Day 3 of 126 - Marathon Training

Well so much for fun running, now the gloves come off, so to speak.  I bought this book a while ago called, "Advanced Marathoning". It is rather like Joe Friel's, "Cyclist Training Bible".  Just not as well written!  But it's got a general plan for an 18 week marathon train-up that has 75-95 miles per week.  It's rather intense.  Looking forward to it and seeing how my speed increases.  I'm pretty confident I can run right at the 3 hour mark right now but would like to blow it out of the water.

In other news,  I ran a pretty good 10k at 37:30.  I'd love to get to the 35's but all in good time.  The weather is getting downright oppressive here so, the races will be few.  Well all from here.  Here's a lovely shot post yesterday's tempo run...

300 - Not just a movie

300 finished in 30 days.  It required a 21.5 mile run the 2 days before the end that felt surprisingly ok.  This week is pretty relaxed.  I'm using it and next week as a break before I start my 16 week marathon prep in earnest.  So blog posts should be few.  Essentially, I'm running 8 miles a day to maintain my base bu throwing in strength work as well.  Might even substitute some runs with bike rides and swims.

All from the beautiful desert.  It is hot now.  Sweating while I type.  Always nice when the A/C van't keep up...

Hasta,

Greg

Miles and Miles

260 miles down 40 to go.  I've been running 12-15 miles a day now for over a week.  Some days definitely feel better than others.  Most running has been on the treadmill due to the heat and time of day.  I've been running at night after work.

The down side is that the below is an all to common occurrence:

The Sunrise over the T-walls.  So beautiful...

4 more days to run 40.  Should not be a problem.  I may shoot for one long day to blow it out of the water but who knows...  Well all for now...

The Day of Rest - Not - May 1, 2011

Today is normally my rest day but due to this week's convoy I'm trying to play catchup with my weekly miles.  I basically lost two days and had earlier in the month set a goal of 300 miles in 30 days.  Well I've got 100 miles left and 8 days to run them.  So My goal is to run 14-15's each day to try to build a cushion.  Last night I ran 15.2.  So hopefully work will go smoothly and not throw me any SNAFU's....

Below is a shot from my convoy of a guy braver than the peloton riders of the Tour de France.  Our driver did not see him until the last second because he was busy looking for roadside bombs (IED's).

Speed Day - April 27, 2011

The good - I get to run as fast as I can.
The bad - I will be in pain.
Today is speed day I will be running 11 miles with 7 of those at a 6:15 pace - tempo run.  The reset will be a warm up and cool down. 

I have been working out in the evening as I have been trying to wake up more naturally (e.g. sleep in).  For what it's worth getting proper rest seems to be important for post workout recovery.  My brother Mike is not the example to follow here.  He is notorious for incredible stamina for days on end and then getting sick as a dog for a week.

Here's my motivational picture for the day:

Word for the day is speed; run often run fast, but for now I'm off to sit behind a desk and read.  Hmmm, a little ironic.

A week later... April 26, 2011

My apologies to anyone other than me that reads this...  It was a busy week and our internet was down for four days.

I successfully maintained my running schedule during the week which saw my work schedule shift from 2pm - 2am to 9am - 9pm.  I'm back to my original 2-2 schedule and trying to get my sleep schedule re-adjusted.  It is annoying having to flip flop schedules at the behest of your boss but such is life.

Running, the point of this blog...

Last week I received two pair of new Asics DS Trainers.  They are uber comfortable and, true to form, not a blister or hotspot on their initial 13 mile runs.  That's what I call a god fit :).  This last week has had me living on the treadmill the dust and thunderstorms are just counter-productive to run in.  As summer approaches I anticipate that a majority of my running will be on the treadmill.

Here are my new shoes (the white and orange ones' 1st and 3rd from the right)..

Saturday I ran my 20 mile long run in 2:25.  I was happy with that.  I definitely still had gas in the tank for more.  During the week preceding I ran mostly 13 mile recovery runs.

I will have to run tonight as I slept in the am.  So more to follow....

Day 10 - 1/2 Marathon Time trial

Today was supposed to be a tempo run as follows:  2 mile warm up, then 6 miles at a 6:38 min per mile then another 2-3 mile cool down.  Well, I went in thinking if I do a quick warm up, at say a 7:10 pace then hit the tempo hard and extend it a mile or two I could hit a good 10 mile time.  Well, that turned into let's see if I can break 1:30 for my half marathon time. Subsequently, by mile 7 I was running at a 6:15 pace and ended up running a 1:25 1/2 marathon.

It was a solid run but I really need to stick with my schedule now.  Total miles today were 14.1 and looking forward to sitting on my ass and reading reports...

Hasta,

Greg