Jan 25-31: 83 Miles Per Week

This week was a slam dunk in terms of training. I got in a great Marathon Pace Workout, good mileage, and a decent long run on Sunday. I just hope the snow melts soon so I can continue to do half marathon/marathon workouts on the towpath. We'll see. This snow sucks ass.

Breakdown this past week(all singles!):

Mon: PM: 9 miles easy
Tues: PM: 10 miles moderate
Wed: PM: 4 miles easy
Thurs: PM: 15 miles Marathon Pace Workout
Fri: AM: 12 miles easy
Sat: PM: 14 miles moderate
Sun: AM: <19 miles moderate long run

Total: 83 Miles

PAIN

Damn snow. Damn cold. Yesterday I ran 12 miles easy on the Canal. I started from Lock 10 and worked towards DC and even ran across the Chain Bridge(although the wind was brutal). It was a beautiful day although cold and I already miss the Towpath since now it just got another unwanted dumping of cold snow. Today was a different story. It was cold, snow blowing everywhere, and windy! Fuck. I am so sick of snow. I thought I protected myself enough against the beast blizzard #2. I wore a balaclava, wool socks, and a hardcore outerlayer. By the time I headed out, I looked like a ninja ready to take combat. K.O.!! I jumped outside ready to take on the storm. It was 3PM, so I was running in the middle of the storm. I decided to sleep in this morning(which I regret now) and went to work from 10-2. But I also decided to run 14 today so it was better to recover afterwards with not much to do other than shovel. So about an hour into the run, my hands began to go numb. I then struggled with the pain in my hands I am oh so familiar with for the next 20 minutes, trying to run faster to beat the cold and bring heat to my hands. It became so painful that I started screaming outloud, people stared. I didn't care. It was so goddamn painful that I just prayed it would go away. I ran faster, and the faster I ran, the more the pain would subside. So eventually, FINALLY, it did, at the end of the run. That was torture. Need to remember to wear the hardcore windproof gloves WHICH I HAVE...so I am kicking myself in the teeth right now for not bringing them. I got in 14 miles as planned. Should be around 85 this week.

Thurs, Jan 28: 15 Miles Marathon Pace

Today I did a Marathon Pace workout starting at the C and O Canal Pennyfield Lock which is like 10 minutes from my house. I stepped out of my car and shivered. It's getting colder again. I started immediately and after the first 1/2 mile was running 6 min pace. The wind was bad and kind of hard to work with on the way out, but this was good for training. I gradually picked up the pace throughout the run, and especially on the way back. I did not run too fast though, and stayed within Marathon Pace range the entire time. I took a GU with me and ate it after 7.5 miles to give me a boost on the way back. My 8th mile was kind of off and I'm not sure why, maybe it was since I was digesting the GU. In the final miles of the run, I dove into the 5:30s and heard the sounds of the Potomac River cheering me on. I felt strong and resilient.

Splits:

6:04
6:07
5:55
5:47
5:47
5:49
5:56
6:17
5:52
5:40
5:44
5:39
5:35
5:30

Average Pace: 5:51
Total Time: 1:28:30

I anticipate to keep the mileage up for the rest of the week. Should be in the 80s with a 19-20 moderate long run on Sunday.

The Marathon Pace Runs continue to build my confidence.

Mon, Tues, & Wed

On Monday, I ran a nice loop after work starting from the Rockville Town Center. I started on Maryland Avenue and picked up Monroe and took that through Dogwood Park up through Tower Oaks to Wooton Parkway. I then proceeded to take a right on Wooton Parkway and headed over the bridge near that Green Building that has a "slice" running through it. I eventually turned right on Hurley to head back to 28 and picked up the Millenium Trail over the bridge towards Nelson, and took Nelson back to Martins Lane and headed back towards the Town Center. It ended up being around 9 miles. I kept the pace moderate.

On Tuesday, I drove to Lake Needwood and ran on the usual trail I always run on. I had this funny feeling that I would run into Jake Marren along the way. Sure enough, 15 minutes into my run, I saw him, and we ran together for a while before going our separate ways. I got in around 10 miles. Pace was moderate.

Wednesday was just an easy 30 minutes with my dog Mickey on the Canal. I wanted to take it easy today since tomorrow I plan to do a 15 Mile Marathon Pace Workout. I did strength training today too. Overall feeling is strong.

Jan 24: 11 Mile Cutdown

This week was kind of an up and down week, considering I got a sinus infection Wednesday. After doing a 15 mile "wake up" run on Thursday, on Friday I ran 4 miles in the morning and 8 miles in the evening. On Saturday, I took it reeeally easy, ran only for 3 miles and called it a day. My plan for Sunday was to run long 19-20 miles with the GRC but I changed my plans and decided to sleep in late to really defeat the rest of the sinus infection. I slept a lot. I also changed my plans for a workout. I decided to run an 11+ mile progression run at the Canal, and it was VERY successful. The mile markers at the canal aren't very accurate, so I am really just comparing this workout to past workouts and times I have hit these certain mile markers. I estimated one mile which was longer to a converted time and also another mile which was a bit short I added a few seconds. But overall it was clear to me that I was cruising faster and faster each mile-and my turnover was good, I wasn't overstriding or going too fast. I started off gradually picking up the pace for the first 1/2 mile, and the next 2 miles I cruised lightly at 6:10s, then hit 6:00, 5:55, and 5:49. I felt very good. I turned around, and progressed in the final 5 miles in 5:54, 5:47, 5:35, 5:35, and then 5:20. 5:20 is my current 10K race pace. I wasn't surprised I hit that last mile pretty quick, and I felt really good! This type of cutdown workout is my signature 13.1/26.2 Workout. It is a huge confidence booster for me. I want to work this up to a 15 mile and then finally a 20 mile cutdown. I think there is great work going on here, my cardiovascular system is just feeding off of this type of work. I did a 1/2 mile cooldown after to make it 11 miles total. I think the 10Miles I did was done in just over 58:00 or so. Splits below:

Splits:

6:10

6:10

6:00

5:55

5:49

5:54

5:47

5:35

5:35

5:20

I did only 62 miles this week, but with the sinus infection and the quality workout on Sunday, it ended on a high note. And I got a down week out of it too, so I will be able to raise the mileage again next week.

8 Weeks until the Marathon.

Jan 21: 15 Miles Moderate

I woke up Wednesday morning with a sore throat, a throbbing head, and an aching body. It's one thing to just have a sore throat or stuffy nose(which usually is just a minor cold), but the achy body told me something was wrong-and it wasn't just the mileage I'd been running, so I did the smart thing and immediately called the doctor and set an appointment that day. At least I had a little bit of an appetite, so I downed some oatmeal and a glass of OJ. A few hours later, the doctor told me it was a sinus infection, so I was prescribed some Pennicilin and Flonase. I slept all day...literally. I did not run. I could barely get around. Beth was nice enough to visit and bring me ice cream from cold stone, and I watched some basketball and fell asleep on the couch before trudging myself up to bed. I slept for another 12 hours, and when I woke up this morning, the aches in my body had thankfully diminished. I felt much better. In fact, I felt like running, so I waited until the afternoon to go for a run. I ended up running a 15 miler on the Canal. The first half hour I felt kinda sluggish but then I woke up a bit and cruised along moderately. Those antibiotics really do the trick. Should be around 80 miles or so this week.

Recovered & A Big Group

The group of guys showing up to the runs has been awesome. On MLK morning, I met up with a bunch of GRC runners and ran 12+ miles at the Line. I felt really sore for the first 10 minutes but then loosened up. We picked up the pace slightly during the middle of the run which felt fine-I actually felt pretty good, and as we ran back up the hilly trails I kept it easy and made sure not to run too fast. I ran the last 12 minutes really easy. On Tuesday I did 2 short & easy runs to make sure I'd recover. In the AM I ran a comfortable 4 miles. After work around 8PM I went for another easy run and bounced along the roads of downtown Rockville feeling just fine. I got in 5 more miles. I feel awesome now so I know I am getting stronger. I am very pleased with how well I recovered 48 hours after a 21 miler.

Jan 17: Long Run/83 Miles Per Week

Today I had a solid long run with my fellow GRC teamates. We started off at Edward's Ferry and ran on the towpath for the first loop of the Duel Ferries Run. I shivered in the cold rain as I started my journey of 20+ miles. The towpath was covered in puddles, and ice beneath. It seems like that ice is never going to melt. It is thick, rocky, and dense. I cursed half jokingly with Jordan. It seemed the Red Fox had given up on dodging the puddles and trudged right through them. As we got through the first 5 miles of the run, we thankfully turned onto River road which was much more manageable given it was asphalt. After a few more miles, we eventually saw another runner in the distance. "IT'S REAVES!" Jake called out. Sure enough, it was him. He joined us for the rest of the run. As we made our way back to Edward's Ferry, we had picked up the pace a bit. I stopped to take a leak as others got snacks. I chowed down some sports beans. As we started up again, we decided to go back up River Road again to avoid the muck on the canal. At this point my hands started to struggle with the cold/wetness. My legs and feet also were damp. We ran merrily together. After a few more miles, my hands felt worse. They were starting to go numb. At this point everyone had something going numb. We turned left. Eventually we came up to the open area where open fields were on the left, and the wind was against us. I was running in front so it hit me the hardest as others tucked in behind. I shivered some more. Hands felt worse. I picked up the pace slightly to get some heat going in my body to hopefully bring some life back into my hands. After a while, a bunch of the guys turned around, and it was me, reaves, jake marren, and Karl. Jake soon turned around to get in his 18 or so. Karl decided to do 20-21 with me as reaves ran with us too since he was at fewer miles. My hands had started to get more blood flowing as Karl, reaves, and I picked up the pace. The pain in my hands set in. I had to keep the blood flowing and eventually the pain would go away. Very slowly, it did. My hands were finally alive again. We made our way to where River Road ended and turned around. At this point, we had picked up the pace significantly and ran merrily together. The final miles flew by as we pounded. My legs ached, my feet were practically numb, but my hands were fine...which made all the difference in a strange way. I don't know what pace we were going, but I'm guessing around 540s, maybe even down to 5:30s at times. Sure felt like it anyway. The last 10-15 minutes I backed off a little bit, and I let Karl and Reaves go ahead. Still I finished not too long after. Karl had 2:13 on his watch, I got 2:15. I would say the distance was over 20 miles total, since running out and back on river road was the longer half of the 10+ mile loop. I'm calling it 21 for the day. It was a great run.

Solid week of training:

1/11: AM: 3.5m, PM: 4.5m

1/12: PM: 10m

1/13: PM: 11m

1/14: PM: 13m with 5 at Marathon Pace

1/15: AM: 3.5m, PM: 5.5m

1/16: AM: 11m

1/17: AM: 21m with 5-6 at Marathon Pace

Total: 83 miles

Mon/Jan11-Tues/Jan 12

Monday morning I was sore so I did a slow run with my dog Mickey on the Canal for about 3.5 miles. I did a second run after work for another 4.5 miles or so. Tuesday I ran about 10 miles on roads, and I felt better. I feel loose and strong at the same time.

Jan 4-10: 76 Miles/Week and the Plan

This past week was a solid week of mileage that has been steadily increasing. I hit 76 miles last week. This Sunday I ran with some of my GRC teamates at the Line and got in a little over 17 miles. It was my first "real" long run in prep for the Shamrock Marathon in March. I am getting stronger. This afternoon, after my long run, I decided to get in a cross training workout so I went over to Beth's to use her brand new elliptical machine and did that for about 35 minutes. I was pretty tired after today and ate a lot to replenish.

Aerobically I am in good shape. The Shamrock Marathon, believe it or not, is only 10 weeks away. Dickson's right, I must keep the mileage up if I want to run a solid Marathon this Spring. Also, I haven't raced at all in 4 weeks, and will not race anything for another 7 weeks: the Colonial Half, which will be 3 weeks out from the Marathon. The Colonial Half Marathon will serve primarily as a tune up. Yes, it will be fast, which will be the perfect final workout for me 3 weeks out from the race. So all in all, on top of my overall fitness from 2009, I will have 11 weeks of solid training with no racing in between, and then a quick tune up half 3 weeks out from the big race. After next week, which will be around 90mpw, I will start Marathon Specific Workouts such as Marathon Pace Runs and stuff like that. My legs are beginning to get that extra "lift" to start moving faster. I felt that today during my long run when I did a mini-surge for a couple of minutes after about 15 miles. The consistent core work and "light" lifting I have continually been doing have helped as well as self massaging/stretching too.

Friday, Jan 8: AM: 5, PM: 5

This morning I ran 5 miles very slow, my legs were pretty dead. After work, when I got off at 8PM, I ran another 5 miles around the Rockville Twilighter course. Unlike the Twilighter weather in July, it was COLD. FRIGID. Damn, I thought, it's gotten colder. I wore 2 pairs of pants(one tights, one dri fit pants over them), 2 longsleeves, a windproof vest, 2 hats, and 2 pairs of gloves. I was snug as a bug. It was a chilly, quiet 5 mile run in the evening. My legs felt slightly better than they did this morning. Afterwards, I met up with Beth and we went through the drive-thru to McD's to get a large Chocolate Milkshake. I don't eat McDonald's, but their milkshakes are FANTASTIC. Hits the spot just right. So we pull through the drive-thru, and after I pay the guy, he says, "Sweet Dreams." Beth and I snickered. "Uh, you too," I muttered. "I think that guy was hitting on you," Beth said. We drove off.

Thurs, Jan 7: 12.5 Miles

On Thursday I drove out to Lock 10 on the C and O Canal and headed south. Eventually I got to the chain bridge and decided to run across it. It was a little bit warmer today which made things more bearable. Once again, it's nice the towpath was free of ice(although it is snowing out again as I am typing right now). Once I crossed over to VA, I hit up some trails I have never been on. They were just a tad perilous, since there wasn't a very wide trail and it was steep. Still, it was cool and fun to be in a new place. I turned around and headed back. Got in 12.5 today. My legs felt a little achy but ok.

Wed, Jan 6: 10.5M

Today I met up with Dave at Old Angler's Inn for another solid distance run. He showed me some of the trails he knows and it was great. Not much snow and ice for the most part. After 23 minutes on the trails, we veered onto the canal. Thankfully, most of the snow and ice is gone on the section of the canal that we ran on today. It was nice just to cruise on the soft surface rather than jumble around on spiked ice. We turned around after a while and came back the same way. I want to do about another week and a half of just mileage(no workouts) and then I will probably start adding marathon/half marathon specific workouts. Again, mileage is steadily increasing. Should be in the 70's this week. 10.5 miles for today.

Jan 5: 4.5M am, 7.5M pm

Today I ran twice, in the morning an easy 4.5 miles on the canal with Mickey. He seemed to really enjoy himself out there today. He knows that when I say "You want to go for a run?" his ears perk up and he's ready to go, he loves it and knows it's a treat. In the afternoon, I met Nate after his highschool coaching job was done for the day, around 4:30. We ran on some fun trails in the back of Magruder High School, and ventured off into the darkening evening. We crossed a stream which was a tad sketchy but fun, and added on the golf course and back. I got in 7.5. 12 miles for the day.

The Cold /63 Miles Per Week 1/3/10

Steadily the mileage builds. My legs feel stronger. The cold is making me stronger.

Although this has been my highest mileage week since October, I was due a day off on Thursday due to the fact I hadn't taken a day off in over 4 weeks. On Friday I met up with the GRC at the Line and got in 11 miles. Saturday the cold built up and the wind was strong. I met up with the GRC in Georgetown and got in another 12 miles. Sunday was much colder and I met up with Nate at the Canal to do a 14 miler. I'm glad he could meet me since I needed to run early because I had to be at work at 12:00, and I could use the company in this frigid weather. We traded spots to block eachother from the wind. Nate wore the ski mask as I wore wool socks and wind proof gloves. There was plenty of ice along the towpath and it felt like we were running on spikes. At least the sun was out. We talked about high school days and the funny fact that I was one of 5 Chris' on QO's varsity xc team IN THE SAME YEAR. Within 4 years of running for QO, there were at least 3 Chris' on the Varsity Squad every year, and a total of 6 different Chris' within 4 years.

The Glory Days of the Chris Cougars. But my name was Puffer. Some of you know that story, others will have to hear the story sometime.