This week was my third consecutive week of increased mileage (27 miles in total) and my body certainly made sure that I knew it was time for a recovery week after my long run on Sunday. I had already planned for week 19 to be a lower mileage week, so that isn't a problem.
My weekly soccer game wasn't held this week as Monday was the vacation day at IBM for July 4th. I wasn't disappointed as my right calf was tired and painful after my long run on Sunday.
On Tuesday I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes.
On Wednesday I ran for 7 miles on a relatively cool morning (72F, 22C with 73% humidity at 7am and 78F, 25C with 62% humidity at the end of my run). My calf loosened up during my run and was pain free, but the tightness returned later in the day. I debated running with my fuel belt as the quick stops at the water fountain don't result in much more than a couple of sips of water, but I decided to do a sweat-test instead. I weighed myself before the run and then immediately after to see how much weight I had lost. I had lost 36oz in one hour! Of course, some of that 36oz had been fluids that I had taken on before I started my run (which in this case had been around 20oz of water that I drank before I weighed myself for the starting weight), but that still meant I was 16oz down at the end of my run and that is too high.
On Thursday I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes.
On Friday I ran for 7 miles. Although the temperatures were close to Wednesday, it was more humid (73F, 22C with 81% humidity at 7am and 76F, 24C with 71% humidity at the end of my run). I wore my calf guards in the hope that they would help minimize the pain in my right calf, but they didn't really seem to have any effect as my calf was painful later in the day. I ran with my fuel belt this time, and performed another sweat test. I consumed less water before the start of my run (10oz) and sipped Gatorade each mile at the rate that I have typically used in the cooler months (two sips each mile). At the end of the run I had consumed 12oz of Gatorade and found myself 16oz down in weight. Adding the 16oz lost to the 12oz consumed gives me a total loss of 28oz in the hour and a deficit of 18oz - I still didn't drink enough during my run!
Saturday was my rest day and on Sunday I ran for 13 miles on a hot and humid morning. I started my run at 7am and it was 75F, 23C with 90% humidity and at 9am it was 80F, 26C with 75% humidity at the end of my run. I paid more attention to my hydration during my run and took sips of Gatorade or water every half mile. However, I forgot to weigh myself before my run, so I don't know what difference it made to my overall weight loss. Even with my moisture absorbent clothing, the sweat was dripping off of me at about the halfway point of my run. It was a tough run for a variety of reasons - the weather conditions didn't help, but my calf and Achilles ached the entire run and I struggled throughout to find a comfortable rhythm. My body was tired and was making sure I knew it!
Week 19 will be a recovery week following three consecutive weeks with mileage increases (21 miles, 24 miles and 27 miles). Given my aches and pains, I am going to make my running sessions optional and drop my long run this week.
Monday - Soccer
Tuesday - Kicking
Wednesday - optional 3.5 miles
Thursday - Kicking
Friday - optional 3.5 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - rest
Monday, July 12, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Where I Run - Part 1 (Bent Creek Trail)
The majority of my training runs start and finish on the Bent Creek Trail which runs behind our house. The map below shows the nearly 1 mile trail that runs from Longstreet Drive to Shelley Lake.
The trail is mostly flat with a few small rolling hills. The entire distance is paved and is surrounded by trees which provide welcome cover from the sun during the hot summer months.
The trail goes under two main roads (by passing under a bridge and through a tunnel) and is quiet year round (I often run along this trail and don't see any other people).
The trail is mostly flat with a few small rolling hills. The entire distance is paved and is surrounded by trees which provide welcome cover from the sun during the hot summer months.
The trail goes under two main roads (by passing under a bridge and through a tunnel) and is quiet year round (I often run along this trail and don't see any other people).
Monday, July 5, 2010
Marathon Training - Week 17
This week was another good week! I ran 24 miles, played soccer and went to the pool once for a kicking session.
I have been a bit concerned about doing two sessions of Heel Drops every day as my calf muscles have already grown and become much more defined. This would be fine if I was also strengthening the other muscles in my legs to maintain a balance, but I have only been focusing on my calves. I experimented with only doing Eccentric Heel Drops before running instead of doing the exercises twice a day to see whether I would notice a difference - and I did. My Achilles continues to be pain free during running, but I did notice pain and tightness on a couple of mornings, which is a regression in the improvement I had been seeing. I am going to try one session of the Heel Drops each day with an extra session before running to see whether that makes a difference.
I played Soccer on Monday but didn't manage to make it to the pool on Tuesday due to a busy work day and a thunderstorm in the evening.
On Wednesday I ran 7 miles on a hot, humid morning which was surprising following the storm the night before. It was 73F, 23C with 90% humidity at 7am. I had planned to run 9 minute miles with my new low arm carry and I did fairly well over the first 5 miles (9:03, 8:26, 8:46, 8:41, 8:49) at which point the urge to stretch my legs and test my new stride at a faster pace began too much and I threw in a 7:42 mile. I checked my stride count a couple of times during the faster mile and both times I was above 180/minute.
On Thursday I went to the pool for 30 minutes of kicking. My legs were tired and this was probably my most difficult kicking session so far. I did manage to get through the 30 minute session, but it was hard work.
On Friday I ran another 7 miles on a cooler day. It was 60F, 15C with 80% humidity which was a nice change from the recent weeks. I targeted 9 minute miles and ran 9:03, 8:49, 8:43 and then a 7:58 faster mile followed by 8:51, 8:34 and 8:21.
Saturday was my rest day.
On Sunday I ran 10 miles on another cool day. It was 62F, 16C with 80% humidity at 7am and 70F, 21C with 67% humidity at the end of my run. I made a point of sticking to the 9 minute mile pace and ran 9:11, 8:51, 8:54, 9:08, 8:56, 8:50, 9:05, 9:00 and finished with a faster 8:18. The pace felt comfortable and my heart rate stayed in a zone between 151 and 157 until I got to the hill at 8.5 miles (at which point I only hit a peak of 165).
The 7 mile runs at 9 minute mile pace seem to be a good replacement for the speed and tempo sessions at the moment, and I am going to continue with them for a few more weeks as my focus at the moment is on increasing my long run distance. Given that my goal is simply to finish the Marathon in October and that my pace goal will be 4 hours (9:09/mile), I really don't need to do much speed work as I am doing all of my workouts at Marathon Pace.
This coming week (week 18) I plan to add 3 miles to my long run for a total of 27. Week 18 will be my third consecutive week of mileage increase, so I will be running a recovery week in Week 19 with fewer miles to give my body a chance to recover ready for another three weeks of increased distances.
Here is my plan for Week 18:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 7 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 13 miles
I have been a bit concerned about doing two sessions of Heel Drops every day as my calf muscles have already grown and become much more defined. This would be fine if I was also strengthening the other muscles in my legs to maintain a balance, but I have only been focusing on my calves. I experimented with only doing Eccentric Heel Drops before running instead of doing the exercises twice a day to see whether I would notice a difference - and I did. My Achilles continues to be pain free during running, but I did notice pain and tightness on a couple of mornings, which is a regression in the improvement I had been seeing. I am going to try one session of the Heel Drops each day with an extra session before running to see whether that makes a difference.
I played Soccer on Monday but didn't manage to make it to the pool on Tuesday due to a busy work day and a thunderstorm in the evening.
On Wednesday I ran 7 miles on a hot, humid morning which was surprising following the storm the night before. It was 73F, 23C with 90% humidity at 7am. I had planned to run 9 minute miles with my new low arm carry and I did fairly well over the first 5 miles (9:03, 8:26, 8:46, 8:41, 8:49) at which point the urge to stretch my legs and test my new stride at a faster pace began too much and I threw in a 7:42 mile. I checked my stride count a couple of times during the faster mile and both times I was above 180/minute.
On Thursday I went to the pool for 30 minutes of kicking. My legs were tired and this was probably my most difficult kicking session so far. I did manage to get through the 30 minute session, but it was hard work.
On Friday I ran another 7 miles on a cooler day. It was 60F, 15C with 80% humidity which was a nice change from the recent weeks. I targeted 9 minute miles and ran 9:03, 8:49, 8:43 and then a 7:58 faster mile followed by 8:51, 8:34 and 8:21.
Saturday was my rest day.
On Sunday I ran 10 miles on another cool day. It was 62F, 16C with 80% humidity at 7am and 70F, 21C with 67% humidity at the end of my run. I made a point of sticking to the 9 minute mile pace and ran 9:11, 8:51, 8:54, 9:08, 8:56, 8:50, 9:05, 9:00 and finished with a faster 8:18. The pace felt comfortable and my heart rate stayed in a zone between 151 and 157 until I got to the hill at 8.5 miles (at which point I only hit a peak of 165).
The 7 mile runs at 9 minute mile pace seem to be a good replacement for the speed and tempo sessions at the moment, and I am going to continue with them for a few more weeks as my focus at the moment is on increasing my long run distance. Given that my goal is simply to finish the Marathon in October and that my pace goal will be 4 hours (9:09/mile), I really don't need to do much speed work as I am doing all of my workouts at Marathon Pace.
This coming week (week 18) I plan to add 3 miles to my long run for a total of 27. Week 18 will be my third consecutive week of mileage increase, so I will be running a recovery week in Week 19 with fewer miles to give my body a chance to recover ready for another three weeks of increased distances.
Here is my plan for Week 18:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 7 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 13 miles
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
2010 Goals Progress - Second Quarter
As we are now 1/2 of the way through 2010, I thought I would do a progress report on my 2010 goals.
1. Buy a new, bigger house: We are under contract! Click here to see more
2. Not gain any weight in 2010: I started the year at 157lbs (11st 3lb) and currently weigh 151lb (10st 11lb).
3. Run a sub 1:45:00 Half Marathon: Complete! I ran 1:41:40 at the Shamrock Half Marathon
4. Run a 5K dressed as a Hot Dog: I plan to do this in the fall. There have been plenty of 5K races so far this year, but I have struggled to find one that where it wouldn't be in bad taste for me to come dressed as a hot dog.
5. Run a Marathon: I am currently in Week 17 of my Marathon Training and I have signed up with Team Fisher House to raise money at the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I have been struggling with a few injuries so far, but I am only a little behind on my training at the moment.
1. Buy a new, bigger house: We are under contract! Click here to see more
2. Not gain any weight in 2010: I started the year at 157lbs (11st 3lb) and currently weigh 151lb (10st 11lb).
3. Run a sub 1:45:00 Half Marathon: Complete! I ran 1:41:40 at the Shamrock Half Marathon
4. Run a 5K dressed as a Hot Dog: I plan to do this in the fall. There have been plenty of 5K races so far this year, but I have struggled to find one that where it wouldn't be in bad taste for me to come dressed as a hot dog.
5. Run a Marathon: I am currently in Week 17 of my Marathon Training and I have signed up with Team Fisher House to raise money at the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I have been struggling with a few injuries so far, but I am only a little behind on my training at the moment.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Marathon Training - Week 16
This week went perfectly! I ran a total of 21 miles, played soccer and went to the pool twice for kicking sessions. My Achilles Tendon aches less than last week and feels slightly thinner, however, it is still significantly thicker than my right Achilles Tendon (this is as expected and it might take months before the scar tissue goes away completely). I am still doing my Eccentric Heel Drops twice a day and my hip exercises every second day.
I played soccer on Monday evening and then went to the pool on Tuesday morning for 30 minutes of kicking (the pool was like a warm bath with all of the hot weather we have been having). I have settled in to a routine of kicking two lengths and then resting 30 seconds, which seems to be working well and my legs are not overly tired at the end of the session.
On Wednesday I got up early and ran 6 miles in hot, humid conditions. It was 74F, 23C with 87% humidity at 7am which means that 6 miles takes much more of a toll on my body than it would on a cool day. I got up an hour before I started my run and drank 24oz of water to hydrate (in the winter I can just get up and go and run without worrying about extra hydration). The run went well and I continued my focus on shorter strides with a faster leg turnover and did a few 1 minute spot checks during the run, all of which were either at 180 strides per minute or higher. I set my watch for 9:15/mile and ended up with an average of 9:09/mile. After the run, I noticed that my heart rate continued to creep up during the 54 minute run - more on that later.
On Thursday I did my second kicking session of the week at the pool (30 minutes)
On Friday I ran 7 miles in similar conditions to Wednesday (79F, 26C with 69% humidity). I ran around Shelley Lake 3 times, stopping at the water fountain each time for a quick gulp of water and ran slightly faster with an average of 8:59/minute. I didn't feel any discomfort from my Achilles at all during or after the run and I continued my focus on fast leg turnover and paid attention to whether I was leaning forwards or backwards while I was running. I feel that my hips are stronger, probably from the kicking in the pool and my hip exercises and that I am more stable during my running at the moment and I am leaning forwards more than backwards.
On Sunday I ran 8 miles in typical hot and humid conditions (75F, 23C with 84% humidity). I ran with my fuel belt today with a bottle of water and one with Gatorade so that I could head down to Crabtree Valley Mall (the only water fountain is at Shelley Lake). I found that I had to focus less on my stride length and turnover (I did five 1 minute stride spot checks, all of which were 185 or higher) in this run and I didn't notice myself leaning backwards at any point. Given that I seemed to be maintaining my form pretty well without having to focus on it, I decided to try to carry my arms lower. When I run with my fuel belt, I find that I carry my arms much higher and more in front of my body than by my sides because the placement of the water bottles on the front of the belt. I know that a high arm carry can restrict the amount of air that I can get in to my lungs and I have wanted to change it for a while. I focused on brushing my hands against the bottle holders on my fuel belt which helped to keep my arms low and by my sides. The run went well and I had lots of energy and strength left at the end and I felt like I could have run much further. I ran miles 5 and 6 faster (8:08 and 8:24) just to see how a quicker pace felt - which felt good.
During the run on Sunday I had noticed that my heart rate in miles 5-8 was lower than it had been during my runs on Wednesday and Friday (162-163 compared to 168-170). The weather conditions were similar so it is unlikely that is a factor. I made two changes: my arm carry (lower on Sunday) and running with my fuel belt which meant I consumed slightly more water during my run, but I probably only consumed 6oz of Gatorade during the 70 minute run. One run doesn't mean anything, but I will continue to monitor my heart rate over the next few weeks to see if I can find any patterns related to whether or not I hydrate during my runs.
My Achilles Tendon feels fine after the 21 miles this week. I do have a painful right calf/lower leg which isn't much of a concern at the moment as it is probably related to my first full week of training in a long time!
I am mindful of not increasing my mileage too quickly, so I plan to add an additional 3 miles and run 24 miles this coming week. I am going to stay away from track and tempo work outs for a couple more weeks, so this week my runs will be at 9:00/mile pace.
Here is my plan for Week 17:
Monday: Soccer
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 7 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 10 miles
I played soccer on Monday evening and then went to the pool on Tuesday morning for 30 minutes of kicking (the pool was like a warm bath with all of the hot weather we have been having). I have settled in to a routine of kicking two lengths and then resting 30 seconds, which seems to be working well and my legs are not overly tired at the end of the session.
On Wednesday I got up early and ran 6 miles in hot, humid conditions. It was 74F, 23C with 87% humidity at 7am which means that 6 miles takes much more of a toll on my body than it would on a cool day. I got up an hour before I started my run and drank 24oz of water to hydrate (in the winter I can just get up and go and run without worrying about extra hydration). The run went well and I continued my focus on shorter strides with a faster leg turnover and did a few 1 minute spot checks during the run, all of which were either at 180 strides per minute or higher. I set my watch for 9:15/mile and ended up with an average of 9:09/mile. After the run, I noticed that my heart rate continued to creep up during the 54 minute run - more on that later.
On Thursday I did my second kicking session of the week at the pool (30 minutes)
On Friday I ran 7 miles in similar conditions to Wednesday (79F, 26C with 69% humidity). I ran around Shelley Lake 3 times, stopping at the water fountain each time for a quick gulp of water and ran slightly faster with an average of 8:59/minute. I didn't feel any discomfort from my Achilles at all during or after the run and I continued my focus on fast leg turnover and paid attention to whether I was leaning forwards or backwards while I was running. I feel that my hips are stronger, probably from the kicking in the pool and my hip exercises and that I am more stable during my running at the moment and I am leaning forwards more than backwards.
On Sunday I ran 8 miles in typical hot and humid conditions (75F, 23C with 84% humidity). I ran with my fuel belt today with a bottle of water and one with Gatorade so that I could head down to Crabtree Valley Mall (the only water fountain is at Shelley Lake). I found that I had to focus less on my stride length and turnover (I did five 1 minute stride spot checks, all of which were 185 or higher) in this run and I didn't notice myself leaning backwards at any point. Given that I seemed to be maintaining my form pretty well without having to focus on it, I decided to try to carry my arms lower. When I run with my fuel belt, I find that I carry my arms much higher and more in front of my body than by my sides because the placement of the water bottles on the front of the belt. I know that a high arm carry can restrict the amount of air that I can get in to my lungs and I have wanted to change it for a while. I focused on brushing my hands against the bottle holders on my fuel belt which helped to keep my arms low and by my sides. The run went well and I had lots of energy and strength left at the end and I felt like I could have run much further. I ran miles 5 and 6 faster (8:08 and 8:24) just to see how a quicker pace felt - which felt good.
During the run on Sunday I had noticed that my heart rate in miles 5-8 was lower than it had been during my runs on Wednesday and Friday (162-163 compared to 168-170). The weather conditions were similar so it is unlikely that is a factor. I made two changes: my arm carry (lower on Sunday) and running with my fuel belt which meant I consumed slightly more water during my run, but I probably only consumed 6oz of Gatorade during the 70 minute run. One run doesn't mean anything, but I will continue to monitor my heart rate over the next few weeks to see if I can find any patterns related to whether or not I hydrate during my runs.
My Achilles Tendon feels fine after the 21 miles this week. I do have a painful right calf/lower leg which isn't much of a concern at the moment as it is probably related to my first full week of training in a long time!
I am mindful of not increasing my mileage too quickly, so I plan to add an additional 3 miles and run 24 miles this coming week. I am going to stay away from track and tempo work outs for a couple more weeks, so this week my runs will be at 9:00/mile pace.
Here is my plan for Week 17:
Monday: Soccer
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 7 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 10 miles
Monday, June 21, 2010
Marathon Training - Week 15
I was working in Toronto this week and I had access to the hotel gym which had a couple of treadmills and a bike.
On Monday evening I jumped on the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes. I made sure I did my eccentric heal drops before I started (using the stairs in the emergency exit) and I ran for 30 minutes without a problem at an easy pace. I then used the bike for a 10 minute cool down.
On Tuesday I had planned to cycle instead of run, however when I went down to the gym and found that the bike was in use and didn't look like it would be free any time soon - so I jumped on the treadmill again. I ran for 35 minutes at the same pace as Monday and my Achilles felt okay. The bike was still being used at the end of my run, so I walked on the treadmill to cool down.
On Wednesday I decided to run on the treadmill again and managed 40 minutes followed by a 10 minute cool down on the bike. My legs felt a little tired after running for three straight days, but nothing more than some tiredness. My Achilles continues to only ache if I apply pressure to it with my fingers. I had hoped that the results of "pinch test" would have improved by now, but apparently it is not unusual for it to take a number of weeks for the pain to go away.
I traveled back home on Thursday and painted the Kitchen on Friday, so they were my rest days for the week.
On Saturday I went out early for a 5 mile run (at 7am it was 74F, 23C with 88% humidity) and decided to focus on my form. I have been doing lots of reading about running form (more on that in another post that will come soon) and am going to work on running with a forward lean (I had noticed that in a number of photos from races I have a backwards lean) and a slightly shorter stride. This will make me more efficient and hopefully less prone to injury. I worked hard on leaning forward slightly and keeping my stride rate up at around 180/minute. Unfortunately, this resulted in me running much faster than I wanted to (8:40, 8:07, 8:19, 7:52, 7:57) even though I was trying to slow down!
My legs were tired and tight after the run, which isn't a huge surprise as I haven't run at pace much recently.
On Sunday, I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes. I still find kicking hard, but not quite as hard as it was when I first started!
This week I hope to run three times outside at an easy pace, gradually increasing my mileage back up. This will be a good test for my Achilles!
Here is my plan for Week 16:
Monday: Soccer
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 6 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 8 miles
On Monday evening I jumped on the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes. I made sure I did my eccentric heal drops before I started (using the stairs in the emergency exit) and I ran for 30 minutes without a problem at an easy pace. I then used the bike for a 10 minute cool down.
On Tuesday I had planned to cycle instead of run, however when I went down to the gym and found that the bike was in use and didn't look like it would be free any time soon - so I jumped on the treadmill again. I ran for 35 minutes at the same pace as Monday and my Achilles felt okay. The bike was still being used at the end of my run, so I walked on the treadmill to cool down.
On Wednesday I decided to run on the treadmill again and managed 40 minutes followed by a 10 minute cool down on the bike. My legs felt a little tired after running for three straight days, but nothing more than some tiredness. My Achilles continues to only ache if I apply pressure to it with my fingers. I had hoped that the results of "pinch test" would have improved by now, but apparently it is not unusual for it to take a number of weeks for the pain to go away.
I traveled back home on Thursday and painted the Kitchen on Friday, so they were my rest days for the week.
On Saturday I went out early for a 5 mile run (at 7am it was 74F, 23C with 88% humidity) and decided to focus on my form. I have been doing lots of reading about running form (more on that in another post that will come soon) and am going to work on running with a forward lean (I had noticed that in a number of photos from races I have a backwards lean) and a slightly shorter stride. This will make me more efficient and hopefully less prone to injury. I worked hard on leaning forward slightly and keeping my stride rate up at around 180/minute. Unfortunately, this resulted in me running much faster than I wanted to (8:40, 8:07, 8:19, 7:52, 7:57) even though I was trying to slow down!
My legs were tired and tight after the run, which isn't a huge surprise as I haven't run at pace much recently.
On Sunday, I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes. I still find kicking hard, but not quite as hard as it was when I first started!
This week I hope to run three times outside at an easy pace, gradually increasing my mileage back up. This will be a good test for my Achilles!
Here is my plan for Week 16:
Monday: Soccer
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 6 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 8 miles
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
New Layout
I have created pages for my "Previous Training Runs" and "Previous Race Results" which can now be accessed using the links at the top of this page. I did this because the Training Run Log that I had created on the right hand side of my home page was already beginning to get too long. Hopefully this will make the information easier for me to update and easier for you to view.
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