Inspiration from an Olympic Champion

In the men's 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Billy Mills struck gold in what quite possibly is the greatest upset in Olympic history. He blows by Australia's Ron Clarke, the world record holder, with about 100 meters to go.

In this video clip Mr. Mills discusses the mental aspect of his race (his Olympic finishing time of 28:24 isn't mentioned but he discusses his plan to cut time off his then-best effort).

Winning the mental battle is obviously a huge part of running. I find it on the road almost every single time I'm out there running. I particularly like his comment that the subconscious mind doesn't know the difference from reality and imagination.

Interestingly, both Mills and Clarke also ran the marathon in the same Olympics. Their finishing times - 2:24 and 2:22, respectively.

Read more about Mills here.

Tapering Long Run for 15 Miles

OBJECTIVE
15 mi. Easy
6x100 meter strides @ 5K pace (~24.26 sec. OR 6:31/mi. pace)

ACHIEVED
15.19 mi.@ 8:21/mi.
112 m. – 24.82 (5:56/mi.)
112 m. – 25.87 (6:11/mi.)
112 m. – 24:12 (5:46/mi.)
112 m. - 24.05 (5:45/mi.)
112 m. - 25.53 (6:06/mi.)
112 m. - 23.14 (5:32/mi.)

6:09 AM 40° 76% 5 mph

Randy, William, Stacey, Biff and I made it out for this one. I actually started an hour early and got 6 miles before the others started. I knew they would be going a shorter distance since they're still recovering from the marathon.

The morning started out brisk but turned quite nice for a run. I was happy to get this one in and also happy that I spent almost the entire run within my "easy" pace range of 8:08 - 8:38 per mile.

I must admit that I wasn't really "in" to this run for some reason so it was a good thing I had others around to keep my mind occupied with conversation.

The strides at the end of the run felt fine and I, once again, focused on being careful not to "blow them out" at a much-too-fast pace.


PRE RUN
weight = 160#
FRS powder & 2 FRS chews

POST RUN
2 SlimFast, water, multivitamin & zinc
Later, skim milk & Dutch pancakes w/maple syrup

Catching Up ... On Sleep!

OBJECTIVE
5 mi. Slow
3x100 meter strides @ 5K pace (~24.26 sec. OR 6:31/mi. pace)

ACHIEVED
5.14 mi.@ 8:43/mi.
112 m. – 24.36 (5:50/mi.)
112 m. – 25.90 (6:12/mi.)
112 m. – 26.33 (6:18/mi.)

5:14 AM 35° 77% 2 mph

Thankfully, I got a good night's sleep last night. However, I felt pretty sluggish during this morning's run.

The last time I did strides I think I strained my left hamstring ever-so-slightly. So I chilled out while doing them today. I tried to stay closer to planned pace and not imagine myself pressing Usain Bolt to the tape at the Olympics.

PRE RUN
weight = 159#
nothing

POST RUN
water, multivitamin, zinc & organic, low-fat granola w/skim milk

Slow Run on a Cool Morning

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. Slow

ACHIEVED
3.03 mi.@ 8:36/mi.

6:08 AM 30° 93% 5 mph

Cool morning stretch ….

PRE RUN
Weight = 158.5#
Apple, almond & raisin granola w/skim milk

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

4-3-2-1 Cutdowns

OBJECTIVE
1 mi. warm up; 4-3-2-1 mi.@ marathon pace (7:38/mi.) w/2 min. recoveries; 1 mi. cool down

ACHIEVED
1 mi.@ 9:21/mi. WU
4 mi.@ 7:25/mi.
3 mi.@ 7:22/mi.
2 mi.@ 7:24/mi.
1 mi.@ 7:14/mi.
1 mi.@ 8:04/mi. CD

TOTAL (including recoveries): 12.41 mi.@ 8:00/mi.

6:05 AM 36° 92% 8 mph

I ran this same workout back on New Year’s Day. My times today were slightly faster on less rest and in slightly more challenging weather conditions.

Chalk this one up as a good run.

PRE RUN
weight = 160.0#
FRS concentrate & 2 FRS chews

POST RUN
1 SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin, zinc, calcium & oatmeal w/fax, almonds, brown sugar & skim milk

Unseasonably Warm Morning Run

OBJECTIVE
7 mi. Easy (8:08-38/mi.)

ACHIEVED
7.20 mi.@ 8:21/mi.

5:09 AM 66° 94% 6 mph

Felt pretty good today given my general lack of adequate sleep and constant work (16th consecutive day in the office; shortest day 10 hours; typical day 14 hours … yes, I’m marking time like a POW).

My left hip felt much better but still not 100%. I need to get back to my physical therapy but since I usually do it in the evening, it hasn’t been getting done … since I’m not home in the evening.

I don't have time to go into it right now but there's an odd thing that happens for me mentally. It's rare but occurred to some extent on Saturday's run and more so this morning. It's like I shift into autopilot and the miles just start clicking by. It's not that it becomes easier physically ... it just becomes a whole lot easier mentally. I wish I could describe it better and put my finger on how it works exactly.

PRE RUN
Weight = 160#

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

2 Runs Planned; One Run Done

OBJECTIVE
3 mi. Slow

ACHIEVED
3.07 mi.@ 8:37/mi.

6:37 AM 53° 91% 6 mph mist

I have some soreness in my left hip. Suppose it’s from the hills on Saturday.

The schedule called for two 3-mile runs today but I got home from work very late so I missed my evening run.

PRE RUN
Weight = 162#

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

January 25 - 31 Training Schedule

Sun. - Rest
Mon. - 2 runs: 3 mi. each Slow & 3x100 strides
Tue. - 7 mi. Easy
Wed. - 12 mi. incl. 1 WU, 4-3-2-1 @ MP w/ 2 min. recovery, 1 CD
Thu. - 3 mi. Slow
Fri. - 5 mi. Slow & 3x100 strides
Sat. - 15 mi. Easy & 6x100 strides