I’ve never really referred to the Cleveland Half Marathon as an “A” race, but it is. My goal for this race is to go sub 1:40, knocking 49 seconds off my Shamrock time from March.

I’ve been so quiet about training specifics all year, but since March I’ve done some things that I think will get me to that new half marathon mark:

• This race week I am nearly 3 pounds lighter than Shamrock. Slightly better eating and continued “little bit” of core work has helped me hit that mark. I’m about 5 pounds from where I want to be, but that’s something I’ll focus on before Richmond Marathon training begins.
• Having a coach has pushed me to much faster training runs, and very specific runs that have pushed me to run below half marathon pace at times. I wrote about needing to do that shortly after Shamrock and I’m very happy about successfully doing that.
• I’ve run in a huge variety of weather with huge temperature swings. The weather forecast on Sunday is looking very warm with a high of 80 that day. The overnight low, though, is 60, so for the 7 a.m. start it shouldn’t be too bad. And if it is uncomfortable, I’ll adjust as the race goes along.
• My 10k PR was comfortably under my half marathon goal pace. I’m confident I can double that effort.

My brief illness seems to be completely gone, so all that’s left is a bit of driving to Ohio on Friday …

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A follow-up to last week’s post …

I’m entering Cleveland Half Marathon race week with a huge question – will I be healthy enough to even run it?

This isn’t about seeking out cheerleader responses or wanting advice – it’s a legitimate question that I need to deal with as the week goes along.

From the second half of last week through today, I’ve had various moments of not feeling well, feeling good, feeling blah, and feeling sleepy. I’ve had a minor cough, some sinus pressure, moments of needing a nap ASAP, and times of feeling nothing bad at all.

It’s more allergy-like than anything else – high pollen set in last week and then over the past couple of days a strong storm system has messed with my head with pressure changes.

The best news, so far, is that I haven’t had a fever. I haven’t lost all energy either – I still had a good long run Saturday that gave me some confidence heading into this weekend.

These next couple of days, though, are crucial. I need rest, but I also need to know that I can run without problems.

I’m no stranger to race week problems – I had issues the day before and of at Baltimore in which I seriously considered a DNS, and I had similar symptoms the week before Shamrock a couple of months ago. I also know, though, that I’m not going to risk my long-term health for a race.

Just like a weather forecast will change, I’d say right now my chances of running and running a solid race on Sunday is 95 percent. It’s that 5 percent chance of it not happening at all that weighs on me the most.

My first concert ever was Bryan Adams in the year of the "Everything I Do" hit from the "Robin Hood" movie with Kevin Costner.

It’s well documented how big of a Dave Matthews Band fan I am, but my live music experience expands well beyond that. Thanks to some connections in college, I saw many country artists for free in the late 1990s; I also got to see a variety of artists by going to the Lilith Fair in 1998 and Farm Aid in 1999.

Here’s a sampling of artists and bands I’ve seen live. I hate to limit it to 12, but this is, afterall, called “12 things.”

1. Barenaked Ladies
2. Vince Gill
3. Ben Folds
4. Brooks & Dunn
5. Bush
6. Bryan Adams
7. Alabama
8. Norah Jones
9. Willie Nelson
10. Bela Fleck and The Flecktones
11. Billy Ray Cyrus
12. Garth Brooks

Now that the Cleveland Half Marathon is less than two weeks away, I’m finally excited about it. It’s been one of those events that I’ve put on the back-burner. Sure I’ve been training for it, but I sort of feel like I’ve been avoiding talking about it in great detail.

When I “downgraded” from the full to the half, I never really offered up an explanation for why I did that. I don’t really feel like I have to explain, but this past month and a half have been much better because of that decision.

Here are a few random thoughts I’ve had that haven’t made it to the blog:

• I loosely use the word “downgrade,” but I really hate that word. It doesn’t make me less of a runner to have made a smart decision.
• Coming off Shamrock, I thought I was hurt. When I knew I had to take some downtime, the appropriate miles and runs I needed for a full marathon made no sense. I would have had a spike in mileage that would have increased my injury risk.
• Focusing on 13.1 instead of 26.2 in these crazy seasonal changes has helped mentally. One time I said that running a 20-miler sounded appealing in April; no weekend last month was very appealing for anything longer than what I did.
• I’ve been able to focus on getting stronger and faster. Sure, I could have done that with marathon training, but I feel like my runs in the past month have been of much, much higher quality than had I continued with marathon training.
• I was able to keep things fun. Running through an orchard and then over a mountain is something I might not have done with marathon training.
• Lastly, running a certain time in 26.2 miles or just finishing a marathon isn’t important to me right now. It will later this year, but the time wasn’t right for me to set those goals.

Image: sippakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The streets of Richmond were kind to me again today as I shattered my 10k PR by more than 2 minutes.

With nearly perfect racing conditions — about 60 degrees and a light mist — I went out there with very little strategy other than to break my PR. After briefly analyzing my 10k times earlier this week, and thinking back to when I’ve race this distance, I realized I have never had an ideal 10k.

When I hit the halfway point in 23:05.78, and knew that putting a smack-down on my PR was reality, I stepped it up even more. I ran the second 5k in 22:43.24. Final chip time: 45:49.02. I was 90th out of 879 finishers and 12th out of 52 in my age group.

To keep this short and to the point, I felt great out there. I started strong both physically and mentally, and I kept that going throughout.

After this race I’m even more excited about going to Cleveland and going for another PR in the half. If things feel as good then as they did today, I know I’ll be able to do that.

* * *

I wanted to give a big shout-out to my sister, Heather, for running today’s race as well in 1:02, beating her Monument Avenue 10k several weeks ago by 7 minutes.

This was just her 3rd race ever.

After she enjoyed Monument Avenue so much, she signed up for this race, as well as the Richmond Half Marathon.

I’m looking forward to watching her progress throughout the year and making race weekend in November a family affair. Maybe someone in my family will want to run the 8k that today …

My mom and Uncle John dancing an my wedding in July 2004.

I’ve been thinking about Relay for Life a lot lately. My next Relay is coming up in less than a month and generous donations continue to pour in.

For the 3rd straight year, I’m planning to run depending on how much money I raise – $50 equals 1 mile up to 10 miles; beyond that I may run a half marathon if I hit $1,000. Team members have also said they’d run at certain amounts.

That, though, is not what is on my mind. On my way to work one day this week, I started thinking about my Uncle John, who died from lung and brain cancer 7 years ago.

When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, he was told that he didn’t have long to live. He was determined to fight it though – he lived much longer than doctors told him, thanks in part to cancer treatments that are made possible by fundraising events such as Relay.

He made it to see one more birthday; he got one final dance in at my wedding.

But that’s not enough. He’s missed watching his granddaughter play soccer; he didn’t get to celebrate his 60th birthday in style; he didn’t get to go golf every other day after retirement; he never got to know his great niece or nephew.

When anyone asks why I Relay, I often have a long list, but my Uncle John is standing out to me for some reason this week. My memories of him are so great, and I wish I could have just a few more.

I know everyone out there has lost an uncle or aunt, or a parent, or a sibling, or a close friend due to cancer. Please help in fighting this horrible disease so we can have more birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate with our loved ones.

You can donate to my Relay for Life efforts HERE. Be sure to click on the “Donate on My Behalf” link. 

1. I have found 3 4-leaf clovers this spring. Don’t call me lucky though – I find them all the time. And no, I’m not actively searching them out. It’s an odd thing with me that started years ago. I just spot them very easily for some reason.

2. It’s kind of ridiculous that my 10k PR isn’t under 48 minutes, but I’ve never had an opportunity to race a 10k in prime shape. My 10k experiences have been at odd times of my training that haven’t translated into times that I think I can do. I don’t know Sunday’s course all that well, but I feel like there’s no reason I can’t go to Richmond at the Carytown 10k and knock a minute off my PR.

3. Crazy weather has really cramped my style this week, including hail.

These shoes made it through 2 more races in April.

There used to be a time that April was one of the worst running months of the year for me. Whether it was injury, low mileage, lack of motivation or just a change in the season, I was cursed by April.

In the past three Aprils, though, I’ve been able to shake those demons and kick the month around.

Two years ago it was the streak that pushed me through the month, as well as the inaugural Blue Ridge Half; last year it was about my first real normal month following injury; and this year has been a wide-ranging combination of things.

Here are the highlights:

• 95 running miles
• Learning lots of lessons at the Blue Ridge Half Marathon
• Riding my bike a few times (still no blog posts on that …)
• Racing in an orchard
• Hiking Sharp Top
• Getting training plans from a coach

Take each of those things and together I have one of my best Aprils ever.

As I look ahead, I am eager to continue building onto the foundation I’ve set in the past year. My March-April miles are the highest ever in a 12-month span – about 30 miles shy of 1,200 – and I’ve been injury free for a long time as well.

May is a big month when it comes to setting the stage for this summer. I have a 10k this weekend with the goal likely to be a PR, and the
Cleveland Half Marathon two weeks later in which I am hoping for a PR.

With a little bit of downtime after that, it’s all eyes on the Richmond Marathon and perhaps readjusting my goal for that. Getting faster and stronger have been a high priority for me for a long time and I’m seeing bits and pieces of potential coming together with every run.

I know this all sounds a bit philosophical, but it’s been a couple of years since I’ve had something really good to build on.