And The Award For...

...most anal-retentive runner goes to...ME!!

I just completed working on my training schedule. For the Marine Corps Marathon. Which is in October. 31 weeks away.

And not just that, I have my entire training schedule mapped out from March 26th to October 28th. I did up a 15-week "pre-marathon training schedule" training schedule. Normal weeks, easy weeks, days when I can race, etc. It's quite ridiculous, if you think about it, but I have my reasons.

First, my son is signed up for both soccer AND baseball this Spring. His soccer games will be early Saturday mornings, and baseball will be sometime from mid-morning to late afternoon on Saturday (with me as the coach). So that day is full for me. I have resigned myself to the fact that I would have to rise with the birds on Saturday to get in my 4 miles before trekking to the soccer fields.

Second, we're buying a house and settling on it in late May. We haven't set a move-in date yet, but I'm guessing early June - just not on a Saturday (see above). I've got to work my runs around that.

Third, there aren't many races between now and July 9 (marathon training day #1) that I'm going to be interested in running. Since I do 10 mile training runs on Sundays, I want to leave my easy weeks open for any 10K's that might pop up. I'm not going to race during marathon training except for a half-marathon tune-up race sometime in September.

I've also come to the realization, looking at the schedule and taking into consideration my committments, that my current 120-day running streak is in jeopardy. I suppose I could still get up early on Saturdays and run a mile or so just to keep it alive, but is that what I really want to do? I mean, I proved to myself that I could do it without injury, I feel great running every day, but the streak is bordering now on obsession. And I can see myself, some Saturday in May, with a 9 AM soccer game and a 10:30 baseball game, with me up at 6 AM going for a 40-minute run, and being dead tired by lunch time.

Or worse, being in total freak-out mode at 4:30 that I haven't put my miles in yet for the day. If I schedule a rest day for this hectic day, that's one less thing to worry about.

My marathon training is 5 days a week with 2 rest days, and I'm going to keep hard & fast by that schedule, so the streak will end; it's just a matter of when. Just don't be surprised if it's in early April.

100, and 10

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that when I started the "Runner's World Run Streak" back on Thanksgiving Day that I would still be at it in early March. But here it is, 100 days later, and I haven't missed a day.

What's even more amazing to me is that I have managed to stay healthy throughout these past 3+ months. I've been a magnet for injury throughout my short running career, and to go this long without getting hurt is a major personal accomplishment. Yeah, I've had some aches & pains - sore feet, sore calves, black toenails, etc. - but none of that was bad enough to keep me from stopping.

I still have 15 days until the Rock & Roll USA Nation's Capital Half Marathon on March 17th, and I'll most likely be running every day until then. I usually take a few days off before I run half-marathons, but this year, I think it will be 2 very short, easy days (1 to 1.5 miles) just to keep the legs loose.

What I've found is that as the streak has gone on, I've been getting stronger. My heart rate doesn't fluctuate as much anymore, my speed has increased dramatically, and I really have become aware of what my body is telling me, and I can adjust my runs accordingly (aka, "running smart").

So I have the Reston 10 Miler on the schedule for this Sunday, as a kind of "prep race" for my half. My Team McGraw coach, friend, and trusted advisor, Kevin Leathers has recommended I not go all-out, but to work on things during the race. As a result, he has recommended the following plan:

1. Run the first 4 miles at my easy pace. I'll go by heart-rate here, which means under 143. I'm assuming a 9:25 pace (37:40 time) based on my recent easy runs;
2. Run the middle 4 miles at half-marathon pace, My goal pace on the 17th is 9:04, so 36:16;
3. Run the last 2 as fast as I wish. I'd like to do an 8:45 pace here (17:30).

If I hit all of those targets, that would give me a time of 1:31:14, which would be 26 seconds under my PR for a 10-miler. But my main concern on Sunday is to get some work in and NOT get injured. I don't need a PR here. If it comes, it comes. My main concern is to keep a 9:04 pace in those middle 4. These 4 miles on Sunday are, coincidentally, rather hilly, so it will be a big test to see if I can do it.

Now on to the next 100!