Clara where it becomes The Alameda, just past the HP Pavilion.

Watch your breathing.

Moving on down the road at good pace, and getting ready to enter The Rose Garden District.

Coming up on the Towne 3 Theater.

Passing the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.

There goes The Rose Garden.

I actually dropped my camera in the street here, and it skittered across the road. It survived the experience, and kept on snapping pics for me. Next time I will wear a lanyard so I don't drop my camera while I'm trying to pull it out of my vest chest pocket.

Passing the 5K point at (46:55)min.

Approaching the 2nd dip in the course on West Hedding Street.

Coming off a switch-back in the course we headed west on West Hedding Street where we encountered the second dip in the course: an underpass that runs below Hwy. 880 and then leads us to Valley Faire Mall.

Mile 4 is in sight!

I managed to get at least one photo of the people behind me while running backwards, and I didn't even trip.

She's gaining on me.

The Mariachi Mile. No, seriously.

The Finish Line!!

So after all that I finally crossed the finish line in (1:09:40) hrs., which leaves my time of (1:08:29.0)hrs. in the Almond Blossom 8K as my 8K PR.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run in the Sun

Today's plan calls for a Long Run. 

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (15.49)mi. Pace-avg: (17:48). Speed-avg: (3.4)mph. Speed-max: (6.0)mph. Burned: (1661) Calories. 

Plan: Run (12.0)mi. @ a (17:46) pace for a total time of (3:33:19)hrs.
Actual: Run/walk (12.0)mi. @ a (17:17) avg. pace, for a total time of (3:27:27.12)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up jog/walk, and a (2.49)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: 2x slices wheat toast w/ margarine and honey, 1x cup coffee; Mid-run: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (Orange Blossom), GU Energy Gel (Mandarin Orange w/ Caffeine); Post-run: Chocolate milk, followed by fish sticks and steamed zucchini.

I slathered on the sunscreen, put on my mid-length running shorts, my orange Nike running short-sleeve running shirt and my Adidas running hat, then hit the road into the park for my weekly Long Run. There were plenty of people in the park today since it was bright and clear out, and (72+) deg.F.
(time passes)
I survived my Long Run, but just barely. I will post this now and maybe try and discuss it more tomorrow. I need some serious rest now, and maybe a mainline of coffee, and some ibuprofin. I did not expect to get this sore today.

Other News: I signed up for a new race in San Jose, The San Jose 408K, which is a week from today! It is an 8k, (4.97)mi., race in downtown San Jose that starts at the HP Pavilion arena, and ends at Santana Row, right across the street from Valley Faire Shopping Center. I am looking forward to it for a couple of reasons: I haven't run in San Jose (except once at the dirt track near Spartan Stadium at the SJSU South Campus, and that was literally only one occasion); I haven't been to San Jose in at least a year; and because it is a new race, which means I get to be one of the many first-time runners in this new race, which should be pretty cool all by itself. 

-Lancer!!

Easy Run Tuesday

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run. 

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.00)mi. Pace-avg: (15:39). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (5.0)mph. Burned: (721) Calories. Headlight. 

Plan: Run (5.0)mi. @ a (17:46) pace for a total time of (1:28:53)hrs.
Actual: Run/walk (5.0)mi., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.0)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (Orange Blossom); Mid-run: (water); Post-run: Dinner! Chicken and pasta.

Terrific run tonight! I ran (4.0) continuous miles, then walked the rest. This is a recovery week with Easy Runs only on the schedule, though I intend to run in an 10K 8k this weekend. I just need to find the details again, then register.

Other News: My new Hi-Tec hiking boots have arrived! I am looking forward to breaking them in. They are a size (13), which is a full size larger than I wear, but my size (12) Hi-Tecs from last year were at least a half-size too small which I discovered during the Yosemite hike, and not before. I wore them around the house and around town, but that was not enough to point out the trouble spots ahead of time.

-Lancer!!

Daylight to Dusk Temp Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run, but I'm doing Thursday's Tempo Run instead.
DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (6.02)mi. Pace-avg: (15:45). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (5.6)mph. Burned: (633) Calories. Headlight. 

Plan: Run (6.0)mi. with (4.0)mi. @ an avg. (16:13) pace.
Actual: Run/fast-walk (4.0)mi. @ an avg. (15:11) pace , bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.02)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: (2x) slices wheat toast w/ margarine and honey; Mid-run: (water); Post-run: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (Orange Blossom).

Good run tonight. So glad I got out of the house and ran tonight. I missed this all week. B-)

-Lancer!!

Runnin' in the Rain

Today's plan calls for a Tempo Run.
  
DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (5.02)mi. Pace-avg: (15:01)/mi. Speed-avg: (4.0)mph. Speed-max: (5.4)mph. Burned: (575) Calories. Headlight.

Plan: Run (5.0)mi., with (3.0) mi. @ an avg. (15:47) pace, for a total time of (47:23)min.
Actual: Run/walk (3.0)mi. @ an avg. (13:57) pace for a total time of (41:51.19)min., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.02)mi. cool-down walk, for a total of (5.02)mi.
Fuel: Pre-run: Baloney sandwich, BBQ chips, fruit salad a couple hours before my run; Mid-run: (water); Post-run: Honey Stinger Honey w/ Cocoa & B Vitamins (Chocolate; great stuff!).

Had a nice little run this evening. It was only drizzling lightly when I left the house, but the rain started picking up once I was nearly done with my return leg of running. We can really use the rain.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run No.13

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.88)mi. Pace-avg: (18:00). Speed-avg: (3.3)mph. Speed-max: (4.7)mph. Burned: (1595) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (13)mi. @ a (16:44) pace for a total of (3:37:42)hrs.
Actual: Jogged/walked (13.0)mi. @ a (17:51) avg. pace for a total of (3:52:05.66)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.88)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry), Honey Stinger Chews (Orange Blossom), Sport Beans (Grape); Post-run: GU Energy Gel (Mandarin Orange).

Ouch. Today's run was actually painful. It started out pretty good, but the last half was all pain. I jogged (7.0) consecutive miles, maintaining a pace between (14:59) and (16:31) for those seven miles, but then was overcome by pain in my left foot again, between my 2nd, 3rd and 4th toes at the ball of my foot. The last time this happened I had skipped all my runs during the week, then ran my long run (and did not finish). This week I again skipped all my training runs, then over-confidently went out for my long run. Clearly, I need the weekly build up to help maintain my running gains, so I will avoid ditching out on any training runs in the future.

I am still not signed up for the Las Vegas Strip At Night run in December, and after tonight's run I am thinking strongly of pushing back my half-marathon race till later in December, or maybe even January, so I can make up some of my lost training time from September/October; I also need to get in more strength training in the gym.

Friday afternoon I went shopping at On The Run again, and actually bought something: a Saucony Epic Run Vest. I wore it for the first time tonight, and it helped keep the chill off, though I did have to throw on my running shell, too, on the return leg of my run. The two (2) front pockets on the vest offered good storage space: I kept my running lights and my ninja hood in the pockets till after sundown, so I didn't have to carry them in my hands, or put them on my running belt; bonus. The vest also has a media pocket, and a hole for the earphone cord on the inside of the vest. The reflective surface on the Saucony vest appears to be pretty substantial, compared to the Brooks Essential Run Vest I had been looking at previously. Another bonus: the Saucony vest has a clip-on USB-LED light that can be recharged by plugging it into a USB port. It was much brighter than I expected.

Tonight's run started out at about (65) deg. F. with the sun nice and bright, then dropped down to (50) deg. F. by the time I got home four and a half hours later.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run No.12

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.84)mi. Pace-avg: (17:38). Speed-avg: (3.4)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (1636) Calories. Running lights, new batteries.

Plan: Run (13) mi. @ a pace of (16:50) for a total time of (3:38:52)hrs.
Actual:  Jog/walked (13.0)mi. @ a (17:33) avg. pace for a total time of (3:48:07.41)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.84)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Mid-run: Honey Stinger Chews (Orange Blossom), PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle (Vanilla).

Tonights's run went alright, but my feet definitely ache after that effort. *oof* I made sure to put fresh batteries in my running lights before I left the house, and by the time I got back the lights were pretty dim. There was a waxing crescent moon out this evening for most of my run. That was nice.

I was able to jog continuously for the first (5.01) miles this evening, which was not as far as last week @ (6.03)mi. before I had to slow down and walk. After walking for a bit, I picked up the pace again for another (2.64)mi. before slowing down again. I managed to jog for another (0.65)mi. again during the last mile. This gives me a total of about (8.3) aggregate jogging miles during tonight's run. I really need to add some strength training and cycling into my weekly workouts so I can build up to more continuous jogging mileage on my long runs.

Tonight I wore my running pants again, along with my long sleeve running shirt and running ball cap. I also carried my running shell, my ninja hood, and neck gaiter to make sure I would stay warm enough once I needed to put those on. Frankly, tonight's temperature was low enough that I was feeling pretty chilly even with the running shell zipped up all the way, and the running shirt zipped up all the way, too. My shoulders seemed to feel the coolest tonight, so maybe I will need to add another piece of tech gear to my running collection in preparation for next weeks long run. I'm thinking maybe a Brooks running vest.

Realistically, though, I should have started earlier, before the sun went down, to try and maximize the warmer temps. The temperature readings I am getting now say (55) deg. F. and (60) deg. F. I don't know which is correct, but it feels closer to (55) at a guess. It felt like it was in the low (70) deg. F. around 5.00pm, or so.

Weekly Mileage: Plan: (30)mi.; Actual: (32.76)mi.

Training week (19) completed. Week (20) is all Easy Runs, all week. That will be nice.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run No.11

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (10.64)mi. Pace-avg: (17:13). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (6.0)mph. Burned: (1165) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (13)mi. @ a (16:55) pace, for a total of (3:40:00)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (9.64)mi. @ a (17:18) avg pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.0)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle (Honey); Post-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Strawberry Banana).

Tonight's Long Run went OK, but was incomplete due to a persistent ache in my left foot between my 3rd and 4th toes at the ball of my foot. I'm not sure what caused this to begin with, but this was only my second training run using my new Brooks running shoes. Maybe my shoes need a little more break-in time, or maybe I was overcompensating in some way by pushing off with my left foot more than in the past. Tonight the pain did not begin till I was well into the return leg of my run, so I got some good mileage out of the run. This intermittent pain sometimes occurs when I walk around the house barefoot too much. In any event, I did not want to just suck it up and power through the pain: It is only (6) weeks till the Las Vegas Half Marathon and I do not want to create more injuries before-hand.

Do you think the cars will see me?

I hope the drivers can see me on the road.

I was able to jog continuously for the first (6.03)mi. of tonight's run, then I walked about (0.22)mi., then resumed jogging for another (1.76)mi. before I had to stop and just walk the rest of the way. I wore my new Nike Element Long Sleeve running shirt with the tall collar and was suitably impressed: It kept me warm enough and cool enough at the same time; I did not overheat and oversweat. I brought along my new Brooks night running shell just in case it cooled off too much by the river, but it did not. It was very handy to have it folded up in its storage pocket and carrying it in an add-on pouch on my running belt. It's almost time to change the batteries again in my running lights. I was able to run long stretches in the park without the lights to conserve battery life, but some sections were too dark without the lights. No moon was out tonight, but there were several cyclists on my return leg that had multiple high power LED lights on their bikes and helmets. It was nice to see other people taking safety seriously.

-Lancer!!

Long Run No.10

2011-09-18, Sunday

Today's plan calls for a Long Run. [Yes, I skipped my Friday Easy Run. Bad Lance!]

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.72)mi. Pace-avg: (17:03). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (1599) Calories. Running lights.


Plan: Run (12) mi. @ a (17:16) pace for a total time of (3:27:21) hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (12)mi. @ an avg. pace of (16:48), for a total time of (3:21:40.86), bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.72)mi. cool-down walk. [Jogged a total of (6.7)mi. in aggregate.]
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Raspberry); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Honey).

I left the house a bit after sundown, but there was still light in the sky. Throughout the park it was mostly a twilight illumination. There were quite a few people at the main picnic tables tonight, but they were mostly gone when I looped back around later. Tonight, instead of jogging all the way to the end of the county road the meets the end of the bike path, I tried multiple laps through the park. That seemed to take  longer due to the repetition. My running lights crapped out on the first return lap, so I relied mainly on ambient light, with a few zaps of my new SureFire LED light, from time-to-time.

On my return leg, the fourth leg, the moon finally rose. It was a waning quarter moon, but nice and bright all the same. Surprisingly, there was a police cruiser in the lot near the picnic tables. I don't know if they were there to chase off any late-night park people, or something else, but I did see the red and blues light up when two (2) cars drove down into the park. One turned around immediately, the second thought he'd just loop around the lot anyway, then leave. There was no apparent incident.

Now that I'm home, sitting here writing my blog entry, I feel like a creaky old man, so I better get stretched out, eat and shower.

Weekly Mileage: Planned: (24) mi. Actual: (22.29)mi. Missed it by that much.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Night Easy Run

Today's plan calls for a(n) Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (8.20)mi. Pace-avg: (16:27). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (884) Calories. No running lights.

 

Plan: Run (5)mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jogged (5) mi. @ a (15:22) avg. pace, for a total time of (1:16:49.65) hrs., and bracketed by (1)mi. warm-up walk, and (2.20)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Nothing (water); Mid-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Vanilla).

Tonight's run went very well. I made a conscious effort to jog the whole (5) mi. at a near (15:00) pace. And I succeeded! My splits for tonight's run: Mile(1): (15:09); Mile (2): (15:13); Mile(3): (15:20); Mile(4): (15:39); Mile(5): (15:30).


Going forward I will have to make sure and keep focused the same way. Tonight, I tried a Honey Stinger waffle for the first time. Other running bloggers have mentioned them, and I found some at Dick's Sporting Goods, so I had to buy a few to try. It was only vanilla, but it was pretty good. The weather was pretty cool, and overcast. The moon came through pretty clearly, even with the clouds, so I didn't need my running lights tonight.


Other News: The Half-Dome endurance march is getting closer: Only a little over a week away.


-Lancer!!