09/30/2005

Workout: recovery 5mi.

Finally with some rest under my belt, Alex and I headed out to the MVT-N for a casual mid-morning jog.

One month to go until the marathon!

09/29/2005

Workout: recovery + speed 4mi w/6X100m strides

As opposed to longer, repetitive AM runs, this workout was well-suited to the track at TCWHS. Because I was feeling sluggish yesterday, I slept in (until 7:30am!) and did my run in the early evening. It was a quite a bit warmer but I felt much more rested.

09/28/2005

Workout: Medium-long run 11mi.

Remember my earlier comment how I'd felt no ill effects from the 20-mile race on Sunday? Well, apparently it was a delayed effect, since I felt fairly sluggish this morning. I think part of it was due to not having any water/Gatorade during the run (poor planning--the bottles were in the dishwasher) as well as a lack of sleep.

09/27/2005

Workout: V02 Max 8mi w/5 X 600m @ 5K pace

As with before I did this as an early morning run at the TC Williams track, since it is the best way to avoid unknown MVT objects, and as well gives me the most accurate distance measurements.

I did feel a bit tired near the end of my reps, not so much due to the run itself nor the race on Sunday, I think, but rather the late night watching the LSU-Tennessee OT game. So I opted against doing any additional laps or the normal extra rep.

09/26/2005

Workout: rest.

No lengthy explanation required. Unlike some previous long training runs, I didn't feel much adverse effects the next day with regards to fatigue or muscle soreness. I did notice some tightness in my upper back/shoulders and my thighs, especially walking down stairs. Otherwise I think the pre-race preparation for the week, hydration and salt intake worked pretty well.

09/25/2005 [National Capital 20-Miler]

Workout: National Capital 20-Miler race, Alexandria, VA

The good Lord was kind indeed, by giving us race-day conditions which were nearly 20 degrees cooler than earlier in the week, and with overcast skies. This matured into a very important event for my marathon training, in two regards. First, I considered it to be a dress rehearsal for the marathon with respect to the week before (carbo-loading) and my race morning routine. And secondly, I determined target splits for mileage which would put me on pace for a sub-3:00 MCM. I hope.

The splits I'd targeted were approximately a 6:40 - 6:50 pace for the duration of the race, with a breakdown of: 7:10 for mile 1 (due to starting line chaos); 6:40 for miles 2-15; and 6:50 for miles 16-20. To eliminate the need to memorize a bunch of mileage/split times, I took a red Sharpie marker an wrote down the split times for miles 1, 3,6,9,15 and 20 on my left forearm, along side my HRM. This seemed to work pretty well, and normal sweating didn't cause any of the numbers to blur.

After almost four full days of the carbo-loading/stomach-gouging, I could barely finish my bowl of cereal and banana for breakfast. As with the race back in July, I was again humored by our neighbor across the street waiting at the end of the driveway at 5am for the Sunday paper to arrive. I had my coffee and OJ, did some light stretching and pulled together my "stuff" for the day--outfit, shoes, Fuel Belt, salt tablets, GU, etc. In reality, I didn't have enough to do, so I took a brief nap around 5:45am. I'd only decided to wake up so early in order to fully 'process' breakfast before heading to the race.

The race start nearly caught me by surprise, as I was waiting in the pack and talking with a fellow ND alumni I'd met the day before at the number pick-up. After we both realized that, hey, I guess the race has started, we exchanged well-wishes and headed out.

Unfortunately in my focus to maintain my splits, I forgot to actually record them on the HRM. After the slog at the start, I think I did about a 7:20 for mile 1. Thereafter, most of my target splits stayed at approximately 30 seconds off the target pace, which made me confident that I was progressing as planned. [Of course, that makes one wonder how slow the start of the MCM portends to be with 30,000 runners.]

The start of the course went through some neighborhoods in Mt. Vernon then turned south along the MVT. My pace remained steady, and I carefully picked off other runners ahead of me, using them as interim targets to keep my pace moving. By mile 2, it was easy to navigate past runners as the packed had really thinned out. I primarily used the Gatorade/water stops, and only reverted to the Fuel Belt later.

Something funny happened around mile 8-9. I was fairly certain I was on pace, but when I checked my split at mile 8, it was about 56:00, instead of the 53:00 I was--I thought--maintaining. Oddly, thereafter, my splits all came in at about 1 1/2-2min over. Because I was able to resume my pace and keep the difference from increasing, I wasn't too worried.

After the 5-mile turn, the course became a bit more dicey, since suddenly the throngs on runners on my heels were now coming at me from the other side of that thin, yellow line. One guy I was tracking--a larger guy in his 40s by the name "Howard" (everyone knew him and yelled his name!)--was in front of me from miles 4 through about 9. Each time I would edge ahead, he would speed past me on the next hill downslope. Having heard too many stories of blown-out calves and other muscles from racing down a hill, I downshifted and slowed on most hills with any steep incline. Eventually I pulled away from him, but it was great to have him push me along! Likewise, about that same time a guy in a yellow shirt passed me (just a personal affront--I gauge how well I've trained but limiting the number of runners who pass me during the race. Call it my "none shall pass!" mantra.)

As I continued on I couldn't help but think that all the hills through miles 2-9 may have contributed to the lost time on my pace. I decided that I would focus on keeping my pace for the duration, and do a split at 12 miles to gauge my progress.

I continued to hydrate at each water stop, chased the guy in the yellow shirt, and had a GU banana gel just after the mile 8 marker. After 12 miles, my split came in at 1:22:34, which translates into an--ugh--6:53 pace. Damned hills.

The rest of the race went well. I continued my steady pace, keeping 30 seconds off my targets at each marker. I kept following the guy in the yellow shirt, but we didn't meet up with any other runners. At the 14+ turn to head back home, we saw 3-4 guys a few hundred yards ahead. I figured that at our current pace, we could easily take them. But at the turn, yellow shirt guy realized I was right on his heels and turned on the afterburners. I finally caught him at mile 15, when he pulled off to the side, said "good luck" and left me to my own devices. [When I talked to him post-race, he said his plan was to pace for 15 miles.]

The last 6 miles were fairly uneventful. I had my second GU gel at mile 16, and was sufficiently hydrated thoughout. After the turn, I knew--courtesy of another leading runner shouting out positions--that I was in position 14. I also knew with the small pack ahead of us, that if I set an post-turn goal to make the top 10, it could only help my goal pace. Yellow shirt guy and I caught two of them just before Belle Haven and when yellow shirt guy dropped out, I only had one more to catch. I didn't see him for awhile, but I finally did and caught him. At mile 17 I saw another guy in front of me, and passed him at mile 18.5.

I finished (by my watch) at 2:15:15, which I tend to believe is more credible since there was a mass start time (no chips). My last 8 miles came in at 52:45, or a 6:36 clip. I don't think I'll be keeping that pace in the final miles of the marathon, but I think I still had a few good miles in me after 20 yesterday. My time was good enough for 9th overall.

Five weeks to race day.

09/24/2005

Workout: rest.

Must rest. Big race tomorrow. Long race.

I'll be happy when race day is finally here, because the carbo-loading is killing me with all the food I've been inhaling.

09/23/2005

Workout: recovery 5mi.

Because today was an easy run, I took Alex with me on a mini-reconnaissance mission. We headed down the GW Parkway to the start location for Sunday's race. This wasn't so much to review the course--allegedly, most of the course is on the MVT, of which I'm quite familiar. Rather, I wanted to make sure I didn't get lost driving to the start location (mission accomplished).

Unfortunately, this short run reminded me of how extensively undulated and hilly the south portion of the MVT is. While the hills are not nearly as long and pronounced as the Riley's Rumble course, nevertheless they are numerous. While part of my weekend race prep is to assess my expected mileage splits, I sense that after the race some "adjustments" may be necessary due to the not-so-flat course. Then again, I won't be pushing a stroller and 30+ pounds of baggage during the races.

09/22/2005

Workout: medium-long run 12mi.

Even though I woke up in plenty of time just after 5am to knock this out, I opted to go back to bed. It wasn't even the fact that I was tired. Rather, I felt I'd rather run 12 miles in the evening with some daylight as opposed to pitch black, with occasional blindness from oncoming GWP traffic.

That evening, I soon realized some of the drawbacks to running later in the day--more reckless cyclers on the path, more runners/walkers, more humidity, and a few gnats right down the piehole. Nice.

One other drawback is that the roads which are typically empty at 5am now have hundreds of crazy, stupid jackass drivers breaking all sorts of laws in an effort to get home from work 37 seconds faster than they otherwise would by obeying the law. Here are some tips for you folks:

1. When you roll through a stop sign/red light and give me the obligatory, seemingly apologetic "wave" as you blow the dirt off my Asics...don't. I already figured you to be a reckless jackass, and your latest actions haven't changed my mind.
2. When you get to an intersection where I have stopped to check traffic in all directions--much like you are supposed to as well--don't wave to me as if by the grace of God and your infinite generosity, you are surrendering to me the honor of passing through the intersection ahead of you. I know what it means to have the right-of-way at a 4-way stop. Also, I still think you are a jackass.

GEL Report: At mile 9 I had a GU Banana gel. My first recation was, "Wow! This stuff actually tastes good!". Ironically, after sampling 10 or so different brands/flavors, the last one, of course, appears to be the one I'll use for my remaining training and races.

09/21/2005

Workout: hill reps 10 X 400m

Nothing too exciting about these, though I almost lost track as I was trying to rehearse my speech for that evening while doing the hills. Thank goodness the humidity is back.

09/20/2005

Workout: V02 max 9mi. w/5 X 1000m @ 5K pace

See previous post. We got back from the beach early enough for me to head out to the track and do this, but since I had a "rest" day for the next morning session, I decided to defer to then and give my Achilles a few more hours to mend.

Wednesday AM I headed to the TC Williams track, and felt much better. I did a few specialize Achilles stretches the night before, right before my workout, and at two stops during the workout. Seems to be back to almost 100% now.

On a somewhat quirky related note...there were a few other guys at the track early that morning doing laps. One dork had brought a barbell with what looked to be 100lbs in weight on it which he situated at the end of the 100m straightaway. He would jog a lap or two, stop and do some pushups, then spend 10 minutes doing all sorts of deadlifts with the barbell. Like I said...dork.

09/19/2005

Workout: general aerobic 8mi.

This workout never happened. Since my left Achilles tendon was still bothering me, I decided to err on the side of caution, trying not to make matters worse as the National Capital 20-Miler is less than a week away. Another day of rest.

09/18/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Good timing on this one. The strained Achilles didn't quite pass quickly as I'd hoped, and bothered me throughout the day. Even simple walking was done with a limp. Hopefully it won't impede my schedule too much.

09/17/2005

Workout: long run 17mi.

Throughout the week I debated as to whether I should use this as a practice run along the MVT South, in preparation for the National Capial 20-Miler next Sunday. I finally decided that since I already knew the trail (course) pretty well, the only advantage I'd have would be to get some work on the various hills. The disadvantage, as with last week, was the distinct possibility of stepping off the trail in the pitch blackness, and turning and ankle. So I decided to head over to the TC Williams track again.

Aside from the "toe issue" which started on Thursday, today brought yet another physical ailment, though one which will also likely pass with time. For most of the duration of my run, my left Achilles tendon was extremely tight, so much so that I stopped twice to re-stretch and even once altered my running form for a lap or two. Instead of taking advantage of the extra 1/2 mile for this workout, I cut it short after just the requisite 17 miles.

GEL REPORT: After mile 10 I had a GU Plain gel. These packs are a bit smaller than the PowerGel and Clif shots, but in honesty perhaps a better size, as the two gulps it took to finish it seemed less overwhelming than the other brands. The tast was as advertised--pretty much none, perhaps a slight twinge of vanilla. But no aftertaste, either.

09/16/0225

Workout: recovery 9mi.

Late Thursday afternoon while walking around the house, I suddenly felt a small, dull pain under my left toe, as if I'd stepped on a very small marble. I sat down to check it out and sure enough, there was something that--if pressed a certain way or walked on with any weight--produced a minor pain. I noticed it as well as I headed out for my run Friday morning, but eventually it was less significant, only being noticeable on occasion.

On an unrelated note...I seem to recall several years back when 9 miles was a full week's worth of exercise. Oy.

09/15/2005

Workout: recovery + speed 4mi w/6 X 100m strides

When I first started my ad-hoc plan to do this workout, I realized that it might be too short for me to get in the requisite parts, since typically I will do strides as part of a 6-10mi. run on the MVT. Instead I headed down the street to the TC Williams HS track, and simply worked in one 1/4 lap sprint per lap.

Either the sheer volume of workouts is getting to me, I'm getting lax in my nightly curfew, or it's the resurgent humidity, but I have been absolutely exhausted the past week or two. I'm going to have to be better about getting to bed by 10pm nightly.

09/14/2005

Workout: hill reps 14 X 400

I started this workout fairly late, not heading out until 7pm. Since the summer weather reprieve was only a week long, this was fine by me as the heat and humidity had subsided a bit by then.

Originally this was scheduled as a pure 'rest' day, but I added in the optional hill workouts for most weeks in order to prepare for the inevitable slog across the 14th Street Bridge.

09/13/2205

Workout: medium-long run 11mi.

Looks like this is going to be a tough week, when the "recovery" run at the end is only 2 miles shorter than today's medium-long run. Luckily I've gotten used to running in the AM, which gives me the benefit of cooler weather. The obvious drawback is that by 9pm, I'm falling asleep on the couch.

On the return leg I almost got cleaned out by some old septugenarian biddy on her bike, who took the corner wide before she slammed on her brakes. She started to say something to me about how I should "slow down", while I stared in disbelief...from the right side of the trail. I cut her off pretty quickly with some choice words which included the key fact that she almost hit me...on the right side. End of discussion.

GEL REPORT: After mile 8, I had a Clif Shot Strawberry Gel. Not so great. The taste was overwhelmingly strong and more chemical-ish than strawberry-ish.

09/12/2005

Workout: V02 max 8mi w/5 X 600 @ 5K pace, jog 90sec

I hit the TCW track again for this workout after we drove back from Greensburg, PA. Luckily it was 2:30pm and nearing maximium sunshine/heat intensity. Oy. Aside from the hot weather, the workout was pretty effective. For good measure I did 6 or 7 reps, I can't recall which.

As an aside, I believe I have dsicovered why the youth of America are out of shape. During my workout, a gym class made their way out to the track. Keep in mind, that gym class is normally for kids who cannot "opt out" due to participation in a seasonal sport. The class consisted of the students walking around the track once, stopping under a shady tree for some pointers from the instructor, and then walking around the track once more before heading inside.

Whew! I got tired just watching those kids!

09/11/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

I don't think the tailgating and attending the Steelers-Titans game qualifies as either "rest" or "cross-training", but it was a welcome change nevertheless.

09/10/2005

Workout: long run 20mi.

With two more 20-mile runs on the schedule--including the race on 09/25--this would match my longest pre-marathon distance. Since we were heading out of town in the morning, I again faced the dilemma of "where and when" for this run. In the end, I decided that the lack of sunlight at 4:30/5am on the MVT was just too risky a proposition, considering a possible sprained ankle lurked at every turn. Instead I opted for the monotony of the TC Williams HS track. On the advice of Nick P., I reversed direction after each mile.

In truth it was only 18 miles on the track, since the run down to the high school is over a mile. I felt pretty good for the first 6 miles or so, but from mile 6 through 12, not so much. I began to feel fatigue in my legs, and a general sense of tiring quickly. Maybe it was the never-changing scenery, which at one point I realized I wasn't even observing, instead keeping my stare fixated about 10 feet in front of me on the track. But after mile 12, I felt a resurgence of energy and felt good thereafter, especially miles 16 and beyond. Later that morning I felt the inevitable burn in my lower thigh muscles, validating that I'd put in a good effort. Run duration was roughly 02:30.

GEL REPORT: At mile 8 I took a Clif Shot vanilla gel; probably the best one so far. Perhaps it was the familiarity, since I noticed it tasted quite a bit like the Powerbar vanilla. At mile 16 I had a Clif Shot chocolate (mocha). It was a bit stronger, but good as well. Again, very similar to the Powerbar version.

09/09/2005

Workout: recovery 5mi.

The weather has been quite accommodating this week, so it was a great day to take Alex out on the MVT in the jog stroller. A nice little tune-up for tomorrow's long run.

09/08/2005

Workout: medium-long run 12mi.

Today was near-ideal conditions for a longer run. The temperature was in the low 50s when I headed out at 5am, with little humidity. Seemed to be sufficient enough to keep the damn breakfast gnats out of my face for the duration. I felt some tiredness in my legs around mile 5, but that dissipated soon and I began to feel stronger for the final 6-7 miles. Just before going to bed, I double-checked the workout with my book's schedule and sure enough, the "4mi. + 6X100m" I thought I'd be doing was incorrect (next week's workout).

In contrast to last weekend's 14 miles, I was much better prepared for this run. I got almost 9+ hours of sleep on Tuesday night, and another 6.5 last night. Before bed I had a large glass of Gatorade, and I packed a gel and two hydration flasks for the run.

GEL REPORT: I had a PowerGel Tropical Fruit at approximately mile 8. Aside from shooting the first squirt into the dry, far recesses of the back of my mouth, not a bad flavor.

09/07/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

I was considering taking a bike ride in the early evening to spec out the mileage markers for Saturday morning's 20-miler. But upon reflection decided that a rest day before 12 miles, and two days before 20 miles may not be such a bad idea. I got in some exercise with two excursions with Booger to the Maury playground.

After all, it's all about the child, no?

09/06/2005

Workout: lactate threshold 12mi w/7mi @ 15K or half-marathon pace.

OK. While my physical form seems to be fine, mentally things are a mess. I somehow morphed this workout with the one for 09/20. So when I headed to the TC Williams track, I thought I would be doing "12 mi w/5 X 1000m at 15K pace".

Ugh. Need...more...sleep.

09/05/2005

Workout: recovery + speed 6mi w/6 X 100m strides

Despite all the travel, my first run back at home went pretty well. Just to make it shorter, I did 10 X 100m. The weather broke for now, with less humidity and recent highs in the low 80s. Still, the triple-H days could return shortly.

09/04/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Does driving 6 hours in the car count as "cross-training"?

09/03/2005

Workout: medium long run 14mi.

While I have as yet to determine the optimal preparation routine for long runs, I have ascertained some points for the ant-optimal preparation routine:

1. Drive 14 hours in car in preceding two days;
2. Sleep in uncomfortable, foreign bed for two nights;
3. Wait until approximately 10:00am to begin run for maximum sunlight;
4. Determine run duration based on time and not actual mileage; and
5. Pre-run hydration using coffee.

Needless to say, my run was not that enjoyable. I think the poor hydration resulted in some cramps near the end of the run. It didn't help that much of the 'course' was hilly.

GEL REPORT: I had a Powerade Strawberry-Banana (with caffeine) gel at roughly mile 10. The gel itself wasn't too bad, though there was some lingering taste about 30 minutes later which was not so pleasant.

09/02/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Aaaah....not quite. Probably logged about 8 hours driving in the car, not very "restful".

09/01/2005

Workout: general aerobic 8mi w/8 X 100m strides

I moved this up a day to allow for a rest day on Friday, when we planned to be in transit down in NC. Just for good measure, I did 10 instead of 8 sprints.