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

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

The Plan

In my attempt to finally get under 2:30 this fall in Chicago I'm going to go with what seemed to work for Boston in '09. A 24 week plan based very closely on the Jack Daniels "Running Formula". The plan uses four phases where different types of workouts are emphasized in each phase. Right now I'm in phase one, which is almost all easy running - just some 150m striders to keep the legs fresh.
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

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

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