On point and a 16 miler in the bag!! (AND A LIST!)

Its not often I get to say this but today was major break through.  I managed to run an extra mile this week in 8 minutes less than last week.  I felt strong, fast, and my biggest issue was remembering to slow down.  I am ecstatic!

Turning back to my OCDness with my running I have to question what was different?  My legs weren't in any better shape than the week before, and it could be argued that they were considerably more tired as I'm at the last week before my rest week being on a 4 week cycle.  Looking back at my splits I can't help question how in the world I was been able to post a 8:50 mile at mile 10 (by mistake!), and then do a fast finish of 8:01.  It really boggles the mind, but if I can't walk tomorrow and this is the last post for another year you'll all know why.

Their are four things I can attribute today's success and with my old time training partners recently confessed obsession with lists here we go:

#1  I ditched the heavy clunky camel bag for a hydration belt.  I noticed the previous week as soon as I put that massive bag on my times instantly dropped by a minute or more and at the end I still had half a pouch weighing me down.  While yesterdays trial run with the belt proved it wasn't weightless, today's proved that it is by far the best option and at the end of the 2 and a half hour run I barely knew it was there. 

#2  For the first time ever I cut a Gatorade prime with water and used that mix to fill my 28 ounces of (4)

Fuel!!

water bottles.  On top of that I kept to my new routine of sipping and swishing rather than chuggle-lugging and I think it made another big difference.  If I was a betting man I'd now say a lot of problems I had in the past resulted from a condition known as Hyponatremia (too much water and not enough salt) but more to come on that in a future post on "Fuel."  For anyone attempting this be careful though:  changing fuel for runs too drastically can cause great stomach discomfort (PG version) and nobody wants to do impromptu strides to the closest available bathroom/discreet location.  That's why I used to skip the Gatorade myself but it worked today and I plan to stick with it.

#3  Today I got up at the same time as last week before the sun crested the ocean, but it was noticeably colder and I made sure to hit the road quicker providing an added bonus.   I'm now beginning to closely monitor my sleep as recovery is a vital part of training (or so smart people say) I used to somewhat ignore, but can't afford to at this point.  Again while this doesn't necessarily equal cooler temps or less humidity thanks to the beautiful tropical conditions here in SoFlo, it definitely feels better and will be a continuing trend for my long runs.  The one drawback about this:  bed time on Saturday nights at 10:30 or better but if it helps then it helps.

#4  Confidence:  I knew I could do it.  Didn't know I could do it that fast but I knew.  For any runner out their struggling to build confidence just remember:  If 70 year olds can complete marathons and ultras quicker then most then so can you!  Their is no magical difference between them or anyone else, and if you can come to terms with the truly awesome power our bodies can put out and endure, then its in the bag for you too.

So I think that's all for today's success tips.  I've got 4 more grueling long runs of 18 or more miles before race day coming up really delving into marathon mileage so I'm sure every post won't be as up beat as this one.  But if you're a runner you know there's always going to be ups and downs with training.  Today I'll be riding my up all day long:  Victory is mine!!


Best long run this season:  16 miles in 2:35. 

So much for the dry season!  Missed it by an hour though!

Nails, Plans, and OCD!

Well there it is in all its glory.  The perfect spot for my new medal commemorating my first ever sub-4 hour marathon.  Sure it's still 9 weeks, 44 training runs, and 371.2 miles away, but a guy should be prepared right?  Which brings me up to an interesting topic:  exactly how to get prepared for running a marathon or any race for that matter.

If you've run a competitive race before then I'm sure you've all heard of training plans.  They come in all different shapes in sizes, levels of intensity, and for all time goals from super elite to just finishing them.  The first thing to know about them though if you've never used one is they are mostly FREE!!  Sure you can easily log onto any popular running site, puts your credit card deets in and download a smokin' new plan, but isn't free always better?

For me I've used many plans over the years.  Some I've put together myself while others I've used general templates.  I always thought the main aspect of following any plan is sticking too the distances because I know I won't be breaking any course time records so my goal has always been just to finish with my head held high with a time I wouldn't mind too much dropping in any social situations.  My last marathon time though of 5 hours and 15 minutes  just doesn't permit that but enough about that.

At the end of the day plans are only as good as your ability to follow them and in that race I faltered big time and the results were catastrophic.  This season I refuse to let that happen and have changed up my focus.  For the first time in my racing career I'm not only following the distance recommendations (up to just below 40 miles a week right with 5 runs a week), but the times to complete the mileage as well.  While its definitely ramped up my the intensity of my training and increased my obsession with sticking to the plan, its proved challenging to say the least but this time my goal isn't just to finish, but to take my place with the top 10% of just-for-fun marathon runners.* 

As I said last week though it hasn't been easy, yet this week my legs are doing much better I'd say somewhere around the 75% range assisted with a brand new massive bottle of Aleve.  What I am super impressed with is this training plan.  This is the first time I've ever been surprised by the many details that's been worked in and it seems to be working as long as I can get through my long run tomorrow morning, and recover during my easy week next week.  I currently have one more week of hills ahead of me, 8 on Wednesday to be exact, but after that I make the switch to Tempo's and Yasso's which I'm pumped for. 

For anyone whose never used a plan before the results are startling.  For someone who normally goes through life as laid back as possible, my training plans turn me into an OCD beast.  Every minute of every mile must be accounted for, and substitutions or subtractions just don't fly.  In my 3 months of training so far I think I've missed one run and cried afterwards for a week.  Okay maybe that's a little much, probably more like a few hours...


But as I've said things are going well and I'm still on track for March.  I broke out of the slump I was in last week and are looking forward to owning tomorrow's 16 miler as I did last weeks smaller brother 15.  I've joined the Hollywood Runners Club which I'm excited to get out and run with (though I CANNOT DEVIATE FROM MY PLAN lol!) and I even purchased a new hydration belt and tested it today looking to put its through its paces with my 16 miler tomorrow.  So far so good, so lets keep our fingers crossed for more happy posts to come.

A great day to be a South Florida runner!!

PS.  For anyone interested in learning more about training plans please feel free to "Google" them.  Thanks and best of luck!

*DISCLAIMER:  This number might be totally made up but I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere and if its online it must be true.  A quick article I just found says 25% but I like 10% better so....

Sub 4 hours or Bust! It could go either way!

With a little over 10 weeks to go no truer has the name of my latest training plan felt:  "BREAK 4:00 OR BUST!"  Up to this point after restarting my training 6 weeks ago after a couple of failed long runs I've felt strong,  confident (if not cocky!), and more importantly faster than ever at least for a guy that used to weigh 236 pounds.  But lately my mileage has really seemed to catch up to me.  For the past few days I've had a knot in my calf that I can't seem to lose though it doesn't seem to affect my running, in the first mile my one knee threatens to give out, and my easy miles doesn't exactly seem as easy as they used to be. 

Starting today though I'm turning a new leaf.  I've started watching inspirational running movies on Netflix, reading about slump busting training tips, and I'm trying to get that feeling back that I CAN DO IT!  If 6 months ago someone would have asked me if I'd have ever thought I'd be this close to running a sub 4 hour marathon I'd have told them NO WAY AIN'T NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.  But with my loss of 70 pounds and my new found stamina and speed its clear that I really can.  I've coasted through a 10 mile long run and a little more challenging 13 mile both on a treadmill, and ran the best 12 miles of my life with my dad in Texas conquering hill after hill with ease.  Now tomorrow its time to graduate to the big mileage: 15 miles the same distance that got me the 7 weeks ago.  Not this time though, this time its mine and by this time tomorrow yes I'll be hurting, but I'll be one more successful long run closer to breaking a goal I never imagined possible for myself; the Sub 4-hour marathon.  Sure it won't be easy, but if its was easy then everybody would do it and guess what sports fans?  "I AIN'T EVERYBODY!"


PS:  I'm not yelling that's just my new running mantra...