Long Run Solutions

Getting Marathon Ready

I'm getting ready for marathon season with a new program and all new workouts. This will be my third straight week with 40+ miles and I'm gaining confidence by the day. The program I'm using I found online at www.marathon.ipcor.com and it's easily the toughest program I have ever been through. But I'm staying healthy so far! Ocean Drive Marathon here I come! www.odmarathon.com

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Adventure Running Company

My wife and I run together when we are on vacation. We are both marathon runners and exercise is part of our regular routine. So, why should it be any different on vacation? Read on to learn about a company that takes this idea to a whole new level.  

Recently I learned about a company started by someone I knew 25 years ago. We grew up in the same small town and went to the same small high school. At the time, I wasn't a runner. I think he was, but to be honest I don't remember.

Andy and his wife Kim's company is called Adventure Running Company and they provide "Supported and Lodge to Lodge Running Adventures".

OK, wait a second.....they do what? This is not about going running while you are on vacation, it is about going on a running vacation. You heard me. Get your dead butt off the couch.

This is a seriously cool idea and their running trips are amazing. I'm talking about the Colorado Trail, Superior Trail, and exotic running trips to the "Volcanoes of Guatemala". Heck, I didn't even know Guatemala had volcanoes.

Check out their site and let me know what you think. I think it's the coolest idea I've run a cross in quite a while. Way to go Andy and Kim!

New Shoes

What could be better than a new pair of shoes? Hmmmmm.

 
At the moment, I'm thinking nothing. I went with another pair of Hurricane 10s because for one, I love Saucony's and two, I qualified for Boston in a pair of 10's last year. Why mess with success?

I did decide to go bigger by one half size. My left foot toes felt like they were getting jammed into the toe box of my last pair. Which makes me wonder, what is up with feet as I get older. I feel like they keep getting bigger.

Saucony's are the best.

Weekly Running updates...... 11.16.09 - 12.31.09

Running. So easy and sometimes so complicated. On the one hand it's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. On the other hand, you actually have to do it. If your actually going to plan on running a race, that means working a plan. And let's face it, that's where things can get complicated.

Over the last six weeks I've traveled four times. I spent four days in northern Wisconsin, a week in Minnesota, two days in Maryland, and a week in southern Wisconsin. Between November 24th and December 7th I had a cold that I just couldn't seem to quite shake. Overall though, I've been able to stay basically on track. Now it's the beginning of January and I am four and a half months out from my next race, The Boston Marathon. I'm feeling strong and I am on track.

This week has been solid so far. I will run 9 miles tomorrow including a 5k race. Here is the run down of the last several weeks.

December 28 - January 2 (30 miles)

• Monday - 7 miles with 2 race pace miles
• Tuesday - 6 miles with 1 race pace miles
• Thursday - 8 miles
• Saturday - plan is a 5k race and a total of 9 miles

December 21-26 (29 miles)

• Monday - 7 miles with 3 race pace miles
• Tuesday - 6 miles with 1 race pace mile
• Wednesday - 6 miles
• Saturday - 10 miles with 7 one mile repeats at 7:03 pace per mile

December 14-19 (36 miles)

• Monday - 6.5 miles
• Tuesday - 7.25 miles
• Thursday - 8 miles
• Saturday - 15 miles

December 7-12 (18 miles)

• Tuesday - 5 miles
• Wednesday - 7.25 miles
• Thursday - 6 miles

November 30-December 5 (16 miles)

• Tuesday - 5 miles
• Wednesday - 5 miles
• Saturday - 6 miles

November 23-28 (17 miles)

• Tuesday - 8 miles
• Wednesday - 4 miles
• Saturday - 5 miles

November 16-21 (21 miles)

• Monday - 8 miles
• Tuesday - 5 miles
• Wednesday - 8 miles

The Beauty of Washington

I find the saying “You can’t see the forest for the trees” to be an accurate description of a common problem. Getting too close to a situation or problem may lead to an inability to find the right path forward.

Today, while going for a run around the Capital Mall in Washington DC I experienced the opposite of that saying. I realized that I normally hate the smell and the look and the feel of almost anything coming from Washington. Most especially, I really don’t want to hear from either political party anymore. And if I hear one more thing about “global warming”.

But today, I was right in the thick of the forest. Running down the National Mall and around and through the Jefferson Memorial was an awe inspiring start. Thomas Jefferson is such an inspiring founding father. His level of thought and big picture thinking is almost incomprehensible to me. Then, I ran around the lake to the Lincoln Memorial. Abraham Lincoln. Wow. This man of great faith and contemplation whom our nation was gifted with at such a critical moment. And then, I walked along the Vietnam Memorial and read the random names of heroes as I passed by.  These mostly very young men that God weaved into the fabric of heroes in American history. Some things are so hard to understand.

On I went to the memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I read all 56 names and noticed that one of the names was Matthew Thornton. I’ve read many pages of history during the 18^th and 19^th century, but had never noticed that particular name. A name shared by a friend of mine.

And I ran back toward the end of the Reflecting Pond as I approached the Washington Monument. George Washington sort of occupies that same space in my mind as Thomas Jefferson. I find myself in awe just passing by the monument. And Washington’s monument is just so ever present in Washington, DC.

Ultimately, in the final act of what felt like completing my mission, I ran around the US Capital building. This was the one spot where my mind wandered briefly to politics. I thought about how easy it would be to become drunk with power and self absorbed with one’s own importance. But I was saved by a young woman sitting in this odd red brick hexagon enclosure. She was sitting wondering the same thing I was wondering….that is “what is this place”. Neither of us knew (check it out here). She sat in wonderment. I ran on rediscovering my own wonderment.

And when it was time, after 7.25 glorious miles, I found my rental car right where I left it……at the corner of 7^th and Constitution. I’m left with thinking back to this run and savoring the hour or so I spent feeling like a kid again.

Weekly Running notes 11.7.09 (two weeks)

I've been a bit slow in reporting my weekly workout progress. Overall, things have been going very well. I'm building into some good mileage and running some fast miles along the way. Somehow, to my incredible surprise, I was able to clock a 19:59 5K on Saturday October 31st. My goal was to run a sub 20 minute 5K during this training season because that predicts a marathon time of under 3 hours 20 minutes.

The fact that I did it in October amazes me. What a blessing and boost of confidence. In the back of my mind, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to run this time at all this training season. So, I better set a new goal. I'm shooting for 19:37. That 5K time predicts a 3 hour 15 minute marathon time and God willing and the creeks don't rise I may shoot for that this spring.

Recent workouts

Oct. 26: 5 miles

Oct. 27: 5 miles

Oct. 29: 6.5 miles

Oct. 31: Total 8.5 miles with a 19:59 5K

Weekly Total: 25 miles

Nov. 2: 6 miles

Nov. 3: 5 miles

Nov. 5: 8 miles

Nov 7: Total of 8 miles with 5 Yasso 800s (this was a killer workout)

Weekly Total: 27 miles

Next week is going to be my biggest week yet.
 

Yasso 800s

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to do some Yasso 800s as part of my speed work. Today was the day I ran my first Yasso's.

As part of today's workout I wanted to do some speed work and run a total of 7 or 8 miles. I managed to do three Yasso 800s and a total of 8 miles.

So, if you're wondering, a Yasso 800 is two laps around a standard quarter mile track in a predetermined amount of time with the same amount of time spent doing a recovery jog before the next 800 starts again. The amount of time is based on the marathon goal. So, if you are planning on a 4 hour marathon, you run the 800s in 4 minutes and do a 4 minute recovery jog. If you are planning on a 3 hour 15 minute marathon, you run the 800s in 3 minutes 15 seconds and do a 4 minute recovery jog. Make sense. Just turn your hours and minutes into minutes and seconds and you're all set. Ultimately, the idea is to work up to doing 10 Yasso 800s at your goal and that is supposed to predict your ability to make your marathon time.

Whew, that was a long explanation. Google Yasso if you want to learn more. Anyway, I did three in 3 minutes 15 seconds each with that same time spent in a recovery jog. If you do the math, that is a 6 minute 30 second mile pace. It felt like a good speed workout. What I liked best about it was that it was a faster pace than I ever run except when I run 5k races. It has never made any sense to me that I expect to run better 5k's while never running close to that pace. And if I don't run better 5k's, then my marathon prediction time never gets better......

I guess we will just have to see if these workouts are helpful. To be honest, the research I've done suggests that Yasso 800s are mostly used to predict marathon times and they don't do it all that accurately. Hmmmm. Well, they do allow me to run faster sometimes and that's a good thing. I do sometimes feel the need for speed and these should at least satisfy that urge.

Check out Bart Yasso's website. He is a beast. Also, you can check out a link to Yasso 800s. This is also part of his website.

Back in the Saddle Again

Summer time is just not my running time. There were weeks this summer where my mile count did not reach double digits. I think there was one week where I ran a little over three miles. Huh, three miles. And I call myself a runner.

The good news is that I have been running 13 to 19 miles a week for a while now and this week, drum roll please, I have trotted along for over 25 miles. I actually ran 5 out of the last 7 days. Woo hoooo! I think I can make a good argument that I am back on track.

And, my calendar tells me just in time if I'm going to use a 6 month training program. The Boston Marathon is almost exactly 6 months away. I'm running Boston! I like saying that and writing it.

I'm looking forward to doing a little more variety in my speed work this time. I'm going to keep my mile repeats because they really work. And, I'm also going to run some 5k races as a gage of my speed. But, I'm also going to do some Yasso 800's and maybe some 400's, too.

Ultimately I'd like to run a 5k under 20 minutes again, but I'm going to need to do some speed work that is geared toward that to be successful. As for a marathon goal, I'm not ready to decide. I've been so focused on qualifying for Boston over the last couple of years, I'm just not sure what I want to shoot for this year. I do know that I don't want to show up for Boston not ready to run well. Rather that means I 'm going to try to run a 3 hour 15 minute marathon or a 3 hour and 50 minute marathon, I don't know.

I guess I'll make that decision over the coming months.

Minneapolis Marathon - Mission Accomplished

On May 31st, 2009 I ran the inaugural Minneapolis Marathon. It turned out to be a very special day for me. I needed to run a 3:20.59 to accomplish my goal and qualify for the 2010 Boston Marathon. On this day, running along the Mississippi River, I finished in 3:20.40. As my friend Kurt pointed out shortly after the race, that was about 9/10ths of a second per mile faster than I needed to run!

 

It's hard for me to explain just what this accomplishment means to me. I have worked exceptionally hard to accomplish this goal and I have experienced significant disappointments and a hardy share of self doubt over the past year. And at the end of the day, to actually make it happen, leaves me feeling like it was all worth while.

In late April at the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon when I crashed by mile 12, gave up on my goal by mile 13, and forgave myself around mile 17, this day seemed too far away to imagine. It's a long, long way between "forgiving" myself so I can finish the marathon and getting my head back on straight.

Between that day in April and this marathon, I visited the chiropractor and a massage therapist and tried to both rest and ramp up the number of fast miles I ran. My thoughts raced while wondering if it would be possible to recover sufficiently, in a matter of 5 weeks, in order to put in another Boston qualifying attempt. And, was I over training by trying to run more intense miles in between efforts? Was I setting myself up for a double failure?

Especially that last question was nagging at me when I spoke with my sister-in-law two weeks before the Minneapolis Marathon. She scolded me for my negative thinking and I owe her a big thank you for that. She was right to remind me that negative thinking would get me negative results and I acted on that advice by changing my thinking.

And finally after 19 miles of holding it together on race day and then one more mile of staying very close to where I needed to be, my body began to rebel against me. By mile 23 I had almost no room for error left and missing my goal was looking more and more likely. Somehow, I stayed close to the goal and Kurt was at mile 25 encouraging me and I could hear in his voice that I had to go, go , go if I had any chance. I heard both concern and encouragement and the concern was valid. Up ahead lay the most difficult marathon finishing hill I have ever heard of and I would have to scale it while staying on pace.

And then as I struggled, the refrain in my head was "Keep fighting". What else could I do? Well, I could stop fighting of course. And no one would have thought worse of me had I just walked and explained that my body could not run any farther. I mean really, my body could not run any farther.

But it did go farther. I have to admit, looking back I'm not sure why. Thank God.

I finished and I cried.

Minneapolis Marathon Update

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Is there anything more to say?