Tag Archives: running

Personal record in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle half-marathon

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Earlier today, I completed my fifth half-marathon, running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle 2010 Half-Marathon in 1:54:12. That time sets the personal record I have been striving for since my very first half-marathon, Bellingham Bay 2008.

The race felt great. I feel great. It is a good day. Here are my numbers:

Keith's Rock 'n' Roll Seattle 2010 half-marathon results

TB and Owen cheered me (and the other 27,000+ runners) along on a cool, overcast Seattle day. I credit Hal Higdon’s training regiment—which I mentioned briefly back in March—for helping me prepare for this race. I stuck to his Novice 1 marathon training guide for 16 weeks, running four days every week. I never missed a day, peaking at 18 miles (Week 13) before tapering for today’s race. I did not feel tired or winded at any point and I never stopped running. My left hamstring tightened up at mile 10 but the muscle fatigue did not destroy my race like in Skagit Valley. Training beyond the half-marathon distance really helped build my endurance and increase my speed.

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Besides running faster, I made one other significant change for today’s race. For the first time, I ran without carrying any fluids. No CamelBak (reference). No FuelBelt (reference). Instead, I drank the water and CytoSport Cytomax sports drink at each hydration station spaced ~1.4 miles apart on the course. Doing so forced me to hydrate at regular intervals and allowed me to shed ~4 pounds of weight.

  • Before the race, Owen enjoyed mimicking my Bershawn “Batman” Jackson getup.
  • During the race, apparently, only a handful of us donned our stunna shades.
  • After the race, Team Smith posed for a group photo.
Owen "Batman" Smith and His Sidekick Nice headband Team Smith!

Lastly, for comparison, here are the results of my first five half-marathons:

Race Date Finish
1. Bellingham Bay 2008 Sep 28, 2008 1:56:56
2. Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona 2009 Jan 18, 2009 2:09:39
3. Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle 2009 Jun 27, 2009 2:01:51
4. Skagit Valley 2009 Sep 13, 2009 2:15:59
5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle 2010 Jun 26, 2010 1:54:12

Next up: Bellingham Bay 2010 on Sep 26. I figured I would celebrate the two-year anniversary of my first race by running it again.

Running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle 2010 Half-Marathon

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Has it really been over six months since my last running post? Wow. That’s bad. The good news is I have not give up running or blogging.

On the running front, I have selected a previous favorite for my fifth half-marathon: the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle on June 26. Since it will have been nine months since my last race, I did not want to venture too far away from home. Also, I really enjoyed running the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle last year. This time I am focused on training consistently and avoiding injury.

I have set myself back by getting injured while preparing for previous races either by running too hard or ramping up the mileage too quickly. Other times I contracted colds so severe I had to miss precious training days leading up to race day. The plan this time is to go slow, build gradually and stay healthy. I am following Hal Higdon’s Novice Marathon Training Program to get my body comfortable running longer distances.

Wish me luck!

It’s about finishing what you start

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failure I started my 4th half-marathon promptly at 8 AM, Sunday, September 13, along with 640+ other Skagit Flats marathoners/half-marathoners. It felt great running outdoors soaking in the late-summer, early-autumn beauty of the Pacific Northwest. I ran with an excited bounce right from the start as TB and Owen saw all us runners off and cheered me on. The temperature had reached the upper 50s by the time the gun fired and the bright sun hung over the flat, treeless, farm-draped course painting the asphalt in bright yellow and warming the air with a damp, earthy thickness.

I planned to run mile one at a 9’30” pace then gradually increase my pace the rest of the way to about 8’45” by mile 10. I hoped my training prepared me to finish between 1:55 and 2:00 based on how I ran the other races. Where I ultimately landed in that range would be determined by how I felt at the midpoint and again at mile 10.

Expecting a fairly cool temperature throughout the first half of the race, I ran with less fluid for the first 4 miles than previous races. While my FuelBelt holds 6 bottles, I wanted to minimize the additional weight I carried along each segment (1-4, 5-9, 10-13). I started with a single 8 oz bottle filled with Gatorade Endurance. I swapped the empty bottle with TB for two more 8 oz bottles at mile 4. At that point I was already hotter and thirstier than I expected. My plan called for me to run miles 5-9 with that 16 oz of Gatorade supplemented by water at the water station I would pass just after mile 6. Before reaching mile 6, I had consumed one of the bottles of Gatorade. At the water station at mile 6 I tossed back a 2 oz cup of water. At the 6 1/2-mile turnaround I ate a GU gel and drank half the second bottle of Gatorade. I felt strong and energetic but sensed I was overheating.

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Training for my fourth half-marathon

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Skagit Flats Half-Marathon 2009 I am scheduled to run the Skagit Flats Half-Marathon in just over two weeks—8 AM, Sunday, September 13, to be exact. The course is about an hour north of our home and will be the smallest of the races I have registered, judging by the total number of finishers in 2008—333 half, 189 full—and minimalist Web site.

My goal is to finish in under 2 hours since I fell just short in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle half back in June.

Of course, I would not be mad if I finished in 1:56 or faster to commemorate my first half-marathon time a year ago. With TB and Owen there cheering me on, why not?

Training for my third half-marathon

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This morning I completed an 11-mile run to prepare to run the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half-Marathon in 3 weeks. This evening it dawned on me it has been about nearly 5 months since I blogged about running. My blog was taken over by some guy who likes writing about his kid.

This race marks my third half-marathon in 9 months and my first since Owen arrived so it is a pretty big deal. I finally got serious about my training last month since TB and I were getting a handle on the whole new parent thing. She has been very supportive. My training requires lots of juggling and sacrifices on her part to allow me the time to go out for 1/2-2 hour runs several times a week when that time could be directed to giving her a break or us doing something together. As a runner herself—TB is the real runner in our family—she understands how being outdoors on the road helps keep my mind and body from turning to mush.

So, dear readers, do not fret. While I took an extended break from running after the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona in January, I am still on the wagon, in the saddle, racking up the miles with Nike+. I am looking forward to my wife and son cheering me on.

Speaking of cheering, here is a picture of our little guy in a custom Dallas Cowboys jersey from his Uncle Chuku. Team Smith will be cheering for the Cowboys this fall despite the many boneheaded front office decisions over the past year. Yeah, T.O. is no longer on the roster but you already know what I think about that.

Owen in Cowboys jersey - front  Owen in Cowboys jersey - back