Tuesday's run recap

I would've written yesterday, but with so many things going on I wasn't able to get online. The biggest news for me was the fact I got selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel so that was a big accomplishment. Anyway, Tuesday's run really felt good compared to the long layoff run I did Monday morning. I actually felt really good until some point near the last half mile, but I feel like I'm getting my legs back under me. Two more runs before the 10K this Saturday followed by a long run on Sunday. I'm really intrigued to see how this week goes and what shape I'll be in. Tuesday's run was a regular 3-6 miles because of the race Saturday so the speed workout in essence gets swapped out. One of the biggest factors will now begin to be the weather. 76 degrees Tuesday morning certainly felt hotter and so it'll be important I get out as early as possible to escape as much of the heat as possible. Today was certainly a good break, but it's a little intimidating to think I don't have another day off until Wednesday!

Goal: 3-6 miles

Actual: 3.79 miles in 31:00 (8:10/mile pace)

Weather: 76 degrees, clear, winds out of the NNW at 5 mph

Why you don't take time off

So I hadn't run since the 8th of June because I was out of town playing golf in Chicago. That meant lots of golf, but not a lot of sleep, which meant no running. So this morning was certainly a harsh wakeup call when the alarm sounded at 5AM for my 0-6 miles. Definitely not an enjoyable experience and something I don't plan on doing again although there will be some unforeseen reasons why I can't run, but that's different. It was certainly good to start running again and I'll have plenty of runs by the time Saturday rolls around and I run a 10K race on Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Should be some good fun!

Goal: 0-6 miles

Actual: 3.96 miles in 32:59 (8:15/mile pace)

Weather: 71 degrees, partly cloudy, winds out of the north at 5 mph

So this is how you get your pace...

After my third consecutive day of running I can see how you end up somewhere around your goal pace. This program is certainly going to be tough and at 35 years old it'll be that much tougher. Because there is only one day of recovery it won't be hard to remember to take it slow, but I will say the speed workouts (and the strength workouts that come later) are going to be hellacious. Today was supposed to be my off day, but since I'm heading to Chicago on a red eye I won't be in much condition for a run in the morning. I'm looking forward to my day off although I'll be packing running gear for two days while I'm out there to at least pick up some more mileage in order to be ready for week 2 next Monday.

Goal: 4-6 miles
Actual: 4.69 miles in 39:21 (8:23/mile pace)
Weather: 67 degrees, clear, winds from the SSW at 5 mph

Speed Workout, 3 miles of intervals at 10K pace

Today was the first of many speed workouts and I have to say it was tough. The training consists of running intervals totaling 3 miles at a 10K pace. Any distance is fine so long as you don't go above one mile and you jog a quarter mile in between each interval. Since I don't have a set pace for a 10K, I went ahead and chose an 8-minute mile pace although I've run 11 miles before at an 8:21 pace and have done 9 miles faster than that, but I'm trying to be realistic with the understanding as my mileage increases I'll need to pace myself. I'd like to try the speed workouts on a track, but since I didn't feel like constantly looking at my watch I decided to go ahead and just do 3 1-mile repeats. The third interval was definitely tougher than the first two and I could certainly feel it by the end. This will be one of the keys for helping me with my pace although I have to admit at my goal of a sub-4 hour marathon a 9-minute mile pace seems like a crawl. They key for me is to remember I'm building up to something and while it seems like I could walk a 9-minute mile pace by the time it comes to the marathon maintaining my goal pace should be easier. At least that's my hope!

Weather: 64 degrees, 4 mph winds
Mile 1: 7:54
Mile 2: 7:53
Mile 3: 7:58

3.8 miles, 30:31, 8:02/mile pace, sunny, 63 degrees, SSW winds 18 mph

First run is down and I was almost at the top of what I was supposed to do today. The H-B plan calls for 0-4 miles on the first day. I'll need to keep the distances in mind and for sure start on the low end as I start out. The first weeks are definitely meant to ease you in with a low end mileage for the week of 10 and a high of 33. I'll try to be somewhere in the middle or so, but with a trip to Chicago this weekend it might be difficult. The key is to continue on and remember the training is long and there will be some tough days. The weather was good except for the wind which was not fun on the back end of my run. But the sun was out and the mountains looked awesome. It reminds me of running in Afghanistan--spectacular views of the surrounding peaks as the sun was coming up. My biggest goal for this week is to continue getting acclimated to the altitude. We're not very high here in Vegas, but compared to the Netherlands it might as well be a mile of altitude difference instead of the 2,000 or so feet it really is. Speed work tomorrow--first time ever for that!

Training plan

Now that I've decided to run the PDX, I need a plan. There are a lot of programs out there, but I found one that said no runs would be longer than 16 miles. Being naturally lazy I thought this would be an excellent plan so I decided it had to be the one without even reading about it. The plan is the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project (website over on the right) and it is designed to make you ready for the last 16 miles of a race. Many traditional plans call for long runs of 20 miles, which is great, but what about the last 6 miles? The H-B plan focuses on high mileage each week by having you run 6 times per week so that by the time you have your long runs on Sunday it's about all you can do to finish. I'm definitely intrigued and so I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes. I read about the plan in Runner's World and here is the link: "New Year New You: Way of the Renegades"

First run is tomorrow with a 0-6 miler at a comfortable pace. Let's start the insanity!

Back from the dead?!

Been a LONG time since I've posted on here. So why am I posting now? I'm embarking on my first marathon so I thought I'd keep this updated as a log of my training. I had started running when I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. While I had run before, it was more when I needed to and not because I wanted. Then I began running three times a week and really enjoyed it so when I got back to DC I kept it up although only twice a week. Then we moved to the Netherlands and there were so many bike trails that I decided to up my running back to 3 times a week not really knowing how far I'd be going. Then one day 3 miles turned into 6 then 7 and so on. Running is so much fun and something that is about you and your surroundings. You can go as fast/slow and short/long as you want. While in Rotterdam I had been planning to run the Madrid marathon, but that was overcome by other events. I still had that itch to run a marathon to see if I could complete one and so that's how I've ended up getting ready to train for the Portland marathon on October 9th. So come follow along on my journey!