Turn My Back on the Marathon

My last posts have indicated a move away from road racing and moving towards ultra and/or trail running, also while bemoaning my lack of speed and lack of motivation to head to the track or do what it would it take to improved said speed.  But with all that being said, I can't forget that I have one very important road race coming up and that is the 2020 Twin Cities Marathon.  Why is this race so important?  I've ran this race many times, so what's the big deal?  2020 is the race that my daughter challenged me about 4 or 5 years ago.  This was back when I was a 2:50 something marathoner and she was just getting started, but making real progress.  So, we looked ahead and tried to determine when would be a reasonable time to expect when my diminishing speed and here rising skills would intersect and we determined 2020 was the most reasonable..  I think we will be pretty close.  If we were to race tomorrow, I think she would win.  Her training has been going well and she has youth on her side.  Will she beat me in 2020?  If this old man can get back into my disciplined groove that I had been in back in 2015, I have a better than 50/50 chance.  If I continue on by 40 to 60 mile weeks, with wanting and waning enthusiasm, she would be the clear favorite.  The 3 to 3.5 hour marathon will be tough to achieve unless a since dormant fire in the belly fires up pretty darn quick.  I've been stoking it for more than 3 years, and I have little more than a few smoldering embers!  Lets have fun trying!

Lack of Committment

Managed a pretty good week of running, but still have not committed to Surf the Murph.  Part of my "good" week of running was a longer run (16 miles) with my daughter on Saturday.  She also is an aspiring trail runner and so she took us off road along some gnarly trails near Minnehaha Creek.  Metal dock-like platforms that were slippery, followed by dirt trails that were very rocky and also lots of exposed roots.  With all the rain we had received, the creek and the falls were rushing pretty good and all I could think was, "don't trip or slip along this trail and end up drowning in the creek."  Got me thinking, maybe I'm not cut our for serious trail running after all.  Not sure if most races follow along creeks, rivers or waterfalls, but if they do, I'll be opting out.  Lastly, not nearly as nimble on my feet as I used to be.  When the trails get even the least bit technical, I slow down to a laughable pace.  Just not fearless enough I guess!

In Search of a New Goal

I reviewed my running logs and the intermittent blog posts over the past couple of years and one thing is painfully obvious.  Somethings gotta change.  I've been averaging the same mileage, running the same workouts, all while remaining uninspired with my running.  I keep plugging along, waiting for a breakthrough, but at this point I need to realize that without a major shake-up, nothing is going to change.  Perhaps its my goals that are tired?  I keep thinking about 19 minute 5k's, sub 40 10k's all with the ultimate goal of another sub-3 marathon.  Why do I want to reach for goals that I have already achieved many time over?  Sure it would be cool if I could run those paces again in a brand new AG, but if I am being honest with myself, the speed is going and I don't think it is coming back.  So, what does that leave me with?  The choice that all runners face, which is choose endurance over speed.  The cop-out that is running longer and slower because that is the only tool left in the toolbox!  But what's wrong with that?  The idea of a long run on the trails, in the woods sounds pretty darn good.  So, lets do some exploring and goal-setting of a different type.  Looks like maybe the Surf the Murph 25k is the best option.  Local race, moderate distance and relatively challenging course.  Link is below:

https://www.surfthemurph.org/the-race

Lets decide in the next week or so if this is a go.  October 19th is the date.

Why Don't I Feel Like a Runner Yet?

I'm back from my writing hiatus.  Yes, I've been running, just haven't felt like writing about it.  Its not true that there hasn't been anything to write about, just been lazy I guess.  I also didn't realize that it has need over a month since my last post, so Happy New Year!

 

In regards to running, I haven't been setting any mileage records, but I have been loosely sticking to a light training plan.  Tuesday track, a couple easy days, Saturday progression and two-hour Sunday.  All have improved, despite the total crap-fest we have had for weather.

 

Missed the January Meet of the Miles, due to a nasty head-cold, but did run the Securian 10k in February. My goal was to run a sub 42, but the temp was below zero and we got just enough snow that morning to make the course greasy.  Plus the fitness for a sub 42 is not there yet.  So, the final time was 45 and change, which was good enough for an AG win in the "old-guy" division. 

 

So, for the most part, all pretty good stuff, so per my title, "why don't I feel like a runner?"  The main reason is that I keep comparing myself to the 2015 version of myself, where there were  tons of miles and PR's a plenty.  Pretty weird, its been almost 3-years since I took my hiatus from high-mileage training, and I still have not been able to let go of that version of myself.  I still keep thinking that fire is going to return and all will be right with the running universe. I do enjoy my running these days and can point out plenty of  "moments" that it brings me every month, but there is definitely something missing.  So, I'll just keep plugging away, taking what my body and mind give me and enjoy every second as best I can.  Who knows what kind of fire that can e rekindled.

New Strategy Working

I continue to focus on my 3 work-out runs of the week and not worry about the other four days.  If I need an extra day off or only run 4 easy miles with the dog, well, that's what I do. Don't sweat the weekly miles total, just prepare myself mentally for Tuesday's Track workout, Saturday's 9 mile progression and Sunday's See How Far you Can Run in Two-hours Run.  For a third straight week, I improved my pace and/or distance on all three runs!

 

Tuesday's run started out a little slow, but by the end of the run, I was cruising at a sub 6:25 pace and it felt relatively fluid.  Wednesday off, Thursday an easy 5, Friday an easy 7.  Saturday's run felt great, starting off pretty fast and running the last couple miles at a comfortable sun 3:15 marathon pace!  I was dubious about running more than 14.1 miles on my Sunday run.  There was a still westerly wind, slowing me down for the first few miles, plus a little it of fresh snow cover.  However, at about the 6-mile mark, everything felt good and I was running easily under 8 minute pace.  Handled the two big hills well, then turned for home at a snappy 7:40 pace, back into the wind.  Ending with 14.25 miles for the  day and close to mid-40's for the week.

 

I'll try more of the same this week.  The track will be closed on Tuesday, so may move that workout to Thursday.  The last few years, my daughter and I have started a new Christmas tradition of doing a longer run, will be adding my son to the mix this year, so looking forward to that.

Recovery Time

I mentioned it briefly in last week's post, the idea and benefits of extended recovery as I approach 60 years old.  It only makes sense and would explain why I consistently break down mentally and physically when I try to build mileage over 50 miles per week.  It also appeared evident this week when I did a very aggressive track workout on Tuesday and the following three days I felt slow, heavy and sluggish, rarely breaking the 9 minute mile barrier.  But rather than get down on myself, I accepted this fate and patiently waited for recovery to come to me, instead of forcing the issue.  Recovery did return finally on my Saturday 8 plus mile run.  After a warm-up, I was hitting sub 8 pace relatively early and running around sub 7:30 pace by the end.  Its the same route I run every Saturday and it was a full 90 seconds faster than anything done in the last month.  Sunday is my traditional "see how far you can run in 2-hours" workout, which includes two significant hills, Old Excelsior Road and Sparrow Road.  Even with a successful Saturday work-out, I was able to set a new distance record on this run as well.  So, now its back to recovery mode.  Most likely I will take Monday off and return to the track on Tuesday.  Lesson learned, I will run as little or as much as my old body gives me on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to continue with good results on key workout days.  I am sure that following this program will lead to more mileage eventually, but I will no longer be a slave to increased miles per week, at least as long the results continue be there.  That being said, I am satisfied with my mid 40 totals for this week.  I am no fool, I fully realize that I will never get close to a 3 hour marathon again at this kind of mileage and maybe I never will, but I also realize that it is guaranteed not to happen if I continue to force mileage increases every week, regardless of how my body feels.  Less pressure, better results and a happier outlook!

Winter Running as an Old Guy

Winter running has always provided its challenges.  The cold, the wind, the ice and don't forget the darkness.  At 57, these challenges seem that much worse, especially when trying to mount a comeback.  Sure I can run inside, which I did this week, but that means running after work, which then means running the next morning, always a challenge when its dark and single digit temps.

So I say all this because I fell way short of my mileage goal of 57 miles.  Managed only 43 miles because of two days where I only could muster a 30 minute jog with my hound, Huey.  Not all was lost.  My 1 hour track workout was a success and my Sunday Sparrow Road run was a new record of 14.1 miles.  Maybe extra time off is okay?