Mo - 4.1
Slow around the neighborhood. Ouch, ooch. Still smarting from the race. Weighed 160 after the run. I fell off the wagon on Friday (McD for lunch and pizza for dinner) and then had some celebratory chips ahoy and ice cream on Sunday.
Tu - 10.5
Ran to work. Benji thinks I'm doing hills two days after a race? He's crazy. Just slow and easy to work. Took some walk breaks, especially on downhills. 1:43:26/134. A little under 10 min/mi pace.
We - 4.1
Plodded around the neighborhood in 39:19. Still very sore. I don't see how I'll run a tempo tomorrow. Weighed 161 after the run. What happened to the weight loss? Maybe this is just the temporary weight gain after a race I've seen before. Swelling of some sort? Wish I'd have remember to take an ice bath on Sunday.
Th - 10.5
1:34:17/144 (9:01 pace). I think this was my faster ever run in to work, but I attribute a lot of that to hitting ever stoplight at just the right time. I also got to the lake about a minute quicker in part because it was cold and I tend to start quick to get warm. My legs were still quite sore, but not as bad. No way could I do the normal tempo run, but I didn't want to wait around until Sunday to get a workout in either, so I decide to do two ~10-minutes stretches of some faster running, but not tempo pace. 1st was 10:01/154 (max 165) over 1.27 miles (7:55 pace) and 2nd was 9:40/157 (max 165) over 1.27 miles (7:38 pace). My avg HR during the first mile of the NCR marathon was @161 bpm, so I think something 7:45ish is in the cards allowing for the race day elevation in the first mile. I think I'll try BQ pace at the 10-miler two weeks out to see what it's like.
Fr - 4.1
It was cold this morning (36 degrees) and my legs were a lot less sore. When I started, I felt like I had a little spring in my step and might have been going a little fast, but checked my HR and it was 125. I had the same feeling the rest of the run where I'd look at my watch and it would be 5 bpm lower than I expected from the speed. Pace was 9:15 min/mi which is about 20 sec/mi faster than it's been since I started this route and my heart rate was 133 which is as low as it has been. This is despite walking for about 30 secs to get a knot out of my left calf. I think my legs will be good by Sunday's long run. Weight was 159. Again, I've seen the same things where my weight goes up a couple of pounds after a hard race and it's back down by Thursday. Maybe it's some residual inflammation?
Sa - 4.1
Cold again and legs feeling even better. I think I raced this a little bit, trying to capture the magic of yesterday. It wasn't there. 9:19 min/mi, but my heart rate was 5 bpm higher. 5 is a lot.
Sun - 20.3
I always seem to dither before getting out on Sunday. I think I secretly hate 20-milers. Anyway, this one is in the books and it went quite well. My trend of progressively faster long runs continues (although this was a few bpm higher than last week). Today was 3:05:23/148 (9:07 pace). It was faster than my 1.5 year old 20 mile race PR. Splits were 43:24/135, 41:50/144, 41:59/149, 41:29/158, 8:19/163 (out), 8:21/165 (back). My last 4 20-milers (4 of the last 5 weeks with a race thrown in) have been 9:41 min/mi (152 bpm), 9:35 min/mi (151), 9:23 min/mi (147), 9:07 min/mi (148). My paces have finally fallen to Benji's recommendations of 9:34 easy, 9:05 long run for a 43 min 10K runner (which I looked at based on my 5 mile time).
week
57.6 miles, 8h58m
shoes
wp6-1: 109 + 58 = 167
wr10-1: 335 + 0 = 335
all runs were in the precisions
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Cherry Blossom 10 miler
A bit much drama for a slow guy but...
I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler today. The weather was perfect -- cool (50 degrees) and overcast with light winds. This is a very fast course where world records have been set. If I didn't have a good race, I'd have no excuses.
I ran a 5M PR of 34:20 at the end of January, which is my best race by a good bit. According to mcmillan, I could run 1:12 today. The 5M race was extremely hilly though. I've also lost 2 or 3 pounds since then and my long runs have been getting faster at the same heart rate after I started incorporating tempo runs and some hill/intervals the last four weeks. All of this made me think that sub-1:10, while ambitious, was possible. I've been running regularly since 1 Jan 2005 (I had some aborted attempts before that) and an April 10-miler has become my annual fitness test since it was the first distance I ever raced (April 2005). I shocked myself then by running 1:24:49 when I was hoping for 1:40. I met my goal of 1:20 last year running 1:19:25. I'd set this up in my mind as my goal race for the spring. How would I do today?
I was in the green corral, which meant I was in the first wave of the common folk but after the elite and sub-seeded waves went. I did a token 2 minute warmup before I stood and shivered in my short sleeves in the corral. I tried to position myself guestimating at 500 people in front of me (1:10 was around 500th last year). I was afraid I lined up too close to the front, but once we were off, I found myself dodging and weaving to get by people. The green corral is just too big. It goes from 62 minutes to at least 90 and it seems to be a pretty homogeous mix in there.
Last thursday, I did one of my cruise intervals at 7:05 pace. I tried to replicate my breathing and how I felt then during the first mile and it seemed to work. I hit the first mile in 7:12. This 7:12 was probably sub-7 effort though as I dodged people.
The 3-3 breathing I started with gets a little harder to maintain in the second mile. I'm passing people in droves and must be going a min/mi faster than some of them. How were they this far ahead? It doesn't slow me down too much though. Second mile is 6:51. I'm thinking two things: 1) that was my 5K PR pace I set on New Years and 2) I'm back close to 1:10 pace and not feeling too bad.
There are a few gentle inclines now as we approach and pass over the memorial bridge in the third mile. I'm into 2-2 breathing now and I can feel myself over my threshold on a couple of the inclines and back off a little when I feel it. 6:56 for this mile.
I pass the 5K marker and look at my watch. 21:43. My 4 month-old PR is 21:15. (One nice thing about a world class even like this is that I'm pretty sure of all the markers.) We turn onto rock creek parkway, which I remember from last year has a slight uphill grade. I believe I picked it up slightly reacting to the fall off in time between mile 2 and 3. This split is 6:51.
The fifth mile is *very* slightly uphill I think but we're basically in the flat section. The lead elite woman (who had a head start) comes flying by the other way. Nobody is anywhere close to her. We also start to see the elite men and someone says, "they look like they're in such pain." I'm thinking, "that will be us in about four miles." Split is 6:53. It's starting to get hard, but I think that it's supposed to be hard halfway through a 10-miler.
Mile 6 is slightly uphil, but it's definitely uphill. I fade some along with everyone else. I spend some effort dodging people and I notice some people passing me for the first time. I'm just hoping to hit that turnaround between 6 and 7 with enough left to go for it. I pass the 10K mark in 43:14. (My PR from Feb 2006 is 47:21.) Split is 7:05.
We turn around in middle Mile 7 and I think I pick it up a little on the downhill half, but my split is 7:07. Oh no, I'm letting it slip away! Need to push up the effort.
Mile 8 is pure downhill (although slight) and I'm hoping to get back to those low 6:50's as I'm now working hard. Split is 7:00. For the first time I think to look at my overall time and not just the split. It's couple of seconds after I hit the lap button and I see 55:59. 1 second in the bank. I'm running 7:00 min/mi on the downhill with one second in the bank. (Turns out I actually had a whopping 6 seconds in the bank.) I'm going to have to work harder.
Mile 9 is back on the flat part. I'm running hard but can't let it all out just yet. I'm hoping to get anywhere near 7 on this split and then hope I can sprint in at the end and gain back whatever seconds I lose. Late in this mile when it gets hard, I think about what it would be like to be on the edge of a boston qualifier and whether I'd gut it out and make it. I decide I'm going to prove to myself I can gut it out. Split is 6:59. I'm going to need another sub-7 in the last mile.
I pick it up as much as I can, but I can't sprint yet. I'm passing people, but others are passing me. Am I going slower or faster? I have no idea. Just go as fast as you can I tell myself. You don't want to find yourself a second over. Finally, I can see the finish line from a very long way down the flat, straight Ohio drive. It looks so far way. I look at my watch and I'm at about 1:07. I think I'll never get there. I'm now into ragged, freight train breathing now. Nobody around me seems to be breathing this hard. At one point I think I see Bill Rodgers! (No, it's just a girl with short brown hair.) There's an older guy (65+) next to me who's outkicking me. How is he doing that? One minute left. They're screaming in the megaphones to kick. At this point I think I'll never make it. It's so far away. Then suddenly I'm right there at the finish (!) and this easy sprint comes out of nowhere to cross the line. I stop my watch and it says 1:09:48. Last split 6:56. I'm elated. It was very, very hard and I did it. No regrets. Not a thing I'd have done differently. Just a perfect race.
Next stop is the frederick marathon (after my backup 10-miler that I'm now running as a training run).
I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler today. The weather was perfect -- cool (50 degrees) and overcast with light winds. This is a very fast course where world records have been set. If I didn't have a good race, I'd have no excuses.
I ran a 5M PR of 34:20 at the end of January, which is my best race by a good bit. According to mcmillan, I could run 1:12 today. The 5M race was extremely hilly though. I've also lost 2 or 3 pounds since then and my long runs have been getting faster at the same heart rate after I started incorporating tempo runs and some hill/intervals the last four weeks. All of this made me think that sub-1:10, while ambitious, was possible. I've been running regularly since 1 Jan 2005 (I had some aborted attempts before that) and an April 10-miler has become my annual fitness test since it was the first distance I ever raced (April 2005). I shocked myself then by running 1:24:49 when I was hoping for 1:40. I met my goal of 1:20 last year running 1:19:25. I'd set this up in my mind as my goal race for the spring. How would I do today?
I was in the green corral, which meant I was in the first wave of the common folk but after the elite and sub-seeded waves went. I did a token 2 minute warmup before I stood and shivered in my short sleeves in the corral. I tried to position myself guestimating at 500 people in front of me (1:10 was around 500th last year). I was afraid I lined up too close to the front, but once we were off, I found myself dodging and weaving to get by people. The green corral is just too big. It goes from 62 minutes to at least 90 and it seems to be a pretty homogeous mix in there.
Last thursday, I did one of my cruise intervals at 7:05 pace. I tried to replicate my breathing and how I felt then during the first mile and it seemed to work. I hit the first mile in 7:12. This 7:12 was probably sub-7 effort though as I dodged people.
The 3-3 breathing I started with gets a little harder to maintain in the second mile. I'm passing people in droves and must be going a min/mi faster than some of them. How were they this far ahead? It doesn't slow me down too much though. Second mile is 6:51. I'm thinking two things: 1) that was my 5K PR pace I set on New Years and 2) I'm back close to 1:10 pace and not feeling too bad.
There are a few gentle inclines now as we approach and pass over the memorial bridge in the third mile. I'm into 2-2 breathing now and I can feel myself over my threshold on a couple of the inclines and back off a little when I feel it. 6:56 for this mile.
I pass the 5K marker and look at my watch. 21:43. My 4 month-old PR is 21:15. (One nice thing about a world class even like this is that I'm pretty sure of all the markers.) We turn onto rock creek parkway, which I remember from last year has a slight uphill grade. I believe I picked it up slightly reacting to the fall off in time between mile 2 and 3. This split is 6:51.
The fifth mile is *very* slightly uphill I think but we're basically in the flat section. The lead elite woman (who had a head start) comes flying by the other way. Nobody is anywhere close to her. We also start to see the elite men and someone says, "they look like they're in such pain." I'm thinking, "that will be us in about four miles." Split is 6:53. It's starting to get hard, but I think that it's supposed to be hard halfway through a 10-miler.
Mile 6 is slightly uphil, but it's definitely uphill. I fade some along with everyone else. I spend some effort dodging people and I notice some people passing me for the first time. I'm just hoping to hit that turnaround between 6 and 7 with enough left to go for it. I pass the 10K mark in 43:14. (My PR from Feb 2006 is 47:21.) Split is 7:05.
We turn around in middle Mile 7 and I think I pick it up a little on the downhill half, but my split is 7:07. Oh no, I'm letting it slip away! Need to push up the effort.
Mile 8 is pure downhill (although slight) and I'm hoping to get back to those low 6:50's as I'm now working hard. Split is 7:00. For the first time I think to look at my overall time and not just the split. It's couple of seconds after I hit the lap button and I see 55:59. 1 second in the bank. I'm running 7:00 min/mi on the downhill with one second in the bank. (Turns out I actually had a whopping 6 seconds in the bank.) I'm going to have to work harder.
Mile 9 is back on the flat part. I'm running hard but can't let it all out just yet. I'm hoping to get anywhere near 7 on this split and then hope I can sprint in at the end and gain back whatever seconds I lose. Late in this mile when it gets hard, I think about what it would be like to be on the edge of a boston qualifier and whether I'd gut it out and make it. I decide I'm going to prove to myself I can gut it out. Split is 6:59. I'm going to need another sub-7 in the last mile.
I pick it up as much as I can, but I can't sprint yet. I'm passing people, but others are passing me. Am I going slower or faster? I have no idea. Just go as fast as you can I tell myself. You don't want to find yourself a second over. Finally, I can see the finish line from a very long way down the flat, straight Ohio drive. It looks so far way. I look at my watch and I'm at about 1:07. I think I'll never get there. I'm now into ragged, freight train breathing now. Nobody around me seems to be breathing this hard. At one point I think I see Bill Rodgers! (No, it's just a girl with short brown hair.) There's an older guy (65+) next to me who's outkicking me. How is he doing that? One minute left. They're screaming in the megaphones to kick. At this point I think I'll never make it. It's so far away. Then suddenly I'm right there at the finish (!) and this easy sprint comes out of nowhere to cross the line. I stop my watch and it says 1:09:48. Last split 6:56. I'm elated. It was very, very hard and I did it. No regrets. Not a thing I'd have done differently. Just a perfect race.
Next stop is the frederick marathon (after my backup 10-miler that I'm now running as a training run).
Monday, March 26, 2007
week of 26 March
Mo - 4.1
Usual nbhrd route. Like Sat, this was faster than normal, although my heart rate was a couple of beats higher. I forgot to mention one pain from yesterday. I did these ankle extension stretch in "Explosive Running" that left my shins sore I think. I could still feel it today although I don't think it had any effect. I'm running into work tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'll get in those hills that I though helped me last week. I could use the hill at the lake, but it only comes 21 or 22 minutes into the run. I'd like a little more of a warmup and jogging these last hour and a half after that might not be too fun. Still, it's probably the best option if I want to do hills. The other possible is to do short 5K pace intervals. This tweaked my hamstring last week though. Still feeling the PF from yesterday. Weighed 158.
Tu - 10.5
1:39:20/142 (9:30 min/mi) Ran to work. Run to the trail head felt *very* easy. 21:59 there, which is fairly typical, but my heart rate only averaged 130. Tried to do some short hard effort, trying to take advantage of some hills and some short hard efforts, shooting for 2:15 of hard running because I figure Benji did those 800m in something like that (he was actually probably more like 2:05-2:10). I ended up doing 7 of these along the way with varied rest (because of traffic lights, etc.). I hit about 174 bpm at the end of most of these. I had planned to do 8 but my legs felt kind of heavy and I did the last one slowly (only hit 167), so I decided to quite while I was ahead. My PF is really bothering me as I sit here at the computer. I think it was aggravated on Sunday's 20-miler. I'm not sure if it was the increased workload last week (adding those 4 hills on Tuesday) or maybe it's doing my long runs in my wave riders or doing more runs in the precisions? Weighed 159 when I got home from work. I expected higher since I'm usually up a few pounds in the evening.
We - 4.1
Round the neighborhood. 63 degrees this morning? I thought I'd get at least a few weeks of running in the low- to mid-50s. I realized that my hamstring didn't bother me at all during the hard sections yesterday. Weighed 157 this morning after the run. First time I've seen that number in at least a dozen years.
Th - 10.5
I ran to work today. With the race on sunday, I couldn't decide quite what to do. Should I do the tempo portion? Should I run the 10.5 or 11.7 mile route? Anyway, I went with the shorter distance and thought I'd do 3 x (8t 4e).
I ended up running the tempo portions not nearly as hard as before. The tempo intervals were 7:45/163 (max 168) pace unknown, 5:26/158 (max 162) pace unknown, 8:05/165 (max 171) pace 7:06. I forgot to remember the street where I stopped the first tempo run. Using gmap the distance was either 1.036 or 1.236. The first would be 7:28 pace and I'm was quite sure I ran the first interval much faster than the last, but the second would give 6:16 pace which I've never come close to in my life. Must be the 7:28 I guess, but I don't see how. The second tempo stopped at a red light unfortunately and never really got going. No idea how long it was. Turns and hills and darkness along with a general lack of focus kept me from running it very hard. There was then a longer rest (6 minutes) between the 2nd and third for lights and getting to a good stretch of road. I'm quite sure of where I started and stopped the third interval and gmap put it at 1.138 miles which is 7:06 pace. When I was running it my breathing was 3-3 and it didn't feel bad. I was debating whether it was marathon pace or a little faster. No way I'm in that kind of shape. Maybe I should start the 10-miler at this pace. I believe the heart rate is similar to the first mile of annapolis last summer, but that was starting cold. Anyway, good run today. Probably should have run easy and tapered for Sunday, but this gave me confidence and a good feel for a starting pace.
The first tempo was 2-2 breathing and the last was 3-3 breathing (almost as fast as I could go with 3-3 breathing). I found an interesting article on what breathing should be like for tempo runs. He suggest 2-2 breathing is right for a 20-minute tempo runs but notes for cruise intervals (what I was doing) it might not take hold by the time you're finished.
Weighed and measured myself on the dr.'s scale at the work gym -- 69.5'' and 160-1/8 pounds.
Fr - 4.1
Around the neighborhood. Pace was 9:33. Heart rate was 136. Last fall in the week before MCM I did 2 full loops at 9:33 pace and 139 heart rate, which is probably equivalent considering it was a longer distance. I think my pace is definitely better at higher heart rates, but I don't think it's better at low ones. Not sure what that means for the marathon.
Sa - 4.1
Same as yesterday. 9:31 pace today and 136 heart rate. I also felt about like I did last Saturday. Still a little stiff and it felt a little harder than it should for the pace/heart rate. Last Sunday I had a great long run, so hopefully tomorrow's race will go the same way. I looked back at the logs from the week before MCM to make a better comparison. The first lap (which is the same route) on one of those was 27:58/136. Today was 28:03/133. Definitely a little better today.
Su - 10 race
1:09:48/180. Perfect day. Fantastic. See previous post. My heart rate average 4 bpm lower than Annapolis. This seems to be the effect tempo runs (and races have on me). I wonder if tapering will mean my heart rate will be back up to its usual 173 for marathons or whether it will be something lower.
week
47 miles
shoes
wp6-1: 76 + 33 = 109
wr10-1: 321 + 14 = 335
I might have run 4 in the wave riders instead of 14, but I'm not sure. Next week I'll probably do my long run in the precisions for the first time.
Usual nbhrd route. Like Sat, this was faster than normal, although my heart rate was a couple of beats higher. I forgot to mention one pain from yesterday. I did these ankle extension stretch in "Explosive Running" that left my shins sore I think. I could still feel it today although I don't think it had any effect. I'm running into work tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'll get in those hills that I though helped me last week. I could use the hill at the lake, but it only comes 21 or 22 minutes into the run. I'd like a little more of a warmup and jogging these last hour and a half after that might not be too fun. Still, it's probably the best option if I want to do hills. The other possible is to do short 5K pace intervals. This tweaked my hamstring last week though. Still feeling the PF from yesterday. Weighed 158.
Tu - 10.5
1:39:20/142 (9:30 min/mi) Ran to work. Run to the trail head felt *very* easy. 21:59 there, which is fairly typical, but my heart rate only averaged 130. Tried to do some short hard effort, trying to take advantage of some hills and some short hard efforts, shooting for 2:15 of hard running because I figure Benji did those 800m in something like that (he was actually probably more like 2:05-2:10). I ended up doing 7 of these along the way with varied rest (because of traffic lights, etc.). I hit about 174 bpm at the end of most of these. I had planned to do 8 but my legs felt kind of heavy and I did the last one slowly (only hit 167), so I decided to quite while I was ahead. My PF is really bothering me as I sit here at the computer. I think it was aggravated on Sunday's 20-miler. I'm not sure if it was the increased workload last week (adding those 4 hills on Tuesday) or maybe it's doing my long runs in my wave riders or doing more runs in the precisions? Weighed 159 when I got home from work. I expected higher since I'm usually up a few pounds in the evening.
We - 4.1
Round the neighborhood. 63 degrees this morning? I thought I'd get at least a few weeks of running in the low- to mid-50s. I realized that my hamstring didn't bother me at all during the hard sections yesterday. Weighed 157 this morning after the run. First time I've seen that number in at least a dozen years.
Th - 10.5
I ran to work today. With the race on sunday, I couldn't decide quite what to do. Should I do the tempo portion? Should I run the 10.5 or 11.7 mile route? Anyway, I went with the shorter distance and thought I'd do 3 x (8t 4e).
I ended up running the tempo portions not nearly as hard as before. The tempo intervals were 7:45/163 (max 168) pace unknown, 5:26/158 (max 162) pace unknown, 8:05/165 (max 171) pace 7:06. I forgot to remember the street where I stopped the first tempo run. Using gmap the distance was either 1.036 or 1.236. The first would be 7:28 pace and I'm was quite sure I ran the first interval much faster than the last, but the second would give 6:16 pace which I've never come close to in my life. Must be the 7:28 I guess, but I don't see how. The second tempo stopped at a red light unfortunately and never really got going. No idea how long it was. Turns and hills and darkness along with a general lack of focus kept me from running it very hard. There was then a longer rest (6 minutes) between the 2nd and third for lights and getting to a good stretch of road. I'm quite sure of where I started and stopped the third interval and gmap put it at 1.138 miles which is 7:06 pace. When I was running it my breathing was 3-3 and it didn't feel bad. I was debating whether it was marathon pace or a little faster. No way I'm in that kind of shape. Maybe I should start the 10-miler at this pace. I believe the heart rate is similar to the first mile of annapolis last summer, but that was starting cold. Anyway, good run today. Probably should have run easy and tapered for Sunday, but this gave me confidence and a good feel for a starting pace.
The first tempo was 2-2 breathing and the last was 3-3 breathing (almost as fast as I could go with 3-3 breathing). I found an interesting article on what breathing should be like for tempo runs. He suggest 2-2 breathing is right for a 20-minute tempo runs but notes for cruise intervals (what I was doing) it might not take hold by the time you're finished.
Weighed and measured myself on the dr.'s scale at the work gym -- 69.5'' and 160-1/8 pounds.
Fr - 4.1
Around the neighborhood. Pace was 9:33. Heart rate was 136. Last fall in the week before MCM I did 2 full loops at 9:33 pace and 139 heart rate, which is probably equivalent considering it was a longer distance. I think my pace is definitely better at higher heart rates, but I don't think it's better at low ones. Not sure what that means for the marathon.
Sa - 4.1
Same as yesterday. 9:31 pace today and 136 heart rate. I also felt about like I did last Saturday. Still a little stiff and it felt a little harder than it should for the pace/heart rate. Last Sunday I had a great long run, so hopefully tomorrow's race will go the same way. I looked back at the logs from the week before MCM to make a better comparison. The first lap (which is the same route) on one of those was 27:58/136. Today was 28:03/133. Definitely a little better today.
Su - 10 race
1:09:48/180. Perfect day. Fantastic. See previous post. My heart rate average 4 bpm lower than Annapolis. This seems to be the effect tempo runs (and races have on me). I wonder if tapering will mean my heart rate will be back up to its usual 173 for marathons or whether it will be something lower.
week
47 miles
shoes
wp6-1: 76 + 33 = 109
wr10-1: 321 + 14 = 335
I might have run 4 in the wave riders instead of 14, but I'm not sure. Next week I'll probably do my long run in the precisions for the first time.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
week of 19 March
Mo - 4.11
Jog around neighborhood. Not nearly as sore as last Monday. Ice baths are good?
Tu - 8.8 miles
Bad run today. One neighborhood lap then to the 0.1-mile/lap school track. Planned to do something like 6-7 x 800m (5 laps) as Benji calls for. I was thinking that 800m seemed long and maybe I should cut it down. I don't understand why the rest of the program is time-based but not the intervals? Anyway, on the 5th lap of the first rep I aggravated my hamstring and called it off. Continued jogging and then for some reason to try some hills. This doesn't bother my hamstring nearly as much. Did 4 hills in 67-70 second, which I believe is 7:30-7:45 pace for that hill. On the fourth one, my form was getting ragged and I could feel my hamstring, so I called it off and did another nbhrd lap.
We - 4.0
Hotel treadmill. Blah.
Th - 11.7
1:45:35/154 (9:01 min/mi). Ran to work with some short tempo runs. I noticed my legs felt a little different. A little stronger. I'm going to pretend it was the hills on Tuesday. warmup 29:01/~138, 10:14/169 (max 172) pace unknown (6:50?), recover 5:22/152, 10:02/175 (max 179) pace unknown, recover 7:10/155 (longer b/c of light/roads), 10:30/171 (max 177) pace 7:23, cooldown 33:17/147. Last tempo was definitely the slowest. First was definitely the quickest. 6:50 seems too fast but that seems to be what gmap is telling me. Worst case is 7:08 which includes the time for me to pick up my blinky light that fell and assumes I stopped one intersection earlier than I think I did. My heart rates were relatively low for 10-mile pace. I was at 180 bpm by 10 minutes into Annapolis. As I was doing the tempo runs though I was thinking I would have a hard time maintaining that for 10 miles. Maybe something magical happens during a race or maybe this is the effect I've noticed where my heart rates are lower for a given pace as I'm tired, but I'm not able to average a higher pace.
Fr - 4.1
40:57/??? (9:58 min/mi) Usual nbrhd route. No HRM today. Just plodded along and ran about my usual time ~41 minutes. Little nagging pains. Felt my *right* hamstring just a little and a little pain below the inside, left ankle. My PF grabbed me in the car on the way to work. I think those stupid shoes (black, lace-up oxfords) I wore to work yesterday set me back. Weighed 159 this morning.
Sa - 4.1
39:42/136 (9:39 min/mi). Same route as yesterday. Legs felt better (not perfect) but this felt harder than I thought it should despite a pretty low heart rate. My pace, however, was better than expected. Weighed 161. Not sure why the gain. Ate some salty pizza last night and had a couple of diet drinks after running and before weighing myself.
Su - 20.3
3:10:30/147 (9:23 min/mi). 4 laps around the lake + out and back. Great run. The first lap felt like yesterday. I seemed to be breathing heavier than expected but my heart rate was low and the first laps was 44 minutes which is faster than the first lap the previous two weeks doing this route. The rest was a (relative breeze). The last lap+ was easier than last week. Over the three weeks, my pace has improved from 9:41 to 9:35 to 9:23 while my heart rate has dropped from 152 to 151 to 147. I'd be worried that I was overtraining and being tired was lowering my heart rate except that this didn't feel that hard. Nevertheless, I suspect I'm not going to be able to get in the 180s easily at Cherry Blossom. We'll see. Didn't feel the hamstring *at all* today. Took a cold water bath. Weighed 158 after running and after drinking 30-40 oz of liquids.
Miles
57 miles
Shoes
wc10-1: 285 + 36 = 321
wp6-1: 55 + 21 = 76
I wore the wp6-1 on 3 easy days and the hill day. I'll probably wear all this week except maybe one medium long run.
Jog around neighborhood. Not nearly as sore as last Monday. Ice baths are good?
Tu - 8.8 miles
Bad run today. One neighborhood lap then to the 0.1-mile/lap school track. Planned to do something like 6-7 x 800m (5 laps) as Benji calls for. I was thinking that 800m seemed long and maybe I should cut it down. I don't understand why the rest of the program is time-based but not the intervals? Anyway, on the 5th lap of the first rep I aggravated my hamstring and called it off. Continued jogging and then for some reason to try some hills. This doesn't bother my hamstring nearly as much. Did 4 hills in 67-70 second, which I believe is 7:30-7:45 pace for that hill. On the fourth one, my form was getting ragged and I could feel my hamstring, so I called it off and did another nbhrd lap.
We - 4.0
Hotel treadmill. Blah.
Th - 11.7
1:45:35/154 (9:01 min/mi). Ran to work with some short tempo runs. I noticed my legs felt a little different. A little stronger. I'm going to pretend it was the hills on Tuesday. warmup 29:01/~138, 10:14/169 (max 172) pace unknown (6:50?), recover 5:22/152, 10:02/175 (max 179) pace unknown, recover 7:10/155 (longer b/c of light/roads), 10:30/171 (max 177) pace 7:23, cooldown 33:17/147. Last tempo was definitely the slowest. First was definitely the quickest. 6:50 seems too fast but that seems to be what gmap is telling me. Worst case is 7:08 which includes the time for me to pick up my blinky light that fell and assumes I stopped one intersection earlier than I think I did. My heart rates were relatively low for 10-mile pace. I was at 180 bpm by 10 minutes into Annapolis. As I was doing the tempo runs though I was thinking I would have a hard time maintaining that for 10 miles. Maybe something magical happens during a race or maybe this is the effect I've noticed where my heart rates are lower for a given pace as I'm tired, but I'm not able to average a higher pace.
Fr - 4.1
40:57/??? (9:58 min/mi) Usual nbrhd route. No HRM today. Just plodded along and ran about my usual time ~41 minutes. Little nagging pains. Felt my *right* hamstring just a little and a little pain below the inside, left ankle. My PF grabbed me in the car on the way to work. I think those stupid shoes (black, lace-up oxfords) I wore to work yesterday set me back. Weighed 159 this morning.
Sa - 4.1
39:42/136 (9:39 min/mi). Same route as yesterday. Legs felt better (not perfect) but this felt harder than I thought it should despite a pretty low heart rate. My pace, however, was better than expected. Weighed 161. Not sure why the gain. Ate some salty pizza last night and had a couple of diet drinks after running and before weighing myself.
Su - 20.3
3:10:30/147 (9:23 min/mi). 4 laps around the lake + out and back. Great run. The first lap felt like yesterday. I seemed to be breathing heavier than expected but my heart rate was low and the first laps was 44 minutes which is faster than the first lap the previous two weeks doing this route. The rest was a (relative breeze). The last lap+ was easier than last week. Over the three weeks, my pace has improved from 9:41 to 9:35 to 9:23 while my heart rate has dropped from 152 to 151 to 147. I'd be worried that I was overtraining and being tired was lowering my heart rate except that this didn't feel that hard. Nevertheless, I suspect I'm not going to be able to get in the 180s easily at Cherry Blossom. We'll see. Didn't feel the hamstring *at all* today. Took a cold water bath. Weighed 158 after running and after drinking 30-40 oz of liquids.
Miles
57 miles
Shoes
wc10-1: 285 + 36 = 321
wp6-1: 55 + 21 = 76
I wore the wp6-1 on 3 easy days and the hill day. I'll probably wear all this week except maybe one medium long run.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
week of 12 March
Mo - 4.1
41:07/137. Plain old recovery run. shoes: wp6-1
Tu - 10.5
1:47:01/136. Ran to work. Benji would call for 6x800 hard or something, but I don't think I'm up to this yet. 10+ miles will have to be a big enough day for Tuesday. I just ran slowly and concentrated on my form. I actually found myself doing ball-heel-toe running I believe. Not sure I'm doing it right. My knees were a little more bent than normal. This evening, my right hip is a little sore, but perhaps that's from using them as I should be. The shoe heel seemed to get in the way a little. shoes: wr9-1
We - 4.1
41:06/134. One second slower than Monday. Heart rate was lower though. I believe it was a little higher on Monday from the long run the day before.
Th - 10.5
Ran to work. Weather said 58 deg! I think it was actually about 5 degrees cooler, which is even better. I planned on working in 3 x (10 tempo/5 easy), but wasn't sure how it would work with the traffic lights. It ended up 29:57/133 wup, 10:55/162 (max 168), 8:30/146, 11:06/165 (max 173), 5:04/144, 7:04/169 (max 178 -- uphill), 24:50/145 cdn. I'm not sure of the distances, for the first two but I believe the last was .97 miles (7:17 pace) based on google earth. It's possible I started one driveway later than I remember and it was actually 7:45 pace, but I don't think so. I felt like the last tempo was the slowest of the three despite the higher heart rate (it takes me about 3 miles to get up to heart rate in a 10M race, so this is expected). I also think these were probably slower than 10M pace, but it's hard to tell. I have a very hard time pushing myself outside of races. The back of my left leg was getting pretty tight at the end of the last tempo, which is worrisome.
I worked on my form during the tempo's and I think something clicked. I was driving my knees forward more and picking up my feet more (coming closer to kicking myself in the rear). Sometimes I felt like I was picking them up before they landed. Anyway, it seemed faster and also seemed to take some pressure off my hamstrings. If my legs get out in front, I'm loading the back of my legs as I brake and than contracting them against that resistance to "paw" my way forward, which can't be good.
Fr - 4.05
Ran on the treadmill. Strangely, I wasn't sore at all from Thursday. Last week I was sore for two days after the tempo run. Maybe it's because I ran the tempo a little slower? Weighed 163 this morning. Argh. Where did that weight loss go? I did eat like a pig two days this week, but not that much!
Sa - 4.11
38:59/139. One and a half nbrhd loops. I was surprised to see 134 bpm shortly after I started. It was in the 20s and I tend to start faster when it's cold. I think I'm just trying to get warm. Anyway it ended up 9:29 pace. That seems about what it was on some short runs before I did the marathon in October for about the same heart rate. I think I'm in better shape though. I felt something on the right side of my left knee before I started, but didn't feel it during or after. Hopefully nothing. I could still feel my hamstring, but it didn't affect my running. I weighed 158 this morning, which was pretty surprising.
Su - 20.3
3:14:11/150. Ran this like last week, but a little harder (paricularly in the last lap+). Pace was 9:35 min/mi, about what I was shooting for. That's 30 sec/mi slower than Benji's schedule. I thought about making this 3h30m, but I was pretty spent and weenied out. I think Before I do more than 20 miles, I think I'll have to be faster, so I can do it with less time on my feet. Didn't feel the knee thing from yesterday at all until I started walking after I was done. Strange. Weighed 159 after my run (and after eating and drinking 40-50 oz of fluid).
week
57.6 miles
shoes
Did all the 40 min runs in wave precisions and the rest in wave riders.
wp6-1: 38 + 17 = 55
wr10-1: 244 + 41 = 285
41:07/137. Plain old recovery run. shoes: wp6-1
Tu - 10.5
1:47:01/136. Ran to work. Benji would call for 6x800 hard or something, but I don't think I'm up to this yet. 10+ miles will have to be a big enough day for Tuesday. I just ran slowly and concentrated on my form. I actually found myself doing ball-heel-toe running I believe. Not sure I'm doing it right. My knees were a little more bent than normal. This evening, my right hip is a little sore, but perhaps that's from using them as I should be. The shoe heel seemed to get in the way a little. shoes: wr9-1
We - 4.1
41:06/134. One second slower than Monday. Heart rate was lower though. I believe it was a little higher on Monday from the long run the day before.
Th - 10.5
Ran to work. Weather said 58 deg! I think it was actually about 5 degrees cooler, which is even better. I planned on working in 3 x (10 tempo/5 easy), but wasn't sure how it would work with the traffic lights. It ended up 29:57/133 wup, 10:55/162 (max 168), 8:30/146, 11:06/165 (max 173), 5:04/144, 7:04/169 (max 178 -- uphill), 24:50/145 cdn. I'm not sure of the distances, for the first two but I believe the last was .97 miles (7:17 pace) based on google earth. It's possible I started one driveway later than I remember and it was actually 7:45 pace, but I don't think so. I felt like the last tempo was the slowest of the three despite the higher heart rate (it takes me about 3 miles to get up to heart rate in a 10M race, so this is expected). I also think these were probably slower than 10M pace, but it's hard to tell. I have a very hard time pushing myself outside of races. The back of my left leg was getting pretty tight at the end of the last tempo, which is worrisome.
I worked on my form during the tempo's and I think something clicked. I was driving my knees forward more and picking up my feet more (coming closer to kicking myself in the rear). Sometimes I felt like I was picking them up before they landed. Anyway, it seemed faster and also seemed to take some pressure off my hamstrings. If my legs get out in front, I'm loading the back of my legs as I brake and than contracting them against that resistance to "paw" my way forward, which can't be good.
Fr - 4.05
Ran on the treadmill. Strangely, I wasn't sore at all from Thursday. Last week I was sore for two days after the tempo run. Maybe it's because I ran the tempo a little slower? Weighed 163 this morning. Argh. Where did that weight loss go? I did eat like a pig two days this week, but not that much!
Sa - 4.11
38:59/139. One and a half nbrhd loops. I was surprised to see 134 bpm shortly after I started. It was in the 20s and I tend to start faster when it's cold. I think I'm just trying to get warm. Anyway it ended up 9:29 pace. That seems about what it was on some short runs before I did the marathon in October for about the same heart rate. I think I'm in better shape though. I felt something on the right side of my left knee before I started, but didn't feel it during or after. Hopefully nothing. I could still feel my hamstring, but it didn't affect my running. I weighed 158 this morning, which was pretty surprising.
Su - 20.3
3:14:11/150. Ran this like last week, but a little harder (paricularly in the last lap+). Pace was 9:35 min/mi, about what I was shooting for. That's 30 sec/mi slower than Benji's schedule. I thought about making this 3h30m, but I was pretty spent and weenied out. I think Before I do more than 20 miles, I think I'll have to be faster, so I can do it with less time on my feet. Didn't feel the knee thing from yesterday at all until I started walking after I was done. Strange. Weighed 159 after my run (and after eating and drinking 40-50 oz of fluid).
week
57.6 miles
shoes
Did all the 40 min runs in wave precisions and the rest in wave riders.
wp6-1: 38 + 17 = 55
wr10-1: 244 + 41 = 285
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
week of 5 March
Mo - 5.9
Two neighborhood loops. Chest still isn't clear, but heart rate/pace back to normal.
Tu - 8.3
Finally got back to my lake a lollipop route! I was considering doing 5x800 or something today (want to start introducing some speed a day or two during the week), but I was still sore, so I took it easy. Weighed 159 after my run today! Holy cow. I haven't seen a weight under 160 in probably 10 years. I was ~155 when I graduated from college in 1993.
We - 4.05
Treadmill. Still a little soreness. I want to get completely well before running in to work tomorrow. I'd like to throw in a little tempo running on the way, but there is snow in the forecast, so slogging 10 miles in 3 inches might be all I can handle. Chest still isn't totally clear, but it's close. Weighed 161 after my run today, so yesterday wasn't a total fluke.
Th- 10.0
I did the Benji durden tempo day on the treadmill. I was going to do it on the way to work, but the snow and ice was too much to do a tempo run on. Anyway, I did 30 minutes at mostly 6.2 mph (9:40 pace). I was at 10 min pace but my heart rate didn't even hit 130. I got up to 135 before I started the tempo portion. 12 minutes at 8.4 mph (7:08 min/mi). 3 at 6.0 mph. 12 min at 8.4 mph then 33 minutes of cooldown at 6.0 mph to hit 90 minutes and 10.0 miles total. I felt the hamstring strain again, so it hasn't left, but I'm pretty sure I didn't do any damage. I've read treadmill times are 4% slower than outdoor, but there's no way this was equivalent to 7:26 pace. It was harder than that. I think the pace was right -- supposed to be a pace I could hold for an hour. My heart rate was at 184 at the end of the second interval, which is what I average in my last 10-miler. I messed up on the rest period. I thought it was supposed to be 12 t / 3 e, but it's 12 t / 6e. Weighed 160 this morning.
Fr - 4.0
40:00/135 on the treadmill. Higher heart rate than yesterday's 30 minute warmup warmup. Probably tired. I guess that's expected. Weighed 160 this morning.
Sat - 4.11
One and a half nbhrd loops. This time I was pressed for time, so I did one lap plus the short half of the bow tie (kept going straight up the hill). Weighed 160 again.
Sun - 20.3
I did four loops around lake B (4.6 miles each) plus an out and back to the far side of the dam (.9 5 miles each way). Loops were 45:01/140, 44:29/146, 43:40/155, 44:31/162. Out was 9:13/162, back was 9:25/163. The plan was to roughly follow the benji durden long run prescription. The runner's world article says 9:05 min/mi for a 43 minute 10K runner (which I believe I'd be if I'd run one). I believe 9:05 is based on some predicted marathon pace though and I really doubt my marathon will line up with my 10K (never has yet). I guessed that 9:05 was probably predicted marathon pace (based on 43 minute 10K) plus 90 seconds. The same schedule is in "How to Train" (but expanded to 84 weeks). It says to do long runs at MP + 90-120 secs, so I think my guess is right. Anyway, I was guessing I'm in 3:30 shape (~8 min/mi), so I shot for 9:30 min/mi. After the run today though I'm not so sure I'm in 3:30 shape. Maybe 3:35 to 3:40? We'll see. I'll know a lot more after Cherry Blossom.
Week
56.6 miles
Shoes
wp6-1: 28 + 10 = 38 (need to start wearing these more)
wr10-1: 197 + 47 = 244
Two neighborhood loops. Chest still isn't clear, but heart rate/pace back to normal.
Tu - 8.3
Finally got back to my lake a lollipop route! I was considering doing 5x800 or something today (want to start introducing some speed a day or two during the week), but I was still sore, so I took it easy. Weighed 159 after my run today! Holy cow. I haven't seen a weight under 160 in probably 10 years. I was ~155 when I graduated from college in 1993.
We - 4.05
Treadmill. Still a little soreness. I want to get completely well before running in to work tomorrow. I'd like to throw in a little tempo running on the way, but there is snow in the forecast, so slogging 10 miles in 3 inches might be all I can handle. Chest still isn't totally clear, but it's close. Weighed 161 after my run today, so yesterday wasn't a total fluke.
Th- 10.0
I did the Benji durden tempo day on the treadmill. I was going to do it on the way to work, but the snow and ice was too much to do a tempo run on. Anyway, I did 30 minutes at mostly 6.2 mph (9:40 pace). I was at 10 min pace but my heart rate didn't even hit 130. I got up to 135 before I started the tempo portion. 12 minutes at 8.4 mph (7:08 min/mi). 3 at 6.0 mph. 12 min at 8.4 mph then 33 minutes of cooldown at 6.0 mph to hit 90 minutes and 10.0 miles total. I felt the hamstring strain again, so it hasn't left, but I'm pretty sure I didn't do any damage. I've read treadmill times are 4% slower than outdoor, but there's no way this was equivalent to 7:26 pace. It was harder than that. I think the pace was right -- supposed to be a pace I could hold for an hour. My heart rate was at 184 at the end of the second interval, which is what I average in my last 10-miler. I messed up on the rest period. I thought it was supposed to be 12 t / 3 e, but it's 12 t / 6e. Weighed 160 this morning.
Fr - 4.0
40:00/135 on the treadmill. Higher heart rate than yesterday's 30 minute warmup warmup. Probably tired. I guess that's expected. Weighed 160 this morning.
Sat - 4.11
One and a half nbhrd loops. This time I was pressed for time, so I did one lap plus the short half of the bow tie (kept going straight up the hill). Weighed 160 again.
Sun - 20.3
I did four loops around lake B (4.6 miles each) plus an out and back to the far side of the dam (.9 5 miles each way). Loops were 45:01/140, 44:29/146, 43:40/155, 44:31/162. Out was 9:13/162, back was 9:25/163. The plan was to roughly follow the benji durden long run prescription. The runner's world article says 9:05 min/mi for a 43 minute 10K runner (which I believe I'd be if I'd run one). I believe 9:05 is based on some predicted marathon pace though and I really doubt my marathon will line up with my 10K (never has yet). I guessed that 9:05 was probably predicted marathon pace (based on 43 minute 10K) plus 90 seconds. The same schedule is in "How to Train" (but expanded to 84 weeks). It says to do long runs at MP + 90-120 secs, so I think my guess is right. Anyway, I was guessing I'm in 3:30 shape (~8 min/mi), so I shot for 9:30 min/mi. After the run today though I'm not so sure I'm in 3:30 shape. Maybe 3:35 to 3:40? We'll see. I'll know a lot more after Cherry Blossom.
Week
56.6 miles
Shoes
wp6-1: 28 + 10 = 38 (need to start wearing these more)
wr10-1: 197 + 47 = 244
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
week of 26 February
Mo - 0
I felt sore on Sunday night as I have for weeks, so I decided to sleep in.
Tu - 5.9
Despite a day off, I was still sore, but less so. I decided to run 2 neighborhood loops. Did them right at 10 min/mi and my heart rate was pretty low. 131 for the first lap and 138 for the second. I'm struggling for why I've been so sore. A few factors I can think of: 1) residual soreness from the slightly higher mileage and races; 2) too much time on the treadmill; 3) rotating out my more cushioned wave creations for the wave riders and some on the wave precision; 4) I believe I've lowered my cadence back to where it was. I worked on #4 a little today and I think I felt better. Something also clicked about my form. When I was picking up my right knee a little more and trying to run more fluidly, what I was doing was keeping a balanced rhythm between my left and right legs -- equal time. Normally I tend to abbreviate my stride with my right leg I think. The right one is the one with the turned-out foot.
We - 10.5
1:53:01/135. 10:49 min/mi! Ran to work very slowly. Took 4+ extra minutes on the less than half a mile through the lake because of ice. Even after that I just kept it slow. Hit some lights for a couple of minutes but didn't sweat it. Just covering the miles. Not sure how much I'll do tomorrow. Running around the lake is out of the question. 2 to 3 loops around the neighborhood probably. I'll see how I feel. I plan to run to work on Friday.
Th - 5.86
58:50/138. Considerably worse than Tuesday. Lots of alibis though. I have a chest cold (feels like I'm ripping something out of my lungs when I hack up something). I had a rest day before Tuesday instead of running 10+ miles. I also think the mucinex I took might be affecting me. I've wondered if the Nyquil I took in the days leading up to my disappointing MCM could have contributed.
Fr - 10.5
1:56:43/139. Just when you though I couldn't run any slower! Chest cold is pretty bad. Took about 4 minutes (2 tries) to cross some knee-deep icy water crossing the spillway. After I got to the other side I noticed my alarm was going off and my heart rate was 150. From my log it looks like I peaked at 168! Anyway quite sick, this was purely a transportation run (cover the distance to get to work).
Sat - 4.68
48:29/133. I did one and a "half" neighborhood loops. I was and am sick and wanted to make sure I was recovered for my "hell or high water" 18-miler on Sunday. I have done a run >15 in three weeks and the marathon is only 9 weeks away. Anyway, my "loop" is really a bowtie and I stopped at the "knot" on the second loop (same as the starting point). Per gmap-pedometer.com the distance was 2.93 + 1.75 = 4.68..
Sun - 17.9
3:08:47/140. 10:34 min/mi. This was my "hell or high water" run. Just get my sick butt to cover the distance somehow. I went very slowly, trying to stay under 135 on the way out, which was hard because I had lots of hill and was running straight into 20mph winds gusting to 30. (Starched flags pointing straight at me.) Keeping everything slow though I felt remarkably good though and just jogged along enjoying the music on my shuffle. On the way back I had the wind at my back for half and then it moved to my 9 o'clock with a lot of stiff gusts coming from my 11 o'clock. That's not fair. Anyway, I just grinned and beared it as I took a left into the sustained winds for the last mile.
Shaking the soreness from the weeks of 60 miles with races was the goal and despite being sick I'll say I accomplished that.
week
55 miles
shoes
wr10-1 147 + 50 = 197
wp6-1 23 + 5 = 28
I felt sore on Sunday night as I have for weeks, so I decided to sleep in.
Tu - 5.9
Despite a day off, I was still sore, but less so. I decided to run 2 neighborhood loops. Did them right at 10 min/mi and my heart rate was pretty low. 131 for the first lap and 138 for the second. I'm struggling for why I've been so sore. A few factors I can think of: 1) residual soreness from the slightly higher mileage and races; 2) too much time on the treadmill; 3) rotating out my more cushioned wave creations for the wave riders and some on the wave precision; 4) I believe I've lowered my cadence back to where it was. I worked on #4 a little today and I think I felt better. Something also clicked about my form. When I was picking up my right knee a little more and trying to run more fluidly, what I was doing was keeping a balanced rhythm between my left and right legs -- equal time. Normally I tend to abbreviate my stride with my right leg I think. The right one is the one with the turned-out foot.
We - 10.5
1:53:01/135. 10:49 min/mi! Ran to work very slowly. Took 4+ extra minutes on the less than half a mile through the lake because of ice. Even after that I just kept it slow. Hit some lights for a couple of minutes but didn't sweat it. Just covering the miles. Not sure how much I'll do tomorrow. Running around the lake is out of the question. 2 to 3 loops around the neighborhood probably. I'll see how I feel. I plan to run to work on Friday.
Th - 5.86
58:50/138. Considerably worse than Tuesday. Lots of alibis though. I have a chest cold (feels like I'm ripping something out of my lungs when I hack up something). I had a rest day before Tuesday instead of running 10+ miles. I also think the mucinex I took might be affecting me. I've wondered if the Nyquil I took in the days leading up to my disappointing MCM could have contributed.
Fr - 10.5
1:56:43/139. Just when you though I couldn't run any slower! Chest cold is pretty bad. Took about 4 minutes (2 tries) to cross some knee-deep icy water crossing the spillway. After I got to the other side I noticed my alarm was going off and my heart rate was 150. From my log it looks like I peaked at 168! Anyway quite sick, this was purely a transportation run (cover the distance to get to work).
Sat - 4.68
48:29/133. I did one and a "half" neighborhood loops. I was and am sick and wanted to make sure I was recovered for my "hell or high water" 18-miler on Sunday. I have done a run >15 in three weeks and the marathon is only 9 weeks away. Anyway, my "loop" is really a bowtie and I stopped at the "knot" on the second loop (same as the starting point). Per gmap-pedometer.com the distance was 2.93 + 1.75 = 4.68..
Sun - 17.9
3:08:47/140. 10:34 min/mi. This was my "hell or high water" run. Just get my sick butt to cover the distance somehow. I went very slowly, trying to stay under 135 on the way out, which was hard because I had lots of hill and was running straight into 20mph winds gusting to 30. (Starched flags pointing straight at me.) Keeping everything slow though I felt remarkably good though and just jogged along enjoying the music on my shuffle. On the way back I had the wind at my back for half and then it moved to my 9 o'clock with a lot of stiff gusts coming from my 11 o'clock. That's not fair. Anyway, I just grinned and beared it as I took a left into the sustained winds for the last mile.
Shaking the soreness from the weeks of 60 miles with races was the goal and despite being sick I'll say I accomplished that.
week
55 miles
shoes
wr10-1 147 + 50 = 197
wp6-1 23 + 5 = 28
Monday, February 19, 2007
week of 19 February
[I want to be Ed Whitlock in 40 years, but for now I'd just like his form.]
Mo - 9.41
1:35:00/136 on the home treadmill. I'm thinking of going back to the consistent 80+ minute runs and forget about the 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3 idea.
Tu - 11.2
1:53:01/141. Holiday Inn express out and back. Left groin quite sore at the start.
We - 9.7
1:36:29/136. Holiday inn express out and back (but didn't add the additional ~1.5 miles). I think My form really clicked about 10 minutes into the run. I started running quieter and more fluidly. I believe I was picking my right knee up more and holding my upper body more upright. Anyway, it seemed like my heart rate dropped 3-4 beats keeping the same pace. My pace was nearly identical to yesterday, but my heart rate was much lower. On the way out, I did 49:13/134 (on the watch) compared to yesterday's 49:04/138. I think these 100 minute runs are doing me a lot of good. It feels like I just start to get a little tired after ~85 minutes which is the time my everyday lake A route takes. Maybe I need to stretch that day to day distance, and weekly long runs don't do it (like peddling in too high a gear). Ed "the man" Whitlock does 2-3 hour daily runs at MP+2 minutes. I think he's on to something.
Th - 8.18
1:20:25/137. I believe residual fatigue has built up, which is what I was shooting for. I had the normal 1hr+ tired feeling about 30 minutes in, so if felt harder than my heart rate showed. Anyway, pace/heart rate was still good. I kept up my form. I'm not sure whether I should be leaning forward a bit to push out the back more, which also keep the knees from lifting as much.
Fr - 0
Flew back from the west coast and I've learned not to try and run when doing that. My quads are sore about 6 inches above my knees. Is this from lifting my knees more?
Sat - 8.3
1:23:13/138. Wasn't the usual 8.3. I found out Lake A was unrunnable and continued on Greeley back home and then did a neighborhood loop. Legs kinda sore. I'm not sure about doing 18 tomorrow.
Sun - 13.7
2:30:00/134. Did 7 minutes in the slushy snow and retreated home to the treadmill when it kept filling the heel of my shoe, which felt like running on rocks. I finished on the treadmill in a dreadfully slow pace. I could only stomach 2:30 on the treadmill, so I stopped early. This is two weeks in a row with no long run. I *really* need to get back in the swing next weekend.
week
60 miles
wp6-1: 23 miles (new shoes - wave precision 6)
wr10-1: 110 + 37 = 147
Friday, February 16, 2007
week of 12 February - my first DNF
Mo - 5.9
2 nbhrd loops
Tu - 8.3
lake A lollipop in the snow -- slow and beautiful
We - 7.6
home treadmill -- snow turned to ice
Th - 8.5
more ice, more treadmill
Fr - 3
still icy, sore from treadmilling, and have a 10K tomorrow
Sat - 10K
Pulled hamstring (or lower back of leg above knee) after two perfect miles (6:54 and 6:58 with 6:55 goal pace). Ugh. My first DNF. This is the same injury from the end of the 5-miler two weeks ago. I thought it was gone since I haven't felt it at until until about a half mile into this race. At mile two, I could tell I was doing damage. I had several grab the back of the leg and hop funny moments before I threw in the towel. Mileage was a little over 2 plus a 1 mile jog back and an 18+ minute warmup. Call it 5 miles.
Sun - 10.9
Slow run all over the place. Snow, ice, etc. to slow me down and make me change my route. Leg felt OK at the slow speed. I cut it off at close to 2 hours (and almost 11 min/mi pace!).
week
49 miles (lowest in forever)
shoes
wr10-1: 72 + 38 = 110
wc7-3: 440 + 11 = 451
2 nbhrd loops
Tu - 8.3
lake A lollipop in the snow -- slow and beautiful
We - 7.6
home treadmill -- snow turned to ice
Th - 8.5
more ice, more treadmill
Fr - 3
still icy, sore from treadmilling, and have a 10K tomorrow
Sat - 10K
Pulled hamstring (or lower back of leg above knee) after two perfect miles (6:54 and 6:58 with 6:55 goal pace). Ugh. My first DNF. This is the same injury from the end of the 5-miler two weeks ago. I thought it was gone since I haven't felt it at until until about a half mile into this race. At mile two, I could tell I was doing damage. I had several grab the back of the leg and hop funny moments before I threw in the towel. Mileage was a little over 2 plus a 1 mile jog back and an 18+ minute warmup. Call it 5 miles.
Sun - 10.9
Slow run all over the place. Snow, ice, etc. to slow me down and make me change my route. Leg felt OK at the slow speed. I cut it off at close to 2 hours (and almost 11 min/mi pace!).
week
49 miles (lowest in forever)
shoes
wr10-1: 72 + 38 = 110
wc7-3: 440 + 11 = 451
Saturday, February 10, 2007
week of 5 February
I decided to try and replicated the marathoning start to finish basebuilding approach by doing 7 days this week (no rest) day and following a 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3 pattern. My "unit" was about 6 miles. The week went like
Mon - 6 miles (treadmill - snow)
Still quite sore from the 5 miler
Tue - 6 miles (treadmill)
Still sore.
Wed - 12 miles (treadmill - 7 degrees outside)
The soreness was gone and this wasn't as bad as I'd expected with thanks going to Tivo.
Thu - 5.9 (2 nbhrd loops)
Surprisingly sore in the hamstrings. I think the treadmill had me altering my form.
Fri - 11.7 (ran to work)
I added a 1.25 mile loop to the run to work to get it to 11.7 miles. I ran this harder than my usual slog and got there in 1:50:04/148 (9:25 min/mi). The top of my left foot hurt when I started. I thought my shoes were tied too tight, but that wasn't it. It went away, but I felt it later on the downhills.
Sat - 5.9 (2 nbhrd loops)
My heart rate was quite high for the pace. 56:35/145. Leading up to marine corps I did this loop in 56:07/140, 55:55/139, and 56:05/141. I'm probably just tired from yesterday's effort.
Sun - 17.9 (lake b lollipop)
The mileage for the week (and the harder than usual effort on Friday) caught up with me. At ~1:40, I got the "I'm getting tired" feeling I usually get at 2 hours and my heart rate was near 160 in the last mile or so (I probably picked it up some though). I can't complain though as this carryover effect was basically what I was looking for. The top of my foot hurt again at ~1hr and then later it hurt sharply, but briefly, at ~2 hrs.
I'm considering running a 10K on Saturday. I said I wouldn't but there isn't a good option until 2 weeks before Cherry Blossom. I was hoping to do a 5K the week before Cherry Blossom and 3 weeks in a row isn't good. Anyway, I've got a year old 10K PR of 47:21 that needs trouncing. If you believe the calculators I could do just under 43 minutes based on my 5-mile time.
If I do the 10K, the week could look like 6, 6, 12, 6, 6, 10K, and 18. Not sure where to put the 12 yet though (Tue or Wed).
week
65 miles (most ever by a mile)
wc10-1: 13 + 59 = 72
wc7-3: 434 + 6 = 440
Mon - 6 miles (treadmill - snow)
Still quite sore from the 5 miler
Tue - 6 miles (treadmill)
Still sore.
Wed - 12 miles (treadmill - 7 degrees outside)
The soreness was gone and this wasn't as bad as I'd expected with thanks going to Tivo.
Thu - 5.9 (2 nbhrd loops)
Surprisingly sore in the hamstrings. I think the treadmill had me altering my form.
Fri - 11.7 (ran to work)
I added a 1.25 mile loop to the run to work to get it to 11.7 miles. I ran this harder than my usual slog and got there in 1:50:04/148 (9:25 min/mi). The top of my left foot hurt when I started. I thought my shoes were tied too tight, but that wasn't it. It went away, but I felt it later on the downhills.
Sat - 5.9 (2 nbhrd loops)
My heart rate was quite high for the pace. 56:35/145. Leading up to marine corps I did this loop in 56:07/140, 55:55/139, and 56:05/141. I'm probably just tired from yesterday's effort.
Sun - 17.9 (lake b lollipop)
The mileage for the week (and the harder than usual effort on Friday) caught up with me. At ~1:40, I got the "I'm getting tired" feeling I usually get at 2 hours and my heart rate was near 160 in the last mile or so (I probably picked it up some though). I can't complain though as this carryover effect was basically what I was looking for. The top of my foot hurt again at ~1hr and then later it hurt sharply, but briefly, at ~2 hrs.
I'm considering running a 10K on Saturday. I said I wouldn't but there isn't a good option until 2 weeks before Cherry Blossom. I was hoping to do a 5K the week before Cherry Blossom and 3 weeks in a row isn't good. Anyway, I've got a year old 10K PR of 47:21 that needs trouncing. If you believe the calculators I could do just under 43 minutes based on my 5-mile time.
If I do the 10K, the week could look like 6, 6, 12, 6, 6, 10K, and 18. Not sure where to put the 12 yet though (Tue or Wed).
week
65 miles (most ever by a mile)
wc10-1: 13 + 59 = 72
wc7-3: 434 + 6 = 440
Sunday, February 04, 2007
another week, another race
Mon - 0 -- no sleep, no run
Tues - 8.3 -- usual lake a route
Wed - 10.5 -- ran to work
Th - 8.3 -- usual lake a route
Fr - 5.9 -- 2 nbhrd loops (too icy to run to work)
Sat - 18.4 -- 4 lake b loops
Sun - 7 -- 2 mile warmup + 5-mile race in 34:41
Total: 58 miles
Shoes
wc10-1: 0 + 13 = 13 (new shoes this week)
wc7-3: 389 + 45 = 434 (need another pair to alternate with)
5 mile race
Well, 18 miles on Saturday is not the optimum taper and I felt it as I approached mile 3. The back of my left leg felt really tight and it felt like I was straining it. My 6:47 4th mile was followed by a 7:12 closing mile as I eased up on my leg. Time was 34:41 (25 seconds slower than two weeks ago) on a similarly hard course (maybe a little easier b/c not as many turns). My average heart rate was only 182 though? I average 182 in the NCR half marathon. I think it's hard to get my heart rate up when I'm tired. I saw this at a 10K a year ago when I was in the midst of the hard Pfitz training and only average 176 but a reasonable time for my condition.
It might be time to dance with the one that brung me and go about upping and possibly slowing my training miles back to strictly below 145 -- 7 days a week, run to work twice a week (extending to 12 miles), and no races. Trying to maintain this when on travel is going to be very tough though. I'll pick racing back up at the end of March and maybe run a tune-up 5K prior to my goal 10 miler.
Tues - 8.3 -- usual lake a route
Wed - 10.5 -- ran to work
Th - 8.3 -- usual lake a route
Fr - 5.9 -- 2 nbhrd loops (too icy to run to work)
Sat - 18.4 -- 4 lake b loops
Sun - 7 -- 2 mile warmup + 5-mile race in 34:41
Total: 58 miles
Shoes
wc10-1: 0 + 13 = 13 (new shoes this week)
wc7-3: 389 + 45 = 434 (need another pair to alternate with)
5 mile race
Well, 18 miles on Saturday is not the optimum taper and I felt it as I approached mile 3. The back of my left leg felt really tight and it felt like I was straining it. My 6:47 4th mile was followed by a 7:12 closing mile as I eased up on my leg. Time was 34:41 (25 seconds slower than two weeks ago) on a similarly hard course (maybe a little easier b/c not as many turns). My average heart rate was only 182 though? I average 182 in the NCR half marathon. I think it's hard to get my heart rate up when I'm tired. I saw this at a 10K a year ago when I was in the midst of the hard Pfitz training and only average 176 but a reasonable time for my condition.
It might be time to dance with the one that brung me and go about upping and possibly slowing my training miles back to strictly below 145 -- 7 days a week, run to work twice a week (extending to 12 miles), and no races. Trying to maintain this when on travel is going to be very tough though. I'll pick racing back up at the end of March and maybe run a tune-up 5K prior to my goal 10 miler.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
8 and 18
8 and 18 has a nice ring to it. I did 8.3 on Saturday kind of fast for me 1:16:22/153. I'm a little under the weather (chest cold) and I just felt like getting it done quickly. I dreaded my long run on Sunday (in the rain/snow), but it turned out fine. 18.4 in 3:04 something (just over 10 min/mi). So the week looked like
Mon - 6.0 home tm - wc7-3
Tues - 5.9 hotel tm - wr9-1
Wed - 12.0 hotel tm - wr9-1
Th - 8.4 hotel tm - wr9-1
Fr - 0
Sat - 8.3 lake A lollipop - wc7-3
Sun - 18.4 four lake B loops - wr9-1
week
59 miles
wc7-3: 375 + 14 = 389
wr9-1: 382 + 45 = 427
Really need two new pairs of shoes. I'm debating whether to make one wave precision (one step lighter than wave rider).
Mon - 6.0 home tm - wc7-3
Tues - 5.9 hotel tm - wr9-1
Wed - 12.0 hotel tm - wr9-1
Th - 8.4 hotel tm - wr9-1
Fr - 0
Sat - 8.3 lake A lollipop - wc7-3
Sun - 18.4 four lake B loops - wr9-1
week
59 miles
wc7-3: 375 + 14 = 389
wr9-1: 382 + 45 = 427
Really need two new pairs of shoes. I'm debating whether to make one wave precision (one step lighter than wave rider).
Friday, January 26, 2007
the week of treadmilling
Mon - 6.0 treadmill at home (snow and ice)
Tues - 5.9 hotel tm
Wed - 12.0 hotel tm (I want combat pay for 2hrs on a treadmill)
Th - 8.4 hotel tm
Fr - 0
I did a good job of staying on east coast time and getting up at 3:30am pacific to run before my meetings, but I just couldn't manage to get up at 2:30 on Friday morning before my 6:20 flight.
Monday was wc7-3 shoes and Tu-Th I used wr9-1.
Tues - 5.9 hotel tm
Wed - 12.0 hotel tm (I want combat pay for 2hrs on a treadmill)
Th - 8.4 hotel tm
Fr - 0
I did a good job of staying on east coast time and getting up at 3:30am pacific to run before my meetings, but I just couldn't manage to get up at 2:30 on Friday morning before my 6:20 flight.
Monday was wc7-3 shoes and Tu-Th I used wr9-1.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
last week
Getting out of my habit of daily logs. Here's last week.
Mon - 0
Tues - 8.3
Wed - 10.5 (ran to work)
Th - 0
Fr - 10.5 (ran to work)
Sat - 5 miles race (in 34:17 and a big PR!)
Sun - 18.4 miles (4 loops around lake B)
Saturday was noteworthy because I ran an insanely hilly 5 miler (300 feet of ascent) in 20mph sustained winds and 25 degrees and ran a great time (for me). 34:17 is 1 sec per mile slower than my 5K PR. I have a very sore middle left toe joint to show for it though. I felt good enough to run on Sunday, however, and got the full 18 miles in.
My goal of a sub-21 5K in the spring is looking within reach since I figure I was about 21:10 at the 5K mark in this race after going out too fast :-) The calculators say I can run 1:12 for 10 miles, which would be way ahead of my 1:14 goal for Cherry Blossom. Maybe I should revise those goals.
week
53 miles
shoes
wc7-3: 348 + 27 = 375
wr9-1: 356 + 26 = 382
Need some new shoes soon.
Mon - 0
Tues - 8.3
Wed - 10.5 (ran to work)
Th - 0
Fr - 10.5 (ran to work)
Sat - 5 miles race (in 34:17 and a big PR!)
Sun - 18.4 miles (4 loops around lake B)
Saturday was noteworthy because I ran an insanely hilly 5 miler (300 feet of ascent) in 20mph sustained winds and 25 degrees and ran a great time (for me). 34:17 is 1 sec per mile slower than my 5K PR. I have a very sore middle left toe joint to show for it though. I felt good enough to run on Sunday, however, and got the full 18 miles in.
My goal of a sub-21 5K in the spring is looking within reach since I figure I was about 21:10 at the 5K mark in this race after going out too fast :-) The calculators say I can run 1:12 for 10 miles, which would be way ahead of my 1:14 goal for Cherry Blossom. Maybe I should revise those goals.
week
53 miles
shoes
wc7-3: 348 + 27 = 375
wr9-1: 356 + 26 = 382
Need some new shoes soon.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
8, 8, 8, and 18 miles
I've been lax so here's the week in review.
Got in late Tues, so didn't run Wed.
8.3 miles on lake A lollipop (out, around, and back). 1:21:52/140. wc7-3
8.3 miles on lake A lollipop (out, around, and back). 1:22:14/141. wr9-1
8.3 miles on lake A lollipop (out, around, and back). 1:19:48/145. wc7-3
Today was lake B lollipop (out, around, and back) for 17.9. It was rough today. 3:09:19/145. Felt very steamy -- humid and upper 50s. I haven't slept in a couple of nights -- dog, daughter (not in that order). On the way out, it felt hard and I was up to 145 bpm early on. When I got to the lake, it felt like I'd drift higher if I didn't slow down and I couldn't slow down without giving up my newfound faster cadence. So, I resorted to my old slog. My heart rate was getting into the 150s (and hit 167 late). I took walk breaks every 10 minutes on the way back, not starting until my heart rate went under 130. On one steep uphill that took 5 minutes! I think the walk breaks are a good idea and the recovery time is an indicator of how tired I am. I need to work out some good rule of thumb for the recovery heart rate. 120 + 5 beats for every hour is probably a decent first approximation. I'd need some minimum walk time like 30-60 secs early on.
I should mention that I haven't felt the calf/achilles thingy in about 2 weeks, so I think it's gone. My foot is still killing me though.
week
43 miles
shoes
wc7-3: 331 + 17 = 348
wr9-1: 330 + 26 = 356
Got in late Tues, so didn't run Wed.
8.3 miles on lake A lollipop (out, around, and back). 1:21:52/140. wc7-3
8.3 miles on lake A lollipop (out, around, and back). 1:22:14/141. wr9-1
8.3 miles on lake A lollipop (out, around, and back). 1:19:48/145. wc7-3
Today was lake B lollipop (out, around, and back) for 17.9. It was rough today. 3:09:19/145. Felt very steamy -- humid and upper 50s. I haven't slept in a couple of nights -- dog, daughter (not in that order). On the way out, it felt hard and I was up to 145 bpm early on. When I got to the lake, it felt like I'd drift higher if I didn't slow down and I couldn't slow down without giving up my newfound faster cadence. So, I resorted to my old slog. My heart rate was getting into the 150s (and hit 167 late). I took walk breaks every 10 minutes on the way back, not starting until my heart rate went under 130. On one steep uphill that took 5 minutes! I think the walk breaks are a good idea and the recovery time is an indicator of how tired I am. I need to work out some good rule of thumb for the recovery heart rate. 120 + 5 beats for every hour is probably a decent first approximation. I'd need some minimum walk time like 30-60 secs early on.
I should mention that I haven't felt the calf/achilles thingy in about 2 weeks, so I think it's gone. My foot is still killing me though.
week
43 miles
shoes
wc7-3: 331 + 17 = 348
wr9-1: 330 + 26 = 356
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
disney marathon
Marathon, 4:22:08/159 (9:59 pace)
Just went and ran a marathon. It was very warm, so my heart rates were very high for the pace. We also had 3 (!) bathroom breaks, walked the aid stations/food stations, took pictures, posed with characters, etc., which added at least 5 minutes. I was surprised to find my heart rate in the mid-180's for the last 11 minute mile.
Weekend summary
I viewed the trip as one endurance event: a marathon and a half tucked in 6 days in the parks with the wife and kids. In some ways the running was a break :-) The goal was to make it through the distance in good enough shape that I wouldn't whine when chasing the family around the park on Monday and Tuesday. I ran it with a friend and our strategy was simple: run 10 minute miles both days. 10 min/mi is my typical training pace and we wanted to run slow enough on Saturday, because we figured the worst mistake you could make would be to run Saturday hard enough that you didn't want to run on Sunday. This was really a "for fun" race for me and it made 3 marathons, two halfs, and a 5K in 10 weeks. The last marathon was 6 weeks earlier and I ran it in 3:43, so the 10 min/mi should have been pretty comfortable.
In short, we executed the plan. The three "halves" were 2:11:26, 2:11:09, and 2:10:59 for a 10:00.5 min/mi pace overall. Close enough :-) The evenness of the splits is a little deceiving though as there were 5 bathroom breaks in there, pictures with characters, a stop to kiss my kids, etc. We were rather casual. The splits varied from 9:12 to 11:39 depending on pit stops. Our only big mistake was going out too slow, taking one of our leisurely bathroom breaks in mile 2, and then letting the 4:30 pace group pass us. It then took miles to get past the throng of people behind the 4:30 pacer. As others have said, running through the parks was a blast, but the roads sucked, especially miles 18-22.
It was very warm and at 11am on Sunday it was 79 degrees with a dew point of 67 according the wunderground.com (we finished around 10:22). 10 min/miles in that was much harder than the 40 degree temps in Viriginia and the weather when I ran my last marathon. I felt like I was getting a little overheated at the end and dump several cups of water over my head at each aid station. I was very surprised to see my heart rate in the 180s in the last couple of miles. In fact, my mile 26 average was higher on Sunday.
My 9 year-old son (who saw my at mile 18) was rather unimpressed I guess as the first thing he said to me was, "There was an old man ahead of you. He had a crutch." I later figured out the "old man with a crutch" was the forty-something guy with a huge leg brace that we passed somewhere around mile 20. I have no idea how he ran with that thing.
Above a comparison of my 3:43 marathon and this 4:22 marathon. Notice that my heart rate is fairly close at the 3:30 point even though I ran much slower on Sunday.
wr9-1
week
62 miles
shoes
wc7-3: 315 + 16 = 331
wr9-1: 284 + 46 = 330
Just went and ran a marathon. It was very warm, so my heart rates were very high for the pace. We also had 3 (!) bathroom breaks, walked the aid stations/food stations, took pictures, posed with characters, etc., which added at least 5 minutes. I was surprised to find my heart rate in the mid-180's for the last 11 minute mile.
Weekend summary
I viewed the trip as one endurance event: a marathon and a half tucked in 6 days in the parks with the wife and kids. In some ways the running was a break :-) The goal was to make it through the distance in good enough shape that I wouldn't whine when chasing the family around the park on Monday and Tuesday. I ran it with a friend and our strategy was simple: run 10 minute miles both days. 10 min/mi is my typical training pace and we wanted to run slow enough on Saturday, because we figured the worst mistake you could make would be to run Saturday hard enough that you didn't want to run on Sunday. This was really a "for fun" race for me and it made 3 marathons, two halfs, and a 5K in 10 weeks. The last marathon was 6 weeks earlier and I ran it in 3:43, so the 10 min/mi should have been pretty comfortable.
In short, we executed the plan. The three "halves" were 2:11:26, 2:11:09, and 2:10:59 for a 10:00.5 min/mi pace overall. Close enough :-) The evenness of the splits is a little deceiving though as there were 5 bathroom breaks in there, pictures with characters, a stop to kiss my kids, etc. We were rather casual. The splits varied from 9:12 to 11:39 depending on pit stops. Our only big mistake was going out too slow, taking one of our leisurely bathroom breaks in mile 2, and then letting the 4:30 pace group pass us. It then took miles to get past the throng of people behind the 4:30 pacer. As others have said, running through the parks was a blast, but the roads sucked, especially miles 18-22.
It was very warm and at 11am on Sunday it was 79 degrees with a dew point of 67 according the wunderground.com (we finished around 10:22). 10 min/miles in that was much harder than the 40 degree temps in Viriginia and the weather when I ran my last marathon. I felt like I was getting a little overheated at the end and dump several cups of water over my head at each aid station. I was very surprised to see my heart rate in the 180s in the last couple of miles. In fact, my mile 26 average was higher on Sunday.
My 9 year-old son (who saw my at mile 18) was rather unimpressed I guess as the first thing he said to me was, "There was an old man ahead of you. He had a crutch." I later figured out the "old man with a crutch" was the forty-something guy with a huge leg brace that we passed somewhere around mile 20. I have no idea how he ran with that thing.
Above a comparison of my 3:43 marathon and this 4:22 marathon. Notice that my heart rate is fairly close at the 3:30 point even though I ran much slower on Sunday.
wr9-1
week
62 miles
shoes
wc7-3: 315 + 16 = 331
wr9-1: 284 + 46 = 330
Saturday, January 06, 2007
disney half marathon
half marathon, 2:11:26/152 (10:01 min/mi)
Day one of the Goofy challenge. Basically a medium long run at training pace with some entertainment and heat and humidity. High heart rate for the pace, but it was hot. (70's and humid.)
wr9-1
Day one of the Goofy challenge. Basically a medium long run at training pace with some entertainment and heat and humidity. High heart rate for the pace, but it was hot. (70's and humid.)
wr9-1
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
8 miles
out, around lake, and back, 8.3 miles, 1:22:59/142
I wore the foot pod with the same 1.053 cal factor. It said 8.61 miles. I hit the lap for a distance I thought would be easy to measure with google earth. It said 1.91 versus 1.83 from google earth. 1.83/1.91 * 8.61 = 8.29 so my 8.3 miles looks right and the foot pod wrong. I believe it's "different wrong" than at my parents though, because the 1 mile loop couldn't have been that far off. I had taken the foot pod off the shoe and put it back on. Anyway, the foot pod isn't worth messing with unless you have to.
Normal heart rate/pace today.
wc7-3
I wore the foot pod with the same 1.053 cal factor. It said 8.61 miles. I hit the lap for a distance I thought would be easy to measure with google earth. It said 1.91 versus 1.83 from google earth. 1.83/1.91 * 8.61 = 8.29 so my 8.3 miles looks right and the foot pod wrong. I believe it's "different wrong" than at my parents though, because the 1 mile loop couldn't have been that far off. I had taken the foot pod off the shoe and put it back on. Anyway, the foot pod isn't worth messing with unless you have to.
Normal heart rate/pace today.
wc7-3
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Monday, January 01, 2007
6 miles
treadmill, 6.0 miles/141 (10:29 min/mi)
I unjustifiably maligned the treadmill a little yesterday. My heart rate and pace were more reasonable today, but still not at all good.
I ran with the footpod to check the treadmill. The footpod is miscalibrated but I know by how much. (It showed 1.01 miles on the 1 mile loop at my parents with the current calibration factor and I'm pretty sure the loop is accurate since checking it with gmap-pedometer gave 0.993.) Anyway on the treadmill today I got 6.18 miles on the footpod and 6.00 miles on the treadmill. Adjusting for the 1% footpod error, the treadmill distance would be about 2% lower than the adjusted (6.18/1.01) footpod distance. The calibration I did with the measuring tape and counting rpms said it was the treadmill was reading 2% high. I would think the tape measurer should be accurate, but there wasn't a person running on it, so that might have an effect. It's academic anyway since I'm not going to bother adjusting and I'll just write down what the treadmill shows.
My legs felt absolutely fine today after yesterday's 5K. This is a good sign since I hope to run some Sat 5K's and Sun long runs.
wc7-3
I unjustifiably maligned the treadmill a little yesterday. My heart rate and pace were more reasonable today, but still not at all good.
I ran with the footpod to check the treadmill. The footpod is miscalibrated but I know by how much. (It showed 1.01 miles on the 1 mile loop at my parents with the current calibration factor and I'm pretty sure the loop is accurate since checking it with gmap-pedometer gave 0.993.) Anyway on the treadmill today I got 6.18 miles on the footpod and 6.00 miles on the treadmill. Adjusting for the 1% footpod error, the treadmill distance would be about 2% lower than the adjusted (6.18/1.01) footpod distance. The calibration I did with the measuring tape and counting rpms said it was the treadmill was reading 2% high. I would think the tape measurer should be accurate, but there wasn't a person running on it, so that might have an effect. It's academic anyway since I'm not going to bother adjusting and I'll just write down what the treadmill shows.
My legs felt absolutely fine today after yesterday's 5K. This is a good sign since I hope to run some Sat 5K's and Sun long runs.
wc7-3
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