S: 24,700 yds
B: 2h 30min
R: 5h 4min
Total: 14h 4min
Only 2h 30min of biking? Ahh yes, thats my kind of week!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Mercedes Half Marathon Race Report
Yesterday morning I ran the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham, AL. Although racing a half marathon usually ends up being pretty painful, I had plenty of incentives to run. First and foremost, racing a half on Sunday morning meant I didnt have to go biking on Sunday or Saturday which is a huge bonus in the winter. Biking sucks in general but biking in the winter is just plain awful. Additionally, this race had Jim & Nick's BBQ and AYCD free beer at the end, so what else could you ask for?
The morning started with a nice jog with fellow Huntsvillian Tim Vinson who was "just using the race as a tempo run" and "wanted to get in four before the start." So I jogged a couple of miles with him before finalizing my clothing decision. The weather at the start was around 30F and sunny, so I went with shorts, a singlet, arm warmers, a Headsweats running hat, and, yes, compression socks. As silly as they look, I am not embarrassed to admit that I actually really like running in my Sugoi R+R Compression Socks when its cold out as they really do a nice job keeping my lower legs, especially the achilles, warm.
After a few brief words by the mayor, we were off. There was quite a bit of activity the first mile with people figuring out how fast they wanted to run but I was happy to come through in 5:27. The field was still sorting itself out so I set off looking for someone with whom I could pass a few miles. I came on one guy but he was already breathing pretty heavy so I left him pretty quickly.
I came through the second mile in 5:29 feeling nice and relaxed. By this time a group of three guys had formed about 20 or 30sec ahead of me. I wanted to run with them but at the same time didnt want to expend too much energy to catch them if it would only lead to a blow up later in the race. So I tried to reel them in over the next few miles but it seemed to be a rather fruitless pursuit. I was closing the gap a bit but not nearly fast enough. I did manage to keep them in sight and keep the gap pretty constant through about six miles but then they started to pull away a bit. The course was getting a bit hillier and it seemed that the uphills were outnumbering the downhills. Of course this couldve just been fatigue setting in, but who knows. Regardless, I just tried to focus and keep a good rhythm. I really just wanted to get to mile 10, telling myself it would just be a 5k to go after that.
Finally I came through 10 in around 54:40 or so and I hopeful that I could kick it in and finish around 1:11:30. Shortly after that we headed back into downtown and I knew we were getting close. Also around this time I saw another runner who must have been falling back quite a bit because he was not one of the three I had seen for the majority of the race.
At mile 11 he had 20 sec on me but I decided I could catch him. I set off, really focusing on keeping a high tempo and running faster. Shortly after passing mile 12 I had a bit of weird sensation, as I kind of started hyperventilating. I'm thinking maybe it was due to the cold air but I'm really not sure. Luckily though there was less than a mile to go so I just had to put if out of my head and keep running.
Finally, at about 12.5, I caught and passed him right before a right turn which proceeded a ~0.5 mile uphill stretch to the 13 mile mark after which we'd have a sharp left, right, and finally the finish line. So coming out of the turn he came back past me and I tried to go but started tying up. I really tried to quicken my stride but the slight uphill just sapped my speed and the legs really werent going to move any faster. I missed my 13 mile split but really just wanted to get to the finish.
I finally stumbled across the line in 1:12:12, about 6 sec behind the kid who out-kicked me. As for the group of three I was running behind earlier in the race, it appears that one of them ran the marathon and the other two ran 1:11:12 and 1:11:15. Too bad I couldnt have stayed with them. Finally, Tim Vinson, the guy I warmed up with, ended up 13th overall and 1st Masters in 1:17:32. All in the middle of a 21 mile day and a 100 mile week. Not too shabby!
All in all, I'm pretty pleased. Although I would've loved to out-kick that kid and/or go under 1:12, I cant complain about being 10sec off a PR as other than two tempo runs, I've only done easy running up to this point this year.
Finally, full results are here and my splits are as follows. Incidentally, I think the fast third mile was primarily downhill and not fully compensated for until the last mile. 5:27, 5:29, 4:19(!), 5:31, 5:32, 5:34, 5:41, 5:40, 5:31, 5:32, 5:24, 5:28, 6:58 (1.1)
The morning started with a nice jog with fellow Huntsvillian Tim Vinson who was "just using the race as a tempo run" and "wanted to get in four before the start." So I jogged a couple of miles with him before finalizing my clothing decision. The weather at the start was around 30F and sunny, so I went with shorts, a singlet, arm warmers, a Headsweats running hat, and, yes, compression socks. As silly as they look, I am not embarrassed to admit that I actually really like running in my Sugoi R+R Compression Socks when its cold out as they really do a nice job keeping my lower legs, especially the achilles, warm.
After a few brief words by the mayor, we were off. There was quite a bit of activity the first mile with people figuring out how fast they wanted to run but I was happy to come through in 5:27. The field was still sorting itself out so I set off looking for someone with whom I could pass a few miles. I came on one guy but he was already breathing pretty heavy so I left him pretty quickly.
I came through the second mile in 5:29 feeling nice and relaxed. By this time a group of three guys had formed about 20 or 30sec ahead of me. I wanted to run with them but at the same time didnt want to expend too much energy to catch them if it would only lead to a blow up later in the race. So I tried to reel them in over the next few miles but it seemed to be a rather fruitless pursuit. I was closing the gap a bit but not nearly fast enough. I did manage to keep them in sight and keep the gap pretty constant through about six miles but then they started to pull away a bit. The course was getting a bit hillier and it seemed that the uphills were outnumbering the downhills. Of course this couldve just been fatigue setting in, but who knows. Regardless, I just tried to focus and keep a good rhythm. I really just wanted to get to mile 10, telling myself it would just be a 5k to go after that.
Finally I came through 10 in around 54:40 or so and I hopeful that I could kick it in and finish around 1:11:30. Shortly after that we headed back into downtown and I knew we were getting close. Also around this time I saw another runner who must have been falling back quite a bit because he was not one of the three I had seen for the majority of the race.
At mile 11 he had 20 sec on me but I decided I could catch him. I set off, really focusing on keeping a high tempo and running faster. Shortly after passing mile 12 I had a bit of weird sensation, as I kind of started hyperventilating. I'm thinking maybe it was due to the cold air but I'm really not sure. Luckily though there was less than a mile to go so I just had to put if out of my head and keep running.
Finally, at about 12.5, I caught and passed him right before a right turn which proceeded a ~0.5 mile uphill stretch to the 13 mile mark after which we'd have a sharp left, right, and finally the finish line. So coming out of the turn he came back past me and I tried to go but started tying up. I really tried to quicken my stride but the slight uphill just sapped my speed and the legs really werent going to move any faster. I missed my 13 mile split but really just wanted to get to the finish.
I finally stumbled across the line in 1:12:12, about 6 sec behind the kid who out-kicked me. As for the group of three I was running behind earlier in the race, it appears that one of them ran the marathon and the other two ran 1:11:12 and 1:11:15. Too bad I couldnt have stayed with them. Finally, Tim Vinson, the guy I warmed up with, ended up 13th overall and 1st Masters in 1:17:32. All in the middle of a 21 mile day and a 100 mile week. Not too shabby!
All in all, I'm pretty pleased. Although I would've loved to out-kick that kid and/or go under 1:12, I cant complain about being 10sec off a PR as other than two tempo runs, I've only done easy running up to this point this year.
Finally, full results are here and my splits are as follows. Incidentally, I think the fast third mile was primarily downhill and not fully compensated for until the last mile. 5:27, 5:29, 4:19(!), 5:31, 5:32, 5:34, 5:41, 5:40, 5:31, 5:32, 5:24, 5:28, 6:58 (1.1)
Friday, February 12, 2010
What to do???
When originally perusing the workout schedule for this week I noticed something odd: only one workout on Friday. Thats right, a swim was listed and then... nothing, nada, negative in the biking and running categories. So then the question naturally turned to what to do with the extra time?
Sit on the couch and watch TV. A plausible way to spend some leisure time (and therefore not entirely out of the question) but I can do that when I'm totally wiped from a long tempo run, so why waste it on a night with so many other possibilities? Plus, there isnt anything on TV on Friday nights anyway, so why bother? (And no, the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics dont count. While I'm all about the actual competition, watching a bunch of Europeans, Americans, and Canadians walk into a dome just isnt that exciting.) Odds: 8:1
Finish painting the family room. Shocking, I know, but I did actually start a home improvement project. Last Friday I started painting my family room and got most of one coat done but still have to knock out the other coat. Clearly this is the responsible choice but then I wouldnt be able to procrastinate anymore... what fun would that be? Odds: 5:1
Attempt to rob someone with an air pistol. Oh wait, thats what Tennessee football players do on Friday nights... sorry. Odds: 100:1
Go to the bar and drink beer. By far the most likely scenario. It will be, after all, Friday night and if that isnt an excuse to drink, I dont know what is. Odds: 5:2
Go to a party by the roommate: Just checking to see if you are still awake. For those of you who havent had the privilege of meeting Zach, well... lets just say he has his quirks and isnt exactly the social butterfly. But hey, he pays the rent on time and hasnt tried to kill me yet so what else could I ask for? Odds: 1.78E10 to 1.
Sit on the couch and watch TV. A plausible way to spend some leisure time (and therefore not entirely out of the question) but I can do that when I'm totally wiped from a long tempo run, so why waste it on a night with so many other possibilities? Plus, there isnt anything on TV on Friday nights anyway, so why bother? (And no, the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics dont count. While I'm all about the actual competition, watching a bunch of Europeans, Americans, and Canadians walk into a dome just isnt that exciting.) Odds: 8:1
Finish painting the family room. Shocking, I know, but I did actually start a home improvement project. Last Friday I started painting my family room and got most of one coat done but still have to knock out the other coat. Clearly this is the responsible choice but then I wouldnt be able to procrastinate anymore... what fun would that be? Odds: 5:1
Attempt to rob someone with an air pistol. Oh wait, thats what Tennessee football players do on Friday nights... sorry. Odds: 100:1
Go to the bar and drink beer. By far the most likely scenario. It will be, after all, Friday night and if that isnt an excuse to drink, I dont know what is. Odds: 5:2
Go to a party by the roommate: Just checking to see if you are still awake. For those of you who havent had the privilege of meeting Zach, well... lets just say he has his quirks and isnt exactly the social butterfly. But hey, he pays the rent on time and hasnt tried to kill me yet so what else could I ask for? Odds: 1.78E10 to 1.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Feb1-7
S: 27,500 yds
B: 6h 40min
R: 6h 25min
Total: 20h 18min
Ugh. It was another cold, rainy weekend and the motivation for bike riding just wasnt there. Saturday I managed some trainer time but Sunday I had to get outside. The weather sure wasnt helping but at least I had a SB party later in the day to get me out the door. 3h later and without feeling in my fingers and toes I was home and ready for some homemade chocolate chip cookies and beer.
On the bright side, I had a nice little 4 mile tempo run on Wednesday which I ran 5-7 sec/mile faster than I planned at the beginning. I felt good and just kind of cruised through it so I was pretty pleased to see my splits along the way. This was especially good news with the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham coming up this Sunday. Initially I was a bit worried as I've only done a couple of hard running workouts but after that tempo run I'm hopeful for a reasonable performance.
B: 6h 40min
R: 6h 25min
Total: 20h 18min
Ugh. It was another cold, rainy weekend and the motivation for bike riding just wasnt there. Saturday I managed some trainer time but Sunday I had to get outside. The weather sure wasnt helping but at least I had a SB party later in the day to get me out the door. 3h later and without feeling in my fingers and toes I was home and ready for some homemade chocolate chip cookies and beer.
On the bright side, I had a nice little 4 mile tempo run on Wednesday which I ran 5-7 sec/mile faster than I planned at the beginning. I felt good and just kind of cruised through it so I was pretty pleased to see my splits along the way. This was especially good news with the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham coming up this Sunday. Initially I was a bit worried as I've only done a couple of hard running workouts but after that tempo run I'm hopeful for a reasonable performance.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Jan25-31
S: 27,600
B: 6h 30min
R: 6h 10min
Total: 19h 56min
I had a bit of a scare with a slight but acute pain on the side of me at the end my run Monday but after a couple of days of hitting the IT hard with my TP Massage Quad Baller (foam roller on steroids), the pain has thankfully subsided. If it was anywhere else I wouldnt have thought much of it but after spending the first few months of last year not running due to a similar issue, I wanted to make sure not to push things.
Other than that, the highlight of the week had to Sunday morning's run on the mountain during which David, Chris and I saw the goats! This is pretty exciting due to the rarity of the occurrence. That event almost made up for having to spend close to 2h on the trainer on Saturday due to the crappy weather... except not really at all.
B: 6h 30min
R: 6h 10min
Total: 19h 56min
I had a bit of a scare with a slight but acute pain on the side of me at the end my run Monday but after a couple of days of hitting the IT hard with my TP Massage Quad Baller (foam roller on steroids), the pain has thankfully subsided. If it was anywhere else I wouldnt have thought much of it but after spending the first few months of last year not running due to a similar issue, I wanted to make sure not to push things.
Other than that, the highlight of the week had to Sunday morning's run on the mountain during which David, Chris and I saw the goats! This is pretty exciting due to the rarity of the occurrence. That event almost made up for having to spend close to 2h on the trainer on Saturday due to the crappy weather... except not really at all.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
QOTD
"Coach Paulo really knows what he's doing, I couldn't be more impressed with his knowledge and high performance mind." -Simon Whitfield
Not that I needed any justification about my choice of coach but some validation from a 2x(1 Gold, 1 Silver) Olympic Medalist sure doesn't hurt...
Not that I needed any justification about my choice of coach but some validation from a 2x(1 Gold, 1 Silver) Olympic Medalist sure doesn't hurt...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
More pics from Maui
Last night here in the Rocket City it was about 45F w/ 15-20mph winds and I had a 10 mile run on the schedule. The weather only accentuated the desire to be back running under the sun through the cane fields rather than through cold, dark neighborhoods of suburban southeast Huntsville. So since thats not going to happen... the next best thing... pictures!
Here we are practicing our beach starts:
Kyle, me, Sam, Kathy, Austin, Andrew, PJ (from left to right) at the beginning of our ride:
Later in the ride, as we are cresting a small hill. Yes, that is the ocean and the other side of the island in the background:
Swim practice done:
Sunday morning, gathering for the tempo run:
Me, Kyle, and Simon (left to right) cruising along through the cane fields:
Here we are practicing our beach starts:
Kyle, me, Sam, Kathy, Austin, Andrew, PJ (from left to right) at the beginning of our ride:
Later in the ride, as we are cresting a small hill. Yes, that is the ocean and the other side of the island in the background:
Swim practice done:
Sunday morning, gathering for the tempo run:
Me, Kyle, and Simon (left to right) cruising along through the cane fields:
Monday, January 25, 2010
Jan18-24
S: 24,000 yds
B: 8h 37min
R: 5h 10min
Total: 20h 6min
After spending last week in paradise, this week it was back to the real world. I did get to get outside on the bike both days this weekend but instead of 80F and sunny, it was more like 52 and raining both days.
Coincidentally, this is also the start of a new training block which will bring new swim workouts and some intensity in the running workouts. While doing only easy runs has been fun, I'm signed up for a half marathon on Feb 14th so its probably about time to start hitting it a bit harder a few days a week.
B: 8h 37min
R: 5h 10min
Total: 20h 6min
After spending last week in paradise, this week it was back to the real world. I did get to get outside on the bike both days this weekend but instead of 80F and sunny, it was more like 52 and raining both days.
Coincidentally, this is also the start of a new training block which will bring new swim workouts and some intensity in the running workouts. While doing only easy runs has been fun, I'm signed up for a half marathon on Feb 14th so its probably about time to start hitting it a bit harder a few days a week.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Jan11-17
S: 28,100 yds
B: 12h 29min
R: 7h 7min
Total: 27h
What can I say... it was a great week with the ITU guys and gals (and Sam) which included plenty of intensity and plenty of fun. Most importantly, though, it was great to be able to just focus on training and not have to worry about anything else. Of course I couldve done this anywhere but it was much more effective in the presence of other like minded individuals and in a place without any other distractions.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Maui Pics
Whew! The week has flown by! I'm tired but am still loving every minute of it. Its amazing how much more and higher quality training can be done when all you are doing is eating, sleeping, and training. Of course it also helps to have people to push you every step of the way!
Well, time for bed. Only two more days left... better make them count!
Enough of the talk... here are some pictures from our 3h ride on Friday.
And here we are at the start of the point to point open water swim:
Well, time for bed. Only two more days left... better make them count!Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Checking in from Maui
Two days and 7 workouts down and so far I'm still feeling pretty good. Yesterday was pretty chill as it was only me, Simon, Sam, and Andrew. The rest of the crew arrived last night so their coach, Phil, wanted to let them have a pretty easy day. We started with an easy run through the cane fields before heading to the pool for a nice solid 5k swim. For the afternoon, we had a nice 1.5h ride through the hills and some incredible scenery. After that Paulo wasnt really satisfied so he suggested I do a little 20min tempo run + 10min cooldown run off the bike. The day ended with some tasty Mahimahi in Paia and a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin.
Tomorrow things promise to heat up a bit with a long swim in the AM and then some Zn3 fun on the bike in the PM. I'm sure there will be a run in there somewhere as well. The internet here is pretty limited, so I'll just leave with a little image of the coast:
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jan4-10
S: 22,900 yds
B: 4h 30min
R: 5h 52min
Total: 16h 24min
Another week with more time running than biking is something I surely cant complain about. Of course the week was really just my last chance to get ready for this week's training camp in Maui with the Canadians. Needless to say, after multiple runs in the snow last week this week in paradise came at just the right time!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Not that its snowing here or anything but...
3 more days!
maui 6th of jan 2010 from swhitfield on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sunday cant come soon enough...
Today through Saturday I'm stuck here, in the abnormally cold southeast:
But come Sunday, I'll be here:
Needless to say, I'm ready to go!
But come Sunday, I'll be here:
Needless to say, I'm ready to go!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Dec28-Jan3
S: 28,400 yds
B: 3h
R: 5h 41min
Total: 16h 9min
While swimming outside in Orlando over the weekend was nice, the highlight of last week's workouts had to be the Thursday morning swim. Although I was heading down to Gainesville/Orlando for New Year's Eve celebrations later that day, I still had time to go to the pool for the usual AM swim. I figured the kids wouldnt have practice that afternoon and was hoping they'd be there for a tough morning workout. They were and Matt, the new coach, didnt disappoint.
After a 1200 yd warmup, Matt explained the rules of the game. Basically, it was a race to see who could complete ten 400s in the shortest amount of time swimming triathlon-style, snaking through 8 lanes fper 400. For the first 400 he lined us up slowest to fastest and sent us off in a time trial fashion. For each subsequent 400, though, we had to get out of the pool and roll a set of dice and, depending on the roll, swim our next 400 accordingly. Some examples included fly swim, backstroke swim, breast swim, "shower" (which entailed running into the locker room, getting wet, then running back out before starting the 400), kick, backwards (start at Lane 8 and swim "upstream" relative to everyone else), pull, swim w/ fins, etc. There were 11 options total (2-12) so in order to win you had to swim fast and roll well. Roll a kick rather than swim w/ fins and you've just tacked a few minutes on your time.
Being slow, I got to start close to the front and attacked from the beginning. I ended up rolling the "backwards" a few times which actually ended up being not too bad because once the game got going, things spread out pretty quickly. I also avoided the dreaded kick which was probably the reason I came out victorious. That and I didnt screw around any between 400s. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and a great way to get through 4000yds!
B: 3h
R: 5h 41min
Total: 16h 9min
While swimming outside in Orlando over the weekend was nice, the highlight of last week's workouts had to be the Thursday morning swim. Although I was heading down to Gainesville/Orlando for New Year's Eve celebrations later that day, I still had time to go to the pool for the usual AM swim. I figured the kids wouldnt have practice that afternoon and was hoping they'd be there for a tough morning workout. They were and Matt, the new coach, didnt disappoint.
After a 1200 yd warmup, Matt explained the rules of the game. Basically, it was a race to see who could complete ten 400s in the shortest amount of time swimming triathlon-style, snaking through 8 lanes fper 400. For the first 400 he lined us up slowest to fastest and sent us off in a time trial fashion. For each subsequent 400, though, we had to get out of the pool and roll a set of dice and, depending on the roll, swim our next 400 accordingly. Some examples included fly swim, backstroke swim, breast swim, "shower" (which entailed running into the locker room, getting wet, then running back out before starting the 400), kick, backwards (start at Lane 8 and swim "upstream" relative to everyone else), pull, swim w/ fins, etc. There were 11 options total (2-12) so in order to win you had to swim fast and roll well. Roll a kick rather than swim w/ fins and you've just tacked a few minutes on your time.
Being slow, I got to start close to the front and attacked from the beginning. I ended up rolling the "backwards" a few times which actually ended up being not too bad because once the game got going, things spread out pretty quickly. I also avoided the dreaded kick which was probably the reason I came out victorious. That and I didnt screw around any between 400s. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and a great way to get through 4000yds!
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