Sunday, January 31, 2016
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 8/19 - Meat and Potatoes
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 8/19 - Meat and Potatoes: This was week 8, about 12 weeks out and as I mentioned last week, the time when the real work begins. I've been gradually building mile...
Boston Marathon Week 8/19 - Meat and Potatoes
This was week 8, about 12 weeks out and as I mentioned last week, the time when the real work begins. I've been gradually building mileage and on top of running 80 to 90 mile weeks, I get to throw more quality and racing into the mix.
I am happy to report that I hit my mileage goal of 85 miles and nailed a quality tempo run on Tuesday night, where I ran 12 miles with 9 at sub 6:40 pace, then capped off the week with 19 miles on Saturday and a HM at 6:39 pace, followed up by 14 easy on Sunday. Now I came up a little short on my HM goal, but I am still pleased with the effort. I had trouble getting going, hitting the first half at about a 6:47 pace. However, I opened it up on the way back hitting 6:30 pace pretty comfortably and even running a sub 40 minute 10k!
I am really happy with my progression so far. No huge gains and no PR's, but I feel good, no pain or injuries and very little fatigue. I think the cold weather training and the slow easy miles are paying off.
I will try to hit 90 miles this week and because of the mileage increase, I will stick with one quality run. Shooting for 13 miles with 10 at 6:30 pace, but maybe wait until Thursday, to let me recover from the HM.
Happy Running!
Rick
I am happy to report that I hit my mileage goal of 85 miles and nailed a quality tempo run on Tuesday night, where I ran 12 miles with 9 at sub 6:40 pace, then capped off the week with 19 miles on Saturday and a HM at 6:39 pace, followed up by 14 easy on Sunday. Now I came up a little short on my HM goal, but I am still pleased with the effort. I had trouble getting going, hitting the first half at about a 6:47 pace. However, I opened it up on the way back hitting 6:30 pace pretty comfortably and even running a sub 40 minute 10k!
I am really happy with my progression so far. No huge gains and no PR's, but I feel good, no pain or injuries and very little fatigue. I think the cold weather training and the slow easy miles are paying off.
I will try to hit 90 miles this week and because of the mileage increase, I will stick with one quality run. Shooting for 13 miles with 10 at 6:30 pace, but maybe wait until Thursday, to let me recover from the HM.
Happy Running!
Rick
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon - Week 7/19 - Time to Get Serious
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon - Week 7/19 - Time to Get Serious: It is hard to believe I am already 7 weeks into this training cycle. It has gone really well so far and I am right where I need to be headi...
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 6/19 - Still Plugging Along
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 6/19 - Still Plugging Along: No big breakthroughs this week, in fact it looked a lot like last week. My plan was for a cutback week, but instead of cutting back the mil...
Boston Marathon - Week 7/19 - Time to Get Serious
It is hard to believe I am already 7 weeks into this training cycle. It has gone really well so far and I am right where I need to be heading into the important 12 weeks remaining. I am hitting my quality runs and I am poised to comfortably get into some 90 mile weeks through February and March.
This week I managed 84 miles with a decent quality track work out Tuesday, where I ran 11 miles with 8 under 6:30 and 6 of those 8 under 6:20. Friday night on the treadmill, I did a couple of mini progression runs, getting down to 6:10 pace, then finished off the week with an easy 20-miler on Saturday and 11 easy on Sunday. Outside the normal amount of fatigue, the body is holding up pretty well.
The plan for this week is to run about 85 miles, which may be tricky with a full work schedule, but the if weather will cooperate, I should be able to get some long morning runs in, leaving me to work late. I am racing the Securian Half Marathon Saturday, which will provide a much needed fitness test. I am hoping for a sun 1:26 effort, which while a long way from 2:50 shape, at least will tell me I am heading in the right direction.
Happy Running!
Rick
This week I managed 84 miles with a decent quality track work out Tuesday, where I ran 11 miles with 8 under 6:30 and 6 of those 8 under 6:20. Friday night on the treadmill, I did a couple of mini progression runs, getting down to 6:10 pace, then finished off the week with an easy 20-miler on Saturday and 11 easy on Sunday. Outside the normal amount of fatigue, the body is holding up pretty well.
The plan for this week is to run about 85 miles, which may be tricky with a full work schedule, but the if weather will cooperate, I should be able to get some long morning runs in, leaving me to work late. I am racing the Securian Half Marathon Saturday, which will provide a much needed fitness test. I am hoping for a sun 1:26 effort, which while a long way from 2:50 shape, at least will tell me I am heading in the right direction.
Happy Running!
Rick
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 6/19 - Still Plugging Along
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 6/19 - Still Plugging Along: No big breakthroughs this week, in fact it looked a lot like last week. My plan was for a cutback week, but instead of cutting back the mil...
Boston Marathon Week 6/19 - Still Plugging Along
No big breakthroughs this week, in fact it looked a lot like last week. My plan was for a cutback week, but instead of cutting back the mileage, I held that steady and backed off on the quality.
The week started off with the Meet of the Miles. I really didn't train for the mile, but I thought I was still in decent enough shape to at least ran what I did last year. Mentally I just wasn't ready to put myself in a lot of discomfort, so I decided to go out easy and make up the time on the back half. The first two laps were at a slower pace, but I was not feeling the urge to drop the hammer, in fact it felt like work from the get-go. I had a little kick at the end, but came in with a 5:40 finish, which was almost 10 seconds slower than last year. The mile isn't a high priority for me at this stage of Boston training, but it is always a little disheartening to see what little speed I have left starting to slip away.
I tried my usual Tuesday night workout, but I was feeling beat up from the mile race, so finished up 10 miles at about 7:10 pace. The rest of the week was all about cramming in double digit runs, so I could hit 80 miles for the week. The weekend was tough with the low temps, but did manage 18 easy miles on Saturday and 13 easier miles on Sunday.
I will continue to build on my mileage for the next two weeks and will try to by at 90 plus for the week in week 8 of my Boston training. Then I will cap off the month with the Securian Half Marathon on January 30th. I will have a good idea of where my fitness is at and readjust my training plans if needed.
Hoping for some more moderate temps by the end of the week; it will be nice to get down to two layers from the current 4 that Ihave been wearing!
Happy Running!
Rick
The week started off with the Meet of the Miles. I really didn't train for the mile, but I thought I was still in decent enough shape to at least ran what I did last year. Mentally I just wasn't ready to put myself in a lot of discomfort, so I decided to go out easy and make up the time on the back half. The first two laps were at a slower pace, but I was not feeling the urge to drop the hammer, in fact it felt like work from the get-go. I had a little kick at the end, but came in with a 5:40 finish, which was almost 10 seconds slower than last year. The mile isn't a high priority for me at this stage of Boston training, but it is always a little disheartening to see what little speed I have left starting to slip away.
I tried my usual Tuesday night workout, but I was feeling beat up from the mile race, so finished up 10 miles at about 7:10 pace. The rest of the week was all about cramming in double digit runs, so I could hit 80 miles for the week. The weekend was tough with the low temps, but did manage 18 easy miles on Saturday and 13 easier miles on Sunday.
I will continue to build on my mileage for the next two weeks and will try to by at 90 plus for the week in week 8 of my Boston training. Then I will cap off the month with the Securian Half Marathon on January 30th. I will have a good idea of where my fitness is at and readjust my training plans if needed.
Hoping for some more moderate temps by the end of the week; it will be nice to get down to two layers from the current 4 that Ihave been wearing!
Happy Running!
Rick
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon - Week 5/19 - Arctic Running
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon - Week 5/19 - Arctic Running: Happy to report that after 5 weeks everything is going well. I met my mileage goal of 80 miles and had one of the best workouts I have had ...
Boston Marathon - Week 5/19 - Arctic Running
Happy to report that after 5 weeks everything is going well. I met my mileage goal of 80 miles and had one of the best workouts I have had in a long time on Tuesday night. It was on the indoor track, so under controlled conditions, but a good fitness snapshot nonetheless. I ran just over 11 miles at an average pace of 6:48 and 8 of those miles under 6:30. Recovery time was a little longer than I would like, but no lingering pain, just simple fatigue.
I ran 16 miles on Saturday at a pretty easy pace, followed by 13 on Sunday. I got out early on Sunday with the air temps at 11 below and the windchill at 24 below. I dressed well and stayed on the wooded trails and enjoyed one of the most peaceful, satisfying runs in quite some time. Brilliant sunshine, snow packed trails and cold, crisp air. Pretty remarkable.
I have some races coming up; Meet of the Miles tomorrow night and the Securian Half Marathon in a couple of weeks. I have been training for the half and think I can run a 1:26, but have not been doing much specific mile training, so anything under 5:40 would be okay.
I don't plan a big mileage jump for the upcoming week; I will be satisfied with high 70's, but may try to sneak into the 80's again. I am pretty happy with the fact that I will be heading into the 12-week portion of the cycle logging 90-mile weeks.
Happy Running!
Rick
I ran 16 miles on Saturday at a pretty easy pace, followed by 13 on Sunday. I got out early on Sunday with the air temps at 11 below and the windchill at 24 below. I dressed well and stayed on the wooded trails and enjoyed one of the most peaceful, satisfying runs in quite some time. Brilliant sunshine, snow packed trails and cold, crisp air. Pretty remarkable.
I have some races coming up; Meet of the Miles tomorrow night and the Securian Half Marathon in a couple of weeks. I have been training for the half and think I can run a 1:26, but have not been doing much specific mile training, so anything under 5:40 would be okay.
I don't plan a big mileage jump for the upcoming week; I will be satisfied with high 70's, but may try to sneak into the 80's again. I am pretty happy with the fact that I will be heading into the 12-week portion of the cycle logging 90-mile weeks.
Happy Running!
Rick
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 4/19. Ringing in the New Year...
Chasing 3 Hours: Boston Marathon Week 4/19. Ringing in the New Year...: Happy New Year Everyone! Another successful week of training, nailing my mileage goals and also a great track workout on Tuesday. I ran ...
Boston Marathon Week 4/19. Ringing in the New Year!
Happy New Year Everyone!
Another successful week of training, nailing my mileage goals and also a great track workout on Tuesday.
I ran everyday and since I am in the 70 plus mile range, have added two-a-days into my regimen. Monday and Wednesday are my double days where I run a very easy recovery in the morning with Huey, my dog, then follow up with a 6 to 7 mile easy in the evening. Works great for recovery. Tuesday I headed to the track where I ran 10 miles at an average pace of 6:58 with the final 6 miles at 6:50, 6:40, 6:35, 6:30, 6:25 and 6:20. Felt great, but have to admit to feeling pretty beat up Wednesday morning. Managed a lighter version of Tuesday's run on Thursday then completed back to back to back double digit runs with 10 on Friday, 13 on Saturday and 11 more on Sunday to finish the week.
The new year brings the formal part of my plan, where I will move to the 80 to 90 mile weeks and continue to build on the quality already introduced. The grind begins, but I just keep telling myself, This is Boston! Time to get busy!
Happy Running!
Rick
Another successful week of training, nailing my mileage goals and also a great track workout on Tuesday.
I ran everyday and since I am in the 70 plus mile range, have added two-a-days into my regimen. Monday and Wednesday are my double days where I run a very easy recovery in the morning with Huey, my dog, then follow up with a 6 to 7 mile easy in the evening. Works great for recovery. Tuesday I headed to the track where I ran 10 miles at an average pace of 6:58 with the final 6 miles at 6:50, 6:40, 6:35, 6:30, 6:25 and 6:20. Felt great, but have to admit to feeling pretty beat up Wednesday morning. Managed a lighter version of Tuesday's run on Thursday then completed back to back to back double digit runs with 10 on Friday, 13 on Saturday and 11 more on Sunday to finish the week.
The new year brings the formal part of my plan, where I will move to the 80 to 90 mile weeks and continue to build on the quality already introduced. The grind begins, but I just keep telling myself, This is Boston! Time to get busy!
Happy Running!
Rick
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