Sunday, January 28, 2018

Boston Marathon Training Week # 7

Best week of the year so far in terms of mileage as I topped out at 83 miles. Capped by setting a 15k PR Sunday in the Beethoven 15k at Brunswick Forrest in a time of 58:12. Which also was good enough for the overall victory, and team victory. A good day indeed- felt pretty strong throughout the race, and took the lead solo just past the 5k mark, after running with my friend Jamie the first 1/3 of the race. He came in 2nd OA and also broke the hour barrier, and set a PR. Happy for him- and he's also a fellow Pennsylvania kid.

Some soreness in the upper part of my right hamstring first noticed late Friday night. Very tender near the top part, but didn't affect any range of motion running wise. Probably caused doing striders Friday night, on top of some harder intervals with Amie on Thursday morning.

Got a hill work in one day this week- using the yellow blaze trail up Sugar Loaf trail in the Carolina Beach State Park. Did about 7-8 repeats, and figured I got in total between 2500-3000m in on hills (plus soft surface). Making hill work one of my focal points going forward in my training. Hit Snows Cut bridge twice on Monday as part of my first workout, running at marathon pace both times while crossing.  Seeing what others are going locally, and those who are training for Boston whom I follow on social media, and/or what hill workouts are listed in the BAA training plans. If I can't fully simulate, I can attempt to get close to the same amount of hill running totals in.

More sublime moments on the runs, especially aware of Friday night running in the dark. Stoked again about the race today, and how the training seems to be playing out so far. Still a long ways to go...

Week # 7 (1/22/18-1/28/18)

83.0 miles total

Monday: 19 miles. WO1.  4 + 8M + 1T + 4M + 2.  Carolina Beach roads plus River Road and back. Snows Cut Bridge x 2. Solid workout. Legs felt pretty alive and had some pop. Also coming off of about 15-16 miles the day before on the trails. Splits: 7:14, 6:56, 6:49, 7:04, 6:51, 7:01, 6:57, 6:58, 6:17, 6:46, 6:47, 6:53, 6:44.  Was shooting for sub 2:20 overall. Run time- 2:15:40 (7:08 pace)

Tuesday: 7.25 miles. Carolina Beach State Park trails. Picking up flags from Survival Run. Real easy pace, legs not too beat up from Monday but definitely feeling it some. Peaceful afternoon. Warmer with temps around 60.  Run time- 1:08:47 (9:29 pace)

Wednesday: 13.32 miles. Carolina Beach roads + SP trails. Ran several hill repeats. Found about a .4 mile section to use down Yellow blaze trail running up to very top of Snow's Cut hill (about .3+ uphill). Hit big hill on way back, + thru in Snow's Cut hill from other direction twice (probably about 150 -200 meters). Took hills fairly hard, think pace was down to low 7s at some points. Good mileage day. Run time- 1:50:59 (8:20 pace)

Thursday: 14.97 miles. Did Amie's WO w/ her. Roads from her house, used a loop for the intervals around neighborhood, and onto River Road. 5 x 3 mins I pace (low 7s) w/ 2 mins recovery jog + 4 x 1 min I pace (mid 6s) w/ 2 mins recovery jog. Another real solid mileage day. Colder out, wore long pants temps 30s WC 20s at start. Some fatigue in legs. Run time- 2:12:49 (8:52 pace)

Friday:  13.65 miles. Carolina Beach to Kure Beach and back, then to north end of CB. Night running. 8 x 150 I/O striders in 10, 11th miles. Ran steady pace around 8:00 most of the run. Dug running at night, and the challenge of needing all the miles to try and get over 80 mpw. Didn't want to have to close to 20 Sunday at race to get. Felt pretty good most of run, did not feel hamstring until much later that night. Run time- 1:49:18 (8:00 pace)

Saturday:  Rest/ recovery

Sunday:  14.8 miles. Brunswick Forrest. 4 miles before race w/ Amie, mostly in the rain. Fortunately wasn't too cold as temps were in the 50s. 15k in 58:21 (had 9.23 miles on garmin, but also slowed a lot on boardwalk 2x which was wet, so balancing the two out and calling it a 15k PR. Last PR was 59:35, so well under). Solid race. Splits: 6:28, 6:22, 6:32, 6:04, 6:12, 6:13, 6:27, 6:22, 6:02 (pace). 1.5 mile cool down again in the rain. Only some slight discomfort in right knee (same as usual) on 4 mile warm-up. Hamstring no problems. Fun morning, blessed to be able to compete. First race since Thanksgiving.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Boston Marathon Training Week # 6

Hard to believe, but I am a third of the way through the eighteen week training plan for the Boston Marathon. Took a bit of a cut back/ recovery week; all in all things went well. Reduced overall mileage by 10-15%, and took two rest days instead of one. Also there was only one "hard" workout this week, as the second workout was 19 miles, without any pace, threshold, or interval miles. I use the word in quotation marks, since any run over say 15 miles still poses a fair amount of challenges.

Got to get back on the trails of my beloved Carolina Beach State Park as well for three of my runs, as my work schedule permitted some day time runs, coupled with the annual Wilmington Road Runner's Survival Run this past Sunday. Once again I volunteered to set up and mark courses, of which everyone inevitably gets lost anyway. All in good fun though.

Only injury concern again is some tightness, soreness in my right knee. Taking some extra vitamin C, and some turmeric to help forestall the dreaded head cold, and help with any swelling around the knee area. Been a bad winter flu season, and several people I know have been battling nasty head colds. But as I told Amie, it's hard to make it through an 18 week plan, and not have either a cold, or some type of small injury to force some lost training time. My guess is that some of this is baked into such training cycles, and is why they are as long as they are. Most people will miss some days, and/or some workouts.

Continue to use gels as fuel, and look forward to consuming most runs. Getting better at carrying, opening, and ingesting while running. Something of which I rarely did in previous marathon trainings.

Thinking back to Adam Goucher in Running with the Buffaloes and how he would get such large weekly mileage totals on single, daily runs. Trying to emulate in my own way. Using the Strava app's statistics feature to track; converting the data, for instance, into average distance per daily run. Hoping like him to reap big aerobic benefits from running this way.

Trying to stay focused on each run. Remaining humble and grateful. Catching brief glimpses into what I consider to be God at work in the environment around me. Not giving up, or giving in, before the magic occurs. Whether that be on a daily run, some upcoming race, or at the end of the long, hard road to Beantown.

Week #6 (1/15/18-1/21/18)

68.8 miles total


Monday:  17 miles. WO2. Stayed over in Shallotte so did run on roads on MLK Day. 7 + 8T + 2. Amended WO some, wasn't fully sure going in what I wanted to do, until I actually got a few miles into the run. Knew I wanted to one of the weekly WOs. Instead of beginning the T miles early in the run as prescribed, I put in 7 miles at a decent pace first. Since one of my previous T WOs I had done basically the opposite. Also run called for 4 x 2T w/ 2 min rest. Decided just to knock all 8 out consecutively, trading off the rest and likely faster pace per each mile, for an 8 mile T run at a pace close to 15 seconds below M pace. Felt pretty good and worked hard; didn't check watch except at mile marks. T miles:  6:39, 6:53, 6:43, 6:35, 6:45, 6:40, 6:42, 6:44. Temps were in the 30s w/ a pesky wind about 10+ mph. Had on long pants. Run time- 2:03:55 (pace 7:17)

Tuesday: 8.36 miles. CBSP trails. Easy miles, felt ok. Some tightness/ twinge in upper part of right hamstring. Legs not too beat up from Monday. Run time- 1:18:30 (9:23)

Wednesday:  Rest/ recovery

Thursday: 20.05 miles. WO1. Ran w/Amie who had a straight 20 miles as her WO. Started at 7am and was very cold. Temps in the mid 20s with wind chills in the low to mid teens. Wore long pants, two pairs socks, and UNCW sweatshirt over top long sleeve Tec-shirt. Ended up being kind of a survival run, though once sun rose it did help a little, and last half of run or so was fairly tolerable. Steady pace in low 9s. Her first long run since coming off the flu-she was still battling a cough. Ran roads, including River Road and into the Cape. Legs held up ok, but was really counting off the mileage to get done. Longest run I had done since pacing Wrightsville Beach Marathon last March. Run time- 3:04:43 (9:13 pace)

Friday: 7.61 miles. CBSP trails, marking survival run course. Easy pace, had to stop many times briefly to put flags in the ground. Split run into two parts as moved car after a few miles to better access some trails. Was trying to keep mileage down. Did debate doing some hill repeats, but bagged it (On mind, that I need to start incorporating hills more, though did run Snows Cut bridge 2x on Thurs run. Been mentioning to runners doing Boston as well. Need to address in this next 6 week cycle). Pleasant afternoon, temps in the 50s. Run time- 1:16:08 (10:01 pace)

Saturday: Rest/ recovery

Sunday: 15.81 miles. CBSP Trails. Met English Rob at 7am and ran 7+ miles with him before meeting the club for the survival run. Pleasant run and conversation, easy pace 9+ mile/min. 8+ then with several runners- 4 with Michelle, and 8 w/ Kent, Mike, Paul, Stuart, David etc. Good conversations about ultras, marathons, training plans, Boston, hydration, fueling. Typical runners chatting away, good times. Ran a bit harder, low-mid 8 minute miles. Legs got a bit fatigued later in run, but I made mental note in the first few miles with Rob how fresh they felt, as if they were saying "hey isn't it about time for a hard run?"  Positive signpost. Enjoyed a big breakfast afterwards in the Visitor's Center of the state park.  Run time- 2:22:20 (9:00 pace)

Monday, January 15, 2018

Boston Marathon Training Week # 5

Big week, biggest mileage so far with 81 miles, as I near the completion of the first third of my 18 week Boston training plan. Time tends to fly a little when one gets into the teeth of such an endeavor. Fortunately the weather was better, as temperatures actually were quite mild a few days-I even ran in a tank top and was cognizant of humidity levels Thursday. What a contrast for sure

Physically I feel pretty good; still some tightness, or stiffness in my right knee at times, especially coming off harder workouts like on Friday. Also one of my toes on a right foot sore; feels like an ingrown nail, or perhaps a blister behind the nail. Did have to wear two pairs of socks on some of the real cold days, which may have contributed to.

Focusing more on being grateful for being involved in the 2018 Boston journey, and each attendant run, and subsequent mile. It can be a real grind-any marathon or ultra training is-and taking a few moments either before, or during the runs themselves helps keep me grounded and appreciative to be in the position that I am in. Repeating often the phrase "each mile" within runs, and giving thanks for each mile completed.

Staying connected with my friends locally who are training not only for Boston, but other marathons as well, and people I follow via social media. We all can inspire each other, especially to get through the tougher days, run, and weeks.

Had a conversation Saturday at lunch with a non-running friend about why I do all of this. Found it tough on some levels to articulate my thoughts without sounding half crazed, or like some self-made martyr. But its ok, we both laughed about it.

Speaking of food, been eating eating eating. Love it!  Trying to avoid sugar and processed food, though fell off that wagon some this weekend celebrating my Dad's 74th birthday. Also, been consuming 2 or 3 gels most runs. Figure it also helps keep my overall caloric intake up, plus it helps to have something to look forward to in the runs. Loving the vanilla, and salted caramel flavors!

Week #5 (1/8/18- 1/14/18)

81.1 miles total

Monday:  17 miles. WO#2. 8  + 5 x 1k I pace (jog recover rest of mile) + 800m, 400m + 3. Ran of roads at night Carolina Beach and Kure Beach. Solid workout, worked hard and felt pretty good. First 8 miles ran steady pace, down into low-mid 7s. Tried to run the 1000s in 3:45 or less (6:00 pace), and averaged low 3:40s. 2:54 800m, 1:24 400m. Good workout to be able to get the legs to turnover fast after all the miles already run in the workout.  Run time: 2:06:52 (7:27 pace)

Tuesday:  10 miles. CB + Carolina Beach State Park. Ran 5-6 hill repeats on yellow blaze trail hill and sugar loaf. Harder pace up hill. Need to start incorporating more regularly- hills. Felt okay coming off harder Monday. Took roads after dark on the roads pretty easy. Did as much as I could in state park/ trails before darkness. Run time- 1:24:26 (8:26 pace)

Wednesday: 12.59 miles. CBSP + CB roads after dark. Easier, flowing pace. Liked hearing the sound of the ocean as I approached running onto the North End and back, used as motivation to get more miles in. The sound and the fury. Felt blessed to be out there, and more able to meet the challenge of so many miles. Adjusting to needing to put down 10+ miles most runs in order to hit weekly targets on "singles". Thought back to Running with the Buffaloes and the mentality of Goucher and the XC runners. Using as motivation going forward. Run time- 1:48:19 (8:36 pace)

Thursday: 18.04 miles. WO#1. 8 + 2 x 2T, 2 min jog recovery + 3 + 2T + 1. Amended WO a bit to be more like one form 2 weeks ago that I changed to meet Colin and Justin in CBSP. Wanted to get the mileage in before the threshold miles. Ran first 8 miles steady pace in 7s. T miles 6:16, 6:32, 6:23. Then 6:13, 6:29. Felt good about the workout, worked hard on T miles. Last 2 I pretended that Thomas, Ryan, Paul were running a 2 mile time trial with me. Pleased able to hit paces I did on feel after the accumulated mileage (started last 2T at 15 miles in). Nice running in a tank-top, almost debated going shirtless. Temps well into the 60s in late afternoon. Humid. Run time- 2:10:45 (7:15 pace)

Friday: 9.53 miles. Easy pace, mostly run on the CBSP trails. Got caught in some heavy showers in the morning, was kind of cold and wet for a point in the run. Was about 60-65, but only had t-shirt on which got soaked along w/ shorts and baseball cap. But sun came out later in run and felt good. Right knee pretty stiff in beginning of run; almost had to will it to move. Legs fairly beat up from Thursday, but did loosen up on trails  Run time- 1:26:58 (9:08 pace)

Saturday:  14 miles. Early morning, roads of CB North End, down into KB area middle of island. 9 + 6 x 150 I/O striders + 3M + 1. Was going to run hills in CBSP but decided to change up and get more miles in on the roads. Got it into my head to hit 80 miles on the week, but then goofed by one on the math. Need to also get back to doing striders more. Decided to throw in the 3 at M pace near end of run. Felt pretty good doing. Again thinking about Running with the Buffaloes and the high weekly mileage thru singles. Pushing/ motivating myself to get the extra mile(s) ends of run to add to the weekly tally, and add marginal fitness gains. Run time- 1:50:06 (7:52 pace).


Sunday, January 7, 2018

Boston Marathon Traing week# 4

Cold, cold, cold. Snow and ice-what a week?  Crazy winter weather here in coastal North Carolina. But despite the challenging elements, week #4 was a success. Over 77 miles, on 6 days (runs). Couple days of ancillary work too, and my right knee only bothers me on occasion.

Less than a 100 days until Boston- loved seeing the picture posts from the BAA this week on Facebook and Instagram. Also inspired and in awe of all the running people are doing in much, much colder climates than here. Been brutal all over the US it seems.

Have actually become accustomed to dressing in many layers, wearing long pants. Making sure to cover most any areas of exposed skin. Wearing a hoo rag around my neck, and even pulling it up over my face on Sunday morning's frigid adventure run.

So onward goes the journey-trying to constantly remind myself to take it one workout, one run, and sometimes one mile at a time. Have come up with my own little mantra of each mile, which I hashtag in my mind as #eachmile. Is especially helpful on the more difficult parts of run; whether I be struggling mentally at the time, or physically, especially in the midst of threshold or marathon pace miles.

Very blessed and grateful to be on the road to Boston. Had a little moment of prayer and thanks Sunday after the last run of the week was complete, and I was back inside my warm home. Wonderful to be able to share with others. Here's to another fantastic week, and surmounting the obstacles when they come our way.

Week#4 (1/1/18- 1/7/18)

77.4 miles total

Monday: 10 miles. Ran loops in Carolina Beach State Park to alleviate some exposure to the wind and cold. Easy to moderate pace, almost all off road. Good way to start 2018. Run time: 1:18:41 (7:52 pace)

Tuesday: 17.85 miles. WO2. Amended a bit from Jack Daniels plan due to meeting Justin and Colin. Ended up 2E + 7T + 8.85E. Wore long tights like pants that Amie got me for Xmas (love em) w/ shorts over top. Felt fairly decent on T miles. Splits: 6:38, 6:28, 6:37, 6:45, 6:25, 6:52, 6:44. Variations some due to slight up/ down on CBSP roads + wind. Trails w Colin & Justin easy pace thru park, then 1.5 roads back home.  Run time: 2:21:21 (7:55 pace)

Wednesday:  9.22 miles. Roads Carolina Beach + trails in state park. Easy pace, legs not too bad or beat up from Tuesday. Good sign. Run time: 1:21:33 (8:51 pace)

Thursday:  11 miles. Snow adventure run!  Got about 1-2 inches on top of ice Wed eve. Roads very slick. Trails beautiful. Nice crunchy snowpack; ice on trees looked so pristine and virgin. Bundled up and ran easy pace.  Run time: 1:49:15 (9:55 pace)

Friday: 18.08 miles. WO1. 2E + 8M + 1T + 2M + 1E + 2M + 2E. Good workout, especially considering long pants, layers, and having to slow for ice/snow patches on the road. Almost fell bad once, had a bit of a seeing God moment. Though did not fully deter me from perhaps not making the best running choices for safety sake. First few miles felt sluggish, legs no pop. Plus mentally was already bagging it, making excuses. But recovered mentally, and the body followed after several miles in. Also choosing to just run on the main road helped, as was for most part available to avoid ice. Run itself was a hard grind at times; took a lot of effort. But pleased with overall results. Splits: 7:13, 7:07, 7:07, 7:16, 7:42 (slipped, almost fell bad), 7:01, 7:03, 6:56, 6:45, 7:07, 6:51.....  6:48, 6:48 Put head down and went on last 2 miles, did not check watch except for split beep. Checked watched more early on, and kept thinking I should be running faster per effort. So didn't look at as much  latter miles-and was faster. But also surface change to avoid ice. First few miles was hitting road patches every other block, or so it seemed-that had to slow down on. Roads to KB, back to CB to north end and back, then KB and back again on Lake Park. Run time: 2:14:49 (7:28 pace)

Saturday: Rest/ Recovery

Sunday:  11.31 miles. CBSP to Dow Chemical plant, Dow-Hamlet Road way back. Freezing cold, wind chill 5. Bundled up. Fun run though w/ Colin, Justin, Dan, English Rob, Rob R. Trails and some bush wacking. Forgot to watch start after a stop, so run probably 1/2 mile longer. Ran around bay area never had been, low tide and ice. Hadn't seen old plant ruins in many years, plus was snow covered. Wish we would have had a camera for a picture. Hands so cold before Dow road and run back, couldn't tie open show. Came back last 2-3 miles w. Rob R. Nice chat about marathon plan, he's doing Wrightsville Beach, and wants to improve on 3:16 December at Kiawah. Into wind, and in shade was brutal-couldn't feel our faces, and my hoo rag on neck/face had become too frozen to wear anymore on face. Took awhile to warm up once home. Legs good, some tightness, slight pain in right knee, especially when bush wacking.  Run time: 1:57:01 (pace 10:21).

Monday, January 1, 2018

Boston Marathon Training- Week#3

Knock on wood, but my right knee has been feeling better the past few days. Now the big concern is the bitter cold weather. Very cold for coastal North Carolina, with wind chills in the teens at times. I'm not a big fan of running in this type of weather, though I do have plenty of experience going back to my years of upbringing in Pennsylvania. But I never marathon trained then, and most of the running I would have done in winter weather was at an easier pace, and more than likely under ten miles a run.

But such are the challenges when training, for any distance or race. Things come up, and we as runners handle them the best we can. Plus I think it sharpens the focus of taking each run one at a time.

Had a good week from a training perspective, including a real hard threshold based workout. Achieved weekly mileage target range I was shooting for. Also got to work for two days at the inaugural Carolina Beach State Park half marathon- grateful for the work, and time spent with fellow runners. Also spent several hours New Years Eve at a party with several friends training for either Boston, or other marathons and half marathons this coming spring. Always great to talk shop; we can all learn from each other.

Got 2 days of circuit training in: planks/ core + leg work. Need to continue to up. Also got TRX ropes from Amie for upper body work.

As mentioned, the weather will certainly make week #4 upcoming a bit more difficult. But here's a look back first at week #3.

Week#3 (12/25-12/31)

75.1 miles total

Monday:  11.62 miles. Early morning Xmas run in Richmond. First two easy with my Dad to/ thru Deep Run Park. Mix of the dirt single track trails, and asphalt in park and surrounding roads. Had Jingle Bells song in my head half the run. Ran several hills near the end of run at a brisker pace.  Windy and cold. Run time: 1:43:46 (8:56 pace)

Tuesday: 17 miles. WO2. 5E + 4T + 3T + 2T + T + 1 w/ 4 min, 3min, 2min jog recovery. Shallotte- Copas Road, front side of town loop. Quality run, first 5 miles brought pace down into 7:20/ 7:30s range on feel, then ran first T mile in 6:29 w/o looking at watch. Decided to run remainder of T miles on feel, only checking watch at mile marks, and to keep track of recovery. Held pace in mid 6s range throughout. Full T miles: 6:27, 6:35, 6:23, 6:38...  6:25, 6:34 ... 6:24... 6:34. Legs though were pretty well trashed by end, and I questioned whether I ran too hard. But was very pleased able to hold paces that I did, so went with it.  Run time- 1:59:34 (7:02 pace).

Wednesday:  7.43 miles. Shallotte-Brierwood+ next neighborhood. Easy pace, legs really beat up from Tuesday, was almost hard to run the first mile or so. Quads and calves real sore.  Run time- 1:06:24 (8:57 pace)

Thursday:  Rest/ recovery

Friday:  11.36 miles. Shallotte- 2x extended Brierwood loop. Ran real early, 6am. Very cold, some light ice too. Wind chill below 20. Gradual progression type run, down to 7:05- 7:20 range last 5 to 6 miles. Legs felt much better though, fairly recovered from Tues. Run time- 1:27:27 (7:41 pace)

Saturday:  18.36 miles. WO2. 2.36 miles CB State Park after race (looking for lost? runner). 16 miles roads CB-Kure Beach with Amie. Did her WO, 2E + 12M + 2E. Marathon miles around 8:00. Good steady run, but was mentally and physically struggling some. Out at CB State Park mostly standing since 5:30am at race. Ran at 1pm. Wind was a bit of a pain going towards KB. Glad that we did Sat afternoon instead of Sunday morning. My WO2 called for 18 miles steady, so worked out well running w/ Amie. Run time-2:14:15 (8:16 pace)

Sunday:  9.4 miles. CB + CB State park trails, offroad campground loop 2xs. Ran w. Amie again. Easy pace. Had on long pants due to cold. Temps in low-mid 30s with wind chills around 20. Just wanted to get miles in to hit 75 on week. Not the most fun of runs. Run time 1:33:34 (9:57 pace)