Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 3/19 - 2015 Recap

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 3/19 - 2015 Recap: I breezed through week 3, hitting my goal of over 65 miles for the week, and a pretty good treadmill workout on Tuesday where my final mile ...

Boston Marathon Week 3/19 - 2015 Recap

I breezed through week 3, hitting my goal of over 65 miles for the week, and a pretty good treadmill workout on Tuesday where my final mile of a 9 mile tempo was 6:20.  Best part was it felt easy.  Managed a 14 mile long run and accomplished all this with minimal napping.  Feeling poised to formally start aggressive training in early January with 70 to 90 mile weeks and plenty of quality.  I am pretty excited to get this program going to see what this old body can achieve.

Not much to report in looking back at 2015.  I was a little disappointed that I did not PR at any distance and ended my marathon consecutive PR streak at 10.  I did have some good races though, most notably my 2:55 at Twin Cities, a 37:02 at Victory 10k and a mileage total which should be around 3,100.

Goals for 2016 include a PR at Boston and I would like to run a sub 1:02 at the Twin Cities 10-mile in the fall.  Also get to look forward to entering a new age-group in June which will be interesting.  Not sure I have enough gas to PR at any other distances, but am always willing to try.

Happy New Year!

Rick

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon 2016 - Week 2/19 - The Build-Up Co...

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon 2016 - Week 2/19 - The Build-Up Co...: Week number two highlights a 60-mile week and a couple of pretty decent quality workouts.  I was happy that I made it to 60, which keeps me ...

Boston Marathon 2016 - Week 2/19 - The Build-Up Continues

Week number two highlights a 60-mile week and a couple of pretty decent quality workouts.  I was happy that I made it to 60, which keeps me on track for reaching my mileage goals in January, when the work really begins.  I felt pretty good, considering I haven't run this much since September.  I think it is safe to jump to 65 to 70 for the next week, then probably have a cutback week.

I was also quite satisfied with the quality workouts I had on Tuesday and Thursday.  Tuesday's effort was 10 miles outside on a hilly course.  It was to be a progression run with the last 3 miles being at or around 6:30 pace.  I was okay with 6:49, 6:38 and 6:30.  Hey, it was dark, windy and hilly!  Thursday I wanted a more controlled environment, so did a similar workout on the treadmill.  Much better logging a 6:38, 6:29 and 6:21.  Modest workouts yes, but this build up is gradual and if I want to get to the start line healthy, this is the only way.  If I really want to run 26.2 miles at 6:29 pace, this is what it will take.

Looking ahead to next week, I have about 65 miles planned.  Probably one quality run and add mileage by doing a medium long run in the middle of the week.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Rick

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon 2016 - Week 1/19

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon 2016 - Week 1/19: The first build up week is in the books.  I accomplished my goal of running a modest 54 miles, which was a weekly high since last fall's...

Boston Marathon 2016 - Week 1/19

The first build up week is in the books.  I accomplished my goal of running a modest 54 miles, which was a weekly high since last fall's marathon training.  The build-up will continue through December, and plan on being into "high-mileage" territory by mid-January.

I ran everyday and posted two double-digit runs for the week.  I included very little quality, just a couple of relatively easy progression runs on Tuesday and Friday night.  The body responded well, only noticing a little fatigue and soreness today after back to back 10 and 11 mile runs.  Took it easy today, with 7 easy miles and light conditioning.

Finally felt like an official training cycle after I sat down and wrote out my plan.  Always is inspiring for me to map out the plan, strategically plotting a key long run or quality workouts or finding just the right tune-up races.  Also need to get a bit more serious about my diet and nutrition plan.  Will spend part of the day menu planning, followed by a quick trip to the grocery store.

I am very thankful for the unseasonably warm weather, allowing me to do all of my runs outside.  Looking ahead, it appears that they may be changing soon, but a few indoor track workouts are needed anyway.

Looking forward to week two.  Goals are to run 60 miles, a 12-mile long run and a tempo run with 3 miles at "A" goal marathon pace.

Happy Running!
Rick

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Build-up Begins Now!

Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Build-up Begins Now!: After some time away, it's time to get serious about running again.  We are about 19 weeks out from Boston and it time to start, if not ...

Boston Build-up Begins Now!

After some time away, it's time to get serious about running again.  We are about 19 weeks out from Boston and it time to start, if not an official traing plan, at least the mileage build up.  I've been running about 40 miles per week since Twin Cities, so the build up to 80 and 90 mile weeks will need to be smart and gradual.  I have never planned a mileage build up in December before and it certainly will have its challenges.  The weather, the holidays and busy work schedule all wll have to be dealt with, but I feel up for the challenge.

The build up will look something like this:

Week of December 7th.    50 miles

Week of December 14th.   60 miles

Week of December 21st.   65 miles

Week of December 28th.   70 miles

That leaves January to get up to 80 miles per week and maybe even hit 90 if the body feels good.  Also there is a half marathon in Janaury that I can use a good fitness test.  Should be interesting.

Also, I have entered the world of heart rate training.  I got myself and early Christmas present, a Garmin 225.  I have always wanted to experiment with heart rate training, but never wanted to mess around with wearing a chest strap.  The 225 detects your heart rate from your wrist, so no chest strap. Pretty excited about the watch and also pretty excited about the results.  On my run today, I pushed pretty hard and I couldn't get my heart rate out of "easy."  It felt hard, but according to my heart rate, no problem.

Let's get started!