ACHIEVED
5.08 mi.@ 8:17

5:08 PM 25° 66% 1 mph

Scrapped the fartlek on this cold, late-afternoon, Christmas day run.

ACHIEVED
6.34 mi.@ 8:12

Got up this morning for a run. It was 9°F so changed the plan. Ran at 2:15 PM instead when temps had warmed to mid-20°'s. Had a fartlek on the schedule but the altitude and cold were having an impact on all movement so I was happy to just roll up a few miles.

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
6.15 mi.@ 8:14

4:59 AM 67° 89% 2 mph

Surprisingly warm this morning. I felt okay over the 6 miles. Spent the time thinking about my son's automobile accident yesterday and a morning meeting at work that I'm not looking forward to.

PRE RUN
weight=167

POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin & GrapeNuts w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
Dynamic stretching warm-up
1.5 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:46
4x2 min.@ 6:11 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:46

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1.78 mi. WU
4x2 min. (7:02 7:10 6:29 6:33) w/2 min. active recoveries
1.54 mi. CD

5:58 AM 57° 88% 0 mph

This one didn't go very well. It's my last time in the Chasewood garage for several weeks. Not sure my Garmin was registering in the garage correctly. Felt tired. Couldn't ever really get going.

PRE RUN
weight=167

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & frosted mini wheats w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
1x20 sec. high knees
1x20 sec. bounding

ACHIEVED
5.13 mi.@ 8:03
1x20 sec. high knees
1x20 sec. bounding

5:16 AM 37° 95% 0 mph

Calves were tight this morning; never really loosened up. This is a recovery week with reduced volume but consistent intensity. It's the last week of the "Build" phase. Next week begins "Base 1" phase.

PRE RUN
weight=168.5

POST RUN
apple juice, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

Training Schedule: December 20 - 26

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
1x20 sec. high knees
1x20 sec. bounding

TUESDAY - Hill Repetitions
Dynamic stretching warm-up
1.5 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:46
4x2 min.@ 6:11 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:46

WEDNESDAY - Base Run
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

THURSDAY - Fartlek Run
Dynamic stretching warm-up
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36 w/4x2 min.@ 6:11 "sprinkled in"

FRIDAY - Base Run
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

SATURDAY - Base Run
8 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

OBJECTIVE
11 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
10.52 mi.@ 8:06

7:05 AM 47° 72% 3 mph

Dropped in on the group this morning. Although the group seems to be a bit fragmented at the moment. This iteration included: Steph, Michele, Laurie, and Jonathan C. It seems Steph's injury may be behind her so she should be running with us on a regular basis. She was feeling strong this morning and I went with her so we had a good opportunity to catch up on lost time as we clipped along at ~8 minute per mile pace.

The group was running 14 and I only wanted 11 so I broke off from the group around Mile 8. Shortly after that I did a stupid thing that I don't recall ever doing before. When I stopped for a water break, I didn't stop my watch. But when I started running again, I stopped it (thinking I was starting it). Of course, this fouled up the data from my run. However once I had the opportunity to sit down and analyze it, I was able to extrapolate the proper distance and time for the run. I'm not sure what my problem there was!

PRE RUN
weight=166.5
water & oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
6.05 mi.@ 7:44

4:27 PM 64° 55% 4 mph

Slipped away from work for an hour so I could take a couple loops at Memorial Park. The weather was near-perfect. It was nice to be outside with no rain and no cold! I felt surprisingly good for having run a hard fartlek this morning. So I'm now all caught up on weekly mileage and workouts. Looking forward to tomorrow's run.

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm up
6 mi.@7:46-8:36 w/6x2 min. intervals @ 6:11 "sprinkled in"

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
6.20 mi.@ 7:46 (6:05 6:10 6:10 6:13 6:07 6:07)

5:02 AM 41° 94% 1 mph

This is the run that was scheduled for yesterday. Why I missed it ... it's hard to say now. At the time, there was a cold rain falling and it didn't seem like I had time. Thought I might get a run after work. My body also felt a bit beat down. In retrospect that was all just a bunch of hollow excuses.

Felt pretty good this morning once I got moving. Was happy to hit my times and keep them in a tight range. After missing all my times on Tuesday, I've been wondering what's going on.

I've got it in the back of my mind to break a cardinal rule of running later tonight and get in a recovery run. This will effectively "make up" for yesterday's missed run and get me back on track with my weekly mileage.

PRE RUN
weight=166.5

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, chocolate milk & raisin bran w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
6.14 mi.@ 8:31

5:20 AM 44° 81% 3 mph

No "Garmin gazing" today. Didn't look at my watch once; just let this run "be what it was going to be".

PRE RUN
weight=166.0

F-L-A-T !!!

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm up
1.5 mi. warm up @ 8:37-9:46
6x2 min. hill repetitions @ 6:11 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool down @ 8:37-9:46

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1.56 WU
6:20 6:15 6:24 6:30 6:26 6:42
1.77 CD

5:59 AM 58° 97% 3 mph

... oh, so that's why you shouldn't turn a recovery run into a progression run (see yesterday) ....

I was very flat today; obviously not hitting my goal pace on any of my hill repeats. I guess I can attribute it to a couple of things. 1) Lack of sleep over the past couple of nights. 2) Turning yesterday's easy base run into a progressive run by hitting negative splits over 6 miles. 3) Work stress. I actually considered scrapping the workout a couple of different times during this morning's debacle. But I told myself this is actually good training. Every day isn't going to be a good one. This is training me to deal with adversity - whether within the marathon context (Heartbreak Hill in Boston ???) or over an entire race. Just deal with it and finish off the task at hand. I'm not pleased with what the clock shows for today's effort but I'm pleased that I finished it. Looking forward to the promise of a better running day tomorrow!

If running is like a box of chocolates, I picked the best looking one in the box this morning then bit into it to find a tangerine-avocado center!!!


PRE RUN
weight=165.5
water

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin & frosted mini wheats & 1% milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. steep-hill sprints
2x20 sec. one-leg hop

ACHIEVED
6.10 mi.@ 8:07
2x20 sec. one-leg hop
1x20 sec. no-arm running
1x20 sec. stiff-legged running

5:53 AM 54° 98% 1 mph mist; very light rain

After about 1.5 miles, I caught myself sleepwalking through another base run. I felt tired and lethargic. I decided I wasn't going to let this happen today. Even though it was a base run, right then and there I turned it into a progression run. My plan was to run negative mile splits the rest of the way. However much time a cut off the mile, I would ran the next mile half-again-as-fast. I know this seems a stupid little mental game but I usually respond and today was no exception:

8:59/8:28/8:12/7:56/7:38/7:38

PRE RUN


POST RUN
weight = 164
water, multivitamin & low-fat granola w/1% milk

Training Schedule: December 13 - 19

Proprioceptive Cue: Driving the Thigh

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. steep-hill sprints
2x20 sec. one-leg hop

TUESDAY - Hill Repetitions
dynamic stretching warm up
1.5 mi. warm up @ 8:37-9:46
6x2 min. hill repetitions @ 6:11 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool down @ 8:37-9:46

WEDNESDAY - Base Run
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

THURSDAY - Fartlek Run
dynamic stretching warm up
6 mi.@7:46-8:36 w/6x2 min. intervals @ 6:11 "sprinkled in"

FRIDAY - Base Run
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

SATURDAY - Endurance Run
11 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

Saturday Afternoon 10-miler

OBJECTIVE
10 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
9.91 mi.@ 8:18

3:37 PM 58° 92% 3 mph

It was a strange day in many ways. First, this was a Saturday afternoon run. I don't ever recall running at this time on a Saturday before. Second, the weather was weird ... overcast, misty, humid and cool-ish. This was actually a good thing as far as running goes.

Run with Randy and Josh today. Spent the morning in the office then met at the park. Unbelievably, Josh had just gotten off a +10 hour flight from Paris and was doing a 20-miler! I thought I was feeling sluggish .... But Josh seemed at the top of this game and I was happy to see Randy too after not knowing if he would be joining us or not. Although we ran a nice comfortable pace, everything felt fast to me during this one. I just felt "okay" overall. Was glad when we met Augie back at the parking lot. She was running the second 10 miles. I was happy to be done.

A footnote to this run: When I got back in my car, I had a couple missed calls from Cameron. Long story, short - the Explorer broke down in Waco leaving him and his 3 friends stranded. I made the +6 hour round trip to bring them home. I was fortunate to have my dad in town to share the road time and driving with!

PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
SlimFast

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
6.08 mi.@ 8:19

6:11 AM 43° 64% 3 mph

I was just happy to get this run in after a late night. Last night was the Houston opening of The Sound of Music.

The following thought was much more developed while I was running this morning then I have time to give it here .... "I'm not a good enough runner to let things get in the way of my training." (Things ... for example, late nights at the theater ....) This thinking is wrong though because it implies that the best [fill in the blank ... runners] are good enough to skip training. They are the best because they don't skip training (and are genetic freaks). Do you follow me on that? Oh sure, I can envision Ryan and Sara Hall enjoying an evening of entertainment together. But as world-class runners, I'm confident that didn't alter their training the next day. I'll obviously never be world-class but I can take a lesson from this. I suppose the difference is that as a professional athlete, you don't have to worry about the activity taking most of my time each day ... my job. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I have one.

I'm venturing off to visit a chiropractor this afternoon. I haven't been in several years. This guy's a runner and I'm just viewing this as a 30,000 tune up. I hope he shares my view ....

PRE RUN
weight=166

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & low-fat granola w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm up
6 mi.@7:46-8:36 w/6x90 sec. intervals @ 6:11 "sprinkled in"


ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
6 mi.@ 7:43 mixed in 6x90 sec. bursts
(6:05 6:07 5:54 6:07 6:06 5:58)

5:24 AM 34° 66% 2 mph

I would have never guessed how this run would turn out. I just wasn't feelin' it this morning when I woke up. As I drug myself around getting ready to go, excuses for not running or changing the scheduled workout kept popping into my head. I got myself together, stepped outside to stretch, and the cold morning air gave me a whole series of additional reasons to pack it in. I stretched then started. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was colder than usual. My legs felt okay. I decided my first burst of 90 seconds would come about 1.5 miles into the run. The target pace was 6:11. Off I went. I went hard but wasn't killing myself. Two thirds in, I looked at my watch and was way too fast so I eased it over the last 30 seconds. That was easy. Too easy it seemed. I figured it would catch up with me later. But it didn't I hammered all of my 90 second bursts and they all felt surprisingly comfortable. But more surprising was the continuation of something I picked up during last week's fartlek. I didn't let my in-between burst running get sloppily, slow. I held a pace and forced my body to recover while always running within the overall target pace for the run. I figured this would for sure catch up with me. It didn't either. It all went fine. Interesting .... Just goes to show you never know until you go.

A couple thoughts. I learned a couple years ago that efficient running for generally anyone can be calibrated to ~180 foot strikes per minute. Jonathan Bennett shared this insight with me from his reading. It was around the time he got his footpod. Since then, I've read about this concept. Faster runners just cover more distance with each stride. Therefore, they're ... faster. Anyway, the point is that over the past few weeks rather than watching my watch during fast running, I count my strides. For example, today I ran 90 second bursts. If I'm running efficiently, I should have about ~270 foot strikes during that time. To make it easier to count, I only count my right foot so ~135. I've found this interesting over the past month that I've been doing it. I generally have more the 180 foot strikes per minute while I'm running fast. I don't count foot strikes for easy running but I've got to believe I must be significantly fewer than 180/minute. I don't have a conclusion for any of this as it's still a work in progress. I'm sure there's something for me to glean from these facts but I'm not exactly sure what. I'll keep thinking about it while I keep counting strides.

Finally, I've modified my Saturday plans. Josh is in Paris but returns Saturday afternoon. He wants to get his scheduled 20-miler in Saturday afternoon. He put the word out to see if others in our group would join him. I like getting my run in early so I have the rest of the day for other things. But I thought about how I've done some long runs before and how it's always better to have someone with me for the long haul. If it were me needing to run in the afternoon, I'd be hugely grateful to be joined by someone. Anyway, all of this led me to jump in for Josh's Saturday afternoon run. I'll only be going 10 miles of it. I figured others would join too. But it ended up that everyone else has other scheduling issues which preclude their participation. So I'm looking forward to my Saturday afternoon run. Hopefully Josh is feeling okay after getting off the long flight from Paris!

PRE RUN
weight=166

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, hot chocolate (rarely want anything hot after running but sure hit the spot today!), frosted mini wheats w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
6.19 mi.@ 8:18

5:15 AM 52° 97% 2 mph

Felt sluggish to start out. I think it may have been slightly overzealous stretching before yesterday's hill run. Or maybe my legs are still feeling the incline running ... ? Anyway they loosened up about half way through.

I signed up for the EP5K next month. It's held in conjunction with the Houston marathon so I can enjoy all the festivities with only a fraction of the pain! This 5K fits perfectly into my training schedule at a point where I'll be ready for a time trial.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

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

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm up
1.5 mi. warm up @ 8:37-9:46
6x90 sec. hill repetitions @ 5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool down @ 8:37-9:46

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1.56 mi. WU
6x90 sec. w/2 min. active recoveries (5:46/6:14/6:13/6:14/5:58/6:01)
1.52 mi. CD

5:58 AM 57° 98% 0 mph

Went over to the YMCA to run a warm up to the Chasewood garage for a "hill" workout. Felt sluggish today as I tried to hit my target pace. Hopefully that's a sign that I'm building strength as that's the purpose of the "build phase" that I'm in right now.

Dropped an email to the Salt Lake Track Club yesterday. I wanted to get their group run schedule for the holidays. Depending on what they're doing and when, I may join them while I'm traveling.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
water

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, hot chocolate milk & frosted miniwheats w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. stiff-legged run
2x20 sec. no arms

ACHIEVED
6.17 mi.@ 8:08
2x20 sec. stiff-legged run
2x20 sec. no arms

5:23 AM 55° 98% 1 mph

I felt a bit stiff (lower back) and creaky (knees) this morning. More of an observation than a hindrance.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & GrapeNuts w/1% milk

Training Schedule: December 6 - 12

Proprioceptive Cue: Pounding the Ground

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. stiff-legged run
2x20 sec. no arms

TUESDAY - Hill Repetitions
dynamic stretching warm up
1.5 mi. warm up @ 8:37-9:46
6x90 sec. hill repetitions @ 5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool down @ 8:37-9:46

WEDNESDAY - Base Run
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

THURSDAY - Fartlek Run
dynamic stretching warm up
6 mi.@7:46-8:36 w/6x90 sec. intervals @ 6:11 "sprinkled in"

FRIDAY - Base Run
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

SATURDAY - Endurance Run
10 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

I'll see your wager ... and raise you 5 Miles ...

OBJECTIVE
9 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
14.01 mi.@ 8:26

7:04 AM 32° 88% 1 mph

Interestingly run today. First, I was scheduled for 9 miles. Second, the group was fragmented with some up in Huntsville and those still in town seemed to each want a different distance and to start at a different time. Third, records were set yesterday as snow flew in Houston for the earliest day in recorded history (and there was a hard freeze overnight).

So this is how the day went down: Laurie, Jonathan, and I met at 7 for two loops at Memorial before meeting others at 8. After one loop, Michelle joined. After two loops, Jonathan left and Augie, Josh, William, and ??? joined us. At that point, I had 5.75 miles. I figured I'd go out 2 miles with the group then come back alone as they continued on for ~8 more miles. Instead, I was enjoying the conversations and was feeling good so I stayed with the group to the cleaners on San Felipe (~4 miles out). From there, I broke back to the park alone and ended with 14 miles.

It was quite cold when we started. The high humidity caused the cold to cut right through.

It was good to see Jonathan. I hadn't seen him since Mile 23 at the New York City marathon over a month ago. I enjoyed catching up a bit and hearing his NYC experience (although it wasn't pretty).

PRE RUN
oatmeal w/brown sugar & 1% milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, huevos divorcaidos with chicken, chips, salsa & water

Just Like Christmas Morning ....

OBJECTIVE
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
5.65 mi.@ 8:09

5:34 AM 41° 58% 4 mph

Just like Christmas morning .... I broke out my tights and thinsulate running pullover for the first time this season. That was the fun part of my fun. The disappointing part is that I was overdressed - too hot! Outside temperate = 40°. Yes, I've been conned by the local meteorological hype! It's going to snow in Houston! The sky is falling! Aliens are invading ....

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & frost mini wheats w/1% milk

Dana Point Pictures

Here's a link to pictures from the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K last week >>>Click Here<<<.

Kickin' It Up a Notch

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm up
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36 w/6x75 sec intervals @ 6:11 "sprinkled in"

ACHIEVED
5.72 mi.@ 7:46 w/6x75 second mixed in (5:45 5:57 6:06 6:07 5:55 6:02)

5:14 AM 38° 89% 0 mph

Kicked it up a notch today. No, I didn't break any land speed records I just got into the workout mentally rather than just rolling up time and distance.

Of course the speed play is intended to provide the physiological benefit of using different muscles AND enhancing the ability to recover while still running.

Typically, I let the recovery pace fall off as I get ready for the next burst. I didn't allow myself that luxury today. I pushed the recovery pace to the fast end of my typical base pace. In the process of forcing my body to recover under some stress, I inadvertently trained by brain that "faster is doable". I need more days like this.

Keep running = keep learning!

PRE RUN
weight=166

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

OBJECTIVE
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
5.67 mi.@ 8:11

5:10 AM 45° 91% 3 mph

A nice cool morning. I felt pretty good making the York Minster Loop + once around my block.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Chasewood Garage

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm up
1.5 mi. warm up @ 8:37-9:46
6x75 sec. hill repetitions @ 5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool down @ 8:37-9:46

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1.55 mi. WU
6x75 sec.@ ~5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.53 mi. CD

5:40 AM 49° 77% 2 mph

Didn't feel nearly as good today as I did yesterday. Running is like a box of chocolates ....

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

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

OBJECTIVE
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding

ACHIEVED
5.67 mi.@ 8:04
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding

5:03 AM 51° 93% 4 mph rain

It was a rainy morning with a cool wind out of the north. However, I felt really good. Not sure what to attribute it too ... ? Maybe turkey, pumpkin pie, and napping. ;-)

PRE RUN
weight=165.5

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

Training Schedule: November 29 - December 5

Proprioceptive Cue: Scooting

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding

TUESDAY - Hill Repetitions
dynamic stretching warm up
1.5 mi. warm up @ 8:37-9:46
6x75 sec. hill repetitions @ 5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
1.5 mi. cool down @ 8:37-9:46

WEDNESDAY - Base Run
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

THURSDAY - Fartlek Run
dynamic stretching warm up
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36 w/6x75 sec intervals @ 6:11 "sprinkled in"

FRIDAY - Base Run
5.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

SATURDAY - Base Run
9 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

I'm in Dana Point 45 minutes before the 10K. Not sure what will happen. I would like to run a sub-40 10K but today won't be the day for that ... February. I've done no speedwork since September and am still in the early build phase of my marathon cycle I'm 7 pounds heavier than racing weight. Today's course has 4 U turns and 4 right angle turns. I also had a terrible night's sleep last night. No of this gives reason for a fast time. However it is flat, at sea level and this morning's weather is fantastic.
This should serve as a good gauge of where I'm at. My secret hope is to run 40:30. This would allow me to drop down to a faster level in my training program.

I'll report back later.

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.@ 7:47-8:36
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. one-leg hop

ACHIEVED
4.03 mi.@ 8:07
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. one-leg hop

4:49 AM 47F 98% 0 mph

Felt fine this morning. This is a scheduled tapering week during the Base Phase. It comes at a good time with the Thanksgiving holiday taking me out of my regular routine.

PRE RUN


POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Big Group

OBJECTIVE
8 mi.@ 7:47- 8:36

ACHIEVED
11.40 mi.@ 8:30

6:11 AM 53F 90% 4 mph light rain

Enjoyed the company of a big group today: Steph, Augie, Laurie, Jill, Michelle, Stuart, Josh, Randy, John, and me. It was fun to slog around in the company of friends. It had rained quite a bit during the night and rained lightly off and on throughout our run. I felt good today. I was only scheduled for 8 miles but ended up getting some "extra credit". It's hardly worth the drive downtown to run less than 10.

PRE RUN
Wheaties w/1% milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, Clif bar

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
5.17 mi.@ 8:12

5:30 AM 62° 96% 5 mph light rain

Legs felt a bit beat up today. I'm not sure if it was yesterday's stretching or the fartlek.

Mentally working through next week's schedule and race goals since I'll go traveling and feasting on turkey.

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & low-fat granola w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
Dynamics stretching warm-up
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36 w/6x45 sec. intervals @ 5:50 "sprinkled in"

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
5.01 mi.@ 7:51
(5:56 5:42 5:34 5:36 5:49 5:54)

6:27 AM 51° 81% 0 mph

Got a late start so I had to modify the route in an attempt to minimize incursions with traffic. Mixed in 6x~45 second blasters at ~5:45 pace. After having an oddly difficult time getting out of the house this morning, this run went surprisingly well. Gotta love it when that happens.

PRE RUN
weight=164.5

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

At Least My Run Went Okay ...

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
5.14 mi.@ 8:16

5:25 AM 46° 75% 1 mph

I'm supposed to be in Chicago today but fate didn't smile kindly upon me. After this morning's cool run on slightly-heavy legs. I left the house for the airport. I gave myself plenty of time and had been monitoring traffic before leaving. After driving 2 miles from the house, I got on the freeway and immediately came to a dead standstill in a place that has never been slow in the +10 years I've been driving. Realizing this wasn't normal, I took evasive action - exiting the freeway and working my way along side streets. It seems everyone else in Houston employed the same tactic! It took me 45 minutes to go 5 miles. Later I learned there was a car fire on the freeway. Long story short, I hustled to the airport, through security, to the gate and barely missed the flight. In fact the plane was still sitting there at the gate. It's the first flight I've missed in my life. Very frustrating!

I hung around the airport waiting to go standby on another flight but that didn't work out either.

This is all very disappointing and embarrassing.


PRE RUN

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Back in the Garage

OBJECTIVE
Dynamic Stretching
2 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
6x45 sec. hill repetitions @ 5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
2 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
2.12 mi. WU
7x45 sec. hill repetitions @ ~5:50 w/~2 min. active recoveries
2.07 mi. CD

total time = 59:42
total distance = ~6.02 (???) (not sure the GPS registered correctly while in parking garage)

5:27 AM 43° 85% 0 mph

For today's hill repeats, I drove to the Y. It was a cool morning so I broke out the beanie and gloves for the first time this season. I did two loops of the soccer fields to warm up. This was a little eerie given how dark it was running along the treeline. From there, I made my way over to the Chasewood parking garage. We don't have many options for hill running here so this is one of the alternatives I've conjured for myself. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing. The Chasewood garage is six stories high and if I get there early enough there's no traffic in the garage.

I hammered out my 45 second blasters. They actually felt surprisingly easy today. I lost track of how many I had done and ended up doing 7 instead of the scheduled 6. I would go up hard for 45 seconds then come down real easy for 120 seconds. Midway through I was surprised to see a couple other runners coming up while I was going down. It was Susan Cline and a friend. She was the one who told me about the Chasewood garage about a year ago.

I cooled down back to the Y and unwound with two more laps of the soccer fields. Overall, I felt pretty good today.

Once I uploaded my Garmin back at the house, I was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that there apparently wasn't good reception while I was in the garage. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. After all, I was inside I concrete building .... The result being I'm not too certain of my splits. However, it seems the closer I got to the top of the garage the better the reception was. If those splits were accurate (questionable), I easily hit all of my repeats at the prescribed 5:50 pace.

PRE RUN
apple juice

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

OBJECTIVE
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. stiff-legged run
2x20 sec. running no arms

ACHIEVED
5.12 mi.@ 8:12

5:00 AM 70° 92% 2 mph

Felt a bit sluggish today. About 3 minutes after I finished, it started raining. For some reason I forgot (???!!?!) to do my post run drills.

PRE RUN
weigth=163
apple juice

POST RUN
apple juice, multivitamin & GrapeNuts w/1% milk

November 15-21 Training Schedule

SUNDAY
Rest

MONDAY
Base Run + Drills
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. stiff-legged run
2x20 sec. running no arms

TUESDAY
Hill Repetitions
Dynamic Stretching
2 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
6x45 sec. hill repetitions @ 5:50 w/2 min. active recoveries
2 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

WEDNESDAY
Base Run
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

THURSDAY
Fartlek Run
Dynamics stretching warm-up
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36 w/6x45 sec. intervals @ 5:50 "sprinkled in"

FRIDAY
Base Run
5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

SATURDAY
Base Run
8 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
9.98 mi.@ 8:49

6:04 AM 66° 81% 2 mph

Got back with the group today. They were running 15 miles and my schedule only called for 6. The easiest break off point for me was 10 miles so that's what I was in for. The pace was easy and the weather was very comfortable. Along for the ride today was Augie, Michelle, Josh, William, Randy and me.

PRE RUN
frosted mini wheats w/1% milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin, & frosted mini wheats w/1% milk

Anyone Know a Good Place to Stay in Boston?

OBJECTIVE
4.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
4.51 mi.@ 8:06

4:27 AM 49° 96% 0 mph

Nothing like a cool, fall morning ....

PRE RUN
weight=163.5
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm-up
4.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36 w/4x30-second intervals @ 5:50 "sprinkled in"

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
4.50 mi.@ 8:03 w/ 5:50/5:43/5:54/5:37

5:37 AM 52° 96% 0 mph

I'm feeling pretty good physically now (with the exception of my back which has been a bit naggy since the long flight back from Chile). Still feel like I need to get mentally engaged.

PRE RUN
weight=164.5

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & low-fat granola w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
4.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
4.50 mi.@ 8:14

5:20 AM 58° 92% 0 mph

Felt pretty good this morning.

PRE RUN
weight=165.5
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

OBJECTIVE
4.5 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding

ACHIEVED
4.55 mi.@ 8:03
2x20 sec. high knees
2x20 sec. bounding

5:19 AM 64° 96% 2 mph

Running on fresh legs due to vacation layoff.

PRE RUN
weight=165

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

Santiago #2 Run

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
4.44 mi.@ 8:32

6:26 AM 50° 65% 0 mph

Garmin Connect -
Activity Details for
Santiago Run #2

PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
grapefruit juice,

Santiago, Chile

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
4.05 mi.@ 8:34

6:54 AM 52° 52% 0 mph

I am currently in Santiago, Chile for business. One of the challenging things about running while traveling is actually getting the run in. Another challenge can be figuring out where to run. I generally don't travel much but seem to be having more opportunites to do so lately. I like the challenge of running when my schedule really doesn't allow for it and there are seemingly a dozen good reasons to miss my runs.

Having said that, I missed yesterday's run after flying overnight then taking care of the logistics of arriving followed by afternoon and evening meetings. I wasn't about to be cheated out of today's run.

I ventured out from the hotel and just headed up the street the hotel was on. It appeared to be a major artery. Not knowing where I was going and not having a plan whatsoever, I just ran. The sidewalks were wide and clean. In fact, what I've seen of the city so far has been very clean.

I had decided to get 4 miles while exploring this morning. I cut off the main street down a side street. Not wanting to get too far away from the street that I knew, I did an out-and-back. I continued down the main street until it ended on something the looked like a freeway. From there, I turned back toward the hotel. Realizing I wasn't going to get the mileage I wanted I crossed the street planning to do another out-and-back. While on this segment, I discovered some sort of "green belt" that wasn't green at all. It did have a hard-packed trail though. I ran the several-block-long loop then headed back out of this residential area to the main street. Once back on the main street, I ran down past my hotel until I had the mileage I wanted then came back.

By the time I finished, the street were getting quite busy. People looked at me as I dodged around them. I'm not too certain how common it is to run on the city streets. I only saw one other runner while I was out.

PRE RUN
nothing

POST RUN
mixed meats ???, cheese, bread & orange juice

This is Where the Marathon Really Begins ...

OBJECTIVE
4 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
4.01 mi.@ 8:05

6:27 AM 53° 80% 2 mph

Today is Week 1, Day 1 of training for Boston. The next week or so will be about finding my legs again.

PRE RUN
weight=163

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

Back with the Crew

OBJECTIVE
long run & test left hamstring

ACHIEVED
9.90 mi.@ 8:41

7:09 AM 51° 83% 1 mph

This was my first run with the crew since before the marathon. It was good to get back. It gave me a chance to tell stories about St. George and hear others' stories about their marathon in Chicago.

I didn't run yesterday because my left hamstring still isn't right and I planned to stretch out with a little distance today. I figured the group wouldn't be doing anything too aggressive since Augie is tapering for IronMan Florida next Saturday. I was right - the pace and distance were comfortable but it was obvious my fitness has diminished since St. George. (Not surprising how sitting around and gorging yourself will do that!) During today's run, it's clear the hamstring still isn't full strength. My calves were also very tight throughout the run. Other than that it was a good run. The temperature was cool and I had good company.

Today's participants: Augie, Jill, Michelle, Laurie, Josh, Randy and me.

... anticipating how my hamstring feels tomorrow .... Watch my blog for my report from New York City. I'm leaving Houston tonight to catch the marathon tomorrow. I plan to be positioned at Mile 23 near Central Park passing out water and Gatorade at Continental Airlines' aid station.

PRE RUN
oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & 1% milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, hot chocolate milk & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Sluggish

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 8:44/

5:23 AM 78° 90% 3 mph intermittent light rain

My hamstring didn't respond well to yesterday's run. Today it was sore and tight. I suspect it's just the weakness of the scar tissue tearing, breaking up and hopefully clearing out. I'll take it slow and easy until it's pain-free.

Eating a huge, late dinner last night didn't help. I've had business dinners each of the last two nights and I can say that I'm not a big fan. They certainly don't promote good nutrition or good rest and the result is usually a less-than-stellar run the following morning.

It was warm, humid, windy and a bit rainy this morning. So almost all of the elements were in play. I was expecting much cooler temperatures and steady rain. I think that's what the forecast called for.

PRE RUN


POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/1% milk

Sabbatical Completed!

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 8:56/

5:10 AM 51° 96% 0 mph

I've heard it takes 21 days to form a habit - bad or good. Well, that's the number of days I hadn't run! (Bad runner!)

First, it was my right foot injured during the marathon then I just decided I needed a physical and mental break then I experienced a grade 2 left hamstring pull (self-diagnosed with help from webMD.com and mayo.com) while playing softball. The hamstring still isn't fully healed.

Anyway, I'm back in the saddle and working on new goals and a training program for the upcoming cycle.

PRE RUN
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & GrapeNuts w/1% milk

St. George Marathon Race Report

Link to 2009 St. George Marathon pictures by MarathonFoto.com.


I've evolved to where I'm not much for race reports on my major "A" races especially marathons. It's too hard for me to capture everything. But several have asked so here's a few of my thoughts mile by mile:

I met a 51-year old guy at the hotel from Alabama. He missed his Boston qualifying time at his last marathon by 27 seconds. We rode the shuttle from the hotel to the buses together along with a couple women from Salt Lake City. Sometimes I get claustrophobic when I'm packed onto a bus made for kids. I knew they'd fill every seat. For some reason, Alabama guy didn't sit with me. That was fine. I didn't want to talk. I women from Morgan ended up sitting by me. I tried to "sleep" (also known as sending the signal that I don't want to talk). I didn't drive the course yesterday; didn't want to. I closed my eyes on the bus ride in the dark. Although I did see the fantastic full moon. The drive was long but still seemed shorter than usual. When the bus slowed at the top, Morgan lady started talking ... too much. She was polite and everything but I wasn't interested in small talk.

Off the bus it was cool and the wind was blowing a bit. I ducked in behind the one of the huge trucks and waited. I packed my pocket (2 vanilla CarbBoom's, Advil Liquid gel caps, and salt) and pinned two more CarbBoom's on my shorts. My plan was to use 3 gels one at Mile 7, 14 and 21. The fourth was a backup. I left the wind break offered by the eighteen-wheeler and headed for the trees to clear my bladder. I had slowly drunk an orange Gatorade on the bus ride and had eaten oatmeal at the hotel. Waiting for the line at the port-a-potties was not an option.

I walked over to the start area to see if I could see any of the elite runners. There wasn't much going on there so I returned to my position behind the truck. I talked briefly with a guy who had a foreign accent and a huge thermometer. He said it was 40° and dropping. It was cool but I like it that way. The whole feeling was surreal. At one point, I thought "I'm actually going to be running 26.2 miles in a few minutes." I started stretching - an abbreviated version of my dynamic stretching routine. They played the national anthem. I took off my sweats, slathered on more Aquaphor than I ever have, debated briefly about hat and gloves before deciding against keeping them, then went to the clothing drop. The line was long and chaotic. I tied off my bag and just threw it about 15 yards toward the back of the truck. I thought, "Hopefully I see that again."

I dumped my salt under my tongue and walked to the starting area. The pace groups had balloons. I wanted to be with the 3:20 group to start since my goal was 3:15 but my starting pace would be slower. I had talked with the pace leaders at the expo the night before and knew that they planned to run even splits. There was no room on the road. Suddenly the call to start then the gun. The mosh pit was moving ... very slowly.

Mile 1 - 7:44 (Goal=7:42) I crossed the starting line and said to myself for no real reason, "Let's get it on." I looked up at the bright spotlight and cameras overhead. Then, it was almost over for me. Fifteen feet after the start while looking up, I stepped on something with my right foot. My ankle rolled over. I let out an expletive. This can't be happening. For the past 2 1/2 weeks I've been freakishly paranoid about every crack in the road, sidewalks, any place I stepped. Now, while looking up, I had stepped on something that had screwed up my ankle. I limped along thinking to myself that it may improve once I warm up and get some adrenaline flowing. The running crowd was still very heavy. My ankle was throbbing. How long could I last?

Mile 2 - 7:35 (7:33) I stayed with the 3:20 pace group. It was a large group and a bit annoying traffic-wise. My ankle was still questionable but I had decided to ignore it.

Mile 3 - 7:07 (7:15) I got away from the pace group here. Something that I learned from last year has that it would be dark. I wouldn't be able to see my watch or my pace band. Therefore, I turned my Garmin light on permanently before the start and memorized my goal splits for each of the first eight miles.

Mile 4 - 7:00 (7:06) I was feeling better than okay. This day held promise if I could keep it together. The ankle was now only bothersome on the steeper downhill sections. I was wondering how it would hold up over the last part of the course when the muscles would be fatigued and the steepest downhill of the course would be encountered.

Mile 5 7:20 (7:24) I'm controlling the pace well. I think I grabbed my first Gatorade here.

Mile 6 7:15 (7:24) Reminding myself not to go too fast. "No one around me cares if I run 3:15 today. I'm the only who cares and I'm the only one who can do anything about it. Stick to the plan. Stay with the pace."

Mile 7 7:01(7:24) Veyo Hill looms in the distance. I take advantage of the downhill in this mile and a good crowd in Veyo gives me a charge. I grab another drink (water or Gatorade ???)

Mile 8 7:43 (8:18) I charge up Veyo Hill. I'm passing people left and right.

Mile 9 7:52 (7:55) Wondering if I used up too much going up the hill.

Mile 10 7:39 (7:42) Realize that I'm going to have to stop to evacuate bladder. Decide to hold out as long as I can.

Mile 11 7:52 (8:00)

Mile 12 7:33 (7:38) It hits me that I've really got something going here. Up ahead I see a woman wearing the light blue colors of Fast Running Blog.com. I set her as my mark and slowly reel her in.

Mile 13 7:08 (7:24) Run side by side with Josse Tobias of fastrunningblog.com. We only talked a little bit. I may have surprised her that I knew who she was. The wind had kicked up and was in our faces. I estimated 5-7 mph. As I see that I'm running too fast compared to my scheduled pace, Tobias leaves me before this mile finished.

Mile 14 7:48 (7:15) I stopped at the half way point. I knew I was slightly ahead of schedule but still tried to hurry. No port-a-potty so I used the side of the road. Felt like my right sock was bunching under my foot or that I had something in my shoe over the last several miles. Tried to remedy that problem. Whatever I did helped but didn't completely clear the problem.

Mile 15 6:52 (7:02) Got a little carried away trying to take advantage of the downhill and make up for time I lost by stopping.

Mile 16 7:05 (7:15)

Mile 17 7:07 (7:15)

Mile 18 7:07 (7:15)

Mile 19 7:26 (7:38) It's getting tough but I know I just have to stick with it. "Stay within the mile," I keep telling myself.

Mile 20 7:13 (7:15) I talk to a guy from Orange County, California targeting 3:15. He's running with a woman doing her first marathon. She's an ultra trail runner and looked like this was a walk in the park for her. Shortly thereafter she left us in her dust.

Mile 21 6:54 (6:58) This mile is always a question when creating the pace band. It's the steepest downhill on the course. Can I really go this fast after already running 20 miles? The answer this year is "Yes!"

Mile 22 7:13 (7:15) Somewhere in here I make mental note to self, "Be sure to do ankle strengthening exercises next year."

Mile 23 7:18 (7:20)

Mile 24 6:54 (7:20) This has been my favorite mile the past two years. It's coming into town and there is a big energetic crowd. There isn't a question about finishing; it's just a matter of getting there. Passed several runners in this mile.

Mile 25 7:13 (7:24) Tough mile that seemed to go forever. Knew I was ahead of schedule just focused on keeping the pace and finishing.

Mile 26 6:59 (7:24)

Mile .2 1:29 (1:37) Didn't have the kick that I've had before but still finished strong.


I crossed the line with an overwhelming euphoria. I had 3:11:42 on my Garmin. My absolute best case scenario was 3:15. I grabbed a drink then went to get my official time. It was 3:11:38. I accomplished my goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon.

Thank you everyone who supported me along the way: my Saturday training partners: Stephanie, Laurie, Stacey, Augie, Randy, Josh, William, Jonathan, Aaron, and others; my massage therapists: Molly and Angie; my co-workers for excusing my late arrivals from getting a few extra morning miles; my wife and son for letting me go AWOL to chase the dream; my parents for caring and coming to St. George to see a few seconds of my marathon; my blog readers and online running friends for your questions and support.

Oh, a couple footnotes ... the Alabama guy at my hotel missed his qualifying time by 14 seconds. Although Josse Tobias left me shortly before the halfway mark. In a huge surprise to me, I passed her in the last mile and finished a minute ahead of her.

National Mall Loop

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
5.56 mi.@ 9:20/

5:46 PM 65° 52% 3 mph

Finished meetings at the Ritz Carlton. On my way in this morning, I noticed a very small sign that said "Welcome Runners". Wasn't sure if there was a marathon in town; didn't think so and further didn't think runners would be staying at the Ritz. On further investigation, the hotel had small runners' maps with 4 routes from the hotel ranging from 2 - 8 miles. I eagerly grabbed one looking forward to blowing off a happy hour reception this evening for a run. My ankle and legs weren't feeling all that great but I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass.

My run took me through the campus of George Washington University. Urban running is much different than I'm used to due to the stop-and-go dodging of traffic, lights, construction, etc. By the time I got down by the White House it was getting dark. The Washington Monument was lit up. Then I circled around the Jefferson Memorial and along the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial. I stopped there and climbed the stairs, read the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's second inaugural speech. Then I slowly worked my way back to the hotel. It was an inspiring run even though my legs and ankle weren't quite right to fully enjoy it physically.

Embassy Row Run

OBJECTIVE
run

ACHIEVED
2.26 mi.@ 8:59/

6:33 AM 52° 71% 2 mph

Woke up in Washington DC this morning. I'll be here for work for a couple days. Got in late last night so I didn't have much time. Took off from the hotel for a short run. After a bit of meandering, took off northwest on Massachusetts Avenue. Passed several foreign embassies along the way. No wonder this is called Embassy Row. My legs are still feeling the marathon and my right ankle is pretty tweaked right now.

... The Short Story

Great training partners + perfect weather + a fast track = 3:11:38

This is it!

Made it to St. George. The flight was fine - first-class on a 757 -
isn't a bad way to fly. Found the hotel. Went to eat. Went to the
expo. Picked up my packet. Oddly my bib number is 1000. I'm not in to
numerology but that doesn't seem like a good number to me.

I am extremely tired and feel "dried out". The tiredness comes from the
storm that kept me awake from about 2:30 on last night. The dryness
comes from the low humidity.

I'll be going to bed soon.

I need 3:20 to qualify for Boston. For 5 months I've trained to run
3:10. I'm stepping to the starting line to run 3:15. Here's who I'm
going to do it by the mile:

742
733
715
706
724
724
724
818
755
742
800
738
724
715
702
715
715
715
738
715
658
715
720
720
724
724
137

Hold on tight and keep your hands inside at all times. Enjoy the ride!

Day -1 Intake

frosted mini wheats w/skim milk
english muffin w/honey
orange juice

PBJ smoothie
low-fat vanilla yogurt
medium banana
skim milk
strawberries
peanut butter
TwinLabs UltaFuel

apple juice

corn flakes w/2% milk & small banana
raspberry yogurt
biscuit w/strawberry preserves
20 oz. orange juice

yoplait vanilla yogurt
fruit punch gatorade

clif bar

chicken noodle soup
spaghetti w/marinara sauce
garlic bread
water

gatorade

Day -2 Intake

Last night's sleep: to bed 22:00; out of bed 5:00; slept good the first half of the night; second half was very restless

Today's goal is 500 - 870 grams of carbohydrates

~5:15 4 ginger snaps (26g carbs)

6:30 SlimFast (45), Frosted mini wheats (144) w/skim milk (18), orange juice (24)

~9:00 smoothie - 1.5C blueberries (26), 1C cherries (22), 1C cranberry juice (10), 1/2C low-fat vanilla yogurt (17) and 1 scoop TwinLabs UltraFuel (25)

~11:30 16 oz. water

~1330 rigatoni w/marinara sauce (~82), garlic bread (~22), & 16 oz. water

~1600 chocolate brownie Clif bar (44) & 16 oz. fruit punch Gatorade (28)

~1800 English muffin (26) & 16 oz. fruit punch Gatorade (28)

~2000 sliced turkey (1) sandwich on whole wheat bread (36), 1/2C low-fat vanilla yogurt (17) & regular white bagel (57) with honey (17)

RUNNING CARB COUNT - (715)

I think I'm done for the day. Happy that I hit 715 grams of carbohydrates today. Also, happy that I got almost all without supplements. My calorie total for the day was approximately 3,435 so about 83% of my caloric intake was carbs. If I can pull this off again tomorrow while travelling, I should be fueled up and ready to go (or vomiting in my airsickness bag all the way to Vegas!).

Thanks Everyone!

"If you’re starting out or trying to get to the next level, surround yourself with people who keep you motivated and energized - people who inspire you to achieve your best every day. When you do this, you can’t lose."


Anthony Famiglietti, two-time Olympian in the steeplechase and two-time national 5-K champion

Last Run before the Big One

OBJECTIVE
1 mi.@ warm-up @ recovery pace
2 mi.@ half marathon pace
1 mi.@ cool-down @ recovery pace

ACHIEVED
1 mi. WU
2 mi.@ 6:56/
1 mi. CD

5:17 AM 71° 95% 0 mph

My legs felt pretty good today. My energy level was low. I'm sure that's from the carbohydrate depletion over the last 3 days. The good news is that carb loading begins today. In fact, I indulged in 4 ginger snaps before today's run. The down side of loading is the accompanying bloating but it is the price to be paid to step to the starting line with more fuel and liquid "on board" than I would otherwise have.

Overall I'm feeling pretty apprehensive about the marathon. For five months I've focused on my goals every single day. I believe I've done everything necessary to accomplish the objective. However in the end there's uncertainty. It's difficult to know how things are going to line up until you're actually in the moment. I've tried to eliminate all of the variables but realize at the eleventh hour that is impossible.

Perusing the weather forecasts yesterday I found some disturbing predictions. First it's supposedly going to be warmer than I'd prefer. Something anywhere from 33-45° at the start and 72-85° for the high in St. George. For me the closer to 50°; the better. The disturbing part is the forecast for wind is anywhere from 7-15 mph at the start and 18-19 in St. George with gusts up to 54 mph! First of all, I'm telling myself they really can't predict the top speed wind gusts accurately or maybe they're wrong about the direction (from the SSW ... interestingly the course runs due south). Anyway I'm going to look again to see if there have been any favorable revisions now that it's 24 hours closer than when I last checked.

PRE RUN
weight=158
ginger snaps & water

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin, orange juice & frosted mini wheats w/skim milk

Day -3 Intake

Last night's sleep: to bed 21:30; out of bed 4:30; slept okay while sleeping but was up and down several times

~5:00 water & cheese

~6:00 water & multivitamin

~7:00 cheese

~8:30 2 eggs (over easy) & SportPharma chocolate protein powder w/skim milk

~10:00 16 oz. water

~11:00 16 oz. water

12:30 grilled chicken, broccoli, spinach & 16 oz. water

~14:30 16 oz. water

16:30 2 string cheese

~18:00 salmon, low-fat cottage cheese & water

~20:30 SportPharma chocolate whey protein w/8 oz. skim milk; 2 calcium supplement & Vitamin A&D

OBJECTIVE
2x15 straight-leg hip extension w/exercise ball
2x15 squats w/exercise ball
2x15 lumbar bridging w/exercise ball
2x15 lumbar bridging w/alternate leg
2x15 lumbar bridging w/hip abduction using elastic band
2x15 side-lying hip resistance w/elastic band
2x15 sidestep knee resistance w/elastic band

ACHIEVED
2x15 each
straight-leg hip extension w/exercise ball
squats w/exercise ball
lumbar bridging w/exercise ball
lumbar bridging w/alternate leg
lumbar bridging w/hip abduction using elastic band
side-lying hip resistance w/elastic band
sidestep knee resistance w/elastic band

Legs felt pretty good stretching this morning.

Day -4 Intake

Last night's sleep: to bed 22:30; out of bed 5:00; decent sleep with few interruptions

~6:30 water, multivitamin, & 8 oz. skim milk w/1 large scoops ProV protein powder

~8:00 water & 1 Canadian bacon

~9:30 2 poached eggs, 2 Canadian bacon, water, 16 oz. 1% milk w/2 large scoops ProV protein powder

~11:30 16 oz. water

14:00 16 oz. water

~15:00 2 chicken breasts, cheddar cheese, and lettuce w/vinegar; 16 oz. water

~17:00 16 oz. water

~19:00 low-fat cottage cheese & 16 oz. water

~20:30 cheese & water

Mixed Intervals (Tapering)

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
1x2K @ 6:59, 90-second active recovery
1x1 mi.@ 6:39, 90-second active recovery
1x1K @ 6:25, 90-second active recovery
1 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1 mi. WU
2K@6:44/
1mi.@6:30/
1K@6:15/
1 mi. CD

total time = 41:53
total distance = 5.20

5:38 AM 72° 86% 1 mph

Oh the joy of a speed workout during the carbohydrate depletion phase. I hit my times which was good. I didn't feel as "empty" as I thought I would but I was by no means "well fueled". Hopefully this burned out the last stored carbs from my system. My weight has dropped to 158 but that's just a reflection of the water weight lost from the lack of carbs. It will all come back - and then some - as soon as I start carb loading late Wednesday/early Thursday. I got a good night's sleep but probably cheated myself out of an hour by delaying my bed time until 10:30.

Today it's more carb depletion (seems to make me ornerier than usual), a massage, and hopefully an early bed time.

PRE RUN
weight=158
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & skim milk w/ProV protein powder

Day -5 Intake

Last night's sleep: to bed 22:30; out of bed 4:55; restless, up multiple times


~6:30 water, multivitamin, & 16 oz. skim milk w/2 large scoops ProV protein powder

~9:30 water & 2 poached eggs

~10:30 16 oz. water

12:45 2 grilled chicken breasts in vinaigrette, small cup red beans & white rice w/hot sauce, & 16 oz. water

~15:00 16 oz. water

~18:00 1 can tuna & low-fat cottage cheese

~18:30 20 oz. water

~20:30 grilled tilapia & Canadian bacon

OBJECTIVE
6 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
stiff-legged run 20 seconds
running no arms 20 seconds

ACHIEVED
6.09 mi.@ 8:26/
stiff-legged running 20 sec.
running no arms 20 sec.
one-legged hop 20 sec. each

5:27 AM 77° 95% 0 mph

It seems like I should be feeling a lot better than I did this morning. After all I'm two weeks into my taper and the marathon is five days away. I figured my legs would be fresh and have a lot of spring in them. Alas, it wasn't so. I didn't feel bad during this run just not as good as I had hoped.

I'm starting carbohydrate depletion today. The plan is to extend the depletion stage through noon on Wednesday then I'll start loading.

Tomorrow's run is abbreviated mixed intervals. We'll see if I have any spring in my legs then ....

PRE RUN
weight=160
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & 16 oz. skim milk w/protein weight gainer

Training Schedule: September 27 - October 3

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
6 mi.@ base pace
stiff-legged run 20 seconds
running no arms 20 seconds

TUESDAY - Mixed Intervals
dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
1x2K @ half marathon pace, 90-second active recovery
1x1 mi.@ 10K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x1K @ 5K pace, 90-second active recovery
1 mi. cool-down @ active recovery pace

WEDNESDAY - Resistance Workout
2x15 straight-leg hip extension w/exercise ball
2x15 squats w/exercise ball
2x15 lumbar bridging w/exercise ball
2x15 lumbar bridging w/alternate leg
2x15 lumbar bridging w/hip abduction using elastic band
2x15 side-lying hip resistance w/elastic band
2x15 sidestep knee resistance w/elastic band

THURSDAY - Tempo Run @ Half-Marathon Pace
1 mi.@ warm-up @ recovery pace
2 mi.@ half marathon pace
1 mi.@ cool-down @ recovery pace

FRIDAY - Rest

SATURDAY - Marathon Peak Race
St. George Marathon

Last "Long" One

OBJECTIVE
13 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
13.02 mi.@ 8:42/

6:10 AM 74° 87% 2 mph

Enjoyed a nice run with the group this morning. Along for the run today were Laurie, Stacey, Tricia, Randy, Josh, Jonathan B, Jonathan C, Duane, William, and me. The pace was modest but the time seemed to pace by quickly today. It was good to see everyone. I won't see everyone again for three weeks - after the St. George and Chicago marathons.

Stacey, Laurie, William, Randy, and I went for breakfast afterwards where I gorged myself on Barnaby's pancakes and eggs!

PRE RUN
weight=161
water & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, 3 pancakes, 2 eggs, and grapefruit juice

Recovery Run

OBJECTIVE
2-6 mi.@ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
6.07 mi.@ 8:55

5:08 AM 67° 93% 1 mph

Felt okay this morning. Maybe a little tired or achy or suffering from marathon anxiety ... ???

Marathon Weather Watch
Central, Utah
78°/49° 14% 13 mph (Intellicast)
66°/33° (Accuweather)
89°/54° 19% 9 mph (weather.com)

St. George
88°/57° 12% 13 mph (Intellicast)
81°/54° (Accuweather)
97°/58° 18% 9 mph (weather.com)

So it looks like the temperature will be somewhere between 33° and 97°.

PRE RUN
weight=160.5

POST RUN
chocolate skim milk, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Some Help From the Weather

OBJECTIVE
1 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
7 mi.@ 6:59/mi.
1 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
1 mi. WU
7 mi.@ 6:58/
1 mi. CD

total time = 1:07:45
total distance = 9.03 mi.

5:54 AM 64° 80% 1 mph

Look at that temperature! It's actually dropping down to a nice comfortable running climate and today's run reflects it!

Drove to the Y for my 7-mile tempo run. As usual the tempo run looms ominously in front of me. Can I do it?

Yes! I actually hammered this one "out of the park" and felt good doing it. I just focused on "staying in the mile". By doing this, my splits ended up being nice and tight:

7:06/6:52/6:59/7:04/6:57/6:58/6:49

Throwing out the 17 second variation between my fastest (last) and slowest (first) mile, the spread is 12 seconds. I'll blame that on dodging traffic on Eldridge and making the U-turn during Mile 4.

This was a good confidence builder. As I was cooling down with a mile back to the car, I wondered if going this hard with only 9 days until the marathon was a good idea. I think it's fine. I vaguely recall doing something like this before when I ended up having a good marathon (I think it was last year's St. George).

PRE RUN
weight=160.5
water & ginger snaps

POST RUN
SlimFast
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar, flax, almonds & skim milk

A Cold Front Moves Through

OBJECTIVE
2-6 mi.@ 8:36-9:47

ACHIEVED
6.15 mi.@ 8:45

5:20 AM 66° 89% 2 mph

I think this is my first run at home where the temperature has been less than 70° in a very long time. I felt good and had to hold back a bit as this was a recovery run and I'll have a chance to cut it loose on tomorrow's tempo run.

Went to a new massage therapist yesterday. She seemed to know what she was doing and focused more on stretching and flushing than the deep tissue pulverizing I've had from others. She explained that going too deep with such a short lead time to the marathon could effect performance .... Seemed to make sense and I felt good this morning.

PRE RUN
weight=162
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

Rainy Mixed Intervals

OBJECTIVE
Dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
1x2K @ 6:59/, 90-second active recovery
1x1mi. @ 6:39/, 90-second active recovery
1x1K @ 6:25/, 90-second active recovery
1x800m @ 6:11/
1 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1 mi. WU
2K @ 6:52/
1mi.@ 6:32/
1K @ 6:20/
800m@ 6:09/
1.33 mi. CD

5:49 AM 70° 91% 3 mph rain

First time I've run in the rain in a long time. I felt fine knocking out these intervals. Body was a little "achy"; not sure what that's all about ....

PRE RUN
weight=161
water

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

OBJECTIVE
8 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
high knees 2x20 seconds
bounding 2x20 seconds

ACHIEVED
8.27 mi.@ 8:12/

5:27 AM 77° 93% 0 mph

Base run today. It looked like it rained lightly during the night. I'm surprised the humidity was only 93%. It felt like 99%. I felt pretty good. My right calf was a bit tight.

PRE RUN
weight=162
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & frosted mini wheats w/skim milk

Training Schedule: September 20 - 26

Proprioceptive Cue: Axle Between the Knees

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
8 mi.@ base pace
high knees 2x20 seconds
bounding 2x20 seconds

TUESDAY - Mixed Intervals
Dynamic stretching warm-up
1-mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
1x2K @ half marathon pace, 90-second active recovery
1x1mi. @ 10K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x1K @ 5K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x800m @ 3K pace
1 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

WEDNESDAY - Recovery Run
2 - 6 mi.@ recovery pace

THURSDAY - Tempo Run @ Half Marathon Pace
1 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
7 mi.@ half marathon pace
1 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

FRIDAY - Recovery Run
2 -6 mi.@ recovery pace

SATURDAY - Endurance Run
13 mi.@ base pace

Engaging My Brain

OBJECTIVE
2 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47/
12 mi.@ 7:17/mi.
2 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47/

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
12 mi.@ 7:14/mi.

5:48 AM 71° 93% 0 mph

I wasn't sure this run was even going to happen. Yesterday as the day progressed, I felt more and more like I was coming down with something. By the time it was 8:30 pm, I was running a low-grade fever and had a headache. The group was getting together this morning for a 21-miler. Knowing that I would be running shorter and not knowing my condition, I decided to stay closer to home and to my car in case I needed to bail out on this run. I didn't sleep well but when 5 AM rolled around I got up and felt like I'd give it a go. I drove over to the Y, stretched and started running. I skipped the 2 mi. warm up and 2 mi. cool down - frankly, because I forgot about them. But my mileage is already higher than scheduled so it's fine that I skipped it.

Over the first half mile, I was having some trouble finding the pace. Once I found it, I just figured I'd try holding it for as long as I could ... and see what happens. I was just on this same route on Thursday for an 8.5-mile tempo run that ended up being at 7:13 pace so I was really having a hard time imagining 12 miles at 7:17. I kept reminding myself to "stay in the mile". In other words, don't get ahead of myself thinking about how far I have left or how far I've been. This was good practice for the marathon. When I've had good marathons, it's because I've "stayed in the mile".

The miles rolled by. As long as I locked my mind in at 7:17, my brain knew exactly what to do. It's in charge on a subconscious level and is able to put my legs on the prescribed pace. I can't explain it any better than that. I'm sure there's a bunch going on but I don't know the details ....

I tried to break the run into segments like I will the marathon. The marathon breaks down to 10, 10 and 6.2 miles. The first segment I'll run "with my head" (in other words "don't go out too fast!"). The second segment I'll run "with my legs" - e.g., find a comfortable rhythm and stick with it. The third segment is racing time and is run with my heart. I tried to follow the same scale for today's run which meant the segments were roughly 5, 5, and 2 miles. I didn't blow out the last two miles because I am in taper mode.

Overall this is one of the best runs of the run. It was a real confidence booster and there's no way I could have anticipated that going in.

Now it's time to rest and fight whatever my body is trying to battle. Even though I logged this very solid run, I'm still not feeling quite right. Fortunately, it was never an issue during the run.

PRE RUN
weight=161.5
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin, chocolate milk (skim) & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Milestone

OBJECTIVE
2-6 mi.@ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
6.20 mi.@ 9:06/

4:57 AM 73° 92% 2 mph

My orange Mizuno Wave Rider 11's (volume 1) hit a milestone on today's easy, recovery run. They now have over 500 miles on them. This is the first pair that I've closely tracked the mileage on. They will now be retired. I have another pair (Mizuno Waver Rider 11 - orange vol. 2) which have about 100 miles to go before hitting 500. I want to compare the tread wear on them once they've each hit the +500 mile mark.

Today's run was okay. My glutes were quite sore from Wednesday's massage.

PRE RUN
weight=161
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & bran flakes w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
2 mi. warm-up
8.5 mi. tempo @ 6:59
2 mi. cool-down

ACHIEVED
2.0 mi. WU
8.5 mi. tempo @ 7:13/
2.0 mi. CD

5:48 AM 72° 85% 0 mph

What a difference a week makes! Last Thursday I ran an 8-mile tempo at 7:12 pace and felt really good about it. Today I ran an 8.5-mile tempo at 7:13 pace and was disappointed. Chalk that view of the world up to the fragility of my overall mental state going into this marathon ... I suppose.

Over the last few days I've been really positive about my overall fitness. Coming off the 20- and 22-mile long runs the past two Saturdays and the strong Yasso 800's on Tuesday. I've even gone so far as to pronounce myself in my best running shape ever to a few others who have asked about my conditioning and readiness for the marathon. A run like today is necessary maintain some humility.

I was struggling to stay on pace pretty much all of the way today. I didn't ever really feel like I had any spring in my step.

On the positive side, I did get a massage yesterday which seemed to iron out a bunch of kinks in my legs. My body was still a bit sore from the process but overall it seems to have helped. I scheduled another one for the Tuesday before the marathon.

PRE RUN
weight=160
water & ginger snaps

POST RUN
SlimFast, water & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Whoa

OBJECTIVE
2-6 mi.@ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
6.09 mi.@ 9:25/

5:51 AM 71° 89% 1 mph

My legs were feeling pretty shredded today. I suppose I can thank yesterday's track work and 49 miles over the last 96 hours. Glad it was an easy recovery run.

PRE RUN
weight=159
water

POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/flax, almonds & brown sugar

Change Up

OBJECTIVE
dynamic stretching warm-up
1-mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
1x3K @ half-marathon pace, 90-second active recovery
1x2K @ 10K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x1K @ 5K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x800m @ 3K pace
1-mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

Revised Objective
warm up
dynamic stretch
10x800 @ 3:11 w/3:11 min. active recoveries
cool down

ACHIEVED
1.80 mi. WU
10x800 (3:09/3:04/3:07/3:06/3:07/3:08/3:09/3:09/3:08/3:05)
1.78 mi. CD

total time = 1:36:43
total distance = 11.17

5:16 AM 79° 89% 2 mph

Realizing this would be my last chance to run Yasso 800's before the marathon without screwing up my taper, I changed up the plan today. Instead of mixed intervals I went to the track for Yasso's.

Of course the idea is to run them at the same speed as your goal marathon time. Since my training objectives have my marathon goal time slightly faster than 3:11, I set my Yasso objective at 3:11. I was very happy to hit every single one of them and only had a 5 second variation between my fastest and slowest 800. I jogged during every recovery segment (except after the fifth 800 I stopped to drink for about 30 seconds). The deeper I got into the workout the harder they became but at the same time it was a confidence booster because I knew I could do it. I'm sure I was helped by the fact that ChampionsFit ATP group was on the track running mixed intervals. A couple of the guys there are quite a bit faster than me so I had a bit of a competitive boost to "show them what I had".

I've found myself and subsequently read that the predictive accuracy of Yasso's for your marathon time are a bit optimistic. But that's okay. Today gave me confidence about my overall conditioning and fitness. And I won't be stepping to the marathon starting line trying to run a 3:11 anyway ....

PRE RUN
weight=161
water & ginger snaps

POST RUN
weight=157
SlimFast, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

OBJECTIVE
10 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
steep hill sprints 2x20 seconds
one-leg hop 2x20 seconds

ACHIEVED
10.35 mi.@ 8:25/
one-leg hop 2x20 sec.
stiff-legged running 2x20 sec.
running no arms 1x20 sec.

5:16 AM 72° 96% 1 mph

Up until the last third of this run, I felt pretty good ... especially given my 22-miler on Saturday. However with a little over 3 miles to go, it all seemed to catch up with me. My legs just felt heavier and heavier; tired. I still managed 8:08/8:08/7:56 over the last 3 miles but it was more of an effort than it seems like it should have been.

I got a lot of rest over the weekend with good nights of sleep and a bit of napping. Now that the taper is on I really just need to focus on rest and nutrition. The training for the marathon is essentially done at this point. It's just a matter of putting myself in the best possible condition to let it all pay off on October 3.

PRE RUN
weight=161.5
water & ginger snaps

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Training Schedule: September 13 - 19

Proprioceptive Cue: Feeling Symmetry

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
10 mi.@ base pace
steep hill sprints 2x20 seconds
one-leg hop 2x20 seconds

TUESDAY - Mixed Intervals
dynamic stretching warm-up
1-mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
1x3K @ half-marathon pace, 90-second active recovery
1x2K @ 10K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x1K @ 5K pace, 90-second active recovery
1x800m @ 3K pace
1-mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

WEDNESDAY - Recovery Run
2-6 mi.@ recovery pace

THURSDAY - Tempo Run @ Half-Marathon Pace
2 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
8.5 mi.@ half-marathon pace
2 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

FRIDAY - Recovery Run
2-6 mi.@ recovery pace

SATURDAY - Marathon Pace Run
2 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
12 mi.@ marathon pace
2 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

It's the Big One ... 22 Miles

OBJECTIVE
22 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
22.0 mi.@ 8:39/mi.

5:09 AM 75° 88% 3 mph

Good run today. Randy scheduled a multi-loop route that allowed those wanting more mileage to start early before coming back to the starting point 90 minutes later to pick up others who were going shorter. After our run, we met from breakfast at Buffalo Grill.

Since St. George is a week before the Chicago marathon which many of the others are doing, my 22-miler comes a week before there's. So I was the "high mileage guy" for today. The total mileage of the run was +18. Since I needed 22, I got to Memorial Park early for a 3-mile loop before the 5:30 am start.

The first loop was 8 miles. Along for that run was Augie, Stacey, Josh, Randy, and me. We went down Allen Parkway to Sabine Bridge then back to the park. We were a bit worried about mud from yesterday's rain but it turned out that it wasn't a problem.

Back at Memorial Park swimming pool, we met Laurie, her cousin, Duane, Jon, William, and Aaron. John Colleti had also joined the early group about a mile before we got back to the park. So the second loop group was large, rested and full of energy. It made the back half of my total run pretty fun.

I felt fine throughout. I pushed the pace a little bit over my solo 3-miler then the pace was easy from the outset with the early group. This was fine for me. We were running a bit late in meeting the group so picked it up over the last mile back to the park. The pace bounced around with the second group. Over the last three miles I went 7:59, 7:53, and 7:53. I felt pretty good doing it. I think taking the day off yesterday helped me feel pretty good bringing it home today.

Yesterday's off day wasn't planned but I had a 7:30 am meeting in the office and only gotten home the office at 11:30 pm the night before. I needed rest. I thought I would get the run in during the day but ended up tied up throughout with meetings - both scheduled and impromptu - and the filing of the federal tax return. Thankfully .... Having this pressure-filled workweek during the same week as my peak marathon training wasn't that nice. But the load at work should taper off just as I'm now starting my marathon taper.

PRE RUN
weight=161.5
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast
water, grapefruit juice & 3-egg omelet w/Canadian bacon, Swiss cheese, tomatoes & onions
Later, strawberry-banana smoothie

Unstable

OBJECTIVE
2 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
8 mi. @ 6:59/mi.
2 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
2 mi. WU
8 mi. tempo @ 7:12/
2 mi. CD

5:50 AM 75° 97% 1 mph

The tempo run is always my toughest run of the week and now that they are stretching out farther and farther in distance ... they're tough on me mentally and physically.

I ran from the Y this morning. Once again I miscalculated the route needed for my distance (I think I just want these tempo runs to be shorter ... like last week when I cut it a mile short "inadvertently".) However, I had the sense to just keep adding on to the route until I had the distance I needed. This messed with me a bit mentally though. I like to "segment" my runs into digestible little pieces. It seems to make it somehow easier for me mentally and helps regulate my overall pace. With today's miscalculation, my segments became longer and greater in number. Not good for the all-you-eat smorgasbord!

My splits ended up being:

7:14/7:03/7:10/7:17/7:14/7:15/7:12/7:02

These are obviously a bit slower than my 6:59 goal and a bit more erratic than I would like for a tempo run. Let's see what are today's excuses. Well, I already cited my distance miscalculation. On top of that, how about the humidity? It rained yesterday causing this morning's humidity to be very high. Tough to run in. It must have slowed me down ....

I'm not sure when I'll get tomorrow's run in. I've got an early morning meeting in the office. Maybe I'll slip away at lunch for a run ... but then where to shower ... ??? Jonathan are you reading this? Is the Bennett Public Bath open midday tomorrow?

PRE RUN
weight=162
FRS & ginger snaps

POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin & frosted mini wheats w/skim milk

Insights from the World Record Holder

OBJECTIVE
2-6 mi.@ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
6.16 mi.@ 9:15/

5:25 AM 76° 92% 0 mph

Yesterday I watched an interview with women's marathon world record holder, Paula Radcliffe. I noted a couple interesting insights. When asked how she knows she's ready for a marathon, Radcliffe noted two components of readiness. Her 10-mile tempo runs and her 22-23 mile long runs. When she's "feeling good" on BOTH of them, she's marathon ready.

Radcliffe was also asked what she's thinking about while she's racing. She said she usually counts to 100. Once she's done it 5 times, she's run a mile. (Small club that runs 5-minute miles over the course of a marathon!)

Today's run was okay. It was good to stretch out at an easy pace.

PRE RUN
weight=162
water

POST RUN
SlimFast, vitamin & oatmeal w/flax, brown sugar & skim milk

Mixed Intervals

OBJECTIVE
Dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up @ 8:37-9:47
1x3K @ 6:59/, 2-minute active recovery
1x2K @ 6:39/, 2-minute active recovery
1x1K @ 6:25/, 2-minute active recovery
1x800m @ 6:11/
1 mi. cool-down @ 8:37-9:47

ACHIEVED
dynamic stretch
1 mi. WU
1x3K @ 6:53/, 2-min. active recovery
1x2K @ 6:34/, 2-min. active recovery
1x1K @ 6:21/, 2-min. active recovery
1x800m @ 6:13/
1.28 mi. CD

total time = 55:13
total distance = 6.97

5:38 AM 73° 93% 0 mph

I hit all of my times except that last stinkin' 800! I missed it by 2 seconds. I just couldn't seem to get my legs to turnover fast enough. I probably gave a little too much on the earlier intervals too since I was -6, -5, and -5 seconds faster than scheduled pace. It doesn't seem like that slight variation should matter but by the time I'm at the end of the series, it makes a big difference.

PRE RUN
weight=162
water

POST RUN
SlimFast, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk

Tight

OBJECTIVE
10 mi.@ 7:46-8:36
Stiff-Legged Run 2x20 seconds
Running No Arms 2x20 seconds

ACHIEVED
10.34 mi.@ 8:28/

7:22 AM 74° 91% 1 mph

It took a while to get going this morning. I was slow out of bed and slow-of-foot on the road. My legs were pretty tight from Saturday especially my calves and IT bands (hips and feet to a lesser degree).

However, I finally managed to get it in gear after about 3 miles.

I forgot about the drills on today's schedule until just now! Oops!

PRE RUN
weight=162
water & ginger snaps

POST RUN
weight=158
water, multivitamin, frosted mini wheats w/1% milk & low-fat vanilla yogurt w/blueberries & low-fat granola

Training Schedule: September 6 - 12

Proprioceptive Cue: Butt Squeeze

SUNDAY - Rest

MONDAY - Base Run + Drills
10 mi.@ base pace
Stiff-Legged Run 2x20 seconds
Running No Arms 2x20 seconds

TUESDAY - Mixed Intervals
Dynamic stretching warm-up
1 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
1x3K @ half marathon pace, 2-minute active recovery
1x2K @ 10K pace, 2-minute active recovery
1x1K @ 5K pace, 2-minute active recovery
1x800m @ 3K pace
1 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

WEDNESDAY - Recovery Run
2-6 mi.@ recovery pace

THURSDAY - Tempo Run @ Half-Marathon Pace
2 mi. warm-up @ recovery pace
8 mi. @ half marathon pace
2 mi. cool-down @ recovery pace

FRIDAY - Recovery Run
2-6 mi.@ recovery pace

SATURDAY - Endurance Run
22 mi.@ base pace


3K pace = 6:11/mi.
5K pace = 6:25/mi.
10K pace = 6:39/mi.
half marathon pace = 6:59/mi.
base pace = 7:46-8:36/mi.
recovery pace = 8:37-9:47/mi.

Still a Novice - As a Sense of Accomplishment Accompanies 20-miler

OBJECTIVE
20 mi.@ 7:46-8:36

ACHIEVED
20.02 mi.@ 8:35

5:38 AM 78° 77% 1 mph

Ran with Jonathan, Augie, Randy, Josh and William today. The group had varied distances scheduled today but generally hung together through 14 miles. I guess I felt okay overall. It's good to be reminded what it feels like to run 20 miles. I also came up with this mantra along the way: "Start smart; finish strong." My last 7 mile's splits broke down as:

8:35/8:33/8:09/8:05/7:53/7:44/7:39

Of course that means the start was slow but that's fine. I had a nice, unplanned progression to finish this long run and I felt fine doing it.

In addition, this comes at the end of my all-time high weekly mileage: 57.7 miles. I've got another big week next week then it will be time to taper.

Gritted my teeth and hopped in a 20-minute ice bath when I got home. It made a difference last time.

PRE RUN
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk

POST RUN
SlimFast & water
Later, cherry-blueberry smoothie and multivitamin
Later still, frosted mini wheats & skim milk