two recovery runs

ran twice today, but nothing hardcore. did 4.25mi around 9am at the track, mostly to loosen up the legs from yesterday's 12 and to calibrate my nike+ because it's been telling me my runs are longer than they are. it was a slow, recovery 4+ at about a 9:00pace, but that was good for my lower calves that have been hurting lately for the first couple miles of my runs.

then went up to milliken to meet with the dorman xc team again. i knew they were doing shorter than we have been, which is why i got in a little extra in the morning. we ran the upcoming "eye opener" race course and some extra for about 5.8mi. again, more slow miles but legs were still a little heavy. calves didn't hurt though so i dig it.

overall i was pretty content with the weekend mileage, though slower than i would've preferred, but solid 12 / 10 mi days.

total mileage for august: 145.77
not too bad for my first 4 weeks back in action (/training)

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my favorite long run

got a call earlier this week from my former running pal kt saying she'd be in town this weekend for a long run. before she moved we were logging consistent 40mi/week with excellent long runs on saturdays. we were basically the perfect running partners.

anyway so we met at furman university early this morning to get in 15miles. running at furman is by far my favorite long-run route. it's scenic with rolling hills and the occaisional rooster crowing. there's not much traffic, and the traffic that does come by is fairly accustomed to runners and bicyclists on the weekends. the whole route is paved roads, with a few stretches of sidewalk, and while there isn't always a shoulder, the drivers are cautions enough to avoid hitting you. we are also extra safe and slow down/stop and jump into the grass.

unfortunately kt had some not-so awesome stomach aches going on so we cut it short and only got in 12 miles at about a 9:00 pace. i felt good enough to do 15, but i am just getting back to running 40mpw and i certainly don't want to start getting any aches and pains right at the start of my goofy challenge training.

here's a snapshot of the 12mi loop we ran this morning.

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almost on pace

5x800@3:20 was on schedule for today. after tuesday's disappointing tempo run i thought i might do this workout on the track, but then i was too lazy to drive "all" (3mi) to the track so i did it on the streets. after a 1mi+ warm-up i hit my 800s almost on pace - 3:27, 3:09, 3:16, 3:05, 3:16. it's a nice boost to (basically) hit my goals after being way off on tuesday. my right shin is a little sore and my right calf has been a little tight/achey the past couple of days but hopefully tomorrow's day off will help keep that from getting worse. any pain is the last thing i need... total of just over 4mi for the day

day off tomorrow, probably switching sat/sun and doing my longer run sat and a shorter-long run sun.

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six key marathon workouts

6 Key Marathon Workouts (from letsrun)

1) 24 mile long run at an easy pace (80-85% of marathon pace). This workout has many benefits essential to successful marathon running. It aids mental concentration, adaptation of the muscular structure to competing for multiple hours, it makes the body more efficient at using energy sources such as glycogen and fat (especially in using fat as a fuel source) and boosts the bodies storage capacity for glycogen. To enhance this fuel burning efficiency it is recommended you only take water and electrolyte tablets during this workout.

2) 20 miles run with the first 10 miles at an easy pace (80-85% of marathon pace) and the last 10 miles run at marathon race pace. This run does many of the same things as listed in #1 above but it also teaches your body to run at marathon pace when you are tired. This workout is a staple in many marathoners programs including Ryan Hall's. Others suggest just last 5-6 miles.

3) 10 mile Tempo run at 100 to 102% of marathon race pace. It is recommended this workout be done on the road on a course similar in geography to the course you will be racing on. This workout is often used mid-week to acclimate the body to running at marathon race pace and boost aerobic stamina (endurance). Intimate familiarity with desired marathon pace is crucial in successfully racing a marathon, especially in the critical early stages when you are feeling fresh and its easy to get started at too fast a pace.

4) 10k Tempo run @ 105-106% of marathon pace. It is recommended the workout be done on a track or on a flat surface where the pace can be closely monitored. This workout is a favorite of Renato Canova for building aerobic power/capacity in his marathoners. Many runners substitute a sub-maximum effort 10k road race for this workout. This workout pushes outward the anaerobic threshold and enhances the aerobic efficiency and characteristics of muscles fibers in the muscular system. In addition prolonged efforts at faster than marathon pace have the additional mental benefit of making marathon pace seem easier in comparison.

5) 6 x 1 mile @ 110% of marathon pace with 400 jog recovery. It is recommended that this workout be done on a track or flat road course. This workout is a classic speed workout for marathon runners. This workout improves the body’s efficiency (aerobic capacity) as well as it ability to process and get rid of lactate. This increased efficiency enhances the body’s ability to handle, remain relaxed at, and run efficiently at the slightly slower pace of marathon race pace. Studies have found little benefit to running at more than 10% faster than goal race pace, so if able additional reps or a shorter recovery should be used rather than increasing the pace of this workout.

6) 3 x 5k at marathon pace.
3 x 5k is a fine workout for building aerobic power if structured properly. Do it in a progression style - run a 5k at marathon pace, then jog half mile to recover then do another 5k at 10 seconds per mile faster than marathon pace, then jog half mile to recover than do the last 5k at 20 seconds per mile faster than marathon pace. Done in this fashion makes this an excellent workout.


Example in calculating paces.

If marathon race pace (MRP) for you is 6:00 per mile (360 seconds) then:

80% of MRP is 360/.80 = 7:30 (450 seconds)
105% of MRP is 360/1.05 = 5:43 (343 seconds)
110% of MRP is 360/1.10 = 5:27 (327 seconds)

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five after five

easy day - 5.25mi (44:44) in this extreme humidity and a little bit of rain after work. i let myself sleep-in today (first time in 4 weeks) because the forecast was calling for rain in the early am. of course i wake up to mostly dry roads, and then it rains when i do run in the afternoon. oh well.

on an unrelated note i found out that i am not allergic to chocolate (yippi) so i treated myself to a delicious bag of m&ms this afternoon.

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rainy not-so-tempo

did a 5mi "tempo" run in the rain this early morning, 6.7mi total for the run. i'm aiming for 7:41 miles everytime i go out for a tempo but i can't seem to hit them. still haven't completely figured out/calibrated the nike+ so i don't even know what i kind-of ran the tempo miles in. i'm guessing (hoping) around 8:00-8:15 which sucks. thursdays are my other "speed"(ish) days and i'm thinking about driving over to the track for my yasso 800s. (i'd run there and back but i'm not sure of the safety factor of the roads to the track at 5am).

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recovery three

3.1 today in some awesome humidity. nike+ didn't start when i did but somehow it recorded a further distance... i was going to calibrate it tonight but am busy being lazy instead. anyway easy 3 with 9:00 miles to recover from the weekend long(er) runs. oh yeah, and an 11.4mi round trip commute to work via bicycle. i'm so green.

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nike +

ran 7 this morning with my newly acquired nike+ sportband (early bday present from mr. josh!). worked pretty good i guess although i still don't understand how the 'pace' mode works. i wanted to do the first mile slow to wake my legs up from yesterday's 10miler but it kept saying i was running an 8:25ish pace. i tried holding back more but it wouldnt give me a pace of 9:00ish ever. then when i got to 1mile my time was 9:35, clearly not in the 8's. so i guess i'll have to look into that one. after about 2 miles my legs felt a little more refreshed/awake/not dead, but my overall pace was slower than i would have liked (8:29 pace). hopefully soon i'll be able to maintain pace on these back-to-back long/longish runs. i'd love to be able to race both the half and full at goofy but i'm not so confident that my legs will be able to recover from the half in only a few short hours. guess we'll see how the training improves over the next 19 weeks.

here's the stats for today's 7 from nike-

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training plan for '09 goofy

i created this training plan around the fact that the goofy challenge will have two back-to-back long runs, and i am hoping it will provide me with enough endurance, strength, and speed to successfully complete both races in january 2009. i haven't yet decided on my goal race paces yet, but i hope to be able to around november after a good portion of the training is (theoretically) under my belt.

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ten in the sticks

got my ten miler in with the dorman cross country team this morning out in glenn springs on part of the "palmetto trail". the part we run on is basically just this (long) gravel road that's nicely shaded and not-so-nicely hilly. i really wish the team had been as put-together back in my day - we never went on weekend long runs. anyway went out real slow for the first five (about 46min) but at least that means my second half was a little faster, finished the 10 in about 1:29 and change. felt pretty good overall minus this one awful hill with about 3 miles to go, it drained me. then the last 3/4 of a mile is up mt. kilamanjaro. also quite the energy-drainer but i conquered the hill once again. i always want to take an ice bath my longer runs, and i know i should, but today i opted to jump in the pool. the water was a little cooler than normal so i'm hoping it can kind of count. maybe i'll pick up some bags of ice next weekend...

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accountability

even before i ran my first marathon (myrtle beach marathon, feb 06) i made the seemingly common goal of running 50 marathons in 50 states (plus dc). i am usually an age-grouper and i just knew i could qualify for boston at myrtle. well back in those days i was a senior in college and when it came time to go for a 16+ mile run, i somehow managed to make excuses and skip the long runs. i got in about three, 12-14 mile runs prior to the big race and yup, you guessed it, i hit the wall hard around mile 16. i was forced to walk a lot, and slowly, but i must have been flying for those first 16miles because i finished with a time of 4:01.

so, didn't get boston, but i also didn't train that well. even though i learned my lesson and i know what i need to do to prepare for a marathon, i have pretty much rinsed and repeated for the baltimore marathon (oct 06), the sunburst marathon (jun 07) and the chicago marathon (oct 07). i've crossed off 4 states, and a measly 5 minutes off my marathon time (current pr- 3:56, sunburst).

i know my biggest hurdle is getting in my long runs, and i am hoping this blog will help hold me accountable. my next big race is the goofy challenge (jan 09) and i have many miles to cover between now and then. ultimately i would like to shave a full hour off my marathon time and run a sub-3:00, but i'm taking it one stride at a time.

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