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July 18, 2010
It’s been a while since I have done a blog on my training. Just been so busy lately with trying to keep up with work and the other normal everyday activities and along with all the training time it leaves me very little time for anything else. I barely have enough time for sleep. If I’m not out running I’m inside eating food, food, lots and lots of food! I spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house!
Anyway, my training is going really well! I continue to see improvements although they are harder to come by as I become more fit. My endurance has improved greatly, but still needs to be improved on for a strong finish in the Chicago marathon. I have plenty of time to work on that and my goal marathon pace as my weekly volume in miles continue to grow. I plan on peaking at 65 miles if I can handle it. It’s more of a time constraint issue than being able to handle it though. It would be nice if I could do two a day runs, but that’s just not possible on the week days. And the weather has been brutal ( heat and humidity ) but I have been acclimating to it fairly well.
I have a short 5 mile easy run to do this morning and that will wrap up this weeks training. It was a recovery week with 43 miles for the week. Saturday I did 10 miles with the last five miles at BQ pace and handled it fine.
Next week is 59 miles with a 20 miler preferably on Saturday, but will move it to Sunday if I have to work. Always having to adjust for work. Work is my major obstacle right now and makes it very hard to get the needed sleep with having to work a second shift and put in the overtime when needed, but the bills have to be paid so work it is.
Enjoy every step!
Al
PS
Just returned from the 5 mile recovery run. It’s nice to go out and do a few miles where the only goal in mind is to keep it SLOW and EASY! Gives me time to pray, meditate and take in what’s going on around me and all that God has created. To reflect on previous training runs and to contemplate upcoming workouts. Also gives me time to focus on the ole body for anything that doesn’t seem quite right and to pay attention to form.
June 23, 2010
Was feeling pretty good this morning and didn’t feel any undue fatigue from yesterdays tempo run, but the heat and humidity was terrible this morning ( 75 @ my 8:30 start and the dew point was already 72) so that added some extra effort to the run. Avg pace for today was 9:58 and that was about as fast as it was going to get!
Tomorrow is a treadmill workout so I can do some hill work using the incline.
Enjoy every step!
Al
June 22, 2010
This morning was a 4 mile tempo run with a goal pace of 8:39/8:28 w/2 mile warm up and a 1 mile cool down for 7 mile overall.
The humidity was the usual with a dew point at 67 and the temp was 73 when I started at 8:30 am. The heat and humidity always makes the workout tougher because running when it’s hot more blood is diverted away from the muscles to the skin to help keep you cool and you also loose more sweat, putting you at risk for dehydration. If the humidity is high, it can be even worse for you since, although you sweat, the sweat does not evaporate as well and as a result does not cool you off as well. So, the effort on a cool dry day will feel easier than on a warm humid day.
My average pace for the 4 mile tempo was 8:24, slightly faster than needed and the effort was more than needed for the conditions. Could have went with the slow end of the pace zone or maybe a little slower and would have been closer to what the effort should have felt like for a tempo run. Today would have been better to go by heart rate rather than pace for the tempo miles.
All in all it was a good workout and another successful training run.
Enjoy every step!
Al
June 19, 2010
Last Saturday on my planned 16 miler I had to call it quits after the 13th mile. Only 3 miles to go, but I was used up and had enough, humidity had kicked my butt! I felt pretty good for about 8 miles, but he was relentless and wore me down quickly after that. I had plenty of fluids and stayed well hydrated using both Gator and water to no avail. This Saturday it was the other way around! In all fairness to good ole humidity though I did have some clear advantages this morning just as he did last Saturday.
Last week I had to work a 10 hour 2nd shift Friday night (overtime) so I didn’t get to bed until 3:00 am and slept in a little too long so had a late start, the temp was already at 77, no cloud cover, very little breeze and the dew point was a whopping 74 when I started at 10:30 am so humidity had it’s ammo ready and a clear advantage over me at the very start. This Friday I had off so was in bed early and was up at 3:30 am with 7 hours of good sleep under my belt (advantage #1). I had my usual oatmeal, 1/2 bagel w/PB and some coffee then messed around until 5:00 when I took a Endurolyte and ate a banana before driving to my start point for this run. The start is just 3 miles from the house so I was off and running by 5:30 am with the temp at a cool 66 (advantage #2) and the dew point at 65 (advantage #3). 65 dew point is still a respectable number and that usually is high enough to kick my butt for a 15 miler and I think humidity figured since I crashed so hard last Saturday it could sluff off, but I’ve been running in 65 dew point weather for weeks now in hotter temps than 66 degrees so I’m getting well acclimated to anything in the 60 to 70 range so I had a clear advantage there also.
I ran my course that I use for most of my long runs that has a steep hill about 200 meters long. It’s about 3 miles from my house and I like to include it towards the end of the run. I have two ways I include this hill. If I start from the house I’ll run a course that gets me to the hill with 3 miles to go back to home. I like to hit the hill hard then push the pace for the last 3 miles home. The other way is to hit the hill at the end of the run. That’s the way I did it this morning. The hill levels off at the top so there is no down hill side and it is real close to a Wal-Mart so I just park the car there and take a loop I have already planned out. If I have more than 15 miles I’ll just do an out/back for however many extra miles I need then continue on with the loop, I love my Garmin! When I get to the hill and I’m the most fatigued I’ll hit the hill as hard as my tired legs will carry me then when I crest the hill I’ll continue to push the pace as hard as I can for about another .125 mile to where the finish is. My weakness in the marathon is the last 4 miles where my endurance weakens drastically and the pace slows drastically too so I figure this is a great way for me to build endurance and beat the fatigue towards the end of the marathon or any race for that matter and continue to hold my BQ pace without slowing down at all.
Anyway, I felt great the entire time! Humidity had nothing over me this time. I had planned on running my usual 10′ pace, but I was feeling so good I went with a slightly faster pace. I had the same amount of fluids with me as last Saturday, 32 oz of Gator (hand carried 24 oz) and 16 oz of water plus 8 oz of Gator on a fuel belt. I sipped on the Gator and it lasted me through mile 10 and at mile 8 I took an Endurolyte. I started with the water around mile 11 and at 12 miles I took 2 glucose tabs for an extra boost and to be ready for the hill at the end of the 15th mile.
Everything went like clock work and the ole legs just didn’t feel like slowing down! I looked and Garmin said I was doing 9:20 going into the hill so I picked up the pace as hard as I could through the top of the hill and Garmin said 9:12 at the top. Continued to push the pace and hit BQ pace of 9:03 just when Garmin said workout complete. My training runs just keep getting better and better and humidity had nothing on me today!
The stats:
- Mile 1, 10:06
- Mile 2, 9:29
- Mile 3, 9:45
- Mile 4, 9:54
- Mile 5, 9:54
- Mile 6, 9:42
- Mile 7, 9:44
- Mile 8, 9:33
- Mile 9, 9:44
- Mile 10, 9:46
- Mile 11, 9:42
- Mile 12, 9:40
- Mile 13, 9:41
- Mile 14, 9:32
- Mile 15, 9:03
- Avg WHR =134
- Max WHR = 153 ( Highest reading was 142 just prior to the hill)
- Starting weight was 144
- Finish weight was 143.5 (Now that’s what I like to see at the end of a fluid draining run!)
Everything is coming together so good right now. The hard part is keeping it that way! I continue to see improvements in my paces, my fatigue limit continues to be pushed back and I feel great! No old or new injuries rearing their ugly heads to foul things up like the last 3 years.
It’s all looking good, but I worry, I worry a lot. Every time I go out the door to run I worry about what is going to give out next, but I’m not going to let worry get the best of me either!
Enjoy every step!
Al
June 16, 2010
I have a 3.5 mile loop near my house that has some hills through out the course. They aren’t huge, just some that are steep, but short and some that are longer, but with a low incline. So, this morning I used that loop for my hill workout and ran the loop three times plus another 1/2 mile to get my 11 miles in for the day. I was feeling a little tired at the start, but things improved once I got settled into a good pace. I had intended to run at my easy pace of 10:30 or slower, but the Garmin insisted on showing 10 minute miles so stuck with it. I hit the hills hard then did my recovery on the flats and the down hill side. Some have a down hill side and some don’t. A nice variety of hills.
I have been doing a lot more hill work this year and it has helped me tremendously in strengthening my legs and overall endurance. I have also include a big hill close to the end of my long runs which has payed big dividends in my stamina at the end of my long runs and races. Stamina is where I’m always lacking at the end of races especially the marathon so am working on overcoming that so I can finish without slowing in Chicago this year. It’s the condition I’m in at the end of the marathon that will most likely be the deciding factor as to whether I BQ or not. I know I have the speed, but the stamina to hold it in the latter miles is my big worry!
Tomorrow I have a 9 mile progression to do then Friday is a 4 mile easy run with some hill sprints at the end then Saturday will be a 15 miler to bring me to 55 miles for the week. Aside from the humidity the week has been going great with no major running related aches or pains to speak of.
Enjoy every step!
Al
June 14, 2010
My recovery week went well with 27 miles total. Had 30 miles scheduled, but with the humidity being so high (75 dew point) on Saturday my 16 miler fell 3 miles short. Normally with only 3 miles to go I would have finished come hell nor high water, but the body said it was time to quit so I listened this time. At no time did I feel I was in any danger and I consumed plenty of fluids. I went through 32 0z of Gator and 16 oz of water and lost only 1 pound after 13 miles of heavy sweating so did okay in the hydration department.
The humidity has been awful around here for quite awhile now and this morning wasn’t any different. The dew point was 67 at the start of my 10 miler this morning and was up to 70 by the time I finished. It didn’t seem to affect me much this morning and felt great the whole time. Didn’t feel all that uncomfortable and had 20 oz of water with me and that was all I needed. Finished with an average pace of 9:30 for the 10 miles and felt like I could do more. Average WHR was 140 which is great for that pace in that much humidity. Usually it runs much higher than that so looks like I’m getting well acclimated.
I have 55 miles scheduled for the week and (depending on how high the humidity goes) will cut back if necessary. With my work schedule and weather related fatigue that seems to accumulate through the week it may be necessary.
Hope everyone has a great week of training!
Enjoy every step!
Al
June 8, 2010
Not much happening for this week. My left ankle was feeling a little sore from the half marathon on Saturday, but is feeling fine now, thank goodness! Didn’t do anything on Sunday as far as running goes and Sunday is my normal rest day anyway. The calves were feeling a little tight and sore yet Sunday night along with some soreness yet in the ankle so decided Monday would be another inactive recovery day.
This morning I went out for a couple of easy miles to see how I would feel and see how the ankle would react and everything felt great! Ankle was fine and all the calf soreness is gone, so will ramp things back up again starting tomorrow.
Will do some moderate paced runs and a few strides through Friday then on Saturday I have a slow and easy 16 miler planned which with the other shorter runs will bring to 30 miles for the week.
After this week I’ll jump back to 40+ miles and build to 55+ miles with a recovery week every 4th week. Also have at least one race ( 5k or 10k ) planned for every month with the Chicago marathon being the main goal race.
Everything’s looking good!
Enjoy Every Step!
Al
June 6, 2010
I ran the Sunburst half marathon in South Bend, IN yesterday and was planning on trying to run this race at close to my BQ pace of 9:09 to get an idea of where I’m at with BQ pace and find out what I need to work on for the next 4 months before Chicago.
I got about 6 hours of decent sleep which is about normal for me these days, but when I rolled out of bed at 4:30 am my stomach was feeling a little queasy so wasn’t really wanting to eat anything, but I new I needed something so fixed some instant oatmeal and had 1/2 bagel with coffee and water. After eating I took a couple of Rolaids and started feeling better. Finished getting ready and left for the race.
The weather was the normal warm (70 already at 5:00 am) and very humid (65 dew point) morning. I have been training in that heavy humid stuff for several weeks now and noticed in my training that I was getting acclimated to it because it wasn’t affecting my pace like it was in the beginning and have been keeping myself well hydrated during my training runs, but I didn’t rule out the fact it may slow me down some. They also predicted T-storms to roll in during the race which means they would stop the race so that made me nervous, but they never happened, thank goodness!
The race started promptly at 7:30 and the first mile was pretty slow due to crowded conditions, but things thinned out after that and was able to make up for it during the next 2 miles. After that I settled in close to my goal pace for the next 6 miles. I have ran this course many times so there were no surprises. The course is mostly flat with some long but low inclines with only one steep hill at mile 11 that is about 75 meters long. When you get to the top you make a sharp u-turn and then yet another steep hill about 50 meters long and to top it all off, there is no down hill side once you get to the top! This is were a lot of people give up and slow way down for the last couple of miles because you’re already tired and it just saps the rest of the strength right out of you, including me a couple of times, but not this time!. I have ran this course probably about 8 times and there is only one other time I handled this hill well and that is when I ran my PR (1:54:12) in 2007. I have been doing a lot of hill work during my maintenance training and included a hill similar to this one with no down hill side during my long runs and would plan the course for the hill to come up a couple of miles from the end of the run then would push the pace the last couple of miles. It paid off and was able to steam roll the hill with my pace slowing to about 9:50, but was able to quickly bring it back down on the flat side to below 9:02. Also, since I knew the course and that the hill was coming up I picked up the pace to below 9:00 pace for a couple of miles to help make up for lost time once I hit the hill.
It was clear sailing from there. I was beginning to really feel the fatigue from the hill, but kept pushing the pace even more (just like in training) to make up for any lost time. Barring any sudden catastrophe I knew I had a sub 2 hour and could have backed off to my goal pace of 9:09, but wanted to see how much fatigue I could handle and still keep the pace fast with out slowing down. I crossed the finish line with an official time of 1:58:40!
So, I’m finally back to a sub 2 hour pikermi and it tells me I’m finally getting back to where I was pre injuries. The pace felt comfortable until the hill which tells me I have the speed for a BQ at Chicago that is really flat except for a shallow incline of about 200 meters long and about 150 meters from the finish line. Normally you would think nothing of it, but after running 26 miles a mole hill seems like a mountain!
I know I have the speed for a BQ, but that was only half the distance and I need to hold that for yet another 13.1 miles. At this point there is no way, but I know what I need to work on for the next 4 months to hold a 9:09 (BQ) or faster pace for 26.2 miles and that means working on endurance. Lots of weekly mileage, long runs and long tempo runs of around 8:45 pace and lots of GMP miles. Will continue with lots of hill work for strength too. Will also sprinkle in some good ole speed work to stay sharp on the speed end for the marathon and also for smaller races over the next four months.
Here are some stats.
Splits according to Garmin:
Mile 1 ) 9:22
Mile 2 ) 8:48 ( making up for first mile in mile 2 and 3 )
Mile 3 ) 8:48
Mile 4 ) 9:02
Mile 5 ) 9:09
Mile 6 ) 9:02
Mile 7 ) 9:10 ( I guess I was day for in mile 7 and 8 )
Mile 8 ) 9:10
Mile 9 ) 9:04
Mile 10) 8:56 ( getting ready for the hill in mile 10 and 11 )
Mile 11 ) 8:53
Mile 12 ) 9:02 ( after the hill )
Mile 13) 8:36 ( seeing what I had left )
Mile 13.1 ) 1:34/7:31 ( Amazing how an adrenalin rush will give you a good kick at the end of a race )
Avg pace 9:04
6th place of 33 in 60 to 64 age division
369 of 845 males
1160 of 1636 overall
 Myself, my ex-wife Jessie and her granddaughter Aleena.
 Jessie, Aleena and Jessie’s daughter Jennie.
 Just before entering the 9:00 minute pace corral.
 College Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend and where race starts.
 The race ends here on the 50 yard line of the Notre Dame stadium They spotted me once close to the end of the race, but the camera decided to take a dump right when she was ready to snap a picture, so will have to wait until Brightroom post there pictures of the race. I usually look pretty sick anyway in my race pictures.
So, I’m really happy how the race turned out and even though I’m almost always (I do have my down days where I’m lacking) motivated, it gives me even more motivation to keep training for a Chicago BQ!
Enjoy every step!
Al
Went out this morning for a short tempo run, just long enough to get my legs loosened up. Was feeling some fatigue, but it’s mostly work related.
They are letting me off early Friday night so that is a load off my mind. I was suppose to work a 10 hour shift like last Friday before the 10k, (from 4:00 pm to 2:00 am) but I told them what I was doing and asked for a half day and they said no problem, so now I’ll be working from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm much better! I really don’t like these 50 hour weeks when training and racing, but not much I can do about that. Looks like they might be willing to work with me a little though. My old job of 27 years (went out of business at the end of 2008) was really nice and was able to adjust my work hours according to my training schedule.
Tomorrow is an easy 3 miles then rest as much as possible before the half on Saturday.
Enjoy every step!
Al
June 1, 2010
I had some speed work planned for today, but it was pretty warm and humid yesterday and wasn’t feeling that great during the 10 miler I was doing and also had a little fatigue left over from the 10k Saturday so opted out of that and did a 5 mile foundation run instead. It was humid again this morning, but the temp was a cool 62 so that helped a bunch. I had a 9:36 avg pace for the run and a 129 avg WHR. The pace felt comfortable and relaxed and the WHR has never looked better for that pace and distance. The WHR that I shoot for on an easy recovery run is between 120-130 so seeing that low of a HR during a moderate paced run is really encouraging!
Tomorrow I’m doing and easy 3 to 4 miles plus upper body strength. Thursday is a really short tempo then another easy run for Friday. Saturday is the half
I’m hoping to do the race at my marathon BQ pace of 9:00/9:09. I would really like to see another sub 2 hour half. I have done 3 of those, but it has been a couple of years since the last one and my PR is 1:54:12 which I have done twice (the exact same time) once in 2006 and once in 2007.
This race will be a good indicator of where I’m at in my fitness and how I’ll be feeling holding a 9:00/9:09 pace at the midway point of the Chicago marathon. I have plenty of training ahead of me yet so won’t be overly concerned just yet if I don’t do well, but if I do it will be a huge confidence booster and will know that I’m heading in the right direction. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get a sub 4:00 marathon!?
Enjoy every step!
Al
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