Monday, April 25, 2011
4/22/11 (Friday) Run
Today I ran 5 miles in 37:46. I took it a little slower today, running most of it at 7.7 mph with the last .25 miles of each mile at 8.3 for first two miles and then 8.6 for the last 3 miles. I have a long run tomorrow so I don't want to fatigued my legs too much.
4/21/11 (Thursday) Run
Today I ran 5 miles in 36:47. I repeated yesterday's run, but started increasing it by .1 mph one-tenth of a mile sooner. Remember what I said? Never do two back-to-back runs exactly the same.
4/20/11 (Wednesday) Run
Today I ran 5 miles in 36:49. I basically repeated Monday's run, just running less miles.
4/19/11 (Tuesday) Run
Today I ran 4 miles in 27:25. The real test was to do 10X200 meters with a 30 second recovery in-between each interval. I was able to do the intervals at 11.0 mph (5:27 min/mile pace). That was difficult, and more than once my mind tried to talk me into backing off a bit on the speed. However, I just took it as two sets of 5 intervals.
Having so little time between intervals made this harder, but also easier knowing it would soon be over.
I also went on a 14 mile bike ride in the evening. Did it in 43:43.
Having so little time between intervals made this harder, but also easier knowing it would soon be over.
I also went on a 14 mile bike ride in the evening. Did it in 43:43.
4/18/11 (Monday) Run
I ran 7 miles in 51:21. I ran most of it at 8.1 mph (7:24 min/mile pace), increasing it to 8.6 the last .25 miles of mile 5 and 6. Then I increased it by .1 mph each .25 miles of the last mile, finishing out the last 100 meters at 11.0 mph (5:27 min/mile pace).
After my race on Saturday, and needing to not lose sight of the Ogden half-marathon on May 21, I just have to keep up the intensity. I also want to finish the Ogden faster than I did the SLC half, and my body has to get used to the increased intensity with little time to do it in. Today called for an easy 7 miles, and I just wanted to see if I could increase the "easy" from 7.7 mph (which I had been doing) to 8.1. Worked well today.
After my race on Saturday, and needing to not lose sight of the Ogden half-marathon on May 21, I just have to keep up the intensity. I also want to finish the Ogden faster than I did the SLC half, and my body has to get used to the increased intensity with little time to do it in. Today called for an easy 7 miles, and I just wanted to see if I could increase the "easy" from 7.7 mph (which I had been doing) to 8.1. Worked well today.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
4/16/11 (Saturday) Race
The day did not start off the best because I had such great difficulty falling asleep last night. My adrenaline was pumping and I couldn't get my mind off the race. While that is usual for me, it doesn't usually take me that long to fall asleep. I finally got, at best, 3 1/2 hours of sleep. But I woke up feeling good and ready to race.
As my lovable wife and I left home, there was a steady rain falling. Fairly hard. I reminded myself that it did not mean it was raining in SLC, and that regardless, I have trained to race. The closer we got to SLC, the lighter the rain was, and in some spots no rain. By the time we got to the starting point up at the UofU, no rain and we could see patches of sky as the sun was beginning to come up. This was going to be a great day.
The race started off as usual, with nearly 5,600 runners, most of those running the half-marathon (4,444 to be exact). We positioned ourselves closer to the start than last year. It takes time off of your overall pace the more people you have to dodge around. My goal was to have a first mile of 7:10. I have a habit of going out too fast, thus burning up my glycogen levels too early and too fast, and 7:10 would ensure a non-too fast start. I hit the first mile at 7:11. The race was going well, but I kept hitting my marks just a little behind pace. While running I developed a strategy for hydration. I would take in two cups of water at each aid station the first half, and run the second half without any hydration. I don't run and drink well at all, so it is just easier to not stop vs. trying to drink on the run. As luck would have it, at the first aid station the volunteers said water is in the back. As I got to the back they said it was in the front, too late to go back now, though I had stopped for a brief few precious seconds. The next two aid stations I did get two glasses of water at each and not drinking for the remaining part of the run was not a problem.
As I got to the 10 mile mark it was 1:10:55. The fastest 10 miles I have ever run, but I knew at this point I would not break the coveted 1:30:00 mark. I had a slowly ascending hill in front of me, between miles 11 and 12, and the hill spans almost that whole distance. But I could still come close. I kept the speed up and continued to fill good. As I began the slow climb my body was tiring quickly. I got to the worst part of the climb (I estimate it to be a 5% grade - not horrible unless you have just run almost 12 miles), between 200 South and South Temple, but was able to keep my pace pretty good and passed 3 or 4 people on the hill. Always a good sign. As I got to the top I was fatigued, but I only had one mile left, and that made me happy. I also had just run 12.1 miles in the fastest time ever, my time at that point was 1:26 (sorry, don't remember the seconds). It is a very gradual downhill all the way to the Gateway center, and then just two blocks of flat running. I passed a number of people on that last mile. It felt good to be the one doing the passing. As I got to that final two block stretch I past one guy that I could tell was doing his best to keep up with me. I heard his footsteps behind me the entire way. That was good to not let me slack. But I also feared that if he surged I would not be able to surge with him. As I rounded the corner that leads into the final stretch, their is a brief segment of cobblestone. My right foot hit it a little strange and I nearly stumbled but was able to quickly regain my form. In the final 100 meters he surged. I surged. For about 10 secs he was about one step in front of me, if that much. I couldn't keep it up and he finished about 3 seconds ahead of me. He thanked me for pulling him along, something I always appreciate in a runner.
My final time on my watch read 1:33:10, but I knew I had started my watch just a tad too early and stopped it a little too late. You lose perspective of time in a race. I thought it was maybe 3 seconds. So when my final time was posted, it was 1:32:55. Not the under 1:30:00 that I hoped for, but hard to be disappointed when I took 6:03 off of my half-marathon PR. Really, that is sort of astounding. That averages out to a 7:05 minute per mile pace.
Some other things which I was very happy about with this race:
First, I felt good almost the whole race. Yes, towards the end I was tired, but elites get tired too. The point is that I just did not feel hammered during the race. The taper worked well.
Second, when I knew I was not going to break the 1:30:00 mark at mile 10, I did not let that get me down. I could have used that as an excuse to back off and turn my mind toward the Ogden half-marathon, but I didn't. My average pace at the 10 mile mark was 7:05. My pace average for the entire race was 7:05, so even though that hill slowed me down, I was able to compensate well.
Third, I finished the last mile very well, even though I was quite tired. Without knowing the seconds it is difficult to know exactly what my speed was, but it would have had to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 9.2-9.3 mph. Not too shabby. And if you believe my Garmin GPS readouts (not sure I do as they are usually more "ballpark" than precise) at mile 13, which was when I went into that final surge with that fellow runner, I hit 14 mph.
Last, and perhaps the thing which allowed me to do all the things above, I was able to keep out the negative self-talk better than I had ever done. I did have some talk in the downhill portion about not going too fast so as to be able to finish the last 3 miles well. But seeing that it worked well I don't know if I should call that negative and that it slowed my overall time, or if it really was helpful. I have to evaluate that some more.
I then went back along the race course to support and run with my honey as she finished her race. I found her at mile 11.5, as soon as I hoped to find her but not as soon as I wondered if I would find her. She was having a great race herself. She was in good spirits and on pace to set her own PR. This was her third half-marathon ever. She finished her race in 2:40:04, an amazingly 29:48 faster than her time in this race last year, and more than 13 minutes off of her previous PR. She is amazing.
Total mileage for the week = 32.1 miles
As my lovable wife and I left home, there was a steady rain falling. Fairly hard. I reminded myself that it did not mean it was raining in SLC, and that regardless, I have trained to race. The closer we got to SLC, the lighter the rain was, and in some spots no rain. By the time we got to the starting point up at the UofU, no rain and we could see patches of sky as the sun was beginning to come up. This was going to be a great day.
The race started off as usual, with nearly 5,600 runners, most of those running the half-marathon (4,444 to be exact). We positioned ourselves closer to the start than last year. It takes time off of your overall pace the more people you have to dodge around. My goal was to have a first mile of 7:10. I have a habit of going out too fast, thus burning up my glycogen levels too early and too fast, and 7:10 would ensure a non-too fast start. I hit the first mile at 7:11. The race was going well, but I kept hitting my marks just a little behind pace. While running I developed a strategy for hydration. I would take in two cups of water at each aid station the first half, and run the second half without any hydration. I don't run and drink well at all, so it is just easier to not stop vs. trying to drink on the run. As luck would have it, at the first aid station the volunteers said water is in the back. As I got to the back they said it was in the front, too late to go back now, though I had stopped for a brief few precious seconds. The next two aid stations I did get two glasses of water at each and not drinking for the remaining part of the run was not a problem.
As I got to the 10 mile mark it was 1:10:55. The fastest 10 miles I have ever run, but I knew at this point I would not break the coveted 1:30:00 mark. I had a slowly ascending hill in front of me, between miles 11 and 12, and the hill spans almost that whole distance. But I could still come close. I kept the speed up and continued to fill good. As I began the slow climb my body was tiring quickly. I got to the worst part of the climb (I estimate it to be a 5% grade - not horrible unless you have just run almost 12 miles), between 200 South and South Temple, but was able to keep my pace pretty good and passed 3 or 4 people on the hill. Always a good sign. As I got to the top I was fatigued, but I only had one mile left, and that made me happy. I also had just run 12.1 miles in the fastest time ever, my time at that point was 1:26 (sorry, don't remember the seconds). It is a very gradual downhill all the way to the Gateway center, and then just two blocks of flat running. I passed a number of people on that last mile. It felt good to be the one doing the passing. As I got to that final two block stretch I past one guy that I could tell was doing his best to keep up with me. I heard his footsteps behind me the entire way. That was good to not let me slack. But I also feared that if he surged I would not be able to surge with him. As I rounded the corner that leads into the final stretch, their is a brief segment of cobblestone. My right foot hit it a little strange and I nearly stumbled but was able to quickly regain my form. In the final 100 meters he surged. I surged. For about 10 secs he was about one step in front of me, if that much. I couldn't keep it up and he finished about 3 seconds ahead of me. He thanked me for pulling him along, something I always appreciate in a runner.
My final time on my watch read 1:33:10, but I knew I had started my watch just a tad too early and stopped it a little too late. You lose perspective of time in a race. I thought it was maybe 3 seconds. So when my final time was posted, it was 1:32:55. Not the under 1:30:00 that I hoped for, but hard to be disappointed when I took 6:03 off of my half-marathon PR. Really, that is sort of astounding. That averages out to a 7:05 minute per mile pace.
Some other things which I was very happy about with this race:
First, I felt good almost the whole race. Yes, towards the end I was tired, but elites get tired too. The point is that I just did not feel hammered during the race. The taper worked well.
Second, when I knew I was not going to break the 1:30:00 mark at mile 10, I did not let that get me down. I could have used that as an excuse to back off and turn my mind toward the Ogden half-marathon, but I didn't. My average pace at the 10 mile mark was 7:05. My pace average for the entire race was 7:05, so even though that hill slowed me down, I was able to compensate well.
Third, I finished the last mile very well, even though I was quite tired. Without knowing the seconds it is difficult to know exactly what my speed was, but it would have had to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 9.2-9.3 mph. Not too shabby. And if you believe my Garmin GPS readouts (not sure I do as they are usually more "ballpark" than precise) at mile 13, which was when I went into that final surge with that fellow runner, I hit 14 mph.
Last, and perhaps the thing which allowed me to do all the things above, I was able to keep out the negative self-talk better than I had ever done. I did have some talk in the downhill portion about not going too fast so as to be able to finish the last 3 miles well. But seeing that it worked well I don't know if I should call that negative and that it slowed my overall time, or if it really was helpful. I have to evaluate that some more.
I then went back along the race course to support and run with my honey as she finished her race. I found her at mile 11.5, as soon as I hoped to find her but not as soon as I wondered if I would find her. She was having a great race herself. She was in good spirits and on pace to set her own PR. This was her third half-marathon ever. She finished her race in 2:40:04, an amazingly 29:48 faster than her time in this race last year, and more than 13 minutes off of her previous PR. She is amazing.
Total mileage for the week = 32.1 miles
4/14/11 (Thursday) Run
Today I ran 4 miles in 29:19. Most of it was an easy run at 7.7 mph. However, I remembered several things I have read that talked about doing strides the last part of an easy run. I thought that would be good for triggering my fast twitch muscles for this Saturday. So at mile 3.25 I did a total of 6X100 meter strides at 11.0 mph (5:27 min/mile pace), though the last stride was at 12.0 mph. I did 30 secs of recover in-between each stride. While I have done some fast running during this training, I have not done much higher than 10.5 mph. It felt good.
I am taking tomorrow off, both of traning as well as work. It is a day when I need to rest. I am not sure my body is fully rested yet from the past 12 weeks of training.
I am taking tomorrow off, both of traning as well as work. It is a day when I need to rest. I am not sure my body is fully rested yet from the past 12 weeks of training.
4/13/11 (Wednesday) Run
Today I ran 7 miles in 50:40. Today was supposed to not be too hard, so I ran most of it at 8.1 mph (7:24 min/mile pace). However, at the 3.5 mile mark I did 2X800 meter intervals at 9.3 mph (6:27 min/mile pace) with a one minute recovery between the intervals, then finished it out at 8.1 mph.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
4/12/11 (Tuesday) Run
I ran 4 miles in 29:56. An easy run so nothing exciting.
In the week leading up to the race it is incredibly important to rest your body. That may sound like an oxymoron since you are still running, but it is cutting back on the mileage and the overall intensity. Some key intensity runs (such as yesterday) are still crucial, but so is running at an easier pace. When training at this level, the last week will not provide any additional conditioning. However, that is easier said than done. Most competitors will tell you one of the hardest things to do is rest.
In the week leading up to the race it is incredibly important to rest your body. That may sound like an oxymoron since you are still running, but it is cutting back on the mileage and the overall intensity. Some key intensity runs (such as yesterday) are still crucial, but so is running at an easier pace. When training at this level, the last week will not provide any additional conditioning. However, that is easier said than done. Most competitors will tell you one of the hardest things to do is rest.
4/11/11 (Monday) Run
Today I ran 5 miles in 34:32. After my warm-up mile I ran a 5k in 19:57. The plan only called for me to run two miles at that speed, but I wanted (and really sort of needed) to see just what I could do. I felt really good and some of the fatigued from last week is obviously no longer there. I will need to not push myself this week, something hard to do.
Monday, April 11, 2011
4/9/11 (Saturday)
Today I ran 12 miles in 1:34:40 (7:53 min/mile pace avg). It was cold (34 degrees to start) and snowy the entire run, but just light snow for the most part and no wind, which was great. I was greatly encouraged by this run. For the first 5 miles my legs felt generally tired. Not as bad as last Saturday, but still tired. However, for whatever reason, after roughly 5 miles I began to feel better. I wondered if it was a fleeting feeling but it kept up for the rest of the run. I was able to do a negative split which I have not been able to do for some time. Seven days until race day.
Total mileage for week = 37 miles
Total mileage for week = 37 miles
4/8/11 (Friday) Run
Just an easy workout today of 3 miles in 22:45. This may not seem like an easy workout since it was only 96 seconds slower than yesterday, but that is 32 secs slower per mile average, so trust me, this was definitely easier.
4/7/11 (Thursday) Run
I ran 3 miles in 21:09. I did well with my tired legs which gives me some encouragement. I am really glad I only did 3 miles (plan called for 5) because I felt comfortable doing these miles in this time but the 5 might have been too much. This plan does not allow for much tapering so it might be geared for younger runners. I also had my leg workout (i.e., weights) today, so good workout day!
4/6/11 (Wednesday) Run
Today I ran 10 miles in 1:12:55. Though I was supposed to run 10 miles, I tried something different based on a recommendation by Ed Eyestone. He is a coach at BYU and has coached many athletes to first place finishes. Anyway, after the warm-up I ran 6X1000 meter intervals at 9.5 mph. I made it halfway through the 7th one before I had to back off. Just one minute of recovery in-between each interval. The goal was to do 12 of these intervals, but my legs were just too fatigued from Friday's and Saturday's activities. I did well but now am a bit concerned for having rested legs for the race in 10 days. I did finish the last 400 meters at 9.5 mph.
4/5/11 (Tuesday) Run
Today I ran 5 miles in 34:15 (6:51 min/mile avg). After the warm-up I did 10X400 meter intervals with one minute of recovery in-between each interval. Each interval was completed at 10.0 mph (6:00 min/pace) with the recovery at 7.5 mph (8:00 min/mile pace).
4/4/11 (Monday) Run
I ran 4 miles in 29:56 today. Today was just an easy run but I ran it a little faster than I expected. Even so, I can feel the effects of my Friday & Saturday running and cycling.
Monday, April 4, 2011
4/2/11 (Saturday) Run
I ran 16 miles in 2:15:25. I could feel the toll of yesterday's bike ride, and probably the week of hard running. My legs were not fresh from the very beginning. Interestingly, after about mile 7 I felt more in my groove and more comfortable. My heart rate did stay at about 80-81% of max for the entire run, which is good. I know I can sustain a faster heart rate and did not feel tired in that sense. Today, it was just very tired legs.
This was a hard run psychologically. Knowing you have had a great week of training and could probably skip today without much consequence played on my mind, as well as during my run thinking about making it a shorter run. But this is the last long run before the race so it is very important to those wonderful mitochrondria. Wouldn't want to disappoint them : )
Total mileage for the week = 48
This was a hard run psychologically. Knowing you have had a great week of training and could probably skip today without much consequence played on my mind, as well as during my run thinking about making it a shorter run. But this is the last long run before the race so it is very important to those wonderful mitochrondria. Wouldn't want to disappoint them : )
Total mileage for the week = 48
Friday (4/1/11)
I ran 5 miles in 37:37 (7:31 min pace). Nice, easy, wonderful miles. It is nice to run at this easy pace, but sometimes it feels easier to run at the faster pace.
This afternoon I took the road bike out for 30 miles. It is only the second time I have had a real ride on the bike thus far since I bought it, due to the cold and snowy weather. It felt really, really good. I biked out to Antelope Island, which is a really nice ride. I took it a little faster going out, just wanting to see what I could do. This is basically all flat riding. I averaged 18 mph on the way out, without pushing myself too hard. At one point I did decided to push it for just a short distance and got it up to 23 mph. On the way back I decided I would just take it a bit easier due to my long run tomorrow. My overall average for the entire ride was 16 mph.
This afternoon I took the road bike out for 30 miles. It is only the second time I have had a real ride on the bike thus far since I bought it, due to the cold and snowy weather. It felt really, really good. I biked out to Antelope Island, which is a really nice ride. I took it a little faster going out, just wanting to see what I could do. This is basically all flat riding. I averaged 18 mph on the way out, without pushing myself too hard. At one point I did decided to push it for just a short distance and got it up to 23 mph. On the way back I decided I would just take it a bit easier due to my long run tomorrow. My overall average for the entire ride was 16 mph.
3/31/11 (Thursday) Run
I ran 5 today in 34:05 (6:49 average). I felt really good about todays effort. I ran the last 20:44 at 9.0 mph. That gives me quite a bit of running this week at 9.0 mph. I can feel my legs are tired but I know pushing myself (on tired legs) will benefit me come race day.
3/30/11 (Wednesday) Run
I did 7 miles in 48:10. I ran it exactly as I did on Monday. I actually felt a little better during the run today than I did yesterday, which is sort of strange. Yesterday may have been mostly psychological.
3/29/11 (Tuesday) Run
I ran 8 miles in 55:30. I attempted to do the same run as I did yesterday, cranking it up to 9.0 mph at the 29 min mark, but the plan was to do it for 26 minutes instead of just 20 minutes. I was only able to hang on to that speed for 17 minutes before I had to back it down to 8.1 and gradually increase it again. But I did finish the last .25 miles at 9.0. So a total of 18:20 minutes at 9.0.
3/28/11 (Monday) Run
Today I ran 7 miles in 48:10. After almost a mile warm-up, I ran at 8.6 mph (6:58 min/mile) until I got to the 29 minute mark. I ran the next 20 minutes at 9.0 mph (6:39 min/mile). Though I was supposed to run 7 miles todayin 48:15, I thought that if I could sustain that 9.0 that will help me more on race day to be prepared to run at those faster speeds for a sustained period of time. Granted, 20 minutes is not 90 minutes, but since I am doing it after I have already run 4 miles I am doing it on tired legs (the 4 miles + all the training I have been doing). That has to help with the endurance.
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