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Tag Archives: Austin Marathon

The ATX Half

16 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Austin Marathon

LASQ1934

They serve chips n queso after the Austin Half Marathon.  If the 95% humidity didn’t give it away already, that’s how you know this run is in Texas.  This food and drink was in the VIP tent.  I’m a gentleman runner.

IMG_4176

My Imogene Pass running t-shirt struck up a lot of shout-outs throughout the course.  One young lady actually rubbed my back as she passed me and commented on the IPR.  That might have got her fired in the workplace.  I was already a little freaked out about the coronavirus amidst sixteen thousand runners.

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I’m not in the best shape to run a half.  After my experience in Aspen last summer, I expected to maybe walk the last two or three miles, but I felt comfortable the entire course – even on the hills in the final three miles.

rite flyers

My brother-in-law played with the Rite Flyers at the six mile point along Cesar Chavez.  I’ve run this half before, and the full marathon maybe four times.  Tough course, but one of my favorite runs.

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Off Days

19 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Austin Marathon, Bolder Boulder, LoBo Trail, UT Alumni Center

UT Alumni CenterCan’t be on every day.  Not every race runs to plan and not every workout is spectacular.  The trick is to not let the bad performances get you down.  This is one of the lessons of sports.  You have to lose to learn how to win.  I felt heavy all weekend, both on my 15 miler yesterday and my 8 miler today.  I can’t point to anything.  My legs were heavy and my attitude sort of blah.  About like I felt here in front of the UT Alumni Center at 25 miles into the Austin Marathon, running one of my slowest miles of the race.  But not all miles were like this and it was a good race overall.  Looking forward to next week.

I need strong motivation to work speed drills into my workouts.  It’s not easy running fast solo.  I should maybe consider running with a team.  I won’t because I don’t want to work with other people’s schedules, but I’m aware of the benefits.  I’ve been adding some fartleks into my daily runs and I like running fast.  Unless I’m feeling strong and quick though, I skip the speed workout.  Sluggish and speed don’t go well together.

I’m working on speed to prepare for the Bolder Boulder.  For some reason my race plan is to beat myself – my time 26 years ago.  That race is too competitive to think I can medal in my age division so I’ve contrived my own personal two man race – me against me.  My muscles need to re-learn how to run fast though.  And I need to work on my cardio for those hills.  The snow and rain made my hilly trails too muddy this weekend so I ran the Lobo Trail, which is almost perfectly flat.

A young girl passed me after five miles yesterday and made me realize I’d slowed down for no good reason.  I chased after her for the next mile because she wasn’t running a pace beyond my limits.  Once she noticed me though she sped up and I lost her.  That was arguably a bit early to start racing in a 15 mile run, but it suggests my sluggishness was mental.  Today, despite starting out super slow I did in fact loosen up a bit and got in a few faster miles.  But then, for whatever slacker reason I quit a quarter mile short and walked in.  This weekend was a waste but there are five more weeks.  Training starts for reals tomorrow.

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Texas Race Photos

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Braunfest 5K, runforapurpose 5K, Shoes and Brews, Twisted X 5K

twisted finish lineI think I’m finally starting to lose my double chin.  I know this because race photographers continue to think upward angle shots are a good idea.  Amateurs.  I shouldn’t complain over a free race photo, but then the registration fee was a bit pricey for a little 5K with no road closures.  I still can’t get over all the 5Ks around Central Texas.  There are over a half dozen each weekend in the Austin metro alone.  A baker’s dozen if you expand the radius to New Braunfels and the surrounding hill country.  Apparently you can’t have an event without a 5K.  I couldn’t find any tenable 10Ks.  The Twisted X 5K is the only one that provided race photos.  I like this one because it shows me finishing ahead of my buddy Ken.  He passed me at two miles.  I can assure you that was not part of my race plan, but racing him for the final mile was priceless.

Lakeway Jimmy IveyI already posted my only photo from the Lakeway Runforapurpose 5K, which I ran a week before the Twisted X 5K.  They took awards photos, some of which they posted in the Austin-American Statesman.  I’ve been unsuccessful at finding my photo so here is a pic of the runner who beat me, 24 year old Jimmy Ivey.  This race posted age graded results, and by that measure, I beat him.  But then Ken beat me with his age graded time, in fact he came in first.  This race was memorable, if not for being the first time I raced with Ken in 30 years, for the monster hills.  My thighs are still sore.

LettiThe Braunfest 5K took photos of us receiving our medals, but never made them available.  Doesn’t matter, this picture of me standing with Letty in the post run beer tasting tent is better anyway.  That was a big beer morning.  The most unique thing about that race was that they served chicken wings afterward, with an outstanding selection of hot sauces.  With beer of course.  Before 9am.  New Braunfels is a very German town.

Austin CapitolI have tons of photos from the Austin Marathon.  This is me, smiling of all things, just after crossing the finish line.  I’ve never finished a marathon feeling better.  Austin puts on a fun run.  I don’t know how many girls along the route yelled at me to “run boy blue!”  Not very original after the third time, but consistent enough that I got the message.  Next time I’ll try to wear contrasting shorts.  The most unique shout out was from a group of girls standing at mile 13; they asked me if I was Kevin Bacon.  They were serious.  In case you’re young, he’s an aging actor 4 years older than me.  I didn’t take it as a compliment, but was surprised by it nonetheless.  Maybe he’s also a runner known for wearing monochromatic outfits?

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Dripping Springs

07 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, CNBC, race results, Squawk Box, Star Wars, SWT, SXSW, Texas State, Twisted X 5K, Yacktman Asset Management

Twisted XIt’s not raining.  It’s not even cold.  It’s as if God plans on attending SWSX, so suddenly the weather improves.  I meet up with Kenneth Hausman in the Twisted X Brewery parking lot for a rematch from last Sunday.  This Texmex brewery and brew pub is located on the edge of Dripping Springs, on the way out toward Driftwood.  With Ken is his friend and neighbor, 45 year old Steve Yacktman.  Steve is prepping for a triathlon and is using this as a speed workout.  Steve also runs $30B of investments at Yacktman Asset Management.  He said, when he makes a mistake at work, it typically costs him over $100M.  Despite the large turnout and fast looking runners today, Steve smiles broadly and calmly on the starting line.  No pressure here.  This is a video of him on Squawkbox at CNBC.

Steve YacktmanWe line up just behind the runners who we expect might run a minute per mile faster than us.  We’re capable of averaging 7 minute miles.  My goal is 6:45 per mile.  I really want to PR before flying home tomorrow back to altitude.  That’s a 6:42 pace.  The first quarter mile is on a cow trail.  We expected pavement but apparently Twisted X had trouble with the permits.  I’m fine with this, I love trail running.  Grass and trails are slower though.

I start out running behind both Ken and Steve on the trail.  I pass Ken once we hit the street and start to run alongside Steve.  He pulls in front of me as we climb a monster hill.  This is just before the one mile marker, which we cross in 6:28.  I’m concerned because this is 20 seconds faster than my race plan, but it does help explain why I’m so winded.

3rd PlaceThe street doesn’t last long and we soon find ourselves back in a cow pasture.  I pass Steve around the half way point as his stomach begins to cramp.  I wish I could say it was because I sped up.  As we return to the street and run back down the huge hill, Ken passes me.  This is just at the two mile point.  I run this second mile in 6:42 which I consider excellent.  I’m on pace to PR.  Of course, I’d feel even better if Ken didn’t just pass me but I still feel strong and am able to stay close behind him.  I catch my breath running down the hill and run alongside Ken for the next half mile.

We’re both breathing hard with spit spraying out of our gaping mouths and snot flying out our nostrils.  We’re in a race.  Ken is five years older than me but the age division for this race is 50 to 59 and he’s not backing off.  The street turns to trail again for the final quarter mile and I’m able to shoot ahead of him.  I can’t wait until the last 100 yards to out sprint Ken because for one, I don’t know that I can.  And two, I might hurt myself sprinting.  My early kick pays off and I cross the finish line 3 seconds ahead of Ken in 20:28 – a personal record – having run 6:44 for my final mile.  My 6:36 pace is good enough for third place in my age division, 10th place overall.  Steve takes second place in the 40-49 group.  We win custom-made bottle openers – exactly what to expect from a brewery.

GodspellThis will be my last Texas race for awhile.  My three weeks are coming to a close.  I saw some old friends, work colleagues and family.  I ate Thai for dinner last night, Pad Ped Gang Dang with Karen’s brother Steve and his wife Susan.  We watched their daughter Lucy in a church play Godspell, with her Grandparents.  That was fun.  And I met Chris Amaro for lunch Thursday.  He’s another running buddy from Texas State.  He graduated with a physics degree and went to work in Vegas for the Reagan Star Wars industry.  He works now as a physicist for the State of Texas Department of Health.  Chris was more into marathons at a younger age, running four in high school.  He last ran the Austin Marathon in 2007, but plans to train for another soon.  I come down every year to spend quality time with my mom but it’s nice to see other friends and family and get in some low altitude racing.  My next race might be the Bolder Boulder 10K at 5,400 feet.  Adios Texas.

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Hill Country Winter Runs

22 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, BCRT, Central Texas

kickToday’s weather was rain, light wind, and 40°.  I know what you’re thinking, absolutely ideal running conditions.  I ran 13 evenly paced miles today on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail and it was perfect.  I wore shorts and two shirts – my light, long-sleeved Boulder Marathon shirt layered over my Moab tech t-shirt. And a running hat.  I rolled up my sleeves at one point and rolled them back down on the return into the 10 mph wind.  My gear choices were perfect too.  Then there was the Brushy Creek scenery.  Mostly brown foliage but so pretty.  The trail feels so much more remote than the surrounding sprawl would indicate.  The cool, humidity paired well with the winter colors.

I neglected to mention that Central Texas rained on me around the twenty-third mile of the Austin Marathon.  Even though the rain down here is like warm bath water, I found it refreshing at a time I was over-heating.  I ran three very comfortable 7 milers this last week in sunny weather – upper 60°s and lower 70°s.  Very nice but I prefer this more typical Central Texas winter weather.  It reminds me of running through high school and college, growing up down here.  Nostalgia pairs well with long runs.

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For the Hellth of It

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin, Austin Marathon, diversions, finisher photo, race strategy

Mile 5 by the Hyatt HotelRunning marathons is probably on par with bolemia or similar health conditions.  Lucky for me, running is perceived as a healthy habit.  Run Forrest run. My insurance provider would even grant me a $100 rebate if I put a hundred hours into tracking my activities on their senseless web site.  I’ll try that again when I wear an Apple Watch with an app to automate the upload.  I do believe running is good for my mental health.  Some athletes curl stones across the ice.  Pick your diversion.

I can tell you that I felt great after the Austin Marathon last Sunday, and recovered well enough to run the next day.  I didn’t run the next day because the weather sucked and I was busy, but I could have.  My post-race massage deserves credit for much of my muscle recovery.  I think the point I really want to make is I didn’t hurt myself.  There were no marathon-related strained muscles.  I was a bit concerned I would make my cold worse, or develop allergies from the high mold count.  My cold did feel worse that night but mostly cured by Monday, and no allergies.  I dodged a bullet.

finisher photoThat I recovered so quickly hints that I am in fact in shape to run a marathon.  I usually know when I am but I don’t always know when I’m not. I think my slow down on the final 10K was only partly due to the hills in Tarrytown and the warm temperature and humidity.  The biggest factor is running the first 10K too fast.  The trick to running Austin well is a slow start, made difficult by the long downhill stretch on South First Street after 3.5 miles.  The photo above is in front of the Hyatt Hotel between 5 and 6 miles.  If I run this next year, I’m running super slow the first six miles.  Or I might just switch to the half marathon.

I picked up my sister Sandy from Austin Bergstrom at midnight Wednesday. She’ll visit for ten days. My mom now has a full house and I’m sleeping on the couch. I started running again Wednesday but have no race plans. Normally Moab would be next but I have yet to commit to that.  I’ll keep my runs at an easy pace and distance for the next few weeks to promote recovery and stay healthy.

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Winter Marathon

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Austin Marathon 2015 race results, seasonaltimetravel, Shoes and Brews, Stephen F. Austin Hotel

balconyNineteen hours after arrival, my eyes stare south down Congress Avenue at the first mile of the 2015 Austin Marathon.  My stomach reminds me that I could still be in bed, warm and comfy.  My legs are simply ready.  Born and bred to run.  Primed.  This was their idea.  I know winter marathons to be a bad idea.  The Colorado ice age inhibits meaningful miles.  But with 15,000 runners poised over my shoulder, I’m in a one way cypher.  My only path is forward, for 26 miles of Austin.  I can do this.

My cold feels magically better.  Maybe colds don’t survive as long in warm winters?  The heat when the starting gun fired was around 60°.  I don’t question it, I’m happy to accept this gift from the marathon spirit.  I can breathe.  “Thank you, marathon spirit.”  So things are looking up for me.  I’m going to run however I feel.

rebeccaI maintain discipline with the start from 2nd Street and run my first mile in 8:17.  A little on the fast side of plan, but close enough for me.  I feel naked in this crowd without a tattoo and I don’t see anyone I know.  I figure Rebecca started somewhere behind, but don’t really know.  She’s running the half.  We’ll share most of the biggest hills in the first half of the course.  Mile two goes by in 8:03.  I think I ran faster because my legs warmed up, but mile two is more or less the same incline as the first mile.  Same goes for mile three.  I run this in 7:52.  Again, a bit of a miss to the low side but not that far from my previous mile pace.  At this point, I’m at the southern-most segment of South Austin.  I turn right and run up hill for a few more blocks on Ben White Blvd., before returning Downtown with another right-hand turn.

bridge I strategically expect my pace will change running down South First Street.  Amazingly unchanged, the homes and businesses still look like Austin when I used to live here.   Somehow cooler now.  Despite the low-hanging clouds, I’m seriously sweating.  85% humidity.  I’ve been wiping mold spores from my forehead since mile two.  I should begin to run well under 8 minutes now, until somewhere in Tarrytown, and I do.  I hit mile four in 7:32.  Mile five in 7:22, again for mile six in 7:22.  This is where I cross the bridge in this photo, turning west along Cesar Chavez.

Mile seven stays low with 7:36, mile eight lower yet in 7:34.  Then I hit the pace I want to run in the hills of Tarrytown.  Mile nine hits 7:59, mile ten 7:58, mile eleven 8:09, mile twelve is in 8:02 and mile thirteen is 8:04.  Honestly, I wanted those times a second or two under 8 minutes, but Exposition and everything west is Texas Hill Country.  Running slower was the right tactic.

rebecca in blue on bridgeThe site texting me says I ran the first half in 1:42 for a 7:54 pace.  I’m on pace for my stretch goal, and try maintaining it further.  I’m on the east side of Mopac now, running north up Bull Creek.  I complete the next four miles like clockwork.  I run mile fourteen in 8:00 even.  Mile fifteen in 8:01.  Then a bit of a slowdown occurs on mile sixteen with 8:15.  I’m moderately concerned with this and determine to pick it up.  I run mile seventeen in 8:11, a marginal improvement, but I felt like the time would be faster.  Fatigue is setting in.

The 3:30 pace sign catches me and aids me to run 8:06 for the eighteenth mile.  This is a struggle though.  I let the 3:30 runners go and slow to a 9:04 for mile nineteen.  I’m depressed over this and give things one more shot with an 8:34 for mile twenty – a welcome milestone.  I accept my demise after this and shuffle in with mostly nine minute miles to the end.  8:56 for mile twenty-one, 9:17 for mile twenty-two, and 9:20 for mile twenty-three.  In mile twenty-four, I see Chris Amaro at the Hancock Golf Course.  He runs up the hill with me to Duvall, and leaves me to run in the remaining miles.

balconyI’m done competing and keep an even effort across the UT campus with a 9:18 mile twenty-four, 9:08 mile twenty-five, and final twenty-sixth mile in 9:17.  I cross the finish line nine minutes short of my stretch goal in 3:39, an 8:24 pace.  Once I accepted that I was slowing down, I played up the point that I was also under last year’s pace, by six minutes, so I’m happy with my run.  Disappointed I couldn’t hold that faster pace, but shoot, I had a cold.

Rebecca PR’d in 2:10, this is only her second Half.  We all enjoyed hanging out on the balcony at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel.  Great spot.  I finished up with a massage by Jesse at Massage Envy in Round Rock.  I told her to apply deep pressure, even though I normally like medium.  Figured it would aid in muscle recovery.  It was good, but there were some painful moments.  Jesse could whip out a finger and bury it in my flesh like a switchblade.  I enjoyed fifty shades of massage.  Been basically eating non-stop ever since.  My eleventh marathon is complete.  This ends my winter running season.  I’ll be in Austin for a few weeks, and it’s already spring here.

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2015 Austin Marathon

14 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Denver Marathon, NUUN, Shoes and Brews, Skratch, UCAN, Vfuel

austin marathon Big run tomorrow. If you care to track my pace via text messages, text AUS to 37619. You’ll be prompted to add my bib number 2034. Facebook might also post my times, but I’m not certain I configured that correctly.

I initially expected to be able to match last year’s time of 3:45. Being a marathon, nothing is certain. And I have a cold this week. Not ideal. Plus, Austin is considered a tough course due to the hills. I believe I’m the same weight (170 lbs) as last year and in similar physical condition, so a cold notwithstanding, I suspect I can match last year’s performance. The thing is though, I really want to break 3:30. Before this cold, I thought an 8 minute pace possible if I were to run a perfect pace early. Perfect would be to run the first two miles around an 8:30 pace and to average a 7:50 pace for the rest of the run. Even with a cold, this is still my stretch goal. A boy can dream.

With all marathons, I’m always pretty satisfied with any time under 4 hours. Longer than that means I’m either not in shape for a marathon, or I failed to execute a good pace and nutrition plan. Or I have a cold. In 10 marathons, I’ve never failed to cross the finish line. Even after poor performances, I can find decent satisfaction in finishing at any pace. It’s a marathon after all. I know some runners feel they have to finish without walking. Not me. I don’t want to walk. I have specific time goals. But I don’t get overly down on myself for walking. That final 10K, after my body has burned all available stores of glucose, just may require that I walk through a few aid stations. I’m fine with that.

SBSocialRunI stopped by Shoes & Brews Thursday night to replenish my Skratch supply.  I’ll carry one to two liters with me in a camelbak.  That worked well in the Denver Marathon.  I used to think it smart to leverage the aid stations, but all they ever have is Gatorade.  I’m happy with my call to sport a small camelbak in order to support my electrolyte drink of choice.

I ran into Ashlee and gave her grief for dropping out of our Ragnar Relay Team.  Ashlee informed me that Colin and her are running the Austin Half Marathon on Sunday.  Naturally I let her know that I’m running the whole enchilada.  Since I’ll be running a full 26 miles, Ashlee suggested I wear a Shoes & Brew logo tech shirt.  I agreed so she sold me one.  At a discount.

I was going to ask her details on the Vfuel endurance gels.  Even though I’m well stocked with Hammer Gels, I bought a few to try out this weekend.  Before Ashlee could respond, Eve walked up and started chatting with me.  I forgot that Thursday is the evening social run.  I thought that was on Wednesdays.  I didn’t stay to run with her and Jabe because of my cold.  This is a massive taper week for me.  The only day I ran all week was Monday.  My legs should feel fresh tomorrow.

maplebaconThanks to Eve, I know absolutely nothing about these Vfuel gels.  I’m going to try them anyway.  I’ll mix them up somehow with my Hammer Gels.  I know trying out anything new on a marathon is stupid, but that advice is for more, less experienced runners who don’t know what they’re doing.  I can read and I see both gels avoid sugar by using maltodextrin.  My experience using Hammer is it burns nicely – meaning no gastrointestinal distress.  The Vfuel packaging is wider with square corners, Hammer is more slim with rounded corners. This is important in terms of fitting well within my shorts gel pockets.

nuunTurns out I left my Skratch sitting on the kitchen counter in Colorado, so I picked up a couple of electrolyte drinks at the race expo – UCAN and NUUN.  No idea how to pronounce either of them.  They seem similar in that they are pure electrolytes without sugar.  UCAN does contain Stevia.  I just taste tested them both.  I’m going with NUUN for its superior taste.  It’s fruity without being sweet.  Very refreshing.  48 ounces are chillin’ in a camelbak in the fridge as I write this.  I struggle in my attempts to drink enough fluids during runs.  Honestly, I don’t sweat much.  But a 57° to 71° temperature range will feel warm to me.  Of course I can leverage the aid stations if 48 ounces isn’t enough, but the first task is to empty my camelbak.

While I’ve lowered my performance expectations due to this cold, my excitement hasn’t diminished.  I can’t wait to line up on Congress Avenue with 17,000 of my peeps tomorrow morning to exercise my demons.  Marathons are good for that.  This will be my 3rd Austin Marathon, plus I ran the Half once.  Over two-thirds of the 17K will be running the Half.  The crowds are unbelievable.  Fans get a little thin for about a mile in the 3rd quarter along Mopac, otherwise the course is lined non-stop with thousands of Austin crazies.  If you’re one of my Austin buddies, get out there tomorrow.

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Ellie’s Last Lesson

08 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Ellie Rose, Snowboard, Snowshoe

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Eldora, Eldora Nordic Center, Kid's Trek

downhillToday marks our sixth consecutive drive up to Eldora Mountain Resort for Ellie’s snow board lessons in the Eldora Kid’s Trek Program.  Certainly not our final drive up but Ellie’s last lesson for this course.  She has a coupon for a discounted private lesson that I intend to schedule after my return from Austin in March.  And the first full week of April is spring break.  I told her I would snow board with her then.  It’s been six years for me.  Last time snow boarding, I broke my ribs. Maybe I need lessons.

marileeI snowshoed with Marilee.  We hiked the Lonestar Loop counterclockwise, until we lost the trail.  We wound up returning on the Rising Sun Nordic Ski Trail.  Fortunately we weren’t seen by any Nordic skiers.  Despite the snow this past week, we trekked across a couple of bare spots.  But then, it’s also been 70° the last few days.  Mixed blessings.

the girlsMarilee and I lunched with her friend Nancy at the Sundance Cafe.  Great menu with awesome views, located about a mile outside of Nederland toward Black Hawk.  I ate a bison burger with Brie and jalapenos.  They have a lodge too.  This photo captures Emma leading Ellie down the hill.

I dropped the distance of my Saturday run down to ten miles.  Saw Amy riding her bike on the LoBo Trail.  I probably won’t exceed six miles on any single run this week.  I’m in super taper mode.  My focus is now on nutrition and not hurting myself before next Sunday’s Austin Marathon.  I think my pace will be posted to Facebook at key intervals.  Hoping to have a good run.  Seven more days.

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Winter Taper

01 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running, Snowboard, Snowshoe

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Austin Marathon, beer cheese, Eldora, snowshoe

meekoI began my taper for the Austin Marathon this weekend.  Twelve mile run Saturday, down from twenty.  And a bit shorter snowshoe today.  My winter-style taper means only running about four days a week, and snowshoeing.  If I think about it, I probably have only been averaging four days of running per week all throughout January.  This year launched the start of the next ice age and conditions have been treacherous.  Saturday’s run was at a comfortable pace.  My legs were heavy from a hard run Friday, so it was mostly a recovery pace.  I loosened up on the return and squeezed in two tempo runs.  Weather was ideal.  Planning on a similar run next Saturday.

emma

The girls had a great day snow boarding.  We drove out of Boulder Valley across icy roads and under heavy snow clouds.  Canyon Drive up to Nederland was crawling at 35 mph.  But Eldora Mountain Resort was somehow above the clouds.  Full day of sunshine and minimum wind.  Ellie and Emma are becoming comfortable on their boards.  Pretty sure I know what we’ll be doing over spring break.  This first picture is of Emma, the second is of Ellie.  I didn’t get any shots close up.  I got yelled at for being on the hill without skis.  No pics of me today so I’m giving you a photo of one of our new puppies.

ellieI tapered a bit on my snowshoe today as well, keeping it under two hours.  I took the middle loop for the first time – Snowshoe Hare Trail.  This was too short so I worked in some other smaller trails as well.  The Snowshoe Hare Trail is the newest for the Nordic Center, and I would say the prettiest in terms of trees.  All the trails are hilly.

We made it home in time to watch the Super Bowl.  I made a beer cheese recipe I read in Saturday’s paper.  There were three other queso dishes at the party, so I probably shouldn’t be upset that my dish was only half eaten, but I didn’t care for it.  The texture is odd.  Susan suggested melting the cheese and I agree.  The story in the paper said that serving the dish warm is sort of a new spin on the recipe, otherwise it is historically served cold.  I also improvised with a seasonal ale I had from Austin called, Yule Shoot Your Eye Out.  Maybe not the best pairing with Cheddar.

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Ellie Down

24 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Ellie Rose, Running, Snowboard, Snowshoe

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Austin Marathon, Eldora, snow board, snowshoe

Karen & MarileeThe parking lot at Eldora Mountain Resort was packed early today.  No football on TV.  And an acceptable wind.  Karen and Marilee joined me this morning to snowshoe.  We started counter-clockwise on the Lonestar Loop, like I have on previous outings, but turned onto the Twisted Snowshoe Trail for the shorter inside loop. The Snowshoe Hare Trail is the middle loop and Lonestar is the longest, outside loop.

Marilee took to snowshoeing like a pro.  The snow isn’t difficult on these trails, no super deep powder.  But the slope is fairly steep, much more so than any of the trails Karen and I did last year.  We did well though despite the hills with a 1.5 mph pace for 1.5 miles – which made a one hour hike.

steep slopeThe girls enjoyed less wind for their snow boarding lessons.  Shortly after lunch though, Ellie went down hard on her left shoulder.  We collected her in the medical tent after the staff had recorded every ache Ellie experienced over the last several weeks.  They likely learned from this to ask my daughter less open-ended questions.  Who knew such extensive healthcare comes with the price of a lift ticket?  Ellie is still a bit sore but nothing serious.

Saturday’s twenty mile run didn’t go as well as last weekend.  I was hoping to show improvement, that would help my confidence going into the Austin Marathon.  Doesn’t matter, the important thing was I was able to complete the distance.  Speed isn’t critical.  I figure my legs were heavy from my workout the day before.

There’s still a bit of ice on the LoBo Trail south of Hwy 52.  There was enough clean dirt to safely navigate around the ice.  In my seventh mile, just before the ice patches, I saw Jen running back toward Longmont.  We gave each other a low five because we’re cool runners.  On my return, I began to run over the ice simply to make the trail less pedestrian.

Emma & EllieMy pace was slower than last weekend during the first half but I really slowed down at 17 miles.  Kind of like how a bad marathon goes.  Actually, I slowed down considerably at 17 miles last week too.  But everything was under a 9 minute pace then.  I ran a half minute per mile slower this Saturday.  Still, running the distance is all I need to feel prepared for Austin.  Three more weeks, I’ll be ready.

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Wind Down

18 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running, Snowboard

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Tags

Austin Marathon, Eldora, snowboard, winddown

Ellie downhillNo snowshoe today.  Eldora Mountain called a “wind down”.  This is their term for shutting down the mountain due to strong winds.  They reported gusts from 35 to 80 mph!  A real bummer, it wasn’t cold at all.  The girls got in about an hour though boarding on a small hill waiting for the call.  They boarded a bit after as well since they could walk up the hill.  So not a complete bust.  Although I didn’t get a chance to snowshoe, I got some good pics of the girls.

EmmaPerhaps just as well I didn’t snowshoe.  I ran seven miles later in the day and could barely pick up my legs.  I wasn’t fully recovered from Saturday’s twenty miles.  I’m feeling good to have finally gotten in a big run.  The ice is melted well enough now north of Hwy 52.  The trail was still mostly ice south of 52.  I would tell you it slowed me down but I still averaged a nine minute pace – that’s good for me.  Of course, I’m hoping to run the Austin Marathon in an eight minute pace, but those will be more favorable race conditions.

snow in your faceCountdown is exactly four weeks.  I’m five pounds over where my race weight was in the Denver Marathon.  Winter comfort.  I tried abstaining from cheese and ice cream as a New Year’s resolution but gave up.  Totally unrealistic.  I’m also abstaining from alcohol and have maintained that resolution.  Beer and Dairy together was biting off more than I could chew.  I thought the dietary resolutions would help me with weight control knowing my mileage would drop over the winter.  The lower altitude might compensate for the extra pounds.

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Oxygen Therapy

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, BCRT, Moab Canyonlands Half Marathon

finishI’m currently training in Austin for my next big event, the Moab Half Marathon on March 15th. My plan is to leverage the oxygen at low altitude for the next couple of weeks to train at a faster pace.  Success will be demonstrated by a PR in the Half at Moab.  I PR’d there last March with a 1:38.  Considering I just ran the first half of the Austin Marathon in 1:42, I think I have a shot at it.  I just need to teach my body how to run faster.  For distance runners, speed is learned.

This picture captures my kick in the Austin Marathon last Sunday.  Both feet off the pavement.  That’s a little oxygen in my step.  If I’m going to be running in Austin for three weeks, I’m going to run fast.  I think I wrote of my 2014 plans in one of my end of year blogs that my goal would be to simply maintain.  And it’s still true that I reached a level of fitness last year that I am more than pleased with.  And that I obtained an equilibrium of sorts with my race pace.  I was rarely competitive in terms of placing but I oftentimes felt like I was racing which is what it’s all about for me.  I suggested I would be more than happy to simply enjoy a 2014 on par with my 2013.  No need to improve.

Turns out, I expect to take some time off from running this spring.  Maybe longer.  Priorities.  Moab might be my last race for awhile.  Possibly all year.  So I’m motivated to go out with a bang.  Not sure what to expect as a target but breaking a 7:30 pace would be nice.  Working against me will be 4000 feet of elevation.  Austin will allow me to push my heart rate higher.  Great opportunity for fartleks and tempo runs.  But three weeks is also enough time to lose the benefits of altitude adaptation.  It comes down to oxygen therapy.  Real or hype?  I got in a nice 13 mile run today in 73° on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail.  Ran it slow though.  Still working the kinks out from last Sunday.

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Austin Hills

16 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Marathons, Running

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Results

IMG_3434 - Version 2I wake up at 4:30 central standard time.  I make the coffee and my mom is up shortly after.  I prep my race food by peeling two oranges and cutting up two small bananas.  My brother will follow me around the second half of the course to keep me fed.  He wakes up at 5:30 and we drive downtown.  Having a race crew is very nice.  Steve drops me off on 15th St., a couple of blocks east of the race start.  I teach him how to take pictures with my iPhone and he drives off into the darkness for breakfast somewhere.

I have 45 minutes to get my mind into race mode for 26.2 miles.  Naturally, I’m anxious over this marathon.  I’m also a little bummed though that I won’t be snowshoeing with Karen.  We went snowshoeing the last five weekends in a row.  Maybe not how most runners train for a marathon.  Karen and I will hook back up in the spring to snowshoe some new trails.  For this race, I feel like I usually do.  I simply can’t believe the people who typically suck my time are granting me four hours to go run.  The weather is pleasant for standing around in shorts and my short-sleeve jersey.  It’s 57° and is only expected to warm up another ten degrees.  The Mayor of Austin, who sounds very much like Kris Kristofferson, says some words.  A lady sings the National Anthem.  Next thing I know, I’m running through the streets of downtown Austin.

19 milesI’m in the top half of the 18,000 runners.  The crowd doesn’t begin to thin until we’re on South Congress after two or three miles.  I’m okay that my first mile is in 7:55 but suspect I’m running too fast as my second mile comes in at 7:17.  I consciously slow down.  My third mile clocks in at 7:40.  Still a bit fast.  The Congress Avenue hill helps to govern my speed by the fourth mile which is 7:58.  I hoped to average an 8:30 pace the first six miles.  Mile 5 is in 7:39 and mile 6 is in 7:45.

The mile 6 aid station begins a downhill segment heading north on South First St., back toward downtown.  I planned to maybe stretch out my legs on this downhill for a couple of fast miles but change my game plan and stay conservative given my fast start.  I stop monitoring my Garmin with the intent of not looking at it again until the half way point.  My Garmin upload though reports I run miles 7, 8 and 9 in 7:21, 7:31 and 7:34 respectively.  I’m seriously surprised by this given my dearth of winter training but suspect it’s due to the low altitude.  The half marathoners split off toward downtown half way into mile ten on Exposition.  This section is fairly hilly and the 3:25 pace sign passes me – which is probably good.  I run mile 10 in 8:01, mile 11 in 8:11 and mile 12 in 8:30.  Finally on pace.  I’m thankful I’m not hurting yet.  I try eating one of my FRS fuel candies but it’s hard and difficult to eat.  I start thinking about how old they are.  Five years maybe.  I switch to my Honey Stinger gummy bears and eat up the 200 calorie bag by the half way point, which the official clock shows me reaching in 1:42.  This pace would have me qualify for Boston, but I’m beginning to slow down.

I encounter Steve around mile 16 at Allandale, captured in the first picture above.  I eat some oranges and banana.  Miles 13, 14, 15 and 16 come in at 8:36, 8:26, 8:22 and 8:39.  This is the pace I want to run but begin to slow down even more.  I feel good in terms of energy and breathing but my legs tighten up on the 16th mile.  Miles 17, 18 and 19 come in at 9:01, 8:42 and 8:48.  The second photo is at 19 miles.  Mile 20 marks the turn south back toward downtown.  I run this in 9:09, mile 21 in 9:01 and mile 22 in 9:23.  Mile 23 is a bummer as my right hamstring cramps with very little notice.  I hit the pavement to recover and only lose about a minute, running mile 23 in 10:48.  I’m careful after this and purposely keep my pace slow in order to successfully finish.

Hyde Park Bar and GrillI pass one of my favorite Austin eateries at mile 24 – the Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  Karen and I lived nearby before moving to Colorado in 1989.  I recall running down this stretch of Duval back then.  It’s a downhill slope toward the UT campus.  I typically ran loops around the Hancock Golf Course one block east of Duval on 38th St.  Both Steve and my sister Nancy are here.  Nan gives me two PowerIces that contain the electrolytes I badly need.  I hand her my sunglasses that I haven’t needed.  Thankfully the sun never breaks through the clouds today.  Still, the humidity is high.  I’m not used to running drenched in sweat.  We perspire in Colorado too but it’s a dry sweat.  I run mile 24 in 9:49.

I know I’m going to finish my ninth marathon as I pass the Posse East, my old UT watering hole, and begin running across campus.  Confidence is always a good feeling.   Endorphins alter my consciousness.  Emotionally charged thoughts of my sister and brother waiting for me at the finish race through my mind.  My throat tightens and my eyes moisten.  If you’ve ever run a marathon or ultra, or done something similarly stupid, then maybe you’ve experienced this too near the end.  I find myself in awe that I’m still alive and doing this.  I “find religion” as they say.  I fully appreciate God letting me know He’s there, although happy to know He’s simply passing through.  Running this marathon is my way of letting Him know that when He comes for me for reals, He better send all four horsemen riding white, red, black and pale.  I’m going down swinging.  I run mile 25 in 9:43.

I regain composure as I spy the hill after 15th Street.  I need all my faculties as this incline challenges my cardio.  It’s like the blood flow reverses direction in my arteries and veins.  My heart is rewinding.  What sort of twisted race director designs the course up such a steep hill right before the finish?  I’m finding his email address.  Two seconds ago I was near hallucinogenic believing I was a couple of minutes away from finishing.  Part way into this hill, that result suddenly becomes much less certain.

race crewI look up to the top of the hill.  Form.  I pump my arms.  I begin popping up my knees before my feet can fully hit the pavement.  I could run up a waterfall with this form.  I look at my Garmin to see I’m only running a 10:50 pace.  Hmm.  If only effort equaled speed.  I crest the hill and turn right onto 11th St.  I pass the 26 mile sign and let my legs unwind downhill toward Congress Ave.  I think again of my sister and brother meeting me at the finish.  Here’s their picture eating brunch later at Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  Just as powerful as the tearful emotion earlier, euphoria washes over me strong enough to make heroin jealous.  I’ve felt this way before near the end of a big run.  I got a little emotional near the end of my first ultra.  Same with finishing the 500 mile Colorado Trail.  There is something about successfully completing an objective with such high odds of failure.  Like Sandra Bullock taking her first steps on the beach after riding that Chinese rocket down to Earth in Gravity.  This is why I run marathons.

bloody maryI run the 26th mile in 9:44 but my Garmin has that completed right before the hill.  My Garmin mile 27 is nearly a half mile long, although it should only be about 200 yards.  Garmin has me running the final half mile in 4:19 – which captures the hill.  My Garmin does agree with the final result though with a 3:45:50.  About 15 minutes faster than I thought I could run with my limited winter training.  551st place overall.  At this point in time I am giving credit to good execution on my nutrition plan.  I think this because I finish feeling good.  No post race cramps or vomiting.  Not to say walking to the car isn’t a bear as swelling consumes my legs.  I counter this with a Bloody Mary at the Hyde Park Bar & Grill.  I’m fine now.

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Austin Again

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon

Austin Marathon standingI run the Austin Marathon tomorrow morning.  This picture is of me after finishing the 2011 Austin Marathon.  It makes me appear seemingly fine.  The race was a disaster.  I started hurting after only ten miles.  I’m still surprised I even finished.  There was quite a bit of walking involved after 16 miles.  My time was a disappointing 4:23, my slowest marathon ever.  My only other race out of eight marathons where I couldn’t break 4 hours was Steamboat – another disaster – last spring.  I completed Steamboat in 4:13.  I hope to run right at 4 hours tomorrow.  That will be a 9 minute per mile pace.  I would like to do this feeling comfortable and avoiding muscle cramps.  I expect to do this with smart in-race nutrition and hydration.  I have a history of forgetting to eat and drink so wish me luck.

I arrived in Austin earlier today on a Southwest flight.  Steve picked me up at Austin-Bergstrom Int’l and drove me directly to the Palmer Events Center to pick up my race packet.  It was called Palmer Auditorium when I last lived here.  Actually we stopped for lunch first at Threadgills across the street.  It was convenient free parking.  Service was a bit slow but the waitress was a sweetheart.  Gave us drinks to go.  Palmer was a party atmosphere.  I discovered I won’t get the race shirt until – and if – I cross the finish line.

I like to wear the race shirts and now won’t be able too.  Instead I’ll wear a recent newby – my ultra bright yellow, Colorado Club Championship Flatiron XC hi-tech t-shirt.  I might be chilly standing around at the start in 57° but it’ll warm up to 70° by the time I finish.  Short sleeves are the way to go.  I’ll pair that with my black PEARL iZUMi ultra running shorts.  They have awesome pockets for food and a built-in brief that wraps around the upper thigh like tights to mitigate chaffing.  I’ll add blue with my Boulder Marathon running hat and blue CW-X ventilator compression socks.  The German Olympic rainbow outfits will have some competition for color tomorrow.

For nutrition, I’ll carry a Cliff Shot Blocks at 200 calories.  A bag of Honey Stinger Energy Chews (think gummy bears) for 160 calories.  Six FRS healthy energy chews at 40 calories each for another 240 calories.  And four Hammer Endurolytes to mitigate muscle cramps.  I typically don’t eat half the crap I carry.  That might be okay because my brother Steve intends to serve as my race crew.  He’ll meet me at 3 points in the second half of the course with bananas, oranges and frozen PowerIce.  I also expect Steve to take professional grade photos.  Steve is currently attending two different parties in downtown Austin.  I plan to wake him up before 5:30 am to drive me to the race.  My bib# is 2401 for anyone who wants to track me with the race iPhone app.  I launch at 7am CST.

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Twenty Mile Warmup

08 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, training

luge crashWith below zero temps all week, I trained Monday through Thursday on that little elliptical machine to the right of this picture.  Juxtapose this shot of me to that contraption as I just walked in from a twenty mile romp over snow packed trails in 32°.  This is my last chance to prep myself for the Austin Marathon on February 16th.

The idea of running twenty miles today, and the eighteen I ran last weekend, is to establish confidence with the marathon distance.  It’s too late to actually get in shape.  In fact, a number of runners would be tapering these last two weeks.  I just don’t have that luxury.  I have a job and family commitments that don’t allow me to fully live up to my self-centered, narcissistic potential.  And no way would I trade the weekend snowshoeing with Karen for a few more miles.  We’re headed back up to Brainard Lake tomorrow to experience all this fresh snow.

While I felt super slow today, I actually ran thirty seconds faster per mile than on last weekend’s eighteen miler.  I’m losing confidence that I’ll maintain a nine minute mile pace next week, but that’s not critical.  Goal number one is to run comfortable.  If that means a ten minute pace – fine.  I do expect to start off with an eight and a half minute pace.  Hard not to with the excitement of a big event.  I’ll try to settle down as I cross Lady Byrd Lake on Congress Avenue at mile two.  I’ve run this before so I know what to expect on hills.  I’ll run easy up South Congress and unwind a little coming down South 1st.  I’m confident I’ll run well and enjoy this event.  I’m ready.

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Pack Mentality

01 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Austin Marathon, Revolution Running

wolf packThat’s Fred, up front in a greenish yellow tank leading the pack.  I’m three runners behind him in a green long-sleeve team jersey.  Chris is another two or three runners behind me, wearing the same green team jersey.  This is during the first of three loops, just shy of the one mile mark.

Some say we won the team event in last week’s Boulder Cross Country Race because there were no other men’s teams registered.  I say we won due to the strong display of pack mentality illustrated in this pic.  Click on it to enlarge the view.  Pack mentality probably has some very specific meaning in psychology, but I’m using it here to suggest running as a team helps everyone to run faster.  This was my experience on teams as a kid.  Makes me want to consider training more with a team.  Fred trains with the Revolution Running Club.

That race was last month.  This month I have a marathon coming up.  The Austin Marathon on February 16th.  I’ve considered dropping out thinking I might not be ready.  It’s hard to get in the miles during the winter.  And I’ve been snowshoeing with Karen on the weekends when I should be maximizing my training miles.  And then, I have a really sore knee.  But I’ve been stretching and feel like my knee is responding well to that.  And that snowshoeing is still a good two hour workout.  Has to be good for something.  I just want to run that marathon.  I don’t need to run it fast.  I just want to enjoy it.

My goal will be to run a 9 minute per mile pace.  I have a tendency to start out well under 8 minutes per mile but I intend to run with discipline this time.  My natural pace is about 8.5 minutes per mile, up to about 18 miles.  I suspect I could hold that in Austin considering the lower elevation, but I would still struggle on the final 10K.  I don’t want to do that.  I want to enjoy this run.  My goal will be a 4 hour marathon at a 9 minute pace.  I ran 18 miles today.  My first long run in several weeks.  Only averaged 10.5 minutes per mile, but I was running through a foot of fresh powder in 18°.  I don’t expect snow conditions in Austin.

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Peaceful Valley

18 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Snowshoe

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Millsite Inn

Buchanan Pass Trail 1How can anyone resist snowshoeing at a trailhead called Peaceful Valley.  Karen and I couldn’t.  I initially planned another trail up at Brainard Lake, but this is closer.  We had a later start today and this saved us about 15 or 20 minutes.  The parking is just off the highway.  The entrance to the campground is closed off in the winter, but there’s about 100 yards of road to park on.  By the time we finished, others were parked out on Hwy 72.

buchanan pass trail 2We took the Buchanan Pass Trail.  This starts down the road a couple hundred yards or so past the first gate.  Actually just in front of the Peaceful Valley Campground which has a second gate.  The trail begins with a climb and is super pretty, in the trees and lined with natural boulders.  My Garmin captured 12° but it felt at least 30°, and the wind was only about 4 mph.  With a cloudless sky, the Colorado sun lit up the snow for a gorgeous day.

fat tireWe were passed by a Tokyo Joe’s team of 8 or so mountain bikers.  Click on the pic and check out these fat tires!  This looks really cool to me.  We had a decent workout, completing 3 miles at a 2 mph pace.  Thirty minutes faster than last weekend.  Karen thinks this trail is less technical.  The snow was fairly well packed too.  This is clearly a high use trail.  It’s a shared trail and had more cross country skiers than hikers snowshoeing.  Dogs are allowed and there were plenty.  One dog wore boots.  Definitely a dog day out there.  We were shedding gear on the way back.  I even took off my gloves.

Millsite InnWe found ourselves back at the Millsite Inn for lunch.  The owner, Kurt, is quite a character.  He looks about 65 – hard to say.  Could be older.  He said he played NCAA Basketball for Ohio State – he looks about 6’4″.  He tells us stories of his snowshoeing and skiing.  He showed us pictures he took today of some snowshoe hares.  Stunning photos.  This is two weekends in a row snowshoeing for us.  Our goal is to hit the next three weekends before I head to Austin for the Austin Marathon.  I should probably be getting in more running miles, but I don’t intend to run that race very hard.  And I’m a big proponent of mixing up workouts – even though I’m generally bad at it.  If I do well in Austin, I’ll publish a book on how to snowshoe yourself into shape for a marathon.

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The Santa Claus Rally

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Austin Marathon, BCRT, happy new years, Town Lake

zilker treeFor stock traders, the Santa Claus Rally ends on Jan 3rd.  My 2013 running exploits will end with my vacation on Jan 1st, so I’m giving it my all in a final sprint.  These final days include significant driving time too, so I can’t run every day.  I began with a ten mile run Monday after a half day drive to Austin from Abilene.  I ran this in Round Rock on the BCRT.  After that brutal 2.5 day drive down from Colorado, this was the perfect recovery.  The weather was sunny and 55° or so.  I ran in shorts and layered a long sleeved shirt over a short sleeved shirt.

mom and the boysAn added wrinkle to my last running week is that I only packed my minimalist Merrell trail gloves.  They pack nice because they are so small and light.  The risk is whether or not I can log any real miles in them.  I ran this first ten miles strong but my legs were super fatigued the next day and I could only run six.  I took off Christmas day, as much to recover as due to the time suck.  Even on vacation, not every day can be all about me.  I could have squeezeed in a run but opted for family time.  I figured the recovery day might be smart considering these high impact shoes.

I was ready to go Thursday and ran 4.5 crisp miles on Town Lake.  I park at the boat ramp near Austin High.  The modern Austin downtown cityscape does little to dent my nostalgic mood racing past Auditorium Shores.  I recall running here with my high school buddies thirty years ago.  Or the very first Capitol 10,000 that started on Congress Avenue and ran entirely on the Town Lake trail.  I have great running memories from my high school years.

Matt's El RanchoI think about my past year of running too and on my plans for 2014.  I had my best year ever in terms of strong performances and injury-free running.  I don’t even care to run faster next year, I feel satisfied I’ve reached my target times.  I’d like to be able to maintain my 10K time in the Bolder Boulder and remain in the B starting wave.  That will require some speed work to hold a 7 minute pace for six miles.  I’ve already registered for the Austin Marathon in February and the Moab Half Marathon in March.  I’d like to run the marathon in about 3:45 but will be happy with anything under 4 hours.  I don’t think I have any time goals for Moab but will want to race against any of my other neighbors who are going too.  Lastly, I’m certain I want to run either or both the IPR and Durango Ultra again next year.  Those are my plans.  Mostly just looking to maintain consistency with this year and stay healthy.  These photos are all family pics taken over the holidays in Austin.  Happy new years.

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Elliptical

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Austin Marathon, Marathon Training Program

Elliptical gym machineI just completed day one of my new winter regimen of training on an elliptical in the basement.  The plan is to run – err train – on the elliptical after work each day from 5 to 6.  PM – Karen trains on it in the AM.  We’ve owned this equipment for years but I’ve never adapted it into my workouts until now.

I hauled it into my office the other day so I can watch TV.  If I can’t look up at the snow laden peaks of the Front Range, I want to view the evening News.  As much as I’d rather train outdoors, I need to accept reality.  A week shy of winter solstice, there isn’t enough daylight.  The last time I tried training through the winter for a February marathon, my race results were a disaster.  I elected to run during lunch, but of course could only squeeze in about 3 miles given the time crunch.  I can tell you now that 3 miles per day is not a very smart training program for a marathon.  I don’t know that training on an elliptical is much better, but at least I will be able to put in the hours.  The obvious downside is the lack of high-impact, but maybe that will be a plus in terms of keeping my legs healthy.

I’ll still run for reals on the weekend.  And I’ll focus on ultra long runs.  Not the next two weekends though as I’ll be driving to Austin and back for the holidays.  The marathon is the same one I ran in 2011 – the Austin Marathon – and is on February 16th.  I already have my ticket to fly down the day after Valentines.  That gives me a good 7 weeks of elliptical training.  This will be interesting.

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Fifty in Five

26 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Austin Marathon, Denver Marathon

kickTrue to plan, I just ran for the 5th consecutive day while on vacation.  Ten miles per day.  Actually 8 the first day but I squeezed in 12 today.  Having tapered for the prior two weeks, I’m a bit sore but my pace seems on par.  Today was the strongest with an 8 minute per mile pace.  I expect to run another long one tomorrow and am considering maintaining this routine until I return to work Monday.  That will be a hundred miles in ten days.

This photo is in the final block or two of the Denver Marathon last month.  I need to maintain my mileage because I’ve registered for the Austin Marathon in February.  When you have a marathon on your calendar, the date has a way of creeping up on you.  The last time I ran the Austin Marathon, my winter training consisted of 3 and 4 mile runs.  Not making that mistake again.

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Left Hand Trail

02 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Austin Marathon, Boulder Valley Trails

jen and keithI thought twice about running this morning.  The plan was to run with my neighbors at 8am.  It was 33° at 8am and I was still sipping coffee and reading the Journal.  Steve changed his plans to 1pm.  It would be 61° by that time.  Then Jen and Keith pushed their target out to 9am.  I can do 9.  Plus, this week is going to feel like winter so best to start getting acclimated.

Turns out my reluctance was silly.  Even this early, the weather was perfect for running.  Temps in the 30s with full sun and no wind in Colorado can be gorgeous.  Today it was.  I kept my tights on but didn’t really need them.  I left my jacket in the car though.  Good call.  I didn’t need my gloves either. We launched from the Eagle Trailhead and turned on to the Left Hand Trail a mile and a half later where the Sage Trail reaches the Boulder Valley Trailhead.  That’s where we took this first picture.  Left Hand Trail leads mostly north to Neva Road.  We turned back around at the Left Hand Trailhead for a 9 mile run.  Really beautiful day.

jenNot sure what you’ve been doing since my 2013 racing schedule completed a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been planning my winter running plans. The Longmont Turkey Trot 10K is just a week away.  I haven’t registered yet but this is in my backyard.  I’m obligated to show up to compete for my age group.  The following weekend is a 5K in Denver that Ellie and Karen said they are interested in.  I’m going to wait a bit to make sure they are committed before registering for that one.  The same weekend is a Cross Country 6K in Boulder.  I’m waiting to see if I can form a team before registering for that event but am fairly certain I’ll do it regardless.  The final race of the year might be the ColderBolder 5K across the CU Campus.  I did sign up for this already.  I ran it last year and got a cool ski hat.  Last year my neighborhood ran another 5K on the same day – I ran both.  Have yet to hear if it’s on this year.

  • Longmont Turkey Trot 10K – Sat Nov 9th
  • City Park 5K – Nov 16
  • Cross Country Run – Nov 17th
  • ColderBolder – Dec 7th
  • Yeti Chase 5K/10K – Jan 26
  • Ralston Creek Half – Feb 9th
  • Austin Marathon – Feb 17th

My friends are thinking of two winter runs to start the new year.  A 10K in January and a half marathon in February.  I have to think about these.  I’ll likely run the Yeti Chase in January – weather permitting.  I’ve already registered for the Austin Marathon in February and expect to be down there all month so will likely miss the Ralston Creek Half Marathon.  I don’t intend to focus my training on any of these winter events other than to keep up my distance to be prepared for the Austin Marathon.  That can be tough once DST ends tomorrow with shorter days, but that’s why I set myself a target marathon.  Motivation.

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Under the Weather

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Boulder Marathon, Houston Marathon, sports, training

Training for the Boulder Marathon isn’t going to plan.  I caught my first cold of the season.  Actually, for me, my first cold in 3 years.  Working from home, isolated in my basement office, sometimes has benefits.  I suspect I caught this from my daughter.

But Ellie is there for me – blessing me every time I sneeze.  And she asked me where the term “under the weather” came from.  According to the Internet, the full phrase is “under the weather bow” and refers to an ill sailor going below deck.  And the weather bow itself refers to the side of the ship that the bad weather is blowing against.  Seems reasonably true to me.

I’m more concerned about how long I’ll be below deck.  The Boulder Marathon is October 21st – just two weeks away.  I know it’s unlikely I’ll fall out of shape, but I was hoping to improve over the Denver Marathon.  The dreamer in me was fantasizing about qualifying for Boston.  Might need to run something at sea-level for that – maybe the Houston Marathon in January.  Nah, Houston sucks.  I could run the Austin Marathon again.  It kicked my ass last time and I’d like another shot at it.  That’s in February.  I’ll think it over while I’m bed-ridden this weekend.

40.137598 -105.107652

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Austin Half Marathon 2012

19 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Austin Marathon, Lance Armstrong, Magnolia Cafe, MoPac

I was up most of the night with a cough from these Central Texas allergies. Still, I felt fine when I woke at 5am for the big run. My brother had to wake early as well since he would drive me down to the Texas Capitol building.  I ate a banana and drank a cup of coffee, got dressed and we headed downtown at 6am.  Dressing presented a difficult decision knowing the temperature would go from 46° to 64° but I opted for a single long sleeved shirt.  It’s a training shirt made from high tech fabric so it would be fine in the heat but the sleeves would also serve to keep me warm early on.  I nearly wore a second short sleeved shirt underneath but there wasn’t any wind and the 46° felt comfortable.  I also took a Sucrets for my throat and it felt fine by the time Steve dropped me off at 6:30 on 15th Street.

I lined up near the pace sign for a 4 hour marathon, expecting to run the half in about 2 hours.  I learned last year I couldn’t trust running with these pace setters.  Instead, I opted to run alongside a flock of pretty girls.  There are so many decisions to make at the start of any race, from what to wear, and what energy aids to carry, to whom to stand next to.  I brought along 3 one ounce energy gel packets and ate one before the start of the race.  It tasted like tripe.  I hate those things.  Lance spoke a few words and a woman sang the national anthem.  Then we were off.  It took me nearly 5 minutes to reach the starting line – still running alongside the pretty girls.

A total of 18,000 runners started the race but I didn’t feel overly crowded.  The first couple of miles wound through downtown Austin and was packed with cheering spectators.  I started up my run playlist around the 2 mile mark.  I was concerned about starting out too fast and paid close attention to my pace.  I learned last year running the full marathon how easy it is to start too fast when coming down from altitude.  I didn’t wear a watch and never saw any of the official race clocks, but I felt I might be running a tad bit fast.  Keeping it in check was difficult and required constant monitoring – breathing was just so easy.  The 3 mile hill running up Congress Avenue served as a decent governor.  Nothing like hills to slow you down.

The hill crest just after 5 miles.  My hope was that I would start off slow and then loosen up my stride running down South First Street.  I didn’t feel a need to push myself too hard down First because I knew I had run well up Congress. My allergies and sore throat weren’t affecting me at all.  My breathing was great.  Still, I continued a strong pace.  However, I throttled it down a bit on steeper downhills.  The memory of running out of steam by 10 miles last year was still fresh in my mind.  Discipline.

I tried eating another but different type of energy gel at the 6 mile point as part of my plan but spit it out and tossed the remaining packet.  All energy gels suck.  I drank my first sip of water at the 7 mile aid station.  Really just to wash the gel out of my mouth.  Steve and my sister Nancy were down on the north side of the First Street bridge cheering me on.  This was about 8.5 miles and I was still feeling really strong.  There’s a bit of a slope crossing MoPac around 9 miles and the hills just keep coming after that.  I tried to maintain my cadence with shorter steps but would slow down climbing the steeper grades.  The course split a bit shy of 11 miles for the full or half course.  Last year I took the red pill.  Ironically, I felt strong enough to consider the red pill this year but swallowed the blue pill instead and was happy for the opportunity.

The last 2 miles run along Enfield/15th Street and present some sharp hills.  By this point anyone running with me was strong enough to take the hills without walking.  Some runners took them quite a bit faster than me.  Even though I didn’t feel winded on this set of hills, my legs burned so I took them slow.  A few runners did stop after cresting the hills to vomit.  These are real hills.

As we neared the finish line some runners put on their sprints.  Satisfied that I had maintained a strong pace the entire run I didn’t care to put on any kick.  I did step it up though the final 100 yards.  I was feeling good and felt like catching a couple of women who tried passing me.  I refrained from any actual sprinting though.  My body is just too delicate right now and I didn’t want to stress anything.  Besides, pain wasn’t part of my game plan today.  I missed seeing the final clock too but learned shortly after I ran in 1:48 – an 8:16 mile pace.  I didn’t expect to run over 2 hours but also didn’t expect to run quite that well.  More important than the time though was that I felt great.  Very happy with today’s run.  Not happy with the race results site.  You’ll need to know my bib number 16012 or use my name if you click on that link above to view race results because I can’t give you a direct link.

The weather was ideal for this run today, but oddly it was cold afterward as I waited to meet up with Steve for a ride to brunch.  I’m not sure if the temperature actually dropped but the wind did pick up considerably.  It certainly had not warmed up to the 60s yet.  We took breakfast at the Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Blvd.  I hadn’t been there in 25 years.  I later got a men’s pedicure to treat my feet and work the lactic acid out of my calves.  Overall, an outstanding day.

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A Runner’s Year in Review

31 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Storytelling

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Amazon Kindle, Austin Marathon, covered calls, Moab Half Marathon, Zilker

Zilker Tree2011 wasn’t really about me.  I had an 18 month old nephew survive a heart transplant.    He’s now 24 months old and I suspect Little L will dominate the next decade, and that’s okay.  My mom is getting on in years with more than her fair share of ailments, but she maintained a fairly steady pace and I was able to visit her during the Austin Marathon and on Mother’s Day as well as Christmas – which is more than usual.

I had some personal achievements though.  Top of the list was completing the 500 mile Colorado Trail with my buddy Rob, and it wasn’t even on my calendar at the start of the year.  Second was finally trading options.  I consider investing/trading as much a hobby as anything because I enjoy it and trading options is something I’ve read numerous books on but had never done until 2011.  I’m not a day trader by any means – I might do several trades per month – but I spend a great deal of time reading financial news and books.  I maintained decent fitness in 2011 which was a goal.  I ate healthy foods.  I would argue I didn’t accomplish my exact goals on running.  I wanted to increase my speed but instead opted for hiking.  I also gained a few pounds after having lost weight in each of the preceding four years.  Lastly, I didn’t start on another 2011 goal of writing a book.  Most of my new year’s resolutions will be to further unfinished 2011 objectives.

I want to spend more time with my mom so I’m considering living and working from her home in Round Rock for a month or so.  She can make do on her own but it’s not wise and my brother lives with her now.  Of course Steve has his own house and maybe he’d appreciate me giving him some time to live there.  Ideally, I’ll do this in the late winter / early spring.  I just returned from Austin yesterday – the picture above is of Karen and me checking out the Tree at Zilker Park.

As for running, my plans are to run a series of half marathons – mostly trail runs in the mountains.  I’ll start with Moab in March.  I still need to correct my plantar fasciitus, but I don’t expect that to limit me too much.  And I’m going to make a concerted effort to trim down my abdomen.  Enough is enough.  I’m also going to move our elliptical into my office to work out on during conference calls.  The idea being this will replace the snacking I do currently.  I might do that tomorrow.

I’m going to increase my trading focus on options.  All I actually did last year was sell covered calls which is easily the least risky type of options trades.  The only risk is that you can’t sell a stock that is losing value until the expiration date.  And you won’t likely recognize gains over the strike price.  This isn’t important to me because I generally sell stocks after 10% gains and I set strike prices at 10% for my covered calls.  This has worked out well for me as I handily beat the market in 2011.  For 2012 I intend to begin buying options rather than simply selling them.

My last big goal will be to write a book.  At least start a book.  Blogging keeps my writing skills exercised but I haven’t written much fiction lately and would like to tell a story.  This is going to take discipline.  I could be wrong but I suspect I’ll get a great deal of satisfaction from writing a book.  I don’t care about the publishing aspect – I’m not trying to become a novelist.  I’ll just upload it to Amazon.  Related to writing is reading and I’ve already downloaded a series of books to my Kindle to keep me busy in that area.

I am happy with 2011 and feel pretty good about 2012.  At least I have plans.  One of my neighbors told me last night he intends to make quarterly resolutions for 2012 thinking they will be more obtainable.  Interesting concept.  I’m going to ask my friends and neighbors at the NYE party tonight what their goals are.  I usually find I’m not very unique and expect to hear numerous goals on health and fitness.  I’m curious as to what people’s work and career goals are.  I need to put some focus on that as well.  I had a really cool project in 2011 and have an idea of what my primary task will be for 2012, but it’s not well defined yet.  I like to manage my own career versus being tasked and I need to put some focus in that area.

For all my plans, 2012 is still unknown and whose to say what will happen.  I actually like the prospect of the unknown.  It’s exciting.

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