First Breath of Fall

I love fall. It is most definitely my favorite season. Today I felt the first breath of the season: the air was cooler, less humid, and refreshing. I ran a little under 12 miles today at Lake Needwood. I ran comfortably easy, trying to shake out any waste products in my legs.

I guess I like every season, but I look foward to fall the most. The visual change is the most dramatic with the varying coloration of leaves. I probably dislike summer the most as well, just because running in the heat can get pretty miserable. I think December is the worst month since it is dark by 445 pm and I either run in the dark, or run at the gym on the treadmill. Even running in the morning its dark.

So far it looks like the weather will work out this coming weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I feel like I can run very fast under the right conditions.

Aug 24-30: lower mileage week: 50 miles

I lowered the mileage last week down to 50 and did PLENTY of sleeping as well. I feel more rested and prepared for the Half Marathon next Sunday. On Saturday, I did the CJs C & O Canal 5K as a light workout and it felt pretty good. I started off the first mile in 5:52, then worked down to goal half marathon pace, splitting 5:29, 5:33. I felt comfortable and ended up winning the race, finishing in 17:33. I also did some strength training this week. On Sunday I did a solid 12+ mile loop on the canal and seneca road. I feel more refreshed.

It's now time to gear up for a very competitive half marathon this sunday. The Va Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon is a race I have always wanted to do. There is terrific competition with many elite international runners in the race. I am hoping to run a big PR of 1:11:00-1:12:00 and to finish in the top 20. I know I can run that fast, it's just a matter of putting everything together in the right race.

Aug 17-23: 89 Miles

Well I knew I was going to be close to 90 miles for the week. This was a great week of mileage. 89 Miles is my highest week since I can remember. It's great to have worked up to this point and seeing that my body can handle the higher mileage. My average mileage for the last 4 weeks has been 71 mpw. Today I did the longest run I have done since the marathon I ran in May. I met Jake, Jake2, Patrick Murphy, Dirk, Max, and Dickson for a terrific loop that started from the Barnes and Noble in Bethesda, down the CCT to the Towpath, through Georgetown, left on Rock Creek Parkway, all the way up to Beach Drive until turning left onto the Georgetown Branch trail back home. I would say the total distance was around 22 miles. We started off easy, then picked up the pace to a solid pace, then stopped for gatorade somewhere along Rock Creek Parkway. Later on the pace picked up some more, and we worked the hills up Beach Drive very well. After 2 hours I ran with Dickson a bit, letting Jake and Dirk go ahead. At this point though, I needed to ease up so eventually I let Dickson go ahead as well. I had a few minor side stitches here and there but they ended up going away, I think it was my body's response that I just needed to finish the rest of the run easy. I still felt like I got a solid workout in on top of the mileage I ran this week so it was a great run. I'd really like to build up to 110-115 miles in prep before the Marine Corps Marathon in Oct. But as for now, the next two weeks' mileage will be less than this week for sure, in preparation for a fast, flat half marathon in VA, the Va Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon on September 6th. Oh and my girlfriend is awesome.

Hard Work

Hard work pays off. Been running good mileage so far this week. Tuesday I ran an 8.5 miles easy, then Wednesday I ran 13.5 miles, and today an out and back 14 miler on MacArthur Blvd. Already up to 46 miles mid-week. It has been humid here and it gets a little annoying sweating so much. I'm tired, yet I feel strong at the same time. I keep taking naps during my lunchbreak at work. This week will probably be the highest mileage I have run all year(perhaps in a very long time). Hoping to hit 90. Next week I will take it down a tad and then the last week before the 1/2 race the mileage will be less as well.

Less mileage last week, more again this week

After my workout last wed, I spent the rest of the week running less in order to recover and prepare for some harder weeks ahead. I lowered the mileage last week down to 50 after going 70, 74 consecutively. This week will be higher again. On Monday I ran 10 miles over some hilly roads off MacArthur Blvd.

Turning Up the Intensity

Today I did my first Marathon/Half Marathon Workout for the fall. After running short and easy for Monday and Tuesday(5 mile runs), I did 8.5 miles today with 7+ at 2:28 Marathon Pace. I felt pretty relaxed and felt good to turn up the intensity a bit. It really didn't feel that hard at all, just new. I feel like I am going to get very very fit really quickly. My legs are feeling stronger and I am getting hungry for workouts. This week's mileage will probably be a bit less than the last week. While my prime goal is the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct, I am gearing up for the Va Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon in 3.5 weeks. This fall season could really be a big breakthrough for me. We will have to wait and see. Happy training!

Difficult Run and 74 miles for the week

Today I met up with Max, Chuck Moeser, and Justin for a run through the beautiful trails of Difficult Run. Moeser owns a 2:24 in the Marathon to his credit and is still very fast for his age now(he's in his late 50's). I was delighted to meet him. I have never been on these trails before and it made my long run quite enjoyable. Difficult Run flows through Fairfax County, Virginia to the Great Falls Park, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. The Run has been characterized as "a miniature Mather Gorge and Great Falls. We did the hilly loop of 11+ miles and then I ran more on my own since no one wanted to run longer. I estimate that I ended up doing about 19 miles total. I finished in 2:09:30. I'm glad I got the long run in early today, it was getting pretty hot by the time I finished. Still, it doesn't nearly feel as hot as it was down in NC last week.

Mileage Aug 3-9:

Mon- 12 miles
Tues- 9 miles
Wed- 9 miles
Thurs- 10 miles
Fri- 10 miles
Sat- 5 miles
Sun- 19 miles

Total: 74 miles

It feels good to not be racing and just training for a while. 4 weeks until the half marathon. All of these runs have been solid distance runs. I feel very fit, although I will need to do some fast paced workouts soon to really get my legs ready to run a fast half. The goal is 1:11:00.

July 27- Aug 2- 70 Miles

Well the Outer Banks was a great vacation, although running there kinda sucked. There is no shade and you either turn right or left onto Duck Road. It was hotter down there, so I ran pretty slow most of my runs. Ran 70 miles total for the week. Body feels good overall. I'd really like to try to get up in the mid 80's next week. Here is a breakdown of the week:

Mon: 10 miles
Tues: 12.5 miles
Wed: 6.5 miles AM, 5 miles on the beach PM
Thurs: 12 miles
Fri: 5.5 miles
Sat: 7.5 miles
Sun: 11 miles

Just getting in solid training now, and higher mileage as well. It feels good not to race. August is all training, no races. 5 weeks until the half marathon. 12 weeks until the marathon.