Of course it's about running.

Learning the wrong lesson

2007-12-02T21:32:00.000-06:00

After I got back from Washington D.C., I planned to take a little time off, then changed my mind and thought I'd jump right back in and work on getting ready for the Indy 500 Mini-marathon next May. Instead I ate poorly and didn't run for two weeks. Then I ran five miles on a Sunday morning and followed it up with Burger King for breakfast. Delicious, sure, but hardly the ambitious training program I claimed I'd be starting in my last blog post.

Then again I did no running and ate poorly for the following week, bringing me to Sunday 11/18 and the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 10k. Here, after eating a "Super-Size Me" diet and running 5 whole miles in the previous three weeks, I set a new personal best of 47:38 for the 10k distance. The morning of the race I was almost hoping for a very poor time to kick-start me back into working out, and instead I ran really well.

I followed that up with doing the exact same thing (too much food, no running) for the next two weeks. *Now* I'm going to get started working out and putting in those cold, wet, windy, uncomfortable, boring workouts that will pay off months from now. Next week brings an 8k and a chance at bragging rights - I have raced a former co-worker twice this year, splitting the two races. This will be our last chance to race each other so I've got to go hard to avoid being embarrassed. We'll see.

2007 Recap

2007-11-04T21:26:00.000-06:00

First post in a year - here's what's happened: In January, Heather and I ran the Walt Disney World half marathon, then the next day I ran the WDW full marathon. Do them both and it's called the "Goofy Race and a Half Challenge." Then I took some time off running. Then in March I ran the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle (8k) and set a PR, then got injured later that week and had to go easy for a while. In April I ran a 10k, again a PR, and didn't get injured.

During this time I was training for the Green Bay Marathon in the middle of May. Two weeks before that race was the Indy 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, which I ran with Jill and Ryan (Mom & Dad and Heather's Dad also ran). Fortunately that half marathon came two weeks before Green Bay, when I was scheduled to run the half distance anyway. It was a tough day (we walked some as it got warm and a little humid) but we all finished together.

Two weeks later at Green Bay the weather was windy and cool to cold. I wore long sleeves the entire race and running tights for the first 5 or 6 miles. I paced well and finally reached my goal of a sub-four-hour marathon, another PR. Then I took more time off. In July I ran my first 5k, a run for the Chicago White Sox Charites which finished inside U.S. Cellular Field (New Comiskey Park). Later that month, Heather's Dad and I ran the San Francisco half marathon. We ran along the waterfront and Fisherman's Wharf before crossing and re-crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, then finishing in Golden Gate Park.

After returning from the west coast I regrouped, then began training for my fall event, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. Just as I began the high-mileage phase of the training I injured my left IT band (which runs down the outside of the leg) and had to not only take two weeks off but also return to running very gradually. Earlier in the year my Green Bay preparation included runs of 17, 18, 20 (twice) and 22.5 miles, this time I was only able to do a couple of 15-milers and an 18.5. However my leg gave me no problems during the race, and even with a hilly course I was able to run my third-best marathon (just over 4:13).

For my fall race I also ran to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and while I did not reach my fundraising goal the support and encouragement I received out on the MCM course made me want to run with LLS again next year.

So what's next? Next year's Indy 500 Mini-Marathon is almost exactly 6 months away. I was originally planning on some casual fitness and running during the winter, then ramping up at the start of February with the goal of improving my half-marathon PR from 1:49 to 1:39. However after watching the US Olympic Marathon trials this past weekend I'm ready to start preparing now. I will update here once I solidify a training plan, plus I'll post any event results I have.

Joel's 2007 Results

WDW Half Marathon - 1/6/07, 3:13:29
WDW Full Marathon - 1/7/07, 4:44:30
Shamrock Shuffle 8k - 3/25/07, 39:44
Wrigley Start Early 10k - 4/21/07, 47:52
Indy Mini (half) Marathon - 5/5/07, 3:02:06
Green Bay Marathon - 5/20/2007, 3:57:44
Chicago White Sox / Nike+ 5k - 7/14/07, 22:31
San Francisco Half Marathon - 7/29/07, 1:53:14
Marine Corps Marathon - 10/28/07, 4:13:24

Chicago Marathon Pictures

2006-11-06T06:22:00.000-06:00

Finally the Chicago pictures are available, so here's a half-dozen starring me: Chicago Marathon Pictures. They're the free ones taken by the race photographers, so they're tiny. I'm in the purple shirt.

Chicago Marathon Recap

2006-10-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

So it's been a couple days now, plenty of time for thoughts to settle. First, how'd I do? I finished in 4:17:25 (overall & 5k split times here), not quite what I was hoping. Context: last year I finished in 4:57:55, and this April in St. Louis I finished in 4:08:53. Much better than last year, though not a personal best.

It was chilly race morning with a little wind and some mist/drizzle during the first 8 miles or so. I was cold at the starting line but once we got going I felt pretty good temperature-wise. I was running at a very steady 8:30/mile pace through the first 10k and 15k and while I was able to keep it going through 20k I noticed it was getting harder to maintain. I passed the halfway point in 1:51:21, just two minutes slower than my best half-marathon time.

At the halfway point the course (Chicago course map in PDF) turns west for about 2 miles, goes south for one block, then back east for another 1.5 miles, a pretty boring stretch. This is where I started to slow down - my splits really start to trail off here. By mile 18, in the middle of Little Italy I was really dragging. I managed to slog through the next four miles but had trouble during 23. I was crossing the bridge over the Dan Ryan highway when my left calf and the innermost quads in both legs started to cramp. I managed to walk it off, but after that my shot at a personal best was over.

Coming up Michigan Avenue during 24 to 26 was long and tough, but I just put one foot in front of the other, regardless of the cliche factor, and kept moving. Finally I crossed the finish line just happy to get there under my own power.

So that's the downside: a colder, wetter, slower and more painful marathon than I'd hoped. But how about the positive side: I finished! I ended up 15874th out of 33633 finishers, and every single one of us got lots of encouragement from the bazillion people on the sidewalks cheering us on. All the effort and hard work and pain were totally worth it in order to get to go through that experience - almost every other race will be a step down. The crowds were universally positive and encouraging and cheered just as loud for us non-elites as they did for the winners.

Finally I had a chance to do some tiny bit of good by running with, and raising money for, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. The thousand or so people who ran and/or walked the marathon on Sunday collectively raised over $2.5 million for blood cancer research, and I was very proud to be a part of it - and one more big Thanks! to everyone who donated.

So what's next? Disney World, the Indy Mini-Marathon, Green Bay, then either Marine Corps or New York next fall. In between, some 10k and 8k events, or maybe even a 5k. Strength training, hill work, flexibility & stretching, maybe some speed work, and improved nutrition as always. My goal for Green Bay next May 20th is 3:59:59 or better, so I'll get started on that right after my final post-race indulgence: McDonald's for lunch on Wednesday.

26 hours...

2006-10-21T06:08:00.000-05:00

With just one day left I can finally stop worrying about whether I've trained enough and finally concentrate on worrying about whether I'm carb-loading enough. Today is the expo (where you pick up your T-shirt, bib number, timing chip and loads of free stuff) so that should distract me for a while.

In other news I finally cleared my Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraising goal of $1400 - Big, huge thanks to everyone who donated. In some ways this was more difficult that training for the marathon itself, but overall I'm really glad I did it. Everyone on the Chicago North team (and I'm sure all the other chapters) is relentlessly positive and upbeat and always encouraging about training and fundraising. This has been a great experience and I will probably do it again sometime.

Now it's time to get my stuff together and start the last day before the race. Woooo!

And now 7 days...

2006-10-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

A week from right now I should be eating a celebratory deep-dish pizza or something similarly prohibited from my current race-prep diet. This week that diet will consist of stuff like chicken, pasta, rice, potatoes, lots of fruit, oatmeal, bagels etc. Traditionally this packs on a couple pounds during the last several days before a race, but that's no big deal because it's mostly your body storing the carbs needed for energy. (Plus you're not burning as much via training.)

The tough part at this point is psychological, when your miles drop by a large margin (I'm down to 9 total training miles this week), plus it's now been over two weeks since the last long run. A year ago I was worried that I had lost fitness and would be underprepared for the race, but sure enough on race day I was rested, my muscles fully recovered from the long training runs and was fully carb-loaded and energized.

This year I'm looking forward to the race knowing I'll be in that ideal spot again, and this time the trick will be to avoid going out too fast in the early miles. I'll plan to follow the 3:45 pace team (very close to an 8:30 pace). I could go faster but again I want to ensure I don't start too fast.

Finally congrats to Jill for finishing her first marathon in Baltimore yesterday with an impressive 4:22. Wooo!

13 days...

2006-10-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Less than two weeks until the Chicago Marathon. Two looooong weeks. This week is the worst of all, since it is too far from the race to really start getting ready (like planning those last few meals, getting gear together etc) but close enough that there are no more long runs (last Saturday was 12 miles, and until the race I won't go longer than 8) so I start feeling antsy about not spending time running. It's "taper madness" and it's annoying.

In the meantime I'll take this space to thanks everyone who has contributed (so far!) to my Leukemia and Lymphoma fundraising effort - see http://www.active.com/donate/tntil/joelcorbin for more information and my up-to-the-minute fundraising total. So far, runners in the Chicago area alone have raised over $750,000 for blood cancer research, and you are all a part of that. Thanks!

Starting the Taper

2006-10-03T06:25:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Marathon is now less than three weeks away, so after my second 20-mile training run I'm going to taper off in my training. Two weeks ago my first 20-mile run went ok - it was the quickest I had run that distance but I really dragged the last 4 miles. After a "step-back" weekend (the two 20-mile runs are separated by a 12-mile weekend run) I ran the 20 again three days ago, and this time did even better. I had an overall average pace of 8:30, which is exactly what I'm shooting for during the race.

Not only that, but I was very consistent too - instead of going out faster and dropping off late, all my mile splits were within 25-30 seconds of my overall average. That's good because it means I'll probably be able to hold that pace for a longer distance than just the training run.

So now what? Now that the majority of the training is over it's time to gradually reduce the weekly miles, which keeps me in shape but puts less stress on the body, in turn helping it recover from training and prepare for the actual race.

Catching up all at once

2006-09-18T21:38:00.000-05:00

- It's hot in Alabama. We were down there a week ago for vacation (no pictures yet), and I went to run one morning. It was humid and warm, and not a lot of fun. I am really impressed with the people down there running, biking, or whatever, because that weather is tough.

- The Chicago Marathon is coming closer and closer, now it's less than 5 weeks away. I am getting excited, obviously for the running, sense of achievement, etc., but also a little bit of it is for the race expo and "goodie bag" you get when you pick up your timing chip and bib number. It's a little dorky but I always look forward to that stuff. My prize goodie bag possession is a small packet of Kraft Parmesan Cheese that I got in last year's bag. Weird.

- So, 5 weeks out brings the first 20-miler on my training plan (I'm doing the Hal Higdon Intermediate-I plan). So how did it go? Pretty well - I finished in 2:58:50, about 8:57/mile, and that's about an hour faster than the 20-miler I did while preparing for Chicago last year. The Intermediate-I plan has two 20-mile runs separated by a reduced-mileage week for recovery, so this coming weekend I'm just doing 12. I'll probably do that run as slow as I reasonably can, to save energy for a good effort during the second long run.

- Some sad Team-in-Training news: Our North Team patient honoree, Keegan, passed away earlier this month. Each Team-in-Training group has one or more patient honorees that keep us motivated and connected to why we're running: to help save lives. Keegan was diagnosed in March of 2004, went through rounds of chemotherapy, then relapsed earlier this spring. He was just a couple months short of 9 years old.

A Success Story

2006-08-29T23:31:00.000-05:00

This is reprinted from our weekly Team in Training email update, but I hope my laziness is compensated for by the good news one of our patient honorees got this week:

This week's Mission Message comes from the family of patient honoree Jordan Pickering.

Good Afternoon everyone!

Well we got the results of her bone marrow test and it is clean! Her spinal fluid is Clear! Well 1 test down and 3 more to go.

Her next appointment is in a month for blood counts and her antibiotic. This is just an awesome week!

Jordan is enjoying her start to school. Riding the bus, making new friends and getting a good jump on her reading. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. Please keep them going as there are still many hurdles to jump and too many kids and adults that are battling this disease.

Thanks.

Love

The Pickering's

Sometimes, actually often, I get caught up in race times and training schedules and fail to remember the focus: Working toward a cure for blood cancers. Jordan's great test results help reinforce the reason I'm participating in Team in Training - to produce some good from the running I enjoy. It wasn't enough this year to just run the race, and I'm really thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this, even in my own small way.

Pacing Plan Progress

2006-08-25T06:19:00.000-05:00

Wednesday's 7.5 miles worked even better than Tuesday's shorter workout. I still probably went too fast during the first 2/3, covering the 5 miles at about an 8:15/mile pace, but I was really consistent and felt pretty good. Then I sped up for the last 2.5 and averaged about 7:45/mile.

Again, probably too fast on the first 2/3, so for this weekend's long run (17 miles) I'll probably try to dial back to 8:20 or 8:30 per mile and try to hold that pace the entire way if possible. OK, I may speed up for the last mile or so just for the fun of it, but I'll be very pleased if I can hold 8:30 the whole way.

Running with more deliberate pacing

2006-08-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry I couldn't think of a better title. Anyway, tonight starts a weird section of my marathon training - I'm fully recovered (in all ways) from the Distance Classic, the Run Hit Remix is over, and now my long weekend runs are approaching. Except that in two weeks I'll be heading for vacation and will have to juggle my long runs to get them in. So I'm still in a no-man's-land of training that won't be over for almost a month.

To refresh, the Distance Classic taught me that I needed to vary my speeds during training. Since my Tuesday run is the first of the week (Monday is for cross-training; I do weights and elliptical) I want to ease into the week but also start strong, so I did a warmup lap (1.25 miles), a fast lap and a cooldown lap. The first and third laps averaged 8:20/mile pace while my middle lap was at 7:04/mile. This was just what I was looking for to start the week - a deliberately varied pace where I was able to keep a consistent pace, both fast and slow, for a set distance.

Tomorrow is my longest midweek run to date in my current training plan, 7.5 miles (or 6 laps of my neighborhood). I'm planning to take a similar metered approach: I'll go at the slower pace for the first four laps and then speed up (though not quite as much) for the last third of the distance. This type of schedule should get my body used to working hard even when it's tired, excellent prep for those last several miles of the marathon.

"Race" Recap: Nike Run Hit Remix

2006-08-21T06:25:00.000-05:00

Not so much a race as a "fun run" (no timing chips), the Nike Run Hit Remix was a 5-mile run starting at 9pm in Grant Park. The main reason for doing it, and what brought out a zillion casual runners, was the half-dozen musical acts along the course. The ones you know were Young MC, Digital Underground, and the headline concert afterwards by De La Soul. (We were far enough back in the field that they had probably sung their hits well before we passed by.) Also along the course were a local U2 cover band, another local 90s cover band, plus an Elvis impersonator, bagpipes, a mariachi band and one of those Asian/Japanese drum groups that I think was entirely comprised of women.

The music brought out a ton of much more casual runners on a somewhat narrow course (we had to walk a lot of the first mile before things began to spread out), and since I was still recovering from the Distance Classic, I ran with Mark the whole way with a time of 56:31. Not too bad given the field and course, plus it was nice to go out and not be concerned with my pace the whole way. I would have liked to better the 55:45 I ran (with a cold) at the "Rudolph Ramble" 5 mile last December, but a 14:02 first mile took care of that. Plus I enjoyed running with Mark.

The rest of the weekend was more recovery, with 11.25 miles on Sunday (at an 8:53 pace). Now that the CDC and its recovery week are over I'm back on track for the Chicago Marathon, which is now less than 9 weeks away. I hope it's not too early to get excited.

Race Recap: Chicago Distance Classic

2006-08-15T21:19:00.000-05:00

I was shooting for 1:45, I ran 1:57:52. So what happened? I'd like to blame blisters or cramps or getting run over by bigfoot, but it was just fatigue. If I was a real athlete I'd call it overtraining, but I just went too hard in the week or 10 days before the race. The run I was so pleased with on 8/5, the 8-miler at the track, was certainly a poor idea in retrospect. As I prepared for the CDC, instead of keeping the same pace at a shorter distance I should have dropped both distance AND intensity. When the Distance Classic progressed past 7 miles I was worn out.

The first half went well - I was almost a minute faster through 4 miles and :55 seconds through 6. I had to hit the bushes during mile 7, but as I passed that mile marker I was still about 7 seconds faster than goal pace. Then I started to slow, and dropped about 50 seconds in mile 8. I tried to speed up in mile 9 but dropped another 30. Then during mile 10 the wheels fell off and I dropped way back. I wasn't in pain, I hadn't twisted anything or stepped in a pothole, I just couldn't go as fast as I wanted. I also had a hard time keeping my breathing cadence going, and lapsed into some gasping. Miles 10-13 were a long, slow slog as I just tried to get to the finish and be done.

The 1:57:52 was just under a 9 minute/mile pace, and I would have been really happy with that time 6 months ago. But instead of being mad, I'm just bummed about the missed opportunity. I'm very glad that I had the overtraining experience now instead of during the marathon on October 22. Overall, while I was a little disappointed, I learned a lot about how to train and how to rest, so I still count this "slow" race as a success.

Weekend Round-Up

2006-08-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm running the weekend round-up on Wednesday. What of it?

Last Saturday I did my 8 mile workout on a high school track. I've done this before (the last time was also the week before a big race) so I was pretty sure it would go OK. The weather was pretty good, not too warm or humid, and the track was empty which was nice for a Paxil candidate like me. I know I look goofy running so the fewer people around the better.

I ran pretty well with a strong last mile and lap to finish my 8 in 1:03:35, just under the 8:00/mile pace I'm working on. To even out the stress on my knees I ran miles 4, 6 and 7 clockwise and the rest the traditional counter-clockwise. I had no soreness or other ill effects so I think it worked out well.

Now for other blog stuff. Check out my first YouTube video from the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race. Poor quality so I'll have to work on it.

Also I have two new photo galleries up, one of auto racing and one of food racing.

Just a few days away from Sunday's Chicago Distance Classic. For some reason I always enjoy the packet pick-up and expo at these events, so I'm looking forward to going to that as well. I hope the shirt is good.

Hope you like sweat.

2006-08-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

It's been really hot & humid here in Chicago lately, so I've been trying to take it easier and not push too hard. However the popular "105° heat index" excuse isn't enough to paper over my poor performance last weekend.

On Sunday the 23rd I ran my aforementioned CDC test. Then came Monday night and a work party at a downtown bowling lounge. Tuesday was spent recovering, so there's one training day missed. Wednesday brought some hamstring/glute soreness on the left side, losing me another day. It was gleefully pointed out to me that this was probably the result of bowling and that even after all the running I was still getting injured baseball player-style.

So there's two days gone. Thursday I managed to crank out about 4 miles as the weather started to heat up. Friday's an off day, so how better to spend my time than eating deep-dish pizza. 7 am on Saturday morning brings our weekly Team in Training group run. I hang in ok for the first 5-6 miles, but then slowly start to drop back. After 9.5 I told the guy I was running with to go on ahead of me and I slowly plodded to the end of the 12 miles in 1:59:59. Not good.

Sure, I reasoned, it was hot. Later that day as I pounded pizza leftovers I realized I was only 1/3 right. The heat I couldn't control, but my carb-poor Friday diet was probably also a major factor. Some rice in my Chipotle and a slightly thicker pizza crust for dinner don't get it done. The low training volume is the third part; I'll take half the blame because while Tuesday was a blur, I probably should've gone on Wednesday, even for a few slow miles.

The moral of the story is, eat right the day before an important or significant run. A Clif bar and some Gatorade is probably not enough to get you through a long run, especially when it's hot out. Learn from my mistakes!

PS. At the end of Saturday's group run my hands were so sweaty my fingers started to wrinkle. Now go eat breakfast.

Passing the "Test"

2006-07-27T06:16:00.000-05:00

With the Chicago Distance Classic just three weeks away, last Sunday I planned to run 12.5 miles at as close to an 8 min/mile pace as possible. This was going to be a test run for the race (since an 8 min/mile or better pace qualifies you for a preferred start at Chicago this fall). I also planned to experiment with energy gel during the training run, which I've never done before.

So how accurate was it? Well, on Saturday I ran ~8 miles at the weekly Team in Training group run. I won't be doing that the day before the Distance Classic. The race starts at 6:30 to hopefully avoid the August 13th heat. My Sunday started lazily and I didn't start until 8:00. Not much of a test so far.

However the actual run went really well. The first 6.25 went by in 49:25 (7:55 avg), but then I started to feel the effects of Saturday's run. The next 5 miles took 41:36 (8:18 avg), but then I really pushed the last mile and a quarter to finish in 1:40:15, or an overall pace of just over 8:01 per mile.

I didn't bother with the gel since I didn't want to take the time, so that part of the test failed too. But overall, the lesson is that if I know I'm trying to beat a time goal or have a hard training run coming up, I should take it easy the day before and make sure I'm rested and ready to go when that race or workout arrives.

Now the Distance Classic is just 17 days away. If I can run that pace under those imperfect conditions, then I really think I'll be ready to run fast on race day. If the weather cooperates...

Donor Motivators

2006-07-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

I tell everyone who donates to the Leukemia Society that they are not just funding life-saving cancer research but that they are keeping me motivated to keep going when I'd really rather quit. Yesterday that motivation came through when I most needed it, on the longest and toughest Team-in-Training group workout of the year (so far). The heat and humidity combined for an official heat index of yuck.

The schedule called for 10 miles, and while I made it through the first 6 pretty well I started to fade during mile 7. The path on this part of the run featured trees on one side that managed to block the breeze but couldn't be bothered to get in the way of the sun. The heavy air, the miles of pounding steps, the sun cheerfully torching my face and a nice dry mouth were the perfect opening for a voice in my head.

"Just walk a few steps, it'll feel much better." "You've already written off your goal pace for today, so walking for a minute can't hurt." Not that my pace was unltimately important - nobody was keeping time yesterday. But I thought of those who have donated to LLS to support me, and decided I would do what I had told them I would: let their support carry me through to the end of the run, just when I wanted to stop.

I ended up finishing just a few seconds under 90 minutes, a pace that I would have been ecstatic with just a few months ago. But I'm trying to see what I can really do, and I wanted to thank everyone, though you didn't know it, for encouraging me and pushing me to keep going.

Slow and Steady... Gets a PR?

2006-07-14T06:21:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe not quite a personal record, but improvement regardless. Here's what happened. Last Saturday at the weekly Team in Training workout I ran pretty hard with two other Teammates, and averaged just over 8 minutes/mile for the 8-mile distance. Pretty good. Then Tuesday a step back: Though Tuesday is a shorter run, it was my first day with new shoes, plus I started out hard, and soon had to slow due to complaining leg muscles. Not fun at all.

So Wednesdy the schedule called for 6 miles. To get through that without lots of calf and whatever-runs-up-the-outside-of-your-shin pain I decided to take it slow and steady, and pay attention to how I felt rather than my mile split times. My breathing was much better than Tuesday, my footsteps were much less "stompy" and I had virtually no muscle pain.

Since I wasn't obsessively checking my watch each lap I didn't push at the end to beat a time goal, but once I finished I was happy that not only had I run pretty well - about 8:12/mile - but felt pretty good afterwards instead of being exhausted. So while my run wasn't quite a personal best for the distance, it was close enough, and I felt good enough, that the slow and steady run was a success.

Incrementalism or all at once?

2006-06-30T05:16:00.000-05:00

So that 28:38 is old news now. Since then I've run 27:34 and 28:22 for the same distance. I'll improve gradually, then I'll plateau for a while, then suddenly a sizeable gain in just a few days, then that low time becomes the new plateau. For example, before two weeks ago I had only broken 30 minutes (for 3.75 miles) once, and now not only have I done it three times since, but last night I felt like I was doing very poorly - poor form, puffing, not enough water that day - and still ran 28:22. So the lesson I've learned is to just keep at it and the gains will come.

Now as my training program starts increasing the distance, at least on the weekends, I'll try to make the same sort of gains on long runs, and what's fast for a 12 miler now will be slow by September.

Faster and faster...and Thanks!

2006-06-28T06:39:00.000-05:00

Last night was another fast run - down to 27:34 for the 3.75. I didn't think about it until afterwards but when I was running that distance last fall when getting ready for Chicago the first time I remember the first couple of times I ran under 37:30 for a 10 min/mile average. Now I'm just 4 seconds from a full 10-minute gain. What a difference all that winter running makes.

Today (Wed. the 28th) is the first fundraising deadline for this fall's Chicago Marathon. Thanks to all of you who've been so generous donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I really appreciate all of your help.

Race photos!

2006-06-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

I've uploaded my first set of pictures to Picasa Web Albums. I hope you like pasty legs.

My web albums

I'm not sure why the pictures look all grainy - Picasa blows them up just a little bit for some reason.

"A nnnnewww trrrrrack rrrrrecord..."

2006-06-21T05:27:00.000-05:00

Tuesday is both the first and the shortest run of my training week. Last night I was scheduled for 3 miles, but since my loop is about 1.25 three laps gave me 3.75 miles. So anyway, for that distance my previous best time was 29:10, but last night I pushed it down to 28:38 (7:33/mile pace). Not superhuman by any means but great news for me.

I'm registered for the Chicago Distance Classic (half-marathon/13.1 miles) on August 13th and my goal for that race is to beat 1:45 (an 8 min/mile average pace). If I can do that, it qualifies me for a spot in the second preferred starting group at the Chicago Marathon this fall. So that 7:33 pace from last night is pretty encouraging.

Here's how Google Maps sees my neighborhood loop.

Chicago Marathon Training Begins

2006-06-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, June 12th, is the first official day of my Chicago Marathon training plan. Check this space often for training updates, pictures, race recaps and more.

I'm running the Chicago Marathon this year with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training (TnT). Every year over 109,000 new blood cancer patients are diagnosed, and every 9 minutes someone in America dies from leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease or myeloma. In running with Team in Training I'm not only going to complete the Chicago Marathon but also do some small part to make these diseases a thing of the past.

For more information or to make an online contribution to help me toward my goal, please visit http://www.active.com/donate/tntil/joelcorbin.

Thank You!