So ends the first chapter in my running adventures. The marathon has left me with a bitter sweet feeling. It's sad that after all the time and preparation it's over. However it's exciting because I know that my running is far from over and it's time to start a new chapter!
I've really enjoyed blogging my training diary. It allows me a good vehicle to focus my thoughts about running and a rare opportunity to write and express myself. It affords me time to reflect on my goals and helps me analyze my training. It's kept me focused and accountable and forced me to recognize details about my running both good and bad that I normally would have ignored.
I've decided that I'd like to keep blogging about my running (at least for now) so I've started a new site. So for my one follower and anyone else who might accidently stumble across this site you can now find me at my new site: RISE OF A CHAMPION - http://beyond26point2.blogspot.com.
Fin
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Day 123! The MARATHON
123 days in the making. The marathon was finally here. I'm not planning on getting too in-depth with my race report because this blog was intended to be more about the training leading up to the marathon rather then the marathon itself, but I'll at least give a summary.
Distance: 26.2 miles
Duration: 3:39:34
Pace: 8:23
HR Avg/Max: 157/167
notes:
It was a cold day... about 32 degrees at the start of the race, but with the mass of bodies and my own excitement I didn't noticed being cold. The start was crowded and I was initially unable to get to my 3:30 pace group so I spent the first mile weaving my way until I caught up. Luckily they were more impeded by the crowd than I was so I was able to catch up by the first mile mark. I wound up running the first mile in 8:03 while the pace group ran closer to an 8:30 so they spent the next couple miles trying to get back on pace. For the next 12 miles we averaged about 7:50 miles. By the half point I was feeling great. The pace group must have been ahead of pace now because they suddenly slowed down. I kept my same pace and was soon ahead of them. I continued with 7:53 miles for mile 13-18. Then at 18 my hamstring and quad started to tighten up. Not sure if it was the cold or dehydration or just lack of conditioning. At this point I was a minute ahead of goal pace so I told myself I just wanted to be on pace through 20. I hit the next two miles in 8:29 and 8:31, respectively. Somewhere around mile 19 I got a total runners high... I really felt like I was tripping... that didn't last long though. At mile 20 I really started to slow down. Mile 21 and 22 I ran at 9:26 and 9:21 splits. At mile 22 I saw my friends Will, Christine, and Ervin at the sidelines... at this point I was dying. I was never so happy to see someone in my entire life! They jumped into the race and ran with me for the next mile and really lifted my spirits. Because of them I hit mile 23 in 8:48 pace. As I hit the 23rd mile marked my friends dropped off to the side and with them my good spirits. The good thing at this point was that I only had about 3 more miles to go but the bad thing was that I was really suffering. I slowed down to a 9:40 pace for the next mile. At the 24 mile marker a whole new level of pain and suffering kicked in. I though that I had hit "the wall" before but it was nothing compared to how I felt now. My right knee was really hurting as well as my feet, legs, everything else... I slowed down even more and ran the 25th mile at a 10:10 pace. At this point I was just willing myself to put one leg in front of the other and to NOT WALK!!! I started yelling and barking and cursing at myself to keep myself going... the hundreds of people who were passing me at this point must of though I was crazy... Finally I hit the 25 mile mark and I knew that I was almost done. I looked down at my time and knew that I'd need to run under 10 minute pace to finish under 3:40. At this point I wasn't sure if that was a possibility. I still wasn't even sure if I'd be able to finish without walking. I decided to break it down into 1/10ths of miles which I'd have to run under 1 minute. I picked up the pace slightly and slowly counted down the .1 miles... .9 to go, .8 to go, .7 to go, etc... finally I came around the corner to the final hill before the finish. You'd think that at this point a hill would be hard, but to me it was almost easier since it used slightly different muscle groups. I powered up the hill at a slow but steady shuffle and came around the corner towards the finish. There it was in front of me. This would normally be the time when I use my legendary kick, but not today... I was still just willing myself not to walk. I ran the final mile point two at 9:27 pace and finished just slightly under 3:40.
I had thought beforehand that finishing the marathon would be a triumphant moment but as I crossed the line I felt like absolute crap. Everything hurt. I suffered for the next 30 minutes feeling about the worst I ever have in my life. Finally I started feeling better so I made my way over to the beer tent to claim the best tasting beer I've ever drank.
Distance: 26.2 miles
Duration: 3:39:34
Pace: 8:23
HR Avg/Max: 157/167
notes:
It was a cold day... about 32 degrees at the start of the race, but with the mass of bodies and my own excitement I didn't noticed being cold. The start was crowded and I was initially unable to get to my 3:30 pace group so I spent the first mile weaving my way until I caught up. Luckily they were more impeded by the crowd than I was so I was able to catch up by the first mile mark. I wound up running the first mile in 8:03 while the pace group ran closer to an 8:30 so they spent the next couple miles trying to get back on pace. For the next 12 miles we averaged about 7:50 miles. By the half point I was feeling great. The pace group must have been ahead of pace now because they suddenly slowed down. I kept my same pace and was soon ahead of them. I continued with 7:53 miles for mile 13-18. Then at 18 my hamstring and quad started to tighten up. Not sure if it was the cold or dehydration or just lack of conditioning. At this point I was a minute ahead of goal pace so I told myself I just wanted to be on pace through 20. I hit the next two miles in 8:29 and 8:31, respectively. Somewhere around mile 19 I got a total runners high... I really felt like I was tripping... that didn't last long though. At mile 20 I really started to slow down. Mile 21 and 22 I ran at 9:26 and 9:21 splits. At mile 22 I saw my friends Will, Christine, and Ervin at the sidelines... at this point I was dying. I was never so happy to see someone in my entire life! They jumped into the race and ran with me for the next mile and really lifted my spirits. Because of them I hit mile 23 in 8:48 pace. As I hit the 23rd mile marked my friends dropped off to the side and with them my good spirits. The good thing at this point was that I only had about 3 more miles to go but the bad thing was that I was really suffering. I slowed down to a 9:40 pace for the next mile. At the 24 mile marker a whole new level of pain and suffering kicked in. I though that I had hit "the wall" before but it was nothing compared to how I felt now. My right knee was really hurting as well as my feet, legs, everything else... I slowed down even more and ran the 25th mile at a 10:10 pace. At this point I was just willing myself to put one leg in front of the other and to NOT WALK!!! I started yelling and barking and cursing at myself to keep myself going... the hundreds of people who were passing me at this point must of though I was crazy... Finally I hit the 25 mile mark and I knew that I was almost done. I looked down at my time and knew that I'd need to run under 10 minute pace to finish under 3:40. At this point I wasn't sure if that was a possibility. I still wasn't even sure if I'd be able to finish without walking. I decided to break it down into 1/10ths of miles which I'd have to run under 1 minute. I picked up the pace slightly and slowly counted down the .1 miles... .9 to go, .8 to go, .7 to go, etc... finally I came around the corner to the final hill before the finish. You'd think that at this point a hill would be hard, but to me it was almost easier since it used slightly different muscle groups. I powered up the hill at a slow but steady shuffle and came around the corner towards the finish. There it was in front of me. This would normally be the time when I use my legendary kick, but not today... I was still just willing myself not to walk. I ran the final mile point two at 9:27 pace and finished just slightly under 3:40.
I had thought beforehand that finishing the marathon would be a triumphant moment but as I crossed the line I felt like absolute crap. Everything hurt. I suffered for the next 30 minutes feeling about the worst I ever have in my life. Finally I started feeling better so I made my way over to the beer tent to claim the best tasting beer I've ever drank.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Day 122
Day before the marathon... last training run.
Distance: 1.9 miles
Duration: 17:18
Pace: 8:50
HR Avg/Max: 136/145
notes:
took the dogs out with me on my last run. tried out how my race gear would feel in cold weather and I warmed up fast i.e. I'm no longer worried about being too cold. I feel smooth. My legs feel great. The morning was beautiful!
I've done my last training run!
539 miles of running... and I'm ready to run the marathon distance (less than 5% of my total training)
Chitown... here I come!
Distance: 1.9 miles
Duration: 17:18
Pace: 8:50
HR Avg/Max: 136/145
notes:
took the dogs out with me on my last run. tried out how my race gear would feel in cold weather and I warmed up fast i.e. I'm no longer worried about being too cold. I feel smooth. My legs feel great. The morning was beautiful!
I've done my last training run!
539 miles of running... and I'm ready to run the marathon distance (less than 5% of my total training)
Chitown... here I come!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Day 121
Hard to believe that its been 121 since I started this madness.
The taper is going well. I feel like a ball of energy. I've got some various tightness in my achilles tendons when I wake up in the morning but even that is subsiding for the first time in four months. I've been icing my shins every day and they're feeling better and better (I was really worried I had stress fractures, but I'm hoping that since they are improving that this is not the case). I think that my body is going to be as ready as it can be. My mind is another matter.
At this point I'm all nerves... I wish I could go out for a run to clear my head and get some of the antsiness out of my system but I need to stick to the taper. I'm filled with nervous anticipation. I've been focusing on training for the last four months. My time has been consumed with running; The training, the icing, reading about running, blogging about running, reading blogs about running, reading and commenting on running forums, watching running movies, googling every topic even remotely related to running, analyzing my HR data, mapping my runs (damn I need a job!)... obsession pretty much sums in up... not necessarily in a healthy way probably but I guess there's a lot worse things to obsess about... hopefully after the race I can continue the running but bring a little balance into the mix.
Lately I've been obsessed with what ifs: What if it's too cold, What if it rains, what if I can't handle the pace, what if I'm miserable, what if I have to take a dump mid-race...
...but I try to tell myself that worrying is silly... I'm as prepared as I can be at this time... there's nothing else I can do... I've packed my bags... I have all my gear... I'm prepared for the weather... so I'm going to replace the what if's with so whats!
so what if it rains, I've trained in the rain... so what if it's miserable, I'm running 26.2 miles at a pace much faster than I've ever attempted to run for more than 13.1, so of course it'll be miserable... so what if I can't handle the pace, I'll just have to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere... and if I have to take a dump, I guess I'll just have to stop to take a dump, although I hope to god this is not a problem!
Bottom line is that in less than 48 hours I'm going to go out and race for 26.2 miles for the first time in my life... and no matter what happens it's going to be an important experience in my life... In less than 48 hours I'm going to be a marathoner! I used to talk to people who ran marathons and be impressed and I'd think to myself, some day that's going to be me... It was always in my mind that someday I was going to run a marathon, because in my mind I was always a runner... but now it's going to be real.
I have no doubt that this marathon experience is going to be awesome... some people say that it's going to be life altering... I'm still not so sure about that... but on the other hand, I love to run, and I love to race... I have vivid memories of many of the races and I'm confident that in 48 hours this first marathon will be vividly imprinted into my mind as well. No matter what happens this is going to be my first marathon and no matter what happens on race day I'm confident that I'll look back at the day as an important experience regardless of the ultimate outcome.
The taper is going well. I feel like a ball of energy. I've got some various tightness in my achilles tendons when I wake up in the morning but even that is subsiding for the first time in four months. I've been icing my shins every day and they're feeling better and better (I was really worried I had stress fractures, but I'm hoping that since they are improving that this is not the case). I think that my body is going to be as ready as it can be. My mind is another matter.
At this point I'm all nerves... I wish I could go out for a run to clear my head and get some of the antsiness out of my system but I need to stick to the taper. I'm filled with nervous anticipation. I've been focusing on training for the last four months. My time has been consumed with running; The training, the icing, reading about running, blogging about running, reading blogs about running, reading and commenting on running forums, watching running movies, googling every topic even remotely related to running, analyzing my HR data, mapping my runs (damn I need a job!)... obsession pretty much sums in up... not necessarily in a healthy way probably but I guess there's a lot worse things to obsess about... hopefully after the race I can continue the running but bring a little balance into the mix.
Lately I've been obsessed with what ifs: What if it's too cold, What if it rains, what if I can't handle the pace, what if I'm miserable, what if I have to take a dump mid-race...
...but I try to tell myself that worrying is silly... I'm as prepared as I can be at this time... there's nothing else I can do... I've packed my bags... I have all my gear... I'm prepared for the weather... so I'm going to replace the what if's with so whats!
so what if it rains, I've trained in the rain... so what if it's miserable, I'm running 26.2 miles at a pace much faster than I've ever attempted to run for more than 13.1, so of course it'll be miserable... so what if I can't handle the pace, I'll just have to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere... and if I have to take a dump, I guess I'll just have to stop to take a dump, although I hope to god this is not a problem!
Bottom line is that in less than 48 hours I'm going to go out and race for 26.2 miles for the first time in my life... and no matter what happens it's going to be an important experience in my life... In less than 48 hours I'm going to be a marathoner! I used to talk to people who ran marathons and be impressed and I'd think to myself, some day that's going to be me... It was always in my mind that someday I was going to run a marathon, because in my mind I was always a runner... but now it's going to be real.
I have no doubt that this marathon experience is going to be awesome... some people say that it's going to be life altering... I'm still not so sure about that... but on the other hand, I love to run, and I love to race... I have vivid memories of many of the races and I'm confident that in 48 hours this first marathon will be vividly imprinted into my mind as well. No matter what happens this is going to be my first marathon and no matter what happens on race day I'm confident that I'll look back at the day as an important experience regardless of the ultimate outcome.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Day 119
Second to last training run...
Distance: 3.27 miles
Duration: 26:35
Pace: 8:08
HR Avg/Max: 148/161
notes:
Tried to get out early so I could see what the cold felt like (45 degrees)... I warmed up pretty quickly and it wasn't too bad. Of course it was also sunny.
I'm thinking that if it's raining on Sunday then it might suck a little bit... but hey, you can't control the weather so there's no point in worrying about it... And in some ways it could be fitting if we wind up running on a cold rainy day in Chicago since the running season really felt like it started at the Shamrock Shuffle in the freezing sleeting cold. Its like everything has come full circle.
I guess now that the training is pretty much over I'm going to use the next few days to reflect on all I've gone through so far... hopefully quantifying my efforts will help me build the confidence I need going into Sunday's race.
- 18 weeks
- average of 31.13 miles/wk
- 537 miles
- 76 hours, 16 minutes, 9 seconds of running
- average HR of 148
- average pace of 8:26
- 69,685 calories burned
- 161.8 miles (30% of training) run at marathon pace or faster
- 87.9 miles (16% of training) run at half-marathon pace or faster
- 3 runs of 20 miles or longer
- 4 runs of 30K or longer
- 15 runs of 10 miles or longer (41% of training)
So here I am... seems like decent training for a debut marathon... hopefully at least a good baseline for my future career in running.
Distance: 3.27 miles
Duration: 26:35
Pace: 8:08
HR Avg/Max: 148/161
notes:
Tried to get out early so I could see what the cold felt like (45 degrees)... I warmed up pretty quickly and it wasn't too bad. Of course it was also sunny.
I'm thinking that if it's raining on Sunday then it might suck a little bit... but hey, you can't control the weather so there's no point in worrying about it... And in some ways it could be fitting if we wind up running on a cold rainy day in Chicago since the running season really felt like it started at the Shamrock Shuffle in the freezing sleeting cold. Its like everything has come full circle.
I guess now that the training is pretty much over I'm going to use the next few days to reflect on all I've gone through so far... hopefully quantifying my efforts will help me build the confidence I need going into Sunday's race.
- 18 weeks
- average of 31.13 miles/wk
- 537 miles
- 76 hours, 16 minutes, 9 seconds of running
- average HR of 148
- average pace of 8:26
- 69,685 calories burned
- 161.8 miles (30% of training) run at marathon pace or faster
- 87.9 miles (16% of training) run at half-marathon pace or faster
- 3 runs of 20 miles or longer
- 4 runs of 30K or longer
- 15 runs of 10 miles or longer (41% of training)
So here I am... seems like decent training for a debut marathon... hopefully at least a good baseline for my future career in running.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day 118
Things are winding down... i'm in my last week of training before the race. training is down to the minimum. full super taper mode is in effect.
I've been reading different theories on tapering... some say 3 weeks others two... some say take it easy and others say cut milage and but not intensity. I guess different methods work for different people (different folks different strokes as my imaginary grandpa might say). I'm just trying to judge by how I feel to determine the best method for me, but since I'm a newbie at this it's hard to say if I'm succeeding.
Four miles on the schedule today. Hal says three but i'm juggling the schedule to four today and three tomorrow since I did my final sorta long run on Saturday instead of Sunday. I also decided that I'd run this at moderate to hard intensity since my legs are feeling a little restless from the lack of running!
Distance: 4 miles (plus .62 mile, 6 minute cooldown)
Duration: 29:44
Pace: 7:27
HR Avg/Max: 152/169
notes:
First mile I hit in 7:41, second in 7:30, third in 7:37, and the last in 6:55. This last "hard" run provided a good confidence booster. This pace is close to my near full out 3 mile training runs from 4 months ago, except now the pace feels fast but relaxed instead of exhaustive. Its amazing how much progress you can make in 4 short months... Hopefully nothing compared to what I can do in a year.
I've been reading different theories on tapering... some say 3 weeks others two... some say take it easy and others say cut milage and but not intensity. I guess different methods work for different people (different folks different strokes as my imaginary grandpa might say). I'm just trying to judge by how I feel to determine the best method for me, but since I'm a newbie at this it's hard to say if I'm succeeding.
Four miles on the schedule today. Hal says three but i'm juggling the schedule to four today and three tomorrow since I did my final sorta long run on Saturday instead of Sunday. I also decided that I'd run this at moderate to hard intensity since my legs are feeling a little restless from the lack of running!
Distance: 4 miles (plus .62 mile, 6 minute cooldown)
Duration: 29:44
Pace: 7:27
HR Avg/Max: 152/169
notes:
First mile I hit in 7:41, second in 7:30, third in 7:37, and the last in 6:55. This last "hard" run provided a good confidence booster. This pace is close to my near full out 3 mile training runs from 4 months ago, except now the pace feels fast but relaxed instead of exhaustive. Its amazing how much progress you can make in 4 short months... Hopefully nothing compared to what I can do in a year.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Day 116
One week to go
Distance: 4.14 miles
Duration: 35:43
Pace: 8:38
HR Avg/Max: 145/156
notes:
Easy paced run... felt the shin at several different moments but for the most part it was quiet.
Weather was 60 degrees. I didn't use my inhaler before the run and I could feel some tightness in my chest but I wasn't running hard enough to need my full breath capacity so it didn't really make a difference.
I'm still adapting to the colder temperatures. They don't bother me too much during the run, but afterwards my body feels chilled and a little achy from it. This week I'm gonna to try to start waking up earlier to adjust my schedule to the marathon time, and getting outside to help get used to the cold.
According to the plan I got 9 more miles to go before the race. According to the Chicago marathon website: 6 days 12 hrs 6 mins 22 seconds till the gun goes off.
Distance: 4.14 miles
Duration: 35:43
Pace: 8:38
HR Avg/Max: 145/156
notes:
Easy paced run... felt the shin at several different moments but for the most part it was quiet.
Weather was 60 degrees. I didn't use my inhaler before the run and I could feel some tightness in my chest but I wasn't running hard enough to need my full breath capacity so it didn't really make a difference.
I'm still adapting to the colder temperatures. They don't bother me too much during the run, but afterwards my body feels chilled and a little achy from it. This week I'm gonna to try to start waking up earlier to adjust my schedule to the marathon time, and getting outside to help get used to the cold.
According to the plan I got 9 more miles to go before the race. According to the Chicago marathon website: 6 days 12 hrs 6 mins 22 seconds till the gun goes off.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Day 115
Back on the road after three days of rest and excessive icing. The weather is a robust 51 degrees (hopefully same as marathon day!) and slightly rainy (I could do without this part). I decided to treat today like a marathon trial run to make sure my gear was in order.
Distance: 10.0 miles
Duration: 1:18:46
Pace: 7:53
HR Avg/Max: 150/173
notes:
First couple steps I felt a little stiff and the shin was aching, but after a few strides I loosened up and felt good. I decided to run at a strong base pace which turned out to be just about marathon pace after taking three days off. After I hit the first mile in 7:50 I decided to make it a marathon pace run since I've only ran 4 other miles this week and I felt so refreshed.
The cold was a bit bothersome for the first couple miles (the rain certainly didn't help)... My knees ached a little and it took a while to warm up but after the third mile I felt good.
I got a couple side stitches about the 7 mile mark and they haunted me for the rest of the run but didn't really slow me down... I'll have to be sure to research stitch strategy since I'd hate to have to run 20 miles with side stitches.... Also one of my shoestrings was a little floppy, so I'll have to be careful of that on race day... other than that I felt good... With another week of taper and good weather I think Chicago is going to be awesome!
Distance: 10.0 miles
Duration: 1:18:46
Pace: 7:53
HR Avg/Max: 150/173
notes:
First couple steps I felt a little stiff and the shin was aching, but after a few strides I loosened up and felt good. I decided to run at a strong base pace which turned out to be just about marathon pace after taking three days off. After I hit the first mile in 7:50 I decided to make it a marathon pace run since I've only ran 4 other miles this week and I felt so refreshed.
The cold was a bit bothersome for the first couple miles (the rain certainly didn't help)... My knees ached a little and it took a while to warm up but after the third mile I felt good.
I got a couple side stitches about the 7 mile mark and they haunted me for the rest of the run but didn't really slow me down... I'll have to be sure to research stitch strategy since I'd hate to have to run 20 miles with side stitches.... Also one of my shoestrings was a little floppy, so I'll have to be careful of that on race day... other than that I felt good... With another week of taper and good weather I think Chicago is going to be awesome!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Day 112
Forced rest.
My shin pain has progressed to the next level. My right one is now aching even when I walk and my left one is increasingly becoming more and more sore to the touch. I think that the only wise move for me now is to take a couple days off and let my body heal.
I'm pretty much addicted to running now so I'm not enjoying the prospects but it's probably for the best since I've been having trouble taking it easy on the taper.
I'm thinking that I'll take three days off and then hopefully put in some easy miles this weekend depending on how I feel.
My shin pain has progressed to the next level. My right one is now aching even when I walk and my left one is increasingly becoming more and more sore to the touch. I think that the only wise move for me now is to take a couple days off and let my body heal.
I'm pretty much addicted to running now so I'm not enjoying the prospects but it's probably for the best since I've been having trouble taking it easy on the taper.
I'm thinking that I'll take three days off and then hopefully put in some easy miles this weekend depending on how I feel.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Day 111
Training is winding down. I'm committing to my taper.
Today. 4 miles at base pace.
Distance: 4.19
Duration: 34:05
Pace: 8:08
HR Avg/Max: 146/158
notes:
Temperature was 62 degrees. Perfect for running. Kept a good steady relaxed pace. My right shin was bugging me a bit but overall I felt good. My head cold is subsiding. I feel great right now but I can tell that in a few days I'm really going to have to hold myself back from doing a hard workout.
Today. 4 miles at base pace.
Distance: 4.19
Duration: 34:05
Pace: 8:08
HR Avg/Max: 146/158
notes:
Temperature was 62 degrees. Perfect for running. Kept a good steady relaxed pace. My right shin was bugging me a bit but overall I felt good. My head cold is subsiding. I feel great right now but I can tell that in a few days I'm really going to have to hold myself back from doing a hard workout.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
day 110
last of the long runs
Distance: 14 miles
Duration: 2:04:42
Pace: 8:55
HR Avg/Max: 142/154
notes:
I'm sick with a head cold. The run sucked but I made myself do it anyway. It felt lousy but I got it done. Being sick sucks, but it's probably happening at the best possible time. Plenty of time to get well before the marathon.
Also I broke the 500 mile mark today. I've now completed 510.84 miles since I started my marathon training 16 weeks ago.
Distance: 14 miles
Duration: 2:04:42
Pace: 8:55
HR Avg/Max: 142/154
notes:
I'm sick with a head cold. The run sucked but I made myself do it anyway. It felt lousy but I got it done. Being sick sucks, but it's probably happening at the best possible time. Plenty of time to get well before the marathon.
Also I broke the 500 mile mark today. I've now completed 510.84 miles since I started my marathon training 16 weeks ago.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Day 109
Day 109 a.k.a. The last of the fast...
I have a confession to make. I feel like I rely a little too much on my watch. During my average run I'm looking at it constantly; counting down the miles, checking and rechecking my pace, checking my heart rate, estimating my finishing time... As much as I try I just can't seem to ignore it for more than 30 seconds at a time. So, today I decided to try a little experiment.
I taped a piece of paper over my watch face so I couldn't see what it said and decided to go out and run "blindly". Today was supposed to be a marathon pace day so I figured I'd go out and see how close I could hit pace without knowing how fast I was going.
Here's how I did.
Distance: 4.03 miles
Duration: 27:56
Pace: 6:56
HR Avg/Max: 164/179
notes:
Utterly failed at my pacing efforts as usual. I went out at what I felt was a brisk but relaxed pace. By the end of the first mile I could tell that I was going too fast by how hard I was breathing but I still felt pretty good. By the end of the second mile I was starting to hurt but I figured that it was partly just cumulative exhaustion from the last couple weeks. Mile three I decided I might as well go for broke and at least hold my pace for one more mile and then see what I had left for my four... Mile four I gave it all and pushed all the way home.
Splits:
Mile 1: 7:03
Mile 2: 7:05
Mile 3: 7:02
Mile 4: 6:30
Very even splits for the first three miles which was good. As I was running the pain was getting progressively worse but I managed it well and didn't let it slow me down at all. The last mile was hell but it felt good to push myself near my limits for one last time before the marathon.
Tomorrow I run my last "long" run and after that I plan on taking it very easy until marathon time. The last few weeks of workouts have been intense and hopefully they will benefit me in both confidence and fitness come marathon time. But for now I think that I've attained all the fitness I can expect to get before the marathon and that the best thing I can do for myself is force myself to slow it down and allow myself to recuperate.
I might throw a few 1-2 minute fartleks into next Wednesdays workout but besides that this is the last run I plan to do at a pace which is anything faster than marathon pace so help me god!
I have a confession to make. I feel like I rely a little too much on my watch. During my average run I'm looking at it constantly; counting down the miles, checking and rechecking my pace, checking my heart rate, estimating my finishing time... As much as I try I just can't seem to ignore it for more than 30 seconds at a time. So, today I decided to try a little experiment.
I taped a piece of paper over my watch face so I couldn't see what it said and decided to go out and run "blindly". Today was supposed to be a marathon pace day so I figured I'd go out and see how close I could hit pace without knowing how fast I was going.
Here's how I did.
Distance: 4.03 miles
Duration: 27:56
Pace: 6:56
HR Avg/Max: 164/179
notes:
Utterly failed at my pacing efforts as usual. I went out at what I felt was a brisk but relaxed pace. By the end of the first mile I could tell that I was going too fast by how hard I was breathing but I still felt pretty good. By the end of the second mile I was starting to hurt but I figured that it was partly just cumulative exhaustion from the last couple weeks. Mile three I decided I might as well go for broke and at least hold my pace for one more mile and then see what I had left for my four... Mile four I gave it all and pushed all the way home.
Splits:
Mile 1: 7:03
Mile 2: 7:05
Mile 3: 7:02
Mile 4: 6:30
Very even splits for the first three miles which was good. As I was running the pain was getting progressively worse but I managed it well and didn't let it slow me down at all. The last mile was hell but it felt good to push myself near my limits for one last time before the marathon.
Tomorrow I run my last "long" run and after that I plan on taking it very easy until marathon time. The last few weeks of workouts have been intense and hopefully they will benefit me in both confidence and fitness come marathon time. But for now I think that I've attained all the fitness I can expect to get before the marathon and that the best thing I can do for myself is force myself to slow it down and allow myself to recuperate.
I might throw a few 1-2 minute fartleks into next Wednesdays workout but besides that this is the last run I plan to do at a pace which is anything faster than marathon pace so help me god!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Day 108
BLAH! Right now I'm fucking toast. My hard training has finally caught up to me and my legs feel like they've been beat with bats. Climbing stairs in a chore. Walking sucks.
Figured I'd better go easy today...
Distance: 6.18 miles
Duration: 55:00
Pace: 8:54
HR Avg/Max: 134/157
notes:
Sure enough. Legs are beyond dead. I'm like a running zombie. I was able to keep this run at a recovery pace mostly because I couldn't go any faster if I wanted to. Yesterdays speed work seems to of sucked any semblance of speed out of my body.
I'm not worried though. While technically I'm starting my taper this week I'm really thinking that I might be better off with a two week taper instead of the three weeks Uncle Hal proscribed. I'm still on course and have plenty of time to recover and if I can get myself refreshed after my last few weeks of training domination I should be an animal come marathon time!
Figured I'd better go easy today...
Distance: 6.18 miles
Duration: 55:00
Pace: 8:54
HR Avg/Max: 134/157
notes:
Sure enough. Legs are beyond dead. I'm like a running zombie. I was able to keep this run at a recovery pace mostly because I couldn't go any faster if I wanted to. Yesterdays speed work seems to of sucked any semblance of speed out of my body.
I'm not worried though. While technically I'm starting my taper this week I'm really thinking that I might be better off with a two week taper instead of the three weeks Uncle Hal proscribed. I'm still on course and have plenty of time to recover and if I can get myself refreshed after my last few weeks of training domination I should be an animal come marathon time!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Day 107
First Wednesday of the three week taper... I'm slowly cutting back the milage but still want to get some intensity out of this workout. Next week I'll have to really start focusing on cutting back the milage and the intensity but for now I want to squeeze every last bit of fitness out that I possibly can.
I decided to do some semi-speedwork to work on tuning up my turnover and max out my cardio.
The work out: 2 miles hard, 2 miles easy, 1 mile hard, 2 miles easy.
Total Distance: 7.0 Miles
Duration: 55:03
Avg Pace: 7:52
Here's the break down.
2 miles hard...
Duration: 12:51 (6:26, 6:25 splits)
HR Avg/Max: 166/178
2 miles easy
Duration: 16:30 (8:27, 8:03 splits)
HR Avg/Max: 157/167
1 mile hard
Duration: 6:40
HR Avg/Max: 174/180
2 miles easy
Duration: 19:02 (10:06, 8:56)
HR Avg/Max: 158/172
__________________________________________________________
notes:
another brutal workout on a hot day... I'm really spent from all the running and need to force myself to cool out pretty soon if I want to be 100% by marathon time.
I decided to do some semi-speedwork to work on tuning up my turnover and max out my cardio.
The work out: 2 miles hard, 2 miles easy, 1 mile hard, 2 miles easy.
Total Distance: 7.0 Miles
Duration: 55:03
Avg Pace: 7:52
Here's the break down.
2 miles hard...
Duration: 12:51 (6:26, 6:25 splits)
HR Avg/Max: 166/178
2 miles easy
Duration: 16:30 (8:27, 8:03 splits)
HR Avg/Max: 157/167
1 mile hard
Duration: 6:40
HR Avg/Max: 174/180
2 miles easy
Duration: 19:02 (10:06, 8:56)
HR Avg/Max: 158/172
__________________________________________________________
notes:
another brutal workout on a hot day... I'm really spent from all the running and need to force myself to cool out pretty soon if I want to be 100% by marathon time.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Day 106
5 easy miles.
Distance: 5.0 miles
Duration: 41:34
Pace: 8:19
HR Avg/Max: 148/169
notes:
After the last 4 days I guess there's no such thing as 5 easy miles. My heart rate was up. I was hot. My legs were stiff, tired, and I hurt!
On a positive note, it appears that my achilles pain is completely gone and my shin pain while still intermittent has not gotten any worse so I guess the conscientious icing has been paying dividends.
12 more workouts and 19 more days until the marathon!
Distance: 5.0 miles
Duration: 41:34
Pace: 8:19
HR Avg/Max: 148/169
notes:
After the last 4 days I guess there's no such thing as 5 easy miles. My heart rate was up. I was hot. My legs were stiff, tired, and I hurt!
On a positive note, it appears that my achilles pain is completely gone and my shin pain while still intermittent has not gotten any worse so I guess the conscientious icing has been paying dividends.
12 more workouts and 19 more days until the marathon!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Day 105
Another day, another 20 mile bike ride.... really slow though. My legs are out of energy. Had to go back and clean up my gator-aid and power-gel wrappers from my weekend run though.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Day 104
Last of the long runs before the ultimate long run.
Distance: 22.4 miles
Duration: 3:17:53
Pace: 8:50
HR Avg/Max: 132/149
notes:
Started the run off pretty sore after yesterdays 10 miler but loosened up after about 3 miles. From there I pretty much cruised at about exactly a 8:50 pace for the entire run. I was even able to average 8:47 for the last 5 miles which was the first time I didn't have to slow down and fight my way in at the end of a long run. Definitely my best long run to date as far as being a confidence booster.
The conditions of the run were less than optimal. The first 12 miles went smoothly, but then it started to pour rain. I still had 10 miles left to go and the trail that I was running on became muddy and covered with about a inch and a half of standing water. My cloths were completely drenched and my shoes were waterlogged. The traction was terrible as well and I had issues getting good footing. On the bright side I think it made me run faster because I just wanted to get the run finished with as fast as possible.
52 miles logged this week and I'm feeling tired, but not injured. 3 more weeks to marathon time. The taper has officially begun!
Distance: 22.4 miles
Duration: 3:17:53
Pace: 8:50
HR Avg/Max: 132/149
notes:
Started the run off pretty sore after yesterdays 10 miler but loosened up after about 3 miles. From there I pretty much cruised at about exactly a 8:50 pace for the entire run. I was even able to average 8:47 for the last 5 miles which was the first time I didn't have to slow down and fight my way in at the end of a long run. Definitely my best long run to date as far as being a confidence booster.
The conditions of the run were less than optimal. The first 12 miles went smoothly, but then it started to pour rain. I still had 10 miles left to go and the trail that I was running on became muddy and covered with about a inch and a half of standing water. My cloths were completely drenched and my shoes were waterlogged. The traction was terrible as well and I had issues getting good footing. On the bright side I think it made me run faster because I just wanted to get the run finished with as fast as possible.
52 miles logged this week and I'm feeling tired, but not injured. 3 more weeks to marathon time. The taper has officially begun!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Day 103
Hal is going to be mad at me... he said that I was supposed to cut out cross training during the week and what did I do? I went out and biked 20 miles yesterday... Of course I had an excuse. I was dropping off gator-aid and power-gel for my 20 miler tomorrow.
Then today I decided to follow the intermediate 2 plan instead of the intermediate 1 plan... So 10 miles at marathon pace... no problem.
Distance: 10.0 miles
Duration: 1:15:58
Pace: 7:36
HR Avg/Max: 159/176
notes:
Seems like I have a problem with pace. The plan started out easy enough... 8 minute miles. But for some reason I'm always worried that I'm starting too slow (even though I have a Garmin which tells be exactly how far ahead I am of pace) and I wound up running my first mile in 7:15. I slowed down, averaging 7:40 miles for the next 8 and then kicked in the last mile in 7:10.
So I'm happy with the run... this was my third run at this pace in the last week starting with my half-marathon last Sunday. On the other hand I'm a little worried about my inability to keep pace. My plan is to find the Nike pace group at the marathon and let them do the work... otherwise, I'm going to go out too fast and die.
As far as the quality of the run through I figured my lactate threshold to be 158-176 bmp which was my average and max of the run. I hit 158 at about the 3 mile mark so I was in the threshold range for about 7 miles (50 minutes). Hell of a tempo run.
Tonight's the Berlin marathon and they're streaming it live on NBC Universal Sports. Hopefully I can either stay up till 1:45 am or wake up and watch it because there's a good change a world record is going to be set!
Then today I decided to follow the intermediate 2 plan instead of the intermediate 1 plan... So 10 miles at marathon pace... no problem.
Distance: 10.0 miles
Duration: 1:15:58
Pace: 7:36
HR Avg/Max: 159/176
notes:
Seems like I have a problem with pace. The plan started out easy enough... 8 minute miles. But for some reason I'm always worried that I'm starting too slow (even though I have a Garmin which tells be exactly how far ahead I am of pace) and I wound up running my first mile in 7:15. I slowed down, averaging 7:40 miles for the next 8 and then kicked in the last mile in 7:10.
So I'm happy with the run... this was my third run at this pace in the last week starting with my half-marathon last Sunday. On the other hand I'm a little worried about my inability to keep pace. My plan is to find the Nike pace group at the marathon and let them do the work... otherwise, I'm going to go out too fast and die.
As far as the quality of the run through I figured my lactate threshold to be 158-176 bmp which was my average and max of the run. I hit 158 at about the 3 mile mark so I was in the threshold range for about 7 miles (50 minutes). Hell of a tempo run.
Tonight's the Berlin marathon and they're streaming it live on NBC Universal Sports. Hopefully I can either stay up till 1:45 am or wake up and watch it because there's a good change a world record is going to be set!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
101
Another day easy day at conversational pace.
Distance: 5.35 miles
Duration: 45:01
Pace: 8:24
HR Avg/Max: 140/154
notes:
Pretty much the same run as Tuesday... I'm very satisfied with the fact that this pace seems to be my easy running pace now and considering that both Tuesday and Thursday's runs are on the heels of two of the hardest workouts gives me even more confidence.
Also, I feel like my stride is really improving... I've been focusing on it a little bit, but i mostly just think that the faster workouts are forcing it to improve. I definitely feel like I'm mid-foot striking and each stride feels more effortless than it used to. The marathon is getting closer and closer and my anticipation is building!
Distance: 5.35 miles
Duration: 45:01
Pace: 8:24
HR Avg/Max: 140/154
notes:
Pretty much the same run as Tuesday... I'm very satisfied with the fact that this pace seems to be my easy running pace now and considering that both Tuesday and Thursday's runs are on the heels of two of the hardest workouts gives me even more confidence.
Also, I feel like my stride is really improving... I've been focusing on it a little bit, but i mostly just think that the faster workouts are forcing it to improve. I definitely feel like I'm mid-foot striking and each stride feels more effortless than it used to. The marathon is getting closer and closer and my anticipation is building!
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