Here starts the training for the Mankato Marathon.
This week was a harder week of running than I have done in some time. This week was also one of the highest mileage weeks this summer. And Boy could I feel it on my long run. My two steady state or marathon pace runs were spot on and really felt that I had the ability to push the pace throughout both runs. This week I ran hills since Track was having its camp. That was more of a struggle than the last time I did hills. The first few did not hit my times. I was able to push threw and finish the workout how I should have.
To me this is very important to be able to do. I was not feeling the workout but still found a way to push myself threw the difficult times and finish strong. Has many of you know that running is not an easy sport your mind can an will try and get you to hit the snooze one more time try and back off because it just does not feel right. If you are able to overcome these obstacles, it makes you a tougher runner.
There was one down side this week and that was I played basketball for the first time in months. Though I normally enjoy play during the year, I had a small feeling that many of my foot problems came from playing basketball. Well the game on Friday confirmed that. After I got home, I felt good so I went for a nice easy run (4.4). When I got back home and took, my shoes off I could barely walk because my foot (heel) hurt so bad. I iced and rubbed it with a golf ball all day and by the end of the night, it was finally feeling better. But that one game set, my foot back a good month. It was finally starting to feel good and now this.
I finished this week with my first 20 miler of the year. I would have liked to run a few of these earlier this year but again I was having foot problems. It did not go as planed. I was feeling good until Blakely and started to fall apart mentally from then on. I was able to push threw and made the miles but my time was pretty slow 2:50, that is about 10min more than I wanted but I should have plenty of opportunities to make that up.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Training is Like a Sine Curve
Overall the week went as planned and could not complain. Every run this week made me feel very confident that I will be able to make my goal on the Bull Run. Wednesday would have been the only set back with the dew point in the 70’s and therefore I cut my run short running only six than the 9.7 I wanted too. The next day was fine and was able to run (six) and bike (16.5) the miles that I wanted too. Friday was an easy day only 4.8miles.
Saturday I was able to get up and get ready like I normally do for all my races. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and felt that the goal of below19 was very reasonable. When I go there it seemed has if there was not going to be very many people running which does not bother me since I am not one that needs the crowds to push me. I was able to see and talk to some of my students and cross-country runners. I really do miss them, they are neat people and it is fun to see them grow and mature into adults and runners. Got my warm-up in and was able to stretch. This is when I started to feel and tightness in my right calf. So I made sure to stretch both calves out a little more but not too much and over stretch them. This year the run started right on time if not a little early which is great. The first mile I was able to run with in myself and was happy. After the first lap though I felt my calf tighten up a little and tried not to change my pace too much but it did effect my stride. I was able to hit the 2-mile mark at about 12:20, right were I wanted to be. Nevertheless, the last 1.1miles did not keep that pace I slowed down some and was only able to manage a 19:28. I was fifth overall and first in my age group, nut I still have not figured out my pace this year. In all it was an okay result and I will just try to see what happens next time.
My long run was much better that last week. Yes, I run a long run after a race. It forces me to run a little slower and is overall I nice break. I was able to stay mentally strong this time. I did not get that feeling of weakness and as if I was going to puke that, I had last week. The dew point was a little high but there was a descent wind out of the WNW and helped cool down my body as I ran. I was able to hit and my water times without the feeling of need to drink. I am not sure how this will go when I try my first 20miler of the year next week. I might have to wake-up early for that one just to try and beat the heat the best I can.
runpd
Saturday I was able to get up and get ready like I normally do for all my races. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and felt that the goal of below19 was very reasonable. When I go there it seemed has if there was not going to be very many people running which does not bother me since I am not one that needs the crowds to push me. I was able to see and talk to some of my students and cross-country runners. I really do miss them, they are neat people and it is fun to see them grow and mature into adults and runners. Got my warm-up in and was able to stretch. This is when I started to feel and tightness in my right calf. So I made sure to stretch both calves out a little more but not too much and over stretch them. This year the run started right on time if not a little early which is great. The first mile I was able to run with in myself and was happy. After the first lap though I felt my calf tighten up a little and tried not to change my pace too much but it did effect my stride. I was able to hit the 2-mile mark at about 12:20, right were I wanted to be. Nevertheless, the last 1.1miles did not keep that pace I slowed down some and was only able to manage a 19:28. I was fifth overall and first in my age group, nut I still have not figured out my pace this year. In all it was an okay result and I will just try to see what happens next time.
My long run was much better that last week. Yes, I run a long run after a race. It forces me to run a little slower and is overall I nice break. I was able to stay mentally strong this time. I did not get that feeling of weakness and as if I was going to puke that, I had last week. The dew point was a little high but there was a descent wind out of the WNW and helped cool down my body as I ran. I was able to hit and my water times without the feeling of need to drink. I am not sure how this will go when I try my first 20miler of the year next week. I might have to wake-up early for that one just to try and beat the heat the best I can.
runpd
Monday, July 12, 2010
Steady as She Goes
This past week was productive to some degree. The temperature and humidity was reasonable all week, which led to some reasonable workouts. I tried something new with my intervals on Tuesday instead of running 1, ½, ½, 1, I ran the miles in the middle and the ½ on either end. I was able to run splits that are more consistent and felt good during and after the work out. I needed the next couple of runs to be easy or at a reasonable pace which set me up for a good workout for hills on Friday (7-9). I was very pleased with my hill splits. The hill was not extremely steep but was a 50ft incline over a ¼ mile. I wanted to and was able to maintain ¼ splits that were about 1:30-1:35. This is just a little slower that McMillan running says that I should be running my splits if I want to run a 3:05 marathon. I am truly okay with this since I am just starting to put this type of work out into my routine and it is still very early in the training process.
However, my Saturday run was not good at all,…I had to walk during a run. This was very difficult for me to do did not like the fact that I did it but it was almost necessary. I thought I had got out early enough to not deal with the humidity and heat but I was wrong. As I said last week that heat is my kryptonite, I really think that it is the humidity. I brought water on the run and had a regiment that I have done in the past and had no problems staying hydrated but this time I had an epic fail. It was past Blakeley when I had to walk. It was not a mental thing to walk but more of a physical thing. I had not felt that way on a training run for as long as I can remember. I really bothers me that I walked I never walk so this week I think I will try something else out and see how that goes. I did not run on Sunday though I had planed too. I just felt whipped out so I took the day off, I still got over 50 miles in so there was no need to try for 60+.
This week I have the Bull Run on Saturday (7-17), so I will not be running a hard to much this week. I would like to run under 19min be in the top 5 overall and first in my age group, we will see how that goes.
runpd
However, my Saturday run was not good at all,…I had to walk during a run. This was very difficult for me to do did not like the fact that I did it but it was almost necessary. I thought I had got out early enough to not deal with the humidity and heat but I was wrong. As I said last week that heat is my kryptonite, I really think that it is the humidity. I brought water on the run and had a regiment that I have done in the past and had no problems staying hydrated but this time I had an epic fail. It was past Blakeley when I had to walk. It was not a mental thing to walk but more of a physical thing. I had not felt that way on a training run for as long as I can remember. I really bothers me that I walked I never walk so this week I think I will try something else out and see how that goes. I did not run on Sunday though I had planed too. I just felt whipped out so I took the day off, I still got over 50 miles in so there was no need to try for 60+.
This week I have the Bull Run on Saturday (7-17), so I will not be running a hard to much this week. I would like to run under 19min be in the top 5 overall and first in my age group, we will see how that goes.
runpd
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Heat is Like my Kryptonite
On Sunday (7-4) I had another lackluster performance in a race. This time I made many excuses for the performance.
First, it was very humid to add to a high dew point of 65+. The temperature at the start was in the 70’s. This does not usually mean that a bad race will be had but it does make a runner less comfortable and might not have the best race. I am the type of runner that likes the weather (humidity and dew point lower). For me it has been difficult to race well in these conditions.
Second, I did not take it easy and actually train for this race. As I said in the last post I had just returned from a vacation in which I did not run enough miles to maintain a certain level of fitness that I would have liked. To try to combat this I did not back off and take the week easy. I ran the most miles I have run in weeks leading up to the race. Therefore, my body was a little tired and was not “ready” to run at the pace I wanted too.
I was not completely disappointed to have the time (33:27), what my problem is that all week I did not feel strong enough mentally and physically to make it through some of the runs. I had to force my self to run when my body did not want too. This concerns me the most about the time off that I was forced to take at the beginning of the year because of my foot. Last I checked I was over 400miles behind my mileage from the previous years (2009 and 2008), and I was even 100+miles behind my 2007 year.
So what does this mean to my running, I am not sure. I know that my times are suffering from the lack of mileage and that is depressing since last year was so full of good times. I keep telling myself that I need to be patient and trust myself, that what I am running and how I am training now will be beneficial later in the year.
runpd
First, it was very humid to add to a high dew point of 65+. The temperature at the start was in the 70’s. This does not usually mean that a bad race will be had but it does make a runner less comfortable and might not have the best race. I am the type of runner that likes the weather (humidity and dew point lower). For me it has been difficult to race well in these conditions.
Second, I did not take it easy and actually train for this race. As I said in the last post I had just returned from a vacation in which I did not run enough miles to maintain a certain level of fitness that I would have liked. To try to combat this I did not back off and take the week easy. I ran the most miles I have run in weeks leading up to the race. Therefore, my body was a little tired and was not “ready” to run at the pace I wanted too.
I was not completely disappointed to have the time (33:27), what my problem is that all week I did not feel strong enough mentally and physically to make it through some of the runs. I had to force my self to run when my body did not want too. This concerns me the most about the time off that I was forced to take at the beginning of the year because of my foot. Last I checked I was over 400miles behind my mileage from the previous years (2009 and 2008), and I was even 100+miles behind my 2007 year.
So what does this mean to my running, I am not sure. I know that my times are suffering from the lack of mileage and that is depressing since last year was so full of good times. I keep telling myself that I need to be patient and trust myself, that what I am running and how I am training now will be beneficial later in the year.
runpd
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