Saturday, November 8, 2008

Mercy ... That's a Good One!

OBJECTIVE
10 miles including 8 mi. b/w 8:08-38/mi. then 2 mi.@ 7:38/mi.

ACHIEVED
10.03 mi. incl.
8.0 mi.@ 8:25/mi
2.0 mi.@ 7:23/mi.

6:31 AM 42° 98% 0 mph

This was a really good run. It was tough to get out of the house realizing that I would be on my own today. But once I got over to the Y, stretched and got going, I felt pretty good. The morning's air was cool and the sun was just coming up around Mile 2. Although I was running alone today, there were a lot of people out enjoying the morning on the path along Faulkey Gully. I was going a bit faster at the start than I wanted to and had to keep telling myself "Settle down!" But I hit my times for every mile of this run and was able to finish strong (7:33 and 7:13 miles).

I'm looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow.

Congratulations to my friends who ran the Rocky Raccoon 25K trail run today and those running the 25K road race in Houston tomorrow.

PRE RUN
FRS & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

POST RUN
weight = 156.5#
SlimFast & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Friday, November 7, 2008


In September's Berlin Marathon, Haile Gebreselassie broke the marathon world record with a time of 2:03:59. Here's part of his inspiring story in his words >>>LINK<<<

Don't Worry; Be Happy

OBJECTIVE
4 mi. slow (> 8:38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
4.01 mi.@ 8:52/mi.

55F 77% 5 mph

PRE RUN
weight = 157.5
water & Clif bar

I really needed this slow, short run today. It was scheduled for yesterday and I should have taken it then. I've been pushing mileage and pace for a week now and my body really isn't too happy about it. My legs are sore and achy. My abs - particularly lower abs - feel strained too. My build up hasn't followed conventional wisdom and I'm certain I shouldn't have run 20 miles last Saturday "just because I can". That was pretty stupid.

Today I just tried to settle in at a relaxed, comfortable pace and kept reminding myself to take it slow. I caught myself repeatedly looking at my watch which is certainly a symptom of being too pace-oriented recently. All of this week I've been focused on hitting my times and wondering "if I could actually do it" since I adjusted my times for this training cycle to a 3:20 marathon. I've hit them all but it's been a slight stretch.

I've got a long run tomorrow then rest for Sunday. I think I'll follow the same training next week as a comparative. Hopefully Sunday's rest will serve me well!

POST RUN
chocolate milk, multivitamin, water, oatmeal w/almonds, flax, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & 1% milk

Thursday, November 6, 2008

EARLY Morning ... Addiction ... ???

OBJECTIVE
6-8 mi. easy (8:08-38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
6.14 mi.@ 8:35/mi.

3:37 AM 64° 99% 3 mph

Yes, I was on the road at 3:37 this morning! You know you're early when passing by the donut shops and no one is even there yet.

This run wasn't that good. My legs are sore particularly my calves. I'm pretty sure it's yesterday's Big Workout and the overall mileage buildup. It's not the smartest thing in the world to jump from 16-18 miles per week up to 38 miles per week. Actually that's a huge invitation for injury. I've been under 20 miles per week since the marathon and I'll be around 38 miles this week with some intensity along the way. Hopefully I don't have an injury problem looming around the corner. I'll hold the mileage at the same level next week then add on a little the following week.

I think I'm off of the idea of running the 25K this weekend. Instead I'll just go get some miles Saturday morning. I suppose there's a good chance I'll be alone for that endeavor but I've decided that's okay.

PRE RUN
Clif bar & water

POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Later, Cheerios w/1% milk

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

"Smallest" Big Workout

OBJECTIVE
8 mi. including warm-up; 7 x 2 min.@ CV & 2 min. jogging recovery; cool down
CV = 6:26/mile

ACHIEVED
8.36 mi.@ 8:08/mile including
2.42 mi.@ 8:31/mile
6:34/
6:11/
6:12/
6:09/
6:22/
6:19/
6:20/
2.35 mi.@ 8:16/mile

6:06 AM 61° 100% 1 mph

The midweek Big Workout is always a mental challenge for me. The workout is tough but it’s always doable. And once it’s done, I always feel really good. It really is a confidence booster.

Today’s effort originally called for a total of 6 miles. However, I decided last night that 8 miles would be better. I’ll probably trim a couple miles off Saturday’s scheduled run in exchange. Last night I also completed the full complement of physical therapy exercises. My left knee has been feeling like something is lurking under the surface so I figured I had better get back with the program and complete my physical therapy. I haven’t been very diligent about doing it since the marathon – maybe only once a week when I’m supposed to be doing them twice.

I woke up a bit later this morning. My sleep pattern has been screwed up by the time change and I really haven’t done anything to get a handle on it. While running today, I decided I’m going to be more rigid with my waking up time. That will drive my “to bed” time to whatever I actually need to be getting sleep-wise.

I hung around the house a bit getting ready but I was really lingering because I wasn’t looking forward to the workout. The Big Workout always seems so ominous when it’s sitting there in front of me.

I finally got away from the house and drove to the YMCA. I haven’t run from there since well before the marathon. It was a very nice morning. I wanted to keep my warm-up and cool down in the “easy” pace range which I’ve determined to be 8:08 – 8:38 per mile.

The 2.4 mile warm-up felt pretty good. I had the pace around 8:31/mile. From there, it was time for the intervals. I hit it pretty hard right out of the gate. Over the course of the intervals, I was tested but made my time on every one but the first one. It seemed I alternated feeling really good and not-so-good.

I was surprised. It felt like I still have a great deal of overall fitness from the marathon but I’m clearly not where I was leading up to the marathon. My overall pace was very good and my interval pace was good too. This was a good workout for me to have at this point.

The next couple of days have easy runs on the schedule. I can chill out while getting ready to log a few miles on the weekend.

PRE RUN
weight = 158#
Water & FRS

POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Later, oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Opening the Door to Restart the Grind

OBJECTIVE
6 - 8 mi. easy (8:08 - 8:38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
6.17 mi.@ 8:21/mi.

5:48 AM 51° 100% 0 mph

Today's run was okay. It felt long and my calves were very tight for some reason. My pace was a bit faster than I wanted given tomorrow's scheduled Big Workout.

PRE RUN
weight = 156.5#
water

POST RUN
chocolate milk, multivitamin, & oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

Monday, November 3, 2008

A Bit Sore

ACHIEVED
3 - 4 miles slow

OBJECTIVE
4.03 mi.@ 8:50/mi.

4:52 AM 48F 100% 0 mph

I got an early start this morning as the clocks changed from daylight savings time to standard time early Sunday morning. I also got a nap in early Sunday afternoon.

This morning's run went fine. My legs were sore, certainly from Saturday's miles, even though I took an ice bath when I got home from running Saturday. I can only imagine they would have been worse were it not for the ice bath. I rolled out the 4 mile "Stuebner-Airline Loop". Since I was supposed to be "slow" today, I wanted to keep it slower than 8:38 pace. This wasn't a problem with my legs being a bit balky.

I ran in new Saucony Grid Ignition shoes that I picked up on a whim Saturday afternoon. They felt light and comfortable when I tried them on in the store and again this morning before setting out. They're a cushioning shoe and seem to be "tilted" forward slightly more than my Mizuno's. Shortly after getting going, they were "just shoes", nothing special. I'll monitor my legs and feet for soreness today and tomorrow. It's not like me to just randomly try a new pair of shoes.

I'm considering racing this weekend in place of my scheduled long run. I'll have to see how I'm feeling as the week progresses. It seems the group I usually run with on Saturday is doing a trail run and some other runners that I occasionally join are doing a 25K race. I don't feel I'm really ready to race right now but know the 25K will be an easier way for me to get miles than on my own.

PRE RUN
weight = 158#
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & 1% milk

Sunday, November 2, 2008

November 2 - 8 Training Schedule

Sun: rest
Mon: 3 - 4 miles slow
Tue: 6 - 8 miles easy
Wed: 6 miles with 7x2 min. @ CV w/2 min. jogging recovery
Thu: 3 - 4 miles slow
Fri: 6 - 8 miles easy
Sat: 12 - 14 miles easy (last 2 miles @ MP)

I am setting my paces for this training cycle as follows:

Easy = 8:08 - 8:38 per mile
Critical Velocity (CV) = 6:26 per mile
Marathon Pace (MP) = 7:38 per mile

There are 11 weeks until January 18 which is the date of the Phoenix marathon. This week will offer a good test for me to see where I am fitness- and recovery-wise after the St. George marathon and my relative easy subsequent weeks. I'll adapt the training schedule based on how I'm feeling.

I forgot to mention that I went to the Texas High School District 13-5A Championship meet last Friday. It's fun to watch the kids run and see the over-exuberance of almost all of them starting out way too fast. They also don't really have a concept of working together as a team which I believe would make a huge difference in meets of that type given the scoring that is used. Anyway here's a picture of my favorite runner of the day. He took 12th place in the junior varsity event.





While I'm on the topic of high school cross country, I want to give a huge congratulations to Syracuse High whose boys' team took 6th and girls took 7th at the Utah State Championship meet. The school opened in 2007 and had the extreme good fortune of Coach Roger Buhrley joining the staff. Coach Buhrley is a Utah coaching legend with far too many accolades to mention here. Suffice it to say, he's done it all ... several times. Many years ago Coach Buhrley introduced me to cross country and I find many of the lessons learned from him then help me with my running today. Thanks, Coach, and congratulations to you the Titans of Syracuse High.