Monday, January 17
Sunday, January 16
Friday, January 14
Thursday, January 13
Wednesday, January 12
Hill Work
I did 10.6 miles of hills this morning. The start was a balmy 22deg F. The first hill is at mile 2.5 and then they keep coming every 1/2 mile or so. I really hammered the first one and felt great so I kept pushing thinking I would have to back off and didn't. I have not been able to do that since well before the marathon. About 5 miles in, I was toasty warm and breathing hard.
Here is the Garmin data:
Everything I am reading including "Advanced Marathoning", "Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon", "Barefoot Running" all say run hills. There is a lot of debate about speed, tempo, LSD, weights, yoga, stretching, rolling, etc. What I have found no debate on is hills. Everyone says run hills. The benefits include:
- Building strength in legs and core
- Building cardio endurance and upping the lactate threshold
- Burning tons of calories
- Solidifies mental confidence in handling hills in races
The most important benefit of consistently running hills is injury prevention. Runners that only run on flat and do not do strength training or hill runs are much more susceptible to injury. Matt Fitzgerald ("Run Faster...") coaches many elite runners and says the key to helping most of these runners grab the next gear was hills.
I can't say that I understand all of the science, but I know it is helping and if it can prevent injury then I am a fan!
Here is the Garmin data:
Everything I am reading including "Advanced Marathoning", "Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon", "Barefoot Running" all say run hills. There is a lot of debate about speed, tempo, LSD, weights, yoga, stretching, rolling, etc. What I have found no debate on is hills. Everyone says run hills. The benefits include:
- Building strength in legs and core
- Building cardio endurance and upping the lactate threshold
- Burning tons of calories
- Solidifies mental confidence in handling hills in races
The most important benefit of consistently running hills is injury prevention. Runners that only run on flat and do not do strength training or hill runs are much more susceptible to injury. Matt Fitzgerald ("Run Faster...") coaches many elite runners and says the key to helping most of these runners grab the next gear was hills.
I can't say that I understand all of the science, but I know it is helping and if it can prevent injury then I am a fan!
Tuesday, January 11
On Speed
One of my goals this spring is to get faster. I was surprised at the Jingle Bell 5K that I was not faster than 20 min. I know I was still in marathon recovery, but I felt like I should have been 20-30 seconds faster.
Over the last four weeks, I have been doing track work on Tuesdays. 600, 800, and 1000 M repeats. At first this was tough, but it is become one of my favorite workouts. Today we did 800s and I felt strong. I think was under 6 min pace and although I was breathing hard, I felt more controlled than before. Also, I have been very careful not to pull anything by doing good warm ups and cool downs.
I have not had a chance to test myself in a race yet and really want to try out a 10K to see where I am now. I will target one in the next couple weeks.
Over the last four weeks, I have been doing track work on Tuesdays. 600, 800, and 1000 M repeats. At first this was tough, but it is become one of my favorite workouts. Today we did 800s and I felt strong. I think was under 6 min pace and although I was breathing hard, I felt more controlled than before. Also, I have been very careful not to pull anything by doing good warm ups and cool downs.
I have not had a chance to test myself in a race yet and really want to try out a 10K to see where I am now. I will target one in the next couple weeks.
Thursday, January 6
Tuesday, January 4
Eating Experiment Failed - Back to writing it down.
For a month now, I have not been writing down what I eat and just trying to maintain eating discipline. Even while running 30-40 mile weeks and doing some cross training, I have gained weight. I am back up to 205ish. That is not a lot, but is enough to show that I cannot slip. If I continued at that rate, I would be back to 270 by end of 2011. No thanks.
So... I guess I will just have to keep writing down what I am eating. I am not going to blog it, but will just track it on my iPhone app. I should be back under 200 in 2-3 weeks and then I will just have to keep logging. I guess that is a small price to pay for staying fit.
On a brighter note, my three 2011 runs so far have been high quality and pain free. This has really upped my confidence in grabbing a new gear in the next couple months.
So... I guess I will just have to keep writing down what I am eating. I am not going to blog it, but will just track it on my iPhone app. I should be back under 200 in 2-3 weeks and then I will just have to keep logging. I guess that is a small price to pay for staying fit.
On a brighter note, my three 2011 runs so far have been high quality and pain free. This has really upped my confidence in grabbing a new gear in the next couple months.
Monday, December 27
Saturday, December 25
Day: 476, Calories: 0, P90X Back & Biceps
 Log Entry | Daily Note: Merry Christmas. P90x was a total smoke out today. Upper body needs TLC after all the running. |
 Nutrition | 0 Calories |
 Workout | P90X Back & Biceps Status: Completed Total butt whipping. Been over six weeks. |
| Workout | P90X Ab Ripper Status: Completed |
Thursday, December 23
First 5K in 15 years
I did the Jingle Bell 5K last night. It was super fun. I like the night run with the party after. I got 60th place (top 6%) overall and 7 in age group with a 20:00 min time. That was my goal and is a PR (I think). I may have run a 5K faster in high school cross country, but I cannot remember. I was never all that fast. It was definitely my fastest 5K time as an adult.
I did pull my hamstring a little, but not too bad (see below).
Congrats at Shaheen and Coach Nick on kick butt PRs!
Here's the data:
5Ks are so different from Marathons. In fact, other than the fact that you are running, there is nothing in common. Here are my initial thoughts about it:
Pace: In the Marathon, you have to use your mind to deliberately control your pace in an effort to maintain energy levels. In the 5K, it is basically as fast as you can sustain. I think form plays a big role in the 5K, because if you can run clean and efficient, you can go a bit faster for the same oxygen consumption. There were moments last night where I felt like things were aligned well for a few minutes and then it got sloppy again. I need to learn how to stay in the groove better.
Fuel & Hydration: In the marathon, you have to consume lots of carbs before and during the race to have enough fuel to finish. In the 5K, you don't even think about it. I did not even take water at the stop. In fact, it is bad to eat before the race because of cramps.
Warm Up: You do not need a warm up before the marathon because you can really just use the first mile as a warm up. In the 5K, you really need to do 2ish miles accelerating up to 5K pace before to get warmed up to avoid injury. I did this, but it was too early and I was cool by race time. My hamstring pulled a bit in the first 100 yards because of this. Next time I am gonna warm up right to the start.
Breathing: In the marathon, you are no where near your VO2 limits. In fact, you are at a very comfortable breathing level the whole way. In the 5K, at least for me, this is the limiting factor. I was at my VO2 redline most of the way. It did seem controlled during the 2nd and 3rd miles and I was feeling super strong toward the finish. For me to get faster in 5K, I need to do more speed work and push out my VO2 limits. Breathing is such a mental block for me. There is a point where I know my body has more, but I hold myself back due to heavy breathing. This happened last night.
Fast Twitch vs. Slow Twitch: I don't know a lot about this, but I know I have much more developed slow twitch muscles than fast twitch. My 100 yd max speed is just over my 5K speed and should be much faster. This is because I don't do much track work and have focused on the marathon. Int he marathon, fast twitch do almost nothing for you, but they can really help in the 5K.
TL;DR: 5Ks can be a really great way to balance out your running journey and are a stark contrast to the marathon.
I did pull my hamstring a little, but not too bad (see below).
Congrats at Shaheen and Coach Nick on kick butt PRs!
Here's the data:
5Ks are so different from Marathons. In fact, other than the fact that you are running, there is nothing in common. Here are my initial thoughts about it:
Pace: In the Marathon, you have to use your mind to deliberately control your pace in an effort to maintain energy levels. In the 5K, it is basically as fast as you can sustain. I think form plays a big role in the 5K, because if you can run clean and efficient, you can go a bit faster for the same oxygen consumption. There were moments last night where I felt like things were aligned well for a few minutes and then it got sloppy again. I need to learn how to stay in the groove better.
Fuel & Hydration: In the marathon, you have to consume lots of carbs before and during the race to have enough fuel to finish. In the 5K, you don't even think about it. I did not even take water at the stop. In fact, it is bad to eat before the race because of cramps.
Warm Up: You do not need a warm up before the marathon because you can really just use the first mile as a warm up. In the 5K, you really need to do 2ish miles accelerating up to 5K pace before to get warmed up to avoid injury. I did this, but it was too early and I was cool by race time. My hamstring pulled a bit in the first 100 yards because of this. Next time I am gonna warm up right to the start.
Breathing: In the marathon, you are no where near your VO2 limits. In fact, you are at a very comfortable breathing level the whole way. In the 5K, at least for me, this is the limiting factor. I was at my VO2 redline most of the way. It did seem controlled during the 2nd and 3rd miles and I was feeling super strong toward the finish. For me to get faster in 5K, I need to do more speed work and push out my VO2 limits. Breathing is such a mental block for me. There is a point where I know my body has more, but I hold myself back due to heavy breathing. This happened last night.
Fast Twitch vs. Slow Twitch: I don't know a lot about this, but I know I have much more developed slow twitch muscles than fast twitch. My 100 yd max speed is just over my 5K speed and should be much faster. This is because I don't do much track work and have focused on the marathon. Int he marathon, fast twitch do almost nothing for you, but they can really help in the 5K.
TL;DR: 5Ks can be a really great way to balance out your running journey and are a stark contrast to the marathon.
Tuesday, December 21
5K Speed Test Tomorrow
I am running the jingle bell 5K tomorrow night and will use it as a first speed test to dial in my 5K pace. I am hoping to run a sub 20 min. That will be sub 6:25s.
Sounds fast to me. We will see.
Sounds fast to me. We will see.
Monday, December 20
I'm back - Finally
I had my first strong run since the marathon today. Put down a stack of sub 7:30s on an 8 mile tempo run.
I guess it just takes two full weeks to fully recover assuming you don't get injured. The funny thing about marathons is that you have to do a two week taper before and then a light two weeks after. So aside form the marathon itself, you do not have any really hard runs for about a month. On top of that, you have the muscle fatigue and minor damage from the marathon that sets you back a bit. The accumulation of the above factors feels like a 6 week set back. That is a hard pill to swallow considering I accomplished something that is supposed to be an indicator of fitness.
The next six weeks are about rebuilding upper body strength and conditioning and preparing to PR in the 1/2 marathon.
Next year, I will mentally prepare for this set back for the marathon and not let it surprise (and upset) me.
I guess it just takes two full weeks to fully recover assuming you don't get injured. The funny thing about marathons is that you have to do a two week taper before and then a light two weeks after. So aside form the marathon itself, you do not have any really hard runs for about a month. On top of that, you have the muscle fatigue and minor damage from the marathon that sets you back a bit. The accumulation of the above factors feels like a 6 week set back. That is a hard pill to swallow considering I accomplished something that is supposed to be an indicator of fitness.
The next six weeks are about rebuilding upper body strength and conditioning and preparing to PR in the 1/2 marathon.
Next year, I will mentally prepare for this set back for the marathon and not let it surprise (and upset) me.
Thursday, December 16
Sunday, December 12
Thoughts on Recovery
I have had a pretty slow recovery this past week from the Marathon. Part of it is my hip has been "cranky". My legs have been lethargic and heavy too. I did a 4 mile run on Friday and things were really stiff. Today (Sunday) I ran 6.8 and during the run, I felt rough too.
After the run today, I started feeling much better. In fact, for some reason, my hip totally stopped hurting.
Did I run through it? Is it behind me? Should I have run more last week? Who knows.
I am going to hit the track and hills this week and test the legs a bit more. We will see if I am out of the woods.
After the run today, I started feeling much better. In fact, for some reason, my hip totally stopped hurting.
Did I run through it? Is it behind me? Should I have run more last week? Who knows.
I am going to hit the track and hills this week and test the legs a bit more. We will see if I am out of the woods.
Friday, December 10
Great Advice From Coach Nick Pre Marathon (Forgot to Post)
Well, so far the weather looks perfect. Upper 30’s at the start and upper 40’s at the finish. Wind is pretty moderate and humidity is low. Now just prepare for the different phases of the race. The first 10 miles you will want to go too fast so you need to run this part with your “head”. Stay with the pace group. It is easy to feel good here and try and bank 2 min but don’t do it. It will cost you 6 minutes in the end. Miles 10-20 these miles are run with you “legs”. You should feel comfortable with the pace and you will worry about the last 6 miles. Don’t think about those miles and just concentrate on comfortable getting to mile 20. All those tough hill runs will make this possible. Now the last 10K. no way to say it but this is hard. Your legs will tired that is what you need to be ready for. You mind will be tired of working so hard to keep you motivated. You need to run this section with your “heart”. I always have to run this one mile at a time and sometimes I even break it down by ½ miles. Count them down. Good luck to both of you and I hope you have a great day. Pain is temporary but glory last forever.
First Cruise - Saiders Run
We had Roger, Matt and Scott. Everyone is signing up for the RnR 1/2. We will keep meeting on Fridays.
This was a much needed recovery run for me. Hip is still a little tender, but manageable. I will run again on Sunday and try 9-10.
This was a much needed recovery run for me. Hip is still a little tender, but manageable. I will run again on Sunday and try 9-10.
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