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 ...