Running & Reading...

I saw this clip with Will Smith, I thought it was so simple and yet communicated a very strong message.

Reykjavik Half Marathon 2009 in 1:36:10 PB

I had decided that I would run the half marathon in Reykjavik in 1:45:00 which is 5 minute pace. The day started very early as I got a call from India at 5:45am and I had my alarm at 6:45. Never the less, got ready, Alok and An our friends from Amsterdam had come to visit us and also to participate in the Marathon. Alok was running the half marathon and An was running the 10k. We took a cab from our house to the start line, got there about 40 minutes before the start warmed up by running around the lake in downtown Reykjavik.

I started out a brisk pace and kept at it till the finish, I felt very good all through the way and actually I pushed myself to run hard at the end of the run. The strategy seem to work well and I ran the race in 1:36:10, which is my personal best and this was the fastest average pace that I have ever run even taking my practice runs into account. Here is the official result

The average pace was 4:32/km, I am very happy that the hard training is starting to kick in but the ultimate goal is Chicago Marathon and Boston qualification. I need to keep this above pace if I want to qualify for Boston. It is going to be hard but I feel confident that I can train hard for the next month and be best prepared for the marathon in Chicago.

No diabetes!

I did my yearly blood sugar and urine test and my doctor says I don't have any symptoms of Diabetes... whew! that one is out of the way. He also recommends that I do this every year so that we can monitor the development. I guess keeping my weight off by running has really changed my body's internal workings and I am very glad that I don't have to worry about this at-the-least for a another year...

Running update before Reykjavik Half Marathon 2009

Reykjavik Marathon 2009 is next week and I plan to run a half marathon with a time goal of 1:45:00. I have posted an update until end of July and my training plan, the running stats in August so far stands at:

Distance (km): 130.05
Time: 10:56:06
Avg. Pace (min/km): 5:03
Avg. Speed (km/hr): 11.9
Calories: 11,416
Avg kms per day: 8.1


Image by skipio in Flickr

How lucky am I?

I ran 8.2 km yesterday with my buddy Villi at 10 pm in Heidmork, around a beautiful lake and the sky was such a beautiful sight, I was thinking I must be blessed and lucky to be able to view this sight. I have been amazed at the colors that get displayed in the sky over Iceland, it is purple, red, pink, orange, green, blue and all hues in between.The picture is from SportTracks, a software that I use to track all my workouts it is free but brilliant. It was written by runners for runners. If you want a log book for your running I would highly recommend this tool.

For those interested to see what I am talking about look at the photo stream of fredschalk in Flickr.

Summary of training 2008 & 2009

Here is a summary of my training in 2008 & 2009:

11 week - Runners World Training Schedule

Here's your individualized training program:

Your current race time is: 0:46:03  for a 10 K Your distance training goal is: Marathon You currently train: 41 - 48 km/week How hard you want to train: Hard Your long-run day: Sunday Your training program Starts: Monday, 7/20/2009 Ends: Sunday, 10/4/2009 Length of your training schedule: 11 weeks

Wk Dat Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun Total 1 7/20 7/26 Rest/XT Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:41 Rest/XT Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 4:45; Cool Easy Run Dist: 8 km @5:41 Rest/XT Long Run Dist: 16 km @5:41 42 km 2 7/27 8/2 Rest/XT Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:41 Rest/XT Speedwork Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 7:14 w/800 jogs; Cool Easy Run Dist: 8 km @5:41 Rest/XT Long Run Dist: 19 km @5:41 45 km 3 8/3 8/9 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 8 km @5:41 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 4:45; Cool Easy Run Dist: 8 km @5:41 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 22 km @5:41 46 km 4 8/10 8/16 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 8 km @5:41 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 10 km, inc Warm; 6 km @ 4:48; Cool Easy Run Dist: 6 km @5:41 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 26 km @5:41 50 km 5 8/17 8/23 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:37 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:37 Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:37 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:37 40 km 6 8/24 8/30 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 6 km @5:37 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 11 km, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 7:09 w/800 jogs; Cool Easy Run Dist: 5 km @5:37 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 29 km @5:37 51 km 7 8/31 9/6 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 6 km @5:37 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 10 km, inc Warm; 6 km @ 4:45; Cool Easy Run Dist: 6 km @5:37 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 32 km @5:37 54 km 8 9/7 9/13 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:37 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 11 km, inc Warm; 8 km @ 4:48; Cool Easy Run Dist: 10 km @5:37 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 26 km @5:37 57 km 9 9/14 9/20 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 8 km @5:34 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 13 km, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 7:05 w/800 jogs; Cool Easy Run Dist: 6 km @5:34 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 32 km @5:34 59 km 10 9/21 9/27 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 5 km @5:34 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 4:40; Cool Easy Run Dist: 5 km @5:34 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 13 km @5:34 31 km 11 9/28 10/4 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 5 km @5:41 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 8 km, inc Warm; 5 km @ 4:45; Cool Easy Run Dist: 5 km @5:41 Rest / XT Marathon Race Day 26.2 miles @5:04 Time: 3:34:26 60 km

Legend Example What it Means Easy Run Dist: 3km @8:00 Run a total distance of 3 kilometers at a pace of 8 minutes per kilometer. Speedwork Dist: 8km, inc Warm; 3x800 in 4:00 w/400 jogs; Cool Run a total distance of 8 kilometers. Your run should include: - a warmup of about 1.5km - 3 repeats of 800 meters each; each repeat should take 4 minutes - a 400-meter recovery jog after each repeat - a cooldown of about 1.5 km Note: Warmups and cooldowns are generally 1.5 km each. But on some days, you'll need to make them longer to reach the total distance for your run. Rest /XT Take a rest day, or do moderate cross-training activity. Race Day Dist: 5K @5:00  Time: 20:00 On a race day, run your 5K at a 5-minute per kilometer pace. Your time will be 25:00.