Cool Runnings!

May 20, 2024

15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Mesa,AZ,

Member Since:

Mar 20, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

Mile: 4:37 (HS)
2 Mile: 10:11 (HS)
10K: 35:52 (HS)
5K - 18:15 (ARR Summer Race Series #1 - 2008)
1/2 Marathon: 1:32:00 (St. George 2008 enroute)
Marathon: 3:10:56 (St. George 2008)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Get down to 155 lbs
Run sub 18:00 5K
Run sub 1:30 1/2 marathon
Run sub 3:00 marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

~~qualify for Boston Marathon~~
run Boston Marathon
run sub-2:50 marathon
run sub-1:20 1/2 marathon
run sub-17:00 5K
beat my high school 10K time of 35:52

Personal:

I was married in 1997 to my beautiful wife Lybi (confessions of a piano teacher on the blog), and we have 3 wonderful boys who are just as active as I was when I was little (he he). I grew up in southeastern Michigan, and my family became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 6. I attended BYU, and served a mission in Berlin, Germany. After graduating from BYU with a degree in Health and Human Performance (pre-physical therapy), I promptly changed careers and started working with computers (although no programming for me). We have moved across the country several times, and currently live in Mesa, AZ. I work in computer security for a major nationwide homebuilder.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00
Saucony Grid C2 Flash Lifetime Miles:						148.66

Wed, Jul 11, 2007

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Trainer 1 Miles	Trainer 2 Miles	Racer Miles	Total Distance
6.00	1.00	0.00	0.00	7.00	0.00	0.00	7.00

Ran 7 miles this evening. It was still pretty hot - in the upper 90's, and it has been getting more humid here due to monsoon season arriving. In spite of the weather, I decided to try an experiment on Lybi's words (he he), and consciously focused on a shorter, quicker stride, with a light footstrike. I also focused on a more compact form today, with my shoulders lower and more relaxed, and my hands down by my hips. The combination felt very good. I just wanted to do a nice easy run, but found myself in a groove just over 8:00/mile. I decided, what the heck, I'll go with it, it feels good. I decided to put in a MP mile on the third mile, and ended up with a 7:17 - exactly what I would need to run if I decide to do a BQ at St. George (which I am still undecided about). Slowed back down, hit the next three miles in about 8:12. Then sped up a bit at the end of the run to bring it in hard, finished in 55:46, average pace of 7:58/mile. This was one of those runs where everything seemed to click, and my body felt good right from the start. Hope to have more of these.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 0.00	Weight: 0.00

Comments

From Lybi on Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 11:33:27

You forgot to mention that it was about 100 degrees when you ran--it would be faster in cooler weather. Glad you had a great run. You know, I have a hard time increasing my turnover when my arms are down low--they seem to make me take bigger steps like that. Just an observation.

From Sasha Pachev on Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 11:56:12

The reason 8:00 pace feels good is most likely due to the increased fitness. It should be rising rapidly right now from the consistent training you've been doing.

Did 7:17 feel like a true marathon pace? If yes, this is a very good sign. 100 degrees slows you down by about 20 seconds a mile even if you are acclimated, and St. George speeds you up with the downhill more than it slows you down with the elevation.

From James in Sunny AZ on Thu, Jul 12, 2007 at 15:34:00

Thanks for the comments. I have been wondering about having a hard time keeping my pace around 8:30/mile. Regarding the arms - they were low, but that was more because my shoulders were relaxed, and it actually helped me to get into a really good rhythm. I noticed that whenever my shoulders and arms started coming up, my rhythm got messed up. As for the 7:17, it honestly felt a little faster than MP, but that was probably due to the heat. 7:30 out here in AZ probably feels like true MP to me right now - a pace that I can maintain for long periods of time. I will be looking to put this to the test in the next couple of weeks, as I will be integrating a tempo run into my long runs as soon as I crack 50 miles (should be next week).

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