Boston Training Week 4

   This was an interesting week.  I started off with a fast run, with morgan and the dogs.  Ran 4.5 with him then almost another 3 afterwards.  I picked up the pace and barely caught this one guy who was probably moving about 6:20 pace on the hike and bike trail.  He was in site and i caught him running about 6:05 pace on the very last mile.  It's quite rare to find someone i don't know running that fast in Mill Creek Park.  

   I also decided to join Jen for some spinning the one night and my foot kept hurting in the foot holder, so I took it out of the strap and turned the pedal upside down.  Unfortunately,  that was also uncomfortable as the other side was made to fit in spinning shoes and was raised up, so I had a medal lump on the bottom of my foot as i spun.  At least the pain went away but it aggrivated something too.  It was only hurting my right foot but took them both out anyways.  

    Sunday's run... was a sad run.  I got to road runners early and ran 2.5 miles only to find my shin hurting when I ran.  When I got back to the cabin, I ran my fingers up and down my left shin and it hurt along the whole shin, a good sign of shin splints.  So, I self diagnosed myself with shin splints and decided to only run a couple more miles for the day and take  the rest of it off.  It felt good running with Joe muscles and Mcninch, so I looped all the way around Lake Glacier with them and then headed back to the cabin.  I felt my my shins again and it was exactly the same, or a little worse.  So, I called it a day with running and decided to take at least 2 days off and see how I feel and run again after I've been pain free for at least a day.

   Hopefully, all I need is some very short time off.  I would hate for this to put a big damper in the training.  This next week is crucial though and my fitness will probably drop some.  Might not be able to run Boston as fast as planned but I at least want to run it pain free.  So, good thing the weather should be nice this upcoming week.  Looking forward to some good bike rides :)

Boston Training week 4 of 7:

M - 7.26 mi @ 6:46/mi
T - 10.27 mi @ 8:46/mi
W - 7.25 mi @ 8:20/mi
     - yoga 1 hr
T - spinning 1 hr
F -14.23 mi @ 7:45/mi
     -7.3 mi @ 7:23/mi
     -9.16 mi @8:57/mi
S - 25 mi @ 8:24/mi
S - 9 mi @ 8:27/mi

Total = 89.5 mi @ 8:11/mi

Boston Training Week 3

   Week 3 went really well as far as I am concerned.  I only had 1 day of hard running all week and only made it to the gym once for yoga but still boosted the mileage up considerably, almost 20 miles since last week.  Also, my fastest run was one of the fastest all year - another thing to be grateful for.  It definitely wasn't easy and after 2 miles i didn't think i would be able to go sub 6:00 let alone in the low 5:40s, so I am getting in better shape yet.

   I'm not sure how many more high mileage weeks I can run before Boston - as a tax preparer, I'll be super busy the last couple weeks of tax season.  I worked a couple other jobs this week though and worked 48 hours between the 2, so I'm happy with the mileage during a higher-than-normal work week.  It's good practice for time management to say the least.  Not sure how much I will be working since I'm with a new company this year, but I know that it'll be crazy and I'll really have to deal with time management as April 15th will be here shortly and there may be a couple days I can barely run.

   Ideally, I would like to run slightly less mileage this next week, but still over 100 miles and 2-3 faster runs rather than only 1.  Then increase the mileage one last time maxing out close to 120ish miles, with 2 weeks left of training for the marathon.  I felt really good after that run and really wasn't sore at all later on in the day or the next day even.  That's always a great sign for me that I'm not really over training and my body is adjusting,

Boston Training week 3 of 7:

M - 14.05 mi @ 8:13/mi
T - 14.5 mi @ 8:25/mi
      13.4 mi @ 8:43/mi
W - 7 mi @ 8:09/mi
     - yoga 1 hr
T - 7.1 mi @ 7:05/mi
      4 mi @ 6:00/mi - progressive run - 6:25 6:09 5:43 5:41
F - 8.4 mi @ 8:23/mi
S - 17.1 mi @ 7:54/mi
S - 12.45 mi @ 7:53/mi
   - 16 mi @ 8:19/mi

Total = 114 mi @ 8:06/mi

 
   This picture looked quite different before I uploaded it.  It's from last night's bonfire.  I had a lot of fun but was exhausted and crashed right when i got home last night.  Good thing too cause I ran a lot today.  This was one huge fire!

Boston Training Week 2

  

  So, Boston training is going better than expected.  I had a couple really good progressive runs last week and have also increased the mileage just like I wanted.  I think I will definitely be ready this time around.  I just hope the training continues to improve each week, as it should if I don't slack off too much.  

  No aches or pains either and got a couple days of cross training in too :)   I simply love spinning and yoga.  I just have to have one of the best yoga instructors out there.  I always get a great workout and feel so refreshed by the time I leave class.  Kathy's always so supportive and sometimes jokes at the beginning of class about those of us that ran 20 miles earlier that day.

 

Boston Training week 2 of 7:

M - 10 mi @ 6:40 pace - progressive run - 7:02 6:48 7:01 6:59 6:41 6:30 6:31 6:40 6:27 6:00

        spinning - 1 hr

        yoga - 1 hr

T - 11.45 mi @ 8:56/mi, 

       10.57mi @ 8:55/mi
W - 1.16 mi @ 8:32/mi,
        spinning - 1 hr
        yoga - 1 hr
T - 8.2 mi @ 8:49/mi
F - 15.7 mi @ 8:14
S - 18.04 mi @ 9:09/mi
S - 21.21 mi @ 7:28/mi - progressive run - 8:39 8:18 7:53 8:16 8:04 7:40 8:17 7:58 7:50 8:14

       7:49 7:51 7:06 6:36 6:31 6:23 6:25 6:10 6:10 5:58  - 8:32(cool down mile)

Total = 96.3 mi @ 8:17/mi

  I ran slower overall for week 2 but ran 16 more miles  and had 2 progressive runs, rather than only 1.  I plan on maxing out at 120 but don't know how fast that week will be.  probably 8:30 at the fastest.  Also, I've been trying to eat less processed food the past couple of weeks and it's been going pretty good for the most part.  I have pretty much only had 1 quart of icecream, 2 bags of avocado tortillas and 2 boxes of cereal so far this month, for processed foods, which is really good compared to where I was prior.  My fruit intake is staying about the same with some fish and some greens. 

   Fruit is still my highest consumption :)   This picture is from san diego last year, when I was pretty much in heaven.  I was able to buy a vast variety of tropical fruits such as jackfruit, dragon fruit, lychees, tamarinds and mangosteens.  I haven't found any of those near me, except for a store about an hour away.  I bought some tamarinds, longans, and frozen jackfruit last september and just ate the last pack of jackfruit a couple days ago.  It was soooo delicious!  Best thing was it was only $1.99/lb.  I've also been craving prickly pears and have been eating about 10/week. 

   I can't wait to get soe more jackfruit again.  Hopefully, I can snag a few bags when I run the Canton Marathon.  I wonder what else will be in season then.  That's just over a month away and before summer so probably not much :(  At least jackfruit tastes great after frozen.  Black grapes are another favorite that I've been able to buy lately.  I just bought 3 bags tonight and am wondering if I'll have any left for Friday.

Warmer Weather Finally!

  As much as I love the snow, I am looking forward to all the green leaves, filled with life, when I run throught he park.  I can't wait to plant a nice garden in the yard and get some much needed landscaping done!. The weather was much warmer this week and I sure got to enjoy some great runs outside, both in the neighborhoods and in the park.  I ran with people a lot more this week too than the last couple months, which sure made things easier.  It's not quite as warm as Miami was when I led one of the pace teams last month, but I will take temps in the 50s and 60s over single digits anyday!

Miami Marathon Pace Team 2014, i'm on the bottom left.

   I love to grow varieties of tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, and would just love some fruit trees!  I think I need to move to a warm climate so I can grow avocados, pomegranates, figs, lychee and jackfruit :P  Just being able to walk outside and pick them off the trees would be so wonderful :)  For the meantime, I am gonna stick with what I can do here in Ohio.  I have lots of thyme and chives growing in flower beds that i planted ages ago and lots of mint.  

Me and Sal slicing up a jackfruit in San Diego, June 2013

   I'm definitely looking forward to the summer races as well.  I want to pick the highly competative races this year as the main focus to hopefully motivate me and give me better chances of getting faster.  Higher competition = less chance of being in no man's land, some place I have been way too many times and it's quite a boring place to be for those of us that run there.  That's one of the reason's I like the Boston Marathon so much.  There's always, always, always people around to run with, no matter what your pace.  Maybe if I was an elite and slowed up enough I would be in no man's land, but at least have a huge crowd cheering for me.  

Summer haircut, finishing Firecracker 4 miler, 2013

  I also want to eat a healthier diet this year.  For me, that would be lots of fruit, veggies, and fish with some grains in there if needed.  I have going on and off a good diet for a few years now and want to just stay with it when I go on.  Always seems like one day a craving arises and then the diet is flushed down the drain once again :(  I need to stay focused and only eat what's good for me.  I know by now, through trial and error, several things that aren't good:  cookies, little debbies, lots of icecream, but i go on these stinkin' binges and need to call it quits.  It's high time to make some adjustments - Especially if I want to get any faster or not be on and off the porta john during long runs.  

  What do you think some of the healthiest decisions you've made were?  

Spaghetti Dinner

   This has been an exciting week so far!  Sunday, after the long run.  I went to a spaghetti dinner/fund raiser for one of my running friends that came down with throat cancer.  He's been struggling a lot so far and just doesn't see himeself.  It's sad what he and his family are going through but I really hope he makes it through.  At the fundraiser, they had a chinese auction, a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.

   I ended up winning a 3 month membership at a local gym that I used to go to.  So, now I can go to spinning, yoga, and use the treadmills again!  The classes are more fun than the treadmills but I will probably use them when the weather it's so nice out.  I went spinning and then yoga on both monday and wednesday nights.  My legs and arms aren't used to it quite yet but I sure got a good workout.  I will hopefully go again next week too if I can.  

  The weather has been quite crazy this week as the high on Tuesday was 63 and then the low Wednesday night was 7.  I got in 22 miles (slow and easy) on Tuesday and then only ran 1 on Wednesday as it was in the low 30s and began raining, then I went spinning instead lol.  Glad that I had the option :)

  I am gonna try and do a long run tomorrow.  

Running a Little Faster

  So, this week was finally a good week in the books.  Boston Marathon training has officially begun!  I know it is only 6 weeks from tomorrow, but like they say - better late then never!  I finished this week with just over 80 miles.  The last time I ran over 80 miles in a week was the middle of January and that was nearly 2 months ago!  The more impressive thing for me was I had a couple hard runs during the week and I haven't had many of those either besides a weekly track workout that I haven't done since before Miami on February 2nd.

  I know I could run boston just to finish, or run semi-hard and requalify, but I want to see what type of shape I can get myself into in the next 6 weeks and hopefully race this one.  I would really like to stay with Scott, but maybe I will just do my own thing based on how I feel.  That's probably a good idea actually.  I would rather take it easy the first half and then try and pick it up the second half.  I rarely negative split a marathon but would love to do it at an actual race, especially Boston!

  I know I am capable of a lot more than I have shown lately and I think it's because I haven't been running hard much.  When I ran my best, I was doing a little bit of everything, so I want to add a weekly progressive run to the training somewhere midweek.  I also want to run a couple runs faster just to get my legs used to a faster pace more often.  I hope this motivation keeps up.  It is suppose to be in the 50s the next 2 days so that should really help with things :)  I decided that I will do a weekly recap of my running so i can easily check my progression.


Boston Training week 1 of 7:

M - OFF
T - 7.25 mi @ 9:02/mi
W - 6.25 mi @ 6:27/mi,
       4.36 mi @ 6:35/mi
       2.3mi @ 7:50/mi
T - 13.12 mi @ 8:07/mi
F - 7.0 mi @ 6:33/mi  - progression run - 7:13, 6:58, 6:37, 6:19, 6:13, 6:05, 6:28
      2.25mi @ 8:16/mi
      8.12/mi @ 8:21/mi
S - 10.86 mi @ 7:54/mi
S - 19.3 mi @ 7:59/mi

Total = 80.8 mi @ 7:49/mi

technorati tags: marathons, marathontraining,fitness,running,bostontraining

New Balance 980 Shoe Review

Hello!

    So in the last post, i know that i was loving the snow and i still do but i am really looking forward to clear streets and warm weather.  I did a short 6 mile loop today and ran down one of the main roads and had to run in the street because towers of snow were still on sidewalks and some sidewalks were super icy.  Like always, there is someone who hates me for running in the street, but i always try to stay as close to the edge as i can and jump onto the sidewalk when there's a clean section, granted it's long enough...  And, if there's lots of traffic, i may stay in the street rather than jumping back into the street with oncoming traffic, which i certainly hate to do.

    I felt super good today and ran harder than planned but am glad i did it.  I covered 6.25 miles in 40:02 giving me a 6:28 pace and the sun sure felt great out!  Then at the second sole group run tonight, we ran 4.35 miles in 28:44 giving me a 6:36 pace, followed but a 2.5 mile cool down at 7:50 pace.  The sun set completely after a few minutes into the run, so thank God that Dougy had a flashlight, as there were spots of ice out there still.  It's suppose to be in the 40s for the next few days and hopefully all the snow and ice will be gone this weekend :)

    New Balance was at the group run tonight and I had the pleasure of trying out the Fresh Foam 980.  Now, if you are looking for comfort and light-weight combined, this certainly is the shoe to snatch.  I ran hard tonight in it, and it was comfortable the whole time.  The 980 is an 8.8 oz neutral shoe with a 4 mm drop and definitely made me one happy runner tonight.

    When i first saw the shoe, it reminded me of my Hokas, but a much lighter weight.  The Hokas are elevated with all that cushion and i've had a couple close calls to rolling my ankle with them on but the 980s are not as bulky and I knew, almost immediately, that rolling my ankle in them wouldn't be an issue, as they even at high speeds.  I haven't taken them off roads... yet.  Also, with that slope forwards, it kinda leads you into landing properly.  I am a mid-foot striker, so chances are, that other mid-foot strikers would really like the shoe.  I would assume that if you struck differently, you could ease into them like another other shoe and hopefully enjoy the same comfort that I did.

   I also like the colors and the whole design, so aesthetically, it's appealing as well.  Next time I get to test these bad boys out, I would like to run a little longer farther in them.  I walked around with them for about a half hour after the run too and still just as comfortable.  Just after wearing them today, I would most likely buy these ones if I needed a new pair right now.  I have so many shoes though, I could open up my own shoe store.  Only men, size 10-11 would benefit lol.  So, in reality, I would suggest to my friends to try these out, if only to see how comfortable they feel compared to other types of running shoes.

    So that was another great day of running, a couple good runs and got to test out an awesome pair of athletic shoes.  Boston is only 7 weeks away now, so I really need to step it up a notch.  Especially if I would like to run sub 3:00 there this year.  It will be time for weekly tempos before I know it.  In fact, I might do one this friday since the weather should be super nice out.  Only time will tell.