John Geiger gives it full effort up the hill at the end of the Germantown Half Marathon in a second best all-time effort, good for third place in the March 2003 edition of the classic race.  John is a graduate of the University of Memphis (1987) in engineering. - photo by Joe Coffelt

GEIGER'S QUEST

Check here for John Geiger's running journal as he prepares to run Chicago on a quest to break the 2:40 barrier one more time. (BLUE UPDATES ARE THE LATEST ENTRIES)

The past weekend was a good test;
 
Fri Aug 13
20 miles (2:20:45) - I decided to keep going & get the long run over since I felt pretty good. I got off work at 3:30, came home, took a short nap & was rested up. I didn't feel very smooth, so I didn't push the pace.
 
Sat Aug 14
No run - I was going to do a short run, but played golf & was still tired from last night's long run. Also, planning on tempo run, so I rested up for it.
 
Sun Aug 15
1 mi warm-up & did a few strides -
Tempo run - 13.1 miles on old Germantown 1/2 marathon course in 1:17:29. Good job! Was just hoping to run 1:20 (marathon pace). Once I got started & hitting sub-6:00 pace, I just kept it up. I felt pretty good & once I made it to Houston HS, I knew I'd keep it up. The good thing is that I didn't feel like I was racing it. At least I know I'm in good shape; I still don't know what went wrong in Decatur.
1 mile cool-down
15 miles total
 
Mon Aug 16
10 miles (1:10:40) - A bit tired, long day at work & big weekend. At least I got in the mileage, didn't push.
 
Tue Aug 17
2 mi warm-up
5 x 1600 w/400 recovery - 5:42.7, 5:44.0, 5:37.5, 5:41.6, 5:40.2 - Felt pretty good, wasn't pushing - didn't plan on going fast after hard run Sunday (didn't mean to offend any other Pilgrims if it was too fast, I was just trying to keep a steady rhythm) - goal was 10 mi - 1/2 marathon race pace (more of a strength type, marathon workout as opposed to hard 5-10K race pace)
2 mi cool-down
10 miles total
 
Wed Aug 18
13 miles - (1:32:11) - mid-week longer run - On days like today, I ask myself "WWND?" (What would Newman Do?) - I think the answer is: "run some more". For once, I didn't procrastrinate. I felt ok; not great, but not bad either. The distance wasn't a problem, it was just warmer & I needed some more water. 
"Don't question today, the reward will come later."
Thu Aug 19
3 mi warm-up
4800m (12 laps) - Alternating hard/easy laps - 17:10.6
(78.5, 94.8, 76.5,  94.6,  75.2,  98.3,  75.0,  95.4,  78.5,  93.2,  79.2,  91.4) - A tough one; This workout always jumps on me. It doesn't seem like it should be so hard, but I was ready to quit after 2 mi., but made myself finish.
3 mi cool-down
9 mi total
 
Fri Aug 20
10 miles (1:09:59) - I always feel better when I make it to Friday; Steady, recovery run.
 
Sat Aug 21
12 miles (1:24:11) - Went late; picked up a little over the last 2-3 miles. Felt kind of chipper.  Played golf in the morning (shot 77, my 2nd best score ever!)
 
Week - Aug 15  thru 21 -> 79 miles
 
 
Sun Aug 22
18 miles (2:09:59) - long run - Once again I waited late; Felt ok up until the last 3-4 miles - just needed more water; very warm & humid - ran a steady pace, not very fast
 
Mon Aug 23
4 miles - (31:21) - planned recovery day - waited until 8PM after t'storms moved through - I was very sore after long run last night. I think I got too dehydrated because I still felt cramped up from the waist down.
 
Tue Aug 24
2 mi warm-up
3 x 3200 w/400 walk/jog recovery - water after each one
11:17 / 11:32 / 11:50 - Felt ok on the first one (ran w/Todd), but fell off pace quickly on the 2nd. I felt like I was crawling; Planned on 5:40 pace (felt easy last week on 1600 repeats) - I don't think I was fully recovered from late long run Sunday& it was very warm. Decided to back off & just finish the workout w/o killing myself. Paced Todd for 2 laps of his last repeat.
2 mi cool-down
11 miles total
 
Wed Aug 25
12 miles (1:23:57) - still a little sluggish, but the distance wasn't a problem - steady run, felt like I was going slower, managed my normal pace anyway
 
Thu Aug 26
2.5 mi warm-up
Ran w/ Bradley - 7 laps continuous - 400/200 jog recovery - (87.3, 84.6, 82.3, 82.3 for 400s) - short water break -
Followed with 5K easy tempo in 18:54.0 (Bradley dropped off after ~ 3K); Felt very easy, wasn't pushing at all; surprising since I struggled so much on Tuesday -
Today I planned on taking it pretty easy, after the last few days of heavy legs.
2 mi cool-down
10 miles total
 
Fri Aug 27
10 miles (1:09:49) - med recovery run - steady, didn't push since I'm planning to do the 5 mi Classic tom. - using it as a workout, it's going to be too warm to race
 
Sat Aug 28
1-1/2 mi warm-up
Overton Park 5 Mile Classic in 29:02 - about what I expected, very warm & humid - very even paced - Didn't want to kill myself; Planned on going more, but decided to save it for the long run tomorrow
2 mi very easy cool-down
8 miles total
 
Week Aug 22-28 -> 73 miles (short day on Monday)
 
 
Sun Aug 29
Met at Bradley's for Pilgrimage 20-mile Olympic marathon party
easy 1/2 mi jog to the start of long run
20 miles on old Germantown 1/2 marathon in 2:06:30 - out & back, 1st 10 in 1:04:05, 2nd 10 in 1:02:25 - started off with the group, 7:07 1st mile - decided to start running after that
Didn't run according to plan, which was to go 6:40 pace on first half, then pick it up - I got into a good rhythm & kept going, wasn't racing it but definitely much harder pace than I would've normally gone -
I didn't look at my watch, just mainly went on effort  - Felt surprisingly good after hard 5 miles yest. - It didn't hit me until the hill at 18-1/2 miles, I managed to hang on, but I don't know how much further I could've gone - It was a big help to have Christine out on the course giving us water & Gatorade. 6 more week until Chicago, I'm feeling better about my chances for a good effort
 
Mon Aug 30
12 miles (1:26:50) - easy distance after two hard weekend days - legs were very heavy, which was to be expected - just out for time on feet - wasn't in a good mood, lots of traffic out tonight - made it through, at least weather was a bit more tolerable
 
Tue Aug 31
10 miles - Football game kept us off the track, which was ok since my legs were still dead from the weekend - easy pace
 
Wed Sept 1
Met Bradley at MUS track - 2 mi warm-up
5 x 1200 w/ 400 walk/jog recovery - 4:13.1, 4:13.0, 4:09.4, 4:07.8, 3:52.1 - steady pace, not too hard on the first 4 - picked up & ran the last one to see what I had - Felt pretty good, legs are coming back around
2 mi cool-down
9 miles total
 
Thu Sept 2
Went to MUS again - 2 mi warm-up
2 x (6x 400 w/200 recovery) - 400 walk/jog between sets - 83.5, 84.9, 81.7, 80.8, 78.5, - Faster on the 2nd set - 80 down to 76, finished with 73.5 9 (didn't get all of my times) - Ran with Mike Driver - gradually picked up as we went - felt ok, but still no bounce in my step
2 mi cool-down
8 mi+ total
 
Fri Sept 3
14 miles - (1:38:35) - med long run - waited late after rain went through - felt pretty good, better as I got closer home, picked up a little over last 3-4 miles - (out & back, out in 50:00, back in 48:35 ) - tgif, long holiday weekend
 
Sat Sept 4
AM - 5 miles - (36:47) - short, easy recovery run - felt ok after longer run last night - it was just very humid, took it easy
PM - 5 miles - (37:55) - 2nd run, same as this morning - after golf - dragged myself through it, sluggish - very warm & humid - may postpone hard run until Monday
10 miles total
 
Week Aug 29 - Sept 4 -> 83 miles - big week; I'd like 3 more weeks similar to this
 

Sun Sept 5

1/2 mi easy warm-up jog w/ a few strides
3 x 5 miles on Agri-center service road w/ 8 minutes timed recovery between each - 30:23, 29:56, 29:24
good workout - waited till 5PM, I don't think I could've done it in the humidity of the morning - Still it was 90 degrees when I started -
big confidence builder, makes me wonder what I could do on a cooler day - felt smooth & got into a good rhythm from the start
1 mile easy cool-down jog
16 miles+ total
 
Mon Sept 6
8 miles (1:01:07) - very slow - didn't have anything after hard day yesterday - took my time
 
Tue Sept 7
Rest day - decided to take the day off rather than slogging thru 30-40 minutes
 
Wed Sept 8
MUS - ran 8 miles easy (1 hr) - followed with 3200 on the track, striding the straights/jogging the curves in 12:09 - still recovering from the weekend -
a little better, but wasn't ready to do a hard workout yet
10 miles total
 
Thu Sept 9
MUS - 2 mi warm-up
4 x 1600 w/ 400 walk/jog recovery - 5:57.4, 5:45.7, 5:36.5, 5:01.1 - cut-down, started very easy; decided to see what I had left on the last one -
surprised it was that fast - didn't look at the splits & just ran - was only expecting about 5:15 for the last one - finished feeling strong & felt like I could've
done another one if I had to
2 mi cool-down
9 miles total
 
Fri Sept 10
10 miles (1:09:18) - felt ok, not great - picked up a little last 2-3 mi.
 
Sat Sept 11
9AM - 10 miles (1:09:18 - same time as last night) - didn't push, race tonight - too close to marathon to taper - I figure I won't be scoring for the team anyway,
so I'm treating it more like a workout - My main goal is to beat last year's time
 
9PM - 1-1/2 mile warm-up - Hoffman/U of M 4-mile cross country race in 22:19 - not bad, about what I expected - beat last year's time by 4 seconds -
It was much more competitive this time (I think I was 64th place vs. 38th last year) - I went out harder than I wanted & gradually faded, rallied a little
over the last mile - My best race in awhile, especially since I ran on tired legs - (I think I could've been under 22 min if I would've rested for it)
1-1/2 mile cool-down
17 miles total for Saturday
 
Week Sept 5 -11 -> 70 miles (no run on Tuesday)
 
Sun Sept 12
12 miles (1:25:02) - put off long run - decided not to overdo it since I raced late last night - It was already very warm & I didn't get enough water
before I started - I did felt better as it went, ran my normal pace

 

Mon Sept 13
12 miles (1:23:13) - got home late & got a late start - would've been easy to cut it short & watch Monday Night Football - put in a hard one minute surge every two miles
 
Tue Sept 14
Went to Agri-center - 1 mi warm-up / strides
2 x 2 mi w/ 4-5 min recovery - 11:26.0, 11:00.8
Got water & waited about 10 minutes to go with Bradley & Susie
We did 8K tempo run in 29:32 - felt better
I should've started easier on the 2-milers, didn't feel good from the start & was hoping I would snap out of it - I'm glad I backed off & did the tempo run instead
2 mi cool-down
12 miles total
 
Wed Sept 15
12 miles (1:25:21) - legs were heavy from yesterday but I ran my normal pace - feel I need a few nights of good sleep
 
Thu Sept 16
7 miles (54:00) - Easy group run starting from MUS
 
Fri Sept 17
No run - resting up for long tempo run tomorrow - rode the exercise bike for 30 minutes easy to keep the blood flowing
 
Sat Sept 18
Went to Agri-center - 1 mile warm-up / strides
Tempo run - 15 miles in 1:29:29 - Started at 8AM - ran on 8K course to be sure it was accurate - Out & back course 3 times (added on 30 seconds to account for extra 150 meters to make it a full 15 miles) - It wasn't easy, but I got through it - Needed more fluids, only got water once at 5 miles - Going out into the wind got tougher each time & it was warming up quickly in the bright sun - I was about 10 seconds per mile faster when I had the wind at my back - Went out a little bit too hard on the first 3 miles (17:36) & lost about 20 seconds getting the water I set out at 8K - I never felt really smooth & felt like I was working harder than I should have early, grinded it out - I got a small side stitch around 9 miles, probably from not enough water - Overall, a solid effort & a big relief to get through it
 
PM - 5 miles (39:23) easy run since I didn't do a cool-down this morning
21 miles total for Saturday
 
Week Sept 12 - 18 -> 76 miles
 
Sun Sept 19
12 miles (1:31:11) - at Plough Park - went easy, ran the first hour with Brenda - legs were feeling yesterday's run - started at 7AM, nice to get it over early before it got too warm

 

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MARATHON 

John Geiger 

Highlights: 13 sub-three hours. 8 sub 2:50s - Six year streak of sub-three hours.

1.Nov 1980 Memphis 3:30:12 (unofficial entrant) 

2. Dec 1989 Memphis 2:53:25

3. Dec 1992 Memphis 2:55:42

4. Dec 1993 Huntsville 3:11:12

5. Dec 1994 Memphis 2:53:25

6. Jan 1995 Orlando 2:48:48

7. Dec 1995 Memphis 2:48:40

8. Apr 1996 Boston 2:55:00

9. May 1998 Cleveland 2:46:37

10. Dec 1998 Memphis 3:01:02

11. Jan 1999 New Orleans 2:47:55

12. Oct 1999 Minneapolis 2:51:30

13. Dec 2000 Memphis 2:46:54

14. Nov 2001 New York 2:49:37

                                                            15. DEC 2001 Huntsville 2:46:40

                                                            16. Apr 2002  Boston 2:49:32 (2:49:09)

                                                           17. Oct. 12, 2003 Chicago 2:39:59

John is known as a Half Marathon Specialist:  Here is his list of sub 1:16 half marathons (13.1 Miles):

 

                                                            1          Jan 03              Houston            1:13:51

                                                            2          Mar 03             Germantown      1:14:14

                                                            3          Nov 94            Memphis              1:14:24 MRTC

                                                            4          Nov 98            Memphis               1:14:34 MRTC

                                                            5          Mar 02             Germantown         1:14:48

                                                            6          Feb 98              Little Rock             1:15:06

                                                            7         Feb 02             Little Rock                1:15:16

                                                            8         Mar 01             Germantown          1:15:22

                                                            9         Mar 00             Germantown          1:15:34

                                                           10       Oct 01             Chattanooga            1:15:42

                                                           11       Dec 02             Memphis                1:15:46 St. Jude

                                                           12       Mar 96             Nashville                1:15:53

 

 

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