RUNKEEPER...

Quick plug for Runkeeper:  http://runkeeper.com/home

I decided to give runkeeper a shot, after reading this article [http://kotaku.com/5678356/video-games-can-trick-us-into-doing-things-we-loathe] + wanting to start ramping up my running [starting to train for a couple more marathons next year] and noticing a friend on FB was using it.

Extremely impressed [besides a few issues in snow and rain] with it so far + It really has turned exercise into a bit of a game- The ability to track my speed, elevation, records/ progress, routes, etc. with something that i'm carrying with me anyway [iphone], combined with the quickly post to FB for encouragement;) makes it a must [try] for any of you that runners out there.

I upgraded to elite [they got me;)] after being a little disappointed with how few statistics the base version had, but think i'll end up passing on the "pro" upgrade for now.

btw.  if any of you check it out, be sure to add me to your "street team" [yes, i'm a running dork] @ username:  brianpatenaude

...  patenaude

2011 RACES...

So!  first off, 2010 is finally the year that I think Jen and I will be able to run the NEW YORK MARATHON!  We first started entering the lottery to get in a few years ago [unless you've run a super-fast qualifying time in a sanctioned race (I think it's 3:00 for men)]-  I made it the first year, but since Jen didn't, I held onto my spot by paying [full price= over 100$]...  and did the same thing the next year...  and I believe the next-  Paying every time.  Jen was also entering...  losing out every time.  So! After three misses, and no more bearing children on the horizon [ever], this is our year!...  I think?

Because I'm planning on running @ a more casual pace with Jen though, I'm planning on running a faster one, right before it- that's where the PORTLAND MARATHON comes in!  It meets all of my criteria: close proximity to home, beauty, one month prior to NYC [so that I can easily combine the training for both], and best of all, the specs look pretty fast!  Would be awesome to use it as a springboard into Boston again, which I'm planning on qualifying for @ every age group [every 5 years] from here on out!

In addition, I'm also leaning heavily towards FINALLY running the half marathon here in Kirkland, which I believe allows hounds too!  Would be great to finally put all their training to use.

I've got any early start on the training, this time hoping to get my speed up before adding the distance-  Planning on averaging 15-20 miles + getting down to 7-7:15 min/ mile pace  for the next few months [currently @ 7:30- 8:00 depending on the elevation changes of the routes], before kicking it into higher gear next spring.

SO!  That's the plan!  Wish me luck, and I'll be sure to start getting bit more regular with updates, including a bit of a write up on my love/hate relationship with runkeeper, which i'm hoping to hook up to the blog.

...  Patenaude!

LA Marathon 2010+...

A]  the LA marathon that I ran in march went _HORRIBLY_...  turns out i had food poisoning or something + was throwing up all night-  Not an ideal condition to be in, when running a marathon + could it have something to do with it being #13?  Who knows?  I will say that with some delirious freak kick, I managed ~a 2:30 last half mile...  not that it mattered.
So yeah...  3:47:06-  even WORSE than my VERY FIRST marathon ever, which was 3:37:13.
As far as the course went-  Quick run down= It was incredibly hilly, congested, and winding @ the start.
It settled into rolling hills through hollywood, west LA, and santa monica after that, which were nice, but not nearly as nice as the fast/ downhill course they promoted it as.  Regardless, I don't think I could have run any course respectable that day.

B]  So here's my updated marathons times...

january, 2005, carlsbad half marathon: 1:37:13
01] march, 2005, LA marathon [#1]: 03:39:41
palos verdes half marathon: 1:34:05
02] june, 2005, san diego rock 'n' roll marathon: 3:17:12
february, 2006, pacific shoreline half marathon: 1:31:51
03] march, 2006, napa valley marathon: 3:13:13
04] march, 2006, LA marathon: 5:34:29*
*hung back a little w/ my lovely wife
05] may, 2006, vancouver marathon: 3:19:35
october, 2006, long beach half marathon: 1:30:21
06] december, 2006, tucson holualoa : 3:07:53
march, 2007, pacific shoreline half marathon: 2:47:43*
*hung back a little w/ my lovely wife
07] march, 2007 LA marathon: 3:23:23
08] april, 2007, boston marathon: 3:22:47*
*taking it easy & enjoying it, as a reward for earning entry:)
09] april, 2007, big sur marathon: 5:32:57*
*hung back a little w/ my lovely wife
10] march, 2008, napa valley marathon [#2]: 3:16:18
11] october, 2008, Nike Women's marathon: 3:26:53
12]  October, 2008, Seattle marathon:  3:27:31
13]  March, 2010, LA Marathon:  3:47:06

...  NEXT UP are my ambitious plans for 2011 + my fav. new running toy-  stay tuned!

2010 LA MARATHON TRAINING= OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

well! my [2010 LA marathon] training has OFFICIALLY begun! a few things that have recently helped to make it more "official"...

01] jen booked a room @ LOEWS in santa monica where we're staying for the first part of the trip [closer to the action + near the finish line], before heading down to the beach house in hermosa beach to unwind a bit post-race. already working on a list of restaurants + shops we're going to hit while we're down there- can't wait.

02] NEW SHOES! not a big deal to most people, but to marathon runners switching shoe brands is usually quite a deal [what a dork]- justifiable when considering how much time and suffering you go through with them- so! after 5 years of loyalty to asics, i shed the stability control and went with the lighter [mizuno wave rider 12's], and... so far so good!

03] finally dusted off my old garmin forerunner to start timing my runs in an attempt to pressure me into shaving of some unwanted minutes from my runs. sadly i averaged ~30 seconds slower per mile than last year, and ~1.5 minutes slower per mile than a couple years ago.
ALTHOUGH... i suppose that's a bit of apples and oranges considering how much hillier this area is than the beach trails in cali. i did manage a 37. 39 5-miler on the treadmill last week, so hopefully i'm a bit closer to my peak than garmin suggests.
on the bright side, with such slow times, i'm really looking forward to my times plummeting over the next ~4 months of training. here was today's out-and-back route...


04] and last but not least- my brand-new custom marathon training schedule! i'm sure i'll be doing a bit of tinkering with it after seeing how my legs respond to the mileage, but here it is so far: [2010 LA MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE]

... that's it for now!, patenaude

2010 LA MARATHON training...

So! I've decided to FINALLY OFFICIALLY starting to train for next year's LA MARATHON on Nov. 1st.
After managing a weak 10-15 miles a week since Lily's birth [super tough finding the time to run with a newborn]], Jen and I are finally starting to get serious about building our base mileage- I was actually able to sneak in 22 miles this week...

I started last Sunday with this 6.5-miler [my first >5 mile run THIS YEAR!] with the hounds...


And then took another step towards getting serious by logging these somewhat hilly 5.5 miles the next day- Yes- QUITE tame compared to the height of my training but it's a [re]start...


... followed by a couple more of my normal 5-milers with the hounds later in the week, and ramping up to this 8-mile course to start next week's schedule...


I'm hoping to start my official training with a 10-miler on the 1st up into Juanita.

My next SERIOUS priority is incorporating some speed work to get my times back down- I might have to rely on the gym for due to the difficulty of swinging that type of stuff on the hills of Kirkland, but it's worked in the past so- that's that.


That's all,
Patenaude

NEW ROUTES...

in an attempt to get back into a more consistent running schedule, while still spending some time with lily in the mornings, ive started running from work a bit more during lunch. and my go-to 5-mile route is already getting a bit old, so here are a couple of new routes i'm adding to my repertoire to keep things interesting...



... still _considerably_ slower than just a couple years ago, but i'm really looking forward to getting back to boston-qualifying speed in the next year or so- maybe not another 3:07, but hopefully low enough for the male 35+ 3:15:00 that will be applicable next year.

... patenaude

6ish-mile kirkland route...

dusting off one of my old "out-and-back" routes in the process of ramping back up on my mileage...


... off with the hounds!

... patenaude