I ended my 2010 where I started it - Baltimore. Although it wasn't really a race (until halfway through when Mike "Zero" and I realized that there were two Santa's in front of us) - I did "participate" in the Celtic Solstice 5 miler in Baltimore today. Going to Baltimore feels sort of like seeing an ex-girlfriend these days - you feel a little awkward, you remember the good times more than the bad, and you are a little disappointed that they seem to be doing so well without you. As an extra treat - Ryan announced his award for me this year - which was the "Lebron James, Taking his talents to South Beach Award". Ryan obviously hasn't spent much time in Winchester.
My first race of 2010 wasn't really a race either - it was a modified tempo run. I got 3rd at the Al Lewis 10 miler in a snow filled Rock Creek Park - running a 58:10. In February I was posting poetically about the great Snowpocalypse of 2010. February also included a huge victory for Falls Road at the Club Challenge 10 miler in Columbia, MD. I was 4th place in an unexpected 54:08.
In March I ran a couple 5k's - the Kelly Shamrock 5k (15:42 - 4th place) and I had a lot of fun running against some college kids at the Maryland Invitational (15:36 - 5th place). In April I said hello to Winchester and ran probably my most surprising race in many years. Going into Cherry Blossom I wasn't sure what I was going to do - I had put in some good training that winter and spring - but, I was feeling a little out of things since our move two weeks earlier to Winchester. Like most of my most successful races - I went out conservatively. I felt stronger and stronger as I went - eventually running a post 30-year-old PR for me 52:47 and 29th place.
May brought my first race in Winchester - Apple Blossom 10k. Apple Blossom is an event like nothing I've ever seen before. The events are spread out over a week - Kendra and I decided to go all in - we went to the Queen's coronation (daughter of the governor), fire truck parade, Jimmy Buffet cover band concert (with brief appearance by grand marshal Val Kilmer), and the big parade. Yes - there are two parades with lots of queens and princesses. In the middle of all this madness they put on a decent 10k race. It was the end of my spring season and I was a little burnt out - I managed a 33:10 and 9th place. At the end of the month I ran a finger tingling awful 4:40 in the Runners Retreat sponsored Loudon Street Mile - my first race that I ran in a Runners Retreat singlet (which is what led to my Lebron James award).
I took off June from racing as I started to put in some serious miles in preparation for Chicago. At the beginning of July I ran another race in Winchester - the Liberty 5k - getting blown away in the first 100 meters by about 20 teenagers - but, using my wily veteran tactics to come away with 3rd place in 16:15. I also made my way to the Northern lower peninsula of Michigan for the Great Lakes Relay - my second time running this 10 person 3 day relay across the state. It was a lot of fun - kind of like camp for adults.
In August I ran the Leesburg 20k - wanting to run marathon pace - I ran the time I had hoped, but it wasn't comfortable (4th place - 1:09:12). August was crazy hot (actually June and July weren't much better). I have few regrets in running - but running the Drake Well Marathon at the end of a hot summer and high mileage was probably not smart. But on the other hand - it was a lot of fun. I ended up winning this race in Titusville, PA. Winning is always fun - but this was even more fun because the last half was out and back - so, I got to hear encouragement and give encouragement to all the other runners (less than 100 people finished). I ran about 10 minutes faster than what would have been prudent (2:45:33) and jumped in the car for the long drive home. One week later I reported in my blog that "it's a week later and I haven't been able to shake some soreness in my gluts and hamstrings." The title of my next post was "The Lost Week". I went from running 100 mile weeks to hardly being able to make it a few blocks.
By the middle of September I discovered the miracle drug of ibuprofen. It seemed to help clear things up and I ran a near pain free Philly Distance R&R half marathon. I ran it in marathon pace (1:14:46) - but, I felt pretty decent. The date I'd been eyeing for close to a year (10/10/10) was not a good one for me - but the pain was inspirational in at least one way. I ran pretty well through 15k, but as my group slowly started to leave me, my hamstring got worse, the sun started to beat down, and I felt some intestinal distress - I decided it was time to shut it down. I still finished - but over 20 minutes slower than planned (2:52). I wasn't the only one who had a tough day - many guys who trained hard throughout the summer didn't even make it to the line - it could have been worse (I guess).
November was a month of recovery - I started seeing a chiropractor which helped somewhat - but, four months after the initial injury I still feel some pain in my right glute/hamstring. In December I provided a warm body for Runners Retreat at the USATF Club Championship - running out of shape against some of the best post-collegiate runners in the country isn't a good thing to do if you're looking for an ego boost.
January starts something new - training for a triathalon. I have no idea what the heck I'm doing - but, I guess that's part of the adventure.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Period of Adjustment
My hamstring/glute has been improving - in that it hasn't stopped me from running, but it certainly hasn't completely gone away either. A few weeks ago I talked with Runner Retreat's owner Mark Stickley about my issue. He said that he had something similar several years ago and the only thing that worked was getting worked on by a chiropractor. I've never gone to a chiropractor - and it kind of made me nervous, but I trust Mark - he was a sub-29 minute 10k and 62 minute half-marathon guy. So, I took the card of the chiropractor he uses and made an appointment.
Although I wasn't sure what to think - Dr. Voll seemed to know what he was talking about. He is a runner and has a lot of experience working with runners. So - he knows that telling a runner to completely go cold turkey is pretty much not going to happen unless the runner has a broken leg or something. After doing a thorough examination he gave me a plan - which included an adjustment plan, some foot drills, and although he didn't ask me to stop running he did ask me to back off the total volume and intense workouts for a few weeks.
The day after my first adjustment on Friday I felt incredible. My hamstring/glute felt better than it had in over two months - and maybe I was imagining things, but I felt like I had more energy and even a more positive mood. Of course I ended up pushing my run a little too hard and started feeling it again after ~4 miles. This week I'll go back for a few more adjustments - they actually aren't too expensive and if they continue to show this much improvement they will be worth it.
Anybody else have experiences either positive or negative with Chiropractors?
Although I wasn't sure what to think - Dr. Voll seemed to know what he was talking about. He is a runner and has a lot of experience working with runners. So - he knows that telling a runner to completely go cold turkey is pretty much not going to happen unless the runner has a broken leg or something. After doing a thorough examination he gave me a plan - which included an adjustment plan, some foot drills, and although he didn't ask me to stop running he did ask me to back off the total volume and intense workouts for a few weeks.
The day after my first adjustment on Friday I felt incredible. My hamstring/glute felt better than it had in over two months - and maybe I was imagining things, but I felt like I had more energy and even a more positive mood. Of course I ended up pushing my run a little too hard and started feeling it again after ~4 miles. This week I'll go back for a few more adjustments - they actually aren't too expensive and if they continue to show this much improvement they will be worth it.
Anybody else have experiences either positive or negative with Chiropractors?
Monday, October 11, 2010
There are no miracles in the marathon
The marathon doesn't care if your dog died or if it's your birthday. It doesn't care if you think you should be a X:XX marathoner. It doesn't care if you trained for five months only to find yourself injured or sick. It doesn't care if the weather is 20 degrees above normal. It doesn't care about your hopes or aspirations. It doesn't care if you've sacrificed beer and burgers and fries for a few less pounds.
The marathon doesn't care about the dark days - days of changing into your running clothes after work only to decide after a few painful strides that running today would make things worse rather than better; days when you give up because the heat of the summer makes your planned workout impossible; days when you know after only a few miles of a race that today will not be your day.
The marathon doesn't care except for the hundreds of thousands of people supporting you along the way; except for the well wishes from friends and family; except for the deep bonds made with the few members of your tribe who truly understand. The people who understand dodging cars, listening to unoriginal comments from adolescents, waking up way too early to beat the heat for a two hour run witnessed by nobody except for the trail and your watch.
There are no miracles in marathons unless you count the blind and lame running free. There are no miracles in marathons except for a society increasingly marked by obesity, sloth, and selfishness celebrating tens of thousands of people committing to pushing themselves to their physical limits and helping others along the way.
The marathon might not hand out miracles like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny but marathons provide an opportunity for the everyday miracles that we take for granted to be observed and recognized.
That's why even though I had a rough day yesterday, I know I'll eventually be back for more. Eventually I'll look at a calendar and plan six months of training. But for now I drink a few strong ales and rest. For now, it's over.
The marathon doesn't care about the dark days - days of changing into your running clothes after work only to decide after a few painful strides that running today would make things worse rather than better; days when you give up because the heat of the summer makes your planned workout impossible; days when you know after only a few miles of a race that today will not be your day.
The marathon doesn't care except for the hundreds of thousands of people supporting you along the way; except for the well wishes from friends and family; except for the deep bonds made with the few members of your tribe who truly understand. The people who understand dodging cars, listening to unoriginal comments from adolescents, waking up way too early to beat the heat for a two hour run witnessed by nobody except for the trail and your watch.
There are no miracles in marathons unless you count the blind and lame running free. There are no miracles in marathons except for a society increasingly marked by obesity, sloth, and selfishness celebrating tens of thousands of people committing to pushing themselves to their physical limits and helping others along the way.
The marathon might not hand out miracles like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny but marathons provide an opportunity for the everyday miracles that we take for granted to be observed and recognized.
That's why even though I had a rough day yesterday, I know I'll eventually be back for more. Eventually I'll look at a calendar and plan six months of training. But for now I drink a few strong ales and rest. For now, it's over.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Runner tracking for Chicago
There are a few ways you can track runners' progress this Sunday. If you want to have the marathon send you text messages you can sign up here. I'm sure they will also have a web based tracker on the site as well. Just remember that these trackers aren't 100% timely or accurate. With 40,000 people running the system can sometimes be slow.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Week of Chicago
Although my hamstring/glute issue went the wrong direction - which led me to more time on the elliptical and stationary bike - I still should be good to go next Sunday. I'm going to start up a ibuprofen regimine again tomorrow. I expect it will work as well as it did before Philly.
Obviously this is not what I envisioned 6 months ago - I don't want to come limping into Chicago after six weeks of dealing with an injury. But Philly went pretty well - and I've kept up my cardio on the elliptical and bike, but I won't know how things are going to go until I get out there.
On the positive side - the weather should be nice and cool. I'm planning on writing a few more posts this week about Chicago and the marathon. Being injured is no excuse for being boring.
Obviously this is not what I envisioned 6 months ago - I don't want to come limping into Chicago after six weeks of dealing with an injury. But Philly went pretty well - and I've kept up my cardio on the elliptical and bike, but I won't know how things are going to go until I get out there.
On the positive side - the weather should be nice and cool. I'm planning on writing a few more posts this week about Chicago and the marathon. Being injured is no excuse for being boring.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Touch & Go
Although I was able to run more this week than I have in a month, I still can feel a little tweak between my glute and hamstring. With two weeks to go I am certain that I'll be on the starting line - but it's more than a small mystery what will happen after the gun sounds.
I probably made a mistake by running a 17 miles with Kevin Shirk - the best runner in Winchester. He dropped me about 12 miles into the run - after 14 I jogged it in. Not exactly a confidence builder.
I have to rely on the fact that the miles I put in this summer and the training I've been doing the last few years will be there when I need it - say, around the 20 mile mark. The mystery of the marathon is part of the allure - I'll have a little more than I bargained for on 10/10/10.
Last Week
Monday: 45 minutes bike
Tuesday: 6.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 6.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 54 miles
This week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 12 miles 2X2mi Tempo 2 min rest
Thursday: 10.5 miles
Friday: 6.5 miles
Saturday: 14 miles 2X(3mi easy 3 mi tempo)
Sunday: 8 miles
Total: 66 miles
I probably made a mistake by running a 17 miles with Kevin Shirk - the best runner in Winchester. He dropped me about 12 miles into the run - after 14 I jogged it in. Not exactly a confidence builder.
I have to rely on the fact that the miles I put in this summer and the training I've been doing the last few years will be there when I need it - say, around the 20 mile mark. The mystery of the marathon is part of the allure - I'll have a little more than I bargained for on 10/10/10.
Last Week
Monday: 45 minutes bike
Tuesday: 6.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 6.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 54 miles
This week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 12 miles 2X2mi Tempo 2 min rest
Thursday: 10.5 miles
Friday: 6.5 miles
Saturday: 14 miles 2X(3mi easy 3 mi tempo)
Sunday: 8 miles
Total: 66 miles
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thank you Andrew Dunlop, Stewart Adams, John Nicholson, Jeff Wilson, & Colin Burrows
These men created one of the great wonder drugs of the 20th century - Ibuprofen. I'm not a pill popper - but as I tested out my glute and hamstring on a run last Friday I thought I'd try taking ibuprofen afterwards. I woke up the next morning actually feeling better (why didn't I do this 2 weeks ago!). I ran again on Saturday even further - while taking ibuprofen three times during the day. I felt good enough Saturday evening to decide I should try to run my planned half-marathon on Sunday. I had run a total of 45 miles over the last 18 days - hardly anything - but I felt that my elliptical and stationary bike workouts had maintained most of my fitness.
On Sunday morning I still felt a little tight - but the sharp pain in my right glute had dulled. I figure that the inflammation must have been pushing up against a nerve. In both the massages I had since the problem first started they said that my left hamstring/glute was actually tighter than my right - most likely this means that the inflammation was entirely the problem - there wasn't any real muscle damage as I had feared.
As I was warming up, feeling the excitement of such a large race, there was a little part of me that thought - "hey, let's just see what happens out there - maybe you could still break 70 minutes!" I quickly nipped that in the bud. Today was about finding out what 2:30 marathon pace (~5:40 per mile) felt like for 13.1 miles. As the race started I stayed relaxed - I really had no idea what I was running pace wise - but I knew that I needed for it to feel pretty easy. The first mile was 5:36 - not bad. For the next several miles I yo-yoed between high 5:40's and high 5:30's. I'm not sure if this was due to my lack of running recently - or if the markers were off a bit.
I felt pretty comfortable up until around 10 miles - after that point I was able to keep the pace fine - but it was more of an effort than I should have been feeling if I were running a full marathon. I ended up finishing in 1:14:36 - probably just about what I would want to go through the half-way point at Chicago.
The plan for this week will be to get my legs back under me without doing anything too crazy. I'm planning on running 63 miles this week which is more than I've run in the last three weeks combined - but it's half of what I ran five weeks ago (how quickly things can change) - so it should be fine. I'm going to keep up the ibuprofen regimen for a few more days - although this morning I don't seem to have any problems with my right glute/hamstring. I'm pretty sore otherwise - but that should be expected since I haven't had anything close to the effort I ran yesterday in quite awhile.
Last Week
Monday - Wednesday All bike and elliptical (45 minutes - 1 hour 20 minutes)
Thursday: 3 miles mixed in with elliptical
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 17 miles - Philadelphia Rock & Roll half-marathon 1:14:36
Total: 31 miles
This Week
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 6.5 miles
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 6.5 miles
Saturday: 18 miles 2X(5 miles easy 3 miles tempo)
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 63 miles
On Sunday morning I still felt a little tight - but the sharp pain in my right glute had dulled. I figure that the inflammation must have been pushing up against a nerve. In both the massages I had since the problem first started they said that my left hamstring/glute was actually tighter than my right - most likely this means that the inflammation was entirely the problem - there wasn't any real muscle damage as I had feared.
As I was warming up, feeling the excitement of such a large race, there was a little part of me that thought - "hey, let's just see what happens out there - maybe you could still break 70 minutes!" I quickly nipped that in the bud. Today was about finding out what 2:30 marathon pace (~5:40 per mile) felt like for 13.1 miles. As the race started I stayed relaxed - I really had no idea what I was running pace wise - but I knew that I needed for it to feel pretty easy. The first mile was 5:36 - not bad. For the next several miles I yo-yoed between high 5:40's and high 5:30's. I'm not sure if this was due to my lack of running recently - or if the markers were off a bit.
I felt pretty comfortable up until around 10 miles - after that point I was able to keep the pace fine - but it was more of an effort than I should have been feeling if I were running a full marathon. I ended up finishing in 1:14:36 - probably just about what I would want to go through the half-way point at Chicago.
The plan for this week will be to get my legs back under me without doing anything too crazy. I'm planning on running 63 miles this week which is more than I've run in the last three weeks combined - but it's half of what I ran five weeks ago (how quickly things can change) - so it should be fine. I'm going to keep up the ibuprofen regimen for a few more days - although this morning I don't seem to have any problems with my right glute/hamstring. I'm pretty sore otherwise - but that should be expected since I haven't had anything close to the effort I ran yesterday in quite awhile.
Last Week
Monday - Wednesday All bike and elliptical (45 minutes - 1 hour 20 minutes)
Thursday: 3 miles mixed in with elliptical
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 17 miles - Philadelphia Rock & Roll half-marathon 1:14:36
Total: 31 miles
This Week
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 6.5 miles
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 6.5 miles
Saturday: 18 miles 2X(5 miles easy 3 miles tempo)
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 63 miles
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Battered but not beaten
My right glute/hamstring continues to be an issue. I can't seem to run more than 30 minutes without significant soreness/tightness the next day. So - I'm going to focus on the elliptical and stationary bike for the next 4-5 days + yoga + deep tissue massage + epson salt soak. I have done this before - which gives me some confidence. Fifteen minutes after taking the photo above of Positano, Italy - I lost control of my rented scooter and banged up my knee in 2002. It was a month before I was going to run the Frankfurt marathon. I couldn't do really any running for that month - but I was on the bike almost everyday. I wasn't even sure that I'd make it 26.2 miles the day of the marathon - but after starting conservatively I started feeling stronger and stronger as each mile went by. The result was a 2:36 - my PR at the time which I didn't beat until Boston in 2009
Even though I was younger - my volume has been higher this summer than it was in 2002 and I feel like I'm a better marathon runner now. Marathons are strange beasts - even though I'd rather not be injured right now - the rest might even do me some good. Regardless I need to just do the best with the cards I've been dealt and show up on 10/10/10 ready to go.
Monday, September 6, 2010
The lost week
This is not the post I wanted to write five weeks out from Chicago. The glute/hamstring issue I mentioned last week got worse. On Monday I ran for a couple of blocks before deciding that it wasn't going to happen. Tuesday I made it five minutes. Wednesday I ran 10 miles - 7 of them completely agonizing. Thursday I finally got a massage and decided that I needed to take it easy for a few more days. Saturday I made it 20 minutes on a stationary bike before the glute started to tighten up. Yesterday I felt better and ran 4 miles. Today I woke up early to do Yoga - which I think helped a little and ran 10 miles without much pain.
I modified my mileage downward this week - but if it actually goes as planned I'll be more than a little surprised. The 10 miler was decent today - but I still have some tightness. Right now I'm going through the awful calculations of figuring out how much fitness I would lose by not running vs. the chances that it will go away while I'm running. For now I'm going with the strategy of running and stretching/yoga. But that could change.
I knew that my training plan for Chicago was risky given that I've never run this many miles before. But I figure that's the only way to improve, so I'm not sorry that my volume was so high. Now I just have to play it day-by-day and figure out what plan gives me the best chance of being on that line on 10/10/10 in the best shape possible. I'm going to put off posting my plan for this week until I get a good feel for whether I'm going to get out of this hole. Wish me luck.
I modified my mileage downward this week - but if it actually goes as planned I'll be more than a little surprised. The 10 miler was decent today - but I still have some tightness. Right now I'm going through the awful calculations of figuring out how much fitness I would lose by not running vs. the chances that it will go away while I'm running. For now I'm going with the strategy of running and stretching/yoga. But that could change.
I knew that my training plan for Chicago was risky given that I've never run this many miles before. But I figure that's the only way to improve, so I'm not sorry that my volume was so high. Now I just have to play it day-by-day and figure out what plan gives me the best chance of being on that line on 10/10/10 in the best shape possible. I'm going to put off posting my plan for this week until I get a good feel for whether I'm going to get out of this hole. Wish me luck.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Recovery
This last week was tough. I felt pretty strong coming off of Drake Well - but it's a week later and I haven't been able to shake some muscle soreness in my hamstrings and gluts. When I was training for Boston I had some plantar issues earlier in my training that forced me to focus on recovery - this time around my training has been going pretty smoothly. Unfortunately that's allowed me to not engage in activities that I should have - such as ice baths, massage, yoga, and leg elevation.
The lack of massage and yoga are mostly because I haven't found a good place for either of these near Winchester yet. Most likely I'll make a trip out to my trusted massage professional in Baltimore to get the kinks worked out before my half marathon in Philly.
I ended up cutting some mileage this week due to my soreness - I even ditched the marathon pace effort I had scheduled for Saturday. This next week will be interesting to see if I can actually get back to 115 miles for the week. In the last 18 weeks I've run a total of 1,578 miles - exactly 200 more than what I ran in the first 18 weeks of training for Boston in 2009. So a lot of the work is behind me - the next two weeks I still need to push things when my body allows - but at this point I'd rather be overly cautious than injured.
Last Week
Monday: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13.5 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest 1 mi T pace
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 7.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 76 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 4 miles
Monday evening:10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 16 miles 2X(3 mi easy 4 mi tempo)
Wednesday: 14 miles
Thursday: 11.5 miles
Friday: 22 miles
Saturday: 13 miles
Sunday morning: 6 miles
Sunday evening: 11.5 miles
Total: 115 miles
The lack of massage and yoga are mostly because I haven't found a good place for either of these near Winchester yet. Most likely I'll make a trip out to my trusted massage professional in Baltimore to get the kinks worked out before my half marathon in Philly.
I ended up cutting some mileage this week due to my soreness - I even ditched the marathon pace effort I had scheduled for Saturday. This next week will be interesting to see if I can actually get back to 115 miles for the week. In the last 18 weeks I've run a total of 1,578 miles - exactly 200 more than what I ran in the first 18 weeks of training for Boston in 2009. So a lot of the work is behind me - the next two weeks I still need to push things when my body allows - but at this point I'd rather be overly cautious than injured.
Last Week
Monday: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13.5 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest 1 mi T pace
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 7.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 76 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 4 miles
Monday evening:10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 16 miles 2X(3 mi easy 4 mi tempo)
Wednesday: 14 miles
Thursday: 11.5 miles
Friday: 22 miles
Saturday: 13 miles
Sunday morning: 6 miles
Sunday evening: 11.5 miles
Total: 115 miles
Sunday, August 22, 2010
"The Valley that Changed the World"
It might seem like a rather presumptuous tagline for a lightly populated woodlands between Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa - but in a way - it's correct (at least more than Baltimore's - "The City that Reads"). In 1859 Edwin Drake was the first person to use a salt drilling technique to get to oil just outside the town of Titusville, PA. The result was the first oil rush ever.
147 years later Dane Rauschenberg decided to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks. He wasn't able to find a marathon Christmas weekend - so he convinced 21 other people to run 105.5 laps of a track in his hometown of Titusville, PA. The Drake Well Marathon was born.
Three and a half years after Dane's run - I was looking for a marathon in late August as part of my preparation for the Chicago marathon. To be honest Drake Well probably wouldn't have been high on my list except that it was the only marathon around this time within driving distance of Winchester.
Kendra and I made the best of it - turning it into one of our weekend "boondoggles". We sampled the food of Indiana, PA - tried to find the perfect groundhog related schmaltz in Pauxatauney, PA - and went into the woods to explore the ultimately disappointing ghost town of Pithole.
As for the marathon - it was the smallest I've participated in - less than 100 people finished. But the last 16 miles were out and back on a bike trail. Pretty much everybody cheered each other on - there was a real feeling of camaraderie which made it fun. I ended up running a little faster than planned - but I don't feel like I pushed myself too hard and next week is a down week. Even more than the marathon I feel good about running 120 miles last week. It's the most I've ever run and it might be the most I ever run again. Running only 85 miles next week will feel like a walk in the park - now I just need to be more consistent on my tempo runs and I might have a decent shot at sub-2:30 at Chicago.
Last Week
Monday morning: 9 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 16.5 miles 16.5 miles 4 mi (21:53) 2 mi easy 2 mi (11:04) 2 min rest ~1 mi T pace
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 7 miles
Friday evening: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 26.2 miles
Total: 120.2 miles
Next Week
Monday: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 14 miles 4X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 19 miles 15 mi marathon pace
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 85 miles
147 years later Dane Rauschenberg decided to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks. He wasn't able to find a marathon Christmas weekend - so he convinced 21 other people to run 105.5 laps of a track in his hometown of Titusville, PA. The Drake Well Marathon was born.
Three and a half years after Dane's run - I was looking for a marathon in late August as part of my preparation for the Chicago marathon. To be honest Drake Well probably wouldn't have been high on my list except that it was the only marathon around this time within driving distance of Winchester.
Kendra and I made the best of it - turning it into one of our weekend "boondoggles". We sampled the food of Indiana, PA - tried to find the perfect groundhog related schmaltz in Pauxatauney, PA - and went into the woods to explore the ultimately disappointing ghost town of Pithole.
As for the marathon - it was the smallest I've participated in - less than 100 people finished. But the last 16 miles were out and back on a bike trail. Pretty much everybody cheered each other on - there was a real feeling of camaraderie which made it fun. I ended up running a little faster than planned - but I don't feel like I pushed myself too hard and next week is a down week. Even more than the marathon I feel good about running 120 miles last week. It's the most I've ever run and it might be the most I ever run again. Running only 85 miles next week will feel like a walk in the park - now I just need to be more consistent on my tempo runs and I might have a decent shot at sub-2:30 at Chicago.
Last Week
Monday morning: 9 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 16.5 miles 16.5 miles 4 mi (21:53) 2 mi easy 2 mi (11:04) 2 min rest ~1 mi T pace
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 7 miles
Friday evening: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 26.2 miles
Total: 120.2 miles
Next Week
Monday: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 14 miles 4X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 19 miles 15 mi marathon pace
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 85 miles
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A brief repreive
After having some GI issues this week (I think I need to cut back on the Kashi) - I was feeling pretty depleted. After looking at my log I realized that I haven't had a day off since May 10th. With a 22 miler planned for today and my longest week ever planned for next week - I decided that Saturday would be a good time to take the day off.
It felt kind of weird not running for a day - kind of like skipping a meal or pulling an all nighter. Running for an hour or more each day has just become another bodily function. In a way that's what all this training is about - I need to trick my body into thinking that 26.2 miles on October 10th run in 2.5 hours is a natural thing to do. Marathons are never "easy" - but the more I've completed the less painful they've become.
Next week I do something that is somewhat controversial among runners - I'm going to run a marathon to train for a marathon. Some people claim that running over 22 miles isn't a good idea because you won't recover sufficiently. For me it won't be the distance that's the challenge it's the pace. If I can't recover from running 26.2 miles in a little under 3 hours - then it's going to be almost impossible to run under 2 hours and 30 minutes in an "all out" marathon. I did the same thing before Boston in 2009 and ended up with a 3 and a half minute PR. All I want is another 2 min 33 sec - is that so much to ask?
Last Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 3X5.5 min T pace 30 sec rest 1 mi easy 4X5.5 min T pace 30 sec rest
Wednesday evening: 6.5 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 0 miles
Sunday: 22 miles 4X1 mi 1 min rest 11.5 miles easy 2 mi @ T pace
Total: 96 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 16 miles 4mi T pace 2 mi easy 4 mi T pace
Wednesday evening: 5.5 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 10.5 miles
Friday evening: 8 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 26.2 miles
Total: 120.2 miles
It felt kind of weird not running for a day - kind of like skipping a meal or pulling an all nighter. Running for an hour or more each day has just become another bodily function. In a way that's what all this training is about - I need to trick my body into thinking that 26.2 miles on October 10th run in 2.5 hours is a natural thing to do. Marathons are never "easy" - but the more I've completed the less painful they've become.
Next week I do something that is somewhat controversial among runners - I'm going to run a marathon to train for a marathon. Some people claim that running over 22 miles isn't a good idea because you won't recover sufficiently. For me it won't be the distance that's the challenge it's the pace. If I can't recover from running 26.2 miles in a little under 3 hours - then it's going to be almost impossible to run under 2 hours and 30 minutes in an "all out" marathon. I did the same thing before Boston in 2009 and ended up with a 3 and a half minute PR. All I want is another 2 min 33 sec - is that so much to ask?
Last Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 3X5.5 min T pace 30 sec rest 1 mi easy 4X5.5 min T pace 30 sec rest
Wednesday evening: 6.5 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 0 miles
Sunday: 22 miles 4X1 mi 1 min rest 11.5 miles easy 2 mi @ T pace
Total: 96 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 16 miles 4mi T pace 2 mi easy 4 mi T pace
Wednesday evening: 5.5 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 10.5 miles
Friday evening: 8 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 26.2 miles
Total: 120.2 miles
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Road Kill
A long wedding weekend + business trip to Minneapolis meant no post last week. All is well though - I'm pretty much on track for my training.
The countless miles of bike trails in Minneapolis made me think of how unfriendly my current home is to runners. There are certainly beautiful areas to run, but there are almost no trails. Most of my running is on paved country roads with no shoulders and drivers used to having the roads to themselves. The result is that I've becomed very sensitive to the sound of oncoming cars around corners or on the other side of hills.
Certainly living in Chicago and Baltimore I've learned to be a defensive runner, but nothing like jumping into tall grass on the side of the road because you're not sure the car barreling towards you at 60 miles an hour sees you. I haven't had any real close calls - but there is plenty of evidence of less lucky animal compatriots who have met their end from the front end of a Ford F-150.
Today I felt like road kill of a different type. I ran the Leesburg 20k as a marathon pace workout. It wasn't quite as steamy as some years but the constant uphill of the first half took a toll. I ended up running a little faster than I had planned - but the goal was to feel comfortable - and if I feel like I did today through 20k in Chicago I'll be in big trouble. The course seemed to be a little short (I think they messed up the turn around - the mile from 6 to 7 took 3:05) - a few people with Garmins had it as 12.28 miles - which if I convert is still below my goal of 5:45 pace.
The next two weeks will be challenging to say the least. I'll run 228 miles in 14 days - just over 16 miles per day - including 23 miles at tempo pace and a full marathon. Temps are supposed to go back up to the high 90's again the next few days. This is when I give my future October 10th self the gift of knowing I put in the work.
Week of 7/26-8/1
Monday: 11.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 6.5 miles
Tuesday evening: 14 miles 4X 5.5 min @ T pace with 1 min rest 1 mi easy 3X 5.5 min @ T pace with 1 min rest
Wednesday: 13.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12.5 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 22 miles 3 mi easy 4X1 mi with 1 min rest 9 mi easy 3 mi @ tempo (16:32) 3 mi easy
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 104 miles
Last Week
Monday morning: 6.5 miles
Monday evening: 10.5
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 14 miles 2X 16 min 30 sec @ T pace 3 min rest 11 min @ T pace
Thursday: 15 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 18.5 miles 20k 1:09:12 (might have been a little short)
Total: 92.5 miles
Next week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 8X1 mi T pace 30 sec rest
Wednesday evening: 6 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 22 miles 2X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest 10 miles easy 3 mi @ T pace
Total: 108 miles
The countless miles of bike trails in Minneapolis made me think of how unfriendly my current home is to runners. There are certainly beautiful areas to run, but there are almost no trails. Most of my running is on paved country roads with no shoulders and drivers used to having the roads to themselves. The result is that I've becomed very sensitive to the sound of oncoming cars around corners or on the other side of hills.
Certainly living in Chicago and Baltimore I've learned to be a defensive runner, but nothing like jumping into tall grass on the side of the road because you're not sure the car barreling towards you at 60 miles an hour sees you. I haven't had any real close calls - but there is plenty of evidence of less lucky animal compatriots who have met their end from the front end of a Ford F-150.
Today I felt like road kill of a different type. I ran the Leesburg 20k as a marathon pace workout. It wasn't quite as steamy as some years but the constant uphill of the first half took a toll. I ended up running a little faster than I had planned - but the goal was to feel comfortable - and if I feel like I did today through 20k in Chicago I'll be in big trouble. The course seemed to be a little short (I think they messed up the turn around - the mile from 6 to 7 took 3:05) - a few people with Garmins had it as 12.28 miles - which if I convert is still below my goal of 5:45 pace.
The next two weeks will be challenging to say the least. I'll run 228 miles in 14 days - just over 16 miles per day - including 23 miles at tempo pace and a full marathon. Temps are supposed to go back up to the high 90's again the next few days. This is when I give my future October 10th self the gift of knowing I put in the work.
Week of 7/26-8/1
Monday: 11.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 6.5 miles
Tuesday evening: 14 miles 4X 5.5 min @ T pace with 1 min rest 1 mi easy 3X 5.5 min @ T pace with 1 min rest
Wednesday: 13.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12.5 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 22 miles 3 mi easy 4X1 mi with 1 min rest 9 mi easy 3 mi @ tempo (16:32) 3 mi easy
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 104 miles
Last Week
Monday morning: 6.5 miles
Monday evening: 10.5
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 14 miles 2X 16 min 30 sec @ T pace 3 min rest 11 min @ T pace
Thursday: 15 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 18.5 miles 20k 1:09:12 (might have been a little short)
Total: 92.5 miles
Next week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 8X1 mi T pace 30 sec rest
Wednesday evening: 6 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 22 miles 2X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest 10 miles easy 3 mi @ T pace
Total: 108 miles
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Biggest Week Ever
Only by two miles - but in the long slog of marathon training you have to celebrate the little victories. The topper today was running 21 miles on another brutally hot morning. I ran near DC for a change of scenery. After I ran 8 miles on the C&O canal path Georgetown Running Company runner Jake Klim took me on a 13 mile run that included a brutal 2 mile section on a mostly unshaded road. Thanks for the hospitality Jake! I now have a better idea of what hell is like.
If I recover psychologically and physically from that ordeal I'll hopefully be running similar mileage this week with more quality. In my opinion the most important feature of successful marathon training after total volume are Lactate Threshold (LT) workouts. As I've said in previous posts - it's a bit of misnomer as lactate doesn't appear to actually fatigue muscles directly. Greater lactate production does correlate with muscle fatigue but doesn't appear to be the cause. The real culprit is most likely the build up of hydrogen ions that can lower pH and block the uptake of calcium.
Regardless of the cause there does appear to be a level of effort that cannot be sustained much longer than an hour. Increasing the pace at which that process occurs is important for any race longer than 5k - but for a race like the marathon that lasts well over two hours it's imperative if you are looking to run "fast." Sure, you can run the marathon distance by training your body to store a lot of glycogen and use it efficiently as possible - but that's not enough to run at your best.
If you are surprised to hear that "lactic acid" isn't why the wheels came off in your last marathon - you might really be shocked to hear how to actually increase the pace at which "LT" occurs. The research by Jack Daniels and others seems to show that you should run slightly slower than LT pace in order to reap the benefits. Once you cross that LT line you start to stress other systems that might improve your V02 max but don't seem to help much with LT pace.
On Saturday I'll be running one of my most important workouts. It's a 22 miler that includes some tempo near the beginning - but also a 3 mile section that occurs after I've already run 16 miles. That's the only way in my mind to create anything close to what you feel in the late miles of a marathon.
Last Week
Monday morning: 8.5 miles
Monday evening: 8.5 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday morning: 10.5 miles
Wednesday evening: 7 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 11 miles 1X 2 mi 10:56 2 min rest 1 mile 5:23 1 min rest 1 mile 5:25
Friday morning: 11.5 miles
Friday evening: 6 miles
Saturday: 14 miles
Sunday: 21 miles
Total: 112 miles
Next Week
Monday: 10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 6 miles
Tuesday evening: 14 miles 4X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest 1 mi easy 3X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest
Wednesday: 14 miles
Thursday morning: 12 miles
Thursday evening: 6 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 22 miles 3 mi easy 4X1 mi with 1 min rest 9 mi easy 3 mi @ tempo 3 mi easy
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 108 miles
If I recover psychologically and physically from that ordeal I'll hopefully be running similar mileage this week with more quality. In my opinion the most important feature of successful marathon training after total volume are Lactate Threshold (LT) workouts. As I've said in previous posts - it's a bit of misnomer as lactate doesn't appear to actually fatigue muscles directly. Greater lactate production does correlate with muscle fatigue but doesn't appear to be the cause. The real culprit is most likely the build up of hydrogen ions that can lower pH and block the uptake of calcium.
Regardless of the cause there does appear to be a level of effort that cannot be sustained much longer than an hour. Increasing the pace at which that process occurs is important for any race longer than 5k - but for a race like the marathon that lasts well over two hours it's imperative if you are looking to run "fast." Sure, you can run the marathon distance by training your body to store a lot of glycogen and use it efficiently as possible - but that's not enough to run at your best.
If you are surprised to hear that "lactic acid" isn't why the wheels came off in your last marathon - you might really be shocked to hear how to actually increase the pace at which "LT" occurs. The research by Jack Daniels and others seems to show that you should run slightly slower than LT pace in order to reap the benefits. Once you cross that LT line you start to stress other systems that might improve your V02 max but don't seem to help much with LT pace.
On Saturday I'll be running one of my most important workouts. It's a 22 miler that includes some tempo near the beginning - but also a 3 mile section that occurs after I've already run 16 miles. That's the only way in my mind to create anything close to what you feel in the late miles of a marathon.
Last Week
Monday morning: 8.5 miles
Monday evening: 8.5 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday morning: 10.5 miles
Wednesday evening: 7 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 11 miles 1X 2 mi 10:56 2 min rest 1 mile 5:23 1 min rest 1 mile 5:25
Friday morning: 11.5 miles
Friday evening: 6 miles
Saturday: 14 miles
Sunday: 21 miles
Total: 112 miles
Next Week
Monday: 10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 6 miles
Tuesday evening: 14 miles 4X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest 1 mi easy 3X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest
Wednesday: 14 miles
Thursday morning: 12 miles
Thursday evening: 6 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 22 miles 3 mi easy 4X1 mi with 1 min rest 9 mi easy 3 mi @ tempo 3 mi easy
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 108 miles
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Halfway there
Believe it or not I'm now halfway through my 24 week training plan for Chicago. The Great Lakes Relay I ran this last weekend was a nice mental break. Physically it was one of the hardest three-day stretches that I'll have in all of my training. Of the 46 miles I ran in those three days over 26 were at faster than tempo pace. I actually feel pretty good - which is nice because I'm supposed to run 114 miles this week.
The relay has become my favorite race of the year. The mix of competition, old friends, and beautiful scenery is the perfect cure to the feeling of staleness that I might feel at this point in my training for a marathon. As I said last week, the next eight weeks will be the hardest training of my life - time to push things to the next gear.
Last Week
Monday: 11.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: GLR 16 miles
Saturday: GLR 17 miles
Sunday: GLR 12.5 miles
Total: 88.5 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 8.5 miles
Monday evening: 8.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 10 miles
Tuesday evening: 6 miles
Wednesday: 12 miles
Thursday morning: 14 miles 4X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest
Thursday evening: 6 miles
Friday: 14 miles
Saturday: 13 miles
Sunday: 22 miles
Total: 114 miles
The relay has become my favorite race of the year. The mix of competition, old friends, and beautiful scenery is the perfect cure to the feeling of staleness that I might feel at this point in my training for a marathon. As I said last week, the next eight weeks will be the hardest training of my life - time to push things to the next gear.
Last Week
Monday: 11.5 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: GLR 16 miles
Saturday: GLR 17 miles
Sunday: GLR 12.5 miles
Total: 88.5 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 8.5 miles
Monday evening: 8.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 10 miles
Tuesday evening: 6 miles
Wednesday: 12 miles
Thursday morning: 14 miles 4X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest
Thursday evening: 6 miles
Friday: 14 miles
Saturday: 13 miles
Sunday: 22 miles
Total: 114 miles
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Great 8
Next week I head back to Michigan for some good times at the Great Lakes Relay. It will be a down week for mileage but the intensity will be high for three straight days. Although I'm anticipating some good fun in the great lake state there is part of my mind that is nervously anticipating the eight weeks from 7/19-9/12. They will undoubtedly be the most challenging eight weeks of training in my life.
My planned weekly average for that period will be just over 105 miles per week - with a high of 120. I'll run 83 miles at tempo pace, 28 miles (in just two runs) at marathon pace, and six runs over 20 miles. I'm not going to lie - it seems a little daunting at this point.
This week provided me some practical lessons of what I need to do (and not do) to make it through those two months. Last weekend my parents were in town and I ate and drank a lot of junk and then I scorched myself in the sun for 3-4 hours going tubing on Monday. The result was that I was in no shape to run my workout on Wednesday morning. It was the worst workout I've had in a long time. I cleaned up my act the rest of the week and the result was a strong 20 miler including 4 miles of good tempo running on Saturday with Brennan.
Right after I'm done writing this I'm going to e-mail Melissa Majumdar to set up a nutrition counseling session. She really helped me in my preparation for Boston and if I have any chance of making it through my big 8 weeks I'll have to make a plan and stick to it. Other important parts of recovery that I've so far neglected are ice baths, massage, and yoga. It will be time to get back to those after I return from Michigan.
Part of me does ask why - why would I plan an unrelenting, unforgiving two months for myself in the dog days of summer? The answer is in part found in all of those things I outlined above. There is no cushion - there is no going through the motions. Many people think of goals as burdens, but in reality they are opportunities to experience life in the extreme - to push past assumed limitations and make the extraordinary seem mundane.
Last Week
Monday morning: 10.5 miles
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday morning: 7.5 miles
Tuesday evening: 6 miles
Wednesday morning: 9 miles 2X1 mi 800 rest 2X1200m 400 rest (5:08.1, 5:07.2, 3:49.5, 3:53.3)
Wednesday evening: 10 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 13 miles
Saturday: 20 mi 2X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest (10:40, 10:55)
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 104.5 miles
Next Week
Monday: 12 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 6.5 miles
Friday: GLR 12 miles
Saturday: GLR 13 miles
Sunday: GLR 17 miles
Total: 84 miles
My planned weekly average for that period will be just over 105 miles per week - with a high of 120. I'll run 83 miles at tempo pace, 28 miles (in just two runs) at marathon pace, and six runs over 20 miles. I'm not going to lie - it seems a little daunting at this point.
This week provided me some practical lessons of what I need to do (and not do) to make it through those two months. Last weekend my parents were in town and I ate and drank a lot of junk and then I scorched myself in the sun for 3-4 hours going tubing on Monday. The result was that I was in no shape to run my workout on Wednesday morning. It was the worst workout I've had in a long time. I cleaned up my act the rest of the week and the result was a strong 20 miler including 4 miles of good tempo running on Saturday with Brennan.
Right after I'm done writing this I'm going to e-mail Melissa Majumdar to set up a nutrition counseling session. She really helped me in my preparation for Boston and if I have any chance of making it through my big 8 weeks I'll have to make a plan and stick to it. Other important parts of recovery that I've so far neglected are ice baths, massage, and yoga. It will be time to get back to those after I return from Michigan.
Part of me does ask why - why would I plan an unrelenting, unforgiving two months for myself in the dog days of summer? The answer is in part found in all of those things I outlined above. There is no cushion - there is no going through the motions. Many people think of goals as burdens, but in reality they are opportunities to experience life in the extreme - to push past assumed limitations and make the extraordinary seem mundane.
Last Week
Monday morning: 10.5 miles
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday morning: 7.5 miles
Tuesday evening: 6 miles
Wednesday morning: 9 miles 2X1 mi 800 rest 2X1200m 400 rest (5:08.1, 5:07.2, 3:49.5, 3:53.3)
Wednesday evening: 10 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 13 miles
Saturday: 20 mi 2X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest (10:40, 10:55)
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 104.5 miles
Next Week
Monday: 12 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 6.5 miles
Friday: GLR 12 miles
Saturday: GLR 13 miles
Sunday: GLR 17 miles
Total: 84 miles
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Know Thyself
On Sunday I ran the Liberty 5k here in Winchester. As the gun sounded I was immediately reminded how hard high school kids go out at the start. At first it was a little worrying - finding myself in ~20th place in the first 100 meters - but the nice thing about being a older is that I know the race isn't won in the first quarter mile. Realizing that most of them wouldn't be able to keep the pace - I smiled - thinking how much fun it was going to be to catch them.
It was fun (I got 3rd) - but I also felt a certain amount of envy in these kids who ran from the gun with such excitement. It might have led to a painful day for them on a course that included two decent hills in the last 2k, but high school kids improve so quickly - the best high school runners have to be fearless. Their limits are constantly being pushed back and if they're too conservative they won't be able to take advantage of their new found fitness.
I've often said that my favorite thing about running is the sense of discovery. I love running in new places or during the changing of the seasons. Races though offer the most important kind of discovery - discovery of what is inside. This summer is about doing what I can to make sure I like what I find on October 10th.
Last Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 7 miles
Tuesday evening: 11.5 miles
Wednesday: 22 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 9 miles 5k 16:15
Total: 99 miles
This Week
Monday morning: 10.5 miles
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday morning: 7.5 miles
Tuesday evening: 6.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 6X1 mi @ I pace 800 rest
Wednesday evening: 6 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 20 miles 2X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest
Sunday: 12 miles
Total: 105 miles
It was fun (I got 3rd) - but I also felt a certain amount of envy in these kids who ran from the gun with such excitement. It might have led to a painful day for them on a course that included two decent hills in the last 2k, but high school kids improve so quickly - the best high school runners have to be fearless. Their limits are constantly being pushed back and if they're too conservative they won't be able to take advantage of their new found fitness.
I've often said that my favorite thing about running is the sense of discovery. I love running in new places or during the changing of the seasons. Races though offer the most important kind of discovery - discovery of what is inside. This summer is about doing what I can to make sure I like what I find on October 10th.
Last Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 7 miles
Tuesday evening: 11.5 miles
Wednesday: 22 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 9 miles 5k 16:15
Total: 99 miles
This Week
Monday morning: 10.5 miles
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday morning: 7.5 miles
Tuesday evening: 6.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 14 miles 6X1 mi @ I pace 800 rest
Wednesday evening: 6 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 20 miles 2X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest
Sunday: 12 miles
Total: 105 miles
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The early bird doesn't get heat exhaustion
This is turning out to be one of the hottest summers in recent memory. So far I've been able to not let it affect my marathon plan - but it makes things like hydration and nutrition absolutely essential. Next week I plan on running over 100 miles for the first time since February of 2009. It's not just about getting through the week, but it has to feel comfortable - I have another six weeks of 100+ mile weeks planned before Chicago - including my highest week ever, 120 miles planned for mid-August.
Each week is going to be a little different in July - next week I'm swapping a 5k for my interval workout and running a 22 miler in the middle of the week, the week 7/5-7/11 will also be over 100 miles with my last V02 max workout and a tempo workout, 7/12-7/18 is the Great Lakes Relay week - a 280 mile relay over 3 days in Northern Michigan with 10 guys per team. After that I'll be focusing on getting quality tempo workouts in and by early August I'll have my first marathon pace run. So lots of varied challenges coming up - at least I can't claim to be bored!
Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 5X1 mi I pace 800 rest (5:06.2, 5:04.8, 5:03.8, 5:03.1, 4:59.9)
Wednesday: 11 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 20 miles 4X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest
Sunday: 10 miles
Total: 84.5 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 9 miles
Tuesday evening: 7 miles
Wednesday: 22 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 5 miles
Friday evening: 8 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 12 miles 5k
Total: 105 miles
Each week is going to be a little different in July - next week I'm swapping a 5k for my interval workout and running a 22 miler in the middle of the week, the week 7/5-7/11 will also be over 100 miles with my last V02 max workout and a tempo workout, 7/12-7/18 is the Great Lakes Relay week - a 280 mile relay over 3 days in Northern Michigan with 10 guys per team. After that I'll be focusing on getting quality tempo workouts in and by early August I'll have my first marathon pace run. So lots of varied challenges coming up - at least I can't claim to be bored!
Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 5X1 mi I pace 800 rest (5:06.2, 5:04.8, 5:03.8, 5:03.1, 4:59.9)
Wednesday: 11 miles
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 20 miles 4X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest
Sunday: 10 miles
Total: 84.5 miles
Next Week
Monday morning: 7 miles
Monday evening: 10.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 9 miles
Tuesday evening: 7 miles
Wednesday: 22 miles
Thursday: 14 miles
Friday morning: 5 miles
Friday evening: 8 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 12 miles 5k
Total: 105 miles
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Natural and Extraordinary
I finally started reading "Born to Run" this week. Chris McDougall does a superb job of playing with seeming conflict - whether it's between crazy characters, business interests, and scientists/doctors or the natural act of running vs the extraordinary accomplishments of the greatest runners.
One of the more interesting ideas explored in the book is that distance running is something that seperates us from other animals as much as language or the knowledge of our eventual death. If you compare us with our nearest genetic cousins all the physical differences can be explained through running. Why do we have less hair than a Chimpanzee? Stand upright? Even have bigger butts? It's all related our ancestors who were biomechanically advantaged to running longer distances surviving in greater numbers. Most likely it was related to our ability to chase prey for long periods of time. A gazelle might be able to out run us over 400 meters or even a mile - but, give us a day to track an animal over 10 or 20 miles and the animal will collapse - becoming easy pickings for the human willing and able to push long enough.
Remember - many generations of your ancestors survived only because they were able to do something extraordinary every day of their lives. The experience of those long lost generations lives in our bones, our veins, our lungs, our muscles, our tendons, our feet. Don't kid yourself that you will ever test your body the way that some long lost family member did in pre-history. We aren't besting them when we run, we are merely channeling them.
As I enter into my hardest summer of training ever it's a great reminder. Instead of focusing on grinding through the hard miles and heat - hoping for everything to come together on a Sunday in early October - I should enjoy every mile listening for my body to show me the way. Or as Caballo Blanco says - Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday morning: 6 miles
Tuesday evening: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 13 miles 8X1200m 3 min rest (3:50, 3:48.7, 3:47.5, 3:46.1, 3:47.1, 3:45.7, 3:45.8, 3:43.9)
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 18 miles 7 miles tempo (38:07) probably a little short
Sunday: 12 miles
Total: 94.5 miles
This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 5X1 mi I pace 800 rest
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 10.5 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 20 miles 5X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 84 miles
One of the more interesting ideas explored in the book is that distance running is something that seperates us from other animals as much as language or the knowledge of our eventual death. If you compare us with our nearest genetic cousins all the physical differences can be explained through running. Why do we have less hair than a Chimpanzee? Stand upright? Even have bigger butts? It's all related our ancestors who were biomechanically advantaged to running longer distances surviving in greater numbers. Most likely it was related to our ability to chase prey for long periods of time. A gazelle might be able to out run us over 400 meters or even a mile - but, give us a day to track an animal over 10 or 20 miles and the animal will collapse - becoming easy pickings for the human willing and able to push long enough.
Remember - many generations of your ancestors survived only because they were able to do something extraordinary every day of their lives. The experience of those long lost generations lives in our bones, our veins, our lungs, our muscles, our tendons, our feet. Don't kid yourself that you will ever test your body the way that some long lost family member did in pre-history. We aren't besting them when we run, we are merely channeling them.
As I enter into my hardest summer of training ever it's a great reminder. Instead of focusing on grinding through the hard miles and heat - hoping for everything to come together on a Sunday in early October - I should enjoy every mile listening for my body to show me the way. Or as Caballo Blanco says - Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday morning: 6 miles
Tuesday evening: 10.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 13 miles 8X1200m 3 min rest (3:50, 3:48.7, 3:47.5, 3:46.1, 3:47.1, 3:45.7, 3:45.8, 3:43.9)
Thursday: 13.5 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 18 miles 7 miles tempo (38:07) probably a little short
Sunday: 12 miles
Total: 94.5 miles
This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 5X1 mi I pace 800 rest
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday: 10.5 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 20 miles 5X1 mi @ T pace with 1 min rest
Sunday: 10.5 miles
Total: 84 miles
Sunday, June 13, 2010
V02 Max and marathon training
Last week included my first track workout since the end of April. Most of my hard workouts in preperation for Chicago will be tempo pace (aka lactate threshold) or marathon pace - however the Jack Daniels schedule includes five weeks of interval or V02 max workouts in the second phase of his 24 week training cycle. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that can be processed by the body in a certain time period - it is expressed as litres of oxygen per minute. In other words it is the capacity of the cardiovascular system and peripheral systems (muscle groups) to take in oxygen, deliver to muscle systems, process oxygen, and deal with the by-products.
VO2 max can be tested by increasing pace every minute until the runner is going all out. Expired air is collected in a bag during the test - heart rate is taken at the end and lactate levels are measured two minutes after the end of the test when lactate is highest. Along with lactate threshold and running economy it is an important determinant to distance running. It is most important for distances up to 10k.
So, how do you improve VO2 max? Interval training is the most efficient way to improve VO2 max. Usually this is done by running at 3k-5k pace (usually95-100% VO2 max) for 3-5 minute intervals with recovery times that are equal to, or a little less, than the time of the interval. The amount of total weekly interval-paced training should be up to 8 percent of total mileage according to Jack Daniels.
V02 max work might be most important for 10k and 5k racing, but it cannot be ignored when training for a marathon. You hope to never reach 95% of your V02 max during a marathon, but the stress that is put on your basic oxygen processing systems during a V02 max workout will help you to run a better marathon. Also it would be pretty boring to have 18 weeks of nothing but tempo and marathon pace hard workouts. The five weeks of interval workouts help to break up the long 24 week training cycle a bit. I ran a lot of interval workouts this winter and spring, as a result I didn't feel too uncomfortable on Thursday. This week marks my first tempo workout, along with another interval workout - all during a planned 96 mile week. I'm guessing my topic next week will be about "recovery" : )
Last Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday: 14 miles
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 7X1200 @ I pace 3 min rest (3:47.8, 3:48.2, 3:46.2, 3:46.9, 3:44.6, 3:46.3, 3:46.6)
Friday morning: 4 miles
Friday evening: 11 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 19 miles
Total: 95 miles
This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday: 13 miles 7 mi tempo
Wednesday: 14 miles
Thursday morning: 6 miles
Thursday evening: 10.5 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 12 miles 8X1200 @ I pace
Sunday: 18 miles
Total: 96 miles
VO2 max can be tested by increasing pace every minute until the runner is going all out. Expired air is collected in a bag during the test - heart rate is taken at the end and lactate levels are measured two minutes after the end of the test when lactate is highest. Along with lactate threshold and running economy it is an important determinant to distance running. It is most important for distances up to 10k.
So, how do you improve VO2 max? Interval training is the most efficient way to improve VO2 max. Usually this is done by running at 3k-5k pace (usually95-100% VO2 max) for 3-5 minute intervals with recovery times that are equal to, or a little less, than the time of the interval. The amount of total weekly interval-paced training should be up to 8 percent of total mileage according to Jack Daniels.
V02 max work might be most important for 10k and 5k racing, but it cannot be ignored when training for a marathon. You hope to never reach 95% of your V02 max during a marathon, but the stress that is put on your basic oxygen processing systems during a V02 max workout will help you to run a better marathon. Also it would be pretty boring to have 18 weeks of nothing but tempo and marathon pace hard workouts. The five weeks of interval workouts help to break up the long 24 week training cycle a bit. I ran a lot of interval workouts this winter and spring, as a result I didn't feel too uncomfortable on Thursday. This week marks my first tempo workout, along with another interval workout - all during a planned 96 mile week. I'm guessing my topic next week will be about "recovery" : )
Last Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday: 14 miles
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 7X1200 @ I pace 3 min rest (3:47.8, 3:48.2, 3:46.2, 3:46.9, 3:44.6, 3:46.3, 3:46.6)
Friday morning: 4 miles
Friday evening: 11 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 19 miles
Total: 95 miles
This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday: 13 miles 7 mi tempo
Wednesday: 14 miles
Thursday morning: 6 miles
Thursday evening: 10.5 miles
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 12 miles 8X1200 @ I pace
Sunday: 18 miles
Total: 96 miles
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Getting on the right path
It may seem cliche, but the marathon really is about the journey rather than the destination. I remember talking to a fellow marathoner from the Netherlands just after the NYC marathon in 2007. It seemed incredible at that moment that I had voluntarily done something that made me feel that awful. Frustrated and exhausted I asked the obvious question - "why do we do this to ourselves?" It was more of a rhetorical question - but, he answered anyways - "we run marathons for the training and so we have stories to tell at the bar."
The more marathons I've done the more I think that he's right. You have to enjoy the training - you have to enjoy making the plan and trying your best to execute it. You have to enjoy observing how your body is reacting - trying to figure out how to help your body recover through nutrition, cold whirlpools, massages and a hundred other details that contribute to your fitness.
Our culture's focus on results sometimes leads us, ironically, to look for shortcuts and derive value entirely from our experience on the day of the marathon. By focusing alternatively on the long training cycle you can find more enjoyment and ultimately greater success. As with much of life, success is about walking the path everyday - not so much any particular workout or race.
Chicago is 18 weeks from today. The first six weeks have gone as smoothly as I could have hoped - and now I move on to the next phase with my first track workout planned for Wednesday. Hopefully I stay on the path and not deviate as I did today - taking a wrong turn that made my 20 miler into a 24 miler. I'm in good enough shape to hopefully absorb that kind of mistake - but I certainly can't do that every week.
Last Week
Monday morning: 8 miles Loudon Street Mile
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 12 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 13 miles 8X150m
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 24 miles
Total: 92.5 miles
This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 8.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 12 miles 6X1200 @ I pace
Thursday: 13 miles
Friday morning: 4 miles
Friday evening: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 13 miles
Sunday: 19 miles
Total: 96 miles
The more marathons I've done the more I think that he's right. You have to enjoy the training - you have to enjoy making the plan and trying your best to execute it. You have to enjoy observing how your body is reacting - trying to figure out how to help your body recover through nutrition, cold whirlpools, massages and a hundred other details that contribute to your fitness.
Our culture's focus on results sometimes leads us, ironically, to look for shortcuts and derive value entirely from our experience on the day of the marathon. By focusing alternatively on the long training cycle you can find more enjoyment and ultimately greater success. As with much of life, success is about walking the path everyday - not so much any particular workout or race.
Chicago is 18 weeks from today. The first six weeks have gone as smoothly as I could have hoped - and now I move on to the next phase with my first track workout planned for Wednesday. Hopefully I stay on the path and not deviate as I did today - taking a wrong turn that made my 20 miler into a 24 miler. I'm in good enough shape to hopefully absorb that kind of mistake - but I certainly can't do that every week.
Last Week
Monday morning: 8 miles Loudon Street Mile
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 12 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 13 miles 8X150m
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 24 miles
Total: 92.5 miles
This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 8.5 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 12 miles 6X1200 @ I pace
Thursday: 13 miles
Friday morning: 4 miles
Friday evening: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 13 miles
Sunday: 19 miles
Total: 96 miles
Monday, May 31, 2010
Getting rolled
If the best way to stay focused on training is to get humbled every now and again I'm on my way to a great summer of running. Today I ran the Loudon Street Mile here in Winchester. I didn't really know what to expect - which is another way of saying I was hoping for a miracle. I haven't run a mile race in ~11 years. I haven't run any track workouts for a month - but, I did want to support the main race that the local running store, Runners Retreat, puts on each year.
At the start line I felt ok even though it was pretty warm. The gun went off and I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like I was sprinting - but, I thought that was how I was supposed to feel - until the quarter mile mark which I went through in 63 seconds. Probably a little quick - within the next 200 meters I felt the always bad sign of my fingers tingling. Even though the last half mile was mostly downhill I had nothing - I started slowing dangerously close to my 5k pace from this spring. Even more disturbing everybody and their mother passed me in the last quarter mile. I ended up running 4:40 way back in 13th place - which is not too far off what I wanted time wise - but, it was a painful and dumb way to run it.
The only redeeming part of the day was that my wife surprised herself by going under 8 minutes and getting 3rd place in her age group. Time to put that debacle out of my head and focus on a distance where I can actually PR - the marathon. This week I hit 90 miles for the first time since March of 2009. June is the month where I'll start to run hard workouts and set the tone for the entire summer. It's go time.
Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday: 12 miles 7X150m
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 7X150m
Friday: 8.5 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 6.5 miles
Total: 82 miles
This Week
Monday morning: 8 miles Loudon Street Mile
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 8X150m
Friday: 8.5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 90 miles
At the start line I felt ok even though it was pretty warm. The gun went off and I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like I was sprinting - but, I thought that was how I was supposed to feel - until the quarter mile mark which I went through in 63 seconds. Probably a little quick - within the next 200 meters I felt the always bad sign of my fingers tingling. Even though the last half mile was mostly downhill I had nothing - I started slowing dangerously close to my 5k pace from this spring. Even more disturbing everybody and their mother passed me in the last quarter mile. I ended up running 4:40 way back in 13th place - which is not too far off what I wanted time wise - but, it was a painful and dumb way to run it.
The only redeeming part of the day was that my wife surprised herself by going under 8 minutes and getting 3rd place in her age group. Time to put that debacle out of my head and focus on a distance where I can actually PR - the marathon. This week I hit 90 miles for the first time since March of 2009. June is the month where I'll start to run hard workouts and set the tone for the entire summer. It's go time.
Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday: 12 miles 7X150m
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 7X150m
Friday: 8.5 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 6.5 miles
Total: 82 miles
This Week
Monday morning: 8 miles Loudon Street Mile
Monday evening: 4 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles
Wednesday: 13 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 8X150m
Friday: 8.5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 90 miles
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Creepin'
This week is my last week under 80 miles until two weeks before the marathon. Not much to report - except that I've found some good guys to run with here in Winchester. Last week I had a touch of the flu or something and was completely humbled on the long run. This week I felt better and I made sure I was fresh. It was probably not a very smart thing to do - but, we averaged 6:11 for just under 17 miles over rolling terrain. Once my mileage gets higher and I start adding quality I will make sure to back off the pace on long runs - otherwise my legs are going to be toast. But for now, it was kind of fun to bust off the rust a little.
Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 4X150m
Wednesday: 9.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 6X150m
Friday: 8.5 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 73 miles
This Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday: 12 miles 7X150m
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 7X150m
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 6 miles
Total: 82 miles
Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 4X150m
Wednesday: 9.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 6X150m
Friday: 8.5 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 73 miles
This Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday: 12 miles 7X150m
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 7X150m
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 6 miles
Total: 82 miles
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Plan
My mileage this summer, represented graphically above, is going to be higher than Boston '09. For Boston in the four months (December-March) before the marathon I averaged 10, 12.1, 12.4, and 12.9 miles per day - this summer (June-September) those four months wil be 13.4, 14.7, 14.5, and 13.1.
As you can see my mileage will cycle - generally the lower weeks (after week 8) will have more intense workouts. Some weeks I'll have two hard workouts and some weeks just one with a long run.
For now I just need to keep myself healthy and get a little better with nutrition.
Last Week
Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: 11.5 miles
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 65 miles
Next Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 6X150m
Wednesday: 10.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 12 miles 6X150m
Friday: 10.5 miles
Saturday: 0 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 72 miles
Sunday, May 9, 2010
In Praise of LSD
This refers of course, not to the manifesto of Dr. Timothy Leary, but rather Dr. Timothy Noakes or even more strongly in the writings of Dr. Jack Daniels (resident of Flagstaff, AZ not Lynchburg, TN).
Long Slow Distance (LSD) is the foundation upon which the house of fitness is built. The non-believers dare to call it "junk mileage" - like it's a waste of time at best, or at worst the refuge of scoundrels who care more of weekly mileage totals than running fast.
The folks who actually have done research argue that easy mileage assists with the following -
Stroke volume: The heart is really just a pump sending oxygen & other nutrients carried by the blood to organs and systems that need those nutrients to function. Stroke volume is the amount of blood that is pumped with every beat of the heart. Higher stroke volume means that the heart doesn't need to beat as quickly - and studies have shown that stroke volume is improved due to time spent running/exercising rather than intensity of training (Daniels, 2005). So, even if you were to train harder - you wouldn't necessarily increase your stroke volume.
Muscle development: Easy runs increase the "number, size and distribution of the mitochondria" (Daniels, 2005). Mitochondria are the "only part of your muscle fibers in which energy can be produced aerobically" (Pfitzinger & Douglas, 2001) - they are basically little energy plants that use oxygen to produce energy for the cells they inhabit. Since 99% of energy is produced aerobically in a marathon it's important to have a lot of these little buggers. Exercise also increases the rate at which oxygen can be processed. And third there is an increase in blood vessels in the muscle - basically improving the distribution of oxygen to all parts of the muscle. Finally muscles get better at conserving glycogen, using fat for energy, and dealing with lactic acid through easy runs (Daniels, 2005).
Running economy: Although there are many ways to increase running economy - some researchers believe that the most important factor for improved running economy (both biomechanics and cellular economy) is by the amount of accumulated miles rather than the types of workouts that you do (Pfitzinger & Douglas, 2001).
Daniels defines easy distance as 65-79% of maximum heart rate. Many runners fall into the trap of running too fast on easy runs and therefore end up fatigued for more challenging workouts or races. They run with a group that's too fast for them or a group that's too competitive and races every easy run. That's why I would suggest that you should do most easy runs on your own, unless you have a running friend that you know won't try to push the pace.
In the 24 weeks I've planned for Chicago the first six weeks are entirely composed of easy runs. Even after week six over 70% of my mileage will be "easy". So, if you're coming back from a lay off or are new to running - don't feel like you have to hurry back to the track or racing. You can do a lot just by building your base of easy mileage.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday: 0 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 53 miles
Next Week
Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 9 miles
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 10.5 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 65 miles
Long Slow Distance (LSD) is the foundation upon which the house of fitness is built. The non-believers dare to call it "junk mileage" - like it's a waste of time at best, or at worst the refuge of scoundrels who care more of weekly mileage totals than running fast.
The folks who actually have done research argue that easy mileage assists with the following -
Stroke volume: The heart is really just a pump sending oxygen & other nutrients carried by the blood to organs and systems that need those nutrients to function. Stroke volume is the amount of blood that is pumped with every beat of the heart. Higher stroke volume means that the heart doesn't need to beat as quickly - and studies have shown that stroke volume is improved due to time spent running/exercising rather than intensity of training (Daniels, 2005). So, even if you were to train harder - you wouldn't necessarily increase your stroke volume.
Muscle development: Easy runs increase the "number, size and distribution of the mitochondria" (Daniels, 2005). Mitochondria are the "only part of your muscle fibers in which energy can be produced aerobically" (Pfitzinger & Douglas, 2001) - they are basically little energy plants that use oxygen to produce energy for the cells they inhabit. Since 99% of energy is produced aerobically in a marathon it's important to have a lot of these little buggers. Exercise also increases the rate at which oxygen can be processed. And third there is an increase in blood vessels in the muscle - basically improving the distribution of oxygen to all parts of the muscle. Finally muscles get better at conserving glycogen, using fat for energy, and dealing with lactic acid through easy runs (Daniels, 2005).
Running economy: Although there are many ways to increase running economy - some researchers believe that the most important factor for improved running economy (both biomechanics and cellular economy) is by the amount of accumulated miles rather than the types of workouts that you do (Pfitzinger & Douglas, 2001).
Daniels defines easy distance as 65-79% of maximum heart rate. Many runners fall into the trap of running too fast on easy runs and therefore end up fatigued for more challenging workouts or races. They run with a group that's too fast for them or a group that's too competitive and races every easy run. That's why I would suggest that you should do most easy runs on your own, unless you have a running friend that you know won't try to push the pace.
In the 24 weeks I've planned for Chicago the first six weeks are entirely composed of easy runs. Even after week six over 70% of my mileage will be "easy". So, if you're coming back from a lay off or are new to running - don't feel like you have to hurry back to the track or racing. You can do a lot just by building your base of easy mileage.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday: 0 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 53 miles
Next Week
Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 9 miles
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 10.5 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 65 miles
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Races as reminders of what it means to be human
I was watching the biography of Mark Twain by Ken Burns last night (yes, my Netflix suggestions are probably for the "dork" user setting) and one of the talking heads had an interesting insight. Humans are the only animals that need to be reminded of what it means to be human from time to time. Modern life doesn't leave much room for our instinctual side to take over - a lot of what we do is learned. The best writers are able to remind us what it means to be human.
I think this is also true of anything that we do for enjoyment - music, art, sports, relationships etc. We are drawn to things that strip away the trappings of modern life and give us an experience that we enjoy purely because it strikes a chord with us that is so deep we can't necessarily even explain it.
Running is such a pure activity. Nobody has to tell a child how to run - as the book "Born to Run" points out - our bodies are designed to run as much as any other function. You don't have to explain the point of a race - even a two year old understands - who can get to that tree and back first - or around the block.
The Apple Blossom 10k here in Winchester was my last race of the spring. It was relatively warm yesterday morning - the sun was brightly shining on the undulating course. I was well off the front runners by the quarter mile mark and right around the second mile the runner right in front of me dropped out. I wasn't in a good place mentally - but, suddenly some young punk with a mullet (I kid you not) passed me. Speaking of things that no one needs to tell you - you can't let a kid with a mullet beat you.
We went back and forth for a few miles and finally I was able to pull ahead. As I made my way to the finish line the fear of him coming up on my shoulder and overtaking me pushed me to my limits. I ended up about 40 seconds slower than I had hoped - but, I was able to win my competition for the day.
I now have 5 weeks of relatively low mileage with nothing more strenuous than some 150m strides. June, July, August, and September won't be so easy. More on my summer plans next week.
This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 2X1mi tempo
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 6.5 miles 8X100m
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles Winchester Apple Blossom Festival 10k 33:09
Sunday: 0 miles
Total: 45 miles
Next Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 56 miles
I think this is also true of anything that we do for enjoyment - music, art, sports, relationships etc. We are drawn to things that strip away the trappings of modern life and give us an experience that we enjoy purely because it strikes a chord with us that is so deep we can't necessarily even explain it.
Running is such a pure activity. Nobody has to tell a child how to run - as the book "Born to Run" points out - our bodies are designed to run as much as any other function. You don't have to explain the point of a race - even a two year old understands - who can get to that tree and back first - or around the block.
The Apple Blossom 10k here in Winchester was my last race of the spring. It was relatively warm yesterday morning - the sun was brightly shining on the undulating course. I was well off the front runners by the quarter mile mark and right around the second mile the runner right in front of me dropped out. I wasn't in a good place mentally - but, suddenly some young punk with a mullet (I kid you not) passed me. Speaking of things that no one needs to tell you - you can't let a kid with a mullet beat you.
We went back and forth for a few miles and finally I was able to pull ahead. As I made my way to the finish line the fear of him coming up on my shoulder and overtaking me pushed me to my limits. I ended up about 40 seconds slower than I had hoped - but, I was able to win my competition for the day.
I now have 5 weeks of relatively low mileage with nothing more strenuous than some 150m strides. June, July, August, and September won't be so easy. More on my summer plans next week.
This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 2X1mi tempo
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 6.5 miles 8X100m
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles Winchester Apple Blossom Festival 10k 33:09
Sunday: 0 miles
Total: 45 miles
Next Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 56 miles
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Alpha and Omega
Next week is my last race of Spring 2010. It also happens to be 24 weeks to Chicago - which is technically the beginning of my training cycle. I have quite a Summer planned. If everything goes well I'll be running more miles than I have any summer in my life. The basic plan will be similar to what I used for Boston of 2009 - but BIGGER.
Many more details to come - but, I'll just say I'm excited for two main reasons - 1) I have a good shot at finally running under 2:30. 2) I went to college in Chicago and love the city and this race.
Before I get to that I have one more race to go. Just as with Cherry Blossom I'm not sure what to expect this weekend. The history of this race shows that I have no chance of winning - and the course has some undulating hills - so, I'm not necessarily expecting a really fast time. There's nothing else to do but just go out there - run smart at the beginning and strong at the end. I guess that's as good of a training plan as anything.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 9 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs) + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs) (35, 34.9, 35.3, 34.6, 3:04.6, 3:05.2, 3:03.8, 70.7, 68.1)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 5 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 11.5 miles
Total: 64 miles
This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 5 X 1 mi @ T pace 400m recovery + 4X200m R pace with 200m jogs
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 6.5 miles 8X100m
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles Winchester Apple Blossom Festival 10k
Sunday: 6 miles
Total: 51.5 miles
Many more details to come - but, I'll just say I'm excited for two main reasons - 1) I have a good shot at finally running under 2:30. 2) I went to college in Chicago and love the city and this race.
Before I get to that I have one more race to go. Just as with Cherry Blossom I'm not sure what to expect this weekend. The history of this race shows that I have no chance of winning - and the course has some undulating hills - so, I'm not necessarily expecting a really fast time. There's nothing else to do but just go out there - run smart at the beginning and strong at the end. I guess that's as good of a training plan as anything.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 9 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs) + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs) (35, 34.9, 35.3, 34.6, 3:04.6, 3:05.2, 3:03.8, 70.7, 68.1)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 5 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 11.5 miles
Total: 64 miles
This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 5 X 1 mi @ T pace 400m recovery + 4X200m R pace with 200m jogs
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 6.5 miles 8X100m
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles Winchester Apple Blossom Festival 10k
Sunday: 6 miles
Total: 51.5 miles
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Winding Down
This spring season is coming to a close for me. But - it doesn't quite feel like the end of a training cycle. The gravity of this year is pulling me toward October before we reach May. My last race of the year is the Apple Blossom Festival 10k - but, to be honest I'm looking forward to the festival more than the race in some ways.
Right now running is mostly about exploring for me. Today I decided to use my long run to check out the Candy Land sounding Apple Pie Ridge Road. The land around Winchester is full of Apple Orchards (thus the Apple Blossom Festival) - at one time it supposedly was the largest Apple growing region on the world (no kidding). This area above Winchester to the northwest had apple orchards since before the Civil War. Just outside the city limits the road starts to climb - there are big houses on 5-10 acre lots. Eventually I came to the top of the ridge where I could see the Blue Ridge to the east and the Allegenies to the west. On my way back into town I ran beside fenced in fields where horses and cows were munching on grass. At one point two calves jumped up when they saw me and started running along the fence - as if they were playing with me. A little different then Baltimore.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 8 miles 3X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest) (1:53.7, 73.3, 37.6, 1:49.5, 74.6, 35.6, 1:50.5, 72.1, 36.3)
Wednesday: 9.5 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 2X2 mi + 1 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 71.5 miles
Next week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 9 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs) + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 5 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 12 miles 4X(1 mile @ T pace with 3-min jogs) + 6X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 2 mi acceleration run increases 5 xec per 300m with last 400m interval pace
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 67 miles
Right now running is mostly about exploring for me. Today I decided to use my long run to check out the Candy Land sounding Apple Pie Ridge Road. The land around Winchester is full of Apple Orchards (thus the Apple Blossom Festival) - at one time it supposedly was the largest Apple growing region on the world (no kidding). This area above Winchester to the northwest had apple orchards since before the Civil War. Just outside the city limits the road starts to climb - there are big houses on 5-10 acre lots. Eventually I came to the top of the ridge where I could see the Blue Ridge to the east and the Allegenies to the west. On my way back into town I ran beside fenced in fields where horses and cows were munching on grass. At one point two calves jumped up when they saw me and started running along the fence - as if they were playing with me. A little different then Baltimore.
Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 8 miles 3X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest) (1:53.7, 73.3, 37.6, 1:49.5, 74.6, 35.6, 1:50.5, 72.1, 36.3)
Wednesday: 9.5 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 2X2 mi + 1 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 71.5 miles
Next week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 9 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs) + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 5 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 12 miles 4X(1 mile @ T pace with 3-min jogs) + 6X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 2 mi acceleration run increases 5 xec per 300m with last 400m interval pace
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 67 miles
Sunday, April 11, 2010
When you least expect it
"There are no miracles in running." I think I said this as recently as a few weeks ago. And for the most part I feel like it's true - but, this morning came pretty close.
A week ago Kendra and I moved from Baltimore to Winchester, VA. As moves go - this one wasn't bad. We had movers doing all the heavy lifting and it was only less than two hours away. But, moving to a new town is as much psychological as it is anything. Other than a hopeful hunch that our lives will improve dramatically with Kendra's job change - there isn't anything bringing us here. And Winchester is dramatically different than anywhere I've lived. Not that we can't make a good life here - but, one thing that all humans dread is the unknown.
Last Sunday I decided to explore a state park (Sky Meadows) ~20 minutes from Winchester. It was beautiful - but, the running wasn't exactly smooth. The first mile or so was completely uphill. Not only that - they have cows in certain fenced in areas of the park and I had to run off the trail to avoid a few of these massive creatures. I was supposed to run 20 miles - but, I ended up at only a little over 2 hours. Given my lack of skill on the Appalachian Trail - calling it 17 was more than generous. Not only did I not get in the run I wanted - on my way down the "mountain" - I had the worse case of tendonitis in my knees that I've had in a long time. I even had to stop.
Tuesday was hot. On the positive side I found an awesome mondo surface track at the high school, which is less than a mile from my house. But the heat caused me to run slower and less than I wanted.
Thursday I had a 3X2 mi planned. I decided to plan out 3 two mile routes on the USATF route tool. Well - I must have not been very precise because my splits were all pretty slow. Easy explainable, but not a confidence booster.
Then, that night it got much cooler. We left the window open and in the morning my neck was so stiff I could hardly turn my head. By Friday I was dreading Sunday. I had no idea what was going to happen. My confidence was as low as it's been for a race in a long time.
But this morning I got out of bed - had a bit to eat - and jogged over the start. On my way I encountered the swarms of people - instead of getting nervous - I felt a smile cross my face. I realized - I am ready. I've put a lot of work in this miserable winter and now I get put it all out there in a big race with fast competition in perfect conditions. Life is good.
Last Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 8.5 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs: 34.2, 35.7, 34.5, 34.2) + 2X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs: 3:05.4, 3:07.6) + 1X800 2:30.6 + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs: 69.6, 66.9)
Wednesday: 9 miles
Thursday Morning: 4 miles
Thursday Evening: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace
Friday: 11 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 14 miles Cherry Blossom 10 miler 52:47
Total: 73 miles
This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 10.5 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 11.5 miles 4X(1 mile @ T pace with 3-min jogs) + 6X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 2 mi acceleration run increases 5 xec per 300m with last 400m interval pace
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 72 miles
A week ago Kendra and I moved from Baltimore to Winchester, VA. As moves go - this one wasn't bad. We had movers doing all the heavy lifting and it was only less than two hours away. But, moving to a new town is as much psychological as it is anything. Other than a hopeful hunch that our lives will improve dramatically with Kendra's job change - there isn't anything bringing us here. And Winchester is dramatically different than anywhere I've lived. Not that we can't make a good life here - but, one thing that all humans dread is the unknown.
Last Sunday I decided to explore a state park (Sky Meadows) ~20 minutes from Winchester. It was beautiful - but, the running wasn't exactly smooth. The first mile or so was completely uphill. Not only that - they have cows in certain fenced in areas of the park and I had to run off the trail to avoid a few of these massive creatures. I was supposed to run 20 miles - but, I ended up at only a little over 2 hours. Given my lack of skill on the Appalachian Trail - calling it 17 was more than generous. Not only did I not get in the run I wanted - on my way down the "mountain" - I had the worse case of tendonitis in my knees that I've had in a long time. I even had to stop.
Tuesday was hot. On the positive side I found an awesome mondo surface track at the high school, which is less than a mile from my house. But the heat caused me to run slower and less than I wanted.
Thursday I had a 3X2 mi planned. I decided to plan out 3 two mile routes on the USATF route tool. Well - I must have not been very precise because my splits were all pretty slow. Easy explainable, but not a confidence booster.
Then, that night it got much cooler. We left the window open and in the morning my neck was so stiff I could hardly turn my head. By Friday I was dreading Sunday. I had no idea what was going to happen. My confidence was as low as it's been for a race in a long time.
But this morning I got out of bed - had a bit to eat - and jogged over the start. On my way I encountered the swarms of people - instead of getting nervous - I felt a smile cross my face. I realized - I am ready. I've put a lot of work in this miserable winter and now I get put it all out there in a big race with fast competition in perfect conditions. Life is good.
Last Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 8.5 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs: 34.2, 35.7, 34.5, 34.2) + 2X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs: 3:05.4, 3:07.6) + 1X800 2:30.6 + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs: 69.6, 66.9)
Wednesday: 9 miles
Thursday Morning: 4 miles
Thursday Evening: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace
Friday: 11 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 14 miles Cherry Blossom 10 miler 52:47
Total: 73 miles
This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 10.5 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 11.5 miles 4X(1 mile @ T pace with 3-min jogs) + 6X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 2 mi acceleration run increases 5 xec per 300m with last 400m interval pace
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 72 miles
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Goodbye Baltimore, Hello Winchester
I'm writing this from my new hangout in Winchester - Union Jack. Free Wi-fi and a good beer selection is an easy way to get my business. I've moved several times in my adult life - I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI - went to college in Chicago - grad school in San Diego - exchange program in Mannheim, Germany - back to San Diego - back to Chicago - back to Ann Arbor - and then Baltimore. Something feels different about this move. Maybe it's that I've never lived in a town as small as Winchester - maybe that although my wife's job is changing - mine is the same. Ok, it's probably the small town thing.
Not that there isn't "stuff" to do in Winchester. There's an interesting old town area with some decent restaurants and a great beer store. There is beer in grocery stores - on Sundays! They call Maryland the "free state", but they weren't talking about alcohol.
I ran on the Appalachian trail this morning in Sky Meadow State Park - it's as pretty as it sounds and only 25 minutes away. There is tons of history here - Winchester changed hands in the Civil War several dozen times - and George Washington landed his first gig here at the age of 16 years old (no, I wasn't here for that).
There are some cool events - like the upcoming Apple Blossom Festival with one of the fastest 10k's in VA, DC or MD. They have tons of wineries and Wine/Beer festivals (maybe I should stop talking about alcohol - my mother does read these). And it's only a 90 minutes to DC, less than 2 hours to Baltimore, 3.5 hours to Philly and 5 hours to NYC. The confederate flag is on the city seal, but I think it's more a history thing then any real sentiments on the part of most of the inhabitants.
I'm still searching for running routes that don't include me running on the shoulder of busy roads - but, they have a good running store here (Runner's Retreat) - so, I'm sure I'll learn all the good places to run soon enough. My running did suffer a little bit from the move this week, but it could have been worse. Cherry Blossom is next week - it will be interesting to see what I can do. I've got a lot of hay in the barn - I just need to be confident. I'll be looking to run something in the low 53's.
More than anything I think this move feels different because I'm leaving the most supportive running group that I've known - and more importantly some real good friendships. So, please everybody, stay in touch! And if you want to get out of the city this summer - we've got plenty of room for visitors!
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest) (1:53.3, 74.2, 37.3; 1:51.5, 73.8, 36.6; 1:51.3, 73.1, 36.5; 1:51.2, 71.1, 35.3; 1:47.9, 72.1, 35.7; 1:46.9, 70.1, 35.5)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 11 miles
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 11 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 68.5 miles
Next Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 9 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs) + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs)
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday Morning: 4 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 15 miles Cherry Blossom 10 miler
Total: 75.5 miles
Not that there isn't "stuff" to do in Winchester. There's an interesting old town area with some decent restaurants and a great beer store. There is beer in grocery stores - on Sundays! They call Maryland the "free state", but they weren't talking about alcohol.
I ran on the Appalachian trail this morning in Sky Meadow State Park - it's as pretty as it sounds and only 25 minutes away. There is tons of history here - Winchester changed hands in the Civil War several dozen times - and George Washington landed his first gig here at the age of 16 years old (no, I wasn't here for that).
There are some cool events - like the upcoming Apple Blossom Festival with one of the fastest 10k's in VA, DC or MD. They have tons of wineries and Wine/Beer festivals (maybe I should stop talking about alcohol - my mother does read these). And it's only a 90 minutes to DC, less than 2 hours to Baltimore, 3.5 hours to Philly and 5 hours to NYC. The confederate flag is on the city seal, but I think it's more a history thing then any real sentiments on the part of most of the inhabitants.
I'm still searching for running routes that don't include me running on the shoulder of busy roads - but, they have a good running store here (Runner's Retreat) - so, I'm sure I'll learn all the good places to run soon enough. My running did suffer a little bit from the move this week, but it could have been worse. Cherry Blossom is next week - it will be interesting to see what I can do. I've got a lot of hay in the barn - I just need to be confident. I'll be looking to run something in the low 53's.
More than anything I think this move feels different because I'm leaving the most supportive running group that I've known - and more importantly some real good friendships. So, please everybody, stay in touch! And if you want to get out of the city this summer - we've got plenty of room for visitors!
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 10.5 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest) (1:53.3, 74.2, 37.3; 1:51.5, 73.8, 36.6; 1:51.3, 73.1, 36.5; 1:51.2, 71.1, 35.3; 1:47.9, 72.1, 35.7; 1:46.9, 70.1, 35.5)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 11 miles
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 11 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 68.5 miles
Next Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday Morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 9 miles 4X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs) + 2X(400m R pace with 400m jogs)
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday Morning: 4 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 15 miles Cherry Blossom 10 miler
Total: 75.5 miles
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Track Meet!
I haven't run a college hosted track meet possibly since I was in college (a long time ago I know). There are some major differences in strategy from a road race. You don't want to be in lane 2 the whole time, but you don't want to get boxed in or lose your momentum. Getting quarter splits gives you a much better chance of staying on the right pace, but you don't want to freak out everytime the pace isn't exactly on.
Yesterday I ran the 5,000m at the University of Maryland meet in College Park. The temperature was a little cold when we showed up at 8am - on the warmup I wished I brought some gloves. But, the sun warmed things up so with the calm air it was pretty much perfect conditions.
There were ~20 guys in the race and I was seeded 13th - so, I was a over half way to the outside of the track when the gun went off. I tried to get decent position without using too much energy. After one lap we were ~77 - about 2 seconds slower than my expected pace. After hearing the split some guys on the front took off. I gradually increased my pace to ~74 for the next lap.
I had some company, but I also had room to pass if needed. At the mile I heard 5:00 - right on pace. As some of the folks in front of me started to slow I made my way around them - my splits staying around 75. A little before the 2 mile (~10:00) I was leading the chase group with a lot of real estate in front of me - but, soon the 5th place runner came back to us. He had been running by himself for awhile and when I first came up on him he surged. Rather than push hard to get around him I let him lead figuring that if he was willing to go my pace I'd rather have him in front of me. Of course after 200 meters he started to fade and I made my way around him. The next runners were at least 100 meters in front of me, but I only had ~3 laps to go so I tried my best to "lift". Although I felt like I was going faster, my last mile split (5:01) would show otherwise (not that I looked at it). Even though I had nobody to chase I felt pretty good about my last 200m.
It was the best $20 I've spent on a race in a long time. I ran faster for 5k than I have in a LONG time - and I got to flex some track tactical strategies that have been dormant for a long time (have I said "long time" enough in this post?). Unfortunately things probably won't work out for me to run another track race this year - but I do have some fun races coming up - the two blossoms - Cherry Blossom 10 miler and the Apple Blossom 10k in my new hometown of Winchester, VA. But I think that I'll be sure to schedule a track race each spring - it was a good for the running soul.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 3X1200 (3:48, 3:46.7, 3:45.5) 3X1000(3:07.8, 3:08.3, 3:03.8) 2X400 (70.3, 69.6)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 9 miles 4 mi @ T pace 22:20
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 7 miles 5k UMD Track 15:36
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 77 miles
Next Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday: 11 miles 7 mi @ T pace
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 5 miles
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 80.5 miles
Yesterday I ran the 5,000m at the University of Maryland meet in College Park. The temperature was a little cold when we showed up at 8am - on the warmup I wished I brought some gloves. But, the sun warmed things up so with the calm air it was pretty much perfect conditions.
There were ~20 guys in the race and I was seeded 13th - so, I was a over half way to the outside of the track when the gun went off. I tried to get decent position without using too much energy. After one lap we were ~77 - about 2 seconds slower than my expected pace. After hearing the split some guys on the front took off. I gradually increased my pace to ~74 for the next lap.
I had some company, but I also had room to pass if needed. At the mile I heard 5:00 - right on pace. As some of the folks in front of me started to slow I made my way around them - my splits staying around 75. A little before the 2 mile (~10:00) I was leading the chase group with a lot of real estate in front of me - but, soon the 5th place runner came back to us. He had been running by himself for awhile and when I first came up on him he surged. Rather than push hard to get around him I let him lead figuring that if he was willing to go my pace I'd rather have him in front of me. Of course after 200 meters he started to fade and I made my way around him. The next runners were at least 100 meters in front of me, but I only had ~3 laps to go so I tried my best to "lift". Although I felt like I was going faster, my last mile split (5:01) would show otherwise (not that I looked at it). Even though I had nobody to chase I felt pretty good about my last 200m.
It was the best $20 I've spent on a race in a long time. I ran faster for 5k than I have in a LONG time - and I got to flex some track tactical strategies that have been dormant for a long time (have I said "long time" enough in this post?). Unfortunately things probably won't work out for me to run another track race this year - but I do have some fun races coming up - the two blossoms - Cherry Blossom 10 miler and the Apple Blossom 10k in my new hometown of Winchester, VA. But I think that I'll be sure to schedule a track race each spring - it was a good for the running soul.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 3X1200 (3:48, 3:46.7, 3:45.5) 3X1000(3:07.8, 3:08.3, 3:03.8) 2X400 (70.3, 69.6)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 9 miles 4 mi @ T pace 22:20
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 7 miles 5k UMD Track 15:36
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 77 miles
Next Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday: 11 miles 7 mi @ T pace
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 5 miles
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 80.5 miles
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Getting out the door when you'd rather jump head first into a meat grinder
My high school coach used to say that the secret to running is simply to get out the door. Some days that door feels like it weighs a couple of tons. Today was such a day. Last night my friends at TTWSS threw a going away party. Arjun thought it would be a good idea to have everybody bring me a beer as a present. While I thought this was a great idea - some people expected me to drink their beer last night. So, as not to offend anybody I had a few too many.
Originally I had planned to wake up around 10am. When noon came and I was still glued to the bed I wasn't too sure that I was able to get out for my planned 20 mile long run. I got a little food in me as I hadn't eaten for over 12 hours and as I still lay in bed I decided that maybe 17 miles would be enough. So, I finally did get out the door at 1:30pm. I've loved the onset of spring, but the warmth was not my friend this afternoon. Luckily my route took me through some parks with water fountains or else I'm not sure I would have made it. And believe it or not - I actually felt better when I got home.
Last Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10.5 miles 4X(1mi @ T pace 1 min rest) (5:35; 5:26.8; 5:27.4; 5:16.6) + 2X(1k @ I pace 3 min jog) (3:04.8; 3:01.7) + 4X(200m @ R pace 200m jog) (31.8; 34; 33.3; 34.1)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10.5 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest) (1:51.4; 74.2; 37.4; 1:50.9; 73.6; 34.7; 1:51.5; 72.5; 36.1; 1:50.1; 72.2; 35.3; 1:47.2; 71.2; 35.3; 1:45.5; 70.3; 35.0)
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 81 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 4X(1 mile @ T pace with 3-min jogs) + 6X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 2 mi acceleration run increases 5 xec per 300m with last 400m interval pace
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4 mi @ T pace + 4X(200m @ R pace with 200m jogs)
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 10 miles 5k race
Sunday: 18 miles
Total: 82.5 miles
Originally I had planned to wake up around 10am. When noon came and I was still glued to the bed I wasn't too sure that I was able to get out for my planned 20 mile long run. I got a little food in me as I hadn't eaten for over 12 hours and as I still lay in bed I decided that maybe 17 miles would be enough. So, I finally did get out the door at 1:30pm. I've loved the onset of spring, but the warmth was not my friend this afternoon. Luckily my route took me through some parks with water fountains or else I'm not sure I would have made it. And believe it or not - I actually felt better when I got home.
Last Week
Monday: 8.5 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10.5 miles 4X(1mi @ T pace 1 min rest) (5:35; 5:26.8; 5:27.4; 5:16.6) + 2X(1k @ I pace 3 min jog) (3:04.8; 3:01.7) + 4X(200m @ R pace 200m jog) (31.8; 34; 33.3; 34.1)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10.5 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest) (1:51.4; 74.2; 37.4; 1:50.9; 73.6; 34.7; 1:51.5; 72.5; 36.1; 1:50.1; 72.2; 35.3; 1:47.2; 71.2; 35.3; 1:45.5; 70.3; 35.0)
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 10.5 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 81 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 4X(1 mile @ T pace with 3-min jogs) + 6X(200m R pace with 200m jogs) + 2 mi acceleration run increases 5 xec per 300m with last 400m interval pace
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4 mi @ T pace + 4X(200m @ R pace with 200m jogs)
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 10 miles 5k race
Sunday: 18 miles
Total: 82.5 miles
Monday, March 15, 2010
Taking the bad with the good
Last week didn't go as planned. I had hoped to run a little over 80 miles with two quality workouts and the Kelly Shamrock 5k. Early last week I came down with a nasty cold - by Tuesday it was in my chest and it felt earily similar to how I felt a few days before I landed in the hospital on Thanksgiving. Luckily this was less serious - but, it did cause me to cut my workout short on Tuesday. Thursday went pretty well - but, I was exhausted on Friday.
I decided that it would probably be best to take a full day off. I was also going to do an extended cool down yesterday - but, I just packed it in after 4 miles. The result is that I ran almost 20 miles less last week than planned. Actually this might not be such a bad thing. I'm in the middle of a seven week stretch of 80+ mile weeks - so, a little break isn't that bad of an idea. The proof will be in how things go this week with my training. It's a tough week - but, I think I'm up for it.
The race went about as well as I could have hoped. I thought I was in about 15:40 shape and I ran a 15:42. I ended up in 5th - I could see 4th place for what seemed like over half the race - but, I just couldn't close the gap. In two weeks I'm hoping to run the University of Maryland 5k on the track and shave a few seconds off that time.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10 miles 3X1mi I pace 800 rest (5:03; 5:02; 5:04) 1X800 (2:37) Sick - didn't feel too bad until the 3rd mile repeat
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 14 miles 4 mi @ T pace (21:58) 4 min rest 2 mi @ T pace (11:06) 2 min rest 2 mi @ T pace (10:55) 2 min rest 1 mi @ T pace (5:16)
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 10 miles 5k Baltimore Shamrock 15:42
Total: 63 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10 miles 4X(1mi @ T pace 1 min rest) + 2X(1k @ I pace 3 min jog) + 4X(200m @ R pace 200m jog)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rests
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 11 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 85 miles
I decided that it would probably be best to take a full day off. I was also going to do an extended cool down yesterday - but, I just packed it in after 4 miles. The result is that I ran almost 20 miles less last week than planned. Actually this might not be such a bad thing. I'm in the middle of a seven week stretch of 80+ mile weeks - so, a little break isn't that bad of an idea. The proof will be in how things go this week with my training. It's a tough week - but, I think I'm up for it.
The race went about as well as I could have hoped. I thought I was in about 15:40 shape and I ran a 15:42. I ended up in 5th - I could see 4th place for what seemed like over half the race - but, I just couldn't close the gap. In two weeks I'm hoping to run the University of Maryland 5k on the track and shave a few seconds off that time.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10 miles 3X1mi I pace 800 rest (5:03; 5:02; 5:04) 1X800 (2:37) Sick - didn't feel too bad until the 3rd mile repeat
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 14 miles 4 mi @ T pace (21:58) 4 min rest 2 mi @ T pace (11:06) 2 min rest 2 mi @ T pace (10:55) 2 min rest 1 mi @ T pace (5:16)
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 10 miles 5k Baltimore Shamrock 15:42
Total: 63 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10 miles 4X(1mi @ T pace 1 min rest) + 2X(1k @ I pace 3 min jog) + 4X(200m @ R pace 200m jog)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 3X2 mi @ T pace 2 min rests
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 11 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 85 miles
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thanks for the memories
For those of you who don't know, my wife and I are going to be moving from Baltimore to Winchester, VA early next month. She is starting a new job at Shenandoah University - and of course it doesn't matter much for me since I work from home. It's a little bitter-sweet. It's certainly a change that my wife needs to make for a lot of reasons, but I will certainly miss my friends/training group here in Baltimore.
Since we moved here three years ago I've gotten into the best shape since college. I'm about to turn 33 this month, so it's kind of fun to still have the opportunity to run PR's at some distances. Ryan McGrath will probably deny it and say something like - "I can't do the training for you" - but, he has created a running group that's unlike any other I've ever seen. The focus is on fun - but, we all have a strong motivation to run well too. This combination of fun and yet having so many other club members doing truly inspiring things was exactly what I needed to make running fresh for me again.
It looks like there are some decent runners in Winchester - so, hopefully I'll have some company as I look to push myself this summer. I should have more than enough soft surfaces which will be a nice change from the pavement of Baltimore. And it's not so far from Baltimore that I can't meet up for a long run every once in awhile.
My training went pretty well this week. I was all kinds of sore on Tuesday - so, it felt good to run right around 5 min pace for my intervals on Tuesday. Today I ran my longest run since November. I feel like I'm in a strong place right now - but, we'll see how the Baltimore Kelly Shamrock 5k goes next week. I've never run this race even though it starts 3 blocks from our apartment and is one of the larger races in Baltimore. I was hoping to run a 5k at the University of Maryland outdoor meet on 3/27 - but, it sounds like they are no longer running the 5k - so, I'll have to find something else.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 5X1mi I pace 800 rest (5:03.8, 5:00.7, 5:00.8, 4:59.7, 4:58.7)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 11 miles 4X200 2X400 1X800 2X400 4X200 (34.3; 34.8; 33.7; 34.2; 68.5; 69; 2:22.3; 70.6; 68.7; 35; 35.9; 34; 34.2)
Sunday: 21.5 miles
Total: 87.5 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12.5 miles 6X1mi I pace 800 rest
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 14 miles 4 mi @ T pace 4 min rest 3 mi @ T pace 3 min rest 2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest 1 mi @ T pace
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 14 miles 5k Baltimore Shamrock
Total: 83.5 miles
Since we moved here three years ago I've gotten into the best shape since college. I'm about to turn 33 this month, so it's kind of fun to still have the opportunity to run PR's at some distances. Ryan McGrath will probably deny it and say something like - "I can't do the training for you" - but, he has created a running group that's unlike any other I've ever seen. The focus is on fun - but, we all have a strong motivation to run well too. This combination of fun and yet having so many other club members doing truly inspiring things was exactly what I needed to make running fresh for me again.
It looks like there are some decent runners in Winchester - so, hopefully I'll have some company as I look to push myself this summer. I should have more than enough soft surfaces which will be a nice change from the pavement of Baltimore. And it's not so far from Baltimore that I can't meet up for a long run every once in awhile.
My training went pretty well this week. I was all kinds of sore on Tuesday - so, it felt good to run right around 5 min pace for my intervals on Tuesday. Today I ran my longest run since November. I feel like I'm in a strong place right now - but, we'll see how the Baltimore Kelly Shamrock 5k goes next week. I've never run this race even though it starts 3 blocks from our apartment and is one of the larger races in Baltimore. I was hoping to run a 5k at the University of Maryland outdoor meet on 3/27 - but, it sounds like they are no longer running the 5k - so, I'll have to find something else.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12 miles 5X1mi I pace 800 rest (5:03.8, 5:00.7, 5:00.8, 4:59.7, 4:58.7)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 11 miles 4X200 2X400 1X800 2X400 4X200 (34.3; 34.8; 33.7; 34.2; 68.5; 69; 2:22.3; 70.6; 68.7; 35; 35.9; 34; 34.2)
Sunday: 21.5 miles
Total: 87.5 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 12.5 miles 6X1mi I pace 800 rest
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 14 miles 4 mi @ T pace 4 min rest 3 mi @ T pace 3 min rest 2 mi @ T pace 2 min rest 1 mi @ T pace
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 14 miles 5k Baltimore Shamrock
Total: 83.5 miles
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Surprise Ice
I've now been racing competitively for 20 years. I'm sure a lot of people might say - "maybe it's time to take up another pursuit. Most of your PR's are behind you. All you have is the long slide to being slow."
There are times where I can understand this point - but, the great thing about racing is that you can always surprise yourself. Admittedly there are many days that I run surprisingly slow. But every once in awhile I pop a good one, where even with all my years of running, I can't even quite explain or understand how it happened.
Today was such a day.
The Maryland Club Challenge 10 miler is run in Columbia, MD. The course is challenging and the field is very competitive for a race run in late February. This is my third time running this race. The first time I was fat, the second time I was sick - I decided it was my time to finally do something. The importance of this race cannot be over stated. The host, Howard Country Striders, has a lot of strong runners - and they seem to always be in shape. It's one of those things where you just start hating another group of people only because they seem to always get the better of you.
On the warm up one of my teammates said how he had heard a territorial dispute outside his window between two owls and a hawk. I asked him "so, who won?"
"Well" he said " the next day the hawk was on his perch."
He said that he takes those kinds of happenings has a sign - I agreed saying "I think it means we need to go out conservative and hawk our opponents."
I tell this story not to brag that I had any kind of fore site - but, rather because this story helped to remind me of the tactical nature of this race. It's early in the season - for most runners this is the first race they've run since the fall and it's not a PR course. So, they just go out and compete. But I knew that the runner who was most likely to win the race was in amazing shape - and he was most likely going to push the pace early - which would cause folks to run faster than they were capable of handling for 10 miles.
The first few miles I tried to pay no attention to how many people were in front of me. I simply relaxed and tried to feel what pace I should run. After about 3-4 miles I could feel the field coming back to me - and that's when I got aggressive. I focused on slowly moving up. By the 8 mile mark I was in 4th place. There was one more Howard County Strider in reach. I pushed as hard as I could, but I couldn't make up any distance. Still - focusing on him probably helped me to not get caught from behind. As I came into the finish line I was surprised to see a time approximately 50 seconds faster than I had dared hope I would run.
It shows that even for those of us on the downward slide - we can still surprise ourselves - and that's what keeps me coming back for more.
On the team front we sweeped the male, female and overall challenges. For at least one day, we were the strongest running club in Maryland.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 12 miles 3X 1mile (5:10;5:08;5:03) + 2X1k (3:08;3:06)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4X200m (36, 37.7, 37.2, 36.2) 2X400m (72.3, 74.8) 1X800m (2:27) 2X400m (73.7, 77.4) WINDY all at R pace all with jog same as last interval
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 16 miles Club Challenge 10 miler 54:09
Total: 81 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 12.5 miles 6X1mi I pace 800 rest
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 14 miles 10 X 1 mi @ T pace 1-min rest
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 10 miles 5 X 1 mi @ I pace 800m rest
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 90 miles
There are times where I can understand this point - but, the great thing about racing is that you can always surprise yourself. Admittedly there are many days that I run surprisingly slow. But every once in awhile I pop a good one, where even with all my years of running, I can't even quite explain or understand how it happened.
Today was such a day.
The Maryland Club Challenge 10 miler is run in Columbia, MD. The course is challenging and the field is very competitive for a race run in late February. This is my third time running this race. The first time I was fat, the second time I was sick - I decided it was my time to finally do something. The importance of this race cannot be over stated. The host, Howard Country Striders, has a lot of strong runners - and they seem to always be in shape. It's one of those things where you just start hating another group of people only because they seem to always get the better of you.
On the warm up one of my teammates said how he had heard a territorial dispute outside his window between two owls and a hawk. I asked him "so, who won?"
"Well" he said " the next day the hawk was on his perch."
He said that he takes those kinds of happenings has a sign - I agreed saying "I think it means we need to go out conservative and hawk our opponents."
I tell this story not to brag that I had any kind of fore site - but, rather because this story helped to remind me of the tactical nature of this race. It's early in the season - for most runners this is the first race they've run since the fall and it's not a PR course. So, they just go out and compete. But I knew that the runner who was most likely to win the race was in amazing shape - and he was most likely going to push the pace early - which would cause folks to run faster than they were capable of handling for 10 miles.
The first few miles I tried to pay no attention to how many people were in front of me. I simply relaxed and tried to feel what pace I should run. After about 3-4 miles I could feel the field coming back to me - and that's when I got aggressive. I focused on slowly moving up. By the 8 mile mark I was in 4th place. There was one more Howard County Strider in reach. I pushed as hard as I could, but I couldn't make up any distance. Still - focusing on him probably helped me to not get caught from behind. As I came into the finish line I was surprised to see a time approximately 50 seconds faster than I had dared hope I would run.
It shows that even for those of us on the downward slide - we can still surprise ourselves - and that's what keeps me coming back for more.
On the team front we sweeped the male, female and overall challenges. For at least one day, we were the strongest running club in Maryland.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 12 miles 3X 1mile (5:10;5:08;5:03) + 2X1k (3:08;3:06)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4X200m (36, 37.7, 37.2, 36.2) 2X400m (72.3, 74.8) 1X800m (2:27) 2X400m (73.7, 77.4) WINDY all at R pace all with jog same as last interval
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 16 miles Club Challenge 10 miler 54:09
Total: 81 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 12.5 miles 6X1mi I pace 800 rest
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 14 miles 10 X 1 mi @ T pace 1-min rest
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 10 miles 5 X 1 mi @ I pace 800m rest
Sunday: 20 miles
Total: 90 miles
Sunday, February 21, 2010
When yer head gets twisted and yer mind grows numb
Feeling unable to face the still clogged streets of Baltimore and with no options for trail running - I did something I don't usually need to do while running in Baltimore - I tried to find a new running route on the USATF website. I settled on an area that I haven't explored too much - Loch Raven Reservoir. The Reservoir is the main source of Baltimore's drinking water. Nestled in the hills just north of York - the area offers woods and farms less than 10 miles from downtown.
I started in the parking lot of the Hampton National Historic Park just off I-695. The park preserves a huge Georgian mansion built in the late 18th century and an estate that at one time included 25,000 acres. After leaving the park I was quickly surrounded by suburbia. The homes around here are actually pretty modest considering the beauty of the wooded hills and the close proximity to "civilization".
Whatever your feelings about the effect of damns on an ecosystem - they can create incredibly beautiful spaces. Especially on a day like today where the sun was shining on the snow covered hills and icy inlets of the irregularly shaped reservoir. I passed the huge damn - which was originally built in 1881 and made my way to busy Manor Road. The only negative part of this run was the lack of a shoulder on the roads and the aggresiveness of the locals. They didn't seem to be used to a runner suddenly appearing as they came around corners at 50 mph. A couple of times I jumped into the snow rather than risking being clipped by a car.
After climbing a hill for a mile I reached a slightly undulating plateau populated by expansive farms of every kind. Most of my life I've lived in cities, but I've always enjoyed escaping them when I can. I find it almost impossible to be in a bad mood when I'm surrounded by the beauty of the natural world.
This week marks the first time since September that I've run at least 80 miles in a week. I actually feel pretty good. Next week is the always competitive Club Challenge 10 miler in Columbia. I feel pretty good about our chances. Two years ago I was out of shape - last year I was sick - here's hoping that third time's a charm.
Last Week
Monday morning: 4 miles
Monday evening: 6 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 11 miles I pace = 9.1 mph on treadmill w/ 6.0% incline 1 min I pace 1 min easy 2 min I 1 min easy 3 min I 2 min easy 4 min I 3 min easy 3 min I 2 min easy 3 min I 2 min easy 2 min I 1 min easy 2 min I
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 14 miles 5X ~2mi @ T pace
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 80 miles
Next Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 11 miles 3X(1mile I pace with 4-min jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4X200m 2X400m 1X800m 2X400m 4X200m all at R pace all with jog same as last interval
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 16 miles Club Challenge 10 miler
Total: 80 miles
I started in the parking lot of the Hampton National Historic Park just off I-695. The park preserves a huge Georgian mansion built in the late 18th century and an estate that at one time included 25,000 acres. After leaving the park I was quickly surrounded by suburbia. The homes around here are actually pretty modest considering the beauty of the wooded hills and the close proximity to "civilization".
Whatever your feelings about the effect of damns on an ecosystem - they can create incredibly beautiful spaces. Especially on a day like today where the sun was shining on the snow covered hills and icy inlets of the irregularly shaped reservoir. I passed the huge damn - which was originally built in 1881 and made my way to busy Manor Road. The only negative part of this run was the lack of a shoulder on the roads and the aggresiveness of the locals. They didn't seem to be used to a runner suddenly appearing as they came around corners at 50 mph. A couple of times I jumped into the snow rather than risking being clipped by a car.
After climbing a hill for a mile I reached a slightly undulating plateau populated by expansive farms of every kind. Most of my life I've lived in cities, but I've always enjoyed escaping them when I can. I find it almost impossible to be in a bad mood when I'm surrounded by the beauty of the natural world.
This week marks the first time since September that I've run at least 80 miles in a week. I actually feel pretty good. Next week is the always competitive Club Challenge 10 miler in Columbia. I feel pretty good about our chances. Two years ago I was out of shape - last year I was sick - here's hoping that third time's a charm.
Last Week
Monday morning: 4 miles
Monday evening: 6 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 11 miles I pace = 9.1 mph on treadmill w/ 6.0% incline 1 min I pace 1 min easy 2 min I 1 min easy 3 min I 2 min easy 4 min I 3 min easy 3 min I 2 min easy 3 min I 2 min easy 2 min I 1 min easy 2 min I
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 14 miles 5X ~2mi @ T pace
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 80 miles
Next Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday Evening: 11 miles 3X(1mile I pace with 4-min jogs) + 3X(1k I pace with 2-min jogs)
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4X200m 2X400m 1X800m 2X400m 4X200m all at R pace all with jog same as last interval
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 16 miles Club Challenge 10 miler
Total: 80 miles
Saturday, February 13, 2010
An oval workout on a square track
We live one block away from the Downtown Athletic Club in Baltimore. It's a large cavernous place - I learned yesterday that it was a train depot connected to the old Calvert Street Station where an angry mob of secessionists waited for Abraham Lincoln on his way to DC for his first inauguration. Lincoln never showed up - as his handlers were so confident that he would be killed in mobtown that they slipped him through the night before.
Although I've belonged to the club since we came to Baltimore I had never brought myself to run on the track. The surface is pretty decent - but the turns are square and tight. At ~9 laps per mile (from the outside lane) I figured that it was ~2 1/4 laps for 400m. The plan was to do 12X400 with 400 rest. Bad weather is usually so fleeting in Baltimore that I would have just postponed this workout - but, with the amount of snow on the ground I don't think an outdoor track will be clear till about mid-march.
I'm no stranger to oddly configured tracks. In college, at Loyola Chicago, our winter training facility was a 150m banked wooden track suspended over the basketball court in Alumni Gym. Alumni Gym, built in 1923, was used for basketball as recently as 1996. Though only large enough for a few thousand fans it was home to the 1963 national championship basketball team. In 1978 the Ramblers beat Larry Bird and Indiana State there - as well as Georgetown.
When I first saw the track during my recruiting visit I thought they couldn't be serious that we actually ran workouts up there. Not only were the turns banked pretty high - but, there was only a flimsy looking guardrail keeping you from falling to the court below.
Built by some guys on the team in the late 80's because they were tired of working out on the concrete floor of an old Armory - the track was built the exact specifications of the track used for the Millrose Games in New York. Among these runners was Eddie Slowikowski, a sub 4 min miler and Marc Burns, the anchor leg of a 4X800 team that would get 3rd place at the NCAA indoor meet and current track coach at Wichita State.
I decided - if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. So, I ended up embracing it. My coach, Gordon Thomson used to love telling open eyed recruits - "this thing is built for speed". And in a way - it was. The banked turns were at a high enough degree that you could go sub-60 400m pace and hardly feel it. A 400 m interval had us starting at the top of the bank down to the straight away. It was almost cheating because you had that little downhill at the beginning of each interval.
As I started my first 400m yesterday I thought about those countless workouts. It's good to be reminded from time to time that running is about overcoming obstacles. Conditions are almost never perfect and if you learn to stop making excuses and just do the best with what you've got you can end up being even better than if everything is given to you on a silver platter.
Monday morning: 4 miles
Monday evening: 9 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 11 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 17 miles 5X2mi @ T pace
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 80 miles
Although I've belonged to the club since we came to Baltimore I had never brought myself to run on the track. The surface is pretty decent - but the turns are square and tight. At ~9 laps per mile (from the outside lane) I figured that it was ~2 1/4 laps for 400m. The plan was to do 12X400 with 400 rest. Bad weather is usually so fleeting in Baltimore that I would have just postponed this workout - but, with the amount of snow on the ground I don't think an outdoor track will be clear till about mid-march.
I'm no stranger to oddly configured tracks. In college, at Loyola Chicago, our winter training facility was a 150m banked wooden track suspended over the basketball court in Alumni Gym. Alumni Gym, built in 1923, was used for basketball as recently as 1996. Though only large enough for a few thousand fans it was home to the 1963 national championship basketball team. In 1978 the Ramblers beat Larry Bird and Indiana State there - as well as Georgetown.
When I first saw the track during my recruiting visit I thought they couldn't be serious that we actually ran workouts up there. Not only were the turns banked pretty high - but, there was only a flimsy looking guardrail keeping you from falling to the court below.
Built by some guys on the team in the late 80's because they were tired of working out on the concrete floor of an old Armory - the track was built the exact specifications of the track used for the Millrose Games in New York. Among these runners was Eddie Slowikowski, a sub 4 min miler and Marc Burns, the anchor leg of a 4X800 team that would get 3rd place at the NCAA indoor meet and current track coach at Wichita State.
I decided - if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. So, I ended up embracing it. My coach, Gordon Thomson used to love telling open eyed recruits - "this thing is built for speed". And in a way - it was. The banked turns were at a high enough degree that you could go sub-60 400m pace and hardly feel it. A 400 m interval had us starting at the top of the bank down to the straight away. It was almost cheating because you had that little downhill at the beginning of each interval.
As I started my first 400m yesterday I thought about those countless workouts. It's good to be reminded from time to time that running is about overcoming obstacles. Conditions are almost never perfect and if you learn to stop making excuses and just do the best with what you've got you can end up being even better than if everything is given to you on a silver platter.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 3 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 5X5 min treadmill speed 9.2 incline 6.0
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday : 0 miles
Friday morning: 4 miles
Friday evening: 8 miles
Saturday: 12 miles 12X400 R pace
Sunday: 18 miles
Total: 73 miles
This WeekMonday morning: 4 miles
Monday evening: 9 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday morning: 4 miles
Wednesday evening: 11 miles 6X (600m I pace 1 min rest 400m I pace 30 sec rest 200m I pace 30 sec rest)
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 17 miles 5X2mi @ T pace
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 80 miles
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Be careful what you wish for
This was kind of a glass half full - glass half empty week. On the empty end I only ran one hard workout and didn't run my 5X1 mi - which is a very important workout for 5k/10k fitness. On the full end - my mileage didn't suffer too much even though the last three days the weather has been pretty awful.
This week is more of the same - with a 5k scheduled for Sunday. I'm guessing that since the highs are supposed to be within a few degrees of freezing this entire week that I'll probably be forced to use the treadmill for my hard runs. The 5k will be the biggest test I've had in awhile. I'm guessing that I'll be somewhere in the low to mid 16's - but, I'm not really sure.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 10 miles 3X2 mi tempo (11:01;11:10;11:07)
Thursday : 8 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 69 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10 miles 5X1 mi I pace
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday : 11 miles 7 miles T pace
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 17 miles 5k in NOVA
Total: 75.5 miles
This week is more of the same - with a 5k scheduled for Sunday. I'm guessing that since the highs are supposed to be within a few degrees of freezing this entire week that I'll probably be forced to use the treadmill for my hard runs. The 5k will be the biggest test I've had in awhile. I'm guessing that I'll be somewhere in the low to mid 16's - but, I'm not really sure.
Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 10 miles 3X2 mi tempo (11:01;11:10;11:07)
Thursday : 8 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 69 miles
This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 10 miles 5X1 mi I pace
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday : 11 miles 7 miles T pace
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 17 miles 5k in NOVA
Total: 75.5 miles
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