Hills

Elevation profile corrected from RunningAhead

Elevation profile from Garmin

Tried out the elevation correction feature on RunningAhead's workout import feature. Looks really good, about the way I'd picture the actual hill versus the noise from the Garmin software. Hit the lap button at the start of each repeat to see how long the hill was, .18 of a mile or 289.68 meters. Surprised that I actually went sub 8:00 up the hill. I do my hill repeats at a moderate effort. These were a solo effort. BQ1 ran over with me, but did short hill repeats at the top where the hill is the steepest. I did the "long" side, from telephone pole to telephone pole. Thought they were about a quarter mile. Probably is from the bottom to the top. Even when we have a group doing hill repeats, everyone is running at different effort levels. I do prefer the long repeats to the shorter ones. Four was plenty for my first time back in a couple of years.

Random thoughts on Monday

Hard not to smile when the sun is shining. Sunday was a bright sunny day for the most part. The clouds did start rolling in late in the afternoon. Upper 40's and a pretty stiff wind at times. This wouldn't even have been an issue if I wasn't sitting on my ass. Took son number 2 to find some gaps and ledges to skate at the local high school. I sat in the chair and watched.

Saw the fast master at the track as we were headed to the other side of the school. Stopped and chatted for a bit. I haven't talked to him since I broke my foot. (he was sick at the half marathon last week and didn't hang around) He was coaching a young middle school kid. Pretty cool to see him at work. About the way I pictured him as a coach.

Wouldn't have thought I'd miss driving as much as I did. Car pooling has its advantages. It sure would help to ease traffic if more people did carpool. My unscientific four week study showed probably less than 3% of the cars with more than two occupants. Happy to drive myself to work today, with the sun shining.

Hope to ditch this boot tomorrow. That will be the fourth week wearing this thing. I even followed most of the doctors orders. That would pretty much be a first. Anyone who runs with me regularly knows my opinion of the field of medicine.

I've contented myself the last several weeks lurking on the running message boards and following blogs. 'Tis the season for spring marathons. The fellas are about eight weeks out from Boston. Need to go see how some others did this weekend and still others will be running next weekend. Perhaps when the fellas are recovering from Boston, I'll be able to start running with them again.

Wouldn't consider myself an optimist, more of a realist. Hate to have people blow sunshine up my ass. Life isn't all rainbows and unicorns. But, a little bit sunshine sure does a body good.

Sometimes even songs with sunshine can be depressing, if you let them. John Prine's, Donald and Lydia, chorus "like sunshine feeding daisies". 

Carrots in the wind

I've been accused of being an ass.

Saturday is the one day in the week, where I sleep in. (5:30 am for anyone who pays attention to that sort of stuff) I usually drive the two miles to the closest greenway trailhead to get in my run. Hate to drive the car such a short distance, occasionally I've ridden my bike or run from the house if its a long run day. It's the one run during the week when I can run with my MP3 player and not have to worry about cars. Bright blue sky and temps in the low 40's, nice to be able to wear shorts in December.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday with starting temps in the low 50's at 6 am when I started out with the fast guys for an easy long run of 14 miles. We ran the St. John's loop, flat for 2 miles, rolling hills for the next 10 miles and then another flat 2 miles home. Started out with a long sleeve tech shirt with a singlet underneath because I thought the wind would make the low 50's seem chilly. Wrongo. I pulled off the long sleeve after 2 miles and wore the singlet. Funny how a steady wind in the 50's is just annoying. Another couple of months and that kind of wind with temps in the 20's or 30's is going to be uncomfortable.

Finally making a little bit of head way in training. Almost able to keep up with the fast guys for half of our easy long run. Good to have them pulling me along for the early miles and me trying to hang with them on the ups. Based on my most recent race, the Murfreesboro Half marathon, my VDOT is 46. (won't count the monkey as a race) I'd say its probably gone up at least one level in the last week or two. Still nowhere near the 51 I've had in the past. Average pace for the run, 7:57. Not quite the 7:30 or so from days gone by, but getting there.

3 weeks out from the monkey

Big contrast to my last decent marathon performance at this point in time. Some people start to taper at 3 weeks. Think I'll go with 10 days this time. Never did get to 70 miles in this buildup. Pretty hard to get that kind of mileage on 6 days of running. Only got to 57 miles this week. High mileage was 68 miles, the week before last. Still haven't run a 20 miler, no use in doing that this weekend or next. Probably do some fast finish long runs; haven't done any of those yet this cycle.

This weekend's long run was only 16 miles. Planned on 18, but didn't feel like adding another 2 miles at the end. Started early to get some miles before the guys showed up. Only got in 4 instead of the planned 6 miles. Call this a 8 mile marathon pace run sandwiched between a 4 mile warmup and a 4 mile cool down. Probably not as effective as a fast finish long run, but better than just a slog.

I will continue to go out to Saddle drive to do hill repeats. Think this will be my 3rd week back. The guys are training for a fast 4 miler at the Boro Dash. I'll plan on riding the bike or standing on the course with a cow bell. It'll be cool to see the guys in action, they are in different place from the workouts the coach as been giving them.

Did try something different on the long run this weekend. Clif Shot bloks. Only because that's what they had at Target. Never got around to comparing them to my usual Powergel. Coach said one package was equivalent to 2 powergels. I cut the pack in half and stuck it a baggie. Only ended up eating/sucking/chewing/chomping on half. They were cut into bite size pieces but seemed to work best just sitting in my mouth like chewing  tobacco. I bought the caffeinated one. I'll try them again this weekend, before deciding if I'll switch.

 One thing that really is apparent is the base needed before starting a marathon training cycle. Usually I've been doing 30-40 miles per week. This time was from zero starting in July. It wasn't until September that I hit 38 miles for the week. I was riding the bike during the time off from running. That just wasn't enough evidently.

Comeback no.177.2

Here I go again. Week 3 of the latest running comeback. First week back, two runs for a total of 9.5 miles. Week two, three runs for a total of 15 miles. Longest run 6 miles. Did that again this morning, but wore the heart rate monitor for shits and giggles. Pushed the pace for a couple of miles but that's about all I had in me. Pace per mile: 8:43 and 8:47 at a maximum heart rate of 156. It's going to be another long slow process to get back to where that same 156 heart rate is good for a 7:00 mile. Hard to even fathom at this point.

Had to dig a bandanna out of the drawer for my run. Must be because I'm running so slow, but the sweat has been pouring into my eyes on the last several runs. Maybe when I'm running quicker it evaporates or is blown back? Plus, even though the heat wave has subsided, the rain over the last week or so has made it very humid at the crack of dawn. Still sleeping in until 4:30 am, not quite ready to get up at 3:30 am and run with the fellas. I wouldn't be able to keep up yet, anyway.

Hope to be ready to run with the fellas in another week or so. Won't make it back before we lose one of our regulars. One of the guys said he was the CEO of Optimism for our group. Fitting title, I'd always thought of him as Mr. Sunshine. He's the kinda guy who makes running in a pouring rain enjoyable. I'm gonna miss him. Seems like where ever I live the regular group of folks I run with build a strong core group. Always adding a new member, but also losing one as well. Running folks are the best.

16 year old shorts (before Verizon Wireless)(a)

Note (a). Took a picture of these before they go into the trash. Soft cotton shorts from when I lived in Atlanta. I worked in several different buildings over the years, but the best was the corporate campus that was built in Alpharetta. One of the nice perks was a onsite health center. This was all just before the Bell Atlantic merger with GTE and PrimeCo and the rebranding as Verizon Wireless.

Porkin' up

Hard to believe I've put on eight pounds since I stopped running. Wouldn't be able to tell if you looked, but it's all right around my middle. Must be the classic beer belly. The weight routine and bike are enough to keep everything toned up, but probably the only thing that will melt the fat from the belly are some ab crunches. Ab workouts have never really stuck with me. Like the yoga poses. I know its good stuff, but I can never make it a routine. At least the hard training while running keeps the weight off.

100 miles on the bike

 = Century

Decided this is the year to cross the Century off my bucket list. Might as well work towards something while I'm not running. The bike always takes the backseat to the run when I'm injury free. Only found a couple of local Centuries and they just aren't the right time. (HOT 100) Ideally it would be the first week in July. That gives me enough time to prepare and hopefully I'll be running by then anyway. Most of the HOT 100 route is roads we normally train, so hopefully I'll get a couple of the guys to ride along for a portion of the ride, if not all of it. I'll just need to scout out any stores along the route for refueling or start at the cross road section which would cut the route into a 34 mile section and 66 mile section.

Preparing for a Century should be easier than a marathon. The long bike ride is 30 miles for the first week and adds 5 or so miles each week. Piece of cake. The time to do the long rides is the biggest negative. Great blog post here about your first century. Couple of things I'd taken for granted.

change it up

Damn PS (Piriformis Syndrome) doesn’t appear to be going away. I’ve been trying for the last couple of weeks to run speedwork and it just isn’t working. At least not the fast stuff; short intervals and such. It doesn’t bother me enough to stop running. Guess, that means I’ll just layoff the speedwork until this thing goes away.

In the meantime, I’m going to ramp back up the mileage. 40-50 miles a week may have worked in the past, but higher mileage seems to work the best. Time to start running about 10 miles a day, seven days a week. No running streaks, I’ll take a break every once in awhile. Of course, I’ll have to be smart about it. Maybe start at around 8 miles a day for a few weeks and gradually build up to 70-80 miles per week.

Then again, running through this thing may be a mistake? Hell, who knows. It’s frustrating. Probably ought to go back out to the golf course once or twice a week. The soft surface would probably do some good. Shame we don’t have any decent trails in the Murfreesboro area. Hate to make another trip into Nashville to run the trails on the weekend. I’m in Nashville every day. Maybe I could run the Nashville trails after work, once a week or so.

Causes of PS from here. The one thing that was news to me, "a longer second toe". Really? or just something to add to the laundry list. Still think my root cause is over striding in a speed workout. All of the other stuff, probably contribute but not the direct cause of the irritation. They could probably add driving a stick shift car in stop and go traffic.

• reading in bed with your knees bent or otherwise sitting so that the majority of your weight is on your buttocks
• sitting on the floor, especially with your knees bent up in front of you
• sitting on your foot
• catching yourself from falling, or other sudden muscle overload
• a direct blow to the muscle
• twisting sideways while bending and lifting something heavy
• forceful rotation of your body while your weight is on one leg
• twisting repeatedly while throwing something behind you
• running
• in women, spreading the legs during intercourse
• car accidents, particularly when struck from the driver's side (even for passengers)
• driving for long periods
• a longer second toe
• foot pronation
• one leg shorter than the other
• over-correcting a shorter leg with a lift that is too high
• chronic pelvic inflammatory disease
• infectious sacroiliitis
• arthritis of the hip joint or hip replacement surgery, although I believe usually the trigger points likely came first and were untreated for many years
• the sacroiliac joint out-of-alignment

6 months of wind

Hate running in the wind. Even this morning, first couple of miles were into the wind. It was a warm 44 degrees compared to yesterday's 28 degrees. Still it felt colder for the first mile or so, because of the freakin' wind. Don't know why suddenly the wind is such a big deal. Jeez, when I lived in Texas the wind blew all of the time. Don't remember it being such a nuisance.

Somewhere in the last couple of days, the running streak hit 6 months. Still going. That's about the only running related victory for the year. Every year most of the message boards have a thread about running accomplishments or PR's. Nothing for me. I've run a 50k, a few marathons, a couple of half marathons. Lucky to not have any running related injuries this year. No plans to let the streak end any time soon. Though the toughest running months of the year are coming up. January and February are usually the coldest months of the year.

Dylan ran last night in the fun run the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation department sponsored. They had a pretty decent turnout, maybe 60 people. Good to see in Murfreesboro. I walked around in the opposite direction, hoping to run into Paula and her Dad, but missed them somehow. They took the inner loop around the pond. Surprised they haven't finished paving the road or making a parking lot.

Next race for Dylan will be the Zoo run. I'm running as well, but it won't be fast. Not enough time to squeeze in enough speed work in the next 3 weeks. Should still be a little bit of fitness from the marathon build up. The Fat Ass 50k, this Sunday shouldn't be more than a long training run. Only goal is to finish in less than 5 hours.

handcuffs behind Gentleman Jim's

That's no place to be 2 days before Christmas. That's not exactly what I was thinking when I saw the dude in cuffs surrounded by the 'boro's finest. Well, at least 3 squad cars worth. I was more worried they'd be wondering why I was running into the adjacent park. (it's a prime poop spot, just went all the way in the back, so I would know if they did notice me.) Wonder if he'll make the bizarro news? "A female employee of a local tattoo shop accidentally shot herself in the calf Thursday when she began to wipe a water ring off her desk and knocked a gun onto the floor, causing it to discharge."

The holiday season is in full stride. Didn't gain any weight over thanksgiving, but have managed to put on 3 pounds in the last week. It's the combination of fewer miles and lots more sweet foods. Not about to give up on any of the sweets. I'll burn all of this off on January 1 in the Fat Ass 50k. I've been practicing my ultra shuffle the last couple of runs.

Started looking at miles run for the year. Right now I'm at 2,482 miles with one more week to go. edit to add (I ended the year with 2,533 miles). Only biked for 365 miles. Most of that was after I broke my collarbone in May. About the same mileage as last years, 2,409. Most ever is still the year of the Pig in 2009 with 2,749.



Ran past the rubble of the old Murfreesboro hospital this morning. Such a shame that hardly any buildings from the 1800's are still standing. (the hospital was built in 1927) Even more disgusting is the demolition of a civil war era building for "spec" building space. Someone must have to much money if they can continue to build strip mall space when other spaces have been vacant for years.



Won't be able to make the "fun run" next thursday. Sadly, Murfreesboro doesn't seem to realize that 80% of the workforce commutes to Nashville every day. They can't make it back to town by 5:30, they'll still be stuck in traffic. At least they've got the trails and continue to build more. Maybe I can get someone to take Dylan, that's great stuff for the kids.

Rocket City Race Report

Overslept by 20 minutes. Actually had the most peaceful sleep ever before a marathon. I didn't wake up once during the night. No tossing and turning. Usually I'd be up every hour or two. Guess sleeping in my own bed does the trick.

Paula and Dylan drove down with me. We had to make one stop, because I'd forgotten lube for my feet. Trip down wasn't bad, just at 2 hours. Hadn't checked the weather before we left, and surprised to find temperatures at 35 degrees. I'd thought it would be colder, but not quite as windy. It was overcast as well, which made it seem even colder.

Got my bib and found the W brothers. We all went up to their room to chill out for the hour before the start. I decided to go with shorts, calf sleeves, beanie hat, mittens, a compression long sleeve and another layer for the wind, an armless Fleet Feet t-shirt. Didn't wear my race ready shorts with pockets for my gels or succeed caps. I planned to carry them.

Left the hotel with about 15 minutes to go, because the lube that I just bought, I'd left in the van. Went back out to the van to lube up. Had all of my stuff ready to go and the cannon fired. Holy shit! I thought they'd started the race early and I still had one shoe off. Figured out quick enough that was just the start of the wheel chair race. Gathered up my gels and succeed caps and somehow lost 2. To late to get anymore. (mistake, should have grabbed 2 more) Jumped out of the van and jogged to the start.

Should have hung back in the van another 5 minutes or more. Last time I ran this race, I stayed in the hotel lobby until the masses moved to the start. Oh well. This did give me enough time, 10 freakin' minutes to go find a spot to take a leak. Found a loading dock adjacent to the start that was out of the wind. Talked with another masters runner who was running his first marathon. His half PR was a 1:14 and wasn't sure what to expect. Never saw him again.

From the gun, I decided my strategy would be to run as close to 6:49 as possible. When the wind was at my back a few seconds quicker. The first four miles were a loop around downtown and then back by the start for the stretch heading south. Mile 1-4 splits (6:50,6:51,6:36,6:43)

Met up with KC and we ran together for awhile. The 3:00 pacer was a no show. We knew once we made the turn around mile 15, the wind would be in our face. Saw JL ahead earlier and had thoughts of keeping him in sight, but wisely decided to let him creep on ahead. Mile 5-10 splits (6:41,6:48,6:46,6:53,6:52,6:57)

Seemed like we had a pretty good little pack together until about 10 miles. This part of the course is a slight downhill and the wind seemed to be at our backs, so I picked it up a smidge. According to the Garmin I was on a 6:47 average pace at this point. Hit the half way mark at 1:29:40 with 20 seconds in the bank. Mile 11-15 splits(6:44,6:49,6:52,6:54,6:59)

Mile 15 was the first slow mile, but it was into the wind, expected. The bigger surprise was the next mile a 7:34, yikes the wind was kicking my ass. Sucked it up and trudged on, but lost contact with the group. This is when my quads started tightening up. I hadn't taken any of my succeed caps. Dropped one when I took a gel. Didn't really think they would be a problem. I knew from the start that I only had 2, so I counted on taking one at about 18 miles and then another around mile 22. I had been drinking powerade/gatorade every other water stop and my gels were on schedule. Mile 16-22 splits (7:34,8:43,9:44,10:10,9:58,11:24,12:00)

Did the first walk at mile 17. Quads were tight and cramping but not locking completely. Continued this off and on for quite awhile. Tried to latch on when BQ1 went by and the same when his brother finally caught me. At mile 21, I stopped completely and drank at least 4-5 cups of powerade/gatorade. Another couple of miles of the run/walk before everything loosened up enough to slog the last 3 miles home. Might have helped to that the sun came out somewhere in the last hour. UGH. Mile 23-26 splits (10:52,8:37,8:36,8:16) and 7:34 pace for the .32 according to the Garmin. Only able to get to close to 8 minute mile pace after the cramping eased and able to run nonstop.

BQ1 finished in 3:09 (plus 3rd in age group). His brother continued the family tradition and qualified in his first marathon with a 3:14. DT got his qualifying time as well with a 3:17. Celebratory beers all around sure tasted great.

Cramping quads is a new one for me. Must have been the cold, wind and not enough sodium. Odd that the calves held out, but the sleeves really help there. The decision to stop completely at mile 21 was due to the cramping in my neck and jaw plus the quads. Probably looked like Dr. Jekyll because of the way I was holding my head.

(edited to add splits, after reading BQ1's log entry from his race)

Marathon mistakes

Marathon	Year	State	Time	Excuse
Atlanta	1996	Georgia	3:50
Rocket City	1997	Alabama	DNS	ITB band
Blue Angel	1998	Florida	3:49
Rocket City	1998	Alabama	3:49
Kiawah Island	1999	South Carolina	4:00	Calf strain
Dallas White Rock	2000	Texas	3:30
Kansas City	2000	Kansas	DNF	Achilles
Austin	2001	Texas	3:23	left gels at start
Austin	2002	Texas	3:39	wore flats
Country Music	2003	Tennessee	3:33	heat and hills
Chicago	2003	Illinios	3:40	dehydration
Mid South	2004	Arkansas	3:37	dehydration
Rocket City	2004	Alabama	3:17	Boston Qualifier
Boston	2005	Massachusetts	4:10	fueling
Flying Monkey	2008	Tennessee	3:50	hills
Flying Pig	2009	Ohio	3:05	out to fast
Snickers	2011	Georgia	DNF	shoes
Greenway	2011	Tennessee	4:49	hills, cold

I've finished 15 marathons, started a couple and DNF'd (did not finish) and even had a couple of DNS (did not start). Looking back I've made lots of mistakes. Even when I ran my best marathon, I could have run smarter. For this sub 3:00 marathon attempt, I'm going to try and not make any of the same mistakes.

Going out to fast
Laid out the splits from my PR marathon at the Flying Pig. Even though this was a 12 minute PR, I didn't stick to the plan. Like most newbie marathon runners, I ran how I felt and the early miles felt great. It wasn't until the halfway point that I slowed down to planned marathon pace. To late at that point, because even though I thought I could pull off a sub 3:00 that day, I went out to fast for the first 6 miles for even that time. I gave up 2:30 in the back half of that race. Not my worst crash and burn, actually it was the closest to even splits of any of my marathons.

Trying something new on race day
Ugliest example of this was the Austin marathon. I decided racing flats would shave some extra seconds off my time. The final 6 miles of this marathon were torture. I could see the blood coming out of my flats with each foot strike. When I finished and took off my shoe, the one toe was a big bloody mess. Actually had a repeat of this at the Snickers marathon, not quite as dramatic, but a whole lot earlier in the race. Caused my second DNF.

Time in the bank doesn't work
Tried this strategy for most of my early marathons. Never did work. Goes back to the going out to fast.

Adjust for the conditions
I've only run a couple of marathons that were to warm for me to run at my potential. 60 degrees or warmer and I need to slow down. Sometimes, it just makes sense to not go for the fast time. I've accepted that a DNF or DNS is the smart choice on some occasions. The DNF at Kansas City really should have been a DNS. I finished Kiawah with a calf strain, that should have been a DNF.

I picked the Rocket City marathon for several reasons. It's a fast course. Mostly because it's pretty flat. One little rise at around 18 miles, but no real hills. Weather is usually cooler without much chance of a warm day, versus a spring marathon. It's a small field, no half marathoners to dodge or run around. It's close (2 hour drive), I'll be sleeping in my own bed. This is the 35th year, they know what they're doing. Nice to finish and go inside to eat and relax afterwards.

few random thoughts

Nice to have the van when you finish a 10 mile run in a steady rain
and can climb in the back to change into some dry clothes. Even nicer
that it’s still 60 degrees and raining instead of 30-40 degrees. Only
24 more days until race day. We’ve been pretty lucky this cycle in
regards to the weather. No really cold days. No really miserable
cold, rainy runs.

Greenway here in Murfreesboro has been pretty deserted for the last
several weeks. Really since the change in weather and the Middle
Half. Most of the regulars still out every week, nothing as colorful
as these folks. Some new faces and so old ones that don’t come back.

Don’t know why I’m having blister issues this cycle. First was a
blister deep under a callus, that I thought was a stone bruise.
Didn’t realize it was a blister until a week later. Second was a
blister that developed during my last fast finish long run. Didn’t
know I even had a blister until I pulled off my shoe and saw my red
sock from all of the blood. Strange that I didn’t notice it during
the run. (but it was a pretty intense workout with the pace and wind)

Put some moleskin on that blister 2 days later to do my speedworkout.
The moleskin stayed in place until mile 4 of the workout and then
slipped. I ended up caving on the last 2 miles of that workout trying
to run through the blister discomfort. (big sissy, I know) Tried to
convince myself that I need to be able to run through that
discomfort come race day, but it just wasn’t working. The pace kept
suffering.

Muscle must really weigh more than fat. I’m weighing in at 150
pounds. That’s about 5 pounds lighter, than the last cycle. Must be
the lack of weight workouts. Did my second weight workout since I
broke my collarbone back in May. Never really had much muscle, but
it’s noticeable now. Need to keep this going to tone some of the
muscle. More importantly, I think it helps keep the body more erect in
the latter stages of the race when I become fatigued. (least that’s
what I’ve read, and tend to believe.)

Fun little marathon this weekend at Percy Warner Park. Still one of
my favorite places to run in Middle Tennessee. Don’t think I’ve even
been out there this year. I’m volunteering to work the finish line.
This gives me a chance to get in a long run, without having to run
the entire race. Maybe next year, will be my return to the Monkey.
I’d still like to run a 3:30 or better.

May rethink the strategy to try and run a fast 5k in the spring. I
barely broke 19:00 on 50 miles per week. It would an interesting
experiment to run 60-70 miles per week with 5k specific training and
see how much more I can chip off. Guess I’m scared of getting hurt
trying to race any distance before my goal race. It’s happened to
many times, and its way to much training to waste chasing one PR at
the expense of another.

5 weeks

Found out where the edge is for no carbs on the long run. Perfect morning for a long run this morning. Met the W brothers at LBC for a planned 22 miler. Easy run for all of us. BQ1 needed to test his hip and only needed 16 miles. Pretty strange having daylight for the entire run. Cool to start but never really an issue. Would be perfect marathon weather. Most of the sugar maples were bright oranges and reds. Rising sun made the colors pop more and later, bright blue sky and no clouds.

Seemed like each of us had lots of energy and had to remind each other to hold it back. Didn't feel like that for me for the first couple of miles. At some point the pace seemed right and I actually felt like pushing up the hills. I only planned on taking 2 succeeds with plain water. Took the first one at 10 miles and the second at 16 miles.

Felt really strong when we dropped BQ1 off at the start and headed back out for another 6 mile loop. That feeling fell away quickly around mile 18 when I started to struggle. The pace didn't really fall off much, but the last hill took way to much out of me. I lost contact with G and stopped to pee and catch my breath. Managed to run mile 19 at 8:00, but that was the last decent mile. Pace fell off to 8:30 for the next 2 miles and I was beginning to crash. I've been in this place before, that's the only thing that kept me going for the last 2 miles. Once the Garmin clicked over to 21 miles I stopped and walked it in.

Training is still going well. 73 miles this week. No quality workouts at all. All recovery from last weeks fast finish long run. I haven't looked at next weeks schedule except for the Yasso 800's on Tuesday. It would be nice to have both the W brothers pulling me around the track for that workout. Don't know if that will happen, most of our mid week quality workouts are different.

The stupid/silly running streak thing is still going. Think it's at 131 days now. I've about given up on the notion of going 80 miles per week. I may bump the daily runs to 10 miles to take a crack at it, in the next few weeks. Really about the only way to get there is doubles and they just aren't happening.

6 weeks

Did the 3rd 20 miler in the buildup for Rocket City on Sunday. Well, at least it was supposed to be 20 miles. G and I met a Lascassas Baptist Church at 5:30 and ran a combination of routes we'd done in the past, but in reverse. Only did them in reverse because I needed 6 miles worth of fast finish at marathon pace. This route put the climb up the hill on Oregon in the early miles instead of in the last six miles.

This was G's first 20 miler and the first time he's trained to run a marathon. He's beat me at every distance, except for the marathon. I expect that to fall as well, but hopefully not in his first one. Though his brother, BQ1 showed they are both running machines.

Great morning for a long run, about 32 degrees and no wind. Really like this time of year with the leaves changing and the sunrise. Awesome stuff. We both took it pretty easy most of the way. My plan was to start the marathon pace push at mile 14. G decided to go as well, but of course as soon as it was time to go, another hill. Thankfully, it was a short one and we were able to maintain a 6:48 pace. We held pretty evenly for the next 3 miles where G said he was going to back off. He decided to go one more mile with me.

I ended caving in the last half mile and only got 19.5 miles with 5.5 miles worth of marathon pace. I started to cramp up and shut it down. G, soldiered on and got his 20 miles. Pretty impressive, first 20 miler and 4 miles worth of fast finish. He was pulling me along the entire morning and especially in the marathon pace push.

Validation

Yasso 800's. I think most marathoners have at least heard of them. The marathon program I'm using now and for my PR effort has them scheduled about 7 weeks out. Last time I ran them, it was the confidence boost I needed to attempt a 3:05, when I had been training towards a 3:10. (actually they had me secretly thinking I could pull off a sub 3:00). I've also been injured pushing to hard several years ago.

This mornings effort sucked. Really almost expected it. I'd been wondering how in the world I was going to run 8-10, 3:00 800's when I was having trouble running 60 seconds at 6:00 pace. Warmed up for a mile with G in the misty/drizzle. The temperature was 45 degrees and a pretty strong wind. Ran 4 repeats and didn't hit a single one on target.Closest was about 4 seconds off.

Changed directions on the track and increased the recovery a little bit. I'd been taking a 400 meter recovery at a slow jog. This time I walked for a 100 meters and then slogged the remaining 300 meters. I was startled by another runner on the track and switched directions so we'd both be running the same way. I hit the start line about 10 yards behind this runner and started out for rep number 6. He was moving quicker than me, but stopped at 200 meters. I kept going and had my fastest rep of the day, 3:01. Damn. Just where I should have been all along.

Guess, I need someone pulling me on the track. That, plus it felt like the wind was blowing in my face for 300 meters of each of the laps. Plus, the cooler weather had me feeling aches and twinges I haven't had in awhile. I ran one more rep, but it was another slow one and called it a day.

The running streak has me feeling strong. I just don't seem to have any 5k speed. That's okay by me, don't really need it for the marathon.

fall and allergies

Really thought the allergy thing was mainly spring and summer for me. Didn't realize how many different wild flowers bloomed in the early fall. Counted nine different wild flowers along the greenway on last Saturdays easy run. I had some chest congestion last week that must have been from allergies. Nothing to really slow me down. The sneezing fits are annoying, but they don't last. Sure isn't anything that would stop me from running. Really thought the running helped with the allergies, more than it aggravated. Nothing compared to having to race with a mask because of allergies. Sure didn't slow him down any. Galen Rupp, 10,000 meters American record holder.

Eleven weeks out from Rocket City. 72 miles total for the week after yesterdays long run. This was the first week of 70 miles this cycle. Second time this cycle I've done the long run without a gel/gu during the run. Only succeed about every hour and water. Helps that the temperatures are below 70 during these runs. Soaked in the hot tub after the long run and then put on the zensa calf sleeves for a couple of hours. That really helps to keep the calves from tightening up and recover from the workout.

Trying to decide if I should go to Nashville next weekend and run the Music City Half Marathon with the W brothers. Hate to pay for a long run and don't want to race. The schedule calls for 18 miles easy. The guys will be racing and should be in shape to crush their half PR's. The timing is about 4 weeks to early in my training cycle to race it. I'm probably ready to run half that distance at my half marathon PR pace. It's a sunday race, saturday is the Shelby Bottoms Boogie. It's a 15k and a 5k. I've done that 15k in the past. It'll be on the same course as the half marathon, the greenway in Nashville along the Cumberland river. Same course as the Tom King half marathon. Not exactly, but close enough, still the same boring greenway.

I set my half marathon PR at the Tom King half marathon. I've run 1:27 there and in Memphis. Don't really want to race another half marathon until I'm in shape to try and break 1:26. That should be in a about four more weeks. Only thing going for the Music City Half marathon is the Blackstone beer afterwards. Then again, the following weekend is the Octoberfest 5k, with Spaten beer. Last year it was Paulaner. Yummmm, beer. Not enough races in the middle Tennessee area with beer afterwards. Hate to not make it to at least one of them.

long way out

Trying to coordinate my training plan with the plan the W brothers are using. We’re all doing at least 2 speed/quality workouts per week and some type of long run on the weekend. We’re 12 weeks out from Rocket City. Last week we were able to do one speed workout together and an easy run. I attempted to do their workout on Sunday’s long run.

My plan called for 16-18 easy miles. The W brothers were going 16 miles with the last 30 minutes at a moderate/hard pace. We tried a new route, which seemed to drop continually for the first 7-8 miles. Only a couple of small rises before mile 9 and only a few more on the rest of the run. The fast guys hung back with us until about mile 8 before they picked up the pace and took off. It was nice to have a different route. I ended up just chasing in the last 5 miles and never really got to close to catching them. Overall pace for the run was about a minute slower than planned marathon pace. Still to early in my cycle to start doing fast finish long runs.

Guys were talking about some new tapering plan in a book by Inigo Mujika. I couldn't find much about it on the web. I’ll wait and get the cliff notes version after these guys are done reading the book. Seems like the volume is cut more than in traditional tapers, but the intensity level remains high. Pretty much what McMillan does in his taper. It did emphasize the importance of recovery. That’s one point that I’m really trying to make happen this cycle.

This mornings recovery run was at a 9:33 average pace. That’s about the ultra shuffle pace I use in a 50k. I start out super slow, close to a 10:00 mile and gradually speed up. This morning I never speed up. None of the guys I run with can run this slow. This is the same kind of pace I used in the last marathon cycle, except on the golf course. I’m not getting on the golf course this year, I can’t seem to run out there without tripping in a hole.

This is the 3rd week of miles in the mid 60's. Next week I'll increase my daily runs to 9 miles. I'm targetting 70-75 miles per week for the next 3 weeks. The increased miles and the streak haven't been an issue. Endurance is coming around, but the ability to hold speed it isn't there yet.

Found a cool link that summarizes a couple of the more popular marathon training prorams.

it's a process

Four weeks down in the build up for the sub 3 marathon attempt in Rocket City. Fitness level is coming back nicely. Pleasantly surprised when I saw 37 bpm on the heart rate readout of the Garmin. (that was resting, seeing how low I could get it) Never was much of a fan of the HR monitor, but it is kinda cool to compare numbers. Used it on the two of the quality workouts this week. The new/refurbished Garmin 305 didn't arrive in time for my steady state workout on Wednesday. I'll continue to wear it for the quality stuff, so I can compare to the previous training cycle.

BQ1 is really running strong. He was on my heels on my progression run and he was going 17 miles. At this rate, he's going to be the one running sub 3 and I'll be chasing him. Still, way early in the training and plenty of time to build some speed. Did have some speed on the one workout where I needed it this week, just not the endurance. Seems like the endurance takes the longest to build.

Biggest surprise this week was lack of hill strength. Shouldn't have really been a surprise, no hill repeats so far this cycle. I'll start them this week. I was able to run up the hills with a little more authority versus several weeks ago. The big difference was trying to go up the hills at a quicker pace. An hour into my progression run and one of the steeper little hills(Dolly Parton) made my heart feel like it wasn't going to explode. Stopped to catch my breath. (named for the same type of hills on the White Rock Marathon course in Dallas) Ended up just running the last hill(Spain) at a moderate pace and then going close to marathon pace to finish the workout.

week 3

Still don't have my Garmin/GPS. But, I did get a new heart rate monitor strap. It arrived on Friday. Called Garmin on Wednesday, because they never did contact me by email. I'd tried calling them on Monday, but the hold time was 20 minutes, that's about how long I ended up waiting to talk with them on Wednesday. They don't have anymore new Forerunner 305's, just refurbished ones. Still going to repair/replace mine with a refurbished one for $79. That's a smokin' deal, considering the new heart rate monitor strap and new 305's are still $139 plus shipping. I wasn't really interested in the newer generations of GPS, the face is smaller and I think I'd have a harder time seeing the numbers.

No GPS, so I'm at the mercy of everyone else's, running on routes I've already measured or guesstimates based on my Timex times. Got 2 miles before the guys showed up this morning. It was a easy one mile out and back. Storm was brewing in the distance with lots of lightning. Really thought it was just heat lighting because it was so frequent. Pretty cool display, lots of low clouds and just before sunrise. Ended a tenth of a mile short of 17 miles. Only because I was so far behind everyone when I finished. Still a decent long run.

Starting to feel stronger on the runs. Weight is back were it should be. Just need to make it to the starting line healthy. Discussion on RunningAhead regarding the need for long runs. This is the article from Running Times. My take away, recovery is very important. That's the one thing I've noticed comparing my training plan with the plan the W brothers are using. It doesn't do much good to have 2 quality workouts a week and a long run if you haven't recovered enough to pull off the workouts.

I'll be running six long runs of at least 20 miles. Plus mileage of close to 70-80 miles per week. The W brothers will still be running as quick or quicker than me, with less mileage. I've tried that route before and it didn't work for me. I need the miles. That's one cool thing about running, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the others. And there's always someone who can pull off the spectacular. How about winning a marathon without any long runs farther than 16 miles.

click

Finally this silly streak thing is starting to pay off. First decent long run in forever this morning. Still a long way to go, but at least there was enough gas in the tank for a sorta/kinda fast finish. (still 30 seconds per mile slower than PR shape) Big bonus looking at the weather for the next 10 days, the heat has definitely broken. Lows below 70 degrees everyday. That should help for next weeks long run.

The brothers W decided to go out to the hills for this mornings long run. They wanted 14 miles, I planned on 16, but was only able to get in one mile before they arrived. We went back out to Wilson Hill. Lots of rolling hills and one climb that we do twice, because the course is a lollipop from Kittrell Middle School.

Last week was a down week with total miles in the high 40's. This week ended with 53 miles. Should hit low to mid 50's for the next 2 weeks and maybe hit 60 miles before another down week. Glad to have the W brothers committed to Rocket City. Sure is nice to have someone along on the long runs.

Second week in a row without riding the bike. That's one thing I hate to give up in the marathon buildup. Great blog entry about all of the answers to everything asked on bike forums. "Hey, little round glasses pocket protector collared shirt skid lid rear view mirror sandal wearing schwalbe marathon running pletscher two-leg kickstand tourist – good job." Talking about me?