Spike Search

I have to find a new pair of cross spikes and get them on my feet a couple of times before December 8th. I have an idea which ones I'm looking for so hopefully I can accomplish the task by weekends end. (I lost my old pair to the flood in June...)

My training is going well and really nothing too crazy. I just started adding some light, faster work to my week in hopes it get's me fit enough to crank out some decent splits on the course in KY. I have felt myself taking a leap in fitness so it must be working. Volume is on the low side but I plan to progress a bit this next week as long as my hamstring wants to play along nicely. Thursday is the Gobble Gallop 5k and I may sit this one out. I have a bad feeling about cranking out a fast 5k on a cool, slippery morning. Now, if its balmy like last year and no ice, I may toe the line...

Training for the last two weeks:

Nov. 5-11th
Mon- 58:00, trails in Hartley
Tue-59:00 (90,2 min,3 min,4 min, 90w/hill)
Wed-41:00 easy
Thr- 58:45 4 X 2:00 hills Rock-Hill)
Fri- 0 miles
Sat. 1:05:00 2x2 miles (11:30,11:27)
Sun- off, family sick

Nov 12-18th
Mon- 1:08:00 Hartley
Tues- 1:00:00 SNAP, (hills 90 sec at 6%, 1 min @ 7%, MP X 4)
Wed- 35:00 easy
Thr- 55:00 SNAP 7:30's easy
Fri- 44:30 w/ 11 X 100 meters @less than 5k pace
Sat. 0
Sun- 56:30, Skyline (2 min. neg split on return)

Total for YEAR: 1748 miles

Catch Up and New Energy

It's been near two months since my last posting. Blog entries certainly took a hit this year as well as my overall racing. I hope to freshen up things going into the last two months of the year as I prepare for a winter marathon training season in preparation for the 2013 Boston Marathon.

To get myself amped up I have committed to the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington, KY on December 8th. I am part of a Masters team that hopes to do well. I really am looking forward to this small build up and race as it will provide me some much needed motivation and some good, hard workouts heading into the last month of 2012.

I haven't done a ton of training this fall but I did manage to sneak into a Half Marathon at Whistlestop 1/2 and get caught up in a good pack of runners that ran together right to the tape. I finished 5th overall and 1st Master in 1:16:07.

Here is a very brief summary of the last two months.

Sept 10-16:
tend to injured hamstring.
massage and chiro

Sept 17-23rd:
M- 45:00
T-55:00
W-F: 0
Sat- 53:00
Sun- 1:10:00

Sept 24-30
M- 34:00
T-55:00 2 x 1000 meters
Thr- 56:00
Fri- 36:00
Sat- 1:01:00
Sun- Duathlon, canoe, run, canoe

Oct 1-7
M- 58:35
T- 1:00:00
W- 1:08:00 2 mi at 5:45 pace
Th- 0
Fri- 33:10
Sat- 1:04:00 2 X 2 mile at 5:50 LT
Sun- 1:06:00 trails

Oct 8-14
M- 1:01:00 SHT w/Kari
T- 1:14:00 2 X 3 mile at 5:55
W-0
Th- 45:00
Fri-35:00
Sat- 1/2 Marathon 1:16:07
Sun- 0

Oct 15-21
M-T- 0
W- 33:00
Th- 1:00:00
Fr- 44:00
Sa/Su- 0

Oct 22-29
M- 52:34
T- 54:00 (2,3,3,2 min intervals)
W-0
Thr- 32:00
Fri- 40:00
Sat- 0
Sun- 1:30:00

Oct 30-Nov 5
M- 49:00
T- 0
W- 33:0
Th- 48:00
Fr- 52:23 4 X 2-3 min @10K effort
Sat- 1:04:20  4 X 400 @ 4:55 pace
Sun- 1:40:00

Years Total:  1667 miles

Grandma's Minnesota Mile Bummer

The day was gorgeous. Winds were a cross-wind, so in a city where there usually is a predominant wind off the lake, which would be perfect for this race as a tailwind, they were not in our faces. It was sunny and cool and the competitions was stiff. The hamstring tightness I was experiencing earlier in the week from Monday's last workout was just about nonexistent. I figured with a nice long warmup and some decent stretches I would be ready to go. As I continued my warm up and some striders the tightness was all so slightly present. Would it let me go rip out a mile and just be a little sore or would it tighten and go into a full-on spasm right int the middle of Superior street. Well, I was handed the later and I had to make the only safe decision really. The first quarter was covered in a quick 62 seconds and although it was a little too fast I realized I had a nice downhill quarter ahead of me and I could relax, slow and gain some breathe and still run a 65 to be ahead of my pace before focusing on the last 800 meters. I didn't make it the next quarter and jumped the curb at 700 meters. My race was done.  I could have slowed and hobbled in for the pathetic, "old-man" shuffle applause but really there was no point to that. I had only one decision and that was to stop and walk back to the start. DNF!

These last 5 or 6 weeks have been wonderful and I know I will use the speed I build up to my benefit later this fall. Anytime you can spend that many weeks on the track a person is going to be quicker because of it. The plan now is to recover, and switch gears and start running some medium-distance runs along with a decent dash of LT workouts and see where and what half-marathon I can get into. If I can nail one more race this fall that would be great. It's been a weird year for me and one that has had little racing. I guess that is a nice change, after all, the training that goes into all these races is often the best part!


Sept. 6-9th

Thurs:  50:00  6-8 striders at full effort
                           ham tight but no spasm.
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 0 miles *up all night crewing for 100 mile race
Sunday: warm up 35:00
             race 700 meters  DNF

Pure Lactic Acid

The quicker I can put myself at ease by the taste of blood and the burn in my lungs, and the lead in my legs, the sooner I will be mentally prepared to run the Grandma's MN Mile this Sunday. I have returned to the track for the first time in many years in preparation for this event. For the most part I am very happy where my fitness has gone in such little time. Having said that, I am a bit concerned about my fitness after the 800 meter of a mile race. Good thing the course is net downhill for the first 800 meters or so and I hope to make it my advantage.

First in line for the weekend is spending another weekend at the Superior 100 mile Trail race for some crewing duties of fellow team member Dave Shuneman. He is gonna rock that race and I can't wait for all the festivities to begin.

Here is the quick look at the last week and a half:

August 22nd-September 2

Monday: 1:00 early morning headlamp trail run with Shune
                              very easy paced run. felt great.
Tuesday: Track work. 800, 400, 200 X 2 sets. (2:20,2:23) (70,69) (33,34)
Wednesday: 45:00 easy
Thursday: 59:00
Friday: 1:05:00  3 X 1000 meters @ 5:10 pace
                         4 X 200 meters
Saturday: 0 off
Sunday: 35:00 around Centerville lake MN



September 3-5

Monday: track work, 800 (2:23) 1 min rest 400 x 2 with 30 sec rest. (70, 71)
              *right hamstring trouble, a bit mentally beat with this workout!
Tuesday: 0 off for rest/recovery
Wednesday: 37:00 leg feels a bit better, still concerning though for the race???

Vast Improvement

The last I wrote I made reference to finding that "next gear" in my legs. I am beginning to find it and with some additional workouts I hope to be able to feel it fully on September 9th. The weeks are going well and the workouts, albeit simple, seem to be working. It's amazing how quick your body responds when you stress it in a smart way. I take my recovery, and I take it well. Many of my easy days are 8:30 pace and I like it. When I have to run hard, I do. Let's hope this grand master plan unfolds like I wish and maybe, just maybe there is a PR in these legs just one more time.

Here is the last two weeks:

August 13-19th:

Monday: 57:50 headlamp run with Shune
Tuesday: Trackwork, 200,200,400 X 4 sets (35, 71sec.)
Wednesday: 40:00 easy
Thursday: 0 miles rest morning
Friday: 58:00, ladder workout: 1,2,3,4,3,2,1 min LT or faster paces
Saturday: 1:05:00 easy
Sunday: 1:35:00 easy


August 20-26th:

Monday: 1:02:00 headlamp run with Shune
Tuesday: 1:06:00 5 X 200 meters, 2 sets  (32-34 sec.)
Wednesday: 36:00 easy
Thursday: 41:00, cut-down run. last two miles 6:30, 6:00
Friday: 1:00:00  6 x 1 min at mile pace X 2 sets (4:40 down to 4:20 pace)
                         *course rolled so the faster paces were net downhill
Saturday: 1:11:00
Sunday: off 15 hour day at SuperiorMan Tri

Need More Zip

In two shorts weeks I feel amazingly better but still have a long way to go. My legs are definitely feeling more fresh but have another gear yet to be uncovered. (at least I hope there is a gear in there somewhere)

I have made it to the track twice and performed some LT work on the roads two times. To test the waters I made my way out to Esko to run the Kristin Burkholder 5K. The race was organized well from packet pickup to awards. For a small town race, this is a must do! I didn't really know what to expect out of my legs and lungs but once the gun goes off I have one thing on my mind. Get to the finish as fast as I can. For me that meant opening the race with a first mile of 5:19. It felt decent but I was breathing a bit too hard for my liking. The plan was to slow a bit the second mile but when I did it was followed by a burst of energy that told me to stride out and push a bit more. After pushing my way through a second mile in 5:19 (i didn't know this until after the race) I just ran on effort and pushed as hard as I could without going into oxygen debt. So, that resulted in a last mile of 5:20. Pretty consistent I must say myself. Final time: 16:32.  I left that race feeling satisfied with my overall effort and where I am with my training. *my training partner and good friend Dave Hypo ran a very solid race and finished 5th in 17:25. Speed play works!!

So, last week got me very motivated and ready to tackle the rest of the fall. I think with a few more weeks of speed then sharpening I should be able to crank out a decent mile come September 9th. After that, I plan to add some medium distance running and more LT work in preparation for a fall Half-Marathon.

Here is the remainder of the weeks training:

Saturday 4th: 9+ miles with Dave w/ 2 miles at 5:30 pace in middle.
Sunday 5th: 1:05 downtown run and hills

Weeks: 54 miles

August 6-12th:

Monday: recovery 45:48  ~6.5 miles
Tuesday: 1:15:00  200, 200, 800, X 3  (32, 2:27)
Wednesday: 40:00 easy miles
Thursday: 0 miles
Friday: 55:00 Kenwood miles
Saturday: 5K Race 16:32, 1:05:00 total running
Sunday: 1:04:00  Park Point

Weeks Total: ~47 miles
Years Total: 1251.6 miles

The Oval

I wrote last week that I was hoping the week and weekend would help springboard me into a fresh week and give me some momentum. It did not happen. Our family went camping and if I don't get out early to run it will not happen. Too many distractions. So, I decided to press on to this week and make good things happen. They have.

I managed to run every day this week and getting up to the sound of a 0440 alarm clock is becoming easier. (not much of a nightlife but oh well) The week consisted of mostly 50:00+ runs and two workouts. My first workout found me meeting fellow DRC runner Dave HYPO at the Central High track where we performed some short and fast repeats. They felt awful, as expected, but I know things will improve with each week.(I have not performed a true track session in years!)  On Thursday I did what should have been a LT workout but it turned out to be a much harder workout and I didn't like how it felt. AGAIN, they will become smoother with each week.

The weeks are flying bye and I have roughly a month to my first goal race of the late summer/fall racing season. I will be trying to set a personal best at the Grandma's Marathon Mile in September. I need a sub 4:34. I WANT a sub 4:30. If my workouts go as planned I will give myself a real possibility of accomplishing my goals.

This weekend will consist of a little faster paced running tomorrow and easy stuff both Sunday and next Monday.

Here's to setting a new PR!!

Thus far this week:

Monday: 52:00 easy miles
Tuesday: 55:00 *200,400,200 X 2 , plus 200, 100
                          :34's, 73's
Wednesday: 50:15 easy miles
Thursday: 57:00 w/ 15 minutes at 5:33 pace *way too tired for LT effort
Friday: 45:00 easy trail running. *Tischer Creek path is ravaged!

Derailed

The last blog post was in mid June. I had grand plans for recovering from the marathon I had ran the beginning of the month and press on to bigger and better things. That didn't happen. I have many reasons for the lack of running and blogging but mostly "life" just got in the way and I needed to take a break. Not that many people even read this blog but I often use it as a way to keep motivated and see what I have been doing and where I am heading. That brings up the main reason for me falling off the training path. I didn't, and really don't, have a goal race for the fall. I usually do. My main race fell through ( I was going to run the TC 10 Mile but didn't get in) so I now don't really have a plan. Even before I knew I didn't get into the 10 miler I was way off in left field. I mean, I need a goal to get out of bed in the morning and not having one most of July showed when I look back at the month. I would love to say I am motivated to get out of bed and crush some major training days but I guess the next week or two will tell. I'm trying to take a laid back approach to this fall but sometimes that doesn't work either.

Other than no goal our house was one that took on some serious water during the Great Flood of 2012. I was heading to the basement that morning to head out for a run and take some pictures as I knew the rivers would be rushing greatly. As I placed my foot on the landing of the basement stairs I felt and heard a big SPLUSH! I ran up the stairs and turned on the lights and damn if our basement wasn't flooded! SHOOOT! I had to call off the run and tend to some more serious manners. Indeed the whole city had to that day, and that took some major gusto out of my mental mojo so that is reason number two I haven't been training much. Many back breaking hours were spent hauling all the shit out of our basement and that took a toll on my back. Things are slowly getting repaired and soon we will be back on our feet and have a complete house once again. ***For the record, we didn't have it as bad as many residents of Duluth and surrounding areas and I feel very fortunate for that. We still have a place we can call home and live in. Many don't!***

So I sit here on a day I have off of work and plan great things. My legs and body are ready to make a run for some great performance but what that will be still remains to be a mystery. There are many local events to take part in and I have to pick one as my goal race. My main goal is to enter the late fall/early winter healthy and very fit. Whatever weather we get for the winter I plan to tackle the elements and push for great fitness for April. I'm not 100% yet but I may be making my first trip out to Boson Marathon. We will see.

In summary, since June 14th, I have been running 5-6 days per week at 45 minutes per day and long runs of 90 minutes on the weekend. I ran Park Point 5 miler and label it as the "Worst running experience of my adult life". Seriously. I don't know what went on that night, but I don't want to experience that again any time soon. Other than that debacle, I do feel fairly fit. I need to increase my overall volume and work on some longer threshold intervals. Mixing in some easy speed sessions will help and soon I hope to be running strong again.

This week I have taken Monday and Wednesday off, but ran 55:00 both Tuesday and Thursday. I added 7 X 30 second hills yesterday just to mix it up. If I can push through the weekend with some good running maybe that will be my jump start to the next level of training. (fingers crossed...)


Years Total to date: 1150.6 miles

Runnin' With My Gal

Our son spent the early part of the week at my parents since his summer program didn't start until Thursday of this week. That gave my wife and I an uncommon ability to run together. We never get to run together. So, Monday-Wednesday we ran loops before work. I love running with her and cherished the moments even though it was just a few days worth.
My legs feel recovered and it is time to bump up the intensity to test them out. So far this  week I have just continued to do easy, general aerobic running. I feel great doing that but want to do some light repeats to really see how my legs respond.
The body didn't want to get out this morning so I didn't. This is the last slouch week and then back to the grind. I have some serious goals for the rest of the summer and I need to get to work!

Thus far this week:

*all easy paced running
Monday: 45:00 roads
Tuesday: 37:00 roads
Wednesday: 58:00 roads
Thursday: ?

Ready to Go

I spent most of last week ensuring my legs and sore spots were rested and gave myself a little test over the weekend. As I mentioned, Monday thru Wednesday were off days.
I ran an easy run on Thursday night and again on Friday night. Both night runs were a nice change since I usually run at 5:00 a.m. On Saturday I joined Dave for a medium distance run. I really didn't know what to expect and the pace was moderate so I adjusted well. The one concern I had was a little residual soreness over my left knee cap. I cut the run a few miles short and actually didn't have any knee pain in the closing miles or since then. Weird discomfort, as I have never felt that kind of sensation before.  Sunday I took a day off just to make sure the knee, and everything else had a rest day.

The week looked like this:

Monday: 0 rest
Tuesday: 0 rest
Wednesday: 0 rest
Thursday: 46:30 trails
Friday: 57:00 trails
Saturday: 1:30:00 roads
Sunday: 0 miles

Weeks Total: ~26 miles

Years Total: 951.6 miles

Rust Buster

Just a quick note of my weeks progress thus far following the 2012 Minneapolis Marathon.

My legs are feeling very good. I was wondering how long the recovery period would be since I ran the marathon with minimal milage in my legs. I took Monday thru Wednesday off and last night did my first true running test.  I ran with a Doc from work and showed him some trails near our house. After completing a loop in Rock Hill (Bagley) we ventured over to Hartley where I showed him where to park if he wanted to drive to the nature center and do a few loops himself someday. I was shocked how well I felt. I plan on running a short jaunt later today and I may up the mileage slowly this weekend. With a little luck, next week I will be back at it and press on to the path of getting fast!!

As for last night. The total time was 49:30.  Probably good for about 6 miles or little less.

Minneapolis Marathon 2012

The End Result:
2:47:16
5th overall, 2nd age-group

Going into this race I had very humble expectations. I wanted to get a Boston Qualifier (BQ) 20 minutes faster than my age-group minimum. That would allow me to sign up under their new rules for 2013 on the first day of Boston sign up. For me, that time was 2:54:59. A pace I am unfamiliar with. I went as far as printing off a wrist band with splits to ensure I didn't fall off or go out too fast. *the latter was blown after mile two!

I had a few promising long runs and a couple decent steady-state medium distance runs but not any really long "quality" sessions I am used to doing week after week. To say I was nervous of my outcome would be an understatement.

Race morning was started at 0430. I fired up the coffee pot and made small cup of shitty coffee. The motel I was staying at didn't really plan, or care for, the fact there was a marathon the next morning so there was no early breakfast. I had a banana, two granola bars, and half a bag of sport beans and a bottle of poweraide before hitting a shower. Yes, I take a shower before my marathons. It makes me feel good. It loosens up any tight spots and really gets me limber.

Soon I was heading out the door for the ~1 mile jog to the start. I used this as my warm up as I got to the start, did my bag drop, hit the porta pot and the gun would go off some 15 minutes later. Good timing on my part.

The race started without a hitch and I found myself running way too fast. The first three or four miles were near 6:15 pace! I had a devil of a time slowing down and as my splits show I just couldn't settle in 6:30's. So, I did what felt good. I ran a whole bunch of 6:20 miles and managed to hold pace for most of the race, with the exception of a monster hill coming out of Fort Snelling and one mile with  a pit stop. This was an interesting marathon for me in terms of how time went bye. The usual low points near the 15 mile mark didn't last but a mile or two. Once we climbed out of Fort Snelling my legs got a little life and I ran a couple of quick miles once again. The major bummer of this race was on the return trip when we caught the half-marathon group. The race management could have done a better job at the timing of the events or at least trying to keep an open lane for the marathon runners. It really wasn't too bad of a deal but just a bit annoying when you are at 22 miles of a marathon and you have to do a bunch of extra weaving in and out of people. I did my best of keeping my head and had a wonderful last 4 miles despite a crabby right calf muscle that really didn't want to play anymore. I asked nicely, and the course took an awesome downhill for the last two miles or so, which gave my calf a much needed break and I cruised in for the finish.

For the most part my legs feel really good for just running a marathon. I think I ran just about as hard as I needed to and ran a very smart race. I could have been out hammering with the leaders for 16 miles then fall off and really jog the last 10 miles but I held back and ran my race. I'm very happy with that commitment.

I will Load my Garmin RESULTS HERE!

Thanks for reading and cheering from your humble abodes.

Weeks Total: 48 miles

Years Total: 925.6 miles

Race Week

It didn't feel like a race week. I had a decent run on Sunday and I really wanted to keep pressing on for more workouts. My mind told me otherwise. I knew I wasn't going to get any fitter for the marathon and in fact, I could show up very fatigued and possibly injured if I kept pressing the envelope all week. So, I did a taper from the minimal mileage I was running and kept up a little intensity for a couple days. Most of the week I felt fresh but on Thursday I was feeling sluggish and heavy legged. Very normal for a "taper week". Friday I took advantage of a little extra sleep in the morning and Saturday was a quick spin to test the shoes ( I was still undecided as to what shoes I would be wearing come Sunday morning!) and I had a little snap back in my stride. Nice!!

So I managed to get down to the Cities without any difficulty and settle in my motel room. Most of my day consisted of alternating water and poweraide as my beverages of choice. I had a decent meal, an excellent IPA at the Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery and soon I was off to sleep for the night. 

As for the race it deserves its own entry so here is the week leading up to today:

Monday: 37:00, wet run in Rock Hill very slow and relaxed. Nice recovery run.

Tuesday: 40:00, feeling better up Woodland

Wednesday: 30:00, to skyline and did 4 X 3 minutes medium hard effort

Thursday: 30:00, to track and did 4 X 100 meters 

Friday: 0 miles

Saturday: 20:00, easy loop with striders.

One Final Push

Heading into last weekend I was feeling pretty good and I figured I could afford one more distance run and hope to reap some benefit from a little marathon pace running. On Friday I did the Martin Road loop and attempted to throw in some one minute pick-ups and my legs just didn't want to participate at all. So I didn't force the issue and I made my way home just shy of an hour and 8 miles.  Saturday we had more rain and I was too crabby to get wet so off to the treadmill I went and pounded out what I termed "the best treadmill run I've had in many years. It really wasn't anything too special, rather, just a run that felt solid and very fluid. I set the pace and made an early commitment not to run anything faster then 7:20 pace. I kept to that and managed to sprinkle in some hill repeats. I did 4 X 4 minutes at 5% at 8 miles per hour. That effort felt really maintainable and I was happy to break up the monotony of treadmill running with some strength work.  Sunday found myself and buddy Erik using an open window of no rain but high winds to do the long run. I made the early decision to run 18 miles and much at the "marathon" pace of 6:30. I'm not too sure that will be my pace on Sunday but it seems attainable.  One week to go and I will be done with the marathon. I am both excited and very apprehensive. The feeling of fitness is definitely there but not strength fitness like I would like.  Oh, well, time will tell.

Here is the rest of the week:

Friday: 57:00 Woodland loop 8 miles
Saturday: 1:00:00  8.1 miles treadmill 4 X 4 min at 5% at 8mph.
Sunday: 2:00:00  18 miles  much at 6:30 min mile pace.

Weeks Total: 58 miles

Years Total:  877.9 miles

Soggy Feet

Since Sunday, I have run in the rain 3 out of 4 mornings. I have no dry shoes to wear (that's not true but it sounds good) and I fired up the fireplace tonight to dry a few pair plus my running hats.
My Sunday "long" run left me feeling quite good but I took Monday off just to be sure. Tuesday I got out for a nice easy run and found myself running kind of fast for a recovery run. I managed to slow it down a bit so I guess that's promising I feel that good I have to force to slow. Wednesday was my "uptempo" run out on west Skyline. I added a mile to my LT run and picked up the pace ~5 or so seconds per mile. The run started out sluggish but really worked out well and I finished very strong. This morning was a nice recovery run and once again had to force myself to slow in order to keep it a true "recovery" run.

Thus far this week:

Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 50:00 *short on time, slept too late
Wednesday: 1:11:00  6 miles LT @ 5:54 pace
Thursday: 54:00 Kenwood loop

*feeling really good this week and I really wish I had about 5 more weeks to race but I guess I will be able to hold my own on June 3rd. It's going to be hard not to have fast goals when I am feeling fast but not quite ready to "race" a marathon. You never know...

Pace Work Needed

I needed a nice rest after the long effort on Sunday so Monday turned into a complete rest day except for stretches and leg exercises. I managed to get in a decent recovery run Tuesday and Wednesday I jumped right in to a medium long effort with 5 miles at near LT pace. Friday I made my way out to Martin road and along my loop did 6 X 2 minutes at 5:30 pace. Our weekend was filled with camping and on Saturday I got out on the SHT north of Temperence river for a bit over an hour. What a section! My Sunday long effort was shot right from the get-go. It was raining and it managed to rain for the entire 2 hours. A good test for wet socks just incase marathon day is a wet one. I realized I will not wear the socks I had on. One killer blister on the small, pinky toe cost me a few minutes at the end and I needed to finish the run a bit too soon.

Here is the week:

Monday: 0 miles rest + walk in trails with buddy
Tuesday: 59:00 easy loop
Wednesday: 1:21:00  skyline west with 5 miles at 6:00/mi pace
Thursday: 45:00 plus exercises
Friday: 58:20  6X 2 minutes of pick ups
Saturday: 1:02:00  trails at Temperence
Sunday: 1:54:00 wet road run

Weeks Total: ~56 miles

Years Total: 819.8 miles

Progression Long Run

I spent most of the week gearing up and finally getting a little "work" done and some better  up tempo days worked into the schedule. Mid week I did a nice 11 miler with 3 X 10 minutes at 5:50 pace to simulate a little threshold session. At the moment I am not sure what my true LT is but that workout felt pretty close. The rest of the week was getting my legs under me and preparing for what was the longest run of my buildup as well as the year. Sunday we had a nice group that did a mild progression run from Two Harbors to Duluth. The only problem, and a big one it was, was the direct headwind we faced for all 22 miles. At times it was gusting to 15 mph! A bit of a challenge to say the least. In the end I managed to step down the pace nicely and worked plenty hard for it!

Here is the week:

Monday: 0 rest
Tuesday: 50:00 easy
Wednesday: 1:13:00 w/ 3 X 10 minutes at 5:50 pace
Thursday: 50:00 easy
Friday: 52:00 with 8 X 100 meters at 5:00 pace
Saturday: 1:20:00 easy trails in Hartley
Sunday: 2:32:00 north shore progression run
             average 6:55/ last three: 6:31, 6:28, 6:21

Weeks Total: ~64 miles

Years Total: 763.5 miles

Virus Magnet

I seem to have been a magnet for different viruses lately and have been hit with a common "head cold" virus and this past week the damn GI "virus" that leaves you with ass-stomach for two or three days.
Right now I feel quite good and hope to have kicked all of the bad bugs out of my system and now on to better training and daily living.

This past week really rolled out well for me and I would have been very satisfied except for the zero I had to take yesterday because of the stomach thingy.

Today I managed to join a wonderful group and run a bit over two hours on the Voyageur course from the Zoo parking lot. I do love this section and I have never ran the 50 miler so I have no bad taste from the ugly uphill climbing out from the Zoo. Lot's of smiles today and I am ready to have a killer 4 weeks until my potential race. *I know I  can make it to the start...

Weeks Summary:

Monday: 36:00 slow in Rock Hill
Tuesday: 47:00 easy
Wednesday: 1:00:00 treadmill 4 miles @ 6:22 pace
Thursday: 46:00 easy
Friday: 50:00 *feels sluggish
Saturday: 0 *sick
Sunday: 2:13:00 trails/nice run

Weeks Total: ~46 miles

Years Total: 699.5 miles

Bump, Bump, Bump It Up!

I'm referring to training volume and intensity. This past week was another great "test week" that went about as well I could have hoped. The weeks mileage passed without any difficulties or soreness to speak of. My Sunday long effort went well but did manage to leave me with a bit of a sore low back and minimal tightness in the hamstring. I did some stretches after and that seemed to lick it. Part of me thinks that now that I have had the injured hamstring I am over sensed to that area and any twinge or tightness makes me very aware, as compared to months ago it may have gone unnoticed. That may be a good thing, I prefer to think, or that may be something I just need to press a bit to see how things are going to progress. I will mix a bit of those two thoughts as I press forward in my training and see how things iron out. On paper I am scheduled for some light repetitions this week as well as a 20 miler on Sunday! My first of the year!

Here is the weeks summary:

Monday: 32:00 easy jog
Tuesday: 52:30 w/ 7 X 30 sec @ 5K pace
Wednesday: 0 miles
Thursday: 55:00
Friday: 37:00
Saturday: 51:30 *harder pace run sub 7:00's
Sunday: 2:03:00  17 miler rather hilly route.

Weeks Total: ~ 49 miles

Years Total: 653.5 miles

A Week of Progress = Smiles!!

The past week has been wonderful to me. I continue to bump up my runs by time  and soon hope to be back on track to fitness.  It's really hard holding back as I continue this venture and progress is great, but I really just want to start hitting the miles and doing some up tempo work. In due time...

I took last Monday off to give myself the extra rest and then have run six days in a row with runs varying from 30-50 minutes with weekly long effort of 90 minutes this morning. The therapists have really got me in line. Near weekly chiro visits, deep tissue massage, acupuncture along with my strength program at home has been my recipe and I can't remember the last time I felt so fresh while running. I mean, wow, no hamstring pain, no hip pain, no back pain, no achilles pain, NOTHING! Is this how you should feel when you run/train for a marathon? I hope so, and I hope I can keep the ailments to a minimum as I continue to crank up the volume over the next month.

Here is a brief summary of the week:

Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 50:00
Wednesday: 39:00
Thursday: 29:00 with 8X100 meters pick ups
Friday: 45:00
Saturday: 56:00
Sunday: 1:30:00
*most weekly runs @7:30/mile pace

Total: ~41 miles

Years Total: 604.5 miles