Tag Archives: race

Martian Half Marathon April 2009

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My first half marathon is now history and in the books.

The race flyer from Running Fit.

The weather was great for a race, cool enough to be comfortable (34), but not so cool as to be frosty either. They said it was a slightly revised course this year, but since I had never run the half before (did the 10K in 2008) it was all new to me except a few parts both races share.

They always play up the Martian UFO angle putting out a lot of advertising like this full size poster.

The Martian Marathon Poster - Suitable for framing.

The shirt is always unique and has won awards for design of running shirts.

The front side shows the hairy alien inside.

The Martian Marathon Technical Tee - Front.

While the back has the “friendly” alien coming out.

The Martian Marathon Technical Tee - Rear.

The finishers get a medal, along with the free sore legs, for their effort.

The Martian Marathon Finishers Medal.

The official Team ToeJammer Bib.

The Martian Marathon ToeJammers Bib.

And the stats associated with the run.

The Martian Marathon Final Results.

    Some stats for the race:
    a) 13.1 Miles (Half Marathon)
    b) Finished 1053 out of 1762 overall
    c) Finished 31 out of 58 in my age group.
    d) Had a 9:35 pace (2:05:26.2 total time)
    e) Had a great time, even got a new 13.1 M PR (Ok, it had to be a PR!)

Until the final UFO is sighted,
George

Shamrocks and Shenanigans 2009

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The second annual running of the Running Fit “Shamrocks and Shenanigans” race, 2009 edition is now history and in the books.

The race flyer from Running Fit.

The weather was great for a race, cool enough to be comfortable, but not so cool as to be frosty either.  A new course this year eliminated the previous years four lap race, only two now, much better.

The race flyer from Running Fit.

    • Some stats for the race:
    • a) 5K
    • b) Finished 582 out of 1666 overall
    • c) Finished 9 out of 29 in my age group.
    • d) Had a 8:38 pace (26:48 total time)
    e) Had a great time, even got a new 5K PR.

Until the last Lucky Charm’s box is stolen by the leprechaun,
George

Software and Running = Part 2

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In which I continue the monologue on equipment and software I use to track exercise efforts.

Software for recording Running and Races. The first software I got for tracking workouts and races was Runners Studio. I have been using it for about nine months at this point. I really like the layout of the software, it is easy to navigate and has a nice visual appeal. One of my favorite features is the “upcoming race” calendar/listing.  You can enter races that you want to run or are thinking about running into the software and it lists them all in a page view. The view includes customizable columns so you can add/remove what you want to see, or rearrange the order of the columns. The entries may also be sorted by different columns such as date of race, have you registered yet, length of race, etc. The view also shows the number of days remaining until race day, a very handy visual to use for planning. It also quickly reminds you of how many days there may be between races, so if you need to set priorities it is easy to do.

A short list of my favorite features:

  • Import data from Garmin Training Center. Much easier than entering all the lap data manually, also includes elevation, heart rate, etc.
  • Track run data from GPS using Google Earth with a click of the mouse.
  • Track shoe useage to see how many miles you put on them.
  • Goals you can set for about any combination of miles, time, pace, weight, etc
  • Mega-Goals which can be set to see how far you run in total, can you make it around the world? I’m just working on getting from California to New York…..
  • Upcoming races which I mentioned.
  • Race history which lists all the races you have entered, your goal and the results.

I could list everything the program does, but it would be easier for you to visit his web page, read what he has to say, and then download the software and try it out!

The program is constantly being updated, and the author seems receptive to adding new features that are requested as he has done for my requests several times. There is still a “wish list” I have for him, but it is getting closer to my ideal program with every revision!

Kensington 15K – Ann Arbor Track Club – AATC

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A first for me, a 15K or 9.2 mile race. Longest race to date! Having done a few training runs of 10-12 miles I decided I could tackle this race. I am happy to say the ambulance did not carry me off, and while I would have liked to finish higher in my age group, overall I am in the top 50% (48% actually). Again this shows the fitness level of 55-59 year olds that I am up against! In that group I was 17 out of 20 which puts me in the bottom 15%! A big difference.

Kensington Metro Park is one of the larger, if the not largest in the area. It encompasses the large lake and is quite a nice setting. Lots of activites we may try some time, horseback riding, biking and maybe even some walking.  You can see the pictures of the park and the race Since the path loops the lake there are not so many of the actual race.

The Kensington Challenge 15K

By the numbers

By the numbers:

a) 15 Kilometers = 9.2 miles.

b) ran at a 10:02 per mile pace, 1:33:24 total time.

c) finished 229 out of 473 overall, so finished in the top 48% of all runners.

d) finished 17 out of 20 in my age group.

e) had a great time, which was the real race goal!

The race went great, a new PR for me, and a pretty good pace.

From Last Post:

You know, I am sorta getting an urge to try a half marathon… but trying to resist until next year. Just barely doing the 5 mile thing right now. Maybe I will try a 10 miler before I make the jump. There should be some coming up yet this year. We’ll see.

Okay, that’s done, now do I go and try the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon in October?

Web site tracking of races.

The race is in it’s 25th year and is presented by the Ann Arbor Track Club. https://www.aatrackclub.org/

Until the final winding path is run and the hills are all level,

George

Dart Frog Dash 5K at the Toledo Zoo

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Tomorrow isThe other day was the next race, down in Toledo Ohio. The “The Dart Frog Dash” so named (I think) in honor of the new exhibit at the Toledo Zoo – which is the site of the 5K race.” at the Toledo Zoo.

Hopefully I will be able to “jump” right on this and get the results posted.

Dart Frog Dash

The race went well, and I finished within my goal time. But did I set a new PR? That remains to be seen!

Some stats for the race:

  • a) a quick “jump” at the start got me going
  • b) things got really “hopping” at the 2 mile point
  • c) a 5K (3.1 miles)
  • d) finished 206 out of 344 male entrants (60% finished ahead of me)
  • e) finished 11 out of 20 in my age group (55% finished ahead of me)
  • f) finished 326 out of 737 total finishers. (finished in the top 44% overall)
  • g) had a 9:08 pace (28:18 total time)
  • h) had a great time, and chalked up another new PR for a 5K! Hey, four races, four new personal records, what’s so hard about this?

Until the the last person feels “froggy”,

Road Ends 5 Miler

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Every year the local Running Fit stores hold what is called “The Road Ends 5 Mile Trail Race” also billed as “No Wimps Allowed!” race in Pinckney Michigan. This is the short version of the Trail Marathon and half marathon held the following day at the same location.


Just to prove I was really registered for the race... although I could have grabbed this out of the recycle barrel after the race.

Added a nice new T-Shirt to the small, but growing, collection.
The official Road Ends participant T-Shirt art work.

    Some stats for the race:
    a) 5 Miles, not a 5K
    b) finished 276 out of 355
    c) finished fifth out of five in my age group…. later adjusted to sixth out of six.
    d) won my first “award” for the fifth place, but later seems I should not have after results were adjusted…. oh well.
    e) took a great tumble skinning up a knee and (can this be done?) spraining a foot, not an ankle.
    f) learned to make sure I remove glasses before I take off on a run! (The bifocals make seeing your feet difficult without looking down, thus losing the ability to see where you are going.)
    g) had a 11:09 pace (55:44 total time)
    h) had a great time in spite of e above, and since it was the first 5 mile I have run another new PR! Hey, three races, three new personal records, what’s so hard about this?

The course is at the State Park in Pinckney Michigan. The area is relatively hilly, and the course takes great advantage of that. There are a couple gentle hills to sort of warm up on, and then a couple monster “never ending grades” that will make the thighs burn, and these come after the 3 mile marker, so you are I am already running on shaky legs! Yeah, I walked part of them, I am sure this contributed to the slower overall pace since I have been keeping it to around 10 minutes on flatter courses. This shows a need to get more hill work in, maybe need to find a stadium with steps to run up… or maybe even enter the annual climb at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.

    Full Climb 70 Floors – 1035 Steps
    Half Climb 40 Floors – 585 Steps
    Yeah, right . . . . Oh, I would have, but already missed it for this year, darn. (It was Sunday, February 24, 2008)

I also cannot figure out how the course can gain over 1,000 feet in total altitude, but never descends more that 50 feet total through the course. . . or at least it seems that way.

Update May 1, 2008: I was kidding about the elevation above, but I just got the weekly email from the sponsors “Running Fit” and they had this to say about the race:

“As usual, the weather was spectacular and everyone set a P.R.! (Seriously, we just checked out the vertical climb in each loop of the half marathon and it was over 7,000 ft! For those of you who ran the 5, a very serious 5, it had over 3,000 ft of climb!”.

Now this to me seems like a serious amount of climbing to me! No wonder the legs grew weary!

I did have the old Peugeot 10 speed out awhile back. The tires still held air, and I did a couple miles around the neighbourhood to see if I could still stay upright. Seemed to provide pretty good thigh exercise also, maybe need to get out on it more often. . . or maybe even squats (?) to build them up.

Well, nursing the foot now, resting it a couple of days, then have to get back on the path. Need to keep on track since I have the Toledo Zoo and Mackinaw Bridge races coming up in just a couple of weeks.

Until the final bruise heals,