Week 1 - Day 3

Easy run day. I was supposed to do 8 miles at 7:15 per mile but my legs turned over too quickly. Ended up doing a 6:56 min/mile average and felt great. No pain or discomfort and a really good evening to run. Now back to the library.

Week 1- Day 2

First tempo run of training program. It was supposed to be 6 miles at 6:00 per mile. Since I knew I couldn't maintain that pace anywhere in Chapel Hill for six miles straight because of the inevitable elevation gain I decided to do 6, 1-mile laps on the greenway behind my apartment. It is as flat as I can find around here.
I knew the even numbered splits were going to be slower because they were uphill but I tried to make up for it on the way out. But hey don't take my word for it, let's look at the splits. First mile, heck yes 5:57. Second, okay well it was uphill 6:22. Third making up my time again 6:08. Fourth, ehh feeling really bad, 6:41. I took a break after mile four. Recovered a bit and then did a must better fifth mile at 6:12. And finally back up hill to finish at 6:41. 6:00 min miles are certainly past my threshold right now. It did feel good to go under 32 min for 5 miles (that has always been a marker of a good run to get under that time, arbitrary but important).

Week 1- Day 1

Total rest day today. Good thing too. After a long Sunday night I didn't feel much like going out and training today. Weather was pretty bad today and tomorrow isn't looking much better. But at least I'll be able to get plenty of sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow refreshed.
Also, it's the last week of school. Tension is palpable. This is the time last year that I started going to the gym consistently. I think I'll start back with that too. Can't hurt.
Tomorrow is my first tempo run of the program. It's going to be fast. 6 miles at 6:00 per mile.
I don't know if I'll be able to do it but I'll sure try.

I'll report on it tomorrow.

WOD 11.17.11

6 x 800 repeats in 2:42 per 800 meters. Recover between each repeat with 400 meters at an easy pace.

First track workout in a very, very long time. It felt good to be back on the track. It was cold and wet but once I started to warm up a bit it became a really optimal afternoon for a run. I was wearing my track shoes, it is always fun to put on those spikes. It makes me immediately feel like I can run 30 or 40 seconds faster. We will see how my calf's feel tomorrow though.

Total mileage: 5 miles

Apropos Of The Previous Post.

This however is a freaking awesome idea. I would really like to run next to Ryan Hall for 60 meters. Humbling? Yes. Humiliating? Yeah probably. Fun? Absolutely. This is what real running looks like.

Stupid...

Kilian's Quest Slow motion 1000 frames / second from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Now normally I would be all for artsy slow motion videos of someone running but I've watched this thing a few times and I can't get over how stupid it looks. No one runs like this, no one runs in this type of terrain. This is art of art's sake and it simply does not capture what running should be about. Plus the guy jumps and flails his arms like he is a child.

< 2:50 @ Boston

I've thought about changing my style of training and racing for months. "Quality not quantity" I tell myself. "Quality not quantity." Apparently I never listen to me.
Since 2007 I've run over 50 marathons, numerous ultra's and done my fair share of triathlons too. I've seen my 50k time drop substantially (5:37 to 3:48 PR) but my marathon time has never quickened (3:02:51 to 2:59:06 PR). That time really is unacceptable considering how many miles I've put in.
I've known it for a while but I haven't wanted to acknowledge it; I am not training, I am just running. I've never really trained. When I lived in Raleigh I would run with the Raleigh Running Outfitters' guys for Tuesday night track workouts but then I would skip the long run or I would be there for the long run but wouldn't step on rubber for weeks. I've done a marathon or ultra at least once a month for almost 4 years. Distance I can do. Distance I am used to. I know how to run, how to get my head in the game but when I line up at the start I'm never happy with what I've done to "prepare" for the race. That's because I haven't really done anything.
My motivation is off. My nutrition is off. My endurance is good and that is unfair. A lot of really talented, motivated people train for one race at a time, train for it really hard and still don't get near the finishing times I do.
So what am I going to do about it? Set a goal for myself. A difficult goal, one that I will really have to work hard to achieve. One that I am not sure I can attain. I would like to decrease my marathon time by 10 minutes. I want to cross the finish line in 2:49:59. How am I going to do this? Well, the Boston Marathon is on April 16th 2012 and I am registered for it again this year. Mid-April is 22 weeks away. There is a lot of time between now and then. Almost half a year. I have a training plan that will hopefully put me on Boylston Street around 2:47. 6:28 min/mile for 26 miles.
But what does this all mean? It means that I need to be accountable to myself. It means I will keep this blog updated. It means that I won't race a marathon or ultra for almost half a year... Can I do that? I really like tacking new race numbers on my cork board.
But it also means I don't have to travel as much. It means I can spend more time in Chapel Hill. It means the expense of racing and traveling will vanish.
The program I have is a 20-week training guide. I have 2 weeks before I have to follow it. Between now and then I will train up. Re-work this blog (make it look a bit better, I'll admit it is boring). And get my head around what my goal really means.

Here we go.