Grandma's Marathon

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post. With summer approaching, I should have more time to update my blog. In June, I will be running Grandma's marathon for the second time. I ran it before back in 2007. It was really hot there that year and my training was pretty weak (I finished 42nd? and ran 2:32). I am hoping this time around will be much better. Since March, I have been training under Derick Williamson at Durata Training. He has had me doing some really good stuff in preparation for the race. The goal is to get under the qualifying standard for the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials (which will be held in Houston, TX). In order to qualify, I will need to run under 2:19. My current personal best is 2:20:35. My workouts so far this week are below:

Sunday--25 mile long run (ran from my house in Cedar Park to the state capitol building); 2 hours 33 mins.

Tuesday--8x1 mile on the track with 3 mins. rest between each mile. I ran these in 4:46, 4:46, 4:47, 4:45, 4:45, 4:46, 4:43, 4:39

Wednesday--12 miles easy at Brushy Creek Trail (this is one of my favorite spots to run in Cedar Park)

Thursday--8.5 miles easy in the morning with my good buddy Kevin Irwin; 7.5 miles easy in the evening

Our new cat

Meet our new cat, Justice. We now have a Grace, Mercy and Justice. This new little guy is a real ball of energy most days. Steph and I captured this picture a couple of weeks ago. We thought it was pretty funny that they wanted to snuggle together.

'09 Running Year in Review

Running was great to me in 2009. God has given me the ability and passion to run, and in 2009 he blessed me with good health and some great successes. Below is a recap of the year's running moments.

* In early February, I signed a "regional" sponsorship with Saucony. I received lots of free shoes, a racing uniform and some pretty cool gear.
*On February 28, I won my 3rd consecutive Cowtown Marathon (it was my best Cowtown time yet--2:25:13)
*In March, I accepted a position to coach at Leander ISD's newest high school, Vandegrift. This was a great opportunity for me and Stephanie. We moved to Cedar Park at the beginning of June.
*On July 19, I ran my first Ultramarathon--The El Scorcho 50K in Fort Worth. It was a great experience, but I'm not sure it is one I want to try again any time soon.
*In October, both my boys and girls cross country teams at Vandegrift won the District 8-3A Championship and earned a trip to the Regional Meet in Lubbock. This was a great accomplishment for a group of kids that are only Freshmen and Sophomores.
*The first weekend in November, I ran my first ever 10 mile race--The Run for the Water 10-Miler. This was a great cause benefiting the people of Burundi and their water situation. I won the race in a time of 51:34 beating former UT star Darren Brown (I will have to admit though that Darren was using the race as a workout).
*On Thanksgiving Day, I won the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot (5 miles) in a time of 24:55. For the win, I received a Turkey trophy and $50 worth of free subs.
*On December 13th, I completed my 9th marathon (Dallas White Rock). I finished 4th in a P.R. of 2:22:53 earning $500 in prize money.
*This past Tuesday, I agreed to run for an Austin-area Mizuno team. This will give me more free shoes and the opportunity to win some prize money incentives.

I am thankful to have been able to pursue my running passion in 2009, and I am excited about the new year ahead.

Run Tough,
Keith

What's Ahead

After a satisfying experience at White Rock, I am anxious to get back to training. I have had some time this week to really think about my races in 2010. As I continue my quest to achieve a qualifying mark for the 2012 Olympic Trials, I realize that my time is limited and I will need to improve significantly in the coming year. With that said, I have decided to run two local Austin races in the coming months. First, I will be racing the 3M Half Marathon in January with the goal of setting a PR in the half. This is a really fast race with lots of outstanding competition. Second, I will be running the Austin Marathon on Feb. 14. I will run this race with the intentions of winning and running in the low 2:20's. In preparation for the Austin Marathon, I hope to increase my weekly mileage to 120 or so. I will attempt this for about a month leading up to the race as an experiment to see if my body can handle the high mileage. I will probably rest up a bit and do some shorter races in the months of March, April and May. Well, that's the plan for now.

WHITE ROCK

5:04--that is what I ran for mile #25 at the 2009 White Rock Marathon. The 40th running of the Dallas event was my 9th time racing 26.2 miles. It was the best I have ever felt! At about mile 19, former A&M runner Logan Sherman pulled away from me. (We had run the first 19 miles together.) I was content to maintain my position in 6th place fearing that the "wall" was looming. The wall came, but then it left. For the first time in all of the marathons I've run, I was able to break through that point of fatigue. My last few miles were tough but I never once doubted that I could finish strong. I feel as though I can still run faster. I look forward to my next one--most likely Austin on Feb. 14.

White Rock splits:
1. 5:24
2. 5:36
3. 5:11
4. 5:14
5. 5:22
6. 5:28
7. 5:23
8. 5:14
9. 5:23
10. 5:20
11. 5:31
12. 5:08
13. 5:35
14. 5:32
15. 5:27
16. 5:34
17. 5:26
18. 5:34
19. 5:26
20. 5:50
21. 5:47
22. 5:25
23. 5:25
24. 5:33
25. 5:04
26. 5:32
.2 1:17
TOTAL -- 2:22:53

Jack Daniels Marathon

I plan on running the 40th Anniversary White Rock Marathon in December. For the first time in my marathon training, I am going to apply the Jack Daniels formula and see if I can produce an elite time. Today was the first day of a 16 week program that I will be doing to prepare for the race. The workout was supposed to be 18 miles of 2@Easy pace, 6@Marathon pace, 1@Threshold, 5@Marathon, 1@Threshold, 1@Marathon, 2@Easy.

Well, the started off poorly when I turned my alarm off at 6:45 this morning and opted to save the workout for the evening. I laced the shoes up and hit the streets at about 5:30 this evening. The temp. was 101. I managed to make it through the first 9 miles right on target. 6:30 for the first 2 miles, 5:35 pace for the next 6 and 5:20 for the threshold mile. The next 5 were a real struggle (I averaged 5:45). When it was time for the next threshold effort, I was toast. I ran 5:55 for that mile then jogged it in for a 15.75 mile run.

Halfway through the run, it showered. But, it was not a pleasant rain. It was one of those where the sun is still out and the rain is really light and hot. When it stopped, it felt like running in a sauna. I imagine the heat index was about 105.

Needless to say the Jack Daniels marathon plan is going to be tough!!

Surviving an Ultra

When my friend, Tod Tieszen, asked me to run the El Scorcho 50K back in April, I told myself it was only 5 miles farther than a marathon and signed up without hesitation. Besides, I am an established marathoner with 8 under my belt, so now would be a good time to give the ultra a try. Right?

Most runners can tell you, signing up is the easy part. It's the months of training between signing up and the actual race that tests your resolve. Training for El Scorcho would prove to be a very difficult task. The race begins at midnight during what is "typically" the hottest part of the summer and takes place around a 5K loop in Fort Worth's Trinity Park. So how do you train for a race that is so unique and out of the ordinary? Afterall, most runners do not have the freedom of schedule to go for a midnight run each day.

Every marathon I have run, I toed the line satisfied with my training and confident that I would perform well. El Scorcho was no different. I had done some late night long runs, runs in the heat of the day, a 22 mile long run around a 3.5 mile loop, and I had even read Dean Karnazes' ultra running book "Confessions of an All Night Runner". Yet, with 4 5K loops (12 miles) remaining in the race, I was fighting the demons of doubt. Whether you are an experienced runner, a beginner, fast or slow, every runner faces a point in a long distance race where they question themselves and their ability to finish. I never thought I would be answering these questions so early at El Scorcho.

Fortunately, I was able to slog through the last few miles and survived to finish the 50K in 3 hours 8 mins. As I crossed the finish, I swore to myself I would never do this again, but I have a feeling in time I will be giving the ULTRA another shot.

Despite the cooler temperatures, El Scorcho tres (as it was dubbed for its 3rd year) was a great success. The 50K runners started at approximately 12:01 a.m. and the 25K runners started about 10 minutes later. 91 runners finished the 31 miler, while 269 finished the 25K. Volunteers were stationed at the start/finish and at the half-way point of the 5K loop with water, gels, and HEED (the official electrolyte replacement drink of El Scorcho). Friends and family camped along the start/finish area, so there was no lack of support as you finished one loop and started another.

If you are looking for a unique race experience and a definate challenge, you may want to put El Scorcho quatro on your calendar for next summer.