a special guest appearance...

Ok...so here's the scoop...this Sunday at our friends running/tri-shop in Arlington Heights they are bringing in a very special guest speaker for the afternoon...She is a gold medal winner at the Women's Cycling Time Trial for Team USA at the Beijing Olympics...here's a few pic's to keep you guessing...

Her name is Kristin Armstrong (no relation to that other armstrong) and she is a wicked cyclist!!! K and I are going to the shop Sunday afternoon for her speaking engagement there...we can't wait and you all know how much I love racing cycling Time Trials :-)

"Kristin Armstrong of the United States rides during the women's individual time trial of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games cycling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 13, 2008. Kristin Armstrong finished the 23.5km course with a total time of 34:51.72 and won the gold medal of that event."

Also they are attempting to have a group ride that day with Kristin Armstrong depending on what mother nature throw's at us this Sunday in chicagoland ;-)

I so can't wait...

b

drizzly rain running...

Thursday evening:

Went for yet another 6 mile run in the neighborhood afterwork again in the light rain with balmy southern winds for fall time. Total time was 52:08 with a pace of 8:41 plus average HR of 127bpm...miles 3, 4 & 5 again were p/u tempo pace with a max HR on that last half mile of 147bpm...my body is tired but I pushed thru it :-)

b

just a run...

Tuesday evening:

Ran afterwork for 6 miles in the neighborhood region in 51:40 for a pace of 8:36 plus an average HR of 129bpm. Miles 3, 4 & 5 were pick-up tempo pacing with my left glute/hamstring yelling at me...

b

random thought's...

I will be running the NYCM with my wife the whole distance...an experience with her that I would never think of passing up :-)

I rec'd my NYCM bib # which is 14483 in the orange start via wave 1 at 9:40am but I shall bump back to K's wave 2 at 10am in her corral for the entire race...Our bus transport is at 4:30am at the NY Public Library...it will be here before we know it ;-)

b

back at it...

Saturday morning:

K and I headed down to Lake Michigan not so early last Saturday to re-kindel the training efforts now towards New York. We needed to run 12 miles dependent on how our bodies felt only 6 days after Chicago. We parted our seperate ways after the first half mile of running together as a warm-up portion at our own paces southward down the lakefront path.

I was surprised once again how good my legs felt so soon after a marathon but I controlled the pacing the whole way through. I ran the 12.1 miles in 1:41:52 for a mile pace of 8:25 plus an average HR of 141bpm. I was happy when it was over with though ;-)

b

NYCM and just beyond...

Well now that the Chicago Marathon 2008 version is in the history books it's time to start-up a new interim blog with a few objectives to obtain.

1st on November 2nd 2008 I shall be running in the New York City Marathon with my wife Kristen...I cannot wait to share this experience of this race with her since we have both not run in this race yet at this time. Also this will be the 11th marathon for each of us as were now in the double digits 'thon wise :-)

After New York I will allow a very proper recovery timeframe from any sort of structured running training program. I'm am continuing to see my Sports Orthopedic Chiropractor for my lower back and glute/leg/foot pain. I will probably during this down time have a MRI done of my L4 & 5 herniated discs to see if they have worstened over the last several years since my last MRI...

The only race I'm currently signed up for in 2009 is the Indy Mini Half Marathon as I will not be doing a spring marathon in 2009. K and I plan on tackling the Steelhead half IM in August 09 again for payback to a proper HIM...I would like to race a second half IM somewhere in 2009 but I have plenty of time deciding on that thru the late fall/winter months...also K & I plan on racing a full IM in 2010 which I'm so looking forward to this new challenge :-)

Thanks for following my path and course with my training/racing as always...

b

B's Chicago Marathon Race Report...

Going into Chicago this year I was planning on attempting to BQ but with mother nature not cooperating yet again for the second year in a row and the lack of my proper training for this event due to nagging running injuries all year I was realistic about my chances of making this goal last Sunday as I only logged 454 training miles this year in 18 weeks compared to last year logging 862 training miles towards Chicago 2007 in 18 weeks. . Still as I walked into corral C I lined up with the 3:30 pacing team and was gonna give it a shot anyways.

As the starting gun went off I was already warm even with the bare minimum clothing to be wore that is acceptable in our society. I’m a tall guy that does not like warm/hot weather unless I’m at a beach somewhere on vacation with a proper drink in my hand. About a quarter mile into the marathon heading up Columbus you are running thru a lower drive tunnel zone for about another quarter mile which act’s like a pottery kiln oven which gets you nice and toasty out of the gate. After that the first nine miles of the race I was running close (but not too close to smother) to the 3:30 pacers but my HR was much too high due to the hot weather that day plus I was finding it a challenge to keep pace. Just after mile 9 I spotted & abruptly shouted out hello to Chris V. watching from the sidelines so he re-energized me. As I reached the 13.1 mile digital sign my watch said 1:46:19 for the 1st half but my body was cooking itself. At that point I initiated my “B” plan which was to turn this into a training run to make it to the finishing line safely so I gingerly took off the 3:30 pacing bib off my lower back of my singlet and disposed of it properly…now the monkey was off my back.

Anyone whom has run this race knows from about mile 13.5 to the finish line there pretty much exists no shade for protection from the hot sunlight with no breeze this day also. As I ran the last half of the marathon at a cruiser pace hundreds which felt like thousands of runners streamed by me. As I chugged along at my pace I got payback time for those individuals as a lot of runners were starting to walk by mile 18 as they went out to quickly and the folks were really starting to fade just after Chinatown near mile 22 which provided me with a lot of energy. As the I crossed over the Dan Ryan Expressway bridge I found a welcomed sight – the Hash Hounds Harriers were there offering their usual Dixie cup size beverages of Old Style which tasted great at that point. As I reached Michigan Avenue near mile 23.4 I got re-energized again because I knew the end was near and a lot of runners were walking at this point. Also the spectator support on Michigan Ave was fantastic this year the whole way to the finish line. At mile 25.2 I kicked the pace up slightly and felt solid going up Mt. Roosevelt (spotted Chris V. again) to turn left at the top for the .2 mile finishing chute straight away as I kicked it into a track workout repeat finish. This was the first year for me that no one passed me heading down Columbus Drive as I passed suffering runners.

I crossed the finish line in 3:47:32 for an 8:40 mile pace with an average HR of 145bpm & a max HR of 157bpm heading to the finish. That ice cold Goose Island 312 never tasted better also in the finish area, thanks marathon management for bringing back a real beer back to the race. I waited back in the CARA tent where more 312 was available for consumption as I patiently waited for my wife to finish (4:28:xx as a Sherpa) and the rest of our training group friends to finish. Everyone arrived safely compared to last year…

As I reflect now a few days after the race I can honestly say I made the right decision out there on race day because I ran well within my current abilities and ran the race & finished with a smile on my face the whole way. I’m really looking forward to running the New York City Marathon with my wife Kristen in a few weeks time to share that great experience together also :-)

B

I survived...

Just a short note for now about the Chicago Marathon yesterday...I finished the race conservatively...I will post up a proper race report over the next couple days ;-)

Chip time: 3:47:32

Brian

Well it's time again...

Tomorrow will be the Chicago marathon one once and it looks like it might me a tough day in the heat & humidity...Indian Summer is here with a vengeance in in Chicagoland...two years in a row for this race...not much you can do about Mother Nature ;-)

b

B's 10 Mile Time Trial Race Report...

ABD Cycling Club 10 Mile Biking Time Trial Report:

*** Be Warned...it's long winded ***

On Saturday morning I left home long before the sun even though about shining for a small town named Maple Park which is about 7 miles east of DeKalb, IL. This town is out in the middle of cornfield country Illinois and ever spring & fall the big Chicagoland Cycling Club ABD put on an awesome 10 mile cycling Time Trial. I missed the spring race this year because it was on the same day as the Athens Ohio marathon I was running and there was no way I was going to miss this race even if Chicago is next weekend. So I missed by last 8 mile training run but this is so much more well worth it to race in.

My start time was at 9:02am as I was the second bike to let loose on this awesome course. But before I race I warm-up properly for about 40 minutes on my Kinetic trainer slowly working up my HR to LT zone where a cyclist needs to ride a good Time Trial. About a half hour before my start time I un-hook the bike from the trainer, make sure all bike components are operating properly, change into the TT race outfit and consume an eGel right at this point. Then I head out on the long open stretch of two lane county roads surrounded by cornfields for some high-speed blasts to make sure my bike and body are working properly plus it gets me used to the TT aero-position. The temps were perfect for me at 45 degrees (runners like cool weather) as I pulled into the starting line lane and I was more than ready to roll.

Right at 9:01am the rider with the number one bib took off and I moved up to the starting line as each rider starts at a one minute intervals. There are a couple ABD officials at the starting line as one of them holds your bike vertical via the seat for you as you can then have both shoes in the clips for maximum power right from the start. They use a countdown analog timer just like when I used to downhill ski race in College which really gets the adrenaline going before the ten second beep countdown for release…10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Blast off I go and within 23 seconds I’m near my low end of my LT heart rate zone (for biking) already around 157bpm plus I’m already in my proper gears for the ten mile time trial. As you turn out of the neighborhood region left at full speed your back in your aero position quickly and pounding out the pedals while on the rolling county roads heading east. After an approximate three mile straight away the county road sweeps nicely to the left (northward) before you sent up for the 45 degree right hand turn that turns you eastward again for about a half mile before a very tight hairpin 180 degree turn and then you blast back westward one again semi-county road where its another right turn at fullspeed heading back northward on the better county road. The road sweeps nicely once again to the right before the 2nd & last of the hairpin turns so then you can let it fly all the way back to the finishline clock since your on the nice county road for the rest of the way. About a rolling hill mile and a/half away from the finishline I took my HR into my cycling "red zone" as my hamstrings & cardio were screaming at me to stop it but it’s an awesome short-term pain at this point.

As I crossed the finishline I pushed my Polar HR lap button which showed my time for 10 miles at 23:29…I PR’d this same course from 2006 which I rode it in then at 25:58…that’s a big PR in that short of a cycling Time Trail…below are my race stat’s:

10 miles in 23:29 – average speed of 25.55mph or 41.12kph & my max speed was at the finishline at 28.4mph – my average HR was 156bpm with a max at the finish of 161bpm – my average cadence was at a torquey 93rpm and a max cadence of 105rpm coming off the 2nd hairpin turn…

You can break down the average speed for my Time Trial ride in several ways…I averaged 2 minutes and 21 seconds per mile or 1 minute 28 seconds per kilometer or 11.42 meters per second...

Anyway you look at it I was simply ecstatic in my cycling performance this morning. On my 3 mile cool-down ride I realized that nothing running wise gives me such an adrenaline high as a biking Time Trial. I wish I could bottle this "feeling" for every running race I do.

When I got back to my car I talked for alittle time to some of cycling friends, then I loaded my biking gear in the vehicle and changed into my running clothes and headed out on the chipped, gravelly roads in the other direction westward of the bike race thru the 8 foot high cornfields surrounding me on both sides for an out & back 5.6 mile run in 45 minutes and 11 seconds which is a pace of 8:03 per mile as my average HR was still high from the ride at 144bpm but I wasn’t feeling any pain because of the awesome bike ride I just completed.

When I got home I was very happy to see in the final results in the Citizens Men’s class I tied for 3rd place in my group out of 27 riders…below is a link to the results and also to the course map…

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pD2UGnLl-8p__WM3EUt74Kw

http://www.twodogzdesign.com/cycle08/TTMap10408.jpg

Oh yeah...I decide to take a day of rest from exercising on Sunday :-)

Thanks for reading my long winded race report…

b

rabbits everywhere...

Thursday morning:

After deciding yesterday to give my body some more rest which was greatly needed I decided this morning to go out and run my 800 meter intervals in our neighborhood region. It was 46 cool degrees with a slight NNE wind so I wore my CW-X running tights with running shorts over them, a dri-fit long-sleeve shirt, dri-fit lightweight skull cap and gloves. Start time was at 6am in total darkness with an easy mile warm-up as the rabbits were out galore this morning…as the bunnies were zipping around all over the place I was wishing I had their speed but for 26.2 miles of it ;-)

I ran 4 by 800 meter repeats with 2 minute recover jog in-between each. Below are my repeat times, average & max HR per repeat also…

800 meters – 3:31 – AHR 140bpm – MHR 145bpm
800 meters – 3:24 – AHR 141bpm – MHR 147bpm
800 meters – 3:27 – AHR 141bpm – MHR 149bpm
800 meters – 3:19 – AHR 143bpm – MHR 152bpm

After the repeats I ran a cool-down mile at a recovery pace. The repeats didn’t feel so bad but I really did not push myself 100% as to preserve my running legs for the Marathon on October 12th. My speedwork towards Chicago has not been top-notch this year like last years preparation. Last year I ran a very similar workout at the same time before Chicago were I ran 6 by 800 meters all in the time range of 3:12 to 3:16…what a difference a year can make.

As always taking one run at a time…

b

saturdays time trial info is posted...

ABD Cycling Club has just posted the 10 mile Time Trial map for this Saturday as shown below. It's back to the old style two hairpin course due to the Illinois State Police...last time I raced this 10 mile TT style course I finished in 25:58 for an average pace of 23.45mph back in April 2006...

The better news is the first rider goes off at 9:01 am and I am rider number two which leaves at 9:02am...so far a rider goes off every minute and the last person currently registered starts at 11:40am with registration still open... http://www.abdcycling.com/racesevents/2008/Fling/flinginfo.htm

Pleasant Prairie Oly Tri 40k bike 08.08 - split 1:01:59

Can't wait for Saturday as my current running injuries do not effect my cycling abilities at all...a positive note as I will be riding this event an-aerobically :-)

b

thanks for the notes :-)

Thank you Trish & Steve for the notes about my running health...I haven't really talked about it much this fall but it's the same problems I was experiencing in spring/early summer...below is my blog entry from April 27th 2008 about what I'm currently going thru once again since early September...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From An April 27th blog entry:

"Back before I started running again in the summer of 2004 in late 2001 and the summer of 2002 I was diagnosed with 5 bulged/herniated discs in my spine...in the Lumbar region it's the L4 & L5 discs, in the Thoracic region it's the T6 and in the Cervical region it's the C4 & C5. The Doc's all stated they were not of the surgury requirement type because post-surgery scarring would out-weigh the benefits.

It took me a couple years to adjust but by spring 2004 I was feeling healthy once again...I mentioned that I have been running thru some health issues since mid-February this winter and it all stems from lower back "Sciatic Nerve" pain which has only worstened since then...running is quite painful at this point even as I mentally blocked it out during yesterdays 8 mile run. I used two icy/hot back pads on my lower back/glute region during this run in the form of an inverted V sign "/\" which masks the pain only so much...(now I use Kinesio tape)

I have tried everything over the last two months such as lite core strength training, my yoga routines, stretches, ice baths, heating pads, etc...these are short term solutions at best. My glutes, hammies, calves and heels of both legs besides my lower back at what are affected the most. These major running muscle groups never get a chance to recover hence when I run (or sit/walk) it always feels like any one of these major muscle groups are going to cramp/knot up at any point which affects my running stride length drastically...anyhow...I'm confident that I can overcome this setback with proper treatment once again.

I have a appointment with a running group friends Sports Chiropractor as the Doctors are marathon runners also on May 5th...The amazing part is I can tri-bike and swim with very minimal dis-comfort...

Sorry for the rant in my blog about the health issues I'm experiencing currently for the last several months but I thought I would bring that out into the open...

Thank you all for patience and understanding :-)

Brian"

evening run...

Tuesday night:

With the cooler weather upon us at this time I went our for a basic 6.1 mile recovery training run in the neighborhood region. Nothing special to report about here as I ran the 6.1 miles in 52:21 for a pace of 8:34 and an average HR of 126bpm. Body is still not healing...frustrating at this point...

I have my next sports chiro appt on Oct. 7th so yes I'm still taking one run at a time...

b