While technically not my best year of the 5 years I've been running, there were a lot of positives to take away in 2013, along with some negatives. I believe looking back on the year will give me a good start on 2014.
Racing: I ran 6 races in 2013, down from 9 in 2012. I just wasn't motivated enough to sign up for as many races as I used to. I did set 4 PR's, all in my final 4 races on my schedule (see the sidebar for my results). I was most pleased with the 1:28:15 I ran at the Army Ten Miler in October. I never thought I had it in me to run that fast (relatively, for me) for that far of a distance.
Training: Not my best training year, either. I logged 1,333 miles this year, down from 1,500 last year. That's still an average of 111 miles per month, but I ran much longer distances last year while training for Marine Corps Marathon. Advice from some trusted running coaches determined that I was running some of my "easy" runs too far in marathon training last year. Couple that with the fact that I didn't do as many 18+ mile runs in 2013, and it explains my mileage drop.
Injury: I stayed relatively injury-free this year, save for a few bouts of severe calf cramping (of which at one point I suspected could have been an Achilles issue). I attribute this to a combination of better hydration, better form, and not overtraining and staying withiin my plan.
Looking to 2014: As it stands right now, I'm going to again focus on 6-7 races in 2014. Looking at a couple of 10-Milers and a couple of half marathons, with some shorter races (8-10K)thrown in. I'd like to get my 5K time under 25 minutes (25:03 PR), my 10K time under 52 minutes (52:35 PR), and my half-marathon pace to under a 9:00/mile (currently my best is 9:05).
Training-wise, I'd like to average about 30 miles per week, which would give me over 1,500 miles for the year. But I don't want to throw miles in just to reach a number - I'd like to make those miles all mean something, and by that I mean more speedwork.
Also, I'll be taking the RRCA Coaching Certification course in 2 weeks - hopefully this can help me improve myself in areas where I am lacking.
I've come a long way in the 5+ years I've been running, and as I approach age 50, I'd like to keep improving - because pretty soon, age is gonna slow me down. But I want to keep enjoying feet hitting asphalt 4-5 days a week, and meeting great running peeps along the way.
I follow a lot of runners on teh Twitterz, and I can’t help but notice how much joy so many of them get from finishing a key distance, setting a new PR, or simply getting it done on the road.
I have none of that.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very pleased with myself when I achieve something as a runner, but I don’t have nearly the emotions that most runners do when it happens. I think the most emotion I’ve ever showed in a race was when I raised my arms in triumph as I crossed the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon last year.
Maybe it’s because I’m a running loner. I train by myself, I’ve never had a “running partner”, I rarely go to a race with someone (not even my wife and son), and I’m always looking to do better. Maybe it’s because I’m socially awkward, and really dread the thought of being “the new guy” in a large running club, so I do it all alone.
Here’s an example: I go to a race, and run it well. I break my PR, but you wouldn’t know it when I cross the line. I get my water, bagel, and banana, eat it, then get in my car (or get on the Metro) & go home. All the while, focusing on my next training run, my next race, my next goal.
As a “lone wolf”, I train at my paces, and at my distances; everything works for me. I was briefly in a running group last year, and suffered because of my attempt to keep up with a group of much faster runners going distances that weren’t in my training plan. I didn’t want to slow anyone down. I’m sure all of that partially explains my aversion to running clubs and the desire to train on my own.
But sometimes, I just wonder what it’s like to cross the finish line, see a familiar face, and let out a big “Yeahhh!!!” as I crush another PR.
So enjoy it, everyone; bask in it!! Keep celebrating!! One day I hope to join you.
With 5 weeks to go before the 2013 Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon, I saw a tweet today posted by the Runner’s World editors that made me ponder my race strategy:
@runnersworld: Don't cling to a race goal you set 6 months ago. Instead, adjust them to match your fitness, your health, and the weather. #runningtips
Back in May, when I signed up for this race, my goal was to run it somewhere around 4 hours, 20 minutes, which would be a 10-minute improvement from my time at Marine Corps Marathon in 2012. But my current training, along with race results since signing up for the marathon, is making me reconsider that time goal.
First, I ran a 1:59:23 at the Alexandria Running Festival half-marathon on Memorial Day weekend. Plugging that time into the McMillan Running Calculator shows that I could reasonably expect to run a full marathon in 4:11:15 (9:35 pace). I ran a good race there, but missed a PR by 14 seconds.
Next, in the Anthem Great Pumpkin 5K on October 12th, I ran a PR of 25:03. Again, using McMillan, a reasonable marathon time extrapolates out to 4:04:05 (9:19 pace). I don’t see much use in using a 5K time to estimate a marathon time, especially one that would be almost a 30-minute improvement on last year. But still, I’ll take it into consideration in my valuation.
Last, I ran 1:28:15 at the Army Ten Miler 12 days ago, another PR. McMillan calculates a marathon time of 4:07:44 (9:27 pace) based off of that result. But even though I thought I ran a great race there, McMillan calculates that I should run a 25:25 in the 5K, which is 22 seconds slower than I ran a week prior. So I’m valuing that 5K estimation a little more now.
If I average those 3 estimations together, I come up with 4:07:04 as a reasonable marathon time, which is a 9:26 pace. I then averaged my last 6 double-digit long run paces, and came up with a 9:53 average. Again, working off McMillan and those 3 races, my long run paces should run between 9:22 and 10:33. The midpoint of those 2 numbers is a 9:58 long run pace, 5 seconds slower than the average of my last 6 runs.
Being the numbers geek that I am, I am very much inclined to adjust my goal time for the marathon to 4:08:00, a 9:28 pace. That would represent almost a 23-minute improvement on my marathon time. But with the relatively flat course in Rehoboth, and likelihood of cool weather on December 7th (although last year was mild & humid), I’m not terribly afraid of that goal. The key for me will be to log negative splits, and to start off slow and finish strong.
And even though I’m “retiring” from the marathon after this event, a 4:08 would make it very intriguing to try for a sub-4:00 sometime later.
A few weeks ago, when I started my old political blog back up, I noticed in my archives that I did a blog posting when I began running back in 2008. It's very comical to look back on it now (especially writing that a 5K is 3.2 miles, haha), but what caught my mind was seeing that I was training for a race on November 27th, 2008, the inaugural Lansdowne Turkey Trot. Today marks the 4th anniversary (or, race-iversary, if you will) of that momentous (for me) occasion.
It has also caused me to look back on how far I've come as a runner in those 4 years. That first race, for example, I ran it in 30:47 (gun time, as the race was not chip timed), which, from what I have been told is not a bad time for your first 5K. The course was hilly, but it was in my neighborhood, so I had been running portions of that course for the 2 1/2 months preceding the race. It was at that moment that I began to think of myself as a runner, and the next day I went to the local running store to get properly fitted for a pair of running shoes.
34 races later, that 30:47 5K time has been replaced with a 25:04 5K time, an improvement of over 5 minutes in just 4 years. I've run fourteen 5K's, six 10K's, three 10 Milers, 5 Half-Marathons, and one full Marathon. That first 5K was simply a bucket list item, and it's morphed into something more substantial, 4 years of hard work, fitnress, and a love of running.
And I don't want to stop.
Post script to yesterday's blog post
My Twitter friend "Tai Fung" asked me yesterday what was it that spurred my son to want to participate in the Gingerbread Man Mile last week? So I went to the source, and asked him.
Was it because Daddy is a runner, and he wanted to be like me? Did he think that running a race would make me happy? Or was there some other underlying reason?
His answer was simple: he said, "I just thought it would be kinda cool to run a race."
With the Marine Corps Marathon in my rear-view mirror, I can now return to 'normal' training. My focus is now on recovery, a gradual build-back of miles, and even a couple of races before we ring in 2013.
I signed up last week for the 3rd Annual Ringing in Hope 10K in Brambleton/Ashburn, VA on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. I ran the inaugural event, and set what at the time was my 10K PR in the process. It's a nice rolling course, but not very scenic. Basically it's an out-and-back, run through a housing complex, then on to a 4-lane divided highway, and back. Not terribly difficult, so my goal for this race would be to go sub-53 (8:31-ish pace), which would be a PR for me. It's also a race where a lot of the local Northern Virginia Daily Milers congregate, so I should get to meet some of them.
That was going to be it for the year, but I had a little conversation with my Twitter and Daily Mile pal Jennifer S., who informed me that 3-4 weeks out from a marathon is a good time to try for a 5K PR (evidenced by her smokin' time this past weekend at the Anything is Possible 5K in Georgia ). I was originally going to sit out this Thanksgiving, but I found a race in nearby Vienna, VA, the Giving Thanks 5K, that just could be PR-worthy. It has early hills in the first 3/4 mile, then it makes its way to the relatively flat W&OD Trail for the remainder of the race. Plus, the race benefits Wounded Warriors and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, so it's also for some good causes.
I'd really like to work on increasing my weekly mileage to about 35 per week, as well. I have found during marathon training that my body responds better to higher mileage (i.e., I eat a lot, and 35+ miles a week doesn't let see any weight gain). Plus, if I'm going to focus on Ten Milers in 2013, having those weekend 12-13 milers every week will allow me to work on increasing my speed rather than a mileage build-up.
But even if 2012 were to end today, it's been my best year in the 4+ years I've been running. I'm extremely satisfied with what I've achieved, and I look forward to more of the same in 2013!
For the past 20 weeks (and more likely, since March), my mind has been consumed with one thought: finishing the Marine Corps Marathon. Now that the end is near, in a week I will be faced with the post-marathon blues. What do I have to train for now?
I have been giving that a lot of thought, and as of today, I think my plan will be to run a number of 10-milers next year. It's my favorite race distance, and to date, I've only done 3 of them. The races I'm targeting:
1) Cherry Blossom Ten Miler: a signature event for the Washington, DC, metro area, and a race that I've never tried, usually due to conflicts with other Spring half-marathons I've been training for.
2) Broad Street Run: Back in 2009, this was my first race over the 5K distance, and with it being held in the area where I grew up (Philadelphia), I hold a special fondness for this race. Plus, the course is flat-to-negative sloped, so it's easy on the legs.
3) Army Ten Miler: another great race in our Nation's Capital. I ran this in 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed everything about this event.
4) Reston 10 Miler: this race is in my current hometown, and although it's hilly, I ran it well preparing for the Rock & Roll USA Half Marathon this past March. I have to support the local races.
I also believe that I should take the remainder of 2012 to get in the habit of doing core work and restarting my strength training workouts. These are areas that would help me improve if I were to just put in some effort. I am guilty of neglecting these 2 areas and focusing just on roadwork.
As for other race distances, I don't think I'm going to try another marathon again anytime soon. The time it has taken away from my family wasn't something my wife was particularly happy with, so I think I'll just cross "finishing a marathon" off my bucket list and focus on races up to 10 miles, and throw in an occasional Half Marathon when the occasion suits me. I enjoyed the challenge of marathon training, but there are more important things in life.
One thing that I'd like to explore, though, and would need to discuss with my family beforehand, is possibly training for a 50K in 2015 (the year I turn 50). I believe that could be a rather unique way of celebrating a half-century on this planet, but we shall see. Until then, I will be focused on continuous improvement and overall fitness.
Thirteen days away from calling myself a Marathoner. I've heard all of the stories about "taper madness", and always wondered how I'd handle it. After one week, I'd say "very well".
Last week didn't start off too well, though. On Monday, I was battling a recurring calf problem after my 22 mile run the day before, and I was starting to worry that it would negatively affect me at MCM. But luckily, thanks to advice I received from all my great contacts on Daily Mile and Twitter, I was able to determine that it wasn't an injury that I had, but rather severe calf cramps due to inadequate electrolyte intake. I was hydrating with water very well, but I wasn't taking in enough salt & electrolytes to balance out what I was sweating away. I also determined, through researching the issue, that a major cause of this could very well have been my not taking a magnesium supplement I had been taking for over 5 years. I stopped taking the supplement about a month ago when I stopped taking my daily multi-vitamin, and coincidentally, my calf problems started shortly thereafter.
Apparently, a magnesium deficiency leads to leg cramps from poor electrolyte absorption, which is exactly what I was suffering. So I started drinking Nuun during the day and on the nights before my runs last week, took a GU right before my runs, and restarted my magnesium supplementation. My Wednesday & Friday 6 milers went off without incident. Friday afternoon, I took in a 60-minute lower body massage, and felt like a champ when I went out yesterday morning for my 14-miler.
In fact, I felt so good that I ignored the prescribed training plan for yesterday (8 miles easy, and the last 6 at marathon pace), and did all 14 at marathon pace. I felt that I needed to do that after a few weeks of scaling back the intensity due to my calf issues, with the promise to myself that the next 2 weeks would be all easy runs.
So I can say with confidence that my calf issues are a thing of the past. I know what I have to do to prevent a recurrence, and I can focus 100% now on having quality runs. I am actually glad for the taper, since the summer has been ridiculously humid, I believe I've worked fairly hard for this, and my body looks forward to the scaling back. All in the name of getting ready for October 28th.
This week, after finishing a 3.5 mile recovery run this morning, I've got easy 5-milers on Wednesday & Friday, and an easy 10-miler on Sunday. Marathon week, though, might be a different story. It may not be so much the taper madness than it would be the excitement and anticipation from being this close to reaching a life milestone.
49 months ago, when I went out for my first run in over 20 years, never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd be attempting a marathon, much less even thinking about one. In fact, I distinctly recall a conversation I had with my running partner back then, saying I wasn't even interested in running a HALF marathon. I couldn't fathom running for 2-plus hours.
But here I am, 20 days away from lining up for the Marine Corps Marathon. Yesterday I completed a 22-mile training run, in just under 3 hours, 45 minutes. Two 20-milers within 4 weeks. a 173-mile month of September. And I've probably eaten more spaghetti, pancakes, and potatoes in the past 5 weeks that I care to think about.
It's almost here.
My whole lower body aches. My left calf has been screaming at me for the past 2 weeks now. My right foot, where I had a bout of plantar fasciitis a couple months ago, is reminding me to not forget about him. My right hip flexor wants my attention as well. But it's too close to let any of that affect me. This is within my grasp.
Going in to this, my goal was to just finish the race. A few weeks into training, with the stifling heat & humidity, I was wondering if it was all worth it. Monster Month came, and I regained my confidence. And yesterday's run, while it was excruciatingly difficult, affirmed the fact that, yeah, I can finish this thing. I have a time goal, but that takes a back seat to just finishing. My ultimate goal for MCM would be a 4:08:00, which is a 9:30 pace. Depending on how I come out of the hills early in the race, that could be doable. More likely, I'm looking at a 4:15-4:20 finish (9:45 to 10:00 pace). I'd be happy with that.
I've received tons of motivation & help from a lot of people these past 17 weeks, and for that I'm extremely grateful. It's helped me get through this. But I can see that finish line now. It's that close. When and if I cross that finish line, it will be my biggest personal athletic achievement of my 47+ years.
From 275 pounds and grossly out-of-shape in April 2007 to potentially being called "marathoner" in October 2012 is beyond words for me.
Well yesterday was a milestone Sunday for me. Not only did I complete my first-ever 20 mile run, I also logged my highest weekly mileage (42.2 miles) in the 4 years I've been running. I am now in the meat of marathon training, with just under 6 weeks to go, and even though I said I'd seen it before, I really experienced the "Runner's High" after the run.
My goal yesterday was to go out very conservatively, hoping to keep a 10:15 pace through 20 miles. I was concerned more about finishing rather than posting any kind of amazing pace. My recent foot issue, along with the general overwhelming task at hand, was the catalyst for my caution.
And it didn't get off to a rousing start. As soon as I started running, my foot really started to ache, to the point where I was concerned that it was going to be a washout. But about a tenth of a mile into the run, the foot settled down and I was able to get into a rhythm. But that was short-lived, as I heard a PA system in the distance - apparently, I was going to be running on the trail where a group was conducting the bike part of a sprint triathlon. For a few miles, I was listening for bikes passing and trying to stay out of the way of the inevitable large pack of bikers that would be approaching. I eventually made it to the horse path part of the trail, which also helped because it got me off the asphalt for about 5 miles.
My original plan was to start on the W&OD Trail at mile marker 20, run to mile marker 25, then backtrack to mile marker 15, and circle back to my car at mm 20. The tri, though, changed my plans. Had I turned at mm 25, I would have been right back in the bikers' path, so I made the decision to continue to mile marker 30, and make it a true out-and-back. Doing this also removed any thought, however minute, of cutting my run short because I was running past my car at mile 10.
As I got closer to mile marker 30, I was keeping about a 10:10 pace, some miles slightly higher, some closer to 10 minutes. I purposely hid the Heart Rate function on my Garmin so as to not let that dictate my pace. As I approached the turn-around, I passed a familiar face, my friend Jess from the Pace Of Me blog. Only, I didn't recognize her, since I didn't expect to see her that far away from Reston. I only knew it was her when she yelled, "Heyyy!!!" as we passed (Sorry, Jess!).
When I got close to the turn, I saw another familiar face, my Team McGraw teammate Erin, who estimated that I'd be at mile marker 30 at 8:30 am (judging by my pace), and I was right on time! She was doing 20 miles as well, prepping for the Chicago Marathon, so we ran a few miles together. A few minutes into our run, my brother-in-law passed us on his bike - he's training for a 50-mile charity bike ride.
Erin runs a bit slower than I do, and the 2+ miles we ran together were about a 10:45 pace, but that helped me a bit. When we parted, I picked it back up slightly, as I was now going downhill. But wait, isn't that Ed C. from Daily Mile approaching? We chatted briefly, and I was on my way, only to see another Daily Miler, Chris M. coming up. I didn't know it was Chris until we passed, so I missed the oppportunity to say hello. But this is the way it was going - I rarely see anyone I know on my long runs, except for today.
At that point, I was past 15 miles, and still going strong. But I had a tough 2-mile stretch coming up. I made it through that stretch with no problem, and as my Garmin beeped for 19 miles, I made the command decision that I was going to kick it in and see just how much I had left in the tank. My final mile was 9:05, and I was very happy that I had that much in me to do that. My first 20-miler was a success. Time was 3:22:11 (10:07 pace), and my heart rate, which I neglected to track, came in at 136, which is 67% of my max.
So I'm on Cloud 9 now. I stretched out, gathered all my gear, and hopped in the car. Flipped on the radio, and I had a CD in - and how ironic that the song it was on was the last song I heard at 2 AM on Saturday morning as I returned home from the Bruce Springsteen show - "Born to Run". Windows down, stereo cranked. Yeah, I'm on a high. And the responses I got on Daily Mile and Twitter after I posted my results only made it better. THIS was the Runner's High I've heard so much about.
Tramps like us, baby...
(Note: that's not my Born to Run video - the video I took on Friday has me singing at the top of my lungs; I won't subject you to that disaster!!)
I'm midway through my 20-week distance training program with Potomac River Running, and it was about time to have a practice race in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th. Luckily, the brilliant minds at =PR= have this all figured out - that's why they scheduled their Leesburg 20K/5K race for this weekend.
In previous years this was a 20K/10K race, but permitting problems necessitated changing the 10K to a 5K. I've run the 10K twice before, and both August races were stifling hot. Not so yesterday - the weather at the 7:30 start was overcast and 64 degrees, just about perfect conditions.
I created an elevation profile through Log Your Run, and what I saw shocked me (left) - it appeared as though I'd be climbing a mountain for the first 6-7 miles, before descending back down the "mountain" to the finish. Upon further research, I determined that it was more of a gradual incline, but still it looked rather daunting. I had run the middle part of this particular race in a 5K back in 2009, and remember there being quite a hike at one point, but at that 5K I set a PR, so I had hopes for this race.
For race prep, I used the carb loading/fueling strategy I referenced in my previous post. I'd be running 80% of what I ran last week, so I didn't carb load as heavy as I did last week. Also, my breakfast was a tad bit smaller. For in-race fueling, I used my Fuel Belt, drinking lemon-lime Gatorade, and planned on consuming 3 GUs during the race, at 3 mile (or so) intervals). My race plan was to do the first 10K at a 9:30 pace (my MCM goal pace), then on the downhill return, seeing how I felt and taking what it gave me. I hoped to finish in about 1:58.
At the start line, both the 20K and 5K runners started simultaneously, so there were over 1200 runners lining up on Harrison Street in Leesburg (about 60% were 20K runners). And as the gun went off, my pet peeve again came to fruition - slower runners/walkers lining up way too far forward in the queue. It was very congested until about a mile into the race, and really didn't thin out until just after the 2 mile mark, when the 20K and 5K runners split. At this point, the race continued on the Washington & Old Dominion (W & OD) Trail, a multi-purpose path for bicyclists, runners, walkers, etc. The next 4+ miles were not as difficult as it looked on the elevation chart. It was indeed a gradual incline, but much flatter than I expected or remembered. My pace was steady at about 9:22 as I passed the 10K mark in 57:57 (by my Garmin).
The only difficult stretch was at mile 5 of the race (mile 38 on the W&OD), where the trail goes over Route 7 at the Route 9 interchange (Clark's Gap). This stretch of trail turns almost 180 degrees, and then back again as it winds its way steeply up the overpass. This was the hardest part of the race, but on the positive side, coming back was going to give me a nice downhill to get some momentum for the final 5 miles.
The turnaround was at the 6.75 mile mark of the race, and almost immediately felt the ease of going downhill. Again, the incline was very shallow, but my hill training must be paying dividends, because I wasn't struggling. (Editorial comment - at this point of the race, we were doubling back, and there was two-way traffic on the trail. Why recreational bicyclists felt it necessary to ride their bikes between the two lanes of race traffic was baffling. And to get belligerent when you couldn't get through is the typical attitude of many of the bicyclists on the W&OD). I felt the speed picking up for the next 4 miles, and my paces showed it - I was down in the low 9's/high 8's with my paces as I approached the last aid station.
By mile 11, I was still feeling fresh, so I decided to up the pace a little. I was running by myself at this point, and did mile 11 in 8:38. The final .4 was a little tougher as it was uphill to the finish, and I was at an 8:40-ish pace for the final mile when I crossed the line. My official finish time was 1:54:12, almost 4 minutes under what I had hoped, and a 9:13 pace. Heart rate was 150, or about 80% of my max.
What I learned from this race: A proper carb-loading and in-race fueling strategy is of the utmost importance. I never used to pay attention to that, and as a result, bonked at mile 10 or 11 in 4 of my previous 5 half-marathons. Also, running smart at the start of the race, not expending any extra energy trying to get free of the misplaced runners is vital. I had plenty of energy left to do that climb at mile 5, and much more energy at the finish.
So. with 10 weeks left until MCM, this race left me with a very optimistic feeling about hitting my goals in October. As my old pal Jack told me yesterday, "The key now is to just stay healthy".
If any of you follow me on Daily Mile, you'd know that my Saturday long runs on July 28th and August 4th did not go very well for me. Those runs were 13 and 14 miles, respectively, and in addition to the oppressive humidity on both days, I also "hit the wall" around mile 10 in both runs. After examining all of my data from those runs, I came to the conclusion that my fueling plan for my long runs was woefully inadequate.
Since I'm part of the Runner's World Challenge for the Marine Corps Marathon, I decided to ask the question on the discussion board about fueling and hydration. The response I got back from the RW nutritionist, Pamela Nisevich, instantly set off the light bulb above my head. The carbo loading can begin the day before my long run at lunch, which would be Friday. High carbs, low fat, low fiber, but not so much food that you're weighed down. Dinner that night would be the same, but the lunch carb load was in case I didn't get the chance to do a nice carb intake at dinner. Lunch on Friday was a baked potato (plain), with some pasta & sauce, some fruits & veggies, and some Chobani. Dinner was pancakes. Lots of pancakes.
On my long run day (Saturday), Pam's advice was to take your weight, and at breakfast:
multiply this number by the hours you have until your run begins.
For example, say you weigh 190 lbs and you roll out of bed an hour before the run (or race) is to begin.
190lb/2 = 95
95 x 1hr = 95
This means that you need 95 grams of carbs for breakfast.
I'm 207 lbs. right now, and I eat an hour or so before my run, so I need about 103 grams of carbs. OK, that seems like a lot of food, but this is how I divided it out: 1 serving of Trader Joe's steel-cut oats (25 grams), one sesame bagel (46 grams), one banana (20 grams), a glass of orange juice (22 grams), and one cup of black coffee. That's 113 grams of carbs, and I didn't feel weighed down.
Pam also suggested that since I take GU during my runs, to make sure that I took 2 GU's per hour, washed down with water. I was taking only one per hour previously. Pam said that I needed to aim for about 45 grams of carbs per hour.
So, all carbed up, with my Nathan hydration vest filled with lemon-lime Gatorade (the on-course beverage of choice for the Marine Corps Marathon) and 4 GU packets, I set out for my 15 mile run. Luckily, the weather was not as heinous as it had been the previous 2 weeks. I started out more conservatively than I had before, running the first 4 miles in exactly 40 minutes. I try to run by effort, using my Garmin to track my heart rate; this week's run was a combination goal of a heart rate below 75% and a 10-minute/mile pace.
The results were astonishing. I didn't bonk at mile 10, like before. In fact, I actually had enough energy stored to where I ran my fastest mile of the day in mile 14 (9:41 pace). My final totals were 15 miles in 2:29:43 (9:58 pace) and an average heart rate of 143 (73%), both figures right on target.
It's exactly what I was looking for: smart advice about how to properly carb load for a long run to prevent the dreaded "bonk". Combined with a conservative running strategy, it made for a very successful run. I plan to use this going forward through October 28th, in hopes of a very successful first marathon experience.
99 days. Just a little over 14 weeks. That's the countdown to the 37th Marine Corps Marathon, on October 28th. My first marathon, and with any luck, not my last.
My training has been going surprisingly well, knock on wood. I'm keeping my heart rate in check on my easy runs, my long runs have been productive, and I'm throwing in some cross-training for good measure. Last night, I took it up another notch.
The distance training group I belong to has a weekly track session on Thursday nights for speedwork. The sessions are optional, but I was finally able to have my schedule accomodate one of these sessions last night. The prescribed workout was 2 to 4 sets of the following workout: 800 meters at Threshhold pace, a 400 meter jog, and then 400 meters all out. Our coaches say your threshhold pace should be 10-20 seconds slower than 10K pace, which for me would be an 8:45-ish pace, or 4:22.
After a 4-lap warmup on the track, we got to it - and the results were surprising. I ran my first 800 in 4:17, which was not that far off from my plan. After my 400 jog, it was all-out for the next 400. I ran that 400 in 1:45, which translates to a 7:00/mile pace. Now, if someone had told me 4 years ago, when I started running, that I would be able to break off a 400 in 1:45, I'd have said you were crazy. But there it was, the pace on my Garmin read "7:00".
After the set, we were told to recover for 2-4 minutes, then start the next set. I broke off a 4:08 on my next 800, which was much faster than I had planned. I jogged a 400, then ripped a 1:52 for my all-out 400, a 7:28 pace. Man, I'm liking this speedwork. The paces for my final set mirrored set #2, almost to the second.
What does this prove? For one, it's that I'm more fit (and faster) than I imagined. Second, how much faster could I be if I dropped the few more pounds I need to get my weight under 200? And third, I don't hate speedwork - really, it was nothing more than sucking it up for 8 minutes before taking a short blow, and repeating it. This was my first "official" speedwork session (previous ones had been by myself, unstructured). I know that this is going to benefit me in 99 days.
I know that there are some out there who fear the marathon, especially the "what have I signed up for??" reactions, but not me. I am very much looking forward to this new challenge. And this is all because I'm training right, training smart, and training well. My confidence is brimming right now - these next 99 days are going to go slowly, but I need to keep this adrenaline in check and continue to train the right way.
The "Daily Mission" question on Daily Mile this morning was this: "Cardio. Strength. Flexibility. What is your weakest link?" Very timely, because on my run this morning (and before I saw the question), I thought about my current training plan, and what I was missing.
Some quick background: when I was serving in the Navy back in the late 80's, I would strength-train regularly, to the point where at my peak I was bench-pressing 275 lbs. and squatting close to 400. My downfall came when I failed the Physical Readiness Test in late 1987 - I couldn't complete the 1.5 mile run in 18 minutes. I look back on that and think how bad my cardio was that I couldn't sustain a 12 minute pace. But I refused to run.
Fast-forward to 2012, and a complete 180-degree turnaround: I am addicted to running, and I couldn't care less about strength training. That's detrimental to my overall training, and the area in which I need to drastically improve.
So after a lot of thought this morning, I have decided to alter my training schedule and to supplement my running beginning this Monday with 2 mornings of strength and core training. I have 10 weeks until the official start of training for the Marine Corps Marathon. I have lost 15 pounds since my run streak started on Thanksgiving Day 2011, and I want to tone that up. And I have another 10-15 pounds to go to where I want to be, weight-wise on October 28th. Running alone isn't going to do that.
For the time being, my run streak will continue; I'll warm up before my strength/core with a mile on the treadmill. But once MCM training begins, there will be complete rest days from running.
And this blog serves as my motivation; if I have it in writing, I'll be less likely to wander off - and I'm hoping my DM friends hold me to it.
Strange fascination, fascinating me/ Changes are taking the pace I'm going through
I run by myself. All the time. Training runs, races, whatever. Mostly because I can choose to go out when I wish and finish when I wish, but also because I don't have friends around who are runners.
When I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon last month, I realized that this was going to have to change, especially if I wanted to do well in the race. I couldn't see doing 20+ mile training runs by myself. 3 1/2 hours on the W&OD Trail by myself on a Sunday morning in August wasn't going to be fun. So I've been looking around for running groups.
I looked at the Reston Runners club, but it appears that they have some kind of sadistic person creating their long run routes, since it appears that all of their 10 milers are extremely hilly. I run Reston's hills every day of the week; I want a bit of a break. But I also noticed, through the power of Twitter, something on a local runner's feed called, simply #runclub. I messaged Jessica and asked her about the club, and she told me to come on out - they meet at Reston Pilates at 8:30 each Sunday morning (approximately the time I run), start out with 15-20 minutes of mat Pilates, then they all go out to the W&OD for a run. Sounds like fun, right?
Except for the fact that I've never attempted Pilates, and was wary of it. Not so much that it was hard, but that I would embarrass myself with my lack of flexibility.
But last week, as I was attending a Tee Ball meeting (I'm coaching my son's team), I found out that another coach is Jessica's husband. We got to talking, and he convinced me to give it a try. So yesterday, I ventured out for my first #runclub.
And it wasn't that bad (the Pilates, that is). As a matter of fact, it was difficult, but I got warmed up better yesterday than I usually do. Luckily, the group was small so I didn't feel so self-conscious. But the run was fantastic; the chats made the run go by so much quicker.
But I am sore today - Pilates really works your core, and although it is difficult, it's not as difficult as I expected. So yeah, I'm going back to #runclub again on the 15th.
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.
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.
I'm a wimp when it comes to running in adverse weather conditions, I admit it. It's been raining like crazy here in Northern Virginia this week, and my mileage is taking a slight hit.
My normal run days are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. This past Tuesday, I woke up, got dressed for my run, and opened the front door to a downpour. So I retreated to the basement and did 30 minutes on the stairclimber. Hey, cross-training is good, right? The day eventually cleared up, and I did my scheduled 4 miler later that evening. Not a bad cardio day, looking back.
Wednesday was my off day, and had I thought about it beforehand, i could have put in some miles last night after putting my son to bed. And I should have - the deluge began at midnight, and is still coming down as I write this. Expectations are that we will get close to 5 inches of rain when it finally blows out of here.
So this morning, rather than try and run in the storm, I again hit the stairclimber for a half hour. Not my favorite form of exercise, but it does the job in a pinch. I'll hopefully be able to get out tomorrow morning, and if I do, I'm probably going to do about 6 easy to moderate miles just to get back on track. This weekend is supposed to be clear and cool, perfect for doing a 9-miler on Sunday.
The whole positive to this is that when the rain subsides, it will be gone. Had this been winter, we'd be looking at upwards of 4 feet of snow. And then I'd really be miserable.
6 days and counting until the 2010 ING Rock & Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon! As I've stated before, I'm running this race with the great people of Team McGraw, and especially for my teammate Jen McDevitt, who's once again putting up a fight with another pesky tumor. We're gonna miss her there, but she will be on the minds of everyone on the team come Sunday.
Now, my training. My taper has begun - I did 8 miles (at least) this past Saturday afternoon. I say "at least" because I neglected to re-charge my Garmin, so I did the run by feel, and estimating my mileage. I ran it without knowing my pace, heart rate, or mileage, and I believe I ran about 8.25 miles at about a 9:20 pace. And felt good afterwards.
Today, I planned to run 4 miles, with the middle 2 miles at Tempo pace. I breezed through the run at an average heart rate befow 70% (good), and at a 9:22 total pace, which is below my projected race pace. Again, I feel good.
Wednesday, I plan on running another 4 miles, this time incorporating two half-mile repeats in the middle at 5K pace. Friday will be an easy 3 miles to wind down, and then it's race day on Sunday.
I'm very curious as to how I will perform on the flat Philly course on Sunday. I'm navigating the rolling hills of my neighborhood at race pace or below, so I'm confident that I can hit my mark. We shall see.
I'm not a big believer in the supernatural, but things happen, and I wonder why I don't. Take, for example, this morning.
First, though, let me go back to my weekend. I caught a 3-hour concert from my all-time favorite performer, Bruce Springsteen, on TV on Saturday (I'm a Jersey boy). My wife didn't seem too happy that I sat around on a Saturday afternoon watching an 8-year old concert, but hey, it was in HD. And it was Bruuuuuuce (she's not a fan).
Sunday morning, I get up at the crack of dawn to get in my long run. 10 1/2 miles through the neighborhood, never once doubling back on a road I'd just run. I've never done that in my neighborhood before, so there's another good thing.
Last night, as I was planning my training for the week, I figured I'd have to do my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday, since we're going up to my cousin's house outside of Philly for a family reunion on Sunday. As a result, my training runs for this week will be on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That also means having to run my 5 miler (which I usually do on Tuesday) today, a day after my long run. I generally like to take a rest day both before and after my long runs, so this would be a challenge.
I went out this morning with the goal of not running it too hard, not getting injured, but also getting in some quality miles. And I pretty much hit my goal of running the 5 miles at about 65% of my Heart Rate Reserve - 64%, to be exact - which I've been having trouble doing on my easy runs (I tend to run them too hard). So far, so good.
So I get to work today and hook up the iPod, since music helps get me through the day. It's on "shuffle", and the first (full) song that comes up? Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run".
Today was intervals. Never my favorite training day, but a necessity, nonetheless. It was made more daunting when I woke up this morning and saw the weather - 78 degrees with a dewpoint of 74. Very uncomfortable, but I went out.
The plan was to run 5 miles; a 1/2 mile warmup, and six half-mile repeats with quarter-mile jogs in between. My goal pace for the repeats was 8:45. As I've said many times here, the streets in my neighborhood are very hilly. This would be quite a task, indeed.
The humidity was stifling but I persevered. At one point (halfway through my 3rd repeat), I looked at my Garmin to check my pace, and saw 7:47. That's right, a sub-8:00 pace. Unbelieveable. I backed off slightly so as to not blow myself out.
I got to the point after my 3rd repeat where I actually walked for 1/10 mile after finishing the half-mile interval. Then I picked it back up to a jog before starting again. Mostly because I felt as if I was breathing through a carpet. I did that for the rest of the run, and it helped.
When I finished my run, I checked my Garmin, and saw the numbers: 26:16 for 6 half-mile repeats (overall, 47:17 for 5 miles). That, my friends, is an 8:46 pace. I hit the mark, dead on!
