For Whom the Dogs Bark

May 07, 2024

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Location:

Cypress,TX,

Member Since:

Oct 10, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K: 24:22 (March 2010); 22:33 (October 2010); 20:47 (May 2011); 21:05 (May 2012); 21:33 (September 2012); 21:23 (November, 2013); 22:31 (September 2014)

5M: 39:22 (November, 2012); 35:54 (November, 2013); 36:03 (March, 2015)

10K: 44:08 (November, 2010); 49:20 (July, 2013); 44:07 (April, 2015)

12K: 56:03 (December, 2013); 58:58 (December, 2014)

10M: 1:11:58 (October, 2012); 1:15:24 (October, 2014)

Half Marathon: 1:53:xx (London's Run 2010); 2:05:21 (Cowtown 2010); 1:37:04 (Gusher 2011); 1:42:19 (Huntsville 2011); 1:33:47 (Baytown Jailbreak 2012); 1:33:50 (The Woodlands 2012); 1:42:52 (Texas 2015); 1:49:17 (Jailbreak 2015); 1:38:34 (The Woodlands 2015)

25K: 2:01:47 (Fifth Third River Bank, May 2014)

Marathon: 5:51:35 (Texas Marathon 2009); 6:21:36 (Ogden 2009); 4:58:29 (St. George 2009); 4:13:45 (Texas Marathon 2010); 4:04:12 (Utah Valley Marathon, 2010); 5:11:14 (Hartford ING, 2010); 3:41:43 (Richmond SunTrust, 2010); 3:39:27 (Texas Marathon 2011); 3:41:46 (Utah Valley Marathon, 2011); 3:30:35 (St. George 2011); 3:41:51 (Richmond 2012); 3:49:15 (Texas 2013); 3:46:59 (Paavo Nurmi, 2013); 3:34:04 (St. George 2013); 3:49:51 (Texas 2014); 3:31:59 (Richmond 2014); 3:28:34 (Boston 2015)

Short-Term Running Goals:

3:20, 1:30, 0:20

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'm 60, there is no long term.

Personal:

I live, work and run in Houston, Texas. I have run 17 marathons, some good ones and some others. I prefer straight, flat, cold, sea-level marathons, still waiting for my first one. I feel like there are more PRs out there. When I have them, I am told it is time to dial it back, run for healthy reasons. I'm sure that's right, and I'm sure it won't happen.

My wife and I are from the mountains of the west. We have five kids, three granddaughters and three grandsons. The kids and grandkids are native Texans but we are not -- you have to be born here.

As for my blog title: I run most of my miles before sunrise, sometimes hours before. On the back road of my neighborhood two hours before daylight, I can depend on a pack of mutts behind the boundary fence lighting up when they hear my footsteps. I have wondered what they wanted; but according to Hemingway I needn't ask.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Sat, Mar 14, 2015

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
30.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	30.00

54F, 94%, calm and foggy. Good running weather. Out the door at 4:35 for my third of four 30 milers. Woke up feeling not too well but decided to just try it and see what would happen. If I had to delay the run by a week no big deal, I have time. But once I got past the first half mile I was fine. First mile came in at 9:02, second at 8:37 and all but one after that were under 8:45, which seemed comfortable. The best metric of the run was my heart rate in mile 20, 149 bpm, which I am pretty sure is the lowest it has ever been that late in a run. Something must be working. Overall 30 miles in 4:19:00, 8:38/mile, 147 bpm average, 160 bpm max. No bonk today so that was also welcome. Last 30-mile run was on February 20, when I ran 8:56/mile and bonked, so this morning was a big improvement. I came through the marathon at 3:47:20, just a bit off of the old BQ pace for my current age group, of which I am a proud member for two more weeks. Buzzards were circling a little higher this morning, I think there is somebody in the next neighborhood over they are more interested in right now.

Comments

From MarkS on Sat, Mar 14, 2015 at 09:30:04 from 73.20.59.203

Wow! 30 miles in one day. That is my entire week total.

From SlowJoe on Sat, Mar 14, 2015 at 09:42:23 from 104.51.208.13

Dang! I can't even imagine running my BQ pace in a marathon during a training run, then going another 4 miles, much less the BQ pace for my previous AG. So it sounds like you'll be in the new AG for Boston? I know all the groups there are super-competitive but I'm interested to see how you do - gotta be near the top.

If you set a PR, I'm seriously going to incorporate the 30-miler into my plan for next year...if I can even run that far.. Great work this cycle - STAY HEALTHY!

From Jason D on Sat, Mar 14, 2015 at 10:50:59 from 68.80.27.222

Nicely done! You are well under marathon effort if your heart rate is under 150.

From flatlander on Sat, Mar 14, 2015 at 10:56:03 from 76.31.29.220

Mark, thanks. I think you and I are on different programs, and I'm not sure yours isn't better.

Joe, thanks. "Running" a lab experiment here, without an instructor. Possible blowup at some point. Yes, I turn 60 in two weeks, so that is the group I run in at Boston, but I am nowhere near the top. It takes something in the 2:50s to win that age group, believe it or not. Our BQ time is 3:55, so it isn't very challenging, there is a wide variation in abilities. And yes, I am trying to stay healthy. One good thing about all the long slow miles is I seem to have developed a little bit of resistance to minor nicks and scratches, and I am monitoring my overall tiredness by tracking heart rate, but no system is perfect when pushing like I am doing these last few weeks. This coming week will be less miles (although I have a metric marathon scheduled on Wednesday), then one more big week. Hopefully all the rusty bolts and gaskets will hold for a few more miles.

From flatlander on Sat, Mar 14, 2015 at 11:32:26 from 76.31.29.220

Thanks Jason! I have run a marathon as high as 169 average, but that was on a hot day. Usually if I don't stay under 165 through the first half I will bonk, and sometimes the threshold has been lower than that. But I agree, the heart rate readout was unexpected good news today.

From Tom K on Sat, Mar 14, 2015 at 12:20:07 from 174.58.54.215

Hey wild man, You sure you want to put this in the "easy miles" column? Nothing about this seems easy! Wow!

From Yasir on Sun, Mar 15, 2015 at 09:21:05 from 99.20.240.157

wow please stay healthy and absorb those 30 miles you are going to kill them next month in boston

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