Week 1 of the taper went pretty much as planned. I met up with Anne, Mo, and Pete on Tuesday for a nice and easy jaunt through Half Day Forest Preserve and followed that up with the Wurst victory ever at the Beer Market. We won a gift card so I guess that means we have to go back at some point.
Wednesday night was a return to the track. I was a bit nervous since I had promised one of the Redditors that I would pace her through an 8x800m workout. One of the guys decided he wanted to try it along with us. I told Kelly I would try and keep our splits around 3:20 which is about what I did when I did the same workout a month ago. I started the first interval a bit too fast and the guy let me know so I reigned it in a bit and we completed it in 3:23 which was close enough since I was straddling lane 2 and 3 meaning I ran an extra 15 meters or so compared to the others on the inside. The next interval was at 3:21 and I was locked in from there on out. The guy dropped out after the 2nd one, but Kelly kept right with me. She had never done more than a 6x800m in the past so this was pushing it for her. I felt oddly calm and relaxed during the intervals. They were tough, but not as tough as I thought they should be. I can tell my fitness is still improving. I could have probably gone a little faster, but didn't want to lose Kelly. We finished our last interval with a fun sprint down the straightaway and a 3:18 split that was the fastest of the night. Kelly complimented my pacing and said I should pace her during the marathon. I told her I have no idea how I'm going to pace myself. I still don't know how I'm going to run and will just do it by feel. I should land somewhere between 3:30 and 3:45 which is such a huge span.
Friday and Saturday I found myself completely drained. I had such a hard time dragging myself out the door to even run. I just hoped I wasn't getting sick. Sunday was a bit better and so I headed out. There was a charity walk going on right where I started my run so I started at a faster clip to just get clear of them. They were not nice at all and mocked me when I asked to pass on the left. I was just a little pissed and decided to let it ride for the rest of my run... all 14.5 miles. I made sure to stay a little slower than marathon effort, but it was nice to open the throttle a bit and get a preview of what things will be like. I wound up averaging 8:38 min/mile for the run.
Mon - 2.31
Tues - 4.18
Wed - 6.66
Thu - 3.57
Fri - 5.44
Sat - 7.53
Sun - 14.19
Week - 44.2
Month - 198.94
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Marathon Training Week 15
This afternoon I wrapped up my highest mileage week ever. It's now 3 weeks until the marathon and time to begin the taper madness. The goal now is to stay sharp, not gain weight, and stay injury free while restoring the freshness to my battered legs. The 114 miles I've run over the last 2 weeks is certainly my most intense stretch of running ever and I'm feeling it.
I did actually race a 5K this week, or really I just ran and tried to hold on at a decent speed while my legs asked why I was being crazy. It was the Oktoberfest 5K which didn't have quite the turnout of Wurst Running Club Ever that I was hoping for, but a good showing from the /r/RunnersInChicago track night group made it a fun night. Lynton was pacing a friend to a PR and kept near enough that I was able to use him as an anchor to keep from completely dropping pace. I did actually run a fast first mile clocking in at 6:41 including the first 90 seconds at a current pace under 6:00 min/mile until slowing down to the 7:00 min/mile range. I cruised to the finish in 21:32 which is my 2nd fastest 5K race. Not bad considering I had no business running fast on the tired legs I had. There were several PRs that night among the Redditors so it shows that Track Night is really paying off.
I never backed down after the 5K logging 7, 10, and 20 mile days to close out the week. The 10 mile run was pretty bad. My heart kept racing and knew that my body was completely fatigued. I survived and rested and loaded up on calories and hydrated the rest of the day. Today's 20 miler started bad. There was a charity walk going through my start point and I just wanted to get past them. My heart rate was picking up too fast which was a bad sign. After a mile or so I finally relaxed and settled into a groove and got the heart rate down. I had to peel a few layers off as it got warmer than I thought it would and I was sweating heavily. I felt better after than and cruised on down the lakefront until I hit another walk just before McCormick. I also hit this same walk later when I was going north and they would not yield an inch of the path. So frustrating. Anywho I made it down to 10 miles and was starting to feel the fatigue. I had no choice but to turn around and keep at it though. I was hit hard by the wind after turning around and it was a fight all the way back. I chose to start using run/walk intervals in order to keep the effort down. I didn't want to start breaking down muscle for fuel just to finish a training run. I finished with an overall pace that matched my marathon pace from last year in spite of intentionally keeping the effort down which is encouraging.
Mon - 6.77
Tue - 7.21
Wed - 4.5
Thu - 1.4 WU + 5K (21:32)
Fri - 7.08
Sat - 10.05
Sun - 20.01
Week: 60.13
Month: 154.75
Miles through Week 15 - 596
Miles through Week 15 in 2013 - 400
If it wasn't evident before, I completely smashed the training that I did for the marathon last year. I've been fortunate enough to stay healthy and have seen huge performance improvements in my shorter races. I'm hoping this translates to big things come race day.
I did actually race a 5K this week, or really I just ran and tried to hold on at a decent speed while my legs asked why I was being crazy. It was the Oktoberfest 5K which didn't have quite the turnout of Wurst Running Club Ever that I was hoping for, but a good showing from the /r/RunnersInChicago track night group made it a fun night. Lynton was pacing a friend to a PR and kept near enough that I was able to use him as an anchor to keep from completely dropping pace. I did actually run a fast first mile clocking in at 6:41 including the first 90 seconds at a current pace under 6:00 min/mile until slowing down to the 7:00 min/mile range. I cruised to the finish in 21:32 which is my 2nd fastest 5K race. Not bad considering I had no business running fast on the tired legs I had. There were several PRs that night among the Redditors so it shows that Track Night is really paying off.
I never backed down after the 5K logging 7, 10, and 20 mile days to close out the week. The 10 mile run was pretty bad. My heart kept racing and knew that my body was completely fatigued. I survived and rested and loaded up on calories and hydrated the rest of the day. Today's 20 miler started bad. There was a charity walk going through my start point and I just wanted to get past them. My heart rate was picking up too fast which was a bad sign. After a mile or so I finally relaxed and settled into a groove and got the heart rate down. I had to peel a few layers off as it got warmer than I thought it would and I was sweating heavily. I felt better after than and cruised on down the lakefront until I hit another walk just before McCormick. I also hit this same walk later when I was going north and they would not yield an inch of the path. So frustrating. Anywho I made it down to 10 miles and was starting to feel the fatigue. I had no choice but to turn around and keep at it though. I was hit hard by the wind after turning around and it was a fight all the way back. I chose to start using run/walk intervals in order to keep the effort down. I didn't want to start breaking down muscle for fuel just to finish a training run. I finished with an overall pace that matched my marathon pace from last year in spite of intentionally keeping the effort down which is encouraging.
Mon - 6.77
Tue - 7.21
Wed - 4.5
Thu - 1.4 WU + 5K (21:32)
Fri - 7.08
Sat - 10.05
Sun - 20.01
Week: 60.13
Month: 154.75
Miles through Week 15 - 596
Miles through Week 15 in 2013 - 400
If it wasn't evident before, I completely smashed the training that I did for the marathon last year. I've been fortunate enough to stay healthy and have seen huge performance improvements in my shorter races. I'm hoping this translates to big things come race day.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Marathon Training Week 14
It seems like the weeks just keep flying by. We've just got one more week of higher mileage until I can wind down and start the taper. This week was a return to normal after going easy last week in preparation for the half marathon. I was sore early in the week and so took things a bit easy. I was able to shake off the rest of the soreness Wednesday night doing 800m intervals with the Redditors again. I took things a bit easy keeping it around 10K pace before busting out a sub-5K effort for the final interval to finish strong.
On Thursday I went to the launch party for Runner's World since I'm actually in the magazine! The group that I run the track with on Wednesdays also known as 606 R/iver R/unners or r/RunnersInChicago were featured as part of an article on Run This City: Chicago. A photographer was sent out to take pictures of us a month or so ago and we felt silly and he felt silly since he knew nothing about running, but we got a great shot of the group. We've grown since then and hopefully will continue to grow. Who doesn't love speedwork followed by a few pints?
For the weekend I got a little lazy and did my runs later in the afternoon, but it didn't matter since the cooler temps meant that the runs were still pretty awesome and I didn't completely sweat through all my clothes for once.
Mon - 2.33
Tue - 5.18
Wed - 5.47 (5x800 @ 10K pace)
Thu - 6.15
Fri - 6.25
Sat - 10.07
Sun - 18.05 (Last 9 at just under marathon effort)
Weekly Mileage - 53.6
Monthly Mileage - 94.42
On Thursday I went to the launch party for Runner's World since I'm actually in the magazine! The group that I run the track with on Wednesdays also known as 606 R/iver R/unners or r/RunnersInChicago were featured as part of an article on Run This City: Chicago. A photographer was sent out to take pictures of us a month or so ago and we felt silly and he felt silly since he knew nothing about running, but we got a great shot of the group. We've grown since then and hopefully will continue to grow. Who doesn't love speedwork followed by a few pints?
 |
| I'm in back in orange |
Mon - 2.33
Tue - 5.18
Wed - 5.47 (5x800 @ 10K pace)
Thu - 6.15
Fri - 6.25
Sat - 10.07
Sun - 18.05 (Last 9 at just under marathon effort)
Weekly Mileage - 53.6
Monthly Mileage - 94.42
Monday, September 8, 2014
Marathon Training Week 13
Yet another week of training is in the books. I cut back my mileage a bit this week in order to a semi taper for the Chicago Half on Sunday. I wanted a strong performance, but didn't want to sacrifice all the work towards the marathon. I realized by the time Saturday rolled around that I was more tired than I thought. I guess poor sleep during the week and the huge August in terms of mileage may have caught up to me a bit. I still managed to rock the race on Sunday while knocking over 8 minutes off my previous half PR.
The other thing I did this week was take the lead at track night with the Redditors. They decided to change things up and try out the 800 meter interval workout that I normally do. I tried to explain some of the basic fundamentals of my training mentality and how the 800 intervals should work. We then got going and I led the front pack as the group broke into packs of 2 different speeds. I took the first 4 intervals relatively easy trying to make sure not to lose anyone. On the last interval I picked up the pace and challenged the leaders to keep up and finish strong. It wound up being a great shake out day as most the intervals were just a touch faster than my half marathon pace until that last one.
Mon - 2.29
Tue - 4.68
Wed - 5.4 (5x800m)
Thu - 6.1
Fri - 5.03
Sat - 4.09
Sun - 13.1
Weekly Total: 40.7 miles
Miles through week 13: 482.24
Weekly Average: 37.1
The other thing I did this week was take the lead at track night with the Redditors. They decided to change things up and try out the 800 meter interval workout that I normally do. I tried to explain some of the basic fundamentals of my training mentality and how the 800 intervals should work. We then got going and I led the front pack as the group broke into packs of 2 different speeds. I took the first 4 intervals relatively easy trying to make sure not to lose anyone. On the last interval I picked up the pace and challenged the leaders to keep up and finish strong. It wound up being a great shake out day as most the intervals were just a touch faster than my half marathon pace until that last one.
Mon - 2.29
Tue - 4.68
Wed - 5.4 (5x800m)
Thu - 6.1
Fri - 5.03
Sat - 4.09
Sun - 13.1
Weekly Total: 40.7 miles
Miles through week 13: 482.24
Weekly Average: 37.1
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Chicago Half Marathon
Today was my 3rd time running the Chicago Half marathon. I first ran it in 2012 as I broke 2 hours in the half for the first time clearing the bar in my 2nd attempt. I had originally not planned to run the race this year trying to put more focus on my marathon training, but wound up snagging a deeply discounted entry during the registration blitz and decided to keep tradition alive.
I was a bit nervous all week leading up to the race. I knew my recent performance numbers were pointing towards a big PR for me, but it still seemed unfathomable that I could accomplish such a feat. I also worried that I wasn't 100% fresh which was true since I ran my first 20 mile training run last Sunday as part of a 52 mile week and still put in 41 miles this week including the race. When I got home from the race expo on Saturday I realized I was pretty fatigued which wasn't a good sign. I still managed to meet my social commitment on Saturday evening and went to my friends' wedding party. Luckily it was a low key affair that ended before 7. I was so tired that I hit the pillow at 9:30 which is unheard of for me.
Race morning I slowly gathered myself and got ready. I wasn't in any hurry and my stomach made sure that I wasn't racing out the door either. I noticed I has 4 missed texts from Jennifer letting me know she was outside and ready. I wasn't even dressed yet, oops. I threw myself together finally and out the door I went. I realized once I got to the race that I had forgot my phone. Oh well, there are worse things, but it meant social media blackout and a coordinated plan on where to meet after the race. After a picture with Natali and 2 more trips to the rest room I made my way to the start corral.
Once in the corral I started to relax and just wanted the race to start. I happened to spy my friend Allison saying her good byes to her BF before they split for the race and was soon joined by one of the Redittor track night guys who decided to start the race with me. He told me his goal was to start easy and then run down the 1:45 pace group. I agreed and said that sounded like a good idea. I didn't widely share my race goals before the race, but 1:45 was the first goal (representing a pretty big 4 minute PR) with additional goals at 1:42 and 1:39. After the national anthem we were sent off all at once rendering the corrals pretty much useless.
The first mile was slogging along. I had signed up with a 1:55 estimated pace which was a huge mistake so I was back further than I would of liked. I tried to resist the urge to weave too much since it would just burn energy that I needed later. The slow pace allowed me to slowly warm up, but I started to get anxious. The first mile was by far my slowest of the day at 8:28. During mile 2 a little bit of space opened up, but not much and so this one took my 8:07.
It wasn't until the 3rd mile when nearly to Lake Shore Drive that I started to finally get some room. It also helped that I skipped a water station that was slightly out of my way in order to take a straight shot up a ramp. I was finally starting to settle in and hit 7:58.
Miles 4-9 I was completely locked in and just running my race. I knew where I wanted to keep my effort levels and was able to stay there. I caught up to the 1:45 pace group at mile 6 and passed them at the 10K mark. I knew at that point that I was in great shape since I wasn't even pushing yet. The miles were just ticking off with consistency - 7:38, 7:33, 7:40, 7:37, 7:36, 7:37
Finally after the turnaround I decided it was time to start pushing the effort. I knew the extra slow start had cost me, but if I made up a little time I could possibly flirt with 1:40. I also made the decision not to hit any more aid stations after mile 9 1/4ish. I was going to treat the rest of the race like a 5K and just ride the discomfort to the finish. I dug in and ran miles 10 and 11 in 7:17 and 7:18 respectively. The harder pace and the rising temperatures and exposure to the sun started to wear on me a little. I fought with my heavy legs to keep up the fight and ran 12 and 13 in 7:25 and 7:23. I finished the final tenth of a mile at a 7:05 pace. Even with that struggle the final 5K of the half clocks in at 22:47 which would be my 4th fastest 5K time in a race. Final time: 1:40:54.
There was some disappointment that I didn't break 1:40, but I know I can do it and gives me something to shoot for next time. I was still completely thrilled to have improved my half PR from 1:49:03 to 1:40:54. I can only attribute that monster gain to all the miles I've done for marathon training. I've been better disciplined this year and stuck to a plan and its paying off. The next question is how well can I do for the marathon? My initial goal was just to break 4 hours. It looks like I might be able to accomplish that and so much more.
I was a bit nervous all week leading up to the race. I knew my recent performance numbers were pointing towards a big PR for me, but it still seemed unfathomable that I could accomplish such a feat. I also worried that I wasn't 100% fresh which was true since I ran my first 20 mile training run last Sunday as part of a 52 mile week and still put in 41 miles this week including the race. When I got home from the race expo on Saturday I realized I was pretty fatigued which wasn't a good sign. I still managed to meet my social commitment on Saturday evening and went to my friends' wedding party. Luckily it was a low key affair that ended before 7. I was so tired that I hit the pillow at 9:30 which is unheard of for me.
Race morning I slowly gathered myself and got ready. I wasn't in any hurry and my stomach made sure that I wasn't racing out the door either. I noticed I has 4 missed texts from Jennifer letting me know she was outside and ready. I wasn't even dressed yet, oops. I threw myself together finally and out the door I went. I realized once I got to the race that I had forgot my phone. Oh well, there are worse things, but it meant social media blackout and a coordinated plan on where to meet after the race. After a picture with Natali and 2 more trips to the rest room I made my way to the start corral.
Once in the corral I started to relax and just wanted the race to start. I happened to spy my friend Allison saying her good byes to her BF before they split for the race and was soon joined by one of the Redittor track night guys who decided to start the race with me. He told me his goal was to start easy and then run down the 1:45 pace group. I agreed and said that sounded like a good idea. I didn't widely share my race goals before the race, but 1:45 was the first goal (representing a pretty big 4 minute PR) with additional goals at 1:42 and 1:39. After the national anthem we were sent off all at once rendering the corrals pretty much useless.
The first mile was slogging along. I had signed up with a 1:55 estimated pace which was a huge mistake so I was back further than I would of liked. I tried to resist the urge to weave too much since it would just burn energy that I needed later. The slow pace allowed me to slowly warm up, but I started to get anxious. The first mile was by far my slowest of the day at 8:28. During mile 2 a little bit of space opened up, but not much and so this one took my 8:07.
It wasn't until the 3rd mile when nearly to Lake Shore Drive that I started to finally get some room. It also helped that I skipped a water station that was slightly out of my way in order to take a straight shot up a ramp. I was finally starting to settle in and hit 7:58.
Miles 4-9 I was completely locked in and just running my race. I knew where I wanted to keep my effort levels and was able to stay there. I caught up to the 1:45 pace group at mile 6 and passed them at the 10K mark. I knew at that point that I was in great shape since I wasn't even pushing yet. The miles were just ticking off with consistency - 7:38, 7:33, 7:40, 7:37, 7:36, 7:37
Finally after the turnaround I decided it was time to start pushing the effort. I knew the extra slow start had cost me, but if I made up a little time I could possibly flirt with 1:40. I also made the decision not to hit any more aid stations after mile 9 1/4ish. I was going to treat the rest of the race like a 5K and just ride the discomfort to the finish. I dug in and ran miles 10 and 11 in 7:17 and 7:18 respectively. The harder pace and the rising temperatures and exposure to the sun started to wear on me a little. I fought with my heavy legs to keep up the fight and ran 12 and 13 in 7:25 and 7:23. I finished the final tenth of a mile at a 7:05 pace. Even with that struggle the final 5K of the half clocks in at 22:47 which would be my 4th fastest 5K time in a race. Final time: 1:40:54.
There was some disappointment that I didn't break 1:40, but I know I can do it and gives me something to shoot for next time. I was still completely thrilled to have improved my half PR from 1:49:03 to 1:40:54. I can only attribute that monster gain to all the miles I've done for marathon training. I've been better disciplined this year and stuck to a plan and its paying off. The next question is how well can I do for the marathon? My initial goal was just to break 4 hours. It looks like I might be able to accomplish that and so much more.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
100 Days
Runner's World had presented one of their routine challenges earlier this year. It was to do a run streak from Memorial Day until the 4th of July. That was a span of 40 days. I decided I wanted to give the challenge a try since I had previously completed a 40 day streak and thought it might be nice to do it again.
My streak actually began with the Soldier Field 10 Mile race 2 days prior to Memorial Day. I was just diagnosed with post-tibial tendonitis and had begun treatment. Most of my early runs were short and easy. A few days were just minimal 1 mile jogs on the treadmill, but not many. Other easy days were jogs to my PT session and then back home. As I got stronger the runs got longer and I soon approached the 4th of July.
After the 4th of July I thought to myself that I had made it this far, why not keep going and go I did. I have run day in and day out. I have skipped post work drinking with coworkers and woken up early on other mornings to just get runs in. I haven't let traveling or races interfere yet either. This past Sunday I finally hit the 100th day of the streak. I hit several other milestones the same day such as passing 200 miles for August and my first 20 mile run of the training cycle. Most telling of all is that I passed 500 miles running in those 100 days meaning I averaged 5 miles per day.
The streak is still going strong. I haven't decided if or when I will end it. Things will get more difficult coming up as I travel for several races. I'm also not sure how my body will react to marathons just 3 weeks apart and may need to take a rest. Until then I will keep trucking.
My streak actually began with the Soldier Field 10 Mile race 2 days prior to Memorial Day. I was just diagnosed with post-tibial tendonitis and had begun treatment. Most of my early runs were short and easy. A few days were just minimal 1 mile jogs on the treadmill, but not many. Other easy days were jogs to my PT session and then back home. As I got stronger the runs got longer and I soon approached the 4th of July.
After the 4th of July I thought to myself that I had made it this far, why not keep going and go I did. I have run day in and day out. I have skipped post work drinking with coworkers and woken up early on other mornings to just get runs in. I haven't let traveling or races interfere yet either. This past Sunday I finally hit the 100th day of the streak. I hit several other milestones the same day such as passing 200 miles for August and my first 20 mile run of the training cycle. Most telling of all is that I passed 500 miles running in those 100 days meaning I averaged 5 miles per day.
The streak is still going strong. I haven't decided if or when I will end it. Things will get more difficult coming up as I travel for several races. I'm also not sure how my body will react to marathons just 3 weeks apart and may need to take a rest. Until then I will keep trucking.
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