300 miles...

Today I passed 300 miles for 2011 (89 days), last year it took me 151 days to get to 300 miles!.

Here are my stats for the year to date according to Garmin Connect.

Activities	52
Calendar Days	89
Total Distance	302.23 miles
Average Distance	5.81 miles/activity
Time	42hr 56min 36sec
Elevation Gain	10830 ft
Calories	32794

Half Marathon Training - Days 71-80

I was still dealing with the blisters from my previous cycle for the entire 10 days of this cycle and in fact managed to get a new one just above the one that was healing!

I completed 6 of the 7 running sessions during this cycle for a total of 39 miles (I missed one 5 mile "Easy" session when the blisters were at their worst) and managed to get in all three important sessions.

I attempted to run my Tempo Workout at my Half Marathon Pace (7:35/mile) but went a little too quick on the downhill/flat middle miles. However, being faster than HMP is a good confidence builder anyway!

The track workout was the toughest one yet, mainly because of the 80 degree temperatures. I ran 12 x 400m with 200m rest intervals but by the time I got to #7, my heart rate wasn't even beginning to come down (from 160-165bpm) during the 200m jog. I decided to switch to 150m walking with 50m jogging as my rest interval, and that had the desired effect as my heart rate at least got back down to 130bpm or so.

It was another warm day for my 12 mile long run and I noticed that my hat was covered in salt at the end of my run. I had been sweating a lot and even though I had consumed two GU's, I felt drained at the end of my run and craved salty things. I have since purchased some SUCCEED S Caps to increase the amount of sodium (and other electrolytes) that I replace during my run and I plan on testing them during my next long run.

Cycle 2
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1: Tempo Workout (25 minutes): 6 miles (4 @ Tempo): 7:33, 7:26, 7:22, 7:31
2: Rest/Cross-Train - Rest
3: 5 miles Easy - Rest
4: Speedwork (12 x 400) -12 x 400 (1:31, 1:29, 1:28, 1:27, 1:27, 1:28, 1:35, 1:32, 1:32, 1:31, 1:34, 1:29)
5: Cross-Train -Yoga
6: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles @ 7:56
7: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles Easy@ 8:26
8: Long Run (10-12 miles) - 12 miles @ 8:21
9: Rest - Rest
10: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles Easy (Trail)

Half Marathon Training - Days 61-70

What is it with Cycle 1? The last time I worked my way through Cycle 1 I had to take a few days off to allow my aches and pains to go away (and finally gave up with my Saucony's). This time I got some blisters (attempting to run without socks) and then I got sick and ran only once in a 5 day stretch! Luckily this was my last Cycle 1 on this training schedule...

My tempo run was the first run of the Cycle and I managed to complete it (with splits of 7:13, 7:10 and 7:19). A few days later I attempted to run in my Nike Free 3.0's at the track (3 x 800m) without socks (as that is apparently how they are meant to be worn) which ended up being a complete disaster as I ended up with blisters on the sides of my feet! The next day I woke up sick.

I finally managed to recover enough to do a long run (12 miles) so the cycle wasn't entirely wasted (I ended up missing 2 easy runs).

Days 61-70 (Cycle 1)
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1: Tempo Workout (20 minutes) - 5 miles with tempo miles of 7:13, 7:10, 7:19
2: Rest/Cross-Train - Rest
3: 5 miles Easy - Rest
4: Speedwork (3 x 800) - 2 x 800m: 3:01, 3:06
5: Cross-Train - Rest
6: 5 miles Easy - Rest
7: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles Trail
8: Long Run (6-8 miles) - 12 miles @ 8:38
9: Rest - Rest
10: 5 miles Easy -5 miles Easy

200 miles...

Yesterday I passed 200 miles for 2011 (61 days), last year it took me 108 days to get to 200 miles!.

Here are my stats for the year to date according to Garmin Connect.

Activities	37
Calendar Days	61
Total Distance	202.18 miles
Average Distance	5.45 miles/activity
Time	28hr 45min 49sec
Elevation Gain	6471 ft
Calories	21121

Half Marathon Training - Days 51-60

I ran the most miles in a cycle so far in this most recent cycle (43) and it went perfectly.

I started out running 3 x 1600m at the Track in my new Nike Free 3.0's and was a little surprised that I was able to run 6:24, 6:29 and 6:28 with only a slow 400m jog in between each interval.

I attempted to run the Tempo run at the pace I want to run the Half Marathon (7:35/mile) but ended up feeling great and went a little too fast.

I ran 12 miles for the long run on a warm morning during which I felt the full force of the sun for long periods and I ended up feeling tired and hot by the time I finished. Before my run, I seriously considered driving over to Shelley Lake and doing my long run around the lake and on the Crabtree Greenway (where there is lots of shade) but I didn't want to make the drive. I learned my lesson and I need to do my long runs somewhere with some shade in future!

I ran three of my easy runs in my Nike Free 3.0's and the other one on the trail in my NB Minimus.

Overall, I gained a lot of confidence for my Half Marathon with great runs in each of the three "important" workouts in this cycle especially as my body feels well rested and ready for another 40 days of training!

Cycle 3
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1: Tempo Workout (30 minutes): 6 miles, 4 @ Tempo: 7:28, 7:23, 7:22, 7:35
2: Rest/Cross-Train - Rest
3: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles @ 8:46
4: Speedwork (3 x 1600) - 5 miles, 3 x 1600: 6:24, 6:29, 6:28
5: Cross-Train -Yoga
6: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles @ 8:20
7: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles @ 8:38
8: Long Run (12-15 miles) - 12 miles @ 8:46
9: Rest - Rest
10: 5 miles Easy - 5 miles (Trail) @ 9:29