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Mar 13/02 Ken: Gate River Run
3/11/02 Feb 25: Off (sick)
Feb 26: Sick again, $%#@&!!
Feb 27: Nada, yet again
Feb 28: Treadmill run 69 minutes (6 miles); 30 minutes weights
Mar 1: Bike trainer 90 minutes (23 miles)
Mar 2: Off
Mar 3: OffMar 4: Off (I'm calling it a taper)
Mar 5: Treadmill run 69 minutes (6 miles); weights 40 minutes
Mar 6: Off
Mar 7: Off - Travel
Mar 8: Walk 150 minutes
Mar 9: Gate River Run 15K, 1:39:19
Mar 10: Off - Travel*********************************************
Week one of this period was not a good one. A sinus infection coupled with two strong low pressure areas moving through (including one that dropped 11" of snow) left me with headaches like someone was trying to escape my sinuses from the inside using a pickaxe. I was only able to get in one run and one bike
session. I had one day off work and one day going in late, after much self medication. My training plan was shot to hell - no swim, 2+ hours under scheduled bike time, 1:20 under scheduled run time.Week two I'm now officially calling a taper. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. I was able to get in one run of 6 miles and weights. Again, no bike and no swim. Not good for my triathlon training.
On Thursday we traveled to my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, for the Gate River Run 15K. It was also an opportunity to visit my Mom, who still lives in the house I grew up in. Weather cooperated, with upper 70s and sunshine the entire time. This
after coming from a 4 degree F. Monday (with wind chill of 20 degrees) in Chicago.Thursday was pretty much out as a training day because of travel - which includes four backpack searches and two shoe searches at the airport - and family commitments. Friday we went to Jacksonville Beach; I was considering a run, but decided it probably wasn't a good idea with the race less than 24 hours away. Instead we took a long walk on the beach, for the better part of 2-1/2 hours, followed by a nice shrimp dinner.
The Gate River Run 15K was Saturday morning. This year was the 25th anniversary, with a special finishers medal. The race starts at the Jaguars stadium, runs through downtown, over the St. John's River, through the San Marco and San Mateo historic
neighborhoods, then back over the river on the Hart Bridge called the "Hart Breaker," it's more than a half mile uphill at a 6% grade. The top is mile 8, so from there it's downhill back to the stadium and the finish.The race course was a bit familiar. I ran by the hospital where I was born, by the apartment building where my aunt once lived, and through streets in San Marco where we used to hang out as teenagers. Crowd support was good, and 10 water stations for the 9.3 mile course.
The day was one of the hottest for the history of the race upper 70s and 90% humidity. My goal was a 1:45 finish, running in Zone 4 according to my heart rate monitor. Interestingly enough, my heart rate never hit maximum and was only in Zone 4 for a total of 13 minutes. Obviously my heart is pumping good but my legs can't keep up with it. Even doing my 5/1's, and walking through the water stops, I was still holding around a 10:30 pace. Until I hit the Hart Bridge. You could see from the bottom everyone walking up, so I did a combination walk and short-stride shuffle. Coming down was easy but even that last .3 mile flat section was hard because you were so tired from the up and down hill. Final time was 1:39:19, a 10:41 pace. Finished 3317 out of something over 7000 entrants, so a victory dance for me finishing in the top half!
Now back to cold weather running - the start of the Chicago racing season is the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in two weeks.
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Previous Ken journal: Difficult week, Feb 27
Next Ken journal: Shamrock Shuffle, etc., Mar 27
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