Watt's Running

I just signed up for Team Rogue. It starts on June 8th. Yup, I’m going to be training over the hot Austin summer. This is an intense group with plenty of mileage – over 50 miles per week. It meets three times a week: Tues & Thurs 5:30 AM, and Saturdays at Rogue downtown. This will mean getting up at 4:30 AM with the intent of doing the training and then getting to work at 9 AM. I’ve always been a morning runner, but this is still early. I’ll have to go to bed at 8:30 PM to get in 8 hours. Most of this group is training for the California International Marathon in Sacramento, California. There was over 30 people at the informational session. We travel as a team, and support each other. My goal is to again break 4 hours, and have a group of like-minded people to share with while training and running. If things work out I’ll train with Team Rogue for the Boston Marathon next year.

Ran 2000m or 5 laps of the track at 15K pace [8:30/M or 2:07 per lap] with a 1 lap recovery times 4 for the advanced runners – that’s me. Here’s what happened. The first set: 2:02, 2:07, 2:06, 2:09, 2:10 for 10:34. The second set: 2:10, 2:05, 2:07, 2:05, short?. The third set: 2:05, 2:08, 2:07, 2:07, short?. The fourth set: 2:06, 2:05, 2:08, 2:05, 2:06 for 10:30. I am amazed that I wasn’t able to count right for the middle two sets. I was brain dead for no good reason, and I was keeping track on my fingers, but not very well indeed. Regardless of this flub I felt good for the laps that I did run and the pace that I was able to maintain.

It was lightly raining, cold, and silent. No one else was at the high school – none of my classmates. I arrived a bit late about 6:30 PM. Beforehand I had plotted out a 2 mile warmup loop and headed out on it. I ran slowly to get my ankle loosened up. It was moderately tight as I finished the loop, in other words, I knew it was there when arrived back at the school’s track. On the track I was to do 3 x 2000m or three times 5 loops of the track at 15K pace which for me is 8:30/mile or 2:07/loop. After each I was to run a 1 loop recovery making it a total of 6 loops of the track. I ran with a small flashlight so I could see my watch, and listened to podcasts on my iPod to make the time pass more quickly. The first set: 2:07, 2:08, 2:07, 2:08, 2:08 for 10:38 which is right on the mark. The second set: 2:09, 2:02, 2:01, 2:04, 2:04 for 10:20 which is a bit fast, but when I saw the initial 2:09 I sped up worried that I was slowing down. Then I had trouble reading the watch with rain on the bezel. The third set: 2:06, 2:03, 2:04, 2:03, 2:03 for 10:19 which was again a bit faster, because my ankle felt normal and I was wanted to get the class work done and over with. After the track I again ran the same 2 mile cool down. Overall I was happy to have gotten the work done on a wet, cold, dark and ugly night.

Talked with Coach tonight about the recent bout of ankle muscle tightness focused primarily on my right ankle. This started on November 14, 2009 in the post “Hurtin’ and Mt Bonnell long run” and continue on and off up to now. That’s too long. He has three suggestions: Nutrition, Stretching, Warm-up. For nutrition he wants me to keep records of what I eat and make an appointment with Meredith Terranova. For Stretching I’m to continue to use my TriggerPoint Therapy roller. For Warm-up I need to figure out how to warm-up without exhausting myself especially before the marathon.

On Tuesday it was dark, cold and pouring rain, but we still had to run our time trial. I arrived and stood listening to the coach in the storm, but finally I took off to warm-up before he was done. I was shivering, wet, and uncomfortable. I hope I didn’t miss much. After 2 miles I arrived at the track and started the time trial. Eight laps around the track. Last week due to circumstances beyond my control and Thanksgiving I didn’t run much. Now this week with the time trial I needed to push it. I did my best and finished in 14:59:25 which is 7:30/mile. I wish I could have run faster. Working with the McMillan online calculator it says I should be able to complete the marathon in 3:57 or 9:04/mile. This is a positive sign. The day after the time trial I did my morning exercises (I’ve started doing some core strength training and some trigger point massages each morning). I noticed that I was quite sore especially in my hamstrings. I think that having to do a time trial without any track speed work was a mistake – our bodies aren’t ready for this intensity. Then to position it after a holiday was another mistake. Rogue what were you thinking? Right now I’m taking Aleve to help with the soreness, and I’m worried about running Decker this weekend. Why you ask? Well because Decker is my nemesis. It seems to happen just when I’m hurt.

I arrived early to stretch following the exercises we’ve been taught this year. After last week’s issue I took off and ran about 1/2 mile to loosen up hoping it would help. However again my right front ankle muscle tightened up when the class began running to the start of the Marshes. I could feel my foot making a flopping sound as it hit the ground awkwardly and unevenly. I had tried to do what I could beforehand to loosen up, but that didn’t seem to work. Regardless I ran the Marshes x 2 as required. I pushed it as I ran maybe a little too hard because I was frustrated with myself and my ankle. I got it done. There were a few times in the pitch dark that my foot scuffed the road and I feared that I might trip, fall, and do a face plant. The entire time I felt uncoordinated. Maybe I was trying too hard. I was worried that I’d be injured the next day. So on Wednesday I had to run 6 miles. It was quite cool and in the 30s so I wore tights, a first for this season. I ran the trail just north of the house around Wells Branch. For some reason this time I was not tight or sore. I wasn’t breathing hard. I was just cruisin’ along feelin’ good. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometime you don’t. I just wish I could predict when things like this happen or won’t. P.S. I ordered a TriggerPoint Technologies “Total Body Package w/Book & DVD” tonight

Another 10 mile steady run tonight. The two mile warm-up was 19:00. The first timed 1/2 mile was 4:28 (should have been 4:35, so that was close), and the second timed 1/2 mile was 4:58 (way too slow because we had to wait for the traffic light). The first two mile loop was 17:15 (too fast), and the second two mile loop was 17:27 (still too fast). The return first timed 1/2 mile was 4:26 (again close to my expected, but a bit fast), and the return second timed 1/2 mile was 4:24 (I just seem to like this pace). The two mile cool-down was 18:11 (cool-down is supposed to be slower than the warm-up, oops). The overall 10 miles was 1:30 or 9:00 minutes/mile pace.

At class tonight I was to run 10 miles (the advanced distance) with 6 of those miles at Marathon Goal Pace or MGP. Since I’m shooting for a 4 hour marathon, I needed to run a 9:10 minutes per mile pace for my MGP. There was a two mile warm up and then we’d reach a cone where the MGP would start. There would be cones at mile 0, mile 0.5 and then a two mile loop. It was an out and back course with two 2-mile loops. Naturally I took off ahead of everyone and got lost during the warm up, however, I got back on course only losing about 3 minutes along the way. The first timed half mile was 4:24 (should have been 4:35). I was going too fast (the story of my life) so I tried to slow down. The second half mile was 4:23 (also should have been 4:35, sheesh, slow down will ya). The first two mile loop was 17:26 (should have been 18:20). The second two mile loop was 17:38. The first returning half mile was 4:39 (now that’s better). The second returning half mile was 4:33 (A-OK). And over all it took me 1:35:18 for the entire 10 mile journey including the lost portion. I rarely run that long in an evening. When it was all over I was tired, and sweaty (it was 70+ degrees out) but not exhausted. Coach and I talked and then I headed home for a light dinner.

This is what I have to do in class tomorrow night which is the first night.

Why did you join this class: I joined this class because it is first good exercise, second because it is on Tuesday nights, and third it is nearby, that is, it is convenient.
What would you like to learn more about: I’d like to learn more about how to reduce the stress on my body while maintaining my endurance. I now fear the marathon and how hard it will be especially when I have a goal time. I tend to push myself too hard.
What is your goal: To complete a marathon in under 4 hours.
How realistic is it? What are some obstacles that might arise: I have completed 6 marathons so completing it is not the issue. I have also finished two in under 4 hours so the time is not totally impossible. However, as I continue to age I have less endurance.
Come up with a few intermediary goals that we could check off in 2 weeks, then four weeks: I’m going to need so help with these. Whereas with other runners over the running season they tend to improve dramatically with the conditioning I tend not to vary as much. Maybe it has something to do with my age. So to set some goals is good, but just what exactly they should be I need to talk to the coach.
Who’s going to help you stay focused: Staying focused has never been a problem. I attend all workouts, do all long runs, and put in the needed time and energy. However, I really don’t have any other people who will assist me in this goal except maybe the staff of the running class, that is, my coach and an acquaintance or two.
What is the ultimate goal: Sorry to repeat myself, but it’s complete a marathon in under 4 hours. Why you ask? Well for my age group this is my Boston qualifying time.

Note: This was done for my marathon training class.