Marathon Training

Sunday, June 3, 2012

New Distance – New PR!

The nice thing about running a new distance is that you immediately have a new PR! Today I ran the Run the Gates, a 5-Mile race in Levittown, PA. The race is sponsored by the Bucks County Road Runners and proceeds go to support the Middletown Township park system.

It was a beautiful but warm morning and race time was at 9am. I am really glad I left the house extra early because I had the hardest time finding the race site. The directions I downloaded from MapQuest failed me! But, I was persistent and finally figured it out. Although Levittown is in Bucks County, I am not familiar with that area of the county so I was in virgin territory.

Not sure where I placed in my age group other than knowing that I did not place in the Top 3 since I did not win an award L Maybe next year!

Considering the warm temperatures (about 62 degrees at race start time) and the rolling hills on the course, I was very pleased with my finish time of 40:40. That represents an 8:08 mile – very similar to the 5.3 mile races I ran in Tyler State Park last winter where my best time was an 8:02 average mile.

Next weekend I am scheduled to run in 2 races! The Chalfont Challenge 5K is the final race in the Bucks 5K Series for the year on Saturday, June 9. Then, the following day, I am scheduled to run the Princeton 10K in Princeton, New Jersey. Right now, I am very much looking forward to my well deserved Rest Day tomorrow!

Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend Race

I kicked off the Memorial Day weekend this morning with a 5K race. This has become one of my traditions and I have run the Doylestown Red, White and Blue 5K for the past 4 years. This morning's race was even more eventful for me since today is my 58^th birthday! What a great way to kick off the holiday weekend and to celebrate my day.

I finished this morning's race in 24:04. Although not a PR for a 5K race, this was my fastest time for this course and I was more than 2 minutes faster than last year!

Hoping everyone has a safe and healthy holiday weekend!
John

Friday, May 25, 2012

Back in the Groove Again?

The last couple of weeks have been a struggle for me. Feeling frustrated after nearly wiping out on a run and recovering from a strained hamstring, I've been more pre-occupied with feeling how uncomfortable I've been rather than enjoying the sense of euphoria that I am used to experiencing with my runs. This week may have been a turning point for me. After taking a few more rest days than I normally do, I managed to get in a couple of 6 to 6.5 mile easy runs and yesterday, for the first time in more than a month, I returned to interval training on the treadmill and it went well. I am quite happy that this morning I am waking up to little to no discomfort in my right hamstring so I am taking that as good news!

Tomorrow is my 58^th birthday (goodness – how is THAT possible?) and I am scheduled to run the Doylestown Red, White and Blue 5K race which is part of the Bucks 5K Series. This has become an annual Memorial Day Weekend running event for me – the 4^th year that I will be running this particular race. Weather conditions are forecasted to be hot and humid so I am not looking to break any personal records – just looking to have fun and celebrate my birthday with a Memorial Weekend Race!

Happy Trails Everyone,
John

2012 Races

5K: BCRR Cham-Pain (1/1/12) - 24:33
5.3 Mile: BCRR Predict Your TIme (1/8/12) - 42:30
8 Mile: BCRR Polar Bear (1/15/12) - 1:08:10 PR
4.6 Mile: BCRR Honest Abe (1/22/12) - 42:53
9.3 Mile: BCRR Terrible Tyle (1/29/12) - 5.3 Miles - 46:35
5.3 Mile: BCRR Pick Your Way (2/5/12) - 42:57
Half Marathon: BCRR Eenie-Meanie-Minie-Moe (2/12/12) - 1:58:38
4.6 Mile: BCRR Staggered Start (2/19/12) - 35:45 PR
10K: MCM Irish Sprint 10K (3/17/12) - 54:54
5K: Central Bucks Family YMCA (3/25/12) - 23:34 PR
5K: New Hope - Solebury "Spirit" Run (4/22/12) - 24:45
Half Marathon: St. Luke's (4/29/12) - 1:55:38 PR
10 Mile: Broad Street Run (5/6/12) - 1:25:13 PR
5K: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure - Phila (5/13/12) - 24:46
5K: Doylestown Red, White, Blue (5/26/12) - 24:04
5K: Chalfont Challenge (6/9/12) - 26:31
6 Mmile: Princeton Healthcare 10K (6/10/12) - 49:40 PR
Half Marathon: 1/2 Sauer, 1/2 Kraut, 1/2 Marathon (6/16/12) - 1:57:11 2nd Place Male 55-59
5K: Herb Kahl Memorial (6/24/12) - 24:32
5 Mile: Run the Gates (6/3/12) - 40:40 PR
10K: Revolutionary Run (7/4/12) -52:36 PR
Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Chicago (7/22/12) - 2:08:26
Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Providence (8/19/12) - 1:59:25
Half-Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (9/16/12) - 1:57:42
18Mile: LBI 18-Mile Run (10/7/12) - 2:48:30 PR
13K: Hatfield OctoRun (10/21/12) - 1:08:55 PR
Marathon: Marine Corps Marathon (10/28/12) - 4:36:54
5K: BCRR Covered Bridge (12/9/12) - 26:26
5.3 Mile: BCRR Jingle Bell (12/16/12) - 42:23 PR

2011 Races

5K: Central Bucks YMCA (3/20/11) - 27:17:18
Half-Marathon: FirstWatch Sarasota (3/13/11) - 2:06:12
5K: New Hope-Solebury Run (4/3/11) - 26:34:54
5K: Bridge Valley Trailblazer Race for Autism (4/16/11) - 27:42:31
10Mile: Broad Street Run (5/1/11) - 1:35:54
5K: Cornerstone Race (5/7/11) - 25:55:87
5K: Race for the Cure - Phila (5/11/12) - 27:19
5K: Doylestown Red, White, Blue (5/28/11) - 26:18:94
10K: Princeton Healthcare 10K (6/5/11) - 54:42:82 PR
5K: Herb Kahl Memorial Scholarship (6/26/11) - 25:13 (3rd Place Male 50-59)
5K: Chalfont Challenge (6/11/11) - 26:04:17
5K: Run Over (Pancreatic) Cancer (7/2/11) - 24:51 PR
Half-Marathon: 13.1 Minneapolis (8/21/11) - 1:59:48
Half-Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia (9/18/11) - 1:59:02 PR
5K: Chestertown 5K (9/24/11) - 25:25 (1st Place Male 50-59)
18Mile: LBI 18-Mile Run (10/9/11) - 3:08:30
13K: Hatfield OctoRun (10/23/11) - 1:10:57 (2nd Place Male 55-59)
Marathon: Philadelphia Marathon (11/20/11) 4:23:46 - PR
5K: BCRR Covered Bridge 5K (12/4/11) - 26:29
5.3Mile: BCRR Jingle Bell 5.3 Mile Race (12/11/11) - 43:39

John's Book Reviews

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I’ve been ‘wowed’ by a book so it was with great pleasure that I recently finished reading The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. Set in the 1800’s in the Pacific Northwest, the characters in this story represent what would be considered an ‘unconventional’ family by some standards in our current society – a family created out of horrific circumstances when 2 young (and pregnant) girls (Jane and Della) come upon William Talmadge (“Talmadge”), a loner who tends to and nurtures his orchards of apricots, apples and plums. Talmadge’s family roots are similarly tragic – he and his sister, Elsbeth, were orphaned as youngsters. And, at the age of 16, Elsbeth walked into the woods and never returned, leaving Talmadge alone and left to wonder what became of her. This lack of closure regarding his sister’s disposition is a key driver to the relationship he develops with Jane and Della - that of a nurturer and always wanting to provide a sense of comfort and belonging.

The complexities of the relationships that Talmadge has with Jane and Della, as well as Jane’s eventual daughter, Angelene, are compounded by the circumstances that drove Jane and Della to escape their painful upbringing and living environment. Trust and a willingness to be nurtured are not always welcome and these are the forces that drive the conflicts between what Talmadge wishes for the girls and the final outcome of the tragic events that continue to shape their lives.

(view spoiler)

Although it is still early in the year, I think it’s going to be hard for me to come across another book in 2013 that is so beautifully crafted and inspirational. Bravo to Amanda Coplin for this splendid novel!

View all my reviews