Monday, August 25, 2014

Philly Marathon Training, Week 6

Monday, August 25th:

Rest.

Tuesday, August 26th:

6:45pm, 84 degrees, 49%, 5-10mph.  Maple Ave out-and-back.  Mizuno Wave Rider 17.

6.5mi (51:11) (7:53/mi).  Strides.

Shook out the cobwebs the first two miles, finally got rolling the last mile and a half.  Feeling more explosive on the strides.

Wednesday, August 27th:

10:30pm(!), 79 degrees, 62%, calm.  Cherry Hill West Track.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF, Adidas Adios Boost.

8.5m total: 2mi warmup, 4x 100m strides, 4x1200m (4:07/avg) w/400m recovery jogs (2:15-:20)
Splits: 4:07 07 06 08

Don't ask.  Let's just say circumstances placed me alone at the Cherry Hill West track at 10:30pm on a Wednesday night.  16 laps in one direction (warmup/cooldown), 18 laps in the other direction (workout).  My only light was the moon and an occasional passing airplane.  My only audience the stars.  But I found out what I needed to know, especially on that 4th rep.  Sometimes you need to dream big.

Thursday, August 28th:

8:00pm, 75 degrees, 55%, 0-5mph.  Kilmer Loop.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.

6mi easy (49:05) (8:11/mi)

Very easy first mile (8:33), steady miles 2-5 (8:14 14 14 06), smooth last mile (7:42).

Friday, August 29th:

5:45am, 59 degrees, 70%, calm.  Moorestown.  Asics Kayano 19.

10mi easy (1:19:30) (7:57/mi)

Conversational pace run with Jamie and Steve.  Cool weather felt great.

Saturday, August 30th:

7:00am, 62 degrees, 85%, 0-5mph.  Moorestown.  Asics Kayano 19.

13mi easy (1:40:52) (7:46/mi).  Strides.

Conversational pace run with Rosie.  Steady most of the run, just a tad faster (7:20s-:30s) the last couple miles.  Felt strong today.  Was also nice to hit the Boundary Creek Nature Trail loop and the MHS XC loop during the run.

Sunday, August 31st:

6:30am, 72 degrees, 95%, 0-5mph.  Croft Farm Trails - Pennypacker Trails.  Mizuno Wave Rider 17.

6mi easy (49:08) (8:11/mi): including :90 last 1/4mi on track

Definitely stuffy and tough to breathe this morning.  Forecast looks pretty similar for tomorrow's 5K, so I may have to temper any expectations of a reasonably fast time and just aim for a hard effort.  I felt pretty lethargic for most of the run today until the last mile and a half, and when I got to the track with just over a 1/4mi to go, I figured I would at least finish comfortably fast.  Surprised it was :90, felt more like 1:40-:45. 

Weekly Total: 50 miles

Some weeks just don't look that great on paper.  This is one of those weeks.  But you don't run races on paper and you don't know how you feel according to paper.  Wednesday night's effort alone was a gem this week.  I feel really good about where I am.  I am glad I backed off a little this week and dropped a planned tempo run - there's still lots of time between now and the "real" race day and despite a week low on miles, I still feel like I am only building the momentum to something great.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Philly Marathon Training, Week 5

Monday, August 18th:

5:40am, 59 degrees, 84%, 0-5mph.  Maple Ave out-and-back.  Asics Kayano 19.

7mi easy (57:35) (8:14/mi)

Little sluggish this morning.  Also noticed that my left soleus/achilles started to tighten up the last mile or two of the run.  I will make sure I stretch well and use the lacrosse ball when I got home from work tonight to see if I can loosen it up.

Tuesday, August 19th:

4:55am, 63 degrees, 76%, 0-5mph.  Cherry Hill West Track.  Adidas Adios Boost.

8.5mi total, including 5x1000m (3:26/avg) w/400m recovery jogs (2:14/avg)
Splits: 3:27 26 26 25 24

Surprised I was able to get moving so quickly this morning, especially after a very exhausting day at work yesterday and a very slow warmup/cooldown.  It's like everything fell into place once I got onto the track.  Was pretty consistent most of the workout - I ran the last one about as fast I could without checking any splits along the way.  Getting used to "hurting" again - it's a strangely rewarding sensation.

Wednesday, August 20th:

6:15pm, 83 degrees, 51%, calm.  Hialeah-Kilmer-Lafferty-CH Blvd.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.

7mi easy (55:16) (7:54/mi)

Workmanlike run in the humidity.  Finished solid the last two miles.

Thursday, August 21st:

4:55am, 68 degrees, 84%, calm.  Maple Ave out-and-back.  Mizuno Wave Rider 17.

6.5mi easy (52:43) (8:07/mi).  Strides.

Easy progression from 8:50-7:41/mi.  Another humid morning, took me awhile to get going.  A good sign is that I had a lot of pop in my strides.

Friday, August 22nd:

6:55am, 67 degrees, 97%, calm.  CHW-CH Blvd Loop.  3x CHW Loop.  CHW-CH Blvd Loop.  Asics Kayano 19, Saucony Cortana 3.

12mi total (1:24:30): 2.5mi warmup, 4x(100m@:18, 100m@:30), 6mi alternating tempo 6:19/avg (5:59 6:36 6:06 6:36 6:02 6:35), 4x(100m@:18, 100m@:32), 2.5mi cooldown

I am not sure what got into me this morning.  Maybe it's because I have been reading Marathon Man by Bill Rodgers this week and felt particularly inspired.  Maybe my training is starting to sink in and I am finally reaping the benefits.  Maybe I just had a particularly exceptional day on a morning where you wouldn't expect it due to the high humidity.  But whatever it was, I was ON today.  Had lots of running in me.  Felt like I was floating at times.  Had to work a little on that last faster mile (the 5th mile of the tempo), but I had no problems keeping pace on any of the slower ones.  Was just cruising along on the cooldown, even up Hialeah hill.  Great, great run today.

Saturday, August 23rd:

5:30am, 67 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph.  Moorestown.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.

10mi very easy (1:24:43) (8:28/mi).  Strides.

Ran the first half ~8:50/mi with Erin, Michele, and Emily.  Ran the second half ~8:10/mi solo.  Strides at the end were very fast.  Nice change of pace run, followed up with 3 chocolate chip pancakes and a plate of turkey bacon, mmm. :)

Sunday, August 24th:

7:00am, 64-68 degrees, 80%, 5-10mph.  Lloyd Hall-Belmont-Strawberry Mansion-MLK-Ridge-Kelly Drive.  Asics Kayano 19.

16mi total (1:53:18) (7:05/mi): as 4mi E, 2mi (6:47 39), 4mi E, 6mi (6:34 26 24 21 18 17)

High quality long run with JP in the city.  The first 2mi tempo section was in the hilly portion of Belmont into Strawberry Mansion.  The second tempo section began as we dropped down to MLK Blvd.  It took me all of the first 2mi to settle into a comfortable pace/sustainable rhythm - when I finally "locked in" after Falls Bridge, 6:20s suddenly felt spot on.  Great effort today, and great mental practice for the marathon finish on Kelly Drive.

Fueling notes: Took a gel and water at 6.5mi, a Gatorade at 8.5mi, another Gatorade at 11mi, and half a water at 12.5mi and the other half at 13.5mi.  Exceptionally strong toward the end of the run.

Weekly Total: 67 miles

I will keep this one simple - an exceptional week of training for me.  I don't expect every week to go this well, but I will gladly take them when I do.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Philly Marathon Training, Week 4

Monday, August 11th:

Rest.

Tuesday, August 12th:

5:50pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline.  Asics Kayano 19.

6mi easy (48:11) (8:02/mi).  Strides.

Slowly progressed from 8:34/mi down to 7:22/mi.  Very comfortable the whole way.

Wednesday, August 13th:

6:30pm, Treadmill, 0.5-1.0%.  Mizuno Wave Rider 17, Adidas Adios Boost.

8mi total, including 6x .5mi (11.0mph/2:44) w/.25mi recovery jogs (7.0mph/2:09)

Rather tough workout to do on the treadmill, but Janine was out of the house and it was the only way I was going to get a workout in this evening with the girls home.  Each rep I kept thinking I wouldn't make the next one as the pace felt unsettling on the treadmill, but each one I kept holding on and actually felt better the further into the rep I got.  Really learned to relax and breathe and focus on 20 seconds of running at a time.  I cut the cooldown a mile short since my left calf/soleus was a little tight, but all in all, I am pleased with the results.  I wouldn't recommend this type of workout for the faint of heart. :)

Thursday, August 14th:

5:45pm, 77 degrees, 45%, 5-15mph.  Cherry Hill West Loop.  Asics Kayano 19.

6mi easy (47:36) (7:56/mi)

Started really slowly and then got into a nice groove the last 3 miles.  Finally got to shake that "treadmill" feeling out my legs. :)

Friday, August 15th:

6:30am, 57 degrees, 75%, 0-5mph.  Moorestown.  Asics Kayano 19.

8mi easy (1:02:55) (7:52/mi)

God, what a beautiful morning.  Easy conversational pace run with Jamie and Tom.  Also picked up JP for a bit toward the end.  I wish every morning felt this good.

11:50am, 71 degrees, 43%, 10-15mph.  Neighborhood Loop.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.

3mi easy (24:03) (8:01/mi).  Strides.

Very easy jog around the neighborhood.  Still can't believe how nice this weather is. 

Saturday, August 16th:

6:00am, 60 degrees, 79%, calm.  Moorestown.  Saucony Cortana 3.

13mi total (1:33:35): 6mi easy, 6mi cutdown tempo 6:20/avg (6:45 32 24 14 06 5:55), 1mi easy

Another beautiful morning, especially for a road workout.  Had Jamie to keep me company for the first 6mi easy, and then I ran "the loop" two times for the cutdown tempo.  After settling in the first mile, I felt pretty in control until about 4.5mi into the cutdown, at which time I started having to work hard.  I was pretty much all-out for the last mile, but I recovered quickly during the cooldown and had a good stretching session and ice bath afterward.  Despite having to work hard today, much like I did on Wednesday, I am happy with where my fitness is at for these type of workouts in Week 4 of training.

Sunday, August 17th:

6:30am, 64 degrees, 79%, 0-5mph.  Moorestown-Cinnaminson.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.

11mi very easy (1:38:38) (8:58/mi)

Ran very easy with Larry's group this morning.  Felt refreshing to run so slowly.  Funny how I actually ran 5:00 longer than yesterday, even though I covered 2mi less.  I would be interested to know how the fat burning benefits of a run like today compare to the AT/LT threshold benefits of a run like yesterday.

Weekly Total: 55 miles

Definitely not as "stylish" as last week, but another solid week in the books.  I am happy with the week to week progress I am feeling/seeing.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Philly Marathon Training, Week 3

Monday, August 4th:

5:45am, 70 degrees, 95%, calm.  Moorestown.  Mizuno Wave Rider 17.

8.5mi (1:07:00) (7:53/mi).  Strides.

Conversational pace run with Rosie.  Wore my Enduracool cap again today, which helped keep the feeling of high humidity at bay.  After two very easy opening miles, we were very steady for the final 6mi (7:42-:48).  Strides after felt good.

Tuesday, August 5th:

7:00am, 68 degrees, 86%, 0-5mph.  Cherry Hill West Track.  Nike Pegasus 29 USATF, Adidas Adios Boost.

9mi total: 2mi warmup, 8x600m (2:02/avg) w/400m recovery jogs (2:11/avg), 2mi cooldown
Splits: 2:04 04 03 03 04 03 02 1:54

Second solid track workout in a row.  I was prepared for the sun today with my sunglasses and Enduracool cap - really keep my temperature regulated so I could focus on running.  Ryan was on the track at the same time doing his 6x800m workout, and he didn't fare quite as well because of the heat.  Just like last week, I felt stronger the longer the workout went, and when I got to the last one I focused on running each 200m segment faster than the previous one.  Wasn't quite all-out at the end, more of a controlled acceleration.  My confidence is slowly building as I feel my speed coming back to me and my fitness improving.

2:55pm, Treadmill, 1.0%.  Asics Kayano 19.

3mi recovery (24:51) (8:17/mi)

Smooth as silk.  Little hot in the back porch, but otherwise, very easy.

Wednesday, August 6th:

8:00am,  70 degrees, 75%, 5mph.  Croft Farm-Cuthbert Blvd-South Park Loop.  Mizuno Wave Rider 17.

7.5mi (No watch, ~7:00/mi?)

Ran with the CHW XC team this morning.  The goal was to run for 50 minutes at a medium effort with occasional 1:00 surges.  There was a group of 5 of us that mostly stuck together, and we kept a solid pace.  My Garmin finally died for good last night, so I didn't have a watch to run with.  I do know we definitely closed harder the last couple miles, and was probably in the low 6:00s for the last 1/2mi.  Very solid run, definitely faster than I would normally run the day after a workout, but I have one more recovery day until my next workout so I figured I could run really easy tomorrow.  It was fun being part of a pack and running more of an effort-based run.

Thursday, August 7th:

5:45am, 67 degrees, 90%, 0-10mph.  North Wildwood.  Asics Kayano 19.

5mi recovery (41:30) (8:18/mi).  Strides.

Nice and slow jog this morning after getting in good quality the last two days.  It was slow going the first mile, but then I settled in a very relaxed pace until I found myself holding back the last mile.

Friday, August 8th:

5:45am, 64 degrees, 70%, 0-10mph.  North Wildwood - Stone Harbor.  Adidas Adios Boost.

10mi total (1:10:26), including 6mi MP tempo 6:20/avg (6:23 20 20 18 20 19)

I am pleased with how the first MP tempo of the cycle unfolded.  It took me a good 2mi to settle into the right breathing/stride rhythm, but once I did, I could pretty well judge the right pace by effort.  I was targeting 6:20-:25/mi, so it came as a little surprise that I averaged on the fast end.  Having said that, I could not fathom sustaining that pace for much longer than 25K right now - which is what the next 15 weeks of the cycle are for, I suppose. :)

Saturday, August 9th:

6:30am, 66 degrees, 80%, 0-5mph.  North Wildwood.  Asics Kayano 19.

7mi recovery (57:14) (8:11/mi).  Strides.

Started very slowly but within 2.5mi I was really feeling good all of a sudden and had to hold myself back the rest of the run.   8:00/mi pace suddenly felt like 9:00/mi pace - it was the most awesome feeling.  Really let those strides rip afterward since I was feeling so loose.

Sunday, August 10th:

5:45am, 68 degrees, 80%, calm.  3x Tavistock Loop.  Asics Kayano 19.

14mi hilly (1:40:12): including 12mi moderate 6:54/avg (6:34-7:11)



Today’s long run turned out to be more a struggle than I had planned.  I intentionally choose a 3 loop hilly course so I could practice grabbing small water bottles that I filled with 5oz Gatorade, which is the beverage given out at the Philly Marathon.  Of course, when I came around at the end of Loop 1, both bottles were already gone.  Not sure if it was a “Good Samaritan” trying to keep the neighborhood clean, or some evildoer that has it in for runners.  Let’s just say that the Hansons were right on this one – this 14 miles did feel like the LAST 14 miles of a marathon, haha.  And let's just say that after this long week, I will especially be looking forward to my day off tomorrow. :)

Weekly Total: 64 miles

Probably my strongest single week of training yet for 2014.  It will be nice to have a relative down week next week.