events - 3

  no training
+ poor pacing
+ bad weather
+ blisters
= 3-minute PR

I finished the 2012 Whistlestop Half Marathon in 2:21:32, but it wasn't pretty. Nancy ran with me for this race (considerably prettier), which was fun. Except when I started losing it around mile 9. I started too fast, rookie mistake. The trail was soft, and so were my feet, so blisters. Cold, wet, a bloo bloo bloo.

I'll write more later, probably when photos are up, but it's now time for some BICE*.

*the B is for beer, duh 

Here, have a giant graphic.

This was a fun race. Not only did I finish, I beat my PR by more than 20 minutes. Gather 'round and I'll tell you the tale...

fade to flashback

Training began back in June. Nancy and I ran the Journeys Half Marathon back in May, and I managed a slower-than-hoped 2:45:11 after about 120 miles of training. This was my own fault, between being lazy and twisting my knee on some parking lot ice. So for Appleton, I cranked up the effort to increase training miles and decrease my weight. I got in about 175 miles over 13 weeks, along with a reasonable amount of biking between commuting to work and some longer rides.

Anyway, here's this thing.

We were expecting about 33°F at the start, but were pleasantly surprised by 40°F and clear skies. I realized I'd forgotten my long sleeve running shirt the night before, so we scrambled to find one, and I'm glad we did. Two layers of loose Under Armour, one short sleeve, New Balance 2-in-1 shorts (loose shorts with compression shorts liner), and Brooks Glycerin 9 shoes. Pretty much the fred of running.

I started out faster than I'd intended, but couldn't bring myself to slow down. My heart rate was stuck at 155, so I just plowed on at 11:00/mile. The course was flat, flat, flat, and the weather meant that my body wasn't wasting a lot of energy keeping cool.

The first four or five miles flew by. This is what that looked like.

I didn't really start to become aware of the effort until mile 9 or so. My heart rate was creeping up, but I was able to keep it from hitting 170 by slowing slightly and concentrating on my form and breathing. Sweet snot-like material was consumed from convenient packets at miles 4, 6.5, 9, and 11.5, and I managed to throw cups of Gatorade at my face with some accuracy at nearly every aid station.

As the miles ticked by, I was happy to notice that I was passing more than being passed. By the last mile, I was still feeling strong, so I bumped up the pace a bit more and prepared to GIVE'ER in the last couple of tenths. I hit those at a 8-something pace, and I set a new heart rate max at 198. That was probably dumb, but I recovered quickly and composed myself enough to collect a giant cup full of cookies and Arby's sandwiches at the finisher food tent.

Recovery was the usual beers and fried food at Mr. G's. No issues with cramping or lightheaded-ness at all, which means that I must've nailed hydration and nutrition, though the weather helped a lot too.

In all, it was a hell of a lot of fun, and Nancy and I both came away with great times, both temporal and experiential. A++++ would inflict pain on self again. 

Anyway, here's some artsy shit.

Hey three people who read this blog: TIME TO REGISTER

Read all about it, register, and get your ass in gear.

Seriously. Do it. 

This morning Nancy and I did the 5 mile race at the 2012 Canal Run. It was a fun race, and I met the two goals I set for myself:

1. finish in less than 55 minutes
2. don't finish last in my age group

Welp, I finished the 2012 Journeys Half Marathon. My time was 2:45:11, quite a ways from my 2:35 goal, but I'm pretty satisfied with how I did for other reasons.

• I finished.
• I wasn't last in my division.
• I figured out how to keep my pace in check for the first two miles, something that I've struggled with even in training.
• I solved the nutrition problems I was having for my longer runs.
• I didn't have a wardrobe failure, run into any other competitors, or knock over any aid station tables.

The heat and hills conspired to make this a pretty challenging run for me. My pace was where I wanted it to be for the first 9-10 miles, but I just couldn't hold it for the last few. My heart rate would creep up as my pace crept down. I think more long-distance and hill training is in my future.

Nancy did really well, beating her record by two minutes. Check out her write-up. 

Nancy, Liz, and I ran the Run Like the Finn 5K benefit run/walk on Saturday. The event raised support for Amy Roberts, who was hit by a pickup truck while running on 15 Dec 2011. More information is on the Facebook event page.

It was a fun run, and the first event of this type I've been in. There were reportedly 700 entrants, and the mass start was a hoot. I saw a ton of people I know, including G, who is everywhere and took some great photos of the event.

Not including this one:

Seems like I should finally post the results of the 2011 runningchunk.com 5K, which took place on Sunday, October 23.

We had decent—if chilly—weather at the Lake Linden Village Park. After a brief runner orientation ("Go that way, then that way, and then the finish is over there."), we took off at 11:35 AM.

James and Nancy quickly dropped me, and Nancy was giving James a good chase until a side stitch kicked in. I was having not the greatest run of my three-month running career, but settled into the pace I was looking for.

Just under 30 minutes later, James triumphantly crossed the finish line at American Legion Post 90. Nancy followed less than two minutes later, and I managed to hit my goal almost dead on.

• First overall and first in Men's 34-57: James Bialas, 29:38 ET
• Second overall and first in Women's 29-39: Nancy Banfield, 31:24 ET
• Third overall and first in Men's 25-33: Joshua Myles, 33:08 ET

The awards ceremony was held immediately following James getting back from the laundromat. First through third prizes were a commemorative bottle of ice-cold Old Style.

Looking forward to next year!