Week 9: Six New PR's!

Measuring growth and PR's.

Running through Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. It’s a common application in business and finance and an ever present reality with runners. Most runners like metrics and measurements, simply look how the running watch market has adapted and offers GPS watches that are robust with data analytics. Keeping a log of Personal Records (PR’s) and Personal Bests (PB’s) is something runners do. These logs are either kept in the mind, written down or kept on our phone through a running or health application.

I started using STRAVA on January 1st, 2022 to start recording and capturing my data. This week I set 6 new Personal Records according to Strava, which only accounts for the last 10 months, certainly not a PR over the duration of my lifetime. So I find myself questioning those PR’s and should I really be that excited about them? I think so!

To measure the growth in a tree you can look at it’s rings. The years when it was wet and growth was good the rings are large, when it was a tough year due to drought or wildfires the rings are closer together. If you could look at a cross-section of my running life up to this point you’d see massive growth in my youth with a taper in my early 30’s and then another massive growth in my early 40’s. I am absolutely setting new PR’s in my 40’s.

I now view my own “Personal Records” as data points of growth during a specific period of time, not over my lifetime. Life has different seasons, we all go through them. My running stats of my 20’s are different than my 30’s, simply because my life was different. The running stats of my 40’s are much different than my 30’s, again because my life is different and improved. My PR’s are now associated with different time periods of my life, not over the duration of my life.

The greatest PR to reach is to be like my friend Tony. To be running and logging 2,000+ miles a year in my 70’s. The man is active, fit and healthy. That’s the real Personal Record. To have a level of fitness that allows you to do the things that make you happy.

On Saturday’s long run my friend Robert made a remark about not looking back at past running accomplishments and making comparisons. The real perspective is where are you now and where are you going. Those things in the past I’ve already done, what I want to do is be better tomorrow than I am today. What kind of growth am I making this week? This Month? This Year?

As we all transition through life and all of it’s changes and seasons, I say take joy and pride in reaching new PR in the time you are in. Life’s too short to beat yourself up over comparison from years past. What matters is what are you doing today and what will you do tomorrow.

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Monday: Zero Day

“Never miss a Monday” - Today I broke the rule. Not a good start to the week, however after the 18-mile run yesterday, I feel wrecked. I think it’s best I take the day to rest, recover and refuel.

Tuesday: Two-A-Day

After taking a ZERO day on Monday I was ready to get back on the track and get my body moving on Tuesday morning. Nothing hurt and I’m thankful for that but my legs were tired and I had some soreness in my lower body. This wasn’t a level of soreness that would change my gait or affect my running cadence, it was just a little uncomfortable. I knew the more miles I got in the better it would get and I was right. By the end of training on the track I felt much better.

I programmed this mornings runs for 1,000m efforts. This was the first time we did this distance on the track and I wasn’t too sure how the team would react. I think the best quote of the morning was from Wendy who commented to me, “From never doing 1,000’s to doing three of them! That escalated quickly.” Yes, in fact it did escalate quickly.

My abilities to wake up, get ready and be as stealthy as a ninja is improving. I think I actually woke up and made it out of the house without waking up my wife! That’s a massive win for me because waking her up at 4:30am on a workday is no bueno.

800m Warmup. Negative splits. ( 2 Laps) + 120s Rest

1000m at PRE 5 (2 1/2 Laps) + 90s Rest

1000m at PRE 6 (2 1/2 Laps) + 400m at PRE 3 (1 Lap) +

1000m at PRE 6 (2 1/2 Laps) + 120s Rest

600m at PRE 7 (1 1/2 Laps)

Results: 3.22mi | Best Pace: 6’47” | Avg HR: 122 | Best Mile:???| Feeling Better

L-R: Amy, Anthony, Dwyane, Michelle, Wendy, Carla, Jonni, Myself and Bryce

Two-A-Day: 4 miler

The organized club run is supposed to take place at 6:30pm. Hell, I’m one of the organizers of the run and the president of the run club. I ought to be there right? Have my shit together. You’d think that, I expect it. Today is a tale of piss poor planning.

At 5:55pm I’ve got my running gear on and my wife asks me, “Where are you running? Downtown?” Of course my response is “Yes, of course. It’s Tuesday” implying her question is rhetorical and I’m not even sure why she’s asking. She follows that up with wanting to know what was going on downtown. Hell if I know, I shrugged and said I didn’t know anything, but apparently our friend drove through there and noticed people set up to watch a parade!

After a quick search online, the local High School had their homecoming parade at 6:00pm on the same route we park and run. At 5:59pm I shoot Robert a text and he was the last car the cops let in to park and Main St has been blocked off! At 6pm I decided not to venture downtown. I wasn’t going to make the club run this evening!

My alternate plan went into place and luckily Dave was able to meet me at a local park and we could get in 4-miles. Our run was supposed to be nice and easy and that’s how it started. I guess at some point Dave started feeling better and we started stepping it out! On this course is one large-major hill, I had to walk it. I’ve yet to fully run up this damn hill! Maybe that’s my next goal.

Results: 4.02 | Avg Pace: 9’52"” | Avg HR: 134 | Best Mile: 9’10”| Feeling Kind of Good!

Wednesday 5K: Running with the club!

It’s Survivor Night! It’s one of those weekly things my son and I do that I look forward to weekly. It also falls on my Wednesday 5K club run night! My only option is to run faster. How it works out is, I take off running at 6:30 and get done by 7pm. That gives me time to drink a post-run beer and talk to my friends then get home in time for a quick shower and sit down for Survivor!

We had a great group tonight with a total of 24 walkers and runners. The cool weather brought out the cool people! We had a few runners who this was their first Wednesday night run event and I’m hoping they had a good time. What’s makes the club so great is the people and I really think we’ve got the best.

So before the run I tell Robert my goal was to finish in under 30 minutes, with negative splits and a pace in the 8’s. I had no intention of hitting the 7’s but wanted to increase speed. Robert was onboard and Mike joined us for the adventure. I’ve ran with Mike a few times before, a CrossFit athlete in his 40’s, a fellow Veteran and in incredible athletic shape. He was running on sore and tired legs after completing a few hundred air squats the night prior and still he out-ran me. An incredible athlete!

So we take off and the pace is good! The first mile is mostly downhill which gets the legs moving quickly and the heart rate up. Within a half mile I’m wheezing, which is normal for me and it didn’t end until we were done with 3.11 miles. Our pace never slowed! The first two miles were 8’30” and 8’29” respectively and then the last mile, which has some decent inclines involved, we picked it up to an 8’19” pace!

I wasn’t on the verge of puking, which means I could have gone faster and pushed a little harder. On the last 0.5 miles, Robert and Mike pulled away and I was a little slower than them. I’m certain they were at an 8’00” flat mile and flowing easy. Next time we’ll push for an 8’min flat!

When it was done and said, I met all my goals and ordered my beer, picking up one for my friend Mike since he helped pull me along for 3 miles. When reviewing Strava it appears I set a new 5K PR! I suppose that would call for some type of exhilaration or excitement, but alas it wasn’t. I started running with Strava on Jan 1st, 2022. It has only captured data for this year. In another life, in another era, I was running my 5K’s under 21 minutes. So, this isn’t exactly a Personal Record, but certainly a personal best this year.

Lastly, one of the new runners to our Wednesday meetup said she was going to run in the 9’s, but as I finished my 5K she was pretty close behind me! It’s great to see people put in effort and really push themselves and then perform better than anticipated. I’m glad she could do it with Clayton Area Runners and we could clap her in for the finish.

Results: 3.12mi | Avg Pace: 8'22"” | Avg HR: 148 | Best Mile: 8’12”| Feeling Faster

The cool weather brought out the cool runners!

Thursday: A Zero Day of Adjustments

Hurricane Ian was absolutely devastating to Florida! We’re thankful that our family and friends throughout the peninsula are safe and their homes are in tact. For us, it ruined our annual trek to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Night. Universal studios closed and so did Disney. With that we decided to take a one-night adventure up to Busch Gardens to enjoy Howl-O-Scream!

Today was a zero day with no training to be completed. The only thing done today was a lot of work, emails, desk work and then a drive up to VA for a night of festivities with my amazingly beautiful wife. Overall a great evening through the houses and an Octoberfest Beer in Das Festhaus!

Results: 5 Haunted Houses | Avg Scares: 7 | Avg HR 155| Feeling Skuuuuurd

At the “Worlds Most Beautiful Theme park” - Busch Gardens, VA

Friday: Zero Day with Hurricane Ian

Two zero days in a row! I’m sweating this because tomorrow is my long run of 15-miles. I can’t recall the last time I had two non-running days in a row. With the hurricane winding down tonight, the greenway may be messed up and the river is rising. Just not feeling confident about tomorrow, probably because I drank and ate too much in Das Festhaus. What a mistake.

Saturday: Long Run! Just do the fucking work.

I woke up to Hurricane Ian leaving some small traces of persistent presence with mist in the air that was just enough to get you wet but not enough to call it “rain”. Approximately 30 seconds into my 15 minute drive my mind starts falling into a deep cavern of doubt. It’s about 57F and misting on a Saturday morning at 7:30am. What the hell am I doing driving to the trail head? Here’s a few thought that went through my weak mind as I was driving.

“Maybe I can reschedule this for tomorrow?” Looking at the weather app, yeah tomorrow looks better.

“Maybe Robert will cancel and this will give me an out” - Yeah, then I won’t feel so bad about changing it to tomorrow.

“This weather fucking sucks!” Yet I know that it’s on runs like this, where it sucks that end up being some of my best runs.

“Well, I’ve had two zero days. I’m not sure this is going to work out so well”

“Fuck it. I’m in the Jeep and already dressed and driving. I have to run.”

I pull into the parking area, not feeling so great about this run in the cold mist and there is Carlos, moreover it’s Carlos, his wife Fely and their baby daughter. Fely is a far superior runner than me, yet I know she’s there to walk. Carlos is there to run and after running 20 miles last week, this 15 miler should be easy. As I’m talking to Carlos more runners show up. Robert, Dave and Amanda arrive, all but sealing my fate to this run.

That’s it. This run is going to happen. There’s no backing out now. Hell, I’m the one that organized this run and invited people. Backing out just wasn’t an option, that’s the weak decision and that won’t help me be prepared for the Marathon. It’d also make me a shitty friend and person.

We get our stuff together, some light stretching and discussed the route and how far everyone is going. Amanda and Dave were going for 10 miles while Carlos, Robert and I are going for 15. Out of this group I’m the weakest link, heaviest and slowest. This ought to be interesting. Even given the fact this will be Robert’s longest run in his lifetime, I suspect he’ll do better than me.

We take off on the run and the pace is set! Amanda is leading the pack, not surprising as she’s an incredible runner and only going for 10. I think we all want to keep up with her so our pace is pretty good. You can see the splits below.

It takes me about two miles to warm up in the 57F weather and mist but the reality is, the weather is about perfect. No sun on our faces, cool weather and a mist that is enough to keep you cool but not a drizzle that makes you miserable. At mile three I’m realizing this is turning out to be a good run. I feel better and we are off.

The route we are taking has some good climbs, this isn’t a nice and flat route like the 18-miler last week. I already know, by my 5 that this is going to be a difficult run, up the hills and in the mist. No doubt this isn’t going to be a great run for me.

We finally make it to the 7.5 mile mark, which included a 1 mile hill climb, a steep downhill grade and then a short flat spurt to the turn around. I come to a walk and text my wife so she knows I’m alive and doing well.

I did well except for the steep upgrade on mile 8, which slowed my pace to a 10’14” due to some walking and stretching out my calves. I walked a few more times on miles 13 and 14. It was right around mile 13.5 that I had to stop because I was dry-heaving! I haven’t experienced that level of exertion in a while. It was weird, it kind of just snuck up on me an caught me off guard. I think it startled Robert as it was so unexpected.

Robert amped me up to finish up to mile 14, we took a short walk and then stepped off to end mile 15. I told myself that I would not walk on that last mile and I didn’t. It was slow, but I got it done. Robert took off to finish up mile 15 and ended up making the last mile his fastest mile. It was an incredible feat of running to witness.

So here were my splits:

And to top it all off, STRAVA informs me I set 5 new PR’s! Mind you’ve I’ve only been using Strava since January 1st, 2022.

Half Marathon: 2:08:07 | 20K: 2:01:02 | 10mile: 1:36:50 | 15K: 1:30:24 | 10K: 59:34

Results: 15.0 mi | Avg Pace: 9’49"| Avg HR: 148 | Best Mile: 9’15”| Feeling Surprised?!

Carlos with the selfie: L-R: Amanda, Robert, Dave and Myself.

Sunday: Zero Day

Today was a zero day as I spent the day resting, relaxing and preparing to travel. Wait until you see pictures of my next running location. Next week I have a planned 20-miler in Paradise.