Sunday, March 28, 2010

15 seconds of fame


I recently had the opportunity to attend a running clinic sponsored by Mcleods sports medicine. I received some great stretching advice, examination by a physical therapist, and video gate analysis. Which revealed that I have a neutral and efficient gate. Who would have thought that?
While just hanging out, I was asked if I would mind doing an interview. I actually thought the young lady meant she was doing some type of survey. Next thing I know, she is clipping a microphone to my shirt, and telling me not to pay attention to the huge TV camera. So, I was on the local news, getting my legs examined by a physical therapist, and speaking briefly on TV. I have proof. Check out the video.

Friday, March 19, 2010


Well better late than never. Back in January I was debating if I should run the Mcleods half marathon. My excuse for not running it was the weather forecast(predicting 18f at race time). I was also experiencing some soreness in my left calf, which I will elaborate on later. I procrastinated as long as I could, and finally signed up on the last day for online registration. I also have to give some props to Ashland Dave, as I made my final decision while listening to his "Running In The Center Of The Universe" podcast. I dont remember his exact quote, but it said something to the effect of, " you cant get a finishers medal unless you get to the starting line. That was just enough to push me over the edge.
Now to the race. It was actually a little warmer than expected, 23f insted of 18f. To be perfectly honest, after the first mile, I never thought about the cold. My goal was to run a sub 2hr half, which meant I needed to run around a 9 minute per mile pace. So I started at the back in an effort not to get caught up with the faster runners and go out to fast. It turned out well, however it took a little time to get through some slower runners and walkers.
I set my Garmin for 1 mile splits and quickly found my 9 minute per mile pace.The splits where as follows.

mile 1 9:02
2 8:56
3 9:09
4 9:01
5 9:04
6 9:11
7 9:00
8 8:57
9 8:59
10 8:58
11 8:51
12 8:52
13 9:08

As you can see, I was pretty close to the 9 min per mile pace through out. With mile 11 and 12 being my fastest. I really felt strong after mile 12 and was planning on picking up the pace a little for the remainder of the race. However, I didnt realize most of it was on a single track trail. I didnt mind running the trail, I just could not find a rhythm when I got off road.
I finished the half in 1:58:10, and actually felt really strong throughout.

However, I am now nursing a sore left calf, that wont seem to heal. I have cut my mileage way back, and have really been focusing on stretching. Hopefully I can get that behind me, and focus on the next race, which has yet to be determined.