So it is very close to midnight and I’m dog tired but still felt this need to update the blog. I know, this qualifies as an extremely selfless act done for you gentle reader. Please note the heavy use of sarcasm in that last sentence.

A lot has happened since I posted last – I have been running regularly (every other day up to 4 miles) in conjunction with my doctor’s orders. I have also been trying to keep up the cross training – mostly lifting – but that has been hit or miss. Overall things are going quite well … no more pain in the hip / femur during or after a run.

I was in Dallas last week with work and ran a 4 mile run on Monday and signed up for and ran the 8th Annual Katy Trail 5k on Thursday after work. While the four mile training run went very well at a leisurely 9:20 minute per mile pace, the 5k proved to be much more difficult.


Let me give you a little background… First of all my overall cardio training is still not where I was pre-injury. Second, this race was my first since the Shamrock Shuffle 8k on April 2, 2006 so it has been a while since I’ve pushed myself for an excellent finishing time. Third, I went into the race with overly optimistic expectations considering my points above in addition to the 93 degree temperatures in Dallas for the race. I was trying to break an 8 minute mile which is a 24:48 (5K = 3.1 miles x 8 minutes = 24.8 minutes = 24:48 overall time) which unfortunately didn’t happen.

Here is some play-by-play from the event.
6:00 PM: Some 40 young children line up and run the 0.5K kids race
6:08 PM: The kids finish the race and clear the course
6:15 PM: Those who are skating (as in rollerblades) the course begin
6:25 PM: The rest of the runners (1200 strong) line up behind the start line according to expected pace. I let the rabbits queue up in the 6 and 7 minute mile area before taking my place with the other 8 minute milers.
6:30 PM: The gun goes off and I run like it is a prison break. Needless to say this isn’t a great tactic even for a race as short as the 5K. It would prove to be a poor decision … read on.
6:37:25 PM: I pass by the one mile marker and the big red time clock shouting my first mile split time of 7:25. Remember that it took me 12 seconds to get to the start line so this mile time was closer to 7:13. This probably qualifies as the fastest mile I have run in my life. While that is ‘fun’ and or ‘neat’ it was also stupid since I had 2.1 more miles of fun in front of me.
6:39 PM: The gradual hill running from the start line to the first mile marker gets steeper and the crowd thins out a little. I’m still maintaining my position and blistering sub 7:20 pace by following the lady in pink and the guy with the camo hat.
6:41 PM: The course hangs a right and the hill gets steeper
6:42 PM: I pass the one and only water station but almost miss it because it is tucked around another bend on the unending hill. I get a half sip and toss the cup away since (in my head) I have a personal record to break.
6:43 PM: I start to think ‘where the hell is the 2nd mile marker?’ and ‘should I be running this fast?’ and ‘it is very hot out’ and ‘I have to pee’
6:45:25 PM: I finally pass the 2nd mile marker. This means my second mile took just about 8 minutes even. I figure ‘hey I’m slowing down but there is no chance I will miss my goal of sub-eight minute mile’ Again, in the next half mile these expectations would change.
6:48 PM: I … am … huffing … and … puffing … by …. now. I can’t understand how on a race this freakin’ short I can be this tired. I mean I have run 13 miles (much slower miles) before and never felt this bad. I felt a little like puking and still had to pee.
6:50 PM: Wile I had somewhere around half a mile left at this point there was no holding it. I slowed to a walk (I’m a little ashamed to admit that but what the heck it’s the truth) and then made my way to the bushes. After a top-three-all-time-pee courtesy of mother nature I got back on the path. Instead of running I walked a bit more but then saw the 3 mile marker and managed to run some.
6:54:40: I passed the 3 mile marker. This put my 3rd mile (bathroom break and all) at almost ten minutes. This was not cool.
6:55:32: I finished the race with a clock time of 25:32 and a chip time of 25:20 for an 8:10 minute per mile overall pace.

After all of that I still had a great time. The after party was top notch featuring beer and margaritas flowing like water along with other free food and the like.

Here are my lessons learned from this 5K…

1. Be smart and realistic about pacing. Running a 7:13 first mile (a good 40 seconds faster than I should have been going) was just plain dumb. I should have targeted a reverse split so I could have had some kick at the end.
2. Tailor your running to the conditions – both weather and course. I was running uphill in 93 degree weather which were both things I’m not used to. I should have adjusted my 8 minute per mile goal before the race.
3. Finishing counts for something. This one is a little like the pilot’s rule that “any landing you can walk away from was a good landing.” I had a good time and still managed to place 309th out of 1272 runners.

So I had fun and now have a green race shirt to remember The Katy 5K.

I’ll wrap up this CRAZY LONG post with today’s running news. I ran 6 miles tonight in Chicago up through the park and back down the lake. It’s the farthest I’ve run since March (and since the injury) and it felt great. I wasn’t running fast but kept up a respectable 9:20 pace for the duration. I see the doc again first thing Tuesday then have the JP Morgan Chase Challenge on Thursday (3.5 miles) and have a 9 miler next weekend before the marathon.


I’d like to use the lessons learned from the Katy 5K to kick some serious ass for my company. Big Blue in the Hizzy.

Below: my doc is the little guy in the middle
This will be the first ninja post in many moons. Sorry for the long break but hey – I’ve been busy.

I’m officially back from injury now running on an abbreviated schedule. I have run three miles three times in the past week and have felt good before, during and after each run. I spoke with my doctor on Tuesday and he mapped out the following plan for me between now and my next appointment in 3 weeks.

1. All runs should be 3 to 4 miles – no more
2. Never run back-to-back days
3. Lifting – including weight-bearing stuff – is okay in moderation
4. Add in a speed day (sprints) or two on a soft surface like grass
5. Take back-to-back spinning classes on the weekend to increase my cardio before the marathon. 2 hours of spinning is nearly equivalent to a half marathon

Also, the doc wants me to run one 6 miler before my next appointment. Assuming all goes well there I’ll do a 9 mile run the week before the marathon.

Now that the gory details are out of the way let me say that running again is awesome. It is one of those things you don’t realize how much you will miss it until you can’t do it for a while. The feeling of your feet under you moving in an automatic rhythm as you feel speed for the first time in a long time is the best. While I’ve probably been running too fast considering the injury the feeling after the run is almost better than during because I know that I could have turned that 3 mile run into a 6 or 7 mile run if I wanted to do so.

To make a long story short – I’m hooked. I’m a runner. The races and the training and the health benefits are all gravy but running itself and the sense of well being after are worth the price of admission. I just need to better understand my body and avoid injury the best I can so I don’t have to take another extended break from running.
That is it for this post. Keep running and talk to y’all soon.