The Marathon Schedule Approaches!

Well, after a week off due to being out of town and enjoying it too much apparently, I have started the week off great. I wanted to post and mention a little about marathon training schedules.

What a maze of schedules to pick from! There are those schedules that a person only runs 3-4 days, and other where I've seen it all the way up to six. I've seen schedules that are as short as 8 weeks and as long as 18 weeks. (I discounted the longer ones then that) I've seen long runs of only 1 or 2 20 milers in a program, and those that go up to 23. So what did I choose? Well, I would love to break 4 hours in my very first marathon, but don't know if Ill be ready for it by October. I could have finished the half last year in certainly 2 hours, and likely 1:50, but not much faster then that. That time doesn't really bode well for a under 4 hour marathon. I have picked the Runner's World schedule to break 4:00 though. I have looked through the schedule, and can keep up the running at the pace desired until probably August. Then again, hopefully my fitness keeps up. Will I be totally devastated should I not break 4:00? Nope, not really. I just hope to finish the thing with hopefully all of my toe-nails and not crawling across the line. Since I've restarted running from the Mexico trip in April, I've already lost about 7 of the pounds I gained, and that's only with a 20-25 mile a week schedule with many easy runs.

I figure if I'm not ready for breaking 4:00, this schedule will definitely get me close to the goal. But you know I'm going to be on that 4:00 pace group!! I'll hang as far as I can, unless the pace is too quick right away.

On a much different note, my son is going to another school this coming year, and they offer track and field along with cross country. If he puts his mind to it, he's actually quite a good runner. (he's 15) He can belt out 6:00 minute miles without barely losing his breath. He wants to run with me this year, and I think Ill take him on my shorter 3 mile runs. I really would like to see what he can do. Personally, I can only run 3 miles between 21-23 minutes if I'm running fast and its flat. He wants to run on the track team, so I figure he can run with me and maybe I can give him some pointers.

That's it for this week! Until next week!

Another Week Down!!!

Much better week as far as training is concerned. Like I mentioned, I bit the bullet and registered for the Metro Health Marathon early, mainly because I didn't want to miss out on it by waiting too long, and secondly, the motivation factor. I have decided to pass on Charlevoix at the end of the month, but for a much different reason. I was going to register, but after checking out the fee's this year backed out. Its the same reason I'm backing out of the National Cherry Festival's races this year. Some races this year have increased there fee's or the fee's for the half and full marathon are significant jumps up from the other races. If the race is well organized, has enough aid stations etc etc....then its worth it. Am I going to pay over $60 for a race where there aren't a lot of aid stations, the only refreshment at the end of the race is water and the expo is non-existent? No....Now don't get me wrong, I don't really run for the perks, but if I'm going to pay near $100 for a race, there better be some perks!! If not....I can just go out and run the same distance on the weekends, or even worse....crash the race, which I don't condone. These races do cost money and that does peeve me off to see people running it and partaking in refreshments at the end who didn't pay.

Anyway, back to this week....

Sunday - 3 Mile run @ 9:26 pace

Monday - 3 Mile run @ 8:55 pace

Thursday - 800m intervals 8:00/mile pace on 800m with 2 min cool down. 3 miles in 800m intervals and 1.4 miles in warm up, cool down and in between.

Friday - 1.5 mile warm up @ 9:15 pace and 1.2 mile Elliptical Workout for about 18 minutes

Saturday - 7.4 mile run @ 11:17 pace....felt pretty beat up the whole run.

I work close to home for most of the week, but starting Friday, will be in Indiana for a little under a week. Ill likely run all through the week, but keep it real light throughout the week and try to get my long run in Thursday. I wont be running over the weekend, and to be honest, will probably be challenged to run next week at all, but we will see.

After a lot of thought though, I have decided to run the 10 mile run at the Crim in Flint this year. I typically don't run anything in August due to the heat, but I will be in the beginning of transitioning from half marathon to full training, so it will be a good run for the weekend. Ill try and talk by wife into that one as well, but that might be asking too much!!

Metro Health Registration COMPLETE!

Just a small blurb for the week....I bit the bullet and registered today! Better yet, my wife, who said she would never ever ever run a half marathon again is contemplating (and seriously I might add) running the half in GR. Its what I needed to not only stay motivated, but I have mentioned this before.....this race is awesome!

Anyway, training is going better then before....Ill go into detail after the weekend is over, but I have started implementing 800m intervals as well as more elliptical time, as that seems to exercise parts of the legs (and other parts) that don't usually to get as much as a workout.

More later on this weekend!!

Kinda a Slowwww Week!

Welll, this week did not go as planned at all. I had to work out of town, but that is no excuse. I was out of work before 7 pm every night, but two things interferred.....Call of Duty (yes the video game) and MGM Grand in Detroit. I had all intentions this past week of keeping to schedule, but those darn video games! Then, when I had two days of that I end up in the poker room at the MGM Grand. Now, this was my first time in the poker room, and I was a little nervous. I am a fairly good hold em player, and usually cash out when I play with my co-workers or friends....but this was entirely different. (I did cash out though which was good) The hardest part of the whole Poker Room at the casino thing is figuring out all of the players at the table. Ill be doing it again....it was just too much fun!!

Now, for the training. I did end up on a Elliptical three of the days (Monday, Wendsday and Friday) for thirty minutes each time, and I'm probably lucky I got that in. Today, I did do a three mile tempo'ish run in 27 minutes. Now, last year I could hold the 9:00 pace for 10k, and my hope by the end of summer is to be able to hold that for the half. It would be totally AWESOME if I could do it for the full marathon in the fall, but that is expecting too much out of myself. As it is, like I mentioned before, I may not be ready for the Charlevoix Half this month. The only races set entirely in stone are the VASA 5k, the Harvest Stompede 5k and the MetroHealth Marathon. I would love to get some more racing in, but work has been brutal and Ill just have to wait and see.

The next couple weeks I'm working close to home, so will be home mornings and evenings. This will enable me to get back on schedule and see exactly where I'm at as far as long runs are concerned. I did 8.5 and 9.0 in the past month or so and a 6.5 mile last week. Ill probably try either a 9.5 mile flat long run this weekend on the TART trail, or a 8.0 mile run I have mapped out from my house that is surely not flat. Either way, if I can complete those with a minimal amount of issues, I may just try Charlevoix, but certainly as a training run and not a race. If only the weather would cooperate. It was cold for so long, and then all of a sudden, high 80's and low 90's with a crap load of humidity.....miserable!!

Kinda a Slowwww Week!

An All Right Week....

I shouldn't complain about my first full week back since my toe was hurt....but like any other runner out there, if I don't perform to what I perceive as 100%, I'm disappointed. The shorter runs this week went fine, but the long run today was what I wasn't happy with. I look off way too fast, and ended up having to walk some of the route. Although the time was at the slower end of the range I like to run the longer runs at....it didn't go the way I wanted. At least the toe held up fine.

Monday - Elliptical workout - 2.6 miles for 35 minutes
Tuesday - 3 mile run @ 29:15
Thursday - 3 mile run @ 27:07
Friday - 3 mile run @ 28:31
Saturday - 6.7 mile run @ 1:19:16

Ill be out of town this coming week, but the hotel I'm staying at has a pretty good workout room with brand new treadmills. Its supposed to be in the mid 80's to 90's next week, and Ill probably have to run in the morning before work.

Due to having to take time off for healing, Ill probably have to cancel the Charlevoix Half. Ill know more in a couple weeks.

Back in a sense!!

Well, I got on the Elliptical today to ease back into it. For one, I figured if I could do at least that and biking, I would be all right with the hurt toe. Now, after over a week, the toe is "starting" to feel better. No more sharp pain, and the bruising at least on the toe is gone. There is still some bruising underneath the nail and that is uncomfortable, but I'm not sure if its broken now....maybe I just sprained it extremely bad.

Tommorrow I'm going to try a treadmill run. Ill try for three slow miles or until I feel any toe discomfort. The first sign of toe discomfort, I'm going to lay off running for awhile, but I'm hoping for no toe discomfort! We will see later!