It’s all about the base

Damn you, Meghan Trainor

It was on a run that I thought of this catchy blog title because I was thinking about all the work I have to do in the weeks ahead to establish the kind of base I will need going into full on marathon training in the summer.  “It’s about about having a good base,” I thought to myself…and then there was Meghan Trainor in my head singing it to me.  And now I hope I’ve passed the gift on to you, as well.  No trouble.  🙂

All jokes aside, dialing up the kind effort I think I will need in October means putting in time now to reestablish the base that I once had.  My training philosophy goes something like this:

1. Build up weekly mileage with a 2-3 shorter weekday runs (3-6 miles) at a comfortable pace and a long run on the weekend at slower pace.
2. Once 30-35 miles per week is comfortable, then start adding speed.
   1. Speedwork/intervals once per week
   2. Tempo runs once per week
   3. Goal pace long runs at the end of recovery weeks (every 4th week)

For me, personally, it also means significant improvements in “daily life” things.  Since the beginning of the month, I have been making a significant effort to eat better and smarter, get more sleep, and limit alcohol. (I still love beer and I always will…but loving it all the time is never a recipe for success!)  I porked up pretty good after slowing up post-Wineglass Marathon last October, and now it’s time to pay the piper.  I still have some kinks in my legs and lower back to work out, too.

Oh yeah – I ran a race, too

No big deal, since I am not trying to break any land speed records right now.  (No chance of that, if I was.)  I ran the Yeti Chase 10k at Bear Creek State Park, and it was a bit of a grunt.  There was definitely some terrain, but it was a beautiful morning.  I got to park about 100 yards from the start line so that was pretty nice, as well.  I started out a bit faster than I should have, but it really forced me to work and clarified the massive gap that exists between present day and my 10k PR back in 2011, when I think I was in peak condition.

Early in the race so I wasn’t sucking wind just yet!

Repeating history

I’ve done it before.  I looked back at some of my previous training cycles, including what I wrote about on this blog.  It really is mind over matter, especially at 5:00 AM when it is cold and dark outside.  Inevitably, I always finish those runs feeling good and telling myself to remember that when I think staying in bed would feel better.

So as January ends and February begins, I feel pretty good about where I am at – knowing that I still have a welcome effort in front of me.  In October, I want to run my best marathon yet.

For now, though, it’s all about the base…about the base…

Marine Corps Marathon: Weeks 16 – 18

Taper time

The last couple weeks of training could not have gone any better, and they make me wonder if I did everything I needed to do in the first dozen weeks or so.  There is nothing I can do about it now because even if there was more I could have done, lost training can never truly be made up.

The most important thing is that I finished up healthy.  I have a few dings – tight muscles, sore Achilles, crooked back, and IT bands like piano wire – but these are all things that I can and will try to work out and resolve over the taper. One thing I cannot complain about is the weather.  Since the monsoon rains, fall has arrived and the running weather has been perfect.

Week 16

After Week 15’s overachievement, I needed to make the most out of my recovery week – especially since the week following this one would be big miles.  I waited until Tuesday and went out on a very calm, slow recovery run on flat ground.  My legs were never sore, even after running a 10k after a 22-miler the day before.  I was on the road for work the next day so I waited until Thursday morning to do my eight mile tempo run, which happened to be in southeast Colorado.  Although my legs did feel a little heavy, I hit my splits on my tempo miles of 6:40 or better on the way back in.  Jackpot.

Week 17

My last hard week of training, and if everything went well, this would be the most miles I have ever run in a week’s time.  I marvel at some of the people I follow that crank out 70+ miles/week like it is nothing.  I honestly am not sure that I could do that on a regular basis, but given all the things that I don’t get done now I know I don’t have any more time in my life for running!  That said, 50 miles was the goal and it was achievable.

However, that wasn’t the only hard part of the week.  I also was scheduled for my last interval training session of the training – 10 total miles with 8x800m at 6:10-6:20 per mile along the way.  That workout came on Wednesday, and I crushed it.  I learned, once again, that my legs are smarter than my brain, who kept thinking about how hard the workout was going to be.  It was, don’t get me wrong, but it felt good!

The location of the last long run changed to an all-crusher fine, flat trail in the south part of the Denver area called the Highline Canal Trail.  Given all the hilly long runs, I was pleased to see us go here and not Golden, as was planned.  My Runner’s Edge pace group took off like jackrabbits, as they were all running short, so I ended up running much of the run by myself and some with the 3:15 pace group.  It was the most amazing cold, crisp, fall day you might imagine.  The leaves were all turning, and the trail winds through the trees with large areas of open spaces and the occasional horse roaming through rolling pastures.  I had my headphones with me but never took them out of my pocket, and the week ended with my 50 mile goal reached and one of the best weeks I’ve ever had.

Week 18

The taper has arrived!  Although, the first week of the taper is not a piece of cake, even though the total miles drop off.  Tuesday’s run was a tempo run on tired legs of a total of eight miles (out four miles to warm up, then back three miles at a 6:40 pace and a mile cooldown).

When I got to Saturday, the plan called for 12 miles at regular long run pace.  However, I thought it important to test myself a bit before I let my legs truly begin their rest so I ran the return mileage at goal pace.  If I wasn’t pumped up to run a marathon before, I sure am now!  After going out to the 12-mile turnaround (mostly downhill), I started back at a 7:15 pace (or better) and ticked off five miles at 7:15, 7:20, 7:09, 7:01, and 6:55 before cooling down a mile.

Now I can taper!

Two weeks to “go time”

With the rest of my time, I managed to pack my days pretty full the last few weeks, including a LOT of Wyoming Cowboys and Denver Broncos football.  After my great goal pace run, I headed to Laramie for homecoming and then had a Broncos game yesterday.  It was an exhausting weekend, and now I have to be smart to make sure I arrive in Washington, DC rested and ready.

Next Saturday is “The Border War.”  Wyoming vs. Colorado State in Laramie in the oldest, longest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi.  It is the game I look forward to most in the year, and there will be a lot of tailgating and good football. 

For me, it means enjoying it by not wrecking the last 18 weeks of training….and I won’t – but it’ll be difficult!

The home of the Wyoming Cowboys

Marine Corps Marathon: Weeks 12-15

This whole post basically covers the month of September.  After returning from the road trip to Omaha for the Wyoming-Nebraska game, life started to get very busy.  While I was working through running issues throughout the month, the devastating flooding that hit the state starting the week of September 10 put life in perspective.

Flood damage as seen from a UH-60 Black Hawk during search grid flights of the foothills west of Boulder.

Near Kersey, Colorado.

Surveying flood damage – September 23.

With all of that going on, life both at work and at home was consumed with the floods.  Many of the municipalities that I work for were hit hard, and helping them was my first priority.  During that week, I was also keeping an eye on my own backyard, literally, as Big Dry Creek flows right behind the house and steadily rose as it became choked with runoff.  Luckily, water in Standley Lake, which feeds the creek, never topped the spillway.  Otherwise, the creek would have surely come out of its banks in a few places, possibly near the house.

In spite of all that – or rather in the midst of it – I ran.

Week 12

After the tough run in Omaha, I was looking forward to a week that would end with my second 20-mile run.  After being a bit beat up by the previous 20-miler, I wanted to see some improvement.  I had to do my Tuesday speedwork on Wednesday, but I was really happy with how well it went.  It wasn’t easy, but I hit all my splits in the 8x800m interval workout, had another good run on Thursday, and I was feeling great about the week.

Until the weekend…

The long run was set for Louisville and the route was the same one that beat me up a bit last summer.  I was in much better shape this time, and I thought I would have no problem having a better run – and then the sun came up.  As the route left Louisville and climbed up Marshall Mesa, the sun was out in full force and the temperature climbed.  I knew it was going to be a long day when I struggled up to the turnaround 10 miles out and was already beat.  The data from the run only told part of the story.  I made it back, eventually, but felt the effects of the run for the entire next week.  It was a bit demoralizing.

Week 13

This was the week the monsoon clouds parked over Colorado and let loose more water in a week than the area receives in a year.  My midweek runs were both in the rain, and I ended up taking it easy on both of them.  One was supposed to be a tempo run, but my legs were really beat up from Saturday.  I decided to make a true recovery week and not cause any bigger problems.  On Sunday, I went out (in the rain again) for a recovery week goal pace run of 14 miles.  I was supposed to come back at 6 miles at goal pace, which I did only for 4 miles. I wasn’t feeling 100% so I just backed off a bit the last three. With three hard weeks ahead, I didn’t feel the need to try to get it all during a recovery week run.

Week 14

I don’t want to break my arm patting myself on the back, but being smart may have paid off.  I had the best week of training yet, felt the best I have so far, and ran the most miles I’ve ever run in a week – just short of 50.  While windy conditions cut short Tuesday’s speedwork, I did get in an up tempo Thursday run that felt really good.  The week ended as good as I could have hoped, heading back out to one of my favorite routes for my first of two 22-milers.  This run was in the southeast part of the metro area from Aurora to Saddle Rock Golf Course.  It is very hilly, but the weather was much better than the Louisville run.  I ran it exactly how I wanted to and felt great when I finished.  What a difference between this run and two weeks ago!

My friend Lynne got me over to the Westminster Panerathon on Sunday, and I figured I would just run an easy recovery run.  Darned if my competitive nature didn’t get the best of me again.  While I went out slow, I felt great and kept increasing my pace the entire run.  I actually finished third in my division and 25th overall, and my legs felt just fine.  Very encouraging and the most miles I have ever run in a week.

Week 15

I was expecting some sort of effect from running so many miles last week and running a 10k the day after my long run.  It didn’t happen.  This week’s runs included an easy paced run, and a great tempo run while down in Lamar, Colorado on a work trip.  I’ll finish out with a couple easy runs and a 12 mile goal pace run.  After next next week’s training – my last hard week – I’ll begin my taper and be able to assess where I am at and if I am ready to go for a PR at the Marine Corps Marathon.

Oh…and by the way

I got into the Boston Marathon!  That is worthy of its own blog, but right now I need to focus on the marathon that is right in front of me.

Boston Marathon finish line. See you in 29 weeks!

Marine Corps Marathon: Weeks 5-6

Here comes August

…and August means SPEED

I am fortunate this summer as compare to last summer because my fall marathon is occurring two weeks later.  Chicago was at the beginning of October last year, but the Marine Corps Marathon is at the end of October.  That meant spending two more weeks in the “Strength” phase of my Runner’s Edge training plan this year, and I needed it.

Starting tomorrow, I enter the 10-week “Speed” phase, in which I still pile on plenty of miles but will add regular speedwork and/or tempo runs to each week so that I can begin to put some speed on top of the endurance base I’m building.  I won’t lie…some of them are brutal and will be more so this year since I stepped my training plan up to a higher intensity level.  The reward has been worth it, in the past.  I pass more people in the last miles of a marathon than pass me.  (Yes, I realize how moronic things runners say can sound sometimes.)

For the next ten weeks, Tuesdays will be either 800m repeats, preferably on a track or something flat, or “long fast” (LF) miles.  Thursdays will usually be LF or goal pace miles.  LF miles are run faster than goal pace and, in my opinion, contribute the most to marathon success.  If the plan calls for 6 miles like it does on Tuesday, it will say something like 6 (3-2-1). That means an easy three to warm-up, then two miles at LF pace (6:40/mile for me), followed by a one mile cool down.  This will be a significant test for me, particularly since I will be putting on more miles than I have ever done.  The last week of hard training before I begin my taper will see me running 10 half-mile repeats sandwiched between 2.5 warm up and cool down miles.  That Thursday is 7LF (3-3-1) and then a 22 mile long run on Saturday.

On October 27, I’ll either be ready or dead!

Ice bath!

Going in to this next phase is a lot easier on the heels of one of the best Saturday long runs I’ve had and, without a doubt, the best one so far this year.  We started at Eben Fine Park in Boulder, at the mouth Boulder Canyon right next to Boulder Creek.  The route goes downhill along the creek through downtown, past the University of Colorado (meh), and down to the confluence of South Boulder Creek and Boulder Creek.  From there, it turns south to follow South Boulder Creek through shaded, quiet neighborhoods and open space trails.  I ran 18 miles, and the route gets even nicer for a few miles after that.

My training plan calls for me to be averaging about 8:30 minute miles on the way out and 8:00 minute miles on the way back in.  (“Train slow to race fast”)  I totally buy into the philosophy, but I was feeling pretty good and my group was going a bit faster so I went with it.  With the exception of warm up and cool down miles, most of the miles (including the last 5 coming back uphill) were around 7:45-7:50. I was never laboring or overheating, no doubt helped by the cloudy morning and temps in the 60’s!

The reward was sweet.  After stretching a little (okay – never enough), I waded into Boulder Creek and sat down for a good, old-fashioned Rocky Mountain ice bath!  I wasn’t as cold as a regular ice bath, which other parts of me greatly appreciated – but it felt FANTASTIC!

Nothing better than an all natural ice bath in Boulder Creek!

Elemental

After getting through a maintenance plan over the winter months, I started the year with a new training plan and a goal to try to set a PR at the Colfax Half Marathon. That is still the goal.  However, as I have previously written, the realities of my day job – which is at its peak during the Colorado legislative session (January – May) – have not done wonders for keeping up my weekly mileage. I essentially just continued on my maintenance plan.  With over  two months to the half marathon, all is not lost – but I have some work to do.

 

Earth

Earth…as in hills…as in, I have a lot to climb figuratively and literally.  I went out on a tempo run yesterday to test my lungs.  I felt great, but it didn’t take long before I started to feel it and backed off my pace.  My VO2 is nowhere near where it was when I was in marathon shape…how could it be?  I know from past training that there are two things that help bring back that ability to run fast without burning up all my energy.  Hills and speedwork.  I missed some hill training over the past few weeks, but I’ll have to try to get some in over the next few weeks.

Wind

I have none.  I’m not sure I could run a full 5k at my Chicago Marathon pace right now.  After the tempo run yesterday, I was sucking wind.  And the cure for that is speedwork and goal pace running.  It’s going to hurt, but it is the only way to get my wind back.

Fire

That’s what my lungs felt like.  It is also what I hope to light under my a** to get back my speed in time for May.  I’m under no illusion that it will be difficult, and I accept the fact that there are sometimes circumstances beyond my control that affect my training.  However, the longer evening hours starting Sunday will help.

Water

I’ve felt underwater since January – wanting badly to get back to where I was at, but continuously frustrated by work/life balance issues.  Also, I don’t drink enough water…so if you see me, remind me to drink more.

Recovery and setback

Chicago: Weeks 11 & 12

Hot flashes

Recovery weeks aren’t always the easiest weeks, since the “recovery” is not really felt until the following week.  Even though there were fewer miles planned for the week, the workouts were still fairly challenging, and I decided to make them a little more so.  Because of scheduling issues, I moved the runs I would normally do on weekday mornings to the lunch hour.  On normal days, that wouldn’t really matter all that much, but the temps were touching the 90’s this week.  I had one tempo run and a couple regular runs to do, and figured running in the heat would help me be better equipped if the temps in Chicago are warmer than normal.

Thanks, coach, for ending the run at Duffeyroll. They were delicious.

Bottom line: I completed all my runs.  My longer easy run included a run through the fountain behind Cherry Creek Mall, and my tempo run wasn’t quite the tempo I was targeting.  However, it was perfectly acceptable for the conditions.  The end of the week was a treat – a 12 mile goal pace run that ended at one of Denver’s more famous pastry places – Duffeyroll.  I burned about 1600 calories and put them all right back afterwards with a pecan sticky bun and a cinnamon roll.

You’ve got to be kidding me

I made it to Week 12!  The first of two hard weeks before I get to start my taper.  I was mentally prepared for these two weeks and ready to bust my butt as hard as I needed to.  After a short recovery run on Monday, I was out Tuesday evening for my last interval workout.  9 miles total with 8 x 800m at or near 6:30/min pace.  It was a grunt, but I got it done and was looking forward to the rest of the week.

When I woke up Wednesday morning, I had a little scratch in my throat and a runny nose.  As the workday progressed, it turned into a full-blown invasion of my sinuses and nose.  Sneezing, itchy watery eyes, nose running like a faucet.  Wednesday night was miserable, and I woke up Thursday morning and stayed home from work for half the day and skipped my tempo run.  By Friday, I could barely breathe and the sinus pressure was unbearable – and I had 18 miles staring me in the face for Saturday.  I resolved to do it, no matter what, and brought Afrin and Mucinex to the rescue.  I didn’t sleep all that well, and I wasn’t particularly spritely Saturday morning, but I dragged myself out at 6:00 AM and met my group.  Once I got going, I felt much better and was actually able to clear my sinuses pretty well.  (I know…gross)  To quote Ace Ventura, “it is the mucous that binds us.”

So Week 12 is behind me.  Even though I am not 100% better, I am on the mend and should be able to get through the last hard week without any setbacks.  Better to have dealt with it now and not the week of the marathon!

Teachable moments

If there is anything to take away from it all, it is this.  There is plenty of literature out there to suggest that when runners are at the peak of their training regiment, they experience a compromised immune system.  The body is so busy expending energy repairing the damage of all the miles, that it can’t keep up with fighting disease.  Be careful not to allow yourself to get run down.  I sure did.  Hydrate, sleep, and eat right.

And keep the Mucinex nearby just in case!

 

Six hard weeks to go

Chicago: Week 7

This week was a welcome recovery week, after the first time back in to the 40’s for me the week before.  The next three weeks will be building back up again, with the primary focus on speed and tempo.  After those three and  recovery week, it is two hard weeks over 40 miles and then time to taper.  It is coming up quickly, but I feel like I am farther ahead at Week 7 than any of my prior marathons.

I will be on the ground in Seattle on Thursday for family stuff and will spend the first part of this weeks with speedwork.  I will finally get to test my race legs on Saturday out on Whidbey Island.  I managed to find a half marathon out there, since I am missing my running group going to do the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half on the same day.  The good news is that I am not missing any training runs.

Following the Saturday half, I’ll be in Vancouver, BC and will get to continue my training there.  Downtown Vancouver…Stanley Park.  I am pretty sure Weeks 8 & 9 are going to be pretty cool.

More on the Race the Reserve Half Marathon

Early on August 11, we are heading out on the first ferry from Mukilteo over to Whidbey Island.  The Race The Reserve is high school fundraiser and undoubtedly a small race.  It was the only half-marathon I could find anywhere in the Seattle area that weekend, and it happens to be in a pretty scenic area.  I decided to enter it and size up the whole area and course after I start running.  If I end up running 7:12 or better per mile, then I’ll have a PR, but that is not the goal.

While the elevation changes look pretty severe on the elevation profile, none of the Google Maps view make it look quite that harsh. If that is not the case, then I’ll push it a bit and see if I can’t test where I am at in my training. If the elevation changes are more severe – or if the course turns into trail running at any point – then I’ll back off and just make sure I stay healthy.

If it ends up being a fun race and a good course, I’ll write more about it.  If it ends up being a nice donation to a safe and sober Coupeville, WA high school graduation, then that isn’t all bad either.