Well, I'm at the hotel and the wind forecasts haven't subsided, so I don't think they're going to. I saw the finish line today when I went to the expo and felt that wind coming straight down Boylston St. Hopefully a few thousand people in front of me should break it up.
The goal my coach gave me was 3:10-3:12 and I thought that sounded about right. Given the conditions, however, I'll just have to play it by ear. Fortunately, I've done this enough that I think I'm pretty good at that.
Wish me luck.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Too few miles and too much food
I weighed 166 today. Yikes! I saw that once last summer, but this time I don' think it's a blip as I've seen a trend lately. I haven't weighed 166 in 3 years when I was running 40-50 mpw, which is, not coincidentally, what I've been doing lately. Ugh. Since I won't be running more than that for quite a while, I guess I need to figure out how to eat less. My diet is atrocious anyway, so maybe this will inspire me to eat healthier.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
week of 7 April
MPW 48
-- 44.7
Monday, April 6
rest
-- check. It's the weirdest thing. My lower abs are sore. This is new.
2-3 sets max push ups
-- 30 and 6 again. I felt strong then before in my arms/shoulders and probably could have squeezed a few more in, but my lower abs are sore from yesterday
Tuesday, April 7
4-5 mile easy jog
-- 4.4 @ 9:43. Legs good. lower abs sore at first, but felt OK after a mile. I progressed from an opening 10+ minute mile to a wicked fast 9:32.
core plank
-- check
Wednesday, April 8
5-7 mile easy run
-- 6.06. Ran to the lake and back. I stopped going when it was too dark and snowy. I only ran about a mile at the lake, but it was nice. I saw a fox twice (same guy - once out and once back) and what I think was an egret. The steep hill up from the lake yielded a 10:32 mile. Abs still a little sore.
step-ups
-- forgot what I was doing and did the one-leg squats instead, planned to switch with Friday
-- forgot what I was doing and did the one-leg squats instead, planned to switch with Friday
Thursday, April 9
8-10 mile easy run including 10 x 30 sec's @ 5k effort w/30 sec jog rests
-- 9.3 @ 8:27. Still feeling the abs a little
-- 9.3 @ 8:27. Still feeling the abs a little
Forearm Plank w/Alternating Leg Lifts
-- I did these but was cautious because of my lower abdomen
-- I did these but was cautious because of my lower abdomen
Friday, April 10
5-6 mile easy run
-- 5.2 @ 8:39. Right calf a little tight from the 10x30''. Abs still there.
-- 5.2 @ 8:39. Right calf a little tight from the 10x30''. Abs still there.
step-ups
- forgot
Saturday, April 11
- forgot
Saturday, April 11
6-7 mile easy run
-- 6.6 on the treadmill (steady rain outside) @ 9:06 pace (60 min). Abs still there. I can feel it when I cough. It's getting better day-by-day though. Nothing painful. Just there. Calf was OK.
-- 6.6 on the treadmill (steady rain outside) @ 9:06 pace (60 min). Abs still there. I can feel it when I cough. It's getting better day-by-day though. Nothing painful. Just there. Calf was OK.
100 ab exercises
-- B/c of my ab soreness, I skipped this and did the step ups I forgot yesterday. 2 sets of 40.
Sunday, April 12
-- B/c of my ab soreness, I skipped this and did the step ups I forgot yesterday. 2 sets of 40.
Sunday, April 12
11-13 mile moderate run including 20 min progression run beginning at moderate effort and running the last few minutes @ marathon effort. 2-5 min recovery then run 3 x 1 mile alternating every 100m @ 10k effort and marathon goal pace w/2-3 min jog between reps
-- Picked the family up at the airport (in ATL seeing her sister's new baby) at 11pm and my daughter threw up at 1:30am (a little too much fun, food, and excitement), so I wasn't too chipper this morning.
-- 4.3 @ 8:57; 20' progression: 7:57/152bpm, 7:49/158, 4:35(7:22)/167; 8:33 @ 8:40 pace recovery (recovery was too long, but it was hard to work in 20' of clear running room for the progression and then get to track in under 5 minutes).
-- I figured I run 10k on the straights and MP on the curves. 24 sec per 100 happens to be 2400 per 10000m :-) 27 per 100 is 7:15 per mile. Avg should be 6:48 per 1600.
-- It was pretty windy. Wunderground.com show 13 gusting to 24 mph and the flag was pointed straight down the straights.
-- First 1600 was very slow -- 7:02/169. I had to dial it up to get to 10k pace and the first 800m was lots of 28s and 25s.
-- 3:15 rest -- 400m + short trip to porta-pottie :-)
-- 2nd 1600 was almost perfect -- 6:44/176. 24 seconds into the wind was probably pushing 5k pace though
-- 800m rest in 4:11
-- 3rd 1600 was 6:44/180 (max 185!). I hit 23 a few times and was probably too fast, especially in the wind. As the HR indicates this was pretty tough.
-- 1.2 home @ 9:16 pace
-- total: 13.0 @ 8:09
-- I was still feeling my abs (maybe it's psoas?). I can now tell it's mostly on the left side. I've been doing lunges (of sorts) to stretch my psoas before I run, which seems to have done wonders for my runners knee, but I can feel a strain on the left side when I do that now though.
-- Finally did the foam roller tonight.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Running-Specific Circuit Drills
My coach has an article in Running Times on circuit drills. These drills as well as more hill work are the main additions to my training and I think they've made a big difference.
How big a difference? Well, I think my recent PRs exaggerate my improvement a little because I didn't race last fall except the marathon and I was really off my peak fitness that day. (I'd guess I was in more like 1:30-1:31 HM and 67-68 10M shape in October versus 1:29 and 66 this spring.) HOWEVER, I was running low 70s mpw last Fall versus low 60s. The way I'm running is qualitatively different now. I don't have any VO2max test to point to but I'd guess my big improvement has been in efficiency.
I thought miles and weight were the only real variables I had to play with, but now I've PRd while running less miles and weighing more (probably because I'm running less miles). I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do once I'm ready for increased mileage (and lower weight!).
How big a difference? Well, I think my recent PRs exaggerate my improvement a little because I didn't race last fall except the marathon and I was really off my peak fitness that day. (I'd guess I was in more like 1:30-1:31 HM and 67-68 10M shape in October versus 1:29 and 66 this spring.) HOWEVER, I was running low 70s mpw last Fall versus low 60s. The way I'm running is qualitatively different now. I don't have any VO2max test to point to but I'd guess my big improvement has been in efficiency.
I thought miles and weight were the only real variables I had to play with, but now I've PRd while running less miles and weighing more (probably because I'm running less miles). I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do once I'm ready for increased mileage (and lower weight!).
week of 30 March
MPW 41
-- did 38.
Monday, March 30
3-4 mile easy run
-- 3.2 @ 9:10. The second mile was 8:53 and I slowed down thinking that maybe my easy days haven't been easy enough. I didn't feel the hamstring at all.
2-3 sets max push ups
-- 35 and 6
Tuesday, March 31
5-6 mile easy run w/10 strides
-- 5.44 @ 8:58. I'm on auto-pilot with Tues easy runs and totally forgot the strides.
core plank
-- yep
Wednesday, April 1
6-7 mile moderate run including 3 x 1mile alternating every 400m between 10 mile goal pace and marathon goal pace. 2 min jog rest between reps. Full recovery then 4 x 200m @ 5k effort w/200m jog rests.
-- 7.8 miles. Couldn't get this under 7 with the track almost 1.5 from my house.
1.6 warmup
1:48/150 (perfect), 1:43/161 (slow!), 1:49/160 (good), 1:40/165 (perfect)
2:08 rest
1:46/156 (fast), 1:42/165 (slow again!), 1:46/165 (fast again), 1:40/170 (perfect)
2:02 rest
1:46/158 (fast), 1:40/167 (perfect), 1:47/166 (good), 1:39/169 (good)
2:05 rest -- suppose to be full rest. I would have done more, but I was already over 5 miles and I didn't feel like I need any more rest (hr got under 150).
:47/162 (perfect), 1:01 rest, :46/164, 1:02, :47/164, 1:05, :47/163
1.4 cooldown
Thursday, April 2
5-6 mile easy run w/5 x 30 sec’s @ 5k effort w/30 sec jog rests
-- 5.1 @ 8:54 (including the 5x30''). Went fine. I ran by a couple of bus stops at about 6:15 pace and felt like a lunatic.
Friday, April 3
3 mile jog w/6-8 strides
-- 3.2 @ 9:08. Could feel yesterday's 5x30'' a little bit in my calves.
Saturday, April 4
2 mile jog
-- I expected to be jumping out of my shoes, but my legs were a little heavy. Still it was 2 @ 9:01, which is probably a little fast for a "jog." Winds were also 20-30 mph. Hopefully it will die down before tomorrow!
Sunday, April 5
2-3 mile warm up w/10 strides @ ten mile race effort then 10 mile race!! Short cooldown.
-- got in 1 mile with no strides. 10 miles in 66:43! 0.25 mile cooldown.
-- did 38.
Monday, March 30
3-4 mile easy run
-- 3.2 @ 9:10. The second mile was 8:53 and I slowed down thinking that maybe my easy days haven't been easy enough. I didn't feel the hamstring at all.
2-3 sets max push ups
-- 35 and 6
Tuesday, March 31
5-6 mile easy run w/10 strides
-- 5.44 @ 8:58. I'm on auto-pilot with Tues easy runs and totally forgot the strides.
core plank
-- yep
Wednesday, April 1
6-7 mile moderate run including 3 x 1mile alternating every 400m between 10 mile goal pace and marathon goal pace. 2 min jog rest between reps. Full recovery then 4 x 200m @ 5k effort w/200m jog rests.
-- 7.8 miles. Couldn't get this under 7 with the track almost 1.5 from my house.
1.6 warmup
1:48/150 (perfect), 1:43/161 (slow!), 1:49/160 (good), 1:40/165 (perfect)
2:08 rest
1:46/156 (fast), 1:42/165 (slow again!), 1:46/165 (fast again), 1:40/170 (perfect)
2:02 rest
1:46/158 (fast), 1:40/167 (perfect), 1:47/166 (good), 1:39/169 (good)
2:05 rest -- suppose to be full rest. I would have done more, but I was already over 5 miles and I didn't feel like I need any more rest (hr got under 150).
:47/162 (perfect), 1:01 rest, :46/164, 1:02, :47/164, 1:05, :47/163
1.4 cooldown
Thursday, April 2
5-6 mile easy run w/5 x 30 sec’s @ 5k effort w/30 sec jog rests
-- 5.1 @ 8:54 (including the 5x30''). Went fine. I ran by a couple of bus stops at about 6:15 pace and felt like a lunatic.
Friday, April 3
3 mile jog w/6-8 strides
-- 3.2 @ 9:08. Could feel yesterday's 5x30'' a little bit in my calves.
Saturday, April 4
2 mile jog
-- I expected to be jumping out of my shoes, but my legs were a little heavy. Still it was 2 @ 9:01, which is probably a little fast for a "jog." Winds were also 20-30 mph. Hopefully it will die down before tomorrow!
Sunday, April 5
2-3 mile warm up w/10 strides @ ten mile race effort then 10 mile race!! Short cooldown.
-- got in 1 mile with no strides. 10 miles in 66:43! 0.25 mile cooldown.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run
Here's the long race report for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler I ran today.
Left the house at 5:30 and got there around 6:30. It was 47 degrees when I left the house and I didn't detect any wind. No lines (like zero) at the porta-potties all the way up to start time, so thumbs up to the race director! I shivered in my long-sleeve shirt (should have brought a jacket) until the sun came out and I was instantly warmer. It was still 50 degrees or so -- perfect for a 10 miler. The wind was light too, so no excuses today!
I only got a 1 mile warmup in. I started jogging at 7:08 since the race was supposed to start at 7:40, but the announcer kept imploring everyone to get in the corral way early and after a couple of minutes of "final call to get in the corral," I did. Part of the reason for getting in early was that the elite females started at 7:30. You didn't need to get in before 7:30 because they marched everybody forward after the women started. Anyway, I stood there for 20+ minutes before the start.
So, we're off. The new route is the same as last years, but in reverse. This is *much* better because it avoids the funneling into a narrow street in the first mile that we did last year. I found a group to run with and just ran with minimal dodging. The HRM was way off (reading 190+) for the first mile plus. The garmin read ~6:50 at first but settled down and eventually wound down to 6:32 pace (which didn't seem right) by the time I hit the lap button. The was easy enough that I didn't think to look for a mile marker until 12+ minutes in and I looked up and saw mile 2 at the top of memorial bridge. 13:18. Goal pace was 6:42, so 6:39 per mile is pretty nice. I found a rhythm and was going along pretty well. The next split was 6:29. Was it short? No, I think I was going that fast. Looked at my watch at the 5k sign (no pad) -- 20:29. That wouldn't have been a PR this time last year. My heart rate was only 182. I ran the half in January at about that, so I didn't worry. I cruised along for another 6:34 mile and started to think, which probably isn't a good idea. I had an inkling of sub-66, but then I thought I wouldn't goober this up.
Just make sure I hit those 6:40s. 6:41 mile 5. 6:39 mile 6. I had a nice group running an even pace. It started (as it should) to get uncomfortable approaching mile 6. I looked at my watch at the 10k -- 41:10. An unofficial 10k PR. It was started to get harder and my legs were getting a little "lacticy" (to make up a word). It starts to get hard to feel your pace at this point in the race, but I was keeping up with the group and the garmin read 6:39.
Mile 7. 7:06. WTF? I knew it was long, so I say something to the guy next to me expecting an "oh yeah," but he says something like "why do you think so?" Uh, I went 6:40 to 7:06. This was on the spectator-free, lonely part called Hains Point where many a good Marine Corps Marathon race has died, so it was easy to question myself, but still I knew I didn't slow that much, but I figured I did slow and just didn't know how much.
Mile 8. 6:03. OK, mile 7 was long, but 7:06 + 6:03 = 13:09 ~ 6:35/mile. I don't think I sped up. Ah, I'm probably OK. 2 miles left. I decided to look at my elapsed time some time after the mile mark and say 53:35. I'm thinking 13:25 to run two miles. Ack that's 6:42 pace. I've been well under except that last suspect mile. What's going on here. In retrospect, I actually crossed mile 8 at 52:53. Huge difference! Don't try and estimate after you've passed a marker. 2 miles left. Just hang with the people in front of you.
Mile 9. There's a little breeze now as we head north on Hains Point, but not much. My pace reads 6:48 and I can't get it down without hurting more than I feel. I figure the markers were all just screwed and I haven't really slowed yet so I've got a bit of a cushion. Hit the mile marker at 7:00. What? I didn't drop 20 seconds. I now figure that both 7 and 8 were in the wrong place. 7 + 6:03 + 7:08 = 21:11 = ~6:44 pace, which I'll believe. The clock says 61:05 at the mile marker. My watch says 59:53 and I'm figuring if the last mile is reasonably close to a mile then I should make it.
Mile 10. Just hang with some folks and try and run it in. This mile has the only real hill in the course (and it's not *that* bad). It starts just before 800 meters to go. They have a *very* helpful sign there and I figured I could run a 7ish mile and make it at that point. Anyway, we ran up the hill and it hurt and you kind of wind your way to the right, so you get pretty darn close to the finish before you can actually see it. I think I finally saw the clock when it read 1:06:30. For once, I wanted to finish with the clock reading under my goal time (I ran 1:30:01 at carlsbad and 32:0something at the 8k. Anyway, I picked it up and saw 1:06:57 when I crossed. Unambiguous success. Yay, me! I also remembered to stop my watch, which I haven't done in the last two races. It read 1:06:43 (which also is my official chip time).
I planned to run 3 miles to a friend's house, but after stiffening up while waiting 15 minutes for my bag, I ended up taking the train. Here's a note to race organizers. If you assign numbers by projected order of finish and then group bags by bib numbers, you'll end up with a thousand people at two tables while the other 20 sit idle. How hard is this? They could have 10 tables arranged by the last digit of the bib number and serve 10 at a time instead of 2 at a time with half the number of volunteers.
I'm getting nearer one of my long term goals -- a sub-40 10k. If you believe the McMillan calculator this 10 miler was worth a 39:49.
Full splitsahol below.
Left the house at 5:30 and got there around 6:30. It was 47 degrees when I left the house and I didn't detect any wind. No lines (like zero) at the porta-potties all the way up to start time, so thumbs up to the race director! I shivered in my long-sleeve shirt (should have brought a jacket) until the sun came out and I was instantly warmer. It was still 50 degrees or so -- perfect for a 10 miler. The wind was light too, so no excuses today!
I only got a 1 mile warmup in. I started jogging at 7:08 since the race was supposed to start at 7:40, but the announcer kept imploring everyone to get in the corral way early and after a couple of minutes of "final call to get in the corral," I did. Part of the reason for getting in early was that the elite females started at 7:30. You didn't need to get in before 7:30 because they marched everybody forward after the women started. Anyway, I stood there for 20+ minutes before the start.
So, we're off. The new route is the same as last years, but in reverse. This is *much* better because it avoids the funneling into a narrow street in the first mile that we did last year. I found a group to run with and just ran with minimal dodging. The HRM was way off (reading 190+) for the first mile plus. The garmin read ~6:50 at first but settled down and eventually wound down to 6:32 pace (which didn't seem right) by the time I hit the lap button. The was easy enough that I didn't think to look for a mile marker until 12+ minutes in and I looked up and saw mile 2 at the top of memorial bridge. 13:18. Goal pace was 6:42, so 6:39 per mile is pretty nice. I found a rhythm and was going along pretty well. The next split was 6:29. Was it short? No, I think I was going that fast. Looked at my watch at the 5k sign (no pad) -- 20:29. That wouldn't have been a PR this time last year. My heart rate was only 182. I ran the half in January at about that, so I didn't worry. I cruised along for another 6:34 mile and started to think, which probably isn't a good idea. I had an inkling of sub-66, but then I thought I wouldn't goober this up.
Just make sure I hit those 6:40s. 6:41 mile 5. 6:39 mile 6. I had a nice group running an even pace. It started (as it should) to get uncomfortable approaching mile 6. I looked at my watch at the 10k -- 41:10. An unofficial 10k PR. It was started to get harder and my legs were getting a little "lacticy" (to make up a word). It starts to get hard to feel your pace at this point in the race, but I was keeping up with the group and the garmin read 6:39.
Mile 7. 7:06. WTF? I knew it was long, so I say something to the guy next to me expecting an "oh yeah," but he says something like "why do you think so?" Uh, I went 6:40 to 7:06. This was on the spectator-free, lonely part called Hains Point where many a good Marine Corps Marathon race has died, so it was easy to question myself, but still I knew I didn't slow that much, but I figured I did slow and just didn't know how much.
Mile 8. 6:03. OK, mile 7 was long, but 7:06 + 6:03 = 13:09 ~ 6:35/mile. I don't think I sped up. Ah, I'm probably OK. 2 miles left. I decided to look at my elapsed time some time after the mile mark and say 53:35. I'm thinking 13:25 to run two miles. Ack that's 6:42 pace. I've been well under except that last suspect mile. What's going on here. In retrospect, I actually crossed mile 8 at 52:53. Huge difference! Don't try and estimate after you've passed a marker. 2 miles left. Just hang with the people in front of you.
Mile 9. There's a little breeze now as we head north on Hains Point, but not much. My pace reads 6:48 and I can't get it down without hurting more than I feel. I figure the markers were all just screwed and I haven't really slowed yet so I've got a bit of a cushion. Hit the mile marker at 7:00. What? I didn't drop 20 seconds. I now figure that both 7 and 8 were in the wrong place. 7 + 6:03 + 7:08 = 21:11 = ~6:44 pace, which I'll believe. The clock says 61:05 at the mile marker. My watch says 59:53 and I'm figuring if the last mile is reasonably close to a mile then I should make it.
Mile 10. Just hang with some folks and try and run it in. This mile has the only real hill in the course (and it's not *that* bad). It starts just before 800 meters to go. They have a *very* helpful sign there and I figured I could run a 7ish mile and make it at that point. Anyway, we ran up the hill and it hurt and you kind of wind your way to the right, so you get pretty darn close to the finish before you can actually see it. I think I finally saw the clock when it read 1:06:30. For once, I wanted to finish with the clock reading under my goal time (I ran 1:30:01 at carlsbad and 32:0something at the 8k. Anyway, I picked it up and saw 1:06:57 when I crossed. Unambiguous success. Yay, me! I also remembered to stop my watch, which I haven't done in the last two races. It read 1:06:43 (which also is my official chip time).
I planned to run 3 miles to a friend's house, but after stiffening up while waiting 15 minutes for my bag, I ended up taking the train. Here's a note to race organizers. If you assign numbers by projected order of finish and then group bags by bib numbers, you'll end up with a thousand people at two tables while the other 20 sit idle. How hard is this? They could have 10 tables arranged by the last digit of the bib number and serve 10 at a time instead of 2 at a time with half the number of volunteers.
I'm getting nearer one of my long term goals -- a sub-40 10k. If you believe the McMillan calculator this 10 miler was worth a 39:49.
Full splitsahol below.
| mile | split | dist | pace | Avg HR |
| 2 | 13:18 | 2.04 | 6:32 | 185 | -- HRM not working right
| 3 | 6:29 | 1.02 | 6:21 | 182 |
| 4 | 6:34 | 1.07 | 6:09 | 183 |
| 5 | 6:41 | 1.03 | 6:29 | 183 |
| 6 | 6:39 | 1.00 | 6:38 | 184 |
| 7 | 7:06 | 1.07 | 6:39 | 183 |
| 8 | 6:03 | 0.91 | 6:41 | 183 |
| 9 | 7:00 | 1.03 | 6:48 | 185 |
| 10 | 6:50 | 1.02 | 6:42 | 187 |
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
last workout before Cherry Blossom
I can't let Mindi have all the have all the last-workout-before-the-big-race glory, can I? The plan today was 6-7 miles including 3 x 1 mile w/ 2 minute rest and pace alternating between marathon and 10-mile pace every 400m followed by full rest and then 4 x 200m @5k w/2oom rest. I shot for :47 per 200 for 5k (6:18 per mile), 1:40 per 400 for 10-mile (6:42 per mile), and 1:48 per 400 for MP (7:15). Here's how it went:
It didn't feel that hard at all (it should though since it's pretty low intensity and low volume) and the heart rates look good. I'm pretty confident for Sunday. My one worry is that my weight has ballooned. I'm at 165.5! I haven't touched 166 in maybe 3 years (after a year of running). Maybe I'll fly if I can dump some weight.
- 1.6 warmup
- 1:48/150 (perfect), 1:43/161 (slow!), 1:49/160 (good), 1:40/165 (perfect)
- 2:08 rest
- 1:46/156 (fast), 1:42/165 (slow again!), 1:46/165 (fast again), 1:40/170 (perfect)
- 2:02 rest
- 1:46/158 (fast), 1:40/167 (perfect), 1:47/166 (good), 1:39/169 (good)
- 2:05 rest -- suppose to be full rest. I would have done more, but I was already over 5 miles and I didn't feel like I need any more rest (hr got under 150).
- :47/162 (perfect), 1:01 rest, :46/164, 1:02, :47/164, 1:05, :47/163
- 1.4 cooldown
It didn't feel that hard at all (it should though since it's pretty low intensity and low volume) and the heart rates look good. I'm pretty confident for Sunday. My one worry is that my weight has ballooned. I'm at 165.5! I haven't touched 166 in maybe 3 years (after a year of running). Maybe I'll fly if I can dump some weight.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
week of 23 March
MPW - Only 50.7.
Monday, March 23
Rest
-- check
2-3 sets max push ups
-- 30 and 6 again
Tuesday, March 24
5-6 mile easy run
-- went OK. Much better than last Tues (after the 8k)
core plank
-- check
Wednesday, March 25
9-10 mile easy run
-- 9.3 @ 8:31. On the quicker side of easy I guess, but it was Wednesday and I felt pretty good.
2-3 sets max body weight step- ups
-- check. I did 40 and 30 I think.
Thursday, March 26
5-6 mile easy run
-- 5.24 @ 9:06
Forearm Plank w/Alternating Leg Lifts
-- forgot
Friday, March 27
8-10 mile moderate run including Everest Hill drills and 10 x 30 sec
hills @ 3k effort w/jog back rests
-- 9.4 @ 9:06 pace. Did 1x Everest. Felt like doing another for the first time, but I had the hills, so I left it at 1 set. Did 10x30 hills. No clue what 3k effort is but just ran hard and under control.
2 -3 sets max body weight or light weight one leg squats
-- forgot again. Argh. I'm putting "exercise" on my calendar to try and stop this. It's easy for me to remember to run, but I forget about everything else.
Saturday, March 28
7-8 mile easy run including 3 strides then sprint training: 6 x 10 sec's w/60 sec rests
-- 7.0 @ 9:16. I was glad just to get through this. My legs were still sore from Friday
100 reps of abdominal exercises of your choice
-- check (finally remembered!)
Sunday, March 29
12-16 mile total moderate run including 4-6 x 1 mile @ GMP w/1-2 min jog rests then 2-4 x ½ mile @ 10 mile goal pace w/2 min jog rests. Finish run w/3 x 150m cutdowns.
-- I felt oddly stiff when I woke up, especially my calves. I thought I should feel great given the low mileage, but I didn't. It was 50 and "Mist" according to the weather -- like running in a cloud. I thought I'd be cold, but it felt steamy and I regretted my long sleeve shirt pretty quickly. Very strange weather today. The 12-16 scheduled range was a pretty big one. I decided to do 6 x 1 mile and 4x1/2 mile and try to hit 16. Looking at my schedule and seeing the last 20+ miler is 4 weeks from Boston is a little disconcerting and I guess I wanted to pad the mileage even though I know Cherry Blossom next weekend is my goal.
-- Did 5.1 @ 9:03 on the way to the track.
-- Splits were 7:14 (1600), 1:59 (400), 7:12 (1600), 1:58 (400). Then after maybe 200 meters into the next MP interval, my left hamstring started to tighten up and I kept running only to have a small pull after another 200 meters. I actually tried to start up again and realized that was a bad idea. The MP sections were pretty easy. I was hitting 166-167 bpm by the end of each rep.
-- Still determined to get some mileage, I jogged back the long way. 5.2 @ 9:08. My hamstring felt fine at this pace. I kind of slogged my way through though and was glad to be done. Total mileage was 14.44.
-- I did the foam roller later. I'm terrible about this. This is another thing I need to put on my calendar.
Well, one week until Cherry Blossom. I'm sure my hamstring will be
fine. I'm glad I stopped when I did, but 200m earlier would have been
better!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
training - week of 2009.03.16
MPW 66
-- 63.5
Monday, March 16
rest
-- check
2-3 sets max push ups
-- 30 on the 1st and 6 on the 2nd. Pushed it to make to 30 (I like round numbers) and didn't have much left for the 2nd set
Tuesday, March 17
AM: 5-6 mile easy run
-- 5.4 @ 9:32
PM: 3-4 mile easy run
-- 3.2 @ 9:06
core plank
-- check
-- check
Wednesday, March 18
AM: 10-12 mile moderate run including 5 x 10 sec hill sprints and Everest Hill drills and 15 x 1 min hills @ 5k effort w/1 min jog rests
-- 11.5 miles. My legs were sore, but this went fine. I'm not sure I can claim 5k effort though. I ran pretty hard, but my muscles didn't have the oomph to drive the heart rate up.
-- 11.5 miles. My legs were sore, but this went fine. I'm not sure I can claim 5k effort though. I ran pretty hard, but my muscles didn't have the oomph to drive the heart rate up.
PM: 3 mile easy run w/last 10 min @ marathon effort
Wednesday – 2-3 sets max body weight step- ups
-- 3.4 miles. cursed my coach for the first mile, but was ready for marathon effort after the second. 10 minutes at about 7:15 on a 10 laps/mile gravel track
-- forgot step ups
Thursday, March 19
-- forgot step ups
Thursday, March 19
5-6 mile jog
-- slow, tired, sore, unpleasant, but done. 5.0 @ 9:50
-- did yesterday's step ups in AM
-- slow, tired, sore, unpleasant, but done. 5.0 @ 9:50
-- did yesterday's step ups in AM
Forearm Plank w/Alternating Leg Lifts
-- did these in PM
-- did these in PM
Friday, March 20
7-8 mile total moderate run including 3 strides then sprint training:
Use the first few sprints as a warm up and always run in control with good form
3 x 15 sec's w/75 sec rests
3 x 20 sec's w/75 sec rests
2 x 25 sec's w/90 sec rests
- 7.9 @ 8:23 including strides and sprints
Friday - 2 -3 sets max body weight or light weight one leg squats
- 40 left/40 right, 30 left/~10 right. I stopped on right for disturbing, but not painful, clicking sound
Saturday, March 21
4-5 mile easy w/4-6 strides
- 4.6 @ 8:54
100 reps of abdominal exercises of your choice
- forgot, but my excuse is being locked in a hotel room with crazy children
Sunday, March 22
HM workout
20-22 mile total moderate run including 5-7 miles easy before race then 5 miles @ 7:10-7:25 min pace then 3 miles @
6:42 pace then alternate the next 4 miles between 7:10-7:20 min and 6:42 pace. Run the last mile as hard as you desire. 2- 4 mile easy jog cooldown
- Warmup was 6.07 @ 9:12 pace. I got there about 5:50, jogged, hit the porta-john, and jogged some more right up until race time. It was a nightmare getting in the corral, but I made it in 3 minutes before the gun and I ended up starting 20 feet behind the 1:45 pacer. Ugh. They didn't have any water out before the race and I forgot to bring a bottle. So much for the hydration plan
- below are the splits for the race. More babbling below that
Time Distance Split time Split distance Split pace Avg. HR
0:07:25 1.00 7:25 1.00 7:24 161 (81%)
0:14:44 2.00 7:19 1.00 7:19 161 (80%)
0:21:57 3.01 7:12 1.00 7:11 165 (83%)
0:29:09 4.01 7:12 1.00 7:11 166 (83%)
0:36:20 5.02 7:10 1.01 7:08 168 (84%)
0:43:01 6.03 6:41 1.02 6:35 178 (89%)
0:49:26 7.02 6:24 0.98 6:31 179 (90%)
0:56:05 8.02 6:38 1.00 6:38 182 (91%)
1:03:19 9.02 7:14 1.01 7:12 175 (87%)
1:09:58 10.02 6:39 1.00 6:40 180 (90%)
1:17:12 11.03 7:13 1.00 7:12 174 (87%)
1:23:59 12.03 6:46 1.01 6:44 178 (89%)
1:31:08 13.06 7:08 1.03 6:58 177 (89%)
1:31:53 13.18 0:45 0.12 6:24 184 (92%)
0:07:25 1.00 7:25 1.00 7:24 161 (81%)
0:14:44 2.00 7:19 1.00 7:19 161 (80%)
0:21:57 3.01 7:12 1.00 7:11 165 (83%)
0:29:09 4.01 7:12 1.00 7:11 166 (83%)
0:36:20 5.02 7:10 1.01 7:08 168 (84%)
0:43:01 6.03 6:41 1.02 6:35 178 (89%)
0:49:26 7.02 6:24 0.98 6:31 179 (90%)
0:56:05 8.02 6:38 1.00 6:38 182 (91%)
1:03:19 9.02 7:14 1.01 7:12 175 (87%)
1:09:58 10.02 6:39 1.00 6:40 180 (90%)
1:17:12 11.03 7:13 1.00 7:12 174 (87%)
1:23:59 12.03 6:46 1.01 6:44 178 (89%)
1:31:08 13.06 7:08 1.03 6:58 177 (89%)
1:31:53 13.18 0:45 0.12 6:24 184 (92%)
I weaved my way in and out of traffic for the first mile and actually hit the 7:25 for the first mile. I took splits at the mile markers. The "split time" column is the split time at the markers (didn't miss one!) and the "split pace" is Garmin pace. For the most part, they're very close. I was hitting the prescribed pace like a robot the first 6 miles. Right after mile 6 my shoe came spectacularly untied and I stopped to tie it. It took forever with my gloves on and then came untied again in 20 feet! I stopped my watch though both times out of instinct. I think I overcompensated running afterwards and was shocked by the 6:24. Looking at splits above though, it looks like mile 6 was long and mile 7 was short. I was pretty much on target the rest of the way.
I guess my legs were a little fatigued and the first minute or so of mile 12 was slow (maybe 7:00 pace) and then I picked it up, but only got down to 6:46 (missing the prescribed 6:42). I took a loophole on "run the last mile as hard as you desire" and went back to MP rather than pick it up. Here's my weeny excuse: I never completely shook the soreness from the 8k and I had a couple of niggles. Plus I really didn't want to push it that hard. I did pick up the pace down the homestretch though.
The clock time was about 1:33:00 when I croseed. My watch said 1:31:53 and I now know my chip was 1:32:34. Looking at my Garmin data, I was paused for 23 and 21 seconds on my shoe tieing events (yikes!), which roughly agrees with the watch versus chip. Yikes! Even with the fiasco and the fact it was a training run, this would have been a 53 sec PR before January.
I grabbed my schwag, including some food to eat after my cooldown and did 3.06 @ 9:29. The food wasn't great and I ate my banana, cookie, granola bar, and pretzels in the car. 22.3 total for the day! We stopped by Williamsburg on the way back and I got another 2+ hours of walking as a bonus :-)
The clock time was about 1:33:00 when I croseed. My watch said 1:31:53 and I now know my chip was 1:32:34. Looking at my Garmin data, I was paused for 23 and 21 seconds on my shoe tieing events (yikes!), which roughly agrees with the watch versus chip. Yikes! Even with the fiasco and the fact it was a training run, this would have been a 53 sec PR before January.
I grabbed my schwag, including some food to eat after my cooldown and did 3.06 @ 9:29. The food wasn't great and I ate my banana, cookie, granola bar, and pretzels in the car. 22.3 total for the day! We stopped by Williamsburg on the way back and I got another 2+ hours of walking as a bonus :-)
This was way easier than I thought it was going to be. I guess the race magic carries over to a training run. It was a real PR day out there. Flat as a pancake course, 40 degrees, and no wind. I think I could have run a big PR today. Those 7:12's were not hard at the beginning and the heart rates are a little under my normal HR in a marathon.
My biomechanics are terrible. I felt pretty "smooth" at MP, but when I go lower than 7:00 pace, I start to feel like I'm galloping, dipping my shoulder and almost limping on my duck-footed right legs. I also walked around Williamsburg feeling like my hips were "twisted." Maybe I'm just self-conscious about this stuff.
I just did my makeup 100 reps of ab stuff. I still say "ouch."
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Shamrock forecast - perfect
Of course since I've decided to do the Shamrock HM as a workout instead of my goal race, the weather forecast is perfect. 40 degrees and, most importantly for that race, no wind. The course is also absolutely pancake flat. On the other hand I don't have to endure the pain of a HM! Check out my workout though.
Yikes! If you're running near me Sunday, I apologize in advance.
20-22 mile total moderate run including 5-7 miles easy before race then 5 miles @ 7:10-7:25 min pace then 3 miles @ 6:42 pace then alternate the next 4 miles between 7:10-7:20 min and 6:42 pace. Run the last mile as hard as you desire. 2- 4 mile easy jog cooldown
Yikes! If you're running near me Sunday, I apologize in advance.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
week of 9 March
Recover/race week -- total was 52.9
Monday, March 9
rest
-- I rested
2-3 sets max push ups
-- I did 27 (an improvement for me) and 10. If I really max the first
set, I'm never going to do a lot on the second. Am I doing this right
or should I shoot for even sets next time?
Tuesday, March 10
8-10 mile easy run including 6 x 10 sec hill sprints and Everest Hill
drills 1-2 x thru
core plank
-- Barely slept last night. Did 9.5. Did everest 1x thru. Almost
did another but checked my watch and I was late.
Wednesday, March 11
10-12 mile total moderate run over rolling hills w/ 45 sec @ 5k
effort/2 min jog rests x 15
-- Did 10.5 moderate and definitely over some hills. 15 x (45''
5k/120'' jog) went fine. There's no way to know the pace since the
Garmin doesn't work well enough over a 45 seconds period. That's
probably a good thing.
1 set max body weight step- ups
-- done
Thursday, March 12
5-6 mile jog
-- 5.1 @ 9:25 Again little sleep last night.
Forearm Plank w/Alternating Leg Lifts and 1 set max body weight or
light weight one leg squats
-- did the plank, but forgot the squats. I'll get this one day.
Friday, March 13
4-5 mile easy run including 10 strides
-- 5.2 easy (9:07) with 10 strides. I'm feeling rested!
100 reps of abdominal exercises of your choice
-- 20 x (crunch, rt oblique crunch, left oblique, reverse, and
bicycle). Easier this week, but man that's hard!
Saturday, March 14
3-4 mile easy run w/10 strides
-- 3.8 @ 8:50 w/ 10 strides. So rested, I'm about to come out of my shoes.
Sunday, March 15
AM: 10-12 mile total run including 10 strides and 8k race
- 4 mile wup w/8 strides (call me a rebel), 8k in 31:55, 3 mile cdn
PM: 6-8 miles easy
- 6.6 @ 8:51. This felt remarkably good! My HR was 145-150, but I
just ran a race 6 hours earlier! Total 18.7 for the day.
sub-32, but I'll get Fenty next time
I ran 31:55 today. I went out too fast chasing my arch nemesis, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. I was a couple of meters behind His Excellency at about 3/4-mile before realizing I wasn't going to keep this up for 8k. He looked a lot smoother than I felt. The Garmin claims a 6:05 first mile, but I missed the actual mile marker and the Garmin was well long today so who knows.
Anyway, I ran pretty steady after the first mile and finally knew where I was when I saw 19:53 at the 5k split clock (my PR is 19:49 -- but no chip at that race and they famously started with a mis-firing gun). I faded a little and raced to beat 32. I saw 32:01 on the clock as I crossed. Argh. Well, with the miracle of chip timing, I checked the results and netted 31:55. My 5k split was 19:48. So two new PRs (one unofficial). I'll take it.
Mayor Fenty ended up running 30:12!!!!! Holy cow. The last three years he has run 33:49, 32:20, and now 30:12. Doesn't he have a city to run? Is there another big city mayor running these kinds of times? What is he on? Since I've beaten his prior year times the last two years, do I get a sub-30:12 next year? These are questions I want answers to.
I have to say I'm a little unhappy with myself for the effort I gave although I was pretty happy with the time. I just didn't push myself as hard as I could have. I never really decided that I was going to give 100% today and since Fenty blew my doors off, I ran to get the sub-32 I was looking for. My HR was a few beats lower and I definitely had something left. At one point in the last mile I decided to encourage a female runner next to me and said "let's go," to which she nodded determinedly, and then we proceeded to pass a couple of people. She seemed to be suffering a lot more than me but she still hung with me and then blew my doors off to the finish line. Today just wasn't a day I felt like suffering. I could tell on the cooldown I had a lot left. I didn't have that searing lung sensation or hamstring soreness. I actually didn't mind jogging after the race.
I think part of the reason for my mindset was the context of the whole running plan for the day made it seem like the 8k was just part of the puzzle. This morning was a 4 mile warmup with 8 strides (was supposed to do 10), 8k race, and 3 mile cooldown. Now I'm scheduled for 6-8 tonight! (No way I'm doing a step more than 6 -- more likely less.)
On the plus side, my running is just different now. My stride is more compact, but I guess longer (since I'm going faster). There's no way I could have run the first mile that fast that easily in the past. I'm not really used to going out too fast because I never had the speed to :-) This is probably an important point for (sub-)master runners. Doing hills plyometrics, etc. is probably important for those of us who don't remember how to run like a kid. If I can drop some weight and get my endurance up, I'll give it a good shot at Cherry Blossom.
My I-can't-believe-I'm-saying-this-out-loud goal for CB is sub-67. This is quite a stretch and will require real suffering come race day, but it's a worthy goal I think.
Anyway, I ran pretty steady after the first mile and finally knew where I was when I saw 19:53 at the 5k split clock (my PR is 19:49 -- but no chip at that race and they famously started with a mis-firing gun). I faded a little and raced to beat 32. I saw 32:01 on the clock as I crossed. Argh. Well, with the miracle of chip timing, I checked the results and netted 31:55. My 5k split was 19:48. So two new PRs (one unofficial). I'll take it.
Mayor Fenty ended up running 30:12!!!!! Holy cow. The last three years he has run 33:49, 32:20, and now 30:12. Doesn't he have a city to run? Is there another big city mayor running these kinds of times? What is he on? Since I've beaten his prior year times the last two years, do I get a sub-30:12 next year? These are questions I want answers to.
I have to say I'm a little unhappy with myself for the effort I gave although I was pretty happy with the time. I just didn't push myself as hard as I could have. I never really decided that I was going to give 100% today and since Fenty blew my doors off, I ran to get the sub-32 I was looking for. My HR was a few beats lower and I definitely had something left. At one point in the last mile I decided to encourage a female runner next to me and said "let's go," to which she nodded determinedly, and then we proceeded to pass a couple of people. She seemed to be suffering a lot more than me but she still hung with me and then blew my doors off to the finish line. Today just wasn't a day I felt like suffering. I could tell on the cooldown I had a lot left. I didn't have that searing lung sensation or hamstring soreness. I actually didn't mind jogging after the race.
I think part of the reason for my mindset was the context of the whole running plan for the day made it seem like the 8k was just part of the puzzle. This morning was a 4 mile warmup with 8 strides (was supposed to do 10), 8k race, and 3 mile cooldown. Now I'm scheduled for 6-8 tonight! (No way I'm doing a step more than 6 -- more likely less.)
On the plus side, my running is just different now. My stride is more compact, but I guess longer (since I'm going faster). There's no way I could have run the first mile that fast that easily in the past. I'm not really used to going out too fast because I never had the speed to :-) This is probably an important point for (sub-)master runners. Doing hills plyometrics, etc. is probably important for those of us who don't remember how to run like a kid. If I can drop some weight and get my endurance up, I'll give it a good shot at Cherry Blossom.
My I-can't-believe-I'm-saying-this-out-loud goal for CB is sub-67. This is quite a stretch and will require real suffering come race day, but it's a worthy goal I think.
Friday, March 13, 2009
I love recovery weeks
Off day on Monday, 9.5 w/ hills Tues, 10.5 Wed with an easier than normal workout and no double. Usual 5.2 on Th and then only 5 this morning (instead of 8-10). I'm feeling positively fresh. Tomorrow is only 3-4 miles instead of 10. I should be running out of my shoes tomorrow before the 8k on Sunday.
The forecast is nearly perfect -- ~40 and light winds -- but light rain. The course is very fast. I'm hoping both Fenty and sub-32 are going down.
The one negative right now is my weight. I stopped weighing myself for about 3 weeks and suddenly I'm up a couple of pounds!
The forecast is nearly perfect -- ~40 and light winds -- but light rain. The course is very fast. I'm hoping both Fenty and sub-32 are going down.
The one negative right now is my weight. I stopped weighing myself for about 3 weeks and suddenly I'm up a couple of pounds!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
week of 2 March
Weekly Exercise Routine Monday – 2-3 sets max push ups 21 first set and 10 second set. Sad, but this is way better than I could have done before the rock circuit! Tuesday – core plank done Wednesday – 2-3 sets max body weight step- ups I think I did the forearm plank on Wed for no apparent reason (forgot which one) Thursday – Forearm Plank w/Alternating Leg Lifts Totally forgot to do step ups Friday - 2 -3 sets max body weight or light weight one leg squats completely forgot again Saturday – 100 reps of abdominal exercises of your choice Did this 9:30 am after my run. 20 crunches, 20 right oblique crunches, 20 left oblique crunched, 20 reverse crunches, and 20 "bicycles." Ouch! Did 2 sets max step ups on Sat night at 6pm to try and make up. Foam Roller Exercises 1-2 x this week 5 Weeks to goal 10 mile race MPW 68 (62.2) Monday, March 2 rest Tuesday, March 3 8-10 mile total easy run including 5 x 10 sec hill sprints and Everest Hill drills 1 x thru We went from 60+F on Friday to 8'' of snow on Sunday and 14F on Tuesday morning. Anyway, it was too icy to run outside. I did 8.0 w/ 5x10 sec hills, but Everest didn't work on the treadmill. I even tried to throw a jacket on and do Everest in the front yard, but it didn't work when I was calf-deep in snow. Wednesday, March 4 AM: 10-12 mile total moderate run including 8 strides and 8- 10 x 3 min hills @ 10k effort (not harder)w/ 2 min jog rests. Finish run w/ 3 x 100m cutdowns Another day on the treadmill. Got everything done except the cutdowns were scary (that fast on the treadmill) and I cut off the last one. 10.7 total. PM: 4 mile jog 4.00 at about 9:40 on the treadmill. Thursday, March 5 5-6 mile jog Finally outside! Felt great. 5.02 at 9:17 pace, 133 bpm average. Friday, March 6 7-8 mile total moderate run including 3 strides then sprint training: Use the first few sprints as a warm up and always run in control with good form 2 x 15 sec’s w/75 sec rests 7.9. Went well. Effort was moderate. Sprints went well. I thought I was faster on the last one. Saturday, March 7 7-8 mile moderate run including Everest Hill drills 7.3 miles. HR was about 140 so more on the upper end of easy than moderate. Hills went well. It was 65 degrees by the time I finished and got to 71. It's strange to see residual snow on the ground when it's 70 degrees. Sunday, March 8 AM: 15-16 mile moderate run including 15 min run down a slight grade hill (try to run down the same grade as Boston) @ marathon effort then 45 min run up a hill @ LT effort Finish run w/10 strides I hate doing this run since it means running on the treadmill, but I did it. Did 7.1 outside and then 8.2 on the treadmill. The 15 minutes downhill is pretty tough on my runner's knee. You'd have heard a couple of audible "argh"s if you were there. I didn't push it so much on the uphill as last time when I only made it 30'. Today my hr steadily rose to 172 by the end of the 45'. I did the 10 "strides" on the treadmill which is a bit tricky and maybe not such a good idea. I punch 9mph and then hit 6 again by the time it gets up to speed, just hoping I don't go shooting off the back. PM: 4 mile jog It was *hot* outside -- 70+ degrees. Combined with the fact that I run terribly in the afternoon, in the heat, and on the second run of the day and it was unpleasant. Miles were 10:20, 9:40, 9:13, and 9:00. I think I sped up to get it over with. |
Sunday, March 01, 2009
week of 23 February
Below is my schedule in black with my execution in red.
training - week of 2002.02.23
Hill Phase
training - week of 2002.02.23
Hill Phase
1-2x this week – Core Plank - Begin face down elbows bent, lift entire body off ground in a pushup position except for hand to elbow touching ground. Hold position for up to 2 minutes. Back should not slouch. Suck in your abdominal muscles. If you start slouching immediately stop!
Forearm Plank w/Alternating Leg Lifts – Same position as above but lift one leg up off the ground approx. 1 1/2 foot or until it is level with your head. Hold for 30 sec, place foot back down and repeat with opposite leg.
I did this Wed and I think Friday but can't remember.
Foam Roller Exercises 1-2 x this week
Once on Sunday. I was traveling for work didn't have a foam roller.
3 Weeks to goal Half Marathon race
MPW 74 (68.9)
Monday, Feb 23 - rest
rest
Tuesday, Feb 24 - 8-10 mile easy run including Everest Hill drills
9.1 including 1 set of Everest hill drills. Single leg hops are tough! I sort of had that efficient feel, but I still had soreness in spots. I definitely wasn't as rested as the previous Tuesday.
Wednesday, Feb 25
AM: 10-12 mile total moderate run including 2 x 3 miles alternating every 400m between GMP and GHMP. 3-5 min jog rests between reps
2.1 warmup to the track. I was planning on 7:20 (55 per 200)/6:48 (51 per 200). It was pretty cold (low 20s I think) and I eased into the miles. The first 3 miles were 7:14, 6:59, and 6:55. Again, the MP was more like 7:10. 800 m rest (4:03). Next three were 7:01, 7:00, and 7:00. The 2x3 miles was not hard at all. I only averaged 170 bpm on the last interval. I think I did some strides on the way back because it always seems like those are tacked on. 10.75 total.PM: 4 mile easy including 10 min @ LT effort
I flew to Atlanta for work around 2pm and did this from my hotel at 5. This went strangely well. I made a google map and found a 2 mile route from my hotel to a bike path by the Chatahooche river. Turned around and did the 10 min @ LT up a big hill out of the valley. The pace was only about 7:40 but I hit 174 bpm by the time I reached the top of the hill.Thursday, Feb 26 - 5-6 mile jog
Another out and back to the bike path. I was feeling Wednesday's double and took it very easy. How's this for a jog? 10:33 pace and about 126 bpm average. It was 60+ degrees and very humid. Strange.
Friday, Feb 27AM: 8 mile moderate run over rolling hills including 10 x 20 sec @ 800m race effort w/ 1 min recoveries
Only did the 10 this time! This was between easy and moderate except for the 10x20''.PM: 4 mile easy run
Flew back from Atlanta on the noon flight and got a run in about 4pm. 4.15 at 9:17 min/mi. It was 60+ at home, too!Saturday, Feb 28 - 7-8 mile moderate run including Everest Hill drills
7.1 miles total. This was a legitimate moderate run with the middle miles ~145 bpm and a 150bpm mile 7. I did the Everest Hills in front of a school in full view of a major road. Maybe I can be the crazy hopping guy!
Sunday, March 1
20-22 mile total moderate run including 8-10 x 6 min @ LT effort w/1 min jog rests. Full recovery then 3 x 30 sec’s hills @ mile effort w/full recoveries. Finish run w/10 strides. Run over rolling hillsI did this on my lake trail, so I have the rolling hills covered. I wasn't feeling great and my legs felt heavy. I eased into a 9:00 pace for about 9.5 before I started doing the LT intervals. I have to learn to ignore the paces when I run this trail. It rained and the ground was soft and for some reason I just run slow here. One nice part was there was a race going on that I was in the middle of. Some guy must have thought I was in it because he yells "2nd" as I go by. I made it a game to hold off the leader. I made it a couple of intervals before 6th place passed me and we parted ways. Anyway, the interval pace/avg bpm/max bpm were 7:34/159/171, 7:27/163/173, 7:16/172/178, 7:23/172/175, 7:57/171/176, 7:28/171/176, 7:50/170/174, and 7:47/173/177. The times were slow but the effort was there, I think. I jogged some 10 minute miles and thought my coach a sadist as I contemplated the 3x30'' hills. The hills were actually a relief from the relentless plodding. I jogged another mile and then did the strides, such as they were, on the way back for 20.1 miles total. By far the hardest part of the run was just jogging those miles after the tempo intervals. I actually found it hard just to finish like doing my first 20 miler. Overall only 8:57 pace. Yikes!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
week of 16 February
Monday, Feb 16 - 5 mile easy run
- AM: 15-16 mile total moderate run including 5 miles total @ alternating paces: Mile 1 @ GHMP, Mile 2 @ GMP, Mile 3 @ GHMP, Mile 4 @ GMP, Mile 5 @ GHMP; 10 min recovery jog; then 2 miles @ alternating paces: 1 mile @ GHMP, 800m @ 10k feel. 800m @ 5k effort or harder. Finish w/10 strides
Total: 67.4 miles
Really nice run. I'm running much more upright now and I felt very efficient. I was taking short strides, but had a decent pace (around 9:00 after the first mile) and a low 129, 130, 131, and 136 after the first mile. There were also unforecast snow flurries and half an hour later it was completely blue skies. Neat.
Tuesday, Feb 17 - 6-8 mile easy run including the Rock
Did 7.0. I felt very strong *except* my runner's knee (or whatever it is) that I have been struggling with off and on since last Sept bit me in the first mile or so (downhill). It's been flaring up some the last couple of weeks. My running feels qualitatively different than it did before the half. I credit the rock circuit as much as anything else. The hills also seem to be paying dividends.
Wednesday, Feb 18
AM: 10 mile total moderate run including 10 min @ LT effort. Full recovery then 8-10 x 3 min hills @ 10k feel w/2-3 min jog rests. Finish run w/10 strides
It was hard to pack all this in 10 miles. I did about 1.6 warmup, then 10 min at a semi-wimpy LT. I just squeaked the 10 minutes in a section for a stoplight and then jogged about a mile to the bottom of my hill. Sometimes it's hard to arrange these around the terrain. I did 3 minutes uphill and 3 down. I pushed the down ever so slightly above a jog just to get to the bottom and have enough hill.
PM: 4 mile easy run
I never feel very good doing afternoon runs and especially after a hard morning run, but I trudged through 4.06 miles at a scalding 10:08 pace.
Thursday, Feb 19 - 5-6 mile easy run
Travelling for work. 5 miles @9:08 in an office park. Back and forth on a half mile stretch of road. I didn't have the heart for a 6th mile of monotony. Plus I was late.
Friday, Feb 20 - 8-10 mile moderate run including 10 x 20 sec @ 800m race effort w/ 1 min recoveryStill on travel but drove to a nice 1.8-mile bike path around a lake about 10 minutes away. Had to get up at 5am after the guy in the room next to me was yelling at someone on the phone from 3:30am-4:30am. Got there and did the first lap in seclusion with a head lamp. I forgot how many 20 sec @800m pace I was supposed to do. I did 20. Oops! Plus I thought I was supposed to do 10 strides and threw some extremely half-hearted ones in at the end (the last was maybe 10 yards). I was probably nowhere near 800m pace though. I don't even no what that is. I just ran hard for 20 seconds. Anyway, I made this harder than it was supposed to be, but only average 8:25 pace, so it wasn't terrible.
Saturday, Feb 21 - 7-8 mile moderate run including the Rock
I felt pretty stiff and it felt hard for the pace when I was warming up (this seems to be a Saturday theme), so I ran easy (135-139 bpm and low 9 pace). My knee was giving me trouble starting up on the strides during "the Rock," so they were more like jogs.
Sunday, Feb 22- AM: 15-16 mile total moderate run including 5 miles total @ alternating paces: Mile 1 @ GHMP, Mile 2 @ GMP, Mile 3 @ GHMP, Mile 4 @ GMP, Mile 5 @ GHMP; 10 min recovery jog; then 2 miles @ alternating paces: 1 mile @ GHMP, 800m @ 10k feel. 800m @ 5k effort or harder. Finish w/10 strides
Pretty stiff, so I warmed up slowly and let the pace come to me. First couple of miles were 9:40, 9:30, then ~9:10 until I got to the track (5.4 miles). For the 5 "miles" (1600m splits) I did 6:53/164, 7:08, 6:48, 7:11, 6:47. I had planned on 7:20 pace for the MP sections, but I fell into ~7:10 and that felt right. 1800 meters in 10:01 rest (8:57 pace). My legs got stiff during the rest. It probably didn't help that it was snowing/raining and ~35 degrees. I had a little trouble ramping back up and the last part was 1600 in 6:54, 800 in 3:22, and 800 in 3:14. Jogged home and did the 10 strides (about 2 miles). Total was 15.6 miles.
PM: 4 mile easy jog
4.26 at 9:44 per mileTotal: 67.4 miles
Thursday, February 19, 2009
week of 9 Feb
Sunday, February 08, 2009
week of 2 February
Monday, Feb 2
Rest. Still sick and happy for a scheduled rest day. Fever was down to 99.6 before I went to bed Monday night and I still didn't feel well, so I didn't set the alarm.
Tuesday, Feb 3
Scheduled. 7-8 mile moderate run including the Rock Circuit. Slept in. Glad I did. I wasn't over the bug yet.
Wednesday, Feb 4
Scheduled AM: 12-13 mile total moderate run including 4 x 2 miles @ 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, and 6:40 w/3-4 min jog rests
PM: 4 mile jog
6:29 AM 9.63 1:22:41 8:35 143 (71%)
On the two mile warmup to the track, I felt like my old self, like I'd finally caught my breath after the HM. I shot for 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, and 6:50 w/600m rest. The first two miles (1600 actually) were 7:39, and 7:39. My heart rate averaged something like 148 on the second mile, which I thought was very good for the pace. I felt a twinge in my hamstring on the 3rd laps, but it quickly went away and I forgot about it. I stepped up the pace for the second two miles and could start to feel my hamstring. After the first mile (7:26), it started to build (tugging sensation) pretty quickly and I could tell I was favoring it, so I decided to shut it down and jogged away from the track. I took the long way home from the track (4+ miles) and ended up at 9+ instead of the scheduled 12-13. Bummer.
5:00 PM 4.00 0:38:00 9:30. Four boring miles on the treadmill. Hamstring was stiff but OK for jogging.
Thursday, Feb 5
Scheduled 6 mile jog.
Did 6.04 0:59:56 9:55 130
Friday, Feb 6
Scheduled 8-10 mile moderate run including 5 uphill then 5 slight downhill strides. Run over rolling hills
Did 9.20 1:19:33 8:39 144
My hamstring was a little stiff, but felt pretty good and then about 0.5 miles in, I had a sharp twinge in a muscle (or maybe tendon) on the medial side of my left knee between the knee and that big hamstring tendon. I also had some pain at the very, very top of my right calf, below the back of my knee. Ugh. Well, it subsided pretty quickly and I did the rest of the run. I had to stop at a light though without about 2 miles left and it stiffened up and I could really feel it as I jogged the rest.
Saturday, Feb 7
8 mile moderate run including the Rock Circuit
Did 7.77 1:19:38 10:15 147
Slow pace is from the rock circuit. Splits were 9:08, 8:24, 8:43, 8:37, 8:32, 8:30 with HRs between 142 and 153. After the rock circuit, HRs/paces were 9:11/150, 8:55/153. My heart rate always goes up after the rock circuit. I could still feel the weird twinge from yesterday but it was muted and didn't get worse. I've been doing these on the upper end of easy recently but was a little more rambunctious with this one. It felt good to run off my frustration after losing to go 0-5 in basketball. (I'm the coach of my son's team.)
Sunday, Feb 8
Scheduled. 19-20 mile total moderate run including 3 x 3 miles (run the first 2 miles @ GMP then run the last mile @ 10k effort). 5 min jog rest between reps
Sunday 19.81 2:53:38 8:46 153 (76%)
The plan was just to pick it up for the 3 x 3 and not press. The good news is that my hamstring was completely fine and my new niggle didn't cause a problem. I was "off" from the start though and my 8 miles before the fast parts were at right around 9:00 pace, but my hr was kinda high for that pace (138-143).
The first segment went 8:22/153, 1:42/158 -- bathroom break :-). After the break I jogged 5 minutes rather than restart immediately and did the other two miles in 8:07/155, 8:11/162. 5 min jog. 8:04/162, 8:06/166, 7:43/172, 5 min jog, 8:15/171, 8:22/172, 8:08/176. On the second intervals, I tried to up it a little in the last mile. Not 10k effort, but harder than MP. I was very tired and it was pretty tough just to jog that last cooldown mile. As you can see, my heart rates were pretty marathon-like even though the paces were snail like. I just didn't have it today. Also, the trail was very slow. The snow melted and the normally firm dirt/crushed gravel was very spongy and there were lots of muddy spot. It started out at a pleasant 47 degreses, but got to 69 degrees by the end of the run!
In summary Mindi totally kicked my ass on long run pace today. I had an accounting error for January mileage though. I was looking at the 216 in December. I actually did 229 in January. Not even close. So, there!
Week - 56.5. Scheduled for 69. Ouch.
Thinking back, I'm kind of hoping my tough run today was for lack of endurance. If it was then I did my half on something else and maybe I have room to improve? There has to be a silver lining :-)
Rest. Still sick and happy for a scheduled rest day. Fever was down to 99.6 before I went to bed Monday night and I still didn't feel well, so I didn't set the alarm.
Tuesday, Feb 3
Scheduled. 7-8 mile moderate run including the Rock Circuit. Slept in. Glad I did. I wasn't over the bug yet.
Wednesday, Feb 4
Scheduled AM: 12-13 mile total moderate run including 4 x 2 miles @ 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, and 6:40 w/3-4 min jog rests
PM: 4 mile jog
6:29 AM 9.63 1:22:41 8:35 143 (71%)
On the two mile warmup to the track, I felt like my old self, like I'd finally caught my breath after the HM. I shot for 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, and 6:50 w/600m rest. The first two miles (1600 actually) were 7:39, and 7:39. My heart rate averaged something like 148 on the second mile, which I thought was very good for the pace. I felt a twinge in my hamstring on the 3rd laps, but it quickly went away and I forgot about it. I stepped up the pace for the second two miles and could start to feel my hamstring. After the first mile (7:26), it started to build (tugging sensation) pretty quickly and I could tell I was favoring it, so I decided to shut it down and jogged away from the track. I took the long way home from the track (4+ miles) and ended up at 9+ instead of the scheduled 12-13. Bummer.
5:00 PM 4.00 0:38:00 9:30. Four boring miles on the treadmill. Hamstring was stiff but OK for jogging.
Thursday, Feb 5
Scheduled 6 mile jog.
Did 6.04 0:59:56 9:55 130
Friday, Feb 6
Scheduled 8-10 mile moderate run including 5 uphill then 5 slight downhill strides. Run over rolling hills
Did 9.20 1:19:33 8:39 144
My hamstring was a little stiff, but felt pretty good and then about 0.5 miles in, I had a sharp twinge in a muscle (or maybe tendon) on the medial side of my left knee between the knee and that big hamstring tendon. I also had some pain at the very, very top of my right calf, below the back of my knee. Ugh. Well, it subsided pretty quickly and I did the rest of the run. I had to stop at a light though without about 2 miles left and it stiffened up and I could really feel it as I jogged the rest.
Saturday, Feb 7
8 mile moderate run including the Rock Circuit
Did 7.77 1:19:38 10:15 147
Slow pace is from the rock circuit. Splits were 9:08, 8:24, 8:43, 8:37, 8:32, 8:30 with HRs between 142 and 153. After the rock circuit, HRs/paces were 9:11/150, 8:55/153. My heart rate always goes up after the rock circuit. I could still feel the weird twinge from yesterday but it was muted and didn't get worse. I've been doing these on the upper end of easy recently but was a little more rambunctious with this one. It felt good to run off my frustration after losing to go 0-5 in basketball. (I'm the coach of my son's team.)
Sunday, Feb 8
Scheduled. 19-20 mile total moderate run including 3 x 3 miles (run the first 2 miles @ GMP then run the last mile @ 10k effort). 5 min jog rest between reps
Sunday 19.81 2:53:38 8:46 153 (76%)
The plan was just to pick it up for the 3 x 3 and not press. The good news is that my hamstring was completely fine and my new niggle didn't cause a problem. I was "off" from the start though and my 8 miles before the fast parts were at right around 9:00 pace, but my hr was kinda high for that pace (138-143).
The first segment went 8:22/153, 1:42/158 -- bathroom break :-). After the break I jogged 5 minutes rather than restart immediately and did the other two miles in 8:07/155, 8:11/162. 5 min jog. 8:04/162, 8:06/166, 7:43/172, 5 min jog, 8:15/171, 8:22/172, 8:08/176. On the second intervals, I tried to up it a little in the last mile. Not 10k effort, but harder than MP. I was very tired and it was pretty tough just to jog that last cooldown mile. As you can see, my heart rates were pretty marathon-like even though the paces were snail like. I just didn't have it today. Also, the trail was very slow. The snow melted and the normally firm dirt/crushed gravel was very spongy and there were lots of muddy spot. It started out at a pleasant 47 degreses, but got to 69 degrees by the end of the run!
In summary Mindi totally kicked my ass on long run pace today. I had an accounting error for January mileage though. I was looking at the 216 in December. I actually did 229 in January. Not even close. So, there!
Week - 56.5. Scheduled for 69. Ouch.
Thinking back, I'm kind of hoping my tough run today was for lack of endurance. If it was then I did my half on something else and maybe I have room to improve? There has to be a silver lining :-)
Thursday, February 05, 2009
This could be you!
Hey, look, I'm a success story! It was a 3:39 PR, but my last half (that I raced) was Sept 2007. Still, my best age-graded PR before that was 10 miles at 6:53 pace and I did 6:51 for 13.1. Not too shabby.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
week of 26 January
Monday - Rest
Tues 8:15 PM 0.00 0:07:04 - 97 (48%) -- elliptical
8:25 PM 3.00 0:29:37 9:52 139 (69%) -- treadmill
Wednesday 6.00 0:58:45 9:48 134 (67%) -- treadmill
Thursday 7.00 1:21:13 11:36 134 (67%) -- treadmill/rock circuit
Friday 8.31 1:17:35 9:20 144 (72%) -- easy, skipped workout
Saturday 6.74 1:12:20 10:44 148 (74%) -- rock circuit
Sunday 4.37 0:39:17 8:59 140 (70%) -- bailed because of stomach bug
This Week 35.41 6:05:51 10:08 139 (70%)
Last Month 216.54 32:45:08 8:56 147 (73%)
I can't remember the last time I only ran 35 miles in a week. I did manage to squeak by Mindi for the month though (216 to 215).
Traveling to St Louis and back made it tough (hence the PM run on Tuesday and the treadmilling). I was still sore most of the week. As the general soreness has worn off, the hamstring isn't quite right yet. Finally, I got some sort of stomach bug overnight. I was supposed to do 13-14 w/ 40-45, alternating 4' MP/1' 5k, plus 3x200m cutdowns. I figured I'd do 4 miles to warmup and see how I felt. After 2 bathroom breaks in 4 miles, I felt like going home. Given how I feel at the moment, I'm glad I did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)