I have done three recovery sessions this week. Two on Monday (AM, PM) and one yesterday (Tuesday). My right shin is sore, I am not sure if am still feeling the effects of the half-marathon’s effort. I had a great race on Saturday but am a bit concerned about this problem. Everything else is great. I am leaning towards not doing any quality workouts this week to fully recover from the Kzoo half-marathon. It’s only 4 ½ weeks until Traverse City and I need to be extremely careful with my body. I don’t want to waste 4 fantastic months of training!
Monday—AM: 3 miles, recovery. PM: 6 miles, recovery. 9 miles total.
Tuesday—PM: 8.5 miles, easy.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
New PR! 1:29:47 in the Kzoo Half-Marathon
Hope you all had a good weekend! I am very satisfied with my performance in the Kalamazoo half-marathon. I ran in 1:29:47, a new PR in this distance! I knew that my shape was good but not good enough to run under 1:30:00.
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6 am and had coffee, a banana, an English muffin and some Gatorade for breakfast. I then headed to the start of the race. It was breezy and a bit cool, but managed to stay warm until the race started. The fist two miles were downhill. I ran them well under 7 min/mile. I was feeling very good but knew that the most difficult part of that course was the second half so I stayed calm and relaxed. Miles 3,4 and 5 were in Kalamazoo downtown. They are flat as a pancake and I tagged behind two guys who were running at a very good pace. In mile 6, there is a long hill that I ran well. The sixth mile was not as slow as I expected it to be and that gave me some confidence. I focused on maintaining a good running form without worrying about the pace. My quads felt a bit tight after the hill and I didn’t want to push excessively. Miles 7 and 8 were easy, I knew I had enough gas to put the hammer down from mile 9 onwards and that’s precisely what I did. To be honest, I didn’t really know I was running in a sub 1:30 pace! Mile 10 and 11 are relatively flat and I picked my pace up a bit. My legs were fine and I was not feeling very tired. Miles 12 and 13 have a couple of hills that could make you suffer at this stage of the race. Rather than slowing down, I attacked them. Finishing races off has historically been one of my shortcomings and am working hard to overcome it. I knew that I had a shot of running under 1:30 and I went for it! Two years ago I would had slowed down. When you slow down, you don’t feel fulfilled at the end… I know that feeling very well and I don’t want to experience it anymore. I am training really hard and I need to show that when am racing. When I crossed the 13 mile marker, I knew I was going to run under 1:30 and I ran as hard as I could. The last 1/10 of a mile felt very good because I dreamed with running under 1:30 for a long time and I was very close to demolish that barrier. I crossed the finish line in 1:29:47, my fastest half-marathon ever!
During the race, I asked myself several times: Do you remember when you used to run in the back of the pack? Do you prefer the back or the front? If you prefer running in the front, then keep pushing! This is a big step but it is not the final one. I am going to continue working as hard as possible to run a Boston qualifying time in Traverse City. My result this past Saturday is a big boost to my morale and am feeling better than ever. My legs are a bit sore after the effort and I will try to recover them ASAP. The first two days of this week will be easy and after evaluating my runs I will decide the other workouts.
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6 am and had coffee, a banana, an English muffin and some Gatorade for breakfast. I then headed to the start of the race. It was breezy and a bit cool, but managed to stay warm until the race started. The fist two miles were downhill. I ran them well under 7 min/mile. I was feeling very good but knew that the most difficult part of that course was the second half so I stayed calm and relaxed. Miles 3,4 and 5 were in Kalamazoo downtown. They are flat as a pancake and I tagged behind two guys who were running at a very good pace. In mile 6, there is a long hill that I ran well. The sixth mile was not as slow as I expected it to be and that gave me some confidence. I focused on maintaining a good running form without worrying about the pace. My quads felt a bit tight after the hill and I didn’t want to push excessively. Miles 7 and 8 were easy, I knew I had enough gas to put the hammer down from mile 9 onwards and that’s precisely what I did. To be honest, I didn’t really know I was running in a sub 1:30 pace! Mile 10 and 11 are relatively flat and I picked my pace up a bit. My legs were fine and I was not feeling very tired. Miles 12 and 13 have a couple of hills that could make you suffer at this stage of the race. Rather than slowing down, I attacked them. Finishing races off has historically been one of my shortcomings and am working hard to overcome it. I knew that I had a shot of running under 1:30 and I went for it! Two years ago I would had slowed down. When you slow down, you don’t feel fulfilled at the end… I know that feeling very well and I don’t want to experience it anymore. I am training really hard and I need to show that when am racing. When I crossed the 13 mile marker, I knew I was going to run under 1:30 and I ran as hard as I could. The last 1/10 of a mile felt very good because I dreamed with running under 1:30 for a long time and I was very close to demolish that barrier. I crossed the finish line in 1:29:47, my fastest half-marathon ever!
During the race, I asked myself several times: Do you remember when you used to run in the back of the pack? Do you prefer the back or the front? If you prefer running in the front, then keep pushing! This is a big step but it is not the final one. I am going to continue working as hard as possible to run a Boston qualifying time in Traverse City. My result this past Saturday is a big boost to my morale and am feeling better than ever. My legs are a bit sore after the effort and I will try to recover them ASAP. The first two days of this week will be easy and after evaluating my runs I will decide the other workouts.
Friday, April 23, 2010
First race of the year!
I am running a half-marathon in Kalamazoo tomorrow morning (April 24th). The weather forecast is not very good (with rain) but I would still like to run. As I said in a previous post, the course is not an easy one. The weather and a difficult course could make things difficult. This is why I have designed two race plans. One includes running the 13 miles at marathon pace (7:20-7:25). Another has 10 miles at 7:00 min/mile and the last 3.1 miles at 5k pace (6:30-6:45). I will decide which one to use after seeing the conditions. Meanwhile, the week has been good so far… Three easy runs on Wed. Th and Fr to get ready for tomorrow’s race.
Wednesday: Two sessions, total 11.5 miles. AM: 5 miles recovery. PM: 6.5 miles easy. I felt very good in the evening session.
Thursday: 7 easy miles.
Friday: 4 very easy miles with 4*1 minute surges. I wanted to feel my legs and they seem to be ready for tomorrow.
I will let you know how things develop in Kalamazoo…
Wednesday: Two sessions, total 11.5 miles. AM: 5 miles recovery. PM: 6.5 miles easy. I felt very good in the evening session.
Thursday: 7 easy miles.
Friday: 4 very easy miles with 4*1 minute surges. I wanted to feel my legs and they seem to be ready for tomorrow.
I will let you know how things develop in Kalamazoo…
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Boston Marathon Week
5 weeks and 2 days until the Traverse City Marathon … I am entering the most important part of my preparation for the race. In the horizon 2 long runs (2:40 hrs. or more) and 2 marathon pace runs are waiting for me. I feel strong and, above all, healthy. This week has been good so far. As I said in my last post, chances are that am going to run a half marathon in Kalamazoo
Monday—60 mins. (7.5 miles). I went for a run with Scott. The pace was a little bit faster than what I wanted but still within my range. No major problems. Strength training to end.
Tuesday—4x10 mins tempo (2 mins recovery). Total miles: 8. I knew this tempo was not going to be pretty. I didn’t rest enough and my times were not good. Anyhow, the tempo run is done and I now have three days to fully recover before running in Kzoo.
Wednesday: AM: 5 miles, PM: 6 miles. Total miles 11. I felt good in the morning run, my legs were faster than expected and am happy about that. The pace was in the mid 8’s, no major issues to report. I then went to the gym for 30 mins to do some strength training. The PM run will also be at a very easy pace. This is the first double header of the season! Will let you know how I feel in my run.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Th/Fr/Sat/Sun
Thursday: 7.5 miles @ 8:25 avg. This was a nice run in a warm weather (82 degrees). I was pleasantly surprised that my legs were not in bad shape after the very difficult tempo run on Wednesday. The pace was indeed fast in the first two miles and I decided to slow down a bit because my right calf was a bit sore. I am reaching a point at which running at 8:15-8:30 is just really easy. It’s difficult to slow down when am running fine but am doing a job so far.
Friday: Off. I took Friday off because my right calf has been bothering me quite a bit since Wednesday night. I really wanted to run but decided against it in the afternoon. I figured that taking one day off was the most intelligent decision at this stage of my training. Yes, taking one day off will not affect my form but could result in many days off (due to an injury) if am not feeling good.
Saturday (QW2): 15.2 miles total. 2x10 mins tempo (2 mins recovery), 9 miles, 20 mins tempo. My right calf is not 100%, I still have moderate pain so I decided to go slow in the warm up (12 minutes) and then do the first set of tempos. I felt fine in the warm up and did a very good job in the first 2x10 mins. tempos. The wind was very strong (gusting up to 30 miles per hour) and that certainly slowed me down a bit. The next 8 miles were easy. Again, the 8:15-8:30 min/mile pace felt very easy. I didn’t have any major problem completing the first 11.25 miles. The biggest challenge came at the end: a 20 minute tempo with 11.25 miles already in my legs. Four weeks ago, I did a similar work out and the last tempo was not good. I had a very good 20 min. tempo today. I ran in the upper limit for a tempo run (7:05 min/mile) not because I couldn’t go faster but because I consciously decided to be conservative and don’t force my right calf. I ended this run feeling very strong. I am happy! In addition to putting together a strong 15 miler, I ran almost 11 miles of the Kalamazoo half marathon course. I wanted to get a sense of how easy or difficult it is. I think it is not easy. The first 4 miles are very easy but the rest is tricky. It has many hills and that could be costly at the end. At least I know what to expect next Saturday. My legs are stronger and ready for the hills. I have a race plan in mind but will describe it in detail later…
Sunday: 6 miles very easy. Easy recovery day, 6 miles in the upper 8's and low 9's. I felt good and wanted to go faster but didn't do it.
Total miles this week: 54.5
Friday: Off. I took Friday off because my right calf has been bothering me quite a bit since Wednesday night. I really wanted to run but decided against it in the afternoon. I figured that taking one day off was the most intelligent decision at this stage of my training. Yes, taking one day off will not affect my form but could result in many days off (due to an injury) if am not feeling good.
Saturday (QW2): 15.2 miles total. 2x10 mins tempo (2 mins recovery), 9 miles, 20 mins tempo. My right calf is not 100%, I still have moderate pain so I decided to go slow in the warm up (12 minutes) and then do the first set of tempos. I felt fine in the warm up and did a very good job in the first 2x10 mins. tempos. The wind was very strong (gusting up to 30 miles per hour) and that certainly slowed me down a bit. The next 8 miles were easy. Again, the 8:15-8:30 min/mile pace felt very easy. I didn’t have any major problem completing the first 11.25 miles. The biggest challenge came at the end: a 20 minute tempo with 11.25 miles already in my legs. Four weeks ago, I did a similar work out and the last tempo was not good. I had a very good 20 min. tempo today. I ran in the upper limit for a tempo run (7:05 min/mile) not because I couldn’t go faster but because I consciously decided to be conservative and don’t force my right calf. I ended this run feeling very strong. I am happy! In addition to putting together a strong 15 miler, I ran almost 11 miles of the Kalamazoo half marathon course. I wanted to get a sense of how easy or difficult it is. I think it is not easy. The first 4 miles are very easy but the rest is tricky. It has many hills and that could be costly at the end. At least I know what to expect next Saturday. My legs are stronger and ready for the hills. I have a race plan in mind but will describe it in detail later…
Sunday: 6 miles very easy. Easy recovery day, 6 miles in the upper 8's and low 9's. I felt good and wanted to go faster but didn't do it.
Total miles this week: 54.5
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Mid-week report
It's been a decent week so far. This is supposed to be a down week and am doing everything possible to maintain the 'easy runs' as easy as possible.
Monday: Easy 7 miles+ strength. My legs didn't feel very good at the beginning and I didn't push the pace at all. I was happy running in the high 8's and low 9's mins/mile. I just can't believe how easy the low 9's feel... they used to be a torture 2 years ago. It was very windy outside, windy and cool. Strength training at the end.
Tuesday: Another easy day. 9 miles+strength. I decided to do another easy day before running the tempo. The pace was in the mid-8's, very easy and comfortable. Still very windy outside. No major problems during the run. My calves are a bit tight but the pace was just right. No major problems during the run. Strength to end the day.
Wednesday: (QW 1): 8x5 mins tempo (30-45 secs recovery). Total 9.5 miles. This was a difficult workout. The weather was great and I decided to do my tempo run in an outdoor track. I warmed up for 12 mins. and then began the tempos. I felt fine in the first three but not so good in the final 5. The track is not very fast and I could feel it. I initially thought that my pace was very slow but I was wrong. I ran at 6:30 min/mile average which is substantially better than the 6:45-7:05 min/mile that my plan calls for. Actually, I must say that I was in very good shape for the last 2 tempo intervals so I can't complain at all. Ended with a 2 mile cool down. I went home and iced my right calf that was very sore after the workout (because of the new surface, I think).
Thursday and Friday will be easy days... very easy days as I prepare for a grueling workout on Saturday. Will tell you about this later in the week.
On a completely different note, I am very likely to run the Kalamazoo half-marathon next weekend (April 25). I really look forward to seeing how my new plan translates into actual racing. I don't know if am ready for a half-marathon PR but it would be great to see how my body is responding to the new training regime.
Monday: Easy 7 miles+ strength. My legs didn't feel very good at the beginning and I didn't push the pace at all. I was happy running in the high 8's and low 9's mins/mile. I just can't believe how easy the low 9's feel... they used to be a torture 2 years ago. It was very windy outside, windy and cool. Strength training at the end.
Tuesday: Another easy day. 9 miles+strength. I decided to do another easy day before running the tempo. The pace was in the mid-8's, very easy and comfortable. Still very windy outside. No major problems during the run. My calves are a bit tight but the pace was just right. No major problems during the run. Strength to end the day.
Wednesday: (QW 1): 8x5 mins tempo (30-45 secs recovery). Total 9.5 miles. This was a difficult workout. The weather was great and I decided to do my tempo run in an outdoor track. I warmed up for 12 mins. and then began the tempos. I felt fine in the first three but not so good in the final 5. The track is not very fast and I could feel it. I initially thought that my pace was very slow but I was wrong. I ran at 6:30 min/mile average which is substantially better than the 6:45-7:05 min/mile that my plan calls for. Actually, I must say that I was in very good shape for the last 2 tempo intervals so I can't complain at all. Ended with a 2 mile cool down. I went home and iced my right calf that was very sore after the workout (because of the new surface, I think).
Thursday and Friday will be easy days... very easy days as I prepare for a grueling workout on Saturday. Will tell you about this later in the week.
On a completely different note, I am very likely to run the Kalamazoo half-marathon next weekend (April 25). I really look forward to seeing how my new plan translates into actual racing. I don't know if am ready for a half-marathon PR but it would be great to see how my body is responding to the new training regime.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Peak Week 1... done!
The long run was preceded by a 4 mile very easy run indoors on Friday morning. I ran well after the great tempo run on Thursday. Overall, I had a great week. I continue to feel good about my chances of running a marathon PR in TC. This week am going to cut down the mileage a bit.
The Zurich Marathon was yesterday... I read that they changed the course as is now faster than the previous years. I have a special appreciation for that marathon because I ran fast in 2009 despite the warm weather and the slow course. I will go back to run it sometime. I am getting ready to watch the Boston Marathon next Monday... I hope to be running in Boston next year.
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