Epic Fail?

I could not decide how to run my 22-miler, which is the first bad sign. Why would I not run it the way it says to run it my plan? I'm supposed to run at base pace for about 18 miles, then do 4 segments of 10 minutes each where you run progressively faster, ending at race pace (9:10).

I have a hard time with Progression runs. I never get the initial pace right, so I'm too fatigued to run faster at the end. Or, I take it too easy and finish the workout feeling like I cheated.

So, that got me thinking I should run a thirds progression run- which would mimic how I'm planning to race.

What actually ended up happening is that I overestimated my capabilities. I planned to run 10:09 pace for 18 miles, then to run faster. But at 18 I had nothing left. I finished the 22 miles at 10:09 pace (1 minute below race pace). It was hard. I wanted to stop. You know the drill...fa-tigue.

Now I don't know how to evaluate it- is 22 miles run at 1 minute below race pace even a good workout? Did I totally fail by changing things around? This is not good for confidence, people.

Your comments are needed, welcomed and appreciated. You guys never let me down.

And The Winner Is...

The contest for a new name for BOTR has come and gone...Here's how it went:

We put the following list of names up on the white board. First round of voting- You could vote as many times as you wanted to. If a name received 7 or more votes it survived Round 1. If not, it was erased.

Fluffy Bunny Fluffy Bunny Running Club
Flying Pigs Running Club
Bunnies On The Hop
Weaverville Warriors Track Club
WES Roadrunners
WES Racers
WES Striders
WES Road Warriors
WES Cheetahs
Team Sock Monkey Track Club
Lucky Bunny Running Club
Boys Running For Fun
5K Club for Boys
Boy Runners of Weaverville
WES Trackhawks
WE Run (Weaverville Elementary Run)
Cool Runners
Boys On The Fast Track
The Super Speedsters
The Running Rock Stars
Boys Who Run & Hate Greedy/ Sexist Non-Profits OK, we didn't vote on this. But thanks for the laugh RunnuRMark!
The Positive Splits
Weaverville Road Guardians
Boys Kicking Asphaltok, we took this one off before voting
Blackhawk Boys

We were left with the names below. We let each boy vote once, and the name with the most votes won.

WES Racers 0
WES Striders 0
WES Road Warriors 2
WES Cheetahs 2
Team Sock Monkey Track Club 8
Lucky Bunny Running Club 0
The Super Speedsters 0
The Running Rock Stars 0
Weaverville Road Guardians 0
Blackhawk Boys 15

And the winner is...Blackhawk Boys. I have mixed feelings about the name, but I'm happy they chose it, and they seem to like it. Well, about half of them like it.

If you recall, I made reference to a cool T-Shirt give away if you came up with the winning name. So, without further ado, the winner of the Boys Running Club Name Contest is....

NONE OF YOU.

AND ALL OF YOU.....

Yep, even though the name was thought up by the boys, if you took the time to comment on this blog I would like to give you a small gift. It's my way of saying thank you for your support and encouragement. Just email me at pwimberly@drsmgmt.com with your mailing address and I will send you several packets of each of these:

Simple.

Later Today- 20 Mile Progression Run

Since I am going camping this weekend, I'm doing my 20 Mile Progression Run this afternoon. I tend to have difficulty building slowly and gradually to a faster pace throughout a long run, which is unfortunate because this is exactly the type of race plan I'm hoping to execute next month.

So, today's run is important practice.

Wish me luck!