Marathon Training (week 3 - Slight Debacle)

Well, last week wasn't as impressive as I would've liked it to be. I started off the week by taking two off days due to a hamstring issue. Basically, it was too tight, and created pain in my left leg.... boring!

So, to continue the featureless week of recovery and the little amount of miles I have crawled through; I can boldly state that after a much needed massage from my wonderful massage therapist - Laura Bresson, that I am fully recovered. The small set back in my hammy, wasn't due to the presumably high mileage that Bresson insisted was the case, but the fact that my groin was extremely tight. Sure, it could be due to the high mileage.... or it could be a number of factors that occurred after my first race back after the trials (Gate River), and the fact that I didn't recover from it. So, with that aside, and the resolution of my hamstring, I was able to only miss one workout and attempt my Sunday long run with the gang.

As far as running goes, Sunday was the highlight of my week. An easy 22 miles with 4x1 miles at tempo effort, followed by 10 miles easy, then one last set of 2x1 miles to pound the legs into oblivion. It was a pleasure to have Allen Wagner out there with us (Kris and I) for the first time, in what felt like ages. The temperature in Albuquerque is starting to get warm, which was a nice change of atmosphere, literally. The entire workout went well, as we hit (5:17, 5:05, 5:15, 5:10) for the first 4, and after the 10 miles the last 2 miles were hit in (5:18 & 5:18). A very nice way to end the low mileage week.

This week as been going well, and I hope the weather will hold up.

Remember, it ain't high altitude training unless you're up at Cloud City training with Lando Calrissian!

Week 3

Mon - Off

Tue - Off

Wed - am 8 miles / pm. 8 miles

Thur - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Fri - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Sat - am. 12 miles / pm. 8 miles

Sun - am. Long Run: w/4x1 mile @ tempo, 10 miles easy, 2x1 mile @ tempo [5:17, 5:05, 5:15, 5:10], [5:18, 5:18]. total: 22 miles

Total: 98 miles

Year to Date: 1171 miles

Gettin' High (Marathon Training week 2)*

Yes, I'm finally getting into some high mileage this past week. It was my first "real" week of training, gearing up for my spring marathon in June on the shores of Lake Superior. This week was a little more structured and actually had some continuity with each passing day. The numerical trend was 22, which I was hitting each day until the weekend approached. The weather here in Albuquerque was quite beautiful, and I took pleasure into every sunny day as I was finally able to wear shorts/half-tights. I've been pondering as to what the weather may be like for the Grandma's Marathon, but I guess it is completely out of my power. The only thing I can do is train and keep pounding the pavement, or the track, which I attended to this past Tuesday. I can also attempt to control the amount of miles I do, and after completing Frank Shorter's book: Olympic Gold, A Runner's Life and Times, it only validated the fact that higher mileage is the key to success. 140 to be exact!!!

I keep talking about the track; as I apparently have a love-hate relationship with it, but so seemingly feel that it is an intrinsic part of my training. After many successful training blocks, I've decided that I need to build up my speed first, so that when I practice marathon pace or tempo runs, it becomes more achievable. (It's a simple Jack Daniels Phd. training philosophy) As well as a training concept that many other coaches have adopted. The notion of speed first, has been something that has been inundated into my running career as the legendary Steve Scott (my college coach) would serve us VO2Max workouts on a regular bases. I've always kept true to maintaining a decent kick, or some kind of turnover, but as the miles rack up on my legs, I may have lost a few strains of that beloved Type II muscle fiber. Oh well, I guess no one is going to be running a 60 sec last quarter in a marathon anyways...

So as the beginning of this week pasted, as well as the track workout, I began to look forward to my lovely long run workout. It was only going to be a short one since my left hamstring was feeling a bit tight or knotted up. Kris and I were able to get in 19 miles with 4x1 mile at tempo effort along the windy Rio Grande this past Sunday. I've started to look forward to these workouts and have been very excited to lace up some racing flats and hit some fast miles. The only discouraging thing was of course the tight hammy. Other than that, the repeats went exceptionally well, and I can't wait to do more of these workouts!

Thought of the week:

With so many marathons out there, which one am I going to do next.....? Well, I already know I've got one in June, but what about for the fall.......?

Week 2 Mileage:

Mon - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Tue - am. 10x400m [70, 72, 70, 68, 69, 68, 68, 67, 66, 64] total: 7 miles / pm. 13 miles

Wed - am. 12 miles / pm. 10 miles

Thur - am. 10 miles / pm. 12 miles

Fri - am. 12 miles / pm. 10 miles

Sat - am. 12 miles / pm. 8 miles

Sun - 19 miles w/4x1 mile @ [5:23, 5:17, 5:15, 5:08]

Total: 145

*highest mileage ever!

Flo - Rida (Marathon Training - week 1)

Well, the Gate River run didn't quite go as planned. As most disappointing races turn out, I will walk away with a lesson learned as suppose to a blissful performance...

The few things I've learned have not changed since my high school days. I went out too fast for my own fitness. You would think, that with this much experience I would know how to race, but once you start and are caught up in such enthusiasm, you can't help but go with the flow. Which is exactly what I did for the first mile and paid for it. I felt; at the time, that I didn't go out at a blistering pace, but apparently it was a little too fast for me. 4:39 isn't really that fast... but I guess for a 15k race I was in over my head. Mile after mile I faded off the lead pack and was getting passed by everyone.

Once the race was over and I got a few beers in my system to num the embarrassment, I soon found myself in conversation with many other "elite" runners who had bad races. The egotistical consensus from my other elite compatriots is that; those of us who ran in the trials hadn't quite recovered and that this race was a bit of a shock to us.... comparatively of course. So now that I've added some fuel to the fire, I can refocus on the main goal of running a PR at the Grandma's Marathon. But this weekend wasn't over yet...

After the race I had a wonderful wedding to attend to in Jacksonville Beach. The beverages and dances seemed to have taken my worries of the race away and refocus on more important things, at the current moment. So, after a fun filled weekend in Flo-rida, I was happy enough to actually race my first Gate River Run and attend an awesome wedding! My mileage for the past week was very unimpressive, but I did get in one track workout. Hopefully things will start to pick up in the next couple of weeks as I hit the roads more and get ready for the 26.2 mile tour of Duluth, MN.

Week 1:

This wasn't a great way to start off my marathon training, but it's a starting point.... I guess. I have introduced some core, if that means anything.

Mon - am. 4 miles easy

Tue - am. 5x(200, 200, 400) in [31, 31, 68], [31, 31, 67], [31, 31, 65], [31, 30, 64], [31, 31, 64] total: 9 / pm. 10 miles

Wed - am. 8 miles

Thur - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Fri - am. Travled to Jax - no running

Sat - am. 15k Gate River Run [4:39, 4:49, 4:54, 5:09, 5:11, 10:33(2 miles), 5:43, 5:36] 48:14. total: 14 miles

Sun - am. 8 miles

Total: 73

Gate River on the Horizon - Base training is OVER!

Well, another week in the trenches has gone by and I still haven't poked my head out to test the speed I've been hibernating away since the Olympic Trials. I think I hit a pretty decent amount of mileage this past week, and expect to feel the sluggishness in my legs when I venture to the track this coming week (tomorrow to be exact). I keep telling myself that I've been doing "base" these past few weeks and that this phase will end and the track portion of my training will begin. But, in all reality, my mileage will remain the same and I will just introduce some quicker stuff into my mundane training weeks. I'm typically overtly amped about running more miles than I drive in a week, but adding in some quicker stuff may bring some weight to my eye lids throughout the day. Either way, I'm excited to touch the track, as its been an obscurity to me since October.

As for interesting news; I've just been in a mileage daze to be aware of anything out of the ordinary. Most days seem to blend together, and are only broken up by the appearance of the different schools I substitute at. Although even the students at these indistinguishable schools blend together, as I attempt to fill the void of their teacher. I can't image how they feel. Aside from all these other interactions I make throughout my day, I have seemed to have met a wonderful person named Arlene, she oddly enough shares the same obsession of running as I do along with a balancing act routine in life. Her presents in my life has made everything more interesting and pleasant, as I attempt to achieve some kind of greatness in the sport of running.

So the next stop on this running circus is the 2012 USA 15k Road National Championships, or better known in Jacksonville by the locals as, the Gate River Run! This is going to be another stacked USA Championship race where it has been posted that 21 guys have run under 29:00 in the 10,000m or better:

Fasil Bizuneh - 27:50
Bobby Mack - 28:11
Mo Trafeh - 28:17
Charlie Serrano - 28:24
Mike Sayenko - 28:25
Sergio Reyes - 28:29
Nick Arciniaga - 28:29
Christo Landry - 28:30
Sean Houseworth - 28:33
Scott Smith - 28:35
Jimmy Grabow - 28:35
Tim Ritchie - 28:37
Dustin Emerick - 28:41

Jeff Schirmer - 28:42
Matt Llano - 28:43
Antonio Vega - 28:47
Danny Mercado - 28:53
Chris Chavez - 28:54
Ben Bruce - 28:55
Jake Schmitt - 28:56
Jesse Armijo - 28:59

Yes, that is my name at the bottom of the list... But, irregardless I don't consider myself a huge contender in this field, which only plays to my advantage as I will be pressing hard to stay with some fast guys that are more prepared for this race than I am. Coming off of pure mileage is going to be bit of a a shock when that gun goes off and the leaders blitz a 4:30 first mile and blow the doors open, leaving me and a good amount of guys behind. I can only hope to hold on and attempt to run a hard race that's redlining insanity! But, once this carnage is over, I will have a pleasant evening at my friend's: Pat and Laura's wedding in Jacksonville. This coming week should be interesting, with a fun-filled story to go along with it! Until then, happy trials!

Weekly Mileage:

Mon - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Tue - am. 8 miles / pm. 12 miles

Wed - am. 10 miles / pm. 10 miles

Thur - am. 6 miles / pm. 10 miles

Fri - am. 6 miles / pm. 14 miles

Sat - am. 12 miles / pm. 10 miles

Sun - am 20 miles

Total: 138 miles