Long Runs:

I have been incorporating some longs into my off season training. Two weeks ago I did a 29 mile run and felt pretty good through the whole run. I took it slow averaging over 10 minute miles but all in all felt strong throughout the run, no crashes. This past Saturday I went for a 32 mile run and felt pretty good throughout the whole thing, even though some portions of the trails were not cleared yet and I had to run in about 6-8 inches of snow. My pace was slow, average pace of 10:30 miles, but with the snow and the distance I'm perfectly fine with that pace. I even picked it up for a few miles and clocked a 7:40 mile split at mile 30.

Why you may ask am I out in the cold and snow running for 5 or 6 hours, well long runs seem to be the key training tool for ultra marathoning, so I am incorporating them into my off season training, which in reality I am actually pretty much in training right now.

Here are some of my long runs

29 mile long run by jhanlon31 at Garmin Connect - Details

32 mile long run by jhanlon31 at Garmin Connect - Details

Keep it Simple Stupid:

My high school basketball coach used to tell us to "Keep it simple stupid." Too often we try to over complicate things, which is all to easy to do in our everyday life and activities like basketball ect... One of the things that I like the most about running is its simplicity.

You only have to worry about running...right? Well, yes but there are a lot of other factors that play into it, especially when you are working towards a specific fitness or performance goal. It is easy to get caught up in

VO2 max
Heart rate training,
Strength training
Cross training
Long runs
Tempo runs Speed work
Should I be doing Yoga? Everyone else seems to be doing it.
I'm not even going to get into barefoot running.

Then there is nutrition, injury prevention the list goes on and on. Sometimes we need to focus just getting out there and running and covering the basics and try not to over complicate things.
Here is a good article from Ultrarunning magazine about sticking to the basics and keeping it simple.

UltraRunning Article: Enjoy!

Wake Up!:Part II

I tried all of the solutions that I mentioned in my previous Wake Up! post blow. Here are the results.

Solution 1: Laptop next to bed.

This worked once, out of about 5 tries. A 20% success rate is not good enough for me. If I thought I did not have any major pending emails or issues I would just simple not even turn on my computer.


Solution 2: Timer on coffee pot in room.

Why this will work: I am a coffee lover and there is not many things I enjoy more than a good cup of coffee, so moving the coffee pot into my room and setting the timer to start making coffee at the same time as my alarm this should help get me out of bed right? Picture Folgers commercial.


Solution 3: Drink lots of water the night before.

This also worked once out of about 5 tries. I will say that this actually got me to get up 3-4 times but just not out of bed. I would happily wake up to the sounds of fresh brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee brewing but I would simply just turn over and drift back to sleep or snuggle under that covers with the aroma of coffee in the air.


Solution 4: Set alarm clock across the room.

This did not really work at all, yes I would have to get out of bed but I would just hit my alarm as fast as I could then jump back into bed.


All in all none of my proposed solutions worked, but that has not deterred. I figured that if I can avoid hitting the snooze that average of 3 times a day, which equals roughly 30 minutes a day, time 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year would be 10,920 minutes a year or 182 hours 7.5 days or just over a week per year. In short its worth another try, especially since I have been know to hit the snooze for over an hour at times.

It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.
- Aristotle

Here is my next plan of attack:
It is a whole new approach it is based off of a blog post that I recently read about the very problem of waking up right away after your alarm goes off. The author states that most people have great intentions to get up at the alarm when they go to bed, however, you often have quite the different idea when that alarm goes off at 5:30am. He is suggesting that you 11pm brain is not always on the same page as your 5:30am brain, which is definitely true for me.

He suggests taking the thinking portion out of the equation. Don't mess around with some of the less than effective strategies that I just used, rather make getting up automatic. How does one do this? Well he suggests practice. Yes just like practicing the guitar or free throws practice makes perfect and then the action becomes automatic. Here's the catch don't practice at 5:30am practice in the daytime when your 5:30am brain is not so persuasive.

The author suggests recreated the your sleeping conditions, as best as possible, and then simple setting your alarm clock for a few minutes ahead and then when it goes off simple, take a big deep breath and stretch your limbs and get up and do what you would normally do in the morning. He suggest 1-2 set of 5-10 reps per day for a few days until it become automatic, he also suggests that for the first 30 days you sick to the same wake up time weekdays and weekends until you get into a rhythm, then even if you have interuptions or want to sleep in you will have a good base, think of it as muscle memory.

Here is his full blog post that I would highly recommend you read if this is a problem for you. I just did my first set of 10 reps this evening and I will report back on how things are going and if this actually works.

Enjoy: Steven Pavlina: How to getup right away when your alarm goes off

Wake Up!!!!:

Getting out of bed in the morning is something that gives me trouble. Once I'm out of bed I can go all day but it's just that first step of actually getting out of bed. Normally it is not even that I'm overly tired, it's just the fact that I just don't want to get out of my warm comfortable bed. Unlike many runners I do not run in the morning, it is simply just not for me, my Dad has got up at 5:30 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as long as I can remember to run, and I give him a lot of credit for it, and even joined him for a few times when I was in high school but I soon realized the morning workouts were just not for me.

Morning workouts aside, I am just focusing on getting out of bed. I have noticed over the past year or two that I am sleeping a bit better than I ever have, it seems like I sleep a bit heavier than I used to. I think that this has to do with all of the workouts and physical activity in general. I have heard of other runner or endurance athletes having the similar experiences. Your deep sleep cycles, specifically your REM sleep cycles is where you get the most rest and recovery, it would only make sense that increase physical activity would cause someone to enter and remain in this sleep cycle longer. Not to get into that topic too much I'm ultimately trying to get myself out of bed in the morning.

Here are some of the solutions that I am going to try to help get me out of bed in the morning.

Solution 1: Laptop next to bed.

Why this could work: For my job I communicate with a lot of companies around the world and in many different time zones. Therefore, I get emails throughout the night and I am generally very quick to try and read and respond. The thought is to have my laptop next to my bed so that when I wake up I can see all of the emails that I have to respond to and this would motive me to get out of bed.


Solution 2: Timer on coffee pot in room.

Why this will work: I am a coffee lover and there is not many things I enjoy more than a good cup of coffee, so moving the coffee pot into my room and setting the timer to start making coffee at the same time as my alarm this should help get me out of bed right? Picture Folgers commercial.


Solution 3: Drink lots of water the night before.

Why this will work: Not only will this help keep me hydrated but hopefully I'll have to go to the bathroom in the morning and thus getting me out of bed.


Solution 4: Set alarm clock across the room.

Why this will work: Often the toughest part is just that first step out of bed, this will force me to get out of bed to shut off my alarm.


We'll see how these work, I will report back with results and if there are other ways that will help me get out of bed in the morning.

Words to Run By:

Quick Post to share a few great new Ultra running terms.

Ultrabrained

From what I can gather it is a term used to describe the mental state of an ultrarunner in the later stages of a race when mental ability is limited to say the least.

Example:
"I remember seeing you…must have been ultrabrained at the time. I thought you all were going in the wrong direction."


Ultra Shuffle

During a race when you're still moving but it's just at a really slow pace and even if people are passing you there is nothing you can do, it often resembles more of a shuffle than actual running.

Runner's World Article on the Ultra Shuffle

What Motivates You to Run?:

There was a discussion question on the Running in Business LinkedIn group that I am a member of that asked the simple question of "What motivates you to run." I began to think of all of the money, time, effort and even anxiety that I have put myself through over the past few years that related to running and it was quite a bit, so why am I doing it?

To the best of my knowledge I have reduced the minor things like, its good for me, sense of accomplishment, gets me off of the couch type arguments and tried to really distill it down to the one main driving factor. I believe that running like many of the things that I do is related to my desire to simply be motivated and inspired. The sense of being able to accomplish something that you didn't think was possible and then improving that to levels you that were merely a distant thought is such a great feeling.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that Aristotle believe that we lived our lives striving to do good for that one moment right before death when your life flashes before your eyes and if you had lived a good life you would be truly happy in that moment and would die in peace. he most have been an endurance athlete, because that is really what we do. Train for endless hours and give up many of the things we enjoy for the one moment as we cross that finish line when we know that all of the work has paid off. So I guess what motivates me to run is that feeling for inspiration and the one moment as your crossing the finish line when you can say I ran a good race and all the training was worth it.

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Marathoning:

I am far from being an expert or even a well experienced runner, however, I have logged a few miles in my day and have raced and finished 12 marathons now and 2 ultramarathons. Here are 10 things that I wish I knew before I started running marathons and beyond.

1. Be patient. Getting your body and mind ready and in shape to run any distance race simply takes time and effort, it will not happen over night and you cannot cram your training in last minute.

2. Run your hard training days harder and your easy recovery days easier. Often runners don't do their hard workouts hard enough then go too hard on the days they should be recovering. There is no advantage in pushing on easy days.

3. Shoes won't make your race but they could break you. Shoes are not that important in my opinion unless you have the wrong ones. Make sure to go to a good running store with a knowledgeable staff that are runners.

4. Don't be afraid to push yourself. Given the proper training and nutrition your body is capable of almost anything don't limit yourself.

5. Everyone is unique. There is no universal training program that will work for everyone. Running is such an individual sport that the only way to really know what's best for you is to get out there and try different programs until you know you body enough to figure out what will work best for you.

6. If you really want to get fast. Long tempo runs, in my opinion are the key to improving your marathon time, they closely replicate the actual race. They're tough but worth it.

7. Sometimes less is more. There is a lot of debate on the barefoot and minimalist shoe argument and you have to figure out what works best for you but often times I think that less is often more when it comes to running shoes.

8. Read up. The more you know about anything the better prepared you will be, so read up on running, there are plenty of great websites, books, blogs, and magazines out there.

9. Avoid Injuries. The number one concern throughout my running career is walking the fine line between pushing yourself to the limit and avoiding injury. Unfortunately there is a lot of trial and error, but them better you know you limits the better you can judge when to push and when to back off.

10. Leave no doubt. Every question or doubt I ever had while training for a race disappeared or was answered as soon as I crossed the finish line. Completing a race is one of the best feelings in the world if you know that going in it makes the miles a little less painful.

Hailie Gebrselassie

The New York marathon is a major event in the distant running sport every year. It attracts numerous elite athletes and often a number of celebrity runners. This year was no exception, there was another great elite field along with defending NYC marathon winner American, Meb Keflezighi. At the end of the 26.2 miles Gebre Gebrmariam from Ethiopia finished in first place, but he did not capture the top headline.

That went to Hailie Gebrselassie, the famous Ethiopian runner that is arguably the most accomplished distance runner of all time. Gebrselassie has broken 27 world records and currently hold the world record for the marathon at 2:03:59

At mile 16 Gebrselassie slowed then stopped, experiencing some minor knee problems prior to the start of the race. At the post race Gebraselassie took the podium and announced that he would be retiring. At 37 years old Gebraselassie is past his prime, however, he has still been a dominate force in the distance running. If he truly does retire it would sure end the career of one of distance runners great athletes of all time.

NY Times Article on Gebrselassie: Enjoy!

Motivation:

Here is some more motivation for you.

When deciding whether to run that first 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon or beyond or even whether or not to get out of bed an run in the morning just ask yourself two questions.

1. How will you feel after you run?

2. How will you feel if you don't even try?

A Little Motivation

Here is a quick little article on motivation from Running Times magazine. Especially now that most of us are done racing for the year and the days start to getting shorter and colder it is often difficult to get out there and run.

Running Times Article on Motivation: Enjoy!

2011 Races: ??????

As I am completely done with the 2010 race season I have to start thinking about what races I want to try and run next year. Here are the ones I am thinking about, please fill out the poll on the right side so I can get your feedback.

-Jordan

Off Season:

Now that the 2010 racing season is officially done, I debated about running the Mankato Marathon or the Surf the Murph races but they filled up already, I can relax and take it easy. The only problem is that like every off season period it seems like I am now extremely motivated to build upon my last race.

I have been taking it easy and have only ran a few times since the Chicago marathon, but I have already started my off season strength training and I am looking into some yoga classes and cycle classes to help improve upon some of my weaknesses.

Here are my initial off season goals however, they often change as I figure out what races I want to do the following year.

1. Strength Training-I need to work on some muscular imbalances that I have as well as improve my overall strength. I feel that if you have a good strength base it can greatly help you to be able to handle all of the training miles as well as help to reduce injuries. One thing that you do have to be careful with in my case is not to add too much muscular bulk. Not that I generally do but adding an extra 3-5 pounds of muscle is not the goal, making them stronger is.

2. Maintain a good level of cardio, so that I am not completely starting from zero once I jump into another training program.

3. Increase my flexibility. I do not feel that it is a vital component to running especially distance running but i personally feel better and I think that it helps reduce injuries and minor aches.

4. Relax. Even I get sick of running and training, so definitely taking some time to simply not feel guilty about not running.

Chicago Marathon 2010: Race Report

A long over due post and race report, but it was the last race of the season and I was enjoying my off season. The 2010 season is in the books and it ended on a high note with a personal record (PR) at the 2010 Chicago Marathon. Just barely setting a new PR with a time of 2:45:02 I beat my previous PR by a mere 43 seconds.

The race was awesome there were 45,000 registered runners making it one of the biggest marathons in the USA and in the world. The volunteers and staff did a great job of organizing the race from start to finish. Getting over 45,000 people were the needed to go all at the same time must have taken quite an effort so thank you to all who were involved. I was fortunate to be able to start in Corral A which got me ahead of about 44.500 people which really helped. When the gun went off I did not have to maneuver too much around people, everyone around me seemed to be moving about about the same pace, which made the start quite exhilarating. You seem to always get that stamped effect when running in a big race but this was the biggest one yet.

We started in Grant Park and headed north winding through the city and popping out to the lake front from time to time. I think my favorite part of the race was running through the downtown areas, where you were surrounded by skyscrapers, it made you feel very small. Though I didn't really know where I was most of the race it was great to get to see so much of the city. Minneapolis truly does not compare with Chicago in its size especially its downtown areas. The crowd support along the way was fantastic, because we were in the city the whole time there was always people cheering along the way. My cousin and her husband, who I stayed with, got a great spot just after mile 8 and it was motivating to get to see them. Usually I don't have any fans cheering specifically for me so that was fun to see them out. I also go to see a few other friends from my run club as well which was very nice surprise around the half way point.

Overall I felt really good throughout the whole race, I went out a bit more conservative and tried to just maintain a solid pace throughout the race. I didn't feel like I did at the Minneapolis marathon where I felt like I was holding back the first half and I actually went out way too fast. I came across the half way point at 1:21:40 which is about perfect, I felt pretty strong through the second half and only slowed a bit the last few miles. Because the course is very flat it was very easy to keep a consistent pace throughout. It was also nice to have plenty of other runners to run with from start to end. Some of the smaller races get too thinned out and you end of having to run a lot of the second half without anyone around you which makes it tough for me to maintain my pace.

I will say that my cardio did not feel as strong as it did for the Minneapolis marathon but my legs felt great throughout the race and even after the race they were not really that sore. It did help to get a massage right after the finish though. All in all another great race and another good season. I improved on my PR and had a great time running the Chicago marathon for the first time. I will definitely be back to run it again at some point, but it may have to wait a year to so.

As for next year, I have my sights set on continuing to improve on my marathon time, but might concentrate more effort on some ultras next year. I trying to find a good 100 mile race to jump into, I have a few in mind so we'll see what 2011 holds.


Results

Ryan Hall NOT running the Chicago Marathon 2010:

As the count down to the 2010 Chicago marathon closes in I have already moved up one place in the results before the race has even started. Ryan Hall, the top American marathon has announced that he is no longer running the Chicago marathon. I have included a link to Ryan Hall's blog post explaining, Hall goes on to say that he has made the decision based on his recent 1/2 marathon race at the Rock N' Roll Half Marathon in Philly where he placed a disappointing 13 place overall, but ran a pace only a few seconds faster in the 1/2 that he will need to run for twice the distance.

I think that he is just scared to race me again. Hall ended up on top in our first meeting, 2009 Boston marathon, Hall placing 3rd and me finishing on his heals placing 532nd. However, since that 2009 Boston marathon I have improved on my personal best by 6 minutes, Hall on the other hand has yet to even reach his personal best since 2008 London marathon. Not to worry we will meet again and the rivalry will continue.

As for me I am preparing for my first Chicago marathon. I have heard that it is a flat and fast course so I am hoping for a new personal best. I love the city of Chicago and Sunday I will get a great 26.2 mile tour of the city it should be great and I am really looking forward to the race and the weekend.

Ryan's Blog Post about his decision not to Run

Time to Slow Down?

Like many runners, or athletes in general, we have the mentality that more is better. I have used this approach to my training this past year when getting ready for the Minneapolis marathon and the Chicago marathon in 2 weeks. I do feel that in order for me to further improve I will need to train harder and add more mileage.

I have learned to try and maintain a balance of rest and training. I have found that my recovery days really need to be just that. There is no advantage of pushing yourself on days that are meant to recover, it is completely counter productive. This is a difficult thing for me because again I like most athletes or competitive people liken ourselves to Sharks. If you not moving your dead.

One of the biggest mistakes that most runners make is going to hard on easy days and not hard enough on the hard days. I am planning on eventually doing another ultra marathon and that will be based a lot on big mileage weeks, but still you need to balance rest and recovery to avoid injury.

Here is a link to an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about endurance athletes pushing them too hard.

Enjoy!
Wall Street Journal Article:

The Benefits of Ice Baths from Runner's World:

This recent year I have realized the benefits of icing after some of my hard workouts. In general icing helps to reduce the swelling in the your muscles and helps to promote blood flow, both of which will help in recovery by aiding in muscle recovery.

Here is an article from Runner's World that shows some of the benefits of ice baths.


Enjoy!
Benefits of Ice Baths from Runner's World.com

Quote of the Day:

"The gun goes off and everything changes... the world changes... and nothing else really matters."
- Patti Sue Plummer

Product Review: Nike Free 3.0v2

I know that I did an product review for these when I first got them, but I figure now that I have put a few miles on them I am in a better position to give them a thorough review. The Nike Free 3.0 v2 are Nike's latest version of minimalist shoes meant to simulate barefoot running, at least as much as a athletic shoe company will allow. The Nike Frees come in several different versions the 3.0's being the most minimal and most closely simulate barefoot running.

This is an extremely light weight shoe and the sole is extremely flexible to again simulate running barefoot. The top is almost completely made of a light mesh that wraps the foot well and seems to keep everything in place, as long as you are not doing too much lateral movement.

When I asked how many miles I can expect out o the shoes I was given the usual response of 200-300 miles for this type of minimal shoes. However, because I got this from the Nike sales rep, I wasn't too certain of how much that information was influenced by the desire to sell me more shoes. Anyways, now that I have put over 500 miles on my Nike Free's I am now starting to feel some of the wear and tear. The Frees really do not have much to them, very little cushioning, support and padding, so my thought was what is there to really wear out, but alas like all shoes they have yield to the miles.

I did notice that they would definitely help promote a more natural stride and discourage me form over striding and landing on my heals. They also simple felt great to run in, very similar to running in racing flats, you just feel light and fast in them. It did take a while to get used to running in them and I would not recommend most runners to use them as your primary trainer. I took me several months of slowly incorporating them into my workouts before I could use them on a regular basis.

All in all a very good shoe which is very functional for my purposes and feels great to run in. I'll definitely be getting another pair soon.




Check out other reviews of the 3.0's

Now What's On Your iPod:

I think Apple is still working on a this version of the iPod. Here is what is currently on my ipod right now. There are a few more songs on my play list but these are the ones that I listen to mostly while running. Along with the

1. Empire State of Mind-Jay-Z
2. Billionaire-Travie McCoy
3. Crazy Train- Ozzy
4. Walk This Way-Aerosmith
5. I'm Not Afraid-Eminem
6. 4 Minutes-Madonna & JT
7. Run This Town Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West
8. How Far We've Come-Matchbox 20
9. Last Resort-Papa Roach
10. Numb Encore-Jay-Z, Linkin Park & Paul McCartney
11. Save Tonight-Eagle Eye Cherry
12. Closing Time-Semisonic
13. Lose Yourself-Eminem
14. The Rockafeller Shank-Fatboy Slim
15. Young Jay-Z
16. Reason to Believe-Dashboard Confessional
    

Audio Book: What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

Endurance Planet Podcasts
Ted Talk Podcasts
Running Times Podcast

Running Habits:

Just like any activity that a person spends a lot of time and effort on you form certain habits or pet peeves. Though I am not a superstitious person, I like to think that all of my thoughts are grounded in logic, I do have certain habits that I do follow during my runs. Here are some of the habits or pet peeves that I have when I run.

1. I avoid stepping on manhole covers. I don't know why, but I feel that just one time one of them will be lose and I step on it and break my legs. No matter what training or during a race I avoid manholes or drainage cutters at all costs.

2. I do not believe that running on the grass or dirt next to a tar or pavement path will save my knees. I do believe that if the dirt or grass is rough there is a higher likely hood that you will slip and twist your ankle.

3. I always carry things in my left hand, water bottles, gels, shirt or food. Unless my left hand if full anything that I carry goes in my left hand and rarely will I switch hands. This has always been the case since running down the track in high school with a baton, it just feels more comfortable.

Post a comment of any running habits that you have.

Joshua Klein on the intelligence of crows | Video on TED.com

Ok, a somewhat non-running related post here so bare with me. As any distance runner will tell you one of the major obstacles that you need to over come is the mental aspect of running. No matter how fast a person runs when he or she is running numerous miles at a time there is always plenty of time to think. Often we think about the pain we are in, how many miles we have left, or simply try and numb our brains with ipods. One thing that I have found is that you can use this time to slip into almost a meditative state, to a degree, but not when you are doing 400m repeats or hills repeats then you are pretty much focused on the pain. So unless you have a very structured workout you really only have to think about running and after the first few steps most of us get the hang of it.

I often listen to audio books or podcasts while out on my long easier runs and one of my favorite sources to listen to are the Ted Talks. Ted Talks is a conference put on by a nonprofit devoted to ideas worth spreading. I posted an speech from Mike Rowe the host of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and I'm posting another speech from Joshua Klein.

Joshua Klein is a fervent hacker of all things, including wet, pulpy systems like animals and people and the way they behave. Joshua talks about how he has developed a box that actually can train a crow to gather money for you. No the idea isn't to train an army of lose change seeking crows but to look at the "problem" of animals that we consider pests in a whole new light. Ok...yes now we have clearly left the running realm, however, I do believe that if we constantly challenge ourselves mentally and physically it will result in making us better people and better runners.

By constantly challenging yourself physically and mentally you can continue to redefine what is possible for yourself.

Enjoy!
Joshua Klein on the intelligence of crows | Video on TED.com

Running Times Podcast: Your Muscles, Long Runs

Here is a good podcast from Running Times that helps to explain what happens to your legs and muscles on a long run. They also go through the benefits of long runs and how to help maximize the benefits of these types of runs.

Enjoy!
http://runningtimes.blip.tv/rss/itunes

Running Abroad: China

Above:China Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai

Above: Me eating a chicken leg. It was like chewing on a piece of picked rubber.

Goose, Chicken leg, some sort of nut, and dried fish. Not exactly the best food for running, but I actually liked most of it.

Pu dong Skyline Shanghai

Another shot of at the World Expo

Here are a few pictures of my trip to China. I was in Shanghai for about 3 weeks for work and it was a great trip, but not so great for my running. Shanghai is 13 hour different than Minnesota so it took about a week to get used to the time change. Shanghai is also a city of about 20 million people and is constantly growing, their main object is economic growth not designing a city that is run friendly. This along with a crazy work schedule really limited my running, when I did get the ambition to run it was generally on the treadmill or out in the 90+ degree weather with 90+% humidity and lot of pollution. I have posted a few links to some of the outdoor runs that I did do, but had to really keep them short due to the heat.

China is a fascinating country and Shanghai is the crown jewel of the country. There is certainly a lot of western influence in the city and the culture, but it is still very different that the US. One particular difference is the communist government who does control a lot of things that we really take for granted and don't notice. For example this blog, I was not able to access it and there are not many blogs in China, legal ones anyways. All of the news is government run and so you guessed it approval ratings for the government just don't exist out in public anyways.

All that being aside it was another great trip to China and I look forward to going back. I will just have to plan to not have to run too much while there.

Quote of the Day:

Life is short... running makes it
seem longer.

By Baron Hansen

Running Up North:

A few things that I have learned while running up in Northern Minnesota this week is that it is a lot better than trying to run on the streets of Shanghai with 20 million other people, cars, scooters, and bikes. Also that there are still drawbacks to getting away from everything, such as horse flies.

However, there is a slight silver lining to this in that I have found out that horse flies without any wind can fly almost exactly at a 7 minute mile pace. This is only really good when you workout calls for a tempo run faster than a 7 min pace, but good to know none the less.

The Great Fire Wall of China:

First off I apologize for lack of posts and updates the past 3 weeks. My reasoning is that I was in China for work and the Chinese government has managed to censor the internet, this means a lot of sites are simply blocked while in China. You may have heard about the problems that Google has had with China.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and many blogs, especially on Blogger( a google run site) are blocked. So my absence from the blog was a forced one. Unfortunately for many running, I was quite busy while in China and did not have a whole lot of opportunity to run. I stayed in Shanghai, which has about 20 million people and it is less than an ideal place to run. Too many people, cars, bikes, scooters, buildings traffic, crazy drivers and pollution.

I did manage a few runs but the weather was nearly 90 degrees everyday with nearly 100% humidity, so even when I did get out it was difficult to get any quality runs in. Here are a few pictures from the trip and I'll be posting again on a regular basis, don't worry.

Quote of the Day:

"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute, and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity."

-Albert Einstein

I am not too much for physics but I did find this quote quite interesting and I think that it certainly relates well to distance running. I think that most distance runners can recall a workout, race or even just a section of a race that you felt like you were flying and the miles flew past. Then there are races that feel like the are an endless and pain stricken endeavor. I don't know that it is quite as complex as Einstein's theory of relativity but I think that some of those concepts can apply to running.

Lunchtime Runs:

I have recently done a few lunchtime runs, mostly because I have been too lazy to get up in the morning and get my AM miles in so I have had to get them in over lunch time.

A few of the problems that I have run into are:

1. Not having enough time.
2. Refueling
3. Continuing to sweat after my cool down and shower.

Overall, it is actually a good opportunity to get in a run though only a short one. Here is a pretty good article from Running Times magazine that talk about some good example of how to refuel after those noon hour runs.

Enjoy!
Lunchtime Runs? How to Refuel Fast!

50 Healthy Foods for Under $1 a Pound:

Nutrition is a major part of running and just being health in general.

There is an unlimited amount of products and foods that you can buy

to help your performance to lose more weight or heal a sickness. But

you don't need to spend a lot of money to eat healthy. Here is a great

article that list 50 healthy foods for $1 or less.

Enjoy!

50 Healthy Food for Under a $1 a Pound:

Grandma's Marathon 2010:

Well, another great Grandma's marathon in the books. 2010 was a little light on runners this year, with 5,500 finishers, but the competition was even stronger than last year and the post race festivities were just as fun.

This year only one of friend ran with me at the marathon but I had about 8 or 9 other friends from my run club run, which was great to get to see a bunch of people that I knew. This year the weather was actually pretty good, it stayed in the low 60's for most of the race. I managed to improve upon my time from last year by about a minute, but about 8 minutes off of my PR.

Unfortunately, I seemed to have died again the last 6 miles of the race, despite taking it a bit easier the first half, running a 1:22 first half slit. I think that my big problems is lack of leg strength and more specifically my hip flexors. I think it is more to do with muscular balance than anything. I think that too much of my strength training this year was focused on my gluts and calves or the back side of my legs. I guess I have about 3 months to strengthen up to get ready for Chicago. I really feel that I can run at or around a 6 min pace for the entire race, but just need a little more strength.

All in all it was an amazing time again in Duluth, I think that Duluth is one of my more favorite cities to visit, especially for someone you like to get outside and enjoy the outdoors there is so much to do in the Duluth area and there is so much beautiful areas near by. Hopefully I can get back up there sometime this summer or fall and get back on the trails and do some running.

Link to my Race Results

Finish Line Video:

The Rule:

What do you do when you meet a fellow runner on a trail or path?

Give a nod?

Little hand wave?

Keep your eyes locked forward and pretend they are not there?

Well, I have had mixed experiences with other runners, I generally try and give a little wave or a head nod. Some runners are very friends and give you a nice hello or a wave, but it seems like with the growing number of ipods out there now that there is a little bit of the social aspect that is lost out there. Below is a podcast form Endurance Planet that talks about this subject.

Enjoy!

Endurance Planet Podcast

It's Never Easier Than Now!

Ok, I this will be a little bit of a stretch to relate to running but here goes. Running is a relatively inexpensive activity to participate in, all you really need is a good pair of shoes and you're set. Now if you want to get into racing that is another story, here is a previous post where I figured out how much I spent on running (Opportunity Cost included for you economist out there).

Whether you are just running to stay active or are serious into racing and training. With the current economic situation we all should make sure that our finances are in order, so we can participate and enjoy activities like running and other things. I follow a very informative blog that it meant provide you with a basis of financial information so that you do not waste your money and most importantly you are enjoying that hard earned money. Ramit Sethi is an author of the book I Will Teach You to be Rich which I think it a great book that outlines very simply some basic guidelines that everyone should follow. No this is not a book to get rich, but to provide you with a template to make sure that you are being smart with your money and not wasting it, so that you can use it for things that you enjoy, such as race entry fees. I highly recommend the book and this blog it is full of a lot of great information.

It Never Get Easier Than Now:

Running Jargon:

"Negative Split"- A negative split simple means that you run the second half of a race faster than you ran the first. World class marathoners will often try and run equal or "negative splits" during a marathon.

Haile Gebrelassie the current world record holder for the marathon ran a slight negative split during his record setting race.

Minneapolis Marathon:Race Report

My first marathon of 2010 is in the books, and it was a good start but a painful one. I set a new personal record (PR) with a time of 2:45:45 and got 2nd place overall, but I did it the hard way. Overall the Minneapolis Marathon was great, with 1146 marathon finishers, nearly perfect weather the whole time and a really nice course that takes you through a lot of Minneapolis it really was a great race.

I felt excellent for the first 16 miles, but as you can see from the miles splits below that after miles 15 I slow down quite a bit, the big problem that I ran into was my legs, they felt fine for about 15 miles but the last 10 miles were the toughest 10 miles I have ever ran, that includes the last 10 miles of the 50 mile trail race that I ran with two blown hamstrings. I would have done that over again in a heartbeat. I think the combination of going out a bit fast, not doing as much strength training and running in racing flats for the first time contributed to the pain. Though I did set a new PR by 5:42, so I really don't have anything to complain about, other than the miserable last 10 miles of the race.

I am optimistic that I can run a 2:40:00 marathon this year despite today's effort, the reasoning being that if it weren't for my legs feeling so bad I would have been able to put together a more even 1st and 2nd race, my cardio was fine the whole time, so hopefully I could even try and improve upon my this time in two weeks at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth.

Official Results

Minneapolis Marathon 2010 by jhanlon31 at Garmin Connect - Details

Results:

Overall Place: 2nd/1146 finishers

Chip Time: 2:45:45

13.1 Time: 1:18:45

Average Mile Split: 6:18

Miles Splits:

1-5:53

2-5:53

3-5:52

4-5:32

5-6:09

6-5:29

7-6:17

8-6:05

9-6:06

10-5:45

11-5:55

12-6:38

13-5:47

14-5:51

15-6:06

16-6:38

17-6:31

18-6:19

19-6:37

20-6:16

21-6:51

22-6:56

23-6:55

24-7:02

25-8:00

26.2-2:18 (.2 miles)