Frankfort Half-Marathon Results

Kind of forgot to enter anything after the Frankfort Half-Marathon on Saturday, so I will write about it now.  It ended up being a rainy, windy and cold day, which aren't my best running conditions.  But I made up my mind that I would try to embrace the conditions rather than regret them.  And it worked out pretty well.  I ran very well with a 1:43:22 which was good for 31st place out of 439 and 1st out of 6 in my 60-64 age group.  So I made my 'A' goal and was very pleased.  A tough little course, particularly, the middle six miles on the Hickory Creek Bike Path.  Several formidable hills and very rolling and the last three miles on the Plank Trail into the rainy headwind.

Since the race I have felt good with 35 miles in the last three days.  So that is an even better sign that I am getting stronger.

Upcoming Frankfort Half-Marathon

Well it's two days before the Frankfort Half-Marathon and I'm feeling pretty good.  I've been looking forward to this one.  I've had some good workouts the last couple of weeks.  Picked up my packet today and I'm in Coral 'B' which I think is the second best.  So we will see how I do.  My 'A' goal is sub 1:45; 'B' goal sub 1:55 and 'C' goal sub 2:10.  As of today it is supposed to storm Saturday morning, so that could really make things interesting.

Rockdale Ramblin' Run and a Back-to-Back Weekend

This weekend definitely proved that I must be doing something right in my training.  Yesterday, I ran the Rockdale Ramblin' Run 10K.  It bills itself as the toughest 10K in the Midwest with a number of large hills.  I am not really sure if it is the toughest, but it is a hard course.  I ran my fastest time since 2010 (45:44), placing 54th out of 539 and 1st in my age group.  I felt strong throughout the race finishing with a 6:48 mile.  I also added another 10 miles for a nice 16 mile day with the intention of doing the second part of a back-to-back today.  

So I woke up feeling okay.  No real aches after yesterday.  I ran with my good friend and fellow coach, Gary on the Plank And Hickory Creek Trails.  We did 14 miles together and I added another 4 for a total of 18 miles.  Keeping each other company, we cruised along at nine minute miles and I never felt too tired.  We ran along the Frankfort Half-Marathon course which we will both be running in two weeks.  It is the first year for it and the course will definitely be challenging.  

So altogether, it was a 34 mile weekend.  And the only thing bothering me a bit tonight is my left foot plantar fasciitis.  So I am feeling pretty happy about where I am in my training right now.  I do need to make sure I have a very easy day tomorrow, however.

Getting Fit

I'm think I'm starting to get fit.  Did a 20 miler yesterday, instead of on Sunday since Sunday was Easter.  I've been wearing a heart monitor for most of my runs over the last 5 months.  Trying to use the "Mafetone"method.  This involves doing almost all of your running in the moderate heart rate zone, which for me is 120 to 135.  When I first started this, it was tough running slow enough to keep the heart rate there (over 10 minutes per mile).  But in the 20 miler I was able to keep it there for virtually all the run except for a few hills I threw in.  This was with a 9:30 to 9:45 per mile pace.  And I still had plenty of energy left to start emptying out our storage space and bringing things back to the new house.  Also, no soreness today.

One other thing that I think is helping as well is that I have started using a foam roller when I first get up in the morning.  It has been about four weeks now and it seems to be keeping me much more loose than I have been in awhile.  I only bought the thing over a year ago, but never got around to using it till now.  I see a chiropractor for my lower back and she checks out the legs as well.  And the last couple of times I've been in she has commented on the calves and hamstrings being nice and loose.