What a great finish to the week! This week I trained 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then had a 7 mile run on Saturday. One of the biggest issues has been the heat here in Atlanta, it has been brutal!
In order to get my runs in, it has to be early morning or late late evening. Both of these are less than appealing options to a lazy guy like me. Regardless, I got off to a good start by running a 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday. I also found a nice flat course in hopes that it would be easy on my legs; It wasn't.
So after complaining to my wife Leslie, she helped me loosen up my calves in hopes to alleviating some shin splinting. I keep thinking about the marathon expert Jeff Galloway quote "no one has ever died from shin splints". Usually I am fine, but on days like Tuesday I wonder if I will be the first.
Getting in to work early on Wednesday ruined any plans to run in the morning. Plus I felt my legs could use a few more hours rest. This run came so close to not happening. After sleeping on the couch during the Braves game, I decided at 11:30 it was now or never. I ran my neighborhood and finished just after midnight. I felt better, but not great. The major downside to this was I wasn't going to sleep until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. I guess no Thursday morning run for me either.
Thursday was probably my best weekday run in a month. The first 2 miles felt great. I finished fine, but I always have aches and pains. It makes it hard to
motivate yourself to go run, when you know you are going to be hurting every piece of soft tissue in your lower body when you are done.
After the rest day Friday, I had 7 miles to do on Saturday. I was really anxious about how this may play out with the extreme heat and my aching body. I had planned to run in a slower group, but the slower group was only doing 5 miles. So, potentially against better judgement I decided to go out with the 9-10 minute group. I can hang with these guys for 5 miles or so but after that all bets are off.
The first 2 miles were about as I expected, ok but not great. It was really hot and quite hilly. After mile 3, I was encouraged by how good I felt. I was hanging with the group and I was starting to feel like I could finish with them. The last 2 weeks I have noticed someone in the group holding up so they didn't run away from me before the finish. I hate holding people up, so I hope today will be different.
By the time we reached the last water stop at mile 5, I knew I had enough gas to make it to the finish. I completed the 7 miles, and felt great about it. I am not sure if I have ever run that far before. Better yet, I didn't feel any pain in my legs. Hopefully I have turned a corner and it will be full speed ahead from this point forward. I have a similar week next week, but a step back run of 5 miles on Saturday. I will let you know how it goes.
Honk if you see me on the road, but please stop if I am in the road.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Marathon Training: Pre Week 1 and Week 1
Ok, so now things have really started. This was my first week on the Hal Higdon 18 week training schedule. However, it has been two weeks since the Peachtree Road Race.
Pre Week 1
So I decided to throw a training week similar to week 1 in before I began the "real" week 1. Last week I had planned to run 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 5 on Saturday. I guess the Peachtree took a lot out of me, because it was not easy. I ran 3 on Tuesday, but Wednesday was awful. Almost every muscle in my legs were sore. About halfway through I realized that I was doing more harm than good. The lower part of my hamstrings were killing me. I could hardly lift my feet off the ground. I had been shuffling / sliding my feet for a mile and a half. As you know I had been struggling a little with shin splints, so I was concerned this funny running motion would cause me to aggravate those even more. I had to stop, total bummer.
I had been working at this for over a month now, and I was concerned that my journey may be over before it really got started. I hadn't missed a single run since I began so this concerned me.
After cutting my Wednesday run short, I cross trained on the elliptical on Thursday. My wife Leslie was an absolute life saver, she massaged my legs for hours on end to help me recover. I could not believe how much better my legs have felt since. I guess the Peachtree run combined with my training runs had left so much junk in my muscles that they just couldn't operate any more.
So now it was back to business. My 5 mile run on Saturday was fine, such a relief! Now I can focus on the 18 week journey ahead.
Week 1
As you can imagine week 1 is the easiest week. 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 6 miles on Saturday and cross training on Sunday. It has been so hot in Atlanta that I have been getting up at 6 in the morning to run before work. It feels really good to accomplish so much before the day really starts. However, as a guy that struggles to get to bed on time it can be really hard to get up sometimes. Tuesday and Wednesday were fine, I got up and did my three miles. Thursday was different. I could not get out of bed before 7. Rather than running the 3 miles that evening, I decided to give my legs some rest from the pounding of the pavement. Instead I did 90 minutes of cross training on the elliptical trainer. In my miond 90 minutes of cross training is an even trade for missing 30 minutes of running.
I found it hard to get my heart right up to 80% of my max on the elliptical. This concerns me because if I donb't get my heart rate up, I don't think it is really helping me be better prepared for my runs. I am going to have to watch that as the weeks carry on. When I run, my heart rate quickly gets to 90% of its max (I know, too high). I think as I continue to improve my cardio, it will be a little easier on my runs. This is especially important on my long Saturday runs, I will keep you posted.
Saturday marked a 6 mile run for me. I have joined a running group on Saturdays. This group is great, they run different areas of the city every week and provide water stops along the way. You can learn more about them here: www.usafitteamspirit.com/. Currently I run in the 9-10 min/mile group. I had been doing fine running in this group for 5 miles, but sometimes at the end of my runs I struggle to keep up. This week was no different. I still think it was a good run, but I wish I could finish a little more comfortably.
At the end of the run we had a massage therapist there to help us work out any soreness. As you can imagine, I jumped on the table almost begging for help. She said "let me know if I apply too much pressure". I told her that I have a high pain tolerance and that she could push as strong as she wants. Probably one of the five dumbest things I have ever said. It was brutal, but I am so thankful that I got it. I think this will help me carry on my journey to 26.2 miles.
All in all it was a great week, considering I thought I may have been finished the week before. Special thanks Leslie for helping me continue on, too bad that probably means more work for her.
Pre Week 1
So I decided to throw a training week similar to week 1 in before I began the "real" week 1. Last week I had planned to run 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 5 on Saturday. I guess the Peachtree took a lot out of me, because it was not easy. I ran 3 on Tuesday, but Wednesday was awful. Almost every muscle in my legs were sore. About halfway through I realized that I was doing more harm than good. The lower part of my hamstrings were killing me. I could hardly lift my feet off the ground. I had been shuffling / sliding my feet for a mile and a half. As you know I had been struggling a little with shin splints, so I was concerned this funny running motion would cause me to aggravate those even more. I had to stop, total bummer.
I had been working at this for over a month now, and I was concerned that my journey may be over before it really got started. I hadn't missed a single run since I began so this concerned me.
After cutting my Wednesday run short, I cross trained on the elliptical on Thursday. My wife Leslie was an absolute life saver, she massaged my legs for hours on end to help me recover. I could not believe how much better my legs have felt since. I guess the Peachtree run combined with my training runs had left so much junk in my muscles that they just couldn't operate any more.
So now it was back to business. My 5 mile run on Saturday was fine, such a relief! Now I can focus on the 18 week journey ahead.
Week 1
As you can imagine week 1 is the easiest week. 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 6 miles on Saturday and cross training on Sunday. It has been so hot in Atlanta that I have been getting up at 6 in the morning to run before work. It feels really good to accomplish so much before the day really starts. However, as a guy that struggles to get to bed on time it can be really hard to get up sometimes. Tuesday and Wednesday were fine, I got up and did my three miles. Thursday was different. I could not get out of bed before 7. Rather than running the 3 miles that evening, I decided to give my legs some rest from the pounding of the pavement. Instead I did 90 minutes of cross training on the elliptical trainer. In my miond 90 minutes of cross training is an even trade for missing 30 minutes of running.
I found it hard to get my heart right up to 80% of my max on the elliptical. This concerns me because if I donb't get my heart rate up, I don't think it is really helping me be better prepared for my runs. I am going to have to watch that as the weeks carry on. When I run, my heart rate quickly gets to 90% of its max (I know, too high). I think as I continue to improve my cardio, it will be a little easier on my runs. This is especially important on my long Saturday runs, I will keep you posted.
Saturday marked a 6 mile run for me. I have joined a running group on Saturdays. This group is great, they run different areas of the city every week and provide water stops along the way. You can learn more about them here: www.usafitteamspirit.com/. Currently I run in the 9-10 min/mile group. I had been doing fine running in this group for 5 miles, but sometimes at the end of my runs I struggle to keep up. This week was no different. I still think it was a good run, but I wish I could finish a little more comfortably.
At the end of the run we had a massage therapist there to help us work out any soreness. As you can imagine, I jumped on the table almost begging for help. She said "let me know if I apply too much pressure". I told her that I have a high pain tolerance and that she could push as strong as she wants. Probably one of the five dumbest things I have ever said. It was brutal, but I am so thankful that I got it. I think this will help me carry on my journey to 26.2 miles.
All in all it was a great week, considering I thought I may have been finished the week before. Special thanks Leslie for helping me continue on, too bad that probably means more work for her.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Peachtree (warm up race)
The race was a whole lot of fun, and I felt great with my new compression sleeves. I think it may have been the placebo affect, but I didn't care. Before the race I met a guy in my starting wave who had run the race in under an hour before.
My strategy was to keep up with him come hell or high water. Hopefully I could hang on the whole way and he could bring to the finish for a time under an hour. The only problem was I didn't tell the guy my plan until 1.5 miles into the race, I was hounding him so close, he probably thought I was going to rob him.
This strategy worked perfect until 2.5 miles in. We had paced about 9:30 for the first two miles (completely downhill, but way ahead of our goal). Bad news: My buddy said he couldn't keep the pace any longer and he promised to catch up to me after the finish. I think that I may have just bothered him to the point he faked tired, but who cares. We never did meet at the finish, and I didn't really look for him.
With no partner I ventured on, but struggled to find a good rhythm. This is the part of the course called cardiac hill. It isn't a steep hill, but it goes for 3/4 of a mile. I was really counting on my buddy for this part of the race. Jerk.
It wasn't until mile 4 that I tried to repeat my strategy with a woman who looked like she was serious about getting through this thing. I latched on to her, but unlike last time I didn't say a word. We ran side by side for about a mile and a half. At 5.5 miles the Peachtree turns on 10th street and heads toward Piedmont Park. I assume most people are like me and consider this the finishing straight. I no longer needed a buddy, I just focused on the finish line.
If you have never run the Peachtree before, it is very misleading. They create a fake finish line about .3 or .4 before the actual finish so they can photograph you crossing the fake finish line. I have run the Peachtree and other races before, the problem is that I always look like death warmed over in the race photos. My new #1 focus was to look like I was actually enjoying the race. I will let you determine if I achieved that goal.
After I crossed the second finish line I was pretty sure I beat the 1 hour mark. My wave went off 20 minutes after the race officially started, and I finished 1:21:07. Since I started at the back of the wave, I was pretty sure I crossed the start line around 21:10. However, my chip time cam in at 1:00:44. Total bummer, but I was pleased with how I felt after the race. I consider this goal unfinished business for next year, but for now it is on to bigger and hopefully better things.
My strategy was to keep up with him come hell or high water. Hopefully I could hang on the whole way and he could bring to the finish for a time under an hour. The only problem was I didn't tell the guy my plan until 1.5 miles into the race, I was hounding him so close, he probably thought I was going to rob him.
This strategy worked perfect until 2.5 miles in. We had paced about 9:30 for the first two miles (completely downhill, but way ahead of our goal). Bad news: My buddy said he couldn't keep the pace any longer and he promised to catch up to me after the finish. I think that I may have just bothered him to the point he faked tired, but who cares. We never did meet at the finish, and I didn't really look for him.
With no partner I ventured on, but struggled to find a good rhythm. This is the part of the course called cardiac hill. It isn't a steep hill, but it goes for 3/4 of a mile. I was really counting on my buddy for this part of the race. Jerk.
It wasn't until mile 4 that I tried to repeat my strategy with a woman who looked like she was serious about getting through this thing. I latched on to her, but unlike last time I didn't say a word. We ran side by side for about a mile and a half. At 5.5 miles the Peachtree turns on 10th street and heads toward Piedmont Park. I assume most people are like me and consider this the finishing straight. I no longer needed a buddy, I just focused on the finish line.
If you have never run the Peachtree before, it is very misleading. They create a fake finish line about .3 or .4 before the actual finish so they can photograph you crossing the fake finish line. I have run the Peachtree and other races before, the problem is that I always look like death warmed over in the race photos. My new #1 focus was to look like I was actually enjoying the race. I will let you determine if I achieved that goal.
After I crossed the second finish line I was pretty sure I beat the 1 hour mark. My wave went off 20 minutes after the race officially started, and I finished 1:21:07. Since I started at the back of the wave, I was pretty sure I crossed the start line around 21:10. However, my chip time cam in at 1:00:44. Total bummer, but I was pleased with how I felt after the race. I consider this goal unfinished business for next year, but for now it is on to bigger and hopefully better things.
Prologue
So....This all came together the first week of June this year. I have some friends who have run marathons in the past so I knew it would take around 18 weeks of training.
I looked for a local race and found the Chickamaugua Battlefield Marathon which is the second weekend in November. This was great, about 24 or so weeks away, not a lot of travel, and not SUPER intimidating.
So here is the plan. 4 weeks to train for the Peachtree Road Race (10k), a week in-between and then week 1 of marathon training. I am utilizing the Hal Higdon 18 week novice program (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html). The schedule recommends a training base of about 9 months. I think I will be alright because I have been doing a lot of other things to stay active including my elliptical.
The first two weeks of Peachtree training were pretty smooth sailing. There is a super hilly 3.5 mile course in my neighborhood. I felt like if I can master this course I should be fine for the Peachtree. This strategy worked well until week 3. I have learned that it is not a good idea to run the same course over and over again without any variety. I had been concerned that I may get injured in the process of this, so I have not told too many people. Additionally, I had bought a cheap pair of running shoes to just get after it.
After some aches and pains popped up, I decided to go get a real pair of running shoes. I went to Big Peach (http://www.bigpeachrunningco.com/) and got fitted for the right pair of shoes. I had no idea that running shoes only last 500 - 600 miles. I had realized that if I am going to embark on this adventure, I need to take care of my body starting with my feet.
Despite the new shoes, my week 4 is where is really got tough. Traditionally I had been running 3-Tue, 3-Wed, 3-Thur, long on Saturday. To ramp up for the 10k on Sunday, I decided to run 3-Tue, 4-Wed (super hilly), 2-Thur. The 4 miles on Wednesday killed me. I finished, but I was suffering serious chin pain. With ice, massage, and ibuprofen I suffered through the 2 miles on Sunday. I was hopeful that I could recover in time for the race on Sunday.
At the expo for the race I decided to buy some compression sleeves for my legs. With the same treatment as before, I was ready to tackle the Peachtree. Sunday came around and I was pumped up. I went to the race hoping to finish it in an hour, but I was so under trained, I had no idea.
I looked for a local race and found the Chickamaugua Battlefield Marathon which is the second weekend in November. This was great, about 24 or so weeks away, not a lot of travel, and not SUPER intimidating.
So here is the plan. 4 weeks to train for the Peachtree Road Race (10k), a week in-between and then week 1 of marathon training. I am utilizing the Hal Higdon 18 week novice program (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html). The schedule recommends a training base of about 9 months. I think I will be alright because I have been doing a lot of other things to stay active including my elliptical.
The first two weeks of Peachtree training were pretty smooth sailing. There is a super hilly 3.5 mile course in my neighborhood. I felt like if I can master this course I should be fine for the Peachtree. This strategy worked well until week 3. I have learned that it is not a good idea to run the same course over and over again without any variety. I had been concerned that I may get injured in the process of this, so I have not told too many people. Additionally, I had bought a cheap pair of running shoes to just get after it.
After some aches and pains popped up, I decided to go get a real pair of running shoes. I went to Big Peach (http://www.bigpeachrunningco.com/) and got fitted for the right pair of shoes. I had no idea that running shoes only last 500 - 600 miles. I had realized that if I am going to embark on this adventure, I need to take care of my body starting with my feet.
Despite the new shoes, my week 4 is where is really got tough. Traditionally I had been running 3-Tue, 3-Wed, 3-Thur, long on Saturday. To ramp up for the 10k on Sunday, I decided to run 3-Tue, 4-Wed (super hilly), 2-Thur. The 4 miles on Wednesday killed me. I finished, but I was suffering serious chin pain. With ice, massage, and ibuprofen I suffered through the 2 miles on Sunday. I was hopeful that I could recover in time for the race on Sunday.
At the expo for the race I decided to buy some compression sleeves for my legs. With the same treatment as before, I was ready to tackle the Peachtree. Sunday came around and I was pumped up. I went to the race hoping to finish it in an hour, but I was so under trained, I had no idea.
Monday, July 12, 2010
How did I get here
Tomorrow marks the official first day of my 18 week marathon training. How did I get here?
A quick blurb about me. I am a 30 year old guy about 5'9" and a shade over 200. I wrestled in high school my senior year weighing a little over 150 pounds. Since college the real world has taken over and I have been wrapped up in building my life and family.
I have been married to my wife Leslie for a little over 3 years. She is the best, and will be a great support for me over the coming months.
In truth I hate running, so why do I want to run a marathon?
I needed a new challenge. Something that isn't easily done, and takes hard work. The marathon is the perfect fit.
Hopefully people can learn from my experience, and provide me with some valuable feedback. Since begining this endeavor a little over a month ago I have been obsessed with learning about everything marathon. I also hope that my journey may serve as an inspiration for others looking to take on new challenges.
A quick blurb about me. I am a 30 year old guy about 5'9" and a shade over 200. I wrestled in high school my senior year weighing a little over 150 pounds. Since college the real world has taken over and I have been wrapped up in building my life and family.
I have been married to my wife Leslie for a little over 3 years. She is the best, and will be a great support for me over the coming months.
In truth I hate running, so why do I want to run a marathon?
I needed a new challenge. Something that isn't easily done, and takes hard work. The marathon is the perfect fit.
Hopefully people can learn from my experience, and provide me with some valuable feedback. Since begining this endeavor a little over a month ago I have been obsessed with learning about everything marathon. I also hope that my journey may serve as an inspiration for others looking to take on new challenges.
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