72 hours to Berlin

All the workouts are done, and I am ready to run marathon #15.  I will head over to Berlin tomorrow afternoon, I can't wait to see the city and the course.  There is nothing else I can do other than relax and wait until Sunday morning.  Easy to say, not so easy to do.  Experience plays an important role in how you handle the days that lead to your race.  I now have a routine that I try to follow as much as I can. 

I do the last run of my program 72 hours before my race. It is a 4 mile easy run with a few strides.  I let the legs go as fast as they can.  This run builds my confidence and allows my legs to stretch and get ready for the race.  It has been a difficult summer. The heat and humidity of New Orleans got the best of me. On friday, I take the day completely off... no running.  The day before the race I go out and do a couple of easy miles, nothing serious.  I eat carbs and drink lots of fluids in the 36 hours that preceed the marathon.  My breakfast i very light on race day. It includes a coffee, a bagel and 2 bananas...

As I reflect on my training, I realize that I have never trainined in those conditions.  I had very difficult moments, but I don't think about those moments now.  I instead think about the positive things that I experienced during my training. I think about my previous marathons, the good and the bad...I want to keep the good and find a solution for the bad.  I imagine myself running mile by mile feeling strong.  I plan my hydration strategy for the race and my diet for the last few hours before the marathon.  I think about the finish line.  I also think about myself. In particular, I think about the transformation that I have experienced since I started running marathons seriously.  I am faster and stronger... I sometimes ask mysefl: why didn't you train like this when you were 24 years old? Reality is that everything has its own time, and I can't be thankful enough for having the opportunity to do what I love doing without any constraints. Besides the physique, I have also experienced an incredible mental transformation .  Marathon running has given me an invaluable opportunity to discover that I impose my own limits...that there is nothing I can't do.  I used to run marathons at the back of the pack... not anymore.
My workouts suggest that I am in great shape.  I sometimes think that I have never been as stronger and faster as I am today.  But the marathon deserves respect.  It's a grueling distance.  If you make a mistake before or after the race, you pay a very high price.  The only thing one can do is to train hard and hope for the best on race day.  I am still struggling with the strategy for this race.  I feel great and want to go for it since mile 1.  Yet, I have had my best performances when I keep a steady pace in the early stages of the marathon.  Thus, I am not sure what to do on Sunday.  I guess I will just play it by ear and let my legs do the talking (and the running) in the first kilometers.  I now I can finish, I just don't know how fast I can do it...

Taperland

I just did the last workout of 13+ miles before the Berlin Marathon.  It was a combination of easy running and marathon pace tempo.  The sticky weather is back, but I felt very good.  I also did a 17 miler on Saturday, 10 miles were at 7:15 or faster.  The last miles consisted of easy running, I felt really strong for the first time in this training cycle.  These two workouts are the longest tune-up runs in my program.  The work is done and it is now time to relax, rest and get ready for the big day in Germany.

I had a very hard time since my last blog entry.  An injury on my right leg kept me worried about my participation in Berlin for more than two weeks. Luckily, my leg is feeling much better and I only missed a couple of key workouts, including a 20 miler.  But experience tells me that missing one workout is not going to derail my performance on marathon day.  It is better to rest and get better than to limp for 20 miles in the heat and humidity of New Orleans.  I indeed never rested completely as I substituted my 20 miler with a 2:30 hr. workout in the swimming pool (aqua running).  I complemented these workouts with therapy and lots of stretching.  As of today, my right leg is almost pain-free and the motion is substantially better.  I think I will be in great shape on September 25.

I would love to have a great race in Berlin.  I did everything I could to prepare for the race.  The homework is done and the waiting game has begun...

I am feeling good!

I don't have a valid excuse for the lack of updates in my running blog.  My apologies!  As in all my previous marathons, excitement is building up by the hour.  With only 5 1/2 weeks to Berlin, I have reasons to think that I can have a great race there.  I am running great workouts and increasing the weekly mileage.  Consistency is the word that better defines my training this time around.  I am very motivated for this race. My workouts are not easy, painful sometimes, but that doesn't stop me from pushing myself harder and enjoying every single moment of them.  I have turned the corner for good, and I can finally see the finish line.  I feel good, I am going to race (not to run) this marathon.  My plan is different this time, I am not going to Berlin to jog on the roads. I am going to attack the course since the very first mile.  I am not going to save any energy, I will leave everything I have on the pavement.  If I stay healthy in the next 5 weeks,  I am going to go for it.  I am already qualified for Boston so no worries about hitting the wall in mile 21.  I have trained diligently and it's time to see if I have the 'talent' to run a sub 3 hour marathon.

My training in the past two and a half weeks has been very solid.  It included 2 speed workouts, three tempos, one long run, and a marathon pace workout.  I don't have neither the time nor the desire to write every single details about the workouts, but they have been good.  Below is a quick synthesis of all of them:

Speed
#1: 6x800 mts (400 mts. recovery). 3:03, 01, 03, 06, 00, 03. Really humid, good feeling.
#2: 8x800 mts (400 mts recovery). 3:05, 03, 00, 00, 2:59, 2: 57, 2:54, 2:48). Treadmill, hot and humid outside. 

Tempos
#1: 7x5 mins. @ Sta Rosa Beach Florida. Decent, only decent in a really humid place.
#2: 4x10 mins (2 mins recovery). 1.48, 1.52, 1.53, 1.55 miles respectively.  Fastest ever. Treadmill.
#3: 2x20 mins (20 mins easy running in between). 3 and 2.9 miles in each tempo.  Felt tired in the last 10 mins of the second one, but kept going. Treadmill.

Long Runs
# 1:  18 miles @ 8:20. Strong.Treadmill.
#2:  12 miles @ 7 min avg. 15.25 total.  An injection of confidence. Treadmill.

I have done 62 miles per week on average.  As you can see, the majority of my key workouts have been done on a treadmill.  The weather in New Orleans is just really bad and I don't want to kill myself before Berlin.

More updates soon, I promise!

Training update 7/31/2011 -64 miles

The heat and humidity don't leave me alone.  It's very sticky, and my lungs and heart just can't pump enough oxygen and blood to run my workouts as fast as I would like.  My race in Berlin is either going to be very good or a total disaster.  I feel very strong, but it's impossible to predict how fast I will go there.  I have 8 more weeks to go, and I am running lots of miles (in this heat).  Indeed, I logged 64 miles last week which is the highest weekly mileage of my life.  My legs feel great, my knee is not sore anymore, and I am eating a lot of ice cream and creme brulee to make up for all the calories that I burn in the workouts. I am not putting a limit on my weekly mileage this time (as I used to do).  Yet I am being very careful about my training loads, my nutrition, and  my hydration. If I want to run a sub 3 hour marathon, I need more than fast legs. I need to train with intelligence and passion. I need to believe that I can do it! 

A sub 3 hr marathon, I believe, is a true test of physical and mental endurance.  It doesn't matter how hard you train every day if your mind is not ready to take up on the challenge. I am super exited about running the fastest marathon course in the planet. In every single workout, I visualize myself running through the Brandenburg Gate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_Gate), seeing the finish line for the first time, and picking up the pace to end three seasons of fantastic running. 

As mentioned before, I did 64 miles last week (3 quality workouts, 4 easy days, and no double sessions).

Mo- speed workout. 5x800 mts (400 mts recovery).  7.5 miles total.  I ran 3:07 average, not bad but slower than I wanted.  I felt good.
Tu- 8 miles, easy running.  Good run, legs fine, not feeling the effects of the 800s.
Wed- Tempo run. 1x20 mins; 1x15 mins; 10 mins recovery. 9 miles total.  The 20 min tempo was good, legs had good turnover.  I was supposed to do another 20 mins, but only did 15 mins, it was too hot and humid.
Th- 7 miles. Easy run. Not a very good one.  Legs were tired from the tempo.  Took it as easy as possible.
Fr- 6.25 miles, easy running.
Sat- 17 miles.  I did 14 miles outside, very slow (high 8's). It was 80F, 98% humidity when I left my place and it only got worse... needless to say that I didn't have any fun.  So I finish the run on the treadmill.
Sun- 6 miles, easy running.  Legs felt great, no effects after the long run.

I will travel this week so I may need to make some adjustments. The plan is to do 60 miles and have Sanday off, yeeeah!

Cheers

I will soon...

...be boarding the plane that will take me to Geneva.  I signed up to run in Berlin more than 5 months ago with one idea: running the fastest marathon of my life.  And here I am, in late July, working hard to achieve my goal.  This has been an incredibly difficult training bloc. First, the weather in New Orleans is not friendly at all during the summer.  I am running in very hot and humid conditions day in and day out. Then, my right knee has given me some problems since I started to increase my weekly mileage (3-4 weeks ago).  But those problems have not stopped me from going out to do my runs.  The hot and humid conditions can only make me stronger as long as I complete the workouts with the required intensity.  It's not about how fast I can run my speed workouts, tempos, or long runs, it's about having the motivation to put together workouts with intensity.  My times do not reflect how fast I really am.  I am slower than normal, but I am not worried about it.  The thinner the air, the faster I will go... and the air in Berlin will be thin... so watch out!  My knee is getting better, I have done two runs without pain this week.  I found out that my lower right train was lacking balance, and I am working to correct this problem.  I also noticed that my stride was not as efficient as it usually is, so I am trying to get a more efficient running form.

I ran 60 miles last week.  Three quality workouts and four easy runs.  The fartlek and tempo runs were good, but I had a hard time to keep the pace up in the 11 mile marathon pace run on Friday.  I ran 7:15 on average, but I need to drop that pace to 6:55.  I am not in panic yet... I have 8 more weeks and I am feeling really strong. 

Stamina Phase (2nd week): 53 miles

I am entering the third week of specific training.  Although my right knee is still sore (and bothering me!), I am feeling good overall.  Training last week wasn't easy. I did three hard workouts and 4 easy runs. 53 miles total. In the middle of the week, I noticed that my body was tired and my legs lacked a spark.  Running in hot and humid conditions takes a toll on your body as it dehydrates easily.  In those conditions you need to be very careful about your diet and hydration.  I certainly was not being careful.  after monitoring my weight before and after my runs, I noticed that I was losing 4-6 punds during each run.  I thus decided to monitor what my eating and drinking habits.  I also decided to take vitamins (for the first time in my running life!) because I was feeling very weak after each run, and recovery was taking longer than usual. These changes are paying off so far. I feel muche better and I am able to finish my workouts stronger.  My next marathon is in less than 10 weeks, and I will be strong and ready to run when the day comes.

This is the third week of stamina training.  I ran a solid steady-state 8 miler yesterday.  I felt like a distance runner for the first time in several weeks. I was strong and fast.  I hope I can feel like that in Berlin.  The plan for the rest of this week includes easy runs on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; a tempo run on Wednesday; and a marathon pace 12 miler on Friday.  My build-up is good so far, and I hope to keep getting better every day.

Training update July 4-10, 2011

The first week of specific training for Berlin is done!  I only did 45 miles, but I really needed to decrease the mileage because my right knee is still bothering me a bit.  My joints are simply reacting to 5 very intensive 12-week training blocs in a row, and I need to be extremely careful if I want to stay healthy in the following weeks.  I have 11 more weeks of training that will be followed by several weeks/months of very easy running.  I also decided that I will only run one marathon all-out in 2012.

In the meantime, training for Berlin is going as expected.  I feel strong physically and mentally despite the horrendous conditions that prevail in New Orleans.  My training last week included three quality workouts and three easy runs.  I ran on a treadmill for three days trying to avoid the heat.  The treadmill is boring, but it gave me the opportunity to try a new workout: hill repeats.  I did 8x400 mts hill repeats (9-12% incline) with 400 mts recovery on Monday; 7 easy miles on Tuesday and 16 miles on Wednesday (fast last 3 miles).  Overall, I felt very good about these workouts.  I noticed that my body had more energy during and after the runs because it was not exposed the the heat and humidity.

I drove to Tallahassee, Fl. on Wednesday afternoon and ran 4 easy miles on Thursday morning and 2 miles on the track.  My legs were tired after the 16 miler the day before, but I was able to run the first mile in 5:35. This is the fastest mile I have ever run as far as I remember.  I took Friday off and did a 5 mile race on Saturday morning with my very good friends Juan Carlos and Camilo Ordonez. I mentioned before that I really wanted to run a race in order to evaluate my fitness level and I didn't resist to the idea of running this race. Since I didn't run a mid-week tempo run, I decided to use the 5 miler as a long tempo.  The weather was not good (hot and humid) and the surface was slow (sandy), so i didn't know what to expect.  I ran the 5 miles in 33 mins. 42 seconds that is roughly equivalent to 6:45 min/mile pace. Overall, I am satisfied with this result.  It shows that I am in very good shape, but there is still room for improvement.  I need more speed and more endurance.  There is nothing to worry about, I have plenty of time to get better before I head over to Europe on September 18th.

12 more weeks

It is hard to assess how my training is going.  I am doing all the workouts, but the weather is just brutal and my right knee is not 100%.  In addition, I have not raced since May so I don't really know how fast and/or strong I am.  I guess I just have to be extremely careful with my knee and the way I hydrate and things will be fine.  My base training is complete, 4 weeks of 40+ miles (49 this week) are in the books, and I am getting ready to start 12 weeks of very specific, key workouts for Berlin.  This week's training included the following workouts:

Mo- Fartlek (8x1 min, 1 min recovery). 6 miles total. 

Tu-  7 miles, easy.

Wed*- AM: 5x6 min tempo, 2 min recovery, 7 miles total. PM: 4 miles, recovery. 11 miles total.

Th- 6 miles, easy. 

Fr- 2 hr. long run. Brutal in the heat. 

Sat- 4.5 miles, easy run.

* I did a second run after my tempo this week.  The idea behind it is that a short, very easy run in the PM will allow my legs to flush out the excess of lactic acid that accumulates during hard runs. I will add 2 sessions like this next week (after fartlek and tempo sessions).  

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!

Not all weeks are good weeks!

I need to admit that my running was very mediocre last week.  The weather is bad (hot and humid), I have been very busy at work and traveling, and I just posted 4 consecutive weeks of more than 50 miles.  The only certain thing is that my body is exhausted and my legs just didn't have any spark since Tuesday. I had a pretty average tempo run on Wednesday and then a terrible long run on Saturday. I wanted to do 20 miles but ended up doing only 17. Please don't ask me how I felt throughout the entire run...because I was empty the whole way. I had nothing, nothing in the tank.  I haven't had that feeling in almost two years. There is one word that can describe my training last week: disappointing!

 So, after the disappointment, I decided that I am going to take things easy this week and go with the flow. If my legs feel good, I'll go fast. If they don't I'll go slow or not run at all.  I still have three weeks to go to my next marathon and I will try my best to recover.  I hope I can do it, I have enough time to do it.  The week is off to a good start, so I am hopeful that running will also be good :)

Less than 4 weeks to my next marathon

I will be running another marathon in less than 4 weeks (May 1).  I find myself thinking that I can have a good one out there.  My training has been good and it's a matter of finishing this training block strong and stay healthy. This is the last week of heavy training. After this week, everything is downhill (at least that's what I tell myself :)).

But, first things first.  Last week I did 60 miles. It was a very good one, except for my run on Saturday.  I struggled with the tempo, long run, tempo combination. It was very humid and my legs were feeling the effects of the mileage. I had to activate the survival mode since mile 13... I did 17.5 miles. The workout is done and that's what really matters.  I didn't know how my legs were going to feel after suffering in the sticky weather for more than 2 hrs. on Saturday, so I went out again on Sunday morning and did 5 very easy miles. To my delight, my legs felt fine, no pain. It was a very slow run... Sunday's run was slow by design, not by choice.

This week started with a speed session... 8x800 mts with 400 mts recovery. 7.5 miles total.  I ran strong every 800.  3:04 was my average time.  It was very windy and humid so I am very pleased with those splits.  Some people use the yasso 800s to predict their marathon time.  I have always been skeptical about using this workout as a predictor for my races, but I feel like using it as a predictor of my next race for the time being!  It's a difficult workout, I was strong throughout.  It is a good sign...

I have a busy travel schedule this week. I hope my training survives my travels :)  Have a great week!

Friday!!!!!!!

I just attended a very interesting lecture on central banks, liquidity, and financial crises in emerging markets, so I am not ready to go back to work yet... That gives me an excuse to procrastinate for a bit and update my blog!


I am almost done with a week of training that includes a couple of strength (very difficult) workouts. I did one on Wednesday and will do the other tomorrow morning.  I had a really good run on Wednesday, despite the weather.  It was very windy and cool (for NOLA standards). The workout included one hour of easy running and 6x5 mins. tempos (1 min. recovery).  The first hour was uneventful, running in those conditions is not nice but I kept thinking about the tempos the whole time.  This workout gave me a very hard time toward the end last time I did it, so I wanted to be conservative with my pace in the first hour.  I am coming out of three consecutive 50+ mile weeks and I am lacking a bit of speed, but the tempos were very good.  I hit all the splits, one by one... indeed, the pace felt very comfortable after the first series. I ended the run feeling very strong and thinking that it is a real shame that I won't run the Boston Marathon because I am in great shape.

I did 5 very easy miles on Th and 7 miles this morning.  My legs feel good, recovered after the 12 mile tempo on Wednesday, and ready for a 17 miler tomorrow morning.  I will do one more week of heavy mileage and then my training will focus on recovering my speed and staying healthy... New Jersey is just a check point on my road to Berlin, the big race of this year!

Another good week!

I have not updated my blog in two weeks... my fault!  Well, I keep training hard and my health is good, no injuries so far.  The most important workouts of the past two weeks included a 12-mile tempo run and a 20 miler.  Both runs were good.  I ran a very solid 12 mile tempo, hitting all the splits and feeling very good in the final miles. The 20 miler was decent, nothing special.  My legs were tired because I didn't rest a single day in almost 2 weeks (big mistake). But, I am in very good shape and very excited about my next races (New Jersey and Berlin). I have two key workouts this week. They both are a mix of long, easy runs and tempo intervals... 13 and 16 miles respectively...They are very difficult!  Wish me luck!

Speed Workout

Estoy reventado de trabajr con un código larguísimo, que no escribí yo y que por supuesto no termino de entender. Así que he decidido escribir un poco en mi blog.  Esta manana he regresado a hacer trabajo de pista, algo que no hacía desde hace mucho tiempo.  Mi entreno ha sido un poco conservador porque la pista suele cobrar caro cuando no se está bien preparado para ella. Hice 5 series de 800 a 3:02 en promedio. Pude haber ido por un par de 800 más pero he decidido que 5 era el número mágico de hoy. El entrenamiento total fue de 7 millas.  Hacía mucho viento y eso seguro que afectó mi velocidad un poco. Sin embargo, he salido muy fortalecido anímicamente de esta sesión.   Hacer este entrenamiento sin companía es muy complicado porque no hay nadie por delante o atrás de tí que vaya tirando del paso. Por momentos extrané mucho a mis companeros de entrenamiento de South Bend… seguro que hubiera ido mucho más rápido si los hubiera tenido a un lado.  A pesar de todo he tenido unas series bastante buenas. Me estoy dando cuenta que todavía no he corrido los 42 kms. 195 mts. más rápidos de mi vida. Creo que mis piernas tienen muchos kilómetros por delante y pienso que todavía no llego al techo de mi velocidad… hay que seguir trabajando.

3rd. 50+ mile week in the books

I had a very solid week of training.  My workouts suggest that my speed and endurance are getting better by the day. I logged another 50+ mile week and I am feeling very good.  The most important thing so far is that I am very healthy and feeling very good about my training. My legs are moving faster than ever.  I am consistently running my easy workouts at 7:50/8:00 min/mile and I have to constantly remind myself that I should not go faster than that in my easy runs. My best workout last week was a long tempo: 10 miles with 2x20 minute tempo in the middle. It was my best workout in a long time!  I also ran a 17 miler yesterday, it wasn't as solid as I wanted it to be but still in the low 8's.

I have a difficult week of training ahead. It will end with a monstrous 12 mile marathon pace run on Sunday.  I am going to push the pace. no question about it! 

Three good, solid workouts!

I have had three very good quality workouts since my last post. I did a tempo workout on Thursday:  15 min w/u; 2x15 min tempo w/3 min recovery (6:42; 6:50); 1 x 10 min tempo (6:50); 1 mile c/d (9 miles total). It was a great workout because I consistently hit all the splits. My legs felt great and I gained a lot of confidence with this workout. I am gaining strength and endurance. I then had a very easy day on Friday and rested on Saturday.  On Sunday, I did my longest workout in more than 5 months: 28 kms.  The weather was very humid but I managed to run a consistent pace for the entire workout…another confidence buster! 

I already did 2 workouts this week: a 5.5 recovery run yesterday and a fartlek this morning.  The fartlek workouts are not only adding variety to my training plan but also making me faster. I hope that running really fast (@5:10 min/mile) for short periods of time help improving my speed.  I am happy with how things are going so far.  The weather is getting hot and humid but I am doing my best to adapt to it as soon as possible.  Happy Mardi Gras!

The Fall Marathon is Berlin!

I decided that my fall marathon will be in Berlin on September 25, 2011. This race will be my third world major marathon as I have previously done New York City (3 times) and Chicago (3 times).  I am very excited about it because Berlin is a world record course, flat and fast. Berlin has been on my list for more than 3 years, I decided this morning that it was time to act and register to run it. My decision implies that I will have to adjust my training plan a little bit so that I can run my spring marathon in late April or early May. Running in early May will give me almost 21 weeks to fully recover and complete a full training plan toward Berlin. This decision also implies that I do not necessarily have to attempt running a sub 3 hr marathon in early/mid May. I am training hard to run fast in the spring but I need to be careful in my training as I wouldn’t like to get injured.  The possibilities for spring are the New Jersey or the Cincy Marathons… I am leaning toward New Jersey currently.

Intensity, endurance and consistency for the next 4 weeks

I like what I see so far.  My legs recovered from the NOLA half and am ready to shift the focus of my training to intensity, endurance and consistency. The race in New Orleans was a good parameter that allowed me to gain some information about my fitness. I felt good during the race but the recovery was slow and painful. But my legs are back and my mind is ready to take on 12 very intensive weeks of training leading to my next marathon. A year ago my objective was to qualify to Boston. I now think about running a sub 3 hr marathon. It's not an easy task but I am going to try it. A few months ago I read an article saying that to run a sub 3 hr marathon one has to have some special attributes. It's not all about the fitness, the mind also plays an important role. Fitness is something that one can always improve with constant workouts, but the state of mind, and the determination are characteristics that one can difficult improve regarless of the mileage. They are inside of you, waiting to be awaken.

I am healthy, faster, and commited to log hundreds of quality miles. I have learnt that it's not about the quantity of miles I run. Rather it's all about the quality of those miles. I know that I have to run many, many quality miles before attempting to run a sub 3 hr. marathon and I am ready to do so. It's time to prove that I can maintain a fast, consistent pace for 26.2 miles.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the NOLA half...

I ran the New Orleans Half Marathon in 1:30:32. This is my second best time ever in the half marathon. It was a beautiful day for running a distance race. I woke up at 4:15 am to eat my usual breakfast (a coffee, a banana, and a bagel) and to shower. The race started at 7 am so I had to get ready as soon as possible and leave to the start. The organization at the start was good, it was very easy to find my corral (corral 1) so I had plenty of time to warm up. The temperature was in the high 40’s when the race started… beautiful, beautiful! 

I ran a very consistent race, but the lack of racing in the past few months certainly affected my performance. I didn’t really know how fast I could go. The first miles were fast but I then slowed down a little. I ran by myself almost the whole race and that also had an effect on my pace and ultimately on my time. Yet I am satisfied with the result, I ran 45 seconds slower than my half-marathon PR with only 5 weeks of serious training.  I had good speed but lacked stamina and endurance in the final miles. It’s normal, I am far from my peak and am sure my stamina and endurance will be very good in a few weeks. I am happy because my legs hurt after the race, which suggests that I had a great workout.

So here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of the NOLA Half:

The Good:

1.      Racing again after 4 months

2.      The consistency, I ran almost even splits the whole race

3.      The weather

4.      My uniform

The Bad:

1.      I was only 45 secs off my PR

2.      The roads are in terrible shape!!!

3.      I ran by myself almost the whole way

4.      It was a very expensive race

The Ugly:

1.      My legs and left arm hurt after the race and still hurt a bit

2.      It has been a painful and long (3 days) recovery

My splits were:  6:45, 49, 47, 50, 51, 49, 53, 53, 55, 58, 54, 55, 50.  I can run faster than this. I have done three recovery sessions this week. My legs are feeling better and I am going to try an interval session tomorrow. 12 weeks til I come back to run a full marathon… I will be strong!

48 hrs...

Training has been good this week.  I decreased my mileage in anticipation of the NOLA half-marathon.  My workouts have been shorter but faster.  I did a great fartlek on Tueday (20 min. w/u; 9x 1 on/1 off; 20 min. c/d); 6 miles easy on Monday and Wednesday; and a short tempo run yesterday (12 min. w/u;  3 mile tempo; 12 min c/d).  I will take today off and do a very short fast paced run tomorrow morning (2-3 miles with 3x400 pick ups) to recover and get ready for Sunday.  I have good sensations about my new training regime… I am getting faster.  

I will run this race without having high expectations about my performance. It’s too early in the season to think about running a half-marathon PR, it’s also too early to see results of my new plan. I will let my legs go as fast as they want to go. Hopefully, they will have enough gas to go strong for 13 miles.  There are two key differences between this race and my previous half-marathons. First, I don’t have to run a marathon any time soon, so I can go fast if I’d like to. Second, I am not going to set any limits… I am going to go for it. I train really hard every day and I can’t limit myself in race day. I train to run hard and I am going to run hard. I have the feeling that it is going to hurt but I am not going to quit…

First Race since Chicago

I have some minutes to spare at Cleveland (thanks to a delayed flight) and I decided to update my running blog. Work has been busy but I have been able to get some good runs in the last 10 days.  I am adapting to my new plan, which includes three quality runs each week (speed/hills, tempo, long run).  The idea is to get faster and stronger. My easy runs are faster and my long runs include 3-4 miles (at the end) @ marathon pace or faster.

I guess we will see how I am doing this Sunday. I already registered for the  Mardi Gras Rock and Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans.  I have not raced since last October and I have no idea how my legs/body are going to respond.  I think I can run fast but I am not sure how long I can sustain a hard effort.  I am just finishing my base training period… It will be interesting to see how I run on Sunday.  This is the first time (since I train seriously) that I am going to run a half-marathon before starting with the heavy-mileage training.  I should be faster than in my previous halfs but the question, as I said before, remains as to how many miles I can run at a 6:50/7:00 min pace.  

New Orleans Half Marathon: Here I come!

The base training is going as planned.  I have put together two weeks of very good runs.   I capped last week  off with two easy runs (5.5 and 6.5 miles) and a long run of 13 miles.  So I ran a total of 45 miles, which is the highest mileage in more than 3 months.  

I did a 7 miler (progressive) yesterday and am planning to do 6 easy miles this pm so that I get ready for a tempo run tomorrow.  I keep running my easy runs at 7:45-8:00 min/mile pace.  I feel good and will hopefully keep feeling like this in the months to come.  I just didn’t have this feeling in a long time. I rested, I am healthy and can run faster as a consequence. 

I often think about my race in Chicago.  It was a hard one because my body was really tired.  I was 100% mentally and kept pushing my body on race day and during the training, but it just didn’t respond as expected because it was exhausted.  I am obsessed with running so taking the decision to not training hard on November and December was not an easy one.  But it was the right one!  I have a new pop and feel good and excited about my daily runs.  I am doing strength training like never before. I also feel very excited about finding out  how fast I can run this year.  The question is not whether I am going to finish a marathon or not. The question is: how fast am I going to run? 

I guess we will start finding that out very soon as I am likely to run in the New Orleans half marathon on February 13. It is still very early in the season and I don’t expect to run a PR in this race…Indeed, a PR can be ruled out right today because my overall shape is far from where it will be in 2-3 months. But I can guarantee that I’m going to go as fast as possible.  We just need to see how fast I can run 13.1 miles when I’m at 40-50% of my ideal running shape.  More blogging soon…

Cheers!

Running in NOLA

This is my second week in New Orleans and I am taking full advantage of the nice weather... People keep telling me that it is going to get very hot and humid in a couple of months so I need to have a solid base to survive those conditions.  I know that it will be difficult to do marathon training in the summer. That means that I have to run a good marathon in the spring and I am already training for it.  I don't know where I am going to run but, wherever my next marathon is, I will run it all out.

I ran two fantastic times in 2010 but I know I can run faster than that.  I trained with a lot of intensity yet I raced with a lot of caution. I respected the weather conditions too much!  I can't control the weather but I can control how I approach training and races.  In 2011, I am approaching training and racing in a different way than in the previous year.  If I want to run a sub-3 hr. marathon I need to run faster every day so that my body and mind get ready for the big day in April or May.  I don't know if I am going to run a marathon under 3 hrs.this year but I am going to try!

To accomplish my goals, I am making four fundamental adjustments to my training in the first and second training blocks. First, I am dropping my easy pace down to 7:50-8 min/mile. That is 30-45 seconds per mile faster than in my previous training cycles. I have had no problems with this adjustment yet.  Indeed, I am feeling very good running at this pace.  Dropping my easy pace will hopefully reflect in better and faster long runs every weekend. Second,  I am going to add one progressive run per week (starting next week) to my schedule.  That means that I will have three and not two quality sessions per week and three easy days every week. The intervals and long run sessions will have very small adjustments.  Third, I am going to run at least one 10k race and a half marathon in the first 8 weeks of this cycle.  I know my chances of running stunning times are very slim but I need to get back in to the flow of racing again.  Fourth, I will do strength training at least 4 days per week. I will ideally do 5 strength sessions per week.

I have done 3 workouts this week... 2 easy runs on M and T (7 and 6.5 miles respectively) and a very encouraging tempo run today (6x5 mins with 1 min rest @ 6:40-7:05 pace)... I felt very strong today. I have not done a tempo run this solid in a very long time...

Cheers from NOLA!

Break is over!

I decided to take a long break after running in Chicago.  That explains why I didn’t update my blog in such a long time!  Although I didn’t stop running completely, I reduced my weekly mileage substantially and have not raced since 10/10/10.  My body and mind need to heal after 18 months of continuous and very intense training.  

I am feeling very good and I am eager to race again!   I gained a few lbs. but my legs feel great and my weekly mileage is increasing steadily every week.  I have a good feeling about my next training cycle.  I am healthy and very motivated. I have not decided what races I am going to run this year yet.  I keep analyzing several possibilities that could include marathons in Rotterdam, Vienna, or Prague in the spring and Chicago, Amsterdam, or Marine Corps (DC) in the fall. I will make a final decision about my 2011 calendar in two weeks.

There is a good chance that I will run a 10k race on January 30^th and a half marathon in late February or early March (not sure where yet).  In the mean time, I am logging as many base miles as possible.  This week I did 40+ miles, the best week in a long time!  The workouts were:

S- 6 easy miles (high 7’s)

M- 6.5 easy miles

T- 6 easy miles

W- Tempo (3x1 mile @ 6:40)+ 3 easy miles

Th- 5 miles, very easy

F- Cross Training

S- 12 miles (low 8’s)

It feels great to be back!  I missed my long runs so much!