Final Long Run - 12.5 Miles

This morning's 12.5 mile run was my last LONG run in preparation for the Chicago Marathon which is just 2 weeks away. I got an early start (6:45AM) and I chose downtown St. Petersburg as my venue for this morning's run. I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few other runners out there but once I saw the scenery, I could understand why. I got to experience a beautiful sunrise over Tampa Bay and lots of beautiful neighborhoods along the trail.

Tomorrow will be a well deserved REST DAY for sure!

Safe training folks!

Planning a Long Run Tomorrow

My extended stay here in Florida is really tapping into my resourcefulness! To counter the monotony of running on the treadmill at the gym, I met up with a local running group here in St. Petersburg this morning to run 5 miles along Gulf Boulevard. The group gets an early start so we begin running about 35 minutes before sunrise and finish up about 25 minutes post sunrise. I am thankful for the early start because it was a HOT one today. Once the sun came up, it didn't take long to hit the 90 degree mark. And that is NOT good running weather.

The Chicago Marathon is just 2 weeks away and I really wanted to get a long run in tomorrow, on Sunday morning. My plan is to run at least 12 miles. So, that meant that I had to go to the running store this afternoon to buy another water belt. This was frustrating since I already have 2 water belts that I use for running back in Pennsylvania! Ok, so now I have 3 water belts :-)

There is supposed to be a group of runners meeting in downtown St. Petersburg for their long runs tomorrow morning so I hope to meet up with them. But, just in case I have to run it alone, I went downtown this afternoon and 'scoped' out the waterfront so I would have a general idea of where to run. It looks like they have a nicely laid out 'City Trails' pathway for walkers, bikers, and runners along Tampa Bay so I am looking forward to a scenic route tomorrow.

Good luck to all of you who are training for your fall marathons. Train strong and smart!

St. Pete Road Runners

Today I met up with a very nice group of folks, part of the St. Pete Road Runners here in St. Petersburg, FL. Enjoyed watching the harvest moon and the rising sun during a 6:30am 5.0 mile run - a perfect way to start the day! Ironically, this running group had 20+ members go up to Philadelphia to run the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon last weekend. Who knows, some of them may have passed me along the 13.1 mile race last weekend!

This group has something going on just about every day of the week; some runs are in the morning and other runs are in the evening. So, it looks like I will have some more runs with the group in the upcoming week.

It is hard to believe that the Chicago Marathon is only 3 weeks from tomorrow - Yikes! I definitely have not met my training objectives so I will be focused on getting out there and having fun - no personal records on the horizon for this year.

For all of you out there who are training for your fall marathons, stay strong and be safe!

Another Half-Marathon In the Books!

What a beautiful day it was today to run 13.1 miles! The Philadelphia Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon benefited from near perfect conditions today: it was about 50 degrees at start time with clear blue skies and no wind. Not sure of the total number of runners but I am guessing there were close to 15,000.

Based on my knee injuries followed by surgery earlier this year, my main objective for today was to get out there, have fun, and turn in a respectable time. And, that is exactly what I did by finishing in 2:05:45 (unofficial). Although that is 8 minutes slower than my race time last year (1:57), I am happy with the result. My running today was consistent: I maintained a steady pace from mile 1 through 13 and it felt great!

My left knee is a bit sore this evening so I am icing it and planning to take a rest day tomorrow. I will be heading back to the gym later this week. After all, I have to finish my training for the Chicago Marathon on October 13.

Race Day is Tomorrow!

Preparations are final for tomorrow's race. Gear is assembled, race bib is on my shirt, timing chip is on my shoe. Lights will be off in about 10 minutes. My 4:30AM wake up call will be here soon enough. The temperature will be a cool 46 degrees when I leave the house and 50 degrees with sunny skies at race time.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's race as it will be the first half-marathon I will run in a year. I like the half-marathon distance: 13.1 miles is a respectable distance. Nothing to sneeze at.

Come on, Philly.... It's time to Rock 'N' Roll!

91 Degrees in Philly!

Here we are, just 4 days before the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and it is 91 degrees - Yikes! Thankfully, the weather forecast calls for a high of 73 degrees on race day. Today I knocked out 5 miles at an easy pace on the treadmill and plan to run 6 miles on Friday and then I will be ready for race day!

Easy Run Day

Today was an 'Easy Run' day: 5.5 miles at a very easy pace (13:20 minute mile). I am still being prudent with my workouts - staying more focused on the time duration of the run, rather than the pace or speed. I know from my history that endurance is important for me; I always seem to be able to run at a faster pace when it comes to race time. I don't want to over train heading into my upcoming half-marathon and marathon races. This is a very different year for me as far as my marathon training is concerned. Because of my 2 knee surgeries this year, I am not focused on improving my time; rather, I am focused on finishing and having fun!

The Chicago Marathon will be my third marathon in as many years. In 2011, I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 4:23 and in 2012, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 4:36. Clearly, I am not the fastest of runners! However, I will be very happy if I can run Chicago as close as possible to the time I ran Philadelphia 2 years ago. That is my goal.

So, this week will proceed with more cross-training tomorrow, another easy run on Thursday, and a long run on Saturday, probably 16 miles.

Staying focused!
John

It Is Cross Training Day!

I will be heading back to the gym this morning after my rest day yesterday. My legs feel pretty darn good following my 12.25 mile long run 2 days ago. Cross training on the elliptical and strength training are on this morning's agenda at the gym.

My confidence is building but I know running 26.2 miles is considerably different from running 12 miles. In 2 weeks, I will be running the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia. Following that event, I hope to finish my Chicago Marathon training with an 18 mile long run. The good news is that I have the experience of running 2 marathons behind me and I know that being prudent with my training is my best course of action at this point.

Getting stronger week by week!