Last week was a recovery week and I have to admit it was nice not spending quite so much time running. The only problem is that I feel more tired and sore on my recovery weeks than I ever do during a training week. What gives? I had 3 training weeks of 32 miles, 24 miles, and 38 miles followed by a 12 mile recover week, and I could hardly convince myself to get out of bed for most of my runs last week. At least now that I'm about to begin another training week with a goal of 40 miles I actually feel excited to run. I guess that's the point of a recovery week, to allow your body to recover before you beat it down again.
I had to shift around my training plan a bit to accommodate a trip to Hawaii in early September because I'm going to be the best man in a buddy's wedding! I'm stoked about the trip, and hopefully an extra recovery week will help more than hurt. I'll have my 1-year-old son with me so I won't be able to run while I'm HI. It only equates to 6 days off, but I might still try to squeeze in a short run or two if I can get any of my friend's family members to babysit for awhile.
The week in Hawaii will mark the last recovery week before I put the pedal to the metal in my training for MCM 2012 in October. I'll have two and a half taper weeks, but other than that it will be all hard running after Hawaii. My plan is 40 miles, 42 miles, 44 miles, 46 miles, then start my taper. I think I'm going to be exhausted after those 4 weeks, but I already worry that it's not going to be enough to get me the results I'm after in October.
It's surreal reading some of the blogs I follow where many people put in 60-100 miles per week, or more for the ultra-crazies (I mean that in the nicest way possible). Hopefully I can continue to improve my endurance after the marathon and I'll find a mileage comfort zone to keep my running transformation going. I started running with the hopes of completing the 100K Bangelore Ultra in November 2013. It's still a goal of mine, but as I start to venture into uncharted territory with running it makes me wonder where my limits actually lie. Maybe I'll never break 60 miles per week, or maybe in a year I'll be one of the ultra-crazies I mentioned before. I guess the only way to find out is to give it a try.
Running Summary for Last week:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 2 miles; 16:05; avg. pace 8:03/mi
Wednesday: 4.04 miles; 37:50; avg. pace 9:22/mi
Thursday: 2.01 miles; 18:35; avg. pace 9:17/mi
Friday: Off
Saturday: 4 miles; 35:45; avg. pace 8:56/mi
Sunday: Off
Total Mileage: 12.05 miles
Total Time: 1:48:15
Average Pace: 8:59/mi
Happy Running!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
New Mileage Highs
I hit a new mileage high last week for both my long and my weekly total! On Saturday I ran 14 miles, which is my longest run since I ran the 2009 Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. My half marathon split for the 14-miler was 2:08:30, so it was a pretty slow pace. In fact, my half marathon split in Seattle 3 years ago was 1:58:XX. I guess I've got a ways to go in training for MCM 2012 because another 12 miles last Saturday would have killed me :-) I certainly feel like I'm training more diligently this time around, and also covering more ground than before.
I'm going to start doing some concentrated speed work one day a week now. I've been planning to for awhile, but because of colds and minor injuries I've kept putting it off. From here on out I'll be running 6 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and Tuesday will be my 'speed work' day. Basically I just plan on shooting for a 6-mile PR every Tuesday. Maybe you could call it a tempo run, or a race pace run. I don't know. I used to run full-tilt all of the time and one thing's for sure...I used to be a hell of a lot faster.
Sometimes I think all of the 'knowledge' I've gotten from other runners, running forums, blogs, etc. about endurance training has caused me to think about too much when it comes to running. I used to run hard in the beginning, middle, and end of a run and it didn't matter if I was running 3 miles or 10 miles I was always on the verge of throwing up by the end and I literally never got injured. Somehow I always finished, and it was always a fast time. My fastest 5K was a 16:52, but I was almost always under 18:00 without any sort of training schedule or racing strategy. I guess my strategy was to run hard. I'd like to get back to those roots a bit. Hopefully my Tuesday 'speed' day will help my pace a bit now that I'm actually getting back into decent running shape.
Last weeks running summary:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 6.01 miles; 53:20; avg. pace 8:53/mi
Wednesday: 6.00 miles; 56:35; avg. pace 9:26/mi
Thursday: 6.01 miles; 57:30; avg. pace 9:35/mi
Friday: Off
Saturday: 14.00 miles; 2:22:44; avg. pace 10:11/mi
Sunday: 6.01 miles; 57:00; avg. pace 9:29/mi
Total Mileage: 38.03 miles
Total Time: 6:07:09
Avg. Pace: 9:39/mi
Happy Running!
I'm going to start doing some concentrated speed work one day a week now. I've been planning to for awhile, but because of colds and minor injuries I've kept putting it off. From here on out I'll be running 6 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and Tuesday will be my 'speed work' day. Basically I just plan on shooting for a 6-mile PR every Tuesday. Maybe you could call it a tempo run, or a race pace run. I don't know. I used to run full-tilt all of the time and one thing's for sure...I used to be a hell of a lot faster.
Sometimes I think all of the 'knowledge' I've gotten from other runners, running forums, blogs, etc. about endurance training has caused me to think about too much when it comes to running. I used to run hard in the beginning, middle, and end of a run and it didn't matter if I was running 3 miles or 10 miles I was always on the verge of throwing up by the end and I literally never got injured. Somehow I always finished, and it was always a fast time. My fastest 5K was a 16:52, but I was almost always under 18:00 without any sort of training schedule or racing strategy. I guess my strategy was to run hard. I'd like to get back to those roots a bit. Hopefully my Tuesday 'speed' day will help my pace a bit now that I'm actually getting back into decent running shape.
Last weeks running summary:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 6.01 miles; 53:20; avg. pace 8:53/mi
Wednesday: 6.00 miles; 56:35; avg. pace 9:26/mi
Thursday: 6.01 miles; 57:30; avg. pace 9:35/mi
Friday: Off
Saturday: 14.00 miles; 2:22:44; avg. pace 10:11/mi
Sunday: 6.01 miles; 57:00; avg. pace 9:29/mi
Total Mileage: 38.03 miles
Total Time: 6:07:09
Avg. Pace: 9:39/mi
Happy Running!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Vacation Running at Smith Mountain Lake
We managed to get out of the city this weekend, and had an amazing time at Smith Mountain Lake! The weather was beautiful and I even got in a long run. I did; however, skip two runs this week, one being because I had a head-cold and the other being because my one-year-old son caught my cold and kept my wife and I up all night at the lake. Despite me recovering from a cold, and my wife and son later catching my cold, we still came back from the lake feeling recharged, revitalized, and connected to the countryside. My wife and I enjoy Arlington, but an occasional escape from the busy streets, construction cranes, and business suits is much needed. We were both reminded of how much we enjoy the slow pace of life that we once had. Perhaps we'll find ourselves settling down in a small Midwest or Southwest town in a few years :-)
It's had a few renovations over the past 30 years, but you can definitely still recognize the house, especially the balcony and staircase they walk down in the birthday scene near the end of the movie. I really wanted to go and dive off the dock where the father was teaching his son how to dive in the movie and dropped him into the water, but I guess I wouldn't like it if I owned that house and someone pulled up in their boat and jumped off my dock...or maybe they'd think it was funny. Who knows. I didn't try it.
 |
| Me sporting an awesome farmer's tan! |
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| The view from the dock of the house at which we were staying. |
Last week's running was a bit of a mixed bag. All of the runs that I did felt pretty good, and I had decent paces throughout the week. My 12-miler went far better this week than last week. Maybe it was the change of scenery, the extra day of rest since I took Thursday off, or the cooler temperatures, but I ran this 12 miles at a much faster pace and it was through rolling hills. I don't have any idea of the total elevation gain/loss but it was a hell of a lot more than the perfectly flat Mount Vernon Trail on which I usually run. Even though I was 12 miles short of my weekly mileage goal, I'm happy with my runs for the week.
Last Weeks Running Summary:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 6.01 miles; 55:45; avg. pace 9:17
Wednesday: 6.00 miles; 55:20; avg. pace 9:13
Thursday: Off
Friday: Off
Saturday: 12.12 miles; 1:56:50; avg. pace 9:38
Sunday: Off
Total Mileage: 24.13 miles
Total Time: 3:47:55
Avg. Pace: 9:27
Happy Running!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I Won A Bib for MCM 2012!
It's official. I'm running in the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon. I entered an essay contest through Arlington Parks and Recreation, and I was awarded one of ten bibs for the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to participate in this race in our nation's capital.
I guess I was sort of wrong about the buddy I ran with a couple times last week. After skipping our Thursday run he called me that night and said, "I ran my 4 miles tonight like I should have done this morning. Can I still run with you next week?" I thought it was a bit comical at how serious he was taking our running. I said, "Of course. I'm doing 6, 6, 4, 12, 8 next week. You're welcome to come along for any runs you want." Sure enough, he was down in the lobby at 5:45am today ready to go. We had a really nice 6-miler today...I set the pace :-) I'm glad he decided to keep running with me. Hopefully I can get him to have a little more fun running rather than turn every workout into a torture session. Here are our mileage times for the Wednesday run which he led last week:
Mile 1: 8:13 (Blazing! What did I get myself into?)
Mile 2: 8:42 (Okay, this feels a little better)
Mile 3: 9:06 (Yeah, now we're talking.)
Mile 4: 9:36 (You alright dude? We still have 2 miles to go.)
Mile 5: 10:08 (Between 4 and 5 is where the "Uh, I think I'm gonna puke." came.)
Mile 6: 9:16 (Strong finish though. It's hard to recover like that during a run. Good job!)
:-P
Overall my runs last week went pretty well considering I was still sort of nursing a calf strain. I still managed to hit my mileage goal of 32 miles last week. I had to cut my Thursday run a bit short due to my calf cramping, and my 12-miler on Saturday was agonizing. It seemed like any time that I gained some momentum in the run and started to feel good my calf started to tighten up and I'd have to slow down. This resulted in an extremely slow time, but I still pushed on and finished the run. It was really hot out (~90 degrees F), and it was my first run with a Camelbak Octane XCT. The pack actually far exceeded my expectations as far as fit, weight, and functionality. I didn't feel like the water sloshed around at all. The hose/bite valve was really easy to get to, and I love the quick-release to detach the hose from the reservoir. Unfortunately, it's just really hot running with a pack. I ran about 8 of the 12 miles without a shirt, and didn't experience any problems with chaffing from the pack. Overall I really like the pack, but it's going to take some getting used to.
Last Week's Workout Summary:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 4.17 miles; 39:30; avg. pace 9:29/mi
Wednesday: 6.41 miles; 58:40; avg. pace 9:10/mi
Thursday: 3.69 miles; 35:58; avg. pace 9:36/mi
Friday: Off
Saturday: 11.59 miles; 2:11:25; avg. pace 11:20/mi
Sunday: 6.21 miles; 1:00:39; avg. pace 9:46/mi
Total Mileage: 32.07 miles
Total Time: 5:26:19
Avg. Pace: 10:11/mi
Happy Running!
I guess I was sort of wrong about the buddy I ran with a couple times last week. After skipping our Thursday run he called me that night and said, "I ran my 4 miles tonight like I should have done this morning. Can I still run with you next week?" I thought it was a bit comical at how serious he was taking our running. I said, "Of course. I'm doing 6, 6, 4, 12, 8 next week. You're welcome to come along for any runs you want." Sure enough, he was down in the lobby at 5:45am today ready to go. We had a really nice 6-miler today...I set the pace :-) I'm glad he decided to keep running with me. Hopefully I can get him to have a little more fun running rather than turn every workout into a torture session. Here are our mileage times for the Wednesday run which he led last week:
Mile 1: 8:13 (Blazing! What did I get myself into?)
Mile 2: 8:42 (Okay, this feels a little better)
Mile 3: 9:06 (Yeah, now we're talking.)
Mile 4: 9:36 (You alright dude? We still have 2 miles to go.)
Mile 5: 10:08 (Between 4 and 5 is where the "Uh, I think I'm gonna puke." came.)
Mile 6: 9:16 (Strong finish though. It's hard to recover like that during a run. Good job!)
:-P
Overall my runs last week went pretty well considering I was still sort of nursing a calf strain. I still managed to hit my mileage goal of 32 miles last week. I had to cut my Thursday run a bit short due to my calf cramping, and my 12-miler on Saturday was agonizing. It seemed like any time that I gained some momentum in the run and started to feel good my calf started to tighten up and I'd have to slow down. This resulted in an extremely slow time, but I still pushed on and finished the run. It was really hot out (~90 degrees F), and it was my first run with a Camelbak Octane XCT. The pack actually far exceeded my expectations as far as fit, weight, and functionality. I didn't feel like the water sloshed around at all. The hose/bite valve was really easy to get to, and I love the quick-release to detach the hose from the reservoir. Unfortunately, it's just really hot running with a pack. I ran about 8 of the 12 miles without a shirt, and didn't experience any problems with chaffing from the pack. Overall I really like the pack, but it's going to take some getting used to.
Last Week's Workout Summary:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 4.17 miles; 39:30; avg. pace 9:29/mi
Wednesday: 6.41 miles; 58:40; avg. pace 9:10/mi
Thursday: 3.69 miles; 35:58; avg. pace 9:36/mi
Friday: Off
Saturday: 11.59 miles; 2:11:25; avg. pace 11:20/mi
Sunday: 6.21 miles; 1:00:39; avg. pace 9:46/mi
Total Mileage: 32.07 miles
Total Time: 5:26:19
Avg. Pace: 10:11/mi
Happy Running!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Uh, I Think I'm Gonna Puke
I set out on an easy 4-miler this morning, and was surprised at how good I felt. I think I've come full circle from a slightly depressing recovery week to an exciting and invigorating build week. I'm sure there are several things that contributed to this, but as a somewhat seasoned runner I know that if you train for anything long enough you experience highs and lows. You can have the best week of your life and think you're on track to becoming an Olympic champion, and then have a week that makes you want to lie on the ground and throw a tantrum like a two-year-old and question why you run at all.
Fortunately for me, I think I'm in a good week...for now. I started the week running with a friend who asked if he could tag along for some runs. I told him my run schedule and approximate paces for each run, and he said, "Alright, I'll be there." I was a bit surprised that he was going to just pick up running and do all of my runs with me. I started thinking I was under-training or something.
Our first run was a four-mile run along the Potomac that was rather uneventful, but it was fun to run with someone else. We talked throughout the run and maintained a roughly 9:00/mi pace. The next day was a six-mile run to the Washington Monument. He took off at a sub 8:00/mi pace and it was all I could do to keep up. I tried to reassure myself that he was an inexperienced runner, and that this crazy pace out of the blocks would pass. Around the 3.5 mile mark I asked him if he had been watching any of the Olympics, and he replied with, "Uh, I think I'm gonna puke." From there the pace gradually got slower, and slower...and slower :-P We slowed down to a roughly 10:30/mi pace for awhile, and then speed up a bit finishing with a 9:15 last mile.
As I said before, today was a 4-miler, and he met me in the lobby at 5:45am to let me know that he wasn't going running with me today. It's unfortunate, because he clearly has some natural athletic talent. He just needs to learn how to pace himself. I've been there plenty of times before though, every runner has. He'll be out of town this weekend so he'll miss out on the long run, but I hope he decides to give it another go next week. I'll just need to make sure that I set the pace :-)
Nonetheless, it kind of made me feel good to know that at least someone can't handle my daily grind with running. That's actually where the title for my blog came from (not today's run, but the daily grind of continuous running). In the book 'Once a Runner' by John L. Parker Jr. his main character Quinton Cassidy is a miler at a fictional university. He is mentored by Bruce Denton, a former Olympic gold medalist, and Quinton and teammate Jerry Mizner refer to Denton's workout schedule as "the trial of miles." Throughout the book they talk about new athletes that come along to train with the Olympic star who show up for several workouts thinking that each run isn't that hard. As time goes on the life slowly fades from the hopeful runners as their gaze shifts from the run at hand to the countless number of miles they will cover if they keep running with Bruce. Inevitably Quinton and Jerry are the only ones who really survive the 'trial of miles' and they often mutter to each other, "trial of miles...and miles of trials."
Happy Running!
Fortunately for me, I think I'm in a good week...for now. I started the week running with a friend who asked if he could tag along for some runs. I told him my run schedule and approximate paces for each run, and he said, "Alright, I'll be there." I was a bit surprised that he was going to just pick up running and do all of my runs with me. I started thinking I was under-training or something.
Our first run was a four-mile run along the Potomac that was rather uneventful, but it was fun to run with someone else. We talked throughout the run and maintained a roughly 9:00/mi pace. The next day was a six-mile run to the Washington Monument. He took off at a sub 8:00/mi pace and it was all I could do to keep up. I tried to reassure myself that he was an inexperienced runner, and that this crazy pace out of the blocks would pass. Around the 3.5 mile mark I asked him if he had been watching any of the Olympics, and he replied with, "Uh, I think I'm gonna puke." From there the pace gradually got slower, and slower...and slower :-P We slowed down to a roughly 10:30/mi pace for awhile, and then speed up a bit finishing with a 9:15 last mile.
As I said before, today was a 4-miler, and he met me in the lobby at 5:45am to let me know that he wasn't going running with me today. It's unfortunate, because he clearly has some natural athletic talent. He just needs to learn how to pace himself. I've been there plenty of times before though, every runner has. He'll be out of town this weekend so he'll miss out on the long run, but I hope he decides to give it another go next week. I'll just need to make sure that I set the pace :-)
Nonetheless, it kind of made me feel good to know that at least someone can't handle my daily grind with running. That's actually where the title for my blog came from (not today's run, but the daily grind of continuous running). In the book 'Once a Runner' by John L. Parker Jr. his main character Quinton Cassidy is a miler at a fictional university. He is mentored by Bruce Denton, a former Olympic gold medalist, and Quinton and teammate Jerry Mizner refer to Denton's workout schedule as "the trial of miles." Throughout the book they talk about new athletes that come along to train with the Olympic star who show up for several workouts thinking that each run isn't that hard. As time goes on the life slowly fades from the hopeful runners as their gaze shifts from the run at hand to the countless number of miles they will cover if they keep running with Bruce. Inevitably Quinton and Jerry are the only ones who really survive the 'trial of miles' and they often mutter to each other, "trial of miles...and miles of trials."
Happy Running!
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