Change of Perspective

So I found out that the Baltimore "10" Miler was a bit longer than 10 miles. Which totally changed my persepctive of my race last week. Apparently, the course ended up being a total of 10.2 miles, which would leave me at 56:53 for the 10 Mile split at 5:41 average per mile. That is a solid performance on a hilly course that I am happy with right now. It means with a few more months down the road, I will be ready to run a fast, flat half marathon in Sept. Very promising.

I met up with the GRC crew at the Georgetown Running Co. store this morning. We had a nice group for a long run, ran from the canal up to Lourborough street down Massachusetts cross to Connecticut, through the Zoo and back down eventually to the store. Some of the guys wanted to go 2 hours~18 miles, I decided to cut it around 14-15 miles or so, finished up in an hour and 41 minutes. Nice running with a group for most of the way. After 2 years of reviving my running and racing on my own, its great joining a group of post collegiate guys to try to get to the next level. I never felt satisfied with my running before I started again in 2007. It's like a whole new me. I always felt like I was able to run much much faster and train better. I am eager to explore just how fast I can run in my lifetime. I just turned 26 yesterday. Now is the time to go for it.

The Baltimore 10 Miler

Saturday was the Baltimore 10 Miler. I placed 3rd. 58:02. Well actually, I really placed 4th. Since somehow the officials missed the real 3rd place finisher(Joe Lamonte) and put me in the slot instead. The course was hilly, and the last 1/3 was all uphill, which slowed down my time somewhat. The rain in the beginning sucked(it was pouring in the first 10 min), then it tapered down and was manageable. I don't mind running in a little rain, but when it pours, its just miserable. Overall, I cranked out consistent 5:45s, pretty much right where I wanted to be. At the same time I am not satisfied either, I am hungry to run a fast 13.1 in Sept. This marked my 3rd race in 3 weeks. These frequent summer races I have run have been no PRs, but still solid times. I think it will really help my strength for the fall. I get a break next weekend from racing(my Birthday), and then July will roll around for a few 5ks and an 8k throughout the month. That will be my last month of racing shorter stuff before the longer races begin. 42 miles for the week.

34:58

34:58 for the 10K. Not a bad time. But really not great either, considering I ran my PR of 34:16 last December on a windy cold day. The race went out moderate(I was actually almost in the lead from the start), but my pace started to settle into 5:30s. I got frustrated as soon as I saw my 2 mile split of 11:00. Oh well. My wise girlfriend told me that if I was running the race of my life now she would be worried, since my real peak race is the Marine Corps Marathon in Oct. So I guess it was a good training run for me. It certainly wasn't as bad as the 5 miler I did last month. 34:58 was good for 16th place, off of low mileage. I guess not too shabby. Once I raise the mileage this summer, my fitness will get really strong. I really want to run some decent times this summer which will give me more confidence for my concentration races like the half marathon and marathon. 34:58 is good for right now. But I need to improve if I want to be able to run 1:11:00-1:12:00 for the half marathon in Sept. We'll see how the Baltimore 10 Miler goes this weekend. I am excited for it, haven't raced 10 miles in a long time. It's a fun distance.

Capital Crescent 5K

Well one thing's for sure: today was a better race for me than the 5 miler I did 3 weeks ago. I felt like I could actually race this time and compete whereas in the last race someone would pass me and I would not respond. 16:41, good for 4th place. The time wasn't great but an improvement nevertheless. For the little amount of mileage and training I have been doing for the past month(20-30 miles) per week) it is a good indicator that I am capable of running some fast times for the 2nd half of 2009. Mileage will get higher soon. I need to get faster in the 5k, I need to break 16. I am pumped for the 10K next Saturday, it should be fun. Hopefully my fitness will continue to improve and I will break 34min next weekend. I think I can do it.

Long Run at Capital Crescent Trail

Other than a few 9-10 milers, this Sunday I did my first semi long run since the marathon. I ran at the Capital Crescent trail on a semi humid day. I felt kinda crappy, but it felt good to run longer again. Ended up being around 13.5 miles. Post marathon, I rested and kept my mileage at 20 miles per week for about 3 weeks, then bumped it up to 34 last week. I ran the Germantown 5 miler 13 days after the marathon, and boy was that a slow race for me. 28:03. But again, it was right after the marathon. Now, I finally feel like I am getting my energy back. Recovery is so important. It is through recovery when the body grows stronger. I have a string of fun races in June coming up, starting off with a 5K this weekend. It will be interesting to see how that goes.