Strange Season So Far...

Late February, I started running again. I had surprised myself last fall with a 24:17 5K PR and a respectable 2:02:49 half marathon, but until February hadn't really been running more than once or twice a week since last October.

Since February, I have been trying to keep my runs to a minimum of 60 minutes while maintaining a low heart rate. Listening to all 65 minutes of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" album has accompanied me through most of these runs. I wasn't really focused on anything else. I lost 20 lb in about 6 weeks. I noticed that I felt great on the soccer field (I still sucked at soccer, but I felt fast). The good results from building this base have continued...

I have had 3 PRs in the last 40 days.

1. Burns Park 5K - 00:20:35 (00:03:42 faster than previous PR, 2010 Ann Arbor Turkey Trot)




2. Bayshore Marathon 10K - 00:42:39 (00:09:33 faster than previous PR, 2005 Nike Run Hit Wonder)




3. Dexter Ann Arbor Half - 01:43:43 (00:19:06 faster than previous PR, 2010 Detroit Half Marathon)

For the first time in my life, I feel like I am running fast. I know that I'm not speedy by some people's standards, but it has been a lot of fun.

What is next? I don't know. I have signed up for three sprint tris, the TRex Series, so that should keep me busy for the near term. I also signed up for a 5k swim, the Swim to the Moon race in September.

I am a little worried that the races distract from the consistent 60 minute runs, which is probably the whole reason that I am running faster. I want to make sure I keep the focus on those long slow runs. Based on the McMillan race predictor, I should have run the half faster, so maybe working on endurance is the right thing to do. I could probably lose another 5 lbs too, I think 180 might be an ideal weight for my 6'3" frame. Based on recent results, I'd love to take down that 04:39:51 marathon PR from 2005 but a soon to be expanding family (November due date) might limit the free time. I'm okay with that, there will be more chances to run!