All posts by Greg McElhatton

Faster but less distance

0, 02mi, gym, indoor track

Start time: 1/9/09, 7:30am
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 2 miles
Average pace: 8:27min/mile
Total Miles For January: 7 miles

I went to the gym this morning with two goals—get back on the rowing machine, and run a couple of miles. Both were accomplished, although for less than planned with each of them. I ended up just rowing 20 minutes on the machine (the idea is on Monday I’ll go back to the full 30), although I could not help but notice that the calorie-per-hour numbers were lower than normal. Still, to be expected.

Afterwards I ran two miles on the indoor track. At first I started out at a 9:00min/mile, but the Arlington County Fire Department’s recruits were also using the track, and about 3/4 through the first mile I started speeding up as either I passed them or they passed me for the rest of the distance. Heh. On the bright side, it felt good for both miles being under 9 miles. On the not so bright side, I was beat afterwards. Still, I know it’s going to take time to get back up to speed (no pun intended). Patience. Patience. And enjoy the victory.

(8:40, 8:14)

Happy to Finish

0, 03mi, 05k, race

Start time: 11/27/08, 8:00am
Location: Clarendon neighborhood
Distance: 5K (3.1 miles)
Finishing time: 26:45
Average pace: 8:38min/mile
Total Miles For November: 13.5 miles

After everything that’s gone on this month—getting bronchitis, scratching my marathon, ending up in the ER with cholecystitis—I wasn’t sure I was even going to be able to run this race! With a supreme lack of running this month, coupled with uneasy lungs and abs, I knew I wouldn’t beat my PR from last year of 25:40. It’s frustrating because in August and September I was in shape to have beaten it with little problem today. But that just wasn’t an option, and going into it knowing that wasn’t so bad.

That said, it would’ve been a little hard as it was thanks to a really slow start. Waaaay too many walkers and strollers that were really far up towards the front of the corral at the beginning, meaning they were blocking people who were trying to run. I have no problem with them being there—I used to be ultra slow after all—but it’s important to also pick a starting place that is appropriate. I think I walked the first 30-40 seconds before I could even start running, yeesh. But still, not too bad. I definitely am not up to a full amount of energy just yet, and annoyingly I had to walk a tiny bit of that hill in the last mile again this year. Yeesh.

At the end of the day, my watch says I was 1:06 off of last year’s finish time. Since I’d told myself it might be as much as 1:30 slower, I’m a-ok with that. It is a little sad to look on the big list of races and note that right above it is a 10K race where my pace was 10 seconds per mile faster. I think that really says it all in terms of where I physically am right now. As I told Alma (who flew by me and looked like a badass), at this point I’m just concentrating on making it to the end of the year and starting over in many ways. It’s a shame because I’d have liked to get stuff rolling now and in December, but that’s just not looking possible at the moment. Still, we’ll see.

(8:40, 8:21, 8:55, 0:49)

A little more November

0, 03mi, gym, indoor track

Start Time: 11/24/08, 6:30pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 3 miles
Average Pace: 8:30min/mile
Total Miles For November: 10.5 miles

Ok, I just had to hit double-digits this month or I’d have been too mortified.

More importantly, I’ve been feeling good today, and the doctor said exercise was ok so long as I didn’t feel anything hurting. So after half an hour rowing, I went and knocked out three miles on the indoor track. Nothing huge, but after this weekend it felt good to actually… well… run. Even if just for a tiny bit. (8:52, 8:27, 8:11)

A short November

0, 04mi

Start Time: 11/22/08, 1:00pm
Location: Arlington
Distance: 4.5 miles
Average Pace: 9:27min/mile
Total Miles For November: 7.5 miles

Well, this month might be one of my shortest mileage months in… a long time.

Charlie and I went for a run aoround the neighborhood on Saturday, trying to get back into the swing of things. My stomach had been bothering me for most of this past week so there wasn’t any sort of running really going on (despite several plans to do so). It was a nice little jaunt, although my stomach was feeling less than pleased while we were waiting to cross Route 50 about 3 miles into the run. But still, we finished it, and it was a nice easy-going back to basics run. My hope was to get some more running in on Sunday and get ready for the idea of a 5K.

Of course, tomorrow I go to my doctor to talk about gall bladder removal, so… yeah, see ya, November.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2409745

Fifteen Days Later

0, 03mi, gym, indoor track

Start Time: 11/14/08, 6:20pm
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 3 miles
Average Pace: 8:42min/mile
Total Miles For November: 3 miles

Well, since my last run (October 30th)… when I turned my ankle on that run, it was indeed sore for Friday and Saturday, sore enough that I regretfully postponed my last long run scheduled for that day. It was feeling ok on Sunday, so I thought on Tuesday I’d get up early and hit the long run then. Except starting on Monday, I was flat on my back with what turned out to be a nasty cold and bacterial infection in my chest. Can you see where this is going? I’ve only just recently had a clean set of lungs again (although I am still on the antibiotics for another half a week or so), and the Philadelphia Marathon was looking… problematic at best.

I hit the gym today, using the rowing machine for 25 minutes and then knocking out three miles on the indoor track (just in case there were problems). I felt ok while running, but as soon as I stopped my lungs felt like they had liquid in them. So, that’s that. No marathon for Greg. *sigh* I pretty much knew that was going to happen, but I had to prove it to myself. So that’s that. In eight years I suppose I really should be thankful this has only happened once! (8:56, 8:34, 8:36)

The good/bad thing about cool weather running

0, 04mi

Start Time: 10/30/08, 6:20pm
Location: Arlington (Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston)
Distance: 4 miles
Average Pace: 8:15min/mile
Total Miles For October: 77 miles

I have a love/hate relationship with late fall and winter running. With the daylight hours being so much less, it’s sometimes (ok, a lot of the times) hard for me to get up the gumption to go running. I’m not a big fan of running in the dark, and often with that dark comes frigid temperatures. Brrrr. But, after using excuses for no weekday runs last week, and then bagging out on Tuesday, it was time to get up and moving again. (I actually caught myself thinking, “Well, I did my hour at the gym on Monday, and on Wednesday in addition to spinning class I picked up an extra 20 minutes of rowing…” Yeesh!) Fortunately the temperature went up a bit so it was 50 degrees out instead of, oh, 30.

The thing is, once I actually get out there and moving? I usually have a good time. It helps that without the heat slowing me down, I pick up the pace pretty easily without even realizing I’ve done so. Just a nice, short, brisk run in the cool temperatures—although I have got to remember to not run eastbound on the Arlington Boulevard Trail at night, because all the car headlights are shining right into my eyes. (Fortunately there’s a small distance of space between the trail and the road itself, but it’s still annoying… and also hard to see the cracks and little jumps in the pavement as a result. I turned my ankle at one point as a result, hopefully it will be ok.) Hopefully now that the proverbial ice is broken, I’ll be a little better about my weekday runs!

(That said, this is why I never sign up for a spring marathon. And perhaps no more November marathons?)

Jailbreak Run!

0, 13mi

Start Time: 10/26/08, 8:30am
Location: Marine Corps Marathon… well, miles 2-15
Distance: 13 miles
Average Pace: 10:43min/mile
Total Miles For October: 73 miles

Sarah was running her first marathon today and I had a great idea on how to pick up some mileage; I’d jump into the race with her at mile 2 and then run a dozen or so miles with her. Perfect, right?

Well, actually… yes! We run different paces so for me it was an easy, calm run and I must say that I had a lovely time doing so. I had no problem hopping into the race, and I got to see a stretch of course that didn’t exist as part of the route when I ran the marathon my four times (2002-2005), up Canal Road and back down MacArthur Blvd.

It did feel very strange to have the Hains Point portion before the National Mall, but I can understand not wanting to have it right next to the desolation of the 14th Street Bridge any more. It’s a nice change, overall. (But the lack of the statue of the Awakening still saddens me.) It was great to run with Sarah and her brother Mark; she was still going strong when I bailed out at mile marker 15 and I can’t wait to hear how she did for the rest! It was definitely a good time, just enjoying the race and not worrying about a finishing time.

Rainy Saturday

0, 06mi

Start Time: 10/25/08, 11:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 6 miles
Average Pace: 8:48min/mile
Total Miles For October: 60 miles

Well, the plan was to go out and run 12-15 miles on Saturday; not a super-brisk run, perhaps, but just something to get back into the groove. I missed my Tues/Thurs runs this past week due to a funeral on Tuesday morning, and just not being able to wake up on Thursday. (At least Monday was an hour of rowing and elliptical, and Wednesday was spinning class, so the legs did get some work.) When I woke up early on Saturday, though, it was raining. I fell back asleep for a couple extra hours, but when I woke up… the rain was gone! Should I chance it? I decided that I should slightly change my route; instead of starting at marker 3.5 and running directly out and back, I went to marker 5 and decided I’d run down to marker 2 and back, then up to marker 9 and back. That way if it started raining again, I’d not be too far away from my car.

Well, good call. I was four miles along in my run when it started raining… and when I say raining, I mean pouring. Torrential downpour. Boy, was I glad I only had two miles to get back to the car at that point instead of four.

(8:41, 8:43, 8:52, 9:05, 8:51, 8:37)

Last Week!

0, 05mi, 06mi

Start Time: 10/18/08, 8:00am
Location: W&OD Trail (Arlington)
Distance: 6 miles
Average Pace: 8:04min/mile
Total Miles For October: 49 miles

Start Time: 10/19/08, 5:45pm
Location: W&OD Trail (Vienna)
Distance: 5 miles
Average Pace: 8:17min/mile
Total Miles For October: 54 miles

Oops! Catching up a bit here. Saturday was the last Empowered & Fit session; it was a beautiful morning, nice crisp weather. On the schedule was a 6-to-8 mile progressive run, and I headed out with Donna, Paul, Other Laura, and a guy named Jason from Sundays. The run wasn’t quite doing a good job of slicing off 15 seconds every mile, but we certainly did speed up. I decided to just run 6 and call it a day, so I definitely picked it up on that last mile. Wow, though, what a difference cool weather makes!

On Sunday I ran in Vienna for a quick five-miler before heading over to my parents’ house for dinner; I was originally going to run 6 miles but I could tell that it was getting dark fast enough that I needed to stop while I was ahead, so to speak. More crisp, great weather for running.

(10/18: 9:40, 9:03, 8:48, 8:44, 8:38, 8:04)
(10/19: 8:29, 8:15, 8:09, 8:19, 8:14)