For Whom the Dogs Bark

Purple Stride 5K Run

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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
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
36.655.003.110.0044.76
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.115.000.000.0010.11

71F, 100%, calm and foggy.  Started with 4.5 LLHR miles (11:16/mile), then transitioned into GMP for a half mile, then 5 at 7:55 (7:48 to 8:02).  Heart rate progression was 153, 158, 163, 168 and 173.  Not good, but some of that was the summer-like temperatures.  I probably could have lasted 10, not much more.  I felt OK, though, never really strung out, though it was certainly a vigorous workout.  I can almost see myself running a half marathon at a 7:30 pace, which would be remarkable in light of where I have been the last year and a half.

Trying to make it up as I go this week, would like to get some faster stuff in without wearing myself down.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.420.000.000.0010.42

56F, 63%, ENE 8 mph with gusts.  Much better weather today, but somewhat difficult to maintain a consistent effort running into and with the wind.  Ran 10.42 miles in 1:53:19, 10:52/mile. Then did a weight/stretching/core circuit at the gym.  My newest theory is that weights cause more muscle fatigue than running, which is probably a good thing as it indicates improvement in leg strength.  I was faster today than last week when I had a couple of weight sessions in my legs, even though I did a brisk GMP run yesterday.  If this is true then my LLHR run tomorrow should be slower than today.  Can hardly wait.

Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.400.000.000.0010.40

52F, 65%, ENE 4 mph, clouding up.  Repeated Monday's workout, but much cooler temperatures.  4.5 @ LLHR, 11:48, 11:17, 11:10 and 10:49 (looked at my pace at 4.5 but can't remember it), quite a bit slower than yesterday, but better at the end than Monday.  This supports my theory that lifting weights, which I did yesterday after the run, takes more out of my legs than running a medium workout, which I did the day before yesterday's run.

Then ran 5 at GMP, here are the comparative times and heart rates (Monday's run at 71F in brackets):

8:05 (149) [8:03 (153)]; 7:56 (155) [7:51 (158)]; 7:57 (157) [7:59 (163)]; 7:41 (161) [7:49 (168)]; and 7:43 (164) [7:56 (173)]

So a dramatic difference in speed and heart rate by the time the last mile rolled around, even though based on low heart rate pace I was more tired today than on Monday.  Heat is a killer.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.020.000.000.0010.02

71F, 100%, ENE 8 mph, light rain.  Muggy morning, but LLHR run went pretty well:  10.02 miles in 1:49:44, 10:58/mile.  121 bpm, 126 max.  Busy this week, would ordinarily run long tomorrow since I have a 5K on Saturday, but not sure what will happen.  It is going to be warm again tomorrow, then cool on Saturday.

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Race: Purple Stride 5K Run (3.107 Miles) 00:21:23, Place overall: 12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.700.003.110.003.81

40F, 100%, N 15-20 mph, raining off and on.  My youngest daughter, who is starting to prepare for a half-marathon in March, wanted to run this because her favorite teacher was promoting it due to family involvement in the pancreatic cancer cause.  She has never been an enthusiastic runner and I figured she would shrink at the abominable weather, but she was up and ready to go, apologizing to me for the weather.  It's great when kids take ownership.  We drove to Reliant  Park on the south side of town, got there about 7:15 and registered, then went back and sat in the car for an 8:30 start.  Got back out at 8:15, still traipsing through puddles.  My paper-thin shoes were soaked before the race started.  I went out for a brief warm-up, got back at 8:27 and the ceremonies had barely begun.  Survivor speeches, celebrity speeches, the whole thing.  I was frigid by 8:50 when we finally started, doubt that the warmup did me much good.  The course was a series of twists and turns through the enormous Astrodome parking area, including a bridge over a street at the start and finish.  My watch actually measured the course at 3.08, which is about the right adjustment for built-in GPS inaccuracy due to running so many turns - 36 in all mostly right angles and a 180 -- I ran all the tangents very conscientiously, as the course was marked with cones for the entire length.  Lots of puddles out there and some runners lost time by running around them.  I plowed straight through, actually liked the course.  I could see what everybody was doing.  Not a fast group in the miserable weather.  I went out hard, was feeling lactatey by the first quarter, but I was committed to the pace and kept going.  My heart rate strap was on but it got too loose in the cold weather and eventually I had to let it ride on my belly.  I think I topped out a 230 bpm.

I was in 11th at one point, got passed, then passed somebody else, then got passed in the last half mile by the women's winner.  She was drafting off of me until we turned back away from the wind then passed me easily, beating me by about 5 seconds.  My Garmin splits were 6:58, 6:54, 7:00 and 6:45 for the stub.  Overall average 6:58, but lower than that when adjusted for the 5K distance.  This is not my fastest 5K time, but like the St. George marathon, today's time was within striking distance.  Feels good, 2 years later, to be challenging my PRs again.

After finishing I went back out on the course, found my daughter and ran her in.  She broke the 11:00/mile mark and never stopped, so she was happy with her efforts, though she complained bitterly about the bridge at the end.  We didn't stay for the ceremony, but I don't think they were giving out any age-group awards.  Afterward we found a good breakfast place and managed to get warmed up.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
36.655.003.110.0044.76
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