MT W8 Results

Marathon training does not happen overnight.  Some days seem good, some seem not so good.  That's why this quote is important:

Every day you've got running shoes on, it's a good day. 
~Sean Astin, actor

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested, but didn't hurt after 16 miles the day before - success!!

Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/Strides
Result:  5.01 miles in 49:10, 9:49 pace.  Felt good.

Tuesday:  8 Miles Hills
Result:  8.01 miles in 1:24:52, 10:36 pace.  We were in Santa Barbara.  Wanna run flat?  Head to the ocean.  Want hills?  Head away from the ocean.  Very simple.

Wednesday:  Rest Day
Result: Rested.

Thursday: Time Trial
Result:  3.92 in 48:33, 12:23 pace.  I was trying out new shoes - they will be returned!  I had to stop and retie them several times and just could not get into a groove.  Later in the day I started feeling "icky."  No other way to describe it, not a major illness, but no energy and aching all over.  This, I knew, was not from running.

Friday:  4 Miles Easy
Result: In an effort to fight off whatever hit me on Thursday, I took Friday off.  I don't have time to get sick!  Easter is a week from Sunday!

Saturday:  14 Miles LSD or Half Marathon
Result:  10.06 miles in 2:00:54, 12:01 pace.  I knew today was iffy.  I felt better when I went to bed Friday night, but wasn't sure how I'd do.  I decided if I didn't have the pep for speed, I'd go for hills.  A half marathon would have taken about 2 hours, so I ran hills for two hours instead.  I called it HSD - hilly slow distance!

Total planned miles: 32
Total miles:  27

Weight loss goal:  10 pounds
Lost this week:  0.0  (no surprise here, really)
Total lost:  4.0

Injury Prevention 101

Welcome back to Injury Prevention 101, class!  Last time we talked about "What to do When Everything Hurts."  Today we'll talk about "How to Keep Everything from Hurting."

Let's examine Runner K.  She is a first time marathoner with a goal of 4 hours.  She has never worked on speed or pacing before.  During week 5 of marathon training (MT W5) she upped the pace significantly.  She had a 5 mile run at 9:14 pace and another 5 mile run at 9:08 pace.  When it came time for her LSD of 13 miles, she was hurting the entire time and finished with a 10:36 pace.  She was very disappointed.  She also hurt for several days after that.

Now let's look at Runner K during week 7 of marathon training (MT W7.)  Her fastest run was 6 miles at 10:16 pace, but her LSD was 16 miles at 9:48 pace.  She had minimal pain the next day and was able to run 5 miles, with strides, at 9:49 pace two days later.

So what has Runner K learned?  A 9:08 pace is too fast for now.  Her legs aren't conditioned enough for that just yet.  She is also learning the importance of going very easy on easy days.  This might including *GASP* walking part of the time!

With just under 10 weeks until her marathon, I am sure there are more lessons to learn from Runner K!

MT W8

I'm feeling really good about my training and am looking forward to a great week!

Here's the plan:

After this week, you're halfway through training, and race day will be nine weeks away. This week you'll have two short, easy runs and two days of rest, plus a one-mile time trial to test your fitness and tweak your training paces if necessary. On Tuesday, you'll run on a hilly route.

On Saturday, instead of a typical long run, you have the option of doing a half-marathon. Heading to a shorter race during training is a great way to meet other runners, see a new route in your area, and break up the routine.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/Strides
Tuesday:  8 Miles Hills
Wednesday:  Rest Day
Thursday: Time Trial
Friday:  4 Miles Easy
Saturday:  14 Miles LSD or Half Marathon

Total planned miles: 32

Today's Run

As I mentioned earlier, today's run was truly fabulous!  Everything just went right.  I warmed up for about 1/2 mile before starting my Garmin, then started running... and running... and running!  I did not walk until mile 14.  Only two of 16 miles were over 10 minutes!

I kept looking at my watch and thinking, "I don't know how long I can sustain this pace."  But I stayed right around 9:45 until the last few miles.  Mile 14 hurt my average, but I made up for it on miles 15 and 16.

Mile 1:  9:47
Mile 2:  9:39
Mile 3:  9:38
Mile 4:  9:51
Mile 5:  9:58
Mile 6:  9:38
Mile 7:  9:29
Mile 8:  9:24
Mile 9:  9:13
Mile 10:  9:57
Mile 11: 9:52
Mile 12:  10:07
Mile 13: 9:42
Mile 14: 11:23
Mile 15: 9:15
Mile 16:  9:04

Overall pace: 9:48.  This would be a 4:14 marathon, only 14 minutes off my goal!  Today I really felt like I could do it.  The training is paying off.  The listening to my sore legs is paying off, too!

Since I got home, I've had a Recoverite, used my hand held massager, and did some stretching.  I'm really hoping to minimize soreness tomorrow.

Average HR: 154  
Max HR: 164
Calories burned:  1605

MT W7 Results

This was probably my best week yet!  Not my fastest, but I feel like I learned a lot, gained some speed and ran easy when I needed.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Although I rested last Saturday, it was still raining Sunday morning, so I rested again!

Monday: 6 Miles Easy w/Strides
Result: 6 miles in 1:10:39, 10:16 pace

Tuesday:  7 Miles Hills
Result:  7.2 miles in 1:23:13, 11:33 pace

Wednesday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested as planned.
 
Thursday: 5 Miles w/3 Miles @ MP
Result: 5.63 miles in 57:56, 10:17 pace

Friday:  5 Miles Easy
Result: I was a little sore from yesterday's marathon pacing, so I did a mix of running and walking.  I was determined to not be sore on Saturday!
5.17 miles, 1:08:43, 13:17 pace

Saturday:  16 Miles LSD
Result:  Yesterday's strategy paid off big time!
16.01 miles in 2:37, 9:48 pace!!!  10 seconds a mile faster than planned.  Today's run will get a post of its own in a little while!


Total planned miles: 39
Total miles:  40.

Weight loss goal:  10 pounds
Lost this week:  1.0
Total lost:  4.0

I was happy to see movement on the scale again!  Yes, a very good week indeed!

LA Marathon 2012

Yesterday was the 27th Los Angeles Marathon.  Of course I was very interested in the event.  The winners:
Men's division:  Simon Njoroge - 2:12:12 (5:02 pace!)
Women's division:  Fatuma Sado - 2:25:39 (5:33 pace!)

So out of my league!  I cannot imagine running a single mile in under 6 minutes, much less running 26.2 miles at that pace. The fastest female in my age group (45-49) ran it in 3:12:53.  The top 46 women in my age group all finished in under 4 hours.

I read an interesting story on Saturday evening by James Fell, a fitness trainer who ran the marathon.  It was his first.  His goal was to finish in under 4 hours, just as I hope to do.  In the middle of his training he suffered an ankle injury due to upping his speed too much.  There were actually two articles that you can read here and here.  But here are some highlights:

I thought I was tough. But being in great physical condition is not enough. What matters is listening to your body when it's warning you that you're pushing yourself too hard. Don't let arrogance mute that message.

You only get to run your first marathon once. But if I could do it all again, there are definitely some things I'd do differently.

What I did right:
• I was ambitious. Deciding to run a marathon and find out what you're made of is a good thing, in my book.
• I decided to write about my mission. By making a public commitment, my motivation level was cranked up several notches.
• I fueled my training with complex carbohydrates, including lots of whole grains, as advised by sports nutrition consultant Nancy Clark.
• I listened to medical experts when I got hurt. Despite my eagerness to train, I rested my ankle and followed the prescribed rehabilitation program to reduce the risk of further injury.

What I did wrong:
• I was too ambitious. Had I trained at a 9-minute-per-mile pace, it's quite likely I would have avoided injury and still had a fair chance at finishing in under four hours.
• I failed to seek even basic advice. The mistakes I made were common first-timer errors that were eminently preventable.
• I let my ego rule. Aching thighs were an early warning that I was going too fast, but I paid no heed. Now I'll be attempting a marathon having never gone further than 16 miles in one outing.

So I had to find out this morning how James did... He finished in 3:52:46!

This gives me hope! I plan to learn from him.  I think I may have sabotaged my efforts a couple of weeks ago by upping my pace too much. Two weeks ago I was nailing 9 minute miles, but when it came time to run 13, I was stiff and sore.  Last week, I dialed it back and was able to run a comfortable 15 miles.  Yep, upped the pace too much.  Gotta listen to the warnings my body is sending.

MT W7

Here's the plan for this week!

This is week seven of training. After this week, race day will be 10 weeks away.  

Most of your routine is the same this week, with two easy runs, one day of hills, one marathon-pace run, and two days of rest.

Your long run will be 16 miles. It sounds daunting, but with a little planning, you can make it easier. Check the weather; if a storm is blowing through on the day you usually run long, do it another day. Plan to hook up with other runners for part of the run. Or download an audiobook to your music player.

(It appears that TrainingPeaks is reading my blog with the advice about weather!)

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 6 Miles Easy w/Strides
Tuesday:  7 Miles Hills
Wednesday:  Rest Day
Thursday: 5 Miles w/3 Miles @ MP
Friday:  5 Miles Easy
Saturday:  16 Miles LSD

Total planned miles: 39

MT W6 Results

As I mentioned yesterday, this week was totally off!  I didn't do any of my planned runs on the planned days.  Today it's raining as forecasted (0.37 of an inch so far. 10:30 update - 0.80 of an inch now.  We really need it.)

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested and hurt.

Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/Strides  (9:58 pace)
Result:  4.05 miles in 1:04:14, 15:50 pace.  The day when everything hurt!

Tuesday:  6 Miles Hills
Result: 5.62 miles in 1:20:12, 14:16 pace. I was still hurting, but I still did hills - at a very slow pace.

Wednesday:  Rest Day
Result:  6 miles in 1:09:35, 11:35 pace.  Tuesday afternoon I finally quit hurting and decided I would try an easy run on Wednesday.  Not great, but better.

Thursday: 4 Miles w/2 Miles @ MP
Result:  Since I knew I was going for 15 miles on Friday, I took Thursday as my rest day.

Friday:  6 Miles Easy (9:58 pace)
Result:  15 miles in 2:35:14, 10:20 pace.  So pleased with this run!  Not as fast as planned, but fairly steady and I didn't hurt as much as last week.

Saturday:  15 Miles LSD (9:58 pace)
Result:  Slept in and listened to the rain!  I'm happy to report that I don't hurt nearly as much as last week.  I have a handheld massager that I used a couple of times, don't know if that's the magic ticket or not, but something worked!

Total for the week:
Planned: 36
Actual: 30.69

Weight loss goal:  10 pounds
Lost this week:  0.5
Total lost:  3.0

I was happy to see movement on the scale again!

Today's Run

I am having a terrible time adjusting to this time change!  I don't know when to go to sleep or when to wake up, so this week has been off quite a bit.  There is also rain in the forecast for tomorrow.  It's been in the forecast for a few days - starting Saturday at 6:00 a.m. - 100% chance of rain.  My training plan for tomorrow is 15 Miles LSD.  Not going to happen in the rain!  I might run 2 miles in the rain, but not 15.  So with that in mind...

I ran 15 miles day!

I decided a couple of days ago that I would do my LSD today and it worked out just fine.  I felt SO much better than last week when I ran 13.  I mapped out a much flatter route and held my pace right at 10:00 for the first 10 miles or so before I started slowing.

Here's the breakdown:

Mile 1:  10:09
Mile 2:  10:04
Mile 3:  9:54
Mile 4:  9:56
Mile 5:  9:57
Mile 6:  9:48
Mile 7:  9:58
Mile 8:  10:18
Mile 9:  10:03
Mile 10: 10:16
Mile 11:  11:24
Mile 12: 10:21
Mile 13: 10:50
Mile 14: 10:22
Mile 15:  11:38

15.02 miles in 2:35:14, 10:20 pace.  My planned pace was 9:58, but this was still 16 seconds a mile faster than last week.

Ave HR 147
Max HR 156
Calories burn 1511

I can sleep in and listen to the rain tomorrow with no guilt!

Injury Prevention 101... or What To Do When Everything Hurts!

I got up this morning and my legs were very sore.  Very, very sore.  My hamstrings were tight.  My left calf was tight.  All my leg muscles were sore.  I am not at all recovered from my half marathon on Saturday.  And I was suppose to run 5 miles with strides...

I was so stiff when I left, I knew it was going to take some time to warm up.  I walked the first half mile then tried to slowly jog.  Oh how it hurt!  I probably jogged about a tenth of a mile and then slowed back to a walk.  After about another mile, I tried again.  I lasted a little longer, but I noticed that my form was really off.  I was landing kind of hard and that was causing pain in my knee that wasn't there before!  At that point I decided there would be no more running and definitely no strides this morning.  Live to run another day.

A few years ago, I was running half marathons or longer every Saturday.  I don't remember having this much pain but I may just be out of practice.  I think I may need to do a little something on Sundays, probably an easy bike ride, to work my muscles a little and get the lactic acid worked out.

I do know this, pushing myself harder today = a recipe for injury.

4.05 miles in 1:04:14, 15:50 pace.  Still moving faster than everyone on the couch!

MT W6

Here's the plan for this week!

This is week six of training. After this week, race day will be 10 11* weeks away.  

Most of your routine is the same this week, with two days of rest, two easy runs, one run on hills, and a marathon-pace run. Your long run will inch up to 15 miles.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 5 Miles Easy w/Strides
Tuesday:  6 Miles Hills
Wednesday:  Rest Day
Thursday: 4 Miles w/2 Miles @ MP
Friday:  6 Miles Easy
Saturday:  15 Miles LSD

*Oops! I forgot that when I uploaded the plan to my calendar I gave myself an extra week.  I wanted to give myself a cushion in case of injury or vacation.  So, I'm on week 6 of training, but after this week there will be 11 more weeks until my marathon.

MT W5 Results

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result: Rested!

Monday: 4 Miles Easy w/Strides (9:58 pace)
Result:  5.01 miles in 46:10, 9:14 pace

Tuesday:  7 Miles Hills (no planned pace)
Result:  Les and I went mountain biking.  I have been missing it so much and decided Las Llajas is as hilly as anything I could run.  9.94 miles.

Wednesday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested!

Thursday: 4 Miles w/2 Miles @ MP (2 miles @ 9:09 pace)
Result: 5.02 miles in 45:54, 9:08 pace

Friday:  4 Miles Easy (9:58 pace)
Result: The wind was howling AGAIN.  I told Les "there is no such thing as an easy run in the wind" and took the day off.  I wanted to be fresh for Saturday.

Saturday:  13 Miles LSD (9:58 pace)
Result: 13 miles in 2:17:59, 10:36 pace.
I do not know what was wrong today.  I was off the entire run and just could not get my pace on track.  My route was probably too hilly for this distance, especially since my marathon is flat!  I had to walk all of mile 11 and some of miles 12 and 13.  Disappointing!  This pace would give me a 4:36 marathon, which isn't bad, but not what I'm hoping for.  I'll have to find a flatter route since I'll be running this distance or longer once a week from here until June.

Totals for the week:
Planned 32 miles
Running:  23.04
Cycling:  9.94
Total:  32.98

I'm going to have to change my weigh-in day.  I drank two 16 oz. bottles of water with Heed while out running, plus a Recoverite with 2 cups of soy milk and 1 cup of berries after I got back - all before stepping on the scale this morning.  I'll start weighing on Fridays from now on, but report it on Saturday.

Marathon Pace!

Here was my plan for this morning:

Today is a marathon-pace run. Warm up with one mile of easy running, then try to dial in to your goal marathon pace (9:09/mile) and hold it for two miles. Cool down with one mile of easy running. With enough practice, your goal race pace will become your natural rhythm so that on race day it will feel easy.

1-mile warmup
2 miles @ 9:09/mile
1-mile cooldown

Here's what actually happened:

I headed out into the wind, but my legs were fresh after taking yesterday off.

Mile 1:  9:21.  Good warm up
Mile 2:  9:01.  I kept my eye on my watch!  There was a slight uphill and into the wind, but I kept pressing
Mile 3:  9:08.  I thought I was going to be even slower due to the wind, but again I kept pushing the pace.
Mile 4:  8:59.  I turned a corner and took advantage of a slight downhill and tailwind!
Mile 5:  9:12.  Started slowing.

Overall:  5.02 miles in 45:54, 9:08 pace!  My fastest run yet!

Taking It In Stride!

My schedule this morning was 4 Easy Miles w/4 Strides.  What are strides?  Here is the description:

Near the finish of your run, gradually accelerate over 100 meters until you reach 90 percent of all-out effort. Hold that effort for five seconds, then smoothly decelerate. Walk to recover. Repeat this cycle three more times, then cool down. The exact distance of each stride is not critical. (Easy pace: 9:58/mile)

I'm not sure that I did it exactly that way, but I did push myself four times and saw my pace drop under 8 minutes a mile! My total run was 5.01 miles in 46:10, 9:14 pace.  That's only 5 seconds off my marathon goal!!  I never feel like doing an easy pace on Mondays, I'm always well rested after taking Sunday off.

Ave HR 154
Max HR 166
Calories burned 502

MT W5

Training Peaks (my training program) is upping the ante this week!  The pace changes from 10:04 to 9:58, I have 7 miles of hills, along with a 13 miler on Saturday!

Here's the plan:
This is week five of training. After this week, race day will be 11 weeks away. This week you’ll have two easy runs, two days of rest, a goal-marathon-pace run, and one day on hills. Your long run will be 13 miles.

This week you’ll try strides. Adding strides to any easy run activates fast-twitch muscle fibers, improves coordination and leg turnover, and preps the body for speed. On Thursday you’ll have your first marathon-pace run. Throughout the program, these runs will give you a chance to practice the speed you’re hoping to hit in the race.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 4 Miles Easy w/Strides
Tuesday:  7 Miles Hills
Wednesday:  Rest Day
Thursday: 4 Miles w/2 Miles @ MP
Friday:  4 Miles Easy
Saturday:  13 Miles LSD

MT W4 Results

Sunday:  Rest Day
Definitely needed rest after yesterday's 12 miler.

Monday: 4 Miles Easy (10:04 pace)
Result:  5.03 in 47:29, 9:27 pace.  I always feel good after a rest day!

Tuesday:  5 Miles Hills, no planned pace
Result:  6 miles in 1:02:49, 10:28 pace.  I was a little sore after Monday's run, so I slowed down a bit and ran several tough hills.  I told myself I'd be happy with a 10:30 pace, so 10:28 was good!

Wednesday:  Time Trial, no planned pace
Ending up resting this day.

Thursday: 4 Miles Easy (10:04 pace)
Result:  Combined yesterday's time trial with today's run.  5 miles in 47:52, 9:34 pace.  Time trial mile - 8:36 pace.

Friday:  4 Miles Easy (10:04 pace)
Result:  5.2 miles in 49:40, 9:34 pace.  The wind was blowing, but I battled hard and won!

Saturday:  10 Miles LSD (10:04 pace)
Result:  UGH!!!  I paid for yesterday's pace.  I had nothing in the tank this morning.  After about 2 miles, I knew 10 miles was out of reach. The wind wasn't blowing as much as yesterday, but it seemed like every time I'd get up to speed, I'd turn a corner and run right into the wind!  I think it was as much mental as physical today.
Lesson learned:  Dial it back on Friday.  I can't push that hard on Friday and expect to do well on Saturday.  I'll know better from now on.  Must run easy on Friday, must run easy on Friday!
5.03 in 56:13, 11:11 pace.

Totals for the week:
Planned 28 miles
Actual 26.27

Weight loss goal:  10 pounds
Lost this week:  0.0  (Nothing happening here, folks, move along... )
Total lost: 2.5

Time Trialing

My plan for yesterday was a time trial.  I've been having a little pain in my hip, so I took yesterday off and combined the time trial with today's 4 easy miles.  Here is the explanation for a time trial:

Go to a track or any one-mile stretch of road. After a 10-minute warmup, time yourself while running four laps (or one mile) as fast as you can. Note your finish time, then cool down with 10 minutes of walking and jogging.

Do the same test every month and compare the results; as your fitness improves, your time will decrease.

Here's how it went for me:
I warmed up for a mile at 9:56 pace.  When my Garmin hit the one mile mark, I upped the pace.

Time Trial mile - 8:36 pace!  This was a relatively flat stretch of road, not a track, and definitely as fast as I can run at this point.

Mile 3 - 11:05, I took a short walk break.  Just before I hit the 3 mile mark, another runner passed me.  He was probably a foot taller and definitely faster.  I decided to see how long I could keep up...

Mile 4 - 8:53.  I kept the other runner in sight but he kept pulling away.  I'm guessing his pace was about 8:00-8:15.

Mile 5 - 9:18

Total - 5 miles in 47:52, 9:34 pace.

Ave HR - 156
Max HR - 182
Calories burned - 500