Base Building

Okay, base building is a simple concept, yet I don't think I've done this correctly in the past 1-2 years.  So, this summer feels like a great opportunity to build my base mileage and gear up for whatever I feel I need to race in the fall.  And, unlike my training leading up to Boston, I didn't really have a base which can sure explain a lot from that outcome...

So far, things are going well.  My mileage is not where I'd like it to be, but I guess that's what happens when you start off slowly.  And, I'm not too worried about that.  My ultimate goal is to build slowly towards 90 miles a week in singles, and then see how the body feels.  Once that magic number is being plotted down in my running journal, then I can start to incorporate some workouts.  It's no secret formula, it's just a matter of being patient and diligent about the mileage.  My body seems to be holding up with minor aches and pains here and there, but that's expected as well.

On the near horizon, I have La Luz mountain run and hopefully test out the legs with a road 5k in August.  And I'd love to see some 80-90 mile weeks mixed in there as well, but it's tempting not to try a workout.  I really do miss those tempo runs, or speed sessions, but ultimately I don't have a major race planned this fall, so I'd better just stick to my gut and build those miles!  I sound like I'm trying to sell myself on this plan, but I haven't just run miles without workouts in a while.  I think my body needs that.  And to mentally change it up, I've been plotting out new runs and routes from my house.  Right now, I've got a sweet 10-12 mile loop.  And of course, I've been hitting the foothills a little more.  Onward and upward!

La Luz Start... 2009... I think

Getting Ready for Summer Training

As summer is approaching at super sonic speed, and my body is starting to feel recovered after my death march of a race in Boston, I can honestly say I'm excited to train for another marathon.  The cataclysm of a race in Boston was humbling and stocking.  I feel I will forever have some PTSD, or some extensively repressed memories from that "race".  It was a stock to know I was never in the shape I thought I was in. In fact, I probably had no clue what shape I was in and could've just picked a random time out of a hat.  Instead, I incorrectly guessed I was in 2:30 shape.  And with the weather being a little warmer and dryer than usual, I knowingly went out even faster than my self-prescribed time.  I believe I latched on to a 2:28 group and dumb heartingly strolled along for as long as possible; which was only about 9 miles.  After that, the rest was a painful blur.  It was a long crawl home to the finish, and two distinct things came to mind after I was painfully lifting one leg after the other.  One thought was the fact that I wasn't injuring myself in the slow and miserable process I called, running. And the other thought was how actually grateful I was to be on the pavement in Boston, running in the Boston Marathon.

The thought of running in the Boston Marathon is a dream of mine and many runners alike.  Of course, my dream of racing Boston wasn't to see the hour mark tick anywhere near 3 hours.  But I was still beyond appreciative of being able to run the distance and make it from start to finish without hurting myself.  The only thing I hurt was my reputation, and that will take some time to heal.  Otherwise, I saw zero reason to quite and drop out.  I've never dropped out of a race in my life, and I sure as heck wasn't going to drop out of the Boston Marathon.  I thought to myself, I may never get the chance to race/run in Boston again, so you better not drop out.  I have my pride of running quick and putting everything I have on the line in most of the races I compete in.  I hate losing, but to me; the worst thing than losing is giving up for the shake of not winning.  I've talked to a lot of people after the race, and I've gotten a lot of congratulatory compliments, but of course I know I ran beyond what words could describe as horrendous.  "Like Crap" or "I don't even know what happened" are my usual responses to most people who have an idea of how slow I ran.  But, deep down it was a learning experience and I learned a lot.  I learned you can't average low mileage and only one 20 miler and expect to run a fast marathon.  I learned how important all the workouts shape and build you as a runner.  And most importantly, I experienced how well you need to tune into your body and ask it to do something that's incredible.

Just before the screaming women of Wellesley College

So moving forward with a healthy and recovered body I can look to the sunrises of about 70 days of solid work-free training.  It'll be like I'm a professional runner once summer roles around in a sheer 3 days away.  I have my eyes set on the New Mexico road 5k championships this summer, along with many miles of training for a Fall Marathon.  The options are still there, so I haven't decided on what would be the best choice.  Part of me would like to run a lower key marathon and attempt to win one.  And another part of me wants redemption and attempt the fastest course possible with the best opportunity for a fast time.  It's still undecided.  The main factor that has been decided is some solid training.  I'll be looking to build my aerobic threshold and concentrate solely on marathon specific workouts this summer.  I'd like to get comfortable again with longer tempo runs and consistent mileage.  I also have been weary of a stress fracture recurring, so I won't be too aggressive with the double days or über high mileage.  All in all, I have a great feeling about this summer and I'm excited to be back training again.

Prior to the Carnage

Pre-Race racing kit

An Old Roommate from College (Mike Crouch)

        

Getting Back Into Rhythm

After a wonderful school year and countless hours spent thinking about a wonderful wedding, it was time for me to get back into "real" training.  I needed to decide on a marathon that I will do this fall, and come up with a training plan for that race.  And since the window to qualify for the Olympic Trials is slowly closing, I've decided on the Chicago Marathon in October.  I believe there will be a ton of guys looking to run the standard, and that race gives me roughly 4 months of training from after the wedding.

As soon as school got out, I finally got the motivation and energy to build up the miles again.  If I can recall, I was only running about 40 miles per week since the beginning of the year, and hadn't wrote a single mile in my running journal since my stress fractures in March of 2014.  So, I need to get back into a routine and get my act together!  I finally logged some miles in my journal at the end of April to keep myself accountable, and to my surprise, my mileage only stuck around 40/week.  But with school over, things are looking brighter.

I need to keep posting on this blog as well, so this will be the first of many weeks leading up to Chicago, and an OTQ time.  Also, after racing the Rock 'n Roll San Diego half marathon last Sunday, I now have a pretty accurate account of my fitness and where I should be training... (slow), but it's a start.  And in case you're wondering, I ran 1:10:54.  One of my slowest half marathons ever!  It sure is a kick in the ass, and now I have zero excuses to get back out there and train my brains out!

Racing outta shape, and too cheap to buy the photos...

With the Fiance at the finish!

Week 1 of marathon training:

Mon - drove back to ABQ
Tue - pm. 10 miles
Wed - am. 7 miles / pm. 9 miles
Thur - am. 4 miles / pm. 11 miles (bonked in the heat)
Fri - am. 6x1 mile w/3min rest (5:36, 5:30, 5:34, 5:25, 5:26, 5:23) 10 total
Sat - am. 12 miles in the foothills
Sun - am. 18 miles

Total: 81 miles

Summer Scorcher

It's hot out, and this blog has been ice cold for quite a while. I figure it's time to post something worth wild to read, so here goes the summer session of training and reflecting.

To start things off, I've fully committed to the USA Marathon Championships in the fall, which will coincide with the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis.  I got a sweet app that'll count down the days till the race, so as I write this, the count is 123 days. 123 days seems like a lot of time, but most runners always want more time to train and toil away with workouts. Which was exactly what happened last week.  One full week of workouts - track, tempo and a good long run all in the books.  

Aside from running and now enjoying the summer working at Heart and Sole, things are going pretty smoothly.  Our Club is moving along quite well, and we have a few scheduled Adventure runs lined up before the Forest gets shut down for fire danger.  The only important things now are running and performing well in my interviews for a teaching job that's actually in Albuquerque. 

Next week I plan on posting workouts and a recap of the week.