Today's Run - 2/28

I had to cut my run short this morning as I was not feeling well...... Lots of stuff going on this week it is going to be a challenge to get all my miles in... Long run on Saturday is going to be an interesting mental and physical challenge.

Today's Run - 2/27

I returned from my travels this week with a slight head cold. I decided to push my long run a day to see if I would feel a bit better and rested. I was able to head out in the mid afternoon and enjoy the sun and warm temps. It was in the mid-60's when I headed out, it was the warmest weather for a run in my recent memory. I felt over dressed in my shorts and tech shirt, wow what a few weeks can do to the weather.

I was worried what the run would feel like since I am not 100%. I was surprised on how good it actually felt but I could tell that I was not able to go as hard as usual Even though this was an easy run I decided to see if I could maintain that 9Min pace. There were some tougher splits in this route, but overall it was a good run.

I am entering the last 2 weeks of tough training this week. I will most likely run tomorrow again as the training plan calls for a 7 Mile Easy Run. I will make a call when I get up in the morning.

Today's Run - 2/23 & 2/24

Traveling again and staying downtown Minneapolis, it is cold and ice and I did not bring the outside wear so I was confined to the Hotel Treadmills. I have not been feeling too good so these runs were a struggle. In both cases I did not run the full distance intended either due to treadmill availability or just not feeling good. I did a little bit of core work after each run that felt pretty good.

Tougher Qualifying Times for Boston Marathon

My quest to return to Boston as a qualified runner just became a bit more difficult. The BAA announced a new rolling registration process and qualifying times. The new rolling registration process will go into affect in 2012 and 2013 for the new qualify standards. For my age group (35-39) the qualifying time for 2013 is 3hr:10Min:00Sec. I had hoped to qualify next year and run in the 2013 running. The change in qualify time requires a 20Sec/Mile improvement over the last qualifying time. Since I have to improve me pace by more than 3Min/Mile what is another 20 Seconds? Although a daunting task I will continue to training and work to get my ticket back to Boston.

Today's Run - 2/21

Nice recovery run this morning with negative splits and great weather.  Still a little tired from this weekends long run but overall I was happy with this run. I am still not sure why my heart rate jumps way up at the start of the run and then levels off. I worked on my cadence and experimented with how my foot strike resulted in faster turn over times. I found that if I reach for the ground with a full foot and strike off hard my turn over was much faster. I will continue to experiment with trying to increase my cadence while not exerting to much unneeded energy.

Today's Run - 2/19

I went down to UVA to run the C-Ville 10Miler Course to get out of the neighborhood for my long run this week. This was the longest run of the training program yet, and it was a challenge.   The temps have been increasing over the week and it was already in the high 30's when I left the house.  I wore shorts, a tech tee and running long sleeve shirt.  By mile 3 I was pretty warm so I wrapped my long sleeve shirt around my waist for the remaining miles.  The temperature overall was excellent with lots of sun. There was always strong wind gusts that seem to be in my face at every turn.  

I modified my route from the 10Miler course to get some variety. I ran a few miles at the UVA Park which is 1/2 Mile Loop around Field Hockey and Softball Fields.  I also ran about a mile on the UVA Track while some of the Ragged Mountain Racing Team pounded out some speed workouts.  It was nice to see all the runners out on campus and downtown.    There were a number of training groups out for the C-Ville 10Miler.   I am sorry that I will miss the C-Ville 10Miler race this year, it is my favorite local race with a challenging course and a good crowd.

I had forgotten how hard the poured concrete sidewalks are to run on.  I could tell that the sharp jarring of my foot strikes tired my legs as I got into the run.   The last 3 Miles were very difficult to complete especially with the gust head winds.   I noticed my knees and legs were more sore than usual as I recovered from the run.

I used GU gels at mile 7 and 14, which gave me a nice caffeine kick.  In looking back I think that I am waiting to long to use the GU which made miles 6-8 and 13-15 more difficult than they need to be.   I will see if using GU at mile 6, 12 and 18 next long run make a difference.

Overall the pace of this run was good.  I slowed down to ~10Min miles, but I ran much to quickly on the UVA track.   The hilly C-Ville 10Miler course was a challenge but overall I was happy with pace for a long slow run.

Today's Run - 2/17

It was a bit tough getting out for this run. The family has been sick and I think that I am on the verge of fighting it off. Overall I am holding up pretty well with all the running. I am getting a lot of sleep and trying to eat as much as I can.

Today's Run - 2/16

A nice tempo run on tap for this morning, and I opened the doors to see a very dark and cold morning. I was able to settle into the target pace and beat most of the split times by a few seconds. I did a number of loops around the lake and the scottish homes which is typically flat but there are a few changes in elevation. I like tempo work because it is most like racing, where you have to hit the splits and keep a pace. I find that this is mentally difficult because you have to concentrate on maintaing the pace the entire time.

Today's Run - 2/14

The weather is starting to break and the sunrise is getting earlier. It was a bit windy but much warmer than usual. I completed this recovery run at average 9:40 Pace. The hills were a bit challenging and I worked hard to get through the first half of the run. I found flatter land around the lake for the last half of the run. I switched up my route a bit to get a little bit of variety.

Today's Run - 2/12

A long run was exactly what I needed after a long week on the road. I got out to the house just after sunrise to find a morning that was a bit warmer but also winder than usual. It took me a bit to settle into the 16Mile run, but I worked to break it into 4Mile chunks in my head to help me work through it. I settled into a 9:40-9:55 pace and tackled my standard routes to piece together the run. While in the Q2 Section I turned down the construction road to check out the new section being built in the neighborhood. I was surprised to find the well packed gravel and clay road was great to run on. There were some great views and scenery in the new section.

I am happy that I finished this run and felt good about the pace considering all the change in elevation.

Today's Run - 2/10

Just a 7Mile easy run while on the road.

Prop Betting Comes To Endurance Running

Poker player Ashton Griffin won $300,000 bucks for running 70Miles in 24hrs. The ESPN article provides good details on the odds and structure of the prop bet, but the interesting thing I see is how he did it. Aside from having to be on a treadmill which allowed him to manage the pace, elevation and climate he broke down the run into seven 10mile runs. Seems logical, but this is a prime example of long run strategy - break it into smaller more manageable pieces. 70miles in 24hrs is still a long run, especially on a treadmill.

Today's Run - 2/8

First speed workout in a while and this was at a considerable faster pace than I have been running recently. I must admit I was a bit apprehensive to jumping into this workout. The first mile was a good warm up at an 8:41 pace around the Paddington loop with a few hills. I then headed to the area around the lake to get a pretty flat track. I did 4x1600Meter at ~8:09 pace with an 800Meter jogs between 1600's. I must have been confused because my target pace for the 1600's was supposed to be 8:19. So this workout was more difficult that it needed to do but I am happy with the results.

I will take tomorrow as a rest day due to business travel and plan to do a treadmill easy run on Thursday.

Today's Run - 2/7

I nice recovery run this morning with negative splits pace. I had a few hills in the beginning and then flat for the last half. I will do speedwork tomorrow and hope that I did not go to hard on this recovery run.

Validation of my change in attitude

I get a number of quote of the day / week emails. I find it interesting how many seem directly applicable to things going on in my life. Just as with horoscopes these email quotes are pretty generic and can be applied broadly to a number of situations yet seem to resonate on a personal level to the reader. With that in mind, this quote from Hal Higdon seemed to hit me right on.

What you do in any one workout doesn't matter. The most important point of any training program is the totality of that program, and the results it brings. A flash speed workout with quick splits may look good in your training diary, but it could bring you to the edge of overtraining. The same with running the long runs too hard. Your time in the final 20-miler won't count three weeks later. Your success will be measured by, 1) finishing the marathon, if you're a beginner, or 2) finishing it in a time that reflects your current capabilities, if you're an experienced runner. What you did while getting there doesn't count.

- Hal Higdon

Today's Run - 2/5

I headed out of the house a little later than expected and it was a bit tough to get going this morning. However, after the first 3 miles I got into a groove and was able to bang out the run. As I churned through the miles I could feel that I was getting stronger and faster. It also felt good to be able to overcome the mental block of getting out and running.

Change In Approach

I am starting to get into the thick of my marathon training and I am evaluating my goals and approach. There is no doubt that my key goal is to break 4hrs in the Marathon. I believe that my training is setup to enable me to do this. I have confidence that I am building my base to be strong enough to accomplish this. I do however think that I have been so focused on the result of my goal and not focused on how to get there. Looking back at the past two marathons I can honestly say that I went out to fast and tried to power through to make 4hrs by banking time. In both cases I struggled and fell apart at the 20-24Mile mark. I have read about the wall, I knew I was playing with fire when going out so fast, but you have to live through it to understand it. I can continue this approach and I may possibly PR each time because I am stronger runner each I attempt to run the race. There has to be a better way to approach accomplishing this goal. By focusing on running a strong consistent race and having the confidence that my time of sub 4Hrs goal will be met by executing a race day plan to get me smoothly through miles 20-24.

To that end, I have decided to re-vamp the statement of my primary goal for this marathon to be "Run smarter and stronger to be faster than before."

Today's Run - 2/3

A nice 7Mile recovery run this morning. I had a busy day at work today, so I was anxious to get in the run and the head out to work. Because of this I did run a bit faster than targeted for the workout, but overall it felt like a nice smooth run.

Today's Run - 2/2