The number 70 seems like quite an arbitrary number, but either physically or mentally (maybe both), things start to change once I surpass 70 miles in a week. Looking through all of 2011, post injury, I hit 70+ miles twice. Pre-injury, I had 7 consecutive weeks exceeding 70 (and in many cases 80) miles per week. Leading up to what still stands as my best marathon, the 2010 NCR Trail marathon, I surpassed 70 miles in 9 weeks (somewhat spread out) leading up to the race.
Though the sample size isn't exactly massive, it would appear that more miles = better chance of running a strong marathon. With how weak and dead I felt going into my 2011 marathons, clearly I was doing something right in 2010 and not 2011. Though even through 2010 looking back on the few weeks leading up to that marathon, I was very lucky to get out alive as I still vividly remember teetering on the edge of blowing up physically and mentally. High risk, high reward certainly pays off when the stars align. But as I have learned, the consequences of pushing right up to your limits all the time far outweigh the benefits. 10 miles per week less on carefully built mileage is infinitely more desirable than missing 4 months (nearly 2 with no running, and 2 with significantly reduced running) just to run 15-20 miles per week more than you can really handle. It also turns out that the magic of 70 gets transferred to 60 or less if I try to ride a bike on top of all of that.
So what does all my rambling mean?
I need multiple weeks exceeding 70 miles to truly be ready for a marathon. However, it is almost impossible to run 70+mpw at the level I want to while also riding a bike. Furthermore, my body can and will go into significant recovery debt if I constantly push week after week on 70+ miles. Finally, the paces I run are the paces I run. If I ran my easy runs a little easier, perhaps the magic number would shift higher, but well, I just don't. Sometimes easy runs are in the 7s, sometimes they don't end up being so easy and end up in the 6s. Sometimes I'm really stupid and run sub 6 on "easy" days. As long as I avoid the last one, that is really the best I can do!
So with that, here is my first 70+ mile week in a long time (to be followed with one more before jumping back to 55), which I got to by starting with a 33 mile post marathon week on 12/2/2011 and culminating with 77 miles 9 weeks later:
Monday 2/5: 7 miles, easy-ish, felt somewhat tired from my 15 mile trail run through mud (but would still do it again)
Tuesday 2/6: 12 miles total with 8 miles worth of tempo (on the track, because I am crazy) work as summarized below:
4 miles on: 5:38, 5:38, 5:29, 5:28
1 lap jog
2 miles on: 5:29, 5:32
1 lap jog
1 mile on: 5:29
1 lap jog
1 mile on: 5:28
By nature of the format, I wanted to pick it up a bit as I went on. The 4 miler was a bit too fast, and my legs were still dead from the past weekend. But, I wasn't disappointed. I still ran faster than I would have on a straight 8 mile tempo. I also got to work hard on tired legs which never happened leading up to my 2011 fall marathon debacle. Holding on even with uncooperative legs is the key! Not having runs on tired legs all the time though, means staying healthy.
Wednesday 2/7: 10 miles total, ran downtown, joined the Wednesday night group out of Canton, ran back. My legs were still quite displeased with me, though as the run went on, they slowly started feeling better.
Thursday 2/8: 7 miles, still felt meh, but better than Wednesday. I made extra sure to keep this one on the easy end.
Friday 2/9: AM: 3 miles easy with the Back on My Feet crew
PM: 7 miles easy-ish, finally started feeling something resembling good again
Saturday 2/10: 18 miles total on the NCR Trail. It was a bit snowy, but there was no wind and the 35 degree temperatures were perfect for a long run. Shorts, t-shirt, and gloves all the way! I crushed this run and felt really strong the entire way. It ended up being a slightly up-tempo long run:
7:15; 6:44; 6:44; 6:44; 6:42; 6:39; 6:39; 6:37; 6:36; 6:39; 6:31; 6:35; 6:41; 6:30; 6:30; 6;26; 6:31; 6:16, just under 2 hours overall for a 6:38 average.
Legs felt decent afterwards, just slightly stiff but the feeling went away a few hours later.
Sunday 2/11: The rather calm and peaceful Saturday gave way to freaking cold temperatures (20s) and nasty winds. I drove down to Howard County to get a workout in with TWSS on the Club Challenge course. The workout...
4 miles easy, followed by a farlek with timed intervals: 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1 minutes with identical rest, a little recovery, then 3 miles tempo pace. By the end, we had run the whole course, and all the wonderful hills. With some warm up and cool down, I ended up with about 13 total.
Unfortunately, the run sucked, though not because of my legs; the cold and the wind really did a number. It was really hard to breathe (even on the easy section), and the wind made things even more difficult. But no matter, I survived and still got the work in. Now lets just hope it's warmer come race day, because this mild winter has made me incredibly weak in sub 30 degree temperatures!
Total miles for the week: 77
This coming week, roughly the same mileage. No 80+ yet.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
More Warm Weather (1/23-2/4)
In roughly one more month, it is actually supposed to get warmer. Even if February turns out rather cold, overall I've been quite pleased with the mild winter. Here's to hoping it won't be 100 degrees everyday in the summer....
1/23 Monday:
PM: 7 miles total, 6 with the Monday night Fed Hill group.
1/24 Tuesday:
PM: 11 miles total with 6 in a progression style quick run (on the Gilman track) at least starting out at half marathon pace...
5:39; 5:32; 5:32; 5:30; 5:30
It still amazes me how much I struggle to put together three consecutive miles under 5:20 in a 5K, but slow it down 10-15 seconds, and I can rail off mid 5:20s to mid 5:40s almost on command. This problem has existed forever, the miles just keep getting faster.
1/25 Wednesday:
PM: 7 miles from Canton Square, first half easy, second half not so much
1/26 Thursday:
AM: 5 Miles
PM: (cut short) 4 miles
My shins and ankles still seemed upset with me from the previous weekend and rather than make it worse, I canned the afternoon run halfway through.
1/27 Friday:
AM: 4 miles, easy with the Back on My Feet crew
PM: 7 miles, easy/moderate
Legs felt ok.
1/28 Saturday:
AM: 7 miles, easy/moderate
1/29 Sunday:
About 17 miles total in roughly 2 hours. This was the morning after some bar hopping, which I haven't done in a long time, but a friend was leaving for Philadelphia for a new job opportunity, so we decided to send her off in style. 10 bars in 10 hours (though not quite 10 drinks because well, I only weigh 142 lbs) made for an interesting long run. Overall, it was actually pretty good, until the last 20 minutes; I almost puked but managed to hold it together. I was glad to have the company of TWSS on that one.
Total Miles: 69
That made for three consecutive weeks in the 60s...61, 66, 69. A nice careful addition of miles with no bike riding has left me rather healthy. Except for these pesky shins, but keep reading.
1/30 Monday:
PM: 7 miles with the Monday night Fed Hill Group. It started easy, but as usual, it did not end easy. Good run though.
1/31 Tuesday:
PM: 9 miles total. On yet another crazy warm night in the 60s, I got in a pretty cool workout (thanks to the creativity of others). It was termed a "broken 1600" workout, for good reason.
Rep 1: 1 mile....5:22
1 lap jog
Rep 2: 1200 meters...3:53
short rest
Rep 3: 400 meters...69
1 lap jog
Rep 4: 800 meters...2:30
short rest
Rep 5: 800 meters...2:25
1 lap jog
Final...4x400 meters with short rest between each lap: 72, 67, 67, 65
I had done a lot of sustained hard runs the past few Tuesdays, so it was good to mix it up with some speed. That last 4x400 was a great way to work on that finishing kick.
My shins were actually quite displeased with this run (but don't worry it gets better).
2/1 Wednesday:
7 miles, easy from Canton Square
Shins and ankles were meh.
2/2 Thursday:
By now I'm finally thinking, if I can't get this pain to go away which has been coming and going for the last 2 weeks, I'll take some time off. However, I had a very sneaking suspicion that my shoe laces were to blame. I've occasionally had shin pain when I had running shoes that tended to loosen up in the past. Though I've never had problems with my ST5s doing that, my latest pair for whatever reason would not stay tight.
I changed to that pair around the same time I ran an icy 16 miles the previous weekend. So for 2 weeks, I was experiencing shin and ankle pain that I thought was related to that run when in reality, it may have been related to my shoes. So I tied the shit out of my shoes and went for a not so easy 7 miler with some dude who ran a 58 at Club Challenge last year. He wasn't running for HCS, so I didn't have to dump him in the harbor...
And as luck would have it, all my issues were in fact caused by shoe laces that were loosening up and/or not tight enough to begin with. After that run, I had no pain at all. Kind of stupid in hindsight, but at least I seemingly figured out the problem.
2/3 Friday:
AM: 3 miles easy. The pace nearly makes it an off day, but I'll still count the miles. As I learned last year, even really slow miles can contribute to and make overuse injuries worse, so they need to be tracked.
2/4 Saturday:
7 miles easy/moderate. I actually ran into 3 people I knew. Go Baltimore runners! No pain at all again. Tightly tied shoes = no pain. Hopefully my next pair will be easier to tie.
I've got about 15 miles on tap for tomorrow to cap off a 55 mile step back week. Following this one, things are going to ramp up. I'm going to make my Monday and Wednesday runs longer, around 11 and 10 miles instead of 7 each to get some mid week longer stuff in. I'll also add a secondary workout on Fridays, some hills to help augment my training, rather than just dropping the hammer whenever I encounter hills on regular runs. Both Club Challenge and Boston require some dedication to hills. Mileage will go up into the mid to upper 70s, and I'm still avoiding the bike like the plague to maximize my chances of staying healthy. One step back week during the final week in February will cap this month off, then its time for the races I've been impatiently waiting for:
10 Mile Club Challenge
Shamrock 5K
National Half Marathon
Boston Marathon
I'm gunning to crush Club Challenge and National. I'll take a PR of even 1 second at the 5K. As for Boston, well I have yet to determine a goal time but the main goal is to finally run that damn race after first qualifying in November 2009. I'll worry about a time when I get close to the finish line.
1/23 Monday:
PM: 7 miles total, 6 with the Monday night Fed Hill group.
1/24 Tuesday:
PM: 11 miles total with 6 in a progression style quick run (on the Gilman track) at least starting out at half marathon pace...
5:39; 5:32; 5:32; 5:30; 5:30
It still amazes me how much I struggle to put together three consecutive miles under 5:20 in a 5K, but slow it down 10-15 seconds, and I can rail off mid 5:20s to mid 5:40s almost on command. This problem has existed forever, the miles just keep getting faster.
1/25 Wednesday:
PM: 7 miles from Canton Square, first half easy, second half not so much
1/26 Thursday:
AM: 5 Miles
PM: (cut short) 4 miles
My shins and ankles still seemed upset with me from the previous weekend and rather than make it worse, I canned the afternoon run halfway through.
1/27 Friday:
AM: 4 miles, easy with the Back on My Feet crew
PM: 7 miles, easy/moderate
Legs felt ok.
1/28 Saturday:
AM: 7 miles, easy/moderate
1/29 Sunday:
About 17 miles total in roughly 2 hours. This was the morning after some bar hopping, which I haven't done in a long time, but a friend was leaving for Philadelphia for a new job opportunity, so we decided to send her off in style. 10 bars in 10 hours (though not quite 10 drinks because well, I only weigh 142 lbs) made for an interesting long run. Overall, it was actually pretty good, until the last 20 minutes; I almost puked but managed to hold it together. I was glad to have the company of TWSS on that one.
Total Miles: 69
That made for three consecutive weeks in the 60s...61, 66, 69. A nice careful addition of miles with no bike riding has left me rather healthy. Except for these pesky shins, but keep reading.
1/30 Monday:
PM: 7 miles with the Monday night Fed Hill Group. It started easy, but as usual, it did not end easy. Good run though.
1/31 Tuesday:
PM: 9 miles total. On yet another crazy warm night in the 60s, I got in a pretty cool workout (thanks to the creativity of others). It was termed a "broken 1600" workout, for good reason.
Rep 1: 1 mile....5:22
1 lap jog
Rep 2: 1200 meters...3:53
short rest
Rep 3: 400 meters...69
1 lap jog
Rep 4: 800 meters...2:30
short rest
Rep 5: 800 meters...2:25
1 lap jog
Final...4x400 meters with short rest between each lap: 72, 67, 67, 65
I had done a lot of sustained hard runs the past few Tuesdays, so it was good to mix it up with some speed. That last 4x400 was a great way to work on that finishing kick.
My shins were actually quite displeased with this run (but don't worry it gets better).
2/1 Wednesday:
7 miles, easy from Canton Square
Shins and ankles were meh.
2/2 Thursday:
By now I'm finally thinking, if I can't get this pain to go away which has been coming and going for the last 2 weeks, I'll take some time off. However, I had a very sneaking suspicion that my shoe laces were to blame. I've occasionally had shin pain when I had running shoes that tended to loosen up in the past. Though I've never had problems with my ST5s doing that, my latest pair for whatever reason would not stay tight.
I changed to that pair around the same time I ran an icy 16 miles the previous weekend. So for 2 weeks, I was experiencing shin and ankle pain that I thought was related to that run when in reality, it may have been related to my shoes. So I tied the shit out of my shoes and went for a not so easy 7 miler with some dude who ran a 58 at Club Challenge last year. He wasn't running for HCS, so I didn't have to dump him in the harbor...
And as luck would have it, all my issues were in fact caused by shoe laces that were loosening up and/or not tight enough to begin with. After that run, I had no pain at all. Kind of stupid in hindsight, but at least I seemingly figured out the problem.
2/3 Friday:
AM: 3 miles easy. The pace nearly makes it an off day, but I'll still count the miles. As I learned last year, even really slow miles can contribute to and make overuse injuries worse, so they need to be tracked.
2/4 Saturday:
7 miles easy/moderate. I actually ran into 3 people I knew. Go Baltimore runners! No pain at all again. Tightly tied shoes = no pain. Hopefully my next pair will be easier to tie.
I've got about 15 miles on tap for tomorrow to cap off a 55 mile step back week. Following this one, things are going to ramp up. I'm going to make my Monday and Wednesday runs longer, around 11 and 10 miles instead of 7 each to get some mid week longer stuff in. I'll also add a secondary workout on Fridays, some hills to help augment my training, rather than just dropping the hammer whenever I encounter hills on regular runs. Both Club Challenge and Boston require some dedication to hills. Mileage will go up into the mid to upper 70s, and I'm still avoiding the bike like the plague to maximize my chances of staying healthy. One step back week during the final week in February will cap this month off, then its time for the races I've been impatiently waiting for:
10 Mile Club Challenge
Shamrock 5K
National Half Marathon
Boston Marathon
I'm gunning to crush Club Challenge and National. I'll take a PR of even 1 second at the 5K. As for Boston, well I have yet to determine a goal time but the main goal is to finally run that damn race after first qualifying in November 2009. I'll worry about a time when I get close to the finish line.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Finally Winter, at least for a few days (1/16-1/22)
Weekends like this past one always make me think I should move to a more mild climate. I absolutely despise snow. Snow causes the following, none of which are favorable:
-Slippery running conditions, ice covered tracks, snow covered trails
-Snow on my car that I have to clean off
-High chance of accidents since no one can drive in snow
-Even if I do get a day off of work, we just work twice as hard later to catch up
Basically, snow sucks. I have no problem with freezing cold temperatures, but that fluffy stuff and the ice that comes with it...UGH! But anyway, the snow is all gone now thanks to warmer temperatures and some rain.
Monday:
AM: 5 miles, easy
PM: 6 miles, moderate
No work thanks to MLK day. When I don't have work on a weekday and run twice, it lets me pretend just for a moment that I'm a professional runner. Unfortunately, that dream generally ends quickly once work starts up again...
Tuesday:
10 miles total with 5 @ tempo pace. I did this one on the track, with the benefit of running with others (makes it a little less painful): 5:49, 5:42, 5:42, 5:41, 5:40. Overall, pretty solid, and I felt pretty good with that one.
Wednesday:
Rest
Thursday:
AM: 5 miles, easy
PM: 7 miles, easy
Friday:
AM: 4 miles, easy
PM: 7 miles, easy
Saturday:
Snow conspired against me on this one. All I could manage was a 16 mile fartlek run. If it was slippery, I ran slow. If I was sure footed, I ran fast. I kept this one in Baltimore City and made sure to hit a couple tough hills for good measure. Overall, I still came in around 2 hours which is decent considering the conditions.
Sunday:
Again, I was conspired against, this time by work. I was supposed to get out on the course of an upcoming important race (10 mile club challenge) with the new team I'm running with. But, my job had better plans. Of course, we ended up causing a few thousand dollars (possibly higher than that) worth of damage to our most important piece of equipment and didn't even accomplish what we were supposed to do. Sundays have not fared well at my company; maybe one of these days we'll plan that a bit better...
I still got in 6 miles at night, and almost busted my face on some ice.
Overall, 66 miles
That 16 miler seems to have done a number on my legs. My left ankle a few days later is still barking a bit, my shins are not happy, and I'm a bit sore in general. It is trending better though, so I'm not really concerned.
Thus far, this week is going better. But more info on that is to follow!
-Slippery running conditions, ice covered tracks, snow covered trails
-Snow on my car that I have to clean off
-High chance of accidents since no one can drive in snow
-Even if I do get a day off of work, we just work twice as hard later to catch up
Basically, snow sucks. I have no problem with freezing cold temperatures, but that fluffy stuff and the ice that comes with it...UGH! But anyway, the snow is all gone now thanks to warmer temperatures and some rain.
Monday:
AM: 5 miles, easy
PM: 6 miles, moderate
No work thanks to MLK day. When I don't have work on a weekday and run twice, it lets me pretend just for a moment that I'm a professional runner. Unfortunately, that dream generally ends quickly once work starts up again...
Tuesday:
10 miles total with 5 @ tempo pace. I did this one on the track, with the benefit of running with others (makes it a little less painful): 5:49, 5:42, 5:42, 5:41, 5:40. Overall, pretty solid, and I felt pretty good with that one.
Wednesday:
Rest
Thursday:
AM: 5 miles, easy
PM: 7 miles, easy
Friday:
AM: 4 miles, easy
PM: 7 miles, easy
Saturday:
Snow conspired against me on this one. All I could manage was a 16 mile fartlek run. If it was slippery, I ran slow. If I was sure footed, I ran fast. I kept this one in Baltimore City and made sure to hit a couple tough hills for good measure. Overall, I still came in around 2 hours which is decent considering the conditions.
Sunday:
Again, I was conspired against, this time by work. I was supposed to get out on the course of an upcoming important race (10 mile club challenge) with the new team I'm running with. But, my job had better plans. Of course, we ended up causing a few thousand dollars (possibly higher than that) worth of damage to our most important piece of equipment and didn't even accomplish what we were supposed to do. Sundays have not fared well at my company; maybe one of these days we'll plan that a bit better...
I still got in 6 miles at night, and almost busted my face on some ice.
Overall, 66 miles
That 16 miler seems to have done a number on my legs. My left ankle a few days later is still barking a bit, my shins are not happy, and I'm a bit sore in general. It is trending better though, so I'm not really concerned.
Thus far, this week is going better. But more info on that is to follow!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
60 mile week, 8 mile race, first "marathon workout"
Interestingly, after shelving the bike for the past couple of weeks, I have felt significantly fresher in all facets of running. This will definitely be revisited when it gets warmer out after the Boston marathon, but for now, my focus is singular.
Overall, this was a pretty solid week as I continue to carefully add mileage:
Monday:
AM: 5 miles (fast)
PM; 7 miles total with 6 at around 5:30-5:45 pace.
All this fast running was thanks to a ridiculous mishap in which my car was towed from its legal spot. Despite getting everything resolved and not having to pay anything, I had to blow off quite a lot of steam. It was good timing though, as I got my tempo run in a few days early, even if it was unplanned...
Tuesday:
AM: 7 miles
In the middle of the day I had my right toe looked at. Turns out my toenail was not quite ingrown (but was very close). A quick trimming back has already made my foot feel much better. Now hopefully the damn nail will grow back properly. I actually went to the podiatrist group that was the "official" group of the Baltimore marathon for a few years. My Geico Pacer jacket brought up a little conversation; it was great to be in good hands.
Wednesday:
AM: 3 miles
PM: 7 miles
Since I didn't need surgery to remove that nail, I didn't actually need to take any time off. Though the toe was a bit sore for a couple of days. A cold rain made the Wednesday night run slightly less enjoyable.
Thursday:
Rest
Friday:
AM: 4 miles
PM: 7 miles
Saturday:
5 miles; back just in time to watch the #Houston2012 twitter feed to get live updates of the Olympic Trials race. It was certainly exciting and inspirational. And yes, I admit, I watched the recorded broadcast in its entirety that afternoon.
Sunday:
16 miles total with a low key 8 mile race thrown into the mix. I ran a 2 mile warm up, hit the 8 miler at about 5:45 pace good for 46:14 and 2nd overall, then ran another 6 to round out the day at 16 total. I think that counts as my first legit marathon workout.
The race was an interesting one, taking place at the Loch Raven reservoir, a rather hilly area. Last year, I had run a 47:21 and was hoping to knock that time down a bit. Overall, it was successful. My race was pretty consistent, save the large uphill portion in the middle of the race.
I also probably should have worn more than a singlet, shorts, arm warmers, and thin running gloves because it was freaking cold. It was somewhere around 25 degrees. By the time I had finished the race, my hands were completely frozen, my toes were cold, and lets just say that my shorts provided little protection for other areas as well. To top it off, my left shoe came untied with 2 miles to go.
I didn't bother to stop, since I wouldn't be able to tie it anyway (I was barely able to get into my car to defrost after the race), and 3rd place was hot on my heels. Unfortunately, the shoe slowed me down a bit, especially on the downhills. I almost kicked it off, but opted to keep it on and just finish without falling.
Splits: 5:46, 5:32, 5:45, 5:40, 6:23, 5:46, 5:35, 5:47. Clearly, I could use some more hill work, but overall I'm happy with where I am for January.
Total Miles: 61
Next up...60-69 mile weeks for the next two, then a step back the following week. A 5k the first weekend in February, and the 10 Mile club challenge are on the horizon for the next races. Only racing twice in a month is substantially easier both mentally and physically!
Overall, this was a pretty solid week as I continue to carefully add mileage:
Monday:
AM: 5 miles (fast)
PM; 7 miles total with 6 at around 5:30-5:45 pace.
All this fast running was thanks to a ridiculous mishap in which my car was towed from its legal spot. Despite getting everything resolved and not having to pay anything, I had to blow off quite a lot of steam. It was good timing though, as I got my tempo run in a few days early, even if it was unplanned...
Tuesday:
AM: 7 miles
In the middle of the day I had my right toe looked at. Turns out my toenail was not quite ingrown (but was very close). A quick trimming back has already made my foot feel much better. Now hopefully the damn nail will grow back properly. I actually went to the podiatrist group that was the "official" group of the Baltimore marathon for a few years. My Geico Pacer jacket brought up a little conversation; it was great to be in good hands.
Wednesday:
AM: 3 miles
PM: 7 miles
Since I didn't need surgery to remove that nail, I didn't actually need to take any time off. Though the toe was a bit sore for a couple of days. A cold rain made the Wednesday night run slightly less enjoyable.
Thursday:
Rest
Friday:
AM: 4 miles
PM: 7 miles
Saturday:
5 miles; back just in time to watch the #Houston2012 twitter feed to get live updates of the Olympic Trials race. It was certainly exciting and inspirational. And yes, I admit, I watched the recorded broadcast in its entirety that afternoon.
Sunday:
16 miles total with a low key 8 mile race thrown into the mix. I ran a 2 mile warm up, hit the 8 miler at about 5:45 pace good for 46:14 and 2nd overall, then ran another 6 to round out the day at 16 total. I think that counts as my first legit marathon workout.
The race was an interesting one, taking place at the Loch Raven reservoir, a rather hilly area. Last year, I had run a 47:21 and was hoping to knock that time down a bit. Overall, it was successful. My race was pretty consistent, save the large uphill portion in the middle of the race.
I also probably should have worn more than a singlet, shorts, arm warmers, and thin running gloves because it was freaking cold. It was somewhere around 25 degrees. By the time I had finished the race, my hands were completely frozen, my toes were cold, and lets just say that my shorts provided little protection for other areas as well. To top it off, my left shoe came untied with 2 miles to go.
I didn't bother to stop, since I wouldn't be able to tie it anyway (I was barely able to get into my car to defrost after the race), and 3rd place was hot on my heels. Unfortunately, the shoe slowed me down a bit, especially on the downhills. I almost kicked it off, but opted to keep it on and just finish without falling.
Splits: 5:46, 5:32, 5:45, 5:40, 6:23, 5:46, 5:35, 5:47. Clearly, I could use some more hill work, but overall I'm happy with where I am for January.
Total Miles: 61
Next up...60-69 mile weeks for the next two, then a step back the following week. A 5k the first weekend in February, and the 10 Mile club challenge are on the horizon for the next races. Only racing twice in a month is substantially easier both mentally and physically!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Miles...12/26-1/6
A mileage update to catch up to today:
12/26- PM: 6 miles, easy/moderate pace
12/27-9.2 miles total with 5x1000 meter (1 lap recovery): 3:21; 3:18; 3:19; 3:13; 3:09. Good start to my return to workouts.
12/28- AM: 4 miles, easy
PM: 6.5 miles, easy/moderate
12/29-Commute to work, 20 mile ride back, 25 miles total
12/30-AM: 4 miles, easy
12/31-10.5 miles, comfortable pace with about 15 other people, good New Years Eve run
1/1-9 miles with the Resolution Run 5K, 16:44
Total: 49.2 miles run, 25 miles biked
1/2- AM: 8 miles total, easy/moderate
1/3- PM: 10 miles total with a ladder: 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m with half the distance for rest. It was cold and real windy for this workout, my first true winter weather run. Splits: 75, 2:31, 3:45, 5:11, 3:48, 2:29, 72. The mile was a tad slow, but overall a solid workout given the conditions.
1/4-AM: 4 miles, easy extremely cold, 16 degrees. That beats the previous coldest run I've done (ignoring windchill) by 3 degrees. Even though the forecast claimed there was wind, I didn't feel it. This actually felt better than 25 degrees with 15mph winds on a track from the previous day.
PM: 7 miles, easyish pace, much warmer, in the 30s.
1/5-Rest
1/6-PM: 7 miles, easy/moderate
On tap for the weekend is a 6 mile run and a 14 miler to bring the week to the mid 50s. I'm not cranking out as many hard miles as I have in the past this early on. I've got the 1 workout a week going, the long runs for now are staying easy no fancy progression runs or anything of the sort. For now, it's just about coaxing the weekly mileage up. Other than some lingering minor abdominal cramps (probably need more water and/or need to get used to cold air), and some skin that has completely rubbed off my left heel leaving raw exposed skin, I feel pretty strong.
I was going to run a 5 mile race today, but the venue changed last minute and it will neither be much of a road race, nor is it guaranteed to be anywhere near 5 miles. Given that I'm picking and choosing my spots, I'm opting instead for a hilly more accurate fully on roads 8 miler next week.
12/26- PM: 6 miles, easy/moderate pace
12/27-9.2 miles total with 5x1000 meter (1 lap recovery): 3:21; 3:18; 3:19; 3:13; 3:09. Good start to my return to workouts.
12/28- AM: 4 miles, easy
PM: 6.5 miles, easy/moderate
12/29-Commute to work, 20 mile ride back, 25 miles total
12/30-AM: 4 miles, easy
12/31-10.5 miles, comfortable pace with about 15 other people, good New Years Eve run
1/1-9 miles with the Resolution Run 5K, 16:44
Total: 49.2 miles run, 25 miles biked
1/2- AM: 8 miles total, easy/moderate
1/3- PM: 10 miles total with a ladder: 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m with half the distance for rest. It was cold and real windy for this workout, my first true winter weather run. Splits: 75, 2:31, 3:45, 5:11, 3:48, 2:29, 72. The mile was a tad slow, but overall a solid workout given the conditions.
1/4-AM: 4 miles, easy extremely cold, 16 degrees. That beats the previous coldest run I've done (ignoring windchill) by 3 degrees. Even though the forecast claimed there was wind, I didn't feel it. This actually felt better than 25 degrees with 15mph winds on a track from the previous day.
PM: 7 miles, easyish pace, much warmer, in the 30s.
1/5-Rest
1/6-PM: 7 miles, easy/moderate
On tap for the weekend is a 6 mile run and a 14 miler to bring the week to the mid 50s. I'm not cranking out as many hard miles as I have in the past this early on. I've got the 1 workout a week going, the long runs for now are staying easy no fancy progression runs or anything of the sort. For now, it's just about coaxing the weekly mileage up. Other than some lingering minor abdominal cramps (probably need more water and/or need to get used to cold air), and some skin that has completely rubbed off my left heel leaving raw exposed skin, I feel pretty strong.
I was going to run a 5 mile race today, but the venue changed last minute and it will neither be much of a road race, nor is it guaranteed to be anywhere near 5 miles. Given that I'm picking and choosing my spots, I'm opting instead for a hilly more accurate fully on roads 8 miler next week.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Running: My One True Love
Thoughts as to my 2012 plans have been swimming around in my head for some time. I've already made some rather drastic changes all in an effort to best position myself to get faster. To sum up:
1. I significantly cut back time volunteering in the running community, at least through running itself. Most of what I do now is behind the scenes and balanced in such a way that I can get runs in without doing them at ungodly hours. It gives me more physical time to run, to be able to focus on my training, and to actually get some sleep.
2. I forced myself to cut back on racing, holding steadfast to signing up for only 2 races a month, and as much as possible, spreading them out. I train to train and race to race, that's the mantra for this year. Though I won't exactly cut back mileage for every race I do, I won't train through every single one either.
3. I carefully constructed a coherent and well thought out training plan based on all my observations from December 2009 to the present. Through that time, I've learned how much I can handle, how long I can peak, what it takes to burn out, and what it takes to be sharp. This plan is designed to deliver me to Boston ready, sharp, and peaked.
I've eliminated unknowns and really decided to refocus. It's been great that I've felt so fresh since taking an easy December. I've raced really well for having done barely any workouts (two 16:44 5Ks and a 27:01 5 miler). And, any lingering issues I've had are fading (minus an ingrown toenail that is being fixed ASAP).
Now as I stand over my training schedule and look to Boston for the third year in a row (with hopes of getting there for the first time), I see the bike miles I have planned and wonder. I don't know how I'll respond to the bike on top of the running. I know the running will work, but the bike is still very new, and very unknown. I also know that there is no way I can get myself into equivalent cycling shape. I have neither the time nor the desire, not to mention it would have to come at the cost of running. For the 5 or 6 duathlons I participated in last year, I only encountered two legit runners, the rest were all fodder on foot who made fodder of me on the bike. In my heart, I know I'm just a runner anyway.
So here I stand, leaning heavily to just shelving the bike completely at least until after Boston and focusing on just running, my one and only true love (14 years...there is nothing else I've associated with for that long!). I originally figured the bike would be my mileage check, keeping me from overdoing it. But, I've clearly learned enough to stick to the plan and keep the mileage and racing reasonable without another sport running interference.
I already backed off of going after the triathlon because going from drowning in a pool to swimming a few laps would take way too much work, at the cost of running. Just as I look at the bike of "getting in the way" of running, I thought the same thing about going into the tri. To get better at running I have to dedicate myself fully; it is clearly getting harder and I have to stay on top of my game. Getting into anything else will only hurt my running because of where I've ended up.
No decisions are final, but at the end of the day, I'm only going to be between the ages of 25-30 once and I don't know if I want to spend them chasing after people on a bike when I have big hopes and dreams for running.
1. I significantly cut back time volunteering in the running community, at least through running itself. Most of what I do now is behind the scenes and balanced in such a way that I can get runs in without doing them at ungodly hours. It gives me more physical time to run, to be able to focus on my training, and to actually get some sleep.
2. I forced myself to cut back on racing, holding steadfast to signing up for only 2 races a month, and as much as possible, spreading them out. I train to train and race to race, that's the mantra for this year. Though I won't exactly cut back mileage for every race I do, I won't train through every single one either.
3. I carefully constructed a coherent and well thought out training plan based on all my observations from December 2009 to the present. Through that time, I've learned how much I can handle, how long I can peak, what it takes to burn out, and what it takes to be sharp. This plan is designed to deliver me to Boston ready, sharp, and peaked.
I've eliminated unknowns and really decided to refocus. It's been great that I've felt so fresh since taking an easy December. I've raced really well for having done barely any workouts (two 16:44 5Ks and a 27:01 5 miler). And, any lingering issues I've had are fading (minus an ingrown toenail that is being fixed ASAP).
Now as I stand over my training schedule and look to Boston for the third year in a row (with hopes of getting there for the first time), I see the bike miles I have planned and wonder. I don't know how I'll respond to the bike on top of the running. I know the running will work, but the bike is still very new, and very unknown. I also know that there is no way I can get myself into equivalent cycling shape. I have neither the time nor the desire, not to mention it would have to come at the cost of running. For the 5 or 6 duathlons I participated in last year, I only encountered two legit runners, the rest were all fodder on foot who made fodder of me on the bike. In my heart, I know I'm just a runner anyway.
So here I stand, leaning heavily to just shelving the bike completely at least until after Boston and focusing on just running, my one and only true love (14 years...there is nothing else I've associated with for that long!). I originally figured the bike would be my mileage check, keeping me from overdoing it. But, I've clearly learned enough to stick to the plan and keep the mileage and racing reasonable without another sport running interference.
I already backed off of going after the triathlon because going from drowning in a pool to swimming a few laps would take way too much work, at the cost of running. Just as I look at the bike of "getting in the way" of running, I thought the same thing about going into the tri. To get better at running I have to dedicate myself fully; it is clearly getting harder and I have to stay on top of my game. Getting into anything else will only hurt my running because of where I've ended up.
No decisions are final, but at the end of the day, I'm only going to be between the ages of 25-30 once and I don't know if I want to spend them chasing after people on a bike when I have big hopes and dreams for running.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Get Off My Lawn! Resolution Run 5K
In what has become a bit of a tradition, I ran once again at the Resolution Run 5K, held at 2pm at Patterson Park in Baltimore. For anyone who has run in this park, you can understand that any 5K held there would be reasonably tough thanks to the decently long hill right in the middle.
The weather was pretty good, low 50s with a light to moderate wind. Since the course direction changes so frequently, the wind would not be too much of an issue. The start and finish were shifted for this year's race, but the overall course basically stayed exactly as it has been the past 3 times I've done this race. It started off with a short loop back through the start, knocking off the first mile and going uphill ever so slightly. It then turned off for a longer loop complete with about 2/3 mile worth of up hill before coming back down to Earth at mile 2. The longer loop then continues onto the back part of the short loop, before finishing on the same slight uphill encountered during mile 1. Basically, it was a slow and painful course.
Going into this race, I was just looking to get the legs moving a bit and "see what happens." My first track workout in well over a month was just this past Tuesday, a 5x1000 meter. Besides that run, my last 5K and 5 Mile races in December were my only hard runs. As I took the start line, there were two guys who looked like they would make this a race. One looked slightly familiar, the other looked young, wearing a Pacer running store singlet.
The gun went off and we started at what felt a bit fast; shocking for a 5K. Pacer singlet seemed surprisingly relaxed. I decided he was faking it and there was no way this pace was comfortable. I got tripped, cut someone off and got elbowed, so for some reason, we were all very antsy running around each other.
As we moved through the short loop, I began to realize that we were going way too fast. At about the 0.5 mile point, I decided to back off, right before the hills and let Pacer and Mr. Familiar go. After a slight uphill I hit the first mile in 5:13. Those other guys never skipped a beat and had a huge lead on me in a hurry. They easily hit that first mile at 5:08 or better, meaning that we had to be flying before the first uphill.
Regardless, I was pretty happy with my decision to back off, lest I die of asphyxiation trying to get up the big climb in the middle of the race. As we turned up to the hill, Mr. Familiar began to put distance on Pacer, and I realized Pacer was already starting to drop back to me. My gamble may have paid off, as I was fresher for the hill.
As we finally crested the top and began flying down the backside, I continued to slowly creep up on Pacer. Mile 2, which I didn't get because I missed the split button on my watch was about a 5:34. Kind of slow, but I suck at going uphill in 5Ks.
We pushed on and in about another 1/3 of a mile, I finally established contact with Pacer. He seemed extremely impatient and uncomfortable with me running near him. Every time I came up on his shoulder, he put himself a stride ahead of me. This must have happened 2 or 3 times over the next quarter mile. Finally, I decided I just needed to pass him. We were closing on the finish, and I know I have no 5K kick, so I had to get distance on this runner.
I managed to pass him, but could tell I wasn't gaping him. I knew now this was going to be a painful finish. He went and passed me again and tried putting the gap on me. He almost succeeded, as I had to dig real deep to get back up and stay on his shoulder. We then unfortunately hit a wall of walkers doing the 1 mile walk who were all over the course. At that point, I was content with just staying right behind him as we weaved in and out of people.
Once we cleared the walkers, we hit the same uphill where earlier in the race I had backed off to save energy. Of course now, I was pretty spent, but managed to get ahead one last time as soon as we cleared the walkers. But AGAIN he passed me and as we hit mile 3 in about 5:22; I just didn't have any gears left after that. Pacer crossed the line in 16:41, I crossed in 16:44. The winner (who actually finished 3rd and 12 seconds behind me last year) finished in 16:32. Overall, it was a decently close race all the way around.
I wasn't sure what this 16:44 meant at first. Then I finally had some perspective. I matched my 5K time from December, which was on a much easier course and this time was 3 seconds faster than this race last year. Though the start and finish lines moved, the course was basically the same. I also managed to run a real fast 3rd mile, which really surprised me because that NEVER happens. With a flatter course (or some more hills/speed work), I think I can get back down to PR range in a hurry. Either way this a great way to start off 2012 as my mileage and workouts start to ramp up. It's time to get some this year!
The only really, really, really unfortunate part of this whole story is the guy who beat me. As it turns out, this kid is 16 years old. Really? 16 and running a 16:41 on a tough course? So in my first race of 2012, I got burned by a FREAKING 16 year old. GWAH...get off my damn lawn!!!
Seriously though, it was a great race, I wish they were all like that (though I wouldn't mind winning the duel next time!). I also need to stop getting burned in 5Ks, it seems to happen way too often!
The weather was pretty good, low 50s with a light to moderate wind. Since the course direction changes so frequently, the wind would not be too much of an issue. The start and finish were shifted for this year's race, but the overall course basically stayed exactly as it has been the past 3 times I've done this race. It started off with a short loop back through the start, knocking off the first mile and going uphill ever so slightly. It then turned off for a longer loop complete with about 2/3 mile worth of up hill before coming back down to Earth at mile 2. The longer loop then continues onto the back part of the short loop, before finishing on the same slight uphill encountered during mile 1. Basically, it was a slow and painful course.
Going into this race, I was just looking to get the legs moving a bit and "see what happens." My first track workout in well over a month was just this past Tuesday, a 5x1000 meter. Besides that run, my last 5K and 5 Mile races in December were my only hard runs. As I took the start line, there were two guys who looked like they would make this a race. One looked slightly familiar, the other looked young, wearing a Pacer running store singlet.
The gun went off and we started at what felt a bit fast; shocking for a 5K. Pacer singlet seemed surprisingly relaxed. I decided he was faking it and there was no way this pace was comfortable. I got tripped, cut someone off and got elbowed, so for some reason, we were all very antsy running around each other.
As we moved through the short loop, I began to realize that we were going way too fast. At about the 0.5 mile point, I decided to back off, right before the hills and let Pacer and Mr. Familiar go. After a slight uphill I hit the first mile in 5:13. Those other guys never skipped a beat and had a huge lead on me in a hurry. They easily hit that first mile at 5:08 or better, meaning that we had to be flying before the first uphill.
Regardless, I was pretty happy with my decision to back off, lest I die of asphyxiation trying to get up the big climb in the middle of the race. As we turned up to the hill, Mr. Familiar began to put distance on Pacer, and I realized Pacer was already starting to drop back to me. My gamble may have paid off, as I was fresher for the hill.
As we finally crested the top and began flying down the backside, I continued to slowly creep up on Pacer. Mile 2, which I didn't get because I missed the split button on my watch was about a 5:34. Kind of slow, but I suck at going uphill in 5Ks.
We pushed on and in about another 1/3 of a mile, I finally established contact with Pacer. He seemed extremely impatient and uncomfortable with me running near him. Every time I came up on his shoulder, he put himself a stride ahead of me. This must have happened 2 or 3 times over the next quarter mile. Finally, I decided I just needed to pass him. We were closing on the finish, and I know I have no 5K kick, so I had to get distance on this runner.
I managed to pass him, but could tell I wasn't gaping him. I knew now this was going to be a painful finish. He went and passed me again and tried putting the gap on me. He almost succeeded, as I had to dig real deep to get back up and stay on his shoulder. We then unfortunately hit a wall of walkers doing the 1 mile walk who were all over the course. At that point, I was content with just staying right behind him as we weaved in and out of people.
Once we cleared the walkers, we hit the same uphill where earlier in the race I had backed off to save energy. Of course now, I was pretty spent, but managed to get ahead one last time as soon as we cleared the walkers. But AGAIN he passed me and as we hit mile 3 in about 5:22; I just didn't have any gears left after that. Pacer crossed the line in 16:41, I crossed in 16:44. The winner (who actually finished 3rd and 12 seconds behind me last year) finished in 16:32. Overall, it was a decently close race all the way around.
I wasn't sure what this 16:44 meant at first. Then I finally had some perspective. I matched my 5K time from December, which was on a much easier course and this time was 3 seconds faster than this race last year. Though the start and finish lines moved, the course was basically the same. I also managed to run a real fast 3rd mile, which really surprised me because that NEVER happens. With a flatter course (or some more hills/speed work), I think I can get back down to PR range in a hurry. Either way this a great way to start off 2012 as my mileage and workouts start to ramp up. It's time to get some this year!
The only really, really, really unfortunate part of this whole story is the guy who beat me. As it turns out, this kid is 16 years old. Really? 16 and running a 16:41 on a tough course? So in my first race of 2012, I got burned by a FREAKING 16 year old. GWAH...get off my damn lawn!!!
Seriously though, it was a great race, I wish they were all like that (though I wouldn't mind winning the duel next time!). I also need to stop getting burned in 5Ks, it seems to happen way too often!
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