Day 23

Time to go out and do 3 miles, but first a little week 4 motivation!

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Distance: 3.43 miles
Duration: 26:39
Pace: 7:46
HR Avg/Max: 149/166
notes:

Was feeling good and haven't ran hard for a while so I pushed the pace on this a little. I feel like all the long slow distance is slowing me down a little bit because it's like my body is not prepared to go any faster. I might try to get to the track for some mile repeats tomorrow just to get a little bit of faster pace work in without pushing up the intensity too much.

Day 22

Cross-training day.  Got out an biked for about 10 miles on some hills.  Ready to pick it up and start training hard again as the milage ramps up on week 4 and 5.

Day 21

Long easy run today!  Well, actually only 6 miles but I'm still looking forward to it.  I'm in Bloomington, In visiting a friend so I'll get to see a little bit of IU while I'm running which should be nice.  Also, the weather is amazing right now!

Distance: 6.0 miles

Duration: 55:17

Pace: 9:13

HR: NA

notes:

Wonderful day for a run.  The first couple miles didn't feel great after taking two days off but the last by the last two miles I finally got in the groove and I felt amazing.

Day 20

I'm supposed to run 5 miles at marathon pace today but I think I'm going to take another day off instead.  My legs are still feeling pretty tired and having yesterday off definitely helped but I think that one more day of rest for my shin could be very beneficial.  

Day 19

Day of rest.

Day 18

3 miles today nice and easy... my legs are starting to feel pretty dead and I have some mild shin pain on my right leg.  I have been icing religiously hoping to keep it under control.

Distance: 3.29 miles

Duration: 30:01 

Pace: 9:01 

HR Avg/Max: 136/158

notes:

took this one really easy... did a loop that happened to be a little longer than 3 which should make up for yesterdays slightly shortened run. 

Day 17

groan... I hate to say this but I actually miss the cold a little bit... My legs felt a little dead today.  The increased training and weekend race are starting to catch up.  The summer heat is not helping either.  But none of that is going to stop me, and you want to know why?  It's because Ethan Zeman is not a quitter, and when he sets a goal and has a plan he sticks to that plan and follow through until he reaches his goal!

Its 89 degrees today as I write this having just returned from my 5 mile... actually more like 4.3 mile run.  I seriously had plans on getting out early today.  I was up at 6 and ready to go, but the problem is that my trucks in the shop and I had errands to do around town so I had to ride my bike and I decided that I'd rather ride my bike when it was cooler.  Then after I got back from biking I didn't want to immediately start running... next thing I know it's three o'clock... the sun is beating down... the pavement is radiating heat... and I'm in the middle of a run just trying to get myself back home before I pass out from heat exhaustion.

Distance: 4.3 miles 

Time: 32:41

Pace: 7:34

HR Avg/Max: 163/179

notes:

This was supposed to be a hard run so I went out hard.  After about 2 miles I was beginning to regret going out in the mid-afternoon sun.  After 3 miles I was beginning to wonder if I'd make it home.  At this point I slowed down from 7:20 pace to 8:15 pace and my heart rate was still pushing up in the high 170's...  Normally I would add some extra looping around in the neighborhood to get my full 5 miles in but I figured that I'd worked plenty hard enough.  I ran into the house, slammed a couple glasses of cold water and jumped into a cold shower... after I got out I was still sweating!!!  Tomorrow I'm going out early... this time I mean it! 

  

 

Day 16

Easy three miler today.  

Distance: 2.99 miles

Time: 25:16

Pace: 8:27

HR Avg/Max: 147/159

notes:

85 degrees and humid today.  I need to start getting out of the house earlier!  I continuously slowed down as I ran but still couldn't keep the HR down as low as I probably should have.  Used a new pair of shoes for the first time today (Mizuno Wave Rider 12's).  They're lighter than my normal fat-boy shoes but still cushioned.  I'm still going to do the majority of my training in my Saucony Pro/Grid Guide, but I figured I'd do my pace runs and my half marathon in a lighter pair of shoes.   

Day 15

Done with week 2 on to week 3... 16 more weeks to go before race time.  Today is a cross-trainer.  Went to the gym to hit some weights... 

bench 135 X 20-16-12

Pull-ups 10-8-4

Rows 55X10 70X10 55X10

Curls 20X10 30X10 20X10

Dips 10

Tricep pull down 45X10 each arm

Hanging leg raises 20-20-20

Made sure I iced my foot tendons which have been feeling a little sore.

Day 14

Definitely tired from yesterday's race, but not too tired to get my 5 miles in... Symons and I went to the Rock Island trail to do our training because its flat and the trail is softer than pavement.  I felt relatively good considering the 15K yesterday but we figured we'd take it easy to aid in recovery. 

Distance: 5.01

Time: 47:40

Pace: 9:31

HR Avg/Max: 140/156

notes:  

Run was pretty easy and it was nice to have someone to talk to.  It was not too hot and the trail was shady but it was incredibly humid... it's gonna be a fun summer.

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I took my first ice bath this afternoon.  It wasn't as bad as I originally expected and my legs feel pretty good afterwards.  I think there will be more ice baths in my future!

Day 13

Ran Steamboat Classic today (15K)... 

Distance: 9.3 miles

Time: 1:12:42

Pace: 7:49 pace

HR Avg/Max: 164/190

notes:

Ran the first 2 miles at an 8:30 pace.  After that we entered the Glen Oak park which was the start of a steep hill.  I took the hill at a good clip and began to pick up my pace passing the 5K at 26:10 ... I took the second 5K faster running at 24:20 and crossing the 10K at 50:34... then I really picked it up and ran the last 5K in 22:29 with a strong kick at the end taking my heart rate up to 190.  I felt good for most of the race but my calves felt tight for the last 2 miles.

I really enjoyed the race strategy of going out slower because it helped me warm up and also I was able to pass people the whole race. It also kept me from going all out and overdoing it on what was technically supposed to be long slow distance.  I hope to use this strategy for my half-marathon in a few weeks.

Also, I noticed that when I took Gatoraid at the 4 mile mark it really hit my stomach hard.  I'd like to be able to drink Gatoraid during the race so I think I'll start training by drinking it during my long runs.

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About an hour after the race I started having really bad cramping in my intestines.  This continued all day and into the night.  I found myself on the toilet about a dozen times.  Not sure what the source was.  It could have been the gatoraid during the race, a recovery drink I had after the race, the beer I drank after the race, the increased distance and intensity of the run, the fact that I spent the last several days in the hot sun, or a combination of all of the above.

Day 12

Planned on running 2 miles today but ran out of time... I worked hard all week so the extra day of rest won't hurt before tomorrow's 15K... 

Day 11

Day of rest... need to spend today getting stuff ready for weekend visitors...  man my legs are dead...  my feet are really sore but I think its more from the chain-sawing on uneven ground and climbing over logs then from the run... hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

Day 10

Day 3 of chain-sawing... Today it finally stopped raining but now it's 90 degrees outside. It was my last day of work so I wanted to get as much as I could done, but it was so hot I couldn't drink water as fast as I was sweating it out... I'd work an hour and then rest for half an hour... then when I finally finished up it was time for my run... I got out at about 6:00 pm but it was still 90 degrees out and humid... I went really slow and the run still kicked my ass!

Distance: 3.02 miles

Time: 29:10

Pace: 9:40

HR Avg/Max: 147/163

notes:

Today was supposed to be an easy day, but after working all day in the intense heat my heart rate was up to about 90 BPM before I even started running... The course was hilly (475 ft ascent) and the heat was intense.  I'm just happy that I haven't missed a day yet.  Tomorrow's a day off and god knows I need it.

Day 9

Worked another 6 hours today, half the time in the pouring rain... finished the day with my 5 miler.  

Distance: 5.00 miles

Time: 41:27

Pace: 8:16 

HR Avg/Max:  161/174

notes:

pretty happy with todays run considering the manual labor I've been doing.  Also this was the hilliest run yet with 1,516 ft of ascent.  Right hamstring felt a bit tight so I had to stop and stretch mid run.  

Day 8

Out of town working on clearing trees for my mom and dad so I'll keep the posts brief... put in 6 hours of chain-sawing today and then went for my run.

Distance: 3.05

Time: 26:15

Pace: 8:36

HR Avg/Max:  147/165

notes:

pretty hilly running near my mom's house plus running after working manual labor all day had my heart rate up a little more then I wanted.  Legs are feeling ok.  Hip flexors are loosening up and not hurting as bad!

Day 7

day of rest... much needed.

Day 6

Today I get to run the last run of the week 1 schedule.  8 miles at long slow distance pace.  The real challenge is going to be making myself go slow enough... My legs are a little tired from yesterday but overall I feel pretty awesome.  I'm even looking forward to today's run!

In an unrelated note my resting heart rate hit 48 BPM this morning which seems to indicate that yesterdays reading wasn't a fluke.

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Week 1 and done!!!!

Distance: 8.0 miles

Time: 1:14:47

Pace: 9:20 miles

HR Avg/max 136/162

notes:

Not too much to say... it felt pretty good considering I probably haven't run this far in over 10 years... I was able to keep my heart rate where it needed to be most of the run and after the first mile I fell right into the groove of the slow pace.  

The last 3 miles or so I picked up the pace slightly and the 7th mile at a pretty rough hill which got my heart rate up to 162 BPM even at a 10 minute pace... nice to have the running done for the weekend!  Hopefully I'll feel ready to go for my 3 miler on Monday.

Day 5

Glorious Day 5... There's a five miler at "race pace" today.  

I have to admit that my hips are feeling a little uncomfortable so I'm not sure if I'll make race pace.  I think I'll just go out easy for the first mile and then try to pick it up.

Also, its my first "morning" run... its already 8:00 am and I've been up for a while but I haven't eaten or drank coffee yet so we'll see if I notice any effect.  I'm thinking I need to start getting used to waking up and running since the races are all in the morning, especially on my long training runs.

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Distance: 5.0 miles

Time: 38:46

Pace: 7:45 min/miles

HR Ave/Mag:  149/176

notes:

Went out "easy" as planned which wound up being an 8:30 mile... My hips were stiff at first but loosened up by the half mile mark.  

My next three miles I pushed the pace up to 7:23 min/miles with a fastest mile of 7 minutes.

I then slowed back down to 8:30 pace for the last mile.  

My heart rate was averaging 160 BPM for the last 4 miles... the middle three miles were pretty painful but I pushed through.  Allegedly it was 66 degrees out this morning but it felt like my hottest run yet, probably because of the sun, the humidity, and the pushed pace... This definitely reenforces my concept of needing to run earlier in the morning, especially as summer approaches.

Also of interest... I put my heart rate monitor on before my run and was sitting around getting ready and I noticed my heart rate went down to 49 BMP which must be close to my resting heart rate... a few days ago I looked after laying around for a while and it was at 62 so it's either a false reading, or lower because I took it so early in the morning... either way, I'm curious to see where I'm at after I actually start training!

Day 4

Today is the day of rest... I feel pretty good, but am glad to get a day off in preparation for the 13 miles I'll run over the next two days...  

In a attempt to maximize my training efficiency I found an interesting site about heart rate training . It discusses the different heart rate zones and how to incorporate them into training.  Based on this page and using a estimated max heart rate of 193 I put my zones to be as follows.

Zone 1 (less then 70% of max) = less then 135 BPM

Zone 2 (70-80% of max) = 135 - 155 BPM

Zone 3 (80-87% of max) = 155 - 168 BPM (marathon pace)

Zone 4 (87-90% of max) = 168 - 174  BPM

Zone 5 (90-95% of max) = 174 - 183  BPM (5k pace) 

The advice given was to stay away from zone 2 because its not fast enough to help your fitness or increase your anaerobic threshold but its also too fast to allow you ample recovery from your harder training.  In the end its basically just inviting injury.

 Also, it advises to put in most of your miles in zone 1 so that you can strengthen your ligaments and tendons while still allowing your body to recover.  Then make sure your hard days are in Zone 3 while making the occasional breach into zone 4.    Makes since to me... the true question is whether or not I can slow myself down enough on the easy days.

I guess the lesson here is that I need to slow down even more for now, except on my hard days.  

Tomorrow's supposed to be a race pace so I won't worry about it, but it will be a good goal to keep my heart rate under 135 on my 8 miler Saturday... I guess I'll be shooting for more like 9 minute miles or so?

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Still, had to do something though so I went to the gym for a really easy workout.

15 pullups 

25 dips

10 chin ups 

20 dips

30 shoulder raise 10 lb dumbells

10 barbell upright rows 80 lbs

20 curls 15 lbs

got a decent pump but didn't push anything to failure... just want to maintain for now.

Day 3

3 miles... easy run today.

Distance: 3 miles

Time: 25:01

Pace: 8:20

HR Avg/Max: 143/170

notes:

Another easy day.  I felt a little tightness in my hip flexors and knees but they seemed like normal aches and pains... nothing to worry about.  I tried to run a steady comfortable pace for the first 2.75 miles and then kicked in the last .25 miles at an increased pace (6:00 min/mile) getting my HR up to 170.  

Update:  This evening my legs have felt very restless and tired... I popped a few IB-Profin which seemed to help.  Luckily tomorrow is a day of rest and the Cardinals play an 11:10 AM game!  Couch, here I come!

Day 2.

  5 miles today.  Hal says to run this one a little harder especially near the end.

Distance: 5.01

Time: 41:29

Pace: 8:16

HR Avg/Max:  160/188

notes: 

 Took it easy for the first couple miles... the second mile had a steep downhill and I concentrated on keeping my legs under control and keeping a good form to minimize pounding.  At the bottom of the hill I strode it out a little bit and felt a twinge in my left calf. I ran another .75 miles and still felt the twinge so I finally stopped and walked for about 20 meters.  The calf loosened up and I was able to resume running.  I'll try to learn a lesson from this and realize that sometimes its better to stop for a little bit rather than keep running through a muscle cramp!

At about the third mile of this run I come to a gradual uphill that lasts for about a half mile... I got to use my "I love hills" mantra that I stole from this slow marathon girls youtube video...  I tackled the hill well and sprinted up the last incline which got my HR up to 188 BPM.  I then finished the last 1.5 miles of the run at a strong steady pace.

Day 1

Day 1 and I'm already breaking the Rules!!! Higdon, says that training starts tomorrow, but I couldn't wait... I figured bumping it up a day will give me an extra day of flexibility.  Additionally it puts my long runs on Saturday which sets me up for the Steamboat 15k on the 20th which coincides nicely with the 9 milers I'm supposed to run on that day.

Anyway, day one is a three miles at an easy pace.  Here's my results.

Distance: 3.16 miles

Time: 26:45

Pace: 8:29 pace

notes: 

 Took it easy on day 1... didn't want to wear myself out... counterintuitively I'm attempting to ware on the side of under-training rather that risk over-training... we'll see how long that lasts ;).

Day0

Just wanted to start a blog to publish my marathon training.  My name is Ethan Zeman and I'm planning on running the Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2009 with my good friends Robbie and Symoans.  

We all ran x-country in high school and always considered ourselves "runners".  However, since high school most of us have been doing a lot more considering than actually running. 

Now at the ripe old age of 30 we plan on re-establishing ourselves to the rest of the world as the runners we've always been by completing the Chicago marathon.

I've been training for about the last 6 months.  During this period I did a lot of weight lifting, biking, and even a little bit of running averaging about 6 miles a week.  During this period I've gotten my share of results but have also learned a lot more about my limitations.  I've come to realize that I'm not running in the same body as I was in high school (12+ years, 30+ lbs...).  I've learned that it takes my body longer to recover than it used too and that I'm a lot more injury prone.  I've also learned how to manage injuries and what actions to take to minimize my risks.

We are now 18 weeks out from Marathon day and the true training begins.  I am planning on primarily following Hal Higdon's Intermediate I  marathon training program.  However, I also plan on making modifications to this program based on how my body is responding.  I may replace a day of running with a day of crosstraining or even with a day of rest if I feel like my body needs it because I realize that the most important part of my training is to not allow myself to get injured! 

Also, we plan on running several races before the marathon which I will work into the training schedule.  One of these races is the Steamboat Classic 15k in Peoria on June 20th, while the other is the Jokers Run Wild Half Marathon in St. Louis on July 10th.  We hope to use the race times of the latter to qualify for an improved start corral at the Chicago marathon (since there could be upwards of 40,000 people running)!

I've started this blog to help document my training, share my training with my fellow trainees, and to keep myself accountable!  Hopefully, I'll see you foolz at the finish line!