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@stephen_jeffrey

A Sunday 13.1

Quick email post from the ice bath...
Laced up for 13.1mi, only 3 weeks out from GO! St Louis Marathon.

Mile 1-5: 45:47 (9:09/mi)
Mile 5-10: 40:15 (8:03/mi)
Mile 10-13.1: 23:39 (7:36/mi)- this includes the last 1.1mi at 6:49/mi pace!
T: 1:49:41 (8:22/mi)

Good build as you can see!
Safe Training,
SJP

Sent by Good Messaging (www.good.com)

15 miler

GO! St. Louis Marathon is in 30 days, so I went out for a 15 miler trying to hold MGP (marathon goal pace.) I'm not really sure what my marathon goal is, I am trying to be conservative. 8:40/mi pace would be around a 3:47 marathon, I would be plenty happy with that. So today's goal was to hold 8:40/mi pace, finishing in 2:10. 5 mile splits below...as you can see I exceeded my goal. I need to get a few more 15-20 milers in and we should be good to go!

I ate a bag of Powerbar Gel Blast - Cola Flavor w. Caffeine during my run...AWESOME!!! I highly recommend these. I am not a huge fan of gels, so these are a good alternative.

Mile 1-5 : 43:39 (8:43/mi)
Mile 5-10: 41:23 (8:16/mi)
Mile 10-15: 42:02 (8:24/mi)
Total: 2:07:05 (8:27/mi)

Castlewood Cup Trail Race : Feb 28th

1st Annual Castlewood Cup Trail Race (10.1mi)
Castlewood State Park, St. Louis, MO


I woke up a little before 6am on Saturday to make sure I was ready to pick up Marcus and his buddy Mark by 7am. It was in the mid-20’s when we left town and did not get much warmer before the 10am start. We layered up, checked in and got our race numbers. The temperature had raised to a warm 31 degrees, so we walked back to the car and sat inside until ten minutes to go. After standing the bathroom line for that ten minutes, we were off!

I hadn’t had a chance to run much distance before this race, due to poor weather and I can’t handle running more than 7 miles in the Rec Center. So I thought this race would be a good test and looked at it mostly as training. With that said, I tried to run my butt off! After an easy mile loop on flat, soft grass we hit the first climb and the men were separated from the boys. Unfortunately, I think I was one of the boys today! Running inside on a flat track did not prepare me for the hills I would run today. After the first rocky climb, I caught my breath and got to work. I lead a group of 5 or 6 from mile 3-7ish, with a very heavy breather right behind me….so annoying! I kept waiting for him to pass, but the single track didn’t give us much room. I pulled over at about mile 7.5 for a quick GU…yuck, vanilla. I let heavy breather go and then pushed to finish hard. We came back down hills to finish the last couple miles on flat ground, along with a creek crossing at mile 9. The water wasn’t too high, but I knew it would make for a cold, heavy-footed final mile. I was able to pass a few people in the creek and over the next mile and crossed the finish line right behind my heavy breathing friend.

(Marcus and I at the finish)

Volunteers had space blankets for us and passed out 180 energy drinks (I could of used one before.) I had a hot dog and a handful of M&Ms for my post-race chow. We then changed clothes and hit the road.

Review:
Race : B+, well coordinated for first annual, but could have had a better post race spread.
Effort : B, wasn’t a bad race for me, but wasn’t fantastic. I found out where my fitness was and have an idea of some things to work on. GO! St. Louis Marathon is coming up soon (Apr 19th.)

Quick numbers update...
February:
Swim: 12,200m
Bike: 84mi
Run: 94mi

YTD:
Swim: 29,600m
Bike: 170mi
Run: 166.65mi

Heart of a Champion

I love this video!!! I dare you to watch and not want to go run.



Happy training...

Quick Post

January numbers:

Swim: 17,400 meters
Bike: 86 miles
Run: 72.65 miles

This was a much better January than last year, despite some injuries/recovery.

I am returning the Adidas trail shoes I just picked up. They seem like some good shoes, but they just didn't feel right. Ordered some Asics Banditos from runningwarehouse and they should be here on Wednesday. More gear reviews coming soon.

Go Steelers!

New Shoes...

I just got a new pair of shoes in the mail from Running Warehouse, the Adidas adizero XT. They are advertised as a lightweight trail shoe, but could easily double as a trainer. Took a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. Notice the "wrap-around" tongue, this is something Adidas has been doing for a couple years now. It's coupled with a stretchy nylon strap over the top of the foot. I tried some of Adidas' racers last year, but they didn't work out. I am very excited about these. More to report later!

KC Groundhog 10k : Race Report

The 27th annual running of the Children's TLC Hunt Midwest Groundhog Run took place early this morning in one of the most impressive venues -- The Hunt Midwest Subtropolis. The Subtropolis is the world's largest underground business complex, featuring 5 million square feet of lease space and nearly 7 miles of paved roads. With year-round temperatures between 65 and 68, it is a great chance to run in shorts in January!

Rob, Steve K, Becker, Dan and I drove up in the wind and light snow for the 10am start (5k starts at 9am.) I was excited to start the year off right and was interested to see where my fitness was. I threw out my back 5 weeks ago and had a toe problem after that, so I haven't had too much time to get back on track.

After the singing of the National Anthem, we were off. I took out the first couple miles strong and hit the 5k mark at 21:40ish. I struggled a little after mile 4, but rallied for the final 1.2 miles. I finished in a PR of 44:47 (7:12/mi.) Overall I was happy with my fitness, but a tad disappointed in how I raced...I could have pushed harder.



If you ever get the chance, DO THIS RACE!!! It is amazing. Oh, and they gave out Powerbar Gel Blasts in cola flavor with caffeine...they were good! Give them a try.

Recipe : "Bowls"

Ashley and I made one of my favorite dinners tonight, "bowls." This a recipe we created sometime last year and make at least once a month.

Ingredients:
Spinach, fresh, 1 cup
Tortilla Chips, 28 grams (a handful)
Cheddar Cheese, .25 cup, shredded
Onions, raw, 1 tbsp chopped
Avocado, .5 fruit without skin and seeds
Beans, black, .5 cup
Brown Rice, medium grain, .25 cup
Sour cream, fat free, 20 grams

Directions:
Basically cook the beans and rice and put everything in a bowl!!!

Full nutrition facts are below and as you can see these pack a punch! Great for post workout or race. Plenty of calories, protein, carbs and vitamins. The fat content looks high at first, but most are monounsaturated fats. These are Omega-9 fatty acids, that lower LDL cholesterol, while possibly raising HDL cholesterol. They are also positively associated with breast cancer risk. Most of this comes from the avocado.



Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Gear Review : Asics Hyperspeed II

Asics Hyperspeed II

From Asicsamerica.com:
A wider than normal platform allows this versatile road shoe to offer runners greater stability, making it an excellent choice for racing and speed workouts. The GEL-Hyper Speed™ 2 features a rear-foot GEL® Cushioning System, midfoot trusstic support, and open mesh upper.

Style Number: GN707
U.S. Sugg. Retail: $70.00
Sizes: 4-13,14 (based on men's sizing)
Weight: 6.6 oz.


I raced in these shoes for almost all of 2008 and really liked them. I great lightweight racer with just enough cushion for my frame. I would not recommend for runs much past 13.1 mile or for anyone with a much larger frame than me (168 lbs.)

I run them with Easy Laces and really love them for the simple and light weight upper. They have a good response on the road and feel like I am running barefoot.

So if you want a good racer and don't need a ton on cushioning, then the Asics Hyperspeed II is a great way to go. Right now you can pick them up pretty cheap, if you can find them! Asics finds it necessary to "update"their shoes every year. Sometimes this is a good thing, but unfortunately sometimes they ruin a good thing. I did find a photo online claiming to be the Hyperspeed III, if it is real then I'm looking forward to picking up a pair.




Enjoy!
Stephen