Week Review / Back in the Saddle / Taper Time!

Boy, last week was a roller coaster for me. I started the week with a horrible 22-mile run (documented in a previous post), followed by two days off to recover, two easy runs (one with a fast mile thrown in), then a strong 8-mile run on Saturday morning at a 7:16 clip.
Here are last week's numbers:

Runs: 4
Miles: 40.3
Time: 6:08:00
Long: 22 mi

Today, I ran my final long-ish run of my marathon training plan - 16 miles. After last Monday's fiasco, I wanted this run to end on a high note. It was warm (70), humid and windy! This was a tale of two runs. Basically, it consisted of an 8-mile warmup leading into an 8-mile tempo run. For the first 8 miles, I decided to keep my heart rate below 130 bpm. That necessitated a painfully slow 9:21 pace. However, that set me up for a fast second half...assuming I had anything in the tank. My legs felt a little flat, but I thought I'd transition into a faster pace with an 8:14 mile 9. The remaining 7 miles were as follows: 7:55, 7:46, 7:35, 7:36, 7:37, 7:27. So, out in 1:14:52, back in 1:01:36 (7:42 avg). While it wasn't easy, it didn't wipe me out, and it restored some confidence. I followed the run with the traditional 15-minute ice bath.

Something I really should have been doing all along is weighing myself before and after long runs. I did that today, and was shocked to see I was 4.6 lbs lighter after my run! To be fair, I ate pizza last night and was probably retaining a good amount of water, but that really opened my eyes to how much fluid I'm losing out there.

Now...bring on the taper!

Week Wrap-Up

This ended up being a great training week. Funny how running has its ups and downs just as life in general does. I started the week with a "long" run on Monday of 12 miles. This was "week 2" in my marathon training plan, so the long run only goes up from here. I threw in a nice 6-mile progression run on Wednesday on a hilly trail, then capped the week with a 6.5 mile tempo run with the Mill Creek Running Club this morning (7:08 pace, which was admittedly too fast). But all in all, I felt strong this week. My knees have been a bit achy, but I've been icing them regularly and it seems to be helping, as they felt fine this morning. Oh, and I gotta say (not just because I'm a Brooks ID member, either) that I'm REALLY loving my Brooks Launch shoes! Every time I wear them, I like them more and more. They just feel fast (whether I really am or not!) I'll run my next half marathon in them, and may even try to run the full in them in May. We'll see.

Here's how the week played out:

Runs: 6
Miles: 38.5
Long: 12
Time: 5:28:07

I should be back over 40 miles next week, as I build to a 60-mile week later in the program. That could be interesting, but I'm looking forward to that uncharted (for me) territory.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and happy running!

Week & Month Wrap-Up

This has been an interesting week, running-wise. I've been in a bit of a funk the last couple of weeks, actually, feeling pretty run down. Yesterday I ran an "easy" 10-miler that ended up feeling anything but. In hindsight, I think a lot of how I felt during that run could be attributed to a Unisom hangover. I don't often take sleep aids, but I foolishly downed a TON of caffeine Thursday afternoon and KNEW I wouldn't sleep unless I medicated myself.

This morning I met, for the first time, with the Mill Creek Running Club (only online presence I know of is on Facebook). There's a 5:30 am group and now a 7:00 am group. I chose to run with the latter. There were 4 men and 3 or 4 women. Since I wasn't familiar with the course, I wanted to stay close to someone. I ended up getting caught in between the two lead guys and everyone else, so I did my best to keep the fast dudes in sight. I ended up running the 6.53 miles at 7:18 pace (nearly race pace, for me), which was much faster than I had hoped. My choice now is to either force myself to run slower when I run with them again, or re-arrange my week so my long run isn't the day before this run. Either way, it was fun to meet everyone and I look forward to running with them regularly (and drinking coffee afterward!)

Here's how the week played out:

Runs: 6
Miles: 36.5
Long: 10 mi

And the month:

Runs: 24
Miles: 162.1 (PR for monthly mileage)
Long: 13.1 mi
Races: Nookachamps Half Marathon - 1:41:22 (PR)

My long run should top out at about 15 miles in February, in my buildup toward my first marathon on May 15th. The only other race I currently have scheduled is the Mercer Island Half Marathon, on March 21st.

Here's to some great running in February!

Oh - I forgot to mention that I've agreed to join the Mill Creek Running Club team for the Ragnar Relay, in July (Blaine, WA to Langley, WA). Should be a hoot!

Weekly Totals

Another week of great running is in the books. I've run 17 days in a row, which is a new PR. During this streak, I've run 96.5 miles. I see no sign of the end of this streak, since my body has responded well, and my legs feel stronger than they have in quite awhile.

Here's how this week panned out:

Runs: 7
Miles: 42 (high for 2009)
Long: 15 miles (PR)
Time: 5:56:41

I ran a strong 6-mile tempo run on Saturday (7:12 pace) in my new Brooks Launch, which I'm loving so far. Monday was a hilly trail run, Wednesday was the long run, and the rest were short recovery-paced runs. So far, this formula seems to be working, so I'm sticking with it. I'm three weeks out from the Nookachamps Half Marathon in Mount Vernon, WA. Who knows what the weather will be like, but I'm looking forward to it. I like running races up in that area.

Have a great week!

Tempo Tuesday

Today I ran a total of 6 miles; 3 of which was run at "tempo" pace. Actually, it was probably more like a time trial. I started with two warm up miles (8:42, 8:44), then three hard miles (7:00, 6:49, 6:55 - 20:44, for a 6:55 pace), then a cool down mile (8:27). The hard section was tough. I struggled to hold my form. One thing I need to focus on is relaxing when I'm running hard - especially my upper body (shoulders, neck, head). I tend to tighten up, which wastes energy and makes it harder to keep my form in check. I am happy with my progress, though. It's been awhile since I could run three miles at under a 7:00 pace, especially on my own. I may do one more speed workout before my next 10k (Dec. 12th), then switch my focus to primarily building up my base and, particularly, my long runs as I start training for my first marathon on May 15th of next year.
Have a great Thanksgiving week, everyone!

Tempo Run & Training Plan

Today's run started with a 1-mile warm-up, followed by a 3.5 mile tempo run in 24:57 (7:07 pace). I started too quickly (6:59), then just tried to hang on. It ended up being a slightly faster pace than my 5k race back in June. I struggled the last mile or so, but I think I may FINALLY be near the end of this prolonged illness.

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Over the weekend, I tried to design a training program that I can use for the foreseeable future. Roughly, it involves running 5 days/week. Here's how I laid it out:

Monday: Speed (fartlek, intervals, tempo, or hill repeats)
Tuesday: Short run at "recovery" pace (roughly 2 min. per mile slower than 10k race pace)
Wednesday: Medium-long at "easy" pace (roughly 1 min. per mile slower than 10k race pace)
Thursday: off
Friday: Long run (roughly 40-50 sec/mile slower than half marathon race pace)
Saturday: Short run at "recovery" pace
Sunday: off

I'll do strength training (something I've been neglecting) twice per week. On "race weeks", I'll probably drop the long run in favor of the race. This is all subject to change, but I'm going to go with it for the time being. I may even use a close version of it when my "official" marathon training begins. Given how my body has reacted to running so far this year, this plan seems sensible, but I'm open to any comments or suggestions.

Surprising Run!

I've had a head cold all week. I ran on Monday, then took the next three days off to rest and recover. Today, the cold is still kicking, but I needed (or felt I needed) to get out for a run, since my half marathon is coming up on Oct. 11th. I had scheduled a 10-mile tempo (or race pace) run for today. I ran my out-and-back course, with the intention of turning around wherever I thought I should (yeah, right). Of course, I got to the five mile mark before turning around. I ended up running the 10 miles in 1:17:41 (7:46/mile pace). I felt much better than I expected, although the last couple of miles were tough. And I wish I had had some tissues out there (I won't go into details, but it was a bit messy, thanks to the head cold). For the first time, I carried my Nathan hand-held water bottle...and I wasn't really loving it. I'm sure it'll take a few more runs to get used to it, but I think I actually prefer my belt. I switched hands every mile, but my arms and hands still got tired.
So...this run built my confidence, which I felt I needed going into the race - especially with this cold. Now I'll put it on "cruise control" from now until the race, doing a few more easy runs before taking the last 3 days (or so) off before the race.

(EDIT: the blisters I got on my 14-mile run a week ago are gone. Taking the last 3 days off due to my cold helped them heal. I ran in my new shoes again today, but used my old inserts...so it was the new inserts, not the new shoes, that caused the blisters. Good to know)

(Oops) Tempo Run

What was supposed to be a relatively easy 5-mile trail run with hills turned into a fairly quick tempo run. The time was 38:23 (7:40 pace), which was about 30 seconds per mile faster than I wanted to be today. On the last 1-mile loop, a high-school girl started running (looked like she could be a cross-country runner) at pretty much the same pace I was. I gradually caught up with her, just running my own pace. She glanced over at me. I apologized (didn't want to be a 42 yr old guy creeping out this poor girl) and picked up the pace all the way up the hill to the end. I was pretty winded when I finished. In hindsight, I should have backed off my pace as soon as I saw her in front of me, but I guess the ego got in the way and took over. So now my week will have to be re-shuffled. I had intended running an interval workout tomorrow. Not gonna happen now. It'll be an easy run, with possibly a scaled back interval workout on Wednesday, bike on Thursday, short run on Friday and medium-long run on Saturday. Hey, stop yawning!

Rest Day

Well, I do feel a bit better this morning, but I can tell I definitely need a rest day. After spending several days out of town, not sleeping especially well and running a hilly course 3 times in 4 days, my body is sending me a message. After dinner last night, I laid on the couch to read and rest and quickly fell into a deep sleep. I ended up going to bed at 9pm. My throat isn't sore like it was last night, so I'm hoping it was just fatigue and not a cold. That soreness in my tendon behind my left knee is still there, so there's another reason to rest. Like I hinted at a few posts ago, the boost in running mileage after doing more cycling than running might take a more gradual effort on my part, given the injuries I've dealt with in the past.

If I feel up to it tomorrow, I'll do some sort of tempo/speed/fartlek workout, then maybe take Friday off, then do my long run on Saturday.

Tempo ride

Today's ride covered a total of 26 miles, but ten of it was at race pace. I used the first two miles to warm up, then pushed the next 10 (in 32:08; 18.7 mph avg), then rode at a steady pace the last 14 miles. Total time was 1:29:14 (17.5 mph avg). The tempo portion was tough. It was slightly uphill with a bit of a headwind (barefoot in the snow, too). I know, sounds like I'm embellishing, but dat's da troof. I preferred it to doing my hard 10 on the way back, which is usually the fastest part of this particular route. My quads were definitely burning the whole 10 miles...and they were still a little sore from the hill repeats on Monday. I'm not positive yet, but Friday's ride may be just a steady ride, with no hill repeats, tempo segments or intervals. We'll see.

I'm starving, so off to find some lunch...

Night run - half slow, half (too) fast

The rain finally subsided here in St. Pete, so I talked my little sister into going for at least part of a run with me. My loop here is 1.8 miles. She made it around one loop with only a little walking. She's not a runner, but could be if she works at it...and I think she might. After one lap she was done, but I took off at sub-race pace. I ran the last 1.8 in 12:42 (7:00 pace). Not exactly sure why, but I felt the need to blow the doors off after the slow lap (22:13). So the total time was 34:56 (9:42 overall pace).

I don't intend this blog to be a "man, I really love running" blog...but man, I really love running. I've completely fallen in love with it all over again. If you're a runner, I don't have to explain the feelings that come with a good run, after you start getting into shape. I hope I haven't cursed myself here, but I haven't felt this good in many years. I'm anxious to keep it going and see what can happen.

Better get to bed. We're hitting a big water park in Tampa tomorrow. Can't say I'm too excited about it, but the kids are, and that's what counts.
Good night!