Run 12/30/2008 2.7mi@21:23

This was another quick run just to get me enough miles to get over the 60-miles-for-the-month hurdle. It is busy around here with friends and family visiting, so the hard core training will have to wait until next week when things return to normal (at least as normal as things get around here!) I picked up a new book yesterday called "Run Less Run Faster" that details a specific running plan for getting faster. I plan on using that plan for the next 12 weeks to see what kind of improvements I can make. I'll post the specifics of my plan later. I have to combine the scheduled workouts with paces based on my best 5K time. Something else that will probably have to wait until next week.

Run 12/28/2008 2.5 mi@20:20

Nothing fancy here, just 5 times around the block. All I need is 2.5 more miles this month, and I will have achieved my first 60 mile month! What a way to close out 2008. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going in 2009.

Run 12/27/2008 4.66 mi@37:44

Another perfect morning to run the Melbourne Causeway! The temperature was about 70 with a pretty steady wind coming out of the south. Guess that is why it has been so humid here the last few days. I'll take that over winds coming out the north this time of year any day! A few of us ran to the beach to look at the waves, but they were pretty chopped up. It doesn't matter, because I'm not going in the water anyway. Too cold for me. I have a friend coming to visit this week, and I'm sure he will want to get in. I'll do it just to say that I did it, but I won't enjoy it. I know what warm water feels like and I prefer it!

Run 12/25/2008 4.12 mi@36:07

Merry Christmas! It's been a busy day and I almost talked myself out of running tonight, but after the HUGE dinner that I ate, I had to do something. So I put my gear on and headed out the door with a goal of running an easy 4 miles. I felt that dinner most of the way, but now I feel a little more settled (mentally and physically). Time for another slice of Shoo-fly pie!

2009 Planned Races

Here is the list of planned races for the first half of 2009:

Circle of Life 5K
January 9th, 2009

Harris Family Medical Center 5K
January 24th, 2009

Run for the Light 5K
January 31st, 2009

Tiger Dash 10K
February 7th, 2009

ESPN The Weekend 5K
February 28th, 2009

Brevard Zoo 3K
March 7th, 2009

Eye of the Dragon 10K
March 14th, 2009

Downtown Melbourne 5K
April 4th, 2009

Space Walk of Fame 8K
April 11th, 2009

Melbourne Art Festival 5K
April 25th, 2009

Run for the Gecko 5K
May 9th, 2009

Run 12/23/2008 3.50 mi@29:31

I was supposed to meet a friend in the neighborhood for a run this morning, but we missed each other at the start and ended up chasing each other through the neighborhood. I dressed warm since I headed out before 6:00 AM, but it was warmer than I expected and I ended up being over dressed. Strike 2! But it was a nice run and even nicer to get it out of the way first thing in the morning. I've decided to do the Set Goals Not Limits camp again in January, and since we meet in the evenings, I'll save my morning runs for the weekends.

Run 12/21/2008 5.0ish mi@42:15ish

This was an unplanned run. A friend and I took our boys to the skatepark this morning, but I didn't really come prepared to run - no GPS watch, no $120 running shoes, no coordinated running outfit, etc. But, since I was there with nothing else to do, and I did want to run sometime today, I decided to give it a go. I was still tired from the 2 mile race last night, but I took it slow and enjoyed the beautiful Florida morning. The time and distance are approximate, but close enough.

Jingle Bell 2 Miler

The last official race of 2008 and the 3rd race in the Running Zone Race Series. I finished in 14:06, good enough for 113th out of 927 overall and 10th out of 52 in my age group. The start was really congested and that slowed me down in the first quarter mile or so. I was hoping to finish in under 14 minutes and the slow start might have been the difference. I did manage to pass several people in this race that usually beat me in 5Ks though. I think if I start mixing in more speed work during my workouts I can move up a little in the standings, but some of the times in my age group (40-44) are really fast. Winning isn't everything and this past year of running has been a great experience. I now look forward to every race that I can participate in. Next up is the Circle of Life 5K at Animal Kingdom in early January. I'm looking for 22:45 at that one!

Here is the link to the official results.

Run 12/19/2008 2.51 mi@22:45

Run 12/17/2008 3.65 mi@33:27

Run 12/14/2008 7.16 mi@1:01:36

2008 5K Race Time Chart

Reindeer Run 5K (Cape Canaveral, FL)

This was my first race under 23 minutes. My final time was 22:56 which was only good enough for 10th place in my age group, but I will take it! Usually the 40-44 group isn't this competitive. It was cold at the start (less than 50 degrees) and a little windy. Turned out the winds were straight out of the north again, and the finish had us running straight into the wind for the last mile or so. I wanted to slow down somewhere around 2.5 miles, but when I finally saw the finish line I could see that I had a chance to come in under 23 minutes. I didn't leave much room to spare, but I made it. My next 5K will be at Animal Kingdom in January, and I'm hoping for another PR then. We'll see. It can only get harder from here.



Here is a video of the race. I made a small cameo at about the 4 minute mark.

After the run, a group of us enjoyed breakfast at the Omelet Station in Cocoa Beach.

Here is a link to the official results and below is the data from my watch.

Run 12/10/2008 3.0 mi@26:38

Run 12/7/2008 5.00 mi@44:47

Beta 5K

The event that started it all! One year ago we held the 1st Annual Beta 5K and today we had the second installment in the series. What a difference a year makes. Last year I walked quite a bit and finished in about 35 minutes. After a year of running, I'm able to complete a 5K without walking and I finished this year in 23:30. Not bad. Nobody thought we would keep this up, but we have and I think most are looking forward to another year of running.

Run 12/5/2008 2.52mi@21:38

Run 12/3/2008 5.59 mi@52:05

Vacation is over! After not running since Saturday in TN, I decided to go for a longer run this evening. I bundled up for a chilly run, but discovered about half way that it wasn't very chilly tonight. I hate being cold, but being over dressed on a run isn't all that great either. Anyway, I pushed through and ended up doing about 5.6 miles. I'm a little sore now, but hopefully in the morning I'll feel better. At least tomorrow is the end of the work week.