Archive for the ‘health’ Category

20 days and 20 miles…

Sep 17th, 07 / 0 Comments

Wow, it’s been over two weeks since my last update.  Things have been a little crazy at work lately, but it looks like they might slow down a little bit now moving into the last three weeks of marathon training – a really good thing.  My mileage has been really inconsistent, but I’ve been feeling pretty good. No ailments or nagging pains.

Here is an update on a few of my longer runs in past couple of weeks:

On Monday September 3rd (Labor Day) I met a group of runners from Capella in St. Paul and ran the last 7 miles of the Twin Cities Marathon course out and back for a total run of 14 mile.  I averaged around a 9:20 pace – not great, but not bad – but I was struck with a bout of stomach problems at about mile 12.  Lucky for me there was a grocery store with a bathroom close by…

Here is the course we ran:

Last Sunday (September 9th) I ran about 13.5 miles and felt pretty  good.  It wasn’t the distance I was really looking for (I should have been running about 16 – 20 miles), but I felt pretty good despite the cold windy day. No stomach problems in this run, but I didn’t drink ANYTHING either. Is that good or bad? I’m not sure yet.

Here is my route:

Bear Water Run – 2007 – 20 Mile

date: Sep 15th, 2007

location: White Bear Lake, MN

Finally, Saturday I ran a 20 mile run in White Bear Lake.  You can see a course map and stuff here.  Here are my splits, keep in mind that this is a two lap run so mile 1 is the same as mile 11, mile 5 is the same as 15:

Lap 1 Lap 2
Mile Split Mile Split
1 9:33.61 11 8:44.47
2 8:56.51 12 8:42.94
3 8:57.10 13 8:49.95
4 8:45.41 14 8:45.57
5 8:36.06 15 8:45.52
6 8:48.97 16 8:58.76
7 8:43.98 17 9:30.52
8 8:45.27 18 9:33.00
9 8:56.70 19 10:37.08
10 9:00.20 20 9:40.42

 

Here are the details from www.onlineraceresults.com:

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Summary

number of finishers: 650

number of females: 330

number of males: 319

average time: 03:05:06

Aaron Engelsrud

bib number: 227

age: 34

gender: M

location: Woodbury, MN

overall place: 346 out of 650

division place: 62 out of 96

gender place: 212 out of 321

time: 3:04:03

pace: 9:13

10 mile: 1:29:05

gun time : 3:04:55

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As you can see, overall I had a really good run.  I feel like I executed my race plan perfectly, I wanted to keep my overall pace between 8:30 and 9:00 and stay comfortable.  I was able, for the most part, to do that.   My goal was to finish in under 3 hours.  That would have put me on pace for a sub 4 hour marathon – which is my goal for this years Twin Cities Marathon.  Everything went well with the exception of one little problem…

If you look at my splits, I was doing great – very consistent – even a little faster the second lap around.  Then the s*%t hit the proverbial fan.  Gastro-intestinal difficulties. I needed a bathroom. I spent miles 17, 18, and part of 19 in a desperate search for suitable facilities.  I even contemplated using the woods or taking a dip in the lake – I was uncomfortable. Needless to say, it slowed me down quite a bit.  If you look at the last 4 miles of the run (mile 16 is where I started to feel some twinges of discomfort) and set those last four mile back to the pace I’d been maintaining,I have been in about a full 5 minutes sooner. 

I’ve done a little research and I think I can find a way to avoid this problem going forward, in the next few weeks I’m going to try a few things and see if they help.

Less than 3 weeks to go…

Aaron

40 days to go and a race update…

Aug 28th, 07 / 0 Comments

Authors note: This is my second attempt to write this post – thanks to Windows Live Writer.  Tip for anyone using this editor, don’t use the “View/Web Layout” view without first saving your post.  One second it was there… the next it was gone.  Also, turn on the “Auto Save as Draft” feature in user options – this is not set by default. DOH!

40 days to go to the Twin Cities Marathon and, at this point, I’m not to sure how I feel about it.  I’m, of course, looking forward to it – but I’m a little apprehensive.  Maybe having done one already and knowing what to expect, I’m a little more nervous than last year.  I think I just have more respect for the distance – I know what I’m up against, I understand the challenge that awaits me…

I also know I can do it.

On to my race report…

Last Sunday  I ran the Woodbury Country Mile 1/2 Marathon.  Overall, the run was good, I felt great, finished strong, and I think I even gained a little confidence.  It was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

The day started perfectly, I was up at around 6:00 am for a 7:00 am race start.  I had my gear ready to go (race number pre-pinned neatly to my shirt thanks to my lovely wife), so I was able to get dressed quickly, relax for a few minutes, and then head out to the race start. 

The weather was ideal, cool – but not cold.  Mid 50′s with a nice breeze and plenty of nice warm sun.  It was a perfect morning for a nice, long run.  I got to the race start at about 6:30 am, spent a little time in my car with some “motivational” music on the stereo, and then headed out to make my way to the race start.  The start is a third of a mile or so from the parking area, so it proved to be a nice little warm up trek.

I bumped in to some friends from the fire department on the way to the starting line (they were there to provide medical support if necessary), so I stopped and chatted for a minute.  They offered lots of positive encouragement and good vibes, so I headed to the starting line in a great frame of mind – ready for whatever got in my way.

The race started 10 minutes later and I was on my way – every step one step closer to the finish.  This is my second year running this race and I really like the course.  It winds its way around three lakes in the heart of Woodbury, sticking mainly to bike paths.  This helps keep traffic control issues to a minimum and safety to a maximum.  There are plenty of water/Gatorade stations along the way (7 I think), and the volunteers were friendly and helpful.

The only real points of interest or things to note on the course is the construction work zone and trail running section in the first mile of the course.  This slowed the first mile down a little bit, but it was well managed and I think the best it could have been under the circumstances.

Here are my splits:

  1. 8:38.89  (slowest mile, construction and trail section)
  2. 8:10.49
  3. 8:05.51
  4. 8:14.35
  5. 8:22.35
  6. 8:30.80
  7. 8:32.98
  8. 8:14.19
  9. 8:15.21
  10. 8:24.34
  11. 8:00.50 (fastest mile)
  12. 8:26.45 (Very hilly section)
  13. 8:15.94 (Uphill most of the last mile and through road construction)

Finish: 1:48:59 (Chip time)

So, as you can see, no PR this year.  Last year I ran a 1:48:35 – 24 seconds faster than this year.  However, I feel better about this year’s run than the run last year, I finished stronger, I was less fatigued, and I was the one doing the passing in the last 3 miles.  Am I disappointed that I didn’t do better? Sure. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t, but I can feel good about the ease at which I was able to complete this run. 

Lessons learned: For the Twin Cities Marathon, I really need to make sure I find and stick with a pace group running my desired pace (between 8:30 and 8:40 minute miles).  I clearly am not very good at maintaining a consistent pace throughout a run.  Also, some good advice I read somewhere – a marathon is just a 20 mile warm up with a 10K run at the end.

Once my run was complete, the real fun began!

First, Peter, my 1 year old, worked super hard to complete his first ‘race’ – the Woodbury Country Mile Diaper Dash.  He did a great job and finished with a smile on his face!  I’m so proud of him.  Super job Pete!

Next, David, my three year old, took off in the Toddler Trot and earned himself a finishers medal.  He was a little apprehensive at first, but once he got going there was no stopping him! Way to go Dave!

Finally, Alex, my six year old, ran his first race – The Woodbury Country Mile.  This is a long run for a six year old but he stuck with it and finished strong.  He also earned himself a finishers medal! He ran through a little pain and kept fighting till the finish – he did a great job! Nice work Alex!

I’ll have pictures of all the festivities soon!

40 days until the Twin Cities Marathon…

Aaron

46 days to go…

Aug 22nd, 07 / 0 Comments

…and I feel like I’m losing some of the hard work I’ve put in.  The last two weeks have been complete disasters as far as my training goes.  I haven’t been able to keep up with my cross-training, I missed my long run on Sunday because of really nasty weather, and today I missed my speed work.  I was able to get in a swim on Monday, but totally missed Tuesday, and now today I missed my run. 

I still have a lot going on, work has been insane, I’ve been really busy at the fire department, and I just started a new MBA course. But still, when I don’t get in a workout, I feel really lazy. I feel like I’m reverting back to old habits, slipping slowly back into inactivity, slowly becoming, once again, what I once was.  I hate that feeling.  I never want to go back there.  I never want to feel the way I felt when I was 375 lbs.  Never. Ever. Again.  For the most part, my kids don’t remember me when I was overweight, I want to keep it that way. 

I guess I’ll get up early for a run.

On a more positive note, this weekend should be fun.  My parents and my in-laws are coming up for the weekend – it’s Woodbury Days – our city’s yearly celebration.  The big bonus is that I get to run a 1/2 marathon on Sunday.  On top of that, Alex is running the Kid’s 1 mile and David is running in the tottler-trot.  Overall, this should be a fun weekend.

Hope you all have a great weekend too!

Later…

Aaron

46 days to the Twin Cities Marathon

 

51 to go and back in the groove…

Aug 17th, 07 / 0 Comments

Thursday
Good workout – I had today off from work, so that necessitated switching up my schedule a little. Work has been killing me, so I was behind this week, so I did the tempo run today – I’ll do speed work tomorrow, with a 20 miler on Sunday. Also, Saturday is hose testing day at the fire department, so that should be good cross training.

Here is Thursday’s run:

1 mile easy @ 9:22
4 miles @ mid tempo 8:00
1 mile easy @ 9:22

This was a good run for me, I felt pretty solid throughout. It was, however, very HOT!

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Friday
Here is the workout from Friday:

10 minute warm up – 1 mile
1 mile @ 7:15 pace
2 miles @ 7:30 pace
2 * 800 @ 3:29 pace
10 minute cool down – 1 mile

Actuals:
1 mile – 7:11.51
2 miles – 14:54.78
#1 800 – 3:24.97
#2 800 – 3:22.07

Once again, I felt really good. These speed workouts are my favorite, I really feel good running them and I’m able to be very consistent.

I have the Woodbury Country Mile 1/2 Marathon next weekend, I’m really looking forward to seeing my results.

Good luck!

51 days to the Twin Cities Marathon.

Aaron

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53 and struggling…

Aug 15th, 07 / 0 Comments

Let me start by saying, I love my job. I have been so lucky to find a place that I can really stretch myself and have loads of opportunity to excel. But lately, mainly just the last two weeks, my job has been playing havoc with my training. I’ve been crazy busy and my priority is work and my family, with running coming when it can. I have been able to minimize the impact to pretty much just a reduction in my cross-training, but cross-training is an integral part of the training program I am using, so I’m a little concerned. This week has been really tough, I missed Monday and Tuesday cross-training, and today I missed my speed workout. This is really the first run I’ve missed in a long time. So, here’s the plan:

  • Tomorrow – run in the morning, tempo run / swim in the evening
  • Friday – run at lunch, speed workout
  • Saturday – swim in the morning, before hose testing at the fire department
  • Sunday – long run, 20 miles, 9:10 pace

If I can stick to this schedule, I’ll still get in my minimum 5 workouts for the week. That wuld be a good thing after a rough start. We’ll see how it goes.

I had a good long run last Sunday – 18 miles, 2 hours 54 minutes. Not bad, but a little slower than I’d hoped. Really I felt pretty good all the way to the end – kind of exciting! Also, I did something a little different than normal during my run, I listened to almost three hours of Steve Runner’s Phedippidations Pod Cast. I really enjoyed it and will definately listen again and again. Steve has a way of really making the time go by. I’ll write more in another post about my thoughts on his thoughts – thoughts on thoughts.

Here is my route:

53 days to the Twin Cities Marathon.

Later…

Aaron

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