Final Wrap-up

Last couple weeks have been crazy. With work travel, getting sick and preparing for my post-race trip to Asia, I have been spread thin to say the least. I think that I have come through it all pretty well. Got in some good workouts (below), but also came up short on a few. Mentally I'm in a good space for the race, determined to run smart for one and try to negative split the course. The only nagging issue that I'm having is my sciatic nerves. They have been REALLY bothering me ever since last weekend when I went snowboarding and rode powder on Saturday. It really aggravated that nerve in both legs and I can barely sit now without them being very apparent and painful. I've been noticing them on the runs too but am hoping that I can get through it on Sunday. I'll try to write another short update from LA tomorrow evening, but if not. Go to the LA Marathon website on Sunday morning for live tracking, Facebook updates, etc. Race goes off at 7:25am PST. Look for me to run a bit slow in the first half (shooting for 1:20-1:21) and then to try to pick it up in the back half. Goal is to get under 2:40, as I think I'm not quite in good enough shape to attempt the original 6min pace goal.

Here are a few workouts from the past few weeks:

3/7: Tempo Run - goal: 10-miles at 6:11/mi pace
Came up short on this one. Had a higher mileage week the past week and my legs just felt dead. Additionally, I was running on a very muddy/icy/snowy trail...
did 7-miles as: (6:01, 6:10, 6:08, 6:18, 6:10, 6:17, 6:18) - avg: 6:11/mi

3/5: Track Workout - goal: 6 x 1-mile at 5:50/mi pace with 400m jog recovery
5:36, 5:50, 5:48, 5:45, 5:49, 5:48 - felt great... barely noticed this workout.

3/3: Long run: 16-miles at moderate pace (6:41/mi)
This was a rough one... avg'd 6:51 pace throughout.

2/27: Tempo Run - goal: 10-miles at 6:11/mi pace
Was in a hotel in Twin Falls Idaho and not feeling the best. Tried to do this tempo on the treadmill but pulled the plug at 2-miles and instead did 3 x 2mi at 6:08 goal pace:
12:17 (6:09, 6:08), 12:15 (6:08, 6:07), 12:21 (6:14, 6:07)

2/25: Track Workout - goal 4 x 1.5mi @ 5:50/mi pace
We had a big snowstorm in Denver, so I was forced to hit the treadmill for this, my first workout after the break from the Austin half-marathon.
8:41, 8:41, 8:40, 8:41 - avg 5:48/mi pace - felt good.

Austin Half-Marathon

I think I was expecting too much out of this race. Immediately following the race I was a bit dissapointed with my time, but a couple of friends put it into perspective for me.

First, I wasn't tapering for this race. It was a "train-thru" situation. Additionally, I had been doing a lot of work travel in the days and weeks leading into the race and lastly, I was sick for most of the week leading into the race.

That said, I had been hoping to run a 1:14 or 1:15 but apparently I had also forgotten how hilly the course was. I had it in my head that it was a 'fast' course, but word from everyone in Austin was that it was anything but that.

The morning of the race I felt good and we all had IDEAL race conditions! 40-ish degrees, clear, and light winds. I couldn't have asked for better. I felt pretty fresh and was hoping to run a controlled effort (though splits would be all over the place due to the varying terrain) and see what I still needed to work on over the final 4 weeks of training.

Here are my splits:

Livestrong Austin Half-Marathon

5:33, 5:36, 5:54 (17:45 5K)

6:02, 5:51, 5:50 (35:58 10K)

5:32, 5:42, 5:42, 6:04 (57:54 10mi)

6:07, 6:04, 6:29 (1.1mi)

1:16:26 (5:50/mi avg)

Overall, I am pretty happy with the results. The course has a long uphill section from mile 3 to 6. From mile 6 to 9 it's mostly downhill and then at about 9.5 miles on home it's really hilly with a couple really aggressive pitches. For almost the entire race I barely noticed the effort aerobically. The issue was with fatigue in my muscles. Additionally, I did have some GI distress at about 9.5 miles, which was luckily very short-lived. By Mile 10, I was feeling fine again but the muscle fatigue was certainly an issue.

I'm encouraged by my level of fitness and the fact that I did train thru the race but I am nervous for LA none-the-less. The idea of running twice the distance at only 10-15 seconds slower per mile is daunting but I am hoping that my leadup into the race will be much better next time around and I will come in much more relaxed and ready. 4 weeks to go (actually 3 at the time that I write this now..!)! 

Happy Training to anyone reading this! 

Race Week...

As I mentioned in the previous post, things could have been better as I headed into the week of my "test" race. If being on the road for work, sleeping in hotels and eating out all week wasn't bad enough, I also was in the middle of a cold that had just wiped me out.

Monday and Tuesday I felt terrible and had meetings all day long. I got in an easy 6.25mi on the treadmill on Monday but Tuesday I was destroyed. I got done with meetings at 5pm, went up to my room, took some Nyquil and next thing I know it was 4:30am in the morning!! I still wasn't better, actually, I felt worse than ever, but luckily later in the day I would begin to feel the health coming back to me.

That night I headed out for an easy run in Austin and surprisingly made it 7.50 miles pretty easily and felt good.

By Thursday morning I was feeling about 80% back to health and so decided to fit in the track workout that I had hoped to have done back on Monday. I was still in Austin and one of my old training buddies from Riptide, Pete Mallet decided to jump into the workout to help with pacing.

2 x 3-miles @ 5:50 pace w/800m ez jog rest

1. 17:20 (5:47, 5:48, 5:45)

2. 17:22 (5:47, 5:42, 5:53)

Avg: 5:47/mi pace

Surprisingly after being sick, I felt pretty fresh. With the exception of the final hard mile, most of the workout was just running on cruise control and feeling good.

Friday and Saturday were two more easy runs (7.50 & 6.00 miles respectively) leading into race day.

Catching Up

Wow, life has gotten away from a bit here. Somehow 17 days have flown by since the last time that I had a chance to update this and a lot has been happening...

I'll start right after my last post: On the 7th it was time to do another tempo run. Due to conditions, I was on the treadmill again:

Tempo Run: 9-miles @ 6:06/mi pace

6:05, 6:05, 6:06, 6:05, 6:06, 6:05, 6:05, 6:06, 6:06

Avg: 6:05.75/mi pace

Unfortunately, I think that this workout was the final straw for my immune system, and within 3 hours I was beginning to feel pretty sick. By the next morning, a cold/flu was on me. I tried to fight thru it, but had to take things extremely easy, logging only 7, 7 and 9 mile easy runs for each of the remaining days of the week. 

On Sunday night I headed off to Dallas for an entire week of business travel before (hopefully) racing the Austin half-marathon the following Sunday.

Week 12 Track Work

Hit the track tonight for Week 12's Strength workout:

4 x 2 miles @ 5:50/mi pace (goal: 11:40)

w/800m jog recovery

11:22 (5:34, 5:48)

11:37 (5:43, 5:54)

11:34 (5:49, 5:45)

avg 11:41 (5:45.5/mi pace)

After doing an easy 6.25mi run yesterday evening, my legs felt pretty good this morning, so I was excited to see how they'd handle this workout tonight. Obviously, I was (once again) overzealous on the first interval, coming thru the first mile in 5:34! When I saw it, I couldn't believe it because it felt like I was barely moving, but it was an eye-opener and made me be much more aware of pace in the second half. Still overall, ran too fast tonight, but for whatever reason this 5:45 pace is just seeming to stick more than the 5:50's. Hopefully on raceday I'll have the brakes on so much for the first few miles that this won't cause an issue. 

Tomorrow is a long awaited rest day and I am excited for it! Happy Training to all of you out there in the Blog-o-sphere, I'm off to bed!

Close Call!

Rounding out week 11, after the track workout that I wrote about last week, were a couple more hard workouts, which left my legs completely zapped by the end of the week. On Thurs I had my tempo run again, which I had to do on the treadmill due to the weeks snow. 12-miles on a treadmill with 9 at Tempo SUCK by the way. Here's how it went:

9-mile Tempo Run @ 6:06/mi pace

6:06, 6:04, 6:05, 6:06, 6:06, 6:05, 6:06, 6:05, 6:05

avg 6:05/mi pace

While workouts like this are terribly mind-numbing (especially if you do this at a gym like mine where there's no TV and you're just staring out a window blindly into the night), they are nice because the treadmill locks in the pace and you can just (literally) fight to stay on. Either way, it was a long night, followed once again by lots of core-strength exercises. 

Friday, I got quite the shock though. About 3 minutes in to what was to be an easy 7-mile run, I was running through some grass, not paying attention, of course, and managed to step on a rock that I didn't see was there. Rolled my ankle really badly and had to take a 5 minute time-out to assess the situation. All I could think of was "SHHHIIIIITTTT, 10 weeks of training out-the-window!!". Luckily after a few minutes of massaging it and generally checking things out, I felt okay to finish out the run and did so with very little pain. About 3 hours later though, I'd pay for it! My (right) ankle had swollen up to about twice the size of normal and was really painful. Of course this change happened AT the dinner-party that I had gone to for the evening. So, upon returning home at about 11:45pm, I finally was able to start damage control. Ice, heat, ice and some time with the ultrasound got the ball rolling, then I took a few aspirin and hit the sack with my foot elevated on some pillows for the night. 

The next morning when I woke up, luckily things were more under control. Although I wasn't at 100%, the ankle felt like about 70%. That said, I made the call to push off the long run that was to be done that morning to Sunday and instead headed out for an easy 8-miler. More careful recovery on Saturday and by Sunday I was ready to attempt the long, 16-miler for the week... even though my tired, sore legs were begging me not to. 

Long Run: 16-miles @ 6:41/mi pace

Avg'd 6:45 pace for entire run (incl. first and last miles)

The ankle didn't give me any problems on the long run but I did definitely fall apart. Managed to hold onto 6:41/mi pace thru mile 12 but then hit the wall, and was reduced to around 7:00/mi pace for the last 4. Given that 31 miles of the 60 that I ran this week were between about 5:45-6:50/mi pace, I was just happy to have survived it all and definitely am gaining more and more of an understanding of this Hanson's mentality of "Accumulated Fatigue". I can't imagine how good it is going to feel when I can finally race on fresh legs! 11 weeks down, 6 to go! Happy Training!

Soreness, Snow and Strength...

As I wrapped up week 10 of training, it was the first time in this training plan that I have felt truly beat up. Ever since the tempo run last Wednesday night,  my legs were achy & sore and I was having minor issues with pains in one of my knees, a foot and sciatic issues. I hoped that if I just recovered properly and took my easy runs 'easy', I'd get through it and be fine for the remaining weeks. That said, the remainder of the week was made up of just easy running... 8 miles Thursday, 8 miles Friday, 13.5 miles Saturday and 6.25-miles on Sunday to end the week at just under 60 miles.

Today was the start of a new week and another tough track workout. There was a winter storm on its way and I had been hoping to get as much of the workout in before it hit as possible. Unfortunately, the storm hit Denver just as I was getting changed to head to the track! It's funny how some people hate adverse conditions, but I think that I have found over the years that I thrive in them. By the time I got to the track it was windy and snowing pretty heavily. With no glasses, or goggles, on my eyes were stinging from the snow and I knew it would be a tough workout. Between that and the snow starting to stick, and accumulate, on the track, I wasn't real sure how this workout was going to go.

The workout was to be:

4 x 1.5-miles at 5:50 mile-pace (8:45 goal intervals) 

w/400m jog rcvry (~3:00)

Conditions: ~28 degrees F, windy, driving snow

8:34 (mile at 5:41)

8:36 (mile at 5:42)

8:39 (mile at 5:43)

8:44 (mile at 5:48)

~8:39 avg (5:46mi avg)

As you can see, my pacing was terrible. While I did go faster than the intended pace, I am definitely not happy about it. One of the big lessons learned from my last go-round with marathon training was that PACE IS KING. Paces wouldn't be given and so often strove after if they were just suggestions. A training pace is what you're supposed to hit and if you're not hitting because you're going either too slow, or too fast you are not succeeding in the workout. I think way too many people (myself included) get caught up in the 'how fast' can I run question rather than the 'how consistent' can I be question in training. Because of this, I went away disappointed with today's workout. There are a lot of reasons why my pacing was off (bad traction on the snow, hard to read my watch, etc. etc.) but I think what I am learning is that in adverse conditions (extreme heat/cold, snow/rain or on hills) I will often work harder than necessary to achieve my target pace not realizing that I am actually surpassing it. I imagine this is probably a problem for a lot of runners too. Not sure what to do with that info yet, but it's definitely something to keep in mind the next time that you (or I) are training/racing in less than ideal conditions. 

Another thing that I don't often talk about in my blog is simply, my love for running. So often we (runners) get caught up in the numbers, paces, mileage, etc., etc., ... we're slogging along doing all of this training and don't realize that the root of why they're actually doing it, is because we love it. I am very guilty of this! But then, every once in awhile, you have that special run. Whether it's the weather, the terrain, the people that accompany you, or even the challenges that you had to overcome to get through it. It's one of those runs that reminds you that you are doing this for the love of the sport. The love of the feeling that it gives you. Sure, even for the the love of the effects that it has on your health.

Running around that track today in what (at least for an hour or so) felt like a blizzard, I remembered so many other similar runs that I've had in the past. Running in the blistering cold, in driving rain, hail, 100+ degree temperatures and through streets in countries where no one else even bothers to run. I run because of the feeling that it gives me. The strength that I feel from running fast, or running when most others won't. I love chasing my best performances and always striving to be a stronger, healthier, faster athlete. I run because it's who I am. Whether your fast or slow, I imagine that's the real reason why each of us puts on our shoes and gets out the door. 

If you haven't had a run like this lately, I hope that you do soon. I know they're rare, but wow, what a great experience! Happy training everyone!

STRENGTH - Week 10

I did it, I survived the first of the two phases that the Hanson's plan is built on. SPEED is done! Now I can put away the long nights on the track running at 5:20 mile pace and focus on workouts that are done at paces much closer (10 sec/mile under) to race pace but are twice as long; STRENGTH.

This week started off with MLK Day, which allowed me to relax throughout most of the day before heading to the track for an afternoon workout on the day that I began the Strength phase. This workout was one that I had been worried about since day 1...

Track Workout:

6 x 1-mile @ 5:50 pace w/400m jog (~2:20) recovery

conditions: ~50 degrees, sunny, moderate winds

5:51, 5:49, 5:50, 5:49, 5:48, 5:53

avg: 5:50 mile pace

This workout was a HUGE surprise to me, because it was my first time doing miles on the track at an easier pace since beginning this program and I felt amazing. I wasn't breathing hard and felt very little fatigue. Running this pace on the track just felt smooth. 

Tuesday, as normal, was my day off before heading into week 10's tempo run. I did the tempo tonight on the gravel Highline Canal path again and it went like this:

Tempo Run: 8-miles @ 6:06 pace

6:00 6:03, 6:00, 6:02, 6:06, 6:06, 6:10, 6:11

avg: ~6:04.75 min/mile pace

I was bummed that I fell off so much in the last two miles, but given that my legs were a bit tired going into the workout and that I made a terrible choice for lunch today (Chik-fil-a), I was okay with the results. With the start of the Strength phase, I've been thinking to begin doing all of my workouts at the paces suggested for my goal race time (2:37), rather than using the paces for the adjusted finish time (2:40) due to altitude. That said, I was shooting to keep my times as close to 6:00 pace as possible tonight, but it wasn't possible. 

I'm looking forward to some recovery tonight and a few days of easy mileage to end out the week in the mid-50 mile range. Thanks for taking the time to read. I'm glad to have the Blog caught back up now. Happy Training!

Week 8 & 9 Wrap-up

I've fallen WAY behind in updating my BLOG, so in an effort to not get too bogged down, I'll make this short and sweet.

After my last post (and the 3 x 1600m workout), I had a day off followed-by another 7-mile tempo run. I did the workout outside for the first time in a few weeks (due to previous cold weather and snow/ice coverage). It was refreshing to have to manage pace on my own again and push accordingly. The workout went like this:

7-mile Tempo Run @ 6:06 pace

conditions: Near perfect weather!

~55 degrees with very little wind and clear trails

6:02, 6:01, 6:00, 6:04, 5:58, 6:08, 6:11

avg: ~6:03.5 mile pace

Later that week I was met with extremely cold weather but likely did not have a long run that weekend. Just did a 10-miler on Saturday morning in 3 degree F temps. 

Unfortunately, beginning Sunday, I had the feeling of coming down with a cold or the flu. I took Sunday off in an effort to get ahead of it, especially since I would be on the road traveling for the ENTIRE following week for work. 

On Monday (the beginning of Week 9), I began my work trip and also felt terrible/sick. I obviously wasn't going to get the track workout in, so instead I did an easy 6.5 mile run on the treadmill at my hotel in Santa Fe and got to bed early for 9+ hours of sleep. 

The next day I wasn't feeling great, but managed to rally at the end of the day (and find a track!!) near my new hotel, in Roswell, NM. The workout that night was to be my final SPEED workout of the Hanson's plan, since I had to eliminate one week from the 18-week training plan (since I only had 17-weeks) and it seemed like the following (final) week of speed would be the best option. Anyway, the workout was: 

Track Workout: 6 x 800m @ 2:40 w/400m jog recovery

Conditions: dark. 25-30 degrees F, with moderate winds

2:40, 2:41, 2:41, 2:39, 2:39, 2:37

avg: ~2:39.5

I took Wednesday as my 'OFF' day and just did an easy 3-mile run in the evening because I was bored in Las Cruces. I was continuing to feel like I was getting better and was happy to feel healthier yet on Thursday afternoon, when it was time for Week 9's tempo run, which I did on the treadmill at my hotel in El Paso. That workout went like this: 

Tempo Run: 8-miles @ 6:06 mile pace

On treadmill at hotel. 

6:07, 6:08, 6:07, 6:07, 6:08, 6:06, 6:06, 6:02

avg: 6:07 mile pace

Finally, after returning to Denver the night before and knocking out an easy 6.5 miler, I was ready for the weeks long run. 

Long Run: 15-miles @ 6:41 mile pace

Outside on the streets of Denver

Conditions: ~35 degrees, sunny, light winds

Avg: 6:44 mile pace throughout

Rough week, but somehow managed to survive and get two days of snowboarding in (on top of running) on Saturday and Sunday. 

 

Mile Repeats

Week 8 SOS Track workout last night...

3 x 1600m @ 5:20 pace w/ 600m jog recovery

Conditions: ~50 deg F, light wind, dark

5:19

5:23

5:23

avg: 5:21 pace 

(w/~4min jog recovery)

Perfect night for a track workout last night. Wasn't sure how it'd go trying to hold such a quick pace for full mile intervals, but it turned out pretty well. In fact, I think that this workout was my best track workout since moving to Denver (and the altitude)! The best part about it was that I felt smooth and controlled throughout. While I was definitely pushing pretty good to maintain pace, it was not my top gear and I was impressed that even in the dark, without checking splits, I was able to maintain such good pacing. 

One more week of speedwork (6 x 800m) and then it's on to the 'Strength' portion of the program! If you're reading this and you also had a workout, I hope it went as well for you! Happy Training! 

Running into the New Year

Week 7 is officially done. And it's a good thing too, because it was a rough one! This week ended at a total volume of 54 miles with 25 miles of that done at between 5:20 and 6:40 pace. Until now I hadn't experienced the 'Accumulated Fatigue' that the Hanson's program indicated is one of the key principles of their training, but this week it hit me.
After Monday's tough track workout I had my day off on Tuesday followed by my tempo on Wednesday night. Once again it was a 7-mile tempo plus warmup and warm-down. I did it on the treadmill again this week due to the continued presence of snow & ice on the trails. It went like this:

7-mile tempo @ 6:06 mile pace

6:05, 6:05, 6:05, 6:05, 6:06, 6:04, 6:06

Thursday & Friday were easy runs (8mi & 6.5mi respectively), but those were leading into what I knew was going to be a ridiculous long run on Saturday morning: 

Long Run: 14-miles @ 6:41 pace

avg'd 6:45/mi pace

Although the effort was only to be at 6:41-pace, a pretty attainable pace, I thought, it was the load of the entire week that got to me and in the final four miles my pace fell from around 6:40's to anywhere between 6:50-7:00. It was a TOUGH run. Today, I followed it up with an easy 6-miles on the treadmill at about 7:33 pace.

I'm pretty happy with the training has been going overall so far but am nervous about the remaining 10-weeks of the program. Some of them look absolutely brutal with hard strength workouts on Mondays, even longer tempo runs on Wednesdays and long runs, as long as 16-miles at 6:41 pace, to end the weeks. On the upside though I did find out this week that although I didn't have a qualifying full-marathon time within the timeframe that the race directors were looking for (because I haven't run one since March of '11), they went ahead and seeded me in the first Corral for race day anyway!

10 weeks to go... Happy Training everyone!

NYE Track Workout!

Happy New Year! I can't believe that 2012 has already come to an end and 2013 is off and going. I am very thankful for everyone, and everything, in my life and feel that 2012 was one of my best years in awhile! Back in the beginning of the year, I was still contending with a broken foot, unable to run and not sure what the coming year would bring. Almost unbelievably (to me), I was able to overcome the setback and build my health back to a good enough state to get me to Ironman 70.3 Worlds and get some reasonable running results under my belt along the way too.
It seems fitting then, that since I started the year in such a weak, injured, state that I should bring it to a close with a workout that would prove that I'm anything but that today. It was week 7's SOS workout -- The Ladder. A workout I had not been looking forward to since I first read it in the Hansons book!

Here's the workout:

Ladder

4-8-12-16-12-8-4 on (1:20, 2:40, 4:00, 5:20, etc.) w/400m jog recovery

400m - 1:19

800m - 2:43

1200m - 4:04

1600m - 5:28

1200m - 4:07

800m - 2:45

400m - 1:20

conditions: 18 degrees, clear skies, light winds

Unfortunately about 250m of Lane 1 on the track was still covered in snow & ice.

On first look at these times, I wouldn't be real pleased but considering the fact that I did this workout on a track covered in snow & ice, I am pretty excited about the results. Next week will be my final week of the 'Speed' portion of the Hansons Marathon Method training plan, as I will be removing one week, in order to meet my timeline for the LA Marathon. The workout will be 3 x 1mile at 5:20 pace. 

Also, since I missed a post or two last week due to the holidays I should update you now on that. After the inital track workout, detailed in my previous post, I hit the treadmill for my tempo-run on Wednesday due to continued snowy/icy conditions outdoors. A brutal 10-mile day on the treadmill with 7-miles at tempo pace, it was nice in that I didn't have to worry about footing or about hitting the pace correctly. Here were my splits from that workout: 

7-mile tempo run (avg 6:06 pace) - (treadmill): 

6:04, 6:05, 6:05, 6:06, 6:05, 6:06, 6:05

avg: 6:05/mi pace

Aside from that, the week was pretty standard... just full of easy mileage without a long run on Saturday. Overall mileage for the week (week 6) was down a little bit to just 45 miles. Next week (week 7) that'll jump up to the low 50's. Hopefully the weather will hold out so that I can get in a solid tempo effort tomorrow and a good long run of 14 miles on Saturday. 

Thanks again for reading my BLOG and keeping up with my progress. I hope that the holidays were wonderful for you and that you are as excited as I am about chasing new goals in 2013. Happy Training!