LA Marathon Recap

Clearly I'm terrible about post-race recaps... as this one has taken me nearly FOUR YEARS to do! But, for those of you who stumble across this blog and wonder how it turned out, let me try to recap as best as I can with my terrible memory.

So, raceday morning I ended up being slotted on one of the earliest buses to the race venue at Dodger stadium. That meant getting up about 4:15am, driving to the finish area, parking and then taking the half hour bus ride to the start. Once I arrived to the empty parking lot, it was ~55 degrees F and there was over two hours until race start... not ideal, to say the least. I sat/laid in the parking lot, listening to music and waiting for time to pass.

Eventually, it was time to warm-up and head to the start. Fortunately, when I arrived there, I ran into a friend from my triathlon days, former pro-triathlete, Chris Tremonte, who was visiting from Seattle and, along with 2 friends, was also trying to run right around 6-minute pace. These guys, arrived in costume though, with dollar store fur coats, gloves and jeggings.

As the race started, we all had nerves and purposely went out easy, chatting and making jokes throughout the first downhill mile. When we hit the first mile though, we were all shocked to see just how SLOW we'd actually gone though -- 6:30!! It was time to get serious!

After that, we picked up the pace and settled in. For the next 12 miles, thru the half, we ran hip-to-hip, chatting a bit, but mostly just cruising, through downtown LA, Hollywood and into Beverly Hills... Here's a look at splits:

6:30, 5:55, 5:55, 5:58, 6:16, 5:59 (10K: 37:54)
5:54, 6:00, 6:11, 6:03, 6:02, 6:05 (20K: 1:15:33 (37:39))
6:10 (didn't get a 1/2 split, but believe it was right about 1:19:30)

At the half, the four of us were still together and had settled into a good rhythm. I believe that's the point that Tahoma (went on to run a 2:42:43) pulled away and left us behind. The remaining three of us continued to work together and ran within 20-30ft of one another thru about 14-14.5 miles... and THAT'S when it got lonely! By mile 16, Chris and his other buddy had fallen off and I was entering a long straightway, completely on my own.... my pace fell to around 6:20 and stayed there for the next 4-miles.

Miles 14-16: 6:05, 5:54, 6:02,
Miles 17-20: 6:18, 6:19 (30K: 1:53:31 (38:18)), 6:22, 6:24

At mile 20, after the long straightaway, we began to climb into the hills for the remaining 6 miles through Brentwood and eventually, down to the Santa Monica Pier and that's when I began to hit the wall. At the same time, Chris had caught back up to me and passed looking great. From there on out it was simply a battle to keep running and keep from losing as little time as possible.

Miles 21 - Finish: 6:42, 6:40, 6:49, 6:56 (40K: 2:35:30 (41:39 - 10k)), 6:43, (final 1.1mi - 7:47))

Finish Time: 2:44:09 (6:15/mi pace)

In the end, I fell short of my goal again only improving my PR marathon pace from 6:20/mi to 6:15/mi pace, but I can say that thru the use of the Hanson's Marathon Method to training, I came away in better shape off, completely injury free, off of fewer training miles than with the Jack Daniel's plan in the two years prior. As I'll probably never have the time to dedicate to trying to better this PR, it's one that I'm happy with and an endeavor that I'm so happy I undertook. I think a great time with friends, striving for something beyond your limits is worth it every time. Hopefully if YOU are trying for the 6-minute-mile pace marathon, you'll have better luck than me... but either way, HAVE FUN!

Cyrus

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! 

SOS: Week 6

MERRY Christmas!! Since it's Christmas eve (and Monday), it seemed like a good day to turn my insides inside-out on the track for week 6 of my SOS track workouts. Being that I am home for the holiday, I am in Colorado Springs where I had to contend with even higher altitude than normal (~6,300ft), so I wasn't sure how that'd affect my times. Here's the workout:

4 x 1,200m @ 4:00 w/400m jog recovery

3:52, 4:02, 4:02, 4:05

(avg 4:00)

I was able to get on the track at midday thanks to the holiday and was pleased to have great temps (~40 deg F) and an entire workout in daylight! I've been starting workouts by not checking splits on the first interval and just going by feel. Unfortunately, for the 2nd, or 3rd, week in a row I have ended up hammering the first interval and then not being able to hang on to the correct pace for the remaining intervals. This week was no different. Needless to say, next week I'll take a different approach and monitor splits on ALL intervals to assure I don't go too hard the first time out. Regardless of that, today I'm feeling pretty good about my splits since last week was a hard one and I am at a higher altitude. I'm really starting to look forward to seeing what this fitness will produce come March! 

For now, it's time to relax, eat too much and enjoy my day off of running (which just happens to be Christmas!) with the family. I hope that anyone reading this is also excited about racing in the New Year and that you all have a great holiday! Happy Training! 

PS: Broke out my new flats today for the first time on the track. Brooks T-7's in 'nightlife' colors. Loved them! That curved last just makes it feel like you're flying! 

And...Another One Down...

What a week! With Denver's first winter storm hitting town, some work travel and, of course, last minute preparations for the holidays, it made for a busy week! I had hoped to get a couple of updates on here throughout the week, but instead, here I am doing another 'week in review' type of post.

To summarize, it was a pretty good week, running-wise. On last Sunday's run, I don't know if I was tired or what, but it seems that my running form had broken down a bit, leaving me with a fairly sore right VMO by Sunday night. If you were reading during my San Antonio race-prep, you'll recall that it was both my right and left VMO's that gave me the major issues that time around, so I was definitely a little worried heading into Monday nights track workout. Luckily, it wasn't anything to worry too much about this time around and by Wednesday the pain was all but gone. It's great what some time with the Ultrasound machine and some proactive strengthening exercises can do!

As always, this week was made up of three key workouts and a lot of easy miles. The workouts went like this:

Monday: 

5 x 1,000m on 3:20 (400m jog recovery) 

3:20, 3:20, 3:23, 3:24, 3:24 

11 Pushups (1 for every second off pace that I was)

temp: 28 degrees, light winds, daylight for 4 of 5 of the intervals.

Felt good overall, but was definitely having to push hard in the last 200m or so to try and hold pace.

I was supposed to have done my Tempo run on Wednesday, but due to the winter weather and high winds, I opted to push it till Thursday. 

Thursday: 

6-Mile Tempo run at 6:06 pace

5:52, 5:57, 6:01, 6:05, 6:07, 6:08 

6:02/mi avg pace

temp: 42 degrees with 10-15mph winds 

I did this one on the Highline Canal trail again. Trail had some snow/ice on it (more in certain miles than others) and this time I was able to get the whole run in, in the daylight.

As you can tell, it went better than last week, but I am still struggling to lock in what 6:06 pace feels like. This was the last week of 6-mile tempos... next 3 weeks are 7-miles. 

Saturday: 

"Long" run (12 miles @ moderate/aerobic long run pace (i.e. 6:40/mi pace)

averaged 6:42/mile pace throughout

My legs were still feeling pretty trashed from Thursday nights effort at the start of this run. So, I spent the first two miles warming up and building to pace. The next 4 miles I ran a little quick, ending up in the 6:30-35 range before settling into 6:40-45 range. Last mile I slowed it down to about 7:05 pace to cool down. Overall for the run I ended with a 6:42 average. Even though the pace is only about 25-30 seconds per mile faster than my regular training pace, I def felt it. 

On Sunday morning after this week, and especially Saturday's long run, my legs were toast. I cruised through an easy 6-miles at about 7:25 pace to end out the weeks volume at just shy of 50 miles.

The Hanson's book says that it takes 10 days for any of the adaptations/improvements from a workout to occur in your body. That said, some of the work that I was putting in two weeks ago is finally starting to show itself, and I am certainly aware of it on some of these runs. The tempo stuff is getting a little easier, week by week, but these track workouts are still tough. With the way my legs currently feel (full of lactic acid!), tomorrow's track workout is gonna be tough! If you're training too, I hope that yours is also going well. Happy Holidays! 

Week 4 in Review.

Week 4 is in the books! After Monday nights track workout, I enjoyed my rest day on Tuesday and just did some weight/core training rather than a run. Wednesday, however, was my next shot at the weekly tempo-run. As I mentioned, due to poor planning, last week's was a disaster, so I was happy to go to an old familiar trail (Highline Canal Trail - which I used for much of my training during my 1st marathon effort, in 2011) to try to lay down a better effort.
The goal was 6-miles at 6:06 pace. This trail is packed gravel with rolling terrain. I got on it a little late again and only was in the light of day for the first 1.5 miles of the tempo, but this week, with my new headlamp, I was able to stay a little more consistent, producing the following splits:

5:56, 6:06, 5:56 out

6:11, 6:09, 6:12 back

6:05/mi average

I'm finding that the issue I am having mostly is my lack of endurance. It's just going to take some time to get that built back up. 

Ahh well, after that workout, the rest of this week was all easy running. 6 on Thurs, 8 on Fri, 8 on Sat and a final, easy, 6 today. All of these went fine, but I did go up to the mountains on Friday afternoon and had to do my 8-miles at 9200ft and 25 degree temps. It was pretty cold as the wind was blowing off of lake Dillon, and it certainly kicked my lungs' ass, but I was happy to get thru it at under 7:25 pace. 

Hard to believe that raceday is just 3 months from tomorrow! I'm excited, but have LOTS of work to do between now and then. Starting with tomorrow's track workout... Happy Training everyone! 

SOS Workout - Week 4

Week 4. Unbelievable. Time is flying and the workouts keep getting tougher! After wrapping up last week at 45-miles, my legs are feeling the mileage a little bit, but after a solid hour at the Denver Fuelary spending some time in the NormaTec boots and the ice bath on Sunday afternoon, they were feeling pretty good as the time approached for my next SOS 'speed' workout on the track.

Luckily, the weather in Denver has been holding out, so I once again headed to the track with footing clear of snow and ice. The conditions on Monday night were clear, cold (35 degrees) and windy, but at least I wasn't caught shoveling out lane 1!

I do have to say, it's been a long time since I felt nervous about an approaching track workout. This program definitely has me feeling that way though. Thinking about it while on the track, I think it's because of the pace that this speed work is to be performed at. It just feels SO fast to me! 5:20-pace at altitude is much faster than I typically run and yet every week my intervals are getting longer and holding onto the pace seems more and more impossible.

This week, however, the impossible happened again and somehow I was able to get 'er done!
Here's the workout:

6 x 800m on 2:40 w/400m jog recovery

2:33

2:40

2:38

2:40

2:42

2:40

11 pushups

Obviously on the first interval I didn't check splits and blew it out, but I learned that lesson quick and started adjusting at 600m, as needed, to try to lock in the pace. Not sure how I'm ever going to get through mile repeats at this pace but, for now, I'll just take it one week at a time. Next week is 5 x 1000m.If you're reading out there in internet-land and are training for something, that's the best advice I could give you too... just take each workout one step at a time. After all, they are the building blocks that take us to the higher levels of fitness that will get us through the longer, harder, workouts to come. Happy Training!

Poor Planning = Poor Performance

Have some catching up to do on here since I've had a pretty busy week of work and travel. After last weeks SOS 'speed' workout on Monday, I thoroughly enjoyed my day off on Tuesday although I did have to travel or work. On my way back to Denver (this was a driving trip), Ifinished my last appointment at about 4:30pm and wanted to hurry to try to get in as much of my first tempo run as possible before it got dark. Unfortunately, I was still out in rolling farm land and although I was greeted by this amazing view at the start of my warmup, it certainly wouldn't last...

I did about a 1.75mi warmup before doing some dynamic stretching and drills and getting into it. Unfortunately, by that point, I literally made all of about a quarter mile before the sun set behind the mountains leaving me in rapidly fading light on uneven, loose gravel farm roads. Whatever though, at this point I was commited...

The goals was a 6-mile tempo at 6:06 mile-pace. I didn't come anywhere close:

6:20, 6:20, 6:27, 6:18, 6:15, 6:18 (6:19 avg pace)

Almost the entire workout was run in the pitch black (no I didn't have a headlamp) on extremely hilly, loose gravel roads at 6,000ft elevation. That's about all that I can take any solace in from the shitty result of this workout. Lesson learned though: In the future, regardless of work, I will plan better for where, and when, I will be doing these workouts. In the Hanson's plan, SOS workouts are the focus of the week and when you come up short on one of them IT SUCKS! 

The rest of the week was fine with some easy runs and a long run of a whopping 10-miles on Saturday. Ended out the week at 45-miles and am feeling pretty good. Next week I'll be making better decisions when it comes to planning and I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

SOS Workout, Week 3

Week 3 has just begun and I got lucky and once again had good weather for my first SOS workout of the week... about 45 degrees with lite wind. Unfortunately, it is now dark extremely early here and due to bad timing I got to the track well before the lights kicked on at 5:45pm. That said, my first 5 intervals were run in almost pitch black... ahh well, helps you get used to adversity, right?!

Tonight's workout was 8 x 600m on 1:59 (5:20 mile pace) w/ 400m jog recovery. I don't check splits while doing these and simply go by feel. That said, I went pretty well after I found my rythm. Still ended up doing pushups though!

8 x 600m on 1:59

2:01, 2:01, 2:00, 1:58

1:58, 1:58, 1:59, 2:01

10 pushups

Felt pretty good throughout and tomorrow is my day off of running, before Wednesdays 6-mile tempo run... first tempo since August, ouch, this could hurt! 

Happy training to all of you out there!

In Full Effect!

That's right, training is on! Just getting started in my third week of the 'Hanson's Marathon Method' advanced Training program and although it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride so far, I feel like I am starting to settle in. Let me explain; The first week of the program isn't even a full week. It's a low mileage week of easy running with no workouts. Unfortunately for me, my timing was bad and that first week was also Thanksgiving week. I spent that week in Beaver Creek, CO, so I got to do the miles on a treadmill at almost 10,000ft elevation. While I was there I must have caught a cold too because heading into the second week I had developed a pretty bad sore throat. After a 6-mile easy effort on Monday night, I already had to change up 'the plan' and took two days completely off. By Thursday I was starting to feel a little better though and decided to give my first track workout a go.

The dumbed-down way the Hanson's plan works is through the 'overload principle', "The idea that regular exposure to a specific exercise will enhance certain physiological functions and therefore induce a training response." Their 18-week program is made up of 9-weeks of Speed Training followed by 7 weeks of Strength Training and a 2-week Taper. Each week is comprised of what they have dubbed Something of Substance (SOS) Workouts (Speed, Strength, Tempo and/or Long runs) as well as Easy Mileage. In the first stage, Speed Training, SOS workouts begin in the second week with one speed workout and no tempo run that week. The workout for this week was 12 x 400m at a pace that you can identify in their tables, based on recent race times, race goal times, etc.

Much like in the Jack Daniels program, there still leaves one void that has gone unaddressed and is likely a stumbling point for anyone who, like me, is actually doing their training at altitude. Each program addresses the benefits of training at altitude, but NOONE has yet addressed how to adjust your training paces if you are training at say, 5200-5300ft and planning to run a target time that will take place at sea-level. The Hansons Marathon Method just started a Facebook page, which will be moderated by one of the authors of the book, Luke Humphrey, so I hope to ask him there and get a response later. For now, since my goal race time is about 2:37:30 and the only paces given with splits in the book are 2:35 and 2:40, I have simply decided to follow the paces for 2:40 and hope that if I can hit those, I can run at least my target time when at sea-level. The only problem is... that's still DAMN hard for me at this elevation!

Back to last week... the workout was to be 12x400m on 1:20 (5:20 mile pace) w/400m jog recovery. As a funny sidenote, Mr. Humphrey mentions that either as truth, or rumor, it has been said that the Hanson's runners used to have to do pushups for every second that they were off of their goal-interval. I decided to do this too. :)

12x 400m (1:20 goal pace)

1 - 1:20, 1:22, 1:22, 1:20

2 - 1:18, 1:19, 1:20, 1:22

3 - 1:20, 1:22, 1:21, 1:20

12 pushups total

Given the still lingering sickness, I was pleased with this effort, but a little shocked at how tough that pace was to hold. These workouts will keep getting longer until I reach 3 x 1600m at the same pace in weeks 7 and 9. Hopefully my body will adapt and I can swing it. 

The rest of the week wrapped up without any surprises and I finished week 2 out with 36 miles of running in 5 days of running.