Day 7 Training

Saturday, last day of week one training and I only need to run 3 miles. I did a quick three mile run on Grand Canyon, and everything went really smooth. The extra miles and cycling have not been a problem so far. I am happy to have finished the first week; now only 11 more weeks to go. I was in a hurry tonight--I had movie plans. I love hitting a new movie on Friday nights, and tonight was "Unknown". It turned out to be an awesome movie. Liam Neeson was great, he made the movie.

Tip for the day: I like to wear different watches when I run, but I don't like how sweaty they become. My watch used to slip and slide on my wrist once it got sweaty, but I didn't like cinching the watch up so tight that it wouldn't move, so I came up with this little idea. I just take a regular old sweatband and place the watch on top of it. No more slippery, sweaty watch. This also works great if you wear one of the big Garmin watches, it snugs up the watch on your wrist, especially if you have a small wrist.

Volunteer - Red Rock Marathon & Half

Today (Saturday 5th) was a very busy day! I volunteered to work the Red Rock Marathon & 1/2 put on by Calico Racing. This race takes place out at the Loop in Red Rock. I don't run this race, because I have a bum right knee and the elevation changes would probably blow it out, and I would be done for. Take a look at the elevation chart - hills, hills, hills!

I like to volunteer for a couple of reasons. Races depend upon great volunteers! I know a lot of people have helped out at so many of the events I have participated in, so I like to give a little back. It's the only chance to see some of the great athletes performing. The guy who won the marathon was a thing of beauty in motion. When he came around the corner to the area I was manning, it was like watching a gazelle run. These hills are steep, and this athlete was stretched out and running like they were nothing. He did not have anyone on his heels, which is a testament to how good he is at his sport. He ran a 6:27 min/mile pace. On hills for 26.2 miles! That is fast.

Another benefit of volunteering is that I get to run for free. Most of the event organizer's will give you running credit. If you volunteer at their event, then you get to run one for free. So, this helps keep my running expenses down, and I can still participate. Las Vegas Running Team does this as well as Calico Racing. You can check out their websites for upcoming events and volunteering information.

http://www.lasvegasrunningteam.com/

http://calicoracing.com/

I've attached a few photos of the event. Unfortunately I was so busy directing & encouraging runners that I didn't take any photos of them at my station. =(  Next time.

It was a beautiful day, beautiful athletes, and a beautiful venue!

The beautiful desert & yucca plants

Driving down the course

Finish chute



Unique sandstone awards for overall and age bracket winners



Happy, but tired racer, displaying his hard earned medal

Beautiful Red Rock Canyon "The Loop"

Day 6 Training



This is one of my cycling buddies - Guy

 Today is Friday and the schedule has me down for a rest day, but as I was just worn out yesterday, and did not get in my 3 mile run, I did that today along with a 22 mile bike ride. I rode my bike this morning with my buddy Guy. We did a 13-14 mph pace into the wind for 11 miles, and finally turned and had the wind at our backs, so we kicked the pace up to 16-17 mph. We even had a bit of fun once we turned onto Durango (flat vs. hilly) and I was able to hit a 30 mph pace. Guy was trailing behind, but he pedaled like a mad man to keep up. Hahaha, sorry Guy, but my Scott bike loves the flats and downhills!
My legs were tired today, but that is to be expected with adding the cycling into the run schedule. It's ok to change up your schedule a little, as long as you are not regularly deleting training runs from your schedule. Listen to your body, and if you are sick or tired, sometimes it's better to adjust a little rather than get bummed out and depressed, and then beat yourself up for not sticking to the schedule. Remember, you're the boss!
Around 6 pm I went out for my 3 mile run. I just love running in the dark for some reason. In the summer when it get's really hot I'll be doing my runs in the early morning when it is cooler; around 5 am. I had a pretty good run, but couldn't get accurate run stats from my Nike +. I've been running with the Nike + for a few years, and it has served me well, but I would love to upgrade to a Garmin. SOON! The Nike + is pretty affordable and the one benefit over the GPS is that it does not have to link to a satellite, so if you run under bridges, through tunnels, or under heavy tree canopy it still records your stats. You can also set the distance you want to run and receive voice feedback on how far into your run you are. So, it has a couple of cool features, and works easily with an iPod Nano. I have a Nathan pod pocket that switches easily to my different running sneakers. Like I said, it has served me well, and I will probably still use it even with a GPS watch, but I am so ready to upgrade. Nike has been awesome, because I fried the sensor pod one time when I ran in the rain and we hit about a foot of water gushing down Twain. They replaced the whole unit for me for free.

iPod with receiver for Nike + and Nathan shoe pod

Overall it was a great first week of training. I am feeling pretty good, and so I've decided to adjust my Sunday long runs a bit. I am adding one extra mile to each long run on Sunday. It just gives me more confidence that on race day I will be able to run strong.