Yeoman's Work

The big mileage weeks continue.  Again, nothing fancy, nothing fast, just simple, good old-fashioned hard work.  It looked a lot like last week, but my Tuesday progression was noticeably faster and I threw in a 6:20 mile at the end of my 12 miles of hills.  Otherwise, I was pretty much south of 7mph for most of my running.  Today I ran 21 plus and didn't/couldn't break 8:30 pace.  It was like running in the jungle with the extremely high dew point.  I am just glad I got through it.  I did tack on some cheap tenths at the end, just so I could break 90 for the week.

Next week, I take a step back, race on Wednesday and then go on a camping trip, where I can do some nice leisurely trail running.  Things get serious starting on the 26th with the Torchlight 5k, which leads up to the Como Park Relays, which are every Wednesday night n August.  Best value in the Twin Cities.  $3.00 for a timed cross country relay event!  What a fine tradition.  I think this is 50 years.

Congratulations to my daughter on competing her first 16 miler.  She is well on her way to a solid finish at Twin Cities Marathon!

Happy Running!

Rick

Miles, Miles, Miles...

Last week was the no frills week.  This week was more of the same, still no frills, but more miles.  In fact, I hit 90 for the first time since last September.  I have to admit, this is one of the worst parts of the training cycle.  Lots of slow, hot and humid miles and not a lot of racing or quality running.  My body is barely getting use to the mileage, not to mention the temps, I am constantly feeling rundown, tired and more often than not , thinking about a nap.  It doesn't last long though, by mid July I start to come around, speeds pick up, I race more and start to feel like my old self again.  The fatigue usually comes back in August, when the combination of big miles and quality take its toll.

This was was week 4 of my 19-week training cycle for Twin Cities Marathon.  I am on schedule, and apart form the aforementioned fatigue, all systems are go.  Looking forward to testing my fitness in July at the Torchlight 5k and the Richard Hoska Mile.  August brings the Como Park Relays then September is Victory10k and City of Lakes.  Here is to staying healthy and embracing the challenges ahead.

Happy Running!

Rick

No Frills Week

This week was simply a mileage week.  I had no races or planned quality runs, but just tried to log as many miles as possible without hurting myself.  That was a challenge, because just finding a small window to get outside when we were not being thrashed with crazy thunderstorms, was surprisingly difficult.  I was doing 9 on Wednesday morning, the weather radar said I was good until 8, but the last 30 minutes was in a torrential downpour, with lightening strikes all around.  Streets were flooded and I was getting kind of freaked out.  Made it home safe, but some folks in the neighborhood are now probably questioning my sanity.

So, the mileage total was 86.4, and included in that was a 12 mile tempo/progression run, some hills on Thursday and a 19.16 miler today, which was my longest run since October.  Everything feels pretty good, but I don't think I could have raced well if I needed to.  I plan on resting up and adding a bit more quality this week, probably some much needed hill sprints.  Lets hope the weather holds out!

No racing until July, when I have the Torchlight 5k and the Richard Hoska Mile.     

Congrats to all the Grandma's runners.  Sounds like weather wise it was another winner.

Happy Running!

Rick

5k Fun

I had another good week of high mileage running.  April was 60's, May was 70's and June is all 80's.  will that mean 90's and 100's for July and August?  What does that mean for September then!?  Lets see if the body can hold up.

I continue with the very slow paces, barely breaking 8:30 on the vast majority of my miles.  I will continue with this strategy, mixing it up with as much racing as I can fit in and afford.  This week I found a local 5k on Saturday, so at the last minute decided to sign up.  I didn't recognize anybody, so assumed this was truly a fun run.  Just before the race was to start some younger lads made there to the start.  They knew each other and it sounded like they were some decent college runners looking for a joyride.  We want out fast, about 5:25 pace, then quickly settled into a 5:45 pace.  I was working, the young guys we chatting, planning their weekends!  Through mile 1 it was down to me and 3 others.  The pace still felt right, so I fell behind the other 3 and stayed on their heels.  After mile two they put a little distance on me, but I still felt that I could catch them if need be.  With a half a mile to go one of them bolted, leaving me with just the other two fellas.  I waited until there was about a third of a mile to go and put the hammer down and ended up with a 2nd place finish overall and a new PR of 17:35.  That was a very sweet 53rd birthday present!

Happy Running!

Rick

Now That is More Like It

I finally made it, my first 80 mile week since September of last year!  Throw in a quality run on Tuesday, hill-sprints on Thursday and a 1-mile race today and you have yourself one helluva a week.  My body held up well, thanks to the slow and gradual build-up, I got plenty of sleep and I feel ready to do it all over again this week!  I still need to find a race this month, just to test my fitness.  A fast, flat 10k course would be nice.

The mile race today was the USATF Mile Championships at Hamline University.  I was in heat number #4 and finished with a 5:16.  I was in a relatively fast group, so had some people to chase won.  Felt good enough to pass 3 or 4 guys on the back straight, but did not have enough to catch my two speedy teammates.  Well done guys!

I was reading through some old posts and saw that it was 4 years ago this week, that I ran the Minneapolis Marathon.  The time of 3:17 was not significant, the comments I made about the race were.  I had my first marathon with a negative split.  In fact, mile 26 was the fastest mile of the race.  This was the breakthrough I was looking for after numerous crash and burn performances.  Post- race I was excited, rejuvenated and ready for more.  So happy that 4 years later I feel the same way.

Happy Running!

Rick

Slight Stumble Out of the Gate

Week one is complete and I was fired up and looking forward to a big, eventful week.  I was going to nail a 5k PR, hit my first 80 mile week and generally start things off with a bang.  The 5k went well (18:08) but that was 20 seconds off last year.  I am guessing my low mileage and the 94% humidity had something to do with it.  I went out fast (5:45) but suffered a big fade, running a 6:03 mile 3.  The mileage goal was not achieved either, despite 4 days with double digit runs and a 17 miler Sunday.  A Wednesday business trip destroyed and entire day; leaving my house at 5:30 am and returning 10 PM, all for a 3 hour meeting!  Oh well, there is plenty of time for big miles.

Only one race scheduled for June so far.  The USATF mile at Hamline is next Sunday, which is the replacement for the storm cancelled TCMile in May.  Running on the track should be fun.  Make way for us old guys!  Need to find another race or two to round of June.

Happy Running!

Rick

Pre-cycle Inventory

I am a sucker for lists and plans and I love the kick-off portion of a new training cycle.  This one in particular is very interesting for me, as I have spent the past few months building and building on my base.  It's exciting to know that I will be comfortably running 80 MPW right out of the gate, with 2 to 3 quality runs to boot.  I have big plans this summer including a 36:30 10k at Victory, a 1:22 half at City of Lakes, running all the Como Park Relays and capping everything off with a 2:52 Twin Cities Marathon!

So, where am I at now.  Well, tomorrow's 5k will give me a fitness gauge, but I did just come off a 1:23:15 half on low mileage, so things are looking good.  I weigh in at 156, so I already close to racing weight (152).  I have been averaging around 65 mpw over the past few months, so feel ready to jump into the high miles.  Mentally, I am excited and ready to take on the challenge of 2:52, not even close to burnout, which is key.  Physically, everything is good, no injuries and aches and pains are at a minimum.   So, what needs improvement?

• Mileage - easily fixed, when I start doing my 8 to 15 mile MLRs on Wednesday.  Also, I have  been skimping on my LRs, which will change this week, running 16 to 22 every Sunday from now through late September.
• Sleep - big problem, I need 8 plus hour a day.  Since I have to get up before 5 and my employer does not allow naps, I need to go to bed around 9!  That rarely happens, so I catch up on the week ends.  Not ideal, so it's early to bed and early to rise for this old man.
• Diet - I am getting better and better at this, but still have some work to do.  I think some decent menu planning should do the trick.  I tend to wait until I am starving, then just shovel it in, whatever we have lying around!  Not ideal.
• Quality runs - I think I found the solution to mixing in quality runs; lots of racing.  This is not a problem here, there are always are lots of cheap races to take advantage of, not to mention the aforementioned Como Park Relays in August.  Flexibility is the other key, be ready, willing and able to run anytime and anywhere.  It's never too early in the morning or too late at night.  Lastly, I will continue to run with others, which is great motivation to get up and get moving.
• Balance - there is lot of other stuff going on, take advantage and enjoy the summer.