Monday, November 26, 2012

Marathon Training Summary

Here are the details of my marathon training this season for Rocket City.  As with anything, life alters the best laid plans but I did my best to stick to my training plans despite work travel and injuries.  I believe that I am as ready as I have been for any other marathon that I've raced.

Summary Details




Weeks14-16 mile 17-19 mile20+ mileQuality 18+ milevo2maxLT TempoRacesMilesMiles/Day


167335161313939.89.14

Long Runs / Marathon Runs

13 Miles: 8 mile warm up down to 7:19 pace ave (after first mile was sub 8) and then did 3 mile tempo at 6:15, 6:09, 6:05. It was hard, but not impossible. Marathon pace.

14.25 Miles: 7:00 min pace first 5 miles, then 2 miles 6:23 pace. Then short walk, then 7:20 for 5 miles and 6:28 last two miles, Soupy with humidity.

16.35 Miles: 11 miles easy at 6am with the marathon group. Then changed shoes and did 4 miles MGP 6:22, 6:20, 6:16, 6:08. Felt pretty good but the weather was awesome.

18.0 Miles: 1 mile at 8:20 pace, then 10 miles 7:30 pace, then 5 miles 6:49, 6:47, 6:51, 6:38, 6:21 then 2 mile walk/jog cooldown. Wanted to do last 5 at 10% off marathon pace (needed to ave 6:45 and did!) with Blake. Stomach issues at 5 miles.

19.0 Miles: 4 mile warm up at 8:10 pace + 8 miles cruising easy at 7:29 pace + 6 miles at 6:40 pace then cool down with Blake Thompson and Timothy Pitt.

19.0 Miles: Ran second half of Mountain Mist plus a few more miles at home with the Beagles.

20.0 Miles: First 7 miles 59:58 (8:39 pace), second 7 miles 1:51:24 (7:21 pace), final 6 miles 56:16 (9:13 pace) for a total of 2:46:40 (The first 7 miles were pretty hilly and warm. Felt good coming back on the greenway and then met Rachel for the final push and was bonking pretty hard late).

21.5 Miles: Easy 8:58 pace for first 12 miles, then sub 7:30 for 13-15 and then sub 7 for 16-19 and a 6:13 mile 20.

22.0 Miles: Long run after work. Did 2 - 11 mile loops in research park with crazy winds. Had major stomach issues and had to go 2x first loop and once in the second loop. Took 3:45 overall but 2:59 of run time. 8:12 pace through 11 and then last 4 miles at 7:44 which brought second half average down to 8:05 so 8:08 overall average

16.5 Miles: 16 miles at 6:47 ave pace with 14 of those miles at 6:36 ave pace after warm up. Only moderate right foot discomfort. Split the work out into two 8 mile halves with a recovery mile in the middle 7:58, 6:57, 6:24, 6:17, 6:23, 6:17, 6:16, 6:13, 7:58, 7:19, 7:20, 6:57, 6:45, 6:32, 6:34, 6:17.

16.25 Miles: So cold this morning so started from Ditto Landing and ran marathon course north into a cold northwest wind for 9 miles, then turned east toward Bailey Cove for 2 more. First mile 8:00, then mostly 7:20's or 1:13:57 for 10 miles then last six miles 6:17, 6:11, 6:16, 6:08, 6:11, 6:06.

VO2Max Runs

2.5 miles in 13:18 for ave pace 5:19
10x400m at just over 80s and then just under 80s on the second 5.

3 miles in 15.59 for ave pace 5:19
Warm, solo track run. 3x3x400m 5:31, 5:18, 5:10. This was a tough one. But getting stronger

2.5 miles in 13:15 for ave pace 5:18
5x800m b/c was feeling good. 244, 244, 240, 238, 229.

3.107 miles in 16:51 for ave pace 5:25
7 min pace warm up with the boys then tough trak workout.. Was hitting like 1:22's and struggling. The heat was getting to me. Plus stomach was out of control.

3.5 miles in 18:39 for ave pace 5:19
Harder warm up and then 7x800m trailing AH and GH on their 2k's. Right foot is hurting so bad that I had to cut the cool down. Going to the dr tomorrow morning.

2.5 miles in 13:32 for ave pace 5:24
It was a bit warm at lunch 72 degrees and maybe after a harder run last night, my legs just did not have it. Ran around 5:30 pace down to 5:20 pace but only managed 5x800 when plan was 8.

3.75 miles in 20:34 for ave pace 5:29
Fast warm up and then 5x1200m at 82s per lap. It wasn't 80s but I did just run a half. My right foot was feeling much much better. Happy with the workout.

3.107 miles in 16:11 for ave pace 5:12
2 mile warm up and then 12x400m.  Felt really good in the cooler temps.

3.5 miles in 18:40 for ave pace 5:20
14x400m at 3k pace with splits fairly even between 79-81 but on the faster end late. Very cold after dark with steady headwind on the back stretch. 200m jog recovery between each. Just 3 days off of the half marathon, legs weren't overly tired but I had some general fatigue. 2.75 mile warm up, 2.5 mile cool down plus rest between repeats. Stomach issues on the cool down.

3.107 miles in 16:22 for ave pace 5:16
2.75 mile warm up and mirror cool down plus 200m recovery after each repeat, After warm up, 2x200m (:38, :40), 2x400m (1:21, 1:19), 1x800m (1:19, 1:20), 1x1000m (1:21, 1:19, :39), 1x800m (1:20, 1:19), 2x400m (1:16, 1:15), 2x200m (:36, :33) with 200m recovery between each.

Lactate Threshold Workouts

Hills
12 x 150 meters hard hills 12% grade + 1min recovery down ~ 8 miles total 90 degrees.

Hills
3.6mi warm up and then 8x400m hill repeats. Had a lot of acid build up late, but kept pushing through.

Tempo
3 mile warm up then 12.5 laps (5km) at 89s quarters. It was hard but I managed. First tempo run in a long time. Need more of these.

Cruise Intervals
Was suppsed to do 2x2mile but it was so blazing hot/humid that did 1x2mi and then 2x1mi. Things will turn around when this heat breaks.

Cruise Intervals
Autumn Chase 2012; was nervous about foot but had it taped and was rested; fast miles were not that hard, still tired at the end.

Cruise Intervals
2 mile warm up and then 2x2.5 mile at near tempo pace. Quads were still so sore and legs heavy. Struggled in the heat to hold onto 91-92s quarters. BUT, got it done.

Tempo
2 mile warm up then 6:03, 6:01, 5:55, 5:53. It was very humid after the rain; sweated a bunch.

Tempo
2.5 mile warm up and then 3 miles steady at 6:20, 6:21, 6:09 plus cool down.

Long Tempo
First Panorama 10 mile of fall 1st half 32:28 (6:29 pace) 2nd half 31:35 (6:19 pace) or 7:14 warm up then 6:18 pace for last 9 miles 1:04:03.

Tempo
Ran easy from the store back to mile 5 and then ran hard from miles 6-9. It wasn't easy but held sub 6.

Cruise Intervals
2x2mile at half marathon pace 11:38, 11:27 at HHS with @TheHeesh and Blake. Felt pretty good locked in at 5:45 pace per lap.

Cruise Intervals
Ran 3 mile warm up (8:17, 7:43, 7:28) on Indian Creek Greenway and up into Research Park. Then did cutdowns in distance and pace with equal time recovery 1600m (5:51), 1200m (4:20 or 5:47 pace), 800m (2:49 or 5:38 pace), 400m (1:20 or 5:20 pace), 200m (0:36 or 4:48 pace) then finished up at marathon pace (sub 6:30's) to the finish.

Tempo
5 mile warm up 7:40 pace (8:10 first mile) then 3 mile tempo in 17:00 minutes (5:44, 5:44, 5:32) then cool down.

Races

Monte Sano 10k/5k - 37:17 / 18:15
It was super humid out. Wanted to just run under 6's. Started 5:45 and then 5:56 and then stayed ahead of Greg to keep 3rd place. Felt much better on the 5km with an easy first mile. 5:47 ish, 5:55 ish (with turn around and gravel road) and then 5:46 last mile.

Southern Tennessee half marathon - 1:20:36
Rained util race time so routine was off. Was unsure of what could run; no competition and held sub 6's early and then it got windy and hilly and running alone. Was upset a couple of times when didn’t know the course and the marshals were no help. Ran with the police escort the whol eway.

Monte Sano 15km - 56:29
Went out around 5:50 pace and held onto lead with Twig through 5k then fell back. Brad passed me at mile 4.5 and then I held onto 3rd. No one behind me for 4 minutes. It was humid and my shirt was soaked; tried to break 56 but the panorama loop was hard on me and I just coudnt hold it.

3rd annual PHR3 - 38:59
Ran the 10k and felt good early (like 18 low through 3 and then was dead legs on the hill climb. ). Ran 37:55 last year in training but held onto sub 39 today.

Liz Hurley 5km - 17:16
Mile splits 5:21, 11:05 then 17:17 finish. Went out a little too aggreressive in the climb chasing Kevin Betts (Josh was long gone) but then took him on the square and held him off for 2nd. Still pain in my right foot which has slowed me down. Frustrating to be training hard and still only hit 17:16 when April I was low 17s on no training. Later paced Kathy to 19:04 and did 5 loops in all.

Spooktacular 5km - 17:21
So windy… miles were pretty even 533, 538, 532 but got kicked into the wind at the end by Kevin Betts. Foot is still bothering me.

Spooktaculr 1 mile - 5:18
No one else ran… 5:18.

Liz Waggett 5km and Hawk 5km
17:23 and then 17:41 for back to back 5k's (8am and then 10am) Courses were not certified so it was 3.05 and then 3.22. Felt pretty good on race 2 even though it was hillier and much warmer.

Huntsville Half Marathon - 1:19:17
Goal was sub 1:19 to bypass the lottery for NYC 2013. Fitness has been good, but with foot pain, times have been slow. Today was a struggle to hold pace, but I never gave up, to which I'm proud.
Ran with Rob, Tim and Erik for the first 4 miles but the pace was a little slow so while I would have preferred to run together, I had to stick on pace just seconds ahead. Tim and Rob pulled even and we ran together for the next 3 miles. Tim pulled ahead, but I stayed on his shoulder and after the cone turn around, I didn't let him get too far away. Knew that it was going to be close to 1:19, and with a 6:23 mile 12 climbing uphill, I all but lost it. But I didn't give up. Ran 5:48 final mile to pull even with Tim and together we kicked hard to the finish. I was just ahead at the finish line but he was able to stay on my shoulder so he pulled me early and I pulled him late; great to work together with friends and teammates. Splits were 5:59 (5:59) 5:57 (11:56) 5:58 (17:54) 6:01 (23:56) 5:54 (29:50) 5:59 (35:50) 6:01 (41:51) 6:07 (47:58) 6:07 (54:05) 6:09 (60:15) 6:11 (66:26) 6:23 (1:12:49) 5:48 (1:18:38) 0:37 (1:19:15).  Measured 13.20 miles despite running the tangents. 35 turns, cone turn around on the greenway, two way traffic for 3 miles and an uphill finish into a parking lot. Worse course ever.  Finished 6th OA gun (ahead of Tim) but 7th OA chip time (behind Tim) and first in M35-39. 75 seconds better than I was in early October in Winchester but 3 minutes off of my late 2011 half time. Hoping this foot thing passes so the hard work and training I've logged (most disciplined to a schedule I've ever done) pays off.

Music City Half Marathon - 1:19:53
I knew going in that the course would be challenging, as it was pretty hilly throughout the race. Then with a break down to the aid station Coke truck, they delayed the start by 30 minutes which really threw off the pre race warm ups. Started out with a tail wind for the first 5k and really took advantage of it (17 minutes flat) and then the climbing started... hilly until mile 4 and then the headwinds picked up coming back into the city. Had the lead female with me drafting from the start, and she stayed there as I took the wind at 6:10 pace back underneath I-65. I heard she just ran 2:46 at Chicago, so I knew she was the real deal. I decided to start throwing in surges as we turned to the south and began to climb again; surge, ease up, surge, ease up. Each time she covered, but each time, less and less. Finally dropped her by mile 7 as the course turned back into the wind heading east. At that point I knew that today would be about the win, not the time. Long steady climb to 10, then an overpass up to 11, and two underpasses with dips (and ensuing climbs out). The mile markers were a mess; (11 was located at 11.25 and then 12 was at 11.78). The course was certified but they did an awful job of putting the markers out. Making the final turn I took one glance around and saw that I was in the clear for the win. I fought through the 5k traffic (hate mixed finishes as you are running around slower runners) to the finish and the win.

Turkey Trot 5km - 17:12
Decided to go out hard and try to get as close to 17 as possible, even if it meant blowing up late. First mile was 5:13 (misplaced mile mark, I think it was closer to 5:20) pushing up the hill and fighting through the traffic to settle into pace. Still feeling good on the second mile, though I despise the cone turn around (it stole some of my momentum). Hit the two mile mark in 10:50 with 2nd mile split around 5:30. At that point I knew that I had a 6 second cushion to be under 17 but the dip under the overpass and the hill climb were ahead. I stayed strong, but faded to a 5:46 final mile before kicking to 35s in the final tenth. (5:20, 5:30, 5:47, 0:35). Despite the fade, it felt good to let it roll on the first two miles and take a chance.

Friday, November 16, 2012

2012 Huntsville Half Marathon

My goal was to run sub 1:19:00 in order to bypass the lottery for the NYC Marathon in 2013. My fitness has been good, but with foot pain, race times have been slow.

I started out running with Rob (Youngren), Tim (Vinson) and Erik (Debolt) for the first 4 miles but the pace was a little slow, so while I would have preferred to run together, I had to stick on pace just seconds ahead. Tim and Rob pulled even and we ran together for the next 3 miles. Tim pulled ahead, but I stayed on his shoulder and after the cone turn around, I didn't let him get too far away. I knew that it was going to be close to 1:19, and with a 6:23 split in mile 12 climbing uphill, I all but lost it. But I didn't give up, to which I am very proud. I ran a 5:48 final mile to pull even with Tim and together we kicked hard to the finish. I was just ahead at the finish line but he was able to stay on my shoulder so he pulled me early and I pulled him late; great to work together with friends and teammates.



Course
I easured 13.20 miles despite running the tangents. There are 35 turns, a cone turn around on the greenway, two way traffic for 3 miles and an uphill finish into a parking lot. Worse course ever.

Results
Finished 6th OA gun (ahead of Tim) but 7th OA chip time (behind Tim) and first in M35-39. 75 seconds better than I was in early October in Winchester but 3 minutes off of my late 2011 half time. Hoping this foot thing passes so the hard work and training I've logged (most disciplined to a schedule I've ever done) pays off.

My splits
5:59 (5:59) 5:57 (11:56) 5:58 (17:54) 6:01 (23:56) 5:54 (29:50) 5:59 (35:50) 6:01 (41:51) 6:07 (47:58) 6:07 (54:05) 6:09 (60:15) 6:11 (66:26) 6:23 (1:12:49) 5:48 (1:18:38) 0:37 (1:19:15)