Tune Up Number Two

Bit of a cutback week as I enjoyed a little mini-taper for tune up race number two.  Like past weeks, it took most of the week to recover from the week end's efforts.  Also, the weather took a turn for the worst with temps in the teens, ice and snow and very low windchills.  Much more January-like than mid-November.  Race morning was 9 degrees, but thankfully the wind had died down.  I was concerned about ice and snow on the course, with snow and ice falling on Wednesday night.  My concerns were realized on race morning when I found out most of the race took place on sidewalks around the school, which were snow covered and icy in many places.  I thought I might beat my last race's time, but it was hard to find a rhythm on such a course, so I finished in 20:51.  Second again in my age group so I missed out winning a turkey.

Decided to buy some Yak Trac for Sunday's run which slowed me down, but at least kept me upright. Final distance was a tenth less than last week, but did have some gas at the end. I have to admit it was quite a shock to go from nice fall weather right into the heart of February kind.

Recovery Week

Well, racing on Saturday followed by Old Excelsior and Sparrow Road as part of my long run on Sunday, really took its toll on me, even with a day off on Monday.  I got up early Tuesday to complete my track work out, which consisted of 2 x 1,200m and 2 x 800m all at below goal 5k pace.  I barely got any of them even close to sub 6:30 pace, as the body felt heavy and joints felt beat up.  Mentally it was not there either.  I followed up with an early wake up call on Wednesday as well, with plans to run an easy 10 miles, but I could only muster 8ish and most of that was sub 9.  Hips felt incredibly tight and I was not loosening up in the later miles.   After a good night's sleep and some vitamins, and a Thursday recovery run, Friday included a respectable progression run getting into sub 8 territory.  I followed that up with 10ish on Saturday at 8:10 pace and 12 x 100m repeats. Finished off the week with my usual Sunday 2-hour hill, adding a half mile more than last week.   Recovery happens, just takes twice as long!

Ely Marathon

This will probably be the most anti-climatic post after a marathon that I will ever post.  Not because it did'nt go well because it went perfectly fine.  Problem is I really don't know how I feel about it.  I didn't really have high expectations because I only averaged about 45 miles per week and much less than that over thw past 2 years or so.  I really struggled with how much pain I was willing to endure just to finish a marathon and not race it.  I'm okay with a 3:55 finish, but don't really feel like celebrating it.

What I do feel like celebrating is my son's completion of the same race.  Two years ago it was heroin, meth and alcohol and now he is running a Marathon, finishing in under 3:50 and getting a 6 minute negative split.  Well done!

Happy Running!
Rixk

Closer Than I Thought

Ran my first time trial and my first 5k in quite some time on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised.  The goal was to run a couple of races before my goal race and run sub 22, sub 21 and sub 20.  Well, I started out with a 20:26 on a hilly course, so the fitness is a little better than I thought.  Mile 1 was the hilliest and was 6:48, mile 2 was flat, gravel trail and was 6:30, and the last mile was a solid 6:35, even with some hills.  Very happy with the result and confident I can regain my sub-20 form.

The rest of the week was just so-so.  Finished with around 50 miles and my Sunday 2-hour run was .15 miles less than last week's.  Probably the effects of Saturday's race.  I am happy to report that I ran Old Excelsior Road and Sparrow Road hills again on Sunday.  Doing this route consistently should help increase my endurance quickly.  I will admit I was pretty gassed at the end of this run and my heart rate was over 160 for the last 30 minutes.  So yea, I am going to need all of the next 23 months to get that back in time for Twin Cities 2020.

All in all very encouraging.  This is week 5 and I am still strong mentally and look forward to most of my runs.  The trick is to keep that fire burning when the plan calls for 60, 70, and 80 miles per week!  It's going to require early mornings and a dedication that has been missing for a couple of years.  But like I said last week, the idea is to keep it fun, challenging and new.  The racing every month was a great idea and is going to be key in getting me over the next hump.

Reality of Age

So, this was my 4th week of training and I experienced a bit of a setback.  Somewhere around mid-week I became quite fatigued and had to take an extra day off.  It started on Wednesday night when I signed up for a 5.5k trail run with my daughter.  It was her first run back from injury and asked if I would join her.  I wasn't planning on running hard, which was good because I could barely hold an 8:30 pace.  Thursday night was beautiful, so I ran a decent 10 miles on the river road.  When I will up Friday morning I had no mental or physical energy to do much of anything.  Saturday's two hour run was just okay, but did include Old Excelsior and Sparrow Road hills. Sunday was shorter than planned.  

So, what is going on?  Of all my comeback attempts since 2016, things usually turn south after consecutive weeks of 50 miles or more.  Leaves me stuck in a bad place, since I can only race well with high mileage, but things start to fall apart at 50 miles?  I then get discouraged and the viscous cycle continues.

What to do?  Keep on truckin' is the best advice I can give myself.  Sure I only managed 44 miles this week, but I did manage a 22 minute 5k on the track as part of my Tuesday 9-miler.  Thursday's 10 miles was fun and Saturday was just shy of 14 miles and included those awesome hills.  Let's take it easy this coming week and nail a 21:as 5k in Wayzata on Saturday.  Let's stay positive and enjoy the journey.  Keep in mind the ultimate goal of one more sub 3-hour marathon in 2020 before I turn 60.  Keep this fun!

Continued Progress

Another 50 plus mile week and some more faster runs, as I think this running 7 to 9 miles per day with only one day off if paying dividends. While we have a long way to go in the speed department, I certainly feel encouraged by this week's pace. Practically all my runs turned into progression runs and its nice to feel like an 8 minute pace is easy. My track workout on Saturday was 8 x 600m at 5k pace and I kept them between 6:30 and 6:20 pace. Even thoughed I bombed on the last one, I felt encouraged by the leg turnover and increased fluidity. Ended the week with 12.5 in snow flurries!

Probably back off a little this week, as the following week I have my first fitness test. The Chaska Turkey Trot. Also running a trail race on Wednesday with Malena.

Small Breakthroughs

Things felt better this week.  Ran everyday but Monday and instead of feeling worn down, my runs got a little easier and faster.  Friday and Saturday ran back to back 9 and 10 miles.  Both averaged under 8:30 even with a "Huey" mile at the start.  I would get down to the 8:10 range and it felt incredibly easy.  I think the 200 meter track repeats helped on Tuesday plus I may be reaping the benefits of the 26.2 mile "long run" in Ely a couple of weeks ago.  So, how to I keep this momentum going?  The track workouts are key, as is running every day.  If I've learned anything about my body, its that it responds to consistency and volume, spiced up with the occasional track workout or race.  Lastly, I may tack an extra mile or two at the end of my prescribed 11 mile long runs.  I want my body to be able to do 15 to 18 without too much trouble.  Plus the mileage will help me get to sub 20 that much quicker.  My only concern at this point would be the speed in which I completed my 200 meter repeats.  Barely dipped below 45 seconds!  God am I slow!  It's quite possible that even with increased endurance, I won't have the speed to run a single mile at 6:20, let alone 3!  Another trouble spot are hills, especially early in a run.  I slow way down and feel like I weigh 250 pounds!  Oh well, I am excited about the improvement and look forward to what next week brings!  The weather has been perfect and it makes running so darn fun.