Well it was not as bad as I thought, but I am still out of real running shape and need some real work. Here is a little detail of the Lake Union 10K which I finished in 48:33 a 7:47 pace

* Mile 1 – A little tight at the start, but a nice first mile. Will never understand why people who are slow and know they are slow must start up front. Mile 1 done in 7:36

* Mile 2 – Starting to feel pretty good. Group spaces out and there is now room to run. Find a nice little pace group to run with.Think everyone in the group has a Garmin, we all beep at the end of Mile 2. Mile 2 7:30

* Mile 3 – Crap, here come the hills and a little wind. About halfway through the climb I realize I may have bit off more than I could chew. Starting to fade. Mile 3 7:55

* Mile 4 – These hills will not let up. As we enter Eastlake there are a couple of hills that are short but lung searing, way too steep for a residential area and the shape I am in. Mile 4 7:52

* Mile 5 – Finally some flat areas and I am starting to kick this engine in. Actually feeling good and chasing some girl with an awesome tattoo on the back of her neck. Mile 5 7:30

* Mile 6 – I may have gone a little too early on my final “kick”. Look to finish this in sub 7:00 but cannot muster the energy. 7:03

Overall this was an awesome race and am very happy to be back in the game. Looking forward to a few more fall races, hopefully a half-marathon

• 0 Comments

Pray for me, tomorrow is my first timed race in about 14 months, the Lake Union 10K here in Seattle, WA.

The course map does not indicate the hills involved in this race, which while not lung searing are a pain in the ass.

While in the past I would look to run a sub-40:00 10K, I am hoping I survive this one and run this in under 50:00 minutes.

Lake Union 10K

• 1 Comment

Now that I am finally back in a running groove I am going to try to fix my form, which sucks. I have had my cadence analyzed a few times and the report is always the same, not enough steps and I am over-striding. This causes performance issues (makes me slow) and can cause injuries.

Now for those who do not know what the issue is, when running your stride rate, the number of times your foot hits the floor should be about 180-190 steps per minute. An easy way to measure this, is time yourself on your next run for one minute and count how many times your left foot hits the ground. The ideal number is 85-95, I am barely hitting 80.

This is a problem of over-striding and I really want to fix it and am looking for help. If anybody has had success in correcting this issue please post your ideas in the comments. I am sure it is an answer many people would be interested in.

• 1 Comment