This continues my attempt to regularly update my blog.

If you have been following my twitter or FB, you would see quite a few really good run times over the past six weeks.  I am going to call them really good run times because they impress me and I am my biggest critic.  At age thirty-four, my biggest concern in running is that I may be seeing my pure speed disappear and that I am beyond run PRs.  However, after the last couple runs, I know that I still got the speed that could eventually result in some PRs in at least a open half marathon or marathon, maybe a 10k?

HOUSTON 5k

Lara, Paige, and I went to the Marathon Trials in Houston to be spectators.  We are huge fans of the endurance community and our top-notch friends (especially Joanna Zeiger and Amanda Scott). We went to spectate, but opportunity to toe the line the following day in a low key 5k presented itself, and we jumped on it. The race ended up having about 5000 runners. Lara was the instigator, but I could not be helped and salivated at the test of sea level speed.  Who cares if I was going to be tired from running/walking around watching the trials, it was just a 5k.

I went out with a group and we sailed through the first mile in 5:05, not too fast, but as fast as my legs would go and I figured my end was near.  However, aerobically I was never spent and went through the next mile in 5:09 and finished with a 5:07 for a 15:53 finish.  I was not even out of breath at the finish, but my legs had moved as fast as they could.  It was cool to hold close to 5 minute pace for 5k.

FAST AND FLURIOUS 4 MILER

In Boulder, there are a lot of really elite runners that are prepping for the National XC Champs each year and the best preparation race is an annual four mile XC.  Four miles is just about the right distance here at altitude to test your speed and strength, but not totally kill your legs or lungs.  I had been encouraging good friend Joanna to run the race, in her XC preparation, and then she pointed out it would be a good prep for my upcoming half marathon.

She was correct and I ended up running my best executed XC race of my 25 plus years of running cross country.  My mile splits are a little skewed by some miles having more hills than others, but they went as follows: 5:36, 5:21, 5:28, and 5:15 for a finish time of 21:57 (the finish was 100m past the 4 mile mark).  I was in probably 30th place or worse in the opening mile and ended up in 16th, within fairly respectable distance of the guys that only run- the really skinny dudes.

SURF CITY HALF MARATHON

This past weekend Lara and I did one of our favorite trips to escape a bit of the winter here in Boulder.  It is a short pleasant weekend to visit her parents and get in a sea level half marathon.  The Surf City Half and Full Marathons are a fantastically well run event in Huntington Beach. I highly recommend the race, especially to my Colorado friends.  It is held each year on Super Bowl Sunday and a very short trip to sea level and the warm Cali sun.  This year I thought I had it in me to challenge my PR of 70:04 for the half marathon.

I was really ready and still know it, but I think I may have over done it in the week prior to the race. I ended up running a very even paced 71:46. I was really stiff the whole race and struggled to get under 5:20 pace even in the opening miles (keep in mind the 5k race I did in Houston).  It was only slightly disappointing, because I held just under 5:30 pace the entire run.  I gave it all I had and ended up with a solid result. No regrets, because I had such a fun time, and the race did not disappoint. Plus Paige got to visit with her grandparents, and Lara got to see some friends, truly a great trip.

CONCLUSION

Interestingly, after doing some research last week I noted that in 2005 I ran 71:44 at the tough Colonial Half Marathon the day after I rode my bike 118 miles!  I still have that speed, it is there and needs some awakening from time to time to remind myself mentally and physically. However, if I want to go faster than my best off the bike speed, it takes a little better taper and monitoring.  I won’t admit to getting older, but my body does need more time to recover from really fast efforts before making another go at true run speed.  The best note is seeing I am still “the Kid”- at each race I was either the guy with the greatest age or second greatest age in the top 15.

I am off to USNA this week, so perhaps an update from training the Mids will be upcoming. Stay tuned!