13 weeks to go+ Haile and Paula running in Berlin

Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Raddclife are arguably the best marathon runners of all time, and my favorite runners ever.  But, I have never been able to see them running.  Paula and Haile just announced that they will run in Berlin, and I will do my best to at least get a picture with those guys (since my chances of running with them are very slim :)).  I will also do my best to beat them!  haha!

Paula and Haile decided to run in Berlin because they are coming back from bad seasons (Paula gave birth to her second child, Haile has been dealing with knee issues since 2010), and they need a fast, flat course to get ready for the 2012 Olympic marathon.  I picked Berlin over Chicago, New York, and the Marine Corps marathons because I want to run a sub 3 hr marathon and it is difficult to find a race that offers the conditions of Berlin (great organization, great course, and great weather (hopefully)).

The weather in New Orleans is still hot and humid, but I am putting together a good training block.  I have done 3 weeks in a row of 40+ miles.  My speed workouts and tempos have been very good, but I am struggling a little bit with the long runs.  Indeed, I have only done two 10+ milers (10 miles last week, 12 miles yesterday).  Struggling in the long runs is not surprising.  It is difficult to maintain a fast pace when the heat index is 95+ F.  Long runs are important, but they are not the only component of my training plan.  I know that surviving the long runs in this heat will allow me to feel good in Berlin.  I know they make me stronger.   When I struggle in the heat and humidity, I imagine myself running the last mile in Berlin feeling fresh and enjoying every single moment. 

Running in the inferno

It's really hot and humid in New Orleans in early June. Running in this weather resembles running in the inferno, believe me!  However, I am having a great week of base training. My legs are feeling great, they have a spark and are ready to start with a 5-week build-up.  My mileage this week will be around 37-40 miles.  I am running my easy runs at a very good pace 8-8:10 min/mile. The short speed workouts were also good. I did a 6x1 min fartlek on Tuesday and a 2x1 mile tempo this morning.  My speed is good, I don't feel heavy running in these difficult conditions. So I am very happy about it.

I am also hitting the gym every day.  I didn't do enough strength training in the spring and this is the time to make up for that mistake.  Strength training is very important in my marathon program.  A strong core helps my form and my speed, and boosts my endurance.  I used to think that running and strength training were not good complements, but my performance in the past 4 marathons suggest that it has helped my running tremendously.

I would like to do some racing before starting with the heavy loaded 12-week plan for Berlin.  Unfortunately, I can't find races in the area... I will keep looking!  I have 3-4 races in mind before Berlin, one of them is a half-marathon in Chicago. I just don't know whether I will have enough time to travel this summer.  I will keep you informed.

I am going to keep enjoying the 101 degree weather in NOLA... have a great weekend!

Starting fresh

I am slowly resuming training. I spent the past four weeks enjoying life and recovering from the Eugene marathon. Experience tells me that my best training cycles often follow good recovery periods.  I had a great race in Eugene and my legs felt good after the marathon. They were ready to resume training two weeks ago, but I decided to extend the recovery period 2 more weeks.  During this period, I went to Mexico and didn't run at all for 6 days in a row.  I expected to struggle with this decision, but I didn't miss running during these days.  Running is an important part of my life, and I know that if I want to enjoy it for many years to come I need to balance hard training with good rest.

I am ready to resume training.  The Berlin marathon is in 17 weeks, and I am already logging base miles for this race.  The weather in New Orleans is very hot and humid, but I am adapting well to these conditions.  I am going to make three adjustments to my training plan. First, I am going to peak three times before Berlin. The peaks this time will be at 65, 72, and 77 miles per week.  I need to do more miles if I want to maintain a 6:50 pace the whole race. Second, my tempo and marathon pace runs will be faster.  I realized in Eugene that I can actually go faster not only in the race, but also in my training sessions.  So I am going to try it.  Finally, I am going to join a running group for my speed sessions and long runs (ideally).  I love running by myself, but the group helps me to maintain my focus and push the pace.  I hope to find a training group soon.

I am going to update my blog more often, promise!

3:09:01 mile-by-mile

I had a solid race in Eugene, Oregon. The race I imagined for a long time.  One can always go faster, but I am very happy with my performance this time. My goal this year is to run really fast in Berlin, so I went to Eugene with the idea of using this race as a building block for my fall marathon.  I felt really good throughout the entire marathon. Strong physically and mentally. Below is a recap of my race.

Mile 1- 7:07. Easy running, the weather was very good. I didn’t want to push… only mile 1!

Mile 2:-7:12. Followed the pacer until mile 4. 

Mile3- 7:15. Uphill, took it easy.

Mile4-:7:12. Uphill, felt good.

Mile5- 7:08. I left the group, I was feeling fresh and decided to give it a try. 

Mile 6- 7:03. The first fast mile in the race. 10k split: 45:02

Mile 7-7:06. Legs were just moving fast, effortless…

Mile 8- 7:09.

Mile 9- 7:13.

Mile 10- 7:05. Another good one.

Mile 11- 7:10.

Mile 12- 7:19. Slow mile, I don’t really know why!

Mile 13- 7:18. Crossed the equator of the race… 1:33:52 for the half. The fastest first half ever.

Mile14- 7:08. I knew I needed to run a strong second half.

Mile 15- 7:11.

Mile 16- 7:04. Fast, just let the legs go.

Mile 17- 7:00. This is the fastest split ever.  I didn’t know I was running this fast, didn’t really look at my splits after mile 6 or 7. 

Mile 18- 7:05. Another good split, but still far from the finish line.  

Mile 19- 7:08. Feeling good, but tried to remain calm and ready for the last 4-5 miles.

Mile 20- 7:08. Second 7:08 in a row after 20 miles… I knew the next 6 miles were key, never lost my focus.  I knew I was close to the finish. 

Mile 21- 7:15. The race was old, feeling much better than in my previous marathons.  Decided to break attack one mile at a time.  A strategy that paid off in the end.

Mile 22- 7:21. Ok, slow, it is normal to slow down a bit after 22 miles.

Mile 23- 7:23. Used my guts to kill this one… I was tired.

Mile 24- 7:17. Rebounded, caught several people and never looked back.

Mile 25- 7:22. I could smell the finish line, but it was uphill… I knew I only needed 15 more minutes…

Mile 26- 7:22. I ran two consecutive 7:22 splits… tell me about consistency!

Last .2 miles- 7:07. I saw the door of Haywood Field for the first time. I knew I had a BQ and a LQ in my pocket!

Time: 3:09:01!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what I call consistency.  I am recovering fast and looking forward to running in Berlin!

I won't be able to..

blame the weather this time... There is a perfect weather forecast for Sunday... Lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s.  So I better get my act together and run a solid race!!!!!   :)

I am in Denver, waiting for my next flight.  I woke up at 5 am this morning, showered and headed to the New Orleans airport to catch my flight.  So far, so good. We arrived to Denver on time and I have 1 more hour to kill before the next one. The waiting game before any marathon is always difficult. I am excited, pumped, nervous, ready to go... But I still have two more days to go before race day. As I said before, I am not sure how my legs are going to respond to the pace I am planning to run.  I know I have enough strenght to make it to the 20 mile marker without problems (Well, I should say that I hope to have the energy to make it without trouble to mile 20). After mile 20, I just don't know what's going to happen. 

I had a very good training cycle, I was healthy for the most part and partially missed only a couple of key workouts.  The records suggest that my shape is very similar to the one I had before running in Traverse City 11 months ago.  This time around, however, I trained in more difficult conditions (with heat and humidity). So I should be able to handle the first 20-22 miles with relative ease... Then, if the legs feel good, I am going to go for it.  I want to run fast, but I also want to save my legs for Berlin. I am going to attack the last 6 miles if I see that I can run a PR. If not, I am just going to enjoy and think about the pinot noir that I will drink after the race... :)  

More updates soon...

Why do I run?

I have been thinking about this for a while.   Below are some answers...

  Running a marathon is not about...

- Winning (that's for Kenyans or Ethiopians - I race against myself)
- The race (only 2 days/year)
- A time (And... So...)
- Finishing (Been there done that)
- The medal (How often do I look at my medals? Not very often!)

  Marathon running is about the journey...

The journey where:

- I am smiling drenched, chaffed, bloody after a 20 miler in a hot and humid day. That odd sense of satisfaction.
- I feel that urge to run first thing in the morning.
- I definitively conclude that I am insane to be running in a 85 degree weather/90% humidity, but run anyway.
- I find myself marveling at the beauty of nature...

  Running is about living...

It's about feeling alive...

One week to my next marathon...

It's very hot and humid in New Orleans, but my running has been good lately.  My legs feel better, the speed is coming back, and my strenght is good (I think).  I have noticed that I can handle the marathon pace workouts with realative ease this time.  This is good because running MP workouts in the last two weeks of my previous cycles used to be difficult.  Anything can happen in a 26.2 mile race, but I have trained hard and am ready to test myself in a marathon again. 

It's difficult to predict how I am going to run next Sunday, primarily because I didn't run a half-marathon in my build up.  I did, however, do a half-marathon on February (1:30:30), a Yasso 800 workout (3:04 avg) 2 weeks ago, and a 10k yesterday morning. I ran 43:44 in the Crescent City Classic yesterday, but I never went all out. I just used this race as my penultimate MP workout.  It was very hoy and humid, but I ran a solid race.  The splits were:  7:11, 7:04, 7:03, 7:04, 6:56, 6:53, 6:46, and 5:52 (last .2 miles)... Legs felt good, strong throughout, but I didn't let them go full speed. 

I am going to do a shake-out run today... 3-4 very easy miles and then chill the rest of the week... well, I have 2 workouts (a short marathon pace run and a 4x600 workout), but that's better than a 20 mile run in a 90 degree weather, isn't it?

Happy Easter!