au naturale
it’s not what you think. really.
for the past month or so i’ve been experimenting with what is widely labeled as “natural running” – – which is essentially moving towards having my mid-foot strike the ground first versus my heel. this retooling effort is mainly due to scoring a gift certificate to the Revolution Natural Running & Walking Center who outfitted me in a pair of Newton Sir Issac running shoes.
while i likely ran more often with a mid-foot stride in high school and college, i’ve been a heel striker for many miles since. before lacing up the new shoes, i took some time to review Newton’s advice on Adjusting to Your New Running Shoes and watched a few of their videos on their youtube channel.
essentially, i began using the shoes for 20-30 minutes of my workout for a week or so and feeling no discomfort i slowly added more time with them. after using the shoes for a few weeks, i took a look at the soles and noticed they were showing signs of wear on the heels more than the mid-foot. it was back to the drawing board for me as i reduced the time i’d run in them and really focused on landing mid-foot then letting my heel hit. honestly, after more than twenty years of running it has felt rather odd to actually think about how i run.
overall i’ve been pleased with the Newton’s and my progress towards retooling my stride a bit. while visiting my family in Michigan over the Fourth of July, i even shared the news with my dad; an avowed and proselytizing heel-striker. he took the news in stride although i wish i had my camera at the ready when i initially dropped it on him. classic.
as of late i’ve backed off on both the duration and intensity of my training to allow for a bit of recovery. (hey dad, i didn’t say “rest”.) after racing four times in a five week span, i’m content with not having any firm racing plans for the month and my focus remains on trying to keep my right achilles in check.
7/7 – 7 miles (first day being eligible for M40-44)
7/8 – 6 miles
7/9 – 5 miles
7/10 – off
7/11 – 6 miles
7/12 – 5 miles
7/13 – 6 miles
7/14 – off
7/15 – 6 miles
MTD – 69.25 miles (12/15 days)
YTD – 1,186 miles (171/197 days)
Odometer – 33,911 miles
Volksläufe 10K
after enjoying a great fireworks display with my family the night before, i lined up at the start with my brother in-law to my left and my dad somewhere in the masses behind us. simply standing there while waiting for the race to start was causing me to sweat as it was already in the upper seventies with high humidity.
we were sent on our way and i kept myself in check with a 6:20 opening mile. the route turned into the countryside and a bit of a headwind. much of the second mile was downhill and i was able to roll a 6:11 on it; passing a few folks who had started too fast.
as we continued through the rural outskirts of Frankenmuth (Michigan), my pace began to slow a bit. honestly, i was feeling “flat” and had very little pep in the step; likely due in large part to the high humidity.
shortly after the five kilometer mark, we began an uphill climb that led us back into town. my focus through this section was on reeling in a few runners who were fading faster than i was.
we crossed the main street in town and made our way over the wooden covered bridge then up one final uphill section. a left turn onto the parkway gave a welcomed long downhill to the finish.
as i approached the finish, i could see the clock had already rolled past forty minutes which was disappointing. regardless, i picked up the pace a bit and finished in 40:38 which was a few ticks faster than my 2011 and 2010 efforts on the same course.
after a slow walk with a cold bottle of water, i was able to locate my brother in-law and we made our way to the park entrance to watch for my dad. sporting a hansons running jersey, he rolled into the finish with a smile and a wave.
a quick check of the results told me that i had mustered a third place finish in the M35-39 age group. after getting cleaned up back at the hotel, we returned for the awards ceremony and i picked up my second Volksläufe stein.
wtf is up with the goofy grin, eh?
Splits
1M – 6:20
2M – 6:11 (12:31)
3M – 6:32 (19:03)
4M – 6:37 (25:40)
5M – 6:48 (32:28)
6M – 6:44 (39:12)
.2M – 1:26 (40:38)
40th/748 finishers overall
3rd/40 finishers M35-39
Recent Training
7/1 – 6 miles
7/2 – 6 miles
7/3 – off
7/4 – 10K in 40:38
7/5 – 5 miles
7/6 – 5 miles
MTD – 28.25 miles (5/6 days)
YTD – 1145 miles (164/188 days)
Odometer – 33,870 miles
midyear analysis
the month of june will end for me the same way it began, with a day off from running. between those two days, i was able to run each day and accumulated 218 miles; the most i’ve run in the month of june in two (plus) decades.
midway through the year, i’ve mustered the second most miles year-to-date in those same two (plus) decades. at this time in 2004 i had managed 1,181 miles on my way to 2,201 miles for the year; which is still my best total yearly mileage.
it’s funny how a rather obsessive habit of mine (recording my miles) helps to keep me motivated to roll my rear out of bed in the wee hours of the morning. (this morning was an exception as i slept in and was promptly scolded by my eldest daughter when i finally got up.)
6/27 – 11 miles
6/28 – 8 miles
6/29 – 8 miles
6/30 – off
MTD – 218 miles (28/30 days)
YTD – 1116 miles (159/182 days)
Odometer – 33,842 miles
1.21 gigawatts
six months after rediscovering some personal discipline, i’m rolling along with around with ten pounds less than i used to carry. for what it’s worth, my drivers license is less than factual as i’m five less than what it states. some of the credit goes to hitting the salad bar at lunch versus my usual gargantuan or burrito bowl. granted, the only way i can do (spinach) salad is to slather it with (fat-free) french dressing. some of the credit also goes to refocusing my attention to training. the way i’ve been accumulating miles (as of late) burns calories at a rate that is difficult (but not impossible) to keep up with.
so what’s my motivation? among other things, the inevitability of beginning my forties has sparked a renewed sense of urgency. in all honesty, the window of opportunity for something like running a sub-3 marathon is closing as time marches on.
regardless, i dropped a 5K effort last friday night that i haven’t pulled off in years and actually closer to a decade. (no, there wasn’t a DeLorean involved.) i toed the line at the St. Mary’s Belltower 5K Run and mustered the following splits…
1 Mile – 5:55
2 Mile – 6:00 (11:55)
3 Mile – 6:06 (18:01)
0.1 Mile – 0:25 (18:26)
…on a predominantly out-and-back course. (great scott!!)
i’ve run faster at this race including a 17:58 (2003) and a 18:15 (2002); and am rather up front with the fact that i show up for an occasional 5K to get my rear kicked by high schoolers. this year was no different as the (soon to be senior in high school) son of my friends Paul & Susi won the race in 16:58. he was followed by a recently graduated teammate of his for second place. i rolled across the line in third overall (also first for the M30-39 age group) with a few high schoolers behind me. the added bonus for the effort was that my name was drawn for a gift certificate towards the purchase of a Road ID bracelet, which has been on my to-do list for awhile.
so what does this mean? good question, but i haven’t quite figured that out yet.
what i continue to do is stay focused on the “now” which means logging miles, eating appropriately and keeping my right achilles in check. at some point, i’ve got to get something in mind for a fall race. in the meantime, i’ve got one more race planned before exiting the M35-39 age group…permanently.
6/16 – 8 miles
6/17 – 9 miles
6/18 – 7 miles
6/19 – 10 miles
6/20 – 5 miles
6/21 – 9.25 miles
6/22 – 2 mile warm up, 5K in 18:26, 2 mile cool down
6/23 – 6 miles
6/24 – 6.25 miles
6/25 – 8 miles
6/26 – 7 miles
MTD – 191.25 miles (25/26 days)
YTD – 1089.5 miles (156/176 days)
Odometer – 33,815 miles
Race for the Bacon 10K
only in Wisconsin will you find a mashup of bacon, beer and running on a weeknight. the Race for the Bacon is a 5K/10K event held entirely within the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. there are some great race recaps posted online that do a nice job describing the event including Runners lap up the Race for the Bacon and I raced for bacon and beer.
what i want to highlight is the race t-shirt. my opinion is that too often very little thought (or effort) goes into an event t-shirt and subsequently i normally reserve the majority of them for wearing while doing chores around the house. however, this shirt will be the exception to that rule for the foreseeable future. great job on the design as well as the shirt itself!
the 5K and 10K started at the same time and i was cautious with my early pace to avoid a “jackrabbit” start. i settled into a solid rhythm with tunes blaring in my ears and cruised along for the first three miles of the race. there was brief a point in time after the 4 mile mark that i was (unknowingly) rolling in 2nd place overall with 3rd & 4th hot on my tail. regrettably, shortly thereafter was when a dreaded side stitch emerged. in the fifth mile, i got passed by two guys and i was fading badly. the stitch eventually gave way and i was able take advantage of the final downhill grade into the finish line.
after looking at my mile splits and replaying the scenario in my head (more than) a few times i’ve come to the conclusion that i wouldn’t change the decisions i made. admittedly, going out a little more conservative may have helped me in the second half of the race but i still feel that i should have been able to maintain the early pace. regardless, for motivational purposes it’s good to have a bit of unfinished business to attend to.
Finish: 39:30
Overall: 4/137
M35-39: 1/9
Splits
1M – 6:08
2M – 6:13 (12:21)
3M – 6:11 (18:32)
4M – 6:32 (25:04)
5M – 6:40 (31:44)
6M – 6:54 (38:38)
.2M – 0:52 (39:30)
Recent Training
6/4 – 5 miles
6/5 – 7 miles
6/6 – 7 miles
6/7 – 10 miles
6/8 – 8.5 miles
6/9 – 9 miles
6/10 – 13 miles <-- found $2 in the road
6/11 - 5 miles
6/12 - 9 miles
6/13 - 5 miles
6/14 - 2 mile warm up, 10K race, 1.25 mile cool down
6/15 - 5 miles
MTD – 108.75 miles (14/15 days)
YTD – 1,007 miles (145/165 days)
Odometer – 33,732 miles