Repeats and January Totals

Today I ran nine miles, including 6 X 600 meter repeats at 5K pace. I ran this same workout a few weeks ago. Last time it was really tough to complete each repeat. Today was also a tough workout, but not near as bad as last time. I'm pleased with my fitness. I now need to force myself off the cookies and ice cream diet and start concentrating on March 5.

January was probably my best training month ever. Here are my stats:
Total Miles: 285 (previous high was 272)
Total Runs: 30
Running Days: 26
Doubles: 4
Rest Days: 5

This was not only a good month due to the high mileage, but I also logged a number of quality workouts. One of the keys was allowing myself to run my recovery runs at a slow enough pace. In the past, I would often force myself to stay near 8:00 minute miles. I guess all the reading is finally starting to sneak in.

Just over a week and a half until I start my taper. The mileage in my taper is reduced, but there are still some tough workouts.

Key Workout and Fueling

Looking over my training schedule a few months ago there are a few workouts that seemed especially challenging and that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to complete. The first was a six mile tempo run at 6:40 pace, another was a run with 6 x 1000 meter repeats at 5K pace, a third was a 17-mile run with 14 miles at marathon pace, and the last will be a run that includes 6 x 1200 meter repeats at 5K pace. I can run far, but running fast is not my specialty.

This past Sunday I ran 17-miles with 14 miles at marathon pace (7:00 m/m). Actually, I probably averaged closer to 6:55 pace for these 14 miles. It was a great run. The weather was perfect; there was almost no wind (for the first time in days), and the temps were in the mid-50s. I had to work to maintain the pace, but not too hard; and I was able to get in a rhythm and run smooth. I used my Garmin to keep me from running too fast early and dying in the end. I tried not to look at it too often so that I could get used to feeling the pace, but a few times I caught myself running in the 6:40s. This was a key workout for me. The day before this run I completed my second highest training week ever. After completing this run, I’m confident that I have the fitness to meet my marathon goal. I’ll just have to continue through the next two weeks of training, be smart through the taper and execute on race day. Sounds easy. I wish it were.

I also wanted to say a few things about food/fueling. In the few days before Sunday’s run, I did not eat many carbs. It wasn’t intentional. It just happened to be what my wife served us. Anyway, I was a bit concerned about proper fueling for this training run, so I had a bagel (half with low-fat cream cheese and half w/peanut butter) for breakfast and another bagel (w/pickle, low-fat cream cheese, and a slice of cheddar cheese for lunch) before running that afternoon. I didn’t take any food or water during the run (I didn’t want to stop). I got a bit hungry towards the end of the run, but had more than enough energy to do the work. I rarely eat bagels, but will try them again before my last 20-miler.

One other thing that I forgot to post is that before my last 20 miler I had a chocolate Hammer Gel. I hadn’t had a gel in years. However, I got one as a giveaway at a 5K last month, so I thought I’d try it. The flavor was okay, but I still don’t like the texture. I feel like I’m eating canned frosting. However, I felt good during that training run, and it didn’t have any negative effects on my stomach. I have one more 20 miler. I’ll try to take a gel with me and eat it at the 10-12 mile mark and see if it makes a difference. If I run well with the bagel and gel, that will be my plan for the day of the marathon.

Long Week With More on the Way

I got my 70 miles in for the week. I was pleased with the 20 miler last Sunday and the speed workout on Tuesday. The other runs were much slower than I had been running, even my recovery runs. I came really close to cutting Thursday’s 12-mile run down to 8. I had absolutely no drive to continue. However, once I made the turn and started the final four miles, it actually got easier. I got to the point, where I had no choice but to finish, so I didn’t have play mental games to keep me going.

Tomorrow will be one of my toughest runs of this training cycle. I’m scheduled to run 17 miles, including 14 miles at marathon pace. Marathon pace for me is 7:00 minute miles. This pace isn’t really based on anything; it's just a goal to shoot for. Pace calculators actually say I should be a bit slower than this, but I haven’t run a marathon since February 2003, so I picked 7:00 minute pace because it’s a round number and will be easy to monitor. Other than the distance, my biggest concern is that it’s been pretty windy here lately. I run along the bay, which means I have no protection from whatever wind there is. Anyway, if I can maintain my pace for the scheduled 14 miles tomorrow, I think I’ll be able to make a good run at 7:00 pace at the Napa Valley Marathon on March 5.

I’ve been thinking about my running and racing schedule for 2006. As of now, I’m hoping to run the Napa Valley Marathon on March 5 and the Bayshore Marathon on Memorial Day weekend (I’m not sure of the exact date). However, I’m not sure what if anything I'll race in the fall. If I find a fall marathon that I really want to do, I think I’ll train through Bayshore and run it as a long run and a fun trip. That way I can run my highest mileage and my toughest workouts during the longest days of summer and try to make a run at a sub-3:00 marathon sometime in October. Just something to think about.

We Have Speed

On Tuesday I finally completed a speed workout. I ran 11 miles and included 6 X 1000 meters (.625 miles on my Garmin) repeats at 5K pace. My last 5K was run at 6:15 pace, and the repeats were run at between 6:10 and 6:20 pace. I'm sure I ran farther between the repeats than is recommended, but I wasn't used to running fast, so in between I jogged slowly until my breathing was normal and I felt ready for the next repeat.

During the two-mile warm-up I tried to talk myself out of the speed part of the workout. I had run 20 miles on Sunday and five on Monday. My legs didn't feel great, plus I chowed down on Mexican food at lunch, which didn't do much for my stomach. I was concerned that I may hurl. Although between the rice and beans, I did get a decent amount of carbs.

On Wednesday, I ran five slow recovery miles, which puts me at 41 miles for the week so far. I should end up just below 70. I'm not scheduled for as many miles next week, but Sunday I have 17 miles with 14 at marathon pace. It will be a good/tough test.

Another 20

I ran another 20 miler today. I believe this is the first time I've run two, 20-milers in consecutive weeks. I'm feeling good and logging good mileage (three consecutive weeks over 60 miles); however, I haven't run fast in awhile. Since the holidays I've fallen off my schedule as far as hard (fast) workouts go. I'm worried that I've been in a training mode for so long that I've missed my racing window.

Initially, I tried to build up my mileage quickly (12 weeks) so that I could run a marathon in late October. I ended up with a minor injury and skipped that marathon. Next, I started following the Pfiztinger 18/70 plan with a goal of racing the Pacific Shoreline Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday. Well, it is the tenth anniversary of that race, so they're giving away free MP3 players to all marathon finishers. As a result, the race sold out before I registered. Now, I'm looking at racing the Napa Valley Marathon on March 5. This will mean that I'll be on a marathon training plan from August to March. The good news is that I've run a ton of 20-mile runs. The bad news is that I haven't been getting in my speed workouts. I guess the next six weeks will be time to get to work, put up or shut up and all that.

Bounced Back, Too Much

Yesterday I ran 15 miles spread over two runs. At lunch I went 6.5, and after work I ran another 8.5. I didn't consciously push the pace; but because I was well-rested and motivated after missing a run the day before, I ran faster than I should have. As a result, today I didn't have much to give. I hoped to run 12 miles, but I stopped after nine miles. I just didn't have anything left to give. Even though I cut the run short, it was still pretty ugly the last couple of miles. I'm sure this was the slowest I've run in a while.

Oh well, no real harm done. I'll run easy tomorrow, go long on Sunday, rest on Monday and then get back at it.

I am a Slacker

I suck. I hate it when I miss a run. I’ve been good about getting out and running so far this month, but yesterday I totally blew off my scheduled run. My wife had to work late, and I had to drive my daughter somewhere. These are decent reasons not to run, but I could have been out and running by 7:00 p.m. The real reason I didn’t run was that I was tired and feeling lazy.

The good news is that my wife’s schedule is back to normal, and I’ll be running twice today. The best part of missing a run is that it is a great motivator. So after only running 5.5 miles in the past three days, I’ll be motivated and rested when I hit the road today.

I'm pretty sure that I won't be running a half marathon on February 5 as I had previously planned, so my next scheduled race will be the Napa Valley Marathon on March 5. I'd like to run a tune-up race before then. I'll check local schedules and see if I can find a close 10K the first or second weekend of February.

Twenty Mile Long Run

Today I ran another 20-miler. It was a good run because I hadn't run 20 miles in awhile (I would estimate it's been a month or so). It was also a good run because I was able to finish strong. I averaged just under 8:00 minute miles for the first 15 miles, and was able to run the last five at a sub-7:30 pace, including running the final mile at 7:00 minute pace.

This was a another confidence builder because even though I've been logging all my scheduled miles lately, I've haven't really been pushing the pace. Not to say that 7:30 pace, or even 7:00 pace, is pushing the pace, but it was a good step in the right direction.

I hoping to run a half marathon on February 5. I was hoping to run the Pacific Shore (Half) Marathon, but I'm not sure if I'll be able justify the cost of the trip down. However, there's also a half marathon in San Francisco that day that I'm eyeing.

Medium Long Run

I took today off from work. My wife had the day off because she has to work on Sunday, plus today is her birthday, so I thought it would be nice to spend some time together. It was.

Having the day off was nice. I had to get up early to take my daughter to school, so I was able to run in the morning and not have to worry about beating the darkness in the evening. I ran 15 miles today. I was scheduled for 14, but I ran a bit farther at the turn around so that I could have a short visit with my wife who had taken our dog to the park. I ran a bit faster than I had planned. My overall pace was 7:40 m/m, but that's only because I pushed the pace for the last five miles. For the first ten miles, I averaged approximately 7:52 m/m.

I have three more days off. I'm scheduled for 8 miles on Saturday, 20 on Sunday, and Monday is my rest day.

Still Getting In All My Mileage

Not only am I still getting in all my scheduled mileage, but I'm now back at the point where it's not a challenge to get out for a run; it's part of my daily routine again. The only problem is that I can's seem to run at a faster pace for any distance. I partially blame this on the early darkness. I just cannot get comfortable running fast when I can't see where my feet are landing. There are too many cracks and bumps in the asphalt where I run. Today, my run called for six, 1200 meter repeats at 5K pace. Instead I ran five miles at 7:00 m/m pace (or a bit faster), which is my goal marathon pace. The good news is that my marathon isn't until the first weekend of March, and I can tell that it is staying light a bit later every day.

I ran 11.25 miles today in 1:24:51. I'm scheduled for 14 tomorrow.

Just Grinding Away

It felt good to get in all my runs last week. A couple of things that I notice after I miss a few runs. I feel like I start to enjoy running less. I read running forums and other blogs and see that other runners really miss running and go crazy when they can't run for more than a day. I'm the opposite. When I miss a couple of runs, I find it really hard to get back out and get into the groove of running on a regular basis. Don't think that I don't like running. I do. In fact, the more I run, the more I like it; and when I can't run for more than a few days, I do get a strong urge to be out running. The other thing that I notice is that after missing a few runs it becomes really hard for me to run when I'm tired. After following my schedule almost religiously for a couple of months, I got to a point where I recovered quickly and was ready to go the next day no matter how hard the previous day was. After missing five or six runs over the past three weeks, I'm finding it hard to bounce back after running hard.

I ran an 18 mile long run today. The first few miles weren't really tough, but I was running slow for the effort. I did seem to get stronger as the run went on though, and I was able to run the last five miles at sub-7:40 mile pace, which is how my schedule tells me to run my long runs.

Getting Back Into the Groove

After missing more than a few runs in December, I seem to be getting back on track at the start of the new year. It's still early, but I've logged all my scheduled runs this week. I did make one small change. I did an easy run yesterday at lunch and did Wednesday's scheduled medium-long run tonight. I knew I wouldn't run on Wednesday night because I'm a big college football fan and was looking forward to the Rose Bowl.

By the way, I was extremely happy to see the Longhorns come out on top. I don't root for Texas; but as a Notre Dame fan, it's my duty to be a USC-hater. Also, before the season started I predicted that Texas would be the National Champion. Is it just me or did Reggie Bush look not much above average against a fast defense while Lendale White looked great? A friend of mine told me that he thought White would be a better pro than Bush. After seeing them both against a top defense, I'm starting to think he may be right. Don't be surprised to see Bush at wide receiver in the NFL.

Back to running. Monday is my rest day. I ran 9 miles, including 5 x 600 meters at 5K pace on Tuesday (it was tough); I ran an easy 6 on Wednesday and ran 13 earlier this evening. I should finish with 60 miles this week after I add on 6 miles on Friday and 9 on Saturday.

Long Windy Run and 2005 Review

Today my schedule called for a 17-mile long run, with 14 miles at marathon race pace. However, checking weather.com before heading out told me that in addition to pending rain, I would be facing steady 30 mph winds, with gusts up to 38 mph. Common sense told me to just get in the miles and worry about the faster miles another time. I wish I were smart enough to listen to common sense.

I started out at an easy pace for the first two miles. During the time it took me to run these two miles, I convinced myself that I felt good and that I might be facing similar conditions on race day, so I should try to get in the race pace miles. Plus, at least half of my run should be with the wind at my back. I ran the first mile (with the wind at my back) right at goal pace. Just after starting my second mile, I reached my first turn around and started running into the wind. The second mile was run at a great effort that the first marathon pace mile but was run 25 seconds slower. I expected this and tried to go by effort and not worry about pace. It sounds good; but after five or six hard miles, I was done. I stopped worrying about pace and just logged the rest of my 17 miles. It was a tough run but was worth it as long as I learned how to adjust my runs to suit the weather.

Here's a brief overview of my running for 2005 and a comparison to 2004.

Month, 2004, 2005
January, 129, 190.2
February, 155.1, 180
March, 157.25, 219
April, 170, 200
May, 202, 211.5
June, 160, 104
July, 200, 193.33
August, 137, 250.78
September, 191, 187.05
October, 195, 270.85
November, 169.1, 272.67
December, 166, 197.62
TOTAL, 2031.45, 2477

A few notes on my running in 2005. My family moved from Louisiana to California during the month of June, which accounts for my low total that month. Also, I lost a week of training in September due to a slight injury, and I missed six or seven runs in December due to giving blood, getting sick the next week and then traveling and family commitments over the holidays. Overall, I'm happy with the increase in mileage. I can see that the next step is to improve my consistency.