This week is a little bit of an increase over last week, but it doesn’t seem like quite the jump last week was from the prior two weeks. The increases are on my Monday and Wednesday runs, which are my shortest of the week.
The running schedule for the week is:
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
5 mi + 7 strides
8 miles
5 mi + 7 strides
8 miles
18 miles
Monday, I ran up the hill in the dark. It was a cold run, but I felt good despite it being the hill. I started with my form and mobility drills, ran 5 miles, did 7 strides, and then rounded off the rest to get me to 6 miles (I was at 5.9 or 5.91 miles at the end of the last stride). 6 miles in 0:52:13 (8:42 pace).
Tuesday was around the bridges. I ran at lunchtime because it was in the upper 20s in the morning, but low 30s during the day (really, I just wanted to wear shorts). 8.01 miles in 1:09:55 (8:44 pace).
Wednesday was a somewhat carbon-copy of Monday, but it was cold in the morning, so I ran at lunchtime which was also cold. It was a little windy, too. Form drills in the park, 5 miles in the park, and 7 strides. Rounded it off to 6 miles in 49:11 (8:12 pace).
Thursday was more bridges – I used all four this time (well, 5 if you count the 4th Street Bridge between Covington and Newport). I felt like I was running harder than the watch says I was, and there’s nothing like the feeling of the watch beeping for 7 miles and you think, oh tomorrow I’ll have 11 miles after this point. 🤦♂️. 8 miles in 1:10:50 (8:51 pace).
Friday was messed up. I had a meeting in Columbus from 10 AM to 1 PM, which means that I leave at 7:30 and get back around 3. After nearly 3 hours of running in the afternoon, I arrived home to a hangry family. 18.01 miles in 2:41:38 (8:59 pace).
The route…All those loops… Note the end of the route at the south (bottom) of the map.Elevation chart. This was a tough route.That location where I turned around at the south? It was this. In the Ohio River Floods a few weeks ago, the lake level rose to this location.
Total for the week was 46 miles in 6 hours, 43 minutes of running. It was a tough week. Next week is a pull-back week, and then I get into those big 20 mile runs. Cheers!
After last week’s pull-back week, this is where shit gets real. The Tuesday and Thursday runs are much longer, as is Friday’s run.
Monday was my normal day- form drills, 4 miles, and 7 strides. I kept it mostly in the park, running through Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove and Smale Park out west, around the perimeter of the Bengals practice field, and back through all the parks into Friendship Park. The weather was cold – 29F or so. 5.1 miles in 43:29.
Tuesday was a huge increase over the past several weeks- 8 miles. Weather was nicer – 41F and within the first 2 miles the sun was out. This is obviously the last week before Daylight Savings Time begins and the RunLites continue being one of the more important accessories I own. I ran out through Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove and Smale Park again, and continued like I was going around the Bengals practice field except I continued down West Pete Rose Way to Mehring, back Mehring past the practice field and around Paul Brown Stadium to Freedom Way and to the Suspension Bridge where I crossed into Covington. I used some side streets to get to the 4th Street Bridge and crossed into Newport where I ran on the floodwall to the Newport Levee and up a ramp to Newport On The Levee and to the Purple People Bridge, which I used to cross back into Cincinnati and I finished the last of the final mile in Yeatman’s Cove. 8 miles in 1:09:38.
Wednesday was a normal day – form drills, 4 miles, and 7 strides. It was cold and a little windy. Since I decided I wasn’t going on any really-hilly routes on Thursday or Friday and since it was on my mind from #bibChat the evening before, I decided to run up Gilbert, through Eden Park, and back down and into Sawyer Point, where my watch screwed up as it was attempting to save the run. 5 miles in 43:06.
Gilbert Avenue Hill. Miles 6-8 of the Flying Pig half and full marathon.
Thursday was an 8 mile M pace run (which means 9.5 total – 1 mile warm up, 8 miles at M pace, and 0.5 mile cool down). This was a cold day with a lot of wind and some snow and my hydration belt digging into my side. I generally stay in the parks (Friendship, Sawyer Point, Yeatman’s Cove, and Smale parks) and in the area west of the park on Mehring and West Pete Rose Way, and this was no different – did a loop down into Friendship Park and ran all the way through to the “triangle” and ran it twice before going all the way back to Friendship park and back through Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove and back to my normal stopping area. 9.5 miles in 1:19:39, M pace portion in 1:06:29 for a pace of 8:19 min/mi.
The triangle. Paul Brown Stadium for scale (and location).
Friday was the long run. After the 15 mile run, which was a debacle, I decided I’d do a few things differently. For starters, Thursday night, I had a big bowl of spaghetti for dinner – carbo loading! Also, I prepared a bottle of Gatorade Endurance to go with me. I took three Gus and the Gatorade and decided to run across the bridges. Across Purple people, down the floodwall and down to the east-of-the-levee area and around the parking lot and back through the Newport Levee to the west floodwall, where I ran up the handicap ramp and across the 4th Street Bridge into Covington, where I went down to the river and across onto the new path until I saw wet mud in my way. I turned around, pulled out a pack of Gu and consumed it while running back up to the surface streets and to the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge to cross into Cincinnati. From there, I ran around Paul Brown Stadium and onto West Pete Rose Way where I was going to do the triangle, but I decided to head north to Linn and Dalton and across the 8th Street Viaduct and back down to the tip of the triangle to proceed down Mehring, taking my second Gu on the way down. From there, I headed back up Plum to Freedom Way and down to the Suspension Bridge to cross back into Covington. Once back into Covington I promptly left it for Newport by way of the 4th Street Bridge where I continued down to the new road to get to the Taylor Southgate Bridge. From there I went around US Bank Arena to get back to Smale Park and ran back down to the Triangle. I shortened it by going along the Bengals Practice Field and returned back through Smale Park into Yeatman’s Cove and through Sawyer Point to go around the Boathouse to finish off 17 miles in Sawyer Point. 2:29:20 for an 8:47 pace. WOW. I didn’t (and still don’t, after a few hours) feel as bad as the 15 mile run, and this was 4 minutes longer (but 2 miles longer!). There was one mile that was oddly fast (around US Bank Arena), and the GPS track is off, so the average pace is probably a little higher in reality, but I’m more concentrated on how I felt post-run.
A map. Because that wall of text is probably hard for anyone that isn’t me to follow.Woo hoo!
For the week, I’m just under 45 miles with a whopping 6.25 hours spent running. I think this week was supposed to break me down. In some philological ways, it probably did. However it did the opposite psychologically. Hopefully I can walk down stairs tomorrow!
jux·ta·po·si·tion, /jəkstəpəˈziSH(ə)n/, noun: The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
It’s in the 80s here in Cincinnati in the morning, and the humidity is hellish. I’ve been driving to the office and then running in the mornings and without a shirt on. I’ve been hoping that nobody is around when it is time to ride the elevator up to the fourth-floor locker room to shower, if anything to remove the awkwardness of it all.
A few days ago, that wasn’t the case. I finished my run (goal of 5.5 miles, went 5.65 miles) and slowed to a walk next to the office building. In front of me, I see an employee of another firm in the office building walking across the street. She was walking at a bad pace, slow enough that I didn’t want to walk behind her but fast enough that going around her to enter the building and go up the elevator would have been a little bit of a douche move.
So I ended up on the elevator with this lady. She is overweight (which is unfortunately not uncommon), but not an extreme fatass. However, I noticed that she was breathing very heavily. I was not.
The walk from the parking lot to the elevator is around 350 feet and includes 10 steps up two flights of stairs.
So here I am, breathing normally but in running clothes (well, shorts and shoes), across the elevator from a lady who is dressed in business casual breathing heavily. Juxtaposition.
This story is real. No names have been changed because there aren’t any.
The song playing while my wave started: You’re an all-star and Uptown Funk
The song playing at mile ~0.75 (by Great American Ballpark): put me in coach
The song somewhere around mile 4: something that sounded like 90% Black Sabbath mixed with 10% of Nirvana
During large parts of my run, I felt like Mario Andretti in the Ave Maria Indy car commercial
The lady with the large heavy-looking bell. Seemed like she should have looked around at nearby people with those puny little cowbells and mustered up her best Aussie accent and say “that’s not a bell, THIS is a bell!”
The Bad
Getting injured two weeks before the Little Kings Mile. I got a pull/strain/something in my upper hamstring (AKA my butt) that put me out of commission for two weeks. I never knew running could be such a pain in the ass sometimes! (lol!)
People walking less than a mile in (I totally get it during the hill, but if you were going to walk, don’t start with 2:00 – 2:05 runners!)
Someone near mile 5 was giving out small water bottles. I saw no less than 4 of them in the race course. Twisted ankle (or worse) waiting to happen. I know their heart was in the right place, though.
The Awesome
Signs:
“Every Hill is a mountain of opportunity”
“Run Like Morgan Freeman is Narrating”
The crowd – it never ceases to amaze me how many non-runners come out for this. People can be awesome sometimes.
Not signs:
The couple with “1st 1/2 marathon” on their shirts. I saw at least two people say good things to those two before I did.
The PR Bell
Ringing the PR Bell!!!
Using my own keys to the race to have an awesome race!
The finishers area, complete with chandeliers. There’s something cool about being in a dirty urban setting (the post-race area is the service area for the Great American Ballpark and the US Bank Arena) and seeing chandeliers.
The Ugly
Two days of soreness after the race
The bar I selected for that post-race beer. I don’t like being ignored.
The Race Report – Little Kings Mile
Race conditions were warm and sunny, race began at 8:00 PM on Friday night. I had walked to and from the Expo and my office prior to the race (about a mile). Race was operated in one major heat and two additional heats for 5 elite women and 5 elite men. The course was new this year.
The Course
My strategy was to start well and kick it in around the corner of Central and Mehring (the last intersection on the course). Finishing time was 7:17.
The Race Report – Flying Pig Half Marathon
Weather: mid-50s at the start, low 70s at my finish.
Clothing and Accessories: I wore a tank top and shorts. I wished I had an old sweatshirt to have over me that could have been tossed to the side and ultimately donated to Goodwill (they collect cast-off clothing at the start area). Only accessories were my phone, three packs of Gu (Root Beer, Vanilla, and Chocolate, the Root Beer one was consumed in the corral), and 3 Advil stapled to/in my fuel belt.
The Race: I spent the first 6 miles just staying with it. I admired the sunrise and generally kept moving at a good pace without too much exertion. I kept the same attitude during the uphill climb into Eden Park. I kept a not-close eye on time. Took water at 4, 5, 8, and 9. Took energy shots around mile 5 (in downtown) and 9-ish (in the area where volunteers were handing out the energy bars). Pushed it during the downhill, but not so bad I couldn’t talk, I saved that for miles 12-13.1.
Lap times. Ignore mile 1, this started before the race did.
Looking at the pace, I’m happy with it all. I didn’t expect the first part to be in the low 9s, nor did I expect the middle part to not break 10 minutes per mile. And I followed my own keys and saved some for the end, which is where those 3 sub-8:30 miles came from.
Initially while watching the Boston Marathon and seeing them do a “Keys to the Race”, I thought the concept of “keys to the {race|game|etc} was getting overdone. It might be, but strategy is critically important when you’re running a long distance.
I’ve had the luxury of working near the course and have been practicing on the course, so I’ve come up with my three keys to a successful race.
1. Don’t Bank Too Much During the First 6 Miles
It’s a 13.1 mile race. The first 3-4 miles are somewhat rolling and have a lot of crowd support, followed by a lesser-supported (that I recall) 2 miles through Queensgate and into downtown. Banking too much here would have painful intrest payments through the rest of the race and could cause an energy bankrupcy in the next phase of the race.
Part 1 of the course
2. Don’t Overrun the Hill
Miles 6 to 10.5 are hills. Be aware that people will claim stuff like “the bridge [at m7.7] is the top”. NO. IT IS NOT. It is the end of the worst, but there are still small hills from 7.7 to 10.5.
Note the location of the red ‘Energy” on the map. It’s around mile 9. For someone running a 1:30 half, that’s probably a good spot. For me (~2 hours), I’m taking a shot of Gu at 4.5-5 miles and 9 miles (I’m going by the Gu packet directions of “15 minutes before and every 45 minutes”. Note that the Flying Pig has PowerGel.
Part 2 of the course
3. Save Some For The Last 2.6 Miles
Around mile 10.5, you may feel like you’re falling off the side of the planet. This is where the race course sets you up for a negative split. I’ve had training runs where the uphill portion (miles 6-10.5) where 10:50-11:50 min/mile, and the downhill was 8:30 min/mile. If you follow key #1, you can hit this area hard for a strong finish. Miles 10.5 to just before 12 is downhill, things level out on Central Parkway (where the hairpin turn is), back downhill (a little) on Eggleston, and then right onto East Pete Rose Way. That last 0.2 (or so) of the course on Pete Rose Way is an uphill grade to the finish line – it’s not terrible, but after 13 miles, it can be a bit of a killer.
Thanks to Old Man Winter and some rodent from PuxatawnICAN’TSPELLTHISDAMNCITY (both of whom should probably stay as far from my truck as possible!), I’ve been dealing with a lot of back pain for the past few weeks (from shoveling snow). I ran on the dreadmill once since the injury, and it was a successful run. Two days later, I ran in the snow and made it a half mile before searing pains in my back caused me to stop.
Running vs. walking was a race-day-decision for me, and my back felt good enough to run it. I should have walked.
My time was good – 26:28. Not a PR, but second best and considering the injury and I was going easy, I’m not complaining at all. The new course wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I thought it would be much harder going left onto Reading instead of right, but the hill isn’t that bad there (or maybe since I run up Gilbert all the time, I’m not phased by hills anymore). Also, the Flying Pig Crew did A LOT to ensure the course was snow free and they even had a volunteer yelling to runners about ice on the edge of the course between mile 2 and mile 3 to make sure nobody slipped.
SOAPBOX: if you do any run and you’re not going to run AT LEAST the first mile, DO NOT start in the front half of the pack. If you’re walking in the middle in the opening area of a race, you’re fair game to get run over by runners (and some of us aren’t exactly lightweights). Sorry not sorry.
After the finish, I grabbed my water and a banana and headed inside for beer. In the shitty picture below, one of the beers said “Bockfest Competition Winning Brew”. Needless to say, I got one of those. I also got a Red Hop Mess. Both were very good.
The medal was nice, too. They got away from the bottle opener design and went with ein Bock und ein Bier.
The unfortunate thing was Saturday afternoon and into the evening my back got worse. I shoulda walked. But now (on Monday), it’s much better and I should be back into my regular running cycle this week, just in time for Spring in Cincy.
