Milestone Long Run

Motivation can come in many ways.  As a self-appointed half marathon coach to my dad I gave him instructions to run an 11 miler today.  I also counciled him to run in the cool of the early morning and to drink lots of fluids.  He did run 11 miles starting at 6 am but he never drank anything before or during his run.  At least he did 2 out of 3.

Since I'd coached him to run 11 which is 2 miles further than he'd ever run before I felt the pressure to join him in running the distance.  He lives 4 hours away from me but we both ran 11 miles during the same time period. 

I haven't run longer then 10 miles since I started having knee troubles in October 2010.  The only way I did it was to purposely run 5 1/2 miles away from my house thus having no options but to run the 5 1/2 back home.

It just goes to show that you can do anything if you have the right motivation.

Pressures of Coaching

My dad is running his first half marathon in 3 1/2 weeks.  When we talk about the race on the phone I always ask how his training is going, then I'll give him some pointers.  He always responds "OK Coach."  At first that was fun to hear but now I'm feeling the pressures associated with coaching.

The longest run my dad has been on in the last month is 9 miles, then 2 months ago he ran 7 miles.  Almost all the other weeks his longest runs were 3-4 miles.  This is NOT the way to train for a half marathon!  To make matters worse he refuses to drink when he runs.  I'm already researching the signs and symptoms of dehydration, heat stroke, etc.

My parents live about 3 hours away from me.  They had to come into town for a funeral so I took advantage of the opportunity.  I took my dad on a 9 miler and carried Gatorade for him and forced him to drink every 3 miles.  He literally has to stop moving before he can swallow.  He's concerned about how that will effect his time in the race.  I have to remind him that if he doesn't drink he will be carried off in the ambulance.

Wish me luck in teaching an old dog new tricks.

Race Preparation

Just seven days away from my race - my first ever 10k.  I've been doing some great training runs so I know my goal time is within reach.

Today I did one last tempo run.  Then for next week I'm planning on doing just a couple of short, easy runs to keep my legs rested for the big day.  I plan on running no more than 3 miles on each run.  On Wednesday's run (the last before head out of town) I'll throw in a few striders.  Strides should be about 75 to 100 yards during which you gradually run faster til you're almost at top speed then gradually slow back down.  Strides will help stimulate your legs and get you ready for your end-of-the-race sprint.