Today's Run, June 28

We had a very good run today, one that gave us a great foundation to build on as we get into longer distances--and greater heat--over the next few weeks. Here are the numbers:

Time: 1:16:42
Distance: 7.76 miles
Average Pace: 9:53 min/mile
Calories burned: 1065

As Tim said this morning, its getting hotter, and we need to adjust. If you haven't run in the desert heat before, you should know that rehydrating is mandatory. If you're doing your homework and have no mechanical issues, running at our pace shouldn't be a problem--as long as you eat right and keep your fluid levels up.

There is no single right answer for how much to drink before or during a run. Minimally, you should be drinking a cup of water or CytoMax at each aid station. That will give you something to drink every 2 miles. You may want to carry water with you, as many runners do; this works just as well.

But you don't want to drink too much, particularly before the run starts, because you'll inevitably have to relieve yourself before we get back. Since there are a few restrooms along the route this isn't impossible, but it is distracting.

The only way to find out how much is trial and error. If you have to go after you drink two cups of water before we start, cut back to one.

At all times, be aware of the symptoms of dehydration. They include:

• thirst (of course)
• dry mouth
• dry eyes
• decrease in sweating
• muscle cramps
• nausea
• lightheadedness

If you feel any of these symptoms, slow down, refuel, and take it easy.

We did a really good job of sticking together today, and I'm looking forward to next week, when we'll be out for about 85 minutes.

Today's Run, June 21

First, happy summer solstice and father's day to those who celebrate both or either.

Second, we had an absolutely incredible run today. Everyone was really in a groove, and the weather cooperated quite nicely. I hope that it's this easy on marathon day. The time seemed to fly by, and the miles did too. Here are our statistics for this week:

Time: 1:02:33
Distance: 6.31 miles
Average Pace: 9:55 min/mile
Calories Burned: 864

We are in great shape for June. As we get into the longer distances, we'll pick up the pace a bit so we're ready to hit our 9:44 min/mile pace on marathon day.

We also did very well in sharing the trail and accommodating other runners, bikers, and walkers.

Everyone looks to be in great physical and mental shape. I really liked how loose, relaxed, and talkative everyone was today. These are the basics of a great, fun training group.

We also excelled in reforming the group when we came out of water stops. If you're new to the group and heard me shouting "Voltron," you might wonder what that's all about. This clip kind of explains:

The idea is that we, the individual runners, are the robotic cats who are pretty strong when they're flying around alone, but unstoppable when they unite to form Voltron, or the pace group. That's why it's important to get back together after we stop for water. During the marathon, this will be critical since there will be dozens of other runners in the area and plenty of confusion.

Also, the growling cat faces on the hands and feet are just cool.

This may be my last post on this site--I'm going to be migrating the blog over to the Las Vegas in Motion website, http://www.lvinmotion.com/. Some of the older posts are already there, and it shouldn't take too long for me to figure out how to post new ones there, too.

Today's Run, June 14

We had a great run this morning. Despite having to run a slightly different course en route to the trail, we were both speedy and courteous. Here are the numbers:

Time: 50:20
Distance: 5.14
Average Pace: 9:48 min/mile
Calories Burned: 702

We're only four seconds slower than our race pace, which is a bit aggressive for this time of year. It looked like everyone who was with the group at the turnaround was enjoying themselves, though.

Let me take a minute to talk about what we should be doing at this stage. This is for the novice runners and those who are coming off a long layoff, so if you're a veteran runner in mid-season form, you can ignore the next four paragraphs and skip to the end, where I remind you what time we're running next week.

It's only June. The marathon is in December. For some of you, this is a completely new experience. We've got plenty of time to work on running at a 4:15 marathon pace, or a 2:30 half marathon pace, or whatever you want to do. Right now, just focus on getting out on the road with us for our long runs and moving your body for an hour or two.

This isn't a natural thing for a body to do, particularly one that's used to living at a desk or behind a counter. It feels weird at first, and there are all sorts of shocks and stresses that it needs to get used to. But if you want to run a marathon or a half-marathon, it's important to convince your body that running for several hours straight is more than OK--it's fun.

So right now, our objective isn't to hit a pace target. It's just to get used to running at a more or less constant pace for an extended period of time. Believe me when I tell you that in a few months you'll consider a 12-mile run your "short run." But before we get there, we have to master the basic art of running for a long time.

Everyone seems to be doing very well, and we're all on our way to finishing a half or full marathon in December. At this stage, it seems like we have a lot of training ahead of us, and we do. But that's all right, because we need every bit of it. Six months from now you'll be faster, fitter, and better looking than you are today. Okay, I can't promise the last one, but the first two are definitely true, if you stick to our training schedule.

Once again, we had a great run today, and shared the trail with no problem at all. Next week, with a 6 AM start, we might have less cross-traffic, but who knows?

So I'll see you all next week at 6, when we will run for about an hour together. Until then, feel free to post comments or swap training suggestions in the comments section here.

See you this Sunday morning

We start running at 7AM, and should get about 5 miles in. If you want to add a little something to your conditioning, I'll be showing up at 6--an hour early--and running about 4 miles. See you all then.

New course announced

The Competitor Group announced the new marathon course. Here's a link to the course page, and the map.


If you don't feel like clicking over, here's what we do. Question marks mean I'm guessing the exact street based on the map:

1. Start at Russell and the Strip, outside Mandalay Bay
2. Head south to Sunset (?) (approx 1 m)
3. Turn north and continue up the Boulevard to Fremont (?) (but not DOWN Fremont) (approx 6.5 m)
4. Head south down LV Blvd. to Spring Mountain (Fashion Show Mall) (approx 3.5 m)
5. Head West on Spring Mountain, hooking up with Twain (approx 1 m)
6. Head West on Twain to Rainbow (approx 3 m)
7. Turn south on Rainbow, continuing to Hacienda
8. West on Hacienda, almost to Durango (approx 2 m)
9. 180 turn
10. East on Hacienda, to Mandalay Bay (approx 6 m)
11. Loop up to Luxor, back down to M-Bay, then around the parking lot (approx 1 m)
12. Cross the finish line.

Looks like fun.

As we train, I'll be reminding you of how our training runs translate onto this course, like I did last year for the old course. Luckily, we miss out on that 10-mile climb from 6 to 16 and the run into the unforgiving wind from the Spring Mountains. The biggest hurdle I see is running up the hill at Twain and Valley View. Luckily we have a hill to train on.

What do you think of the course?

Today's Run, June 7

We had a good, spirited run today that's a great platform to build our training on. Here are the numbers:

Time: 40:27
Distance: 4.10
Pace: 9:52 min/mile
Calories Burned: 564

That was a little faster than we should be going at this stage of training, but as long as we remember that we've got a lot of running to do between now and December, we'll be fine.

In our enthusiasm to run together, we were a bit less mindful of others on the trail than we should have been. A few people reported being swamped by our large group as we passed them. As we settle into a training groove, let's make an effort to be as courteous to other runners as we are to each other in the group. A few tips:

1. Run double-file at most--leave plenty of room on the other side of the trail for walkers, runners, and bikers.
2. As we pass people slower than us, give them a wide birth
3. As we get passed by people faster than us, slide over to the right to make the pass as painless as possible.

It's a pretty narrow trail, and we've got a lot of people at several skill levels training, as well as neighbors and people just out for a pleasant Sunday morning stroll. If we keep it polite, though, everyone can have a great time.

NEXT WEEK we are running at 7, not 6 as I previously reported. However, I'm going to be getting a little extra work in, so I will be setting off for an "unofficial" 4-5 mile run just before 6 AM. If you'd like to join me, I'd be happy to have some company. Since the water station won't be set up, bring water if you need to hydrate on a 40-minute run.

I'll be back in plenty of time to lead the official group at 7, so if you're planning on running then, you'll have the full pace-leading experience.

So I'll see you all next week at 7 (or 6), when we'll run for about 50 minutes.