Not Much...

...interesting or new to report today, except that my left leg pain is now completely gone. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine followed by a 10-minute treadmill walk this morning, and I am definitely back to feeling 100%. Not that I was ever TOO worried, but I am relieved nonetheless. Tomorrow will be another day off from running before I start it up again on Monday. There's a small part of me that wants to take advantage of what is expected to be a really nice day tomorrow (with highs in the upper 50s) and run outside again, but that's exactly the kind of thinking that got me in trouble earlier this week. I have to remember to focus on the long game...

Strong Week

After going too hard yesterday, today’s plan was to run an easy five miles on the treadmill at 7:30 pace, and I stuck to it. My left leg still felt pretty tight when I first started, but it loosened up pretty quickly and feels much better now. I am taking the weekend off from running as usual, so I should be back to 100% by Monday (hopefully). This soreness was also a pretty good reality check for me—it’s like, oh yeah, running a lot of miles is hard on your legs. Once I start marathon training I will definitely be spacing out the long runs, so hopefully it won’t be too much of an issue. 26 miles over four runs, all faster than my marathon goal pace—I’ll buy that for a dollar.

The only other noteworthy thing is I gave away my Garmin Forerunner 205 to a random person from Letsrun.com today. I just got sick of it always taking so long to pick up satellite signals, and I ordered a Garmin Forerunner 35 to replace it. It’s another fairly bare bones watch, but I guess with the newer technology it picks up satellite signals much faster. Supposedly it’s also pretty good at keeping track of treadmill runs as it has a built in accelerometer (and thus, I returned the footpod I bought a few weeks ago, which costed nearly as much as my new watch). I should get the new watch sometime next week—will let you know what I think about it when I do.

Getting Ahead Of Myself

Today was another unseasonably warm day in Chicago, with highs in the upper 50s. Given the fact I am already over treadmill running (with several more months of it ahead most likely), there was no doubt in my mind I was going to run outside. But since it was such a nice day and I took yesterday off, I somehow decided to run another eight miles. The run was great with the exceptions of my MP3 player dying less than halfway through and my GPS watch giving me headaches. The other issue is I had to wait at way too many stoplights—I may have to thinking about running along the lakefront going forward.

I wasn’t able to time the entire run given my aforementioned watch issues, but the portion I did was kind of stupid fast—if my calculations are correct I ran the first 4.2 miles in 6:51 pace, which based on how I felt seems about right. After the run I was feeling great—until this afternoon. The back of my left leg felt pretty tight, and I realized I outdid myself—two eight mile runs in three days, one on hard pavement. Not smart. Lesson learned. I am hoping my leg feels a lot better by tomorrow morning. I am definitely going to take it easy—I’m thinking five miles at 7:30 pace, which based on how I have been running lately is going to feel like a walk in the park.

Going Long(er)

As we have firmly established by now, I am now fast (for me)—probably the fastest I have been in quite some time. But being able to run five miles in less than 35 minutes is not going to count for a hill of beans 23+ miles into a marathon—I need endurance as well (and probably more than speed to be honest). So this morning I started the "add distance" portion of my pre-marathon training program training with an hour run at 7:24 pace. Aside from sweating like a whore in church in the sauna my office building likes to call a gym, the run felt super relaxed and easy—like if I had to run another 30-45 minutes at that pace it would not have been a big deal. I guess that's the benefit of continuing to crank up the speed like I have been—running 30 seconds per mile slower feels like a walk in the park. I think I am going to incorporate a midweek 8-10 miler into this training phase for the next several months. When I start marathon training I want the buildup to the 20 milers (and I am strongly considering maxing out at 22 depending on health) to feel really easy.

Epiphany

So during last Friday's 5-miler at 6:58 pace I had a bit of an epiphany—it just didn't feel all that hard. Don't get me wrong—I was definitely sweating and my heart rate was elevated, but I wasn't completely wiped out afterwards, nor did I ever feel any doubt I was going to get through it. So this morning following two days off from running I decided to take the logical next step: I cranked the treadmill speed up to 6:53 pace for five miles. And the crazy thing is, it didn't feel any different from last week's two 6:58 pace file mile runs, which is a very, very good sign. There are no if, ands, or buts about it—I am getting kind of fast. I really don't want to jinx myself or readjust my expectations too much with ten month to go until my marathon, but at some point it may make sense for me to reevaluate my 3:19 marathon goal—it simply may be too slow. The plan for tomorrow is to run for an hour at 7:30 pace, which should be a good test of how my legs hold up to a longer (not long, but longer) run.

Just Another Day At The Office (Or Better Yet, A Picture Says A Thousand Words

Faster And Lighter

This week I ran five days in a row for a total of 25 miles. This morning I decided to just do four miles, but cranked up the treadmill to 6:58 pace for 30 minutes. And let me tell you, it felt hard. It was my fastest treadmill run in I do not even know how long, and I also think psychologically there is something about knowing you are running at sub-7:00 pace. But I survived, which is the most important thing. I also weighed myself this morning and I am just over 176 pounds, which is pretty close to an ideal racing weight. Obviously there is a ton of time remaining before the marathon, but it feels pretty good to know I am below 180 well before the calorie-killing long runs begin.

One quick note on getting into the marathon. On the one hand it was anticlimactic, as I planned to just take a charity spot if I did not make it in through the lottery. On the other hand, it is nice to know I will not have to worry about fundraising (not that it is particularly difficult in my experience, but there is a time commitment involved). I am already really looking forward to Spring when I can run outside again and do some races to assess my fitness...

Sh-t Is On

Listening To My Body

Yesterday morning as I prepared to knock out my final training run of the week I was feeling a bit worn down. Thus, I decided to dial the pace back on my five-miler to 7:19 from the 7:03 I have been hitting the past two weeks. I have always heard about listening to your body, and that definitely felt like the right thing to do--particularly given the fact I am still nearly a year away from my big race. So my run totals for last week were four runs, 21 miles. The only other somewhat exciting thing is I synced my Garmin Forerunner 210 with my PC and updated the software, which is supposed to help with connecting to satellites (which has been a big issue lately). In conjunction, I joined Garmin Connect and will start logging workouts to the app/website. We'll see how that goes--I am not a big fan of manually logging workouts, which I will largely be relegated to given the fact I won't be running outside much for quite some time.

O.K., one addendum--I decided to buy a Garmin foot pod, which will theoretically allow me to track my treadmill runs (as well as outdoor ones when my watch fails to pick up a signal). Supposedly it's pretty accurate, but we'll see...

Strong End Of One Week, Start Of Another

On Friday morning I was in California for work and ran ~5.4 miles outside. It was colder than I was expecting (largely due to the fact I started before sunrise), and the route consisted of an out-and-back on the long avenue my hotel was on. The interesting part of the run was the entire way out was pretty much straight uphill--the elevation increased 282 feet over the ~2.7 miles.

 

Given the fact I live in the Midwest and am currently doing most of my runs on the treadmill, needless to say it was a challenge. Not terrible, just challenging. Once I turned around and headed back I was FLYING the entire way--it literally felt effortless. So my running totals for last week consisted of four runs totaling just under 21.5 miles.

This afternoon I was originally planning to run five miles at 7:03 pace, but my legs and breathing felt so good I decided to stretch the workout to six miles. By the final mile I was definitely feeling it aerobically, but I think that was to be expected given the fact this was the longest, fastest treadmill run I have done in a long time (maybe forever)...

A Leisurely Stroll

This morning I hit the treadmill for six miles at 7:30 pace. After back-to-back runs at 7:03 pace it honestly felt like I was barely jogging. In addition, my running  top and shorts were not nearly as soaked in sweat afterwards as usual. It makes intuitive sense of course--if most of my other runs are nearly 30 seconds a mile faster, 7:30 SHOULD feel like a walk in the park. I am really looking forward to running outside on Friday in the Los Angeles area; while I certainly do not mind the treadmill runs (and much more so than most runners), having the fresh air and outside scenery every once in a while is nice as well.

Kicking It Up (Another) Notch

After my typical weekend off from running I ran five miles in each of the past two days at 7:03 pace. To say that pace feels comfortable would not be accurate, although once I get into a rhythm (typically a few minutes into the run) it definitely feels manageable. This is also not much slower than I have ever done my treadmill runs, and those ones were definitely shorter (i.e. four miles). I think I am going to keep my five mile runs at this pace for at least a couple of weeks, although I am interested to see how I handle four miles at a sub-7:00 pace. I am heading to California for work tomorrow, so I am hoping to get it an outdoor run on the trip (probably in the Los Angeles area on Friday). With the temperatures in the teens here and given how much of a wimp I am I do not foresee running outside in the Chicago area anytime soon.

Fast And Slow

I knocked out another good week of pre-marathon training training this week. It was fairly uneventful for the most part, with three exceptions:

1. On Thursday I did not have as much time to train as usual before work, so I ran four miles instead of my usual 5-6. As a result I cranked the speed up to 7:03, which definitely felt faster, but not terrible. I am getting pretty darn close to the fastest treadmill training pace I usually get down to, which is very encouraging.
2. Yesterday I ran six miles and dialed the pace all the way back to 7:30, which honestly felt like I was walking. As a reminder, to break 3:20 in the marathon I will need to average 7:38 pace, so being able to comfortably run six miles at 7:30 pace in early November is a positive sign.
3. This morning I rode the exercise bike for an hour at a tougher than usual resistance level and rode just under 17.5 miles. Not sure that is terribly significant, but it felt like a solid way to end my training week.

So once again I knocked out four runs this week for a total of 20 miles. Definitely feels a bit monotonous, but given the fact I am still nearly a year out all that matters now is continuing to build a decent base and get faster. Next step, find some Spring races to do to test my fitness...

Another Pre-Training Week In The Books

This morning I knocked out another five mile run before work at 7:13 pace. Once again it felt much easier than Monday's initial run at this pace, which is a very good sign. Aside from that it was fairly uneventful--kind of boring, actually. I guess that is to be expected on the treadmill, but I continue to believe in treadmill running--if nothing else I think it helps from a mental discipline perspective. For the week I ran 21 miles, which I think is perfect given the fact my marathon is nearly a year away--I just need to focus on having a decent base and feeling super comfortable running fast by the time my 16-week marathon training course kicks in next year.

The only other remotely noteworthy thing to mention is I read online that deleting your running history from your Garmin Forerunner 210 helps when you are having problems picking up satellite signals, which has been a major issue for me lately. So I went ahead and deleted every run I had stored on there, including my 2013 Marathon Corp Marathon (which was a hilly disaster). It kind of felt like a stroll through memory lane going through those runs. Most were in the 4-5 mile range and a lot of them were fast, including last year when I ran sub-7:00 pace for four miles. Hopefully I can start actually picking up satellite signals again. Not super important right now given the fact I will be doing the vast majority of my runs on the treadmill for the next several months, but I really would rather not have to buy a new watch once it is time to start doing serious outdoor training next year.

P.S. Yesterday's "leave you running clothes in the locker to dry while you are at work" experiment failed miserably--when I went to pick them up right before 5:00 P.M. they were still pretty wet nearly ten hours later. Oh well.

Let It Snow, Let In Snow, Let It Snow

Today is Halloween and in typical Chicago fashion it's snowing. Needless to say my outdoor running is probably over for quite some time. This morning I knocked out five miles on the treadmill at 7:13 pace, which encouragingly felt markedly easier than it did on Monday. I had to stop and use the bathroom a little over two miles in, but aside from that the run was not particularly noteworthy. I am trying something a little different today—I left my sweaty running top and shorts hung up in a locker at my small office building gym, so hopefully by the time I head home tonight they will be nice and dry (and thus, ready to be just thrown into my laundry bag). The only twist is I actually have to remember to stop by the gym and pick them up every day on my way home—we'll have to see how that goes...

New York, New York

This morning I woke up in a hotel on 31st Street in New York City. After brushing my teeth and throwing my running clothes on I jumped in a cab and headed to Central Park. After spending several minutes getting my bearings and waiting for my Garmin watch to get a satellite signal (which it never did), I started my six-mile run around the park. I honestly do not remember the last time running felt that easy—the uphills, the downhills, the flat portions—at the end of the run I felt like I could easily done another loop. I did not time my run, but it felt really fast—I am guessing the pace was 7:15ish. I even ended up walking all the way back to the hotel (a good mile and a half, maybe more) as a warm down. I have now decided whenever I come to New York I am definitely running in Central Park weather permitting—I just can’t easily replicate this experience in the Chicago area.

Kicking It Up A Notch

I kicked off another week of marathon “pre-training” by running five miles this morning on the treadmill at 7:13 pace. This was my first run at that pace and it definitely felt a bit uncomfortable—manageable, but uncomfortable. I feel like this is the pace where the real work of getting fast begins, so I am glad I got through it. I spent the first 20 minutes or so listening to a podcast before switching to the Spotify master playlist I created, which is now up to 88 songs (feel free to leave good running song suggestions). This afternoon I flew to New York City for work, and conditions permitting I am going to run around Central Park tomorrow morning, which I did the last time I was here just over a month ago. I am hoping to time my run using my Garmin 205, but am having the hardest time getting this watch to locate a satellite signal. Hopefully I can do so before I hit the park tomorrow, but if not no worries—will probably be better for my mental health not to time myself and compare it to last month’s run.

It's Me Again...

So I cannot believe it has been almost two years since I posted anything to this pathetic excuse for a blog. My last post was in early 2018 as I prepared for the last race I did, a sprint triathlon in June 2018. Long story short, the race was kind of a disaster, and somehow I still snagged third in my age group. Not sure if it says more about me or my age group--and also continues a long trend of placing in my age group regardless of what type of race I have.

Anyway, I have entered the lottery for the 2020 Chicago Marathon. Oh, and my Boston Marathon qualifying time is 3:20, so once again I am going for it. I started running a few months ago, and I literally do not remember running feeling this easy and actually kind of enjoyable. I have been averaging four days a week, 5-6 miles a day, and I have my pace down to 7:19/mile.  I have this marathon training plan in my head where I am going to run five days a week and add a second 10-mile midweek long run, which should result in higher weekly average and peak mileage than I have done in my entire life. I am also planning to do more core work to try and stay healthy, and will hit physical therapy as soon as I start to feel the slightest bit injured.

Anyway, that is it for now. I make no promises to update this blog on a regular basis--will just have to see how it goes.