Round & Round He Goes . . .

where he'll stop, nobody knows.

The title for this post comes from last Wednesday's workout, which turned into an exercise in mental focus. Because of the recent rise in temperature around here (HOORAY!), the snow's been melting at a fast clip. On Wednesday, that produced a very foggy, sloppy day, and I felt that it wasn't super-safe to run outside, since it would be tough for cars to see me. I headed for the athletic center at the private school where I live, and planned to warm up for 2 miles on the indoor track, do maybe 6 miles on the treadmill (with 30-second bursts at 5K pace every half-mile or so), and then finish up with 2 more miles on the track. That track surrounds an indoor, multi-sport turf, and is 1/10 of a mile around. Well, I started running on the track and decided that it'd be easier to accelerate there than have to fiddle with the treadmill controls every few minutes. I thus set out to run 10 miles at 10 laps per mile. How many laps is that, my dear students? Right, 100. Now, I'm not planning to do this very often, but there was something gratifying about making myself keep going until I'd done what I set out to do. When the going gets tough in my next marathon, I can take in the gorgeous scenery and remind myself that at least I'm not stuck doing 100 laps on an indoor track. :-)

Otherwise, I had a good workout on Friday: 8 miles total, with two sets of 15 minutes at half-marathon pace. Set #1 came out to around 6:55/mile, while #2 was closer to 6:45 pace. Sunday, though, was my first "real" long run of this cycle, a bit over 17 miles, with some major hills and the final 5 miles at goal marathon pace. It was about 25 degrees when I left, but I knew it was going to warm up, so I went with shorts. This time of year, it's tough to stay comfortable for an entire run. The climb from about the 10.5 to 12-mile mark is one of the most challenging hills around this area, gaining nearly 400 feet in about 1.5 miles. Here's the route:



Last year, I would have likely run that killer ascent in an 11:00 pace, but I managed to keep it at 10:00 pace yesterday. Other than the fierce dog which ran after me, it was a good, solid climb. At the top, I took my second gel of the day and went into the marathon-paced segment of the run. In order to qualify for Boston, I need to average 7:39 per mile for a marathon, so I'm striving to be in shape to run at an average pace of 7:30 per mile (a guy needs a little margin for error). Of course, the wind picked up into my face for that last part, but the splits for my final 5 miles were 7:39/7:42/7:36/7:30/7:02. It was hard, but manageable. I had to stop to drink at around mile 15.25, as the wind had a dehydrating effect, and I'd taken in far fewer fluids than I would have to that point in a marathon.

With 9 weeks to go to my next Boston-qualifying attempt, I'm feeling pretty good about where I am.

This week, we're off on a family vacation, so I hope to get in around 45 miles on 5 days of running, with perhaps a 20-miler when we're back next Sunday. I'll need to get up and out early to avoid interfering with our family's visit to our nation's capital. We're looking forward to a change of scene, and the kids should very much enjoy all the sites DC has to offer.

-ESG

PR-ing Like a Kitten

Another race, another personal best. On Saturday I ran a little local 3-mile (not 5K) race. I'd run it on a different course in 2007, when I had been "serious" about running for about 8 months at that point. I'd wanted to run under 20:00, and I ran 19:46, finishing 3rd in my age group. This year, I wanted to run under 18:30. Yeah, that's a lot more ambitious.

The weather completely cooperated for a change as the temps broke 50 and the sun was out. The roads were pretty messy and muddy thanks to all the melting snow, but it was a trade-off I was very willing to make. I got a ride from a running buddy so that I could run the 5 miles home after the race. I trotted out the dazzling new lightweight racing shoes, the Nike LunaRacers:

Although I'm not a Nike fan in general, the buzz on this shoe made me check my moral qualms at the door and try them out. While I don't see myself running a marathon in them (I need more support), they are a dream combination of cushioning at an incomprehensibly low weight, likely to get me through up to a 10K. For comparison, bear in mind that my "light" training/racing shoes weigh in at about 9.5 ounces. The LunaRacers? 5.5 (yes, five and a half) ounces. When you think about the energy required to lift one's foot over the course of a race, that's a major difference. And when I put them on yesterday for the second time ever (and first time in a race), I just felt faster right away.

Here's the overview of the day:

• 2-mile warm-up in my Asics GT-2140, with 2 100-meter strides thrown in
• Change into LunaRacers and shed warm-up layer, running in shorts and singlet
• Run the 3-mile race
• Run the majority of the course a second time
• Run home
• Day's total was a little under 13 miles

The race was a wonderful experience for me. The miles went by like this:

1. Started out WAY too fast (getting sucked into a low-5:00/mile pace by the track and XC kids), so slowed myself down by the half-mile point; Mile #1 - 5:48 (which is a new mile PR for me); average HR = 173
2. Second mile was into the wind, with two small hills and a 4 tight turns; the eventual female winner passed me, ending up beating me by about 10 seconds; split - 6:19; average HR 180, with a max of 184
3. At this point, I was trying to keep my head together; I was running with a fellow running club team member whom I've never beaten in a race, and was ahead of two other teammates whom I'd seen at the start, but who had not passed me; with about 0.25 left, the guy running with me seemed to let up, and I finished about 7 seconds ahead of him (though I would have preferred that it come to a kick to make it more exciting); split - 6:04; average HR 179

Gun time = 18:23; my time, 18:21. Finished 15th overall; 2nd in my age group (lost by 30 seconds, so there's plenty of work left to do).

Yes, I'm ecstatic about running a mile PR in a race and still holding on for a respectable result. A number of my running club mates commented about their "surprise" at seeing my time. No one came out to accuse me of doping or anything, but I wonder if that's far behind. Seriously, after feeling like I was in a bit of a rut, it's been very gratifying to set a PR in every race I've run going back to Chicago 2008 (a disappointing result, but still a marathon PR). That would be new bests in the marathon, half-marathon (twice), the 4-mile and the 3-mile (I suppose I could claim a 40-mile PR, but that seems a bit ridiculous, even for me). It seems like running is finally starting to show me some of the love I've shown it during the past couple of years.

I plan to bump my mileage up to the mid-50's this week, with nothing fast unless and until I feel like I've really recovered from Saturday's effort. I'm NOT going to be stupid and greedy this time around. No, seriously. I mean it! Next week will be a conveniently forced cutback week, as we're going on a family vacation, with 2 almost-full driving days and the need not to disappear for hours at a time. I'll try to work around the travel schedule and put up 45+ miles, then ramp it up to 60 after that.

So far, so good. I just hope I can keep the engine PuRing through May 17th (and beyond).

-ESG

How Fast Is Too Fast?

As I embrace Hudson's training philosophy full-on, I have run more "quality" lately than I have in as long as I can remember. Gone are my regular 9:00+-mile efforts. Instead, I've done hill repeats at 10K pace, lots of short hill sprints, fartlek intervals, progression runs with "hard" finishes and even classic repeats at 5K pace. The way I described it in RWOL is that Hudson seems to get more "gears" into the mix, and it seems to be helping me fill in some gaps in terms of my running strengths (few) and weaknesses (plenty). Since I seem to be tolerating the schedule relatively well, it doesn't seem like it's too much intensity too soon, but I need to remain extremely attentive to how I'm feeling and pull back if and when it's necessary.

This week's 50+ miles will likely end up breaking down like this:

• Monday - cross-training day
• Tuesday - 7 miles, with 5x800 repeats at 5K pace with 2:00 rest (repeats ranged from 6:15 down to 5:59 pace, though on the TM those paces are not necessarily accurate)
• Wednesday - 10.5 miles at an easy pace (9+), plus 3 hours of downhill skiing
• Thursday - 8 miles easy
• Friday -4-5 miles, very easy, with 4-5 100-meter strides
• Saturday - 3-mile race, with possible second loop on the race course at tempo pace; with warm-up and cool-down (including running home from the race), should be 10-12 miles total
• Sunday - 10 miles, 5 before my running club comes over, and 5 with other club members before having brunch

I'd like to run well in Saturday's race, but don't really know what to expect. I'm slightly sore from the past few days' efforts, but not bad. I can feel the groin twinge every so often, but not during any particular point in terms of distance or pace. So, on Saturday, I'm going to go out close to 6:00 for the first mile and hope to hang on for dear life. I'd be thrilled with 18:30 (this is a 3-miler, not a 5K, and that won't likely even get me an age-group placing) and could live with anything under 19:00, since that would still mean I'm poised for a new 5K PR sooner rather than later, simply off of the overall volume and strength of my recent training (i.e., since I've done very little 5K-pace running). Oh, and I must avoid getting hurt.

Next week I plan to bump up the mileage to mid-50's, and then will likely have to have a cutback week as we take a family trip to DC during the week of March 16th. With two full driving days and possibly limited spousal patience, I'll have to be judicious about when and for how long I run. If the weather is nice, then some early morning long-ish runs may carry me through to a 45-mile week.

Look for a race report sometime after Saturday's race.

-ESG

Lucky 13 (Weeks)?

So, week #1 of the 13-week Sugarloaf buildup is in the books. I wanted to do 45 miles. Check. I wanted to use Hudson as an influence. Check. I wanted to allow myself to recover from last weekend's half-marathon. Check. And, I wanted not to get hurt again. Check.

The week ended up looking like this:

• Monday - XT (elliptical), plus circuit, stretching and core work
• Tuesday - 5+ miles easy
• Wednesday - 8+M, with 4x8 second steep hill sprints
• Thursday - 5+M easy
• Friday - 7M, intending to do 15 mins (or 2+ miles) at HM pace, but due to snow & slippery ground, did about 10 mins at HM effort
• Saturday - 4+M easy
• Sunday - 16M, with 12 outside easy and last 30 mins on TM hard (though I forgot that Hudson said it should have been uphill)

Total mileage was about 46 and change (adding in the overages) and I feel pretty good. The plan is to get to 50 miles this week, again doing my own version of what Hudson might suggest for the week. I've taken his Marathon Level 2 schedule and written out the final 13 weeks. I've sketched out my weekly mileage goals, including cutback weeks and a peak week of 65+ miles. Before each week, I'm writing my workouts below his, trying to keep the same "rhythm" to the week, but accounting for any fatigue, extra recovery, scheduling, racing or other issues. This seems very sensible, so long as I remain true to his philosophy that no plan should ever be written in stone so that we follow it blindly. The variety seems like a good thing, as it's been rather easy to settle into the same types of workouts, while avoiding others. Unlike Pfitzinger's plans, Hudson's workouts seem to involve shorter periods of intense running, with enough change of distance and paces to keep it interesting. On the other hand, learning the new stuff "on the fly" makes for having to focus in order to get it "right".

The main difference I've noticed is how I feel about training now that I have some objective, external confirmation that 3:20 is possible at Sugarloaf. My relatively untrained half-marathon time from February 15th puts me in line with a 3:18-ish marathon (yes, I know that the calculators can be optimistic for those of us who run less than 70 miles per week), and I expect to gain speed and endurance during this training cycle. Also, Sugarloaf is a fast course, for those who run the first 10 miles intelligently. I cross-checked other marathon results for those who have run Sugarloaf in the 3:15 to 3:20 range over the past couple of years, and it was invariably each person's fastest marathon over that same time period, faster even than Philadelphia, which many of them ran. I suppose if Eustis, Maine was not in the hinterlands, more than 200 or so people might run the race. Ironically,. though Maine is my neighbor state, the drive to Sugarloaf will be about the same as driving to NYC. Yup, it's up there, all right.

I don't know if I've crossed a fitness threshold or what, but surely 2+ years of consistent running is paying off. I also think that race experience and mental toughness are part of the equation. The Hamptons half-marathon was the first PR race where I never once thought how I'd like to slow down or quit. That tells me that (a) I'm finally learning how to race, and (b) I might have been able to run harder.

It's a joy to feel nearly 100% healthy, and to have palpable sense that my goal of qualifying for Boston is getting closer to being within my grasp. I can only imagine how it will feel if and when I arrive at that moment on the marathon course, be it at mile 20 or 24 or 26, where it becomes clear that the BQ is "in the bag". I won't be the first person to finish a marathon with tears in his/her eyes, but that will be a first for me. Ok, ok . . . I realize that there are still about 600 miles of training runs ahead of me, so I'll zoom back into the shorter-term view now.

-ESG

Half-Marathon Addendum - The Splits

Just had a chance to break down the race by looking at the Garmin. Here's the story by the numbers:

1 - 7:13
2 - 7:14
3 - 7:09
4 - 7:16
5 - 7:09 [the wind died down a bit from miles 5-9]
6 - 6:57
7 - 7:02
8 - 7:04
9 - 6:54
10 - 7:06
11 - 7:09
12 - 7:10
13 - 7:07
0.1 - 1:30 (measured 0.25 by Garmin auto-lap, sub-6:20 pace)

Heart rate averaged 170, with a max of 178 during the final kick.

Yeah, I can live with that. Next HM goal may be to run sub-7:00 pace, but that may be overly ambitious.

-ESG

A Man, No Plan, A Half-Marathon . . .

Today's post's title is a rip-off of the classic palindrome, "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama". For those who don't know, a palindrome is a word or phrase which reads the same backwards as forward (e.g., "Hannah" or "Madam, I'm Adam").

In this case, I'm trying to convey that I ran a half-marathon yesterday without having specifically trained for it. I've only hit 40 miles in a week once since the year's inception, and I'm dealing with a nagging groin strain which I sustained about 6 weeks ago during a pick-up soccer game. I made no race plan; set no time goal; printed no pace band. This is very much out of character for this mildly OCD runner.

Instead, I told myself that I would go out at around a 7:30 mile pace, see how I felt, and decide what sort of day it would be. I knew the course to be among the flattest in the area (a coastal loop with a couple of rolling hills, but peaking only at about 100 feet above sea level), and the weather looked to be decent. However, I felt under-trained, groin-strained, with my sinuses undrained [insert groan here].

It's relevant to note here that I ran one of the most disappointing races of my running "career" at the same place last year, when I "trained through" a high mileage week, did not pace well early, had a fueling catastrophe at around mile 6 (couldn't get the Sport Beans out of their package) and got to run through a nice little snowstorm during the final miles. So, while I had no plan, per se, redemption was on my mind.

Deciding how to dress for a potentially blustery New England winter day was a bit challenging, but I decided that less is more when it comes to racing. I drove to the race with two friends who dressed like they might be racing the Iditarod, with heavy hats, gloves, and pants. I went with my new short-sleeved Mountain HardWear windstopper top (with a half-zipper), arm warmers (goofy-looking, but effective; one guy I know said he liked the "Spider Man" look) and Race Ready shorts (with Sugoi wind briefs underneath - THE key article of clothing for the day). I wore my Saucony Grid Tangent lightweight trainers, but - having learned my lesson during a Thanksgiving Day 4-miler, I wore mid-weight SmartWool socks. I added light fleece gloves which come off easily and a light fleece hat. As it turned out, I was dressed perfectly. I never felt cold, and during the sunny stretches where the wind calmed down, I was able to take off my gloves, adjust my hat and unzip my shirt to remain comfortable throughout.

I saw two acquaintances at the starting line. One I know to be faster than me who wanted to see about running 7:15-ish pace. The other whose fitness I knew nothing about, who said he wanted to shoot for 7:30 pace. The faster guy and I started together for a mile or so, with the slower guy ahead of us. The faster guy left me (he ran a 7:02 overall pace), and I ran with the slower guy for about a half-mile, when I left him behind (he petered out late and ran a 7:59 average pace).

My HR got to 168-170 pretty quickly, and I was running between 7:05 and 7:15 per mile, fighting the wind and trying to draft off of other runners. The wind was a total bastard for the first 4-5 miles, until we turned into a shielded residential area. At each mile marker, I'd calculate what a 7:30 average mile would be, and then realized I was getting well ahead of that pace. Before I knew it, I realized that I was on track for a new PR, and the actual math got complicated, so I just focused on staying in the low 7:00 range . . . one mile at a time.

I drank a little bit of water at mile 3, took a Gu Roctane gel at mile 6, slowing to drink as much of 2 small cups of water as I could, and then skipped the remaining aid stations. Not sure whether that was good choice, but I didn't want to lose my momentum in the final stretch.

Having battled the wind on the northward part of the course, I looked forward to getting a nice strong tailwind coming back along the coast for the final 4.5 or so miles. Of course, turns out that the running gods were a bit bored, and the headwind was equally fierce coming back. While I'd had visions of running sub-7:00 pace for the final 4 miles, I had to work hard just to keep it at 7:10. I just could not find an extra gear.

The final miles involved seeing a few people whom I'd seen earlier on the course, along with a couple of sandbaggers who passed me at around mile 11 as if I'd been standing still. I caught up to a woman whom I'd seen along the course. She had passed me a few miles earlier, and she pulled away from me again at around mile 12. I was struggling to stay smooth and relaxed, and she seemed to stay about 10 meters ahead of me, whether I accelerated or not. When I finally could see the 13-mile marker and the finish line just behind it. I tried to kick it in. I was probably 0.25 miles from the finish, and this time I found the extra gear. The groin cooperated, and I passed the woman in that last tenth of a mile. The Garmin said I averaged about 6:20 pace for the last quarter-mile. I beat her by 4 seconds, with a new half-marathon PR: 1:34:08 (the race offered only gun time, which was about 10 seconds slower). I was ecstatic, especially given that I simply did not expect it going in. That's a 7:10 pace, and an almost two-minute improvement over November's effort (on a less hilly course, granted).

I came in 71st out of about 860 people (last year, I was 180-somethingth). With my new, more competitive age group, though, I was a humbling 14th. The guys who rode with me sandwiched me with their times: the faster one was 21st overall in about 1:26 (8 minutes faster) and the other finished in around 1:42 (8 minutes slower). Each was disappointed - for different reasons - with his time.

Now it's time for me to focus on a 13-week, Hudson-influenced training plan. I hope to line up at Sugarloaf healthy and in even better shape than I'm in now. If I keep my wits about me and get decent weather, I hope to get to enjoy the spoils of my hard work over the course of a full marathon. I think I hear Boston 2010 calling my name, and this time it really means it.

Thanks for reading, ESG

Various and Sundry

Today's post will be a stream of consciousness mish-mash of what's been going on since I last posted a couple of weeks ago.

Injury Report and Upcoming Race

The groin injury is healing, and I'm back up to 40+ miles per week, though I've sort of tapered back down this week in advance of a half-marathon on Sunday. Weather forecast looks good (for February in New England, anyway), with mid-30's and partly cloudy. The course is flat. Given the groin injury, though, I don't think it's a PR opportunity (though sub 1:35 would be awesome). It's doubtful I'm in as good shape as I was in November, have a head cold (courtesy of one or more of my family members, all of whom have had the flu) and don't know if the groin can sustain that many miles of fast running. I've done a 3+-mile tempo run each of the past several weeks (on the TM) and that's been fine, but when I've tried to kick it into a higher gear at the end of my longer runs, I've had mixed success lately. The current plan is to go out at 7:30 pace for the first couple of miles, check my HR and see where that leaves me. Since I ran a very disappointing race there last year, I just want to have a solid outing, maybe place in the Top 100 and not aggravate the groin.

Is Hudson the new Pfitzinger?

I've been reading Brad Hudson's book "Run Faster". Despite the unoriginal title, it is a very well-conceived, clear and innovative training guide. He focuses on a balanced approach, keeping three fitness "systems" in optimal shape: neuromuscular, endurance and specific endurance. He offers a lot of variety in terms of workouts and paces. He suggests short hill sprints as the only thing a runner needs to build strength and inoculate oneself against injuries. Best of all, though, he touts the absolute, critical importance of truly "listening to one's body" and adjusting any training schedule as needed.

On the RWOL Marathon Race Training forum, I've noticed more and more former Pfitzinger aficionado's migrating to Hudson. I will put together a 13-week plan starting after Sunday's half-marathon, hopefully peaking at around 65 miles per week, with a weekly average of around or over 50.

Boston to Sugarloaf

Speaking of training plans, I held a Boston exemption/invitation form in my hand last week. It was the result of knowing a guy who knows a guy who knows the president of the BAA. I will admit to being extremely tempted to accept it, but simply could not do so without feeling like I'd given up on my goal to qualify on my own. I know I haven't run a marathon anywhere close to my potential (or I'm grotesquely out of touch with that potential), so I am still hopeful that when I hit the right training groove, stay healthy and draw good weather on race day, I should be able to run 3:20 or better. So, rather than take the invitation, I signed up to volunteer at Boston. It's a great opportunity to give something back to my sport, but in a totally self-serving way, since I'll be thrilled to be a part of the 113th Boston Marathon, even if I'm not running it.

So, after a bit of back and forth between whether to return to Burlington, Vermont or try something different, I have signed up for the Sugarloaf Marathon in Eustis, Maine. Ironically, the drive time is about the same as going to New York City, but it still feels "local". Last year, there were fewer than 200 finishers, a far cry from my 3 prior marathons. Also, the course profile is intriguing, in that it climbs for about 10 miles, then loses 1000 vertical feet over the final 16 miles. Maybe that will help me run a decent final 10K for once. We shall see.

Loose Ends

A couple of weekends ago, I visited family in Florida. My mother lives in a typically over-manicured gated adult community. On Saturday, I ran on the roads and sidewalks on Saturday morning, when it was about 50 degrees. I wore shorts and a short-sleeved t-shirt and people looked at me like I was crazy. As I ran along the shoulder of the road, I felt that several luxury cars, driven by people who may be just a tad past their driving prime, came a little close for comfort. When I switched to the sidewalks (which I'd avoided because the walkers had them pretty well monopolized), I had to deal with a number of golf carts which also gave me a very narrow berth. Turns out I didn't feel great, and my scheduled 5-6-miler turned into a 4+-miler.

The next morning, I drove to the beach with the top down on the rental car. My sister (who was also visiting) shivered all the way (it was about 56 degrees), and I took off north along A1A wearing a singlet and shorts. Again, I was regarded as someone who might have just escaped from a mental hospital (with enough foresight to fill 4 bottles on his Fuel Belt, though). I ran about 13.5 miles, and it was a joy to be free of all the layers which are a necessary evil this time of year. No hat, no gloves, no face mask or neck gaiter. No worry that my bottles would freeze, or that a bathroom stop would be a monumental production in the bare, snow-covered woods. I simply ran, passed hundreds of people (including a few who were a sight for sore, winter-deprived New England eyes) and had a great run.

It was a bit harsh to return to New Englad winter, but I've run in shorts a couple of times since, so it feels like we've turned a corner. A recent thaw has exposed the road's shoulder again and much - though by no means all - of the ice is gone. It's just a matter of time before getting up before dawn does not have to be a chilling, dreadful experience, when an hour-plus morning run will let me watch the sun rise and know that - even when I return home by 6:15 - it will already have been a very good day. Not sure what more one can ask from a hobby.

-ESG