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Attempt Number 1 at the 4 minute mile

Dec 132010

Starting this experience we were two relatively inshape, I was probably less so, brothers who had a goal and wanted to document our journey. This journey was going to include several steps, mostly toward our goal.

I felt yesterday was my a nice big step in this journey. I had my first atempt at one of my goals, a 4 minute mile. So how fast can a relatively inshape ex runner run a mile…… 6 minutes and 48 seconds!!! only 1 minute and 49 seconds from goal. That is a total of 408 seconds. Theoretically, I ran each lap in 102 seconds (1 minute and 42 seconds). However, I can certainly tell you that I did not run each lap at 102 seconds my splits were probably closer to 68-110-132-98. My first lap looked great!

Lacey came to witness the first attempt and be the official timer. After jumping the fence and one warmup lap we decided to give it shot. but not before our predictions. Lacey choose 7 minutes and I was looking at something closer to 7:30. Lacey apparently has much more faith in me than I do.

So after reading my brothers posts and having my terrible pacing mile I decided it would be good to understand what splits I would need to run a 4 minute mile. So 4:59 seconds is 299 seconds so four laps that is just under 75 seconds per lap. So next time I will try to control my nevers and take it out a little slower and see if I can get a little closer to my goal.

I am also gonna think of what way I want to look at what improvement I will need to have, here are my options:

I need to get 1 minute and 49 seconds faster
I need to fet 50 % faster
I need to get 27 seconds faster per lap
I need to get one lap faster (that doesn’t make to much since but I think it would work)

What sounds easier? I am going with the per lap improvement for now.

Ironman: Setting the Running Pace

Dec 122010

If you must c0mplete the bike ride in 10 hours and 30 minutes, that means they allow you to complete the run in 6 hours and 30 minutes. The run is 26.2 miles, so, in order to complete the ironman, I would have to run at just a little over 4 miles per hour. And would have to complete every mile in just under 15 minutes.

Fifteen minute miles? Piece of cake. When I was going to the gym, I could do a mile in under 7 minutes, so that’s getting about double the time. Of course, I would be doing about 26 of those and adding on a 112 mile bike ride and a 2.4 mile swim just before it, but hey, that’s not much.

This whole ironman thing sounds pretty easy, I mean who couldn’t run a mile in under 15 minutes? Right?

Today, I will be doing a little exercise. I have my weekly soccer game to play in a couple of hours, should be fun.

Ironman: Setting the Biking Pace

Dec 112010

Yesterday, I figured out what pace I would have to swim at in order to complete the 2.4 miles necessary to complete the Ironman. Today, I want to find out the pace I would need to be at to complete the biking portion of the race.

According to ironman.com, The cutoff time for the bike ride is 10 hours and 30 minutes from the start of the race. So, if I cut off the 2 hours and 20 minutes that gives me 8 hours and 10 minutes to complete the bike ride of 112 miles. This is roughly 13.7 miles per hour. Again, I have never really timed myself on a bike either, but I am eager to see how many miles I could actually do on a bike without any preparation.

Tomorrow, I will set the running pace.

By the way, today is my wonderful girlfriend, Cindy’s Birthday. So, Happy Birthday! Can’t wait for the concert tonight.

Lazy Anticipation

Dec 112010

Now that we clearly have our goals I find myself thinking about the finish line instead of actually doing something about it. Today was one of those days. How am I gonna run in my marathon? What pace I am I going to go? Will I raise my arms in celebration at the finish line or break out in ot a dead sprint to show I still have more in the tank? Needless to say all this thinking takes time, which is not spent actually training.

I do have something that I am excited about, my 4 minute mile attempt tomorrow. Heres my diliema, I have the determination to finish anything I put my mind to and that suits me well for the marathon or mountain climbing but running fast isn’t something that I can take my time with, I NEED TO RUN FAST!!!

If tomorrow is slow I will have have to work on some speed excercises.

Ironman: Setting the Swimming Pace

Dec 102010

Today, I want to know what my pace would need to be in order to complete the swimming portion of an ironman event that way I know what pace I need to be at for the swim. Knowing this will help me keep a benchmark on how well I am doing time wise.

The cutoff time for the swim of 2.4 miles is 2 hours and 20 minutes. Which means I would have to swim at a pace slightly over 1 mile per hour. How fast is that in the pool? I swim in a pool that is a 25m pool. A 2.4 mile swim is the equivalent of 3862.425 meters. 3862.425 meters is 77.2485 laps in my gym’s pool (by laps I mean to the end of the pool and back). So, the average time per lap would nead to be about .551775 laps per minute or 33.1065 laps per hour.

I have never actually timed myself in the pool, but I do want to go out and try it without any training just to see how long I could last. I am not anticipating long, but who knows. Tomorrow, I will set the biking pace.

Establishing the Goal: 140.6 or Bust

Dec 092010

Zeb 140.6 miles. Wow! I once traveled cross-country and 140.6 miles per day was about all I could handle, and that was in a 2007 Toyota Tacoma.

According to Mitch Roberts (http://mitchr.sweat365.com/), I would be considered an Ironman if I complete any race that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. The challenge is more direct, I will complete an Ironman event.

How long will it take?

To be honest, I have no idea what I am in for, nor do I know how long it will take. I have been fairly athletic my whole life, playing soccer at least once a week since I was 5, but I have never ran, swam or biked on a consistent basis. In fact, the most I think I have ever run in a single day was 3 miles. Who knows how long it will take to train. But, I do want to establish a time frame to accomplish this goal.

I am 29 years old, which I have heard many people say that 28 to 29 is when a male is in his athletic prime, so in order to give myself the best chance, I need to do it fairly soon. The commitment will be to complete 140.6 by my 35th birthday, which gives me a little over 5 years.

Hopefully, I won’t have to wait that long, but who knows how long it will take to get ready for something like this.

I am up for the challenge. If you see me on the side of the road holding up a sign that reads 140.6 or bust, don’t pick me up, just shout some words of encouragement as you drive by and I’ll see you at the finish line.

Establishing my baseline

Dec 082010

Rocky I felt like I needed a rest day, so today was spent thinking about running. When we started this project we came up with many goals and thought we would check them off as we accomplished them (we will find a way to post those soon). The ultimate goals were to run a marathon and an Ironman for my brother. That is several months off, so we came up with some goals that are inbetween our current limitations and the ultimate goal.

I recently finished an half marathon, with minimal training and my body made sure to tell me that was the absolute limit for distance running right now. BTW, the Silver Strand Half Marathon is great event and great for first timers, no hills and great views.

So now I want to find out where I am on another goal, the 4 minute mile. I had to describe this goal when I brought it up because my brother and sister, they thought I wanted to run a mile in 4 minutes and 0 seconds. I like to think of myself as a realist and I am not the next US olympic miler. However, I feel I can run a 4 minute 59 second mile.

So here we go, this weekend will be my first timed mile since junior year of high school when I ran a 5:08. On that day I also ran a 52.3 400M and 2:12 800m, for those of you that are familar with the order of events for high school track meets, that was a tough triple. That day resulted in one of the worst cases of butt lock I have ever experience. This weekend, I plan go to a local high school and give my best shot at the 4 minute mile. I may watch on of my favorate movies “4 minutes” to give me motivation. Hopefully, Roger Bannister will help me out on this one. Wish me luck!

The Current Routine: It’s Time for a Change

Dec 082010

Zeb One of the things I find interesting in life is routines. My life has always been dictated by these daily routines; however, these routines fluctuate. I know that to be an Ironman, my routine will certainly have to change, so let me inform you about my routine for the past 2 months, knowing that this will all change.

I usually wake up whenever my body tells me too, which is typically around 11 AM. I will then, log on to the computer to check for emails and then, head into the kitchen, make a cup of coffee and sometimes a bowl of cereal. Then, it’s time to work on my business that usually consists of sending emails, updating my webpage, making phone calls, etc. Around 2 o’clock is when I actually do have to work, you see, I run my own tutoring company in Chino Hills, CA. www.thecatutoringsolution.com. Typically I tutor from about 2:30 to 5:30. Afterwards, I will grab some fast food and spend about $6, which is my meal for the day, then I head home and either spending time with the girlfriend, or working on the business, until about 10 PM. At night, I read books related to business, or tutoring, but sometimes just for fun until about 2 AM, which is when I fall asleep.

Why am I telling you this? Throughout this process, I know that my routines will change, I also know that I will have to become healthier. I want you to be able to see the changes that have been made in my life as a result of setting this goal, and see that it has improved it for the better.

Have you gone through a routine change for the better? How did it affect you?

By the way, woke up sicker than yesteday, being sick is no fun.

Ripe for the Running

Dec 072010

Rocky I am not sure how I feel about myself today. I had an interesting set of circumstances that lead me to think I am one of two people but I am not sure which one. So, here is the question to you, am I 1)a personsal hygine retard or 2) a determined runner.

These options seem pretty apart but let me describe the circumstances. Last night I was simply lazy and didn’t feel like taking a shower, cause I could wake up early and take one before work. After a restful 6 hours of sleep and some misuse of my alarm clocks snooze feature, I was startled from some sweet sleeping at 7:35 am. With an important meeting at 8:00 my plan for a morning shower had to be scrapped. Other activities, a lunch selection of jalapeno laced nachos and a small portable heater used to keep my feet warm at work, lead to a ripening that could not be ignored by 6 pm, Up to this point I am sure you are staying are I should be riding the short bus to personal hygiene school.

But… upon returning home I decided I would need a shower after my run so, why don’t I go for a run then instead of two showers I would only take one. After a high tempo 2.5 mile run I finally took a long overdue shower.

So I leave the vote to you, am I a stinky short bus rider or determined future marathoner?

Angels Vs. Demons

Dec 072010

Zeb On Sunday, I made the commitment to begin training for the Ironman and today I woke up with a soar throat. I think sickness is not an illness or a virus, but one of the devil’s agents, a demon. A demon sent to destroy my will and desire for success. I wouldn’t call myself religious, but it seems to me that I get sick at innopportune times where I have a goal I want to accomplish and it hinders me in that pursuit.

For example, in High School I was a bench player on the Junior Varsity soccer team and was told the day before that I was going to start the next day. Excitedly, I ran home and dreamt about my first day playing for the team. I awoke in the morning to a 100+ degree temperature, while simultaneously visiting the toilet on numerous occasions.

How did that day turn out?

Well, I made it to the soccer game, I pretended as if I was not sick, started and played the best game of my life. I had won my starting spot on the team and played in every game after that. Playing did have it’s consequences; however, I was sick for the next two weeks due to showing up at practices and running excessively and then coming home and vomiting all night, just to go back and do it again. But, I accomplished my goal to become a starting player.

So, maybe this sickness is really Angels who have decided to alter my direction. Instead of training right away, maybe they are telling me to research training first so that way I do it succesfully. That must be it. Surely, Angels would want me to be properly prepared. So, that is it, I will wait til my illness subsides and in the mean time I will research what it takes to effectively train for an Ironman.

Angels vs. Demons – this round goes to the Angels . . . or perhaps it’s just that neither of them particularly like to run.

But seriously, why do we always get sick when we seem to want to be sick the least?

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