Ranger Run

For several weeks now I have been trying to improve my 6 mile time. I'm happy to report that yesterday I did 6 miles on the treadmill in 49:16. It felt great!

I've also started to work some sprint routines into my running schedule. This past weekend I did an easy 3 mile run followed by a good sprint workout. I sprinted about 50 yards, then jogged 50. I did that 10 times. I'm hoping this will shock my body a bit and help me shed those additional 10 pounds that I need to get rid of. We'll see!!

Hill Yeah!

I finished the Steamboat 15k on Saturday. My brother-in-law ran it too, while my mother-in-law ran the 4 mile race. I was pretty nervous about this one....after a week in Vegas and all of the bad things I was hearing about the hills....I wasn't sure if I would survive! But, I'm not sure what happened, but it just seemed to click. I felt great throughout the entire race. I didn't think the hills were bad at all...I was expecting it to be much worse. There are several factors that could have led to my race day success...1) I only ran twice during the week, allowing plenty of rest from running 2) I hydrated like crazy on Friday 3)I ate lots of pasta Thursday night and then had a bit more for lunch on Friday 4) my modified training plan during the weeks prior to the race (rotating a week of shorter distances, but more speed; followed by a week of longer distance with the same speed or slightly slower) 5) the 10 mile weekend route with the killer hills 6) increased protein intake throughout the month

I'm not sure what it was...maybe a combination of everything. I finished with a stopwatch time of 1:21:01. My pace was right around 8:48-8:50...I definitely felt like I could have kept going...so I'm looking forward to my next half marathon.

The post-race event was decent....I was really looking forward to the cold beer, but standing in line for 15-20 minutes with a hundred other stinky people made me question my desire for seconds. I was also ticked at all the non-runners that kept getting beer....seriously, they should do something about that. If you didn't run then you go to the other line...where you pay. Oh well, it was a great race and I'm glad it's over with. I did manage to see Mr and Mrs CJ at the end of the first loop...I hear they both did great!!

I've decided that I need to sign up for another half marathon before the AF half in September...I'm going to start looking for a good (and fairly inexpensive) race, so feel free to make suggestions.

Vegas Baby! Vegas!!

I had a great 10 mile run in some beautiful June weather today. The sun was shining, yet there was a constant breeze. Aside from some minor foot pain, I felt pretty good throughout most of the run. I carried a small bottle of Gatorade with me, so I stayed fairly hydrated. Hopefully I'll be getting a new Camel Bak soon.

I had a solid week of running. Last week I tried to decrease my mileage and increase my speed. It was a really nice change up. This week I increased my mileage a bit and tried to keep the same speed as the week before. I logged just over 20 miles M-Th, just over 30 for the week. Not too shabby.

I'm catching a very early flight to Vegas tomorrow morning for a conference...I've already got the running plan mapped out. Luckily I'm going to Sin City with a few runners so I'm sure we will all be keeping each other accountable to logging some miles. I've got the Steamboat 15k coming up next weekend, so I'll have to make sure my trip to Vegas isn't too crazy.

I'm looking forward to the Steamboat race....but, I am a little nervous. I do some hill training (the first 4.5 miles of my 10 mile route are very hilly), but I'm not sure if I'm totally prepared for the hills of Steamboat. I guess I'll find out!

About 7 or so years ago I ran the Steamboat 4 mile race...my time was pathetic, but it was my very first race. It was a blast! I remember how I tried to keep up with my mother-in-law and her running friends, but they all smoked me. I never thought I would be running the looong route. 7 years ago they had a great post-race celebration, so hopefully I'll have that to look forward to again. Nothing beats a cold beer after a good run.

Lookout Vegas!

“I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me.” -William Rudolph

Finally, a 10 mile run that great. The weather was perfect - not too hot, not too windy...it was beautiful. Yesterday's run was one of those runs that makes you look forward to the next long run. I was able to stash some water at about the halfway point, but I only took a few gulps. I also tried a new energy gel that was super...it was Hammer Gel, raspberry flavor. I liked the flavor much better than the chocolate Gu. I'm not sure if it was the water, the gel, the weather, or maybe just the 2 days of rest I had prior to running, but everything just seemed to feel good.

I am going to be trying something new this week. I've found that my energy level throughout the day isn't as good as it should be. I'm thinking that I really need to boost my protein intake - especially since I've increased the lifting a bit. I scored some post-workout protein powder and a multi-vitamin mix. The protein powder is from AMP, it's called Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 and the vitamin powder is Mega Men Maximum Nutrition Formula. I had my first taste of the protein drink yesterday and it was quite tasty. Hopefully this will help with my energy level while also promoting muscle growth and repair.

On an exciting note, it looks like I'll be locking in my next half marathon soon - I'm running the USAF 1/2 Marathon on 19 September in Dayton, OH!!! The best part is that I'll be running it with my brother Cody who is stationed in California with the Air Force!!!! The AF is going to give him leave to participate in the race....I haven't seen him since November(?)....it's been way too long. I can't wait for this one! Link to the race site: http://www.usafmarathon.com/half.htm