Marathon Week - 11 & 12

So I know I am a little late on posting these last two weeks but the training has been keeping me very busy and it has been pretty boring as of late so there hasn't been much to blog about.  Weeks 11 & 12 were two more solid 70+ mile weeks which has given me a ton of confidence that my training is headed in the right direction.  The double running days are getting easier, my recovery runs are all dipping sub-8:00 min/miles and overall I feel like even when I am completely beat up I can slog through 6 miles at a decent pace without struggling.

My long runs have been coming down in speed and been significantly easier especially in the later miles.  My last two long runs were both sub-7:30 min/miles for 22 miles with all miles being in the 7:00-8:00 min/mile range which is a huge improvement since my longs previously all ended with multiple miles in the 8:00+ min/miles some even closing in on 9:00.  I had been concerned that I was just going to hit a wall hard post 22 miles since that is the longest I am going to run, but now with a trusty goo at mile 20 and the training going well I think I am good.

One big change over the past few weeks has been the amount of mileage I have been running on the local trails. I have moved all of my recovery and easy runs to the trails and it has really helped to keep soreness to a minimum.  Plus it has provided some interesting and humorous content for my blog.  For example, the other day I was chased by a pack of 3 cockerspaniels for about a mile as I dragged them away from their house, man they are fast.  Or the time I was running on the trail and saw what appeared to be the brawny man in a tent on the side of the riverbank. Or there was the high school girls who were on bicycles who were singing and dancing while riding behind me.  Or the gang of snapping raccoons that wouldn't let me pass, oh wait nevermind...

Week 12 was an interesting week as it was my first race in a long time and really proved to be a true test of my fitness. See my race post for all the details.

Week 11 Total: 74 miles.

Monday:		46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 3x[800@6:44; 400@6:22; 400@5:53; 1200@6:58]. 10 miles PM: 46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Wednesday:		53 minutes easy. 7 miles.
Thursday:		AM: 45 minutes easy. 6 miles. PM: 45 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Friday:		65 minutes threshold @ 7:10 + C/D. 11 miles.
Saturday:		Rest.
Sunday:		Long Run @ 7:29. 22 miles.

Week 12 Total: 71 miles.

Monday:		48 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 3x[800@6:47; 400@6:27; 400@5:50; 1200@6:53]. 10 miles PM: 53 minutes easy. 7 miles.
Wednesday:		50 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Thursday:		AM: 84 minutes easy. 11 miles PM: 46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Friday:		Rest.
Saturday:		5K Road Race. 3 miles.
Sunday:		Long Run @ 7:25. 22 miles.

Marathon - Week 10

This is my first 70+ mile week after a rest week so I was really interested to see if my the sluggishness in my legs I had been feeling over the previous 70 mpw sessions was simply due to mileage or because my body was getting adjusted to the new level. This week really makes me optimistic about my body's potential.  I had quality runs all week including the interval and threshold sessions which had gotten very difficult recently. However, the run that makes me really hopeful was my long run which I held 7:30 min/mile average for 18 miles which puts me only about 30 seconds per mile away from BQ. I don't think it will happen in my first marathon but I really am starting to believe it is possible with some more time and quality miles on my legs.

I bought few new books this week in honor of my bumper sticker that Tina won't let me put on my car that says "In my dreams, I'm a Kenyan." There has been a lot of speculation about why Kenyans are such good runners and many people chalk it up to genetics but there are a few books out there written by people who actually spent time in Kenya watching them train.  The book that really seems of most value that I am reading is "Train Hard, Win Easy. The Kenyan Way".  It chronicles some real-life training regiments from the Rift Valley runners who are the elite marathoners.  They run some sick schedules, 3-a-day workouts, 140+ mile weeks, multiple days of hill training, group thresholds at sub-5:00 min/mile pace.  For my next marathon I think I am going to see if I can incorporate some of these things, especially the hill training into my schedule as I really think the harder you train, the easier the race will be.

On a side note, I am in 9th place in the Nashoba Valley Grand Prix Road Race Series and could probably have been higher if the 10K was now since my fitness level is so much higher.  It got me thinking about adding some new goals to my goals page, so I added one for placing in my age group, winning my age group and winning a race.  I hope to do the first one in the Maynard Road Race, just one year after I stampered across the finish line.  I will have to run around 6:30 pace to do it based on last years results, which equates to about a 20 minute 5K, so my goal is going to be to try and break 20 minutes.  I've done some test runs to see how my low end speed stacks up and I have been able to run miles between 6:00 and 6:20 the question is, can I maintain that for 3 straight miles or not?

Weekly Total: 74 miles.

Monday:		44 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 3x[800@6:47; 400@6:27; 400@5:50; 1200@6:53]. 10 miles PM: 50 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Wednesday:		56 minutes easy. 7 miles.
Thursday:		AM: 65 minutes threshold @ 7:00 + C/D. 11 miles PM: 48 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Friday:		Rest
Saturday:		Long Run @ 7:40. 22 miles.
Sunday:		47 minutes easy. 6 miles.

Marathon - Week 9

WINNER - MAYNARD HURRICANE HALF MARATHON!

Place    Name           City         Bib No  Age Gend Time      Pace  
1        BRIAN BENTO    MAYNARD  MA  1       29  M    1:34:26   7:12/M

[Please ignore that there was only one entrant into the race]

Irene threw a wrinkle into my week as the hurricane caused my half marathon to be cancelled.  In retrospect, probably a good thing because running in a 30mph headwind could have been problematic.

I decided to run a time trial instead on Saturday to see how I may have faired in the race.  I am very happy with my performance as I ran a 1:34, which would have met both my sub-1:40 and sub-1:35 goals!  I have never run that fast for that long before and towards the end it was starting to get pretty painful as I started getting cramps and side stitches, but I got through it.  I realize I do have quite a bit of work to do in order to get to the sub-1:30 mark but it is possible.  The race predictors now say I would be on pace to run a 3:20 marathon which I think I would be ecstatic about for my first ever as it would put me within 20 minutes of qualifying for Boston.

Since this was my down week I figured I would try and start doing some trail miles as it is supposed to ease up some of the pounding your legs take.  I ran two of my 6M runs over in the Assabett Valley Wildlife Refuge which was a nice change of scenario and it shaded me from some of the harsh sun and heat. I am going to try and continue running some more on the trails because it also saves me from the stupidity that are Mass-hole drivers.  I have had far too many encounters with the hoods and bumpers of cars as of recent as people can't seem to understand that they need to look both ways when making right turns as people can be on the side walk. And to the 80+ year old, douche bag driving the Aqua 1980s Toyota Corrolla, if I wanted to try the hurdles I'd do it on the track not over your f***ing hood.

As for the training week, it was a nice down week, my legs were very heavy most of the week and only really started to recuperate towards the end of the week. Here is to hoping my legs got enough rest for next weeks return to a real training load otherwise I might be nearing the edge of over-training.

Weekly Total: 51 miles.

Monday:		50 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		Intervals 2x[800@6:47; 400@6:27; 400@5:50; 1200@6:53]. 7 miles.
Wednesday:		42 minutes @ 7:00 pace. 6 miles.
Thursday:		76 minutes easy. 10 miles.
Friday:		46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Saturday:		HM Time Trial 1:34:07 + C/D. 16 miles
Sunday:		Rest

Marathon - Week 8

If you had told me in May when I was working hard to get ready for my first half marathon struggling to make it to 30+ miles a week, that in 3 months I would run a 70+ mile week I would have told you that you were crazy.  Now instead my wife is the one that is telling me I am crazy!...Unfortunately she may be right because I think you have to be just a little off to want to run a marathon.

I have read on forums about 70 miles being the magic number where your body truly starts to respond to the stimulus of distance running and I can say for sure that it certainly does.  My legs are completely wiped this week and I am just thankful that it is a rest week.  In terms of adding mileage, I added an extra speed interval on Tuesday which really did a number on my legs and left me looking like I jumped in a pool when I got off the treadmill.  I also added an extra 2 miles to a recovery run so now I don't run less than 6 miles in any one run.  I definitely noticed some heaviness in my legs on my tempo run and it was humid so I had to pull back to 7:15 minute/miles but I continued that pace in the afternoon recovery run to make up for it.

I am really looking forward to the rest this week and my half marathon in Springfield this weekend.  Colin and Tina will be joining me and it will be Colin's first night sleeping away from home so hopefully all goes well!  As usual I have multiple goals going into the race, in this case the most feasible is breaking the sub-1:40 mark, the other two, sub-1:30 & sub-1:35, are going to be entire dependent on how much I can recover from this hard week of running.  I am hoping that after a little rest this week and the use of my trusty energy Gu that I'll be able to match my sub-7:00 minute/miles from my training tempo runs and break the 1:30 mark. If I do it will be a pretty big milestone on my way to my ultimate goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon, something I still wonder if I am physically capable of.

Weekly Total: 70.5 miles.

Monday:		47 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 3x[800@6:47; 400@6:27; 400@5:50; 1200@6:53]. 10 miles. PM: 47 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Wednesday:		49 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Thursday:		AM: 65 minutes threshold @ 7:14 pace. 9 miles. PM: 45 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Friday:		48 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Saturday:		Rest
Sunday:		Long Run @ 7:50 pace. 21.5 miles.

Marathon - Week 7

Another 60+ mile week and my legs are holding up pretty well.  I have 1 more week after this one before my step back week so hopefully my legs will hold up and I won't get injured as I have really jumped the mileage up quickly.  After my stepback I am jumping up to 70 miles a week for 4 weeks before tapering for my marathon. I have re-evaluated my goal for the marathon though as qualifying for Boston my first time out is pretty much out of the question.  I can hold a really great pace in the 7:30-7:40 range on my longs up until about mile 18 or 19 when I hit a wall. It may be because I don't take another Gu (only taking one at mile 7 and 14) but there is no way I could run the 6:55 pace even with a taper.  I do still plan on trying to get close but if I had to guess its unrealistic for me to finish in under 3:20:00, but I will give it my best shot. I would just have to shave 20 minutes off my time.

So one of the ways I have been staying healthy is with some new recovery compression socks from SmartWool.  They make it much easier to get those 2nd runs in on the double days because my legs recover much quicker.  The only drawback was the initial backlash from Tina asking why the hell I spent $30 on a pair of socks from Socks.com.  All I have to say is that if you are running a lot I highly recommend them. The only word of advice though, is don't wear them during the day to work with dress pants as it looks pretty funny when you look down in a meeting and can see grey and blue socks with black dress pants.

I ended up moving my long run to Friday this week because of plans we had this weekend and we ended up going to the Southwick zoo with Colin, Elliott and Casey.  My legs were pretty wiped from the run and I wished I was the one in the stroller for half the trip but I made it through it and Colin seemed to have a great time and even wanted to go into the cage with the tigers.

The highlight of my training week definitely was the sick threshold run I threw down on Sunday.  I nearly ran in the 6s for it but came in right at 7:00s flat.  My fastest miles in it were the first 3 and the last one at 6:30, 6:42, 6:50, 6:50, respectively.  I need to keep improving my speed especially if I want to run some fast times in the 5Ks and 10Ks I have scheduled for this Fall.

Weekly Total: 65.5 miles.

Monday:		51 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 2x[800@6:50; 400@6:30; 400@6:00; 1200@7:00]. 7 miles. PM: 46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Wednesday:		46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Thursday:		Rest
Friday:		Long Run @ 7:50 pace. 21.5 miles.
Saturday:		48 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Sunday:		AM: 63 minutes threshold @ 7:00 pace. 9 miles. PM: 32 minutes easy. 4 miles.

Marathon - Week 6

This weeks training update comes from San Francisco, CA, which is where I was away on business all week.

Coming off a hard week last week I was a little concerned about how my body would respond but go figure, I pumped out my first 60+ mile week and another 20+ mile long.

The highlight of the week was running with my boss in the Presidio of San Francisco which is a park that encompasses the Golden Gate Bridge.  We ran a 7 mile easy run that included a small section of dodging cars on Rt. 101 (oops, I think we took a wrong turn at Alburqurque). I have never run with anyone else before so it was an interesting experience but I found it great to have someone to force me to run my recovery slower than usual as it left my legs feeling refreshed.  Also, we both had a chuckle when we passed a lady on a bike, seriously I am not sure how she was able to even stay upright on the bike at that speed.

The rest of the week was relatively uneventful other than the freezing cold mornings, which I wasn't prepared for. However, the cooler temperature and flat terrain made the training runs much easier on the legs than my normal hilly routes in humid conditions.

I had been planning on bumping up my mileage consistently for 3-4 weeks then cutting back before I make my second push but I am already at the next plateau so instead I am going to try and hold steady in the 60-65 range for a few weeks.

I am still trying to decide if I am going to run the Springfield Half Marathon as a tune-up race for my fall marathon so stay tuned for more info.

Weekly Total: 62 miles.

Monday:		56 minutes easy. 7 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 2x[800@7:00; 400@6:30; 400@6:00; 1200@7:13]. 7 miles. PM: 32 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Wednesday:		32 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Thursday:		AM: 64 minutes threshold @ 7:02 pace. 9 miles. PM: 32 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Friday:		48 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Saturday:		Rest
Sunday:		Long Run @ 7:55 pace. 21 miles.

Marathon - Week 5

This has been an interesting week of running as it included everything from running in the pouring rain (twice) to running in 80 degree/80% humidity to running in 60 degree cold weather.  You have to love New England!

After my down week I was really looking forward to getting back to a hard week of workouts. This week was full of firsts for me, my first 20+ mile run and my first 50+ mile week.  I actually didn't find the afternoon run too bad actually, it was the run the next morning that was rough!

I do have to say thanks to the folks on Heritage Lane for the use of their sprinklers every weekend. It serves as a nice way for me to cool down at the 10 mile mark. I am just glad I can count on them to water their lawns rain or shine and regardless of the current town water ban.

Stay tuned for my update next week on my adventures in San Francisco.

Weekly Total: 52.25 miles.

Monday:		45 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Tuesday:		AM: Intervals 2x[800@7:00; 400@6:30; 400@6:00; 1200@7:13]. 7 miles. PM: 32 minutes easy. 4.25 miles.
Wednesday:		46 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Thursday:		Rest
Friday:		64 minutes threshold @ 7:13 pace. 9 miles.
Saturday:		Rest
Sunday:		Long Run @ 7:50 pace. 20 miles.